Lingering Chaos

by nightelf37

A Frightening Prognosis

Since perspectives are about to change a bit quickly without changing scenes, I'm gonna add notes on whose perspective the story is in at the moment.

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POV: Mystic Shield

"Master. I'm sorry we failed our mission, but there's something in that forest acting against us, something more powerful than you thought. And before we were ambushed, we crossed a border deep in the forest. Past it was utter chaos, the kind that we thought was sealed away with Discord."

"It was expanding, the border," Chrono Cards spoke up from his bed. "It will reach Ponyville and will not stop if someone doesn't go in there to put an end to the source."

Once his students finished speaking, Mystic was deep in thought. Normally, this would be a job for the keepers of the Elements, or even Chronicle, who was a very experienced fighter. He even supposedly confronted Discord in extended combat, although Mystic doubted that was true, even after seeing him in action. But with them away in Canterlot, it was up to Mystic Shield to "hold down the fort". And anyone else who wished to help him was welcome.

''Though seeing your friends here would make me discourage going into the woods…if they're right, there might not be enough time and certainly not enough room in the hospital. But if any of you will go...so will I," Graceful Breeze volunteered.

Turning to the nurse, Mystic nodded in thanks, then turned to Tango, awaiting his answer.

"Sure. I was going to head into the forest on my own anyways," Tango agreed easily. "Can't leave without seeing if there's anything that might mess with business."

Greatstone smirked at the brave ponies ready to fight and said, "Then I'm coming with you!"

Grace was quick to shut down the idea with a stern word. "No. You're already badly injured, if anything else happens to you, it could disable you for life… if not worse. Until you recover, you're staying here." Her voice turned kind again. "Now you should get some rest. You'll feel better."

"I concur with Ms. Breeze here," agreed Mystic. "Leave this matter to me." He then gave a sigh. "If only he was here, he could've handled the situation easily. But he's in Canterlot, so it's my…unofficial and personal…responsibility."

"Then let me help you out differently," Greatstone offered. "There are things in that forest. Unnatural things. I think you need to know about them."

---

POV: Ashen Rise

Umph. Okay, so you're not that little, Ashen thought to herself as she noticed she underestimated the pale mare's weight.

After a bit of searching, she found the room where Grace and the mare on her back's probable friends should be, which was proven correct when she entered only to be caught off-guard by a rather...odd statement.

"Oh dear. I didn't think the little miss was that badly off," the black and red unicorn said regretfully as he stepped forward to lend the hooded mare a hoof. "I know my flank is uncommonly magnificent, but this is the first time anypony seriously injured themselves running into it."

"…Okay…" She falls silent for a few seconds at the sheer awkwardness of what he just said. I'm just going to ignore that last bit for my sanity's sake.

After turning away and walking to the nearest empty bed as she levitated the smaller unicorn off of her back and onto the bed, she spoke up again. "She's fine, I think. should just be unconscious. I had to get a joint back into it's socket and it seems she couldn't really take the..stress." After she was done with that, she turned to the colt who spoke up to her. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. She'll probably complain about her leg but it should heal a lot quicker now. Putting bones back into place is never done without somepony—usually the patient—screaming their lungs out, but instead she just fell over." She shrugged at the memory, causing her cloak to jump a bit.

After making sure the other mare was in a comfortable position, Ashen turned to face the others, only to notice a strange, determined, yet conflicted look on Grace's face. "'Mother? Is something wrong?'

"Dear… I'm going with them, to help stop the chaos," the head nurse said bluntly. She always had a certain tone in her voice, so that no matter what situation and what she said, she still sounded kind. "I need you here. They need you here." She gestured to the ponies behind her and looked Ashen in the face, giving her a gentle smile. "I'm going to be okay. I promise."

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POV: Mystic Shield

Mystic turned to look at the arrival, whom he remembered walking over to them earlier at the reception hall. Only now did he get a good look. Despite being bald and most of the body concealing with a black and brown hooded robe, from what little he could see of this newcomer, he could tell that this one was a gray-coated mare. It was a random guess, but he thought she was probably concealing scars from a horrible incident, assuming the bald head wasn't a style choice.

"Hmm…", Mystic wondered, then turned to Grace. "Are you certain she will be incapable of assisting us? Does she have abilities that are more of use here than in our group? Will she in any way be a hindrance if she were to accompany us? Because I could use all the help I could get."

