//------------------------------// // 17 - ...Ends With the Dawn // Story: A Wolf in Cybernetic Armor // by Shadow Quill //------------------------------// …System Reboot Initiated… …CPU: Operational… …Motor Systems: Optimal… …Emotion Drive: Stable… …Critical Error Resolved… …Beginning Power-up Sequence… …Power Core: 95%... …Portal Recharge Time: 11:20:37:47…46…45…44… Shadow’s optics slowly came into focus as his systems recovered from his forced shutdown, his movements sluggish as his processors reconfigured to his current orientation. He was lying on his side on what appeared to be a hospital bed, the blinds pulled open to reveal that it was night at the present moment. He slowly moved into a seated position, his gaze traveling around the room as the events leading up to his emotional overload began to run through his mind. It only took a second or two for him to analyze and catalogue the relevant information into subfolders for future use, his processors focused on one thing as he jumped off the bed and made his way to the door. Dr. Kelly was critically injured, and given how much time had passed, there were only two possibilities as to her current condition. Either the pony doctors had stabilized her, or she was no longer alive. Shadow opened the door to his room, glancing left and right down the hallway in an attempt to see if anyone was present, but all that met his searching gaze was a dimly lit corridor with a few other doors on either side. Knowing that Dr. Kelly had to be in the hospital somewhere, he followed his audio receptors and turned down the staircase until he reached what he presumed to be the ground floor. The soft chatter of ponies could be detected from a large distance, thanks to the stillness of the night, and it was only a few moments longer before Shadow opened the door to the Recovery Ward. Standing around a bed in the center of the large room, were Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor and what appeared to be the doctor on duty. The dark blue unicorn was wearing a coat and had a surgery mask hanging around his neck as he talked with Celestia, although if the dark expressions on their faces were anything to go by, the news wasn’t good. Captain Goodwill was standing to one side in full battle gear, his weapon at ease but his gaze locked on the door leading to the hall, the perfect image of a menacing guard dog. No one was going to harm his charge while he was on the job, of that Shadow was certain. Other than that, the rest of the diplomatic team was missing from the scene, although given the time of night Shadow presumed that they had gone to sleep and would come back in the morning. Princess Luna was the first one to spot Shadow as he entered, save for Goodwill’s nod of acknowledgement, her face lighting up as she turned to face him, “Shadow! Praise be that you are well. We were worried that you had fallen to some unknown ailment and would never return to the waking world.” “I’m alright now, Princess,” Shadow replied as he walked up to the gathered ponies, “but I can tell that there is something that is bothering you. Is Dr. Kelly no longer with us?” Luna glanced at her sister before the doctor spoke up, his gaze locking with Shadow’s for a moment before turning to the bed behind them, “The patient is stable for now, but there is something that you all need to know.” Shadow stepped past Celestia and looked down on the sleeping form of Dr. Kelly, his ears turned towards the pony doctor so he could listen as he inspected the unconscious woman, “While we were able to repair the holes in her skull and sealed the cracks in her ribcage, I’m sorry to say that there is nothing we can do for the damage to her brain. Physically, she is perfectly healthy, but mentally, we are slowly but surely losing her.” Shadow turned his gaze away from Kelly and back to the doctor, “You mean she’s dying.” He nodded, “Indeed. While there are many things healing magic can do, there is nothing that can be done to fix a broken mind. She will continue to breathe on her own for a while, as well as display sporadic brain activity, but eventually the damage to her mind will overcome her body and she will die. I am deeply sorry, I would do more if I could, but unless we delved into dark magic, there is nothing anypony can do to save the human at this point.” He bowed his head and turned away, “I’ll let you say your goodbyes. She might be able to hear you, so I guess that could offer some comfort before her final moments. I’d say she has an hour or two before the time comes, so I’d make it quick. With your leave, Princess, I shall return to my other patients.” The door closed behind him and for a moment there was nothing save for the soft chirping of Dr. Kelly’s heart monitor. Then, Celestia turned to face Captain Goodwill, her expression guarded and her voice level as she spoke, “Shadow, please repeat what I am about to say so that your guard can understand me. There are a few things that I must know before we go any further.” Shadow nodded, stepping up to Celestia’s side as the diarch spoke and returning the Captain’s words in turn once he replied. “What actions will the humans take if