Castlevania: Portrait of Chaos

Chapter Eighteen: Extensive Medical Care

Twilight sighed as she approached the painting leading to the Crystal Empire. “What is taking them so long?” She murmured as she got closer. Right as she was within touching distance of the painting, it began glowing on its own. Before she could react, a red form landed on top of her.

The red form, a pegasus stallion, quickly got off of the alicorn. “There’s no time to talk, where’s a hospital when you need it?!” He cried frantically as more ponies, one of whom was held above the ground via magical aura, appeared from the painting.

Twilight looked at the other ponies and saw Charlotte held in an aura. She was kicking weakly, and whatever sounds came out of her mouth were hoarse and ragged.

“Turns out Cadence was right.” Loretta commented harshly, narrowing her eyes a bit as if annoyed. “Oh, and King Sombra was an alicorn. And a bit of a jerk!” She added quickly before turning to her fellow unicorn and noticing her flailing her forelegs wildly. Carefully, she put Charlotte onto her backside.

“Wait, what?” Twilight shrieked, finally registering Loretta’s words as though a brick had broken her horn off after it was thrown at her.

“Are you certain of what you saw?” Inquired Princess Celestia, who approached the group with a worried look on her face.

“We’re all witnesses.” Stella interjected, raising her hoof as if in court for some reason. Cadence and Shining nodded furiously. The Threstrals kept quiet, choosing instead to go to their fellow bat-winged guards to give them the scoop.

A white mare with a pink mane in a bun and a nurse’s hat on her head trotted to the gathering and, upon seeing the unicorn on the ground surrounded by some other ponies she could’ve sworn she’d never seen before, immediately rushed in and pushed aside the red stallion and green mare with her front hooves.

“You two clearly have no clue what it is you’re doing!” The white mare declared, scanning the blue pony to better assess the situation.

“We had no clue where the hospital was!” Loretta and Jonathan protested, eyes narrowed dangerously low.

“Ahem if you were to behind you, YOU WOULD SEE THAT THE HOSPITAL IS STILL INTACT AND ABOUT TEN HOOVES AWAY!” The pony hissed, pointing her hoof at the building with a big, red cross on it. She then returned her attention to the unicorn who was trying to kick her in the chest.

She pinned the rear hooves down with her front ones and could see that the unicorn had a bit of trouble breathing. What’s more, her muzzle was like that of a wolf, and so were her hooves. “What have I gotten myself into…?” The pony murmured, shaking her head sadly as she pulled a blanket from a saddlebag on her body using her mouth.

“I know that something’s wrong, to be blunt.” Eric chimed, appearing next to Twilight without warning and causing the alicorn to jump in shock in the process. “And I think I know how it came to happen.” He added rather coldly, looking right at Jonathan.

Jonathan, however, (pretended to have) had no idea what Eric is talking about. In fact, it was as if he ignored the wendigo entirely.

“Hey Twilight, how come nopony noticed I’m back yet?” Complained Spike, who was currently occupying Shining’s backside.

“Not now, Spike…” then Twilight suddenly realized who it was she had just spoken to. As a result, her eyes bulged out of their sockets and she slowly turned to see Shining and Spike, safe and sound. She ran over to them and embraced both in a hug.

“Spike and my BBBFF, you’re okay!” She exclaimed happily.

Shining returned the hug. “Twiley, I missed you too!” He said, smiling.

Eric was now poking his hoof on Jonathan’s shoulder. “Somepony has some ‘splaining to do.” He said, another smug grin on his face. Jonathan’s ears fell flat and his eyes widened--he looked absolutely petrified.

‘*Sigh*…. All I know is that… I think Charlotte may be going into, umm, what is it called when one gives birth?’ Jonathan mumbled under his breath, though he did it so fast Eric thought he spoke complete gibberish.

“Umm, wait…. did I hear right…. is Charlotte giving birth… If you mind me asking?” Fluttershy asked, trotting over to the group. Jonathan glanced at her briefly, and his teeth were clearly chattering.

“Well, sugarcube... I’d say dat’s a big yes, considering the fact that our red friend looks kinda nervous.” Applejack sighed, looking at Jonathan. The stallion looked very shaken.

‘She’s gonna kill me...’ He murmured, his coat color having faded to white again.

