Burnt Offerings, Oaken Hearts

by Phoenix Quill

A Tempting Proposition.

Sunday, 2/23/14, 4:47 PM, Canterlot Hospital, Third floor, long term care.

Magdalena sat in the chair she normally would during these visits, eyes glued to the white hospital ceiling. The room was filled with the sounds of monitors beeping constantly, and air being forced down a tube. One of the machines gave off an alarm sound and she looked down at it. "Again," she grumbled to herself. "Best medical team in the country and they can't even have somepony around when the machine goes on the fritz."

She got up and looked at the machine's readout on a small screen, and saw that there was a tangle in the line for the IV. She looked around for a few moments and saw that somehow, in his comatose state, Burnt Oak had managed to once again move just enough to pinch one of the lines. She quickly grabbed the line and straightened it out, allowing the medicine to flow into the vein in his foreleg once more. She sighed in relief before sitting down again to continue staring at the ceiling above.

"Miss? Are you still here? I heard the alarms and wanted to see if everything was alright." She looked to her left and saw Katrina, one of the few gryphon nurses that worked at the hospital. Magdalena smiled at her, glad to see one of the more familiar faces in the hospital checking in on Burnt Oak. She knew that despite the harsh face worn by the gryphon, she was a caring and understanding individual.

"Everything's fine. When do you think the doctor is going to come in today?"

"He's still busy with other patients," she said with as much of an understanding smile as she could muster. "But if you just want a summery, I can give it to you real quick."

"No, that's fine," Magdalena replied before leaning back in her seat. "I think I can wait."

Katrina frowned slightly as she adjusted her hat before going back out the door. "Very well, but I really can answer," she stopped and looked down the hall for a few seconds before nodding. "Actually, he's on his way over now. I'll leave you alone." She then stood on her hind legs and pushed the cart down the hall.

Magdalena stayed silent as she waited, allowing her eyes to scan the room in worry and boredom. Her eyes suddenly fell to the small table next to her, as she glanced casually over the small mountain of cards that had been left behind from Burnt Oak's friends, until she finally found herself locking onto a rather plain red journal.

She looked at it for a few moments before picking it up. To almost anypony else, there was nothing special about it at all, something that could be bought at any Filthy Rich's Barn Yard Bargains for a bit. But to her, it was more precious than all the gems in all of Equestria.

She opened the journal, and quickly flipped past the first few pages that Burnt Oak had filled in himself, past the pages she filled out the many progress reports the doctors had already given her, until finally she settled on a blank page almost a quarter of the way to the back. She then grabbed a pen and used some tape to attach it to her hoof, and began to write.

2/23/14,
After spending another restless night here in Canterlot, I came in to see you again. The doctors have been telling me that anything could happen, but it's up to you. I am hoping that today is the day that I'm told an estimate on when you might wake up. I hope that it's soon, because I have to go back to work on Monday, and I hope that you will be coming home soon. I hate leaving you here knowing that you are still asleep, but I've been doing my best to be here whenever I can. Hopefully the doctor has some good news.

She looked at the paragraph and thought it over. Maybe I should add something else? She started thinking of another paragraph when the sound of hooves approaching caught her attention. She quickly took the tape off her hoof and placed the journal and pen next to her exactly as she found it.

"Knock knock," she looked at the door and saw that it was Doctor Offering Heart, greeting her in the same usual way by simply saying, knock knock, rather than knocking on the door at all. "So, how are you doing today Miss Magdalena?" She looked at him with a frown, as if she were questioning him for even asking that question. "Er, right. Well then, I think you wanted an update, yes?"

Magdalena nodded as she folded her forelegs over her chest. "I just want it straight, don't try to sugar coat anything, or feed me a line. I just want the facts."

He paused mid step, and looked down at the brown earthpony laying in the bed. As he did, Magdalena looked the yellow unicorn over a few times impatiently as he fiddled with his doctors coat, then smoothed out his brown hair before replying. "You really don't care too much for bedside manner, do you?"

"Eight months of polite run around is still run around," she said firmly. "Quite frankly, I'm rather tired of it."

