The travel through a wormhole is a bit stomach-turning unless you're used to it. The stardust, I guess you could call it, buzzes by your ears and your mane as you "drop" toward your destination. Pretty much all you can see around you is a big void of space. It's almost as if you're actually IN space. I mean, I've never been up in space to tell, but this is what I've always thought of it to look like.
My eyes now focus on a wall filled to the brim with different colored blocks of varying widths. A bookshelf. We're in the library. Everypony in the room is dizzy, supposedly due to the teleportation distance and the load that was transferred. Even Twilight, who you would think would be used to this kind of stuff, is collapsed on the ground. Especially Twilight. She seems to have overworked herself a bit.
To my surprise, the elder is the first to reclaim a proper hoofhold on the floor. He then stumbles back a step and says, "Well, that was a learning experience..."
Hearing his voice again gives my muscles strength, as I stand almost immediately. "Yeah, Twilight teleports me everywhere, but that's the first time I've traveled over a mile via."
Now in response to my voice, Twilight begins to assume a standing position. She's still dazed, judging by the way her eyes are having difficulty focusing. She shook her head a good once and replied, "...Sorry about that. I don't have much practice teleporting much further than half a mile." Her voice sounds like she just woke up from a miserable night's sleep. "But then again, when would I need to?"
"You have a point, Ms. Sparkle," my elder continued, "but what's done is done, and we thank you dearly. If need be, ma'am, you can stay here and take it easy. I'm sure you're not the only one who knows where the infirmary is."
By now, the rest of the ponies are back on all fours. Pinkie Pie decided it was her turn. "Oh, of course Twilight's not the only one! I know where it is, everypony here should know where it is, Blaze should know where it is, the doctors should know where it is, the nurses should know where it is..." Again, Rarity's hoof found Pinkie's chin and kept it shut.
The elder only laughed and said, "Well, thank you, Pinkie. If Blaze knows it, then I don't really need anypony else to come along. And Blaze and I have some catching up to do anyway." He raised his hoof around my shoulder. That was a slightly harsh sentence to escape the elder's lips, but I'm sure it hadn't caused any damage to anypony.
AppleJack was next to speak. "All raighty, then. If y'all don't really need mah hooves for anythin' raight now, then Ah got some work to catch up on over at Sweet Apple Acres."
After that, everypony but the elder, Twilight, and myself said a couple words and left the tree building. The three of us stood there, pondering our next actions. Then the elder spoke up, "Okay, I guess we better get going." He also began to leave the building. I followed closely, but a hushed call from Twilight Sparkle made my head turn toward her. She had a look of disgust on her face, most likely from the elder's attitude.
I stepped back into the library to listen to what she wanted only me to hear. "Is he always like that?"
"Hey, give him a chance, Twi," I reply. "He had his home and nearly all his subjects murdered recently. We both know that kind of stuff is hardest on the older ponies. Give him a couple days, let him warm up to life here, okay?"
"Okay," the smile reformed on Twilight's face, the smile I remembered throughout my childhood. "When he's in bed resting, could you come back here? I would like to show you a few things."
"Sounds like a date," I say teasingly, which has the desired effect. "Yeah, sure, I'll get back to you when he's good to go. See ya then." I smile and turn to go back out the door. I catch her as she sighs and drops her head in confusion.
The elder stopped and had waited for me just beside the door out of sight. "Are you finished with your good-byes?"
"Elder, what's wrong with you? You've never risen your voice over a simple matter like this before."
"I'm just a little jittery, Blaze. First, because I need to get cleaned up; second, I need to talk to you." We walked as the conversation continued.
"Okay. What's up?"
"I need to know if you know if there are any survivors other than us."
"I can't say I do, sir."
The elder drooped his ears. "That's very unfortunate. I was hoping since you and Faded Ivory left that night -- Speaking of which --"
"No, sir." I cut him off, because I knew exactly where he was headed and I want to spare myself of those memories as much as possible.
