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Failure.
It was night again. The irritating buzz of flies and the rip of feasting buzzards sounded not far off from the area where the battle took place. The sight was sorry, nature speaking. Trees had been toppled over by both yeti and timberwolf and craters of dirt where bodies had been slammed left definitive prints.
From a glance, it seemed as if the wolves had lost. White patches of fur and long smears of dried, royal blood ended at a lake where a few bodies mingled. The edges of the lake were encased in ice, a hound had long since given up its fight. Tail tangled in a viscious frost. Their body floated in the water, bloated with the mix of water and the start of decay.
A terrified yelp echoed from the middle of the small lake - a lone timberwolf burst from the water and made an attempt for the safety of the shore. Yet, in a moments time it was dragged into the depths and held there until the last bubble popped the surface. Their body floated up carelessly, along with a white, fur covered hand. The strangled gasp of the queen emitted from lips, bluer than usual. Her strength was dwinding quickly, and the shore was a ways away.
She prayed that the group she bestowed her child upon was fairing better than she. As she emerged from the water on hand and knees, the first observation made was mortifying. Her right arm was missing. Torn from her body by one of those savage beasts. It laid somewhere in Everfree forest, but the royal yeti was busied. Shelter was a must.
Looking at one of the dead timberwolves in the water, she reached over with her tail, hooked it, and dragged it to her. The leg was broken off in one sharp, anaconda-like twist. The queen began to eat, hoping that nopony that came around would be mortified at the fact her race were carnivores. As she chewed, the leg was set down and the worn cloth at her bustle was torn, wrapping it around her arm with her free hand and teeth to aid. It would stunt the bleeding enough, since her race healed quickly.
Otherwise, she disrobed to her undergarments, knowing that bloody armor was not the healthiest to stem infection. Looking to the moon with tired eyes, then to the area around her, she found a tree with a big enough crevace that she could hide in.
A queen. Hiding. I hardly seem fit for that title anymore. The majority of her people must have been dead from the surprise raid. It was a shame that her guards weren't as effective as Princess Celestia's. Her own walked on two legs and had spears and swords, for Celestia's sake. Chuffing to herself as she situated at the inner trunk of the tree, she triple checked if it was safe, whispering to the wind.
"Find me soon, Princess."
---
The first week of Fluttershy's sudden motherhood had not been kind to her body. She ached all over and the baby refused more than an hour of sleep for every six. The child must have been disturbed by the idea that her mother was no longer there. So in tune with the world, even as a newborn.
For now the mare cuddled the babe who cooed and purred, face brushed by stray strands of pink. The Queen's child was almost a replica, her hair a deep shade of blue rather than the unique black that her mother obtained. Though the pegasus could only assume that it would happen in time. Smiling, she nosed the yeti's cheek and received a delighted noise. Chubby hands puffed briefly against her buttercream coat which earned a gentle laugh.
While she was sore, Fluttershy had started to appreciate the adventure of being a mother to a child that she did not bear. The knowledge gained from the infant was valuable if she were to ever have her own. Teal eyes blinked in surprise. Her? A mother to a little foal? While she was taking care of the Queen's child, odd thoughts had sprung up in her head about the colts in Ponyville. Embarrassing thoughts that she couldn't have conjured up on purpose.
In the oddest of ways, she had begun to analyze and rate the men around her, from head to hooves, mane to tail. Everything! It must have been the hormones that induced the milk she fed the little yeti with. Since she felt motherly, and had no foal of her own, she must have felt provoked to make it happen. Yes. That made sense.
A tiny sneeze caught her attention and she noticed that over time she turned to look out the window, her pink mane covered the snowbeast's face completely, "Oh, I'm sorry."
Her voice was softer than ever, cherishing the quiet that the baby had brought into the house. The animals treated her with more respect. Even Angel had taken extra precaution to be nice around her, rather than smacking her with books. Violence with a baby in the house was not tollerated. Especially one who bore a higher learning capacity than the smaller animals she cared for.
"Hello Fluttershy! Might I come in?" The polite, warm voice of Rarity called against the wood of her front door. Shifting to a comfier position, she grabbed the furs with her hooves, secured the child, and glided to the door.
"Oh yes, please do." Lupine looked up at her with lightly glazed eyes, their color still unnerving for a baby, but magnificent. Maybe the black sclera helped them out with seeing certain things they needed to survive.
Twilight, she thought, would have a field day with learning about the yeti race.
Rarity opened the door with her magic. Her approach was cautious, not wanting to wake the baby if they were asleep. "Oh dear, Fluttershy. You look as if you haven't gotten more than a few winks of sleep!"
"Princess Lupine is a very um. Light sleeper. I think she knows her mother isn't here, Rarity." The yellow pegasus sighed, moving over to the loveseat where she could set the baby down. "I've done as much as I can to get her to sleep though. It's very...s-sad that my techniques don't work."
