Shades of Equestria

by Typographical Error

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“How is she?” Whooves asked, nervously shifting from hoof to hoof.

“She is fine.” Lunar responded, turning and walking towards the lab. “In fact, there hasn’t really been any change. But that doesn’t mean it won’t.”

“Have you found any leads yet?” Whooves asked, trotting to catch up to him. Lunar rolled his eyes. Apparently Whooves hadn’t caught the message. He turned and faced him, trying to keep the most sympathetic expression on his face.

“Look, what did I tell you yesterday?” he asked, looking Whooves in the eye.

“Umm...you said that you didn’t have any idea what was causing this.”

“No.” Lunar said, turning away from him again. “I said to leave me alone during this. I know it will be taxing for you, it is for all of us. But you have to be able to leave both her and I alone if you want me to work.” Whooves’ gaze dropped, and he took a step back.

“Right..I’m sorry.” he said, turning away. But Lunar trotted over and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

“Look, if I find anything, even if I just get the virus isolated, you will be the first to know. I just...I just need to work.” Whooves nodded.

“I understand. It’s just...well, you know.” he said, jerking his head towards Twilight’s containment room. Lunar nodded, completely understanding.

“I know how you feel. I have seen it a hundred times. But I can’t work when people are here. So please, take a walk, read a book, learn some genetics or something. I just have to be left alone.” And with that, he turned away and headed towards his lab. Whooves watched him go, then turned and headed off up the stairs.

*****

“Do I really have to wear this thing!?” Rainbow moaned, refusing to stand still. her cyan fur was completely encased in a yellow rubber Hazmat suit. The only part of her body left open to the air were her wings, which stuck out through small holes lined with a rubber seal. Her fast breathing was fogging up the visor, and she was giving Lunar a death stare through the steam.

“As far as I am concerned, we should all be wearing these, but I thought against it. And since you are the fastest flyer, I chose you for the job.”

“And what would that be?” Rainbow asked, dropping onto her haunches and crossing her front legs.

“I need you to go back to that lake and get me a sample of the water.” Lunar said, handing a sealed vial to her. “Just get some, and come right back. No playing, no drinking, no taking the suit off. Understand?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Be back in a while.” And with that, she jumped into the air and flew out of the dome, leaving a very annoyed Lunar in her wake. He shook his head, suiting up in the same type of suit as Rainbow did. He had one other thing to do before he went back to the lab. He pulled the suit over his head, pulling the zipper up his chest. Just as it had done on Rainbow’s, his breath was fogging up the visor. Shaking his head, he turned and climbed back down the stairs.

He reached her room and peered inside. She was in the same place he had seen her the last time, curled up in a small ball in the middle of the bed. He breathing was rapid, and she shivered every couple seconds. He sighed. He hated to see her like this. He turned to his right, looking at the air-tight door. He had not opened it since she had been put in there two days ago. But he had to now.

He pulled the zipper down slightly, pulling his hoof out of the rubber suit. He pressed it against the scanner, waiting for it to read the grooves. As soon as it did, he pulled it back into the suit and pulled the zipper up. The door swung open, and he stepped inside as fast as possible. As soon as it sensed he was inside, the door shut behind him. All he would have to do would be to push a button and the door would open again.

He watched her for a couple seconds. Despite the immense pain she must have been feeling, she found a way to sleep. As carefully as possible, he walked over to her. She hadn’t woken up yet, but she would have to be. He touched her shoulder, gently shaking her awake. One eyelid fluttered, her violet eyes bloodshot and tired. But she still vaguely smiled when she saw him.

“What can I help you with, Doc?” she asked, sitting up slightly.

“I just need to ask you some questions.” Lunar said, his voice muffled by the suit. “They shouldn’t take long.”

“Fire away.” Twilight said, rubbing her eyes. “I have nothing else to do.” Lunar didn’t know how to respond, so he just went straight into his questions.

“While you were out there, did you see anything out of the ordinary?”

“You mean more out of the ordinary than everything else here?” Twilight asked, smiling “No, everything was pretty much normal for here.”

“While you were at the lake, did you do anything different than the others?”

