Salvation after Eradication

by Ozarkponylover

Revelation

A chilling fear swept over Shining Armour as his eyes darted wildly around his surroundings. The stench of urine and rot made nausea rise up from his belly. He could hear all ranges of noises. Distressed ponies were crying. Exacerbated mumbles came from the ponies who had gone out of their minds. The hoofstep patterns that resounded as he and two Lab Corp scientists walked down a narrow corridor were the only sounds with rhyme or reason.

He had been granted access to Lab Corps Headquarters in the caverns beneath Canterlot. He might as well have taken a trip to hell.

His heart sank when the scientists stopped at a large window. Shining Armour squinted to see through. The opposite room was dimly lit, but what Shining could see resembled a demented zoo exhibit. He could see dark smears streaked across the wall and he could smell the sweat and feces coming from whatever pitiful pony waited for them behind the glass.

One of the scientists clicked on a light switch, and Shining Armour let the numbness take over when he saw their latest test subject. The pegasus before them was grotesquely muscular. Drool dripped from its muzzle and it grunted at its spectators.

"As you can see, we have mixed results with this virus, but we've almost achieved our goal," the scientist boasted. "This pegasus was too malnourished to fly a week ago. Now she flies in the top 3% of recorded speeds. As of today, she has killed her targets within 20 minutes after they were released into her enclosure."

Shining Armour didn't allow himself to do so much as cringe.

"When was she infected, then?" He asked.

"Two days ago."

"Any side effects?"

"She's scoring significantly low on her cognition tests. Her mental capacity matches that of a schoolfilly, which makes her extremely easy to control. We're also seeing high aggression, heart rate, and metabolism. But that's no surprise."

"She will make a fine soldier," Shining Armour said.

"Precisely. We will infect Pegasi as soon as we've refined the virus."

"Sir, what if we fail to contain them? If they rebel?" Shining Armor asked.

The scientist snorted. He looked over his notes for reassurance and then nodded to his colleague. The second scientist's horn began to glow and radiate warmth. Shining Armor recognized the spell as a simple lightning cast. He knew who the intended target was and his heart sank even further into his chest. The first scientist lowered the protective screen as the second finished his spell. The infected pegasus was oblivious to the assault as a barrage of lightning struck her in the sternum. Her body appeared to tense for a brief moment before she crumbled to the ground in a heap.

"With such an elevated heart rate, they are also easily disposed of," the first scientist noted. "Any hit in the chest will cause cardiac arrest."

"How is the infection spread?"

"No fear there, Sir Armor," said the scientist, "we inject it into the bloodstream. We intend to start a war, not the apocolypse."

"A war against whom?" Shining asked. He immediately knew he had gone too far. He couldn't take it back now. The scientist lifted an eyebrow. He conferred with his partner before he gave an answer.

"We will let our boss explain it to you, if she sees it appropriate. There is no harm in telling you this, Shining Armor... nopony can stop us now. The ponies' beloved princesses were their only hope. We can't kill that which is immortal, so they have been sealed in the depths of Tartarus. The only way to return a living soul to the earth were the Elements of Harmony. Two of them are dead. We have targeted the Pegasi next. Our next test subjects for the Pegasi virus are-" here he glanced at his notes for reference- "Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. We know they are still in Ponyville."

Shining knew he had to act fast.

Twilight Sparkle's eyes jolted open. Sweat rolled down her forehead and had collected on her pillow. She sat upright slowly to prevent the dizziness from forcing her to lay down again.

"Was that you Twilight?" Fluttershy asked sleepily.

Twilight buried her head in her hooves.

"Uh huh," she muttered wearily. "I just got a telepathic message from Shining Armour." As she began to process the message, her eyes grew wide and she cried, "I know where the princesses are! We have to leave Ponyville!"

Comments

[user123]

4122720
I a,so never got why non earth ponies couldn't just do what earth ponies do, plant seeds, water, blah blah blah, in the show.