Apple Jack had nodded off at some point in the night, so it's understandable that when the doctors and nurses came running into the room badgering her with questions she was a bit confused. However, when she saw Spell's hoof had mysteriously moved to rest on his chest as if he had an itch in the night, whereas a few hours ago it had been neatly tucked in by his side when she has fallen asleep. Quick as a wink ignoring the doctors and nurses apple Jack ran to gather the girls.
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Carefully Gilded Scepter placed his hoof on Spell Squire's ribs that had been so freshly bruised by the arcane bolt causing Spell to writhe in agony as he tried to escape from the hoof that would only twist deeper into his side.
Spell exclaimed in pain before letting out a soft whimper. Silver Lining turned her head unable to watch her newlywed husband abused so as she sobbed and begged for them to let him go, all of which only made Gilded Scepter smile more and twist harder into Spell's side. Screwing his eyes shut Spell put all of his strength into pushing Gilded Scepter off of him much to the clearing surprise as he succeeded. Sitting up Spell gasped and held his side protectively as he glared at Scepter who calmly rises with a smirk, "well, it looks like the colt dose have a spine after all."
Slowly Spell stood and looked over at Silver Lining and gave her a wink before looking back at scepter with a frown, "Does your mother know this is what you do for fun scepter?"
Blinking the stallions in the area looked at each other confused as Scepter looked back at Spell, "I’m sorry?"
Spell smirked softly, "Does your mother know that you get off beating on other ponies? Does she know you have paranoid fantasist that I am trying to steal the mare of your dreams when she never wanted you in the first place?"
"She's just blinded by the pity for a poor excuse of a unicorn whose gone lame and dosen’t have the stones to end his own miserable life!” Scepter shouted into the other stallion’s face.
The clearing grew quite as everypony and every creature held their breath to see who would break the staring contest first as the stallions glared death at one another. After what felt like eternity Spell Squire sighed slowly and looked aside as he stepped back conceding but looked back at the preening Scepter, and not with hate, not with anger, but with a deep seeded pity he spoke, slow and even, “Is that what you think of the pony you used to be best friends with? That because suddenly my horn is gone, because I tried to help you I’m no better than a walking corpse?”
Everything stepped as the stallions looked at each other, one with a heavy heart, the other in shock and in rage, “HOW DARE YOU!!!” Scepter stormed towards Spell who simply stood stoically, “How dare you bring up the past to distract me as you’re losing!”
Spell Squire shook his head slowly holding out a hoof to calm his onetime friend. “This isn’t a distraction; I just finally realized what the problem is.” Slowly he walked towards the now confused red stallion.
“W-what? Wait, no stop! What are you-” The panicked the stallion stuttered as Spell Squire gently wrapped his hooves around the other stallion’s neck, “what is this?” Scepter asked trying to lean away.
Gently Spell squeezed Scepter’s neck and whispered softly “This is me forgiving you, letting things go, and making my peace that you took my Silver. I can’t change that, and I can’t forgive you, but I can make my peace with you.”
Slowly instead of the seeping darkness that hailed the end of his dream sequence, there was a blinding light taking the forest clearing away leaving a tear stained Silver Lining, and a shocked Gilded Scepter with a newly pacified Spell Squire. With a gentile smile Princess Luna made herself known to Spell, “It would appear that you have found your way out of the labyrinth dear Spell Squire.”
He nodded slowly looking back at the two other ponies before looking back to Luna with a sad smile, “Can I say goodbye before I leave?” The moon princess gave a soft smile and nodded leaving the ponies to part in peace.
Spell made his way to his old friend Gilded Scepter and hugged the stallion again speaking softly, “Be at peace now my friend, and sleep. Maybe one day I will forgive you.”
The stallion sneered and looked down his muzzle at his old friend, “You silly foal, don’t you know that forgiving the stallion whom will only continue to hurt you is foolish?”
Spell smiled softly and nodded, “I know, now farewell.” He said as Scepter started to fade back into the dream. Slowly he turned towards his tear stained Silver Lining.
Gently she put a hoof to his mouth before he could speak a playful look in her sad eyes, “Spell, you got some splaining to do.”
With a soft chuckle he smiled at her and nodded, “Yes, yes I do.”
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Six confused mares waited in the hospital’s waiting area. For some reason when they got back to the hospital the doctors only told them they weren’t allowed into the room much to the distress of Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle
So now, they waited and no pony seemed to know what to do or say to help the distressed pair relax. Rainbow Dash tried reading her new Daring Do for the 20th time and practiced her flying just outside, but her worry distracted her and kept her off track. Sweetie had stepped out with Twilight and tried to practice magic but to the same effect as Rainbow’s flying, she was too distracted by her worry. And so they sat disgruntled sad, worried and irritable.
