When Will it End?

by Whirl Wind

Chapter One

Chapter One: Broken Minds

“Whirl Wind, can you hear me?” Princess Celestia asked in a calm voice.

“Yes…” Whirl responded weakly.

“I need you to look around you, tell me what you see.” Princess Celestia said in the same calming voice.

“I see… you… am I awake?” Whirl asked weakly, but enthusiastically.

“Not yet, I need you to focus on my image and follow me. I will lead you out of your mind.” Celestia instructed.

Whirl followed Celestia through the darkness. “I’m scared…” Whirl said weakly.

“It’s going to be okay, he won’t keep you here while I am around.” Celestia responded.

“Boldly spoken Princess Celestia, but you are in our minds now.” General Wind’s voice echoed through the darkness.

“Whirl, I need you to surrender your mind to me, give me total control.” Celestia said calmly.

“It’s yours; just get me to Derpy again…” Whirl responded in a weaker tone.

“That won’t help you princess; I still hold all the cards!” General Wind yelled as his body formed in the darkness. “It is time for you to die.” He said as he approached.

Celestia quickly put up a barrier around Whirl and herself as they continued to walk. General Wind tapped the barrier with his sword and it melted away. “Perhaps I have underestimated your power, since that is the case let me just tell you one thing. I will take Equestria from you, I am not weak like King Sombra was. I am stronger than him and you princess. When I do take Equestria I will be sure to make you suffer and free the ponies you oppress. No longer will I be known as General Wind, from this moment on I will be known as Shadow Wind and that name will be burned into the minds of everypony in all of Equestria.”

“I don’t talk this much, do I Celestia?” Whirl asked weakly as they walked.

“No you don’t, which is a relief. Evil leaders tend to be a bit arrogant and they feel the need to let everypony know how arrogant they are.” Celestia said with a giggle.

“Mock me while you can, in the end I will have the last laugh.” Shadow Wind said as he vanished.

“I didn’t think he would ever leave.” Whirl said with a weak chuckle.

“There is our way out.” Celestia said as they walked towards a white passage way. “We need only walk through and you should be awake.”

“Thank goodness, this has been a nightmare…”

They approached the white passage and Celestia walked through it first. Whirl followed suit and felt a great warmth in his chest and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again he saw Derpy, Doctor Ray, Rumble, Thunder Lane, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Fluttershy all standing over him. Whirl let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Why is there so many ponies standing over me?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Well, Rumble, Thunder Lane, and Doctor Ray were already here. Twilight came in with Princess Celestia when Doctor Ray went to get them to help you. Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Fluttershy came with me after I told them you were going to be in the hospital for a few days.” Derpy explained. “You scared the daylights out of us Whirl! You flat-lined twice!” she said as her tone suddenly changed to a more upset tone.

“Yes, that was quite the scare. You scared us again when you dropped into that coma and then started talking.” Doctor Ray said with a chuckle.

“Yall have to stop with the bad luck Whirl, yall are too much of a good pony to suffer so much.” Applejack said with a smile.

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh said happily.

“What was it like inside of your mind Whirl? It would be great to know what that is like for my studies.” Twilight said excitedly.

“It was dark, cold, and terrifying and I hope you never experience it.” Whirl said plainly.

“You were scared?” Rumble asked curiously.

“Everypony gets scared; the key is not to let it stop you from doing what needs to be done. I didn’t let it stop me from getting back did I?” Whirl said happily.

“No you didn’t, and that is why you are awesome!” Rumble said happily.

Whirl felt a little light headed and rested his head. He let out a deep breath and rolled his head to look at Derpy. “I am just glad to be back to tell you all the good news. Derpy and I are getting married.” Whirl said happily.

“That’s wonderful news sugar cube! When is the weddin goin ta be?” Applejack asked excitedly.

“We will let you all know when we plan it out a bit more.” Whirl said as he let out another deep breath. He let out a slight moan and rolled his head again to look at Doctor Ray. “Hey, my head is feeling really wrong right now.” He said weakly.

Doctor Ray sighed. “Unfortunately I can’t do anything for it. Nothing is physically wrong with your mind; it is all a mental disconnection that you are recovering from. The only thing you can do is wait for it to feel better on its own.” He said sadly.

