Neil Watts and Eva Rosalene are called to Canterlot for a very peculiar patient. Will this be a successful night, or will this be more than they can handle? | Inspired by To the Moon and Finding Paradise by Freebird Games
Scootaloo, longtime fan of Rainbow Dash and budding daredevil scooter enthusiast, hasn't been feeling too well. When it's discovered that she's slowly dying, and there's very little that can be done, Sci-Twi calls in the help of Sigmund Corp. to give her the life she's always dreamed of.
Eva Rosalene and Neil Watts are having a slow day, until a call comes in from the top level directors telling them they've got another job. The only issue? It's a kid no older than fifteen, and they're not being contracted to modify the past, but create an entirely new future for the young girl. Even with the help of Neil's copy of Faye, is there any hope for a positive resolution to this case? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was just an ordinary day. Nothing had happened in a while since the last major incident, being the Memory Stone debacle. Twilight Sparkle was content with her life at CHS and the friends that she had made there. Even Wallflower was becoming popular with the other kids, starting a botany club on the weekends to help the school garden.
Yes, life was almost perfect, until she received a phone call….
Twilight, walking along the school’s hallways after closing up her and Sunset’s shared “magic lab” was admittedly ready for a lazy evening. Her thoughts drifted to the comforts of her bed and the warmth of her furry companion, Spike.
Just then, her phone began to ring, a startling sound in the normally quiet hall.
“Hello?” Twilight said, having no idea why anyone would be calling her now. Was there something wrong?”
“Twilight! Thank God I managed to get you to pick up! I’ve been calling for the last half hour!” Sunset Shimmer did not sound very happy. In fact, she sounded distraught. “You need to come to the hospital, quickly! Dash called me saying that Scootaloo’s sick, and she didn’t sound like it was just a cold!”
Twilight paled, “Oh no! It’s that bad? Are the other crusaders okay?”
“Yeah, they’re fine, they were with Scootaloo when she suddenly collapsed. I have no clue what’s going on, but our friends need us.”
“I agree, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Where are you?”
“Outside the school.” Sunset replied, “I came to get you since I knew your brother gave you a ride today.”
“Thanks, I’ll be right out.” Twilight quickly sprinted through the halls, making her way to the main entrance hall. Bright blue tapestries with the Wondercolt symbol flashed by as she sped by.
Bursting through the front doors, she saw Sunset’s convertible sitting in front of the pedestal where the Wondercolt statue used to stand. She rushed over and opened the door, a fresh breeze of A/C being let out as she got in.
As they began to speed away from the school, Twilight began questioning her fiery friend, “So, what’s the situation, Sunny? Why’s Scootaloo in the hospital?”
Pulling onto the motorway, Sunset just shook her head, “I really don’t know. As far as I knew, Scoot had just gotten some blood tests done a week ago, something about routine screening if Dash had it right. Then today I got a message from Dash saying there was an emergency, and I called and was told that Scootaloo was in the hospital. Other than that, I have no clue.”
Twilight thought for a moment, using her above-average intellect to piece the puzzle together. “Blood tests? Those wouldn’t usually run any red flags unless there was something specific that they were looking for. Which begs the question; what were they trying to find? It makes no sense unless Scootaloo was having specific problems that led the doctor to the conclusion that whatever he was testing for could be the cause. Oh, this is so worrying! There’s no end of things that could be hurting poor Scootaloo!”
“Well then, we just have to go find out, huh Twi?”
Sunset grimaced as she pulled the car into Canterlot General’s parking lot, dreading what it was that they would find.
As Twilight and Sunset entered the ER of Canterlot General, the room was noticeably subdued. Having been in hospitals more than once in her life, Twilight quickly recognized the sullen atmosphere.
Spotting their friends, the girls quickly rushed over. “What’s going on? Where’s Scootaloo now?” Twilight was obviously stressed, having worked herself up with her previous guesswork as to the cause of the youth’s condition.
A red-eyed Rainbow Dash looked up from the floor where she had previously been glaring and cried, “I don’t know! Yesterday she was fine! We were talking about her plans for next year, being on the soccer team, she seemed okay! How can she not be okay now!?”
Dash sobbed, unable to hold in her worries, her fears. Her little buddy might be dying for all she knew, and she was stuck here unable to help. It was enough to drive anyone mad!
Applejack was next to chime in, “Well, ah know fer a fact that girl has a lot more heart than most her age. If anyone’s gonna pull through this, it’d be her. Don’t worry, sugarcube, we’ll get this fixed, right girls?”
“AJ, where’s Applebloom and Sweetie Belle? Shouldn’t they be here too?”
“Ah didn’t want them to be here is things got ugly. Ah don’t think either of them should have to remember their friend this way if it’s as bad as ah think it could be.”
Fluttershy, visibly careworn from the whole thing, spoke in a low voice, “Well, I know that Scootaloo is a sweet girl, even if she doesn’t like to show her soft side, as she calls it. If there’s anything I can do to help her, I will.”
