//------------------------------// // Chapter Eighteen // Story: Mare In The Everfree Forest // by MoonLily //------------------------------// I was lying on the ground my ears catching the sound of hooves walking. I opened my eyes to find myself laying on a moving surface. Sitting up slowly I noticed that it had stars that were ringing in my ears. Different shades of blue were dancing along the lines of purple and light pink. I watched the floor change into a wall allowing me to see princess Luna and the others walking around aimlessly. Moving to the wall I knocked on it trying to get their attention. I could see they had turned to me talking to each other. I stayed in the same spot before knocking on the wall again. I watched as they were walking over to the wall silently Pinkie on the other hoof came crashing into the wall her tail wagging behind her. “Pinkie! Don’t scare the poor thing!” I could hear applejack shouting. “Don’t worry I am used to it” I spoke up. I could see the others staring at me. “Sister?” Luna ran over to the wall only to be stopped by it. “Sister I think I found her!” I watched as Luna started to bang on the wall “But why can’t I get to her” “Luna I don’t think that is her?” I watched as Celestia walked up to the wall with the others. I could hear a slight chuckling coming from above. I looked up and noticed Discord in his larger form. He was smiling down at us like an ally cat looking at its prize. “Poor Luna you can’t cross this wall to see if this is your poor Silver” he spoke up stretching his arms. “Why not?” She shouted staring daggers at the creature. “Let me see” he started to stroke his beard. “We are in the land between life and death. You call this limbo” I turned my head and noticed Void walking out of the shadows sitting against the wall “On your side is the mortal side and over here is the celestial side” he looked at them as Twilight looked towards her princesses. “Then why aren’t the princesses over there?” “Let me restate my phrase. Where you are is the side that all beings made from clay will go. You all are the creations of Faust and her magic. Your souls may be connected to celestial beings but your body was not made from them. Over here are where the ones made from the Celestials will go. Silver here was made by them” he pointed towards me as I looked at him. “So will you tell me what the hell is going on then?” “Nope. Your parents will have to tell you themselves” Discord smiled causing me to groan. “Ass” I growled causing him to chuckle. “I know. Now it's time for you to return home” he smiled as I felt Void dragging me away from the wall. I started to grumble as I felt the shadows wrap around me. I sat up with a gasp trying to get air into my lungs. My fight was futile as I felt a tube running down my throat. I started to grip the bed as I was pushing myself up into a sitting position. I felt a bunch of wires pulling at my skin causing me to turn behind me. I could see a heart monitor attached to me giving me a slight smile. Gripping the wires in my magic I pulled them from the wall and machines causing alarms to go off in the hallway. “RED!” “I DID NOT DO IT!” “I THOUGHT YOU SAID SHE WAS SETTLED!” “SHE IS” I listened to the others yell in the hall over the alarms. “THEN WHY IS HER HEART FAILING!”  “I DON’T KNOW SHE WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTING AND FELL HALFWAY DOWN CANTERLOT!” I could hear them yelling still as the door was flung open. I watched as the curtain was pulled back allowing me to see half of the medical side of the family standing behind Red. They were itching holding different carts as they were staring at me. “Okay it's not her heart she's just awake” “Can some pony go and grab the princess please” he groaned as he walked towards the machines causing the alarms to grow silent. I was pushed back into the bed as the tube was pulled out of my muzzle. I could feel the wires being placed back onto my body. I could feel the others placing pillows around my hooves and my back. I settled into the pillows as I felt some warm blankets getting draped over me. I ignored the pillows as I was looking down at the bandage that ran down my chest. I ran my hoof along the bandage causing me to huff a bit. “Many of the family stayed around. Mostly the older generations” I looked to my side and noticed Pink Spot standing beside the bed. She was mostly a strawberry pink earth pony with a white spot over her right eye. I was about to open my muzzle but she placed her hoof on my muzzle to quiet me. “They are taking care of day-to-day operations. Even Blueblood. I think he may be taken care of as many of the family kind of threaten to use him as a pinata” she chuckled as I rolled my eye. I looked over at Red with just a nagging feeling washing over me. “Red who fixed me up?” “The surgeons that were on staff at the time. They took care of the limbs and the other parts while I worked on your heart” I could see him staring at me. “Odd I didn’t see normal ponies working on me. I saw gold and silver ponies with the princesses and the elements in the room” I groaned as I rubbed my head. “Well, the surgeons were Golden Songflower and Silver Coin. you meet them both when  I had them over for dinner” I nodded as I knew the two ponies he was talking about “Princess Celestia and Luna stayed in the room since you were waking up. The elements were on standby not sure if something wrong was going to happen. The shadows were climbing the walls as you woke up.” I watched as Red walked