//------------------------------// // Scientific Progress Goes "Boink" // Story: White Rabbit Object // by L0rd0f7hund3r //------------------------------// Note to self: upon next planeswalking adventure, ensure HazMat Containment is set to Level 8 or above. Three days passed and Ana'Ra was still not better. Nurse Redheart kept coming back as his illness got progressively worse. That was the thing of it: his fever would break for a while, then it would return with a vengeance. Stephanie would report to Princess Twilight his temperature on an hourly basis, always noting fever ranges when they occurred. His aches never went away; he lent himself to lay across the chaise lounge he set himself upon to alleviate some of the pain. His body was longer than the sofa itself, so his knees ran over the edge , allowing his lower legs to dangle from it. He had gotten to know the Princess' friends better, in between the moments he was lucid and free from fever. Applejack was the hard-working country girl and owner of the Sweet Apple Acres apple orchards; Pinkie Pie was the over-excitable party-girl who worked part time at the local confectionery, Sugar Cube Corner; Rainbow Dash was the adrenaline junkie show-pony with ambitions to star in the lineup of the Wonderbolts, the premier stunt fliers of "Equestria;" Rarity was the local fashion maven and owned the Carousel Boutique, her own custom clothing store; Princess Twilight acted as librarian for the town library, was studious and intellectual, and was awaiting a kingdom bequest from one of the kingdoms leaders, a "Princess Celestia;" last but not least was Fluttershy, the faint-hearted animal wrangler noted for her kindness and alleged fear of everything. It was Fluttershy who looked after him, as the other ponies had other business to attend to during the day. She was often the last to leave the library, owning to the fact that her business could be handled anywhere away from her cottage home. She helped the nurses from Ponyville General over see his medications and fretted over him like she would any other creature in her care. Ana'Ra oft wondered why she was so dedicated to his well being. He certainly couldn't begrudge her a day off from her toil; on the contrary, he was hoping she would take some time for herself. All this devotion to him was starting to make him think she had taken with a case of Florence Nightingale Syndrome. He even mentioned it to Princess Twilight before slipping back into fever-dream. "'Florence Nightingale Syndrome?' Stephanie, can you explain this to me?" Twilight wondered after Ana'Ra had slipped back in fever dream again. "Yes, Your Highness. Florence Nightingale Syndrome is a condition wherein a caretaker, such as a nurse, gets emotionally involved with their charge as to develop emotional resonance, i.e.: romantic feelings, for them. I have begun to see this pattern as well. I would hope that Miss Fluttershy was not entertaining such desires; I am not even sure if she and The General are compatible, genetically speaking." "Do you think he-?" "Unknown. Nominally, I can read The General's emotional state via the neural interface built into his armor's helmet, but with his fever and some of the- delusions, brought on by his current state, I cannot say with any certainty what he feels." "He's having delusions?" "No questions about it, Your Highness. Although I am an Adjunct A.I., I am afraid I do not have the necessary psychological awareness to tell you what he is experiencing. I can see some of it, but, as the General would say, it would not be proper to speak of it in polite company." "Is it now? I hope it isn't something tawdry…" "I don't believe so, but it is rather- visceral. I can no more describe it than I can imagine you describing laughter to me. No offense." "None taken, Stephanie. It still makes me wonder why his feather flu hasn't gone away." Stephanie meditates for a moment, then inquires, "What if it is not feather flu?" "What do you mean?" Stephanie explains, "What if this malady is something more serious? What if the General is infected with a strain of bacterium or some other microorganism the likes of which evade your medical sciences?" The Princess pondered this for a moment then said, "I wasn't going to do this; I prefer medical fact to medical folklore. But I do know of somepony who may be able to offer more on this infection he has." "And who, praytell, would that be?" "An herbalist, who lives deep in the Everfree Forest. She's a zebra who may shed some light on Ana'Ra's condition. Her name is Zecora." "How quickly can you send for her?" Of course, you realize, this means war. The next morning, Ana'Ra was lucid again. His condition had not improved much, but he was eating again. The night before, he couldn't get anything down his throat; a pail resting next to the lounge was filled to the rim with vomit. Applejack and her kid sister, Apple Bloom, were sent to acquire Zecora's services. In the meantime, the Princess' friends administered to Ana'Ra in his distress. Rarity took to grooming him, washing his face and hair of sweat; Rainbow Dash helped change his sheets along with Pinkie Pie; the Princess saw to fluffing his pillow and asked Spike to see the cleaning of the vomit pail (Spike mentioned he rather do something else, but the Princess stared him down); Fluttershy was again feeding him, as his pains rendered any motor control useless. It