For the Sake of Progress

by Lucaro

Chapter 3: The Disease Spreads

Chapter 3: The Disease Spreads

Twilight returned later that day, and night had fallen. The way she looked when she opened the door made Fluttershy’s heart sink. Twilight collapsed on the ground, exhausted. “I don’t understand. I looked in all my books about viruses, but found nothing!”

Applejack stepped forward. “Twilight, I don’t know much about germs and such, but I remembered this one time we had to call a vet to the farm. All of our cows had gotten sick, and that had been a virus as well. Though nothing as serious as this, but we were worrying that Winona might get sick as well. Then he said something about viruses being “species-specific”.” Applejack shrugged her shoulders. “I never understood what he meant when he said that, but he said the sickness wouldn’t affect Winona.”

Twilight stared at Applejack, her jaw dropped. “You’re right…It can’t be a virus! Viruses can only affect one certain kind of species, like cows…” Twilight gestured to all the different kinds of animals in the room. “A virus couldn’t possibly attack such a broad spectrum of species!”

Fluttershy was confused. “So, it’s not a virus?”

“It’s not. It can’t be.” Twilight smacked her hoof on her face. “How could I have not remembered that pivotal fact?” Twilight sighed, looking at the roof. “I looked at all my books on diseases, bacteria and other microorganisms included, but there was still nothing. Maybe I'm not approaching this in the right way....”

Applejack shrugged. “Maybe it was magic? You know, like a curse.”

“No, if this affliction was magic based, I would have detected it.” Twilight walked around, confused. “What is causing this then?”

There was banging on the door, and Fluttershy’s heart stopped for a moment. A large stallion pushed open the door. Applejack cried. “Big Mac!”

Big Mac rushed in, his face desperate. “Applebloom is in the hospital!”

Fluttershy watched Applejack’s face darken with shock. “What happened!?”

He beckoned Applejack urgently. “She was eating the corn in the fields and started throwing up this slimy stuff….”

Twilight stepped forward, concerned. “Did the slimy stuff happen to be black and have the consistency of ooze?”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac nodded. Fluttershy exchanged glances with Applejack and Twilight. They all followed Big Mac outside and rushed to the hospital.

Fluttershy ran in, following Applejack and Big Mac. She was overcome with the smell of stale air, old latex, and bad cafeteria food. Applejack was yelling at the nurse at the table. In a few minutes, they were all running down the stark white hallways, following a nurse.

She led them into the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), and they saw Applebloom lying in a hospital bed in the first room. They rushed in, and Fluttershy stayed behind while Applebloom’s siblings tended to her. The little filly was in deep sedation, hooked up to a heart monitor that beeped at constant intervals. A doctor stallion trotted in, holding a clipboard. Applejack rushed to him. “Is my little sister going to be all right?”

The doctor sighed. “Does…” he checked the clipboard. “Yes, Applebloom, is she epileptic?”

Applejack shook her head. “W-what? Epileptic? No, no, she isn’t.”

“Does she have any neurological disorders?” Applejack looked at the doctor blankly. The doctor sighed. “Can you tell me Applebloom’s medical history?”

Applejack nodded. “Applebloom never got sick before. She had the Cutie-Pox once, and that was it.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed.

“So let me get this straight,” the doctor said. “Your little sister had a seizure, but she isn’t epileptic and has no history of any illness. Save for the Cutie-Pox. She started vomiting profusely when she was eating…corn?” Big Mac nodded. “Is she allergic to corn?”

Applejack shook her head vehemently. “No, sir. She eats corn all the time, and this is the first time anything like this has ever happened.”

Twilight leaned close to Fluttershy, “Hey, do you see any similarities between your animals’ sickness and Applebloom’s?”

Fluttershy looked at Twilight and nodded. Applebloom’s case looked exactly like her animals….

There was a knock on the door and Granny Smith came rushing in, looking at Applebloom with deep concern. “I don’t care how much I have to pay, but make my sweet Applebloom get better!”

The doctor sighed, irritated. “For her to get better, I must first understand what caused this illness! Healthy fillies don’t spontaneously have seizures.”

Twilight stepped forward. “So, you don’t know what’s causing this?”

“I know what’s causing this,” the doctor said gravely. He turned to Granny Smith. “I’m sorry, but your granddaughter is epileptic.”

“W-what?” Granny Smith said, her elderly frame trembling.

“No!” Applejack shouted. “Applebloom is as healthy as can be! She doesn’t have epilepsy.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed.

The doctor waved his hoof apologetically. “I know it’s a hard truth, but….”

A mare knocked on the door, and they all turned around and faced her. The strange unicorn mare with a black mane and white lab coat walked in. She took one look at Applebloom. She used her magic to levitate a walkie talkie up to her mouth. “Administrator, we’ve got another case.”

Two stallions in hospital security uniforms grabbed Applebloom’s bed and began rolling it backwards out towards the door. The doctor gasped in outrage. “This is my patient! Where are you taking her!?”

The strange scientist mare sighed. “We’re taking her to isolation, along with all the other foals showing similar symptoms.”

“Wait, there are more cases of this illness?” Twilight asked.

The scientist mare nodded. “Yes, we have a few other foals that have gone into a comatose state because of it.” Applejack and Big Mac gasped. The stallions began wheeling out Applebloom’s bed. “But she’s the oldest patient so far, so she has a better chance.”

Fluttershy approached the strange mare. “Umm, excuse me?” The scientist mare looked at her. “Well, you see, my animals all got sick too. They all had the same illness.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, we’ve been trying to investigate this epidemic.”

The scientist mare looked at all of them. “You all look like capable ponies. Maybe you can help us find the source of this disease.”

Author's Note:

If it's not a pathogen
And it's not magic
Them what's causing everyone to get sick?
And why is it affecting mainly young children?

Pretend you are like the scientist mare, investigating this outbreak.
What's your theory on what's going on?