closer to the bed “I couldn’t work on you as a solo surgeon because I got to Canterlot late.” I sighed at the information that was given to me. I leaned my head back into the pillow letting out a sigh. “Okay, I think we need to let grandma rest” I looked towards the door to see a large dark green earth pony with ivy mixed with dark green mane walking in. “Come on Garden” Red spoke up as the stallion looked down at him. “Red you may be the doctor but I don’t think standing around watching her will help” he huffed causing the rest to chuckle. I let out a yawn as I settled down. “Still we need” “I’m sorry” I spoke up softly causing the fighting to stop. “Don’t be sorry grandmother. You’ve done much for all of us. You gave most of us a chance to live when we thought our lives would end. You raised us and gave us something to work towards. You supported this family and all of us. I think it's our turn to support you” I noticed Garden smiling as I fell into a deep sleep. As I was sleeping I was woken up by more fighting. Looking over at the door I could hear my family fighting with the princesses. Sitting up I grumbled again. Turning towards the wall I pulled the cords out of the machines causing the alarms to go off. I simply waited as the fighting came to a halt and the door opened up. This time the princesses were mixed in with the elements. “The one time I want to rest and I hear fighting” I hissed as I glared at most of them. “Oh by the nine grandmother is dying!” I heard most of the family shouting causing me to stare at them. I then watched them running out of the room screaming for the others. Garden Ivy pushed the elements and the princesses into the room. “This would be your only chance” he smiled as he closed the door behind them. “Really they think you're going to die? Isn’t that a little harsh?” Rainbow spoke up as I grumbled. “What are you going on about ego with wings?” I glared over at the blue pegasus. “Silver never stays laying down Rainbow. She wouldn't rest even after having a full manticore’s tail pulled from her. I had to tie her down to the bed for a week with the help of her husband. Also don’t mind her attitude from her. She gets this way when she is irritable, grumpy, stuck in one place with nowhere to run, or in pain. Most of the time it's all of them” I rolled my eyes at the sound of princess Luna’s voice. “Come talk to me when your done adding glitter to your mane” “I do not add glitter to my mane” “You sure? You add glitter your sister dyes her hair. Hell her coat is not even that white its a dull greyish white” I huffed as I heard some gasp. “You’ve used that already Silver. Try something new for once” “Fine your the better-looking sister anyway. Sorry, Celestia you just had one too many cake slices for me. I am a pie type of mare” I looked at the princesses noticing Luna was trying to hide her smile and Celestia wanted to kill me. “Look you came in here with one happy puppy” I pointed towards Twilight “a hyperactive pink glitter bomb that should be registered as a weapon” I moved to Pinkie “Ego on wings “I pointed towards Rainbow “The only level-headed pony in the whole group” I pointed towards applejack “A perfect pony to just use as bait” I pointed towards Rarity “ and then the quiet one who you will forget “I moved over to Fluttershy as I glared over at the princesses. I felt a hoof hit my head. “Shut up Knight commander or I will get red to put you under.” I sighed as I slumped my shoulders forward while I buried my face into a pillow. “What do you want” my voice was muffled. “I wanted to see how you were doing,” Luna spoke up. “We wanted to talk about the trip” Celestia spoke up with venom in her voice. The others softly agreed. “However, your perfectly fine,” I noticed Luna was smiling as I sat up staring at her in shock. “Have you ever just thought that this one time I want to sleep?” I was pulled towards her as Luna was quickly looking me over before pulling me into a hug. “Sister I think she is dying” I could feel tears dropping on my head “She never said she wanted to sleep after being hurt. You are not dying! I won’t let you!” I was released as Luna ran out of the room. I saw the others following her causing me to sigh. “Midnight” I spoke softly hoping she would hear me. “Yes, grandmother” I shifted my eyes to see the shadow from under the bed had elongated itself allowing me to see it. “Grab my travel bag the emergency one. Make sure it has everything I need and meet me at the train station, please. I think it's time I went home” I spoke up again as the shadow disappeared. I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly before pulling the tubes and wires off of me. I grabbed a sheet changing the color to black before wrapping it around me. I fixed it to look like a shawl and a hood. Fixing the hood I placed an illusion spell on it to change my coat to a deep royal blue with a pair of fish swimming around an orb. I moved in front of the medical wing and made my way slowly to the train station where I noticed Jr was sitting and waiting. He was the one who had my bag and not Midnight. “I guess you got it from Midnight” I spoke up walking to him. “She asked me to give it to you” I picked up the bag and looked towards him. “Tell her I said Thank you” “Your really going to go home without everypony?” I looked over at Jr and nodded. “I think it's best that I head home. I’ve caused nothing but a headache” I picked up the bag and walked towards the train station paying for a ticket to the north.