Changes For The Better

By: MasterBrony Forever

I would like to thank Thomas R for Pre-Reading and Editing!

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fanbased work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro, and the reinvention of the lovely Lauren Faust. No copyright infringement is intended, please support the official release.

It has been a total of about a week since Vinyl, Octavia, Discord and myself were admitted into the Canterlot Royal Hospital. Celestia had told me that my Alicorn powers and Discord's Periculum would help us heal faster than normal. Vinyl would only be there about another few days, being a unicorn also helps healing speed. Though Octavia, being a simple earth pony, would remain much longer than any of us.

The day I was given the okay to leave, I was given a new set of clothes. It was surprising how Celestia was able to have clothes made for a human, even though I was the first human to ever enter Equestria. And how they got my measurement right, I would have to question later.

'I was out for a good while a few days ago, so that would have been as good a time as any to get my measurements,' I thought.

After I was dressed, I walked over to a mirror in the nearby bathroom. I inspected the clothes I was given and was quite pleased with what I wore, simple and completely me. A pair of dark blue jeans, and a black t-shirt with white stripes across the front. I was given a pair of plan white shocks, along with a pair of snow white gym shoes with black laces.

Once I was done getting dressed and confirming some final details with the doctors, I didn't have anything better to do so I visited the others in their rooms. Discord's was the closest so I decided to visit him first, but when I looked into his room he wasn't there.

"Oh...Hello your Highness," A voice spoke up from behind me.

I turned to see a brown unicorn stallion in a lab coat. He wore a stethoscope around his neck, and a pair of glasses. He bowed before standing up and straightening his glasses. This was the doctor who was in charge of treatment of me, Discord, Vinyl and Octavia.

"Please, just call me Draco," I had decided to go by my original name; instead of my name given it to me on earth.

"Why thank you, your Highn...erm...I mean Draco," he craned his head to look at the bed behind me, "If you are looking for Sir Discord, he was released yesterday."

"Oh," I rubbed the back of my head. 'I wonder where he could be,' I thought to myself.

"I am sorry Sir. If you want I can send for him if you wish," he said.

"No, that's fine. I am sure I will run into him sooner or later, but until then can you point me to the rooms of the other two mares that were admitted here the same time I was?" I asked looking clueless on how to find my way to them.

"Ah, you mean," He levitated a clipboard from a nearby desk to himself, "Miss Scratch, and Miss Octavia. They are down the hall here and to right."

I looked in the direction he was motioning in, "Thank you."

He bowed before stepping aside allowing me to pass, "Your welcome...Draco."

I decided it was useless to get everypony in the castle to stop bowing every time I walked by, so I gave up on that endeavor. As I walked down the hall, none of the nurses or other patients seemed to be surprised to see a human walking around. Then I remembered what Tia had told me one of the days I was trapped in my hospital room.

"I have notified ever guard, servant, nurse, and doctor about your presence here. So as not to avoid scaring anypony, remember, we need to keep you low profile."

It would make sense for her to do something like this, the last thing that was need was an all out panic attack.

It only took a few minutes to locate Vinyl and Octavia's rooms. They were right next to each other and the only thing that separated them was a thin white curtain. I walked into Vinyl's room first, a nurse was in there checking on all the equipment.

Once she heard me enter she turned toward me and bowed, "Your Highness. How may I be of assistance?"

I just sighed, I wasn't even going to tell her to just call me Draco. On the way to my destination I go the same response out of all the other nurses and doctors, and gave up about half there.

"Is she alright?" I asked sitting on a small stool next to the hospital bed.

The room was similar to all the others, white walls and curtains, a single window for all my sister's wonderful morning sun to shine in. The columns, and corners of the room were trimmed with a gold lining. Medical tools on a cart, a heart monitor keeping a steady and normal beeping. And a lot of other equipment, I had no idea what they could be, all I knew is that they were helping Vinyl.

