Week 32, Monday-Thursday
Dr. Ross nearly fell out of her bed at the blaring of the alarm. Fumbling around, she finally hit it and sat upright, scratching her head. After getting her bearings, she threw the sheets off and blearily rose to her feet. Throwing on a robe, she picked up her shower basket and walked down the hall to the shower room. Entering, she deftly avoided Amy as she was leaving, her short brown hair still damp. “Morning Amy, how’s Suzy and Jimmy today?”
“They’re alright, though I wish they’d considered chimps in mind when they picked the building. There’s not a lot of space for them to get some exercise. On top of that I still think this whole plan is rushed and going to be nothing but a political stunt. Elizabeth, I’m going to say it again: If I think there’s any real threat to my chimps, I’ll pull the plug on including them in the test.” The zoologist’s eyes blazed with determination, her shoulders squared.
“Trust me Amy; we’re taking every precaution we can. Don’t worry, I don’t intend to hurt either of them, and neither do the ponies.”
“Speaking of the ponies, I’m going to ask Fluttershy if she’d want to do more research with me when we’re done here. I’ve never seen anything quite like her rapport with animals. She told me the story of how she got her cutie mark, but it’s still an amazing sight.”
“Well, I’m sure she’d love to help out. Anyway, I need to get my shower, we’re starting work on scaling up the size of the samples tested, see if we can actually document the results as the transformation is occurring.”
Amy shuddered, “I still don’t think I could look at something like that. I’ll see you at breakfast, who’s making it?”
“I heard Jared and Spike arguing about it last night, so I think both of them will be trying to out-do the other.” Both women rolled their eyes at the antics of the two males on the staff as they heard the clopping of hooves on tile.
“Good morning Elizabeth, Amy. I was just coming to see where you two were.” Twilight said with a smile.
“Good morning Twilight. I’ll see you at lunchtime Elizabeth.” Amy said as she walked off down the hall.
“I admit I’m actually starting to look forward to today’s test.” Twilight said.
“Couldn’t agree with you more Twilight. So, are the other unicorns ready to go for their respective tests?”
“Yes, Spellweaver and Mystic already got their showers; they’re in the cafeteria now.” The unicorn’s smile faded somewhat “Amy doesn’t like the tests, does she?”
Dr. Ross sighed, rubbing the back of her head. “She’s just worried about her chimps, and doesn’t want them to be hurt.”
“But what would we be doing that could hurt them? You and I sat down and planned these tests very carefully to make sure the chimpanzees would be safe the whole time...” Twilight trailed off as Dr. Ross kneeled in front of her.
“I know, and they’ll be fine every step of the way, I promise. Now, I desperately need a shower, and some food in me. I’ll see you in the cafeteria, okay?”
“Alright Dr. Ross, I’ll see you then.” Twilight smiled again, though it was a little fragile given her concern for the chimpanzee’s safety. Turning, she trotted off down the hallway and out of sight.
Once she was gone Dr. Ross shook her head and rose to her feet. “Note to self. Ensure chimpanzees are well secured and sedated during sample extraction. Don’t want to either hurt them or risk one of the ponies having a meltdown.”
---
“I told you Spike, it’s all in the wrist. You keep using your elbow.” Jared said with an expert flick.
“Yea yea, I’d like to see you do this with tiny arms.” Spike retorted as he tossed a pancake over his shoulder, landing it on the plate without even looking. “Oh yea, that’s right! Who’s the dragon?”
“Not too shabby, but check this out.” Jared flipped one pancake on top of the other, and then tossed both of them over his shoulder, both landing on the plate atop Spike’s. “How do ya like me now?”
Spike glared at the human, before flipping two pancakes on top of a third and launching them over his shoulder. Unfortunately his rush to outdo Jared sent all three soaring across the room. One ended up draped over a chair, the second on the floor, and the third hit Twilight square in the face as she walked in the door.
The pancake floated into the air in a light purple glow, revealing a scowling Twilight. “Alright, who threw that?”
Almost in unison, Spike and Jared pointed at each other.
Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “One of you is lying to me, and I’m going to find out who.” She trotted over to the table, picking up the other two pancakes and depositing them in the trash. Her ear flicked as she heard an almost inaudible sigh, one she’d heard many times before. “Spike, apologize to Jared for trying to blame this on him.”
“How do you always do that?” Spike grumped before turning to Jared. “Sorry for trying to get you in trouble and stuff.”
“No worries, just work on your aim next time.” Jared said with a laugh. “So what’ll you have Twilight?”
“Just a couple pancakes please.” Jared flipped two of them onto a plate and passed it to Twilight, who lifted one of the pancakes into the air and took an experimental bite. The rest of the pancake didn’t stand a chance as she ruthlessly devoured it. “This is delicious! What berries are in this?”
“Cranberries. You don’t have them back in Equestria?” Jared asked as he poured another few pancakes onto the griddle.
“No, I’ve never tasted anything quite like these.” Twilight lifted her second pancake and started eating it, only to stop. “Wait a minute, are these... chocolate chips?”
Jared stopped where he stood. “You mean to tell me that you’ve never had chocolate chip pancakes?”
“Well no... I don’t think anypony’s thought of the idea before...” She trailed off as she caught sight of a familiar pink shape in the doorway. “Oh dear.”
Pinkie crossed the intervening space in a blur, somehow acquiring a chair along the way so she could stand eye to eye with Jared. “Are those chocolate chips? In PANCAKES?” Her cyan eyes bored into his as she leaned in, their noses almost touching.
Jared returned the stare with a challenging grin. “Sure are, want to try one?”
Pinkie gracefully back-flipped off the chair. “Absolutely!”
