The next day went by uneventfully for Gustopha, though she did notice that her appetite had noticeably shrank; no longer did she hungrily devour all that was put before her. Instead, it was more conservative; she had to choose what exactly she wanted to eat from the spread set before her.
"Finally c-coming d-down off the meds the d-doc had you on, huh?" Rolling Simmer asked after breakfast.
Gustopha nodded, "Yes… I didn't realize how much it affected my appetite," She admitted, "Thank you, Rolling Simmer… You have been a very diligent cook."
"Aw, sh-shucks, y-you're not hard to cook for, P-Princess," Simmer replied, "I-I just wanted to make s-sure you'd get a-all the nutrition you needed."
Gustopha pulled her into a hug, making the pegasus squeak.
Simmer hesitated, "S-sorry, Princess, I-I have some milk o-on the stove," She admitted.
Gustopha nodded and released her, "Ah, of course. Go ahead," She said calmly.
Gustopha then stepped down from her chair and headed towards the doctor's office.
He smiled at her. "Good morning, Princess," He greeted, "You look well this morning."
Gustopha nodded, "I am well, Doctor," She replied curtly.
He stepped towards her as his horn ignited. "Good, now close your eyes," He instructed.
Gustopha closed her eyes against her better judgment.
When she opened them after the jump of a teleport, she was overlooking a large, dead valley, with short, slumped ruins overlooking long deceased fields.
"What is this place…?" She asked softly.
"My home, from before the blight struck us," The doctor answered simply.
"It looks abandoned, Doctor," She observed.
"It was one of the first places the blight struck… Some consider it the home of our land's decay, for that reason," Dr. Thanamus elaborated.
Gustopha's stance tensed, "I don't think I could clean all of the blight from it… Not in a single day," She admitted, grimacing, "It's strong, and laid across a vast landscape."
"I know, Gustopha. Even the sun's divine judgment could not raze this place sterile. My task for you today is simple: Clean all you can, until you've exhausted your magic," He explained.
The princess nodded, "Very well," She replied, looking towards the valley, stepping to the edge of the cliff.
She closed her eyes; she didn't need to dowse. The blight was everywhere. She could feel it rotting the land, plaguing anything that lived in the valley.
Her horn ignited. A large, shimmering crack ran down the mountain, penetrating into the valley and scattering across the dirt. Her influence reached far; not quite to the horizon, but it covered much of the once-settled part of the valley. Then, the cleansing began.
She winced as her horn's aura glowed brighter, pulling large wisps of miasmic blight from the surface. Deep, black, rotted clouds formed as she continued. Working her magic over this far of an area stressed her; it drained her magic quickly as she worked away at the corrupted soil, fighting off the essence of the blight that tried to claim her. Were she younger and less experienced, she would have allowed it in and purged it later. She now knew better, however.
Her eyes opened, shining brightly as her horn's aura ignited into white flames yet again. The cloud was worked over by large flares of arcane fire, blight burning away from the large cloud.
The doctor looked on admirably as the cloud was purified. This was his own doing in some respect, but it was Gustopha who pushed herself so. He simply gave a respectful nod, watching as the princess' influence crept slightly further across the valley, tearing more blight from the ground.
Then, a blinding flash.
When the doctor's eyes recovered from the whiteout, the valley was overshadowed by a large, silvery cloud that rained clean water gently into the valley.
"I reached my maximum focusing range," She admitted, panting lightly, "I'm not done yet."
The doctor nodded, "Shall I tele-" He was cut off by a light stamp of the princess' hoof.
"You will teleport yourself. I need to practice flying," She reasoned.
Before the doctor could argue, the princess leapt from the cliff.
"Gustopha!" Dr. Thanamus shouted after her.
Gustopha's eyes closed as she felt the wind rush past her. It was a blissfully free feeling. She took slow breaths.
She then rolled herself forward, wings flaring.
They didn't catch much wind at first, due to the angle, but the princess eventually adjusted her pitch, allowing her wings to catch the air. She began gliding along the valley, wind in her face.
Gustopha breathed evenly as she glided along. She just focused on keeping herself on an even trajectory. Flapping could come later. Now was simply about retaining lift, and ideally not breaking all of her legs.
She watched as the ground slowly came to meet her. She would be landing soon.
…Landing.
She had still never learned about landing. Or stopping, for that matter.
She attempted to adjust her pitch again, to land smoothly on her legs.
