Re:Harmony

by starcross7

80 - Bedridden

Chapter 80 - Bedridden

One of the Tenets of Obedience was strict adherence to scheduling. Lord General Flash Sentry rose up right on the dot after countless years of training, or rather, beatings from his teachers to rise at the exact time in the exact morning. The trauma and tears of his youth flourished vividly in his mind, and years of training allowed him to suppress these painful memories to the point they serve as clockwork reminders of pegasii law.

His room was spartan, both literally and figuratively. He had a simple cloud bed and dresser that were once white but now stained gray by Black Cloud's infectious residue. His sole closet dresser had only his gold armor, gold horseshoes, and not much else. There was no need for an extra should it be dirtied or damaged. The slave caste kept it clean, and the blacksmith laborers were always on hoof to repair it.

Flash trotted across the halls noting the irony of the glorious warrior race. Aside from the blazing torches and blackened cloud walls and floor, Pegasopolis at large felt quite peaceful, as it should be. One of the Tenets of Obedience was that peace could only be brought upon by strength and a subtenet dictated that only the strongest pegasii were allowed the honor to serve as warriors. One thousand years of weeding out the weak among their flock allowed them to become the only challengers against the godless supremacy of Gaea. As such, the pegasii had earned strong allies like the dragons and the griffon tribe.

He passed by very few ponies, all of whom had their heads bowed at his presence. Years of fighting made him weary of these pseudo-royal formalities in these peaceful moments. Sure, it was important for him to be by his Empress Commander's side making important war decisions, but he yearned for the days of fighting. At least through war, he would fight alongside brave new faces within the ranks and challenge worthy enemies. Through war, he could find a lover, or a mare to sire a strong son or daughter.

On schedule, he ran into Lord General Soarin at the doors to the throne room. As usual, Lord General Surprise was late for the summoning, but Flash could not determine if it was good thing that she wasn't here. Surprise had certain peculiarities that both annoyed and frightened both Flash and Soarin, but she was the Empress Commander's righthoof mare whose mad decisions should never be questioned.

When they opened the throne room doors, pillars of hellfire shooting up towards the ceiling greeted them. It was a wonder how the entire room could sustain itself under sweltering heat. If these weren't the flames of Tartarus, then it might as well be hell, and he and Soarin were the generals who served the devil herself.

Flash and Soarin could not show weakness from this heat as the fires billowed from its row of portholes running alongside the carpeted walkway. The Empress Commander herself, sat upon a throne structure carved by the fiercest dragons of the east three platforms above the floor. Nopony could make out her effeminate features through the thick dragon-forged black armor. Along with her dragon-scale cape draped over her pegasii wings and shoulders, she looked more dragon than pony.

A row of flames separated her throne and her platform, and the three Lord Generals seated on the platform below upon simpler cloud-manufactured thrones reinforced with a skeleton of ancient ice. Both Soarin and Flash took their seats, and then faced the entryway to begin court.

"Bring in the soldier of the Wonderbolts Northern Blizzard Division!" spoke Flash.

In came a white-armored pegasii stallion soldier in a noticeably slow pace. Try as he might, the poor soldier could not suppress the fear he inadvertently shown through his hesitantly slow pace. Both Flash and Soarin had already determined his fate.

"I come bearing news of the Frozen North," the soldier began. "We encountered a group of traveling ponies near the Hidden Kingdom, and one of them was an Alicorn with the Insignia of the Sun. Our attempts have capturing her have failed due to the Chroma Pirate Rainbow Dash's interference."

"So the Chroma Pirates have captured the legendary Sun Alicorn mentioned in the Starswirl Prophecy," said Flash Sentry. "The Empress is pleased with this bit of information, except for one thing."

"What is it, my Lord General?"

"What I want to know is why you are here?"

"I-I came here to personally deliver this message to our Empress Commander."

"You misunderstood the question, soldier. Why are you here instead out there hunting down the traitor of our nation?"

"Sir, all our carrier hawks had flown away when our cloudships were destroyed. This is the only way I--"

"Enough! You have proven your guilt of cowardice and most importantly the guilt insulting our great Empress Commander with your presence. Your only means to redeem yourself is a swift execution before her eyes. As to the method..."

"Allow me," said Soarin.