“That sucks…” Whirl said as he put his fore hoof to his head. “Maybe dim the lights?” he suggested.

Twilight’s horn started to glow and the lights in the room dimmed. “Is that better?” she asked happily.

“Much better, thank you, and thank you all for coming to visit; it really means a lot. How long was I out anyway?” Whirl asked curiously.

“Six hours, that is why we were all able to get here.” Derpy said softly.

“Six hours!? How long have you all been here?!” Whirl asked frantically.

“Five hours.” Fluttershy said from the back of the group. “We don’t mind though, you’re our friend.”

“But I mind because I am your friend. You all shouldn’t have wasted so much time with me, I don’t need the attention. I have gone my whole life without it.” Whirl said sternly.

“Maybe that’s why you need it so badly now.” Fluttershy suggested.

“I agree with Fluttershy, you should have had friends since you were young. You deserve happiness Whirl and friends are usually the place to find happiness.” Twilight said happily.

“But…” Whirl started.

“No buts, we are all in agreement that you are worth our time.” Derpy said as she put a hoof over his mouth.

Whirl smiled and looked around at everypony’s faces. “You are all so awesome.”

“Visiting hours are over, time to let the patients rest.” A nurse said as she passed by the room.

Everypony in the room let out a disappointed moan, except for Princess Celestia of course. They all said their goodbyes before leaving the room. Derpy stayed behind for a moment.

“I’ll be back tomorrow after work honey. I wish I could stay, but my boss needs to see my work improvement since my eyes have been fixed. I want to prove to everypony that I can work as hard, if not harder, than anypony now.” She explained with a slightly sad tone.

Whirl smiled. “You go be the best mail mare you can be. I am not going anywhere.” He said happily.

Derpy smiled and kissed him on his forehead before head out. Doctor Ray adjusted Whirl’s bed into a more comfortable position. “Just call for one of the nurses if you need anything; they are very worried about you.” He said happily.

“You convinced them that I am not insane?” Whirl asked with a chuckle.

“No, you did when you went into a coma and started crying.” Doctor Ray said softly. “Get some rest, tomorrow is the next step of recovery.”

“Thank you Doctor Ray.” Whirl said as he got comfortable.

Doctor Ray checked a few more things before he too headed out of the room.

Whirl closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep. Everything in his dream seemed ultra-saturated and unfocused. Whirl was walking through a field when he suddenly bumped into something, or somepony. Princess Luna stood before him with a smiled on her face. “Luna! It is so good to see you!” he said as he gave her a hug.

Luna quickly returned the hug. “I heard about what happened; I am here to guard you in your dreams.” She explained happily.

Whirl pulled away from Luna. “Why would you need to do that? How could Shadow Wind get in my dreams?” Whirl asked curiously.

“Very simply, I just tap into your brain and access your unconscious mind.” Shadow Wind said as he stepped from the saturation. “No need to be alarmed, I am not here to fight. It would be pointless in a dream anyway.”

Whirl took one look at him and noticed something more shocking than anything he had ever seen, Shadow Wind had a horn. “Now where did a pony like you get that?” Whirl asked in a hateful tone.

“Just a little something King Sombra left me; he left me more than you will ever know. I just came to negotiate your surrender to me.” Shadow Wind said as he summoned a throne to sit on.

“Why in the world would we surrender to you? You have nothing we don’t.” Luna said with a smirk.

“Psh, as far as you know; I guess you will learn the hard way what I have.” Shadow Wind said as he relaxed on his throne.

“Until then, can you just leave me alone? You really irritate me.” Whirl said in an annoyed tone.

“Very well, I will see you again soon; in the waking world.” Shadow Wind said as he vanished.

“I really, really, really hate that guy.” Luna said with a sigh.

“Does it count as hating myself if I agree?” Whirl asked with a chuckle.

“I guess it kind of does. But don’t worry, I hate Nightmare Moon so I guess it’s okay.” Luna responded with a giggle.

“Well, this is a dream, what do you want to do? I can make us anything right?” Whirl asked happily.

