//------------------------------// // Chapter Sixty Seven supplemental // Story: HiE - A Hollow in Equestria // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// Chapter Sixty Seven supplemental Luna sat by Rainbow Dash's bed, watching the slow but steady rise and fall of the cyan pegasi's bandaged chest as she laid, unconscious and undreaming, her mind completely sealed off to the outside world. And all the while, as she sat and watched, Luna couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so powerless, and utterly useless. Even when she'd lost her magic after being purified of Nightmare Moon's dark influence, she didn't feel this helpless. She'd barely gotten any sleep at all on this day. Even upon learning that Rainbow Dash would live, it still hadn't helped. What little sleep she'd gotten had been through her sister's assistance, and all the while she was plagued with unease. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have risen for another three hours, but these circumstances were anything but normal. Normally an unconscious pony's mind would be an open book to her, and she could see so many wondrous -and even terrible- things. But regardless of how hard she tried, this was one pony's mind she couldn't gain access to. Whatever had happened to Rainbow Dash, it was preventing her from dreaming, and had been doing so for days now. She'd gone from nightly visits with a friend in need, to suddenly being cut off without even a single word as to why, or even how. That being cut off without notice had filled her with great stress, and it compounded daily. While Rainbow Dash's nightmares were horrible to encounter, it was at least some connection that existed. But then that connection had been forcefully severed, leaving her incapable of helping. Worse than that, it had shaken her up mentally, and left her unable to properly focus on tending to the rest of her royal duties. And now with Applejack in a similar state to Rainbow Dash... She wanted to scream right now. She wanted to bolt from the palace, fly as high as her wings would allow her, and just scream as loudly as she could, until her lungs burnt, and her throat was stripped raw. Something or someone was out there, right now, systematically targeting her friends for attack, inducing unimaginable suffering on each and every one of them that was touched, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it! Nothing except supportive work in extremely limited cases. This wasn't how it was supposed to be! The royalty was supposed to serve the public's best interest, and look after them. They were supposed to protect their little ponies from harm, not stand by and watch them suffer needlessly, while twiddling their hooves in an utterly useless manner! She had to calm down. That was a fact she was painfully aware of. But simply because she had to calm down, didn't mean that it was something easy enough to do. She'd been worked up the entire day, and even before then. She was of no use to anypony in her current condition. She had to take a breath, step back, and reconsider everything before her, as she tried to determine the best course for helping out not only her subjects, but also her friends. Well, that, and silently vow that when she found the one responsible, she would administer ancient and arcane vengeance upon their worthless hide. But that was another line of thought, and best reserved for another point in time. "Your Majesty? Are you alright?" She was briefly aware of the voice next to her at this point. Turning to her side, she saw it was Nurse Goodwill standing next to her, with her muzzle bandaged, and her creamy yellow coat sporting pink stains that ran down her face. Just looking at her, gave sufficient reason and justification to continue remaining grouchy. Had that physician not been locked up prior to her arrival, she couldn't say that she would have shown restraint in her verbal tirade on him. But that was neither here nor there, as the nurse looked at her with great concern. "In truth I have not been alright for the last month. But things as of recent have become much less fine than previous. I am nearing the point of ripping my mane out by the roots, as I sit here, unable to do anything more than watch a friend rest in a dreamless sleep," Luna admitted and slowly closed her eyes. "I am tired. I am upset. My friends are in danger, my ability to focus on my royal duties has been compromised, and I know not where to begin addressing everything." "Hmm..." Goodwill mumbled to herself, although it was hard to tell with her nose in such a state. "I don't mean to be presumptuous, but... with your permission, Your Majesty, I might know of a place to start," she offered. "Tell me, my little pony, I dearly wish to know," Luna replied. The next thing she knew, she felt herself being pulled into a warm embrace. Opening her eyes in surprise, she found that Goodwill had stood up on her hind legs, in order to wrap her forelegs around her neck, and hold onto her firmly. It was a situation that was strikingly similar to the one she'd found her in at Ponyville General Hospital, in the aftermath of Ulquiorra Cifer's party. That time it had been Pinkie Pie's work. But simply because the pink earth pony wasn't present, didn't mean that the hug didn't have the desired results. After a moment's pause, Luna closed her eyes, and returned the hug with a foreleg wrapped around Goodwill's back. It was comforting to have a warm, soft body close at hoof, when the whole world was going to pieces around her. "Much appreciated, my little pony. I believe I was in desperate need of such," she stated. "It's what I'm here for, Your Majesty. Being a trained healthcare provider isn't all about medicine, after all. Sometimes one has to be versed in the more subtle ways of caring for those in need," Goodwill explained as best she could. "That is good to know," Luna replied. She briefly considered giving the nurse a little tease about making an appointment for more of this particular brand of healthcare being provided to her. But she ultimately decided against it. Her mood was lightened, but that didn't mean now was the appropriate time for jokes. So with a contented sigh, she removed her foreleg to disengage the hug, in order to allow Goodwill to set herself back down. Face to face conversations were far superior to over the wither; especially when one of the participants was injured, and had difficulty communicating. "But this merely goes to reinforce my earlier point. I am useless here. I should be the one helping others, as is tradition for royalty. Instead everypony is helping me, as I sit around uselessly. It is a world gone mad!" Luna stated. "... Even the helpers sometimes need help, Your