Then she hit the ground, one of her hooves clipping hard on the dirt, and sending her tumbling forward off to the side. She grunted and coughed as she tumbled head-over-tail along the now soft, loamy dirt, groaning slightly as she came to a stop, laying on her back.
The doctor teleported to her side. "Well, was throwing yourself off a cliff worth ending up splayed out over the dirt like a corpse?" He asked.
The princess began to giggle. That giggling grew into chuckling. Then, laughter.
He stared at her, "Is your mortality a joke to you, filly?" He sneered, "You are not embalmed, yet! You are still at risk of dying!"
Gustopha only laughed harder.
The doctor was tired of her antics. He shut her up with a harsh kick to the stomach.
She yelped, her laughter halting immediately.
"Do not do that again, whether you have a plan or not," Dr. Thanamus ordered.
Gustopha rolled to her side, clutching her belly. "Grrrgh… Yes, Doctor," She seethed.
"Now, get up. You still have magic to exhaust, yes?" He asked.
Gustopha groaned as she drew herself to her hooves, looking out towards the long stretches of infected land before her. "Yes, Doctor," She snorted softly, closing her eyes as she focused on clearing the blight.
Once again, glowing cracks seeped out from her hooves, out into the stretches of land. Blight was rent from the soil as the magic traveled, forming more black clouds.
Gustopha grimaced as she felt her magic output begin to peter out. She was exhausting herself, but she still had a large cloud of blight to clean.
She began sterilizing the clouds she had wrought, rendering them pale with cleanliness again. Soft rain began to fall from the now purified cloud.
She grimaced. "Alright… I believe that's all I can do for your home, doctor," She grunted.
Dr. Thanamus smiled. "Good," He replied, "Let's get you home, then, so you can eat… And be cleaned from your little 'excursion'," He grumbled, horn lighting again.
Then, a small jump, and they were home.
Gustopha would be given dinner, and then she would be given a bath by Heartful Surrogate. The princess had all the faculties needed to wash herself, of course, but Heartful's gentle touch put her at ease after such a tiresome day.
"Your wing feathers are a mess, Princess," Heartful huffed gently.
"I flew today," Gustopha replied, giggling a bit at the memory.
"You flew? How?" She asked, "Here I thought you'd barely practiced flying."
"I threw myself off a cliff and glided," Gustopha remarked contently, "The doctor was quite unamused."
Heartful's eyes widened, before she just chuckled. "Goodness, Princess… I don't blame him. Throwing yourself off a cliff isn't usually a good thing, you know," She expressed.
Gustopha laughed a little, "It was so fun, though… Throwing myself to the wind," She reasoned, "I think… I think I got that from Tex. He always loved jumping around, throwing himself from roofs and fences…" She recalled.
Heartful's expression softened. "Tex… The colt whose wings are yours now, right?" She recalled.
Gustopha nodded, "My closest friend… I guess we really are together forever now," She supposed.
Heartful nodded gently, "Well, I'm not the greatest preener, but I'll give these wings a bit of love for Tex's sake. Okay?" She asked.
Gustopha nodded again, "I think he would've liked that, Heartful…" She admitted. A bittersweet tear rolled down her cheek; one of acceptance.
Heartful nodded and began meticulously washing each wing, pulling the broken feathers. Gustopha relaxed, despite the occasional pain of one of her feathers being pulled.
Gustopha felt at peace for the first time since she woke up some ten days ago. It was a soulful peace; one that would grant her a well-earned rest after her bath.
"What are you making, Tex?" Plantation asked.
Texas Toast yipped and hid the object behind his back. "N-nothing!" He chirped.
Plantation scowled at him, "Tex, you're terrible at keeping secrets. Just tell me," She huffed.
Texas briefly looked at her with a pouty lip, but he had to concede that she was right. He brought from behind his back a small wooden amulet of a nondescript alicorn, attached by a small screw to a gold chain.
"It's pretty, Tex," Plantation said softly.
"It's not done yet," Texas huffed, "I wanna steal mom's hoof file to round off the edges," He explained.
"What's it for?" Plantation asked.
"It's for… Somepony special. I'm gonna finish it soon, and give it to them," Texas reasoned.
"Who?" Plantation asked simply.
"It's a secret. One that I'm not telling you this time," Tex huffed.
Plantation giggled a little, "You're no fun, Tex," She teased.
Texas rolled his eyes. "C'mon, let's go sneak into town after sundown and try to get into the play," He offered.
