//------------------------------// // Wounded // Story: Fizzlepop's Past // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// The déjà vu of the situation was not lost on Soapberry, and right now, it was downright terrifying to her as she sat in the waiting room of Ponyville General. Together, she and Zecora had picked Fizzlepop up and carried her as fast as they could out of the forest, the unicorn mumbling and hallucinating the entire way. The hospital was thankfully on the south side of town, not too far from Fluttershy's animal sanctuary. Unfortunately, by the time they had reached the doors of the emergency room, the crushed yarrow leaf powder had done all it could, and the bleeding had resumed, dripping down her right leg onto the floor. Zecora had gone to wash her hooves, but Soapberry couldn't bring herself to move from reception yet. It had been fifteen minutes of panic and adrenaline, followed by two hours of dread, and quiet, and not knowing what was next, and she couldn't figure out what had been worse. Zecora had returned to the waiting room just in time for a group of galloping hooves to be heard outside, and what sounded like chariot wheels. A purple-coated alicorn came through the doors at a quick trot, accompanied by a pair of Canterlot E.U.P. escorts, bringing the occupancy of the waiting room up to six, receptionist included. "Is she alright? Fizzlepop Berrytwist, is she okay?" She hurriedly asked the receptionist mare. "She's still in surgery, your highness. She was brought in two hours ago." The receptionist quickly answered her, motioning to the earth mare and zebra that had been sitting here waiting, and she walked over to them. Soapberry got up and prepared to bow, but Twilight immediately shook her head. "Not necessary right now. You must be Soapberry. I truly wish we were meeting under better circumstances." Twilight told her. "I'm just glad Miss Zecora was there. If I was alone, I don't know what I would have done." Soapberry replied, turning to the zebra sitting next to her. "Thank you so much, Zecora. How did this happen?" The Princess asked. Soapberry stepped forward. "Fizzlepop was dead set on getting a clearer picture of what happened after the accident twenty years ago. She remembered reading about the potion that helped you look back to see where the Elements of Harmony came from, and asked Zecora if she could make a variation for more recent, more personal memories. Whatever hallucination it gave her, it sent her right into a timberwolf. She got a pretty nasty bite on her shoulder. She never snapped out of it... As we carried her back here... As they took her back into surgery... She took way too large of a dose." Twilight took a deep breath. 'Gods, only Fizzlepop could take something as innocent as a family visit and turn it into something like this...' The trio's thoughts were interrupted as the double doors from the operating wing opened, and Doctor Graymare stepped out into the waiting room towards the trio. Twilight remembered him as the physician that treated Rainbow Dash after her failed stunt flying years ago. "Well, we've stabilized her, and stopped the bleeding. Whatever delirium her mind is in... I can't tell when she'll come out of it. We've sedated her, so her movement is now at a minimum. But..." Graymare paused, taking a deep breath as he looked at the trio of concerned mares. "As Zecora may be aware, there is no antidote for timberwolf venom. That is a serious bite wound she has. We've got the bone set... But I can't promise that she won't lose her right leg. Timberwolf bites frequently result in hallucinations, and I have no idea how that's going to mix in with the effects of the potion she took. But more seriously, they can also result in tissue necrosis, and it can spread beyond the wound. That bite is close enough to her heart... If necrosis sets in, and spreads, it could kill her in a matter of hours. Amputation would be the safest bet, but we're not going to resort to that until signs of necrosis appear. If her body can fight off the infection, she could recover in... I'd say six weeks, followed by physical therapy. We'll have to keep a constant eye on it. If there's no necrosis in around a week, I'd say she'll be in the clear. We're moving her to observation. We've got her on intravenous fluids, and we're monitoring her brainwaves, so we can tell when she's hallucinating, and the very few moments when she snaps back to reality." Soapberry felt a lump form in her throat, and took a couple steps back, falling into the chair, tears immediately starting down her face. Twilight came up and sat beside the elder mare. "Not again..." The earth mare whispered as she wept. "Soapberry, there was nothing more you could have done. You two got her here as quickly as you could." "There