Chapter 23
Stage Fright
"Chin up"
"I still look weird..."
"Stop complaining, at least you got your face back"
"But now I have this weird mutton-chop-like patches of fur on my face... and I still have the ears, the tail, the paws. Oh! And did I mention I am still like ninety percent covered in fur?!"
"The ears look cute"
I facepalm, "What has my life turned into...?"
"Stop complaining, you know you like it," Noctis winks
"How would you know?"
"Your tail is wagging for starters"
I blush, God, kill me now...
"Oh, now you're sad"
"Stop it," we stop in front of the little café, "We're here," Good thing almost everypony- ... ... ... That... That just happened...
"Luis, you look a bit pale. Are you alright?"
"Yeah... Just thinking we might be too early... yeah," Good thing EVERYBODY is asleep at the moment. I look so weird right now...
The door swings open and out comes a French-looking waiter, "Welcome, welco- PRINCE!! I mean *cough cough* Welcome, your majesty to my humble café. Please come in," he gestures to follow him
"Nice decor, simple, yet, it has a nice style," Not as French as I was expecting though...
"It is high praise come from you, prince. Please sit anywhere, I come around with your menus"
"Of course, thank you," he walks to the kitchen, Probably boasting to the chef or something, "Red, where do you want to sit?"
"On a comfy bed..."
"..." eyebrow goes up
"What?!"
"We just spend like the past eight hours sleeping... Ju-just sit somewhere"
She walks to the window table as I follow, "Here," she sits and leans the crutch on the wall, I sit, "Here, pass me the thing"
I give it to her, "Crutch"
"Whatever"
The waiter comes back and hands us menus, "Anything to start? Might I recommend our freshly brewed coffee?"
I quickly scan the drinks, I think I'll get the hot chocolate, "Noctis?"
"I'll have the hot cocoa, thank you"
"I'll have the same," I add
"You got it. I'll be right back with your drinks," He heads to the kitchen
"Red, the fact that I look pale might have something to do with loosing about two liters of blood last night, maybe?"
"What?"
"You said I looked pale. Before we came in?"
"Oh... What I meant was that you seemed to have something bugging you"
You would probably laugh if I told you, "It was nothing," For some reason, I don't find that idea unpleasant..., I start going through the menu, "Do you know what you want?" Chicken sandwich?!! Ooooh, I'm getting that
"I think I'll have the breakfast sandwich, what about you?"
"Chicken sandwich for sure!"
"Sounds like it's good"
"I've never eaten here, so I wouldn't know. I just hadn't had any meat in almost a month"
"Just don't drool on the table," Noctis adds smugly, I wipe my mouth, "Wait! You actually thought...??!!"
"Well, currently I am in a half-wolf state, so I wouldn't doubt it," And my teeth still feel sharp, so...
"You worry too much"
"Sorry, that's what I do"
The waiter comes back with two steaming mugs, "Your drinks," He takes out a notepad, "Are you ready to order?"
I turn to Noctis, she nods, "It appears so"
"What would you be having this splendid morning?"
I signal to Noctis to order first
"I'll have the breakfast sandwich"
He turns to me, "And the Prince?"
"I'll have the chicken sandwich, thank you"
He gets a little surprised, but hides it quickly, "A breakfast and chicken sandwich coming right up," and to the kitchen he goes
"Luis, yesterday you said you've been in Equestria for ten days"
"Yes...?"
"I was just wondering... do you..." a blush becomes evident on her face, "...do you like me?"
"I ..." ... Not expecting that question...
"I guess not," she looks down
"What?!"
"I'm too different, aren't I? You just had pity on me"
"No no no no! I do," I gently grab her hand, "I said it before, I like your company, I really do... like you," now I'm the one blushing, "By the way, have you taken a look at me? If you think you're too different, then I'm off the charts"
She giggles, "No kidding. Sorry, for... that"
"Don't worry," I cup her hands with mine, and kiss them, "If something bothers you, just tell me," We're in public... awkwaaaaard...
"I'll try to keep that in mind. Anyway, thank you for carrying my armour, it would be weird coming here with it"
"I know, same reason I'm not wearing the cape, it's weird"
"Oh come on! The cape is not weird, you look fantastic in it"
"Say 'fantastic' again"
"What?"
"Please?"
"Uhmm, fantastic..."
"I really like the way you say things," I rub my neck, "I got not excuses..."
She blushes, "T-thank you"
"If you need more com- nevermind, that sounds way to cheesy..."
