//------------------------------// // 2. Awakening // Story: Good Things Come // by Sweet Tale //------------------------------// ....ver here! It hit the... ...under the planks! My consciousness began to reboot and I heard some voices coming and fading. From what I could hear, they were female. Let's lift up the pla--..............--ee what you were talking about... I felt the rubble weighing me down being lifted piece by piece. I tried to lift my head and managed to raise it a few inches, lifting what I think was rubble above my head, before it fell again from fatigue. My head started pounding once again, emitting wave after wave of agony. Aah! Something's moving! Oh my! It could be really hurt! Get the rubble off, quickly! My hearing was returning slighlty. The voices sounded concerned for my safety. The weight got less and less before the sound of many planks of wood hitting the ground was heard. Aah, it's the monster! Run! Girls, wait! Wai...oh never mind. Now let's see what's so...oh...oh my...what are you? I opened my eyes as much as I could and saw something bright...something yellow...and it was moving. My vision was still blurred so I couldn't make out what it was. I stared at this glowing colour and tried to talk. "He...lp...please....help...", was all I was able to mutter. *Gasp* You...you can talk... The yellow...thing sounded scared. I tried to respond but the pain in my head was still pounding away, affecting my vision again. I tried to keep focus on this beacon of hope with the angelic voice but to no avail. The world around me grew darker and darker and...gone. Oh...oh dear. ------------------------------------------------------ *GASP* Of course, Doctor. I'd love to travel with you! Hey, why is it bigger on the inside? A trip? Ok, sure. Just let me know when you're going to--*BEEP*--what was that beep just now? *BEEP* There it is again! *BEEP* What is it? *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* "Urgh...what the hell?.....Still dark...why do my dreams always cut out at the best moment? Oh well...might as well try and get back to...ARGH! What the...?" *BEEP* I tried to move my body to provide a better sleeping condition - bad idea. I moved the slightest inch and my whole body screamed in pain. I tried to move my left arm but it seemed locked in place and any attempt to dislodge it proved painful. I tried the right arm which moved well but my hand felt heavier than usual. I attempted to move my legs. Left one first. "Ok, let's try thi--ARGH! MOTHER FU--". Ok, not such a good idea. I cautiously moved my right leg which moved fine. *BEEP* "Ok, what the hell is going on? Is this some sort of stroke?......I must be dreaming...yep, just a normal...pain inducing...dream. Let's try the old 'pinch yourself' technique.", I talked out loud. I attempted to pinch the skin on my waist but felt a mass of cloth rub against it instead. *BEEP* "Errr...what's wrong with my hand?...and what is that bloody beeping?" I asked myself. Losing myself in my thoughts for a moment, I heard a door open. 'That doesn't sound like my front door...or any door in my flat for that matter', I thought to myself. I heard the 'click-clack' of what sounds like high-heel shoes on a hard floor getting louder and louder, sounding like it was approaching me. Getting frustrated, I decided to speak up. "Hey! I can hear someone getting closer! What is all this? Is this some kind of joke?!", I shouted, getting a bit riled from the situation. "I can assure you that this is no joke Mister.", a male voice came from the left. "Ah! What the...I was expecting a woman. Why are you wearing high-heels?" "Erm, I don't know what these 'high-heels' are but if I understand what you are thinking is correct, I don't wear shoes." "Right...ok" "Amazing...it really can talk. I thought she made it up..." "What are you talking about? Of course I can talk." "Well, we wouldn't have known that would we? I mean, the rest of the staff don't have a clue what you are!", the voice replied in a shocked tone. "...............Who are you? Where am I? Why can't I see?" I asked in, at least, under two seconds flat. The source of the voice walked around to where my feet where. From what I could hear, he was turning pages of paper. "Well, my name is Doctor Stitch, you are in a hospital and the reason you cannot see is due to bandaging around your head. We needed to clean up your injuries." "........" "Are you okay?" "Doctor Stitch?", I said, stifling a giggle. "What kind of a name is that? It's ridiculous! I mean, who in their right mind would name...wait, did you say injuries?" "Yes, that's right. From what I've been told, you kind of...crashed into a local childhood structure and severely injured yourself. I imagine that you've felt the pain in your limbs by now." "WHAT?! I don't remember 'crashing' into anything. Besides, I can't even drive! Where on earth did you get this story from--ARGH!" I moved my arm ever so slightly causing a wave of pain to shoot down it. I began to cough and wheeze trying to catch my breath from the pain. "STOP! Try not to move your limbs at all, they are in very bad shape. I'll get you some water to drink - Nurse! I need a glass of water for bed 6!" At that point, I heard another set of 'click-clacks' on the floor approach me. "Here you are mister. Open wide.", a female voice asked. I opened my mouth and the water was poured into my throat slowly. It tasted amazing, even though it was only water. I heard a slight jingling whilst drinking. Finishing the drink, I opted to speak. "Thanks very much...nice wind chimes." "Uhh...thanks.", the female