"Bananas, oh bananas!"
Valey skidded into the archive room at top speed, vaulting over a pile of debris and staring with wide eyes at the wreckage. At least half the room was trashed, Princess Celestia standing in the most devastated section with Gazelle bound thoroughly in her aura, leaning over something on the floor. Valey soared closer, the floor impossible to walk on without cutting her hooves on broken glass.
It was Starlight, laying in a heap. Her hooves and one of her forelegs were bloodied, and her horn gave off heat enough that Valey could feel it even just by lifting her. She glared up at the captive Gazelle. "What did he do?"
Princess Celestia shook her head. "I arrived less than a minute ago to much the same scene you see before you. We will investigate thoroughly." Her voice was shaking. "Though this was clearly Gazelle's doing. I spoke to Meltdown about his condition when I first arrived, and she bade me leave him be. As she is the acting leader of the Griffon Empire and he is its prince, this could carry serious consequences for our relations with..." Her voice wobbled, and she trailed off. "That filly and several students are among the injured. I am still searching, but have not yet found any dead. We must get them to the hospital as soon as the university staff arrive to take over investigations."
Valey frowned, slack-jawed. "Like, I could go on ahead, if you're busy." She glanced down at Starlight. "Or search myself, if you're faster. This stuff is-"
"This could be a major international incident in the works, my little pony," Celestia tensely replied. "I would not advise you to wander off on your own."
Valey winced and awkwardly stood still, holding Starlight and brushing her forehead to check for further injuries. Her horn sparked a little, and her eyelids flickered unconsciously.
"Bananas, kid," Valey whispered. "Haven't seen you this bad in a while."
Celestia looked up, poking through further piles of rubble. "She is with you?"
"Yeah, she's..." Valey blinked, not trusting herself to move when the floor was so treacherous. "She's pretty unlucky. Probably tried to fight him." She glared at Gazelle, who had passed out as well from the force of Celestia's aura. "She's got a horn condition that makes her magic stronger than usual, but using it hurts her. It's a sensitive subject, so don't ask her later. She really went all out, though..."
"Your filly fought a sphinx?" Celestia frowned incredulously at the pair.
Valey shrugged. "Hey, that's how we roll up north. You never know who the next catastrophe is going to happen to. Maple? Dusty mare with the broken ribs? She had to kick around an entire troupe of trained mercenaries once. And I killed Yakyakistan's evil yak ambassador in a duel."
Celestia didn't look pacified.
"It happens to everyone," Valey repeated. "Harshwater had a real bad time with a bunch of batponies once. And the stuff that happens to us just doesn't care if you're a legendary hero or some random kid. We just do what it takes to survive." Her gaze turned toward a corner of the room that felt slightly more dangerous than the others. "If you wanna tell us that we're legitimately under a curse that makes this happen all the time, and you know a way to break it, please, go ahead. But don't try to pretend this is normal." She narrowed her eyes. "You're a goddess, and I can tell you're shaken. For me? Bananas, this is just day after stupid day."
"...I would talk with you more later," Celestia said. "But more ponies are here."
There was a commotion outside the door, and a squad of mixed university security ponies and royal guards stomped in, heavy boots protecting them from the wreckage. Every last one of them looked taken aback, the Kinmari guards much more so than the Canterlot ones.
"Y-Your Highness!" The Kinmari guards bowed low, though the Canterlot ones skipped the formalities and immediately adopted formation. "What is the meaning of this?"
Celestia looked sadly at the unconscious sphinx in her aura. "It would seem High prince Gazelle went on a rampage," she said with a small voice. "I must see to international affairs, as well as the wounded. President Kinmari will undoubtedly want a meeting post-haste. I want half of you to search this room for more ponies as thoroughly as possible." She bisected the guard crowd with a wing. "The other half, guard this room and do not let anyone unequipped for hazardous situations enter. That includes the students awakened by the noise. There are quite a few of them outside." She turned to Valey. "You will come with me."
