//------------------------------// // Cutting To The Chase // Story: Fear of A Child // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// Nabudis and Survival were continuing their search, focusing on some of the more out-of-the-way places in Canterlot. "So... how are you feeling about our chances for success today?" Survival inquired. "Cautiously optimistic" Nabudis said flatly. "...Remind me, what was it you left in your room earlier? You seemed to take quite a while to locate this object." "Oh, it was just a book on the architecture of Canterlot, that's all." Survival lied. He did have such a book, but it something that had already been in the room before he arrived. "I thought it might help in discerning possible hiding places the patient could use." "I see." Nabudis narrowed his eyes. "Well, that could work with my current strategy." "And what is the plan for today, sir?" Survival asked. "We need to scour every nook and cranny." Nabudis declared. "The patient will prefer to stay somewhere out of the way, somewhere isolated." "And, er... How can you be so sure?" Survival asked. "I know how a pony in this position would act." Nabudis answered. "I can anticipate how the patient will try to hide. Psychology 101. I told you this before." “I know, but this position is not your typical everyday position. I’m just confused as to how you would know how any pony would act in this ‘specific’ situation… or is it you know how the patent herself will act?” “What does it matter?” Nabudis said impatiently. “Well, I guess it doesn’t, but-” Survival admitted. "Then we press on." Nabudis declared. "Now, I doubt the patient will select a hiding place that is too cramped. She doesn't like enclosed spaces..." “Again, how do you know that?” Survival suddenly asked. “Well, I’m her doctor.” Nabudis scoffed, a bit perplexed, “It’s my job to know these things.” “And it’s your job to know that she has claustrophobia?” Survival mused, “That’s not something that I would see coming up during a check-up… or at all.” “Says the one who last month diagnosed that griffon from Aerovis with ‘aichmophobia’.” Nabudis grunted. “Yeah, fear of ‘needles’. Because we were a hospital that administered drugs through syringes… with needles.” Survival glared, “That’s something you want to know about a patient. Especially if that patient was admitted for violent episodes.” “What’s your point?” Nabudis frowned. “I’m just saying, how would you know about her not liking enclosed spaces?” Survival mused, “Each patient’s room isn’t that small, even with the amount of the patients we get in… which brings up another question: where has this patient in particular been staying in our hospital?” "In a... special isolation ward." Nabudis answered. "And what exactly led you to believe such a thing was required?" Survival asked. "I anticipated the requirements based on the patient's condition, and history." Nabudis declared "Like... personal history?" Survival urged. Nabudis made to reply, but stopped. “...What is going on here?” He turned to face Survival. “Um, what do you mean?” Survival frowned. “You’re suddenly asking quite a few questions about this patient and why I know stuff about her.” Nabudis glared. “Look, I didn’t mean any offense.” Survival cringed, “It’s just… some of the things you said seems awfully specific. Like you know this patient, but not just as a patient…” “Survival Horror…” Nabudis clenched his jaw, “You don’t think I know when somepony is trying to get a read on me? Analyzing what I say? Who’d you think taught you that?!” “But sir-” Survival was getting nervous. “Come clean with me right now. Those three RDL agents put you up to this, didn’t they?” Nabudis demanded. "It's not that." Survival shook his head, trying to come up with an excuse. "I'm just... curious." "Seriously, Survival?" Nabudis scowled. “...Alright. I was trying to get information out of you. I admit it.” Survival confessed, downtrodden, “But they didn’t put me up to it. I volunteered.” “And why would you do that?” Nabudis asked, his gaze softened, but still not pleased, “I already made it clear to them that I can’t disclose any more information to them.” “Well, that’s the problem.” Survival frowned, “...Look, I was talking with them earlier, about what happened to Brightdale… they think the Forefathers were the ones who killed them all.” “...The Forefathers?” Nabudis whispered. “That’s right. And they