Aberrant
The two middle-aged unicorn stallions who currently occupied the revived post of Royal Physician (one diagnostician, one surgeon, both effectively married to each other in all ways but the legal and sexual) had discovered the job came with a few unusual requirements. They both had to be extremely good at keeping secrets: not only did having any understanding of alicorn biology (and worse, origins) place their own conjectures into Classified files, but rumors of alicorn colds tended to lead into major stock market dips. When dealing with the medical needs of a species which numbered in the single digits, a certain degree of desperate improvisation was frequently essential. It helped if you weren't easily startled, and both of them were now almost used to the thunder which announced the younger's displeasure with the most recent procedure. And on the whole, you had to be ready for anything -- but when managing the health of the elder, 'anything' had required proper equipment. This had led to the creation of a singular examination table, one which had been designed to accommodate a form of that sheer size. It did a lot to make the elder just a little more comfortable (which was already essential for somepony who had both an effective phobia regarding needles and a way to melt them) while negating the need to shove a lot of smaller tables together. It also effectively negated the need for praying onto Sun that no sudden shifts in body weight would lead to that large body tumbling into a sudden gap, and did so after it had already happened.
There were four ponies in the highly-secured offices within the Lunar Wing, and they were standing next to examination tables which had been shoved together: the one meant for the elder, and that typically used by the younger. There had been no other choice. The unresponsive patient was too large for a standard table, and when it came to overflowing that which was used by the elder... torsos weren't supposed to bend that way.
The doctors had called the siblings in. (They could do that, when it was a medical matter. They were the only two ponies in the nation who had the authority to make those mares follow certain categories of order, and it usually didn't keep the diagnostician from sleeping for more than one night in five.) And they had been conducting the briefing while speaking in what nearly amounted to normal tones, at least after the terror had been subtracted out.
"-- and we have no starting point," the surgeon groaned. (Muscular for a unicorn, with a warm brown coat and shaved-away mane.) "We went through the Canterlot Archives, Princesses, and when it comes to centaur medicine, the only solid thing we found was suggestions for treating any wounds they inflicted. The anatomical charts are open guesswork --" a soft snort: the thick black tail twitched "-- and based on our examination of her, somepony was making some lousy guesses."
"Nothing at all," the elder quietly said. "Not even in the oldest part of the stacks?"
"There's actually more in the newest," the diagnostician sighed. (White, thin, with a mane which just about outmassed the rest of him.)
"I fail to understand," the younger frowned. "Why would there be recent publications?"
"They're self-help books." (The sudden flare of anger made the diagnostician sound slightly less like a mare.) "Your Magic Is Back And So Are You. Helping ponies deal with the trauma of Tirek, mostly through repeating the same useless things which have been in self-help books for generations and adding the word 'Tirek' a few dozen times. Crisis response through instant book sales, Princess. And they do nothing. I read through seven of them and the only thing they made me think about was --"
He abruptly stopped as his head went up, and slightly to the right. (The other three, with well-practiced ease, ignored it.)
The surgeon took over. "We've examined her as closely as we can: all the spells and devices we could utilize. Princesses, there are ways in which we could usually try to treat any mammal, just because mammals share some basic arrangements: the location of vital arteries, the placement of certain organs. But with her -- some of the organs are in new locations, and we've verified at least one set of duplicates. And that's not even getting into her digestive system!"
"Is there something wrong there as well?" the younger inquired.
"It's functional," the surgeon helplessly declared. "It's just... stretched."
The diagnostician's head came back down. "-- but why would reparations need to apply six generations later?" (They initially ignored that too, although there would eventually be a lively debate over just what the actual fantasy had been.) "Princesses, this is what it comes down to. There are certain procedures which apply to everything living, like cleaning and dressing the wounds. We've done that. A very few medicines will work on any mammal, at least once the dosage is adjusted for body mass: that potentially gives us a painkiller for her --"
"-- mchanga," the elder softly guessed.
The smaller stallion nodded. "That's what we'll try. But she could have a bad reaction, Princess, because nopony's ever treated a centaur with it before. It could kill her. Any potion or drug we use could be fatal."
"And universal status doesn't help us with the infection," the surgeon grimly stated, "because there are no antibiotics which are that broad-spectrum. We can try the ones which work on the most species and hope -- but if we're wrong, we could damage some of her organs. Organs we don't know how to treat. One crisis might kill her."
"She's resilient," the diagnostician told them. "Exceptionally so: we've already seen that in the tests. If we can break the infection, the rest should heal on its own. But without that..."
The younger looked to the elder, who silently nodded.
