Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Post by Kiernan on Jan 6, 2013 22:01:27 GMT -5
Kai smiled ever so slightly at Sil's question. He jumped back to the index, temporarily ignoring the question while he had an inkling of a better answer than, 'Oh, most definitely.' A quick run-through yielded the result he was looking for: numbing magic. He had never used numbing magic, mostly because he coped with his pain, rather than trying to mask it. Besides, he never felt that he was worth protecting from his own errors, and that he would be better off suffering for his mistakes, so as to better learn from them. And that meant pain.
Still, this was not himself he was trying to help, but somepony far more important. Of course, this assumption had no real foundation, Kai just wanted to believe it. Besides, the guilt would drive him into more pain than he ever felt physically. It was better that somepony else felt as little pain as possible than having him knowing their pain, at least in his mind. If they felt better, then it was obviously better for him, right?
He flipped to the page, and looked over the spell. It seemed simple enough, but it wasn't very powerful. still, most spells like this were equalized, meaning a stronger input yielded a stronger output. ""it might, but I don't know entirely." He cast a slightly more powerful version of the spell on Sil's left wing, hoping that would tide him over until it was time to get to the real work. "First, I'm going to get a diagram of your good wing, so I can know more about your left wing, before I actually try to fix it. It helps to know what I'm doing before I start, or at least have some idea."
|
|
|
Post by Person on Jan 6, 2013 23:15:50 GMT -5
Silent Storm felt the same tingly feeling across his left wing then... nothing. Not only could he not feel any pain, he couldn't feel his wing at all. He willed it to move forward, and it did. He willed it to move back, and it did. He still had control over the muscles in the organ, but he couldn't sense that it was moving, only see that it did as he wished. After a couple seconds of pondering at his wing, he suddenly realized that he could no longer feel the section of his side his wing was connected to, then the leg nearest started to go numb.
"M-mister Akaiatora? Am I not supposed to feel anything?" a very frightened Sil questioned, "I can't feel my wing, or my shoulder, and oh, there goes my leg..." his leg dropped off the mental map and collapsed, causing him to fall onto the floor.
Sil struck the floor, then his left wing made contact with the hard stone as well, and instead of not feeling anything, it felt like his blood was boiling. Everything he hadn't felt at all before was now as if it was burning from inside his skin. The colt screamed in anguish and trembled on the cold ground, doing all he could not to lash out at Akaiatora. He rapidly drew his dagger from its place in the sheath and hurled it through the open doorway so he wouldn't stab anyone or himself with it out of desperation. He struggled to slowly stand, and even once he had, he shook violently on unstable hooves.
He looked pleadingly at Kai, tears welling in his eyes, "P-please m-m-make it s-s-stop." he implored the unicorn.
|
|
luemas
Member
SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE!
Posts: 88
|
Post by luemas on Jan 6, 2013 23:29:03 GMT -5
Geoff paused at the doorway watching the events unfold. He had a horrible habit of dropping eaves.
He overheard Sil suggest using his wing to make a model. Geoff's thoughts started to run. While it was true that thanks to the thin membrane of Sil's wings you could see most of the bones, it would be much better if they could do an x ray of his wing.
His thoughts continued to whir. If he could get his hands on some wiring and a tube, he'd just need to crank up the voltage to do an x ray. And if he had enough film... He thought again about the size of the film. Well, he decided, he'd have to save an in depth analysis of Sil's wing until he could get a larger amount of film. For now just the fracture would have to do
"'I'm sorry Turnkey, you'll have to clean up by yourself. I'VE GOT SCIENCE TO DO!" He boldly cried as he rushed through the living room, taking care to avoid Sil, and out the door. He hoped he could find a store open at this hour. Especially one that would have his supplies. That might be difficult.
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Post by Kiernan on Jan 7, 2013 12:51:30 GMT -5
Turnkey watched as Geoff exclaimed the he had "Science to do," and ran through the one-way portal that could be used in case of emergencies to get out of the house, but not back in. The only way Geoff could get back in now was for one of the three unicorns who knew the spell to let him in from the outside, and two of them were already in the house.
