//------------------------------// // Chapter 96 - The Operation // Story: A Pony Displaced: Homeward // by NoLongerSober //------------------------------// The morning skies of Vanhoover were a dark silver from the clouds that blanketed the city as Storm Cloud stood in front of the large building that was Vanhoover General Hospital. The sky-blue pegasus swallowed as she stared down the building before feeling a hoof on her shoulder. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the unshorn foreleg of her father giving her a warm smile. Behind them were her squadmates, alongside most of Barrier’s household and Squad 973. The only exceptions were Verdant and Toil, who said they were preparing something for after the operation. “It’s understandable if you’re scared, my dear,” Lightning Javelin quietly said as he tenderly squeezed her shoulder. “This is a big step and we can reschedule if—” “No,” Storm Cloud said as she stepped forward, pulling away from her father’s grip. “I’ve gotta do this…” She then cast a glance to the unnatural end of her left foreleg. “I want to stand on four legs again.” “Alright, then, Storm Cloud.” Javelin came back up to her side and looked over his shoulder to the accompanying crowd. “Let’s move out, everypony!” The assemblage of ponies quickly fell in with practiced ease as they made their way into the hospital and took seats in the waiting room. After only a few short minutes of waiting, Dr. High Gear emerged from one of the hallways and offered Storm Cloud a smile as she made her way over to her. “Good morning, Storm Cloud. How’ve you been the last few days?” “Well, the hotel was nice, though I frankly just wanted to just go for a run, which is a little tricky when… well…” Storm held out her stump foreleg out to the bespectacled mare. “Believe me, I understand,” High Gear said before bringing a hoof to her forehead to move her bangs out of the way, revealing a large scar in the center of her forehead. “I know what it’s like to lose a body part like that. “At any rate, we should get you ready for surgery.” High Gear let her bangs drop back into place as she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a clipboard. “We should be able to get you ready in just under an hour and then we’ll keep you here at least overnight for observation.” “Right, right.” Storm Cloud’s wings bristled as she looked over her shoulder to her squadmates. Prism, Fixer, and Pen who all tried to look encouraging for her. Rouge was trying to give her a similar look, but she clearly had uneasy feelings hiding just below the surface. Omelet however, was sweating bullets, wearing her fear on her proverbial sleeve. “You’ve got this, Storm,” Javelin said from his seat beside Barrier. “You survived the empire. This is nothing compared to that.” “Yeah…” the three-legged mare took a deep breath before turning her attention to High Gear. “I’m ready, Doctor. Let’s do this.” *** A long time had passed since Storm Cloud went into the operating theater, though only her father had followed in to watch the procedure long enough to see his daughter being anesthetized. The eighteen ponies sat in the halls outside the operating room like a sort of honor guard, waiting for any news on how Storm was progressing. The silence was tense, only disrupted by the occasional sound of medical equipment or somepony being called elsewhere in the hospital. Getting fed up with the uncomfortable quiet, Hatty sighed and stood up from his spot against the wall. “So, I’ve been wondering, what’s happened to your captains?” “Well,” Hocus Pocus stood up and stretched before facing Hat Trick. “Captain Hardtack left the hospital at the first chance she got, saying she wants nothing to do with the guard anymore. She got a job at a bakery in Canterlot. I forget the name, though.” “Meanwhile, Captain Longshot’s response was the complete opposite.” Prismatic Radiance did an elegant stretch before she walked up to Hocus’ side. “She re-enlisted in the guard at the first opportunity. From what I’ve heard, she’s been butting heads with Captain Shining Armor and Lieutenant Starshine—” “Despite the severe tail-kicking the pair of them handed her,” Rouge spoke up from her spot with her Neigh Orleans accent. “Hard to say that the guard’s gone soft when they put her down without much hassle.” “Have you given any thought about what you’ll be doing after Storm Cloud’s recovered?” Barrier asked from his spot beside Lightning Javelin. “Actually, we have,” the weary pegasus stallion replied. “Both squads talked at length about what to do and we settled on buying homes in Vanhoover. I hope you don’t mind showing me to a real estate agent once Storm’s out of surgery.” “It shouldn’t be a problem,” Barrier answered before pulling out his flask and taking a quick swig. “Though you may want to stop by the bank and prepare proof of funds.” A small smirk crossed Javelin’s muzzle before he reached into his saddlebag with his