One day, the Cakes and Pinkie Pie took little Pound and Pumpkin to see Dr. Penny Sillon, ID: DR3F, for their seven month checkup. Those two squiggly little foals liked having their checkup from Penny because she was so gentle and kind. “Come on, now, Pound.” Penny said sweetly “Breathe deeply for me, come on.”

Little Pound took in a deep breath and held it in so his little cheeks puffed out. Pinkie couldn’t help but giggle at how funny and adorable Pound looked. “Shh! Pinkie…!” Cupcake whispered so Penny could hear Pound’s breathing more easily.

Next came little Pumpkin, Penny checked her throat and it was all clean, only Pumpkin wouldn’t let go of the tongue-depressor and sucked on it like she did her toys. “Nom, Nom, Nom…!”

“Now, now, Pumpkin, you spit that out.” her daddy said. Pumpkin did as she was told.

“Well…” Penny said looking over the foals “What healthy foals you are, and you know what healthy foals get to have…?” and she handed them two big lollypops. The foals pounded the table softly cooing “Yay…A-yah-Wooo…!”

“Um… not quite, Pinkie Pie.” Penny said as she looked over her clipboard. “Looks like somebody missed out on their monthly booster-shot.”

“Huh?!” cried Pinkie. The Cakes acted a little nervous when they saw Penny prepare the needle, but their parents comforted them say it wasn’t for them.

“But I don’t need my shot.” Pinkie said “I feel fit and fine, See?” she bounced happily across the room, but that didn’t excuse her. “I’m sorry, Pinkie, the Grand Ruler and the Queen gave orders, everyone on Starfleet and in training is to have their shots every month and that includes you. Remember, if a fighter doesn’t have their health, they have nothing.”

Seeing no way out of it, Pinkie took her shot. “YE-AAAAAAAOWCH!” she cried shaking the whole building and startling everyone inside and around.

Poor Pinkie rubbed her arm from where she was pricked as she and her landlords exited into the waiting room on their way to leave, and saw Rhymey and Arite sitting and waiting. “Say, what are you boys doing here?” asked Pinkie.

“Even Starfleet fighters need to take care,
to keep our bodies healthy and fair.” said Rhymey.

Rhymey and Artie went in and left with brave smiles. Penny waved goodbye to them and then cleaned up to prepare for her next patient, but taking a moment to sigh heavenly to herself “I love my job.”

That evening, Rhymey made it to Fluttershy’s to pick her up for their dinner date, with a bouquet of flowers, and knocked at the door and calling out…

The door opened and Rhymey saw Angel the rabbit hop out and he looked very upset and worried about something.

Angel nodded and led Rhymey inside, and what he found turned his blood cold and he dropped the flowers he brought. There was his dear Fluttershy flat on the sofa all covered in sweat, moaning and groaning in pain as she held her side.

“Oh… Rhymey!” cried Fluttershy “Uhn…! It hurts! My stomach hurts so much. Oh…! Uhn…!”

Rhymey was no doctor, but from what he knew, he could tell just from looking at Fluttershy’s symptoms-- high temperature, sharp stabbing stomach pains-- it was mostly likely appendicitis.

Rhymey ran to get help immediately, and before long Fluttershy was rushed to the hospital. Some of the others came when they heard the news, and Penny wasted no time in diagnosing the problem. “You were quite right, Rhymey-- Acute Appendicitis. Thank goodness you brought her when you had, or it could have gotten very serious. Now there’s no danger, I’ll operate in the morning. Everything will be just fine.”

Normally, a pony's appendix was vital to their survival, and could not be surgically removed, but now since ponies were humanoid, the facts were different.

“Let’s all go now, so she can sleep.” Lightning said, and they all headed off. Rhymey cast another look at Penny. She smiled at him and said “Don’t worry, she’ll be okay.”

Rhymey smiled sadly and then left with the others, and Penny headed off to her office to fill out the paperwork.

She suddenly began to get that peculiar feeling she was being watched, and the minute she turned round, a changeling in the form of black smoke flew up and seeped through her ear. All at once Penny began to feel strange, and then she heard a voice calling to her. “Your love energy is ours. You know what you now must do.”

“Poor Fluttershy.” cried Spike wished the others could just use magic to make her feel all better again, but he knew just as well as the rest of them that this was another one of those things magic couldn’t solve very easy.

