What Happens in Hospital, Stays in Hospital!
It took three earth ponies to hold down the screaming young stallion before doctor Heartstrong rushed over, a glowing syringe floating after him, to sedate the strange new occupant of Ponyville's only hospital. All despite laying as he was, face-down on the operating table without much to use as leverage! He had been brought in just as the caregivers were doing their early evening rounds. The mare that appeared with him in the middle of the lobby-full of surprised hospital staff had a story almost outrageous as the patient himself. Apparently she had brought him from a fallow field over at Sweet Apple Acres, with a ridiculous tale about finding him at the bottom of a crater.
'A crater! Of all the wild stories these days, this one just took the cake, the platter and the whole darn bakery while it was at it,' the doctor thought to himself. He would have suggested psychiatric evaluation for the mare if not for the horrible condition the poor colt was in, and then there were the other four mares that showed up later to corroborate her story. It was definitely the strangest day that he had had since the night that crazy Pegasus broke in - to steal a book of all things!
He wrinkled his yellow-orange nose at the sight as he took a peak beneath the latest set of bandages and pushed his glasses back into place, brushing a lock of his brown mane out of his eyes. It was a bit much, even after all he had seen, and yet it should have been much, much worse. Whoever this young stallion was, he was very lucky and had a great healing factor. It was a good thing that he was covered in so much dirt or those mares may have never made it to the hospital without losing their lunch in the process. Cleaning him up to the current state was no easy task! After hours on the operating table, even with the assistance of his magic allowing him to operate several tools at once, the whole ordeal had left him in a rather unkempt state; sweat and tiny flecks of blood staining his normally pristine white shirt, his stethoscope long discarded in the confusion.
The one thing that bothered him though, the one thing he could not quite figure out, was the horn he had discovered right after he had finished stabilizing the stallion's broken wings in order to safely lay him on his back and begin work on the head injuries. Only Heartstrong knew about it at that point since it was hidden under a crusty clump of mane, dirt and coagulated blood by the time he was able to take a look. Somehow it was small enough to miss under the stallion's lack-luster orange mane, even without all the mess, much smaller than any unicorn his size. If he did not know any better, the doctor would have sworn he was dealing with an Alicorn. But that was preposterous, surely … there were only two Alicorns he knew of and both were uninvolved Princesses! At least … he thought they were uninvolved …
The doctor shook his head dispelling the treasonous thoughts that attempted to invade his mind. 'No. This has to be a birth defect. Something passed down in the genes surely!' Until he could find out more, he was working on a Pegasus with a birth defect, plain and simple. 'Well, no matter,' he thought dismissively. There would be plenty time to talk about that when his patient woke up again; he definitely was not going anywhere in a hurry. Hopefully they would not have to sedate him the next time around. He had never seen such adverse reactions to bad dreams. They must have been extreme! Today had been full of firsts for him it seemed.
"Nurse, please notify me as soon as he wakes up again. For now just keep him on the I.V. and monitor his vitals closely," ordered the doctor.
Earlier that evening
Four mares and a baby dragon strolled into the hospital reception area, all talking at once. They seemed to be casually arguing about something until they noticed Twilight Sparkle with a doctor, waving her fore-legs in apparent frustration. As they got closer they caught the last bit of her latest plea for credulity.
"… telling you it was a crater as big as Sugarcube Corner! Just come over to Sweet Apple Acres and see for yourself!" she ended with an exasperated groan.
"Now Miss Twilight I'm sure there is some logical explanation for the hole, but you of all ponies should know as well as I that there is just no way that any young stallion could have made it and still be alive!" replied the doctor, then sighed in exasperation. "In any case I'm due for surgery soon. I probably won't be able to leave 'till after midnight!"
"She ain't fibbin' doc, that there hole in the ground was a big one alright," Applejack spoke up. "Why ah couldn't believe mah eyes either, but there he was, smack dab in the middle of it like he dun just fell outta the sky like a barrel o' apples!"
Fluttershy had just finished whispering something to Pinkie Pie, who then interrupted the doctor before he could reply. "Oh-oh-oh, and the BOOSH," she did her best to replicate the sounds, "and don't forget the BIG BADDA BOOM! And we were all like WHOA! And then ZOOM went Rainbow Dash-"
"What Pinkie Pie is trying to say is," Twilight cut her off, noticing the deepening confusion on the doctor's face, "minutes before we got to the scene we heard what sounded like a sonic boom in the sky just above us, but before we could even wonder what it was there was a huge explosion that rocked the trees. So unless you're trying to say that thin air caused that crater and somepony just happened to fall in-" she sighed loudly. "As a student, and researcher, of magic I've learned to stick with the simplest conclusion available that makes the fewest assumptions. At this point I can only hypothesize that it had to be that pony who is responsible for the hole."
