Red Wood woke suddenly about four hours later. There was no smooth transition from sleep to wakefulness, an expected side effect of the dreamless sleep potion he had taken. Still Red Wood looked out his window with some surprise at how high the moon was still in the sky. He had planned on waking up early, but not this early.
He lay back in his bed and considered trying to return to sleep, but after laying still for several minutes, found himself too agitated to relax. He had things to do, and starting early was really for the best, but before rising, he had to check on something.
Red Wood closed his eyes and whispered, “Parker? You awake?”
He waited and tried again, “Parker?”
There was no response, and Red Wood couldn't ‘feel’ Parker at all. He smiled to himself with some satisfaction, he had guessed this would happen but hadn't been certain. When the Stone Heart Blessing had not affected Parker, Red Wood guessed that the barrier between their minds blocked the effects of magic potions. That meant that Parker was most likely deeply dreaming and still asleep. With luck that should give Red Wood a few hours of real privacy. He smiled, he hadn't had a moments real privacy in months.
Slipping out of bed, the pony quietly walked to the sitting room. There he saw that the two guard ponies had already swapped places, and Solid Star was now the pony asleep on the couch. Red Wood didn't get too close, he suspected that Solid was a much lighter sleeper than Spring had been. He instead he put his head out the front door and spotted Spring Kicker standing at attention.
“Good evening, private.” Red Wood said in a quiet voice to not disturb the older soldier.
“Just ‘Guard’ sir, only special forces use ranks that mean anything. In the UEP ranks are all over the place, I've seen Admirals report to Generals and Generals report to Captains, and just as often the other way around.”
“How do you know who to take orders from?” Red Wood really never thought much about ranks in the guard.
“You salute who ever has prettier armor than you do, but you get orders from the officers you're assigned to. And I guess in middle of battles you follow who ever yells the loudest, but that doesn't happen too often” Spring shrugged. Then he looked up at the moon, “You’re up early sir. It can’t be past 3am.”
“That sleeping potion I took, stopped dreams and I guess concentrated my sleep down to a few hours. Now I don’t even tired, couldn't sleep if I wanted to.”
“Wish, I had taken some.” Spring Kicker replied, “Oh, I don’t mean I’m afraid of my dreams, but be would be nice if just four hours was enough sleep.” He followed that up with a fairly impressive yawn. “Excuse me sir, its been a long few days.”
“No apologies necessary. Besides, we’re in the middle of Canterlot, in the shadow of the royal palace, did the Princesses really order you and Solid Star to stay awake in watches all night like this was some sort of wild encampment?”
“Another name for the royal guard is ‘The Watch’ I’m afraid that’s what we do sir, anyways I pulled longer shifts with less sleep before. Thanks for your concern, but we’ll be fine.”
“OK Well if you need me, I’m going to finish some projects in my workshop, have a bunch or orders I've neglected.” Red Wood gestured towards the back of the house. “If you need anything, just ask.”
“Yes sir, thank you sir. Should be fine until morning” Spring gave the clock-maker a salute and then turned his eyes forward, back to the guards patented stone faced expression.
Red Wood turned back into his home, and made a show of heading towards his workshop, it was his real destination so there was no point in being secretive about it. Red Wood trusted that the guard would not leave his post to check up on him and if he did so, would not be able to recognize the intricacies of clock making from Red Woods real plans.
When the old pony from the Cult had given out instructions to Red Wood and the guards, Red Wood’s instructions had featured securing oil rags, flint and steel. Red Wood had suggested an alternative and was encouraged to be creative. So with enthusiasm Red Wood cleared his workbench of all the clocks, music boxes and curio boxes he had been working on and took out a half dozen plain clockwork bases.
Then from a locked cabinet he opened a case of mana batteries. He had only recently purchased this box. A number of his potential Canterlot clients had been asking about larger fancier clock installations, the sort of clocks put up in towers and telling time was their least important function. Rather the quarter hours would trigger animated marching figures, water effects or elaborate multi instrument mechanical music players. These secondary features could not be powered by the weights and springs of his clock mechanisms, so Red Wood was experimenting with ways to power these features with mana batteries.
Mana batteries were not something you would find in every ponies supply closet, for good reasons, they could be dangerous if mishandled. Red Wood read over the warning printed on the side of the cylinder shaped crystal enclosures to check the safety precautions listed there. And he then processed to do the opposite for each warning.