"Then the infection," the younger told the physicians, "shall be burned out."
They stared at her. (The dual capacity for doing so wasn't quite a job requirement, but it wasn't far off either.)
"Princess," the surgeon tried, "it's already gone into the body: you can see some of the red streaks along the arms. And she has them in other places." The monster had been put back into the remnants of its clothing before the siblings had arrived, although the stallions weren't certain whose dignity they were trying to protect. "If it was just on the surface, we could --" he swallowed "-- try flame: the burn scars would be better than letting the infection run free. But it's too far along for that, too far for even --" another gulp "-- amputation. Her own fever isn't enough to stop it, and raising her body temperature enough to kill the infection would also kill her. We can't generate inner heat where the radiance is directed so precisely as to harm nothing except the infection --"
But that was when the elder stepped forward.
The white head dipped towards the monster's body. A corona of sunlight danced around the horn.
"Doctors Bear," the elder quietly said, "let us show you a little trick..."
The filly's prison exists within a gap in the world.
Such vacuums take some effort to arrange. There are times when land has to be purchased, and that has actually become easier: modern technology means such things can be done without requiring buyer and seller to be on the same continent, let alone within one room. But human advancement makes other aspects harder. Satellites can only be rerouted so many times, and the fear that someone will spot the code which tells the lens to not record a given location...
It used to be easier. Humans were more respectful of ownership, or at least easier to scare off when the borders had been breached. They ran, and all they carried back were stories: things which could be dismissed as the ravings of a drunk who'd read too many stories as a child. Every border guard carried a flask and when you caught up to fallen quarry, you left them smelling that much worse for both wear and credibility.
But there have been cameras for decades now. (Some of the fae among the liminals got caught that way, and so many strings had to be pulled in order to falsely make the entire thing appear in the history books as a hoax.) The filly is eight, and she knows all about cameras. She's been taught to avoid them at all costs and years from now, when somepony enters her shared household under the lie of filming a documentary, she will not be the first to suspect so much as the first to fear.
Cameras are a threat. Still images are bad: moving ones are worse. She is eight, and the herd talks in hushed tones about digital cameras. Images which are easy to fake, becoming easier with every passing year, and perhaps that will give them some protection. Making something come across as a hoax is simpler than ever. But the hidden communities around the world have to keep doing it. They feel as if they are forever one sighting away from being exposed.
Worse: one capture.
The herd exists within a gap in the world, for few recognize how large France truly is. Land can be acquired, was purchased centuries ago, and humans stayed away. (Mostly away. There is a time every year when humans are brought into the gap, and they must always be made to forget. The filly doesn't know about that yet: just that a night exists where every child is put to bed early, with none knowing why.) The herd has a forest and some clearings, space enough to farm, room aplenty for schools and contests and games of all sorts.
There's also a cemetery. That takes up a lot of room.
The filly's mother wants her to participate in every game, sometimes comes close to outright shoving her in because the filly's mother is among the strongest and therefore the filly had better put on a good showing. The herd expects that of the filly, her mother expects that and --
-- her mother... pushes the filly forward, always expecting more of her. Pushes in strange ways, as if simultaneously insisting that the filly must take part while -- and the filly only sees this in rare glimpses, when the racecourse passes that part of the segregated stands and she gets a glimpse of her mother's face -- still being afraid of what could happen when she does. Her mother pushes too hard sometimes and so the filly often feels that there's no fun in the games, just an unrelenting drive insisting that the filly must succeed, will succeed, even when the competition is older and faster and just better and...
The filly does well enough. But so much of the time, she comes in second. And that's not good enough. It disappoints her mother, and the filly has so many ways of doing that as to make it a sport of its own. She retreats to her room, to the stories which don't question or judge her, she tries not to get caught crying and --
Her mother loves her: the filly knows that. Sometimes, after a really bad game, her mother comes into the room and cradles the filly's head against warmth and softness. Sings to the filly, singing without true lyrics in the rising and falling croon which those flexible vocal chords can so easily provide. The filly loves being cuddled that way, and hates that the surest means of finding such comfort is through losing.
Her mother loves her. But her mother pushes, all the time, and sometimes the filly feels as if a young back will break.
Her mother loves her. Her father... she doesn't see much of her father, because her father is a stallion. A stallion is a colt who's grown up and the filly is not allowed to be among the colts unless adults are present. Colts are crude and angry and, far too often, stupid. Her mother doesn't seem to think stallions are much better. None of the mothers seem to think that, and so fillies are supervised closely whenever colts and stallions are about. They play separately. They're educated in facilities which exist on opposing sides of the gap. A society which has been segregated away from the humans has one more level of dividing line to inflict.
