I don’t know which of our group moved first, but I was the first to Erishy’s side, holding her before she could take another step.
“Shy! Dammit girl!” I snapped. I sounded too pinched. “You’re bleeding again!”
“I don’t care!” she keened, eyes rolling in panic. “Please don’t leave me!”
I swallowed the worry clawing at my throat, and forced myself to smooth my expression. “We ain’t leaving you, darlin’,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. “But you’ll be leavin’ us, if y’all don’t sit.”
She eyed me warily, her breath still coming in thready gasps. I smiled confidently at her. It must have done something. She nodded, and plopped her rump in the grass.
Raritony hissed as she trotted up and got a better look at Erishy. “That looks bad,” she said, pointing to the spreading blot of red on the bandages around Erishy’s barrel.
“It ain’t good,” I agreed. “Get an EMT?”
“May’s on it,” she said. She started stroking Erishy’s back, while I pressed my hoof against the bandage, tenderly.
Erishy winced and tried to lean away from me.
“Stop that,” I commanded. “We don’t want you getting worse. And you wouldn’t be bleeding again if you had just sat still on that stretcher. What possessed you to try tearing after us, Shy?”
“You were leaving me,” she said, voice hollow. But, she obediently pressed into me, helping me keep pressure on her wound.
“We were what?” Raritony gasped.
Erishy didn’t get a chance to respond as May and an EMT jogged up. I recognized him as the one who had helped Erishy, earlier. He was slender, with dark hair and caring eyes. His name tag read: Tim.
“Okay, this is the exact opposite of what I wanted you to do,” he said to Erishy, getting down on one knee.
“‘M sorry,” Erishy mumbled.
He shook his head. “You have to be careful,” he said, a stern, but reassuring smile warming his face. Looking at me, he said, “You can take your, uh, hoof off her. I have this.”
I nodded, and Tim got to work. May, her little barrel heaving from the run, went to Raritony’s side. She hugged May with a free hoof, pulling her close.
I was focused entirely on Tim’s hands. When the bandages fell away and nothing bigger than a shallow cut came into view, I sighed in relief. I’d gotten worse from a stray rake.
“Is… she going to be okay?” Raritony whispered.
“Yeah,” I said, as Tim nodded. He slathered some clear gel over the cut, then started rewrapping it.
“And she’ll stay okay if she doesn’t go over-exerting herself. Again,” Tim said, tone motherly. Guilt-inducing, yet comforting. The more he talked, the more I liked him.
Erishy ducked her head further down, hiding behind her mane.
“We’ll keep her in line, sir,” I said.
“Do that,” he said. “I don’t have infinite bandages.” He taped down the ends of the wrap. Now that I wasn’t shot with adrenaline, I could see it wasn’t that big. No more than a few thin strips around Erishy’s barrel.
Tim gingerly lifted Erishy back onto the stretcher. She didn’t say anything, just kept her face hidden behind the curtain of her mane.
“Now, stay put until we get you moved. If you need to move, take it easy. And, don’t use your wings- you’re a high speed shuffler, at best, right now.”
Erishy’s head bobbed up and down, but she didn’t say anything.
Tim sighed, and looked at us.
“We got this,” I said, stepping over to her.
He smiled. “Good. I have a lot more ponies to get to.”
“Then you should do that, good sir,” Raritony said. “We can ensure our friend is tended to.”
Tim nodded, picked up his bag, and dove back into the activity around us.
Erishy curled up on the stretcher, keeping her head down. Raritony and I exchanged a look over her back. After a moment, we caught the faint, almost-silent sound of Fluttershy crying.
May broke away from Raritony and hopped up on the stretcher to cuddle against Erishy’s good side. “It’s okay, Erishy,” May said, nuzzling her shoulder. “It’s okay. You don’t have to cry.”
“B-bu-but I didn’t- I didn’t-” Erishy hiccupped, trying to inhale. She looked down at May, who smiled up at her. “I’m so sorry!” she wailed, leaning against May. The tiny filly nearly tipped off the stretcher.
Raritony walked up beside Erishy, carding her hoof soothingly through Erishy’s mane. I propped my forehooves and my chin on the front of the stretcher, right in her line of sight.
“Shy?” I said, softly. “Shy, there’s no need for apologies here. Just talk to us. What’s goin’ on darlin’? Why’d you think we were leavin’ you?”
She sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t strong enough,” she whispered. “I let all of you down, so you were leaving me.” She sniffed again. “You were leaving me behind.”
I put my hooves over hers. Wearing the smile I used whenever Apple Bloom had a particularly bad nightmare, I pulled Erishy a bit closer. “Aw, Shy. We weren’t doing anything of the sort.”
“But I saw you talking to the CIA, and you were all about to get in the car away from me, and-”
“And you let your imagination get away from you, darling,” Raritony said. “Like we’d ever leave you behind. We were merely making arrangements for our exit. You’re our friend, Erishy. We would never leave you.”
“I- I- I know that,” she said. “I do, but…” Her lower lip trembled, and her tail twitched spasmodically. “But I was so helpless, and you had to save me, and you’ve merged so-”
“And none of that means we would ever leave you behind,” I said, voice firm.
She frowned, rubbing at her eyes. I sighed, feeling at a loss how to deal with Erishy, when it came to me. I grinned.
“Remember the dragon?” I said, softly.
