//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 - Reports // Story: The Equestrian Odyssey - A Tale of Two Worlds // by Kamahido //------------------------------// A couple days later Arc, Rose, and Ember walk down a corridor of Canterlot Castle with Spike in the lead. Ember turns to Arc. “We seem to be coming here a lot lately.” Arc nods. “That we do. But if we get some answers, I’m all for it.” Spike grins. “Sunburst and I have been working really hard on this.” Ember frowns. “I’m sure you two have. But I still think Sunburst is taking too long to figure this stuff out! Maybe the princesses could light a fire under his…” Arc interrupts her. “Ember, he’s got quite a bit of work to do without me adding more.” “But you’re the Hero of Light! He HAS to do what you say!” “True. But he’s also leading the search for Princess Celestia in addition to his normal duties… whatever those are. And now there’s me giving him more work. I can’t really demand any more of him. After all, there’s only so many hours in the day.” Rose nods. “Arc is correct. Pushing too hard will only lead to a decrease in overall efficiency.” Ember rolls her eyes. “If you say so.” They arrive at Sunburst’s office. Spike opens the door for them before hurrying toward the desk and Sunburst, whom does not appear to notice them approaching. “Sunburst? We have guests.” Sunburst nods absentmindedly, not looking up from his scrolls. “Oh? Who is it?” “Arc, Rose, and Ember.” “What? But they’re not due to be here until tomorrow morning.” Spike sighs. “It IS tomorrow!” Sunburst looks up at the clock on the wall before turning to looks out the window. “I… suppose it is.” Ember raises an eyebrow. “You okay?” Sunburst nods as her rubs the bags under his eyes. “Yes. I just need a bit of coffee. Spike?” Spike hurries over to a coffee pot nearby. “Yes sir.” Sunburst walks out from behind his desk. “My apologies for not being in the best state, sir.” “It’s fine. We’ll try not to take up too much of your time.” Rose looks around the room. “I thought Doctor Whooves was supposed to join us though.” Ember frowns. “Yeah. Where is he?” “He will. However, an assistant phoned ahead to tell me he’d be a bit late. Let me show you what I’ve come up with thus far.” Sunburst gestures to a rack in the corner with one of the strange uniforms on it. They walk over as Sunburst puts a hoof on the pants. Spike hurries to his side with a steaming cup of coffee. “Here you go, Sunburst.” Sunburst takes a deep gulp of the coffee before turning back to his assistant. “Thank you, Spike. That hits the spot.” He gestures to the mannequin. “The upper and lower tunics of this outfit appear to be made of very tightly woven fibers.” Ember raises an eyebrow. “To keep the user warm?” “Not exactly. This makes the outfit very difficult to pierce. I believe it offers roughly the same protections as chainmail armor.” Arc runs his hand along the tunic. “Interesting. The cloth doesn’t feel any thicker than a normal cotton shirt though.” Ember scratches at it with a claw. “Perhaps it’s specially treated?” Sunburst nods. “Most likely. The bottoms are the same material as the tunic.” His horn aglow, Sunburst pulls the hat off the top of the mannequin. “Now then, this cap is a bit more interesting.” Ember looks confused. “It looks pretty normal to me.” Arc nods. “Yeah. What can you tell us about it?” “It has a strange magical aura around it. This requires further study, but I believe it’s very similar to a very old magical technique known as ‘enchanting’.” Ember gasps. “Like Arc’s armor enchantments?” “Unknown. Sadly, enchanting is a rather lost arte. It is said that a thousand years ago, when such artisans were still prevalent, a skilled enchanter could identify an enchantment simply by holding the item in question. They’re from a more… violent time in history though. When enchantments were used to give one an edge over others.” Ember turns to Sunburst. “Interesting. But there aren’t any more of them around?” Arc shrugs. “Other than Mythic Honor and Platinum Valve.” Sunburst nods. “There are a few scattered throughout the land. However, they’re just historians or hobbyists.” Arc sighs. “That’s unfortunate.” Ember turns to Arc. “Mythic Honor might be able to tell us more.” She shudders slightly. “I guess it just matters how desperate we are.” Arc chuckles. “Come on. He’s not THAT bad!” Ember narrows her eyes. “Try living with him for… let’s just say, an extended period of time.” “Uh… does that have anything to do with why you were always so insistent on getting an early start?” “Yeah. It was incentive for even me to rise early!” Arc sighs. “Well, unless you have a better idea, we’ll have to see him about this.” Ember groans. “Fine.” Sunburst looks to Arc. “You might also want him to take a look at the cape, sir.” “It’s enchanted too?” “Yes. In addition to that, it appears to be of a much thicker construction as the tunic or pants.” Spike grabs a corner of the cape and rubs it between his claws. “This stuff really is tough. It could probably stop a crossbow bolt easily.” Arc winces as he rubs the scar