"Yeah, one sec..." Valey was rooting toward a corner, following her cutie mark. There was something somewhere around...
There it was. Starlight's moon glass sword. Lacking a good way to carry it both safely and without Celestia asking what in the world she was doing, Valey kicked some smashed shelf boards over it, trusting it would take long enough for someone to clean up that room that she could come back and swipe it again later.
"Right." She hovered back toward Celestia, again avoiding the treacherous floor. "Where are we going?"
Celestia's horn enveloped herself, Valey, Starlight and Gazelle in a burst of light, and they teleported away.
They reappeared in the lobby of the hospital, where some of the injured students were already being treated by nurses who hadn't bothered to take them up to rooms. The mare on duty grimaced when she saw her. "More?"
Celestia shook her head. "Only this filly, as far as I could find."
"Careful with her horn," Valey added, carefully presenting her. "See if you can cool her down."
Celestia watched the exchange. "How are the others?"
Another nurse nodded. "Out of five students, two are shaken but mostly unharmed. One has significant hoof lacerations and won't be comfortable walking for a while, and another has scratches all over her face and frontal body. The last... well..."
"You might need to see for herself," the nurse with Starlight replied, leading the way toward a staircase. "With me, please."
Valey and Celestia followed to the second floor, where another pony was refilling wash basins and antiseptic bandages. The nurse took a tray of them for Starlight, and pushed open a door on her left, gesturing inside.
A young stallion was sitting by an occupied bed inside, a doctor and a nurse working dutifully inside. "Uh... h-hi," he greeted shakily, seeing who was there.
"This is the one who was worse off?" Celestia asked, pacing toward the bed. "I fear I know which one you mean."
The doctor looked up, the room brightly lit enough that he didn't even need a headlamp. "Your Highness," he greeted. "Yes, this is Meadowglade. She's suffering from blood loss and a severe number of lacerations. I've never seen something cause cuts in this pattern in my entire career before. It's like they were opened at random along her coat... but what's even more explicable is this."
He pointed to her flanks. They were bare.
The nurse with him frowned up at Gazelle, still bound in Celestia's aura. "They're saying he's the culprit," she scolded. "Forgive me for speaking freely, but do you have to bring him in here?"
Celestia shook her head. "If that is true, you've seen the damage he has caused. Would you feel safer with him out of my sight?"
The nurse winced. "That's... a good point. It's still hard for me to concentrate."
"Is there anything you can do?" the stallion by the bed whispered. "Meadowglade... She's my marefriend, and..."
"You were there too, buddy?" Valey softly asked.
"I thought I was going to die," the stallion replied. "We heard laughter and came to investigate, but I didn't think he would attack us. We all thought he was broken and harmless. And then he was like a demon, with dark energy... I've never felt so... so mortal, you know?" His eyes unfocused. "Please help her..."
"We're doing the best we can, son," the doctor sighed. "But whatever these wounds are, they're something else..."
Valey sighed too . "Too bad we don't have any of that Varsidel healing potion around anymore." She glanced back at Celestia. "You don't have that stuff in Equestria, do you?"
"I am afraid not." Celestia shook her head. "How are her vitals?"
The nurse refreshed her rag from the basin, going back to cleaning Meadowglade's injuries. "Not yet critical. The one good news for her is that none of the cuts are particularly deep. But this had to happen on a night with no unicorns on night shift... She has so many injuries, we have to lay her on some to tend to the others."
"But she hasn't woken up," the coltfriend insisted.
"She's in shock, son," the doctor growled. "Which you're this close to yourself. Focus on your breathing and get some air."
"S-Sorry..."
He got up to walk to the window, but paused when he passed Starlight. "...Is she going to be alright too?"
"We'll see. Sure hope so." The nurse who was dabbing Starlight's brow with wet rags frowned. "Her wounds are going to hurt in the morning, that's for sure. One leg, and she's been walking on broken glass. But if she's a tough little kid, she'll get through. Why does she have a fever, though?"
