//------------------------------//
// The Equine Equation  
// Story: Artemis Fowl and the land of Equestria 
// by William Van Auger 
//------------------------------//

 “Doctor, this one’s coming around.”
Artemis’ head was swimming. Cloudy shapes moved through his vision and his temples pounded.
Even though he had heard the words, he had no idea what they meant. 
“Celestia was clear. They are not to wake up until she is ready. Double the sedative, the other one too”
“Are you crazy? They are already getting double the recommended dose. Are you trying to kill them?”
Artemis tried to move his arms and found them restrained. He could hear the bleep of a heart monitor off to his right. He forced his mind to concentrate on the noise turning his head to the source.
“We don’t even know what their recommended dose is. Double the dose now”
Something moved passed his bed and every muscle in his body relaxed at once. He made another futile effort to stand before blacking out once more.

It was a couple of hours before the sedative wore off. By that time, the room was empty. Artemis opened his eyes and looked around the room.
At first, he thought that he was blindfolded but as he regained more of his cognitive functions, he realised that the room was completely unlit. It took a moment for his eyes to adapt to the light. He could see Holly’s outline on the other side of the room. He tried to stand before remembering that his arms were restrained.
“Holly” he whispered, “Are you alright?”
Holly did not answer. Artemis remembered something about sedatives. He was a fair amount taller than Holly not to mention a different species, it was reasonable to assume that she would be less resistant to it. 
The heart  monitor told him is pulse was normal. A good thing concerning the circumstances but its presence was far more important than that. It told Artemis that they weren’t in a police station or a prison cell. 
More likely it was a hospital, or at the very least a small clinic. He could even smell the antiseptic.
They want us alive he thought. That is enough for now
The machinery hummed slightly and he felt the narcotics wash through his vanes once more.


Twilight was concerned. Ever since she had woken up in Ponyville urgent care, her time had been devoted trying to research all she could about the new creatures. It was frustrating work especially since Princess Celestia had forbidden them from waking them until she was present. She couldn’t even get permission to study their biology with doctor criticizing her every move. A whole ward had been closed in order to keep everything quiet, only one doctor was allowed to enter the room the creatures were now sleeping in. Other than that, only she and Applejack were allowed to stay. Truth told she was worried and not just about the two visitors. AJ had been feeling depressed after wounding the creature and Rainbow Dash still hadn’t woken up from whatever magic she was hit with. Celestia had told her everything that had happened most disturbing of all is that the creatures supposedly could talk. More importantly, they spoke Equestrian with a thick Canterlot accent.
The main concern was that if they were intelligent enough to talk was it even right to imprison them like this. Celestia should arrive before the end of the day and Twilight wanted to know why she and two of her friends ended up hospitalised.

By the time Celestia arrived at the hospital she had already raised the sun. She wanted to make certain that any royal business had been taken care of before she arrived. Normally Luna would be left in charge of official business while Celestia was away, but Luna had questions to ask herself. Technically, they had arrived at night so it was Luna’s right to be concerned.
It was still quiet in the hospital. Even though the ward was closed, there was still work to be done. It was possible that they are afraid of the creatures. When they were first brought in, three doctors had refused to even enter the room after discovering one of the creatures had a mouth full teeth used for shredding meat. 
The royal sisters met Twilight outside the room the creatures were sleeping in. Celestia had wanted them heavily sedated after the fight in the Everfree forest. While she doubted that they were a threat to her, her first thought must be the safety of her subjects.
Luna agreed to wait outside while Celestia and Twilight interviewed the creatures. She sat in the waiting room for her sister to return.

Twilight had yet to see the creatures up close. Now that she had, she wished she didn’t have to.
The tall one in the black suit seemed pale. Granted she didn’t know what the skin pigment of its species was supposed to look like. Still something seemed ghostly about it.
The other had a black bucket covering its face, some kind of helmet and a dark blue jumpsuit similar to the kind she had seen the Wonder Bolts ware. The helmet itself was jet black but the side of the creatures face was visible underneath a hole where Applejacks kick had connected.
“How long before they wake up princess?”
“The doctor said this one,” she answered nodded in the direction of the taller of the two creatures. “Has been resisting the sedatives for hours Slipping in and out of consciousness all day.  I ordered the sedatives be halted before I arrived so it shouldn’t be long now.”
Already the creature started to wake. Its breathing became more natural and its muscles tensed. It pulled against its restraints as if to test them before slowly opening its eyes.
It looked right at Twilight and Celestia their jaws slowly dropping as they heard it speak.
“You must be joking” it said.

