• Published 16th Mar 2016
  • 3,753 Views, 58 Comments

Snuggle Bug - Overload



The nation of Equestria is struck by the most terrifying pandemic ever to afflict mortal ponies... the snuggle bug.

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Prologue – Patient Zero

Golden Harvest skipped through the Everfree forest, humming along to a song only she could hear. Her smile only grew wider as she pressed further and further into the woods; it was a trip she didn’t get to take very often, and on the rare occasions that she did, Roseluck was always there to… erm, supervise her. Things tended to go wrong when Golden was around, and the Everfree was the last place you wanted your bad luck acting up.

But Rose was off visiting family in Manehattan with her sisters for the week, and Golden had run out of Zecora’s special fertilizer for her carrots. So she got to head out on her own, just this once.

Besides, she was a strong, independent young mare! She didn’t need a chaperone anyway. She was fully capable of taking care of herself, thank you very much.

With an audible harrumph, she turned her nose to the air and picked up her pace, headed for Zecora’s home. Before long, she reached the door to the ominous tree-hut. Skidding to a halt, she waited a moment to catch her breath. She glanced up above the door frame—the open sign still hung proudly over the entryway.

“Welp,” she said, exhaling loudly, “here goes nothing!”

Without a second thought, she nudged open the door and took a step inside. The chimes that hung just above the entryway rung out, alerting the zebra to her presence.

A moment ticked by before a voice piped up from the back room: “Sir or madam, please wait patiently; with you in a moment, I soon shall be.”

“No rush,” Golden replied absently, eyes wandering around the room—there were so many pretty things here! Exotic vegetation and herbal mixes, eerie potions and brews of all colors, and trinkets and knickknacks aplenty. Name anything and this place probably had it. Deep down, Golden knew she shouldn’t let her eyes tempt her, but she couldn’t help it. Rose usually made her wait outside, so she’d never seen the inside of the shop before. And besides, everything was just so… touchable.

After lingering on a certain shelf for a tad too long, her eyes pulled her towards it. It hosted jars with varying materials inside, all of which had many holes poked atop. Golden stared at them, rapt.

She was so enraptured that she hadn’t even noticed the hoofsteps approaching her. “Scent is the most powerful sense,” Zecora said. “If you wish, give a sniff of my incenses.”

Golden jumped at the voice. “Oh! Hello,” she chirped with a smile.

Zecora smiled right back at her. “If ask you I may, how might I help on this day?”

“Uh, do you happen to have any fertilizer? The stuff you usually give to Roseluck?”

Zecora nodded in understanding, her lips pursed. “Of fertilizer I have only just run out, yet there is still no need to for you to pout! I can make a new batch just for you, and perhaps for all your lovely friends too.”

After giving Zecora a dismissive nod of thanks, Golden turned back to all the different incenses sprawled across the shelf. She shot a glance back at the zebra, who was currently rummaging through her drawers, gathering all the supplies necessary to make her fertilizer. Exactly why making fertilizer was such an involved, time-consuming effort, Golden didn’t know—nor did she care to.

Instead, seeing that Zecora was busy, Golden turned back to the first jar on the shelf. Leaning in, she inhaled deeply. It smelled of lavender, yet much, much stronger. Golden smiled and sighed deeply. How Zecora managed to capture such a potent scent, Golden didn’t know, but it was wonderful all the same.

Propelled by her curiosity, Golden moved down the row, wafting each of the varying jars—lilac, fresh rain, white oak, and even a few less pleasurable ones too. Never in her life had Golden ever seen such a variety of smells before.

Once she reached the end of the shelf, she turned back to Zecora. She had moved over to her cauldron, and was mixing together all the ingredients. After a moment, the familiar odor hit her—a smell significantly worse than anything she’d just sampled. Granted, a fetid odor should be expected of fertilizer, but it didn’t make the smell any less repugnant.

Fighting back a grimace, Golden turned back to face the wall. She needed something to overtake the terrible scent that permeated the room.

