//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Sedate 
// Story: A Call to Vespers 
// by AlicornPriest 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 4: Sedate
Twilight awoke to the gentle beep of the heart monitor nearby her bed. She turned her head and looked at the clock next to her: 6:03 AM. She sighed, then turned away. She'd been here in the hospital for far too long. The days were starting to blur together, and she was falling asleep and waking up without a pattern. To a mare who was usually very careful about her schedule, it was quite aggravating. If only this baby would just be born already, she wouldn't have to stay here much longer!
She closed her eyes only for a second, but when she opened them up again, two hours had passed, and her parents were standing quietly next to her bed. When they saw she had woken up, her mom smiled and asked, "So, how's our little girl?"
"I'm fine, Mom. Thanks for asking."
"No change so far?"
"Nope." Twilight shrugged. "According to the doctors, it should be any day now. The foal will be here soon, I promise."
"I sure hope so!" her dad said. He paced about the room, eventually heading towards the window. "I'm sure you must be sick to death of this darn room by now."
"I'm surviving." She lifted up a set of books that sat comfortingly on her nightstand. "See? I'm catching up on my classics."
"Twilight, you've read all of those at least three times!" her mother said with a sigh.
"I know, but I haven't read them this year. I don't want to forget any important details." She set them back down, the effect of her use of magic suddenly draining her.
Her father noticed it with a frown. "Don't overexert yourself, Twily. If you need to rest, go ahead."
"Resting's just about all I do these days!" Twilight shouted. She recoiled as she felt a spasm in her chest. It hurt like the blazes, but she didn't want her parents to see.
Her mother was far too quick to be deceived, though. "Was that it, Twily? Are you starting to go into labor?"
"We'll go get the doctors right away!"
"Mom, Dad, I'm not--!" But they were already rushing out the door. She shook her head. Her parents were such worrywarts; she was sure that, if she really was beginning to give birth, she'd know it. She hadn't read through every book on foalbirth in the Ponyville Library for nothing. As her parents galloping steps vanished into echoes, another visitor came into her little room: Professor Jade. Twilight remarked, "I didn't know you were coming by."
"Well, I probably would have shown up earlier, but I didn't hear you had been transferred up to Canterlot." He looked about the place, giving it a low whistle. "Nice place. They really do have all the best things up here."
"Supposedly, Celestia had something to do with it," Twilight said. "She wants to make sure I have access to the best doctors in the country to make sure nothing goes wrong."
Jade frowned. "I hope not. You're rather young as it is to be a mother. Celestia's probably right, then. A lot could go wrong, I won't sugarcoat it." He tipped his head, smiling weakly. "How are your dreams?"
"Actually, since I've been in the hospital, they've been tapering off." She tapped the equipment near her. "If I started having weird dreams, I think they'd know."
"Maybe so. I'm glad you're doing all right at least."
"Her Majesty, Princess Celestia!"
Twilight was interrupted of any response as the herald announced Celestia's entrance, with Twilight's parent and a small horde of doctors and nurses in her wake. Jade lowered himself into a formal bow, but Celestia quickly raised him up with a wave. Twilight noticed that Celestia was not adorned with her usual jewelry. Instead, she was wearing a set of scrubs, a head mirror atop her head in place of her tiara. Her flowing mane was tied up into a ponytail, though it still fluttered obstinately within it. Celestia smiled, then said, "Good morning, Twilight. I got some news from your parents, but it looks as though you're all right after all."
"I am, Princess." Twilight hesitated before asking, "There's just one thing... What are you doing here?"
Celestia laughed playfully. "I'm sure you're not used to seeing me like this, are you? Here, Twilight, check my nametag." She magicked it over to Twilight so that she could see it.
"'Her Majesty, Princess Celestia, Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S., Esquire?' You're a... doctor, a physician, a dentist, and a lawyer?" Twilight asked skeptically.
"And a princess, don't forget about that one." She winked at Twilight, then added, "I decided that I wouldn't be happy to have just anypony in charge of your foal's birth, so I chose myself as head doctor. You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not!"
"I've been going over your file -- you never thought I would say that, did you? -- and I think we may need to consider inducing birth. I know you've been here a while, and the last thing we want to do is keep you any longer than necessary."
"Inducing birth?" Twilight's mother asked. "I've never had that. Are you sure it's safe?"
"Quite," Celestia replied. "Twilight is a very special unicorn, but I'm afraid it may start interfering with the child's natural magic if we allow it to stay in her much longer."
"If you say so, Princess. I trust your judgment."
"That's Doctor now, Mrs. Twinkle." Celestia said with a grin. She turned to Twilight again. "Are you ready, then, Twilight?"
"I think so, Prin-- I mean, Doctor." Twilight shook her head. "I still can't believe you're actually a doctor."
"You'd be surprised how much time I have in between holding court and raising the sun," Celestia said. She motioned to a group of nurses, who moved her quickly over to a gurney and headed her out of the room. Celestia added as she followed along, "I hired some extra doctors and nurses to help, so we'll need a bigger room to do this in. Just try to relax until we get there." She picked up the file once more and noted, "Twilight Sparkle headed to room to induce labor. Date is May 23rd, time 08:33 AM."
She did as Celestia told her; the ride was actually fairly comfortable, despite the constant rattling of the cart. The movement and pace made her drowsy, and before long she felt herself drifting in and out of sleep. She felt herself jostled from sleep when Celestia roused her, saying, "We're here, Twilight."
She looked around. They were in a large room, huge even, with only a few lights, leaving most of the chamber in shadow. There were dozens of machines nearby, many of which Twilight was embarrassed to admit did not recognize. The rest of the room was nearly full to the brim with ponies, be they doctors or nurses. Twilight asked Celestia, "Just how many ponies did you say you hired?"
"I didn't," Celestia replied. "I believe the number would be about, 'a lot.'" She giggled, quite unbecoming to a princess (or a doctor, for that matter). "I wanted only the best for my faithful student."
"Well, I'm sure it will be just fine, now."
As Twilight settled down, Celestia gathered the nurses and doctors around her bed. "Is everypony ready?" she asked. There was no trace of humor anymore in her voice.
"Yes, ma'am!" they cried out as one.
"Then let's begin."


