//------------------------------// // Mystery Upon Mystery // Story: Lament of the Frozen North // by Gavel Coaster //------------------------------// Chapter 2: Mystery Upon Mystery Twilight stared at the doctor standing beside Life Flight’s mobile intensive care carriage. The hulking, hard-faced stallion looked more like a drill sergeant than a medical professional, with his sharp eyes, persistent frown, and close-shaved mane. But that very fact lent him an air of competence and capability for saving lives that made Twilight and her friends – and no doubt Doctor Needles – immensely grateful their injured visitor was in this unicorn’s care now. Despite the fact that Life Flight was based in Cloudsdale and consisted primarily of pegasi, a great number of them were unicorns too. Pegasus doctors dealt with most emergencies and non-invasive procedures very competently, but none of their six limbs could perform the tiny and very precise movements needed for invasive surgery. For that, they needed unicorn magic, and so Life Flight had been the very first pegasus organization to throw tradition out the window and invite unicorns into their ranks. Earth ponies too, if they had the necessary skills. For that reason, almost every medical facility in Cloudsdale was made of thunderforged steel, and there was a good chance that any unicorn or earth pony seen living in that city was employed by either a hospital or by Life Flight itself. “No identification, no known next of kin, and no known associates,” he grumbled, looking grimly at the clipboard he levitated before him, “will make transfer to Life Flight headquarters much more difficult. Illegal, in fact. Until this patient is identified, she must remain here in Ponyville. And so will we,” From the dark bags hanging under his eyes, Twilight guessed he and the rest of the doctors had been working through the night. Doctor Needles, standing on Twilight’s right, sighed in relief, “All our facilities are at your disposal, sir. My crew and I will assist you for the duration of your stay.” “That won’t be necessary, doctor,” the unicorn replied without looking up from his clipboard. “We’ve sent for an expert medical crew of our own from HQ. They should be here within the hour.” That seemed to make Doctor Needles a little less happy. Twilight had a notion that while the old sawbones had swallowed enough of his pride to recognize his own limits, he wasn’t bound to take it lightly if he was cut completely out of the picture. “It was my own skills, and those of my staff, that kept this patient alive during your response from Cloudsdale – which, I might add, was none too prompt considering what we were dealing with and what I’ve seen from Life Flight in the past. It would be a better idea to employ local assistance as well.” “The good ponies of Ponyville no doubt still require your attention and that of your staff,” the unicorn replied shortly as he continued looking at his clipboard, seeming to deem it beneath his dignity to answer Doctor Needles’ other loaded statements. “Miss Twilight Sparkle, I have a full report on this patient’s status in case you do manage to find any friends or family…?” Twilight replied quickly before Needles could cut in again. “Of course, doctor.” The unicorn cleared his throat, “Patient remains in intensive care. Condition critical but shows signs of stabilizing. Standard magical healing presently prohibited due to widespread and internal nature of injuries. Patient remains in anesthesia to prevent a premature return of consciousness and subsequent nervous shock. Numerous open wounds closed and undergoing stitching. Transfusions applied with surplus adrenalin and endocrines to compensate for blood loss. Numerous fractures and heavy bruising in muscle tissue, but central nervous system and vital organs remain mostly intact. Lung puncture drained and knitted. Frozen tissue removed together with sterilization and external blood heating to prevent infection. If patient returns to stable condition, magic can be used to speed up recovery. Surgical procedures still incomplete and at least three more surgeries required in future…death or stability expected within the next 24 hours.” Twilight shuddered. Even before that screeching stop line, she had studied just enough about medicine and biology to understand it was going to be very difficult to keep this mare alive. From the doctor’s description, it was a miracle she hadn’t died already… The doctor glanced over his clipboard at Twilight. “Also, we noted several anomalies in the patient’s physiology and clothing, some of them magical in nature…” That got Twilight’s immediate attention. “Wha-?! Uh…how so, doctor?” The doctor sighed heavily. “Well, anatomically speaking…this mare appears to be a horse, but…certain characteristics are inconsistent with all known equine breeds…it’s possible she is not a native to either Equestria or the North Verdantine Protectorate.” Twilight groaned inwardly. Great. Just great. If she’s from that far away, now there’s even less chance somepony might come looking for her. She had thought Verdantine was her best bet, and had been planning to have Spike send letters to certain Equestrian officials there in the hope that one of them might get the horses’ attention long enough to find out if any of them knew their mysterious patient. But it was a long shot and now seemed even more unlikely to work. “Even more baffling,” the doctor furrowed his brow, “this mare has a cutie mark!” Twilight’s head snapped up, eyes growing wide. “WHAT?!! Th-that’s impossible! Horses