After finally ending our hug, the Crystal Pony became a bit of a bouncy blur around the room. She jumped off her bed, and started looking around. She showed a great deal of energy. You would have never have guessed that just moments before she was dull and almost lifeless.

She jumped right in front of my face. Her muzzle almost touching mine. No respect for personal space.

"Hi! I am Bibulous Bottom, but you can call me Biblo. Biblo is so much easier to say than Bibulous Bottom, and if you took all the time saying my full name you might forget what else you were going to say. And then that would be awkward. So, call me Biblo! Did I tell you give really good hugs! What's your name? Why are your wings and eyes like that? You have such cute fluffy ears! What's your name? Did I already ask that question? I'm sorry! I just feel like I haven't talked to any pony in ages! And you give such good hugs! So, I'm Biblo! What's your name?"

I just stared. I tried to take in all of that and process it. I don't think she paused for breath in all of that. I worked out my answers as I remembered questions.

"Um, I'm Pearlwort. You can call me Pearl," I started with the question I am pretty sure I caught getting asked multiple times. I also backed up a bit, to give myself more personal space. I was not used to ponies being this friendly. I wasn't sure any pony was used to ponies being this friendly.

She moved forward and hugged me again.

"Hi Pearl! You give really good hugs! It made me feel really good," she said with childlike glee.

"Um, thank you? “ I really didn't have words right now. I tried to remember her other questions.

She, herself forgetting the other questions, seemed to notice Hot Sticks for the first time. And Hot Sticks was promptly met with a similar barrage with a very enthusiastic Biblo in his face.

"Hi! I'm Biblo! What's your name? Are you some sort of mutant horned duck? Can you quack! Your face looks weird, it's neat!"

Hot Sticks also backed up a step.

"I am a Unicorn. I am wearing a mask, so I don't get sick. Please don't knock it off me. I am doctor Hot Sticks. And I would like to ask you some questions."

"Hi doctor Hot Sticks! I can answer questions! I don't know if they are the right answers, but I can try," she actually paused and blushed for a moment. It was an interesting sight to see a glowing pony blush. "Please don't mind me too much right now. I have a hard time containing myself when I am filled up with light. I promise I will calm down eventually. I'll try really hard to be good. What kind of questions?"

"First of all, how much do you remember of the last few days?" I was glad he specified the last few days. With her hyped up as she was I wouldn't be surprised if she gave a recounting of every memory ever.

She sat down and thought. She put one of her forehooves to her head and for some reason stuck her tongue out one side of her mouth as she did. I don't think I missed my mark on guessing she wasn't the type of pony that should be in this part of the world. She was just too innocent and adorable. I couldn't help but smile a bit.

"I remember!" She held up one hoof and smiled as she answered. "I came into town and every pony was running to get back to their homes. I didn't know what was going on. So, I yelled up to this really fat Pegasus that was flying by, and asked her what was going on," Biblo's ears dropped a little and her glow got a little less bright. "She said there were really sick ponies. Sick enough that we all had to go hide ourselves away to not get sick too. She said we could all die if we didn't! I was scared! I didn't know where to go. I had just gotten to town. I didn't even find a hotel or anything yet. I found a cave that no one was in that had a lot of food and other stuff in it, and I hid out there. I know I was there for a while. And then I fell asleep and woke up here getting hugged."

So, she remembered nothing after she got sick. Guess that answered the question about whether the patients were aware of anything or not.

"That is troubling," Hot Sticks sighed. "Did you have any physical contact with any pony when you arrived in town?" She shook her head in response. "Then we have to assume it is spreading through some other means. I have already checked the fleas, other insects, food, and water supply for any clues and come up short. All that I have for a clue is that damned rod, and it isn't giving up any secrets so far." His ears and posture dropped.

"Well, I don't remember being sick. I feel great! Better than great! I am sure you will find a way to make every other pony feel great too!" She seemed to have a great deal of confidence.

Hot Sticks shook his head. "The solution that worked for you won't work on the others. It was Pearl's magic that healed you, and it only worked because you could absorb it innately. But maybe we can find a way with you helping us. I already have some ideas. I just have to go start writing down those ideas."

I remembered my earlier decision concerning Hot Sticks. "I think you need to take a break first. You don't look so well yourself. You haven't been sleeping regularly and I have my doubts you have been eating. You just said the food is safe. Find yourself somewhere right outside of town to sit down and eat. Then get some sleep. Take some sleep aids if you have to."

I couldn't see his face, but his reply sounded indignant. “Pearl, I am the only doctor here. I need to keep working. We made a breakthrough just now. As well as gathered more information. I need to record my findings and chart the next course of action."

"If you collapse from exhaustion or starvation we are out of your abilities," I told him sternly. "I am your assistant. And while I might not be trained yet, I do know it is my job to make sure you take care of yourself too. Not much is going to change here in the time you get a meal in you and a few hours’ sleep."

