//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Deity of Knowledge // Story: Playing With Fire | Rewritten // by Fluskie //------------------------------// One, two, three… “Please, somepony help! He needs a doctor!” One, two, three… “Lift him onto the stretcher and take him to the emergency room immediately.” One, two, three… “He’s fallen unconscious, turn him onto his back!” One…Two…Three. The same three numbers kept repeating through his head with no ending, unable to comprehend anything that was happening to him anymore. He could discern the hasty communication between the nurses and doctors surrounding him but everything was dark and muffled. He couldn’t even feel his own body as he rested his head limply on what felt like one of the hospital pillows. One, two, three… Stop saying those same three numbers, he thought. Why had he even been counting? What was he counting for? All that he saw was pitch black darkness and nothing more. Not Flusk, not that annoying Scarlet, not his friends, nopony. How did he even get here in the first place? One, two- “Shut up already!” He shouted. Now with a physical form, Drizzle stood amongst the shadow, his light blue coat clashing with his surroundings. He was solitary and appeared to be the only thing existing in this abyss apart from the space itself. His hooves sunk through the misty shade as he rotated around, the haze shifting with his every movement. “What, where am I?” His voice resonated through the area. “How did I get here?” With his questions unmet, he groaned in frustration as he attempted to squint through the fog circling him, trying to find some sort of answer. “I would have been more eager to assist you with an explanation of your whereabouts had you been much kinder to me, but it appears you lack any decency for others around you.” A light voice that was as smooth as butter made its way through the darkness, filling the silence Drizzle had once only broken with his voice. “Who are you? Are you stuck here too?” He asked. “Not quite. It wouldn’t make much sense for a possessor to be imprisoned within their realm, now would it?” The voice answered with a small giggle at the end. “Are you saying that…I’m imprisoned?!” Drizzle’s breathing started to quicken as he began to feel claustrophobic. In reality, the volume of this place was enormous and there was plenty of room for Drizzle to situate himself. However, the thought of being trapped here for who knows how long horrified him and made him antsy to find a way out. He nervously jogged in place, trying to think of a solution before he strained to ignite his horn. Unfortunately, no magic appeared to sprout from his horn which left him quite defenseless and useless in this situation. At this point, he was in a pure panic from both his power not working and no other plans of action in mind. His hooves found their way to his chest as he pressed against it and panted. “Calm down, my little friend. There is no need to stress. No harm will come upon you here.” A tender force touched his back and stroked it at a slow pace as he found himself loosening his clutch on his chest. His airways no longer felt constrained and his anxiety slowly dwindled with every touch. Eventually, he was able to sit in place without fear or worry while his back was massaged continually. He turned his head around while in the relaxed state to see his mysterious comforter and found a shadow mare who gleamed a blue hue behind him. Her mane flowed in place quite like Princess Regalia and Princess Aphrodite’s hair whilst her eyes lacked any sclera or iris. They were a sky blue shade that faintly glittered, including the tips of her ears and hooves. While she looked like something Drizzle might see in his nightmares, she had an affectionate nature about her that he just couldn’t exactly find a reason to be uneasy about. “Are you feeling any better now?” She asked softly. “A-Are you using some sort of creepy magic on me?” “I assure you that I’m not here to cause you any distress. My only goal has and always will be to assist you and give you what you have deserved for a long time.” “To be honest, you sound like those ponies who show up at my door saying they have a wonderful offer for me, only to scam me out of my money and leave me empty-hoofed. I’ve also just met you so this is all kind of weird.” Her caress left his back as she stood upright. She towered over Drizzle, almost intimidatingly as two pointy bat wings tucked themselves to her sides. “Allow me to enlighten you then,” She gestured to herself with her hoof. “I am Apate, a deity of great knowledge and divine power that uses her abilities to help mortals reach their full potential. I have been called upon by you to aid your journey to your ascension.” “My