My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro, Studio B Productions, and Lauren Faust (like a Faust).
Foreword: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Thanks for being so patient! For those of you that are new, this is a sequel to my first story, Dilemmas of the PerpliXing. You can find it on my profile.
Cure for the iX
I approached the throne and bowed. "Your highness."
Her eyes widened. "Alchemy? I must say this is an unsuspecting visit, seeing as how everypony thought you died in the Hybrid Laboratories explosion."
"I come here seeking your permission to continue testing." I looked up at her. "But this time, I aim to help ponies."
"Alchemy, you are part of the reason the Seekers no longer exist. All you did was help ponies."
"But I'm also part of the reason ponies were hurting so much. Please, let me do this."
"And what if I say yes? Just what kind of testing are you talking about?"
I magicked a vial out of my saddlebag. It contained a red liquid. "This is something I found in the rubble of the laboratory. I have reason to believe it can be used as a cure for… just about anything. If my suspicions are correct, then this could be a universal cure."
"So you're asking me if you can test to see if it actually works without and mathematical or scientific proof?"
I nodded. "I know what information I have isn't much to go on, but I would like just one-"
"Very well. I'll send you with some of my top scientists to our underground laboratory a few miles west from Canterlot."
"Wait, just like that? Princess, why so quick to make that decision?"
She smiled. "Because everypony deserves a second chance."
I smiled. "Thank you, princess."
Chapter 1
Life? Never better, thanks for asking. After I befriended my foster sister's parents' murderer, I flew into the sunset with the love of my life. We didn't get to see each other over the fall, but that's because of my university. I also had to get a job to support my griffon friend, Gilda, and myself. During winter break, we flew down to Ponyville and met up with our friends. I stayed with Twilight while Gilda stayed with Rainbow. We got the entire gang together (which was about fifteen ponies) and celebrated my birthday. In addition, not two weeks after that was Christmas. Twilight and I got tricked into kissing by the mistletoe (not that there was anything wrong with that). It was not long after that that I had to leave to go back to the university.
It was the summer after that that life had gotten a little bit more interesting.
"Gilda, I got letters from Twilight and Rainbow. They're both about how Rarity has gotten really sick."
Gilda walk into my room. "What's she sick with?"
"That's just it, nopony knows. None of her symptoms match with any of the diseases in the medical books."
"That sucks. So there's nothing we can do?"
"Not from the angle I see this situation at." I turned to face her. She looked just as worried as I did.
"I'm sorry."
I shook my head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I just… don't know what to do. What if what she has is fatal?"
"Then that's how it is. We can't do anything about it. If there isn't a cure, there isn't a cure. Sometimes, the only thing we can do is sit back and watch the world unfold."
I groaned. "I hate that."
"Cheer up. It's not like you'll never see her again."
POV Switch
«Ozone—§ OUT
IN §—Alchemy»
"Your name is Rarity, correct?"
She nodded. "So, this is entirely experimental?"
"Getting straight to the point, eh? Yes, this was just recently discovered. We can't know for sure what kind of side effects this will have unless we test it. If anything happens to you, you have the full right to take it out on us."
"And what exactly is in it?"
"Just something I found from a few centuries ago. I can't exactly tell you what's in it because I have no idea myself. It works, none the less."
She hesitated but nodded. "Alright. Give me some of it."
I pulled a syringe out of one of my saddlebags with my magic. I put it against her leg and looked at her, asking for permission one last time. She nodded slowly. I punctured her skin with the needle and injected the medicine into her. After it was emptied, I took it out and bandaged her up. "Now, for research purposes, I need you to write to us everyday telling us if you're getting better or worse." I slid her my card with the mailing address on it. "If anything unusual happens, come here as soon as possible. I just want you to know how much of a risk this is."
"I am well aware of what's at stake. I can handle it."
"Okay. Thank you, Miss Rarity." We shook hooves and she left. I slid back into my chair. "I hope it works. She was absolutely miserable. I hate seeing ponies suffer."
