“It's fascinating! The ailment seems to centralize around one center of gravity.” Yttrium studied at the diagrams on the wall, each a skeleton of a pony with a red circle outlining a cluster of a spots.
Dazzle had no idea anything past that. The board was full of numbers and letters, some that she couldn't begin to understand. She did, however, recognize the standard bell curve. Normal Distribution, as her father taught her.
Once she pointed at a variable and asked what it meant. He said something about a constant ‘plank’ and how the disease was subject to magnetism. She wanted to understand, so she put her best hoof forward and started with the reading. At least she understood how the testing was done.
“Bring me culture five-A” He pulled a notepad out of the nearby desk and plumped down in his chair.
He was good at pulling stuff out by hoof since he got used to the fact that he couldn’t use his horn for most of the day. He was practically an earth pony since he forgot to use his magic in everyday routine, from eating breakfast to writing notes. Even during his off time, you would catch him not using magic.
She trotted over to a plexiglass cabinet. She smiled. She loved the name ‘plexiglass’. It rolled off her tongue nicely. She removed a plexiglass box with tape over it saying ‘5A’
Another mare glanced the box as she passed by.
“How's it going, Thermometer?” Dazzle asked.
The mare pulled out a box “Fine, Dazzle. How are you?”
“Good.” Dazzle said, looking into the box. It was filled with a shimmery pink aura. She ‘concluded’ (as that was scientific language she learned from Yttrium) that sample had done good since the aura didn't die.
She carried it over to Yttrium and set it on the desk.
He flicked a switch, and a red strand of light ran through the glass and into the box.
He looked at a display, and nodded, then scribbled down some notes.
“How did this one do?” she asked.
“A step in the right direction.” He held up a hoof.
Dazzle slapped it in response.
“Six-seventy-one point zero-two nanometers, six hundred thirty intensity. Remarkable.” He announced.
“That close? What the hay did you use?” She heard across the room.
“Dazzle here chose it for me.” Yttruim nudged her. “I got the aura color combo from her coat and mane- pink and magenta… At first, I thought it would dissipate. But, surprisingly, there is this one hole in the correlation we have. We should probably try some related auras.”
“Three weeks and you and your volunteer already made more progress than the past six months!” He folded his forelegs over the table. “Congratulations.”
“We haven't found the cure yet, Vanadium.” Dazzle pointed out.
“No need to be modest, filly.” Vanadium retorted. “Thanks to your finding, I will find the cure before you.”
Dazzle frowned.
“H-hey! No need to get your test tubes in a jumble!” Thermometer stepped in the aisle between them.
Vanadium trotted over to the board, erased a section of the graph and drew two lines descending in a trench to the bottom. “So, we’ve found a hole right here.” He tapped on the board. “Maybe it has something to do with the fact that there is this third component to magic auras- let’s name it resistance.”
“Throwing the postulate out the window that ‘resistance’ is correlated with strength or elasticity of aura.” Thermometer added.
“What did you say was the aura of your friend Vertigo, Dazzle?” Yttrium asked.
“She’s a pegasus.” Dazzle pointed out.
“Dead end. Darnit.” Yttrium cursed to himself.
“Though I do recall that Rose Masquerade’s aura to be red.” Dazzle interjected. She jumped. “Speaking of which, I need to check on her and help Nurse Transfusion with the daily rounds.”
“Leaving so soon?” Yttrium asked.
“Yeah, I got to get some hours on the floor.” She disposed of her gloves and scrubbed her hooves in the sink.
“Thanks for helping!” Yttrium said.
“It’s always a pleasure working in the lab! See you tomorrow!” She stepped into the tunnel where the glass slid around her. Jets spurted white powder with a mix of water, causing Dazzle’s mane to frizz up a bit. She didn’t care though. She hadn’t fixed her hair in a long time. It was long enough that her mane almost stretched as long as Fluttershy’s.
Once she stepped out of the tunnel, she shook herself off like a dog. Luckily, the hallway had a nearby drain.
Dazzle almost forgot. She turned around and pounded on the glass. Luckily, her hoof was dry enough that it didn’t smudge the glass. “Hey Yttrium! I wanted to ask about Vertigo―do you think I can have a friend visit her?”
