Silver Scalpel was a patient mare by both nature and nurture, her family being almost completely made up of introverts so intent on not conversing that their home could have been confused with a museum. It also took a considerable amount of patience to deal with Velvet Touch, and though Silver never regretted dating the mare, she was beginning to wonder if her little idiosyncrasies were getting worse as time passed. With all that in mind, she was still beginning to run out of patience as she stood outside the throne room, one hoof tapping impatiently as she stared at the door.
She glanced up to the clock above the door, noting that it was now over an hour since Celestia’s last appointment was supposed to be up. Next she cast a look over at the receptionist who sat behind a desk to the right of the door, and noted the way that she absently filed her hoof while blowing a bubble, having evidently not received any new word from Celestia since the last time Silver asked. Silver sighed and rolled her shoulders, working out the stress that had begun to build within the muscles.
The guards certainly didn't help, as they stood there silently, staring straight ahead and hardly even seeming to breathe. They too were unconcerned by the fact that Celestia had spent the last hour in a soundproof bubble, unable to send or receive word. The doctor pressed a hoof to her chest, trying to calm her stubborn heart and assuring herself that this wasn't something to panic over, evidently this had happened before, or else the guards would be more nervous.
Just as she finally began to get ahold of her nerves, the doors opened, revealing two earth ponies wearing the most ridiculously bulky armor she had ever seen, followed by a grave looking Princess Celestia.
The armor was huge and strangely skeletal, covering nearly the entirety of the earth ponies’ bodies with huge metal plates. It also made them taller, nearly as tall as Princess Celestia herself, with large packs on their backs that seemed to connect to the armor. Every step they made was accompanied by the mechanical hiss of some unknown mechanism whirring within. This seemed to be important though, and if Silver Scalpel had to guess, it had something to do with just how massive the suit was, as it no doubt weighed several hundred pounds.
They stopped just outside the door, with the two armored ponies turning slowly to Celestia before flipping up the visors of their helmets, revealing the smiling faces of a brown, square jawed stallion, and a slightly larger blue furred earth pony mare. The male bowed briefly, only to realize that his armor couldn't complete the motion, forcing him to rise once more.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. With this investment your soldiers will be walking tanks!” he declared excitedly.
“And will also enable earth ponies and pegasi alike to serve alongside unicorns,” the mare added, to the annoyance of the two guards whose gaze narrowed at the comment.
“It is my pleasure, you two. I can already tell that great things are going to come of this,” Celestia announced, a small smile gracing her lips.
“I assure you the pleasure is all ours! With your investment in the company we can do so much!” the stallion proclaimed excitedly, only for Celestia to raise a hoof, silencing him.
“One moment, I forgot to mention something,” the alicorn announced.
The mare lifted an eyebrow, casting a sidelong glance at her partner. “Err, what's that, Your Majesty?”
Celestia lit her horn and cast a quick message spell, enabling them to speak without moving their mouths. I’m sorry for this, but I would like to keep your innovations secret until such time that Equestria is… ready, she thought at the pair. Also, keep your expressions solemn and neutral, please.
The armored ponies blinked, sharing a look before looking back at Celestia, the male speaking first, Absolutely, Your Majesty. Though I’m curious as to why you would keep our innovations hidden from the populace. There are so many implications ranging from prosthetics to large scale machinery, to so much more!
Celestia smiled faintly. I have no doubt you are going to do a great many good things. And suffice it to say there are potential elements in my cabinet that may or may not be linked with, ah uh, foreign entity.
The two ponies’ faces grew dark, and the mare nodded somberly. Understood. We will keep this secret and will come directly to you with reports on our progress.
Good, Celestia thought back. With that personal investment you should be able to keep up your rapid pace of innovation and even accelerate your timelines. I don't wish to add too many stipulations, but I must insist that you construct your labs and factories in the fringes.
Again the pair exchanged another look, only this one was of understanding. Anything else, Your Majesty? the male asked.