She blinked at me. “You- do you mean Spike?”
I shook my head. “Nah. I mean the big one. The one that was smoking up the whole town all on account of his nap.”
She nodded, a slightly puzzled look crossing her face. “I do. Two different ways, too.” She shook her head. “That’s still weird.”
“Yeah, well, I only remember the one way,” I said, stroking her hoof. “Did I leave you at the bottom of the mountain?”
Erishy shook her head.
“And has anything changed between us?” I asked. “Anything that would lessen our friendship in any way?”
Erishy pawed at the stretcher. “The merge might have-
“Might’ve, but it didn’t,” I said. “I’m still your friend. Anything else?”
She blinked, biting her lip. “You looked shaken by what I could do with the gun,” she said.
“That I was. But it doesn’t change that I’m still your friend.” I smiled. “Are you noticing a trend here, sugarcube?”
Erishy blushed. “I’m still your friend.”
I chuckled, hugging her. “Got it in one. I didn’t leave you then, and I ain’t leaving you now,” I said.
“Seconded,” Raritony said.
“Third!” May cheered.
Erishy wrapped her forelegs around me and sighed. Laying her head just above my Element, she said, “I wish I were strong like you, Rae Jay. You didn’t get kidnapped.”
I snorted. Raritony smothered a laugh.
Erishy pulled back, looking at us. “What? Did I- what’s funny?”
“Darling, ” Raritony crooned, running her hoof through Erishy’s mane. “If you think you’re the only pony to get foalnapped, you are gravely mistaken.”
“What?”
“I was spirited away quite a few times in my travels,” Raritony said. “Practically passed about like an old dress amongst friends, until I was left here.”
“And I got shot full of horse tranqs, then dumped in a dirty hotel room,” I added.
Erishy blinked, brow knitting in confusion. “But you’re- I mean-” She pointed at me. “You came in all tough and brash, and you-” She pointed at Raritony. “You were using a magical shield to protect us!”
“True,” Raritony said. “But one action-role does not an action-mare make. Sometimes life makes a damsel out of you, and as often as you try to save yourself, sometimes you need a knight.”
“She’s right!” May piped up. “I’m the one who had to rescue Rae Jay!” She grinned impishly at me. “So does that make me your goddamn knight, hayseed?”
“Sure you are,” I said, reaching forward and ruffling her mane. “You have my eternal thanks, Sir Swears-A-Lot.”
“Oh, so that’s how it turned into a bird’s nest,” Raritony said, archly. “Get over here, sis. I cannot have your mane looking like Discord and Rainbow’s bastard offspring.”
May rolled her eyes, but dutifully trotted around Erishy, to submit to Raritony’s ministrations.
Erishy watched us, tears at bay, for the moment.
“We all got hoodwinked, Shy,” I said, still holding her hoof firmly. “That ain’t anyone’s fault but the assholes who did it to us. You weren’t weak. You weren’t weak. At. All.” I wrapped her up in a firm hug. “Surviving what you did makes you as strong as any pony I’ve ever met.”
“And I’m inclined to agree,” came a new voice.
Nate squatted down to join our support group. He had undone his tie, and looked a little more at ease. Behind him, the small, pink filly he’d been holding peeked in at our little group.
“That you are alive, after what you’ve faced, speaks volumes,” he said, smiling. It was pretty good bedside manner. Now I could finally see him in the role of a proper doctor. “I wish I could have been as tough and strong as you.”
Erishy stared at Nate like he’d just told her she was Celestia’s daughter. I smiled.
“See?” I said, nuzzling her. “You’re tougher’n you know.”
Erishy looked at her hooves, scuffing at the stretcher. She took a shuddering breath, and leaned hard against me. I felt her working her throat up and down. “O- okay,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “But you’ll all stay with me so I don’t have to be strong alone, right?”
“Sure thing, sugarcube,” I crooned, stroking her mane.
“Of course, darling,” Raritony added.
“You’re the best foalsitter ever, I’m totally sticking by you,” May said.
Nate chuckled, and rose. “I... will have to bow out,” he said.
Erishy looked up at him. She wiped the last round of tears from her eyes. “Really?”
“Sorry, my dear, but I have a lot of work to do. Ponies to help, opportunities to seize. I have a lot of work ahead of me now. And…” He flexed a bandaged hand. “I get to look forward to it. I wouldn’t be here if you and your friends hadn’t come along.” He smiled awkwardly at all of us. “So... thank you. For saving my life.”
“Thanks for bein’ a stand-up guy, Nate,” I said, raising my hoof.
He shook it. “Thanks for coming to the rescue.”
I shrugged, smirking.
He nodded to Raritony, then smiled warmly at Erishy.
“Thank you. For listening to me,” Erishy said.
“And the same to you,” he said, nodding. His smile turned cheeky. “Now go on and save the world- doctor’s orders.”
He turned back to the crowd, and the bubblegum pink filly raised up her forehooves. Crouching down, Nate picked up the little pony, then disappeared into the bustle of EMTs, FBI agents, and ponies.
Erishy leaned against me. Raritony tended to Erishy’s mane and tail. It didn’t look like any real styling was being accomplished, but it seemed to calm both of them. May sat in the midst of us, watching the parade of activity. We enjoyed each other’s company in silence, sure that we would be there till the bitter end.