The Trial of the Elements

by trooper7051

Chapter 5

Trials of the Elements

Part 5

Big Macintosh finally reached the gates of Canterlot, late in the evening. He had never been to visit a big city before and was thusly awestruck by the sight. He slowly walked up to the gates marveling at them. The gates were massive. The walls flanking the gates were, Big Macintosh judged, thirty paces tall, with the gates themselves close on to twenty paces. The walls were ivory colored, seamless, and gleamed even in the dim light of Luna's Moon. The gates themselves seemed to glow in the pale moonlight, each intricately carved door reflecting golden colored light in every visible direction.

Big Macintosh entered the city and gazed, fixedly at the enormous white-wash colored buildings as he strode past, each one a marvel unto itself. Big Mac's ears picked up the sound of some pony's hooves striking the street in front of him and he quickly sidestepped to avoid running into them. He almost succeeded.

The other pony, a lime green unicorn with a yellow mane and tail flopped back onto his haunches,
“Ouch!” he said, “Did I run into a brick wall? I don't usually run . . . “ the unicorn spoke quickly, but stopped mid-sentence when he looked up and saw Big Macintosh starring down at him, “Oh uh, I'm sorry.” he said eyes wide, “Are you O.K.?”

“Ayup.” Big Macintosh responded with his usual comment.

Big Mac reached down and picked up the unicorn by the scruff of the neck with his muzzle, and set him down in a standing position.

“Wow, you sure are big. I don't think I've ever seen a pony as big as you. You're solid too, but then again I know a couple of other ponies like that.” the unicorn said, glancing at the red Earth pony's saddle bags.

Big Macintosh shrugged,
“Ayup.”

The unicorn looked up, his attention drawn away from the saddle bags,
“You don't say much do you?”

“Not unless Ah have somethin' to say.” Big Mac responded.

“Hey, I just noticed your saddle bags, are you new to Canterlot? I've never seen you before. Then again Canterlot is a big place and I can't be expected to know every pony now can I? That would be so cool if I did though, then I could go anywhere and . . . “ the unicorn stopped when he noticed, Big Macintosh was looking around, “I'm rambling aren't I?” he asked.

“Ayup.”

“Are you hungry? You look like you've been on the road for a while. I know a really, really, really, really, really nice bar where they serve the best hay fries. It's funny I bumped into you, I was just headed there myself. I wanted a friend of mine to join me but he had other things to do, so I just decided to go by myself, unless you want to come with me. Would you like to come with me? Oh duh, where are my manners? I'm Lemon Lime but everypony just calls me Live Wire. I never understood why. Oh well, so what's your name? ” the unicorn asked.

“Mah name's Big Macintosh.” the red pony introduced, extending his hoof.

Lemon Lime took it to shake, but ended up being lifted and lowered several times,
“ . . . “ Lemon Lime's eyes were the size of saucers, “ . . . so would like to join me? . . . could use the company.” he said voice cracking.

“Ah am a mite peckish. Ah guess Ah'll join you.” Big Macintosh said smoothly.

“Alright then, follow me. Uh, you don't mind if I talk do you?” Lemon Lime asked.

“Nope.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Big Macintosh followed Lemon Lime to an unassuming place with a sign above the door that simply said 'BAR'. Big Macintosh had heard of bars but he had never had a chance to go to one; there were no bars in Ponyville. Lemon Lime opened the door and Big Macintosh stepped inside. The place was dimly lit but Big Mac could see that it was packed with ponies, more than half were mares and the vast majority were unicorns. Most sat at tables, drinking from mugs, others were watching a pretty unicorn filly in a fancy dress, dance up on a small stage. To his right, he saw a long counter with stools in front of it, and a slightly plump unicorn mare behind the counter cleaning glasses. Her coat was the color of red clay and her mane and tail were a shining silver color. She spoke freely with the ponies seated at the counter, laughing occasionally at some joke or other. The place seemed nice enough and Big Mac had emptied his canteen long before reaching Canterlot so he was both hungry and thirsty, 'It kind of resembles the juice bars Pinkie Pie has at some of her parties.'

Lemon Lime hopped up onto one of the bar stools and patted one right next to him,
“Come on over.”

Big Macintosh walked up to the counter and slid his saddle bags over the seat of the stool, then sat down atop the straps. Lemon Lime held up his hoof and waved the clay colored mare over. She looked up and smiled at seeing him.