ascension? But I never called you.” “You freed my book from its chains underground. I was long ago banished by ponies who could not understand my kindness for others and have been forgotten ever since. But you broke through their barriers and have allowed me freedom once again. Therefore, it is my duty to fulfill your wishes and bring you eternal happiness.” Apate smiled. “Wait, are you the writer of that book I found in Mooncaster?” “I didn’t just write the book, I brought it into existence. It is the main connection between I and ponies who seek a bright future.” Drizzle now on his hooves recoiled away from Apate, his ears pinned back. “You’re the one who made me feel like I was dying…I’ve never felt anything like that before. It hurt so bad…” “I caused you pain? I am truly sorry, my dear. I did not intend to inflict my powers so intensely upon your fragile body. It was a necessity to connect with your spirit but now it seems I have made a grave error.” Apate attempted to advance toward Drizzle but he immediately stopped her, holding up his hoof. “Stop, don’t come any closer! I’m not going to let you do that to me again.” “I promise that was the last time I will be required to do so. I am already in contact with your conscience and do not need to make an entrance again. I do not wish to hurt you.” She reached her hoof out comfortingly but he only flinched in response. She frowned and pulled her hoof away before turning her back to him. “Perhaps you need more time to come to terms with my presence. I will send you back to where you were and allow you a period of solace to calm your senses.” The world around them began to distort and wave like disturbed water as slits of light made there way into the space. Drizzle gazed around worriedly while Apate kept herself turned away from him. “I will return to discuss your wishes soon. Ponder this moment we have shared in the meantime.” Intense light consumed the realm as Drizzle shielded his eyes with his hoof. He squinted just over his arm to see Apate be snuffed out like a candle with a burning flame. Except it was the other way around, the light invaded the darkness and rid it of its impurities, including Apate from his vision. A monitor at the side of Drizzle’s hospital bed beeped, recording his heartbeats in waves visually on the screen. An IV had been attached to his arm, feeding fluids into him while he laid his head to the left, remaining unconscious and unresponsive to anything around him. He was in stable condition and no longer experiencing intense pain, at least Flusk had hoped, but he hadn’t woken up since he was in Mooncaster. Flusk and Scarlet had been incredibly lucky to have got him to the hospital before whatever was ailing him had taken over. As the staff of the hospital were settling him into a bed, Flusk could have sworn she saw the light drain from his eyes as his body forced him to black out to cope with the unimaginable agony plaguing his being. And even so, they were unable to find a root cause for his mysterious pain. He appeared to have simply stabilized himself eventually and was hooked up to various machines to monitor his condition in case doctor assistance was necessary again. Knowing that Drizzle was in safe hooves, Scarlet had already left hours ago to catch up on some much-needed rest after the whole ordeal during the day. However, Flusk had insisted on remaining at Drizzle’s side until he awoke so he would have a friendly face to greet him. Although, when he would arise from his unconsciousness was a question Flusk, unfortunately, didn’t have answers to. Instead, she took to situating herself on an uncomfy plastic chair at his bedside and mentally resisted the urge to doze off whilst seated. She attempted to keep her eyes focused on his still body as her neck weakened, struggling to support her head from lowering forwards due to exhaustion. She was about to lose the fight when suddenly the brightness of the hospital hallway cast itself onto Drizzle’s shoulder and pulled her from her drowsiness. “Flusk, is that you?” Flusk shifted herself in her seat and rotated her head around. “Heart…Strings?” A pink pegasus stood at the entrance to Drizzle’s room, a clipboard in hoof. A hot pink bow tied around the back of her mane gently swayed with the movement of her head as she peered at the scene in front of her. Flusk’s disheveled appearance and dark circles under her eyes caught her interest first before she gazed at the hospital bed where a blue unicorn horn peeked out from under the covers. “What are you doing here? I think visiting hours ended a little while ago.” Heartstrings asked. Flusk rubbed her face, squinting at the light invading her eyes. “I could ask you the same thing. Since when were you a