think that you might have something to do with all this.” Survival revealed, “That you are hiding something nefarious.” “Me?!” Nabudis was taken aback. “That’s what I said.” Survival grimaced, “But that’s why I volunteered. I was trying to fish information from you, so I could find something that would clear you.” He bowed his head, “I’m sorry, Som.” Nabudis glanced at the saddened doctor… and let out a sigh. “...It’s alright, Fievel.” Nabudis placed a hoof on his shoulder, “I understand your motivation. And I value your loyalty… to be honest, after what I did this morning, I thought you’d be less inclined to believe in me.” "I'll admit, I was a little shaken." Survival declared. "But I know what kind of pony you are. You pony who would never engage in anything sinister or underhooved. A pony who believes in what's right. A pony who deserves my loyalty, my respect, and my friendship." "Thank you, Survival." Nabudis smiled. "You're welcome, Som." Survival smiled back. Nabudis’s smile faded, as he let out a sigh. “...However… I’m afraid those agents were right to be suspicious of me.” Nabudis confessed, “I have been hiding something.” “...You have?” Survival felt a chill on his back. “Yes…” Nabudis nodded, “You see, Fievel, I am more familiar with our patient than I should be… because she was never a patient to begin with. Not in the official capacity at least.” “...What?!” Survival gasped, “I-I don’t understand.” “The truth is… around twelve years ago, not long after…” Nabudis paused, thinking of a certain stallion, “...he passed, I was still in the midst of my sabbatical, and against my better judgment, on my way to Ponyville, I decided to cut through Everfree Forest. It didn’t take long for me to get lost. But it was there that I had discovered such an awful sight.” “Like what?” Survival was scared to ask. “...A dark magic ritual… or what was left of it.” Nabudis shuddered, “There were bodies everywhere. I didn’t know it at the time, but apparently, there was this cult, once ran by a ‘Spell Nexus’, who were trying to summon forth some sort of evil deity…” “You mean, like Nightmare Moon?” Survival suggested. “...Who knows.” Nabudis shrugged, his eyes shifted a bit, “But when I came upon the site, there were no living ponies there. Their eyes were soulless. I can only assume that whatever they tried to do, they botched it and paid for it with their lives. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I can… but before I could… I heard something… the wailing of a baby… that’s how I first found her...” “Wait, the patient?!” Survival gaped. “That is correct.” Nabudis nodded, “She was in the bushes. A small little black bundle, no bigger than a loaf of bread. I believe she was one of the cultist’s children. Either her parents died in that ritual, or they abandoned her when it hit the fan. I didn’t know, but as far as I know… she had no one… so I did what I thought was right, and took her in, and raised her like she was my own…” “That… that’s actually really kind of you, Som.” Survival gave a small smile, but that quickly gave way to confusion, “...But how did she end up at Brightdale?” “I’m afraid that was my mistake.” Nabudis admitted, “When I was raising her, I have come to find that there was something different about her. Something that was possibly a side effect of that ritual. It seems whenever she was angry or stressed, her body begins to secrete this odd miasma. Whoever breathes this miasma was suddenly overtaken by hallucinations and heart palpitations. Like they were living a waking nightmare.” “Nightmare?” Survival whispered. “Indeed. I nearly fell victim to this miasma myself when she was barely a toddler.” Nabudis shook his head, “After the first time, I realized that she, and I, needed specialized help, so that no innocent ponies would get hurt. So I had arranged to have an underground facility built under the hospital, where I could keep her safe and away from other ponies, at least until either she or I could control her… ‘powers.” “An underground facility?” Survival gaped, “I had no idea… I guess that explains why I never heard of her.” “Well, I was telling the truth that no one was to know about her.” Nabudis frowned, “With her condition, there was no telling how ponies would react, especially if her powers were to rage out of control. I only told a select few about the facility, and made them swear on their very lives that