Progress on 'Bane' (Preview, Unedited) · 4:28am Dec 17th, 2016

I opened my mouth. Broth went in. My taste buds exploded, absorbing the wonderful mix of herbs and spices. It was like drinking a thicker herbal tea. The effects were almost immediate; my body tingled from my head all the way to my toes. The aches in my shoulder and arms faded until they were barely noticeable. I hadn’t tasted anything this good in a very long time.
“When you are well,” she told me as I was fed, “there is a tree outside next to my garden you can sit under and rest when you are well enough to be outside. We can discuss things as adults. There will be no fear, no shame. Just an attempt to understand what happened.”
My eyes switched from spoon to pony face, depending on which was craving my attention more. The broth was really, really good. Was that joy in Celestia’s eyes? Yes, I do believe that was exactly what I was witnessing on the face of the Goddess. It had to be some sort of ruse. At any moment, she would obliterate me and I would be helpless to do anything about it. Had she gone mad, too?
“What will it take for me to show I mean you no harm?” It was as if Celestia had read my thoughts. The bowl was now empty. More! I wanted more! She offered me a bit of bread with some cheese on it. I gobbled it down without thinking. “There was a time when I was furious with you, I’ll admit that. But none of us realized what was happening until it was too late. It was not your fault, John. It was not. Your. Fault.” Before I knew it, the food was gone and I was set back into the bed once again.
It was obvious I did not believe her.
“Three days you lay in that bed, John,” she went on, rising to her hooves. The bed creaked again as she did. “Before that, I took the time to bathe you get you cleaned. I trimmed that awful beard of yours. Honestly! I could have sworn you had a bird’s nest in there!” Light laughter chased her words and she smiled. It was a genuine smile, I think. It faded quickly and she became serious. “I could have done terrible things to you, John, but I did not. I could not. I did not want to. I need for you to understand there is nothing to forgive. What happened was regrettable. It caused me no end of pain in my heart.”
“Why?” I pleaded with a voice as timid as a mouse. “Why are you doing this?”
“I am alone, John. You have been alone for well over two hundred years. Think about how you felt. Now think about how I might feel.” She took the tray with the empty bowl to the kitchen area. I just now noticed there was a small round table next to it. Small pictures and painting hung on the walls. There were four windows and each one was closed. The sky —what I could see of it— was gray and rain splattered against the glass. “I can’t expect you to forget what happened. That would be foolish and irresponsible. The best I can do for you is to help cope with the past so you can mend in the present and hope for a brighter future.”

Keep in mind, there could still be changes. I expect to write the whole thing out before publishing, so this'll give me an idea of what you guys think of it to this point.

Obligatory Adorable Pony Pics!