The Visitor

Twilight sat in the lobby waiting for what seemed like hours. After Safon stormed out she was left on her own to think about what he said. What if what he said was true and that Scarlet has been the Starlight Dragon all this time? If he’s telling the truth then she has a lot to answer too.

As she continued to sit there Nurse Redheart approached her and tapped Twilight’s shoulder with a hoof. “Miss Sparkle?”

Knocked out of her thoughts Twilight looked over to the source of the tapping, “ Nurse Redheart? Is she going to be ok?!?”

Redheart sighed in exhaustion. “ Well yes she’ll live, but whatever did the damage did a real good job. The chunk of lead Safon was talking about must have been traveling at a speed faster than I can imagine. It almost shattered her shoulder joint and left some nasty scorch marks where it entered. After assessing the damage we followed his instructions and stopped the bleeding, so she’s in stable condition now and is awake.”

Twilight looked toward the door leading to the patent rooms. “Can I see her?”

Redheart stood there in thought for a second before responding. “I suppose that would be alright, but be quick she needs to get some rest.”

“Thank you. I’ll try to be quick.” Twilight said as she and nurse Redheart began to walk through the double doors and down the hall to the patient quarters.

When they got to Scarlet’s room Nurse Redheart opened the door for Twilight. “As I said be quick about it.” Twilight nodded to the nurse as she entered the patient room.

With Ponyville not being as big as Canterlot instead of separate rooms for each patient there was instead large rooms that held many patients at the same time. Fortunately for Scarlet however this was one of the rare times in Ponyville where nopony was in need of a doctor enough to have to stay overnight. The patient room was a large almost hallway like room with two rows of beds, one on the left side of the room and the other on the right, some with privacy curtains and all with a nightstand for personal effects next to them. In one of the beds close to the left side was Scarlet laying down looking like she was asleep. Her bandages with visible blood stains over her right shoulder, and the cuts in her front limbs are nicely bandaged.

Twilight took a moment to calm herself at the sight of the blood and approached her speaking quietly. “Scarlet? Scarlet are you awake?”

Scarlet groaned before turned her head to the source of the noise to see Twilight standing at her bedside not looking well herself. Twilight showed clear signs of stress, her mane was beginning to become disheveled, her clothes were extremely wrinkled from not preparing them for the day and she had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. Scarlet tried to sit up but the pain from her wound was too much for her. So she just laid there before speaking to Twilight with exhaustion in her voice. “Twilight is that you?”

Twilight looked at Scarlet and spoke softly. “Yes Scarlet it’s me. I stayed after Safon and I brought you here.”

Scarlet got a brief look of panic in her eyes, “Is he here?!?”

“What? No, no he left for Canterlot after we brought you here.”

Scarlet let out a sigh of relief at the news, “Oh good he’s extremely dangerous, I don’t know what he did to me but it sure messed me up quite a bit.”

Twilight gave her a look of shock and slightly skeptical at her statement. “What do you mean? What happened?”

Scarlet sighed as she began to tell her version of the story. “Well you see after he found Starswirl’s workshop he looked at me and pulled out a strange piece of ornate silver and pearl. Saying how now that he had what he needed, that it was time to make sure his tracks were covered. Then all I heard was a loud bang and saw smoke coming out of the silver thing. I felt a large amount of pain, glanced at its source in my shoulder and saw blood trickling out. After that I passed out and you must have found him over me.”

Twilight was now starting to get really skeptical of Scarlet’s version. “Wait a minute, I heard that bang and when I got in there as soon as Safon noticed me. He rushed me to get you proper care. Now why would he do that if he wanted to cover his tracks?”

Scarlet was starting to sweat at Twilight’s questions, “Well...um. He must have improvised at your unexpected arrival.”

“He must be able to think pretty quickly to do that and come up with a story of what happened in that short time.” Twilight said in an accusing manner.

Scarlet’s sweat was now starting to be visible as she dread the words she was about to say. “Wh... what kind of story?”

“Well you see when I got there he was speaking quite fast but still coherent, and he told me how you’ve apparently transformed into a dragon of some kind.” Scarlet’s pupils constricted at what she heard. Noticing this Twilight took a hoof to her tie and started to loosen it. “Scarlet have I told you the story of how when my friends and I went out to find the Elements of Harmony? How a red dragon with a silver underside attacked us shortly after entering the Everfree Forest? In fact I believe it was the Starlight Dragon herself defending her home from intruders.”

Scarlet was now getting really uncomfortable at what Twilight was saying shifting slightly on the bed. “N...no I’ve h... heard how you had to face many c...challenges to get there.”

