Chapter TwentyFour
Chapter Twenty-Four
*******
“Ugh...” Twilight moaned. She shifted slightly, gaining her bearings, though her splitting headache incited an urge to curl up and fall back into slumber. She attempted to move, and what she intended to be a thrash akin to a fish out of water ended up as a feeble wobble due to the fact that her joints felt like rusty gears. She opened her eyes, but the light was blinding. “Where am I?”
“Home, darling, where you should be,” Rarity chuckled from behind her.
“Not so loud!” Twilight hissed, covering her ears and pulling the blanket over her head. In the process, though, she lost her balance and slid onto the ground. She laid there for a few seconds before asking, “What happened last night?”
“Well, it’s a little complicated,” Rarity said. The smell of fresh pancakes wafted past Twilight’s nose, but her appetite was all but nonexistent. “You managed to make it to the restaurant just before we took our orders. When the waitress asked what you wanted to drink, you said ‘grape juice.’”
“And...?” Twilight asked. She lazily threw the blanket off to her side, but the light was still piercing.
“Well, it turns out that ‘grape juice’ is a nickname for something on their wine list,” Rarity said. Twilight could tell she was stifling a giggle. “You were uneasy at first, but after I urged you to try it, you found you actually quite liked the taste. So you had another. And another. And... another.”
Twilight managed to open her eyes and pick herself up, finding herself back in her own Fillydelphian apartment. She could barely remember what had happened at the restaurant, though she figured it ended with her being dragged back home by Rarity, who had wrapped her up in blankets and put her to bed on the couch.
“I hope you don’t mind that I used your bed. It was terribly late, so I wasn’t as considerate as I should have been,” Rarity apologized.
“Ngh, don’t worry,” Twilight mumbled. “How much did I drink?”
“Four glasses total. To be honest, darling, I’m surprised you passed out so quickly,” Rarity said, leading Twilight to the dining room table and fixing up her mane in the process. “Luckily, by the fourth glass you were too out of it to ask for another. I do believe you and Pinkie had the grandest time together, though.”
“Not so loud,” Twilight complained. It’s like she’s speaking through a megaphone! After her ears recovered from the sonic boom, she asked, “So how was the dinner?”
“Well, Applejack told us all about that very important thing you two found out. What was it again?” She paused, thinking. “Oh, right! How we have to work together. Silly me, how could I have forgotten?”
Twilight began to suspect that Rarity was an expert at hiding hangovers, but suddenly an extremely pressing issue presented itself. She bit her lip and squeaked, “Rarity... I really, really need to go.”
“Well, then by all means, go!” Rarity said, ushering Twilight into the hallway.
Twilight rushed down the hall and pressed open the door to the bathroom, not hearing the sound of rushing water coming from inside. After she had barged in, she turned her head slightly to the right to see Pinkie taking a shower.
“Oh! Hi, Twilight!” she chirped.
Twilight blinked, then slowly backed out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She rubbed her eyes. She yelled at Rarity, “Why is Pinkie in my bathroom?”
There was a brief pause before Rarity answered, “Pinkie’s in your bathroom?”
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After a few chaotic minutes in which the three friends figured out just what the heck was going on, Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie all sat down at the breakfast table and began to eat their slightly charred pancakes.
“So, Pinkie... how in the world did you get in here?” Rarity asked, levitating a bite up to her mouth.
Pinkie was busy drying off her mane. “Well, when I woke up this morning, I was really tired. I’m never tired in the mornings unless there was a fantabulastic party the night before, but I couldn’t remember any of it! That made me confused, and when I’m confused, I take a shower.”
“So... how did you end up in mine?” Twilight asked, clumsily raising a fork to her mouth and taking a bite.
She shrugged. “I dunno. I just wanted to be in the shower, then presto! I was in the shower. I was too sleepy to notice it wasn’t mine.” She snapped the towel off of her head, and her mane sprang back to its usual cotton-candy shape.
“Darling, that doesn’t make any sense at all,” Rarity said, pursing her lips.
“No, it kind of does,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin in thought. “Guilt has power over space. Pinkie’s his opposite, so she should have even more power over space. She just accidentally teleported into my shower instead of her own.”
“Well, fair enough, but that doesn’t explain why she wasn’t doing this a year ago,” Rarity pointed out.
“You know how wine ages, right, Rarity?” Twilight asked.
“Of course,” Rarity replied.
“I think that our Elemental powers are beginning to... mature, somehow. Like we’ve been using them enough to activate some hidden skills we didn’t have before. Just the other day I was able to perfectly translate a poem from Ancient into our own language. Pinkie’s teleportation just means that she’s reached the next level of being the Element of Humor, right?” Twilight proposed.
“Level up!” Pinkie chirped, standing up and pointing enthusiastically at the ceiling in a kind of victory pose. Her hoof began to glow bright blue, but Twilight grabbed it and sat her friend down promptly.
“Let’s be careful about this,” she urged. “All of our powers are still unstable. We have to learn how to use them before we can put them to any use.”
“Well, that’s all well and good, Twilight,” Rarity began, checking the clock on the wall, “but we have to leave for the hospital. Dash’s surgery, remember?”
