//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11: Canterlot Hospital 
// Story: The Missing Bard 
// by Kiniro 
//------------------------------//

	The Missing Bard

Chapter 11: Canterlot Hospital

It felt like the agonizing minutes seemed more like hours traveling from the square to the hospital. My memory outside of that had gotten hazy, I remember falling down several times and coughing up more blood. Twilight comforting me and trying to help me along the way, but her hooves were tied with Fluttershy. So there was only so much she could do. My last memory before blacking out was reaching the entrance of the hospital and collapsing on myself as I made it past the door.
I do remember having a very vivid dream though. The words Xellie said before her banishment to the moon,"I'll get you Kiniro! I swear to god I will find a way back and get you! That's a promise." I couldn't visualize her, because I didn't even know if she was still a human or she had become a pony like me, stuck on the moon. But I having this dream as if seeing it from her perspective. She was wandering on the moon, trying to find a means of escape, but nothing seemed likely. Then she dropped something from one of her garments. As she looked down to see what she dropped, it was a copy of the Heart of Ymir, and as he picked it up from the ground, it began to glow black and everything went dark.
"Uh-ah!" I woke up in a cold sweat. "Where am I?" I quickly looked around and saw off colored painted walls, with what looked like sheets hanging from the ceiling as if to make a small room out of where I was. I laying down in a bed with a light sheet on top of me. I saw Twilight asleep on the ground, hanging from the bed I laid in, keeping one hoof on top of my stomach from atop the sheets. I got a closer look at her face to see that tears had been running down her face, mostly from what looked like small dried clumps of her coat just below her eyes. "Was this the hospital Twilight was talking about?" I said lightly, to see Twilight yawn lightly and open her eyes slightly. "Twi are you awake?"
Twilight quickly bounced up. "Oh my Celestia... you're ok." Twilight responded.
"Why wouldn't... I be" I tried to joke as I coughed. But as I coughed this time, no blood.
"Because you were badly hurt. But I'm glad you're ok and still have that sense of humor of your's." Twilight smiled at me.
"No pony can take that from me Twi." I said with a smile back. "How's Fluttershy doing?"
"She's doing ok, her right wing is broken bad, but she'll be ok. The doctors had to break it again to be able to put it back into its normal position." Twilight explained.
"Ouch... I'm sure she'll be ok Twi. I'm glad she didn't get it anyway worse than she did." I commented.
"Yeah Fluttershy, deep down she's tough, or she can be at least, but I agree. It could have been much worse. But you saved her Kini. Thank you." Twilight said with light tears running down her face.
"Hey... hey... there's no need to cry, we are going to both be alright. I would have done it if it was any other pony I knew. But I couldn't keep you both safe." I responded with a guilty tone.
"Don't say that Kini, you did your best, and we are all alive still. You even sacrificed your guitar to do it." Twilight reminded me.
"My guitar..." I suddenly burst into tears, but I was not sobbing. "My guitar... its gone. I'm just a normal earth pony now."
"Kini, I know that guitar meant a lot to you, but we could always get you another." Twilight tried to comfort me.
"I know I can always get another, but that guitar was my heart and soul. I've had it forever, I don't even know if I could put my heart and soul into another guitar again." I commented.
"I'm sorry Kini, I know you had that guitar forever, but its gone now, there is nothing neither I or Princess Celestia can do to change that. No pony can."
"But..."
"No buts! Kini, whats your cutie mark again!" Twilight interrupted my train of thought.
"A scroll with a guitar on it." I answered with a low tone.
"Exactly, you have that talent, its who you are. You'll eventually move on, I know you'll always mourn the lost of your guitar, but you can't let that change who you are. I know you have it in you if you find another guitar you like." Twilight explained and gave me a peck on the cheek. She then proceeded to push herself away from the bed and got up on all fours. "I'm going to go check on Fluttershy and make sure she's doing ok."
"Hold on. I'm coming with you!" I tried to get up but felt a sharp amount of pain run up my back and I fell back in bed.
"Kini, please stay in bed, I don't need you hurting yourself again." 
"Please Twi, I need to go see how she's doing. Please help me up."
"No Kini, stay in bed."
"But Twi..."
"No, bed stay!"
"But Twi..."
"Ugh, fine. I love you, but sometimes you can be as stubborn as a mule." Twilight commented on my resistance. I saw Twilight's horn glow a light purple and I slowly saw the light purple aura engulf me. Lifting me lightly out of bed an on to my four hooves on the ground.
"There we go... good as new." I said, then noticed I had bandages wrapped around my torso, my front left, front right leg and two small bandages forming an "x" on my right cheek where Meadow Song had kicked me in the face. "Well... ok good as a used model can get." I tried to laugh at my bandages.
"Ugh." Twilight said as she rolled her eyes. "I love you, you silly pony. Ok, now follow me. Fluttershy is a few beds down. She just got out of surgery for her wing not to long ago." Twilight began to walk slowly so that I could keep pace with her. I knew this would pass quickly for me, I was tough, just a couple of days then I'd be back to normal. We had arrived at a bed not to far from mine. "Fluttershy are you awake?" Twilight asked.