didn't take long before Applejack and her sister returned with the herbalist in tow. Since Apple Bloom was in school most of the time, she had not seen the General before. Her first reaction was akin to Rainbow's. "Sis, what is THAT?" "That's Ana'Ra. He's the critter that wondered into Ponyville the other day. He ain't been to good since he arrived." "I am the Walrus, I am the Eggman; goo-goo-ga-joob!" "What's he sayin'?" "He is in a delusion, Little One. He neither knows if he is here and now and there and later." Apple Bloom gasps as Ana'Ra's ancilla appeared from nowhere. "Sis…!" "Don't worry about it, Bloom," Raindow Dash remarks, "Stephanie has a flair for the dramatic." "How da ya mean?" "She has a tendency to make an entrance, Apple Bloom," Twilight explains, "like a certain somepony I know." Rarity looks up from her conditioning of Ana'Ra's locks. " I do hope you're not referring to me, Darling. Twilight gives a nervous chuckle, "Wouldn't dream of it." "I do apologize, Apple Bloom. There is no good way to materialize from a holostage. It always comes as a surprise unless you are used to it." "Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it…" Zecora breaks in, observing, "My patient, I can be assured has no inkling when or where he is secured. Given his state, there can be no debate, that his debility is beyond the hospital's ability." Princess Twilight confirms this, saying, "Pretty much, Zecora. None of the pills he's been given have managed to reduce or cure his fever. He complains of aches all over and from what we know, he's been like this since he arrived here. He is also losing the ability to move; I fear the worst." "I would not say he has given up the ghost, but the worst diseases can consume the host. I will see what ails him, from what symptoms prevails and see what remedies can prevent certain tragedy." "He-he, Nothing rhymes with orange…" "Given his pallor, I see a sign, that he shan't be lost before his time." "That's a good sign, is it?" The zebra nods, then begins to examine Ana'Ra, asking for assistance from the other ponies to turn the patient in her patented rhyming style of speech. Eventually, she comes to a conclusion, but it is not what the others had in mind. "It is plain to me, from what I see, that the patient in question suffers from the Changing Palsy." The Princess and her friends exchange an unbelieving look. "In my home country, this disease has been seen. It transforms the host most painfully, into a form it has never been." "What are you saying, Zecora?" "The creature here that you now see, shall soon a pony be. The Changing Palsy, once acquired, renders the victim to a form most desired. It has not been seen in centuries, no known cure exists in my memory. The best that can be done for him, is to ease his pain and comfort him." "Is that all we can do, Zecora?" Fluttershy asks. The herbalist nods, saying, "No more can I do, this malady must take its course. It is less disease than it is a curse." "I thought curses didn't exist?" Dash asks pointedly. "Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle… "Neither do I, Rainbow Dash, so do not be so rash. Yet, even my medicine, as potent it is, has it's limits with such evil as this." "Thank you, Zecora. Is there anything else that we can do? "There are some herbs I carry that shall numb him from pain. Sprinkle them in his water, when he is in anguish again." The herbalist leaves a small pouch of greenish brown leaves in a satchel, showing Twilight and Fluttershy, who was adamant in learning the procedure, how to grind the herbs and mix into his water. She soon leaves, escorted by Apple Bloom and Applejack. Throughout the rest of the day, Twilight and her friends fed Ana'Ra and administered the pain killing leaves when he was wracked with torment. Everypony feared that he might really well die, none more so than Fluttershy. As the night fell, she was still tending to him, her concern becoming more obsessive by the hour. Just before she left that evening, Ana'Ra woke up, more lucid than he had been that week. "Miss Fluttershy, why are you here?" he moaned. "I'm taking care of you. Since you landed on my doorstep, I felt it was only natural that I help in anyway I can." "You are too kind, Miss Fluttershy. I can't help feeling this is all for naught, though." "What do you mean?" Ana'Ra looked up into the golden pegasus' eyes and said answered, "I think I'm gonna die. Oh, Miss Fluttershy, I don't wanna die… What'll happen to my little ladies? Their mother is already dead, but what of their father? Please, God, don't let me die… Not now…" The man, who Fluttershy was in awe and very much frightened of, was crying. The tears overflowed his eyes and spilled down sandy cheeks. She tipped her muzzle to caress his face, saying that he wasn't gonna die, everything would be all right, he had no reason to worry. After several minutes, he stopped crying, thanking the pegasus for her care and slipped back to sleep. She, however, never left his side. "Tyger, Tyger, burning bright, in the forests of the night, what Immortal Hand or Eye, dare frame Thy fearful symmetry?" When morning light struck the Golden Oak Library, all was quiet. There were no indications about what was about to happen nor were there any signs that something drastic had happened in the hours before dawn. As was now usual in Princess Twilight residence, Stephanie and Spike were the