The Story of Ian Camron

by Swordoath

The Runaway and The Savior

Everything hurt when I gradually drew my mind to consciousness. My forelegs, my chest, and especially my horn. It felt like somepony had taken a hammer to my unconscious body and smashed every inch of it.

In such a state, you can imagine how long it took me to open my eyes. My surrounding gradually became more distinct- I was in a metal- framed bed, surrounded by curtains. By my let side, Lyra slumped in a wooden chair, and on my right, Sarah kept carefull vigil over me.

"I-Ian!" She exclaimed, noticing my apparent rise from the dead. Her startled tone woke Lyra, who rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her hooves.

Sarah dragged me upright and gave me a hug. I cried out as my aching body was thrust upwards, and she jerked back, allowing be to fall back on my pillow. "Oh! Oh god, sorry!"

"Ow- I-its fine, its fine. " I lied. "Where-?"

"You're in Ponyville Hospital," Lyra answered. "We were so worried. When Twilight and her friends brought you through town to get you here, I was so scared I'd lose you."

"So was I. You... you were barely breathing, Ian. Not to mention..." Sarah brought a hoof up to her forehead.

I mimicked the motion, wincing at the pain. My horn... it was broken. The stub of where it has been was jagged and sharp, and left me feeling even worse. Despite all the problems magic had caused me, it felt like I was cut off from a big part of myself.

"Oh... oh god..." I said. "I... I don't even-"

I heard a door open. Twilight and her friends walked in, as well as a pony dressed for medical practice.

"Oh! You're awake!" Twilight said, surprised.

"Y-yeah, I am." I stammered. The memories of my rude insults and hatred of them rose in my mind. "But are you guys all...?"

"We're alright, Ian." AppleJack responded. "Thanks te' you."

"That was quite heroic what you did back there, stepping in to take the magic blast." Rarity complimented.

"Yeah. You were SO AWESOME!" Rainbow added.

"We should throw a party!" Pinkie said, hopping up and smiling.

I didn't feel like a hero. I didn't feel awesome. I felt horrible, not just my body. It was because of me they were in danger in the first place. It was my fault Sombra had almost killed them all. Hell, I tried to MURDER their princess. Yet they treated me like I'd saved them from someone else, making me feel all the more guilty. I was no hero, no savior, no miracle. I was a traitor, a jerk. I'd hated nopony now. Only myself.

The doctor made them all leave the room. Sarah lingered in the doorway, giving me a little wave.

The doctor ran a few tests and asked me some questions, though his slightly (though unintentional) condescending manner did make me snap in responce once or twice. After that, he left the room, telling me to get some rest.

The doctor came back out into the hall. Apple-whatsit, the quiet one, and the rainbow pegasus had left, likely having jobs to attend to. The other three stayed, along with Lyra and I.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," he said gravely. "Ian's health, while currently stable, is not going to recover. The loss of his horn means that he can no longer exert the magical buildup that he so uniquely has. Without magic, the energy is forced to be used in other ways, such as heat energy or kninetic energy. For a while, it will make him stronnger, and he will litterally emit heat at a constant rate. But the continued buildup will either overwork his muscles, including his heart, and tear them apart, possibly inducing a heart attack, or the heat will incinerate his own body."

I covered my gaping mouth with a hoof in a vain attempt to hide my horror. He would still die, even after all of this? That's not... it's not fair. Not to him. Not to his friends. Not to me.

"I-is there any way we can prevent this?" The purple one asked. "Any way to heal him?"

"Well, in theory, were we to have the broken end of his horn, the massive amount of energy he contracts would re-fuse it to the broken protusion on his head." Answered the doctor, examining an x-ray of Ian's skull.

My eyes lit up. There was still a chance. I could save him again.

"How much time do we have until...?" The pink one gestured a knife over the throat.

"Three, four days if he exerts himself enough to burn off energy."

"What're we waiting for? Let's get back to the castle and look for it!"I said, rising from the chair.

"It's a five hour ride one way. We have about two and a half days to find it and get it back to him." Lyra said, doing as I did. "C'mon! Let's hurry!"

The five of us ran out on the doctor, strait to the station. No matter how long it takes, or how hard it is, I'm saving him. He'd do the same for me.

Midnight approached. I'd been unable to sleep. Whether it was the hollowness in my chest, the phantom pain in my half-horn, or the restless energy stirring in me, I knew not. I rose from the hospital bed, to look out the window. The doctor had repeatedly assured me I'd be fine, but I wasn't sure I deserved- or even wanted to be. This well-founded guilt was eating me inside out. Everyone I met I ended up hurting. Celestia, Twilight, her friends, Sarah, even Sombra had me turned against him.

I didn't want anypony to get hurt because of me. I had to distance myself from them- if I'm not around, I can't hurt them. I recalled to memory a map of the nearby regions I'd looked over on my first day In Ponyville- there was a fairly empty desert not far from ponyville. I could take a train, as far away from my undeserved friends as possible, and walk away from the town until... well, until something happens.

I had no belongings to pack- my rag of a hoodie was long gone, I no longer wanted the cloak Sombra bequiethed to me, and as for the Alicorn amulet- I tore it off and threw it into the garden in front of the hospital. Let it be lost forever in the hedges.

I was on the second floor, but the halls were guarded. For who, I couldn't guess. So I hopped down out the window into the hedges- not a soft landing at all. I was fairly sure I sprained a back hoof, but I got out of there as quickly as I could. Nopony followed me as I galloped to the train station. I quickly realized I had no bits or jewels to pay for a ticket. So crawled beneath the train and held on for dear life to the bottom as it left Ponyville. I didn't grow cold, despite the frigid night. And my forelegs and hindlegs never tired, surprisingly. I held on for quite a ways distance.

I'm doing the right thing, I thought over and over. I'm doing the right thing...

Author's Note:

My own heart dropped in my chest as I wrote this. Atthe same time the brilliance of my own mind left me in awe of myself...
God, I am such an overconfident mess. XD
What will become of Ian? That is a chapter for another day.