After many long hours the body was finally ready for resurrection, and Scalpel smiled in satisfaction at his and Nocturnes hoofwork. Numerous enhancements to the bodily structure had been made, including the strengthening of the limbs with magically enhanced armour, and in one case the outright removal of a leg to further fit a weaponised mechanical replacement, which under proper alignment with the central nervous system through a series if crystalline magically harmonic jewels effectively connected with the brain matter of the body. 

However, despite this work, much of the internals had not been much changed from their biological history and remained relatively intact, unlike the much more heavily mechanised Grunge. The stomach, intestines, kidneys and liver all remained, although they would not entirely be necessary for the creature’s survival, so most of his work was epidermal or subdermal in nature. A series of magically tuned spheres ran along the limbs and upper body of his creation, which would -once triggered- increase the proficiency of physical magic and allowing increased force projection on contact. With this level of sophistication, the creature could easily buck down walls and crush stone, but in a much more controlled fashion than its ungainly predecessor.

But primarily, the focus of his work lay in the instalment of the creatures power source, the heart machine. The machine took up a rectangular portion of the main body, straight in the middle of the chest, only a small ultradense crystal viewport allowing the light of the inner core expel in a deep harmonious blue light. The main component of it was of course, unicorn horn, but it was merely the lightning rod for magical energies rather than the main source. The true power lay in the machinery surrounding it, each piece crafted by hoof in his Trottingham labs and enchanted with specific magic and inscribed with a rune to regulate its output. It was this which drained the magic from the horn and then expelled it throughout the network of enchanted objects in the body, as well as providing the new magical heartbeat of the creature. With one blast of extreme magical output, the body would be revived, the necrosis and destruction of the cellular structure would be reversed and the creature would once again awake, rejuvenated and revitalised.

Rebirth, resurrection, reincarnation, call it what you will, it was his supremely great work.

But one specifically great achievement would be made this day… the restoration of the equine mind. Reason and logic would once again course through the synapses of this being, emotions and ecstasies, pain and pleasure, triumph and failure, all would be known undivided and unspoiled. 

“Magnificent is he not?” Scalpel stated, looking at his awed companion as she observed the work. She had proven herself a fine assistant in his work, quick to grasp the basics of what he was doing but amazed at the complexity and tantalising workings of years of private research. He doubted she could understand what he had done in its entirety, that would take years of training, but she could appreciate the magnitude of his work.

“Ja Herr Doktor, he is wunderful… I haf never seen anythink like this in all my werk... the raw power of dis equine-machine hybrid vil be a sight to behold.” 

“Quite, soon we may be able to tap into a ley line of magic and exert the magical requirements needed for his rise… for now however, I believe we require a rest.”

He turned and busied himself trawling through the saddlebags of his work, bringing out a small supply of travelling food and beginning to wolf into it hungrily. In all the excitement he had forgotten how famished he was after his long day, and the recent events had paid their toll upon him. Trotting over to his living room he suddenly noticed a small form curled up in a roughly swept clean hoofchair. Honey may have looked different, but she was still quite adorable as she slept, a half finished sandwich on a plate sat next to her when she had obviously decided that she was hungry, but sleep had overcome food and now she had lapsed into slumber. As he watched, her left hoof twitched in response to some dream, and she let out a small murmur of indistinct words. He quietly tiptoed forward, took off his coat and wrapped it around her before retreating back into the laboratory, Nocturne’s glowing eyes and tufted ears peering at him curiously round the door as he did so.

“Is she your daughter?” she asked curiously, keeping a hushed tone as they stood next to each other by the doorway.

“Biologically? No. In terms of being the pony who has raised her for years? I guess I am, in some ways the closest thing she has to a father now. Her real parents are dead… I am her uncle.”

Nocturne’s ears shot up in alarm, “I am so sorry fur bringink et up, I know losing family is tough… I ment no offense.”

“None taken” Scalpel waved her concern away, giving her a pained smile. “Admittedly her real father wasn’t exactly what would call a quality parent. Most of the time her father was away at parties, socialising with the idiot children of the elite, whoring, or getting off by maltreating slaves; he was a wastrel if ever there was one. After his commission into the Inquisition he seemed to enjoy burning heretics more than communications with his family, and his one act of reconciliation ending in that…” Here Scalpel pointed to the missing foals legs, a pained expression writhing across his face like he had just taken a mouthful of poison.

“By ze Sisters…”

“Indeed, I was lucky enough that I got to her in time before the Earthborn took her horn… not close enough to save her legs from the hoofcannon however. She has been with me ever since, travelling the length and breadth of Equestria.”

Nocturne looked as if she was about to break out into floods of tears, a solitary hoof clenched between her teeth as she bit back the distress. Surprised, Scalpel almost took a double take, but slowly his face softened and he leaned in, wrapping hoof over her shoulders. Nocturne stiffened momentarily, then relaxed and sunk into his side, her body still shuddering in repressed rage and grief.

“Who could do zat… to a foal no less?”

“This world could… or more appropriately, the Earthborn could. Magical prowess is an intrinsic part of being a unicorn, removing that is like lobotomising someponies brain, like ripping out part of who they are at the deepest level. Most dehorned Unicorns can’t cope with the loss of their magic, it’s like being partly paralysed, their suicide rates are through the roof the last time I saw the statistics.” 

Next to her the Bat pony shuddered, imagining what it would be like if she had suffered a similar fate and her wings had been the ones to take the punishment… never allowing her to take to the sky again… 

“It’s horrible…”

“Yes, say what you want about Moon and Star’s slavery practice, they may rob them their dignity and pride, but they don’t arbitrarily remove the very thing that makes them who they are.” 

A small smile of determination slowly crept over his face, “However, I have been planning for years on restoring her legs again, making her walk unassisted by the wheels… and if my last plan is a success, I may be able to do just that.”

Nocturne gave him a smile, wiping away the tears with a wingtip and nodding to him before leaning in closer.

“Gut.”

 For a long time they stood there, watching silently over the foal and deep in thought. Scalpel’s resonated with the inner drive within him, plans within plans, the restoration of his niece, the creation of more of his resurrected ponies… and godhood ever lingering just out of reach upon the horizon. Nocturne’s wondered about the pony beside her, he had emerged in a flash of lightning and changed everything in her previously dull routine, but who was he really behind the mask of professionalism? Clearly there was more than “the doctor” to him, the love and compassion he showed his niece proved that clearly. The more she thought about it, the more he seemed mysterious and enigmatic, and like most ponies, she couldn’t resist a mystery.

“Vhat is your name?” She asked finally, curiosity more than anything driving the question. 

Scalpel hesitated, the words caught in his throat. For once he didn’t feel like lying anymore, he felt like he could trust this pony, and she wasn’t just another assistant or client… he felt somewhat attached to her in a small way, something he hadn’t felt since he had started looking after Honey. 

The Bat ponies ears swivelled and she turned towards him with her big green inquiring eyes, intrigue lit across her face like a glowing lamp.

He closed his open mouth, swallowing the lie and smiled at her, a true content and happy smile which hadn’t crossed his lips in many years.

“Scalpel… my name is Silver Scalpel.”