//------------------------------// // Prologue: Start Of The Sickness // Story: Cadenza's Inside Story // by NightFurySpeedey8156 //------------------------------// The Crystal Empire has stood proud for years, recently returning to existence with the assistance of Twilight, her friends, and newly-declared Spike The Brave And Glorious going to battle with the dark lord of the empire's past, King Sombra. Ever since the defeat of the troublesome king and the restoration of the Crystal Heart's power, the Crystal Empire has remained peaceful ever since. The crowning princess of the empire, Princess Cadance, has ruled over and restored the ancient city with the utmost grace. Handling legal and financial disputes, restoration of the city's architecture, reminding her subjects of their own love and strength for their home. She has done everything she can to release the fear of the past and work on making the most out of the future. All of this hard work may be a bit overkill for most ponies, but for an alicorn, there was nothing that could slow her down. Except for one thing she had never accounted for… getting sick. Cadance lied in her lavish bed, head covered with the sheets and moaning as her quivering and aching body drove her mad. Cadance was nopony to let a little inconvenience stop her from ruling her empire with her husband, but with this sickness she came down with recently, it had basically become impossible for her to even move. A quiet knock came from the door and Shining Armor came in to check on her. "Hey honey, you still hanging in there?" He asked, only to get a groan in response. Shining Armor felt bad for his wife, she was usually unmovable when it came to her duties. But this random sickness had completely shut her down. He walked up to the side of the bed and sighed. "Cadance, I know you aren't feeling well. You have to keep resting so you can get better." "But I'm fine, Shining. I can get back to my duties like I was before if you'd stop babying me." She whined, her voice shrill and croaking from her sore throat. "That is not true. The nurse is going to be here soon, and I have a strong feeling that she won't have the same opinion." Shining sighed. Cadance stayed silent before letting out another moan and uncovering herself. Her face was a bright red and her eyes dropped as if she hadn't slept in days. Mounds of used tissues covered the bed like homemade snotty snowballs, remnants of her very stuffy nose that she desperately tried to keep from leaking. She looked at her husband with bloodshot eyes and smiled, trying to play off her sickness. "Cadance, please. You know you're sick and you can't go back to work. You have to stay here and rest." Shining Armor said sternly. Cadance was looking for an excuse to get her out of her predicament, but she had to admit that he was right. She was riding a very thin line and she needed to stay on it for now. "Okay, fine. I'll stay here and rest. It's just… I've been ruling this empire for a few months now and during a critical time of rebuilding, I get sick? I just can't seem to let go of what I'm expected to do as a princess." Cadance admitted. "And I understand, but there's a difference between what you're expected to do and what you have to do. You may be expected to hold the empire up on your own and rule over it in any condition, but what you have to do is get some rest and not exacerbate your illness. I know you think that because you're an alicorn that you can't get sick, but it's just a fact of life that our bodies have weaknesses." Shining said. "But, Auntie Tia and Luna never got sick, and I’ve yet to since I became an alicorn." "That's because you never saw them get sick. I for one can say, first hoof, that they have gotten sick. You've heard of what happened a few years ago with that Feather Flu epidemic, right?" Shining Armor asked. Cadance nodded as she grabbed another tissue and blow her nose. "And you know how strangely, Luna had to take over for Celestia because of a 'Personal issue'?" "Yeah…" "Well, what do you think was the real reason she had to take a few days off and have me help her?" Cadance stared at her husband for a moment before gasping at the realization. "Wait, so you mean…" "Yep, she caught the Feather Flu. I was tasked to be her main guard for protection and service as she recuperated. And that is why you should be resting too. Because you can be the most powerful being in Equestria with all the power you could ever desire, but you can't stop yourself from succumbing to the facts of life." Shining explained, smiling at his wife. Cadance