Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot

by Equimorto

Rise a Night

"Oh, it's... Uhm... Sorry, I don't remember what your name was," sheepishly said the mare, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Blue Spark," replied the unicorn.

"Oh, yeah!" Scarlet's face lit up for a moment. Then it darkened again. "I'm terribly sorry, I'm afraid I don't remember how or why we know each other. I do remember you, I swear, the details are just a little fuzzy. Maybe the glasses are throwing me off."

"I was running some research in the forest and the swamp, remember? I'm the one your friend ran into." Blue watched the expression on Scarlet's face. "The one who carried him back here in town?"

"Oh!" Scarlet's face lit again as she had a flash of clarity. "Right! Yeah, I remember, yes. Sorry again if I didn't remember sooner, and sorry about wasting your time back then."

"It wasn't that bad of a problem," Blue replied, "I actually quite enjoyed having a chance to take a break from just boring old research. Especially when we were at the late stages of it already, those are notoriously the worst ones."

"Oh. I see." Scarlet nodded. "So, what brings you here again? More research?"

"I'm on vacation, actually," answered Blue, nodding towards her beige briefcase. "I've been travelling around, and while I was in the area I thought I could drop by and see how things are going here. How have you been, Scarlet?"

"Quite well, all things considered. That would be Doctor Ribbon now, actually." The mare gave a light chuckle to herself. "I finally finished all my studies and all the other fluff. I've started working here in town, I've already worked with a couple of patients. It's been nice. But what about you? How are you doing? Nice glasses, by the way."

"I'm all fine, thank you." The unicorn adjusted her sunglasses. "Work is going well, and I recently saw my mother as well. She's doing well too." A pause, as Blue Spark gave a tongue click. "What about him?"

"Him?" Scarlet frowned for just a moment. "Oh, him. He's, well, he's still about as he was when you last saw him. He hasn't gotten worse, which I suppose is something, and he hasn't disappeared again like back then, but he's still not quite all there." She shook her head. "Nowadays he spends most of his time fidgeting with stuff he finds lying around in the park. He's innocuous, but it's... Sorry. I still remember what he was like before all this, it's been a bit rough for me."

"I understand." Blue gave a polite little nod. "Does he still wear those ill-fitting mare clothes?"

Scarlet almost chuckled at that. "He does. But he does wash them, it's not like he never took them off since you last saw him. He does pretty well with basic care like that, actually. Eating when he should be, good hygiene, he comes inside if it gets too cold. Nothing particularly self destructive."

"I see." Blue Spark looked briefly into the distance. "Could I go talk to him?"

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Ah, returning to visit her old mentor. I'm legitimately unsure what Stella may have in mind for him.