Yes. Celestia sighed. When you start to see progress, sell your suits and weapons to the militias around the villages first and come back when you need more money, consider this a blank cheque.
Both ponies’ mouths hung open and the male stuttered audibly, trying to speak only to remember the message spell used on him. You can't be serious, I thought this would be enough to keep us going for at least a decade! You've already moved up the timeframe from decades to mere years.
This is far too generous! What would we even do with so much capital? the female added.
Expand your scope. I’ve seen many, many implications for your armor and weapon technologies and I want you to explore them, thoroughly. Also, play along. Celestia’s grim expression was gone, and she lit her horn once more, dismissing the spell, and leaving the two ponies shocked and confused. “I apologize that I cannot fund your projects as much as you would like. I’m afraid they are simply no match for unicorn enchanted armor and combat spells. Though I wish you the best with your, what do you call it, high dro lifts?”
“Uh,” the male gulped, “don't think anything of it, Your Majesty. With this we will at least be able to improve our hydraulic systems, maybe even replace limbs that magic cannot regrow!”
“Fascinating,” Celestia remarked, dismissively. “Now if you will excuse me, I believe I have another appointment.”
“Err, right away, Your Majesty. Sorry for the misunderstanding earlier,” the male offered, sweeping into a slight bow.
One that was quickly followed by the female who bowed as low as her armor would let her. “By your will.”
The two ponies turned and left, expressions dark and gait solemn and slow. When they finally turned the corner and left earshot, Celestia chuckled and wiped her brow. “My apologies, but they were not taking very well to my attempts to get them to leave. I assumed it was best to let them down in a manner that would leave their pride intact.”
The two guards seemed to relax slightly, with the slightly taller one to the right grinning. “Excellent work, Your Majesty. I’m sure there are better things they could be spending their time on.”
“Yes, quite. Though in the future maybe I should consider a less subtle method of communication,” Celestia remarked sadly, only for her expression to perk up when she noticed Silver Scalpel’s presence. “Sorry about the wait, Silver. Please, follow me. I would like to continue this conversation in my study.”
The smaller mare blinked, stepping aside and allowing Celestia to pass. “Of course, Your Majesty. We can speak wherever is most comfortable for you.”
Celestia smiled. “Thank you, Silver Scalpel.”
The alicorn turned and spoke quickly and quietly to her now quite at attention secretary, who nodded eagerly. After a brief, hushed conversation, the secretary bowed slightly, and the alicorn turned and began to walk down a side passage, Silver Scalpel close behind. The mare glanced over her shoulder, noting that the guards and secretary were now breaking the bad news to the last two ponies still waiting in line. Though annoyed, they seemed more tired than anything, and it didn't take long for them to leave.
Silver Scalpel turned back and hurried her pace, forced to run for a few feet in order to catch up with the much longer legged pony. Together they trotted silently through the halls, with Silver attempting conversation a few times, only for it to fizzle almost immediately. Evidently the princess was not in a pleasant mood, though why exactly that was a little beyond the doctor.
Sure she had just come out of a rather awkward encounter with a group of earth pony scientists who didn't seem to take no for an answer or understand subtlety, but beyond that Celestia seemed… tired. It was barely perceivable, the alicorn having a poker face that would make even a golem envious. However Silver Scalpel had been around the princess long enough to be able to spot the hint of something that was bothering her and if it was something stressful enough to make even Celestia seem tired, Silver Scalpel was hesitant to even bring it up.
The pair turned down another corridor after just ascending a final set of stairs, the royal apartments opening up before them. Celestia nodded to the guards to her room, flashing them a small, appreciative smile before stepping inside, followed close by Silver Scalpel, who nodded to the stoic guards.
The door behind them clanged shut, leaving the unicorn alone with a very tired Celestia.
The room they entered was large, and the longer Silver Scalpel looked, the more it felt like a small library rather than something so simple as a study. The unicorn sat down in the same chair she usually sat in, waiting for Celestia who made her way over to a book at random, before pulling it out and revealing that there was a small bottle of brandy hidden behind it. More surprising than that was the fact that the bottle was nothing special, and was little more than one of the cheapest you could buy.
