Luna leaned against a familiar shoulder as she examined the disease report. Secure stone walls surrounded her and the loyal Lunar Knights; the emergency operations center deep inside a bland mountain north of Canterlot now fully operational after a day of transporting supplies. It still wasn’t running at full capacity, but at least Luna could continue to assist her sister and co-rule Equestria without the chance of being infected.
“Any change?” Shifting asked, the Princess shaking her head.
“Another few thousand infected. It seems the transmission rate has started to level off…”
“That’s good, at least for now.”
Luna’s expression then froze, her eyes narrowing as a magical parchment appeared in front of her. The words seemed to make the alicorn shrink slightly, and Shifting felt the usually stoic Lunar Princess shiver.
“Celestia collapsed on her way to bed a few hours ago. She’s resting in the medical center now…” Luna whispered.
“Should I make ready for your departure?”
Luna paused, then shaking her head.
“She’s apparently stable, and says that she’s ‘fine’, just having some trouble breathing at times. If that changes, then yes. But considering the explicit instructions against such actions in this note…no. There’s nothing we can do regardless. Magic, even my sister’s or my own has been proven to be fairly useless against this illness, so my presence would be for support only, of which I will still gladly give. If necessary, I will be there for my sister.”
“I’ll make sure everything will run smoothly if you need to leave in a moment’s notice. I do hope it will not come to that.”
“As do I, Shifting.”
As the sun crept up over the horizon, nudged along its path by a tired Lunar Princess, a large figure trotted down Canterlot’s main streets. Towering over the ponies, every other glance directed towards the burly hippogriff was that of either shock, fear, or simple surprise at seeing a creature so far removed from their native lands. The large satchels that hung at his side bore the tell-tale medical cross, the red symbol standing out sharply against the brown containers and light green coloration of the individual. The hippogriff moved at a fast trot, dark green hooves and claws propelling him towards the castle in the distance.
I hope I am not too late! Synthesizing took longer than expected…
Arriving at the main palace entrance, the hippogriff nodded to the guards; each of whom stared up at him for a good few seconds behind their half-face respirators.
Probably recruits; the guard was hit hard judging from the reports.
“B-business?” one of them stammered, prompting a kind smile from the hippogriff.
Definitely newbies.
“My name is Doctor Borealis. I need to see your head doctors immediately,” he stated, prompting an unsure glance between the two guards.
“The palace is currently under restricted access, sir. I don’t think-”
I don’t have time for this, and neither does she!
Crouching down, Borealis’s ocean-blue eyes looked at the two unicorn guards briefly, then gestured towards the door.
“Let me level with you two. Your Princess is sick, if the papers are correct. I suspect it is much worse than indicated, however. Tell me this, am I wrong is suspecting she’s having trouble breathing? Maybe having a hard time standing?”
The shocked gaze the two guards gave him was good enough as an answer, but their silence prompted a frustrated huff to leave the Doctor’s beak.
“Look, I’m the one who helped create and send the cure to you all. If I don’t help your Princess, she. will. die. I suspect she has only a day at most, if her symptoms are that advanced. Now will you let me pass?”
One of the guards spoke into a small crystal communicator- and judging from the wince and the garbled yelling from the other end, somepony was very angry.
The words ‘Get him in here,’ were definitely audible, even from Borealis’s distance.
“I-erm, yes. Please follow me, and I’ll take you to the medical wing. Do you have any credentials?” one of the guards asked, and simply stared as Borealis handed over a stack of papers.
“There you go. I’m certified as a doctor, medic, nurse, all the above and then some in every major province, and even I’m sure you haven’t heard of. My official Equestrian Passport is on the top page. Now can we please hurry?”
Sorry lads, but I don’t have time to feel bad for your flustered state.
As one guard looked through the items, the unicorn casting a brief anti-counterfeit spell before he finally shrugged and handed them back, his compatriot gesturing to Borealis as the doors opened.
“I-yes, it all looks in order. Please follow me.”
As they trotted through the eerily vacant hall, Borealis took note of the antiseptic smell in the air.
A nice gesture, but I doubt they have the potency correct. It needs to sting the nostrils in order to kill the blasted bug.
“This way,” the guard relayed, leading the hippogriff into the medical wing of the castle. The sound of sniffling ponies reached his furry ears, and the doctor frowned at seeing the packed rooms.
It’s the best they can do though. Hardly sterile, but for individuals already sick, it doesn’t really matter in the end. Once they beat the infection, they’ll be immune.