She walked over briskly,
“What can I get you Live Wire?” she asked.

“Give me an order of hay fries and a tall mug of your house special. I'm paying for me friend here. So get him whatever he wants.” Lemon Lime said.

The mare looked at Big Macintosh,
“What can I get for you big fella?” she asked casually.

“You got any sasaparilla, ma'am?” Big Mac asked

“I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one. You look like you can handle your stuff, so how about a Colt's Island Iced Tea?” she offered.

“Ayup.” Big Mac replied. He didn't know what the Colt's Island part was about, but iced tea sounded good to him.

“Do you want anything from the menu?” the mare asked.

“Ah'll have the same as my friend here.” Big Mac replied.

The unicorn mare walked over to the rows of bottles and poured small amounts of liquid from several fancy looking bottles into a tall glass then added some tea, a straw, and ice cubes. Big Macintosh thought it was a strange way to make tea, 'Different strokes for different folks, Ah guess.' he thought. The mare then took a thick looking mug and pulled on a lever under the counter, filling the mug with a golden colored liquid, then levitated the two over to Big Mac and Lemon Lime.

The mare turned and yelled through a window,
“Hey Al, we need two orders of hay fries, nice and crispy.”

A disembodied, husky stallion's voice answered her from the back,
“What?”

Lemon Lime levitated his mug up to his mouth and began chugging its contents, draining the mug in less than twenty seconds. Big Macintosh took a sip of his 'Tea' and managed not to gag, 'Boy howdy!' he thought, 'They sure do like their tea strong 'round here.'

Somepony tapped Big Mac on the shoulder, none too gently,
“Hey! That's my seat! Move it!” the speaker was a tall, muscular, unicorn stallion.

Big Macintosh turned his head and looked the unicorn up and down. He had a coat of creamy beige and his mane and tail were rusty red, cut short and straight.

Big Mac opened his muzzle to reply, but the bartender beat him to it,
“Leave him alone, Cantankerous. He was there first. I don't need you starting any fights in here tonight.”

Cantankerous refused to heed the bartender's warning and shoved Big Macintosh hard on the shoulder with his hoof,
“Hey, did you hear me? I said move it!”

Lemon Lime turned around,
“Hey, come on 'Tank', he's new around here, don't give him a hard time. There's plenty of stools . . . “

“Was I talking to you Lame Ware?” Cantankerous asked.

“Tank!” the bartender said loudly, “I said cut it out and leave them alone!”

“Ah, don't want no trouble. Ah'll move.” Big Macintosh said hoping to avoid a fight.

As Big Macintosh began to shift, so as to dismount the stool, Cantankerous' horn began glowing and he pulled the stool out from under the peaceful Earth pony. Big Macintosh tried to catch himself but he wasn't quite fast enough. His muzzle hit the counter-top of the bar, nose first. Big Mac's head snapped back, leaving a small trail of blood. He landed on the floor in a sitting position, with a heavy thump.

Lemon Lime slid off his stool as fast a greased lightning,
“Hold still, Big Macintosh!” he said levitating a cluster of napkins down to his friend's face.

Cantankerous laughed,
“That'll teach you to move faster, stupid! Come on, hurry up!”

Big Macintosh slowly rose to his hooves and looked over his shoulder at Cantankerous.

The unicorn took it as a challenge,
“What?” he asked, “You want to fight?”

“Nope,” Big Macintosh said evenly, “But that was rude, and Ah can't abide rudeness.”

“Tank! You're drunk, leave him alone! Just go home and sleep it off!” the bartender yelled, laying down a towel for Big Macintosh.

“Mind your own business fatty!” Cantankerous retorted.

Big Macintosh, calm as always, simply said,
“You're goin' to apologize to the lady, right now.”

“Or what? You going to make me?” Cantankerous asked.

“Ah'd rather not. Ah'd rather you had the character to do that yourself.” Big Macintosh could have been discussing the weather for all the emotion he put into the statement.

“Buck you.” Cantankerous spouted.

“If yall insist.” Big Mac said.

The puzzled look on Cantankerous' face turned to surprise. Big Macintosh bucked lightly, one hoof on either side of the unicorn's horn. The movement was lightening quick but gentle . . . for Big Macintosh, for Cantankerous it felt anything but gentle. The unicorn flew, in the air, backwards almost ten paces and landed on his back, dazed. The bar went completely silent as all eyes turned to the stunned stallion. Big Macintosh turned around slowly and walked over to the fallen unicorn. Using his mouth, the massive Earth pony bit Cantankerous' tail and dragged him up to the bar.

