Rhythmic. Raspy. Slow. Those three words best described the first thing I heard as my eyes fluttered open, and immediately shut again to block the blinding light. With a sharp intake of air, I realized that noise was actually my breathing.
My body and mind felt numb and barely coherent as I tried to figure out what had happened. There was that horrible pain, my roughed up face impacting the ground next to a prone princess, and then nothing until waking to the sound of my own breathing.
"Saving the world sucks." A groan struggled to fight its way out of the parched desert my throat and mouth had become.
A voice full of spunk and energy called out from elsewhere in the room. "Holy shit, you're awake!"
Something toppled, and a set of hooves scrabbled across a tiled floor before there was a presence next to me. Inching my eyes open a bit more, I made out a fuzzy white and blue blob with two patches of purple.
"Vinyl?"
"The one and only. I'm so glad you're alright." A tight hug squeezed pain out of the numbness. The pressure lessened as I yelped, and Vinyl nervously chuckled. "My bad. How you feeling?"
The last couple days—at least I hoped it was still the last couple days—were mostly clear. The attack on the inn, the deceased dragon, losing Dave, taking advantage of Grue's gluttony in order to destroy it. "Bleh."
"Sounds about right. The doc didn't think you'd even be awake by now. You were messed up… bad."
"How bad?"
"You lost so much blood you were whiter than me or Rarity."
I whistled, or at least tried to. The air soundlessly passed through my parched lips. "That would explain why I feel pretty weird. Can I get some water?"
"Sure. Drink up." A cup glowing with a light blue aura pushed itself against my snout. The water was room temperature, but refreshing. "Almost forgot! The docs will want to know you're awake."
I couldn't help but chuckle as my eyes acclimated to the glare of the hospital room’s lighting. The “call nurse” button would have been a better idea, but looking around, I couldn't find it. My breath caught—the others had brought me to a hospital!
After a moment of fear, I relaxed. Every part of me was just too exhausted to be terrified. It wasn’t often I had to take a raincheck on panicking.
Vinyl soon walked back into the room with a small bounce in her step, followed by Nurse Sweetheart, whose pinkness nearly hurt my still-adjusting eyes, and a cream-caramel-colored unicorn wearing a doctor's coat. A stethoscope draped over his neck, tucked under his chestnut mane, and dangled to and fro as he trotted to my side. Of all the cutie marks to represent a medical practitioner, surely there were less odd options than having an EKG on your flank.
"Thank you, Miss Scratch. Please go to the waiting area while we check Miss Gears over." His voice was as sharp as a scalpel and as clear as the rubbing alcohol on the tray Sweetheart had pulled in. A small air of importance followed him, like he was the sort of pony you'd instantly believe if he shouted “don't worry, I'm a doctor!”
"Aww, can I please stay? She just woke up and we haven't seen each other in like a week." We’d had lunch together a couple days before the adventure, but Vinyl was too awesome to shoo away. Even though I wasn't panicking, there was still plenty of nervousness for her to de-edge.
"Oh, let her stay, Doctor Stable. Miss Gears here is likely to need a friend soon." Sweetheart was definitely the hospital's caring, patient-pleaser nurse. That meant if Redheart, whose absence from the room was the best news so far, was the hardass, then Tenderheart could only be the sassy receptionist.
The stallion sighed and rubbed at a growing migraine. "Very well."
Sweetheart's words churned in my gut. "Wait. Why am I going to need a friend soon?"
All three ponies exchanged nervous looks, silently playing a game of “no, you tell her” until Vinyl sighed and said, "Your leg's off, Gears." The other two facehoofed.
"What she means to say," Doctor stable said as he glared at Vinyl, who shrugged, "is you were brought in missing your right rear leg. Normally we could perform surgery to reattach a limb…"
"But it's trapped in a pocket half-outside reality that closed on my leg as I left." They blinked dumbly. "Well, it is."
Nurse Sweetheart was the first to speak. "Not to be rude, but you're taking this much better than expected."
