Down in a hole
The hall ended with a smooth curve that turned left. Even in his current dreadful state, as distracted as he was, a part of Sundance’s mind admired how the stone blocks formed such a smooth, perfect curve. The modern world seemed far less beautiful by comparison, with everything hurried, rushed, and constructed by the lowest bidder. It was as if the stone blocks flowed together. Perhaps they had been shaped with magic.
He seemed to cross some invisible barrier, because it went from a chilly cold to a comfortable, pleasant warmth. This made him pause, with his front half in late spring, or early summer, and his back half in late fall, early winter. At the place where he had stopped for a moment, he could see faint, flickering light ahead, but could not see around the curve.
What a curious place this was, with the controlled temperature.
Rounding the curve, a great many things came into view all at once, but only one of them was of any importance to Sundance. A vast round room with a domed ceiling was just ahead. The ceiling had a mosaic made of thousands upon thousands of tiny fragments. Overhead, two alicorns, one white, one blue, danced around a stylised image of the moon and sun, both halved, and pressed together to form one celestial body. It was breathtaking, a priceless treasure of unfathomable wealth, but Sundance completely failed to notice it.
The old rotten furniture was a mere shadow of its former glory. Tapestries hung from the curved walls, tapestries that time and civilisation had forgot. They displayed wondrous images from Equestria’s celebrated history, or had at one time, but now they were faded, tattered, and consumed by mildew. Sundance didn’t spare them a single glance.
What captivated his attention sat upon a stone table that dominated the room, a ginormous stone table fit for feasting lords and ladies. Amber Dawn sat on the table, hunched over in misery, and when she saw him, a pitiful moan could be heard, followed by agonised blubbering. She had been silent this whole time, waiting, consumed by pain. The realisation of it all was heartbreaking.
But now, in safe company the floodgates had opened.
The stout little filly was bloodied and filthy. One eye was completely swollen shut, her face was covered in a mask of caked, clotted blood, and one ear was a raw, half-scabbed mess. He went to her as fast as his hooves could carry him, and scrambled up onto the stone table with her. Rivulets of filthy sludge ran down his legs and pooled upon the flat, smooth, flawless surface of the table.
She reached for him, he reached for her, and as he sat down, he pulled her close while also being as gentle as equinely possible, due to her fragile, battered condition. Her stubby forelegs wrapped tight around his right foreleg, and even in her frightful condition, her strength was an impressive distraction. Looking down, he saw that her left hind leg was misshapen and swollen in a way that made his heart pound painfully against his ribs.
When Sundance lifted his head, he saw Corduroy standing right beside him, leaning against the edge of the table. No expression could be seen on her face, no pity, no kindness. If there was any feeling there at all, it had to be flinty resolve. There was a soft thump as the diamond dog pulled one of her rucksacks free and set it down upon the table.
“Well, she’s alive,” Corduroy remarked in a stoic deadpan as she went to work.
Placing one paw beneath the filly’s chin, Corduroy lifted as she leaned down to examine Amber’s face. This allowed Sundance a chance to get a better look, and he didn’t like what he saw. The sight of it made him feel sick to his stomach, and a part of him wondered if this is what his mother felt when she worried about him.
“There’s a big hole in your lip,” Corduroy said with calm objectivity. “Did you land on your chin?”
Amber’s head quivered, which was acknowledgment enough for Corduroy.
Paradox, cringing, leaned in a little closer to have a better look. Meanwhile, Corduroy took advantage of the light from Paradox’s horn to continue her examination. The nurse’s every action, every movement, were ones of impressive gentleness, and the busted-up little filly practically leaned into Corduroy’s comforting touch.
“Your teeth went right through your lip.” Corduroy squinted, her triangular ears bobbed, and her head tilted off at a leftward angle. “You tumbled down the stairs and bounced a few times, I think. Amber, I need for you to be very, very brave, because I need to check out your leg. Can you be brave for me?”
