Spike stared once more at the closed door to the room his boss was staying in. It was the beginning of a beautiful Saturday, which was an especially special day in Spike's book since it was the one day of the week Twilight granted him the entire day off to do what he wanted, whether it was sleeping all day, eating all day, bathing all day, or any mix of the three and then some. Twilight normally took the day off too, but there was something, well, off today.
Namely, Twilight wasn't up yet. It was closing in on noon and Twilight, the one person he knew who took her studies so seriously she put them before things as welcome and wonderful as sleep and food. At least Spike didn't understand it. Twilight was usually up before the young dragon, usually the one to wake Spike up in fact. So, either Twilight had another long night putting up with Pinkie Pie again and chose to just sleep the day away - again - or she was trying to astral-project herself through her dreams. Again. No matter how you cut it, it was unusual.
Maybe he'd surprise her. "Bet she'd love a breakfast in bed." He smiled at the thought of Twilight's wide eyes and gushing voice as he commandeered the kitchen, and proudly went to work. Nothing said good morning to a sleepy pony like pancakes and grilled asparagus stalks. With any luck, he might not have even drained the syrup from his last sweets binge.
He pushed open a window above the stove as the pans beneath him sizzled, and he took in the smell of fresh morning air and cooking food. Birds in the tree branches chirped merrily, and even the sound of bees seemed bright and optimistic as they gathered food from the flowers. It also let in the voices of an active town, all of Ponyville seeming to be fully alive. It was going to be a gorgeous day, and all signs were pointing towards a relaxing lay by the pond, or perhaps he could tag along with the girls on the day they'd no doubt spend on either another crazy scheme or maybe they'd actually relax for once.
Speak of the devil, there was a knock on the door. He made sure the food would be fine by itself for a moment and hopped off his stool. He opened the door, and found a pair of orange legs in the way. "Oh hiya Spike, was hopin' somepony'd be here." Applejack sounded a bit giddy, which was unusual since she was usually so wooden and laid back.
"What's up Applejack?" Spike invited her in, shutting the door behind her when she finished politely wiping her hooves and entered the library. "You're going to have to wait a while, Twilight's still asleep for some reason and I thought I'd surprise her with breakfast." The dragon came back to the kitchen to tend the meal, smiling at the sheer livelihood of the day. He was all for a couple of good omens.
"I dun' mind, I just need her help balancing' a checkbook. Big Mac's got it all figured out 'til Apple Bloom tried to turn housekeeper with a hose and washed all the ink off a page, an' Twilight's better with numbers than me or him so we figured we'd send them her way an' see what she turns out." She trotted around the house, abnormally restless.
"She shouldn't have a problem with that. Sweet day, huh? I could tell the moment I got up it'd be great."
Applejack knocked her back hooves together to make a clapping noise. "Like ya wouldn't believe! Even Fluttershy's hoppin' about like Pinkie Pie. Can't wait t'see Twilight's reaction to all this. If any pony would be a laugh to see this excited it'd be her. Huh, I hope paperwork don't soak her spirits none."
Spike gave a humored snort as he mounted the pancake stack, the accompanying asparagus, and the syrup all on one plate and proudly marched towards the door with it held above his head. "If anything it'll just make Twilight happier. Hey, can you get the door?"
"Not a prob' Spike." Applejack followed him to the closed door and opened it up, and squinted her eyes to peer into the dark room, all while smiling as she made her call: "Wakey wakey Twilight Sparkle! It's a smilin' sorta day!"
"KILL ME."
Applejack, for her part, did not even squeak at a voice that sounded so pained it could have gone through a cheese grater and sounded more pleasant, and was quick to reenter the room with Spike.
"Twilight, are you alright?" The dragon asked with clear concern in his voice as he set the plate down on a nightstand to be forgotten before climbing onto the bed with the still figure. It must have startled Twilight, since a quiver went through the lump on the bed.
"Hey, c'mon sugarcube, don't be like that. Are ya sick?" Applejack walked around to the other side of the bed and pressed her nose against what she thought was Twilight's face under the blanket. Part of the covered mass lifted, and a bleary, blood-shot, tear-slicked eye stared at the farm pony whose nose was practically pushing into Twilight's backside. The orange-maned girl shot back and grinned sheepishly before Twilight laid her head down on the pillow, uncovering most of her face with the blanket. "Not feelin' too ripe?"
"Uuuhnngh…" Applejack had dreams of a zombie apocalypse once. It was more of a recurring nightmare from when she'd overheard a ghost story from her brother when she was tiny, and hearing those imagined groans, even during the day could make her spine ice-cold. Yet none of them sounded as remotely terrifying as Twilight did. "Spiiingnghhh… Spiiike…" She groaned ghoulishly.
Spike had left the room though, and was only just returning with a bag of medical supplies. From what Applejack could see, Twilight had not gotten a lot of sleep. Her pupils were puny, and the red veins around the edges were thick and numerous. Dark bags hung under her eyes, and whatever was ailing her was paining her enough to cause wetness to pool at the bottom of each lid. Applejack's fantastic morning started to feel more and more like a nightmare as Spike stuck a thermometer under Twilight's tongue and watched the monitor with impatience. His frown only deepened. "Your temp's fine, Twi. Need some pain medication?"
"Hay I think we could knock her up with morphine at this point. She looks like heck came and took a bite of her…" Applejack ran her hoof along Twilight's side as the unicorn murmured incoherently. "Speak up hon, you're whisperin'."
"Spike…" Her voice was small, and full of hurt and exhaustion. The dragon set the pain pills down. "Spike… Are you there?" She blinked one eye at a time, which was eerie to watch.
"You know I'm here Twilight, do you need water? Food? More blankets? Less blankets? I can read you Canterlot's Hygiene Standards if you need me to." The dragon joined Applejack in rubbing the calmly fidgeting body.
"Spike… You… You love me right?" The Unicorn asked, making the dragon squirm uncomfortably. She was getting mushy in front of company, but considering the circumstances…
"I love you a lot Twilight, why? Don't tell me you're dying!" Applejack's stomach pitted. She hadn't even considered that, and seeing Twilight the way she was now, every shadow started to look like skull or a scythe, waiting for a corpse. She sucked in a hissing breath to stop herself from screaming for help. It might not be as bad as it looked, but she really really wanted to go see a doctor.
"No… Spike, you'll do anything for me, right?" Spike nodded, rubbing Twilight's side vigorously to let her know he would. "Then, Spike, please, okay? Please please go to my cabinet and get me a quill. Please? Please get the sturdy enchanted one please? Please…?" She begged weakly as Spike ran to her cabinet and grabbed the requested quill, and on a second thought grabbed a few sheets of scroll paper.
"Do you want me to get Celestia?" Spike asked, the idea causing Applejack to calm down. Celestia loved Twilight dearly as her star student, surely if she heard her student was curled up on the precipice of death the Princess would be there in an instant with all manner of cures. But no, Twilight was shaking her head, and shifted it to get a better look at Spike. Applejack grimaced at the sight of such a tight, contorted face, caused by immense pain.
"No, Spike, take that pen, okay? I need you to follow my instructions very carefully…" The Unicorn somehow mustered the strength to raise her head level with Spike's. "Come here, okay? Hold the pen up horizontally…" Her voice was so soft as she gave the instructions while Spike, looking confused, did as he was asked. "Now I want you to point it at my eye…" Spike came a bit closer, and Applejack still wasn't sure what was happening. She knew Spike didn't have any greater understanding, as he was still looking to Twilight for instruction. Twilight stared straight at the pen as best as she could, while something dawned on Spike.
"Twilight, your horn…" Applejack lifted her sight from the pen to Twilight's horn and gasped softly as she saw was Spike was staring at.
"Spike please!" Twilight grimaced and a tear slipped down her cheek as she stared at the quill, and the two immediately looked down at the tool as the Unicorn squirmed and stabilized herself, staring harder at the pen. "Spike, listen carefully… I know you love me and I love you too, so please, just do as I say…"
"Anything Twilight." Spike frowned deeply, his eyes not flickering to the horn again.
"Okay, please, when I count to three I need you to do this. Alright? On three I just need you to take that pen, and don't hold back, drive it through my eye." The dragon fumbled with the quill in shock as Applejack's jaw dropped. "Make sure it goes deep, it has to get to the brain to KILL ME otherwise it'll just-"
"Twilight this is no time to be joking around! We need to get your horn looked at!" Spike threw the quill in frustration, and he had to push her down as she scrambled towards the item, looking desperately sad.
"But Spike, I need you to-"
"Twilight he's right." Applejack lifted herself onto the bed and tugged Twilight back down into a lying position with her teeth and the sorceress' mane, "Ain't nothin' so bad in the universe t'go makin' your friends kill you. You need t'get your horn looked at."
"Ugghnng…" Twilight's moan made the two wince. "What's so bad about my horn you guys won't let me just end the pain? What if I swear to put you two in my will? Spike, you can have my gems, all of them, Applejack, you can take my place as Celestia's student, you'll be such a good unicorn!" Twilight whimpered and squirmed, trying to roll over and cover her face, but Applejack kept her still.