“Oh, right!” Twilight exclaimed, standing up. She turned to Pinkie and asked, “Could you get my--huh?” She looked around. Pinkie had vanished, though a blue silhouette of her hung in the air where she had been moments before.
The front door opened, and Pinkie poked her head in. “Hey! Are you slowpokes coming or not?”
“Right behind you, darling,” Rarity said, grabbing her coat and winking at Twilight on the way out.
Twilight sighed. “Well... at least now I can explain it,” she grumbled, following Rarity out the door and locking it behind her. “Off to the hospital.”
“Oh! About that,” Rarity began nervously. “Luna said she needs you to go retrieve Guilt from jail. I’ll meet you outside after I pick up some clothes for him so that he won’t be so conspicuous. She said it would be better if we could keep this all as quiet as possible, given how antsy the public is already. Oh, and here’s the address,” she said, pulling a piece of paper out of her saddlebags and giving it to Twilight.
“Alright,” Twilight said. “Did she say why she couldn’t just come, you know, see me herself?”
Rarity sighed. “Twilight, the poor mare is a wreck. She really only came and asked me to get the clothes, but she was so exhausted that I more or less ordered her to get a proper night’s sleep. Hopefully she’ll be a little better by the time you see her after the surgery.”
Twilight nodded, then read the slip of paper with the address: Fillydelphia Penitentiary--120 Lost Way.
=====================================================================
*******
Aside from the heavy barred gates and lack of a glass exterior, the jail where Guilt was being housed was nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding structures. Twilight took a breath and stepped inside.
“Name?” a unicorn guard immediately asked upon her entry. She appeared to be in the lobby of the jail, with attendants rushing from place to place with their mouths and saddlebags full of files and various colored slips that, based on their expressions, were enormously important.
“Twilight Sparkle. I’m here to escort Guilt to the hospital,” Twilight said, showing the guard her crown.
The guard’s horn glowed for a moment, and Twilight felt slightly tingly, but the sensation faded after a moment. He spoke into a device he hung around his neck. “We’ve got a cleared unicorn wanting to go to the depths. Should I escort her?”
Twilight noticed the atmosphere in the lobby grow several times more tense as the guard said ‘the depths.’ The ponies who were originally rushing back and forth slowed nearly to a stop as they turned to stare at Twilight and the guard, and several clerks did a double-take.
After hearing a brief reply, the guard said, “Come with me, Ms. Sparkle.”
She followed him down several corridors and staircases, leading her deeper and deeper into the prison’s basement. Twilight sensed an enormous magical presence, but figured it must have been Guilt.
“Where are we going, anyway?” Twilight panted, nearly out of breath from climbing down seven flights of stairs at the guard’s brisk pace.
“To the Immobilization Sphere,” the guard said simply. He trotted down to the base of the stairway and pointed at the door. “Right in there.” He pulled it open, and Twilight gasped in shock.
Outside of the dank stairwell was a single chamber. It was spherical, and it was covered in magical text and scrawls. Multicolored beams of energy were streaming from the text, all of it beelining to the center, forming a tight ball of energy wrapped around a single pony who was suspended in midair by the magic. There was a walkway around the circumference of the chamber, with guardrails along the inside. But something wasn’t right.
This magic... Twilight began. It’s too powerful, even for Guilt. It would kill him. “Guilt?” Twilight asked. “Are you okay?”
It’s... about... time, Guilt managed. He looked up at her. The ponies in this city have no sense of humor, you know. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was trembling slightly.
Twilight gaped in shock. She turned to the guard and ordered, “Turn this deathtrap off!”
The guard nodded indifferently. He went over to a specific panel of runes and slowly turned off the spell. The beams of energy were cut off after an agonizing few moments, and Guilt slowly levitated over to the guardrail. He took a knee, with Twilight watching over him anxiously.
What happened to you? Twilight asked, kneeling down next to him.
Apparently they overestimated my ability to harm the general populace, Guilt thought, though he was still shaking with agony. His mane had lost its luster, and his hooves were cracked. This isn’t an immobilization spell. It’s a power-draining spell, something I figured out too late.
Twilight turned in anger to the guard. “What did you do to him?”
“There’s no point in having a prison if your prisoners can teleport in and out at will. I didn’t design this spell, all I know is how to control it. It’s all the higher-ups could think of to keep him under lock and key,” he replied calmly.
“It’s sick,” Twilight growled back. “You’re using forbidden Vampri spells to suppress his life force!”
“Look, I’m not the one to complain to about this. I’m only an escort,” the guard said. “Now are you two going to leave for the hospital or not?”
Guilt slowly stood up, though his stance was slightly wobbly. He slowly stepped up to the guard, staring at him intensely. He didn’t need to speak. They both knew what he was saying. But the guard’s impassive stare didn’t budge.
Twilight noticed that Guilt was recovering rapidly as they ascended back to the surface, and when she saw the slightly orange aura around him, she realized that he was using magic to repair his body. It would be mere minutes before he was back at full strength. His interaction with the guard, though, still lingered in her mind.
“You know... you really shouldn’t kill him,” she mumbled halfheartedly after she knew she was out of earshot.
Guilt pushed opened the door to the jail. His mane had regained its shine, and his hooves were now polished and whole. But he said nothing.