never get cutie marks!” Which was true. They hardly ever stood still long enough to focus on a special talent (unless it was running or flying – then they focused on it all the time). The doctor nodded. “Well, not quite never…there have been several documented cases, Miss Twilight Sparkle, but it is extremely rare. The cutie marks on both flanks were partly obscured by a pattern of lacerations, but they seem to resemble a gray, inverted arrowhead shape.” Some horses have gotten cutie marks? I’ll have to read up on that… He cleared his throat again. “Magical anomalies determined as follows: a Silver Tongues spell had recently been cast on her to permit her to communicate magically with creatures speaking a different language, but the signature was weak and the spell had apparently worn off…” Twilight was relieved to get back to the problems she could understand (she could already feel an early headache coming on). Silver Tongues. Almost everypony or everybeing in Equestria speaks Equus nowadays. No doubt about it anymore, she’s officially a foreigner… The unicorn frowned, “Her clothing…we removed the remains of the overdrape with no trouble but…her boots…they were made of crude leather and fastened with hemp wrappings. Initial tests showed no injury in the forelegs, but there was a small risk of infection from ice in the soles. Several nurses tried to remove them, but…they couldn’t be moved.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “They won’t come off?” He shook his head grimly. “The boots have been ensorcelled with a very powerful Sticktight charm, Miss Twilight Sparkle. We had our own specialist divine the nature of their enchantment. The only way they can be removed is for the wearer to take them off herself…unless we shatter the spell of course, but as you know the effects of that can be quite…unpredictable.” Twilight shuddered. Trixie’s Sticktight enchantment on her amulet had been enough for her to learn to appreciate the dangers of that spell already. But she knew from experience that shattering somepony’s spell could have some very distinct and often-explosive side effects, not to mention it gave the spell’s original caster quite a turn. She still remembered what had happened after “The Incident” with Smartypants several months ago when Princess Celestia shattered her spell. She had been too scared out of her wits to realize it at the time, but after the princess had left, Twilight was painfully aware of the ironworks in her skull and her horn throbbing with backlash. Anyway, even with no caster in sight, this spell was still a problem. Shattering a powerful spell without collateral damage required utmost precision by the most skilled of magicians, and even they didn’t always get it right. Twilight knew she wouldn’t dare anyway. She was about to advise the doctor to leave it be when he spoke again. “Well, it’s unorthodox to leave a patient wearing hoofwear in intensive care…” the doctor continued, seeming to guess her train of thought, “but, as I said, our initial tests showed no trauma or freezing in the forelegs. There doesn’t even seem to be much damage to the articles themselves and the risk of bacterial infection is almost negligible. It probably isn’t worth the risk involved shattering the spell to remove them…at least not yet anyway…” Why in Celestia’s name would anypony want to put a Sticktight spell on her boots anyway? Would anypony try to take off another’s boots? “Otherwise, magical anomalies end there,” the doctor concluded, dropping the leaf he’d levitated up on the clipboard as he finished the list. Twilight sat back on her haunches as she mulled it all over. Princess Celestia should definitely be informed now. A horse with a cutie mark, wearing foreign clothing and Sticktight boots, with Silver Tongues cast on her. She’s obviously from very far away. Could there really be some land of the horsefolk we don’t know about yet? It was possible, Twilight supposed. Ponyfolk had spread over most of the known world, to the red wastes of the south near Appleloosa, to Griffonia in the west, the Crystal Empire in the north, and the horse lands of Verdantine to the far southeast. The north half of Verdantine, the land of the horsefolk, was technically under Equestrian control, but it didn’t have much practical importance besides somewhere to send a rebellious Guard pony for a boring, dead-end assignment. The horses were generally simple folk who liked nothing more than galloping or flying over the grassy plains all day. They were smart enough to talk and reason, but they had very short attention spans and generally no ambition to do anything with their lives but enjoy running free, eating, and sleeping. They could not effectively rule themselves or form a central government – their nature was too unsettled, and it would’ve been impractical anyway since they all lived in nomadic herds. Ponies, on the other hoof, had a calmer and more constructive culture. For this reason, Equestria had assumed responsibility for northern Verdantine, calling it “a protectorate state in case of war or natural disaster.” The griffons had also peacefully annexed south Verdantine and its horsefolk into their own kingdom with practically no objection. Twilight knew some ponies wanted to absorb the Equestrian-ruled half altogether as well, but since Equestria had no direct borders with Verdantine, that would mean stealing more land from the buffaloes near Appleloosa, and Princess Celestia would not hear of it. And if this stranger wasn’t from either the pony-ruled or griffon-ruled side