Confrontation
The barracks were much closer than Twilight had anticipated, being only about ten minutes from the spire and occupying a large chunk of the capital itself. It seemed more like a military base than a simple barracks and training ground. She could see several armories with active ponies inside working on new weapons to add to the stockpile and taking in materials from delivery carts. The unicorn wasn't exactly sure why all these weapons were being made, but she didn't quite care. There were more important things to worry about. The guards at the metal gates saluted Cadance and pulled the doors open, allowing the visitors to enter into a very busy ground where soldiers were running left and right with materials in small carts, wagons, or just training outright. Spears, swords, crossbows, javelins, and even unicorn spell casting. They were doing everything. They ignored the visitors until Shining popped out of one of the pyramidal buildings lining the walls on the right and greeted his wife.
"What's going on?" he asked Cadance. "What are you all doing here?"
Cadance smiled. "The elements suggested we bring Twilight here to see what is done in the infirmary. We figured that it would be a great opportunity for her to show off her knowledge."
The stallion grunted and looked around, frowning. "Well, I can't say I really approve coming here after what happened," he said in a low tone of voice. "Still. You're already here so might as well make the most of it." He cracked his neck and waltzed around the ponies. "So where is she?"
"I'm here," Twilight declared.
Shining jumped back in shock. "You startled me, Twilight!" he exclaimed. His fear quickly turned to curiosity. "You're Twilight?" He nodded in approval. "Not bad. No pony would recognize you, even if you still have the same mane style," he complained.
"Oh, stop fretting about every little detail," Cadance chastised. "There's only so many mane styles to go through. She's not unique, and with no pony knowing her name, she doesn't need to hide it either." She kissed Shining on his cheek and turned back towards the spire. "Take good care of her, okay?"
The stallion smiled then glared at Twilight. "Why are you hiding back there?" he asked her.
The mare seemed to be trapped within her own world as she gazed at the innumerable amount of ponies surrounding her. Even though she was in an open space it felt asphyxiating to be here. She really just wanted to have the lock on her horn removed so she could teleport back home.
"Ah, Ah think she's havin' a panic attack," Applejack said with worry.
Fluttershy floated over to Twilight and patted her gently on the head. "There there," she said. "Don't worry about what's around you. Just focus on us. We're the only ponies you need to worry about." Fluttershy flinched slightly when Twilight's eyes shot to her and appeared filled with terror and a deep, unquenchable hatred. "It's okay," she continued hesitantly.
Twilight blinked several times then took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. Let's just hurry up to wherever you wanted me to go," she squeaked.
Her change in attitude concerned Shining immensely. She seemed far more unstable than when she was first recovered. "Alright, Twilight. This way," he said. "There's several infirmaries here, so I'll have you go to the one that the minor injured aren't at." The lavender unicorn gulped at the emphasis her brother made.
The Emperor returned into the prior building then came back out and bid the four mares to follow him. Soldiers filled the 'barracks' in their every nook and cranny. With all the tasks necessary to keep everything running, Twilight couldn't help but find that she was getting trapped if they figured out who she was. Her heart was beating hard and fast and it felt like a vice was squeezing her head.
"Here," Shining said.
They had all stopped at a trapezoid-shaped building with a red X above the entrance. Like most buildings in the empire, it was made from a white material Twilight could only identify as a mix between wood and stone. She had no idea what they used to build anything. However, the moment Shining pushed open the single door leading inside, the three elements immediately covered their muzzles.
"Blazes!" Applejack cursed. "What in tarnation is that stink?"
Pinkie coughed several times into her hooves before speaking as well. "I have to agree with Applejack. I've messed up recipes in the back and they were really stinky, but this? Hooo. It smells like Carrot and Poundcake's diapers times a thousand!"
Shining sported a devious grin, finding amusement in their reactions, but his face flushed of all emotions when he noticed Twilight wasn't reacting.
"Nothing to say, Twilight?" he asked his sister.
"About what?" Twilight asked.
The stallion sputtered his words at first. "The smell coming from the infirmary!"
"Oh. That." Twilight leaned to the side to get a look at the hallway covered in plain, tan-colored wood. "I don't know. Just smells like medication and dying ponies in there. Nothing special."
She shrunk away from the baffled, questioning gazes of the other ponies and remained silent.
"Uh...okay then," Shining said awkwardly. He cleared his throat and invited every pony inside. "Let's go meet one of the medics," he said.
He took the second door on the left and entered a room full of beds covered in clean, white sheets placed at regular intervals from each other. There were some ponies on them, but most were sound asleep.
"These ponies are here due to a simple disease or maybe from just overexerting themselves for one reason or another." He frowned and tilted his head. "Usually because they want a promotion," he said in a deeper voice. "Anyways." He waved a hoof at the stallion checking on one sleeping patient. "Doctor Orange Butterscotch!" Shining called.
