//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - The Cure // Story: Spike and the Dragon Tree // by Fimbulvinter //------------------------------// Spike and the Dragon Tree *** Chapter 2 – The Cure Rarity’s eyes slowly fluttered open and she blinked several times, trying to focus. The room eventually came in to sharp relief and she looked around at the unfamiliar setting. Clean and sterile walls that were most certainly not her home greeted her and she could hear a soft but regular beeping coming from somewhere close by. A thin tube of some kind ran up along the side of her bed, ending up in what she quickly realized was a nasal cannula. A second tube filled with clear liquid ran from a bag hanging over her head and attached itself to a drip affixed to her left leg. All those things added up to only one thing in Rarity’s mind. ‘The hospital? How did I get here? Last thing I remember I was going to bed,’ the thought came groggily to Rarity. She tried to turn her head around but found that her muscles only partly obeyed her commands. Her limbs felt heavy and they throbbed every time she tried to lift them. A soft voice came from beyond the edge of her perception, “She’s waking up, everypony.” Rarity very slowly turned her head, only now noticing that everything around her bed was covered in a hazy purple glow. She recognized the glow as one of Twilight’s bubble shields, though she didn’t know what one was doing around her hospital bed. She just had a severe case of magical burnout, nothing a few days of rest wouldn’t cure. What could she possibly need protection from? From outside the bubble, Rarity could see her friends all looking down at her anxiously. They all looked very worried, but a little relieved that she was awake. Pinkie’s mane had deflated as it always did when she became severely depressed. The sight of it drew a sudden icy sensation to Rarity’s heart and doubt that this was just a minor problem began to gnaw at her. “What’s going on?” she asked before noticing that he mouth felt like sandpaper. “Water, please,” she finished. Outside the shield, Twilight nodded and picked up a glass from the bedside table. Slowly, she approached the shield, walking through it as if it was not there. As she passed through it, Rarity noticed that Twilight had covered herself in a second, body hugging shield, though she had kept the glass outside the field. Once she was fully inside, she passed the glass of water over to Rarity, holding it to Rarity’s mouth when it became clear she couldn’t grab it herself. Rarity gulped it down quickly, noticing for the first time just how thirsty she actually was. “Twilight, what’s going on. Why all these shields?” Rarity repeated her earlier request once she had finished with the glass of water. Twilight gave her a sympathetic look. “Yesterday, Spike came rushing up to me, screaming incoherently about how you had just collapsed after gathering gems. I hadn’t seen him so frantic since the time you were taken by the Diamond Dogs.” “It’s just a silly case of burnout. I’ve been pushing myself too hard lately. Nothing to be concerned about, darling. Spike always thinks it’s the end of the world, but I’m made of tougher stuff than he realizes.” Twilight shook her head a couple of times before looking Rarity straight in the eye. “It’s not burnout, I’m afraid. The doctors and I all agree that your symptoms and the speed at which it came on all point to one thing. I’m so sorry, Rarity, but you have Autoimmune Polythaumine Horn Syndrome. It’s an autoimmune viral agent that corrupts the host’s immune system, causing your natural white cells to attack healthy tissues. If left unchecked, your body would slowly destroy itself.” “Autoimmune Poly-what?” Rarity struggled to form the words in her mouth. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place where she had heard it. “It’s more commonly known as Aether Pox,” Twilight clarified. At the mention of Aether Pox, Rarity instantly understood the precautions Twilight had taken. Memories of her time at school and listening to health class slowly came back to her. While it was a rarely seen virus, Aether Pox was highly infectious once symptoms set in. It was also, Rarity remembered, terminal in 99.9% of all cases. Only one in one thousand unicorns survived being infected, and it would leave them disfigured and weak for the rest of their lives, requiring constant medical treatments and blood transfusions. Fear gripped at her being as Twilight spoke; surely she must be wrong about this. She couldn’t have Aether Pox, could she? Such a thing was meant to have been stamped out years ago, or it was meant to only affect those ponies