The (K)Night (open to active players)

[shuteye]

Shut Eye pratically deflated as the anxiety and worry left him. Viper Strike's confirmation that the children were back in their own home was such a relief that he almost wanted to start giggling. He supressed the urge, however, and just contented himself with a long, relaxing sigh of relief. "Thank you so much Viper Strike," he said when the somewhat creepy pony introduced himself. "I'm Shut Eye, and I owe you big. If you ever find yourself in Ponyville, feel free to stop by my home."

He quirked a smile, feeling rather odd being on the recieving end of being offered assistance in the future. Normally he was the one who always offered to help out. He turned his head to Retort, who was now clearly in a better mood knowing that the foals were safe behind locked doors, or soon would be. "Thank you for the offer Mortar Retort," he said, giving the fezz'd pony a grateful nod, "But I'll pass. Um, I'll see the two of you around sometime I suppose, but I really need to get back to the foals and put them to bed. Thank you again Viper." He said before turning to gallop away. He needed to get back to the house quick before any more mischief happened.

[[Exit Shut Eye]]

[Deleted]

Viper Strike watched in silence as Shut Eye trotted away. He then turned to the blue unicorn that entered his shop a little too excitedly. He couldn't help but think that the stallion was a tad bit off and wondered if this was the right thing to do, asking him if he had any cures. He cautiously entered the dimly lit shop, looking around at all of the "products" sitting on the shelves. It reminded him of a mad-scientist horror film, and wondered if any of the liquids would randomly combust. He decided it might be in his best interest to avoid touching anything. His ears flickered backwards as a chill flew down his spine. He wasn't sure if he felt comfortable here, but he didn't have anywhere else to stay.

His ears snapped forward when Retort told him to make himself comfortable. He didn't speak old Zebra, but he didn't question it, assuming it was just going to be a repeat. While the blue unicorn rummaged through the shelves, Viper walked over to look at what appeared to be ingredient jars. He saw some that were labelled chloroform along with a bigger sign saying SALE! in large letters. He made sure to keep his muzzle away from those just in case there were any leaks. He closely inspected a jar that was on the top shelf with what looked like a floating eye ball. For some reason, it didn't skeeve him out like it most likely would some ponies, but it gave him hope that it might be possible for Retort to return his vision.

"This... remedy you have.."

Viper began, turning back to Mortar Retort, "Does it have any...side effects?"[/color] This was a small worry in the back of his mind. He would probably go through with it. What worse could it do? Even Retort agreed that he looked like some form of monster. And the pain he had already went through wouldn't be surpassed. [/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Mortar Retort]

Retort cantered from one side of the shop to the other, blissfully absent to Viper’s presence while scouring the shelves for a bottle of some bubbling liquid here and some sort of cream in a jar there. Collecting it all within the grasp of his horn’s magic. He was thoroughly engrossed in his endeavor, sincere in his actions even if the atmosphere her surrounded himself in was unsettling. Once gathered a few items, he rounded behind the shop’s counter and set his wares down upon the countertop.

There, bathed in the soft pinkish glow from a prominent bottle displayed behind a locked glass case on a high shelf behind him. Embossed on a grass plate below the horn-lock was etched, #4. Its liquid contents swirled magically, bubbling at times before sinking back in upon itself. With the soft back-light, Retort mused through the objects he collected, two bottles and one small jar of some sort of cream. The larger of the two bottles, with an orange top, Retort glanced over first. He popped the cork, sniffed it and wretched – slamming the cork back on before whatever foulness could escape further and slid it away with a hoof. Then, taking up the little glass jar with some sort of unidentifiable cream, he gives it a look over with a frown on his face. He shakes his head and tosses the jar behind him, it crashes somewhere down the hallway leading to the back of the shop.

”Here it is!” Retort exclaimed, holding up a small bottle with a yellow strip painted on it. Retort folded his ears back when Viper expressed his apprehension about any possible side-effects. Of course there were side-effects; everything had a side effect of some manner or another. Also, Retort didn’t know. He never actually checked since brewing it. ”Side-effects… hmm, well let me check!” He set the bottle down and looked down, underneath the counter. He mumbled something to himself before grabbing a small little booklet with his mouth and slapping it upon the counter beside the potion.