they wouldn’t tell anypony, not until I could figure how to help my little girl… but then came Dysley…” “Dysley? As in Secretariat Dysley?” Survival asked. “Yes…” Nabudis clenched his hooves, “He found out about Nyx about a month ago, and about the facility. He didn’t quite care for the fact that I was raising a foal on company premises, that I had ‘misappropriated’ funds from his father’s company to build the facility… I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen… he terminated me right there and then.” “He did?!” Survival gasped, “...Is that why I hadn’t seen you at the hospital-” “Afraid so.” Nabudis sighed, “But it got worse. Dysley refused to let me take her with me, believing that an ‘actual’ professional should be the one to take care of her and her powers. He was going to have her sent to another psych ward, and subject her to who knows what kind of ‘treatment’.” "WHAT?! How could he do that?!" Survival growled, outraged. "Nyx was under your custody!" "Not officially." Nabudis declared glumly, “I never technically adopted her. And I couldn’t. Not with my reputation. And Dysley made it clear to me that I was never going to see her again, labeling me like some sort of messed-up freak. I had to do something before I lost her… which is where you come in.” “So it was her we were escorting that night?” Survival asked, “How did you-” “Well, it wasn’t easy. I was banned from the premises, and Dysley threatened severe consequences if I was caught anywhere near there.” Nabudis murmured, “But fortunately, I still had a few favors. I arranged to have her transported to the Isle of Wheat, under the guise of another patient. And I picked you and Hamm, because you two were the only ponies I could count on to handle such an important task. It was my hope that by getting Nyx there, I could take her from there and start a new life.” “Oh, Som…” Survival whispered. “When I heard that you and Hamm were on your way, I was certain that I’d succeeded.” Nabudis explained, “That in an hour or two, me and my baby girl would be together again, and no one would take us apart… but then this whole damn mess started.” “Faust, I had no idea…” Survival shook his head, “...But what would the Forefathers want with her?” “I can only assume that they had learned of her powers.” Nabudis scowled, “They probably want to use it for their own gains… hell, if you asked me, I wouldn’t be surprised that Dysley himself hired those goons to attack the carriage so they could get to her.” “Do you really think Dysley would do that?” Survival frowned, “I mean, what he did to you and her was awful, but you really think he’d actually do something like that? To me and Hamm?” “At this point, I don’t know. There’s no telling with that pony.” Nabudis grumbled, “...But now you know everything… I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.” “No, you had your reasons.” Survival sighed, “If anything, I’m relieved. I can’t believe I humored the thought that you had some dark twisted ulterior motive in all this.” "We all make mistakes, Survival." Nabudis said fairly. "I don't blame you." "Thank you" Survival smiled. "...And don’t you worry, we are going to find this patient, Som. And when we do, I’ll do everything I can to make sure that you and her start anew, I swear.” "Good stallion, Survival". Nabudis smiled, touched by Survival's loyalty. "I knew I could count on you." "Always, sir." Survival smiled. "And if Dysley really is responsible for what happened to Hamm and the others, then we will make sure he is brought to justice... Together." "I wouldn't have it any other way." Nabudis said warmly. "And with you by my side, I know Dysley will be made to pay for his misdeeds." "Oh, he will." Survival said firmly. "And I promise, I won't rest until you and that poor little filly are reunited." "Nyx." Nabudis announced. "Her name is Nyx." "That's a beautiful name." Survival smiled. "I can't wait to meet her." "If all goes well, you'll be meeting her in pony soon enough." Nabudis assured him. "Here's hoping." Survival nodded. "Wherever you're hiding, little Nyx, we'll find you. And we'll make sure you never have to worry about that fiend Dysley again. You'll be safe. Right, Nabudis?" "Right." Nabudis agreed. "I'll take point." Survival declared, emboldened by their strengthened bond. "I think I know a couple of places around here Nyx could hide in." As Survival went on ahead, a