Embers

The hallowed hall held no sound. Only the small gasps of a unconscious young mare. Celestia's breath was for the first time in centuries taken away. No thoughts stirred in her mind only shock.

How had things come to this? How had a simple test meant to gauge and spend time together gone so badly? This burned husk of her student. Burnt and lacerated. To Celestia she was the most important thing in the world.

A sudden stirring caught Celestia's ear. As she kept looking she noticed that Sunset still breathed. Celestia's heart skipped. The hour was now. If Sunset were to live to see another day something must be done. There must be a drastic action.

Soaring into the air Celestia's mind went to places where she had never gone. The implications of such choices too heavy for her mind to take. Desperation, not logic, was the motivating factor. Magic must have intent, and with that intent willpower. Love and desperation. Two emotions bound to alter them both forever.

Celestia's horn glowed and her eyes shone. About her light flowed everywhere casting shadows upon the walls. The imagery at once too glorious, but at the same time sober beyond measure. Celestia's hoof was cast. She cast her spell upon her daughter.

With blinding light of the sun at midday Sunset's body was engulfed in an aura of pure light. Magic flooded every cell and sinew. Sunset fell into a deep sleep. Her breathing slowed and her heart damaged nearly beyond repair slowed made peaceful by divine fire and love.

Celestia continued to pump her magic and life essence into her daughter to whom she vowed she would never fail again. Her daughter would live, but the spell would not heal all the damage. For what seemed an age the process continued unabated until finally all that could be done was done.

There lay the mare of Celestia's heart. Her hopes and dreams bound up in the little unicorn mare. Celestia's every fiber desiring to make her life a wonder by learning, service, and development. Celestia sat and wept.

Tears ran like rivers from her eyes. Tears for what had been, and what would now be.

Never again would Sunset be just a unicorn of incredible magic ability. Her horn shattered not even Celestia knew if it could be brought back. Life was in Sunset, but in doing so Celestia had granted her daughter a piece of herself not of her power, but of her own living essence. Forever doomed and bound to live so long as the sun would shine. Celestia and Sunset were inseparably forever intertwined. Death would not grace Sunset for untold time.

The damage was done. Destroyed by fire and magic and made alive by a sacrifice that ought not to have been. The natural order disrupted, but Celestia didn't care. For untold millennia she had given and given. Now she gave once more, but in doing so set forth a course that was never meant for mortals.

Sunset would still have to heal the old fashioned way and for now the mare desperately needed medical attention. She was alive, but damage done was damage done. She was not graced with incredible healing like Celestia and with her magic nearly burnt out external sources of magic, nutrients, and fluid were needed.

Celestia levitated her daughter and laid her on her back casting a spell to ensure she would not move and reducing the vibrations to make the young one more comfortable. She walked with no purpose only a heavy heart, and a still heavier mind.

The smell of decay and smoke made its way to guards on the night watch. They went to bow, but stopped in shock.

Here was the Alicorn of the sun carrying her student. Burnt beyond recognition. Horn shattered to the very base of her skull. Lacerations that covered the young students body and thousands of glass pieces embedded from stem to stern. Not one guard dared to speak as the princess walked, and non dared ask.

Through it all Sunset did not stir. Her frame and mind too shaken to awaken. Though magic was given by the princess herself all its energy had dissipated in the altering of her young student. So great was the trauma wrought that not even the reserves of the princess were sufficient to restore her students normal levels. Yet Celestia sill walked.

Every memory played through her mind as she walked. The play times. Nightmares and safety in each others hoofs. Harsh words formerly said, but all forgotten. How Celestia wished beyond anything she could go back to those times. The times for her and her student were no longer simple, but not so complex either.

Celestia climbed stairs up, and climbed stairs down passing portraits and art. Frescoes of former ages. All went unnoticed. She rounded a far corner and arrived in the medical ward.

Celestia collapsed with her daughter still upon her back.

The Goddess of the Sun too exhausted from the events could not stand. Her energy was spent. Distant shouts were heard from somewhere, but Celestia was unsure where.

Doctors and nurses sprang into action.

"I need Saline solution now. Clear the hall's now!" Shouted one.

"Nurse Blossom get me saline now! Tell Doctor Firestone we need her up here as soon as possible!" Doctor Stethoscope cried trembling from shock.

"Patient's heart rate is steady. Signs appear stable. Princess Celestia appears to be suffering from exhaustion" Nurse Green Clover said in shock.

Gurneys were obtained one wheeling Celestia into a non-critical area while Sunset was rushed to the E.R.

Galloping hooves were heard and Doctor Firestone arrived having been only recently awoken from a nap.

" What's patient's status?" Firestone asked, looking at the mare.

" Patient appears to be stable. Massive third degree and fourth degree burns all across the body.

" We have lacerations all over her body. Horn is shattered, face is burned as well." Said Doctor Stethoscope, beginning to shake violently.

Doctors and nurses began the long process of treatment.

They began to sterilize the wounds as best as they could, and using tweezers began the long process of pulling the embedded glass out of Sunset. Glass was removed from everywhere. Sunsets eyes were the worst. Her eyes having been pierced and the inner lens of the eyes damaged, possibly beyond repair.

Pus and blisters were made manifest for all to see as an extra light was shone upon Sunset. Pain spells were put into place to offer some form of relief.

Doctor Firestone worked tirelessly through the night cleaning each wound. Carefully applying their best ointments and ensuring an I.V was hooked up filled with the best antibiotics they had. She carefully began to finish the process towards what should have been morning, but the stars still shone the aged Celestia still not having awoken.

Bits of horn were removed and the shattered remnant of Sunsets horn was cleaned.

Firestone slowly, but carefully began to wrap Sunset's body in layers of gauze being careful to make sure the I.V's that were pumping medicine, fluid, and nutrients in could be taken in and out as needed.

Doctor Firestone looked on the group of her colleagues.

They began to move applying yet more pain spells to the injured mare and healing spells to try and aid the healing as much as possible. Sunset was wheeled into a room specifically reserved for patients of catastrophic wounds.

Doctor Firestone didn't believe in miracles, but this was one. She doubted if Sunset would ever see, walk, or move on her own...or if she did, not without external devices to aid her. Thankfully by some saving grace the young mare's tongue at least seemed undamaged, for all that was worth. She walked to the sleeping room and collapsed.

Celestia awoke a few hours later wondering where she was.

" How did I get here? What happened?" Celestia wondered to herself.

Thoughts and images began to assault her mind. The words and actions that had been. The hell that was that night coming back to her.

She took look of her surroundings realizing she was in an oversized bed. She arose and came to a window putting forth considerable effort to lower the moon, and raise her sun. What would have been a few moments took nearly ten minutes. Celestia stumbled too weak. She calmly made her way back to the bed and collapsed knowing Sunset would live, but not knowing what type of life it would be.

Sunset had wanted to have Celestia's attention to be recognized by her. Celestia had wanted Sunset to understand compassion, kindness, and love. Both would now have what had been wanted. Sunset would have a long recovery. Possibly never recovering. Celestia? Celestia would live with the knowledge of what she had done. Gifting her daughter with immortality and youth, but in what condition?

The events of the night had threatened to rob them both, and in many ways had. Where once a small fire was dying between the two of them now seemed cold, but in those ashes filled with bitter anguish lay a spark. The flame of love would reignite through the spark that there remained.