”Alright… Day for Night elixir…” Flipping through the booklet with his hoof, he scans down the lists. ”Ah here it is, Volume 2: section 8, subsection 34.b!” He states as he spins around and slips into the back, sounds of rustling mixed with grunting echo out of the hallway Retort disappeared into. After a moment, Retort returns accompanied with a gargantuan tome wrapped in magic. It was dusty and leather bound, well worn from years of use. Retort let it drop on the counter, rattling most of the shop with it. Straining, he flips open the tome with a hoof, flips through several large sections of pages before stopping upon a page.
”Here we go, let’s see… Ah, alright, the side effect may include and aren’t limited to the following: Cataracts, detached retinas, blindness, ocular elephantitis…” He mumbled off the rest for a few seconds before slamming the tome shut. ”Well, let me put it this way. If you’re lucky, it’ll just make your eyes bleed like some sort of hemophiliac Horny Toad – worst case; your eyes will swell up till they burst like a couple of ripe grapes. Of course, those are just ‘possible’ side-effects. Likely nothing could happen. Oh and if that’s not to your liking, I also have this!” Retort reached under the counter and presented a pair of old welding goggles by their strap hanging from his hoof. ”You can stare at Celestia’s Sun for hours with these things on without cooking your eyes or brain, tested them myself. They’re a little beat up but still perfectly good.” He set them down beside the potion. ”All I got for that particular request. I also have some oils that I’m sure would make your skin shine too!”

[Deleted]

Listening to all of the side effects that the blue unicorn was describing brought out an image of himself with two eye balls, not unlike the one floating in the jar, dangling from his eye sockets. He shoved the unwanted image from his mind and tried to distinguish at least one ingredient floating in the magical glow protruding from Retort's horn. He failed to recognize any of them, and the face that the unicorn made sniffing one of them was not reassuring. Viper shuffled his wings against his sides a bit more snugly and let out a light exhale. He did a slight jump when Retort tossed one of the jars across the room. He swore he heard a small explosion escape when the glass shattered. This equine was out of his mind! But then, what other choice did he have? His glowing green eyes darted up to the welding goggles that were previously pointed out. He had thought about that option before, but he had never considered it. They created a lot of blind spots for him, which would bother the Hay out of him, thus creating more harm than good.

The large black winged pegasus cautiously approached the counter. He gave the insane unicorn an apprehensive look before turning back to the Elixir and the goggles. Possible bleeding, or blind spots? he thought to himself as he gave the potion a tiny sniff. His stomach churned unpleasantly and he stepped back.
"You've got to be buckin' kidding me..."

he said, more in offense to the stench, and not to the one who was trying to help him. He took a breath and grabbed the bottle with his teeth, shutting his eyes, trying to evade the aroma. He tilted his head up and winced slightly as the frothy liquid poured down his gullet, feeling like burning fire all the way down. He gagged and dropped the container, letting it shatter to the floor. He coughed and shook his head, trying to clear the feeling. The burning turned into a pressure sensation, expanding in his throat, then sweeping upwards in his head, feeling like it was going to push out his eyes and pour out of his nose and ears. He shut his eyes harder and pinned his ears while he snorted as if trying to dislodge something in his nostrils. He slammed his neck against a nearby wall, staggering after he did so.

Finally his throat and nose and ears cleared up. He gratefully took a deep breath, able to breathe again, but it still felt like he had been burned. He kept his eyes shut since the pressure wasn't relieved from there. He let loose some more swear words as he hit his head against the wall again, trying to rid himself of the nonexistent demon that was now clawing at his eyes. He felt something warm drip from both of his eye sockets, and the image of him with the dangly eye balls returned to his thoughts. He risked opening his eyes, finding they didn't hurt anymore and that most of the pressure was from him holding them so tightly shut. The "demon" was gone and he looked around for the Alchemist.
"Do.. do they look alright?"[/color] he asked. His eyes still glowed with the snake-like pattern, and everything looked the same, but he wasn't sure if he was able to see out in the sun. [/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Mortar Retort]

Upon the moment Viper downed the vile elixir, Retort was standing by with a notepad. He watched intensely as the properties begun to course through Viper's body, using his horn's magic to write down everything that happened. "Fascinating, just fascinating." He muttered as he scribbled down notes on the paper. "The suffocation you're feeling is from the histamine reaction produced by the Wild Parsley! It'll pass." The unicorn assured.