***


Twilight felt as though she were on fire. Every nerve seemed to be burning, every part of her rebelling against her. The doctors and nurses were hurrying in and out of the room, frantically trying anything that could help. She didn't fully understand, but something was horribly wrong.
Celestia sat right next to her. Her horn was glowing a brilliant gold, with sparks flying off of it and prominences curving across the edge. Her face bore a frown, and her brow was furrowed; it looked subtle, but Twilight had never seen Celestia exert herself so much magically. Twilight could hardly imagine what her condition would be if Celestia were not applying so much magical aid. Even still, Celestia was working. Twilight watched scalpels, IV's, and other equipment fly by in that golden aura. And among each group, a golden Celestia-shaped image barked out orders and demanded more medicine.
"Bring more salicylic acid!"
"Her heart rate is dropping!"
"Watch her thaumic level; don't let it dip below 22!"
"Quickly, remove the foal! Now, before it's too late!"
"Something's wrong with the uterine wall!"
"Keep her steady, keep her steady!"
Twilight arched her back as another wave of pain overcame her. Celestia's magic forced it to subside as quickly as it could, but there was no way to stop it entirely. She focused on her breathing, making sure she continued to take in breaths, no matter how ragged and uneven. All she wanted was to rest, to escape from this world of fire and storm, but she could not. Not while she had a foal to take care of. Not while Celestia was counting on her.
She felt a heaviness escape her, and knew that it was done. The pain was still intolerable, but she could see one nurse putting the foal into a special crib. From what she remembered, it was designed to help jumpstart the child's breathing and heartbeat, in case it wasn't able to do it by itself. Despite her pain, she was able to relax, if only a bit. She looked over to Celestia, who hadn't moved in the hours that the operation had taken place. She mumbled, "Is it over?"
Celestia didn't move from her position, but she murmured in response, "Unfortunately, not at all, my faithful student. I'm afraid there is still a lot more to do before you are stabilized."
"Will I... will I be all right?" Twilight asked.
"...Perhaps," said Celestia. Twilight meant to ask further, but another spasm of pain flared through her, and it was all she could to keep herself conscious.
The pain began to subside, though slowly. It was a long time before any of the doctors were willing to let her sit up or use her magic. Even after the last stitch had been put in place and the salicylic acid had begun to wear off, her life signs were still dangerously low. Celestia finally stood up, wiped the sweat from her eyes, and walked over to the child. She brought it over to the convalescing Twilight and asked, "Do you want to hold her, Twilight?"
At Twilight's nod, she put the foal into Twilight's forehooves. "A filly..." she murmured.
"Yes."
Twilight looked at her closely. She was small, intensely adorable. Her coat was a deep midnight blue, and her mane and tail reminded her of her own. It was the eyes that Twilight found most intriguing. The foal's eyes were a piercing violet, and even now, they looked at her with an intense curiosity. Twilight whispered, "Holly. Her name is Holly."
"All right." Celestia retrieved the foal from Twilight's arms, then set her on the ground. A nurse came in and walked Holly out of the room. "We've got to get her started on walking soon, or she won't learn properly."
"I understand," Twilight replied. Once everyone had left, Twilight asked, "May we talk about the Grey Factor?"
"Not now, Twilight. Just rest, and I'm sure--"
"Holly doesn't have it," Twilight stated. She looked at Celestia for some sign of emotional response.
"I know. Nor does she carry it."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "How can you know for sure?"
"We've done a blood sample. With your help from before, we've developed some new tests. If Holly ever has children, none of them will have the Grey Factor, not even the colts."
Twilight struggled to make sense of this. "Well, that's no problem. I'm still carrying it, aren't I? I can just have a colt later, an younger brother for Holly, and he'll have it, right?"
Celestia turned and looked away. Twilight looked at her, suddenly afraid. "...Can't I? What aren't you telling me?" Celestia still wouldn't answer or look at her. "Please, tell me! I have to know!"
"I'm sorry, Twilight... I'm so, so sorry. We did everything we could."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"I'm afraid there was irreparable damage to your body. You'll never have children again."
"Then that means..."
"Yes. The Grey Factor is gone. Hope is lost. We are doomed."