“I’ve gone mad,” Said Artemis, he had seen some strange things in his life and done the impossible on more than one occasion but nothing could prepare him for what he saw.
A purple unicorn was not something you expected to see at the best of times, under these circumstances his brain refused to believe what he was seeing. Standing next to the purple creature was another, this one taller and purest white. It seemed insane that the fact these creatures were genuine unicorns wasn’t the most interesting thing about them. The white’s mane and tail seemed to be made of pure light that flowed as if caught in the wind, though the air inside was still. More impressive still was the fact it could talk.
“I assure you, you are quite sane.”  Its voice sounded like regal with power that made Artemis feel both safe and threatened at the same time.
“The first rule of mental apparitions is to discount everything they say.” He retorted, “Same with dreams, that’s why people in dreams tell you you’re not dreaming.”
“Then what will it take to convince you?” 
Artemis thought carefully about what he wanted. Holly was still asleep despite being off the sedatives for over an hour.
“Let me free” he said cautiously “at least to check on my friend”
“I am afraid I cannot allow that. You are an unknown here. Your actions hospitalised five of my subjects, an action that I cannot forgive. Until we understand you better you are not going anywhere”
“Where do we start?” he asked. Artemis had been in enough interview rooms to know they wouldn’t get anything worthwhile out of him. Still Holly’s condition concerned him. He would play the game for now, and then they would learn what happened to those who crossed Artemis Fowl.

For some reason the purple unicorn was the one conducting the interrogation. Artemis seriously doubted she knew what she was doing. She hadn’t even taken him out of the room for fear of setting him loose. He was still tied to the same bed he had been stuck in all day. The bindings on his wrists were tight and had started to chafe, the raw skin the only thing making the current events remotely plausible. The white unicorn on the other hand sat in the corner with a stern look on her face. Artemis had been bored for hours and he was looking forward to the entertainment.
“What is your name creature?” said the violet creature. It was the first time Artemis had heard her speak. It surprised him that it spoke with a thick American accent and bore such a contrast to the others. 
“It is impolite to ask someone’s name before giving your own.” He replied. The game has begun.
The creature glanced toward the regal figure in the corner who in turn nodded.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle, and yours?”
“Artemis” he replied, stifling a groan at the creatures ridiculous name.
“What about the other one?”
Artemis glanced at Holly’s unconscious figure 
“I will not answer any questions about her”
“So she is female then. What about you?
He cursed the little information he had given. No more he thought as Twilight levitated a notepad and quill and began taking notes franticly.
“I am male. I assume you two are female” 
“Yes. What species are you then? We have never seen creatures like you,”
“I am human”
“I? Not we?”
Artemis quickly corrected his mistake. Still he was surprised she had noticed the subconscious slip. He never been beaten at this game before and he had already betrayed Holly twice. I need to regain the advantage, however slight. His years of experience as a criminal kicked in as he prepared to lie, cheat and steal his way out of the situation. He would answer their questions but he would have his way.
“Ms Sparkle. I propose an exchange. My friend and I have been through a lot, not to mention brought here against our will. I have the right to know why I am being held here.”
Twilight glanced towards the white unicorn again and after a moment of thought nodded slowly.
She holds all the power here realised Artemis 
“I suppose that is acceptable. What do you want to know?”
“Why won’t you let me help my friend?”
“We believe you could be dangerous. Are you Dangerous?”
“Extremely, but not to you.”
“Then why did you attack us?” Artemis saw his chance
“Attack you? You drag me away from my home, chase me through a forest, hurt my friend and try to drown me and you accuse me of attacking you?” Neither of the creatures knew how to respond to that and the child genius allowed himself an internal smirk. He decided not to tell them about his experiment just yet. He still didn’t fully understand the science behind what had happened but it was painfully obvious that he wouldn’t find out without their help.
“It seems we are at an impasse,” said the white unicorn “and we cannot question your friend before she wakes. I will think about it and try to find a solution.”
“Wait, before you go what about you? Who are you and what do you want with us?”
Artemis didn’t get his answer. The white unicorn walked right past him and out of the door. Artemis got a quick glance at a set of wings folded against her sides. Not quite a unicorn he thought that is interesting.

“I miss like this sister”
Celestia paced back and forth in the waiting room considering the situation While Twilight finished her questions.
“I still do not trust these humans.”
“We see no reason why not.” Replied Luna thoughtfully “Would you have acted different if you were taken from your home?”
It had been a long time since Luna had seen Celestia angry. Her expression was shocked as she turned to face her younger sibling.
“That is hardly the point. We have had dealings with their kind before. Or have you forgotten what they did?”
“We remember sister.”
“Clearly not else you would not be so quick to trust them.”
“And yet you are willing to condemn them? That is not the sister we remember. It hath been more than a thousand years since we last saw their kind. We did not even recognise them. They could have changed much since then.”
Celestia’s anger increased. “So you have forgotten. Or perhaps you have forgiven them.”
Luna remained calm as she spoke.
“Is that the kind of ruler you are now sister, no forgiveness and no second chances. Shall we return to our imprisonment then, or will simple banishment suffice this time?”
Celestia looked like Luna had struck her. Her temper subsided as she remembered that Luna was as much ruler as she was
“That was too cruel sister, it is hardly the same. Why do you help them?”
“One good turn deserves another. If you can condemn one human for something that happened centuries ago then perhaps our crime is also unforgivable. I hath seen none of that old evil we learnt to fear and they hath broken no laws. We should be cautious yes, but not cruel else we risk becoming the thing we hate.”
Celestia smiled. She had forgotten her sister’s capacity for kindness in the past millennium.
“Kindness always was your element sister. I suppose you are correct will tell Twilight and see if we can work something out. I do not trust them but neither have they wronged us.”

