Chapter 2 - Outpatient Care
Arc and company look to one another as Soarin approaches.
“Sir, we can handle the cleanup here if you’re needed elsewhere.”
Shining Armor nods. “Yes. I’m sure you have much to do back in Canterlot Castle.”
“I… suppose I do.”
“Um… one thing though, sir. I… uh…”
Arc interrupts him. “Twilight is with Doctor Whooves at the moment.”
“Any word on her condition?”
Ember shakes her head. “He was still examining her when we left.”
Ashe nods. “But if it’s any consolation, he didn’t appear to be overly worried.”
“That’s a relief!”
Arc points to his earring. “I’ll radio back a status report when we know more, of course.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Do you need some time off?”
Shining Armor shakes his head. “Now isn’t the best time for that, sir. After all there’s still the matter of inspecting Light’s Hope for traps or holdouts.”
Ashe turns to Arc. “I should probably get back to the castle myself. My father will expect a full report of everything that’s transpired here today.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “But he was here for it.”
“Griffons love reports. What more can I say?”
The Bridge door opens and Auriel walks in with Brightwing fluttering a few feet behind her.
“Engineering is looking good.”
Arc gasps. “Auriel?”
Hammer frowns. “I thought the ship was undamaged!”
Soarin nods. “It wasn’t.”
“True. But I just wanted to check that nothing involving my invention had caused electrical feedback into the main drive systems.”
Scootaloo shrugs. “Nothing wrong with that.”
Arc chuckles. “Good work on powering it too, Auriel.”
Auriel smiles as she holds out a claw and scratches Brightwing under the chin. “Well, I couldn’t have done it without my little assistant here.”
Ember looks to the small creature before her. “Uh… not that I mind, but… what are you doing here, Brightwing?”
“Brightwing came to help friend!”
Hammer frowns. “You did?”
“Yes, yes!”
Ashe turns to Arc. “I didn’t even realize she was aboard.”
“She wasn’t.”
“Then how…?”
Ember groans. “She can teleport. Don’t ask me how though.”
She frowns as she continues talking.
“But I’m more interested in how Brightwing helped.”
“I was having trouble getting that last bit of energy into the system. Then all of a sudden Brightwing appeared and helped me channel the last of it.”
Scootaloo raises an eyebrow. “Wait! So that little dragon can use Dark Magic?!”
“I guess so.”
Ashe grimaces. “Is that… normal?”
Ember sighs. “Not usually, no. Dragon Magic doesn’t have light and dark sides to it like Unicorn and Alicorn Magic. To us it’s all just ‘magic’.”
Auriel shrugs. “A mystery for another day I would imagine.”
Arc holds up a gauntlet. “I suppose. We just came back to make sure things were okay here. Want to head to Canterlot with us?”
“Yes please. I’d like to check in on Twilight myself. Although I assume she’s quite busy with Princess Celestia right now.”
Hammer chuckles. “More like busy with the doctor.”
Sereb puts a paw over his face. “Very subtle.”
Auriel gasps. “WHAT?!”
“She somehow got knocked out. Not sure what exactly happened back there.”
“Let’s go then!”
Arc nods and opens a portal as he turns to Shining Armor.
“We’ll be in contact.”
The stallion nods as everyone vanishes through the swirling energies. They reappear in his room in Canterlot Castle and head for the Infirmary. Auriel takes the lead as she nervously speed walks. Brightwing struggles to keep up.
“Friend should slow down!”
“Twilight may be in trouble though!”
Arc puts a hand on her shoulder. “I’m thinking she’s okay.”
Hammer chuckles. “Well, let’s just see for ourselves then.”
Ember groans. “Agreed.”
Arriving, they walk over to a nurse whom is looking over a chart. Scootaloo is the first to speak.
“Excuse me, but…”
Sereb bounds forward and grabs her cloak in an effort to pull her back as Auriel runs past.
“Where is Princess Twilight?!”
She gestures to the Examination Room. “The doctor is still with her.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Is she alright?”
“As far as he can tell, yes.”
Hammer frowns. “Then why isn’t she out here?!”
“The doctor wanted to run a few more tests to be sure.”
Sereb chuckles. “Did he now?”
“That’s what I was told, yes. “
Ember appears skeptical. “You sound a bit… unsure.”
The nurse shrugs. “I’m here to treat patients. Not question the doctor, ma’am.”
Auriel appears hopeful. “Can I just see her for a moment?!”
“The doctor was very clear that they not be disturbed.”
Sereb sits down on his haunches. “We should wait then.”
Auriel turns to Arc nervously. “But you could go in there, right?!”
“I suppose so.”
“Then would you?!”
“We should probably let the doctor…”
Ember suddenly explodes in anger. “ARGH! ARC, GET IN THERE!!!”
