Act Three Chapter Eight - Bugs
Lumine flexed a foreleg, testing it as Peridot finished wrapping the knee.
“I want you to be careful, Lumine,” she warned him. “I’ve repaired what I can but you managed to cook yourself pretty badly and you need time to heal. Don’t even even think about trying to use your magic, understand?”
“What about levitation?” he asked. She shook her head. “But, how am I suppose to take care of myself?”
“Try it and you might find yourself as magical as a horseshoe. Burnout takes time to heal and it’s not something I can do much for, aside from ease the pain if you push yourself.” Peridot’s eyes softened, “And don’t worry. I’ll be here to take care of you.” She gave him a little half hug, “It’s the least I can do after you saved us from those… things.”
Despite the blankets that held him almost as tightly as the bandages, Lumine shuddered. “What were those things anyway? I’ve never seen mention of them in any text of the imperial library. Although I suppose there might be some mention of them in the royal library in the ruins of the old unicorn city to the east… Hm.. it might be an interesting expedition.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “You know, I bet that with your help I could melt through the glacier to access the library. Who knows what we might find!” His eyes lit with excitement. “We might even find the Arcania Compendium! It was said to have been kept under magical wards in the Arcanium at the palace but they shouldn’t be much of a challenge, given enough time, and luck… and maybe a good long stick to poke them with so I don’t get fried again. Oh but can you imagine! The secrets we might learn! The spells! The history! The ARRGH…” Lumine groaned and clutched his side.
“Careful there…” Peridot eased the pain with her magic as she smoothed back Lumine’s mane with a hoof. “I’m happy to see you in high spirits but you’re not going anywhere right now.”
He nodded in agreement, “I suppose not. It seems my archaeological ambitions will have to wait until I’m healed. Can hardly conduct a search for the magical secrets of the past while I can’t use magic, can I.”
“Or walk,” Peridot said with a smile.
“Or walk,” he agreed. He smiled and chucked weakly.
“What’s funny?”
“Oh its just that with all these bandages, braces, and bruises, not to mentioned that I’m missing about half my fur and smell like burning hair,” he paused to poke Peridot in the chest with a quaking hoof. “At least you can’t call me ‘the pretty one’ any more.”
Peridot laughed, “Yeah, you’re not exactly looking your best right now, but you are kinda cute in a helpless pathetic kind of way.”
“Please don’t call me cute, Peridot…” he tried to laugh but instead let out a heavy cough from his barely healed lungs. “By the way, where did our illustrious princess run off to? Shouldn’t she be here tending to her oldest and dearest friend as he lay on his death bed?”
“Benny’s meeting with Guard captains,” Peridot answered. “She’s still pretty shaken but they need to know what to look for.”
Worry crept into Lumine’s voice, “Where’s the prince?”
“Still out at the fringes with the Guard,” Peridot shook her head. “He said he’ll be back once he’s sure the city is safe. I think he blames himself for what happened to our escort out there.”
“Are they…”
“They’re alive,” Peridot rubbed her temple with a hoof. “Other than that I can’t say. There doesn’t seem to be any physical damage but they’re completely unresponsive.”
Lumine shifted on his cushions, righting himself a bit, “Maybe I can help. I might know a spell that could snap them out of it.”
“No, what you need to do right now is rest.” Peridot gently pushed him back down with a hoof. “And NO magic. Don’t make me anesthetize you.” She slung her saddle bags over her back, “I’ll be back in a bit, okay. Try to get some sleep.”
Lumine sighed in resignation and promised that he would try. Peridot latched the door behind her as she left and hung a ‘patient sleeping’ sign on the door latch before making her way to the guard ponies rooms to see if there had been any change. She was disheartened to find them as they had been the last time she saw them, lying limply in their beds with the same thousand yard stare from eyes that seem to see nothing. She did what she could to make them comfortable before quietly closing their doors behind her, wondering if they were even able to notice her efforts.
She begged a plate from the palace kitchen and clopped up the stairs to her personal rooms to rest from the day’s ordeal. She was lazily finishing her a much delayed slice of cake when there was a gentle knock at her door.
“Come on in!” she called over her shoulder. “I’m out on the balcony.”
A moment later a dandelion yellow head poked around the corner.
“Benny!” Peridot called happily, springing to her hooves. “Everything go okay?”
The princess nodded, “I got everypony up to speed. None of my advisors have heard of anything like those things that attacked us. How’s Lumine?”
“He’s okay. A little whinier than normal but he’ll be fine.” She pulled out a seat for her friend, “So long as he follows my instructions his magic will recover in a week or so.”
“Well, he has the best doctor in the Empire looking after him.”
“And Equestria,” Peridot winked. “Although technically I’m not a doctor just a researcher of medical magics. Any word from Dutiful yet?”
Benevolentia nodded, “Messenger reached me while my advisors and I were in session. He’s organizing additional patrols, won’t be back until late. He wants me to relay his gratitude to Lumine when he wakes up.”
