//------------------------------// // Chapter 55: Base Hospital // Story: I am my own OC // by KittyrinnAiko //------------------------------// Arriving at the base hospital to visit the rescued foals was interesting, and annoying all at the same time. I'd woke up from my second nap of the afternoon just as we arrived, and hadn’t been there five minutes when I’d been diagnosed with manna depletion and magical exhaustion. And yes, it looked just like any other ordinary hospital. They made me sit in a wheelchair. "Why do I have to sit in a wheelchair? I don't want to sit in a wheelchair," I complained, My body on the other hoof was grateful for it as I allowed myself to slump into it. I was there to visit the foals who'd been rescued. Mom on the other hoof was there to get me evaluated. She and Lofty went into an explanation of how I kept pushing myself too hard followed by my recounting that afternoon’s activities with Scootaloo and Spitfire backing me up. Minus the part about how Moonie and I punched a hole through the shield taking a whole airship with us. After all, my being so depleted wasn't because I'd punched through a shield with a little help, they couldn't know about that. I was spent because I'd been using way too much manna and wasn't supposed to exert myself. My explanation was followed by a full check-up whether I wanted it or not. When we’d finally satisfied the medical staff we were allowed to see the freed captives who were ready for visits. I will have to admit that getting wheeled around was fun, and I was still worn out despite my short naps. Granted getting woken up and interrogated hadn’t been pleasant when all I wanted to do was sleep. Seeing some of the very ponies I’d helped to rescue being worried about me was a little disconcerting. They had all received baths, were in good spirits, but the moment they saw how run down I was... Of course, there was the usual bowing once they realized they were in the presence of not one but two princesses. The ward was in fact one big room. It was a military base after all and only high-ranking officers got their own private rooms. Otherwise, you made do with the curtains if you wanted privacy. I looked around, greeted every pony, but I was troubled. I wasn’t seeing Rumble, Diamond, nor Kenta. I was also seeing ponies that hadn’t been on the airship. Which meant they weren’t all together. “I’m alright,” I offered repeatedly. “Just used too much manna. I’ve been doing that a lot lately. I just need to take it easy for about a week or so, and get plenty of naps in the sun. And hopefully, I won’t get pulled into any more crisis for a while. Or any of us for that matter.” “She blasted a bunch of pirates with one shot,” Scootaloo informed them. “And the shields dropping right in front of us…” Her words trailed off. She’d been warned not to talk about the shields. Scootaloo had stayed with me more than likely because she trusted me and to be honest, we could have used the trap door to get out if we had to. As for my own thoughts and motivations, I wanted that airship. Mrs Woods was just an afterthought. Let's face it, she was already legally dead and if push had come to shove I’d have left her to her fate in a heartbeat. She’s not worth risking my life or Scootaloo’s who I’m sure would have stayed right there with me. “Name’s Firebrand,” offered a tan earth pony foal who was from the airship group. His cutie mark was a hammer and anvil. “I hear you did more than just help get us out of those cages.” “Ya, I kind of helped myself to that airship,” I offered with a big grin. And then closed up quickly on seeing some of the ponies flinch. “Don’t pay them no never mind,” Firebrand offered. “I am who I am. I just don’t want any pony afraid of me who doesn’t have to be,” I offered. “I know I might look a little scary to some, but I am one of the good ponies after all.” “I heard that,” Firebrand offered. “Thank you for rescuing us,” Offered a golden yellow pegasus filly with a blue-gray mane and tail. “Name’s Meadow Lark.” “Your welcome, Miss Meadow. To be honest it just started out with me helping myself to an airship that was supposed to be lost over the Everfree. I figured whoever it was that had moored it under the base was likely up to no good so I took the ship to throw a wrench in their plans and gain a fairly decent ship in the bargain. Not a one of us figured there’d be any pony on board besides Mrs Woods. We didn’t even know she was onboard until shortly after taking the ship.” “You did seem worried about what might happen if the ship were to get cut in two and go crashing down on who knows who?” Scootaloo offered. “Yes there’s that. And had we jumped ship and left Mrs woods to her fate, I’d have felt horrible about it. Maybe not for long, but what can I say, she hasn’t exactly been a nice pony. Have you seen Miss