newfound determination burning within, Nabudis followed suit. Unbeknownst to the younger doctor, Nabudis’s smile began to fade, replaced with a sad frown... At the same time, on the other side of Canterlot, Sterling, Fletcher and Caboose were conducting their own search. "Any ideas where the kid could be?" Sterling asked. "I have a few." Fletcher declared. "It's all a matter of thinking like a foal." "Which may be easier for some of us than others." Sterling sighed, as Caboose played around with a discarded candy bar wrapper. "Huh, what?" Caboose around. "We need to focus on places that would be enticing to a foal." Fletcher clarified. "A toy store, a candy shop..." "Couldn't hurt to try." Caboose shrugged. "There's a toy store just a couple of streets away." "Then that's where we'll start." Fletcher nodded. As they made their way through Canterlot, a thought popped into Sterling's head. "You think Survival is right?" He asked the others. "About Nabudis being on the up and up, I mean." "Hard to say." Fletcher mused. "Survival's loyalty to Nabudis means his opinion of him may be slightly biased..." "And Nabudis is a bit of a meanie..." Caboose added. "But Survival is alright." Sterling noted. "When I see those two… I think of what me and Loveless once…” Sterling paused, letting out a small sigh, “...Nabudis might be a dork, but I’d hate to see how Survival’s going to act if his mentor really is a piece of scum..." "We can only hope it doesn't come to that." Fletcher stated. "Plus, it'd be a total cliché for the benevolent boss to turn out to be the big bad all along." Caboose said dismissively. "I mean, what is this, some low-budget drama film?" "No, this is real life." Sterling acknowledged. "With real consequences. And we've got to find that kid before those consequences get any more dire." "Undoubtedly." Fletcher nodded. "Who knows what trouble she could be causing, intentional or otherwise, this very moment..." Meanwhile, the kids were still playing with Nyx. They had moved on from Buckball, and were now playing tag. Miracle was currently "it", and she had Nyx in her sights. "I got you now!" Miracle dived forward. "Guess again!" Nyx leapt aside. Despite having her wings contained, she was still quite agile. "Nice move!" Hurricane cheered. "You're really good at this, Nyx!" Pureblood smiled. "Thanks." Nyx grinned. "Guess I just have a knack for running. And avoiding being caught..." "You don't say..." Vito narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Less talk, more tag!" Hurricane urged. "You almost had her back there, Miracle!" "And this isn't over yet..." Miracle smirked. "Not if I have anything to say about it." Nyx grinned. At the same time, Constell was standing by a window, having been watching Nyx play with the others. 'I've got to do something to help that poor filly.' She thought. 'Something to help get her mind off her dead father. But what?' "Excuse me, Princess Constell?" Constell turned to see one of the Pegasus maids standing before her, Nyx's vest held in her wing. "Yes, Feather Duster?" Constell asked. "I washed and pressed the, er... article of clothing our guest brought with her when she first arrived." Feather Duster announced, holding out the vest. "Very good." Constell smiled. "But I feel I should point out that I, er... Discovered something odd while in the process of cleaning it." Feather confessed. "Odd?" Constell frowned. "What do you mean?" "Well, I... Found some black feathers inside." Feather said awkwardly. "Feathers?" Constell asked, confused. "Yes." Feather nodded. "It was the strangest thing. And there were quite a few, like she was keeping two small blackbirds in there." “Huh, that is strange…” Constell mused, “Good work, though, Feather. I'll bring the vest to Nyx later." "Very good, your highness." Feather nodded. As Feather departed, Constell's mind drifted back to when she offered the dress to Nyx, and how the filly was insistent on having some privacy while she changed. 'Curiouser and curiouser.' She thought, her suspicions raised. She glanced out of the window, once again observing Nyx. 