doctor?” “Oh,” Heartstrings giggled. “I’m not a doctor. I’m just helping my mom out with keeping track of all the patient's paperwork. No way could I ever deal with the amount of stress that comes with saving other ponies lives.” That’s right, she forgot that Heartstring's mother was a doctor who regularly worked in this area. It was often why Heart was able to provide useful medical advice from things she had been taught by her mom. Of course, she’d never be able to replace the professional, but she had been able to suggest alternatives and remedies to her friend's illnesses. Like when Flusk had caught the common spring cold, she suggested a mixture of honey and rose petals for her scratchy throat. Although it was simple, it worked like a charm and saved her a visit to the doctor. Having a friend present who was related to a medical practitioner made things a lot easier on the group. “Who’s in the bed?” Heartstrings gestured beside Flusk. “Drizzle,” Flusk sighed. “He was in a lot of pain so we brought him here as fast as we could. He seems to be okay now but he hasn’t woken up since.” She didn’t think it was wise to tell Heartstrings that they had gone to potentially the most illegal area in all of Ifera ByFlame before Drizzle collapsed and began writhing in agony. She didn’t even know if being in that location had anything to do with how he was faring now. It was best if that little travel was kept secret between the three of them until necessary. Or, the security guards who were maintaining the perimeter report back to their superiors. A whole lot more trouble could be waiting for them in the next few days had they recognized the three trespassers. “Oh no, I hope he’ll be okay.” Heartstrings sympathized. “Do they know the cause of it yet?” Flusk shook her head. “Nope, I haven’t been told a thing, even when he stopped thrashing around. It seems like they’re just as clueless as I am.” “I’m sure they’ll have a diagnosis for him soon. You just have to wait a little longer.” Heartstrings smiled at her warmly before she turned around and hung her arm around the door frame, her body half in and out of the hallway. She looked behind at Flusk as her clipboard balanced on her right hoof. “I’ll let my mother and the others know you’re allowed to stay with Drizzle past visitation. And let me know when he wakes up too, okay?” “I will, thank you, Heart.” Flusk smiled gratefully. Heartstrings quietly trotted down the hall while Flusk resumed her watch over Drizzle. But just like before, her eyes started to feel heavy and she found an inner battle within herself to keep them open. Her will to observe Drizzle until he roused from his sleep was soon lost as the night beckoned for her slumber, gently drifting her away to her dreams outside of the hospital room. “F-Flusk?...Flusk…” A murmured voice filled her head as she slowly opened her eyes, steadily shifting her position from resting half off the chair to seated once again. The brilliant light of the sunrise spilled through the hospital window and blinded Flusk’s sand-filled eyes, alerting all her senses almost immediately. She promptly gazed over to where Drizzle used to be resting, him now sitting, leaning against his pillow and fidgeting with the IV attached to his arm. His mane was untidy and his coat seemed to lack a little of its usual blue color but overall his appearance had improved far more than when he was previously brought in for care. It was almost as if nothing had even occurred yesterday and he was his usual self. Well, except for the fact that he was presently attempting to yank his IV out of his forelimb. “Hey, don’t do that! You might hurt yourself.” She clasped her hooves over his and firmly held it in place in assurance he wouldn’t be able to continue. After a few moments, he let his hoof slowly leave his arm and return to his side, determining Flusk wouldn’t allow him to pull the IV out himself. “Well can you get somepony to remove it instead? I don’t like how it feels,” Drizzle grimaced at it before glancing around. “In fact, why am I here in the first place? I thought I was sleeping in my own house.” “You don’t remember what happened?” “I mean, I guess I sort of do? We went to Mo-” Drizzle hesitated before continuing his sentence. Knowing they were in an area occupied by multiple ponies with the right to inform law enforcement of their crimes had they listened to Flusk and Drizzle’s conversation, he decided against dropping the name of the particular mountain. “The mountain…And then I fell? Or maybe I tripped on something…My memory’s kind of fuzzy on what happened back there.” “You fell to the floor and started seizing and complaining about being in a lot of pain. I’m surprised you don’t remember that. Last night, you