June 2023 Event: Unintended Consequences

Velvet Wing had been spending her time going from infected household to infected household - whether it was providing food, medical supplies or even just a conversation, the bat pony did what she could in an attempt to ease the burden on this side of the fences and barricades. After a long day, she sighed and rested her back against the cool crystal of a building, slumping back on her haunches and staring up at the darkening cloudy sky. She was tired and her wings were sore - flying from one side of the quarantine to the other..

 

She let out another sigh, stretching out her wings as she lightly winced at an unfamiliar twinge from her shoulder. She had injuries like this before back home. Either outrunning the Star Spiders and their webs or the Moon Widow and her trap threads. The memory sent a shudder down her spine - the memories were still raw. Her people were freed what felt like only months ago. She frowned, her brow furrowing as she squinted at the thought.

 

Had it only been a couple of months..?

 

The soft scratching of crystal pulled her from her thoughts.

 

“Hmm..?” She noised, blinking and glancing to where she had subconsciously rubbed her hoof against her shoulder. Between stripes of brown and red, around where her wing connected was glittering teal - marbled between her markings and snaking ever so slightly down her shoulder. She froze, dumbstruck as she stared at the shimmering marble-like material.. Then tapped it with her hoof.

 

The sound it gave in reply was the same, if a bit muffled, of a soft hoofstep on the crystalline street. She cracked a small tired smile, yet her eyes widened slowly as the realization began to sink in. She chuckled quietly, hissing a soft “shit” under her breath as her hoof dropped back to the crystal under her with another clack. Her mind went numb as she tried to think of what to do - what was there she could do? There was no cure.

 

How many had she exposed? The thought caused her to stare wide-eyed at her reflection on the sidewalk in front of her. She squinted at herself and the marbling that marred her left shoulder - how many of her friends had she exposed..? She hung her head, ignoring the twinges from her affliction as she wrapped her wings around herself like a small cape.

 

Velvet wasn’t sure how long she had been moping - she was sure that in her exhaustion she had passed out, but the sounds of crates and supplies being moved stirred the mare from her sleep. Lifting her head, strands of her disheveled mane fell into her face as she yawned and wiped them away with a hoof.

 

“Hurry now! Yes!” A Unicorn hybrid hummed excitedly as she helped move supplies into a nearby building. The commotion was causing other afflicted to cautiously peek out from their homes. Curious, Velvet Wing pushed herself to her hooves and came over.

“What’sh-” She stifled another yawn with the back of a hoof, whispering a soft pardon before continuing. “What’s going on..?” The Zebracorn turned to look at her, opening her mouth to speak before noticing the crystal growing in Velvet’s fur.

 

“Making a cure.” She nodded confidently before heading into the building. Velvet squinted, following after the mare. The building was full of books, supplies and parchment with strange symbols.. The bat pony frowned softly to herself as memories of similar symbols and a debate between a professor and.. She squinted harder.

“You’re that loon that the professor was warning about in his seminar flyer.” Velvet scoffed, gesturing at the zebracorn with a hoof. The mare, however, simply turned to look at the bat pony with a smirk and a half-assed shrug, holding out a hoof to introduce herself.

“Golden Sage~” She hummed, causing Velvet to stare through her squint.. Though she slowly raised a hoof to bump against Sage’s and shook it. She wasn’t sure if she should be amused or offended by her reaction, but she didn’t have time as Sage continued. “And I didn’t see you attend the ritual - does that mean you went to that boring seminar instead?” She went to a work table, cracking open a tome before stealing a glance towards Velvet Wing who could only silently stammer in response.

“Didn’t think so - I’m not offended by the way.” Golden Sage said quietly, her voice carrying over the tome and through the dusty lantern lit room. Velvet Wing could only sit on her haunches and nod slowly before rubbing her face with her hooves.

“A cure..?” She asked, or rather, mumbled through them - not seeing the zebracorn nod in response. “How are you going to go about that?” She dropped her hooves to the crystalline floor with another soft clack sound, watching as Golden Sage gestured a hoof at her, then to the door.

“By studying those afflicted - including you if you’re willing.” She eyed Velvet hard before turning a couple of pages with her magic, eyes skimming the pages. “How exactly is it transmitted? Why do some take years to turn into statues while others don’t? What material even is it?” She asked, coming over and leaning in close, causing Velvet to scoot back with a frown. Sage gently tapped a hoof on the crystal, ears perking and swiveling at the sound before she lowered it again.