Dr. Kelly does not survive?” Celestia asked, “What retribution will they seek for the death of an ambassador?” The Captain turned his eyes to address Celestia but did not turn away from guarding the doorway of the room. His voice was level and his delivery succinct as his reply growled through the air, “Murder is a serious crime for humans. We used to imprison those that did such deeds for the rest of their lives, but as the prison population grew to unmanageable levels, alternatives had to be looked for in order to keep people from committing the acts in the first place, or at least to discourage the vast majority.” Celestia’s face became unreadable as a mask fell over her features, “And what alternatives were eventually settled upon?” “Death.” Was the simple reply, “The taking of a life would be met with the loss of one’s own. Straightforward, to the point, and permanent. I do not know what ponies do to people such as that, but given the circumstances, it doesn’t matter. The ambassador will uphold the laws of our people and request that the perpetrator be tried in a human court. If found guilty of his actions, which I would almost guarantee, then he would be put before a firing squad and sentenced to death for the murder of an ambassador. If you do not allow us to try him in our courts, then you would be pressured to perform similar actions in your own legal system. Given the charge is murder, I would say that unless you imprison him for life, or something more severe, humanity would threaten you with war for the unprovoked killing of an ambassador.” “And if we chose to resist when we do not dispatch the guilty party?” Luna countered. “You would lose,” Goodwill replied, “It wouldn’t even be a fight worth writing about in the history books. It would be a one-sided bloodbath that would result in your people massacred by the thousands. We are a space-faring race, Your Highness, with weapons that can level cities from orbit and single-person platforms that can take out opposing combatants from over three miles away. One man could take out this entire city without ever setting foot inside the walls, with the push of a button. I’m not saying you wouldn’t put up a fight, but as it stands, you wouldn’t have a prayer at even scratching our combat forces.” Silence followed his words, the shock on the pony’s faces evident for all to see as Shadow finished translating. Cadence looked slightly green after hearing what the Captain had said, while Shining Armor simply stared into space, his mouth repeating what Goodwill had foretold like a mantra of doom. Even Luna seemed to have been cowed by the certainty that the human guard had spoken with, her eyes traveling over to Dr. Kelly as if witnessing the death of her subjects with every second that passed, slowly progressing towards destruction as the doctor’s life faded bit by bit. Yet, as Shadow turned to face Celestia, he saw a determination in her gaze that rivaled the heat of the sun, her gaze traveling to the slumbering form of Dr. Kelly as the other royals moved out of the way. Celestia stood over the unconscious woman and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before turning to Goodwill once again. “I will not sentence my ponies to death when there is another option.” Her voice was determined and level as her eyes moved back to Dr. Kelly, her eyes softening as her horn lit up, “There will be no need for such punishment if Dr. Kelly lives. While the actions of Prince Blueblood will not go unanswered for, I will not allow relations between our peoples to be marred by death when peace and harmony can be achieved instead. Luna, Cadence, I will need your help if I am going to make this work.” The other royals stepped up to the bed, Luna on the opposite side while Cadence stood at the base, “What are you going to do, sister?” Luna asked. “Something that will change history for both ponies and humans from this moment forward.” Was the cryptic reply, “I will guide the spell, I just need your power in order to complete it. Hopefully it will be enough to save Dr. Kelly’s life, and prevent disaster from befalling our world.” Three horns lit up at the same time, light blue and deep navy magic shooting into Dr. Kelly’s body as Celestia’s golden aura enveloped the woman’s form. Goodwill and Shining Armor shielded their eyes as the light climbed to blinding levels, although Shadow refused to look away as Dr. Kelly’s body was slowly lifted from the bed and into the air. Ribbons of light folded around her as the wires secured to her arm and chest fell off, the shriek of the heart monitor flatlining echoing around the room as the cocoon of magic completely hid Dr. Kelly from view. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the light began to fade from the room as the door burst open, the frantic eyes of the doctor and a duo of nurses falling onto the glowing ball of magic as it began to drop onto the bed once more. Shining Armor and Captain Goodwill lowered their arm/foreleg and gaped at what had happened, the doctor and nurses following suite as jaws dropped to the floor. The heart monitor was forgotten as the ball of light settled onto the sheets once again, slowly fading as a form was revealed from within. Yet it was not the form of a human that met the eyes of everyone present. Lying on her side, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath, was a cream-coated unicorn, her two-tone gold and red mane falling over one shoulder while her tail curled up between her hind legs. The alicorns sank to their haunches as the medical staff rushed to check on the new pony in the room, one of the nurses finally shutting off the heart monitor as the doctor scanned Dr. Kelly with his magic. “I don’t believe it.” The doctor said as he finished his scan, “She’s completely healed. Princess, you managed to heal the damage to her brain! But, won’t her body return to normal once the transmodification spell wears off?” Celestia gently waved off the nurse that was fussing over her, standing once again as Captain Goodwill slowly approached. She watched as the guard inspected the former human with a narrowed gaze, his eyes slowly moving from the sleeping mare to the Princess’s neutral expression, “What exactly did you do to her?” Shadow figured that his translation wouldn’t be needed, but he did carry over Celestia’s reply as she glanced at both the doctor and Goodwill, “While a normal transmodification spell would wear off after a period of time, the spell that I just used is far more powerful. It takes the living essence of a being and safeguards it while changing their form from one species to another. Dr. Kelly is still the same being she once was, but now in a pony body. Instead of her transformation being temporary, her new form is tied to her lifeforce, which makes it as permanent as the life she lives. She will be a pony for the rest of her life, but at least it will be a life that will last longer than what precious few hours her old body had to live. While I would not normally use such drastic measures for one individual, the threat of war between our people was far too great a risk for me not to act.” “But what about her duties as a scientist?” Goodwill replied, “She has obligations to the diplomatic team that must be met if we are to open proper negotiations. How can she perform those duties if she’s no longer human?” “Rest assured, Dr. Kelly will still be able to perform her duties once she gets used to her new body.” Celestia said, a hint of venom tinging her tone as her gaze shifted to the far wall, “I will personally guarantee that she will have everything she could possibly need in order to ensure that your mission is a success. Plus,” a devilish smirk found its way to her lips as her eyes returned to the Captain, “she won’t be forced to learn on her own how to use her new body. We will help her in every way we can and enact punishment on our wayward nephew at the same time.” Tilted heads and confused expressions were the norm as Celestia turned and opened the door, “Please, follow me. The medical staff will ensure that nothing happens to Dr. Kelly while we are gone. I request that you accompany us as well, Captain. I believe a human witness is required for what I am about to do.” The royals filed out of the room, Shadow and Goodwill following behind as they made their way through the halls of the hospital. They quickly found themselves standing in front of another room, although if the loud complaining coming from within was any indication, the resident of said room was already up and aware. Celestia’s horn glowed as she opened the door, the grating whining thankfully falling silent for the moment as the rest of the group entered. Sitting on the bed, a rather relieved-looking nurse standing beside him, was Prince Blueblood himself, his eyes narrowed in annoyance and gratitude at the same time. While Celestia and company filed into the room, the nurse beat a hasty retreat, slipping by the larger ponies as the prince began talking again in his overblown and pompous attitude. “Oh, thank goodness you’ve arrived Auntie, I was just telling these simpletons that I am perfectly fine and should be released from this establishment post haste, due to the fact that I have a party to attend tonight that I must be…present…for…” His voice rose by several octaves as he spotted Shadow and Captain Goodwill entering the room, his eyes narrowing into pinpricks as his heart began racing once again. Yet, before anything else could happen, a golden glow enveloped the prince’s body, forestalling his scream and cutting off his magic as Celestia marched up to the edge of the bed, “That is quite enough, Prince Blueblood. You have caused quite enough trouble for one day. I will not let your cowardice cause another international incident like what happened this afternoon.” “Whatever do you mean?” He asked as his eyes shifted from Celestia to the aliens in the room and back again, “Those are some of the monsters that attacked me in the main hall! They should be locked up in Tartarus for attacking part of the royal family! Auntie Luna,” His gaze shifted to the navy alicorn, who was watching the proceedings with a narrowed expression, “please inform your sister of the transgressions laid upon me by these beasts! I was nearly killed and now they are being allowed to roam