Trials of the Elements
Part 3
Valiant was horrified by Mend's words. Everything he had worked so hard to overcome came crashing back onto him like a tsunami. Valiant shut his eyes tightly and began praying for help from the only source he knew he had with him, 'Arabesque help me. I'm not yet strong enough to handle this on my own.' he pleaded. The answer seemed to come from the recesses of his own mind, in his own voice, 'Answer with the truth you know. You are forgiven. There is nothing bound to your soul, no guilt, no shame, no sorrow, only hope. Declare what it is you know and be proud. You have nothing to be ashamed or afraid of. Do not be cowed by untrue words. Do not be silent, speak and know the strength and power that is within you.'
Valiant calmed his mind and took a firm stance,
“Arabesque forgave me, Mend.” he said quietly.
Mend turned toward Valiant, eyes burning,
“That's one out of how many? Huh? How many?”
Valiant refused to be drawn into the type of shouting match Mend seemed to be trying to instigate, yet,
“Just one.” he said softly, “I cannot be held accountable for any death that may have occurred during my exile. I was incapable of doing anything and nopony is omnipresent, not even the Royal Sisters. I have no idea where all this anger came from, but it isn't healthy. What happened while we were gone?”
“I failed, that's what! I failed again!” Dr. Mend spat venomously.
“How did you fail, my friend?” Valiant asked softly.
“I was named, the most brilliant student ever to come out of Equestria! I failed because I should have figured out your procedure years ago; I just didn't realize that until today! I failed so many who now lay dead. I killed them.” Dr. Mend hashed through gritted teeth.
“Nopony is perfect Mend. Neither you nor I are to blame. Calm down and think about it. Even if one of us was to blame, there's nothing to do except live and learn. If you are so convinced you are at fault, then forgive yourself, and do something about it.” Valiant said calmly.
“I can't forgive myself!” Dr. Mend shouted, “It's my fault! They died because I failed! I'll never fail again! I'll never fail again! I'll never fail again!” Mend screamed himself hoarse and flung open one of his text books.
Mend began reading at a breakneck pace muttering to himself,
“No more deaths. I can't fail. Never again, never again. I can't fail. No more deaths.” Mend kept up the quiet chant as he seemed to disconnect himself from the idea that Valiant still occupied the same room.
Valiant grabbed his class schedule and saddle bags then slowly and silently inched toward the door, but his ears picked up on a clue as Dr. Mend muttered to himself,
“They killed themselves because I failed. I will make you proud.”
Valiant watched as Dr. Mend angrily wiped teardrops from the pages of the text book below him. Valiant slipped out of the dorm room quietly and closed the door behind him. He set down his saddle bags and blinked away the forming mist invading his vision.
He placed a gentle hoof on the door,
“What happened to you, my friend?”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Valiant trotted down the deserted streets of Canterlot. He knew something was wrong with Dr. Mend and he couldn't bear to watch his friend hurting like he was. Valiant figured that if he knew more about Dr. Mend he might be able to help him. Valiant needed information and what better place to look than the Tower Library.
“He said he had been named the most brilliant student ever to come out of Equestria. There must be a record of that somewhere.” Valiant voiced his thoughts aloud as he ascended the tiers of carved white stone steps up to the double doors of the Tower Library.
Valiant reached the top stairs and knocked politely on the ornate doors. As he waited, Valiant noticed the posted hours of operation were from sunrise to sunset. The hour was close upon midnight and Valiant suddenly wished he had read the posted hours of operation before knocking.
Never the less, the left door opened up revealing a very familiar mint green coated Earth pony mare, who looked like she had been roused from her bed,
“May I hel . . . “ she trailed off as she saw Valiant, eyes popping wide.
Valiant swallowed, trying not to look imposing,
“Is the Library still open?” he asked.
The mint coated Earth pony began closing the door as she said,
“Only University students may use the Library after sunset.”
“I'm a student!” Valiant said quickly whipping out his class schedule.
The Earth pony looked doubtful, and still scared of him,
“Who are your professors?”
Valiant scanned over his list quickly,
“Professor Aloe, for Introduction to Alchemy and Professor . . . it says Rx, but I assume it means Rex, for Introduction to Pharmaceuticals.”
