Siege of the Crystal Empire

by Mystic Mind

Chapter 6: Infirmary

(6: Infirmary)

Today was not the first day that Cadence and Emerald had visited the infirmary since the siege began. In fact, Cadence had been in and out at an almost constant rate whenever she had a free moment between sleeping and maintaining the shield. As such, she had personally witnessed the whole place devolving into chaos as the days wore on; the seemingly endless stream of injured soldiers needing a place to rest far outweighing its capacity. The hallway which led to the infirmary was lined with beds, many of which had been hauled up from the barracks to give some relief to the ponies in need, though even this was stretching the limitations. Mediponies found themselves rushing back and forth through the hospital doors with medical supplies, working at full capacity to get any able-bodied fighters back on their hooves again, while simultaneously keeping ponies with more serious injuries stabilised.

Given any other day, the broad, angled windows that were a staple of the Crystal Empire's architecture would normally allow those traversing the halls to be bathed in natural light, admiring the glorious crystal spires which gave the empire its name. Now, however, the bright blue skies had become obscured by the opaque shimmer of the magic shield; a necessary sacrifice, which caused almost as many side effects as it fixed. Due to the constant sonic torture that was the ever-present bombardment of magical and physical ammunition, all the nurses could do in an effort calm the shell-shocked patients was to either cover as much of the windows as possible—often making makeshift blinds with long strips of unused cloth—or simply advise the soldiers to look away.

It was hardly a pleasant sight, but Cadence did her best to avoid cringing at the more graphic injuries on display. She wished she could just cast a love spell or two to relieve some of the mental anguish her subjects were fighting with, but she knew that she needed to conserve her magic. Thankfully, her presence alone seemed to be lifting the spirits of the wounded; her continued dedication to victory over the mysterious enemy offering more promise of hope than words ever could.

Bursting through the door with another long roll of bandages, a pink mare with a shimmering blue mane galloped between beds, changing the dressings on as many wounds as she could while using the least amount of material possible. So preoccupied in stretching her resources, she didn't notice the princess standing right in front of her, narrowly avoiding a face-first collision.

“Eek! Sorry, Princess!” the nurse said in a frantic apology. By the number of stray hairs in her mane and the dulled colouration of her coat, it was clear to Cadence that the stress was getting to her more than the average medical assistant.

“That's quite alright, Nurse Rosebud,” Cadence said, smiling as she watched the nurse's body relax at her welcoming tone. “I'm looking for a particular pony who fought in the recent battles. Can you help me find her?”

“Oh, of course! Who do you need to find?”

“An earth pony mare by the name of Meteor Might.”

“Let me guess,” Rosebud sighed. “Big trans mare, sandy yellow coat, hammer and anvil for a cutie mark?”

“Precisely,” Emerald said. “That's the pony we're looking for. How is she faring?”

“Ugh, that mare is an absolute pain in the flank,” Rosebud groaned. “I tried to tell her she needed bed rest due to all of the muscles she pulled. But no, she insisted on going back to work in the forge immediately. Something about 'Highland Pony Glory' and all that. I'm sorry, but you won't be finding her here.”

“Think nothing of it,” Cadence said, making sure to keep up her reassuring tone. More stress over problematic patients was the last thing anypony needed right now. “In that case, may we pay a visit to First Officer Stellar Shine? I haven't heard anything about him since he was teleported back from the battlefield by a companion of his.”

“You're more than welcome to, Princess,” Rosebud's tone softened, but she still didn't sound too pleased. “Though I doubt you'll get much out of him. He's still out cold from severe magic exhaustion. I don't know what his commanders are making him do, but I'm growing concerned over the welfare of your troops. No offence, Commander Emerald, sir.”

“None taken,” Emerald waved his hoof in dismissal. “Please, just lead the way and we'll see what we can do.”

Comments

[The1Ryu]

Your description of the empire makes it sound like a single castle in the middle of the tundra, but it's a large city, and it's barrier extends way past the city opening up vast farmlands. While the hospitals would be busy it seems unlikely they would be packed, Ponyville own hospital is decently sized and a city the size of the Crystal Empire would probably have a few. As the empire's shield covers such a large area, the sound of the siege would have to be considerably loud to have such an effect. I see no reason spells designed to nullify a barrier would be loud, why would they be?

Big trans mare

I think Rosebud could be a little more respectful here; Meteor probably doesn't need her nurse constantly reminding ponies she's trans.