Chapter Three: Restless Road of Recovery
The ethereal mare flicked her misty gaze over to the out-of-breath individual in front of her, a royal guard disguise dropping from the brown earth pony’s body.
“E-emissary!”
She waited, having learned long ago that silence was both more powerful and manipulative than a hasty phrase.
“Some hippogriff arrived yesterday, a doctor. He cured the Princess, but I’m not sure how long he’s sticking around. Apparently, he’s the one helping manufacture the cure. That’s all I could discover.”
A soft, annoyed hiss left the Emissary’s muzzle, the mist flowing off of her slim frame increasing slightly as the mare’s fangs showed over her lips briefly.
“A setback, but this is only the first wave. Am I correct to assume you had the foresight to place a bounty on him?”
“Yes, Emissary.”
“Are there any takers?”
The stallion nodded, retrieving a scroll from a small satchel around his neck.
“Almost an immediate response since I made sure the price was high. A team is nearby and will take care of the matter within a day or two.”
“Good, I am glad to see my expectations of you were not misplaced. You’re free to go until tomorrow; good work.”
As the pony trotted off, the Emissary’s eyes narrowed, a slight smirk meandering onto her features.
If this is indeed the troublesome individual with the cure formula, his death will make our job much easier.
A pleasant hum in her mind indicated to the mare that her Master’s thought the same, their presence then retreating to observe.
You cured our target, and she’s alive; but can you keep her that way?
Wakefulness spread through Celestia’s frame with a warm glow, the alicorn snuggling deeper into the bed as a yawn left her muzzle. Her sides rose and fell evenly, a slight ache the only reminder of her previous ailments.
Blinking sleepily, Celestia looked around, the alicorn still in the semi-sterile atmosphere of the Doctor’s lab as plastic sheeting greeted her view.
“Ah, the sun rises,” Doctor Borealis quipped, prompting a tired huff at the bad joke from the Alicorn. “Easy now. You’ve been asleep for over a day. Thankfully that has gotten you out of the danger zone. I think you’re fine going back to the castle, provided you stay secluded from any other infected individuals.”
Celestia let out a groan, trying to sit up.
“Thank you, Doctor, but I-” the alicorn still lay on the bed, eyes widening in surprise. “I appear unable to move.”
The hippogriff let out an interested huff, trotting over to check her vitals and give another injection of the booster.
“Interesting, but not unexpected. That should pass; it’s your body rebooting your magical pathways, more or less. Give it a minute or two.”
Celestia let out a soft grunt, her body not wanting to respond to any of her desired movements.
“I take it I’m cured? I don’t remember anything after inhaling that powder,” she mused, Nacreous nodding.
“That is correct, and you’ve recovered faster than I anticipated. I think you’ll be able to move back to your own room shortly; it has been refitted to be as sterile as can be. From what I’ve managed to gather you should be immune, but I’d rather not take any chances until my tests are complete. The magical matrix I’m using to run scenarios and scans should finish within a few days.”
Celestia nodded, finding now that she could lever herself up slightly.
“Ouch…stiff,” she hissed, settling upright with a happy sigh. “Oh, and I can breathe, that is quite nice.”
“Hmm, you sound better too, a bit more relaxed,” Nacreous remarked, not missing the extremely slight blush that ran across Celestia’s cheeks ever so slightly, as though the ruler just realized the fact herself.
“I…yes. I do believe I owe you a great deal of thanks, Doctor Borealis,” she replied, her calm and collected mask settling back into place.
“Well, you are most welcome; I’m just glad I could help. However, just Nacreous, please. I’m not in ‘Doctor’ mode, at least not fully. I’m just making sure a patient is comfortable,” the hippogriff replied, Celestia nodding.
“An interesting name.”
“I like it, even if it’s a bit odder than some,” he replied, seeming to hesitate slightly. “Princess, I feel as though I should level with you,” Nacreous sighed, running a set of claws through his green and cream head feathers. “It is somewhat my fault you are sick. I was tasked by the First Wisher to stop this group from spreading the pathogen; in that, I failed, but only partially.”
Celestia’s eyes widened, the ruler gesturing to the hippogriff with a hoof.
