The Plague Master

by Theyellowninja13


The Doctor is in!

I let out a small yawn, as I focus back in on the screen. I was currently playing Plague Inc. Evolved, and I was playing an easy round of Bio-weapon on mega brutal. I was barely paying attention anymore to the game, as I infect country after country and start to wipe them out. I've played this game so much, it was hardly even a challenge.

I suppose I could take this time to introduce myself. My name's John. I'm a epidemiologist. That means I'm a scientist who studies the patterns, causes, and effects of diseases. It's kinda ironic, isn't it? I'm playing a game where I'm trying to kill all of humanity with a disease, even though my job is to do the opposite. I try to cure or at least contain diseases.

I was currently wearing a dark grey hooded sweater, as I was cold, and I had some black sweat pants on as well. The reason I was cold was because winter was coming, and I didn't really feel a need to turn up the heat in my house, if I could just put on more clothes. I sat up straight in my chair when I see that my disease has almost wiped out all of humanity. Again.

Victory!

Bio-weapon 245 has successfully eliminated all life on Earth

I yawn again, as I skip through the replay menu. Then, to my surprise, a small box popped up on the screen.

Unlocked Plague Master Mode

Having shown your expertise, you can now try the hardest mode! Mega Brutal has nothing on this!

My eyes widened at that. "An even harder mode?! I don't recall ever hearing about it. But it has to be true, as I even got a Steam achievement from it! I also have to stop talking to myself." As I was put back in the main menu, I quickly started making a new game, but to my surprise, an extra option showed up, below the scenario options. It said 'Plague Master Mode.' "I thought it was a difficulty setting?" Shrugging, I clicked on it, and then another menu popped up.

Are you sure you want to do this?

What kind of question was that? What am I getting myself into? I clicked the yes option, and suddenly my screen flashed white, before I felt a tingling sensation across my entire body as I went numb, and everything went black.


I open my eyes, and shake the sleepiness out of them. I try to slide out of my makeshift bed only to trip, and rip it again. I push myself from the rocky ground of the cave, and wipe off the blood on my arm, ignoring the cut on my arm, as I stared at my ruined hammock. "This is why I'm not a carpenter!" I start kicking a rock at my feet, trying to vent my anger. "I JUST FINISHED BUILDING IT AGAIN!!" After my little fit, I calmed myself down. I turned around, and grabbed a rotten apple off the tall rock I use as a table, and absentmindedly take a bite out of it, before finishing it off quickly for breakfast. I sighed, remembering my dream. "It's been a month, and I keep on having that nightmare." About a month ago, I woke up in this forest, and had to survive for myself. It was quite shocking, waking up like this. It wasn't long before I found this cave, and made it into a temporary living space.

It was about a day in, when I discovered the life forms of this forest. They were not normal. I freaked out when I saw a manticore, and couldn't process this information. I thought I was going to die, but I noticed something strange about the manticore. It wasn't long before I realized it was gravely sick with some kind of virus. Being a kind-hearted person, I helped it out, and that's when I realized what happened to me.

I was able to remove the virus from the manticore, straight through it's mouth, and I was able to mentally control the virus. I caused it to grow and shrink, become strong and weak, and I realized something else. This is what it means for Plague Master mode. I have control over all kinds of diseases. I was able to quickly destroy the virus, and the manticore thanked me, by giving me a slobbery lick across the face.

As the days turned into weeks, I learned more and more about my powers. I could create any disease I could think of, and control it mentally. I could even upgrade it if I wanted to. Things got even stranger when I found out I could create the neurax worm and the necroa virus. Eventually, the manticore spread the news of my powers to other animals, and I would commonly find animals coming to me for my help. I've quickly gotten used to these strange wooden wolves (which I have named tree wolves), and the chicken lizards that can apparently
stone creatures with their eyes if they wanted to.

I guess I've become some sort of legend to these animals, as they would commonly bring me food, and bowls of water. I tell them they don't have to, but they just want to thank me for my help.

