//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Luna Provides // Story: The Second Exile // by cunning_linguist //------------------------------// Riven’s rest was anything but, as it was quickly established that though she was anatomically quite similar to the ponies, her chemical balance wasn’t so easily discerned. The first injection of anesthesia did nothing at all, and the second elevated her heart rate. Unwilling to experiment with this further lest they worsen her already tumultuous condition, the doctor called for Luna’s assistance in the matter. Being a goddess of the night, Luna’s broad domain included the dreaming world, and with her standing dutifully at Riven’s bedside, she was able to magically lull the white-haired warrior into an approximation of sleep. Though happy to help at first, Luna found herself turning green and gagging whenever she caught a glimpse of the surgery. Even still, natural sleep was no substitute for medicinally-induced unconsciousness. Riven’s pallid face displayed the torment she was enduring, and it only seemed to intensify when the surgical team actually began to make progress. They knitted bones and sutured flesh, but only after they had removed her clothing, everypony looking to Luna to ensure that there wouldn’t be a repeat of last time. Luna’s concentration increased to ensure Riven’s eyes remained shut. Being doctors and nurses, they were unfazed by situations others would find embarrassing or compromising. Nudity, however, was an everyday occurrence for a pony, so they didn’t grasp the idea that this ape-like stranger might possess a cultural taboo they were unfamiliar with. Instead the nurse that Riven punched believed she had simply startled the poor girl, a sentiment that was readily accepted. When it came to replenishing the blood Riven had lost, the doctor was far less willing to just “wing it” and hope for the best. A minor incantation revealed a complex mathematical algorithm, which he quickly interpreted to be A+, or as it was called in pony parlance, “uncommon-rare”. Lacking in that, they substituted it for O, or “common”. Hoping it was the universal donor in her world like it was in theirs, they began the transfusion. As instructed, the other ponies had all retreated to the reception area, both eager and terrified for Riven. As the hours wore on, some left, citing responsibilities that couldn’t be ignored. Princess Celestia bid her subjects farewell and even joined them in a bereaved hug, insisting that Twilight keep her abreast of the situation. Cream said his goodbyes as well, and they departed for Canterlot. Applejack had a family to attend, but was also growing increasingly agitated with the blood crusting on her coat. No one begrudged her the wish to take a warm bath, so she left as well. Rarity was hosting her sister Sweetie Belle this week and school was nearly out. She said nothing about the actual work that she had to complete, finding it rather petty given the circumstances. She left the rapidly dwindling group with the assurance that she would return as soon as she was able. Spike left at Twilight’s insistence. They had left the library a hazard and though she could see the anger in his face at being brushed aside for the sake of his chores, he stormed out anyway. Twilight wasn’t entirely sure why he was upset, thinking he didn’t have the same stock in Riven’s well-being as the others, but perhaps she misjudged his capacity for compassion. She vowed to make it up to him later. It was then down to four: Twilight herself, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. After an hour of mild discussion to pass the time and intermittent exchanges of comfort for any friend that seemed to be the most fearful at any given moment, Pinkie Pie jumped to her hooves. “No more frowny-faces! El guapo güera needs to be cheered up, and so do we! I declare a ‘Get well soon’ party!” “Who?” “Pretty white lady.” “Oh.” “Pinkie, our… guest… is fighting for her life. You don’t think throwing a party would be a bit inappropriate?” Twilight knew the consequences for trying to dissuade Pinkie Pie from throwing a party but was firm in her belief. Rainbow recoiled, expecting a backlash from Ponyville’s premiere party pony, but none came. Instead, Pinkie looked quite dejected; helpless. “I don’t want to sit here and wait,” she said with a sniffle, her normally curly pink mane deflating ever-so-slightly. “Une fille blanche seemed so nice after she uppercut Nurse Redheart. I want her to be happy when she wakes up.” “Who?” “Still pretty white lady.” “Oh.” “Then… how about something more… quiet?” Fluttershy offered, trotting over to Pinkie and nuzzling her withers. “Balloons? A card?” Pinkie’s demeanor notably brightened and she returned her friend’s affection. “Yeah! Maybe a teddy bear!” “And fresh cupcakes,” Twilight added with a smile. That didn’t have the desired effect. Pinkie began to