voice replied before walking away. After having my throat cleansed, I asked the question I had wanted to ask the whole time. "Alright Doc, lay it on me. What exactly happened to me?" The doctor sighed and dragged something across the floor - a chair I presume. "Ok. It's probably best that you know. It started on the Night of the Shooting Stars when Miss Fluttershy ran into the hospital." "Miss Fluttershy?" ------------------------------------------------------ The Night of the Shooting Stars festival was finally over. The ponies of Equestria were retiring to their homes and settling down for the night. On a hill, on the outskirts of Ponyville, many ponies were packing up their picnic blankets and refreshments and heading on home. The Elements of Harmony and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were walking back towards Ponyville, idly chatting away about how beautiful the night's spectacle had been. The CMC's, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had all used their wishes on getting their cutie mark but nothing had happened. Not yet anyway. "I knew it was a stupid wish.", Scootaloo quipped. "Don't worry, we've still got time. It might not happen until morning!", Sweetie Belle offered to try to cheer up her friend. "Hey yeah, that's right! It might happen to us while we're asleep. I don't wanna miss that!", Apple Bloom exclaimed. Suddenly, an idea sprang into Apple Bloom's mind. "Hey! Why don't we have a sleepover tonight? That way, we can stay with each other and stay up till our cutie marks appear!" "Oh yeah! That's an awesome idea. But...isn't it a bit late? I don't think my sis will let me go to a sleepover now...", replied Sweetie. "Oh, don't worry, I'll go and ask my sis and Rarity. I'm sure they'll say yes." With that, Apple Bloom sped up to Applejack and Rarity, who were talking about their workload. "Well I must say darling, you sound like you have your hooves full for the next couple of weeks with Big Mac feeling under the weather.", Rarity stated. Applejack quickly responded. "Hey! Don't you worry about little old me. Heck, I can take on the whole apple orchard myself!" Applejack felt something bump into her right side. "Applejack, Rarity! Can me, Sweetie and Scootaloo have a sleepover tonight at the barn? Pleeeeease!", Apple Bloom asked with the best puppy-dog eye face she could muster. Applejack and Rarity both looked at each other with blank stares, then smiled at each other and nodded. "Course ya can, little sis. Just remember it's late already so you won't be staying up TOO LATE!", Applejack shouted at the end but Apple Bloom was already back with her friends. "She said yes! Fell for the old sad face look again, hehe.", Apple Bloom happily stated. "Excellent!", Sweetie and Scootaloo both responded. The CMC's ran ahead to go and pick up their sleepover supplies from the clubhouse, where they had left them the night before last. They were about 50 meters away from the clubhouse, when Scootaloo stopped dead in her tracks. "*GASP* Guys, look up there!" Sweetie and Apple Bloom looked up to where Scootaloo was pointing to see a bright white light growing bigger and bigger. "Wooow...", all three of them said, gazing at the sight. "Uhh, is it me or is it getting closer?", Sweetie exclaimed. "Nah, don't be silly.", responded Apple Bloom. "There's no way it could be...could be......IT IS GETTING CLOSER!" she screamed. "Everypony get back!" shouted Scootaloo. The three fillies, ran away from the light before it soared closer and closer and......*SMASH* It hit the clubhouse, destroying it in the process. The light ebbed away and the remains of the clubhouse lay in a heap on the ground. The fillies approached cautiously. "What in Celestia was that?!", Scootaloo shouted suddenly, making Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle jump. "Ah! Don't do that!", Apple Bloom said angrily. The CMC's walked up to the remains of their once great clubhouse and noticed something under the main pile of wood and rubble. Apple Bloom lifted up a plank of wood to see what was underneath, only to be greeted by the sight of a creature's face, covered in blood. Dropping the plank back down, she screamed and ran towards Sweetie and Scootaloo. "What is it? What's wrong?", Sweetie asked calmly. "There's...there's something in the rubble. It's a monster!", Apple Bloom screamed. "A monster? Really?....Awesome, I wanna look at--", Scootaloo said inquisitively approaching the rubble before Apple Bloom pulled her back. "NO! It's a monster, don't touch it!", she cried. "Well, what do we do?", Sweetie asked. Apple Bloom seemed to calm down slightly and tried to think. "I...I don't know. It was bleeding so maybe it's hurt. We should get somepony to help!" With that, the CMC's ran back towards Ponyville, hoping to bump into a familiar pony. Their prayers were answered when they spotted Fluttershy coming their way. Apple Bloom ran up to her, shouting at her a million miles a minute. "FLUTTERSHYWEFOUNDAMONSTERANDITLOOKSHURTCANYOUCOMEANDHELPIT?!" "Umm...could you say that again, please...if that's ok..." Fluttershy asked. Apple Bloom sat down and spoke slowly...slowly for her that is. "We found a monster. It crashed into our clubhouse and we think it's hurt. Can you come and help it?" Fluttershy just stood there, mouth agape at what Apple Bloom had said. Thinking for a second, she remembers hearing them asking Applejack for a sleepover. 