who lived in unclean conditions. A healthy unicorn like her wasn’t meant to get it. “Aether Pox? No, surely you must be mistaken. It could be any one of a number of other things. Maybe there are more tests to run, something the doctors missed. Anything but Aether Pox.” Twilight saw the fear appear in Rarity’s eyes. She wanted to lean down and give her a hug, or tell her it would all be ok, but she knew that neither one was possible. Even if Rarity wasn’t contagious yet, direct contact was strictly forbidden, and things were most certainly not going to be ok. As soon as she had realized what she was going to be dealing with, Twilight had poured herself into her medical textbooks and spoken with Dr. Stable about treatments. The answers she had gotten were not encouraging. Dr. Stable had told her, and all the journals backed him up, that there was no cure, either medical, traditional or magical for Aether Pox. They could manage the pain that accompanied symptoms, but that was all. Given that it was such a rare disease, there had not been as much research into it as other, more common diseases. There was, quite simply, nothing that they could do for Rarity that they were not already doing. There was a fractional chance that she would survive, but the chances were very slim and her quality of life afterwards would be extremely poor. “There is no mistake, Rarity. Based on the symptoms you have exhibited, Aether Pox is the only possible option. No other disease matches up so well on every level.” “You must be wrong!” Rarity suddenly snapped, her voice taking on a harsh edge. Outside of the shield, Rarity noticed her friends recoil away. Twilight just remained where she was, weathering the outburst. It was to be expected and she knew that it wasn’t really directed at her; she was just a convenient target for Rarity to vent her sudden anger and shock on. She would have likely done the same thing in Rarity’s position. When Twilight didn’t try to explain herself any further, Rarity realized that this was real. All question of this being a mistake, or a horrible prank by Rainbow or Pinkie Pie left her mind, leaving her filled only with questions about what happened next. “There must be something that can be done,” Rarity said, calmer now. "These doctors are the best in Ponyville. Money is no object if they need it. Have them call in specialist, experts even. Just tell me what it will take to make this go away.” Rarity brightened a little as she entered regular territory, trying to barter with Twilight to cure her. She had plenty of bits stashed away in the bank; she could afford whatever specialist treatments it took to cure her of this virus. Twilight shook her head sadly. “This isn’t something that can just go away, Rarity. This is serious. You are infected with a lethal disease and there isn’t any known cure.” The last glimmer of hope died from Rarity’s face. “What will happen to me?” she asked. She sounded calm, but Twilight could hear the fear behind her voice. “At first you are going to feel dizzy and weak. As the disease progresses you will begin to experience increasingly severe bouts of paralysis. After that, lesions and pustules will begin to form first around your horn, and then the rest of your body, preventing you from using magic. This will also signal the start of the period from which the virus will be transmittable to another host, necessitating total isolation. Nurse Redheart is preparing a hermetically sealed room for you right now. Once the pustules begin to burst, death is almost certain within a week.” Rarity’s face drained. She had known that Aether Pox had an almost certain mortality rate, but she knew it in an academic sense, like how a pony knew that the Griffon Sea was large, but you couldn’t conceive just how large until you were floating alone in the middle of it. Her heart fluttered for a moment, which was reflected in the beeping coming from the machines she was hooked up to. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. With a start, something she had forgotten came to mind. “How is Spike?” she asked, realizing for the first time that he had spent much of the day with her. He could also be infected and she would never forgive herself if anything happened to him. “He’s ok, Rarity. Dragons seem to be immune to most pony diseases.” Twilight motioned behind her and Rarity saw Spike stretch up and wave to her. His face said it all. He was terrified out of his wits. “That’s good to hear. I suppose there is nothing to do but wait then,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “I always hoped I would go in my sleep as an old mare, surrounded by my many children, but