Dawn of Crystal Empire

by TopWanted

Bedim/Pristine - Chapter 17

Bedim slammed his head into the desk in front of him in exhaustion as he heard the bell ring. He groaned and looked at the pile of gems he had been able to inspect today. The pile was a mere fraction of everypony else’s. He let out another long groan and stood up. The rest of the employees were beginning to pack up to leave.

“Bedim,” Beanie called out to the colt. “Can I see you for a minute before you go?”

Bedim sighed as he trudged to the boss’s desk. He knew what was coming. Beanie looked at him a sincere smile and worried frown. She steepled her hooves in front of her, a gesture that said she wasn’t angry, but disappointed.

“You seem to be having a little bit of trouble keeping up,” she chided softly.

“I know, I know, ma’am. I’m sorry.” Bedim lowered his head and shook it. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just keep getting these headaches.”

Beanie frowned. “Well, if you’re sick then you should really just stay home. I don’t need you here infecting anypony else and slowing down the system any more.” She paused and considered the harshness of her words. “Sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Bedim replied. “You’re right. I should probably take tomorrow off and recover.”

“Good,” Beanie’s smile returned. “Look, since you’re just an apprentice level employee you can take as much time as you want. You just let me know when you want to come back.”

Bedim frowned in frustration but smiled at his kind boss. “Thank you.”

---

“So you’re calling it quits already?” Crisp asked as they proceeded out of town through the slums.

These were the remnants of the old Crystal Falls. Old cabins and houses that had been built on the outskirts of the new city, closer to the forest. The two friends walked side by side as the sun slowly began to set in the west, sharing their experiences of the day as they made their way to their secret spot.

“I’m not calling it quits!” Bedim replied sharply. “I just need some time. Whatever’s happening to me its not normal and its affecting my work. Y’know I actually laughed maniacally when I held a sapphire today? It was so big and round… the color of the ocean reflecting a clear summer sky… absolutely beautiful. Hmmhmmhmm.” He had begun to chuckle to himself and his mouth curled into a toothy grin, his pupils dilated to encompass most of his eyes.

Crisp frowned and slapped his friend in the back of the head, the dark colt’s long black mane falling over his eyes. “OW!”

“Okay, maybe something is wrong with you,” Crisp admitted. “Have you thought about asking Aunt Lullaby?”

Bedim rubbed the back of his head in pain and turned a scrunched face of anger at the tan colt. He let out a long sigh and returned his attention to the path before him. “No, I really don’t want to bother her with this. Lullaby worked so hard to help get me this apprenticeship, I just don’t want to disappoint her.”

Crisp furrowed his brow thoughtfully. “I guess.”

Bedim quickened his pace and began to trot backward in front of Crisp to talk to him face to face. “So how’d your day go?”

Crisp smiled broadly. “Well, I must be psychic cause do you know what Girder did today?”

Bedim chuckled in disbelief. “They didn’t…”

Crisp reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a gold pin in the shape of an anvil and hammer. He grinned ear to ear.

“A Master Forger at your age,” Bedim muttered in admiration. “You are an absolute genius, my friend.”

“Yes,” Crisp replied smugly. “I know.”

“So what’d they promote you for?”

“Actually it wasn’t my water pump plans like I thought. I mean, I showed those to Girder and he was really impressed, even showed them to some of the plumbers in the district. But today, the commander came around inspecting new weapons. Of course, I had gotten bored building simple swords so I was in the middle of lunch and he and Girder walk in on me setting up the blueprints for this new theoretical magical generator I’d been working with.”

“Magical generator?” Bedim laughed. “You mean that “all helpful, low energy, magic replacement thing” you’ve been talking about?”

“That was like Mark I,” Crisp replied puffing out his cheeks in frustration. “I’ve been through like six or seven rewrites since then. Anyway, the commander suddenly takes the blueprints from me and starts looking at them. He says I have great potential and that I should keep up the good work. A day later, Girder calls me in and gives me the promotion. You’re looking at a fully employed stallion, in his prime.”

In his smugness, Crisp raised a hoof to his chest as he walked and ended up tripping over a rock. He landed face first into the ground, his goggles falling over his eyes.

“Yeah, you’re a real stallion, alright.” Bedim chuckled as he turned around and began to walk forward again.

They soon came upon the edge of the forest. The two stopped just before it and Bedim stepped to the side, offering a hoof for Crisp to go first. “After you, mister stallion.”