Jared started to lift the jug of batter before he stopped, eyes narrowed in intense thought. He grabbed a spare bowl and poured out a small amount of the mix. He rummaged through the cabinets and produced a small brown box.
Pinkie tried to get a look at the label but Jared held it close as he worked busily at the bowl.
“No peeking now, this is a surprise.” Jared said as he carefully poured the contents of the bowl onto the griddle. Spike’s eyes were wide as saucers, the dragon starting to drool a little. “Spike, I’ll make you one next, Pinkie will be the judge of this one.” After a few minutes crawled by he flipped whatever he’d made onto a plate and dramatically presented it to Pinkie. “I give you... The Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancake!”
Pinkie’s eyes expanded wider than they should have been able to, shining as she beheld the glorious dark brown pancake before her. Half-melted chocolate chips stood proudly atop the creation, their smell overloading her nostrils. Licking her lips, she lunged forward and ate the entire pancake in one bite. Chewing contently before swallowing, her eyes glazed over in joy. “I think I’m in love.”
Jared stared in shock. “Well, I’m glad you liked it… just try not to eat one of the plates if you do that again.” He turned back to the griddle with a wry chuckle.
Soon, the entire facility staff had assembled. There were now five humans including Dr. Ross, Amy and Jared. The other two were familiar faces to Twilight, having worked with them in Honolulu all those months ago.
“So how’d you two sleep Kevin, Karl?”
“Can’t complain, food’s really good. I’ll hand it to your little scaly friend, he knows how to cook.” Karl said as he took a bite of pancake.
“I’ll admit he’s better than I’ve been in the kitchen, my wife usually does the cooking.” Kevin said as he ate the last bite. “So what do you all have planned today?”
“Well, Dr. Ross is going to extract a sample from the two chimpanzees and we’re going to test the ponification serum on them.”
Karl shook his head as he finished his plate. “I’m still not sure if what you’re doing is the right thing here Twilight. I mean, I’m glad you Equestrians are doing so much to help, but this seems wrong to me.”
“But if we weren’t doing this, we’d still be flailing our hooves about in the dark.” Spellweaver chimed in, the unicorn mare wiping the last bits of pancake from her muzzle.
“Maybe, maybe not. All I know is I like being the way I am.” Karl said as he got to his feet.
“Alright, well we’ll see you at lunch then!” Twilight called after him. Turning to Spellweaver, she muttered, “Well that could have gone better.”
“I just don’t understand why he’s so upset over this. We find a way to save his life and he doesn’t like it?”
“Try to see it from his perspective. We still don’t know if the serum will work, and even if it does perfectly it must be scary to change your body so completely. So just try to keep that in mind next time, okay?”
“Alright, I’ll try. Sheesh.” Spellweaver muttered as she got to her hooves.
“If you two are done, I’d like to get started sometime today.” Mystic said as she followed Dr. Ross out of the room. The other two unicorns got to their hooves and followed them out.
---
“Alright Jimmy, that’s a good boy.” Fluttershy said warmly as Amy backed the needle out slowly. The chimpanzee barely even noticed, far more interested in searching through Fluttershy’s mane for bugs.
“And we’re all done here. Thanks for the help Fluttershy.” Amy said as she secured the needle in a case and handed it to Dr. Ross. “I hope that these samples are up to snuff Elizabeth.”
“I’m sure they are. Thank you Amy, and you too Fluttershy. I was worried we’d need to sedate them to take three samples each.”
“You’re welcome, I enjoy working with these two, they’re such nice animals.” Fluttershy said with a smile as she nuzzled Jimmy’s arm.
“Well, I better get these to the lab; I’ll see you at lunchtime.” Dr. Ross said as she put the needle case into the carrier with the others. Getting to her feet she walked down the hallway to the lab room, which was really the patient floor for the clinic this building had been before being bought by the government.
“Alright girls, I’ve got our samples for the day. We’ll give each of them a look to make sure nothing contaminated them and then I’ll prepare your petri dishes. Today each of you gets a sample from both Jimmy and Suzy, and we’ll be administering Serum Batch #198563.” She settled into her chair and worked quickly to prepare each sample for the electron microscope. Twenty minutes later she waited as the machine hummed and rendered the final sample. “Huh, that’s not good. Looks like Jimmy’s coming down with a cold, according to this sample here.”
“Really? Does that mean we can’t use it?” Mystic asked while peering closer at the strange looking objects attached to some of the cells.
“Ostensibly no, but what we’re testing for doesn’t care if the subject is sick or not. Besides, this can give us some interesting data on how the serum affects things other than living cells.” Dr. Ross withdrew the sample from the microscope and carefully set it on the tray with the others. “Ok, I’ll introduce the serum now and we’ll get to work.” She carefully lifted a small container of a translucent liquid, and withdrew a few ccs of the serum. Putting two drops onto each sample, she carefully set the container down, put the needle into a double-secured case, and threw the case into a red biohazard box.
Once she was sure that the container of serum was secured, she carefully lifted the tray and carried it to the room the unicorns would be working in. Putting two petri dishes on each of the three tables, she nodded to the mares and left the room. Watching as they each lit their horns and let their magic enveloped their respective petri dishes; Dr. Ross pulled her recorder from her pocket.
“A curious phenomenon. Why do unicorns have different colors for their magic? Initial assumption was that magic color is tied to coat color, but Mystic has a green coat and her magic is amber. Spellweaver also has different colors, specifically yellow magic and a blue coat.”
