//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: revealing shard // Story: Shards of a former Sin // by Bandana The Reaper //------------------------------// 'Darkness...' pain will come 'he never lets me rest like this unless he has a new torture for me...' pain will come 'I must not break...' pain will come 'I must be strong...' pain will come 'I must exist...' pain will come 'for them...' pain will come. ”Voidsy?” 'a voice?' ”Voidsy, where are you~” 'I-I know that joyful voice...' a shimmering mist appears in the darkness ”I wanna play Voidsy, can we play today?” 'Muffin...' it glows pink with a red hue ”I can't see you Voidsy, can I smell your eyes?” 'you must run, please Muffin, you must escape...' the mist pulses with the voice ”Voidsy... I-I miss you Voidsy... I love you Voidsy...” 'Muffin, don't let him find you...' ”VOID!” 'that angry shout...' ”show yourself!” 'Rage...' a flame appears in the darkness ”I know you're in here Void, stop hiding!” 'Rage, I know you're angry with me, but you got to take Muffin and run...' the flame glows ice-blue ”what, got nothing to say to me miss 'question everything I do', well?... ANSWER ME!” 'please Rage, I did it to keep you safe, both of you...' the flame sparks with the voice ”Answer me Void, show yourself you cowardly piece of shit, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!” 'run, hide, keep out of sight, just don't let him find yo-' A low, giggling-chuckle echoes all around ”Tisk tisk little no one, you shouldn't tell them to defy dear old dad” 'no...' ”what's the matter, didn't you miss me as well?” 'no, please no...' the giggle-chuckle rises in volume ”you wound me, after all I did to get you back to daddy dearest and let you have some quality time with him and all you say is 'no', and here I thought we were friends... oh wait” the giggle-chuckle ends abruptly, the tone of the voice goes manic-joy to hard as iron ”we're not.” Behind the shimmering mist and the sparking flame a silhouette appears 'no no no...' the silhouette turned into a gaunt man, his hair a short, spiky brown, his eyes a vibrant green, a large grin plastered on his face. Had it been any other man the grin would have seemed joyous and jovial 'no, please gods, please...' like an entertainer in front of a crowd... his however was a façade, for his eyes shake slightly, radiating malice and madness, poisoning it. ”Ah, the little shards” the man spoke, leaning over the mist and the flame, running a finger over the mist's smokey form ”still calling out for no-one, unable to grasp the fact you're gone” 'don't, please, don't...' he ran his other hand through the flame ”hoping you're gone, yet knowing, deep down, that you're needed... and hating you even more for it.” He moved his hands behind his back, his smile growing “But you know what?” he started giggle-chuckling again “soon they will be back where they belong” he revealed his hands 'no no no...' a knife in each “where father can keep them from making a mess of his plans” he made the knifes dance in his hands 'don't hurt them, please don't hurt them, please, please...' “where I get her back, where I get to hold my beloved in my arms again...” he backed away from the mist and the flame, his form disappearing into the darkness 'don't hurt them, don't hurt them, don't hurt them...' Then he started to sing. “Run and hide, run and hide, scarecrow king is coming tonight When the hours late and the moon is full he comes for his tribute Part of your crop or part of your kin, it does not matter to him” “Run and hide, run and hide, scarecrow king is coming tonight Give what you owe him or join his court, lose your humanity, be part of him Your blood will boil, your bones will break, flesh and sinew will wither and die” “Run and hide, run and hide, scarecrow king is coming tonight Crush your eyes and he won't see Burn your flesh and he won't feel Cut your nose and no sent he'll smell Slice your ears and no sound he'll hear Slit your throat and he won't speak” “Run and hide, run and hide... your life the scarecrow king already holds.” “I love you Voidsy” the mist spoke 'run Muffin, run...' “I hate you Void!” the flame shouted 'Rage, take Muffin and run...' “The hourglass has run out” the man in the shadows spoke “time for the little shards to return to where they belong...” 'no, run, hide, save yourself, just don't let him-' As sudden as lightning, the man thrust forward with the knifes, striking the mist and the flame simultaneous, making both scream in horrid agony 'NOOO!' “...in the back of my mind!” loud manic laughter echoed around as the mist and the flame started to fade, screaming all the time 'NO!, MUFFIN!, RAGE!, NOOO!' ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ “-MUFFIN!, RAGE!, NOOO!” a scream fills my ears, it sounds like its in pure agony. Everything, every sense I have is pain right now, burning, freezing, ripping, crushing, cutting, pain in all forms, never ending. Something wraps around me, firm enough to keep me steady, yet soft enough to not feel constricting. “Void, its ok dear, its just a dream Void,” a voice speaks softly into my ear “shh shh, its ok sweetheart, just a dream Void, just a dream” its First Aid, she is holding me, slowly rocking me back and forth while rubbing my back. The scream dies out and I realize it was I who was screaming. I focus through the pains on my emotions, the torrent of conflicting feelings and start to dull them, the less I feel the less it hurts, I do this until the pains are all but gone... My breath becomes more stable, the beeping sound becomes slower as my heart beats at a calmer pace, I am calm, I am in control... I am Void ones more. The sound of a door opening reaches my ears “Ah heard screaming, is everythang alrigh'?” that is Cotton Swab's voice “should ah git unc- ah mean doctor Bandage?” First Aid turns her head towards where I presume Cotton Swab is located “No, that won't be necessary,” First Aid tells her, she is still holding me... and I am still narrating... “just tell him Void is awake again and I'll call if we need anything, then go and get some rest Cotton, alright?” “Um, alrigh', ah'll go an' tell him that an' all” I can hear Cotton Swab shift around and the sound of the door closing, but not not in the way that would imply its fully closed. First Aid turns back to me, giving me a soft smile “Are you alright now dear?” she ask, using her hoof to move my hair out of my face “you gave us quite the scare.” I simply nod, I do not trust my voice right now since it is quite sore. “Good,” she smiles a little bit bigger “do you want something to eat?,” my stomach growls at the very mention of food, First Aid giggles a bit “ask an obvious question, get an obvious answer,” she pats my arm “I'll go get you something to eat” she leaves. A few heartbeats later she enters again with a tray with a cloth covering something on it, she carries it on her back, using her wings to keep it steady “I made sure to have a serving ready outside your room, just in case,” she puts it down on the table next to me, removing the cloth, it reveals a bowl of what I presume is soup, a glass cup with water in it and a... small box of some kind “now then, lets get you up and take this off again” First Aid once again helps me sit up before removing the transparent cup object covering my mouth... how do I keep missing that? “There we go,” First Aid lays the cup object beside me and grabs the glass with water “now then, first some water,” she brings it up to my mouth and I drink it, constantly wanting more of it “now now Void, you can have some more later, gotta leave some room for the soup,” she puts the glass down and picks up the soup with her wing, there is a spoon in the soup “now we'll take this slow, this is so your tummy doesn’t react badly to getting to much too quickly” she grips the spoon end in her mouth and brings the bowl part of it to me, I swallow it without hesitation. By the gods, food, it taste wonderful. At my third spoon of soup I suppose I am a bit too eager for it as I bump the spoon a bit, making me dribble some of it on my cheek, First Aid just smiles and uses the spoon to get the worst of it of my cheek. I am given twelve spoons worth of soup before First Aid puts it back on the tray, I do not feel nearly full yet. “I'm sorry Void, but if you eat any more you might throw up and we don't want that now do we?” First Aid tells me as she wets a corner of the cloth, I guess she could tell I wanted more “don't worry sweetheart,” she puts her hoof on my arm while using the damp cloth to clean my cheek “you can have another serving in a few hours, I promise.” I clear my throat “I would... like that, thank you” this makes her smile... I... like when she smiles. First Aid then grabs the small box with her hoof -that term keeps sounding wrong when she uses her hoofs to do so, but I have no better term to use- it is no bigger than said hoof “And some orange juice full of vitamin C,” she pulls something of the box, it is a white... straw, for a lack of a better description and push one end into the top of the box “there we go dear, now you just drink that while I put the tray outside again, it will only take a second” First Aid holds the... box of juice before me, I hesitate for a few second as I ponder how to hold it before grabbing it with both my hoofs, using the... frogs -I believe that’s the correct word- to keep it steady. As First Aid collects the tray I study the box of juice, its green with a blue circle on each of the wide side with a orange ball of some kind in the circle, some kind of fruit? The box itself seems to be made of some kind of hard parchment, the 'straw' is hollow and bent, the other end of it goes through a small hole in the box. I wonder... I take the straw in my mouth, close my lips around it and then squeeze the box. The effect is getting the orange juice in my mouth... but also around my hooves as the hole the straw made in the box leaks... this was not what I thought would happen. “There we go, now le-... oh” First Aid saw my attempt to get the orange juice out of the box, by her expression this is not how it is done. I swallow the liquid, it taste good -then again, everything so far has- before looking back at First Aid “I am... having difficulties with this box.” “Oh