Crisp humphed mockingly, “Don’t mind if I do.”

They entered the forest and made their way past the tall foliage. Finally Bedim pushed past the low hanging branches of a crooked tree, their secret spot before them. It was an open area, one of the few in the forest that was nowhere near the old training ground. In the center of the circle of soft grass sat a giant tree, three times that of the rest that seemed to reach above the tree line. When they were younger fillies the two had often stolen away to this spot and played for hours on the rocks, in blatant disregard of their parents’ wishes. It was just how they remembered except for on small detail.

Bedim stayed at the edge of the clearing, hiding behind the branches as his eyes drifted up towards the top of the enormous foliage. A stunning white figure sat on a sturdy branch and looked out above the forest. Her back was turned to him, but Bedim could swear it was a mare.

“Are you going to let me in or not?” Crisp asked impatiently as he waited for Bedim to enter their sanctum.

Bedim grabbed Crisp and pulled him close so he could see what he did. “Look,” he pointed to the white mare in the tree. “Do you see that?”

Crisp squinted and then lowered his goggles, setting a small attached magnifying lens in front of the left eye. “Is that a mare!?” he shouted unconsciously.

The mare above turned sharply, looking for the voice. Bedim grabbed his friend by the mouth and pulled him lower so they couldn’t be seen. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

The color of her coat made her seem almost translucent, like she was made of wind and snow and just might as easily blow away. Her mane was long, the same color. And her eyes were the most beautiful of all. A shade of pink that seemed to shine like diamonds. Bedim felt his mouth fall agape. He had never seen something so beautiful in his life. Then the burning struck.

MINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINE

Bedim released Crisp and grasped his head, trying to calm down the burning headache. Crisp was relieved to be free but quickly realized that his friend was in deep pain. He grabbed him by the shoulders while Bedim screamed in pain. “Beddy!”

Suddenly a new scream echoed through the forest. Crisp turned to the clearing and saw that two timberwolves had come upon the unsuspecting mare and had surrounded the base of the tree, circling it and snapping their jaws up at her. As if that weren’t enough the mare had been pushed to the edge of the branch she sat on by a huge beast with six arms, fur and the body of bear with wings. The bugbear seemed undecided on whether to attack the mare that had made its way into the tree with its nest or defend its nest further from the predators below. It seemed to pick the former.

“Damn,” Crisp whispered. He took a look at Bedim still rolling on the floor and then back at the mare, uncertain of what to do.

Suddenly there was a blast of light as a unicorn in silver armor exploded from the forest, followed closely by a Pegasus. The unicorn shot bright beam after beam in an attempt to scare the timberwolves off as the Pegasus flew up to assist the mare down. The Pegasus held out a hoof for her to take, the mare extending to reach him. However the bugbear turned its gaze on him and shot a long string of fluid from its back, catching the Pegasus off guard and making his wings stick together. The Pegasus began to drop into a freefall, crashing into the branches below him. He landed just on a sturdy branch mere inches away from the timberwolves jaws, unconscious. The unicorn did not seem to have any further luck as he continued to blast at the creatures. They were too fast and dodged him every time, finally ambushing the unicorn, one behind and one in front. A vicious slashing attack from the back knocked the unicorn in the head. Though his armor deflected most of the damage it was clear that the attack had rendered the pony unconscious like his fellow. The timberwolves moved in closer to finish off their prey.

Crisp panicked and began to look through his bag. He found what he was looking for, a homemade crossbow and some dry paper. He quickly stuck the paper through the bolt and took aim at the timberwolves, then it hit him.

Duh, I need to light it. He checked his bags again, no flint. “Damn!”

Then he noticed Bedim had gotten up, the colt’s face still showing signs of pain. “Beddy, I need you to make me some fire.”

Bedim rubbed his head and looked at the situation that had unfolded. The mare was near to falling off the tree with the bug bear crawling ever so closer. The look in her eyes was filled with fear, a look he did not want to see in eyes so beautiful. His head began to burn again and this time he let it. His horn erupted with a dark flame and his eyes began to emit a dark green and purple corona. The words ran through his mind like a stampede, engulfing his sanity. “MINE!” he shouted angrily.

Bedim burst through the branches hiding the two, the magic around him leaving some leaves burning. Crisp stood agape as he watched his friend run past the timberwolves, distracting them for a brief second. He saw a burning leaf float to the ground and grabbed it before it could fall. “I’ll take what I can get,” he muttered.