The light blue stallion's unsheathed his wings, which activated a pegasus's natural Atmos Manipulation Arts. Even his initial release fired a blistering breeze throughout this hellish throne room. He wielded the wind with skill not seen since the reign of the late Empress Commander, Wind Whistler. Such was his power that even with just little movements from Soarin's hooves, Flash felt the tiny tips of his coat and mane being cut by his winds.

The flames in the throne room suddenly roared and nullified Soarin's wind power. The Empress Commander stirred with a boiling hiss, and she stepped down from her throne. Her black armor and dragon-scale cape did nothing to hinder her movements. Even just standing still, the Empress Commander outputted so much intense heat from the gaps in her armor that made the room feel like the inside of a volcano. She didn't have to move or do anything, for this cowardly soldier was not worth her time. Yet neither Flash nor Soarin had any courage or authority to say anything.

For several seconds she stared through the seemingly narrow eye slits past her draconian helmet. Breathing heavily, she watched as the frightened soldier trembled until many of his fluids soiled out of him. A short burst of aura shot out from her being, and her cape fluttered briefly in the air. In an instant, the Flames of Wrath surrounded the soldier before he could fly away. In a blink he was immolated. In a blink, his entire being blasted into ash.

Small gestures like this was necessary for the Empress Commander to remind everypony of the power she wielded and why she was appointed to her position. Pegasii were indoctrinated from birth to never show fear to their other ponies, but there was an unwritten tenet that only the current Empress Commander should be feared. There was no need to clean up throne room, for the executed soldier's ashes served as a fresh coat of polish for the devilish fortress known as Black Cloud.

---

For rebels, hospital beds were not the best places to wake up in. Often times, they were kept alive for nefarious reasons, such as being brutally tortured for information or to be made into a public example at execution rallies.

For this bed, Applejack lucked out. The sweet angelic voice of her unicorn friend called her back to the world of consciousness, and it was the best sight she woke up to in the longest while. She would admit guilt that her injuries garnered Twilight's worries over her, but at least it confirmed that the unicorn still cared for her. Twilight might not be a nurse, but evidence of her friendship appeared on the neatly organized cart of bandages, scissors, thread spindles, sewing needles, and a cup of water filled not too high, and not too low. On the nightstand right next to her were three thick volumes of books obviously brought in by the same unicorn.

"I can't believe you ran into that wall," said Twilight.

"Wait, weren't we under attack?" asked Applejack

"They said there was explosion accident in the captain's quarters, but so far nopony was killed. Except, he got hurt."

Twilight pointed towards Applejack's left, and there was a pony mummy-wrapped in bandages with a few of his limbs suspended above the bed by harnesses. Poor guy.

"Your hat did get damaged a bit," said Twilight motioning towards the nearby hat rack erected especially for Applejack. "And I fixed as best I could. I did think about having Rarity repair for you, but knowing you, you probably wouldn't want it accented with diamonds or rubies."

"Thanks for lookin' out for me, Sugarcube. As much as I hate swabbin' decks, I got too much pride to leave it unfinished. Plus we gotta go find that Captain and convince her to take us to Pegasopolis ASAP."

"Wait, don't get up! You're still hurt."

"It's just a bump, Twi."

"No excuses. Doctor Octavia says that you should rest for the entire day."

"Just one day? We can't wait while Gaea and Pegasopolis are gearin' up to kill each other."

"I know, but we can't raise munity against a pirate crew who destroyed an entire fleet of cloudships. For now, let's get on their good graces and do what they tell us to do."

"Then what am I supposed to do until then?"

"Well, there's the TV."

She levitated a television remote for Applejack to see, and then set it down for an easy reach for the earth mare. One press on the power button landed on the image of Rainbow Dash in tight exercise shorts and shirt with a surprisingly happy pair of earth pony twins in the background. Flipping the channel did no good. The only program on air was Power-stretching with Rainbow Dash by Studio DJ-Pon3.

"Okay, maybe TV won't make you feel better," said Twilight. "Maybe these logbooks by pegasii black ops operative Daring Do might interest you."

"That's nice of you, Sugarcube."

"And I'll finish cleaning the Spitfire's outer hull. They managed to get Spike and Deep Blue to help me do your share. Also, I let Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy know that you're here."

"Thanks, Twi."

Applejack did not want her to leave, and as much as she summoned all her power to have her eyes pull her back, Twilight was already gone from the infirmary. She left the exercise program running, but on low volume. The bandage pony next to her seemed to enjoy it, given the suggestive poses of Rainbow Dash and twins.

