//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Asriel Dreemurr, Prince of the Night // by Rainbow Sparkle //------------------------------// Drifting up from the depths of that empty void to greet the waking world was easier said than done, as Asriel soon discovered.  Every inch of his form, from his ears to his paws, felt weighty and leaden. Even the soft and comfortable mattress beneath him did little to dissuade the aching throughout his whole body. It was almost as if someone had draped a bulky blanket over him and… Wait. Ears and paws. Legs, arms too. A muzzle… then that meant-! As heavy as his eyelids felt, a surge of energy went rushing through him as he connected the dots. Realization quickly followed and with a great effort, he hurriedly opened his eyes and… Regretted it instantly. Sunlight, bright and brilliant, was the first thing to greet him. And it nearly blinded him as he winced and let out an exhausted groan. He instantly shut his eyes, even as he labored to bring his hands up to shield his vision. Even when he managed that, a second attempt still left him groaning in discomfort. “Bless the Creator, you’re awake!” A voice cheerfully rang out to his right, informing him that even if he was still having some trouble adjusting to the light, wherever he was, he wasn’t alone. “I-I am… b-but uhm, it's a b-bit bright in here. Can hardly see a-anything, or anyone.” Asriel croaked, his voice sounding as exhausted as he felt. The soft nicker he got from whoever was nearby took him by surprise, but the light dimmed a bit as he heard curtains being moved, and the level of light in the room lessened to a more manageable level. And her reply only left him more confused. “My apologies. I had left them open so I could read by the light of my moon, then forgot to close them after my Sister raised the sun.” Slowly, Asriel lowered his hands and opened his eyes again. With the brightness of the sunlight dimmed now, he was able to get a look around. It looked like he was in a hospital room, or an infirmary, with over a dozen other beds lined up against both of the walls. His attention however, was quickly latched onto the source of the voice he’d heard.  If someone had asked who or what Asriel might have expected to see when waking up, he would not have said a dark blue, winged unicorn wearing a small crown and some sort of necklace or collar and a mane that twinkled like the night sky and seemed to almost be flowing in an unseen wind. On her flank was a splotch of black and a silvery white crescent moon marking that reminded him of the moon he’d seen in that empty void. There was also an open book and a scroll floating in the air beside her, and a collection of both scattered around her on the floor and the small table next to his bed. He blinked a few times, working to process all of that in his head. Finally, he asked the only two questions he could think to ask. “W-Where… Where am I? A-And, who are you?” The winged Unicorn gave him a gentle smile as she replied, “You are in the Infirmary of The Royal Palace in Canterlot. And I am Princess Luna of Equestria, Stewardess of the Moon, the Evening Sky, and Guardian of the Dreamlands.” Canterlot? Equestria? Those names didn’t sound like any place on Earth from any of the Human books the Underground had possessed. The first sounded like a horse pun for Camelot, and the second was one letter short of referring to a horse rider or something relating to horse riding. With her response only generating more questions in his head, Asriel decided to focus on something else as he asked, “D-Do I, uh, have to use all that when speaking with you?” The Princess let out a nicker and shook her head, eyes glinting with mirth. “Not at all, at least not outside of exceptionally formal and stuffy events. You may refer to me as Princess Luna for now.” Asriel blinked at that last bit. For now? What does she mean by that? He quickly shook his head though, recalling his manners. “Uh, w-well, my name is Asriel, Asriel Dreemurr. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “The feeling is mutual.” She replied readily enough. Her expression took on a more concerned look. “How are you feeling?” Asriel slowly rubbed the back of his head. “I feel like I’ve run a marathon several times over. Everything aches.” “Magical Exhaustion will do that. When you were brought to me, you were nearly drained of all your magic. Given the makeup of your body, the doctors here were impressed you were maintaining your form at all, even after I gave you some of my magic.” That’d be because of my Determination, wouldn’t it? Or… would it be because…? Asriel thought back to the feeling of all seven SOUL shards rushing into him. He was still himself, as he could plainly feel