I heard some scratching sounds and felt a nearby sickness, and went to the entrance of my cave, to see a couple tree wolves, with one that had a much younger one on it's back. They looked at me with worry in their eyes, especially with the one I could assume is the mother of the little one. I gently picked up the young wolf, and put him on a makeshift table, before putting my hand on it's chest. I closed my eyes, and just felt, before slightly flinching when I felt the life force of it. It was the way I discovered how to tell if tree wolves are still alive or not. Seeing as how it was still alive, I got to work figuring out what disease it was. I could only control the disease if I could name it.

Some of these animals had diseases I've never seen before, and I wouldn't have been able to save them (because I didn't know the disease's name, and I can't create a name unless specific requirements are met), if it wasn't for some quick thinking, and a neurax worm, who I've started to consider as pets. "Let's see... weaker life force, hard breathing, weaker branches, and strange growths. Tree sickness I believe." I muttered to myself, before my hands glowed a faint red, and I gently moved them along the young tree wolf's body, before a green substance left it's mouth, and I floated it over to a glass vial I found in some strange abandoned workshop (I looted the place, and took any resources I could use. I left the books talking about 'magic' there. Not enough space to carry it). I capped the vial, and walked back over to the tree wolf, who was starting to wake. I grabbed a nearby bowl of water, and when the wolf awoke, I had it drink it. I may be able to cure diseases and control them, but sometimes symptoms stay behind for a few hours, or a day. This wolf will be a little sick for about five hours, before being healthy again. As long as it doesn't get into much physical activity.

When the wolf finished drinking the water, I gently picked it back up, and gave it back to it's mother, who I put my hand against, removing the same disease festering in her. "There you go, you two should be fine. As long as the little one rests, he should be good."

The wolf's mother nodded, and left the cave, leaving me with a satisfied smile on my face. When they left the small clearing around my cave, I stretched, and let out a rather audible yawn, and shook my head, getting rid of the sleepiness. I wandered off into the forest myself, looking for some fruit trees for breakfast. That's mostly what I've been eating for the past month, fruit, fish (caught for me by my new animal friends) and the occasional vegetables.

I eventually found a tree with some fresh fruit on it, and reached up, picking them off, before removing the stem on the strange fruit, and taking a big bite out of it. After finishing that one, I drop it to the ground, hoping it would become a big tree someday, and grab a couple more. I was about to take a bite out of another one, but heard a small sound near my feet, and saw a small fox, looking at me with pleading eyes. Smiling, I bent down, gave it the strange fruit, which it quickly dug into, before I patted it on the head. I smiled, glad that my job had me do some field work, plus some camping trips with my dad helped me figure out how to survive better in this unknown forest. But what happened next really shocked me.

I heard voices. English speaking voices. My eyes widened, but my caution rose, and I stayed where I was with my little fox buddy with me. The voices were coming closer, and eventually what came out of the bushes were three colorful little fillies, all arguing with each other, not paying any attention to me. I stared at them in shock, surprised about the fact that these horses were speaking the same language I do. 'I must really be in an alternate universe.' My eyes widen even more, when one of them falls down, moaning in pain.


"Rainbow Dash!" An elegant voice yelled out, attracting the attention of the rainbow-maned athlete. Rainbow Dash popped her head out of a cloud.

"Hey Rares! What's up?" She jumped off the cloud, and gently flew down to the ground.

"I haven't seen Sweetie Belle anywhere! I've looked for her for about an hour! She was supposed to come home when school let out, but she hasn't arrived yet!" Rarity said dramatically.

"I'm sure the girls are just doing some kind of Crusading. You know how they are." Rainbow Dash dismissed.

"Oh, are you talking about the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" A familiar voice spoke up, as Derpy Hooves stopped nearby. "I saw them entering the Everfree Forest while I was delivering mail. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen to me. And I kept stumbling over myself." Derpy floated to the ground, sadness in her face.

Rainbow Dash patted the shoulder of her old flight-camp friend (other than Fluttershy and Gilda). "It's okay Derpy, You tried, and that's important. But right now we got to save the girls. Applejack is still outta town, so we'll have to do this on our own. You ready Rarity?"

Rarity nodded, and the pair ran/flew over to the Everfree Forest, hoping to save their sisters.