“You! You’re the one who made this cure?” a unicorn exclaimed, the smock-covered individual asked as he trotted up, a half-mask respirator in place. “And why doesn’t he have a mask?!” his words now were aimed at the guards.
“Helped make it, yes. My supervisor told Commander Sands that I would be arriving. As for the mask, there is no need; I can’t get infected,” Borealis relayed, prompting a soft huff.
“Oh? Immune to the ailment? And your supervisor said…well, that’s the first I’ve heard of it. Now what is this about the Princess being close to death? As far as we can tell, our treatments are holding the illness at bay, as far along as the infection has spread at least.”
Borealis let out a snort, following the doctor down the halls toward a private room after another guard took a look at his stack of credentials.
“That’s how it would appear, yes. But in about six hours or less that will change, if it hasn’t already. Your treatments won’t work for an alicorn and I’m surprised your supportive methods have lasted this long.”
The pony doctor frowned, gesturing to a guarded side room.
“Why not? And why is this cure you sent us not working either?”
Borealis sighed, shaking his massive head.
“Because it was designed for ponies, gryphons, anycreature other than the Princess’s. The fungus acts the same way in all of them; but not Alicorns.”
“Wait, it’s not a virus? But under our microscopes….”
“It’s a hybrid. A viral organism symbiotically living in a fungus carrier. In normal creatures, killing one eliminates both. You wouldn’t know that unless you looked inside the lungs of a creature at a late stage of infection. I doubt you have examined any at that stage though. It’s not visible post-mortem either; dissolves to a useless sludge within moments of death.” Borealis interjected, seeing the doctor’s eyes widen.
“That’s why antifungals and antivirals are somewhat effective…”
“Yes. Now where is the Princess?”
Opening the door, the doctor gestured to the restless Alicorn, Celestia clearly struggling to get comfortable on the large bed.
“This is all quite unnecessary, Doctor,” she remarked calmly, but a definite breathlessness was audible in her speech.
“Quite the contrary, Princess. The infection has reached its late stage and you are quite ill,” Borealis replied, setting down his massive satchels and digging through them, the doctor brushing a few cream and green head feathers out of his vision.
“And you are?”
“Doctor Borealis. I’m one of the creatures who helped develop the cure my superior has been sending to you all. I believe he told Commander Sands I would be sent here if things deteriorated, more or less. I’m also the only one here who knows how sick you really are,” the hippogriff stated flatly, pulling out a stethoscope.
“Now then, Princess. I have been cleared by no less than two, or probably four of your guards by now. May I at least run a cursory examination so I can get an idea of how best to treat you? I will gladly wait until an in-depth verification is done of which I imagine is currently being explored, before continuing further.”
Seeing one of her guard’s nod in agreement to the hippogriff’s statement, Celestia shifted upright with a nod.
“Very well.”
Placing the stethoscope against her side, Borealis listened as Celestia took a deep breath, his brow furrowing.
Crackling. Shifting…gurgling. Not good.
“How long have you been infected?”
“About two weeks.”
Borealis’ eyes widened, the hippogriff immediately pulling out a large box from the medical bags, claws scanning through the contents.
“Two weeks? You hide your pain better than most; how short of breath are you right now?”
“It’s a bit difficult to breathe, but nothing horrible.”
You collapsed in the corridor; I’d say you are lying, most likely to yourself. Most ponies are on the mend after a week, maybe two at most…
Looking around, Borealis saw the guards watching his every move- and then it all made sense.
She’s keeping up a front; a mask even when sick. That is not helping me in the slightest.
Pulling out a large syringe, Borealis examined the contents; the dual chambers holding a lime green and purple solution that would be mixed on injection.
“Alright. This is a booster to the usual cure. I’ll wait until my identity is further verified again though. However, I must say, this treatment isn’t exactly live subject-tested.”
Celestia nodded, regarding the newcomer with genuine curiosity.
“It is not often I find someone so well versed in such formal necessities, if not a bit…unique in the approach.”
Borealis shrugged, gesturing to his medical bags.
“I’ve treated enough high-ranking individuals to know the general procedure that transcends language or even species. There’s a difference between a cursory examination and treatment. This is not exactly a by-the-book house call either.”
A royal guard poked his head in, giving Borealis the stack of papers back with a nod.
“He’s clean. A certified Doctor, medic and general nurse in basically every nation we have a record of,” the guard reported, a bit of awe in his voice.
