She had checked around, no one had seen Rescue in three days now. Not Applejack, not his friends, not even that kind pegasus. However, she had a job to do, a request had been made and as the Princess of Friendship, and the ruling princess of Ponyville, she had an obligation. Looking to her guards, she gestured.
“You two stay out here, we will go in alone.”
They both took up a spot near the door of the boarding house. Two mares, one an alicorn princess, the other a golden earth pony, trotted inside. Up the stairs they walked slowly, Twilight glanced back at the mare just behind her.
“Applejack, did he answer the door at all?”
She shook her head. “Nope, but ah know he is in there. Greenwillow said she has been setting food out on a tray near his door, then it disappears and shows up empty again. Ah think... Well, ah don’t know what to think.”
Twilight stepped up to the door. “Think about it, Applejack. His whole life is helping others, now he has hurt somepony else. However, we have a job and it will be done, even if I have to drag him out myself.”
Lifting her hoof, the purple alicorn knocked on the door gently.
“Rescue, its Twilight. Please open up, we need to talk. I am here in an official capacity.”
No sound. She looked back at the apple pony and was about to knock again before a soft click of a lock and the door inched open. She looked inside, it was dark, and the shades were drawn. She nudged the door further open to see the large draft stallion sitting back down on the edge of the bed. The room was a mess, clothing all over, bed unmade, though nothing was destroyed. It was just a mess.
Rescue didn’t look any better, his mane was unbrushed, large bags that sat under his eyes spoke of a lack of sleep. He didn’t smell terribly, nor did the room, so he was at least showering at some point. Walking in slowly with Applejack behind her, Twilight shut the door with her magic. Looking again at Applejack, she gave a nod.
“Rescue, sugarcube, how y’all feeling?”
A voice that was bereft of emotion, deep toned but almost flat, slipped out of his throat with a slight breaking. A croak to it, clearly he had not talked to anyone in days.
“How should I feel, Applejack? I nearly killed somepony. I caused grievous harm to somepony and violated every oath I stand for. Truth of things, I wish I could get a bottle and crawl my way to the bottom of it... However, you have seen to it no one in this town will sell to me.”
Twilight laid her ears down, making note that Applejack's did too before perking up again in a bit of anger. She put her hoof out before the stubborn earth pony could speak, despite knowing the words would be honest and true. She shook her head and looked back to the earth pony firefighter.
“Rescue… Red has asked I come to you. He has asked you to talk to him. Before you say no, I want you to listen to me very clearly. I know friendship, because my friends helped me learn it. I am telling you this as a friend. Go see him. Let him talk, then you talk. The worst that happens is you and he don’t see eye to eye.“
He watched the purple-colored princess speak, then take on a soft smile. Much like the one Luna took when he conquered his nightmares. His eyes shifting to AJ, she was sitting there, hat knocked back on her head, looking at him with worry, and a little anger. Yeah, guess he had that coming after the bottle comment. Exhaling in a slow, long breath, as he pondered his options.
First option, he tells her no, and she drags him there. Second option, he takes off and finds someplace to hole up and quench the burning in his gut. Third option, he listens to what his friends are telling him and face Red. Looking at them sitting there, waiting for his answer, it hit him. Friends, he had them now, not just his fellow firefighters. Rescue had friends outside the department, and two of them were sitting in front of him begging to help him help himself.
“Okay, let me clean up some and we can go,” with a pause he asked in a softer voice. “Am I to be held over for trial too?”
The princess shook her head with a surprised look on her face.
“No, you will not, Rescue. I talked at length with EFD command, including two who seem to know you well, Fire Chief Firehook and Battalion Chief Steelhook. They both seemed to be quite worried about you.”
His ears flattened, and he looked down at his brown trimmed hooves as he picked up a brush. Rescue had not bothered to even speak with them in months, and he knew he was avoiding them. He could feel the two mares staring carefully at him, expecting an answer.
“My father, and my brother, and no, I don’t really want to talk about them right now.”
They gave each other a look then Applejack spoke up.
“That’s fine, sugarcube, but we are gonna talk about them. Ya know the conditions of your sobriety.”
He gave a grunt and ignored her for now, starting to brush out his mane.
