Down the Road

Canterlot; Throne of the Royal Sisters - Two Weeks Forward

"Excuse me, your highness." A dark toned stallion slides forward on bent forelegs before continuing, "Doctor Hoofmender has requested an audience with your Majesty." Rising as the less than subtle pound echoes from behind. "My apologizes, he would not wait."

"It is fine. Please send him in." Princess Celestia dips her muzzle along with her eyelids before raising both ever so slowly, bringing them in line with he who helps push the doors open faster with his lack of patience to wait any longer. "Doctor Hoofmender. I have been expected you. Please, come forth."

The stallion, wearing an rather unorthodox set of clothing for one of his profession, seems to mimic an guard pony's bard in linen only. Lacking anything upon his head, but sporting colors of dark blue and lighter grey, he continues his gruff approach in his steps until just before the first step to the throne itself. Causing even the two guards to take a step inward, they are waves off by the wing of she who would come to expect nothing less.

"You have denied my request." Dr. Hoofmender looks up towards Princess Celestia with just the hint of discontent. "Yet, again."

"Would the lack of your request threaten the life of our..." She rolls the word for just a moment, "Guest?"

"It will hamper his recovery. Which, if I may add, is going horribly!" He lightly shakes his head back and forth while keeping eye contact and taking but a few steps back. "Notwithstanding that he had gone into cardiac arrest several times before you even had him brought underneath my care, his blood nearly became poison before we were able to find proper transfusion."

Nodding softly to each of his points, she looks towards one of the far guards who in turn travels closer.

"Has the double fudge sponge cakes been delivered to the Minotaur consulate?" Of her question, and firm confirmation, she nods a few more quick nods in succession. "Please see to it that they are made aware that the grand galloping gala hall has been made available to them for their upcoming Draconian War reenactment." Showing just a hint of reservation. "To which, I will also attend."

"Yes, your highness." With one moving out of sight, another raises onto his hind legs to reclaim it.

"I'm terribly sorry, Dr. Hoofmender, for far more than even you can be made aware." She lets her soft voice try and make each word heart felt, to limited success. "I applaud your passion to the well being of our guest in his time of need, and while I am no doctor of modern times, I must follow my own experience of having to take away the one thing that can devastate even the most hearty. A choice."

"The left upper limb, which if we continue to attribute his anatomy to a Minotaur's, was nearly destroyed. We have been able to partially reconstruct the forearm and hand, but the nerves is beyond our ability to correct." Dr. Hoofmender begins to show his frustrations. "You can still feel pain even when in a coma!"

"And if the need for it's removal to keep him alive is required then you have my blessing." She raises up from her haunches to all four hooves to begin moving down the steps. "But under no circumstances are we to make but the most life threatening decisions for him. We know almost nothing of it's social standards, but if we were to just look upon the Minotaur, we mustn't doom him to failure."

"Haven't we already?" His overly blunt words bring even the guard's attention onto him, with that of it's intended target stopped just to his side with her stare anywhere but into his own. "I know why you brought me back, when last we spoke I made it very clear I would never. You speak of choices, but in the end they are only the ones that you deem worthy to be made!"

"Doctor Hoofmender, you will show respect to your...!" The closest guard raises her voice before hearing the firm stomp of Princess Celestia's front hoof, echoing the hall better than any word could. Bowing back as another refuses to even budge, all in the throne room hold their tongue and eyes onto what might happen next between the sun and a legend even if only in another land.

"You may be my Princess, but never forget that you can never be my King." Dr. Hoofmender flares his nostrils before turning to leave the room, making sure each step echoes through the room. "For he would know what it means to be merciful."

With the last word barely escaping the slam of both doors behind the stallion unicorn, impacting so hard that the deep orange magic sparks off in an violent display, none in the room save for the princess can do more than stare wide eyed at such disrespectful display.

"If I hadn't seen with my own eyes, I would of sworn you just upset a member of the Minotaur consulate." Another feminine voice, belonging to one almost as large but dark blue in tone, comes from the far off side entrance. "Again."

"Luna." Princess Celestia announces the presence of another whom garners the full forward kneel of every guard in the room. Turning her head halfway, she huffs before looking away to shake off any lingering tension, before finally taking full stare. "I'm sorry you..."

"No need to apologize to me, sister. The last time the consulate and I conversed in such dramatic fashion you had to send them at least three of your famous double fudge cake." Trying to offer some humor, even if far too dry, to lighten the mood. "But I have news. Our guest, as you have often put it, seems to have been stuck in a loop of sorts. I have been able to learn much, this past week."

