Hot Sticks immediately went to a nearby closet and pulled out a plague mask. I had never seen one before, but I knew what it was from school, a mask that had magical enchantments that blocked the contraction of most illnesses when worn. The doctor then turned back to the mayor and the ponies filing in. Looking over the ponies to study their obvious symptoms as the entered.
"Board, why am I just now hearing of a large number of sick ponies?" Hot Sticks asked the mayor with anger. "Why wasn't I informed immediately when there was a pony showing signs of an unusual illness? I should have been informed right away before something like this spread to so many. What is the explanation?" His voice was fuming with rage. I couldn't blame him. This seemed common sense to me as well. I was also glad that I was magically resistant to getting sick on my own. It was likely that I was going to get thrown into the fire right away with my new job.
The mayor, a royal blue Pegasus by the name of Drawing Board, looked apologetic.
"I didn't know until just about an hour ago. And since that hour I have been running around town trying to gather who might be sick. They don't want to come out of their homes. I had to all but physically carry some of them out of their houses," the Pegasus responded.
"So they are in extreme weakened states? They seem to be walking around without trouble at the moment." Hot Sticks kept his eyes on the ponies as the last entered. It was now extremely cramped as there were more than a dozen ponies in the room. "Not particularly energetic though." He observed.
"They aren't weak," Drawing Board said anxiously. "From what I can tell they are as strong as they have ever been. They simply don't have any desire to move. It took someone standing over them ordering them to move, after pushing them out of bed to actually get them moving. I only found out about it after half the town watch didn't show up to work today. I then went directly to their houses and found them. And then I asked about for any others who seemed to be missing from businesses and found a few others. This is likely not even all of them. I only gathered the ones I could find who didn't show up for work today. Scavengers don't have regular job hours so I have no idea how many of them are similarly effected."
Hot Sticks kept looking over the ponies in question. Faded color on all, three were missing patches of fur, none were showing much in way of energy, and none were speaking or showing any interest in what was going on around them. They just stared at the floor.
"They do what they are told once you get them up and moving," the mayor continued. "They don't talk unless you ask them a question. You have to be specific in what you ask or tell them to do. They don't do any more or any less than what you said. And they only answer the question that you asked, they don't add any other pertinent information."
"And you are not sure if there are additional infected," Hot Sticks said. "We could have as many, or more, out in town right now. I am going to need more space."
"I can give you full access to the floor of town hall and can have tents set up quickly," said Drawing Board. "I am going to have houses searched to see how many others may be infected as of right now."
"I have a spare mask that you can have some pony use. I wish I had more. I will be running tests immediately. How long ago were those absent from work last at work?" Hot Sticks inquired.
Drawing Board gave a relieved sigh, thinking he had some good news.
"All them were present just yesterday. I am hoping that this means it hasn't had days to spread, and we can contain it."
"That isn't really good news," the doctor said, causing the other's face to fall. "That just shows that it spreads exceptionally fast and disables ponies in very short periods of time," Hot Sticks sighed. "I can only assume that you are likely infected already, and will be showing symptoms by tomorrow. I want you back here as soon as you are done giving out instructions and finding some pony to do the searching. Keep from touching any pony, or standing too close, if you can help it."
"I will take your word for it, doctor," Drawing Board's face paled as he replied. "I trust you can do something to bring this under control, and prevent it from getting out of control?"
"I still have to figure out what this happens to be. A virus, poisoning, a bacterial infection, some sort of parasite, or some sort of magic," Hot Sticks replied while looking closely at one of the infected's eyes. "I will determine that soon, and then begin figuring out how severe an illness this is, and how to treat it."
Mayor Drawing Board then headed out quickly. If he were already infected he definitely wasn't showing the lack of energy as these other ponies. I wondered how long it would take if Hot Sticks were right. After thinking that, I realized Hot Sticks was likely wondering the same thing. I was trying to get my head into my job.
Hot Sticks was totally engrossed in examining the infected ponies. I took in his actions trying to judge why he was doing things, as well as how he went about it. He brought his hoof up and poked at them, sometimes holding his hoof on there sides for a moment and then watching the spot he had pressed after removing it. He held open their eyes and looked into them. Pulled off strands of their manes and looked the strands over. One pony he even kicked in the leg, the pony didn't respond to the kick. It occurred to me I should be doing something other than just standing there. I was here to help and all I was doing was sitting on my flank.
"What do you want me to do be doing?" I asked Hot Sticks. While he was using his magic to pull on one pony's belly fat.
