Persona: Innocent Wish

by Trismegistus

Chapter 34: Snuff Soul

Arata and Ivory Shield carried Triage into the medical tent and set her down on the table. Her breathing had stabilized since they had exited the forest, although she was showing no sign of returning to consciousness anytime soon.

“This is just great,” Ivory Shield sighed, “Arata, go see if you can find Stitch, he may be able to help us here.”

“Right,” Arata nodded, running out of the tent. Darting out of a medical tent to treat a wounded pony late at night was starting to become an uncomfortable trend. The snow that had fallen was thin enough as to not impede his steps as he walked through the now empty field to the last of the tents.

Stitch’s tent was one of the older versions that were often taken into the field. It was supported by two poles sunk into the ground and a rope running between them. Arata lifted open the flap and found Stitch asleep under a sloppy pile of blankets. There wasn’t much to his living space, it was the most Spartan design Arata had seen since moving to Foalsdale. Even he had brought more from Nippony than Stitch had.

Arata nudged his shoulder, and Stitch jolted upright. “What’s going on?!” he shouted.

“Triage is hurt, we need you to help her.” Arata said giving him a hoof up.

“Oh no, what happened? How bad is it? Should I get bandages? Wait, I’ll need to prepare myself if she’s bleeding. Is she bleeding? Please tell me she isn’t bleeding.” Stitch continued for another few sentences before Arata cut him off.

“She isn’t bleeding. It looked like her-” Arata cut off for a moment to find the right word. “It looks like her spirit was attacked. I’m sorry but I can’t think of any other way to describe what happened.”

“Spirit? I don’t know how to heal that…” Stitch trailed off as he began to walk to the medical tent.

“Give it your best shot. I have another idea, I’ll be back soon.” Arata informed him darting off away form camp.

Arata sprinted as fast as he could into the town. This was the first time he had done this. Normally he found himself sprinting with Camphor out to the lake, and there lay the answer; Camphor. If there was anypony who would know how to cure a drained spirit, it was him.

He entered his home, and tried his best not to make too much noise as he headed up the stairs. He knocked gently on Camphor’s door, and was surprised to hear Camphor’s voice in response.

“Commmeee innnn,”

Arata slowly opened the door and stepped in. The room was filled with incense and smoke as usual, but the smell was different, the sent was much more distinct and sharp than it was normally. Camphor was sitting cross-legged on a set of pillows in the middle of the room. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and even.

“Heeeyyy thereee,” Camphor smiled thinly. His teeth only made visible through the glint of candle light that hit him through the smoke.

“Hi, Camphor, I’m sorry to do this, but I need your help. Triage is hurt, and Stitch can’t help.” Arata explained.

Camphor took a deep breath and slowly stood up. “It’s been a whiillleee since I’ve maadeee any medicineee. I’lll need a few minutes to, like, make sure everything is fresh.”

Camphor shuffled around in the dimly lit room, occasionally stopping to grind something in his mortar and pestle. Arata stood silently watching until Camphor lifted his saddle pack and walked out the door.

They galloped out to the camp, not knowing the state Triage was in. This midnight gallop was so familiar to Arata. There had been so many nights where Vox’s static filled calls had summoned them to the lake. He had shared a bond with Camphor that, since Vox died, he had neglected. There was just so much he had to do, from working with the mayor, to mastering his Persona. All of this prevented him from deepening his bonds with those around him.

They arrived at the tent and found Stitch was frantically taking any kind of medical reading he could.

“Oh thank Celestia you two are here.” He sighed, as they entered the tent. “I have no idea what is wrong with her, but it looks like she is stable.”

“Camphor,” Ivory Shield greeted him. “Maybe you’ll be able to figure this one out.”

Camphor silently nodded, and set his bag down next to the medical bench. He pulled out a set of vails and set each one down next to Triage. He uncapped each one in sequence and held them under her nose for a few seconds each. With each passing vial her face began to twitch progressively more. By the time he had uncapped the fourth, her face had scrunched up tightly, as if a skunk had just sprayed her.

“It’s not a physical problem.” Camphor concluded. “She isn’t in any danger from what I can tell, there are a few things I want to try on her.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a set of incense sticks. He lit each one and set them around her.

Arata recognized this as the same sent that Camphor had in his room. “Camphor, what is this incense? It’s different from what you normally use.”

“Yeeaaahh, I normalllyy use something more melloowww. But, lately, if I like meditate or anything, I get lost in my own negativity maaannnn. I needed something to pull me out, something I could, like, know was out of place. I don’t know if it will work on heeerrrr, buuuttt it’s worth a shot.”

They watched as Triage began to twitch once more, this time she made some audible groans as well. Camphor once again reached into his pack, this time pulling out a vial containing a shimmering white power.