“Aren’t you curious?” She asked, this time squinting at Velvet who frowned harder.

“Of course I am!”

“Then prove it.” Sage grinned, pointing a hoof at her again. “Prove it and help me help them.” There was a loud click as Velvet swatted her hoof away, standing up and bumped her nose against the mare’s, teal eyes locking with jade ones.

 

“What am I doing, then?” She asked, eyeing Sage who gestured towards the door with a hoof again. 

 

“Tell the others that I need to see them in order to make progress on this. All stages - just starting, even those who are almost statues. The more samples I have, hopefully the more information I can get.”

 

—

 

Belle sat in thought as the crowd slowly grew thinner and thinner. Occasionally her gaze flitted over the faces of others - hoping to spot either Pas or Velvet amongst the bustling bodies of the square. Neither were to be seen anywhere. After a while she let out a loud sigh and pushed herself to her hooves, she had wasted enough time - ponies needed help. 

 

With a flash of gentle blue magic, her satchel opened and a crystal levitated out just in front of the mare’s face. She studied it hard before she began trotting along, her hooves gently clicking against the crystal street as she held the crystal out. 

 

Surely something had to come of this venture, she thought as she sighed quietly to herself. She traveled from district to district, minding the quarantines and examining the architecture of the kingdom.. It was all so mesmerizing.. But frustrating.

 

The crystal wasn’t glowing. No more than her magic was illuminating it in its grasp, anyway. Her tail flicked in annoyance - surely this had to be the cause of wild magic.. Or at least part of it.. Right? With a huff, Belle continued on her way, though she spotted fewer of the Equestrians who had traveled with them. Sure, the kingdom was large, but.. Where were they all goin-

 

Something small collided with her leg and she heard a yelp, a gasp and panicked whispering.

“Get your flank over here!!” A voice quietly hissed. Glancing down Belle locked eyes with a terrified colt, flecks of crystal dotted their face and pelt as he scrambled to his feet. The hissing voice belonged to another colt, one without crystal as a couple more crystal dappled children scrambled over and behind the unaffected child.

“W-wait-” Before she could take a step, the colt stamped a hoof.

“You’re not locking them up again!” He huffed, steam wisping from his nostrils as his tail lashed angrily behind him. Belle’s brow furrowed in confusion as she stared at him.

“Lock them up?”

“Ya! You heard me!” He huffed again.

“Like prisoners?”

“Worse!” 

 

Belle quirked her head to the side, eyeing the colt then the afflicted children before walking over. The children were terrified, that much was clear and their expressions pained her as she leaned down to look the colt in the eye - to which he stared her down and puffed out his chest.. Standing his ground in front of his friends, though Belle could see his frame quivering slightly.

“Why would I do that?” She asked softly, her gaze breaking away from the colt to look the kids over, furrowing her brow again as she saw the crystalline growths and patches.. All shapes, sizes and textures with no rhyme or reason to their placement or colors - it all seemed random. As she stepped around him, the colt quickly darted in front of her again to stand in her path. Between her and his friends.

“Because that’s what everyone on this side of the fences do!” He nodded, causing the other kids to nod in turn. Belle mulled that over for a moment before smirking softly and lowering her head to their level again.

“So.. Everyone?”

“Yup!”

“Absolutely everyone?”

“That’s what I said!” He growled, stomping a hoof again as he glared at her. “Everyone on this side of the fences.”

“Sooooo, that means you too?” She asked, eyebrows raising a bit as her eyes glanced between the four of them. Her question caught the colt off guard, who began to stammer.

“W-what? No! Why would I be trying to protect them if-” His voice became shrill until Belle hushed him with a hoof.

“You’re not very good at being quiet..” She mused, causing the others to giggle as he glared at her. With a sigh, she scooped them close with a wing and stood back to her full height. “Where are we going?”

“We?”

“Yes, we.” She stared down at him, “I want to find a cure, I need to study the infected - your friends need to not get caught.. Where are we going?” She was going to get in trouble if she got caught.. Oh Princesses she knew she was going to get an earful from Pas when he found out - she knew he would eventually. One by one their faces lit up as the colt puffed out his chest again and began to lead the way. The others that weren’t as fast, Belle scooped up onto her back to keep pace and folded her wings over them in an attempt to keep them hidden as she followed the colt down alleyways and side streets. She could already hear Pas’s voice in her head, causing her to smile. Sure, she wasn’t a knight or even a knight in training.. But she’d help in her own way.