"Okay!" Plantation replied, giggling as she ran after the pegasus.
Princess Gustopha awoke with a slight start. She felt a chill roll down her spine.
"Is everything alright, Princess?" Heartful asked, looking at her with concern.
The princess nodded, "Yes, I just awoke suddenly, that's all," She admitted, crawling out of bed, "The doctor wanted to see me this morning… I'll come back for breakfast," She explained.
Heartful nodded. "Alright, Princess…" She replied softly, despite the sinking feeling that welled in her belly.
Gustopha walked into the doctor's office. "Good morning doctor," She greeted.
The doctor smiled, "Ah, there we are. The mare of the hour," He grins, "Come with me, Princess. If all goes well, this will be the last operation I will ever have to perform on you," He explained, practically skipping out of his office.
Gustopha nodded slowly. She didn't question his energy. Perhaps being happy meant he wouldn't hit her seemingly out of nowhere.
He lead her down the back hall of the fort; a place she'd never gone before in her short lifetime there.
He smiled as he led her up a flight of stairs. "Today is an exciting day," He explained, "Today, you will finally be granted your immortality!"
Gustopha blinked, "Immortality? You mean… I'll live forever?" She asked.
The doctor nodded fervently, "Yes, exactly that. You will no longer age, your power and grace eternal… I have spent so, so long looking for a worthy host, and…" His expression flickered, "Well, you're the only one who's made it this far. Usually you would've ripped open at the shoulderblades by now," He sneered.
Gustopha blinked a bit, but simply nodded.
The unicorn led her out onto what seemed to be an artificial pond of translucent green liquid. She couldn't see the bottom.
"Now, stand on the large stone in the center," He instructed.
Deftly, she hopped to the stone. Her ears twitched as she thought she heard banging through the wall.
The doctor frowned slightly at the noise. "Now, we strap the back hooves in…" He murmured softly, doing up some thick straps around the princess' back legs.
Gustopha felt uneasy as the straps were buckled tightly around her legs. She squirmed a bit.
"Ah, don't move, Princess! We're almost there," He insisted with a grin.
The chains holding the rock to the surface glowed in a silver aura.
"Now… Have a good swim!" He bade, laughing as he broke all the chains, sending the rock (and attached alicorn) to the bottom of the tank.
He then blinked back to the operating room, where the back wall was now lit by large spotlights, revealing the glass of the green tank.
Gustopha screamed into the viscous fluid. It felt as though it was burning her, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She thrashed what little she could, begging and screaming to be released.
The doctor waved at her. "Yes, there you are, Gustopha, hello," He greeted with a giggle, as if he were feigning kindness for the sake of a child, "We all see you and your powerful new body. Don't worry, it will stop hurting soon," He promised.
Then, the door was bashed open behind him.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY SISTER!?" Celestia bellowed, flanked by royal guards as she walked into the room.
The doctor just gave her a wily smile, "The last treatment, of course," He hummed, "Her body and magic have set wonderfully… Now she just needs to be embalmed, so she will be eternal," He smiled back towards the glass, "My most perfect experiment, preserved forever; alive, this time!"
Celestia scowled at him, "You are drowning her, not treating her," She snarled.
"The embalming fluid needs plenty of medium to saturate her with… That tank will be a quarter-empty by the time she's ready," Dr. Thanamus hummed calmly.
Celestia walked to the glass, watching as Gustopha banged weakly against it.
She gently pressed her hoof to it. "I'm… I'm sorry, sister… It will be over soon," She promised.
Gustopha's hoof touched the opposing spot on the glass, her eyes briefly opening to meet Celestia's.
They shared a tender glance before Gustopha's eyes squeezed shut.
Celestia stepped back, watching in horror as the other alicorn drowned before her eyes.
Dr. Thanamus hummed as Gustopha's now drowned body hung lifeless in the water. "And now, she soaks; a day should be good," He hummed contently.
Celestia glared at him, "What do you mean 'she soaks'?" She asked.
"Well, the embalming spell must have an extensive amount of time to take hold. Were she to leave early, she would remain mortal. Twelve hours would be suitable, but a full day is best," The doctor reasoned.
"Very well… I will remain here, to watch over this 'final step'," Celestia decreed, "You will release her tomorrow, and then she will be escorted to the castle, where she will live from then on, without your interference. Do you understand?"