dear,” First Aid gets the wet cloth again and cleans my hooves “did you hold the box to tight?” she ask me as she puts the cloth back on the bedside table. “I... squeezed it to get the... orange juice out” while I am saying this I realize I have missed something about the box of juice that lead to this failure, but what is it? At this First Aid giggles a bit, putting her hoof over her mouth “Oh Void dear, you don't need to squeeze the box,” that much I have surmised “just drink through the straw.” Through the straw? How does that work? “I... do not understand?” is it really that simple? “Just close your lips around the straw and suck a slow, steady sip, just like with the glass of water” First Aid instructs me and I do so. Almost immediately I am rewarded with more orange juice -which I quickly swallow- “...oh” that was... simplistic easy... now I feel like a fool. “Oh Void,” First Aid runs her hoof softly over my hair -or is it mane in this case, I wish I could see the rest of me- the action is not a belittling one, but more a comforting one “you don't need to feel ashamed about this, you've never had a boxed drink before have you?” she is smiling that kind smile again. I continue drinking until the straw emits a wet slurping sound “I believe the box of orange juice is empty,” I turn to look at First Aid “may I have another?” “I'm sorry sweetheart, but you'll have to wait for a while or you might get sick,” she pats me on the arm “don't worry, you can have more in a few hours, we got to get your body used to bigger meals slowly.” “Thank you,” I hold the box out to her “do you wish to take this to have it refilled?” she giggles at this, did I say something amusing? “No dear, we don't refill it, we just buy a new one,” First Aid smiles at me again, it falters after a while “Void?” “Yes?” why did she stop smiling? “Do-” she swallows before continuing “-do you remember the conversation we were having, the one about-” she swallows again ”-about if you had any other family?” The conversation... the one about... family... family, My sisters, How could I forget my sisters?! I start hyperventilating, the beeping becomes more rapid, emotions rush into my mind, fear, worry, longing, panic, bitter joy, love, sorrow, pride, heartbreak, as they fill my soul more and more, so does the pain. Pain! Emotions bring only pain! There is only pain! It eats my very soul! Something is wrapped around me, what is it?! “Void, sweetheart, be calm, be calm, shh shh,” its First Aid's arms and wings, shes holding me again “breed Void, calm breaths” yes, breed, be in control, I have to... I focus through the pain at my emotions, dulling them, as they simmer down and return to the sticky deeps from which I hold them in check, so does the pain. The world returns to me, I am in First Aid's embrace, slowly being rocked back and forth while she tells me to be calm in a hushed voice. I close my eyes for a moment, taking in the feeling while keeping my emotions from truly rising beyond the sludge its buried under, it is... calming, I open my eyes again “I am calm now, you can cease if you wish.” First Aid slowly release me from her embrace and looks me in the eyes, there filled with worry “Are you sure sweetie?” I take a breath “As well as I will be” I look down at my arms, these brittle things “I must leave” I start trying to get out of the bed “I have to return t-to father” fear and pain starts to creep into my mind again, even though I keep them under control this time... mostly. First Aid's ears fell and her eyes went small -that would be shock, it is getting easier to tell what means what- she blocks my path “W-what, why would you want to return to that, that monster?” I try to go the other way, only to have her block it with her wing “why Void?” I try to push it out of the way, but it is in vain, I do not have the strength to do more than part some feathers “answer me Void, why do you have to return to that beast?!” I start pushing with the rest of my body against the wing, it yields only slightly... no, First Aid just angled it, making my feeble push lead me towards her chest... no, barrel, on horses it is called barrel... “Void?” I look up at her, there is sorrow in her eyes “please Void, tell me, I want to help you, but you got to tell me why?” my strength leaves me and I rest my head against her barrel, I feel something on my head poking her... I can hear her heart “...Void?” “...My sisters” “What was that dear?” First Aid ask me, I can feel her shifting her neck, most likely to better look at me “you have to speak up a bit.” “...Father might go after my sisters,” my words must have startled her, her heart seemed to miss a beat “if I am in his grasp it is less likely he will go after them… I hope,” I look up at her, shock, sorrow and... empathy is evident in her eyes “that is why you must release me... please First Aid, I have to protect them.” First Aid's gaze becomes distant “S-sisters... with that... monster... I do-don't... he...” she is mumbling, her coat have become paler, one of her eyes is twitching as she seems to once again see me “Void, h-how many sisters do you have?” “Two, Muffin