Crisp placed the leaf under the paper and watched it burst into flame. He took quick aim and let the bolt fly at the timberwolf closest to the unconscious unicorn. The beast howled in agony as its body ignited and it jumped in the air. This caught the attention of the second timberwolf who turned to see its ally charge blindly into it, igniting it as well. The two monsters ran howling from the clearing.

Bedim reached the base of the tall tree and looked toward the mare in danger. She was fifty hooves above him and the bugbear was mere inches away. He grit his teeth as the burning within him flared again. Smoke began to stream off his body as he jumped onto the side of the tree and, somehow, stuck to it. He paid this no mind as he sprinted up the side of the tree, the smoke trailing behind him blurring his image. He looked like a living shadow, a wraith brought to life. The ash that covered his horn began to chip away as more and more red became revealed. Within seconds he reached the monster and the mare the force of his hooves landing on the branch sending vibrations through the tree. The bugbear turned around in surprise, its bulk blocking the mare from seeing Bedim in his current form. Bedim ground his teeth and smiled wickedly.

“You think you can take what’s mine?!” he shouted angrily.

The bugbear roared in response, swiping a claw at him. Bedim stood his ground and felt the claws penetrate his skin, however the pain was short lived as the smoke around him condensed and healed the wound immediately. The last of the ash flaked away from his horn and left it red as blood.

“That tickled,” he chuckled, moving closer to the beast. The bugbear did not stop roaring but it did move back a few inches, the mare behind it pushed to the edge. She lost her footing and slipped, only holding onto the branch by her front hooves.

She screamed in terror, the shock sending a signal to Bedim’s brain. He shook the smoke from his head and looked down to see the mare dangling. The bugbear saw his attention slip and decided this would be the moment to move. It lunged forward in an attempt to tackle Bedim, the drastic loss of its weight shaking the branch. The mare lost her grip and began to fall.

Before the bugbear could touch Bedim, the corona returned to his eyes and horn. The smoke around him seemed to explode as he dove down through the air, writhing around and through the branches like living shadow. He landed on the branch where the Pegasus had fallen unconscious and held out his hooves to catch the falling mare. She landed hard but he did not seem to acknowledge the force of the impact.

She groaned as she struggled to open her eyes, the first thing she saw was the massive black smoke that arose from Bedim. His eyes still burned with a dark green energy. He smiled wickedly, showing a row of sharp teeth. “You are mine,” he whispered.

The mare did not scream or struggle, but instead smiled gleefully. She wrapped her hooves around the colt and hugged him close. Surprise filled Bedim’s evil expression and the energy around him subsided yet again. “Thank you!” she said. “You saved me!” She pulled away from him, still in sitting in his hooves her arms around his shoulders. “I’ll gladly be yours!” She pulled his face in as their lips collided in a kiss.

Bedim’s eyes shot open as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Most of the events of the past few minutes had been a total blur and now the mare that he had been admiring for maybe thirty seconds was giving him a deep kiss. However, all worries began to fade away as he melted into it, embracing the white mare tighter.

The mare pulled away a little later, her cheeks flushed red. She smiled innocently as she stared into her savior’s eyes and he into hers. “Um,” she chuckled. “We should probably get down.”

Bedim shook his head to clear it. “Oh, right.”

The two jumped down from the branch, the unconscious Pegasus slung over Bedim’s shoulder. Crisp stood by the unconscious unicorn, his mouth agape at what he had just seen.

“Just what…” he stuttered. “I mean…” The tan colt seemed to be at a loss for words.

The white mare galloped up to him as well placing her hooves over his shoulders. “I saw what you did as well! A true hero!” She forced her lips onto his as well staying for a good few seconds. Crisp shuttered in surprise, his eyes shooting open.

Bedim laid the Pegasus on his shoulders to rest on the ground and shot his friend a deadly glare. Crisp could only frown from behind the kiss and shrug. When the white mare finally pulled away, Crisp took in a deep breath. “Alright,” he gasped, a dazed smirk spreading across his face. “someponies repay favors like that with bits, but I guess that works as well.”

“Pristine!” a shout echoed through the forest causing the three young ponies to look up. “Pristine!” The voice was old and seemed incredibly worried.

The white mare frowned in panic. “That’s my guardian!” She turned to Bedim. “She’s going to freak out when she sees this. I am in so much trouble.”

Crisp rubbed his head in an apologetic gesture. “Yeah, that stinks. We should probably get out of your hair then.”

