This is the Academy's Apothecary, housed in a long, narrow room that is accessible only to a select few. It is one of the few rooms at the Academy with a lockable door. The windowless walls are lined with shelves, stretching from floor to ceiling. Every square inch of shelf space is occupied by containers of every shape, size, and color, each one meticulously hand-labeled in a careful, elegant script. Delicate glass decanters filled with shining liquids and jars of dusty powders stand shoulder-to-shoulder with plastic bottles loaded with capsules and pills. Metal tins are stacked beside faded cardboard boxes. A thin stratum of dust lays over everything; the room is as quiet as a tomb. A key turns in the lock, the clicking of the tumblers breaking the sepulchral silence. A switch is thrown and the overhead lights flicker to life, and begin to hum quietly to themselves as a lone cockroach dashes for the cover of the dry, dusty darkness beneath the lowest shelf. Two female figures enter the room; Rolocy, the Academy's Chief Apothecary, is introducing Ceoehim, her newest assistant, to her domain. "These first few shelves are the stuff we use the most: medicines, ointments, lotions, and so on." Rolocy gestures towards the shelves nearest the door. She's a human with long auburn hair and dark blue eyes, dressed in a white Academy uniform. "I know you've been studying, so can you tell me what this is?" Ceoehim is a young lapine, barely out of puberty, with soft silver fur and light brown eyes, dressed in a gray Academy uniform. "That's Wakebane, the sleeping draught they use--" "Very good. And this?" "Zxjur--... Szksyuhr--... I've never been able to pronounce it, but I know it's a laxative." "Darn, I was hoping we'd finally have someone here who could pronounce it. I can't either. And this?" "That's aspirin." "Excellent. Now, as my assistant you're going to need to know all of these. Do you think you're up to it?" "Of course." "I thought so. Now I get to introduce you to the really exciting stuff." Rolocy walks forward, with Ceoehim trailing behind, her ever-moving eyes scanning the tiers of shelves towering above them. "I assume you know why this room is locked." "Because this is where the poisons are kept." "Exactly. Everything on the rest of these shelves will kill you if you want it too, but it can also kill you if you get careless with it. If you can't respect their power, I don't want you working here, understand?" Ceoehim looks around in awe. "These are all poisons?" "Yes." "That's more than half the room!" "Yes, we're quite proud of our collection. What we have here is possibly the most comprehensive stock of toxic substances in the galaxy." "Wow." "Wow, indeed. Now I want you to tell me the different types of poison and give me an example of each." "Okay. There's Type 1: quick and painless, like Oledatine-3." "We keep those on these shelves, and this is Oledatine-3." Rolocy lifts a white plastic bottle off the shelf and opens it, revealing it to be half full of chalky red pills. She picks out a pill and holds it up. "One of these will kill you in less than 5 seconds, and you won't feel a thing." Ceoehim nods, setting her large furry ears gently flopping. Rolocy quickly touches the pill to the tip of her tongue and drops it back in the bottle. "Rolocy! What are you doing?" "Relax. Most of the poisons in here are only fatal in large doses. I've tried most of themklhulfggf---" Rolocy slaps her own cheek. "Sorry, my tongue went numb for a moment there. Anyway, like I was saying, I've thrown so many of these at my body that I'm immune to most of them by now." "Why would you do that?" "Because I can't in good conscience give out substances I wouldn't try myself. And some of them feel pretty good." "Is that... allowed?" "Technically, the Rules only forbid recreational use of drugs and narcotics. The Rules don't say anything about the recreational use of poisons. Still, I'd appreciate it if you kept this as our little secret." Ceoehim nods hesitantly. "Alright. What's the next type?" "Type 2: prolonged and painless, like Suzerain's Sleep." "Those are on these shelves, and Suzerain's Sleep is right here." Rolocy removes an elegant glass bottle filled with a milky white liquid from the shelf. "A few drops of this will put you to sleep in seconds, but death might not occur until one or two days later." Ceoehim watches apprehensively as Rolocy touches her finger to the surface of the liquid and then licks it. "I'm gonna sleep good tonight," she says as she replaces the stopper on the bottle. "What's the next type?" "Type 3: quick and painful, like Camarspicaine." "Type 3 poisons are on these shelves, and this is Camarspicaine." The large glass jar labeled Camarspicaine is filled with a powder the sickly yellow color of cat vomit. "A spoonful of this will kill you in less than an hour, accompanied by confusion, headache, muscle ache, and intense burning sensations." This