The filly should have more friends among the other children, because her mother is among the strongest and that would normally invite a certain degree of formal approach. (A society so confined has great need for formality, as there is nowhere for any true argument to go.) But the filly is being pushed too hard. No one really likes playing with the one who's always being told to beat you, and the filly can never protest, can't say that she just wants to have fun without worrying about placement and recognition and honors. To be among others where her mother can see her (and that happens far too often) is to know the challenge will be coming. That she has to prove herself again, and nothing she does is ever enough proof.
So the filly gallops back to her books, because then she can pretend she's studying: after all, it only takes seconds to swap one out with another book. Her mother respects studying, because fillies are supposed to be smart (while colts are stupid) and it's traditional to study.
There's a day where her mother catches her studying -- or at least, that's what actually gets caught. Her mother is in a rare good mood, because the filly didn't come in second in the last race. (It helped not to be going against older fillies for once.) And her mother tells the filly that one day, maybe she can take up a duty of their species. To go among the humans and teach, because humans frankly need a little help. Her mother smiles, leaves, and --
-- the filly doesn't try to retrieve the other book, the one with knights and valor and victory in it. She just stands there and looks out the window of the old house, because just about all the houses are old and her mother's line has lived in the same house for centuries. Anything new has to be brought in through connections and smuggling and double-blinds. Every contact with the outside (even the necessary one) is a risk, and so such contacts are kept to a minimum.
The herd has been hiding within the gap for centuries. The same gap. And for centuries, fillies whose mothers loved them said that the next generation would be the one which fulfilled the ancient duties. To be a teacher. To be a knight. To...
...leave.
The filly looks out the window, at the same old view, and realizes her granddam said that to her mother. Her mother just said it to her. She will say it to her own child, and nothing will ever change.
And she runs.
She bursts from the house, arm over her face so that none can see the tears streaming. She gallops through forest and clearings, and there is no square foot of soil which her hooves can pound against which thousands of the lost, the lied to didn't already touch before they were confined one final time within the cemetery.
Since the moment of her birth, she has existed within a gap in the world. It's where she lives. It's where her kind might as well have always lived, and it is where every last one of them will die.
She gallops through her prison, eventually collapses against a too-familiar tree and cries herself out, at least for what will show. The inner weeping will continue for years to come.
Eventually, she forces herself back to her hooves, goes to a stream, cleans her face before trotting back, because to be late for dinner will disappoint her mother.
She trots for home and in dream, she believes that ancient house is the only one she will ever know.
In dream, dark eyes watch her from a hidden place in the phantom woods.
The younger watches the filly until the nightscape begins to shake, jolted by the force of the approaching wakening. And when she can stay no longer, she silently nods to herself before vanishing.
The next judgment will wait for the day.
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Well, this was interesting.
Okay, author, I'm going to be frank here, but this seems like filler. It's well written, and as I said; interesting. But it still seems like filler, even if it wasn't a bad chapter - I do think it was good, just with little point to the plot itself. Correct me if I'm wrong, I guess.
Though I admit the dream part was definitely engaging, and another nice piece of the centaur's (already forgotten her name) past, or some representation of it.
Regardless, thanks for the update, and I look forward to more, or whatever the polite thing is to say these days.
Were we watching Cerea's dream through Luna's eyes or her own? Sad either way. Hopefully sincere apologies are incoming. Ponykind's fear of centaurs was well earned, thanks to Tirek. But they better back peddle their asses off once their mistake here is realized. Excellent chapter.
Well now Luna knows the truth of it, or at least the start of the story. We shall have some apologies now, yes?
👌👌👌
Did you see the one starring Arachne on the featured box? It's... okay, the prose trying a little to hard and needs to be cut back a little, but it's still pretty good. I still think I want to ship her with Centorea. Is any of that supported in the Manga?
Always fun to see the doctors.
Interesting look into Cerea's past via dream sequence. It is perfectly understandable for Luna to try and find the truth by any means possible (if my guess as to what happened this chapter is correct). It would be a fevered dream, considering the infection, but I could be wrong.
Hopefully Luna won't be blind to what she just witnessed.
So, Cerea's gonna get healed! Yay!
And Luna's learning things!
We dunno precisely what, but that she's not from any part of their world would likely be easy to figure out...
Nice explanation of how liminals stay hidden and stuff!
9500627
Not really. At best, Rachnee and Cerea can be considered friendly rivals. Hell, Cerea HATED Rachnee at first. It took a bit of a minor adventure for the two of them to come to friendlier terms.
9500650
Ya know what? Screw it, shipping isn't based on rational thought anyway.