left wing and pulled out a piece of paper between his feathers. “You mean something like this?” “Hey there, Barrier!” A voice exclaimed from down the hall. Soon the eyes of everypony gathered fell upon a monochromatic unicorn mare who was dragging a tall and slender blue stallion by the ear with her magic. The occasional wince expressed just how unpleasant the experience was. “Sorry I’m late for Gear’s patient, but somepony didn’t bother to wake me up when my alarm clock failed, despite me saying my appointment was important!” “Apparently I’ve been upgraded from roommate to secretary,” the slender unicorn stallion replied tiredly with a roll of his eyes. “Truly I’ve peaked.” “Oh, shut up, Due Date!” Color Splash barked at the taller pony. “I pay for most of the damn expenses and I’m the one of us able to cook stuff besides ramen!” “Please, you waste a ton of bits buying so many varieties of foods,” Due Date gave Splash a flat look. “Unlike you, I can live on bread and cheese.” “And only on that?” Splash sounded mildly impressed by his response. “Yep.” A wicked smirk formed on Splash’s muzzle as she gave him a flat look. “So can a rat.” “As much as your arguments with your roommate are riveting, Splash, what matters is that the patient is still in surgery.” Barrier’s words drew the arguing ponies' eyes away from each other and towards the collection of former guards. “Also, I’d suggest you refrain from having a shouting match in a hospital.” “Umm… Right…” A faint scarlet graced Splash’s face while Due Date slowly tried to back away. “So, how’s she doing?” “We’ve got no word y—” Javelin was interrupted by the doors to the operating room being pushed open. The first thing to emerge from the room was High Gear, dressed up in blue scrubs, rubber gloves, a pair of caps that completely covered her mane and tail, and a medical mask covering her face. “Good news,” the masked mare said as a gurney with a sleeping Storm Cloud on it was pushed out of the room, though what truly caught the attention of Javelin and the others was what appeared to be a white ponyquin-like leg with an odd hoof that was attached to where her stump once was. “The operation was a complete success.” “Fantastic news, Doctor!” Javelin said as he rushed to Storm’s side and brushed a lock of her mane from her eyes. A small smile was on his muzzle as he watched her gentle slumber. “She should be up in a couple hours,” Gear said as Color Splash made her way to Javelin’s side. “We’ll probably be keeping her for a few days to make sure it’s working well with her. That and we’re waiting on an enchanting expert to place the finishing touches on it.” “What sort of ‘finishing touches’ do you mean, Doctor?” Javelin stepped away from the gurney as Splash’s magic swept over the leg, turning it to a sky blue to match Storm’s coat. “Currently, it can’t magically grip stuff like a real hoof can and it’ll pass right through a cloud,” Gear replied as one of the nurses pushed Storm’s gurney down the hallway. “Once the enchantments are put on, it should be able to do almost everything a real foreleg can.” “That’s wonderful, Doctor.” Javelin felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. “Is it alright if I accompany her to her room?” “Just as long as you follow the rules. Only two ponies in at a time and once visiting hours are up, you’ll have to leave.” “Thank you,” Javelin said before he looked at the rest of the assemblage. “I hope you don’t mind waiting in the hall.” “We wouldn’t be here if we did, sir,” Prismatic Radiance replied, making the smile on the stallion’s face grow a smidge wider. *** With a yawn and a stretch, Storm Cloud started to rouse from her slumber. As her vision started to clear, she saw the artificial leg that was attached to her limb. Looking to the side of her bed, she saw her father and Fixer Upper, who offered her warm smiles. “Hey there, Stormy,” Javelin quietly said as a few small tears started to form in his eyes. “How are you feeling?” “A bit sleepy, and it feels kinda weird having this thing on me,” she answered as she turned her attention to the new leg. She rotated the leg around, allowing her to see a pivot point where the hoof met the leg. “Still, I think I’ll be liking this over a stump.” “That’s good to hear.” High Gear’s voice drew the attention of the three pegasi to the door, where another doctor, Rainbow Remedy, was by her side.  “I think it’ll be best for you to stay in bed for at least a few days before we start to really take this leg for a spin.” Dr. Remedy said as she came up to Storm’s side and examined the leg. “Ditto,” High Gear chipped in. “This apparatus is attached surgically, so it’d be best to allow your fleshy bits to heal up before we see how well things are working.” “Good thing I got some stuff to help you kill time,” Fixer said in her normal chipper tone as she lifted a saddlebag onto the bed at Storm Cloud’s side. “Got a bunch of books from the library.” “Thanks, Fix,” Cloud said before she pulled the bag closer. As she did, Fixer leaned close to whisper into her ear. “And I slipped in a few issues of Play Filly for some nighttime fun.” When Fixer pulled away, she gave Storm a wink, making the recovering mare chuckle. “I think we should head out so your other friends can see you.” Javelin brushed Storm’s mane out of her face before placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’m gonna head out with Barrier and see about getting us that house.” “Thanks, Dad,” Storm replied as the pair started to head for the door. “I’ll see you guys later!” Shortly after the two stepped out of the door, Prismatic Radiance and Vin Rouge stepped into the room. The unicorn carried something in a long, white cardboard box. “Good afternoon, Storm Cloud,” Prism said as she and Rouge sat down at her bedside. “Verdant and Toil put together a Caneighda county delicacy called a ‘ketchup cake’ in order to celebrate your successful surgery and we agreed you should have the first piece.” “Ketchup cake?” Storm Cloud was somewhat taken aback by what Prism had said. “You mean that weird tomato sauce some ponies put on potato fries?” “We all had a similar reaction when Verdant said what it was,” Rouge said as Prism opened up the box, revealing a red cake decorated with white frosting. “Apparently it’s a somewhat popular form of spice cake here and he says it's really good. Then again, he’s sleeping with a griffin, so who can really say?” “Well, I figure it’ll be worth a shot and I’m not one to turn down free non-hospital food,” Storm replied with a shrug as Prism’s magic carried a paper plate with a wedge of cake and a fork and placed it on top of the pegasus’ belly. “At any rate, we wish you a safe and speedy recovery, my friend,” Prism said as she plucked a wedge of cake from the box for herself. “Y’all…” Rouge fidgeted before placing a hoof on Storm’s organic one. “Y’all take care. We’re rootin’ for yah.” “Don’t sweat it, girls,” Storm said as a cocky smirk appeared on her face. “I’m betting I’ll be outta here in fighting form in a week.” Storm’s remark got some giggles from her two friends as they moved away from the bedridden patient. “Well, try to take it easy, Storm,” Rogue said as she and Prism headed for the door. “Don’t give the ol’ sawbones reasons to keep yah longer.” “No promises!” Storm chuckled as the two went out the door. She didn’t even have time to grab the fork that rested atop her belly before the last of her squadmates had entered the room.  “Storm Cloud, do you really think it’s a good idea to have cake right after surgery?” Spicy Omelet asked as she went to Storm’s right side while Pen ‘N Paper went to her left. “I’m sure it’s fine.” Storm casually waved her new leg before she picked up her fork with the other. “Besides, after this, I’m gonna be stuck with hospital food for at least a week. You know what that’s like.” Omelet winced at the recollection of the various ‘meals’ she’d endured when she was in multiple casts, stuck to a bed in Canterlot’s hospital. “Point taken. Still, I’ll try to bring you some better food, ideally made with farm fresh eggs.” “Frankly, I’d take Fixer’s cooking over hospital food.” As Storm jabbed the cake, Omelet heartily laughed at her remark. Licking her lips, Storm Cloud brought a piece of the red colored cake towards her lips, but her attention was drawn to a scribbling noise. Looking to the source, she saw that Pen ‘N Paper was quickly switching back and forth between observing the mechanical leg and sketching its image onto a drawing pad with a pencil held in her mouth. “Liking the leg, Pen?” Storm asked as her eyebrow rose. Flicking her head towards the ceiling, Pen let go of the drawing tool. It flipped several times in the air and nearly reached the ceiling before it came down, landing in the narrow space between her left ear and her mane. “Oh, sorry, dear. I just couldn’t help myself,” The ponytail sporting mare answered as she flipped the pad around, revealing a well detailed sketch of Storm’s leg. “It’s just that I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. It might be something that’d be interesting for my novel.” “What’s the plot of it now? Sky pirates are forced to find magical keys to save the world and the captain falls in love with a competitive animal tamer or something?” Storm’s question made Pen hug the drawing close to her chest and bury her face against it to try to hide her blush. “It’s… it’s still a very rough draft,” Pen mumbled before she slowly looked back up. “Besides, with how comics have emerged as a form of storytelling, I believe that will make it easier to tell my story.” “Well, I’m sure it’ll be great once it’s done,” Storm replied as she leaned back against her bed. “Best of luck, Pen.” “And I wish the same to you,” Pen said as she and Omelet rose up from the bed and headed for the door. “Have a good night, Storm. We’ll see you in the morning.” “See