Putting the recorder away as the timer ran out, she knocked on the door and waited as the magic faded. “Alright, let’s see what we have now.” She scanned each sample in, and soon all six images were displaying on the screen. “Excellent, we have six samples showing complete conversion… wait a minute.” She clicked on one of the images and expanded it. “This sample was the one that had the influenza virus.” The newly transformed cells floated in their solution, not a particle to be seen.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Mystic asked, peering curiously at the screen.
“It is… just not something I expected.” Dr. Ross picked up a small microphone. “Amy, can I see you in the lab please? Amy, please come to the lab.”
A few minutes later Amy pushed open the door. “What’s up Elizabeth?”
“Jimmy’s coming down with a cold, right?”
“Yea, I think so, he started sneezing a little while ago and... wait, how did you know?”
“One of his samples had some virus particles in it. But look at this.” Dr. Ross turned the monitor so Amy could see it better.
“So what am I looking at? It looks like any of the other transformed samples you’ve shown me.”
“This was the one that had the influenza virus. Notice anything?”
Amy’s eyes widened. “The virus is gone? How is that even possible?”
“I’m not sure either, but I suspect that it’s either something in the pony DNA or the magic used to accelerate the transformation. Do you think Jimmy would be up for giving us another few samples?”
“I think he could be persuaded. Do you think this works on more than just influenza?”
Now it was Dr. Ross’ turn to stare blankly at the screen. “I don’t know… we’d need to contact the CDC and see if they’d be willing to test this serum on some of what they have in cold storage.”
“You see about that, I’ll get the samples from Jimmy for you.” Amy hurried out of the room.
“I don’t understand Elizabeth, just what is this CDC? And what do they have on storage?” Twilight asked.
“I’m surprised you didn’t know that already, but I guess we have been pretty busy. The CDC is the Center for Disease Control; they’re the US government’s public health agency. So that we can continue to study certain dangerous diseases, they keep small samples of them frozen. If what this test here suggests, the serum might be able to help cure some of those diseases.”
Spellweaver tilted her head in confusion, “But if I remember correctly, this ‘influenza’ is also called the common cold. How would the serum help against more dangerous illnesses?”
“You’re right, though I’ll tell you something. Do you know how many viruses we know how to cure?” All three unicorns shrugged. “None. Not a single one. And yet the serum obliterated the influenza particles in just five minutes. This is huge... although, the tradeoff is that the sick person has to undergo ponification to be cured.”
“That’s what we’re hoping to do anyway, right?” Twilight peered closer at the screen.
“Well, you’re right in that respect, but to be honest, I’d rather be able to cure the disease without needing to change someone’s species.” Elizabeth said absently, looking thoughtfully at the image.
After another few minutes, Amy came back in, a carry case held in her hands. “Alright, here are the samples, have you called the CDC yet?”
“No, there’s something else I want to try. Let me see one of those.” Elizabeth took one of the needles and set it to the side. She put one of the petri dishes holding one of the newly ponified samples in front of her and very carefully squeezed two drops of the new sample onto it.
“Elizabeth! What in Equestria are you doing?” Twilight cried out.
“Trust me Twilight, I want to see something.” Elizabeth closed up the petri dish and put it back into the microscope. Once it finished scanning it the computer beeped and began rendering the image. As soon as it was done Elizabeth leaned back from the counter. “Well, sometimes it stinks to be right.”
On the screen could be seen virus particles, busily attaching themselves to the ponified cells.
Twilight looked aghast. “Why did you do that? That sample was clean of the virus!”
“I see, that is interesting.” All three ponies turned to look at Amy. “So the transformation cures any disease in the sample at the time, but any subsequent exposure results in a new infection.”
“That’s what I thought might happen. Still, if we can isolate each person being converted from other people with the disease...”
“Elizabeth, I really think you should call the CDC now.” Amy said. “They’ll definitely want to hear this.”
“We’ll need to confirm it first with these other samples, so let’s do that, and then call them before lunch.” Elizabeth started preparing the next sample.
---
To say that Walter Lewis was a busy man would be an understatement. Thirty-five and still single, he worked obsessively at his job, to the point of ending three relationships. Nonetheless, he loved his job and everything it entailed. The emergence of Equestria hadn’t even bothered him beyond an initial period of disbelief, but once a unicorn climbed awkwardly out of the black SUV and trotted up to him with a smile he’d dumped his preconceptions out the proverbial window.
He was currently finishing his lunch with the unicorn stallion assigned to work with the CDC on their part of the ponification serum effort, Azure Shine, when his cell phone rang.
“Wonder who that could be.” He pulled it from his pocket, smiling wryly as he saw the identification number. “Well well, what’s got Elizabeth calling at this hour?”
“Dr. Ross? Cool, I hope everything’s alright.” Azure muttered as he took a bite of his salad, eating with his mouth out of deference to his human friend.
“You’re just hoping to get to see Mystic again.” Walter shot back and laughed as Azure’s eyes briefly stared out over Atlanta’s skyline. Pressing his passcode into the phone, he brought it to his ear. “This is Dr. Lewis, how can I help you today Elizabeth?”
“Hello Walter, I’ve got something you’ll want to look at, are you in your office now?”
“Not right now, give me a few minutes. Was having lunch with Azure on the roof.” Dr. Lewis motioned to Azure, who practically inhaled the last of his salad and picked the bowl up in his mouth. As they turned to walk back inside the building, he could hear a voice in the background and laughed. “I guess Mystic is in the room too?” He laughed harder as Azure blushed and ducked his head.
“Yes, and she’s apparently forgotten that this is something serious.” Dr. Ross said as she said something muffled, presumably covering the phone with her hand.
“Now now, no need to scold the poor dear, she’s just missing her boyfriend is all.” He chuckled when Azure thumped him with his tail as the two entered Lewis’ office. Papers were scattered everywhere, along with a few coffee mugs left out, some with stale coffee still in them.