Soon after, all eyes were turned to the white pony who was now carrying a crying bundle wrapped in the blanket she had. Charlotte lay on the ground unconscious, and two unicorns also sporting nurse hats hoisted her onto a gurney and began taking her to the hospital.

Suddenly a pink blur came out of straight-out nowhere and stood next to the nurse pony holding the bundle.

“You were born today! PARTY!!!” Pinkie cried, jumping around the nurse like she was made of rubber.

Eric looked to Twilight, pointed a hoof at Pinkie and asked, “Is that normal? For her, at least?”

“Yeah…it’s normal for Pinkie Pie.” Twilight answered nodding.

“Um...Celestia, you might want to see this…” The nurse sighed, politely motioning for the princess to come to her with a hoof. The princess obliged and looked at the bundle the nurse had been holding. It had a red pelt and its mane had the front bangs of Jonathan, and the back part of Charlotte’s, though much wilder in appearance and a dirty blond to boot. The nurse pulled the blanket off of the head and torso, revealing to all that it had both wings and a horn. The foal was sucking one of its hooves and had stopped crying.

“..........” Celestia was silent, and it looked like it had taken a moment or so to register the fact that she was looking right at an alicorn foal--a filly, to be much more accurate.

And, much to the shock of all present, she promptly fainted with her eyes going blank white.

“SISTER! ART THOU ALRIGHT?” Luna shrieked, rushing to her fallen sister. She then looked at the thing that made her faint. She took a deep breath and then yelled, “AND WHO WAS IT THAT GAVE BIRTH TO THIS FOAL!?”

“Princess Luna, that one called Charlotte did…” Shining sighed weakly, but his voice was muted by Luna’s brief tantrum.

‘Help me...’ Jonathan thought, backing away very slowly from the royally pissed mare who was currently screaming her head off in what he believed to have been anger.

The baby Gaibon only said, “Yay! I have baby sister now!!!”

Stella and Loretta glanced at Jonathan, who now looked completely mortified. By instinct, Loretta’s horn flared up with an aura that soon yanked the stallion towards Luna.

By this point, the stallion was foaming at the mouth and laying pitifully on his side, his eyes, mane and tail having turned white in horror. Another unicorn picked him up in his magic and carried him and the foal to the hospital.

Vincent had watched the whole mess unfold and he trotted to the hospital with wide eyes and mouth agape. He didn’t say anything to anybody even as he passed them on his way.

“Did I just imagine it or did that foal have wings and a horn?” Rarity asked worriedly, looking at the still-irritated Luna as if she could provide answers.

“Thou did not imagine such things. We’ll have to ask that mare about it later.” Luna answered, shaking her head sadly.

The sisters sighed and trotted past their father, who was also going to the hospital, albeit at a slow pace.

“Does that mean I can now plan a welcome to the world alicorn party?” Pinkie asked, still jumping around the nurse nonstop.

“Well, miss…” Stated the nurse, looking at the green unicorn standing before her.

“Loretta,” she said swiftly. “Please, do cut to the chase.”

“The unicorn mare is suffering from slight breathing problems, a few cracked ribs, and intense magic surges which requires a horncap on her head to keep whatever spells she has from being let loose. Her foal also has a broken rear leg. To cover the expenses, the bill is basically required to be paid in the bit equivalent of three diamonds: one million, to be exact.” The nurse answered bluntly.

Stella’s jaw dropped. Loretta’s eyes went wide. “ONE MILLION BITS?!” They cried in unison.

“Would the gold Charlotte and Jonathan collected during their last quest work?” Vincent asked worriedly, ears flat and a profuse amount of sweat on his face.

“Nope.” The nurse answered bluntly again.

“Well, they did save the Crystal Empire, perhaps three of the diamonds from the royal vault would work?” Celestia asked, having gotten over her shock.

“Those have been stolen,” Cadence answered, a worried look on her face.

The sisters groaned in annoyance. They trotted past the nurse upon noticing a glow coming from the closest window they had. They soon found the source of the glow: a painting depicting a city with a huge monster looming over it in the distance.

“I hope we don’t have to deal with those stallions again…” Stella sighed as she and her sister approached the painting and touched it with her hoof. Almost immediately, the painting enveloped the duo in a white-hot light before sucking them into its flat frame.