“Creed?” Yttrium asked. His voice was muffled behind the glass.
“Unicorn.” Dazzle answered.
“No then.” Yttrium frowned. “Bad idea. She still needs a good four weeks of treatment before any unicorn can visit. Even then they will need tier three precautions to even step in the room.”
“Understood.” Dazzle nodded. She pointed towards out the doors. “Going now! Seeya!”
“Have a good one!” Vanadium shouted from the other side of the lab, somewhere out of view.
Dazzle trotted towards the bulky doors.
As soon as she stepped outside the doors, she saw Doctor Globin writing down notes on a clipboard. Without looking away, he asked, “Anti-Corrosion bath?”
“Yep.” Dazzle answered.
He levitated a clipboard towards her, in which she caught it and held it steady in the crook of her foreleg.
She studied the schedule. After helping to do post-incident checkups, a lineup of several ponies, all of the names she didn’t recognize- and for good reason, Nurse Transfusion was doing the ponies specifically from her school so Dazzle could be honest about her recordings. Safety Protocol.
“Oh, Vertigo requested me again?” Dazzle asked as she read the nearby block.
“Yttrium has been busy as of late. She likes him taking care of her, but she twisted a couple hooves to request you come in.” Doctor Globin pointed to the next block. “Wild Card and Rose Masquerade are special requests also, and we’ve filled the rest with others that you need to see.”
“Sounds good.” She hoofed the clipboard back to him.
She proceeded out another group of doors, where the waiting area was at. Nurse Transfusion inspected a teacher’s horn. “Okay, you’re good.” she turned to the paper sitting atop a medicine cart next to her. She picked up the pen in her mouth, put a checkmark next to the name and put the pen back into a holster.
Dazzle took a seat. A line had been forming.
“Geez, you’re late.” Nurse Transfusion said as she inspected the ridges of a pegasus’s wings.
“Sorry, Nurse Transfusion,” Dazzle said.
“Dawdling with Yttrium again?” Nurse Transfusion asked.
“He’s made progress with finding the cure.” Dazzle said as she picked up a small flashlight-like object from the cart next to her.
“That’s good to hear,” Nurse Transfusion said. “Maybe you can spend more time in the cardiac department.”
Dazzle motioned for a unicorn to come up. She turned on the light. With the aid of a one-tenth of a joule spell, it allowed the light to illuminate any pockets of altered biology pockmarked by Corrosion. After doing a 360 around the horn, she asked. “Name?”
“Perforated Sheets,” the unicorn answered back.
Dazzle searched the list and found it. She picked up the pen and checked it off. “You are good to go, Mr. Sheets.”
Another Unicorn came up.
Rinse and Repeat.
Cirrus Strike. Pegasus. No sign of Corrosion. She marked his name off the list.
Regal Jewel. Unicorn. No sign of Corrosion. She wondered if she missed something a little while back.
“Dazzle?” A voice asked behind her.
Dazzle turned around.
“I’ll switch you. Get your rounds done.” Doctor Globin said.
“Already over?” Dazzle said.
“Well, I guess you can stay while I go do your requested visits.” Doctor Globin chuckled.
“Nono. I was just saying how time flies.” Dazzle stood up and headed for the rooms.
Dazzle had taken care of the first set of rounds. Saving the best for last, she trotted towards Wild Card’s room first. Afterward, she would return to the Heavy Precautions part of the hospital. That way, she could save time when going to Rose and Vertigo.
“Hey Dazzle,” Nurse Radius greeted.
“Morning.” Dazzle answered back.
Nurse Radius joined her side. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Mrs. Avocado passed away last night.”
Dazzle turned to her. “What?”
“Corrosion proved lethal. Yttrium also told me that the news would come better from me.” she said.
Hearing this news wasn’t helping. She’d just barely got over the fact that Vertigo contracted Corrosion. The fact that her first Corrosion patient put up a fight for over six months before dying showed the mortality of it all. Losing one friend was enough. She didn’t want to lose again.
She had to find that cure. Progress was made at a quicker pace, yes, but not quick enough.
“I’m sorry, Dazzle.” Nurse Radius patted her on the back before trotting off into a different hallway, back to the Heavy Precautions section of the hospital.
Dazzle proceeded on to Wild Card’s room. She tried her best to smile.
