Stages Of Life

by TheEquestrianWing

Reacting Quickly

By the time the larger group of medical students returned with the gurneys, Bronze Star was starting to space out. He vaguely gave any notice to being lifted up off the ground by Purple Heart and three of the students. Nor did he give any reaction to being set gently down on a stretcher and getting strapped down to it. The straps were not tight, thankfully. The last thing the gold stallion's chest needed at that time was for additional pressure to be put on it.

As soon as Bronze Star was secure, Purple Heart and those same three students rolled him out of the room. The rest of the students stayed behind to load the other bodies onto the other six gurneys. Blade Bearer, Billow Health, Cashew Lane, Hammer Shaft, and Stone Cracker were strapped down to their stretchers, even though they would only get off those gurneys if somepony pushed them. Verse A Till was the only other one who was alive; he was strapped and shackled to his stretcher.

Shining Armor, Haywood McCrank, and Vortex accompanied the Surgeon General to the hospital wing. Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, Rough Rider, and Dapple Rhomb stayed behind in Bronze Star's bedchamber for when Lord Bellerophon returned with Princess Celestia.

It only took five minutes for Bronze Star to be transported from his room to the hospital wing. The surgical unit had been prepared by the other medical students. Bronze Star was wheeled over to it, and he was transferred from the gurney to the operating table. His regalia was swiftly removed, but only his crown and his soft shoes could be salvaged. His already-ruined vest had to be cut off with scissors, and his cloak was too drenched in blood to ever be worn again.

After Bronze Star was hooked up to life support, Purple Heart had all the medical students gather around him in a semi-circle. Then he announced "Listen up. The prince has taken three projectiles to three of his internal organs. All three have sustained massive damage. I'm going to have to conduct an extensive vascular and arterial surgical procedure. This operation will take at least four hours. It could be as many as eight or nine. However, I won't have access to my staff for another five."

"Wait; why not, Doctor?" Haywood McCrank cut in.

"Because they're all asleep," Purple Heart revealed.

"So, get them out of bed," Haywood bluntly recommended.

"It would take too long to rouse them," the Surgeon General debated, "My staff will check in at about eight o'clock. Until then, I'll have to make do with this bunch. But don't worry; they are fully qualified. Aside from that, I would always choose a wide-awake novice over a half-asleep professional."

"But they don't even have their licenses yet," Vortex pointed out.

"Actually, Lord Vortex, we're just about to finish up our last year of medical school," one of the students revealed.

"That's true," another of them validated, "We're scheduled to take our exams next week."

"So they're pretty much doctors already in everything but name?" Shining Armor assumed.

"Yes, and they have more than mere potential to offer," Purple Heart professed, "These students are among the top one percent of the country's graduating medical classes for this year. That's why they were invited to the Gala; to celebrate their achievements."

"Their impending achievements," Haywood McCrank disputed, "All questions of competence aside, Mr. Surgeon General, I'm certain I do not have to remind you that practicing medicine without a license is a felony."

"Then I would like to point out to you, Sir Haywood, that none of these ponies will actually be practicing medicine tonight," Purple Heart contended, "All they'll be doing is handling it under my supervision. There are no statutes against that, are there?"

"No, there are not," the indigo stallion confirmed. He let out a deep sigh and muttered "Alright, then. I'll trust your judgment, Doctor. But once your staff report in, I would feel a lot more comfortable if you alternated between them and the students."

"Of course I will," Purple Heart declared, "I understand your apprehension, Superintendent. However, I would ask you to have a little faith in these mares and stallions. They are young, but they have the potential and the ability to match this experience. Someday, one of them could be my successor."

"You give us too much praise, Mr. Surgeon General," one of the more modest students muttered gratefully.

"That remains to be seen," Purple Heart contended. He turned to face the entire group, and then he announced "Now, before we begin, I must make a few points. Firstly, you must never speak of your involvement in this operation to anypony else. If word got out, you could be expelled from medical school or denied your medical license. Furthermore, the health records of the Canterlot Royalty are to be kept top secret in every way. So I'm afraid that you won't even be able to include this on your résumés. All the same, once this operation is over, you can all list me as one of your references.

"Secondly, I do not want any of you to do more than you are actually capable of," the Surgeon General continued, "If I require assistance in a certain task, I only want ponies who are truly qualified to volunteer for it. Because if you claim you know how to do something you don't and you make a mistake… losing your career as a doctor will be the least of your worries. I cannot emphasize that enough.

"Lastly, I need all of you to be fully alert and fully aware," Purple Heart went on, "Most – if not all – of you have been awake for more than twenty hours. Some of you have had more than few drinks during the Gala. So if at any time you start to feel fatigued or tipsy, do what you must to stay awake. Drink coffee, splash water on your face, or go sit down for a few minutes. I just want to make one thing clear: I will not have anypony nodding off in here. Is that understood?"