Majesty," Goodwill pointed out as she sat back down. It was impossible for a single pony to do everything there was to do in this world, regardless of age, species, or otherwise. Even the diarchy couldn't be expected to tackle everything that arose. Luna understood that the statement was perfectly accurate and truthful. But that didn't mean it was any easier for her to accept. Nor did it make it any easier to let go of her tension right now. She could accept needing the assistance of others, but not to this extent. She felt like a weak little filly right now, trapped in a situation she had no understanding of, and desperately in need of her parents to assure her that there was nothing in the shadows waiting to get her. "That being said, I know how you feel. At the moment I can't do much of anything, thanks to my broken nose. I can barely even talk right," Goodwill continued. "I've been sidelined until further notice, and told to take it easy. Officially I'm not even on the case anymore until I recover," she explained and huffed. Something about how she might risk a more severe break, if Rainbow Dash got combative and struck her in the face this time around. Luna wanted to comment, but she was interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open. Turning around, she saw one of her sisters' guards entering the room. "Your Highness, the others have returned. They're currently waiting for you in the throne room," the guard explained as he stood by the door. "That is excellent then," Luna replied as she stood up and turned around. "Wait here until I return. Keep Nurse Goodwill company, and alert me should Rainbow Dash regain consciousness," she instructed. She was met with a salute in response. Perhaps now they could get to the bottom of this issue. Hopefully the records they'd procured would shed some light on what had transpired over the past few days. When Luna finally made it to the throne room -a matter that would've been instantaneous if she could've just focused enough to teleport, rather than being forced to run- she found the others all assembled, just as she was told. Her sister stood next to Doctor Malar, while Ulquiorra stood next to somepony she didn't recognize, and all were peering through various books, charts, and other information she couldn't make out from her vantage point. "What has been learned in my absence?" she asked as she approached their position. "I'll let you know what we've learned, as soon as the two intellectual giants let me know what they've learned," Celestia replied as she turned to face Luna, before turning her attention back to Ulquiorra and Malar. Malar was currently reading over the medical records that had been procured from the hospital, while Ulquiorra was in the process of referencing a medical journal procured from the library. She'd been trying to follow along with what was being said, but the matters they were discussing were hard to follow; especially when they were the ones holding all the relevant material. How was she expected to keep track of everything in such a manner? Luna said nothing in response, uncertain of how to respond to such a statement. So she simply decided to focus on what she could have a few words about; such as the unidentified unicorn in the room. "And who is our new friend here?" she asked. "This is Corners, an orderly from Canterlot General Hospital. And he's been quite invaluable to us so far," Celestia explained and smiled over at the aforementioned pony. Before beginning to give Luna an overview of what had transpired, and what developments had occurred during her absence. Luna listened as Celestia explained what had happened, mentally promising herself that this Thrush character would indeed receive what was coming to him; as would anypony else that had been complicit in this. There would be no mercy whatsoever from her. No mercy... except for Corners, who had recognized the error of his ways, and worked to correct them. "You have our thanks. And our gratitude," she replied simply. "I appreciate that, Your Highness," Corners replied and sighed. "But I fear my good deeds may have wound up costing me my job. And bad as it was, a paycheck is still a paycheck..." Back at the hospital, it had been his decision to fully cooperate with Ulquiorra and the guards on the matter, and get them all the records that were sought, over what objections the other staff had tried to mount. He'd taken the brunt of the fallout that was bound to come from his actions, sparing Charley what would likely be the consequences for such. He knew the stallion had enough troubles as it was, without unemployment being added to them. That said, it really hadn't been an easy sell to pull off. Charley was one of those that always meant well, he was just... a little bit slow in understanding at times; not stupid, he just didn't understand things quite as fast as everypony else did. And he'd been worried about the fallout that would be experienced with his workmate gone, seeing what they'd been through during their time at Canterlot General. It had been a really hard decision for him to make, knowing what was at stake and all. But he knew Charley well enough to know that he'd eventually be able to manage the change. He'd just need some time to adjust. He just hoped that the pep talk he'd given before committing what was essentially treason to the hospital, would stick with the stallion, and see him through whatever coming difficulties he might face. "I don't think you'll need to be worrying about that anytime soon," Celestia spoke up from where she stood. "Since Rainbow Dash is coming back to the palace so we can care for her ourselves, another set of hooves with medical experience could prove to be indispensable around here. That is, if you don't mind," she explained. It wouldn't be right to leave him vulnerable to retaliation, simply because he had some scruples in what he did daily. "I'd have to be crazy to mind," Corners replied, excited about the prospect he was being offered. He was about to make his best effort of expressing his thanks for the kindness he was being presented. But he was interrupted before he could actually do such, by the sound of a heavy tome being firmly shut. "We've completed our review of everything," Malar spoke up as he turned to face the diarchy. "Wondrous! What have you learned? What is wrong with Rainbow Dash? Why does she no longer dream at night?" Luna asked, her voice shaky with both excitement and concern at the same time. "The issue of just what is wrong with Rainbow Dash is extensive and complicated," Ulquiorra began. There was no one simple answer that could be given, that could explain absolutely everything. The matter would have to be explored one question