He gave a start. He had apparently altogether forgotten I was there. He looked around the room briefly and came to a decision.
"First things first," he began. "Do you feel absolutely certain that your cutie mark will keep you from getting ill? I don't want another patient on my hooves. If you have any doubt, I would prefer you just head home and keep to yourself to avoid further spread. There isn't any playing around with an illness spreading this fast."
I stood at attention with my wings up like a soldier, ready to do her duty.
"I am completely sure I won't get sick. I have never been sick in my life even when the worst flu seasons were going on. From what I can tell I am completely immune to getting sick."
"That's good to hear. I will be very cross with you if you end up like these lumps though. But if you are confident I have a list of things for you to do. First, I want you to get our good friend Mr. Granite moved from his current room to the room on the far back of the hallway on the left. His current room has multiple beds. I will be in need of those. He can make due with a smaller room," Hot Sticks motioned at the room. "There is a rolling bed near one of the walls in that room. You can use that to get him moved with little trouble. Once you have that done, I should be done with my initial examination. Hopefully Drawing Board will be back as well at that point with whoever he rounded up to help search for other infected. If they are back I will be sending you out, along with his help, to go looking. I only have two medical masks, and I will be in non stop use for one. Whoever will be assisting you will be taking the other. If they aren't back I by the time you are done moving Granite I will have you assist me with some examinations."
***
Granite got moved with a great deal of complaining and whimpering on his part. It didn't involve me having to make him feel threatened this time around though. He was actually much more accommodating once I explained the situation to him. When I returned back out from that job I found that Drawing Board had returned, along with a Pegasus by the name of Tulip Turner. Hot Sticks had Drawing Board take up residence in a separate single bed room for observation. He gave Tulip Turner the spare doctor's mask. Tulip was green and the mask was a green and yellowed striped bird shape, it made the Pegasus look like some sort of giant tropical parrot.
Tulip and I made our way through town. Knocking on doors, checking in windows when there were no replies, and asking around if any pony had encountered townsfolk that were displaying symptoms or seemed to have suddenly withdrawn from every pony. It took all of the morning and most of the afternoon. The results were not good. There were a lot of ponies who had whatever this was in town. Far more than what Hot Sticks house could possibly handle.
The worst of the cases was a known scavenger, an earth pony named Marble Shine, we found locked in his house. No one had seen him in two or three days. He was completely bald and the flesh underneath was discolored. He had strange lumps on his hooves and he could not move as his bones seemed to be misshapen. Surprisingly, he still had the ability to speak with no problem. We questioned him as best we could, but he gave only short answers, and didn't provide any information you didn't specifically ask him for. I had to carry him as Tulip wanted to have nothing to do with touching the severely infected pony. The chivalry of stallions, let the mare carry the mass of pony. Wasn't I suppose to be taking it easy?
The trip back around town was frustrating. Marble was the only one who actually had to be carried, thank Twilight. The rest of the ponies moved perfectly well, once you got them up. We found they took orders by exact wording while we were searching. We could tell them to follow and they would do so, but they would continue trying to follow us into houses we were searching if not told to stand still and wait. In addition, other townsfolk were a nuisance that had to be told to keep a distance. Tulip and I couldn't both search a dwelling. If we left our little parade unattended then townsfolk would come far closer to our line of infected ponies than was likely safe. So each location made us flip a bit to find out who was going to be the searcher and who was going to be the foalsitter.
We finally got back to Hot Sticks. We had a not so little parade of infected ponies when we arrived, twenty-five ponies in all. Hot Sticks didn't give us any rest though. Immediately upon meeting us he sent us out again to a storehouse in the side of the cliff to gather tents. After returning with them we began setting them up, all the while all the infected continued to just stand around outside. The gate was ordered closed with no scavengers allowed out. Ponies were ordered back to their homes to keep them away from the infected. I had a feeling that this order meant Tulip and I were going to be doing another sweep of the town again tomorrow. The exceptions for this order were of course me, Tulip, Hot Sticks, and a selection of ponies for the town watch.
By late evening we had the infected quartered in three different locations. Hot Sticks had effective run of the town through some documents that the mayor had drawn up before being put into isolation. True to suspicion, Drawing Board was losing color as well as night fell. Hot Sticks made a schedule for supervision of the infected for the three of us. My shift was third in line which did provide an opportunity to sleep. Unfortunately a return home was not going to happen. Since I could be needed at any moment my bed became the same couch that earlier that day I sat as I had sobbed to the doctor. By that point me telling my life story to Hot Sticks felt like it had happened weeks before.
