> A Doctor's Duty
>  by Free2424
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1 - A Hero's Will
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The crackling of fire and the smell of smoke is never a good thing to wake up to. Coughing and hacking, I pushed myself off of the wooden floor. The heat from the fire burning all around me was intense, but I managed to get up and take in my surroundings. The building I was in was engulfed in flames and I ran to the window to see that I was at least two stories up. I then ran to a nearby doorway and managed to get to the stairs, but they had weakened from the fire and were broken at the bottom. The cause lay at the base of the stairs.

It was a human like creature, with orange fur, pony ears, and blond hair, along with a tail. It was wearing a red and white plaid shirt, worn blue jeans, and a Stetson on top of it's head. The creature had run down the stairs and they must have broke when it was half way down. It was now stuck underneath a burning wooden beam. "Hey! Are you okay down there?!" There was no response and I assumed the worst.

I went down the stairs slowly until I got to the first broken step. Then, I jumped over the railing and fell to the floor below. Luckily, I didn't hurt myself too badly. I quickly rushed over to the creature, grabbed the beam and lifted it over it's body and placed it beside it. Then, I knelt down and checked it's chest and abdomen.

The first thing I noticed was that the creature had breasts like a woman's, so I assumed it was female, although I could have been fooled by her tone muscles. She was breathing weakly, and there were very severe burns on her chest and abdomen, mostly second degree and third degree burns. These spots had no fur, increasing the grotesqueness of the burns. Also, there was a sickening bruise on her chest. "Her ribs might be broken... this is bad."

I reached behind her back and under her legs and hoisted her into the air. I ran to the other set of stairs which, thankfully, were not broken. I carefully made my way down and ran for a set of double doors. The doors burst open as I ran into them shoulder first and I was greeted to the sounds of shocked and surprised screams. I looked around and found that I was under the night sky and surrounded by the same creatures as the one that I held. They were very fascinating, but I had much more important matters at hand.

"Where's the nearest hospital!?" I shouted to no one particular. "This is an emergency!"

Most of the creatures were shocked, but luckily someone pointed up the road and shouted, "At the end of this street!" I ran by all of the creatures and rushed up the road towards the hospital. When I arrived at the relatively small hospital, I hurried inside. 

It was chaos. There were creatures in white coats rushing up and down the halls with beds, supplies, you name it. The constant sounds of moaning and groaning were coming from several rooms and it made me even more nervous. I ran up to the front desk, where a white-coated creature with pink hair, pale blue eyes, and a nurse's outfit on was starting to get up and confront me.
"What—!'

"She has several broken ribs and many serious burns on her abdomen and chest! The ribs may have caused internal hemorrhaging! She needs surgery now!" I shouted.

The nurse looked grim. "All of the doctors are busy with other patients!"

"Then I'll operate! I'm a doctor!"

The nurse looked apprehensive, but she gave in one the creature in my arms moaned. "Please follow me," she said calmly. The nurse hurried from behind the counter and down the hall with me close behind. We made our way through the hospital and into one of the operating rooms. 

I placed the creature down on the table and turned to the nurse. "Please start the anaesthetics and make sure we have the correct blood." She nodded and I hurried to a nearby sink. I grabbed a gown that was near the sink and put it on. Next, I washed my hands vigorously and put on a face mask, hairnet, and finally plastic gloves, all of which were looser than I expected. I returned to the table as the nurse was finishing her preparations. "What's her condition?"

"Her vitals are low and I'm worried that she might go into cardiac arrest," she said while rushing behind me to sanitize herself. "I'll get the defibrillator ready, just in case."

I calmed myself as I examined my patient. She was naked, but was mostly covered in a blue sheet. The only part I could see was the affected area, her chest and abdomen. The nurse came back around to the other side of the table wearing the a similar gown and hairnet, a face mask, and gloves. "Alright. We're going to treat the burns with a skin graft first, and then make an incision on her chest to check for any internal damage and to see if we need to reinforce her broken ribs. If so, we'll do so in another procedure," I explained.

"I'll get a skin graft ready and prep the incision area while you take care of the damaged skin," she added.

"Okay then. Let's begin the operation." I grabbed a cotton ball and a bottle of disinfectant and quickly doused the ball. I put the bottle down and disinfected most of her burns. I put the cotton ball down and grabbed a syringe and a vial containing blue liquid. I stabbed the metal tip into the vial and pulled on the plunger. "Injecting the coolant into the affected areas," I announced.  

I removed the syringe from the vial and carefully slid the needle into the charred skin of the third degree burns. I pushed the plunger down gently, as to not inject too much. Sweat started to bead on my forehead as I moved to the next burn, and then the next. When I finished, I put down the syringe and grabbed a scalpel and forceps on the tray next to me. I slowly pinched the burnt skin with the forceps and began to lower the scalpel to the patient's skin.

Before I could however, a cloth dabbed itself against my forehead. "I have the skin graft ready, doctor." I calmed myself from the sudden shock and began to slowly cut around the burned skin. As I complete the incision, I peeled the blackened skin off and put it on a separate tray that the nurse was now holding up. As the nurse reached for the skin graft, I looked down at my work. All that remained of the burn was a bloody hole in the patient's skin.

The nurse presented a tray to me with a mesh-like piece of skin on it. I grabbed the skin graft with my forceps and carefully placed it on revealed tissue. Next, I placed the scalpel back on to the tray and grabbed the suture. Using the thick needle, I sutured the edge of the skin graft to the edge of the hole. When I completed the suture of the entire graft, I tied off the thread and cut off the excess with a pair of scissors. I repeated these steps for the other burns and eventually we completed the first part of the surgery.

I switched places with the nurse and moved the blue tarp over the incision area: a part of the patient's chest was shaved and there was a black sectioned line indicating the the incision I was about to make. I held out my hand and said, "Antiseptic solution." I felt another cotton ball placed in my hand and I immediately went to work coating the area. When I was done, I held up the cotton ball. "Scalpel." The cotton was removed from my hand and was replaced with a scalpel.

I slowly and gently ran the scalpel over the line, cutting the skin and reviling body fat. I cut several times along the same line and eventually we were able to pull back the skin and muscle to reveal the thoracic cavity. "I don't see any internal bleeding, and the ribs seem to be fine, too. They may just be bruised," I observed. "She's very lucky." I held up the scalpel. "Suture." I successfully sutured the muscle together and I held out my hand again, "Stapler." I felt the suture being removed and it was replaced by a large handle. I brought down the round and white stapler and closed the skin with a few staples.

"We're almost done. Disinfectant please." The stapler was traded for the cotton ball and I dabbed the closed incision with disinfectant. "Dry gauze and tape." I carefully placed a strip of white gauze along the incision and taped down the edges. "We still need to dress the burns. Let's use antimicrobial impregnated gauze and then cover that with regular dry gauze," I confirmed. The nurse nodded and handed me an impregnated gauze. I placed the gauze gently over the skin graft and then covered that with regular gauze. I repeated this until all of the burns were covered.

As I lay the last piece of tape, I let out an enormous sigh. "I think we should wrap the affected areas with bandages so that she doesn't fiddle with them," said the nurse.

"Good idea. Let's lift her upper body up." We both took one shoulder and carefully lifted her into an upright position. The nurse then started to wrap the patient in bandages. When she finished, we laid her back on to the table. "Thank you for your invaluable help, miss."

"You did a good job too, doctor," the nurse said with a smile.

"I'm sorry to dump this on you," I started while removing my gloves, "but can you find a room for her? There's got to be more people who still need treatment."

"Of course, but please come to see me again when you're done, mister...?"

"Oh, I completely forgot! Sorry, I'm Carter Bowman." I stuck out my hand. 

The nurse took off her gloves and shook it. "You can call me Redheart."

Our hands parted and I went about removing my surgical gear. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Redheart. I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions when we meet again."

"Not at all," she responded cheerfully. I smiled and made my way to the door, but when I got there I was interrupted by Redheart. "One quick question." I turned and gave her a questioning look. "What are you?"

I smiled coyly, "I'm a doctor." With that I pushed through the door and walked out into the hospital's halls.





There weren't a lot of other people looking for medical help in the hospital, but I did what I could for the one who did. Soon after advising someone that they should rub burn ointment on first degree burns, I started to walk around the hospital to look for Redheart. However, I found myself wandering around for quite some time. I was approaching a group of creatures that were sitting against the wall, and I guessed that they were a family. 

The tallest of the family was a very fit red male with short, orange hair. He was wearing overalls and nothing else, which wasn't surprising to me. After all, it was the middle of the night. The second was an old, lime green female with white hair that was made into a bun. She was wearing a white blouse with a long, red and orange checkered skirt, along with a red and orange polka dotted scarf. The last of the three was a very young female with yellow fur and red hair with a cute pink bow in it. She was still wearing pajamas with apples printed all over them.

I made a mental bet with myself that they were farmers, probably apple farmers. "Do you folks need anything?" I asked as I reached within a meter of them.

The male stood and asked in a deep voice, "Are ya the one who saved AJ?"

I would have answered immediately, but I was shock from the size of him! He was a good head bigger than I was, and I'm six feet tall! "...T-that depends on two things. Does she have orange fur and blond hair?" On a side note, I never really noticed that these creatures have muzzles. I guess the fear of impending death makes you notice a few things, huh?

"Yes," he said with hope spreading over his face. 

I gulped, "Okay then. A-are you going to crush me in a hug if I d—?" He didn't let me finish as he wrapped his giant arms around my arms and middle. He squeezed the air from my lungs as he hugged me tightly. After a full minute, he let me down and I gasped for air.

He took my hand and shook it vigorously. "Ah can't thank ya enough! If there's anythin'—"

"No! No. Really, that's fine," I said. "That hug was far more than enough..."

"How long til' she's up an' at 'em'?" asked the old lady.

I exhaled rather loudly at the question. "Well, it was pretty bad... I'd say around a month before she can harvest apples again."

"How come ya know we farm apples?" The little one asked.

I mentally gave myself a high-five. "Intuition I guess... I saw how fit this guy is and looked at your pajamas, and put two and two together," I explained, pointing to the behemoth beside me and to the girl's clothes.

"There you are!" Redheart's voice called from behind me. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" I turned to find the nurse stomping towards me. However, behind her came a caramel coloured creature with dark brown hair and a horn sticking out of his forehead. He was wearing a dress shirt, pants, and a tie, but it was mostly covered by his prestigious doctor's coat. He was also tapping his chin with his finger, studying me.

"Sorry, Red. I was looking for you, but I got lost along the way!" I said with an light smile, scratching the back of my head as I did so. "I guess it's time to explain some things..."

"I would also like to participate in this conversation as well," the caramel doctor said. "I want to know who and what you are, as well as your experience as a surgeon."

I sighed. "Well, Red's the only one I've told my name to... so I guess I'll introduce myself formally. My name is Carter Bowman. I'm a Homo sapien, or human if you will." Everybody suddenly gasped and I was left startled, confused and worried. "What? What is it?"

"Humans were some of the greatest creatures to roam Equestria! They were great, but very horrible!" Redheart spoke.

"They were also considered one of the most intelligent species in this world. Whether they mainly used it for good or evil is still debated, even today," the caramel doctor explained.

I chuckled, catching them by surprise. "Hehehe, yea. That does sound like us. We can be a—" I caught myself before I could swear, remembering there was a child nearby. "—a real pain in the butt, sometimes. I can assure you though, I just want to help people. I didn't spend twenty years learning to become surgeon just so that I could steal people's kidneys."

"That begs my other question. How long have you been a surgeon? Also, you wouldn't happen to have proof that you are a doctor, would you?" the caramel doctor questioned.

"Actually, I do have proof." I reached into my pocked and pulled out my wallet. I opened it and fished out a folded sheet of paper. I  then unfolded it and showed it to the group. "I keep a copy of my medical license in my wallet, just in case. Oh, and I've been a surgeon for ten years."

"Why do ya keep the certificate and not a card or somthin'?" asked the red giant.

I smirked. "Wouldn't you agree that the certificate is more believable than some flimsy card?" They all hummed in understanding.

"I'm afraid that this isn't going to allow you to operate here in Equestria... But I could write a letter to the Ministry of Health about your skills. That may help your situation a little," the caramel doctor offered.

I smiled. "That would be terrific, doctor...?"

"Oh, how rude of me! I'm doctor Stables." We shook hands. "Nice to meet you, doctor Bowman."

"I really feel bad asking this, but..." I started. "Seeing as I'll probably be swamped with paperwork in the next few hours, can I borrow an office to work and possibly sleep in?"

Redheart seemed appalled by my request, but Stable laughed loudly. "Luckily, we have an office that has been recently made vacant. It will be dusty, but you can use it if you'd like."

I shrugged. "It's better than a dumpster. And before you ask how I know that, it was the best slash worst night ever. "





I had a lot of questions answered by the nurse in the short time before arriving at the office. For instance, these creatures were called ponies, and the names that are associated with different types were the same. For example, a female is a mare. A male is a stallion. You get the idea.

Speaking of mares, Applejack, or AJ as some call her, woke up the next morning not knowing what had happened. I would know. I was there when it happened. I was updating her chart when she started to groan and wake up. "Good morning, Ms. Applejack."

"Ugg..." she groaned, rubbing her head with a hand. "What in tarnation happened last night? Ah feel like ah got hit by a train..."

"Well, a wooden beam did fall on you," I explained. "Apparently, you rushed into the town hall while it was ablaze to rescue people trapped inside! I can't tell if you're incredibly heroic, or incredibly stupid. Either way, you did save three lives, and that's an amazing job in my book."

The mare chuckled. "Probably the latter, ah reckon! Who would run into a burnin' buildin' of their own free will?"

"A hero. Rather, heroine in this instance," I stated. "You must have quite the will if your willing to risk your life like that. However, for your health, I suggest that you avoid doing things like that again. Also, don't try to get up. Your abdomen still hasn't fully healed. It would be extremely bad."

A few moments of silence filled the room until Applejack noted, "Ya know somethin'? I ain't heard ya voice before. Who might ya be, pardner?"

"Oh, me? I'm doctor Bowman. I'm new in town," I explained.

"Bowman?" she questioned. "What kind o' pony has a name like Bowman?"

I sighed. This was going to be weird. "I wouldn't know, I'm not a pony," I said quickly and calmly.

A few more moments passed before AJ asked with a bit of caution, "Yer' not a pony?"

"Nope. Human."

"...Human?"

"Yep."

She snorted, "Like the big, fur-less, ape things we learn about in school?"

"I'd prefer primate, but yes. I'm a big, fur-less, ape thing."

The mare guffawed at my statement. "How'd ya expect me ta believe that!"

I sighed again and put her chart on the foot of the bed. "Well, I could show you, but I don't want to get hurt by you or for you to hurt yourself. And with that being said, it is time for me to leave. Your family will be here shortly to visit." With that, I left the room to live the life of a doctor.





And by that I mean do more paperwork.
> Chapter 2 - Grand Galloping Aneurysms
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I think one of the most important things I've learnt since I've arrived in Equestria is that a lot of shit can happen in two years. Nothing really happened the first week I was in Ponyville. I just minded my own business and did my job. Speaking of job, the Ministry of Health decided that I was eligible to operate and sent me a certificate, but only if I spent a couple of months under doctor Stable and learn some of the local treatments. For example, bones and small injuries could heal faster if someone were to apply a special type of magic-infused gel. You could not imagine my relief hearing this because I honestly expected to be sent back to Medical school. They also gave me a job, which was nice.

Also, magic is one of the greatest things ever. It freaked the hell out of me at first, but it's applications are endless! It replaces basic pharmaceuticals and it can even heal small wounds instantly! It's too bad I can't use it myself. However, I do have access to magic supplies, and a lot of the technology from Earth is here too, luckily for me.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. The first week was a bore, but then some mare named Twilight Sparkle came to town the week after. After that, a whole lot of shit just came out of nowhere. The latest bit of action was when everyone had the magic sucked out of them and the medical community exploded into panic. Ponies were getting into accidents because of their lack of magic and I was the one of the only people who could operate successfully. I had to operate for around 48 hours with thirty minute breaks here and there, and that got me a lot of prestige amongst the doctors here in Equestria. Luckily, the problem was resolved all of a sudden and this big-ass crystal tree came out of the ground. 

But it wasn't only doctors that were interested in me. Shortly after Nightmare Moon, ponies started to find out that I existed. Everyone, and I mean everyone, came to express their interests in me, their concerns about me, why I was a savior, why I was an abomination, you name it. That, and all of the reporters were enough to drive a man insane. This continued for about half of a year, and while I appreciated Applejack and her friends trying to help me out, eventually I just snapped.

I was walking to the library when a sudden mob appeared and starts spouting mixed opinions about me and asking for an interview. Now, I consider myself a really laid back guy, but this pissed me off. I screamed at them, very loudly. I believe my words were, "I don't give a single fuck about what you think of me. Go and do something productive with you time for once in your life." I was lucky that it was an evening on the weekend and that most foals were in their houses. 

Oh, and the mobs never came back. That was pretty nice. I asked someone later if I had over-reacted, and they said something about "invoking human wrath" or something? I dunno, and I really don't care anymore.

So, here I was two years later, with an Equestrian medical licence and proudly infamous. I was lying with my face down on my desk and my body still in my chair. Suddenly, someone slammed their hands down onto the desk, jolting me awake. I jerked up to see  a white background with black lines on it. "What the...?" I felt something touch my forehead and then a pressure on my face was removed. The black and white were gone, and standing there in front of my desk was nurse Redheart with a sheet of paper in her hands. "Oh, thanks."

"What are you still doing here!?" she scolded. "Today's your day off! Go and do something outside for once!"

"Ugh... Do I have to?" I groaned. "It's so... sunny outside..."

"Yes! You do!" She turned and opened the door with a huff. "Oh, and a letter came for you today. It's on the front desk," she said turning her head slightly towards me.

I smiled. "I'll get it on my way out. Thanks, Red." With that, she left me alone. 





I heaved myself up onto the branch of the tree with relative ease. I sat myself at the base of the branch with my back to the trunk. I moved my legs to a comfortable position: one leg on the branch and the other dangling freely in the air. When I was comfy, I took a bite out of the light blue popsicle in my right hand. I slowly diminished the tasty treat as I watched the sun descend carefully towards the horizon. Can you actually believe that a mare does that every day? Well, an all powerful mare, but a mare nonetheless.

After a few minutes, I accidentally bit into the wooden stick of the popsicle, breaking it. I sadly put the small and now broken stick into the pocket of my white coat, exchanging it for the letter that I had received that afternoon. It was from the Ministry of Health, which was weird because I never get letters from them, or anyone really. I tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter.

Dear Mr. Bowman,

We from the ministry are pleased by your extraordinary amount of labor and passion in the field of medicine. Therefore, we would like offer you a position at Canterlot Central Hospital, one of the forefronts of modern medicine. Should you choose to accept this offer, furnished housing will be provided for your convenience. Please send us your response three days after receiving this letter.

-The Ministry of Health and Medicine

I put the letter down and sighed. It was a good offer, but could I really take it? I really liked Ponyville and all of my friends were here. However, at Canterlot there would be more people to help as well as more opportunities to learn. I was really torn between the two options.

"Hey there, Sugarcube!" called a familiar voice, tearing me from my problem. I looked to my right to find Applejack standing below me. I hopped off of the branch and landed in front of her. "Ah never got around ta thankin' ya for savin' my life two years ago," she started, "so here." The farmer thrust a pair of golden tickets into my hands. I opened my mouth to protest, but she raised a hand. "At least look at the darn things, Carter." Knowing I couldn't — and wouldn't — argue with her, I disappointingly looked down at the tickets.  They read, Congratulations! You are cordially invited to this year's Grand Galloping Gala! Hosted at Princess Celestia's palace in Canterlot! ~Formal attire only~

I exhaled rather loudly. "Can I be bluntly honest with you AJ?" She nodded. "I hate formal gatherings. Frankly, if you give these to me, I'll just sell them."

"Well, do what ya want with 'em. Ah just thought ya might like to go with me and my friends..." She started to look dejected. 

I leant my head back and sighed. I couldn't believe that she would guilt me into this. However, if I were to go, I could scout out the city and I also might run into the hospital's staff there. However, I would have to endure snobs for god knows how long. There was also the other ticket... I could bring Redheart with me to the gala, but she would just fuss over the way I looked the whole time. Actually, now that I think about it... "Okay, AJ. I accept on one condition. The condition is that I can exchange this other ticket to Rarity for a suit."

"Deal," she said. We shook hands and she left me on my own.

"Hey!" I shouted suddenly. "When is the gala!?"

"Tomorrow night!" Applejack responded.

"Of course..."





As the train slowly made it's way up the mountain, I fiddled with my bowtie for the fiftieth time. I really hated suits, just as much as I hated asking for the night off. Everybody at the hospital started to freak out when they found out that I was going to the gala. It really wasn't a big deal. I really didn't see the appeal. Being stuck in a big room with stuck up nobles? I wouldn't wish a fate like that upon anybody.

Yet, here I was preparing for the event. If anything, this was just my way of seeing how Canterlot was as a city. The fact that I was going to be around politicians and the rich didn't add to my limited excitement. 

The train pulled up to the station and came to a lurching stop. AJ had told me that she would meet me inside with her friends. Making sure I had my golden ticket, I got off of the train into the cool night air and looked up at the city. It's lack of glamour took me by surprise. I had heard that it was practically shining from it's magnificence from various ponies. However, as I examined the several buildings I found it looked like a taller and more compacted version of Ponyville. However, the roofs of the buildings were made from something other than straw. Maybe stone, or some sort of coloured marble? I didn't know, nor did I care enough to see what it was. I was going somewhere, after all.

The only thing that seemed to match the description of the city was my destination: the castle. Other than the expensive looking towers, there didn't seem to be a main building from what I could see. All of the large towers seemed to integrate into one another. It was a fascinating design, to say the least. The golden roofs also had swirling patterns made from the different coloured shingles. All in all, it looked as if the owner had a lot of money to blow. Considering who lived there, I didn't doubt that fact.

Sighing, I walked up the mains street to the front gates of the castle where a few guards and civilians stood. Most of the ponies there were finely dressed and absorbed into their conversations. Still, some of them stared at me as I walked by, but I paid them no mind. They wouldn't gain anything by doing so, and I didn't care in the first place. As I reached the gate, a guard stepped into my path and stuck out his hand. "Ticket, sir." I pulled out the ticket and handed it to him. When I did, someone behind me actually gasped. I turned slowly and looked at the ponies behind me, who all went back to whatever they were doing. "Is something the matter, sir?" the guard asked.

I looked back forwards while shaking my head at the nobles as walked past him. "Feels like I'm being watched, you know?" I said sarcastically. An amused snort erupted behind me as I walked to the main doors of the castle. 

I stuck my hands in my pockets as I came into a grand entrance, with white and purple checkered marble floors holding a red carpet which sat elegantly on it. The walls were mainly purple, which blended nicely with the yellow mahogany that was integrated into the design. The entrance hall was particularly crowded with ponies and classical music, mainly by the the grand stairs that stood before me. It looked as if they were lining up for something. What that was, I couldn't see, so I ignored it. I could go either left or right, which lead me down a hallway. I navigated my way over to the right hallway, but before I could move on, I was called out.

"Excuse me," a mare's gentle voice sounded, "but are you doctor Carter Bowman?" I turned around to find a white coated mare with a bright pink mane. Her hair flowed past her horn and pink eyes, down to her elegant pink dress. I guessed that pink was her favorite colour, no clue as to why I did, though.

"I am," I started, "But I'm afraid I don't know who you are."

"I am Fleur de Lis, but you can call me Fleur. You operated on a friend of mine. Does the name Violet Orchid ring any bells?" she asked.

My face lit up. I did remember her. She came in with a burst appendix, which lead to peritonitis, which lead us to do an appendectomy, and a several day stay at the hospital. If only people were to take care of their bodies better... "Yes, I do! She was an earth pony, right?"

"Yes! Please let me introduce you to my fiancée and my friends. They're right over here!" Fleur pulled me through the crowd over to a small group of four. Two were tall unicorn stallions, a unicorn mare, and the last was a female gryphon. The first stallion was an averaged sized, with silver fur, a brown mane, and a normal suit. The second was tall, white-coated, had a dark blue mane, an expensive looking tuxedo, and also a thin moustache. The mare was short and round, had a red coat, and a white mane, as well as a black suit on. Lastly, the gryphon was a mixture of brown and white feathers inside of a suit, but what really stood out was her bright yellow eyes.

The group looked at me was Fleur dragged me into the circle. The stallion with the moustache was the first to speak. "Fleur, is this Carter Bowman?"

I chuckled nervously. "Just Carter is fine." This was going to go down hill eventually.

"So you're the human who operated when Tirek stole everyponies' magic," the red mare stated sternly.

"Well, I was one of the limited doctors who could still operate. I had to pick up the slack for everyone who couldn't," I explained.

Now the gryphon shyly started to speak. "How could you operate for that long?"

"I dunno," I explained, "I just did. It's a doctor's duty so save lives, no matter how long it takes."

The red mare hummed in understanding. "I see why the Ministry offered you the position." I gave her a curious look and she caught on to my confusion. "I'm the senior surgeon at Canterlot Central. My name is White Cross, and this — " White pointed at the gryphon next to her " — is Sylvia, an intern doing her residency."

"It's nice to meet you both. May I ask who you two gentlecolts are?" I asked.

The brown one spoke up first. "I'm surprised that you did not recognize me. Nevertheless, I am Snowy Gambit, a leader in the mining industry."

"And I am — " the moustached unicorn put a hand on his chest suddenly and his face contorted in pain. "Sorry, My name is Fancy Pants."

"Are you okay?" I asked. Chest pains are never a good sign.

White cross sighed in annoyance. "He's been complaining about chest pains, but refuses to get an x-ray."

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Fancy explained as his arm lowered and Fleur came to his side, mirroring my worried expression.

"Anyway," Snowy started rudely, "as I was saying before our guest joined us. It is a good plan, is it not?"

Everyone rolled their eyes as I was left to wander the mist of confusion. "What plan?"

"Well," He said smugly, "you know about the recent diamond dog kidnappings and how they have been arrested?" I nodded. "I'm employing them to mine coal for a reduced sentence. The best part is that since everypony thinks poorly of them, I don't really need spend money on safety equipment since nopony would mind. It will save me thousands and make me millions for nothing at all!" 

I blinked three times, my face contorting into further annoyance each time I did so. "Tsk, I don't think so," I stated arrogantly. "In fact, it's a rather stupid idea."

"Excuse me?!" the stallion said, flabbergasted. That really drew the eyes of the others in the room.

"I'll explain myself, and I'll be sure to use small words so that you can understand," I assured him. If this guy was really going to put other people's lives at risk, I was going to tell him what I really thought. "You see, if someone decent were to realize what you were doing and thought it was an absolutely terrible idea, like me, they would sue your ass on behalf of these diamond dogs for tonnes of money because you breached their rights. Oh, and before you tell me that diamond dogs shouldn't have rights, that's fucking racist." The crowd gasped at my vulgar vocabulary. "Oh grow up!" I said, turning to the crowd with disbelief.

Snowy straightened himself and pretended to be the better man. "My good sir, I thought you were a respected doctor. You should really act like it and mind your manners."

My jaw literally dropped. This guy couldn't be this stupid. Did he honestly think that my job had any affect on who I am and how I conversed with people? "What does that even have to do with —!?!" and then it hit me. This guy was a part of a minority that only existed in my mind. I've only met so many who are like him. 

He was a elite, class S, moron. The S stands for stupid, by the way. This guy was so dumb, it shook reality itself. There was only one way to deal with someone of his stature.

I bit my tongue, shrugged, turned, and left through the hall I was originally going to go through. There was no point in arguing with his stupidity. It would only waste time. I passed a butler expertly carrying a tray of tall glasses filled of champagne in the hall, and I took one without him even noticing. Before I knew it, I was in the garden of the castle. I walked over to the stairs that lead up the castle wall and ascended up to the edge of the wall. Taking off my coat and resting it and my arms in a gap in between the stones at the top of the wall, I leant over the edge and peered out on to the darkened land. I slowly sipped at my drink as I waited for the inevitable.

There was no way I was working in this city. There was no way I could operate on ponies like that douche for just a better pay and an apartment. There would have to be something else to convince me. Everything I had that was of value was in Ponyville. I wouldn't just leave it behind.

Footsteps from what sounded like high-heels where walking up the wall's steps. I kept my eyes forwards as the steps came up besides me and joined me on the wall. There was silence for a while as we stood there, so I took a sip of my drink. I was going to need it if this conversation was going where I thought it was going.

"You managed to insult one of the richest ponies in that room, and made yourself look like a complete, but respectable, ass," a very feminine and mature voice sounded besides me. I sighed and shook my head. This was going where I thought it was going. "So, as a member of Canterlot's finest individuals, I would like to say to you these few choice words." I knew she was about to go off on a tangent, so I tuned her out. "Thank you."

I took me a while to figure out that she just thanked me. When I did, I turned to her with a shocked expression. "Excuse m..." I was absolutely taken away by what I saw. Beside me was a gorgeous white-coated mare with wings and a horn, wearing a marvelous rose and pink coloured gown and golden accessories. Her mane, which blew in a breeze that didn't exist, radiated with light blues, pinks, purples, and greens, like a sunrise. Her magenta eyes blinked, bringing me back to reality. "Sorry, I don't understand. I honestly thought by now you would be berating me."

The mare put a hand to her mouth as she giggled. "Oh, never! I've always wanted to do that! I'm rather jealous, actually!"

"So, I'm not crazy then? He really was the biggest moron ever?" I asked.

"Yes, he was," She confirmed.

I threw my hands up into the air dramatically. "Thank the lord! There's someone here who has a working brain!" I put my arms back on the wall again, however there was a smile on my face this time. "You look great, by the way."

The mare blushed lightly and sadly smiled at me. "You know, you're the only person to compliment me today."

"Really?" I asked in complete disbelief. "That's... rather sad."

"It is," she agreed while frowning. "Ponies see me as The Princess, like an object, and not like a mare with emotions and needs. I find that it's very degrading... and that I've actually started to act the part."

"Just to set things straight: you are a mare with emotions and needs, and not a robot, right? Because you could totally pass," I added jokingly, trying to cheer her up.

She sniggered at the question. "No, I'm an all powerful goddess and all should fear me!" she retorted sarcastically, raising her voice and in a triumphant tone.

"A giant, robot goddess that can breath fire and piss acid?" I laughed.

That made her cover her mouth to stop the stream laughter coming out. "T-that sounds about right!" I joined her in giggling at our childish and immature joke. However, sometimes you just need to be a child for a few minutes.

I stood up straight and sighed as ran my fingers through my hair. "You know, I find it rare that I meet women that can laugh at something like that."

"Women?" she asked curiously.

"Well, mares in this case... Let's just say females in general."

She hummed in understanding. "Yes, I would agree. I have to say though, I didn't expect someone with such a stressful job to be so laid-back."

"Pfff! Who'd you expect? Batman?" I asked.

"...Batman?"

I sighed and hung my head. "I've really got to stop using human jokes..."

"Well in all honesty, it's very refreshing to meet somepony — or should I say someone — who's... who's..." she struggled to find the right words.

"Not a complete douche?" She nodded enthusiastically at my suggestion. "Yea, I can relate to that."

The mare looked back at the party going on inside the castle and then back to me with a sad look. "Sorry, but I think it may be time for me to go back inside."

I shrugged and motioned to the stairs while grabbing my coat. "That's fine. Would you mind if I accompanied you, miss...?"

"I'm Celestia, but Tia is fine as well," she answered moving forwards, with me in pursuit.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I turned to Tia with a shocked expression. "Celestia? Like, as in the princess of the sun?"

The princess stopped and turned with a confused expression. "Yes. Didn't I mention that before?" she asked.

I opened my mouth to say no, but I stopped. She did, and I didn't even notice. "...yes, you did. I didn't really pick up on that until now." I let out a large breath. "Wow.  If you were stuck up like the rest of the ponies in there, I would have made a terrible first impression. I guess I lucked out on you being awesome, huh?"