The violet unicorn had just finished asking questions when the white one returned.
“Twilight, you may untie him now and allow him to help his friend. Then sort out an arrangement for food and a place to stay. We cannot keep the hospital closed indefinitely. I will leave them in your care for now, I must return to Canterlot.”
Before Twilight could respond, she had already gone.
“Not one for conversation is she” quipped Artemis
“She is under a lot of stress.” Twilight responded though she didn’t sound convinced
The bindings on Artemis’ wrists became enveloped in purple light before vanishing. 
He silently rubbed his wrists were the rope had bit into his flesh before standing. He felt a guilty satisfaction as the unicorn back away nervously as he crossed the room to Holly’s bed.
Her helmet had completely caved in on the right side. A gaping hole in the visor reviled the skin beneath. Artemis carefully ran his hands around the seams of the helmet until he found what he was looking for, a small button along the jaw line. Normally there would have been a hiss as the helmets airtight seal was broken. The silence was eerie and only served to heighten Artemis concern as
Holly’s face was unmarked. When a fairy was rendered unconscious, their magic essentially ran on autopilot healing everything from head to toe. In this case, Holly’s magic would have also tried to burn the narcotics out of her system. It might even have tried to regenerate the damage to her suit. Depending on how quickly she was taken to the hospital, she might not have been able to completely heal her injuries before being pumped full of drugs.
Once Artemis got a clear look at the damage, he began to relax. While a large bruise dominated the majority of her face, she was breathing steadily and her heart rate was normal.
Her eyes opened slowly. She looked dizzy but alive.
“Wha- what happened?”
“Try not to move Holly. We are safe for now. You were hurt in the forest and didn’t have enough magic to fix everything.”
Holly didn’t hear him answer. She was far too distracted by the presence of a strange purple creature staring at her with huge intelligent eyes.
“I must still be dreaming,” she said finally
“Afraid not, there is a lot to explain. Ms Sparkle, would you mind staying to explain everything? I’m sure she has some questions.”

Holly had finished asking questions as the sun was starting to set.
Artemis was looking forward to being out of hospital but he and Holly had agreed to spend the night there while Twilight sorted out a place for them to stay.
After Artemis had told the unicorn about what sort of food they ate she left and locked the door behind her leaving Holly and Artemis alone. Artemis seized the opportunity to form a plan.
“What do you think?” he asked, “how much trouble are we in?”
“I don’t know Artemis. We haven’t ever been in a situation like this before.”
“What about the book? I seem to remember a chapter mentioning unicorns.”
The elf shook her head “all it has is a page about extinct races.”
The genius was at a loss. It was obvious they were no longer in Ireland. He was also certain they weren’t anywhere underground. Could they have travelled in time? He had done it before but never that far. 
“I don’t think it is a case of what we should tell them,” he said. “It’s more like how much”
“Well the book forbids betraying the people and their secrets, but that only applies to humans. I suppose technically they are a fairy race, and we are trespassing here. Perhaps we should just tell the truth”
Artemis shuddered at the thought, bringing an end to the conversation. He hadn’t eaten for more twenty-four hours and he was starting to feel the strain.
They both decided to see how it went in the morning as they found themselves an uneasy night’s sleep.

Twilight returned to the library and immediately began searching through books and scrolls. She knew the human wasn't being entirely honest with her. She felt certain that princess Celestia was hiding something too. Through the hundreds of books in her study, she found not one reference to humans. Searching for the name Artemis only tuned up a reference to a pony that had lived before Equestria had been founded. The room she had just cleaned that morning quickly became filled with discarded books.
She decided to call it quits for the night, heading up stairs as quietly as possible to avoid waking her assistant. Upon seeing another book on her bed, she let out a sigh of frustration until she saw the cover. The newest edition of Daring Do released that week. It was completely unremarkable but something on the cover caught her eye. The art on the cover showed a distorted drawing of a creature remarkably similar to the Humans in the hospital above the writhing ‘Daring Do and the lost colony.’
Confusion took hold as she turned the book over to read the synopsis.

“Daring Do finds reference to a lost civilisation thought long dead, but as she searches through the empty tombs she learns she is not alone. A lone survivor with a fascinating story to tell, but she will soon find that some knowledge is best left buried.”

Turning back to the front, she stared intently at the distorted picture willing it to become clearer. Was that even possible, no, it couldn’t be. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Still it wouldn’t hurt to look into it when she had more time. She lay the book aside and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. 


(A/N I am really unsure about a huge amount of this chapter. Some feedback would be well thanked as I’m considering rewriting the whole thing. I would also like to apologise for the Daring Do part. It does make sense to me but it feels very cheesy and I might cut it entirely. other than that while this is not the first story i have written it is the first time i have done any extended dialog and might need some constructive moaning to get me on track.)