//------------------------------// // Amnesia // Story: A Pony's Guidebook to Becoming a Grand Duchess // by RuanQingSi //------------------------------// "Old Madam, the doctor has arrived." Celestia was busy with her thoughts until these words were said. Immediately, she turned to observe the figure entering. The figure had ruddy orange hair and tannish skin, with placid black eyes. Although the moment was brief, she could see a flash in those eyes when the doctor directed his sight unto her, almost as if he was surprised to see her. However, nobody else seemed to notice it. The doctor reverted his gaze back to the Old Madam, who had already stood up and walked towards him. When the doctor finished his greeting, she asked, "Doctor Votano, my daughter has recovered from her fever and illness, but when she woke up, she couldn't remember anyone...not even me. Can you examine what's wrong with her, and if there's a cure?" At the end of her question, the Old Madam's voice became hoarse, and she reached into her sleeves for a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. Looking at the crying woman, Celestia was helpless. She wasn't familiar with the woman, so she didn't know how to assuage her, but she wasn't inclined to endorse the woman in her sobbing. Witnessing this, the doctor brusquely walked towards Celestia and said, "Your Grace, allow this doctor to feel your pulse." Celestia was just about to lower her head when she saw the doctor pull out a handkerchief and placed it on the table, then say, "Your hand, Your Grace." Celestia was bewildered for a second before she came to a realization. She wasn't a pony anymore, so her pulse naturally wouldn't be along the inside of her jawbone. Restraining her expression, Celestia moved to rest her hand on the handkerchief amidst her glances aimed to spot any noteworthy aspects of the doctor. The doctor began the medical checkup by positioning two of his fingers, the middle and index fingers, onto her human pulse. His movements remained the same for quite a while before he stood up with a complicated expression and requested, "Your Grace, may you allow me to examine your eyes and tongue?" Before the Old Madam could respond, Celestia nodded. She was accustomed with the processes of a medical examination, so there was no need to hesitate since she also didn't view herself as so divine that a touch to her body was disrespectful even if the purpose was for a physical health exam. The doctor drew closer and used his fingers to stretch each of her eyes. When that procedure was over, he signaled for Celestia to open her mouth for a tongue inspection. After these methods are finished, the doctor retreated to where the Old Madam stood, accompanied by a frown on his face. Clenching her handkerchief, the Old Madam asked, "Doctor Votano, how is my daughter?" Shaking his head, the middle-aged doctor said, "The Grand Duchess's body has become immensely weak due to the fever and prolonged coma. Although Her Grace's well-being is temporarily stable, it is imperative to restore her health lest another illness strikes. As for the Grand Duchess's memory dissipation, my knowledge is too limited to safely arrive at a conjecture for this matter. My only guess is that the Grand Duchess is suffering from...amnesia as a result of her lengthy illness." The news was like being struck by lightning for the Old Madam. "A-Amnesia?" She questioned, alarmed. The Head Maid who was beside her, also didn't have a good expression. As she supported the Old Madam to stand steadily, she asked the doctor twice if what he said was true. Celestia, one of the recipient of this news, was sitting undisturbed. If one were to think ahead, the excuse of amnesia was advantageous for her. The explanation justified her inability to remember or know any and everything in this world, as well as provided her time to adjust to a different dimension should the extent of her stay be longer than intended. She didn't want to linger in this world; she wanted to return as soon as possible. However, with no magic and no knowledge, was her current goal achievable? Obviously no. Therefore, Celestia could only settle here impermanently until she found a way to solve this problem. Deliberating to this, she broke the silence in the room by saying, "I have amnesia? No wonder then...no wonder I can't remember anything..." Her voice was moderately quiet, but contained enough volume for everyone in the chamber to hear. As soon as the Old Madam heard it, her heart wrenched, and she could no longer contain her heartbreak. She rushed to Celestia and embraced her, shedding tears in the process. "Celly...my Celly...why are the heavens so cruel?" Celestia's heart thumped at these words, and she hesitantly extended her hand to pat the woman's back. Here this woman was, grief-stricken for her daughter, yet she was exploiting and lying to her.... Celestia gulped before softly