“Indeed that is true. You can create whatever you wish.” Lune responded with a smile. “Perhaps we can do some ice-skating?” she suggested.

“In the middle of summer?” Whirl asked with a confused look.

“We never get to ice-skate during the summer.” Luna said with a shrug.

“True enough! Let’s ice-skate then!” Whirl said as he started to concentrate. A frozen lake soon came into focus, as did two set of skates. “How’s that look?” Whirl asked happily.

“It looks wonderful.” Luna said as she magically put her skates on.

Whirl scrambled to get his skates on, and when he did he glided out onto the ice gracefully. Luna followed suit and skated up next to him. “How long have you been skating Whirl?” Luna asked curiously.

“This is my first time, but I figure since it is a dream I can chose how easy it is to do.” Whirl explained.

Luna was a bit surprised by his response. “You seem to know a lot about dreams; do you by chance lucid dream?” she asked curiously.

“Yes I do!” Whirl said as he did a backflip. “I learned it when I was young to get away from reality at night. It helped me cope with moving so much and not having any friends. I once even created a friend in my dreams to visit with, but I soon realized I was just talking to myself.” He explained.

“That would be true if it was something you created in your dreams. It would also be the perfect friend.” Luna said as she started to calmly skate across the ice.

“He really was. I guess I am my own best friend. Now I am my own worst enemy too; isn’t that ironic?” Whirl said with a chuckle.

“Indeed it is. I must depart soon, it is almost dawn.” Luna said sadly.

“What do you mean? We just started skating a moment ago.” Whirl said with a chuckle.

“Time moves quicker in reality while you are asleep. Your mind makes it go by faster.” Luna explained as everything began to fade. “Have a good day Whirl.” She said as the whole world vanished and Whirl awoke.

Whirl adjusted his bed into a laying up position and yawned. His stomach let out a loud rumble and he let out a chuckle. “Nurse!” he called out.

A nurse quickly trotted into the room with a smile. “What can I do for you Mr. Wind?” she asked kindly.

“I was wondering if I could walk around, or does the doctor want me in bed?” Whirl asked curiously.

“At this time we feel that it would be better if you stayed in bed, but I can get you anything you need.” The nurse offered kindly.

“Oh, okay. First of all, what is your name?” Whirl asked kindly.

“You can call me Nurse Red Heart.” She replied with a smile.

“Nurse Red Heart, may I have some breakfast?” Whirl asked in a polite tone.

“Yes you may, what would you like?”

“Whatever the chef feels like cooking, I don’t want anything special.”

“Alright, it should be here in thirty minutes.” Nurse Red Heart said as she started to walk out the door. “Oh one more thing Mr. Wind; I’m sorry. I didn't mean to treat you so rudely last time you were here. I suspect that a lot of ponies treated you that way even when you didn't deserve it.”

“It’s alright; I forgive everypony who treated me badly. I might have done the same thing too if I were you.” Whirl admitted.

“That’s good to hear. I’ll be right back with your breakfast.” She responded as she left.

Whirl saw Rumble sleeping on the bed next to his. Rumble rolled over and his eyes opened. “Good morning Rumble.” Whirl said with a smile.

Rumble yawned and stretched. “Good morning. How are you this morning?” Rumble asked sleepily.

“A bit light headed, but okay overall.” Whirl responded with a smile. “How are you?”

Rumble rubbed his bruised eye. “A bit sore, but okay. You got quite a kick Whirl.” Rumble said jokingly.

“You know I would never do that to you on purpose right?” Whirl asked guiltily.

“I know that, we are like best friends you and I!” Rumble said happily.

“I am so sorry I couldn’t stop him from doing that to you. I should have fought harder.” Whirl said as he rubbed his head.

“You did your best and that is the most I could ask from you.” Rumble said as Nurse Red Heart walked in with two trays of food.

“Breakfast is served.” She said happily as she placed the trays on their laps.

“Thank you.” They both responded in unison.

Nurse Red Heart wheeled the cart out of the room again and continued on her way. Whirl looked at his tray with anticipation. “Jellied toast and eggs, the breakfast of kings.” Whirl said jokingly.

Rumble chuckled and started to eat. “It tastes great!” he said happily.

