“I’m, like, sooooo glad you two showed up,” Zipzee chortled in a voice that sounded to Minty and Pinky Pie like it was not her own, “I was getting sooooooooooooo tired of doing that accent, hehe!”
“Why, again, were you doing that voice?” Pinky asked, ignoring the fact that she had not actually asked before then.
“The three of us are guards!” Tiddlywinks cheeped, enthusiastically.
“Yeah! She does that voice to try and scare off ponies who might wanna hurt us, but you two went long enough without squishing her that we could tell you’re safe to let in.” Tralala added, with a chiding giggle directed to Zipzee.
“Heyyyy!” Zipzee chirped with equal enthusiasm, and mock-offense, “I wouldn’t get squished! I’m the fastest flier of us all, and you know it!” The other two breezies cooed, and Tralala even swooned, as Zipzee put her hooves on her hips and puffed out her chest.
Minty giggled alongside them, and Pinky asked “But why the accent? It was kinda familiar.”
“There used to be a magician who lived with us who talked like that, I forget her name, though.” Tiddlywinks stated flatly, with a shrug. “She was pretty intimidating, though.”
“Oh!” Tralala cut in, yet again, “But she had lime green fur, and a forest green mane with pink highlights!”
Pinkie gave a flat “mhmm” to indicate she was listening. They kept on, now with uncharacteristic quiet from the troupe, until Pinky noticed Minty froze up behind them, and ran back to check on her.
“Minty, sweetheart, are you okay?”
“I, um…” The little mule gulped nervously, and stuttered out something under her breath.
“What was that, baby? I didn’t hear you.”
“I don’t think I’m ready…” Minty’s ears drooped in her usual, wilting display of displeasure, and her eyes were watery with tears. Pinky lunged at her and wrapped her forelegs around her small partner’s neck, in attempt to comfort her.
“Hey, Minty, it’s okay, dear! It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it.”
“O-o…” Minty gasps, trying not to sob, “Okay… Thank you, P-Pinky…” She nuzzled her snout up under Pinky’s chin and shuddered for a short bit while the breezies circled back around, only just having noticed the rest of their party lagging behind. Minty quickly regains her composure, and taps Pinky with a hoof to indicate she’s okay. “Thank you… I love you.”
“I love you too, so much.” Pinky responds, and hugs Minty again. The breezy trio give them a very exaggerated “AWWWWWWWWWW” before embracing one another as well.
The five did eventually make it into Breezy Blossom proper, demarcated form the surrounding environment by the addition of small wooden doors on the large mushrooms, and little windows, even, with warm yellow light shining through, arranged in much the same way a full-sized pony neighborhood might be. This was complete with a little commons area in the center of it all, featuring a fountain with glowing little berries dangling from the woven vines that made of its structure. It didn’t seem to be depicting anything in particular, but rather to blend in with the environment around it. In spite of its miniature size, Minty and Pinky Pie couldn’t help but feel welcome, especially with so many breezies rushing up the greet them!
The breezies were incredibly hospitable, preparing a great bed of straw and soft flower petals for the two marefriends to sleep on, unbeknownst to them. As tired as they were, they still felt invigorated by the breezies and their kindness, and stayed up more than a bit longer than they meant to, mingling. Minty chatted them up, and taught them how to make flower crowns, astounded how ponies living amongst so many beautiful wildflowers didn’t know; while Pinky plucked away on her lute, mostly just jamming. She did share a few instrumentals with her pixie-like hosts. It was this very sort of experience that made Minty so fond of the idea of an adventure in the first place-- since before Skywishes caught ill, anyways.
As the last of the breezies fluttered into their adorable little homes, turning out the lights and winding down, the two full-sized ponies (if Minty could properly be called “full-sized”) snuggled up and fell asleep under the stars. Pinky found it difficult to stay asleep, though. She kept waking up with thoughts about how shaken Minty had been earlier at the mention of that magician. Minty was always bubbly and happy. Pinky wasn’t so naive as to think anypony could be that way all the time, and she had seen Minty upset before, plenty of times! This was different, though. She never had that look of dread and fear in her eyes before, not to that extent.
Pinkie looked down at the mule’s big, round snout that was pressed up against her chest, and worried quite a bit for her best friend. “She’ll tell me when she’s ready. If she doesn’t want to, that’s okay. We’re allowed privacy,” Pinky reminded herself in a whisper, but wasn’t sure how much of it she really believed. At any rate, they had lots more walking to do tomorrow. She should try to sleep.
Warm beams of yellow-white sun came in through the windows of the cramped hospital room, in which Skywishes lay asleep on the bed, and Starcatcher curled up on the floor like a cat. This was the image that greeted Lamplight as she opened the door with a loud creak, which roused Starcatcher from her slumber on the hardwood floor.
“Uh, g-goodness, mate, awful sorry ‘bout that!” the pegasus whimpered, as she rapidly got up on her hooves, and nervously rubbed the back of her neck with a wing. “I shoulda asked if it was alright for me to stay here, sorry--”
“You’re right, you should have asked...” Lamplight replied sternly, floating a clipboard over to her in her magic, and she gave a wry smirk that confused Starcatcher. “That way I could have given you some pillows and blankets.”
Starcatcher sat befuddled for a few moments before the relief washed over her, and she chuckled to herself. “Gosh, doc, ya really threw me for a loop there.”
The conversation seemed to have stirred Skywishes awake as well, and she indicated this with a very groggy “good morning,” and a prolonged yawn, which the other two mares in the room reciprocated.
“How ya feelin’ love?” Starcatcher took skywishes forehooves in hers as she asked.
“Peachy keen, dear!” She replied, and leaned forward to give Star a little peck on the cheek and receiving a giggle in response.
Suddenly, a light pink unicorn stallion opened the door, “You called.”