“Alright, alright! Sheesh!”
Arc heads for the door and knocks lightly before entering. Closing the door behind him he spots Twilight on the examination table as Doctor Whooves write on a chart. Walking slowly over to the table he looks down at her as the doctor looks up and walks over. Sighing, Arc turns to him.
“How is she?”
“Just fine actually.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Then why is she unconscious?”
“My analysis… extreme fatigue.”
“Wait. You mean…?”
Whooves nods. “Yes. She’s literally asleep.”
Arc appears relieved. “That’s great! But… why so soundly? Is it due to the poison?”
The doctor looks over his clipboard. “There were no foreign substances in Princess Twilight’s blood, sir. If there was any her body must’ve already metabolized it. Alicorn physiology.”
“But if that’s the case why is she still unconscious?”
“Princess Twilight has been going at it pretty hard lately, sir.”
“How hard?!”
“All-nighters are quite frequent for her.”
“WHAT?!”
“Ruling alone is a job beyond most of us, sir. Princess Twilight has been coming to me for some time regarding this matter though.”
“All-nighters?! Even I didn’t do that as Lord Regent though!”
“I understand that, but…”
“Why didn’t you say anything to me?! Or ANYONE else for that matter?!”
“Forgive me, sir, but I was under direct orders not to divulge that information to anyone.”
Arc groans angrily as he turns back to Twilight. Taking her hoof he holds it for a time in silence. Eventually he speaks.
“What can we do for her now?”
The doctor bows his head. “I can do nothing.”
“But you’re supposed to be the Royal Physician!”
“The only thing for her now is rest. Modern medicine has come a long way, of course. But we can only do so much to combat natural fatigue, sir.”
“Yes… I… I understand.”
Twilight stirs slightly. Slowly opening her eyes she looks to Arc sheepishly.
“Um… hi?”
Arc smiles down at her. “Good morning, sleeping beauty.”
Twilight suddenly straightens up. “MORNING?!”
Arc puts a hand on her chest. “It was a figure of speech, Twilight. Now lie back down.”
“But I have to…! Where’s Princess Celestia?!”
Doctor Whooves shrugs. “She was not admitted to the Infirmary. Strange as it may sound.”
“Luna left with her.”
Twilight frowns. “But why?!”
Arc shrugs. “I’m not really sure. She said something about having things to discuss.”
“How was she?!”
“Your mentor appeared a bit… upset when I last saw her.”
“Can you take me to her?!”
“I don’t know where they went.”
Whooves steps forward. “And you shouldn’t be moving around, your highness.”
Twilight hops out of the bed and slips on her hoof protectors. “Nonsense! I have to see Princess Celestia for myself!”
Arc groans. “Be reasonable, Twilight. Just rest for now. The others and I will find Celestia for you.”
“I’ll rest, yes! But not until I’ve seen her with my own eyes!”
“Fine. Can I at least carry you though?”
Twilight shakes her head. “Thank you, but I can manage.”
Heading for the door, Arc opens it for her as Twilight and Doctor Whooves step out into the main room. Auriel gasps happily.
“TWILIGHT!!!”
She runs over to the mare and throws her arms around her neck. Twilight smiles and returns the hug as Auriel holds her tightly.
“I was so worried about you!”
Twilight giggles. “Thanks. But as you can see I’m okay.”
Arc rolls his eyes. “An outright lie.”
The doctor steps forward. “Please, your majesty! I beg you to return to bed!”
Twilight waves a hoof dismissively. “Later, doctor! Right now I have to…!”
Ember frowns. “What’s going on?”
Hammer shrugs. “I dunno.”
Scootaloo sighs. “It would be wise to listen to the doctor, Princess Twilight. You’re still pretty weak, after all.”
Sereb sighs. “The others speak true.”
Arc shrugs. “She won’t rest until Princess Celestia is found though.”
Auriel looks toward the corridor. “But she’s right here in the castle… somewhere.”
Sereb sniffs the air. “Indeed.”
Twilight’s eyes light up as she trots over to him. “Sereb! Could you smell Princess Celestia out?!”
“Yes.”
“Good! Take me to her!”
“No.”
Twilight groans. “Why not?!”
“Because I do not believe Arc would approve.”
Arc folds his arms over his chest. “That’s right, I don’t. But if it will help get Twilight back into a bed… do it, Sereb.”
“Very well.”
Turning, he sniffs the ground and begins walking as Arc along with Twilight and the others follow. Sometime later they arrive at a large double door. Sereb motions to it with a paw.
“They are in here.”
Auriel appears confused. “Twilight’s room?”
Ember sighs. “Remember, it used to be Celestia’s.”