"A loop?" Celestia trots over with renewed vigor, stopping to just before her sister who widens her eyes just a bit to the display. Shifting her head a bit to and fro as if to find what she might want to say, she becomes rigid body, soft in voice. "Is it in pain?"

Fronted with such a question, with no kind answer to give, Luna just stares back to her sister who gently nods her head. As the royal sisters seem caught in something internal, without any magic from their horns coming to light, the guards in the room seem to take cue as they quietly shuffle together and towards the large double doors. With the light thud of closing doors...

"The loop is one of their day rotations, which from what I can tell is even shorter than our own, at least for daylight. It begins from when he wakes up and ends..." Pulling in the corner of her mouth, she reaffirms herself. "It ends when the being spoke before you."

Celestia, for better or worse, retains a neutral expression. "Is he aware of your presence?"

"No. I have taken care to find a way to properly place myself within his dreams without causing any means for concern." Using her magic to now pull in several carts of parchments. "I have had some difficulty, as this element held such a short moment in the loop to begin with. Thankfully, I have been able to slowly extend that element with a bit of tactical subterfuge, and thus, myself."

Backing up as even more carts are rolled in, she slowly moves closer to one in order to investigate much like a foal to something potentially nice or harmful. Startled to the sudden pull of all the parchments below her muzzle, Celestia steps back and looks upon her sister who in turn gives her one to chastise the lack of patience. Giving half a smile to her embarrassment, she awaits her turn.

"As I were..." Luna flickers her eyelids towards her sister to help remind. "I have taken care to document much of what I have experienced. While the world is far too limited to this one being's awareness, I believe there is enough here to at the very least help us prepare for some form of communication when he wakes up." Unraveling many of the parchments. "But I may need assistance. I have imprinted the sounds of their language with visuals of familiar objects which I am mostly assured was relatable."

"I think we may know of somepony who might blossom at the chance." Celestia's voice brightens to the thought. "But why wait until he has arisen from his coma? Would it not make the transition more comfortable to reach out to him in his own environment?"

Luna, in her extended silence, brings her sister up and alongside. With the prodding of an curious elder sister through subtle movements of her head to match the ones done to dodge eye contact, dark blue finally huffs in contempt of her defiance.

"The element, as I have put it, is the form of an entity best considered a pet." Looking away again. "Both here and there."

"A pet?" Celestia raises her tone. "A phoenix?"

"Nothing so exotic." Glancing towards her sister. "You are the only one in the entire kingdom to call such, her pet. No, it is something far more grounded, and riddled with far too much fur to make grooming anything but an adverse chore!"

Letting the room fill with an awkward silence that neither seem to dare disturb, they merely stand side by side with parchments still held up for both to either admire, question, or just use in excuse. "...is it..."

"A cat!" Luna's response erupts far louder or harsher than intended, much to her instant reservation and embarrassment to having lashed out onto her sister so wrongfully. "That... was uncalled for of me, Ti..."

But just as quickly, with the inward suction of Celestia's lips as if tasting something horribly sour, her eyes narrow and with the most unladylike hiss which only forces Celestia to move back and around. With the distinct sound of somepony trying to hold in a sneeze squeaking out, Luna's eyes close in as does her magic onto but a single long strand of floating tail hair.

"OW!"

"Serves you right... Now. I am very certain that like here such mammals are mere mundane pets and trying to communicate through such an element could very well send the being into a state of mental distress." She continues her explanation even as her sister does her best to pay attention while tensing her muscles and kicking an hind leg. "We will need to wait."

"But, oh..." Letting an inward hiss escape her muzzle before finally settling back down. "But if you've been able to somehow manipulate this element to extend your ability to participate, couldn't you also manipulate how you're represented?"

"If what I have witnessed has not somehow deceived me, then there is almost no point for such opportunity. The only way would be to break the loop, which in his current condition, could very well ripple and cause him to never wake up." Looking back towards her sister whom seems to hold something back by the look in her eye. "You can always speak your mind, when it is just me."

"What is it like?"

"What is what like?" Arching her brow to the raised one in reflection.

Daniel's Dream State; One Week Prior

Pruna's Perspective

Frozen. That would be the only word she could use as to the first image before her vision that has finally been made clear. It is for only a moment, in comparison to the broken and bloody image she first remembers of it, that she can finally see something that represents the very reason she came here in the first place. Calm and peaceful. Relaxed, and seemingly...

""

"Food." She widens her eyes while sitting on her haunches. "We demand tribute!" before falling over onto her side, much to her utter confusion and blood rushing to her cheeks while arching her back and digging into the air with her foreleg.

"" it reaches down and lightly tries to grab her, to which against her will she begins to bat her forelegs, kick her hind, and even rear her head back with quick bites onto the fingers and outer palm.