Biblo looked between us as Hot Sticks and I glared at one another. Then she stood on her hind legs and through her opinion into the fray having decided that it counted. "Pearl made me better, and I vote with Pearl!"

I was really starting to like Biblo. I smiled smugly over to Hot Sticks. "I guess I win. Get something to eat."

"This isn't a democracy. This is a quarantined area, and I am the doctor in charge," Hot Sticks grumbled.

With reason exhausted I decided on another tactic. "You don't want to make Biblo here unhappy, do you?" Biblo launched into a pouty face and puppy dog eyes immediately. This pony was great.

Hot Sticks stared at me and Biblo for a long moment and relented. "Alright, you win" Biblo clapped her forehooves together in response. Hot Sticks continued as if there was no interruption. "I would like a word with you, Pearl, before I find somewhere I feel safe eating."

Fair enough. I came over to Hot Sticks, so he could speak privately with me. "You likely are right about me needing food and sleep. Thank you for seeing that I don't lose track of taking care of myself. I do want you to keep Biblo close to you. Look for any sort of relapse. I don't want her getting sick again."

The possibility that she could go right back to being sick hadn't occurred to me. "What can I do to prevent that?"

He kept his voice low. "Keep feeding her magic. What you did will dissipate out of her slowly if you don't. Crystal Ponies absorb magic, but they don't just keep it in. It leaks out."

"How do I do that?" I wished he would be clearer.

"Just keep her close to you. Give her hugs, she seems to absorb well from those. Just keep her happy," he said.

I gave him a cold look. "Did you forget something? I am a Thestral. Ponies fear us. She is bouncy and bubbly now because she is high on good feelings. But it is going to wear off and then she is going to be afraid."

Hot Sticks laughed. It was good to hear even if it was at my expense. “Dear mare, didn't you listen to her? She hasn't got a clue what a Thestral is. When it comes to those prejudices you are dealing with a blank slate."

The memory of her barrage of questions came back to me. It didn't seem like she knew what I was. She didn't know why my wings and eyes were as they were. And her impression of my ears was cute! Maybe this was a chance to deal with a pony with no negative assumptions about me. Even Hot Sticks knew about my Diamond Dog incident, he had to have some negative feelings for me as a result. Biblo had none of that. I was just the weird looking pony that gave good hugs to her.

"I'll keep that all in mind," I said. "Now get some food and sleep so you can work later at the top of your game instead of the bottom."

He turned to go, “I’ll set up a sleeping bag out on the balcony for myself. My room is occupied. Please remember to use the front door."

I gave a slightly annoyed grunt. "I already planned to. I must keep her with me, and I don't think Crystal Ponies fly. You aren't thinking straight. Get off without any more delays." He finally headed out to go find food without any more comment.

That left me alone with Biblo. I technically wasn't alone with her as the house was full of ponies, but we had already established they weren't home upstairs right now. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with her though.

The mare in question was back sitting on top of the bed waiting patiently for me. She seemed to have calmed down a bit from earlier. I didn't know if that was good or bad. It could be good because it made her easier to deal with. It could be bad because it could mean my magic was leaking out and she needed a recharge.

When I came up to her I gave her a hug just to be safe. She accepted with enthusiasm and brightened up a bit. I guess hugs did recharge her a bit. At least if her shine was an indicator of how much magic she was holding. She didn't go into wild spastic dialogue this time though.

"Well, Biblo," I greeted her, “I suppose you never got to see around town when you arrived. It is pretty much a ghost town right now, but I can give you a tour." I kept my tone upbeat. I really didn't want to see the town devoid of townsfolk, but I needed to do something with her for the moment. It occurred to me that I would normally be getting to bed soon, to sleep through the afternoon. That seemed unlikely today.

"Alright," she said hoping down off the bed, “sounds fun. Show me the way and I promise to be good." This was the second time already today that she promised specifically to be good. I wondered if she had a history of getting into trouble. She definitely didn't seem to be the malcontent type.

She came looking for adventure, so I supposed that a trip up to the northern wall to see the Wendigos could be a good enough stop. Real monsters out of legend, they were harmless while we were in town and they were out there. It was something exciting to show her.

She followed me out of the room and out into the hall. As we crossed into the living room she stopped and started trying to greet all the infected who were just sitting around. I was getting so used to them I had forgotten to alert her about them.

She was getting replies of their names from them in response to her questioning them about their names, but they weren't forthcoming with any other things she asked about. Those things being questions like 'how are you doing?' and 'why are you sitting here?

I spoke to her, “I should have told you about them. These are the infected ponies. They aren't aware of anything. They will do what they are told and answer really basic questions, but you aren't going to get anything out of them."