"Yes you did," she confirmed. "I know you as doctor Bowman, but I would like to call you by a different name."

"Oh, just Carter is fine," I said. "Also, that explains why this country so damn fine."

"Mmhm! Okay then, just Carter, shall we —" 

A sudden shriek came from inside that castle, causing my to drop the glass in my hand. As it shattered on the ground, both of our heads snapped to the castle instantly and in a flash of light, we were back in the grand staircase. I regained my composure after the teleportation, and looked to where Celestia was staring at. There was a large crowd with worried faces huddled where I had had my confrontation with Snowy. Celestia ran quickly over to the crowd and I followed close behind. We pushed our way through the crowd to find a desperate situation.

It was Fancy Pants. He was on the ground clutching his abdomen with White Cross on one side and Sylvia on the other. His face was one of severe pain and he was drenched with sweat. I quickly joined doctor Cross on the ground, dropping my coat as i did. "What's his condition?" I asked quickly.

"Not good. He's starting to go into shock," she explained calmly. "It might be a heart attack."

I put index and middle finger on his carotid artery and felt his pulse. "Nope, he's beating properly. It's weak though," I stated. "Worst case scenario is that it's an abdominal  aortic aneurysm, considering where he's grabbing."

Sylvia looked up with panic. "Then we need to get him to a hospital, now! He'll die of blood loss if we wait!"

"Here we go..." I said to myself. I shoved one arm underneath his legs and the other under his back and heaved him up into the air. I turned and faced Celestia as my fellow physicians got up. "Could —" I was interrupted by another flash of light. I found myself, Celestia, and the other two doctors in the middle of an ER. Everyone in the room turned in shock to see the princess and the rest of us.

I turned to the nurses' station quickly. "This ma — stallion might have a ruptured aortic aneurysm! We need to operate immediately!" One of the nurses, a mare, jumped up and motioned me to follow. Quickly running after her, I looked back down to my patient. "Hey, do you want to live?" I asked sternly.

"YES!" he yelled back in pain.

"I'll take that as your consent, then." The nurse led me into the OR, where I quickly placed Mr. Pants on to the operating table. "He needs to be given an IV, general anesthesia, a breathing tube, and a catheter into his bladder. Get someone to administer the anesthesia, and then we'll do an open AAA repair once the patient's been prepped," I explained as I went to prepare for the operation. The nurse left the room to follow my orders.

"The ministry was right about you. You seem calm about this," Cross complemented me as I grabbed a operating gown and threw it over my clothes. 

I turned to the sink once I tore off my bowtie and I was done dressing. Cross met me at the sink equally prepared. "I don't need your compliments right now. We need to focus." We both put on masks and washed our hands thoroughly before sliding on our latex gloves. I heard the nurse come back with someone while explaining the situation to them.

Approaching the table, I saw that the nurse had begun working quickly and that a stallion — who was probably a anesthesiologist — had joined us. She managed to strip the top half of our patient and shave the incision area as we prepared the patient. I moved myself to the other side of the table and helped insert the catheter and the IV before looking down to the incision area: from the breast bone to below the navel. I looked back up to the others in the room, and noticed that someone was missing. "Hey, were's Sylvia?"

"I told her to stay behind. She's not ready for this yet," Cross said.

"Alright then..." It was probably for the best. The anesthesiologist then let us know that the anesthesia had taken affect. "Then, let's begin. Antiseptic solution." I was handed a doused cotton ball and started to sterilize the area with antiseptic solution.

When I was done, Cross made her move. "Scalpel," she ordered. She was handed the razor-sharp knife and started slowly started cutting through the skin and fatty tissue. However, she didn't stop there. She made another incision to cut the abdominal muscles, opening the abdominal cavity

"Retractor," I ordered. A retractor was handed to me and I used it to hold open the tissue that Cross had cut. When the Retractor was set, I moved the intestines and other organs around so that we could have access to the aorta. When it came into view, my suspicions were confirmed. "Yup, he's bleeding. Clamps, please." I was handed a few clamps and I clamped off the section of the aorta that had ruptured casing the blood to stop flowing to that particular area. 

"Now that it's clamped, we need to drain it," Cross explained. She took the drain from the nurse and stuck it into the blood pool. While it was draining, I asked for the scalpel and forceps and got ready to open the aorta. After a few moments, the pool was gone and I made three incisions: one down the aorta and two across at either ends of the first cut. Using the forceps now, I carefully spread the aorta open. 

Sitting there in the open tube was the cause of the aneurysm. Around the bottom of the incision was a dark red jelly like substance. "There it is... Drain please." I was handed the long tube and I placed the end of it into the blood clot. It was sucked up into the tube and I kept moving it around until I was sure that the blood clot was gone. "I don't see any other damaged blood vessels, so now we need to insert an aortic graft into the incision." The nurse handed me the graft and I placed it into the aorta. "Suture." Now using a needle and thread, I carefully and cautiously sewed the graft into the wall of the blood vessel. I sighed once I was done the top and continued the procedure on the bottom half.

A cloth dabbed itself on to my forehead as I finished suturing the graft in. "Need a break?" Cross asked. I nodded and handed her the sutures. She then sewed the aorta closed, wrapping the tissue around the graft and locking it in place. I carefully moved the organs from before back into place before leaning back and sighing. "Alright, let's close him up," Cross said as I started to remove the retractor.

"Alright. Stapler." The nurse handed me a medical stapler and I gave her the retractor in return. With the help of doctor Cross, I stapled the incision closed. "Disinfectant," I ordered. I was handed another doused cotton ball and with it I disinfected the incision. "Gauze and tape." I was handed the gauze and Cross was handed the tape. I aligned the gauze with the cut and Cross taped it down on all sides. 

We all let out a breath and relaxed. "That was a great operation, doctors. Thank you," the nurse said. I walked away from the two towards the sink and stripped myself of my operation clothing. "We'll transfer the patient to intensive care right away."

"Thank you for your help, miss," I thanked the nurse and as she and the anesthesiologist took the patient away. "And you too, Cross."

"You don't need to thank me," said Cross walking over to join me, "I was doing my job."

After taking off everything and washing my hands with White Cross, I walked out of the waiting room with my things and my fellow physician. "I'll tell his fiancée and anyone else who is waiting for me in the ER about the operation. You can go do what you need to."

"Alright, suit yourself. I've got a mountain of paper to climb anyway," She explained as she walked away. Cross waved to me as she left. "See you later. And thanks for the help!"

I shrugged as I turned to go to the emergency room. "I'm just doing my job," I murmured sarcastically. I made my way back to the ER and I found Fleur, Tia, and AJ with her friends. They all were comforting Fleur when I came in to the room. It was quite an odd sight seeing the people in the room being repelled from them, but not being able to look away. I frowned, though. "Hey," I grumbled with fake disappointment. The group looked up with shock and anxiety. "I can't believe you guys. Frowning and sulking like Fancy's as good as dead. Do you honestly not believe in my surgical skill?"

"So, he's alright?!" Fleur asked desperately. They all stared at me, awaiting my answer.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Yes," I admitted with a smile. "Yes, he's fine. He's in intensive care now. He'll be out of here in five to ten days." Fleur jumped out of her seat and hugged me tightly.

"I can't thank you enough!" she exclaimed. This brought a smile to the group's faces.

"Look," I said while separating myself from her. "I didn't become a doctor to be thanked. The person who you should be directing those emotions to is in intensive care right now." Fleur looked up at me, and I pointed down the hall. "Go. Express your gratitude to Fancy or someone else, just not me."

After a few moments, Fleur followed my finger with haste, followed closely by AJ and her friends. However, Celestia stayed behind and put a hand on my shoulder. "It's not that she didn't believe in you, she just couldn't imagine a future without him."

"Pffff, I know that," I said, waving my hand at her as I did. "You must think me really dumb, almighty princess overlord."

She giggled and followed me as I made my way out of the hospital. "Not dumb, just not bright."

"Ouch," I said with obvious fake pain. "That one cut deep!"

"So where are you going now?" Celestia asked. 

I pondered her question for a while as we made our way on to the street. "I dunno. I guess I'll just take a train home. It is really late out, though."

"I could arrange for you to stay at the castle for the night, if you want," she offered.

"I'd have to get up really early to make it to work on time... Eh, sure. I'm probably not going to get another chance to sleep in a place like a castle for a while, huh?" I accepted. We walked for a few more minuets under the night sky and as we reached the castle, Celestia turned her head to me.

"Say, Carter? You said that you didn't become a doctor to be thanked. So then, why did you become a doctor?" I stopped and stared up into the night sky, remembering the night I decided I was going to save lives. I remembered how my thought process was completely flipped on it's head. "You don't have to tell me if it's a sensitive topic. I won't pry," Celestia said with a bit of concern.

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it," I started slowly, "it's just a long story."

Tia hooked one of her arms around my own, gently pulling me from the past and into the castle in front of me. "Then maybe you could share it with me over tea?"

I looked at her and she looked right back at me. A smile crept up on to my face. "Yes, that would be lovely. But, I'm kinda busy, and if I had to guess, I'd say you are too being a princess and all."

Celestia let out a little melancholy laugh. "Yes, I am." 

We walked and talked though out the night and castle until we reached a spare bedroom, where we had to say our goodbyes. "Say, Tia?" I asked as she was walking away. Celestia turned with a curious look on her face. "If I were to transfer to Canterlot, could we have tea then?"

The princess smiled. "Yes, it would make it easier for us to have tea."

"...alright then, thanks," I said, confirming my decision. With the newfound hope of meeting people who are decent, I could risk moving here. With that, she went to her room and I entered mine, resting for the days to come.
> Chapter 3 - Tea Time Temptations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I dropped my bags as I took in the sights of my new furnished apartment. It was tiny. It was literally the smallest apartment I'd ever seen! The floors were hardwood and the walls were painted white. To my right was a small kitchenette, in front was a small coffee table in front of a two large, brown, and closed curtains with a brown sofa on either side of it, and to my left was a archway that lead to the bedroom and bathroom. I noted that right next to the archway was the furnace and air-conditioner control. I walked over to the curtains and flung them open to find myself staring at the wall of another building. "Oh, you've go to be fucking kidding me..." I whispered to myself, shaking my head as I did so.

Sighing, I left the window and went over to the kitchenette. It wasn't too small, I could easily move around with another person in it with me. The floors were tiled too, which was... acceptable. I checked the four-burner stove to find that it worked. At least I could have hot meals whilst staring out the terribly placed window. Turning around, I checked the fridge and freezer. They were empty, but they worked. Other than that, the cupboards were empty, and I checked the fire alarm as well, just in case.

With that out of the way, I moved to the curtains and closed them because the sight of the wall was starting to piss me off, and made my way through the archway into the bedroom. Directly in front of the archway was the door leading into the bathroom. To the left was a wall, and to the right was the actual room. At the far end was another window covered with the same curtains as the living room, no doubt leading to the same view as well. Before that was a queen-sized bed with white sheets and pillows. The only thing that wasn't white about the bed was the wooden, brown headboard. The top of the bed was against the right wall, and on the adjacent wall facing the bed was a brown dresser. To either side of the bed was a night stand with a small lamp on it. Other than the things mentioned... that was it.

I turned to the bathroom door and pushed it open. The room was tiled like the kitchenette, however with this room I cracked a smile. Immediately to my right on the other wall was a stainless-steel faucet, located on top of a grey cupboard. Next to that was a simple toilet, nothing fancy. However, At the far end of the bathroom was what really made me beam. A rather large, stainless-steel, rainfall shower, complete with shelves for holding shampoo and soap. I turned to leave the bathroom, but my eye caught another feature. To the left of the door was a closet. I opened it to find a washer and dryer on one side, and shelves on the other to hold detergents and what not. "Yes!" I said while fist pumping. "I don't have to go to a laundromat any more!" 

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

I was startled by the sudden knocking on my door. I quickly closed the closet and made my way to the front door. Taking a peek through the door's peephole, I spied White Cross and Sylvia. Cross seemed to be carrying a large box wrapped in striped present paper, and Sylvia did as well, however hers was a flat square. I kicked my bags into the bedroom and opened the door. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Well then," Cross started, "I guess we'll just take these house warming presents and leave." Cross turned and started to walk away.

"W-wait! Wait a second!" I panicky urged her while stepping out of the way to let them in. "Why didn't you say so earlier!? Come in!"

Cross turned and walked past me with a triumphant look on her face. "That's what I thought," she murmured as she walked past. Unbeknownst to her, I was smirking. She may have won that, but at least I get presents.

Once Sylvia walked through with a confused look on her face, I closed the door and turned to watch the two inspect my new apartment. "Not to bad, eh? I was quite surprised myself. There is one little thing though..." Cross turned to me with a look of interest and I motioned to the closed curtains. She put the box she was holding down on the coffee table and walked over to the window, throwing the curtains back dramatically. When she saw the wall, she burst out laughing, and I'm not talking about giggling. This was a very hearty laugh and it made me smile. It was pretty funny, after all.

However, Sylvia looked a little frustrated with Cross. "I'm sorry," She said turning to me.

"What for?" I asked with a laugh.

"For her," she said, emphasizing her point by motioning to the happy mare, "and for the fact that you have to look at that until you move."

I waved her apology away with my hand. "Did you put that building there?" Sylvia shook her head. "Then don't be sorry. Besides, it is funny."

"Oh! Oh...!" Cross said, finally calming down. "Well, at least it gets the job done!"

She was right about that. It did let a lot of light in and made the room look a lot bigger that it actually is. The box on the table caught my attention, however. "Say, what's in the box?" I asked while pointing at it.

"Open it. It's yours now, after all," Cross said.

Shrugging, I approached the box with curiosity. I tore open the wrapping to find a simple cardboard box with no markings of any kind. Opening the top of the box, I found it was filled to the brim with packing peanuts. With my annoyance growing, I dug through the peanuts to find what looked like the bell of a brass instrument. "What the..." I murmured to myself. I grabbed the bell, pulled the entire device out of the box, and put the thing on the table. I took a step back and looked at the tool. It was a metal bell attached to a black record player box. There were volume knobs and metal crank poking out of the side of the box. "This... this is a gramophone!" I said in astonishment.

"Yup," Cross agreed, "and Sylvia's got something to put in it as well." I turned to the gryphon with excitement. She handed me the flat square in her arms and I tore it open as well. "By Celestia, you're like a foal on hearts warming day!" Cross noted. I ignored her as I stared at the work of art before me. Smooth Jazz Soul. That's what the record's title was. I quickly removed the vinyl record and placed in the gramophone. Then, I excitedly turned the crank several times and put the needle on the track.

A soft and smooth jazz tune flowed out of the gramophone and into the room. I slowly swayed my head with the grove of the song. I looked at the mare and the gryphon in front of me. They were both trying to hold in their laughter at my affection for the beautiful song. "Ladies," I started, "I'd like to thank you both for making me the classiest motherfucker in Canterlot."

"No problem. I didn't take you for a jazz kind of guy, though," Cross said.

"I don't really enjoy jazz all that much. It's smooth jazz that I can really get with."

Cross hummed in agreement. "Yea, I can see why." We all paused for a while to listen to the music, but it stopped suddenly. I looked at the crank and frowned. It had stopped moving. I guess I didn't crank it enough... "Anyways, we have a third thing for you."

I looked up at Cross. "A third thing?" The mare pulled out a grey box from her pocket and tossed it to me. I caught it and looked at it. It seemed to be a just a grey box with a digital screen on it that displayed the time. "...a pager? I didn't know these existed in Equestria," I said.

"They're only used in major hospitals around the world. So that's why you didn't have one in that backwater town," Cross explained.

I looked up at her with annoyance. "It's not a backwater town. It's literally right next to Canterlot!"





That argument continued for quite a while before Cross and Sylvia had to get back at the hospital. We agreed that we would continue that verbal battle tomorrow, when I started at Canterlot Central. 

For now, I was walking into my apartment building with several bags in my hands and on my arms. It was on a small side street that usually goes unnoticed. I had went out to grab the essentials: plates, glasses, cutlery, cooking utensils, and of course food. It was sunset when I pulled out my keys and opened my door. I put the bags down on the kitchenette's counter and closed the front door. After about thirty minutes of putting things away, I threw myself back-first on to my couch.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

"Again!?" I said, exhausted and exasperated. I begrudgingly got up and walked to the door. Looking through the peephole, I spied two very large, white, and armed stallions on the other side of my door. I pulled away in shock. "What the hell is the royal guard doing at my door?!" I whispered to myself. Gulping, I opened the door and lightly smiled. "Hello. Can I help you two?" I asked.

"Are you Carter Bowman?" a guard in front of me asked.

"...yes?" I meekly answered. "Am I going to be arrested?"

"No, you are not. Princess Celestia has requested your presence in the castle hedge maze in twenty minuets," He stated professionally. "Good evening, mister Bowman." The guards turned simultaneously and walked down the hall, away from my apartment. I stood there in awe for a few moments before I snapped back to reality. Celestia wanted to meet me in the castle hedge maze in twenty minutes? I thought she wanted to have tea... unless we're having tea in the maze so that we aren't disturbed! Absolutely genius on her part.

I quickly closed the door and went into the bathroom. After a quick shower, I threw on a red t-shirt and some jeans that Rarity had made for me in my first couple of weeks in Ponyville. I grabbed my keys and a sack full of bits and ran out the door. 

Arriving at the castle gate with five minutes to spare, I made my way through the gate and into the garden, where I found the rather intimidating hedge maze. The — at least — ten foot tall hedges loomed in front of me, almost daring me to enter. I had no idea where Celestia was in this monstrosity, so to make it on time, I would run and apply the wall follower rule and run at full speed at the same time.

Taking a deep breath, I started to jog into the maze. Following the right wall of the maze, I kept my speed constant and eventually I came out into a large box near the center of the maze. Near a tree at the side of the box and across a small pond was Celestia and another alicorn sitting in the shade at a small, white table with a lack of tea on it. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

When Celestia saw me, she beamed and waved me over. However, the other alicorn looked irritated to be interrupted by my arrival. The other alicorn was a dark blue mare, with a mane and tail like Tia's, but it looked as if it was the night sky itself. She was wearing a back business dress and several pieces of black jewelry, including a necklace and some cuffs. Celestia on the other hand, was dressed in a sleeveless purple top attached to a golden necklace with a purple jewel in the center, and a white pair of jeans. However, her jeans were not quite as white as her coat.

I approached the two. "Fancy meeting you here!" I said sarcastically. "Also, thanks for giving me twenty minutes to get here!"

"No problem," Tia said gleefully. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a seat at the table. "Carter, I want you to meet my sister, Luna," she said, motioning to the blue alicorn.

I reached out to shake her hand, and after inspecting me, she shook it with grace. "We see our sister's standards in mates has risen in the past thousand years," Luna said with a smirk and a regal tone.

Before Celestia could muster a response, I interjected. "Oh yes. I'm the best there is," admitted with false pride. If Luna thought that she was going to try to screw with me and her sister, the mare had another thing coming.

"Oh, is that so?" she asked with interest. "And just how art thou the best at mating?" Luna's smile tipped me off that she thought she had won, however she did not know the extent to which I was willing to go.

"Well, I'm a physician, you see. I know a mare's body better than anyone," I explained. "I know every pleasurable area..." I inched closer to the alicorn, a smile spreading across my face. "...to touch..." I moved closer again, and this time Luna scooted back a bit. "...to lick..." Luna and myself moved for the last time, both of us with different looks on our faces. Luna looked disgusted, and I was mustering the creepiest smile I could. "...and I'm amazing with my hands." I held up my fingers and wiggled them furiously.

With that, the princess stood suddenly. "We are sorry, but we must prepare for night court," Luna said quickly and with a visible blush. Then, the blue mare disappeared with a flash of light.

I leant back in my chair and looked over to Tia with a tired expression. In return, she gave me a very amused look, as well as a light blush of her own. "What would you say if I asked you to marry me right now?" she asked with astonishment. 

"Sorry, Hun," I said with false distaste, "but you gotta work to put a ring on this finger." I raised my right hand and wiggled my ring finger lazily. We both shared a light laugh, but I eventually stopped and cleared my throat. "So, did you call me here just to screw with your sister, or do you want to talk about a real subject?"

"I was hoping that you would share your story today," she said whilst putting one leg over the other and locking her fingers together.

"I would," I started, "but your side of the bargain hasn't been met yet."

Celestia looked confused, but then realization took over. "Oh, right. The tea. It's a shame... I was truly interested," she said disappointingly. 

I sat up and turned my chair towards her. "Well, let's talk about you then."

"M-me?" she asked with mild shock. Her hand rose to her chest and uncertainty was plastered all over her face.

"Yea! I know all about the princess of the sun, but nothing about Celestia the mare!" I told her while crossing both my legs and arms. "You're such an awesome person, yet I bet that less than a hand-full of people know that."

"The same could be said for you too!" she argued back. "Tell me about yourself first!"

"How about we turn this into a little game?" I suggested. She looked at me curiously and I explained. "We'll take turns saying a topic we want to know about. Both of us will answer, but the person who didn't list the topic has to start. Seem fair?"

"Fine," she said, a sly smile spreading across her face, "but no lying!"

"Fine with me." I motioned to her. "Mares first."

Tia cupped her right elbow with her left hand, and raised her right hand to her chin in thought. "Let's start off simple, shall we? I choose hobbies," she said, lowering her arms on to her lap.

I let out a large breath. Right off the bat, we get to a question that I really don't have a good answer to. "Uh... Other that saving lives, I guess... gambling?"

Tia leant forwards in shock. "You gamble!?"

"No! Not like that!" I said while waving my hands in front of me in defense. "Only with dares and stuff, not money! And I only do it with friends!"

She leant back into her chair with a huff. "...I guess I do the same thing from time to time. What else?"

"Well, I cook and try to keep healthy, but not much else," I admitted. "What about you?"

"...not many know this, but I like gardening," she stated reluctantly. 

"Huh." I was taken aback. I didn't picture her as a gardener. "What do you grow?"

"Mostly flowers since I enjoy them the most, but when I feel like it, I plant some tomato vines and carrots." She let out a sigh, and I noticed that she was blushing a little harder now. She must not like to talk about herself much. "Other than that... I really don't have the time to do anything else."

"That sounds about right," I said, rolling my eyes. Being a princess must be a tolling job. "Alright, my turn..." I smiled. "What about — ?"

"Oh, hold on a second," She said. I watched her, confused, as she got up and faced the horizon. Tia closed her eyes as a light gold colour enveloped her horn, and the sun quickly moved past the horizon as the moon came up on the opposite side of the world.

"Oh yea, " I said as Celestia sat back down, "forgot that you do that. Is it hard?"

"I've been doing it for over one thousand years. It's kind of redundant to ask that," she pointed out. 

"Touché. Now then, tell me about what you find attractive," I said with a smirk. This would be good.

"Intelligence, some muscle tone, as well as a large... vocabulary. You might find this strange, but I also find warm hands to be alluring," she said with confidence. I was surprised. I thought that would have made her flustered.

"Why warm hands?"

"You may find this silly, but I've always imagined someone with warm, soft, and gentle hands giving me a massage and... a little more," she explained. I was taken aback again. That answer was way more descriptive than I was expecting. "Now, it's your turn. You're blushing by the way," she pointed out.

Not loosing my cool, I answered her curiosity. "Unlike some people, I have a rather refine taste in 'mates'. I find females who are healthily fat to be quite attractive, along with being smart and interesting. And if they have absolutely beautiful eyes — much like yours — then I'll consider asking them to join me for dinner. I almost never do though," I admitted.

"Why not? And 'healthily fat'?" Celestia asked.

"Well," I started, "I don't really know. The don't seem... right, I guess? It's like wanting something, but not needing it, you know?" I admitted. "Also, by healthily fat I mean not supermodel anorexic. People with normal bodies, like you."

"Well then, it seems like I'm a interest of your's, considering what you just told me," she pointed out.

"So it does," I agreed.

Celestia leant forwards a bit. "My turn. What don't you like about yourself?"

"Hmm..." I pondered the question for a minute. "I'm not as muscular as would like to be. Plain and simple."

The princess sighed and leant back in her chair. "I was hoping for something more..." she admitted. "Mine would have to be that I eat too much cake. It's going straight to my thighs..." she lamented, looking down at her legs.

"Why the hell do you sound so sad for?" She looked up at me with curiosity as well as a hint of anger. "Large thighs are sexy. And like I said before, it's healthily fat. You're not weighing over two hundred and fifty pounds, so who cares?"

"That's rather ironic for you to say, you know," she stated. "Telling someone not to care about eating junk-food? Aren't you supposed to encourage a healthy lifestyle?"

"Even if I did, they would just do what they wanted anyways. So what's the point in telling them? If they want to lead a healthy life, then they can choose to do so." I leant forwards with a smirk. "Besides, if I did, there wouldn't be any large-thighed women around to ogle, like you."

"You really do like my thighs, don't you?" Tia asked. Her eyes narrowed and she smiled as if someone just told her a dirty secret. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were trying to get between them."

"Maybe I am," I said, shrugging. "But, maybe I'm not."

"If you're as good in bed as you claim to be, then I'm not sure if I would mind..." she said with false lust.

I rolled my eyes. "I can think of a few ponies who would."

Celestia sighed. "I think I know who you're talking about... Speaking of which," she said while standing from her chair, "I have to meet with a few of them tomorrow so they can complain about the most useless things." I stood up as well. "So, this is where we depart. I'll teleport you to the gate, but then I need to rest for tomorrow's stupidity."

In a flash of light, we appeared at the front of the castle, just on the inside of the gate. "Alright then, I'll see you later, Tia." I short wave and headed for the road, but she called out for me.

"Carter?" I stopped and turned to see her walk up to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and brought me into a hug, which I returned immediately. "I haven't talked to someone like that in a long time. Thank you." As we pulled apart, she gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

I smiled. "It's my pleasure. Good night, Celestia."

"Good night, Carter."

I turned and made my way past the gate and down the road towards my apartment, smiling like an idiot as I did. I was genuinely happy. Like Celestia, I hadn't talked like that in a very long time. I internally prayed that we'd do something like that again soon. 

When I returned to my apartment, I threw myself on to my bed and thought about all that we talked about. I did find Tia attractive, but the chances that we'd actually become a couple were slim at best. I mean, the nobles and the press would go ape-shit on us if we did get together.

But, there was still a chance. A chance to be with an awesome, smart, and beautiful mare... It was that thought that stuck with me as I drifted off to sleep.

"...warm hands, huh?" I whispered to myself. "At least I got that going for me..."
> Chapter 4 - To Take and Give
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It had been two months since I started at Canterlot Central, and everything had been going smoothly. I was hanging out with Celestia almost every other day after I finished my paperwork. It also seemed as if I had earned my place at the hospital. Everyone there didn't seem to care that I was human... It was probably White Cross. She may have scared all of the staff into submission.

Speaking of Cross, myself, her, and Sylvia had become close friends whenever we weren't working. Our relationship with Sylvia was a bit more complicated, however. She looked up to Cross and I as mentors and as friends. It's a weird mix, but it seemed to work out okay.

The sense of peace that I felt would not last, though. I knew that something was bound to happen, something always does. Little did I know, it would happen far sooner than I would have expected.

I was walking down one of the major streets of the city, I think it was Mane Street? I wan't paying attention at the time, I was more focused on getting to work. Carriages and different ponies, gryphons, and even a minotaur or two passed me on all sides. It was a really busy morning for everyone, it seemed. Along the way, I visited a favorite coffee shop of mine. Before I could open the door, however, something tore my attention away from the handle.

"LOOK OUT!" A voice shrieked behind me. There was a very loud screech, and then the sound of glass shattering, metal bending, and wood breaking erupted behind me. I spun on my heel to find a wooden carriage half-way inside the front of building opposite of the coffee shop.

From where I was standing, I could see that there was at least two ponies in the wreckage: one in the building, and the other partially under the carriage. "Oh my god..." I whispered to myself in pure shock. Sprinting towards the pony under the carriage, I found that she was unconscious. I quickly made my way to the front of the vehicle, put my back against the carriage and pushed back as hard as I could. The carriage wouldn't budge. "God dammit... COME ON!" I yelled at the carriage and to myself.

Suddenly, something bumped into the wooden mess and it rolled a few meters away. I looked to my sides to see two stallions standing there. They looked like they were headed to an important business meeting. Lucky them, I guess. "Thanks. Now go contact the guard, or anyone who can help! These ponies need help!" I ordered. The two ran off, and I grabbed the newly-freed mare and dragged her on to the road, where the rubble hadn't spread. After that, I quickly snatched the other stallion out of the rubble and placed him next to mare.

The first thing that caught my attention was the stallion. He groaned and raised his hand slightly. I quickly rushed over to his side. "What!? What is it!?" His finger extended and I followed it to the carriage. "The carr—?" and then it hit me. 

"Fuck!" I dashed over to the carriage door and yanked on the handle. The door tore open and inside I found an unconscious unicorn stallion in a suit and top-hat, which had fallen off in the crash. He was bleeding severely from his forehead and his right arm was bent slightly at an odd angle. Sighing in frustration, I pulled him out and lay him with the other two.

Over all, the mare had the least injuries. It was just a few cuts and bruises, it seemed. The stallion from the carriage was the second worst, with a broken humerus and possibly a concussion. The last stallion was the worst, with a compound fracture on his left calf, and several deep lacerations on his body. Not to mention that he was conscious. Luckily, they all had clear airways and a pulse, and flail chest, tracheal deviation, penetrating injuries, or bruising didn't seem to be a problem either.

I took off my physician's coat and tore off the sleeves. Tearing the sleeves into two, I made them into makeshift bandages.  Then, I approached the conscious stallion. "Hey, I'm gonna save your life. If you have any objections, don't groan," I said. I knew it was impossible for him not to groan. I mean, his leg was ripped open from the inside. Sure enough, the stallion continued groaning, and I made my way to his leg. I ripped his bloody pant leg open to get a good view of injury. 

There they were, staring me right in the face: the stallion's tibia and fibula. Luckily, the bones weren't too far out, so I didn't need to reset them and waste time. This was going to suck for him either way. I folded one of the bandages several times to make gauze, then I applied the gauze to the wound. The stallion yelled in pain to this, but I ignored him. I took another bandage and started to wrap it around the leg, securing the gauze. Next, I ran back over to the wreckage and pulled out a few large and long pieces of wood. I brought the wood over and made sure that they would reach along the entirety of the stallion's leg. Taking two pieces, I placed them on either side of the broken leg, and attached them to his leg by tying bandages above the knee, below the knee, and below the fracture. I then placed my index and middle finger on the center of the top of his foot. There was a pulse, good. Then I groped his toes. "Can you feel this?"

"Y-yes... I can," he groaned. 

"Alright, can you move your toes for me?" He did with a few pained grunts and I nodded in acceptance. I used more bandages to cover his other wounds and made sure he was okay. Once he was stabilized, I hurried over to the stallion from the carriage. He was still unconscious, and there was blood pouring from his forehead. Carefully, I felt around the wound to see if the skull had been fractured as well. I felt his head squish a little as I touched the area. I rolled my eyes. Of course it had to be fractured, he must have slammed his head against the wall in the crash. Taking more cloth from my coat, I twisted a long bandage around like a towel, and then formed about a third of the bandage into a ring, and then wrapped the rest of it around the ring to make a doughnut bandage. I placed the doughnut bandage carefully on top of the wound, making sure that the fractured part of the skull was in the center of the ring. I then quickly, but gently wrapped bandages around the stallion's head to secure the bandage and stop the bleeding.

Next was his arm. I grabbed another splint from the carriage and brought it back. It reached from his elbow to his shoulder, which was perfect. Using another two bandages, I secured the stick to his outer arm, making sure to tie the knots so that the were pressing against the stick and not his arm. Then I took my coat and ripped a large section of it off. I placed it under the broken arm and lifted it up and over the opposite shoulder to make a sling. For extra immobility, I took another bandage from my now destroyed coat and wrapped it around the arm and upper body, tying it on the rib cage.