"I'm quite upset, I'm just like forty percent painkiller right now." The panic squirmed in the back of my mind, but it was buried by a euphoric fog of insensitivity. It was awesome.
Vinyl was the only one who laughed, while the two medical ponies merely shook their heads and got to work. The battery of tests they performed was nothing too interesting: testing reflexes, checking vitals, you know, the stuff you usually experience during a physical, but if it came in a pony flavor. The one highlight was not having to turn my head and cough.
You'd think ponies would have perfected a medical adhesive that doesn't stick to fur. Nope. The bandages being pulled off was the closest I came to feeling anything other than a numb tingling.
A few bandages dotted my head, but I didn't think there'd be too many scars. The rest of my front side was not so lucky, and only a few sporadic patches of fur peeked out from beneath the white bandages criss-crossing my barrel and forelegs. It took freakin' forever to get everything changed. A sneeze interrupted my count at twenty wounds.
When they moved the thin, white sheet off of me, I caught the first glimpse of my leg, or rather, what remained of the unfortunate thing. The heavily bandaged stump was little more than a hoof-width long. For a good long time, I stared at the empty space my leg should have occupied. An errant twitch from the stump sent me into an inappropriate laughing fit—I was definitely still drugged and hopefully would be for a while. It wasn’t like I had a choice to not be present when it finally hit me that my leg was gone for good.
After what seemed like hours, the two ponies finished and either told me how to make a piña colada or that they needed me to remain in the hospital for a couple more days of observation. Either way I had a hankering for coconut, and Nurse Sweetheart was amazing enough to go find me some.
"You sure you're okay?" Vinyl asked while I contently munched a plate of shredded coconut after the two ponies had left. It would take a few months, but eventually I spent a couple weeks trying find out where Equestria imported its tropical fruits from.
"We'll see when these drugs wear off. Thanks for being here."
"Of course. We're pals, aren't we? Besides, with those creatures gone, Octy's been letting me go out at night again. She's all sorts of scary when she's being protective." Vinyl shuddered. Once Octavia had figured out I wasn't trying to steal Vinyl from her, she treated me with indifference, but before that it was nothing but the evil eye.
Her words reminded me why I was here in the first place. "So it's over? We won?"
Vinyl beamed at me, showing off her pearly whites. "Nopony's seen a thing since the night you all left."
"I can't believe I forgot about the others." The foreleg not attached to an IV drip draped over my eyes as I leaned back in the adjustable bed, wondering where they’d put my goggles that time. "Are they alright?"
"Sure, lemme go get them." She was out the door before I could tell her she didn't have to be a messenger again.
I rolled my head away from the door and came snout to muzzle with a wall of pink. Half a minute passed before my brain registered they hadn't suddenly redecorated the room.
"Hello, Pinkie." My words felt like slush as I slurred.
"Hello, Gears," she replied in a similar manner.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out how to best hug you for saving Twilight, getting out of there, stopping Grue, forging the beginnings of a diplomatic alliance between ponies and diamond dogs, saving the dreamscape with Princess Luna, making leaps and bounds in an underdeveloped field of research, helping establish new leadership of a diamond dog pack…" I tried to follow her, really, but there were just so many words. It was like somepony had loaded alphabet soup into a shotgun and gone on a verbose rampage.
"That's a lot," I said when she took the rare moment to breathe. Pinkie Pie's lung capacity is so high, she should have a tattoo that says, “can be used as a flotation device.” Then again, most ponies were more buoyant than a large door.
"I know! I'm going to need to borrow one of Twilight's microscopes when she wakes up if I'm going to fit it all on the cake! And don't even get me started on how much banner I'm going to need." Excited fireworks danced in her eyes, and she gasped. "Almost forgot!" She hugged me and skillfully avoided causing any pain whatsoever.
Pinkie’s words echoed in my mind. "Wait, Twilight's not up yet?"