“Afternoon, Dazzle.” Wild Card said as she entered the room.
“Hi,” Dazzle said. “How are you doing?”
She trotted over to the monitor to check if everything was alright- his breathing, his heartrate, blood pressure. She looked at the bag hanging from the hook filled with blood. On it, it read: Blood type AB positive.
“Great! I wrote a little more about my character, Steel Veins!” Wild Card tapped on the paper on his desk. Although I can’t quite place how he gets pasts the bad guy’s trap.”
“What’s the trap?” Dazzle took his water jug and trotted over to the sink to fill it up.
“His super-weakness. Water.” Wild Card said. “He can’t swim.”
“Oh.” Dazzle scratched her chin. “You’ve stumped me.”
“Hmm. Just going to take a little while to figure out. I was thinking that he punches a stairway out of the pool of water, but I don’t know how he can hold his breath for that long.” He turned to Dazzle. “Are you okay? You seem a little sad.”
Dazzle froze. Guess that he saw right through her façade.
“Just having a hard time.” Dazzle said. She set the water jug on his desk.
Wild Card leaned closer. The equipment on wheels rolled forward and his IV and other lines were pulled taut as he skootched toward her.
Dazzle sighed. “My friend is sick and in the hospital.” She managed. She wanted to mention that one of her patients passed, but Wild Card was still so young. Death wasn’t something you mentioned to a little colt casually.
“Will she be okay?” Wild Card asked.
“I don’t know.” Dazzle said. “She’s very sick.”
“Hmm.” Wild Card pulled a hoof to his chin. “Sometimes all I can think about is how I’ll never get better. Been waiting for a heart for a bazillion years.”
“It must be hard on you.” Dazzle said.
“It is.” Wild Card said. “All I can do is keep waiting.”
“How do you keep waiting?” Dazzle asked. She backed off her tone on the last bit. She noticed her old pretentious self was surfacing.
“I don’t know. I just want to be happy, and so I am.” Wild Card said. “I know I didn't choose this. But I know that I can stay happy no matter what and that can't be taken away. Sometimes, it only makes sense to be happy. After all, happiness is the best medicine.”
Dazzle didn’t consider it. Happiness seemed to flee every moment she noticed it. She barely got her friends, but now, they were being torn apart because of some stupid disease.
“Dazzle?” Wild Card asked. “I often wonder, why do you wear that crown? Is it because you are a queen here?”
Dazzle chuckled. If only he knew. “Can you keep a secret? A Pinkie Promise Secret?”
“Yeah!” He nodded eagerly.
“You need to keep it a secret though… a Pinkie Promise Secret!” Dazzle said.
“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”
“Okay. Here’s my secret.” Dazzle figured it was safe by now. She sanitized her hooves at the nearby dispenser and then proceeded to lift the tiara off her head. A little dizziness overcame her, but for the most part, the wooziness was going away with each passing application.
Wild Card’s jaw dropped. “WOW! How did you do that?”
“Enchantment.” Dazzle said. She popped the tiara back on. To distract her from wooziness, she focused on her words. “You probably don’t see foals your age wandering the hospital. But, because I have an enchanted item that allows me to grow to an adult immediately, they allowed me to volunteer here.”
Wild Card shifted in his hospital bed. “I’m kinda embarrassed to ask, but can I try it on?”
“Sure!” Dazzle took it off and held it out to Wild Card. She really had to reach now since her filly hooves could only reach so far. “Although I’ve tried it before with another friend. The aging spell doesn’t seem to work on anypony but me.”
Wild Card took it and propped it on his head. Dazzle held her breath for a bit, but as expected, no effect.
“Aww… it didn’t work.” He took it off and hoofed it back to Dazzle.
Dazzle finally grasped it after reaching and put it back on. “Ah, that’s better.” Dazzle said once she popped back into her mare form.
“Wow!” Wild Card pulled out paper. “I gotta write in a character that helps Steel Veins! I call her Doctor Dazzle!”
“Uhn-Uh.” Dazzle shook her head. “Remember, you promised to keep this a secret?”
“Aww… I had an idea! One that could help the hero out of the trap!” Wild Card pouted.