The pony looked to the side and was quick to take his stance and salute. He was draped in a white coat that covered most of his deep, orange coat. His mane and tail were a paler, more buttery orange decorated by a white swirling stripe that started at the center of his head and the base of his tail. His mane was an unkempt mess that went out in multiple different directions, although Shining didn't seem to be bothered by it. Butterscotch's eyes were a faint blood-orange that stood out compared to the rest of him and attracted the attention of everypony meeting him for the first time. They thought his eyes were bloodshot.
"What do you need, sir?" the stallion asked loudly.
"At ease," Shining said softly. "I have a project for you." He gestured to the three to bring Twilight forward, and Applejack was the one that pulled Twilight into view. "This mare is a criminal."
The medic's eyes grew cold and he started to look down on Twilight. "Is she now?"
"Don't worry. She's not one of those who are guilty of heinous crimes," Shining reassured. "She was caught stealing enough times that I've decided to try my hoof at rehabilitation. You know, give her the chance at plying an honest trade that she was denied since her foalhood." Applejack snorted at the stallion's comment. "She has a knack for understanding the bodies of ponies and has dabbled a bit on the subject in the past. I want you to show her what you do and see if she might have some compatibility with medical work."
"I understand, sir," Butterscotch confirmed.
"You will be accompanied by three of the Elements of Harmony who will act as her parole officers, if you will," Shining continued.
Pinkie hopped forward. "That's right! We'll make sure she doesn't do anything naughty, and I will make sure everypony is supplied with cupcakes to keep morale up!" she said as she pulled a tray with eight cupcakes on it out of her mane.
Butterscotch looked at the treats with disgust. "We aren't allowed any sugary treats outside of resting periods and lunch, m'am," he explained. "But thank you for the offer."
Pinkie's cheeks puffed up and she hid the tray back into her mane. "Pfff. The ponies around here are all so stuffy. They definitely need some laughter in their lives. They don't get enough of it."
Applejack chuckled and patted her upset friend's back. "It's alright, Pinkie. When this is all done we can ask the Emperor 'n Empress tya give ya the chance ta make a gigantic party to celebrate Twilight turnin' over a new leaf," Applejack said.
The pink earth pony's eyes sparkled in joy. "Yes! I should start planning that already!" she realized. "I need to invite everypony in the city."
Ignoring the pink pony's ramblings, Shining spoke to the medic. "I trust you will perform your duty well?"
The stallion saluted Shining again. "Yes, sir!"
"Then I'll be back in my office. I have some things to...sign," he groaned.
"'Life as the head of the Crystal Empire's military getting to you, sir?" Butterscotch teased.
Shining gave him a side-glance. "Get to work, you."
When the stallion had finally left, the medic stood in awkward silence before mustering up the courage to speak. "So, you're supposed to learn about what I do here?" he asked Twilight.
The mare shrugged and avoided making eye-contact. "I guess?"
"Well, just don't touch anything around here unless I tell you to," the stallion said. "You wouldn't get a good price for any of this anyways."
"Y'all needn't worry none about her stealin'," Applejack said as she stepped forward. "She ain't gettin' past our eyes."
"Is that so?" the stallion asked. He stepped up to Applejack. "I trust you're a purveyor of honest trade?" he pried.
"Part of a long line of apple farmers," the mare responded.
"So you know how to spot any potential theft?"
Applejack flicked the back of Twilight's head. "I sure do."
Twilight rubbed the back of her head and glared at Applejack. She was just going to check on the mare in the bed next to her. She looked dead. Why couldn't she check then?
The group were interrupted by several ponies carrying in a screaming stallion bleeding from his left hind leg. The bleeding was copious enough that a large trail was forming as he passed across the wooden floor.
"Medic! There was an accident during sword training!" one of the guards said.
Butterscotch pulled off the covers from one of the beds and had the ponies drop the stallion on it.
"Why didn't you try and apply a tourniquet?" the medic complained.
"We tried!" a guard said. "It wouldn't stay!"
The medic cursed loudly as he and the other guards tried their best to stymie the bleeding and force the body to begin coagulating. Unfortunately, both he and Twilight knew that it was a pointless endeavor. The wound was too deep to be stymied so easily. Butterscotch quickly applied a tourniquet and, with the help of the guards, started frantically cleaning the wounded area. The doctor tried to apply some white powder Twilight didn't recognize, but the flowing blood would just wash it all off.
She ignored the increasing frustration of the doctor and the guards and started searching around for surgical supplies and found a very small needle, some string, and small clamps. She pushed everypony away and tightened the tourniquet excessively, almost completely cutting off the blood circulation.
"What are you doing?" Butterscotch complained. "You'll cause his leg to necrotize!"