The Earth pony mare shuffled her hooves, obviously nervous. Her ears were laid back and her posture was cautious as she let Valiant in. Valiant noticed an open balcony to his left as he entered the ancient repository of knowledge. Books were set in massive shelves, some only accessible by ladder. The only other pony still in the Library was a young, tan coated pegasus mare with sky blue mane and tail and a cutie-mark of a confusingly massive collection of stars set against a pitch black background. She was up on the second level of the Library and was laying down on a bright red, tasseled cushion, quietly reading a book that looked to be more old and worn than Granny Smith. She was situated next to a massive glass window that offered a spectacular view of Canterlot.
Valiant marveled at the huge gold and crystalline hourglass in the middle of the second level of the Library proper, after the foyer, but decided not to waste any time. Valiant began his search by section and eventually found himself pouring over older editions of the Canterlot news paper 'Equestria Daily' on film strips. His search lasted deep into the night but Valiant could not find any mention of Mend anywhere. After two hours of searching, Valiant decided to take a break. Thoughts of the strange unicorn with the frightening eyes kept interrupting his concentration, so he decided to try to find out about that.
Valiant figured the mint coated Earth pony mare might know something since she seemed to be the librarian. Valiant hesitated on searching her out, 'She is obviously scared of me. She probably heard what I said about being a former Vagabond. Heh, I might be scared of me too. It would probably be a good idea to leave her alone for now and not pester her too much, but who else could I ask?' he wondered.
Valiant looked around and noticed the tan pegasus was still in her same spot reading, 'Ooh, she looks like she's really into her book. I have to ask someone though. She's sure to know more about the Library than I do. It couldn't hurt to ask, I suppose.'
Valiant slowly walked over to her and was about to clear his throat, but she spoke first, without even looking up,
“Is there something you need?” her voice was tiny but crisp and it carried like a bell in the silent Library.
Valiant lowered his head to her level to show her proper respect,
“I'm sorry to disturb you miss, but . . . do you know where the librarian went?” Valiant hadn't originally intended to ask that particular question, but he felt bad for disturbing the tan pegasus.
The pegasus raised her head; her eyes were a pale yellow,
“She probably went to sleep, like most ponies with good sense. I might be able to help you though.” she said rising, “I'm Evening Star but you can just call me Star. What do you need help with?”
Valiant swallowed, he had never been particularly comfortable talking to mares, except ones he already knew,
“Um, do you know where I could find a list of diseases, specifically ones that change the color of one's eyes? I'm Valiant by the way.”
Star didn't even have to pause to think,
“Depending on the color. If the color is yellow or brown, it could be a case of Hemolytic Anemia.” she ventured.
Valiant's eyebrows shot up, and before he could check his mouth, he asked her,
“Are you a medical student or something?”
Star giggled,
“No, I just know some things. What color do the eyes change to?”
“Purple, muddy purple in the iris and the whites.” Valiant responded.
Star shook her head,
“There are no known diseases that cause purple eyes. Perhaps it's a type of infection, like Conjunctivitis or it could be due to a subconjunctival hemorrhage where the blood vessels in the eyes burst.” Star began pacing, talking to nopony in particular, “Nothing seems to fit. Unless . . . Wait!” Star said turning to Valiant suddenly, “Did you see this on a living pony?”
“Yes, I did.” Valiant said curiously.
“Was it a unicorn?” Star asked.
“Yes, she was. How did you know?” Valiant asked.
“I know what it is!” Star said excitedly.
Evening Star took to the air and began searching the books high up on tops of shelves. Within moments she landed in front of Valiant, holding an old book in her muzzle.
Star set the book down in front of Valiant on the floor,
“Magical & Metaphysical Disorders, page 113.” she said proudly.