at a time. "The matter pertaining to the lack of dreams, can be attributed to the drug regimen she was placed on during her stay at the hospital. Deprivation of REM-state sleep, is a side effect of nearly every anti-psychotic medication listed in her file." Deprivation of REM-state sleep was only one of the known side effects listed. There were a significant number of others that didn't strike him as particularly indicative of promoting good health, and even seemed entirely contradictory to what the end goal was. But those side effects hadn't been inquired about, and as such, they were irrelevant to the discussion. Next to him, Doctor Malar nodded in agreement. "Based on the indicated dosages of each compound, when they were last administered, and on her metabolic rate, it could take days for everything to be fully out of her system," he added. "Days!?" Luna yelled in disbelief at what she'd just heard. "Rainbow Dash will not be able to dream for days?" "Among other things," Ulquiorra replied. And now that he thought about it, this could explain several more questions. REM-state deprivation could potentially explain why Rainbow Dash had crashed through the stained glass window, rather than swooping through the open balcony. Of course it would do better to ask Rainbow Dash why she had done what she'd done. But if she was in a sleep-deprived state -one that was further exacerbated by the treatment she'd received while at the hospital- she might not even know why she had done what she'd done at the time. In light of being properly rested, her actions might appear insane even to herself. It would all have to be addressed later on. "Well that's one mystery down. But what about the others at hoof? What did the hospital find out about her condition?" Celestia asked, hoping not only to move along with the discovery process, but also steer her sister away from a frenzy over the fact that one of their subjects had been deprived of their dreams; a very serious offense to a guardian of the dream world. "Well that's where things start to get very interesting," Malar began as he flipped over the medical file again. "Thrush might be a disgrace to medicine, but the rest of the hospital staff was thorough in their examination. They conducted a number of blood tests, and tissue biopsies, running a full spectrum of tests to look for any biological contaminants that would explain what she was going through. And just as they stated, there's nothing there that could be found. No viruses, no bacteria, no fungi, and no parasites. As far as the hospital is concerned, she's quite healthy. There's nothing in her system that would suggest a contagion of any sort," he stated in a confident manner. "And how exactly does that amount to interesting?" Celestia asked flatly. She didn't share Malar's enthusiasm right now, and wanted answers as to what was wrong with Rainbow Dash, not about what wasn't wrong with her. "That in itself isn't. The interesting part isn't in what they didn't find, but what they did find. While one set of tests was being run to look for the presence of biological contaminants, another series of tests was run to look for other possible causes. And what those tests found was the presence of drugs in her system; specifically a combination of opioid and hallucinogenic substances," Malar stated. Ulquiorra observed as silence overtook the room at this revelation. Even he himself was stunned. This wasn't the sort of revelation that he'd been expecting. This was actually the first time he had received confirmation that this world had any knowledge of such things; ponies engaging in recreational drug use simply had never occurred to him. It was just one of those things that was never given consideration, because it just seemed too nonsensical to even be worth considering. It now appeared that he would have to reevaluate that particular outlook on the matter. "Rainbow Dash is... on drugs?" Luna asked, unable to believe what she was hearing. Quickly she began vigorously shaking her head. "No! 'Tis a lie, 'tis bullshit!" she declared and stomped her hoof. There was no way this could be true. "Luna-" Celestia started in an effort to calm her sister down. "No, sister, I know of what I speak! If there were truth so such, I would hath seen it in her dreams. This cannot be right!" Luna stated furiously. They had to have made a mistake. "I'm inclined to agree with Princess Luna on the matter. In the time I've spent around Rainbow Dash, I've observed nothing that would indicate either short or long-term recreational usage of narcotics, or other such substances. Nor am I aware of just how such usage could yield the results we have seen, and for the duration we've seen," Ulquiorra replied. It was no secret to anyone that he had no particular care for Rainbow Dash or her well being, beyond her status as holder of the Element of Loyalty. He found her generally unpleasant in personality. If it weren't for her importance to Equestria, he wouldn't have associated with her at all. But even with that level of animosity, he still had serious doubts that she would ever engage in recreational drug use. He had found nothing in his investigation that would even begin to suggest such, and he had been meticulous in searching every location she had visited in the given week prior to the incident. It was... it was something he couldn't logically explain. As disturbing as the thought was, he just couldn't seem to articulate his position on this matter. Celestia tried to suppress the sigh that she was feeling build up within her. Luna was taking this news far harder than she'd expected. She needed to do something while she still could. "If this is the result of drugs, Doctor, then wouldn't that mean it's only a matter of time before she's better? She's been watched over for nearly two weeks straight, and given no opportunity during which she could administer another dose of whatever substance is in her system. Eventually the chemical compounds will have to break down and metabolize, just like everything else, right?" she asked. Medical magic might not have been one of her fields of study -at least not on an extensive level, unlike other subjects- but that didn't mean she was totally ignorant on the subject of biology. "Under normal circumstance, I'd say yes. But that's where things go from interesting, to just plain weird, Your Highness. These tests were only done about five days ago, but they're devoid of any sign of her system containing the appropriate metabolites for these drug types. I don't know if it was too soon at the time, since not everything has a short half-life cycle, but it almost looks like her body isn't succeeding in breaking them down," Malar explained uncertainly. "I'll