=====================================================================
*******
The hospital is just up on the right, Twilight told Guilt as they approached their destination. Rarity had met them just after they had left the jail to give Guilt a sweatshirt along with special contact lenses to prevent him from drawing too much attention. They disguised his slitted, orange eyes with the guise of being a light green. Rarity’s taste, as always, was excellent, and after Guilt had finished equipping the illusion, he looked nothing like the maniacal Element of Discord they had fought just days before.
I suppose I owe your friend here my thanks, Guilt began, inspecting himself in a nearby window.
Twilight relayed this to Rarity, and she said cheerfully, “Oh, it’s nothing. I just don’t want you getting dirty looks on the way to the hospital. In fact, I was hoping to get some of those contacts for myself. I’ve found that having bright purple eyes can be rather... off-putting, if you’re trying to have a casual conversation. Especially in this city.”
“Oh?” Twilight asked.
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Don’t even get me started, Twilight. I mean, just the other day...”
After a few moments of Rarity’s rant, Guilt’s voice appeared in Twilight’s mind once more. You really shouldn’t have gotten her started.
Be quiet. I’m trying to look interested, Twilight chided.
Twilight furrowed her eyebrows upon hearing Guilt laugh and looked at him irritably, though all that was showing was a small smile. Why bother? If she’s boring you, you might as well say so, he chuckled.
That wouldn’t be very nice of me, Twilight argued. She is my friend, after all.
It makes me wonder why you all are friends in the first place. Your personalities are nearly incompatible at times, Guilt pointed out. Is it simply necessity that keeps you all in sync?
We need to work together in order to save Equestria, that’s true, Twilight began, but even though they all have little idiosyncrasies and quirks, I know that every one of my friends is good at heart. That’s something you’re just going to have to accept if you’re going to work well with us.
Hmph. I’ll keep that in mind. He paused for a moment, then added, However, if you were to live as long as I have, you would appreciate a life of solitude far more. Of that, I guarantee.
That’s not true, either. I bet that even if I lived twenty-five thousand years like you have, if my friends were still alive by then, I’d be with them until the end. And even if they weren’t, there are a lot of nice ponies out there who I could be friends with, too, Twilight argued. I never could have gotten as far as I have, not just as an Element, but as a pony, without my friends.
...I find it interesting, Guilt began, that the Element of Magic has always been so prone to gambling.
“...And then I told her, ‘Yes, it’s the latest craze! Everypony who’s anypony has been getting colored contact lenses.’ I never thought she would believe me, but what do you know? The next morning she goes in and her irises were yellow-green!” Rarity finished, laughing.
Twilight faked a slight laugh, then realized they were at the door to the hospital. Guilt stepped in front of them and pushed open the door, though he didn’t hold it for the mares behind him, and it smacked Rarity in the face on its way back.
“...Rather rude,” Rarity muttered as she entered the hospital.
I heard that, Guilt told Twilight from inside.
Twilight rolled her eyes, then remembered something. She trotted up next to Rarity and asked, “Hey, do you know if Applejack is going to be here?”
Rarity shook her head. “She told me she didn’t think it would be a good idea, what with her emotional state as of the meeting.” She paused for a moment, biting her lip anxiously. “Twilight... could you, um, ask Guilt just why he chose Big Macintosh’s body? I’m quite certain there were others.”
Guilt, who hadn’t been looking at the pair, stopped in his tracks and turned his gaze to Rarity.
“He’s mute, not deaf,” Twilight growled at her. “You could have just asked him yourself.”
Rarity flashed him a nervous smile. “Sorry, darling. You heard my question though, correct?”
Twilight heard Guilt chuckle slightly, though his lips didn’t even twitch in reality. She’s scared of me.
Who wouldn’t be? Twilight grumbled back. Anyway, why did you choose that body?
Two reasons, Guilt began. One was that there weren’t many options left. Our stores were majorly depleted after you destroyed the Dreamscape, and the only bodies we typically keep are those caught in major battles. He sighed, and Twilight caught a brief glimpse of the gravelly voice inside her head travelling along on his exhale. At least, that’s what my brother and I have always done. I am aware that Envy and Arrogance are significantly more ruthless than we are, though to what end I’ve never quite been certain. He shook his head. The second reason is that Applejack told Celestia to punish not only my brother, but me as well, for no reason other than to cause both of us more pain. Afterward, it seemed fitting to take the body of her brother as retribution.
It isn’t. It’s sick, Twilight hissed. Applejack nearly gave up just yesterday because of what you did. She was torn to pieces.
Guilt took a couple steps toward Twilight and glared ferociously at her. Are you aware, he hissed, his voice filled with rage, that, post-decapitation, the brain still functions for around fifteen seconds?
Twilight was about to ask him his point, but she swallowed fearfully as she realized it for herself.
Although my actions may have been influenced by my anger at the time, I refuse to refute them, Guilt thought, backing off slightly. He turned away and added, I will enjoy seeing that little pest squirm with fury every time she lays eyes on this form. That is the price she pays for causing unnecessary suffering. I was going to die anyway.
Twilight considered defending her friend, but she didn’t have anything left to argue with. She shuddered, ridding herself of the sudden fear that caused her limbs to seize up when Guilt approached her. After she calmed herself down, she relayed a more watered-down version of Guilt’s explanation to Rarity.