"Over-taxed her horn." Valey shrugged. "Sore subject for her. Don't press."
The stallion was still staring at Starlight. "She saved us," he managed. "I don't know how she didn't run away or die, but she stood up to him. She was hitting him and zapping him and running around the room so much it even looked like she was in two places at once for a while. You couldn't even keep track of her! She was, like..." His eyes unfocused. "You adventurers really are the real thing, aren't you? Even your kids are tough as nails..."
Valey winced. "Yeah, well... if I'd been there, maybe we could have ended it a whole lot quicker. Don't be hard on her because she couldn't save your girl. Maybe you didn't notice, but she's a kid. Not supposed to be fighting evil. Any of us would have acted, but she was the one unlucky enough to be there at the time."
Celestia stood with her head bowed.
"Just so you know?" Valey raised an eyebrow at her. "When we talk about settling down and getting a normal life for our kids, the point is to avoid garbage like this happening. Usually, I'm around and can beat it up myself, but sometimes we don't even get that luxury. So-"
"This is not the time for that conversation," Celestia apologized. "My apologies. But all offers regarding your future will have to temporarily wait until I have a better idea of where relations with the Empire stand. After all, some of what we discussed could suddenly become inappropriate for me to grant, depending on the status of our bond with Garsheeva's lands."
Valey swallowed. "...Yeah. What's that waiting on?"
"Meetings with President Kinmari and Meltdown. And likely another with both at once." Celestia shook her head. "What is the status on your airship's restoration?"
"Uhhh..." Valey paused. "Pretty sure the hull's complete, but the whole insides are opened up while Sparky redoes the wiring. Don't think it's stocked or furnished. Why?"
"Pondering the safest place for you and your friends to stay until we've had a better chance to evaluate the island's feelings toward you in light of the current situation."
"Hey!" The coltfriend stepped in, trembling. "J-Just so you know... if I'm following right, and they could be in trouble for being foreigners when a foreign leader attacked us... I-I'd vouch for them. That filly saved my life, a-and maybe Meadowglade's too."
Celestia nodded at him. "I appreciate it, my little pony. But panic and herd mentalities are almost as difficult to control as regional laws and regulations. If you wish to make your voice count for something, I would advise finding a student newspaper and sharing your experience as soon as possible." Her eyes drifted to Starlight. "Though I would advise referring to Valey and her friends in a more general sense when recounting any heroics. I get the feeling this child did not save you for the sake of the spotlight."
"Yeah," Valey insisted, stepping in. "She'd be really cool with it if she got as little attention from this as possible. Either say we busted them up as a team, or, like... I don't wanna tell you to say I did it, but don't let the pressure get on her. She's had it rough. Please?"
Shaking, the colt nodded. "I-I'll try to remember."
I don't think that mare is going to wake up anytime soon.
Her soul is in the sword somewhere probably.
Hmm.. did you catch that Valey?
Glimmer is keeping tabs on her.
I'm curious how long they can pull this off, especially if they have to deal with the moon glass sword at some point.
I also wonder whether the broken horn is something the Equestrians would know about.
Do we know if the sword requires Starlight's will to take cutie marks, or is it an innate property of the sword? I feel like other ponies have handled it back on the Dream, but I'm not entirely sure. In any case, this is a huge risk, but I'm not sure what else Valey is supposed to do. Celestia would probably recognize the sword (which Valey probably doesn't know, since she was in the sword at the time), which would further complicate matters.
This is going to be an interesting problem.
On one hand, if they really want to try to avoid getting involved in bigger and bigger issues they could pretend they don't know what happened and blame the loss of the cutie mark on Gazelle. Moral issues notwithstanding, this could fall apart if one of the students saw Glimmer stab Gazelle with the sword and the cutie marks swirling around the sword after, or if Gazelle rants about the right thing when he wakes up. If Celestia learns the sword was involved, she might be able to figure things out too since IIRC she was told Valey was in the sword, and now Valey is out of the sword, so she might want to know how that happened.