Where the label warned about making sure there was good ventilation for the cooling fins, Red Wood wrapped them with thick layers of tin foil. Where it warned him to check the connection of the ether regulator, he pulled it out and stuck a copper bit coin in the socket. Where the label warned about the pressure release valve needing room to swing open, Red Wood clamped it down with wood screws. Once he was satisfied with his sabotage, he turned his attention to the base clocks, ripping off their minute and second hands, he reinforced the hour hand and added a glass and silver anode to its tip and a matching cathode to various spots on the clock dial.
Being a skilled craftspony, Red Wood took only a few minutes to repeat this procedure to a half dozen clocks and batteries. Soon he had wrapped the booby trapped clocks in oiled rags and stuffed them with the batteries into six medium sized metal framed shipping boxes.
One last check of his workbench and he soon filled two overstuffed saddlebags with his improvised devices. It wasn't yet 4:00am and he was ready to go.
Red Wood looked through his kitchen window and saw that Spring Kicker was still standing guard at the door watching the front street, so moving as quietly as he could, Red Wood slipped out the back door, and climbed over the fence to the backyard neighbors yard.
Before twenty minutes had passed, he was more than a mile away and had delivered the first of his surprise packages. By the time the clock struck five, Red Wood’s bags were empty and he slipped back into his home, the same way he had left.
Rather than returning to bed or his workshop, Red Wood went to the kitchen and started to brew some coffee. As the pot bubbled loudly, Red Wood felt the mental stirrings of his live in tenant.
“Parker, you awake?” He whispered.
“Yeah I’m awake. Can’t say it was a good night though, I thought that magic potion was to keep us from dreaming, well it didn't work and all I got was a lot of mixed up nightmares.” Parker wrote, the image of the letters somewhat reddish in color and much clearer than Red Wood was used to seeing. By the shaky slant to the writing, Red Wood could sense Parker’s annoyance.
“Parker, I know you're angry with me, but I’m not trying to hurt anyone. I just think that you could be a bit more open minded about the Stone Heart’s plans.”
“Red Wood,” Parker wrote back, “we know the Cult has hurt ponies before, killed some as well, this can’t be allowed to happen. That mad old cultists told you to use a torch and set entire neighborhoods on fire, a huge number of ponies could get hurt that way.”
Red Wood took a long moment to consider his words, “I agree, that’s why I’m not doing that. All I plan on doing for the rest of the day is visit my wife in the Hospital and prepare to bring her home after they finish torturing her.”
“They are going to try to cure her Red Wood, not torture her. And we both know you need the therapy as much as she does.” Parker replied. “But I’m glad you're not going to blindly follow that mad ponies instructions.”
Red Wood nearly smiled to himself as he continued to cook breakfast.
Hours later Red Wood, his two guards, and a silent Parker, stepped up to the nurses station in the Hospital’s ER unit.
“I’d like to see my wife, Gentle Breeze, is she awake?” Red Wood asked the nurse at the desk.
The nurse pony looked over the paperwork on her desk and pointed to a small doorway that led back to the main hospital. “Gentle Breeze? Gentle Breeze..oh right here. She along with the other patients from Sea Del Mare have been moved to an outpatient ward, third floor, west wing. I think they are planning to move them to a local hotel tonight.”
Red Wood smiled, “Thank you nurse.”
“Oh wait” She called Red Wood back, “I have a note here for you, it’s from Princess Twilight.” She hoofed Red Wood a rolled up scroll, which he took.
As he walked towards the main hospital entrance, Red Wood read the note.
To Master Craftspony Red Wood,
I am sorry I was not able to join you last night as we originally planned. But in preparation to aid your wife and the other Cult victims, I needed to go to my old Alma Mater, Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, to borrow some supplies and a level three magic lab. If I’m successful with my project I’m meet you before your Wife is transferred to the old Bridle Inn down the street. We need to discuss what sort of support your wife will need to fully recover.
HRH Twilight Sparkle.
Red Wood had actually forgotten that Twilight was supposed to meet him at his home the previous night and was silently thankful she hadn’t come. It would have been awkward if she had interrupted him when he...well Red Wood was just glad she hadn’t shown up unexpectedly. He reread the note again, wondering to himself how dangerous would Twilight be to the Stone Heart. He really liked the youngest princess and felt he owed her his life, but if her skills with magic endangered the plans for the Stone Heart, would he be the one expected to do something about it?
With his eyes looking down, Red Wood suddenly felt a hoof on his back, trying to stop him from walking blindly into somepony. It was Solid Star who had reached out a little too late. The crafts pony stumbled into a elderly unicorn who had just trotted out of a side hall.