Twilight gasps as the blood drains from her face. “Oh no!”
Scootaloo turns to her. “Princess?”
“It’s probably a mess! I need to get in there and make sure…!”
Hammer holds out a hand. “Woah there, missy! Calm down!”
Arc nods. “Right. Paranoia won’t help anything.”
“But…!”
Sereb clears his throat loudly. “Princess Twilight. While I am sure you are very interested to speak to your old friend, please remember that you are not the only one in the castle to have missed her.”
Ember nods. “Right. Luna’s her sister, after all.”
Scootaloo shrugs. “She should have the first conversation with the princess.”
Hammer grins. “Yeah. You wouldn’t want to come between two super-powered pony princesses, would you?”
“I… I suppose not. But what else can I do?!”
Arc chuckles. “How about tell your brother that you’re alright?”
Twilight gasps. “Shining Armor! I forgot all about him!”
“Want me to call him for you?”
“Please!”
Arc smiles as he touches his earring. “Arc to Lemon Hearts.”
“Lemon Hearts here. Go ahead, sir.”
“I need to speak to General Shining Armor alone. Can you redirect this conversation somewhere private?”
“Yes sir. The general is coordinating the investigation from your office aboard ship. Shall I connect you to him now?”
“Please do.”
The line goes dead for a few moments as Lemon Hearts carries out her duties. Ember turns to the others.
“We should probably let them have a bit of privacy for this.”
Hammer sniffs herself. “Yeah. That and I could go for a shower.”
Auriel nods. “Me too. You coming, Brightwing?”
Brightwing makes happy noises. “Yes, I will!”
Sereb turns to Scootaloo. “Come along, little one.”
“Huh?”
“Let us get something to eat.”
“But I’m not even hungry.”
Arc looks out the window. “You should eat something though. It’s past suppertime, after all.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “What about you, Arc?”
“I’ll be along with Twilight later.”
Scootaloo sighs. “Okay, Big Brother.”
The group goes their separate ways. Shortly thereafter Arc hears a tone as the phone in question is connected.
“General Shining Armor here.”
“It’s me.”
“Arc?! I mean… yes sir?!”
“I’m here with Twilight.”
“Is she okay?!”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
He kneels down as Twilight approaches and begins to speak.
“Hi, big brother.”
“Twily! How are you?!”
“I’m okay.”
“Are you really?!”
Twilight giggles. “Yes, Shining Armor.”
“What did the doctor say?!”
“Just that I need some rest. That’s all.”
“And are you?!”
Twilight smiles nervously. “…kinda.
“What does that mean?!”
“Well… I’m just standing here.”
“Shouldn’t you be lying down?!”
“I will! Right after I see Princess Celestia.”
Shining Armor groans. “But you and her could talk for HOURS!
“I can keep it brief!”
“Can you really?!”
“Probably. No longer than an hour. Tops!”
“I was thinking more along the lines of five minutes.”
Twilight gasps. “WHAT?! That wouldn’t even give me time to properly say ‘hello’!”
Arc sighs. “Please, Twilight. Shining Armor is just worried about you.”
“Darn right I am! You’ve always been falling asleep over your work in the past! But now it’s going too far!”
Twilight bows her head. “Yes, yes, I know. However I don’t have much choice.”
“Delegate then.”
“But I need to do most of this myself!”
Arc frowns. “Key word being ‘most’, Twilight.”
“Well, I need to make sure things are done correctly.
Shining Armor sighs. “Twilight, I think we should talk more about this when I get back. Face to face.”
“Okay. We can have lunch together, or something.”
“Just like old times.”
“Yeah. And… sorry for making you worry.”
“Please don’t make a habit of it. I don’t think my heart could take it forever.”
Twilight giggles. “No promises, but I’ll try.”
Shining Armor sighs. “That’s the best I can hope for, I suppose.”
“Well, I’ll let you get back to work now.”
“Okay. And please keep this meeting short.”
Arc chuckles. “I’ll see to it that she does.”
“See, big brother. You have nothing to worry about.”
“And I’ll see to it that she goes to bed afterwards.”
Twilight nods. “Right. Hey, wait a minute!”
Shining Armor chuckles. “Thank you sir. And I want to apologize for my sister needing such care.”
Twilight frowns. “Aren’t I your superior too though?!”
“Yes, Twilight. But I still love you.”
“And I love you too, Shining Armor.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“I will. Goodbye.”
Arc touches his earring, closing the channel. Twilight sighs.
“Arc?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I’m a burden?”
“Define ‘burden’ first.”
“Requiring more care and attention than others around me.”
“Well, you do.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. You’re a princess.”
“Okay then. Other than me being a princess, do you think I’m a burden?”
“Then no.”
“Really?”