The doctor's cropped tail began to whip back and forth nervously as he backed away from her. "Quite," he mumbled, more to himself than to her. "Well then, if that's the case, I think you should come with me." He then turned tail and slowly walked out of the room, and waited for her to follow.

Magdalena raised an eyebrow at the doctor as she stood from the chair. "Why? Are you uncomfortable telling me the news in front of him?" She took a step forward and pointed a hoof at the doctor. "Do you think that he's going to get angry with the news you have to say? In case you haven't noticed, he hasn't done much of anything besides move slightly!"

"Miss Magdalena, please calm yourself! I need to discuss something with you in private, regarding the treatment of Burnt Oak here." The doctor looked at her in frustration for a few moments before giving off a sigh, and pushing his glasses up his muzzle. Finally, he turned his eyes to her, and Magdalena noticed that there was a hint of urgency in his green eyes. "I just don't want anypony interrupting us while we discuss things."

She stared him down with a frown for several moments before finally nodding. "Alright, let's go."

---

"Why are you going up there again?"

Magdalena looked at Berry Punch with a puzzled look on her face. "What do you mean? I go see Burnt Oak every weekend."

Berry nodded at this as she continued to mash down more of the grapes. "I know that you do, but why? I'm not trying to get into your business or anything, but you only dated for, what, three months?"

Magdalena nodded in reply. "Almost four actually, but what are you getting at?"

Berry Punch thought about it for a moment as she continued stomping the grapes. "Well, I'm not trying to run your life or anything, but aren't you taking this too personally? I mean, it's really sweet that you are still going up to see him, but you aren't exactly married to the stallion."

Magdalena stopped as she thought about it. Why am I doing this still? Is it misplaced loyalty to keep doing this to myself? "Well," she started hesitantly. "He doesn't have any family to see him. I mean, even his friend Mind Matters hasn't been up to see him in a month."

"Exactly that, right there," Berry said as she pointed a hoof at her. "That's what I am getting at. Nopony else has given up, but even they have mostly moved on with their lives, why can't you?"

Magdalena frowned deeply at the question, as if she was insulted. She quickly brushed back her peach colored mane back over her face before opening a valve to fill a barrel up with the wine. "Maybe because I still feel the way I did before he got sick. Maybe because I still feel like it's my fault."

"You mean that he poisoned himself," Berry bit back bitterly. "When are you going to learn that you have to let it go? It was his own fault, not yours."

Magdalena started to reply back, she wanted to try to defend him, but found that she couldn't. "You're right," she backed down from her argumentative stance and lidded the barrel. "I know it's not my fault, but I still feel guilt."

Berry stopped stomping for a moment and put on her best compassionate face. "Listen to me. You knew him better than I did, do you think that he would have wanted you to go on like this? Do you think that he would have wanted you to be sad because of him?"

Magdalena shook her head as she pushed a fresh barrel under the spout. "No, he wouldn't. He always said he just wanted me to be happy."

"Then try," Berry replied. You can't keep going on like this, or it's going to eat you alive."

She looked up at her as she flicked open the valve to pour the fresh juice into the barrel. "Okay, this is the last time I'll go up unless something drastic changes in his condition," she paused as she watched the barrel slowly fill up. After a moment of thinking she finally realized that she had to say just one more thing. "For better, or for worse."

---

Offering Heart held the door to his office open with his magic letting Magdalena in. "After you Miss." She nodded back to him in thanks as she made her way to the small couch so she may lay comfortably instead of sitting upright in a wooden chair. The doctor then entered and shut the door firmly behind him before sitting in the chair behind his desk. He pulled open a drawer and pulled some files out, and looked over the papers for a few moments. After a moment or two, he finally nodded and snapped down on one of the buttons to his intercom. "Hello, nurses station? Yes, please keep everypony clear form my office for a few minutes. I need some privacy with Miss Magdalena."

A moment of silence passed before a statically voice crackled through the small speaker. "Of course Doctor Heart."

He smiled to himself slightly as he flicked off the switch before leaning back in his chair. Magdalena watched him as he stared up at the ceiling for a few moments, silently moving his lips as he thought of what to say. "Excuse me," she interrupted. "But you brought me here to talk, what is it you have to say?"