A few of the medical students seemed a little uneasy by one or more of those strict guidelines, but ultimately, they all agreed to obey and abide by the Surgeon General's rules.

"Alright," Purple Heart remarked, clapping his front hooves together, "Now, who among you has studied Alicorn anatomy?"

There were fifty medical students there, but only nine of them raised one of their hooves. Evidently, Alicorn anatomy was not a very widely-studied topic. Given how few Alicorns there were in Equestria, that was hardly surprising.

"All of you, stand over there," Purple Heart commanded them, gesturing to a closet at the end of the room. As those nine students proceeded to that spot, the Surgeon General faced the other forty-one and queried "Anypony here an anesthesiologist-in-training?"

"I am," one of them responded.

"Me, too," stated another one.

"So am I," a third commented.

"Okay," the Surgeon General avowed, "You three go ahead and prepare the proper anesthesia for this type of trauma operation."

Over the next couple minutes, Purple Heart divided the remaining thirty-eight medical students up into various groups. He gave all of them tasks which they deemed themselves suitable for. Five were assigned to blood transfusions. Six were assigned to X-rays. Four were assigned to handle the necessary tools, gear, and equipment. Four were assigned to treat and bandage Sir Verse A. Till's injured hoof. The remaining nineteen would take turns serving as nurses for the duration of the operation. They would alternate every couple hours or so.

Shortly after Purple Heart finished distributing assignments to the medical students, the hospital wing became even more crowded. Princess Celestia, Lord Bellerophon, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike had finally arrived.

Lord Vortex and Sir Haywood McCrank were standing closest to the entrance of the hospital wing when the regal mare and her company entered. They promptly bowed their heads to her. Celestia paid them little mind; she trotted straight past them.

Each of the medical students bowed to her, as well, but she did not pay any attention to any of them, either. She saw that only one of the operating tables was occupied, but the curtains had been drawn. She could see Bronze Star's outline through the translucent coverings. Just the sight of his silhouette disheartened Celestia.

Near the end of the hospital wing, Purple Heart and about fifteen of the medical students were putting scrubs on over their Gala apparel. Celestia quickly made her way over to them; her chief of staff, her apprentice, and her apprentice's friends followed close behind.

Purple Heart noticed the tall white mare when she was less twenty feet away from him. He bowed to her as she approached, and when she was within reaching distance, he uttered in acknowledgement "Your Highness."

"How is he, Doctor?" Celestia asked anxiously.

"Trot with me, please," Purple Heart bade her. Celestia accompanied him over to Bronze Star's chart, where his X-rays and vital signs had already been posted. He used those as visual aids as he apprised her "He took three projectiles to his midsection, his upper chest, and his abdomen. The one in his upper chest punctured his lung, causing a slight blockage in his lower respiratory tract. The one in his abdomen struck his large intestine, so his digestive system has been similarly compromised. Now, I am not especially worried about either of those two; the damage inflicted from both of those injuries is still relatively minor. However…"

Celestia did not like that "however" one bit. She glanced down at the Surgeon General and repeated in an unsettled voice "However?"

"The projectile in his midsection… ruptured his Refresher Box," Purple Heart tentatively finished.

If Princess Celestia's coat was not already white, she would have paled after hearing that sentence.

Alicorns had a number of anatomical differences from the three major pony races. The biggest one was that they had an extra organ. It had no proper or scientific name. If it ever did, it had been forgotten long ago. It was known only as a "Refresher Box."

Among other things, the Refresher Box was what gave Alicorns their heightened senses, their incredible strength, and their impenetrable immune system. It was even believed to be the very thing that made them immortal. Or supposedly immortal.

Contrary to popular belief, Alicorns were only mostly immortal. While they would never succumb to old age or disease, they could still be killed. The easiest way to kill an Alicorn was to inflict damage onto his or her Refresher Box. Then and only then would he or she be as vulnerable to harm as any Earth Pony, Unicorn, or Pegasus.

That was the true irony of the Refresher Box. It could heal or repair any damaged part of its host's body, but it could not heal or repair itself. Even so, the only way it would ever fail or malfunction would be if it was disturbed by a foreign object. Such as a projectile.

Luckily, the Refresher Box could be fixed through conventional medicinal techniques, but mending it was a very long and intricate process. Plus, the host would ideally have no other injuries during this operation. So it did not help Bronze Star in the slightest that he currently had additional problems in his lower respiratory tract and his digestive system.

Despite the seemingly hopeless situation, Purple Heart was not about to give up so easily.