"She is stable, and is healing at the normal rate for a unicorn. She hasn't woken yet, but at this rate she should in as soon as a few hours." She gave me a reassuring smile.

She was telling the truth, for Vinyl's wounds had almost completely healed. ‘Tia was right, unicorns do heal fast.’

I looked over at the curtain, "Is there a mare by the name of Octavia in that room?"

"Why, yes, there is your Highness. She is not fairing so well."

At this I stood up and went to the curtain and tossed it aside. Octavia was revealed in an almost horrific state, she was covered head to hoof in bandages. Tubes and wire of all shorts were connected to machines that were keeping her alive. I have never before seen somepony in such a fragile state.

"Sir I think it is best..." She started but I instantly cut her off.

"Please just leave us, I need to be alone with them," I said in dark undertone.

She nodded and bowed, leaving me alone with the two mares that meant the most to me. For what reason they meant so such to me, I still have yet to figure out. Ever since I had laid eyes on these two, I was instantly drawn to them. They were all I could think about when the show would come to mind, I felt some deep inner connection with them.

I sat there, with the only sound I could hear were the different heart monitors giving off their own separate beeps. One was normal and strong, the other slow and weak. She was on the edge, and I was chained down, unable to do anything to help her.

'You can help her,' a voice echoed.

I looked around to find its origin, but saw that no other pony had come into the room.

'Oh, you won't be able to see me, Prince Draco. I am in your head, or at this junction I am a part of you. And have been for quite sometime.'

'What do you want?' I thought, getting to the voice. It was the same voice I had heard before.

'What I want? Well, what I want isn't obtainable at this point in time. But what matters is what you want, I can give you just a small amount of your power to heal this mare. It will give you some experience for when your full Draconic powers return, but it will only be a small amount. Giving you too much in this state would tear this weak body of your to shreds,' the voice explained.

Before I could respond a sharp pain jetted through my cerebellum. I clenched my temples as the pain became unbearable. Yet as fast as it had arrived it had left, and I could feel the presence of a new energy coursing through my veins. I moved close to Octavia's bed, and positioned my hands over her body. A midnight black energy became slightly visible around my hands, and small tendrils of magic worked their way down to Octavia.

They moved over her body, slowly working across her. Closing wounds, and removing the bandages. The heart monitor next to the bed began change pace, it was stabilizing to a steady heart beat.

'I can only get her farther away from the edge, not save her completely...' the voice said as the magic ceased and dispersed into nothing.

I looked over Octavia once again, she was in better condition, but not by much. As long as she could survive, that is what mattered. I sat back down in between the two rooms, all was silent again expect the constant beeping of the heart monitors.

'Where did that voice come from?' I asked myself.

After a few hours of thought and trying to recall where that voice had come from, I left the Hospital and wandered the castle. It was still quite the site to behold, large marble columns lining the halls. The lovely decor, all having some representation of the Royal family, rather it be Celestia, Luna, even Cadence.

No matter what hall I walked down there were rows guards every few yards. As I walked by they either bowed or saluted, I paid that no mind. I wandered the halls for only a short while before I came to a door just as grand as all the others. I looked to the top of the door; there was a Yin & Yang Symbol with two crossed swords, that looked to be made of Dragon scales.

"Oh, I see you have found your old room."

I turned to see Celestia walking up behind with a pleasant smile.

"This is my old room?" I asked.

"Yes it is," Celestia said, opening the door with her magic. It was dark inside, but she motioned for me to step inside.

As I stepped inside, Celestia ignited all the candles in the room with her magic. The room came to life as she opened the curtains letting the sun shine in. There were several marble columns around the edges of the room. In the far corner of the room near the large stain glass window was a desk with a few papers scatter across it.

There also a handful of book shelves against the walls; all covered in dust and cobwebs. Near the very center of the room was a large bed covered in rubble which caused me to look to the ceiling noticing a giant hole.

"That would explain where all this stone and debris came from."