“We’ll stay and explain the situation,” Bedim interrupted, his face resolute.

Crisp pouted, shooting his friend a glare that said “seriously?” Suddenly the tan colt’s eyes shot open. “Beddy, your horn!”

Bedim frowned and tried to look up at the appendage on his head. All he could see was the tip, but it was bright red. “Oh no,” he muttered. “I… I can’t be seen like this!”

The white mare gave an understanding nod and searched the ground. She found some ash left from the burning timberwolves and scooped it up, applying liberally to Bedim’s horn. She leaned her mouth close in to his ear as she did so. “My name’s Pristine by the way.”

Bedim blushed profusely, his cheeks now appearing like his horn had a few seconds ago. He could feel her breath on his neck and it reminded him of the passionate kiss they had just shared. “Bedim,” was all he could reply with.

The sound of hoofsteps came out of the forest and an old light purple unicorn mare with white mane walked into the clearing. Her first expression was one of relief as she noticed her charge, safe and sound. “Pristine! Just what were you thinking going this far away from the camp? I sent the soldiers to find you but-“ she cut herself off as she noticed the two soldiers lying on the ground unconscious. Two unidentified ponies surrounded the young mare. “Just what is going on here?”

Pristine opened her mouth to speak but was beaten to it by Bedim. “I’m sorry, ma’am. We noticed she was in trouble,” he motioned to Pristine, “and we acted on it. The soldiers had been knocked unconscious by timberwolves and a bugbear, so we did what any self-respecting pony would do and drove them off before they could cause any more damage.” He neglected to mention the part where the Old Mare’s charge had nearly fallen to her death from the tree.

The Old Mare frowned. “You two defeated a bugbear and a pack of timberwolves?”

“To be fair,” Crisp interjected. “We never really dealt with the bugbear.”

All ponies present looked up as a large roar shook the area. The bugbear had begun to climb down the tree and was now close enough to the base to swipe at Bedim. Pristine pushed him out of the way, her foreleg getting caught in the swipe instead. She cried out in pain as blood began to trickle from the shallow cut. Bedim landed on his hindquarters and caught sight of Pristine’s injury, for the third time today his faculties left him and his eyes begun to glow once more and a snarl spread across his mouth. He stood tall, shadow and smoke trailing from his body as he jumped at the bugbear, tackling it to the ground. The two slammed into the ground, the bugbear falling on its back with him on top. It swiped at him once more, the same result as last time occurring as the wound closed quickly. Bedim reared back and slammed his hoof into the ground next to the creature’s head, sending a shockwave through the dirt and causing fracture lines to appear. “Nopony takes what’s mine,” he whispered deadly as he pulled back his hoof to stomp onto its face.

“Stop!” a white hoof grabbed Bedim’s neck from behind, pulling him away from the bear. Bedim fell back into Pristine’s tight embrace, he shot her a glare while his eyes were still glowing but they subsided as he saw her face. She held him tightly, her eyes closed with a gentle smile that filled the black stallion with warmth. She opened her eyes once more and pointed up into the tree. “Look.”

Bedim followed her gaze and saw three tiny bugbear cubs attempting to crawl down to their parent. Their mews of worry now carrying through the air. The bugbear rose from the ground to its full height and let out a sympathetic growl to its cubs then returned its attention to the ponies. Bedim frowned and attempted to stand up to it but was stopped by a white hoof yet again. Pristine walked up to the beast and looked it in the eye. “I’m sorry for scaring you and your children,” her smile was sincere. The bugbear stopped its growling and looked into her eyes. “I promise that no harm will come to you or them.”

The bugbear stood still, supposedly contemplating the words of the white mare. After a long moment with everypony holding their breath, the bugbear let out a loud roar and returned to the tree, beginning to climb it toward its cubs. It turned back one last time to look at Pristine and then returned to its nest hidden high above.

The Old Mare rushed up to Pristine, her hoof over her chest. “That was completely irresponsible!”

Pristine lowered her head. “Yes, mother superior,” she muttered.

“What a blockheaded thing to do!”

“Yes, mother superior.”

“What confounding, foolhardy, brave and selfless thing to do.” The Old Mare pulled Pristine into a tight hug and smiled. “You are an amazing girl. But completely thickheaded.” The Old Mare pulled away from the hug to knock Pristine over the head.

“Ow!” Pristine rubbed the tender spot she had just received.

