//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Multiversal Contagion // by Razalon The Lizardman //------------------------------// The hardest part about caring for all the sick ponies gathered in the library’s basement wasn’t the threat of being ganged up on; on the contrary, for whatever reason, these victims were far more docile than the ponies before. Having to maneuver around copious puddles of snot wasn’t particularly bad, either, even the few times Dr. Mario or Luna accidentally misstepped and got their suit-covered limbs covered in it. The constant moaning was enough to drive them near insane. They had started with the victims closest to them, politely asking each one to open their mouths with Luna resorting to her magic for victims that either couldn’t hear or were too afraid to take the megavitamins. They had counted all the victims in the room and divided the megavitamins accordingly while setting aside a bunch for a potential later emergency; an entire bottle’s worth. Every other second, some pony would moan in agony from the darkness around them. For a while it was bearable, but as the minutes went by it became increasingly grating to the point where Dr. Mario would instinctively cover his ears with his hands every time it happened. Similarly, Luna would fold her ears back whenever a pony moaned. He asked at one point if she could summon any earplugs, to which she replied that she had some that fit her own ears, but not his and that it wouldn’t be fair for she alone to be spared the agony. Dr. Mario was impressed by her selflessness. They persevered, however. Slowly but surely, they treated every victim without much hassle. The two standout creatures — ‘gryphons’ as Luna called them — put up some fuss about accepting help from ‘a weirdo alien’, only to shut up when Dr. Mario unceremoniously shoved the megavitamins in their beaks. “Was the outbreak in your own world quite this bad?” Luna asked him at one point. He shook his head. “No, and I’m-a glad it wasn’t after seeing all of this.” The last pony to cure was a yellow unicorn stallion splayed in a far corner of the room. The last of the first bottle’s megavitamins were administered to him and he managed to face them with healthy, lively eyes. “Thank you,” he croaked. “We are happy to aid our subjects in such a time of crisis as this.” The pony started to get up but Luna gently pressed her hoof against his barrel. “Please don’t move. Further help is on the way, but for now please rest.” “My daughter…” He lifted a hoof, pointing it behind them. “She’s gone down there.” Dr. Mario and Luna turned behind them. Luna shined her horn light, revealing a fairly sizable hole in the wall, big enough for an adult pony to fit through. From the looks of it, it seemed to be deliberately made by a forceful impact. “Did your daughter really make that?” Dr. Mario asked, surprised. The stallion nodded. “The walls must be weakening. There’s no way she could break it through all on her own. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen to me. I don’t know how she knew there was something on the other side or why she even wanted to go that way.” Dr. Mario said nothing in response, losing himself in his thoughts. A theory was forming in his brain, but it wasn’t the least bit favorable, and it would certainly make the situation more complicated if true. Luna stepped over to the hole and shined her light through. “There’s a tunnel here,” she announced. Dr. Mario joined her. Sure enough, a brick tunnel extended into the darkness on either side. The brickwork was loose and faded like it was centuries old. The air felt musty and likely would’ve stunk if his nose wasn’t covered by the face protector. Cobwebs littered the corners and a few bugs crawled across the floor in front of them. “This looks to be part of the old Canterlot sewage system, built during my absence,” Luna remarked. A sharp gasp sounded from her and Dr. Mario looked up to see panic filling her eyes. “The reservoir!” “What?” Dr. Mario said. “This tunnel might lead to the reservoir connected to the Canterlot Falls, which itself leads all over Equestria!” Luna explained, fear gripping her voice. “If the viruses get into the reservoir, they could easily spread all over Equestria!” “What about-a the forcefield?” Dr. Mario asked. Luna shook her head. “It only extends above ground, and is only meant to keep ponies from getting in or out.” She stepped into the hole. “I must hurry!” “I’ll go with you, Princess.” “No, Dr. Mario, you go and fetch my sister. Tell her what is happening and catch up as quick as you can. I will need to use my magic to protect the reservoir from these microscopic monstrosities.” “I doubt-a you can handle these viruses on-a your own.” Luna turned to him with a soft, confident smile. “Perhaps, but I cannot risk Equestria at large falling prey to this Primary Virus. Join up with me as quick as you can; I look forward to being able to fight alongside you.” She didn’t wait for him to reply. She took off galloping down the tunnel, her horn’s light indicating where she was before she turned a corner and the light gradually faded away before disappearing entirely. Dr. Mario stared after her for a moment before sighing and turning back into the room. He walked a few steps before a thought struck him. “How do I get-a outta here?” The farther Luna galloped down the tunnel, the greater her fear that it was connected to the reservoir grew. Every turn she made brought her closer to the general direction where she knew the reservoir was. She came to a couple of intersections but always chose the direction leading to the reservoir, just in case the viruses managed to figure out which way to go. That fear dwarfed the fear that the infected filly might suddenly leap out of the darkness in front of her horn’s light, but she mentally prepared herself to react