"I like how awkward you are sometimes"
"Honestly, I feel so awkward in public all the time..." I look around seeing there are ponies apart from us getting breakfast, "... Even more so now that I am so... so... different to everyone else," I straighten on my seat as the waiter gets here
He places our plates on the table, "Sorry it took a while. Please, enjoy"
"We will, thank you," I take a bite of my sandwich, "Mmm, it's so good," I begin scarfing it down
"Slow down there, you're going to choke again"
"Don't remind me"
Do remind me, tho
Shut up!, I finish my sandwich quite quickly, "I think I'll get another," Noctis almost chokes at my comment, "Don't choke"
"Since when do you eat so much?"
"Since it's not a salad"
"Salads are delicious, I don't know what you're on about"
"I'll admit it, the vegetables here have a more... colourful taste. I can't say they don't taste good, but meat? I would've settled for fish at this point"
"..."
"What is it, Red?"
"It's just... I don't know why I haven't asked this before..."
"Yeeees?"
"What about my parents? If I have any..."
"Oh... I don't know if you have any- well, you probably- I mean, most likely do. But err... I guess that's a thing for when we go to Canterlot now"
"I feel like there is more"
"I'm not sure. There is this guy, Cutting Edge, he seemed to worry about you, but I only met him once, so I truly have no idea if you are related. Specially since you never told me anything about him, and you had a neutral reaction when we bumped into him. Fun fact: he gave me the armour, and he's the royal blacksmith"
"I guess he'll be the first pony to talk to"
"I thought you didn't want your memory back"
"I said I didn't care if I never got them back, but that doesn't mean I don't want to know more"
"Sooo... My plan from yesterday? To get your file?"
"I guess it couldn't hurt"
"I'll talk to my Aunt about it"
"Why not Princess Celestia?"
"She runs the day court, my aunt the night court. So far it looks like we are more likely to be awake for the night court, sooo... Yeah"
"I guess..." she finishes her food, "Are you going to get another?"
"Possibly not actually. We still have the party after this"
"You are going to be center of attention"
"I'm planning on getting rid of this ridiculous look before then"
The waiter comes back, "How was you meal, Prince? Ma'am?"
"It was good, thank you. Noctis, do you want anything else?"
"No, I'm good thanks"
"Then, just the bill, thanks"
"No, Prince, you're presence is valuable enough"
I put an unamused face, "Please... How much?"
"Of course," he takes out a notepad, "17 bits is your total"
I pay, and we soon leave the café, "What should we do now?"
"Well, the party is an about an hour. Do you want to go help them?"
"Sure, it's not like we have anything better to do"
"Not even trying to get rid of that tail?"
"It took me almost two hours to get my face back..."
"Is that a 'no'?"
"Let's just go to Sugarcube Corner... Actually, I'll need to get some scrolls first"
And so we did, then we limped our way to SCC. Honestly I feel like I could walk properly now, but still feel a bit weak on the legs, might be the fact that I lost about 2 liters of blood, just a thought. Anyways, we got to the bakery and everything was mostly set up, Pinkie was just setting up the candles that RD so 'generously' provided on the cake. Funny enough, Noctis and I were forced to not help; I still levitated things closer for them though, I don't think they noticed. Anyways, not too soon after, all the ponies started arriving, and then there was Gilda who may or may not have been shocked almost immediately with a handshake
I should mention, before I continue this, that Noctis decided to get us some milkshakes so she's kind of gone at the moment
I walk up to Gilda and Pinkie, "Mmm, smells like fried chicken, delicious"
"Shut up monkey-boy"
"Gilda!! Show some respect!"
I put my hand on RD's shoulder, "Well, she's not wrong"
"What? But you're human, not a monkey!"
Twilight steps in front of RD, "From what Luis has told me, monkeys and apes are sister-evolutions to humans"
"Exactly," I have an idea... "Hey, Gilda, let's try some of those lemon drops," I walk up to the bowl and eat one, Holy shit! They are spicy, "Not bad," I take another, They taste like... 'tamborines', but spicier and sweeter... and lemon...
"Don't mind if I do," Gilda pops a candy into her beak, "SPICY!!!"
"Gilda, the punch!," RD, that smile is devilish..., Gilda takes RD's advice and runs for the punch table, You probably know the rest of what happens next, audience... if there is one...
There is
Goodie... I eat another candy, "Dash, you'll need to share this recipe with me, they're good"
"I made them as spicy as possible... how are you eating them so easily??"