"Yes but surely you understand how outrageous that sounds. I'm certain I've already mentioned that the odds of anypony surviving an impact like that are next to zero!" replied the doctor this time becoming even more puzzled by the new witness' affirmations of the events.
"I'm not going to pretend to know how it happened, but I will get to the bottom of this, sooner or later!" Twilight added the last word with a stomp of her hoof.
"Circus pony!" Pinkie Pie burst out randomly.
"What?" asked Twilight and the doctor at the same time.
"We had some ideas about what might have happened as we were walking over here," Spike spoke up.
"Pinkie thinks he was part of that garish circus act where they shoot a stunt pony out of a cannon," Rarity stepped in, rolling her eyes as she started, "but surely he was just trying out a new method of searching for gems," she finished with glazed over eyes and a grin on her face.
"That don't make a lick o' sense- obviously, he was testin' out a fancy new ploughin' technique an' couldn't resist tryin' it in mah lovely field!" Applejack chimed in, stomping both her front hoof on the floor to add some sort of finality to her contribution.
"Or maybe," even Fluttershy had something to add, though everything after the first two words was mostly inaudible.
"What was that sugarcube?" asked Applejack.
"He could be a shhhfsher-" Fluttershy tried again, her face drawing lower and lower to the ground with each word. The others craned their necks, hooves to their ears making it embarrassingly obvious that they still had not heard her. "A BIG SCARY SHAPESHIFTER- maybe, possibly, if you don't mind thinking about it …" she erupted then trailed off in embarrassment, trying to hide behind her own mane, avoiding everyone's eyes as nearby staff turned to look in their direction. Everyone blinked a few times before Spike spoke again.
"C'mon girls, it's gotta be some kind of alien from outer space!" With that everyone present burst out laughing, a few rolling on the floor, loud at first then quieter as they remembered where they were thanks to several fervent shushing sounds from a few passing nurses. The doctor just rolled his eyes and turned to leave.
"I'm needed at the operating table. Do try to keep those wild imaginations from running rampant in the meantime, will you?"
After a while they all settled down, the snickering at Spike's serious frown finally subsiding. "Well we still got the food in these here picnic baskets. What say we all chow down?" Applejack asked as she grabbed the picnic gear slung over her back with her teeth and walked over to the waiting room door. "By the way, has anypony seen Rainbow Dash?"
A muffled boom shook the windows. Though the sound was dampened and slightly delayed, a dazzling multicolored display instantly brightened up the dimly lit room, originating from somewhere out in the darkening Equestrian skyline.
Rainbow Dash was hovering just above the ground, panting hard. She had never been so exhausted from doing just a single Sonic Rainboom before. Not even that time she used it to save four ponies all at once! Something was definitely happening, but it was not helping at all. Quite the opposite in fact. She ripped off the shoes, too frustrated to notice the tiny flash as the first one parted from her hoof, and was about to hurl them away in a random direction with all her strength just before she remembered their owner. That was when the idea hit her.
'I got it! I'll wait until that showoff recovers, then give them back to him. He'll be so overjoyed to get them back that he'll be more than happy to tell me how he did that trick!' she thought doing a backwards loop in the air, a ridiculous grin on her face and the shoes gripped to her chest as if they were worth a million bits. But she would have eagerly paid any price for the chance to show off such an amazing new move for the Wonderbolts.
Giggling like a schoolgirl, Raindow Dash flew off toward the hospital with a renewed vigor, despite her profuse sweating and quite possibly another in a long line of half-baked plans.
"What the hay is that filly up to this time," Applejack muttered under her breath between mouthfuls of apple pie. Everyone else was sitting around in the, not uncomfortable, sofas that lined the walls of the waiting room. The blanket they were going to lay out on the ground earlier that day was thrown over the large but short table in the center of the room and already covered in various food bits as they all munched on their favorite treats.