looked like you…Y-You were going to-...” Flusk had to turn away before her emotions got to her. What she had witnessed yesterday and how terrifying it was to observe her best friend fall into an incoherent state with no explanation, even now, was traumatizing. All she was capable of doing was watching him flail and beg for somepony, anypony to take away the pain. She never wanted to see anything like that ever again. It tore her apart inside and left her with an unimaginable amount of guilt for not having the ability to help him. He might not recall what happened, which brought Flusk some relief that he couldn’t replicate the feeling in his memory, but she wanted to make sure he never felt that again. She wanted to leave this hospital today knowing that they had done a thorough examination of Drizzle and concluded the reasoning for his unknown agony. She wouldn’t go until they promised her that much. “Flusk, are you okay?” Drizzle’s voice broke through her thoughts. She frantically dabbed at her eyes before rotating around. “O-Oh, sorry! I was just thinking. What were you saying?” “I wasn’t saying anything. It was you who was explaining to me what happened but you just stopped.” “O-Oh, right,” Flusk coughed nervously. “When we realized it was really serious, I and Scarlet brought you here. She left sometime last night but I stayed here. The doctors didn’t have any answers yet so I wanted to be here with you until they did. I didn’t want you to be alone.” Flusk looked away, a dopey smile spread across her face while her cheeks became flushed. Drizzle paid no attention to her sentiment and remained stony-faced. “I’m guessing you did all the work getting me here, huh?” He replied sharply. “What?” “That ignorant asshole, Scarlet. I bet she ditched you once it started and left you to carry me here yourself. I know she wouldn’t give a shit if I keeled over and died.” “She did. If it weren’t for her, I would have never got you here. She helped me a lot.” “Really?” Drizzle’s eyes widened. “Why would she do that?” “I don’t know,” Flusk shrugged. “Maybe because she’s just a good pony. You can hate somepony while still believing everypony’s life matters.” “That doesn’t seem like an ideology Scarlet lives by.” The click of a doorknob being turned alerted Flusk and Drizzle from their discussion as a stallion dressed in lengthy white scrubs peeked his head into the room. A stethoscope dangled around his neck as he held a pen in his mouth. He nodded at Drizzle before sticking the pen in a small pocket. “I see you’re finally awake, Mr. Dots!” The doctor said merrily. “I wasn’t sure if it was too soon but I wanted to pop in to see your condition. You seem to be doing a lot better than previously expected.” “Oh, hi, Doctor Silver,” Flusk replied shyly. Doctor Silver cantered into the room, inviting himself in as two other ponies trailed behind him. Flusk recognized all of them from their assistance with the mess last night, well, except for Heartstrings who fortunately didn’t have to see all that. She gently followed behind Doctor Silver, careful not to make her presence too eminent in case she might interrupt his job. She probably wasn’t necessary for Drizzle’s checkup but they allowed her to come in. Maybe because they knew she was friends with him. Either way, it eased Flusk’s nerves to know another friend would be joining her in his diagnosis. “How are you doing now, any pain?” Doctor Silver queried. “No,” Drizzle shook his head. “I feel…Tired but no pain.” The doctor made a soft hum in understanding as he gazed downwards at a sheet of paper held in his hoof. “You have a medical history of seizures, is that correct?” “I do, yeah. I was diagnosed with epilepsy a few years back. But I take medication for it so I haven’t had one in years.” “Did you perhaps forget to take your medication yesterday?” “Wait…What?” Flusk muttered confoundedly. “What does that have to do with anything? I thought you had a diagnosis for him.” Doctor Silver sighed and adjusted a strand of his mane behind his ear. “You see, Miss Flurry, Mr. Dots is a bit of a rare case. He came here with an extremely high heart rate, seizing, and completely incoherent. He was not even responsive to any of our staff when he was brought in and was presumably unconscious,” He began to pace the room as he continued. “All of a sudden, he was normal. His heart rate dropped, his body immediately relaxed and other than a few bruises from possibly collapsing, he was completely fine without any assistance from our doctors. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened to him.” “W-What…That’s impossible!” “I know it seems hard to believe but I only wish to help my patients and would never lie if I knew this wasn’t the truth. The only possible reasoning I can see for his episode last night would be a seizure.” Flusk turned her head to Drizzle, searching his eyes for some sort of denial or questioning about the doctor’s conclusion. Instead, his eyes remained blank, neither disagreeing nor agreeing with him. Did he not care about what happened to him or what he might have? Did he not even remember the horrible feelings he had gone through with no source or pony to blame for how he felt? Why wasn’t he worried?! “Drizzle, do you remember anything that happened yesterday?” She tenderly rested her hoof on his shoulder, attempting to coax a truth out of him she knew he had inside him. She had to know who did this to him. It couldn’t be just a seizure, it couldn’t have. “No.” Her eyes widened as he shrugged her hoof away, locking his truths behind a million walls that Flusk could never break through. Her hoof shakily rested in the air for a moment, trying to reach into his mind somehow, trying to reassure him it was okay to tell her. But mentally, he was so many miles away that even if he wanted to, she’d never hear him. They would never meet at a distance where he could confide in her and she would hear his words. So many doors and gates bordered his thoughts, she would never get in. Doctor Silver’s voice broke the silence. “Memory loss is a common symptom of seizures, this further confirms my hypothesis that he had suffered a severe seizure.” “No, it can’t be just a seizure!” Flusk argued. “He was still conscious when it started. He was talking and said he couldn’t move, h-he was in a lot of pain and-” He interrupted. “Perhaps a partial seizure then? Victims are still able to talk and have small amounts of control over their body.” “Please, please, please, do more tests on him, anything!” Flusk begged. “I swear that this isn’t just his epilepsy. It has to be something else!” Her entire body shook with desperation, trying to reason with Doctor Silver. With Drizzle rejecting any chance to explain himself, she had to fill in for him instead and try to convince the doctor that this wasn’t something to be overlooked. She felt a hoof land on her back and she shuttered a little, unprepared for the sensation of contact on her skin. “Flusk, I think you should take a break. You seem really stressed out right now and a walk might do you some good.” Heart suggested softly behind her. “B-But Drizzle, I-” “It’s okay, he’s not going to be leaving this hospital for a few days anyway. I’ll watch him here for you while you take a walk.” She smirked a little. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble while you’re away.” She really didn’t want to leave him, especially knowing that he was hiding something and he wasn’t going to confess it no matter what. She couldn’t just idly take a walk while the doctors believed it was a little seizure when there was something more serious lying under the surface. But it was clear that Doctor Silver was set on what he had assumed of Drizzle and with no solid evidence against it, it was useless for her to continue this. She removed herself from her seat and left wordlessly out of the room. Her head hung low to the floor in guilt, ashamed for fighting for the truth of somepony who could not care less if it came out or not. Late in the evening, Flusk had done more than just take a canter around the hospital. She had left the premises to trot through the marketplace of River Breeze, busying herself from her thoughts and concerns on the recent matter. She spent the majority of the last hours of daylight browsing wares and hoof-made pieces of decoration by the local community. She had been enticed into purchasing a knitted tapestry of an astral bear and an exotic quill from a rare collection but she refrained herself, not wanting to spend everything she had in one place. Instead, she decided upon a gift for somepony else other than herself. Although the item wasn’t obvious at first, she felt a strong connection to it, one that would be important had she given it to the right pony. Maybe they wouldn’t decipher her reasoning for choosing it but she had a good feeling about it and requested the seller to have it sealed tight with a light purple bow. With the present at her side, she checked herself back into the hospital at the waiting room and returned to Drizzle’s door, a soft knock sounding on the outside. “Drizzle, I’m back,” She said in a cheery tone. “Can I come in?” She could sense on the other side of the door that he didn’t necessarily want to invite her in but didn’t want to send her off upset again. Not for her own feelings but for the silent judgment he’d receive from those around him. It took him a second, but he gave in. “Sure.” She didn’t expect a warm greeting from him or for him to