“Partially? I’m rather intrigued, Nacreous…”
The hippogriff sat on the nearby bench, a slight frown dawning on his beak.
“When we discovered this group was planning on spreading this disease, we knew it had to be neutralized. They were sneaky, hoarding the compound in a few select locations for refinement and dispersal. What I didn’t realize was that agents were already in cities with small, unrefined amounts,” Nacreous explained, gesturing to a few vials of the cure on a nearby counter.
“What we did succeed in doing was preventing an organized dispersal and halted their purification and modification process. The disease, as it stands, isn’t changed much from the Dragon Lands strain. They were trying to make it much, much nastier. In this we succeeded in halting for now, and I managed to destroy the majority of their supply. But I clearly failed in preventing the outright spread of it, and for that I am sorry,” the hippogriff sighed, ears flat against his skull. His words prompted a slight huff from Celestia, the ruler’s eyes scanning over him curiously.
“I’d say you did your best. The fact you saved my life speaks volumes about your intentions, so I don’t think an apology is warranted. Still, thank you,” she then paused, ears flicking upright in curiosity.
“Now that you mention it, what is the First Wisher like?”
Nacreous immediately chuckled, waving a set of claws with a shake of his head.
“Oh, he would not like me saying much. But I suppose I can tell you the basics. He just wants to help creatures; I think he and Commander Sands would get along swimmingly, at least from what I know about that pony. He’s old, very old, I honestly don’t know the exact number. That said, he’s rather quirky, but kind. Far from perfect, but means well. That’s…all I can really say.”
Celestia hummed, slowly standing on her hooves.
“He doesn’t sound like that bad a creature, not at all. Perhaps someday I’ll be able to thank him for the work he’s done.”
“Perhaps, but now let’s get you to your room. Can you take a few steps please?” Nacreous asked, watching as Celestia moved slowly.
“Good. I’ve instructed your doctors on a few things, and they’ll deliver the booster shots every few hours. As for you, rest, rest, and more rest.”
Celestia managed a soft chuckle, limbs moving despite feeling like they were encased in stone.
“No complaints there. Thank you again, Nacreous,” she remarked, then spied a rather colorful creation on the counter.
“Wait, are those Pegos? Is that a ship?” she asked, prompting a slightly embarrassed huff from the hippogriff as Celestia took a closer look at the creation.
“It’s an advanced plastic brick interlocking system that is perfect for making models,” he grumbled, and saw Celestia’s sides shake with barely-contained laughter, violet eyes wide with surprise and mirth.
“But yes. It’s a ship built out of Pegos; I love those things. Such a simple creation…hey! I see that look!” Nacreous remarked, gesturing to a legionnaire with an accusing claw. “Get stuck in a cave for a month with nothing to do, and you’ll find those little bricks a lifesaver!”
“You got stuck in a cave filled with Pegos?” Celestia asked, the pair stepping through the portal as Nacreous watched her carefully.
“Pegos, rations, and about a pallet’s-worth of woodcarving magazines. In short, yes. But that’s a tale for another time, I think. Let’s get you to your room; no heavy activity, but reading political reports should be fine,” he instructed, Celestia nodding gratefully.
“Understood, Nacreous. Perhaps you’d like a tour of the castle while I’m recovering? I do hope you plan on staying local, we could use the help.”
“A tour? I suppose that’d be fine. And I do think I’ll be here for a time, enough creatures need my assistance as it is.”
As the pair separated, Celestia paused, a gentle smile edging onto her features briefly.
“Thank you again, Nacreous. I certainly won’t forget your kindness.”
The hippogriff’s beak opened, words seeming to be on the tip of his tongue. A flurry of emotions swam through his ocean blue eyes, but the Doctor finally bowed his head briefly, managing a simple smile.
“You are most welcome, I’ll check up on you later, Highness.”
“This is a fairly new addition, relatively speaking. A few sculptures and artwork added on the way to the main museum section of the castle,” the royal guard stated, gesturing to a few odd pots and paintings that lined the stone walls. Nacreous nodded his head in interest, the hippogriff then examining a rather ornate vase.
“Interesting…”
“Sir?”
Nacreous gestured to the pot with a claw, indicating a simple signature near the bottom.
