The Elements of Equestria

by trooper7051

Chapter 13

The Elements of Equestria

Part 13

Surf & Turf awoke to his right eye itching. He tried to raise his hoof to scratch away the nuisance, but found the limb unresponsive. His eyes snapped open and he looked around, puzzled, ‘Where am I?’ he wondered not recognizing the location. Looking down, he saw that his fore legs were strapped securely to a hospital bed, ‘Dude! Why am I strapped down?’ Surf looked around, surveying the room he occupied. The only wall he could identify was the one his bed was pushed up against, other than that there didn’t seem to be any actual walls, just sky blue curtains in three directions.

“Hello?” he called, “Is there, like, anypony there? I’m kind of tried up here dudes.”

Surf heard two feminine voices approaching, they were speaking to each other as their hooves clopped on the floor,
“Look, I already told Miller not to say anything about . . . him. He’s in pretty rough condition as it is. He doesn’t need to be bombarded by an angry mob right now.” one voice said.

“He’s a killer, Triage. I know he saved a filly, but he killed another. The town deserves to know.” the other voice answered.

“I agree, they do deserve to know, but not yet. He needs time to recover. You helped me clean him up, you know how badly he’s hurt.” the first voice said.

“You should tell them.” the second voice said sounding irritated, “You aren’t suffering from multiple skull fractures and so forth, so you don’t have an excuse.”

“Should I need an excuse to keep a patient safe? This is our job, Trauma. The way I see it, he took a huge risk coming back, and an even bigger one rescuing little Damson. He deserves a break.” the first voice said.

“It’s not our place to decide these things, the same way we didn’t decide what his punishment was for killing Arabesque.” the second voice replied.

“There are still too many hard feelings about that and too many angry minds. You know full well if we tell everypony, they’ll go crazy. Maybe he’s been forgiven, for all we know that’s why he came back.” the first voice argued.

“It’s not likely, but it’s possible, I’ll give you that. So what now? Everypony’s going to want to thank him and his friend for helping. All they know is that two strangers saved a pair of fillies and were injured in the process. How are we supposed to keep his identity a secret?” the second voice asked.

“We don’t have to worry about that. His head is all wrapped up so they won’t be able to see his face clearly and most of his body is covered with a sheet right now, so they won’t be able to see his cutie-mark. Speaking of which, did you notice? His cutie-mark changed.” she first voice said.

“Yo, babes!” Surf yelled, “Can a mysterious hero get some help here? My eye is itching something fierce and I can’t scratch it because someone tied me down.”

Trauma pulled back the curtain from in front of Surf and walked up to his bed,
“Mysterious hero?” she asked eyebrow quirked, “I’d say more like a reckless, brave, idiot. You scraped off nearly eighty percent of the epidermis on your back. You’re restrained so you won’t tear open your back, say trying to scratch an itch.”

“Ease off Trauma.” Triage said walking up beside her sister, “He is a hero.” she gently scolded her sister before turning to Surf, “You’ll have to forgive my sister. She’s very pragmatic. Where does it itch? I’ll scratch it for you.”

“Right eye, babe, scratch away.” Surf said smiling broadly.

Triage rose up on her hind legs and leaned over Surf, extending her hoof to scratch his eye. Surf closed his eyes, trying to hide a blush. He was not used to being so close to a mare; ditto since he was restrained.

Triage gently scratched Surf’s eye then fell back onto all fours,
“Better?”

“Oh yeah.” Surf said breathing a sigh of relief, “So, what should I call you two babes?” he asked, pouring on what he thought was charm.

“I’m Triage and this is my sister Trauma.” Triage said gesturing to her sister.

“The name’s Surf & Turf, but you girls can just call me Surf.” he said, “Um, not trying to be, like, nosy or anything, but do you know what happened to my friends?”

Trauma’s ears shifted forward,
“Friends? As in plural?” she asked, “We only saw you and . . . the other one.”

“Who Valiant?” Surf asked.

The two sisters looked at each other in surprise then back at the neon Earth pony,
“You know his name?” Trauma asked, “He’s not supposed to use it. He isn’t even supposed to be traveling with anypony either. What, exactly, do you know about him?” she asked tersely.

“What’s with the hostile attitude babe?” Surf asked, “I heard you and your sister all, like, talking about him, so you obviously know what he did, but from what I know about him, he’s one of the coolest ponies I’ve ever met.”

“He’s a Vagabond.” Trauma said simply.

“Not anymore, babe. He’s a totally forgiven dude now. He said he had to wait to either die or for this one girl named Arabesque to forgive him. Apparently she did. He came back to try to make peace with everypony here in Haysburg. From what I’m seeing, he’s totally got his work cut out for him.” Surf explained sourly.

Trauma narrowed her eyes, turned, and began walking away, calling over her shoulder,
“We shall see, Surf & Turf, we shall see.”

Triage sighed, watching her sister go,
“She’s so easily distracted. You said there were more than two of you?”

“You heard right, babe. It was me, Valiant, and Molasses. Do you happen to know, like, where the big guy went or anything? We’re supposed to be taking care of him; either that or take him to some mare named Heartfelt, I don’t know what the plan was. We found him two nights ago all, like, broken up over his Momma passing away; totally understandable.” Surf said.

Triage held a hoof up to her muzzle,
“Oh, poor Molasses,” she said, “He’s so sweet too. I’m sorry Surf, I’ve got no idea where he could be.”

“Aw dang it! Come on, let me up, please. I, like, totally need to find him. If Valiant’s in the shape you said, that means I’ve got to take care of him, for now.” Surf said wiggling against the restraints.

“I’m sorry Surf & Turf, but you have to stay still until you’re all healed.” Triage explained, “I’ll ask around and see if anypony’s spotted him, alright?”

Surf relaxed his struggling,
“Alright then, just please make sure he’s okay. I’d hate for something to happen to him. Hey, speaking of ‘things happening’, like, why are there gryphons attacking Haysburg and why were they going after the orphans?”