'Who are you, little filly?' Back in the garden, Nyx's stomach started to growl. All her activity had served to work off the breakfast she'd had. "Mind if I go get a snack?" Nyx asked. "Sure." Miracle nodded. "Just be back soon." Hurricane urged. "Don't wanna hold up the fun too much, right?" "No way." Nyx smiled. Nyx made her way back to the castle. Along the way, she accidentally bumped into Gothic, who was moving hastily in the opposite direction, planning to pick up some of Luna's favorite kind of cupcakes as a surprise for her. "Oh, sorry!" She apologized. "I wasn't looking where I was going." “Oh, that’s fine.” Gothic said fairly, “It happens…” Gothic trailed off, as he finally got a look at who bumped into him, “...Hey, you’re the kids’ new friend, aren’t you?” “Um, that’s right.” Nyx nodded meekly, “I’m… I’m Nyx.” “Well, it’s good to meet you.” Gothic smiled, “I’m Gothic, Luna’s husband. Constell told me all about you.” “She did?” Nyx froze for a moment. "Yes." Gothic nodded pleasantly, oblivious to her sudden panic. "She told me what a nice, sweet young filly you are." "Oh, right." Nyx smiled, relieved that Gothic didn’t actually know anything. "She's really nice, too. And a good friend. You must've taught her well." "Why, thank you." Gothic grinned. "You're welcome." Nyx nodded. “...You know something. You kinda remind me of somepony.” Gothic frowned, glancing at her. “I... I do?” Nyx asked. “Yeah…” Gothic looked her up and down, “But I can’t seem to put my hoof on it.” “Oh… that’s kinda weird.” Nyx frowned. "I suppose it is." Gothic admitted. "Well, I shouldn't keep you. I have something I need to do." "Okay, bye." Nyx nodded. "Bye." Gothic smiled. As the two parted ways, Gothic still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about Nyx. ’It is the weirdest thing… that black coat, that purple mane… and those eyes… kinda like Nightmare...’ Gothic mused, before shaking his head, ’Ugh, that’s preposterous. Nightmare Moon is gone. Luna defeated her years ago… besides, what would she be doing, being in a body of a child? That would be crazy...’ But as Gothic stood there, thinking of Nightmare Moon, his thoughts drifted to another… to a stallion he saw last night. ’Nabudis…’ Gothic murmured internally, ’I never did understand why he was so interested in Nightmare Moon. Every meeting of our club, Som would bring her up, talking about her origins and her powers and everything in-between. The others never liked it. Who would like a malevolent dark-side that caused Luna to be banished for a thousand years?’ Gothic sighed. ’...Nabudis did. No matter what everypony think, he believed there was more to her than what ponies believed. Even if it meant being laughed at, mocked, and ridiculed. Heck, the others almost had him kicked out of the club, probably would have if I hadn’t stepped in… honestly, the only pony who didn’t look down on him was Sacred and now...’ Gothic shook his head glumly, ’...I really do hope you come tonight, Nabudis. I don’t want you to disappear again like you did all those years ago…’ With a fair amount of Gothic forced himself to shrug off his gloominess. "Not time to feel sorry for myself." He muttered. "Gotta get those cupcakes..." Meanwhile, Secretariat Dysley was in his office, in the midst of a tense discussion with a pony over the mirror… or rather, ponies, as he was talking with the board of directors of his company… "I can assure you all, the unfortunate incident at the hospital is only a minor setback." He announced. “A setback?!” A middle-aged Unicorn retorted, flanked by two similarly aged ponies of varying races on each side, “Two dozen doctors! Fifteen nurses! Almost a hundred patients! And that’s off the top of my head. All dead, in the course of one night! Have you any ideas how much of a PR crapstorm is upon us?!” “Okay, maybe not so minor.” Dysley cringed, “But it’s nothing we hadn’t dealt with before.” “Oh, really? ‘Cause in the fifty years I had been at this company, having an entire hospital ‘allegedly’ murdered by a terrorist faction isn’t something I ever had to deal with!” Another pony, a balding Pegasus pony with a cane snarled. “He’s right, you know.” A grey-maned Earth Pony mare scowled, “On top of all the dead doctors and patients, those ponies had families. It’ll be a matter of time before they are baying for our blood.” “I know… but this honestly can’t be all on us, can it?” Dysley grimaced, “It was the Forefathers or whatever their names are that killed them. Not us.” “But we are Brightdale. Our employees and our patients are our number one priority. We were trusted to look after them. And we failed.” Another Unicorn, a mare this time, bemoaned. “Yes. I can already see the lawsuits