Crystalline Destiny - MLP Fanfic

Chapter Fifteen

Irradiance woke up slowly. The first thing he noticed when he regained consciousness was the medical smell that filled the room, overpowering his nostrils with notes of latex and sanitizer. Shifting slightly where he lay, the stallion next noticed the papery blankets that were draped over him, the pillow beneath his head was fluffy but it, too, was covered in the papery textured cloth. He groaned, rolling over before regretting the decision as a sore pulsing pain traveled through his body. Not the result of a physical injury, but the result of overworking his body to the point of failure.

"Ow..." He muttered, lifting a hoof and holding it against his head, where Irradiance felt bandages wrapped around his horn and forehead. Alarm bells rang. Pressing against the bandages further, Irradiance felt no break in his horn. Sighing, he returned to his previous position, resting his arms by his side as he lay in the hospital bed (or what he could only assume was a hospital bed, judging by everything else he'd sensed).

There was a faint beeping coming from beside him. A heart monitor, the stallion supposed, not bothering to open his eyes still. The beeping was steady. A good sign.

There were voices in the hall (?) and a door swished open as the voices then entered the room in which Irradiance lie. They were saying some medical jargon that Irradiance didn't fully understand apart from "cracked horn" and "overuse of magic." Magic shmagic! He saved his friends, didn't he? Who cared if someone got hurt in the process? As long as it wasn't–

"Has he woken up yet?" Leviathan. The door swished once more and the third voice entered, approaching the bed and seating itself. There was a hum from one of the medical voices.

"We haven't seen him open his eyes yet, but there's been an increase in heart rate now that you've entered the room..." Irradiance wished they'd leave! The beeping was growing faster.

"Is that normal?" Leviathan worriedly asked. Irradiance huffed a laugh. The Changeling gasped and Irradiance opened his eyes to look at the stallion, who was in his Pegasus form presently.

"Yes, it's normal," Irradiance managed, throat feeling sore.

"Irradiance!" Leviathan exclaimed, pressing his face up against the other stallion's, pressing their muzzles together in a not-quite kiss, though if those doctor ponies weren't here, Irradiance was sure he wouldn't be able to contain himself.

One of the doctors chuckled; Irradiance wasn't looking at them. He was focused on the Changeling before him now, breathing him in.

"He seems to be fine. Come get us after you've finished your visit and we can check his vitals now that he's conscious," The door swished. The pair of stallions were alone.

There was a moment of silence between the two before Irradiance broke it, looking up at the green Pegasus with wide eyes. "What happened?" He asked quietly. Leviathan had a pained look on his face for a moment before it faded away.

"You overpowered my mother with the amount of magic in your body, successfully turning her to stone," Irradiance gasped, "And then, because you'd used so much of your magic, you suffered a crack to your horn and wound up collapsing because you'd practically drained yourself of all power."

Irradiance was speechless. All that fight about not letting Lilith drain him of his magic and he'd basically done it himself? "Oh," He managed, a bit embarrassed at the information. "But... I'm okay?" Leviathan nodded.

"You're fine. One of the royal medics made his way down to the hospital here and healed up the crack in your horn. The bandages were put there in case you shifted in your sleep while the spell ran its course."

"A royal medic?" Irradiance laughed. "Why was a royal medic tending to me?" Leviathan was quiet for a minute as he looked around the hospital room, urging the Unicorn to do the same. With a raised brow, Irradiance finally pulled his gaze from the Pegasus and took in his surroundings properly. "Woah," There were piles of flowers, cards, and stuffed animals, not to mention the bouquet of balloons scattering the ceiling.