“Luna is still not back yet. It has been four days!” Maeve huffed as she threw herself down into a chair, mindful not to bump her arm. She scowled for the sake of scowling, her eyes narrowed, and she let out a frustrated groan.
There was a terrible itch in Maeve’s arm. It had reached the point of being almost unbearable. At least the medicine was no longer giving her a rash or the hives and she wasn’t walking around on itchy feet.
Red, who had spent the morning with her, was now gone, off to attend his own lessons. Princess Celestia was busy looking after new students and getting them situated so that when the fall came, they would be ready when school started. There was no one around. No one to go to. No one to talk to.
Maeve suffered one childish thought of going out and causing trouble, but thought better of it right away. Heaving a sigh, she realised that she was going to have to entertain herself, something easier said than done.
She rose from her chair, wobbled to regain her balance, grabbed her sunhat, stuffed it down upon her head, and then made her way to the door. There had to be something to do, and Maeve was determined to avoid trouble while she went looking for it.
Feeling a little lightheaded, Maeve wondered what it was they had given her for pain relief. They had ceased the injections, but had started something else. It came in the form of a brownie, baked to perfection. It was easier to deal with than whatever had been in the injections.
Maeve watched as a butterfly went fluttering past, an enchanted grin of delight upon her face. She lurched after the butterfly, following as it went on its butterfly errands, and Maeve waited, patient and calm, while the butterfly stopped to sample a flower.
Still following the butterfly, Maeve passed by a guard standing in a cubby that existed in the castle wall, a little nook that kept the guard pony out of the sun, out of the rain, and comfortable. She reached out and patted him on the nose, smiling as she did so, and kept going after the butterfly.
“Have a nice day,” Maeve said to the guard as she departed.
This section of the garden was unfamiliar to Maeve. It was distant from the castle, out closer to the hedge maze. The hedge maze confused Maeve a great deal. Standing down below Canterlot and looking up at the city perched near the top of the mountain, it didn’t look like there was very much room at all. She had seen Canterlot from Ponyville.
Ponyville. Maeve shuddered. That was an unpleasant memory.
Walking along the wall, Maeve found a gate. It was a narrow gate, rather short. Maeve seemed to recall that there were gates called servant’s gates. Looking around, Maeve checked to see if she was being watched. She couldn’t see anypony, but she suspected that she was being watched.
Reaching out her right hand, she pushed down on the latch of the gate, something that would have been easy for a hoof to open. It was well oiled and didn’t even squeak. Maeve pushed the gate open. The gate only rose to Maeve’s hips, it was just big enough for a pony.
Hunkering down, Maeve squat-walked through the gate. On the other side she found a hidden garden that was well cared for. It was shady, there were trees, and the sound of flowing water reached Maeve’s ears. There was a dirt path that meandered through the grass.
Maeve decided to follow it. Eyes wide, she started forwards, enjoying the coolness of this hidden place. The plants were all overgrown here, but still cared for. It was almost like a jungle, or perhaps some other kind of forest that Maeve wasn’t familiar with, but some place exotic, like she had read in a book.
On the side of the path there was a wooden sign. Looking down, Maeve read the words on the sign out loud. “Sunset Shimmer’s Sanctuary. No colts!”
Reaching up, Maeve scratched her chin with her right hand. After a moment’s reflective pause, Maeve continued forwards, walking between the trees, her nose and lungs filled with the scent of vegetation.
Peeking out from between the trees ahead there was a teeny, tiny stone cottage. A playhouse, the roof coming no higher than Maeve’s chest. It seemed as though it was in good repair. The wooden shingles on the roof were all in order and none of them looked rotted. There were windows, each of them had glass. There was a little door with a curved top half. The cottage even had a thin chimney sticking out from one side.
A few feet away from the front door was a water well, which was also in good repair. There was a winch and a bucket. The rope looked well preserved. The wooden shingles on the well’s roof were all in good repair.
Seeing how well everything was made, Maeve began to realise this wasn’t a playhouse. This was a miniature house, made with love and a high attention to detail. It was also being maintained, or at least, Maeve thought it was. The crimson and gold paint on the door as well as the windows didn’t look dried out and cracked.
Maeve could hear burbling, running water, but she didn’t know where it was coming from. She looked around, feeling a little slow and sleepy. It was nice and cool here. The trees formed a canopy that blocked the sun. Maeve took off her hat, rolled it up, and stuffed it into a pocket.
Maeve hoped that Sunset Shimmer, whomever she was, didn’t mind a little look around. At least, Maeve reasoned that Sunset Shimmer was a she. Having a sign that said ‘no colts’ didn’t make much sense otherwise.
Kneeling down, Maeve tested the door. It opened without effort on well oiled hinges. Maeve peered inside. There was no way she could stand up inside of this place. Some ponies would even have a hard time. This place had been made for a foal. Hunkered down, Maeve waddled forwards into the tiny cottage.
Against the far wall there was a brass bed, still made. A quilt and sheets were visible. A pillow with a pillow case rested at the head of the bed. There was a small sofa, a loveseat, two cushions side by side, and beside the sofa was a bookshelf, which still had books. There was a fireplace and a large stone hearth. There were a few small pieces of iron cookware and a kettle. There was a table in the far corner and cushions on the floor around the table.