Dr. Thanamus sneered, "I do the impossible twice to give you a sister, and you repay me with that tone?" He asked, "You are still weak, your highness. I would not get so cocky-" He was cut off by blast of magic knocking him to the floor.
Celestia's horn glowed faintly, "I still have the energy needed to discipline a criminal, such as yourself. I know about our agreement, but that does not give you the right to act superior to me," She snorted.
The doctor grumbled as he pulled himself to his hooves. "Grrgh… Of course, your majesty. You may stay in Gustopha's room until she is ready… Heartful will guide you as needed," He huffed, slowly creeping out of the room.
Celestia nodded and walked down the hall, until she got to a room that seemed to be a bedroom.
Heartful looked up, "Ah, Princess… Are you ready for breakfast no- Oh, goodness me!" She corrected, dropping to a low bow as she realized it was not the princess she was familiar with.
Celestia smiled warmly at the mare, "Please, stand proud… You are 'Heartful', are you not?" She asked.
Heartful stood and gazed upon the sun princess with wide eyes. "I am Heartful Surrogate, yes…" She replied.
Celestia laid down on the floor, lightly clicking her tongue to direct her guards outside. The door was shut, and Celestia smiled back at Heartful.
"I assume you're Princess Gustopha's…?" Celestia trailed off, trying to find the right word.
"I'm her caretaker, yes," Heartful replied, "I've raised her since she was a filly… Which is less impressive than it sounds, given it's only been a week and a half since then," She chuckled.
Celestia nodded, "Thank you," She replied softly.
Heartful paused. "What for?" She asked.
"Gustopha has told me about the types of discipline the Doctor has dealt to her, yet she hasn't ever said a word of ill about you. I can only assume you've done a wonderful job taking care of her," Celestia expressed.
Heartful smiled a bit, looking away, "Oh dear," She chuckled softly, "Here I am, flustered by a Princess' heartfelt words "
Celestia smiled, "Please… She is going to be my sister; I owe you at least the courtesy of thanking you for raising her right," She expressed.
Heartful smiled, "If it's thanks you want to give, please come with me. There's another mare here who deserves even more care than I," She expressed, opening the door and leading Celestia to the kitchen.
Celestia looked around at the crowded cookspace… It seemed overequipped to feed the ten or so ponies in the old fort, though she also supposed that her new sister had quite an appetite.
"Simmer! You've a visitor!" Heartful called.
A familiar pegasus darted to the front, squeaking as she saw Celestia's tall, royal figure. "A-ah, Princess!" Rolling Simmer yelped, "I-I would bow, but I haven't s-swept in too long, and-" She was cut off.
"It's alright, Simmer," Celestia promised, "You were in charge of feeding my sister's ravenous appetite, I take it?" She asked with a soft chuckle.
Rolling Simmer nodded frantically, "Th-that's right! Six th-thousand calories, twice a day! P-plus a little special t-treat if the Doctor's b-being rough again," She explained.
Celestia suppressed a grimace at the pegasus' stuttering, terrified tone. Overenergization was safe in short bursts, but this mare seemed as though she'd been hopped up for years without a break.
"I-it's very nice to meet you, b-but I need to prepare breakfast," Simmer said, turning to leave.
"For Gustopha? That… Won't be necessary until tomorrow," Celestia admitted.
"Tomorrow?" Heartful asked.
Celestia explained what the Doctor told her about the embalming spell.
Heartful shuddered. "Oh, dear… So she's just being drowned to make her immortal? That brute…" Heartful sneered, stamping her hoof.
Simmer didn't say anything. She just darted back into the kitchen, tears of panic in her eyes. She didn't do well with stress.
Celestia yawned exhaustedly.
"Ah… Come, Princess. I'll make the bed so you can sleep," Heartful said, leading the way back to the bedroom.
Celestia hesitantly followed, sighing. "He will pay for this," She promised.
Celestia climbed into bed as the covers were drawn aside for her… If nothing else, it was a comfortable bed. The fireplace kept it nice and warm.
Heartful gently pulled the blankets up. "Goodness… This is even more comfortable than my own bed," Celestia expressed softly.
"The young Princess tossed and turned much in her sleep… I think it tenderized the mattress," Heartful admitted.
Celestia smiled and chuckled. "Well, her sleeping self would know how best to be comfortable," She supposed.
Celestia's eyes closed. She was warm, comfortable, and relaxed by the other mare's presence. It didn't take her long to fall asleep.
Gustopha looked around the soft, white void she found herself in.