"Oh... I see... ... " his voice dropped to almost a whisper. "...You have my sincerest condolences, Blaze. I understand she was a very dear friend."
"...Yeah," I said quickly.
"Well, uhh, on to my next concern. What was responsible for the attack, do you know?"
"All I could see was a big shadowy looking figure, with claws sharpened to razor quality, eyes of the devil, and stood well over fifty feet tall."
At this, the elder shuddered. "FIFTY FEET? Merciful Celestia, that's like twelve of me stacked on top of each other!"
"You didn't see it?"
The elder quickly said, "No," but it took him some time to explain his side of the story. "I went out looking for you two, when I suddenly got this really horrible cough. I couldn't keep my hooves on solid ground, so I just laid there coughing. After a while, I blacked out. I'm not sure why; it could've been the cough, the tension, or maybe -- I don't know." He turned his head to avoid eye contact for a minute.
I poked his belly with my nose. "Hey, don't dwell on it. Now that we're here, you can start breaking in to a happy life, starting with this building here." I got his eyes to follow mine to a sign with the red cross on it. "We're here."
"Goodness! I didn't think it would take so little time! Well, thank you, Blaze. We can continue this tomorrow."
"Sure. I'll get you a room, throw some bits down, and then you'll get your respective treatment. I'll check on you at first light tomorrow." I said. He smiled, and we went through the glass doors. After a little paperwork, the nurses nodded and escorted the elder to his assigned room. He managed to get the same room and doctors I did, and he questioned me on their ability.
"These ponies will take care of me?"
I reassured him with, "Sir, there's no better pair of hooves I trust."
The glass doors closed between us. The elder turned to go with the nurses as the doors completely closed the air between us. He's in good hooves.
With him now in proper care, I lightly gallop back down to Golden Oaks Library. Twilight wouldn't want to disturb me so late in the day unless it had significant meaning. My pace picks up on its own, and I arrive sooner than I wanted.
I knock. When I do, there's an indistinct talking followed by a very clear "I'm coming!". She wasn't even ready for me!
A couple minutes later, the door opens to reveal a heavy-eyed Twilight Sparkle. "Oh... Hey Blaze. Come on in."
But I was hesitant. "What're you doing, sleeping?"
She nods. "The elder was right. That mass transportation took more out of me than I thought," she said slowly, with distinct fatigue in her voice. "Guess I konked out for a bit."
"It's no big deal," I say as I walk in and observe my surroundings. "I swear, this place seems to grow a little every time I see it."
"Well, it IS a tree, Blaze."
Twilight had a sense of humor after all. I blew a raspberry and she cracked up. I joined in the laughter after a second or two. "Okay, now what did you want to show me?"
"Oh, right," Twilight snapped back to her serious self. "I mostly called you here so I could give you this, but since it's late, why don't I get a bed ready?"
She levitated a dark brown book in front of me until I grabbed it with my own magic. Then she went to get something on the top floor and returned with a bag. I'm paying more attention to what she's doing than her book right now.
The bag had a lock on it which, when she inserted her horn, unlocked and unfolded into a mattress and several sheets varying in thickness. Then she stepped back and waved me over.
"You made that spell?"
"Yep!" She smiled and held her head up high. "For quick, organized preparations for camps or sleepovers. Make yourself at home!"
"Well, that's... very nice of you," I said as I approached the bed. It's a queen-sized mattress, so it'll hold at least two ponies comfortably.
Twilight gave a slight blush as she turned to do something else. "Oh, you're perfectly welcome, Blaze." She then made to the second floor and climbed back into her respective bed. She was a mess. Knowing her, however, she should be better after a good night's sleep.
I roll onto the bed, fix up one of the lighter sheets around me, and tuck it under with my magic. A mattress was much more comfortable than those dead leaves that crumble and itch every time you move. I'm going to fall asleep like a baby, but I remember about the book she picked out. I find it on the floor, and use magic to draw it to me. I open to the first page, and the first thing I saw was a picture of a sea green filly waving and a caption above that read, "Hello!"
She gave me Faded Ivory's diary.