Thirty minutes had passed, and Applejack was glad for the next program to show up. Unfortunately, it was yet another Rainbow Dash-centric morning talk show, starring Rainbow Dash herself with special co-hosts Octavia, Berry Punch, and… Pinkie Pie? Good lord, the captain was full of herself, and Pinkie Pie seemed to be brown nosing every action Rainbow Dash told of her rescue of Applejack and her friends. Some events had been obviously been exaggerated, like how Applejack and her friends swooned over the dashing captain and had begged and prostrated to be taken into her crew.

Applejack tried to lower the volume and turning the TV off, but the bandage pony squirmed and whimpered in protest. She really wanted to brush him off, but this captain was apparently so important that he wanted to see more of her. Fine. She settled in setting the volume down to a tolerable compromise for herself and her roommate right as the morning rap music videos starring Rainbow Dash showed up. Somehow, Pinkie Pie also costarred in the program wearing black parachute pants, a blue hoodie sweater, and a black fedora hat.

Only briefly did she hoof through the pages of one of the Daring Do logbooks. It wasn't anything special, as it was just a series of journal entries of a pegasii operative diving deep into Gaean territory to steal magical artifacts, technology, and clandestine information that might turn the tide of a long and protracted war. There was something about her working with an on and off again double agent from the rainforests in the south, but she did not have time to read the rest during her rest. Applejack still had her hangover headache, but it wasn't enough to keep her in bed.

Well, the next set of visitors did. Applejack slammed herself back on the shallow mattress underneath the hospital sheets as Pinkie Pie, still in her rapper outfit, pounced with Rarity dainty trotting in and Fluttershy trying to balance a tortoise on her back between her wings.

"Goodness," said Fluttershy. "Are you okay Applejack? Did that falling anvil hurt you that much?"

"An anvil?" asked Rarity. "I thought it was falling star."

"You're both wrong!" Pinkie cried. "It was a pair of sky gremlins who hurled hail on her head because the sight of AJ's Stetson horrified them."

"Wait, you were the one who told me it was a falling star. And did you tell Fluttershy about the falling anvil?"

"Okay, so I got my facts mixed up back there, but these details aren't important compared to the joy of cake!"

Hats were small, and Applejack barely squeezed her emergency rope inside of her Stetson. Somehow, Pinkie Pie managed to fit a three-layer cake underneath her rapper fedora before slamming it on the cart tray.

"And you have to meet the Captain's pet tortoise, Tank," said Fluttershy. "Rainbow Dash said she found him wandering around the No Mare's Land portion of the San Palomino desert after a brutal battle between Pegasopolis and Gaea. She risked spending several days trying to find out where he was going until she decided he was 'cool' enough to join the crew."

"And you also have to come see the spa the Spa Twins and I were building in the command bridge," said Rarity. "It's to die for!"

"Spa Twins?" asked Applejack. "You mean those stuck-up blue and pink ponies hanging off the captain's side are twins?"

"Fraternal twins."

"Like Pinkie, you nicknamed them the Spa Twins?"

"That's their last names, Aloe Spa and Lotus Spa. Honestly, do you think I would make these things up for the sake of comedy?"

"Look, I do thank y'all for comin' to visit me, but this knock on the noggin' is nothin'. I suffered much worse in my youth."

"Twilight seemed awfully worried about you," said Fluttershy. "She looked kind of sad when I passed her in the hallways."

"And she was like," Pinkie began, "'oh, my dearest friend Applejack, you know I cannot live without you since you make the best apple pie across the land. Please be by my side and help me nibble it down to the creamy and gooey crust deep in your wide valley behind Sweet Apple Acres'."

"She did not say that!" Rarity cried. "However, I do agree she was worried about your well-being, but I was not able to sense how much."

"Why's your face turning red, AJ? Are you having a fever? Here, lemme take your temperature."

"Pinkie, that's a rectal thermometer!"

Too late. Pinkie had stuck the device into Applejack's mouth seconds ago, and the orange pony spat it out before she really made herself sick. She wasn't if Pinkie Pie was messing with her or not, for the box clearly read "USED RECTAL THERMOMETERS." Applejack forced herself to eat the cake her friend brought to nullify the awful taste that would psychologically manifest on her tongue.

Clever girl. That cake was actually good.