"Alchemy, patients two and three are here." A voice called from the hall.
"Great, send them in."
A beige earth pony with pink and deep blue hair walked in. The next pony was a blue pegasus pony with a light b mane. Neither of them was smiling. "Hello, doctor." The beige pony said.
"Hello, Bon Bon." I turned to the other pony. "Flitter."
She nodded. They both took their seats. "I understand you have some sort of… universal cure?" Bon Bon looked at me weird. "May I see it?"
"But of course." I lifted up the vial containing the medicine. "You'll need to take it by syringe. Are you okay with needles?" She nodded. "How about you, Flitter?"
She shrugged. "I guess." She mumbled.
"Great! Are you ready? They both nodded. I injected Bon Bon first, then Sapphire. Once the syringes were empty, I threw them away. "Thank you both. Here is my card. I want you two to contact me if anything out of the ordinary happens. Don't go around telling ponies about this, either. We can't treat everypony with some sort of ailment." They both nodded and left without saying a word. Once they left, I sighed. "This is going to come around and bite me on the flank, isn't it?"
/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./
I was scared to say the least. Firstly, because I was correct about the flank biting. And secondly, because Rarity had come in the next day. Except, she wasn't really Rarity. She stood on her hind legs, her front hooves now talons like a griffon. There was also a pair of limbs sticking out of her upper back, which were like giant skin-covered bendable stakes that could reach over her shoulders. She seemed to slouch due to the extra weight. Her chest was wide open, and revealed her ribcage. Her spine was sticking out of her back, yet her head seemed to be holding itself up. The right half her face was gone, and what was left wasn't pretty. The eye she still had was black, save for the white pupil. Some of teeth looked close to three inches long, those teeth hanging crooked out of her mouth when it was closed. When it's open, it opens so wide, it would make a snake truly proud. Her mouth was coated with dried blood. Her horn was stretched to match Princess Celestia's. But as big as it was, she didn't seem to use it once.
She was attacking us. She would grab a pony by the neck with her forelimbs. She would dig her talons into their shoulders, leaving the victim helpless. She would bite into their neck and feed on them. When she was done, she would throw the dead pony at the wall and move on to a new pony. Most of the time, the ponies would stay dead. However, every so often, a dead pony would soon come back to life as whatever Rarity had turned into. The walls were covered in the blood of dead ponies.
I was locked in my office, forced to watch my colleagues die left and right just outside. "H-How did this happen? I know it wasn't prefect, but the medicine alone couldn't have caused this." The zombie ponies were scratching at the windows of my office. Horsefeathers, I'm cornered. Wait a second… I looked up. Oh yeah, I'm a unicorn! I can teleport out of here. I looked at the ponies scratching at my window. The glass was beginning to crack. I grabbed the vial containing the medicine, tied a string around it, and wore it around my neck. "Celestia will have my head for this." I said before teleporting away.
/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./
I found myself standing in front on the castle gates. I ran up to one of the guards and showed them my card. "This is urgent. I need you to order a lock-down on Canterlot."
The guard blinked. "Why would I do that? Is there zombie ponies on the loose?" She asked in a sarcastic tone.
"Yes! The citizens are in danger, and if we don't do something we will all die."
"You're kidding, right?"
"I was just running from them. They killed all the scientists in the lab. I couldn't save anypony, so I teleported here."
Her eyes widened. "Oh, crap." She turned to the guard next to her. "Notify the princesses. I'll talk to the city guard." The other guard nodded and ran through the castle gates. "You better not be lying. Celestia will have your head."
"She'll have both of our heads if we don't do something right now. I'm going with you."
She nodded. "We better get there fast." We then took off towards the city walls.
When we arrived, the guard pony asked me what direction the ponies were coming from. "West. But they move at such a slow rate, they might not be visible for a while."
The guard pony nodded and flew up towards the security post. The guard pony was talking, and the security pony was listening closely. He picked up a pair of binoculars and looked west. He then screamed. The guard pony flew back down and landed in front of me. "They're coming, and fast!"