"...Ah, you've finally arrived. You're a bit overdue, if my records are any indication…" A deep voice trailed off.
"Where am I?" She asked.
"You are… Not quite dead yet. I am Death… Lord of infuriating paperwork," The voice replied with a light snort.
"Death… Why am I here?" Gustopha asked.
"Ponies come here all the time when their minds and bodes don't quite agree on things. I'm here to deliver the final say," Death answered, "Let me see… I can't find you in my file… Your name is Plantation, yes?"
"I, um… Yes? Kind of… That was my name when the blight came," Gustopha replied.
"The blight? Goodness, it's been a minute since I've judged anyone with that cause of death. A moment, let me try…" Death trailed off, as if fumbling with something silently.
Gustopha sat still and waited. "Wait… If you're death, shouldn't you be, like… Big and scary?" She asked.
Death almost sounded offended. "What? Dying is imposing enough as it is; it wouldn't do to start screaming at everyone," It replied.
Gustopha's ears flattened, "Oh, I'm sorry," She apologized.
Death ignored her, going silent for a long moment.
"Ah! Here we go… Plantation. Status: Deceased. Cause of death: Blight, sure enough. Approved and sorted. You shouldn't have ended up here twice," Death replied with confusion, "Are you certain that's your name?"
"Well, I'm called Gustopha now," The Princess admitted.
"Hm? Let me sort through…" Death mumbled as it fumbled around silently again, "Ah, this file is very new. Here I thought I'd have to dig, given how old you look. Let's see here…"
Gustopha sat still, awaiting "judgment".
"...If file is called upon, this action is a mistake; this individual has been prescribed immortality as of… Oh, today, you're very lucky - and is subject to exemption of death from the following natural causes: Disease, Organ Failure, Programmed Expiry, Overfatigue, and… Ah, here: Drowning. That's why you're here, yes? Because you've drowned?" Death asked.
Gustopha nodded, "Yes… I think so," She replied, "It… Happened a bit fast."
"It always does," Death chuckled, "Well, it says here to simply mark the date of incident… Here. Alright, immortal being Gustopha. I'm afraid I can't let you linger here while your body makes up its mind, so you'll have to go back to drowning for a while… I do hope you stop eventually, it does sound dreadful," It expressed.
Gustopha squeaked a bit as she felt her body suddenly become bogged down with weight…
Gustopha's eyes shot open, and she attempted to breathe. No air came; only thick fluid. She was still in the tank. She was still being made immortal? No, that wasn't true; she was already called immortal. Death had told her so! That whole experience was strange.
She squirmed weakly against the straps, to no avail.
Gustopha's front leg attempted to run through her mane, but it wasn't there anymore. It had melted away in the embalming fluid, leaving her bald except for her fur.
Gustopha sat in the tank for what she assumed was hours. Unmoving, and only barely thinking. She wondered if she would be forgotten here. She wondered if this would be her tomb forever, and she'd be found preserved one day.
Then, she saw the doctor. She leaned forward, and he smiled.
A silver aura gripped her.
Then, a small jump.
Gustopha coughed up the thick embalming fluid as she wound up on the floor, gagging and horking.
The doctor smiled, "Good morning, Princess," He said.
Gustopha hacked up fluid, her wings flaring as she attempted to shake herself free of the thick green liquid.
"Now, now, don't be such a foal. I know it can be a bit uncomfortable, but it's a small price to pay," Dr. Thanamus snorted.
Gustopha's horn illuminated to help herself to her hooves, thick embalming fluid still oozing from her mouth. She groaned loudly.
Gustopha felt her body light up with pain. Something didn't seem right. Surely it wasn't supposed to be this painful.
Then, something clicked in her mind. Her horn ignited into a white blaze, and she seethed hard as she felt a lurching, surging sensation wash through herself.
The doctor stepped back as an ethereal mane and tail poured out from Gustopha's body; long, flowing auroras of gradient magic, washing from a fresh spring green through yellow, orange, red, and burgundy.
Gustopha gasped hard for hair as the blaze around her horn extinguished. The pain had subsided, save for her now burning horn. She shook herself off one more time.
The doctor grinned. "Exactly as planned," He said, "You are now complete, Gustopha… Indistinguishable from a natural alicorn in every way. How do you feel, my greatest creation?" He asked, voice becoming wily with excitement.
"Like I've… Been drowning," Gustopha wheezed through hard breaths, her body finally catching up with her.