Her ears dropped again, and her brightness dimmed a little. "Is this the way I was until a little while ago?" She looked at me with a sad look.

Way to go with keeping her happy Pearl. You really are off to a great start. I chided myself internally. "Yeah, but you are better now. And we will find a way to make them better too, soon," I hoped. "The entire town is like this except you, me, Hot Sticks, and Tulip. You haven't met Tulip Turner yet. I will take you to meet him in a little bit."

She perked up a little at being told she would be meeting someone new soon, but she still seemed unhappy. I walked over to her and gave her another hug. It was getting easier for me to give hugs with each new attempt. And I had an honest desire to keep her happy. It protected her from all of this. And even if it didn't, I would still want her happy, to enjoy her enthusiasm. It was a pleasant change from what I was used to from other ponies. The hug did the trick, and she perked up again.

We made our way to the wall. When we got there I was a little surprised to see, or fail to see, any Wendigos. They had been constant outside the gates the last few days. I guess they didn't like being around Biblo. Happiness and positivity tended to drive them off. I should have thought about that.

"I had planned on showing you the Wendigos," I told her, still gazing out at the snowbank they had left behind. "It seems that is a bit of a bust though."

She smiled over to me. "It's okay. Wendigos don't like happy things. I know the stories. I don't really want to see a bunch of meanies who live on pony suffering. I still get to see what the Lost Land looks like from here. It looks a lot like back home in Crystal Heart. Well, not like Crystal Heart, but a lot like the area around the city. It's kind of nice."

I was glad she wasn't disappointed with the lack of Wendigos. I, however, was worried about the lack of Wendigos. No Wendigos meant the other creatures of the waste were likely to start wandering up again soon. It was a new source of anxiety. It had been such a good day too, until finding that out.

As had become my recent habit, I reached into my ever-present life pack. I pulled out the pipe and pouch with the calming drug, along with a match. I packed the thing, put it in my muzzle, and struck the match against the side of the wall lighting it. Biblo scrunched up her nose at me. There was some irony there somewhere.

"Those things are stinky," she said. I had to agree. I was planning that kicking of flank for Hot Sticks at the end of all this. It was on my list. The list went celebrate, then buck Hot Sticks for getting me hooked on smoking this thing. If this didn't ever end I might just do it still.

I blew a large stream of smoke out towards the waste. Then grinned at Biblo. "I think I said the same thing to Hot Sticks before this all started. I will take it as part of his punishment for getting me hooked on this that he can't light his up due to that mask he has to wear," I turned back to my smoke and started working my magic. "On the bright side I can do this."

I shaped it into a pair of ponies and had them do a dance together. Biblo giggled and clapped her forehooves together with glee watching my little display. After watching me make a few other little things, to entertain her with, she turned to me and asked, "How are you doing that? You aren't a Unicorn. And I haven't ever heard of a Pegasus doing that kind of thing without flapping their wings," her gaze drifted down to my leathery wings.

Well, time to find out if she really hasn't heard of Thestrals. All signs, so far, pointed to she hadn't. I didn't turn to her. I just kept blowing out bits of smoke over the wall and playing with it. My forehooves planted on the side of the wall with the pipe between. But I spoke to her, "Have you ever heard of Thestrals or Bat-Ponies?"

She gave a confused look and shook her head. She looked at my wings and realization dawned on her. "So, you are a Bat-Pony? What's a Bat-Pony and what's a Thestral? I only know Crystal Ponies, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, and Alicorns. I haven't heard of Bat-Ponies or Thestrals before."

I smiled at her ignorance. "Bat-Pony is just another name for Thestrals. There are less of us than a lot of other types of ponies. We prefer to be out at night, and we tend to avoid other types of ponies. We have our own types of magic, and we have some other differences as well."

"Magic like shaping smoke into things?" she asked. She seemed very interested, and not at all afraid.

I nodded to her question to confirm it. "We see better in the dark too. We can tell if a pony is having a nightmare and help soothe the nightmare away," at least other Thestrals could, I was unable to do that, "we are omnivores, so we can hunt as well."

"You mean like small animals? For food?" she didn't seem afraid. I was still nervous about answering.

"When we need to. We eat fruits and vegetables like other ponies too. But sometimes food is scarce. And sometimes we have to defend ourselves, or others, from creatures that would do ponies harm. When defending ourselves, or other ponies, we need to be more vicious than the things that want to hurt us," as I spoke I shaped my latest plume into a timber wolf and a Thestral. I had the them fight, with the Thestral of course winning.

She came up closer to me. "You sound like you are sad. Why are you sad?" Her eyes only held concern. There was no trace of judgement.

I looked at her. "A lot of ponies fear Thestrals. Most ponies actually. I live in this town because I couldn't find a place to be accepted down south."