“That’s quite impressive, you get around, Doctor?” Celestia mused, prompting a chuckle.
“I’ve been doing this for a while, so yes. And don’t let my youthful looks fool you,” he said, then gesturing to the syringe and then to the pony doctor watching.
“Now then. May I help? This will provoke an allergic reaction however, but those symptoms will arrive within a day regardless. Depending on the severity of your reaction, I will need to work fast.”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed at the hippogriff’s words, a hoof gesturing to the bags.
“Work fast?”
“To save your life.”
Genuine surprise cracked the mask on Celestia’s face, the alicorn recovering after a moment.
“But I don’t feel-”
“You will though. This fugus and virus attack alicorn anatomy quite differently than any of the others, or rather, a culmination of every other race of pony amplified. Lungs, muscles, nervous system, it’s a debilitating combination. Unfortunately, I haven’t exactly had any real-life testing on Alicorns for obvious reasons.” Borealis’ expression fell, wings shuffling slightly.
“I understand your hesitation however. If you wish to wait until your symptoms progress to a later stage within a few hours, we can do that as well. Either way, this treatment will need to be performed.”
He then paused, sitting up a bit straighter.
“Feel free to cast a truth spell on me; I am not lying or hiding anything about my knowledge concerning this disease.”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed, and her horn ignited with a brief flash as the truth-spell settled over the hippogriff. It would immediately inform the alicorn if any of his phrases were false or otherwise misleading.
“Doctor Borealis, is what you say true?” the ruler asked calmly. “Is this untested and unproven antidote necessary to save my life, and must be administered within the day?”
“Completely. It is not untested entirely however; I have run dozens, if not hundreds of scenarios using a magical scan of alicorn biology, provided by your own medical department. I requested it six months ago for research purposes into this matter.”
“What are the risks involved with the procedure?”
“An allergic reaction is expected as is a heightened immune response. Corrective action must be taken within one hour to prevent death. Those symptoms will occur at a later time if the process is allowed to run its course regardless.”
“How do you know all of this? Your records are clean, but how do you know of this disease so acutely?”
“I discovered it.”
A slight cough left Celestia’s muzzle, the alicorn ceasing the spell with a frown.
“You…what?”
Borealis let out a huff, shaking his head as the spell wore off.
“It is from the Dragon Lands, and is a naturally occurring organism, heavily resistant to heat and magic, as it usually is a dragon ailment. I’d be more than happy to explain that to you when you aren’t in grave danger.”
“I hardly f-feel…ah….”
Celestia’s sides began to spasm, the Alicorn’s eyes widening in horror as pain shot through her lungs with every breath, a giant vice seeming to squeeze her ribs.
“Late stage; we didn’t have hours at all!” Borealis hissed, injecting the mixed syringe into Celestia’s shoulder quickly, the contents emptying with a soft hiss.
“We don’t have much time. You! Doctor! Your methods have been ineffective in curing it, yes? Barely holding it at bay, you said?” the hippogriff asked, prompting the increasingly pale pony to nod.
“Y-yes! The spells and medication should still be active though! We-there are no other options other than ventilation. What do…?”
Borealis looked over as an alabaster hoof wrapped around his forelimb, locking it with a vice-like grip. Two horrified violet eyes met his, and the hippogriff nodded.
“Alright. Guards! You all will want to follow me. I thought I had more time, and I doubt the materials I brought will be sufficient,” Borealis barked, retrieving a small crystal from his bag. Placing it on the floor and tapping it, the hippogriff stood back as a portal snapped into existence, the blue edges wreathed in soft, similarly-colored flame.
“Please feel free to follow me through; I need to get her to my medical station. We don’t have long. Can you two lift her?” he them paused, gesturing to the pony doctor. “You stay here; this is out of your expertise. Please prepare emergency life support for her, that’s the final option if I fail.”
Two unicorn guards nodded, carefully levitating the Princess through the portal as she nodded to them; four Legionnaires now appearing from the side-halls to follow them through.
“Good. You may be of use as well restraining her,” Borealis mused, hefting his medical bags through the portal. On the other side was a simple but rather large stone room; lit with soft white crystal lights. Lining the walls were all sorts of medical devices and laboratory equipment, ranging from centrifuges, to chemistry sets and even a small terrarium. Slightly offset against a wall of the room was a medical cot and bench, the square area sealed off with thick plastic, providing a fairly sterile atmosphere as the group entered. A soft mist covered them, the antiseptic blowing about before the guards lowered Celestia onto the large medical cot.