After a time the doctor came out and held out a hoof, “Alright little ponies, I believe the person to best tell you what is going on is come out now.” He said as princess Luna came out from Spell Squire’s room and joined them in the waiting room.
“Hello Twilight Sparkle and friends, I understand the concern for your friend, Spell Squire, but I assure you he is just fine.” She said with a gentile smile.
Sweetie spoke up from behind Rarity’s forehooves, “So where is he?”
The princess giggled softly to herself and knelt down to be closer to Sweetie’s level, “He is still sleeping, a natural sleep now that he should wake up from shortly.”
There was a collective sigh from the mares as they relaxed knowing their friend was safe, “But when can we see him?” Rainbow asked. The princess thought for a moment with a soft smile “He will be up soon, I imagine he will enjoy seeing all of you here for him.”
“Oh trust me, he’s happy.” Said a soft voice as everypony turned to see Spell Squire leaning against a nurse. “He’s just very lethargic being asleep for a week.”
Quickly he was swarmed by the mares asking how he was, however the nurse was more than un-amused at being used as a pony-shield to ward off Pinkie Pie’s tackle-hug. However Rainbow Dash hung back watching her friends. Princess Luna walked over quietly, “Is something the matter Rainbow Dash?”
The cyan mare started, “What? Me? Wrong? Nahh… I-I just…” she sighed letting her head hang and her rainbow mane fell hiding her eyes, “Can we talk outside princess?”
The moon princess nodded and gently put a wing across the smaller mare’s back leading her outside. An act did not go unnoticed by Spell Squire, but a gentile smile from Luna put him at ease as he continued to talk with the others as they helped him back to his room much to the nurse’s relief.
The rainbow maned mare sat down in the grass outside the hospital with the princess who waited quietly for the cyan mare to speak, “…I-I’m Scared,” she said looking down at her hoof drawing in the dirt, “I don’t know what to do with him.”
Luna looked at the usually self-sure and cocky flyer and saw a confused and unsure mare and smiled thinking, Ah, young love, what a fickle whimsy you are… and couldn’t help a giggle much to the ire of Rainbow Dash, “What’s so funny?”
The princess leaned down to be at eye level with Dash, “Tell me Ms. Dash, what do you feel towards this stallion that makes you so unsure of yourself.”
This caused Dash even more confusion as she looked up at the princess like she’d grown a second horn, “What?”
“What dose he make you feel?”
Dash looked at the princess a moment and then off into her sister’s fading day, “I suppose… he makes me feel…I dunno, I’m not good with this mushy stuff like Rarity or Fluttershy.” She said waving a hoof as if to shoo the thoughts away.
With a knowing smile the moon princess nodded, “the maybe you should talk to them on your way home, but for now I think you should go and wish him well.”
Nodding Rainbow Dash stood and stretched herself out as Luna Rose to her full height, “And do not fear Rainbow Dash, there is already a well paved road behind the two of you.”
Dash looked after the alicorn princess as she flew off into the setting of the sun so she may raise the moon. Shaking her head, she walked into the hospital room and was promptly tackled by her number one fan Scootaloo, “ WHERE WERE YOU!” she cried only for every pony to chuckle and Spell to speak softly answering the question, “Out, to talk with an old friend.” The little filly blinked and looked between the stallion in the bed and her idol who wouldn’t meet his gaze. With a huff, she let it go as she sat next to Dash trying to decipher what the stallion said.
Rarity smiled at the two, “Everypony, I think we need to give these two a moment.” With a wink she ushered everypony out and whispered a good luck on her way out.
Dash stood shuffeling as Spell watched blank faced, “um… Sleep well?” she asked scratching behind her neck.
He chuckled softly, “Not really, but I’m assuming that’s not why your still here.” He says with a gentile smile.
She stiffened and her wings fluttered before darting out the room scooping up a surprised white mare, “what’dIdo?what’dIdo?what’dIdo?what’dIdo?”
After recovering Rarity smiled and put her own mane back in place before gently brushing her panicking friends own disheveled mane soothingly, “first, land.” Slowly they were reunited with the ground as Dash slowly lowered them. “Second, take a deep breath and tell him what ever comes from your heart, being shy should be left for Fluttershy dear, it really isn’t for you.” Taking a deep breath Dash held it for a moment and let out a long sigh as Rarity watched with a small smile as her friend visibly relaxed, “Now go back in there and tell that stallion exactly what you think.”
Looking at her friend Dash nodded slowly and looked back down the hall and slowly made her way back towards Spell’s room and away from Rarity.