“Well… you have been known to get caught up in a project and lose track of time.”
Twilight scoffs. “But everypony does that sometimes.”
“Or a book.”
“Big deal!”
“Or a report.”
“I don’t think I…”
“Or a…”
Twilight interrupts him. “Okay, okay. You’ve made your point.”
Arc smiles at her. “Well, you did ask.”
“I know. Then how about a follow up question?”
“What is it?”
“Why do you stick by me then?”
“Because I care about you.”
“Any other reasons?”
“Kinda.”
“Do tell.”
“Well… it’s also because… I do understand how you feel.”
“About…?”
“Your work.”
“But you and I don’t even do the same things most of the time.”
“That’s true. However we’ve both been known to work ourselves to exhaustion in the past.”
“I… guess that’s true. After all, I can think of any number of times I woke up with a blanket on me without any recollection of how it got there.”
Arc chuckles as he sits down on the floor. “And I’ve had to be literally dragged to bed a couple times.”
Twilight smiles as she takes a spot next to him. “We might just be perfect for each other.”
“Yeah. But it’s a good thing there’s others.”
“Oh?”
Arc grins. “Someone might have to drag us both away from our work.”
They enjoy a bit of a laugh together. After a few moments Arc continues.
“Well, I am looking forward to retiring and putting all this high stress work behind me.”
“Me too.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Um… what?”
“With Princess Celestia back I won’t be needed here in Canterlot. At least when Luna and Celestia retake their thrones.”
“So… what does that mean for us?”
“That we can start getting to know one another better. All of us, I mean.”
“Where?”
“Ponyville, of course.”
“What’s left of it, you mean.”
“We can rebuild it.”
“Together.”
“Yes.”
“I’d like that.”
“Then everypony can come back and life can go on for all of us.”
A Hoof Maiden approaches with a dinner cart laden with delicacies. Arc and Twilight stand as she stops at the door and bows before them.
“Good evening, your highness. Can I be of service?”
“Not really. Um… is that supper for Princess Celestia?”
“It is, yes.”
“I’d like to take it in personally.”
“Yes, Princess Twilight.”
She steps back respectfully to allow Twilight access to the cart. Arc turns to the mare.
“Return to your other duties.”
Bowing silently, the mare hurries on. Twilight turns to Arc and grins.
“This should prove to be an interesting meal for us.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “For… us?”
“Well, all of us.”
“For you three princesses, yes.”
“You’ll be joining us in here too though.”
Arc looks away. “That might not be for the best.”
“But why not?”
“Your mentor doesn’t really care for me. Remember?”
“That may be. But Luna does, and I do too.”
“It might cause a bit of trouble though.”
Twilight sighs. “I know. However she has to hear your point of view eventually. Might as well be over a nice meal.”
Arc sighs. “Fine.”
“After all, she’s a wise and noble leader and a good friend.”
“I’m still remembering my guts hanging out the first time we met.”
“Yes, well… I’m sure she didn’t really know what was going on at the time.”
Arc puts a hand on his belly. “Tell that to the scars.”
Twilight turns back to Arc and beckons him down to her level before speaking.
“I know you two had a really… bad first impression. But I’d really like both of you to be able to move past that.”
“And her?”
“What about…?”
“Are you sure Celestia actually WANTS to move past it?”
“She doesn’t like humans. We’ve both heard it before. But you’re not going anywhere and neither is she.”
Arc groans. “I still say this is a bad idea.”
“She wouldn’t try to kill you again. Not in front of me.”
“Not really making this easier, Twilight.”
Twilight bows her head. “I’m sorry, Arc. But the two of you are really important to me. Princess Celestia raised me as her star pupil. And you’re the one whom I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“Well… I guess I really do have to meet her. Hero of Light status or not.”
“Thanks, Arc. And trust me, she’ll love you in no time!”
Arc mutters to himself as Twilight trots toward the door with the dinner cart. “What have I gotten myself into?”
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famous last words twi
Listen to wormtongue long enough and you cant trust yourself to say the sky is pink.
The only they are going to get along is if Celestia loses the grudge and faces the truth.
11362015
Twilight might be just a bit biased in that regard.
can't wait to see how this will go ^^
twilight is way too optimistic...
11362134
All she sees is the good in Celestia. She looks past all the bad things she did and justifies them in her mind rather than facing reality.
11362931
mhmmm and that is going to be one HELL of a bill..... also *SMACK* that is for killing Cherry, l was crying my eyes out because of that...
11362790
Just going from memory here, but at the time that chapter was released there wasn't any picture of him (not covered from head to to in armor). I believe the Lord Regent picture was commissioned after the fact and uploaded sometime later.
11362986
My daughter as well. 
You weren't the only one. My wife was quite upset when I did that.