Squirming, Amber let out a keening wail and shook her head no while trying to tuck her legs as close to her body as she could. Sundance felt sickened, his stomach heaved in such a way that he could taste bile in the back of his throat; this nausea was made worse when he and Corduroy exchanged a bit of unspoken communication with one another. Nothing had to be said, he knew what had to be done, and he knew that he had to do it without causing further harm.
The foreleg he had around Amber’s middle went stiff as he gave Corduroy a nod.
When the nurse touched the lumpy, swollen lower left extremity, Amber screeched, then shrieked, and then screamed so hard that she was overcome with blood-flecked coughing. Sundance held on to her, somewhat fearful of her strength, but he turned his head away as Corduroy pulled the misshapen leg out straight, because he could not bear to watch.
After a moment, Corduroy said, “It’s not broken. I can’t feel any sharp edges, there’s no grinding, it’s just swollen. She probably just gave it a bad turn when she landed on it. So that’s one less thing to worry about.”
Amber’s coughing turned into pitiful, heaving, gasping sobs that made fresh blood trickle from the hole in her lip. Corduroy stood up straight, her paws akimbo, and the nurse’s face was still an emotionless mask of objectivity. Paradox on the other hoof, was sick with worry, and she chewed on her lip so hard that Sundance worried that she too, might also end up with a hole in her lip.
“It’s all contusions, scrapes, and a few lacerations,” Corduroy said. “At least, near as I can tell. I’m shocked, really. Earth ponies are tough and this one is lucky. Sweetheart, can you talk to me? Can you say anything at all?”
Amber sat for a moment, her barrel heaving, and Sundance could hear air whistling through the dreadful hole in her lip. The awful sound made his guts twist and he was now far more sympathetic to his mother’s concerns. Then, the battered filly shook her head while clinging ever-tighter to Sundance’s leg.
“Well, that’s fine. I was hoping you could tell me how you fell and what you hit. But that’s fine. Don’t worry.” For the first time, emotion could be seen on Corduroy’s canine face. A sort of soft sympathy could be seen in the wrinkles and fuzzy folds. “I don’t want to move you with your leg like that, so I am going wrap it up and sling it against your tummy. That way, it won’t be bounced and bumped around when we get you out of here, so we can take you home. Will you let me do that?”
Sundance heard the filly sniffle a bit, and then she nodded.
There was a lesson here, he realised. Corduroy had done what was truly necessary, and she did so without asking. Sometimes, it was important to act, and to do so right away. The leg examination was something that had to be done, and was done without asking. But now, with what was necessary over, Corduroy was asking questions and giving Amber a chance to answer. As he held tight to the wounded foal in his care, he allowed his mind to wander, which helped his nausea subside a bit.
“This is a temporary bandage,” Corduroy said as she pulled out a sealed tin container. “Just enough to immobilise you so we can keep you safe and comfortable. When we get home, I’m going to clean you up and scrub you, and when I’m done, you’ll get a brand new, fresh, clean bandage. But for this temporary bandage to work, I need you to hold as still as possible, so I can do what needs to be done.”
As Corduroy opened up the sealed tin, Sundance took this chance to distract Amber.
“You’re a rough, tough little girl, you know that?” He looked down at her and fought back a fresh wave of queasiness. “After you fell down a hole, you somehow got yourself to a safe, warm, dry place, and you waited. You were totally quiet and you didn’t even cry until we got here. That makes you tough—”
“And lucky,” said Corduroy as she tore the packaging away from the roll of white gauze.
“She… she… she…”—Paradox stood there, stammering, and distress could be seen on her face—“she trusts him so much.”
“Well, why wouldn’t she?” Corduroy responded while shoving the wrapper into her open rucksack. “Sundance is the closest thing that poor filly has to a father. Don’t you trust your father?”