She came up to me all the way and gave me a hug. "Don't feel so sad. I like you. I know you are a good pony. I can tell it when you hug me. A Crystal Pony always knows what kind of pony is hugging them. You are a good pony. When I say you give good hugs, that is what I mean. I'll never be mean to you for being a Thestral pony."

I smiled. The explanation about good hugs was touching. It still felt extremely innocent, but it felt a lot less childish having had it explained to me. I returned her hug, hoping she felt all the gratitude I felt for her. Ponies like her were rare.

She giggled. "Besides, every pony can eat meat. Didn't you know that? Lots of ponies eat fish, and no pony says a word about it. And Griffins, Minotaur, Hippogriffs, and lots of other creatures hunt. It isn't really that weird. Every pony must eat, and if you have a few more options, I don't blame you for taking them. I'll tell you a secret, I tried fish once, and I liked it." She broke down in a fit of giggles, like she had told some dark secret. In many parts of Equestria that might indeed be a dark secret.

Biblo was something else. I didn't know what. But she made me smile.

After leaving the wall, it was late enough that I was going to have to go take a nap. I couldn't leave Biblo unattended though. A trip to the south side to have her meet Tulip seemed in order, since Hot Sticks was hopefully sleeping as well.

"Biblo, I need to get to sleep soon. Tulip and I take turns guarding the south side of the town. I have to relieve him in a few hours, and if I don't get some sleep I risk falling asleep on the job," I told her. "I was thinking of taking you over to him, to have him keep you company as I slept."

She did not look happy about this at all. Her ears dropped, her color dimmed a bit, and she looked down at the ground. While I was happy some pony enjoyed my company greatly, this didn't seem a healthy reaction. Tulip wasn't much for company. In fact, I got the distinct impression from him he was secretly enjoying the increased solitude of the last few days. But she couldn't be left unattended just yet. Not until she was properly settled in, and given part of the daily routines.

Her ears perked back up a bit. She turned her head to face me as we walked and said, "It just occurred to me that if I was like all those other ponies, then I have been awake for days. Is that right?"

The ponies did seem to stop sleeping after a point. I wasn't sure I would call what those ponies were awake though. Yeah, their eyes were open, but they weren't aware of anything. I would as soon say they had fallen asleep when they got sick and still hadn't woken up. I wasn't medically trained though, and it wasn't something Hot Sticks had the focus to alert me about. I suppose they could be technically awake. But it was clear where this line of thought from her was going.

"You want to nap with me instead. Don't you?" I said, deciding to just cut straight to the chase.

"It has been a very busy day. Getting cured, seeing the wall, meeting new ponies, learning about different tribes, watching smoke shows, I should get some sleep," she said innocently, ignoring the fact I just wanted her to straight out say she intended to just keep with me. Even if it involved taking a nap.

Maybe she just wanted me to offer to let her. "Alright, you can come take a nap with me. If you wake up before me, or if I fall asleep before you, will you promise to stay by me and not go wandering off on your own? I don't want you getting hurt, or worse."

She stopped her walk, and I stopped as well and turned to her. She then launched into the most absurd oath I had ever heard. "Pinkie promise! Cross my heart. Hope to fly! Stick a cupcake in my eye!" The final part of the oath actually involved her jabbing her eye with her hoof. She winced in pain and rubbed the closed eye afterward.

I laughed at her antics. "What in holy Twilight was that? That was the silliest oath I have ever seen."

She got a serious look on her face. Perhaps it wasn't so silly to her? Maybe I shouldn't have laughed.

She got right up in my face and said, "Pinkie Promises are serious business. No one breaks a Pinkie Promise. Pinkie Pie will know!"

A bit confused, I asked the obvious question. "Who is Pinkie Pie?"

She looked shocked, "Gasp!" Did she seriously just say the word gasp? "Pinkie Pie is the Alicorn of Laughter and Enthusiasm. You don't make her mad at you by breaking her promises!"

Hadn't heard of her, but I hadn't heard of most Alicorns. I suppose that if Starlight Glimmer had some sort of special oath dedicated to her I would take it seriously if I made one. "Is Pinkie Pie your patron Alicorn?" Laughter and enthusiasm definitely seemed to be Biblo's mantra.

She grinned. "Yep! I say my prayers to her every night! And I have my prayer doll of her in my," a look of horror entered her eyes as she reached back to where she assumed her pack was only to find her bare side, "pack. My pack! It must still be back in that cave! Can we please stop to find it?" Her eyes were pleading.

It wouldn't take much longer than taking her to Tulip would have taken I suppose. "Sure thing. We will get it and we can nap there. Napping one place or another doesn't matter much. I have an extra blanket or two in my life pack."

She looked grateful and relieved. As we started walking in the general direction of the storage areas, she looked at my pack and asked, “You have a life pack? You are really lucky. I just have a regular old saddle bag."

