Chapter 6: Beginning of the End
It has been a few years since Leon had seen either Sunny or Twilight. Sunny went off to the music college, Twilight was continuing her studies with the Princess, and so Leon was left alone in Canterlot. Although his friends had left him, there was never a dull moment for Leon. Between trying to start a painting business and caring for his family, he hardly had enough time to breathe anymore. While Windbreaker was getting stronger and stronger, Moondancer was becoming worse with each day that passed. While her being sick was standard operating procedure, there was something different about this time…
Leon and his sister were walking the all too familiar route to the hospital to see their mother.
"I hope mom likes the card I made for her," Windbreaker said, breaking the silence.
Leon ruffled her mane, "I'm sure she will, lil' sis! She always does."
"Big brother?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think she will be ok? This is the longest she's ever been sick and I heard the doctors say that she's not getting any better."
Leon was taken back, 'She knows a lot more than I hoped.' Looking around them, Leon searched for a change in topic.
"H-hey look! A cherry tree, and it's in bloom. You know, I think that those are the most beautiful trees I've ever seen," he said, but when he looked at his sister, he knew that his plan didn't work.
"I just hope mom will be ok," she said, with a sad tone as she looked at the ground.
His fatherly instincts took over, "Now c'mon there little sis. She will be fine, now keep your chin up, and be sure to give her that card you made. Who knows, maybe the card will help her get better."
"You really think so?" she asked, with newfound hope in her eyes.
"Yes. Now let's hurry and get to the hospital. Don't want to keep her waiting too long, now do we?" They took to the sky and continued to head for the hospital.
Despite what he said to his sister, Leon had absolutely no clue as to what was going on with their mother, or if she would get any better. 'I think I'll talk to Dr. Grey when I get there. She probably knows what's going on,' he decided as the hospital came into view through the clouds.
Upon entering the hospital, they were greeted by the bustling waiting room. Everypony was eagerly waiting to sign in so they could visit their sick friends or relatives. Luckily enough for Leon and Windbreaker, they were both regular patients there, so all of the doctors knew them well enough to not request any information. When they reached their mother's room, Leon noticed there were three doctors speaking to their mother in hushed, worried tones. He sent Windbreaker to get some food from the snack machine and then waited outside the door, listening in on their conversation…
"Moondancer, you're condition is… well, it's mind boggling," an elder male doctor said. "In all my years, I've never seen or heard of anything like it."
"What do you mean?" Moondancer asked, and then began to cough.
"Well, your symptoms initially suggested the common cold, but now your internal organs are starting to deteriorate at an extremely rapid rate."
Leon felt his heart sink. 'She's… She's dying? No… She can't be…'
"Dr. Cross," Leon now heard the pained voice of Dr. Grey. "I have been doing some research on her illness, and… well…"
"Spit it out, Grey," the third doctor said. He sounded just a little older than Leon, but his voice was filled with an arrogance that made him sick to his stomach.
"It is called the 'Walking Death.' During Draconian Age, several ponies began to exhibit these same symptoms, but because of the nature of the illness, they continued their daily lives, spreading the disease even further," she said, her voice more collected than before.
"Eventually, everypony infected by the disease died, and their bodies had to be burned to prevent the spread. Before all of pony-kind fell to this disease, King Nightshade and Queen Aurora combined their magic to save those who weren't already infected by making the Walking Death less viral."
"How so?" the elder stallion asked.
"The book didn't say, but my professional opinion is that the king and queen made the bacteria weaker, decreasing their effectability, preventing any normal pony from getting it."
"But than how did Moondancer contract it?" the younger doctor questioned.
Dr. Grey sighed, "Because when she gave birth to Windbreaker, her immune system became very weak, and has never been to a normal level of strength, making her perfectly susceptible to it. It could have been airborne, or perhaps there was a small trace of it in something she ate. There is no sure way of knowing."
Leon buried his head in his hooves and sunk to the floor, silently weeping.
'No. She can't die. I can't lose her…'
As he wallowed in his emotions, he felt somepony nudging his shoulder.
"Big brother?" Windbreaker asked. "Are you alright?"
Leon did his best to hide his pain, but his voice betrayed him, "I'm fine, just stepped on something."
He looked up at her to see that she didn't believe him one bit.
She kicked at the ground, "You know you're a terrible liar…"
Leon was shocked. He knew that he was a terrible liar, but he didn't know his sister could see through his rouse. "Yea, I guess I am." He wiped his eyes and stood up.
"Is it about mom?" she asked, looking towards Moondancer's room.
'It's as if she already knows…' He let out a long sigh, "Yea, but it's nothing you should worry about."
As soon as he said this, she stared at him. 'Right, she can tell when I lie…'
He tried to come up with something to say when the door to their mother's room opened. The first doctor that exited was the elder. His eyes were dark brown, his coat was a faded tan and his mane was silver white. He was much larger than Leon had thought and stood a whole head taller than him. The next to exit was the younger male, who looked just like the elder, but his mane was the same color as his eyes. Leon could only guess they were father and son.
Seeing Leon and Windbreaker, the older of the two walked up to them, "Are you her children?" His voice was soft and sincere.
"Yes, she's our mom," Windbreaker said.
"My name is Dr. Umber Sr. Your mom has told me a lot about you two. She is really fond of the both of you." He said. "Windbreaker, could you go in, I need to talk to Leon for a minute."
"Sure, Dr. Umber."
As she walked inside, Dr. Umber sent his son away. "Mr. Christo, I need you to do something for me."
Leon stiffened, trying to show no sign of his inner turmoil. "What can I help you with?"
"Oh it's not me you're going to be helping." He walked up to Leon and put a hoof on his shoulder, "I can tell you're a good kid, and that you have a strong will. What I need you to do is keep strong."
Leon looked at him quizzically, "I don't understand."
"I know you were listening in to our conversation…" Leon looked down at the ground, "… so you know what is going on. I need you to stay strong for everyone in that room right now." He pointed into the room where Leon saw Dr. Grey, Windbreaker, and his mother, reading the card and sharing a laugh together. His eyes stung with tears, but he fought them back.
"However, don't confuse strength with foolishness. If you bottle all of your emotions up, it will tear you up on the inside until you finally break." Dr. Umber's voice was becoming more and more distant as he spoke. "I want you to vent your feelings, but when you do, make sure it is the right way and don't stop until you have said your piece. Or perhaps you could write some letters, play some music, or paint a new portrait. Whatever it is, you will need to find an outlet."
Leon was tried to respond to the doctor, but he found himself unable to speak. His heart was in his throat, and his eyes were overflowing with tears. He looked away from the room for a moment to gather himself. He took a deep jagged breath, "S-sir?"
"Yes?"
"How long does she have?"
Dr. Umber sighed and looked into the room, "About a month. Maybe less. Depends as much on our medicine as her will."
Leon felt a sharp pain in his chest, 'That isn't much time…' "Is there any possible cure?"
Dr. Umber kept looking into the room. "Nothing shy of a miracle," he confessed.
Leon felt another sharp pain, "Then I have one more question to ask you doctor…"
Turning back to face Leon, Dr. Umber awaited the question.
Leon looked over at the doctor, his eyes bloodshot from fighting back his tears,
"What do I tell my sister?"