"Quit talkin' yer nonsense, Twi! Yer horn is bleedin'!" Applejack sighed as she watched her friend with concern. The pain must have been bad. What makes a horn bleed? Whatever it was, it was enough to send a sturdy girl like Twilight into wanting death.
"Bleeding!" Twilight choked out, trying to sit up, but was forced to lay down with a press of Applejack's hooves. On closer inspection, it wasn't the horn, just the skull around it. There was a tiny red ring around the base of the horny, and thin red lines were creeping down her forehead. "But I was done with that last week!" Applejack rolled her eyes while Spike gave out a noise between a gasp of disgust and a retch.
"Don't be so dirty sugarcube." She looked Twilight right in her strained eyes, and sighed. "Sorry fer bein' so rough but you ain't exactly in the right states of mind." She leaned down and gently touched her nose to Twilight's, an act so intimate looking it made Spike feel uncomfortable for just standing there. Twilight didn't seem to really notice. Well, at least until Applejack began to lick up the blood.
"Oh Celestia…" Spike and Twilight groaned for completely separate reasons. After that little tidbit of unwanted information earlier, Spike had to fight to keep his lunch down as he raced out of the library to go find a doctor. Getting a tongue bath from Applejack seemed to calm down Twilight, who was no longer trying to fight being bedridden, nor was she whimpering. Applejack reasoned it was either the mind tricking itself or somehow, she was taking some of the pressure off. Either way, she was damn glad Spike had left and no other pony was here. It was one thing to be caught standing on a pony in her bed, it was another to get caught licking her face.
It started like a tiny pebble dropping into a pond. Spike had barged into the doctor's office during their lunch break, shouting about bleeding horns and suicide, and clearing the air only after a nurse forced him to drink a glass of water to calm down. Spike lead the doctor and his nurse off towards a cottage near the edge of the woods, and they found to their annoyance he'd only stopped by to grab more medical help. Spike had been much more articulate when speaking to Fluttershy, but all he managed to get out was "Twilight's really hurt" before Fluttershy almost knocked him off balance to charge towards town. The group of four were shouting over each other to explain or get an explanation, not doing a thing to hide the situation from outside ears. Within twenty minutes news of Twilight Sparkle being so horrendously sick she was crying blood and trying to jam sharp things into her head to make the pain stop due to a period had reached Sweet Apple Acres.
Big Mac silently thanked the Princesses he was born a male and took Apple Bloom and her friends aside to give them the big 'period talk' Applejack had been saving. If only to prevent the three from screaming about not wanting to lose all their blood.
"How would you describe the pain?" The doctor asked while keeping a clipboard and a quill handy. His nurse was carefully scooping soup into the suffering young girl's mouth, nodding her thanks to Applejack who had been quick to give the professionals space by replacing Twilight's pillow with her own body. Twilight hadn't recovered much from when Spike had left her, but she was no longer eyeing quills like they were salvation.
"… Bad." Twilight's answer was slow, methodical, and well thought out in its own way. The doctor shifted and cleared his throat. Applejack would have kicked the doctor for his rudeness if she hadn't been under Twilight, but a glare served to remind him his place instead.
"Twilight, I think he might mean 'how' does it hurt?" Fluttershy offered so gently and sweetly it made Spike's panicking fidgets quit. The Pegasus was careful as she wrapped a thin hand cloth dipped in herbs and solutions around the poor mare's horn. It took a few moments for the pain in Twilight's face to subside, and a few minutes more for her eyes to stop looking so ragged from the continued burn. Twilight blinked slowly, as if truly, clearly taking in everything around her for the first time.
"I think," Twilight began, her voice a little stronger. "I think whatever's in that rag is the best thing ever." Fluttershy's smile lit the room up a few notches brighter as Twilight more easily sipped at the soup. Now she just looked tired, but still, any movement caused her to wince and tear up again. "It feels like my forehead is getting stabbed right where my horn is. Like somebody took a big, hot knife and just-"
"That'll be fine Twilight." Applejack shifted, making Twilight sigh.
"What would do that though? I've never heard of a unicorn getting horn-pains before." Spike sat at the end of the bed and looked deep in thought. "I've never even read anything like it. I've heard of magical short-outs but nothing like, well, what you look like."
Twilight's smile was weak, and the change of muscles made her wince. "Is it that bad?"
"To be frank, miss Sparkle, in my long line of work, I've never met anypony look so absolutely agonized. I've seen dead ponies with eyes more alive than yours had been, if I may be so blunt." The doctor chewed the tip of his quill, making Twilight wince, which caused her to wince even more. "To be honest, when I walked in here, I was fairly sure you wouldn't survive for very long. Though seeing as you are now, I can honestly say it's probably not fatal, but as your companion has said, it's undocumented. Unicorns aren't my area of expertise anyways, a doctor from, say, Canterlot would be in a better position to make any sort of judgment."
The room was quiet as everypony considered his words. Twilight was the first to break the silence with tears in her eyes. "Did I really look dead?" She asked Applejack. The brave, honest, hard-working, athletic pony couldn't keep her body from shaking from the memory.
"Twilight, when ya first looked at me, th'only thing that kept me from screamin' my bloody head off was me bein' too frozen up with fright." The unicorn nodded solemnly. Spike had painted the picture for her, and she guessed she wouldn't have reacted any better if she walked in on anyone else with eyes like that. Heck, as sheltered as she was, she probably would have caused the place to explode from fear.
She felt something hot press against her forehead, and then saw Fluttershy roll the heat-soaked towel over her eyes. Soothing relief washed over her face, and Applejack let out a little breath as she felt her friend relax, even a little.
"Well that settles it then, doesn't it?" Spike asked, getting the attention of the others. "We have to go get somebody from Canterlot. I could send a letter to Celestia asking for a doctor, she'll understand. It's the fastest way after all, and you're in a lot of pain." Most of the room nodded in agreement, except Twilight Sparkle. "… Twilight?" Spike crawled up the bed and rubbed her side.
The unicorn was quiet, but breathing. Then Fluttershy, the doctor, and the nurse gave a tiny sigh of relief. "What? What's so nice?" Applejack asked, looking to their calm faces.
"Poor thing is finally asleep. Perhaps it's for the best. You do what you need to do, I'll go make a formal report. If you can't get a doctor out your way, stop by my clinic and I'll have a carriage sent for. For now, under no circumstances is Twilight Sparkle to be let out of bed. There is far too much pressure in her head for her to be coherent on her feet. And especially, this is vital, and you should already know this, but do not disturb her horn too much." The doctor packed his things while the nurse kept his notes and set the soup bowl beside what looked like a very good, if cooled down breakfast plate.
The two left as quietly as possible, much to Applejack's relief. Twilight finally looked calmed down after the whole incident. She wanted it to just be a bad dream but she felt, well, kind of motherly, sisterly, or just plain friendly to be here taking care of her. "I'll be honest with ya Twilight, even if it's a bit unfair that ye're asleep and all, but ya'll nearly scared my hooves off. Don'tcha worry, the Princess is gonna hear about this." She smiled, and Fluttershy carefully removed the hot cloths from Twilight's face.
"I can understand your distress at the situation sir, I really do." Celestia tried to act sincere, not wanting her subjects to let her know she was bored out of her mind from listening to this debate. "But I simply can't bring myself to allow you to take over a farm field for land alone." Equestria was not limited in land or resources in any way, yet day in, day out, Celestia often heard about land debates.
"But Princess if you'll take a moment to look at my charts-"
"We've been over the blas'ed things a hun'red times alrea'y! Her memory ain' tarnished none since five minu'es ago!" The business pony narrowed his eyes at what he assumed was a simple farm pony - rather than the organizer and defacto leader of the Agricultural Guild - and the farm pony repaid the stare in kind. Celestia sighed breathlessly. Every debate was the same. Somebody wanted somebody else's land, mostly out of jealousy from how well it was performing, often presenting proof some valuable thing was in or under the dirt. She tried to remain democratic about it, but she was always a few steps from signing a form that would prevent the taking over of land.
"You'll find that the land is rich in Lunanium, if we took the land for drilling we could have a seventy-five percent increase in strength and durability of your average kitchen sink!" Oh, right, and usually it was for mundane things. Celestia hid a roll of her eyes with a flick of her magnificent hair. "An' I keep saying if you're so interested in wha's un'er my land I'll go dig it up myself!"
"That's not how it works at all!"
The squabbling stopped for a moment when there was a flash of green fire in front of the Princess. Celestia stared at the scroll rather melodramatically, inwardly feeling like bouncing in joy from the reprieve, but hiding it behind years of practice. "If you two will grant me just a moment of silence, my student has probably sent me her learnings for the week." If she could count on one thing, it would be Twilight's verboseness giving her a reason to read the scroll extra carefully, perhaps two more times to increase her break by a few needed minutes. It was nice to see what she was up to after all.
This letter was neither verbose, nor from Twilight. It was almost beautiful in its simplicity.
Twilight's dying.
Blood everywhere.
Send doctors.
Thanks to how she held the page, the two uncomfortably shuffling ponies before her never got to see what true fear looked like.