ya!” Storm said just as Omelet closed the door behind the two, leaving Storm the only one left in the room. Alright! Time for cake and porn! Storm chuckled as her wing brought her saddlebag full of books to her side before opening her maw wide for cake. “Excuse me, Storm?” Swift’s voice reached her ear as the noblemare and Verdant stepped through the door. Faust dammit. *** A gentle snow was falling outside as Barrier, Javelin and Toil stepped into the offices of Red Blazer Realty. After a few minutes of waiting, the trio were met by a zebra mare with a swollen belly dressed in a red blazer stepping into the lobby to meet them. “Ah, Mr. Barrier, nice to see you again,” the spiky-mohawked mare said as she shook the stallion’s hoof. “How can I help you today?” “Well, it’s not I that needs the help, Inira, but some acquaintances of mine.” The stallion looked over his shoulders to the pair of ponies. “By the way, do you still have the house that suffered the double equicide?” “Honestly, we’ve had it for about twenty years and I don’t think we’re ever going to be rid of the damn thing.” Inira gave Barrier a tired sigh at the thought of the seemingly unsellable property. “In that case, I’ll gladly take it off your hooves,” Javelin gave the zebra mare a cocky grin as he flashed his proof of funds paper. “How much?” For a moment, Barrier thought he saw a sparkle and the image of gold coins in Inira’s dark purple eyes. She then licked her lips before speaking. “Let… Let’s discuss it in my office.” “After that, I’m also looking for a house,” Toil spoke up as she flared her horn with her dark light, making another proof of funds receipt appear out of seemingly nowhere. “I’m looking for somewhere big. Six bedrooms at a minimum and a basement.” “I’m sure I’ll…” Inira’s excited voice was very high and squeaky until she coughed into her hoof. “I’m sure I’ll be able to help you Miss…” “Toil ‘N Trouble,” the slime-colored unicorn answered. “Still, I’ll let Captain Javelin take care of his business first. I’d say his money’s burning a hole in his saddlebag.” “Yes, well, could you please excuse me for a moment?” The zebra quietly stepped through a door before she closed it shut. After a brief moment, a boastful exclamation pierced through the door and walls. “Eat it, Thatch! I’ve not only got a buyer for the murder house, but another one lined up right after wanting a six bedroom and basement house!” “Hurray for you,” a tired and sarcastic male voice replied. Despite the walls and door separating them, the voice’s tone put a strong mental image of a stallion rolling his eyes at Inira. “I’ll be sure to hold you a party at Strawberry’s.” After a brief clearing of the throat came from behind the door, Inira stepped back through with a warm smile on her face. “Now, shall we get down to business, Mr. Javelin?” *** After some hours had passed, the trio had finally left the realty office. Both Toil and Javelin were very satisfied by their successful purchases. “I’m sure Storm’s friends will be glad to see the place,” Javelin said before stretching out his wings and flying a few feet off the ground. “Honestly, I’m just glad to be far away from Canterlot. Far too many stuck up and inbred ‘noble’ unicorns that need a good flank kicking for my liking… Uh, no offense,” Toil said as she turned to face Barrier. “None taken,” Barrier replied. “I’ve never been especially fond of other nobles myself, Toil. I’ve witnessed much of the crap they pulled back in our heyday and I find the current nobles to be little more than griffin bait.” “And yet you let one of your cadets court one of those beasts,” Javelin interjected as he flew a few feet ahead of the unicorns. “You do realize the dangers of letting him being a hen humping—” “Verdant is in no danger with Erica,” Barrier firmly stated as he gave the pegasus a slight glare. “Things have changed radically over the centuries and I know that Erica is a good hen.” “Sorry, but I don’t think I could ever be that comfortable around griffins after what those bastards did to my wife,” Javelin replied through gritted teeth. “Forge once said something similar after what happened to his family and Gallopfrey,” Barrier said as he trotted along. “However, in under a year, he views Erica as a friend, works under her mother and has even impregnated one. Perhaps with time, things will change for you as well.” “Perhaps, but I doubt it,” Javelin said as he rubbed his chin in thought. “By the way, Barrier, since you and your squad are more accustomed to modern things, could you please explain something to me?” “I can certainly try,” Barrier replied and shrugged his shoulders. “What do you want to know?” “What was with that strange black and white pattern that mare had?” the pegasus asked. “Is it some sort of weird fashion thing or… what?” Barrier let out a tired groan of embarrassment and slapped a hoof against his forehead as Toil collapsed to the ground in a loud cackling fit.