"Well let me be the first to say, Happy Birthday Twilight. I'm just so sorry it couldn't have been under better circumstances," Rarity said. Pinkie Pie sounded a blowout, hiding it quickly before a rather irate receptionist stuck her head in through the door and eye-balled the pink pony for a moment before slowly withdrawing back into the other room all while Pinkie grinned ear-to-ear.
"Thanks Rarity, I really appreciate it, but I don't mind. After all if we hadn't been out there today that poor pony might not even be around right now," Twilight said, rather pleased that she had helped someone out in a time of need. "Besides, technically this is still a picnic, right?" she grinned, levitating another daffodil and daisy sandwich from the table with her magic. She always did love a good 'D&D'.
"As long as yer happy, that's all that matters sugarcube," Applejack said with her cheeks stuffed and pie crumbs jettisoning themselves from her lips with each word, smiling with her eyes all the same. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash burst into the room, still panting from her ordeal, drawing puzzled looks from everyone present.
"Dash? Are you okay?" asked Twilight with one eyebrow in the air.
"Is he better yet?" Rainbow Dash asked, completely disregarding Twilight's honest concern.
"We're still wait'n on word," Applejack sprayed a few more crumbs all over Spike, his slightly annoyed expression never dropping as he brushed himself off with practiced precision, "but just what in the hay were y'all up to out there?"
"Honestly darling, isn't it a bit late for those barbaric practice sessions of yours? And just what is that lovely pair of shoes you have there?" Rarity added, completely changing her tone from that of everyday condescension to one of almost lustful interest.
"W-what are you talking about?" Rainbow Dash asked, feigning ignorance as she whipped the objects in question behind her back and started to whistle, her gaze immediately shifting to some nondescript corner of the ceiling, shifting back every now and then to see if the others were still looking at her.
"Oh don't try to hide such things from me Dashie! There is no way I could possibly miss the immaculate glimmer of such a perfect diamond finish!"
"Eheheh, well uhhh, oh you mean these old things?" Rainbow Dash stammered at first, slowly withdrawing the shoes from behind her back. "I just found 'em laying arou- okay look, they belong to mister mystery-colt in there and I'm going to be the one to give them back, got it?"
"Rainbow's got a coltfriend, Rainbow's got a-"
"What? Nooooo, it's not like that- don't be weird, I only just met him like an hour ago!" she stammered out hurriedly, cutting off Spike's playful derision. "Look if you all must know, I'm hoping that he'll share the secret of that new trick he was doing out there. That had to be the fastest time from sky to ground I've ever seen! Err … heard."
"Psh, everyone's got a theory," Spike muttered to himself.
"Oh but Rainbow honey you simply must let me take a look at these, the ideas for new matching designs are absolutely bristling right now!" Rarity trilled in excitement, now mere inches away trying her best to grab the shoes as Rainbow Dash nimbly, yet effortlessly, kept shifting them out of her reach.
"Oh fine, but just remember, I'm giving them back to him, got it?" she said just as Rarity used her magic to slip them out of Rainbow Dash's hooves.
"Who's up for PUNCH?" yelled Pinkie Pie. You could almost hear the sound of glass shattering as the receptionist's face instantly appeared around the corner again; the white of her eyes now a bulging patchwork of veins.
"Sorry!" they all whispered simultaneously as, yet again, she ever so slowly receded back into the lobby, her gaze not leaving Pinkie Pie until it was completely obstructed by the wall between the rooms.
"Aaaaaai think I'll pass thank you," Twilight said, giving Pinkie a distrustful look for a moment before turning it on Rainbow Dash, as an afterthought. Everyone started getting into a more spirited mood as they continued the Frankenstein of a picnic party in Twilight's honor.
A few hours later
The emergency room door opened and doctor Heartstrong stepped through, slowly peeling a stained face-mask off as if in heavy thought. Immediately everyone perked up, their attention completely diverted from the game of cards they had going, most looking worried by his grim expression.
"Doc, is he gonna be okay?" Spike asked, breaking the ensuing silence. The doctor looked like he had just snapped out of a trance.
"Wha- oh right, yes well- where to begin?" he asked rhetorically, rubbing his face while trying to gather his thoughts. "The patient has suffered five fractured ribs, one broken. Both wings are broken and three of his fetlocks were sprained. And to top it all off, he has a grade four minor traumatic brain injury that will likely result in anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks of post-traumatic amnesia." Twilight gasped in shock, but everyone else looked more confused than not. "There was also quite a bit of soft tissue damage, strained muscles and other minor concerns, but as I was finishing up I noticed that all of those things had already begun to heal at an abnormally increased rate …" the doctor trailed off as he finally made it over to one of the sofas opposite the group and sat down just as slowly, absently returning to his thoughts.