The mood ring that was Pinkie’s mane sagged as she glumly nodded. "They say there's nothing to worry about and that she was somehow overfilled with magic, and I mean really overfilled, like a balloon with way too much air, but I don't think she'll pop, at least that's what the doctor told me before he went on break. I found him in the break room to ask if he was sure, but he fell asleep because every doc I know has loooooooooooooooooong shifts. Everypony's hoping you can tell us what happened."
“I’m sure she’s okay. She’s tougher than she looks.” Then again, you’d be surprised what could be endured.
She sighed and shook her head. "We want Twilight to say she's okay, even if it's Future Twilight. As long as she doesn't get Present Twilight all loco in the coco again." Pinkie glanced around the room and frowned. "Where's Dave? I thought he'd be waiting for you to wake up." She pulled out a cupcake and jiggled it. "It's his favorite flavor."
Instead of an explanation, all that came out was a weak sob. I hadn't been thinking about Dave for a whole ten minutes, but Pinkie's question hit home like a railroad spike tied to a sledgehammer. Failing to speak again, I shook my head at her and her rapidly sinking mood.
Mane completely listless, Pinkie hugged me again, tears of her own soaking into my pale-green hospital gown. "I'm so sorry, Gears." The comforting embrace lasted until the sound of clopping hooves and indiscernible chatter drifted through the half-ajar door.
It could only be more doctors or Vinyl with whoever she'd rounded up, so we hastily wiped our tears and waited. With the loud hoofalls masking most everything else, it was a pleasant surprise when West and Spot showed up alongside Rarity and Fluttershy.
After the enthusiastic greetings, I noticed all five of them trying—and failing—not to glance at where the contours of my leg should have been visible. At least it distracted them from our bloodshot eyes and damp cheeks.
The limb’s frequent injuries had gotten old, but there were still trying times ahead for me. Even so, the involuntary amputation played second fiddle to Dave's sacrifice.
"Don't worry about me, I'll walk it off." Predictably, Pinkie and Vinyl were the only ones to chuckle at the admittedly tasteless joke, but hey, it was my injury. The other faces were a mixture of embarrassment and discomfort, and in Spot's case, confusion. "So, what'd I miss?"
"Oh it was absolutely dreadful! We thought you and Twilight were gone forever!" Rarity looked off to the side and lifted her foreleg to her head. "Nothing we did could get that ghastly beast to release you, and it had the gall to attack us as well. It all happened so fast. One moment we were huddled together with all the light we could muster, and next thing we know, everything is flowing back to where you two vanished. Suddenly, a piercing scream cut through the dying darkness, and we rushed toward the noise to… excuse me." The squeamish unicorn disappeared down the hall, clenching her muzzle.
Turning her head away from where Rarity had disappeared, Fluttershy kicked at the floor and continued the explanation. "Your leg was severed just below the stifle, and there were multiple lacerations and bruises covering most of your body. I performed first aid the best I could, and ooh, I knew I should have brought a second deluxe kit. I'm so sorry." She shied away, returning to the safety of her mane.
Pinkie’s addition was as astute as it was informative. "It was gross."
Adorable as her shyness was, it made me roll my eyes. "Considering I'm here to say it, you don't need to apologize. A second kit wouldn’t have changed much."
"Sorry." I wasn’t getting paid enough to talk Fluttershy out of apologizing.
There wasn’t going to be an apology spiral if I could help it. "The trip back was alright though? Come to think of it, who drove the other cart?"
"Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy smiled. If anypony's mood shifts were weird, it's Fluttershy’s, not Pinkie’s. "The diamond dogs helped me take care of you on the way, especially Mr. Agate here."
West's cheeks flushed, and he dismissively waved his paw. "You give me too much credit. My rudimentary medical knowledge pales in comparison to yours." A blush war was budding.
Rarity returned, looking very much like she'd failed to find a mouthwash capable of substituting jet fuel. "Darling, do you mind telling us what happened to dear Twilight? She's been mumbling in her sleep since we found her."