"Ye're positive the Princess will take priority of this?" Applejack watched the young dragon as he used a wet rag to so carefully clean the blood off of Twilight's face. The flow from the base of her horn was mercifully slow. Rather than pour out as Applejack had initially feared, small drops would form at the very bottom and then pick a path down the mare's face to go sliding.
Watching Twilight sleep had been peaceful, but Applejack had been getting awfully sore and allowed Spike to hold Twilight's head up so the farm pony could slip out and push in a pillow. The three of them still gathered around her bed, with Fluttershy leaving intermittently to turn away nosy neighbors and tell them no, Twilight Sparkle wasn't dying, she'd probably be okay, yes there was some blood, no it wasn't because she was menstruating. Luckily, as easily as a rumor could be started, the honest folk of Ponyville could quell it, which would have been nice to know earlier because Big Mac now suddenly had a load of incredibly uncomfortable questions he needed to look up.
Speaking of looking up…
"Is that an air raid?" Rainbow Dash stared up at the sky as, among the clouds, she could spot the shapes of hundreds of Pegasi slipping in and out of the puffy white sea. Several of the ponies she'd been standing near watched the confusion on her face and took a look themselves, and slowly, carefully backed their way into their houses. The Royal Guard often sent overhead fliers to scout the land and map its shape, but always at highspeed. These Pegasi took slow, silent action as they perched in the clouds and watched below. There was something afoot, and only a few ponies correctly guessed what they'd come for.
Rainbow Dash wasn't one of them, having slept in late, not hearing an inkling of the rumor that Twilight was shooting blood out of her eyes like some sort of freak desert lizard. So, as far as she knew, there was nothing wrong in the town. Even then, the Royal Guard weren't the sort to just hang out above a town without explanation. She took to the skies and followed one particular shape upwards, righting herself horizontally next to the figure, who had a steeled face, golden armor, and tensed muscles like Dash had never seen. It took her a moment to realize he was staring at her. "… What's up?"
The Pegasus snorted and flew up higher. "Hey!" Dash gave chase, breaking through the cloudline only to find herself in the middle of a group of guards staring towards the center of a large circle of guards. It wasn't easy to tell because of the sun, but she realized that Celestia was standing uncomfortable and restless in the middle of her private army, pacing wordlessly back and forth. Now Dash's confusion was reaching critical mass, her head cocking ever so slowly to the side as she tried to puzzle exactly why the Princess would be standing above Ponyville acting so worried. It must've made the guards restless watching their leader act so nervous, because they weren't doing their "silent and still" thing.
"Hey Dervish, you knew this Sparkle girl, right?" She heard somewhere behind her. Rainbow Dash turned immediately. There was a young guard standing should to shoulder with a much older colt, who was looking particularly sour.
"Heck I was there from day one, I was assigned to keep an eye on her 'til she got older." The Sparkle girl? It only just dawned on Rainbow Dash that they must've meant Twilight. Slipping between the ranks to get to the two, she poked her head up to put her nose to nose with Dervish.
"Hey, what do you guys think you're doing storming our airspace like this? What's this got to do with Twilight? Why is the Princess here, why does she look like something bad happened?" Dash demanded of the two, not controlling the volume of her voice, currently pitching high above their whisper. The two guards glanced to each other, and rather than answer, stood rigid and forward, facing the middle of the circle. "I'm talking to you two and I want answers! I live down there!"
"Then maybe you can explain what's happening?" She heard a voice so beautiful, she knew it could only have been one pony. She turned to stare at the Princess, whose eyes were placed down on her. Dash froze a little, stuck between wanting to bow and wanting to keep staring. The Princess shuffled nervously as the sky-blue pony gave her in barest terms a bow, then stood straight and worked her mouth uncomfortably. "You're Rainbow Dash, correct?" The Princess finally pushed, her patience over the edge already. The Pegasus nodded. "What happened to Twilight Sparkle?" She took two steps forward, bringing her nearly face to face with Dash, who lowered herself in fright.
"Wh-what do you mean what happened to Twilight? I have no idea, I just woke up!" Dash tried to explain, looking around nervously. Every guard on the cloud was staring at her, and the Princess, whose presence normally soothed, caused every nerve of hers to be on edge. "Why? What's going on? What's this about?"
The Princess stared down at her own hooves in a rare display of weakness as she explained. "I got a letter less than an hour ago telling me that Twilight, my student, was dying."
The little rainbow filly sat stock still in the middle of all the attention, suddenly not caring for it at all. She then said, in the most high-pitched squeak she had in her: "What!"
The Princess didn't have time to react as the Pegasus dove through the clouds, spiraling down towards the town below. The Princess finally gave the word, and the guards followed.
"Sounds like a bit o' ruckus happenin' outside." Applejack stood alongside Fluttershy as the two watching the outside with concern. Ponies were rushing indoors and staring upwards, making the eerie feeling Applejack had feel even more ominous.
"It just started a few seconds ago. I can't imagine what's-" the two mares gasped. They saw Rainbow Dash, breaking the airspeed limit like no other, charging straight for the library, as well as over five dozen Royal Guards flying after her, straight towards the tree house. The two had to blink rapidly as they saw what they thought was the Princess was in fact the Princess streaking towards the house and gaining on Dash almost effortlessly.
The two mares briefly had the idea of what a castle siege would feel like against overwhelming numbers. And a door made of wood.
The front door exploded inwards from a kick and Dash zoomed inside, landing on her hooves and looking firm, but teary. "I heard Twilight's dying where is Twilight why is she dying what did you do to her the Princess is here and guys what's going on!" The Pegasus demanded, bouncing on her hooves with a pained frown as, glory of glories, in walked Princess Celestia. Fluttershy and Applejack both gasped, and bowed low.
"Girls, do not bow before me today. Where is Twilight Sparkle?" The Princess asked, her tone so overly polite that Applejack could easily pick up on the pain and discomfort in her voice. Guard ponies immediately began to file into the room, taking a post in each corner, watching the room in dead silence as one opened a door.
"Wait! Don't go openin' doors, Twilight's sick in there!" Applejack called after the ponies entering the room. She was blocked by two more standing by the door, and Celestia entered the room herself. "Hold on, she ain't dyin'!" Applejack called into the room. Celestia paused before the bed, and turned to look to Applejack with an incredibly relieved expression.
"She isn't?" Her voice sounded so unsure and weak. This wasn't like the Princess at all.
Applejack shook her head, slipped past the Guard's wings, and entered the room. Fluttershy followed her, quickly followed by Dash. "But I heard she was dying just now! Why didn't anybody tell me-"
"For the love of all of Equestria and Celestia's sun!" Nopony said anything as they turned to the figure in the bed. "Would everybody please shut up!" Twilight raised her head, bleary eyed, blood-shot, and teary again as pain reentered her forehead.
"Oh! Twilight I'm so sorry I forgot to change the rags I-"
"What is going on?" Celestia demanded firmly. Twilight turned her head towards the voice, and blinked slowly. She'd just woken up, again, and pain was slashing through her skull. Everything looked murky through the pain, but the voices she could clearly hear. Each twitch caused her horn to flare up painfully, and she had to grit her teeth to blink through it.
"Princess Celestia…?" The lavender unicorn reached a hoof out, but Celestia ignored it in favor of gently nuzzling her student along her neck. She spied blood on the girl's forehead and she froze for a heartbeat. She began to gently inspect it and the wound, which seemed to be coming from, of all things, her horn.
"I'm here my student. What happened? I just got a letter from Spike saying you were dying." Her voice took on a motherly tone as she calmly walked around the bed, using her nose and teeth to make sure Twilight had every bit of comfort possible from her current set-up, and Twilight's dreadful eyes tracked her progress.
"Spike!" Fluttershy looked to the dragon with an almost pained look, and the dragon, who had been pinned by a guard, just smiled apologetically.
"Well, we needed somebody out here fast, and it worked."
"And you scared me half to death!" The Princess grunted, looking annoyed for the first time in a very long while. "Twilight Sparkle, how do you feel?" She gently rubbed her nose against the mare's ear. The longer she looked into her student's eyes, the more damage she imagined. She looked like she'd been through some horrendous pain, but she was coherent at least. Twilight nestled into bed as Celestia tucked her, and it took Applejack a moment to spring to the unicorn's side and, to Celestia's confusion, covered her mouth with a hoof.
"Uh, well, y'see, s'far as Ah can tell she'd probably been up most o' the night. Something' 'bout her horn's actin' up and causin' her a heck of a head pain. She ain't in no mood to be makin' choices of her own right now, isn' that right Twilight?" The unicorn turned to look to Applejack, who felt very small all of a sudden under her withered stare. She took her hoof from Twilight's mouth as Celestia began to dismiss the guards, apologizing for getting them up in arms for a false alarm. None of them looked particularly sorry about it though, and the one Dash recognized as Dervish took a long look in the room before heading off.
"Wait, so Twilight's not dying, right?" She asked, approaching the bed, cringing at the sight of her friend's face. She'd seen pain before, even on her own face. Especially when a nasty fall had snapped one of her back legs in two. She'd been put in the emergency ward and saw all sorts of pain, but there was something haunting about Twilight's look. It almost looked like she'd given up the fight against it.