of the only-known land of the horsekind…there will still some portions of the globe unexplored as well. The eastern sea was almost a complete mystery. Ponies weren’t made for long sea voyages, and no pegasi alive – not even the Wonderbolts – had the strength to fly across an entire ocean. There were far borders nopony had ever crossed as well – the terrain had been either impassable or just too foreboding. Am I overthinking it? Sure, it’s quite a conclusion to jump to…but how else could this mysterious mare be explained? Well, if anypony can find out what all this means, it’s the princess, she thought. I’ll have Spike send a letter tonight. “What are you going to do about her condition?” she asked, pulling herself back to the other, more pressing problem. The doctor replied crisply and with a fully-prepared manner. “We will keep her here in Ponyville under treatment and constant supervision until her identity is either determined, or permission comes from the Life Flight petitioners we dispatched to waive the identity check by reason of life-threatening circumstances. Afterwards, if it is deemed necessary, she will be transferred to Cloudsdale for care, or remain in Ponyville for recovery if her condition is deemed stable enough.” “Can I see her?” Twilight wasn’t sure why she asked that question. But she did. He looked at her. “I’m afraid that’s not possible at this time, Miss Twilight Sparkle. As I said, her condition is not yet stable, and anesthesia is in effect but…she shows signs of heightened consciousness because of her size and the severity of her injuries.” Twilight shuddered again. That would be painful. “Then…if she wakes up, she’ll…couldn’t you give her more anesthetic, doctor?” He shook his head. “Too risky. It might result in complications if we use anything more potent.” So there’s nothing I can do then… She looked long at the Life Flight carriage. I can’t help but feel I’ve got to do something about this! I don’t know who this stranger is – hay, I don’t even know where on earth she came from or why she was here – but something tells me it’s important. And she’s dying, and nopony or nobeing dies while I’m around. Ever. That was a lie though. Twilight felt a slight twinge as she remembered, faintly, that one time when she couldn’t… She shook her head and straightened. “Thank you, doctor. I hope you can help her.” He nodded. “Of course we will do all we can, Miss Twilight Sparkle. And we will be sure to notify you and your friends of any change in her condition.” He looked closely at her. “If I may make a suggestion, it would be prudent to inform your mayor and city council about this case…” For the first time, he appeared slightly unsettled, turning to look at the carriage with a frown. “Doctor Needles, would you kindly allow Miss Twilight Sparkle and I a moment?” Ponyville’s old head doc opened his quivering mouth, looking as though he would protest that he was a medical professional, and this was still technically his patient, but Twilight turned to him and gave a tiny shake of her head, putting on an apologetic expression. Doctor Needles glared at her indignantly, as if to tell her he thought if anyone should be excluded, it should be her. Finally, he turned and trotted off. The Life Flight doctor turned back to her. “Those wounds were obviously inflicted by something hostile and physically powerful. Those were claw marks for certain, but we also discovered what looked like fang bites on her upper flanks and back, and that wasn’t the worst part…” he seemed to be talking almost to himself now, eyes dilating at the memory of what he saw in the emergency ward. “The bites weren’t just to injure or grip her. There was massive compression on the surrounding tissue and repeated tearing of the sub-dermal layers. In laypony’s terms, it looked like whatever bit her was trying to eat her flesh.” Eat…? Now, ponies were hardly the top of the food chain. They were herbivorous, had no natural weapons unless you counted hooves, and possessed an instinct not to consider any living thing as food. But pony civilization did not stop Equestria’s numerous other dangerous inhabitants, many larger and deadlier than ponies, from feeding upon other animals. There was a reason most ponies didn’t usually venture deep into rural areas in Equestria after all. Carnivores preying upon ponies was one of those dangers which definitely existed, but happened rarely enough most ponies could forget it was even there…and it horrified them when they did remember it. Twilight’s skin began to crawl and she felt her breakfast rise to her throat. She gagged, fighting to keep control of her stomach... Carnivore...pony...eating...can't think about it now... She forced herself to focus on the carnivore - well, technically omnivore - in her life. Spike could eat meat if he wanted to (though Twilight saw to it he never got a chance) and he had never bitten anypony ever in his life, not even when he was starving. Well, actually that wasn’t completely true. Even now, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a brief twinge of amusement at the memory of Shining Armor hopping around and yelling in pain when he tried petting Spike during his teething. The dragon cub had clamped his jaws down on Shining Armor’s foreleg so hard he couldn’t be shaken off no matter how hard her big brother tried. In the end, Twilight had to tempt him off with a sweet sapphire in his milk. All thoughts of carnivorous feasting diverted in the glow of fond memories about Spike, she asked “Do you know what bit her?” The doctor shook his