A Mission of Medical Mystery
The Past...
It began in Fillydelphia, in one of the older more rundown sections of the city, a place filled with ponies in up to six story high buildings. Everything was cramped and crunched in, everypony nearby each other as anything and everything could spread with ease.
But despite this, the area had a very good doctor. The pony was at a two-story building nestled between two larger buildings. The top was a living area where the house's resident spent their free time, not that they had much, while the ground floor was a giant office and surgery room.
Inside, a pegasus mare was sitting on a table as another pony walked in. He was a pale blue unicorn with a blonde mane and tail, his cutie mark being that of a needle. Dressed in white with a mask over his mouth and nose, he spoke up, "Alright, what seems to be the problem?"
"I...I'm hot. My joints ache and I can't stop sne...sne...sne." The unicorn grabbed a petri dish in his magic and floated it over, the mare letting out a sneeze that covered the glass in her fluids. "Sorry."
"Perfectly alright," he replied before moving the dish over to a microscope. "I should be able to determine what you have with this." He let out a hum as he sat down over the device while levitating up a box of tissues to the mare, "Yup, just as I thought. The Vioval Virus." The mare gasped at this, "Not to worry. You are in stage two. The virus is not dangerous or contagious until it reaches stage four. With the right medicine and plenty of bed rest, you will be right as rain in no time." He moved over to a small intercom at this, pressing it, "First, can you bring me some Vioval Medication?"
A few minutes later, a young unicorn of eleven walked in, carrying a metal box. "Here you go, doctor." He gave it to the unicorn, the doctor nodding back.
"Thank you." He took it over to a workbench and opened the box up, revealing a white powder that he began to measure out. First watched him as he placed a pile of it on a weighing scale until he got the exact measurement. He then filled a plastic tub with the powder and lifted it over to the mare. "Here you go. One tablespoon of this every eight hours and you should be right as rain. It is a bit bitter, so you might want to have it with some tea or something."
"Thank you," the mare responded as she took the medicine. "How can I ever thank you?"
"Just get back to good health. We all need to work together if we wish to make this world disease free."
"Yes, Doctor Biopsy," she nodded before heading out the door.
The unicorn then sighed and leaned back while First smiled at him. "Another satisfied patient." Biopsy chuckled and nodded, "Is that the last one?"
"For today, yes." Biopsy shook his head, "Busy day. Busy, busy day." He hopped off his chair, gesturing to First to help him, "I sure am glad you are here to help me. Things have certainly gotten a lot less hectic now that I have another pair of hooves to help."
"I am happy help," First replied, "And it is not like I am getting nothing out of helping you. I have learned so much since I started helping out here."
Biopsy let out a laugh, "You are your father's son, First. You have learned more in the two years you have been here than most doctors learn in their entire medical career. No doubt you will become a doctor like no other. You may even discover a way to cure illnesses I have no way of healing."
First smiled at this and quickly picked up a broom, beginning to sweep up the place as Biopsy walked over to a door. It had a metal frame with a door handle that had a keypad on it. Typing in the code, he quickly opened and closed it behind him as First continued to sweep away.
"What a great day." First commented to himself, "I hope I get learn even more tomorrow..."
The Present...
Soul was in her room, her homework finished and laying on her desk as she laid down on her bed. Her eyes scanned over a book in her hooves, every bit of it talking about healing magic. "Let's see...in order to distinguish the basic signs of Yerisinia pestis is-"
WHAM!
"Eep!" Soul yelped as the door was slammed open, a certain Silverstream appearing with a huge grin on her face.
"Soul!" She exclaimed, flying up to Soul's bed. "Come on, we're gonna have a ping pong tournament in the rec room!"
"Sorry," Soul shook her head, "I can't. I really wanna finish this book by the end of the week."
"Oh?" Silverstream squinted her eyes at the cover, "What's it about?"
"It's a book on the many types of pathogens and what types of antibiotics can help fight against them. Basically, it's a how to guide of preventing diseases and infections." She kept reading as Silverstream flew onto her own bed.
"You really like all this doctor stuff, don't you?"
Soul nodded back, "When I first became an alicorn, I had no idea how I was supposed to use my new magic. I was terrified of losing control because one of the first times I tried to use my magic, I...I really hurt Heart. But then I discovered I had healing magic, and I realized I could use that magic to help instead of hurt. I didn't earn my alicorn-hood, but I wanna prove I'm somepony who deserves to have it."
Silverstream blinked at her, only to nod as she started to get off her bed, only for the door to open again. It was Cozy Glow, who glanced up at Soul's bed, "Soul!" she called out, the alicorn glancing up, "There you are. Head-mare Twilight wants to see you."
"Twilight? Why?"
"No idea. Said she had guests that need to see you."
Soul raised and eyebrow at this before closing her book. The trio left the room, Silverstream and Cozy wishing Soul luck as she went to Twilight's office. But as the alicorn arrived, she found two certain ponies standing in front of her mentor.
"First Aid?" Soul commented as she saw the unicorn along with an earth pony, "Heather? What are you two doing here?"
The Floral and Healing Knight turned to her and smiled. "We have come to ask for your help," First Aid replied, Soul leaning back at this, "You see, one of my seekers recently reported a strange phenomenon going on in a forested area between Tall Tale and Vanhoover."
Heather nodded at this, "A strange illness that has been jumping from village to village. They're all small towns with only a few hundred ponies in it. The seeker reported learning of this epidemic occurring a few months ago and barely managed to stop themselves from being killed by it. When he went to another town nearby, he learned that the exact same epidemic occurred a few weeks after the first one. He's been going around and discovered multiple small towns have been suffering from this epidemic."
"Ooookay," Soul slowly replied, "What does that have to do with me?"
"Well, we intend to investigate," First responded, "We ended up being nearby, and we would like you to come along. Your healing magic might be helpful if I find myself overwhelmed."
"Really?!" Soul gasped, "You want me to help cure an epidemic?!" They both nodded, "But...but I'm still only learning the basics of medical science."
