Case 5
Epilogue
Beep…
Beep….
Beep…
Will somepony stop that beeping? I’m trying to sleep. Wait, if I can hear that beeping. Then I’m not dead?
Beep…
Beep…
I can defiantly hear that sound…I’m alive!
I slowly opened my grey eyes and found I was staring at a ceiling. My eyes came into focus and I found I could move a little. I lifted myself to a sitting position on my rump and looked around. I was alone in a hospital room; the sunlight of the morning was peaking in through the window. An IV tube was attached to my left foreleg and the beeping came from a nearby vitals reader.
I looked to see the door opening. A stallion unicorn entered the room clad in a doctor’s coat. He smiled upon seeing me. “Well, looks like sleeping beauty has awoken”
“Doctor?” I said trying to sit up again the words that came next were muffled by a cough that came out of my mouth. The doctor walked up to me and his horn glowed a soft blue. He held his horn to scan my body with magic.
“No internal damage but you shouldn’t push yourself so hard detective. Try and relax a little”
I lay back down on the bed as the doctor examined me. “How long was I out?” I said as the doctor ran his horn along me.
“Two days detective and you’ll be here even longer if you keep squirming like that”
“Sorry doctor” I said as I tried to lie still “How bad was I?”
The doctor gave me a look and I shut up. He sighed and spoke again “You suffered minor burns leaping into that building but otherwise your external body is fine. You inhaled a lot of smoke though so I’m going to prescribe some medications for your lungs. I’m also going to suggest you sleep upright for a little while to get your lungs used to breathing again. Do you smoke?”
I shook my head. I never understood the appeal of turning your lungs black with tar. Though I may have turned them black with the smoke anyways.
“That’s good, aside from that you have no broken bones or anything else too serious. Just try breathing through your diaphragm for the next couple days”
I nodded as he finished his examination. He smiled at me again “I’d say about a week’s recovery is necessary. Try not to overexert yourself Detective. You did a very brave thing back there saving that filly. But even heroes need rest”
I sighed. A whole week, I was going to start climbing the walls within the first day! I coughed a little as the doctor left my room. I noticed that my hat was on the nightstand next to my bed. I didn’t know if I was ready to put it back on my head though. Right now I could just use some sleep…
___________________________________
“Is he awake yet?”
“Don’t get so close Pinkie Pie! Ever hear of personal space?”
“Where’ve you been for the last lifetime sugarcube?”
I slowly began opening my eyes and saw five mares standing around me. Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy were all standing around me. Pinkie Pie on the other hand was right in my face.
“Ah!” was my reaction to Pinkie Pie staring into my soul.
Pinkie began to hop around my bed with absolute glee “He’s okay! He’s okay!”
Rainbow was hovering over my bed her voice betraying her disappointment “I can’t believe I missed you running into a building to save Dinky! I just missed the best rescue ever!”
Applejack gave a small glare at Rainbow who came down to earth at the realization of my condition. She then looked at me and removed her Stetson hat “We’re sorry we got drugged like that sugarcube. Ah don’t know when Glimmer put that stuff in”
I simply smiled “It’s not your fault Applejack” I coughed a little “I’m just glad you girls were willing to help out when you did”
“Aww shucks” Applejack said smiling
I looked to Pinkie Pie who stopped hopping around “How’d you know that I was going to be there?”
Pinkie Pie smiled and simply said “Well, I got a twitch and a double itch in my hind leg and that means that Private is in trouble”
I raised my eyebrow “Twitch?”
Rarity sighed “The less you think about it the better darling” She then got close to my bed and smiled warmly “How are you feeling?”
“Better than I did an hour ago” I said coughing a little “Still hurts a little to breath.
“Oh dear” Fluttershy said as she hovered over to me. She gently pushed me back on the bed and spoke soothingly “You really should rest then Private”
I smiled at the butter yellow mare “I’ll be fine Fluttershy, I’m just glad you all are here to see me”
Fluttershy looked at me with gentle yet firm eyes “Just make sure you get lots and lots of rest so that you’ll feel all better okay?”
I made a show of miming the motions of the Pinkie promise “I promise Fluttershy”
Rainbow suddenly set something on the nightstand. I looked over and saw it was a book. I examined it “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone?”
Rainbow smiled a little “Just in case you get bored” She blushed a little “I uh, have the whole series”
“Never would’ve pegged you for a reader Rainbow” I said as I laid back down on the bed. Fluttershy moved the covers over me smiling gently.
Rarity looked to her friends “Come on girls, Private needs his rest”
All five mares left me to sleep. I found myself sleeping rather soundly after meeting them. I did get up in the middle of the night and had a coughing fit but that wasn’t very long. I found myself dreaming about that violet light again.
___________________________________________
The next day I gave Daring Do a tentative read. Not the most riveting book I’ve ever read but it was interesting enough to warrant a read. But seriously, would it kill the hospital to have at least one copy of Lord of the Horn Rings?
The door opened at about mid afternoon and I saw an energetic young Dinky leap onto my bed. “Private!” she squeaked as she hugged me around my neck “You’re okay!”
I smiled and hugged the little filly back. “I’m fine Dinky, did you make it out of the building alright?”