"Even your lullaby, Fluttershy?" The unicorn gasped quietly, a hoof coming to rest on her chest in surprise.
Fluttershy could only nod.
Before Rarity could shut the door, a head poked in looking somber. "Could we join y'all? We got some news on the queen."
Before them stood the rest of the mane six. The remaining four looked as worried as ever, Rainbow Dash scuffed her hooves along the floor, Twilight could barely look anyone in the eye, Applejack being polite, kept away from the door, and Pinkie Pie's natural energy seemed depleted.
"You may! I-I'll go get some tea started. Applejack? Could you watch Lupi- Princess Lupine for a moment?" Fluttershy asked kindly which the earth pony obliged with a hesitant happiness. The kitchen was within earshot of the group, opening up from the living room through a round arch. The group settled in the living room, Rarity giving them a curious glance.
"So what news do you bear of the queen?" Rarity pushed her hoof against the pillow she sat on. She did have a habit of hogging any couch that she sat on, but with the turn of events in the past week, she wouldn't dare draw too much attention to herself.
Fluttershy came back in with the tea, the majority of the group just now noticing Spike. He had heated it faster than the burner would have. Twilight ushered him to her side as soon as they settled down. The purple unicorn cleared her throat to begin the story.
"The smell of decay had repulsed a few who had been making their way to Zecora's house. They didn't want to investigate, so they had filed a report for it to be cleaned. The guards, instead, stopped the crew of pegasus and went to the scene, where they found a good number of Timberwolves mangled. Dead." Twilight paused, letting the information sink in before she continued.
"Timberwolves...they were the things attacking the Queen, right?" Rainbow Dash felt the need to clarify.
"Indeed." Rarity answered, giving a curt nod to the cyan pony.
"They also found an arm of the queen in the jaws of one in the lake. They had a few fish scope the bottom to see if Queen Tourmaline had perished there, but they found no body. It wasn't until further investigation that they saw her blood in a trail leading to a tree." Twilight continued, one of her hooves reaching to hug Spike close. She swallowed thickly.
"They found the Queen."
"Well that's a good thing, ain't it?" Applejack's voice was hopeful, confused as to why Twilight Sparkle looked so somber. Was the queen...dead?
"Yes." The purple mare looked to the side and let out a shaky sigh.
"Is she alive?!" Pinkie Pie leaned to almost touch noses with the unicorn across the way. The unicorn nodded her head frantically, pushing the pink pony away from her with care.
"Of course. But as...as I said. She no longer has an arm, and the saliva of a Timberwolf is wracked with bacteria. A fever is a terrible thing for a yeti to have, seeing as they live in a colder climate for a reason. Queen Tourmaline is fighting a ghastly infection. Right now, we don't know if she'll make it, even though her wounds are healing up nicely."
"Oh...oh no." Fluttershy looked to Lupine. The idea of her not having her true mother broke her heart already. Her eyes widened and she set her tea cup on the table, looking Twilight dead in the eye. "What can I do to help?"
"F-Fluttershy..." Twilight's ears shot up in surprise, face brightening a fraction.
"Same here, sugarcube. What can we at Apple Acres do to help?" Applejack's smile returned, feeling more confident with the kindness Fluttershy expressed.
"Well. I need to make a list of things we need to do, but I would like to see if we could make a salve that destroys infections safely. While they are working on it at the hospital, I don't think it's enough. Queen Tourmaline needs a boost." The purple pony took a sip of her tea, set it down, stood, and began to pace. "I think you could help me with that, Fluttershy. You deal with injured animals all the time and they have miraculous recoveries. What do you use, and can you amplify it?"
"I-I could, but Lupine needs a lot of my attention. I couldn't leave her alone for how long the paste took to make." Her wing drapped along the tummy of the infant, now noticing that Rarity had snuck something on her when they discussed the matter at hand. "O-oh! A diaper! How nice of you, Rarity!"
"It was the least I could do, and I know you're against mass produced things. I made ten, and all you need to do is wash them and dry them before they can be used again."
"I think Pinkie Pie could help you with the medicine. She does know how to bake, and I'm sure that her help will be the most valuable." Twilight concluded, seeing Pinkie's hair fluff up again with delight. Of course she would help. If it meant the yeti queen would get better, then yes, yes, yes!
"Ah'll go...um." Applejack started, realizing she had no idea what she could do. The orange pony looked to Twilight, expecting an order. It was well assumed that the element of Magic and Friendship was the leader of the group. She did know how to strategize effectively.
"You should get your brother, Big Mac, and help around the hospital. They must be up to their necks, working with her. They'll need other ponies to help with other patients." Twilight chewed on her lip, elaborating on the matter. "I mean, as in spreading friendship and notifying them if someone needs service. Saving a queen is a very big matter."
"Now Rarity..." She began again.
After a while of discussing the plans, the group dispersed in a rush, knowing full well that the work ahead of them would be exhausting.