head. “Not exactly. From the size of the wounds, I wouldn’t say it was anything small, but then not anything enormous either. Might have been a forest cat or a timber wolf or some such. But there was no doubt the thing had sharp teeth…” “But…she’s still…uh…” “In one piece? Yes, Miss Twilight Sparkle, she is. Whatever bit her must have stopped for some reason. Perhaps she outran it, or maybe the creature couldn’t swim…or perhaps our patient just didn’t taste very good…” Ugh! Twilight began to feel queasy again. Grumpily, she let it all out in one deadpan comment, “So there really could be some kind of big, dangerous, three-eyed, sharp-toothed, deadly, pony-eating monstrosity out there…” There was an immediate high-pitched shriek from somewhere behind her and the sound of wings flapping frantically away. Twilight groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. “Fluttershy…” It just figured she would happen to be passing at a time like this… * Over an hour later - after hunting down a neurotic yellow pegasus hiding in the treetops - she threw open the door and stomped back into the library, shaking slush off her boots and overcoat. “Spike, take a letter, okay? I’ve got a lot to tell the Princess.” Then she was aware of a gleam in the air, a familiar scent and a soothing, gentle presence falling over her. “There’s no need, Twilight Sparkle. I’m already here,” A familiar, musical voice floated through the air, instantly sending fire shivering up Twilight’s spine and causing her face to light up in an ecstatic grin. “Princess!” Twilight immediately fell into a bow, so happy she could dance, as it always was in the presence of her mentor. The Princess of the Day stood in the library in all her regal glory, mane as starry as ever, burnished Celestial Crown, mantle and horseshoes shining, and coat literally glowing with rays of sunshine. Twilight couldn’t resist galloping over and nuzzling Celestia’s soft, warm coat, despite the fact she was supposed to have grown out of it a long time ago. “Affectionate as always, I see,” the beautiful alicorn replied with a warm smile and a light chuckle before returning the gesture. “Princess, you’ve no idea how glad I am to see you! Something really strange happened here in Ponyville just yesterday!” She nodded, pulling her head up and glancing at the door. “I know, Twilight Sparkle. Spike told me before you arrived.” She gestured to the grinning dragon sitting dutifully on her right. She smiled slightly, “The reports I overheard Mayor Mare receiving this morning about a group of frightening young mares harassing Ponyville’s visitors gave me a feeling there might be another disaster in the making…” Twilight felt her face grow warm and groaned under her breath. Whatever she tried to do in Ponyville in cases like this, it always seemed to make a terrific spectacle. Guess I should’ve learned to expect it by now, but… When she caught the look on Twilight’s face, the princess seemed to understand, and her amused smile faded into a look of worry. “It must have been terrible to find somepony so badly injured in this town. It was a lucky thing your friend Pinkie Pie found this visitor when she did, otherwise it might have been too late! What did the doctors say?” Slightly miffed that Spike had told the princess first, and determined not to be outdone, Twilight cleared her throat and repeated everything the doctor had said as precisely as she could (minus her disastrous little summary at the end). “Eat her?” Celestia frowned after she finished, her gaze hardening slightly. “My sister and I frequently warn every carnivore among our subjects that preying upon any of our ponies would be punishable by exile to the sun…” “Well, that’s just it, Princess. She’s not exactly a pony, so…er, maybe…power of a loophole and all that?” Twilight suggested, cocking her head slightly. “Twilight Sparkle…” Celestia said, smiling a smile that portrayed her power while remaining completely non-threatening, “Did you really think I would let any carnivore try to play me for a foal that way?” Though it was obvious Celestia never believed Twilight would consider her such, her countenance was still ominous enough to make the young unicorn gulp and look away, “No, of course not, Your Highness…” “Your continued faith is flattering, my dear student…” Even after all this time, Twilight still managed to miss the tiny gleam of laughter in the Princess’ eyes at her squirming. Celestia had never told Twilight, but it amused her to no end that the young unicorn truly imagined she’d be so terrible and harsh if Twilight put so much as a hoof out of line. But then again, it made discipline a simple matter whenever it did turn out to be necessary… Shaking herself slightly, Twilight decided to seal a lid on the whole thing, “No carnivore would probably stop long enough to check if she were a pony or a horse anyway…not if it was that hungry…or too dumb to know any better…” The princess shook her head, “My influence and that of my sister have kept the carnivores of Equestria aware of the law of the land for years. Even the wolves and bears and other simple creatures know better than to disturb pony settlements, Twilight Sparkle…and if anypony stumbled into their lairs…even then I don’t doubt Mother Nature would restrain them…” Celestia smiled at the thought, obviously remembering her last meeting with her earth entity friend she had shared with Twilight. Twilight swallowed hard. She hated to disagree with her mentor, but there was no way she was going to rely on that old spirit’s sense of