freely about the castle!” “BE SILENT!!” Everyone present jumped as Celestia’s voice echoed around the room, “Prince Blueblood, these are not monsters, nor were you attacked when you encountered these beings earlier today. They are part of a diplomatic team that was sent here to negotiate the relationship between our peoples. Your actions nearly led to the death of an ambassador and could have led to all-out war between the humans and Equestria. Your self-centered ego nearly cost us the peace that has lasted for over a thousand years, and even now you still paint yourself as the victim after nearly murdering an innocent being.” Blueblood sputtered, trying to come up with a reply, but Celestia wasn’t having any of it, “You will remain silent until I am finished speaking, or else I might reconsider allowing the humans to handle the matter of your trial.” That shut the pompous unicorn up quickly, his jaw closing with a click as Celestia’s tone dropped into a deadly serious rumble, “Due to your actions, and the penalties that have been levied against you by the humans, I am left with no choice but to revoke your title as Prince. You are not worthy of the title after your actions today, and you bring shame upon the noble ponies that came before you. Your land, holdings and wealth will be seized by the crown, and you will be forced to serve the needs of your victim for the next five years. You will care for her while she adjusts to her new body and abilities, and you will assist her in every way possible while she continues her duties as part of the ambassadorial staff. You will live with the humans, learn their language and teach our own so that we can avoid any further incidents born of misunderstandings. You are no longer a member of the royal family, but you still carry the weight of Equestria’s future on your haunches. Your actions will have direct consequences on how the humans perceive ponies, so take care not to disappoint them or me as you move forward. Mess this up, and nothing will protect you from the punishment that was originally placed upon your head, not even me.” Shadow translated for Goodwill quietly as the former prince gaped in shock at Celestia. Yet as his gaze traveled from one cold face to the next, reality seemed to sink in and tears ran from his eyes as he climbed off of the bed, sinking to his knees before Celestia’s hooves as he blubbered, “Please, you can’t do this to me! My family has been part of the nobility for generations! You-You can’t take my title away! The other noble houses won’t stand for it! I’ll tell them all, I’ll make you reconsider when the other noble houses threaten to revolt! I’m a prince! I’m above these lowly creatures that have seen to trample through our home like they own it! You can’t do this to me!” Celestia stood there with an impassive expression as the unicorn before her fell further and further into his misery, her cold mask unmoved as she simply turned away and walked out. Shadow and Goodwill followed as the other royals brought up the rear, the wailing cries of Blueblood fading into the background as the door was slammed shut behind them. “What will we do if he follows through with his threat, sister?” Luna asked as they returned to the room containing Dr. Kelly, “Even we cannot stand against the noble houses if they choose to unite against us to support Blueblood.” “Leave that to me.” Celestia’s tone was flat, her mane hanging lower than usual as the weariness of the day seemed to catch up with her, “I will make sure that nopony can save Blueblood from his punishment. Not this time. He has gone too far, and his punishment has been a long time coming. I will personally see to it that he does not touch a single bit until he has paid the price for what he did. He will never be a prince, but he will be able to earn back his place as a noble, given enough time and hard work.” “Then what shall be done about Dr. Kelly’s safety?” Luna added, “Surely you won’t entrust our former nephew to have her best interests at heart after what just happened.” “That is why I will be assigning more of our staff to help Dr. Kelly as she gets used to her body and new abilities.” Celestia’s lips curled slightly as she glanced over her shoulder at Luna, “You wouldn’t think I’d let Blueblood have her all to himself when she needs bathing and other such things, would you?” She giggled as Luna’s cheeks turned red at the very idea, “Relax, sister, I will make sure that nothing bad happens. Plus, I’m certain that our friend Shadow won’t be letting the good doctor out of his sight for the foreseeable future.” Luna nodded, her blush fading as she glanced back at Shadow, who had been busy passing on the sister’s words to Goodwill as they returned to Dr. Kelly’s room. They entered the room once again just as the doctor was finishing up with his examination. The heart monitor and the I.V. drip had been hooked up again, although it was probably more for show than to help Dr. Kelly heal. “The patient seems to be fully healed.” The stallion said as the royals filed into the room once again, “However, we’re keeping her sedated while we run a few tests, just to make sure nothing unusual