In the center of the room there was a fine rug that was only somewhat threadbare.
“Somehow, I am not surprised to find you here.”
Shrieking in terror, Maeve stood up, moving at great speed, and smashed her head into the ceiling. She felt something hot and wet running down the back of her scalp. She saw an explosion of stars, let out a cry, wobbled, and started to fall over.
And then, there was nothing.
“I think she’s coming around.”
That voice was familiar. That was Doctor Greycrest. Maeve blinked her eyes and the light made them sting, filling them with tears. She was laying in a bed and her head was on a fluffy pillow. She was covered by a thin blanket.
“I don’t think she’ll need stitches for that laceration on her scalp, but I reserve the right to be wrong. I don’t want to cut away her pretty hair. I rubbed some restorative elixir over the wound, the same stuff we’ve been using on her arm.”
“What happened?” Maeve asked.
“You hit your head and it is entirely my fault. Sorceress Maeve, I am so sorry,” Princess Celestia replied as she stepped closer to Maeve’s bed.
“I was in a cottage… how did you know I was out there?” Maeve’s vision cleared up a bit and she could see Princess Celestia looming over her. The princess looked worried and she was chewing her lip.
“There are alarms on the gate.” Princess Celestia paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. “Sorceress Maeve, that is a very special place. One of my former castle wreckers stayed there when she needed time to herself, time to think, time to get her thoughts together, time to study. I keep the place in good order because I know that one day, she will return home, and she will need a secure place, a place of refuge, so that she can heal. That is a place familiar to her.”
“I understand.” Maeve gave a little nod, causing the pillowcase to crinkle beneath her head. “It is a nice place. I wasn’t going to mess anything up, honest. I was just having a look.”
“Do not worry, little one.” Standing beside Maeve’s bed, Princess Celestia felt a few tears lurking in the corners of her eyes. “She is very dear to me, that castle wrecker. Every day I worry for her and long for her return.”
“You must really love her.” Using her right hand, Maeve lifted herself up into a sitting position and looked around. Doctor Greycrest was gone now, Maeve was not certain when he had left. She felt groggy and her head hurt quite a bit. She groaned as as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her right arm around them.
“I do.” Princess Celestia heaved a sorrowful sigh. “Just like I love you. I feel bad for causing you to hit your head. Maeve, you keep getting hurt. This has to end somehow. I think I am going to have a suit of armor commissioned for your protection.”
In spite of her pain, Maeve giggled. She looked up at Princess Celestia, a smile on her face, and reached out her right hand. She touched Celestia’s cheek, her fingers lingering, feeling the soft, warm, fuzzy velvet of Celestia’s muzzle.
Leaning her head into Maeve’s touch, Princess Celestia was glad for this moment. Moments like these were rare, and she cherished Maeve’s affection. “Sorceress Maeve, would you like to come and have a late lunch with me?”
“Food sounds good. I’m starving. Been kinda hungry for a while.” Maeve let her fingers continue to linger on Celestia’s cheek. “What happened to Sunset Shimmer?”
“Sunset Shimmer one day decided that a little mischief was not enough. She gave an earnest effort towards wrecking my castle. Her mind was clouded by anger, hate, jealousy, and the lust for power. I could not save her from herself.” Princess Celestia heaved a sigh and took comfort from the touch of the hand upon her cheek, the soft kneading movement of Maeve’s fingertips. “She is gone now, but I do so hope that she will return one day. I have nothing but high hopes that she will come to her senses.”
“I don’t want power.” Maeve shook her head. “But I will admit, I do get a certain thrill from my magic sometimes. I would never want to hurt anybody though.”
Princess Celestia’s mind thought of her first meeting with Maeve. Maeve had just stepped through the glowing rift with Luna just behind her. Maeve was covered in blood, drenched, soaked from top to bottom. The blood had scabbed into a rust coloured mess, and the whites of Maeve’s eyes had stood out in sharp contrast. Maeve’s hair, thick with blood, had turned into a sort of crude helmet, and there was a crown upon her head.
The words ‘I would never want to hurt anybody though’ rang in Celestia’s mind. Maeve was capable of doing it, but still had a gentle soul. Princess Celestia hoped that Maeve would never be placed in a position where Maeve had to hurt something, because Princess Celestia knew that Maeve would, and would do so without hesitation.
“Can you get out of the bed, Maeve?” Celestia asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” Maeve replied. She looked up at the alicorn standing at her bedside. “I’m sorry that you lost your student. I know that I am Luna’s student, but you teach me a lot of stuff as well… I don’t think that Luna would mind sharing me. I could be your student too… I would never turn on you. You’ve been really good to me and while Luna is a very dear friend to me, you act sort of like you’re my mother.”
It was difficult to breathe all of a sudden. Princess Celestia felt a tightness in her barrel. She gasped a few times, trying to contain her emotion, and then felt her eyes watering. It took effort to maintain her serene mask and calm demeanour. “Maeve, let us go and get some lunch, shall we? We can talk while we are eating. Let me help you get out of bed.”