Evidently Celestia didn't seem to mind though and she swiftly placed the book back, sat down, and produced a cup. “Would you like some?” she offered, gesturing to the bottle held aloft in her golden magic.
“No, thank you,” Silver replied quickly.
The alicorn shrugged before pouring herself a tall glass of the stuff and placing the now nearly empty bottle in a drawer. After a sip, Celestia sighed and walked over to the window, glancing out the window while she rolled the liquid around in her simple glass tumbler. “I know why you are here,” she remarked bitterly, her attention held by something outside the window. “It's been over a week since Twilight started getting little to no sleep and this last event worries me as well.”
She sighed, closing the blinds and turning to the desk and taking a seat in the plush high back chair. “But first I would like to hear your retelling of the events as you've heard from Twilight, as well as your own medical opinion.”
Silver Scalpel frowned. “Should I assume that you wish to hear my interpretation of events?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes. I may have been there, but I admit I am not sure what to think of it.”
“Well, one thing you must understand is just how little of this has any real, medical backing.” Silver Scalpel chewed her lip nervously. “What I’m trying to say is this is nearly all speculation. We’re treading on virgin soil when it comes to whatever the hell happened.”
The alicorn smiled. “And that is precisely what I was hoping for.”
Silver sighed, sitting a little straighter. “Alright, so the way I see it Twilight-”
Twilight’s horn glowed brightly, her face twisted into a mask of barely contained frustration. Yet despite her body screaming out for her to stop, she pushed on, raising her head a little higher and pushing more power into her horn.
Celestia stood nearby, ready to turn on the magic dampeners at a moment’s notice. The filly continued to strain herself, trying to reach the magical output necessary to complete the spell. Only to find that no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to do it, prompting Celestia to worry for her health.
“Twilight, please release the spell and allow it to fizzle,” she commanded, taking a step forward.
The filly shook her head, the deep circles under her eyes becoming more apparent under the intense glow of her own magic. “I can do this, just give me another minute.”
Celestia’s frown deepened, and she glanced nervously to the switch that would end this charade, then back to the filly. She knew that Twilight should be able to cast this spell, the filly knew all the practical parts of the spell, and had nailed the theory, as well as what little math such a spell had, yet there was something missing. A diagnostic spell told the princess that her student lacked the connection necessary to channel enough magic, as if there was a bottleneck somewhere in her system that made such channelling impossible.
Evidently their resistance training needed to be continued if she was going to have any hope of casting the relatively simple, yet mana intensive continuous flame spell. “Alright, Twilight, let it go,” Celestia remarked sadly, taking a step forward. “We can keep working on the resistance training for a few more days before trying again.”
“I can do this, I just have to- hrng.” The filly grunted, her legs just about buckling under her.
“Twilight, stop!” Celestia commanded, her magic already reaching out to the switch that would turn off not only the filly’s magic but all magic in the room. “You need to let it go, now!”
“I can do this!” the filly yelled, her horn glowing brighter than ever. “Just a little bit more!”
The alicorn gripped the switch, intent on shutting down the filly’s magic through force, yet even her lightning fast reaction wasn't enough. In the time it took for her to activate her magic and begin to engage the field, the filly’s magic flared, and a resounding crack filled the room.
Fearing the worst, Celestia cranked up the field, shutting down any magic, and possibly even the filly’s flare. Yet where she expected to see a flaring corona of magic, there was nothing, the filly having collapsed into a heap, her horn cracked and smoking, her eyes closed and her body still.
“At this point I assumed her horn cracked, but imaging and diagnostics spells have come up with nothing to back up this claim,” Silver Scalpel remarked. “During my interview with the filly she was more disappointed that she initially failed, and remarked that the traumatic event was little more than a sudden bout of narcolepsy due to her poor sleeping habit.”
Celestia placed the empty glass down on the table and eyed the other mare curiously. “Is that all she said?”