On the other hand, the morally correct thing to do is probably to go into the sword and recover Meadowglade's cutie mark. That means confronting Chrysalis again, though, and there's no guarantee that there will be another strong source of harmony that can extract her again (although maybe the lifestream can be used instead?). I'm not sure I want to see what Chrysalis has been up to in the meantime, and I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up taking hostages to try to get Starlight to comply with her wishes.
Maybe this is how Chrysalis ended up in Equestria? She escapes the sword with Starlight somehow, either with a false promise, by hiding, by using Meadowglade/Lyn as a hostage, or just being in the right place at the right time, then once she's out of the sword she escapes the university and makes her way to relatively unmapped territories?
I guess they can explain this as a spell, given something similar was shown in the show?
I find it hard to imagine relations souring that much. Garsheeva seems to have found the crew of the Dream trustworthy, so she'd probably believe their account of what happened. Mentioning that Gazelle learned of the Sphinx secret from Seraphim's writings would probably help.
On the other hand, maybe Garsheeva would be upset that Equestria sheltered Seraphim?
10041119
Weren't souls and cutie marks only linked that strongly for bat ponies? For regular ponies it should be possible for the cutie mark to be extracted and have the soul/body remain intact, as was done by Shinespark. Could be that sphinxes manipulate cutie marks a bit differently, though.
Good thing she's not a batpony, so getting her soul back should be really easy. They just need to get her close to the moon glass like puddles.
I'm wondering though why Celestia didn't thoroughly investigate Gazelle before. After all she mentioned that she was fully aware about how bad his condition is when they first met and said she would personally have to take care of him because he needs very special attention to heal, but for all the weeks she was on the island now she didn't even check on him because Meltdown said she didn't need to, even though he was behaving completely nuts all that time? Time for Equestria to elect a new princess I guess, this is some very serious neglect.
As much as I love this story, I feel some stuff has become ridiculously illogical lately. This all was a little too convenient to advance the story, while at the same time Celestia should have dealt with that problem weeks ago already, like on the first day she got to the island.
10041212
That's addressed near the beginning—she says Meltdown asked her to leave Gazelle alone. Since they're both foreign leaders, butting in would have been disrespectful. In general this feels like a case where our more-knowledgeable point of view as readers makes Meltdown and Celestia's decisions seem stupid/illogical, but recall that they didn't know Starlight had given Lyn's soul to Gazelle, and they may not even have been aware how he was spending his time, nor how much potential there was for something dangerous to be in that office.
Honestly if anyone should have put up an objection it should have been Starlight or Valey (esp. given they've had to kick his ass to reign him in before), but they've been away and were still sort of catching up. I'd conjecture that if they'd been around there would have been time for them to talk to Meltdown about his behavior and the details, and for her to agree that Celestia should take another look and keep him under watch, or just chuck him in a padded cell.
10041212
10042393
This exactly. As far as Celestia was aware, Gazelle was wandering around in a semi-vegetative state, tragic and emotionally dead. The conversation where Meltdown told her to leave him alone and do nothing was probably less of "He's dangerous, we should lock him up" and more "He's gone, should we put him out of his misery". There's also the whole thing where Celestia and Garsheeva are more or less equals in power, influence and shared history, and Garsheeva delegated all the rulership of the Empire to Meltdown. When Meltdown says to leave Gazelle be, she's speaking with the authority of Garsheeva concerning one of her own subjects. That's not something Celestia would simply ignore because she felt like she knew better. Two thousand years of history between her and Garsheeva is more important to her than anything that could occur during a mortal lifespan. Especially since they're not best friends in the first place - remember the Act 3 opening chapter, where they met in Garsheeva's temple. But that's even if she knew better. She trusts Garsheeva is going to be good about keeping her sphinx immortality secrets, and had no idea Gazelle was motivated to find a way to manipulate cutie marks in the first place.