"Can y'all translate that for the rest of us Twilight?" asked Applejack. She had put down the half-eaten apple tart, the latest victim in a line of apple-based delicacies, and finished swallowing while the doctor had been talking.
"Ummm … basically, it's a miracle he was even conscious, let alone still alive when we found him and … he might not even remember his own name when he wakes up," Twilight summarized as best she could, "but he's going to be okay by the sound of it." The doctor looked up suddenly as if he just had an epiphany.
"Miss Sparkle, you are Princess Celestia's apprentice are you not?" he asked.
"That's me! Well, student would be a better term," she grinned with pride.
"I need to speak with you … privately," he added the last part with a cursory glance at the other occupants of the room. Twilight's expression changed to one of intense curiosity.
"Uhhhh sure, I guess?" she said getting to her feet after laying her cards on the table. When they had gotten out of the room (a chorus of disappointed sounding ponies following them as they realized Twilight had the winning hand) and down an empty corridor, Dr Heartstrong looked around like a shady character from one of the darker alleys in Canterlot.
"Do you … did the Princess ever mention … being in a relationship with anypony?" he asked as tentatively as possible.
The shock on Twilight's face quickly turned to embarrassment as she stammered out a reply.
"D-doctor, surely this is an unprofessional line of ques-"
"Oh no-no not-" he cut her off and sighed with his face in his hoof before trying again, "I'm asking for purely medical reasons I assure you. I'm interested in the possibility that she could have had … foals … a colt-"
"Are you suggesting that the pony lying in there fighting for his life could be- doctor I'm sorry but it seems the shoe is on the other hoof here. Now it is you who is proposing the impossible. I mean … if Princess Celestia ever had a foal, all of Equestria would know about it!"
"Well yes … unless …"
Twilight gasped as she caught on to what he was implying.
"Doctor!" she started in a loud voice before realizing the painfully apparent need for quiet. They both looked around cautiously, as if they were about to open up trench coats lined with stolen items. Twilight got a bit closer before continuing angrily, in a whisper this time, "There is no way my mentor for all these years would be involved in something as- as ...scandalous as conceiving out of wedlock!" Her face was red with a burgeoning anger this time and her eyes gripped his in a piercing gaze. He looked visibly shaken but still managed to stammer out another question.
"W-what about Princess Luna?" he asked. Twilight's eyes could not have gotten any narrower.
"I refuse to stay here and listen to this … this … sland-"
"Wait!" She was cut off by his sudden request as she started turning around to leave. "There is something you must know. You are the most capable pony I can think of for the task at hand," he paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully as she turned back to face him again, her curiosity getting the better of her once more. "No one else has seen it yet but …"
"Just spit it out before I die of suspense!" she commanded, genuinely holding her breath.
"It is possible that the young Pegasus in there is actually a young Alicorn," he said bluntly. Twilight just stood there dumbfounded with her jaw hanging loosely. "I'm not a hundred percent certain just yet, after all it is technically possible that this is just a birth defect and he can't actually use magic but … he has a horn Miss Twilight."
"Wayyyy-way-wait, hold on," she started with her fore-hooves held up in front of her as if trying to deflect some of the shock she was presently being bombarded with. "How … but that doesn't make sense, we didn't see any horn when we found him. Even when I was right next to him for the teleport spell I didn't see one."
"Yes that is the main reason I suspect that it may be just a birth defect. You see, it's actually quite small; about two inches if I'm generous. His mane was also quite a mess on his forehead when you brought him in, I'm not surprised that you missed it. Of course, all of that probably wouldn't have mattered much since it was barely hanging on by a thread before I managed to reattach it with-" Twilight shivered at just the thought of it.
"Please- doctor, spare me the details, that particular topic of conversation doesn't seem to be agreeing with my dinner," she said looking a shade paler than usual. "Has there ever been any such … birth defect in recorded history?"
"While I have studied various kinds, I do not remember coming across one this specific. I know there have been cases of earth ponies born with malformed or stunted horns or wings, but both? Nothing in modern medical literature mentions anything like that. This is exactly why you are perfect for this task. Can you dig deeper into the archives on this issue, see what you come up with?"