“Uff!” Red Wood fell back on his plot, while the older unicorn sprayed all four of his hoofs to keep his balance, which he just barely managed.
The guards quickly moved to help both unicorns back to their hooves.
“Sorry” Red Wood mumbled distractedly looking side to side for a sign of where is wife could be.
The old unicorn, “Oh dear, oh dear, I didn’t see you.” Then he looked more closely at Red Wood. “I do think I saw you in the ER yesterday? We’re you one of the guards sent to the barracks?” He asked.
“huh?” Red Wood was still looking around distractedly, “No, I mean sort of, I was with the guards but I’m a civilian. They sent me home yesterday but I’m looking for my wife and…”
“Wife?” The old unicorn asked, “Only one of the victims had any identified family, are you the husband for Gentle Breeze?”
“Oh yes! You know where she is?” Red Wood asked.
The older unicorn smiled, “Yes, I’m Doctor Somnolence, I’m been handling your wife’s treatment, I’m on my way to her room right now. You’re welcome to accompany me, please.”
“Doctor Somnolence? Please! I really want to see my wife. I heard that treatment can be unpleasant, and I wanted to offer her my strength.”
The doctor smiled, “Yes having family nearby should be helpful. Though I really hope the improvements I’m made to the treatment will make it far less traumatic. Here follow me.”
Doctor Somnolence led Red Wood and the two guards down a different hallway and into patients room. There as expected they found Gentle Breeze, as well as a few nurses and orderlies helping set her in the bed. It seemed that she was not being cooperative.
Seeing Red Wood enter the room, Gentle Breeze cried out “Please Red! Help me, I don’t want this! Stop them!” By the sound of her voice, she was frightened.
Red Wood started to move towards his wife, when Doctor Somnolence stepped in his way and stopped the crafts pony with a hard glare. “I know you want to help your wife, and be there for her, but you also have to let the treatment take its course.” he told Red Wood firmly.
Red Wood fretted, he hadn’t expected to see so much fear on Gentle Breeze’s face. “You’re tying her down, do you have to tie her up like an animal?” he sputtered in anger.
“The straps are for her own protection, the first first treatments can be ….difficult. The spell we’re fighting is hiding in brain, and it will try to defend itself by triggering pain centers.”
Gentle Breeze whimpered when she heard this. “Please don’t do this! I LOVE the stone heart, you’re going to take away my family! Please!”
The doctor gave Red Wood one last warning glance, then turned to address Gentle Breeze. “My dear, your real family is right here, and we’re not barbarians. I will be administering a potion that will reduce the pain, it should be no worse than a mild headache, the straps are just to make sure you don't hurt yourself.”
The doctor then turned to the head nurse, and nodded. She took out a potion bottle from a wheeled metal table that held the bottle and a tray of other medical supplies, including a large silver dome which was ominously keeping some of the items out of sight.
Seeing the nurse with the potion bottle, Gentle Breeze clamped her muzzle tight and turned her head to the side as far as the straps would allow. She was not going to cooperate and take their nasty medicine.
Neither the nurse nor the doctor seemed perturbed by this, and instead of trying to force her to drink the potion, the nurse poured some of it onto a large natural sponge and proceed to dab the patient's forehead with the sponge.
“See that wasn't so bad” the nurse said.
Gentle Breeze gave the nurse a nasty look, but after a few moments, her eyes became less focused and she stopped clutching the bed sheets so hard.
Around this time, the door to the room opened and Twilight Sparkle, quietly stepped in. Everypony in the room turned to look at her, but before anyone could react or say anything, she held up a hoof to be quiet and tip toed to the corner with a quill and paper to take notes.
Red Wood side stepped to be closer to the Princess and was about to whisper ask her about the project she mentioned in her note to him. But she stopped him before he could phrase his question saying “You need to be with your wife, having family nearby improves the outcome by at least ten percent.”
Frowning Red Wood moved back closer to his wife. He started to reach for her hoof, but the doctor shook his head and mouthed silently “Not yet.” Instead they all waited and watched Gentle Breeze, the only sound Twilight’s pen scratching notes.
When Gentle Breeze’s breathing had slowed down and it seemed like she was in danger of falling asleep doctor Somnolence stepped forward and took a folder off the table and took a moment to look it over.
After a few seconds, the doctor opened the folder wider and let everyone see what was in it.
“This is photographs taken from the attack the Cult made on the village of Coltsdale. I’m afraid they are rather graphic but it’s important for you to understand the truth.”