“Well you see as we were getting attacked by it I noticed a distinctive set of scars over it’s right eye. Now who do I know with scars like that?” She asked looking at the three diagonal scratches over the others right eyelid. “Actully did you know your book is one of if not the most detailed telling of the legend of the Starlight Dragon? In fact it’s more detailed than a lot of the books in the Canterlot University's Library. Now how could somepony who's been in isolation for so long, have such knowledge that somepony who’s dedicated their life to such fields lack?”

“Fine you’ve got me I’ve been tracking and watching the Starlight Dragon for years!!!” Scarlet yelled out trying desperately to stop Twilight.

Sighing Twilight looked at her, “No! The information you’ve put in your book is more detailed than simple observations. That kind of detail of somepony’s life is only seen in an autobiography!!!”

“I found her notes, I found her little makeshift home… I…I can take you there!” Getting more desperate and scared as Twilight refused to leave it lie.

“She just happened to leave a little note detailing all the agony she’s felt throughout her life? Listen Scarlet you’re my friend and I want to help, but I can’t help you if you keep lying to me!!”

She looks away and puts her left hoof over her right, her voice hovering on the edge of tears. “How would you expect me to feel Twilight, like I should be able to trust you with my darkest secret? I tried to make the past go away I tried to cure the beast that I once was. Despite how hard I tried it always came back to hurt me. Everything I try, everything I do seems to want me to suffer. You’re not making this any easier by shouting at me… you're right ok. Is that what you want from me a confession?! You’re friends with a freak that attacks ponies. You figured out the puzzle I’m the cursed dragon pony in the legends, Im Starlight. Congratulations are you quite happy now, after making me more miserable than I already was!?” She yelled out in anger and sadness finally succumbing to her tears.

Twilight looked at her sobbing friend and knew she went too far. “Scarlet? Scarlet I’m sorry I didn’t mean to push you so far. Listen I just want to help.”

“How did you think this was helping me in any way?” Managing to barely speak muffled by her tears. “ You stood there accusing, analyzing me and spitting my attempts to get you to stop back in my face. I have had to live a lie for so long to find this peace make myself into a complete other pony. Change my name, change my cutie mark to have a somewhat normal life. Now it’s falling apart around me and all I can do is watch and try to pick up the pieces.”

“Scarlet listen, Safon and I are the only ones who know about this. The doctor and Nurse Redheart don’t suspect a thing. Now I can help you, you just need to let me.” Twilight said putting on a reassuring smile for her friend.

“There isn’t anything you can really do, I’ve been cursed just like the book said. I screwed myself over when I wrote that dam thing, I never thought I would turn back into that creature again. I thought the potion I made cured me, not even two weeks later it was over. I became Starlight again like a slap in the face. I live a lie by hiding in plain sight, how long before someone else pieces things together Twilight? The peace the calm I know, shattered the moment someone else does the same thing you did.”

“Scarlet this isn’t a thousand years ago the world you knew is gone, a lot has changed in all that time. Just a few years ago a biologist in Prance released the Germ Theory in an article. Now with that kind of information all kinds of new medicines are being made, and unicorns are discovering all kinds of new magic with electricity! All that with the arrival of Safon, bringing Celestia knows what with him. Just think of the possibilities we maybe able to find something to help you now!!” Twilight exclaimed trying to cheer Scarlet up.

“Despite how much I hate to admit it I can’t, I’m only alive because of my blood being... special. The fact I have dragon blood is the only reason I’m still alive after all this time. I can't be cured, not to the extent I would have wanted. I have to live this way and try to keep from hurting the ponies I care about. You really want to help me Twilight? Do your best to forget this ever happened, look at me no differently than your other friends.”

Twilight looked at her depressed friend not intending to give up. “Scarlet you should know that there is not just one solution to any problem. I think that we could do something great here.”

“How by letting you do the same thing I’ve been doing trying to cure myself all these years? I accept myself the way I am, the world doesn’t and I like it that way right now. This Safon thing has made me sure of one fact if I did go public. I would be treated differently like some circus act and be all over the news.”

Twilight looked at her with a plan in her head, “I never said to go public.”

“I don’t want anymore attention then what I'm getting as a writer! I want to have a normal life is that not clear to you? You’ve done enough damage and tormented me with painful memories. Holding her head looking weaker, “please… just let me sleep you’ve pushed me far enough already. Im far older than you your not my mother, so please just leave and take your ideas with you.”