and see, which meant those shards must have fused with what remained of his own. The figure had kept his end of the deal it seemed. He hadn't reverted back to a flower. He was getting a second chance at life, a chance to be better, to be himself and make up for all he had done. It just seemed that the strange figure’s condition was a bit more… literal than Asriel had thought. Not like he gave you much of a chance to think about it. A voice whispered in his head. Asriel shivered and writhed a bit, trying to ignore the voice and push it out of his entire being. He didn’t want that thing to still be with him any longer, especially if he had been restored to his real form. “Is something the matter?” Princess Luna asked, drawing his attention as he winced and squirmed about in the bed a bit under her concerned gaze “I-I’ll be alright… j-just uhm, thinking about what you’ve told me so far.” He said, giving a nervous smile. “There’s no Equestria or Canterlot where I’m from, so uh, I must not be on Earth anymore.” He wasn’t sure if she believed him or not, but Princess Luna tilted her head as she asked, “Earth? Is that the land you’re from?” “Well, erm, yes and no? It’s the planet I was on, but uhm, I came from a place called The Underground.” Asriel watched as her eyes went as wide as saucers, quickly sparkling with interest. He could practically feel the urge to ask dozens of questions coming off the equine Princess. However, she quickly composed herself as she said, “That raises a host of questions, but does answer one big one- why neither I nor my Sister could find any reference in the Royal Archives to any creature like yourself. Or the entity that brought you here.” “I-I’ll be happy to answer what I can, i-if you’d be willing to answer my own.” Asriel replied. Would be a relatively fair exchange, and make things easier for him. The Princess smiled and gave a nod. She was about to say something, but a loud, angry bellow from his middle stopped her and left Asriel blushing brilliantly. She nickered as he tried to slink a bit deeper into the sheets in embarrassment. “I think getting answers to our respective queries can wait til after we’ve gotten you something to eat. And do not fret, there is no reason to hide after such a hungry roar. You have been unconscious for three days after all, tis to be expected one would be practically famished.” Now it was Asriel’s turn for his eyes to become the size of plates. “Three days?!” “Yes. We were actually starting to worry, given the Doctors suspected it should only take a day for you to come round once your magic was stabilized.” “N-No wonder I’m so stiff and sore too.” Asriel grumbled, earning a nod from the Princess. “Just rest and relax, I’ll see to getting you something to eat, and let the Doctors know you are awake. They’ll likely have a few questions to ask, given how unique you are to us, so just answer to the best of your ability.” She was about to walk off, when she stopped and asked, “Might there be anything in particular I could bring up from the kitchens?” If Asriel was being completely honest with himself, there was at least one thing he dearly wished he could have right then and there. But after a moment’s thought, he shook his head. Even if they knew how to make it, it wouldn’t be the same as Mom’s. “A-Anything will do, p-please and thank you.” The Princess gave a warm smile in return. “Such a polite child. Very well then, I shan’t be long.” With that, the winged unicorn stepped off by a door nearby and poked her head in, then left in a flash of magic that left Asriel blinking in surprise. I get the feeling there’s going to be quite a lot to learn here. Asriel thought to himself as he sighed and looked down to his hands. Despite the exhaustion and soreness he still felt, and despite his destination not at all being what he expected… “I’m me. Myself. The real me.” He whispered aloud to himself, wriggling his furry digits and fuzzy toes under the sheet as his eyes began to dampen. He squeezed his hands together, clenching them tight. “Not a flower. Not him.” He might have started crying in joy, but the sound of the door opening and the sound of hooves had him wiping the few tears that had started to form away. He looked up to see a cream colored unicorn in doctor's attire with a pastel red mane walking towards him with a warm smile.  