“Well, she did say you were really soft, and that you smelt a lot like her own mother, only super duper strong, and I quote, was trying to squeeze the life out of her.” The doctor chuckled. “I know it sounded traumatic, but surely it couldn't have been that strange. I mean she's fine now, better than fine really. She was so proud that she could cast the spell that she nearly lit my ceiling on fire.”
“You need to hear the more complete series of events before you can make that judgement. But first, did you measure her horn?” Celestia asked, leaning closer.
“I er…” The doctor paused. “No, I did not. Should I have?”
“I am not surprised that you didn't. I wouldn't have expected such a thing normally, but if you had you would have been surprised by what you found.” Celestia leaned back in her chair, her gaze staring off into space. “It grew, you know. More than that it also got a little sharper.”
The doctor raised an eyebrow. “But how? Horn growth takes many months. It shouldn't be possible to grow over a period of minutes or even days for that matter.”
“I think I should finish explaining what happened. You’ll understand better once you hear the entire story.” Celestia sighed, leaning back in her chair and staring up into the ceiling. “Things are more or less as you’ve heard so far, with the exception being-”
As she lay there in my forelegs I feared the worst, I checked her pulse, ran spells, and was about to use healing magic before I remembered the damage that may occur from using healing magic on a broken bone, or worse, a horn. I barely managed to stop myself, and was just about to carry her to the nearest doctor when I noticed something strange.
It was… horrifying to say the least.
Her horn… moved. I don't know how to explain it but at the base of her skull suddenly became alive, as if there were snakes writhing mere milimetres beneath her flesh. They squirmed up her head, focusing around her horn before climbing up it, the keratin shifting and morphing as if it was being remade before my very eyes.
A part of me wanted to stop it, wanted to try and hold off whatever it was that was happening, but then I remembered that the parasite seemed to do everything it could to help the filly. So I just stood there, watching as her horn shifted and moved, the snake like appendages beneath her horn restructuring it in a few minutes.
As time passed the cracks seemed to vanish and the horn was pushed back together, before filling with keratin once more, healing the crack completely. The entire process took only a few minutes, and by the end of it I was left shocked by just how complete it was.
If a pony doctor had attempted something like that either through magic or by traditional surgery Twilight would have been in for months of recovery before her years of magical therapy could even begin. Yet when it was over and done with, her horn looked new, and was, in fact, better than new.
I am no expert, that much is obvious, but I have been able to learn a few things over my many long years. An accident like that should leave scars, damage, yet this parasite seemed to not only heal the damage, but actually helped Twilight grow stronger.
Did you know that there are minotaur warriors that break their fingers in order to prompt additional bone growth? They do so in order to hit harder without having to worry if their hands are going to break under the impact. It's crude to say the least, but it's hard to argue with the results.
This is the closest I can compare Twilight’s startling change to.
After that I used every diagnostic spell I knew, trying everything I could think of in order to figure out what had happened. I was left even more confused than I had been moments earlier, as not only was her horn longer, and sharper, but her connections were improved, substantially at that.
The closest I can reason is that the parasite learned more about Twilight’s horn through the break, and was able to both improve and heal her through this accident.
Celestia sighed, and shook her head. “If I did not know any better, I would say that this parasite acts more like a sentient being than the primitive intelligence I once assumed it had.”
Silver Scalpel blinked. “I…” She paused. “I think we are giving this thing too much credit, it could be a reactive response to damage to the host. This would explain why her bones have become so much stronger after she broke her leg.”
“It's possible,” Celestia concluded. “Forgive an old mare for her musings. I have too much time to think and too few ponies to bounce ideas off.”
The younger mare leaned forward in her chair. “Did anything else happen after that? How was she after she woke back up?”
“Fine. She was more confused than anything,” Celestia remarked. “She even mentioned that she felt more well rested than she had in the past few days.” The alicorn sighed tiredly. “After that I made her promise to stop before such a thing could happen again. After that I determined her horn was fully healed and she cast the spell without trouble. As if she had been casting it for years without issue.”