He stopped and looked back at her with a frown. After a few moments, he took his glasses off and began pulling papers out of the folder. "Do you know of any immediate, or even distant family that can speak on the behalf of Mister Oak?"

She shook her head at him, already beginning to feel the bad news coming on. "No, he doesn't have any living family."

"I see, and you, you are not married to him?"

She continued to shake her head at him as she answered. "No, we were just dating for a few months when it happened." Offering Heart nodded as he wrote something down on the paper, and Magdalena tried to see what he was writing. "So, I take it the news isn't well if you're asking me this," she said with a hint of disappointment seeping into her voice.

"You told me you wanted the facts straight, and I'm about to give it to you," he said as he continued to write on the paper. "Tell me, are you willing to take on the responsibility of Burnt Oak's life?"

She raised herself higher up at this question and realized what was going on. "By Celestia, you want to take him off life support don't you?"

Offering Heart raised an eyebrow at her when she said this. "That's entirely up to you Miss, by all means if that's what you want to do with his life just tell me. But before you do that, I think you should answer my question, then hear what I have to say."

She looked at him with a hard look, and tried her best to swallow the torrent of emotions within. Finally after a few moments she closed her eyes and nodded. "Okay, I am willing. Now please, tell me what you have to say."

The doctor nodded as he scribbled down something on the paper, then put it back into it's folder. "I'm going to start with the bad news, and as you asked, I won't sugar coat it." He sighed as he leaned forward over his desk slightly, and mentally prepared himself for what he had to say next. "In the past few months, Burnt Oak has made some great progress, his stomach, intestines, liver, heart, and other damaged organs had made a full recovery."

She sighed at the news, thinking that the bad news would somehow be much worse and was about to say something when Offering Heart raised a hoof to stop her. "Please, let me finish. As you may know, we did some neurological scans on him last week after you left, and, I'm sorry to say the results were not promising."

Magdalena shuddered slightly as a short whine escaped past her lips, and she covered her mouth to keep from making any further noises. Hoping to keep in control of herself in front of the doctor. Finally she nodded and lowered her hooves, ready for what was going to come next. "I'm sorry, please go on."

The doctor stood up and took the stethoscope off from around his neck and placed it on his desk. "Before I go on, I have to ask, do you mind if I change? It would make explaining all this easier."

She blinked in confusion at him, taken aback by the question. What is wrong with him? "I, guess. I mean, it's your office."

Offering Heart nodded slightly as he walked around his desk. He closed his eyes as his horn glowed to cast a spell. "I need you to remain calm while I do this, some ponies tend to panic when I change."

Magdalena suddenly felt offended at the statement and spoke her mind about it. "If this is you trying to hit on my mister, you've got another thing-" she was interrupted suddenly as the room filled with a green light from his horn's glow.

The glowing continued as it began to sprout flames, as green as his magic aura. Quickly the flames spread down across his body leaving behind a black exoskeleton. "Now, I think you might be ready for the rest of the news."

She stared at him as he spoke, and couldn't help but notice that his voice echoed slightly when he spoke, as if there were multiple voices behind him speaking all at once. She looked him up and down several times, noting the holes in his hooves, and how his horn curved at a sharp, dangerous angle. "You, you're a. You're a-"

"A changeling, yes I am," he said with a calm tone as he leaned on the front of his desk. "I thought that it would be important for you to know that before we moved on with this talk."

Magdalena stared at him for a second in silence before standing up. "I don't think you have anything more to say to me."

"Come, come now Miss, I need you to be rational for this and hear me out." He pulled forward the folder with his magic and began to search through it. As he did, Magdalena slowly edged her way around the desk, constantly keeping an eye on the changeling before her. "Now let's see here. Ah, here it is. Now, in accordance to-"

Magdalena didn't care to hear what would have come next as she made a leap for the intercom on the desk and quickly slammed down on the same button she watched him use earlier. "Hello! Anypony there? Something's happened to Doctor Heart! I think he might be missing, there's an impostor in here! Come quick!"

The changeling looked at her in shock at what she did as he quickly turned off the power casually with his magic. "You shouldn't have done that, I told you that I didn't want any unnecessary interruptions for this."