Big Mac let the unicorn's tail go and lifted his head up onto the counter,
“Ah think he needs some ice.”

The bartender put some ice into a cloth and tied the top. She brought it over and set it on the counter.

Big Mac picked it up with his muzzle and placed it gently on the rising bumps on Cantankerous' head,
“Now what do you say?” Big Mac urged politely.

“Thank you.” Cantankerous croaked.

“And?” Lemon Lime asked.

“I'm sorry.” Cantankerous groaned.

“Can Ah get him some water?” Big Macintosh asked.

“Sure thing, sweetie.” the bartender said winking at Big Macintosh.

The other bar patrons turned back to what they had been doing, now that the action was over. Lemon Lime sat back onto his stool and smiled at the heaping platter of hay fries that had appeared like magic. Big Macintosh wrapped his lips around the 'Iced Tea' straw and slurped down the whole thing. He felt better as soon as he was done and ordered another one.

The bartender returned and pushed a pair of glasses over to Big Macintosh and Cantankerous,
“I tried to warn you 'Tank'. You should have noticed his cutie-mark. He's an apple farmer. They're as strong as they come.” she turned to the red Earth pony, “Let me guess, you're part of the Apple family, right?”

“Ayup.” Big Mac confirmed.

The bartender sighed, shaking her head,
“You got off easy 'Tank'. This big guy could have knocked you clear through a wall. You're lucky the Apple family is a really nice bunch, and more importantly, almost impossible to irritate, well the stallions anyway. Be double glad it wasn't one one of the Apple family mares, they have some pretty bad tempers.” she noticed Big Mac's raised eyebrow and said, “I buy all the expired cider from Sweet Apple Acres to use in my drinks.”

Big Macintosh smiled and looked down at Cantankerous,
“Can you stand?”

“Yeah, I think so.” the unicorn said rising to his hooves shakily, “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Ah already told you, Ah can't abide rudeness.” Big Mac said simply.

“I uh, didn't actually mean to bust up your nose.” Cantankerous admitted.

“Ayup.” Big Mac replied.

“So you're not mad?” 'Tank' asked.

“I don't think that's his style, 'Tank', and you have to admit that kick was pretty stylish. I mean BAM right on the head! You should have seen yourself 'Tank'. You looked like a pegasus flying upside down and backwards. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I'm not trying to be mean and I'm sure you're sorry for picking on him, but you really kind of deserved that. The barkeeper already told you to leave him alone, but you didn't listen, so you kind of got what was coming to you. I'm glad you're not injured or anything though, because that would be awful, but maybe you should think about not drinking so much. Why did you pull his stool out from under him though? I've never seen you go that far and I've been coming here for years. Why did you pull the stool out from under him?” Lemon Lime asked, speedy as always.

“I don't know.” Cantankerous said quietly, “I guess I went too far huh?”

The bartender, Lemon Lime, and Big Macintosh all said in unison,
“Ayup.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Valiant awoke to the sound of Mend talking. Valiant turned his head to the right, quietly. The older stallion lay on his chest, on his bed, with his eyes fixed on a book in front of him, reading out loud.

“Bones have multiple layers . . . “

“Mend, are you alright?” Valiant asked quietly.

Dr. Mend never looked up,
“They woke me up Valiant.” he sighed shakily, “I'm trying to drown them out. The outer layer is composed primarily of calcium . . . “ he continued reading out loud.

Valiant was concerned about his friend,
“Do you remember last night?”

“Quite clearly, Valiant. I agreed to let you help me, and I will. The marrow produces blood . . . “ Dr. Mend continued reading.

Valiant sighed with relief and began thinking, 'I had hoped the voices would stop, but I don't know much about this kind of thing. A psychologist would be ideal, but they might have to report Mend and he could lose his license. He's not a danger to himself or others. He hears voices, but it doesn't affect his work. His work . . . ' Valiant looked up,
“Mend, do you have anypony you can trust who is a psychologist? Doctors have connections like that right?”

“Different fields Valiant. I don't know a single . . . “ Dr. Mend stopped short and looked up sharply, “My saddle bags.” he said rising swiftly.