“Um...” Twilight closed her eyes, thinking back. “I don’t think so. I went into the water, I swam, I played. I can’t think of anything.”

“Nothing at all?” Lunar asked, getting slightly frustrated. “You didn’t eat something, or come in contact with another life form, possibly?”

“Twilight closed her eyes again. “I think the only thing I did different was.....I didn’t drink any of the water.”

“Wait, you didn’t?” Lunar asked, confused. Twilight shook her head “How does that make any sense!?” Lunar said, standing up. “I would understand if you swallowed some of the water and you got sick, but the complete opposite...I can’t understand that.”

“Everywhere here, you are protected from a virus, unless it is already inside of you. A virus normally enters the body in one of three ways.” Lunar continued. “Through ingestion, like it was in your food. Through breathing, as you inhaled, it came inside your body. And an open....” His voice trailed off, and he looked down at Twilight. “And through an open wound.” Twilight’s eyes widened, and her hoof flew up to the cut on the side of her head. Lunar knelt down, turning her head to the side so he could see the wound.

“I think we found the entrance point.” he said, standing back up again. “Rainbow should be back soon. From there I should be able to find out what’s in the water, and if I can stop it. Thank you for your time.” He turned to exit the room, but he was stopped by her voice.

“How long do you think I have?” Her voice was small and weak. Lunar couldn’t think to the last time he had heard such a voice. He turned back to her.

“I don’t know. But right now, stay strong. Hope is all we have against this thing.” He turned around again and pressed the small button next to the door. A loud hiss sounded, and the door swung open again. He left the room,closing the door with a touch of his hoof to the scanner. Taking one last look into the room, he saw that silent tears were falling down her face. Tears that they both knew, contained the very virus that was slowly killing her.

*****

He was pacing inside his lad, not knowing where to even start with his research. This was exactly had happened the last time, his brain was yelling at him. They were dying and you did nothing.

“I couldn’t do anything.” he said softly. “I had no idea where to start.”

No, his brain said back, but you had theories. Theories, that went untested. Ideas never touched. You could have stopped this, but you didn’t.

“No...no I couldn’t do anything to fix this.” he said, head falling into his hooves. “There wasn’t anything I could have done. It was beyond me.”

You’re wrong, his brain said back to him. “You could have stopped it, you just didn’t want-

“SHUT UP!!” Lunar yelled, slamming his hoof into the table. Several beakers and microscopes fell to the side, rolling towards the back of the table. His loud breathing muffled the sound of wings and hooves at the door. Only when she cleared her throat did he look up.

“Am I interrupting something?” Rainbow asked, her eyes wide and frightened. Lunar cleared his throat, blushing slightly.

“No, you aren’t. I was just...nevermind.” he said, not meeting her eyes. “Did you get the water?” She nodded, picking up the handle and bringing it over to him. Lunar looked down and saw his reflection once the water had settled. He looked even more crazy than he had the other day.

“Thank you. I think that is all I need right now.” he said, instructing her to carry it over to the table. She dropped it off, then turned to face the door.

“Do you think you will be able to find a cure?” Rainbow asked, not looking at him. Lunar took a deep breath, not sure what to say.

“I don’t know.” he finally whispered. Rainbow’s head dropped, and she walked back out the door. Lunar turned, shaking his head. He hated to crush her dreams like that, but it was the truth. He looked over the lab table, seeing the blood samples and the water that could either mean a new beginning, or just a waste of time. There was only one way to know exactly what would happen. He picked up Rainbow’s blood sample, and set to work.

*****

“So this is where you have been all this time.”

Whooves looked around, surprised. He squinted against the setting and rising sun. The silhouette of Rainbow Dash appeared in the sky next to him. She dropped down, a loud clang rising from the metal under her hooves as she did. He spared her a small glance, then looked out towards the horizon again.

“You have no idea how long it took me to find a way up here.” he said, a small smile on his lips. He looked down at the metal of the ship, and the long shadows being cast out in two directions. At the very top of both, their shadows sat, the only contour to the perfectly sleek ship.