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Spell chuckled to himself as Rainbow Dash ran from the room. In all reality, he was surprised that she was coming back so soon, she wasn’t really a mushy feely kind of mare. And so he waited in his bed for her to come in as she stood and now and again did a short pace in front of the door back and forth he watched her shadow move and then stop, then back and forth and stop. Just as he opened his mouth to invite her in he closed it as the door opened revealing a familiar mop of rainbow hued hair that looked up slowly to reveal even more familiar magenta hued eyes that looked nervous as Rainbow Dash walked in and closed the door gently kicking her hoof as she gathered her thoughts.
Spell sat in his bed watching as Dash put her thoughts together. She looked up at him, and there was for the first time a truly uncertain Rainbow Dash in front of him, she looked up at him with uncertainty, and hope, “Spell, can we talk serious?”
He nodded and patted the bed beside him as she made room. Sitting down she stared at the wall in front of her thinking. Reaching up Spell gently rubbed between her wings and watched as she relaxed, “just say what you’re thinking Dash, don’t think about what it is.”
She giggled softly looking back at him, “Like Pinkie Pie?”
He laughed softly laying back, “Yes, Like Pinkie Pie.”
With a soft smile she looked down, the feel of his hoof rubbing her back was relaxing and comforting as she took a breath and sighed before looking at Spell, “I think I really like you Spell… and I’ve never felt like this before.”
He smiled and looked at her, “ I could see it being worry some to like somepony who’s been married before.”
She nodded slowly, “yeah it-“ her eyes went wide as she looked at him, “YOU’VE BEEN MARRIED BEFORE?” she shrieked.
He laughed holding his sides as five mares rushed into the room closely followed by three fillies, “What’s going on?” asked Twilight.
Spell reached up to wipe away a tear, “Oh, I just told Rainbow-“
“HE’S BEEN MARRIED BEFORE!” the cyan mare interrupted to the mixed reactions of the other mares, shock and confusion, mostly confusion to the three fillies.
“Is there a problem?” the nurse asked worry on her face from all the commotion in the room.
“We’re fine, thanks.” Spell Squire said waving the nurse away. with a soft sigh Spell Squire looked at his new friends, no, his new family really. With a gentile smile he started, “Why don’t I tell you girls a story?”
With several nods and looks of confusion, the mares settled around the room while the crusaders hopped up to the foot of the bed. “When I was a little colt, I had two best friends named, Gilded Scepter and Silver Lining. We had lots of fun together…” The story progressed telling of his accident with his horn, how the town had treated him thereafter, how he and Silver had runaway and eventually what led him to coming to Ponyville.
The room was silent as their friend’s history, the horrors of his past, sunk in. during the story Sweetie Belle had moved closer to comfort his friend. After a time Dash spoke up, “So, during your party… when you said that I saved you…”
He nodded with a soft smile, “you saved me from myself, not just Pinkie.”
Pinkie tilted her head confused, “Why would any pony need saving from me?” the mares sighed collectively at a loss for words leaving Pinkie to ponder as she blew on a bubble pipe she seemed to pull from the either… or from the curls in her mane.
Dash shook her head slowly and looked back at Spell, “… So… what are we Spell?”
He sat there his hoof absently stroking Sweetie’s mane, “Well, why don’t we see where things go after say… a Wonder Bolts’ show?”
Dash blinked for a moment as her brain processed the information and smiled broadly jumping up excitedly, “AWWWW YEAH!!!!”
Chuckeling he closed his eyes. new friends, new family… a new life and only two weeks back I was thinking about ending everything… but these mares, they really know the value of friendship…
--------------------three
weeks
later------------------------
Rainbow Dash and Spell Squire walked out of the Cloud Dale’s arena laughing as Dash recounted all of her favorite stunts hovering along while Spell smiled his cloud walking spell still in full effect as they went to Twilight’s balloon to go home to Ponyville.
“Spell?” Dash asked as they closed the basket behind him.
“Hmmm?” He responded as he tried to untie the sand bags.
“Thank you.” She said and leaned down giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
Spell blinked and smiled at her as she did her best imitation of Fluttershy hiding her beat red cheeks behind her mane. Gently he nudged her, “Hey don’t get all mushy on me there Dashie.”
With a smile she giggled and pushed back, “Alright, hey, how about dinner when we get back?”
He smiled moving closer towards her leaning on the edge of the basket, “Is that a second date Ms. Dash?”
She smiled as the basket began to tip, helping right it as he stumbled back she chuckles “Don’t push your luck.”
So, with a chuckle he went to steer the balloon going back to a new home and an foretold future yet to be written.
FIN.