Triage shook her head,
“I don’t know. It all started just after The Searcher came back from the ruins and told the gryphons to leave.”

“Who’s this ‘Searcher’ pony and why did she tell the gryphons to leave.” Surf asked.

“We call him The Searcher, nopony knows his real name. He’s been trying to bring the ponies of Haysburg together for a while now. The incident with Arabesque’s death really tore the village apart. He says he’s trying to take the anger out of our lives, to ‘show us the light’. He’s kind of preachy and I was really skeptical at first, but he does make some good points. I’ve taken the time to listen to him and it’s changed my life. That’s why I’m willing to give . . . him, the benefit of the doubt. As to why he told the gryphons to leave, he had a disagreement with one of them; Searcher said it was something about how they would have killed one of their own that had killed another. He said he argued that they would become a killer themselves and it went from there. I think the situation might have gotten worse if Birdie and Colossus hadn’t been there; then again, Birdie might have been part of the problem. I don’t know why the gryphons have begun attacking though and I can’t believe a single disagreement would provoke something like this.” Triage informed.

“That sucks,” Surf said, “I bet you and your sister have had to pull some serious overtime to patch up all the ponies who’ve been injured in the attacks; that is, I hope nopony’s been killed or anything.”

Triage cocked her head in thought,
“Huh,” she said after a moment, “You know, come to think of it, aside from a lot of bruises and minor cuts, there haven’t been any injuries at all until you and your friend showed up. I can assure you, there haven’t been any deaths yet, thank the light.”

“That IS weird. Valiant said that gryphons have to be careful because they have, like, all their talons and beaks and stuff and they’re natural born predators.” Surf mused, “Wait, you mention something about Birdie and Colossus. Who are they?”

“Colossus is big, I mean BIG. He’s the biggest Earth pony I’ve ever seen. He’s like a walking mountain of muscle. He’s really friendly though, and he’ll talk your ear off about his adventures with The Searcher. Birdie, though,” Triage shuddered, “She scares me. She scares me on several levels. She’s a pegasus, a very small pegasus, but from the way she looks and acts, you’d think she was a mute, psychotic gryphon. I asked The Searcher about her once. It took a lot of convincing to get him to tell me, but according to what he said, he thinks that Birdie grew up in Gryphonvale. I have no idea how she ended up there; he wouldn’t say. He did tell me that she’s badly disfigured, though he wouldn’t say much about that either. He did tell me that she calls herself what the gryphons called her; Birdie, because she’s a pegasus. She’s aggressive and she’ll fight without a thought or warning. One pony got angry at The Searcher and got too close to him, that didn’t end well.”

Triage shuddered again then took a deep breath,
“Colossus had to pull Birdie off him before she beat him senseless. He needed more than a hundred stitches after she was through with him. If you’re wondering what she looks like, your guess is as good as mine. She wears a long hooded cloak covering her body except for her yellow wings, I don’t know what her cutie-mark looks like. She keeps her face covered with a veil all the time too; you can only see her eyes and her wings. Trust me, that’s all you’ll need to see. Her wings are severely scarred and they still work, but her eyes are the worst. One look in her eyes and you won’t want to go near her. It’s like she’s just waiting to fight, like she hates everything. Actually, I’m surprised The Searcher hasn’t come to see you and . . . your friend yet.”

Surf & Turf yawned hugely,
“I’m sorry Triage, but I’m getting, like, really sleepy.”

Triage smiled,
“That’s alright Surf. You get some rest. I’ll go look around for Molasses for you, you just stay there and heal up. You should be good to go in two days.”

Surf’s eyes popped open,
“Uh, I’m not, like, trying to tell you how to do your job or anything, but I’ve had plenty of injuries and I can tell you, I’m going to be here a while. My back was majorly torn up.”

Triage smiled again,
“I’ve given you a dose of a special healing potion. Trust me, you’ll be walking by noon tomorrow. We’ll keep you here for observation for one more day then discharge you. Before the incident where Arabesque was killed, we here in Haysburg had a very respected up-and-coming alchemist. Thank your friend, he invented it.”

*************************************************************************************

The sound of a myriad of voices woke Surf & Turf back up. It sounded like fifty ponies were all talking at once. Surf raised his head, what little he could, and looked toward the sound, getting his first real look at the ward he was in. The place was stark white, just like most medical facilities. The room looked to be a square, roughly forty paces, by forty paces. He could see the far side of the room where another bed sat. The curtains around that bed were pulled back and the bed was neat and clean, ready and waiting for a patient. Other beds with their curtains pulled back sat all around the perimeter of the room. Surf seemed to be the only patient.

Trauma appeared from a doorway set against the far right wall of the ward, the Earth pony tried to shrink down into his bed at the sight of her,
“You have visitors, Surf & Turf. Do you think you are up for company?”

Surf nodded his head,
“Uh sure. You aren’t still mad are you?” he asked.

“I was never angry in the first place.” Trauma said crisply, “I simply have very strong feelings and opinions about certain issues and I’m not afraid to say so. You may think of me as being angry if you wish, light knows most others do, but I assure you I harbor no ill feelings toward you. To that end, I find you somewhat charming and I wouldn’t be completely adverse to going out on a date with you sometime, should you ask me. Just something to think about while you’re being swarmed with praises and ‘thank-yous’.”

Surf didn’t know to respond,
“Uh sure.”

Trauma smiled,
“Good, I’ll remind you when you’re feeling better. It’s been a while since a stallion took me out on a date.”

Trauma walked away before Surf could process what she had just said,
“What? Oh wait! I didn’t mean . . . “ his voice was drowned out as a crowd of Earth ponies flooded both his bed and the ward.

Within the span of just a few minutes the poor neon colored Earth pony was introduced to more ponies than he had ever known in his whole life. He forgot every pony’s name almost instantly as another pushed their way in to introduce themselves and thank him. Surf was completely overwhelmed until a sharp whistle assailed his ears. Suddenly and without warning, every pony backed away from Surf’s bed, the ward instantly silent. Surf heard the slow clop of hooves approaching his bed and craned his neck to see the pony who commanded such respect.