if this is going to be how my life ends, I’m not going to cower. Would you be so kind as to get my lawyer? I would like to make sure that all my affairs are in order.” Twilight nodded to Rarity. “Don’t give up. I’m sure that we will find something before it is too late. The princess has some of Canterlot’s greatest minds working on it right now. If you need anything else, call me. I’ll be here for as long as you need.” Slowly, she began to retreat out of the bubble shield, exiting back out before dispelling her smaller personal field. As soon as the shield was gone, all her friends rushed up to crowd around her, each one throwing a barrage of questions at her. Twilight quickly made her bubble shield soundproof so that Rarity would be spared having to listen. Her friends all spoke at once, each one of them trying to make their question heard first. Twilight shut her eyes, focusing on each voice with a different part of her mind, a skill she had honed over many years. “Rarity’s isn’t really going to die, is she?” “What can we do to help her, sugar?” “She is going to be ok, isn’t she?” Twilight held up a hoof, silencing further questions. “Everypony listen. Rarity is going to need us to be strong over the next few weeks. Pearl and Magnum know; they are on their way back from Prance and will be here later today. They have asked that we not tell Sweetie Belle until they have a chance to see her first.” “But we can’t do nothing,” Rainbow said, slamming a hoof down on the table next to her with such force that it dented slightly, earning a sharp look from a passing nurse. “There has to be something we can all do to help. Rarity wouldn’t just sit back if it was one of us in there.” “There isn’t much we can do. There is no cure and I don’t know of anypony who has any ideas.” Twilight said, hanging her head. She hated being this powerless. All her wisdom, all her magical power and she couldn’t do anything to save one of her closest friends. “Zecora,” Applejack said, quietly but firmly. “If anypony is going to know something about some rare disease that’s not supposed to have any cure, it’s going to be her.” “Applejack, that’s it!” Twilight said, brightening again. She had been so focused on the scientific side that she had forgotten the shaman living almost on her doorstep. “Rainbow, can you-“ Rainbow’s prismatic streak was already vanishing out the window, angled directly towards the Everfree forest. Just over an hour later, Rainbow returned to the hospital with Zecora in tow. She had a hoof stitched bag filled with a selection of bottles and potions slung across her back. She gave Twilight a quick and friendly nod, but noticed the serious and somber expressions on every face she looked at. “Your brash young friend did bade me hurry. What is it that makes you worry?” she asked, not wasting any time. It was clear that this was no simple Parasprite infestation; something was seriously wrong. “We need your help, Zecora. Do you know anything about Aether Pox?” Twilight asked, leading Zecora away from the room Rarity was resting in. She could maintain the isolation shield from a reasonable distance. She had dropped the soundproofing when it became clear it was draining her reserves too fast and she didn’t want Rarity to overhear this, just in case it got her hopes up for nothing. Right now, Rarity was sleeping comfortably, but Twilight knew she was a light sleeper and even the slightest noise could wake her up again. “That is a name I have not heard in a while. All I know is that it is a disease most vile. If you are infected, that is most grim. Whose life is it that grows dim?” “That would be Rarity.” Dr. Stable called from across the room. He walked in slowly, giving Zecora a slight nod of his head. While he would never really approve of her witch doctor methods, he had to admit that she knew her stuff when it came to herbal treatments. Not that they would ever take the place of proper scientific medical procedures, of course. He paused when he reached Twilight and handed her a piece of paper he had been holding. “The bloodwork confirms it, I’m afraid. Rarity has the early stages of A.P.H.S. I know that this is a hard time for you, but know that we are immeasurably lucky that the first symptoms came on so quickly. If she had remained out in the general population for much longer, every unicorn in town and beyond could have been at risk. There are documented cases of A.P.H.S wiping entire towns of unicorns out. At least this way, nopony else will be infected.” “At least that’s something,” Twilight had to admit. While she was just as worried as all her friends were about Rarity, she was also Princess Celestia’s