Rarity was silent, for once her majestic vocabulary had failed her, unable to speak any words of encouragement to her friend. She, too, had much love for the little speedster that had worked her way into Dash’s life. Scootaloo deserved better than to have such tragedy befall her.
Pinkie just sat, lost in a fog of sadness, her normally poofy hair had become straight and almost looked depressed. She couldn’t even rustle up a “Here-You-Go-Hope-This-Cheers-You-Up™” cupcake out of her hammerspace, even though she knew it was that mean old author’s fault that she couldn’t.
Hours later, the girls finally were alerted as a doctor came through the doors leading to the patient rooms. “Hello, are you Scootaloo’s friends? I am Doctor Healing Hands, and I’m in charge of Scootaloo’s care while she is here. She requested that you be allowed to see her, and based on my findings, I cannot refuse. I will let you in on the situation, but I ask that you wait until we are in her room. Follow me”
The girls rose from their seats, stiffly walking after hours of sedentary waiting. They were led down a sterile hall and around a corner that housed a nurse’s station. Rounding the corner, there were large doors that led into spacious rooms meant for long-term ER patients. Emblazoned on an electronic screen beside one door waS “Scootaloo - ER Room LT-1”
Inside the room, Scootaloo’s aunts sat on two chairs beside a hospital bed. Laid on it, was the frail looking form of Scootaloo, dressed in a white hospital gown and covered with what seemed to be too many blankets.
The fragile appearance of the girl shocked all of the girls, and Dash immediately began walking toward the bed, “Hey squirt, how are you feeling?”
“Dash? I thought that was you. I can’t see very well right now but I feel like crap, pardon my language.” Scootaloo chuckled, before coughing a little. “It looks pretty bad, doesn’t it, Doctor?”
Doctor Healing Hands frowned, not enjoying this bit of his job at all, “Girls, I regret this, but I can’t lie to you about Scootaloo’s condition. There’s a reason why she’s not in a short-term bed. Earlier this week, I ordered a routine blood test to determine basic nutrient and hormone levels in her body, but was also driven by her complaints of a constant headache to order a CT scan and further bloodwork.”
“Great, I knew this was coming” Dash couldn’t bear to hear more, but she needed answers. “What did the tests show?”
“I wish I had better news for you, miss Dash, but all the data points to a devastating conclusion. Unfortunately, Scootaloo has a growth in her brain, a tumor about half the size of a golf ball, putting pressure on her spinal cord at the base of her skull. It is inoperable from this position, and it’s progressive growth has already advanced too far. As you have heard, she’s experiencing disruption in her vision,w hich shows that it’s not too far away from reaching it’s end goal.”
Fluttershy could barely form the words, “A-and wh-wh-what does that m-m-mean?”
“To put it simply, she’s dying.” The doctor looked like he’d been caught kicking a puppy. No one should hear that their loved one is dying, especially this young. “There’s no way we can help her, but we can keep her stable long enough to set her affairs in order. I’d estimate we have about three days.”
There was a small chuckle heard from the lone bed in the room. “Heh, three days. And here I thought I’d have enough time to make some more memories with my friends. Maybe fall in love with a boy, or girl, never occured to me what I’d prefer. Now though, I guess I just have enough time to say goodbye.” Scootaloo’s face was damp with tears, a small bitter smile gracing her lips. “Well, Rainbow Dash, I guess I can fulfill my wish to become a flyer, huh? I hear angels have wings!” Sobs poured out of the young girl, pain filling her heart at the thought of all she would miss in life.
Dash rushed to cradle her adopted sister as she too fought a losing battle with her emotions. Her face was a mask of pain that showed just how desperate she was to alleviate Scootaloo’s suffering.
Standing next to the door, Twilight struggled to keep it together as her friends all lamented the loss of one so young. She finally ran out the door, barely listening to the cries of Sunset to stop.
Sunset pleaded with her friend, “Twilight, wait! We need you here!”
Sitting in a side hallway, Twilight fiddled with her cellphone as she contemplated her next move. Something that scootaloo said had jogged her memories of when she had been researching her goal of Everton’s independent study program.
She had read an article about one John Sigmund, who had been an alumnus of Everton, who had perfected a memory manipulation protocol for research purposes. The protocol had been used successfully on dementia patients to help them recover from the debilitating disease. The study had become a worldwide sensation, and Sigmund had gone on to another pursuit: memory generation.
John had proposed that, since it was possible to recover lost memories, then it could also be possible to alter memories. His ultimate goal with this had been legendary; to grant people’s wishes.
The only hangup had been the effects of the eventual invention. Those people whose memories were modified would inevitably die from a phenomenon known as “cognitive dissonance.” The old memories and the new implanted ones would cause a reaction that would always kill the patient, thus why the process was later restricted to dying patients.
Naturally the head of the Everton program at the time had not been pleased, and had kicked Sigmund out of the alumnus roster. Sigmund had the last laugh, thought, as later the newly christened Sigmund Corporation would have the man as one of their first patients.