"Don't you move. Somepony will be here in a moment, and I'm sure that security is coming soon after them."

"No doubt about it, but you really shouldn't waste our time, I have a very busy day ahead of me and," he stopped as the door quickly flew open. Magdalena looked past the changeling and saw that Katrina was behind the door, along with a security pony, both were breathing heavily. "Ah, that's a pretty fast reply time you have there."

Katrina stepped in, the claws from her talons bared as she looked around. "What's the emergency here Ma'am?"

She blinked at the question as she pointed a hoof at the changeling on the other side of the desk. "What are you blind? Can't you see that a changeling has replaced doctor Heart?!"

The gryphon and unicorn that had burst into the room looked at each other for a moment before the guard rolled his eyes slightly. "Alright changeling, what is your name, and can I see some identification."

The changeling nodded as he pulled a set of paper cards out of his pocket and passed them to the guard. "Certainly, Changeling Drone Number Twenty-seven-three dash five-two-four-nine, Common name, Offering Heart."

The guard looked over the papers closely for a few more moments. "And, to be safe can I see your hooves?"

The changeling nodded as he rolled up the sleeves of his coat with magic. "Certainly," he then stood still with his forelegs raised above his head as the guard looked at all four hooves. "Do I check out?"

"The holes line up perfectly, as always." He passed the cards back to the changeling and left the room. "Thank's for letting security know ahead of time what you were planning today doc."

"No problem," the changeling replied back. "Now if you will excuse me, this mare and I still have a lot to discuss."

Magdalena stood stock still with her jaw wide open as she watched the two leave and close the door. Leaving her once again alone with the changeling. "You, but your a, where's doctor Offering Heart?"

The changeling walked around the desk to a small chest of drawers and pulled a bottle and set of glasses out. "I am Offering Heart," he began to pour some of the liquid out into a glass, then stopped to look at her. "Do you want ice?"

She stared at him, still in a mild state of shock as her brain began to wrap around everything. "I'm sorry what?"

"Ice, you look like you can use a drink to calm your nerves, and frankly I'm famished." She nodded, and he pulled a tray of ice cubes out from a small fridge. After placing a couple cubes in each glass, he poured a strange transparent purple liquid into each glass, and passed one to her.

She looked at it for a few moments, examining it's color before smelling it cautiously. It was unlike anything she had ever smelled before, yet it triggered a familiar feeling in her memory. Like a spring morning when the sun peeks out from the clouds, an evening by the fire with somepony special, and a special moment in time that passes all too quick all rolled into one. She examined it for several more moments before placing it on the desk and pointing at it. "I've worked for two years making all kinds of drinks, and I have never seen anything like this before. What is it?"

Offering Heart poured out slightly more for himself in his own glass before drinking it. "It's euphoria, captured and condensed so pure that it can be liquefied and stored for long periods of time." He smiled at her as she showed pure confusion on her face before he drank again. "In simpler terms, it's highly processed love. It's what I live off of here."

She looked at the glass and shoved it slightly further from herself when she heard this. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

The changeling continued to drink from his glass, and a sly smile grew on his features. "You work with spirits for a living and are scared to try something so rare? I'm sure that your boss would give up her entire business for just a sip of this stuff, and you are turning it down." The mare blanched slightly as he took another long draw from his glass, totally casual about everything. "It's not going to make you into a changeling, if that's what you're afraid of. Just, trust me."

She picked up the glass and eyeballed it carefully once more. Finally she walked around the desk and sat down in a chair, still staring at the drink. "How are you here? I mean, in this city. I thought that you were enemies of Equestria."

The changeling snorted slightly as he leaned against the drawers. "Hardly. I mean, yes but no. We were just hungry." He paused to take another sip, and gave a sigh of contentment. "See, our Queen, she might be able to show compassion for us, and would do anything for her hive, but she has never been good at negotiation. After she was defeated, and tried to take on Celestia's student, we would up trapped in the castle deep in our empire."

Magdalena frowned at him deeply as he prattled on before interrupting him. "Excuse me, but what does this have to do with anything? What does this have to do with Burnt Oak?"

