//------------------------------//
// Arrival in a Strange Time 
// Story: A Matter Of Time 
// by Lspaceship 
//------------------------------//


Canterlot Gardens, 7 PLR(Pre Lunar Return)


Sunrise in Canterlot is when any self-respecting business opens, and the Canterlot Castle Gardens are no different. It's a relatively small task for the guard to go through the gardens to make sure there would be no delays, which was one of the reasons that it was done by the lesser-ranked guards. It had been that way for centuries, and was the same as the black unicorn in guard’s armour was taught. 

Idol Hooves enjoyed the monotony of this sweep. There were usually no problems as he walked through the gardens, checking if any of the bushes or trees were out of place, or if there was a problem with the statues. It was rare to find anything amiss, but if they were caught slacking by the Princess, well, that would not be optimal. This duty was one that the other privates would skimp on, using it as a small break or way to get adjusted to their new duties.

As the unicorn rounded the corner to the final place to check, his brow furrowed. There was no notice of a visitor to the gardens given, and the cloak laying over the prone form didn’t show any markings of any known noble figures that would have reason to come into the gardens at night. Upon closer inspection, the private couldn’t remember any noble family bearing a crescent moon emblem.

“Sir, are you aware that you are trespassing?”

A low groan was the only response that Idol got in response.

“Sir? Can you hear me?”

No response came, and the regulation number of times asking if the pony can respond before taking them to the infirmary was fulfilled. No member of the guard wanted someone to be hurt, after all. With a small sigh, the private summoned his magic to pick up and carry the figure out of the gardens, the cloak wrapped around him like a blanket.







Canterlot Infirmary, 7 PLR



The Canterlot Castle Infirmary was used to all sorts of magical and physical injuries and had the greatest assortment of healers and physicians in Equestria. For good reason, as much of the diplomatic parties of different races stay at the castle while working on agreements and compromises. So when a guardspony dropped off an unconscious member of an unknown species, some sort of fusion between a cat and a falcon, Doctor Bright Star did the only thing that came to mind. He sent a messenger to the Princess and started to magically examine the winged cat on the examination table.

“Nothing wrong with the subject’s physiology that we can see, the wings have no apparent problems. Beginning lower-level scan of the thaumic field, starting with any Earth Pony magic.”

The doctor prepared and cast a second spell, this one to look at the magical energy of the subject. Nothing was anomalous in the wings or the low-level magic present in all ponies. However, the doctor recoiled when the scan passed over the subject’s head.

“Nurse….” The doctor almost whispered. “Where’s the princess at this moment?”

“She should be on her way shortly. You are aware that if it isn’t urgent she waits until after Day Court finishes to respond to any summons to the hospital, correct?” The nurse replied, not noticing the expression on his face. “The messenger you sent earlier was probably stopped by the Guard.”

“Get her now, please. Our patient has an almost parasitic magic weighing on his mind. I don’t know what it is and can only hope that Princess Celestia knows how to proceed without removing it from his thaumic system. For now, try and keep him sedated. He seems to be sleeping easy, at least.”






The warmth of the sun entered the room as the graceful form of the Solar Monarch of Equestria appeared in the room. Nodding to signal the dripping off formalities, she spoke in a graceful, loving tone.

“What is the situation, that my brightest medical staff could not make sense of it?”

The doctor took that as his cue to step forward and explain the situation and show the Princess the results of the scans. Her brow furrowed at the description of the patient, and she stepped forward after the doctor had finished.

“Let us see if we can find the source of the enchantment on the patient's mind, shall we?” Celestia asked, powering up her horn with a combination of divination and examination magics. 
Pressing it to the forehead of a being would allow the caster to see the origin of foreign magics affecting the being.

Touching her horn to the half-feline’s, she initiated the spell, experiencing a vision of a unicorn with a grey coat and a white mane, of a blue unicorn wrapped in stars, of a white wolf, and of a wizened flaming wolf. None of these imprints had the taint of the specific dark magic used to create this spell. They were just that: imprints. Diving into the makeup of the actual magic, she found that it wasn’t hurting it at all. It was just there, feeding into his mind.

“Doctor, are you sure that this is parasitic? Digging into the thaumic matrix of the spell, there is nothing to support your theory that it is harming the subject. It seems more like a symbiote than a parasite. It isn’t harming him according to my scans, and his mind does not exhibit the obvious signs of being in a coma or under a forced sleep spell. He’s just asleep.”

With that, the princess removed her horn from the sleeping being’s forehead and turned to leave. When she reached the door, the figure let out a groan and slowly opened his eyes.