When Viper gasped, taking in air one more, Retort nodded. "See, told you!" He waited for Viper to recover, documenting the last notes about the reaction. So far, so good. Barely any determinable side-effect. When Viper asked about the nature of his eyes, Retort nodded, tossing aside his notes. "They look fine, here, lets test their reaction to light!" Near instantaneously, Retort pulled a flashlight from behind the counter and slammed his hoof on the button - a beam of intense light shot out, straight at Viper's face. "How does that feel?"

[Deleted]

Viper hadn't heard any of the alchemist's explanations when he was experiencing the change. When his eyes were open, his skin was still slightly shivering from the chemical changes that had overtaken his body, but he wasn't paying attention to that. He was more concerned about the flashlight that was taken out. Instinctively, he recoiled and shut his eyes like a bat emerging in sunlight, but slowly he began to relax and open his eyes.

His eyes were slits as he opened them, straining to focus. He did notice that there was no migraine-like pains following the light. He let his lids fall back a bit more and tried to make sense of the shapes in front of him. Finally, the details of Retort were starting to fill out and he shook his head, noticing a little bit of blood fall to the floor from his face. Well, he was warned he would bleed a bit. He wiped the rest of the red liquid away with his fore leg. When inquired about how the light felt, Viper was at a loss for words.

"It.. doesn't hurt..."

he said, still in amazement that he could open his eyes. The pupils were slits and his eyes didn't glow, but were merely bright green. He walked closer to the flashlight, mesmerized that he could see in the light again. He stared directly into the bulb and then had to look away. He shook his head again when he began to see spots where they didn't exist, and reminded himself that that was normal. It was hard to remember what it was like to be normal again.

"I can't believe it worked,"[/color] he said, "Thank you! I don't know what I can do to repay you!"[/color] he said excitedly, jumping a little bit out of the norm for himself. He regained his composure and rustled his wings quickly against his scaly hide. He looked at Retort again.
"Seriously. Thank you."[/color][/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Mortar Retort]

”Really? Doesn’t hurt at all!? I can’t believe it worked!” Retort asked, surprised by the news. He was certain it wouldn’t work – considering his track record. He soundlessly cheered, throwing his hooves up – accidently blinding himself by the flashlight in the process. He yelped, covering his eyes with his forehoof, then let out a little snort and shook his head. ”Perfect, excellent! Oh Retort, your brilliance knows no end.” He boasted with a smug smile. He slapped the light off and set it aside – by tossing it in the back, crashing into something glass by the sound the erupted from beyond the threshold.

Retort tucked a hoof against his breast and bowed his head, ”No need to consider it, my work is for the wellbeing of ponies everywhere. Your gratitude is thanks enough.” Though the fact Viper survived at all was payment enough – another positive proof his concoctions did work. With the good news still bristling on his spirits, he takes up his basket from the garden and begins to retrieve his collected materials. ”Though there is something I’d like to ask from you, if it’s not too much.” The alchemist pony suddenly took upon a more serious tone, the inkling of scientific pursuit flowing back to the forefront. ”You’re unique, a true ‘one of a kind’, and for someone in my profession… such rarities are quite valuable. If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to acquisition from you a vial of your blood, a few strands of hair from your mane or tail, and single pinion from your wing.” As he asked, he drew out the captured slug in the little glass jar and set it down beside the herbs and other components he had gathered. ”I realize your apprehension towards ponies like me, understandable in light of your current situation. The lengths one can go in the pursuit of knowledge can be frightening to lay-ponies such as yourself, but there is merit in the knowledge we can gain from our transgressions. I understand this all too well, I assure you.” He somberly mentioned, give a subtle glance to the pinkish glowing potion labeled ‘#4’ locked behind glass. ”Perhaps a cure to your condition even. It is the only reason I ask, do not feel obligated in light of the success of my potion.”