compassion! Whoever said Mother Nature was a prickly mistress wasn’t kidding! Not even Granny Smith fresh from a disturbed afternoon nap ever raised so many levels of Tartarus! Twilight breathed out through her muzzle to clear out that awful memory before asking the next thing on her mind, “Princess, I’ve got to ask, do ponies – or horses, I suppose – come from anywhere besides Equestria?” The princess furrowed her brow slightly, “Well, there is Verdantine, my dear student…but, by that question, I assume you mean somewhere less obvious…” “It’s strange, princess. I studied everything I could find on the horsekind, and we’ve never found them anywhere else. I mean, sure, there are ponies who emigrated to Griffonia and the far south, but they never lost touch with Equestria. Or the language. Equus was the language of the horses long before the ponies, but the mare had Silver Tongues cast on her a while ago. Why would she do that if she came from Verdantine?! And the doctor mentioned she doesn’t look exactly like any kind of horse he’s ever seen. Is it possible she’s from another land? One we don’t know about yet? Or even another world?!” She felt her eyes widen at that thought. Celestia gave that slight, unperturbed smile that Twilight had come to equate with you’ve much to learn, my dear student. “I highly doubt she is from another world, Twilight Sparkle. Even with my power and that of my sister and every other powerful being in Equestria or even the whole continent, other worlds cannot be divined. We cannot even be sure they exist…though I personally believe they do. Even with all our magic, travel between worlds would be impossible. As for another land…” she adopted a more thoughtful pose then, looking up at the ceiling in contemplation. “It is possible, I suppose, but it would be a land of horsefolk that has gone completely unnoticed and unfound for centuries by all our neighbors. True, there are places ponies can’t go…but ponies are not the only beings who explore the world and bring back tales, my dear student. If there were such a place, I am sure some rumor would have reached us by now…” She then looked back at Twilight, “It sounds most unlikely. Even if she was from an unknown land, how would she have made it to the middle of Equestria without being noticed? And why would she have come alone? Did you say the doctor had never seen any kind of horse exactly like her before?” Twilight nodded, and the princess smiled that knowing smile at her again. “There is another possibility that would explain that, Twilight Sparkle…” What could that be? She frowned. How could she look like a mix of horse breeds unless…oh. At Twilight’s expression of comprehension, Celestia smiled as though Twilight had just solved another great puzzle under her tutelage. “She might be a mixed breed, my dear student. Her parents or grandparents must have been different breeds. Why, if she has a cutie mark, then she might even have some pony blood in her!” That did sound more likely, and it would explain how she could have been found in the middle of Equestria. Feeling her face go faintly warm, Twilight began to wonder if it was all just another overblown fantasy of hers. But then she remembered the doctor’s doubts as well. “But, Princess…that doesn’t explain the Silver Tongues, or the Sticktight spell…or those crude boots.” Celestia let out a light chuckle again. “The boots must have been homemade, my dear student – probably to save a few bits - and she may have had a unicorn friend cast Sticktight on them to keep them from falling off if they were really so shoddily-made. And the Silver Tongues…well, perhaps she is friends with some non-ponies who were visiting Equestria. She might have bought the spell to be able to talk with them while they were here.” If she’s from Equestria after all, Twilight raised her eyebrows in disbelief, she must come from one hay of a weird family to be cross-bred with a horse, speak in Silver Tongues with non-pony visitors and wear homemade boots with a Sticktight on them! Then, Twilight remembered their other mystery. “But Princess, somehow…whatever attacked her, trying to eat her…we’ve never seen anything like that this close to Ponyville before. And for such a…well, a strange pony to be the only victim like this in years…sorry, but I don’t think that’s just a coincidence. I get the feeling it’s not just any hungry carnivore deciding to break the law! Like the doctor said, whatever bit her looked like it tried to murder her first…” The princess frowned. “That…is a point I suppose. I must-” Suddenly, there was a bang and sound of the library door swinging open on squeaking hinges as Applejack barged in through the front door, obviously in a hurry. “Twi!! I just foun’…found…” her voice trailed off, stunned, as she recognized the library’s other visitor. She immediately began to shiver and dropped into a low bow. Twilight knew royalty often made Applejack nervous. “Yah Highness…” She smiled down at the orange earth pony. “Dear Applejack! How lovely to see you again!” That greeting and the ever-present sweetness in the princess’ voice naturally brought a deep blush to Applejack’s cheeks. Despite everything, Twilight and Spike couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly at her shyness. The unicorn had exactly the same disposition when she first became the princess’ student all those years ago, but Applejack was full-grown and must have met the princess at least a dozen times since Twilight first arrived in Ponyville. Twilight supposed the farmer was exactly what they had in mind