As I finished, I got up and ran to the mare. I knelt down beside her and began to bandage her wounds. However, something was off. I stopped and looked at the mare. She was cream coloured and had a dark brown mane and tail. She was wearing what seemed to be a waitress' uniform, and her mane was spilled over the ground. She was also rather average body and breast wise. It looked so familiar to me for some reason, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. Other than those things, all that was left was that she was still...

"...shit!" She wasn't breathing! But she was breathing when I checked her before! Did something happen to her when I was focused on the other two!?

I checked her pulse again to find none! Opening her mouth, I looked to see if there was anything blocking her airway, but there was nothing. I then placed the palm of my hand on the center of her chest, made sure that my elbows were locked, and pressed down about two inches into her chest twice per second. I did this until I reached thirty compressions, then I placed one hand on her forehead and two fingers under her chin, and tilted her head back. Using the index finger and the thumb on the hand on her forehead, I pinched her nose closed. I placed my lips over hers, making sure to make an air-tight seal, and breathed twice, lasting no more than five seconds. 

Then I repeated the compressions. And then the breaths again. Then the compressions. "Were the hell were the emergency crew!?" I angrily whispered to myself. I looked up into the street. There was a crowd of on-lookers, but no paramedics could be seen. 

I looked back down and breathed into her lungs again. Then the compressions. Then breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. Compressions. Breaths. 

"Come on, Olivia!" I screamed with tears pouring from my eyes, as well as fear from my heart. "You can't leave me! I don't want to be suck in a world with stupid people and without you!"

I looked down at the young woman under my hands. She had cream coloured skin and brown hair, as well as hazel eyes. Her body was average, as well as her breast size. She was gorgeous by any man's standards.

"Come on! Come on!" I cried after giving her two breaths. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Olivia! I knew what I said hurt you, but please, please live! I didn't mean any of them! I was angry! A-and I was being so stupid! Don't go! Don't leave me! PLEASE! I don't want to be alone!"

Something furry and red grabbed my wrist suddenly, and I tore my soaked eyes away from my friend and to the creature.

Cross looked at me with a very worried expression on her face, which was extremely rare. "...she's gone, Carter. It's already been more than two hours," she said softly.

I blinked a couple of times and realized that my eyes were tearing up, and that I was sweating bullets. Rubbing my eyes, I found myself in the emergency room at Canterlot Central, surrounded by patients and staff, all of which was staring right at me. Did I blank out? That memory of Olivia was really vivid. I turned back to White Cross, taking my hands off of the mare. "... I... Sorry, I don't—" I stuttered pathetically.

"Don't worry about it," she comforted me. "Take the day off. I'll cover for you. All that matters is that you tried."

"What about—?"

"The other two are in surgery right now. They'll be fine."

I opened my mouth to retort, to say that I was fine and that I could help, but nothing came out. After a few seconds, I looked down at my feet, stuck my hands in my pockets, and made my way out of the hospital. What the hell was wrong with me? Why did I blank out when I was trying to save a life?





*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

I threw my blanket over my head and ignored the knocking at the door. I was too angry to speak to anyone, anyway. All that would go through my head was the thought that I could have saved her. I had the knowledge and will, but in the end I didn't. I couldn't. Why? What stopped her from living? Why couldn't I save her?

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

I covered my head with my pillow to block out the sound. I didn't want to see anyone or anything. I didn't deserve it. How could I call myself a doctor and not be able to save someone? Simple, I wasn't. I was still just a boy. That's why that mare and Olivia died. I was being immature.

*thud*

I barely picked up on a door closing in the distance. There was someone else in my apartment with me, but I didn't care who they were or what they were going to do.	After about a minute, someone slipped into the bed with me, wrapped their arms around my mid-section, and nuzzled the inside of my neck. I only knew on person who could be this bold.

"I heard about what happened. Don't blame yourself," comforted Celestia in a gentle whisper.

"Who else is there to blame, Tia?" I asked while flipping over to return the embrace.

"No one's to blame, Carter. This was just an accident," she replied.

I bit my bottom lip. "That doesn't change the fact that I didn't save that mare," I whispered painfully. "How can I call myself a doctor when I can't even save a single mare?"

Tia pulled away from me and poked me in the nose. She then looked straight at me with those beautiful magenta eyes of hers. "You're not a god, you know. You can't expect to save everyone, nor will you be expected to." I flipped back over to my original position and Celestia retook hers. She was so soft... and warm. I couldn't look her in the eye anymore. I felt ashamed that she considered something like me her friend. "...something other than that mare is bothering you, right?" she asked.

I was reluctant to tell her the truth of the matter, the underlying cause of all of my guilt. "...she looked like an old friend of mine... who died in a similar way," I told her.

"Tell me about this friend," Tia ordered gently.

I sighed. "Then I might as well just tell you the story of why I became a doctor," I admitted. "Although, you might hate me afterwards... I know I hate myself whenever I think of her."

Tia hugged me tighter. "I swear on my title as Raiser of the Sun, that I will still be your friend, Carter. Now please, begin," she said.

I sighed again. This was going to suck. "...when I was younger, just about to go into university, I had a really good friend named... Olivia," I started. "She was gorgeous, and like I said earlier, she looked a lot like that mare. Brown, long hair, average body, and cream coloured skin. But the thing I really remember was her hazel eyes, always full of confidence and pride."  

I swallowed. This was starting to get really hard to say. "One night, she was driving me somewhere, I can't remember where. Out of nowhere, she starts to say that I was wasting my life: that I wasn't doing anything with my excellent grades. I... I just snapped at her. I didn't want to be told what to do. I just wanted to relax for a bit until we got into the school that we wanted. Then, I would decide what to study." 

"But... I didn't say that to her. Instead, I got offended and tore her apart. I said things that I'm ashamed to have used against her, things that she told me in complete confidence. When I was done, I just left her with no apology, and no time to let her respond. And... the next day..." I started to choke up. "I went to her h-house to see if we could make up... and..."

Tia guided me back over to face her and hugged me tightly. "You don't have to say it. I understand."

"I tried to r-resuscitate her, but it had b-been too long... I waited too long. I... I'm pathetic! I couldn't see past my own ego to see that my friend was worried about me!" Tears threatened to stream from my eyes.

"Your not pathetic. You're one of the greatest people I know," Celestia cooed. She nuzzled me and rubbed my back gently to calm me down.

When I did, I continued. "...A few days later, when everything I had done had set in... I... tried to take my own life as well." Tia gasped at this rather dramatically, which made me chuckle a bit. "But, as you can see and feel, I'm still very much alive. I made quite a lot of noise, you see, and someone came to investigate. When they found me hanging from the ceiling, they cut me down and called the paramedics." I reached for my throat at the word 'hanging' and Celestia's hand joined mine, grabbing it and bringing it down and around her.

"I awoke in a hospital bed, with a female doctor standing over me with a distasteful look. I asked her why she had saved me and that I wanted to die, and she slapped me, very hard I might add. She told me that she didn't save me so that she could get paid and I could throw my life away because someone I cared about died. She saved my life so that I could try again to be a better person than I was before. Those words stuck with me my entire life, and they shaped me into who I am. I took Olivia's life, but to atone I'll give people a second chance to be a good person," I explained.

Tia was quiet for a long time, but then she pulled away from me with a smile upon her face. "That a very respectable reason."

My eyes drifted towards the bed. "But, I don't know if I can still do it... I was given a second chance to save someone who looked like Olivia, and I failed. What if I was given another chance to save Olivia? Could I do it? Or would I just kill her again?"

"It wasn't you who killed her in the first place. That was her choice, not yours." I reflected upon her words, and found myself begrudgingly agreeing with them. I nuzzled back into her neck again for comfort. "I think you've been too hard on yourself and it's making you stressed. My birthday is a week from now, and I plan on going somewhere. I want you to come with me and relax. It will be fun, trust me."

I sighed. "I get the that even if I refuse, you'll get your guards to drag me along, anyways. So, I guess I accept. However, I don't know if they'll let me off of work. I've been getting a lot of days off as of late..."

I felt Tia's cheeks tighten into a smirk. "Just tell them it's a direct order from the princess and disobedience is not tolerated," she told me.

Sighing, I agreed. "Fine, I'll come."

There was a few minutes of silence and cuddling, before another question popped into my mind. "Say, how'd that carriage crash? And shouldn't there have been more ponies hurt since they're usually pulled along by two or more stallions?"

Tia hummed in delight. "I knew you'd ask that sooner or later. That carriage was apparently a new model that drives itself using magic. The rider just has to say the name of a destination." She explained. "However, it seems as if they need to recall them now."

Sometimes, I love having a sexy, smart, and bold princess as a friend.
> Chapter 5 - Birthday Date
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I had accepted Celestia's invitation about a week ago, and I planned on fulfilling her wish, or order. Unbeknownst to her, however, I planned on making this birthday awesome for her. I owed her that much for helping me out when that mare passed away, and for being a great friend. So, I devised a plan that was simple and and fool-proof. On our way back to the castle from our little adventure to wherever she wanted to go, I would pretend to have forgotten something in my apartment and ask her to come with me and get it. I'm positive that she'll come, just so that the ending of the day will be delayed for a while. When we enter, I'll bring out cake and a present for her. After that, we'll just hang out, that is until she decides to go.

It's ingenious, if you ask me. Clean and simple, just the way something like a birthday should be. However, I'd had yet to get a cake for Celestia, as well as a present. It was the day before the event, and I was headed to the castle. Luckily, Cross managed to give me a week and a half off, so that I could cool down and enjoy myself. However, this visit wouldn't be to see my friend. In fact, the mare I was going to see probably hates me after I embarrassed her the first time we met. As I approached the castle gates, a rather ominous feeling washed over me. I had heard rumors that the Princess of the Night could be rather vicious at times, even to the most kind people. Imagine what she'd do to me if I'd piss her off.

Casting off the fear of imminent death, I turned to the guard at the gate. He didn't look at me when I approached him, but I got his attention when I spoke. "Do you know where one might find Princess Luna at this time of day?" I asked outright.

He turned to me in shock, breaking the stereotype of the dull and still day guard. "Are you insane!? You're going to visit Princess Luna at this hour!?" He whispered to me frantically.

I reeled back in shock. I wasn't expecting that reaction. "Uh... Yes. And what do you mean, 'at this hour?' It's eleven o'clock."

The guard shook his head and face-palmed. "...she's in her room. It's the tower in the back right. Tell the guards there that you're there on behalf of Princess Celestia, and they'll let you knock. May Celesta's grace be with you in your final minutes, sir."

Okay, now I was actually afraid, I'm not kidding. I thanked the guard and reluctantly made my way through to the back of the castle. Usually, this would be off-limits to most ponies, but the guard has seen me with Tia enough times to know that I'm not a threat. And besides, Celestia would berate them if they gave me a hard time. 

I finally saw the entrance to the tower, as well as the two night guards on either side of the double doors that lead into the tower. The doors were carved with several designs of the stars and moon, but the fact that they dyed the wood blue was what really got me. Venturing in front of the two armed thestrals, I gave a nervous smile and greeted them. "Hello." They're response was to look at me incriminatingly. "Okay then,'" I said with rising fear, "let's just get on with this... I'm here to talk with the honorable and... beautiful Princess Luna on behalf of Princess Celestia." I knew that the day and night guards played favorites with the princesses, so I added some quick praises in there. I was quite proud of myself for thinking so quickly.

"Name," one of the guards stated roughly. And like that, I was back to being afraid.

"C... Carter Bowman."

"Wait here," ordered the guard. He entered the door, leaving me alone in the hall with the other guard and my oppressive fear. Everything would be fine in the end. All I had to do was ask what kind of cake was Tia's favorite, and then I could get the hell out of here. I pumped myself up to face the blue devil that was coming out of that door. I could do this. I would do this! The door opened and I turned to face my friend's sister. 

However, I found my throat at the end of a sword, with Luna at the other end.

"Thou dares to show thy face to me once more? And at this hour, no less?" she asked with disgust.

I VERY slowly opened my mouth and raised my hands. "...I didn't come here with ill intentions, Luna."

"That's Princess to thou, human." The sword was pressed against my throat a little harder, forcing me to gulp. Who knew that embarrassing someone by making lewd comments to them would put me at the end of a sword?

"Fair enough," I concluded. "I'll just get right to the point then. You hate me, and I'm very much afraid of you, but I'm here to make tomorrow as enjoyable for your sister as possible. I want that, and I know you want that, Princess. However, I can't think straight with a freaking sword at my throat. So, I would like to kindly request that you remove the sword, so that we can make this as quick as possible."

Luna eyed me for a few moments, but then lowered the sword. My hand immediately went to my throat to comfort it. "Thou art lucky that our love for our sister is stronger than our hate for you, human. Now speak, so that we may return to our chambers."

"I just want to know what kind of cake is Celestia's favorite," I explained.

"Why not ask her thyself?" she asked impatiently.

"It would ruin the surprise."

Luna sighed and walked back to the door. "It's rum cake." With that, the door was engulfed in a blue glow and slammed closed. As it did, I turned and ran. I didn't stop to look behind me, or to ask for directions. I just ran as fast as I could.

I finally stopped at the grand staircase to catch my breath. What the actual fuck was her problem? Sure, I embarrassed her in front of her sister, but I didn't think that I deserved to be at sword-point! After a few minutes of waiting, I quickly left the castle and got away from the lunar maniac, and headed towards the train station.	

Arriving just in time to catch a train, I bought my ticket and headed down to Ponyville. I sat at a window and as the train started for it's destination, I pondered some questions that had been circling my mind recently.

The most annoying of the bunch was about Celestia. I found my mind drifting to her when it wasn't occupied by other things. What she was doing, how she was, and when I would see her again were all I could think of. Why was that? We were friends, right? Or was her flirting legitimate and not playful? I sighed and let the peaceful scenery outside of the window calm me. Whatever the case, I enjoyed myself around her. I was happy, and so was she. That's all that mattered to me, so I dropped the question from my mind.

Next, I thought about work. Was I doing enough? It feels like I've been missing too many days of work, and Cross has been taking the fall for me. I felt guilty. I should really be pulling my own weight at the hospital. After all, I was a doctor. I needed to take responsibility for my lack of actions. Deciding that I would take some of Cross' load of work when I got back to work, I cast away the question.

My last question was the newest one. Why was Luna so mad at me? Sure, I teased her, and I'll admit to being an ass, but why would she get so worked up over it? And to the point of threatening me with a weapon? There was something definitely wrong with this picture. There was only two things that I could think of that I could do. One, talk to Celestia about what could possibly be upsetting her and then confront Luna. Or two, find some way of making it up to Luna. I shuddered at the though of what she'd make me do.

After about an hour or two of pondering, the train pulled into Ponyville station. I gathered myself and my belongings, and exited into the town. It looked just like it had a few months ago, when I left to go live in Canterlot. I had a lot of memories of this town, and it was hard not to think of them. However, I had something I needed to do, so I pulled myself away from the past and headed towards Sugarcube Corner. 

I took in the sight of vendors selling their wares as I walked along the street, but I soon reached the bakery. The gingerbread shop brought back a lot of memories, like the time the head baker threw me a welcome slash thanks for saving Applejack party. Needless to say, not many showed up for that party. I pushed past my memories and walked into the bakery. The smell of freshly baked goods hit me like a brick and almost stopped me from making my way past the various customers and over to the unoccupied counter.

Ringing the front bell, I waited for the inevitable. Soon, a prancing, pink pony came from the back and leapt over to the other side of the counter with her eyes closed. "Hiya!" she greeted cheerfully, opening her eyes as she did so. "Welcome t— CARTER!" The mare leaned over the counter, wrapped her arms around my neck, and pulled me half-way over the counter to her shoulder.

"H-hi, Pinkie," I choked out. "Mind l-letting go?"

Pinkie let go and started bouncing on the spot. "Oh! Oh! I should throw you a 'it wasn't really goodbye after all' party! Everyone's going to be so happy to—!"

"No, Pinkie, I'm not staying for that long. I came here because you're the only baker I can trust with this request," I explained.

"A request about baking!? I'm your mare!" she stated. "So, whatcha' got for me, Carty?"

I leant in close, and she followed my example. "I know alcohol isn't used that often here, but do you think you could whip up a simple rum birthday cake by tonight?"

The expert baker suddenly saluted me. "You got it! Come back three hours from now!" she told me, before sprinting back in to the kitchen. I smiled and made my way out of the bakery. I knew I could count on Pinkie. If she couldn't throw you a party — which was very rare — then you could bet your ass she would bake you something. That's just the kind of person she was.

Taking in a breath of fresh air, I thought about what to do for three hours. I still needed to get Tia a present, but that would take a hour to a hour and a half at most. That left me with a minimum of a hour and a half to kill.

I started towards the where I knew I would find good advice on what to give Celestia. There was no point in worrying over it. I would find a way to deal with it when the time came.

I eventually reached the front of a brightly-coloured building, who's structure reminded me of a merry-go-round. Despite it's welcoming appearance, however, I felt extremely nervous about entering. This place was the epicenter of gossip in Ponyville. If I let one thing slip about doing something for Celestia's birthday, It would spread like wildfire. The results would be catastrophic.

Reluctantly, I entered the boutique. A bell signalling my arrival rang out as I took a look around at my surroundings. Sewing dummies, mirrors, and clothing racks were only some of the things scattered around the pink, purple, and yellow room. Sticking my hands in my pockets nervously, I heard a vibrant voice call out from the back. "Wait just a moment, Darling! I'll be there in a minute!"

I gulped at that thought. All that was going through my head was how strange this conversation was going to be. A white mare with a stylized purple mane and tail, wearing a black business skirt, dark blue blouse, and her signature red reading glasses, entered the room and beamed when she saw me. "Well, look who's back from the city!" she said, spreading her arms for a hug.

"Well, a little fresh air never hurt anyone!" I said, moving into her arms and wrapping my own around her.

After we parted, she looked at me with a curious look. "What would — NO!" she said suddenly while raising her hand to stop me from responding, "let me guess! You've come here for services that only my expertise can provide!"

My hand slowly caught my mouth before a little giggle could escape. That was quite the ambiguous statement. "Heh, I guess you could say that. I'm actually here because I need help choosing a gift for a friend," I admitted.

"Why come to me?" she asked, her hand moving to her chest in confusion.

"Well, it's for a mare tha —" Rarity beamed suddenly and grabbed my hand. 

She practically threw me on to her couch and sat on a chair facing me. "Tell. Me. Everything," she ordered.

"We're not together, before you start jumping to conclusions," I stated. "We're good friends and I want to get her something nice. I'm not very experienced in this 'thoughtful giving' deal. I've always just got people junk that breaks the moment you touch it."

"Well then," she said with a smirk and crossed arms, "she must mean something to you if you're willing to come all the way back here to obtain a present for her!"

"Yeah, she's a friend! Of course she means something to me!" I explained, now irritated. However, I was more bothered by the stirring emotions in me rather that Rarity's prying.

"That's what they all say, Darling," she teased. "But enough of this squabbling, tell me what you had in mind."

"Well..." What did I want to get her? I rotated my hands around each other, looking for the right words. "Something... simple? And maybe a classic?"

"How much are you willing to spend?"

"I don't really care about money. I'll pay whatever."

Rarity stood and motioned for me to follow. "Well then, I know just the thing you're looking for! Let me close the boutique and we'll go," she said.

After locking a few doors and putting an 'out to lunch' sign in the window, Rarity dragged me out of her house and back on to the streets. As we walked, I noticed that we were walking in a part of the town that I rarely travel in. Rarity gracefully walked into a store I never bothered looking at in my time here in Ponyville. The front sign held no words, just a picture of three moneybags and a large diamond. I had an immensely bad feeling about this.

I entered shortly after to find Rarity talking to a caramel-coloured stallion with a black, slick-back mane and tail. He was wearing a business suit with a red tie, which had a dollar symbol embroidered on it. He also had very noticeable bags under his pale blue eyes. He noticed me and smiled. "Hello, sir! You must be the mister Bowman miss Rarity was talking to me about. Please, come in!"

As I approached the two, I couldn't help but notice all of jewelry in very secure viewing cases scattered across the store. The more I looked, the more expensive-looking trinkets and jewels I saw. Reaching the front of the counter that the stallion was standing behind, I looked over to Rarity , who motioned to the stallion. "Uh..." I started, unsure of what to say, "...I'm looking for a gift for a friend?"

"Well then, you've certainly come to the right place!" The stallion started to move around the shop, looking for something in the many glass cases. "Miss Rarity mentioned that your friend was a mare. What I would like to know is if she is a mare of high tastes."

"Well..." Was Celestia a mare of high tastes? I mean, she lives in a god damn castle, but she never really seemed interested in anything... fancy. "I don't think she is. She likes things quite simple, actually."

"A simple mare in Canterlot? That's quite a rare find, my young friend. More rare than having royalty as a date," he pointed out whilst opening a case and grabbing something. I couldn't help but smile. "And, I believe I have something just perfect for this mare of yours." After closing the case, he came over and placed a black box on the counter. He opened the box to reveal two golden earrings, both of which were encrusted with several small diamonds.

Rarity gasped, startling me a bit. "By Celestia! They're beautiful!"

They were indeed beautiful, however I couldn't help but notice the growing smirk on the stallion's face. "Yes, they're sure to win the heart of any mare! Now let's see... They'll be ten thousand bits, and that's being generous!"

"Uh..." was all I could say at that. Sure, I could afford it, but that's still a ton of money! Did I really want to buy something so expensive for Celestia? She already had three of everything money can buy, and a castle. So, why would I buy her some freaking earrings?! If anything, she would probably want something that she's never had before... right? "...sorry, but I can't afford that," I lied.

"What ar —" I covered Rarity's mouth with a hand.

"A shame," the stallion said.

"It is," I agreed. "Thank you for taking the time. Have a nice day," I said, taking my hand off of Rarity and leaving the store.

Rarity quickly caught up to me outside of the building. "What was that all about!?" she demanded.

I looked at my friend with a smile. "Well, I don't think she'd appreciate earrings. Besides, I thought of what to get her, and that involves you getting paid, Rarity." With a short walk back to the boutique, we entered the main room and the head — and only — seamstress turned to me with a distasteful look. "Look, I'm sorry for covering your mouth, Rarity, but that guy was about to jump on my case if you told him that I was a doctor."

"I just don't think that clothing is a good choice of present for a mare," she explained as she went to sit on the same chair that she had before. "I should actually apologize for almost letting that fact slip. We would have been there for hours..."

"Not just any clothes, Rarity. Pajamas!" I exclaimed as I took up my place on the couch.

I saw her lower eyelid twitch when she realized I wasn't joking. "Your... going to give a mare pajamas as a present?" she asked in a very dark and serious tone.

I stood up and stretched. "Well, fine then. If you're going to react that poorly to a potential customer, then I'll just get her a crappy pair at a department store."

Rarity suddenly stood and waved her hands in front of me to stop me from leaving. "Wait!" I stopped and she sighed. "...I'll make them, but I need her measurements."

"Just use mine and add two inches to everything!"

"That will make everything baggy!" she said in horror.

"That how pajamas are supposed to be!" I countered. With a huff, Rarity threw her hands up in the air and stomped into the back. Smiling, I returned to the couch and laid down for a little nap.





Onlookers from various places watched me as I waited for Celestia at the entrance to the train station. They were ignored because I was too busy worrying about how this day would go. I wore a pair of dark blue jeans and the red tee-shirt that Rarity made for me in my first days here. Other than that, I had a black, unzipped sweater on. The seasons were starting to change and the weather was getting colder. 

It was around eleven o'clock and the skies were covered with light gray clouds, making the city gloomy. It didn't matter though, Tia said we'd be leaving Canterlot to go somewhere. That was another thing I was worried about. Where exactly were we going? Would they take kindly to me? It was all so risky, and I didn't like it. However, I was determined to make the best of this, for better or worse.

"Excuse us, but are you Carter Bowman?" I looked up at the ones who disturbed my thoughts. They were two mares, both were unicorns wearing elegant dresses and smiling slyly at me.

"I would be. And you are?" I wasn't really thrilled to be talking to these mares when I could be thinking about how resolve future confrontations.

"I'm Twinkle and my friend here is Night. We were wondering why a handsome stallion like yourself was waiting here all by yourself?" she asked.

I sighed and looked as irritated as possible, in hopes to scare them away. "And why does my being here alone concern you?"

"Well," she said in a seductive tone, "the three of us could go back to my mansion and get to know each other a little better..."

"Uh..." Now I was a little creeped out. I slowly started towards the ticket booth, while still facing them. "I'm so sorry, but I'm going to have to decline. You see, I'm wai —" I felt two mounds press up against my mid back and gently push me towards Twinkle. I looked behind me to find the other mare, Night, pressing her body against me.

"Don't be like that," Twinkle cooed. I notice that some of the other ponies in the station were staring at my little predicament and whispering to each other. "When are you going to have another chance to have two mares at once?"

"And just why would he want to have two mares at once?" an angry and very familiar voice rang from behind Twinkle. I turned to find Celestia with crossed arms looking very irritated at Twinkle.

Twinkle and Night gasped and quickly backed off away from me and the station all together. "W-we'll just be going now." With that, they quickly ran off.

I looked back to Tia to find myself stunned. She was wearing a simple, light purple, sleeveless shirt and a pair of blue skinny jeans with a loose belt that was looked like a bunch of metal rings linked together. There was no jewelry or make up. Hell, even her hair wasn't waving! It was like I was staring at a completely new Celestia. She noticed my staring and turned to me, her face softening to an amused look and her arms uncrossing as she did. "Like what you see? I've been meaning to try this look for a while now, but I never got a proper occasion to do so."

"It's very..." I tried to look for some word that would be complimenting and not very forceful, but nothing was coming to me. Celestia started to look more and more worried as I searched. "Can I be really blunt?" I asked. After some consideration, she nodded at my request. "You look unbelievably hot." She blushed and snorted at my comment.

Shaking her head and hooking her arm around my own, she pulled me towards the ticket booth. "Come on, Casanova, we still have to buy the tickets."

As we approached the both, the mare inside stood at the sight of the princess. "H-hello! Where will you be going today, your highness?" asked the mare shakily.

I pulled out some bits as Celestia told the mare where we were going. "Two second-class tickets to Hollow Shades, please."

"S-second class?" The mare asked. "You won't be using your personal car today?"

"...personal car?" I asked in disbelief. "You have your own personal car to do whatever in... and you want to sit in second class and get stared at?"

After some consideration, Tia nodded in agreement. "My friend makes a good point," she said to the mare. "We'll use my personal car today."

"Very well," said the mare. She handed Celestia two tickets, which I responded with putting six bits on the counter. "Ah, there's no need for payment, sir."

"What payment?" I asked with a wink. Following Celestia away from the booth, we walked over to the platform and waited near the front end. "Thanks for back there, by the way. You really saved me from —"

"Don't mention it. I find it disgusting that mares would use their bodies for power," she explained with a growing frown.

I smiled genuinely at her. "I agree that using the body to manipulate others is wrong, but what do you mean for power?"

"Those two were nobles, believe it or not, and —"

"— they wanted me so that they could look better in the public eye," I finished. "Wow, that's..."

Celestia sighed. "Yes, that's what I have to deal with in court every day. I'm very glad that I get to spend today with you, Carter,"  she said with a smile and an overall happy look.

I rolled my eyes sarcastically. "Man... Why am I so popular with the mares these days?" Tia giggled, which made me smile with her. "You really are beautiful, Tia. Inside and out."

The sound of a steam whistle was heard down at the other end of the station, but my attention was sharply taken back as I was elbowed in the side. "Stop that," Tia playfully ordered, "you're making me blush! Honestly... I still have to stick with my previous theory of you trying to get in between my legs!"

The train pulled up in front of us, letting out a satisfied puff of steam as it came to a stop. The doors opened and crowds of ponies, gryphons, and what not, got off and headed out of the station. Tia and I approached the first door of the of the car closest to the conductor's car and entered. Handing our tickets to the conductor, Tia made her way into the car with me in pursuit.

I stopped as soon as I saw the interior of the car. The entire car was a sea of reds and yellows: red carpets with yellow designs, red curtains with yellow designs, you get the idea. There were two grand looking benches in front of an equally grand mahogany table that reminded me more of a pair of armchairs then actual benches. There was also a bar area, a walk-in closet, hell, there was even a bed! 

Breaking from my stupor, I walked over to the bench opposite of Celestia and sat down. "Like it?" she asked with a not too thrilled look.

"It's very... red," I stated. "Also, a bed? Really?"

"Sometimes," she started while shrugging, "a princess must go to other countries to keep peace and discuss certain matters. It is very tiring on some occasions."

I hummed in agreement and while supporting my head with a hand, I looked out the window. As the train started to move, I remembered what our destination was. "So," I said, looking back to my friend, "we're going to Hollow Shades?"

"Yes," Tia confirmed, "have you heard of it?"

"Only small bits and pieces. It's a small town in a forest, not much is to be heard of it I would assume," I said.

"And that's exactly why we're going there," she explained. "There's a small fair stationed there. It's one of their main sources of income, other than forestry." I laughed slightly at her brilliance. Of course it would be something simple like a fair.





Hollow Shades was indeed quiet. Only about ten or so ponies got off of the train along with Tia and I. Even though it was it was around one o'clock, the canopy above the town blocked the light so well that it may as well have been midnight. The only thing lighting up the village were lamp posts scattered along the streets, which gave off a soft, warm light, like they were filled with fireflies. The town itself was simple enough. There were some brick buildings, which seemed to be mostly stores, and there were some cobblestone houses as well. Although there were cobblestone sidewalks, the streets were dirt, and trees sprouted everywhere they could.

Pulling me out of the scenery, Celestia hooked her arm through mine and pulled me out of the station and on to the streets. After  walking a few blocks, we turned a corner and walked into a cleared area of the forest. Miraculously, the canopy managed to stretch all the way out to the center of the clearing. In the clearing, there were several stalls filled with everything you could imagine, rides, and games. "Here we are," Tia announced.

We walked into the crowd of ponies enjoying themselves and I found myself being partially guided and partially dragged along by an energetic princess to many different stalls. Of course, I paid for everything that she wanted to get, which wasn't much. We got food, a giant plushie of a white tiger, and a ride on "The Scrambler," which got me sandwiched between Tia and a metal wall. Everything else she wanted to do was to just observe ponies and talk.

By the time all of that was over, it was already five. We were both tired and were about to go back to the train, when Celestia nudged me slightly and pointed to the far end of the fair, right at a ferris wheel that barely managed to go through the canopy. I rolled my eyes and followed the birthday girl over to the wheel, where we promptly boarded a capsule. I sat on one side, and Celestia on the other.

"Honestly," Tia started as the door was shut behind us, "you don't have to act like a child about this."

"I'm tired, Tia. This is the last one, I mean it this time." In reality, I wanted to get home before the sun set. That way she had more of an incentive to stick around. 

The princess rolled her eyes at me. "I swear, you sound like an old stallion complaining about getting up to get something."

"Uh, excuse me, miss 'I'm over one thousand years old,' but how do you know what old people are going to say?" I countered.

I half expected her to be mad, but she shrugged instead. "You've got me there... We're about to go over the tree tops! Look!" she said, pointing to her left.

Smiling a bit at her child-like amusement, I turned to my right to look out of the capsule. As we came over the canopy, the red and orange light of the sunset came streaming into the pod. "Wow..." I said in awe. Before us was sprawling plains and a few mountains in the distance, all being surrounded by the sun's warm light.

However, my sight was stolen when the ferris wheel suddenly jerked to a stop, nearly sending me off of my seat. I looked at Tia with mild shock, which she returned. "What the..? Why'd it just jerk like that?" I said in astonishment.

"I don't know," Celestia replied, "maybe it broke down?" I let out a sigh of annoyance and ran a hand through my hair. It's just my luck to run face-first into a problem like this. Now, there was no way that she would want to stay for long! Sensing my stress, Celestia switched seats and moved to my right side, resting her back against my arm. "Relax, it's no big deal! I can just teleport us out of here if I wanted. But... the view's nice, and I'm pretty sure nopony can see us. Besides, you're comfy!"