---
Nurse Redheart scampered around the room where the queen laid. Two beds were placed together to keep the snowbeast comfortable. She eyed the charts, looked at the infection on the queen's back, and quickly decided that she needed to be on her stomach to let the wounds 'breathe'. Pushing her mussed pink mane away from her face, she looked to the doctor who came in to check the chart.
"How are things going, Redheart?" He called softly, looking to the queen with concern.
"She's woke up a few times, delerious that someone is going to attack her. I've sedated her five times today." A patch covered the nurse's flank, which drew further worry from the doctor.
"Did she strike you?"
"Yes, but it wasn't deep. I jumped away in time." The bandage came off. A long but thin wound ran through the center of her cutie mark. His breath drew and he placed a hoof above, inspecting it closely. "Honestly Doctor, I checked it myself. There is nothing to worry about."
"I still like to check. I care about all of my employees. Especially you." He pecked her forehead and heard a groan from the bed, ears perking. "Are you awake, Queen Tourmaline?"
"Whurf..." The yeti tried to speak, her stub of an arm moving as if she was going to rub her eyes. Pausing through her drugged mind, she groaned and tears flooded her eyes. Nurse Redheart's expression saddened deeply and she trotted over, sporting a very light limp from the stretch and pull of her own wound.
"Queen Tourmaline...please don't cry." She couldn't say 'it was just an arm'. The nurse herself couldn't imagine traipsing around on three hooves. Replacements didn't exist, even though she wished there were. A choked, hoarse sob emitted from the queen and her only hand came up to rub at her tired eyes.
"Lev." She mumbled, her tongue numb but capable enough to announce what she wanted.
"Y-yes, Queen Tourmaline. Ice chips are to your side. You have a bit of a fever, so it would be wise to keep hydrated. I-I'm sorry for your um..." Icy blue eyes swelled with tears of her own, growing sadder the more she stared at the bandaged stump of an arm. She turned, apologized quickly, and darted out of the room.
The doctor remained for a moment more, before he uttered something rather kind.
"This too, shall pass."
The queen sobbed, unwilling to believe that anything could become better. She bit her pillow and cluthed the side of her head beneath her horn. She failed her kingdom. Her king. Her daughter. Worry filled her as she heard the door swing open one last time. The doctor was just about to leave.
"Wai!" She croaked, turning to her side slowly. The yeti didn't want to set off the alarms. He looked to her with his own, kind blue eyes.
"Yes?"
"M-bab. My baby." The queen repeated herself, reacquainting herself with her tongue.
"She's safe with miss Fluttershy. Rest now." He smiled, seeing the brief flicker of gratitude in her eyes. Rolling back onto her stomach, the queen peered out the window. Daytime. Grabbing ice from the bucket not too far away, she crammed some in her mouth. Another handful went onto her back.
How pathetic am I, stuck in a comfortable bed when my people are suffering and my Lupine is not at my side... Eyes fluttered with a mix of relief and pain before she settled. Ice working into her wounds to heal her a bit faster than what was planned. Another handful of ice found her back again and she settled.
Through her tears, sleep sounded very satisfying.
A cry of pain emitted from just beyond the stone that kept her safe. Her kingdom was fighting for their safety. The child's safety. Who had brought such chaos and death upon them she did not know. The idea, quite frankly, was the least of her concern. Pushing again, she shuddered. Childbirth wasn't easy. The shocking boom of a howl caught her attention, shocking her deeply. They had made it here already? To her king? A slam against the door made her head whip and tail swish around her belly.
She needed to push.
The world around her grew fuzzy as she squeezed her eyes tight, claws digging into her palms as she put all of her strength into her pushing. In the end, a painful shriek exuded and she leaned forward, spying the bloody mess of a yeti between her legs. She picked her up just as the rock door crumbled. Tears flowed freshly down her cheeks to the sight.
A dragon-like creature had pierced her husband with a spear. He managed one, fearful, loving look to her before his eyes rolled up and he collapsed in the one thing that the cold breathed life into; Coulter's Lupine.
The dragon-thing spied her, acidic green oozing from its mouth. It burned holes into the floor and into the left arm of her husband. It ate it away and came to a brief halt, retracting from the life that still thrummed from his heart. Oh yes, her king was alive. The male yeti's chest was barreled and thick. It would take more than a short spear to pierce his heart. He needed to lay low and wait for the assault to pass...as for she...
A deep growl resonated from the Timberwolves that crept into her room, the candles went out just as her child began to cry.
"Run!" A guard screamed in pain as he was attacked. The queen, though exhausted, had no choice. Gathering her child close to her chest, she broke into a run, barely dodging the creature that had killed her mate. She kept her tail close to her leg, chest heaving. A timberwolf pounced as she breached the entrance of the cave.
Crunch.
The queen lurched, burying her face into her pillow. Events to consider, sleep was now impossible.