Empire of Mercy
Copyright© 2025 by Daelyx Len Auphydas
Chapter 4: Wounded Pride
“So then I had to shut the whole place down. It’s crazy what some ponies think they can get away with.” One of the royal guards on duty chatters away to his partner, shaking his head.
But his partner’s attention is elsewhere. “Hey, wait. Windlancer, do you see that?”
Windlancer gapes up at the sky. “Hooves? Is ... Is that what I think it is?”
“Lancer, go get a doctor. They look hurt.” Ruby Hooves orders his junior compatriot, prompting Windlancer to salute quickly and then dash inside the palace.
That leaves only Ruby Hooves standing guard as the wounded, cyan pegasus soars down to the landing in front of the palace, landing with a fierce expression somewhere between ‘Agony’ and ‘Bursting with fighting spirit’.
“I’m here to ... See ... The princess!” The filly hisses out between clenched teeth, presenting, to Ruby’s surprise, a royal signet hoofring ... Just before promptly collapsing on the spot.
“Lemme up! I need to see the princess!” Rainbow Dash shouts from the bed where she is currently restrained. The restraints in question were not there when she arrived—They had been placed afterwards, on account of the pegasid’s persistent attempts to get up despite her injuries.
“You are in no position to go anywhere, much less a royal audience.” The doctor on duty—An odd looking earth pony, with greyish stripes over an ashen coat, named Bonezaw—lectures, harshly. “I have no idea what you’ve been through on your way here, but it’s a miracle you’re in one piece. What did you do, pick a fight with a cloud sprite?”
“Yes.” Rainbow Dash responds bluntly, not recognizing the doctors sarcastic tone. “Three of them. Well, they picked a fight with me, and I was too tired to outfly them, so...”
Bonezaw looks at the filly incredulously. “Why is a filly like you out flying on your own and picking fights with cloud sprites?”
Rainbow Dash just puts her muzzle up in the air. “I’m here to see the princess.”
The doctor shakes his head, groaning. “Well I’m sure the Princess would rather see you properly rested and bandaged than wearing battle wounds like you just got out of a skirmish. So if you’d just sit still and let me patch you up before you do any permanent damage to yourself, I’m sure you’ll see them that much sooner.”
Rainbow Dash reluctantly settles in at that, suppressing the occasional grunts of pain as Bonezaw applies poultices to her wounds. He does not work gently, but efficiently; And though that does mean it hurts more, Rainbow Dash finds herself thankful for that, as it means the experience won’t last as long. “Ok, now. Drink this, and I’ll be out of your mane.”
Rainbow Dash stares warily at the tonic the doctor had offered her. “What is it?”
“Electricity suppressant. It’ll neutralize the Cloud Sprite magic residue and allow your lightning burns to heal easier.” Bonezaw states simply.
Rainbow Dash hesitates but eventually relents to downing its contents. After all, she is inside the palace of the Princess of the Sun themself. If she can’t trust the ponies here, she can’t trust anypony. The tonic is bitter, a bit salty, as it goes down, and Rainbow Dash makes a disgusted face but resists complaining.
“Now, if you could just explain-” Before Bonezaw can finish his sentence, he is interrupted by the door being bucked open by a thunderous kick.
“Where is she?” An imperious voice demands from the other side of the room, and the doctor’s belligerent tone instantly disappears as he slams down to the ground and lowers his head.
“P-Princess! She’s right over here!” The doctor stammers out, momentarily taken aback before regaining his cool. “She’s been asking to see you ever since she got here.”
Rainbow Dash tries to force a weak smile as the Princess of the Sun wheels around the curtain beside her, but Celestia does not seem ready to focus on her just yet. “What is her condition? Is she safe?” Celestia demands, a certain ferocity entering her voice which Rainbow Dash had not heard at all when the princess had visited her in Cloudsdale.