“I think this one is labeled wrong.”
The guard blinked, examining the plaque with a shrug.
“I just know general layout of the palace. I…wouldn’t know, Sir.”
“I would!” a voice piped up, a young yellow unicorn mare trotting over with a smile.
“Museum Assistant Parchment Well! So, what’s this about a wrong label?”
Nacreous smiled at the peppy mare, indicating the vase with a claw again.
“Oh, just that it says this artifact is an original made by Steady Hoof, but it is, in fact, one of his successors instead.”
Parchment blinked, eying the item curiously.
“Hmmm? How do you figure that? I’ve looked through the records of all these artifacts and it seems to match up. But history can be a bit spotty at times.”
“May I?” Nacreous asked, moving a set of claws towards the pot, prompting the mare to nod.
“Ordinarily no, but I’m curious, so you can go ahead and examine it. There’s few protective spells on it in case it’s dropped,” Parchment remarked.
Picking up the vase, the hippogriff turned it over in his claws, showing another, matching signature on the bottom of the item.
“Ah, see here? Steady Hoof wouldn’t have also signed it on the bottom. All of his successors used the formal writing of his name, and put two signatures on the vase. While this was common practice, and entered in the history books, it’s a slightly incomplete account. The embarrassing truth was that ‘Steady Hoof’ wasn’t even his real name; the poor stallion took it on in a social attempt to compensate for a lifetime ailment where his hooves trembled. His signatures were not this neat script as you see here, but a wavy cursive to accommodate the tremor. His assistants used the formal script for their practice pieces, and his eventual successors carried on that view.” The hippogriff’s eyes then widened, Nacreous setting the vase back down.
“At least, that’s what I’ve found out in my travels and readings.”
Parchment’s green eyes were wide in wonder, the mare happily prancing in place.
“Where did you find all of that out? I knew Steady had an accident when he was a foal, but I didn’t know that wasn’t even his real name! That makes sense why some of the history books use ‘Wheat Mill’ in reference to him!”
Nacreous smiled, the ecstatic mare’s attitude rather infectious.
“It was in a few old volumes I came across in my travels. The pages were so fragile, I had to use a feather-tufted stick to turn them.”
The hippogriff’s blue eyes narrowed briefly, the Doctor taking a long look at the mare for a moment.
“Parchment…wait, I thought you looked familiar! I treated your mother for a split hoof as a filly once; thought we’d have to take off the entire limb after it got infected. Is she doing well?”
The mare looked a bit confused, nodding as her ears perked back up.
“Huh? That’s interesting! And yeah, she’d doing fine, she and my father are on a vacation actually. Small world!”
As they said their goodbyes and Nacreous trotted down the hall with his guard, the mare’s ears twitched in curiosity. Trotting back down to the primary museum area, Parchment then paused, eyes widening in shock.
“Wait. My mom? Hold on a minute-what in the world?”
She retrieved a bit of expensive parchment from her saddlebags; the enchanted item addressed to her parents.
‘Hey Mom, Dad; sorry to interrupt your vacation, but I just met the most interesting individual. I had no idea that when you were little…’
As the two guards and large hippogriff trotted down a hallway bordering the royal gardens, Nacreous’s ears twitched as a magical tingle ran up his spine.
Something is off.
His hunch was confirmed as the nearest windows shattered, a handful of creatures bursting into the hallway. The doors in front and behind the group were yanked shut by a unicorn’s magic; a spell sealing them against the outside castle and trapping the three in the hallway. A minotaur spun a set of bolas, their cords crackling with a spell as he threw the weapon at the guards. The two ponies were caught completely unaware, slamming into each other as the bolas wrapped them up in a vice-like grip.
As three unicorns, a minotaur, and two gryphons balanced a varied set of weapons in their grips, two Pegasi hovered outside the window, a crossbow held in their hooves.
Nacreous spotted the archers out of the corner of his eye, the hippogriff turning to angle his body slightly. The bolts flew from their strings, slamming into the Doctor’s side- and then clattered to the ground, their poisoned tips not having touched his flesh.