"How bad is it?" Princess Celestia nervously inquired.

"I will not lie to you, Your Highness; it's bad," Purple Heart admitted, "Abysmal, in fact. But I will do everything in my power to save the prince."

"I know you will, Purple Heart," Celestia spoke with a little more firmness, "About how long will this take?"

"Anywhere between four and nine hours," Purple Heart estimated, "No sooner, no later. If you'd like, I could send you hourly reports of Bronze Star's status."

"Please do," Celestia beseeched him. She then gazed over at the operating table and queried "Is he still conscious?"

"Barely, but he is," Purple Heart disclosed, "Which, by itself, is impressive. Anypony else would have passed out long before now. It could be his unique metabolism that's to thank for that, but personally, I think it's the prince's resilience at work. He's strong. The fact that's holding in there gives me confidence that he'll get through this fiasco."

"That's good to know," Celestia murmured in relief, "When will you begin operating?"

"Almost straightaway," the Surgeon General, "We can only keep him on life support for so long. We'll start as soon as the preliminary results of his bloodwork are ready. That should be any minute now."

Celestia was gladdened to learn that. After a bit of silence, she looked to the veteran physician and questioned him hopefully "May I… speak with him first?"

"Of course," Purple Heart coincided, "But please talk softly."

Celestia nodded in agreement. She gradually approached the operating table, and a few of the medical students parted the curtains to allow her. There she saw Bronze Star lying on the surface of the operating table.

Bronze Star was flat on his back with his gaze fixated on the ceiling. He was connected to two IVs, a heartrate monitor, a pulse monitor, a blood pressure monitor, and several other devices. He appeared to be immobilized, even though there was nothing that bound him to the table.

Celestia felt her heart quiver painfully when she saw what had become of Bronze Star. The sight of her strong, energetic, loving son in this weakened state devastated her. She could feel a few tears already starting to rise to the top of their ducts.

Using every ounce of strength at her disposal, Celestia fought the tears back. She would not allow herself to cry. Not here. She had to appear strong for her son and her subjects. She would wait until she was behind closed doors to cry. Just as she had done when she last experienced loss a thousand years ago.

The white Alicorn slowly approached the left side of the operating table. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stood a couple meters behind her, appearing equally concerned for their friend.

When Princess Celestia reached his side, Bronze Star gradually turned his eyes towards his mother. The first thing he noticed was that she was not crying. But he knew why. If it was just the two of them, she would be sobbing without restraint. He could tell that she was only keeping her eyes dry now to give the other ponies present faith and hope.

"Bronze Star…" Celestia muttered quietly, placing her left front hoof on her son's.

The gold stallion weakly smiled up at his mother, and he tried his hardest to grasp his mother's hoof in return. The most he could manage was to turn his hoof towards her so that she could hold it in hers.

Celestia gazed down at her son's hoof in hers. When she looked back at his face, she realized that his lips were moving. She leaned closer and asked him gently "What is it?"

She had to place her ear a few inches away from his mouth to hear him. All he said was "AJ…"

Celestia immediately knew what he meant. She turned to the six mares, and she informed the orange one "Applejack, he's asking for you."

The farmer did not need any clarity. She just trotted to the right side of the operating table, stood near Bronze Star's head, placed her hoof on his shoulder, and whispered to him "I'm here, Bronze. I'm here."

The prince slowly rotated his head until his eyes were connected with Applejack's. Then he lightly gestured with his head for her to come nearer. Applejack slowly and steadily leaned closer to him.

When she was close enough, Bronze Star used all the energy he had left to lift his head and press his lips gently against Applejack's. She closed her eyes and returned the show of affection. She cherished that kiss as much as he did. For all they knew, it might have been the last one they ever shared.

Mere seconds after that kiss ended, Purple Heart approached the operating table with seven of the medical students. All of them were clad in scrubs. The Surgeon General pronounced "We're ready, Your Highness. Have you said everything you'd like to say?"

"I have," was all Celestia said in response. She and Applejack stepped aside so that Purple Heart and the seven medical students could gather around the operating table. Two more of the medical students pulled the curtains back around the table. Once more, all that could be seen from the outside were silhouettes. That marked the official beginning of the most important surgery of the era.

Princess Celestia forced herself to turn away from the operating table. She trotted back over to Sir Haywood McCrank and Lord Vortex, Lord Bellerophon, and Captain Shining Armor. The other six mares decided to linger near the operating table for a while. Spike stayed with them.

"I was told by Lady Noble Edict that Blade Bearer was the one responsible for this," Celestia stated, "Is that true?"

"It is, Your Highness," Bellerophon affirmed.

"Fortunately, Sir Haywood McCrank stopped him," Vortex revealed.

