Heart of Stone: Recovery Light

by TheCrimsonDM

Chapter Four: Faceless

Heart of Stone: Recovery Light

Chapter Four: Faceless

Written by TheCrimsonDM

Celestia’s response came back weak and tired, “I asked her to come with me, she was going to until I told her that Twilight was awake… she changed her mind.”

A cold shiver ran through Trixie’s body and then transformed into a furious fire as she thought of the fact that Luna hadn’t not visited more than once. Can’t Luna see that Twilight loves her? Can’t she realize that Twilight needs her! I, I, I can’t believe that evil witch!

Trixie glanced back at Twilight, lying on that couch and looking up at Trixie with a mixture of hope and shame in that eye of hers. A lump of lead formed in Trixie’s stomach. Twilight needs her lover. She’s going to be so heartbroken.

Trixie cleared her throat before saying, “Okay, um, you two can come in if you want.”

Trixie stepped to the side to let the giant princess into her toy home. Starlight followed after her. Once everypony was seated Trixie shut the door, Twilight shot a fearful look to her. For a moment Trixie felt like she could die, rather than tell Twilight that Luna wasn’t coming. She wasn’t going to have much of a choice though.

“Where’s Luna?” Twilight asked weakly.

Celestia opened her mouth to respond but Trixie cut her off. “She was very busy. With the windigo war over, she has been very busy. Really, very busy.” After a moment Trixie added, “She sends her regards.”
Twilight lowered her head. “Oh…”

Celestia blinked a few times. She quickly recovered and smiled at her old student. “I’m so happy to see you back with us. I was terrified that you would not return.”

“Yeah, you’re the first friend I really had after… everything I did. I couldn’t bear to lose you,” Starlight said.

Twilight let out a quiet breath. “Thanks. I just don’t feel very well I guess.” She looked up at Trixie with a sad round eye. “I wish Luna was here.”

“It is as Trixie said,” Celestia stated. “She has been very busy with cleaning up after the war.”

“So have you, but you still came here,” Twilight said.

There wasn’t a second of delay in Celestia’s response, “My sister and me lead different sides of the country. There are things that she has to do that I would not be able to help in, not without a lot of preparation before hoof.”

“I guess.”

“It’s the same reason why I could not teach your class about friendship in Canterlot.”

“Yeah…”

“Next time I will make sure that my sister is free to come and visit you. I promise.”

Twilight gave her mentor a hopeful glance. “R-really?”

“I swear it.”

“Thank you.”

Celestia smiled brightly down upon her and the room grew a little warmer. For a brief second Trixie wondered if it was just her, and then she remembered who was in the room with them. The princess of sunlight, Princess Celestia.

Starlight leaned forward. “Twilight, how have you been feeling?”

It took Twilight a moment longer to answer the question than it should have. “I, I’m in constant pain but Maud’s giving me meds for that… not enough.”

“You’ll need to be careful, pain medication is very addicting,” Starlight explained.

Twilight stared at her bandaged hoof. “How long until I get better?”

“The burns will heal in time, six months perhaps,” Celestia said. “It is rather difficult to tell, Alicorn regeneration could make it faster. As for the scars, those will likely stay for a few years before going away.”

“I was burned,” Twilight said. “Even if I’m feeling a little slow, I know that should cause all sorts of nerve damage.” Her right leg twitched. “I can’t even move it on my own. Will I ever be able to walk by myself again?”

“Yes, it will take time, and hard work, but you will most certainly regain complete control of your body again.” Celestia’s smile wavered. “Once upon a time, I was struck down in battle, impaled by a spear. It tore up my intestines but somehow I managed to survive the conflict. I don’t believe I could eat solids again for ten years afterwards.”

Trixie blinked. Ten years! What the hay did that spear do to you?

Twilight looked up, her eye shot wide.

“You are in much better condition than I was, surely after a few years you will be back to galloping around with your friends. Until then you may need to get a wheelchair.”

Trixie’s ears perked up. “We actually have one.”

“Then why are you not using it?” Celestia asked.

“We do, when we take Twilight out for a walk to get some fresh air we use it. We don’t use it in the house much because Twilight has a hard time sitting upright for long periods of time, in fact she often times needs somepony to lean against to sit up at all.”

Twilight looked away. “I wish I had it earlier.”

“I’m sorry.”

Starlight looked up at Celestia. “Hey, we need to get back to business soon.”

Celestia nodded. “Twilight, is there anything we can do for you before we leave?”

Twilight looked up at her. “Can… can you tell Luna that I want to see her?”

Celestia nodded once more. “I will do my utmost to convey the importance of her visiting you. I assure you.”

