Luna now alone, was left to deal with the death of the poor nurse. She went over and picked up the body, and carried it out and to the streets. She looked about. Literally, there were bodies in the street. Somepony with a wheelbarrow strapped about him, walked through the streets, and picked up the bodies, and loaded them onto carts, where he would take them to the edge of the city, and after the bodies built up, burn them, and drop the ashes over the edge, where they would scatter off to the utmost parts of Equestria. He hadn’t yet come through. Luna set her down next to a box.
She looked about to find out where the boy was. She figured that she should at the very least apologize. Luna went about, looking for the boy. She searched high, and low. In rain gutters, and in old houses, that were broken into. She couldn’t find him.
Luna had no idea what to do. She wanted to talk to her sister, but her sister wouldn’t be around until at least three days. She had no idea as to what she was to do. She went to the train station. A few guards had set up a checkpoint outside the shield.
“You there, send word, I need to speak with my sister,” Luna ordered.
“Yes ma’am, she will be here in three days,” One of the guards said.
“Yes, I need to speak with her now.”
“Well, if it’s so important, you’ll just have to remember,” the guard said, rather snootily.
A magical grip appeared around the guard, and slammed him against the shield wall, cracking the shield, and breaking some of the guards ribs. Luna with a low, and utterly terrifying voice said, “ Do you forget who I am? Just incase you do, I am princess Luna, Nightmare Moon.” She dropped the guard, who struggled to get back up. “If you wish a worse fate than those stuck on my side of the shield, just keep ignoring my order,” She shouted.
The guard looked at another soldier, and signaled him to go fetch Celestia. Then, he got up and limped over to where he had a bed, and sat down on it. “Get a medic, I think something’s broke.
“No need, four cracked ribs, and a broken leg,” Luna said turning around.
If the guard had a middle finger, he’d be using it now.
Luna took off in flight. She went slowly, but picked up pace as she neared the castle. Luna was very distressed. She landed in the courtyard. Three of the children came running up and then all at once began spewing out a bunch of jumbled up words.
“Not now children, not now,” Luna said.
“But Fluttershy’s sick!” one of them shouted.
Luna looked at him, then she looked up. She went off in a full gallop to her friend. She entered the grand doors, and sped faster and faster down the long hallway. She turned to where the castle had it’s sick bay. Fluttershy lay in one of the beds on the far end of the room. None of the nurses dared to come near to her, for fear of getting the disease.
“What happened,” Luna demanded.
“Your highness, she started coughing, and she was fine, but she collapsed on the ground when she went up to her bed,” one of the nurses on the other side of the room shouted.
“Why aren’t you over here helping her?” Luna asked.
“There is no cure, and we don’t want the disease,” another responded.
Luna left the room with one thing on her mind the children. She went down the hallway, where a guard was peeking his head into the little filly’s room. She then slammed the door on his head.
The guard’s helmet was dented. “What was that for...?” the guard said.
“Your peeking in the lady’s room, what do you think?” Luna said, continuing on her fast paced walk.
“No, that boy you told me to watch went into there, and I’ve been waiting for him for like an hour to get out,” the guard explained.
“Yell, you stink at your job, because he escaped through the ventilation system, and is now freely about canterlot, somewhere I can’t find him...” She said. Then she realized something. She stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes. There were hundreds of dreams going on around her, she searched.
(Drake)
Drake was running. There was something he was running from. He saw it, and knew it. There was a shadowy figure on the ground, which he couldn’t recognize. It was in the path of the creature, which consumed all of which it came across. It was alive, the thing lying in the street. He jumped onto it, in an attempt to protect it. This time, instead of the object getting consumed, It began to eat away at him. Pain shot all over him, as the thing ate away at him, slowly. He could go and run, leaving the pony in the street to die, but he instead stayed there.
A bright flash beamed all around him, and then there was nothing around him, but a blank surrounding. “What was that?”
Drake whirled around to see who said that. Princess Luna stood there, looking almost sympathetic.
“I don’t know. I just have this same dream and most of the time, it kills whatever is I’m protecting,” He answered.
“ What were you protecting?” She asked.
“ I’m not sure,” He said.