Valiant opened the book to page 113 and began reading out loud,
“All unicorns practicing magic on a regular basis should be well aware of their limitations and not push to perform beyond their capabilities or they may suffer from Magical Strain. There are three types of Magical Strain a unicorn may suffer, depending on the amount of magic they use as compared to the amount of magic they use on a regular basis. The most common form of Magical Strain is Magical Fatigue. Magical Fatigue is caused by mild overuse of a unicorn's magic and can physically manifest as a type of Physical Fatigue with corresponding symptoms: panting, perspiring, ect. Once a unicorn begins experiencing Magical Fatigue the unicorn will have some difficulty continuing to use magic and should be encouraged to cease using magic until they are recovered.” Valiant stopped to take a breath before continuing, “The second type of Magical Strain is Magical Exhaustion. Magical Exhaustion is caused by moderate overuse of a unicorn's magic and can physically manifest as a type of Physical Exhaustion with corresponding symptoms: stomach pain, anger, chest pain, fever and insomnia as well as the previously listed symptoms for Magical Fatigue. Once a unicorn begins experiencing Magical Exhaustion the unicorn will have a great deal of difficulty continuing to use magic and should be stopped immediately.” Valiant paused for another breath, “The third type of Magical Strain is called Critical Magical Exhaustive Stress (also known as 'Caster's Stroke'). Critical Magical Exhaustive Stress or C.M.E.S. is caused by extreme overuse of a unicorn's magic. C.M.E.S. can manifest in many ways, such as: dizziness, nausea, migraine headache, and painful hypersensitivity, in mind cases. In more severe cases symptoms may vary widely, such as: projectile vomiting, bleeding from the eyes, nose, or mouth, cracks in the horn, ect. There are also longer lasting effects of C.M.E.S. as well: change in the pigmentation of the skin, eyes, mane, and-or tail. These effects can last for days. Once a unicorn begins experiencing C.M.E.S. the unicorn will find it nearly impossible to continue using magic. If the unicorn continues using magic their life is at risk.” Valiant ceased reading and looked up from the book, “She must have been suffering from Critical Magical Exhaustive Stress then. Why would she push herself so hard if it's dangerous?” he asked.
Star shrugged,
“Maybe if you put her into the context you encountered her in?” she ventured.
“She was in a back alley levitating the librarian and demanding her bits or the unicorn would drop her. She had the librarian some 30 paces up in the air.” Valiant explained.
Star's eyes bulged and she held her head out toward Valiant,
“I've never heard of such a thing!”
Valiant shook his head sadly,
“Nor I. The unicorn seemed desperate for the money. I think there was something else going on though. I interfered and talked the unicorn down, but while I was talking to her, I picked up on something else, something that I don't think anypony else would have picked up on. The unicorn was engulfed in the darkness of despair. It was so thick I could almost touch it.”
Evening Star took a small step toward Valiant, her face saddened,
“How did you come to know despair so well?” she asked.
Valiant remembered the librarian's reaction when she learned about his formerly outcast status,
“I would rather not say. The librarian found out and now she's scared of me.”
Evening Star inched forward, right up next to Valiant,
“I won't judge you Valiant. Please tell me.” she asked softly.
Valiant took a deep breath to steel his nerves,
“I was a Vagabond for five years.”
Star was silent for a moment before she said,
“Then you were alone for five years. I can understand the despair.”
Valiant looked sideways at Evening Star,
“I'm surprised you know what a Vagabond is.”
Evening Star couldn't help but to chuckle slightly,
“I spend all my free time in a library.” Star's face then changed back to serious, “I know a few things. I know about Vagabonds and their punishment. It must have been very lonely for you.”
Valiant shuddered,
“You don't know the half of it Star.” he said lowering his head.
At his side, Evening Star nuzzled him gently,
“Tell me.” she said, voice barely above a whisper.
“I don't want to scare you Star.” Valiant said.
“You won't. You have no idea any of the things I've seen in my own lifetime. I promise, Valiant, I won't judge you or be afraid of you. We all have our own demons to face.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The sun had only barely risen over the horizon in Ponyville when Spike belched loudly, a puff of green smoke issuing forth from his mouth and materializing into a scroll. The little purple and green baby dragon covered his mouth to try to keep from laughing. He and Twilight had been eating breakfast when the message arrived. Spike had been chewing a mouthful of his breakfast, a large stack of apple pancakes, and had spewed the contents of his mouth all over Twilight. Twilight, on the other hoof looked rather decidedly un-amused. Her entire face was speckled with bits of partially chewed pancake. She had the reflexes to close her eyes just in time and opened them, blinking away pieces of pancake. Her face was set into patient neutrality, as she levitated a napkin over and wiped her face clear of the offending particles.
