//------------------------------// // 58- Asclepius // Story: Changing Expectations // by KKSlider //------------------------------// ‘Dear diary, I ate physical foods for the first time in my life today. Vegetables do not taste as bad as I remember they do. Pony taste buds must be quite different from humans’. However, they did nothing for my hunger. That has to be filled by the company of ponies. Literally.’ The physical examination did reveal one thing. Namely, my own ineptitude. Nurse Gentle Hoof had brought a mirror over after performing the physical tests. Using it, I got a good look at myself. Brown unicorn with a blonde mane. Brown coat. Blonde mane. I was a horse. After surviving a life and death situation, myself on death's door, my first reaction to disguising myself as a pony was thinking of a horse. If disguising myself as an earth pony would have been the baseline for all disguises instead of unicorns, I no doubt would have been a horse in all but name. Prince Phasma, formerly second in command to the greatest infiltrators and duplicitous disguisers in both worlds I have lived on, disguised as a horse. Surely, my Infiltrator teacher would have been proud of my creativity. I was also not as small as a pony. That’s another mistake in my disguise; I was tall. Not as tall as my normal changeling self, but still very tall. Granted, with the whole missing leg thing, being tall isn’t the most eye-catching thing about my form. Still, it was a mistake that I should have caught. Then came what follows after eating food. Nurse Gentle Hoof had brought over a wheelchair for me to use. After barely managing to lift myself off of the bed and onto the chair, I realized that I must have lost a lot of blood. The nauseating feeling I felt after standing up sent blood rushing to my head as I collapsed onto the wheelchair. The bathroom was connected to my room, the door hidden from my sight on the bed by a corner in the room. It was also right next to the door leading out of my hospital room and into the ward proper. The quick view out the window on the door as we passed it revealed the hospital to be exactly like the ones from Earth. The desks and tables right outside where nurses and doctors worked through paperwork were lower than their human equivalents but that was because nearly every sapient species of this world was also much shorter. The bathroom was… longer than their equivalent on Earth. My unfamiliarity with the utilities was easily hidden by my unfamiliarity with using anything with only one hoof. Nurse Gentle Hoof helped me out of the chair and had waited patiently just outside the door for privacy. After that affair was dealt with, Gentle Hoof helped me back into my bed. Just from the small affair, I was feeling exhausted. Mostly nauseated, but exhausted all the same. As I caught my breath and cooled down, Doctor Hoarse Throat entered the room, bringing with her a clipboard. “Good evening, I’m Doctor Hoarse Throat, in case you didn’t catch it the first time. I hope you're feeling better, you were quite pale when you first awoke.” My low voice was quieter now that I was back to being tired, “I’m fine now– better now. Far Sky. I’d shake your hoof, but uh… I seemed to have misplaced one of my own…” Hoarse Throat paused before replying. “... You are a very brave and strong pony, Far Sky. Most would not react to losing one of their limbs with humor.” ‘Oops.’ “Most ponies wouldn’t fight back, I’d imagine…” ‘Thankfully, I’m not sensing any fear. That means she doesn’t suspect that I’m a changeling. Probably. Do any anomalies come up in X-Rays?’ “No… You managed to slay a Dire Wolf that attacked you while you were very hurt. As much as I’d love to hear that story, I have some things to go over first with you. I have here a list of the injuries you sustained. It’s quite… extensive, I’m afraid to say.” She took the clipboard that Gentle Hoof offered her and read it over. After a minute, she put the clipboard onto a small bin out of view on the front of the bed that I had seen walking back. “Let’s start with the biggest one. Your right foreleg is gone, cut off shortly below your right shoulder. Do you remember how this happened?” “One of them lunged at me. I… I raised a hoof to block the thing out of instinct. Then… uh…” The doctor was writing as I spoke. “I understand. We can talk more about that later. Next, there are two huge bites on your neck and left foreleg. Your left fetlock itself was sprained, punctured, and bleeding.” ‘That would explain the wrapping that covered it.’ “There’s also the scratches. I’m afraid there are some deep gouges that will scar up, leaving permanent disfiguration there.” “... Will my fur cover them up?” “They will be hidden by all but the closest inspections, yes. They are easily felt through your coat, however. Then… There were mild signs of infection in your right shoulder. We prescribed antibiotics to clear out any infections, but we will need to watch you longer for any further developments. Your left eardrum was burst. We have bandaged it and it should heal with time. Finally, there’s the blood loss. We can’t say how much you’ve lost before coming into our care, but it was a substantial amount. That is why you feel fatigued and nauseous.” “I figured…” “The severity of your injuries and blood loss was exacerbated by the cold temperatures of the river you were submerged in. When you were rescued by a passerby and taken here, you were unresponsive for four days.” “Four days?” “I’m afraid so. We had you on fluids during that period and a professional performed Clear Mind’s Full Breathe to ensure that you would wake up without complications. He was concerned of potential swelling in your brain but thankfully you have exhibited no symptoms of that.” ‘Magical healing, huh? Wait a second…’ “You casted a spell on my mind?” “To ensure proper blood flow. If there was swelling– or Celestia forbid, a clot– then your condition would have worsened considerably.” ‘Sounds like that’s a done deal.’ The idea of someone using magic on my head sent a shiver down my spine. It was too much like… “– Far Sky?” “Huh?” The doctor was at my side with a concerned look on her face. Now she tasted faintly of fear. On my other side, Nurse Gentle Hoof was looking at the machines. I turned my head to look at him just so I could hear him better. “Are you feeling okay?” “Uh… Aside from being tired? I’m fine, I think.” ‘And hungry, but I can’t exactly say that.’ “On a scale from one to ten, how much pain are you feeling right now?” “None. Err, zero. I’m okay.” “Your hoof is shaking, Sky.” “Oh?” I looked down. It was shaking a little bit. I took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm down. “Sorry, it’s just…” “There’s nothing to apologize for. We all understand that this is a lot to take in. Why don’t you get some sleep and we’ll discuss tomorrow more on what to do. For now, take it easy.” “Okay…” “I’ll talk with you after breakfast tomorrow. Goodnight, Far Sky.” “Night, Doctor Hoarse Throat.” The earth pony left the room after receiving a nod from Gentle Hoof. “Okay. I’ve got other patients that need my assistance, so I need to head out, too. If you need somepony for any reason, use this button h– one second.” He walked around the bed, heading for the left side. When he arrived, he put down what looked like a remote, only it had one button. One big, red button. “If you press that, it will notify us and a nurse will come over. If you’re having an emergency, just keep it held down rather than releasing it after pressing it.” “Okay.” “Alright. You try to relax, okay? That’s all you need to do tonight. Leave tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow.” “I can do that,” I said with a smile. “Good night, Far Sky.” “Good night, Nurse Gentle Hoof.” Luna was not waiting for me in my dreams. I passed the time by shaping the dream itself. When I woke, I was knee deep in shallow water that extended to all horizons. Since that was a boring dream, I shifted it to one of the parlor rooms I had passed through in Canterlot Castle. Plush red carpets, fancy paintings, stiff chairs that I adjusted to make comfy, and a nice roaring fire. Then I realized that that was romantic, so I put out the fire and instead opened the windows and bay doors to an outside balcony. A yellow tinged moon hung in a clear starry sky above Canterlot. The city itself was devoid of lights and details, appearing only as a colorful collection of smears at a distance. I trotted over to a couch and laid down, counting the seconds as they passed. After ten whole seconds of waiting, I decided to pull a book off of a shelf in the middle of a low table behind one of the couches. It lacked a title and any decorations on the cover. Flipping it open, I saw the words on the page were nothing more than smears of ink. A clop sound came from the balcony, signaling Luna’s arrival as she set down onto the stone. She entered the room, hoofsteps muffled as they transitioned from the stone to carpeting. “We know this room…” “It’s a parlor in your castle. West wing? Can’t recall exactly where.” I closed the book and tossed it behind me, not caring where it landed. “Ah, Prince Phasma, there thou art. We did not see thee there.” I sighed, “Nice to see you too, Luna.” “Hm. Wouldst thou prefer us to leave thy title behind as well?” “Why not.” Luna walked over and took the chair across from me. After gazing around the room for a moment, she settled her eyes on me and smiled. “Something on my face?” “This is a novelty. We cannot recall the last time We relaxed with a Dreamwalker. Nay, We cannot recall the last time We conversed with another pony with no semblance of formality.” “Not a pony but I see what you mean. Did you not have anyone close to you prior to your stay on your namesake?” “No. Companionship in all forms elude us. Especially prior to our banishment…” “What’s been going on in the outside world?” I asked, changing the subject. Luna collected herself, “Daybreaker hath routed the changeling invasion force from Canterlot Province. It has been slow and brutal fighting against thy ilk. They seem most suited to hitting when least expected, making their pursuit a dangerous pursuit. That pun was not intended.” “I already know the answer to this but I would be remiss if I did not ask; what happened to