LTV 1.6 "The Lottery"
Heartsong layer in her medical cot with a cast around her right foreleg and wing, cradling Veridian and crying mournfully. Princess Sola had personally taken time out of her busy schedule to come and give her the grieving news of Crimson's death. Not even the return of her own colt could help console her. Sola sat in the far corner of the stone room from Heartsong, waiting and watching her weep.
After a long while, and Heartsong's crying seemed to quiet down some, Princess Sola announced, "Heartsong, I don't want to bother you further, but this... This is a pressing matter; I've been speaking with my sister, Celestia." Heartsong did her best to pull herself together, then looking up from Veridian's eyes, replied, "A-about what, y-you're highness?" "She is returning to Stalliongrad again to pick up another group of foals and take them back to safety in Canterlot." Heartsong tilted her head, slightly confused. "Is..is Celestia just going to take him from me?" she asked, not sure of the idea. Princess Sola answered, "No, not exactly. I understand that you're afraid to lose anypony else but, you must realize this is the best for him. Stalliongrad is no place for a youngling, especially not an alicorn. He is much better off with my sister in Canterlot."
Heartsong looked down at Veridian, tearing up again, and stroked his mane with her good hoof. “I..I understand,” she finally said, “When will the Princess come for them?” Sola rocked back and sighed then answered, “Well, that is where it gets complicated. She is coming tomorrow, but there’s a very slim chance she will be taking your colt back with her.” Heartsong’s face became worried as she looked back up to the Princess, “What? What do you mean by that?” “She can only bring three with her, and there are hundreds of parents trying to give their child to her. She’s been forced to make a random lottery to choose who comes. Even those not in the Resistance are allowed to put their foals in the drawing. I’m sorry, I tried to gain some favor for Veridian with her, but she wouldn’t listen. She says alicorn as he may be, she must remain fair and show no favoritism.”
Sighing, Heartsong asked, “Very well, if this is what’s best for him, then so be it. Your Highness, will you enter him for me?” Sola nodded and said, “Normally, I wouldn’t do any personal favors, but for the circumstances as they are now, I shall.” Princess Sola leaned forward, touching the tip of her horn to Heartsong’s broken wing and began to magically mend the broken bones. “I know that we don’t allow the unicorn medics to use their energy on magically healing the wounded, but I’m no unicorn. Besides, a Pegasus should never be grounded… Good luck to both of you tomorrow, you’ll need it.” Heartsong tested her wing out, obstructed by the cast, but she could tell it was completely fixed. She thanked the Princess before she trotted outside, but Sola ignored it and left Heartsong alone with Veridian in her cot.
Heartsong looked back down to Veridian and whispered “My dear colt... I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything was to happen to you here in Stalliongrad.. This is what’s best for you. We’re going to need an extraordinary amount of luck in order r you to.. to…” She suddenly burst back into tears, burying her face into Veridian’s mane and uncontrollably wept herself to sleep.
Heartsong was awoken by a light tapping coming from the door of her hospital room. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her good hoof then answered, “Come in.” The door cracked open tiand a young, light-pink colored, unicorn mare wearing a white cap with a red cross entered the room. “Good morning Miss Heartsong, you have an exciting day today, don’t you Dearie?” She looked down to her little colt, fast asleep, and sighed, “We sure do…” As the nurse approached her, Heartsong noticed that she had a cutie mark matching the cross on her cap. “Let’s look at your casts now; you’re going to need to be able to walk today.”
The Nurse stood up on her hind legs and held herself up against the bed with her left hoof, inspecting the casts with the other. “Miss Nurse, my w-” Heartsong was cut off by the Nurse, “Please, call me Redheart.” Heartsong smiled then continued, “Miss Redheart, I think my wing is fine now.” She gave it a little flap to show that it was healed. “What? Your wing was shattered!” Redheart started to magically cut away at the cast with a pair of scissors, then remarked, “There’s no way, it’s almost like magic… wait just a moment.. Did Sola heal you?” The Nurse looked at her with guilting eyes. Heartsong soon conceded, “Yes, she did, I'm sorry. She did it before I could say anything.”
The Nurse scowled slightly, then said, “Well, we aren’t supposed to use our magic to heal (it would take too much energy because there are so many wounded), but I’m not even part of the Resistance, so I can… sort of.” As the unicorn started to heal Heartsong’s foreleg, she asked, “Wait, if you aren’t part of the Resistance, then why are you here?” The nurse finished connecting the bones and as she began to cut she said, “The same reason you are. I’m trying to get my filly out of here. Her name is Redheart as well, she looks just like me.” “Oh, well I thank you Redheart. I wish you luck.” The Nurse made a final cut on the cast and removed it, “You too Heartsong. The ceremony should be starting any time now, you should come with me.” Heartsong gently placed Veridian off to the side of the bed before stepping out and testing her newly mended leg. “Thank you Nurse, we should go then.”
Heartsong took her freshly cleaned cloak off of a nearby stand and threw it over her back, securing the ties. She then turned around to face the cloth saddle that Veridian was carried in. Remembering that Crimson was the last to wear it, she broke down crying again. Redheart trotted up to her and tried to calm her down by stroking her main soothingly, while magically strapping the saddle to her, “It’s okay, dear. Be strong, for your colt. You don’t want his last memories of you like this.” She wiped her tears away while the Nurse placed Veridian on her back. After he was strapped in, Heartsong packed her saddlebags with the last of her gear and walked out of the room with Redheart. “Aren’t you going to take your filly too, Redheart?” she asked. “No, don’t worry about her. She’s already there waiting for us.” And with that, they left the infirmary wing, together.
***To all of my readers: Thankyou for following along this far, the next chapter: 1.7 Celestia' Exodus, is already written, awaiting to be typed. The next chapter will be rather long and depressing, I hope you have a box of tissues ready.. I have already made two guys cry from reading it. Again, thank you for reading this far, please comment rate, and maybe even tell your friends, I dont know.