and Rage,” my emotions start tearing through, but I push them under the sludge again “they are the only ones I can truly call family” that is, the only ones I dare call it aloud... “Muffin and Rage,” First Aid's wings close around me, softly embracing me against her barrel “you were calling out for them while you slept.” I had been talking in my sleep? I had slept? “Yes, they are in danger as long as I am not in fathers grasp,” I pull back slightly “now please release me, I must return to him.” “I-I,” First Aid stares at me “I can't Void, not when I know he will hurt you.” “...Then you condemn them to suffering” this means I will have to escape... “Oh Void,” First Aid pulls me slowly back with her hooves while her wings stroke my back “I'll do everything I can to help, but I can't let you go back to that monster, you barely survived the trip from the orchard,” she is quiet for a while, I just listen to her heart “...Void, how did you escape from him?” First Aid is holding her breath “...I did not escape, I was taken away.” She is taking breaths again “By whom Void?” Her heart is beating faster “...Gaia.” “Gaia, who is that?” she does not know? how far away am I from the known lands? “...Someone who despise me” just where did you send me? “Oh sweetheart,” First Aid hugs me a little bit firmer, but in the same tender way she have done before “this Gaia doesn't hate you, if she did she wouldn't have taken you away from that monster.” “...You are a troublesome soul, be gone.” “W-what?” First Aid is looking at me with confusion and... a bit of hurt in her eyes. “...It is what Gaia said before she sent me... here” I feel... drained. “Oh...” she does not look hurt anymore... did she think I meant her?... I am so... tired. “...First Aid” just talking have become a chore “I feel... surprisingly exhausted” “Hm?” the confusion leaves her eyes after a few heartbeats and she smiles kindly at me “its because your body is focusing on the food you just ate, it can make you a bit drowsy.” “...oh” that would explain it “...I still need to return to fa-” “No, you don't” First Aid hugs me closer to her yet again “you're not going near that beast, nor is he going to lay a hoof on you ever again.” “...But I must-” “Do you know where he is?” “...” at this I have no answer, he could be anywhere within the known lands, were as I am somewhere completely unknown to me “...I do not” this is very bad, if I can not find my way back father might- “...my sisters... I have to-” “Void,” First Aid speaks softly, tilting my head up with her wing and locks eyes with mine “I promise you that I will do everything I can to help you and your sisters,” she smiles that kind smile and her eyes shows the same compassion... yet sadness as well “but my first priority right now is making sure you get better.” As I look into First Aid's eyes I am conflicted, part of me want to be angry at her for preventing me from seeking my way back to father... another part want to thank her for stopping me, keeping me safe... a very big part just wants to cry... yet I can not do any of these since pain will consume my mind... “...They are all I have First Aid, I can not let harm come to them.” “And you'll be united with them, I promise,” First Aid moves a lock of my hair out of my face and smiles again “but right now the best thing you can do for them is rest and recover, ok pumpkin?” I close my eyes and bow my head “How?” I want to believe her, but what can one woman do to help me? “How what dear?” First Aid keeps rubbing my back with her wing, it is... calming. “How can you help my sisters?” I must know, I will not be able to rest until I do “what can you do?” “Well first of all I’m going to have sheriff Lone Star come over first thing tomorrow so you can give him your statement about what's been done to you,” First Aid lowers me back to the pillow “then he will send it to the authorities, who will send word to every police pony and guard so they’ll know to keep an eye out for your sisters and… him.” Sheriff Lone Star… he have been mentioned before “What is a sheriff and why would him hearing my statement make guards and… police aid in keeping my sisters safe?” “A sheriff is a pony that keeps the law in frontier towns like Appleloosa,” she pulls the bed sheet over my chest, tucking me in “as for the guards and police,” she gives me a warm smile “it’s part of why we pay taxes, so that they will help us when somepony breaks the law.” This is… too much, how can all this work… and to my favor? “If that is the case why not summon sheriff Lone Star now?” First Aid gives me another smile, this one tho is more… awkward? no, it is still kind, understanding? that is not correct either, I know there is a proper word for that sort of smile and look in the eyes, but what is it? “It’s the middle of the night Void.” “...oh.” that is… an understandable reason… I still wish I knew the proper term tho. “Don't worry dear,” First Aid pats me on the arm “Lone Star will be over just after breakfast, so you best get some sleep.” “Sleep?...” will I dream?... or will I wake up in the nothingness again?... I do not wish to find out... “Yes Void, sleep,” she