"I think this would be a good opportunity for you," Twilight chimed in, "I know you've been doing a lot of studying, but life has taught me that real life experience can teach you things you'd never be able to learn from a book." She walked around her desk and placed a hoof on Soul's shoulder. "It'll be fine. I know you can do this. First and Heather wouldn't ask if they didn't think you were up for it."
Soul took a deep breath before seeing the confident stares on their faces before nodding, "Alright, I'm in. When do we leave?"
"Right now if you're up for it," Heather replied, "You don't have to worry about bringing anything. We'll have whatever you need back at the facility."
"Facility?" Soul asked, before her eyes went wide. "You mean that medical place Heart told me about?" They nodded, Soul's eyes now sparkling, "I've wanted to go there ever since I heard about it!" She clapped her hooves together as the Royal Knights chuckled.
"I'll get the Rune Gate ready for you." Twilight commented as they all left the room.
One use of the Rune Gate later...
As soon as they exited the gate, Soul was convinced she had found heaven. Everywhere she looked, ponies were busy researching different medical treatments in a hopes of finding cures for every disease possible. "Its amazing..." she whispered when she saw one pony look through a microscope and jot down whatever he had just found.
"This place is a safe and controlled environment," First chimed in, "A place that can be used to experiment and find cures while not having to worry about accidently releasing whatever virus are contained here."
"Have any of the virus' ever escaped before?" Soul asked as they began to walk through the room and into a corridor.
"Not yet," Heather replied, "But that's because we take every precaution in order to ensure this place remains safe." They stepped into a hallway with long glass windows, Soul flying up and seeing a greenhouse filled with plants and flowers. "We don't just study medical science here. We're also working to understand different plants and their needed growing conditions so that we can work to find an area they can spawn easily in the wild. Many of these flowers are only found in remote areas with very little use, but if we can learn more about them, we can find places they can grow more easily so that they don't have to be so rare."
"Wow..." Soul whispered again, stars in her eyes.
First chuckled before putting his hoof on her shoulder, "I know you want to explore some more, but we have to prepare for our expedition. Lives are on the line here."
"Okay," Soul nodded, "So...what do we need to do?" As she asked this, they walked up to a large door and First opened it with his magic. Glancing inside, Soul saw it was a large office slash laboratory. Bookshelves lined the walls and a large collection of medical tubes filled with chemicals were sitting on metal desks. "Is this your lab?"
"Indeed. And in it is everything we will need to-AUGH!" He suddenly tripped over something, the mares gasping as he fell to the floor. They looked at his hooves and saw he had tripped over the strap of a saddlebag, First groaning as he picked his glasses up. "What in the name of Celestia was that?"
Heather quickly grabbed the bag and opened it, now finding several pieces of equipment they intended to bring, along with another bag on the floor that had bandages, disinfectant sprays and other medical supplies. "Somepony's already packed for us."
"And left them on the floor?" Soul added, "Who'd do that?" The door at the back of the room slammed open at this, a yellow unicorn filly around her age with red hair and a cutie mark of a caduceus stepping out while dragging another saddlebag.
"Come on!" She groaned, "Stupid...bag..."
"Raisins?" First asked, making the filly jump on the spot.
"Mr. Aid!" She yelped, spinning around and quickly taking a deep breath before calming down, "Miss Bloom. You're back."
"What are you doing in here?" Heather asked with a raised eyebrow, "You know this office is off limits." The filly shrunk back at this, now rubbing one hoof with another, "Raisins..."
"I packed your bags," she squeaked out, "Everything you'll need to help those ponies." They looked back at the bags, soon finding they had everything they intended to pack. "I figured if I got everything ready for you...you might be willing to...take me with you."
First let out a long sigh, "Raisins...this is far too important an assignment to allow a novice to come along."
"But what about her?!" Raisins pointed to Soul, "Isn't she a novice? You're bringing her along, so why not me?"
"Soul has incredible powerful healing magic," Heather replied, "Her magic could help a lot with this situation." She placed a hoof on the filly's shoulder. "I know you want to help, but you have to be patient. Your time will come one day, but not today."
The filly looked down at the floor at this, only to walk through the door with a long frown. Once she was gone, First sighed again, "That girl. Always trying to run before she can walk."
"Who is she?" Soul asked.
"Her real name is Asclepia," First responded, "But everypony calls her Raisins."
"The child of two of our best seekers," Heather added, "Because they're often out on expeditions, she's practically grown up here and spent most of her free time studying what we do. She has a lot of potential, but she seems to think she's already prepared to handle life or death situations."
First nodded at this, "I am sure that one day, she will be a great physician. But that time is not right now." He turned to the bags, "Though I guess she did save us a lot of time. Once we have all these loaded up, we will be able to head out."
"You said the place we're going is between Vanhoover and Tall Tale," Soul chimed in, the pair nodding, "Isn't that pretty far away?" They nodded again and Soul turned back to the many bags, "You're saying we have to haul all this equipment that far? Maybe we should have asked Twilight for a Rune Gate." But this was met with laughter from the two knights, "What?"
"Relax," First replied, "We have a way of getting there that doesn't involve walking or teleporting."
"You do?" Soul asked as Heather grabbed one of the bags and put it on her back.
"Tidal Wave isn't the only knight with an awesome ride," Heather giggled, "Trust us on that."
Twenty minutes later...
The top of the mountain that housed the research facility opened up, a square section splitting in half as it began to fold outward to reveal a metal hanger built into the mountain. A few seconds later, a giant green balloon with red stripes flew out, pulling up with a moderately sized ship that had the same color-scheme as the balloon. It was about half the size of the Mighty Leviathan, and a bit smaller than the ships that had attacked Canterlot all those months ago.
On board, Heather was at the wheel while First and Soul were out on the deck. "Wow," Soul gasped as she looked over the edge and saw three pairs of fish-like fins on the side. "I never knew you had something like this."
"It has been in development for a while," First replied, "It was actually completed not long after the Ponyville quarantine you saved us all from. Be sure if we had had this, we would have made all the ponies infected up onto it." He smiled as he pointed to the hull. "Multiple sleeping quarters for doctors and patients, full medical bay for any emergency, and a fully stocked kitchen for feeding anypony on board. This thing has it all, and will get us to the town before you can blink."