The pony he saw was a light yellow, almost off-white unicorn stallion. His mane and tail were fiery red and his cutie-mark was of an ancient looking tome, open to the center with a red bookmark lying along the spine. Surf noticed a black heart-shaped locket hanging around his neck. Surf’s interest was piqued as his eyes focused on the thing. The heart was upside down. Flanking the unicorn were two other ponies. One was a hugely immense, dark purple Earth pony who’s mane and tail were bright blue with grey highlights. His cutie-mark was that of a tower made of square stones. He was almost twice the height of the other ponies and built like a brick outhouse. The other pony was a small, almost filly sized pegasus. She was covered with a long bright yellow cloak and veil. Her wings were a slightly more subdued custard yellow but shone with so many scars she looked like somepony had stuck her in a blender and hit puree. Surf couldn’t tell what color her mane and tail were; they were completely hidden beneath the cloak and veil. Her face was completely obscured except for her eyes. Her eyes were a merciless grey, expressing a pony who was constantly watching everything as if ready to attack. Even when walking she seemed to stay completely still, like a statue. Surf saw a glint of reflected light from the bottom of her cloak and peered down, straining against the restraints. Sharp, steel shoes adorned her hooves, making her steps on the tiled floor somehow sound like a funeral dirge.

The unicorn stopped beside Surf’s bed smiling, it was a sincere smile and his eyes shone with appreciation,
“You must be one of the brave souls I’ve heard about who came to our aid last night when those beasts attacked. On behalf of the ponies of Haysburg, I thank you. You have shown great bravery and kindness to us and we are deeply in your debt. Your actions saved the life of a young filly, a cause that I’m glad to see you are not blind to. I am sorry you were injured in the process, but such is often the sacrifice of the brave. I’m called The Searcher, but the ‘The’ part is merely a formality, you may call me Searcher, if you feel comfortable doing so. What is your name, brave pony, so that I might thank you on a more personal level?” Searcher’s voice was a silky smooth tenor.

“Dude, totally not a problem and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. My proper name’s Surf & Turf, but you can just call me Surf.” the neon Earth pony said.

“It’s always a pleasure to meet a true hero, Surf. You needn’t worry about the cost of your medical treatment; I’ve paid it in full. It’s the least I can do for one such as yourself. Oh,” Searcher said smacking himself in the head with his hoof, “Where are my manners? Surf, this is Colossus and Birdie.”

Colossus took a step forward grinning,
“It’s nice to meet you Surf.” his voice was a deep, rumbling bass that practically vibrated Surf’s bed, “Thanks for helping out last night. We really appreciate it. Don’t feel too bad if Birdie doesn’t say anything, she tends to keep to herself.”

“You are one huge dude, Earth bro. Your name totally suits you.” Surf said looking up at Colossus.

Colossus smiled a big toothy grin and stepped back, Searcher spoke again as he did so,
“I’m afraid we haven’t yet met your friend. I understand he suffered more serious injuries. I don’t mean to be rude but we must be going. There are a lot of repairs to be done since the beasts shredded the roof of the orphanage. Please come and see me once you recover Surf. I believe we have much to discuss.”

Surf nodded his head, as best he could, given the restraints, and watched Searcher, Colossus, and Birdie leave, preparing himself for the returning onslaught of grateful ponies. Mere moments later, his preparation proved appropriate.

*************************************************************************************

“Good.” Rainbow Dash said panting as she stood on the ground, “Again.”

Fluttershy was panting too, a thing she was not used to,
“R-ready.” she stuttered.

Her muscles were sore and she was tired, but she kept going, ‘If the others think this is so important, I really should do my best, no matter how tired I am. They’re just trying to keep me safe.’ she thought. Rainbow Dash dug at the ground with her hoof and charged at the custard colored pegasus. Fluttershy watched Dash’s movements carefully, waiting for any sign of a broadcast. Her keen eyes caught the twitch and she dodged out of the way in a motion so fluid it would look, to anypony watching, like she was dancing. That is, if anypony had been watching.

The others were paired off, exercising and practicing. Sea Blue and Dr. Mend were facing off against Big Macintosh while Trooper and Applejack were off trying to see who could pin the other. Twilight and Rarity were engaged in a match of their own. Twilight had been initially surprised that Rarity was so willing to learn how to fight, ‘In retrospect, I should have known. She was the first to attack the manticore after all.’ Twilight hopped back as Rarity turned and bucked at her. Twilight’s horn lit up, throwing a blast of telekinetic magic toward the white unicorn. Rarity swiftly ducked down on her stomach and rolled to the right on the icy grass and came back up on her hooves, ‘Oh dear!’ she thought, ‘My coat is going to be green by the time we’re done! Oh I’m going to look an absolute mess!’ Rarity’s vain inner monologue distracted her long enough for Twilight to get the drop on her. The lavender unicorn swept her right hoof beneath Rarity’s front legs, tripping her friend.

Lemon Lime was having trouble with Pinkie Pie. His pink opponent was wily, clever, and cunning despite her constantly vacant expressions and mannerisms. She seemed to have an endless supply of random party-oriented favors which she used freely in their practice and to great effect. Lemon Lime leapt forward toward Pinkie only for her to dance to the side and evade him. His left fore hoof came down and made a rude flatulent noise as it contacted the ground. Lemon Lime looked down only to see a whoopee cushion had been strategically placed where Pinkie had been only moments before. Pinkie used her distraction to tackle the yellow therapist, pinning him to the cold ground. She tapped him once on the head then hopped away once more. Lemon Lime got up and squared off with Pinkie again. Pinkie took the initiative and hopped around the small unicorn stallion, bouncing like a rubber ball. Lemon Lime turned in-time with the bouncing, keeping Pinkie in front of him. On one of her hops, Pinkie landed oddly then fell to the ground holding her right hind leg. Lemon Lime rushed over to see if she had hurt herself only to have the pink tactician raise her head and blow on a loaded kazoo, sending colorful confetti into his face. Lemon Lime shook his head to clear his vision. He suddenly felt the cold wet grass on his back as Pinkie tackled him again.

