Cutie Mark for the Cure
Before we can start talking about how awesome I am, I must explain my cutie mark. If I were in a comic book, one could call this my origin story. This is a regular story, a fanfic at that. This is simply a prologue.
My name is Nocturna. My mothers' names are Stormy Seas and Derpy Hooves. I only have one thing in common with one of them, though. I have eyes similar to mama Derpy. While her eyes are gold, mine are more of a copper. Quick description of my family's appearance, starting with me. My coat is cherry red, becoming gradient to black at my muzzle, hooves, and wing tips. I have black hair with white streaks. I wear glasses because my eyes were not very strong at birth. Mama Derpy is a gray mare with a bubble cutie mark and gold hair and eyes. Mama Stormy Seas is, well, sea green, with aqua marine hair with blue streaks, and stormy gray eyes.'
Onto the topic of jobs! Mama Stormy was a sailor with the New Lunar Navy, and has since retired. Mama Derpy was one of the couriers for the New Lunar Army. She still runs messages from time to time, but she is usually home. I can't work, being a filly at this point. The N.L.R. pays them handsomely for their service. Unfortunately, handsomely is not enough sometimes...
One day, while the three of us were playing playing Halo 2 in the living room, mama Stormy collapsed. Me and mama Derpy freaked out. Fortunately, being raised by military parents, no matter how loving, teaches a certain level of calm. Mama Derpy recovered from her shock and we each grabbed a hoof. Separate, we would not have been able to move her. Together, we lifted her from the floor and flew her to the nearest V.A.
It was thirty minutes before she woke up.
“Wh-where a I?” Stormy said groggily.
“The V.A., honey. You passed out suddenly. We flew you to the hospital to have you looked at...” Derpy replied. “They performed some tests. They should be back any moment with the results.”
We sat in silence as we waited. My mothers snuggled with each other. It was an additional thirty minutes before a doctor showed up.
“Ah, good to see you awake, ma'am. My name is Doctor Nurse Purpleheart. You being awake, however, is where your good news ends, I'm afraid. Before I tell you, you might ask-”
“To ask Nocturna to step out of the room? No. She needs to know. She is a smart filly. I'd rather her know now.” Mama Stormy said.
“As you wish, ma'am. I'm afraid you have stage four cancer. It has progressed so far, in fact, that the cells have made your way heart. There is no treatment in existence as of this moment that we can use to save you. I'm sorry.”
My mothers raised me to be cal in all situations where my emotions might get out of check. It was their military instinct. They also knew better than to question what they have been told. I, however, wasn't raised that way.
“I know I'm only a filly, but I know magic does many things. Are you sure there isn't a spell that can cure her?”
“I'm afraid not Nocturna.”
“How long does she have, Doc?” Derpy asked suddenly.
“Three years.”
Over the course of the next year, Stormy started getting her estate in order. She slowly started putting some money aside for me and Derpy when she passed. Shortly after getting an account in our name with a military off shore bank, she started recieving visits from her old military buddies. During these visits, I was either playing a game or reading. Momma Derpy insisted on this.
After a year and a half passed, a bit of a saving grace fell into my life. During a bi-weekly visit from one of her navy pals, one of them had brought a newspaper. They handed me the comics section as was custom, but there was something on the back of the funny pages that caught my eye. A certain... Article.
"Scientists from Maretonia discover the cure for cancer! After years of research and testing, a cure for cancer has been discovered. However, due to limited supply and availability of the ingredients, the price has been set at 20 billion bits. Insurance does not cover it."
My mind raced with excitement. I ran to momma Stormy with the news.
"Nocturna, we cannot afford that. Even if we could set money aside for it, and ALL of my old crew pitched in, we would not be able to afford it in time." Stormy said to me, a sad smile on her face.
"B-but momma... I don't want you to die... There has to be someway..." I sobbed.
No. Actually, I cried. She tried comforting me, but it was of no use. She was going to die. And I couldn't save her. No one could. Or... Maybe I could. I was never meant to be the hero, I realized. Oh no. I was born to be the villain.
I started looking for information around town. I was able to use my allowance to grease some hooves for information. Apparantly, a shipment had just arrived at the V.A. that contained a couple of packages of the stuff. Great. That's some good news.
Next, using an upcoming school project and my mothers' military IDs, I obtained the blueprints for the V.A. Day and night for the next couple of months, I studied the layout of the building. Eventually, I was able to decide on an entrance, path to the room, and an exit strategy or three.
