Blaze was sitting with his back to the 3 ponies still standing in his living room, looking out the window into the regular forest.

“I was born in Cloudsdale, just like most other pegasi. I don’t really remember my parents. I know my mother and father cared for me, but, I was too young to remember them. I can’t even remember their names. I grew up near the edge of Cloudsdale, and as a foal I loved looking down at the ground below. One day, as a dare, or to impress a mare, I don’t know, I flew off of Cloudsdale. I was only a foal. I hadn’t been to Flight School. But I could fly. It was enough. I was only going to fly 20 meters off, but, suddenly…”

He looked at the floor, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

“…suddenly the wind picked up. I tried to fly back, but I couldn’t. My friends ran off to get help but it was too late. I got tired and fell. I couldn’t move my wings. I just. Fell.

“There was no-one to save me. I hit a couple of clouds on the way down, but then I tried something dumb. I pointed myself downwards, and tucked my wings in. I had seen the Wonderbolts do it at their air shows. They always pulled up at the last second, and that’s what I tried. But it didn’t work out. I threw my wings out and tried to pull up. For a second I thought it would work. But there was a mountain getting close. I tried to change course, but I was going too fast. I curled up and hit the mountain.”

He heard gasps behind him.

“It was bad. I had curled up in a way that my back would hit the mountain. My wings were crushed. I ricocheted off the mountain and fell down the mountain side ending up near the bottom. There were pine trees and it was snowing. I couldn’t move. My wings were broken. I remember looking at the evening sky, the snow drifting slowly down, and feeling cold. I thought I was going to die.

“That’s when a shadow moved over me. I felt myself being picked up and wrapped in a blanket, carefully avoiding my wings. Then I passed out from pain.”

“So, what happened?” asked the earth pony.

“When I woke up, I was in a small room. As it turned out, I had been taken to a hospital in the small town of Hayton. I had been rescued by a prospector, a pony named Minerod. He had been digging around the base of the mountain, a few miles from Hayton when he had seen me fall, and he was the one that had carried me back. When I woke up, it had been 3 weeks. They had operated on my wings, but they said I would probably never fly again, and I haven’t since then.”

He turned around, tears in his eyes, and lifted his wings. The 3 ponies gasped at the scars under his wings. “I look at these each morning, remembering the gift of flight I had taken from myself.” he tucked his wings back in. “That day has been known as The Accident ever since.  It changed my life. I never saw my parents again, I never flew, and I couldn’t go home. I can still move my wings, but they’re not strong enough to fly. After I woke up, things progressed fairly quickly and how you would expect. I moved in with Minerod, and he was like a father to me, the father I had lost. I grew up in Hayton, and have lived there ever since. It was a pretty good life.”

“But surely your parents looked for you?” asked the unicorn.

Blaze sighed. “I’m sure they did, but the mountain where I crashed was 100’s of meters away, and Hayton was a few miles away from that. It made me sad. I was never really happy. I became a doctor to help ponies, and I got my Cutie Mark, but I was still sad. But then a unicorn moved to town. She was a nice mare, and I fell in love.” Blaze looked out the window again. “But then. The Illness. Minerod had gone into the old mines, and when he came out, he was sick. It was bad. As the town’s best medicine doctor, I tried to treat him. I got sick too, but I didn’t care. Minerod was like my father, I had to save him. I tried. I tried so hard. No medicine worked. Eventually, the sickness overcame me and I was bed ridden for a week. The Illness had spread around the whole town by the time I was ok. It had become a plague. I used special candles where I could, see.” He showed them one of the purple candles he had placed around Fluttershy’s room.

“They’re made from lavender and medicine mixed with wax, then made into a candle. There are 3 in Fluttershy’s room now. They stop other ponies getting ill when they’re lit. As The Illness progressed, it started killing off ponies. It didn’t pick favourites. It killed nearly everypony who got ill. There are only 7 ponies who are immune, that’s me and 6 others, and even then we’re only immune because we survived through it. Then we discovered a miracle. Apple and Mushroom stew. For some reason it stops the Illness getting worse, but doesn’t cure it. We discovered this too late though. By this time, the whole town was ill. And Minerod had passed away.” He stopped and let out a sob. “I did my best. I tried everything. Before he died, he gave me his final request:”

5 Months Earlier

Blaze ran into Minerod’s room after hearing the bell. He had gotten worse and Blaze was worried. He walked over the Minerods bedside. He was pale, and his voice was quiet. He had a grey coat, brown mane and a small moustache. His Cutie mark a pickaxe. He coughed.