student and royal representative to the town. She had to look beyond the one pony that was going to suffer and consider the needs of the many, no matter how important to her that one pony was. “Can you give us a prognosis? How long does she have?” Dr. Stable consulted his notes, doing some quick calculations in his head. “Since we caught it so quickly, we can slow down the progress of the virus with medication. The general health of the patient, their weight, and diet can all make a difference as well. At an educated guess, I’d say that Rarity has about three weeks to live, a month at the most. Once the pustules begin to form, we will have a clearer idea of the timeline.” “Is there anything we can to do help her?” Fluttershy asked from over in the corner. She was wringing her mane through her hooves and looked very ragged. Twilight realized that normally she and Rarity would be at the spa right now. Dr. Stable sighed, shaking his head. “No. We can make her comfortable, but that’s about-“ “There is a cure that very few know, though it is not something one can just grow.” Zecora said, cutting the doctor off mid sentence. Every jaw in the room dropped at her words. For a full ten seconds, nopony even blinked as what she had said sunk in. “You know a cure?” Twilight said, rushing over to Zecora, breaking the trance everypony was in. They all blinked rapidly before asking similar questions. Excitement and joy was etched on each of their faces. Twilight had known that Zecora would have been able to help them out. “It is not a cure, but rather a tale that speaks of that which can restore health and hale. I speak, of course, of the Tree of Life, lost long ago in the age of strife.” “The Tree of Life? I’ve never heard of it. What is it?” Twilight asked. She had never come across a reference to such a thing before. She had thought she knew most of the types of tree that grew in Equestria. “The tree is said to be the progenitor of all Dov. Even now, it resides in a long lost grove.” “Wait a minute, progenitor of all Dov? You’re talking about the Dragon’s Blood Tree!” Spike said suddenly. He was on his feet in a moment, rushing over to stand next to Twilight. “The Dragon’s what Tree?” Applejack asked. “Tree’s don’t have blood, they have sap. Least not any tree I’ve ever seen.” “It is a legend told only to dragon kin. Spike, would you be so kind as to read us in?” Spike picked up the thread from there, his spirits buoyed that he might know something that could help Rarity. “I heard one of the elders talking about it during the migration. I did more than just hang out with Garble and his cronies. The elder told us the legend of how dragons came to be.” Spike tapped his foot a few times, claw scratching his chin in thought. “Now, how did it go? Ah, got it!” Everypony settled down in the waiting room as Spike told them of the legend he had heard. “The story goes that many ages ago, before the land of Equestria had been founded; before ponies existed; before even the princesses had been born, there was a tree. Flowing through this tree was meant to be the blood of the first dragon who ever lived. He was immortal and he was alone. He lived for countless millennia, amassing a hoard like no other that had ever existed. One day, as he was counting his riches, he had a moment of clarity and saw how hollow his life was with no other dragons to keep him company. Not willing to face the rest of eternity alone, he landed on a hill in what would later become the heart of the dragon lands and withdrew into himself in meditations, ascending to a higher plane of existence where he resides to this day. Over thousands of years, his body grew into the hill and a tree sprouted from his back. The tree’s sap is meant to be his blood and it was from the fruits of this tree that the first of the new generation of dragons were meant to have spawned.” “Skip the history lesson, Spike,” Rainbow said quickly. “Get to the part where this helps Rarity.” “Oh, right! The legend said that the sap of this tree is meant to be special in that it can be used to cure just about any malady that a dragon can suffer from. Those who the guardian of the grove finds worthy are allowed to take some of the sap. If we can get some of that sap, maybe we can use it to cure Rarity.” “Sounds better than any other plan we have right now,” Applejack said. “Let’s all get ready. We have a tree to find.” “Not so fast, my dear Applejack. You may want to take just a few steps back. The sacred grove is not for your eyes to see, as only a dragon may approach the tree.” Zecora turned to look at Spike. “This quest is Spike’s and Spike’s alone, but do not fret, worry, or moan. I