"When you come up here one of the first things you invest in as soon as you can is a life pack," I answered. "They can be expensive. But up here there are lots of questionable ponies. You need something that can store all your stuff and it be something only you can get into. So you fork over most of your first round of earnings for one. They normally have some unicorn mages come up with the merchants who will make them. They know how high the demand is here."

"Do you have a lot in your pack?" She asked curiously.

I went through a mental inventory of the pack. "My compass, a few blankets, some writing materials, all my food, some bandages, a knife, about four ponyweight in crystals, my pipe, the stuff for the pipe, matches, a few candles, a prayer doll to Luna, a prayer doll to Starlight Glimmer, a prayer doll to the Twilight Princess, an old recorder made out of some sort of bone, some pieces of dry wood, a cup, a bowl, two pony lengths of rope, plenty of bits, a wind up alarm clock, mane brush, and some soap."

She blinked. Life packs had no limit on what they could hold as long as you could fit it through their opening, and only the owner could get anything out. It might be surprising to the average pony how much an owner of a life pack would keep in it. I was sure that there were ponies in town with far more in their packs. It occurred to me that in their current state I could order them to give me the items in their packs. But I was an honest pony.

"You have three prayer dolls?" She asked. "I have only ever heard of ponies keeping one or two. Are you really religious?"

I laughed. "Definitely not. The Luna and Twilight Princess dolls were gifts from my mother. Luna is considered the patron of Thestrals, so most Thestrals, if they get a prayer doll, get one of Luna. I got the Starlight one myself. I kind of adopted her as my patron when I was a teen. I don't really use them for prayer though. I'll take them out sometimes just to remember my mother. She died a few years ago, and I miss her a lot sometimes."

"It is nice you keep them to remember your mother," she started, “but you should pray to your Alicorn once and a while. You don't want her to think you are ignoring her."

"I don't need my Alicorn, Starlight, to answer any prayers," I said. "She has done enough for me," I didn't add the fact I didn't believe Alicorns heard prayers. At least not unless they were standing right there while you were praying.

I avoided any question about what Starlight did for me, and Biblo finally relented when we got to the storage area. She found her pack in short order, and pulled out and checked a few different items from her pack. She then grabbed up a very pink doll from her pack and went over to a corner to pray. While she did I set up the blankets, then sat at the cave entrance and had a quick smoke of my pipe, making the cutie marks of Starlight, Luna, and the Twilight Princess with the smoke.

When she finished we went to settle in for our nap. I set my little alarm clock up a foreleg's reach away. She cuddled up close to me and was asleep within seconds. I guess she really was tired. I was not far behind her.

I woke up to the alarm a few, short, hours later. Biblo was still sound asleep, the alarm hadn't roused her. She continued to sleep peacefully cuddled up next to my side. She was still giving off her glow. I guess cuddling close to some pony was good for keeping her charged with magic as well.

I got up, and gathered up the alarm clock into my life pack. It was a shame to wake her, but I had guard duty to attend to. She couldn't be left unattended so her peaceful slumber would have to end. I booped her on the nose to wake her. She opened her eyes slowly, and stretched out her legs in all directions, mumbling incoherently.

"Alright sleepy-head, we had our nap," I said, doing my best impression of my mother. "Time to get to work. You can get back to sleep when we get to where we need to be. It is going to be pretty boring there. Perfect place to catch up on your sleep. Just a few minutes’ walk."

She stared at me, half awake, and stretched again before pulling herself up onto her hooves. "Okay, getting some more sleep doesn't sound too bad. Plus, I want to meet Mr. Tulip." She helpfully gathered up the blankets we had been laying on, and passed them to me. "Is Tulip his whole name? Tulip what? Or what Tulip?"

Taking the blankets, and pushing them into the life pack, I replied, "Tulip Turner. I don't know what his cutie mark, or talent, happens to be. He has a regular saddle bag set on all the time that covers it up," life packs always had their owner's cutie mark emblem on them, saddle bags didn’t, “and he isn't much of a talker. He'll be wearing a mask like Hot Sticks. His looks more like a parrot head instead of a duck head."

"Do I get a mask too? So, I don't get sick again?" She asked. "It might be fun to walk around pretending to be some sort of bird." She briefly sat on her launches for a moment and spread her foreleg out in imitation of wings.

"Or maybe a bat," she said looking at my wings.

I shook my head. "Nope, only two masks in town. We'll keep you from getting sick though. My magic will do that for you. As long as you keep absorbing it."

"Is that another Bat-Pony type of magic?" She asked we a tilt of her head. "They don't get sick? That would be cool, never having to get sick."

I giggled, "No, that's all me. It's part of my talent. I don't get sick like normal ponies."

She smiled, "Well, that's awesome too! Guess you are stuck with me. I don't mind. You give good hugs, and you are warm to cuddle against too."