“I don’t want to say that’s fair... In fact, that’s despicable,” Rarity growled. She sighed. “But if Big Macintosh was already dead... then I guess this is better than having Envy or Arrogance take him over.”
None of them said much more as they made their way up to Dash’s chambers. However, before they could go inside, they saw Aurora waiting on the outside of the door.
“Aurora?” Twilight asked.
“Shh!” she exclaimed, peeking through the crack in the doorway. “I want it to be a surprise.”
“Do you know this mare, darling?” Rarity asked Twilight.
Twilight sighed. “It’s a long story. You’ll see soon enough. But why are you here, Aurora?”
“Well, I figured Dash would need a little cheering up before she has Guilt poke around inside her, y’know?” Aurora asked. She glanced at Guilt. “That’s him, right?”
“Uh-huh,” Twilight nodded. To Guilt, she thought, And this is Celestia’s original-
I’m aware. We’ve met, Guilt interrupted, his gaze locking onto Celestia for a moment before turning to the door. Shall we?
“Not yet,” Twilight said aloud. She turned to Aurora. “So anyway, what do you plan on doing?”
“I don’t know, that’s the problem,” Aurora grumbled, absently rubbing the tattoo on her eye. “Any ideas?”
“Well, if you want to be Dash’s friend, why not just introduce yourself?” Rarity suggested. She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked closely at Aurora. “Do I know you from somewhere, darling?”
“Okay. Introduce myself. Got it,” Aurora said, anxiously shifting from one pair of hooves to the other. “I can’t believe I’m so nervous. I mean, I wasn’t near as worked up when I met you again, Twilight.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re meeting... well... yourself?” Twilight proposed. “There’s no telling how much you have in common, given that you’re both the same Element.”
Twilight saw Guilt smirk out of the corner of her eye, and he thought, Celestia obviously wasn’t supposed to live to see her more-or-less future self. Deception’s spell seems to have prevented her death but managed to allow her Element to leave her body. How... intriguing.
Could you say that in a way that doesn’t make you sound evil? Twilight growled back, though she only received laughter in reply.
“Okay. Myself. Got it,” Aurora exhaled, shaking herself out. She turned to Rarity and Guilt and asked, “Could you two just stay out here for right now? Dash’ll know something’s up if too many ponies come in at once.”
Rarity’s eyes suddenly widened as something dawned on her. She glanced at Aurora. “Are... Are you...” She shook her head. “Never mind. Don’t be long.”
Twilight nodded, and followed Aurora through the door.
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*******
“Yeah?” Dash asked upon their entry. She was flipping through a comic book when they arrived, and her bed was a mess of chocolate wrappers from the boxes she had received as a condolence of sorts after the doctors pronounced her wings irreparable. She hastily threw some of the wrappers off her bed into a nearby overflowing trash bin. “So do we start now, or what?”
“Well, Dash, there’s somepony who I want you to meet,” Twilight began, motioning to Aurora.
“Oh, um, my name’s Aurora,” she said, trying to hide her anxiety.
“Okay. Um... Hi, Aurora. The name’s Rainbow Dash, but you’ve probably heard of me,” Dash said nonchalantly. “Are you like a nurse, or something?”
“No...” Aurora said, slowly shaking her head.
I can’t believe she hasn’t noticed yet, Twilight giggled silently. This is going to be hilarious. “Dash, do you notice anything... different about Aurora?”
“No, not really. I mean, the tattoo is kinda cool, but other than that...” Dash squinted, taking a closer look at her, then shrugged. “Nah. This isn’t some sort of prank, is it?”
Aurora glanced at Twilight mischievously, as if she were saying, Let’s see how long it takes for her to figure it out.
“Well...” Twilight began, slyly pacing over to Dash’s bedside, “You and Aurora have a lot in common. You like flying right, Aurora?”
“Well, duh. What pegasus doesn’t?” Aurora chuckled. “But yeah, I’m a really fast flier. Last time I checked my wingpower, it was about seventeen.”
“Seventeen! What?” Dash exclaimed, sitting up. “There’s no way you could have more wingpower than me! I’m the Element of Loyalty, and the fastest pegasus in Equestria!”
Twilight stifled a giggle. “Maybe you two should race sometime.”
“You’re on!” Dash said, grinning slightly. She poked her wings. “As soon as these babies are back in business, I’m going to show you what flying really is.”
“We’ll see how you stack up against royalty,” Aurora said, faking smugness.
“Wait, you’re related to Celestia?” Dash asked.
“You could say that,” Aurora said, though she had to turn around so that Dash wouldn’t see the grin inching its way onto her face.
“Okay, something’s definitely up with you two,” Dash determined. “Aurora feels really familiar, somehow, I just can’t put my hoof on it. So what’re you trying to pull?”
“Okay, then, I guess we’ll make it a guessing game,” Twilight motioned. “What do you think we’re trying to pull, Dash?”
“Hmm...” Dash said, examining Aurora closely and rubbing her chin. She finally shrugged. “I got nothing. I mean, since Twilight brought you here, either you’re somepony I’ve never heard of or you’re pulling a practical joke on me that only eggheads would get.”