“Where do you keep all this stuff?” Lemon Lime asked from underneath his pink attacker.

“Haven’t you ever heard of pockets, Live Wire?” Pinkie asked.

“Pinkie you don’t have any pockets.” Lemon Lime said sourly.

“Not that you know of, silly. I can’t give away all my secrets now can I? I use the elements of surprise.” Pinkie chirped giggling.

“Over and over and over and over again. Why don’t you fight the normal way Pinkie?” Lemon Lime asked annoyed.

“Because I don’t want to actually hurt anypony, duh! I mean, what’s the point of it all anyway? I can play ‘keep away’ all day and not have a scratch on me. I’d feel bad if I ended up hurting anypony. Granted, I could throw them a get-well party if I did, but I just don’t like causing pain.” Pinkie said as she helped the yellow unicorn up off the ground.

“Somehow, I can see that working for you.” Lemon Lime mumbled, “Alright, breakfast should be ready by now.” raising his voice, he called out over the small field, “Come and get it!”

Trooper and Applejack both looked up simultaneously, hitting each other in the jaw as they did so. Rainbow Dash was mid-charge when she heard the camp cook call for breakfast and veered off, away from Fluttershy who was close to passing out from fatigue. Twilight quickly let the glow of her horn go out and Rarity wiped her brow in relief, ‘I’m going to need to freshen up before anything else. Oh dear, that water is so cold in the mornings.’

Big Macintosh came walking over to the camp fire slowly, as Dr. Mend and Sea Blue clung to him, trying valiantly to disrupt the work pony’s center of balance,
“This is so embarrassing!” Dr. Mend said grunting from the exertion; Sea Blue had to agree, “I’m so glad you’re on our side Big Macintosh. I’d hate to go up against you in a real fight.”

The bulky farmer simply smiled,
“Ayup.”

“So what’s for breakfast today?” Dr. Mend asked sliding off the red Earth pony.

“Oatmeal.” Lemon Lime said leaning over the pot.

“Not again.” Rainbow Dash grumbled, “We’ve been having oatmeal for three days straight.”

“Oatmeal, are you crazy?” Pinkie asked, “Come on Live Wire, you need to change it up every now and again. I think I’ve got some applesauce in my saddlebag somewhere, just try not to burn it.”

“Please!” Rarity said heading off to ‘freshen up’, “Burnt applesauce is the worst. Believe me, darling, if you’ve never had it, let me give you some advice, don’t.”

“We should reach the edge of the Everfree Forest sometime around noon today. “Twilight said levitating a bowl of oatmeal over to herself, “We’ve been lucky to find a field or clearing of some sort almost every night. Thanks to our scouts. Once we’re out in the open we should have a much easier time and make much more swift progress.”

“Speakin’ of progress,” Applejack interjected, “How’s the whole memory thing been goin’ there Trooper? Have ya remembered anythin’ that might suggest you and Valiant are relations yet?”

“It is coming back slowly.” Trooper said between bites of oatmeal, “I can remember my father, which is an immense blessing in the first place. The memories seem to be centered around a family reunion of some kind that my parents were taking me to when I was just a foal.” Trooper blushed and stole a sideways glance at Fluttershy, “Apparently it was back when I was still fed from a bottle. Last night they had almost reached the spot where the reunion was going to have been held. I believe it was actually somewhere close to where we are in fact. I heard my parents mention New Yoke several times. They said that my uncle, Vector and his wife lived there with a foal of their own, a colt who was supposed to be around my age. My parents used to live in Stalliongrad, my father was apparently on the weather patrol there.”

Twilight raised her head from her bowl,
“Really?” she asked, “Hold on for a minute there Trooper.” her horn lit up and she levitated her map out from her saddlebags, “I’ll bet if you draw a straight line on the map from Stalliongard to New Yoke, you’ll find the middle ground is in the plains region we’re about to head into.”

The other ponies gathered around the perceptive unicorn as she used her magic to set a fold into the map,
“There,” she said, pleased with herself, “Just as I thought. The plains are almost exactly in the center. You know Trooper, if we’re lucky, we just might find the exact spot where your parents had their family reunion.”

Trooper closed his eyes and went as still as a statue, ‘That is where my father died, in a tornado . . .’ Trooper looked up sharply,
“Tornados.” he whispered, “Valiant said something about tornados occurring around Haysburg. My father was killed in a tornado. What if . . . “ Trooper began pacing talking out loud, “Tornados . . . tornados . . . Dr. Mend, could a foal survive the winds of a tornado if they were sucked in?”

“I highly doubt it. The foal might survive a fall from great height, but the winds would cause serious injury.” Dr. Mend said solidly.

Trooper continued to pace,
“What if the parents of the foal were holding onto it. You know, clutching it between themselves, like a hug. The parents might be killed but is it possible for the foal to survive?”

Dr. Mend scratched his chin,
“I see where you’re going with this, Trooper, but it’s a bit of a stretch.“

Trooper turned to the one pony who might know more,
“Rainbow Dash, you are on the weather team for Ponyville, right?”

“I’m in charge of it too you know.” Dash replied, cocky as ever.

Trooper stomped his right hind leg firmly,
“Please, I am trying to piece my shattered family back together here, Rainbow Dash! Be serious!”

Dash blew out an exasperated breath,
“Yes, I’m on the weather team.”

“I need your honest opinion here,” Trooper pleaded, “Are you strong enough and skilled enough to fly inside a tornado and survive?”

“I might be able to,” Dash said, “I can make some small ones. What’s your point?”

“Alright how about a really big tornado? One with winds strong enough to kill a pony?” Trooper asked.