“Alright, I’m in my office. You got your fax ready?”
“Yes, sending you the images now.” The fax machine hummed under its pile of papers and Dr. Lewis pushed them off as it spat out the pages.
Dr. Lewis picked them up and ruffled through them while balancing the phone with his shoulder. “Okay, so what exactly am I looking at?”
“The first image was taken prior to administering the serum. The second was after.”
Dr. Lewis peered closer. “So you’re telling me that…”
“Yes. It appears that the serum cured the influenza in the sample. However, I administered another contaminated sample and the influenza went right back to the ponified cells without any delay.”
“I see… so what do you want me to do about it?”
“I know you and Azure have some samples of the ponification serum there with you. I’d like you to test it on some of the samples you have in the freezer and see if the same result can be applied.”
“Hmmm… I suppose I can try and see what I come up with. Give me a couple hours and I’ll call you back, okay?”
“Sure thing. And Walter? It was good to talk to you again.” The line went dead and Walter laughed as he put the receiver back in its slot.
“So what did Dr. Ross want Walter?” Azure asked curiously as he tried to get a better look at the images.
Walter got to his feet and walked out of his office, Azure following. “Well, apparently one of the chimps they’re working with came down with a cold, but the serum destroyed all the virus particles in the sample. So she wanted me to try using the serum on some of the samples we have here in the freezer.” Walter led the unicorn through the sterile white hallways, other staff moving out of their way as they entered a staircase and made their way into the basement of the building.
Eventually they came to a heavy looking door with a keypad, several suits hanging on a rack nearby, with one that was obviously made for a pony to wear. Dr. Lewis started putting one on as Azure watched.
“Alright Azure, you need to put your suit on before I can open the door. Do you remember all the protocols for working in this room?”
“Y-yes...” Azure trailed off, before reluctantly starting to put on his suit. The unicorn hated the suit and how it prevented him from really seeing or interacting with the world. Dr. Lewis helped him zip the back up, and then settled the backpack that contained his oxygen supply into place on his withers. The whir of the fan motor began to drone and Azure tossed his head irritably.
“I know you hate it, but you know why it’s needed. So try and bear with it.” Dr. Lewis smiled apologetically and turned back to the door, typing in something on the keypad. Once he finished the pad chimed and the door began to swing open with a hiss. The lights flickered on a moment later as Dr. Lewis stepped inside, Azure following closely. They passed through the decontamination rooms and soon found themselves in a small room, all polished white and gleaming steel. The rest of the staff was still on lunch break, so they had the room to themselves for the time being.
Moving over to an empty table, Dr. Lewis typed in another sequence of numbers into its keypad and turned to Azure. “I’m going to retrieve a virus sample. Can you get a bottle of the serum?”
“Sure thing.” Azure said as he turned towards the table at the far end of the room. Trotting over, he eyed the bottles sitting peacefully on their stand, wondering again at how tiny the particles that made up the serum must be for it to resemble water like that. His horn lit with a lime green glow as he reached through the suit to take hold of a bottle. He always felt weird using magic while wearing the suit, almost akin to having a leg be partially asleep. Gently levitating it in his magic, he trotted slowly across the room and set it carefully on the table. Dr. Lewis returned a few minutes later, a red case held in one hand.
“So, ready to see if Dr. Ross has stumbled onto a medical breakthrough?” He asked jokingly as he set the case on the table.
“What did you pick to test the serum on?” Azure asked as Dr. Lewis gingerly lifted the sample out of the box.
“A very nasty specimen called Ebola. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice to say it is one mean customer. Don’t worry, as long as you stay well clear of my hands while we’re working, it’ll be fine.” Dr. Lewis picked up a small recorder and pressed a button on the side. “Now beginning an experiment with serum sample #375642. Goal of this test is to follow up on a discovery by Dr. Elizabeth Ross. According to her, the serum cured a sample that was infected with influenza. To test her theory that the serum will cure any disease present during the process of ponification, I will be using a sample of Ebola collected from Patient #13425 in Zaire during the 1995 outbreak.” Dr. Lewis carefully set the sample on the table and prepared a needle of the serum. He put two drops onto the sample and secured the needle.
“Alright Azure, I’m going to go stand on the other side of the room. Once I get there, give it a five minute dose of your magic.”
Azure nodded, and once Dr. Lewis was safely across the room he focused his magic, the lime green aura enveloping the sample.
Dr. Lewis waited until the clock on the wall ticked to the fifth minute and called out, “Alright Azure, it’s been five minutes, let’s see what we have.” Walking back across the room as the glow faded, Dr. Lewis felt his skin tingle as the residual thaumatic energy penetrated his suit. Carefully lifting the sample, he carried it to an empty microscope and pushed it into the proper slot. The microscope hummed and soon the image was rendering on the screen.
“My God...” Dr. Lewis said breathlessly as he took an involuntary step back. Floating in the solution was a healthy sample of pony tissue, not a trace of the Ebola to be seen.
“That’s good, right?” Azure said as he looked at the screen.
“That’s more than good, this is fantastic news. Come on, let’s secure this sample and go get decontaminated. I need to call Elizabeth back.”
---
Dr. Ross was sitting at her desk, tapping a pen in boredom, when the phone rang. She started briefly before picking up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Seems like you were right Elizabeth.” Dr. Lewis’ cheerful voice came over the line.
“What did you test it on?”
“Ebola. The serum blew through it like a bowling ball through tissue paper. We’ll want to test it on other samples in storage, but I think we can call this a tentative confirmation. Hope you enjoy being famous,” he teased.