I was reminded of how I felt she might have a bit of an unhealthy attachment earlier. I was starting to wonder if it was a different sort of attachment. I had never had any pony think about me that way, so I couldn't be sure, but I was starting to wonder if she was a filly-fooler with a crush on me. I really didn't know how to feel about that if it were so. The idea of any pony having a crush on me made me feel uncomfortable. I didn't even know for sure if I was a straight mare, a filly-fooler, or what. The subject made me so uncomfortable that I couldn't tell my own feelings on the subject.

Picking up on my discomfort, she asked, "Did I say something bad? Is something else bothering you? I can tell when a pony is upset. You can't hide it from me. If I did something bad I want to know so I don't make you sad anymore." She had a slight pleading tone to her voice.

I debated lying for just a quick second and saying there wasn't anything bothering me. I decided that would be a bad idea though. She said she picked up on other things about me when she absorbed my magic. She likely would pick up on the fact I lied to her. It occurred to me, if she was indeed a filly-fooler with a crush, that part of that crush might have been gained from whatever other insight she had into me, thanks to her absorption. I would have to ask Hot Sticks about it, and see if he had any advice.

"You didn't do anything wrong," I assured her. "There's been a lot on my mind. Nothing you need to worry about right now."

She looked a little doubtful. Then she came over and gave me yet another hug. I wrapped my forehooves around her returning the embrace. After a moment we broke contact and she seemed to be concentrating on something. Then she broke into a smile and said, "You do give really good hugs," leaving me wondering again how much she picked up, other than my magic, when we hugged.

Tulip was reading a book when we finally came upon him. He looked up and dropped the book at the sight of Biblo. He addressed her presence right away.

"She was sick yesterday. I saw Hot Sticks trying to question her before he told me to go get you, Batty," he began. "So, does that mean Hot Sticks found a cure now?"

I shook my head, "No, but it turns out that Crystal Ponies can absorb my magic. Tulip this is Bibulous Bottom. Biblo this is Tulip Turner," I said introducing them.

Biblo didn't give Tulip time for greeting. She bounced over to him in one mighty pronk and wrapped her forelegs around him. Tulip clearly surprised, and unsure what to do returned the hug. Biblo broke contact a moment later with a smile. "Your hugs are okay, not nearly as good as Pearl's, but they are okay."

"Okay?" Tulip didn't seem to know how to react to that. Turning to me he asked, "so is she staying the night out here with you, Batty?"

"Unless she decides to go back to town with you. It's her call. She can't go unattended yet, but she is free to spend her time with who she wants," she pranced back over to me and gave me a big hug and snuggled her muzzle into my side. "And I guess that answers that question. I'll see you in a few hours Tulip."

Tulip spread his wings, "Fine with me. I'll track down the doc, and see if he needs anything before I hit the bed."

I stopped him before he could take flight. "Hot Sticks might be sleeping on the balcony. I convinced him to finally get some sleep. I don't know if he is asleep, but if he is, I wouldn't do anything to wake him." I made my warning as stern as I could.

Tulip gave me a nod. "Front door it is, and don't wake the doc if he is asleep. Got it," and with that he took off through the air back into town.

Biblo and I watched him go out of view. She then looked around the canyon walls and asked me, "So what exactly do we do out here?"

"We just sit around and make sure no one comes to town. Other than that, not much else," I explained.

She frowned a bit. "Sounds boring. I guess I will continue my nap," she gave me another hug. Smiled and settled herself down on the ground with her tail and muzzle almost touching. She was out like a light within seconds again. She had an excellent talent for falling asleep quickly.

I watched her a few minutes. Still wondering at this strange mare, that I had a mandated job to give physical affection. Affection of any type was something I was not used to giving, or receiving. I guess I was doing a good job based on how she behaved. Maybe there could be a bit more to my life than just surviving.

It was well past midnight when Biblo finally woke up. I was a little away from her tending a small fire and smoking my pipe. She came over to me and gave me a hug, which I returned. She then sat down and looked about. Nothing new to see other than the fire.

"Turn away any visitors?" She inquired.

I shook my head. "Nope. To tell the truth I haven't seen a pony, or anything else save a few birds, since we started the quarantine. I haven't asked Tulip if he has turned any pony away, but I suspect you were the last pony to walk up that path. It’s usually weeks between new arrivals, and merchants aren't due for weeks yet."

"What's it like when the merchants come up?" She asked watching the smoke from the fire and my pipe. I guessed she was wanting a bit of a show from me, so I obliged her.

I combined smokes into a group of wagons complete with the illusion of them being pulled forward by ponies. "The wagons, around a dozen, would pull up to around this spot," I blew out some more smoke and reshaped it rapidly: my blue smoke into ponies and the grey smoke of the fire into tents and stalls. "They would set up a sort of market right around here. Scavenging and most businesses in the town would shut down while they were here. A few ponies from town would take to performing, “ I made one of my smoke ponies to do cartwheels and flips while another played a drum, “it was a major event."