“No, Peachy Keen.” Lamplight replied, and facehooved theatrically.
“Turn of phrase again?” He asked, clearly having been through this before.
“Yes, Peachy Keen.”
He nodded, and closed the door. Skywishes looked at the door, then to Starcatcher, and giggled a bit. “I forgot about him! He took my blood pressure yesterday.”
“Yes, a great nurse, unfortunately named.” Lamplight said with a nod, and turned back to Skywishes. “I’m very glad to hear you’re feeling well. You’re certainly more energetic this morning than you were yesterday, and I believe that’s a good sign.” She gave a rare smile.
“Yeah, very much so!” the bedridden pony replied, “I’d like to maybe take a short walk in Wysteria’s garden later. Spending two days straight in bed hasn’t been very much fun, and I’d really like some fresh air.”
Lamplight stared Skywishes and her wife down, with an unreadable expression, for a few seconds, before deciding “thirty minutes after breakfast, no less. Don’t overdo it.”
“Oh, thank you, doctor!” Skywishes squeed, and then looked a bit bashful about the silly little noise. Starcatcher thought that may have been the most adorable thing anypony had ever done, and gave her a hug immediately, giggling.
“I’ll have Whistle Wishes fetch you something to eat. She’ll be in a few minutes from now. Sorry to be so short, but I have paperwork to do.
“‘Course, doc!” Starcatcher said, and then looked somber for a moment. “And... thanks. For everything.”
Lamplight simply nodded in understanding, and closed the door behind her.
The unicorn doctor sat in her study, lit by a candle which looked much like her cutie mark, writing with a quill on a patient’s medical records. ‘Poor little Rarity” she thought to herself, reading over what she had written on the filly previously, in case amendments were needed. She sighed while reading down the list of so many broken bones, wishing Rarity would stop being so reckless with those roller skates. This most recent time, she had somehow fallen into the town square’s fountain, bounced out, and skated backwards by mistake into the woods, falling directly in a patch of poison joke. The little filly could barely be consoled, despite having no real injuries from the mishap. The issue was that her beautiful red, orange, and yellow mane, and green, blue, and violet tail-- of which she was oh-so very proud-- had been muddy, earthy greens and browns.
Underneath her hard exterior and commanding presence, Lamplight truly was a very kind and compassionate pony, she just felt the need to be emotionally detached from her patients, that’s all. It was simply the professional thing to do. She was most certainly not afraid of letting others in, by any means. It didn’t have anything to do with her husband, who disappeared without a trace one day, leaving her to take care of a colt all by herself. It had absolutely nothing to do with her son, either, who had run away from home after stealing a bunch of her notes. “And whatever other lies I have to tell myself,” she mused under her breath, and laughed without mirth. If that good-for-nothing stallion she’d actually gotten married to showed up at her door right now, she’d kill him herself, but Dusk, her own son…
A magical prodigy himself, as Lamplight had been, but Dusk surpassed even her. He was more powerful, able to handle more magic, and more importantly he was much more clever than his mother when it came to spellcraft. She supposed it shouldn’t have shocked her that he would leave her-- and Ponyville-- behind. She presumed he must have thought she was holding him back. That, and the only male role model in his life had done the same when he was very young, and this was a backwater town anyways. Most of the ponies here don’t even know that outside the Everfree weather doesn’t happen on its own, ponies have to make it.
But, stars above did she miss him…
A crystal ball in the room, the first one she had ever used, that she kept for exclusive personal use, glowed briefly, and a familiar-but-not rang out from it. Lamplight knew immediately who it was. “Speak of the devil…” she croaked to herself, as she scrambled out of her chair and in front of the ball. She recognized the face immediately, changed though it was.
“Dusky!? Is that really you? I haven’t heard from you in--”
“I’m fine, mom. Sorry, no time to chat. Do you still have that book on curses and transmogrifications?”
“Well, yes, but--”
“Could you please fetch it for me? Just hold it in front of the ball?”
Lamplight does so, promptly but not frantically. “Sure, here, but what’s going on? Where have you--”
The book teleports out of Lamplight’s telekinesis with a small shower of yellow sparkles, and appears in front of Dusky. “Thanks mom, love you, gotta go, bye!”
The ball goes clear again, the magical image inside dissipating as her child closed the connection. Lamplight felt herself dizzy with shock. First, why was her son’s mane grown out so long? Was he wearing eye makeup? She never figured him the type. Secondly, a teleportation spell? She had thought that was only theoretical-- which she maintained, no matter what that hack Clover the “Clever” had claimed in her journals-- but her own foal got it figured out. She was so proud of him, though she had no clue how he’d done it. Lamplight had gone to the best schools in Unicornia and not only participated in, but sometimes led study seances on the topic, and nothing ever came of it. What was he in such a rush to find in that book that he couldn’t explain to his own mother how he made, what could very reasonably be called, the greatest advancement in spellcraft since invisibility.
Perhaps it wasn’t as technically impressive as necromancy, or anatomical alterations, both of which Lamplight had pioneered in: The latter of which she perfected, and the former she swore never to touch again in the hopes that her late (twice now) grandfather might forgive her for that little foible that was her student thesis. Stars above, was she proud! Possibly even more than she was curious as to what Dusk was doing with that book, but not nearly as hurt as she was that he left her again so soon, without even a word of what was going on. This pain, still, was almost outweighed by worry for Dusk, and what sort of mess he had gotten himself into to require that particular tome. She had to go see him-- to save him from whatever this was! She had to--
No.
Dusk abandoned her without a word, then came back into her life for a split-second just to take more from her. She knew he was capable when he ran away five years ago, but he was obviously more so now if he could teleport things so casually. Dusk would be fine. She didn’t need him-- No! He didn’t need her help, but Lamplight had patients to take care of.