“Well, it’ll help keep the lights on around here at least. Glad to hear that Walter, and let me know any further results.” Dr. Ross set down the receiver and allowed herself to sag backward in her chair as Twilight came trotting in.
“So I take it that’s good news?”
“Yes, Walter called back. His tests appear to indicate that the serum destroys any infection in the host sample.” Dr. Ross said
“That’s wonderful! So what do we do now?”
“Well, I’ll need to make a few phone calls, and then it’s back to work as scheduled. I’ll tell everyone at dinner if I hear anything new.”
Twilight smiled. “Well, then I’ll see you back in the lab. And Elizabeth? I’m glad you were right.” The unicorn trotted out the door as Elizabeth sighed.
“Yea, me too.”
---
Kevin turned the corner as he continued his patrol, boots rapping firmly on the tile floor and sidearm holstered at his waist. As much as he’d initially disliked the idea of talking ponies, after working with them for a few months he had to admit they weren’t all that bad. A little aggravating at times with their upbeat attitudes, Pinkie Pie especially, but all in all a nice bunch to guard. The bonus pay didn’t hurt either.
He was about to turn around when there came a bright flash from one of the empty conference rooms. Swallowing nervously, he unsnapped his sidearm and crept to the door. Risking a peek in, he relaxed a hair as he saw a quartet of gold armored unicorns, and a larger pony he recognized as Princess Luna. He slid the pistol into its holster and walked to stand in front of the doorway. “Princess Luna, this is certainly an... unexpected visit.”
“We apologize for not sending word in advance, but we felt our presence was required immediately. Twilight Sparkle informed my sister and I of Dr. Ross’ discovery. Please escort us to her.”
Kevin thought about reaching for his radio to confirm, but the level stares of the four unicorn guards made him think otherwise and he shrugged. “Alright, follow me.” He started to lead the alicorn and her escort through the hallways. “So... what brings you here then? Forgive me for being blunt, but I thought Twilight’s letters always went to Princess Celestia.”
“No forgiveness is needed. You are correct; usually my sister receives the letters Spike sends. However, other matters demanded her attention, so she asked me to come in her stead.”
“Huh, wonder what’s got her attention then.” Kevin wondered idly as he walked into the main lounge, where Dr. Ross was standing in conversation with Amy and Twilight.
“Well, I guess we can try that dosage Elizabeth. Given Suzy and Jimmy’s body weights, this should be enough. But I’m still not convinced of whether it’ll work or not.” Amy said, a strange look in her eyes. “And if it... doesn’t...”
“I understand Amy; we’ll do what we can to make it painless.” Elizabeth replied, a compassionate look in her eyes. She caught sight of Kevin and started to smile, but then noticed the alicorn standing behind him. “P-Princess Luna, it’s an honor to finally meet you.”
“We can say the same, Elizabeth Ross. Our sister speaks highly of you. Now, Twilight’s letter mentioned an important discovery you and your team have made?”
Dr. Ross stared for a moment, before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. “Yes. We discovered that in addition to transforming the cells of our samples, the serum apparently has the ability to eradicate any disease present. A colleague at the CDC is testing the serum on some of the diseases they keep there, and so far has reported universal success.”
“I see, that is truly wonderful news. And the original plan? Do you still intend to use the serum on your two chimpanzees at week’s end?”
“With luck yes. We’ll use the serum on them Thursday and announce the results Friday morning, for better or worse.” Elizabeth said, her eyes troubled.
“If something bothers you, you may share it.” Luna said bluntly.
“Well, I guess it’s just nerves. Up until now it still didn’t feel like it was really happening, you know? But if this last test goes well, then it will be.”
“Do not fear Elizabeth. Your research has gotten you this far and it will continue to carry you in the future.” Luna said reassuringly. “And I must apologize, for I am needed elsewhere. Should you require anything, I am leaving this squad of unicorns here to help. Second Lieutenant Flare, you have acting command in my absence.” The lead unicorn hammered his hoof against his breastplate as Luna trotted out of the room, disappearing in a pulse of light once she was far enough down the hallway.
“Well, it’s almost dinner time, so why don’t we all head that way and I’ll tell you what I heard from President Foster.” Elizabeth suggested. The others nodded assent and made their way out of the room.
---
Holly Williams sat behind her desk, the usual anchorwoman’s smile fixed until the light went out. Standing, she put the microphone on the desk and walked over to where she had seen Teddy waiting. “What’s up Teddy? You look like someone just kicked your dog.”
“Well, you get your wish. There’s apparently some big thing planned for Friday on the West Coast. CNN managed to get the rights to see the facility where they’re actually developing this so-called ‘serum’... and the chance for a one on one interview with Celestia. So get your stuff together, you fly out tonight.”
Holly couldn’t believe what she’d heard for a moment, then cheered and hugged Teddy. “Thanks a lot Teddy, I’ll do us proud.” She turned and strode toward her office, a Cheshire grin spreading across her face.
---
“Eat up everypony! Jared and I worked hard on this meal!” Pinkie exclaimed, throwing her hooves out over the spread of food. All eyes were wide and mouths watering at the sight, plates piled high with vegetables both raw and cooked.
“I originally wanted to roast some pork, but Pinkie dared me to try vegetarian, and I think you’ll all be pleasantly surprised.” Jared agreed with a smile on his face as he helped serve up the plates. The ponies eagerly carried theirs to their table; the humans, after some muttering about not having any meat took theirs to the taller table. After a few hesitant bites the humans were digging in as happily as the ponies, which set Jared and Pinkie to laughing.
“I told you they would enjoy it if they gave it a chance!” Pinkie managed to get out between breaths.