Coming back to Twilight’s thoughts, hearing Scootaloo say she wished she could create more memories, got her thinking. She’d recently heard about a Dr Watts who had been making significant improvements to Sigmund’s equipment and software, and an Eva Rosalene, who had been touted as “the premier in memory generation” in Psychology Quarterly. These two might be able to pull this off, she thought to herself.
The only problem was, how do you create a future that never existed?
Neil Watts stood facing a window, looking out on the snow below. It had been cold the last week, and his bones ached from the chill even in the heated interior of his office in Sigmund Corp.’s head office.
“How did I get saddled with off-duty time again, Eva?” Neil regarded his colleague with a scowl, gazing at her reflection in the window’s tinted glass.
Eva Rosalene, for her part, didn’t even flinch. “Neil, you’re a pest. We should be grateful for the off hours after what you pulled with Colin and Faye. Not only was making the documentation for a supposed A.I. that in reality was someone’s imaginary friend difficult, but we still managed to get collared for unprofessionalism. Just be glad that Faye’s copy isn’t pissed with us making her. After all, she’s still the same person, construct, whatever.”
“I know, Eva, but it turned out alright in the end, eh? We managed to give the patient his wish, and got vital information for my project. I just wish you hadn’t discovered it so soon.” Neil winced. At least she hasn’t discovered my other secret. I’m not ready to tell her yet. I need more time!
Still, languishing in his boredom and convoluted thoughts, Neil was startled as Eva’s phone rang, signaling a call from the higher-ups. “Eva here…… Oh? Alright, we’ll head on up. Give us five minutes.” Hanging up her phone, she turned to Neil as she sighed, “We’ve got a big one, apparently. Director wants us briefed in person. Evidently someone’s pulling strings that they want their best team on. No idea why they want it, but they asked specifically for the both of us.”
Neil turned, a spring in his step, saying, “Well then let’s not keep the boss-man waiting! We’re his best team, and we need to get moving!”
With that, the two headed out of Neil’s office, entering the elevator that would take them to the Director’s office.
“Eva, Neil, right on time. Have a seat” The Director was an imposing figure; while old, his mein was that of a seasoned warrior, taking no guff from anyone. “As you already have surmised, we have a new patient. However, the nature of this case is such that it was requested that you two personally see its resolution, especially considering the difficulty of this assignment.”
The Director placed a file in from of them, Neil picking it up and browsing its contents, “Hmm, tumor, inoperable, days left, wanting a fulfilling life, age… WHAT!?”
Eva was flabbergasted, “What is it? What’s wrong?”
The young technician raged, “She’s barely fifteen! She’s not even old enough for the program! The hell are you trying to pull?” He was livid. There was a reason that Sigmund refused to take younger clientele. The procedure was unalterably fatal, and the only thing standing in between Sigmund and a lawsuit would be the parents’ goodwill. “This has to be a mistake!”
“Unfortunately Mr. Watts, it is not. We have our patient, and we know the request. She wants to have a future. She wants to be able to live out her life as if she weren’t dying. I only agreed due to the influence our contact had.” The Director looked as if he had a headache coming on, probably due to the stress this was causing him. “Not to mention the girl is apparently an orphan, and her guardians have signed agreements not to seek damages after the fact.” “Then there is the girl who called us. She’s an Everton alumnus, where you two took some of your early education that led you here. The chairman threatened to never send us another student if we didn’t help. Evidently Canterlot has quite a few high ranking officials that owe Twilight Sparkle a debt, and she called on it. We can’t refuse. Wheels up in two hours.”
Deplaning at Canterlot Airport eight hours later, Neil was getting tired of lugging the 130-pound case holding the memory generation equipment. Seriously, couldn’t they have wheels?
“Eva, where are we going again? I really need a rest”
Eva just groaned. “For God’s sake Neil, just get it in the car. We’re taking the cab to Canterlot General. They’ve got her set up in a private room. We’ll have plenty of time to rest when we get in.”
Neil just groaned, not liking the sound of private room at all.
As it turned out, the room was at the end of the hall on the third floor, and of course the elevator was being serviced that day. Sixty-four steps later, Neil was happy to see the sign for the room.
Scootaloo - Patient Code A7
As if anticipating their arrival, the door was opened by none other than their contact, Twilight Sparkle.
“Oh, good! I heard you would be here, but I wasn’t sure when exactly you would arrive. Come in!” The young girl gestured inside, moving out of their way. “She’s already up, so we can discuss the whole procedure with her.”
Neil’s eyes widened in shock as he looked in on the young girl whose mind they would be entering soon. Her hair lay flat on her head, her eyes murky and sightless. She looked the very picture of death.
“Scootaloo? I’m Eva, and this is my partner Neil, we’re from Sigmund Corporation. Do you know why we’re here?” Eva was very cautious, not knowing what she had been told prior to their arrival. Smiling, Scootaloo said, “You’re here to make my dream come true, aren’t you? You’ll help me live a full life, even if it’s just a dream. I want a good life.” She moved her head toward their direction, as if trying to see them, “This is my wish: to find Paradise and live in peace.”