There was a fire place not too far from the bed. All that remained in it were the ashes of the last fire burned there.

"Looks like it hasn't been touched in a while." I stated.

"I was meaning to have it cleaned while you were being treated. Until this place is back to its original state, we have many other rooms you would stay in for the time being."

"Oh, I am sure you do. I don't even think I have seen even half of the castle yet and I have already passed by so many empty rooms."

"Ah, yes, many of those rooms are for when delegates, ambassadors, and others of that nature come to Canterlot for an extended period of time. Even for when they are here for the Gala."

"Interesting," I stated as I further inspected my old room.

"I shall have some workers come and fix this place up."

"Thanks Tia," I said and felt a sudden embrace.

"Your welcome, and I am glad to have you back, brother." She said as she hugged me.

After a few moments we left the room. Tia made her way to talk to the workers and have the plans and everything else needed to start reconstruction of the older part of Canterlot Castle. I followed along because otherwise I would have gotten completely lost, and I had nothing better to do. My training wasn't suppose to start until the following week anyways.

"Where am I?" Vinyl said in a gurgled tone.

She looked around her room and came to the conclusion she was in a hospital. Upon further inspection of the regal decor and the amount of equipment, she realized she wasn't in just any hospital.

"Oh, you are awake. His Majesty seemed very worried about you, he will be happy to know you are awake," A nurse said trotting into the room.

"W-what?" Vinyl was still confused and a little dazed from her injuries, not to mention she had medicine being pumped into her for about a week.

"How about you lay back down. In about an hour or two I will return and see if you are well enough to be let go," The nurse said with a smile.

Vinyl just let her head drop back into the pillow. She had little to no memory of how she got here what she had done to get her. She could remember one thing, and that was...

"Octavia!" Vinyl said as she shot back up.

The nurse turned around with a startled expression a little shock by the sudden outburst. "Miss Octavia is fine. She is right there, now please lay down and get some rest." The nurse had pointed to open curtain which Vinyl had failed to notice.

"..."Vinyl was rendered speechless by what she saw. Octavia was still in pretty bad shape, and Vinyl could only blame herself. Tears began to well up behind her magenta eyes, she forced them back before laying back down and staring at the ceiling. Her once sad expression went blank, like it was when she had her shades.

Two hours went by and Vinyl was still staring at the ceiling. The nurse walked into the room, "Miss Vinyl, you have been given okay to leave if you wish do so."

Vinyl sat back up and was greeted by a floating pillow. On it was a pair of shades that looked exactly like hers. She had not notice she hadn't had her shades, she could had some of her memory back, or at least what she cared to remember, her shades were broken and lost.

'So where did these come from?' Vinyl questioned herself.

After a moment or two of pondering she took the shades in her magic, she felt a pulse in her head and dropped the shades back onto the pillow.

"Miss Scratch, you may have to lay off the magic for a short while. You were in a coma for a week; your magic will not be at full strength for a while," The nurse told her.

Vinyl nodded, rubbing the sides of her head. After a few seconds the pain subsided and she took the shades in her hooves instead and placed them on her muzzle and made her way out of the bed. She and the nurse worked their way to the desk; Vinyl signed a few papers, which was made more difficult without magic, and was given some pain killers for her headaches. She was thinking about what she should do now.

She was a good ways away from Ponyville, and her friend was still in a coma. She was thinking about these things as two guards in golden armor walked up behind her. She turned and looked up at the guards, not much taller than she was maybe by a few inches.

"Miss Scratch?" One of younger looking guard asked making direct eye contact, and not showing any emotion as he was trained to.

"Depends on who's asking," Vinyl replied not backing down.

"We have orders to escort you to you temporary chambers here in the Castle," the other spoke stepping forward.

She was taken aback by what she had just heard, 'Wait, somepony has a chamber for me?' She nodded and agreed to follow them, out of the hospital, and took one last look back at Octavia before following the guards to 'her chamber'.