Yep, I'm dead. Suddenly, loud sirens started to go off. All the ponies on the street stopped and looked around in confusion. The security pony then closed the city doors and locked them. Ponies began to gather at the center of the city.
Not minutes after the sirens went off, Princess Celestia teleported in front of me. "You have a lot of explaining later." I gulped. She turned to the crowd of ponies. "Citizens of Canterlot!" Everypony went quiet and bowed. "Until further notice, the city is being put into lockdown mode." Ponies started mumbling to each other. "There is… something outside the walls, and we can't let it inside. Nopony gets in or out without direct permission from me. Any objections?" Silence. "Very well. Resume your daily activities."
As the ponies dispersed, Princess Celestia turned to me. "Follow me to my quarters."
I nodded and followed her. I just hope it's quick and painless.
/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./
"What, did you honestly think I was going to kill you?" She laughed. "Alchemy, you know as well as I do I would never kill a pony. Especially you."
"Princess, I'm still sorry. I didn't know that was gonna happen."
"I completely believe you. Nevertheless, I must show my concern. You see, Rarity was the Element of Generosity."
I almost killed myself. "Without her, the Elements of Harmony are useless."
She nodded. "Well, she wasn't the Element itself, but she was host to its spirit." She sighed. "But I doubt the Elements of Harmony can help us in a time like this, anyway."
"Why is that?"
She sighed. "The Elements of Harmony are not a force of destruction. If they had a choice, don't you think they would have killed Nightmare Moon and Discord so we never had to deal with them? Instead, they sealed Nightmare Moon deep inside Luna, and turned Discord to stone. It looks like we're on our own for this one."
"Princess, what exactly are you going to do to me?"
"Do you want me to do something?" I shook my head. "There's your answer." She looked out the window. "Listen. Do you remember Summer?"
I groaned. "Don't get me started on her."
"She's not evil anymore."
I choked in my own breath. "What?"
She nodded. "And do you know what became of Ozone?" I shook my head. "After he escaped, over the years, he created a large circle of friends, Summer included. He even met the love of his life."
I smiled. "Good. I'm happy at least one good thing came out of my mistakes."
"Alchemy, it isn't healthy to dwell in the past so often. Lighten up."
"I know, princess."
"And how many times have I told you to stop using my title? It's just Celestia to you."
"It's a hard habit to break. When you called me your best friend all those years ago, I didn't know how to react. I'm still having a hard time adjusting."
"It's okay. You have all the time in the world. I also want to let you know that I'm not letting you out of my sight now that your here."
"I wouldn't have suspected any less."
POV Switch
«Alchemy—§ OUT
IN §—Ozone»
"Ozone, get a load of this!" Gilda called from the kitchen.
I ran downstairs. "What's up?"
She showed me the newspaper. "Canterlot's under lockdown."
I read the paper. "Zombie ponies? Man, they'll believe anything these days."
"Oh, but that just means the obituary section got a lot more interesting." She opened to it and read all the names. She came across a certain one and gasped, holding her talons over her mouth.
"Gilda? Who is it?"
She showed me the paper. "Fifth to last."
"Okay?" I located the fifth to last name and read it out loud. "Rarity." my eyes widened. "Cause of death remains unknown, although it might have something to do with the disease she contracted not even a week ago." I didn't want to read anymore. My eyes were starting to sting.
"Aw, Ozone…" Gilda hugged me. I began to cry on her.
"I couldn't do anything!"
"Ozone, there was nothing you could do. This was entirely out of your control. Fate decided it was time for Rarity to go, and you can't fight Fate."
"But… but I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye. You know what my last words to her were? 'See you around!'" I cried even harder. "I'll never get to see her again!" I don't know how long I cried, but when I was done I was tired. "Gilda, I'm gonna go lie down."
"Okay. Just shout if you need anything."
I nodded and went upstairs into my room. I layed down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I just… don't even know. How do I react to something like this? I groaned. I can only think of one thing that would help me right now.