Aurora couldn’t hold back her amusement. She doubled over and burst into hysterics, but Dash’s eyes widened as she recognized her own iconic laughter.
Dash blinked. “Wait. Waitwaitwaitwaitwait a minute, hold on. That’s just freaky!” she yelped, backing up slightly in her bed. “How can you have my voice?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Aurora asked, wiping her eyes. “I’m you! I’m the Element of Loyalty!”
Dash clearly wasn’t following, as she had raised up a pillow to shield herself. “Twilight, what’s going on? Did those freakshow doctors clone me or something?!”
Twilight rolled her eyes and explained very carefully to Dash how Aurora was the original Celestia, and how she was also the Element of Loyalty from years past.
“So... she’s Celestia?” Dash asked.
“Uh-huh,” Twilight nodded.
“I thought she said she was me,” Dash said, glancing at Aurora. “There’s no way Celestia and I are the same pony. And there’s no way Celestia could be that short, either.”
“Oh, thanks,” Aurora said, rolling her eyes. “With that Element of Magic still locked inside me, I was kind of an artificial alicorn or something. But now I’m basically you from a different era. Cool, huh?”
“Cool?” Dash asked. A smile crept onto her face. “That’s awesome!”
Ahem... Guilt’s voice appeared in Twilight’s mind, and she turned to see him slightly pushing open the door. I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s about time we get started. Save the happy-go-luckiness for after Dash has withstood pain akin to being rolled through a spiked wringer.
*******
“...That’s Guilt, isn’t it?” Dash swallowed. “S-So that means it’s about to start, right?” Although she was trying to hide her apprehension, the sheer realization that the surgery was about to occur seemed to rattle her slightly.
Guilt stepped into the room, and the positive atmosphere immediately evaporated like a swarm of butterflies fleeing pestilence. Rarity quickly followed him, though she opted to stand next to Dash’s bedside rather than beside an Element of Discord. This is one of those times when I really wished I was able to speak, he muttered to Twilight.
Well, you formed a telepathic bond with me. Why not with everypony in the room? Is there a limit, or something? Twilight inquired.
More or less. I can only form a bond with a pony that has a stronger aura than I. That limits it down to four possibilities that I know of: My brother, my sister Vengeance, you, and the Element of Kindness, Guilt explained. And don’t even think about mentioning Pinkamena. I shudder to think about what permanent bond with that thing would be like.
You know, you’re making yourself really hard to like, Twilight grumbled.
Oh? And you wish to ‘like’ me? Guilt chuckled, stepping past Twilight and brushing past Aurora as he approached Dash’s bed. In all seriousness, though, I will have to ask your assistance in communicating with the others in the room. It would be tedious to write it out, and were my disability not inherent in my soul rather than my body, I would not have to rely on you. Paraphrase how you like as long as the meaning gets across.
Okay, I guess. So what now? Are we going to wheel her to the emergency room or something? Twilight asked.
First I would like to detail the procedure to Dash. I will make the operation as short as I can as to limit the pain she will receive, but even those efforts will be akin to trying to sweeten tea by adding a single grain of sugar, Guilt elaborated.
“Is he going to say anything, or what?” Dash asked. To Guilt, she inquired, “I mean, like, are you going to write something down and show it to me?”
“He’ll be communicating through me. I’m the only one that he can speak to because I’m the only one who has a telepathic bond with him. So be patient, at least for a little longer,” Twilight said. To Guilt, she asked, How painful will it be?
One of the standard laws of magic, and, in fact, life in general, is that it takes much more effort to create than to destroy. The same goes for the strain in the process. Imagine you were a pegasus, and I ripped your wings off, Guilt proposed. You would feel a lot of pain, would you not? Now take that pain and multiply it by a factor of twelve. That’s how much pain you would be in if I regenerated them from scratch.
Twilight suppressed a shudder. ...Does it have to be twelve? she squeaked, trying to block the gruesomes image out of her mind.
If you want to be accurate, Guilt thought.
“I hate to pry, darling, but what in Equestria are you two saying?” Rarity asked.
“Guilt is... describing to me just how painful the surgery will be,” Twilight began, “keeping in mind that in order for him to be one-hundred percent accurate, Dash needs to be completely awake.”
“Why is that, again?” Aurora asked. “I mean, it’s not like Guilt’s doing a nerve test or anything, he’s just reconstructing her wings.”
One cannot do internal diagnostics on a comatose patient, Guilt thought irritably, as if he were stating the obvious. I can’t simply take pegasus nerve structures out of a cookie cutter and glue them in place like some sort of foal’s arts-and-crafts. Every nerve structure is different, and I need to make sure I’m making Dash’s specific structure not too sensitive nor too dull. I can possibly even improve upon biology if she is willing to endure through the entire procedure I have in mind.
After Twilight relayed this information, Dash asked, “Well, what’s the procedure thingy?”
The first step is simple, I have to remove all of Dash’s feathers and plumage in order to have a clean working area. This is only temporary, and I’ll regrow them before the surgery is finished, and like the second step, it will be completely painless, Guilt began.
“Okay... as long as I don’t have to see myself like that,” Dash said after Twilight repeated what Guilt had told her.
“How will she be positioned for the surgery?” Twilight asked aloud, so that the others knew she had inquired.