Offering Heart swirled his glass casually as he looked directly into her eyes with his solid green ones. "Everything, if you just let me continue. Now, as a hive, we were getting desperate for food, being cut off from anything we could feed off of. So, we contacted your Princess Luna to negotiate a deal."

"You did that without your queen's consent? Rather strange for giant bugs."

He nodded in reply while taking another sip. "As a matter of fact, we did. And we're bug like, not actually bugs. We're more like you than you think." He paused to pour himself another glass of the liquid, then looked at Magdalena. "You really should have a drink, you'll feel much better. Trust me, I am a doctor."

She looked at the liquid and felt unsure. There was only about a quarter cup worth of liquid sitting in the bottom of the glass, but she still had her reservations. Finally after a moment of thought she carefully took a sip. The liquid spread across her tongue gave off a taste unlike anything she had ever had before, and as she swallowed it down, a warm feeling spread out from her stomach, all the way to the tips of her hooves. "It's good!" she exclaimed in shock. "It's like, like liquid happiness."

The changeling nodded as he took another sip of his own drink. "I suppose that in a way it is. Now, once everything was settled, the agreement went as follows, one hundred changelings would be allowed into Equestria to gather love for the hive, so long as they registered through the government. Told them where we were going, who we were collecting from, and how much we took." He put his glass down finally as he pulled out his cards for her to look at. "As a part of the exchange, we had to contribute something back. I really am a doctor, and some of the knowledge that I have given is invaluable to this country of yours. I've been here for almost two years, caring for patients whether or not they are changelings."

Magdalena took another small sip from her glass as she listened to him drone on. When he finally paused she raised a hoof to signal she wanted to speak. "So, you're telling me that you don't collect, you just heal?"

"Yes, it's my job so long as I'm here. Changelings often rotate in and out as needed when they are collectors for the hive, but there are a few of us that work steady jobs for your country. But enough of this, I need to get to the point of it all, Burnt Oak."

She frowned suddenly as the memory of everything going on came back to her. As reality settled in, she put the glass down on the desk. "Okay, so what is it that you want to do with him?"

The doctor pushed himself away from the desk and fiddled with his bow tie nervously as he began to pace the room. "You see, in a recent agreement between our governments, ponies in extreme cases may qualify for a special treatment. To be blunt, or as you put it, to not sugar coat it, Burnt Oak only has a forty percent chance of coming out of his coma at all."

Magdalena began to feel the tears burble up inside her, and instinctively reached for her drink. When she did, all she found was air. "I'm sorry, but I want you to think straight for the remainder of this talk." He then placed the drink down next to his own and released it from his magic before he continued pacing. "As you may be aware, in normal circumstances I would be asking you if you wanted to keep him on the respirator, or to go ahead and take him off so he may pass on with dignity."

Magdalena nodded, and despite the roller coaster her emotions were going through, kept hanging on to see if there was more. "So that's what you are asking me?"

"Normally I would, but, your colt friend across the hall from us, has qualified for special treatment." He then pulled a piece of paper from the folder and passed it to her. "You may read it at your leisure. You will find that everything is in order."

She looked at the paper, and found that on the top of the page it was embossed with Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's cutie marks. Her eyes then scanned to the bottom, there she found the seal of the royal sisters. She examined it closely and it read, By special permission of Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, we allow the Changeling Hive to let Burnt Oak undergo a special treatment so that he may live a healthy, and long life. It was then signed by Celestia, Luna, Queen Chrysalis, and the minister of national health.

She scanned it a few times, expecting something to show its forgery but finding no evidence of it at all. She lowered the paper and looked at the changeling before her as a million questions began to spark inside her mind. After a moment of seeing that he still was wearing a kind smile on his face, she decided to ask the most important question she could. "What is this special treatment?"

Offering Heart walked past her and around his desk to sit down once more, and folded his forelegs in front of him on the table. "Well, we will transfer him to another wing of the hospital for changelings. There, we will prepare him for a full conversion into a changeling."

Magdalena was suddenly very thankful that she wasn't drinking anything, or she would have spat it out. "I'm sorry, did you say into a changeling?"