adding up to the 6 digits, hell, maybe 7.” A gangly Pegasus with buck-teeth nudged his glasses, “That will not only put us in the red, but after all this, no one is going to want to do business with Brightdale ever again.” "I know things look bad." Dysley admitted. "But that doesn't mean we can't clean up this mess. I'll schedule a conference for this Friday, so we can settle everything with the public." “You really think talking to them is going to do anything?” The middle-aged Unicorn growled. “You wound me.” Dysley give a smirk (though an eye twitched). “I've been heading this company for years now. Guiding it through the many ups and downs a business faces. And not to brag, but I'd say I've done a fairly good job of it so far." “Well, yeah… but a good part of that could be attributed to your father.” The balding Pegasus grimaced. Dysley’s smirk immediately faded. The others glanced at the old pegasus in shock. “What? I’m right, aren’t I?” The balding pegasus scoffed, “This whole mess would never have happened under Sacred’s watch.” "That's a little unfair, wouldn't you say?" The middle-aged Unicorn frowned. "I mean, Secretariat isn't nearly as versed in the manner of running the company as his father." "Excuse me?" Dysley growled. "He didn't mean it like that, sir." The Earth Pony mare stepped in. "That's right." The Unicorn mare added. "What he meant was that your father had so many accomplishments to his name, built up over a lifetime of business work. And you're so much younger than he was at his peak that you can't be expected to equal his great works... yet, I mean." "It's just that right now, you're still a little bit green." The Earth Pony mare noted. "It's not your fault. It's just a natural outcome, not helped by having to follow in the hoofsteps of such an amazing businesspony-" “Well, as much as I would love to hear more about my dead dad and his accomplishments from years ago, I have to schedule that conference.” Dysley said curtly, a sense of silent fury in his voice, “You all have a good day.” “Secret, we haven’t finished-” The middle-aged Unicorn tried to protest, only to be cut off by the mirror being turned off. Dysley set the mirror down, and sat back in his chair… and let out a loud growl. “ARRGH! Every day with those damn vultures!” Dysley hissed, slamming his hooves in his chair, “Constantly bringing my father into it. Why can’t they get it through their heads that I’m the CEO. Not him. Not anymore.” He grasped the bridge of his snout, “Oh Faust, I think I’m gonna get a migraine…” Moments later, Dysley's mirror started buzzing. “Grr, what now?” Dysley scowled. He activated the mirror, as Luxury’s face appeared. Dysley’s scowl quickly turned to elation. “Oh, Lux. Hey.” Dysley smiled. “Hi, Secret.” Luxury nodded, a serious grim look on his face, “I called as soon as I’ve heard. I’m so sorry about what happened to that hospital and all those ponies.” “No more sorry than I am.” Dysley sighed, “They were all good ponies. And now they’re gone. Just like that.” “How are you holding up?” Luxury frowned in concern, “I can’t imagine something like this has been easy to contend with.” "It was terrible to hear." Dysley nodded. "The loss of all those innocent employees will weigh on me for years to come. I can only hope the fiends behind that massacre will be found and brought to justice for their crimes, and soon." "Me too." Luxury agreed. From the look of his surroundings, he was walking through the halls of the castle. "But in the meantime: if you need anything, I'm here for you." "Thank you, Luxury." Dysley smiled. "You always did look out for me." "Of course I did." Luxury smiled. "Because that's what friends do. You'd do the same for me." "In a heartbeat." Dysley smiled. As Luxury made to respond, Nyx almost walked into him. "Sorry!" Nyx apologized. "That was a close one!" Dysley’s ears perked at the sound of the other’s voice. "That's okay." Luxury smiled. He lowered the mirror, giving Dysley a view of the ceiling. "Having a good day?" "Pretty good, yeah." Nyx nodded. "Then don't let me keep you." Luxury encouraged. "Okay, bye!" Nyx rushed off. "Sorry about that." Luxury declared, bringing the mirror back up to his face. "Big castle, lots of ponies, you know how it is." "Who was that just now?" Dysley asked. "Oh, just one of the kids' new friends." Luxury answered. "Energetic little filly. Just one more to add to the