In that moment, Heather had turned the balloon another direction before pulling a leaver. Doing so caused the rocket on the ship's back to ignite, pushing the ship forward. "Caduceus Cloudwalker is a go!"
The three ponies soon made their way toward the towns they were aiming for, First and Soul now going down into the medical bay. This room was much like the ones in the facility, one filled with many different medical devices. At this, First took several petri dishes up to a microscope. "What's that?" Soul asked, flying up to stare at the dishes through the microscope.
"Samples from ponies who have already had this disease and survived. I am hoping to find something that can indicate what started the epidemic. If I can find where it came from, I can figure out how to stop it before it can spread to another village."
"Do you already have a theory of where it came from?" Soul asked.
"From what I have been able to tell, this disease doesn't appear to be a natural one. Sometimes a mutation of a bacteria somepony is carrying can make it evolve into a malicious one that attacks the body. But the damage done to these cells do not indicate that. It is more likely this is a disease being caused by something. A pollutant in the drinking water or food supply can create a disease that causes this form of damage."
"Wow..." Soul stared at the many dishes, "To know so much just by looking at a sample. It must have taken you years to learn so much."
"Many years," First nodded.
"Did you learn it all yourself? Or did somepony teach you?" That question seemed to make First freeze, the unicorn glancing away for a second, "First?"
"I was...taught," he slowly replied, "My father had a friend in medical school that I went to apprentice under after he died. Doctor Biopsy. He taught me everything he knew."
"Sounds like a great pony," Soul added, First still looking away as a memory filled his mind of long ago.
The Past...
Late at night, a flushing sound filled the upstairs bathroom as First Aid walked into the hallway of the living area he and Biopsy shared. The unicorn teen yawned as he headed back to bed, going through the kitchen. He was still half-asleep, not noticing he was too close to the table until he accidently knocked into it.
"Ow!" He yelped, stumbling back as the table shook and butter fell off the side onto the floor. "Aww..." he used his magic to lift up the butter up but a lot of it was now stuck to the floor. Sighing at this before he putting some of it in the garbage can. But as he did this, he found the kitchen's butter supply was now empty, remembering it was on the list he was meant to buy tomorrow. Not wanting to leave the butter, First decided to get some cleaning supplies from the surgery. He headed downstairs and grabbed some paper towels, only for something to shine in the corner of his eye.
It was the metal door Doctor Biopsy always kept locked shut, which was now wide open. First tilted his head at this, only to slowly tiphoof over to it. He put his ear to the entrance, trying to listen for anything...but heard nothing. Curiosity getting the better of him, he remembered asking the doctor was down there, only for him to reply by saying he was performing special medical experiments that should help discover the cures for many irreversible diseases. He had always wanted to see, but Biopsy had told him he wasn't ready to understand those kinds of experiments.
But the sight of the empty stairs was before him, eyes shining at the sight. He had a chance to actually see what went into curing deadly illnesses. He had to take a look, even if the doctor wouldn't understand. And before he knew it, he put his hoof down on the first stair. He soon quickly went down the stairs, only to see another door, this one without a keypad or any kind of locking mechanism. The pony slowly opened it up, glancing inside as he tried to see if the doctor was there...but didn't find a thing.
Nothing was there.
He then fully opened the door, stepping inside and seeing that the room was a large metal box. Multiple devices could be seen around the place and on the walls were large egg-shaped doors made of glass with a metal X running over it that had a submarine door lock in the center.
First walked over to one of these doors and tried to look inside, noticing that there was a small room past it that looked barely large enough for a full grown pony to be in. A strange thick purple mist-like vapor could be seen within, only to see some movement within the mist. And as he stared, he saw a hoof reach out and touch the glass.
First gasped, "Doctor?! Is that you?!" He reached for the wheel and tried to turn it, "Hang on! I am gonna get you out of there!" But then the hoof pointed to the left and First followed its direction, spotting a button on the wall. He quickly pressed it, thinking it was the locking mechanism, and a beeping sound filled the air as the mist inside the capsule began to fade away. And when it did, First went wide-eyed at the sight before him.
"First?" The unicorn shook for a second at Soul's voice, the knight turning to the alicorn, "Are you okay?"
"I am...fine," he replied, "Just...lost in thought." He looked back at his work, only for a loud metal banging noise to ring out, "What was that?"
"Sounds like Spike when he's distracted on mopping day," Soul commented as the pair headed out of the room. They glanced out into the hallway, soon heading down and turning a corner. There, Soul saw sticking out of a broom closet, specifically some mop's tendrils. Both ponies tensed up at this, First grabbing the door and throwing it open.
"Raisins?" First cried as the unicorn filly flopped over, holding the bucket she had likely kicked over when opening the closet the first time.
"Um...hello..." she waved as First growled.
"You stowed away?"
"I wouldn't call it that," she gulped, "I just...happened to be on board when the ship took off."
"A ship you are not supposed to be anywhere near!" First yelled, the pony named Asclepia grimacing at this.
"I'm sorry." She whimpered out while looking down at the floor, "I just...really wanted to show you that I could help with the mission as well. It doesn't even have to be anything big I can help you with. I could carry your medical tools or make you a sandwich when you're hungry."
First sighed and shook his head, Soul wondering if they were gonna turn back to drop her off. But before First could make a decision, Heather's voice flew out of the ship's intercom. "We're almost there. The village is coming into view."
First groaned, "I appear to not have much of a choice." He pointed at Raisins, "You may stay. But from now on, you are going to do exactly what I tell you to do. Is that understood?" The filly smiled and nodded, First sighing and motioning for the fillies to follow.
"Raisins?" Heather yelped when she saw the filly walking out with the other two, "How did...she stowed away, didn't she?" The other two nodded and Heather shot the filly a dirty look, then sighed before turning to the forest they were now hovering over.
They looked down and saw a small town surrounded by trees, with some of the houses even being building into and on top of the trees. A river ran through the center and when they followed the river, they saw what appeared to be a small farm just up the way. Multiple ponies could be seen coming out of the houses and staring up at the ship, Soul stiffening at the sight. "I think we got their attention."