Sighing in defeat, I wrapped the arm she was leaning against around her and rested it on her midsection while looking back at the sunset with her. "...I hate it when you're right," I admitted. 

We sat like that for about thirty minutes, confirming our suspicions. A young pegasus stallion came up to reveal that a part of the engine had broken and that they were going to get a spare as soon as possible, and we told him to take his time. After that, I became brave and moved against the glass wall of the capsule, bringing my feet up and on to the seat. Tia joined me in this, resting her head against my chest and her hands in her lap. I eventually took off my sweater and used it to cover us as a makeshift blanket.

Slowly, we watched as Celestia moved the sun down past the horizon and her sister take over the sky, moving the moon over our heads and pulling the stars from their slumber. The princess on top of me eventually dozed off, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Is this what people mean by growing old together? Lying down and watching the sunset? I could really get into this... if Tia was the one with me, like now.

However, our time came to an end as the ferris wheel started to move again. "Tia..." I whispered as I gently stroked her cheek. "Tia, we're moving. Come on, time to get up." She groaned at this, but reluctantly got up. I put my sweater back on as we descended to the ground. As we exited, a pony I can only guess was the owner of either the wheel or carnival came up to us, uttering apology after apology to us. Despite this, we thanked them for the ride and went back to the train.

On our way back, Tia fell asleep on me again as I stared out of the train's window. When we started go get near Canterlot, I spied a very fortunate problem over the city.





"I can teleport, you know! We didn't have to run through that storm!" Tia said as I closed the door to my apartment. We were both completely soaked from head to toe. I had forgotten that there was supposed to be a thunderstorm this evening, and that's why it was cloudy in the morning.

"Yea?" I started. "Well, when's the last time you ran through the rain? Huh?" Tia laughed lightly and shook her head at me. I moved past her and into the bathroom, grabbing us both towels to dry ourselves with.

"Mind if I use your shower? I feel a little gross from the rain," Tia asked as I handed her a towel.

I thought about it for a second, and then nodded. "Sure, but let me give you your present to take in with you!" She gave me an odd look at that statement as I moved into my bedroom and picked up a rectangular, yellow box with red ribbons on it. I handed her the box and guided her into the bathroom. "Have fun!" I called in as she closed the door on me. 

As I heard the shower start, I moved to my dresser and got a new change in clothes: a pair of light, linen pajama pants, and a gray tee-shirt that was also given generously to me by Rarity. I dried myself with a towel I got from the bathroom and changed. With that out of the way, I took my soaked clothing over to the kitchen, where I dumped them in the sink. Anywhere else, and they would leak on to the floor. Next, I took my towel and started to clean the water that had tracked it's way from the entrance to the bathroom door.

Throwing the now dirtied and wet towel to it's counterparts in the sink, I grabbed two plates, glasses, and forks. Opening the fridge, I grabbed the cake that Pinkie had made the day before. It was a small, round cake with white frosting coating the outside, and bright pink frosting on top spelled out "Happy Birthday!" I smiled at the cake. Pinkie really outdid herself with this one. I would probably have to make it up to her later.

Taking the cake over to the counter, I dug through my drawers to find a small birthday candle and a lighter that I had bought the day before. I inserted the candle in between the two words on the cake and lit the candle. Reaching into another drawer, I grabbed a large knife and placed it next to the cake. Now all that needed to be done was to be patient and wait for Celestia to be finished with the shower.

Suddenly, there was a large clap of thunder and a flash of bright light from the window, shaking the building. All of the light suddenly vanished from the room and I was left alone in the dark with the only light being from the candle from Tia's cake.

My mind went immediately to Celestia's well being. I rushed over to the bathroom door in the limited light that there was and knocked on it frantically. "Are you alright!?" I called.

"Yes! I can light the room with my magic! I'll be out in a few minutes!" my guest called back over the water and though the door. Sighing in relief, I walked back over to the kitchen. Going once more into the drawers, I pulled out three candles I had bought in case a situation like this occurred. Blackouts happen from time to time, so I wanted to be prepared. 

Using the already lit candle, I lit the other three and placed one on the counter, one on the coffee table in the living room, and the last on my nightstand. The lighting was minimal, but you could move around freely. I made my way over to the living room, but as I passed through my bedroom archway, the door to the bathroom opened behind me.

I turned to find Tia standing in the doorway wearing a dark purple shirt and baggy gray pants. Her mane was damp and it spilled a few inches over her shoulders, on to her new shirt. A dim light was shining from the tip of her horn, highlighting her eyes and the content expression on her face. However, something about her looks bothered me, and I couldn't tell what it was.

Celestia looked down at the floor with a blush, and then back to me, diminishing the light as she did. "I... I've never been given clothes before," she stated quietly. "Thank you."

I shrugged. "I was going to get you a pair of earrings, but I decided against it."

She gave me an honest smile. "I'm glad you did, Carter."

I turned to let her leave and motioned to the living room. She walked past me into the room and let out a laugh when she saw the cake. "I knew that you would try something like this!" she said.

All I could do was shrug. "Well, it's the least I could do! I need you to come over here for the present anyways, so I thought it would be nice to sit down and enjoy some cake," I explained. Tia walked over to the cake and leant over to get a closer at it. That nagging at the back of my mind came back again. What was bothering me? 

Turning her head to me, she smiled. "May I?" she asked, pointing to the candle on top of the cake as she did.

"Be sure to make a wish. Wouldn't want to waste an opportunity like this!" 

With that, the birthday mare blew out her candle and went about cutting the cake. As she did, I dug through the refrigerator for milk and placed it on the counter next to the cake when I found it. As Tia gave herself a portion of the cake, I poured her and myself a tall glass of milk. "You know," I started, "I really enjoy this."

"So do I. After living as long as I have and seeing the things that I've seen, I learnt that this kind of peace is pleasant," she said as she handed me a piece of cake. "As long as I have someone I can care about, I can always feel this way. I've also learnt that the stronger the bond, the stronger the feeling is."

We took our food over the coffee table and sat down with our cake. Tia took the first bite as she sat next to me, and let her head fall back with a moan. "You sly devil! That's why you went to visit my sister!" she said after swallowing the cake.

"Oh, so you heard about that?" I asked. I really shouldn't have expected any different.

"Yes I did, and I want to apologize on my sister's behalf. Whatever she did, I'm so sorry."

I shrugged. "It's no big deal..."

"Really? I heard differently from the guards. In fact, I know that you ran through the castle like a mad pony afterwards," Celestia stated. "So, what did she do?"

Sighing, I took a bite of the cake. The taste of sugar flooded my mouth, but was interrupted as the rum and other seasonings cut through it. "...She pointed a sword at my throat," I stated as I swallowed the cake.

Tia moved her head to her hands and shook it. "Oh, Luna, Luna, Luna..." I heard her mumble. She looked up to me with pleading eyes. "Please don't hold it against her."

"I don't! I just wish I knew why she hates me!" I explained.

Celestia leant back against the couch and sighed. "I wish I knew as well... Perhaps I will ask her tomorrow," she said. 

I looked at her and that feeling came back again, but this time I caught what triggered it. It was her shirt! Her shirt looked a little tight in the chest area, and it was making the cloth hang in front of the belly! But, how? From all the times I've hung out with her, I determined that she was at least a B-cup. However, as I looked at her, I could see clear as day that she was a D-cup! Did... did she expand her breasts using magic? No, that's stupid. So then, that leaves...

"Um..." I swallowed. This was either going to go smoothly or I was going to end up with cake in my face. "T-Tia?"

"Yes?" she asked honestly, not noticing the past few seconds of me staring at her breasts.

"Don't take this the wrong way, I'm just curious, is all." I told her. "Do you... do you tape your breasts down?" Her expression was blank for a few moments. All she did was stare at me, making my nerves become even more strung. After a few more moments of staring, I turned away, embarrassed. "Sorry. It wasn't my place to ask that sort of question."

I heard shuffling coming from the princess and then felt her hand rub my knee. "You have quite the eye, you know that?" she asked rhetorically. "Yes, I do force my breasts down. I forgot to put the elastic bandage I had on after I got out of the shower."

"W... Why?!" I asked, turning back to her. I found it appalling that someone as beautiful as her would inhibit themselves like that.

Celestia laughed a little and then looked out of the window and into the storm, like she was reliving some memories. "Ponies used to fear us, Luna and I. It started a long time ago and it still continues to this day, much to my dismay. Back then, I was once considered a symbol of beauty and desire. I was one of the two mares that nopony could have, mostly because they feared me as a ruler. So one day, I decided to slowly start to decrease my bra size day by day. Nopony noticed it, and eventually ponies started to approach me. However, it also allowed those who wanted to use me to get close as well."

"That's... That's so dumb!" I yelled. "People should just realize that you're normal like them! You shouldn't have to do that! People should be who they are!"

She turned to me with a sad look. "But, it's the world we live in. There's nothing you can do to change society." I opened my mouth to retort, but nothing would come out. 

Tia was right. It was as simple as that.

Turning away from Celestia, I looked into the flame on the candle. I wanted to say something... anything at all, but all that passed through my body was a shiver. Of course, the heating wasn't working because the power was off. Placing my dish on the table, I got up and left the room without looking at Celestia. I only returned once I had my bed's blanket in my arms. Sitting back down beside Tia, I swung the blanket over both of our shoulders. 

When I did, Celestia moved in closer to me, to the point of our legs touching. "But... in here with you, I can be this way: the real me. You want me to be myself and to enjoy myself, right?" she asked quietly, looking me in the eye as she did. I noticed a hint of nervousness in her eyes as she looked at me.

"Of course I do. No one should have to hide who they are in order to please people," I said.

"Then," she started, looking down at my lap as she did, "may I indulge myself for the rest of the night?"

"You don't have to ask me, Tia. All I wanted to do from the beginning of the day was to be with you, and I'm not trying to be cheesy, it's the truth."

After a moment's hesitation, Celestia's hands gently guided me to lay down on the couch, and she crawled slowly on top of me, allowing the blanket to wrap around both of us. Her angel-like arms made their way around my neck, pulling us closer together and allowing her mane to droop around my face like a curtain. I could feel her breasts pushing against me and her warm breath against my face. I couldn't move at all: I was in complete shock!

Using the opportunity, Tia slowly moved her head down and connected our lips, closing her eyes as she did. They were warm, moist, and soft. Instinctively, I slowly moved my arms around her midsection and closed my eyes as I started to kiss back. After a moment, Tia's mouth opened slightly as her tongue prodded against my teeth, begging for entry. I opened my mouth and intercepted Tia's tongue with my own. She moaned slightly as she slipped past my defenses and began to explore the inside of my mouth, focusing her exploration on my canines.

After a few more moments of exploration, Celestia pulled away to end the kiss and let us catch our breath. However, our faces were still close to each other as we looked the other in the eyes. Celestia looked down at my chest before speaking. "...There is an old law that prohibits the romantic relationship between royalty and a citizen from any country," she explained softly, looking back up. "And before you say it's a stupid law, I know. I'm the one who made it."

"Why?" I asked. "Wouldn't that only hurt you and Luna?"

"Yes, it would. But... when you're betrayed by someone who you thought that you could trust, you do things that you regret later on," she said, looking very gloomy at the memory. "I just wanted to protect her from making the same mistake I did."

I cocked my head slightly to the side. "Then why don't you just strike it down? I'm sure everyone would agree that it's unfair to you and Luna," I suggested.

"Then everypony and their mother would know that either Luna or I was in a relationship," she explained.

Now I was just confused. "Then how'd the marriage between Shining Armour and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza happen?" How I remembered that name, I have no Idea.

"The law only applies to Equestria and it's leaders. Princess Cadence and the Crystal Empire are only allied with us; they are their own country their own laws. Only Luna, myself, and now Twilight Sparkle are subjected to the law."

"Then just abolish it! I don't see a reason not to! So what if they know that you're in a relationship with me?!" I said.

"Do you honestly think that the nobles would let you of all people, be with me?! A Princess?! Their Princess?!" She asked forcefully. I didn't respond because yet again, she was right. They wouldn't let me be in a relationship with Celestia, especially since I'm the only one of my kind. They wouldn't know what to predict from me. "So," she started again, now calmer, "for tonight, can we just indulge ourselves? We won't be able to do something intimate like this for some time."

After a few moments of thinking it over, I nodded. "...Okay," I said. A few ,ore moments passed with both of us not speaking a word. "So... what now?"

Tia sighed and smiled. "Now, we can do whatever we like, all night in fact," she explained.

"Well, it's your birthday. You can choose."

Giggling cutely, Celestia's eyes became half-lidded as she looked down at me. "Only one thing comes to mind..." She leant back down to connect our lips again with her eyes closed. However...

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.*

Tia's kiss stopped, and instead she let her face fall into my shoulder with a loud and annoyed groan. "Sorry," I uttered as the princess moved so that I could answer the door. Moving quickly, I reached the door and opened it, not checking to see who it was through the peephole. I opened the door to find two Lunar guards standing at attention in front of me. "It's for you," I said as I immediately turned to the couch where Celestia still lay. 

Sighing loudly, Celestia got up off of the couch and walked over to the guards. "Is it an emergency?" she asked the guards quickly. They both nodded in unison. "I'll be out in just a minute..." she said, her words filled with a mix of sorrow and irritation. Celestia moved past me and closed the door on the guards. Walking past me, she moved into the bathroom and exited a few seconds later with her damp clothes in her arms.

Tia turned back to me, opening her mouth as to say something, but I spoke first. "Um..." I started nervously, scratching the back of my head. "I was wondering if you would have dinner here with me some time," I asked bluntly.

Celestia opened her mouth again, but then closed it, smiling instead. "I would love to," she said, "but I'm afraid that I will very busy during the next few weeks. Perhaps you should come to the castle for dinner. Of course, it will just be the two of us. And then, maybe... I could show you how soft my blanket is."

"It's a date, then," I stated.

With that, Tia smiled and gave me another quick kiss and said goodnight, before opening the door and teleporting away with the two guards. I closed the door and walked back over to the couch. After taking the blanket, putting the dishes away, and blowing out the candles, I moved to the next room and threw the blanket on to the bed. Flopping on to the bed, I started smiling.

I was happy. Truly happy. Tomorrow, I would go back to saving lives, and a few days from now, I would have my second date with... well, my new girlfriend. Everything was going to be great. Hell, maybe I'll get lucky and be able to have a public relationship around Celestia in a few years! Nothing was going to bring my mood down for a long time. And with that happy thought, my eyes fluttered closed and I drifted off to sleep.
> Chapter 6 - Like Being Stabbed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I have very mixed feelings about snow. It's slippery, wet, and looks terrible when dirtied. One thing I do like about it is that it brings a sense of nostalgia for me. It reminds me of the times I used to roll in it as a kid, and of home. God, how I missed Earth. There were so many conveniences for people. For example, not having to walk through a snowstorm at seven o'clock at night, like I was doing now. I could just drive!

However, I didn't have the luxury anymore. Well, I could have grabbed a Hansom cab, but the castle was close and it didn't cross my mind at the time. Although Equestria has many great things, it didn't profess in convenience like Earth. Alas, I was here now, and there was nothing I could do about it.	Nor did I want to do anything. After all, with a few successful dates under our belts, Tia and I were having the times of our lives! Of course, there were a few close calls of our relationship being revealed. It's because of these times that I have learnt that nobles really aren't patient. 

Speaking of Celestia, a few days ago, she invited me to dinner for Hearth's Warming Eve with her and her relatives! Although I was weary of meeting Luna again, how could I refuse?! So, here I was, walking through one of the biggest snowstorms in the past century, according to Cross. Even though I had just had my hands deep in a mare's body to give her the gift of a new kidney, I was ecstatic. I would have my first holiday with my girlfriend, and I knew it would be awesome!

Bundled in a large coat and red scarf, I made my way to the castle gates and through them. Reaching the large double doors that served as the main entrance to the castle, I entered quickly and took off my scarf. I stuffed my scarf into my coat pocket and took off my coat, folding it over my arm as I started to walk deeper into the castle. Nodding to the guards as I passed them, I made my way towards Celestia's room. After all, I wasn't going be extremely awkward around her family without her present! 

There was a certain quietness to the castle halls at this time. It was just after day court, but just before night court, giving the two sisters enough time to have supper and switch places on the throne. Stopping in the middle of the hallway and looking around, I wondered if it had been like this all day. Twilight had told me back in Ponyville that the princesses didn't have court on certain holidays, tonight being one of them.

Lost in though and the atmosphere, I didn't notice the light pink alicorn walk besides me and start to examine me. "Hmm..." she pondered, "I guess I can see it." 

Jumping at the sudden voice, I spun on my heels and rapidly took several steps backwards, my hands held up in front of my chest. "Holy—!" I said in shock. Sighing in relief as the mare giggled at my reaction, I walked back over to her and crossed my arms. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Because it almost worked!"

"Sorry," she apologized with a smile, "but this is the first I've ever seen a human before! I just wanted to see if aunt Celestia's description of you was accurate." After rolling my eyes at her excuse, I managed to get a good look at her. The light pink mare had light purple eyes, and a mane that was streaked violet, rose, and pale gold, and hung down to at least mid-back and was curled at the ends. She was wearing a black, knitted jumper and a tan skirt, as well as the same colour, knee-high boots. She was thinner than Celestia and Luna, but much shorter.

"W-wait," I said, catching the obvious contradiction in her statement, "aunt Celestia? So... Luna had a kid!?" Before the mare could explain herself, I put my hand up to my chin and started to analyze the new piece of info given to me, completely ignoring the mare in front of me. "But then, who's the father? It's illegal for Luna to have a relationship with a citizen, but that only leaves... maybe other royalty? No that's impossible. The media would be all over it. So then, maybe it was before the law..."

"Excuse me?" The mare tried to get my attention, waving her hand in front of me.

"She is an alicorn, so maybe that would work..." I continued. "No, there's also the fact that alicorns can be made. It could be that she was adopted by Luna in secret and was made into an alicorn. But then, why didn't Tia tell me? Does she not trust me enough?"

"Mr. Bowman? Hello! Equestria to Carter!" she said, waving her hands more urgently.

I was starting to get worried. "Why doesn't she trust me? I thought we were together now... What was the time we spent together then? Was that just her using me for her own gai—?"

"Patient is V.S.A! We need help, NOW!" I jumped again, this time out of my trance and towards the source of the sudden order: the light pink alicorn. Despite her small size, she could really yell.

I stood there, staring at her in complete shock. I didn't expect her to start yelling, especially something that would really get my attention. Slowly, though, I hung my head in shame. "S...sorry," I said pathetically.

"Don't be," the mare said with a smile, "it shows that you care about her. I can see why she's interested in you now."

Sighing at my over analysis of the word aunt, my original problem resurfaced. "Are you Luna's daughter? Because I didn't know—"

"Oh, no," she started, "we're not related, technically. I call both princess Luna and Celestia my aunts because I lived with them for the duration that the Crystal Empire had disappeared. They treated me like family, so I started to call them my aunts!"

"Oh!" I said in relief. "I... wow. I really over thought that, huh?" The mare nodded while still smiling brightly. "If that's the case, then you must be Cadence, Twilight's sister-in-law. It's nice to meet you." I stuck out my hand and she took it. "I guess you already know who I am?"

"From aunt Celestia's constant bantering about you and Twilight's constant barrage of research, how could I not?" I chuckled. That sounded very plausible. "Say, where are you headed? Everyone's talking in the lounge."

Scratching the back of my head nervously, I smiled. "I was just going to go and say hello to Celestia before I meet everyone," I explained.

"Ah, I see. Nervous, are we?" Cadence teased.

I chuckled again. "Truthfully, I am a little. I don't know if I should be formal or casual."

"Just be you and you'll be fine," she advised. Cadence then looked as if she suddenly remembered something. "Might I join you? I just remembered that I need to speak to aunt Celestia about something."

Smiling, I nodded. "Sure you can. I don't mind walking alongside a pretty mare," I said, turning towards the direction of Tia's tower.

Cadence giggled at my statement as she started to follow me down the hall. "Sorry," she apologized, lifting her left hand and started display her simple gold wedding ring, "I'm already married." After a few more steps, the princess looked around and suddenly leant in towards me. "And, we might be close to starting a family, too!" she whispered excitedly.

"That's great!" I said quietly. "I don't mean to pry into your private life, but... are you already...?" Cadence beamed and nodded her head with happiness. "That's great! Congratulations!"

After a few more minutes of discussing what to name her child and how to tell everyone about the baby, we soon reached the tower. We found ourselves in front of double doors much like the ones leading to Luna's tower, but these were golden doors with thin, wrought silver poles that were made into the shape of the sun and sunflowers surrounding it. We passed through them into a stone, spiral staircase and quickly escalated them to reach another pair of double doors. However, these were just plain, wooden double doors. I approached the right door and put my hand on one of the doorknobs to open it, but something caught my ear to sway me from doing so. 

"Art thou afraid that we will steal the human from you, Tia?!" came the voice of Luna, sounding very aggressive. My ear instinctively pressed against the door to get hear a little better. I don't usually eavesdrop, but this conversation had me curious as to what was going on. Instead of pulling me away from the door, Cadence joined me as well.

"Steal Carter from me?" Tia responded annoyed. "Please. Carter and I are one step away from bedding together. I don't think I have anything to be afraid of." That was true. On many occasions did we come very close to having sex, but we were always interrupted before we could.

"Oh really?" said Luna disbelievingly. "So, anypony would not be able to sweep him away from you?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying," Celestia said, sounding increasingly more annoyed.

"Care to make a bet, dear sister?" Luna asked slyly. "Starting when he arrives tonight, we will both try to seduce the human. The first one to do so will win."

"Ha! I'm already 99% done, Lulu!" Celestia laughed. "And what does the winner get? A trophy? A ribbon?"

"The winner gets to keep him. Of course, there will be no hard feelings if one side loses." Luna added.

There was a long moment of silence after that. My heart was pounding in my chest. Tia wouldn't even consider this bet, right!? I looked over to Cadence, who had a look of disbelief on her face. 

"If this will get you off of my back about that law, then I'll accept." Tia stated.

My heart sank. I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. I felt the door start to open and I leant back as to not fall through into the room. In front of me stood Luna, facing away into the room at Tia, who was sitting at a mirror with a comb levitating through her hair. "Well then, sister," Luna started, "may the best mare—" Luna turned to leave, but instead she found me blocking her path. Here eyes locked with mine, and after a moment of realization, she beamed.

I didn't respond with anger, nor sorrow. Instead, I did the most impactful thing I could have done: I shook my head. By now, Cadence had joined my side and Tia had turned around to see what had caused her sister to stop. "What am I to you?" I asked to both of them. "Am I just a thing for you to play with? Something that has no emotions?" Luna began to respond, but I held up my hand. "If I had arrived five minutes later, I wouldn't have heard this. Imagine what I would have felt when two mares— who I like and respect very much —tried to pull me apart from one another." With that, I turned and descended the stairs.





Nobody had followed me out into the cold, dark streets of Canterlot. By now, I felt terrible. Not because I felt betrayed, but because I was scared of what would happen next. Would Celestia leave me? I didn't know for sure, but I did know that thinking about it would make it hurt a whole lot more. The snow whipped at my face in the harsh winds of the storm, reminding me of why I was still outside. I didn't dare go home. Celestia could find me easily there, and I didn't feel like talking to her at that moment. So, I was headed for my second home: Canterlot Central.

I could see the hospital up ahead, about a building away from me. Cross had told me that she and Sylvia planned on staying after hours to "liven the place up a bit." I was half worried to show up to a drunken party of hospital staff, but I knew somewhere deep in my heart that Sylvia wouldn't put up with that and stop them. 

As I walked passed the last building, someone with a cloak, their face covered with a hood, suddenly ran from the space between the building and the hospital. They dashed towards me and as they got closer, I became worried. Did They need help? Were they in troub—?

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHGGGGGGGGG!!!!!" I screamed as my abdomen exploded with pain. The figure pulled back, revealing something small and red glinting in the light of the buildings.

Just as I hunched over in pain, gasping for air and putting pressure on the wound, my assailant rushed at me again. I cried out as my right side erupted as well. I suddenly found it hard to breathe. The taste of blood in my mouth and the familiar scent lingering in the air told me what was happening.

Falling to my knees, now grasping each wound with a hand, the figure ran at me for a third time. This time however, my assailant plunged their weapon deep into the left side of my collarbone. With that, they ran off into the alleys.

My right hand quickly slapped on to my neck, trying desperately to stop the profuse bleeding. I fell to the ground on my back, writhing in pain as I tried to cover the wound on my abdomen and side with my left arm.

"H-hello?! Is anybody hurt out here?!" a familiar voice called out. It sounded a lot like a nurse from the hospital. I tried to call out, but my body was screaming in protest. "Hello!?"

I was going to die if I just sat there doing nothing. The cold now piercing my body reminded me of that.

Raising my hand and waving slowly, I prayed that she would see. I looked at me and in the limited light. It was completely red.

There were foot steps crunching through the snow, getting louder and louder. Suddenly, they stopped and a gasp rang out. "D— Doctor Bowman!" There was a pause and I used it to place my arm back on the wounds. I was grabbed my the collar of my coat and dragged through the snow. We entered the hospital and there was suddenly a commotion. I felt myself being lifted into the air, then on to a bed.

The corners of my vision were starting to disappear. My head lazily fell to the side. What I saw was shocking to say the least. It wasn't the sprinting of ponies, or how worried the staff looked.

It was a human woman, with cream coloured skin and brown hair, as well as beautiful, hazel eyes. She stared at me with a kind smile and mouthed a single word before I passed out.

"Purpose."
> Chapter 7 - Three Special Words
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The familiar sound of an electrocardiogram rang throughout the room. I was laying down on a bed, with something warm putting pressure on my left hand and knee. My abdomen and chest were very sore, as well as the left side of my neck. But there was something far more prominent to me than those symptoms. I was tired. Far more tired than I should have been.

"I'm so sorry..." whispered Celestia's voice to my left. "If I'd just thought about your true feelings, none of this would have happened." 

Slowly opening my eyes, I carefully turned to my left. A jolt of pain shot through my upper body and neck as I did so, but I could see Tia now, and she looked terrible. She sat on a chair beside the bed I was laying on, and I noticed the fur on her cheeks were matted and flat from crying, and her hair had several knots in it, despite having just combed it. Her head was laying on my knee with her eyes closed, and her hands were wrapped tightly around my own. "I was so stupid. How could I just forget about you like that?"

Seeing her like this was starting to break my heart. I had completely forgotten that she agreed to that bet, mostly because I didn't care anymore. "I invited you over because I wanted to spend more time with you, but all I did was hurt you and push you away. And look what happened to you," she said. "How could you forgive me after this?"

I smiled weakly and slowly moved my right hand over to her head, pushing a stray lock of her mane behind her ear. She quickly opened her eyes and looked up at me with a small and very cute gasp. "I'm the one who just got stabbed three times, yet you're the one using me as a pillow," I said with a small laugh. Celestia sat up at that, wiping her eyes and fixing her mane. "Did I say I didn't like it?" Tia smiled a tiny bit and moved her chair closer to my head. 

Celestia lowered her head onto my chest carefully. I hissed in pain at the pressure on my chest and became confused shortly afterwards. I looked down at where I was stabbed and found that my entire chest was wrapped in bandages. "Oh good," I said with weak sarcasm, "they went and did a thoracotomy. No wonder I feel great." My head fell back onto the bed's pillow and I let out a sigh. "God, I hope they used that anti-scarring treatment..." Looking back over to Tia, I found that she could not look me in the eye. Rolling my eyes, I took my left hand and scratched behind her ear. The reaction was immediate. Celestia moved into my hand and let out a soft sigh. "Stop it," I ordered, "you're depressing me."

"But how —!?"

"No," I said sternly.

"Carter, I —!"

"Shh," I covered her lips with a finger. Tia forcefully moved my hand away from her mouth, giving me an annoyed glare all the while. "The moment you said sorry, I forgave you."

Celestia groaned in defeat and turned away from me. "That still doesn't excuse the fact that someone just tried to murder you..." She suddenly sat up and stared at me intensely. "Did you see —!?" 

I shook my head and gently pulled her arm so that she would lay back down on my chest. "It was dark, and they were wearing a hood," I said, making Tia sigh again. "This wasn't your fault, you know. Nobody could have predicted this," I said as I started to gently stroke my fingers through her mane.

We were both silent after that, giving me time to ponder what the hell just happened. I was stabbed, then dragged to the hospital. That was the gist of it. However, there was one other thing, too. I hallucinated that Olivia was in the hospital, and she said something to me: "purpose." Who's? Mine? My life's purpose, or...

"Hey..." I said quietly. "Why do you think I appeared here?"

"Here? In Equestria?" I nodded and she continued. "Well, you're a doctor, so I would assume to save lives," she answered. I hummed in thought and Tia became quite curious. "Why do you ask?"

"Just the thought of me dying before I could do anything of significance made me think," I responded half-truthfully. 

I wasn't so sure though. It seemed rather redundant to bring something that hasn't existed in this world back just to save lives, when there were plenty of other doctors that could do the same job. Do I serve some other purpose...? It was such a thought provoking question. Could a hallucination really spawn that with one word? Was It really a hallucination? I mean, this world was filled with mythical animals, magic, and other elements that I couldn't even begin to fathom. Was it impossible for that to have been real? Could it have been... Olivia?

We sat there for some time with my hand running through her locks, before the door to the room opened. That triggered Tia to sit up straight and look normal. I was a little sad because of this, but I perked up when I saw who had walked into the room. "I didn't know you had a second job as a knife block!" Red Cross stated sarcastically as she strolled into the room with what appeared to be my chart. I could feel Celestia tense a bit as she said this.

"Well," I said with a light smile, squeezing Tia's hand to calm her, "you're still and asshole, I see. I must have been out for like, what? Three days? Because if it's any earlier than that, then it's too soon, Cross."

"It's not everyday I can make fun of someone who's just been stabbed, you know," she said, leaning on the end of the bed. "Couldn't miss the opportunity even if I tried. Also, swearing in front of a princess!? How rude! Please forgive him, your Majesty. His barbaric culture knows no bounds!"

"Shut up and give me my chart already, Cross," I said annoyed as Celestia chuckled at our bantering.

Cross threw me the clipboard and I looked it over as she summarized what it said. "Recovery from copious blood loss and three, three-and-a-half inch deep and one inch wide puncture wounds that are located on the upper left abdomen, upper right lateral section of the chest, and in the left section of the collarbone," she summarized.

I skimmed through the paper and found something intriguing. "Received one-and-a-half pints of type AB Rh Negative blood," I said out loud. "So, where's the other human?" I said looking straight at Cross, demanding an answer for this.

Cross smiled and folded her arms. "You'd best think about thanking princess Twilight for being the biggest creep in all of Equestria. She stole a sample of your blood while —"

"SHE STOLE MY BLOOD!?" I shouted.

Cross waited a moment before continuing. "As I was saying, she took a sample of your blood while you were sleeping for research purposes. If it wasn't for that research, you'd be dead," she explained. "It seems like human blood isn't that different to pony's blood. The closest match to human blood is actually alicorn blood. Amazingly, there was one, and only one qualified and willing donor."

I turned to my marefriend, but she shook her head. "Who...?" I asked reluctantly as I turned back to Cross.

"You're going to love this," she assured me. As soon as she said that, I knew. "It was Princess Luna!"

"L... Luna?!" I asked. "I thought she hated me!"

"What you said really got to her... and me as well. She said that this was her way of atonement," Tia explained. "And she doesn't hate you! I think she's just... afraid."

"Afraid?!" I asked, turning to Celestia completely dumbfounded. "Afraid of what?! The squishiest, weakest being in this world?!"

"So, if I were to show up in your world, you and your people wouldn't be afraid!?" she retorted.