[Deleted]

Even though retort threw the light somewhere into the background, the loud crash barely made the scaled stallion jump. He was too mesmerized by his new-found abilities. He was putting his eyes close to every illuminated light bulb, amazed by how it didn't pain him. He could even see the small spark of electricity jumping from one wire to the next without having to squint. He backed up and saw his reflection in the glass of the lantern. He wasn't too surprised that his eyes still looked like a monsters, but it was better than he could have hoped for. He then realized that retort had been speaking to him. He hoped that he hadn't missed much.

”Though there is something I’d like to ask from you, if it’s not too much.”

He stood still, an ear flickering back. What? Money? The only bits he had were left behind at the castle when he was originally captured. He listened carefully about what the blue unicorn was requesting of him. Thoughts began racing through his mind. Wires attached to him as a ran on a treadmill, jolts of electricity sparking at his brain, fire igniting around him to see what temperatures he can handle, an enclosed box with him inside to see how long he could go without oxygen...the thoughts were nightmare-ish. He snorted softly, tucked his head down slightly, and back-stepped. Retort must have seen his apprehension since he added ”I realize your apprehension towards ponies like me, understandable in light of your current situation. The lengths one can go in the pursuit of knowledge can be frightening to lay-ponies such as yourself, but there is merit in the knowledge we can gain from our transgressions. I understand this all too well, I assure you. Perhaps a cure to your condition even. It is the only reason I ask, do not feel obligated in light of the success of my potion.”[/color] a cure? He shifted his scaled shoulders underneath his black jacket. It would be nice to have fur again.. and less of a cold blooded body. He was tired of being cold all of the time, trying to find a source of heat.

Even though the unicorn said that Viper wasn't to feel obligated, he only felt that it was fair and that it was right. Not only did this strange Samaritan give him his day sight back, he offered him a place to stay. Cautiously he nodded his head, eyes locked on the alchemist. He stretched out his massive wings, careful not to knock anything over and reached out to rip out a few of the down feathers underneath, the ones that don't affect flight. He placed them in an empty jar that was conveniently right there on the table. He closed his wings tight around his jacket and body and reached around to rip out a few long bluish strands from his tail, laying them down on the table next to the jar. He looked back at the stallion.

"You can..uh.. use a syringe or something right?"[/color] he said uncertainly, knowing only of the scientists and doctors who have drawn blood before.[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Mortar Retort]

Retort giddily jumped up and down on his hooves, his fez bouncing silly with him, ”Yes, yes! Thank you! You have no idea what this means for me, it’s like Hearths Warming tonight – err, morning!” His giddy bouncing slowly bounded the pony closer to Viper. ”Right, yes a syringe. Of course, I’m not some barbarian Diamond Dog. Even have a clean one, imagine that? What luck.” He scoffed as he slipped up against Viper’s flank, ”Alley-oop!” Retort’s horn suddenly encapsulated with magic and from out of the darkness of the hallway where Retort had just discarded various objects, a syringe shot forth and struck Viper right in a meaty spot of the flank below the cutie mark. A moment later, a now blood filled syringe slips out from Viper’s meatier regions and Retort slaps on a colorful bandage over the injection mark with his hoof. ”Gratzi!”

Retort cantered back over to his basket of pilfered goods, setting down the syringe on the counter beside the jar with the slug. ”You have no idea what this gesture could mean, well, maybe you do. I dunno your scientific literacy. Anyway, I’m meeting with someone in a few days and with these in hoof, we surely will be able to figure out something to help your aliment.” He stated as he swayed his head back and forth, looking at the sample of blood. ”If I only had a pony like you all those years ago I could of adverted… Well, now that is over." He quickly changed the subject. ”Please, take my room upstairs when you need.” Motioning with his hoof to the ceiling. ”Mi casa, su casa. I just changed the sheets too, how fortunate. I must say, everything is coming up rainbows. By the way, don’t drink rainbows. Terribly spicy. Good on some foods though, also makes a terribly devastating potion. I’m rambling, right?” Retort cringed with embarrassment, turning back to focus on his categorizing his collected samples.

