The Healer, The Thief, and the Painter. Act 1 The Healer

Crystal felt a cool feeling upon the middle of her forehead, and a cool liquid running down her the side of her face. She cracked open her eyelids slightly and gave out a soft moan. “She’s up!” a very familiar gruff voice called out. “Blade?” she said weakly. She felt his warm breath come to her side a second later. “It’s ok Cryssi.” he said softly. “You know I hate that that nickname.” She whined weakly. “Step away from her Blade, or else she will suffer a serious fate.” said a peculiarly rhyming voice behind Blade. He left her side to be replaced by a different presence. Crystal felt her head being pushed back and a warm broth being poured down her throat. The broth didn’t taste like anything really, but when it hit her stomach a surge of energy raced up her neurotic pathways and hit her brain. Crystal shot straight up and felt rough wool covers fall off of her form. As her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she saw that she was in a hut hallowed out of a short squat tree. A large iron pot squatted in the middle of the house, and frightening masks decorated the hard wood walls. She saw Blade with a look of relief on his face, and another figure. A zebra with a brown leather cloak that covered her body and face stood by the cot she was laying in.

Crystal guessed by speculation, and the fact that there was only one zebra in Ponyville based on the records at headquarters, that this was Zecora, the main source of ancient tribal medicine in all of Ponyville. Crystal had heard many tales about Zecora during her walks through the main market. She was from a small band of zebras living in Saddlerabia, and based on what the schoolfoals say, she took colts and fillies to her home to cook them into to stew. Yet Crystal speculated that these were rumors and not to be taken seriously. Blade lent her his hoof and worked her slowly out of the cot she was in. Crystal felt light-headed and had to lean against Blade’s warm body to stabilize her. “What happened?” she asked. Blade spoke up, “Zecora told me that she found you lying on the forest floor in an entire patch of Red Cap mushrooms. You were unlucky enough to be there at the time of their spore letting season. They cause seriousness drowsiness, blackouts, slowing of muscle reactions, and in extreme cases the spores close off the airway resulting in death.” She must have had an odd look on her face because Blade laughed,

“You look like a cow hit with a shovel,” he chuckled “Luckily you were only in the first stage of these symptoms when Zecora found you covered in dried blood, armor lopsided, with odd contraptions near your side. So she brought you here and cleaned you up.”

“How did you find me though? You were supposed to be flying over the forest to look for the high value pony.” The feeling in her head passed and Blade let her back on her own four hooves. Blade stared at her seriously and spoke to her clearly. “I found him but he is no pony, he was just lying in the underbrush when I found him he appears to be some sort of hairless primate and was dressed in some sort of blue cloth. I drug him back to Twilight’s library and interrogated him.”

“What for!?” she cried.

“I was looking for you,” he cried out suddenly, “I couldn’t find you anywhere… I thought I lost you.” His head fell down in sadness and his mane covered his melted chocolate eyes.

“Oh Blade, I’m sorry.” She nuzzled up against his brown coat lovingly.

She pulled away from him when she remembered what she had taken from her previous quarters. “Zecora…” she started, but stopped when she noticed the cloaked zebra next to her with the two silver L’s, the small box, and the odd leather garment resting on her back. “What are those?” Blade asked.

“Some items I found where I woke up.” she answered plainly. “It was an odd blue box with stripes, and had mechanics that I have never seen before. It is deeper in the forest, but enough about that.” She said, raising a hoof to Blade’s mouth when he tried to protest. “I want to see our target, so I can know that you didn't hurt him too much trying to find where I was.” She could see the flush of embarrassment appear on Blade’s snout. They both thanked Zecora and walked out back into the Everfree. About five minutes passed until they could see the border of Ponyville again, Crystal was ahead of Blade because of the immense load on his back, so she saw the guard first.

He was a very well-toned stallion with shocking blue eyes and armor that glowed with the power of the sun itself. The guard saluted as he saw Blade trotting up behind Crystal, he saluted towards Blade and spoke, “Sorry sir for interrupting your business, but we have a critical situation on our hooves.”

“How critical?” Blade responded. “Red level sir, the Healer has escaped and has incapacitated some of our best guardponies. We have him cornered in Celestia’s tower.”

Luna’s tears…” he whispered, “Can you take these items back to the PPF headquarters for me?” he asked the royal guard.

“Of course.” The guard responded, “Make sure you bring him back alive Fury, we need him later.”

“Of course.” Blade sighed as he dumped the items onto the grass below. “C’mon Crystal” he told her, and took off into the sky towards the center of town. As Crystal started to follow him, the guard stopped her.

“Make sure he follows orders,” he growled, We’ve had trouble with him in the past.” “Yes sir Crystal replied, shakily saluting him before following Blade’s blurred form.

Crystal reached the tower last due to Blade’s air superiority and the crowd of ponies that had clogged the streets with bodies. So she arrived just in time to see hospital workers pulling out a wounded pegasus on a stretcher. He moaned pitifully and had bandages on his knees, barrel, and wings. Blade was talking to the nurse on scene with a look of pure disgust on his face. As she approached him she asked “What happened to him?” motioning her head towards the stretcher. “Grabbed, sword immobilized, kneecap pointing about ninety degrees in the wrong direction, and thrown down a flight of stairs. She winced with every description. “We need to get up there and support the guards and the rest of our EPF personnel.” He continued and trotted quickly up the stairs.

“Why is he in a hurry?” she asked herself, “The Healer is trapped, and can’t go anywhere, why rush?” yet she put these thoughts out of her mind and followed Blade shortly.

About halfway up the steps, she heard the crash of the twin double doors and appeared just in time to see the horde of guards and police force alike, weapons shining in the light burst into Celestia’s quarters. What everypony saw shocked them. There lay Celestia, white skin shining with the brilliance of the sun, sleeping in a pile of what had been three weeks’ worth of blood, scabs, and tears. On the side closest to them was what Blade recognized as their prisoner. Light blue clothing, brown hair, and white skin sprinkled with brown spots. “I think we need a bigger stretcher…” one of the police force cadets said.

“Nonsense,” said Blade with a cruel smile coming over his face. “We have rope, and the hospital is only about sixty yards from here. The staff won’t notice a couple more bruises. The cadet looked at Blade for a second, then shook his head and called out,

“Bring in some rope! We’re gonna drag him out of here by his body!”