"Then let us not waste it," First replied before pulling the two fillies to him in his magic. In a flash, they were teleported down into the town. When they appeared, the ponies all gasped before First spoke up, "Greetings. I am First Aid, the Royal Knight of Healing." The ponies all glanced at each other before seeing a pony jump off the ship and fly down to the ground with a rope in hoof. "And this is Heather Bloom, the Royal Knight of Flora!"
The rope Heather was holding went tight a few feet off the ground, the pony swinging over to a tree not holding a house, tying the rope to it to keep the ship in place. "Hello there," she waved. "Sorry for the sudden appearance."
"What are you doing here?" One of the ponies asked.
"We are here because of a sickness that has been going around," First responded, "An illness that is rather dangerous and has gone from one town to another like a swarm of locust. We believe your town is next in line for infection." As he said that, several of the ponies gasped and started whispering, "Have there been any ponies that have gotten ill?"
The ponies continued to look at each other before one turned to him, "You should come with us."
He led the group from the town to one of the larger houses, all inside and finding it was the town's hospital. The place was packed with beds, four being occupied. Each of them had a pair of buckets next to their beds that were full of two different kinds of bodily produce, with some having areas of their body that were inflamed and they all had wet cloths over their heads. First rushed over, his eyes scanning them the ponies, "Inflammation...fever..." He checked their eyes, "Lack of sensory focus." He looked inside the buckets, "Vomiting and diarrhea." He stepped back, "This is no ordinary sickness. This has all the symptoms of a poisoning."
"Something poisoned them?" The pony asked, First turning to the fillies.
"Soul, take Raisins back to the ship and bring me a blood sample kit." The alicorn nodded and the two fillies tan out of the building while First Aid continued to examine the ponies, more and more confirming the poisoning while Heather left to investigate the area.
A few minutes later, Soul and Raisins returned with a large box in their magic. Raisins got to work before First could even ask, the filly opening the box and taking out a needle and a spray bottle. First quickly took it and sprayed an area of the pony's arm with it before waiting a moment before stiking a needle into the pony to draw some blood out. Once that was done, he gave the needle back to Raisins and Soul was amazed at how carefully she placed the sample inside another section of the box that had a special refrigeration section in it.
As soon as that was done, he turned to Soul. "I want you to try and heal them with your magic. If this is a kind of poison, you should be able to neutralize it." Soul nodded and flew above the pony, her magic beginning to activate and enshroud him. As she did this, First and Raisins moved onto the next pony. "I am impressed at how well you perform as an assistant," he told the filly as she prepared another needle.
"I've watched ponies take blood samples plenty of times," she replied as First sprayed the pony. "I know what needs to be done." First nodded as she gave him the needle and he took a sample, glancing back and seeing Soul was still healing the first pony.
First and Raisins took samples from the other two ponies and as Raisins was put the last one away, First stepped over to Soul. "How is he doing?"
"I don't know," she replied, not really looking down as she concentrated everything in her magic. First took a look at the pony as saw the inflammation was going down. He checked his eyes and saw that they were still unfocused.
"Okay, you are doing great. Just keep it up for as long as you can while I begin checking their blood." He and Raisins walked out of the building at this, only to see Heather trotting up to them, "Find anything?"
"No plants or animals around the town that would explain the pony's symptoms," she responded, "Any idea what I'm supposed to be looking for?"
"Not yet," First held up the case. "I should know more after testing their blood."
"Okay," Heather nodded, "I'll ask around and see what the other ponies know." She reached into the saddlebag she was carrying and took out a pair of walkie talkies, giving both to First and Soul. "If you learn anything, we can talk about it with these."
They both nodded and split up, First teleporting himself and Raisins up to the ship while Heather began asking around. She asked the ponies she had met earlier about what the currently sick ponies usually did on a day-to-day basis, getting her answer almost immediately as those ponies were all farmers who worked up stream at the farm. And as she headed over there, she began at the farm's crops. to the farm and began to check the place out, seeing if they had accidently farmed
"Looks okay...nothing poisonous here..." she commented as she checked a row of crops, "Let's take a look at the soil itself." She reached a hoof out and pushed it into the soil, the earth pony allowing her connection to nature flow. As she did this, she went wide-eyed, "That's not right." She reached into her bag and took out the walkie talkie. "Heather to First. Heather to First. Are you there?"
First Aid and Raisins had just taken a drop of blood from each pony patient and had placed them in a vial before shutting them into a machine. As they did that, Heather's voice came through the walkie talkie. "First here. What have you found?"
"The soil in the farm those ponies work at has been contaminated by something," Heather replied, "I can't tell exactly what it is, but it's starting to fade. Give it a day and the contamination should fade."
"How does contaminated soil cause ponies to get sick?" Raisins asked, "Did they step on it and absorb the toxins through their hooves?"
"No," First shook his head, "But if the soil was contaminated, anything that is in it will have also been contaminated. The vegetables they grow there must have been poisoned by it and as the ones that grew it, they likely ate some of their produce."
"So what do we do?" Soul asked.
First rubbed his chin in thought, only to step away from his work for a second, "Heather, you need to warn the townsponies about the danger. I will test the water."
"The water?" Soul asked.
"That contamination had to come from somewhere. If their irrigation system is fed by the river, then that would mean the water is what caused it." He prepared to teleport and Raisins jumped up next to him. "Soul, you keep focusing on healing the ponies already poisoned."
"F.A.B," Soul replied before laughing and cutting the call. Heather also cut the call as First Aid teleported himself and Raisins down to the town. They headed for the river and spotted Heather arriving in town, beginning to tell the ponies about what she had discovered.
The two unicorns went to the water next, First quickly dipping a vial in. He stared at the sample and began to place a few new chemicals into it. "This is a special solution I developed for testing water for hazardous pollutants. If this river has been contaminated, the water will turn orange when mixed with it." After a few moments, the water changed color and turned a mild orange. "Yup, this river is contaminated. The toxin levels are low, likely getting mostly absorbed by the farm soil. But if they increase, then the drinking water will go toxic."
"We should tell Heather."