The doctor nodded as he frowned seriously. "I did indeed Miss Magdalena. It's a very simple process, and only takes a week to complete the conversion. You see, if you agree to this, he will be placed in a cocoon similar to how we store ourselves for long periods. The gel within will allow metamorphosis to take place, and he will become a member of our hive."

She stared at him, scanning him for a hint of humor in his eyes, or a secret smile behind the fangs. But all she saw was a neutral frown of indifferent fact. "What," she paused for a second to cough before continuing. "Sorry, um, what changes would be expected of him?"

"You might want to take care of that cough on your way home," the doctor said with a touch of concern in his voice. "Now, as a changeling, he will look much like we all do. He'll have wings and a horn so he'll be able to fly and use magic, but he will also be able to change how he looks. Most ponies that we have converted however, tend to continue using their old pony identity when out in public. It's safe to assume that he would as well."

Magdalena smiled at this, as a ray of hope began to shine through her. "So, in other words, it would be like nothing happened, right?"

The doctor gave a short laugh that startled her, for despite the fact that she had been listening to him talk in the strange double voice that he had, the laugh sounded truly alien to her. "Not quite. You see, once he comes out he will have all the memories that he has now, up until before he poisoned himself. He'll remember you, and his friends, but, as a result of his conversion, his mind will become a part of our hive, and our's a part of his." He then brought the glasses of euphoria back to the desk and placed Magdalena's in front of her.

She looked the glass over a few times before reaching out for it with a shaky hoof. After a moment of struggling with the glass, she grabbed it with both hooves and took another sip. The effect was instant as she calmed down, and grasped the situation for what it was. "Alright, so does that mean he would leave to live with your hive?"

"That's his choice," Offering Heart said with a shrug. "The law states that he will have duel citizenship, with all rights and privileges as a changeling, and Equestrian pony. He might stay close to home where his friends are, where he can have a constant supply of love to feed from. But he wouldn't have to collect for us if that's the case." He then took a sip from his own glass and licked the edge of his mouth to clean it from any residue.

"Well, this is a big decision," she said with a frown. "Can I have some time to think it over?"

"All the time you need. But you must remember that as a Doctor, I take my oath seriously. If you chose not to decide, then I will approve of the conversion myself to save my patient." He then took the folder and put it back in his drawer before pulling out a small card. "If you want some advice, I would suggest you consult these ponies here."

She took the card and looked it over in confusion. "What would I see the Ministry of Practical Chaos for?"

"They have an interesting device that calculates the possible outcomes of what happens if you make certain decisions," Offering Heart said with a small smile. "Now, I'm no expert on their technology, but I would suggest you show them that certificate and they will handle the rest." Magdalena nodded as she stood up and gathered the papers. "One more thing to think of before you go." The doctor stood up and made his way around the table, as he did he changed back into a yellow unicorn. "I spent my whole life as a changeling, born and raised. As such, I know how to block out the hive mind. If you chose to let him go through with this, he might need some time to adjust."

Magdalena nodded at him, unsure how to respond. He stuck out a hoof for her to shake, and offered her a genuine smile. She looked at it for a moment before wrapping her forelegs around his neck. "Thank you doctor, for this offer. I'll consider it."

Offering Heart smiled as he pushed her off with a laugh. "Come on now, I just ate. I shouldn't gorge myself." He then sniffled as he straightened out his bow tie. "I hope to see you soon."

She nodded as she headed for the office door. "I'll be back after I see the ponies you recommended. Good-bye!" She then left the office, and looked into the room across the hall. She saw Burnt Oak still laying in bed, and still breathing on the machine, just as before. But now, instead of worry and pure sorrow, a feeling that has been forgotten began to creep into her heart. The sensation of hope had once again kindled a flame in her, and she knew that if fate were a pony, she would be smiling on her and Burnt Oak at last.

Author's Note:

This is the sequel to the story Herbs, Roots, and Berries. You don't have to read it, but I suggest that you do.
This was also an idea that I had shared with my mother before she passed, and since she loved the idea, I decided to move forward with it.

Comments

[Biker_Dash]

All I have to say is... WOW!!! Not many fics grab hold of me so quickly that I blaze through it, and end up craving more.

OUTSTANDING JOB!

[SolangeEggbert]

'Duel cit...' Dual