Dazzle couldn’t resist those adorable, pouty eyes. “You know what? I’ll make you a promise.” Dazzle leaned closer. “I will do all I can to help you get better.”
Dazzle hesitated a little before going any further. For his condition- it would require a heart transplant. He lived his whole life in the hospital, under aid of magic to help him. To promise such a detail would be dangerous, but she felt bad for him. He needed the magic of friendship, and he wouldn’t be getting that here. For now, she wanted to be his friend. Maybe a little magic could help him.
“As soon as you are out of the hospital, I will allow you to share my secret.” Dazzle finished.
“Wow! Really?” Wild Card asked.
“I will have no use for this tiara after I find a cure for my friends and that also includes you.” Dazzle said. “I hereby promise that you will get better under my care, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
This was a gamble, but according to the statistics that she observed in the lab, he cure for Corrosion loomed on the horizon. It also was very unlikely that Wild Card would stay waiting for a donor for much longer. Soon enough, those chances would turn up.
However, that didn’t matter. She saw it in his eyes. The look of determination, of hope. Just the feeling of the moment itself made Dazzle have chills.
“I gotta go take care of other patients now.” Dazzle said as she stepped out. “I guess I’ll see you again soon!”
“Will do!” Wild Card pulled his tray closer to him and started to jot down the rest of the adventures of Steel Veins.
As soon as Dazzle entered Rose Masquerade’s room, she was greeted by a pleasant surprise. She took it as another sign that the cure was within reach.
“It’s finally nice to see you!” Rose greeted cheerfully.
“How’s it going, Rose?”
As Dazzle trotted across the room, she jumped as Rose’s line of vision followed her. Her eyes were no longer fixed in one position nor had the cloudiness from before.
“YOU HAVE YOUR VISION BACK?!” Dazzle shouted.
“Guess you didn’t catch onto my clever pun.” Rose Masquerade giggled. “It’s nice to SEE you!” She widened her eyes, emphasizing the ‘see’ part.
“H-How?” Dazzle asked.
“I honestly don’t know.” Rose said. “Somehow, someway, my vision came back piece by piece. I wanted to celebrate with you, but I was on the backlist for requesting you.”
This brought up a new viewpoint. However, Dazzle asked. “How’s your magic?”
“I can read but cannot spell.” Rose answered cleverly again. “It’ll take a bit more for my horn to be cured of the dendrites.”
Dazzle noted that in her head. Yes. Vision can be recovered, but the Unicorn horn was more sensitive to the disease.
“I’m going to coat your horn in the pH powder by the way.” Dazzle said, pointing to the jar of white powder above her.
“I know. I requested you specifically for today.” Rose smiled.
Dazzle washed her hooves in the sink, covered her hooves with nitrile gloves and reached for the jar.
“It’s honestly a marvel that I get to taste a little of what Mare-ison Bergeron looks like. It’s even more grandiose than I’ve envisioned. Not to mention the work of complicated magic.” Rose started. She giggled to herself again. “Last time I saw you- you were a filly. I would say you’ve grown, but I’m sure you get that one a lot.”
“You have no idea…” Dazzle said. Ever since the play, the playwrights― especially Florin, Montressor, and Marigold― teased her with that pun. It even went over Napoleon’s head for a while until she showed her secret.
“How is Coco doing? I haven’t seen her in a long time…” Rose asked.
“Fine. She’s just busy with her Spring Line.” Dazzle said. A flicker of a memory passed through her thoughts. That little incident with Suri Polomare. She kept her mouth shut about it though.
Dazzle unscrewed the lid. She took out a cloth bandage, soaked it in the sink and wrung it. Holding it out in one hoof, she sprinkled the powder on it with the other hoof. Finally, she reached over and wrapped the dampened cloth around Rose’s horn.
“That’s good to hear.” Rose said.
“Hey Dazzle?”
Dazzle spun around. “Oh, Nurse Radius! What do you need?” Dazzle took off her gloves and disposed of them in the marked magi-hazard can. Dazzle squeaked as the can popped as it shut.
“The pH bath for Vertigo Heart is scheduled in five minutes.” Nurse --- said. “It’s an inconvenience that Ms. Heart requested you, so please don’t be late.”
Dazzle turned to Rose. “I gotta go. Do you need anything else?” Dazzle coated her hooves in the powder and washed them over the sink.