---
Standing there, looking at the door, it reading room 108. Rescue had no desire at all to open the door and go in. Though he knew he had no real choice. Behind him, eight mares and a pegasus stallion stood watching him down the hall. Damn Twilight, she not only had escorted him here, but rounded up all of her friends, his friends, even Ailan to come too. He could not back out of this, and he knew after that, Ailan wanted to talk. It was going to be a long day. Then he pushed the door open and walked in.
Red was laying in the bed, an almost all upper body cast on, holding his hoof upright in place. There was a series of weights attached to it from a pulley to keep him from moving it around. The cast went from his neck down to his barrel, he could just barely turn his head to look out one eye at Rescue. The big brick-colored stallion gave a huff and looked back to the book in front of him.
“Damn thing itches like crazy, but they won’t let me have a hanger to reach in the cast and scratch.”
Rescue let the door close gently and sat down, a bit away from the prone pony. Choosing not to speak yet, this was Red’s show after all. Hell, he didn’t even want to be here, both because of what Red had done and said, and because it was his fault the other stallion was laid up he was.
“I gotta ask you something, Rescue. Yous ain’t got to answer but I got to ask,” one ear laying down. “Why? They told me if yous hadn’t stayed at my side and kept my body still, I would have bled out. That I would have... Not made it.” He said, head turning a little so he could look again at the big firefighter stallion.
“So, why? I was drunk, I hit Ailan, I was about to hit you. I was talking bad, and saying stuff that no pony should to another. Yous had every right to leave me to die, so why?”
Rescue watched his eyes for a moment, then shut his own. Thinking how to explain this, how to explain how he really hated Red for what he did and said, and yet, he did his job. He did what he had to and saved a life anyways.
“Red, what you did, what you said, it was more hurtful than you could ever know. You made Ailan feel like less than a pony and you did the same to me,” he began, taking a deep breath. “But I am a paramedic, and my job is to help ponies in need. I could not turn away any more than Luna could stop watching over the dreams of others. You hurt me, you made me break my oath to never hurt another life. I don’t know that I can ever forgive you for that, or for hurting someone I... I think I am in love with.”
Red was silent for a long time, Rescue could hear him breathing but that was all. It must have been a good two minutes before the thick accented stallion spoke up.
“Yous are right there, Rescue. I don’t know what I did, an' I don’t deserve your forgiveness. However, I am going to say this. What I did was wrong, I see that now. That purple princess and her friends made me see it. I got a lot to look at and deal with but... For all its worth, I am sorry for what I said, what I did, and for pushing you the way I did. Yous got my word, the job will get finished no matter what. I ain’t gonna let yous down a second time.”
Looking at the Manehattan-born stallion for a bit, Rescue gave a soft nod of his head.
“You got a lot to answer for, but I appreciate what you said. For what it’s worth from my side. I... I am sorry I hurt you so bad. It ain’t something I am going to forget or move past easy.”
The large red draft stallion snorted some.
“Rescue, last thing you want is to hang on to that, yous might be a col...sorry, a stallion into other stallions, but, yous stood up for yourself and yous special somepony. Don’t yous ever think what yous did was wrong. I was the one that was wrong, I just learned too late and in a very direct way what I was saying and thinking was wrong.”
Rescue gave a huff, then a nod of his head, nothing else to say. He got up and headed for the door.
“Tell that pretty nurse to get in here and help me with this itch too, will ya?”
Rescue again gave a nod, and headed out of the room and down the hall to the waiting group. He knew the girls and Ailan would want to hear what was said.
---
Ailan looked over at Rescue with a soft smile. It had been a long day. Very emotional, and draining. He had one of his wings around the large earth pony, as they sat on the little rise near Whitetail Woods, looking up at the stars as they had before. It had become kind of their spot. He could see Rescue was still deep in thought.
“Ailan, are... Are we dating, like... official?”
He gave a smile and a nod.
“I would like to think so, my brave but squishy firepony.”
He snorted and turned looking at the smaller pegasus. Then their lips met, and they joined into a kiss that left no doubt at all about his feelings for the other stallion.
Oddly, the voice was still silent.