When somepony else's world is at your hooves, what do you do with it? In times of need, we all need somepony to lean on, but who is that somepony's somepony, and so on?
From the Griffon Kingdom, a plague previously unknown to Ponykind is imported. Within five days, they say, the victim is either fine or dead. How will the Mane 6 (plus Midnight!) cope with Apple Bloom's infection? Will Twilight manage to find the cure in time and stop this madness? Only one way to find out.
Note please: The following stories are in the same universe; An unknown sensation, Splitting aMid the Night, To Jack a Rainbow, Two of a kind.
In addition, Strength and Perception take place in a parallel universe to that one, where things are almost the same, but not quite.
Getting just the reception I expected, I see. Well, I suck at writing anything other than romances and don't feel like doing it too much, as I can actually run into sadness problems while Bleeding. Also, people appear to like tacky as tacky can be romances where one proposes to the other more than tragedies, and I can't blame them. Those under the level of mind discipline where sadness becomes voluntarily only.
Forgive me for comparing those, but what Buttersc0tchsundae, I think it was, said about death in a recent blog post on the home page also applies to marriage, although obviously reversed. Marriage is, at least in the candy colored world I live in where you stay true to your partners, binding and final, you must not overuse it lest it lose its heavy meaning, and simply doing it already requires both characters to love each other extremely much.
But a few words on the universe this is in. It's basically the Midnight universe, except that things aren't always the same here that they are there. I did this because I have no place to put this in Splitting aMid the Night and the plot requires events that Midnight doesn't attend, which means that they can't be described in SatN. Also, I could, theoretically, kill everypony in Ponyville except Midnight and then write five chapters about her psychic horror while she slowly succumbs to the plague, too. But I won't.
(Stuph you need to know ends here)
Also, my imagination is a very very dark place. I was on the train for school when I was struck with the idea for this story. Usually, I fill waiting times (and English/Chemistry lessons
) by writing ponies on my trusted notepad, which has already lost quite a few pages to this, but not on the first train ride of the day. Then, I'm just philosophing. That day, I was thinking about another 'What if'-scenario. What if... I found the cure for AIDS?
(Actually, I think I'd make the formula available for free and donate at least 90% of my Nobel prize to help those who can't afford it).
That'd actually make a pretty nice topic for a story, I figured. Oh noes, I spoilered that Twilight does discover the cure. Was that such a big surprise?
Whatever. At first, the development title of this was 'Greed', with its main twist being that Twilight... nah. You'll figure that out by yourself. Also, think about what it'd mean for the (Thanks partially to RD, who can't help feeling incredibly guilty) orphaned Scootaloo. If she got infected, of course. That's not certain. Not for you, at least. I already know whether or not she is, and honestly, you do, too.
But instead, I went for a fine plot underneath the surface. Take a closer look at what happens between the following:
Apple Bloom -> Applejack
Applejack -> Twilight (partially)
Applejack -> RD
RD -> Twilight
And keep looking out for such hints. I think there's a nice twist in at the end which should make this story less of the standard plot thing, as even Disci has honestly stated, and more of a deeper something. Should. If I wasn't such a terrible writer. Maybe I should visit a writer's workshop, but then again, that'd probably be either for complete fucktards, which is a group I consider myself to be just so out of, or for people who actually want to do this professionally or already do.
I mean, surely I could turn to serious writing anytime. Take SatN, run Search and Replace over it to make it humanised, get it printed, done. My grandfather wrote three books while working as a teacher, y'know.
And yes, I write twice as much text as is expected of other people in my age group (and above, actually) as an essay, which counts as an exam in its own right, for relaxation, on an unproductive day. But don't you, too, think that 300 words is really kinda slim? Surely, English is not supposed to be our first language (although it kind of is for me, but I'm still stuck in a German speaking country), but even when you take German essays, which have to be 1000-1200 words, that's still less than I put out, in English, without even using all that much time.
Yes, writing ponies is easier than doing a well-structured essay, but still.
This story was fun. Not only because my imagination is a seriously screwed up place. I could take the characters like Applejack out of their original world of happiness and rainbows and whatnot and place them in Midnight's reality, where she prospers well, but all the others have trouble coping with reality. Did you like that certain aspect of Twilight this reality revealed? If you've read chapter 29 of Splitting aMid the Night, and you should have, because go screw yourself otherwise, why are you reading stories from the Midnight universe... erm, anyway, if you did, most of those ponies are obviously Luna's images, but what if you take them and instead give them the gift to know evil, as the Bible means it?
If you don't understand what I mean by that, go ask somebody who believes in that stuff about what is so bad about Adam and Eve being able to see evil that God had to put such a high punishment on eating the Fruit. While you're at it, ask them where Eden is supposed to have been located and if it's not a little strange that apples would grow there. I promise you fun times.
Why is it always AB getting zombified/terminal diseases in these stories? Is this some industry standard?dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Sweetie_Belle_lolface.png
1248294 Are you implying you didn't read this up until now? Bad drone!
Well, only her and Sweetie Belle actually have a family and it HAD to be a foal because fuck the rules.
(It's an established rule in animation that you don't hurt children.)
And I couldn't use Sweetie Belle because Rarity wouldn't be a fitting character. Also, writing with Rarity as a main character? Lol, u srs?dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Rarity_lolface.png
That's the reason for me. Of course, if Midnight and Twilight would get a move on and get one of their own...
I have no idea why others also all pick AB. She's not even that much of a likeable character, if you think about it.
(Now watch as the AB lovers will destroy me.)
1248362
1248372 But seriously, who can tell me he likes her with a straight face?
1248398 Actually this is exactly why I like her, and dislike Fluttershy
