Twilight's shoulders slumped as she surveyed the chaos around her: open books and note-riddled papers were strewn about from weeks of frantic, failed research. She let out a heavy sigh, wallowing in her sense of defeat.

The crushing feeling of failure hurt Twilight more than the torturous sickness slowly killing her. She had lost; all of Equestria had. Time and time again, she and her friends had triumphed over countless dangers and dilemmas, but in the end, it was an enigmatic disease that had won.

It had taken root and infected Equestria with undetected ferocity. Mass panic and unimaginable horrors ensued, and Equestria fell apart before Twilight—or anyone else—could get a grasp of the situation.

It took weeks before the worst of the illness finally reared its ugly head. Rainbow Dash had arrived at the castle with a chunk taken out of her shoulder; her bewilderment outweighed her pain as she frantically explained that Fluttershy had attacked her when Dash stopped by her cottage. Fluttershy had lunged at her like a crazed animal, tearing into Dash’s shoulder and refusing to listen to reason. Twilight and Starlight were just as bewildered as they hurriedly cleaned and dressed the bite.

The girls rushed to Fluttershy’s cottage once Rainbow Dash had been tended to, but Fluttershy was nowhere to be found. The only evidence of her current state was what little remained of Dr. Fauna sprawled across the grass. It was only a few days into the search for Fluttershy before similar attacks began occurring throughout Equestria. The search for their friend grew stale as everyone desperately turned to the Main Six for answers or a solution.

As the weeks went by, things fell apart even more. Twilight struggled to keep up with the chaos. Dash had to stay at the castle where Twilight could monitor her; the wound wouldn’t heal properly, and Dash was only getting sicker with time. Twilight constantly took notes on Dash’s symptoms, trying to match them to any book she could find on sickness and disease. But that search bore no fruit, and eventually, Dash’s condition became so severe that all she could do was lie in bed, unmoving and barely lucid from the aggressive fever.

Rarity was the next of Twilight’s friends to be taken from her. She had come intending to gift Dash with a beautifully crafted blanket. Amidst Rainbow Dash barely hanging on and everything falling apart so violently around the girls, Rarity was just as desperate to find a glimmer of hope in the darkness as the rest of the Mane Six. Unfortunately, fate didn't care much for a calm moment. As Rarity was gently tucking Dash into the blanket, Rainbow Dash suddenly whipped around with a speed she hadn’t shown in weeks and tore into Rarity.

Her piercing scream pulled Twilight’s attention away from her research. She flew out of the castle library without hesitation towards the sound, yet despite her urgency, she arrived too late. Twilight stood frozen in the doorway for what felt like the longest, most excruciating moment, witnessing Rainbow Dash standing over Rarity’s now silent and unmoving body as Dash tore into her flesh, ripping away at it and eating it with fervor. Twilight was barely able to snap out of her shocked state in time to realize Dash was lunging at her. Her hooves gave out beneath her as she scrambled to react, and Dash managed to bite her before she could fully defend herself. Twilight pushed Dash back into the room and hastily locked the door, sealing whatever remained of her two friends inside.

That had been weeks ago, though Twilight recalled it as if it were mere moments past. Now, as she sat amid the clutter of the library she’d created and stared down at the tightly bandaged bite on her hoof, the weight of those events felt as fresh as ever. She had managed to hide her injury from Applejack and Pinkie Pie, who were too preoccupied with maintaining hope and a sense of community among the remaining Ponies in Ponyville. Since the bite, Twilight hadn’t left her castle. The princesses were long gone, leaving Twilight to fill the vacant spot on the throne and restore order. Everyone was depending on her, hoping she would find the solution and save the day as she and her friends had always done. But after weeks of poring over every book, scroll, and scrap of paper, Twilight had little to show for her efforts.

Zecora had arrived with a grim expression just before the incident with Rarity unfolded and led the girls into the Everfree Forest to the place where she had found what remained of Fluttershy. In a small clearing stood a tall, twisted tree. Its exposed roots sprawled wildly, and its branches curled around those of neighboring trees, as if trying to absorb the surrounding life. Zecora had kept the girls at a distance, but even from afar, they could see the yellow hair and dried skin stretched against the bark, and the base of the trunk, clearly contorted in the shape of a pony.

Unfortunately, Zecora had to interrupt their grieving to share what little she knew about the plight befalling Equestria. With a wary tone, she spoke of the Mortala Tree, a mythical plant she had only heard of in legends. She explained that the tree's pollen spreads and infects any creature that comes into contact with it. The disease slowly kills the creature as it absorbs the magic and nutrients necessary for the tree’s growth. It then uses the lifeless body like a puppet to mindlessly seek out more nutrients before eventually planting the creature in the soil and taking root. From there, the tree continues its aggressive cycle, spreading pollen to further its infestation.

She solemnly explained that she knew of no cure or means to combat the tree and that it had already begun overtaking the area around her hut, forcing her to leave her home. Zecora wished everyone the best before departing in search of anything that might help resolve the situation, but Twilight hadn’t heard from her since. After what happened to Rarity, Starlight set off to search for answers as well, accompanied by a very heartbroken and determined Spike. It was probably for the best; Twilight didn’t want any of them to see the state she was in.

Twilight’s body ached with every movement, each muscle throbbing with a stabbing pain as she sank to the floor. She could feel her body shutting down, unsure if it was due to the disease or the intense stress and lack of sleep she had endured while trying to find a solution. It all seemed for nothing. As she lay there, she spent her final moments reflecting on her failure to help her friends and everyone she cared about. She could only hope that somewhere, someone would succeed where she had failed.

She resigned herself to her fate and closed her eyes.

Author's Note

Writing is hard, as it turns out.
Next chapter probably won't be such a downer.