“ Well, you seemed pretty avid at it. Whatever it was, you didn’t fail in saving it,” Luna said, almost complimenting him on it. “When did these dreams start?”
“ The night before my parents died, that was the first time it came,” He answered truthfully.
Luna got the idea that it was a long time ago.
“ Wait, the nurse was not your mother?” she asked, now confused.
“ No, she was somepony who I had to help. My parents died eight years ago. They were murdered, and the murderer was never found,” Drake said.
“So, you’ve been living on the streets for eight years?” Luna questioned.
“No, I went into an orphanage, but the people there were just horrible, and only did it for the funding that they got when they cared for the unlucky children who they were placed over. So me and a few others ran away one night. Most of us were caught. But me and another got out. She went off somewhere, and I don’t know where she is, but she isn’t there anymore. I came back here,” Drake said.
“Look, I need your help. Out of anypony, in all equestria, you seem to not be afraid of the disease. I think you know a cure,” Luna said.
“No, I don’t know a cure. I know how to stop it though. The pain doesn’t fully go away,” Drake said.
“I need you to come to the castle. Somepony will die if you don’t help,” She said.
“Lot’s of pony’s will die. I must be the only one who noticed, but those who were sick, are the same pony’s who were at the wedding a few months ago, or in canterlot. It could be just me being suspicious, but there is no way that somepony or changeling, would not go into a battle, which there was a huge possibility of losing, and not having a backup plan,” Drake said.
“What do you mean?” Luna asked. “They all got blown away by Cadence, and Shining Armor.”
“Yea, the changelings did, but not everything,” Drake said.
“So you think it’s an attack from the changelings,” Luna tried to conclude.
“No, well, I think that while they were here, and almost had victory, which they almost did, they dropped something, small enough to not be affected by the blast,” Drake answered.
Luna looked almost worried as she tried to piece the things together. “Look, just get to the castle as soon as you can.”
“No, I can’t...” Drake said quickly.
“Why not?” Luna questioned, now worried.
“Because, it’s a trap. You and the other’s and the guard want me there. You will take me,” Drake said.
“What,nopony wants you here?” Luna said.
“I’m no fool, you're just trying to get me back there,” Drake said.
“That makes no sense!” Luna shouted. “You don’t have a cure, but you can stop it, you can’t come because you're supposed to come, but you don’t know what it is that want’s you there!”
“I don’t know what it is, but I know you do... Nightmare moon,” Drake said.
He jolted up, and got up. He looked up to the moon, and saw the mare of the moon’s face look down at him, almost angrily. He had crossed her one too many times, and he knew it. Fear took hold of him, and he had to get out of the city.
(Luna)
Luna was infuriated, she was stomping about, pacing the hall. ‘ What nerve he must have to do that to me! How am I supposed to know what the stupid thing that want’s him is.’
“Princess, Celestia will see you now,” A guard said.
“Okay, I’m on my way,” Luna said.
Luna walked back out to the courtyard, and then spread her wings to fly. Pain shot through her, all the way to her head, causing her to fall. she caught herself, just before hitting the ground, and set herself down. She all of a sudden got the urge to cough. She couldn’t hardly breathe.
Voices echoed in her head, ones she couldn’t recognize. She collapsed on the grass beneath her, and couldn’t get back up. Four guards rushed over to help her.
“No, just go,” she said. Then she whispered a silent spell, that made the pain more bearable. She got up, and walked. It was a good fifteen minute walk, she would have to move as fast as the pain would allow. She coughed and her stomach turned upside down. She wouldn’t make it all the way there, and back. This might be the last time she saw her sister, while she was alive.
She couldn’t hardly breath by the time she made it to the shield. Celestia got one glance from Luna, and she already knew. She ran to the shield. Four guards had to stop her from breaking it further than it already was from earlier. “Luna what happened!” Celestia cried.
“It honestly wasn’t about this, it just popped up fifteen minutes ago, or so. I needed to talk to you about,” Luna stopped to cough. “The boy. He escaped. He knows how to stop the whole epidemic. But I can’t tell where he is, and,” She paused to cough again. It sounded harsh and painful. “I...” She stopped, and fell to the ground, with a thud.