“I would ask how, but I don’t really care.” she said, fluttering her wings to show she could go wherever she wanted. Whooves nodded, not looking away from the sunset. A moment of silence passed between them. It was finally broken by Whooves.

“Is there a particular reason you came to find me?” he asked, looking over at her. Whooves couldn’t suppress the thought of how stunning she looked. The colors of rising and setting suns blended with her cyan fur, creating a bright pink on her back, and a dark purple on her chest and face. No shadows could be found on her, only under her. Her eyes shown, reflecting both the landscape and the suns, creating a world that looked like it was inside of her. Whooves began to wonder what Twilight would have looked like if she was able to be there.

“I wanted to see how you were doing.” she said, eyes showing the concern her voice didn’t. “I know how hard it is for the five of us, I can only imagine what it must be like for you.” Whooves didn’t answer, he just continued to look out at the horizon.

“She will get better, she has to.” Rainbow continued. “After all we have come through, it can’t end now. Not after what she has found.” Whooves got the feeling she wasn’t talking about the colony or the planet. He turned to look at her, choosing his words carefully.

“What do you mean?” Rainbow snorted, doing a flip to show how exasperated she was.

“For a doctor you aren’t that smart are you?” she asked, a smirk on her face. “You are the best thing to happen to her in a long time, and probably the best thing ever. I couldn’t think of a stallion more perfect for her than you.” She paused for a moment, watching his reaction. “But you already knew that didn’t you?” Whooves turned to the sunrise, taking a few moments before he nodded.

“I want her to come out of this, but not for our sake.” Rainbow said. “It’s for her sake, and for yours. She has never really had a relationship in the years that I knew her. And I don’t want this one to end before it starts.”

“I have been praying, Rainbow.” he said. “But I don’t know if Celestia can hear us out here.” Rainbow rushed forward and embraced his. Whooves was startled, but then he hugged her back, blowing some of her mane out of his face. “She will pull through, Dash. I know she will.” Rainbow let go of him, nodding slightly.

“Are you going to be here for a while?” she asked, her voice thick. Whooves nodded.

“Tell them I am up here is they need me.” Rainbow nodded one last time, spreading her wings and jumping off the side of the ship. She disappeared below the lip of the ship, but then she reappeared, flying towards the colony. Whooves looked away from her, back to the third sun, which was rising over the horizon. The sunrise colors were almost gone, but the pink hue was still in the clouds. Something like this would never be seen on Equestria. And one of them might never see it again.

*****

“This doesn’t make any sense!” Lunar yelled, pushing himself away from the table and standing up. “How is that possible!?” he shouted, storming around the lab.

Hours he had been working, and he still hadn’t found anything. Every time he tried to isolate the virus, it would die. Every Time he tried to create a vaccine, it wouldn’t take effect. Anything he tried, either didn’t work, or ended in disaster. Nothing was working, and it made no sense! He sat back down, his breath ragged in his throat. He couldn’t stop though, he had to keep working. Using a small glass rod, he took a few drops from the water and placed it on the microscope. He had done this many time before, and he got the same thing. Microbes, microscopic plant life, debris, everything that is normal in lake water back on Equestria. But this time, something was different. He was about to look away when a flash of red in the corner caught his eye. He looked again, but it was gone. Quickly, he repositioned it, not daring to think what it might be.

The flash of red centered in his view, and his breath caught in his throat. He knew what it was, it had just been so long since he had last seen it. Almost a squid shape, and bio-luminescent with a red glow, it sat there like a neon sign. The thing that had caused so much trouble the first year they landed.

It was the microbes, the one that they filter out of the water supply. It was still alive, and looked unchanged in over a hundred years. Lunar watched it slowly swim out of view, and he didn’t even try to get another look at it. But something wasn’t right, his mind told him.

The microbe caused another type of disease, not the one Twilight was suffering. And why weren’t any of the others who went to the lake sick as well? Lunar sighed, realizing that this discover produced more questions and solved none. Before he decided to yell again, he pulled some of the water out and put it into a vial, along side to a vial with Twilight’s blood. He was lost to reality, so he didn’t hear as Rainbow opened the door to the lab.