"Oh, well," He said aloud, though nopony could hear him. He grabbed a broom and began sweeping the dust into the living room, where he would gather it to be disposed of, along with any other tiny fragments of anything that might be broken. Just as he made his way through the door, something small came flying out of Kai's bedroom, striking his muzzle before falling to the floor. He fell to the wall with a small outburst of obscene words as he held his hoof to his face. A few moments passed, and he drew his hoof away from his face, revealing that he was bleeding, though he could have known that by looking at the floor, where his dripping blood had formed a small pool. He also saw Sil's dagger, lying in that pile of dust he had been sweeping up. He assumed the worst, and hobbled over to the door, to better understand what was going on.
Akaitora put down his quill when Sil asked if he wasn't supposed to feel anything at all. How he had read the spell from the book, he was supposed to feel nothing but a tingling sensation in the area where he had aimed, at most. When Sil fell to the floor, he picked up the book, trying to find out what he did wrong. Causes numbness, check, lasts ten minutes... Yeah, okay, if you say so, fur use on breaks, fractures, cuts, scrapes, and bruises, okay, not a real healing spell, see doctor right away. Kai didn't claim to be a doctor, but he did know how to repair a broken bone.
Finally, he got to the last page concerning the spell, and the last warning label: Do not overpower. Could cause numbness of entire body, increase in pain, vision impairment, or a spike in blood pressure. He looked up at Sil, who had so far experienced two of those symptoms. Mayhap more than two, but he hadn't said anything to indicate that he was experiencing the other two. He sighed and put the book down. "I'm dreadfully sorry, my friend. I seem to have gone a bit too far with my numbing spell." He stood up, and indicated his bed. "Please lie down. According to the book, you may experience segments of numbness and searing pain, and I'd hate to see you fall again." He left out the other two symptoms, thinking that they best be left until he heard about them from his guest. "I'm terribly sorry it came to this. I'm a sad excuse for a host..."
|
|
|
Post by Person on Jan 7, 2013 20:03:55 GMT -5
Silent Storm simply nodded again, as he didn't believe he could manage comprehensible words again. He swallowed hard and slowly started toward the bed, taking one step at a time, focusing on just keeping his balance. He made it about halfway to the bed when the pain, already barely tolerable, spiked again, spreading across his frame like a lightning strike, causing the young pegasus to cry out again, but he maintained his standing position by clenching the muscles in his legs, keeping him stable. He traversed the remainder of the distance between him and Akaiatora's bed.
Sil climbed onto the bed and laid himself onto its soft mattress, stomach pressed against the smooth covers and his limbs splayed in various directions away from his body, setting his head on one of pillows for as much comfort as he could manage at the moment. He gingerly outstretched his left wing and spread his right wings as a far as he could, placing it on clear display for Kai against the blankets. A single tear rolled down his face as he remembered the time Lunar Mist had broken her wing and went to the hospital to let the doctors there fix it. She'd been there for the entirety of two weeks and left Sil to fend for himself at her house. Of course that had been in Cloudsdale without any sort of magic to assist in healing it.
Sil really hoped that Akaiatora would be a bit more careful with his spell casting and would hopefully not cause him any more pain than he was already experiencing. He tried to lay as still as possible, but periodic shots of pain down his left side kept his body shaking and caused him to occasionally spasm unintentionally.
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Post by Kiernan on Jan 8, 2013 0:27:03 GMT -5
Usutora almost couldn't believe his ears. Kai, his younger brother, had messed up a spell. Kai had never messed up a spell before. He could cast spells in his sleep. He could create spells that could do anything. Yet somehow, he had messed up a spell? Unbelievable. It was like asking him to believe that Nightmare Moon was related to Princess Luna. It just didn't make any sense. Still, he maintained his position at the door, thankful that the other two were looking the other way and didn't see him.
"I dare not cast the spell again until the original wears off," said Kai, trying to explain his plan so as best to be understood. "If I tried that, you could end up worse off than you already are, and I don't want to see that happen. Also, it would be a mistake to try to reset your wing while you're wincing every few moments, so, that's going to have to wait as well."