"No, thankfully. I can only imagine poor Twilight's pain, so I've been doing everything I can to reduce it. Would you like another rag?" Fluttershy leaned down and held up another cloth that smelled heavily of nature and wrapped it around Twilight's horn again, as gentle as could be.
Dash looked indignant, and stomped a hoof as she spoke, "Well then what's with all the talk about her dying then, and the gloom and doom of the room?"
"Spike was jus' bein' overdramatic in his letter and turned it into a big boom."
"Sorry, guess I kind of was acting like a buffoon…"
"Stop that!" Everyone stared at Twilight, who was grimacing. "It's one thing to rhyme on purpose but that was just annoying!" Celestia let herself smile as she stared at her student's face. She finally seemed to be calming down, and her eyes were returning to normal, somewhat. "It's like you all caught Pinkie Pie or something and the last thing I need is wackiness! I really need to-"
"Come with me to Canterlot." Celestia concluded firmly. She was staring at Twilight's horn, using her magic to gently lift the rag and reveal the base so she could stare at it. "Something is clearly wrong with your horn and it needs to be looked at by some specialists."
Fluttershy looked up to the Princess with a small frown. "You can't do it Princess?"
Celestia shook her head while stroking Twilight's side. Twilight's face was calming, the soaked rag doing its job. "I could look and guess but that's the best I can do. I need an expert's opinion. We have all the necessary equipment and staff back in Canterlot."
"Well that's it then, right? We just take her to Canterlot and get her fixed. Then she won't be bleeding or dying or in pain, right?" Dash watched the egghead, partly annoyed at what happened but now concerned. At the very least Twilight was okay. If she had been dying, she wouldn't know what to do with herself.
"Ah s'pose it wouldnt hurt, but at least one of us should go with 'er. Ah'd do it but Ah can't abandon my farm if another pony can go instead." Applejack turned her eyes between her gathered friends.
"I can go." Fluttershy offered timidly, watching Twilight with worry. Twilight had fallen asleep again, she must have been up all night with this pain.
"Ya sure sugarcube? Don'tcha got some animals to keep an eye on?" Fluttershy lowered her eyes in thought.
"Guys, why don't I just go? I am her number one assistant." Spike finally interrupted the silence, and was met with more than one glare. "Or I can stay in the library, keep it all fresh and clean, and not cause any more trouble." He chuckled nervously and back away.
"No, I can do it. I'll just ask Rarity to keep an eye on things for me, I've shown her how to take care of animals. Besides, I know how to make the solution." She nodded to the bowl of herbs on a desk. Nobody refuted that.
"That's that then." Princess Celestia telekinetically lifted Twilight, keeping her wrapped in the blanket, and laid her student on her back. "Fluttershy, take as much time as you need. Bring more of this solution, it seems to be working wonders for Twilight. I'm going straight to Canterlot with Twilight, you'll find her in the hospital. I'll send word that you have royal access to the building." The group followed the Princess outside, and using magic to keep Twilight secure and comfortable, the alicorn began to lift off the ground, and started to fly away. Since a good number of citizens had returned outside, the sight was met with more than a few ooh's and aah's.
Fluttershy didn't even say goodbye as she ran to her cottage to gather some things, leaving Applejack and Rainbow Dash standing on the doorstep of the library. "Ah s'pose the right thing to do would be makin' sure nobody thinks Twilight's dyin' or some such." Applejack considered their options, and turned to Dash.
"And going and getting Rarity. Leave that to me, you make sure everyone knows Twilight's gonna be okay!" She lifted up, and was about to fly away, but she stopped herself and looked back to Applejack. "She'll be okay, right? Just a little horn pain is all. Like getting a crick in your leg or something', you can't walk but it won't kill you, right?"
Applejack stood in silence, thinking about the days events. It all seemed so incredible yet terrifying. Celestia hadn't even recognize what was causing the pains or the blood, but Twilight was incredibly tough for being so small. She couldn't think of any other pony, much less a frail little unicorn taking an anvil to the head and shrugging it off. She wondered how Rarity would have reacted in the same situation. Twilight felt like dying after all. "You don't worry none Dash, Fluttershy 'n the Princess'll be there, along with a buncha fancy-pants doctor types. Shoot with that much care, the reaper himself couldn't so much as take a peak at our girl."
Dash nodded, smiling at the thought, and shot off for the boutique. Applejack stayed in place for several moments though, considering her own words. Then, she stepped into town for a talk.
Fluttershy wasn't entirely sure how to sympathize with Twilight at this point. Growing up, she'd had her own fair share of blows to the head that kept her uncomfortable for a while, which sometimes lead to a lack of sleep, but she could see the unicorn was only walking through the motions now, more than likely asleep on her hooves when she wasn't trembling in pain. She'd done her best to keep her comfortable, but the doctors insisted she not wear the rags during testing.
Another cause for her discomfort was being so close to Celestia and not bowing, nor getting speeched at, nor was there any sort of special event. Standing near the worried Princess she could see just how much like every pony she truly was. Her emotions were written clearly across her face, and she sagged in an unroyal fashion as she watched through the glass window. The doctors had insisted only the patient and professionals be in the room as they ran her through x-rays and measured her horn while testing it magically and physically. It was found very quickly the unicorn did not like to have it touched, and nearly had a handful when the first yelp nearly sent the Princess through the door. Fortunately for them, one was not a proper ruling Princess unless you had restraint.
While it was only forty minutes or so of constant testing, from an outsider's perspective it felt like it just kept dragging on. The white-coated unicorns finally put Twilight in a bed though and gave her something to help her sleep, and a nurse invited them into the room from a different door. The tiny hospital room was a small, comfy cot, a window, a trashcan, a few monitoring machines, and a radio. Twilight was snuggled up in the bed, deep in sleep as a nurse used a small file to collect a few shavings, but they could see that even the slightest movement of the horn caused her to wince and squirm. The two approached the bed and the nurse bowed herself out after collecting the samples.
Celestia was quiet while she observed her student. She'd calmed down in the time she'd walked across the room, just happy to see her student at peace again. "Perhaps you should start mixing that solution again, Fluttershy, she's restless." Celestia advised, watching Twilight's face twitched. She did her best to make her comfortable, fluffing the pillow, straightening the blanket, making sure she was warm with a glow of her horn. Fluttershy was carefully pressing cloth to Twilight's face to ease the pain and comfort her. While Celestia didn't doubt it'd make Twilight feel good, seeing most of her face wrapped up wasn't reassuring.
"Ah, Princess, glad you're here. The results were in quickly, the labs were very curious about this case." A doctor entered, a manilla unicorn with glasses and a braided brown mane. The woman calmly approached the bed and noted all the cloth on her face. "I've read about natural remedies like this, could never understand it myself. Then again, I suppose I don't spend a lot of time in nature."
"The reports, doctor." Celestia urged, causing the doctor to cough and nod slowly.
"Yes, right, the reports. Let's take a look at what we've found." She took the clip board resting gently on her hind quarters and lead them to a part of the wall where there were clips to hold papers and pictures. The doctor floated the first paper up, an x-ray, and let them look closer. It was a profile from Twilight's left, revealing her bone structure, and more importantly her horn. "Now, this picture was confusing at first because when we took our first look, something seemed out of the ordinary." Fluttershy squinted her eyes. She wasn't intimately familiar with the pony bone-structure but she could tell something was off. She stared harder at the head, and chewed her inner cheek slowly.
"It's in her head." Celestia spoke up. Fluttershy didn't know what she meant at first until she looked closer and realized it: Unicorn horns were attached straight into the skull, Twilight's horn dug into the skull and went through, stopping just in front of the brain. "What does that mean, doctor? Is it a growth?"
"That's what we assumed, until we took a look at some of the key factors in backwards horn growth." Fluttershy's wings stood on end just hearing about the name. That sounded unfortunately painful. "First, it wouldn't cause blood loss around the horn. Second, the pain wouldn't be this extreme until it was actually pressing into the brain, and even then she wouldn't have survived this long in that case. Finally, Twilight Sparkle's magic isn't deterred in any way. In fact, since her last physical, she's conducting magic at an increased rate." She spoke in a casual tone as she pulled out the next sheet of paper.
"How much has it increased?" Celestia asked in very mild surprise.
"Does that make her horn grow backwards?" Fluttershy also asked.
"Around forty times her conductivity since before she left."
"Oh." Celestia's eyes widened in less mild surprise.
"And no, to your question miss Fluttershy. Though to be honest, during the opening exam the number was merely thirty-eight times the original. In a span of forty minutes, it increased twice. And yes, we've checked it repeatedly. The original calculation were correct, as were the new ones. We plan to do periodic testing." The doctor hung up the second sheet. Fluttershy and Celestia both read it, finding it to be the physical measurements of Twilight, with horn length and width highlighted. Six inches on the nose. "This was also her initial physical information. As you can see, her horn was half a foot in length, and half an inch in width on the base. Now, this is where it finally dawned on us."