“That you did, that you did. C’mon and let’s eat, no sense in letting the food get cold.” Jared loaded a plate and walked over to the taller table, looking over in surprise as Pinkie followed him and clambered awkwardly into the chair next to him.
“What? We’re friends, so why wouldn’t I want to sit next to you guys? And gals.” She said with a wink to Dr. Ross and Amy. She cut a sidelong glance to the ponies at the other table and twitched an ear. Taking the hint Applejack got to her hooves and pushed the table closer so the two were joined.
“Alright, so let me tell you what President Foster told me. Apparently on Friday, both he and Princess Celestia will be coming here for a joint speech to address how we’re going to proceed with production of the serum for using on humans. I also asked him about something you’ll like Amy.” She looked up in confusion as Dr. Ross continued, “Since we know that magic has the same effect on higher primates as humans, I got his approval to produce additional serum to be used for converting them as well. You’ll just have to help coordinate the effort to locate as many as possible.”
Amy pushed a piece of broccoli around on her plate. “Sure… thanks Elizabeth.”
“What’s wrong?” Dr. Ross asked.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the answer came from Fluttershy. “Well, um… It just feels weird to be doing it to animals who don’t get to make the choice for themselves.”
“Well, it’s better than letting them die, right?” Twilight asked.
“I guess so…” Fluttershy trailed off and looked at the food on her plate.
“Well, we can discuss that later. President Foster also told me that we’ll be having a guest from CNN tomorrow night. So we’ll use the serum on Jimmy and Suzy at noon, document the whole process thoroughly, and then be able to show the results to the reporters.” Dr. Ross finished, and the table was silent for a few minutes.
“Well, Ah think we should all get some sleep. Gonna be a busy day tomorrow.” Applejack finally said as she got to her hooves and started picking up dishes. Jared and Pinkie moved to help her while Twilight, Mystic and Spellweaver followed after Dr. Ross, Fluttershy and Amy.
“So you three will be ready to go tomorrow, right?” Dr. Ross asked.
“Yes, we’ve finalized what exactly we’ll be doing spell-wise, and think we can regulate our magic flow so that you can actually stay in the same room while the process is underway.” Twilight said with a smile, Mystic and Spellweaver echoing her optimism.
“Hey, I’ll see you guys tomorrow, I’m going to go check on Suzy and Jimmy one more time before I go to bed.” Amy said, turning down a side corridor with Fluttershy in tow.
“I’m glad Fluttershy’s found someone that she can relate to here. She’s normally so shy about making new friends.” Twilight remarked as they reached the split in the hallway that separated the pony and human bedrooms. “Well, goodnight Elizabeth, we’ll see you in the morning.” The group went their separate ways, each finding their thoughts turning to the momentous event that loomed on the horizon.
---
“Alright, so we all know the plan, right?” A voice asked coldly.
“Yea, though what’re we gonna do if any of the fuckers fight back?” Another voice asked, a muted clatter undercutting its words as its owner packed bags.
“Well, we’re the ones with the guns; we’ll have to show them that we have the higher willpower.” The first voice answered gruffly.
“What about police response?” A third voice cut in.
“Oh they’ll come, but we’ll have hostages, and important ones at that. Our intel says these so-called ‘Elements of Harmony’ are celebrities or some stupid shit. They won’t dare make a move if we threaten to paint the walls with their brains.” Replied the first voice.
“I’ll just be happy if I get the chance to kill some of those fucking abominations against God.” A fourth voice finally made itself known as its owner got up from the couch.
“Alright, let’s move out. We’ll strike the facility after the CNN reporter arrives, that way we'll have more hostages to take with us when we make our escape. If we stick to the plan we can all get out of this alive. Let’s fuckin’ show those ponies they don’t mess with mankind and walk away unscarred.” Five figures put their hands to their chests in a grim salute and went about packing the rest of their bags.
---
“Alright everyone, this is the moment we’ve been working towards for so long. Amy, administer the anesthetic.” Dr. Ross said, the bottle of serum held in one hand and the needle in the other.
Amy nodded and knelt down beside Jimmy. Suzy had already been given her dose and lay sleeping nearby. “Alright Jimmy, this will only pinch for a second…” She froze as the chimp suddenly hugged her. Fluttershy started to move forward, but Amy shook her head. “No, this is something I have to do.” She gently pushed herself back from the chimp, and carefully gave him his shot. “I’ll see you when you wake up.” Her voice wavered, but her eyes were iron-hard as the animal swayed on its feet before slumping forward against her. She held him close for a moment before laying him on the floor next to Suzy. “Alright, let’s just get this over with.” She walked over to stand on the opposite side of the room next to Kevin and Karl.
Fluttershy walked over and nuzzled each chimpanzee, before she trotted over to stand next to Amy. The yellow pegasus stretched up and nuzzled Amy’s hand, which patted her head once before tightening its grip. The two watched silently as Elizabeth knelt next to the two chimps and inserted the needle into the bottle of serum. They’d calculated the numbers based on the chimp’s body size and weight, and decided to use a two ounce dose.
Dr. Ross held the needle in her hand for a moment, the weight of the decision she was about to make pressing down on her shoulders. She took a deep breath, and lifting Suzy’s arm she slid the needle into a vein. Pressing down on the plunger, she injected the entire contents of the needle before backing it out. Setting it into its case, she prepared a second needle and injected Jimmy with his dose. Securing the second needle, she picked both cases up and walked to stand next to the other humans and ponies. “Alright Twilight, Mystic, Spellweaver.”
The three unicorns nodded and trotted into position, surrounding the two unconscious chimpanzees and closing their eyes. Their horns lit with their own fields that gently reached out and enveloped the primates with a multi-colored glow. The first few seconds passed without anything happening, and Dr. Ross started to worry that this would turn out a failure. She was just about to call for the trio to end the test when Jared suddenly pointed. “Look!”