Injecting another dose of booster into the Princess, Borealis gestured to the guards.
“Do you mind standing back a bit? I’ll need space to work. I don’t expect you to leave her sight, but this is going to be tricky.”
Seeing Celestia nod frantically, the Legionaries and guards stepped outside the clean room, leaving Borealis room to work.
“Much better. Alright, Celestia? I need you to keep breathing as steadily as you can. I need you to inhale this in too, even a bit.”
Dusting a purple powder over her nose, Borealis nodded as the Alicorn drew some of it in, a hacking cough making her whole body shiver.
“Good enough. Now, I need to know how bad the pain is,” he instructed. “I have to get this dosage right, at least in a general sense. Too little, and the infection will remain and come back twice as fierce, but too much may send you further into shock if a lesser dose would suffice. Now, I know you’ve taken on a rabid hydra and didn’t so much a shed a tear with broken ribs and your hide sliced to pieces.”
Seeing the ruler’s eyes widened in shock, Borealis waved a set of claws dismissively.
“I read a lot of books, rare ones. Now I need to know how much this hurts. Is it worse than that? If it brings you to tears, I know I need to use the maximum dose without question, and won’t need to run a scan or test.” his voice dropped in volume, enough to grant them a bit of privacy.
“I need you to drop the mask, even for a moment. Please; how bad is it? Is it worse than that encounter?”
Celestia’s composure didn’t change for a moment, but the ruler’s sides then shivered. Two tears traced their way down her cheeks as the Princess nodded once, the mask she wore cracking and fading for a moment. Genuine fear shone in her violet eyes, prompting the hippogriff to set a reassuring smile on his features.
“Thank you, Celestia. Maximum dose it is. You’ll be alright, one moment.”
Stepping through the decontamination area after snagging three large vials from his bags, Borealis examined a chemistry set, igniting a flame underneath a vial. The hippogriff poured the three matching items into the holding tubes, watching as the purple liquid drained into the bubbling mixture.
“I only packed a three-quarters dose, never thought I’d need a full one.” he mused.
“Alright, Celestia? Still with me?” Borealis called, and saw an alabaster hoof twitch in response.
“The reason I didn’t have the full-strength mixture on me is because it degrades remarkably fast. The less concentrated forms are much more stable, which is why I’ve been able to ship them to your hospitals. Once this is completed, we’ll only have a few minutes after this is done to administer it. I’ll need your help though, ok?”
Another twitch, and the hippogriff drummed his claws on the counter as the liquid finally evaporated away, leaving a violet powder that seemed to move like a miniature ocean in the flask.
Snatching the vial, Borealis was back at Celestia’s side in an instant, pulling out two more rather large syringes. One was filled with an orange liquid, and the other appeared to be filled with light grey mist.
“Now then, I take it your breathing is getting worse?”
A nod was her reply, the alicorn managing to suppress panic far better than Borealis would have expected from somecreature who was having trouble drawing breath.
Tough mare!
“Ok, so these injections will kill the organism in your bloodstream, or at least start the process. What needs to happen first is to eliminate it in your lungs. That is going to be unpleasant, I won’t lie to you. But it has to happen,” Borealis explained.
“The dust will feel like you’re breathing in some thick fog. I need you to breathe in as much as you can; a single deep breath will do it. You then need to hold your breath for ten seconds, and I’m going to hold your muzzle closed to make sure that happens. It will likely hurt worse than anything you’ve ever felt before as the organism dies off, but then it will be over. A total of fifteen seconds. You can handle that, right?”
A determined but slightly worried nod was her reply, the mare managing to shift a bit more upright.
“Lads? Two of you please. I need you to hold her. If she thrashes and breathes out, we’ll have to restart it all over again.” The doctor instructed, and a pair of legionaries complied, seeing a nod from Celestia. They restrained the alicorn slightly, holding her to the bed as best as they could.
“Alright, here we go. Now breathe in deeply, push the pain aside!” Borealis instructed, shaking the entire vial out into Celestia’s nostrils. The Princess’s sides shook as she breathed inwards, a few tears springing to her eyes as her ribs ignited in agony, every muscle screaming at her to do anything except take a deep breath.