Rainbow Dash gave the matter some serious thought before answering,
“Maybe,” She finally said, “But only if I was well away from the center of the vortex. I might be able to use the wind speed to shoot me off like an arrow, if the G-forces didn’t make me black out or the power of the wind didn’t suck the air right out of my lungs and I didn’t accidentally fly right into one of the mini-vortexes that occur sometimes.” Rainbow Dash said becoming unusually serious, “Weather teams are trained on how to deal with tornados. You get a team of five or more then fly in the opposite direction of the vortex. You start far away from the tornado itself and slowly work your way in, each member of the team flying at least fifteen flaps behind the others. The wind generated by the team should be enough to break up the power of the vortex, but it’s risky. See I can break up clouds easy as pie. I’ve faced a tornado once when I was in training. You can’t break it up like a cloud. The debris will end up turning you into a pin-cushion and suffocate you. It’s possible, but it’s risky. I’m the only pegasus who can pull of a Sonic Rainboom, but even I wouldn’t tackle a tornado lightly or without some serious backup.”

Trooper turned to the two living calculators,
“Twilight, Live Wire,” he addressed softly, “If they were skillful enough to stay out of the main body of the vortex and only be thrown around by the exterior winds. Is it possible for a foal to survive if it was separated from its parents?”

Almost as one, the two unicorns nodded, Twilight took the lead,
“It should be possible. I can definitely see where a pegasus could lose their life trying to break up a tornado though.”

Lemon Lime continued Twilight’s thought in much more detail,
“If you take the average pounds per square inch required to rip a pony limb-from-limb then cross-reference that against the power and velocity it would take to pierce a piece of debris through the average skin of a pegasus, then take that common factor and pit it against the average wind speed of a tornado . . . “ Lemon Lime stopped and turned to Twilight, “What’s the average wind speed of a tornado?”

“The winds of tornados have been estimated to be between one-hundred and ten and three hundred miles per hour, so estimate about two-hundred and five.“ Twilight said.

Lemon Lime continued his calculations, mumbling to himself,
“Okay then, take the common factor and . . . then use that average to . . . with the weight and general flexibility of your stereotypical newborn foal . . . “ he finally looked up, “I’d say the probability factor is close to thirty-seven point three percent chance of survival. If we take protective actions of parents into consideration . . . I’d say, that factor should probably double the foal’s chances, so then we have a final number of roughly seventy-four point six percent chance of survival. If you round it up, that comes to seventy-five percent chance. It’s possible, bordering on likely.”

“That seems to be the likely answer then.” Trooper said, “Follow along with me. The family reunion happens, all the family members arrive and everypony is having a great time, then a tornado forms in the very field they are in. The mares panic and try to protect their foals while the fathers try to break up the tornado. One of the mares who is carrying her foal is sucked up into the tornado and thrown off, away from the others. She curls her body around that of her foal to protect him so the debris does not kill him. She is killed by the impact of the fall when she hits the ground and the foal is found by ponies of a nearby village and placed into the local orphanage.” Trooper stopped pacing and turned to his friends, “What do you think?”

The assembly was quiet for a while, everypony was busy eating and thinking.

Finally Dr. Mend spoke up,
“It’s possible, although that exact scenario is questionable. I do see it as a possibility. There seems to be two little pieces of the puzzle missing though. If the ponies of Haysburg found Valiant, how did he get his name if his mother was already dead? For one, and for two, why didn’t he mention anypony telling him how he was found?”

Trooper shrugged,
“Since I do not yet know the exact details, I cannot be certain, but this does seem to be the most likely scenario. I suppose we shall have to wait and see what I remember as we continue on.”

“Speaking of continuing,” Sea Blue spoke up, “We need to get moving.”

*************************************************************************************

Triage wandered around Haysburg, asking every pony she knew if they had seen Molasses or what had become of him. Thus far, she had met very limited success. She decided to head on over to the orphanage and ask Miss Heartfelt about the slow colt. As she approached the two story building, Triage got her first good look at the damage it had sustained the previous night. The slanted tile roof had been ripped open with a large enough hole that a full grown pony could easily fit through without touching the sides. There were already ponies working on fixing the roof but the danger remained, the gryphons could return and attack again.

There had already been two other attacks; each time the gryphons tried to take fillies or colts. The possible reasons for the predators wanting the young ponies made Triage shudder. They had already lost two colts and five fillies to the gryphons and none of the youngsters had been heard from since. The nets that the ponies had used the previous night had been Searcher’s idea and they worked well, just not well enough. The fact was, the ponies of Haysburg were not prepared to handle any kind of attack. Triage arrived at the front door of the orphanage and knocked politely.

Moments later, a chocolate colored colt answered the door with little Damson bouncing playfully on his broad shoulders, Triage smiled at having finally located the rotund young Earth pony,
“There you are, Molasses. Your friend Surf was wondering what happened to you.”

“Who is it, Molasses?” asked an older mare’s voice from within the building.

Molasses turned his head and answered her, but Damson spoke first,
“It’s Tree-age from the clinic, Miss Heartfelt!”

Molasses smiled and stepped back, holding the door for Triage,
“Always be polite to mares. Hold the door for them and offer your seat if they’re standing.” he said quietly.

Triage entered the orphanage, calling for Heartfelt,
“I need to speak to you as soon as possible, Heartfelt. Some things have happened that I think you should know about.”

Molasses quietly closed the front door while Triage waited for Heartfelt. Triage looked around, remembering where everything was. The front door led to the long foyer, which had two doors lining each wall, on either side. Straight back from the front door was the stairway leading up to the different rooms for the various ages and genders of the orphans. The first door on the left was Heartfelt’s office and the small library she kept for the orphans. The second door was Heartfelt’s bedroom and the nursery for when newborn foals came to the orphanage. The first door on the right was the room where prospective parents would get to know the filly or colt they were thinking of adopting. The second door on the right was the kitchen for the orphanage.

Going up the stairs, there were four more doors, two set against each wall just like the first floor. The stairs went straight up the middle of the broad hallway on the second floor, dividing each side of the second floor according to gender; the left side was for fillies and the right side was for the colts. The first doors on either side were for the older orphans since they needed more space, while the second doors were the rooms for the younger ones.