Face-down. I prefer to work on the top of the wings, though mainly so that it’s harder for my patients to jerk about. For this particular procedure, however, Dash will have to be fully restrained... and I recommend getting her something to bite on, Guilt grimaced.
Twilight relayed this. Okay, so what’s the second step?
In the second step, I will regenerate the muscles, bones, and other necessary tissues in her wings. This will be the longest step, and once again, it will be painless due to the fact that I’m saving her nerves for last, Guilt explained.
Won’t there be any bloodloss? Twilight inquired.
I’ve been working with this type of magic a long time, and there are techniques that allow blood vessels to be worked around. What little blood she loses will be superfluous, Guilt answered.
After Twilight relayed this, Dash asked, “Well, when does the pain start?”
Twilight, this is very important, so listen closely, Guilt began. The pain will start very abruptly as I start to regrow and activate the nerves. Nerves are very particular, you see, and unless I get everything right on my very first attempt, Dash will feel like her wings are being dipped in acid. This is the part where I must correct the mistakes I made in the second step, and they could potentially add up to a nightmare if Dash isn’t perfectly calm beforehoof. You need to assure her that she will be warned before the third step begins.
“Guilt says that the pain will start when he begins to activate the nerves and fix all the mistakes he made in the process of reconstructing them. I guess it’s more of a trial-and-error system than I thought,” she assumed. “Anyway, Guilt promises that you’ll get a heads-up before the pain begins, okay?”
Dash relaxed slightly. “Okay. Thanks.”
I get the feeling we’re not actually going to warn her, Twilight assumed.
We’re not going to warn her for the same reason you don’t show a newborn foal the needle you’re going to jab into them when they get a vaccination, Guilt growled. If she is insecure and anxious leading up to the third step, especially just before it, it will make my job several times more difficult and will likely lead to me making many more mistakes. Even though her panic when the pain begins will be heightened due to her surprise, she would struggle no more than if she had fair warning. If she’s angry at you later, you can offer her that explanation.
Twilight sighed. I don’t feel really good about doing this. It’s dishonest. Dash is trusting us with her life; the least we can do is keep our promises.
Honesty is situational. And I never said to promise we’d give her warning; you came up with that all on your lonesome, Guilt said, his tone heavy with the indifference of a professional.
“What’s up?” Dash asked.
“Nothing,” Twilight said quickly. “I’m asking him the fourth step.” Well?
There is no fourth step besides giving Dash back her feathers and fixing the outside of her wings. The pain will steadily fade to nothing as I fix the errors I will undoubtedly make, though I doubt Dash will notice through her tears, Guilt thought.
Twilight relayed this, then thought, ...I think this is as morbid a conversation could get without mentioning death.
Of course, there’s always the minute chance Deception could pop out of the shadows just as all of you seem to constantly fear her doing, ending all our lives in a split second with her armagedon beam of cake and feathers, Guilt added with a sarcastic grin.
You’re such a jerk, Twilight grumbled. “So that’s about it. I think it’s time to go finish this whole ordeal.”
“You can come with me, Rarity... Guilt,” Aurora said, warily eyeing him. “I know where the surgery’s going to be. Luna said she wanted it set up so that the doctors who tried to cure her the first time could maybe learn something from watching Guilt. As for you, Twilight, I guess you can stay with Dash until the nurses come to pick her up. Is that okay?”
“Sure,” Twilight said, and suddenly she found herself alone with Dash. She slowly approached her friend’s bedside. “...Are you ready for this?” she asked after a short pause.
“Totally,” Dash said with confidence. “Are you?”
“Well,” Twilight muttered, sitting down on a nearby chair and resting her head in her forelegs. “I’d be lying if I said I was sure.”
=====================================================================
Two nurses took Dash and wheeled her, oddly-shaped bed and all, down to the operation room, while Twilight followed swiftly behind. She could tell that Dash was nervous, as she was wringing her blankets between her hooves, but there was little more she could offer besides small words of encouragement. They travelled down the bland white halls to an elevator, and then slowly descended into the base of the hospital, where the operating theatre was located. It was mainly designed to allow medical students or family members of the patient to carefully watch the doctor’s methods, but it was slightly underused as of late due to fewer Fillydelphians studying medicine and more studying the best ways to overthrow the Princess.
The chamber was a relatively large circular shape, being about ten feet in diameter, with half of one side covered in one-way glass. There were two entrances, one from the ‘stands’ that was locked from the inside, and the other leading from the interior of the hospital. Dash and Twilight entered from the latter of the doorways, finding Rarity, Guilt, and Pinkie waiting for them next to two other hospital beds.
Rarity was sitting on a chair as she sighed and reluctantly put on the necessary clothing attachments to make sure Dash didn’t catch anything. After she had put all of it on, including a sterile mask, a hairnet, a clean apron, and latex shoes, she was barely recognizable, mostly because she had put about half of it on backward. She muttered in disgust and tried again while an amused Guilt, who had already wrapped himself in hygienic insulation, looked on.
Pinkie seemed unusually subdued, though Twilight could hardly see her through the gear she wore. The sterile mask didn’t hide the tip of a deep scar she had on her cheek, though. She gave Twilight a matching set and stated, “We all need to put these costumes on.”