gave a weak smile in return as she saw his sympathy for her. She was happy to see that she had someone to be with her in her condition. A knock at the door got both of their attention. "Who is it?" "It's Nurse Redheart, I'm here for Cadance's examination." Shining Armor opened the door with his magic and welcomed the nurse. "Oh I'm glad you could be here, Cadance is not in the best of conditions." He said, gesturing to the sick alicorn. "I can see that." Nurse Redheart said. "Okay your highness, I'm going to check you over and hopefully diagnose you so we can speed up your recovery." She then placed her medical bag down and began extracting her instruments. "Okay, but please let it be quick. I don't exactly like being in the hospital." Cadance said. "Don't worry, I can assure you that I'm not a witch doctor or mad scientist of any kind." Redheart chuckled, bringing out a tongue depressor. "Okay princess, say 'Ahh' for me." "Ahhh…" Cadance slowly opened her mouth and the tongue depressor was placed where it should as she was examined. "Hmm… Tonsils are inflamed and the walls are red. Definitely signs of a sore throat." Nurse Redheart said, replacing the tongue depressor with a thermometer. "Hold this under your tongue for a few seconds." Cadance obliged and did as she was told as she was examined further. "Achy bones, stiff and strained muscles…" Nurse Redheart then pulled the thermometer from Cadance's mouth. "102.3 degrees, you're burning up. Have you been feeling any nausea, feeling as if you're about to throw up?" She asked. "No, not really. But I do feel a bit weird in there though." Cadance explained. Nurse Redheart nodded and pulled out a stethoscope, putting it on Cadence's stomach. She listened in on her insides and was shocked at what she heard. "Oh my…" "What? What is it?!" Shining exclaimed, looking worried. "Your stomach’s gurgling more than I've ever heard. It sounds like a bubbling cauldron full of sludge, very unusual. Have you been drinking anything out of the ordinary, especially something alkaline or fizzy? Fruit smoothies, perhaps?" Redheart asked. "No, I barely even touch soda or smoothies. The only liquids that I've had are orange juice and warm honey tea." "Even so, your highness, certain foods can cause what you're feeling. It's not far-fetched to have your everyday diet cause this to happen." Redheart said. Urp! went Cadance with a bit of a surprised look, and suddenly a vase of flowers next to her began to float. "As I thought, you're burping. That means that an over abundance of gas is inside of your stomach, and it would explain why you feel as if your stomach is swirling." Nurse Redheart then moved her stethoscope over to Cadance's chest to listen to her breathing. "Raspy breathing, muscles all tight and strained, sounds of mucus in the airways…" Nurse Redheart pulled away and finally gave her opinion. "I have to say, I can't come up with the least bit of a conclusion as to what's wrong with her. Much of it looks like a flu virus, but such an intense stomach effect, and with magical outbursts? It's like she has some sort of bizarre magical mismatched sickness running through her." Shining Armor and Cadance both looked concerned. Equestria's medical capabilities weren’t perfect, but every illness that could affect an alicorn to come up throughout the years had been either cured or proven to be treatable. But something totally new? That scared them both. "Well, you've done all you could, and we both thank you for it." Shining Armor said somberly, but something else was about to come into view. "Now hold on, there is one thing I haven't done. There is one doctor that I've known for a while that has dealt with the unusual, weird, and strange. Though he may not be the typical doctor, he does have his way of fixing things that aren't right. Would you like me to call him in?" Nurse Redheart asked. Cadance and Shining Armor whispered to each other for a moment, discussing the possibility of a cure for this strange magical illness before coming to a conclusion. "Send him in." They said in unison. The nurse nodded and retrieved a quill and paper, writing the letter before using a strange glass tube to send it off with a bright flash. "He will be here soon. Now, is there anything else that I can do?" She asked. "Send a few scrolls to these names on this list," Cadance instructed, levitating a list of names to the nurse. "I could really use the emotional support right now." Nurse Redheart smiled at the gesture and nodded. "I'll have them sent in right away." She said, walking away to send the letters.