when they invented the word ‘humble’. “I-it’s mighty kind o’ yah ta say that, yah Highness,” Applejack mumbled, keeping her eyes glued to the floor in front of her. “Ah’m terribly sorry, I didn’ mean ta disturb y’all…but I foun’ somethin’ strange out a’ the Acres. Somethin’ ah thought must be part o’ wha’ happen to tha’ mare in hospital!” She nodded over her shoulder to the large saddlebag she was wearing. Something bulky and metallic was poking out of it. It looked solid and very heavy - though for a pony as strong as Applejack, it probably wasn’t too much to carry it around. Princess Celestia’s eyes narrowed. Wordlessly, her horn glowed and she lifted the large, twisted, metallic object from the orange pony’s saddlebag. Applejack cautiously slid back and trotted over to stand next to Spike as they stared at the thing, “Ah ain’t never seen anythin’ like that before in these parts, Twilight…” That wasn’t surprising. The hunk of metal was long, but burnt and twisted shapeless. The metal was scorched, dark and smoky, and looked like it had melted in at least three places. It was obviously hard though, and wouldn’t have melted easily. A large lump grew from one end of the tube, making it look suspiciously like a club, but the shaft was not straight and had curled over from the heat. It looked sharp in places too, with vicious prongs sticking out of it at irregular intervals. “That doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen either,” Twilight frowned. “Do you know what it is, princess? Princess?” Celestia was staring hard at the object and her eyes were wider than usual. When she replied, her voice was slightly throaty and slurred. “I-I’m afrrraid not, Twilight Shhparkle…” she frowned then, narrowing her eyes slightly, “bu-but, it looksh liike…” Her horn glowed more intensely, and then, suddenly, the soot flew off the object as though somepony had just dragged a giant scouring brush across it, and the blackened metal seemed to brighten and clear before their eyes. And in moments, the whole library was bathed in a pale blue light. Spike squinted and groaned before averting his eyes, “That makes me see spots…” Nopony answered him – they were all too busy staring. The large screw-shaped thing was made of some luminous pale metal that seemed to shine almost blue and let out a low, sonorous hum as it floated in mid-air. As they stared and stared at the growing glow emanating from the object, Twilight noticed something. There was a familiar crackle in the air. She snapped her head around and saw. The princess’ eyes were wider than she had ever seen them, her mouth was open, and she seemed to be drooling slightly as she stared at the thing. Twilight’s magical instincts kicked in and she lit up her horn, and was almost immediately aware of the terrible sucking sensation in the air and its grip on the princess. “OH NO!!!“ Twilight screamed, realizing what was happening. She quickly galloped over to the princess and clamped her magic down on her horn, pushing hard and trying to shatter the princess’s divining spell. But it was no good – Celestia was immensely powerful and probably nopony in the world could ever hope to shatter her spells. “What’s happenin’, Twi?!” Applejack sounded afraid. “It’s the thing!” Twilight shouted over the growing hum in the air, still trying to get a grip on Celestia’s spell. “It’s mesmerized the princess! We’ve got to stop it now!!!” She grit her teeth, “It’ll drain all the magic right out of her if we don’t!” Applejack gasped, and promptly cantered over to the glowing thing. She turned around and gave it the strongest buck she could, but all that did was make it spin in the air, still locked in place by the levitation spell. The orange earth pony cried out in dismay and looked around wildly, before her eyes drifted to the rug on the floor. “I’ve got it!” she shouted at precisely the same time Spike said the same words. The little dragon ran forwards at the metal thing before Twilight could stop him and took a deep breath. Applejack pulled the rug up off the floor (upending the stand and poor flower vase perched on top of it). Twilight saw what was about to happen and yelled. Too late. Applejack threw the rug over the glowing thing…just as Spike belched flame all over it. There was the rumble and hiss of every inch of rug catching fire all at once, and Applejack dropped what was left of the carpet with a yelp, stomping on the flaming mass as the library filled with the smell of burning fabric and ozone. The unicorn groaned, redoubling her efforts to pull at the princess’ spell. But then, as the acrid stench of burning carpet reached them, Celestia wrinkled her nose. Her eyes refocused and she squeezed them shut, gritting her teeth and slowly forcing her head to the side as though it took a great effort. The glow in her horn went out, and - with a dull, metallic thrummm - so did the blue glow in the metal, darkening back to a light, translucent grey. It thumped heavily down onto the floor in front of Applejack, who backed away immediately. It looked no more impressive than before. Despite most of the soot and detritus gone, it was still a twisted, sad-looking, oversized screw. The Royal Princess of Equestria turned and lowered her head, breathing heavily and with her mane slightly askew. “Princess, are you alright?!” Twilight grabbed hold of her leg. “I’m fine, my dear student. It’s only…” Celestia closed her eyes slowly. “Spike, might I trouble you for some water?” Spike, wide-eyed and obviously afraid, bolted for the kitchen at once while the princess