“Hey, just letting you know, Whooves it out at the ship.” she said quickly. Lunar jumped, spilling both the water and blood. The small amounts didn’t spread, but they did mix in the center of the desk.

“Oh, buck..” he said, turning to Rainbow. He took a quick breath, nodding in her direction. “Yes, thank you for letting me know...” Rainbow didn’t respond, she just backed out of the room. Lunar felt bad for being so sarcastic, but he couldn’t focus on that right now. He would apologize later. He turned back to his desk, grabbing a cloth to wipe up the blood and water. But he had a sudden idea. He picked up a drop of the liquid on the glass rod, and dropped it onto the microscope. He placed his eyes against the lens and looked in, trying to find one of the virus cells. He finally found one, and he took a long moment before he moved.

“That’s impossible.”

*****

The sound of flapping wings broke Whooves out of his trance. Turning, he was Derpy flying towards him. He stood up, waiting for her to land. She finally did, quite clumsily, then she looked up at him with one of her eyes.

“Lunar wants to see you.” she said, her voice slightly more husky than usual. Whooves wondered if she had flown the wrong direction first before coming here. “He said its important.”

Whooves heart dropped to his hooves. She could be...could she? “Twilight isn’t....?” His voice trailed off. Derpy shook her head.

“I saw her when he called me down. She is fine.” Whooves smiled at this, his heart returning to it’s normal spot. Whooves looked around, suddenly remembering where he was.

“Think you can give me a lift back to the colony?” he asked, smiling slightly.

*****

Three minutes later, Whooves landed clumsily on the ground in front of the medical dome. Before Derpy had even folded her wings, he was inside the building. He took the stairs three at a time, jumping from landing to landing. Thoughts raced through his head. Was she still alright? Had he found a cure? Was she dead? He stopped himself on the last thought. Only seeing her would give him the truth.

Finally he reached the last landing. He burst through the doors, running up the hallway he had memorized. Taking the last corner faster than he should, his legs slid out from under him and he fell to the floor. he opened his eyes and looked up. Lunar was standing over him, shaking his head.

“You didn’t have to kill yourself to get here.” he said, holding out his hoof to Whooves. He took it, smiling sheepishly.

“I just wanted to know what you wanted.” he said, looking around the hallway. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except that the curtains to Twilight’s room were shut. Whooves felt himself go cold. “She’s not...?”

Lunar shook his head. “She just couldn’t fall asleep, so I shut the curtains. And as for the reason I wanted you, follow me.” He turned around and headed back towards the lab. Whooves followed him closely. But Lunar seemed to be in no hurry, something that annoyed Whooves. They finally reached the lab, and Lunar waited outside until Whooves walked in.

“What did you want to show me?” he asked, looking around the familiar sights of a lab. Lunar pointed at the one table with a chair pulled out.

“Go over there and look in the microscope. Tell me what you see.” Whooves looked at him for a moment, confused. But he walked forward anyway. He placed his eye against the lens and looked in. Instantly, another world opened up. Bright red and pink circles, blood cells, burst into existence. But something was wrong. The cells looked, sick, dying. And there was something else in the blood as well, something much smaller. Whooves watched as a blood cell swelled, growing larger than any of it’s neighbors. Then, suddenly, it burst. Dozens of small dots flooded out, attaching themselves to the closest cells, and burrowing inside. Whooves knew what he was watching. The virus was killing the blood cells.

“It’s the virus.” he said, looking over at Lunar. “Is that all you wanted to show me?” Lunar shook his head, pointing at a microscope next to him.

“Look in there, I doubt you have ever seen anything like this before.” Whooves looked for a few seconds, then pulled away abruptly.

“What was that?” he asked. Lunar smiled.

“That, my friend, is the very microbe that we filter out of our water. It was in the lake water that they swam and drank from. It was what was giving us a disease before the virus came along. You wouldn’t think they would have anything in common, now would you?” Whooves shook his head, looking back into the microscope.