order another panel of blood tests to see if there's been any change between now and then. Hopefully they can be run faster than the first time around, since we know what we're looking for this time around." "It would be wise to have Applejack examined by a physician as well, to determine if her experiences are due to the same cause," Ulquiorra suggested. Right now that was about the only thing he was capable of contributing on this matter. And perhaps that much would be enough. If Applejack's tests showed the same result as Rainbow Dash's, then they would finally have an answer to go on. But it would be only one answer. They would then have to figure out where the drugs came from, how they were procured, who had supplied them, and why were they taken in the first place? And then there was a flash of light in the room, as one of Princess Celestia's royal guards appeared. "Your Highness!" the guard announced quickly as he saluted. "As per orders, I'm reporting that the pegasus Rainbow Dash has finally regained consciousness." "Wonderful. Perhaps now we can get some answers," Celestia replied. "You're very lucky," Goodwill stated softly, as best she could, as she wrapped fresh bandages around Rainbow Dash's chest. As she did so, her fellow nurse kept the pegasus aloft and off the bed for ease of access. "Your carotid artery was nearly severed by that crash you were involved in. We found a fragment of glass resting right against it." Rainbow Dash, however, said nothing in response to the statement about how she was lucky. She simply continued staring at the ceiling, and hanging limp in the telekinetic field that enveloped her. Goodwill sighed at the lack of response, and simply refocused on her task of changing the bandages. Despite their best work at stitching Rainbow Dash back together, the normal post-op oozing had still occurred with the larger wounds, and needed to be addressed to prevent infection. She wasn't certain, but she wanted to blame a part of it on Thrush's rough treatment of her. All that jostling could've shaken something loose. "... I'm sorry..." Goodwill blinked and looked up at the statement, barely above the level of a whisper. Had she actually heard something said, or was her imagination playing tricks on her? As she looked up from her task, she saw that Rainbow Dash was looking at her out of the corner of her eye. "About your horn. I'm sorry I bit you. You didn't deserve that..." It was a hoarse croaking of a statement, likely due to an overly dry throat. But nonetheless, she could tell there was sincerity behind her words. "Apology accepted," she replied, before continuing with another pass of fresh bandages around her chest. "That'll make it easier when looking after you in the future." "... Say what?" Rainbow Dash asked, not even bothering to turn her head, as she already knew it wouldn't be possible. Goodwill was about to explain what had developed during the time she was unconscious. But before she could, she was interrupted by the door opening, and the others coming back in again. First it was the Princesses in single file, then Doctor Malar, then the Espada, and finally Corners, who was sticking to the back, and mostly obscured by the others in front of him. "I'm quite relieved that you're alright, Rainbow Dash," Celestia stated in her usual kind tone as she approached the bed. "You had all of us worried when you came crashing through the window into the throne room." "I'll pay for it," Rainbow Dash replied hoarsely. "I mean I'll try anyway. I've got some bits stashed away and-" Celestia raised her hoof, signalling for Rainbow Dash to stop talking. "The window was never my concern, Rainbow Dash, only your well being. I could care less about a mass of decorative glass. My only concern is my subjects, and my friends," she explained, setting her hoof back down as she stepped closer, and looked Rainbow Dash in the eyes; coincidentally occurring when she was lowered back onto the bed, the re-bandaging now completed. It was at this point that Luna stepped forward, far less visibly composed than her sister. One could tell just by looking at her that she was frantic. "I... I..." she started, before turning back to look at Malar and the other assembled medical staff. "Please, I must know, can she be hugged yet?" "... As long as it's nothing too vigorous. She hasn't had a chance to properly heal yet," Malar replied. He knew how... enthusiastic... Princess Luna could get when it came to caring for her friends. He just hoped her enthusiasm didn't cause the sutures to rupture. He knew that as the chief physician for the palace, he had some degree of leeway when it came to his own authority. But right now he wasn't really sure exercising it would yield the desired results. The best he could do right now was advise that they exercise a cautious approach in what they did, and tread lightly. Hearing this, Luna turned back to Rainbow Dash, sat down on her haunches, and flexed her magic, gently lifting her up and out of the bed over to her, before reaching out and tentatively pulling her into a loose embrace. She was so scared of causing her any further discomfort, but at the same time she wanted to hold onto her so much tighter to ensure she didn't slip loose, and fall to the floor should her telekinesis somehow cut out on her. There were a lot of things that she wanted to say right now, but she feared that if she opened up, she was going to let loose an emotional torrent that simply wouldn't stop. She'd been so worried since the start of the day, when she'd been present for the window shattering, and the aftermath revealing Rainbow Dash's bloodied and cut up form being the cause of it all. Being left alone in the throne room, her imagination had run wild, and convinced her that such a graphic image would quite possibly be the very last memory she would ever have, of seeing the cyan pegasus while she was still alive. She'd been so wound up by everything, more than once she'd nearly broken down and bawled like a foal. And now, secure in the knowledge that Rainbow Dash was going to continue living, she might just do that out of relief. "What's he doing here?" The venom in Rainbow Dash's voice as she emphasized that single word could practically be felt by everyone present. And as they looked, they saw the target of her discontent; that being Corners from where he stood at the back. "You don't need to worry about Corners, Rainbow Dash, he's here to help you," Celestia reassured her. "Bullshit!!" Rainbow Dash yelled and proceeded to try and struggle and squirm in Luna's embrace, despite the lack of room to actually maneuver her body in. "He's not taking me back there! I won't go, I won't! I'm not going back into the box again! Don't let him