“Nope! I shouldn’t keep ya. I’m satisfied with just seeing you.” Rose said. “Now! Go on! Do what you need to, Dazzle!”
Dazzle got into plastic scrubs. She honestly didn’t mind the hazmat suit a little while back, in fact, she preferred it over itchy scrubs. After getting on the attire, she proceeded over to the heavy precautions side of the hospital.
“Right on time.” Nurse Radius said. Her voice was muffled behind a respirator. Her wings were encased in a glass protector filled with green aura. Alongside her, she pushed a cart with two ceramic tubs filled with milky fluid: The pH bath.
They trotted down the hallway. Glass rooms with plastic enclosures passed them by, until they came to a particular room.
Nurse Radius unzipped the plastic enclosure and waved for Dazzle to go through.
Immediately, Vertigo greeted her. “Dazzle? Is that you?”
Dazzle nodded. Obviously, she hadn’t shown Vertigo her tiara. She had to be careful to who she told the secret to, and lately, she was being very liberal.
“For a minute there, I thought they denied my request again.” Vertigo said.
“You struck lucky this time!” Dazzle said.
Nurse Transfusion wheeled the cart over. “Can you remove the bandages, Dazzle?”
Dazzle nodded. Vertigo stretched out her wings towards Dazzle. Dazzle undid the bandages. As she got closer to the inner part, she started to notice the blood clots on the bandages. Dazzle held her breath as she got closer, holding back a retch as she uncovered the first fleshy part of Vertigo’s wings. They were raw and featherless. She knew she wouldn’t get over the revolting nature of featherless wings, no matter how many pegasai patients she ran the procedure for.
Nurse Radius wheeled the cart closer and motioned to the tub. Obediently, Vertigo dipped the raw wing in the solution. As Vertigo did so, she winced and gritted her teeth.
“Now, the other wing.” Nurse Radius instructed.
Vertigo took a deep breath as she dipped her other wing into the bath. She hissed and squeezed her eyes shut. In the middle somewhere, Dazzle heard a faint whimper.
“She’s healing actually pretty quickly.” Nurse Radius noted, pointing out the lack of pockmarks and Corrosion burns on her wings. “I mean, faster than most pegasai that come through the hospital.”
“How quick do you think I’ll be?” Vertigo asked, taking her wing out and holding it out to Dazzle. Dazzle dried it off with a towel and re-bandaged it.
“Two to three weeks, give or take.” Nurse Radius rocked her head back and forth. “Usually the healing process takes about a month.”
“I’ll be off, another patient is on my agenda.” Nurse Radius proceeded towards the door. “Need anything else Ms. Heart?”
“No. Just want to talk to Dazzle for a couple minutes.” Vertigo said.
Nurse Radius nodded and slipped out of the plastic enclosure.
Once Nurse Radius was out of sight, Vertigo chuckled. “It’s finally good to see you! Also, I thought the Nurse was crazy when she told me you were a mare!”
“I know.” Dazzle said. “I guess Bling’s the only one left who doesn’t know the secret.”
“Wait… you mean Napoleon knows?” Vertigo sat up straight.
“Mmhmmm.” Dazzle nodded. “I showed him when we were doing our science fair project.”
“I heard about that.” Vertigo pointed to Dazzle “How’d the science fair go? Did he get his letter?”
“No results yet. The school is still being sprayed down for any Corrosion.” Dazzle said.
“Bummer. I thought they would’ve gotten everything done by now.” Vertigo said. “There is really nothing to do around here.”
Dazzle hadn’t stopped to consider how bored Vertigo must’ve been. She was up to her neck in hospital duty ever since the incident. Napoleon had kept busy with spending time with Pink, Dusty, and Bling.
“Speaking of Napoleon, can you tell him I love him back?” Vertigo said outright.
Dazzle kicked herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. When nothing but a flare of pain greeted her, she wiped the obvious dopey look off her face (Vertigo was hiding a smile behind her hooves).
“Really? That quick?” Dazzle said.
“Yep. I decided that just saying it would be the best option.” Vertigo said. “Spending time alone has given me time to think. I figured that I might not get another chance, so I said it.”
The spool of bandage slipped out of Dazzle’s hooves. Before it hit the ground, she caught it. She sighed in relief.