"We will. But we also need to find the cause of the pollutants." First put his saddlebag back on and headed upstream, Raisins following him as he took out his walkie talkie.
"I understand," Heather nodded after getting a call from her partner before turning to the large group of ponies that had gathered around her. "I just got word from First Aid. He's determined that it's the river that's causing the illness."
The ponies gasped and started talking amongst themselves. "What does this mean?" A mare asked.
"Can we drink the water?" A filly added, Heather shaking her head.
"Until we figure out what it is that's causing the contamination, that's not a good idea. Are there any other sources of water nearby?"
"There's another river a few miles away," a stallion replied, "But it's source is the same place as our river. What if it's been tainted as well?"
"That's a possibility," Heather responded, "Don't worry, we're going to find a way to make this right. I promise you." The ponies all grimaced at each other, Heather then heading to the hospital, "How's it going Soul?"
The alicorn say down, panting and wiping her forehead, "I think I've managed to heal three of them. Just one left." Heather moved over to the ponies she had healed and checked them over, having learned just enough from her time with First to know that they were out of danger.
"Great work," she replied, "Think you've got enough in you to cure on more?" Soul nodded and unleashed her magic, hitting the final pony and beginning to undo the damage done by the toxins. As she did this, Heather turned back to the ponies in the town, many now staring at the river with worry as they worked. It was a pretty hot day with not a cloud in the sky. Heather knew this type of weather take could be dangerous if one didn't have a way to stay hydrated.
And as this happened, First and Raisins continued their trip upstream, constantly stopping to check the water. Every time they did, they found the contamination level got higher and higher.
"So...what do we do when we find out what's causing it?" Raisins asked, "I mean, what if it's a big strong monster that's doing this?"
"Then I will find a way to stop it," First responded, "I might not be the most combat ready member of the Royal Knights, but I have had my fair share of combat. Even on my own, I can beat just as many opponents as Flash Sentry or Ruby Scarlet."
"If you say so."
"However, if anything bad should happen, I want you to be ready to run as soon as I tell you."
"What?!" Raisins yelped, "Why?!"
"It might be dangerous, and I can not fight at my best if I have to focus on protecting you. So if things get dangerous, you are to evacuate back to the town. Is that understood?" Raisins frowned, but nodded. "Good. I know you want to help, but you are still young. I would be telling Soul or anypony else your age the same thing."
"I know," Raisins sighed, "I just...wish I could grow up quicker so I can help more ponies."
"You should not be so eager to grow up too quickly. There might be a lot you can not do as a child, but when it is over, it is gone for good. Compared to your entire life, your childhood will only last about one fifth of that time. Enjoy it while you can."
"I guess," Raisin nodded. "But when I do get older, I'm gonna be the best doctor that ever lived! Even better than you!" First smiled at this, only to come to a stop.
Ahead of them was what First assumed was the source of the river, a large collection of rocks that the water was flowing out of into a small pool. This pool was feeding a stream of water that split off and flowed in two directions. And on one side of a river was a strange looking contraption, which appeared to be a bunch of wooden poles holding something over the river. It was a glass bottle big enough to hold between two or three gallons of liquid within. It was pointing down as the top had an attachment that looked like it stemmed the water flow so that whatever was inside would only dribble out.
"What is that thing?" Raisins asked, First growling at the sight.
"It is the cause of the contamination," he hissed, "It looks like somepony evil is the cause of this." He squinted his eyes at the sight, now seeing that the bottle on the machine had completely run out, only a few drops of rusty red liquid plopping out every now and then. "Blast. I need a sample of that poison-" But as he said this, he heard a twig snap from the other side of the river. "Hide!"
Raisin quickly rushed behind a tree, First doing the same and teleporting up onto a branch. And as the pair watched the machine, they saw somepony walk out of the forest, the sight making First gasp.
First's eyes were as wide as they could be as he saw who was inside the chamber. It was an earth pony stallion who...was absolutely bald. Not only was his mane and tail gone, but his coat was also gone, revealing nothing but pale skin. He was sitting in a chair and had a bunch of tubes sticking out of him. He looked so weak, as if a breeze could knock him over.
"Oh, sweet Celestia," First whispered as he tried to open the door again. This time, the wheel turned and he was able to pull the heavy door open. "What happened to you?"
The stallion coughed loudly, covering his mouth with his naked hooves as he did so. "D...doc...doctor."
"Doctor Biopsy?" First asked, "Is he trying to treat you for some horrible disease?"
"Yes," the pony replied, "That-" he coughed again, "That he infected me with." First's eyes went wide again, "You have to *cough* shut me back in. Or you'll *cough* catch this."
"The doctor infected you with a deadly disease?"
"He said he would pay us a lot of bits to *cough cough cough* take part in some medical tests. *Cough* Then he stuck us in these things and gassed us."
"Us?" First glanced over at the other doors lining the room, the total being six in all. He saw they all had different colored gases and spotted movement within each. "Why would he do this?"
"He needs...test subjects. Somepony to test his treatments on." He coughed again and again, First barely able to respond to this, "Close...door. Get...help!" First slammed the door shut, and as he did this, the room started filling with the purple gas again.
"This...this can not be right." First whispered, "The doctor would not do this..."
But as he headed for the stairs, he heard some hoofsteps, making him turn to a nearby machine before hiding behind it. A few moments later, Doctor Biopsy stepped into the room. "Now then," he pulled out a needle, "Let us see how effective this treatment is on you."
He put on a mask and moved over to the door First had opened, pressing the button and pulling it away from the wall to reveal the stallion again. "This is test number thirty-eight," he spoke into a recording device as he injected the serum into one of the pony's tubes. "All other attempts to cure lab rat number twelve have been unsuccessful. And by subject's deterioration, I may need to acquire a replacement soon." He finished the injection and stepped back, closing the door and watching as it filled with the gas again. "Do not worry. Even if you perish, you will live on in the work we do. I will find a cure for this disease and when I do, it will be thanks to you."
Seeing this that the doctor's back was turned, First quickly and quietly rushed up the stairs without making a sound. And once he was at the top, he ran out of the place as fast as he could, his hooves racing down the streets as tears poured down his face.