“That is… baffling,” Silver Scalpel remarked, tapping her chin, her mind a million miles elsewhere.
“It makes me wonder if we ponies have the knowhow to even deal with whatever this thing is.” Celestia frowned. “Something like this must exist in greater number somewhere. There are no species of one and I shudder to think what these parasites could do if they had the inclination for evil.”
The younger mare blinked. “And infecting fillies is not evil?”
“All it's done so far is heal her and though it might be possible that it hurt her magical conduits to begin with, it more than made up for this shortfall,” Celestia explained, her expression becoming more and more strained by the second. “Have you had any luck finding a way to fight this… thing?”
“No.” Silver sighed, running a hoof down her face. “All the samples we have of it seem to be resistant to well… everything. Fire is really the only thing that seems to have a modicum of success in destroying it, but even then it has to be exceptionally hot.”
The doctor stood suddenly. “We have to tell ponies about this.”
“It would cause a panic,” Celestia remarked dismissively. “I would love to be able to tell the general population about the potential harm but what good would that do if we don't have any idea how to possibly counteract it?”
The doctor fell back into her chair and sighed. “I suppose you are right. I mean, we don't even know how it is able to reproduce, it might be airborne for all we know.”
“That is a… terrifying possibility,” Celestia admitted, her face growing tight as she thought of the potential implications. “All I know is that the charms have detected nothing this entire time.”
The two ponies shared a collective sigh, sitting back in their chairs and becoming lost in their own worlds. Eventually Celestia sighed and gave her head a slow shake. “On an unrelated note, has Twilight been able to give an explanation on the creature she drew a few weeks ago?”
Silver Scalpel blinked. “I don't think so, why?”
“Mere curiosity, I assure you.” Celestia smiled. “The mind of a child is a strange and wondrous thing. I’m sure it was merely from some nightmare of hers.”
“I will make sure to check back in with Velvet Touch tonight and inquire on this subject.”
“Don't bother.” Celestia waved her hoof. “I’ll just dig out the report on the subject, no reason to worry yourself.” The alicorn blinked and looked up at the clock. “Speaking of which, I should let you go, it's getting rather late.”
Silver Scalpel followed the alicorn’s gaze, her eyes going wide when she noticed the time. “Velvet is going to be so pissed.” The mare stood quickly, only to be stopped by the golden glow of Celestia’s magic.
“Thank you again by the way.” The alicorn chuckled. “And if you get in trouble, you have my permission to blame me.”
The younger mare chuckled, ducking into a brief bow. “You are far too generous, Your Majesty.”
“Good evening, Silver Scalpel.”
“And to you as well.”
Celestia watched the mare turn and leave, closing the door behind her and vanishing, leaving the alicorn alone in the silent room.
With a swift motion the mare locked the door and activated her wards, ensuring her privacy was complete before she began to dig through the files on her desk. Finally locating the one she was looking for, she hesitated a moment, her hoof mere millimeters over the lip of the file, doubt clouding her mind. It didn't last long though, and the alicorn brushed aside such notions, determined to see this through.
Flipping through a few papers, she picked back up where she had left off, tossing aside the sticky note she had used as a bookmark.
The sightings have grown more common over the last week or so, as if something has riled them up. My commanding officer does not agree with this sentiment, but I remain convinced that something has changed. Regardless, no one has been injured, and other than a few ponies that remain missing, no damage has been done save for some cattle that haven't turned up yet. Though this is possibly due to the increased timberwolf activity over the last month.
Attached is private Quill Stroke’s impression of the only creature he supposedly caught a glimpse of.
Brass is still telling us this is little more than wild boars, but that doesn't look like any boar I’ve ever seen.
Captain Steel Shod.
Celestia sighed, picking up the picture that Twilight drew and laying it next to the one attached to the most recent report. Her gaze lingered on the papers for a moment longer, her conclusions all but unavoidable at this point.
“What in the hell is going on?” she whispered.