time, Ceoehim isn't surprised when Rolocy consumes a pinch of it without hesitation. Rolocy's entire body twitches, and she clenches her eyes shut and shakes her head. "Are you alright?" "I'm fine. I'm fine. Wow, I'm going to regret that later." "Then why did you do it?" "Because I'm not regretting it right now. Whoo. Next type." "Type 4 poisons produce death that is prolonged and painful." "Good. And an example?" "You're going to taste whatever I tell you, aren't you?" "Probably." Ceoehim nods. "Estdisine-Rho." "Those are on shese thelves hight rere." Rolocy picks up a clear plastic bottle filled with a syrupy, bright blue liquid. She dabs a tiny dollop onto her finger and licks it off. "Estdisine-Rho will kill you in about 24 hours, with a full spread of unpleasant symptoms, although it takes a while between ingestion and the first reactions. Tastes terrible, though." As she's speaking, Rolocy's gaze rises to one of the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. "Ceoehim?" Ceoehim is gazing at a jar full of what appear to be slugs preserved in alcohol; she hadn't wanted to watch Rolocy poison herself again. "Yes, Rolocy?" "Is there a small green pegasus circling the lightbulb?" Ceoehim looks up. The room remained free of verdant airborne equines. "No." "Okay, good. Just a hallucination. What's the next type?" "The next type? Rolocy, there are only four types of poison." "No, there are five. We don't advertise Type 5 very much, though. Type 5 is 'other.' It's something of a catch-all." Rolocy indicates the last set of shelves in the room. "I've never heard of it. I'm afraid I can't give you an example." "That's fine, as long as you’re willing to learn." Rolocy climbs up on a wheeled stepladder and removes a glass jar from the very top shelf. "This is OA-92. Between you, me, and the green pegasus, it's my favorite poison." "What's it do?" "Well, I've only seen it used in a fatal dose once..." ** It was a warm day in late summer, right on the edge of autumn. Some of the leaves were already tingeing faintly yellow and squirrels were just beginning to hoard nuts for the winter. There was an unmistakable feeling in the air that this would be the last truly warm day for several months; that tomorrow summer would be over and the forest would be locked in the chilly grip of autumn and then winter. Cherry strode purposefully along the gravel walking path, one of many that wound through the forest that occupied most of the Academy's property. A crisp breeze ruffled her burgundy fur, tickled her pointed brown ears, and sent some early leaves spiraling down from the canopy. Her long, vulpine tail swayed back and forth beneath her long yellow Academy dress and the gravel scrunched beneath her stocking feet. Tucked under her left arm was a rolled up light brown blanket, and a small glass vial was clenched in her fist. Cherry was smiling. It was a beautiful day; a perfect day for her to end her life on. She stepped off the gravel path onto a narrow dirt trail that had been beaten through the brush by the feet of countless of the Academy's devotees over the years. The trail followed along the banks of a stream to a secluded clearing out of sight of the main path. There was a wide sun-dappled area of soft green grass beneath the spreading branches of a large oak tree, sloping gently to the edge of a still pond created by a dam across the stream. Water burbled mellifluously as it trickled over the dam and butterflies flitted without a care among some late summer wildflowers. At Cherry's approach, a skittish frog disappeared into the pond with a plop, sending concentric ripples spreading across the glassy surface. Cherry set her fragile glass vial down at the base of the tree and spread her blanket out on the turf. She took a moment to admire the beautifully idyllic tableau before her, and then turned back to the tree. Cherry picked the vial back up and held it up to the light. The liquid inside was perfectly clear, but Rolocy at the Apothecary had assured her that it would be fatal. Before today, Cherry had never heard of OA-92, but when she'd read about the symptoms, she knew it would be the perfect instrument with which to snuff out her life. Cherry popped the cork and gently sniffed with her pointed black nose; the poison smelled delightfully sweet, like lavender or honeysuckle. She closed her eyes and smiled as the pleasing aroma tickled her sensitive nose. She touched the vial to her lips and threw her head back. It tasted as sweet as it smelled, the poison playing across the soft surface of her tongue like a kitten with a ball of yarn on a rug by the fire. Cherry found herself wishing it required a larger dose. Cherry swallowed the entire contents of the vial in one gulp. There was no turning back now; all that was left was to wait for death. She set the empty but still fragrant vial down amongst the roots and strolled back to the blanket. She lay down on her back with