”Mind if I ask you something? Even though you’ve been ostracized by decent society, you still linger here with these stuffy ponies, helping them. Why is that? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just leave, start anew? Maybe in with the griffons or some far away people. Even on the cusp of a another new war, you linger.” He slides some alchemical materials before him. ”Doesn’t seem worth the trouble. All this hiding in the night; even Luna seems to deny your existence. Where’s the honor, the dignity? There’s a whole world out there for a pony like you, one less ignorantly judgmental.”

[Deleted]

Viper stood stock still as the alchemist walked closer. He expected to see a syringe already glowing at the blue unicorn's side, but instead he slipped up against his scaly side instead. Viper didn't budge. He didn't see the needle fly out from the darkness and hit him on the opposite flank. He flinched from the blunt force he felt from it hitting his scales and then the sharp pain as it encountered the flesh underneath. He hadn't felt physical pain in a while and it came as a small shock to him, but he resisted the urge to kick out. His muscles relaxed once the needle was gone and a bandage was slapped on top of his scales, not that it was going to do much for the skin underneath. Viper assumed it was just Retort's gesture of courtesy.

He looked at Retort as he began to speak again, praising him for donating his blood. Sure he didn't know exactly what it could mean, but he knew it probably was important. Stuff that involves blood usually is taken pretty serious. He looked at the vial that contained the red liquid. He almost half expected it to be glowing green with all of the tests that he had undergone, but what did he know about science anyway? He looked back to the unicorn that was now rambling on about rainbows for some reason. Viper doubted that he would ever be able to understand this stag. He heard the offer to use the bedroom upstairs but he pushed the thought aside. That would be imposing too much to take over one's bedroom. Viper would probably end up crashing on the couch or sleep standing up as most ponies are capable of. Regardless he nodded his thanks. He walked over to the table containing the little bits of himself.

The feather, hair, and blood vials stood side by side. So these were the bits of him broken up. They looked the same as everypony else's. It was so strange that when broken down, no one is different. But there was something different about him that Retort didn't ask for. Viper unzipped his jacket down to his chest where he ripped out on of the larger scales. He winced as it was torn from his skin. The raw skin began tingling and burning as it hardened together in a new scale. He placed the black shiny scale next to the vial of blood. It was barely the size of a bit, but it was still much larger than most of the rest of his scales. He zipped up his jacket over the almost healed scab and turned back to Retort.

"In case that helps."

he said quietly. He wanted to help in any way that he could. This stallion, as crazy as he seemed, cured his sight.
”Mind if I ask you something? Even though you’ve been ostracized by decent society, you still linger here with these stuffy ponies, helping them. Why is that? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just leave, start anew? Maybe in with the griffons or some far away people. Even on the cusp of a another new war, you linger.” Viper had been expecting this question. It was an obvious one, but he stayed quiet for a moment. He had never prepared an answer to it. He turned so that he was facing the stallion, his wings tightened to his sides and his head rose as he spoke.

"I was a captain. I was born and trained to fight and protect. Never to run." He turned and walked over to a nearby window. There were some cobwebs around the old time-affected wood frame. He looked through the dirty glass to the castle of Canterlot that was once his home.
"Even though I am unwanted, I still feel the need to protect these ponies just as I always have. I'm not one to give up on those I love, even if I am not loved back.."[/color] he closed his eyes solomnley and backed away from the window. He looked back toward Retort.
"I'm just hoping that maybe one day I can be accepted again. Go back to the way things were instead of living the rest of my life in exile."[/color][/size][/blockquote][/color]

[Mortar Retort]

Retort nodded, understanding – in a way he too was a bit of an outcast, not nearly as much so as Viper but the sentiment was all the same. He had just finished sorting his newest materials, scratching notes in a log of sort which accounted for his stock. Even eccentric, he still kept meticulous records of his supply. A hallmark of a good businesspony, something he took a bit of pride in.