Diamond?” “Is she a friend?” Firebrand asked. “An acquaintance really,” I offered. “Never really had the opportunity to be friends.” “They’ve been taking every pony for examinations once they got us cleaned up,” Firebrand offered. “We are orphans,” Meadow offered. “Everything has been harder on the foals with family.” “Diamond has a family but was recently separated from them due to some pony putting a hoof in the mouth at the wrong time in the wrong place,” I explained. “It’s complicated, and things will work out for her.” “Thought I was going to be apprenticed to a Smithy,” Firebrand explained. It’s just that we’ve kind of gotten accustomed to getting pushed around. Any idea what they had planned for us?” “Not really, no.” I’d seen the charts and I’d a good idea they had been headed for Klugetown. No point in telling them they may well have been fated to be furniture. Among other uses for pony parts. Granted the possibility of slavery was there too, but I distinctly remember that bit character wanting Rarity’s mane. As in it would be coming off. Sure the movie was for kids, mostly, but add a nasty dose of reality and you’ve got a recipe for horror. Let’s just say that if the place was anything like the movie, it would make Tortuga look like a daycare. And the investigators, they’d never heard of the place. I’d told the investigators that I only knew of it by reputation. To explain how I knew about Klugetown I told them I’d overheard guests at Canterlot Castle talking about the place. I’d deal with the consequences of that lie later. “You sure?” Firebrand asked. He’d that look that Applejack got whenever I was skirting around the old proverbial bush. Let’s just say that I’m really bad at not giving a straight answer if I didn’t want to answer a question and AJ had a bad habit of asking questions that really weren’t her business. “According to the charts – south. Deep south. South of the Mason Dixon line, south of the border, and beyond the badlands.” They just gave me an odd confused look. “Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies, and I’m not about to start speculating on what they had planned.” “Is there even anything down there?” Asked a gray unicorn. “Hi, my name’s Gray Leaf. Son of Gray Stoke.” “The Hippogriff Kingdom,” I offered regarding what was in the direction the charts had indicated. “They are friendly towards Equestria, but not much else, and I doubt anyone was going there.” “Kitzumi-hime!” Yes, it was Kenta, my head turned in the direction his voice had come from. My smile fell on seeing him. He’d a split lip, a bandage over one eye, a cast on his left leg and they had him using one of those leg scooters so he could move about without being tempted to use the leg. “Kenta!” I wanted to get out of my wheelchair and hug him. “Kenta, what… tell us who did this to you!” Scootaloo demanded. “Hey, I can take care of myself,” Kenta insisted with a big grin. “You should see the fake guards.” “I will have to admit they looked worse for wear when I arrived,” Mom offered. “And you are lucky we got there when we did.” “Mom! Why didn’t you tell me he got hurt?” I groused. “Because you had enough to think about.” “What? I was done save for my statement to the Guard.” “And you’d have been too preoccupied to think, and you know it.” “I still would have liked to have known. A pony lost their wing today.” I probably looked pouty. Why would I think that? It was because mom had that I mustn't smile look on her face. “If… Oh, who am I… fooling” I wanted to say kidding but then it would require explaining kidding to a group of foals. “It just occurred to me that had that dispatcher taken me serious I’d have been directed around to the city docks, the pirates might not have come after us and a bunch of ponies might not have been rescued.” “I imagine that’s a distinct possibility,” Mom offered. “But that’s not for you to worry about. You did what you had to do. And you did a surprisingly good job at it.” “Mom…” Yes, she was complimenting me but I was due another nap. “You ever fly an airship?” “Well, no.” Maybe in a computer game but not in real life. “Well then, you did a surprisingly good job. Let us hope the next time comes with fewer distractions.” “You’re going to let me keep it?” I asked perking up just a smidge. “You do realize we could buy a new one?” “True, but it wouldn't be the same as a ship I commandeered. I stole it has more impact than my mom bought it for me.” My smile was big despite how heavy I felt. I really did want to just fall asleep right then and there. My eyelids were getting way too heavy. I gave my head a shake, but I just couldn't keep pushing myself. My body was telling me it was time for another nap as I let my eyes close. Maybe just a quick fox nap. “Wow, she really did overdo it,” I heard Kenta say just as I drifted off into dreamland.