was absolutely more I could have done, or not do. I could have not been in such a rush to come here. I could have gone at her pace, instead of mine. For the past two hours, I've been telling myself over and over that I was not going to go through this again. I cannot go through this again. But if I have to... I'm going to do it right this time." "You likely didn't do anything wrong last time, Soapberry. If what I see in front of me right now is any indication, you love your daughter more than anything in Equestria. You just discovered that she's been alive all this time; you think anypony would question you wanting to renew that relationship as soon as you possibly could? Fizzlepop is one of the toughest, strongest ponies I have ever known. If anypony can pull through this, I know it's her." Soapberry swallowed the lump in her throat, looked Twilight in the eyes, and nodded thankfully. She stood up and turned back to Doctor Graymare. "Can we see her?" Soapberry asked the doctor, and he nodded immediately. "Right this way." Fizzlepop felt like she was barely holding on to her identity, her sense of self. Her right leg throbbed badly, and she heard a faint beeping as her vision faded in, and she saw a bright white ceiling. A... A hospital. She had been hurt, she remembered that much. "Fizzlepop?" A feminine voice softly asked her. She then became aware of her position; laying on her back, barely able to move, but able to tilt her head to the left towards the voice. She saw the dark violet mare looking down at her with concern, with Twilight and Zecora standing behind her. "M-mom?" She asked softly. "I... I don't feel right." Soapberry softly nodded. "I know, sweetheart. Listen, the doctor says there's a chance you could lose your leg. Your body has to fight the infection, and the best chance to do that is resting and moving as little as possible. They're going to keep you here for observation." Fizzlepop slowly turned her head and looked at her heavily bandaged shoulder as it still throbbed. "I... I'm scared..." She confessed. "I am too... I am too. The potion's effects haven't stopped yet, and they could last awhile. Listen to me; find whatever you're looking for in there, Fizzlepop. I'm not leaving your side. I know you're going to pull through this." Soapberry told her, taking hold of her left hoof, squeezing it affectionately. "Mom... I..." Fizzlepop's sentence ended with a soft gasp, and her eyes turned fiery white again, before closing as the sedatives in the IV drip kicked in, and the machine monitoring her brain activity indicated that her consciousness had slipped back into the deep recesses of her memories. Soapberry's throat tightened again as she saw her daughter fall asleep on the hospital bed, seeing the small suction cups and wires going from her head to the machine, and the IV drip giving her body critical nutrients. It stung to tell her the truth about her leg, but she wasn't about to repeat what Fizzlepop had viewed as a grievous mistake the last time. "I'll stay here for the night." Soapberry told Twilight, sitting down in the cushioned chair next to the bed. Princess Twilight nodded and turned to Zecora. "Zecora, you are more than welcome to a guest room in the castle if you believe it's too late to return to your hut." The alicorn told her. The zebra smiled appreciatively. "Thank you for the offer, Princess Twilight. I believe I will take it up tonight." As the pair turned to leave, they saw Commander Amethyst, in full armor, come into the doorway, and stand at parade rest. "Princess Twilight, I've informed the hospital staff that the Ponyville E.U.P. will be guarding this room until Lieutenant Colonel Berrytwist is on her hooves. We'll rotate shifts as often as necessary." She told her. "You really don't think she's safe here?" Twilight asked, a bit of confusion in her voice. "It's not a matter of security, Your Highness. Lieutenant Colonel Berrytwist has stressed the importance of teamwork since forming this outfit, never letting any squadmate go through an ordeal alone. We will show her the same respect." Twilight nodded proudly. "As you were, Commander." As Amethyst performed an about face, stepped to the side of the doorway and went to parade rest, Princess Twilight knew she would unfortunately have to return to Canterlot tonight. While part of her hated having to deal with bureaucratic nonsense while a close friend was in crisis, she knew there was very little she could do here that the doctors and the Ponyville E.U.P. were not already doing, and staying here and shirking her royal duties only to worry herself sick would not be the right choice. She would do her best to check in daily, or at the very least, request updates as often as she could. "Be strong, Fizzlepop. Be stronger than you have ever been before."