I opened my mouth to respond, but I couldn't. She had me there. Humans would probably react more poorly to ponies than they have to me. "Okay, you've got me there," I admitted with a sigh.

With that, Cross nodded and said her farewells before exiting the room, leaving Tia and I alone. "You know," Celestia started with a victorious grin, "I could always invite Lulu to join us on our little 'play dates'..."

Sighing, I scratched the back of my head anxiously. "You probably should. I need to get on her good side while I still have the chance... or else I might never feel safe in the castle!"





Three months passed and not much happened. I was interviewed about the story of my stabbing, which made the front page of the newspaper, but that was it. My wound had healed completely and I was working again. In short, mostly everything had gone back to normal. There was one difference, though. Luna, Celestia, and I were starting to get together and talk, and it was really helping my relationship with Luna! She seemed to like me after she got to know me a little. There were even a few times when Tia had to deal with the nobles, Luna and I had tea by ourselves!

There was definite progress, and I was happy. However, today I felt rather uneasy. I had just left the hospital at around eight o'clock and was headed towards the castle at a very quick pace. Earlier in the day, I was visited by the royal courier and he gave me a note. It was from Celestia, and it was short and to the point.

Dear Carter,

I must request that you visit me in my chambers as soon as you possibly can. There is an urgent matter I wish to discuss with you in private.

Your dear friend, Princess Celestia.

So here I was, walking into the castle and making my way quickly over to Tia's tower. I made it to the golden double doors, but I was stopped by two guards that were standing on either side of them. "I'm sorry, sir," the guard apologised, "but Princess Celestia has ordered that nopony disturb her."

"I think you'll see," I said whilst pulling out Celestia's note and giving it to the guard, "that I'm no pony."

The guard unfolded and read the note before nodding and opening the doors for me. After retrieving the note, I made my way up the spiral staircase with a sense of dread. Was Tia alright? Did something happen to her? Did she finally snap at one of the nobles!? Reaching the door, I raised my hand to knock, but after putting my ear to the door and hearing nothing on the other side, I decided against it. She could be sleeping, after all.

I put my hand on the knob and turned it slowly, trying not to make a sound. leaning into the door, I opened it silently and crept into the room. It was a rather small room considering who occupied it. The walls and ceiling were a sky blue, while the floor was covered with royal purple carpeting. There was a large desk filled with papers and envelopes to my right, a glass door I recognized as the door to her balcony at the far end of the room, a large, wine red, king-sized, four-poster bed to my left, which Tia lay face-down on, and a small nightstand with a lamp on it just beside the bed. The lamp was the only thing to illuminate the room, casting a light glow to everything. It was quite the romantic setting.

However, Celestia's body language suggested that this was not on purpose. Her face was buried deep into her pillow, and her shoulders sank into the covers. She bore no top, but a black bra, revealing a lot of her white, elegant fur. The only other clothing she wore was a black skirt that only reached to about the middle of the thigh. 

It was at that moment that I knew what exactly she had called me over to do. She sighed as I slowly approached the bed. I managed to make it to the bedside, and my hands slowly descended onto her shoulders, gently pushing against the tense muscles and massaging them. Tia moaned into the pillow at my touch. "If that's you, Discord..." she warned.

"Discord?" I asked quietly in a suggestive tone. "Discord ain't got shit on me." I positioned myself over her by straddling her back with my knees and began to move my hands down her back, causing her to moan a bit deeper than the last. "Now then, I remember you saying something along the lines of you having some sort of fantasy of someone with soft, warm hands giving you a little massage... and something more. I could fill that position, if you'd like..."

"It depends," she retorted smugly. "Let's see how you do with the back, and I'll see if you're good enough for the front." Unbeknownst to her, I narrowed my eyes and smiled in determination at her challenge. If she was going to play that way, then I was going to pull out all of the tricks in the book for this one.

I moved ever so slowly down her body, massaging every muscle I could find in her back and sides. That is, until I reached her wings. I smiled deviously as my hands slowly pressed circles around the base of each wing. Tia gasped lightly at the feeling, and her wings suddenly flared out, but she gave a half-moan, half-groan and sank deeper into her pillow. "Clever b-boy," she whispered. "I see you weren't lying when you said you were amazing with your hands..." I moved along each wing, pressing down on the delicate muscles and joints to get the kinks out. 

Blushing a bit at what was to come next, I finished with her wings and moved towards her bra strap. I unhooked the strap and pushed it to the sides, giving myself access to more of Celestia's back. "Hope you don't mind, I don't think either of us think that a bra is necessary for this," I said. Tia hummed in agreement and pulled the article of clothing from underneath her, discarding it to the floor. I continued down her back until I reached the lowest point on her body that I could reach: her hips. "Any problem with me massaging those amazing legs of yours?" I asked as I turned around to get a better position.

"Only if you can hold back taking a peek underneath my skirt," she cooed. I rolled my eyes and started with her left leg, starting from her ankle and moving up her body. Making sure to touch every muscle, I got to her thigh and kept moving until I reached her skirt. I then moved my hands a bit up her skirt to massage she rest of her leg. Celestia hummed in excitement as my hands got close to her most private of areas, but sighed as I pulled them away. I continued to the other leg and moved up to the same position. Her inner thigh was incredibly warm, and I picked up a small, musky scent coming from her lower half.

There was a small giggle behind me and Tia's legs suddenly flipped over while still below me. "I think you've earned —"

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

I laughed a little, but Celestia groaned in annoyance. "Not this again..." she prayed.

"Princess Celestia, there is a mister Perfect Pencil of the Canterlot Daily here to see you. He states that he has important matters to discuss with you, and he seems rather inpatient. Should I ask him to leave?" a guard asked from behind Tia's door.

Another deep sigh came from Celestia as she answered reluctantly. "No... tell him I'll see him in a few minutes."

"Yes, your Highness!" The guard's footsteps echoed down the stairs as I got off of Tia, making sure not to look at her exposed state.

"You know," she started, "you don't have to be a gentlecolt..."

"I'm neither being a gentleman, nor a colt," I explained. "I just want to relish the moment when I see your full beauty without those restrictive clothes."

"Is that so?" she asked. "Well, I won't refuse your wishes, then." I felt her arms wrap around my neck and pull me close to her body. "By the way, I'm already dressed." One of her hands slowly slid down my arm and wrapped itself around my own. I looked to the alicorn to find her with her purple, sleeveless top on. She guided me to the door and we began descending the stairs together, hand in hand.

"You know..." I started, smiling as I thought of an idea.

Tia turned and stared at me. "What?"

"I usually stay awake until about eleven. Until then... my door's always open," I hinted with a suggestive tone.

Celestia giggled. "I'll keep that in mind. I trust you don't mind if I drop in last minute?" she asked.

"Not at all, my dear. Not. At. All." It took a few more minutes for us to reach the door to the main part of the castle, and I enjoyed that time by just being next to Tia. When we reached the bottom of the tower, Celestia reached out to the handle of the double door, but my hand intercepted hers suddenly. "Tia, I..."

She looked to me, staring me in the eye. "What is it, Carter?" I knew I was blushing. I mean, who wouldn't when they were about to say something so meaningful. But, Tia smiled and the previous hesitation I had was gone.

"I love you," I confessed.

The reaction wasn't immediate, but Celestia finally looked down, blushing, and laughed a little before looking up into my eyes. "You have no idea how much that just brightened my day," she said with some tears in her eyes. She leant into me and pressed her lips onto mine. They were as soft and as moist as I remembered them. She parted our lips as soon as they joined. "I love you, too," she admitted. I smiled, and with that she opened the door.

We walked into the hall where two stallions — who I recognized as reporters from the way they were dressed — were standing, like they were waiting for someone. An idea suddenly popped into my mind. "Are you sure?" I asked the princess suddenly, and quite loudly. Tia turned to me with a confused look as I continued. "I mean, it could take all night! Are you sure that you'd be willing to do that?"

Celestia looked at me as if I were insane for a few moments before realizing what I was doing. "Oh, don't be like that!" she said, lightly slapping my arm. "I don't mind staying up all night with a good friend of mine, especially if it's to help him with something!" She hugged me and I hugged back. "I'll see you later tonight, I promise," she reaffirmed me.

"Alright then," I said, breaking the hug and bowing to her, "until tonight." Tia bowed back and I turned to leave the castle as Tia started to converse with the two stallions. I made my way through the castle and eventually made it to the main doors. I was stopped though, just before exiting the building by a lunar guard. He informed me that Luna wanted to speak to me tomorrow morning about something really important. With that, I left the castle a little curious.





There was no doubt in my mind that I was more nervous and excited than I had ever been in my entire life. At any moment, Tia could walk though my door and ravage me. I was standing in the shower, letting the water run over my head and body, as well as deciding if she would actually come or not since it was almost eleven thirty. Sure, she promised that she would come, and this was the first time we would actually sleep together, so I doubt that she would want to miss this, but she was still the princess; she could be occupied by other important things.

Sighing, I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and drying myself off. There was no point in thinking about this, I was going to go to sleep. If she came, I would wake up and we would continue as planned. If not, well I still had work in the morning. I wrapped my towel around my waist and used it as a make-shift kilt. With that, I opened the door to my bedroom and walked in. "There you are," came a sultry voice to my left. "It's rude to keep a mare waiting like that, handsome..." I looked to my left, towards the source of the voice: my bed.

What I found made my jaw drop.

There, laying on my bed, on her side with her head propped up by her left arm and her right resting elegantly on her wide, luscious hips, was Celestia. She wore no clothes other than a black, slightly see-though, lingerie bra, panties, and gown. There must have only been a candle lighting the room because her gorgeous, magenta eyes sparkled and flickered in the light. Her mane was also straight instead of it's windy form, and splayed out over her shoulders. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as I continued to stare. Tia giggled a bit. "See something you like? Because it's ripe for the picking, you know..."

And like the complete idiot that I am, I said the first thing that came to my mind through my slack jaw. "...Hi," I said weakly and dumbly.

Celestia chuckled and shook her head. "Hi," she responded. "Are you going to come over here, or am I going to have to levitate you?" I slowly walked over to the bed, not really knowing if I had fallen asleep in the shower and this was all just a dream. It was so surreal, laying down on the bed next to Tia and basking in her beauty.

At this distance, I could see the details of her body. For example, I noticed her obvious pink nipples under her bra, as well as the pink nub in between her legs. "Y-you look... wow," I flailed with my words. I couldn't speak, my mind was melting from the shock of finding her like this! "I... may I?" I asked, and she slowly nodded. Reaching into her gown, I placed my hand gently on her side and stroked it back and forth, feeling the ludicrously soft fur against my hand. I looked back up to Tia, and after a few moments of admiration, I leant in and placed my lips onto her's.

Placing her free hand onto my shoulder, she rolled me on my back and lay on top of me. Her tongue dived into my mouth, and I greeted it with my own, intercepting her decent and having a passionate entanglement. Tia moaned into my mouth at this and started to run a hand down my chest. We broke the kiss and she began to run her hands along my chest. "My, my... It seems your clothes are deceitful. I underestimated your muscle tone," she cooed.

"Well, I have to admit that after you told me that you like this, I did start to go to the gym more often," I admitted. Tia giggled cutely and we locked lips again. However, this time my hands were not idle. I ran my hands along her back and up her gown to my target: her bra strap. I unhooked it slowly for the second time that night and savored the moment. Celestia broke the kiss and sat up, revealing her round, soft mounds. I threw the article away absentmindedly and sat up to fondle the white orbs in front of me.

Tia hummed happily and threw away the gown as I grabbed both breasts with my hands and began to massage them. They were soft and warm, and my hands sank into them like they were pillows. She gasped when I suddenly took one of her pink, perky nipples into my mouth and began to explore it with my tongue.  Celestia's hands ran up and down the back of my head and body, not knowing where to go. However, my right hand was already on it's way to my next target. It slid onto Tia's back and ran down to her round butt, giving it a squeeze upon arrival. Soon after, it descended further, past her tail and...

Celestia suddenly let out a large gasp and a moan in pleasure as my hand traced her already moist panties. I continued like that for a few more moments, making Tia squirm under my touch, before retracting myself from her chest and guiding her to lie down on her back on the bed. Giving her a quick kiss, I trailed small pecks down her body, starting from her neck and moving down to her shoulders, then in between her breasts, down her belly and past the navel, all the way until I was facing the last bit of clothing on her.

I could see my prize: a pair of pink lips parting the white fur under the soaking underwear. Moving closer, all I could smell was Celestia's musk. I stuck my tongue out and dragged my tongue agonizingly slow across the slit, causing a sensual moan to erupt from Tia's mouth. Again and again I massaged her slit by moving my tongue up and down the area, causing deeper and more animalistic noises to arise from Celestia's mouth.

Deciding that I'd teased her enough, I slowly peeled away the last piece of clothing from Tia's body, giving me a great view of her love. As I started to wrap an arm around each of her legs, the slit winked at me, almost edging me to hurry up. I placed my right hand just above Celestia's pelvis and placed my thumb on her clit, moving it around in a circle. "Oh~! C-Carter~!" Tia practically screamed in pleasure, and her moans only grew more lustful as my tongue started prodding her entrance.

I pierced her canal with my tongue, moving it along Tia's inner walls. The bitter yet enticing taste of her thick juices egged me on to go deeper into her. Celestia's breathing started to quicken and her moans became more frequent. She was getting very close, very fast. I removed my thumb from her button and replaced it with my mouth. Beginning to suckle on her now very sensitive clitoris, I moved my left hand and penetrated her soaking slit with two fingers.

This was enough to send Tia over the edge, and she let out an ear-piercing moan and arced her back as her pussy clamped down on my fingers and drenched them in her cum. I continued to suck at her clit as I moved my fingers back and forth against Celestia's velvety walls, letting her ride out her orgasm. After a few moments, when her breathing returned to normal and her back rested against the bed once more, I removed myself from her marehood and climbed up the bed to Tia's now sweating and beet red face. 

I took one of my juice-soaked fingers into my mouth and hummed in delight at it's bitter taste. "Hmm... Not bad," I said, popping the digit out of my maw. "You should try some."

Celestia hummed in fake thought. "I would," she started, giving me a half-lidded stare, "but I've got my eye on something else..." I felt her hand slowly move down my chest, tracing it's way towards the towel around my waist. I tried to keep eye contact, but Tia's eyes followed her hand down my chest. When they reached their destination, her hand traveled over the towel instead of under it, and over to the tent that had risen.

The feeling of her hand on my spire made me shiver. Celestia then used her other hand to pull me into a passionate kiss as her hand examined her new plaything. Suddenly, the pressure from her hand vanished, and I was thoroughly disappointed. However, my rod was suddenly engulfed by a soft, warm, and furry hand, making me gasp suddenly and Tia giggle at my reaction. The feeling of each fiber of fur on her hand rubbing against me was astounding to say the least.

Celestia broke the kiss and gave me a very mischievous smile. She pushed me onto my back again and climbed on top of me once more. This time however, she started to slowly shuffle down my body, making sure to keep stroking my shaft. When she reached the disheveled tent, she tore off the towel with one quick motion, revealing my towering manhood. "My, oh my..." she hummed in delight, staring directly at my stick.

I was about to respond when she suddenly leant down and gave the head a kiss, followed closely by a swirl of her tongue. I moaned at the feeling of her warm, wet tongue on my head, encouraging her to take all of the head into her mouth. I gasped as my cock was slowly consumed by the hot, wetness of Tia's mouth. When she hit the bottom, she looked straight into my eyes and returned to the top, only to slam right down back to the base.

Celestia's head bobbed up and down more times than I could count, not that I could. The feeling was beyond anything I could describe. Tia stopped suddenly and retracted herself from her new toy, giving me a break from my moaning and groaning to breathe. She moved forwards, slowly bringing my spire in between her breasts and sandwiching it. I let out a large moan as the feeling of her hand returned tenfold to my rod.

Moving slowly at first, Celestia massaged my manhood with those perfect, white melons by gyrating, compressing, and twisting them in around my cock. I couldn't help but groan at the feeling of those pillows gripping me better than any hand could, and after a few minutes the effect became apparent. I felt a pressure building in my loins and it threatened to burst at any moment. I tried to get Tia's attention, but it seemed she had picked up on my plight at the same time I did.

Celestia removed me from her grasp and rejoined me at the head of the bed, taking her place on top of me. "Not bad for someone who's banned from having a relationship, huh?" she asked as she got up to eye level. All I could do was laugh at her comment. She certainly had over 1000 years of experience, that was for sure. "So, hot stuff," she started whilst tracing my chest with a finger, "how do you want to take your princess?"

Instead of responding, I leant forwards and locked my lips with hers, fighting to dominate her tongue with my own. We switched places as we kissed, Tia wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me on top of her as she rolled onto her back. The kiss broke and we both took a needed breath of air as we stared into the other's eyes. Celestia's leg rubbed against my side after a moment, breaking my stupor. I reached down and positioned myself just in front of her slick entrance, prodding at it after I was settled and causing Tia to hum in delight.

I could feel her hot, wet, and swollen lips consume my head and shaft as I slowly pressed into her tight passage, causing us both to moan and gasp lightly. Soon I could go no further and I slowly withdrew myself from Tia's molten snatch, exposing myself to the cold air of the room. Pressing in again with a little more force, I found myself within Celestia's warmth again, causing us to moan a little louder. My thrusting started to get into a steady rhythm, much like our gasps of delight and lustful moans.

Soon, I started to thrust faster and harder, and the wet sound of my balls slapping against her crotch became prominent. After a while, we both were panting deeply. The sensation of Tia's hot, glistening, velvety walls clamping around my rock-hard dick, trying desperately to milk it for my juices was beyond anything I could describe with words. 

With my left arm supporting my weight, my right hand started to travel down Celestia's body as I leant in and passionately kissed her as we continued to make love. I soon reached my target and Tia's reaction was immediate. "Yes~! Oh, buck yes~!" she screamed lustfully as my hand reached her clit and began to rub it furiously. "I'm... really close~! Don't you dare stop~!"

"So am I~!" I moaned as the pressure in my loins started to build to the point of bursting. My thrusts became far more erratic and forceful as Tia began to meet my thrusts with her own.

"Oh, Carter~! Please, I'm... I'm~...!" Celestia let out an animalistic scream of delight as her back arced and her white-hot, slick pussy clamped down on my still thrusting cock like a vice clamp. "I-inside me!" she managed to scream.

I thrust into Tia as hard as I could, hilting myself in her and shooting spurt after spurt of my spunk into her hungry womb. After I couldn't go any longer, I collapsed onto my arms.

Moving to pull out, a panting Celestia stopped me with a hand. "N... no, ah, wait. Leave it, ah, in for a bit," she requested. Too tired to agree, I helped her to roll on top of me and with the help of her magic, we managed to get under the covers.

We stayed like that for what seemed like hours, but when I turned my head to look at the clock, it had only been five minutes. Ever so slowly, Tia pulled me out of her and cuddled up next to me. She snuggled into my chest as I wrapped an arm underneath her and gave her a kiss just below her horn. We waited a few more hours, which turned out to be about thirty minutes before either of us talked.

"...I'm gonna need a few extra pairs of sheets if we're going to do this more often," I stated tiredly, making Celestia giggle.

"I could loan you some money, if you want," she offered teasingly.

"Na... Just wouldn't be the same, you know? Besides, —" I hugged her tighter "— who needs money when I get to spend time with you?"

Tia lightly slapped my chest with her hand. "You flirt..." There was silence for a while, but she spoke up again a few moments later. "I love you, Carter."

I gently rubbed her shoulder and smiled lightly. "I love you, too, Tia. No matter what anybody else says," I admitted.

Celestia snuggled deeper into my chest, using me as a pillow as she drifted off to sleep. I wasn't too far behind as my eyes fluttered to a close and I let fatigue overtake me.
> Chapter 8 - The Prey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The feeling of soft, warm fur against my chest and arms greeted me as I slowly started to drift back to consciousness. I'd have to say it's the best feeling to wake up to. Having someone warm and soft in your arms just makes waking up ten times better. However, that bliss ended as my company gently and quietly removed my arm from around her and got out of the bed. I frowned as I heard the curtains open a crack and the sound of magic being channeled. 

Light started to stream through the crack in the curtains like a laser hitting me right in the face. It was terrible, and what was worse was that I heard footsteps moving towards the bathroom. I sighed. I was probably just sad that the night with my surprisingly comfortable marefriend was over. The footsteps suddenly stopped at my sigh, however. There was a moment of hesitation, and then to my delight the soft feeling of Tia's fur came back with full force as she rejoined me on the bed.

"You should have told me you were awake," she whispered. I draped an arm around her and brought her close. She in turn placed a hand on my chest and got as close as she could.

Placing a kiss on her forehead just below her horn, I smiled. "Then I would be lying... I'm still half asleep," I whispered back. My hand traced it's way behind her and along her back, stroking back and forth. "What time is it?"

"Around six thirty." I groaned at the proximity to my awakening. "If we shower together, we'll have more time to lay around," Celestia suggested. A little voice in my head told me that was a great idea to make me late for work, but I hummed in approval anyways. I couldn't tell how long we laid there for. It was like time had stopped and we were stuck there for all of eternity, just enjoying each other's bodies and presence. 

My hand traced Celestia's body, trying to memorize every nook, curve, bend, every detail, as my feet brushed up against her's. I could see why some might consider her a goddess or a sex figure. They were so blind though, they didn't even see Tia: just the idea of perfection that now lay before me, completely and utterly bare. I started to silently chuckle to myself, thinking that I must have been the luckiest man ever.

Tia poked me in the chest as she looked me in the eyes with a curious look in those wonderful, magenta eyes. "What are you laughing about?" she questioned. "If it's a witty comment about how I dressed last night..."

"Seven billion," I said. Now she really looked confused which made me chuckle quietly. Looking at me with a furrowed brow and a tilt of her head was an adorable look for her. "Seven billion humans, and I'm the lucky guy who got to come here and play footsies with you." Celestia took a look of awe on her face as I told her, but it soon faded into a genuine smile.

"I suppose I've won the lottery then," Tia said gratefully. "One out of seven billion individuals, and I get a wonderful, sexy doctor who knows how to treat a mare right. I'd say you're making a great first impression for humans, Carter. Keep this up and I may 'forget' to look for a way to get you home."

"Ha!" I laughed. "Go home? Two things wrong with that. First, why would I go home when I have this?" I squeezed her round, plush butt to emphasize my point, to which Celestia gave a small, surprised yelp at and broke out into a series of giggling. "And lastly," I said, poking her in the chest, right above her heart, "my home is here now, with you."

Tia's expression suddenly turned into one of content. She slowly moved her head above me and pressed her lips onto mine, moaning slightly as she did. Her arms started wrap around my neck as I kissed back, opening my mouth and moving my tongue to intercept hers. The kiss lasted for only a few moments, but it left both of us feeling more fulfilled. Tia then got up from the bed and walked over to the bathroom door, my eyes following her every step. She turned and leaned against the door, giving me a sultry look before winking and entering the washroom, leaving the door open.

After waiting a few moments and hearing the shower start running, I threw the sheets back and got up from the bed. I wandered over to the bathroom door and stopped just short of entering. I peered through into the room and into the shower where Celestia stood letting the water run over her magnificent body. Her mane ran straight down her neck and back, splaying over her shoulders beautifully. She looked at me slowly and beckoned me over with a seductive look.

I moved and joined Tia in the shower, the hot water hitting my head didn't deter me from moving close to my mare, wrapping my arms around her waist and locking lips with her again as her chest pushed into me and her arms mimicked mine. She moaned as my tongue began dancing with hers, but eventually she forced herself into my mouth where she explored my sharp teeth. The kiss broke only when my hand slid down Celestia's back and to her love, where I began to tease her with small prods from my digits.

Tia moved away slightly and looked at me with a cocky smirk and an eyebrow raised, before her eyes trailed down my body and looked at my now stiff member. She gasped and giggled as I suddenly pushed her up against the wall, pushing our bodies together. "Oh?" Tia giggled. "A rough little quickie then? You're lucky I like a little roughhousing here and there."

I pressed my mouth against hers and kissed her passionately as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer. My left arm then moved to her right knee, lifting it and surprisingly Celestia moved her leg with my hand to above my left shoulder. I broke the kiss and stared at the display of flexibility with wonder. looking back at the princess, she raised her eyebrows seductively at me. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Tia giggled, but it quickly transformed into a soft moan as the head of my penis began to prod at her entrance. Slowly, I pushed into her folds and I was greeted by the same hot, wet sensation from the night before. Celestia let out a hearty moan as I parted her walls and bottomed out in her. I stayed there for a moment to relish the feeling of being inside her, but Tia started to get impatient with me.

"C'mon!" she groaned. "Rut me already! Quit teasing an—!" She quickly gasped and let out a moan as I pulled out of her and thrust into her warmth. I gave her no time to recover however, as I began to retreat and slam myself back into her pussy repeatedly, causing her to pound into the side of the shower. Celestia yelped in pleasure every time I plowed her with my cock, but it soon bordered screaming as my right hand began to massage her clit.

I couldn't help myself from groaning at the feeling of her warm, tight, slick pink canal around my rod. Every push was like a jolt of electricity rushing through my body. I felt alive. The pleasure was indescribable, and it wasn't too long after that I began to feel my climax coming, and judging from Tia's pleasured shouts of delight, she was close as well. 

"Tia~! I'm...~!" I shouted over the water, but I was quickly silenced as Celestia forcefully pulled me into another lustful kiss. She screamed into my mouth as her walls clamped down on my member and her hot, thick juices streamed out onto me. I soon followed not even a second after, ramming my self into her with all the force I could muster, I fired stream after stream of my hot spunk into her womb.

We stayed there for a few moments savoring our kiss before I pulled away for air. I pulled myself out of Celestia and helped her get her leg back onto the ground. "I'm starting to think... ha... that you're in heat!" I said, panting for air. 

"Why?" Tia panted. "Are you worried... you're going to get me pregnant?"

I moved and got the soap gel from the shelf, trying to catch my breath as I did so. "Na, not really. I'm pretty sure it's impossible anyways."

I turned with soap in hand to see a surprisingly saddened Celestia looking at me. "Why is that?" she asked quietly over the water.

There was suddenly hesitation in my actions now. Did... Was she considering...? "W-well... I'm almost positive that the amount of chromosomes in our bodies are different. However, humans still might be able to reproduce with ponies because of our biological similarities... but I know that I can't have children." I explained. I began to place a dollop of gel onto my hand and put the bottle back on the shelf.

"And why's that?" Tia asked with a hint of frustration in her voice as I turned her around and started to wash her back. I could feel her body becoming more and more stressed as I remained silent.

I sighed. I really hated talking about this...

"Well... I'm... sterile."

Everything suddenly stopped. Even the water seemed to be still as my words echoed over Celestia, who remained completely silent and still. However, I could feel her body start to loosen up, so I continued washing her body. "Y... you're sterile?" she asked. I could sense a fraction of heartbreak in her voice.

"It's just something wrong with my DNA..." I explained solemnly. "I... I'm sorry, Tia. I really should have told you this sooner."

Celestia let out a large sigh, relaxing her body as she turned to me with a sad smile. "It's fine..." she said softly as she took me into her arms. "I just wasn't expecting something like this after our first night together." Tia pulled tighter as she started to chuckle menacingly. "Although... now that I think about it, this might work out for the better!"

I pulled away from Celestia and gave her a curious look while I went to work on her front. "How so?" I said cautiously.

"Well, think about it," she said with a giggle. "I'm not in heat now, but..." I hesitated for a moment in washing Tia's breasts when she said this. She must have noticed this because she leant down to ear-level and whispered into my ear. "I hear that sex while in heat is supposed to be just divine... and mine last for quite awhile, too."

I gulped. I had heard stories about mares in heat, and most of them ended with the male being sent to the hospital.





"What's going on, Carter?" I looked up from the cup of coffee in my hands and at Cross, who was giving me a curious look from a table  not too far away, along with Sylvia. It was rather late and Cross decided that it was a good idea for me and Sylvia to relax in the break room with her, so I made us all coffee and started leaning against the counter. I raised my eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes. "You've been acting differently all day," she said, raising her coffee as she did so. "You never get my coffee right."

Now I rolled my eyes. "You can't be seriously be judging my mental state based off of the way I make coffee," I said, giving Cross my most deadpan expression.

"I-I'd have to agree with Cross on this one, Carter," Sylvia piped, taking a sip of her coffee. "When you came in this morning, you were really happy!"

I shrugged the comment off. "So what? I had a good morning, and I was happy. Is there a problem with that?" I asked. "What's with the twenty questions anyway? It's not like my pastimes affect you guys at all."

"Actually," Cross started, sounding a bit annoyed, "when you start staring into space halfway through replacing somepony's fucking heart, then I think it becomes my business." Sighing, I took a sip of my coffee. It's not like I could argue against that. 

A small chuckle came from my left, grabbing all of our attentions and forcing us to look towards the voice. There stood a well built, cerulean stallion with a messy, royal blue mane and tail wearing a doctor's coat. I recognized him as Internal Vitality, but everyone just called him I.V. He was the anesthesiologist who assisted me in Fancy Pant's operation, and I'd learnt to respect him and ask for his assistance in many operations. 

"Isn't is obvious Cross?" he asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "I mean... you of all ponies should see the signs." Cross quickly looked back to me and squinted her eyes, as if to analyse me as I.V. continued. "Unreasonably happy... Mind wandering..." And in her moment of realization, Cross shouted something that would cause Sylvia and I.V. to tumble to the ground in laughter. 

"You FUCKED!"

My hand met my face as my colleagues started dying of laughter. "Really? That was the best way for you to put it, Cross? And yelling it for the entire hospital to hear?" I asked, not really believing that she's just screamed... those words.

"Nonono, you're avoiding it!" she accused, slamming her coffee to the table and pointing at me. "Who!? Tell me who! I order you!"

And like the genius I am, I responded in the best way possible. "...Princess Celestia."

The laughter had stopped and all three now stared at me with disbelief. "Yea right..." I.V. scoffed. "C'mon, don't be like that! Just tell us who!" I finished my coffee and shrugged. If they weren't going to believe the truth, then I couldn't help it. I'm rather devious, aren't I?

"Sorry, guys. If you wanna find out, you'll have to wait until we decide to make it official," I said, placing my cup in the nearby sink as I headed to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cross warned. "Your shift doesn't end until eight thirty."

"Well," I started, "if you wanna explain to princess Luna why I was late to my audience with her, then be my guest." I knew it wasn't an audience, but I wanted it to sound more formal than it actually was. That way, Cross wouldn't get too fussy about leaving early. It was only eight, after all. Cross groaned and waved me off to go do my business.





The words that came out of her mouth terrified me and excited me at the same time. I tried to regain my composure after coughing up a mouth-full of tea, but I was unsuccessful. Luna on the other hand was sipping from her cup completely calm, like nothing had happened. I suppose she was expecting this kind of reaction. "Well?" she asked, putting her cup on the saucer on the small table in front of us. "Art thou aware of this?"

"Luna," I warned, placing the cup on my own saucer after deciding that scalding tea wan't the best choice of drink at the moment, "what are you getting at?"

"We haven't anything to 'get at,' Carter," Luna explained. "We were simply seeing if thou were aware."

After some thought, I took a deep breath to calm myself. This wasn't the Luna that was going to try and kill me. This was my good friend, Luna. She wasn't testing me to see if I was a threat, she was just curious. "Yes, I... I am aware of that," I confirmed, looking Luna in the eyes again. "May I ask why you suddenly asked this?"

"Well, with thou courting my sister..." she didn't need to say anymore. I knew that she was just trying to warn me of future events in her own way. And it was because of this worry that I started smiling at her. Luna really was a nice person despite her past.

"Ah!" I started. Now that I knew where she was coming from, I decided a little bit of fun needed to be had. "Luna, if you wanted to... all you needed to do was ask."

Luna grunted in annoyance and glared daggers at me, but the look was ruined by the blush on her face. "Thou can only dream of us... doing... that," she shuddered.