***

Later that night after dinner Trixie sat in the living room playing her guitar silently to herself. Twilight had opted to stay in her wheelchair after dinner, and with her free leg she was slowly turning the pages of a book. The book sat on top of the pillow lying across her lap. A blue blanket was draped over her shoulders and a dinner stand next to her had a cup of tea.

For a little while Trixie played quiet music to herself while watching Valiant Heart read on the floor next to Twilight’s chair. They were both reading the kinds of books that made Trixie’s head hurt. When you get sentences that included words like, ‘contextual adverb’ she felt dumb.

“What is a contextual adverb anyway?” Trixie asked bitterly.

“It’s when a adverb is used in the proper context,” Twilight answered.

“Well that’s… dumb.”

“I already have a headache, please don’t pull a Rainbow Dash and…” Twilight closed her eye. “Rainbow Dash, is she okay?”

“She’s still the leader of the Shadowbolts, even though she’s going to be a mommy here soon too.”

Twilight didn’t smile. “Mommy?”

“Yeah, she and… Silverstone I think ended up dating or something. She’s six months pregnant and didn’t think to get checked out until after the war was already over.”

“Is Luna okay?”

“She was hurt badly but she survived, and healed. Our escape was costly, if it hadn’t been for ponies like Rainbow Dash taking charge and leading others into action, I’m not sure we could have recovered from this one.”

“Why hasn’t she come to visit me?”

“I… I think she’s scared.”

Twilight closed her eye. “So am I.”

“You were both hurt badly, and I think she’s been hit hard emotionally. She couldn’t protect you, and you couldn’t protect her, not when faced with the overwhelming threat that swarmed us. Maybe the idea of losing you was just too hard?”

Twilight opened her eye and stared down at the book. “How is Pinkie Pie?”

“She and Fluttershy have been living in Hollow Shades for awhile now. Considering the fact that Fluttershy is a batpony now, they’ve been doing just fine.”

“W-what?”

“You turned her into a batpony during the fight.”

Twilight let out a pained sound. “I did that to her twice? How could I do something so horrible to one of my closest friends?”

“She asked you to do it. Apparently she knew that her strength would be a boon in the fight, and in order to unleash her full power she needed your help. You did just that. Besides she’s actually happy like this. I don’t know if she will want to stay a bat pony forever, but she has certainly had plenty of opportunity to change back by now.”

Twilight nodded. “Sunset and Starlight could have both changed her back…”

“Hey, Twilight,” Trixie asked quietly. “Can I ask you something?”

“Why not?”

“Why haven’t you used your magic yet?”

Twilight looked down at her lap, determined to not meet Trixie’s eyes. “I… I can’t.”

“What?”

Twilight screwed up her face in concentration and quickly stopped with a gasp of pain. “It hurts.”

A sinking feeling pulled Trixie’s body into the couch. She’d been there before, waking up after some tragic event only to find out that you had lost your magic. The one thing that made you truly unique was stripped away by a cruel and vengeful world.

“If you need to talk, Twi, let me know. I’ve been down that road before.”

Maud walked into the room and gave Trixie a look that told her she was in trouble. “Lulu.”

“Um, yes honey bunny?”

“Why haven’t you done the laundry yet?”

Trixie gulped. “Because… I was about to do that, now?”

Maud pointed a hoof down the hall at the laundry room. “Yes, you are.”

Trixie rose from her seat, shook herself and gave a comforting smile to Twilight. “Anytime you need to speak let me know. You take precedence over everything.”

Twilight frowned. “Can I go to bed?”

Maud walked over to the chair. “Val, would you like to help me tuck in Twilight while Trixie does her chores?”

The filly bounced up excitedly and squeaked happily. Trixie had been living with her long enough by now to understand some of the sounds that the filly used as her main form of vocal communication. This one meant, ‘yes please!’

Trixie walked to the laundry room, leaving Twilight in the capable hooves of her family. Trixie was determined that she was going to give every ounce of love and care that she equinly could to the injured mare. After all, it was the very least she could do to repay her for when Trixie was hurt, scared, and broken.

It took a lot longer to finish the laundry, mostly because Trixie had been putting it off for a few days now after all. When she had finished she went out into the hall. Her bedroom door was opened but a crack, which implied the idea that Maud and Valiant were asleep already. Trixie couldn’t wait to join them.

She glanced over at Twilight’s room and frowned. The door was wide open and the light was on. Surely they wouldn’t leave Twilight like that.