Dr. Mend practically jumped out of his bed. He raced over to his saddle bags which were hung over the back of his desk chair. He opened the left bag and reached in with his muzzle. He withdrew a small card and set it down on his desk next to the vials containing the fast-healing potion.

Valiant walked up next to Dr. Mend and peered at the card,
“Do you know him?” Valiant asked.

“Not really. We spoke on the concourse briefly and he gave me his card. He said if I ever changed my mind to call on him.” Dr. Mend turned his head toward Valiant, “I suppose I should take him up on his offer huh?”

Valiant put a hoof over Dr. Mend's shoulder,
“That sounds like a fantastic idea, my friend. I'll go with you.” Valiant offered.

“To the clinic too?” Dr. Mend asked.

“If you agree to visit your grandparents.” Valiant countered.

Dr. Mend hung his head,
“I don't know if I'm ready to face them yet, Valiant. I was terrible to them.”

“They don't care. They love you. Mend you've been denying yourself love for years. It's time to embrace it.” Valiant encouraged.

“It's just too fast, Valiant. Let me get better first.” Dr. Mend said, “Please, give me some time. I'll go to this counselor and everything, but don't rush me. How hard would it be for you to face Arabesque right now?”

Valiant's eyebrows rose,
“How do you know about her? I never told you. I should have, but I hadn't gotten around to it yet.”

“Rarity told me when you were in your coma. Speaking of which, I'm sorry for what I said the other day, Valiant. I don't hold you responsible for any deaths and it was completely uncalled for. Will you forgive me?” Dr. Mend asked.

“Of course. But you also need to realize there are things that are completely beyond our control. Do you understand what I mean?” Valiant asked quietly.

“I think so. It's going to take me some time to forgive myself though. I know it doesn't make any sense, but you have to trust me. I've blamed myself for my parents' deaths for more than two decades. That doesn't just go away.” Dr. Mend said.

“That ,” Valiant said straightening up, “Is something I do understand. I'm still not completely over what happened between Arabesque and I, but I'm trying to move on. I know it's hard, but at least we have each other. If you ever need help or just a shoulder to cry on . . . again, just tell me, O.K.?”

Dr. Mend stuck out his hoof,
“The same goes for you though. I'm not the only imperfect soul here. We're both damaged goods. I think fate brought us together and I, for one, am grateful for it. We'll be each other's strength, deal?”

Valiant Shook Dr. Mend's hoof firmly,
“Deal. Now let's go see this Sea Blue guy.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dr. Mend looked both nervous and preoccupied as Valiant knocked on Sea Blue's door,
“What do I say, Valiant? I don't even know this stallion.”

“I'll help you don't worry.” Valiant said supportively.

The white, windowless door in front of Valiant opened, revealing Sea Blue,
“Good day, may I help you?” he asked cheerfully.

Valiant expected Sea Blue to be . . . well . . . sea blue not turquoise. Sea Blue had bright orange mane and tail with yellow highlights and his eyes were, of all things, neon green. Valiant had also expected Sea Blue to be older, maybe in his thirties or forties. As it was the unicorn stallion looked to be Valiant's age, if not a hair younger.

“Are you Sea Blue?” Valiant asked, thinking he might have the wrong house.

The unicorn stallion chuckled heartily,
“Not an inch of me, but it is my name. Would you like to set an appointment? I'm free right now actually.” he said cheerfully.

“Not for me,” Valiant said stepping aside, revealing Dr. Mend, “For my friend here.”

Sea Blue's eyes lit up,
“Ah yes, I'm glad you decided to take me up on my offer. I'm afraid I didn't catch your name last time. Was it Grumpy Guts or Mr. Testy? Bellicose, perhaps?”

Dr. Mend turned to Valiant, eyes dark,
“I'm going to kill him.”

Sea Blue didn't seem even remotely phased by the comment,
“Now I remember. It was Psychopath.”

Valiant had to strain not to smile at the obnoxious unicorn's antics,
“May we come in?”

Sea Blue held the door for the two stallions, seemingly suddenly aware of Dr. Mend's serious expression,
“I apologize if I was offensive. I'm very playful by nature. By all means, come in and have a seat.”

The inside of Sea Blue's house was decorated in calming pastel colors. To Dr. Mend's left was a comfortable room with two couches and one chair facing them. A coffee table of light brown wood stood interposed between the couches and chair. The backs of the couches were situated just beneath the sills of a trio of windows which spread vast amounts of light around the room. Directly in front of the front door, a mere six paces back, was a set of stairs.