The doctor rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes, I'm very sorry. Surely, you realize it was necessary," He reasoned.
Gustopha simply nodded, taking a deep breath as her lungs finally caught up. "Where is Celestia?" She asked.
"She is sleeping in your bed. You may go; you are no longer my problem," Dr. Thanamus sneered.
Gustopha nodded again, leaving the room to visit her sister.
Heartful looked up as Gustopha entered the room.
"Oh, Princess!" Heartful greeted, gazing upon the scintillating colours of Gustopha's new mane, "My goodness… Are you embalmed now?" She asked.
Gustopha nodded, "I believe so… The Doctor said my treatment was finished," She explained.
Heartful nodded, gently stepping forward and running a hoof through the faintly glowing mane, "Goodness… You're truly all grown up now," She commented softly.
Gustopha smiled awkwardly, "Well… Physically, yes," She replied softly, "I believe I'm done growing now."
Heartful hugged the princess gently, and Gustopha hugged back.
"You've grown into a very beautiful young mare, Princess; I'm sure the kingdom will cherish you for the eons to come," Heartful said.
Gustopha smiled bashfully, "I owe my good health to you and Simmer," She expressed.
Heartful bowed her head, "I am honored you think so highly of me, Princess," She expressed.
After a few more moments, the two broke their embrace.
"Would you like me to wake Celestia?" She asked.
"Actually… Not yet. I have a sinking feeling about something, and if I'm right, I'll need time to prepare," She expressed.
Heartful nodded, watching as Gustopha sat over the slumbering alicorn.
Gustopha closed her eyes and gently touched her horn to Celestia's neck. It glowed softly as she began to dowse, looking for blight. Gustopha had been researching the effects of the blight on ponies before the embalming. She’d discovered that the blight shouldn't be making ponies sick at all, nevermind having fatal effects on those who consumed it.
Sure enough, Gustopha found it. Large plaques of blight, festering in the elder alicorn's body. It wouldn't kill an alicorn; not in any reasonable length of time, at least. But it was there, sapping Celestia's strength, day by day. It was no wonder that she hadn't healed yet.
Gustopha's eyes opened as her horn's glow quelled and she pulled away.
Gustopha left the room, heading to the study. She began fervently scouring books not on agriculture or magic, but on medical procedures.
Celestia awoke with a soft groan. She had slept nearly sixteen hours, but didn't feel all that rested, despite how warm and comfortable she had been.
She opened her eyes and rolled over to Heartful Surrogate, who was sitting dutifully beside the bed.
"Good morning, Princess," Heartful greeted softly, "I hope you had a good sleep."
Celestia nodded a bit, slowly sliding out of the bed and pulling herself to her hooves. "Where is Gustopha?" She asked softly.
"She's in the study; she seemed very perturbed about something," Heartful admitted.
Celestia nodded a bit and left the room, walking to the study.
Gustopha was fervently taking notes over a large book on medical procedure; anatomy, in particular. She had drawn out a simple diagram of an alicorn, and marked several "X"s out around the chest and stomach.
"Sister?" Celestia questioned softly, noting the now shimmering mane and tail that adorned Gustopha's body.
"You're sick," Gustopha replied, "Very, very sick."
Celestia tilted her head slightly, but her eyes widened as she saw the pages scrawled with notes.
"I've never exorcized blight from a pony before," Gustopha admitted, "I'm not even sure it's possible; at least in the way exorcizing it from farmland is."
Celestia sat next to her, "Gustopha, I… You don't have to do this all for my sake," She said, "I've survived this long."
"But the kingdom needs you; it needs you to heal. So, I must find a way to fix you," Gustopha declared, flipping through another book, this one on healing spells.
Celestia sighed a bit. Gustopha was not prepared to inherit a kingdom; Celestia's hooves were tied. She would need to be healed eventually. Perhaps it was good that Gustopha was already on it.
"I… I see," Celestia replied softly, "I would like you to come to the castle with us… Then you can research the procedure, okay?" She offered.
Gustopha sighed a little. "I… Alright, sister," She agreed hesitantly, "If you're sure you'll make the trip back."
Celestia nodded a bit and pressed her muzzle against Gustopha's cheek, "I will, I promise," She insisted.
"How long is the flight?" Gustopha asked.
"It took us around a day to get here," Celestia admitted.
"That's too long," Gustopha huffed, "Go wait with Heartful, your guards, and Rolling Simmer in my room," She instructed.