“Lumine saves the day. Who would’ve thought.” Both mares laughed.
Benevolentia stole a bite of Peridot’s cake and sank into her cushion with a sigh, “This is not how I thought we’d celebrate inaugurating the Heart Prism.” She looked out on the city, shining with the red and golds of the slowly setting sun. “At least it’s nice out.”
“For now at least,” Peridot waved a hoof at a dark cloud sweeping in from the west.
Benevolentia cocked her head, “That’s odd… weather control didn’t say anything about rain today.”
“Maybe its a glitch in one of the foci,” Peridot shrugged. “Any change to the Heart’s energy is bound to affect the weather. I’ll check the weather spell matrixes in the morning.” She got up and stretched, “Right now though, I think I’m about due for a rest. Running… not my thing.” She chuckled to herself. “You can finish up the rest of my cake if you like,” she offered.
Benevolentia didn’t respond. She just stared past Peridot, transfixed, her eyes as wide as saucers.
“You okay Benny? You’re usually not one to turn down…” Peridot let her voice trail off as she followed the Princess’s gaze. As as watched, the seemingly innocuous cloud reached the edge of the city and did something decidedly, un-cloudlike. “Harmony preserve us,” she muttered.
As it crossed the city boundary the cloud scattered into innumerable black motes that streamed deeper into the city before flaring an eerie green and streaking down to the streets below. Even from so far away, Peridot could hear ponies beginning to scream.
Benevolentia’s face flashed with horror as she realized that their mysterious attackers had returned before twisting into anger, “How dare they? How DARE they attack MY ponies!” She spun to Peridot, who was still staring, mouth agape, “Peridot! Go get the servants and get everypony you can into the caves below palace. There’s a secret entrance in the throne room, it’s sort of an escape route, they should be safe there.”
Peridot nodded, “What about you?”
“I’ll be fine,” she flared her wings and stepped to the ends of the balcony. “Just get as many as you can to shelter.”
“But you’re the…”
“Just do it!” the princess snapped before leaping from the edge and diving below. “Guards! Guards!” she yelled. “Defend the city!”
Peridot took one more glance out over the city before darting through her rooms and into the hall. Her hooves chattered on the polished floors as she streaked around corners and down stairs. She reached the chamberlain’s rooms and butted it open with her shoulder without breaking stride.
“Nitpick! Where are you?” she yelled as she barged in. “Nitpick!”
“Lady Peridot?” the elderly stallion said as he emerged, rubbing his eyes and wearing a bathrobe. “What is the meaning of this?”
“The city is under attack! Get everyone inside.”
“Under attack?!” he gasped. “By whom?”
“It’s those bug things from earlier. The servants need to gather everypony they can from outside and into the escape tunnel through the caves. Princess Benevolentia’s orders.” She added, “And post some guards with them.” Nitpick nodded and she turned to leave.
“But, Lady Peridot wait, I was told that those creatures can disguise themselves.”
“That’s what the guards are for,” she called over her shoulder and sped out.
She made a beeline to the palace clinic, slowing only to relay instructions to servants as she passed. She threw open the door to Lumine’s room and dashed to his bedside.
“Lumine!” she yelled as she shook him awake.
“Hwa? Who the?” he yelped as he was ripped from sleep. “Peridot? Are you trying to kill me? Shaking a patient awake hardly seems like the proper way to…”
“There’s no time!” Peridot cut him off. “We have to go now!”
“Go? Where? What’s the big…?” he started.
Just them a massive crash resounded through the palace, ringing it like crystal bell. Peridot and Lumine clutched their ears as shelves and medical equipment was shaken loose from the walls.
“We’re under attack!” Peridot answered his unfinished question.
“I can see that,” he answered throwing off his thin blanket. “Let me venture a guess, we have a bug problem?”
Another lesser explosion shook the room again. “Yeah, you could say that. We have to get you to shelter.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m not a colt, Peridot,” he crawled out of bed and stood shakily. “We’re one of only a hoof full of unicorns in the city. The Empire needs us.” He tried to take a step but collapsed to his knees as his legs failed him.
“The Empire needs you alive, Lumine.” Peridot helped him to his hooves and into bedside chair. “I can’t risk you getting hurt trying to help.”
She told him about the Princess’s order and he nodded in agreement but crossed his hooves and pouted, clearly unhappy. “How do you plan on getting me to this shelter?”
Peridot motioned for him to wait to stuck her head outside and called for a nurse, only to see them rushing out the clinic door carrying the other patients on stretchers. She looked around the room for something to carry him in. Giving up she suggested, “I guess I’ll just have to levite you the whole way.”
Lumine raised an eyebrow, “No offence, Peridot, but there’s a lot of palace between us and the throne room. Are you sure you could hold the spell for that long?”
“Well, I don’t know,” she threw up her hooves. “Do you have any smart ideas?”
