//------------------------------// // The Morning of Change // Story: The Night's Record // by JakeDrake //------------------------------// It was a quiet morning in Canterlot; only a few ponies were truly awake this early that did not attend the night court. Celestia was raising the sun as other ponies started to open their windows and brew their hot coco for the morning. Though many shop keepers were already restocking their shelves for the day’s businesses and sweeping the walkways in front of their shops. One of the ponies sweeping the walks was a young Unicorn with his mane tied back with a bandana to keep it out of his eyes. His mostly green mane catching the sunlight as he worked, whistling a tune with his amber coat getting a bit dirtier as he worked. He glanced up with his hazel eyes and saw a figure walking across the street. He shrugged a bit as he finally levitated the broom back into its place behind the door as he propped it open. Waving to his mother who was starting to fiddle with a few of the little crystals they sold. He smiled sadly as he saw his younger sister working with her magic to set a few more gemstones into a tiara that would sell for a large amount of bits. He sighed as he went back outside and looked out to see the figure walking across the street again when he heard a tumbling and screeching sound from up the hill. He glanced up and his pupils shrank in response of what he saw. It was a rather large carriage, most likely borrowed by some colts for a bit of joy ride down the hills and rampaging through the streets. Of course, when a few colts did this it was in the middle of the night. Usually when they’ve convinced someone to buy them enough cider to get them smashed enough to steal the carriage, and then it was stopped by the guards. Of course if that didn’t happen they crashed or bailed out of the carriage before it damaged too much. The only problem was that whoever was wandering across the street down the hill was in the way of the carriage. The amber unicorn barely blinked before he bolted forward and rammed his side into the surprisingly large stranger and shoved them down and far enough away. He tensed himself and cursed himself for this act before he felt the wheel of the carriage hit his side and force him down onto the stone. He screamed in pain as he heard the cracking of something, not knowing if it was his ribs or a part of the wheel, he grit his teeth and screamed again as the other wheel rolled over him and the pain overloaded his system. ------ Beep. Beep. Beep. That’s the first sounds he heard as he slowly started to wake up and grumbled under his breath. Trying to sit up before the pain in his side made him gasp loudly and grit his teeth. He opened his eyes and saw the white ceiling tile that was ‘sanitize white’. He looked down and saw he was laying on a bed covered with a thick white comforter that seemed to have no real design on it. As he used his magic to push the blanket off of him as he adjusted his right leg and hissing under his breath when he tried to move the left a sharp pain telling him quickly it was a mistake. He saw he had a tight wrapping of gauze around his side with a slight stain of crimson, as he moved to touch it lightly with his right hoof he heard a door open in front of him. He saw it was a doctor, at least that’s what he thought with the coat and clipboard floating in front of him. “Ah Mister Shine we were worrying about when you were going to wake up, you gave us quite a scare when they brought you in this morning.” The doctor said as he moved closer to the colt and smiled, “But it seems you’ve taken to the magical healing better than most.” “Oh.” He said as he moved his right hoof to rub the side of his head and felt more gauze around his head where his bandana would normally be tied. “Hey what about that pony that-“He started before the doctor stuck large pill in his mouth and shone a magical light down his throat. “Oh you don’t worry about that; you need to worry about getting rested up for your family who has been waiting over twelve hours for you to wake up.” The doctor said finally making a note with his pen on the clipboard he was hovering magically in front of him. “I’ll be sure to tell them you’re ready to see them.” “Thank you very much.” The colt said with a smile as the doctor headed out of his room and he leaned back. He closed his eyes before he heard the door opening and the figure of his mother and two sisters come bursting into the room to crowd around his bed. “Oh Celestia we were so worried!” His light blue sister said as her yellow mane bounced lightly in its bow. He smiled as he moved to ruffle her hair softly with a grin before he felt his side being prodded by his other sister. He turned as he heard her say, “Thank god we didn’t have to visit you when you were asleep again, you were so boring.” “Rubie, Sapphi please don’t prod your brother. He just woke up and is still recovering.” His mother scolded as she moved up beside him and wrapped her arms around him kissing his cheek. “I cannot believe how you could throw yourself in front of a carriage like that for somepony you don’t even know. Do you know how close you came from being too far away to fix?” He smiled as his mother’s white coats around her eyes were stained with tears.” “I’m sorry mom, it’s just I saw them walking and not even notice the carriage was coming toward them and I couldn’t just…” He said as his mother hugged him causing him to gasp in pain as the pressure was around his torso, his mother quickly letting go of him as he rubbed his side in pain closing his eyes. “Who was it anyway?” The two sisters shook their heads, their cutie marks for jewelry shining in the light, and then a nurse stuck her head in. A small hat with a pink cross atop her head with a light frown as she said. “I’m sorry you three but the visiting hours are over, I know he just woke up but he still needs his rest. He’ll be ready for visitors by tomorrow.” “Aww.” The two sisters cried as their mother shook her head at them and smiled at her son saying, “We’ll be back in the morning around nine. Just…don’t push yourself too much Amber. The doctors are still having you hooked up to the machines just in case.” The colt groaned as he heard his name making the nurse look at him funny as she stepped in the room with a small tray covered with a metal top. He raised a brow as a small table was wheeled and positioned so it would fit over his bed without being in the way and the tray was put on top of it. As the metal top was lifted off of it a small crystal ball was resting in the center held up by some dark metal. “What…exactly is this?” Amber Shine asked as the Nurse shrugged. “No clue, I was just told to give you this and leave it in your care after I turned the lights off.” The Nurse said leaving the room and using her tail to flip the light switch causing the room to sink into a near complete darkness except for a new dim light from the center of the crystal ball. “Greetings Amber Shine,” A feminine voice shouted through the crystal making Amber jump and his heart rate meter beep faster as he did breathing deeper and deeper trying to come down. The voice however sounded somewhat familiar but he could not quiet place it. “Hello?” He asked tapping the odd ball with one hoof softly as a soft miasma swirled inside with a glowing point grew inside. As he stared he finally noticed what the white light was. It was a glowing mare’s eye. “I wanted to thank thee for thane bravery this morning and apologize I could not thank you in person.” The feminine voice said, though it was no longer shouting in his ears. “My courtly duties have suppressed me in the castle and my dear sister has been keeping away something she calls ‘The Press’.” “Oh…that’s no problem I guess.” Amber said still staring at the ball. He stared a moment not sure what to say before things started to spark in his head. The mare’s odd manner of speaking, her ‘courtly duties’, being ‘suppressed’ in the castle, the sister keeping the press away, and the relative size of the stranger he saved. “Oh you have no means to be so modest Dear Amber Shine; you have saved the Princess of Starlight. So I would like to offer you a position on my personal court after you are able to leave the care of the royal hospital.” The mare said as Amber stared at the ball. “W-what…I-I…” He said stuttering as he started to hyper ventilate. The meters in the room starting to go wild, his heart rate sky rockets and his blood pressure rising like a helium balloon. “Amber Shine? Art thee alright? You sound like you are in some sort of distress.” The Princess asked through the crystal as the colt continued to have his body freak out from the realization. Soon the door was opening and a team of nurses and doctors came in to stop him from moving and eventually he felt a needle pierce his leg. Soon his mind felt as if were made of syrup, his muscles soon following after as he slowly drifted off as he heard the princess speak again before his mind finally fell back into the land of dreams.