“Remember when I caught that cold a month ago?” asked Twilight “Since I wasn’t feeling well, my magic wasn’t working well either.”

“How could we all forget that?” Lightning said “Every time you sneezed, your magic went crazy all over the place causing hilarious things to happen.”

They all remembered it well. Twilight made very silly things happen, like turning Spike’s gems into rocks that he didn’t like to eat, making her books fly like having wings, or even shooting a beam out her open window and flying straight at a pizza-delivery pony, hitting the pizza and reducing it to ash. “I ordered that pizza!” Lightning grumbled.

“The point is… Fluttershy can get through this.” Rainbow said “She always pulls through many things, even if it is by pure luck.”

Hearing this only made Rhymey feel more uneasy. He had appendicitis once, which was how he was able to recognize Fluttershy’s symptoms, and under his armor he still had a little of the scar left, but he always remembered the unbearable pain. Now it was happening to poor Fluttershy, his mare-friend!

“She really means a lot to me,
All this fear just keeps going through me.
I pray she may, I pray she might,
Soon be all better and things go alright.”

“It’ll be okay, Rhymey.” said Twilight “Fluttershy’s been through worse.”

Meanwhile, Penny had seen other patients that day, but everyone seemed to notice she was acting strange, and quieter, almost as if she knew something no one else did. Whenever she was asked if she was okay, by anyone else, she would simply reply “Of course. What do you mean?” she said sharply.

This was all the result of the changeling controlling her from inside, and every passing second her energy was being transported to Chrysalis

Chrysalis was observing Penny’s every move and could feel the love energy pouring into her and reenergizing her life force. “Ah, the taste of success was never sweeter.” she hissed.

The captain was pleased and had more news for his queen, and explained to her the situation of Fluttershy-- “It would appear the young one is due for operation on her appendix in the morning, and as I recall she is training to join the fighting force of our enemies.”

Chrysalis grinned wider and more sinisterly than ever as she caught onto the idea. A perfect chance to not only steal more energy, but perhaps to even do-away with one of the many creatures who had caused them so much trouble. “Instruct our changeling at once!” growled Chrysalis.

“You will instruct for the operation to be moved up to that very night. You know what you must do.”

“The instructions will be carried out.” Penny said, and she went to inform her staff ponies.

“Tonight...?” Nurse Redheart asked in shock “Doctor, you can’t be serious.”

“I assure you, Nurse, I am quite serious. I’m going to operate immediately. Have the O.R ready.”

Nurse Redheart just stood where she was all puzzled and confused. “Did I just say something?” Penny said softly yet sternly. “You seem to forget, a patient’s life it as stake, a well-respected one whom others would miss tragically if she weren’t helped. Go prepare the O.R now!”

Unable to argue with Penny’s orders, as she was one of the higher authorities at the hospital, Nurse Redheart went off to get everything ready.

Fluttershy was awoken from her sleep in sudden shock to find she was being wheeled across the hall. Even though her immense stomach pain she asked. “What’s going on?”

“You’re being transferred to X-ray room.” Redheart explained to her “Dr. Sillion is going operate on you immediately and she needs X-rays of our infected appendix.”

Fluttershy’s pupils dilated “Op…per… ate?!” she whimpered. This was the first she had heard of this after being asleep for most of the time. Fluttershy had never had an operation before in her life, and already her fear was shooting through the roof, and she would have leapt up and flew away to hide if she weren’t in so much pain or feeling weak.

The Nurse urged her to calm down. “Try to relax. It’s not good for your blood, or your stomach.”

Fluttershy was still trembling madly and she asked if she could at least have her friends over, especially Rhymey. “I’d feel safer and braver knowing they were near.”

Lightning, Twilight and some of their friends rushed over in a heartbeat when they got the news, though they were confused and baffled as to why the operation was moved up to that night.

Rhymey desperately wanted to see Fluttershy before the operation, but Penny insisted that no one see her as they had wasted enough time. She acted very cold and harshly which began to arouse suspicions, but not wanting to cause too much trouble, they heeded her word, were all restricted to the upper area to watch the operation from the theater. Penny asked that hospital security guard the doors and that no one was to enter under any circumstances.

Artie had brought along some small things to draw up a small get well card for Fluttershy, to give to her after the operation. “Artie Bristles, have you no shame?” snapped Rarity, and then she noticed spike was snacking on a small sack of jewels he had brought, “And Spike.”

