//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty eight // Story: Mare In The Everfree Forest // by MoonLily //------------------------------// He was flexing his wings as he sat down staring down at me. I walked over and sat apart from him. It was rare to see him sitting in front of me during the fall season. “You never make an appearance in the fall like this. is everything okay grandfather?” I broke the silence between us. “You know my rule Silver” “To say away from the sun and moon. I know the rule grandfather” “Never thought I would see this day Silver. You barely broke my rules” “You knew it was me, didn’t you? You never answered my question about the stars so you knew I would go looking” “That’s why I said it was crystals talking” “I can hear those to grandfather” I felt my throat being closed off causing my eyes to glance at his horn. he was using his magic to drag me toward him. “I had one rule and I wished you followed it. you were my pride and joy and I just didn’t want to lose you” I could feel his hoof running through my mane as I was gasping for air. I was tossed against the brick under our hooves. I felt something crack and sharp pain in my horn. I pushed myself to my hooves as I looked up at him. I gripped a piece of brick and tossed it at him. I was able to draw blood as it hit the side of his head. “I am shocked that worked” he hissed through his teeth before his hoof made contact with my side. I crashed against a tree groaning. I was doing my best to keep my muzzle shut. “Remember you are the one who trained me. you also taught me to take all and any kind of pain you threw at me” I hissed back at him as I stood my ground. I felt his hoof hitting my cheek as my jaw moved and cracked. I spat out blood as I could hear more shouting causing me to divert my attention. My family was walking by with Discord floating over smiling as he was rubbing his claws. time slowed down as I could see his eyes widening. At this point, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. turning my head I could see my grandfather sticking his hoof in my chest. he had the black orb in his hoof. “The spell seems to be breaking. I should have kept you to the north, my dear. you would have never been in this mess!” he shouted as his hoof slammed the orb into the brick shattering it. I let out a loud scream causing some of the nearby windows to break and shatter. I quickly clamped my hooves over my muzzle while staring at him. He was tackled by Order both of them had a quick fight. I started to move pieces of my heart trying to assemble them. as I was busy doing that I felt my hoof being stomped on. “Like I am not going to let you put this back together,” My eyes noticed Order getting up from being tossed into a set of trees. “Discord!” My eyes moved as Celestia and Luna came running with guards behind them. I felt a few more pieces being crushed before he released my hoof. “I will say that was a good fight. Never thought you of all creatures of the old was Discord!” his voice was cold as I felt my mane being pulled causing my head to lift up “If you heal and survive from this little beating. Then I will be in the village waiting for you. But do be warned that neither you nor I will leave that village alive” he growled before disappearing from my sighing. I coughed up some black blood as I looked to the ground. I kept trying to put the pieces together my hooves shaking. My eye could see half an orb sitting in the distance with a silver diamond with gold spikes sitting in it. I reached my hoof out till a claw grabbed it. “Slivc stop moving” “I…Think I found…it” I pointed to the chunk causing him to turn. “Celestia! Luna! get her to the medical wing now! I need my siblings now” he growled causing me to stare at him. he leaned over picking the chunk up his eyes widening before he sighed. “Discord?” “Her heart isn’t shattered but I need to have my siblings help me get this spell off” I started to move toward him. I started coughing up blood as I could hear shouting and yelling. I grabbed his fur pulling on it. “Keep…them..away” I started coughing for air as my good hoof tapped against my chest trying to force air into my lungs. I felt a pair of hooves on my shoulder causing me to stare to my left. The Empress was being down staring at me. “You…were supposed…to be…in a meeting” “Cleric this is an order stay with us” “Your daughter…became an…ali…alicorn.” I pointed toward Cadence who was staring at my pale face and shock. I heard more ponies shouting for medical and guards. “Knight Commander you stay with us” I heard Luna and Celestia shouting. I turned and noticed the Empress was staring in horror. I never saw this look on her face. it was either shock or happiness, now its horror and sorrow.  I kept coughing for air as it started to grow cold as my hooves gave out. “Cleric” “it’s…cold” I felt tears in my eyes as I closed them. “I NEED A MEDIC!” their screams were the last I heard before I found myself floating in darkness. It didn’t stay dark for long as I found myself sitting on a set of clouds with some light peeking in. I could feel hooves and tugging on my skin. I felt cold liquid being poured on me as cold plastic tasing items move down my throat. “Careful the sides are sharp and her heart is fragile” “What are they saying?” I could hear the empress hissing in her aggravated tone. “Here damn it!” “Don’t be pissed off at me. My gem and the heart cannot translate Celestial” “She's fun I like her sharp tongue” I could hear Solis chuckling. “She does have a way with ponies” I spoke softly thinking they couldn’t hear me. “Oh good we can hear you now” “Hold still it still honey. I only got a little bit of this spell left” I felt a sharp