Browsing the bookstore, Sweetie yawned. Canterlot didn’t have the best selection, but she had found a small section on what she was looking for. Browsing it, she smiled as she found the plant she was looking for. It was commonly found near forests, which was just perfect for her needs.

“Excuse me miss? Are you going to buy that?” Looking toward the store clerk, Sweetie pursed her lip. Turning, she headed out the door without another word. Of course the clerk gave chase, but by then Sweetie had teleported away. Flipping through the pages, she headed for Whitetail Woods.

“Okay, so it looks like a purple corn cob of flowers…” Looking around, Sweetie settled into a glide. She spied a small outcropping of it buried deeper into the woods, and flew towards it. Giving a smile, she plucked two stems from the plant. Turning, she began to fly back towards Ponyville.

“Ahh, Larkspur Delphinium. You and me are going to have a little...chat.” Giggling, Sweetie headed for the main source of Ponyville’s drinking water, the huge tank kept near the outskirts of town. Tossing one of the stalks in through a small hole in the top, she then glided to the second source, a freshwater lake, and did the same.

Those who noticed were more caught aback by a white Alicorn with Pinkie Pie hair flying around town. They could see it wasn’t Celestia, so their confusion only grew. Teleporting away, Sweetie found herself a place to return to filly size, and covered her Mark in some white powder. Nodding, she then teleported to her room, where she was being ‘sick’.

All that was left to do was wait.

It took a day for symptoms to appear, and when they did, Sweetie watched the show. The first sign was ponies tripping over more often, with some even having Pinkie Pie level twitching. Eventually the hospital was overrun with ponies suffering from bloating or irregular heartbeats. Rashes began to appear, and it was finally declared a grave problem.

Celestia and Luna brought down their best doctors, and began to look for the problem. They quickly found the half-rotted plants in the water sources, and went to Zecora, who brought some sort of potion. Listening in via her scrying pool, Sweetie tilted her head.

“This potion may help save them, but the substance may also bring an end.” Eventually, the Princesses were forced to make a difficult decision. To use the substance, or hope the ponies could fight it off. With no conclusion in sight, they went to the room the Main 6 were staying in. Barely conscious, Twilight simply smiled, giving a nod in encoragement.

“We will try it.” Closing her eyes, Celestia forced her own fears down, standing tall as she watched it being administered. Days passed, and the effects of the potion both helped and hindered. Many Ponies died, while most managed to pull through. All the Main 6 came through, but with a newfound addiction that had to be curbed.

“So someone sabotaged our drinking water?” Mind still slightly distracted due to withdrawal, Twilight managed to focus as Celestia nodded, and considered the information. All searched for leads, but all witnesses agreed a white pony with Pinkie Pie hair had been seen doing it. Rubbing her forehead, Twilight knew neither Pinkie Pie nor Celestia would have done it. Not to mention the fact Pinkie wasn’t an Alicorn.

“So much life,” she muttered to herself, breathing in and steeling herself to find the terrible person responsible for this. Glancing to the corridor, she blinked as Sweetie Belle passed the doorway, leaving the hospital. Looking out her window, she watched as the filly left, and felt a nagging sensation in her stomach.

“Ugh, I’m still sick.” Laying back down, she curled into her blankets, closing her eyes.

“Alright, next up is to give myself a challenge.” Putting a strike through the last item on her list, Sweetie rolled around on her bed as she thought of the best way to do her next challenge.

Author's Notes:

11
Abtol axarr, withuk poaxath te pusk us, wo’rr whaxavo otolnitupp te rivo eep rivos. Pen’t ug soo? Wo joow te fo dimmeltaxar. Eul rivos axalo baxal tee skelt te soo ovolythick, whoaxal ovolythick, uctolchaxact ovolythick.

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Fixed a spelling mistake in the previous chapter's cipher.
I know these are short, but I'm releasing them pretty fast. So uh, yeah?