CHAPTER NINE:
CHRYSANTHEMUM
PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE
We did four things when we ended up outside the castle.
The first--and by far the most important--was to notify the next-in-command that close to thirty thralls currently resided inside the castle. The only problem was that we didn't know exactly who that was supposed to be, as the first three ponies to talk to were still (thankfully) on their way back from Yakyakistan and the fourth in command, the Captain of the Guard, wasn't particularly feeling like himself at the moment.
After talking it over for quite some time, we decided that the hospital would be the best place to go. The Crystal Heart Hospital had connections all over Equestria, and they could not only easily spread the news to the citizens of the town but also notify the guards from other nearby cities to help take care of the situation now that the mysterious stallion was gone.
The second thing was at Rainbow and the hospital's behest. I had subconsciously begun walking on my very hurt hoof again, and I was limping when we pulled into the hospital. On top of the dried blood that had almost entirely covered my face, the nurses took note of my hoof and demanded I come in to get it looked at. I told them I would have excellent care back in Canterlot and that we needed to leave quickly, but Rainbow insisted that I at least get it wrapped up. The nurses stabilized it by placing it firmly on my chest with bandages for the ride back, leaving me thoroughly wrapped in gauze on my upper body.
Next, I wrote two letters that I had the hospital send out. The first was to Celestia explaining the basis of the situation, that I was injured and likely needed to be attended to when we got back, and that we were on our way and would be there in the by nightfall.
The second was to Shining, Cadance, and Sunburst, which I told the hospital to send only if they could get a messenger to their exact location as it seemed like they had been somehow delayed on their way back from Yakyakistan. I told them--much more in-depth--what had occurred, and to most importantly be careful on their way back.
Finally, when Rainbow and I hopped back in our carriage, I lied down on the long cushioned bench and fell asleep almost immediately.
My sleep was a dreamless bliss: I hardly ever got to nap, but whenever I was afforded the luxury there wasn't anything in Equestria that could wake me. The last time I'd passed out entirely was before the Grand Equestria Pony Summit, and after that debacle I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't go too long without sleeping again.
After what had happened, however, I was more tired than I'd ever been in my life. My face hurt, my sides hurt, and the painkilling spell on my hoof and knee area was slowly wearing off, so it didn't take long before I was out like a light.
I didn't wake up naturally: Rainbow shook me awake once the carriage had arrived at Canterlot's castle. I had expected her to mock me in her general fashion, but she was instead very ginger once my eyes slowly opened.
"Good morning, egghead. Be careful getting up, you don't wanna roll on your hoof." Nodding wearily, I slowly twisted my way to my good three legs, stretching a bit as we stepped outside. Thankfully, it was getting dark out, so my eyes didn't have to adjust to any brightness. I nodded thankfully to the guards with a smile before we began the short walk to the castle doors.
"How are you holding up?" I asked Rainbow when we got to the steps. Her gestures gave away the answer before she could say anything, as she very visibly winced when she opened the large double doors: she had very bad bruising on her right side where she'd been hit by the stallion's spell, and a bit of bruising on the other side from smaller hits.
"Not great," she began, "Though much better than you. I was supposed to perform at the Wonderbolts Canterlot show next week, but I'm thinking that may be a stretch. I'm gonna see what the doctor says." I nodded in encouragement, internally sighing in relief that I wasn't going to have to convince Rainbow to see the doctor.
When we entered the castle, the both of us were surprised to see that everypony was already waiting for us. Sunset, Violet, Cobalt, and Rarity were sitting on the benches to both sides of the main entry hall, having a conversation we came in late for. Starlight still wasn't back from Ponyville quite yet, but she was quickly replaced in the mix two-fold, as Applejack and Pinkie Pie were now present among the group. When they saw us, their eyes lit up one by one like a string of lights on Hearth's Warming Day and the group simultaneously arose to greet us.
"Girls!" said Applejack loudly, running up to me first. I couldn't hold up a hoof to make her slow down, so I quickly spoke just as she was reaching me.