After that, I had a more difficult task. Learning the camera layout. However, that was something a decent disguise and a well thought out lie could remedy. I was able to pull off pretending to be a Jr Novelist with the local paper. Upon arrival, I presented them with a well made fake ID made for me by a foal named Faux Papier. I asked for a tour of the place, and they showed me around the entire building. I made careful note of the camera spread, turning speed, the frequency of the camera. Fortunately, fate smiled upon me. I saw someone entering the code to open the door containing the medicines. Smiling to myself, I "accidentally" dropped my quill and paper. I made note of the numbers they pressed, played them over and over in my head, and my work here was done for now.
We were now at the beginning of the third year, and I had two tasks left. First, practice. I went to the neighborhood kids and started playing games like cops and robbers, tag, red light green light, chase, and hide and seek. Of course, only I caught on to the theme of the games. For the first three months of the year, I played these games until I was unstoppable. Until I won every time.
The second task I had had left was the action. Late at night, when my parents were asleep, probably midnight or so, I grabbed my saddle bag and snuck out through my window.
Thirty minutes later, I found myself outside the hospital. With a gulp of air and nerves, I began my flight to the top of the building. Upon reaching the top, I immediately found the air duct I needed for my entrance. Fifteen minutes of crawling around through them, and I finally found the exit I had planned. I carefully removed the vent cover and set it down gently. I took the mirror out of my bag and used it to make sure I was clear for the hall. It took a few moments, but finally the cameras were at the ideal timing. I lowered myself out of the vent. I had a few moments before having to move again, so i carefully placed the vent cover in place and made my way from blind spot to blind spot. I had finally reached the door. I heard hoof steps from around the corner and quickly made my way up onto the ceiling. A guard came around the corner, a flash light on and looking around. I quickly, and quietly, fell behind him as he turned the flashlight upwards. As he turned back towards the way he came, I hugged the wall. He didn't see me, which was good. I waited until he was a ways down the hall before turning my attention back to the key pad. I put in the combination and the sliding glass doors opened with a slight hiss. I entered the room and started looking around. Slowly, something dawned on me. I didn't know what the fuck I was looking for.
I thought back to what I was told about it back when I was bribing for information. It was honey colored and smelled of minthe. I used that to narrow my search accordingly. I had maybe fifteen minutes before the guard came back, so i had to hurry. I looked at the contents of every open box. Nothing matched it. I started carefully opening boxes left and right. I found a box labeled "Canibis". I grabbed it because I figured I might need some before this was all over. I had two boxes and as many minutes. I quickly opened them and found two identical colored serums. One minute. I dripped some from the syringe onto my hoof. Giving it a smell, it revealed it wasn't what I was looking for. I grabbed three of the syringes filled with the cure and carefully placed them in my bag. I quickly closed the boxes. Thirty seconds. I quietly sprinted out of the room and closed the door. I could hear hoof steps and see the light. I took my place on the ceiling as he came back around three corner. I repeated the process I had before, and he was none the wiser.
I made my way to the nearest of my exit strategies and quickly made my escape into the night. On my stroll home, I had heard two mares in a slight argument.
"Huzzah! My winnings hath been doubled! Pay up Tia!" one of them had said.
"No fair Lu! Double or nothing! I bet 300 bits she can't find us." the one who must be Tia said.
"You're so on!" Lu said.
At that moment I flew up above the nearest building to scope out the scene. A few streets over, I saw a cloaked figure waving at me and beckoning me over. I flew over and found myself in the presence of the princesses. I bowed before them and heard this.
"Huzzah! The doubled winnings hath been doubled! Fork it over Tia!" Luna had said.
"Fine..." Celestia had said before passing a bag over to Luna filled with the winnings.
"Thank you, dear Nocturna! Thou hast quadrupled the bits I had at the beginning of this venture. Now hurry on home. Thou dids't not take those for simple pleasure. Make haste." Luna said to me.
Awaiting no further prompting, i hurried home. From behind me i heard,
"Come now, Tia. I shall purchase for us a meal to celebrate!"
I was home in moments. I may have slammed the front door open in my haste, but only Derpy awoke. She quietly questioned why i had been out, to which i'd replied saving the family. I took a syringe out of my bag and explained what it was.
"How? How did you get it?" she asked, eyes wide.
"The less you know, the better. Hurry. We got to do it."
We went up stairs and cleaned an area on her foreleg. Taking the time to administer the proper procedure, we applied the cure. As we did, a tingling made home of my flank. I looked at the source and saw that a cutie mark slowly appear on my flank. It was a jeweled candle stick. I giggled to myself because I undertood it. In Skyrim, a game I am quite fond of, I had joined the thieves guild. A mission I all to often had was to break into a home and take that very object.