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// Angry Snarls and Soothing Songs, (Unslayable Foes, part 4) 
// Story: Meta Gamer in Equestria: Champion's Folly 
// by reflective vagrant 
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"My apologies for my wife's rudeness.  She can be—Princess!?"
The apparent father of the child stopped in his apology as he saw Princess Cadence being rushed out the other door to the room while the other two had straight up teleported out as soon as they saw the ill child.
With Starlight and Sunburst barely able to keep the guards from tackling him, the father continued.
"I'm s-s-so sorry.  We didn't mean to expose the princesses.  We had no idea the princesses were meeting with the doctors too.  Otherwise we'd have-" He turned around to his wife and glared at her "-waited outside and let the guards ask to interrupt the meeting like I had suggested in the first place."
With a firm grip now on the withers of each parent, the guards tentatively waited for them to make their case like Sunburst and Starlight gestured to them to do before arresting them and taking them away.
"Our daughter became very ill very quickly, and we were worried the hospital would already be overfilled."
The wife paused at her husbands words for a moment with a calculating look, then gave a subtle glance at the guards before simply nodding.
With my one good roll of a seventeen for the day, I raised the hairs on the back of my head and managed to discern that while it may have been a true concern, it definitely wasn't their main concern when they decided to interrupt the meeting.
"While this is a bit of a sticky situation we're in now, our main concern is our daughter's life.  We'll cooperate with the guards for our incidental crime against the princesses, but please treat our little Diamond Tiara."
He pulled a bit bag out filled with coins of high valued metals and currency grade gemstones.  "Of course we are willing to compensate you for your skills and expenses and the inconvenience our urgency may have caused you fine healers, up front."
The traditional practitioners and the Pillars of Light took a step back as they all saw the expression of each and every servant of the Animus Mundi change drastically.   All at once, feathers puffed, a set of bug wings fluttered, fur stood on end and a subtle smell of brimstone could be smelt as a light smoke came trickling out of Wild Storm's nostrils.  I had my back to the wall, myself, so I couldn't back up.  Yet I still had to stop myself just before I finished slinking out of the door in fear.
Even the guards holding the two parents stiffened.  It appeared that the only creatures in the room that weren't aware that a serious mistake had been made were the very ponies that made it.
Wild Storm walked up to the father and gave an intense gaze at the bag that was being lifted up to the dragon.  As the ancient shaman slowly breathed in and out, there was a deep rumbling to his breathing that echoed through the small room.
The mother, standing much closer to me and the door than the dragon, smirked and softly muttered, "He's fixated.  Fastest way to a dragon's heart."
Finally, Wild Storm bared his teeth and made a swiping motion towards the bag.  With a strong smack, the bag flew towards the door.  The mother quickly jutted her head sideways to get a safe distance from what might have been a glancing blow, and Archimedes had to jump off my shoulder while I outright dove out of the way.
With a clang, the bag burst against the far hallway wall.  Coins and gems went flying everywhere in the hall.  Turning my head back, I saw the father bringing a sorely bruised hoof in to his barrel while Wild Storm brought his head inches from the father's.
"Servants.  Do.  Not.  Take payment for healing.  Trying to sway us with such a temptation is the worst insult you could ever give us as healers."
I managed to pick myself up just as Wild Storm got out of the father's face.  "Zecora, see if there is a suitable modified mask for Claps to Thunder among the ones you have made.  Doctor Pulse, please get ready to do an examination of the child along side my own."
With this, he reached for his own mask that had already been modified by Zecora and quickly put it on.  "We will be treating her as soon as you and I have both made our prognoses."



With hardly a second glance, Wild Storm waved the parents away and the guards resumed shackling them and left to escort them to the dungeon.
As the assorted healers got to work, I looked out and saw the filly's father limping out of the door.
Taking a moment to make sure I wasn't needed anymore, I pressed on my amulet and did my best to catch up to the guards without tripping over the spilled money.
"Iron Bastion!  Hold up!"  I called out to the one guard I recognized.
Stopping for only a moment to give me an "I'm just about out of patience" glare, he shifted his weight to the hoof that kept the shackles of the mother under control.
"I'll be real quick, I promise."  I spoke to the guard as I pointed to the father's limping hoof.  "But even a capital offense prisoner has the right to medical treatment in this country, right?"
Iron Bastion gave a begrudged nod.  "Do not waste any more time than necessary."
With a respectful nod back, I approached the father and knelt down.
"Let me see your hoof."
"Why?  So you can hurt it more!?" the mother shouted at me, "I still remember seeing that desire to hurt me back at the station!  Don't pretend to like us!  You aren't fooling anypony!"
The father crossed his eyes, inhaled and looked back at his wife.  "Spoiled Rich!  We're already in deep trouble because of you and your hysteria!  Now just shut up!"
When he looked back at me apologetically, I couldn't help but put my head back down and examine the hoof he had extended for me.
"Thank you.  Though she is kinda right on one point.  I have no real positive feelings for you, and I definitely don't like her."
The hoof looked banged up good.  Without any sharp shifts in his pain as I felt the range of his hoof's motion, I was able to reliably tell that his hoof didn't have any broken bones or open cuts.  This was good, as it meant I didn't have to call any of the others.  It just had a solid bruise and maybe a few strained tendons.  No special setting of the bones or disinfection was needed to get it on the path to healing up right.  It was a lucky injury that a simple cure wounds spell could set straight without any complications.
"But fortunately, I don't have to like you to heal you."
I did the appropriate gesture with my free hand then placed that hand on top of the hoof.
"Partner?  Could you please help?"
With a slight glow of the spell making contact, the hoof managed to lose the swelling that had started to form.
