//------------------------------//
// C33 - Something A Little Illegal 
// Story: Trapped In Canterlot 
// by TartarusFire 
//------------------------------//

Relic stood up, and entered the room.
 
"You’re awake?!" Laceration was startled, and ashamed at being fooled.
 
"Indeed." He straitened his coat. "I decided to ‘fall asleep’ and listen in. I was pretty sure none of you would talk in front of me, so it was surprising when I had found my answer. Although, I did actually fall asleep." He pointed, "One of those guards was loud and woke me."
 
Laceration went on the defense, curiosity taking over. "So exactly why did this thought come to you?"
 
"Well, it’s strange really. After I was directed to grab an artifact from the evidence room, I started to wonder about the ponies involved. I was wondering what the cutie mark of the oppressor was and why they did all this."
 
Laceration started to explain they did not have that information but Deepsky talked over him. "Actually, while I fell over from being wounded, I could tell it was something akin to a split pane of glass. What it actually was, I have no idea. We have already filed our report verbally with a transcriber after we had out wounds dressed on that morning."
 
"Interesting." Relic turned to leave, clearly finished milking information. "It doesn’t sound like much, but when I spoke to the Princess..." Relic’s fur seemed to ruffle under his dressing, as though irritated. "She seemed to know what was going on. I expect a public decree within the day."
 
 
"Well now that he’s gone, may we stop the conspiracies already?" Cross was quite peeved. "I swear, you all act like this is the first time something crazy has happened." She received blank stares. "Oh fine, something like this hasn’t happened before, but it’s grating on my nerves. Even Relic is going to wait for the Princess to speak."
 
"Uugh, fine, I’ll just go back to the desk."
 
"We didn’t even do anything!"
 
"’Shade, just stop, you’re loud."
 
"Well, we didn’t, and she’s blaming us."
 
Cross rolled her eyes. Stallions.
 
 
 
***
 
 
 
Twilight had managed to pull dozens, dozens, of books on destiny. She checked Starswirl the Bearded’s theories fist, but even a powerful sorcerer had only musings on the subject. The rest were from ponies who were philosophers or were insane and preached about ‘Fate.’ A book on a guide to cutie marks was even less help, meant for foals, the book explained the varieties of marks and patience.
 
It was completely justifiable that Twilight had fallen asleep in the library, again. A college intern came by and slapped the desk, startling her awake. Twilight was about to say something about waking up the student of the most powerful pony in Equestria, but the mare had already left.
 
A faithful clock stared back at her. "It’s five thirty? Ugh, nothing here is helpful at all." A loud ‘shhhh’ sound came across the bookcase from three ponies. "Geeze, I’m leaving alright?" She scooped up her books and put three back before deciding it wasn’t worth the effort and place the rest of them back down, alphabetically on the front desk.
 
She left, contemplating the moment her holds from the criminal justice department would come back, comparing the blood, muscle tissue, and fur in the case of Griffon vs BlueBlood XIV.
 
 
 
***
 
 
 
It was not a good time to be waking up, at least for Caedes. Her head throbbed, her stomach was in pain, and she was far too hot for her wellbeing.
 
She turned, to face out from under the sheet to peek out at the eternally lit room. It hurt her eyes and she realized she was staring at the wall. Fortunately, the nurse saw the sheets shift and moved over to great her.
 
"Good morning, Caedes." She greeted in a more chipper tone that she reserved for patients. "My name is Red Cross…" Caedes could hear the hooves tap. "I know you’ve seen me before, but please, don’t run, I, we are here to help."
 
Cross waited for an indefinite span of time, until her patient responded. "No."
 
"Erm, sorry, but no what?" Cross tensed, getting ready for the usual even though Caedes had promised not to thrash.
 
"Not good morning. Bad." She rolled over under the sheets. "Hurts.. Too warm!"
 
"Oh. –Oh right!" Cross levitated the bucket of rags, it was shallow, so the water ran out quickly. "Here, I’ll take those," she floated the used rags, now very warm, off of Caedes, relieving some of the heat. "I’ll just take these and I’ll be right back."
 
She had dashed off whereupon a slap was heard and the rushing of water. She came back with the tub and rags as well as some muttering about sleeping on the job. "Ah, yes, these’ll help cool you off." A couple went on Caedes’s head, a couple on her barrel, and one on each hoof. "How’s that feel?"
 
"I-it hur-rts~" She grabbed her hind legs with her front legs, curling inward.
 
"Where?"
 
After being partially blown up, brutally stabbed, tossed around, starved for over a day, getting sick and injuring herself, Caedes couldn’t respond.
 
"Oh, I’m terrible with fillies.. Uhh, let me come right back." She trotted away, and closed the curtain to the ward.
 
 
"What’re you doing? Closing the walkway is against protocol." Laceration berated his nurse. It felt strange being on the opposite end of messing up. "What’re you doing?"
 
Red Cross was opening the refrigerated cabinet which was full of perishable supplies: blood, and medicines. "I’m getting something, and I had to shut the curtain so the guards wouldn’t see."
 
He leered. "..Why?"
 
"Because of the addiction laws. Seriously messed up. Foals are not permitted to have any pain relievers except by pill due to the higher chances of addiction. You know how many foals take the pills? I know you know, none of them were by choice."
 
"So, I assume you are going for morphine then?"
 
"Shh, Relic might wake back up and the guards are bored enough to listen in." She checked the chart on the back of the clear bag for dose sizes. "What would you say is the normal weight of a filly compared to an adult?"
 
He guessed, having held Caedes by hoof when he was sewing her. "Regular foals are about one eight, so for her, one ninth of the adult dose."
 
"Excellent, my guess as well." She had already started to slowly fill another bag before he had said anything. "’Glad you conspired with me."
 
"Well, it’s reasonable.. plus we have malpractice insurance."
 
"I forgot." She chose not to facehoof in favor of opening the minibar and stealing a certain sandwich out of it. "We should really move this thing farther away from the medical cabinet. And I’m taking this because you fell asleep earlier."
 
"Hey, you have a lunch too. I saw you put that in there. Why are you taking my sandwich?"
 
"You know, the kid’s hasn’t eaten anything since she’s gotten here a day ago, right?"
 
"...Fine. I want a sandwich in return to keep quiet about the morphine though."
 
"Deal."