Celestia tilted her head, "Hm?" She hummed ponderously.
"Just… Please, trust me, sister," Gustopha requested.
Celestia nodded and left the room, as Gustopha headed for the doctor's office.
"Doctor," Gustopha said as she entered Dr. Thanamus' office, "I require your assistance."
The doctor turned to her. "Hm? What do you want with me? I told you, you are no longer my problem."
Gustopha sighed, "I need you to show me how to teleport to the castle," She explained.
The doctor sneered, "I cannot simply teach you that in a matter of moments, you brat," He huffed, "It takes practice to- What are you doing? Put me down!" He shouted as a golden aura scooped him from the floor, carrying him down the hall as Gustopha walked to her room.
"If you cannot teach me, then you will do it yourself," Gustopha huffed.
"You cannot force me to cast a spell, filly," Dr. Thanamus sneered.
"I can do what you always did: Threaten to beat you within an inch of your life if you do not do as I say," Gustopha replied simply.
The doctor sneered, "You would not dare," He hissed.
"I learned from you, Doctor. Do you trust your teaching that much?" She asked.
The doctor hesitated, before sighing. "Fine," He grumbled, "Show me everyone who needs teleporting."
He was thrown to the floor of the bedroom before Celestia, Heartful, Simmer, and Celestia's two guards.
"Everyone in this room, save for yourself," Gustopha explained.
The doctor crawled to his hooves and sneered. "Very well. I will teleport all of you…" He huffed, horn beginning to glow, "However, if any of you end up in my domain again… There will be tartarus to pay."
Gustopha nodded, "You don't have to worry about that, Doctor. This is goodbye," She snorted.
The room lit up in a bright flash as the doctor cast the spell, collapsing to the carpet from the effort. He grumbled lowly to himself. "...Good riddance," He muttered.
The group of ponies appeared in the throne room, scattered across the floor.
Heartful and Simmer looked around in awe, having never seen the castle.
Celestia heaved from the jump of the teleport, shaking herself off. "I'm amazed he allowed us here in one piece," She admitted.
"We're a threat to him. Other ponies would have known what he did if he had tricked us," Gustopha said, looking at Celestia's two guards, "Please, help Celestia to the study. There's much to be done," Gustopha expressed, galloping off to find the study again, recalling her way from the first time the doctor had brought her to the castle.
Celestia huffed softly as she watched Gustopha run off. "She's very committed when she sets her mind to something," She heaved as she slowly stood up. Her guards carefully escorted her through the castle, helping her to the study. Celestia shivered hard. Perhaps Gustopha's sudden urgency had been a blessing in disguise.
Gustopha cleared off the study's large table hurriedly, magicking out several books on medicine again. She pulled over a large blackboard and began scrawling a large diagram on procedures.
In theory, it was simple. She just had to get in, purge the blight, and get out.
In practice, however, she saw several complications. Getting in would involve impaling Celestia on her horn, and the magic would likely stress Celestia's already frail body. Nevermind healing up the resulting wound… Gustopha would probably need to study on the fly for that one. But it was necessary to save her sister.
Celestia looked around at the whirl of books and notes as her guards brought her to the library.
"On the table, face up," Gustopha requested simply.
Celestia grunted with effort as she crawled onto the hardwood table, laying down. She then directed her guards to leave; she could sense the importance.
"Gustopha… You don't need to strain yourself so soon," Celestia attempted to reason.
Gustopha walked to the end of the table, climbing up, resting her horn against Celestia's chest. "Do you trust me, sister?" Gustopha asked gently.
Celestia hesitated, feeling the sharp point of Gustopha's horn drag down to her stomach, "I-I do, but…" She stammered nervously, "What are you doing?" She asked.
"I'll talk you through it… But I need you to hold still," Gustopha promised, horn igniting. Celestia was seized in a magical aura, holding her stiffly in place, "Please forgive me," Gustopha whispered.
Celestia let out a harsh, guttural choke as Gustopha's horn was pushed into her chest, just below her ribs. A spurt of blood splashed across Gustopha's face on insertion.
Gustopha closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow gently, "I cannot remove the blight from the surface. Flesh is unlike soil; it doesn't like being permeated with magic," She explained, her horn beginning to flash, "So I need to cast the spell from the inside."
Celestia didn't react; she couldn't. She was held solidly in place as she felt Gustopha's magic wash along her insides.