“Spike,” Twilight addressed calmly, “Would you be so kind as to read the letter?”
Spike put his little hand into his mouth and bit it, trying not to laugh, and failing utterly. Twilight sighed through her nose and waited patiently until her reptilian assistant had finished laughing.
“Spike,” Twilight said once again, “Would you be so kind as to read the letter, please?”
Twilight's calm demeanor caused further bouts of merriment from her assistant. Spike laughed so hard he fell out of his chair and onto the floor, clutching his stomach with tears streaming down his face. Twilight couldn't help but to smile to herself, Spike's laughter was rather contagious. Twilight tried to maintain a straight face but as anypony knows, the harder you try, the funnier it becomes. She allowed herself a couple of audible giggles, before Spike managed to pull himself off the floor of the Library.
“Sorry Twilight.” Spike apologized picking up the scroll, “Ahem. Dear Twilight, Dr. Mend and I arrived in Canterlot safely. We were personally received by Princess Luna. I am sharing a dorm room with Dr. Mend, compliments of the Princess. Our classes begin next semester, but I'm deeply worried about Dr. Mend. Something in him changed, and not for the better. I'm worried he might be having a mental breakdown. Besides our doctor friend, there is another concern troubling me on a different level. I encountered a unicorn mare who was using magic to force ponies to give up their bits or she would drop them from great distance. Her eyes were solid purple, which leads me to believe she was suffering from C.M.E.S. I am at a loss concerning Dr. Mend and the unicorn, and would gladly welcome any advice from anypony (or dragon). Your friend, Valiant.” Spike lowered the letter, “That sounds pretty serious Twilight.”
Twilight began pacing back and forth in front of the table as she explained,
“It is, Spike. In the past, unicorns who pushed themselves too hard have inadvertently leveled entire towns. If any unicorn continues suffering from C.M.E.S. for an extended period of time, their magic becomes completely uncontrollable. This unicorn sounds like she could be a danger to herself and others. The only method I've ever heard of for stopping a unicorn like that is by another unicorn of greater power. The unicorn suffering from C.M.E.S. has to be held and cared for until the effect of Caster's Stroke wears off, which can take several days. I don't know of any unicorn except one of the Princesses or myself who could perform such a task. Valiant and Dr. Mend have no way to stop this rogue unicorn on their own. In ancient times, C.M.E.S. was more common and each town or city would have unicorns dedicated to subduing a rogue magic user, but that practice has been abandoned for hundreds of years because most unicorns with that much raw potential are sent to the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns. The school teaches you iron clad rules for safely practicing magic and drills them into you. This unicorn must have been overlooked somehow. Valiant said she is capable of levitating other ponies, that takes a fair bit of magic and plenty of practice . . . “
“But you levitated that Ursa Minor like it was nothing.” Spike interrupted.
“It wasn't easy, Spike. Remember, how I had to spend a couple of days in bed afterwards? I didn't feel it immediately, except for the basic level of Magic Fatigue. I knew I had to be careful; the effects of C.M.E.S. can creep up on you. The school taught me that, so I was prepared. Imagine what would have happened if I had lost all control of my magic?” Twilight asked.
Spike shuddered,
“I see what you mean. It would be like what happened when you took your entry test for the school.”
Twilight nodded,
“Exactly, except it would be worse. My magic, right then was only being used for self defense because I was frightened. As a filly, I had no idea about death, so my magic took over and neutralized anything it perceived as a threat, but it can only use what the unicorn knows, so a little filly isn't as much of a threat. A unicorn in a panic won't be able to think clearly or make rational decisions; their magic will take over and identify any living thing as a potential threat. I wasn't suffering from C.M.E.S. I was in a panic, there is a big difference. Imagine all that power channeled only toward destruction. One of the things I learned in my research is that a unicorn suffering from Caster's Stroke becomes paranoid and sees everypony as an enemy trying to harm them. They basically self defense everything to death. Let me give you an example, if Rarity began suffering from C.M.E.S. even with her limited power, she could raise Ponyville to the ground in a matter of minutes.”