Was this what it felt like to be a doctor, telling his patient that nothing could be done? Kai didn't like the feeling. Especially since this stage of the predicament was entirely his own fault. Guilt weighed heavily in his stomach, and he began to cry softly to himself. "This should last another seven minutes or so, and then you should feel normal again." He paused, then added, "Well, as normal as somepony with a broken wing could feel." It almost made him chuckle, making a joke like that.
"In the meantime, you were right. Your right wing could easily serve for drawing a diagram of a healthy wing of yours. That way, I can know exactly what to fix, and how it should look." He pulled a quill, inkwell, and a sheet of parchment over to him, and began the process of recreating a healthy wing for Sil.
|
|
|
Post by Person on Jan 8, 2013 18:18:34 GMT -5
Seven minutes, thought Silent Storm as he lay on his host's bed, I can manage for seven minutes. Seven minutes is only as long as it takes to get from here to the edge of the Everfree, and he made that trip almost daily. A silence fell across the room, with the only sound that could be heard the soft scratching of quill on paper with the occasional clink of the same quill against an ink well. Sil flinched as another jolt went through his wing. The shock of each wave had diminished since he'd struck the floor, but that didn't make them hurt any less.
As a result of crushing boredom and an absence of reading material while he waited for the spell to subside, Sil pondered many things, including ways of fixing his wing other than allowing Kai to do it. I could send a letter to Princess Luna asking if she would mind allowing a hospital or doctor access to the records she has on her guards, but that would put myself on the government's radar, and I don't... his thought was briefly interrupted by another shot of pain, I don't even know if her guards actually have similar wing structures, they may just be an illusion for a good public image.
His thoughts ended with yet another shot, and he looked to Kai and hoped either the sketch was finished, seven minutes were near conclusion, or better yet, both.
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Post by Kiernan on Jan 8, 2013 23:56:05 GMT -5
When Kai pulled his eyes away from the parchment he was working on, he noticed that his guest on the bed had moved, slightly. This wasn't really a problem, as he had finished the skeletal structure of the wing already, and was working on the muscle structure, just in case he would need it. After all, muscle movement tugs on the bones to move them either together or apart, so knowing which joints not to move would be a great assist.
It turns out it was his head that had moved. Sil was now looking at him, eyes full of hope. That was something he couldn't ignore. "How are you feeling, now?" asked Kai. He glanced at his clock, noting that it had been a total of eight minutes since he had set the seven-minute marker as a check-up point. "If you feel up to it, we can try again, and I promise, I've read all of the warning labels this time. I don't plan on failing you twice."
[By the way, Usutora wrapped a cloth bandage around his face, and went back to cleaning at the four-minute mark. As I've said a few times, he hates waiting, and he was starting to get bored.]
|
|
|
Post by Person on Jan 9, 2013 0:39:09 GMT -5
With the burning finally subsiding, and now vanishing, Silent Storm slowly rose to a sitting position. He tested everything out, contracting each of his muscles in as regionalized groups as he could, making completely sure nothing had seized up, and determined that the only pain left was that which gently throbbed from his left wing.The pegasus wiped was was left of his tears off his muzzle with a hoof and pushed through a small smile.
"It feels much better now, thanks. I think you should try again now, " Sil said weakly, "But m-mister Akaiatora, Just promise me you're absolutely sure that it won't go wrong again. I don't eagerly await going through that for a second time."
Sil slightly extended his injured wing toward the blue unicorn and awaited the casting of his numbing spell.
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Post by Kiernan on Jan 9, 2013 1:15:03 GMT -5
Akaitora nodded, aimed his horn at Sil's wing, charged up the magic in the spell, and... Hesitated. He released the spell into nothingness. A few deep breaths to calm himself, and he readied his spell again. This time, he would count down in his head. Three... Two... He released the spell into nothingness again. Why couldn't he bring himself to cast this spell? He had failed spells before. In fact, creating spells was just a game of trial and error. And mastering a spell took several hours of practice, at best. So why did failing this spell have him so distraught. as he searched his mind for an answer, he saw it. the reason he couldn't bring himself to cast the spell again. He hadn't failed himself, but his guest. That gave him an inkling of what he would have to do.