Whirl scooped some eggs onto the toast and took a bite. “This is really good. Next time Nurse Red Heart comes in, remind me to thank her and the chef.” He said happily.

“Will do.” Rumble said with his mouth full.

“You should chew before you speak bud, you don’t want to get crumbs everywhere.” Whirl said with a chuckle.

Rumble swallowed his food and laughed. “You sound like my parents.”

“I am a full grown stallion, you know that right?” Whirl asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah, but you aren’t like normal grown-ups.” Rumble said happily.

“Is that so? How am I different?” Whirl asked with a smirk.

“Well, you talk to me like I am a grown-up also. You talk to me more than my parents do.” Rumble said sadly.

“I am sure your parents would talk to you more if they could. Parents tend to be really busy with work.” Whirl explained. “And of course I talk to you like you are a grown-up. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because I wouldn’t understand what you are saying.” Rumble said innocently.

“Have you been confused at all so far?” Whirl asked with a chuckle.

“No. Well, I was confused when you and Princess Celestia were talking in your sleep. Who is Shadow Wind?” Rumble asked in a confused tone.

“That is what General Wind is calling himself now. He is just an arrogant fool.” Whirl said with a chuckle.

“Arrogant? What does that mean?” Rumble asked with a chuckle.

“Somepony that thinks that they are the best thing to grace Equestria when they really aren’t.” Whirl explained.

“Oh, well then he is arrogant. I heard what he was saying when you were talking in his voice.” Rumble said with a chuckle. “I am stronger than him and you princess.” Rumble said in a bloated voice.

Whirl let out a laugh. “Yeah, he does sound like that.”

Nurse Red Heart came into the room with a smile. “Are you both done?” she asked happily.

“I am.” Whirl said with a smile. “Thank you very much for bringing it to me and thank the chef for his magnificent cooking.”

“Well thank you for the compliment on my cooking skills.” Nurse Red Heart said with a wink as she took Whirl’s plate.

“I am done too.” Rumble said happily. “It was very good.”

“Well thank you cutie.” Nurse Red Heart said happily as she took Rumble’s plate and put it on the cart.

“Nurse Red Heart, what is this pumpy thing?” Rumble asked as he pulled the blood pressure pump off the wall.

“That is to test your blood pressure dear. I’ll show you how it works right now; I need to take Whirl’s blood pressure anyway.” She responded as she took it from him. She walked over to Whirl and wrapped it around Whirl’s left fore hoof; she then squeezed it the appropriate amount before taking a reading. “Are you experiencing pain or anxiety this morning Mr. Wind?” she asked with a concerned look.

“Just a bit of light headedness; why do you ask?” Whirl asked curiously.

“Your blood pressure is extremely high. I am going to need to call in the doctor really quick.” She said as she hung the blood pressure monitor. “Try to keep calm while I am gone Mr. Wind.” She said as she walked out the door.

Rumble looked over to Whirl with concern. “Are you okay Whirl?” he asked worriedly.

“I don’t know; I just feel light headed.” Whirl said as he laid his head down.

“I hope you are okay; I don’t want anything else to happen to you.” Rumble said softly.

“I have survived through a lot worse than this Rumble. I promise I will be fine.” Whirl said with a chuckle as Doctor Ray stepped into the room.

“High blood pressure with no pain and light headedness; what could it be?” Doctor Ray said with a smile on his face. His horn started to glow and he looked over Whirl. “Well, you are physically fine; however this is a problem. I would have to say it is another side effect from the mind splitting. It is possible General Wind is experiencing pain right now.”

“Shadow Wind is what he is going by now and that makes perfect sense doctor. He is in the Everfree Forest; who knows what he is being attacked by?” Whirl said with a shrug.

“Just remain as calm as possible so that you don’t raise your blood pressure even more, okay?” Doctor Ray said as he put his stethoscope on and placed it to Whirl’s chest. “Deep breaths please.” Whirl took in a few deep breaths and let the doctor do his work. “That has to be the strangest thing I have ever heard. I can hear four lungs and two hearts, but there are only two lungs and one heart in there.” Doctor Ray said in a befuddled tone.

“I don’t think you will see or hear anything normal from me until I get better.” Whirl said with a chuckle.