A tiny voice called out from upstairs,
“Who is it Daddy?” the voice was followed by a lively unicorn filly.

The filly was eraser pink in her coat and her mane and tail looked like spun gold. She appeared to be around the same age as the Cutie-Mark Crusaders. The aspect of her which stood out the most was that her right eye was missing. Her left eye was a pretty, sparkling, cobalt blue. In the place of where her right eye should have been was a blank, unmarred, patch of smooth skin.

The little filly stopped at the bottom of the stairs,
“Oh, hello!” she said brightly, “Daddy, has Glamour come by yet? We were supposed to go to the park.”

Sea Blue turned all his attention straight to her,
“I'm sorry Patch, she hasn't. Why don't you go next door and play with Clover and Lucky? I'll come by and pick you up in a little while, then we can go get some ice cream. Does that sound alright?”

“Alright Daddy, see you later.” Patch said running past Valiant and Dr. Mend out the door.

Sea Blue watched her go, smiling broadly,
“That's my girl.” he whispered.

Valiant and Dr. Mend sat down on the first couch they came to while Sea Blue closed the door. Looking around, Valiant could see straight ahead of him, into the kitchen where the refrigerator door was covered with perfectly drawn pictures in crayon. To his left was a doorway leading to another room, presumably the living room.

Sea Blue walked over and sat in the chair across from the two stallions, now all business,
“What was it you wanted to talk about?”

Valiant took the lead,
“My very good friend here, Mend, is having trouble coping with the loss of his parents and I have no real idea how to help him.”

Sea Blue turned toward Dr. Mend,
“Is that the case?”

Dr. Mend nodded,
“I think that about sums it up.”

Sea Blue leaned back in his chair and put his hooves together,
“Let me tell you a few things, then let you decide if you want to continue. First, I won't be telling you what to do. I ask questions and make recommendations based on what I know of you and what I studied. Second, I can't help you if you don't want me to. If you don't want help then I won't waste your time. Third, I am not only a counselor, but both a psychologist and a psychiatrist as well. I am certified to provide a clinical diagnosis of all known mental disorders. I do not report any disorders unless you seen unstable and/or dangerous. I occasionally prescribe medication for some disorders, but I tend to do that only in the most extreme cases. How does that strike you?”

“It sounds honest and straight-forward.” Dr. Mend said, slightly surprised by Sea Blue's sudden professionalism.

“Do you wish to continue, Mend?” Sea Blue asked.

“I don't want to, but I think I need to.” Dr. Mend said.

Sea Blue smiled,
“That sounds honest and straight-forward. Mend, do you feel comfortable talking to me alone?”

“I'm going t have to. Valiant here, has things to do.” Dr. Mend said turning to his friend, “I'll catch up with you later at Avalon Medical Care Clinic.”

Valiant rose from the couch and headed for the door,
“I'll be there at 3:00 p.m.”

Valiant left Dr. Mend and Sea Blue to talk.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Valiant ran back to the dorm and grabbed his saddle bags, grateful that Sea Blue's house was close to the University campus, and made his way toward Mrs. Soothe's Apothecary.

Valiant arrived out of breath and opened the door, Mrs. Soothe stood behind the counter,
“Hello Mrs. Soothe, I'm back, like I said.”

Mrs. Soothe visibly paled at the sight of Valiant,
“Yes, so I see. Did your potion work, or do we need to take a trip to an asylum?”

Valiant smirked as he unwrapped his leg,
“See for yourself.” he said proudly walking up to the counter.

Mrs. Soothe's eyes bulged,
“Sweet Celestia,” she breathed, “You really weren't kidding were you.”

Valiant smiled at his completely healed leg,
“I'm not playing around if I'm willing to do something crazy like that.”

Mrs. Soothe couldn't argue,
“And it was crazy, make no mistake about that. However, I'll admit you certainly know how to make a point. I'm as good as my word, you've got the job. Can you start today?”

“I’m yours till 2:30, boss.” Valiant said smiling. Finally things were starting to go right.

(Author’s note: Challenge, can anyone name the reference I made, when the Big Macintosh and Lemon Lime were in the bar? First one to name the reference gets a prize.)

Comments

[lordofstorms2000]

AH I love it when I see a good Reboot reference...And now I want slow food damn it lol