saying, "I-I'm...hungry." In response, the room and the woman froze. After a moment of stillness, some of the maids, including the Head Maid, broke into small smiles. When the Old Madam released Celestia, she sniffed back her cries, wiped her tears, and curved her lips upwards in attempt to illustrate a cheerful spirit, as if she was unaffected by any previous words and misfortune. Unfortunately, her efforts fell short when faced with Celestia, whose expertise in reading expressions were not just for show. Noticing Celestia's gaze, the Old Madam indistinctly felt uncomfortable, so she hurriedly suggested with a forced smile, "Since you're hungry, how about dining now? Although the dishes are probably cold by now, they won't taste bad." This reminded Celestia of the food cart from earlier. Her mind was instantly filled with the images of meats she had seen in those meals. About to gag from the notion of consuming meat, Celestia subdued the sensation and was on the verge of proposing to remove the horrid substance from the dishes served when a part of her brain advised her to further contemplate the decision. If she suddenly urged to remove meat from the dishes, wouldn't that arouse suspicion? Judging from the dishes in the food cart, the previous owner of this body did eat meat, if not, why would the ones cooking serve it? Adding to that, with a doctor's presence here, she couldn't make up medical lies like "sick people should refrain from eating meat". Only after thinking from all angles did Celestia nod and say, "Okay." When they received her approval, some of the maids gathered in the chamber stood forward to clean the golden and silvery table, then proceeded to cover it with a blood red satin tablecloth. The food cart was opened once again, and several hands were needed to transfer the dishes to the table. On the table were seven dishes, and the notable ones were a boiled salted chicken leg porridge and boiled fish soup. Celestia stared at the food, wondering how she was going to overcome this. The Old Madam, who was still stressed about her daughter's misfortunes, began to walk out of the chamber, intending to discuss with the doctor about general precautions for a patient to be aware of. Just when she reached the door, Celestia opened her mouth to suggest, "How about we eat together?" The Old Madam and the maids turned to Celestia, surprised. Celestia perceived their stunned looks and added, "I can't finish all of this alone." The Old Madam's eyes held bewilderment for a while before a happy smile emerged on her face. She turned around to remind the Head Maid to review with the doctor on matters of Celestia's health before plopping down next to her. Celestia glanced at the woman's delighted expression and reined in a smile. It seems her push to lighten the melancholic atmosphere was not in vain. She diverted her attention elsewhere when she saw the doctor departing. She somehow felt that this world was not so simple. "Celly, eat this, it's good for your health." Celestia's focus was recaptured when she saw the Old Madam using a ladle to scoop chicken porridge for her. She panicked. Although she was no longer a pony, there was no way she was going to eat meat. Wouldn't that be akin to cannibalism? Thus, she hurriedly and messily utilized her upper limbs to scoop out all the meat dishes and pushed them in front of the Old Madam. Some of the chicken porridge and fish soup had splashed and stained the tablecloth as a result of Celestia's amateur use of her hands. "You must be tired, worrying and taking care of the duchy and me at the same time. Eating more meat rejuvenates the health." Celestia said, her tone laced with concern. When the Old Madam heard this, her heart was melted by the warmth. As for the maids behind, they were all shedding tears of joy and gratitude when they saw how considerate the Grand Duchess became after she woke up. Although the Old Madam was touched by Celestia's thoughtful attitude, she was still able to resist. "You've just recovered Celly. I would be fine, but you need the nutrients to recuperate efficiently." The woman's behavior was gentle, as if she didn't think her body constitution was of any significance compared to her daughter's. Celestia smiled mentally. "If you don't take care of your health, how are you going to take care of me?" As soon as this question was uttered, the Old Madam widened her eyes in astonishment, and the hearts of the crowd behind her were screaming. AHHHHH! Her Grace has finally grown up! Seeing the exchange ending in her success, Celestia only smiled lightly, venturing forward to clumsily scoop a piece of broccoli onto her spoon for consumption. It was a shame her arm 'accidentally' knocked down both bowls of remaining chicken porridge and fish soup, and pieces of porcelain and thick condensations of liquid were splattered all across the pristine marble floor. Celestia chuckled silently. Oops.