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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
The Worst Medicine
"Thank you for your quick response, Princess."
"Of course, Doctor. I'm very anxious to see these results of yours," Twilight Sparkle said, her voice tired and grave. "And please, call me Twilight."
Twilight was following the doctor down a sterile corridor with fluorescent lights and white walls. The many doors in the walls were all closed. The occasional nurse or doctor half-trotting this or that way didn't even acknowledge the royalty walking down the hall. Twilight preferred it that way – she knew they were all very busy.
"As you wish, Twilight," the doctor answered. "I must warn you, though; don't get your hopes up."
"I understand, Doctor." She didn't, not really. There must be something they could do. There had to be.
After a long elevator ride downward and another corridor, they reached a flat, red door. Two unicorn guards stood on either side of it, both of them wearing modern full-body armour and armed with mana rifles. They looked straight ahead as the doctor lit up his horn and entered a code on a small panel.
It bleeped in response, and the door hissed and slid up. The doctor walked inside, and Twilight followed him after hesitating just a second.
The room on the other side was large and circular, with a multitude of panels and screens placed along the wall. Five ponies in white coats were reading papers and staring at figures on the screens.
In the centre of the room, a thick glass wall created an isolated chamber. Twilight looked away.
"Over here." The doctor was walking leftward, and Twilight hurried after him. He stopped at a desk on with a thick pile of papers. The desk stood just in front of the glass wall, and Twilight stared very hard at those papers.
"These are all the results."
"Could you give me a rundown?"
"Right." The doctor picked up the papers in his magic, riffling through them rapidly.
"First off, her values – virtually all of them – are deviating from the standard by an obscene amount."
"About how much?" Twilight interrupted.
"If she was a regular pony, she'd be dead."
Twilight took a slow breath.
"Continue."
"She won't touch the food we give her, and like the others she does not sleep, nor rest. This specimen is more active than the average – she keeps kicking the glass. We believe there to be a link between aggressiveness and either physical condition or lifestyle. And finally, the blood samples confirmed our expectations. It's a parasite causing all this."
Twilight nodded.
"Is that all?"
"You asked for a summary. Details are in here." He levitated the stack of papers over to Twilight, who took them in her own magic.
"Thank you, doctor," Twilight managed with a shaky voice. She turned to leave.
"One more thing, Princess."
Twilight froze.
"This project is at an end. We've got what we wanted."
"Please don't," she thought.
"You are in charge, so you must order the shut-down. Which includes terminating the subject."
Twilight turned toward the doctor. His face showed no emotion.
"You want me to kill her." Not a question.
"She's already dead."
"Are you sure? What about the Magical Resonance Imaging?"
"The MRI showed neural activity, sure. But there's no structure, no patterns. The neurons are firing at random. If she's still conscious, she's going through hell. This would be an act of mercy."
"There has to be something, anything –" Twilight began.
"There is no medicine that can fix this." His voice was hard, impatient. "This is the only option."
"Also the worst option."
"With all due respect, your highness; you have to give the order. The Ponyville Outbreak has been contained, but she is a major threat to all of Equestria. Emotions must not be allowed to rule in this matter."
"She is my friend!" Twilight snapped.
"3000 ponies died, Twilight. We've all lost somepony."
Twilight looked inside the glass cage. Rainbow Dash was standing near the middle, glaring straight at her with sunk-in eyes. Crouched down, wings flared, waiting to pounce. She was thin, starving, and her once-brilliant colours were dulled with dirt and dried blood. From her open mouth, a stream of black, thick saliva trickled down her cheek. The only movement was her heaving chest.
Their eyes met, and Rainbow Dash gave a muffled roar and charged head first into the glass wall. It didn't bulge.
Twilight was crying. She took a breath.
"Do it."
"Of course, Doctor. I'm very anxious to see these results of yours," Twilight Sparkle said, her voice tired and grave. "And please, call me Twilight."
Twilight was following the doctor down a sterile corridor with fluorescent lights and white walls. The many doors in the walls were all closed. The occasional nurse or doctor half-trotting this or that way didn't even acknowledge the royalty walking down the hall. Twilight preferred it that way – she knew they were all very busy.
"As you wish, Twilight," the doctor answered. "I must warn you, though; don't get your hopes up."
"I understand, Doctor." She didn't, not really. There must be something they could do. There had to be.
After a long elevator ride downward and another corridor, they reached a flat, red door. Two unicorn guards stood on either side of it, both of them wearing modern full-body armour and armed with mana rifles. They looked straight ahead as the doctor lit up his horn and entered a code on a small panel.
It bleeped in response, and the door hissed and slid up. The doctor walked inside, and Twilight followed him after hesitating just a second.
The room on the other side was large and circular, with a multitude of panels and screens placed along the wall. Five ponies in white coats were reading papers and staring at figures on the screens.
In the centre of the room, a thick glass wall created an isolated chamber. Twilight looked away.
"Over here." The doctor was walking leftward, and Twilight hurried after him. He stopped at a desk on with a thick pile of papers. The desk stood just in front of the glass wall, and Twilight stared very hard at those papers.
"These are all the results."
"Could you give me a rundown?"
"Right." The doctor picked up the papers in his magic, riffling through them rapidly.
"First off, her values – virtually all of them – are deviating from the standard by an obscene amount."
"About how much?" Twilight interrupted.
"If she was a regular pony, she'd be dead."
Twilight took a slow breath.
"Continue."
"She won't touch the food we give her, and like the others she does not sleep, nor rest. This specimen is more active than the average – she keeps kicking the glass. We believe there to be a link between aggressiveness and either physical condition or lifestyle. And finally, the blood samples confirmed our expectations. It's a parasite causing all this."
Twilight nodded.
"Is that all?"
"You asked for a summary. Details are in here." He levitated the stack of papers over to Twilight, who took them in her own magic.
"Thank you, doctor," Twilight managed with a shaky voice. She turned to leave.
"One more thing, Princess."
Twilight froze.
"This project is at an end. We've got what we wanted."
"Please don't," she thought.
"You are in charge, so you must order the shut-down. Which includes terminating the subject."
Twilight turned toward the doctor. His face showed no emotion.
"You want me to kill her." Not a question.
"She's already dead."
"Are you sure? What about the Magical Resonance Imaging?"
"The MRI showed neural activity, sure. But there's no structure, no patterns. The neurons are firing at random. If she's still conscious, she's going through hell. This would be an act of mercy."
"There has to be something, anything –" Twilight began.
"There is no medicine that can fix this." His voice was hard, impatient. "This is the only option."
"Also the worst option."
"With all due respect, your highness; you have to give the order. The Ponyville Outbreak has been contained, but she is a major threat to all of Equestria. Emotions must not be allowed to rule in this matter."
"She is my friend!" Twilight snapped.
"3000 ponies died, Twilight. We've all lost somepony."
Twilight looked inside the glass cage. Rainbow Dash was standing near the middle, glaring straight at her with sunk-in eyes. Crouched down, wings flared, waiting to pounce. She was thin, starving, and her once-brilliant colours were dulled with dirt and dried blood. From her open mouth, a stream of black, thick saliva trickled down her cheek. The only movement was her heaving chest.
Their eyes met, and Rainbow Dash gave a muffled roar and charged head first into the glass wall. It didn't bulge.
Twilight was crying. She took a breath.
"Do it."