“Step back and I will show you.” he said. Whooves nodded, taking a couple steps back. Lunar picked up a glass rod and dipped it into the water on the microscope. He carried the drop over and shook it off into the blood on the microscope. He let the two liquids mix for a moment, watching the blood turn from opaque to translucent. He took a step back, pointing at the microscope. “Now tell me what you see.” Whooves looked at him for a moment, then looked into the microscope.

The blood wasn’t as thick as it had been, and parts of the scene were clear instead of red. There were some virus cells floating in the water, dislodged from their host cell. Whooves watched them float for a few moments, until movement caught his eye. The microbe had entered the scene. Slowly, it floated towards the virus cells. Whooves watched as the microbe slowly encased one of the virus cells, then moved on to the next one. Soon, it had ingested all the virus cells, and it slowly floated away, out of his view. Whooves slowly backed away, looking over at Lunar.

“Did that really just happen?” he asked. Lunar nodded, smiling.

“It did.”

“But..what?” Whooves stuttered.

“It’s a very simple predator-prey relationship.” Lunar said. “The microbe eats the virus cells, thus clearing them out of the environment. But here is the kicker.” Lunar said, reaching into the pocket of his saddlebags. “After the microbe eats the virus, it loses its toxicity.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean.” Lunar said, holding out a vial with a clear liquid in it, “after the virus is ingested, the microbe is no longer deadly, and can be ingested by us without any harm. And I think you know what that means.” Lunar said, tilting the vial back and forth in the air. A warm feeling spread through Whooves.

“You found a cure...?” he asked, not able to believe it. Lunar nodded.

“Quite possibly I have. And I wanted you to be here when I administered it to her.” Whooves couldn’t contain himself anymore. He jumped into the air, letting out a loud cheer. Lunar just watched him, looking the happiest he had been since they met him.

“When can we do it?” Whooves asked, talking fast. Lunar pulled a syringe out of his back and loaded the vial into the slot.

“As soon as you want it to be.” Whooves practically tripped on his own feet as he ran out the door, Lunar trotting behind him. He was about to press his hoof against the scanner, when he stopped and looked at Lunar.

“We need to wear the suits, right?” Lunar shook his head.

“If this works, we won’t need those for a long time.” Whooves nodded, pressing his hoof against the scanner. The door opened with a hiss, and they stepped inside. Twilight was laying under the covers, watching them with half-closed eyes. Whooves galloped over and laid his hoof on hers.

“Why aren’t you wearing the suits?” she asked, eyes opening a little more. “Oh no. Are you sick as well?!” Whooves shook his head, smiling.

“We think we have a cure!” he said, pointing at the syringe in Lunar’s grasp. “just one more needle, and you will be fixed!” But Twilight didn’t seem to be sure, she looked over at the syringe, then up at Lunar.

“Are you sure? This isn’t going to make it worse?” Lunar’s expression stayed fixed.

“I have complete faith in what I have created. Now, I don’t know what this will be like, so it might be a little uncomfortable. But you have to stay strong.” Twilight looked at both him and Whooves, before finally nodding. She stuck out her right fore-leg. Lunar walked over and placed the needle against her skin. he pushed gently, and it sank under her fur. He pushed the plunger in, and the vial emptied into her bloodstream. Twilight’s eyes never left the needle. Lunar pulled it out, placing it back into had pack.

“Now, this might take awhile to take effect, so don’t worry.” But twilight just smiled up at him, her eyelids starting to droop.

“No, I feel better already.” Her head fell back onto the pillow, and her breathing slowed to a steady rate. Whooves looked down at her. Finally, she was healing. Finally, it was fixed. He followed Lunar out the door, taking one last look at the pony he loved. For once in as long as he could remember, he knew she was going to be alive the next day.

Comments

[TheHappyBrony313]

man, ten stashes to you!

[Akima01]

I was sooooooo exited for the new chapter. And better yet, They found a cure! This story and it's predecessor are 100% approved by AWESOMENESS ITSELF!!!!!!!!

[Nopony in Particular]

Yes!! I love this chapter. Unless something goes wrong though, it seems as if the story is starting to wind down.

[Typographical Error]

1200745 Hate to say it, but sadly it is.dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Vinyl_sad.png