It was only when Borealis clamped his claws over Celestia’s mouth and nose did the real pain start. The alicorn thrashed, her chest feeling as though daggers were scrapping off the insides of her lungs. Her ribs felt as though they were snapping, the bones pushing inwards towards her heart even as blood thundered in Celestia’s ears. A cold sweat broke out across her frame, an acidic pain eating into her throat as bile rose up from her stomach. A thousand battles held nothing against this; the agony bypassing skin and muscle to burn its way into Celestia’s chest. Her heart felt like it was about to thud through her ribs, each beat sending painful threads into her temples-
“Breathe out!”
Letting out a wheeze, Celestia flopped onto the bed, black powder leaving her muzzle with every exhale. The pain vanished as quickly as it had arrived, each cough of dark mist lessening the pressure in her lungs. The large needles that stabbed into her haunches and shoulder were nothing but pinpricks, exhaustion draining the Alicorn of any strength.
“Ok, you can let her go, thank you,” Borealis instructed, letting out a sigh as he slumped against the cold wall of the room.
“It worked flawlessly. There will be some residual effects, and I’d recommend you staying here for a time, at least until I’m certain. But you’re out of harm’s way, at least for now. That black stuff is the dead organism.”
His words fell on deaf ears, the exhausted alicorn having passed out moments ago. Borealis glanced to the guards, shrugging his large shoulders as he got up.
“Well, there you have it. I don’t know what legal mumbo-jumbo needs to happen, but she needs to rest for a time, preferably here. Stars above your medical wing isn’t sterile by any means, and introducing a new infection could prove catastrophic until she’s stable. I don’t know how susceptible alicorns are to re-infection, but I should know within a day or two. On top of that, I don’t really know what the after-effects could be. If you could send a message to Princess Luna, I’d appreciate it.”
One of the legionnaires disappeared with a ‘pop’ of magic, another seamlessly taking the unicorn’s place.
“You all clearly haven’t slacked in your professionalism all these years, I’m impressed.” Borealis mused. “I’ll be in the next room over. In fact…” he walked over and set some small crystals on the table, sticking one of the claw-sized items to his shoulder. “Crystal communicators. You can probably adapt your own to tune into the frequency. All that’s left to do is let Cel- Princess Celestia rest.”
A familiar light-blue doctor poked his head into the portal, looking around in surprise.
“Doctor Borealis? Is…whoa,” the pony murmured, tentatively stepping through. “Impressive. I take it the life-support measures won’t be necessary?”
The Hippogriff shook his head, gesturing to the sleeping Princess inside the semi-sterile room.
“Correct. She’s cured, at least as much as I can determine. I’d like to keep her here for recovery because your medical wing likely has spores floating around everywhere. Thankfully that portal is medically-certified and kills off any of the things. By the way, you need to increase the airborne antiseptic mixture for sure; it didn’t smell nearly potent enough. If it stings your nose, then it’s about right. I can get you the exact parts-per-million measurement within an hour.”
A small notepad was brought out, the pony scribbling down notes with a nod.
“Anything else you recommend?”
“If you can please make sure her room is sterile, as much as possible. Put high-intensity medical spells over the entrances and ventilation system, and have food sterilized before being delivered to her. Once I move her out of here, we’ll need to keep her chance of infection low.”
Borealis paused, then looking at the unicorn with a sad smile as the pony finished scribbling frantically on the notepad.
“You don’t have a lot of field experience, huh?”
The Doctor’s ears flattened, a shake of the head an immediate response.
“I finished medical school a month ago, just as the outbreak was starting. The older and experienced doctors got sick first. So…I’ve been trying to handle it.”
A comforting (and gentle) pat on the shoulder snapped the pony out of his stressed musings, the other Doctor smiling.
“Well, I’d say you’ve done remarkably well, fresh or not. From what I saw, it was about as good a mass-casualty setup as any. I’d be more than happy to help you out while the Princess recovers; the portal will remain active for as long as it needs to. The guards of course, will need to stay.”
A curt, but seemingly appreciative nod from the legionnaires met Borealis’s words, the hippogriff taking a deep breath.
“So, I’ll get things set here for a temporary situation, then I’ll join you in the main medical wing and see how I can help.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“Doctor.”
The pony trotted through the portal, and Borealis was left with the soldiers who continued to watch Celestia and himself with an impassive gaze.
“You can speak, I assume?” the hippogriff grumbled, securing and putting away the various supplies and chemistry equipment.
“Sir.”
Borealis deadpanned at the solider in question, letting out an amused huff.
