"We'll take a look at him. Why don't you go have a seat in the waiting room?" Nurse Redheart suggested, leading Spike towards a waiting doctor.
"Thanks, Nurse. I'm just hoping it isn't anything dangerous, seeing as he's still just a baby," Twilight responded. Spike frowned but said nothing.
"I'm sure there's no need for worry," reassured the doctor standing by the door. "We'll examine him and let you know if it's anything more than a Cold or the flu."
"Thank you, doctor." Twilight took a seat. Almost an hour later, a new doctor came.
"We'll have our test results by tomorrow. Why don't you take him home. We think all he needs is some rest," he informed Twilight. She nodded and he returned to his duties. A moment later, Spike came out, followed by Nurse Redheart. Spike had a small bandage on his left arm, with a small red dot in the center.
The two went home. "What'd they do for you?" Twilight inquired.
"They gave me some cough syrup and then took some of my blood. They also wanted a urine sample, and they checked my temperature and looked at my throat," he responded.
"Alright. I'll make some soup and then you get some rest."
The next morning, Twilight slid out of bed. Spike was sound asleep, snoring softly. Twilight snuck down the stairs, careful not to disturb her assistant. The bright morning sun shone in the east, barely rising above the horizon. Twilight styled her mane and opened the door to the library, stepping out. It was still somewhat chilly out. Twilight enjoyed the thin morning air. However, she had a task ahead of her. Trotting down the street, she headed in the direction of the Ponyville Medical Center. On the way, she observed something odd. There were a few ponies wearing an air filter, the kind doctors usually wear. Each of them wore a white coat, with a logo stitched on. It was a red bio-hazard symbol with a black background, and under the symbol were the letters 'ECDC'. The Equestrian Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? What were they doing here? When she took a step towards them, a big, burly stallion stepped in her path. He wore riot armor with a tab carrying the word 'Security'.
"Sorry, ma'am, but we can't allow you over there," he said in a rough voice, slightly muffled by the mask covering his mouth.
"What's going on?" Twilight felt a small amount of panic welling up inside her.
"The ECDC received a report about a new bacterial pathogen running rampant in Ponyville. Through a small test, we've found that it's airborne and highly contagious. It's been showing up in Canterlot and Fillydelphia, and now here. Manehattan is also reporting isolated cases here and there. Princess Celestia fears a pandemic. Incubation period is about a week or two, though some show symptoms in just a few days. Fillydelphia says that they're now sneezing and small rashes are forming on the skin. Mayor Mare reported a few hundred cases in Ponyville. It's spreading almost faster than the Common Cold. We're just here to do some research, and due to risk of infection, I can't let you near. Although mostly harmless, new symptoms seem to be turning up quite rapidly, and we don't wanna tempt fate."
Twilight's blood ran cold. A pandemic? She turned from the guard without saying anything more and rushed to the hospital. It was extremely crowded! Overnight, what looked like dozens of ailing ponies went to the hospital. There were ponies laying on the floor, leaning on walls, waiting outside. All the waiting room chairs were full. Some seats had two ponies sharing it. Twilight heard lots of coughing, sneezing, sniffling, and impatient complaints. The nurses and doctors had their hooves full, and they were racing back and forth, taking about thirty seconds to speak with sick ponies.
Suddenly, a magically enhanced voice rang out the words, "everypony, go home. We cannot keep up with all this. You're spreading the germ. Stay only if you have young or elderly that are sick. Everypony else, come back later!" Twilight turned and ran out the door. Infection rates had skyrocketed seemingly overnight! Sheer panic took over her mind. Spike, she had to get to Spike. He was a baby dragon, he was in danger. The security guard had mentioned it to be a bacteria. Twilight would take Spike to a pharmacy and get him some antibiotics. He would be okay.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Twilight coughed. It was a small cough, and she hardly even acknowledged it. More pressing matters were on her mind. She told herself it was probably nothing, that it was in her head, that it would just pass over. But there was this feeling in her gut, something that left a thought in the back of her mind, that this was just the beginning.