"Seriously, I'm fine," said Applejack. "Say, since y'all been assigned special jobs close the captain, were any y'all been able talk her into takin' us to Pegasopolis?"

"The thing is," said Rarity, "despite all her boastfulness, she's nowhere to be found."

"Except on TV!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Hey, look at us go!"

"I had generously offered to give her a hooficure first thing in the morning, but the Spa Twins told me she was sleeping in. So I waited, but now they told me she went outside to take a nap."

"I wanted to tell her that Tank set up an intense stunt course for her to see," said Fluttershy. "The tortoise spent months setting it up in his pen."

"Rainbow Dash vanished when I tried to show her my Birthday Bomb surprise," said Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie dear," said Rarity, "I may not know the outside world as much as you do, but I'm sure that using an old cannon and tripwire is not the way to say good morning. Besides, it's not even her birthday!"

"But my old prison mates loved it! Granted, some of them did get hurt and some did flee through the holes I made with my soap-milk explosives. Now that I think about it, those ponies who I helped escape might have been serial killers. But Gaea likes to label every prison pony as serial killers, including myself. So who am I to judge?"

"Applejack, you rest for a little while longer," said Fluttershy. "We'll let you know when we find Rainbow Dash."

"And we'll bring you more cake!"

Short-term goodbyes had been exchanged, and Pinkie squeak-bounced from the small infirmary to lead Rarity and Fluttershy back out. When the silence fell, Applejack realized that she really did need a little rest, mainly from all the nosy zaniness of her friends. Yet they were helpful in giving her the news that Twilight still worried over her. A thing like that shouldn't be a big deal, but the mere idea made the orange pony blush and squirm in her sheets with a smile.

She hoped she didn't make the bandage-pony next to her uncomfortable. He had been deathly silent ever since Pinkie Pie and the others arrived, but not out of respect. The bandage-pony looked left and right, as if he did not want to be caught at what he was about to do, and that was to undo the harnesses that suspended his limbs.

"Hey, fella," said Applejack. "I know it's none of my business, but I don't think you should be movin'."

The bandage pony bounced up and landed on his bed on all fours. He pulled down the bandages off his mouth to expose his perfect smile, and then used it to tear away the bandages off his rump. That revealed a tail of rainbow growing off from a well-toned behind, and eventually his, or rather her heaven's insignia of a chromatic lightning bolt had been exposed. Soon, the rest of the infamous pegasus had been unwrapped, and she stood before Applejack in a heroic flash.

"Thank heavens they're gone," said Rainbow Dash. "Applejack, I need a big favor from you."

Comments

[deathaanator]

DAT ruse...
It seems like something big is happening.

[PiMan]

Did not see that coming.

[lumberjack]

Calling it now, Rainbow Dash wants to leave the ship!

[raw666]

4667019
I don't think so for the crew is loyal and give Rainbow Dash too much freedom to want to give it up, though it could go that way if written right.

Though not the only option as I can think of two other things:
1) Rainbow Dash needs held personal like find a taritor aboard her ship or to rescue someone that crew would not approve, like the former commander she named her ship after.
2) Help her form a relationship with one of Applejack's group, most likly a pink hair peagasi.

[djthomp]

Wow, the Empress is pretty powerful. With that fire magic I would have guessed she was Spitfire, but that seems odd with Dash's pirate ship also being named Spitfire.

Great fakeout with the bandaged pony.

[Aatxe360]

I still feel like AJ is getting the short end of the stick. However, if she's enjoying the fleeting moments she has with Twilight, then who am I to cry foul.

As soon as the others mentioned that RD was missing, I was pretty sure it was her in the other bed. Why, I have no clue.

[AtTheCrimsonFckr]

FINALLY I HAVE REACHED YOU CHAPTER 80 HAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHA FINALLY!

[Johndye]

Am I the only one that is expecting to see a 1 vs 1 fight between Pinkie Pie and Lord General Surprise?

[ReadingRainbow]

Clever girl. That cake was actually good.

[ForeverLunar]

I do hope that Flutters says something to RD about basically being her half sister if it was indeed Rainbow's dad who impregnated Posey... However i don't think the poor shy pegasus will be able to.

[psychosis]

5672378
Yah best look over the memory chapter again. That was YEARS later, unless they jumped around in time.

[ferret]

"They said there was explosion accident in the captain's quarters,