“That is going to make it difficult to find out if there is something wrong with you.” Doctor Ray said worriedly.

“I think I can hold out until I am better.” Whirl said happily.

“I hope so, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” Doctor Ray said worriedly.

“You are the third or fourth pony who has said that; I didn’t know I was so important.” Whirl said with a laugh.

“You are important to your friends Whirl!” Rumble said happily.

“I can see that; I am just not used to it.” Whirl said with a chuckle.

“Well, I am going to have to come back later on to check up on you again. I have two surgeries scheduled for today and I am going to be very busy. Just ring a nurse if you need anything. Rumble you are going to be discharged today at about noon. You just have to keep your head off the ground for a while, okay?” Doctor Ray asked with a grin.

“Sure thing doc.” Rumble said happily.

“Alright, I will have the nurse bring in the last bit of paper work for you to sign so we can get you out of here and then you will be able to go. I have to go prepare for surgery now, I will see you again later Whirl.” Doctor Ray said as he left the room in a hurry.

“I guess I am going to be leaving today.” Rumble said a bit sadly.

“It’s okay; at least one of us will be free.” Whirl said with a chuckle.

Rumble let out a laugh. “No, I am just going to be trading this for school.”

“School is very important Rumble; it made me the pony I am today.” Whirl said with a smile.

“School made you awesome? I find that hard to believe.” Rumble said with a chuckle.

“I learned everything important there, like how to analyze weather patterns and cloud formations so I can do my job properly. I also learned math, science, and history. Did you know that Princess Platinum was allergic to peanuts?” Whirl said with a chuckle.

“How do you know that?” Rumble asked curiously.

“Learned it in school.” Whirl responded simply.

“I guess that is pretty cool, I just wish I had more fun while I was there.” Rumble said with a shrug.

“You can make it fun by getting more involved. Studying the subject matter before you learn it in class you can have full conversation with the teacher about what you have learned and what you do not understand. Learning is really fun if you make it that way.” Whirl said happily.

Rumble looked at Whirl with a concerned look. “Extra study and talking to the teacher is fun? Are you sure you are okay? You sound a little bit crazy.”

“Trust me when I say that everything I have said is true. Not only will you be smarter, you will also have more fun in school.” Whirl responded with a grin.

“Alright, I will give it a try. But if it gets boring then I am going to go back to just going to school normally.” Rumble said skeptically.

“Sounds like a good plan to me. Did I ever tell you that I used to go to Ponyville’s school?” Whirl asked happily.

“No you didn’t, when did you go?” Rumble asked curiously.

“I was actually in class with Cheerilee when I was there. I doubt she remembers though; I only went for a month before moving again.” Whirl said with a chuckle.

“You got to see a lot of the world as a foal huh?”

“Just about every bit that I could; Cloudsdale, Manehatten, Los Pegasus, Canterlot, Ponyville, Appleoosa and so much more. I don’t miss traveling though; it was always such a hassle and it was hard to expect to stay somewhere and then leave again.” Whirl admitted.

Nurse Red Heart walked into the room with Thunder Lane following her. “Alright, all we need you to do is sign here Rumble and you are good to leave with your brother.” She said happily as she gave Rumble a pencil and held the paperwork for him to sign.

Rumble quickly signed the paper and then hopped out of bed. “I’ll come visit you when I can Whirl, hope you get well soon.” He said happily as his brother lead him out of the room.

Nurse Red Heart walked over the Whirl and checked his vitals. “Is there anything I can get you to help you relax?” she asked with a smile.

“Do you have any books on alicorns?” Whirl asked curiously.

“I don’t think we do, but we can put a request into the library if you would like us to.” Nurse Red Heart replied with a smile.

“Yes please, it is important that I learn as much as I can about them.”

“I will write the request when I get back to my desk. Anything else?”

“I can’t think of anything, thank you though.” Whirl said with a smile.

“You’re welcome.” Nurse Red Heart said as she trotted out of the room.

****

Comments

[DustyLightning]

Didn't expect you to bring lucidity into this story. Interesting that you did though.

[Old Diggy]

learned math, science, and history

Big Bang Theme Song started playing in my head.