***


It was later in the evening. Twilight had explained everything as best as she could to her family and friends. Her five friends from Ponyville had made it up, though when they heard the bad news, they switched from joy to sadness. Rarity remarked, "It's terrible, my dear. And so young!"
"It... It's not a big deal," she said. The stammer in her voice gave away her lie. "As long as I have Holly..."
"I've seen the girl, galloping through the halls," Applejack said. "She's a fine little filly, make no mistake about it."
"I know, but..." She couldn't explain the imminent danger, not to them. She resolved, then and there, to make the most of what she had. If they were going to die, if the draconequi were coming within her lifetime, then she would make the most of her time with Holly. Perhaps there had never been any hope to begin with.
"If there's anything we can do," said Fluttershy, "please, ask us."
"We're here for you, Twilight," Rainbow Dash added. "No matter what."
Twilight dried a tear from her eye. "Thanks, girls. That means a lot. Although I think the worst is behind me, now. The operation was..."
"Horrible. I can imagine."
"Well, as soon as you and Holly are out of here, we're going to throw you a big old party! How's that sound?"
"Thanks, Pinkie," Twilight said. "I knew I could count on you. The truth is, I could really use the joy right about now."
"Then let's not talk about what's done and gone," said Rarity. "Let's just lighten the mood for now."
And so they did. As the evening stretched on, she felt herself slowly exiting the conversation. Her eyelids shut, and as her body relaxed more and more, she contented herself that things could only get better from here. With Professor Jade, her family, and her friends, she could make it through.


***


Her dream was full of pain. She felt as though she were back in the operating room, and the foal was being cut out of her once again. She could hear the disjointed comments of the medical team around as Celestia instructed them from several different points.
"She's in pain! Get her back up to normal now!"
"Her blood pressure's low. Get it back up right away!"
"Watch her thaumic level!"
"Stop the hemorrhaging, STAT!"
"Stabilize her! Don't let her slip!"
"The foal! Cut the cord!"
Twilight could hardly focus. She had been in this position once, but it was even worse the second time, knowing exactly what was going to happen. She could recall each moment with almost perfect clarity: the wracking pain shooting up her spine, the final release of the foal, the slow recovery. The dream was relentless in how strong the details were.
Celestia sat up, but Twilight stopped her. "Please, don't go."
Celestia looked at her, confused. "I was just going to get the foal. I thought you might like to see him."
"Of course I'd like to see her, it's just that..." Twilight slowed, then stopped. "Did you say 'him?'"
"Yes, him. Your child is a colt. You really do need to see him." Celestia smiled, then used her magic to bring the child over to her. She placed the foal carefully in Twilight's forehooves.
The first thing she noticed was that he looked just like a guard. His coat looked nothing like anypony in any of her lineage that she knew of. But she knew immediately why it was so. Gray. His coat was gray.
"He... he..." Twilight stammered.
"Yes, he has the Grey Factor." She paused, then added, "He looks almost exactly like Dawnstrike did, all those years ago. This is the color we've been attempting to reproduce."
"It's not possible...What about Holly?"
"Holly? That's typically a mare's name, but I suppose you know best..."
"No, his name isn't Holly!" Twilight shouted. "In fact, he doesn't exist! I gave birth to a filly named Holly not four hours ago, then you told me I can never have foals again, and now I'm here, and I'm so confused!"
Celestia opened her eyes very wide. "You know about that? I was afraid to tell you; I wasn't sure you were ready."
"Yes, because you JUST TOLD ME!"
"No, I didn't. I haven't mentioned it yet."
"Look, this is too confusing. I just want to go back. Wake me up, Celestia, please!"
"...Wake you up? Twilight, you really are confused. You're not asleep. This is real life."
"No, I'm dreaming right now. Holly's birth was real life, and I'm asleep now."
"Are you sure?"










