//------------------------------// // Waking up // Story: Guardian of Equestria // by twilightrusstle //------------------------------// Chapter 4 Everypony else had gone home for the night, but Dash and Twilight had stayed behind at Ponyville Hospital to watch over their new friend. Twilight recalled the events that had taken place, they found Sweetie Bell, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo unharmed, they then said that their was a pony who had helped them escape and was facing the timber wolves alone. Twilight, Dash, Pinkie, and Fluttershy ran to help this pony while Rarity and Applejack took the fillies to safety. Before they got to where the trio said he was, there was some kind of explosion, they found the pony in question at where it had come from. He was unconscious and badly bleeding, so Twilight quickly healed him and then the four brought him to the hospital E.R.. AJ and Rarity came by with the Crusaders to see how he was doing. After some questions for the fillies, and some discussion, they found he had saved the trio. But they had no idea who he was or where he came from, and the strangest thing of all, he didn't have a cutie mark. Twilight and Dash had stayed up most of the night talking about their heroic friend for many hours, until they fell asleep. ***************************** It was early morning when Rainbow Dash woke up to the sound of moaning and mumbling, she look to see that it was their patient. She walked over to him, she could here him saying something. "Storm...Storm...", he mumbled, "Uhhhh...Storm...no...n-no". He then began to toss and turn, he got louder, "No, Storm, no...stop, please,,,let her go". He suddenly began to trash around, and said even louder, " No no no, leave her alone, leave her alone, no Storm no!". Rainbow then tried to hold him still, he struggled against her. "Hey hey hey", she said, "It's okay, your safe no one is gonna hurt you". He began to fight harder, his voice getting louder still. It was at this Twilight woke up, and she ran over to the bed to help Dash. "What happened!", she screamed, trying to hold the colt down. Dash struggled to hold him, " I don't know", she replied, "He just started talking, and then this!", both mares were putting all their strength into trying to contain the trashing pony. Twilight then used a calming spell on him, the purple aura surrounded him then seeped into his body. He slowly then relaxed, breathing heavily, then he started crying, softly. Twilight reached over and began to stroke his white mane. "Shhhhhh", she hushed, "your gonna be okay, I'm here with you". She looked over at Dash, "He must have been having a nightmare". she said. "But who is Storm?' Dash asked, "He kept saying that, and he said her, some mare in his life maybe?" Twilight shrugged "Maybe, but we won't find out till he wakes up", she look back to him, "I feel so bad for him, what could he have possibly have gone through?" He continued to cry as she stroked his mane. Then he stopped and his eyes began to flutter open, "Dash, go get a nurse quick!" she said to her friend. Dash nodded and ran out of the room. Twilight look anxiously at the pony on the bed, she was finally going to figure out who this colt was. Russ remembered passing out, after that only flashes of memory. Things that were, some of the things he saw pained him. He tried to force them out, but was a prisoner in own mind. He tried to shout, but voice came. He struggled against the darkness that held him, and he began to wake up. He began to hear was was going on around him, light filled into his eyes, and he saw someone standing over him. He determined female, her presence was familiar to him, but he could not place it. he then heard her voice flow into his ears. "Don't worry", she said, "your okay, a nurse is coming". Nurse? He must be in a hospital. Russ tried to focus in on the voice, to pull himself out. He fought against the darkness, until he was able to open his eyes and let the light pool in. He felt his spirit fill he body, he was awake and the first thing he saw, was a cyan colored pony, with a rainbow mane standing in the door way. No...way,he thought to himself. He then looked over to so see a purple unicorn standing over him smiling warmly. "Good to see you awake" she said, "you've been out for awhile, how are you feeling?" Russ stared for a second, then replied, "I'm feeling fine, how did I get here?" Rainbow, had stepped aside as the nurse came in, when the colt asked his question, she quickly answered, "We carried you here, you were in really bad shape". she looked at him curiously. The nurse began to inspect him. "Well you seem to be in one piece", she deducted, " A few more days and you'll be out of here", she turned to Twilight, "He looking good, call me if you need anything" , she said. Twilight nodded. "We will, thank you so much", she said. The nurse nodded and walked out, as soon as she closed the door, Twilight turned back to the earth pony. "I guess we should introduce ourselves", she said, "I'm Twilight Sparkle". "And I'm Rainbow Dash!", Dash quickly added, "the fastest flier in all of Equestria, and newest Wonderbolt!" she did a backflip Russ couldn't believe it, this was all real, he didn't know what to think. He then realized that what Dash had said, so that meant that he was here at a point in time that was behind where the show was on Earth. He had knowledge of this world possible future. He could change things, but then he realized what had happened the last time he messed with destiny, and that didn't end well. "So what's your name, and where are you from?", the purple mare asked him, Russ' mind began racing he had to come up with some lie for now, they wouldn't believe him if he told them the truth. He tried to scan their minds for information, but he couldn't get much, his telepathy was weak. So he tried using what knowledge he had from the show and fandom. Then he had it. "My name is Rusty Charger", he said, "but call me Russ". Twilight smiled warmly, "Well it's very nice to meet you Russ" "But where are you from?" Rainbow asked, she squinted her eyes at him. "I'm from Detrot", he answered. He hoped that it existed. Twilight was shocked, "Wow, that's all the way across Equestria", Russ breathed a mental sigh of relief, "What brings you to Ponyville?", she asked him. Russ thought for a second, then said, "Trying to get a new start, I've made some mistakes and I need a clean slate", he then looked down at his hooves, "You saved my life", he looked up at the two mares, "Thank you" Twilight looked at him with a straight face, "We should thank you as well", she said, "You saved two of our friends sister's and one of their friends", she smiled, "That was very brave of you". Rainbow Dash then walked over, "Yeah man, your a hero" , she said and hoofed his shoulder. He frowned and looked away. "I'm no hero", Russ said, a bitterness in his voice, "I don't deserve it, I was just in the right place at the right time, for once". Dash frowned and put her hoof on his shoulder, "I don't care if you think you don't deserve it but we do", she said "Yeah", Twilight said, "Your a hero to us, and to the fillies you saved". Russ looked up at her, she could see pain in his eyes, and there was something that he was hiding. Twilight then decided to ask the big question, and Russ sensed it. "So...", she began, "how is that you don't have a cutie mark". Russ shifted uncomfortably, Shit, fan-fucking-tastic, he thought, what am I going to tell them. He mind ran a million miles an hour, trying to figure out something. Before he could even open his mouth, the door burst open in a shower of confetti and party streamers, and standing in the middle of the doorway with the biggest smile Russ had ever seen was- "Pinkie Pie!!", Twilight and Dash exclaimed. "Oh boy", Russ said quietly to himself, "I'm doomed"