“Pinkie, these aren’t costumes,” Twilight said, taking the clothing and trying not to stare. “These are to make sure we don’t make Dash sick.”
“My personal rule is that everything that makes you hide your smile is a costume and something only to be worn on Nightmare Night, casual Fridays, and Monday the Thirteenths. It’s in the Party Pony’s Pocket Dictionary, too, if you wanna look it up,” she said, pulling a tiny dictionary from her back pocket and placing it on top of Twilight’s clothes.
Twilight decided to humor her and set the clothes on a nearby table in order to flip through the book, but rolled her eyes as she saw that many of the definitions had been crossed out and scribbled over in bright marker. She instead awkwardly put on her gear, asking Pinkie, “So did Rarity tell you about the procedure?”
“Nope! Guilt showed me his notes,” Pinkie said, pointing to a thick file folder next to a scalpel on the table next to where Dash was lying idly. Twilight reached to open it, but Pinkie stopped her. “...You might wanna save that for Nightmare Night,” she said with a nervous smile.
Twilight glanced at Guilt. What--exactly--did you show her?
My plans for the surgery, alongside some of the most gruesome diagrams I could craft accompanying them, Guilt thought, smirking back at her. She won’t be forgetting those anytime soon.
You’re awful, Twilight groaned. Why did you pick today to be an absolute jerk? I know you can be nicer than this.
I’m fairly certain you wouldn’t like to hear what I’d actually like to do to that little pink cretin, Guilt muttered back. This is actually an upbeat day for me, personally. I find inner workings of ponies quite fascinating, and any time I get to work with them is akin to the excitement of opening a treasure chest. You never know what might be inside.
That’s no excuse for showing Pinkie something that might disturb her! Twilight scolded.
Everything has a purpose, Guilt said dismissively. It’s not like I had anything better to draw in prison, and it’s not like I’m going to toss those delightfully gory illustrations aside without putting them to good use first.
That’s no excuse either! Twilight insisted.
Want another? Curiosity killed the cat, Guilt sneered. Pinkie’s the one who asked for those documents. I simply gave her what I would have kept to myself otherwise. Had I known she was going to ask for them, I would have planned something far more gruesome, trust me.
Twilight decided not to pursue the argument and instead glanced around, checking to make sure everypony was ready. “So are we going to start now?”
“Just about, darling. But where’s Aurora? She was just here a moment ago,” Rarity wondered aloud, adjusting her mask.
Dash, sensing that the surgery was about to begin, rolled over onto her belly. “I think she went up into the balcony or something with Luna and the doctors,” Dash said. Her breathing quickened slightly as she realized what was about to happen, and she nervously fiddled with her hooves.
She will need to be properly restrained, Guilt thought. He waved his hoof, and orange tethers slowly wrapped their way around Dash before tightening in place.
With something to bite on, Twilight echoed. Guilt conjured an orange bar of energy and set it on the table by Twilight. It had a rubbery texture, and when Twilight gave it to Dash to sink her teeth into, it softened for a moment before stiffening into something resembling a thick retainer. The obsolete parts broke off and dissolved into powder.
Rarity and Pinkie both laid down on the spare beds, each of them gripping Dash’s hoof tightly and murmuring words of encouragement. Twilight watched Guilt’s scalpel glow orange as it levitated off the table. The sky-blue feathers on Dash’s wings started to melt off and disintegrate before vanishing completely, leaving bare, almost skeletal pink blobs of flesh in their place. Then, with careful finesse, Guilt levitated the scalpel and began to carefully cut a wing open.
Twilight averted her eyes as Guilt began to work, although there wasn’t any hollering or shrieking from Dash just yet. It was almost eerily silent, getting to the point where Twilight could discern the slow cuts of the scalpel from her friend’s breathing.
“Did it start? I think I feel something,” Dash asked, shifting anxiously.
Rarity nodded. “Yes, darling. You’re doing fabulous, just stay as still as you possibly can.”
Guilt paused in his work for a moment. He looked like he was about to continue, but then something dawned on him. Wait a moment. This isn’t correct at all.
What’s wrong? Twilight asked.
Guilt didn’t offer an answer right away. He placed his scalpel in a glass of sterilizer and silently stared at Dash’s wing. Twilight... he began quietly, there is something I need you to do immediately, but you must follow my every direction. This is of dire importance, so listen well.
Twilight snapped to attention. What’s going on?
The doctors from Dash’s original surgery are up in the balcony right now, correct? Guilt asked.
Twilight nodded. With Luna and Aurora, I think.
You need to go up and tell Luna to have guards arrest each and every one of them, Guilt growled.
Why? Twilight asked, trotting over to the door and undoing the latch on it.
Guilt turned his gaze back to Dash’s wings. Whatever they did to her... it wasn’t surgery. He shot around, staring at a particular spot of the one-way glass as if he could see right through it and knew what lay beyond.
It was sabotage.
=====================================================================
[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This story takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.
Please let me know if a link doesn’t work.
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THOSE GOD DAMN JERKS½!!!!!#%?)!BY((&Y!MB"& WHY!?!?!??!?!?!
OH and still the same awseomness
Cracked me up
Of course this would happen. It's always the nameless people.
And I guarantee you, Luna set up for this sabotage. Something's off with how she wanted the doctors to watch...