”Quote noble, little silly, but noble. I myself plan to get out of here before those drakes get little more ornery. I was on the front during that little sordid ordeal with the Eclipse, had my fill of war with that. Planning a little safari into the savannah, hear those zebras are quite ingenious at their ‘voodoo’ or what have you – also they rhyme when they speak and that’s just adorable.” Retort grabbed a slouch hat from under the counter and slammed upon his head, crushing his fez under it. ”All ready, see. Even got the hat.” He placed the hat back under the counter, his fez popping back into shape. ”Can’t go on safari without the proper hat – believe it’s a law, or something. Either way, it’s a lot of fun to wear! Also makes me feel like a complete ‘badflank’.”

Retrot rounded his shops counter and approached Viper, ”Enough about me. Again, please make yourself at home tonight.”He reiterated, “You can do your community service stuff in the morning, but for now, get some rest. Also your skin is looking so rough and cracked, I have this great moisturizer I’ve been working on. Rub a little on before bed, does wonders. Make it from slug mucus extract – amazing stuff. Doesn’t go well with sodium chloride though – you’re not salty are you?” Retort rubs his hoof over Viper’s neck, then licks his hoof. ”Hmm, a little, should be alright though. Please, indulge yourself. I meanwhile, need to get back to my work.”

[Deleted]

The black stallion looked at the lotion that Retort was referring to. Well that explained the slug. He took a cautious sniff and realized it didn't exactly have a horrifying aroma, though there was a certain spice to it that perked his interest. He lifted up the container and placed it on his back between his wings for safe keeping.

"Thanks"

[/b] he said quietly, and rather gratefully. He nodded his head in gratitude and walked upstairs, leaving the unicorn to his duties of his shop-keeping. He vaguely wondered if the fellow ever slept. He rolled his eyes with a little smirk. Perhaps that's where the quirky attitude came from. When he got to the next floor, he immediately found the washroom. He didn't want to track mud all over this neighborly gent's house.

When he entered the bathroom, Viper placed the lotion on the sink's porcelain shelf and turned on the light. The lights were very bright, but not enough to make him cower in pain as he used too. In a half daze, he stared at the lights a little bit until he began to see spots. He forced himself to look away. His eyes were cured, not given the god-like powers of Celestia. He snorted and carefully unscrewed the lid to the lotion tub. He stuck the tip of his hoof into the container and lifted up, watching the clearish goo slide off and plop back into the container. His nose wrinkled up in distaste, but then he relaxed his features.

"Well.." he said, poking at the goop again, "He helped once, hadn't he? He can't be all that mad.." he asked to no one in particular. He hoofed up a generous sized scoop and smeared it on his neck and shoulders, making sure to massage it in deep to try and get past the scales. He unzipped his jacket and let it fall to the floor so that he could cover his sides, flanks, rump, and legs. He finished by rubbing the remainder on his hooves on his face. There was a slight tingling sensation all over as the product was taking it's home on his body. He vaguely wondered if he should apply it to his wings as well. He stretched out his wings cautiously, remembering that the small bathroom wasn't nearly as large as it needed to be for his wingspan. He decided it might be safest to cover them as well and used up the remainder of the concoction to dress them as well.

The tingling lotion began to seep into his feathers, and created more of a burning sensation, unlike the feeling on his scales. He gasped and unwillingly flapped his wings, causing the jar that held the lotion to come crashing to the floor. Viper Strike reared up in reaction to the shattered glass and forced his wings to snap back to his sides. His eyes were wide with terror and he rushed to the mirror to look at himself. He looked normal, but his wings still felt as though they were on fire. He wanted to badly to stretch them out and shake them off, though he was fearful of knocking something else off. He gasped again and pulled open the curtains to the shower stall before entering and turning on the water. He jumped slightly when the icy water began raining down on his pelt, but then he welcomed it as he felt it washing the burning away. He sighed and leaned against the wall, stretching out his right wing, making sure to rinse off everything left on it. He then turned around and did the same to the left wing. The cool water relaxed him and dripped down between his sore muscles. He lowered his head, realizing how exhausted he truly was.