The hippogriff’s entire frame shimmered, a concealment spell temporarily failing. The two bound royal guards couldn’t keep their jaws from dropping, the figure in front of them now being clad in a strange, tightly-knit chain mail. Thin grey metal gauntlets wrapped around Nacreous’s forelimbs, the hippogriff letting out a frustrated hiss as he yanked a dagger from a holster on his shoulder.
“Please don’t do this!” the hippogriff begged, the assailants not so much as uttering a word as they expertly fanned out, weapons drawn.
“Don’t do this…” Nacreous pleaded again, looking at the gathered creatures, none of whom even bore so much as an inkling of expression on their features.
“Don’t make me do this….”
At those words, one of the bounty hunters laughed, the gryphon then daring forwards with a spear without another word. Two of the unicorns charged their horns, and the minotaur readied a battle-axe. A very unfriendly growl slipped from the hippogriff’s beak as he settled into a fighting stance.
“Fine.”
As the spear was thrust towards him, Nacreous’s limbs coiled like springs and the massive hippogriff jumped. Wings flaring slightly, the doctor landed on the spear shaft, snapping the weapon in half. His dagger lashed out, burying itself into the offending gryphon’s throat. A magical blast from the unicorns was absorbed by one of the hippogriff’s raised gauntlets, the strange grey metal seeming to dissipate the spell into nothing.
The minotaur swung his axe, even as his gryphon partner attacked with the saber. Digging into Nacreous’s gauntlet, the axe didn’t manage to pierce the odd metal, instead becoming lodged in the armor. As the minotaur struggled to wrench it free, the hippogriff hopped, body twisting as though in the middle of an odd dance as he lashed out with a rear limb, dodging the swipe of a saber. The metal-shod hoof caved the minotaur’s skull in, the creature dropping without a whisper. Yanking the battle-axe free, Nacreous balanced the weapon in his claws, sending it spinning into the chest of the gryphon with a flick of the wrist.
The unicorns and two Pegasi now dove forwards; two more arrows deflecting harmlessly against the chain mail. They greatly underestimated the hippogriff’s reach however, and Nacreous grabbed one of them by a hoof, sending them slamming into the stone wall with a brutal toss. The second Pegasi was brought down by one of the unicorns panicking, firing a spell that neatly turned the pony into ash. His gauntlets deflecting the oncoming spells, Nacreous almost casually grabbed one of the unicorns by the throat, his claws tearing through exposed flesh. As the assailant dropped into a lifeless pile, the hippogriff grabbed another unicorn’s horn, sending the pony’s head cracking into the stone floor with a twist of his arm.
The last unicorn could only stare at the blood-covered hippogriff as he retrieved the top half of the spear. Trotting over to aim the weapon at the pony’s throat, his claws wrapped around the pony’s torso as Nacreous pinned the horrified mercenary to the wall.
“Why did you attack me? What are the details? SPEAK!”
Nacreous’s voice made the glass on the ground tremble, deep and commanding in tone and rivaling the Royal Canterlot voice in volume. The unicorn began babbling, shaking his head and finally collecting his thoughts into a somewhat coherent form as Nacreous pulled the spear back ever so slightly.
“Bounty! Cult! Wanted you dead! All I know! Leader knew more! Supposed to be easy job!” the unicorn spouted off, then sliding to the floor as Nacreous let him down.
The hippogriff didn’t take his eyes off the assailant as he cut the guards loose, both of whom looked to be in various stages of shock. Fishing into one of the guards’ side satchels, Nacreous retrieved a magical suppression ring, calmly placing it around the still-blubbering unicorn’s horn. His feathers shimmered, the armor and shoulder sheath vanishing as the concealment spell activated once again. Nacreous yanked the dagger free from the dead gryphon on the floor, wiping off the blood before sheathing it, the weapon vanishing in an instant.
“You are not going to die, so stop sobbing,” Nacreous sighed, looking at the bloodied hallway as the distant door burst open, a handful of royal guards galloping in.
Two of the younger ponies promptly looked at the scene and vomited, the hippogriff wincing slightly.
“Ah….”
A rune was quickly sketched on the ground; and the bodies were quickly covered by a strange, shimmering field of magic, blocking them from view temporarily.
“Better?” Nacreous asked, seeing the guards stare at him, one of them finally able to speak.