“And you,” the Old Mare turned to Bedim, her eyes were narrow and accusing. Bedim gulped in trepidation. The Old Mare had seen him in whatever form that was, she seemed like the type to judge much more quickly than Pristine. “I don’t know what illusion spell that was but you certainly scared that bear senseless.”

Bedim breathed a sigh of relief. So she just assumed it had been an illusion. Luckily she hadn’t seen him before when he was moving like liquid shadow through the trees or running up a vertical trunk.

“Just where did you learn that level of magic?” the Old Mare asked.

“Uh…” Bedim had to think of an answer fast. “I…”

“He was trained by the northern commander!” Crisp interjected, trying to save his friend. “Commander Javelin.”

“Oh,” the Old Mare looked surprised. She turned to Pristine who also bore a happy surprised look. “You know the commander? It just so happens that we were on our way to meet him.”

Pristine trotted forward to stand in front of Bedim. “The commander sent a message to Canterlot about an epidemic. The Canterlot Triumvirate thought it would be best to send me.”

Bedim and Crisp frowned. An epidemic? They hadn’t heard of any epidemic. However in order to keep up appearances Bedim asked, “So… just what makes you suitable to tackle this, um, epidemic?”

The Old Mare humphed and held a hoof out to Pristine which she took. “Surely the commander told you? This is Pristine LeBlanc, the ‘Angel in White.’ Canterlot’s premiere nurse and healer.”

She gave the two of them a small bow. “It’s a pleasure, Bedim and…”

“Crisp!” the tan colt replied with yelp. He held out his hoof and the white mare accepted it.

“Well,” the Old Mare continued. “With introductions out of the way, what do you say you strapping young colts carry our wounded and take us into town? I’m sure the commander will be pleased to see all of us.”

Bedim stiffened. “Swell,” he murmured as he and Crisp began to pick up the two enormous stallions with armor. He leaned over to Crisp who seemed to be struggling with his load. “Why did you say I knew the commander?”

“I had to say something believable!” Crisp whispered back.

The two shot each other a glare, the two mares already behind the forest line. “Are you coming?” Pristine asked.

“Yeah,” Bedim shouted with a smile. “Be right there!”

Crisp snorted. “You got it bad, Beddy.”

Bedim elbowed him in the side and Crisp winced. “Don’t call me Beddy!”

----------

Pristine arrived in Crystal Falls just as the sun began to set. After slogging through the outskirts of the slums, the Old Mare complaining all the way through, they had reached the entrance to Main Street. The road which would lead straight to the center of the city with Town Hall and the hospital. Pristine took in a sharp breath as she took in the sight of the bustling pioneer city. She had spent her whole life in Canterlot, a city praised for its absolute beauty and gorgeous architecture. It felt so good to be travelling through the woods, seeing all that nature she had never come in contact with. Now this city offered something else new. The buildings were not as tall or grand as the ones in Canterlot, but they had a rustic charm that Pristine had only read of in books. She did a little spin to take it all in.

Behind her and the Old Mare were the two handsome stallions that had rescued her hours before. Crisp, the smaller one, was shy and handsome in his own right. Clearly not a natural fighter or workhorse judging by how he carried himself with the soldier on his back. But the other, Bedim, was something different. They had only known each other for a few hours and already Pristine probably knew something about the stallion he hadn’t even known about himself until recently. That power that exuded from him would fill any normal pony with trepidation. To Pristine it felt, well, beautiful.

Though the mare hadn’t earned her cutie mark yet, that was what she believed it would one day be about. She was able to see the beauty in anything, even the monstrous bugbear that attacked her and her friends held the beauty of motherhood. It was why she worked so hard to become a nurse. At a young age, she had received permission from the convent she’d been a part of since birth to study medicine and nursing at the Canterlot hospital. She immediately excelled at her lessons, surprising most if not all her professors and when it came time for her first procedure, the birth of a newborn foal, she passed with flying colors. More than that, her calming presence had the mother experience next to no pain and the foal was born completely healthy with no complications. Twenty births later the doctors all had to agree this was no fluke, and so they nicknamed her the “Angel in White.”

Pristine caught sight of a fruit stand that was selling a small purple fruit she never seen before. She walked over. “What are these?”

Bedim approached from behind, pulling out a bit. He dropped it on the counter and the vendor gave him a piece. “It’s called a mountain plum. Here.”