take me!" From Ulquiorra's perspective, it was strange to observe Rainbow Dash's reaction to the sight of Corners. She was currently running a gamut of emotional instability, ranging from aggression, to outright terror. She was simultaneously angry, and scared, and both reactions were wrestling for domination. And this was also being displayed in her reiatsu fluctuations. "Ulquiorra, help! Please don't let them take me! I don't wanna go back in the box again! Ulquiorra!" That... gave Ulquiorra reason to pause. He hadn't been expecting this development to occur. Not at all. In his time here in Equestria, he had met a number of ponies, with most of them having their own way of addressing him. Some were more casual than others, some were more formal than others. Some referenced his title, some his species. A good number of them used his name, with some of them able to pronounce it correctly. And then there was Rainbow Dash. Not once in all of their interactions, had she ever used his name. She'd never even tried to use his name. She'd claimed that it was too hard for her to get right. In any of the times she'd tried to address him, it was always something like "dude" or "U.C" or she'd simply talked directly at him. So when she went from her usual manner of address, to using his actual name -and the correct pronunciation on top of it- he knew that something wasn't right. Actually that was a considerable understatement of facts. He already knew that something wasn't right, as nothing had been right since he'd gotten here. But this was a different case entirely, separate from everything else that wasn't right. If Rainbow Dash was actually referring to him by name, and pleading for his help, then it was safe to say that something new was very wrong, and the situation had gone from bad to worse. But the question was just what was that something? Just what had Rainbow Dash gone through, that warranted this almost Pavlovian response in her, that had her trying her best to escape by thrashing about? This was genuine, unadulterated fear he was experiencing right now, from the same pony who had faced him down, alone, and without even blinking. "What the hell did that idiot do to her?" he asked himself, wondering just what trauma Thrush had subjected her to, in his obsessive desire to satiate his inflated ego. "Rainbow Dash," Celestia spoke gently, but with enough volume to still be heard. "Do you remember back in Carousel Boutique, when I asked if you could trust us to look out for you? Well that's what I'm asking you to do right now. I'm asking you to trust us. I promise you, you won't be going back into any box. And I can assure you, Corners is not here to hurt you. He's actually the one that helped you, by informing us of just what Doctor Thrush had done to you. And because of him, right now, Thrush is sitting in a holding cell, cooling his hooves, as we work to decide just what to have him charged with. He can't hurt you, or anypony else anymore, and that includes Corners." Ulquiorra observed how the last statement had managed to take the wind out of Rainbow Dash's sails. She stopped her squirming and thrashing almost immediately. But he'd also observed how Princess Celestia was exercising her magic at the same time. Perhaps using her words as a distraction, while at the exact same time, weaving a calming spell in order to make her focus. That was the only thing that made sense right now, as words alone would've never been able to do that. "... Say what now?" she asked, confused. "From best I can understand, Thrush had made an indirect threat on Corners' life to secure his cooperation. And on more than one occasion as well. He is just as much a victim as you are. But no more. Now he will be working with Doctor Malar and his staff, and be treated with the respect he deserves," Luna stated. "... You're asking an awful lot," Rainbow Dash muttered as she looked down at the floor, past Luna's foreleg. "You want me to trust you about him... like when I trusted you that I'd be alright at the hospital?" Silence washed over the room at Rainbow Dash's question. Neither Celestia nor Luna knew how to respond to being called out in such a manner, as she was correct. They'd determined that the hospital would be their best bet in her care, and they'd been proven wrong in that determination. And now they were being called out on their mistake. "Mistakes have happened up to this point," Ulquiorra spoke up, bringing their attention to him. "Mistakes will continue to happen after this point. Nothing is going to change that fact. When mistakes occur, they will be addressed to the best of our abilities, and corrected if possible." If Rainbow Dash was expecting a perfect track record of success, then she was sorely out of luck. Not a single individual in this room could boast about never making a mistake that had unintentionally cost them something; even Ulquiorra himself couldn't make such a claim, and he was well aware of that fact. But questionable track records or not, he was equally aware that this motley crew, composed of various ponies, and himself, was all that they had to rely on right now. They simply had to make the best of a bad situation And perhaps now it was the appropriate time to emphasize that point. He then turned his attention to Rainbow Dash directly in order to address her. "Truthfully you don't have to trust us. But such a course of action will make the road to recovery more difficult to traverse," he pointed out. "The decision is yours to make. We don't have that authority here." He could have easily berated Rainbow Dash for her inconsistent stance on trusting the others, and how she didn't have much choice in the matter. But at the moment, that approach didn't seem quite... appropriate. He knew that trying to force the issue would do no good, as trust couldn't be forced. It was one of those things that had to be properly cultivated with patience, and simply performing some arbitrary task would do nothing to foster its growth. But simply because he knew no good would come from trying to force the issue, didn't change the fact that he still found the idea to be inappropriate to consider as an option. The fact that she had asked him - and by name no less- for help was a matter that he was still trying to properly wrap his head around. And now he was aware of the others looking at him, some of them in a skeptical manner. But that was to be understood, considering he'd more or less just bypassed the diarchy with his statement. "You mean... you're not going to tell me that I have to trust you? No pressure or anything?" Rainbow Dash asked, dumbfounded by what he'd just said. She'd been expecting a big explanation about the importance of trust, and she'd