“What in the world happened?!”
Opening his mouth to respond, Nacreous shook his head, gesturing to the unicorn and two previously-bound guards.
“Assassination attempt; they came in through the windows. Please take care of these three first; I’d be more than happy to follow one of you to give a full report.”
The in-question guard looked around, and then to his shocked companions and nodded, eyes wide behind the respirator on his muzzle.
“I…think that would be best.”
Celestia stared at the report in front of her, eyes wide in utter shock as she read the word-for-word transcript.
“You took on eight bounty hunters?” the alicorn muttered to herself; Nacreous currently being asked to remain in a guest room under guard while they investigated the incident. Thus far his story seemed to line up, and there was no evidence the hippogriff was anything but a victim in all this. The testimony of two royal guards was certainly a solid alibi.
“How in the world…and a concealment spell? Luna was right about keeping you under observation.”
A knock sounded at the door, a magical field shimmering around the entrance to kill any possible germs.
“H-highness?” A soft voice asked, prompting the ruler’s ears to perk up.
“Come in.”
A masked mare trotted in, a guard nodding to her knowingly.
“T-they said I should tell you this. It’s about the hippogriff.”
“Oh? Do take a seat, Parchment, is it? I swear I don’t bite.”
The Assistant Curator nodded, surprised eyes widening behind the rebreather mask, which kept her germs from contaminating the room.
“Y-yes. And I know, I mean, it’s just…”
A soft chuckle reached the pony’s ears, Celestia adjusting herself on the couch as she looked over to the mare.
“It’s alright, I understand your nerves. I really am curious though, what did you want to tell me about our guest?”
Parchment shifted nervously, finally letting out a sigh as she retrieved a paper from a side satchel.
“I thought it wasn’t a big deal at first, just a really knowledgeable guy. He knew a ton about one of the sculptors, even picked out that the vase we had on display wasn’t an original. It matched up with history books, but the way he spoke about it, it was like it was familiar. I didn’t think much of it though, not until he mixed me up.”
“Hmm?”
Parchment gestured to the paper, neat cursive written across it.
“The Doctor, he said that he treated my mom for a split hoof. I didn’t even know that about her, and there’s a reason for that,” the mare’s brow furrowed, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. “My mom never had a split hoof, but my great-great-grandma did. I confirmed it by writing my parents. I’ve been told that I look just like her though.”
Celestia’s eyes widened in shock, the alicorn swallowing the lump that was beginning to rise in her throat.
“But that story was apparently passed down and written in our family journal; I just hadn’t heard it until now. I-I don’t get it. He doesn’t look that old, but neither does Starswirl. Maybe some sort of spell? I don’t know…but I thought you should know.”
Making sure her surprised was now masked, Celestia nodded knowingly, a soft smile on her muzzle.
“Thank you, Parchment. I think that is indeed something I needed to know. Thank you again for bringing that to my attention.”
As Parchment left, Celestia stared at the report in front of her, eyes widening as a simple, but extremely important fact branded itself across her mind. It joined the other strange pieces of information concerning the helpful hippogriff; his connection to the First Wisher, his recalling of her encounter with the hydra, the dispatching of eight assassins, and the knowledge of the older vase. This fact however, was rather telling, and had been bothering the ruler ever since she had met the Doctor.
Unlike other Hippogriffs, Nacreous wasn’t wearing a pearl shard around his neck.
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You know, I've a sneaking suspicion that he is the first Wisher.
9785111
That'd certainly be an interesting development! Or perhaps more close to him than Nacreous is letting on...
I think I missed something, what does a pearl shard have to do with anything?
I can't find any other mention of pearls in this story or the last few chapters of "Timeless" so I am guessing its foreshadowing.
9785202
It's referencing the fact that all hippogriffs have a pearl shard around their neck; given to them when the Pearl was broken by Queen novo and passed around so they can shapeshift.
9785214
Ok, I guess I need to reread the story to find that bit of information. If I missed something like that I might have missed other stuff.
And the story is good enough to enjoy a reread already.
9785259
I'm glad you enjoy it! It was a detail that was just never mentioned; showing how it was just a glossed-over thing that most didn't think twice about. It does require to reference back to a single moment in the show though. (Where Silverstream explains why all hippogriffs have them) So it's easy enough to miss.