"My good doctor, now you're talking my language!" Twilight grinned, forgetting her earlier state of anger entirely. "I'll let you know as soon as I find something!"
"Actually …" he began, then blushed with embarrassment, "if it turns out that this is not a medical condition, would you … could you just forget we even had this little conversation? I really don't want to be caught up in the middle of-"
"I can't believe you!" Twilight nearly shouted again. "If it's not medical, then I'm sure there's still a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. Stop jumping to conclusions!"
"Miss Sparkle, please understand! I could lose my medical license over something like that!" he started desperately before continuing in a more measured tone. "Could you imagine what it would be like to lose your right to do what you loved the most? I just want to help ponies Miss Twilight, surely you can understand that?" he appealed to her emotions in earnest.
Twilight's expression softened a bit before she grudgingly agreed. "Fine … sure whatever," she sighed then remembered, "anyway I really should head back to the library and get started on this, so if there's nothing else?"
He heaved a sigh of relief, "No that was about it … the patient should be awake sometime tomorrow at the rate he appears to be healing- if there are no complications of course." Twilight turned to go back to the waiting room. Just as she reached the end of the corridor doctor Heartstrong called out to her.
"Oh and … thank you! Your understanding on this matter means a lot to me." She just waved a hoof absently without turning around, already lost in thought over the new information she had just swallowed, a bit too quickly.
'Princess Celestia would never punish such a kind gentlecolt over something like this would she? Well … she did banish Princess Luna to the moon for a thousand years … but according to the books she was threatening the safety of all of Equestria … and in any case that was a long time ago. No, the Celestia I know is the epitome of kindness!' she thought. In all of her life she had never witnessed her mentor do anything that could have been construed as unfair or unkind. 'The doctor is probably just being overly paranoid because he doesn't know the Princess that well. But enough of that, there is research to be done, and research waits for no pony!'
Twilight Sparkle re-entered the room just as a hushed game of pin the tail on the pony was getting started. With snickers and giggles instead of laughter, and smiles all around, a blind-folded Spike was hobbling his way over to a crudely drawn picture of a pony with an 'x' where the tail should have been, holding a rather flamboyant tail in his claws as he went. Everyone, except Spike, turned to look at her as she shuffled past toward the lobby door, still lost in thought.
"Where are you going Twilight? There's still more PARTNIC to be had!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, taking a deep breath as she was about to use the blowout again, just before Applejack snatched it away. The sound of a short scuffle came from the lobby followed by hushed arguing.
"Sorry girls, something really important came up and I just have to get to the library," Twilight said, stopping briefly to look back at them as she spoke.
"Does this have anything to do with that magic triangle dynamite you were talkin' about earlier?" Applejack asked. Twilight Sparkle's eyes went wide as she suddenly recalled her previous obligations.
"Oh ponyfeathers, I completely forgot about my dissertation on transverse mystical dynamics!"
'Ooooooh what am I going to do,' she thought to herself, chewing her bottom lip. 'I really want to start research on birth defects but my dissertation is due tomorrow! If I miss the deadline, I'll have to wait until next year to submit it!'
"Twilight, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked softly, hovering over to her as she started to trot in place nervously, and placing a hoof gently on her lower neck.
"Ye- n-no … maybe?" Twilight jabbered. "I can't make up my mind! Spike! Let's get home quickly; we need to get started right away!" Spike had just lifted the blindfold from one eye to peer at his handiwork. Much to his disappointment, ponies were actually not in the habit of growing tails out of their noses. Perhaps if the game were called pin the moustache on the pony he would have won.
"Awww but Twilight, we still haven't tried your birthday cake," he said with his all-too-familiar tone of disappointment. Before he could protest further however, a slice of cake magically ended up stuffed into his mouth as he was levitated onto Twilight's back.
"Sorry everypony, this is really important, you understand right?" she grinned with what sounded like a foal's toy being squeezed. She started to trot through the door again; the last thing she said to them was, "We can do this again after I get the paper sent off to Canterlot if you want, I promise!" And with that, a pony-sized cloud was all that remained of her in the room while five befuddled friends sat around wondering what had just happened.
"Oh that Twilight," Pinkie Pie giggled, "she seems happier studying than having cake and presents on her own birthday! Isn't that just the silliest thing you ever heard?" she finished in her usual flare, firing off five blowouts simultaneously and spinning two noise-makers.