pain causing me to whine. “Oh shhh it's alright Silvc” I felt her voice was soft and soothing. more and more light filled the area allowing me to see the others looking down at me. “Silver?” “Where am I? I can feel cold liquid and tugging. But I can see and hear you with others screaming” “You can see and hear us because your soul has retreated in your heart. This is your star, your home where you can escape to and relax. all stars have a place like this it allows them to recharge. Now, what do you see?” I glanced around as I could see a small cottage behind me covered in ivy with trees and a forest behind me. “it's a two-story cottage half of it covered in ivy while the other half isn’t. a forest stands behind it while many plants cover the front mostly lavender and white lilies. Luna and my husband's favorite flowers.” I walked in and looked around “Herbs hanging from the rafters while a large open fire pit with a large kettle sitting in the middle. It's how Luna liked to cook when we traveled. she always get tired and left me to cooking. I see books and lots of tea and coffee.” I moved to the second floor “The second floor is full of clouds and crystals with a large bed in the shape of the moon.” “It sounds like your heart made you a home full of the two most important ponies” “But why Luna? I been nothing but a horrible pony to her. I promised a lunch or dinner date and alone time and now this. I am shocked she would want to be with me after this. I am even shocked she hasn’t given me nightmares for pissing her off”I cleared my tears as I felt something touching me. I walked out of the cottage looking up and seeing Luna staring down. “We talked in the village remember Silver. Besides you and my sister are the only two I have left before Nightmare moon. you two remember the good from those days and nights.” I could still feel tears in my eyes as I watch her. “I am a fucking idiot” “For answering that letter yes” “Hey Discord was there when i opened it!” “I did not think he would come after you that fast. I thought hey divert the family away then come back” i heard him grumble. “Hey! if you're going to get her heart back into her body tonight! now is the time or I need to hook her body up to an Artificial heart to keep the blood moving” I heard him shout while others were still shouting. I watched as they handed me over to Discord who was in his ORder form. I kept quiet as I laid out on some clouds. I only had a view of his fur however which caused me some annoyance. I let out a yawn as I noticed the view disappearing and a sky forming. I got to my hooves as I felt pain running through my body. “Alright this orb around the star is able to be removed by the princesses if needed. it should also keep it from shattering” “Its to large” “Just watch me boy” my ears twitched as I felt more pain running through my body. I layed on the ground heavily before closing my eyes. I opened my eyes trying to sit up. I could hear the others shouting as my eyes were wrapped in something. My body felt sore and painful as I could feel tugging and tearing at my skin with random tubes. I started to hear alarms and yelling in the distance. The voices came closer as I tried to move my head. The voices grew closer as I was pushed down again the bed. “Grandmother stop you need to stay very still at the moment” Red was speaking beside me as I blinked. I could feel a set of hooves sitting on my shoulders as his magic removed the wrappings around my eyes. Garden Ivy was holding me down while Red was standing beside me. I started coughing as I moved my shoulders trying to move. “Grandmother please stay calm and listen” Garden spoke up as I was panicking. I moved my eyes over to Red staring. “Look your trachea or windpipe and your vocal cords were heavily crushed. the pipes in your muzzle are breathing tubes allowing you to breathe. You also had a collapsed Lung since a rib punctured one of them. In your nose is a feeding tube since you can’t eat. I had to send you into emergency surgery to repair your ribs and your back and chest after your heart was replaced. your right hoof was crushed and is in a cast after we placed it back together. Most of the medical side of the family is coming in and they're going to help with more of the other issues. Your body took heavy damage and we need more surgeries to fix them” I glared at him as I noticed he was staring at me. “Red I think she wants more” “Your organs need help grandmother. I am a general surgeon with especially in alicorn biology. Your organs are different than the princesses so I need more of an outside console. However, due to the nature of what you are Celestia and Luna are wanting this to stay within the family. The Empress is sending some of the medical team since most of them were around when you were an active more solid before Sombra.” I moved my eyes around before moving my head. I felt his magic helping me allowing me to see that I was in the medical wing but this wasn’t a normal room. I glanced up at Garden who was still holding me down. “Okay do you need more information on what is wrong with you?” I nodded as I glanced up toward my horn. “Red she wants to know about her horn” I heard a clipboard fall. “Just tell her about the room. I need to get ahold of the princesses” this made me worry as I looked up at him. “For now the princesses have allocated you to one of their rooms. this is a room for Celestia or Luna in case of a serious event. You in the room made for Luna but we changed the bed to be larger per her request. you have a button near your back hoof okay” I felt him pat my head before walking out. I could see Red had left leaving me alone. I could feel tears in my eyes as I didn’t want this