He noticed on the bottom of the tiled shower floor, there was a multitude of different colored stains ranging from green to red to some blues and browns. He wondered how many times there were chemical shower emergencies here. He chuckled softly to himself and noticed that he didn't seem too surprised to find a few burn stains around the edge of the room. He turned around again to turn up the heat on the faucet when he discovered something black sitting on the floor by the drain. His eyes narrowed. He didn't remember seeing anything on the ground when he first got into the room. He lifted a hoof gingerly and dragged it closer. A feather? It looked a little large to be from a raven or black bird. And then another joined it. Viper's eyes grew wider when he realized what the source was. He lifted his right wing to find all of his feathers were being washed off one by one. His left wing too! He snorted and jerked out of the shower, slipping and falling to the ceramic tiled floor. His wings flapped furiously all around him, knocking off the hung towels and soaps out of their designated places. The more he flapped, the faster the feathers were released from his wings until there were no more...[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Mortar Retort]

Retort was busy humming away a tune as he worked down stairs in his laboratory, mixing and splitting herbs and chemicals all the while oblivious to the noise and Viper’s determent upstairs. He almost hadn’t noticed the loud thud that emanated from upstairs, his ear flicked upward. Immediately he thought the worst, as he was wont to do considering his horrible track record. He put down his instruments and galloped upstairs, bolting immediately to the bathroom, pushing in the door. There me met a most pathetic and sad sight.

”Oh my, oh no!” He exclaimed sliding over to Viper, ”Moderation I implied, Celestia help you this is right ugly. The cream had only been tested on small mammals – probably should of mentioned that.” He said as he looked at the thin little sticks that Viper had once called wings. They were quite ugly and strange, but thankfully, he didn’t believe it would be permanent. A little magic might do the trick. ”Ok, bad news is that you look like some sort of ghoul, good news is that I believe I can fix this.” He realized Viper had not signed the liability waver – he had to think quickly. ”Ok, this may tingle a bit!” He pointed his horn at each nub that was once a wing, concentrated with all his might and zapped each with a bolt. A healing spell, basic as it was would hopefully be enough to start the regeneration process. ”Ok, that should help. Might be a few days but your feathers should grow back. So terribly sorry for not warning you about that cream – hmm maybe I miscalculated your saltiness. Well what’s done is done! Few days’ time you should be right as rain. Might want to get some rest though, those feathers won’t grow back without it – I think.” He clapped his hooves. ”But on the bright side, I learned what the cream can do to pegasii! That’s progress!”

[Deleted]

When Retort came into the bathroom, Viper was about to apologize for the mess he had made, but the unicorn seemed more concerned about Viper's wings. The black stallion stretched out what was left of them. They were still just as large as they were before, but without the feathers, they looked like very large bat wings. I look like a monster..

he bowed his head in shame. It didn't help when the other stallion called him a ghoul. He then said he could fix it. Somehow, Viper doubted it, but he didn't have much else to lose now, right? What would happen? His tail would fall off? He then felt two short jolts, one to each wing. Out of shock, he stumbled backwards. He looked at each wing quickly, and was saddened when he didn't see anything. He then listened as Retort explained it may take a while. He hoped it'll be alright. He folded the stiff, now-sore wings to his side and looked at his keeper.
"I will rest in a while. Allow me to clean up this mess I have made. I've cost you so much already."[/color] he began pawing in the shower, scooping up clumps of the feathers with his hooves.[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Mortar Retort]

“No no no, I’ve got this.” Retort insisted, after all, he had only asked for a single feather and now he had a plethora of them at his disposal. Most ostentatious for his research! “Rest, pony. I’ll clean this up. After all its likely my fault – somewhere along the line. I want to see you right as rain.” He explained, yanking the clumps of feathers from Viper’s grasp with his horn magic. “So to bed with you. I’ve already run the coal-pan under the sheets. If you don’t hurry, it’ll be frigid again.” He explained, stoic in his insistence. Retort had summoned a broom and pan from behind the sink and was lightly prodding Viper in the flank with it, insisting he should leave. “Besides, I can recycle these feathers. Waste not want not as they say! We’ll worry about your state in the morning – or afternoon, whenever you wake up. I’m easy! Till then, rest. I have much work to do you and you have dreams that need addressing.”