"...What?"
"I said, are you sure? You did fall asleep on the gurney on the way here. Maybe you dreamed up this whole thing with Holly."
"That doesn't make sense. That was real, and this is dreaming, and..." Suddenly she wasn't so sure anymore. If this was reality, then that was dreaming, and the time before that was real life.
...Come to think of it, when had she been asleep and awake? When she had woken up to see her parents, had that been dream or reality? What about the time before that? She had fallen asleep and woken up so many times in the hospital that now she wasn't sure. All of it had felt so real, so she'd assumed they'd been, but what if some of them were dreams? What if all of them were dreams? What if everything she'd ever experienced was some fiction dreamed up in her head and now she was going to wake up and be right at home in bed with Spike back in the library and none of this ever actually happened and what if--
She felt a slap across her face. Celestia must have noticed she was spiraling. When she looked over, Celestia looked incredibly concerned. "What is going on, Twilight? You looked like you were in trouble somehow."
"There's a lot to take in..." she said.
"I understand. You've had a foal, through a very difficult and sacrificial birth might I add, and now you have to consider the responsibilities on you and on the colt here."
"Vesper," she said.
"Ah, a good name," Celestia said. "From Vespers, one of the Founders of Canterlot?"
"My lineage," Twilight added.
"That's right. I had forgotten." She set the colt down, and he raced out the door. "Oh, before I forget, let me write that down on the file." She pulled a pencil from the air, then wrote down carefully, "Foal, Vesper, born on May 27, time 05:24 PM."
"It's the 23rd, isn't it?" But Twilight caught herself. That was in the dream. Why the dream had purported to start on a different day, she didn't know.
Celestia looked at her. "You really are confused, aren't you? I promise you, this is real life, and today is definitely the 27th."
"All right." She resolved to keep that in mind. No matter what happened, this was definitely real life. She'd had a strange dream, for sure, but it was definitely real life now.
Most of her friends were able to come over, except for Rainbow Dash. Apparently there was a huge storm planned today, and only she could keep it in check. Still, Twilight was glad to have all of her friends nearby. She let herself drift off into peace.


***


"Oh, thank Celestia! Apologies, Your Majesty."
"Not at all."
"Uhhnn..." Twilight woke up to see Celestia and a crowd of other onlookers standing eagerly by her bed. She looked at one, then the other. "Is... is something the matter?"
"Twily..." her father said (he was the one who had sworn to Celestia, she noticed), "You've been in a coma for 3 days."
"We haven't been able to wake you up for anything!" cried Pinkie Pie.
"3 days? Then that means today is the thir-"
"The 27th, I know!" said Pinkie Pie. "Why on Earth would you want to sleep that long?"
"I-I certainly didn't mean to!"
"In my medical opinion," Celestia said, "it was probably some sort of coping mechanism for the trauma you went through during the operation."
"I see..." Twilight shook her head, then asked Celestia, "How is Vesper doing?"
"Vesper? What are you talking about?" As Rarity said this, a blue-and-purple foal came trotting into Twilight's room.
"Holly! So this is..." She pinched herself with a bit of magic. But no, she refused to wake up. Something strange was going on...
"Oh, hey little one!" Applejack said. She hoisted Holly up into the air, making her babble and spit joyfully. "How y'doin', Holly?"
"Silly AJ!" Pinkie said, "Holly's way too young to start talking!"
"Don't you think I know that?" Applejack said with a scowl. "I watched my little sis grow up; I know these things!"
"Please don't start fighting..." Fluttershy said, folding herself into a corner as she did so.
Twilight noted a single pony missing from the group watching her. "Where's Rainbow Dash?" said Twilight.
But the look in Fluttershy's eyes told her that she already knew the answer. "Oh, we're sorry. She wanted to come, but... she had a big storm to work on."