Everyone gasped as they realized that Suzy’s skin had started to ripple, sagging in places as the bones seemed to shift underneath. Her legs gave several popping sounds as they dislocated, grinding against themselves as they shifted into their new position. More pops and cracks came from her spine as it wrenched itself into a straighter line. The worst sounds came from her head, which squelched and snapped as her face extended outwards into the hint of a muzzle. The ears seemed to almost flow up to perch atop the reforming skull, while with a stomach-churning rip a tail forced its way out of her backside.
Similar changes were beginning to take place with Jimmy, his head twitching as a horn pushed its way free of his forehead skin with a small trickle of blood. The wound sealed itself almost as soon as it formed, until the new horn stood proudly atop the mostly equine skull, colored a dark tan. The color seemed to spread across the rippling skin from that point, the black fur soon becoming a soft coat, while a dirty blond mane and tail grew from his neck and rump.
Dr. Ross seemed to be torn, her scientific side wanting to stay and watch everything, while her stomach was protesting violently. Amy, on the other hand, was watching with rapt fascination, the zoologist having seen much worse during her work in the field. Kevin and Karl grimaced, yet couldn’t bring themselves to look away. The ponies not participating seemed to be equally disgusted by what they saw happening before them, yet something kept them rooted to the floor where they stood. It was an instinct as old as time, to stand watch as new members of the herd came into existence.
Suzy’s fur finally started to shift in color, becoming a soft cinnamon hue, while her rapidly forming mane and tail took on an aquamarine shade. With a few final pops and squelches, the magic finally started to fade and the three unicorns sighed, breathing a little heavily as they opened their eyes.
“I guess it worked.” Twilight said tiredly, looking over the two new ponies lying on the floor, their sides rising and falling with their relaxed breathing.
Pinkie Pie carefully trotted over and crouched down to the pony Suzy had become, her ears twitching as she looked her over. Giving her a gentle nudge she whispered gently, “C’mon, it’s time to wake up now.”
Suzy’s eyes fluttered and slowly opened, the pale yellow orbs twitching at the light. She tried to flex and when her leg crossed in front of her vision she froze. Her eyes widened and she tried to scramble backwards, only for her four legs to go in different directions and send her crashing to the floor, cracking her chin hard on the tiles. Lying there, her eyes began to water and she started crying.
Pinkie Pie smiled softly and trotted over to again crouch down next to her. Nickering softly, she nuzzled Suzy until her tears stopped. Smiling wider, she nosed at her legs until they were straightened out. “There you go Suzy! Now let’s try standing up all nice and straight!” Pinkie slowly stretched her own legs until she was standing upright, making sure Suzy was watching. The former chimpanzee stared raptly and then turned to glare at her own rebellious legs. Slowly pulling each one in to get it under her, she shakily rose to her hooves and stood there, wobbling for a second before trying to fall down again. Pinkie was faster this time and braced her. “Silly Suzy, be careful with your new legs, don’t want to hit your chin again!” she said with a giggle.
Suzy’s eyes narrowed as she started trying to move her mouth. “S… Su…”
Pinkie’s eyes widened. “That’s right; c’mon… you can do it.”
“SUZEH!” Suzy practically shouted, her eyes threatening to overflow with tears again. Pinkie felt her own eyes watering a little and beamed back.
“Close enough.”
“Suzeh! Suze… Suzy!” Suzy quivered with joy as she lifted a foreleg and took a halting step, then another. Pinkie walked alongside her, making sure she wouldn’t fall.
Amy, tears in her eyes, walked over to join the pair. Suzy’s eyes widened and she tried to wobble her way across the floor to her. Amy knelt and caught her as she tried to fall. “Do you remember me Suzy? It’s Amy.”
“A… Amy.” Suzy said proudly before bumping her head into Amy’s chest. “Amy! Suzy!”
It was all too much for Amy, who broke down into tears of joy as she hugged Suzy tightly. Pinkie Pie stood next to them, a beaming smile on her face despite her own tears.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy and Applejack had both walked over to the still sleeping Jimmy. Dr. Ross followed them, a couple paper towels in her hand. Kneeling, she wiped the blood from his horn and forehead. Jimmy’s eyes opened and he recoiled at the sight of so many beings right in front of him. His horn sparked as a faint maroon field began to appear and Dr. Ross stumbled back as the skin on her hand started to feel warm. Fluttershy, with a blur of her wings, seized Dr. Ross and dragged her across the floor to the far end of the room. Twilight hurried over to stand next to Applejack.
“Ya’ll got something that’ll keep him from using magic Twi?” Applejack asked as the new unicorn rose to his hooves, legs shaking a little but otherwise standing upright.
“I’ll try.” Twilight said as she approached, a disarming smile on her face as her own horn lit with a gentle glow. Jimmy tossed his head and snorted, but then froze as her magic wrapped around his and made contact with his horn. “There now, it’s alright, just relax. You’re safe.” Twilight murmured as her spell took effect. Jimmy’s magic faded and soon winked out, the unicorn wavering slightly and starting to fall to the floor. Applejack rushed forward and caught him.
“Easy there partner, don’t want to go whackin’ yer noggin on the floor.” Applejack said gently as she picked up the paper towels Dr. Ross had dropped, wiping the last of the blood from Jimmy’s forehead.
“P… pardner?” Jimmy asked haltingly, fumbling with his new tongue and lips.
“Tha’s right, partner. Though yer name is Jimmy.” Applejack said slowly and clearly.
“Jim… Jimmy.” Jimmy said, his eyes shining as he began to smile. “Jimmy!”