took several deep breaths and smoothed her mane back into place with one hoof, taking care to avoid looking at the thing on the floor. When Spike rushed back and handed her a full glass, the princess levitated it up and drained it in one gulp before lowering her head and taking a deep, weary breath. “That…object is made of a rare metal called valaethium. When divined or otherwise hit directly with magic, it mesmerizes the caster and prolongs the spell until the caster manages to gather enough strength of will to look away…” She sighed heavily, “If any unicorn looks at it for too long, they’ll...eventually they won’t even have enough strength left to keep breathing.” At that, Applejack immediately tossed the smoldering remnants of the rug over the metal, to the princess’ grateful nod. “Excuse me, I think I need some air…” Twilight immediately ran for the door and threw it open to the cold winter afternoon, as Celestia nodded gratefully and trotted out. Now, flashing lights, crackling noises, and even the occasional explosion from Twilight’s home/library/arcaneum/mad scientist’s lab had become enough of a regular occurrence in Ponyville that most of the locals out and about rarely paid it any real attention anymore. But the co-Ruler of Equestria striding out the front door in the middle of a snowy afternoon…that was a surprise. Amidst many yelps and squawks of surprise and squeals of delight from fillies and colts on their way home from school, Twilight, Applejack, Spike, and the princess all found themselves surrounded by an enormous crowd, all vying to come near them for just a moment of their beloved ruler’s time. “Princess, you’re the greatest!” one earth pony colt declared, clambering onto her back and doing his best to hug Celestia’s neck. “Princess, please teach me how to do magic like you do for Miss Twilight Sparkle!” begged a tearful little unicorn as her mother tried to hush her and pull her back. “I try so hard, but I can never get my horn to work!” The princess looked at the little unicorn, and gave a short smile. It was perhaps not much of a gesture, but no-one knew better than Twilight that nopony could promise as much through one little smile as Princess Celestia could. The filly was simply too young for her magical ability to have manifested yet. But somehow, Twilight guessed the young unicorn would never doubt her magic as she grew up - not if she believed she had the princess’ invisible eye watching over her. She wouldn’t of course, but even the belief would make all the difference…and Celestia knew it. “I’m sorry about this, princess,” Twilight muttered, embarrassed. “I should’ve warned you.” Celestia turned to face her with a slightly weary smile. “No, it’s quite alright, Twilight Sparkle. I suppose I should have expected this with it being the end of school hours. Only in my haste to remove myself…” she shook her head and lowered it to nuzzle a little yellow colt hugging her leg. “Perhaps it is a good thing anyway. I should be spending more time amongst my loyal subjects in Ponyville.” Twilight then gulped as one little pegasus filly managed to hover high enough to pluck the Celestial Crown from her head and perch it precariously on her own before the weight dragged her back to the ground. “I’m Printheth Thelesthia!” the little filly declared, striking the most adorable regal pose in Equestrian history, holding a hoof to her chest as she balanced on her hind legs, “and I declare thath all nasthy thaladths are banned from thkool and every filly getth free candy for lunch every day!” she said, much to the laughter of the ponies all around her. That was too much for the princess, who lost her regal composure and broke down laughing at the filly’s antics, seemingly unfazed by the loss of her crown. “Do I really sound like that, little one? Now, now, be careful with your candy,” she stroked the beaming filly’s mane before levitating her crown back on. “You don’t want all your little teeth to fall out now, do you? * The crowd of admiring natives had taken the better part of an hour to allow the princess to leave, cheering and heaping praise on her the whole way to the hospital. Princess Celestia had decided all she had left to do now was issue her royal authority for their mysterious mare to be taken to Cloudsdale. “After all, there is no need to panic yet, am I right?” But the sweating and hysterical Doctor Needles had soon disabused them of that notion when they stepped inside. And now, the Life Flight doctor was opening the entrance to the Ponyville Hospital emergency ward with his head bowed respectfully, admitting Twilight and the princess while Applejack waited outside. Twilight flinched at the sight before them, and could have sworn Celestia had almost done the same. Their mysterious horse-pony-whatever was attached to all kinds of wires and plastic pipes, swathed in bandages and splints. Her barrel had been splinted in two places, but, thankfully, it looked like her swollen back hadn’t been broken. Bandages covered most of her coat, several of them beginning to spot with blood. One of her eyes was still closed, the other hidden behind a bandage, but a mask was attached to her face, the steady inflation and deflation of the respirator matching the slight rise and fall of her ribs. The gentle blip of an irregular heart rate echoed throughout the ward. At least she’s still alive then. But that was probably the best that could be said. Half a dozen doctors were galloping back and forth screaming at each other, while another few had sunk onto their rumps, their heads in