I let go of the hoof and backed up.  When I saw the husband and wife look at me in shock, I just shrugged and said, "I told you it would be quick.  It should be set now, but it might still be a little tender for a while.  The spell is intended to repair damage and restore function, not make it feel better."
I subconsciously rubbed my side where I had gotten stabbed on a round up mission, still remembering the spot being tender for days after I healed myself.
As they began walking off, I shouted one last encouraging message to them, "And don't worry!  Pretty much every creature at that meeting is even more experienced in healing than I am!  Your daughter is in good..."  I paused for a moment to look at my hands in confusion. "...Company!"


Upon returning to the meeting room, I saw the staff member of the family that had levitated the daughter occupying himself with cleaning up the money that had spilled over the floor.  When I found Wild Storm and Doctor Pulse still in the middle of performing their examinations of the poor filly, I decided to help with the cleanup.
He eyeballed me at first.  But soon he looked in the direction that I had been when I healed his master, then thought twice on objecting.  For several minutes we simply gathered the coins and gems in silence and put them into a pile on top of the main part of the bit bag, since only the string appeared broke.
When I saw the string that had broke was a string similar to the one on my amulet, I pulled the spare I acquired the night before out of my supplies and re strung it, taking the old one to mend later on my own time to replace it.
With the last few coins being gathered, I found myself struggling with one particularly flat platinum coin.  The staff member could easily levitate it with his horn, of course, but he seemed to respect my desire to get it up myself.  This became pretty obvious when he had every other coin and gem up in the bag except the one I had been working on.
With a huff of frustration, I finally just called out "Presto!" and gestured out with my hand with a simple motion like that of a stage performer adding flare to a stage trick.
After that, a basic copper crafting scalpel appeared in mid air maybe an inch above my hand.  Knowing I only had seconds, I grabbed the tool as soon as it fell into my palm, then quickly and carefully used the blade to get under the coin and lift it up enough to get my fingers under it.
"Y... You're a conjurer as well as a healer!?" the staff member exclaimed as he saw the tool disappear from my hand about six seconds after I had summoned it.
I looked at him oddly, noticing the intelligence of a scholar in his eyes.  He wasn't a proper mage, but clearly at least understood the basics a unicorn might rightly study to sate a curiosity.
"Kind of?"  I answered back uneasily before I pressed my amulet and passed him the last coin,  "I dabble in a few different magics, but I'm not all that strong in each as a result.  Aside from the spell that granted me my owl familiar and maybe the bonfire spell I'm known for, that's the only other form of conjuration I really have access to.  It's just a trick for practicing, and even then it's really only one part of that trick.  It's clunky to use, doesn't last long and I can't conjure anything of significant quality.  So I don't like leaning on it."
I took a pause as I thought about Scraps.  With a smile I added, "My friend that I taught the practice spell to, however, loves to use this trick all the time for his hobbies."
With the bit bag fixed, refilled and closed up, the member of the family's staff stood up and bowed.
"Thank you for your assistance.  Now if you will excuse me, I must maintain my honor as a servant of the Rich estate and turn myself in along side my masters.  I will not let them suffer alone for a crime I assisted in.  Randolph would never let me hear the end of it."
I could see a conviction in his eyes as he marched down to the dungeons that kept me from objecting.
Turning back to the meeting room, I saw the three senor most servants with masks on, starting a drumming rhythm.
Slowly as they chanted, wind stirred and the air got thick with energy.  Over the course of several minutes, I saw them move around in unison.  When the tempo of the drums reached full power, I heard them call out one at a time
"Hear our drums, Teacher of Past Wisdoms,"  Zecora called out in a thick and unfamiliar accent, her voice rich in magic.
"See into our hearts, Lady of the Winds,"  Claps to Thunder called out in a mask that was clearly not meant for his beak shape.
"Aid us in undoing the harm this child unknowingly consumed, Mother." Wild storm called out as he raised his arms.
The other two reared onto their back legs and reached out in a similar fashion, making a crude circle around the table the filly lay on.  While they did this, I could see the other servants watching calmly.  Mandible, while still remaining calm too, looked like his mind was in overdrive taking notes.
The wind howled enough to have papers fly off the table and circle above the ritual as the energies were building up.  A slight green tinge could be seen in the air towards the climax of their chanting.  All of a sudden, the wind stopped and the mist shot inward and concentrated itself onto the filly.  For a moment, she was completely enveloped in its glow.
Slowly it sank into her skin over the course of a couple seconds.  When it was done, her shivering and shaking began to calm.  She opened her eyes and eyeballed a few creatures, including myself, before falling unconscious again.
The three active healers looked a little wobbly.  Wild Storm had to brace himself on the table briefly and both Zecora and Claps to Thunder had to sit down on the floor while having a slightly labored breathing.
The eldest griffin called out softly but clearly in Equestrian after he caught his breath, "Sings to Canopy."
"Yes, teacher?"  The toucan griffin responded, coming up to him.
"Of my students, you are the one that gives the greatest compassion for those we heal and that is what I am in need of at this moment.  Now that the child is cured of her food poisoning, take her and go with the pony doctor to see what must be done with her while her parents are in custody.  Until the ponies have decided who will take care of her in her parents stead, you are to care for her.  If there is any decent in this choice, do not leave her side until it is resolved."
With one of the less prominent doctors and Sings to Canopy leaving, young filly in tow, the rest of the room seemed to look down in worry.
"What's wrong?"
The Pillar of Light known as Mistmane came up to me and gave a worried, but warmhearted explanation, "While it is good that the child's condition was not contagious, it does present a new obstacle for us to overcome.  We had not considered our food or water sources to be at risk of contamination, but apparently they are.  This is going to add an entirely new level of difficulty in fighting the epidemic."