A third paper was attached to the wall and the two began to read it quickly, getting straight to the bolded horn length. "That's-" Celestia stood rigid as she leaned in close. "This can't be right. She's nearly reached her full maturity."
"We know, that's why we had to keep her for so long. We had to dig up old pictures and measurements to make sure we were absolutely accurate. Low and behold, they were. Princess Celestia, I hate to make light of your student's pain, but you have an incredibly interesting case here. I've never seen anypony's horn grow two and a half inches in the span of sixteen hours." It wasn't just the length, the width had grown to eight-tenths of an inch from half.
"But what does that mean? Are you saying she's getting hurt because her horn's growing?" Fluttershy asked, checking back and forth between the charts. Nothing but the information on the horn changed, other than a small list of scars from her recent adventures in Ponyville.
"Precisely. Her horn is growing so rapidly it's not giving her skull time to completely recover. It's pushing aside skin and bone on it's way out." Fluttershy gasped at the thought, and instinctively covered her own forehead. The doctor chortled. "Oh I did much the same when I had that described to me. It's small wonder her vision has been so skewered as of late. That much pain as well as having your forehead reorganized can have its side-effects. Oh, but I'm not done. Other than having a continually growing horn, we've discovered more."
Fluttershy trembled as she watched the doctor put more charts on the walls, not sure if she could take any more of this painful sounding testing, but found to her minor relief she couldn't read the charts. They were graphs filled with numbers and lines. Celestia however found them very interesting as she read each one carefully, taking them all in, but pausing the longest on the last chart. "Doctor, you're going to have to explain this to me. It completely deviates from the other charts."
"Well, as you can see, from her birth to her last year attending the university, her magical growth has been constant and on one path." Fluttershy read the first few charts mapping the growth, a purple line representing the slow, upwards growth of Twilight's magic. There were two other lines, one blue and one green. "She never had any Earth pony connections nor Pegasus qualities, so her body never had to stemmy the growth of her personal magic." Fluttershy understood. The green and the blue lines must've represented the innate magics of Pegasi and Earth ponies. If she understood the charts right, the non unicorn-magics would probably be at one level once the pony reached adulthood and stay there. It would at least explain why she only had to visit a magical testing facility once in her life.
Then she read the forth chart. Twilight's magic was already reaching pretty high, but she noticed a new, yellow line. It went from the zero point of the graph and launched straight up until it touched the purple line, and at the point the lines combined into an orange line, which breached the top of the graph and just seemed to continue.
"From what we can tell, the yellow line is some sort of outside force. Tracing it in the body it doesn't form in the heart like unicorn magic, doesn't begin in the stomach like Earth Pony magic, and not in the wings and legs like Pegasi magic. Whatever it is, it's not in the body, she's collecting it from around her." Celestia and Fluttershy shared a look of confusion, but they differed in reason.
"The horn can only focus the magic inside of you." She stated, as if from a textbook. She stood and lifted a hoof to her chin in thought, and took a closer look. The doctor said nothing as she let the princess stare. "It collects from outside the body and gathers inside of it like regular magic?"
"As far as we can tell, no, it's incredibly different. It intermingles with regular magic and as far as we can tell functions like it, but we can't measure it, it doesn't respond to most tests. The only way we could tell was when we tried to overload her with foreign magic to get her to force out hers." Celestia nodded expectantly. "We couldn't do it." Celestia turned to face the sadly smiling doctor. "We'd have more luck trying to move the stars. No matter how much we pumped into her it was like trying to bury the ocean in sand. There was just no end to the tunnel. We got a Line-Maker in here to map out her magical pool and found it to be the exact same size as it usually was, and we kept them there while we pumped the magic in. What he saw was that the magic wasn't filling up space or pushing out any of Twilight's own. It was dispersing in the air around her. We then took a shot in the dark and tested the whole room and found Twilight had a cloud of magic so thick around her she could practically glow in the dark."
"Meaning what?" Celestia prodded as a flurry of papers began to cover the walls from the doctor's magic. "Are you saying she, well…"
"Absorbs magic. At least magic you try to put in her, the machines all worked fine. Whatever is happening to your dear student is making her very strong. The only consequences I can see in the near and far future is tampering with her horn while it grows could cause deformations, leading to migraines and an off-center horn, and the sudden shift and expansion of her skull could cause similar results. Whatever this is could also stop her from casting any sort of magic whatsoever. While our tests draw out her magic, there's no real way to confirm she can still do the same. We will only be able to tell with time."
Something changed in Celestia's stance. Fluttershy looked up at her curiously, and the doctor seemed confused as a look of solid determination crossed the lord mare's features. "You are going to make sure Twilight Sparkle can continue to use her magic."
"Lady Celestia, I understand your concern but-"
"I'm not sure that you do, Doctor. No offense, but unlike most Unicorns, Twilight doesn't use her magic to help with her job. Magic is her job. If she lost her magic for any reason…" Celestia sighed as she let the sentence hang in the air. Nobody had to finish it. Your passion in life created your cutie mark, what you were meant to do all along for as long as you pleased, to have it stripped away from you permanently…
"… I understand." The doctor finally concluded, gathering her papers. "Well, you know what you need to know, Princess Celestia. We will take every precaution we can in making sure the horn grows in properly. That much we can do. We'll have her cast her first spell once the pain subsides and she can focus. Until then, lots of bed rest." She moved to Twilight's cot and stared at the odd horn on her head. Something was definitely odd about this one.
"Um, doctor?" The two older ponies looked to Fluttershy, who stood at the foot of Twilight's bed. "Is it okay if I stay in here? Until she gets better I mean. I'd be going home with her. I just want to make sure she's comfortable."
"You did come all this way just for her." Celestia interrupted the woman before she could even speak. "Doctor see about getting an extra mattress in here. I want Fluttershy by her side at all times. Twilight needs her friends." Celestia knew that better than anyone. The element of Friendship withered without the people they cared for being nearby.
"Of course, Princess."
It had been a mighty long day. Applejack had spent the rest of the beautiful day letting her friends and the officials know that Twilight was in good hands. The panic the whole debacle had nearly caused made talk of war and assassins, words that didn't rest easy on anyone's ears, but it was a relief to hear that Celestia was just picking up her student. Town life returned to normal, but most conversations started with: "Did you see Celestia and the royal guard?"
"And the Princess honestly had no idea what was wrong with her? Oh, the horrors!" Rarity dragged her hooves down her face and shook her head. Applejack made it a point to visit her friends last, since she didn't want to bore them by dragging them around town to hear the same story again and again.
Applejack just nodded slowly, and gave her a hopeful smile. "There's no need to go worryin' yer mane off though Rarity, Princess Celestia and Fluttershy are with her right now. We're gonna see Twilight Sparkle right as rain soon enough, ya got my word." Applejack nodded, believing her own words sure enough.
"Oh I believe you Applejack but it's not just Twilight I'm worried about. A bleeding horn, this could ruin her as a unicorn!" Rarity stamped the wood floor beneath her feet and sighed deeply.
"Ruin her? What're ya on about Rarity, it's just a bit o' blood." Applejack followed the white unicorn upstairs to the creative part of her boutique, watching as she rolled out fabric. "… T'ain't just a bit o' blood, is it?" She asked, feeling worried again.
"Applejack, I know you're not a unicorn so it'll be difficult to understand, but bare with me while I paint you a picture. As an Earth Pony, when you stand on the dirt, how do you feel?" Rarity asked, turning to Applejack with a counseling look. Applejack didn't like that look, it made her feel like somepony wasn't acting like she wasn't intelligent.
"Y'know darn well I feel alive on the dirt. Feeling the grass under my hooves and smellin' the air, ain't a better feelin'." Applejack concluded with a smart bob of her head. It was the honest truth, Rainbow Dash would give a similar answer if asked if she liked flying in the air.
"And how do you feel up here on the second story, where the ground's not beneath your feet?" Rarity asked, measuring along a pane of cloth before taking a pair of scissors. Applejack thought about it and pawed the ground in thought, and took a deep breath.
"It feels like, well, it's hard to describe. Like a part of me went numb, or I'm missin' a leg or somethin' but it ain't really my leg. Just somethin' feels gone down below." She answered. Now that she thought about it, it was a dreadful feeling. She had the urge to go roll around in the grass suddenly.
"Well, a unicorn's horn is very similar. It's an extension of who we are, the focal point of our magic. Without a horn, we can't do magic, and magic is what defines a unicorn. It may sound strange but taking away our magic is like taking the dirt from underneath your feet." Applejack considered what she'd been told, and bowed her head.
"I guess I see yer point. What happens to unicorns who lose their horns? Or their magic?" Applejack asked. She hadn't been expecting the severity of the answer.
"CatASTROPHE darling, catastrophe!" Rarity pressed her hoof against her forehead and swooned at the thought. "I've heard many stories or unicorns losing their horns in some accident, or on a drunken binge. Exile and death is a more merciful alternative. Without a way to let loose the magic within them, all that energy stores inside of them, urging to be released in some way, some fashion. All that creativity inside of a pony and none of it can be let out! Many of them drive themselves into incurable depression, but a couple of the ambitious, powerful ones drive themselves mad trying to find a way to let the magic out!"