suddenly in case that happened. For a short while, everything was silent save for her breathing and her rapid hooffalls. A few times she thought she heard hoofsteps coming from ahead or behind her and she briefly stopped to call out, only to receive no response, deciding she was just hearing things. At one point she thought the filly would be scared to hear her approach and so used a spell to mute her hooffalls. No matter what was wrong with the filly, they were still young, and therefore, easily frightened. Then a sound reverberated off the walls from the darkness ahead. Luna perked her ears, fully attentive, and listened. The sound was too faint to identify at first, but as she moved forward it became clearer until her heart dropped when she realized what it was: running water. She picked up her pace until she decided to throw caution to the wind and dived into a quick succession of teleports, stopping once she found herself in an open chamber. A large pool of water was built into the floor in front of her with a canal running through it. Sunlight filtered into the chamber from an opening downstream the canal, through which Celestia’s sun could be seen hanging over the distant horizon; she wouldn’t have a chance to lower it until this crisis was resolved. She swept her gaze all around the room, finding no trace of the filly; she hoped the viruses hadn’t already gotten into the canal. She quickly erected barriers covering the pool, the canal, and an extra durable one for the opening leading outside, making sure that it extended all the way beneath the water’s surface. She was fairly confident this all would be enough to prevent the viruses from escaping. “What is this world we’re in?” came a small, playful voice from behind her. Luna froze up. Quickly, she lit her horn and shone it behind her. The light revealed a pair of magenta, glazed over eyes and the fakest smile she’d ever seen on a pony. She expanded the light’s reach, revealing a small earth pony filly looking up at her; her pink coat and green mane were barely visible underneath the thick layer of multicolored snot coating them. The filly had a set of nasty-looking bruises covering her left shoulder, swollen and obviously caused by immense force; quite possibly from ramming the wall from before. A look down showed her little hooves were cracked and bleeding in a few places, yet she showed no signs of agony. “Why didn’t I run into you before?” Luna asked, not having registered the filly’s own question. The filly said nothing for a short while, just staring at Luna with that unnatural smile. Luna felt a chill run down her spine. Something was definitely off about this filly, that much was obvious, but she couldn’t let any weakness show. Right now, she had the upper hoof; all she had to do was not back down. “What is this world we’re in?” the filly repeated. This time Luna processed the question. She was confused at first, but then a disturbing thought rose to the surface of her thoughts, one that sent another, stronger shiver down her spine. “Am I speaking to the viruses?” she asked, forcing her voice not to quiver. The situation just turned more complicated and the filly’s life was potentially in actual danger. “You must let the young one go. Now.” A different voice came from the filly, this one more snarky. “You’re not the boss of us!” Before Luna could answer, a third voice, this one melancholy, came out of the filly’s mouth, “We just want to be free. Please let us go outside.” “That will not be happening,” Luna replied with conviction. “How are you possessing the body of this filly? Mere viruses should not have such an ability.” She didn’t know this for sure; they were from another world, but Dr. Mario never described anything like this happening in his experience with them. When the filly spoke this time, all three voices replied in unison. “What you call ‘magic’... It’s allowing us to multiply exponentially. It allows us to complete our mission…” Luna quirked an eyebrow. Their ‘mission’? Did they have someone they answered to? That didn’t make any sense, but then again, it was just another item on that particular list regarding these viruses. “Whatever your motives, you are putting the well-being of me and my sister’s subjects in jeopardy,” she stated, again with conviction. “I order you to release the filly from your control or you will face dire consequences.” The filly looked contemplative for a moment before she let out a simple, “Nope,” and lunged at her. She moved so quickly, almost in a blur, but Luna reacted fast enough; she shut off her horn light and grabbed the filly in telekinesis. The filly struggled wildly in her magical grasp, thrashing her hooves about every which way like an animal caught in the mouth of a predator. She stopped at one point to flash Luna an annoyed glare, to which Luna stared nonplussed right back. This filly wasn’t any stronger than the adult ponies from earlier; she had no chance of breaking out of her magic grip. “Malevolent invaders such as yourselves have no place in this world,” she said. “If you refuse to let this filly go, we will have no choice but to exterminate you like the vermin you are.” The filly stopped thrashing to level a bemused expression with her. “You were going to do that anyway.” “... We would be more than willing to spare your lives seeing as you have the capacity to choose not to do harm unto our subjects. Would you agree to that?” The filly didn’t answer. Instead, she reared back and blew a giant glob of multicolored snot all over Luna’s biohazard suit. The sudden action surprised her, but her surprise quickly gave way to annoyance. “This accomplishes nothing.” A playfully sinister smile split the filly’s muzzle. “Does it?” Luna looked confused for a moment before her ears perked at a new sound, one that froze the blood in her veins. Ripping fabric.