First's shock turned to fury when he saw the pale blue unicorn, with graying blonde hair and a scar running from the tip of his snout down the left side of his face toward his neck. The unicorn used his magic to remove the bottle from the device before placing another one on it. As soon as he did, the bottle started dripping the liquid into the flowing river again.
After this was done, the unicorn glanced around, the two staying as quiet as possible. He eventually nodded and turned to leave, the pair watching him as he disappeared into the woods. As soon as he was gone, First leapt down from the tree as Raisins came out from behind it.
"Biopsy..." he whispered.
"What?"
"Nothing," he replied, "It is clear he is the one causing this disease." He grabbed the bottle in his magic and removed it from the river. He then took out some equipment, Raisins helping him as he took a sample of the red liquid and mixed a few more liquids into it. After shaking the vial, the concoction turned green. "Crostocide."
"What-a-cide?"
"It is a very toxic extract of the Crost Clover, a deadly plant." He glanced back at the large bottle, "To have so much...how is this possible?" He turned back to where Biopsy had gone, a look of anger appeared on his face, "Raisins, take this bottle back to the village. Tell Heather what it is. She should be able to figure out an antidote."
"But what about you?" She asked.
"I am going after that pony. I have to stop him before he tries to escape." A flash of light occurred and his crossbow Celestic Gear appeared, First holding it up before glancing down at Raisins.
"B-b-but he could be dangerous! What if he tries to infect you with some deadly disease?!"
"I will be fine. Now go." The filly just stood there, making him glare at her, "Asclepia!" She flinched at the use of her real name, "I gave you an order, and you promised to follow any order I give you!" Raisins shrunk back at this, "You said you wanted to be a doctor like me. What is the most important duty of a doctor?"
"Protecting the lives of those you're charged to heal."
"Good. Now do your duty and get that bottle to Heather. She needs to examine the extract to make sure it has not been tampered with. GO!" Raisins took the bottle in her magic before running away, First sighing at the sight.
And once she was out of sight, First teleported across the river and further into the forest. He looked down and saw a faint hoofprint, his eyes narrowing at this. Soon following a small trail, he began to go deep into the woods. And as he travelled, he thought back at the pony he had seen. "Biopsy..." he whispered, feeling a twitch anger stirring in his mind.
It was here he took a deep breath, only to glance up and saw the mouth of a cave. Heading inside, he gripped his weapon, only to feel his hoof snag a wire hidden by the cave's darkness. The unicorn's horn shined at this, firing a small barrage of bolts that hit a bunch of darts out of the air. And as he pulled on the wire, he also heard a noise above him. He glanced up and saw a bunch of rocks clattering together, signaling a security system. He pointed his weapon to the mouth of the cave, the unicorn slowly going forward.
But as he drew closer to the end of the cave, he saw a large rock leaning against the back wall. "A door?" He muttered as he used his magic to move the rock, only to find a hole that had been dug into the cave with magic. Stepping through, he found himself inside a rudimentary laboratory. On one side were a bunch of flowerpots that had what appeared to be clover plants growing out of them while on the other side had a series of medical tubes with different chemicals.
He moved over to the clovers and kept his mouth covered with a handkerchief he had on him, allowing him to take a closer look, "Crost Clovers," he growled before noticing a spray bottle beside the plants and picked it up, squinting and seeing the liquid inside was magical in nature. He sprayed the liquid on a clover and watched as it suddenly grow three times as big, now remembering this as a concoction that any unicorn could create. In fact, it was a first-year potion at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.
"So that is how he is making so much crostocide."
"Indeed." First spun around and pointed his crossbow to the voice, the pony coming face to face with the unicorn he had turned in all those years ago. "Hello First. It has been a long time."
Back in the village...
Soul had finished healing the last pony, the alicorn filly panting as she moved over to an empty bed and slumped over. Heather saw this and laughed, "Take a break. You did good." Soul smiled back as Heather walked outside, where the many ponies were gathering all the food they had in their houses and were placing it on a large table in the middle of the town.
"Is this really necessary?" She then heard a townspony asked.
"We've no idea how long your farmsoil has been contaminated," she responded, "We have to make sure everything grown there isn't a danger. If even one of these vegetables are toxic, we have to be careful." The pony frowned, but seemed to understand. "And hopefully, First and Raisins will have found the cause of the contamination upstream soon."
"Heather!" She turned to the voice, now seeing Raisins running up with the large bottle. "We...we found it!"
The townsponies began to circle around her as she fell to the ground in exhaustion, Heather taking the bottle and looking it over. "What is this?"
"First said it's something called...frost-o-cide, made from a frost clover."
Heather frowned at this, only to ask, "Do you mean...crostocide?" She nodded and Heather grimaced as she looked back at the bottle. "So much crostocide. How could somepony make this much?"
"Is this stuff dangerous?" A pony asked, Heather nodding.
"In large quantities, there's no cure. Even a few drops is enough to cause serious illness. But the levels in your water would be easily curable. Actually, this level of it would be easily cured by a combination of malic and citric acid."
Raisins raised an eyebrow at this, "You mean by eating fruits like peaches, plums and pears?"
"Exactly," Heather nodded, "Don't tell Soul, or she'll think all her efforts would have been pointless." Raisins giggled at this before Heather narrowed her eyes at her, "Where's First?"
"He went after the pony causing this." She replied, "It was...weird. I think he might have known the pony." Heather raised an eyebrow, "I think he said his name."
"What was the name?"
"By...oopsy...or something like that."
Heather blinked at her, only to go wide-eyed, "Biopsy."
"That's it!" Raisins nodded, only to frown, "Wait, do you know him too?" Heather didn't reply and put the bottle down before running up stream. "HEATHER?!"
"STAY THERE!" She yelled, Raisins trying to ask her what was going on, but Heather was already out of earshot. And as the knight kept running, she whispered to herself, "First...be careful."
Meanwhile...
First Aid stared down Doctor Biopsy, though now it was only Biopsy since First had gotten his medical doctorate revoked. The unicorn smiled at him, "Look at you. You've certainly come a long way from the little colt who once used to sweep my floors." He walked around the cave at this, First mimicking his movements, "I will admit, I was surprised when I heard about your knighting. But also proud, given I was the one who taught you most of what you know."