Triage sighed sadly at the necessity of such an establishment, but the frequent tornados made for an unfortunately large number of fillies and colts who lost their parents each year. Heartfelt was arguably the most well-known and well-liked pony in Haysburg. Every family spent time helping her with the orphans. Their reasons for doing this were two-fold. One, every family knew the parents of at least one filly or colt who currently resided under Heartfelt’s care. Two, it was always a good idea to get to know the mare who might, at some unfortunate point in your foal’s life, end up taking care of them because you had been killed in a tornado. The end result was that Heartfelt’s orphanage was more of a village common-house for caring for fillies and colts, and it was likewise well-funded and received frequent donations from every family in Haysburg.

Triage watched the interaction between Damson and Molasses while she waited for Heartfelt to arrive. Damson continued jumping on the pudgy colt’s back as he slowly walked into the kitchen. Molasses didn’t seem to mind in the least and even looked like he was walking very steadily so as not to dislodge the filly playing on his back. Damson for her part seemed to have recovered from the previous night’s ordeal, none the worse for wear. Triage automatically looked the mauve filly over, looking for any possibly hidden injuries. After a brief moment, Triage decided that Damson seemed to be in perfect health aside from her tan colored mane and tail needing a good washing.

“Triage?” Heartfelt said descending the stairs, “Oh dear. Please don’t tell me I have more orphans coming here after last night’s attack.”

Heartfelt was an older sand colored Earth pony mare. Her mane and tail were peach colored and her cutie-mark was of a foal, bundled up and left on a doorstep.

Triage shook her head,
“Thank the light, no. There were only two injuries sustained last night, both of which were received saving one of your orphans. I’m here because the two stallions who were injured were the ones who found Molasses two days ago. They were already on their way here.”

“Oh,” Heartfelt fussed, “I’m sorry I haven’t had the time to go visit them, but I’ve been busy here tending to the orphans. I promise I’ll come by later on.”

“I’m afraid you’ll only be able to see one of them. The other one sustained serious injuries. He’s suffering from multiple skull fractures and almost all the skin on his back was peeled away on the road. I’m really hoping he didn’t suffer much muscle damage. He’s still asleep right now.” Triage reported.

“I do hope he makes it. Is there anything I can do?” Heartfelt asked.

“I need to talk to you in your office, Heartfelt. It’s important.” Triage said seriously.

Heartfelt’s face registered puzzlement, but she led Triage into her small office/library and closed the door behind Triage,
“What’s wrong, Triage?” she asked.

Triage drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly,
“Before I say anything else, I need you to promise me you won’t say or do anything after I’ve told you.”

“Alright, Triage, I promise. Now, what’s all this about?” Heartfelt asked.

“It’s about one of the stallions, the one who’s suffering from the skull fractures . . . He’s royal blue with a light brown mane and tail.” Triage said carefully.

Heartfelt was quiet for a moment; suddenly her eyes went wide as she held her right hoof to her chest,
“Vagabond.” she whispered, “I . . . Are you sure? I mean really, really sure, Triage?”

Triage swallowed and nodded,
“Yes. I’m certain. It’s him.”

Heartfelt lapsed into silence, staring off into space, so Triage continued,
“His wings are gone and his cutie-mark has changed, but it’s him. By the light, it’s him.”

Heartfelt’s head snapped up, focusing on the unicorn,
“Who else knows?”

“Of the ponies from Haysburg, only Mill Treader and my sister know. The other stallion, Surf & Turf knows and I think Molasses knows too. Surf & Turf used his name. He said that Vagabond has been forgiven, that he was coming back here to try to make things right by asking for forgiveness.” Triage related.

“He’s been forgiven?” Heartfelt asked, “After what happened to Arabesque? She forgave him?”

Triage nodded solemnly,
“That’s the story so far.”

“Take me to him.” Heartfelt ordered, “For the sake of all that’s good, Triage, take me to him! I have to see him!”

“Please calm down, Heartfelt . . . “ Triage began.

“You don’t understand!” Heartfelt cried, “I know him! He never meant to hurt Arabesque! He was in love with her, he’d never do such a thing on purpose! Please, Triage!” she begged tearfully, “Let me see him! Oh, please let me see him before everypony knows! They’ll kill him!”

Triage’s horn lit up, closing the older mare’s mouth gently,
“Not so loud!” she whispered hoarsely, “I’ve been keeping this quiet, don’t blow it now! Just calm down and listen to me.”

Heartfelt’s eyes continued to water, but she nodded in acquiescence; Triage released the older mare’s muzzle and continued,
“Just stay calm for the moment. Nopony can see him right now, he’s still in critical condition. Even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to tell it’s him. His head is bandaged, his flank is covered, and his wings are gone, not a single soul would be able to recognize him. I’ll come and get you the moment he wakes up, but for now, you’re just going to have to trust me. I’m headed over to talk to Searcher right after I leave here. He’s been talking about forgiveness and this can’t be a coincidence that Vagabond’s come back now. The timing is just too perfect. If I can get Searcher on our side, he’ll probably have Colossus and Birdie watch over . . . him until he heals. I don’t like Birdie, but nopony is going to go near him if she’s there.”

“I don’t like Birdie, but Searcher and Colossus seem to have good hearts. I agree, Triage, I think it’s his best chance right now.” Heartfelt admitted, “Even if you do convince Searcher to help, there’s no way even Birdie and Colossus could handle two-thirds of Haysburg. If it comes to a physical struggle, which side do you think Miller and your sister will take? Nopony would dare to injure either you or Trauma. You’re the only two medically trained ponies the village has.”

“Miller would probably be willing to stand for him. Trauma on the other hoof,” Triage shrugged, “I don’t know. She feels very strongly about what happened. If I had to make a guess, I’d say she would probably choose to remain neutral and just stay out of the whole thing. You’re forgetting several other ponies though. Surf & Turf has already shown that he’s willing to go all the way for what he believes is right. You’ll stand up for him, I know you will, no matter what the odds are; and I don’t think we should count out Molasses either. Most of the ponies know and like him, especially the colts and fillies.”