"WHAT!?" the newcomer cried out, her hood falling back a bit and revealing more of her head, a burn-mark on the left side of her face leading back into the shadow cast by the black cloth. "What chaos? Where? Everfree? With them? You don't even know them! We need you here!"

She quickly looked straight at Mystic, anger clear in her raised voice as she glared at him, her golden eyes just visible to him from the light reflected in them. "You've got some nerve! I don't know whether you're high or drunk and how or why you got this stupid idea of 'chaos threatening the village' into my mother's head but I don't care! Chaos? Really? Discord's long gone, trapped in stone, sealed away forever."

Mystic was slightly shocked at the sight of the burn on the bald mare's face and the somehow frightening gold eyes (even though Bullseye had them too), then was taken aback at what she said. Apparently, she hasn't been updated on—oh wait, they only discovered the news from his students, and he might not have believed them if he were anyone but their teacher. And her calling him high or drunk?! The nerve! He would never succumb to such things. The only vice he has is non-monetary wagers.

The hooded pony then turned to Grace, almost begging her not to go. "Mom, we need you here, the patients need you here, not off on some wild goose chase." After this outburst, she calmed down somewhat and went quiet for a while, turned around, then walked up to Crinoline, who—judging by her stirring —seemed to be having a nightmare.

Apparently lost in thought, she checked up on her and waited.

---

POV: Graceful Breeze

Ashen would never gone so directly against Grace's wishes, she'd never had to. They always got to an agreement without too many arguments to cause distance between them.

After regaining her thoughts, she spoke up quietly. "I'll go." She turned around and repeated herself, her determination clear to all within the room. "Mother..I'll go instead. Even if I could keep this place in check, I could never manage if this…" She shot a quick glare at Mystic. "…'chaos', is real and does reach Ponyville, then we'll need you to keep it from all falling apart over her."

"Ashen…dear…" Grace started but stopped, trying to get her thoughts together.

"I know you have some experience with the dangers out there but…" Her eyes got watery as memories flooded in and she closed them to prevent herself from crying.

FLASHBACK

Ashen, battered, bloodied, and exhausted, was in the rain at the doors, carrying a yellow colt, limping inside, and finally collapsing in front of her. "M..mother.."

The shock, sadness, and even a bit of anger returned to Grace for a moment as she managed to keep it all contained before she opened her eyes and began her rebuttal.

END FLASHBACK

"Look, dear. I’m sure you’ll be able to handle things and keep the staff in line. They should be too busy tending to the patients to start bickering amongst themselves, I believe in you." However, Ashen doesn’t seem to be budging, so she continued. "Dear, you never wanted to talk about what happened last time…so how can I be sure things won’t end up the same way? I don’t want to have to go through seeing you hurt like that again. I just wouldn’t be able to take it. I just want you to be safe…"

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POV: Tango

Having been briefly distracted by his own reflection in a nearby metal instrument after reassurances that his current charge was resting and taken care of, Tango detached himself from considerations on which side of his face was the better one and stepped forward to place his full ruggedly handsome figure in the center of the discussion as it becomes heavy with emotion.

"Now…" Tango paused for a moment as he regarded all the gathered faces with a self-assured countenance. "I barely have any idea of what any of you are talking about."

Tango paused again. This was the extent of how far he had though ahead for his speech. After a few seconds of staring around with a pleasant, vacant expression, he stirred into action again. Holding his head high and striking a hoof with powerful force into his sturdy chest, Tango let it sit against his breastplate.

"It seems to me that everyone has a job they need to do. I'm sure you all know better than me what that is for you, but my job is to make sure things inside the forest get out safely," Tango announced, "I figure that might as well include ponies. Seems like there's danger a-hoof, and if we fail nopony is very safe. Maybe we ought to do what we're best at so this doesn't happen…and the right pony is there to take care of us if it does. Whichever one of you is coming with us and whichever is staying, I won't tell you not to worry, but nopony is getting into any trouble without me there to lend a hoof."

The black-coated unicorn reared up and stamped down again, his usual confidence now overflowing from every aspect of his being.

"When danger comes you are free to stand behind me. It'll take something impressive to get through me. As my brothers always tell me, I'm mighty thick in every way."

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POV: Crinoline Ruffle

"Do your work! You are nothing, you will never make it!"

Crinoline found herself in a sparely lit dark room sitting on a wooden stool.

Her hooves hurt and her eyes had trouble focusing.

She wore a white robe. In her left hoof she held a thread, and in her right a needle.

What is going on?