"Ye dares assail the Empurress of the Night!" Luna continues her assault on the wayward hand, gaining the advantage with a few well placed strikes. "Wretched slave! Relinquish thy food bank less thou wishes to be brought to thy knees!"

Present time

"It is..." Luna dismisses the look sent her way. "We have gained proper control, rest assured."

"Oh." Celestia looks away just to regain her thoughts as they begin to run rampant, turning back with pushing focus back towards what has stood aside to theatrics for long enough. "For all your efforts, I am very grateful, Luna. I will have any and all you deem fit to be sent to Princess Sparkle with discretion to the matter at hand. While I am sure she will be eager to become more involved I..."

Her words, stopped by the direct stare sent her way, become swallowed instead.

"Do not tell her about him." Luna speaks not in request, but in firm statement. "Under no circumstances."

Celestia, slightly put off the quick change in demeanor and especially of to whom in question, "May I ask why? While we've been able to keep his existence hidden, the incident at the exhibit could not be. She would eventually come to the conclusion if we merely ask her to begin translation of an language that prior to two weeks ago, did not exist."

"Nothing is set in stone, sister. We are not dealing with a foal, calf, or chick whose eyes are full of wonder and innocence. If things come to pass, then they should of their own natural accord, not by the helping hoof of one wishing to make amends." Lifting and extending her wing over her elder sister to help convey her true intend. "It wasn't your fault, that things happened as they did."

Standing under the comfort of her younger sister, to which she would normally love to linger, she instead slowly moves out from under as she moves away. Almost dragging her hoofs, she approaches one of the open balconies to peer out in silence, looking out with an unusually stern expression even for one as practiced as her. Flaring her wings in a stretch, she finally turns around.

"Then who else will it be, to tell the being stolen from his home, that it was no accident?"

Friendship Rainbow Kingdom Castle

"Is applejack coming?" The softest feminine voice belonging to the butterscotch pegasi of kindness barely reaches across the table. Watching as eyes shift back and forth with no answer to be found, she gives little resistance. "Oh. Okay."

"Well, I simply don't know what could be keeping her. I know we told her we were having another meeting tonight the other day." Rarity slowly raises a foreleg and presses it to the underside of her muzzle. "You don't suppose she is doing that thing, again?"

"That thing?" Rainbow looks over towards Rarity, who simply rolls her eyes in return. "Hey, how the hay am I supposed to know what that thing even is?" Finally leaning over towards Fluttershy, "Hey, you know what that thing is, Shy?"

"Um." Before shaking her head.

"Twilight, dear, please explain to Rainbow Dash what that thing is." Who in turn, shifting her eyes between Rarity and Rainbow Dash, can only quirk part of her brow. "Well, go on!"

"Hah! Even Twilight doesn't know what that thing is!"

"Do you mean overworking herself again?" Twilight looks over towards Rarity, who wiggles her body with an rising muzzle that dips only to agitate the rainbow maned pegasi further. "I'm pretty sure she learned her lesson from the last time."

"But Spiiiike, what about the sprinkles? Or the whipped cream?" The high pitched voice grows only higher much to the instant attention it garners. "How can you serve snacks without making them snacks?!"

"Pinkie!" Spike yells while almost losing hold of the platter which houses a wide assortment of cheese and crackers. "Hey if you have a problem talk to Twilight. She's the one who thought we should try serving better brain food at the meetings."

"B-b-b-but!" Pinkie continues to encircle the ever more nervous baby dragon like a shark in water, swooping in underneath and rising the platter above his tiny talons with an escalating outburst. "Ice cream is brain food. That's why if you eat it too fast it hurts!"

Popping her head up once more, the platter raises high into the air and then over towards the large round table while clasped in magic glow, setting down for which only three of five make any effort. Taking notice to the duo's pouting, Rarity rolls her eyes before using her magic to shove several assortments into their muzzles without warning.

"Gah!" Rainbow pounds her hoof on the table while struggling to either swallow or cough back up, water beginning to form in her eyes as she is forced to comply with the former much to the satisfaction of her assailant. "...that... was disgusting!"

"It was pretty good, actually!" Pinkie holds her hooves out after finishing her first sample. "More please!"

"At least somepony enjoys a good, healthy, and might I add wonderfully prepared snack." Rarity looks over towards an already blushing baby dragon. "Thank you, Spike."

"Y-you're welcome. Hehe." The baby dragon cannot help but blush to the attention.

