//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 // Story: Luna's Lacunae // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// “How is she?” Princess Celestia asked in a low voice. She looked down, watching as the nurse glanced at Maeve’s door. The nurse looked nervous, and Celestia found herself wondering what was wrong. “Well, we’ve been trying different healing salves… we found one that sort of worked, but there were side effects.” The nurse cleared her throat. “A healing compound that works well on minotaurs worked well for Maeve, but there was some kind of allergic reaction. The burns look better but now she is covered in hives and a terrible rash.” “I see.” Princess Celestia offered a kind smile to the nervous little pony before her. “No restoration of lost fingers though. A shame really. But there is new skin already growing over the stump. The salve did a pretty good job of stimulating new tissue growth.” The nurse, seeing Princess Celestia’s smile, felt a little better and some of her nervousness eased. “Thank you, nurse.” Princess Celestia began to push open the door. The room was sunny, cheerful, had several floral arrangements, including some meant to be eaten, but Maeve only ate flowers to be silly. The oxygen tent was gone, much to Princess Celestia’s surprise. She stood in the door, taking in all she saw. Maeve was sitting up in the bed, her bandage wrapped arm propped up on a cushion. The girl looked groggy and she was having trouble holding her head up, but that didn’t stop her from trying to look at her visitor. One eyebrow was missing, the left, and some of Maeve’s frizzy hair had been singed. Beside Maeve, comfortable in a chair, Red Russet was curled up. There was a faint smell of something almost like candy, and Red was chewing something. He looked at Princess Celestia, his mane spilling down over his eyes. “Don’t be angry with Luna,” Maeve said in a wavering voice. Confused, Princess Celestia could not figure out what Maeve meant. She blinked, trying take in Maeve’s words, trying to ascertain their meaning, and failed. She shook her head. “Why would I be upset with my sister, Luna?” “She didn’t mean for this to happen… she was trying to teach me magic,” Maeve said as her head fell back upon her pillows. “We’ll give you some super sour taffy if you’ll forgive Luna.” Red’s head turned and he looked at a small paper bag on the bedside table. “Princess Luna is not at fault for this. This was an accident. There can be no blame.” Princess Celestia strode forward, entering the room, allowing the door to shut behind her. “But I will take a piece of candy, if I may.” Opening the bag, Princess Celestia pulled out something wrapped in green paper. On the green paper, there was a crying green apple, it’s face contorted into a grimace. The words Apple Anguish! were printed on the wrapper. Indifferent to such advertising, heeding no warning, Princess Celestia committed an act of hubris, unaware, believing that candy was candy, and that being eons old, she had seen everything under the sun. She peeled away the paper, took one final glance at the cartoonish apple, and then popped the piece of taffy in her mouth. Princess Celestia heard a soft giggle, she was not sure who it came from. Her mouth went dry as desert sand, and then flooded with slobber in a most unprincessly way. She could feel terrible tension in her jaws, her cheeks felt tight, and it was so sour that it almost felt like it burned. Experiencing a terrible loss of control, Princess Celestia’s whole face contorted, her lips puckered, and she experienced full body shudders that caused her wings to snap outwards. Undaunted, refusing to be beaten down by a piece of candy of all things, Princess Celestia began to chew, while trying to keep from slobbering all over herself as her lips went numb. The regal alicorn became aware of the fact that her ears were flapping in a manner most befitting a hummingbird. There was more giggling now, lots more giggling, and there could be no mistake, there was girlish giggling mixed in with coltish giggling. The sourness was electric; it was like licking a thunderhead and getting shocked. Princess Celestia could see that Maeve was smiling and laughing in the bed, and, as much as Celestia was suffering, she was glad that Maeve was feeling better. Determined, Princess Celestia continued chewing, the taffy was a worthy foe and Celestia was not one for surrender. What were foals eating these days? Princess Celestia asked herself as she squeezed her eyes shut. There was something in the center of the taffy that was even more sour, it made her whole tongue feel as though it would shrivel up and die. There was nothing apple flavoured about this taffy in the slightest. The giggling little hooligans had offered her a piece of candy to forgive Luna… this candy was almost an act of war. “I like the Ghoulish Grape flavour,” Red said as he watched Princess Celestia have fits. “Maeve likes the Raging Raspberry ones.” Fearing the unknown, Princess Celestia wondered what sort of horror the lemon flavoured taffies must hold. Still chewing, Celestia could feel her gums tingling and there was a strange buzzing in her sinuses. She watched as Red unwrapped a purple piece of taffy and pop the square of chewy candy in his mouth. Celestia felt her heart sink as the colt suffered no visible ill effects, gnawing on his candy, slurping, and smacking his lips. How? At long last, Princess Celestia swallowed, which did nothing. The flavour lingered behind. She swallowed again, cleared her throat, and then was seized by a morbid desire to try another piece of candy. “I feel bad,” Maeve said in a weak voice. “I ruined our vacation.” “Yes, and now, you will be back to ruining my castle.” Princess Celestia cleared her throat again and then let out a tiny, polite cough. “I can try to be careful,” Maeve offered. “Maeve, this place was far too quiet while you were gone. For a time, I thought I was going to have to take on another personal student to liven the place up. I am glad you are back.” Celestia paused and endured the clenching muscles in her jaw. “Just do try and be careful, dear. It pains me to see you hurting.”