first to arise from slumber. They did not notice the form draped across the chaise lounge in the central library, nor had they taken notice of Fluttershy fast asleep on the floor next to it. Neither dragon nor ancilla registered that anything was amiss. After the event s and revelations of the previous day, none could predict what was awaiting them. Even if they had, would that have mattered? Ana'Ra wakes slowly, noting that his pains are gone and he no longer feels feverish. In fact, he feels downright pleasant; he might even venture outside for a spell, if the mood strikes him. No sooner has he come to this conclusion does he try to kick off his boots. The right boot comes off, but with such velocity, it carries from the sofa to an adjacent window, shattering it. What he sees from the shattered portal is nothing compared to what he sees of his right foot. Or, to be more accurate, his right hoof. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" His bellowed profanity reaches everyone within and without the library. Twilight flies down the steps in a rustle of wings; Spike follows in a clatter of talons. Stephanie reappears on her holostage and the registered shock on her face is almost comical, if she did't seem so horrified. "What's going on? I thought I heard- OH, CELESTIA!" Ana'Ra glares at his trans-mutated body, barely able to process the radical transformation. "What. In the fuck. HAPPENED. TO. ME?" "Ana'Ra, please calm down, you're gonna be-" "If the next word out of your muzzle is 'okay,' I swear by all things bright I will strangle you! Princess or no, I will choke the ever livin' life outta ya!" Twilight, frightened beyond belief, stammers, "A-A-Ana'Ra, p-p-please, I know it's a shock…" "Shock? Shock?! THIS IS A BLUE RIBBON, FIRST PLACE, GRADE 'A' FUCK-ME-OVER! There had better be an explanation for this-" "Mmm, Ana'Ra, is that you" Fluttershy yawns, "I though I heard yelling…" "Miss Fluttershy? Ana'Ra asks, only now noticing the Pegasus asleep at his hooves. "Yes, I'm here an- Oh, my, Ana'Ra…! She takes in the sight of him. Where once a swarthy skin was, there is now a midnight blue coat of fur. His hair has grown into a mane and amid the black there are streaks of crimson. His upper torso still reflects his human self, but his legs are now unguligrade in nature. A tail has also emerged from his back; it too shares the black and crimson styling from his mane. "Oh, my goodness, Ana'Ra! When Zecora said that you would transform, we never imagined this…" "Who said what now?" Twilight finally found her courage again and said, "Zecora is our local herbalist. When modern medicine fails, ponies go to her to seek a more natural remedy. She told us you were infected with what she called 'the changing palsy.' She should have warned us how it would take effect.' "A little late for that now, ain't it? Ana'Ra chided, then to Fluttershy, "Is it as bad as I think it is?" The Pegasus answered, "It could be so much worse. You should see; it's not hideous at all. In fact, I think it looks rather good on you. "Uh, thanks, I think. I guess it beats buyin' a farm." Twilight, confused, asks, "What's a farm got to do with that?" Ana'Ra turns a hand to Stephanie, who explains, "It is a euphemism. 'To buy a a farm' is a colloquialism describing death; it is a bit antediluvian. It dates back to the First Global War, but has seen a resurgance since the start of The Disorders. Popular usage had replaced the term with…" "Enough, Steph! By all things bright, you're like a talking version of the Encyclopedia Britannica when you get goin'. You and C-3PO would make a wonderful couple…" "I guess it would be an understatement to say you're a little overwhelmed right now." "Your Highness, me and overwhelmed parted ways sometime ago. Hell, when I left my house the last time, I had no idea I was gonna be an anthropomorphic pony by week's end." "Actually, you've been sick for more than a week." Fluttershy corrects. "No shit? Stephanie, is what she sayin' true?" His ancilla nods, saying, "It is true, sir. At least nine local solar cycles have come and gone since you ended up here. For some time, it was feared you may actually expire. Thank the Maker you did not. Flexing his new legs, trying to keep his tail out his way, Ana'Ra says, "This would explain this vast pit where my stomach is. I'm bettin' I ain't ate much since comin' down with this 'changing palsy.' I guess I should eat before I try out the new hardware, eh?" Spike, who was silently taking this all in, lights at the chance to change the topic of conversation. "Sounds like a plan! May I also assume that you and Fluttershy would like something as well, Twilight?" "Yes, Spike, that would be wonderful." "Back in two shakes!" Ana'Ra watches as the baby dragon vanishes into the kitchen, then says, "Ah, Twilight? I'm sorry about before, with the yellin' and the threatenin'. This episode has me out-of-sorts, if you will. It's a wonder I haven't had a psychotic break…" "There's nothing to forgive, Ana'Ra. I was just as unnerved as you are now when something similar happened to me." "How do ya mean? This happened to you, too?" "In a way. It's probably best I tell that story some other day. There's been enough trauma for one morning." "Yea, verily. And I'm so hungry I could eat a h- whole hog dipped in butter. Miss Fluttershy, would you care to join us for some breakfast?" "Oh, yes, that would be delightful!"