"I once ate a Ghost pepper," I eat another to show I can, "That pepper can cause chemical burns is so strong," Didn't I burn my hand with it? I look at my hand and notice the splotch is still barely visible, "Actually..." I show my hand, "I still have the burn"
"Dear Celestia..."
"And you ate it???!!"
"I got it on my hand while spitting it out, so not really 'ate' it," I get poked from behind by Noctis
"I got you strawberry, I didn't know what else to get you..." she hands me my shake
"Thanks, Red," I put my arm around her
"Did I miss something..."
"And here I thought you were tough"
"Would you like to have a word with me, Gilda?"
"NO! *Ahem*! No, thank you"
"That's what I thought," I look down at Noctis, who's just whatching this exchange with a bit of amusement, That's awesome
"We definetely missed something..." Twi glace goes back and forth between Noctis and me, "Two things, Why are you calling her 'Red'? And why the hugging?"
"He's been calling me Red since the hospital, probably before that too... as for the hug..." she blushes and kind of lowers her head
God! This feels so awkward... I look at Noctis, DON'T BE A PUSSY, YOU BITCH!! I lift her head, Still... so awkward... I look into her eyes, Does it matter...? "Because..." She makes me the happiest I've ever felt since I was naive, I kiss her forehead, "Because... I like her..." ...and I honestly never thought I could like someone... not since... nevermind
"I like you too..."
Almost everyone 'awwws' except the CMCs, and RD and Gilda, they just mock gag
"I must tell the Princess about this!"
"How about you let me do that? She's kind of my mom, you know?" I take out the pen and a scroll, "I'm prepared too"
"Where's your ink well?"
"Oh my dear Twilight, you have so much to learn... You guys should continue the party while I do this, I'll be with you soon"
"So you made the candy, Dash?" Gilda asks as they walks to the game corner
"Yet another change I've caused... Right. Letter," Noctis leans on me, happily drinking her milkshake, "Let's sit somewhere"
I wrote two letters, one for Luna and one for Celestia. For Luna, I told her our plan is a go and I need Noctis's file. For Celestia, I just gave her an update here in Ponyville, made friends with Gilda, yada yada yada, and hinted at Noctis and I. I mean, 'she's lovely help' is a good hint, no?
I don't think so
Shut up! Now I just need- ... Wait a minute! Where's the power armour you said you could get me? I've had three packages since then
The best I could do without- ... I could only increase your chances without being punished!
Relax, holy damn! Anyways, party's dying down finally, but before I get ahead of myself, I can actually play the music on the pip-boy. It gives me a holotape that I just put on the reader, and bam! This lead to me experimenting to see who liked what, and te results were... predictable. Rainbow likes rock 'n' roll, Fluttershy the beatles, Rarity classical, yada yada yada. Like I was saying party's basically over, Gilda didn't lose a friend; so what? Four things I've changed so far?
"Well, Gilda, colour me impressed, you like ACDC, nice!" we fist bump
"Maybe you're not as soft as I thought"
"Believe me when I say, having a soft side can only harden your nasty side. Try making more freinds and you'll se what I mean"
"See you lame-o's later," with a wave, she takes off to the sky
I turn to the gang, "Looks like she likes you," I smirk at them
"That didn't seem very frien'ly to me"
"Luis, I have to agree"
"No, Luis definetely has the right grasp on Gilda. That was the first nickname she gave me," Rd seems to reminisce a little bit, "Anyways, she's taking the overnight train to griffonstone,"
"Awww. I didn't get to say goodbye..."
I smile at myself, "You could probably catch her at the train station if you hurry"
She gasps, "You're right!," only a Pinkie-shaped dust cloud is left as she leaves
"I have no idea what my actions just cause..."
"Whatever do you mean, darling?"
"Gilda and Rainbow were supposed to have a major falling out today, and I just changed that..."
"It couldn't be all that bad that she made new friends instead of losing an old one, right?"
"That butterfly effect is going to do something... Good or bad, only time will tell..."
"Come on, prince, it couldn't be that bad"
"There you go calling me prince again," I smile at Noctis
"Your negativity and thousand meter stare make it easy"
"Well, how would you like it if I called you-! ... Call you, errrr..." Honey, no. Sweetheart, awkward. Sweet cheeks, defientely not... "I got nothing. That's a first"
But you do
Nothing sarcastic though
"You already call me 'Red' anyways"
"I guess"
"I'm gonna hit the hay, goodnight everypony," RD stretches with a yawn
"Oh god... Tomorrow is the press conference...!" I am not ready for that. How many ponies are going?! Is it the whole town?? It's going to be the whole town plus others from the other cities, isn't it?! Of course it i-
Noctis shakes my arm, "Equestria to Luis, you there?"