I was able to get Hot Sticks to tell me where to find some pain killers. My side hurt where the undead had hit me. It would heal, but all this activity wasn't helping it along at all. I thankfully was not needed that night again until my shift. The shift was fairly boring. The patients didn't really do anything. Some of them would sleep, some of them would just sit there doing nothing despite being awake. Asleep or awake there wasn't much difference between the two states for them. The evening allowed for two short shifts of sleep for each of our little crew, and I was tired enough that I had little trouble falling asleep quickly for both.
Not exactly the best first day on a job ever. The days going forward weren't going to get any easier.
***
The next few days passed with little excitement. Within three days’ time there were no townsfolk, other than the three of us, who weren't infected. The last of the uninfected townsfolk had been a few guards who had refused to leave their posts far after their shifts had ended. They had no apparent contact with the infected, but in the end, they had come down with the affliction as well.
Hot Sticks and Tulip never removed their masks except to eat. When they had to have meals, they went outside the town into the southern path up to take their meals. They would not risk removing their masks within the town borders. Well, I was sure Tulip took meals in the southern path. I wasn't really sure what Hot Sticks did for food.
I had no need for the masks. Seeing only my compatriots fancifully painted masks, along with the non-responsive infected, I felt like the last living pony in town. Non-ponies were not spared either. There were five griffins, a minotaur, two diamond dogs, and a lone changeling among the silent rank and file. They all displayed much the same symptoms, with small variations for body parts ponies did not have.
The logistics of handling the town was surprisingly simple. One of the surprising symptoms discovered early on was the infected didn't seem to need to eat. The discovery was made when we realized that Marble Shine had been ill for a longer period than we initially thought. He was missing at least two days earlier. Interviewing some of the last, before they took ill, gave us that information. When we realized Marble hadn't lost any weight in that time, despite not eating, and in fact inexplicably gained weight, we determined that we could avoid the hassle of feeding. Not that we could feed them if we tried. Force feeding was near impossible. Their lack of need for food was very troubling, but it was certainly convenient.
We, and by we I mean Hot Sticks, had new insight on where the illness came from originally. Marble had scavenged an unusual object. It was a small metallic looking rod. It was extremely reflective, occasionally giving off little bits of light. Despite this it didn't give off any magic, or seem to have any inherent magic. It also had no visible moving parts. So, with magical and mechanical eliminated, and it clearly not being organic, we were at a loss at what it was. Hot Sticks had the thing locked in some sort of glass box, and he spent a great deal of time examining the rod.
Tulip and I weren't needed much for taking care of patients. Hot Sticks ran tests of every sort non-stop, only taking naps here and there. Tulip and I guarded the southern pass into the town to keep any wanderers out, taking turns for the other to sleep. Occasionally, Hot Sticks would need one of us to help him with something, but it was a rare occurrence. It was maddening having anxiety from the epidemic, and then not being able to do anything.
We thought we were going to have to divide our time guarding the northern gate, but we received some unexpected boons. One of our unpleasant neighbors to the north, the Wendigos, had picked up on our dour feelings, and they were out in force as a result. Wendigos were a threat only to travelers. The same shield that kept the snow and ice out, kept the Wendigos out. As pure spirits, with only attacks being dumping snow and ice on travelers, they were no threat to us in town. What they did do, by accident, was create massive snowdrifts just north of town. This gave the town an extra wall, as well as hiding the entrance from the largely unthinking threats we would normally have to concern ourselves about. However, it was going to be a real pain to dig through, once the town got to operating again.
So I became very well acquainted with the canyon walls to the south of town. Lots of evenings just spent worrying, and sitting on my flank staring at rocks. I may have also picked up an addiction to Hot Sticks calming drug. I went through a lot of it just waiting. If this all turned out alright in the end I would have to give Hot Sticks a good kick in the flank for that. At least I had something to shape to try to keep me entertained on the long nights.
I was entertaining myself in such a fashion at the end of the fourth night. I had made little smoke avatars of Tulip and Hot Sticks in masks, and had my little creations doing some strange bird mating dance with one another. Hot Sticks avatar didn't have wings so had him more duck-like to match Tulip's parrot. Whatever kept me distracted. It didn't take a keen eye to spot any pony coming up the canyon, so only had to pay it half a mind.
Tulip arrived as I saw the sun's light start to creep into the sky. He was earlier than normal. More often than not, he arrived clearly an hour or two after dawn. We didn't have strict hourly schedules, just vague times of day for our shifts. Maybe I could get some extra sleep this morning.
