Canterlot Cases 37 Healer's Journey

“Ah don’t understand.”  Honeycrisp was trying to wrap her mind around all she heard.  “If you are a master healer, heal your eyes.”

“I can’t.”  Destrier explained calmly.  “It’s the healing magic that blinded me.”  He sighed waiting for her to reply.  “Hopefully this too will pass and my sight return but… it is different this time.”

“How so.”  Randi grumped.  She was finally recovered from the shock of her imprisonment and all that led to it.  Being freed had been too good to believe.  She had been certain that the guards would kill her in her sleep of torture her mercilessly.  In fact, she had expected it to start when the guard she had shoved came into the cell but Honeycrisp had saved her.

“Who is this again?”  Destrier was put off by this pony’s lack of gratefulness and general snarkyness.

“She is my friend.”  Honeycrisp laid her hoof on one of his.

“It was different this time because…”  Destrier took a deep breath.  “I surrendered myself to the healing magic in order to heal Princess Twilight and her dragon, Spike.”  Destrier thought for a moment.  “I didn’t have time to think and just did it.”

“Is there anything we can do?”  Honeycrisp asked.

“We?”  Randi blurted out.

“Yes we.”  Honeycrisp was near her breaking point with her friend.  “Because WE would still be in prison if not for Destrier.”

“Very well.”  Randi scowled.  “How can WE help you Lord Commander High Guard Thingy.”

Destrier rolled his blind eyes.  “If you insist on using titles, YOU may call me Master Healer or simply master.”

“I will never call you master.”  Randi squinted at the unicorn.

“Then just be quiet.”  Honetcrisp snapped.  Randi looked shocked and then sad but remained quiet.  Honeycrisp ignored her pouting and looked back to her beloved.

“Master Healer, how can we help.”  Honeycrisp stroked his cheek gently.

“Well, I need you to be my eyes for a time.”  Destrier was quickly cobbling together a plan.  “I will ask Lanceor to make the necessary arraignments.  Then we must head to the coast to make contact with princess Luna.  She is looking for the Sea Ponies.”

“Sea Ponies?”  Honeycrisp thought about this one.  “You mean the Water Ponies she created?”

Destrier cocked his head.  “How do you know of such things?”

“Randi… Randi told me all about them.”  Honeycrisp’s head was up and she was pleased with herself.

“Why do you want to find those traitors?”  Randi asked.

“I need to obtain clippings from the five pony races…”  Destrier started to tell them.

“Not possible.”  Randi interrupted.

“… the oldest book in Equestria,” Destrier continued.  “And water from the mirror pool.”

Randi’s face wrinkled up as she tried to divine what could be done with such things.  Honeycrisp just looked at her stallion love as he spoke.

“And what would you do with these things?”  Honeycrisp asked.

“I…”  Destrier chuckled.  “I don’t know but they will help me.”

“So why would you start at the coast.”  Randi spoke absently as she was dedicating most of her thoughts to trying to figure out what this unicorn was up to.

“Well where would you start?”  Honeycrisp asked.  She wanted Randi to tell them as she believed Randi knew more about this then anypony else she knew.  She knew Randi knew the histories of Equestria.  Not as well as her brother perhaps but Randi was more likely to help then Fyre and she was here now.

Randi shifted her thoughts for a moment trying to decide whether or not she should tell them anything and considering Honeycrisp’s question.  The venture being suggested was doomed to failure, an impossible task if there was one.  Still they were obviously going to try so why not direct the quest in a easier direction.

“Well… I would start by collecting the three ponies that we all know of.”  Randi suggested.  “Then we should head over to the Canterlot Archive and locate the book as the remainder of your quest will likely take us outside of Canterlot.”  Randi pondered a moment longer.  “Then you must find the mirror pool.  I believe it to be somewhere near Poneyville as the last recorded use of it involved Pinkie Pie when she lived there.”

“And what of the other two races?”  Destrier wondered aloud.

“I do not think they exist.”  Randi had a far off look.  “You most likely are wasting your time.”

“Okay.”  Destrier nodded to himself.  “Start easy and then go hard.  So first should be us.”  Destrier smirked.  I need clipping from one of you.

“Don’t look at me.”  Randi huffed.

“Okay.”  Honeycrisp considered her mane.  “How much?”

“Not your hair.”  Randi commented.  “I would think it has to be the essence of an Earth Pony.”

“Essence?”  Honeycrisp asked.

“Yep.”  Randi stood.  “Let’s go then.”

“Where are we going?”  Destrier asked.

“If it is an epic quest we are going on, we must be properly outfitted.”  Randi went to a window and looked out.  They were high above the surrounding town.  “I assume the tab will be picked up by the Commander Guard Lord Thingy?”

“Randi.”  Honeycrisp spoke sternly but was interrupted.

“Of course.”  Destrier stood.  “Lead on.”

Honeycrisp watched as Randi led boldly out of the castle but also noticed that she cringed a little whenever she passed a unicorn guard.  She led them down the royal mile and then turned left by the cathedral and continued down to the market square.  Most shops here were relatively new, as the marketplace had burned down a few years before the war started.

“Randi.”  Honeycrisp noted the shop they had stopped at.  “What does a boutique have to do with outfitting a quest?”

“Well you need to be properly shod.”  Randi smiled clanging her shoes on the cobblestone path.  “I however am all set.  I will go get us supplies while you are.”  Randi looked to the blind unicorn a bit before realizing he could see her looking at him.  “Ehem.”

“She need bits.”  Honeycrisp whispered.

“Oh yes.”  Destrier shifted a bit before realizing he did not have his armor on.  “I will need to go back to the castle and pick up a few things.”

After a quick return to the castle with a consistently huffing Randi, they returned with Destrier in his spare armor and a few sacks of bits.  Destrier entrusted two to Randi and he and Honeycrisp went into the boutique.

Randi returned a short time later with two sets of cloaks and two sets of loaded saddlebags.  One was for her and the other was for Honeycrisp.  Randi looked at her friend, she was obviously thinking on something important.

“Are you sure you want him to have your essence?”  Randi asked.

“Yes.”  Honeycrisp nodded.

Randi drew a large, sharp knife and Honeycrisp closed her eyes.  She held them shut until she heard a scraping sound.  When she opened them she saw Randi gathering the hoof clippings from the ground around where Honeycrisp had been shod.  Randi placed them in a small pouch and slid them into Destrier’s saddle bag.

“Are you sure you want to involve her?”  Randi spoke without feeling.

Destrier tilted his head but did not answer.  

“The essence of an Earth Pony is contained in their hooves for the power they have and magic they wield is connected to the earth.”  Randi explained.  “A unicorns essence will be in its horn and a pegasus in its feathers.  Shouldn’t be hard to find a feather or two around Canterlot Airstrip.  The unicorn horn may be harder.”

“Destrier has a horn sugar.”  Honeycrisp reminded her friend.  Honeycrisp felt slighted that her friend seemed to be ignoring this fact.

“I don’t think he can use his own horn.”  Randi said.  “Can you?”

“I… I don’t know.”  Destrier admitted.

“Do you, Guard Lord, know what you are doing?”  Randi challenged.