"Being the keeper of dreams, I bet you could make that happen though," I laughed. She had ran right into that one and she knew it, if her expression was anything to go on. Deciding that I didn't want to start bullying her, I raised my hands in defeat at her stern gaze. "Alright, alright... I'll stop for now, Luna, but I will strike again," I said, standing and stretching. 

"We will see thou another night, Carter."

I bowed respectfully and smiled at my friend as I stood back upright. "Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world." I turned around and headed from the small commons area, waving my hand lazily to the side as I reached the door. "G'night."

Luna said nothing as I left the room and made my way through the winding corridors of the castle. The thought of going home and passing out in bed crossed my mind several times, but I decided against it. The truth was, I was rather curious of the things that Tia did in her spare time when she wasn't lounging around with me or taking a cat nap. And so, I took it upon myself to surprise her when she wasn't expecting me.

However, as I reached the door to her tower, the lone guard standing by the door saw me and approached me. "M-mister Bowman?" he asked with a hint of nervousness. I nodded and his eyes darted behind me suddenly. "The P-Princess would like to see you for... uh... w-well, she'd like to see you."

Well, so much for the element of surprise. "Great," I said, sighing softly as I did so. "I was on my way up anyways." The guard suddenly smiled at this, which I found more curious than his previous stuttering. Sure he may have been unnerved by me because I was human, but now he seemed relieved...

The guard opened the door and bowed to me. Glancing at the guard as I entered the stairwell, I began the trek up to the top of the tower. I reached those familiar doors to Celestia's room and knocked, but not getting an answer.

Now I was a bit worried, so I knocked again. This time, Tia's voice greeted me. "Come in, my love..."

"...love?" I pushed open the door to find my marefriend lying on her four-poster bed, completely naked, in a very alluring pose. Her gorgeous eyes met mine as I slowly closed the door behind me. She wore a sly, seductive smile as she beckoned me over with a finger, however I did not comply. "C'mon, I need some time to rest. I just got off from work, you know," I said.

Celestia surprisingly rolled her eyes at me and moved to sit on the bed facing me. "A normal stallion would jump at an opportunity to lay with their Princess, Carter," she said in a rather condescending tone. My expression turned sour at this.

Something was going on here.

Not only did the real Tia know I hated when people acted higher than others, but she also knew that I minded being called a stallion. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not a pony then," I said, looking over Celestia for any signs of deception.

"Yes, it is a good thing. A pony can't satisfy my needs," she said, noticing my distaste for her tone. She stood shakily and started taking slow steps towards me. Celestia must have been trying to look seductive as she walked, but it was ruined by the fact that her legs were shaking more and more each step she took. Her legs suddenly gave as she reached me. I caught her just in time, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. "I need a strong, brave, and noble human to give it to me!"

"What did I get you for your birthday last year, Tia?" I asked suddenly.

A look of fear graced her eyes for only a moment, but contentment retook them soon after. "Why does it matter, Carter? I want you to take me..."

"I probably would if you were actually Celestia and not fucking horrible lair," I said. 

There was silence for a moment, neither of us dared to move. The fake's face suddenly stretched into a shit-eating grin as her magenta eyes started to glow with green, fire-like light. "I think you'll find I can be quite persuasive..." There was suddenly something digging into my mind, and I mean that it felt like something was crawling into my brain. "Kiss me..." a voice whispered in my head as I stared into those green eyes.

What happened next probably scared the shit out of her.

"No," I said to her face. Her expression was shocked for only a moment because it soon twisted into a pained look. Her hand grasp the fur on her chest, just over her heart, and groaned in pain as tears suddenly streaked from her eyes. Without pause, her body suddenly exploded into green flames and in my arms was no longer Tia, but a bug-like creature with holes in her limbs, horn, and insectile wings. She bore a dark cerulean mane and tail, large breasts, and dark green, slitted eyes. "H-hey!"

"C-curses!" the bug grunted in pain. "I'm too late!" She was sweating like mad, and she must have been dizzy and exhausted from the way that she walked. "M-my children... I... I don't want to die..." I added anxiety to the list as well. I looked for something more. I couldn't tell what was wrong with her. And then I saw it. Her chest above her heart was a little higher up than it should have been. 

Her heart was hypertrophic!

More tears streamed down her face. "I... can't die. My... my children will... die. I... I...!"

"You aren't going to die," I stated, moving to lift her into the air. She looked disbelievingly at me as I lifted her into the air and began to race out of the room and down the stairs.

I would save her. It was my duty as a doctor.
> Chapter 9 - The Predator
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There was no way I could have guessed that I'd been looking at an x-ray like the one in front of me. My mouth was agape at the mere thought of what that woman was going through. Well, Changeling is the term that Cross used, so I guess I should just use her name: Chrysalis. I absolutely have no idea how she was able to stand, let alone walk.

"We have to remove it," I said shaking my head. "I have no clue as to how, but we have to. I... I can't believe that I'm seeing this right now..." I could tell that several of the doctors and staff at the hospital were nodding beside me.

Cross sighed. She was initially furious that I had brought Chrysalis into the hospital, but now that she was looking at the x-ray I could tell she was thinking the same thing as me. "We can't without permission from the Royal Guard," she explained.

"Fuck the Royal Guard, Cross! Aren't we looking at the same thing here!? Do you have any idea what this thing is doing to her!" I yelled, slapping the image to emphasize my point. "Because I sure as hell don't!"

"Look!" she ordered, "I have no say in the matter! This is all up to the Princesses now! It's out of my hands!"	I stared at her for a moment before ripping the x-ray off of the wall and heading towards the door. "What in Tartarus do you think you're doing!?"

"Preparing for surgery." I walked out of the door and took another look at the x-ray as I walked down the all to the patient's room. It was attached to several places on her heart; the aorta, the superior and inferior vena cava, the pulmonary artery, as well as the left ventricle and atrium. There were six places that had to be repaired.

I sighed. This was going to be tough to get a team to operate on a Changeling already, but now... Now it was well over impossible. Someone would be insane to operate on something like this completely blind. Luckily, I knew two people like that. One of them was myself, the other caught up to me with several others and sighed. "I can't believe we're actually going to do this..." Cross lamented. "We're going against the princesses! We could go to prison for aiding a fugitive!"

"This is a life or death situation, Cross." I explained. "If it comes to it, I'll take full responsibility. Besides, I doubt they want a dead fugitive."

"So, how are we going to do this exactly?" Internal Vitality questioned from behind me. "It's attached to her heart in several vital areas, guys! We can't just go in there and pry it off!"

I looked over the image again and got an idea. "We remove the main body first, and then remove the attachments one at a time, stitching the sights of intrusion with thick sutures," I explained. "But first thing's first, how do we make sure it doesn't react negatively to being cut?"

"Clamps," Red Cross said. I looked to her for an explanation. "If we clamp off the connecting members, it shouldn't be able to inject anything directly into her bloodstream. Then we can use a benzimidazole to neutralize it and remove it completely after we inject her heart with potassium chloride to stop it."

"Looks like we have a plan, then." I was scared to begin the surgery, but then again, I was more scared of what would happen if I didn't.





A spider-like creature stared back at me from the hole in the patient's chest. It's arms stuck painfully into her green heart in several places that now oozed a dark green blood. I almost didn't want to get near it. Whatever the hell it was, it was about the size of her heart and it scared the living hell out of me.

We began to place clamps on each of the legs, and luckily the parasite didn't react to them. Then potassium chloride was injected into the heart to stop it and let the heart-lung machine do it's job. I picked up a syringe and filled it with Albendazole, a parasite killing drug. My hand trembled as it got closer and closer to the monster. Finally, the needle penetrated the parasite which caused it to tremble and shake. When I injected the drug, it slowly stopped moving.

The first step was done, and her vitals were looking good. We cut the legs off from the main body and carefully removed it's head and abdomen from the patient's heart. I took a moment to rest, giving Cross and I time to agree that we should work on the legs alternatively. This would give the other a chance to rest and recuperate. Cross started first, removing the leg attached to the aorta, then sewed the wound closed. I then repeated the same steps for the left ventricle.

This continued for some time, removing and sewing over and over again. Finally, I stitched the last intrusion closed with care and then took a step back. It was done. I had trouble coming to grips that I had just manually removed a parasite from another person. Cross then reminded me that we still needed to close her up, which we did with gusto.

After we made arrangement for the patient to be taken to a room in the ICU, I washed my hands, changed clothes, and walked up to the OR's doors with Cross. "Remember," she said, "you asked for this." I nodded and opened the door.

Standing there were about two dozen guards; half were day, and the other night guards. To be honest, I thought that there'd be more. Along with the guards, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, her brother and his wife, Cadence, as well as all of the other elements of harmony. Every single person in that hall turned towards me as I opened the door.

Patting my back, Cross laughed a little. "Have fun, Carter." With that, she left me with a crowd of very powerful individuals with incredibly stern faces. 

After a few moments of silence, I took a breath and looked at everyone in front of me. All of them had mixed looks of anger, worry, and most of all confusion. It was to be suspected. After all, I too shared those emotions. Tia, however... She looked very calm, but equally as serious. I had to choose my words carefully. 

"Your jobs are to govern and protect every pony and citizen of your respected country, and I can understand that this would put all of you on edge," I started. "My job is different. It doesn't just involve Equestria, it involves every living, thinking creature on this planet. That includes changelings. Even if it meant going to prison for the rest of my life, even if it meant my own life, I would have saved her either way."

Silence reigned over the hall. My eyes locked with Celestia's and it seemed she was unchanged by my little speech. Her eyes closed and she sighed, gaining everyone's attention. "What's her condition?" she asked with an exhausted voice.

"Well, she isn't dead. That's for sure," I explained. "Usually, I wouldn't tell you more than that, but considering the situation I think that I can bend the rules here. There was an unknown species attached to her heart in several vital areas. We presumed it was parasitic and removed it. To be honest, we have no idea what will happen to her, so we'll need to monitor her for a few days. The parasite could have released a toxin into her bloodstream without us knowing, but we tried to minimize the risk of that happening."

"And what of her recovery? How long will it take?" Luna now inquired.

I looked at her and shrugged. "Like I said, it was an unknown parasite. I'd say that we should keep her between one to three months." Silence again took hold of the hall and all looked in deep thought. I was worried now. This creature, Chrysalis, had children. I didn't want a mother to be stuck in prison thinking about how her children are starving to death. "I know that she caused several grievances in the past, especially to you, Princess Cadence, but think of it from her point of view."

"What point of view?!" Rainbow Dash argued. "That she can get away with launching a full assault on Canterlot?!"

"That she's watching her children die in front of her, Rainbow Dash!" I yelled. "And there's nothing she can do to stop it because she knows nobody will give her a second chance! Can you imagine how much suffering she's in right now!? Laying in bed thinking about how her children are starving and dying day after day as she just lays there!" Dash, crestfallen, hung her head in shame and stayed quiet.

"You're asking for us to give someone who attacked our home complete forgiveness, Carter," Celestia said. "We may be able to, but what of the others in Canterlot right now? How do you think they would react if someone who destroyed their home got a pardon?"

"Then tell me what's worse, Princess," I said emphasizing her roll in this, "risking another invasion, or genocide?" Tia's looked changed from a stern expression, to a shocked one. "If I were in her situation, Tia, I would kill every one of her children so they wouldn't have to suffer starvation, and then slit my own throat." 

Celestia stood there, looking at me with a very serious expression for a good minute, and I stared right back. After that minute, she turned slowly and walked down the hall. Her sister, her pupil and her friends, along with several of her day guard followed in the princess' footsteps. I heard the rattling of chains and looked to a night guard holding hand cuffs. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'll have to ask you to come with us." I nodded and said I didn't mind.

As the cuffs were snugly attached to my wrists, a hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned to see Cadence smiling lightly at me. "Don't worry," she reaffirmed me, "you did the right thing. You're a very caring person."

"I know," I responded bluntly. "I just hope Celestia can seriously think about this situation and really weigh the pros and cons for each side. Now all I can do is wait." With that, I bid her farewell and I was taken to the castle's dungeons.





It wasn't a long stay — only a few hours at most — but I was almost glad that the guard arrested me. When we left the hospital, there was a very large crowd of angry ponies yelling at me, calling me a demon for saving a life, for doing my job. I didn't react at all, that would make Celestia's job a lot harder, and I thought she had enough on her plate already.

After spending some quality time in the dungeons and getting to know the guards there quite a bit since there was nothing better to do, I was escorted to Tia's chambers. I was surprised when I opened the door that she wasn't there. The guards instructed me to wait until the princess returned from meeting with the other princesses to discuss a course of action regarding today's incident.

Minutes passed, then an hour, then another thirty minutes. It was the dead of night as I looked outside, and it dawned on me that it was well past midnight. Although, I didn't feel that tired. It was strange, I should have been exhausted, but I felt as though it was the middle of the day. It must have been latent adrenaline from the surgery. Wouldn't I be crashing right now, then? I thought.

"It's quite strange, isn't it?" a voice came from the room. My head instantly started swiveling to see where the voice was coming from, but no one was in the room besides me. "As soon as a human enters the world, the strangest things unfold right before me. The unforgivable was forgiven, a murder attempt most foul, forbidden love blooming, and now the elixir has begun to brew... I find it rather exciting! Don't you, Doctor Bowman?"

I kept turning, looking for the voice, and then I found it. In the reflection of the glass door leading to the balcony, I stood in the middle of the lamp-lit room with a thin, snake-like figure just behind me. I couldn't really make it out due to the poor lighting, but it had it's claws on my shoulders with it's maw right next to my ear. Another thing that struck me as odd was that it's body looked unsymmetrical: it's horns were different shapes. I turned my head to look at it, but it refused to appear to me.

"Oh don't worry about little, old me! I'm real, I just prefer not to be seen if we're interrupted," the figure explained. I turned back to the reflection. I could see yellow eyes starring back at me. "You've really dug yourself into a hole, you know. Resented by changelings, hated by ponies... made prey by gryphons... My, you've made yourself public enemy number uno, my furless friend!"

"What the hell do you mean, 'made prey'?" I asked.

"Oh, I can't tell you that! That'd spoil the twist in this grand story!" he said excitedly. "Just think about it, Carter... when where you hunted?"

I closed my eyes and thought. Did he mean the stabbing? Prey implies being hunted, so was that planned? 'Made prey by gryphons'... "...you're saying that I'm being targeted by assassins sent from the gryphon empire," I concluded, opening my eyes as I did.

"Well would you look at the brains on this one!" the figure said, wrapping one arm around my neck and using the other to point at my head. "No wonder you're a doctor! Although, I'm a little sad that you ruined the surprise... But no matter, there's still tons left to be found!"

How come this thing knows this kind of information? Was he involved with my attempted assassination? "Who th—"

"Oh I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but time has grown scarce. Seems lil' old sun-butt's come to ruin the fun," he said. "Let me leave you with a little info that you may find useful." There was a pause. I blinked and the figure vanished from the reflection, but his voiced echoed from the rest of the room. "There are no known records of magic infused blood harming non-magic tissue."

Silence. Confusion and silence echoed in the room as the voice died out. The silence was so thick that it was only broken by the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairwell. What the hell did he mean? How was that supposed to be useful to me? The doors to the room opened behind me as I pondered what had been said to me. The doors closed and Celestia appeared beside me as I continued to stare off into the reflection of the glass door.

"You okay?" my beloved asked, concerned.

"I... don't know," I responded, turning to meet her gaze.





After explaining what had just happened as we sat on her bed together, Tia sighed and gave the floor an annoyed glare. "Discord..." she murmured under her breath.

"You mean the spirit of chaos, Discord?" I asked, disbelief making itself known in my voice.

"Yes, the same one that you elegantly said 'ain't got shit on you'," she explained. "I don't know whether we can believe him or not. He may be reformed, but he's still the embodiment of chaos. He may just be trying to cause you to panic. After all, he must be loving the show that's going on. Why wouldn't he want to 'spice' things up a bit?"

I was silent. I didn't know this Discord personally, but he seemed to know me. "You're going to have to make the call on this one, Tia. I don't know what his motives would be," I explained.

After a hum of deep thought, Celestia looked me in the eyes. "Don't do anything rash based off of this information. I'll look into the Gryphon Empire situation," she said. "For that last 'useful' tip, I don't know. He must know something that we don't. For example, that elixir. I haven't received any word that a new type of elixir is being brewed, so I'm not too sure I know what he's talking about."

I looked to the floor and sighed. "Then we wait and see what happens," I said. "I'm sorry about all of this. I've really caused you a lot of trouble today. Well, maybe yesterday considering what time it is. Sorry about all of this..."

Tia wrapped her arms around my neck and began to nuzzle me. "Don't be. Whatever happens, I'll still love you."

I chuckled lightly at my fortune as I returned her embrace. "I'm telling you, seven billion, Tia. A one in seven billion chance," I said, "and I get to be the one." I could feel her smile from behind me. She was grateful I was here, too. After a few more minutes of embracing each other, I remembered why I was even at the castle in the first place. "Say," I started, "did you four come up to a plan of action?"

Tia left my arms, which made me a little sad, but began to unbutton my coat and take it off. "We decided to take your advice and give her a second chance," Celestia revealed. "However, one hint of betrayal and she's out of the metaphorical door."

My coat was now off and on the floor. As Tia began to reach for my shirt, I held her hands before she could take hold of it. "Thank you, Celestia. This means a lot to me."

"I could tell by the way you gave that surprising speech!" she explained with a little bit of surprise. "It was impressive, Carter."

I smiled. Raising one of my hands, I cupped her cheek and pulled her into a deep kiss. It was gentle at first, but soon we began to attack each other's tongue like it meant life or death. I managed to push her down onto her pillow, but she soon ended the kiss by placing her hand on my chest and pushing lightly. "So," she began quietly, "are you going to go all the way back to that small apartment of yours? Or would you rather stay and keep me warm tonight?"

Laughing, I gave her a little peck on the lips. "Like you even need to ask."

The rest of the night we spent cuddling and slowly drifting off to sleep.
> Chapter 10 - The Heat is On
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A few weeks passed since Chrysalis' operation, and I still had no idea what was going to happen with her. Negotiations started the moment she awoke, which was the morning after the surgery. It was ordered that all doctors — including myself — were to keep contact with her to a minimum. It was infuriating the first two or three days because I instinctively went to her room on my rounds and got interrupted by the guards.

The upside was that I got to see Celestia way more often. After negotiations, she would visit me in my office and we would have tea. It was nice to spend more time with her, but the more time I spent with her, the more I was reminded of that night Discord spoke to me. It was worrying, to say the least. The more I thought about it, the more I started to make connections. He must have meant the alicorn blood that I had in my system. Was it really harming me? He'd said that there were no known records of magical blood harming non-magical tissue, but could it still affect me?

Tia would frown every time I brought up these concerns. She would always respond by telling me not to dwell on Discord's words: they were only said to get under my skin. Unbeknownst to her however, my uncertainty in this topic got the best of me. I ended up sending a blood sample to the lab for testing. They said that they would send me a letter with the details in a few days time, which I found relieving.

There was quite a backlash to my rescue of the Changeling queen. I couldn't walk on the streets anymore without at least two or three ponies looking in disgust at me or openly yelling at me. Not only that, but the fact that negotiations were happening was also pinned on me after a brief moment of anger towards the princesses. Now that I was the scapegoat for all the "bad" things that have come to pass because I saved Chrysalis' life, I couldn't go out as much.

But as I said, a few weeks have passed. The anger towards me was still there, but it was dying down. I was able to even go out and spend some quality time with my marefiend now. However, the blood test I sent out never came back. It was frightening. I contacted them, but all they said was that they were checking everything over to see if their results were correct.

Today though, the test was the last thing on my mind. Not only was today the day that doctors would finally be able to keep a full eye on Chrysalis, and that meant that I would get some goddamn relaxation over the fear of her heart stopping suddenly. I soon found myself running over to the castle instead. Upon arrival at the hospital, not even five minutes after sitting down in my office, the head of the paramedical department, a pegasus by the name of Stunner, showed up and handed me a letter that Princess Luna had left the night before.

The letter sent me flying towards the castle as fast as I could. To paraphrase it, it said that Celestia was sick with something only I could help with, and that I needed to get to the castle as soon as possible. Multiple thoughts started to run through my mind as ran to my marefriend. Was she in pain? Was it an infection? Why didn't she tell me when she visited?

As I arrived at the castle, I found it in a particular situation. Usually the castle gate was flooding with tourists or officials or the like, but today the gates were sealed. Nopony was going in or out of the castle at all, and the guard presence seemed to have doubled, if not tripled over night. Now I was afraid. What the hell was going on?! What would cause the castle to be locked-down like this? Celestia's sickness? Is it that bad?!

Running up to the gate, I was of course stopped by the guards on patrol, but they quickly and surprisingly led me though a side passage into the castle courtyard. I quickly followed the guard into the throne room where I found Luna pacing. I ran up to her with a worried expression. "How is she?"

"Not well, We're afraid," she responded. "Please accompany us to our sister's quarters." I quickly started to follow Luna down the hall and I quickly realized that we were in fact not going towards Celestia's tower. "Our sister has relocated for the time being," Luna responded when I pointed this out. "We've never seen it be this troublesome for her before. Although, Alicorns receive a far greater suffering than normal mares."

"So it's common then!?" I asked as we started down the stairwell leading into the dungeon. 

"Thou could say that, but like we stated before, It has never been to this extreme. We thought to consult an expert," she explained.

We soon arrived at a large set of iron double doors at the back of the dungeon. It was barred with chains and a lock, as well as a large iron girder placed horizontally along the door to keep whatever inside. My mouth fell open as Luna began to use her magic to unbar the door. "Uhh..." I started, "...what exactly is Tia sick with?"

The doors to the room opened with the blue hue of Luna's magic, and a wall of thick, warm musk hit me like a truck. I physically recoiled at the smell of such a strong smell. "We are sorry we have to do this, Carter," Luna said as I blocked my eyes from the heat. I suddenly was lifted off of my feet and thrown into the room. I landed on the carpeted floor with a thump, and I managed to open my eyes to see Luna frowning in the doorway. "We'll make an excuse to why you cannot make it into work this week. Do not fear!"

And with no say in the matter, the doors slammed shut right in front of me. I quickly headed to the doors and started to bang on them as I heard Luna barring the door from the other side. "Damn it, Luna! Let me out of here! This isn't funny!" The barring stopped as the sound of the girder sliding into place ceased. "Luna, I SWEAR TO GOD —"

The sudden sound of soft whimpering reached my ears and stopped me dead. I turned and looked at the room to find the source of the whimpering. The room was a soft blue, with a grey carpeted floor and a white ceiling. It was rather small, with a king-sized bed to my right, and a washroom located to the left. That was it. It was strange that such a room would exist in the castle, especially in the dungeon of all places. 

The whimpering came again, and I found that it was coming from the other side of the bed. Upon inspection, I found that the bed was disheveled and there were several large wet marks on it. I slowly walked to the other side of the bed and looked to who was whimpering.

There lay Celestia half naked on the floor: with a sweaty, yellow tank top on her right arm and neck, but the left side of the shirt was bunched up around the left side of her neck, exposing one of her bare breasts. She appeared to also be wearing short pajama bottoms and a pair of dark pink panties, but the shorts where only on her left leg and the panties where around her ankles. Tia had her eyes closed and both of her hands on her crotch: one fingering herself, and the other ribbing her clit furiously.

I stood there in... well, I didn't really know. I was certainly aroused, but there were some warning lights going off in my head. The first thing that struck me as odd was her expression. It wasn't of pleasure, but one of irritation and pain. The second thing was that she appeared to be crying while pleasuring herself. And the last thing was the condition of her more private of areas: it was profusely spewing love juices and it was red and almost puffy in a way.

There were no words that I could say in this situation. I honestly was trying to piece together what the hell was going on here while my marefriend masturbated in front of me. Slowly, I approached her side and knelt down. Tia was so preoccupied that she didn't even notice me get so close to her. Instinctively, I placed my hand on her forehead to see if she had some sort of fever. She felt like she was on fire.

Celestia's eyes snapped open in that moment and ceased to move. Her eyes slowly aimed themselves towards me as I took my hand off of her head. "Hey there," I started, rather unsure of what I was doing, "whatcha' doing?"

That choice one upped the dumpster experience in the 'best/worst' situation ever.

In the next few seconds, I found my self pinned on the ground with my limbs spread out in all directions, and my mouth was being assaulted by Tia's starving tongue. I tried to fight back, but she was using all of her strength to my surprise. My wrists began to throb in pain from the sheer force that Tia was grabbing me from, and my ankles weren't faring nearly as well as my wrists. My lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen, and that's when I decided that I'd had enough.

Ripping one of my arms from her grip, I used Celestia's moment of instability to reverse our positions. Now I was on top and I was going to get some god damn answers. "Tia, stop this! Are you trying to pull something here?!"

Then Celestia did something that was very uncharacteristic of her: her face contorted in anger and her horned glowed. Next, I felt something collide with my chest and I was sent flying into the air. Then, I landed hard onto the bed and I had the air knocked out of me. When I figured out what had just happened, I found myself facing the ceiling. 

There was a sudden tugging at my belt, and when I looked down I found Tia desperately trying to take it off, but it looked like the belt kept getting stuck. She looked absolutely furious now, and began to tug at it with the intention of tearing it apart. I reached down and grabbed her wrists, pulling her forcefully away from my belt and up to eye level. "Tia! Calm down!"

"I can't!" she now wept, "It burns... so bad!" New tears were now flowing from her eyes as her anger fell and despair over took. She began to fall limp in my arms, so I let go and held her on my chest. Not even a second afterwards, Celestia began to grind her crotch against my leg. "Carter... I need you..." she whispered. "I need you... inside of me... I need your seed in me."

Now I was a little creeped out, but from her tone I could tell she was serious. "Well..." I said, flustered. "That's one way to say it." I reached down and unfastened my belt, sliding it off and throwing it onto the floor. "You know, you could have just as — Woah! Okay then!" After my belt hit the floor, Tia zipped down to my pants and hastily tore them off like her life depended on it. As I let her do her thing, I began to take off my shirt, and soon it joined my other clothes on the floor.

By now I was more than fully aroused, and it didn't help that Celestia immediately started to nuzzle, lick, and suck my rod as soon as it was released. As erotic as seeing Tia enjoying herself, it didn't last long. After about a minute, she stopped and climbed back up to eye level. I was about to pout, but as soon as she reached me she sat up and speared herself on my cock, forcing us both to let out a loud moan. She felt amazing: absolutely sopping wet, and hotter that I'd ever felt before. Her pussy started to milk me as soon as I entered her, and it didn't let up for a second.

Celestia didn't give me a second to relax. She began bouncing on my spire furiously, moaning and panting as she did. I grabbed her waist and began to thrust up into her sopping love canal. The primal sound of wet flesh slapping together filled the small room, along with Tia's ever growing musk. Every once and a while Tia would slam down on me and gyrate herself on my cock, using her inner muscles to massage me, before returning to her barrage.

It really didn't take long for me to reach my limit. I could feel the building of my climax in my loins, and soon I would burst. "Oh god... ah... I'm so close...!" I warned Celestia. "You want it inside... ah... right?!"

"Fill me!" she begged. "Please fill my burning pussy! I need it to stop!" Wow. That was enough to send me over the edge. Thrusting up deep into her soft, hot folds, I unloaded spurt after spurt of cum into her womb, making us both moan in pleasure. Tia however, seemed to enjoy it a little too much, considering that her backed arched, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she screamed "Yes!"

I fell back onto the bed and Celestia fell onto me, resting her head in the crook of my neck. We were both a panting, sweating mess on the bed, and we stayed like that for what seemed like forever. It quickly began to get cold, and soon all that was warming me was Tia's body heat. Eventually, Tia raised her head and planted a soft kiss on my lips. "You have no Idea how bad that was, Carter. I owe you big time," she said with a soft smile.

"Considering you attacked me with magic, I think I have a pretty good idea," I retorted with a soft smile of my own. At that, Tia looked forlorn. I placed a hand on her cheek and pulled her into another soft kiss. "You know me. I've already forgiven it considering that whatever you have was driving you to tears," I reassured her.

"Yes," she said, wiping one of said tears from her eye while letting out a soft giggle. "I never knew being heat could be that bad. Again, I really owe you for this, Carter."

My jaw dropped. "That was heat!?" I asked in horror. "Jeez! I was told that mares go about their daily lives in heat. How the hell can they do that in the condition I just saw you in!?"

Tia giggled at my over exaggeration and climbed off of me. She made her way to the top of the bed and sat against the headboard, sticking her legs underneath the sheets. Celestia rubbed the spot next to her and I made my way to the same position. "Like I said, Carter," she started, leaning her head against my shoulder as she did, "it's never been that bad before. It felt like my uterus was being bitten by fire ants!"

I don't know why, but something in my head clicked as soon as she had said that. "Did you have any important meetings today? Say, with very important bachelors?" I asked. Tia turned to me with a look that screamed 'are you jealous?', and I rolled my eyes. "I was talking to a guy named Stunner the other day: he's the head of the paramedical department. Funny story actually, I met him because he came to apologize for that trolley crash a couple of months ago. Anyway, he told me that there's this new, illegal drug out there for mares that forces them into heat."

Tia recoiled. "I remember that! A few months ago, someone asked me for permission to distribute it, but I said no of course! What if that got into the wrong hands!?"

I waited for a moment, looking at Tia intensely. She looked back, her face eventually telling me that the question I wanted her to think about had entered her mind. "One of the effects of the drug if taken in heat is an exponential increase in symptom severity," I explained. "It also dramatically increases the chance of conceiving."

"You don't think...?"

"I do think. And I believe that someone — who is not me — is trying to get you pregnant," I said.

There was silence in the room after that little exchange. We stared at each other for a good minute before Celestia looked away with an extremely anxious look on her face. "I have a meeting with the gryphon Prince at noon today to discuss an alteration in trade laws."

And again, Discord's words came back into my mind. It seemed as if I wasn't the only one being 'made prey' by the gryphons.





Celestia's heat lasted a full week, no joke. She had told me that it would usually last that long, but the scale of time didn't dawn on me until the second day. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if it were once a day that I had to experience that other side of my marefriend, but I learnt the hard way that each 'filling' only bought me four hours of time.

I dunno if you realize what that adds up to. It's staggering really. We had to do it six times a day, even if it was in the dead of night. Six times a day for seven days adds up to forty-two times.

As you would imagine, I was exhausted — and not to mention chaffed — after that wonderful/horrible week. 

As for our little theory about the gryphon Prince, Tia said that she'd look into it. She also said that it wouldn't be her biggest priority, however. Apparently, she was working on something big, and when I pressed on the topic, she would just tell me it was top secret. It didn't bother me that much: I could understand that she was busy with a lot of things.

A month had passed since that little incident, and I still hadn't heard back from the lab. I was beginning to get worried, but my worries soon disappeared when I got home one night. Actually, it was my birthday, but I hadn't told anyone. So, it went on like any old day. Except, I kept getting a few strange looks around the hospital. To be honest, I really didn't pay attention to them. I was looking forward to a night of self indulgence.

But eating cake and ice cream soon became the last things on my mind. I found the letter detailing the blood results in my mail box in the front of the building, which gave me relief. I decided that I couldn't wait, so I read it on the way up to my apartment.





My cold hand shakily rested on the doorknob, supporting all of my weight. My wide eyes were glued to the letter in my hand, which now felt like it weighed a tonne, but it would also shatter into a million pieces if I dropped it. Ever so slowly, I turned the doorknob and opened the door to the black void that was my apartment. As I took a step in, there was only one sentence going through my mind:

This wasn't happening.

"SURPRISE!!!"

The lights flicked on and blinded me, tearing me away from the letter and to the room. When my eyes adjusted, I found that my living room had birthday decorations smeared all over the walls, and that the kitchen counter and coffee table had been overcrowded with food and gifts respectively. Everyone that I knew was there: Tia and Luna of course, Twilight and her friends, Cross and Sylvia, even Red and doctor Stables made it.