“Answers that question at least. I know I am still not to be trusted, so by all means place a magical homing beacon in this room, or better yet, one of your own portals. I’ll be tidying up here and then checking on the Princess, unless I need to speak to Princess Luna directly.”
One of the unicorn soldiers nodded, his horn igniting as a communications portal opened in front of Borealis. An armored unicorn stared back at him, a familiar Lunar Princess sitting at his side.
“Finally! Ah, you must be Doctor Borealis,” Luna remarked, eyes flickering over the large hippogriff in surprise. “Interesting. How is my sister? I just received a report that she is cured?”
Borealis bowed his head respectfully, gesturing behind to the sleeping Princess.
“See for yourself. She’s resting now, and indeed cured, as far as I can tell. There are guards here too, and they’re welcome to set up a more permanent portal to my medical lab.”
“Which is located….?”
Borealis looked upwards, and then shrugged his wings.
“Deep underneath a mountain near the badlands. I believe she’ll be safe to move in a day or two. I assume her elite troops are going to set up a portal of their own, as well as some tracking equipment of which is completely reasonable. I didn’t anticipate having to take her to my lab, but can move her back into the Castle once the proper sterilization steps are taken.”
Luna nodded, seeming satisfied with his answer.
“Your credentials check out, and from what I understand, our mutual friend sent you?” Commander Sands piped up, causing the hippogriff to nod.
“Correct. I’m assisting in the development of the cure that has been steadily delivered to each province. Unfortunately, my growing plots are limited, so I can’t produce the herb in large enough amounts. But yes, our mutual ‘wishing’ friend sent me.”
Shifting’s eyes narrowed, the stallion letting out a huff.
“Why not send us the herbs? Surely we can manufacture it all in bulk.”
Borealis let out a laugh, trotting over to his bags and withdrawing a purple syringe, the curative liquid inside swishing this way and that.
“Because, Commander Shifting Sands, the herb in question is a highly addictive painkiller and hallucinogenic in its raw form. It can numb a broken bone in seconds, but unless correctly proportioned and cared for, will give every creature within breathing distance hallucinations and euphoria. There’s a good reason it’s highly prized in the black market and sought out in the wild, and why I have kept my laboratories hidden and protected.” Borealis frowned, looking at the cure again.
“It’s disturbing, really. Individuals would seek it for their own gain, and realize far too late that trying to wean yourself from it is one of the most nightmarish ordeals ever imagined. Like many drugs, to achieve a ‘high’ it must be consumed in greater quantities, in which the negative effects multiply. But used in this aspect, it’s power as an antibiotic and antifungal is unmatched, and refined in a different manner can serve as a fantastic painkiller. It is a versatile resource indeed. I hope that explanation suffices. I will happily give a plant or two to your scientists, along with warnings. But I rid myself of the consequences should it be misused.”
Shifting’s expression changed to that of understanding, both he and Luna nodding in approval.
“You’ve certainly thought this through.” Luna mused, prompting a chuckle.
“I’ve had plenty of time to think it though. I just wish- I had hoped my friend could have been faster in stopping all of this. Thankfully, he did succeed in preventing an organized dispersal of the pathogen. Nevertheless, we must deal with the after effects.” A sense of tiredness now entered the hippogriff’s voice and demeanor, the Doctor looking at the pair in the portal.
“I know you must have further questions, and I’d be happy to prepare a report. But for now, I need to adjust my lab for the Princess’s stay, and prepare two shipments of the plant for transport. Is that acceptable?”
Both nodded, Luna then letting a smile drift onto her face.
“It is. Thank you, Doctor Borealis, for your help. Words cannot fully emphasize such. If you had been but a few hours late…”
“I’m just glad to help.”
Luna nodded, closing the portal as the hippogriff bowed his head, then returning to tidying up the lab, the guards continuing to watch his every move.
Luna sighed, looking over to her Commander with a slightly suspicious gaze.
“What do you think, Shifting?” she asked, the exhaustion of the past few days starting to catch up to the Alicorn’s mental status.
Shifting frowned, shaking his head slowly.
“I think he’s a doctor, that much is true. I saw the report sent by one of the guards; he’s even written a few books in the royal medical archives. However, he is hiding something. What exactly, I don’t know, but at this point we have no choice but to trust him, with reservations.”
“I think the guards feel the same way; the Commander of the legionaries sent a simple message that they’d continue to watch him too.”