gotten nothing like that. It was... actually it was underwhelming. "No," Ulquiorra replied flatly. There was no need for extensive elaboration on this matter. If Rainbow Dash wasn't prepared to trust them, then explaining just why she should trust them would yield no practical benefit. If she was hounded, she would simply shut them all out, and slip further into whatever mental instability plagued her mind. If they were going to get anywhere, then she would need to come to them of her own volition. she would have to want her recovery, for it to mean anything; just like a drug addict wanting to get clean and sober. In hindsight, perhaps that wasn't the best comparison to be making under these circumstances. "Okay... I'll try..." Rainbow Dash replied weakly, all the while hanging limply in Luna's hold. Celestia smiled. Rainbow Dash agreeing to trust them was a very good sign. Now Ulquiorra's actions were starting to make some sense to her. Or at the very least, it was taking some of the mutinous undertones out of the equation. "Could I lay back down now? I'm kinda tired," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Oh. Of course," Luna replied as she carefully let go of the cyan pegasus, and levitated her back over to the bed, and gently laid her back down. Malar wanted to speak up. As a medical practitioner, he was certain that Rainbow Dash should be resting right now, aided by a low-level sedative spell to help her relax. In her current state, she was in no condition for extended periods of excitement; she was going to need at least several days of rest to properly heal from her injuries. But at the same time, he was experiencing a burning, overwhelming sense of curiosity concerning Rainbow Dash's condition, and everything that had lead up to it. He wanted to find out the mystery concerning the drugs that were in her system. And, if applicable, who else might have access to them, and be using them right now. The more information they had to go on, the better off they'd be. If they were facing an epidemic in the making, then it was better to get a jump on it early. He was genuinely torn on what was the best manner in order to proceed from here on out. He could feel the oath he took upon completing medical school coming back to bite him on the flank right now. Should he care primarily for his patient in the here and now, or the possible hundreds of patients that could come about in the immediate future? "At present there are a number of questions that have yet to be answered. Questions pertaining to your own health and well being," Ulquiorra pointed out, serving as a reminder to the others that they still had business to tend to. Giving Rainbow Dash time to recover might be the desirable thing to do, but they lacked the time necessary to allow for an adequate recovery to take place. And if the others didn't understand that fact, then he would have to make them understand. Time could be of the essence for all they knew at this point. "Like what?" Rainbow Dash asked, tiredness starting to be overridden by what was turning into burning curiosity. "The various tests performed at the hospital revealed no signs of biological contaminants; you're neither contagious, nor are you suffering from any form of mental illness, as far as Canterlot's medical experts are concerned," Ulquiorra explained. The reaction he received in response, however, wasn't quite what he was expecting. He'd expected some exaggerated display that would indicate a sense of relief washing over her. Instead he was simply stared at, as if she knew that there was more to be said, and she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. If that were truly the case, then she was more intelligent than she let on. "However there's another matter. While there was no sign of biological contaminants, there were signs of certain chemical substances in your system; specifically opioid and hallucinogenic substances. We need to know where they were acquired, and who else may have access to them," he stated flatly. There was no point in tiptoeing around the issue of her possible drug use in the name of sensitivity. "Ha... hallucinogenics?" Rainbow Dash asked after a long pause as she tried to process what he was saying. "You mean... you mean drugs?" she asked. However she didn't even wait for a response before she started shaking her head. "No. No, no, no. That can't be right, I don't do drugs! I don't! The tests have to be wrong, they have to be!" she stated quickly as she bolted up in the bed, refusing to believe what she was hearing. There was no way any of this could be true. It had to be some sort of crazy practical joke they were playing on her. It had to be a mistake. It had to be something, anything other than the truth. There was just simply no way that it could be the truth! "Rainbow Dash, please calm down," Luna said as she raised a hoof to try and ease the distraught pegasus. But her efforts seemed fruitless as her hoof was ensnared by Rainbow Dash grabbing onto it as she continued to thrash about. And all the while she continued denying the use of any drugs. If she was asked, Luna would admit that she had no idea just what had set the cyan pegasus off in such a manner, and why she was trying so hard to convince them that she didn't do drugs, when no such accusation had even been made. What had set her off like that? But before she could even get an answer to that question, she became aware of the bandages on Rainbow Dash's midsection quickly becoming stained red. "Out! Everypony out! Now!" Malar ordered. He'd spotted the bleeding almost immediately, and knew that they were dealing with a ruptured suture at the least. They'd all wound up pushing the patient too far before she was adequately ready, and now they had a situation on their hooves. And now it was up to them to clean up the mess. "Nurse!" In the following few seconds, it was a mass of unorganized chaos and shouting, as Celestia, Luna, Ulquiorra, and Corners, were all more or less shoved and ordered out of the infirmary. Not that they'd done much to try and resist the forceful ejection they'd just been subjected to. Some were too stunned, while others knew what was going on, and knew it was best not to object. "What exactly happened?" Luna asked and blinked. "Doctor Malar's evaluation of Rainbow Dash's condition proved to be quite accurate. We overtaxed a system that wasn't ready for the strain it was put under," Ulquiorra elaborated. All of them, even himself, had been far too quick to try and seek answers. Utter foolishness on all of their parts. All they could do now, was wait and see how things developed from here on out. And, for those that naively held such foolish notions, hope that she recovered. There was very