/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./
"I don't see how it's gonna be a problem, considering Canterlot is locked down until somepony can fix everything. No school keeping us apart."
"Well, okay. If you say so…" Twilight put on a smile. "Welcome back!"
I walked into the library. "It's great to be back."
"I'm just kind of surprised is all. I told you to tell me the next time you were planning on coming over."
"I'm sorry, but I really like surprising you."
She closed the door. "So, where's Gilda? Staying with Rainbow?"
I nodded. "I figured she wouldn't wanna hang around us now that we're, you know… together."
"And that's the only reason?"
"Yeah, she'd just get annoyed by us and end up leaving anyway."
Twilight giggled. "Yeah, probably." There was an awkward silence. "So, learn any new Alchemy moves?"
I nodded in excitement. "Follow me to a wide open space. I'll show you."
POV Switch
«Ozone—§ OUT
IN §—Applejack»
"Applejack, come inside!" Big Macintosh called.
"Not yet! She's still got time left." I was waiting for Rarity. She said we were going to meet at the front of the lake at sunset because she needed to tell me something. About two hours later, Big Macintosh had told me she was dead. I didn't believe him. "The sun's still halfway above the horizon."
"It's not good for a pony ta be doin' this. Please, just-"
"No! She's not dead and I won't here another word!"
Big Macintosh turned around. "Fine! I'm just tryna be a good big brother! But if you want to let this kill you from the inside, then by all means, go ahead!" He lowered his head. "It won't bring her back." He walked away after that.
Fine, whatever. I don't need him. I sat down and stared at the path, hoping Rarity would arrive soon.
/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./
"It's been three hours since the sun set. Where is that filly?" I yawned. "Maybe Big Macintosh is right. Maybe she ain't coming…" I got up and began to walk away. The sound of hoofsteps stopped me. I turned around and saw a figure moving along the path. Is it really her? It was too dark to see, but I was pretty sure Rarity wasn't that tall. In fact, this pony seemed to stand on its hind legs. I couldn't make out the pony's exact shape, but it was horribly disfigured. It looked like it had four front limbs. Wait, that can't be right. "Hello?"
The figure groaned as it approached. As my eyes adjusted to be able to see the figure, I grew scared. It did, in fact, have four front limbs, the extra two coming out of its back. I couldn't move; I was too scared to react. The pony was only a few yards away, and it sped up as it closed the distance between us. It dug its talons into my shoulders, and I immediately felt the pain. I struggled, but it was really strong. It looked at me, or the best it could with one eye. It then sank its razor-like teeth into my chest. I didn't look at it; I could feel every drop of blood pour out of the whole in my chest. I continued to struggle; this time it worked. I flipped over and pinned the pony under me, it's talons still in my shoulders. I stomped down on all of its limbs, and they all fell off the pony's body. I then headbutt it right in the cranium, and it exploded. There was blood everywhere; from the pony, and the holes its teeth left in my head. I could feel some of the teeth still in my head when I pulled back. The talons slid effortlessly out of my shoulders, and I collapsed from exhaustion. I rolled into my belly and dragged myself towards the barn, leaving a trail of blood behind me. It hurt mostly because of the fact that my chest was practically a hole. Blood was quickly blurring my vision. I was also really dizzy from blood loss.
It was a good thing the lake was so close to the farm. I was relieved when I saw the farm in sight. When I reached it, I opened the door.
Big Macintosh was right inside. He saw me and screamed. "Applejack!"
"Please… help…" I blacked out.
POV Switch
«Applejack—§ OUT
IN §—Ozone»
Twilight and I were preparing dinner when there was an extremely loud knock at the door. I left the kitchen and opened the door. It was Big Macintosh with a bandaged but extremely bloody Applejack of his back. "Ozone, I need your help. I need you to send a letter to Princess Celestia asking if we could go to Canterlot."