Across the room, Fluttershy landed next to Dr. Ross as she got to her feet. “I’m sorry; I just saw Jimmy starting to use magic and got scared for you.”
“Don’t worry about it; I should have known that could happen. Do all unicorns have magic from birth or does it manifest itself after a few years?”
“All unicorn foals can use magic, oftentimes a lot more strongly than grown up unicorns can. Teaching this one is going to be a pain.” Mystic said as she and Spellweaver walked over to stand next to her. “So what do we do now with them?”
“Well, we need to record their physiological condition, and then let them have some time to get used to their new bodies before the CNN reporter gets here." Dr. Ross said as Jimmy tried to take another step and lost his balance.
---
“Good afternoon, I’m Holly Williams from CNN. This is my cameraman George Finley.” Holly said as she shook Dr. Ross’ hand.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Dr. Ross, I’m glad you were able to come tour our little facility. Did you have a nice flight?”
“Can’t complain, the peanut bags are still impossible to open.” The two laughed briefly before Dr. Ross led the way into the building.
“Well, as you can see, this building used to be a clinic before it shut down. The Los Angeles City Council was going to demolish it before the government bought it out as part of the effort to protect humans from thaumatic radiation.”
“Interesting. Now, Dr. Ross, rumors at CNN indicate that your facility in particular has been playing hosts to the ponies that the Equestrians call the ‘Elements of Harmony’. How has that been as an experience?”
“Well, they’re a very friendly bunch, hardworking and willing to help in any capacity they can.” Dr. Ross said as they entered the dining room to a scene of chaos. “And as you can see, they tend to get very… excitable.”
The plan had been to introduce Jimmy and Suzy to the reporters while they ate. However, no one had anticipated that ponies’ taste buds were far more receptive than chimpanzees. The two had utterly demolished the vegetable buffet that Jared, Pinkie and Spike had made, bits of food everywhere while Rainbow Dash floated overhead laughing. Applejack, Fluttershy and Amy were cleaning the bits of food off the floor and walls. Jared and Pinkie were trying to help, but kept bursting into laughter at each new antic the new ponies came up with.
“I see… so those two were your former chimpanzee test animals?” Holly asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth despite herself. George held the camera steady and recorded the entire mess.
“Indeed they are. After rigorously testing the serum on samples gathered from them, we decided to go forward with an attempted conversion early this afternoon. As you can see it was a success, though we’re still working on teaching them proper manners.”
Suzy took notice of the three of them by the door and came cantering over, stumbling only once. “Eliza! Elizabet!”
Holly stood there stunned as the pony nuzzled Dr. Ross’ leg affectionately, looking at Holly curiously. “That’s incredible. So they can speak now?”
“Yes, though we think they’re just mimicking our words for now. They do learn new words incredibly quickly though. Pinkie Pie tells me that many foals back in Equestria can learn their parents and their own names very quickly, sometimes by the end of their first month. Give it a try, Suzy’s very friendly.”
Holly knelt down and Suzy took a hesitant step back. Putting her hand out with a smile, Holly looked over her shoulder and said quietly, “George, make sure you’re getting this.” Returning her gaze to Suzy, she spoke up louder, “Hello, my name is Holly.” She said, watching as the pony furrowed its eyes in concentration.
“Ho…lly. Holly.” Suzy’s eyes lit up as she bounded forward happily and nuzzled Holly’s hand.
“This is incredible. Please tell me you got that George.” Holly said softly as she ran her hand down Suzy’s neck.
“Oh yea, it’s all going live to the CNN server now.” George said with a smile of his own.
“That’s a damn shame.” A new voice said as a dull thud broke the conversation. George staggered forward with a short cry, turning to keep the camera from hitting the ground. Behind him stood five black-clothed men, wearing tactical vests and carrying an assortment of weapons. The one in front who’d struck George held a pistol loosely at his side, his cold brown eyes looking over the humans and ponies staring at him.
“Now, if you’d please be so kind as to turn that camera off, I would very much appreciate it.”
Everyone looked at each other in shock, still processing what had just happened, when the man sighed, lifted the pistol, and shot the camera twice. The second bullet tore through the lens housing and into George’s side, eliciting a shout of pain from him and a round of screams from the ponies.
“You are all my hostages now. You will do exactly as I say, exactly when I say it. Failure to comply will result in further violence. Do I make myself clear?” he asked calmly, as if inquiring about the weather.
Holly had scooted over to George and was busy trying to stop the bleeding. She could see that the blood wasn’t a bright red, which she remembered from somewhere as being a good sign. Fumbling in his pockets, she found one of the ubiquitous giant handkerchiefs she’d always made fun of him for in the past.
“T-told you there’d b-be a time they’d come in handy.” George wheezed out, wincing as she stuffed it into the wound.
“Yea yea, now shut up and let me work here.” She retorted with a tearful smile as she took off her outer shirt and tied it snugly around his waist.
“A pity. I’d hoped to avoid having to hurt a hostage this early, but no sense worrying about what cannot be changed. Four, Five, go and secure the building. There should be two security guards, four of the gold-armored unicorns, and two other unicorns. If any of them resist, kill them. There will be one purple unicorn and one dragon as well, do not kill them at all costs.” The man turned his eyes back to the group cowering in front of him and smiled coldly. Forcing her brain to process as much as she could, Holly noticed that while their equipment varied from one to the next, all five bore a single patch on the left chest pocket, emblazoned with three bold letters.
“Why are you doing this? Who sent you here?” She tried to sound brave, but recoiled as those harsh brown eyes bored into hers with a terrifying intensity.
“We are soldiers of the Human Liberation Front.”