//------------------------------// // It Continues // Story: Catatonic // by Stormy Night //------------------------------// Catatonic: Chapter 2 Hospitals... Celestia hated hospitals. Even in the waiting room the air stank of sanitizers and medicines. At this hour it was nearly deserted. Other than Spike and the Princesses there was only one other pony waiting, an elderly pegasus mare who had dozed off in her chair. How anypony could sleep here was beyond Celestia's comprehension. Between the sterile astringent smell in the air and the chairs, which were uncomfortable in ways that seemed somehow physically impossible, sleep was simply out of the question. And that wasn't even taking into account the reason for her presence. She watched the clock as her fear grew, fear for her student and fear of whatever had so viciously attacked her. The clock, sitting placid on the wall over the reception desk, seemed to be mocking her. The second hoof slowly ticked its way around the perimeter, the sound of its movement deafening in the silence. Worst of all, at least at the moment, was the fact that it was ever so slightly crooked. She knew that she was just picking out insignificant problems with easy solutions in order to distract herself from more urgent matters, but she had to do something to pass the time. It had been nearly an hour already and that incompetent oaf of a doctor still hadn't come back. How long did it take to stabilize a pony in such critical condition anyway? Gently, delicately, she reached out with her magic. Wrapping a telekinetic sheathe around the clock she nudged it, ever so slightly, to the left. Even lighter, just a hair to the right. Perfect. She sighed, releasing her grip. The clock swung almost imperceptibly to the right. The Solar Princess gritted her teeth, her anger rising. Not only was her student in critical condition, not only was she stuck in this infernal waiting room, but that insufferable clock just had to mock her. Her magic wrapped once more around the clock as she absorbed herself in the effort to straighten the device. 'Perfect' She thought, as she released the clock once more. This time it teetered, wobbling ever so slightly from side to side, before stopping perfectly centered. She sighed. At least one of the things bothering her so had been dealt with, even if it was only the least of her current problems. As she began contemplating setting a small fire to destroy the hideous pale blue carpeting, the door to the ICU swung open. It tapped lightly against the wall in the process, knocking the clock a fraction of an inch off center. The doctor stepped out, levitating a clipboard before him. “Princesses, Spike,” He began, donning a small pair of reading glasses, “Twilight Sparkle is currently listed as critical, but stable. Her condition is no longer deteriorating, but is also showing no signs of improvement.” He folded back the first page of the rather bulky stack. “We've done all we can for her injuries, but without the option of magical treatment we are limited.” “Why, if you do not mind my asking, is magical treatment not an option?” Luna asked, her eyes showing concern despite the controlled calm in her voice. “We tried magically treating her when she first arrived, a spell to reduce the swelling in her brain.” He wiped his glasses on the white coat he wore. As he replaced them on his muzzle, he continued. “The results were, to put it mildly, anomalous.” “Anomalous?” Celestia asked, growing angry. “Just what is that supposed to mean?” Her eyes flashed as she loomed over the now thoroughly intimidated doctor. “What I mean is that she suffered a violent negative reaction to our medical spell. What we call a grand mal seizure. Any further attempts to treat her wounds with magic were put on an indefinite hold.” The doctor turned another page in his notes. “In total, she has broken both her hind legs, had one wing shattered, the other very nearly ripped from its socket. Three broken ribs, one piercing her left lung. Fractured clavicle, minor spinal chord damage, rather severely sprained neck. Lacerations in the abdomen, most relatively shallow, but one that passed dangerously close to several vital organs. Skull fracture, concussion, brain trauma due to magical backlash. And of course, the broken horn.” He scratched his head as he stared at the chart. “Honestly, I've never seen a pony injured this badly and still alive.” The trio stared at him, unable to believe such grievous harm could have befallen Twilight. What monster, they asked themselves, could possibly do such a thing? Luna gave voice to this question. “I don't know, to be honest.” The doctor replied. All I can say with any degree of certainty is that the wounds were inflicted through magical means. I've sent for a specialist, but I've no idea when she will arrive.” He sighed. “The trains to and from the Crystal Empire tend to run slow on a good day, and with all of the blizzards they've had lately frozen tracks are a guarantee.” “And what is to become of her while we wait for this 'specialist' of yours?” Celestia asked. “We are keeping her in the Intensive Care Unit for monitoring. If she remains stable then she will likely be moved to a private room.” The pale unicorn replied. “I wanna see her.” Spike said, hopping down off of his chair. The dragon walked toward the door from which the doctor had emerged, only to be cut off. “Hey! What gives?” He demanded. The doctor frowned, looking down at the young dragon. “I should warn you, she is somewhat unsettling to look at right now. Even with all my years of experience I have a hard time seeing somepony in that condition.” “I don't care.” Spike pouted. “She's been like a mom to me for all my life, and I wanna see her.” His expression made it clear that he wouldn't take no for an answer. The doctor gave a heavy sigh. “Right then. Follow me.” He led Spike through the doors