"How are you here?!" First hissed, "You were arrested! You should be in prison!"
"I was," Biopsy nodded, "But to a genius like me, getting out was simple. I did not even have to worry about being hunted down. Not many ponies are going to be looking for a dead stallion."
"Dead stallion?" First repeated, only for his glare to tighten, "So that is how you got out. You faked your death. Made them think you had died so they would remove you from the prison." Biopsy nodded, "What did you do? Drug yourself into a false death?"
"You know me so well," Biopsy smirked, "The prison I was in was rather overcrowded and full of dangerous ponies. Pick your death on the right day and there will be six other ponies in the morgue with you. I put myself to sleep and when they took me down to the morgue, I awakened before they could do an autopsy. All I had to do was wait for the right moment when nopony was around and grabbed some medical clothing. After that, I signed my own death certificate stating death by heart attack and put that my body to be cremated. Then I just had to walk out the door looking like I belonged there and presto. I was free."
"Free to continue your sick twisted experiments," First growled, "What was the plan here? You poisoned the water so the ponies in that town would get sick, then what? Are you going to use them as guinea pigs for another of your sick experiments?!"
"Of course not," Biopsy replied while waving his hoof, "I am simply giving them a reason to invest in Equestria's future. My goals have not changed. I am on a mission to eradicate all illness from this world. But to do that, I need capital to acquire the needed pieces of equipment."
First's eyes went wide, "You plan to trick them into paying you for a cure."
"It worked in the last few towns I visited," Biopsy chuckled, "Let some of the ponies get sick and throw the town into a panic, then have it be that I am a wandering healer who discovered the illness and began treating them. Of course, getting what I need to treat them for such a deadly disease will cost a lot."
"Liar!" First almost roared, "You know that Crostocide poisoning has a simple cure!"
"I know that. You know that. But those ponies don't know that."
"Well, they do know. No doubt my friends have already finished curing the ponies. And when they discover what you tried to do, they will all be after your head!"
Biopsy shook his head at this, "First...you still don't get it. Why are you so against progress? You know as well as I do that nothing great ever happened without sacrifices. I am aiming to wipe out all disease that ever existed. The same disease that killed your father."
"You went too far," First hissed, "You might have made progress in several areas of medicine, but to do that, you committed a series of atrocities. You infected ponies, forcing them to go through hell and mutilating their bodies. Even after you were arrested and they were sent to a proper hospital, most of them only lasted a few more days."
"They might have survived if you had not stopped me."
"If the disease you gave them had not killed them, the toxic milkshake of different drugs and test cures would have!" First yelled, "And now you are doing it again! Making innocent ponies suffer, just so you can continue your fools crusade!"
"Just think about it," Biopsy replied, "You are a physician. You know, there's always a price to pay for the advancement of medical science."
"Sometimes that price is too high," First growled, "Torture-"
"Your word, not mine. Thanks to my experiments, I was able to find a cure for the Floenia Virus. If I am not mistaken, an outbreak of that occurred a year after my imprisonment. Thanks to me, hundreds, maybe thousands of ponies survived."
"That does not justify using ponies in laboratory experiments!"
"If I had not, I never would have discovered that cure. The only way to know for certain how a cure would work on a pony, is to use it on a pony."
"And ethical considerations?!" He asked, "They mean nothing to you?!"
"Ethics are...arbitrary." Biopsy continued to walk around the lab, First remaining opposite side of him with his weapon ready. "How do you think everything you learned before you became a Royal Knight was developed?" He hummed, asking for a response that First didn't give. "My word. Half the medical knowledge you must hold...came through experiments on lower animals."
"But not ponies!" First roared while the older unicorn smiled.
"It is convenient to draw a line between higher and lower species, is it not?"
"The type of barbarism you practice stopped being seen as right a long time ago. Or at least, it should have. I did not come here to debate ethics with you. I came to find and neutralize the cause of the disease hurting these ponies. And you are that cause. No...you are the disease!" With that, he fired a magical bolt, instantly hitting Biopsy.
"AUGH!" He cried as the magic exploded into bolts of lightning, which spread across his body, making him slump over, "What...did you do to me?"
"It is spell I created to numb muscles in order to operate on patients so they do not feel pain. The one I struck you with is ten times as powerful, so your entire body will be as good as paralyzed long enough for me to get you locked up back where you belong."
"You...can not do this."
"I just did."
"Do you not understand?!" Biopsy growled, "I am trying to help ponies! Without me continuing my research, you are dooming millions of ponies to death!" He tried to move, only to let out a hiss of pain, "I am so close to figuring out how to cure a myriad of illnesses. If you stop me now, anypony that dies between now and when somepony else eventually figures out the cures will be your fault! If you stop me, you will be violating the first oath you took as a physician: Do no harm."
FIrst's eyes went wide and quickly turned to show a look of disgust on his face. "Do no harm....you have no right to say those words!" He grabbed Biopsy in his magic and threw him out of the lab, then pointed his weapon to the many potted plants.
"NO!" Biopsy screamed as First fired, his attacks shattering the pots, the flowers limping over. He then started shooting at the many chemicals and other medical equipment that filled the cave, destroying it all before walking out and pushing the boulder back in front of the hole, sealing the destroyed laboratory for hopefully ever. "Do you have any idea what you have just done?!"
"Stopped your wicked schemes. This time, once and for all." He grabbed the unicorn by the tail began to drag him back in the direction of the town, the former doctor crying out whenever he was pulled over a rock or twig.
Halfway back to the town, First heard hoofsteps and glanced around, only to see somepony running up to him. "FIRST!" It was Heather, the earth pony panting as she saw him, only to notice the pony he was dragging and glared at him. "Is that the pony you told me about? The one who destroyed so many pony's lives?"
"Yes," First nodded, "And he was trying to start his operations again."
Heather glared at the downed unicorn before looking back up at First, "When Raisins told me about you going after a pony called Biopsy, I began to panic since I knew it must have been the same one you told me about. I was...worried you would lose control."