Like the Princess, she had a mark on her flanks, though hers was of a cartoonish looking heart with a bandaid slapped across the middle. “Good morning Mister… Dreemurr I believe the Princess mentioned?” At his nod she stepped up to the bed, hor horn lighting up with a magenta aura. “I’m Dr. Mendheart, and I’ve just got a few basic questions first to see how you’re recovering. If there’s any you’re not sure about, we can skip those, alright?” “S-Sure thing doc.” Asriel said with a smile, wriggling a bit as he felt her magic slowly moving over him. She gave a soft giggle at that, before asking how he was feeling, seeing how much range of motion he had, how hungry he was…  He briefly thought about using an idiom he’d heard Chara use before, ‘So hungry I could eat a horse’, but he didn’t think that’d fly well with the doctor. The one that was a surprise to him was asking if he could cast any spells or use his magic. He was game to try though, figuring it shouldn’t be too hard… Only to find himself struggling to do so. Still, after a moment, he managed to conjure up a chromatic, glowing star that he was able to toss from hand to hand. “Well, despite being made up of more magic than anything I know of in Equestria, all the after effects of Magical Exhaustion seem to work the same for your kind as it does for Ponies, so that’s reassuring.” Asriel tilted his head at that. “It is?” Dr. Mendheart smirked. “Yes, because it means you aren’t too different from most of us. Which means while we don’t know much about your kind, most of our treatments should work on you if the need arises.” Okay, Asriel couldn’t deny that from that point of view, such would be reassuring. He’d hate to be a doctor, magical or otherwise, having to deal with a patient for whom they had no idea how to treat. Before either of them could say anything more, Princess Luna returned in a flash of light, carrying a small tray with a bowl and a plate on it. A savory smell was coming from it, and it made Asriel’s stomach rumble again. “As I recall, light foods are suggested for someone suffering from Magical Exhaustion.” The Princess remarked, getting a nod from Dr. Mendheart before turning her attention back to Asriel. “As such, I brought you some tomato soup and a piece of freshly baked bread.” Asriel took the tray in his hands, gripping onto it tightly as her magic let go of it. He was glad that, tired and sore as he was, he could still hold it long enough to set it down in his lap. “T-Thank you. I really do appreciate it, y-you didn’t have to bring this yourself, your Highness.” “It was much faster than waiting for one of the staff to bring it, no? And it isn’t good form to keep a hungry guest waiting.” The Princess replied firmly as she moved to sit by his bed again, watching with a smile as he took his first sip and let out a soft bleat of delight before gulping down several more spoonfuls. “Easy there Mister Dreemurr, if ya eat so fast, even with something like soup, you’ll give yourself a tummyache.” Dr. Mendheart said as Asriel set the spoon down and picked up his bread, digging into it more slowly. He made sure to swallow before he replied, “I know Doctor, it's just been a while since I had something this good.” Or to be more honest, it was the first time he was actually able to taste and enjoy what he was eating. When he was Flowey, he could eat food, but it didn’t really have any taste to it. Flowers didn’t exactly have taste buds after all. Still, taking her instructions to heart, Asriel slowed down a bit, noticing a third of the way through he was already beginning to feel satisfied. But since it had been such a long time since he really ate much of anything, he wasn’t inclined to stop. Especially when something as simple as a soup and piece of bread had such rich tastes. Is the food magic, or like the stuff from the surface and made of matter? Is it both? He wondered to himself as the Doctor and Princess had a hushed conversation close by. If he hadn’t been distracted by the meal, he might have been able to overhear most of it. With the occasional word he did catch, it seemed like the Doctor was simply passing along questions she wished to ask to the Princess. At least, that was his assumption as Doctor Mendheart soon made her way back to what he assumed was her office, leaving just him and the Princess alone in the infirmary. It didn’t take all that long for Asriel to finish what he’d been given, feeling both full and a bit lethargic afterwards. Past experience told him this meant the food he’d eaten was more matter based, which meant he’d need to be careful how much he ate. Gonna be hard if all the food here is as good as that. He thought to himself as he let out a bit of a yawn, sliding back down into the bed a bit as the Princess chuckled. “You can rest again if you need to. My questions aren’t going anywhere, and I can take care of my studies here just as easily as I could in my quarters.” As tempting as it was to take her up on that offer immediately… Asriel felt like he owed it to the Princess to answer at least a question or three. “Mhm… not quite ready to close my eyes again. Maybe a few simple questions?” She