They all begin to banter, either of or against the food, before the doors leading outside slam shut once again. Looking over from either on or behind their seats, they only stare with wide eyes as the lost but found finally makes her way towards her seat. Even Rainbow Dash, who only makes it as far as opening her muzzle, holds it only just when the sight of her best friend comes into full view.

Covered in dirt. Briers entangled in her mane and tail, along with some still gouged upon her backside that just refuse to let go. Clomping her hooves every step of the way, she says nothing nor looks at anypony as she jumps into her seat, sitting down hard to an room gasping crunch that shows absolutely no reaction otherwise. Staring with gaping muzzles and one snout, is all they can do.

"Been a bad day." Applejack states with the icy chill of the frozen north. "Real bad."

Sitting with her muzzle dipped low enough that she can avoid any eye contact, she fails to notice the first little tug of brier in pink glow. Still hiding both answers and her eyes, she just barely catches the light blue magic gently working another stem of thorny annoyance from her tail. Letting the faintest of breaths flare her nostrils she barely noticed the light breeze coming from her side as something else seems to try and wrestle out but another of her prickly annoyances, with a slightly bigger tug from yet another side.

But like the honest pony that she is, to all the effort given thus far, she would sharply raise her muzzle in acknowledgement.

"Ow." Applejack states with a reared back head, her rising eyes catching the narrowed magenta iris yanking on a large brier in her mane like Winona on a play rag. "How ya doing, Rainbow?"

"Ahm doang gate!" Rainbow ignores all the shrieks and screams for her to stop when she gives one final pull, holding up her defeated enemy of long blonde mane with retreating glee. "Ohhh crap. Sorry AJ!"

"It'll grow back." She returns her stare but a bit more leveled muzzle. "Always does." Letting her words carry the tune of a grinding stone, she suddenly becomes enveloped in outside warmth, it's yellow and pink hues stealing all her sight. Opening her mouth to speak, she becomes interrupted by each additional jolt of cushioned warmth that slowly covers most of her frame.

"You know they're not gonna let you go until you fess up." Rainbow's iris barely catches the attention of green, whose owner attempts to convey but a few words muffled incoherent. "I got sucked in by magic, so what?"

"Ah said, it's okay." Applejack shifts just enough to get her words out, much to the slow but gradual release of those who would bind her in their friendship to which she is not usually so dismissive. "Gotta believe me when ah say it's just been a bad day."

"Is there anything we can do to make it better?" Twilight looks upon the usually go getting farm pony whose uplifting confidence in any bad situation spared none it's contagion. "I mean it's okay if you don't want to talk about it but if we can help somehow?"

"Help me forget that it's been a bad day." Applejack tries her best at her fake half smile, to which one causes each and every pony and dragon in the room grow in further worry and concern. But good or bad to hold her ground, no pony would ever question, and as each pony tries to think of something to her request, it is big a belching dragon who offers the best suggestion.

Turning around, slowly but eventually, they all look upon Spike who quickly unravels the scroll as the breaking seal changes into an overly large and juicy gem. Nearly losing focus, he only slides the gem closer before coughing his throat clearer.

"Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle..." He then reads a little ahead, with a raised brow. "She'd... like you to help translate a newly discovered language? She said that she will be sending urk!" With cheeks puffing more and more. "Blaaaaaargh!"

With varying screams, shrieks, and laughter the entire table along with all the mares become engulfed in the unexpectedly dense volume of parchments and other scriptures. The baby dragon, ever thankful that magic could condense such mass into such a small belch, eagerly reaches forth to reclaim his payment before disappearing underneath the table.

"Will this work?" Twilight yells from underneath the pile.

"Ah reckon so!"

"Help!"

Daniel's Dream State; Present Time - Past Midnight

Pruna's Perspective

"" The creature pokes his head in through the open window just a bit. ""

"The chance, is ours." She quickly dashes across the treacherous landscape of boulders two hoofs large, nearly sliding into a fall several times before making her way under the large metallic carriage, undetected. Moving around underneath the large contraption, she makes a smirk before finding but a large opening between what she can only consider the front wheels.

Looking around once more to verify her success in unseen infiltration, she drops her smirk as her thoughts slowly begin to move back to just earlier in her day, and maybe even painfully farther. Never one to let any see her inner free spirit, she raises her muzzle, puffs out her chest, and stomps her hoof into the boulders below.

"We shall find a way to make this right, sister."

But it takes even less to snap her muzzle towards the distortion erupting all around her for but a blink of an eye. Letting a bit of concern spread across her brow, she shakes it off before jumping up inside the spacious compartment. Wiggling to get a bit more comfortable, she settles in just as an ear wracking sound causes her to open her eyes to the wall in her personal study.

"Failure shall not be tolerated, when it shall serve none the better."