“The doctor said she’ll be fine” I looked up to see that Ditzy had entered behind her daughter. The grey pegasi smiled at me “She only got a bump on the head but she’ll be okay”
“That’s good to hear” I said as Dinky left to rejoin her mother.
Ditzy came beside my bed and looked at me with her crossed yellow eyes. “Thank you for saving her Private, not everypony would do what you did for my little filly” She said as she gently nuzzled Dinky on the head.
“I’m just glad she’s okay” I said smiling
Ditzy reached into her bag and set an envelope on my night stand “My payment for helping us out”
I shook my head “I can’t ask you to pay me for this, you didn’t even technically hire me”
Ditzy shook her head “Detectives like you deserve to get paid” She gestured to the envelope “It’s not much but it’s what I could afford”
“Whatever you say Ditzy, just be careful from now on…Glimmer is still out there”
Ditzy looked to Dinky then back at me with a look of determination. “She’ll have to get through me first!”
I smiled at the pair of them “That you will Ditzy, you take care now”
The pair was about to leave when Dinky suddenly turned back to me. She crawled onto my bed and laid a kiss on my cheek. I smiled at her as she pulled away “My way of paying you Private” She got off the bed and walked back to her mother. I smiled at the little filly as she left. Really, she made leaping into a building to save her life worth it just to see her alive.
____________________________________
It was mid afternoon when Tailspin arrived. He was being pushed by Spike. Next to Spike looking very concerned was Twilight. She just stared at me with red eyes. She’d been crying?
She ran to me and threw her forelegs around my neck. She just started crying into my brown mane and wouldn’t stop. Tailspin and Spike got out of the room when they got the hint we needed privacy.
Twilight looked up at me with red tear stricken eyes. “You idiot!” She slapped me across the face with her hoof. “You promised I wouldn’t lose you again!”
I rubbed the red spot where she hit me “I wasn’t expecting to jump into a burning building” I smiled at her then “It’s good to see you again by the way”
Twilight pressed herself into my chest again and started crying more. I gently nuzzled her on the head. “I was just so worried” She sobbed “When that window collapsed. I thought you were gone forever”
I then made an observation “You…you were that violet light I saw before I fell unconscious”
Twilight broke away from our embrace and wiped her eyes. “Yeah, I used a teleportation spell to get you out of there” She smiled at me “Very hard when you can’t see where you’re teleporting and with all the smoke”
I gently nuzzled her on the cheek letting some of her leftover tears fall on my muzzle. “It’s okay now Twilight, I’m here for you right now. I’m alive”
Twilight shook her head “I was beyond worried about the whole thing. I knew it was a trap. I should’ve saw ahead and
went with you. Or put a flame retardant spell on you or something…”
She was cut off when I took her cheeks in my hooves. I looked right into her violet eyes. I simply said to her “Twilight, for once in your life, let me do the talking”
Twilight’s eyes simply gazed at mine and her cheeks began to blush furiously. She then tilted her head and I began to do it as well. Our heads moved closer to each other.
Our lips met and I felt electricity course through me. I tasted Twilight and she was ever so sweet. I felt her put her forelegs around my neck and I did the same with my own. I don’t know how long we sat there like that. I didn’t care. Right now all that mattered was the mare I was kissing.
We both pulled away from each other and Twilight just stared at me for five minutes. She shook her head and her face was more red then a tomato. “I kissed a stallion!” She turned around and began breathing heavily talking to herself. “Okay Twilight, just relax you can handle this. The boy you’ve developed these crazy feelings for just…” She turned to look at me then back to her blushing state.
I simply smiled “First kiss?”
Twilight slowly nodded and sighed “Yeah, you’re the first stallion I’ve ever…well…” She rubbed her hooves together in embarrassment.
I smiled and gently nuzzled her on the back of the neck. She tensed up and turned to look at me. She looked at me then back down. Her violet mane was trying to hide her blush with questionable success.
“Twilight, when I get out of the hospital, you’re welcome to come to my office again. I could use you on cases again”
Twilight smiled wide “I thought I would've scared you off…what with us, kissing and all” She blushed a little.
“Are you kidding?” I said smiling “After this case I’ve learned to appreciate you all the more” I held out a hoof “What do ya say partner?”
Twilight took my hoof and shook it “I’m in!”
I laughed as we began talking again. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy around a mare. Not in a long time. I swear I heard both Tailspin and Spike gag at the same time when they peaked in. I kissed Twilight again just to spite them.
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Dear Private Eye
I’m pleased to hear that you made it through this case relatively unscaved. The doctors tell me you will be our after a week’s recovery. Do not worry about Glimmer; I have my best investigators and trackers searching all of Equestria for her. If she even sneezes we’ll be there with a tissue and a pair of hoofcuffs. Right now I want you to focus on getting the rest and recovery you need. I will ask you to continue to serve as you are now. I’m very proud of you and Twilight on this case. I hope you two can continue to serve Equestria with all the honor and duty you have shown this case. One day I hope to explain to you why I’ve taken special interest in you but now is not the time. I will inform you when it is until then, keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
P.S. If you ever think about breaking Twilight’s heart again, let’s just say that there is a lot of space on the moon.