9785214
Yeah that threw me off as well. Can't wait to see how the conversation goes between Celestia and her savior now.
Note: the Pearl shard threw me off I mean.
9785865
Oh it's going to be interesting. In your opinion, would a simple 'unlike other hippogriffs' line added before the not having a pearl line clarify things better?
Diggity! I wasn’t notified about the last chapter of timeless and I just realized this is a sequel. Great work still.
9785883
Oh dear! Hope there weren't any spoilers! But yep, a direct sequel! =D Glad you're enjoying it, and welcome to the ride!
9785869
Yeah that does help some. For those who aren't as interested in the young six episodes like me it helps to bring attention to the pearl shards the other hippogriffs wear.
9785924
Aaaah ok! I clarified it =) Thank you for the feedback. It is a very minute detail that would be super easy to miss- hope the bit I put in helps!
I get the feeling that won't go so well
Suuuure, mister "older than you look"
Neither does Celestia, Luna or Shifting
"RadBunny out" maybe
9785932
Yeaaaah it didn't go over well at all!
....well, instead of a mic drop...
*carrot drop*
MOAR!
9786233
More will be coming next week! I've learned that a steady pace is better than burnout! (I've done that before 
)
Nacreous: Celestia, What are you doing out of bed?
Tia: Even i have to take a dump.
Nacreous: Too much information, Tia.
9787326
Maybe the first wisher is the last man on earth, and just waited until society restarted.
9787521
Now THAT would be an interesting premise....But no humans in this story!
(In an upcoming one, however.....)
9787996
Nice
9788386
Well, upcoming one is a HiE fic- but the idea that an immortal human watches the earth renew itself into Equestria is certainly an interesting one!
Well this is a fascinating development! Also, calling it now, he's the third wisher, or something similarly out of left field (maybe the 1st wisher can make people ageless?
)
9789852
Indeed! An interesting theory...
Eeeeeee!' hippogriff!!!!!
9796244
Ta-da!
Ah.
A pacifist. Hates to take lives – will take them when absolutely necessary, but often with no small amount of regret. People like this also tend to be skilled at killing, which is often what makes them like this in the first place. Oh, and he's a doctor: anatomy 101 = where to stab creatures for maximum effect 101.
At least, that's my analysis of his words.
Yes, thank you. A mystery is slowly unraveling, it seems.
I wonder, what are the chances that there's no "supervisor", but rather it's just the him, and when he talks about the Wisher he talks about himself.
9836833
I wouldn't say a pacifist by far- but that's just it. Nacreous knows what he's capable of, and therefore will try to avoid using that skill set if possible. If you push...well...
I mean, I can't spoil anything one way or the other!
I'm 26 years old, and I still enjoy making things out of lego. Heck, I'll bet that if you put a box of lego on a table in front of a bunch of guys, within five minutes every one of them will be tinkering with it. It's been proven that Lego improves hand-eye coordination, planning skills, and fosters creativity. Many businesses actually keep lego on hand for meetings where an illustration of a concept might be needed.
My point is, Celestia's being an idiot for mocking Nacreus over this. If anything, he should be encouraged to continue so as to improve his performance as a doctor.
9926954
About to turn 30 here, and completely agree! A note though..she isn't mocking him; it's more of an amused surprise rather intending to put down. The Legionaries were the ones about to laugh!
9927088
Celestia seemed like she wanted to play herself.
9926954
Change that guys to anyone. My 3yr old niece won't allow my sister to put them away. Also I think Celestia more wanted to now if he had any she could play with.
10341537
I think there would be a time when Celestia/Nacreous are found building a small empire out of Pegos!
That's impressive, considering the hippogriffs were hiding underwater at the time.
Ah. Now it makes sense.
Humm, is HE the first wisher? Makes me wonder... I mean, I thought he was speaking TO the First, but now I'm not so sure...
Also, Pegos! Do they have Pego Techinc? I like this one the best. 2 or 3 models from one set. Have quite a few models on my shelves, both in city and in countryhouse.
11454904
All hail PEGOS!
Glad to see you're enjoying chugging through the trilogy!