little activity in the hallway outside of the infirmary. For Ulquiorra himself, that was understandable, as he didn't currently possess any other pressing matters to address. But when it came to the others, it was decidedly less so. Corners, being the newest member of their motley crew, could reasonably argue that he hadn't yet been situated, and had nothing else to do but wait. However the diarchy had no such excuse available to them, so their presence was a matter of confusion. Confusion or not, however, nothing changed the fact that they were all present, and all waiting to receive word on Rainbow Dash's condition. As if the presence of all participants would somehow affect the outcome, and yield a different result than if he'd just been here by himself. Even if their presence served as a point of bother to him, however, there was nothing he could do about it. Two of the other three present drastically outranked him. The best he could do was simply submit a request that they leave, which they would likely refuse to comply with. In short there was nothing he could do but wait alongside them. The only upside to everything, was the fact that presently there was no pointless conversation going on. And while there was some conversation that had been going on over the past hour, it wasn't exactly pointless in nature. Regardless of that fact, however, silence would've been preferred to the hysterics, and the clopping of hooves against the marble flooring. However the wait was eventually ended, as Malar exited the room, looking quite exhausted; to the point where he could quite possibly fall right over, judging by the manner in which he was dragging his hooves. "The operation was a success. But what has been learned?" Ulquiorra asked as soon as he was out the door. "How did you..." Malar started to ask. But then he decided that he'd rather not; not at this point in time anyway. He was too tired from everything that'd happened today, to add yet something else on top of it. The Espada had already explained how he could see things that no pony could. For all he knew, he could see through the walls, read lips, smell death, and do so much more. "Oh never mind. But in short, you're right, she's still alive. All of the physical exertion she did, tore out some of her sutures, and we had to go back in and redo them. Now she's unconscious again, as to be expected. And this time around, I'm not about to let anyone else question her, or get her excited, or even hug her, until she's had time to actually heal," he explained, adding the last part firmly to make his position clear. Rainbow Dash was in his care now, and this time around he was going to exercise that authority he had in this matter, royal objection or no royal objection. He'd keep her in a medically induced coma if that's what it took to get her healed up. "Thank Faust," Luna breathed and closed her eyes as she hung her head, promptly dropping to her haunches, sitting down for the first time since they'd been pushed into the hallway. She could finally stop her nervous pacing. "I feared the worst." "We all did, Luna," Celestia replied as she approached and ran a wing over her back. "Unfortunately we're not any closer to getting the answers we were after," Corners pointed out. Yes, he was thankful that Rainbow Dash hadn't died, but he wanted to know just what the buck was going on. The Princesses had been kind enough to hire him into their services when they could've just as easily thrown him into the dungeons right alongside Thrush, so the very least he could do was get involved in this matter, and try and help out however he could. "We still don't know where she got the drugs from." "No. No we don't," Celestia agreed. They hadn't managed to get any answers out of Rainbow Dash. Just flat out denial, when she hadn't even been accused of anything. Denial and a near-panic. "But that doesn't mean we're at a dead end. We still have another way in which to proceed." "We do? Well what is it?" Corners asked, confused by what they were talking about. Confused, and a little frustrated at not being let in on what was going on around him. "Applejack," Ulquiorra stated. He could see the look of recognition on the orderly's face at the obvious being pointed out to him. Most likely it was a simple lapse in memory, born from everything else that'd been going on so far. Celestia nodded in agreement. Once they successfully determined Applejack's overall condition, they could then work backwards from her, and determine what similarities she had with Rainbow Dash, that could potentially lead them to some commonality to explore and investigate. Now that she stopped and thought about it more, that seemed like the better course of action anyway. So far all of their attention had been focused on Rainbow Dash, primarily because she was the first to be attacked, and the one who had been more seriously affected. Applejack in comparison just seemed... more stable overall. She hadn't been a quivering mess of crying and uncertainty. Nor had she given off an air that left her deeply concerned for her well being. That wasn't to say that they'd decided to simply write her off, and pay no attention to her. It just meant that they had to prioritize in terms of order of severity. And if Rainbow Dash was going to be incapacitated for the time being, then Applejack automatically became their best lead to go on. And perhaps her stability in this case could serve them well. At the very least, following up on the leads from Applejack would allow Rainbow Dash the time she needed to better rest, and recuperate, by taking some of the stress off of her. It was made abundantly clear that the last thing she needed right now, was anymore stress weighing on her mind. She'd already tried to commit suicide once, they didn't need a repeat of that. "I'll send word to Ponyville, and let them know just what the situation entails," she stated. The sooner she could get them involved, the sooner they could potentially get some genuine answers, and figure out just what they were doing. She would also have to inform Twilight that, due to circumstances beyond their control, that meeting they'd scheduled for today was going to be cancelled, and would have to be done another time. "That is all well and good. But what do we do in the meantime? How do we care for Rainbow Dash?" Luna asked. She understood that her duties and responsibilities applied to Equestria as a whole, but that didn't mean they should forget about individual cases that were in dire need. And right now, who could be in more dire need than Rainbow Dash herself? "If I may," Corners spoke up. When all eyes were on him, he stepped forward and continued talking, doing his best to keep his cool, now