"Now I can start to cleanse it… Any trace left is dangerous. It might burn a little… Please, be strong for me, sister," She requested.
Gustopha's horn began to heat as she purged the blight with steady flashes of magic. She regulated her power carefully; ignition would be death here. The tip of her horn was inches from Celestia's organs, and Gustopha had to purposefully decrease the depth of Celestia's breathing just to ensure no muscle would impale itself against her horn's tip.
The blight, however, was receding. It shrank a bit with each pulse, withering away.
Gustopha's eyes closed. "Almost done, sister," She promised, "Just a few more minutes…"
Celestia's eyes watered from the pain of the hot horn in her chest. She wanted to cry out in agony, but the aura held her still. She could feel it, however; each pulse repelled more of the arcane pathogen. Her strength already began to return to her; strength her body tried to use to fight against Gustopha's magic.
Gustopha grit her teeth, forcing more magic through her horn to keep Celestia steady.
Then, her horn cooled to a soft light.
"We're done, Celestia," Gustopha promised, "You made it."
Gustopha pulled away, carefully sliding her horn out of the wound. The flesh willingly closed around the hole; not nearly enough to seal, but it would ease the load.
Gustopha kept a hoof on Celestia's chest as she looked at a wound sealing spell.
Her horn ignited, pulling the flesh together, until a small wick of magic bound the two sides of the hole.
Gustopha collapsed in exhaustion as she finished the surgery, sliding off the table and onto the floor, her grip on Celestia fading.
Celestia spasmed in freedom, nearly kicking Gustopha in the face. She rolled onto her side, taking gasping, panting breaths.
The strength did not rush back to Celestia as freely as she'd hoped it would have. She was still exhausted; however, she was alive. And well, assuming Gustopha's diagnosis was correct. She heaved exhaustedly. "Thank you, sister," She panted.
Gustopha rubbed her aching head. She had successfully reigned in her magic long enough to do the surgery safely, but consequently now felt like she had a fever.
Gustopha slowly stood up with a deep heave. "You need to rest, sister," Gustopha expressed, "As do I…" She admitted softly.
Gestopha helped Celestia down from the table, feeling Celestia's weight lean on her.
Gustopha walked Celestia to her room, and found herself being flanked by guards as she did so.
Celestia looked up at Gustopa and shivered as she was put to bed.
"Could you stay with me tonight?" Celestia asked softly, "I'm cold."
Gustopha felt a bit awkward. "Are… Are you sure?" She asked.
Celestia smiled, "We are family now, Gustopha. Sometimes, needs must," She reasoned.
Gustopha nodded slowly and slid into bed next to Celestia. Celestia drew the covers over them weakly and pressed against Gustopha. "Thank you," She whispered softly.
"Good night, sister," Gustopha whispered back, still feeling a bit awkward about the whole thing. What would the others say if they saw her? Was this normal?
Celestia was, however, thankful. Not just for Gustopha's warmth, but for her company. She wasn't alone anymore; that was all Celestia wanted from this. It was all she had wanted from it. She didn't want or expect the doctor to have gone so overboard with making her an equal.
Gustopha took some time to fall asleep. This wasn't her bed, nor her room. She was a bit sleepy, but not enough to offset the unfamiliar feelings in the pit of her stomach. She glanced around the room, noting all of the gold and sun-themed details; despite how grandiose it was, it still radiated a tender warmth, much like Celestia herself. Gustopha wondered if she would get her own room, and what she would put in it. Plants would be nice… Perhaps a little indoor garden, with somewhere comfortable to read. She didn't really have any hobbies, nor any clue as to what she'd do for one.
"Celestia?" Gustopha asked softly.
Celestia simply snored in response, already asleep.
Gustopha sighed gently and gave a small smile. "Sleep well, sister… Sleep well and heal," She whispered, tucking herself a bit deeper under the covers and closing her eyes.
Despite the numerous thoughts that ran through her head, she fell asleep quite easily once she'd relaxed.
Plantation huffed gently as she looked around the market. "Hmm…" She murmured softly, "Where could Tex have gone?"
She walked along the cobbled road, looking around at all the adults. Several adults were working to carefully cut the blighted parts away from crops, throwing the blighted pieces into a fire beneath a large soup pot.
She grimaced a little at this. She couldn't help but wonder why the adults were so panicked about the blight. Surely, sick plants couldn't make ponies sick, right? Plants and ponies were nothing alike!