1063013
My thoughts excactly!
I mean Dash needs to get her wings back!
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHAAAAAATTTTT?!?! THE DOCTOR'S SABOTAGED DASH'S WINGS?! YOU (#@$>!# @# NO GOOD #@?!*^)-
And then we got a curve-ball with the...surprise ending to the chapter. I can't wait to see those doctors behind bars.
Can't wait for the final chapter of Guilt and Hate! 
iambrony.steeph.tp-radio.de/mlp/gif/131650518799%20(copy).gif
*Ahem* Sorry about that. Anyways, another great chapter read! I never figured the powers of the Elements could be mastered like the way Pinkie mastered her's. Guilt is being such a wise-cracking smart-alec, it's kind of funny listening to him argue with Twilight. The prank with Aurora was absolutely hilarious!
... If anything else bad happens, I will possibly flip a table. Okay, so element status is:
Fluttershy in a comatose, Rainbow Dash undergoing sabotaged surgery, Pinkie Pie conscious and active, along with Rarity, Twilight, and Applejack.
4/6, not bad... for now. Anyways.
Made me laugh! Some other lines did, too, I just can't recall them, as of now. Good job! Can't wait for the next chapter! :)
Guilt is so awesome. His snarks crack me up.
But man, dat plot twist. That took me by surprise. Great chapter!
So apparently deception likes to assault ponies with cake like Pinkie
. Lol.
Oh something needs to make guilt get a telepathic bond with Pinkie as the results would be hilarious.
One has to wonder what happened at the restaurant (and after) though as it sounds like an epic night.
boy guilts awful
(the part about what he showed pinkie.
as for whats next...
this is gonna be REALLY painful for dash if he was telling the truth. i may skip that part myself as the thought of such things happening never really sits right with me :/
Guilt is now my favorite character. And why am I not shocked that the doctors did that to Dash's wings.
Ok, I know I've pretty much sworn to hate the EoD and all that crap, but I love this guy
Can we please hand over the doctors to Indicina to use as test subjects for her dismembering experiments? Pretty please?
And those doctors and their sabotage... This smells of Drammatica
crude, how come I just now thought that, with spikes' defect and all, What would happen when (if) the gang meet up with him, espescially Rarity and Twi.....; It'd be messed up if he comes out of no where with his moustache
,hmmm, the drama of that meeting lingers on my mind, I wonder if Pinks were all 
when Guilt showed her that, and who knows, Pinks will have her revenge eventually someway or another, hopefully he will have no choice but make a bond with her their're opposites after all.....but other than that, I've gotta say I love this work of art, and now for some reason I wanna see more of Rarity's power mature, It may be beautiful........1068725
Edit: I said if incase for some reason he gets killed by other forces or some sort.....
Eeee.. I regret reading this today! Darn you Mindblower! Your cliffhangers.. they'll kill me some day. They truly, truly will.
.. Anyhoof! Interesting chapter as always. I'll admit I was laughing in this chapter; Dashie's surgery sounded so painful it was humorous. Though, unfortunately, my happy feelings stopped when it actually began...
Also, I'm really hoping for some more Hate now, if you get what I mean. He's been my favorite character for awhile now, and an appearance from him would be super duperbly portentous. Of course, I'll just have to wait, as usual; he can't possibly be dead or anything at this point..
I think.
.. Oh well! At least Pinkie Pie is still alive. C:
I thought, for a split second, that things were going to graphically describe Guilt's reconstruction of Dash's wings in a manner akin to a backwards Cupcakes.
I digress. 
Those doctors... Their souls will be sacrificed to make Dash's surgery go better.
Laughed really hard at the beginning of this chapter. Last night I... Had a similar night, involving substances of greater proof and quality than grape juice.
And waking up this morning to read that, I was gifs.gifbin.com/012010/1264091579_kirk_rofl.gif
Final notes: CLIFFHANGERSFDSJKFHLFLDKSJFHSLDKJFHLAFJKHDL
POOR DASHY!!! WHY?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?
I leave for 3 days and come back to the mother of all cliffhangers...
At least I don't have to wait as long.
This series reminds me of the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. The heroes are always being beat down by a seemingly all-powerfull evil, yet win in the end. The tragedy is almost exactly like the Kane Chronicles!!
GODDAMN MINDBLOWER! You literally had me lean over to my computer screen to re-read that last part! OMFG you have now Idea how shocking that that last part was my heart skipped a beat I had to make this comment immediatly and I don't even have time to check my grammar. Seriously this is SOOO awsome
An Update!
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Why doctors? Why do i have a verry bad feeling that Dramatica had something to do with this akin to incrimminating photographs.
"Anyvey, thats how I lost my medical licence." " Oops, that wasn't medicine"(these jokes seem appropriate)
hmm... assuming operation will commence (I'm under the impression that the cells needed to be kept alive and if the "surgery" was in-fact sabotage I doubt they were) 12 times the pain of having her wings ripped off
... am I wrong to believe that that much pain would result in severe mental problems with not being able to cope with the raw agony that that describes
1065518 you have no stomach for the greater things in life likke gore, blood,death and rape, but hey to each's own
now that was amazing, justwhen i thought this storydied you pull offaplot twist now if you excuse me
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