"Not too rough!" I exclaimed, though I couldn't help but let a chuckle escape my lips as she suddenly slowed the best she could and gingerly wrapped her arm around me. I felt bad that I couldn't return it, but AJ didn't seem to mind, and she held on for what seemed like forever before she finally relented.
"Ahm so glad yer back in one piece, sugar," she told me as she withdrew from the embrace. I nodded with a weak smile and figured I would need to get some more sleep sooner than later.
"Yeah, I am too," I said curtly. The other ponies had been busy hugging Rainbow Dash, but they eventually came over to embrace me the best they could as well. I'd be lying if I said that some overly excited ponies--namely Pinkie and Rarity--didn't accidentally hurt me a bit with their hugs, but I didn't say anything. I couldn't hug them back, but after the entire ordeal I'd gone through I was more than happy to be embraced by my friends.
Once the pleasantries were over, I started walking towards the medical wing, though I stopped and turned around before I got too far.
"I have to go see Doctor Scarlet," I told the group loudly so everypony could hear. "But once I'm done... we have to talk."
I never liked the going to the doctor's office.
There was always so many tests and paperwork, and the boring and bland white on the walls made me want to be anywhere else. It was why I had been elated when I walked into Doctor Scarlet's room in the medical wing the first time, as she made sure it was painted colorfully for a nice change of pace. She was an incredibly nice pony, and as the personal doctor of the Royal Sisters and one of the very few ponies licensed to see alicorns, she was very good at her job.
She'd done most of the bulk work already--hitting my hoof with her best mending spell and looking over my face--and she had been in the back room for quite a bit looking over the results. I'd been observing one of the colorful patterns on the ceiling when she walked back in, a clipboard hanging gently by her side in the air as her horn lit up with a hot pink aura. She also had a large bag slung over her shoulder that I assumed contained an assortment of things I needed to get better.
"Alright, Twilight," she began, walking over to where I had been sitting on the exam table. "I have good news and some goodish bad news." I laughed, finding Scarlet's choice of words rather strange, but I was still certainly happy that there was at least some good in the bad.
"I'll take the fully good news first," I told her with a sly smile. She returned with a short chuckle before she looked over the clipboard.
"The good news is that the scar running across your face is hypertrophic. It isn't ever going to completely go away, but I accelerated the healing process and after a few months or so I seriously doubt it will be noticeable to the everyday pony." I nodded in acknowledgment: I'd rather have a scar that lasted forever as opposed to having been killed on the spot by that laceration spell, so I was perfectly happy with that outcome.
"Now, for the bad news." She nodded towards the hoof I'd let gingerly hang by side while she inspected it. It was swollen very badly and I suffered extreme pain from even barely moving it: a mend spell from the doctor alleviated the swelling and pain a little bit, but it was only a minute improvement.
"I don't know how bad the injury initially was, but what you came to me with was one of the worst grade three sprains I think I've ever seen on anypony. The ligament was entirely torn, and it's really a miracle that the numbing spell actually allowed you to stand on it, let alone walk and run." She pulled out from her bag what I knew to be a sling of some sort and what looked to be a walking boot.
"I was able to mend some of it back together with my magic, but I could only do so much. It's officially a grade two sprain now, but it's a very bad one. I'm still not entirely sure you can walk on it yet, but I wouldn't want you to even if you could, so I'm gonna have you in this sling for a week or two. Once that's done, I'll put you in this boot and you'll be completely recovered in about ten weeks or so. And before you say anything--" I had already opened my mouth to object, but the doctor held up a hoof to stay my words.
"--I know what's happening is very strange, and I know that ponies are in danger," she began. "But I--we--can't have you getting seriously hurt. You need to stay out of any combative situation for until that hoof is fully healed. Do you understand?"
I thought about it for a minute. In a time like this, I desperately wanted to be able to fight, because I knew very well that this mystery wasn't going to be solved without any confrontation.