is going on. Our preliminary scans have shown that she has next to no magic in her body, so until she absorbs enough of the ambient field to safely utilize her horn, we’re going to keep her here for observation and monitoring. Rest assured that she will make a full recovery in time, but as to how long that will take, I do not have a definitive answer.” “Thank you, Dr. Suture,” Celestia replied, “We request that any changes in Dr. Kelly’s condition be reported to us immediately, and that nopony is to speak with her until we have a chance to explain what has happened. Shadow,” her gaze leveled on the mechanical hound as he stepped up to the bedside, “please refrain from telling Dr. Kelly anything until my sister and I have a chance to talk with her ourselves. I think it will be a bit easier for her to take it if the reason for her transformation comes from the ones who performed it. Do you understand?” Shadow nodded, “I do, but I will not lie to her if she asks me what happened prior to the change. I’ll leave the magic explanations to you, but anything concerning the actions of Blueblood and the resulting aftereffects I will not hide from her. She has a right to know what happened, and I see no reason to keep the truth from her if she asks.” The ponies nodded their agreement as one, Shadow passing on the Princess’s request to Goodwill as the guard took up his position against the wall once more. He grunted his understanding as Shadow sat down next to the bed, everypony except Luna yawning as eyes began to droop. “Well, I think we should retire for the night.” Celestia covered up a second yawn with a hoof as she turned to face Luna, “I will leave the stewardship of the night in your capable hooves, sister. Please wake me if anything happens or if Dr. Kelly’s condition changes in any way. We’ve come too far to let something slip between our hooves now.” Luna gently pushed Celestia out of the door, a smile on her lips as her elder sister weakly tried to fight another yawn, “Go to sleep, sister. I shall watch over our newest little pony with Shadow and Captain Goodwill while you rest. Put your worries aside for now and let me carry your burdens while you sleep. It has been a long day and there will be many more to come once Dr. Kelly awakens.” With that said, Luna stepped aside to let Cadence and Shining Armor out of the room, closing the door softly behind them as she turned around and walked up to the bedside next to Shadow. The lunar diarch looked down on the sleeping mare with a slight frown on her muzzle, her words quiet as she spoke to the machine next to her. “Such drastic changes in so little time,” her voice was soft but held a weight that seemed to hang over their heads as she continued, “it is a wonder more disasters have not befallen our fair Equestria in the time I was gone. And yet, I see great things coming from this union of cultures, although this poor mare is going to get caught in the middle, of that I am sure. She has a hard road ahead of her,” she glanced down at Shadow out of the corner of her eye, “can I count on you to help her through the coming trials? She will need support from her friends in her time of need, and I cannot imagine anybeing more qualified to protect her and to pull her up when she falls.” Shadow looked at the human-turned-pony in the bed before him, his emotions running a mile a minute as he tried to compute as many possible scenarios concerning Dr. Kelly’s future. Yet all he ended up with was an overheated processor and a starship’s worth of frustration for his efforts, his mind settling on the simple fact that there were too many variables to predict what would happen next. He let out a sigh and turned to face Luna, his voice uncertain as he replied, “I will do whatever I can to help and protect her. I’m just not sure if it will be enough to keep her safe.” Luna’s smile lit up the room as she turned her own gaze to the unicorn mare, “That is all I can ask of anypony. You will do just fine, and I think that Dr. Kelly would say the same, if she knew that you were going to stand by her side. Have faith in yourself, and you will be able to face anything the future throws at you, no matter how challenging. I know a machine such as yourself does not need to sleep, but I do not want you to waste power when it is not needed. Rest now, I will watch over our little pony with the Captain until the morn.” Shadow wanted to argue, but after overheating his processor and the unexpected shutdown caused by his emotion drive overloading, he was feeling a very foreign sensation in his body and mind. It was like his systems were running at half speed, and his movements were sluggish to the point of almost setting off an error in his coordination program. Shadow identified the sensation as being worn out, but given his mechanical nature, that shouldn’t have been possible. Yet as his optics powered down, he couldn’t argue with the facts as he lay down on his stomach plating and rested his head on his front paws. The last thing he registered before his power-down sequence began, was of Luna softly chuckling to herself. …Power Core: 94%... …Portal Recharge Time: 11:16:53:21…20…19…18…