Celestia had it not been for the four guards, plus eight more for help, would have crashed through the shield, shattering it, to see her sister. “Luna!” She shouted. Tears began to pour out of her eyes as she stood the most powerful being in all the land, but powerless to help her sister. She was so close, but at the same time so far. The guards decided that it would work out better if she was taken from the sight.
“Ma’am, Princess, we have to go,” One of them ordered.
Celestia didn’t move. She stood there, not moving. The guard walked over to her. There was a bright flash, and her eyes were glowing. The guard thought she had gone mad.
(Drake)
Drake was sitting on his bed. He had something to do, but he forgot. It was vitally important. ‘What is it’, he thought as he hit his head against the brick wall. ‘I should stop, if it draws any blood, I could get an infection, ... THATS IT!’
Drake got up and flew back into the hospital. The book was on the floor next to the now missing body. He picked it up, and went back into the room, where he had come to need the book in the first place.
He flicked on a light, and began to flip through the book to find out if something the tick did could cause the whole epidemic. He scanned page after page. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into an hour, and still, nothing. Finally at the end of the book, there was something that had the potential of helping him. The section of the book was called: Bites.
There was a picture of a tick on somepony’s flank. Beneath it was a question, How is it that ticks, and for that matter, any parasitic bugs can bite you and you not notice. Drake read the section. It almost interested him, almost. ‘ When ticks and mosquitoes bite you, they inject you with a fluid that numbs your nerves, so you don’t feel the bite, and it can get what it needs.’
‘Wow, that could be it,’ he thought. ‘If it is just an allergic reaction to the fluid, then our problem is we need something to jumpstart our nerves again. Now, what jumpstarts nerves?’
(Luna)
Celestia stood there, completely still, almost like she was in a magical coma. Just, she couldn’t move. Anyone of the guards who would get brave enough to touch her, would feel a sporadic shock, and shoot back an average of twenty feet. It was as if she had an invisible shield around her.
Luna came back into consciousness. Celestia’s eyes glowed, and her hair was bright, as if she had colorful fire for a mane, instead of her usual orah.
Luna struggled to stand up. Once she was on her hooves, she could hardly maintain it. Celestia turned around, and flew off. She still had yet to snap out of it. Luna turned, and began to slowly trudge back to the castle. Every step sent agonizing amounts of pain through her legs. She was not far, just a couple more minutes of walking, then she would have reached the castle. But, just before she could finish taking another painful step, her body went limp, and she fell to the ground, with a thud. She opened her eyes for what she thought was the last time.
(Drake)
Drake was nearly done with the search through the medical closet. He had grabbed all of the ‘nerve boosters’ he could find. He set them all down next to the book. He read the instructions very carefully. He drew some of the clear liquid into a needle, and injected himself with it.
There was a bright flash, which drew his full attention. When he saw who it was, fear rocked the very foundation of his being, and awe expressed itself on his face. It was princess Celestia, but, not her. It was a ghostly looking figure. He bowed to the ground, and didn’t dare move.
“Get up child, I need to ask of you a favor,” She said.
“Yes, Princess,” He quivered.
“My sister, she’s sick. She need’s your help. I see, you have already found something to help,” Celestia said just seeing all of the drugs on the table.
Drake shook his head, and closed his eyes. He looked at her funny. Then he tried to walk out of the door, but ran into the wall.
“You weren’t doing drugs, were you?” Celestia asked.
“No, just stopping the hurt, ...”
(Luna)
Luna lay in the streets, not able to move. She could hardly keep her eyes open. There was a thickness to the air, one which was truly nasty, and which one didn’t wish to breath. She could not move out of it. She couldn’t move her wings, or her hooves. Her fate was all but sealed. She closed her eyes, and lied there. A tear slipped from her eye, and slid down, and dripped onto the cold cobble street.
Drake stood before her, feeling angry, pity, sorrow, and he wanted to leave, and not help her. But he couldn’t, it wasn’t in him to leave somepony so weak to die. He lifted her as gently as he could, which was still rugged, due to the fact she was almost twice his size.
Luna opened her eyes to see the darkness of an alleyway close down on her, then she blacked out.