group..." "I'm sure she is." Dysley chuckled. "You ever think of having kids of your own?" "I don't think Constell and I are quite there yet." Luxury shrugged. "How about you?" "Nah, I just can't seem to find the time." Dysley shrugged. "Or the right mare, for that matter." "I'm sure she's out there somewhere." Luxury assured him. "Thanks, pal." Dysley smiled. "Love to chat more, but I need to get going. Business, and all that. You understand?" "Of course." Luxury nodded. "I would never keep you from your work." "Don't worry, though." Dysley assured him. "We'll talk more at the party, I promise." "See ya then." Luxury grinned. "See ya." Dysley grinned back, hanging up. For a moment, Dysley's smile stayed on his face. Then it was replaced by a resolute grimace. He activated the mirror for a third time, and was answered by a shadowed figure. "What are your orders, sir?" The shadowy pony asked. "I need you to do some looking around your post for anything out of the ordinary." Dysley instructed. "Really dig deep, you hear me?" "Um... may I ask why, sir?" The shadowy pony inquired. "Let's just say I have a feeling." Dysley said ominously. "And I don't much appreciate your questioning." "S-sorry, sir." The shadowy pony stuttered. "I will get right on that, and report to you as soon as I find anything worth mentioning." "Good." Dysley smiled coldly. "Don't let me down." "i wouldn't think of it, sir." The shadowy pony nodded. Dysley switched off the mirror, and placed it on his desk. His smile faded again. “Please… please don’t be there.” Dysley grasped his head, “The last thing I need is for you to get caught up in all this, Lux…” Elsewhere, Triage, flanked by Incognito and Master Mind, was heading to the morgue where Weasel's body was being kept. "Why are we here again?" Incognito asked, more than a little irritabie. "I can't stop thinking about how weird Weasel's death was." Triage declared. "And I'm going to figure it out." "Then why didn't you just send us to look at it?" Master Mind asked. "Or better yet, have the body brought to us?" "It's the principle of the matter." Triage retorted. "As a medical professional, I take personal pride in getting to the bottom of every medical anomaly. Not just for the knowledge, but to make a difference, to help others, to-" "It's because the asshole griffon called you old, isn't it?" Incognito said bluntly. "Wha- of course not!" Triage spluttered out a denial. "It's strictly professional!" "Of course it is." Master Mind said drily. "Though I suppose since we've come all this way already, we should press on to investigate it anyways." "Yeah, sure..." Incognito sighed. "Very good." Triage smiled. They arrived at the morgue shortly after. "Pardon me, sir." Triage told one of the morticians at the front desk, a gaunt-looking mint green Earth Pony. "I am Triage from the RDL, and these are my associates, Incognito and Master Mind. We're here to examine the body which was brought in yesterday." "The one that died in mysterious circumstances?" The stallion asked. "That's the one." Triage nodded. "That one has been a puzzle for us." The mortician declared. "I can take you to where we're keeping the body." "After you, then." Triage urged. "We've been expecting you." The mortician declared. "Right this way." The group followed the mortician down a hallway, stopping outside a pair of metal doors. "We have the body in here." The mortician announced. "But I'm afraid your companions must wait outside the room. Only medical professionals are permitted past these doors." "Rules are rules." Triage shrugged. "Sorry, guys." "That's okay." Master Mind nodded. "I'd prefer not to see a dead body today anyhow." Incognito declared. With a nod, Triage entered the room. The body of Weasel was indeed there, laying on an examination table, a full set of medical tools on a smaller table. "Right then." Triage donned a pair of gloves. "Time to get to work..." First came the preliminary examination. As he expected, there were no signs of significant physical trauma... On the outside, at least. “No physical trauma. Just as it was yesterday.” Triage mused, “And if my diagnosis yesterday was correct, there’ll be no trauma inside either…” Triage grabbed a scalpel and made an incision in the body’s chest, and began to examine the internal organs. To his dismay, he was right. Everything seemed fine. “Come on. You couldn’t had just dropped dead.” Triage