“What?” Spike said with his mouth full “It’s going to be a long operation.”

“He’s right.” agreed Rainbow “There’s no point in just sitting around like this waiting.

Pinkie felt so nervous, she didn’t know what to think. “I just hope Fluttershy’s okay.” she said.

Rhymey sat silently in his seat deep in thought as if he were praying that Fluttershy would be okay. Lightning and Twilight thought it best just to leave him be, but they both were starting to have that peculiar fear that something wasn’t right. Penny was acting strange and she was rushing the operation, and making crazy demands.

“I didn’t want to.” Lightning said “But I don’t think I want to take any chances. I’ve got an idea. Come on.”

They silently excused themselves from the group, not even bothering to say where they were going and why.

In the X-Ray room, the doctors and nurses were still at it getting good shots of Fluttershy’s stomach and her inflamed appendix. “Right, one more…” Penny said as she adjusted the angle of the X-Ray but the left side of her own face got caught in the shot.

“That should do it.” Penny said “Now, let’s get these shots into development.” She acted rather impatient, but the doctors and nurses followed her out of the room and left Fluttershy to sleep under the effects of the medicine to knock her out for the operation. Fluttershy was practically struggling not to fall asleep, and just then she swore she could see two figures moving towards her. She couldn’t make out who they were due to her fatigue, and she dropped out like a light, as the two figures wheeled her out of the room.

After the X-Rays were developed, Penny and her team left to wash up and prepare. Nurse Tenderheart was in the opposite room preparing the X-rays for display, and took copies of them all into the next room. She couldn’t stop staring and chuckling at the last one. “That Penny, she really ought to keep her face out of the way.”

Suddenly, she began to notice something strange about Penny’s eye in the X-Ray. “What’s that?” she wondered. She couldn’t identify what, appeared to be a spall glowing speck, in Penny’s eye, with her own eyes alone. She took the X-Ray and decided to examine it closer.

Meanwhile, the operating room was all set. Fluttershy was placed on the table, still completely knocked out. “Are we ready now?” asked Penny.

Everyone else watched from their seats above. The doctors hadn’t even made an incision yet and Rarity couldn’t bear to watch and over-dramatically fainted.

“I’m perfectly fine!” Penny replied sharply. Then she concentrated on her work.

A long silence followed, the only noises were the soft sounds of Fluttershy’s breathing through her gas-mask, and the beeping of the monitors.

One of the nurses checked them constantly. “Pulse: normal, breathing: steady.”

The doctor noticed that Penny used her scalpel to cut a few things she shouldn’t had. “Doctor I don’t think you should be cutting there!” he asked.

“I’ll thank you, Doctor, to remember that I am performing this operation!” snapped Penny “Kindly stop questioning me!”

The nurse checked the monitors again “Pulse: Slightly decreasing. Breathing: Still steady.”

The gang up above felt hot and sweaty from watching the whole thing, “Golly!” said Spike “How much longer is this going to go on for?”

Rhymey hoped not much longer. His legs were twitching in fear. “Take it easy…” Artie whispered to him.

“My nerves are aching with fear and despair
I wish I knew what was going on down there.”

There was worse already being discovered in the X-Ray room, as Nurse Tenderheart finally got a good look at the X-Ray of Penny’s eye under the microscope and discovered what that speck was. “But… this is impossible. Unless--

She had to stop that operation now! She ran to the operating room, but the guards wouldn’t let her in. They had strict orders no one was allowed to enter, and they refused to listen to anything she had to say.

Then Tenderheart decided to run and tell the gang, figuring they would know what to do.

At the same time, Penny was seemingly out of control, and began to recklessly jam through the operation. The monitors began to go crazy. Fluttershy's breathing was growing rapid, her heart rate was failing, and her pulse was deteriorating! “Penny!” cried the other doctor. “Stop this now!” but Penny continued to go crazy.

Tenderheart had already reached the others. “There’s a changeling inside of Penny!” cried Artie “... Stop her, quick!” cried Rainbow, but the heart-monitor was already flat lined, and that’s when Penny’s eyes glowed and she spoke in a double voice. “Fools, you’re too late! Your friend is dead!”