and into the Ponyville Hospital ICU. For the most part it was empty, as injuries severe enough to warrant its facilities were rare in such a small town. Spike briefly wondered why the town had such a well supplied hospital, but his concern for Twilight took precedence. The two turned a corner and walked down a long hallway. Spike found himself missing the hideous blue carpets. Any color at all would be an improvement over the cold and sterile white tiles that covered the floors here. The doctor's hooves clicked on the hard surface with each step, as room after room passed them by. The hallway seemed altogether too long to fit in the building, some trick of perspective or architecture employed by its designers. Finally, the reached a room at the end of the hall. The doors were plastered with signs and warnings. Critical condition. Sensitive equipment. Sterile zone ahead. The doors hissed as they opened, and as Spike walked through he felt an odd tingling on his scales. The frame emitted an odd bluish light. The doctor must have noticed the confusion on the dragon's face. “The light is designed to kill off any harmful micro-organisms that may live on your scales.” He said as they passed through. “The patients we have in here often have compromised immune systems, either due to illness or injury.” The doors closed behind them, hissing once more as they sealed shut. The room was dominated by machinery, each piece flashing or beeping or making some other strange noise, A single bed sat amidst the confusion, and on it lay a pony. Her coat was nearly invisible beneath the layers of bandages and casts, with only a few patches of purple revealed in the gaps between them. A tube ran from one of the machines into her open mouth, clear fluid rushing through it. An IV stand sat beside the bed, slowly dripping yet another fluid into her body. Her eyes were closed, but she didn't seem to be sleeping. The peace associated with sleep was absent from her face, instead there was an odd blankness. She showed no expression whatsoever, simply lying there and breathing as the machines fed her and kept her hydrated. Spike felt a wave of horrified nausea rising in his throat. He fell back, legs no longer able to support his weight. “I warned you lad.” the doctor said, helping the young dragon to his feet. “It's never easy seeing a loved one in such poor condition. Would you like to leave?” The dragon shook his head. His scales had taken on a noticeably green tinge under the purple of his scales, but he made his shaky way over to the bed. He gently brushed a loose lock of Twilight's mane aside with one claw. “I don't know what happened, or how. I'm sorry I failed you, I'm sorry I couldn't stop whatever did this.” Tears filled his eyes and his voice grew thick with sadness. “No matter how long it takes, no matter what the doctors say, I'm here for you.” The crisp white sheets were darkened by his tears, and his head slumped forward onto the mattress. Sobs shook his body as he finally lost all control. The doors hissed open again, the Princesses stepping through with all of the grace they could manage. Celestia gasped at the sight of her student, the pony she thought of as very nearly a daughter. She had taught and cared for the young unicorn for years, watched her grow from a rather antisocial little filly into the amazing mare that she'd always known Twilight could be. She silently cursed herself as her carefully maintained facade began to crumble. She was a Princess, she was supposed to be strong for her subjects, but seeing her beloved student in such a situation was more than anypony could have handled. Luna was not faring much better. She hadn't known Twilight for nearly as long, but the younger pony had been instrumental in helping the Princess of the Night to adapt to this strange new world in which she found herself. Twilight was the first pony other than Celestia that Luna had truly considered a friend. Her chest clenched, a cold knot forming deep in her stomach. Not even Nightmare Moon in the darkest depths of her madness had been so sadistic as to do something like this. “I'm terribly sorry, your majesties, but we must ask you to leave.” The doctor said. He held out a handkerchief in his magic, which Celestia gratefully took. She briskly wiped the tears from her eyes and drew in a shuddering breath. Slowly, she regained some degree of composure. “We will keep you informed of any developments.” “For what its worth,” He said as the four left the room, “I'm sorry. I can see how much she means to you.” He folded his glasses and tucked them in the pocket of his coat. “I promise we will do absolutely everything we can.” The doors shut with a hiss, and Twilight was left alone. Only the myriad machines, with their symphony of sounds, broke the silence of the ICU. Twilight “Hello...” Twilight shouted. She thought she shouted it anyway. Without any sound it was difficult to tell. “Is anypony there?” She winced, the act of shouting sending another wave of pain ripping through her body. The darkness and silence were unbroken, but somehow she had the feeling that she was no longer alone. A presence, sensed in some way she couldn't begin to understand. Around her, the void stretched on to infinity, utterly dark and completely silent but not, she was now certain, empty. What lurked in that endless nothingness? The sensation it gave her was, in some way she tried and failed to define, familiar. Her attempts to learn anything about this place, if it could truly be called that, were forgotten as the pain rose up yet again. The time it lasted, as usual, was impossible to tell. With no frame of reference time was meaningless here. A second, a year, an eon were indistinguishable. Tears of fear and pain rolled again down her cheeks, and once again she wished for it to end. Once again, no end came, and her cries were lost in the infinite void.