"Like a fair!" She said excitedly. "We had a fair every year back in Crystal Heart! It was a lot like that. Except at the end the Heart of the City would gather all the light from all of us and glow super bright itself. Then it would shoot out light in all directions, and the snow beyond the city edge would be pushed back showing green grass and flowers!"

"Sounds impressive," I smiled. "Ours didn't power any super magical artifacts, or do anything to push back the snow. But it was generally a fun time for all. Ponies would sell to merchants the crystals they had gathered out in the wastes, sometimes other things they found. The merchants would have all kinds of food for sale, various other household or survival goods, and you could find other things like books, prayer dolls, music boxes, and paintings," I shaped the smoke into the shapes of each as I said their names.

I took another draw and blew out more smoke to draw with. I shaped a Unicorn in a wizard's cap and robes. "There was always a Unicorn mage with them, sometimes two, and they would do things for a fee. Most commonly make life packs for townsfolk. We likely get them cheaper up here because the Unicorns would get so many customers in such a short time that they could afford to give a discount."

She smiled and leaned against me as I continued to shape pictures of when the merchants came, life in Starlight's Folly, stories about the wastes beyond, and more, narrating the whole time.

This continued until the sun could be seen in the sky. Tulip was running late. That wasn't a big deal. I was more entertained this shift, by trying to entertain Biblo, than any previous shift. The time had flown by. If it weren't for the sight of the sun I would have assumed it had only been a few minutes.

Tulip finally returned for his shift, flying in a hurry. He didn't lower his wings upon landing though. "Doc wants us all back at the house. Says he needs to show us something. He wants to try something with Bibulous too."

"Call me Biblo!" Biblo shouted enthusiastically. "I will try to do whatever he needs me to do. I want to be useful!" She moved away from me and started bouncing in place. Her enthusiasm picking up with the prospect that she was needed. It was impressive how high she bounced with her plump flanks.

I doused the fire and kicked out the embers and wondered if Hot Sticks had made some sort of breakthrough after getting a good sleep. Something big had to be up if we were abandoning the watch. Hope filled me as I gave Biblo an unasked-for hug. She smiled and returned it.

Tulip took off in the air ahead of us. Biblo and I took off at a run. I had to slow my pace, as my plump companion couldn't keep up with me. Eventually we had to slow to a walk as she became incapable of running. She really wasn't in shape for it. I didn't comment on it though. and gave her another hug just in case the activity had drained her magic. She smiled her thanks and we continued our walk back to Hot Sticks house.

When we got there Hot Sticks and Tulip were standing outside waiting. Hot Sticks was pacing and Tulip as far as I could tell was bored. They turned as we came up.

Hot Sticks yelled, “Took you two long enough! Have a sense of urgency!"

I wrapped a hoof around Biblo and replied defensively, "Biblo can only run so much. We came as fast as we could."

Despite me defending her, Biblo's ears dropped a bit and her face showed embarrassment. I wanted to kick myself for making her feel less adequate.

Hot Sticks calmed a bit and softened his tone. "Well, now that you two are here we have two items to take care of," he turned to Biblo and asked. "Are you capable of projecting magic you have stored out of you? I know some Crystal Ponies can do it."

Her ears dropped all the way down. She looked miserable. "Not without a focus stone. I am really good at soaking magic in, but can't send it out on my own. And even if I had a focus stone I could only do it once per focus stone. They are only good for one use. I wouldn't be able to help all these ponies," she looked near tears having to say that she wouldn't be of help after all. I didn't know what a focus stone was, but guessed it was something exclusively used by Crystal Ponies. I gave her a hug to try to cheer her up. She looked grateful for it, but not much happier.

Hot Sticks sighed, "Don't worry about it. That was a long shot, and I am not sure a permanent one. It just makes what we need to do certain."

We all looked to Hot Sticks expectantly. The Unicorn seemed to consider for a second before beckoning us to follow him back into the house. We all followed silently as he led us to one of the side rooms. I recognized it as the room we had put Marble Shine in.

As we entered, we each let out a gasp except for Hot Sticks. Where Marble Shine should have been on the bed was a great big something. I really had no idea what it was. It was organic, it looked like it was made of spiderwebs, all piled on one another into a thick solid mass. It took up the whole bed, and was longer than the bed, and it hung off all the edges.

"What is that?" I asked, breaking the shocked silence.

Hot Sticks walked up and poked it with a hoof, giving it a slight push that didn't budge it. "It's a cocoon. This isn't some illness. This is a full-on body transformation."

"Into what?" Biblo's voice shook as she stared at the cocoon that could have been her in a few days if she hadn't been cured.