“But just seeing Princess Celestia brought you right out of the panic.” Spike observed.
“Princess Celestia radiates calm and magic just by proximity alone, Spike. It would have been impossible for me to stay in my state with her around. I'm certain Princess Celestia would have done something if she knew about the unicorn, and that worries me. The Princess knows about everything going on in Canterlot, so why hasn't she done something about it yet?” Twilight ceased pacing and turned, sharply, toward Spike, “Spike, take a letter . . . “ she began.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Valiant woke up late in the afternoon. He stretched and yawned and then looked around the dorm room. Dr. Mend had been lying in his bed reading when Valiant had come back from the Courier's Office that morning. Dr. Mend still lay in the exact same position as he had been when Valiant had gone to sleep. Neither stallion had spoken to the other since Dr. Mend's verbal explosion the previous day. Valiant had spent the rest of the previous night talking to Evening Star. The memory made his smile. Valiant shook his head and cleared his thoughts. He pulled back Big Macintosh’s blanket and got out of bed.
Valiant decided to break the silence his roommate had silently imposed,
“Have you had anything to eat yet today?” he asked quietly.
Dr. Mend never looked up from his book,
“I'll eat when I have time.” he said emotionlessly.
“I'm just trying to look out for you.” Valiant said carefully.
“I'm a big colt. I can take care of myself.” Dr. Mend replied.
“Would you like me to bring you something from the cafeteria so you can keep reading?” Valiant asked concerned.
“I can take care of myself. Besides, you have plenty to do don't you?” Dr. Mend said testily.
“I'm never too busy to help a friend.” Valiant said softly.
“Then help one of the ponies in Equestria who actually needs it. I only need to study.” Dr. Mend replied.
Valiant bit back an honest retort,
“I don't want to start an argument, but don't you need to take a break?”
“I'll have plenty of free time when I'm in the ground. Until then, it's my responsibility to keep others from heading that direction prematurely. I can't do that unless I study.” Dr. Mend said raising his head from the book, “So let me study.” he said, voice edged with warning.
Valiant took the hint,
“I'll be at the Tower Library if you need me.”
“I'll remember that.” Dr. Mend said dismissively.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Valiant walked into Mrs. Soothe's Apothecary holding his application in his muzzle,
“I'm sorry I'm late. I had a late night at the Tower Library.” he said plopping the application down on the counter.
The fuchsia coated, middle-aged unicorn mare, looked over the application carefully,
“You seem to have no job experience at all. How old are you?”
“I'm 25, Mrs. Soothe.” Valiant explained, cringing internally.
“Hmm. That doesn't bode particularly well for you here Valiant.” She said honestly, “I'm not exactly swamped with applications, but I don't want to hire somepony who might give a customer the wrong ingredients. If you can prove to me that you know your stuff, I'll consider more seriously.” she said looking up.
Valiant opened his saddle bag and removed his mortar and pestle,
“These are mine and I have a couple of recipes that I invented. The first one is written on here,” Valiant said laying down a piece of parchment on the counter, “It makes the whole body completely numb while allowing you to maintain total control over your motor skills.”
Mrs. Soothe read over the recipe carefully nodding to herself,
“This one is somewhat basic, but it would get the job done well enough. You said you have had no formal education in the field of alchemy, correct?”
Valiant nodded,
“That's right. I developed these on my own.”
Mrs. Soothe arched an eyebrow,
“These, plural? You've only given me one.”
Valiant hesitated,
“I do have another one, but I must ask that if I give it to you, you won't charge money for it.”
“You are here asking for a job, to make money, but you don't want one of your recipes to be sold for money?” Mrs. Soothe asked incredulously.
“Yes, ma'am. I do have a reason for it though.” Valiant responded.
“Alright, let's hear the reason.” Mrs. Soothe said.
“It's potent. So potent, in fact that it could easily be abused. It heals the body of injury at an accelerated rate and can even keep scars from forming. If used properly if can heal a broken bone, once set, in three days.” Valiant explained.
