Twilight hadn’t slept in three days.
She was working on a spell designed to cure the flu, which she did get done, but now she was trying to make one for all future flu’s as well.
All her friends, sans Fluttershy, have come to check on her, and every time Twilight told them she was fine and that there was nothing to worry about.
“Achoo!” Unfortunately working in close proximity to the flu without proper safety will get you sick.
“Eep!” And scare a sneaky Flutters.
Twilight looked over to the sound of a startled Fluttershy. “Oh, hey Fluttershy. Are you here to check on me too?” She asked.
“Her and I actually.” Said Discord appearing behind Fluttershy.
Twilight didn’t expect this. But expecting Discord is like getting a tortoise to win a race… Getting first place in a race, so Tank does not count!
But Twilight has ways of dealing with him. “What do you want Discord?”
“Your compassion.”
Twi looked at him like he just told the most obvious lie ever.
“Alright you got me. I’ve been bored lately and sometimes its best to see my favorite princess!”
Twilight looked over to Fluttershy and she spoke. “It’s true. Discord needs something to do and when I told him you were working on that flu cure he asked to come with me to see you.”
Twilight was wondering what Discord would want to do with her involving the flu. “What do you want to see me about involving the flu?”
“Fluttershy said that you’re trying to make a curing spell for all future flu’s, and to that I ask; how’s your time trying to make a cure for randomness?”
At first Twi was speechless, then started to giggle. When finished she said. “Discord, everything has a pattern. For instance, yours is that you will never do the same thing twice. I just have to find it and then the flu will be gone for good this time.”
“And have you found this pattern?”
Twilight had not found this pattern. She thought she had at the end of the first day… But then got it knocked down by Rarity who noted that what she was seeing was a typo in records. Then on the end of the second day she thought she had found it… Only for Pinkie to note that she has gotten the flu even when not on a sugar rush. She was stumped and afraid to admit it, especially to Discord after he just said its random!
“It’s… Ok you got me. I have no idea what the pattern is. But I know there’s a pattern, there just has to be!”
“Au contraire ma petite princesse, to find the pattern you need to see the pattern in action.”
With a snap of his fingers the test tube carrying the virus vanished in a flash of light.
Twilight had a look of shock and anger. “Where did you send it?”
Discord summoned a 1980’s style television showing a crowded ponyville market to find no illness to be found.
Discord stared at the screen confused. “Thats not right.”
Twilight was now worried. “Discord, where did you send that tube?”
“In all honesty I have no idea where it went, it was supposed to land in the marketplace where the damage would be minimal… But its not there.”
Twilight was actually pretty calm compared to Discord who was in a panic. “It’s ok Discord. No matter where it shows up we’ve got the cure, so I’ll just send the spell out to where it was sent.”
“You don't understand Twilight. If I can’t find it, it’s no longer on this planet!”
That turned Twilights smug look upside down. “If it’s not here, then where is it?”
“I have no idea. But it can’t be just anywhere, it has to be somewhere thats not here and not deadly.” He said. “I never let anything die while I’m around. Even by accident!”
Twilight was perplexed by this. “But the flu isn’t a living thing, its a curse.”
“And who casted a curse that is called the flu? Curse’s only last till the death of the caster, and the flu has been around for a thousand years longer than I.”
“Then what is it?”
“A tiny creature that uses your body as a way to make more of itself. What your spell does is not lifting a curse but stopping the creatures from reproducing.”
That got the gears turning. “If the flu is a living thing, then why does it keep coming back?”
“You will have to find that out yourself. I am not going to give all the facts.”
Then Twilight had an idea. “What do you think Fluttershy?”
There was no answer, as Fluttershy was not here. Realizing that she probably timidly excused herself and left while she and Discord were arguing.
The last two beings in the lab were now looking at eachother. “I guess we should try to find this disease before Fluttershy comes back and yells at us for possibly harming a living thing.” Said Twilight.
“Agreed!” Said Discord, worried about what’s to come if they fail.