"But Rarity, a unicorn like you devotes herself to dress makin'. It can't be so bad for you, you could toil yer days away sewin' and stitchin' and the like." Applejack didn't want to believe that unicorns, known for their eccentricies, were just a close shave away from instability. Sure unicorn horns were tough, but like Rarity said, accidents and drunken binges had a tendency to disagree with what was difficult or not.
"Oh no no no no no dear Applejack, I use my magic to work. I lift the scissors, fold the cloth, but more than anything…" She approached a chest and lifted it, revealing a small mountain of gems. Applejack stared for several seconds before she realized Rarity was close to running out if all she had was one measly chest. "These. My magic lets me find and utilize these. Gems have always been my passion." She lifted a particularly sparkly ruby and stared at it in the light. Her horn was glowing softly, and Applejack could only stare as she watched the gem begin to shine brighter and brighter until it tossed off dazzling light in all directions. "I know it seems shallow but I love these things. I see a dress and I need to compliment it with gems. Without my magic, all I'd have it a small pile of pretty rocks."
Applejack could swear Rarity was having a moment of crazy. The way she waxed poetic about the gems, but she recalled Rarity was magically attuned to them. She could find them with a point of her horn after all, and no matter the number of gems in a stack she could lift them all with ease whereas a small suitcase of clothes could strain her. Then again, Applejack liked her farm and her apples. "Rarity, I can't say I understand you Unicorns any, but if it means so much to ya I can't really argue."
"I didn't expect you to Applejack, I'm just worried for our friend. Such drama always makes me feel so talkative." Rarity put her gems back and returns to the cloth she was managing, and soon had it cut into the proper shape to flatter a pony's flank.
"Well, like I said sugarcube, Twilight ain't in any trouble. 'Sides, I've seen her take blows to the head before, she'll pull through with more magic bristling' at the tip of her horn in no time." Applejack smiled triumphantly.
"That's it Twilight, just a few more sips and you'll be all full." Fluttershy didn't like to admit she took excessive pleasure in being a caretaker, but there was no greater feeling in her heart than watching something needy and weak grow strong again. Just knowing somepony or something needed her help gave her the warm and fuzzies. "There, all full. How do you feel?" Fluttershy set the empty bowl aside as she watched Twilight. Her horn was wrapped with a new rag, and Twilight's eyes looked a lot less empty.
"… Trashcan." Twilight whimpered as a growl came from her stomach. Fluttershy sighed, but still dove for the small wastebasket and turned her head away. Still, the retching noises were enough to make her own stomach flighty. "Uughh…"
"That's the third bowl today, Twilight. You have to be able to keep something down…" Fluttershy gave her friend a cup of water, and it was drained with relish. Anything to relieve the vile taste in her mouth.
"Maybe some dry bread." Twilight groaned as the bucket was taken from her and the rag was tightened around her horn again, causing her to wince. "Or maybe I can learn to photosynthesize before I die of starvation. I bet there's a spell for that…"
"No Twilight, no spell work. Not until your horn is fully grown again. If you stress it out before it's fully healed it may never work the same again." Fluttershy went to the intercom and placed an order for a plate of plain bread while before coming back to the bedridden unicorn. "Oh it's just like the birds I take care of. They want to go and fly so early but I keep having to say no until finally it's all fixed, and they spread their wings and fly, free and beautiful and unharmed." Fluttershy turned on the radio before opening the window blinds and staring out at the beautiful orange sky.
"Weather ponies are calling in a light rain for the next few days to make up for week-long drown. They're assuring us there will still be sun between the showers, but to stick to the main roads to not muddy up anyone's hooves. Sports news has been scarce lately but the Manehatten Hotrods have-" Fluttershy watched as Twilight stretched a hoof out to click the radio to a different station. Soft classical began to play, and Twilight laid back with a tiny sigh.
"How do you feel after, well, eating?" Fluttershy stood alongside the bed again, watching Twilight's face. She'd slept for eight hours straight, waking up only because the smell of hot soup had disturbed her from her dreams. Fluttershy had ordered a second bowl for Twilight, but it turned out to be too thick for her, and it came back out. The same story for the second, and now the third bowl. It could have been worse Fluttershy supposed. If she'd ordered the baked and breaded celery sticks on onions and Twilight had wanted a bite, she'd bet it would have come out even faster, if possible.
"… Got a tummy ache." Twilight answered meekly. The strain on her stomach from trying to hold the food down was understandable. She just felt so oddly vulnerable under Fluttershy's oh so careful watch. She could see why the animals trusted her so much, Fluttershy had taken every precaution to keep her patient comfortable, even refusing a few curious interns at the door who had been wanting a strange case to crack. She'd been cautiously insistent at first, but after a few minutes of begging and then threatening, she'd turned the stare on. She herself had permission from Celestia to take care of Twilight, she'd show them what security threats could be answered with.
"I understand. Don't you worry a thing, some light, fresh bread will clear that up." Fluttershy smiled. There was a lot of innocence in it. Twilight had been at the academy long enough to see the difference between a world-weary, tired professor and a bubbly new recruit looking to make her mark in the long list of magical history. Fluttershy had grown up timid, and she guessed only recently "came out of her shell". She still had that world-trusting innocence so many older students lost as the intensity of their studies, projects, and desire for jobs and fame weighed down the feeling of security that the world was happy and bright and accepting. One of the advantages of living among animals who didn't scowl behind a desk as they used your resume as a check-list of everything they didn't want in you. Twilight never wanted to see that smile weigh heavy with regret or cynicism of the world around her.
"Fluttershy?" The pink-maned pony looked to Twilight, who, since waking up, had always seemed to be staring at you and through you at the same time. It was the way the medicine played with her eyes. "Anypony ever tell you you're gorgeous?"
Fluttershy giggled quietly to herself. Twilight was sweet when she was drugged. She ran a hoof down the unicorn's side and sighed. "Thank you Twilight, and yes." She paused, and thought about how many times Rarity had used the word to describe a new look she'd put on Fluttershy. "But not that sincerely. Thank you. Maybe you should catch some sleep until the bread gets here?"
"No, I mean it. I mean, you look good. Well…" Twilight paused and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. "As far as I know. I guess I haven't been everywhere to judge. I mean, really, the standards of beauty change with each passing culture, Zecora's little cut may be the height of beauty where she comes from where we prefer long and flowing manes. In her culture you may even be the ugliest girl ever!" Fluttershy bit her lip. Twilight didn't notice as she just kept rambling through her own cloudied head. Twilight paused when she heard a whimper from the Pegasus. "Hey, Fluts, you alright?" She asked, and Fluttershy finally burst out laughing.
The unicorn stared at the laughing Pegasus, not sure what was so funny but she began to join in just for the kick of it. It hurt to laugh, but it didn't hurt bad enough to make her stop. Fluttershy's gentle giggles finally died down, prompting Twilight to stop abruptly and stare at her friend. "Twilight, you're so strange when you're in a hospital. Please get some sleep, and don't…" She snickered a little, "Don't call me Fluts. It makes me sound… Manly."
Twilight didn't say anything, but suddenly a broad smile crossed her face, as if the most brilliant idea entered her head. "Flutterguy!" She began to giggle to herself, and Fluttershy groaned at the pun.
"Now I know you need sleep for sure. Lay down and get some rest. Maybe the medicine will work its way out and we can have a real conversation." Twilight laid her head down and did as she was told, oddly enough, and turned over, away from Fluttershy. The unicorn smiled to herself. She'd made her laugh.
She still regretted joining in though; ow.
It was only through a combination of Fluttershy's tender care and a lot of sleeping medicine Twilight managed to push through the last of it. Periodic testing with the doctors had revealed only a trace amount of her horn was left to grow. It was her third day in the hospital, and by this time the horn was getting thicker and harder to bare the growth. Even with the solution-soaked rags and the medication, she was still in immense pain.
Fluttershy was glad that Twilight was under such heavy amounts of pain reliever because, watching her restlessly roll around, whimpering in agony while the Pegasus calmly stroked her head and whispered words of encouragement as Twilight worked through the pain. She hadn't noticed earlier due to not paying it much attention, but her horn was definitely longer. Her rag no longer wrapped around the full horn, exposing a near deathly sharpened tip that would cause quite a prick if rubbed wrong. On top of that, her hair didn't even hide the base anymore.
"The doctors told me she's in the final stages of growth." Fluttershy turned quickly and spotted Celestia approaching from the doorway. She'd never noticed before but the Princess had incredibly quiet hoof-steps. "Is she doing okay?" Celestia leaned down to Fluttershy. The two had grown accustomed to each other over the days, but Fluttershy still insisted on bowing whenever she entered, but when they spoke, they spoke as friends, not royalty and their subjects.
"It doesn't seem like it, no matter what I do I can't stop her from being in pain anymore. She does this even in her sleep, so I can't tell if whether she's awake or not." Celestia nodded quietly and nuzzled her student's neck for a moment. "You two are very close." Fluttershy finally pointed out after days of watching Celestia care for young Twilight.
