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// Chapter Twenty-Seven: Aftermath 
// Story: From the Outside In 
// by DarkParable 
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	It was often said that life in Equestria shimmered, that it shined brightly and that in Equestria, there was never such a thing as a dark day. In the wake of what was an admittedly short slap in the face of that saying, Twilight Sparkle felt the need to call much of what was said into question. Could one really claim that life was bright and sunny when it seemed much more apt to go and rain on her parade? Silent tears ran down her face, staining her fur a darker shade of lavender. Mirroring these tears stood her five dear friends (and one dragonic assistant). Before them lay Red, body covered almost head to tail in bandages and stretched out on a plain bed, Zecora's bed to be exact.

Not an hour had passed after Twilight's destruction of Red's home and the monster that had worn his form before Zecora had come searching for her bearing grave news. At first Twilight hadn't wanted to believe it, something like that couldn't have happened, especially to somepony like Red. Not her Red, not the pony that had faced down diamond dogs to save one of her best friends. Not to the pony who always had a smile for her, who would spend hours and hours just talking about books with her... Not the pony who she could honestly say she loved. Now... Now she had no choice but to accept that not only could it happen, but it had.

Zecora had managed to talk Twilight into gathering her friends first before bringing them all to her hut, and their wounded friend. Despite the fact that she'd wanted to rush right to his side, Twi had to admit she was glad to have her friends by her side right now. It was a comfort, having AJ and Rainbow leaning gently against her on either side. Their silent teary support keeping her head above the dark waters of her shock, horror, and sorrow.

Rainbow herself wasn't crying for what lay before her right now. No, her tears were for her fellow pegasus, a friend at that, who'd just lost something important, something vital to what it meant to be a pegasus... From what she could see, her friend would never get off the ground under his own power again. So no, she wasn't crying for the transient pain she knew Red must be in now, she cried for the pain of loss she knew he'd feel later, denied the freedom of flight.

AJ wept for Twilight, she hated seeing her friend reduced to this. Hated the raw pain etched into Twilight's grief stricken face. She wept for Red, for what he'd lost and for the fact that it couldn't have happened to anypony less deserving of that kind of pain... Not that she felt anypony deserved such a thing of course, but Red most definitely did not... Neither did Twilight for that matter.

Fluttershy had her face buried in Pinkie's mane, her forelegs wrapped tightly around the currently straight maned mare. A delicate soul was Fluttershy and seeing anyone in pain hurt her just as much. Seeing someone who was important to her friend made her feel as if she'd swallowed a thorn bush. Her chest felt tight, her throat raw and scratchy from her sobbing, and her eyes blurry from the constant stream of tears flooding from them.

Pinkie herself sat staring down at Red with a look of shocked disbelief on her face. She shed tears, how could she not when her favorite pony to play with (currently) was so hurt. The disbelief came from the fact that her Pinkie Sense hadn't warned her of this. She couldn't help but feel guilty, as if somehow, in some way, she'd failed her friend. Failed to prevent his pain and suffering.

Rarity was almost as bad off as Fluttershy. Always one for romantic ideals she'd been unable to help setting Red up on a mental pedestal as some kind of untouchable, unstoppable knight. A knight who'd made her dear friend happy in a way she'd never seen Twilight before the two of them had begun dating. For once the perfect appearance she cultivated and wore like a suit of armor was cracked and broken without her caring in the least. What use was beauty and fabulosity when one's loved ones were laying upon death's door?

Spike was the only one unsure of what to feel. He liked Red, he really did, and while he was sad that he was hurt, Spike had no clue why everyone was so sad. Granted he'd been prevented from hearing the true extent of Red's injuries and from getting a good look, but Red was alive and he'd get better eventually... Wouldn't he?

"My dear friend who's name means dusk, shed no tears over his mortal husk... I mean not to say he is gone from you, you have my word that this is true. Recover he will, but a long road ahead there is still." Zecora's voice hissed softly in Twilight's ear, the words meant for her and her alone.

Twilight just nodded numbly, unable to take her eyes off her coltfriend. Slowly Zecora ushered the others from the room, though not before AJ gently placed her hat upon Twilight's head, and left the two in peace for now. Still silently crying and oblivious of the hat on her head Twi gently climbed onto the bed next to the wounded pegasus and, being as careful as she could, snuggled up next to him. She wanted nothing more than to stay by his side until he woke up again.





Red was confused, he had no clue where he was or what he was doing. He had no clue even what he was at the moment. What he did know is that beneath his paws the forest floor told a story. Not fifty tail lengths from him a small herd of deer grazed amongst the underbrush. Silently, he stalked forward, mouth open slightly to taste the scent of his soon to be prey as his eyes and ears kept careful track of his surroundings. Suddenly he stopped, confused beyond belief. He was a pony right? Why did he have paws? Why was he hunting anything? He happily subsisted on vegetables and fruit. Meat wasn't something he wanted or needed... So why did he find himself aching for the taste of the succulent flesh of the creatures not far ahead of him now? Frowning slightly he sat back on his haunches and looked himself over. He recognized one thing, the wine red fur of his coat. What he didn't recognize were the darker striped here and there that broke up his silhouette amongst the greenery despite his eye catching color. He didn't recognize the large paws at the ends of his legs, or the long and decidedly feline tail curled loosely over his fore paws. His confusion grew as he lifted one of those paws and, through some muscle memory he was unaware of having, flexed it. Wicked looking claws as black and sharp as obsidian shards slid easily from their sheaths. He stared at them for a few moments more before the scent of prey caught his nose once more and he lost himself to the hunt again.

Watching this from her place in the dream, for that's what it was, Luna sighed sadly. She knew just what had happened to her little pony... And in her mind, he was indeed his. She'd brought him to this world and saved him from his old life. She'd meant to spare him from ever having to suffer again. The failure of that endeavor weighed heavily upon her heart. Her failure to watch over him properly had gotten him maimed and damaged beyond full repair. He'd called himself a druid, a druid who followed her... She couldn't help but feel she'd failed him in that regard as well. As a protector and a deity she'd failed her chosen pony. She'd make it up to him somehow, she had to... She just had to. Without further thought, not even to what Tia would have to say about what she was going to do, she reached for her magic and let it flow across the aether and the causeways of dreams to flood into the broken body of Red Wyne. "I'm sorry my little one..." she whispered softly, letting herself drift from his dream of what was to come...