their hooves, obviously despairing. Even Nurse Redheart was stomping frantically and yelling for a unicorn to charge the defibrillator. The commotion faltered, but only for a moment, as the staff recognized their visitor… Celestia’s face fell and her eyes tightened as she gazed at their patient. “How does it appear, doctor?” He pressed his small spectacles up on his muzzle and sighed before answering. “She seems to be failing, Your Highness. Major internal organs are starting to shut down, and survival seems unlikely. Lung and heart failure are inevitable. By your royal authority, we could prepare to move her to Cloudsdale HQ and commence emergency magical assistance at once…though I fear we may not have that much time left…” The princess looked closely at the patient - letting her eyes roam over the single visible eye, swollen horse-back, long legs, the still-attached boots – then at the staff – flustered, exhausted, and despairing… …and her face flickered and hardened as though she had made a decision. “There is no need. Stand back, my ponies!” At the command and the sight of the princess’ horn lighting up, most of the doctors and nurses scrambled away from the operating station as the alicorn began to glow with a soft blue light. “Princess!” Twilight’s eyes widened as she realized what she was about to do. “But…you just…that metal!!” She did not reply. Her eyes were firmly locked on the dying mare and her wings were spread, her horn alight with energy. As the intensity of the light around her grew, Celestia’s features became obscured by the brilliance, and her pupils vanished in the glare, giving her an eerie white-eyed, angelic appearance. A deep hum resonated in the air at the intensity of the alicorn princess’ power. “Miss Twilight Sparkle!” the doctor had gone pale and was watching the scene with wide eyes. “That spell…if she uses too much at once, that spell will…” Twilight knew, but she also knew there was no stopping the princess now. Princess…if anypony can do it, you can. Right? All at once, the blaze of light from the princess’ horn engulfed the dying mare, forcing everypony in the room to look away. When the light faded again, Twilight opened her eyes… For just a moment, the patient’s single visible eye fluttered open - a deep yellow orb full of confusion and pain - before the eyelid closed over it again. The blip of a steady heartbeat began to sound again. Celestia slowly retracted her wings as the last of her spell gave out, breathing deeply and seemingly heavy on her hooves. She stumbled slightly, and Twilight quickly cantered over to hold her up with her back. “Princess…are you alright?!” She shook her head slightly. “I am quite tired, my dear student. But it was worth it.” She looked at their patient, breathing shallowly on the bed. The doctors were looking at her in amazement, mute respect for the princess in their eyes. One or two of the traumatized nurse mares even looked like they were about to burst into tears. The head doctor bowed deeply, “Thank you ever so much, Your Highness. You saved this poor mare’s life. By your leave, we will take her to Cloudsdale HQ as soon as we can.” Celestia nodded wearily, “See that you do. I can heal the living, doctor, but I cannot raise the dead…” Her eyes softened as she stared at the patient, “and this poor mare has suffered more than anypony here knows.” * “What did you mean, Princess?” With the sky beginning to darken, Princess Celestia decided to take her leave and fly back to Canterlot. She spread her wings as she turned to look at Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle…when I healed that mare, I felt many old injuries, blood and flesh that remembered pain and suffering. Her body could not give details, but the spirit I held in my arms was pale and screaming in agony…” Celestia’s eyes were full of sadness and she seemed to sag slightly - not appearing anything like her normal self and obviously exhausted. “At first I thought perhaps this injured visitor was just that…an injured visitor who had an unfortunate meeting with a hungry predator but…” she frowned. “After Applejack’s artifact, and after seeing her for myself, here in Ponyville…I am not so sure. Please continue to watch over this poor mare, my dear student, and write what she can tell you when she awakens. I have a notion it will be vital for me to know…” She then straightened and adopted a more business-like tone, “Also, Applejack’s find…if you plan on studying it further…” she smiled, “…as I don’t doubt you will with your insatiable curiosity, my dear student…take care to research it first. It could be quite dangerous…” “The metal thing…the vol-valer…uh…got it, valaethium! Of course, I’ll be careful! Do you still think it’s a coincidence, princess?” She smiled again, “My dear student…why, I never believed it was a coincidence! I have lived long enough to stop believing in coincidence...” And she nuzzled Twilight’s cheek tenderly before taking flight. * Hooves pounded repeatedly into the rock, but for every ‘thumm’ of a steel horseshoe came the answering, equally-menacing ‘thud-clack’ of the enemy’s clawed feet. There was no doubt; they were awake – wide awake and eager. Anger made them smart. Hunger made them smarter. But before they could charge and start tearing into each other, the roar caught them all off guard. As if from nowhere, the great beast appeared in their midst. Its agonized roaring seared their eardrums and shook the very earth. What does it want here? She opened her eye, but all she could see was a blurry wall of white. Am I dead?