"You do not have to worry," First replied, "Biopsy might be a monster, but he is no fighter. The worst he could have done is throw a dangerous chemical at me. But I was careful, so he did not stand a chance against me."
Heather nodded back, "Good. I'm glad. Though...let's get back to the village. I'm sure the ponies there will be interested in meeting the one responsible for the lot of them almost getting infected." First chuckled at this as the pair headed back.
The sun was beginning to set as the Caduceus Cloudwalker began to fly away from the small town. They had locked Biopsy in a storage locker that would be able to hold him until the guards arrived to take him to a much more secure prison. When First and Heather returned to the town with him, the ponies there had not been happy. They demanded justice and First had to promise Biopsy would feel the full weight of the royal court when they got him to Canterlot, this being the only way to stop them from attempting to string him up by his neck.
Heather had promised to send supplies to their village to make up for their hard-grown crops being contaminated. She also managed to determine the toxins was pure Crostocide, meaning they were able to neutralize the contamination of the river and the soil it had been watering. By the time those supplies ran out, the town's new crops would be grown and ready for them to eat.
"Phew," Soul sighed as she laid down on the sky ship's deck, "I am exhausted."
"You only cured four ponies," Raisins pointed out, Soul turning to glare at her while First shook his head.
"She might be an alicorn, but healing magic is not easy. Using it in such a focused way for so long is rather taxing on the individual and she is a filly. Soul should be proud with how long she was able to keep that magic up."
"I am." Soul responded.
Raisins smiled at this before turning to First, "So...this pony, Biopsy. He really taught you everything you know about medicine?" First frowned at the question, only to slow nod.
"He taught me everything he knew...but not everything I know. After he was arrested, I headed out on my own to learn from true healers and physicians. And along the way, I met the first true friend I had ever had." He turned to smile at Heather and she smiled back, the two remembering how they met. It might not have been a great time, but Heather was still happy she met him back then. "And, of course, I later met Grand and he gave us the chance to become Royal Knights. Now I can do what I always dreamed of doing. Learning everything I can about the art of medicine. But unlike Biopsy, I will learn the right way. The way that will not result in ponies getting hurt."
"Even though you might not live long enough to find all the answers?" Raisins asked, First chuckling at this.
"I never deluded myself into thinking I could cure every disease that every exists. That would be impossible." He looked ahead as the sun began to set. "Even if I discovered a way to cure them all, a new illness would evolve and I would be right back to square one. The war against disease is a never ending one. But luckily, I am not the only one fighting in it." He turned to smile at the two young fillies. "When I die, it will be up to the next generation to continue the fight against illness. And when you two pass on, the fight with pass to the ponies you train. As long as the knowledge of medicine is passed to the right ponies, then sickness will always be fighting a defensive fight."
Soul and Raisins nodded back, the group continuing to watch the setting sun as they continued their journey. A plague had been stopped before it could begin, and the four could be proud of the work they had done this day
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Yes, this definitely First Aid's episode since he got more focus than Soul, Heather and Raisins and got more personal connection with the villain.
Glad you gives him a past like you did with other Knights.
Here's highlights
Oh! That yellow filly from Heart and Jaden's trial is here?
Uh oh, look like First Aid is a victim of Royal Knight with a tragic backstory curse.
I have a bad feeling about what happened in this scene.
That's even worse! His mentor is a monster!
Wow! He has the gall to use that oath as an excuse?!
Wow, now that was kind of scary.
Oh wow, that was a brutal chapter regarding First's backstory!
Wasn't expecting that place Heart/Jaden went to be featured again so soon, also loved the growth of Soul/Raisins in here as well! As for Biopsy he was the creepiest villain we have come across here with his use of diseases on innocent ponies, major creep!
Glad to have some Highlights on my medical notes here :
Oh boy, be careful what you wish for!
lol such an eager beaver!
Semantics....gotta love it!
Hmmm the plot thickens!
OMG now that's creepy!!!
Tell that to all of those guinea pigs ponies you pumped full of diseases you hypocrite!!!
A hardcore chapter this week Banshee, till the next one!
Wow, this was a really great chapter! I think so far, we haven't got much development for First Aid and Heather Bloom individually too much, since they are together most of the time. But getting a look at First's past and his evil mentor were really fun.
I was also surprised that Raisins appeared again, but it was a welcome one since she didn't get much characterization in her brief appearance last time except for how she tried messing with Heart and Jaden. It looks like she is desperate to prove herself and seems jealous with how First interacts with other kids her age instead of paying her attention. She seems a bit bratty, but at least she has good intentions and ultimately didn't get in First's way when he told her to go back.
Biopsy's one of those characters that generally creeps me out. He performs horrible, terrible experiments on living beings and excuses his actions as simply being "for science" or "for the greater good". It takes a trusted position of power and safety, a doctor, who is supposed to help people, and corrupts it. What good are medicine and cures if they are built on suffering and needless deaths of others? Then of course how he throws the whole "do no harm" oath when he's threatened just shows how much of a cowardly hypocrite he is. He should have remembered that oath when his experiments resulted in the deaths of innocent lives.
That's a very reasonable view First. Unfortunately, diseases and sickness will never go away for good. The most anyone can do is help as many people as they can through their research and medicine, and hope that the next generation can continue their work and help keep the people of the world healthy.
Sorry if this comes off as show-off, but as an undergraduate student specializing in similar field, this method hurts my soul. Remember Covid-Tests? It's better to use cotton swab on nasal passages or mouth tonsil when sampling lung-related disease. Dude just floats a petri dish which the patient cough on.
Doing this might introduce variables like saliva or more unwanted bacteria in the mouth which can interfere with microscopy. I don't know if Equestria just does this differently, or maybe magic can remove unwanted variables. Yeah, magic is the answer.
Oooh! This was quite dark and a bit heady in some places. However, it was nice to see some characters who rarely get focus get some focus. I think I'd like to see more of these four if possible.
I don't mean to be rude but don't you mean " he trurned to the bags" instead of she?
Also, what did you mean by "accidentaly farmed"? Did something get accidentally get left out of the sentence?