on his hand. “That would’ve been helpful a while back.” There is a knock at the office door. Spike hurries over to answer it as Sunburst turns to Arc. “That’s probably Doctor Whooves. He sounded a bit strained on the phone earlier though.” Ember shrugs. “Maybe he had a late night like you did?” “I certainly hope not.” Spike opens the door and leads the doctor over to the group. “Good morning, everypony. I apologize for being late.” Arc chuckles. “It’s fine, doctor. But you look like you could use some coffee almost as much as Sunburst here.” Spike grins. “I’ll fetch him some!” The little dragon hurries over to the coffeepot as the doctor looks over to him. “Just one sugar, please.” “Yes sir.” The doctor turns back to the group. “Now then, did I interrupt anything?” Sunburst shakes his head. “No, I was just about done.” He looks to Arc. “I’d like to conclude by saying that this outfit is certainly very interesting from a cosmetic point of view. To say nothing about the magical standpoint. However, how humans on Earth were able to create such a garment is beyond me.” Ember frowns. “You mean it shouldn’t be possible?” “Correct.” Spike hurries over with another cup of coffee for the doctor. “Here you go, sir.” “Thank you.” Taking the mug, the good doctor chugs the contents in just a few gulps before giving it back to Spike. “It was delicious.” Spike looks at the empty mug, astonished. “Um… thanks.” He turns back to the coffeepot as the doctor looks to Arc. “Now then, I’ve looked over the patient’s chart and compared it to yours, sir.” Ember raises an eyebrow. “To Arc’s? Why?” “For a benchmark, miss. I needed something to compare it to.” Arc nods. “Makes sense.” “Sadly, my expertise on human physiology is somewhat lacking. Yesterday I took an airship ride over to Ponyville for a conference with a Doctor Horse of Ponyville Hospital, and a Miss Lyra Heartstrings of the Equestrian Anthropology Society.” Ember groans. “Oh boy… Lyra again?! Doctor Whooves sighs. “Let’s just say she was… enthusiastic to say the least.” Arc sighs. “I’m sorry. She’s been hounding my secretary for an interview with me for quite some time.” Ember looks to Arc, surprised. “She has?” “Yes. Raven’s been able to keep her away lately. While I’m not averse to seeing her and answering her many questions, I’ve just been far too busy to do so.” “Well, it’s not like you’re in the office much.” Arc grins. “I’m more of a field guy. Things get accomplished that way.” “Yes, well… between her and Doctor Horse we were able to piece together what is normal for your species, sir.” Ember looks to him expectantly. “And what did you find out?” “That the patient in this chart has been through quite a bit!” Arc frowns. “What do you mean?” The doctor sighs as he sets the folder on the nearby desk. “Let me start from the beginning.” Opening the chart, he points to the first page. “Here is the information pertaining to the initial examination by the hospital staff. His vital signs are those of somepony who has been physically abused.” Ember clenches a fist. “What kind of abuse?” “Mostly lack of food, water, and proper rest.” Sunburst grimaces. “So basic necessities?” Spike gasps. “Why would somepony DO that though?!” Arc frowns. “Right. It makes no sense. I mean, Frank’s a bad guy, sure. But that sounds like literal torture!” The doctor nods. “Agreed, sir. But there’s more to the tale.” “Continue.” Doctor Whooves turns the page. “The next several pages chronicles the patient’s treatment during their stay in the hospital.” Ember looks over his shoulder. “All those letters and numbers say something?” Arc nods. “Indeed. But what is beyond me. Doctor?” “This is what troubles me. If I’m analyzing this correctly, the patient was given only enough food and water intravenously to keep them alive.” Ember looks to Arc. “Do you suppose that’s why he was in a coma?!” “Sounds like it.” Arc turns to the doctor “So what you’re telling me is… the hospital didn’t actually help him at all?!” Doctor Whooves shakes his head. “It would appear not.” Ember bares her teeth angrily. “But why?!” Arc shrugs. “No clue. Was there anything else of interest in there, doctor?” “Yes. The medical notes, at least here in Equestria, contain a chart chronicling all treatments and medications given to a patient.” Ember raises an eyebrow. “What for?” Sunburst steps forward. “Record keeping mostly. The hospital needs to know what has been tried, when, and the names of all medications along with dosing.” Doctor Whooves nods. “Correct. It’s never a bad thing to have too many notes.” “I understand that. What can you tell us about my friend’s treatments and medications?” “There are indeed many notes here on his daily treatments. However they were recorded simply as ‘treatment’.” Ember turns to the doctor. “Could they have been referring to some kind of physical therapy?” “That is possible, yes.” Arc shakes his head. “No, there were IVs hooked up to him when I saw Frank.” Spike puts a claw to his chin. “Maybe they were liquid nutrients?” Rose shakes her head. “That would have been recorded as such. Feeding a patient is certainly not treatment either.” Ember frowns. “Can you tell us anything else about these so-called ‘treatments’?” “Just their doses.” Arc sighs. “It’s a start.” “Well, whatever was administered was gradually increased over a period of time.” “And the blood sample? Could you extrapolate what this treatment was from it?” Doctor Whooves shakes his head. “No. His liver had fully metabolized it already.” Ember groans. “Great. Where do we stand?” “All I can say for certain is that very little was done to properly treat the patient’s condition. It’s like he was some kind of experiment.” Arc appears worried. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” “It’s impossible to say for certain. But he should be closely monitored for any changes.” Arc turns to look out the window. “I wonder if Rose could keep an eye on him with her scanners.” Ember gasps. “At that range?!” Sunburst turns to Arc. “It may be possible to do that, sir. With some properly placed sensors and a transmitter Miss Rose could theoretically monitor his vitals remotely.” Arc grins. “I like the idea. What do you think, Rose?” “It certainly should be possible, yes. Shall I try?” Arc nods. “If that’s okay with you, yes.” Rose appears suddenly nervous. “But… what if I… you know.” “I have faith in you.” Arc turns to Sunburst. “Where would we get these sensors?” “I can have Spike fetch them for you.” “What? But I don’t know what’s needed.” Sunburst turns to his desk. “I’ll write down the components. Just run it over to the quartermaster.” “Yes sir.” Spike takes the note and leaves the room. Arc turns back to Doctor Whooves. “Can you elaborate on your expert opinion?” “Which part, sir?” “About the idea of Frank being an experiment.” “Oh. Forgive me, sir. That was a foolish choice of words on my part.” Ember sighs. “But you may be right.” Rose nods soberly. “It would certainly explain his condition and the lack of transparency regarding the records.” “Well, that may very well be. However, I don’t see any healthcare professional intentionally doing that to a patient. It goes against everything we stand for.” Arc sighs. “I hope that’s true, doctor. But what you said really makes me think something’s up.” Rose looks to Arc. “Perhaps we should look into his physician, Doctor Rieper.” The doctor nods. “That may be prudent. While I’m not sure how things are done on Earth, if he’s truly not acting in his patient’s best interests, there should be some sort of governing body that can discipline him.” Arc nods. “Agreed. Thank you for your advice.” “It was my pleasure, sir.” Arc turns back to Sunburst. “Have you learned anything about that gun and staff I sent over?” Sunburst sighs. “Very little I’m afraid.” Ember glares at him. “How?! You’re the Lead Sage!” Arc puts a hand on her shoulder. “Give him a chance, Ember. Go on, Sunburst.” “Well, to be honest with you these items, while certainly magical, aren’t like anything I’ve ever seen or heard of.” Ember looks the weapons over. “Are they more advanced than Equestria’s understanding of magic?” “Not so much more ‘advanced’ as… different.” Arc raises an eyebrow. “Can you elaborate?” “Certainly, sir.” He gestures to Hammer’s gun. “This firearm is capable of storing potent magical energy in its internal power cells. While its capacity is certainly limited, it would allow a non-unicorn to wield the destructive power of magic. At least for a time.” Ember shudders. “That’s a scary thought.” Arc nods. “Right. But what about recharging?” “I haven’t found any kind of port or access panel that would allow for it. Lacking that, I can only assume a magic user would have to recharge the weapon somehow.” Rose nods. “Assuming Hammer herself can’t do that, there’s always Mio.” “Yes. What about the wand?” Sunburst puts a hoof on the staff leaning against the wall. “This wand is very similar to something found in this land prior to Unification. Powerful unicorns would sometimes wield these to give their powers a substantial boost.” Ember looks worried. “Wouldn’t that endanger their own forces?” Arc frowns. “You mean friendly fire?” “Yeah. Spells don’t differentiate.” Sunburst shakes his head. “Our oldest historical documents tell of them being used primarily for laying siege to enemy battlements. This served two purposes. One, it kept their own forces safe. Two, the staves were very costly to make. Therefore it wouldn’t do to have them lost in the shuffle of battle. Higher ranking officers were known to carry something like these as a sign of status within the Unicorn Military. The higher the rank, the more potent the focusing crystal atop their wand.” Ember raises an eyebrow. “I still don’t see how that wouldn’t be a risk? I mean, having one of these would make one a doubly-valuable target.” Sunburst chuckles. “One might look at it that way, yes. However, the higher ranked officers could certainly afford to stay behind their own lines and cast at their own pace. More power equals range.” Arc picks up the staff. “Where does this weapon register in terms of power?” “I’ve already tested it’s crystal’s potency, sir. This