Lumine tapped chin and thought before smiling mischievously. A minute later Peridot found herself galloping full speed through the palace’s shining corridors to the throne room with Lumine bouncing along on her back.
“I swear Lumine, if you tell anypony about this…”
“Oh quit your whining, my noble steed,” Lumine laughed. “Onward ho!” It took a tremendous amount of restraint for her not to buck him off.
As they approached the throne room a pair of a guards spotted them coming and, after a quickly tapped pass code on its polished surface, began pushing the heavy doors aside. Peridot swore the one of the left was stifling a giggle at her predicament. Peridot grumbled and galloped on, wanting all the more to get him off her back.
All at once, there was a brilliant flash of green light as the hallway thundered with the roar of rent stone. Peridot skidded to a halt as a massive slab of translucent stone crashed to the floor just a hoof’s width from where she stood. With an insectile chitter a black carapaced creature climbed over the chunk of fallen roof and stared down at her.
Peridot lit up her horn and levitated a chunk of debris. “Come on bugs! What you got!?” she yelled.
The creature sneered and was joined by three of its fellow attackers as the crawled out of the wreckage.
“I believe,” Lumine muttered from her back, “they ‘got’ backup.”
The things leapt forward, fangs bared. Peridot screamed and dropped the rock she had levitated and braced for impact. Suddenly, a deep throated voiced bellowed a challenge and a silver blur shot overhead, slamming into the center creature and driving it backwards, slamming it into a pillar. The creatures stopped mid pounce and spun around to face the new threat.
Their savoir pulled himself from his vanquished foe and turned to the two remaining creatures, squaring his hooves and planting his spear firmly against the ground.
“Prince Dutiful!” Peridot yelled as recognition dawned.
“Lumine, Peridot, where is Benevolentia?” the Prince called out.
“I don’t know,” Peridot admitted. “She took off to rally the guard.”
“And you didn’t try to stop her?” he demanded.
“Nothing I could do, she has wings,” she answered. “Besides, have you ever tried telling that mare what to do?”
Dutiful laughed despite himself, “Does it look like I have a deathwish?”
The two creatures hissed menacingly. “A little,” Lumine answered.
Dutiful smiled without humor, “Excuse me, Peridot. We can continue this in a moment.”
The prince raised his spear and charged the intruders, swinging his weapon in a wide arch. The creatures flew to either side and circled around, hoping to catch him in the back. Dutiful pirouetted on a hindhoof and swung his spear downward, slamming its weighted end down in the head of one of the beasts and ducking as the other flew over his back.
Coming around again, the remaining creature bared its fangs, feigning to the right. Dutiful’s spear swung harmlessly over it’s head as it closed in. It hissed triumphantly as it closed in only to have the prince reverse direction and slam the butt end the weapon in the center of its forehead, knocking it out.
The prince took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming himself. “Lumine, can you walk?”
“Not really,” he answered, staring at the incapacitated creatures sprawled on the floor.
The prince growled, “Fine. Peridot get him to safety and come back quickly. I need your help.”
“My help?”
“I need to find Benevolentia, but I can’t do it alone. There are too many of these… insects out there. Thousands.”
“I’m not a fighter, Dutiful,” Peridot shook her head. “I don’t know what help I’d be.”
“You’re a healer, just use your magic to keep me strong and fighting and it won’t matter how many of things things are between me and my wife.” He looked her in the eye, “Can you do that for me?”
Peridot gulped and nodded.
“Good, now get him to safety and let’s go.”
Peridot sped round the fallen debris and made it to the throne room doors just as guards inside managed to shove it open against the mass of rubble that had fallen against the outside. A pair of guards helped Lumine off her back.
“Take care of the prince, Peridot,” Lumine smiled weakly.
She returned his smile, “I’ll do what I can. You just stay here. Okay?”
He shook his head, “This isn’t right, it should be me going. If I could use my magic I could hold back these monsters all day.”
“I’m sure we’ll need your magic soon enough. Right now you need to let it heal.” Peridot tried to sound brave, “Besides, you already got to be the hero today. It’s my turn.”
Lumine limped forward and threw his still weak legs around her neck, “Just stay safe.”
Peridot returned his hug, holding her friend tight before answering, “You too Loony.”
“Hey!” he laughed. “Only the princess gets to call me that.”
She smiled and nuzzled his cheek before nodding to the guards to help him into the caves below.
She returned to the prince to find him binding the legs and wings of the creatures with strips of cloth torn from the expensive tapestries hanging from the walls.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Peridot tried to answer but her voice caught in her throat so she settled for nodding.
“Good,” he slid his spear through a loop on the side of his armor, wearing it like a short lance. “We can’t waste a moment more.”
Peridot coughed to clear her throat, “How are we going to find her?”
“Simple,” he smiled. “We keep looking till we find her or run out of bugs to stomp.”