At the same time, though, I knew I had numerous ponies around me that could do just fine. Rainbow was a very proficient combatant, Starlight had nearly beat me at the height of my power when we were enemies, and Sunset Shimmer had trained under Celestia for almost as long as I had. Violet and Cobalt were no slouches, either, not to mention that I'd be joined by my five best friends to boot.
We were gonna be just fine.
"I understand," I told her firmly nodding my head as I did so. Scarlet nodded before setting the clipboard down and grabbing the sling with her magic before walking over to my side. She undid the sling and put the strap over my shoulder before she looked me in the eyes.
"This might hurt a bit, but I'm going to be as ginger as I can," she told me. I gulped far more audibly than I wanted to, closing my eyes in preparation for the pain of adjusting the hoof.
It hurt.
A lot.
After that, though, I was free to go. I was instructed to hit it with my numbing spell whenever it got too painful, but not to over-do it to keep some feeling in it while the injury healed. I thanked her profusely, but like always, Scarlet merely laughed and brushed the compliment aside, only wishing me well on a fast recovery. With a smile, I nodded and headed out of the room and I was immediately greeted by the sight of Rainbow Dash.
She quickly looked to my arm in the sling before looking back at me, a sense of worry and fear in her eyes.
"How long?" she asked simply. I sighed, still greatly unsatisfied with the answer I gave her.
"Doctor says around ten weeks. I wanna get out there," I told her, a hint of frustration in carrying through my voice. Rainbow shook her head in the negative before gently walking over and giving me the best hug she could manage. She tactfully avoided the sling, but the embrace was still tight.
"I know how it feels, Twi," she replied, still holding on. "But you'll be better soon. And don't get lazy now that you're hurt, you hear me? We'll need you to coach us from the sidelines, you know." I couldn't help but laugh as we broke apart, rolling my eyes as I looked back to Rainbow.
"I think Celestia's the coach around here," I replied. I looked down the hall, going through the twists and turns in my head that I knew led to the throne room.
"You go on ahead, Rainbow," I said absently, still locked in my stare. "And when you're finished, we're gonna go over our gameplan."
I waited until Rainbow Dash had finished her exam before we got together as a group.
She was bruised fairly badly on both sides, but that was about the worst of it. She had two large packs of ice strapped to both sides of her body with a long line of gauze, which she was instructed to frequently replace, and much to my chagrin Rainbow had already asserted me of her intention to defy the doctor's orders and fly with the Wonderbolts next week if everything here was taken care of. Although I was upset with her on the outside, I couldn't help but be glad that she was in such good spirits after what we had seen.
I'd gotten a letter back from the hospital. Help had arrived to the Crystal Palace, and they saw what we'd seen, the ponies lying motionless with pitch black eyes. The guards called in from neighboring shifts didn't want to mess with anything until Shining, Cadance, and Sunburst got back, and they were considering trying to use the magic in the Crystal Heart to revive the fallen guards and servants. Until then, though, the hospital informed me the staff would assume the worst.
In the meantime, however, we needed answers, and so I gathered everypony in the throne room to get them.
When we all walked into the throne room, I didn't need any confirmation that Celestia had received my letter.
Her eyes looked empty and weary. She had been so elated to see Cobalt and Violet return to her these past few weeks, but with the news of what Rainbow and I had experienced, it seemed as if the life had been entirely sucked out of her. She sat on her throne with a serious posture--she never slouched or sulked in all the years I'd known her--but there was a somber air about her that suffocated the room. Luna had a gaze of worry and anxiousness, and it was her that spoke first when everypony was properly gathered.
"Sister, if this is hard for you, do not fret and take your time." Celestia shook her head immediately, sighing deeply as she looked to the small crowd before her.