"Doc wants to see you Batty," Tulip said. "Seems like he has some new idea on how to try to use you for healing."
So much for extra sleep. Hot Sticks had already tried taking my blood and injecting it into ponies. It didn't end up doing anything. Apparently, my magic didn't transfer with blood. He hadn't even warned me he would be taking blood from me; just started jabbing needles into me. I about gave him a good smack with my wings, and I did lay into him about warning me first. He didn't really pay attention though. Between lack of sleep, and lack of results, he was manic.
I extinguished the pipe, and put it in my life pack. Hopefully this visit wouldn't involve any more drawn blood. I wanted to have some magical way of curing ponies. It seemed unfair that I didn't get sick to this, while every pony else did. It seemed like I should be able to do something, due to my resistance to illness. Sadly, it just didn't seem to work that way. At least not with any method the doctor had tried so far.
I did a short glide back to the other side of town, and landed on a balcony built in by that some previous owner of Hot Sticks house. The balcony was to provide an easy entrance for Pegasi, or Thestrals in my case. It didn't provide any view, not unless you were fond of staring at the canyon cliffside. I had only learned of it just the other day. It had since become my default entrance.
I quickly made my way down the stairs, and through the door at the bottom. From the hallway I could see Hot Sticks working away in his makeshift lab in the living room. I made my way over to him.
He jumped with a start as he saw me. He was still not used to me not entering through the front door. He didn't look well at all. I couldn't see his face, due to the never removed mask, but I could see he had lost weight. In addition, his eyes were bloodshot. He seemed skittish in general. I wondered if he had even been eating. Tulip took meals when on guard duty. Tulip would fly further down the canyon away from town to feel safer about lifting up his mask long enough to eat, but he was eating. Hot Sticks had no such arrangements that I was aware of. Between lack of food and lack of sleep he was soon going to need medical care as well. He didn't scold me for the backdoor entrance, though.
"Good, you got here quickly," he said with some excitement. "I had an idea with one of the patients that your abilities may help. I wanted to be quick before she progressed too far." He motioned me to a side room with his now regular frantic pace.
I followed him into the smaller side room. It was the same one that I had previously put Granite into a few days before. Granite was no longer the occupant though. A younger mare was in bed. I couldn't be sure with the faded colors, but she seemed to be pink furred with a yellow mane. Her cutie mark was a sponge, which made me guess she might have been a maid, or something of the sort, in the past. She wasn't fat, but she was carrying some extra weight in her flanks. I took her for an Earth Pony at first glance, but a second glance at her fur showed the telltale signs of a Crystal Pony. I didn't recognize her, and it made me guess that Hot Sticks had at least gone out of the house to go gather other patients. She must have been a newer resident of town, as I would have noticed a Crystal Pony resident within a few days of their arrival for sure. There weren't any Crystal Ponies in town last time either a bidding happened, or when merchants came by. She just sat on the bed, awake, but as unresponsive as all the rest.
"From what I got from her short answers," Hot Sticks began explaining, “this is Bibulous Bottom. She was unfortunate to arrive in town, almost immediately, as we were putting the town in quarantine. I found her in one of the storage caves when gathering some tools. My best guess, she had nowhere else to go, so she just hid there. It is hard getting clear answers from her."
Alright, that explained why I had never seen her. It didn't explain her significance. Really bad luck for her on her arrival date. Another day on the road and she could have avoided this happening.
"If you haven't noticed she is a Crystal Pony," he continued. "Now, I know that we haven't had any luck with using your material to work as an aid with any of the others. But, I think we can do something different with her. Crystal Ponies absorb magic from others naturally. I am hoping we can get her to soak in some of yours. It might not be helpful with the others right now, but if we can help at least her that would be more than anything else we have accomplished so far."
He sighed, and then looked me in the eye to drive in what he would say next.
"I am not going to lie to you. And I think it is obvious anyway. But I am out of ideas. Anti-bacterial medicines don't work. Anti-viral medicines don't work. I have tried baking out the illness. I have tried freezing it out. I have tried using every form of anti-magic I know. And tried making up new methods as I go. I am at a loss," I could see the tears in his eyes.
I came up to him and wrapped a wing and foreleg around him to comfort him. He allowed it.
"We know you are doing everything you can do," I tried to comfort him. "Tulip and I have faith in you. You're a big important acolyte to the medicine Alicorn."
He didn't get any comfort from my words.