Everyone gasped softly, and Rhymey felt tears coming to his eyes as his heart began shatter, but Lightning and Twilight burst into the room, after the guards learned the truth and let them in. “Wrong!” Lightning snapped and Twilight’s horn began to glow and revealed that the Fluttershy Penny had killed was nothing more than a puppet clone.

Lightning and Twilight suspected something was off about the whole thing and crept into the ready-room where Fluttershy was resting before being transferred to the O.R, and Twilight used her magic to conjure a puppet version to replace the real Fluttershy. “You’ve been outwitted, Changeling!” Twilight sneered.

The changeling growled and forced Penny to angrily tip the tables over at the doctor and his nurses pinning them down before fleeing from the room. “After her!” snapped Lightning.

The hospital guards were warned and it was a wild chase to apprehend Penny. Everywhere she ran her exits seemed blocked off. Finally, she managed to fight her way outside only to run into the rest of the gang.

“With pleasure.” said Twilight as she cast her splitter-spell onto Penny, ejecting the changeling from Penny’s body causing Penny to collapse and the changeling stood ready for a fight.

Lightning and his friends stepped forward. “We’ll handle the changeling. You watch over Penny.”

“Right.” said Twilight as she and her friends went over to Penny, leaving the others on their own. “Don’t tell me your friends are cowards?” mocked the changeling. “And I was hoping for a real fight.

“We’ll strike you down with all our might.” Rhymey rhymed. His eyes were blazing with fury and a lust for vengeance.

“Let’s go.” said Lightning. “STARFLEET MAGIC!!” and the three of them transformed.

The changeling put up a good one and managed to knock both Lightning and Artie aside, but Rhymey was so furious and determined to make this monster pay for what he tried to do to Fluttershy that he wouldn’t give in.

The changeling stood ready. “Come on! Engarde! Engarde!” He had no weapons, but had a very strong horn which he used to clash with Rhymey’s sword, but Rhymey’s determination proved stronger than the changeling’s will. Rhymey showed little to almost no mercy at all, slashing at the changeling, each time more forceful than the last.

Finally, Rhymey had the changeling pinned down pointing his sword right at his neck, and his sword was set on “Destroy” instead of “Capture” “Rhymey!” shouted Lightning, and both he and Artie quickly held him back to stop him. “Don’t do it!” sapped Artie “Remember, we don’t destroy the changelings.”

Rhymey quickly realized he had almost made a huge mistake with letting his emotions get the better of him. He still glared down at the trembling changeling and spoke very severely.

“I made a promise to the Starfleet force,
That I would always follow the right course

You almost made me forget that promise, almost!
If you had, you’d be nothing but a ghost!

The changeling trembled with fear, but Rhymey put him down and stepped back. The changeling got back up snickering “You should have finished me while you had the chance. Now it is you who shall be destroyed.” He dashed forth to have at Rhymey, but was attacked from both sides by Lightning and Artie.

Rhymey then set his sword back to “Capture” and he gazed at his friends. Lightning nodded at him “This one’s all yours.”

Rhymey nodded and began to charge up his sword for his finisher. “No! Don’t…!” shouted the Changeling, but Rhymey continued to power up.

The changeling roared and screeched as he got struck, and his body sparked and flared up as he fell over and exploded, shrunk down and was imprisoned in a sphere.

Penny recovered almost at once, not remembering much except when the changeling took control of her which made it all clear. She felt so shamed that she nearly killed Fluttershy, and yet everyone, including the hospital staff was most forgiving as it wasn’t her fault, and Fluttershy was safe anyway, but still in need of an operation.

Fluttershy woke up the next morning and found she was now recovering her own room with all her friends around her. She felt pretty weak and still a bit sore, but she was very relieved that everything was okay now. The others didn’t dare tell her about what happened, not right away as it would be dangerous for her recovery. For now they were just all glad she was okay, especially Rhymey.

Fluttershy smiled and softly pecked him on the cheek. “I’m happy too.” she said. Rhymey felt like he was glowing and some of the others giggled softly.

In our next episode, it’s circus time when the gang gets together to throw a surprise show for Goldwin, but as much as things go well-planned out, the actual performance turns into a disaster as several things end up going wrong.

Can the friends mend their problems, or will the house really come down in shame?

Don’t miss the next episode of “Starfleet Magic!”

(Next Episode: “The Big Friend Top”)

My Brave Pony Starfleet Magic: Season II

by DakariKingMykan

Episode 5: Operation Emergency