Entirely by chance, she glanced upward. A ways above the first shelf, far out of her reach, was another, smaller shelf. On that shelf sat a singular jar—a jar with a bright red lid, and a black label with the words “WARNING” sprawled across in all caps.

Lips pursed, Golden squinted at the jar. “I wonder what that one smells like,” she mumbled under her breath, her words unravelling in unison with any hope of the soon-to-be crisis being averted.

Goal in mind, Golden searched the room with for some means to get the jar down. After a moment, her eyes eventually settled on a broom—she could knock it down! Goal firm in mind, she plodded over to the broom and carried it back to the high shelf. Miraculously, Zecora noticed none of this transpire.

Golden assessed her target one last time, then took the broom into her mouth. She swatted at the jar a few times, missing each attempt. On the fifth try, however, she tipped it, and it began to wobble back and forth. After what felt like an eternity, it tipped just enough to fall onto its side. Golden quickly dropped the broom as the jar began to roll toward the edge of the shelf, readying herself to catch it…

…And, surprisingly, she did just that.

The jar rested atop her head, balanced and miraculously unbroken. Golden sat back on her haunches and rolled it off her head, taking the jar into her hooves and eyeballing it greedily. Glossing over the “WARNING!” label once more, she looked at the lid. Unlike the others, it had no holes on it.

A mysterious smell, huh?

Well now she had to smell it!

Brow furrowed in concentration, Golden tugged at the lid, trying to pop it off. Her first few attempts proved fruitless. She bit her tongue and pursed her lips, deep in thought. Using her hooves had clearly proven to useless. Perhaps she could use her teeth to pry it open?

She held the jar with her two forehooves and tried to use her mouth to open it, but the jar kept slipping out of her grasp. With a grumble, she rolled backward onto her back and held the jar in place with all four of her hooves, tearing at the metal lid voraciously. Eventually her teeth found purchase, and she started to pull as hard as she possibly could.

Just when Golden thought her teeth were about to start bleeding, the jar cracked open with a loud pop.

Stale, warm air radiated from the jar. It sent a wave of chills down Golden’s spine; perhaps the scent was magical, then?

Golden leaned down and stuck her entire muzzle into the jar and inhaled deeply, yet she couldn’t register any scent. She did the same thing twice more in an effort to identify the jar’s invisible contents, but it was to no avail.

With no other options, she decided to voice her concern. “Zecora?” Golden asked. “What was in the jar on the top shelf?”

Zecora never tore her gaze from her cauldron of fancy dirt, saying, “A dangerous disease thrives inside of that glass—a strand of bacteria that would spread very fast.”

It took a moment more than it should have, but once the realization struck her, Golden’s face went as white as a ghost’s. “So, erm… what would happen if someone were to hypothetically open the jar? Could it be fixed… hypothetically?”

“I do not know as it has yet to escape,” Zecora replied casually, “but it’s resurgence would surely leave Equestria in bad shape.”

Several seconds ticked by, then several more. Once it became clear that Golden didn’t intend to respond, Zecora’s legs tensed and her eyes grew wide, the realization hitting her harder than a freight train. Slowly, she turned to face her customer, praying for the best but expecting the worst.

Golden stood there, eyes locked on Zecora menacingly. The mare rocked back on her hind hooves as if she were preparing to pounce. Her eyes seemed oddly vacant—the pony was definitely still there somewhere, but she wasn’t in control. She was still aware but the disease had invaded her consciousness, dictating her actions.

A lump caught in Zecora’s throat.

Golden let out vaguely sensual noise, somewhere purr and a growl. Zecora grimaced, taking a few steps backward to put as much distance as possible between herself and the fluffy orange beast. Eventually, however, her back was against the wall; she had nowhere left to run.

The possessed Golden Harvest paused. Several seconds passed before either of them moved. Then, inevitably, Golden launched herself into the air with a battle cry so loud that it would make Commander Hurricane proud.

Zecora let out a croak, flinching before Golden had even hit her.

“We’re doomed!” Zecora cried out as Golden tackled her. She tensed, fighting back tears between the mare’s vicious… snuggles?