He turned away, facing the wall. On the count of three, I will turn around, and cast this spell at the wall. There is nopony there, just a wall. I will cast the spell. The spell will hit the wall. I am alone inside my house. After he finished telling himself this, he went back through it a few times. Then, without the count he had promised himself, he turned and flung the spell at Sil.
With the numbing spell cast, he brought two of his spare wing hinges over to where Sil sat, on his bed, along with the parchment he had drawn the design on. His plan was to use the wing hinges as a brace to hold the bone in place. They were thin, but they were strong. Strong enough to hold him in flight, so strong enough to hold a wing in place. A quick measurement to make sure it was the right size revealed that it was. Still, before he got started, he wanted to make sure that Sil was ready.
"When I start, I want you to tell me something about you. Your past, your dreams, what you like to do for fun, anything you want. even with a numbing spell keeping your body at ease, I want your mind to be at ease, too. It keeps you from twitching, and helps the process go by faster. But once I start, I can't slow down or stop what I'm doing, else I leave your wing in a worse state than it is now. This will be your last chance to back out. Are you sure you want me to do this?"
|
|
luemas
Member
SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE!
Posts: 88
|
Post by luemas on Jan 9, 2013 18:46:17 GMT -5
Geoff returned to the portal. Or at least where the portal should be. It was at this point that he realized that he sort of needed a way to get back inside. Which he did not have to say the least. Which really inconvenienced him because he had found all of his supplies. They hadn't been the easiest things to find either. The photography shop wasn't too pleased with his request for a poster sized piece of film and had charged an arm and a leg. At least the hardware store had had most of what he needed. And he could always improvise. That's what Science was. Improvising. Making do.
Geoff sat down and waited. It probably wouldn't be too long...
|
|
|
Post by Person on Jan 9, 2013 19:36:43 GMT -5
"Yes, please go on with it. I can't stop now, or it'll all have been for nothing, " Silent Storm said confidently and Akaiatora began reparations on his wing. He remembered the instructions he'd been given and thought about something that would be relatively easy to talk about and wouldn't bore Kai to death.
"Well I suppose a general explanation of, well, me may be in order," Silent Storm began, "The earliest memories I have are of when I was just a foal in the Everfree forest. I'm not entirely sure how I got there or why I was there in the first place, the only thing I recall from before I got there was my name, Silent Storm, a series of syllables I recited every daybreak before sleeping. I remember scavenging at night for food among the plant life and jumping to reach the delicious, rare fruits that occasionally ripened on the few fruit trees that grew there. If a noble beast were to find me, which they did on occasion, they would bring me a small portion of their stash of food stored for the winters. I don't know why they did it, but I was grateful for them, and if they were in need I would help where I could." He purposefully left out how he would hunt for food periodically, oftentimes coming back to the cave he called a home with several woodland creatures in his maw.
Sil came to the, now more vivid, memories of those darker times, "One group of wolves in particular would share a cave with me during the winter. The winters were always the hardest part of the year, but we managed to struggle through it each time the snow and cold rolled around. I played with the pups of the pack, being as small as I was, but always stood watch during the night while the others slept."
The pegasus paused for a moment to organize what he had to say, then went on, "I hadn't seen any other ponies other than a few scattered forest dwellers and the occasional explorer looking for some creature or other, and I hadn't spoken to any of them. In fact, I'd barely spoken at all. Thought was not as it is for me now, it was processed in feelings, impressions, senses, images, not words... it's rather difficult to explain. When you recalled something, you thought of how it seemed to you, not its title."
Sil shook his head slightly, "Sometimes I wonder if I lived without talking for far too long. Maybe the age of my body exceeds that of my mind, but I don't think so. Silence has a certain power to it, even the most powerful of enchantments need words to activate them, silence means relative peace. Silence means invisibility in some cases, and when you look something like me, or rather us, remaining unobserved and anonymous can be bliss when compared to recognition, which brings all the scorn, pain, and insults a tongue can throw."