picks up the... transparent cup that had covered my mouth and nose before “now then, I just need to put your breathing mask on again and then you can go back to sleep.” “Breathing... mask?” “Have you noticed that you're having to pace yourself when you talk?” now that she mention it, I do seem to take a bit more time when I talk... come to think of it, when I talked about why Braeburn was not a knight I felt a bit dizzy just before taking those big breaths- “Void?” -and I am once again getting distracted by my own thoughts “you still with me pumpkin?” I nod “I am, I was simply... thinking about what you said,” First Aid smiles again... she does that a lot “how does the... breathing mask aid me in sleeping?” “Oh, it doesn't so much help you sleep as help you breath, hens the name,” First Aid starts to put it on me “your lungs are still a bit weak, so we're just giving them a bit of help on the way.” “I... see” First Aid pulls it over my mouth, cool fresh air fills my lungs... how could I miss this every time it have been on my face, or removed for that matter? “Now then, time to rest Void,” she brush a lock of my hair out of my face “I'll be in the room just over the hall, so don't worry about me not hearing you in case you call” she leans in and... did First Aid just... kiss my forehead? Why did she kiss my forehead? First Aid smiles that kind smile as she moves to a... lantern next to the door... it does not flicker like a candle “Do you want me to leave the light on?,” she holds her hoof up to a red... button on the lanterns side “I can leave the door ajar if you like.” “I... do not mind the dark,” I truly do not, the dark is... comforting to me “you may leave the door ajar if you wish.” First Aid nods and push the button, instant darkness follows until she opens the door, spilling light into the room, she turns to face me, her smile flickers for a moment to... -is it surprise?- before returning, what caused that? “Good night Void.” “Good... night... First Aid.” ~ ~ ~ First Aid closed the door, only leaving a crack open. “How is she?” doctor Bandage asked, keeping his voice low. “Better, if not by much,” First Aid answered, turning to face the stallion “her appetite is good, that’s for sure, though she would eat the spoon along with the soup,” she gives the doctor a half amused smile as they walk into the room “I even think Void smiled a bit at the first spoonful, at least her eyes did,” First Aid's ears fell a bit, her eyes showing a bit of sadness “she have two sisters.” “Wait, what?” doctor Bandage raised an eyebrow at the nurse “Void has sisters, but that means... oh horseapples, that bastard...” “Muffin and Rage, they mean everything to her,” First Aid looked at the tray on the serving trolley next to the door “Void practically begged me to let her go back to him on the notion that he might, might not hurt them with her in his grasp again.” “Ponyfeathers,” Bandage grunted, slowly starting to walk around the room “if that’s the case it's even more important that she gives her statement to Lone Star and get it to the proper ponies so that li'l Void can get the proper protection she needs.” “I didn't want to push Void about it since it might have caused her to have another seizure,” First Aid said, turning to look at the stallion “but of what I gathered somepony named Gaia sent her here.” “Oh, well that’s some good news then,” doctor Bandage stopped walking around and turned to look at First Aid, a small smile on his lips “that means shes got at least one ally against that bastard.” “Yes, but according to Void Gaia hates her,” First Aid told him as she walked over to a medical cabinet, going over there stock “Void said that Gaia called her a 'troublesome soul',” she continued as she began checking and re-checking everything, keeping busy to prevent her from tearing up “she has no idea where he is, no way of knowing if her sisters are safe, doesn’t seems to know any other way to keep them safe other than make herself the target of his cruelty and now that has been taken away by somepony that despise her,” First Aid closed the cabinet, still looking at it “its tearing her up from the inside.” “Thats... less good news,” doctor Bandage said, his smile had disappeared while First Aid had been talking “still, like the griffin saying goes, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', this Gaia might be willing to help.” “I hope so, for Void's sisters sake,” First Aid pushed a lock of her mane behind her ear before turning to the stallion “Bandage, do you know what a thestral is?” “Hm?, oh thestral,” doctor Bandage said, recollecting what First Aid was talking about “type of pegasi, hails from the Tramplevanian mountains, sometimes called 'night ponies' by those who don't know the correct term... and 'bat ponies' by the moronic ones that don't just walk up and ask.” “Do you know what makes them... different?” First Aid continued. “Apart from the bat-like wings?, the fangs, the furry tips on their ears, their coats and manes are more often than not of a dark tone... oh and there eyes sort of glow in the dark,” doctor Bandage counted off “why'd you