growled, “Something happened in that park that made you go lights out in the middle of the day, and caused you to have that aneurysm and cardiac arrest. But the question is what?” He then began slicing into the body’s heart. “There has to be something here.” Triage peeked around, “Something I’m missing. Maybe I need to look at this from a different angle…” Triage took a moment to look away and at his selection of medical tools, racking his brains over what to do next. As he ruminated, a small cloud of dark blue miasma emerged from the heart incision. It wafted upwards and across the room, creeping over to the unwitting Triage. In his frustration, Triage sniffed deeply, unknowingly pulling the miasma up into his nose. “Ugh…” He grimaced, the scent stinging his nostrils. "What the- that’s odd.” He rubbed his snout, “Cadavers don’t usually smell, not when they've been in cold storage. I should probably notify the morgue that their fridges might be going on the fritz. Well… back to the body...” As he made to return to the body, Triage suddenly felt light-headed. "What's going on?" He rubbed his head. But when he removed his hoof, he realised with horror that it was starting to either away. "No..." Triage grabbed the nearest reflective surface (a tray used to hold medical utensils) and glanced at his reflection. Fresh terror flowed into him as he saw that he looked old, and was growing older by the second. "No..." He frowned, feeling himself grow more ancient by the second. "No..." Triage's hooves started to crack, and crumble into dust, with the rest of his body following. "Noooo!!" He screamed. Outside the room, Incognito and Master Mind heard the blood-curdling scream. "That can't be good." Incognito said worriedly. "Let's get in there!" Master Mind urged. Forgoing the rules, the two stallions burst into the room. Inside, they found Triage on the floor, flailing around in terror. "Nooo!" Triage screamed. "Noo!" "Triage!" Master Mind yelled, as he and Incognito rushed over. "What's wrong?" "No, no, no!" Triage yelled, showing no signs he had heard Master Mind. "Easy, pal." Incognito tried to hold him down. "We're here to help, remember?" "No!" Triage flailed even more wildly. "Ahh!" Incognito grunted, as one of Triage's flailing hooves caught him on the side of his head. "What the buck's wrong with him?" "I'm not sure." Master Mind fretted. "But if I had to guess, he has somehow entered into some kind of extreme hallucinatory state. I can't begin to say how we'll be able to snap him out of it..." "I've got one idea..." Incognito declared. He slapped Triage hard across the face. "Wake up!" "Gahh!" Triage's eyes snapped open as he rubbed his face. "Oh, that was scientific and well-reasoned." Master Mind glared at Incognito. "It worked, didn't it?" Incognito smirked. "What's going on?" Triage frowned. "Why am I on the floor? ...And why did you slap me?!" He glared at Incognito. "We were hoping you could tell us what happened." Master Mind declared. "Yeah, we heard you scream, and came in to find you down there, freaking out." Incognito added. "You did?" Triage said confusedly. "The last thing I remember was examining the body. I checked the heart, and found nothing. Then I turned away to think for a moment, and... That's when it all got fuzzy." "You just got 'fuzzy'?" Incognito frowned. "Just like that?" "That's right." Triage nodded. "Then I started seeing... terrible things. My body withering away to nothing, crumbling to dust..." He shuddered. "The next thing I know, somepony gave me a slap in the face." "It worked, didn't it?!"" Incognito scowled. "You say it happened after you checked his heart?" Master Mind asked, as he looked at Weasel's body. "That's right." Triage nodded. "And you don't recall anything else... out of the ordinary?" Master Mind pressed. "I remember this odor." Triage admitted. "But in this line of work, odd smells are something of an occupational hazard." He stroked his chin in thought. "Other than that, I could find nothing out of the ordinary here." "Except for the whole 'seeing yourself turning to dust' thing?" Incognito pointed. "Yes." Triage nodded. "Something is definitely amiss here. And I still aim to discover what. But in order to do that, I might require-" "Help?" Master Mind smirked. "Yes." Triage seethed. "I'll need the best equipment, for starters. Then maybe I'll take a look at the magical side of things..."