"Stopped him how?" Celestia asked in interest.

"I gave him a little 'convincing,'" Sir Haywood mumbled in a droll yet impassive voice, "With this."

At that, he held up his knife, which he had retrieved before he left Bronze Star's bedchamber. He had not cleaned it since its last use. Blade Bearer's spilt blood had nearly dried on the blade.

"I'm immensely grateful to you for saving Bronze Star's life, Sir Haywood," Princess Celestia asserted, "But I'm a little curious to know why you brought a knife to the Gala, anyway."

"I will explain in time, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank claimed, "For now, I believe there are a few other matters we should see to first."

"Such as what?" Lord Vortex queried

"Security, for starters," Haywood proposed, "Mainly the prince's."

"There, we can agree," Bellerophon muttered. He looked to the white stallion and enquired "Captain, how many of your officers do you trust completely?"

"Up until now, there were over a hundred," Shining Armor thought aloud, "But after this… I'd say fewer than a dozen."

"Whoever they are, they're the only ones who should guard my son while he's in surgery," Celestia decreed.

"Very well," Shining Armor avowed, "I will summon them here right away."

"Just a minute," Vortex hastily interjected, "I am not accusing Captain Armor of being a bad judge of character, but until this business with Blade Bearer is sorted out, maybe somepony else should protect the prince."

"I trust these particular officers with my life," Shining Armor snappily retorted, "I never trusted Blade Bearer like that."

"Alright, if you really think they can and will keep the prince safe, I won't dispute you," Vortex conceded, "All the same, we should probably rely on another force to protect the Castle."

"Lord Vortex is right," Haywood McCrank concurred, "Now would be an ideal time for the Military Enforcement Corps to be put to use."

Princess Celestia seemed pleased by that suggestion. She looked to her chief of staff and told him "Commander Hard Hull should still be downstairs. Find him and order him to bring every available officer of the Constabulary Contingent here. Deployment and dispersal of all the platoons will be decided by the Commander himself, Captain Shining Armor, and you, my lord."

"It will be done with all haste, my Princess," Lord Bellerophon assured her.

Celestia gave a nod of approval, and then she turned back to the Captain of the Guard. She declared "Shining Armor, I want you to put the Castle on lockdown. Nopony leaves without authorization, and only government or military officials will be allowed entrance."

"As you wish, Your Highness," the white Unicorn asserted.

After that, the white Alicorn looked to Vortex, and she said to the ex-Colonel "Lord Vortex, I'd like you to head back downstairs, as well. Locate all the Gala attendees that are still here and have them assemble in the ballroom. If they seem reluctant to obey, tell them that it is a direct command from the Princess. Tell them that they are to remain there until further notice. In time, I will tell them what has happened here, but not until I am ready to."

"You can rely on me, Your Highness," the former Wonderbolts trainer professed.

Lord Bellerophon, Captain Shining Armor, and Lord Vortex swiftly departed from the hospital wing and went to obey their orders. Sir Haywood McCrank was left alone with Princess Celestia for the moment.

"Have you any tasks to ask of me, Your Highness?" the indigo stallion inquired.

"As it happens, I do, Sir Haywood," Celestia replied, "I would like to know just what happened in my son's bedchamber, as well as why it happened. I believe you could provide me with some answers."

"As a federal investigator, that is my job," Sir Haywood commented.

"I know it's your job," Celestia uttered candidly, "But I feel as though you already knew at least a bit about the attempt on my son's life anyway. Why else would you have come armed to the Gala?"

"Excellent point, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank contended, "You are correct; I do have an explanation for the last hour's tragedy. Even so, I am not quite ready to give that explanation just yet. There are a few other matters I must see to first. Some ponies I must speak to; some pieces of information I must revisit. I beg of you to allow me to hold off on presenting my explanation for just a few more hours."

"Out of respect and appreciation for what you did for my son, I will grant your request," Celestia proclaimed, "But before he is out of surgery, you will have given me that explanation. I expect it to be both thorough and enlightening. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Sir Haywood McCrank guaranteed the regal mare.

"Thank you," Celestia told him gratefully. She then turned around and went to rejoin the six young mares and the baby dragon near the operating table.

Now Sir Haywood McCrank was left on his own. He could only sigh, run his front hooves through his mane, and reflect on the current predicament.

Sir Haywood had every intention of fulfilling his promise to Princess Celestia. He would tell her why her son had been attacked, as well as who was responsible and how they had managed to pull the attempt off. He would not hold back anything; he would share every detail with her.

Nevertheless, he was not looking forward to having that conversation with her. He was certain that by the end of it, she would be calling for somepony's head. He just hoped it would not be his.