appreciate her dropping by once again, she simply pushed open the door and let herself in. Like last time, he was seated in bed, a couple of pillows propped up against his back for him to lean on. However, this time he no longer had to fuss about an IV being attached to his arm as the doctors had removed all of it, seeing as there was no need for it at the moment. He was still a bit disheveled looking but after being awake for hours and coming to terms with his diagnosis, he appeared a tiny bit more “alive” at this point. There had also been a new addition to his room, a small bedside table to his right. A half-filled glass of water sat in the middle of it, air bubbles rising to the liquid’s surface and popping once they met the top. This water had been sitting out for a few hours to be able to gather so much air within it. She walked around his bed with the present held behind her back and grinned. “While I was gone, I got you a little something! I hope you’ll like it.” She revealed the gift to him as he adjusted himself in bed. It was a small striped box with the tightly knit purple bow she had requested be used to seal the box. He slowly took it into his own hooves and gazed downwards at it. “After everything you’ve gone through in the past twenty-four hours, I thought you deserved a little present.” He used his magic to unwrap the bow, loosening its grip on the two sides of the box. Once it was free, he removed the lid and peered into the bottom. “...A scarf?” A light blue scarf unraveled in his magic while he wore a perplexed look on his face. It certainly wasn’t something you’d expect, especially at this time of year. “I know, I know, it’s not winter yet. In fact, it’s far from winter. But scarves don’t always have to be for keeping you warm!” “Isn’t that the point?” “Weeelll, sure, maybe scarves were invented initially to keep your neck warm. But now they’re also a style choice! You can pair them with any outfit and they can really compliment your look! Or even just wear one by itself.” “Do you mean a snowsuit? I’m not wearing a coat in the middle of summer.” Flusk slapped her hoof to her face and whined. “Nooo, you’re not listening to me. Look, the material is light so you won’t get hot if you wear it. And, it’ll look adorable!” She waited for his approval excitedly but he only eyed the scarf before setting it down on his blanket and narrowed his gaze at her. “You only bought this because you won’t stop pestering me about what happened yesterday. A scarf isn’t going to make me talk.” He replied bitterly. “What do you mean? That wasn’t my intention at all! We’re best friends and I care about you so I wanted to buy you something nice,” She lowered her head. “Something I thought you might appreciate…” “You were pretty insistent earlier on arguing with a doctor who’s attended years of schooling to get here while you don’t even have a degree in anything.” “Because I know that it isn’t just a seizure! It can’t be, I’ve never seen anything like that before…You looked so-” “You’ve never even seen me have a seizure. You don’t know anything.” He snapped. “You’re right, maybe I don’t. But I can tell from how defensive you’re getting that you know something I don’t. You don’t have to tell me what it is but please, at least tell the doctors so that they can help you.” “You don’t know anything.” He repeated dangerously, his tone rising this time. Flusk didn’t instigate him further, staring into his enraged eyes with a disappointed expression. She knew if she continued pushing him, he’d eventually reach his breaking point and not only vent his anger verbally, but physically. If she was lucky, he’d only end up punching a hole through the nearest wall. Although, she wasn’t intent on paying the hospital for the damages he caused. “I’m going home, I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” She replied impassively, making her way to the door. “I’ll grab your sketchbook and pencils and bring them with me so you’ll have something to do while you’re here.” “Okay.” She hesitated to exit the room, wanting to say a million things to him that wouldn’t make sense or make the situation better. All she really wanted to do was linger here but there was too much tension between them right now to make it reasonable for her to stay. “Goodnight.” She didn’t wait for a response as she quickly shut the door behind her and hurried down the hall. Tears stung the corners of her eyes as she kept her gaze fixated on the floor, trying to avoid any questioning from potential bystanders on why she was crying. All she wanted to do was throw herself into bed and bury her face into her pillow, hiding from the world for the time being as she sobbed the night away. She let out a shaky sigh. “I’m such an idiot…”