"I've been lonely for hundreds of years." Celestia spoke freely, not hiding the exhaustion in her voice. "When I'd seen Twilight's true magical prowess, I'd felt inclined to take her as my personal student more out of worry of what she'd do without proper training, but over time, she came to be a bright spot in my day. She was so eager to learn she often forgot my position, and treated me more and more like a teacher, then a friend. Honestly," the Princess chuckled, "until Luna came back, Twilight's been the only person I think I'd consider a friend. The guards are nice and grow used to me but never stop treating me like a Princess." Celestia smiled at that.
Fluttershy did recall that Twilight, upon seeing Celestia after Nightmare Moon's defeat, rather than respectfully bow, went in to greet the Princess, and shared a small snuggle. "I never thought a Princess could get lonely." Fluttershy admitted, a bit embarrassed.
"It's one thing to have people around you. It's another to have somebody who considers you, well, not really an equal but considers you as a pony rather than a Princess." They both turned when they heard a gasping noise, and watched with slowly deepening frowns as Twilight, in her bed, began to kick and squirm, thrusting her head forward in a bucking motion. Fluttershy and Celestia pressed against her to keep her still, trying to not hear the frightened and pained gasps, until finally it subsided.
Fluttershy didn't let go for what felt like a long time, worried that if she wasn't there, Twilight would go back to kicking and squirming. She let go only reluctantly when the Princess did so, and they took a close look at the Unicorn. She was no longer whimpering, and seemed to have finally settled down enough to take a long needed nap. Fluttershy removed the cloth, replacing it quickly to mop up a sudden gush of blood, and the two took a close look.
"As far as horns go, hers is quite magnificent. I don't think I've ever seen one like it." The Princess admitted. It was several inches short of two solid feet, and it looked awkward on Twilight's smaller body. "At least not on a unicorn. This is definitely strange. Fluttershy, go get a doctor, I think the horn may have finally reached its full growth."
Fluttershy nodded and stepped out of the room. In minutes, it had four doctors of varying jobs carefully measuring and studying the sleeping girl's horn. Fluttershy went almost unnoticed but the Princess was given a wide berth as they moved around the room. Fluttershy kept getting bumped up against until she moved to the back of the room.
"Well, we've done what we can." The lead doctor finally concluded, scanning his clipboard. "From six inches to a foot and nine inches, half an inch in width to a full inch and a half." The doctor reported to the Princess, who nodded while looking through the rest of the papers for her magic charts.
"The magic scans we got were interesting. They're no longer measurable by conventional means so we had to compare them to your's and Luna's charts. We've found her levels are at least a sixteenth of Luna's, and an eighteenth of yours Princess Celestia." The Princess did not hide the surprise in her eyes, and Fluttershy simply needed to know.
"Is that a lot of magic?" Fluttershy asked the Princess, who nodded down to the pink-maned mare.
"Your average Unicorn at the height of their power would be around maybe a five-hundredth of me. Twilight was closer to a four-hundred and fiftieth when her magic was unrestrained. This increase in power, do you have any idea why, doctor?"
The doctor could only shake his head, and let out a throaty sigh. "If I did we'd have a stack of papers on it being written already, but as far as we can tell, other than the foreign magic we got nothing. Until we can find a test that can detect the magic clinging to her, we have little reason to keep her once she wakes up. If I may suggest, Princess, spend a few hours having her cast spells as she would normally when she does, provided she still can and isn't too weak from the medicine. If she can't control her strength, I'll have to insist she stays in Canterlot."
Fluttershy's eyes widened, and she looked to Celestia with a large, disagreeing frown. Celestia didn't look down at her. "I have to agree. But if she can control it, I'm sending her back to Ponyville." The doctor didn't dispute this.
Fluttershy took a moment to press her nose to Twilight's neck, sincerely hoping Twilight would have the willpower to control whatever newfound strength she had.
"Ow." Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. She tried to open them again but was met with much of the same reaction. She was going to have a word with whoever set up this room and demand to know why they thought it would be intelligent to put the bed directly beneath the light. It was also really quiet. Wasn't there a radio in the room? She could barely remember. The past few days had been hazy and all she remembered was being sick and dazed.
Oh and there was Fluttershy. She vaguely recalled Fluttershy was there. She also thought of a funny new nickname for her but something told her that Fluttershy wouldn't like it. Pity.
"Nng, my head feels so heavy!" She groaned, not wanting to open her eyes again or risk facing the blinding light. She heard a soft gasp of surprise, and soon felt a hoof rubbing her side. "Is that you Fluttershy?" She asked, turning her head to the side and opening one eye. It was still really bright, but that's because she wasn't looking at the yellow coat of her softest friend.
"How do feel my student?" Princess Celestia asked, smiling kindly down on Twilight. Twilight finally opened her eyes fully, feeling awfully lazy. She yawned loudly, maybe she'd go loafing around a bit. Grab a nice book, curl up in front of a fire… Oh but she wasn't home.
"Dang…" She mumbled, getting off her back and onto her stomach, legs tucked underneath her body. "I feel tired. And hungry. And thirsty. I wanna go home." Something was pushed under her nose and she leaned down to eat. It was plain old bread, and she couldn't have been more grateful. Well, a carrot sounded good right now but beggars can't be choosers. Celestia took care while floating a glass of water to Twilight's lips and after she'd drained it and finished the bread, she curled up tighter and yawned.
"You can't go back to sleep Twilight, we need to send you home first." Twilight could hear Celestia's smile. She snuggled into herself tighter. "Oh don't be difficult Twilight, we just need to test a few things and we can send you back to your library, and your nice warm bed and Spike and all your books…" Twilight muttered something she couldn't hear and stretched out, standing up slowly on her bed.
"Okay okay, you win. That sounds so good right now." Twilight blinked lazily at Celestia, before she noticed something odd. Something just out of sight above her head. She looked up, and blinked. It was still there! She twisted her neck and rolled her eyes and tried her best to see what was there, but never managed to get a good look. Celestia chuckled at her student.
"Here." A mirror pane popped into existence just in front of Twilight, who leaned in for a good look. She only needed a few seconds to see what had happened. Celestia watched her student's jaw drop. "Impressive, isn't it? That's what's been causing you so much trouble these past few days."
"My horn!" Twilight widened her eyes, blinked rapidly, and then rubbed them before she finally accepted this was no illusion. "My little horn is so… Big now! What happen-"
"We're not sure." Celestia answered, her voice losing a bit of its energy. "All we know is that it's connected somehow to the sudden increase of magic inside of you. And around you for that matter." She was staring at Twilight now with the spell the Line-Mappers used. It was like she was surrounded by an orange cloud, or highlighted by it. It did not obscure Twilight no matter which angle you looked at her from, and as Twilight grew more and more confused, the cloud seemed to match her emotion. It grew fuzzier, more ecstatic, roiling around her as Twilight was consumed with emotion. Twilight turned her head away, and the orange cloud lightly tapped the mirror, dismissing it. "Did you dismiss my mirror?" She felt the need to ask, since Twilight's horn hadn't even glowed to do so.
The little unicorn shook her head. "No, why, didn't you?" Celestia stared at her for a few moments.
"No. Come, we need to test your magical abilities. The doctors need to know if the change affected your control at all." Celestia turned and heard Twilight leap off the bed to follow her. The two walked side-by-side out of the hospital and straight into the castle.
"You mentioned something about my," she paused, thinking about what she'd been told, "magic increasing?" She finally asked as they navigated the white-washed hospital walls.
"Yes Twilight. Do you feel any different? Stronger?" Celestia asked her as they headed for the door separating the castle from the hospital.
"No, not really. I don't feel any different at all. Actually I feel kind of weak but I did just recover." Celestia nodded and didn't add anything, so Twilight didn't push it. She searched deep within herself, and felt no different magically than she could remember. When they pushed through the doors, her idle thoughts were interrupted by a wave of nostalgia.
It was everything Twilight remembered about her old home. The sun décor on the tapestries and streamers had been changed to show a moon as well, and the walls had no windows, preferring instead open archways and balconies to let the sun shine in. Guards were everywhere, but not just guarding. They straightened rugs, gave directions to other servants, watered plants, dusted corners and book shelves. Only a few were ever actually guarding anything such as the dungeon where old, forbidden books that only the Archivists could see, the throne room, the bedrooms. When Twilight passed by an open balcony, she could spy the gardens below. She saw with some excitement that Princess Luna was out and about, sniffing flowers and tending one section of the garden.
"Does it feel good to be back in the castle?" Princess Celestia asked her, and Twilight just smiled sheepishly. She hadn't been aware how much she'd been swinging her head around, not noticing how many people had to leap out of the way to avoid the vicious horn she was now sporting.
"I haven't been here in so long. I forgot how peaceful it could be when there weren't any guests." Twilight noted. She saw a few guards she recognized, and they seemed to recognize her back. A few nodded their heads in recognition, and one even openly waved and smiled.
"It's one of the few peaceful times of the day. I was lucky that you decided to wake up now rather than later. We should hurry, Fluttershy's expecting us in the training hall." Celestia urged her quietly and picked up the pace.