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Post by Kiernan on Jan 10, 2013 0:06:54 GMT -5
"The lashing of tongues is naught but a catalyst," said Akaitora, loading the third clamp onto the makeshift brace. "For twenty years, the only words I used were written. Without a need to communicate with other ponies, I had only my actions, and those speak volumes more about me than any words ever have."
He checked the tightness of the clamps, which were just tight enough to hold, at least for now. "But Me? I didn't have any other creature that was willing to work with me. Most of them just wanted me as a snack." He chuckled at his own joke. "And, if it sets your mind at ease, I think the only better you could be if you had been talking all the time is that you wouldn't have a stutter. In fact, I think that if you had been talking as much as those who do so without thinking first, you would be worse off, judging me to be a freak simply because I'm different than any other pony. The way I see it, normal is overrated.
"Next time somepony tries flapping their gums about how terrible you are, think to yourself, at least you can be found in a crowd. And consider this: Nopony is ever going to confuse you for their Uncle Clippy." He paused for a moment, before adding, "But don't actually say that. A chuckle at somepony else's expense is one thing, but insulting another pony makes you no better than them."
As he attached the fourth and final clamp, he said, "Tell me what you think of Turnkey."
Usutora had finally finished sweeping up the living room, except for one corner, which would need more attention. He had stacked up the broken pieces of table, and set them in the kitchen, next to the shattered peices of door. He looked up at the clock with the eye that wasn't covered, seeing that Geoff had been gone for about forty five minutes. He hadn't seen anything at the fifteen or thirty minute mark, but saw nothing. This time, when he conjured up the portal, he did see Geoff, standing there, looking like somepony had just taken his rook, which had been poised to take a pawn, which would have been checkmate and a win for Geoff. So he popped through to the outside, cheerily asking, "So how's your science coming along?"
|
|
|
Post by Person on Jan 10, 2013 21:24:25 GMT -5
"I don't really know all that much about him," Silent Storm answered whilst Kai braced his wing, "But as for how I feel about him... as a gut reaction, he's much more courageous than I, and he didn't have the same effect on me as others do. He made me want to know him and to do things I haven't done for a long time, even just talking to somepony."
Sil considered the previous night he'd spent with Turnkey, recalling their sparring match behind his house, the conversation they had, the meal they shared, all in an attempt to identify how he really felt about Turnkey. He took all of this blur of senses and emotion, and attempted to put them into words, so that Kai could understand.
"I suppose," Sil began again, "That I feel a mite more confident when I'm with him. He treats me well, unlike most, and he gives me a certain sense of... security. Yes, that's the word. Security. He makes me feel as though I don't have to be afraid again."
Silent Storm nodded in affirmation of his answer, feeling that it best stated what he meant. His mind temporarily wandered to what he would do once all this was finished, and a jarring thought rang through his consciousness.
"How long will I not be able to fly on my wing?" the colt asked nervously, hoping for a maximum of a week or so.
|
|
Kiernan
Member
Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
|
Post by Kiernan on Jan 11, 2013 0:10:32 GMT -5
As Kai put the final part of the brace into place, he thought about Sil's question. "Well, whenever I break my wing, it's about an hour before I can fly again." He flapped his wings twice. "As for you, I foresee it taking longer than that. I propose that we meet again in about two days, and we'll see how it looks then. Quite frankly, I found no record of anypony that looks quite like you in any of my resources. As a result, I have no idea how long it will take. Call this a study, if you will, to find out how to help you fly once again."
He took a moment to pause, before casting a simple spell that would help the bones heal more rapidly. "I understand your concern," he said, standing up. "The thrill of flight is something that only the pegasi can know, and quite a thrill it is. In fact, I think I can clearly remember my first flight..." He paused once more, then smiled. "If you'll wait in here for just a moment, I'll send Turnkey in. It's for the best the two of you were out of the main hall for a short time whilst I take care of something, ever so quickly..."
[When Usu and Geoff get back inside, Kai's going to ask them to please stay in his room with Sil for a minute or two whilst he takes care of something, ever so quickly...]
|
|