9500663
Honestly, I'm pretty sure the two of them get paired up a lot in the doujin...
*keeps taping foot in impatience while staring at a “countdown to chapter 6” watch*
9500663
Biggest problem with the Rachnera/Cerea ship is that their body shapes would make any actual... fun... between them rather awkward. Still, Cerea definitely learned the 'fun' that is Arachne shibari! Hee.
Looking forward to more of this though. Cerea's emotions and history are being portrayed excellently. Very powerful fever dream. Hopefully Tia and Lulu will be able to get her back on her hooves again.
Awwww
Poor Cerea 
Her childhood sounds like one of Mero's bedtime stories (mermaids are weird, I know). Now I want to hug her so badly and tell her everything will be alright 
That's hardly the strangest thing out there. I mean, octopuses have three hearts.
As well?
Are you implying that there's something wrong with her to begin with?
Joke's on you: considering that a horse's stomach is oddly small compared to its size, centaurs have probably a better digestive system.
Luna, I seriously hope that after seeing her memories in that dream (*cough* stalker! *cough*) you'll be less condescending and more open minded with that poor girl when she wakes up.
9500691
That problem still applies to normal hybrids as well. Sex has to be the most uncomfortable thing in the world for these people.
9500581
I do kinda agree that more could be done with this chapter. More detail on how she's being held and how she's being treated, maybe more with the ponies treating her, rather than the diagnostic results alone. Still, this is at least a thousand words shorter than the other chapters. Something to consider.
9500711
9500581
Well, we need to see the ponies decide what to do with her, and this way we don't have to sit through her being miserable in prison.
9500694
I mean, this Luna is always a little condescending but I'm sure she'll be reasonable. The real question is how to best introduce her to Equestria.
9500722
I suppose it's a side effect of the chapter being shorter, as 9500711 pointed out. If it was around 5000 words like the other chapters, then it probably would be combined with the ponies coming to a decision. I'm sure there are reasons why it was shorter, whether it be personal or otherwise. I'm not going to shout about Estee's personal issues, but they exist.
On my own note... well, I think the dream was rather intense, but fitting. It doesn't seem like a natural dream, far too broad in metaphor. but that would make sense, at least, if Luna is actively seeking information. She probably knows how to dredge such things up to the surface, especially if Cerea's being kept unconscious.
I admit, as much as I enjoy this series, it's a little difficult to read. Mostly because it's so very different than both it's source materials. DLWMG is a very slice of life comedy show, and MLP is (Mostly) a happier show. The focus on brutality and harsh reality is very different... and while currently interesting, I'm a bit worried it's going to start... getting repetitive.
It's not that I don't think MLP fics or DLWMG can't be DARK: I read Starlight over Detrot, and one of my fave things about "My life as a supporting character" over on Spacebattles is how dark it made Agent Smith's backstory.
But there's only so much that darkness can be used before it starts to get... well, wearisome. I'm very much looking foward to seeing the ponies and Cerea start attempting to communicate. That, I feel, is where the meat of your story will be, and the ultimate litmus test for how good it is. Both of them learning about each other, and the character development there. It's going to be tricky, and I hope you have that well planned out, so neither the readers or the author get annoyed with it.
It's a bit like that old story... a voice amoung the strangers. I was always sad that it's sequel never finished. ah well.
9500701
Well, surprisingly, its much easier when a human is their partner. Rachnera for instance has her pedipalps. Which in Arachne are clearly designed for tugging her lovers in closer in leglock style. Its just when it comes to the idea of two tauric individuals making love that it becomes... awkward.
9500627
Developing as a writer has its ups and downs. Estee is just much better at it than I am. Stories like this are just fun to write and I'm just glad people take the time to read them.
9500765
(I hope I don't sound condescending as I say this)
There's a lot of good things in your prose. The only real advice I have is to learn how to cut more. Estee, despite the length of thir stories, makes use of every single line s/he has.
Greater context and the medical applications of sunfire. Some very interesting information both on and off display. It will be very interesting to see what will come when the various parties can actually have a rational conversation.
Also, I'm sure this is far from the first time naked profiteering popped up after a potentially world-ending disaster in this world.
9500763
I was thinking of the tauric races. I mean, the snake people don't have it so bad, but do Centaurs have sex with eachother?
While a small chapter, this one was really good as it helped us see some of Cerea's past. It really shows that you get her character by describing her depth and wishes. A lot of people I've known usually write off echi characters so it is refreshing and nice to see a show that I enjoy and characters I love get shown a lot of respect. Great work.