is certainly a very weak example of the a fore mentioned technology. However, it’s certainly not like the ones found in museums today.” Ember looks over the crystal herself. “You mean they screwed up making this?” Arc chuckles. “I think what Sunburst means is that it was made by someone who approached the design differently than unicorns did in the past.” “Yes sir. It’s certainly not inferior in its design.” Arc sets the wand back down. “So I could theoretically use this to give my own magic a boost?” Sunburst nods. “Yes sir. However you would need to be wary of how much power you put into it and how fast.” Ember frowns. “Why’s that?” “The crystal atop the staff is imperfect. Try to channel too much through it and there could be a magical explosion.” Arc grimaces. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” Ember rolls her eyes. “By ‘keep in mind’, you mean keep in your ring… right?” Arc shrugs as he puts the staff in his ring. “It might be useful at some point.” “I agree with Ember, sir. You really should use this staff as a last resort. And not at all until you practice with it.” Arc nods as he picks up Hammer’s gun. “What about this, Sunburst?” “In theory, as a magic user, your own magical energies could keep this weapon charged. However, be careful when using either of these items. You wouldn’t want to drain your mana pool too fast.” Arc grins as he looks the weapon over. “I’m certainly going to enjoy training with this thing.” Ember frowns. “Why? It takes all the fun out of fighting.” “Humans like projectile weapons. Most use them for hunting or target practice though.” Spike returns to the office. He walks over to Arc with a case. “This should be everything you need, Arc.” Arc nods and accepts the satchel. “Good.” Doctor Whooves motions for the small dragon to approach him. He gives him a small bag as Sunburst returns to his desk. “Shall I get you another cup of coffee, sir?” Sunburst turns to Spike and nods. “Please. I have a long day ahead of me.” Spike nods as he heads over to the pot. “Yes sir. Coming right up.” Arc turns to Rose and Ember. “We should let Sunburst and Doctor Whooves get back to work.” “Back to Earth?” “Later today, Rose. First I want Mythic Honor to look over this uniform. See if he can tell me anything about the enchantment on it.” Ember frowns. “What about Frank?” “Doctor, is my friend’s life in danger?” “Assuming he’s no longer in the care of that doctor, I would say no.” Arc breathes a sigh of relief. “Good. While I’m anxious to get back, there’s still the matter of getting some answers for him.” Spike returns to Sunburst’s side with a mug of coffee. “Here you are, sir.” “Thank you, Spike.” Sunburst takes a large gulp of the coffee before turning back to Spike. “You made it extra strong this time.” Spike nods nervously. “Yes, sir. I… know you needed this.” Sunburst opens his mouth to say something but his legs buckle. Spike grabs the mug as the unicorn falls to the floor. Arc and Ember rush to his side. “Sunburst?!” “Doctor!” Doctor Whooves walks over, shaking his head. “Don’t worry. He’s fine.” Ember raises an eyebrow. “Come again?! He just COLLAPSED!” Spike grins sheepishly. “I, uh… might have had something to do with that.” Arc turns to Spike. “You?” Doctor Whooves nods. “Yes. I told Spike to put something in the pot.” Spike holds up the pouch from earlier as the doctor continues. “A simple sleeping tonic. He’ll be out for at least two hours.” Spike sighs. “I wish I’d had some of that stuff a time or two in the past. Twilight doesn’t know when to take a break.” Arc grunts as he and the doctor drag Sunburst toward the couch. “I can’t say he didn’t need the sleep.” Ember turns to the doctor. “Will he be okay?” “Yes. When he wakes up he’ll think it was just normal fatigue.” Arc sighs. “Is this a normal part of castle life?” “Only for Sunburst. More so since Princess Celestia’s disappearance. While I know he’s doing his best, it won’t help anypony if he works himself to death.” The doctor turns to Spike. “Can you keep an eye on him?” “Yes sir. Same as last time?” “Right. Dump that coffeepot and clean the machine completely. Give him some fresh brew when he awakens.” Arc looks down at the stallion before him. “Well, if you’re sure he’s going to be okay, we need to be going.” Spike nods. “I’ll watch him. Don’t worry.” “Thanks, Spike. The country is counting on him.” Calling forth his gauntlet Arc opens a portal. He turns back to Doctor Whooves as Ember and Rose step through. “If you think of anything else in regards to that file, let me know.” “Yes sir.” Arc nods and steps through the portal. Spike turns to the doctor as it closes. “Sunburst really does have a lot of responsibility right now, doesn’t he?” “Yes. But so do you.” Spike appears surprised. “Me? But I’m nopony special.” “You are the assistant of the Lead Sage. He may be doing all the work, but you’re supporting him in that. So his success will be hurried along by you and your efforts.” “I never thought about it that way. Um… what should I be doing?” The doctor calls out as he heads for the door. “Your very best.”