her arms folded behind her head and looked up at the sunlight slanting through the ever-shifting leaves of the forest canopy. It started as a faint tingling sensation, as though someone were tickling the inside of her belly. Cherry sighed in delight; it was the beginning of the end. Within minutes, the tingling spread down her body. Cherry smiled as she felt her tender young vagina become gently aroused. Rolocy had warned her that OA-92 was a powerful test of the will, and it was a test that Cherry was determined to pass. She kept her arms folded behind her head as the feeling of pleasure gradually increased. She would not give in to the temptation to encourage her passion. Cherry shivered as a burst of pleasure shot through her body. Her hand began to stray. It couldn’t hurt to just touch a little bit... no. Cherry knew she mustn't. A second, more powerful trill was emitted from her burning loins. The tip of her tail flicked anxiously. What would it matter; no one would have to know... no. Cherry was determined to remain strong. Cherry released a quivering moan as the most ecstatic spasm yet rippled across her body. Why force oneself to spend one's dying moments in self-denial... ah, screw it. You only die once in a lifetime. Cherry sat upright and hitched up her dress, fumbling with her panties as successive waves of pleasure coursed through her softly pulsing vagina. Undoing the clasp that held them in place around her tail, Cherry yanked off her lacy white panties and cast them aside carelessly. She thrust two fingers deep into the moist, pillowy folds between her legs. She moaned in rapturous bliss as she climaxed within seconds, coating her fingers and hand with sticky cum. Before she could even begin to relax, though, Cherry could feel another climax building even more rapidly than the first. She stroked and prodded vigorously as her fully aroused vagina throbbed passionately. Cherry didn't even notice how hot she was or how heavily she was sweating as two more climaxes occurred in quick succession. All she cared about was enjoying herself as much as possible before the poison completed its job. Cum was dripping onto her yellow dress and staining her thigh-high stockings, but Cherry kept at it. Her nose was bleeding; blood trickled down her muzzle to her lips. Cherry was vaguely aware that this should probably be cause for concern, but she only giggled and licked at it with her tongue in between blissful moans. Her thrashing tail was getting tangled in her askew dress, but this too went unheeded. By the sixth climax, there was blood mixed in with her cum, but Cherry was feeling no pain whatsoever. She only increased the intensity of her masturbation as the poison continued to work to terminate her life. Blood dripped from her chin onto the front of her once-pristine yellow dress, but Cherry paid no heed, nor did she acknowledge the two small red stains slowly spreading at her nipples. Her eyes were closed in ecstasy as climax number nine, the most intense one yet, dominated her senses. Birds erupted from the trees surrounding the clearing as Cherry howled euphorically, wanting this feeling to never end. And then, it all stopped. Her arousal abruptly ceased and Cherry's mind cleared. Panting, she carefully and shamefully removed her hand from her crotch and stared at the blood and cum covering her fingers, as though she'd never seen it before, or couldn't understand what it meant. Then the pain she had been ignoring hit her all at once. Cherry had time to let out a single shrill yelp before she collapsed back onto the blanket. She was dead before she hit the ground. Once again, the only sound in the clearing was the melodic burbling of the stream. A jewel-bright bird snatched a minnow from the pond and disappeared into the forest. The sunlight falling through the leaves made shifting, dappled patterns on the ground and across Cherry's yellow dress. Rolocy had watched the whole scene unfold from her hiding spot in the brush at the edge of the clearing. She'd never seen anyone else at the Academy choose OA-92, and had wanted to watch it in action. Rolocy stepped into the clearing and approached Cherry's peaceful body; she looked like she was sleeping. Rolocy gently straightened Cherry's disheveled dress and wiped her sticky hand off with her handkerchief; no one needed to know that Cherry's will had failed. Rolocy didn't blame Cherry at all; OA-92 was very powerful. Rolocy stooped to pick up Cherry's discarded panties. They smelled strongly of Cherry's erotic feminine musk. Rolocy pocketed them and made her way back to the dormitory building. ** "…and that's what OA-92 does, although it's not quite as potent in a smaller dosage," Rolocy finishes explaining. Ceoehim is speechless for a moment. Then she breaks the silence, and says "Can I try a taste of that sometime?" ** Author's Notes First draft completed October 3, 2009. Final version completed October 6, 2009.