nodded, inclining her head in appreciation as she seemed to quickly consider such. “Before I ask any questions, it might be better I share how you arrived, and what the entity who delivered you here said.” Asriel nodded, listening to her describe the strange being who had appeared before her. The description matched that of the figure who had appeared before him, offering him a second chance. He quirked an eyebrow when she mentioned that the entity wanted her to be his guardian, and had chosen her because she too desired a second chance, and he was nearly ready to ask just what she had done to have such a desire, but… “You will likely learn in time. It is part of our history after all. Suffice to say, I have only… recently returned to Equestria.” Was all she said, seeming to be uncomfortable about her own past mistakes. “Don’t worry, I won’t pry then.” Asriel said with a sad smile, understanding all too well. He shifted a bit in the bed himself as he felt his past sins crawling down his back, expression falling quickly as the memories flashed before his eyes. The images were cast aside however when he felt a soft nuzzle, bleating in surprise and blushing a bit as he realized it had come from the Princess, who offered her own sympathetic smile. “Nor shall I. Though I am curious, I shall leave it to you if or when you wish to share such.” “T-Thank you… I appreciate that. Really, I do.” He said, even as he found himself realizing he was likely going to have to share a little bit before long. Even though she had yet to ask them, as she relayed the rest of the short meeting with the skeletal entity, he could practically hear the flurry of questions waiting to be unleashed. And at least a few of them were going to be in reference to what the entity had made mention of before departing. That said, Asriel was easily able to go ahead the first question that the Princess decided to go with. “Just what are you, exactly? We have nothing in any of our books for a creature such as you, made up almost entirely of magic.” It was a simple answer, and one Asriel gave readily. “I’m a Monster. A Boss Monster, specifically.”  “... Would you care to elaborate?” Princess Luna asked, her eyes wide and disbelieving. “I find it hard to believe that literally or metaphorically.” She looked him up and down again, even with the sheet covering him as she said, “You look more like someone crossed a dragon with a goat.” Asriel couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at that, his mouth moving before his head could catch up. “Chara said something similar to that once a long while back…” The image of his childhood friend briefly flashed through his mind, his expression becoming bittersweet as a distant look came to his eyes. It didn’t last long though, quickly pushing those memories to the side so as not to call up all the others. “It’s what all the folks back home in the Underground were called. It's what the Humans called us, and we called ourselves such too. I… don’t actually know if it's what we were called before we met the Humans, or after. I don’t think anyone really remembers that far back.” Not even Mom and Dad, and they’re both from before the barrier and the Underground. From the look on the Princess’s face, she found that to be a bit hard to believe, but that was the sincere and honest truth, so she accepted it soon enough. “And are all… Monsters, like yourself? Made up of Magic and just a little bit of matter?” “Yup. Boss Monsters have a bit more, because we’re stronger than the rest. But not by much. And it's the opposite with Humans, made up mostly of matter, with just a bit of magic.” Asriel said before letting out another yawn, his eyelids beginning to grow heavy again as his body demanded more rest. “That just generates more questions… but I suppose that is to be expected.” The Princess murmured to herself, Asriel nodding in agreement as he sunk further into the bed. Through the drowsy haze beginning to settle over him, he could see the Princess smile as she glanced back to him, chuckling softly. “Well, getting those answers can wait til you’ve recovered more.” She said, getting a tired nod and an agreeable hum from Asriel. “Another day or two at the most, and you should be able to get out of that bed.” “Thatsh guud. Dun wanna… dun wanna be in bed all the times.” Asriel mumbled, letting out a soft bleat as he got a gentle headpat from the Princess. “Rest easy then, young one. We can talk some more when you awaken.” Asriel could only give a nod at that as his eyes closed, too tired now to respond vocally. But before he drifted back fully into the realm of sleep, he was able to murmur softly to himself, Rest easy huh? Well, with my body and compassion back… I think I can manage that.