Without even looking at the folder Gentle Breeze mumbled, “Wasn't the Stone Heart, it was pegasus that did it.”
Red Wood felt proud of her, of course pegasus, the nasty feathered beasts, had done the attack, he was there and remembered it all. She was just telling them the truth, their potion hadn't done anything to her mind at all. He couldn't help but nod silently in agreement with Gentle Breeze, then stopped himself. He couldn't break his cover, had to pretend to believe the lies of the feather lovers. He looked side to side to see if anyone had noticed his momentary lapse, but no, all eyes seemed glued to the images in the folder. Even the hardened guards seemed to be sweating and shivering at the bloody bodies in the pictures. Red Wood looked at the images, recognizing a few of his former neighbors bodies laid out, but didn't see what the big deal was. They were dead weren’t they? They couldn't feel pain anymore.
Red Wood really started to wonder how this ‘treatment’ was supposed to do anything? Certainly nothing so pedestrian was going to make HIS wife turn on the Stone Heart.
The doctor looked at Gentle Breeze and sighed. “Yes, as expected. You feel no guilt about these images?”
Gentle Breeze shook her head in sort of dazed half drugged anger. “Why should I, the Stone Heart doesn't do things like that.”
The doctor nodded, “You’re mind and memories are in complete denial because the spell is feeding you false memories and making you accept things that your normal pony instincts should find intolerable. These picture are of ponies you knew, you grew up with, even if the Cult wasn't responsible, you show no reaction to their deaths?”
For a brief moment Gentle Breeze looked uncomfortable, but the emotions didn't go as far as her eyes before she clamped down on them and replied, “I’ve not seen them for a decade. I’m sorry they're dead, but I don’t see how it’s my fault.”
When she said this, Red Wood felt cold inside, but couldn’t explain to himself the reason for it. He looked again at the pictures, and wondered why the pegasus had killed them like that.
Doctor Somnolence, turned aside, “I think it’s time to move on to the next stage.” He lifted the silver dome that had hidden some of the supplies on the cart. There under the dome was four blue and white crystals. As the light from the room struck the crystals, they started to glow brighter.
Twilight whispered out loud from her corner, “Oh! Grade six, polyfield damping crystals! You did a good job charging them doctor, that’s tricky work.”
The doctor took a moment to smile at Twilight, “Thank you Princess.”
Red Wood looked at the strange crystals, when taking lab classes for his two year degree of magic engineering at PMI he had worked with much smaller versions of PDC’s. They were used in lab classes to dampen magic fields, and keep the range effects of spells from spreading beyond the student work benches. There really wasn't anything dangerous about PDC’s so why looking at them made him suddenly feel bothered?
The doctor picked up one of the crystals and fastened it to one of Gentle Breeze’s bedposts. With his free hoof he motioned for Red Wood to step forward, pointing at Gentle Breeze’s free hoof.
“He wants me to hold her hoof now?” Red Wood thought as he looked back and forth between his wife and the glowing crystal. He stepped forward about to hold her hoof when his eyes shot open. He had thought the treatment for his wife was all about drugs and spells directed just at her. But these stones, they generated an area affect.
Red Wood paused, his hoof just inches from holding his wife’s. He looked around, fear palpable on his face. No one seemed to notice or care, Twilight was quickly writing notes, the two nurses were preparing another sponge with the potion, the doctor was putting the last crystal in place.
“Is it safe?” Red Wood asked out loud, his voice almost a whine of fear.
“Of course, should only have any effect on the cultists victims.” The doctor answered absentmindedly as he stepped back.
Then as if it was an after thought Red Wood turned to the last two in the room, Spring Kicker was on one side of the door frame, the perfect still as stone guard stance, the only deviation was instead of staring ahead, his eyes were locked on the medical tray at the still open folder of pictures.
Red Wood was about turn back, when he glanced further to the side and saw Solid Star stance was very different than Spring’s. The other guard was tense and alert, and both he and Red Wood’s eyes locked. In an instant Red Wood’s world turned sideways, “He knows!” was his only thought.
With no warning whatsoever, Solid Star kicked out at Red Wood, the pony fell across his wife on her bed, right in the middle of the PDC field.
Suddenly ponies were screaming, Gentle Breeze was first, then the doctor and Twilight, but loudest and in the most agony, was Red Wood as he had taken no potion to dampen the PDC effect, the Cult’s spell was quite literally cooking in his brain.
Red Wood cried out in howling agony.