Mrs. Soothe looked highly dubious,
“I'm sure it's nice, but nothing I've ever heard of can do that. Let's see the recipe.”
Valiant took a deep breath and reached into his saddle bag,
“I'll do one better. I'll prove it.” he said laying the parchment on the counter.”
Mrs. Soothe began reading the recipe, ignoring Valiant, while she did so. Valiant took a breath and raised a hoof up in front of his mouth and bit down, on his leg, as hard as he could. Valiant felt the pain and took a breath, then bit harder, until he tasted blood. He let go of his leg and set it up on the counter in front of Mrs. Soothe.
Mrs. Soothe saw the bloodied appendage in front of her and reared back,
“What are you doing?” she asked mortified.
“You see this injury?” Valiant asked, Mrs. Soothe nodded, “By tomorrow I believe it will be gone.”
“If it isn't, I'll report you to the closest psychiatric hospital. If it is, I'll hire you under one condition. Don't EVER do that again.” Mrs. Soothe said emphatically.
Valiant removed a small jar from his saddle bag and set it on the counter,
“I'm going to drink this, then go to a clinic to have the injury documented. I'll come back tomorrow with the document as proof. I apologize for resorting to such drastic measures to prove my point, but this really is the real deal. I'm being completely honest with you.” Valiant said, then proceeded to chug the contents of the jar.
Once finished, Valiant screwed the top back onto the jar,
“I'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Soothe.”
Mrs. Soothe didn't know if she should fear for her safety or if she should be hopeful, this pony was crazy,
“I'll be here.” she said nervously.
Valiant left the apothecary and went, limping, in search of the closest clinic, 'Sometimes you just have to make a point.' he thought. As he walked, he realized he was drawing a lot of attention to himself, because of his injured leg. He lowered his head and broke into a trot, he didn't want to draw too much attention. He tried to remember where the closest clinic was, but his leg was dulling his concentration.
“Hey Valiant, what's going on?” asked Live Wire trotting up next to Valiant, “Wow, what a coincidence running into you like this. I stopped by Mrs. Soothe's apothecary a couple of times today to see if you had turned in your application, but she kept saying she hadn't seen you. I was headed back there now to ask again.” He machine gunned off in less than 5 seconds, “Hey why are you limping? WOW! What happened to your leg? Oh my gosh! That looks like it really hurts! Are you going to be O.K.? Are you headed toward a clinic? Because if you are you're heading the wrong direction. The closest clinic is two blocks that way.” Live Wire indicated the direction with his hoof, “Here let me help you. You need to be careful. Did you get bit by a stray dog? If you did then you need a shot. It doesn't look like you're in any danger of dying from exsanguination, but all the same you need to get that all patched up. It doesn't look like the injury hit any of your tendons maybe a muscle, and wow do you have a lot of muscles. Did I tell you that before? You are seriously buffed up. Oh yeah, I did tell you that when we first met, remember I asked you if you were here for a body building competition. You know, not many ponies can stand all my talking. I’m really grateful that you’re willing to put up with me. Hey, you know you should try to make some more friends while you’re here in Canterlot. I’ll bet there are just tons, and tons, and tons, and tons, and tons, and tons of ponies who would like to be friends with you, because you’re all strong and smart and everything. Maybe you could help me work out like you do, then I could attract a mare. I’ll bet you have the girls falling all over you. I'm sorry if I'm talking too much right now, but I'm trying to keep you distracted so you don't feel the pain, plus it will make the trip seem a whole lot shorter. See, here we are. NURSE!” Live Wire bellowed.
To Valiant's surprise, Live Wire spoke at a normal speed, although it was obviously difficult for him, as he related the injury to one of the nurses. Live Wire stayed with Valiant while he had his self inflicted injury cleaned and bandaged, chattering the whole time of course. The nurses looked at Valiant really oddly when he asked for written documentation of his leg injury, but complied. Valiant and Live Wire left the clinic and headed for the Tower Library, 'I wonder what Evening Star will think of Live Wire?' Valiant wondered as the Tower Library came into view.