that he was center stage and all. "I know that I'm new here and all, and mine isn't the best track record, but I think one thing we need to do, is reinstate the suicide watch that was theoretically in place, until we make sure she's no longer a danger to herself or others. And this time we do it properly, with ponies checking up on her and everything. No more throwing her in a dark room for hours at a time, and calling it good enough," he stated. "I am in agreement," Luna stated quickly. This sounded like a very good plan to her ears. They would be giving Rainbow Dash the care she needed, and doing whatever it took to help her get back on her hooves. She would see to that herself if it was necessary. "What else might we do to help Rainbow Dash? How do we see to her best?" "I would recommend a complement of twelve guards," Ulquiorra spoke up from where he stood, hands tucked into his pockets. "Six from the day guard, six from the night guard. Divided into groups of two, and each tasked with a four-hour shift of monitoring her condition. Any future attempts at either escape or suicide, will be far less likely to succeed when in the presence of a pair of professionals, trained in dealing with difficult subjects," he elaborated. Not that he particularly considered the royal guard to be professional at anything, but in their situation, beggars couldn't be choosers. In his absence they would have to do. And in order to look after Ponyville, and the sensitive targets still present there, his absences would likely be frequent. His presence here would have to be relegated to coordinating with the others whenever necessary, and providing his expertise when the situation demanded it. Luna wanted to ask the Espada if such an approach was truly necessary. Their guards were among the best trained of ponies, but that training involved providing security to others, not necessarily nurse-type work. Assigning them to provide observation, and, if it proved to be necessary, physically restraining her, things could get quite ugly, and quite quickly. But she refrained from asking such a question, as she suspected she already knew what the answer would entail. Within one week's time, Rainbow Dash had already launched two successful escape attempts, and somehow overcame a wing paralysis spell in the process of the second one. Who knew what they would be facing right now. For all she knew right now, a complement of guards might be the most reasonable thing they could do under these circumstances. "I'll consider both recommendations. But I'd prefer that we first sit down, and discuss just what the proposals will involve. And more importantly, what they won't involve. I don't want to hastily jump on something, just because it sounds good at the moment," Celestia pointed out. She wanted to know not only how the watch would be carried out, but what the guards would be tasked with doing. She also wanted to know if outside physicians would be brought in to assist on this matter, and if so, who they were, and what they specialized in that would be of help to them. They needed to be careful with how they'd proceed if they were going to avoid making anymore mistakes. If there were any psychiatrists that specialized in what they'd be encountering, she wanted their names and addresses. She'd ready an entire wing of the palace to house every physician in Canterlot for as long as necessary, if that was what they needed to do, to make things right again. They had a plan of action for how to proceed from here on out. And this time around they had a consensus of voices, provided by numerous skilled individuals, who were all willing to cooperate towards a specific goal. Now it was just a matter of actually putting everything together and into motion. And if they could do that, then maybe, just maybe, they could finally get to the bottom of things, and finally get Rainbow Dash well again. For the time being, Ulquiorra was content to maintain his silence. At the moment he had nothing more to contribute, as it would serve no point. Once Princess Celestia had determined who should be assembled, and when they should be assembled, he would have something more to say. Until then, it was just a matter of more waiting for the appropriate time. Until that appropriate time arrived, however, he had other matters to focus on; such as the hallucinogenics currently flooding Rainbow Dash's system. Or more specifically, exactly what was it about their presence, that had provoked such an aggravated response from her? They hadn't even made any accusations about her use of them, before she reacted violently enough to tear open her sutures. But perhaps, what was even more interesting than that, was the reiatsu readings he had been picking up at the time of her outburst; what she'd been saying had been a matter of truth. Or at the very least, she genuinely believed that it was the truth. And her skills at deception were fairly abysmal; lying to herself would be one thing, but lying to the rest was another matter. There was also what Princess Luna had said, regarding how she would have known if Rainbow Dash was taking drugs, based on evidence that would be presented in her dreams. This suggested... he really wasn't sure of just what exactly that statement suggested, and how much access to information the lunar alicorn had. He could speculate, but at the moment he'd rather not. If he allowed his mind to wander over the possibilities, there was no telling where it might take him. Even now, as he attempted to stay focused, he couldn't help but wonder if the drugs were the fault of Doctor Thrush. Perhaps they were an insurance policy of his, in case word of his actions were to ever get out, and serve to discredit the source? For the time being, however, he would limit his focus to what was already known; there were two that had reason to believe what Rainbow Dash was saying, based on what they'd experienced for themselves. This inconsistency -or discrepancy actually- suggested another theory; that she wasn't doing drugs, but rather had been drugged by some outside source. That might easily explain everything. But even if it did manage to explain everything, and do so in a very orderly, and logical manner, it just added new complications that had to be addressed alongside others. And the logistics of what all that would involve, were going to be significant. Significant enough that he wasn't even going to voice them, until Princess Celestia had everyone assembled and ready. Once everyone was properly assembled, and correctly oriented mentally, then he would bring up this new theory. Hopefully under such circumstances, they could begin addressing everything, not only in a clear manner, but also a coherent manner.