Chapter 27

Strong Shield opened Celestia’s door and he quickly marched in “How long has Dave been a pony?” he stared at the surprised alicorn

Celestia stood and took on a defensive posture “Don’t you knock any more?” she raised an eyebrow “What makes you think Dave is a pony?”

“Tall, brown, no cutie mark” Strong Shield held his ground as Celestia jolted towards him, her serious face replaced with one of concern

“Where is he?” Celestia took a pace away from the guard

“He is in the dungeon” Strong Shield raised a hoof at Celestia “When did you change him?”

Celestia leaned down to match Strong Shield’s stare “Why does that matter?”

“Dave is resistant to magic, I assume you didn’t know” Strong Shield started towards the door “The spell is wearing off and quickly”

Celestia’s ears drooped and her mouth hung open “no…” she breathed in shock as she charged after her guard

Spike who was still holding onto Strong Shield watched as the princess easily caught up with them “So what if he changes back? His body will change where is the harm in that?”

Strong Shield allowed the princess to take the lead as he explained “His body will change slower than the instant transformation that Princess Celestia performed”

“And? He can heal so why is everypony panicking?” Spike held onto Strong Shield’s mane as they ran down the stairs

“Dave can heal physically” Strong Shield looked at the worried princess “but his mind…” Strong Shield sighed, “The pain of the change will be excruciating”

“It will hurt a lot? I still don’t see the problem”

“The pain may make him go insane, the constant memory of being in pain alone in a jail cell, his mind might cut itself from the rest of his body in an attempt to escape the agony” Strong Shield watched as the princess shuddered “It may be too much for him to handle”

Spike glared at the princess’s head “Why would you do this to him?”

Celestia glanced at the dragon before turning to see the barracks approaching “I didn’t know this would happen” she said sorrowfully

The guards barely had time to open the door as Celestia and Strong Shield ran past, Spike saw Twilight and the others standing by some guards, Shining Armour was giving orders to some of his guards

“Twilight!” Spike called and he jumped from Strong Shield’s back as ran to his friends

“Oh Spike not now” Twilight used a hoof to stop his advance “Shining was about to show us some of the guards formations”

Spike slapped the hoof away “Dave needs help” the ponies faces all suddenly turned to Spike “Now you listen to me” he growled irritably

Twilight kneeled down “I’m sorry Spike but where is Dave?”

Spike rolled his eyes as he climbed onto her back “In the dungeon” Spike ignored the confused glances “GO!” he ordered and Twilight sprang into action, quickly pursuing after Celestia and Strong Shield

Strong Shield caught up to the princess “I have sent for the jailor and the keys”

“Will they get here in time?” The princess looked at Strong Shield worriedly as the reached the dungeon door

Strong Shield opened the door, allowing the princess and the chasing others to run down into the dungeons before him “I hope so” he sighed grimly

As they all hurried down the stairs the sound of a loud groaning slowly began to fill their ears, as they reached the dungeon corridor, Celestia turned to the first cell on her left

“Dave?” Celestia rested a hoof on the bars as she looked at the brown heap in the corner

The rest of the ponies all caught up and found positions which allowed them all a view of the jail cell

“Can’t you open the door?” Twilight asked as she pushed on the door

“No this prison was designed and enchanted so any magical beings couldn’t break free, we need the keys” Strong Shield trotted back up the stairs “And it doesn’t help that the jailor likes the afternoon drink”

“Dave!” Dash called out “Dave over here!”

The brown stallion slowly raised his head and turned to the ponies at its cell door, the ponies all gasped as they saw his body pulse a dim red

“H-help” Dave whimpered as he reached for his friends and for Celestia “P-please”

Rarity pushed forwards “Don’t worry darling help is coming”

Dave flashed red again, the red disappeared slower as his eyes widened and he spread out across the floor

“Dave” Celestia slumped to the floor, her head resting against the bars “Stay with me, don’t worry everything will be ok”

Dave’s eyes became suddenly bloodshot, his face tightened in pain as his hooves reached forwards “ARGH No, no, no” Dave brought his hooves closer to his eyes

“Dave look at me, ignore everything else” Celestia shuffled closer to the cell door “Dave look at me, LOOK AT ME!” she called out at her eyes began to water “I’m sorry”

Dave became oblivious to everything around him as he stared at his hoof “No, I…” His hoof swelled and it cracked clean through “AHH” Dave head butted the ground and pulled up a grazed head “Make it stop” he begged

“Hold on Dave!” Spike called as he leapt from Twilight’s back and failed to squeeze through the bars

The cracked hoof released a loud snapping noise that was drowned out by Dave’s screams of agony, from one of the cracks a long segment of bone broke through

Celestia sighed sadly as she watched Dave’s bones push through his hooves “He is going to change from the inside out”

Twilight tore her eyes from Dave “what can we do?”

Celestia’s tears began to roll down her face “Nothing”

All the ponies and Spike returned their gaze to Dave, their faces dropped or writhed in disgust as the muscle around his hoof shifted to wrap around his fingers

“Please make it stop!” Dave called as his arm snapped back to its original shape “PLEASE!” his other hoof snapped in circles as his wrist reformed

Celestia turned her back to Dave as she cried loudly “I’m sorry”

Dave’s head turned up to the sky as he continued his blood boiling scream “ARGH ANYTHING PLEASE JUST MAKE IT STOP!” the top part of his jaw cracked as it forced itself back into his skull, the bottom part of his jaw flapped loosely before it slammed backwards, breaking his teeth along the way

“CELESTIA DO SOMETHING!” Spike screamed as he began to cry watching his friend being tortured by his own body

Dave’s legs popped out of their sockets while his pelvis realigned itself against his spine, the legs straitened and grew as toes burst through his back hooves

Dave’s ribs broke away from his spine so it flowed like a wave as it straitened sharply and forced his head into its natural position

“PLEASE!” Dave begged as his throat squirmed beneath his changing neck “anybody, anything, CELESTIA!”

Celestia brought her head from her hooves and she took on a new sense of determination “I’m coming Dave” She vowed as she walked into the empty cell beside the one Dave squirmed within, she lowered her horn to the wall that separated them

As Dave screamed as his bones inserted themselves back into their places along his spine, Celestia’s horn glowed brightly, it started to burn the wall where her horn touched it, a shockwave attempted to break her connection but she forced herself forwards

Dave’s fur receded back under his skin, his tail was soaked into his back, his mane shortened and his human teeth burrowed through his gums

Celestia managed to melt a segment of wall large enough for her to squeeze through and as she recovered from fighting her own prison she saw Dave collapse to the floor

“Dave!” she cried as she hurried to his side, he laid naked, sprawled face down in the dirt of the cell

Celestia turned him over and cradled him in her hooves “Dave?” she whispered softly to the motionless human “Dave speak to me”

Celestia rocked backwards and forward as her tears fell onto Dave’s face, the others all walked through the hole in the joining cell and sat around Dave

Celestia continued to chant his name “Dave? Please don’t be gone Dave”

Applejack lowered her hat to her chest

“Dave open your eyes”

Pinkie’s hair deflated as she burrowed her face into Rarity’s mane, Rarity simply stroked the dull pink mare in return

“Dave your friends are all here, we need you”

Fluttershy threw her hooves around Rainbow Dash and Twilight as she sobbed uncontrollably, the Pegasus and the unicorn hugged her as they shared her loss

“Dave, I-I need you”

Spike collapsed next to the princess and he cried into Dave’s arm

“Dave…”

Strong Shield arrived and saw the grieving group, he shook his head as he left them to mourn

“…I love you”