“Triage, please,” Heartfelt said, “I’ll stand up for him, but I can’t put myself in danger. Too many little lives depend on me here. I can’t sacrifice one at the expense of the others, it’s like asking a mother to choose which of her foals will die. You can’t ask me to do that.”

Triage nodded,
“I understand. I need to go find Searcher now. Please keep this to yourself for now. Light knows there will be a point where we can’t hide him any longer. Thank you for listening to me, though.”

Heartfelt opened the door, ushering Triage out of her office,
“Any time, Triage. You can always come to me, you know that.”

*************************************************************************************

Birdie strode into the Haysburg clinic and headed straight back to the Intensive Care Unit, Trauma saw her,
“Stop right there!” she ordered rising from her seat, “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked boldly, “Nopony is allowed back there! The patient needs his rest!”

Birdie stopped and turned her head toward the unicorn nurse, Trauma walked right up to the silent pegasus,
“You don’t scare me! Lay a single hoof on me and you’ll have all of Haysburg come down on top of you like a ton of bricks! You are not, I repeat not, going back there, do you hear me Birdie?”

Birdie remained silent and utterly motionless beneath her cloak and veil, Trauma couldn’t decide whether she was being challenged or ignored,
“Excuse me?” she asked petulantly, “Did you hear me under there? Do I need to repeat myself? Maybe I need to be more specific? You are free to visit the other patient if you wish, or you can wander around anywhere there isn’t a sign that says ‘clinic personnel only’, but you can’t go into the Intensive Care Unit!”

“Sounds like nopony told you yet Trauma.” Colossus said starting down the hallway, a big goofy grin plastered all over his face, “Searcher asked Birdie and I to keep an eye on the stallion in the I.C.U. and make sure he isn’t disturbed. We’re not going to be jumping on him or anything so take it easy. We’re perfectly willing to wash up or wear scrubs or whatever you feel necessary, but we really do need to be in there with him.” Colossus stopped in front of Trauma and chuckled, “From the look on your face, I’d say I don’t need to be any more specific about the details.”

Trauma gritted her teeth,
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Colossus.”

Colossus smiled down at the much smaller unicorn mare,
“Triage told Searcher about the story behind the stallion in the I.C.U. She also said that you and Mill Treader knew about him too. I’d rather not have to spell it out in public. I know you know what I’m talking about.”

Trauma frowned deeply, but nodded,
“I don’t like this, but I agree that he does need some form of protection.” she turned and began walking down toward the I.C.U., “You’re going to need to wash up before you go inside. The I.C.U. is a ‘clean room’ so if you leave, you need to wash up again before you go back inside . . . “

Trauma continued talking as Birdie and Colossus followed her back toward the I.C.U. where Valiant slept.

*************************************************************************************

“I’m surprised he isn’t in the Morgue.” Colossus said as he stared at Valiant, “From what Trauma said, he’s lucky to be alive.” turning to his compatriot, Colossus mused, “I’d say he’s almost as tough as you, Birdie.”

Birdie cast a narrow-eyed look at the immense Earth pony, but said nothing; Colossus spoke for her, as he often did,
“I know, I know,” he said, “You’d normally mangle anypony who said that to you. I’m not making fun of you though, Birdie. You know I don’t do that. I know you’re tough and I’m not arguing that fact, but I’m worried about you. I’ve known you long enough to be able to tell when something’s bothering you. If you want to talk about it, you know I’ll listen.”

Birdie remained silent, bur her gaze softened; Colossus knew it to be a sign that it was alright to pry but she probably wouldn’t speak,
“Are you upset about the gryphon attack? Look, I know you wanted to be there, but Searcher needed us to act as scouts last night and you’re the only pony with wings in Haysburg. I would say you were the only pegasus, but we have to take this guy into account.”

Birdie turned and looked back to Valiant’s sleeping form; a light went off in Colossus’ mind,
“Wait a minute here. You’re not thinking about this guy are you?” he asked, “Come on Birdie, you’ve got enough troubles without worrying about him . . . “

“Common ground.” Birdie said quietly.

Colossus carefully hid his immense surprise; Birdie had a beautiful, sweet, soft voice, but he had only heard her speak a few times since he’d met her and Searcher three years previous.

“Why is he THAT important to you?” Colossus asked, “You don’t know him, besides I don’t see that you two have that much in common. Is it because he’s a pegasus?”

Birdie remained quiet, so Colossus knew that wasn’t the right answer,
“Is it because he’s a killer?”

Faster than the eye could see, Birdie’s hoof slammed into Colossus’ right shoulder, leaving a semi-circle of blood behind in the shape of her shoe,
“Ouch!” Colossus cried, “Blast it, Birdie! That hurt! What did you do that for?”

Birdie shot Colossus an angry look, but said nothing.

Colossus rubbed his shoulder ruefully,
“O.K. so he’s not a killer. Is it because he’s been maimed like you have?”

Birdie didn’t move a muscle.

“Oh forget it Birdie.” Colossus said, “I’m not angry, but when you actually want to talk about it, let me know. I need to go to the bathroom and get this cleaned up. Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere while I’m gone alright?”

Birdie never even so much as twitched an eyelash.

Colossus left the I.C.U. leaving Birdie alone with Valiant.

As he walked around, trying to find Trauma, so she could clean up his shoulder, Colossus’s mind returned to when he had first heard Birdie speak. He thought about his friend, she was aggressive, she was impulsive, she was introverted to an extreme, but underneath her fierce, quiet exterior, Colossus had gotten to know who she truly was. Colossus had seen her without her cloak.