"THAT IS IT! OUT! THIS INSTANT! ALL OF YOU!" yelled the enraged receptionist as she appeared instantly, her chest heaving in an extremely exaggerated manner.
"SSSSSSSHHHHHHH," all five mares went at the same time. The receptionist would probably have started foaming at that point if Applejack had not stood up.
"Keep yer britches on lady, we were just leavin'," she said as she started to pack up. "Ah don't know about y'all but ah've had quite a day. Ah reckon it's about time ah hit the hay, them apples don't buck themselves y' know!"
"Yes well, I do believe I have a date with my drafting table," replied Rarity, daintily standing up with the unique shoes magically hovering over to her side.
"Hey! Just remember our deal Rarity, you only get them until he wakes up!" piped up Rainbow Dash. Rarity just rolled her eyes as if it was simply unthinkable to break her word, both of them strolling out the door.
"Oh dear, I forgot to tuck Angel into bed, he's going to be so mad at me when I get home," Fluttershy suddenly remembered. Pinkie Pie, on the other hoof, was pre-occupied making as much noise as possible while two security ponies were in the process of half-escorting, half-dragging her out of the building while she sang some strange song about the merits of laughter for getting well.
Minutes to midnight
"Doctor? You should come and see this," a nervous intern interrupted doctor Heartstrong as he was finishing up the paper-work for the day.
"Oh, has our patient come to?" he asked, casting off the lack of sleep evident in the dark rings under his eyes with a renewed interest.
"Well … not quite. It would be best if you saw for yourself sir," said the intern in a tone the doctor found quite suspicious.
With a raised eyebrow and a hovering folder shoved hastily into a nondescript filing cabinet, both ponies left the office at a canter. The now dark and empty halls were almost eerie at this time of night. The security pony that normally did the rounds was probably on another floor at the time. None-the-less, they both managed to arrive at the ward where the patient in question was staying without bumping into or tripping over anything; a credit to the fine janitorial service.
Two nurses were just outside the door whispering between themselves, eyes slightly widened and making an extraordinary effort not to poke their heads through the door for much longer than was needed to ensure nothing dangerous was going on inside.
"What's this all about then," asked the doctor as he slowed to a halt beside the jumpy mares. Without saying another word they both pointed at the doorway, propped slightly ajar by a slippery-when-wet sign that sported an abstract image of what would pass for a puddle and a pony stick figure in the middle of a nasty fall. Shaking his head in disappointment at what he guessed was probably just more superstitious nonsense, doctor Heartstrong pushed through the door with his chest stuck out in a little show of bravado, but he was not quite prepared for what he saw when he entered the room.
Hovering just above his bed, the young stallion who had only hours ago been on the operating table, was glowing a faint yellow. His eyes were closed, legs simply hanging limp with a blanket still clinging to and covering most of him. The rise and fall of his chest indicated the steady breathing pattern of a restful sleep, but the strangest thing was the constantly repeated words that were flowing from his lips without pause.
"Pain endured begets anger. Anger contained begets fury. Fury controlled begets power. Power harnessed becomes absolute. Pain endured begets anger. Anger contained …" he droned on and on, almost like it was an incantation, or litany, or ... something. The doctor was a bit disturbed at first, but then remembered his responsibility for the safety of all the patients under his care and walked cautiously up to the bed with its less-than-normal occupant. He quickly looked around the room, noticing that there was no other patient sharing this particular ward with him, just as he had asked. 'Thank Celestia for that,' sighed to himself. The last thing he needed were hysterical patients to complicate things more than they already seemed to be.
"Has anypony el-" he began to whisper, then realized with a start that the other three caregivers were still back at the doorway, their three heads the only visible sign of them, arrayed one above the other. He rolled his eyes and shook his head again, turning back to the matter at hand, only to gulp at the unnerving sight before him. The young stallion was no longer over the bed, but now hovering upright directly in front of him, his face mere inches away from the doctor's. He was still chanting, though it was a bit quieter then, his eyes still closed, limbs still hanging limp but the blanket was now a crumpled heap on the floor.
Dr Heartstrong was barely aware of the strangled sound of fright that came from the doorway as he reflexively brought his fore-hooves up in surprise. But one of them brushed the levitating stallion, and just as a single one of the doctor's hairs touched him, a blinding flash filled the entire room!