hyperventilate as she examined her meticulously-baked confections, confirming that they were cold and the icing was hard. “NO.” The remaining three girls heard Pinkie’s drawled out exclamation of “nooooooooooooooooooooooo” as she bolted out of the hospital so fast the revolving door reversed. Chalking it up to Pinkie just being Pinkie, the others returned to their cushions, though the uncomfortable silence was quickly broken by Rainbow. “I thought Riven said her name was… well… Riven.” “She did,” Twilight confirmed. “So… why aren’t we calling her that?” “Because it’s a silly name. What’s a ‘riven’? She didn’t even have a suffix, for pony’s sake. I figure she was just delirious and mispronounced it. It’s probably ‘River’.” “River is a lovely name,” Fluttershy said. “Or,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “It really was ‘Riven’ and we know zip about the giant white-maned alien in the other room.” “Or that,” Twilight relinquished. “And don’t call her an alien. It’s rude. You saw how Princess Luna reacted when the doctor tried to say the same thing.” “Yeah but she isn’t here now, is she?” The multi-colored mare waggled her eyebrows, eliciting a frustrated sigh from her friend. “Besides, what else should we call her? She’s not a pony.” “We should call her by her name until we get the chance to ask,” Fluttershy interjected, growing somewhat offended by this conversation. Just because Riven wasn’t here to defend herself didn’t mean she should go unspoken for. “Um… if that’s all right…” Rainbow and Twilight exchanged apologetic glances and nodded. “Yeah, sure, that works too.” An hour passed and still no new information came out of the surgical suite. The doctor and his two nurses hadn’t even peaked their heads around the corner, nor had anypony seen evidence of Luna. Goddess or no, maintaining a spell for so long was taxing and Twilight was personally quite impressed with her fortitude and longevity. The sound of the revolving door creaking turned the remaining three’s heads, with Rainbow Dash verbally noting that it hadn’t made that sound before Pinkie shot through it. Approaching them were two of Canterlot’s royal guard, one of which was the Captain of the Guard himself, Shining Armor. Twilight’s somber expression brightened immediately and she hugged her brother tightly, which he eagerly returned. “Hey Twiley, how have you been?” “Not well, and if you’re here I’m sure you know why.” The other guard nodded curtly. “Quite. The al—” “Don’t call her that!” “Ally! I was going to say ally!” “Noteworthy, go take your position. I’ll join you in a moment.” The pegasus mare saluted her superior sharply and did as ordered. Rainbow watched her trot by, then extended her left wing, as if comparing sizes. Shining Armor removed his helmet and set it on a nearby cushion, then took a seat in front of the three friends. “Yes, her. The Princess was very distraught when she returned from her trip today. Despite her previous assurances that this magical ritual you were all going to do was harmless, she tells me that it ended up as anything but.” Twilight nodded and lowered her head, still immeasurably remorseful of the event. Shining Armor, the dutiful brother that he was, picked up on it immediately. “She also said that you blame yourself. I’m not just here to keep an eye on this… individual… but for you too.” He leaned in and kissed his sister on the muzzle, which had the desired effect of making her smile. “Now hold on,” Rainbow began, turning everypony’s attention to her. “You’re here to guard Riven? Why? She seemed cool enough.” “Princess Celestia also mentioned that she threatened you all with broken glass and punched out a nurse.” “… Well yeah, that happened too.” “She was frightened and backed into a corner!” Fluttershy defended. Shining Armor held up a hoof. “Be that as it may, she’s an unknown, not to mention dangerous and well-trained, if it’s true that she willingly broke her own hooves just to escape.” They all nodded that it was. “I almost don’t want to leave you all alone with her. I’m even told that Princess Luna is in there right now, which is… irresponsible.” “She can take care of herself, big bro.” “I know she can,” he retorted. “So can Celestia, and the guard doesn’t let her leave the palace without a retinue either. That we did so this morning was one of the greatest shames of my career, so I hope you’ll understand how serious I’m treating this.” They nodded, somewhat embarrassed at his castigation. “Now don’t look so glum,” he continued, a coy smile tugging at his lips. “Provided myself and Noteworthy are present, you’re all authorized to visit and even socialize with River.” “Riven,” Fluttershy corrected. “Right. And Twiley, Celestia herself asked that you find out everything you’re able about her. She wants, in her own words, a ‘very detailed and thought-provoking report as to the physiology, ecology, and social behavior of this mysterious and fascinating species’.” Twilight’s eyes twinkled like diamonds. “S-S-She said that?” He sighed and nodded, knowing full well what kind of manic obsession this would elicit, and so did Celestia, that covert troll… “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” “Yeah, yeah, look, just don’t… don’t get too crazy with this. I remember when the princess asked you to research Philomena and you stayed up for an ever-loving week eating coffee grounds and slapping yourself so hard you got a black eye.” Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy exchanged comically knowing glances from behind Twilight’s back, though she picked up on it. “Oh c’mon, it was one time!” “Seven,” Shining Armor corrected. “… Well it won’t be eight!” The sound of hooves clapping together turned everypony’s attention to Riven’s surgical suite. The door had opened, and Noteworthy stood ramrod straight the instant she saw Princess Luna step out, looking haggard but also pleased, which they all took as a good sign. “Princess!” Fluttershy lifted off her cushion and two quick flaps of her wings sent her gliding over. “Is she all right? Was the surgery successful?” Luna exhaled an exhausted breath but nodded, which nearly knocked the timid pegasus on her haunches with relief. “But she is still asleep and very weak. The doctor believes she will recover with time and rehabilitation, but he is… unsure of her mobility. That rather nasty wound on her hip was deep and smooth, which he observantly noted couldn’t have been made during her self-destructive escape.” Luna looked at Twilight then, who acknowledged the air of regret and disappointment. “Twilight Sparkle, I believe that we were the cause of that injury. The summoning was incomplete; that gouge was made because not all of fair Riven successfully made the journey.” Twilight hiccupped and choked back tears, but she gestured as if she knew that already. “I suspeced as much. S-Starswirl’s notes mentioned something called ‘squelching’, which fits perfectly.” Shining Armor comforted her, whispering soothing accolades into her ear. “Will she be able to walk?” Rainbow asked, having focused more on the “unsure of her mobility” part of Luna’s speech. “Yes, but no doubt with a pronounced limp.” Luna looked over her shoulder at the partially opened door. “I… I am not sure if I can be the one to break the news to her. Because I would never force such a burden on any of you, I will regardless. However… I could use your support.” After sharing a hug that only Noteworthy seemed surprised by, they collectively entered Riven’s dimmed room just as the exhausted medical team left, mumbling about any number of recreational activities to take their minds off of the fact that they just saved an alien’s life. Noteworthy guarded the door. The other five encircled Riven’s bed, with Luna taking up position at the head. Previously quite pale because of the blood loss, Riven’s natural tanned complexion was returning, albeit slowly. “My spell should wear off shortly without me to sustain it. I was warned that she’ll undoubtedly be in excruciating pain so please, my dear ponies, be gentle and patient with her.” “The doctor’s didn’t give her any medication?” Shining Armor inquired, looking at the unconscious creature with a fair amount of curiosity. A blanket had been pulled up to her neck, hiding her state of undress, but both of her legs were elevated and immobilized, as was her right arm. Innumerable bandages entwined her body but what they could see was no better; a veritable quilt of gauze. Luna shook her head. “No. We couldn’t, hence why I was called in to keep her asleep throughout. Nothing we gave her had any beneficial effect, and the doctor told me he was uncomfortable with experimenting with the doses. Perhaps Riven herself can shed some light on what would be adequate.” The moment Riven began to stir, a number of soft hooves pressed against her chest, ensuring that she wouldn’t awake with a start and aggravate her injuries. As Luna predicted, the first words out of Riven’s mouth weren’t words at all, but rather exclamations of white-hot agony followed by a number of colorful curses that nopony recognized. As before, it was Fluttershy who took the lead, doing her best to ease her with sweet words and the gentlest of touches. Then came the questions: “Where am I?” “What happened?” With great effort, she cast half-lidded eyes around the room in search of her personal effects, being fully capable of feeling the blanket against her bare skin. “Where are my clothes?” “The hospital, and you just got out of surgery. Your garments were discarded, blood-soaked as they were.” Riven sighed then coughed, a Herculean effort that brought her to tears. “Water?” A nearby pitcher was provided for just such an occasion. Twilight’s magic floated over a glass punctuated with words of caution. Riven tried to accept it with her right hand but