“Blaze, my boy. I hate to tell you this,” he whispered “but I don’t think I’m going to make it.”

“No, you are not giving up NOW.” Blaze said quietly.

“I’m an old pony, Blaze. You have others to attend to. I can’t be a burden to you anymore. You have to find a cure to this illness. Please.”

“I can’t. I have to help you.”

“Blaze, this is my final request.”

“…ok.” Blaze said sadly, holding back tears.

Minerod took his hoof. “I want you to find a cure. No matter what. Search all of Equestria if you have to. Just don’t let anypony else get sick. You HAVE to cure this. I trust you. You can do this for me, can’t you?”

“Yes Minerod. I promise, if it takes me my whole life. I WILL cure this illness.”

With that, Minerod smiled one last time and closed his eyes.

“The flower…” with that last word his foreleg went limp.

Blaze hung his head and laid Minerods hoof on the bed. A tear fell to floor.

Back to the Present

“We had to warn ponies that came to the town. As it was, barely anypony ever came through, but we had to warn any that did. We put up signs and closed the roads into town. I prepared to leave to find the cure. As far as I know, there are 40 or so ponies being kept alive by the stew. The rest, not as badly ill as the others and including the 6 immune ponies, gather the Mushrooms, buy the apples and cook the stew. Everyone has to eat it. The worst cases need a stew every other day, the not so bad have a stew once a week. I left to search for a cure.

“That was 5 months ago. I’ve been all over Equestria. I’ve been trying different medicinal plants and ingredients. Canterlot, Phillydelphia, Manehatten. The Everfree forest was my last hope of finding a plant to cure The Illness. And I failed.”

“What about the unicorn you fell in love with?” Rainbow Dash whispered.

“Didn’t I tell you? She was… the first to pass away. I promised never to say her name, as a sign of respect. Ever since then, I haven’t let myself fall in love with a mare. Except…” he looked at the stairs.

Their eyes widened when they realised what he meant.

“Fluttershy?” they all asked at the same time.

“I don’t know, there’s something about her. We just get on. She doesn’t know, and might never now…”

The 3 ponies watched as he stood up.

“I’ve never told anypony my story before. Ever.”

Blaze turned around to see the unicorn had tear in her eye, the earth pony looking sad and the Pegasus looking guilty.

“What are your names?” he asked, wiping tears from his eyes.

The earth pony stepped forward. “Ma names Applejack, I own Swe-“

“Sweet Apple Acres. I remember now. I bought apples from you 2 weeks ago. And you,” he said, turning to the

unicorn “your Twilight Sparkle, aren’t you?”

“Yes, and the Pegasus is Rainbow Dash. She-”

“I thought you were a spy. Sorry, it’s just, you were acting so weirdly.” Rainbow Dash said.

“It’s ok. But now, I need your help. My name is Dr Blaze Carousel, but just call me Blaze. Applejack, I need 3 dozen apples so I can make the stew until I can cure Fluttershy and Twilight, I might need your help later with experiments. But for now, I think you should all go.”

“What about Fluttershy? We want to see her.” said Rainbow Dash.

After a moment’s thought, Blaze nodded “Okay, but she’s asleep. I have to light some more Lavender candles. Wait here.” he went upstairs.

“Rainbow, how could ya of thought this fella was dangerous?” whispered Applejack.

“I’m sorry. I feel really bad. He’s never flown. Ever. Wow.” she looked sadly at the floor.

Blaze appeared at the top of the stairs. “It’s safe, you can see her now.”

They all walked up the staircase and into Blaze’s room. Fluttershy was still unconscious in the bed and it was dark, the only light coming from the half a dozen candles lit around the room, including all 3 of the special lavender candles. Her mane and legs were under the blanket, with only her head showing. Blaze walked over, took the wet cloth off her head and put a thermometer in her mouth.

“When I got her from her house, she had a bad fever. Hmm, it’s not gone down.” He dunked the cloth in a bucket of cold water, wrung it out and placed it on her head again.

“Can she hear us?” asked Twilight.

“No. It always happens the same way. They feel ill and get pale, then faint. After that, they feel tired, get continuous headaches, rasping breathing until…” he stopped and looked down, sniffing. “Not this time.”

“Thank you for helping her, Blaze.” Rainbow Dash put her hoof on his shoulder.

“It’s ok. I’m in love with her, I HAVE to help her. I can't afford not to.”