I nodded and closed my eyes to string the drifting thoughts together more easily. Recent or not, it was hard to think, of anything before we’d been captured, and a nagging thought told me the painkillers couldn't be behind all of it. "I think she soaked up all the magic the baddie stole. If the doctors are right and she does wake up soon, you'll be able to get better info. What was she mumbling about?"
"Most of it sounded like garble. The only thing we could make out was something about gods and harmony."
"Only the destruction of harmony can slay a god."
Failing to figure out how somebody pieced that particular phrase out of those two words, I looked around and noticed the perturbed stares coming my way. "Do I have something on my face? Besides bandages?"
"Why'd you say such a horrid thing?" Rarity frowned with equal parts disgust and shock.
"That came from me?" They nodded, and I shrugged, completely baffled.
It hadn’t sounded like my voice. They really didn’t say that much—how did I fill in the gaps in a phrase I heard in the Between? Hell, was it even relevant to this reality? Once again, we needed to wait for Twilight to wake up for any decent answer.
"Spooky." Drawing out the word and tossing in an overtone appropriate for a ghost story, Pinkie wobbled precariously as she wiggled her forehooves for added effect.
Rarity and Fluttershy awkwardly shuffled their hooves and gained a newfound interest in the medical equipment connected to me by spindly wires. Wanting to know what was so interesting about them, Pinkie hopped over the bed and stared at the heart monitor. Soft, impeccably timed beeps emitted from her.
"What you going do now?" Spot asked. His tan head barely poked over the side of the adjustable bed. "Can ponies walk on three legs?"
There had been many stories of amputee dogs coping just fine, but I couldn't recall anything about equines. That said, there was definitely a new tinkering project in my future. "I'll manage. They might even have a prosthetic. Looks like I'll be a pirate next Nightmare Night."
It wasn’t just going to replace my leg. It was going to do things impossible for an organic limb. Extra storage was the first thing that came to mind—the ability to always have thaumite or a storage gem on hoof would be indispensable. "After that? I guess I'll do what I've been doing: juggling being a Beta with poking science and blowing stuff up."
Satisfied with my answer, Spot stepped back to where West stood tall with folded arms and an unsettled frown. Little guy probably just wanted to hear I'd be resuming my duties the moment I stepped hoof out the hospital’s front door.
"I think I'm going to go check on Twilight again. Sterling, it's good to see you are awake. Thank you… for everything you've done, thank you." Rarity's curls bobbed as she politely nodded and left.
As she passed West, who had sidestepped and given her a small bow, I called out for her to wait. "Can I commission you to make something for…" There was a painful knot in my throat as I tried to keep my voice level. "A friend of mine."
Judging by the amount of concern in Rarity's eyes, I must have started to tear up again. She noticed Pinkie Pie had stopped her beeping for a moment before losing herself again. "I will do my best. What did you wish for me to make?"
"A bowler hat. It doesn’t need to be anything special, but it would mean a lot to me."
A smile flickered on Rarity's muzzle as she nodded. "Of course. I vow to make it the best hat this side of Canterlot. However, please refrain from breaking my bell next time you visit my boutique." She sighed deeply and gently tugged the thick, bland curtains open. "I'm glad to see things have calmed down."
"Are you kidding? I'm just getting started." Surely, Rarity would know better, even with how little we'd actually conversed.
"I was referring to the foalnapping voidlings."
"I knew that." The room burst into chuckles, and I looked toward the window to hide my embarrassment. My view of Ponyville was little more than a few errant roofs jutting into a blue sky, like jagged rocks in a shallow bay.
Things would be different without Dave around, but I owed it to him to march forward and face whatever Equestria threw at me—be it a manticore, weekly ancient evil, or trio of over-rambunctious fillies. This was my home now, a second chance at living in civilization instead of scavenging in the burnt carcass of a city.
I'd already lost one home to the end of the world. This time, the apocalypse would have to get through me first.