"I don't have a bloody idea!" Hot Sticks sounded disgusted. "I haven't encountered this before. This is something well outside my field of knowledge," he sat down in defeat before the cocoon.

We all kept staring at the thing that had once been Marble Shine. I could only imagine what was going on in the others’ minds. Tulip was a mystery. Hot Sticks had to feel a sense of failure. Biblo had to be contemplating the fate that she had been spared. I couldn't wrap my head around what to think. I hated using the word unnatural since it was used against me so often, but that is all I could think of staring at the thing. It was unnatural and monstrous, and the thought gave me grim insight into how my fellow Thestrals saw me.

"So, what do we do now?" Tulip asked.

Hot Sticks sighed again, "We get outside help. Tulip, if you are willing I would like you to keep watch on the town."

We all looked to Tulip expectantly.

Tulip shrugged, "Fine by me. If monsters start popping out of these things, then I am high tailing it out of here, though. I don't mind being here by myself, but I value my life."

"No one will blame you for doing so," Hot Sticks continued. "In fact, if something of the sort happens somepony needs to alert the Realm. That is your primary purpose. If that kind of thing happens, you are to head south to the city of Yazyakistan, and get the authorities there immediately. I will leave word with them as we pass through that you should be taken seriously."

Turning to me and Biblo he said, " The rest of us will head south. We will get to Yazyakistan and alert the authorities there of the situation, and have them send guards for the pass. We shall then take a flight from their air dock to Harmony. Hopefully, Meadowbrook will be there, and we can petition her for aid. If she is not, we will seek the aid of any other Alicorns we can."

I looked at Hot Sticks and asked, "What if the Alicorns can't come up with a cure?"

He looked me in the eye. "Then this town will likely be purged. Every building demolished and burned. Every living thing put to death."

Biblo and I looked at him in shock. Biblo started crying. I didn't have a hug to comfort her with this time around.

"So, we are abandoning the town?" I asked.

"We are getting outside help because this is beyond anything we can handle," Hot Sticks said. "As for purging it? That is only a final solution after every other method the Alicorns have at their disposal is exhausted. It hopefully won't come to that, but it is a possibility, one that we have to mentally prepare ourselves for."

Well, I hoped it wouldn't come to that. It still felt like we were passing a death sentence on the town right now. That no matter what happened, this place would end up gone forever. It had been my home for some time. The first where I didn't live in constant fear of my neighbors. I never got to know anypony well, but they were still my neighbors. My mind for some reason went out to Pond Scum who had spoken to me from the wall just a few days ago, and Granite who I had helped back into bed, both would be in these cocoons soon enough. They would come out something else, or perhaps be put to death in a final solution to stop the spread of whatever this was.

I couldn't take it. Overwhelmed, I hurried out of the room into the hall. I laid down and just sobbed like a foal. I didn't want my home taken away. I didn't want my neighbors dead, or worse. It was unfair. I had run for so long before finding sanctuary here, and now it was going to be gone. The townsfolk weren't perfect, but they didn't deserve this. I didn't deserve this. It felt selfish, thinking of how this impacted me personally, but I couldn't help it.

I heard the door open behind me and tentative hoovesteps. I didn't look up to see who it was. I just stayed there on the ground sobbing into my forehooves. My mane was a tangled mess in my eyes, I didn't care.

The hoovesteps came up next to me, and their body came down next to mine. Their owner just laid beside me for a moment letting me cry. Then a forehoof I had come to know well the last day dropped itself around me, and pulled me into a hug.

Biblo didn't speak for a while, she just held me. Eventually she started brushing her hoof along my mane to try to soothe me, and soon my sobbing died down. There were still tears in my eyes, but I was able to focus on the feeling of her hoof in my mane.

"Do you know how lucky I am?" she asked. "If I weren't a Crystal Pony and you didn't have your immunity to sickness, I might be dead soon. I might be something worse than dead soon."

Her voice had held back tears in it. I listened on.

"I was a silly pony who wanted to go off and see the world," she said. "And if you weren't here I would have met my end. You’re my hero for that. You might think you failed, but you saved at least me. I thank you for that."

I finally turned to her. She was crying. She took her hoof up and wiped her eyes. "We'll find a way to make everything better," she continued. "I believe in the Alicorns. They will find a way to help. Good ponies shouldn't have to go through this. We will get to them and they will make it right."

I didn't have the heart to tell her Alicorns couldn't do everything. And I wanted to have her faith. This felt very final though. All my instincts were telling me that this town was doomed. Still, her talk soothed me enough that I finally returned her hug. We both sat there hugging and crying with no interruption from either of the stallions.

Next Chapter: Chapter 5: Fish in Yazyakistan Estimated time remaining: 13 Hours, 57 Minutes