"Former acolyte," he reminded me, “and I have considered sending you south, to find my old mistress, to tell you the truth."
That was a possibility, I supposed. It might be more prudent for him to be the one to go do that. All being here amounted to was foalsitting and guarding the town for me, but I would have trouble getting any pony to listen to me. If he really wasn't getting anywhere on a cure, he at least would get further than me finding help.
It was disconcerting, knowing he had no idea on how this illness worked still, but he was also overtired and underfed. Maybe he just needed some food, and rest, to get a new perspective. I would have to insist after trying whatever he wanted me to do with this pony.
First thing first though, needed to know what he wanted from me.
"So, what do I need to do?" I asked.
He walked over next to the bed, and motioned to the patient.
"Crystal Ponies absorb magic best when positive emotions are present. Typically, it is their own positive emotions that trigger the absorbing process. Clearly in this state we are not going to get any emotional response out of her. We are going to have to provide those positive emotions ourselves."
That was a tall order. I doubted that any of the three of us had any happy feelings right now.
"This might seem silly," he continued. "but can you try hugging her, and thinking good thoughts?"
"What?" Was he serious? Think happy thoughts?! Maybe he was going a bit loopy from the strain. I couldn't tell with the mask if he looked embarrassed.
"Think about how much you want her to get better," he further explained. "Think about some happy memory. Think of anything that has good vibes to it. Anything that her innate magic can possibly latch onto, and help her absorb your magic. The hug reinforces the positivity, and hopefully the close contact will help with the absorption."
Okay, this did feel silly. We were reduced to the next thing up from some pony kissing their true love to wake them from their magical sleep. We were officially reduced to fairy tale cures. I would humor Hot Sticks, and try my best though.
So, I walked over to her and gave her a look over. She didn't look at me. She wasn't really looking at anything. Just staring out at nothing. Complete empty expression. How was I supposed to think positive thoughts to a pony I didn't even know? How did you even think positive thoughts to any pony? I decided to try something else first.
"Bibulous? Do you know how you were feeling before you got liked this? Please, tell me."
"Scared," short one-word answer from her. She didn't have any emotion to it. It was her doing something she was told to do. No more than that, and no less. She didn't even turn to look at me as she answered.
I decided to keep digging. Learn a bit more about her. Make her a pony, and not just a face and name.
"Tell me why you came to Starlight's Folly."
"It was a place I thought I would find adventure," she said, again with no emotion. A bit of a different answer from what the majority of town might have given.
"Were you running away from anything down south?"
Every other pony I ever met had something they were running away from when they came here. Even Hot Sticks wanted to get away from politics.
"No," again, short and direct.
"So, you just wanted adventure," I hadn't asked a question so she didn't answer. "Had you ever been on an adventure before?"
"No."
Well, she made a poor choice in places to come. However, I was getting a bit of an idea of what she might have been like, before she came down with this. She was a naive little thrill seeker, likely sheltered, who had read way too many stories. She likely had never had any pony be cruel to her in her life, or ever experienced any personal tragedy. She might not have made it long up here, even if this hadn't happened. The wastes would have finished her off quickly. Perhaps that was harsh. I didn't know the mare. I was just inventing a personality, and history, so I could feel more for her.
I didn't know what else to ask. I just stood up on my hind legs, and wrapped my forehooves around her. I closed my eyes and rested my head against her. I thought of the mare I had invented in my head, fresh out in the world, unaware how cruel it could be. A mare who likely had a loving family somewhere that might never see her again. They might not even find out what happened. A mare who was full of life who was now reduced to this state. I didn't know if it was true or not, but it was something that could inspire strong feelings.
I started crying. It wasn't just her. It was all the anxiety of the last few days. It was feeling helpless. It was wanting to help, and feeling useless. I thought of how I had finally started opening up to some pony with Hot Sticks. Then right away after opening up, this all happened. It was that scared little filly in me that just wanted to be loved, and feeling hurt and angry that this mare, who I imagined as being loved, was going to lose all that love too. It was a dam breaking that I had held in the last few days. It had only been days before when that dam broke in front of Hot Sticks. Maybe it was hard to hold things in once you let them out the first time.
I don't know how long I stood there hugging her. Suddenly, Hot Sticks let out a gasp. I opened my eyes to see him staring at the pony I was hugging. I turned my head up to look. She was looking down to me. she wasn't discolored anymore, she was bright and glowing. She was smiling down at me. I couldn't help but smile back.
She reached down and hugged me right back and said, "You give good hugs."