"Ya... just got a bit nervous... for... tomorrow..." Don't gulp, don't gulp...
"Don't worry, you'll do fine"
"I'm just not a fan of large crowds..."
Fluttershy puts a hand on my shoulder, "I understand...," she says with a sympathetic smile
Let's just skip to tomorrow...
Skip!
==[POV - Noctis]==
"You'll do fine," Celestia fixes Luis's collar as he gives a weak smile, "Just answer the questions, it is that simple"
"Nothing is that simple. What if they ask something I don't have an answer to? What if it's a question that might paint us in a bad light? What about then?!"
"I might have the answers you don't know," Rick trys to ease the tension, "As for the other, we'll figure it out," He pats Luis on the back
"We have the utmost trust in you"
"What if it's a question that I won't answer?"
"Why would you not answer a question?," Twilight joins in
"I ... it's complicated..."
"Luis, I'll be right here, just behind the curtain," I grab his hand and give a small squeeze, "The Princesses will be out there with you too, so there is nothing to worry about"
"At least I don't look ridiculous anymore or need the crutch, so I guess that's a plus?"
"What happened that you looked ridiculous?"
"Nothing you would take seriously"
A backstage pony a approaches us, "Princesses, your cue is in thirty seconds"
"Mom, aunt, good luck"
"I think you will need it more than us," the princess hugs him and Luna joins in
"Princesses, ten seconds"
"You will do fine, my dear nephew"
"Five, four, three, two," he pulls the curtain aside to let the princesses through, then looks at me, "Prince Luis, human Rick, you're up in five"
"Luis, I'll go back to the others," she does a double take on Luis, "Don't worry, we are on the first row. If you need to relax, just look at us and think we're the only ones here
"Besides, I'll out there with you. Doing the same thing, I might add"
"Noctis, why don't you join us out there?"
"I wouldn't want to impose..." I'm sure everypony will look at me funny
"Red, are you sure? I'd feel a lot better seeing you out there, i-i-if you wouldn't mind that is," he gives me a weak but happy smile, "Please?"
"I ... But..." I sigh and smile at him, "Fine, I'll be there"
"Then, let's go"
"Sirs? Three minutes," the assistant says as Twilight and I exit the backstage area
We sit down while Princess Luna answers a few questions about Nightmare Night
"We would now like to introduce the newest memeber of the Royal family, Luis, and his friend, Rick, the humans"
Rick steps through the curtain smiling and waving, Luis following trying to copy his confident attitude. Luis's eyes bounce all around the room, He's so nervous... Come on Luis, breathe
"Hello everybo-pon- everypony, errr, my name is Luis and this is my friend Rick... Like the Princess said, we are humans and we come from a different universe... A-ask away I guess"
"Any questions you have we are here to answer, although, we only have one hour so try not to make it too loaded," Rick says with a friendly and confident tone, They're so different!
Ponies start to line up in the middle isle to use the microphone, and the questions start
Flashback
Luis and I were in the guest room in the library the night before the event
"Are you ready for tomorrow?"
"For the most part, I guess..." he sat down on the bed, "It's just... a lot, you know?"
"It's just a few questions"
"A few questions by a few hundred ponies... What if I say the wrong thing? What if-?! Nevermind," He said burrying his face on his hands
"What is it? 'What if' what?"
He turned to me, "It's just... There is... nothing, it's... it's nothing," he said throwing himself on the bed
I stood next to the bed and placed my hand on his cheek, "It's okay, I'll help you however I can"
He held my hand and close his eyes, "I just... don't want a few thing to happen"
"What is it? You can tell me, maybe I can help you prepare or something else, if need be"
He looks at me in the eyes, "There is..." sighing he sat up, "There is a subject I don't want them to ask about... It's quite... sensitive..."
"Why?"
"Hey, after the thing let's go to Canterlot. I'm sure there is a lot of things we c-"
"Don't change the subject! Why is it sensitive?"
He sighed heavily, "Because... because it's about-"
"This is going to have to be the last question, sorry guys," All the ponies behing the one at the microphone go back to their seats, "What's your question my good sir?" He seems more comfortable
"What about your parents? Your real parents. Won't they miss you?"
Oh no... Luis immediately goes expressionless
"I'll answer that first. My parents will miss me, but I have found so many thigs here that- Let's just say they always encouraged me to find my happiness and... Here... It's amazing. I'm one hundred percent sure they won't mind too much if I stay a while," he turns to Luis, who is still... mentally absent, "Luis?"