At these words, Paradox seemed stricken. Her mouth opened, then closed, opened again, and closed once more. Ears sagging, nostrils flaring wide, Paradox took a step backwards and then said, “No. I don’t. But I wish I did. I did, once… when I was little. But then I tried to know my mother’s pain. She was sleeping, my mother, and I… and I… I used my magic…”
The young mare gulped.
“I used my magic… I wanted to understand so I could help my mother.” Paradox took another step backward, then another, and her hooves splashed in the shallow, murky, vinegary flood. “I was successful. Too successful. Saw everything. Felt everything. Experienced everything.”
Again, Sundance found himself caught up in Corduroy’s gaze, but this time, he did not understand the unspoken communication between them. Paradox, now turned away, had gone silent. Where Corduroy’s face had been an impassive mask during her examination of Amber, Sundance now saw something else in his nurse’s face, something that pained him.
“Sometimes, little fillies are too brave for their own good.” Corduroy was now looking down at Amber Dawn with a kind expression that was also rather sad. “They go off exploring and get hurt.” The diamond dog focused her soul-piercing gaze upon Sundance once more. “Thankfully, the world is full of heroes that go off in search of them so they can be rescued.” As she spoke, her eyes darted off towards Paradox’s direction several times.
Sundance was mystified by all of this, and he had no idea what to do or what was expected of him.
“Okay, first, I’m going to wrap up your leg a bit, and then Sundance is going to let go of you so I can make a few wraps around your middle and secure your leg. I’ll try to be gentle as possible, but this is going to hurt. If you are still and don’t fight me, this will be over quick and won’t hurt as much.”
Much to Sundance’s surprise, Amber nodded, and he felt her redouble her grip around his foreleg. Almost overcome with emotion, he looked up from the tiny filly in his care and glanced in Paradox’s direction. She stood a few yards away, face towards the wall, and she sobbed in silence. How could he help her? He could barely begin to understand what she had done, but like Amber, she had gone exploring and fell down a hole. Now, she was in some awful, deep, dark place, waiting for a rescue, very much like Amber.
Corduroy smiled. “Thankfully, we live in a world full of heroes. Like my hero, Mister Teapot.”
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I empathize with Sundance here. Knowing someone is hurt and wanting to help, and having no idea how...
Feelin' so small~
Amber you're such a brave foal. So hurt and not a peep until they came for you.
Oh this chapter is nauseatingly sweet... they found her in the royal tasting room eh? I wonder what the royal reaction to their old boozing haunt being dug up will be?
9550852
Uh...
When this room was made, Luna was gone.
So the room is a bit sadder than one might first realise.
9550873
That was not obvious. So this is not the royal tasting room then? It’s the royal drinking alone room?
9550904
Well. Canterlot and this barony were founded after Luna's banishment. The Castle of the Two Sisters was ruined.
9550949
Why am I getting an image of a Sloshedlestia singing (in a Barry White bass, no less), "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen...."
Once again we see how lucky the barony is that Sundance was able to find and recruit Corduroy.
Inadvisibly applied magic gets so many unicorns in trouble.
9550873
It still venerated the Sisters before Luna was mostly forgotten? It must be incredibly old, then. Or... some bloodlines never forgot?
9551169
Or Celestia needed a private place to sit and think, some place far, far away from Canterlot politics. Someplace near her beloved orchard.
9551177
Oh goodness. Yeah, that's... that's not good memories.
Fuuuuuck. I understand EXACTLY what was unsaid there with Paradox. That is just...AWFUL. My heart really goes out to her, since I've known many abuse victims in my time. To experience that in such a young age...then shoving all that bullying on top of her...it's no wonder she's as mentally ill as she is.
I remember reading a passage I wasn't supposed to read in a book....a passage that exposed me to the unfiltered evil of the world when I was in Middle School. I read and learned things about the Distilled Evil that lives in the World, and had Innocence I wasn't even aware I had ripped right out of me. Also had some bullying and social isolation growing up, which makes me even MORE sympathetic to poor Paradox T_T