The letter fluttered from my hand and landed softly onto the ground in front of me, like a butterfly. I hadn't realized it before, but my mouth was hanging open from the shock. I closed my mouth, and after looking at Tia's beautiful, happy eyes once more, I closed the door and left the building.

These ponies didn't seem as bright and colourful to me anymore.
> Letter of Termination
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dear Carter Bowman,

Please forgive the formality of this letter: it is hard for me to write a letter with such delicate information to you.

I am sorry to inform you that the blood you sent us had some very interesting results. It seems as if the magic-infused blood cells in your body are attacking the normal, human blood cells in the bloodstream. Now, this isn't necessarily bad as you might have figured, but upon further research, it appears that blood cells are not the only target of this aggressive, magical blood.

I am afraid that the non-magical cells in your heart are being terminated as I write this letter.

On the bright side, the rate of the erosion of your heart tissue appears to be rather slow. However, it is still present, and at the rate at which it is going, I would estimate your heart can still function normally for about half a year. We are still running test to see if we can stop the aggressive behavior of these blood cells, but I'll be honest with you. We're running out of ideas, and we're doing so quickly.

I would advise that you prepare a last will and spend your remaining time with your loved ones.

Solemnly,
Canterlot Laboratory of Blood Analysis Chief of Staff,
Sugar Cycle 
> Chapter 11 - It's Always Raining Somewhere
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It's a strange feeling, knowing that you're going to die, and soon might I add. It was all I could feel as I walked down the empty, lamp-lit streets of Canterlot. I had no destination in mind, nor any idea when I would work up the courage to go back to my apartment. To top it all off, after a few minutes of walking, it started to lightly rain down on me. It didn't take very long for me to get soaked, so I started to look for a place to take shelter.

I don't know why it caught my eye, but a small bar in between a massive clothing shop and a nightclub grabbed my attention. Above the tiny wooden entrance was a red neon sign that read, "The Entropy Shot". It looked like it was open and cozy, so I decided it was as good as any other place. Curiously, I walked up to the door and opened it to find a small, empty bar. That was what I thought until I saw the bartender.

It was a creature that I had never seen before, but yet looked so familiar. It honestly looked like a child had gone through their collection of animal toys, pulled them apart, and then started to create a hybrid of all of them. A lion's arm, an eagle's talon, a bat's wing, a pegasus' wing, a hoofed leg, a dragon's leg, the tail of a snake, and the head of a pony made up this thing. However, the most startling thing stuck out to me: the sharp yellow eyes glued to me.

It hit me as I walked over to the bar and sat down on one of the many stools. The sound of squeaking from the glass the bartender was cleaning, and the sound of the rain pouring on the windows was the only sound in the room for a while. I didn't bother to say anything. To be flat, I wasn't in the mood for small talk.

"So," Discord said with mild interest, "I take it you got that test back?" I did nothing but sit gloomily at the bar, staring at the counter. "I'll take that as a yes," he continued after a moment of silence. "Well, lighten up, Bucko! At least it isn't one month!"

I looked up at him for a moment. He had a stupid grin on his face and his arms outstretched. My look seemed to have done something to him because he suddenly looked a little less joyful as I looked away. "...you can't possibly know how this feels," I stated quietly. "Knowing, one day very soon, everything for me is just going to... to stop. Everything that I've done, everyone that I've met... gone in an instant."

There was more silence after that for a good five minutes. In that time, my host started to boil some water and was now pouring it into a cup. After another minute, the spirit slid a glass of clear, red liquid in front of me. I picked it up and inspected it for a moment. "It's tea, relax," Discord said. "And you're right. I'll never know the pleasure of death, but that doesn't mean that you can mope around for six months!"

Again, I didn't respond. All I did was look at the liquid again and decided that I really had nothing to lose. I took a sip of the tea, and it warmed my mouth and throat as expected. It was sweet, but also had an earthy taste to it. Putting the glass down on the counter, I looked up into space, letting my mind wander.

"Were you expecting a happy ending?"

My head whipped to the seat beside me to find no one there. That voice sounded a lot like... 

"What's the matter?" Discord inquired. "You look like you just saw a ghost." Taking another sip of the tea to calm myself, I reached into my pocket for some bits. Discord, however, raised his paw. "It's on the house tonight, Bud. And you know what? I'll even throw in a story in there as well!"

I stood and turned towards the door after putting my bits away. "Sorry, I gotta—"

"It's about Sun-butt's immortality." That stopped me dead in my tracks. "You sure you wanna be leaving just yet?" Reluctantly, I returned to my seat as my host poured me another glass of tea. "So tell me," he asked, "you figure out what's happening with your blood?" I gave him a stern glare. He chuckled. "Well, I suppose I already know that one, but get this," he said, leaning in close. "It ain't only your heart, kid. It's your soul, too."

"M... my soul?"

"Yup, your soul; your very being is being eroded as we speak. That energy is going straight into your blood," he explained. "Well, the magic part, at least. And when half a year is over, you'll just be a empty corpse." 

"I thought you were going to tell me a story, Discord," I spat.

"Sheesh, fine then. I'll just skip to the good part," he said. "You know why there's no written reports of non-magical blood being harmed by magical blood? It's because all mixture of the two bloods were kept secret by a guy named... actually, I've forgotten. Let's call him Brad." 

"Brad was actually Star Swirl the Bearded's teacher, but I digress. He found that mixing human and magically potent blood with a few other ingredients lead to a elixir that could stop the body from aging. To use your fancy doctor terms, it stopped cells from reaching senescence, but it also restricts their growth so that... well, having your cells multiply infinitely would be... bad."

"And well... let's just say that your little doll's parents were idealists. They say their children as symbols of equality in a time where all of the races were separated into tribes. They caught wind of the whole 'immortality elixir' thing, and one thing lead to another. It's quite a sad story, wouldn't you agree? Just because their parents wanted a peaceful world, they doomed their children to watching their loved ones die."

I sat in silence as I took my last sip of tea from the glass. "So, do they know?" I asked.

"Of course they know. Well... they know that they were fed an elixir of life, but that's just a fancy term for a human blood cocktail," he explained. "It begs a question, however. Just how far is Sun-Butt willing to go to do her job?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, think about it. You are in fact the only human on this planet; The last, missing ingredient to the elixir of life. Don't you find it odd that she, a immortal that is one of the most powerful beings in this land, took a liking to you after you insulted one of her subjects?"

Playing with the now empty glass, I thought about his words. I couldn't argue with what he suggested: it was a possibility. Celestia was the type who was serious about her job, much like myself. It was plausible that she would seduce me to keep an eye on me. In the end however, it all came down to how much I trusted her.

"Ah, who am I kidding?" I asked nobody. "Even if that were true, I'm dead in a couple of months anyways... Why would it matter to me?" I stood and walked to the door, sticking my hands in my pockets and slouching as I did so. "Thanks for the tea and the info, but it doesn't matter to me." With a sigh, my host went back to cleaning his glass as I left the bar.  

Opening the door, I walked out into the heavy rain with nowhere to go and nothing to do. For a moment, I stood there in front of the bar in thought. My answer came in the form of the sudden absence of rain hitting my body. I looked up to see a pink and white laced umbrella over my head. Looking to my right, I found Fleur standing beside me with an elegant, yet worried expression.

"It looks as if we're both late for you're party," she stated quietly.

"Yea," I responded meekly.





"I dropped the letter, so they all must know by now, knowing how curious some of them can be," I said as we walked through the front door of the building. 

Fleur, wringing her umbrella, turned to me with a worried look. "They must be absolutely wrecked with worry about you."  

I shrugged her off. I was just too tired and wet to respond. It was unacceptably late now, and my lack of sleep was getting to me. Leaving a trail of water as I walked, we made our way through the building to my apartment. I pulled out my keys and hesitated for a moment before putting them in the door.

Opening the door, we walked into... an empty apartment. The decorations were still hanging from the walls, and the food hadn't been touched. Some things that I noticed were different were that the letter was ripped apart and left on the table, there was also a note left next to it.

"Help yourself to whatever you'd like, Fleur," I said, motioning to the food. I didn't look to see if she actually did get food. Instead, I approached the table and picked up the note.

Come to the castle when you get this, Carter.

"What does it say?" Fleur quietly wondered.

"Nothing important," I responded, tearing the note into several pieces. I didn't feel like talking anymore. I sat down on the couch and closed my eyes. I let my exhaustion take over and soon I wasn't aware of my surroundings.

I fell asleep.





It was still raining the next morning, harder in fact. As I lay there on my couch staring up at the ceiling, I couldn't think of anything. Only the sound of the rain pounding on the windows filled my head with a sense of serenity. I began to think about the rain, however, and soon I found myself contemplating the similarities between it and myself.

Sitting up straight, I got up and headed to the door. I left and headed somewhere would I could be alone, somewhere that I'd never been before. I walked out of the apartment building and when nobody was nearby, I opened up a manhole cover and descended into the darkness.

It didn't take long to get where I was going, or maybe I wasn't paying attention, but that really doesn't matter. All I had to do was head towards the castle, and then I would be there. The sewers suddenly opened up into massive caverns, filled to the brim with blue, reflective crystals. The sound of rain from outside echoed quietly in the cavern, adding a soft, sad ambiance to my little walk.

I kept walking, and soon I was lost in a maze of my own reflection. Soon, I realized that something was wrong. I felt like I was being watched. I sped up my pace, walking faster and faster until I was almost running.

I turned left, around a corner, then right around another. I ran for what seemed like hours, but the feeling just kept getting stronger and stronger.

Stopping to catch my breath, closed my eyes and leant against a crystal. I leant my head back and opened my eyes. What I saw almost made me turn and run. At the other end of the "room" was a crystal, but it did not show my reflection.

It was Olivia. She stood there with her arms crossed, looking at me with a neutral expression. Slowly, my legs began to move on their own and I found myself in front of her, staring right back.

I didn't know what I felt in that moment: fear, happiness, wonder, anxiety... but what ever it was, I didn't really notice. Something in the back of my mind started screaming, and I found myself starting tear up. "Did... have I..." I shakily said, "...served my purpose?" 

Olivia didn't respond. She just stared at me with her hazel eyes, waiting for something. "C'mon," I said, "give me something, anything." Again there was no response.

Suddenly, I felt bitter and angry. My hands clenched and I began to shake. "Are you just here to mock me? Is that it? You told me I had a purpose so that I would feel crushed when I found out that I was going to die! Is this just some sick game to you, Olivia!?" I yelled.

"Are you mad that you're dead!? Do you want revenge!? Do you hate me!? What is it!? Tell me!!!" There was no response.

My tears suddenly spilled out over my cheeks and I fell to my knees. "Do you think I like knowing!? Do you think that I want this!? Please!" I begged, placing both hands on the crystal and looking down at the floor. I took a moment to let the tears out.

"Was I expecting a happy ending...?" I restated. My hands fell back to my sides, but I remained staring at the ground. "...maybe I was. Maybe I wanted to start a family away from the hell we call Earth. Maybe I wanted to grow old with Celestia, and die in my sleep..."

"...Is that too much to ask for...?"

Again, there was no response.

But then, there was a voice that I hadn't heard in a long time.

"Heh, it's always raining somewhere, Doc. If you want out, then you just gotta look over the horizon."

I looked up suddenly to find that her reflection was gone. She was gone... forever. In that moment, I realized that I, too, would be gone forever soon. And if I wanted to have a "happy" ending, then I was going to have to go buy a set of rings.
> Chapter 12 - The Troublesome Trio
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well... that's two thousand bits I'm never getting back, I thought as I stared down at the two simple, gold rings in my hand. Placing them into their respected boxes, I slipped them into my pocket. I made my way towards the castle at a leisurely pace through the rain and the busy streets. After all, Celestia would be in court around now, so there was no rush.

There was no doubt that Tia hadn't yet struck down the law about royalty being able to lead a romantic relationship: it would have been in the papers if she had. So, I thought, we'll just do this by ourselves, then when it's legal we'll come out with it. It seemed like a good plan, so I stuck with it. If worse came to worse, then I'd just propose later when I had the chance.

The gates were close now, only a few more minutes of walking before I would speak with Celestia. Anxiety gripped me suddenly. What if Discord was right? What if Celestia asked me to come to the castle so that she could explain why she had deceived me? I shook those thoughts out of my head. I needed to be strong. I had to be determined. I steeled my resolve and walked into the castle.

Celestia was indeed in court, but she had relayed to the guard that when I came to the castle, I should be lead to her chambers to wait. So, I climbed the stairs of the tower to her room, entered, then promptly began to pace around the room. There was no hiding it: I was nervous. I really didn't want to fuck this up.

A sensation of wetness under my feet woke me from my stupor. I looked down to find a trail of water where I was walking. Face-palming and shaking my head, I berated myself for making a mess of Tia's room, while not even being in it for five minutes. After grabbing a towel from the washroom, I began to soak up the water from the carpet. As I did however, the world began to spin far faster then it should have. When I was done, I was trying my best not to vomit all over the floor.

After considering my options, I decided that it would be best if I could take a nap. I had a lot of time before court was done, and I doubted that Tia would mind, so it didn't seem like a bad idea. Placing my wet clothes in the bathroom, I slipped into the princess' bed with only my underwear and my shirt. I placed the ring box that I planned to give Celestia on the other side of the bed, just underneath the blankets so that Tia couldn't see it. When she came in, I would wake up and give it to her, and that would be that.

Quickly, my body was overcome by fatigue and I drifted into Luna's domain.





"...if I don't tell him?!" a familiar voice whispered angrily. "What then, huh?!"

"Shh... Then the world will fall into chaos," the voice of Discord hushed calmly, not knowing that I had already awoken, "and I won't have the satisfaction of knowing that it was my doing." Deciding it would be best to keep my awareness a secret, I refrained from making any indication I was awake.

"Like I care about that," the familiar voice quietly huffed. The person was female, and the identity was on the tip of my tongue. "Even if I do tell him, it's not going to guarantee that there won't be war."

"You're right," Discord admitted, "but don't you think he'd want to know? It might give you a chance to gain his trust, then maybe his d—" Discord's words were suddenly muffled by something, but we got the idea. "So rude."

"Rutting isn't all there is to love, Discord," the voice seethed. Love? Wasn't Cadence the princess of love? No, this wasn't Cadence... the voice was too sultry, too low-toned.

"Why would you talk behind someone's back—" I rolled off of my side and looked at the two talking "—right fucking in front of them?" The two— Discord and Chrysalis —looked at me, one with complete shock, the other mild annoyance. My hand made it's way to my head as a powerful headache pushed its way into my skull. "Well, spit it out. What do I need to know other than I'm going to die?"

"WHAT?!" Chrysalis shouted, her shock turning into anger. My other hand slapped itself onto my head now, the shout amplifying the headache.

"Here," Discord said, appearing at my side with a glass full of clear, green liquid. "This will help with the headache and nausea. I can't do anything about the fatigue, however." I quickly downed the glass of green apple-flavored tea, and soon enough my symptoms slowly started to go away.

Chrysalis was fuming at the end of the bed with her fists clenched at her sides. "Do you seriously expect me to just ignore what you just said!?" she chided. "What do you mean, he's dying!?"

"I'm pretty sure that's self explanatory..." I muttered quietly as the pain from the headache finally subsided, leaving me worn out. "What the hell did you just give me?" I asked, twirling the cup in my hand as I sat upright. "Is this, like, chaos juice? Was there a chance that I turn into a tree or something?"

"Well, actually—"

"Are you, or are you not dying?!" Chrysalis demanded, cutting Discord off.

The air in the room got heavy as nobody could speak the words. Well I know I couldn't, but the spirit of chaos seemed keen to wait until I had. Minutes seemed to pass as I looked over the sunlight radiating off the side of the glass. "Yup," I sighed, "but there's really nothing anybody can do about it. It's an autoimmune distorter, sort of. The blood I received after my stabbing— most likely the white blood cells —are attacking the tissue in my heart, probably because it's where the highest concentration of blood resides. There hasn't been extensive testing done into it, but I'd wager that it's also destroying my immune system, too. Which in turn means that in half a year or so, I'll be dead due to illness and heart failure. Not only that, but apparently my soul is also being destroyed. So yea, I'm pretty much fucked."

The air was still thick as Chrysalis crossed her arms, thinking to herself. Not wanting to see the pained look on her face, I turned to Discord, who was sticking out one of his claws with feigned glee as he gazed at it. "Oh, I'm a pretty princess," he mocked quietly as I saw the glint of one of the rings I had just bought.

His reflexes were second to none, dodging the glass just in time as it flew at his asymmetric head. The shattering glass startled the changeling in the room, forcing her to look at the cowering Discord, then to my enraged glare. "I'm only going to say it once: put it back."

I honestly thought he'd make some sort of quip or joke about how doctors aren't supposed to hurt people or something, but instead he nodded and came over to the side of the bed and placed it in the seemingly unopened box. "A ring?" the changeling queen questioned curiously as she caught a glimpse at band of gold. "Don't tell me you plan on proposing to Celestia or Luna, or whoever it is that you're courting. Oh, let's face it, of course it's that white-coated beacon of an eyesore... You know that's not going to work out, right?:"

"Yea, I know about the law," I sighed.

"Law?" she questioned. "No, I mean... Oh. So you don't know." Chrysalis shot a look to Discord, who only shrugged in return.

"What?" I asked, looking between the two. "Does this have something to do with the war you two were talking about?"

The two both gave a look of mild anger to one another, seemingly blaming the other for me waking up. Chrysalis rubbed her arm gently and looked to the floor. "I don't think I should be the one to tell you this, but I'm beginning to think I'm the only one who will."

"Tell me what?!" I demanded.

"That you're going to start a war whether you like it or not." Again, the air became even thicker. I wanted to ask what the hell she meant by that, but I found myself unable to speak. "Changelings are natural-born spies," she continued as she began to pace along the foot of the bed. "We've inserted ourselves into pretty much every civilization on the planet, with each changeling drone reporting to their queen. I just so happen to focus on Equestria and the Gryphon Empire, which as of recently has had... stressed relations."

"Stressed— ?" I started, but I stopped at the sheer weight at the words. "I think Celestia would have told me if Equestria was on the brink of war! And what does that have to do with me?!" The two ex-villans stared at me with a look that let me know I was missing something really obvious. "What?!" I asked, not really seeing the dot that connected these to points.

There was silence for but a moment, before the two said in unison, "The elixir?"

And then it all made sense. "Wait, they want me?!" I said in horrified excitement. "That's...! That's fucking awful! So that's why I was attacked...! They wanted a situation where I had to have magical blood put in me." I swallowed the ever-rising fear in my throat. "The elixir... so all they actually need is my blood, not me."

"That's right," the queen of the changelings answered, "and if you marry Celestia, you'd be one of the most protected people in the country. The only way they'd be able to potentially obtain that blood is through an invasion."

"Plus," Discord added, "they could use the fact that the Alicorn sisters have the elixir to convince other nations that the already immortal alicorns plan to give immortality to whomever they please— even commoners. That would be the ultimate blow to the ego of royalty. I have no doubt that it would end in glorious chaos!"

"And mass death and destruction," I concluded with a stressed sigh. "So, what do I do now? Just keep doing what I've been doing? Minus the whole proposal deal? I just have to put myself in danger and be miserable for six months so that the world doesn't end?" The two nodded: one with solemn acceptance, the other with excited glee. "Well... Fuck."





We cleaned the broken glass and sat in silence for a while. Eventually, I was left alone as Discord took Chrysalis for some "quality time with his besty" and teleported away. I paced, sat, looked out of the window at the dimming sun and the ever-busy ponies of Canterlot.

I thought a lot in that three hour period. I thought about my duty as a doctor, and how that made me open to attack. I thought about Celestia and how our lives would carry on from this point forward. I thought about my death, and how this struggle would still carry on after I was dead if my body was still in one piece. I thought about how it was strange how by a random quirk of fate, the peace of this world was thrown off-course. How strange it was to me that one little human could throw a world of Gods and Empires and magic into disarray.

And then, I thought of nothing. I simply waited.

Soon, I heard the door behind me open slowly. I continued to look out the window, waiting for some kind of speech or apology or something, but it didn't come. Instead, I heard a small gasp after the sound of the ring box opening. It wasn't long after that I heard it close and soft footfalls approach from behind.

Two, soft arms wrapped around my midsection as another head was placed on my shoulder. Celestia pulled me close, her bound breasts pressing against my back as she looked out of her bedroom and into the city. She was warm— warmer than the sun on my skin, but I fought against the urge to turn around. "We need to talk," I stated quietly. "Though, it's going to be about more than just me."

Despite my tone, she refused to let go. "I figured as much," she admitted solemnly. It was actually a little shocking how calm her words were. Though in retrospect, she must have gone through this exact situation plenty of times before. Another loved one dying right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do. "Then speak. Let me hear all of it."

"First, lets get the obvious off of the table. I'm dying," I said coldly. "It's going to be due to heart failure or disease onset by immunodeficiency, plus even if we somehow make my body last, my soul is apparently being destroyed. At the end of six months... Carter Bowman will no longer exist." The cold realization of my words dawned on both me and Tia. I could feel us both tense at the word "exist". 

"Discord was the one who told me this, and that the elixir is actually... well, I guess it's started to brew in my body as we speak. I know it's Discord and everything, but he doesn't seem to have anything to gain by lying. Best-case scenario: I die in six months and everything about the elixir goes away. Worst-case is... well, this leads into my next worry."

"I know what's happening with the Gryphon Empire. You can thank Chrysalis for that. She seems to be grateful for me saving her life, though she didn't say anything to that regard. I digress— I know now that they want my blood, and that's causing your relations with them to deteriorate. I know they've been trying to worm their way in to your government for a while, considering the whole heat fiasco. I don't know if that's because they want Equestria, or they want to get close to me, but I'm pretty sure the winning bet here is both."

"All of this," I concluded, "is happening because I just so happen to show up one day without anybody knowing why or how. I'm pretty sure that if there was a reason for me to be here, it would have made itself obvious by now, but it hasn't. It leads one to believe that it was, indeed, a coincidence— a random chance that I happen to be here."

I waited for a moment, hesitant about what I wanted to say next. She would no doubt react poorly to it, but it was the best option. "What are you getting at?" Tia finally asked quietly, breaking the silence.

I swallowed what fear was left and spoke. "I'm not supposed to be here. In fact, I'd wager no human from my world was ever supposed to be here. As we speak, my presence is disturbing the natural harmony of this world." I took a breath and prepared myself for what I was about to say.

"If I'm going to die soon anyways, then kill me and destroy my body. With that, everything here will be solved and go back to the way it was before I came here. I take full responsibility for what's happening to you right now. It's just like... like ripping a bandage off quickly: you know it'll hurt so you might as well get it done with as quick as possible."

There was nothing— not even a shred of emotion from Celestia after I said these words. I waited and waited as I watched the sun slowly edging towards the horizon. The telltale sound of her magic rang in my ear as she forced the sun below, blanketing the world in her sister's calm darkness. 

In the room, however, the darkness was completely different. It was a thick coil of anticipation and fear around my midsection and shoulder. I could feel the arms around me tighten almost painfully, and I felt the dampness of her cheek against mine. Then, Celestia took on a tone I had never heard her use before: a cold, bladed tone that could cut even the bravest soldier's will to pieces. 

"No." A simple statement, but it was filled with the oppressive malice of a desert sun. The warmth from her body was now almost uncomfortable as she constricted me even tighter. "I refuse."

"Celestia, your family and friends will live through a war that might span the entire world because of me!" I pleeded. "This is the safest bet, and you know it."

"What part of "no" don't you understand? You aren't going to die for a mistake you didn't even make. I won't allow it."

My jaw tightened in a way I had never felt before. "So that's it? You're just going to risk an all out war for one man? Several thousands of lives just for one who's going to die in six months. Don't you think that's going against everything you stand for? Everything you pride yourself on?" I paused, waiting for a response. There was none, so I pulled out my final card. "Doesn't it go against the whole reason why we met in the first place?"

"What?!" she said in appalled confusion. "What the hell are you implying?!"

"With the information I have now, it's obvious. Don't even try to tell me otherwise. The whole reason I was at the gala is because you gave Applejack two other tickets, probably under the pretense that her family should come along. But you knew she owed me, and that the tickets would be the best way to get me to check out Canterlot before I took the job offered to me by the ministry of health— a ministry that you have easy access to. There was a pretty good chance that I would come, and I did. You saw your chance with that asshole, Snowy... whatever the fuck his name was. I left and was a lone. All you had to do was to sweep me off my feet and then you'd have me close by to keep track of.

"I was a liability," I argued. "If I was left out in Ponyville with the elements, there would be no doubt that someone would come for me— and with the whole Tirek thing, I became known. You needed me here not only to protect your citizens, but the elements as well. 

"It's obvious, Celestia. It was the smartest thing for you to do to keep everyone safe and to keep me happy, but now ethics have been thrown out to burn. The blood in my system needs to be destroyed before anyone gets it in their head that they can be the next immortal."

The hard silence in the room began to carve away my bravery, but I stayed strong long enough to wait for her answer. A sniffle came into my ear, then a choked sob. "I would be lying if I said there wasn't any truth to that," she admitted as she tried to suppress her emotions. After a breath, she continued. 

"You're right. I did set up your arrival to the gala and I did intend to influence your choice to stay in Canterlot so that I could keep you under wraps, but something unexpected happened. Something I never saw coming in my infinite wisdom. I genuinely liked you, Carter, and that fond friendship turned quickly into... it might as well have been a school girl crush. On my birthday, seeing you in front of the station with those mares— I hadn't felt my urge to strangle someone in over three hundred years. By the time we were on the train, I knew I was in love.

"And not some fucking puppy love either— real love— deep love. I understood that day that I couldn't let you get mixed up in the fight for the elixir. I knew someone would try to pull something. That night on Hearth's Warming eve, it was Luna's way of getting me to become emotionally detached from you for my own mental health, in case something were to happen to you. It made me doubt my feelings, and I accepted to find out what they really were once and for all... but we both know what happened after that.

"Maybe if I had just told you from the start, none of this would have happened," she lamented. "You would have most likely agreed to stay close, understanding the circumstances. Then none of this would have happened— or at least it would have been delayed. The point is, I wanted you— not as a liability, but as someone that makes me genuinely happy to be alive! This— what we have between us isn't a lie! I wanted this for the first time in something like five hundred years, even though I knew it could end up like this!"

With this, Celestia tried desperately to get her overwhelming emotions in check, but was failing tremendously. I would feel her body trembling and her grip was now tighter than ever before. Somehow, I managed to turn around to hug her and Tia practically buried her snout into my shoulder as the dam broke. I watched at the person I held most dear to me broke down into a weeping mess, collapsing to her knees and bringing me with her. "Please," she begged, "please don't go! Please stay for just a little longer!"

I felt... awful. Like not even a little bit relieved, just awful at what I had said. Of course she was scared— I was fucking dying. The man she loved was dying in front of her. My own tears joined hers as I brought the hug in to a point where it was almost painful. "Okay," I said, keeping in my own sobs. "I'll stay. I'll stay for as long as I can."

We ended up sleeping on the floor that night. Though, it was a restless night for both of us.
> Chapter 13 - Redacted
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ungodly buzzing of my alarm tore me from the pleasant dream I was having, forcing my hand down upon it. My eyes opened to the sight of an empty bed and a long morning ahead of me. It didn't take long for me to take a shower, shave, get my keys and leave the apartment. For as fast as I was going, everything on the streets of the city seemed faster than usual, perhaps due to my imagination or negative public image. I stopped at my favorite coffee shop and got the usual on-the-go breakfast and coffee, ignoring the glares from everyone inside enjoying their morning.

I stopped on my usual route only once, right after I had left the coffee shop. I looked over to across the street to where the carriage had crashed. I took a sip of my brew and thought about how long ago that was, though it only seemed like yesterday. The storefronts had changed ownership— probably due to the negative image of having a carriage crash into your shop. Not very good advertisement there. I began to wonder what had happened to those patients that had survived the crash. Maybe they had a new lease on life, considering how close to death they were. Maybe they were doing something— or someone —they loved and left the old life behind.

"C—Carter?" came an apprehensive voice from my left. It was Sylvia, wearing her scrubs and no doubt on her way to the office.

I smiled. "Hey, you come this way too? I'm surprised we haven't bumped into each other sooner," I mentioned, surprised by the sudden social interaction. "You getting a coffee or just gonna go straight to work?"

Sylvia couldn't meet my eyes, looking down at the cobble road or at the passersby. "Y-yea... I'm just gonna head to work."

"Well, let's get going then," I said gleefully. "Don't want to be late, or else Cross will kill me early." The gryphon winced, but said nothing.

We started down the road in a continuous pattern: Sylvia would look at something, look down, and then to me. I would say nothing and munch on the egg and sausage sandwich in my hand. It was when Canterlot Central was in sight that I finally got fed up with the constant staring.

"You know," I started, looking directly towards her, "you can just say it. I don't mind— really! It's better than this weird neck exercise you keep doing."

This seemed to finally break the barrier she had put up because she sighed with the force of a jet engine. "Carter, you're dying! How can you be so... so relaxed?!"

I shrugged. "Is there anything you can do to help me?" Sylvia looked at me strangely, but just shook her head dejectedly. "Then stop worrying about it. There's nothing I can do either, so I'm not gonna waste my time speeding up the process with ulcers."

"It's not just me, though! Everyone's worried!" she explained. "When Cross saw that letter, she almost lost her mind! She was redder than I'd ever seen her before!"

"Wait, like mad?" I asked.

"Furious! And don't even get me started on the rest of them! There was a whole rainbow of emotions in that room! The Elements of Harmony in particular were devastated!"

A sharp whips of wind hissed through my teeth. "Yikes... there's not much I can do about that. Though, now I'm kind of worried."

"Oh, now you're worried?"

I was taken aback in a good way. "I think that was the first time I've ever heard you use sarcasm! Cross and I must be rubbing off on you!" Sylvia groaned and smacked my arm, making me laugh a little as we approached the glass entrance of the hospital. "Yes, I am in fact worried. Not because of the blood, but because the Elements— especially Twilight —can... overreact? They do some crazy shit sometimes, and boy are those days quite funny to watch as the fuck everything up."

"So you're worried about... well, you'd say shenanigans, right?" she asked as I reached out and held the door open for her.

"Yea, pretty much. I mean if it ever happens, it'd be... what the fuck is this?"

Standing there in the main reception of the hospital was Cross, looking quite cross, along with a team consisting of most of the heads of departments of the hospital. Sitting in front of them was an empty wheelchair, and a small cluster of confused-looking, early morning patients. They weren't the only confused ones, however. The staff passing though going about their usual routines gave Cross a strange look as she glared daggers at me.

Sylvia was silent for a moment, before finishing my sentence. "...obvious? Bad? Awkward?"

"I bet you a hundred bits the Elements are standing behind us," I offered as I took a sip of my almost empty coffee.

"I thought you didn't bet money?" she quipped.

"This hardly counts as a bet."

The gryphon looked at me, and I to her before we both turned and found not only the Elements of Harmony, but Redheart and Stables as well, all of whom had a stern look on their face. I let out a hum of surprise. "Maybe I have magical coincidence powers now that I'm dying," I said, flexing my hand into weird shapes. "I'm going to fly away from this situation! I don't have a deadly blood disease!" When nothing happened, I took another sip of coffee. "Yea, didn't think so."

"Carter," Twilight started, "this is for your own good. If you just cooperate, I'm sure we can find a cure for you in no time!"

I stared at the purple princess for a moment, then down to my coffee. "Can I finish this first, or are you in that much of a hurry to steal my blood again?"

"No!" called Cross from the other side of the room. "Just get in the damn chair already!"

I turned to face my boss, taking another sip of coffee to spite her. "And what if I say that if I do, you'll all be arrested?"

"In the chair, now!" she ordered, pointing to the device in front of her.

I gave a sigh of annoyance. I couldn't get in that chair— the first thing they'd do is blood tests! If any great amount of my blood came out of my body in any way, there'd be trouble in no time at all. "Look," I started, raising my hands in defeat, "I can't. You read that letter, Cross. I'm pretty much a walking bio-hazard now. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have ordered that my blood be considered a weapon, and if any should be spilled, that it be collected and destroyed post haste."