"The training hall? The old training hall?" Since Twilight had been under the direct tutelage of Celestia, she did not use the training hall since Celestia granted her access to a place a little more private. The Princess nodded as they walked through several long hallways before reaching the magical academy. Celestia lead her to a large pair of open double doors, which opened into a massive gymnasium. Many students and teachers were inside, giving lectures over the nature of magic and urging their students to lift and change their surroundings. Fluttershy was watching with interest in a corner of the room, two guards sitting by her side. They bowed their greetings to Princess Celestia, Fluttershy doing so with a little less show and a big smile.
"You're finally awake." Fluttershy said with deep relief, moving forward towards Twilight. The two nestled against one another, and Twilight nodded slowly. "We've been worried about you. I'm glad to see you're alright."
"Agreed." One of the guards grunted, his younger partner turning to him in surprise. "We have a small course set up, basic spells only. The area's restricted advanced spells until sundown for Princess Luna's demonstration. We don't need any more misfires."
"Thank you sirs." Twilight bowed her head honestly, and Fluttershy skipped away before the horn could touch her, and Twilight smiled apologetically. "Thank you so much Fluttershy. I'm not sure how I would have gotten through this without you. Is there any way I can repay you?" They stepped past the guards, although Celestia stayed behind with them.
"Well, if you could pay a little more attention to where you swung your horn that would be nice." Fluttershy's smile was a bit joking, but Twilight nodded her head. "Well, okay, so, how do you usually start practicing?"
"You go by steps. You stack the weights," she pointed to a small pile of five metallic gray cubes, and one triangle "turn them a different color, and then fit them into the other pile." She pointed to another stack of weight that were in a pyramid shape, with five blocks missing, as well as a pointed top. "It's pretty easy but it won't hurt to humor everyone."
Fluttershy sat back as Twilight stacked the cubes. She was fast about it, not bothering with just one, getting them all stacked with the pyramid on top within the span of a few seconds. She then leaned forward to tap the tip of her horn against the stack, but didn't compensate for the new length of her horn. The stack tipped over, and Twilight frowned as it fell apart. "You really need to keep an eye on your new horn." Fluttershy pressed her body to Twilight's and then leaned over to look at the pyramid weight in front of her. "Oh, oh dear. Looks like the fall chipped a side." Twilight looked over and yes, one of the pointed ends had been broken off. Twilight rolled her front legs in a shrug, and this time made sure she knew where the tip of her horn was before leaning down and tapping the broken point. The sides around it stretched and slowly formed another sharp end, and Twilight continued to complete the exercise.
Celestia turned to the older guard by her side. "You said Advanced spell work had been restricted?" The guard nodded, a suspicious look on his face. Repair work wasn't too powerful, but it still was qualified as advanced. Twilight completed the pyramid with her magic and smiled cheekily at the Princess.
"All done!" The unicorn announced. Celestia hid her suspicion, but nodded slowly.
"Very well. We'll have a sky chariot prepared for you soon enough. Until then, why don't we-" A guard entered the room from behind the Princess, yet the Princess turned immediately to face him.
"Princess Celestia, Candlejack is requesting an early meeting. He's insisting his supply of rope has been-" He leapt backwards to avoid a net that had been tossed a bit too far by a younger student, who tried to make up for it with an embarrassed smile. Celestia hung her head as she turned to Twilight.
"I can't keep my subjects waiting, but I promise you Twilight I'll be in touch soon. If you have any problems, never hesitate to seek me out." Celestia pressed herself to Twilight only briefly and walked away, pulling herself up royally. It was time to work.
"Miss Sparkle, if you'll follow us we can get you and your friend in a sky carriage in short time. Come along." Twilight watched her mentor leave with a sad look, and Fluttershy bowed her head as she followed along.
"Poor Princess Celestia. She needs a break from being a Princess someday." The yellow-coated Pegasus looked around the castle in all its finery. No wonder the Princess felt lonely despite the company, it was so big and empty looking when it wasn't in the midst of a party. Twilight nodded her agreement, but the guard said nothing as he lead them towards the sky port.
Two guards especially made to retrieve and deliver people of importance were already harnessed and waiting patiently for Fluttershy and Twilight out on the extended platform near the top of the castle. Fluttershy entered first and sat on the cushion as Twilight stepped in, and the back of the chariot was closed and locked up. The guards that had escorted them before spoke shortly to the carriers before the two Pegasi up front announced they'd be leaving. They spread their wings and lifted up, and flew in the direction of Ponyville.
Twilight said nothing as she watched the passing country down below, but Fluttershy began to twitch in nervousness as the Pegasus continued to rise until they were passing through the massing clouds. They were white and fluffy, but as a Pegasus Fluttershy could smell the coming storm. She understood why they were being taken above the clouds but it still made her nervous. She didn't like to not be able to see the ground. "Um, sirs, the rain shower won't be for a little while longer, perhaps we could stay-"
"Sorry ma'am, but regulations require us to remain above the clouds until descent in the event of a coming shower. I'm very sorry." He said in a gruff tone, but he did sound like he meant it. Fluttershy sighed a little.
"Why go beneath the clouds anyways, we'll miss this fantastic sunset!" Twilight was staring out the back of the chariot and Fluttershy turned to watch. The sun was slowly setting below the cloudline. It would be down quickly, and Fluttershy, despite being unable to see the ground, was sighing softly at the beauty of it. She was a romantic at heart, not the lovesick sort like Rarity but all the fantastic sights and settings that just opened her heart. "To think, when I first came to Ponyville, I never really noticed the simple, pretty things in life." The unicorn admitted with a sad smile.
"Really?" Fluttershy looked to Twilight, who nodded. She knew she was self-sheltered but didn't know the extent. Twilight didn't talk about before Ponyville much, said there wasn't much to say about it.
"Yeah. It's kinda sad now that I think about it. I'm glad I can appreciate real beauty right now." Twilight eagerly watched the sun slowly get swallowed from view by the clouds, turning the sky a fantastic orange.
Something occurred to Fluttershy, something she remembered from just a day before. "Twilight, I know you were kind of out of it when you told me this but do you really think I'm…" She blushed at the thought and pawed the cushion of their chariot, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Pretty?"
"Yes Fluttershy, you're very pretty." Fluttershy peeked up. Twilight wasn't even looking at her. She sighed. Maybe it was a pipe dream, but Twilight had called her gorgeous once and pretty now. Maybe that was a good thing and she shouldn't get her hopes up.
"I think you're pretty too." She tried anyways, tilting her head to hide her face with her cotton candy mane.
"Thanks." Fluttershy sighed. Twilight hadn't taken her eyes off the sunset. Well, she tried. She watched the sunset until the sun fell beneath the clouds, and things began to turn dark. It was quickly replaced with moonlight as a full moon rose from the front of the Chariot and slowly turned the world around the dark and silver. It was also so quiet.
That was why they noticed the other Pegasi. A dark, winged-shape rose from the clouds slowly, level with them, matching their speed to their left. "Who do you think that is?" Fluttershy asked, turning her head to the right to notice a second, no third, wait there were four dark pony shapes behind them. Two to the back left and right, and two almost directly behind them, flying at a far enough distance they looked like shadows in the night sky.
"Maybe a friendly passing group? I read that some Pegasi take it on themselves to escort night travelers and protect them from bandits." Twilight pointed out, and the two heard an uneasy snort from the front. The two guards were watching four more pony shapes warily out in front of them, each in a similar position as the four from behind.
"Twilight…" Fluttershy turned in a slow circle. There were eight dark figures keeping perfect speed and position around them. "What if these are the bandits?" She whispered low.
"I didn't want to consider that…" Twilight whispered back.
"By order of Princess Celestia!" One of the guards finally called. "I demand you identify yourselves to her royal guard! Speak!" He shouted. The four ponies in the middle of the shadows' circle were tense. The guards began to slow down to let them pass, but they merely slowed down with them. The guards tried to lower into the clouds, but the four mid-circle ponies flew in closer almost visible through the moonlight. Fluttershy and Twilight stared at the nearest one. The Pegasus was a dark gray, while the one on the other side was plain black. The guards snorted in agitation as they rose again, playing their game for now, well aware of the precious cargo they were carrying.
"Girls. Stay alert. We may have to do something drastic if they attack." One of the guards told them, his eyes shifting back and forth between their eight "escorts". The girls just nodded slowly.
Seconds crawled by like minutes, tense as could be. Any move the carriage made, the eight Pegasi matched. The moon was now above the clouds, barely. The light cast a disturbing image, as the silvered clouds contrasted with the dark shapes more sharply. Fluttershy let out a tiny, scared whimper.
"Twilight, can't you telepo-" Then the Pegasi, as one raised their heads and gave a powerful, piercing whiny that sent chills down both girls' spines, and the guards made a move to dive into the clouds. Then the sound of rolling thunder filled their ears, sending both girls to dive to the cushions, screaming as they covered their ears, and the world turned white.
When Fluttershy opened her eyes again, her body was one giant sore, like she'd been hit by lightning. Splinters surrounded her, and it took her a moment to realize she was falling. She gasped softly and looked to her left and spied Twilight, eyes closed and falling limply.
And the dark shapes dove inwards.