Shifting nodded in agreement, looking over the reports spread out on the table in front of them.
“Good, they picked up on it as well; sharp as tacks they are. Like the First Wisher’s cure, we have no choice but to trust him. However, he did save Celestia, and that has to account for something.”
“I’d say that accounts for a great deal, but we’ll certainly keep him under scrutiny for now.”
Watching the guards set up their own sterilization portal, Doctor Borealis made his way to a side room, closing the door and leaning against the wall as a few magical fields sealed the entrance temporarily. A long, tired sigh left his beak, the hippogriff’s claws only now starting to shake.
“It worked, oh thank the stars it worked,” he whispered, running a set of green talons through his headfeathers. “And thank you by the way, for perfectly dropping the shielding spells before Celestia’s magic hit; I was worried you’d get detected.”
A purple mist congealed to float in front of the hippogriff, two brown eyes looking back at him.
‘Did you doubt my skills?’ the voice remarked, a definite pouty tone to the words, which echoed both in the hippogriff’s mind and ears.
“No, of course not Fori, but I think you underestimate Celestia’s abilities.”
‘And I take it the Eternal Flame is cured?’
The hippogriff nodded, his claws still shivering slightly.
“Barely, but yes. She should be fine, let the others know as well. I’ll be staying here to make sure she’s fully healed, and perhaps help this city as best I can. You know how I work.”
‘But this time is different. These past years have been different.’
Two tired blue eyes closed briefly, the doctor letting out a sigh.
“Yes, yes they are. And I don’t think I’ll fully comprehend the impact of such. But what can I do but what I have always done? Creatures need my help, now more than ever. And have we figured out what role we played in all this?”
Two more grey eyes floated to join the brown ones in the purple mist, a deeper rumble now sounding out.
‘We have finished looking into that.’
“Ah, nice of you to join us, Iust. And?”
‘There is no direct blame. These events are a natural causality of the enemy’s location. Conflict was inevitable.’
“Meaning?”
The deep voice sighed, grumbling to itself.
‘The existence of our people, by very nature, brought us into conflict. This much thou knew. As that war began to be unbalanced, our enemies sought out more power. Ergo, the current situation.’
“Ah. Thank you. In that vein, I think I’ll visit again, maybe within this next year. I’ve stayed away long enough.”
‘You’re coming back?’ A peppy voice chirped, two bright green eyes shoving the other pairs aside.
“Hello Gaudi. And…eventually. As Fori said, things are different now, and history will be written.” Borealis sighed, massaging his temples. “I do not know how to go from here, other than proceeding as I always have done. What else can I do? This is new territory for me.”
‘Thou must look out for yourself.’
The hippogriff’s eyes, as well as two other pairs, widened in surprise, the deep bass voice butting in as two grey eyes rolled to themselves.
‘What? Thou hast always put others ahead of thyself, to a fault. That has been noble and worked up unto this point; but things are now different; and must bring it into balance.’
‘Iust is correct. You have a place in history now, like everycreature else. You must act accordingly, and not lose yourself.’ Fori mused, prompting a huff from the hippogriff.
“Lose myself; such a negative connation. I’ve lost myself in helping others; that is how I have coped thus far! It’s not so easy to flip a switch to confront things long buried!”
‘And yet you must. We will be here regardless. You are our friend. We will update the others as well.’
“I…need to get back to work, but thank you, friends.”
The mist vanished, leaving the hippogriff to rest against the cold stone walls, mind churning with the events of the past day.
“Lose myself indeed…” he muttered, standing up to head back towards the medical room. “What choice did I have? I would have gone mad if not for that.”
‘Indeed, and yet here you are, sane as can be. We are not saying you must find yourself, Nacreous, you have already done that. Now, you have a choice live as yourself. Do we need to remind you of certain accomplishments? You know who you are, who you want to be. The difference is, now history will know it too.”
Gaudi’s voice made the hippogriff smile, a soft chuckle leaving his beak.
“I suppose you’re right. For the first time, in ages, I have that choice. But first things first, let’s get the Solar Princess back on her hooves!”
The soft cheering echoing through his mind made Nacreous grin even as he trotted back into the medical center, beginning to pull out a few devices from drawers outside the sterile room.
“Alright Princess, now let’s get you hooked up to some monitoring equipment,” he quipped, and then glanced over to see the steely gaze of two legionnaire’s boring into him.
“What? Do you two want some heart rate monitoring pads too? I’ve got a few extras.”