"Are you mocking me?" said a voice behind her, Who is it?

"..." Crinoline tried to speak up.

She can't move either.

What is going on? This is not fair!

"I warned you, this is your own fault," the voice said.

She came closer and stopped, right behind her.

"Stay still."

There was a tug on the robe. Then the sound of cloth being ripped.

Silence.

Tears rolled down Crinoline's cheeks,

as she watched the white robe falling onto the ground, now forever,

soiled.

END DREAM

Crinoline heard a loud thump and somepony was talking. She looked around. Everything had a slight blue tint and was a bit unfocused.

How did I get here? Is that Tango talking?

Crinoline tried to listen for a moment what all the fuss was about, her ears still ringing.

"I figure that might as well include ponies. Seems like there's danger a-hoof and if we fail nopony is very safe. Maybe we ought to do what we're best at so this doesn't happen...and the right pony is there to take care of us if it does. Whichever one of you is coming with us and whichever is staying, I won't tell you not to worry, but nopony is getting into any trouble without me there to lend a hoof."

Crinoline heard a stomping.

"When danger comes you are free to stand behind me. It'll take something impressive to get through me. As my brothers always tell me, I'm mighty thick in every way."

"What?" Crinoline asked, confused after rubbing her eyes. She decided to slowly turn and look at the current situation, still feeling a bit dazed.

"Ahem. Looks like Miss Crinoline has awoken," she heard Mystic say, her head much clearer now. "Although I doubt she'll be coming with us given her current condition. Right?"

"Okay then, I… I don't want to let you do this but, you're right." Grace meanwhile forced a small smile as she faced her daughter. "I believe in you, Ashen. When you're ready to go, I have some supplies for you to take with you. Now, the colt has a point." She indicated Mystic. "What are you going to do now Miss Crinoline?"

Crinoline's senses returned at this point. She did not feel dazed anymore and after moving her right hind leg, she found that it only hurt slightly. Still, she doesn't remember how she ended up in that bed, so to be on the safe side she quickly checked if nothing was missing.

Bonnet, check. Crinolette, dress, Folding fan and umbrella, check. Thread, sewing needle, 50 bits, check. Leg la— She then remembered she took the right leg lace off right before the examination and frantically searched for it in her pockets. Where is it? Where did I stow it?, she thought as she started to panic, only to find that she tugged it behind her umbrella. Hastily she put it back on.

Feeling confident. she got out of her bed, looked at Grace, and started to slowly walk up to her. Once she was close enough, she answered the head nurse's question. "I will disregard the neighsayers," Crinoline turned away and moved over to Tango, nuzzling him before—with a swift leap—getting onto his back.

"You're coming along then, little miss? S'pose that makes things simpler for me," Tango said with placid acceptance of his passenger. He then looked back to the others. "Whenever you ponies are up to it, I'm ready to go."

"Okay. Looks like the lady wishes to go after all," Mystic remarked, then requested, "Allow me to return to my home so I can pick up some old weapons of mine. I do not believe that my magic alone will be enough to stop this chaos, although I doubt they will do much. Where shall we meet?"

"You should all go and prepare," Grace advised. "Meet back at the hospital before sundown. I have some supplies to give you."

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POV: Ashen Rise

Ashen raised and eyebrow at the other mare's…odd choice of action upon waking. Again choosing not to let the 'traits' of others bother her, she spoke up, even if it unnerved her a bit.

"I agree, we should all be prepared as best we can and anypony early can lend a hoof around the hospital."

"I'm already saddled up in my travel gear, but I guess I could go see if there's anything I need around town," the black unicorn said, then shifted to glance back at Ashen's patient. "Little miss, do you need me to escort you back home to prepare your things?"

The small mare slightly giggled, then jokingly remarked, "Well ,if that is not a feat of devotion, to carry me all the way back to Manehatten," she petted his head with a big smile on her face. "I have what I need, liebster."

"Oh, so you're also a visitor to Ponyville? Don't think I caught that. Suppose I could have guessed."

"I shall take my leave as well," said the purple unicorn as he then turned to the four wounded. "Don't worry. I shall return." With that, he made his way out of the room. The black one swished his tail with satisfaction as he followed.

"Mother, if I may," Ashen said, giving Grace a respectful nod before moving to the door as well and addressing the stallions as they left. "Let's meet up in the reception. If you're early, we should be able to find something you could help with."

"I will see you soon, dear," Grace called back and led Greatstone back to his bed so he could rest.