The Last Cutie Mark Crusader

by Jatheus

23 - Quarantine, Part 1 of 5

Scootaloo felt rather warm inside as the siblings embraced in a goodbye hug.

"Are you absolutely sure you won't stay here in Manehattan with me?" Rarity asked as she made a pouty face.

"I'm sure, sis. Somepony's got to keep your shop clean in case you come back to Ponyville.”

There was a kind of hopelessness in Sweetie Belle’s voice that was echoed in Rarity’s expression. They were at the western edge of the city, near an EUP checkpoint. Scootaloo had already shown the guards her travel pass, and now she was just waiting for her passenger to finish her goodbyes.

It didn't take long to get harnessed up; Scootaloo made sure to double-check everything this time. The entire visit seemed to go by incredibly quickly. They'd only had a little over a day in Manehattan because of the time it took to travel, not to mention their detour to Cloudsdale. Scootaloo decided to address this one last time now that they were in the air and out of earshot.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle?"

"What is it?"

"Just remember, that detour we took to Cloudsdale is top secret, so don't mention it to anypony back home."

”You told me that like six times! I’m not that forgetful," Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo didn't have to look at her to know she'd rolled her eyes. They flew on in silence, heading straight for Ponyville. The weather couldn't have been better for flying. The warm afternoon air was pleasant, especially since they had a slight tailwind. Large puffy white clouds were scattered through the sky. If the pegasi were still controlling the weather, they'd make days like this specially for flying around in. That hadn't been the case for nearly a year. Left to its own devices, one never knew what to expect from the weather.

Her mind wandered and eventually came back to the horrific fate of Discord and the princesses. Just thinking about it made Scootaloo shudder. Any thought that Twilight Sparkle and the others may have been killed in that explosion was something that she wasn't ready to accept. Still, if they weren't dead, then where were they?

"Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle broke the silence.

"What is it, Sweetie Belle?"

"Thanks for bringing me to see Rarity."

"What are friends for?" Scootaloo replied with a smile.

They flew toward the afternoon sun, bound for Ponyville.

...

Pixyglitter was trying to forget the strangeness of the previous day, but Cloud Blazer being in the next hospital bed was a constant reminder. She was deeply unsettled by the situation. She wanted to run away, but where could she go? Given her lack of sight, not to mention her injured hind legs, she'd have trouble just making it down the hallway.

The dream she had apparently shared with Cloud Blazer had been so vivid that she had nearly believed it was real. Pixyglitter heard a rustling sound, and the way he was breathing changed. She knew he was awake now, so she lay completely still. Maybe she could switch rooms with somepony else.

"Pixyglitter, are you awake?" Cloud Blazer whispered at her.

She did not respond. Right now, she just wanted to be left alone. She could hear him shifting in bed a little. His breathing did sound better today that it had when she'd first arrived. With all the broken bones he had, it was unlikely that he would be released anytime soon. That meant that moving to another room was likely to be the fastest way for her to get away from him. Another thought began to trouble her. How does one escape from dreams?

...

Duster wasn't delirious; his mind was working perfectly. Feeling so sharp almost made him think that he could push through this sickness and still function. His body, on the other hoof, was not cooperating. He lay on a bed in the infirmary tent, basically immobilized without any energy. Lack of desire for anything was the primary feeling he experienced. Frequently, this would be interrupted by anger. In spite of him being deathly ill, Sissy hadn't come to visit him even once. While he could accept her ignoring him during training, this was getting ridiculous.

Medics entered the infirmary carrying a light gray pegasus on a stretcher. It was Doff. He would be the fifth member of Scootaloo's squad that was definitely infected. Jewel, Gunnysack, and Moonsliver were also sick. Duster only briefly saw Doff as they carried him by, but he looked terrible. Overcome from the strain, Duster laid his head back down on his cot pillow, exhausted.

Fighting against falling asleep, Duster listened to the medics talking about turning the mess tent into a secondary infirmary. It was rather disconcerting to think that it was already so bad that they were out of space. He struggled against it fecklessly; everything was beginning to feel so far away right now. Duster slipped off, succumbing to a deathly sleep.

...

Sparklefly cried out in alarm, ”Medic! Medic!"

Duster had stopped breathing. She shook him as she shouted wildly for for help, a near panic having taken hold. Two of them arrived within moments, pushing Sparklefly aside. They checked his eyes with a flashlight, and then listened for a heartbeat. Seconds later they were pumping air into his mouth and repeatedly pushing against his chest. Sparklefly's heart melted and she sank to the ground. They were performing CPR on her brother. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Duster was dead.

Unconsciously rubbing her eye patch, Sparklefly shuddered with abject terror. Her brother was dead, and there was nothing she could do; she was helpless. A thousand thoughts were burning through her mind: things she’d meant to do, things she should have done, ways she wished things had been different. All of this would be meaningless now. The hard truth was stabbing through her soul; every opportunity to do better was gone. If only she'd paid more attention to his symptoms sooner. He'd been coughing for days before he’d passed out the first time. They'd pushed too hard; she’d pushed him too hard.

Just as despair was taking over, Duster began coughing. Sparklefly jumped back up onto her hooves and watched as the medics stopped performing CPR. They turned her brother on his side, and he vomited. He looked horrendous, his body convulsing in great heaving spasms, but he was breathing again. Her heart was still pounding as relief began to take hold; it washed over her like a cleansing rain.

"Good catch LT," one of the medics said, glancing at Sparklefly.

She smiled weakly at him. Her emotional state was bouncing all over the place as adrenaline surged through her. Shaking from fear and excitement, she sat back down.

"We're going to have to keep an eye on all of them," the other medic said.

"I'll get an orderly to get this cleaned up," the first one said.

They set off about their business checking on the other patients. Sparklefly sat by her brother, determined to be there if he stopped breathing again. At this moment, nothing else in the entire world mattered to her. All of Equestria could burn, but if she let anything happen to Duster, she would never forgive herself.

Comments

[Emperor]

Wow, I definitely wasn't expecting that. You've killed your characters off pretty quick before with only Scoots and Sparklefly really having plot armour, and when I saw Duster dead I was thinking it would stay that way. Well, seems he still has some important role to play in the future, though

[Jatheus]

Yay! I'm glad to make surprises that aren't all upsetting.

Besides, has Duster even been around long enough to kill off?

[OmalleyCaboose5]

Sparklefly cried out in alarm, ”Medic! Medic!"

It's time to practice medicine

[OmalleyCaboose5]

Duster had stopped breathing. She shook him as she shouted wildly for for help, a near panic having taken hold. Two of them arrived within moments, pushing Sparklefly aside. They checked his eyes with a flashlight, and then listened for a heartbeat. Seconds later they were pumping air into his mouth and repeatedly pushing against his chest. Sparklefly's heart melted and she sank to the ground. They were performing CPR on her brother. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Duster was dead.

Quickly sparklefly save him
here's some aloe vera
Rub it on his leg

[Jatheus]

8741161
Bahahaha!!! I didn't even think to use aloe vera! That would have cured the sickness right up!