As for her medicine, this might prompt the ponies to try and reach out to any centaurs of another kingdom. If but just to learn about them though that might take longer then they need to when it comes to Cerea.
9500627
Between the two? Matters on which one you are talking about.
Rachnera loves messing with the girls and Cerea is one of her favorite targets because of how prim and proper she is. From how Rachnera acts and behaves in how she treats others, she's obviously bi though with a possible preference for males. (Though not shying away from gals as she forms a rather strange sexual friendship with a small succubus later on.)
Cerea on the other hand, I'd put her in the firm 'straight' category. Unlike Rachnera, she has shown no real interest in getting together or being sexual with another girl and shown complete devotion to her 'master'. While beings like Rachnera and Suu have made her 'blush' that's more due to what they do to her then themselves. As well, Cerea finds Rachnera bothersome even if they sort of get along.
You can crack ship it, but any 'hints' are all on Rachnera's side and that's more so because she loves messing with everyone.
Cool, didn't expect an update this early in the month. Always nice to see Equestria's favorite duo make an appearance as the ever on-call royal physicians. They never do get a break do they? But at least they don't have to suffer through having an infection in a land that has no real way to treat their medical needs. I hope Celestia can actually finagle her way through careful sunlight application and save our poor horsegirl.
Honestly, thinking about the monster girl world...
Given the kind of stuff that happens in rom com anime, I will not be surprised if she pulls through just fine.
That their... Husband? survives all of their attention regularly means he is probably superhumanly durable by our world's standards.
And she's likely far stronger and tougher than him.
Now let's see if the emotional resilience rom com characters usually display holds up. She's probably going to need it.
I really like this story's take on what motivates Cerea and informs her character, even drawing from actual canon events from the source material.
It's just so believable and really makes me feel a lot more sympathy for all the stuff she has to put up with, both in this world and her own world.
The ending got sad
Nice chapter but little progress. Luna come across as stalkerish at the end with the dream sequence and a bit condescending (she generaly is so it pretty much in character for her).
And what with the male/female segregation in Centorea homeland? She was really insulting toward male centaur, do we have to assume that they are all dumb brute because they are male?
Heh, I thought for a bit that we were suddenly looking in on Cozy Glow for some reason, but of course, this is set several seasons too early for that.
Still, it's too bad. We know we'd be nice, but plenty of humans wouldn't, and they have no way of really knowing who would and wouldn't. (Heh, as if we don't have that problem amongst ourselves.)
Are the doctors based on Turk and JD from scrubs?
9500944
Yep. See A Mark of Appeal where they have a bigger role.
9500973
Seems like there's been a bit of time skip too; I didn't think they were really into middle age yet during A Mark of Appeal.
9500973
Thank you for that. Will I have to read A Total Eclipse Of Fun or anything else in the Triptych Continuum to understand A Mark of Apeal?
"It helped not be going against"
"It helped to not be going against"?
You know, while I was at work it occurred to me that this entire chapter can be summarized in two sentences:
Unicorn doctors: "Yo, this centaur lady gon' die!"
Celestia: "Hol' my cake. Watch this"
9502745
Your comment, it is good.
9501072
Triptych stories have a lot of shared worldbuilding, but not a lot of prerequisites. If you're not horribly lost reading this story, you'll be fine.
Since when are Ponies so cruel? This story hurts me... Ponies aren't supposed to be this way...
10051142
this is the darkness of the Multi Universe
Rereading from the beginning, and I come to the part where Celestia suggests to the Doctor’s Bear that she use her magic to “burn out” the infection.
Solar magic, burning an infection out of the veins.... plausible, as a “magical” solution. Of course, reading this NOW... well, a certain well known individual suggesting that a certain well know pandemic might be cured by “bringing powerful light inside the body...”
LOL. Maybe a certain infamous person reads your story?
Joking...
10051142
That may be true but keep in mine these few facts, 1. Everything we see is from twilight’s perspective, meaning the way she thinks is the way everything will be represented, look at how the ponies of Ponyville reacted to Zecora until Twilight and her friends found out the truth and showed them it took ponies showing other ponies the truth for them all to stop fearing Zecora.
2. And from what we can tell from what we’ve read so far this is happening shortly after Tirek’s return every pony in Equestria lost their magic they’re scared of that happening again of course they would lash out
3. You also have to consider the fact that she’s similar but different enough from the ponies and Tirek that she hits that uncanny valley for them Iran nerves them on a fundamental level which raises their fear level and because of heard mentality if one is afraid two are afraid if two are afraid then four are afraid and so on until the whole village is afraid
10051142
remember, most ponies think she is JUST like TIrek.