She accepted the fruit and took a small bite, her smile spreading even further. Juice began to dribble from her chin and she let out a giggle with her mouth full. Bedim laughed as well raising his hoof to wipe the juice from her face. Their eyes met and a blush ran through both their cheeks.

Pristine’s face began to burn as she turned away, her smile staying put. In the heat of the moment she had said some pretty amazing things, so had Bedim. Sure, she liked the stallion, but he had some secret that needed to be explored should their friendship go any further than that.

“Ahem,” the Old Mare appeared between the two blushing ponies. “Mr. Bedim, we would like to arrive at the hospital by sunset if possible.”

Bedim coughed to clear his head and turned back to leading the way. “Of course.”

When they entered the Market Square at the center of the city Pristine did another twirl. It was late so the square was not as populated as it was during the day, but it still filled her with wonder at the bustle of ponies going about their daily grinds. The hospital was just north, located just behind Town Hall. The group passed the auspicious building to stand before a relatively large white two story building. A red cross had been painted above its door and there appeared to be an additional structure hastily attached that jutted from its side. Pristine pushed the doors open and breathed in the antiseptic air.

The inside wasn’t entirely what she had expected. Canterlot hospitals were famous for their sterile environments and easy working conditions. When she’d heard she was going to a mountain hospital, Pristine assumed the worst. However, the inside of the Crystal Falls hospital was almost top notch. There was no loose floorboards or splintered paneling and the waiting room appeared to be properly kept. The Old Mare, Bedim and Crisp walked in, the latter two dropping the stallions on their backs. Two nurses rushed forward to tend to them as a brown unicorn, a doctor from her attire, approached the group.

“Those two need attention for some light head trauma and perhaps a fractured wing,” Pristine pronounced to the nurses. “Wrap the fracture lightly but keep the other in bed for the night, make sure he gets plenty of fluids.”

The nurses frowned as they gathered the two large stallions on their shoulders and looked at the doctor. The unicorn shrugged and they trotted off. “You certainly seem to know your injuries,” the doctor smiled.

The Old Mare stepped forward. “We have been called from Canterlot by Commander Javelin about an epidemic. We arrived as soon as we could.”

The doctor’s face flushed and she looked pale. “C-Canterlot! Then you’re…” she turned to Pristine. “I’m sorry, Miss. I didn’t know we’d be expecting you so soon. I assumed the commander would welcome you first.”

The Old Mare frowned, growing impatient. “If there is truly a threat to ponies here then the commander will forgive us for skipping protocol. Will you take us to the nursery?”

The doctor nodded her head frantically, “Of course!” She stopped after noticing Bedim and Crisp standing to the side. “Um, may I ask who these two are? The commander said no unspecified guests.”

The Old Mare seemed about to say something when Pristine interrupted. “These are my auxiliary guard!” she blurted. The two colts looked stunned. “If it hadn’t been for their presence earlier today then I wouldn’t be here, right?” She gave a small wink to the Old Mare. The Old Mare pouted and took another look at the colts but nodded in agreement.

The doctor sighed. “Oh, okay. Then please, right this way.”

The group followed the brown mare down a few halls. Pristine trotted over to be next to Bedim, her face slightly concerned. “I know I said all that but you can turn back if you want. I know this might be hard for you to see.”

Bedim frowned as if trying to comprehend her words. “I’ve seen sick people before,” he chuckled. “I haven’t heard of any epidemic though.”

Pristine’s brow furrowed. “You haven’t? But I was sure that the entire town would know about something like-“

“We’re here.” The doctor announced. The group stood before a long blue curtain hanging from the ceiling in front of it read the sign “NO ADMITTANCE.”

Crisp leaned over to the two conspiratorial ponies. “This is a nursery?” he asked under his breath.

Pristine bit her lip. They really didn’t know what was going on. She hoped the scene ahead of them wouldn’t shock them too much.

The doctor pulled the curtain back, the fading light of the sun from the windows being the only source of illumination in the room. The room was large lined with close to twenty or thirty cribs. The Old Mare was the first to walk in as she looked into one of the cribs. A hoof went to her mouth in shock and she clicked her tongue. Bedim and Crisp followed wearily, peering into the closest crib. Crisp let out a short high pitched gasp as he lost his balance and fell over. Bedim simply frowned, his expression one of deep confusion and trepidation. Pristine followed in and looked at the crib’s occupant. Wrapped snugly under a blanket, a foal made completely of stone lifted its chest in rhythm as it slept.