found it unresponsive, so she did the same with her left. When she realized that the skin on her palm was still raw from having touched that incredibly hot cylinder, she groaned and did nothing. Instead, Twilight gently tipped the water down her throat for her, to which she was thankful for. “Riven? I know you’re tired but may I ask you a question? After that we’ll let you get some rest.” “Ask whatever,” she replied, barely above a whisper. “I don’t think I’ll be sleeping anytime soon.” “B-But you must be exhausted,” Fluttershy breathed. “You’ve been through so much today.” “You couldn’t sleep in this much pain either, I bet.” “Speaking of that,” Luna began, pulling Riven’s attention to her. “We were unable to medicate you. The doctor explained why but I fear he used jargon I didn’t entirely understand. Please, tell us what you need to feel better.” The answer was curt and surprising. “Nothing.” “Wait, you just said you were in huge amounts of pain!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, shoving her way closer to Riven’s upper torso. “Don’t you want to feel better?” “Medication dulls the senses and lowers your tolerance,” she intoned, turning her aching head to face the chromatic pony. “Ask me questions. Keep my mind off of it. I’ll be OK.” Rainbow chuckled. “Y’know, I gotta say, that’s pretty boss. You’re also handling a bunch of talking ponies really well. Do you have others like us where you come from?” “No, but I’ve seen much stranger things.” Like anything from the Void, she thought. “Adorable pastel horses are a welcome change of pace, to be honest.” The group exchanged mirthful grins, bemused at being so readily called “adorable”. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” “You didn’t offend us, sister,” Rainbow appeased, tapping her less wounded hand with her own bandaged hoof. “But we’re ponies, not horses.” “You wanted company, right?” Twilight said, her melancholy dissipating at how well this first contact was going. “We’ll take turns. Is everypony all right with that?” All but Luna agreed. Noteworthy didn’t say anything either, but she rarely thought questions were being directed at her. “I’m afraid I have a moon to raise,” Luna began, glancing out of the window at the setting sun. “After that I will be returning to Canterlot to host Night Court. However,” she leaned over Riven and gently nudged her cheek with her muzzle. “If you need anything, fair Riven, do not hesitate to ask. You need only dream your desire and I will surely hear it.” Riven cocked an eyebrow, assuming that was some sort of metaphor and not the literal truth. “Thank you.” “I’ll take the first shift,” Twilight offered, turning to Shining Armor. “Will you be staying?” “For the foreseeable future,” he assured. “Don’t you have crooks and stuff to bust back in Canterlot?” Rainbow asked. Shining Armor chuckled and shook his head. “Celestia herself assigned me this operation. Noteworthy and I will be staying until told otherwise.” “Then you and Fluttershy should go home and get some rest, Rainbow,” Twilight said, shuffling up against her yellow friend to elicit an elated squeak. “I’d feel better if you checked in with one of the nurses before leaving too. We all got knocked around a fair bit.” Rainbow groaned and rolled her eyes. “Jeez, I’m fiiiiine.” She lifted up Riven’s left hand, balled it, and bumped her hoof against her knuckles. “I’ll see you later, sister. I plan on taking up one of these shifts so expect to see a lot more of me!” Riven smiled for the first time since she arrived. “Your name is… Rainbow?” “Rainbow Dash!” She finished, then rapped herself on the chest. “The best flier in all of Equestria! And when you’re all better, I expect you to show me some of those rockin’ moves!” “I look forward to it.” “And your name isn’t River, right?” “No… Riven.” “Told you.” Rainbow stuck her tongue out at Twilight, who huffed and left to go find herself a comfortable cushion. Riven’s head lolled to the other side of her bed and met Fluttershy’s large — and very relieved — eyes. “And you?” “Um… I-I’m… Fluttershy,” came the mousy answer. “Could you speak up, please?” “Her name is Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, a bit too loudly, causing her long-time friend to shrink back behind her mane. “You’ll get use to her.” Riven remembered this pegasus clearly. She had been nothing but kind and affectionate since she first laid eyes on her, and though this was the first time she’d heard her name, she was already quite fond of the little mare. “I’m sure I will.” A short while later, Twilight returned with not just a cushion, but a cart full of books and writing utensils, as well as a number of snacks. To her credit, she was far more focused on Riven than on any book within hoof’s reach, but that was probably because she’d already seen their titles and knew she had read them all. “All right, Ms. Riven! What did you want to talk about?”