“I’ve patched her up as well as able. She had electricity burns but her pegasus magic was able to keep them from damaging her nervous system, so she should make a full recovery, other than some scars. Some of her veins popped and there is severe swelling as well as cracked skin, so I gave her a poultice and electricity neutralizer to prevent further damage. She’s in rough shape, but I’ve seen much worse.”
Celestia breathes a sigh of relief. “Good. Leave us, I wish to speak with her alone.” The medic nods affirmative and quickly leaves the room. The princesses gaze softens as she looks back over Rainbow Dash, sitting by the bedside.
Great, the first time they see me in Canterlot, and I’m bandaged up and bedridden. What a great second impression. Rainbow Dash winces, but before she can say anything, Celestia speaks.
“I’m surprised to see you so soon, my little pony. What happened?” All the fervor of mere moments ago has completely left Celestia’s voice, leaving it so gentle and reassuring that Rainbow could swear that just the sound of it eases the pain in her legs. As Celestia speaks, her horn lights up with a gentle glow, and a thin thread of golden magic siphons from the horn before swirling into Rainbow Dash’s legs. There is an odd buzzing sensation as it courses through her veins, and the pain in her legs fades away.
“What did you do?” Rainbow Dash can’t help but gasping in relief. She hadn’t even truly realized just how much pain she had been in until it was suddenly taken away.
When Celestia opens her eyes, they appear tired, but still caring. “I just lent you some of my magic to aid your body in repairing itself, as well as shutting down some of your pain receptors. It would still be best if you don’t move too much, as you might injure yourself without realizing it. But at least you can be comfortable while you recover, and speed up your recovery as much as possible. Now, you answer my question. What happened? And how did you get here so quickly?”
Rainbow Dash winces, hoping nothing she had gotten up to would get her in trouble. “Well, um, I decided this morning I wanted to take you up on your offer. Now, Cloudsdale was going to move south tomorrow, so I didn’t have a lot of time to leave, so after I told everypony, I flew here.”
“You ... Flew across the Everfree, by yourself?” Celestia touches a hoof to her head in shock as Rainbow Dash hesitantly nods her head. “I ... Expected you would wait until Cloudsdale was over a railway, then your parents would bring you here. I never thought that you would just come here directly.” Celestia transfixes Rainbow Dash in a vice-like, steely gaze. “Do your parents know where you are?”
Rainbow Dash nods again, and Celestia breathes out another sigh of relief. “They must have a lot of faith in you to allow you to make the journey on your own. But how did you get hurt?” Celestia’s voice is gentle again, and Rainbow Dash sighs in relief-At least for the moment, it seems she is in the clear.
“Uh, while I was flying over the forest, I landed on a cloud to rest for a bit.” Rainbow Dash starts, conveniently leaving out the detail of what had exhausted her. “But it turns out it was a cloud sprite nest. I tried to escape, but I was too tired to outfly them, so I was forced to fight ... And this happened.” Rainbow Dash motions at her legs.
Celestia’s hoof goes up to her mouth as she blinks in shock. “My goodness...” It’s obvious that the filly is tremendously talented, but this ... This is just unprecedented. “I’m relieved that you are alright. Or at least, relatively alright. I simply couldn’t conscience it if something were to happen to you because of my offer.” And with that, Rainbow Dash suddenly finds herself wrapped up in an unexpected embrace from the most powerful pony on Equus.
“H-huh? Am I not in trouble?”
“What? In trouble? Heavens, no! I’m just thankful that you’re alright.” Celestia steps back, raising back up to her full height towering above Rainbow Dash. “But in all seriousness, please do not try anything so reckless again. It did not even occur to me that you would come to Canterlot the same way I did. And at such a young age, too. I’m astonished you were able to make the journey in just one day.” The monarch clears her throat, returning to a more stoic and serious tone of voice and expression. “So, you’ve chosen to take me up on my offer, then...?” She asks, showing an odd degree of hesitation.
Rainbow Dash nods yet again. Should I tell her that I wasn’t able to perform the rainboom again...? No ... No, she can’t know. The thought of disappointing the regal pony before her is just too much.
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