Cross remained cross. "I don't believe you," she stated simply and angrily.

"I have the decree right here, Cross." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and waved it in front of her.

"That's a napkin," she deadpanned.

"What? Decrees can't be written on napkins?" I argued, but it was in vain. I felt arms shoot underneath my shoulders and lift me up off of my feet. Somehow, I managed to keep my coffee from spilling as Applejack and Rainbow Dash began to carry me to the wheelchair. "Hey hey hey! I literally just told you—!"

"Sorry, Sugarcube, but ya need this. You of all people should know that these things need ta' be done for ponies to be healthy."

"I'm not a pony!" I struggled against the two powerhouses, but I knew from the start it was in vain. In a last-ditch attempt at freedom, I revisited my older joke with a newfound prayer. "And then Discord saved me!" I shouted as I closed my eyes from the strain.

The sudden weightlessness honestly scared me a lot before I was plopped back down into a familiar, faux-leather chair. I slowly opened my eyes to find my office, and sitting in the chair on the other side of my desk was the blessed spirit himself. "Holy shit," I said in wonder, "I didn't think that'd work."

I looked up to my savior expectantly, but he shook his head in disappointment. "I'm afraid I've been watching this  mishap unfold since yesterday. That, and the H.M.I.C. said to keep an eye on you. Well, more like around you, just in case someone tries to pull a "me" on the entire world again."

"Oh," I said in plain contempt for the truth, "that's disappointing. I was starting to like the idea of convenience magic..." I lamented a bit before I realized something. "So, I guess maybe I shouldn't have said that bit about my blood, huh?"

"Probably." 

I sighed and slammed my head into my hands. "How the hell am I going to work with the lynch mob after me?" 

I massaged my face for a few seconds, hoping Discord might actually have the answer, but I was greatly disappointed. "I don't know, and I really don't care," he chuckled. "This is the least of your worries, after all. People are still after that tasty blood of yours."

"Yea, I know," I deadpanned, "I was stabbed, remember? I'm kind of aware of the fact that people want me dead. Why do they even want me dead in the first place? They could just— I dunno —abduct me or something."

"If you want my two cents, it's probably easier to transport a dead body or blood bags out of the country than a live person who's screaming and kicking," the spirit of chaos added. "It's rather disconcerting for me— considering my hide in on the line —that this is a very real possibility, which is why I've decided to help you out!"

At this, he slid something across the desk: a strange medallion of sorts, attached to what seemed  to be a string. "Wait, is this an arcade cabinet button attached to a shoelace?" I marveled. "What the hell is this going to do?"

Discord frowned. "Honestly, if you're going to judge things by appearance, then forget it. I'll just take my teleportation button back."

I reeled back with the button as he reached for it. "No, no. It's mine now. I'm keeping this."

"Even thought you don't know what it does?"

"It teleports me," I smirked.

Discord smirked as well, leaning back in the chair. "Where?"

I took a moment to think about it. "To Celestia?" I wagered sheepishly.

There was a brief pause in the conversation until the spirit scowled. I laughed smugly and hung the button around my neck, hiding it within my shirt. "Damn it. Lucky guess..." Discord lamented. "Either way, my job's done here. I'll be keeping an eye out for you every now and again, but when I'm not, use that to slip away."

"Wait, wait, wait— every now and again?" I asked in panic. "What do you mean, "every now and again"?! People are trying to kill me, or take my blood! Why not all the time?!"

"I have a life," he said looking kind of hurt at the assumption. "I do things too, you know. I'll have you know that I also have a job!"

It took me a moment to register that he had just said. I leaned forward and looked at him ludicrously. "You have a job?"

"Yes, I do," he stated proudly. "I'm a... well, I'm... I work with Fluttershy at her house!"

"So you're an assistant? Man servant? Husband? What is it?" I retorted. "Do you even get paid?"

"No, but the company is nice," he admitted honestly. "It doesn't matter, what matters is that your door is about to break down."

"What?"

At that, Discord vanished in a cloud of confetti, leaving tiny bits of paper all over my office. In the second after, my door bend inwards with a grunt and crack. Then again, and again, until finally the locking mechanism broke entirely and the door slammed open. 

In stormed Applejack, Cross, and Redheart, all of whom looked particularly upset. "There ya are!" AJ said though her panting breath. "Why are ya being so stubborn about this! It could very well save yer life!"

"Stubborn?! I'm not the one who just broke my door!" I said, getting up from my chair and motioning behind the three.

"Carter," Red began, "you know that we need to do this! If this condition isn't treated and another human appears anywhere in the world, then they might suffer through what you're going though right now!"

"We're doing this one way or another, Carter," Cross finalized.

"Yea? What about consent then, huh?" I countered. "I don't intend to give it anytime soon! Frankly, you're just wasting your time, along with the hospital's! I know it's sad that I'm dying, but get over it! I have— and I'm the one who's going in six months! Give it a break already and let me to my job!"

There was silence between the four of us for a moment. Everyone in the room didn't seem to budge from their stance even an inch, but then Cross of all people gave. "Fine," she relented, but insisted on staying angered and frustrated as she threw her hands up into the air. "If you're so damned sure you want to die early, then that's just fine. However, I don't really see the reason that you're so fucking uptight about a few tests— I mean you already did one a few weeks ago."

My heart stopped early. "W-what? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I mean you sent in some blood to have the diagnosis done, right?" she added, shaking her head and pinching the bridge of her snout. "I mean if you're fine with that, then there shou—"

Cross was shoved aside forcefully as I sprinted pass her into the halls of the hospital. "Carter!" AJ called out from behind as I thought about the layout of each floor. "What in tarnation is—!?"

There was no time left to talk or think. I sprinted past patients, nurses, doctors and janitors as I descended and descended the stairs over and over again, flight after flight until I got to the basement. The thick metal doors that lined the hallway were plastered with nameplates, and I read each and every one of them until finally...

"Hematology!" The blood lab. I practically kicked the door down as burst into the room, drawing the attention of everyone inside. "Which one of you is Sugar Cycle?!" I pleaded in a blind panic. A rose-coloured mare in the back sheepishly raised her hand. 

I wasted no time in approaching her with all the intent I could muster. "Doctor Bowman," she started as I approached, "I know it's hard news to bare, but you—"

"No! It's not that!" I explained quickly. "Did you destroy the sample?! My blood sample! Is it gone?!"

"Well, no I—"

"No time— just give it to me, I need to know if it's here!" I practically screamed at this point. 

Sweat was dripping off of my head and audibly onto the tiled floor of the lab. My panting and heaving rushed my thumping heart into my hears as I looked into the eyes of the mortified technician. 

"If you'd let me finish, I'll tell you where the blood is!" she started, frustrated. "I already gave it to that resident for you! The one you sent to pick it up just now! The gryphon you're always with!"

"Sylvia?" I questioned, shock gripping my stomach tightly. "She said that I sent her? Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes," she confirmed with worry instead of frustration, most likely due to my change in tone. "Did something ha—?"

"Carter!" Redheart chided from the door, getting everyone's attention. "What is this all—?!"

I ran to White Cross who had just entered the room and forcefully grabbed her by the shoulders. "Did you see Sylvia? I need to know— we need to know right now. I'm not fucking around, Cross— you know when I am."

Cross was stunned by my sudden aggression, though she made no attempt to stop it. The look in her eyes said it all: she knew fear was driving me at this point, and if I really wasn't afraid to die, then this had to have been worse. "I... I did see her go down the stairs when we were coming up to your office, but I mean—"

"We need to find her now— not in a few minutes —right fucking now, Cross, or else a whole lot of shit is about to go down." 

She nodded and we raced up the stairs. I split off into the lobby. I looked and looked, but there didn't seem to be a gryphon in sight. I raced out into the street, but the crowds of the early morning were blocking all hopes of progress.

Sylvia was gone, and so was the blood.
> Chapter 14 - Alone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The oppressing heat of the room weighed down on me, forcing me forwards and into my hands. In a shitty, plastic seat in the reception area I heard the quiet thumps of feet on the tile floor and the murmur of questions being thrown around. "What did she look like?" and "Do you know where she may have gone?" were commonplace here in the heat, but the ones that really dug into me seemed to be spoken louder than the others. "Has she acted suspicious before?", "How well did you know her?", and "Do you think she was a spy?" made my fingernails dig deeper into my scalp, threatening to draw forbidden blood.

"Can you believe this?" I overheard one guard whisper to another. "Not even a week after we learn about this guy, and already someone's gone and done something crazy." The clinking of armour and a sigh. "I dunno if we should even bother at this point. I heard the lieutenant say that whoever this bird was, she was in deep. Weaseled her way right into the Ministry of Health and kept tabs on important tech and advancements that were made. Breaker told me that her apartment was going to be a treasure-trove, but it was an inferno when they got there."

My ears dulled their conversation out. I didn't want to believe it, but here it was right in front of me. Sylvia— if that was even her real name —was a spy for the Gyphon Empire, seeded deep into the medical scene way before I had even gotten to Canterlot, or even Equestia for that matter. At least, this was the most likely outcome in my head as I sat there stewing in my contempt and misery. Nobody could ever know for sure now. She was gone— erased from the board in a moment's notice.

A firm grasp held my shoulder as I contemplated every conversation, every cup of coffee, every moment I had ever had with Sylvia. I rotated my head to find I.V. of all people sitting next to me. He gave a sort of reassuring smile, but he looked just as tired as everyone else. "Wild day, huh?" he chuckled weakly. "The real important ponies really just attract trouble. I thought it was a myth."

I gave an exasperated sigh and leant back in the sparsely padded chair. "Tell me about it," I groaned as I felt my muscles burn and joints shriek. "I thought I'd avoid this shit when I moved here, but it seems like once you've lived in Ponyville it follows you everywhere."

I.V. let out a sudden laugh of amusement. "Oh yea! I forgot you used to live there!" He gave a little laugh with wonder in his breath. "Man, must be pretty fucked up there. I mean, after everything that's happened: Discord, Tirek, and I'm sure there's plenty more to come!"

A wave of nostalgia hit me as my bones began to cool off from the strain of the day. "Yea, I guess you could say that. It's nice at times, though. Quiet, too." I remembered the lush green fields near the Everfree, the crawling wisps of cloud in the blue sky, the breeze that could calm even the most heated of person. "I kind of miss it," I admitted quietly.

"Ah, so even after all that, it's pretty good, huh?" I.V. mused, now joining me in slumping back in his chair. "You can only imagine the backbone on those ponies there. Picking themselves up after each sudden fall, only to come back stronger."

"That's were you were going with this?" I laughed weakly in amusement. "Fuck off, I.V., you know I'm fine. It was just really fucking sudden."

"Ah," he said in mock surprise, "the "I'm fine" response. How enlightening. It definitely isn't something people say when they're hiding what they really feel." I smacked him lightly in the arm, raising a chuckle from him. "Carter, I know you're not fine because I'm not fine. Everything seems so fucked up now: Cross cried in front of me for the first time in years, you look like you just went toe to toe with a minotaur for several hours, the whole hospital is covered in guards and we can't leave until they say it's okay to."

I looked far past the walls of the hospital, far into the reaches of space as I thought about what he said. "Cross... cried?" I asked in honest disbelief.

"Yea," he admitted solemnly, "and not even the stern, suppressed crying either. Like, ugly crying."

"That's..." I couldn't put into words how I felt. Cross was a strong mare, stronger than anyone in the hospital. She would be the one consoling the families of those who didn't make it. For her to cry like that... Sylvia must have meant a lot to her. "That's awful."

"Yea."

We both sat there as the guards processed more and more staff and patients, slowly melting into our seats from the heat. How did I feel? I.V. was right: I definitely wasn't fine, but the more I thought about it, the more it felt like I didn't feel anything. It was just was what it was. It was like I didn't care that this was happening, or that Cross was crying, or that I.V. was sitting next to me.

"You know," I said suddenly, startling the both of us, "I used to be homeless."

"Really?" came I.V., looking honestly surprised. "Back in your world?"

"No," I laughed pitifully, "it was here in Equestria. Back in Ponyville. When I came here, it was really sudden and nobody really knew what to do with me. I just slept in my office and nobody ever seemed to notice. I think some people were happy about it, honestly. It meant that I was always around for the night shift if something went wrong. Soon enough, people just... forgot. It was commonplace after the first month or so. 

"And I mean, I was completely fine with it! I'd wash in the showers in the hospital, wash my clothes at the laundromat, and spend my off hours out on the town. I'd even walk out in the middle of the night— and I mean like one or two A.M. middle of the night. Those walks were... magical to me, man. Back in my world, you can't see the stars from cities anymore, but at night in Ponyville... I remember just laying out in a grassy field and looking out into into the sky and think about how different everything was.

"I remember how alone I felt in those moments. Like, I mean yea, I had friends— AJ would come with me and camp out underneath the stars some nights. We'd make a bonfire and talk about things: her family, her friends, and I'd fuck with her and pester her about a boyfriend— or coltfriend, or whatever you wanna call them. But... every time she would ask about me, I just deflected the question and laugh it off. I didn't want to bum her out by telling her how isolated I felt at the time. 

"I think... I think that's what I feel like right now," I admitted solemnly, "like I did back then. Like I'm staring up at the starry sky and thinking that no matter how hard I wish, or try, or whatever, from the moment I got here I was "the human" underneath everything else that made me, me. That I'll always be alone in one way."

The silence was reason enough to look at I.V., but even then I didn't. I was too lost back in time in that field with AJ to care. "Dude..." I.V. breathed, unsure of what to say. "I... I had no idea."

"I mean to be fair," I laughed a little, "I don't think anyone on this planet can have an idea what it's like. Except maybe Discord, but he doesn't really talk about himself or his kind that much." I took a breath, but it came out as an exhausted sigh. "Yea, I'm going to miss those nights. Something about the stars makes me feel small, or like I could just fall off the world at any moment. Not a good feeling, but for some reason I remember it with fondness."

I.V. took his time coming up with his next words. "Maybe," he began cautiously, "maybe because it was normal? Like maybe you felt like you were back home?"

I thought about his carefully picked words to see if there was any truth to them. "Yea," I confirmed after a minute of silence. "That's exactly how it is."





I was in the garden when Celestia caught me after court. There was no doubt she had heard what happened at the hospital, and there was no doubt that she would be worried about me. She caught me kneeling next to some of her personal patch in the garden: a place she had reserved for her own flowers, or whatever she felt like planting. There was no telling what I was doing, because I wasn't even sure myself.

Jogging up to me in her daily dress and jewelry she wore during court, she stopped and hesitated speaking when she saw me playing in the dirt. "Carter?" she ventured, gaining my attention. "What... what are you doing?"

"Gardening," I stated simply as I parted the soil with my fingers, "I think. I'm not really sure what the hell I'm doing." I reached over to the flower I had bought on my way here and brought it out of it's plastic shell. Celestia knelt next to me as I slowly placed the plant into the hole and covered it with the loose soil. "I think that's right..." I mused, wiping my forehead with my wrist.

I turned to Tia with an exhausted smile, making her slowly begin to chuckle. "You've smudged dirt all over your face!" she laughed as she licked her thumb and tried to get it off. "Honestly... you're all about sterilization in your profession. How can you get so dirty?"

"Says the mare who pinned me to the bed and—" Tia's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed as she put her hands over my mouth. I gave her palm a lick and she reeled back in playful shock, laughing before smearing it over my face. Joining in on her mirth, I fell to my bottom and looked up at the evening sky. A sigh escaped me, sounding as tired as I was after Tirek had wrought havoc in Ponyville. "It's been one of those days. I mean, pretty much everything went wrong."

I turned to Celestia and opened my mouth to apologize for letting the blood slip away, but she read me like a book and covered my trap with a finger. "It's not your fault, Carter. It never was, nor will it ever be," she comforted quietly, releasing her hold over my lips. "I've already looked into the matter, so don't worry about it. You just need to focus on what you need to do. Like... gardening apparently?"

"I thought it might be nice to share a hobby," I admitted, looking away in embarrassment. "Get as much time in as possible together doing the things we love before... you know."

Tia instinctively opened her mouth to say something about my inevitable demise, but stopped herself and adopted a look of understanding. "Yes, I think that would be nice," she agreed with a sad smile.

There was silence after that. We both leaned into one another and looked up as the sky went from orange, to red, to blue. When the stars came out, I felt at peace being small and insignificant. I pressed my cheek up against Tia's, and when she turned to look at me, I gave her a peck on the lips.

"C'mon," I said as I stood suddenly. "I haven't eaten since this morning. Let's go get some cake."

"Cake?" she laughed as I helped her off of the grass. "Why cake? Not that I'm complaining or anything!"

"I mean, I've been overdue for that birthday I missed, so why the hell not?" I explained as I began to wipe the loose dirt off of my clothes. "It's been one of those days after all. I could really go and drown myself in sugar right now."

Celestia gave a soft smile as she suddenly came in for a hug. It startled me, but I gave into the hug nevertheless. The softness of her fur was a comfort to my aching skin, and the warmth of her body held me up for the rest of the night. When she parted, she flushed and looked away. "I've missed spending time with you," she admitted. "It was getting kind of boring around here."

I returned the smile when she finally brought her eyes back to mine. "Yea. I missed this too."





Okay, maybe I was wrong about the drowning in sugar thing, I thought to myself as I made my way through the streets back to my apartment. It was the dead of night, and there weren't many ponies around as I wandered down the main street. The ones that were dressed obviously: neon-dyed hair and piercings all over their bodies, or dressed for easy movement on the dance floor. They were most likely going to one club or another, but it didn't really matter.

I had been walking for twenty minutes— I didn't live that far away from the castle, but not too close either. Upon seeing the night life alive in this city, I didn't take much notice of most walking down the alleys or hiding private acts in the shadows of the night. It wasn't until later as I was nearing my house that I noticed a figure walking the same direction as me. They wore a grey hoodie with the hood pulled so tight that I couldn't even see what race they were.

They were ahead of me by about a block, and turned down the street where I lived. Something was off about the way they moved: slow and methodical, yet with an air of anxiety about each stride. I followed as I would have anyways, and stopped at the corner of the intersection. Hiding behind the shop corner there, I peered around to spy the hooded figure walking up to the building that I lived. They stopped, and looked up to the many windows that lined the street.

It was a good five minutes before the figure looked back down and stood completely still. Instead of entering the building or doing something unexpected, the figure seemed to slouch as if sighing. It then pulled something out of it's pocket and took a good, long look at it before putting it back and resuming on it's way down the road.

I saw the yellow talons against the night sky, and had a pretty good feeling I knew who it was.
> Chapter 15 - Counter Attack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sylvia made constant stops at my apartment every few days for about a month, always in the dead of night. I had been leaving work early to come and spy on her, seeing what exactly she was planning to do, but every time she would just sigh and leave in a hurry. From what I could see, she still had the blood sample on her at all times. Was she getting cold feet about this entire ordeal? Was this just some sort of tactic to get me to empathize with her? I had no idea what the fuck was happening, and I wanted it to change.

There was no way in hell I was gonna tell anyone about this, otherwise that would just open up a new can of worms. If someone was gonna get the answers from Sylvia I was gonna be me and me alone. If she was actually a spy, then any sort of commotion from me to the guards was gonna scare her off.

So I decided enough was enough. This was going to end one way or another.

It was on the seventh visit that I found myself slowly sneaking up behind the gryphon spy in the shadows. All the pent up anger and frustration only fueled my careful footsteps. I remembered the conversation we had as we walked to work that morning, how nervous she seemed. It was painfully obvious now that if that wasn't just all an act, that she was genuinely worried about stealing the blood. Her running into me was probably one of the worst things that could have happened to her that morning. It just so happened that it was the same day that Cross sprung her trap on me, giving Sylvia the perfect chance to steal the blood.

I prayed that Discord wasn't watching as I got withing a few meters of the hooded gryphon. It was way to late for him to be up and keeping an eye on me, or at least that's what I kept telling myself. There was also a good chance he was watching and liked the show that was happening before him. Honestly, my life must have been like a really fucked up romcom for him to watch every night. Then again, if I had crazy chaos powers who knows that I would do?

My mind kept wandering to these things to distract myself from what I was about to do. Oh god... could I really do something like this? This was so risky, and there was a good chance I was gonna get stabbed again. There was also a good chance that this was some sort of trap laid out to lure me into an ambush. No, I had to do this! I needed to know the truth of what the fuck was going on!

I steeled my self one last time, taking a deep breath and preparing myself for the attack.

Syliva turned in shock to find me sprinting towards her with the energy only juiced up Olympic sprinter could have. The war cry that came from my mouth probably woke up several neighbors as I screamed with all the anger I could muster. My body felt like it was burning, especially my dying heart, which worked overtime as I neared ever closer to my target.

I could see her face now: it really was Sylvia, and she looked horrified at what she was witnessing. She most likely thought I was going to kill her, but I had other plans.

She let out a pained grunt as I threw my body into hers, taking us both to the ground. I made sure I wrapped my arms around her tightly in a death grip as my chest pressed firmly against hers, so that my trap would work as intended.

With a flash of blinding light, we fell onto a hard, wooden table set up in center of Canterlot palace's dining hall. There were several shouts of shock and horror at the sudden appearance of a man and a gryphon in the middle of a wrestling match flopping onto the table, but I was a little busy to take notice of who it was. 

Sylvia struggled to break free, grunting and shouting obscenities all the while, eventually landing a hook to my face and knocking me off of the table. I fell to the floor, but the trap had already sprung; With a yelp she was pinned to the table by several guards and magic with absolutely no hope of escape.

I dizzily used the table to stand up and look at the dogpile now dragging the gryphon off of the table and putting her in manacles. It was then that I noticed the blood on her hoodie as Sylvia was lead out of the chamber and to the dungeons. My eyes drifted to the table where a large smear of blood coated the table where we fell, and then to by midsection which was also stained red from the crimson elixir.

Before I knew it, I was flipped around and my shirt was lifted suddenly by new assailants. I barely recognized Celestia as she frantically looked for the wound that would cause this much blood, but she calmed down when I gently grabbed her hand and forced her to look at me.

We both let out a sigh of relief before she gave my shoulder a good slug. "You bastard!" she half laughed, half chided. "That's why you wanted to meet up for tea so late at night!"

I smiled sheepishly and leaned against the table. "Yea, sorry," I apologized. "She had been checking out the apartment for a while now. I wanted to get the jump on her myself. If I had done anything out of the ordinary, I think she would have booked it."

"You idiot," Tia now fully scolded me, her scowl hiding her relief. "You could have been killed! You— where did all this blood come from?!"

"The sample she stole," I explained, just happy that this gamble turned out in my favor. "It must have broke in her pocket when I tackled her."

I told her everything, about Sylvia and the strange situation that had led up to this moment. Pulling out the teleportation button Discord had given me the days prior, she understood my intent. It was a gamble, but it looked like everything payed off in the end. I had no idea if it would actually teleport someone with me, but it was worth the risk. Now they could question Sylvia and I might finally get some answers.

"Discord's gonna be pissed when he finds out I put myself in danger specifically when he was looking away," I laughed as Tia and I slowly made our way up to her room. "He said you put his hide on the line."

The princess let out a not so innocent giggle as she looked away. "I intend to keep you around to the very end, Carter," she admitted. "Besides, it's not like Discord was doing much anyways. I had already assumed he was keeping tabs on you, since you keep seem to be running into each other."

And then something came to me. "Yea... that is strange," I admitted. "He really has been there for a lot of the shittier moments of my time here in Equestria. Always there to break some sort of bad news to me..." I stopped for a moment and looked at Celestia with a strange look in my eyes. Something wasn't right here. "Very recently, too— ever since I got that letter. No, even before that: we first met when I was being held here after saving Chrysalis."

"Was there something you did that day that would have gotten his attention other than saving Chrysalis?" she began to theorize with me. "For a being of chaos, he doesn't tend to meet new people without reason. He's rather antisocial when I think about it." 

No, there wasn't anything that came to mind, but I still felt like that I was missing something. I thought about everything that had happened that day, but I didn't really do anything other than save Chrysalis' life. I was being held after that, so what brought Discord to me? A yawn interrupted my train of thought, and I looked up to find Tia covering her snout. "Oh, sorry," I honestly apologized, taking her hand and beginning up to her room again. "You must have had a busy day."

"Not particularly," she admitted with a genuine smile, "but thank you for your concern. I'm actually quite amazed you aren't tired at all, Carter. Countless hours at the hospital must have built up your tolerance to exhaustion."

I stopped dead in my tracks. "No... I'm usually wiped at the end of a long day." I turned and looked Celestia dead in the eyes. "At least before Discords started to... In fact, I've felt amazing recently." And then it hit me. "I have to go now," I said slowly, making my way backwards through the hall from where we had came. "Get some sleep! You look exhausted, Tia!"

"Where are you going, Carter?!" she called out in worry.

"I'm going for a drink!"





The door to The Entropy Shot burst open as I practically kicked the door down. As expected, Discord was up at the bar cleaning a glass like last time. He looked up with a smug grin and mischievous eyes as I marched over to the counter and slammed my hands down. "What the fuck have you been doing to me, you Mr. Potato Head-looking motherfucker?!" I shouted over the quite ambiance of a muffled band playing in the background of the bar.

Discord pretended to look shocked at my accusation, even so far as to shatter the glass against the wall behind him as his claw came up to his chest in surprise. "Whatever do you mean, Mister Bowman?" he mockingly said. "I have no clue what I've done to you!"

"That's some fucking bullshit and you know it." 

My words were like blades, managing to cut through his facade, or at least I thought they did. "I'm telling you the truth, Carter," he said as he leaned forwards and put his smug face up to mine. "I really have no idea what I've done to you."

"What the fuck does that mean?" I questioned. "You've been giving me shit to drink ever since I figured out I was dying! A red drink when I first showed up here after getting the letter, and a green drink the day after! What—?!"

As if daring me to continue, Discord put a glass between us filled with a dark blue liquid. "It's on the house, my friend," he said as he pulled back and motioned to the drink. "I'm afraid everything after that is going to cost you."

I half wanted to throw the drink at him, but something told me to withhold my anger and thing rationally. "You said you have no idea what you're doing to me," I thought out loud, eyeing the drink. "Do you mean that literally?"

"I mean in the most literal sense possible," Discord confirmed. "I really have no idea what's happening to you right now. All I did was give you a few, good drinks to see if we have the same taste." Something was off about this entire situation, and I had no idea what it was. The glass gave a ring as the spirit of chaos tapped it with a talon again. "Come now, I didn't just pour you a good drink on the house for noting! When have I ever given you something that didn't sit well with you?"

There was an obvious hesitation as I picked up the surprisingly cold glass in my hand. This might have been playing right into Discord's claws, but I really didn't have anything left to lose. I was dead in a few months. With that thought, I slowly down the drink: a blueberry flavored soda of some kind, but it was completely flat. It wasn't bad, and only after a few moment did I place it back down onto the countertop completely empty.

"See?" Discord said as he took the glass from me. I reluctantly nodded my head in agreement as I sat down onto one of the bar stools. "I knew you would enjoy the blood of an winter spirit! It tastes great to all beings of chaos!"

Time stopped at the sudden information. "What?" was all I could get out in my shocked state.

"You heard me," Discord said with his sly grin. "It tastes great to beings of chaos, my little, hairless friend. I had my suspicions when you first face planted into Equestria, so I did a little digging, where I found out that little piece of info that I told you when we first met!"

"There aren't any known records of magic infused blood harming non-magic tissue," I remembered. "But how does that confirm that I'm a being of chaos?"

"Oh, that little bit alone doesn't prove anything," he admitted, "so I went and checked by giving you some of my favorite selections." With this, he motioned to the grand array of bottles behind him. "If you weren't a being of chaos, you would have been hurling for days at the taste of these!"

The news flooded my mind with new questions, each fighting for a place in the front of the queue. "Wait, so I'm a being of chaos? How? I would have thought Celestia or Luna would have noticed if I was the same as you!"

"Oh, I thought they would, too! But they didn't. So now here we are!" He laughed like a pyromaniac that had just discovered fireworks in his house and leaned back down to look me right in the eyes. "If your blood is already magical, why are you dying?"

"Do I look like an expert on magic to you, Discord," I spat back, eagerly awaiting his response. "You tell me, oh high and mighty lord of chaos."

He pouted, seemingly disappointed that I wouldn't guess and continued. "Well fine then, I guess I'll just go and spill everything then," he complained. "It's not that your body isn't magical, it's actually incredibly potent with a certain type of magic: Anti-Magic. And for you information, there have been records of magical blood harming anti-magical tissue."

I gave Discord one of the most deadpan stares I have ever given someone. "You seriously expect me to believe there's a type of magic out there called anti-magic?" I asked in complete disbelief. "This is all just one big joke, isn't it?"

"Oh well, fine then," Discord said, standing up straight and shrugging away his concern. "I guess I'll just take my idea to cure you and leave."

The bar stool went flying back as I stood with sudden vigor and excitement. My breath hitched in my throat as I looked at Discord with newfound hope. "You know how to cure me?!" The smile on my face was painful to bare, but it forced it's way onto either cheek. "How?! How do we do this?!"

Discord motioned for me to calm down and sit. "Easy there, partner. It's just an idea that I've been mulling over." I picked up the stool and sat back down, now with a new focus on the spirit. "Okay, so... we've established you're a being of chaos— check. I also may or may not have been giving you drinks made from the other ingredient of the elixir of life so now you're basically a walking dispenser of immortality—" 

"WHAT!?!?" I screamed. "Are you saying anybody that drinks my blood now will become immortal?!"

"Uh... Look, I know it seems bad, but only we know about it," Discord admitted, ignoring all of my concern, "so don't freak out over it. I think I know what I'm doing."

"What are you doing, Discord!?" I shouted in panic. "What is the grand scheme of yours to cure me?!"

Discord looked at me for a moment with a look of contemplation, before shrugging and laying it all out on the table. "I was going to turn you into a spirit of chaos. I mean we're pretty much 90% of the way there already, so why not just do it? I could always use more hands on deck with chaos."

Dumbfounded, I looked to him with sheer horror. "A... what?! You want me to turn into you?! How is that ever possible?!"

"No, just a spirit of chaos," he tried to comfort me, but failed miserable at doing so. "Look, humans are beings of choice, the birthplace of all chaos. You'd just be an aspect of that. You'd get cool powers, stay the same guy— I really don't see what the big deal is here."

"I don't wanna look anything like a fucked up child's sketch!" I argued.

Now it was Discord's turn to deadpan at me. "Dude, really? Low blow." I was about to apologize when he just continued without care. "You won't turn into a draconequus, you'll stay completely the same, but with cool spirit powers like me. I don't see how this could be contrived as a bad deal."

I took a moment to digest the info given to me. A spirit? Me? The spirit of choice? How would Tia feel about this? How would everyone feel about this? But, this was the only way it looked like... "Okay, so how do we do this?"

"We do nothing!" Discord explained. "You have to die."

"What?!" I shouted in confusion. "That's what I'm trying to avoid!"

"Look," he tried to explain, "to ascend to spirithood, you need to leave your body needs to properly absorb the elixir, and to do that you need to take a vacation away from your body for a few minutes."

"So... what?" I questioned in shock. "The elixir will just... make my cells magical instead of anti-magical?"

"Yup!" With that, it seemed everything was in place. "All we gotta do is remove your soul for a bit, maybe fix it up a bit since it's been damaged, and then pop it back in when it's done."

"And how the fuck are we going to do that exactly?" I asked, suddenly feeling the weight of the situation dawn on me. "Do I just... like poison myself or something? Jump off a cliff?"

Discord gave a chuckle at the thought. "As amusing as that would be to see, no. You're going to need a magic user to rip out your soul." At my head shake in despair, the spirit of chaos patted me on the shoulder. "Luckily for you, you have one indebted to you!"

And that's how we started to plan my death. It was a fucking terrible idea, but one that would save me. What did I have to lose?

Literally everything.