will accompany the young drake on this vital quest, and guide him along as I know best.” “But didn’t you just say that only a dragon could approach the tree?” Twilight asked. “Why would it be any safer for you to go than us?” Zecora didn’t say anything but produced a small metal orb from one of the pouches of her bag. Opening the orb, she revealed that inside it was a small burning mass of ice blue fire. It burned without any visible source of fuel and seemed to be emitting cold rather than heat, as a normal fire would. “A token from a grateful ice wyrm I saved from lust and greed, this fire shall grant me the access I need. The honorary title of drake was bestowed to me, and is all I need to approach the tree.” Zecora kneeled down before Spike, setting a striped hoof on his shoulder. “Little dragon, I would suggest you return and prepare. This quest may take us anywhere. Within the dragon lands is what we seek, but this is not the time to be weak. The one that you love lies at death’s door, so there is no time to waste, of that I am sure.” Spike gulped but nodded bravely. If it would help Rarity, he would delve into the deepest depths of the underworld itself. Twilight put her hoof on his other shoulder. “Good luck, Spike. I’m sure that you can do this. Rarity couldn’t be in better hands than yours right now.” She turned to face the others, raising her voice to get everyponies attention. “Everypony listen up. Rainbow, Fluttershy, I want you to make best speed for Canterlot. Head for the archives and find me every scrap of information you can on the dragon lands. Legends, myths, personal accounts, lore, maps. Any and everything that might give us a clue as to where this tree could be located. I’ll make sure that the princess knows you are coming.” She turned to face Applejack and Pinkie Pie. “AJ, Pinkie. Same deal here. Search the library and find me something. Rarity is counting on us; we can’t fail her.” “What about you, sugar?” Applejack asked. “I can’t leave here just yet,” Twilight said, pointing to her glowing horn. “Until the isolation room is ready, I need to maintain the shield around her. Once she is settled and Pearl and Magnum have arrived, there is something I want to check out. Remember that dragon Fluttershy convinced to leave? His hoard is still in that cave. I want to go and check if there is anything in there we can use; a diary or history book would be perfect. After that, I’ll head to Canterlot. Does anypony have any questions?” Nopony had any. They were all focused on the thoughts of their individual tasks. Life and fire began to return to their eyes. Pinkie’s hair even started to poof up again, though it was far from her normal gravity defying style. They all wanted something, needed something to do rather than just waiting around for the inevitable. Zecora pulled several glowing bottles out from her saddle bag and put them down on the ground. “These potions will ensure she will feel no pain, and should last until we meet again. Now, Spike, come along and pack. There is no telling when we will be back.” Spike gave Twilight a tight hug, wrapping his claws around her fore hooves. She buried her face into his shoulder. “Good luck, Spike,” she whispered just loud enough for him to hear. Knowing that every second counted right now, they didn’t hug for long, breaking apart as quickly as they had come together in the first place. “Alright, everypony. You all know what to do. Rarity is counting on us; get to it.” Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie all nodded and quickly exited the hospital’s waiting room, heading off to their respective tasks. Zecora kneeled down and allowed Spike to mount her back. “Do not worry, Twilight. I will see he returns alright,” she said. “I know you will,” Twilight said. “Good luck, both of you. Hurry.” In a flash, Zecora followed Applejack’s retreating hoofsteps, Spike clinging on to her thick fur. “You know this probably won’t work, don’t you?” Dr. Stable said, coming to stand next to Twilight, “Ancient legends and vague references. This is a fool’s errand you have sent them on.” “I know,” Twilight said sadly. “What would you have me do? Just let them wait until the end. At least this way, they will have hope and something to keep them distracted.” Dr. Stable gave her a long look. “That’s as much as anypony can ask at a time like this, I suppose. The room will be ready for use in about an hour. I will make sure that Rarity is as comfortable as she can be. After that, well, I guess it’s up to fate.” Twilight nodded slowly before following Dr. Stable back towards Rarity’s room. All she could do now was hope that fate was feeling charitable.