"No, I am fine. And I wanted to start out by giving an apology," she began. "The possibility that my less-than-savory students could appear crossed my mind, but I was so happy to see Violet and Cobalt that I didn't want to let myself think of the possibility. That included not talking about it, and I put Twilight and Rainbow Dash in grave danger because of my foolishness, and got one of my faithful students seriously injured." I wanted to hold up a hoof to wave away her worries, but I couldn't: instead, I spoke up as quickly as I could.
"I'll be okay, Princess." I began. "We just want to know what we're dealing with, because I have a feeling that this stallion will be back again." The Princess of the Sun nodded somberly before beginning her long awaited explanation.
"I've only had three other students," she replied. "The student I had before Sunset was a mare named Silver Jubilee, and when--if--she comes back to us, she'll be a wonderful addition to our group. She had a bit of a rough edge to her, but she was a mare who was incredibly gifted and compassionate. She died untimely, and I didn't have another apprentice for years because of it until I met Sunset." Her face brightened with the mention of Silver, but it dropped just as fast, and I had a growing feeling the next name didn't evoke any pleasant memories.
"The second, an apprentice sometime after Violet died, was a stallion named Zephyr. That was the stallion you fought at the Crystal Palace." She leaned back in her chair, waiting for a question she knew would come. Sure enough, Rainbow called out with an inquiry we had all been thinking.
"This pony had the Sombra eyes goin'," she said. "Dark magic, right? What happened?"
Celestia looked down at the floor for a moment, attempting to find the right words to begin her tale. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out, and it took a few seconds for her to start her story."
"Zephyr was very bright. Staggeringly, in fact," she began hesitantly. "He was always full of joy and he was very inquisitive. He had a strong set of values and beliefs, and we fought very often about a lot of things despite our love for each other. Zephyr was unsatisfied with the way life around him was perceived, and he constantly yearned for something more. No matter how much I tried to explain to him what I knew of our world, he believed that there was something else going on in the universe that we did not understand yet.
"He had a mare he loved very much, a girl named Chrysanthemum, whom we often called Chrys. She was a beautiful mare with a beautiful soul, and the two had connected the very moment they'd met. Chrys and Zephyr were inseparable, and when he had reached his very late twenties they wed. Zephyr lived happily with her as he continued his studies with me, but there came a day that changed his life." Pinkie Pie quickly rose her hoof, and Celestia had a quick laugh as she nodded and gave her permission to speak.
"Did something happen to Chrys?" she asked. Her tone wasn't hyper and frenetic as it often was, but respectful, and Celestia grimly nodded once more as she continued her story.
"Yes. She had gone to the doctors for a routine checkup when they discovered she had developed a respiratory disease that, at the time, was incurable. She was dying, and she had come to accept her fate and cherish the time she had left with her friends and family. Zephyr, however, was crushed beyond repair and refused to do so, and he obsessively stayed awake for days on end looking for a cure.
"It was in the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the archives, about a month or so until the doctors had assumed she would succumb to her illness, that he had found his perceived answer. It was a book dated back a hundred years or so before I had banished Luna, and in it was a spell that claimed it could cure any affliction or illness." I was beginning to catch on to it now, and I was about to make a guess when, in what seemed to be an increasingly common occurrence during our time together, Sunset beat me to it.
"It was a dark magic tome," She interjected firmly. Celestia nodded again, though this time I saw the faintest hint of a tear drop from her eye. When she spoke next, there were the beginnings of a crack in her inflection as she got more and more emotional with each word.
"I told him that I refused to allow him to use the spell on Chrys. I knew she wouldn't want him to use the darkness to save her, and I didn't want my student to succumb to it, but my words fell on deaf ears. He became enraged and accused me of letting Chrys die, and no matter how much I pleaded with him he would only yell louder. For a few days, he disappeared, and I assumed he was dealing with the grief of losing his beloved and was preparing for her death in his own way, wherever he was. I sent out a search party to find him, but it was no use." She paused for a moment, sniffling and looking around the room's decor, and she once again leaned backward in her chair: I knew then that she had much more of the story to tell.
"One day, as her illness grew worse, I arrived back at the castle from a delegate meeting..."