Birdie’s speed had saved Searcher’s life once when they had been exploring some of the ruins to the north of Haysburg. A cave-in began right above Searcher. It would have crushed him, but Birdie launched herself into him and shoved him out of the way. She had been struck with several large rocks and had been knocked unconscious. Searcher and Colossus had to remove her cloak and veil to check her for injuries. Neither stallion had been prepared for what they saw. Colossus’ mind replayed the events as he walked.

(Begin Flashback)

“Come on, Colossus! We have to make sure she’s alright!” Searcher said frantically.

His horn lit up. He lifted the cloak and veil from Birdie’s limp body and tossed them aside.

Colossus’ breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell on Birdie’s body. Neither pony could find the mental fortitude to utter a single syllable. They just stared. Time seemed to vanish as their eyes took in the sight before them. Neither stallion had any idea how long they stared for, but Birdie eventually stirred. Both stallions tried to scramble to put Birdie’s cloak and veil back on, but it was too late. Birdie’s eyes snapped open, her gaze freezing Colossus and Searcher where they stood.

She looked around and spotted her veil and cloak off to the side. Her eyes widened in horror, tears instantly spilling from the grey orbs. She whipped her head back to Colossus and Searcher, expression terrified. Before either stallion could utter a single word, Birdie let out a heart-rending cry and sprung from her prone position on the floor. She winged straight into the darkest corner of the area, where two walls met, and curled up as if trying to shield herself.

Searcher was the first to recover from his shock,
“Birdie?” he called softly, “Are you alright?”

Birdie didn’t respond.

Searcher took a few steps toward the sobbing pegasus,
“Birdie, I need to know that you’re alright.”

The pegasus only sobbed harder.

“Birdie, it’s alright.” Searcher said soothingly, “We’re just worried about you . . . “

“I’LL KILL YOU IF YOU COME ANY CLOSER!” Birdie snarled tearfully, “I WON’T LET YOU HURT ME!”

“Birdie,” Searcher said taking another step, “We’re not going to hurt you . . . “

“LIAR!” she cried, “THEY ALL SAY THAT AND THEY ALL LIED! STAY BACK!”

Searcher took another slow step toward the hysterical pegasus.

In a flash of motion, Birdie took to the air, hovering above the two stallions, back pressed to the ceiling,
“NO! STAY BACK!” she screamed.

“Birdie, it’s alright.” Colossus said soothingly.

“NO!” she screamed.

Birdie’s voice was becoming hoarse; her screams lowered to pitiful sobs,
“Please,” she begged, “Just leave me alone.”

“The only thing we’re thinking is that you might be hurt. We just want to be sure you’re alright.” Searcher said.

“Liar,” she sobbed, “You don’t want me to be alright. No one ever does, not gryphons, not ponies, no one. Just leave me alone.”

“We can’t, Birdie.” Colossus said, “We care about you.”

“Birdie,” Searcher said cautiously, “I’m going to make sure you’re not injured, one way or the other. I’ll bring you down with my magic if I have to. I don’t want to, but I’m not going to stop until you’re down here.”

Birdie let out a chocked sob,
“Please,” she begged quietly, “Please don’t.”

“I have to.” Searcher said, “I’ll ask you one last time. Trust us, come down here so we can make sure you’re alright.”

“Never.” Birdie sobbed, “I’d rather die.”

“Then I’m sorry for this.” Searcher said softly.

The unicorn stallion’s horn lit up with a soft yellow aura; an identical aura enveloped the obscured form of Birdie. The pegasus seemed to just give up. Her whole body went limp as she continued to sob, crying like she had just been given a death-sentence. Searcher slowly lowered her down to the ground and set the weeping pegasus down gently. Birdie merely covered her face with her hooves and continued to cry.

Colossus slowly approached her,
“Birdie,” he said as softly as he could, “I’m going to touch you. Just tell me if anywhere hurts, alright?”

“Do what you want to me,” Birdie whispered, “They all do. I won’t fight you.”

Colossus reached out his hoof and gently touched Birdie’s shoulder, where a rock had struck her,
“Does it hurt here?” he asked.

Birdie flinched, but said nothing. Becoming more bold, Colossus laid down next to the pegasus and began slowly and carefully prodding the different areas of Birdie’s body, where appropriate, doing his best to feel out any broken bones. He couldn’t figure out if anything was broken or not. At a complete loss, Colossus rose to his hooves. Birdie flinched, but said nothing. Colossus motioned toward Birdie’s cloak and veil. Searcher levitated the two items over to Colossus.

The immense Earth pony gently draped the cloak over the sobbing pegasus,
“Here’s your cloak back, Birdie. We only took it off to see if you were alright. I’m sorry if we upset you, we didn’t mean to.”

Birdie never moved a muscle.

Searcher walked up and levitated the veil up and over Birdie’s face, moving her hooves gently away,
“We’ll never hurt you Birdie. You’re our friend, we care about you.”

Colossus gingerly helped Birdie to her hooves,
“Birdie, we don’t care what you look like.”

Birdie hadn’t spoken more than two words since then, but she stayed with Searcher and Colossus, so they figured she must have believed them.

(End Flashback)

“Colossus?” Trauma asked, approaching the gigantic Earth pony, “What happened to your shoulder? Did Birdie do that? I’m going to show that little psychopath a thing or two!” the nurse said heading back toward the I.C.U.

“I fell.” Colossus said.

Trauma stopped and turned around slowly,
“What could you have possible fallen onto that just happens to look exactly like one of Birdie’s steel shoes?”

Colossus sighed,
“Will you please just help me clean this thing?”

Trauma pursed her lips,
“I don’t like this, Colossus. I don’t like it one bit, but if you don’t want to do anything about it I can’t make you. I’ll tell you one thing though, if I ever see another injury like this again, I’m going to . . . “

“I said something really stupid and hurtful to her. She was justified, trust me.” Colossus said.

“I still don’t like it Colossus.” Trauma said, “Well come on, I’ll get you cleaned up.”

Colossus followed the nurse down the hallway, still holding his shoulder.

Comments

[RadBunny]

Birdie and Mollasses.......

I have to say, they're quickly becoming my favorite characters.