"No," Luis says without emotion, very monotone
"There you have it folks. That's all the time-"
"That wasn't a proper answer!" The questioning pony demands causing others to join
"Yeah! What kind of answer was that?"
"Come on!! Answer the question!"
Then the mayor of Ponyville gets on stage, "I'm afraid your answer was not... fulfilling, prince"
"No, my parents won't miss me. Even if they did, I don't care," He turns around, flicking the cape, and walks backstage with anger in his step. I immediately get up and head backstage
As I enter, I see Luis just standing in the middle of the open space facing the ceiling with his eyes closed. I slowly get go next to him, "Luis?" he opens his eyes, "Are you... are you okay?" he looks at me with the small smile he always carries and bloodshot eyes, Has he always hid this?
"Yeah, I'm fine"
He sounds so normal... even after getting so... emotional, "Are you sure? You don't look too fine"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry about me"
"We will always worry about you," Princess Celestia says as she and Luna enter the room"
"I know"
"You seem to not take our words serously"
"It's not that"
"Then tell us," she hugs Luis, "We are here when you need us"
Luis seems to fight the hug, "I know, I know. Just-"
The princess starts to pet his head, "Shhh, it's okay," Luis stops fighting, "We are here for you," he returns the hug, "You have my love as I give it to you. As much as you need"
Luis loses his composure completely and starts to cry his eyes out, I can't take this... I hug him too, "Oh, Luis..."
He cried himself to sleep, Princess Celestia had to carry him onto the chariot, "I can't believe he was shouldering so much," He cried for over half an hour... I look at him laying on my lap and start stroking his mane
"I never thought it was this bad..."
"I should have realised... I failed him"
"No, sister. It was I who failed once again"
"I've been with him every day. If there is anypony to blame, then... then it's me..."
"Literally no one can blame you for anything. You have amnesia and you've known him for the least amount of time out of all of us," he lifts my head, "So chin up, you did nothing wrong. Me in the other hand-"
"You do not understand. His dreamscape, or in his case sleepscape, was lacking dreams. I may be crossing a boundry, but you need to be informed. He had doors, each leading to individual memories, they were countless, but before I could investigate any of the doors, he took me to another section of his mind. This part looked like a simple hallway, not many doors adorned this space, this where his good memories were. I should have seen this, he has an overwhelming amount of negative experiences. I failed to notice. I alone failed him," Luna burries her face in her hands
"In seven years, never once have I seen him cry... and he was hauling all that... I have to say... No one is at fault here"
"But I-!"
"If you think you ingnored those signs once, what does that make me? ...Seven years..."
Everypony is getting too down, I have to do something, "Whoever's fault it might be, I don't think he would blame anypony. He would definetely would try to cheer us up right now"
"Agreed. Let's make sure that when he wakes up we can all help him"
Later that night
===[POV - Luis]===
"Ughhh, my head...," I sit up on the bed I'm on, Bed? I look around, I'm back in my Canterlot room, alone, "Okay..." I get up and head towards the window and open the curtains, "Night time"
"You're finally awake?!"
Was I trying to cross the border? I turn to the voice and see Noctis in happy shock, "I think so..." If it's a dream, I should be able to control it, right? I concentrate
"What are you doing?"
"Yep, definately awake. I see you told the Princesses to take us to Canterlot"
"Aye, I did.... Right! The Princesses wanted to talk to you as soon as you woke up, let's go"
"Right behind you," Is it about... of course it's going to be...
The guards opened the door to the thrones
"We are most glad you are awake, Luis"
"And we are most regretful for not helping in your time of need"
I raise my hand, "Do I get I say in this?"
"No, you don't!"
"Okay..." I lower my hand
"We all are sorry for what happened"
"Noctis, you too?"
"We should have tried to... understand you better"
"Aye"
"We had the tools to help, I had even used mine..."
"But in the end, we all stood by as you tore yourself apart"
"Well, to be honest-" My objection gets interrupted
"We are not done!"
"Jeez, fine..." So touchy today
"You told me how bad your life was, and then you said how little it affected you. I just took your word at face value, that was insanely stupid of me. I am really sorry"
"I am guilty of the same doing. You poured your soul out and told us not to worry, and we listened to your voice and ignored your cries"
"In your dreamscape, I saw your pain and ignored it because you said I had nothing to worry about"
"I don't have much to apologize for, but-"
"Then don't. Anyways-"
"No! I need to get this of my chest. I should have realized there was something bothering you. Every time we past by a family, you always looked at them with this... this... wistful look, but I didn't want to interfere with your smile... I wanted to always see you happy... I felt that if I mentioned it... you wouldn't take it well"
"Like I was saying, I'm the one who should apologize to you"
"How dare you say that!!"