On her approach to the room she noted that the bathroom door was ajar. Several used bandages were lying on the floor. Trixie’s heart crawled up into her throat as she quickened her pace. Twilight’s room was empty, but she could see a few bandages lying on the floor. There was a splash from the bathroom.

Trixie turned toward the door and opened it. First she saw the makeup mirror, cracked and tossed against the side of the wall, next bandages lying on the ground, followed by red drops on the bathroom floor. Then she saw Twilight, with half of her bandages ripped off and hunched over the toilet. Twilight’s head was stuck into the bowl, the jerking spasms of her body made Trixie shriek in terror. Without thought Trixie galloped to Twilight’s side and grabbed the back of Twilight’s hair with her teeth and pulled. Twilight’s head didn’t budge; her horn was stuck inside the bowl.

“MAUD! HELP!” Trixie shouted as she grabbed Twilight’s body and tried her hardest to pull.

Not even a second passed by before the bedroom door swung open, and Maud galloped into the bathroom. She took one look at the situation, grabbed the toilet seat that Twilight had stuck her head in and ripped it off without any effort. Twilight’s head popped back and she landed on the floor with a wet splash and a toilet seat around her neck.

Wet painful coughs escaped Twilight’s throat, along with a lot of water. Her eye was red and snot ran down her nose. Trixie gently patted the good side of Twilight’s head. Maud looked back at the doorway and at Valiant. The poor filly was watching with wide eyes, her little body shook terribly.

“Twilight,” Maud said softly. “Why?”

Twilight spat some more water, and looked up at them. The bandage covering the left side of her face was missing. Trixie saw the empty socket staring back at her, the scarred burned flesh, and had to look away. Her diner threatened to come back up. Twilight glared at them with the one eye she had left.

“Look at me!” Twilight spat venomously. “It’s no wonder why Luna abandoned me. I look like a freaking monster.”

Trixie shook. “You’ll get better.”

“I am missing an EYE!”

“Th-th-that’s um,” Trixie tried. Her galloping heart wouldn’t let her think well enough to talk, so she laid her head down over Twilight’s side. “We’re here for you.”

“Luna doesn’t want me, why would you?” Twilight asked, she didn’t hide the pain in her voice.

“What happened?” Maud asked.

Twilight closed her eye. “I needed to see. I had to see what happened to me. Sweet Celestia I’m not equine anymore I’m just a monster. A burnt and hideous monster!”

Valiant Heart walked up to Twilight and stared her right in the eye. “No,” she said in a tiny voice. “You’re my friend.”

Twilight blinked, sniffled, and whimpered. While she did Valiant Heart wrapped her legs around Twilight’s neck and warm white light surrounded the two of them. Slowly Twilight’s expression relaxed, and Trixie watched as the filly whispered gently, “I’ll take care of you. Promise.”

“I didn’t, I… I don’t want to be like this. I don’t want to be a broken monster, I just want to be what I used to be,” Twilight cringed. “It hurts, it really, really hurts. Bad.”

They stayed like that for awhile. At some point Maud and Valiant helped Twilight onto her good side so that they could wash her and then re-bandage her. Maud told her she needed to contact Sunset to bring over some healing magic before infection could kick in.

Trixie agreed and left the bathroom. She had to leave, she simply couldn’t look at the injuries. She hated herself for being so squeamish but it would have been worse on Twilight’s emotions if Trixie had let the poor mare see her sickened by the extent of the wounds.

Trixie figured that after everything they’d seen she would be able to handle it, but not this. The wounds that Twilight had were brutal, healing too slowly, and reminded her of a time from long ago when she had met her first diamond dog. Trixie could virtually smell the cooked flesh, and wanted to vomit.

The sensation was so powerful that she actually had to make a quick run outside the side of the house before her diner decided to take an all expenses paid trip up out her throat and onto the hard earth. She slumped against the side of the house and cried in silence for a few minutes. A few tears gave way to streams while Trixie stayed there, all alone, crying in silence.

Why does Twilight have to suffer like this? Does the universe really have to hate the poor mare so badly? It just isn’t fair.

Now that Twilight was suicidal, it meant that they were going to have be more on careful than ever before. Trixie shook with fear, rage, and pain. She knew that she wasn’t capable of doing this, of taking care of her family, and trying to keep Twilight safe at the same time. It was too much for any one mare to handle. Friends or no, Trixie couldn’t possibly see a way for her to do it all.

Owlicious landed on her back and Trixie gave him a desperate look as though he could fix everything. She knew he couldn’t, but she needed to alert Sunset as to what just happened. Trixie cleared her throat; the taste of bile was still thick. “I need you to bring a message to Sunset Shimmer for me. We need her help immediately.”