ask?” “Its... what causes the eyes to glow?” First Aid asked, seeming a bit reluctant to answer the question. “Well of what I remember about it its part do to their eyes reflecting the little light there might be during dusk or dawn, the other part is there inherit magic, allowing them to see better in the dark,” Bandage frowned at First Aid “now stop beating around the bush and tell me whats going on before I use the 'doctor' card.” “...Void's eyes glow faintly in the dark.” “Wait, what?” “I-I noticed it when I turned off the light,” First Aid stuttered a bit “it startled me a bit-” “You ain't a speciesist, are you Aid?” Bandage bluntly asked her. “What, No!” “That's good, means you got a brain, but we already knew that,” Bandage took a few steps closer “now what's gotten into you Aid, your usually not that easy to startle?” “...Happy, have you ever met a non-thestral that has glowing eyes?” “Can't say I have, but then again I’ve never met a pony that might be part thestral,” Bandage said “what are you getting at?” “I don't... I don't really know,” First Aid said, ears dropping “I guess...” she sighted “I guess I've gotten a bit skittish after hearing about what Void's f- that stallion did to her.” “This isn’t going to affect your ability to work, is it Aid?,” Bandage put a hoof on First Aid's whither “Void might have psychological problems that needs to be addressed and I fear Cotton is still too inexperienced to deal with them if they would pop up,” the eyes that stared into First Aid's looked far older than the pony behind them “can I count on you Aid, for Void's sake?” “O-of course,” First Aid said, determination returning to her eyes “I was just a bit shaken up by all this, that’s all.” “Good, that's the spirit,” Bandage smiled and patted First Aid's whither “well now, I better get some sleep or Cotton is gonna talk my ear of about how I'm not sleeping enough, that I'm not eating properly or some other silly thing,” he walked out of the room “g'night Aid, wake me if anything comes up.” “Yes Happy, good night” she told the older stallion, sitting down at the desk in the room and started reading a book she'd been intending to read for a while. As First Aid read her mind kept going back to what she saw, 'what I thought I saw' she stubbornly thought, 'just a trick of of the mind, nothing else' Void's eyes glowing slightly may be strange, but nothing to get worried about, 'I'm just being a silly mare' after all, it wasn't the eyes that had made her heart jump a bit 'just a figment of my imagination..' The shadows had not close in behind Void for a second, they did not have little tendrils sticking out into the light and they most certainly did not seem alive. 'Then why am I afraid?' ~ ~ ~ “Good... night... First Aid.” she leaves the door ajar, only a sliver of light enters the room. Shortly after she leaves I can hear her talk with someone... I think it is doctor Bandage, the tone of the voice match... I can not make out what they are saying as they leave my range of hearing, but the tone seems... calm. First Aid want me to sleep... but that is something I do not wish to do... in case this is the dream and going to sleep brings me back to the nothingness... and back to the pain. No, I need to go through what I know, that way I can better plan what to do next. First of, I am in a town called 'Appleloosa', it is in the western parts of the kingdom of 'Equestria'. The residents are horses, or more precise, ponies... colorful, big eyed, talking ponies... Muffin would find this funny... or normal. I am most likely one too now, a young one, a 'filly'... that makes blending in easier. My health is... dire, if what doctor Bandage said about it is true -and I believe it is- I would have died if Braeburn Apple had not brought me to them... I am in his dept. What more? Names of the ones I know, First Aid, Braeburn Apple, Happy Bandage, Cotton Swab... all except Braeburn are healers. There names... there far different from what they use in the known lands... yet it makes my own stick out less... that is good, I do not wish to change it, not stick out more than I can. There deity is named 'Faust'... I do not know anything about her except that she would 'frown' upon executions... benevolent? or simply dislike killing? They mentioned a princess... Celestia... she forbade executions centuries ago... historical figure? Anything else? Healthcare is free... free, I find this... difficult to grasp, how can that work?... can it work?... did they lie?... if so, why?… to spare my feelings perhaps? I sigh, there are far to many things I do not know, I must rectify this, all I have ever had is knowledge, without it I am... nothing... I am nothing, I sigh again... and I am even narrating my sighs... really need to cease doing this... I shall do that... I stop now... I have ceased... I am still narrating... I sigh. I turn my head to the window, I can see the moon... Rage, Muffin... I wish I knew where you are, are you safe?... you are, Bubbles is with you, he will keep you safe... even at the cost of his life... I hope it never comes to that... I... do not want to lose you either... I miss you all.