"Before I say anything else, just listen to what you all said. I told you not to worry, to all of you," silnces follows which then turns into a discussion about whose fault it was
The Next Day
Noctis and I are walking towards the archives with a letter from Luna to get Noctis's file, I'm actually kind of nervous to see what her backstory is... "So... Red... How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, how about you?"
"I'm... good," I honestly don't know what took the letter so long...
"You don't sound too sure there prince charming"
"Now you're adding 'charming' to that nickname?" Maybe because I forgot to remind aunt Luna until today
"Not exactly"
I spot a stack of black smoke out of a window, Wait what?!! I stop and go to the window, There's a fire... A quest appears on my vision, 'Fire Away'? The hell is with the names??
They're procedural, based on what they are
I'm going then... I turn to Noctis who is now next to me
"I'm sure the fireponies have it under control"
I hand her the letter, "I'll be right back," I jump out the window before she could object. Rolling on the landing, I run full speed to the direction of the fire. At first I'm taking the streets, dodging pedestrians, This is too crowded... rooftops it is, I direct myself to an alleyway and climb the wall, Now not to fall...
I drop down to street level in front of the blazing building, It's gated... I look at the gate, Canterlot orphanage- oh dear god... I frantically search for anyone who might know what's going on, spotting a unicorn with a hose. I make my way to him, "What's the status?"
"Prince?! Ah-eh-errr Everypony has been taken from the premises"
"Are we su-?!"
"Where is Nimble?!!" I turn to the voice, seeing a teacher-looking earth pony, "Nimble?!! Nimble are you out here??"
I grab her shoulder, "Do you work here?"
"Prince!! YES!! Have you seen Nimble??!! Crimson pegasus?" No idea... "Green mane?" I shake my head, "Black stripes??"
"Let me see if I can find him," I start look around using my superior hight to my advantage, Not over there... not in that crowd... still in the building... wait, I do a double take, Well... shit... top floor, northwest window, "I'll be right back," I turn to the fire fighter who's face displays just horror, I guess he saw the kid... I grab the hose, "Mind if I use this for a sec?" I soak myself with it and climb over the fence
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!!!!"
I don't look back as I make my way to the open doorway, flames shoot out as I get near, Not going in that way, I make my way around the building and find a window to the basement, Let's hope the stairway is clear... I think as I slip inside, my nose being assaulted by the smell of soot
I scan the room for the way up and spot what appears to be a large gas tank, OH SHIT!, sudenly my HUD displays a countdown from five minutes, Oh bigger shit... I find and make my way up the stairs, the fire has already consumed most of the furniture, thankfully the stairs are made of stone, Must be quite an old buil- No! Concentrate! I make my way up and follow my compass to the kid's marker, my coughing getting worst each passing minute, It's getting hard to breathe... I crouch my way down the hall
"HELP!! HELP ME!!"
"HOLD ON!! I'M ALMOST THERE!!" Less than a minute...! I get to the door, and try to open it, but the knob is extremely hot, Thirty seconds!, "KID BACK AWAY FROM THE DOOR!!" I start kicking the door, It's so much easier on TV... I finally get the door to open, Fifteen seconds!! "Kid do you know how to fly?" He must the CMCs age...
"Not quite yet, sir"
"Then hold on," I grab him and run towards the window, Eight... I absorb the inpact of the fall but spring up as fast as I can, Three. Fuck!!! I hold on to the foal while trying to gain distance from the building, Two... I don't have time... I drop to the floor, protecting the kid, One..., "Cover your ears, kid!" he does, Zero...
Pain and ringing are the only things accompanying my senses, Something hit me..., "Are you okay?" I sit up, he nods, "That's good," the pain on my back gets more intense as I get on my feet, My BL is going down... My vision starts to tunnel, Shit...! I reach behind me and find a piece of wood sticking from my back, Goddamn it... I turn to look at it, and it's actually going through chest, the tip of it pushing my shirt at the front
"Are you feeling alright, sir?"
My blood goes bellow the halfway mark, Not good!, "Yeah... just... fine..." I can only see a small bit at this point, I try to get the wood out, Stop... blood... bandage... I'm so numb I can't feel the pain, Can't... stay... awake... everything goes black, Noctis yelling my name echoing in the void