“I will do that then.” Dazzle said after she regained her composure.
“I guess that is good payback for the time you played that prank on me!” Vertigo grinned.
“What prank?” Dazzle asked.
“You slipped out once you told me about Napoleon!” Vertigo explained.
“Oh, right.” Dazzle said. “But seriously, you feel that way about Napoleon? I would’ve thought you and Bling were a thing…”
“Oh no, Bling and I are just friends.”
“Friends that spend a lot of time in the clouds together.” Dazzle teased. She finished up the wrapping and snipped the spool off with a scissor.
“Fine. Be that way.” Vertigo said. Dazzle noticed a little shade of red developing on her muzzle. Vertigo continued. “Remember the time we became friends? I almost crash landed on you.”
“Right.” Dazzle smiled. “I’m glad that happened honestly.”
“Same here.” Vertigo said. “Can you keep a secret though?” her voice grew softer.
“Sure.” Dazzle said. After miming through the Pinkie Pie movements, Vertigo took a deep breath.
“The day that I crashed into you was no accident.”
“What?” Dazzle said in a soft voice, being careful not to shout it out. It was a Pinkie Promise, after all.
“It was no accident.” Vertigo repeated. “The crash was no accident.”
“Really?” Dazzle said. “Wait… does that mean you crashed into us on purpose?”
“Nono. That’s not what I meant.” Vertigo said. “I mean, when I saw you on the swing set next to him, I gawked too long. Not looking where I was going, I nearly crashed into another foal.”
“Okay...” Dazzle’s mouth twisted. “What do you mean then? That sounds like an accident to me.”
“Nono. There’s a little more to it.” Vertigo said. She sighed. “I’ll just say it. I’m jealous of you.”
“Jealous? Why would you be jealous of me?” Dazzle asked.
“I’m jealous of a lot of things.” Vertigo clarified. “You crack the Egghead’s outer shell, befriend a bully who has become my flying buddy, you are even Coco’s daughter! The Coco Pommel!” She folded her hooves and slumped back.
Dazzle never seen her like this. Then again, maybe the time alone had broken a couple things. Came to think of it, Vertigo’s mannerisms right now reminded her of her past self. A little frustration unchecked created by boredom can cause a whole lot of problems down the road.
“Don’t worry, I think I get you.” Dazzle said. Hopefully relating to her would warn her about taking the path of envy. “I feel the same thing― if there’s anypony I’m jealous of, it’s Napoleon.”
Vertigo sat up. “Wait… you are jealous of Napoleon?”
“Yeah,” Dazzle said. “Playwright parents, good head on his shoulders. Most I can do is do Statistics. He can do anything he sets his mind to. I’m kinda trapped in a box of a singular talent.” Dazzle pointed to her cutie mark. “I earned my mark when I was being cruel and ‘asserting my dominance’ over other foals, as my parents wished.” Dazzle said.
“Really?” Vertigo gasped. “I thought you said you picked out a ti―”
“That was a lie.” Dazzle said. “I’m telling you this now because I see that you are going down a very dangerous path. I’m also going down the same dangerous path I swore never to take again.
First, I was jealous of one of my classmates, named Applebloom. She had a kind and loving family. Broken, yes, but close together that nothing could separate them. I thought I was over it when I left Ponyville, but now I’m repeating the same cycle…
Every time I see him and his family, I wish I had parents like his to begin with. If Florin and Montresor were my parents, then I would be very different than I am today. I wouldn’t have been mean or cruel to anypony. He was raised in a way that encouraged him to step out and show off what he’s made of, yet be kind to everypony he met.” Dazzle finished.
“Well, you are in good hooves now!” Vertigo waved her forelegs up. “You’ve got Coco! I guess you deserve to have a good parent since all your life you’ve only had bad ones.” Vertigo said. “That is something to celebrate.”
“You’re right.” Dazzle smiled. “Are you still jealous of me?”
“A little, but in a good way.” Vertigo said. “You’re my friend, after all.”
Dazzle started to trot away. “Thank you, Vertigo, I needed that.”
“No problem!” Dazzle said.
Before she could exit, Vertigo shouted over to her.
“And don’t forget! Tell that Egghead I love him!” Vertigo said.