//------------------------------// // Final: Recovery // Story: Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1) // by Barrobroadcaster //------------------------------// Ponyville General Hospital Present Day Twilight made sure all the wounded were tended to. The hospital was packed with every nurse and doctor working, many ponies volunteering. They were managing as best they could with what they had. It wasn't easy, but they were treating all that they could. Tents had been set up outside hastily, and more were still being put up. Cots were being brought in. Canterlot General Hospital looked the same. It was inspiring to see how quickly the towns reacted considering this was the first army that had returned home in a while. But what of the enemy? The shadowy forces had retreated into the shadows. Would they grow again? Were they hiding even now in plain sight, amidst the wounded? No... no, she could feel it. For once, they had won a victory. The only ponies around here were friends. And it wasn't the sophisticated security systems Dan and Vinyl had set up, it wasn't the protocols and procedures they had enacted, it was a gut feeling. For once, it was right, and Twilight knew it. She felt it in every genuine smile, every kind word, every bandage, every pat on the back. There were only friends here. They had made an impression. As Dan had intended. The show of force had been a message. Equestria was united now, and that was something that couldn't be faked. Whatever evils they faced now, they would do so together. There would be no more infiltrators. The Equestrian Shadow War, the War for the Future had ended. The shadows, the unknown, they still existed in Equestria. But now, they were no place to hide. She walked around, checking on everyone she could. Including some that were a little less injured than others. "Ohhhh... ohhhh-uggggh," Pinkie moaned. "There were too many... there were just too many..." "Relax there, now. You did your best." "Stomach ache?" AJ nodded. "Well, we can't say that was unexpected." "There were too many... too many leftovers, auuugggh..." Pinkie moaned. "You know, you don't have to stay here. The doctors said you can... 'recover' at home," Rarity said. "Yeeeeah, sorry Pinkie, but we're gonna need the cot for other ponies," Rainbow added. Spike put his little claws on his hips. "No one told her she had to eat all the leftover rations anyway." "And did you think that would stop her?" "Nooo! No, no-aaaaaaaaauuuugh, oh gawd, ohhhh, the pain..." Valiantly, Pinkie Pie had eaten much of the leftover cakes, pies and sweets that were part of the war effort. The confectionary giant(in more ways than one and several hundred tons) Tangy Top had spared no expense to supply the royalists during the assault. Pinkie, because of her passion for all things sweet, made sure that the effort was not wasted, and now sported an aching, distended stomach because of it. She was a both a courageous warrior and a courageous eater, and her waistline would likely show for it for at least a couple weeks. Spike and Twilight both watched as Rainbow Dash and Applejack carried their friend out of the triage tent. "It's true what they say," Spike said. "War is hell." And that's when they saw Fluttershy with Phoenix. "Fluttershy? What are you doing here?" "Little rough, Spike." "What? I mean, I would've expected her to be with the animals." Fluttershy nodded. "I am with them. They're volunteering." "Really?" Twilight asked. "Even Barry?" Again, Fluttershy nodded. "He's a registered nurse's aide and the Commander is on a work-study program." "Oh, that's cool," Spike and Twilight agreed. And then they thought of something. "Wait, isn't the Commander a spitting cobra?" "EEEEEEK- OH MAI GAWDD!" "SNAAAAAKE! SNAAAAAKE!" "That doesn't sound good." Twilight, Spike and AJ galloped out of the tent to the hospital. "Don't worry! Um, he's just studying for his AA degree!" Fluttershy called out as she chased after them. A few hours later, things settled down at the hospital. The gang went home, and oddly enough, Phoenix Wright was one of the last visitors to leave. He had business to attend to. "I haven't had a chance to examine all of the patients, Mr. Wright. You're putting me in a bit of an awkward situation and even if we weren't so hard-pressed, I'm not in the habit of making guesstimates." "And I'm certainly not in the habit of asking for them," Phoenix said. (Pretty much ever. But I don't have much of a choice right now.) "So I need to know when we can move these patients and I need to know soon." Doctor Whitesage was a unicorn, and was one of the best doctors in Equestria. He was usually a traveling doctor, but had been called to Ponyville to help out after the battle and had crossed the entire continent to do so. He had a long, dark green mane and white-pink body, which many mares found attractive, hence the traveling. The doctor sighed. "If the question is when we can recommend it, the answer is not for a few weeks, earliest. If the question is when it's possible..." He raised his hoof to his chin, almost biting his shoe. Phoenix looked over to him, encouraging the answer. "I'm going to need at least a week to move all the patients." Phoenix nodded. "You'll probably have longer than that. I don't want you to rush anything, but get as much as you can prepared to leave. Medical supplies, staff, personal belongings..." Phoenix thought back to what Dan had said. "Everything that isn't nailed down." "Everything?" "Yes. After that, we'll need everything that is nailed down. And we'll send someone back for the nails." Whitesage shook his head in disbelief. "That's absurd. We can't afford to-" "It's an order, doctor. We can't afford not to." Phoenix said, turning. "Get everyone and everything you can ready to move. We're facing an invasion very soon and we'll need everything we can carry. I wish there was another way." He could see in the stallion's expression how hard it was for him. He was asking for much. "I'll... I'll get started now. We could use some help from the royal guards." "You'll have it," Phoenix nodded. "What is Kent's condition?" "The-well, I'm not an expert on human anatomy, but he seems quite resilient. He's in ICU, but stable. It's still too early to be certain." That was definitely understandable. Kent had been stabbed through the stomach. Even with his armor, Arteem's lightsaber had gone right through him. He was lucky to be alive. His injuries were among the worst and he'd likely be recovering for a long time. "We'll be moving him to the Danfiant as soon as we're able. We'll give you all the time we can." "I understand," the doctor replied. "Good luck. For all our sakes." "Thank you." It was the truth. Equestria could now stand on its own. United, it was much stronger than before; more of a threat, more of a tempting prize. The Director had sought to protect them from such invasion, but instead she had prepared them. Perhaps there was some good in her actions... then again, she probably could've saved a lot of time, effort and energy if she had just came to them in the first place. The Director's greatest weakness was not how she differed from Chrys, but what Chrys and Chrysalis had in common. Both did not feel they deserved redemption, felt they would be rejected before they were. The judgment they had to overcome most was their own- one did and one did not. One believed things were set in stone... and tried to break the stone to prove it. The other dared to carve out something different and did. Phoenix made his way home. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set. Celestia had kept the sun in position for a while to help look for Dan, and picked up the pace somewhere after the time they finished in the hospital. There had been no sign of Dan. He opened the door to the library. "Any news?" They all knew what he was asking about. "Nothing yet," Spike said. Phoenix gave a slot nod and pursed his lips. (There's not really anything I can say to help right now. Just have to try to relax.) Twilight was asleep on the couch. She had collapsed almost immediately after getting home. Like Dan had his first time there. During the battle, she had over-exerted herself and afterward, went beyond to help get treatment for the injured and airlift them back to the hospitals. She hadn't even eaten anything since before the fighting. "Let's hope they're back soon," Phoenix said. "Yeah," Spike said. He didn't sound as hopeful as he could have, but hope remained. "Uhhhnn... are they back yet?" Twilight asked, rousing. "Not yet," Phoenix said. "You should get some more rest." (She's not the only one.) "I'm fine," Twilight said, pulling herself up. "We should be out there." She moved to the door. Instead of trying to stop her, trying to caution her, Phoenix did the opposite. He opened the door for all of them. "We can probably get Rainbow and Springer to take us back." "Right. We won't stop until-" "Hello there!" Someone waved at them from up the street. There were two of them. "Is that-" That was all Twilight said before she knew who they were. They all knew.