"Oh yes Twilight, I'm awake." I heard Fluttershy respond, as I looked over I saw her laying on top of sheets of her bed, with her legs bent down so she could lay on her stomach with her right wing bandaged up tight/
"How are you holding up Fluttershy?" I asked.
"I'll be ok now Kiniro. My wing still hurts a lot, but I can still walk. The D-doctor said just no flying for a while." Fluttershy responded, as she looked at her wing. She quickly turned back to face me noticing my bandages. "Oh my. Kiniro are you alright?"
"I'll be fine in a couple of days Fluttershy, I'm just glad you're ok." I said with a reassuring smile, followed by myself falling on the ground. "Ow... yeah. Just a couple of days." I said with a nervous chuckle followed by a stare from Twilight.
"Kini, this is why I wanted you to stay in bed." Twilight said with a frustrated tone.
"I know, but I had to see how Fluttershy was doing." I tried to explain.
"Bed now!" Twilight raised her voice slightly.
"Twilight, don't be so hard on him, he's just trying to make sure everypony is ok." Fluttershy defended me.
"Ugh, fine." Twilight stated as she used her magic to raise me up again on all fours.
"Ah there you are!" I heard a male voice call out.
"Huh?" Fluttershy, Twilight and myself commented in unison.
"Ah, yes Ms. Sparkle. I have some good news for you and your friends." I heard the voice say. I quickly turned to see where the voice was originating from. It was a unicorn with a some medical device hanging from his neck with a clip board hovering infront of him. Light blue coat, with a white main with a giant red cross for his cutie mark. Obviously this pony worked here at the hospital I assumed.
"Whats the news Doctor?" Twilight asked.
"Both your friends Fluttershy and Kiniro are both being discharged, you two are ok to go." The pony explained.
"Are you sure? Kiniro can barely walk, and Fluttershy isn't healed yet!" Twilight responded.
"No worries now Ms. Sparkle. Fluttershy is still fully mobile, she just needs to not fly for a while, as her wing heals, I can have her check in at..." The doctor quickly checked his clipboard. "Ah yes, I can have her check in at Ponyville Hospital. Same goes to your friend Kiniro here. Of course if you feel they need to go for a follow up. But as far as Kiniro goes, he's just sustained mostly bruises, no broken bones. But I'm pretty sure it feels like it!" The doctor quickly joked as he trotted beside me and placed his hoof on my back.
"YE-OW" I screamed in pain.
"See? Seems like broken bones, but just bruises. He'll be fine in a week give or take a few days. "He seems like a tough Stallion, he'll be ok."
"But what about the blood he was coughing up?" Twilight asked the doctor.
"Oh thats nothing major, he had a small laceration in his mouth from what looked like someone hoof punched him in the jaw. Lots of blood, but its started healing now. Just make sure he doesn't eat any hay for a while, just to avoid the laceration from opening up again." The doctor explained.
"Oh... ok." Twilight said with a slightly confused look.
"Anyway you all are free to go! And remember, try to be careful out there! But not too careful! I still need to have a job!" The doctor joked as he trotted away.
"I hate doctors..." I muttered.
"Yeah me too sometimes..." Twilight responded.
"O-oh I think he did fine." Fluttershy commented. Only to be greeted with silence. "Did I say something wrong?" Fluttershy whimpered.
"Anyway, look." Twilight looked up at a clock in the room. "Its 6:23, we can still make our original train back home, it leaves in 37 minutes."
"Wait we still have time to make it to our train? How long was I out for?" I asked.
"Oh, you were out for about 4 hours after getting to the hospital." Fluttershy answered.
"Talk about fast... medical attention." I responded with a surprised look.
"Well Canterlot Hospital is the best in Equestria, and considering I'm apart of the Royal Family, they technically can't say no."
"Well thats goo- Wait ROYAL FAMILY?" I responded with a shocked tone.
"Well yeah." Twilight responded.
"How? How...." I tried to ask.
"Well my Brother Shining is married to Cadance remember?" Twilight explained.
"Yeah, but I've never seen Cadance. But go on." I answered.
"Well Cadance is a Princess. She is an Alicorn, she's related to Princess Celestia, considering Princess Celestia is her Aunt by... Oh I don't remember how many times."
"So... I'm..."
"Yes, technically dating royalty." Twilight winked at me.
"But... but..." I tried to form a sentence. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You never asked!" Twilight gave a big smile. I just buried my face in one left hoof.
"Can we get going... We have a train to catch..." I quickly changed the subject.
I'm glad that both Fluttershy and myself were going to be ok. Not to mention at least I was able to keep Twilight safe. Considering now that I knew she was royalty, its a good thing I did. But we were going to be heading home soon, finally away from Canterlot and hopefully away from any other danger from that Meadow Song. Considering he was now locked up. But the loss of my guitar still bothered me, but I had to take Twilight's advice. I had to move on, I know I'd find another guitar to play that I'd get that connection with again. I'm sorry we had to part ways my friend, you've always been by my side. You will always hold a special place in my heart. I'm going to miss you, my one guitar...

End of Chapter 11.