"Big Macintosh! Of course, I'll be right back. Come in." I went over to Twilight's desk and began writing.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I know you told me not to bring you my injured friends, but this is serious. I think Applejack is dying. We don't know what caused it, but it looks like an animal tore her apart. Well, she's still in one piece, but… ugh, I don't have time for this! Can you send a chariot or something over to Twilight's library to pick us up?
Please answer soon,
iX Ozone
I ran the letter upstairs and woke Spike up. Luckily, he burped. I threw the letter into the fire and ran back downstairs. "I just sent the letter. I don't know how long it'll take for the princess to respond, but-" There was another knocking at the door. I groaned and answered it.
There were two royal guard ponies. "Hello." The first one said.
"We received your letter and we are here to bring you to Canterlot. Where is Applejack?"
I pointed towards Big Macintosh, who was still carrying Applejack on his back. The guard ponies nodded and gestured for us to follow them. We all walked outside and entered the chariot. When we were all situated, the guard ponies took off towards Canterlot at alarming speeds.
/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./
It was unbearable, having to wait. I paced back and forth in front Twilight and Big Macintosh. "Ozone, try to calm down." Twilight said.
"I can't. I hate having to stand on the sidelines and watching everything spin out of control. I wanna help!"
"There isn't anything you can do." Big Macintosh said. "If it were up to me, we'd all be in there helpin'. But we just have to let them do their job."
Princess Celestia stormed through the front doors of the hospital. A snow-white unicorn stallion with an electric blue mane and tail accompanied her. His eyes were a dark grey and his Cutie Mark was an electric blue Alchemy circle. He was almost as big as the princess. He seemed to be trying to tell the princess something, but she wasn't listening. She approached me and I stopped pacing. "How is she?"
"I don't know, they wont let me in. It's killing me not being able to help."
Twilight stood up. "I've been trying to calm him down, but nothing's working."
Princess Celestia turned towards the white unicorn. "Go in there, make sure you're wrong." He nodded and entered the operating room. She smiled. "Ozone, follow me." I nodded and we walked outside. She turned to me. "What's really going on? I know you're eager to help, but that can't be the only reason you're like this."
I sighed. "After the way Rarity left this world without me saying goodbye, I didn't want the same to happen to Applejack."
She nodded. "I understand." She sighed. "The pony that was with me. His name is Alchemy. I take it you noticed his Cutie Mark?"
"Princess, is that the other pony that could use Alchemy?"
She nodded. "Not just that, though. He is the embodiment of Alchemy, hence the name. He's also my best friend. There's a story behind that, but let's save it for another day. I think Alchemy is back." We slowly walked back into the waiting room. Alchemy was there, and he looked worried. "So?"
"I was right." Princess Celestia cursed under her breath.
"Uh, princess?" Twilight cut in. "What's going on?"
She sighed. "I assume you are all aware of the reason Canterlot is under lock down?"
"Princess, you can't be serious. Zombie ponies?"
"Oh, I can tell you first hand this isn't a joke." Sky said. "I can also tell you what caused your friend's injuries."
"Really?" I asked.
He nodded. "It was, as you call it, a zombie pony. I prefer to use a much simpler term, Infect."
"Okay, so how did these 'Infects' come to be?" I asked.
"We don't know." Alchemy said quickly. He coughed. "But I have seen them in action. Your friend is very lucky. Most ponies either die or become an infected themselves. She isn't showing any signs of transformation, which means one of two things. It could mean she was supposed to die and we saved her. Because her injuries are so minor compared to what I've seen, it could also mean she's just taking her time transforming. Either way, she's going to live."
I sat down next to Twilight. She wrapped me in a hug, but I couldn't return it. Yeah, Applejack is going to live. However, at the same time, we have these Infected running around and hurting our friends. I really had no idea what to do.
"I'll send a chariot to pick the rest of your friends up. You all are staying in the castle. Let's go." Everypony nodded and got up. I stayed.
"But… what about Applejack?" I asked quietly.