Chrysalis?” “She escaped Canterlot and leads the fighting withdrawal. Upon Daybreaker's awakening, she abandoned the city with haste, leaving behind all her…. spoils.” “Yeah. Anything else and I’d call you a liar.” “Thy mother is indeed quite tenacious. Thy forces fight with expertise never before seen.” “I think that was the idea. So the Swarm Group Center is in retreat. The other two?” “They hath excused themselves from the war without resistance. We cannot muster the forces required to contest their retreat, so they make leave with their foalnapped ponies.” “Hmmm.” “That is what We have been dealing with. Thou?” “Not dying, really.” “Thou were in danger?” “More than a little.” “Regale us,” she said while getting comfortable. “So no shit, there I was in the middle of the forest after teleporting out from the throne room…” After I finished catching Luna up with the exact details of my injuries and location left out, we sat in silence. I did not want to be too exact with my condition as that could lead to her tracking me down before I was ready. There was the chance that she would track down any new patients at hospitals specifically attacked by dire wolves, but I figured that kind of detailed information would be a lot harder to track down than simply a list of injuries. Eventually, I got annoyed at the silence and lit the fireplace. Accompanying the crackling of the fire, actual heat came from the fireplace. I was sure that eventually, with enough practice, I could include these small details without contentious effort. Unfortunately, the presence of the fire reminded me of why I left it extinguished. “... What are we?” “Monarchs, last We checked.” I gave her a withering look before looking back at the fire. “You know what was between me and Nightmare Moon. She demanded that I court her. I got out of the commitment since she died, yay me. But now, what’s between us?” Luna was quiet, so I shifted around to see what she was doing. She was looking at me. I couldn’t read her expression nor could I sense any emotions while we were in the Dreamscape. “We do not know. It hath been quite some time since anypony was close to our heart." Luna smiled, "This day, We dealt with pleas for aid as We held minor court in Daybreaker's absence. The bewitched sister of ours did not trust us with any real power, so instead we listened to petitioners from the city itself, rather than sat on the councils that run the country. As We sat through the day, We heard time and time again about the destruction thou wrought. Such tales of woe thou have weaved in thy absence. Yet throughout the day, there was one specific tale of woe that captured our mind's wandering fixation. "We caught a glance at today's newspaper. Fascinating innovation, that one. The mass produced paper depicted on its front cover a picture of thyself, lacking in color. Thou stood beside the invader Queen herself, with a third changeling off to the side. The paper decried thy misgivings. Thee mother's moreso. Yet as We read the pains thou inflected upon others, namely the Captain of the Guard whose testimony bore the brunt of thy transgressions, We could not help but notice how sparse the list was." I kept silent as she continued her story. "There thou were, beside thy mother and commander. Compared to her, thy actions were but a footnote. The face of the invasion, on occasion, but thou kept to the back for all but the Captain's duel. Thou dealt with the unglamorous affair of dueling somepony that the defense relied upon, whereas thy mother instead took to field against Princess Celestia herself, the soul of this great kingdom. It… reminded us of ourself. "During the formative years of our principality, our sister and ourself worked side-by-side to forge this nation. However, whereas my sister battled our foes at the negotiation table and dinner banquet, We were the one who took to battle itself to resolve conflict. Thou must certainly know whose actions were left out of history, and whose actions lauded as acts of greatness. Now thou art on the brink of death while thy mother licks her wounds in sole control of thy changelings. Whose name shall be left out of history is no secret." Luna got up from her seat and closed the distance between us. I looked up to her as I stayed seated. "Then We found thee battled by a Nightmare. How could We not draw parallels? We saw a kindred soul in thee from the beginning. Then Harmony madest thee walk the same path We once tread. When we saw thy face in that paper, We wondered how much thee were suffering right at that moment. Thou knowest us like none ever hath and it is likely that We will never meet somepony like thee ever again. We thought about thee all day, wondering what we would converse about this very evening. We would like to think that we are at least friends. We would wish to be something… more." Luna offered a hoof. I felt a pain in my chest. It was not the same I had felt on occasion growing up in the hive. It was… Intoxicating. "... Luna, I think you could sell ice to an Eskimo." "Which means?" I returned her smile and grabbed her hoof with one of my own. "Which means I think I'd like that, too."