'Oh, they must have had a bad dream. I'll play along', she thought to herself happily. "Ok, girls. I'll come and see this 'monster' that you found.", Fluttershy responded with a smile on her face. Following the girls back to the clubhouse, she was shocked to see that the clubhouse had indeed been destroyed. She followed the CMC's to the pile of rubble. "It's over here!", Sweetie directed. "It hit the clubhouse!", Scootaloo stated. "Look under the planks!", Apple Bloom cried. Fluttershy approached the pile of planks. "Let's lift up the planks. This is where the monster is? Let's see what you were talking about.", she said. Fluttershy started lifting a few planks off the pile before a few raised by themselves a few inches before going back down again. Scootaloo jumped back in fear. "Aah! Something's moving!" "Oh my! It could be really hurt! Get the rubble off, quickly!" Fluttershy ordered. All of them started lifting off the remnants of the clubhouse before the CMC's all stopped and dropped whatever they had in their hooves. Apple Bloom quickly shouted. "Aah! It's the monster! Run!' With that, the CMC's sped off into the distance leaving Fluttershy alone. "Girls, wait! Wai...oh never mind. Now let's see what's so...oh...oh my..." Fluttershy froze in place at the creature that lay before here. A large hair-less creature with four limbs and five digits on each end of each limb. No hair, apart from a patch on top of the head. "What are you?", she muttered to herself. The creature started to open it's eyes and they stared at Fluttershy. Still froze in fear, all she could was stare back - oh, she was good at this. A minute passed before the creature made a grunt...then a noise. "He...lp...please....help..." Fluttershy gasped loudly, focusing on the now talking creature. "You...you can talk", she stuttered. The creature's eyes then darted around all over the place, as if they were trying to focus. They then slowly closed and the creature stopped moving. Fluttershy moved forward ever so slightly and prodded the creature on the head. Nothing. She then looked at her hoof which was covered in a familiar red fluid. "Oh...oh dear.", she mumbled. Her element then kicked in and her motherly instincts took over. She hauled the creature out of the rubble, being careful not to injure it any further. It was only then that she realised that most of the bones in the creature looked out of place, as if they were broken. The creature, being much bigger than she was, was very difficult to carry in her hooves. Realising her medical care was out of range, Fluttershy decided to take the creature to the local hospital. Dragging the creature about 60 feet towards the general direction of the hospital, she collapsed with fatigue. Not wanting to give up, she picked up the creature below with her forehooves and tried to fly. Although it being tough, she managed to fly at a steady pace, eventually reaching the hospital in about 7 minutes. Barging through the main doors, she landed with an audible thump. "Nurse Redheart! I found this creature unconscious outside. It's hurt and it needs help!", she cried loudly. Nurse Redheart looked up from her paperwork. "Miss Fluttershy, you know better than I that this hospital is for ponies only and I can not acc--" She looked at the creature on the floor in shock. Mumbling a few incoherent words, she immediately called for help and a team of doctors and nurses put the creature on a gurney before wheeling it into the wards. ------------------------------------------------------ "...and that's about it.", Doctor Stitch finished. I did nothing. I said nothing. "Err, excuse me. Are you there?", the doctor asked. "........Yeah....I'm here......so all that happened right? "I'm afraid so. You've been unconscious for 4 days now. You should be glad that Miss Fluttershy found you when she did otherwise you'd be...well...you wouldn't be here right now. That hit home. 'I have to find this pony and thank her for saving my life. That's unbelieveable.', I thought to myself. Wait...pony?! "Wait a minute. You said that she was a pony......and you also said she flew me here. What in the holy mother of god are you talking about?" "Well, given what you are, I can assume that you're not from around here...or anywhere close to here in that matter. If you really want to know, we are all ponies here...and I have never seen one of your kind before..." "......yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a load of crap. You say you're all ponies...I say this is all a massive prank. A pretty elaborate one at that - to come up with that whole 'accident' story. It's brilliant. Must be why I'm blinded - so I can't see you're all a bunch of students!", I said in a laughing voice. "As I said before, this is no joke and it is certainly no prank." The doctor sighs heavily. "...Right, ok. The only way you'll believe me is if I take off the bandages covering your head. This was to cover up a head wound you sustained in the crash. I'm sorry but...you may not like what you see." The way he said that made my heart stop - he was dead serious. The bandages on my head slowly unravel and my eyes adjust to the world around me. I sat up slowly to look around. My eyes focus on a brown, moving object close to my left arm. My eyes adjust further...then fully. I froze in fear at what I was looking at. A brown/tan coloured pony wearing a doctor's uniform. It had glasses and even a stethoscope......AND A HORN! I start giggling uncontrollably. "Ha...hahaha...haaa...this is...ha...unicorn...", I mutter. "Are you ok? You look a little dizzy.", the doctor asked. "Hah! What about you? You're not even in focus.....ugh...." *THUD* The doctor looked at my body, which was passed out over the side the bed, before sighing. "Urgh...another fainter..."