"You heard what Alchemy said, she's going to live. I'm sure you'll be able to visit her in the morning. Right now, though, you need to sleep."
I slowly got up and followed the rest of my friends to the castle.
/.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./.-./
I opened the doors to the room Applejack was in and smiled. Everypony was there. Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Big Macintosh, Alchemy, Princess Celestia, and even Gilda and Spike. They were all circled around Applejack, who looked peaceful as she was sleeping. Princess Celestia turned to me and smiled. "Good, everypony's here."
"Come on, princess. Tell us what the surprise is!" Pinkie Pie appeared behind me.
She laughed. "I have to take you all to it. Please follow me."
We all exited the room, and Pinkie whispered, "I can't wait to see what it is!" I smiled as we walked.
When we reached our destination, we were underground. We had taken an elevator at a certain point and ended up in a big white room with a bunch of doors in it. "This is the Equestrian Underground Terminal, or EUT for short. Here, you can visit any town in Equestria at your heart's content."
"This is so cool!" I yelled.
"I'm showing you all this because I would like you to become Equestria's defense team. Those who chose to accept will defend our friends and family from the outbreak. Who thinks that sounds fun?"
I started jumping up and down. "That sounds awesome!"
Twilight sighed. "I know Ozone's gonna get himself killed if I'm not out there helping him."
Gilda grinned. "Sounds fun. I'm in."
Alchemy nodded. "Anything to redeem myself." This made Princess Celestia roll her eyes and smile.
Summer stood next to him. "I just wanted some peace and quiet, but I can't resist a chance like this."
"That's fantastic! Are there anymore takers?" No one else said a word. "Then would you five follow me?" She took us into one of the many rooms and presented us with a table. The table had eight uniforms on it. The uniform was a gray vest with a bunch of pockets. It also had a patch on it. The patch was gold and in the shape of a pistol. "Put these on, and you'll be ready to go. They each have a few health potions in them in case any of you get hurt in the middle of a mission and can't get back here immediately."
I looked around but couldn't find the one with my name on it. "Uhh, princess? Where's mine?"
"Yours is special. Come, I'll show you." She opened a door near the back of the room and a cylinder slid out of it. The cylinder opened revealing one of the coolest things I had ever seen.
It looked almost exactly like an Advanced suit from Dead Space 2, except this one was grey to match the uniforms. The lights were gold to match my eye color. I approached it and touched it. I squealed in delight. "It's real!"
Princess Celestia giggled. "It's still a prototype, but I think it's time it got some real-world experience. Just touch the suit on the gold symbol on its chest and you'll be ready."
The symbol was my wing colored gold. It was also illuminated, showing that it too was a light. I touched it, and it magically turned to gel. It slid across my entire body, then turned into armor instantly. It was a perfect fit. "I love it!"
"I'm glad you do. Unfortunately, I could only equip you with a Plasma Cutter, a Plasma Saw, a Stasis module, and a Kinesis module."
"Are you kidding? That's all I need!"
"You'll find both weapons retractable at will. All you have to do is want the weapon to appear, and it will. The Plasma Cutter is in your right hoof, and the Plasma Saw is in your left hoof. Try it out!"
I did, and was amazed at how that worked. "I can't thank you enough, Princess Celestia."
"The pleasure is all mine. Now go on and show off to your friends."
I nodded and posed in front of them. They were all as amazed as I was. "It is pretty cool isn't it?"
"All right, ponies. Your first mission is Ponyville. Escort anyone that is uninfected or can be saved. A scanner on Ozone's suit will give you the status of the pony. Any questions?" No one responded. "Then get going, and best of luck to you all."
Autnor's note: Look at what we have here! After a month and a half of nothing, I updated! I told you this wasn't going to be centered around romance. Anyway, I just wanted to get this out there. Summer break's coming up in a month and a day, and I can't wait! More time to write and stuff. Anyway, this won't be updated very often before then (if at all). I'm going to work on this as much as I can, and maybe even finish chapter 2 before school ends! Continue to enjoy other things I write when I write them!