“What is that?” Stitch asked, not familiar with Camphor’s special brand of medicine.

“It’s, like, how do I explain it? So you know how the Swamp and, like the Everfree Forrest, are alivveeeee?” Camphor asked in response.

“I’ve heard stuff like that,” Stitch said hesitantly, “All I really know is they have their own weather patterns.”

“Yeah maaaaannnn, it’s like a self-regulating system. It’s got, like, a life and a spirit, ya know?” Camphor said pouring some of the powder onto his hoof.

“Uhh, sure… What is that exactly? I’m still not sure I get it.” Stitch added with more than a hint of concern.

“It’s like the essence of that life. I made it from the extract of sooooo maannnyyy planntsss. All of them were so alive and full of spirit.” Camphor responded.

“That… That’s not medicine…” Stitch snapped trying to take the vail from Camphor.

But he was too slow, and before he could reach Camphor, he had already allowed Triage to inhale the power from his hoof.

She twitched briefly before bolting back to life.

“Celestia!” She shouted still panting. “What, what in Tartarus happened to me?!” Her eyes were wide and her head darted back and forth around the tent.

“You had your spirit drained by the psychotic fog alicorn that gave us Personas.” Ivory Shield answered. “I’m sorry, but there isn’t a more simple explanation. Camphor was able to revive you.”

Triage turned to Camphor, “Well, thank you. I don’t think I’m going to go back into that swamp any time soon.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ivory agreed. “We’ll make sure the mayor passes the message onto the town as well.”

“Stitch,” Triage called, “Get me back to my tent, I need to sleep.”

“Ye-yes mam!” He darted to her side and help her climb off the bed. The two disappeared out the tent flap into the snow outside.

Ivory Shield turned to Arata. “I’m sorry. I haven’t given you a chance to recover at all over the past days.” Her apology caught Arata off guard, and he did not know how to respond. “Take a few days to yourself. I think I could use that too.” She added. “I’m going to go pass out now.” In all of his time knowing her, this was the closest he had seen Ivory come to showing weakness. He felt that the past few days had truly strengthened their bond.

…

“How have you been Camphor?” Arata asked as they walked down the trail back to the house. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the light glimmered on the snow.

Camphor inhaled deeply through is nose, and slowly opened his mouth and let the breath out.
“Not good maaaan, not good. I’ve like, never felt this way before ya know?”

“Yeah, whenever I get a second to think my mind just goes back to Vox.” Arata answered.

“I’ve talked to my dad and mom about it, they get it, but they can’t know everything. I just told them she died exploring.” Camphor sighed, “Maaaan, there was a time where I, like, thought lying wouldn’t throw off my mellow this much, but now every time I do it I feel sick maaannn.”

“Do you think we should tell everypony what is actually happening?” Arata asked?

Camphor stopped and kicked the snow infront of him. “Nah, that would just make everypony else lose their mellow.”

They continued to discuss their situation until they returned home. Both of them able to voice concerns and feelings that they had been hiding for far too long. Neither said it, but both felt much more relaxed than when the day had started. The weight of their situation still pressed down, but the edge had been dulled, there was no longer a cutting feeling of despair.

They both slept in that morning, it was the deepest sleep either had gotten in days.

…

Arata woke up sometime the next afternoon. It was later than he intended to, but he finally felt refreshed. Today he had but one issue to deal with, giving Blaze Vox’s journal. Arata hoped that this would be the impulse that Blaze needed to pull him out of his daze, but hope had only gone so far these past few days.

Arata left with a new resolve, he walked firmly to the bar, driven to face the thing he knew he would find. A drunken Blaze, whose contempt for life spilled over into his relations with everything, save for cider.

He opened the double doors and, as he thought he would, he found Blaze seated with a mug in hoof. Arata paced up to the bar and sat at the adjacent stool.

Blaze kept his gaze fixed straight ahead. “Kid.”

“I know you don’t want to talk,” Arata began, “But I came here to deliver this to you.” He placed the book on the table, “We found this in a hidden lock box in Vox’s tent. We haven’t opened it yet, we thought it would be best if you saw it first.”

Blaze used his magic to pull the journal in front of him, “A secret journal huh?” He didn’t open it, or touch it, he just sat silently looking at the cover. “Is there anything else?”

“Just this,” Arata said producing the picture that was in the box.

Blaze took the picture and set it on top of the journal. Arata could see the tears welling up in his eyes,

“Blaze, if you need to talk about-”

“I don’t need to talk.” He snapped. “but… thanks, kid.”

Arata, knew this was the time to leave. He had to help Blaze out of this, and this was the first step. A voice echoed in his mind, “Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Emperor Arcana…”

Author's Note:

https://www.fimfiction.net/group/206208/innocent-wish-group for any spoiler comments.