Princess Celestia made her way up to her quarters for the night. After hearing rumors that Safon was back in the city today, so at that news she stayed in her throne room all day expecting him to come and report his findings. However she sat waiting so long nightfall came and it was Luna’s time to take over. After some convincing on Luna’s part she decided that perhaps it was just a rumor and decided to go to bed for the night. Nodding to her guards as she stepped into her room to be greeted to the smell of tobacco.

“Hello Celestia.” A voice said. Jumping Celestia used her magic and turned on the lights in the room to find Safon sitting in the sitting area dressed in black pants and a black hoodie over his usual black shirt and pointing his ornate silver and pearl revolver at her.

“Safon! What are you doing here!?!” Celestia said in shock as she got ready to call the guards.

Still pointing the revolver at her he smirked. “Don’t bother calling them. They should pass out here soon.” He chuckled. “You know having the same guards at the same place every night is not such a good idea. It makes a repeat intruder's job that much easier.”

Looking at the revolver she let out a nervous chuckle. “And you think throwing a piece of silver at me will do anything. I’m not a warepony,” she bluffed.

Laughing a bit Safon looked at her, “Oh no, I won’t throw this. In fact, it will throw something at you. You see what I’m holding is a .44 magnum revolver, once said by a great man to be the most powerful handgun in the world. Now while it no longer holds that record it still has the ability to blow one’s head clean off. So do ya feel lucky?”

Looking at him Celestia sat down in the chair across from him. “So is there a particular reason you decided to come here and threaten my life?”

Still keeping the revolver aimed at her he started to retell what happened. “Well you see when I got to the castle like you said. I searched for and located the workshop and Starswirl’s notes. After I’ve found them I was attacked by a rather ferocious dragon. Now I don’t recall you telling me about a dragon living in the ruins.”

“This is a ruin that I have not visited it myself in a long time. I had no idea a dragon was calling it home.”

“True but before I made my way to the forest a couple ponies including your personal student warned me about this ‘Starlight Dragon.’ Now why would you omit such a well known tale before sending me there.”

“Because Starlight died long ago, this tale you heard was a rumor, but it seems something was in fact there. Yet now it seems you handled it rather well, what of your research did you find what you sought?”

“That not important right now. What’s important is to clear the air. I know you don’t trust me. From how you wanted me locked up to how you have agents keeping tabs on me. Oh by the way tell them all black doesn’t blend in a crowd.”

Looking at the revolver Celestia gave him a questioning look. “And you think pointing a deadly weapon at me helps that image.”

“Fair enough.” and with that Safon opened the cylinder and let the bullets drop on the floor before putting the revolver on the table. “Listen I don’t intend to kill you. I believe you have the best intentions for you kingdom at heart. When I ask a pony about you they have nothing but kind words without a hint of fear in them. In fact I’m willing to let all the trust issues go and start over fresh.”

Giving him a stern look Celestia got up from her chair. “And the weapon was for?”

Getting up with her Safon looked her right in the eye. “The gun was to make a point. While I don’t think you tried to get me killed. I want to make one thing clear. DON’T try anything on me!! I understand you want all your ponies to be safe but I ain’t a threat and if you try to have me killed I WILL end you and your kingdom faster than any invasion ever could!!!”

Now getting slightly fearful Celestia approach him. “And what makes you think I’m afraid of you?”

Smirking Safon looked at her. “Oh nothing. Besides that fact that you appear to know about me.” Celestia eyebrows rose at that statement. “I can see it. I’ve become known in the multiverse at this point and I think you have heard rumors of me among other powerful creatures telling stories of how every. single. person to try and cross me have meet with a nasty fate. You're just exercising caution and I don’t blame you. Just let me be and I’ll be on my way as quickly as possible.”

Sighing Celestia continued to look at him straight in his eyes. “Very well yes I’ve heard about you through a very wise old creature a thousand years ago. It spoke of how you like to explore and will stop at nothing to end anything that tries to do you wrong. I wanted to be sure you didn’t do anything to harm my citizens they mean everything to me and my sister.”

Also sighing Safon looked down. “Again I believe you. Listen I just want to go home to my family. Let me do my thing and I’ll be on my way. Is that fair?”

Backing up Celestia knew he wasn’t lying. “Very well but I will be keeping a close eye on your activities.”

Looking back up Safon took a seat again. “Fair enough and now that we have an understanding I need to be on my way.” With that he picked up the bullets off the floor put the in his pocket and picked up his revolver. “Oh and if you do require any of my services I’ll be more than happy to provide.” With that he got up and left through the door leaving Celestia to wonder over what he said.