The mare grabbed a large magnifying glass and used it to look more closely at the wound. Using the skills she developed over the years, she used the clamps to pinch the veins and prevent the sectioned parts from bobbing everywhere from the blood pressure. It took several attempts, but she managed to successfully get into the veins and start sowing them back together. It took several hours of work, and she had to frequently loosen the tourniquet to allow some regular blood flow to prevent the leg from dying.
"There," Twilight said. "That should hold him until you get him to an actual hospital." She wiped her forehead. "Get him there carefully and slowly loosen the tourniquet on the way. The unicorns there should be able to handle proper surgery like that," she explained. The mare seemed confused when everypony around her looked stunned. "What?"
"How do you know how to do that?" Butterscotch asked.
"I've had practice," Twilight said with a proud smirk.
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Interesting, so the more she's around others, the more unstable she gets when in reality it should be the opposite, could be the amount of guards and the weapons.
Well what did you expect, she's a necromancer, should be obvious she's gonna be around dead bodies alot.
BAD IDEA! A BAD HORRIBLE IDEA!
Ya but don't tell them how you practiced.
This redeeming thing could actually help redeem other necromancers, ones that are power hungry but could regain control over themselves, maybe even motivate others to learn necromancy for the benefit of others and stop ponies from being judgemental and being stereotypes. It might take a few years, or decades, but I bet it could work eventually, that's only if they allow her to continue her work as a necromancer, and due to the crystal heart she won't be able to do it at the Crystal Empire.
This chapter hasn't revealed much, Twilight clearly has PTSD and has a fear of big crowds, and I can already tell that by the end of this, Twilight is going to hate Pinkie Pie. And with the way AppleJack acted in this chapter, ya I don't think there gonna get along well, Fluttershy has potential in being a friend to Twilight but that's only if Twilight even wants friends, which at the moment is a 0% chance.
Randomly Twilight should teach them all the spell she made up to 'clean' bodies. In a military hospital infection is a huge threat. So something that could help sterilize things easily would be a massive lifesaver.
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I think there is an error with your link, but I think you are using this design, is this what Twilight's cutie mark looks like in this universe?
static.wikia.nocookie.net/mlpfanart/images/c/cb/G1_Twilight_by_artist-doctor-g.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20130102105322
11845883
I thought exactly the same as you, celebrating a party is one of the worst possible ideas right now. I don't have the slightest idea how long this story will be, so far I can only identify three story arcs: the first was the prologue (describes Twilight's backstory), the second is the desert one with the semi-Lovecrarnian teacher and currently the third arc of the Crystal Empire. The curious thing is that up to this point no sign of any main antagonist or villain has been shown, we know of the existence of the council but there is no information about them.
As a curious fact, I remembered that in some fanfic I read one of the best origins of necromancy, it was not born out of greed or the search for power, it was born from a doctor in a very distant village who had no resources to heal the inhabitants. so he invented a magic to heal the dead tissue and rebuild it (that is, a combination of blood magic, muscle magic and bone magic). I will try to locate the story where I read that to share all the information.
Right now Fluttershy is the closest to becoming friends with Twilight but that would be baby steps, that would take weeks or maybe months and I don't think they have all that time. We must also remember that Twilight is located in the Crystal Empire which was previously ruled by a tyrant king... it would be curious if a certain unicorn accidentally crashed into that king's certain nonsense full of dark magic and perhaps necromancy books.
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Sounds like that is what her disquise look like, in fact I'm 100% it is, 6 5 pointed stars? Pink coat? White hair?
11845929
If Twilight does come across necromancy books, it will be useless anyways, since she won't be able to revive the dead, but maybe it could be of use in future chapters if she were to not be in the Crystal Empire, for whatever reason wether she escapes, gets freed which also escapes, gets let go, or some other reason.
Because at this point I don't know, but I don't think Twilight is gonna escape anytime soon, if at all, she has the ability to, thanks to spike, but she doesn't want to, I don't know why anyone doesn't want to let Twilight use magic, its not like she'll hurt anyone, and she will only escape if she has a reason to, I don't think Twilight is going to escape the second she has magic.
11846083
At first, when Twilight was captured, I had thought that in a maximum of 4-5 chapters she would escape, but apparently I was wrong, I don't know how long she will stay in the Crystal Empire, but I think it is more likely that she will escape because feel cornered or pressured. Cadence and Shining Armor know that if they release her voluntarily, it is very likely that she will not return until she fulfills her goal of reviving Celestia, and I don't see that happening very soon.
11846140
I actually thought the same thing, if Twilight does escape she will probably do as much research on necromancy as possible before reviving Celestia, she still doesn't know where her body is.
11845906
That's the one. I couldn't get it to show so I just made a link toward the website itself.