//------------------------------//
// Chapter Six 
// Story: Rebels in Equestria 
// by MDR-V6 
//------------------------------//

	Your body aches, your vision is black and your mind is numb. 
But your hearing is acute. All around you, the sounds of rubble and metal twisting engulf your hearing. Car alarms ring off into the distance. As your senses slowly come back to you, the realization of your situation sits in. A slow crawling heat brushes against your side. Smoke fills your lungs. And the taste of oil fills your mouth. The sounds of fire burning sounds off closer to your ears, and with it desperate calls for help. Some belt out for help, while others simply scream out in pain. There's no doubt in your mind that they are being burned alive. You try to gather the energy to move away from the heat, even if only by an inch. But even the slightest movement sets off the worst pain. You lie against the oil slicked floor, sapped for energy.
What little strength you have, you focus into your voice. With each breath you take, a rush of smoke fills your lungs. You open your mouth and try to shout for help, but instead let out a hoarse croaking noise. It's pathetic.
You gather your energy again to try again, but that's when you hear it. Sirens.
Air raid sirens.
You've heard this sound just minutes ago before the building your were in was painted by bombers. As the unmistakable siren echoes through the city, it freezes your blood cold. They were going for another bombing run.
“H-Help!” you cry. Your lungs feeling like they're going to burst. A loud booming sound can be heard overhead. The planes are getting closer. You can feel it.
You open your mouth to shout once more, but are cut off. The screams of men around you are silenced in an instant as a hard screeching noise fills the air around you. Ear shattering explosions echo throughout the city. The ground beneath you gives way. And for just a moment, you feel a sense of weightlessness before hitting against something with a loud thud.
The world around you slows down to a crawl. You can feel the warm blood dripping from your head. Your vision bobbles in and out. Breathing becomes difficult. And your body soon becomes cold and numb. As you crawled closer and closer to death, your pains simply melted away.

 It feels good. 
 Too good to be true. 

A heavy electrical buzzing noise fills the air.
“Clear!” someone shouts. Her voice solid and stoic. Suddenly, you feel a burst of electricity coarse through your body. It jump starts every muscle in your body, causing your to seize uncontrollably.
You take a deep breath of air and feel your heart jump back to life. It's beat is weak and sporadic, but it's a start. “Clear!” she shouts. 
And no sooner do you feel another jolt of electricity. Your vision resets and you feel pain all over your body. You let out a primitive cry and thrash about. Pain erupts from your back and arms. It courses down your spine and throughout your body. You cringe as your muscles start to spasm uncontrollably. The same woman from before shouts again, “Hang on- Hey! I've got pulse! I've got a pulse!” She calls out for help before turning back to you.
“Easy. Easy now. You're gonna be fine.”
You glance up to her. The cool blue moonlight gives off just enough light to reveal her features. She stares down with a pair of huge teal eyes. Her hair is as deep and rich as the night sky before her. By the looks of it, she's only a few years older than you. She slaps your cheek a few times to catch your attention.
“Just stay with me, kid. We'll get you out of here.”
She calls out to a group of men who come to your side. Your throat is thick with a mixture of blood and phlegm. It's hard to breath. But you manage. Blood and sweat cloud your eyes, but your eyes adjust to your vision. The moon and stars hang solemnly above the city high rises. Cold sky scrapers reach high above. You glance to your left. There are a few cars lining the city streets. A burning ambulance catches your eye. It's windows are completely shattered, and it's doors have been blown clean off. The side of the car reads “TARVO CITY GENERAL HOSPITAL” You try your luck again, and start to pull yourself off the floor, but are halted by the jarring pain. Your body is pinned against something. And it's impossible to move.
There's rubble everywhere. You can feel specks of dirt and rubble deep in your lungs. The cries of men fill the air. Screaming. Crying for help. Off in the distance, you hear the air raid siren. Along with the tell tale sounds of bombs going off. Small explosions go off in quick succession.
Suddenly a flurry of voices erupt from around you.
“Ready!? Lift this slab!”
“Okay! On three!”
“One! Two! Three!”
“Fuck!”
“Lift harder!”
“There! Pull him out! Pull him out!”
You feel several hands grab along your body and pull you out from the rubble. You shout in pain as they grab the burns along the side of your body.
They carry you away, and you catch a glance of the wreckage you were pulled from.  What once was a makeshift hospice now lies in ruin. All that remained were scraps of twisted metal and jarring concrete. Dozens of men are scattered throughout the scene acting as rescue workers. Desperately trying to free those trapped inside. Your mind races to the few moments before this all started. You were stationed on a balcony just outside the building's main entrance. Lucky you. The men place you down a fair distance away from the wreckage before heading back to the fray. But the woman stays at your side. She lies your flat on your back and starts unbuttoning your shirt.
“Hey-hey! Kid. Look at me. You're gonna pull through.” Her voice almost dwarfed out by the explosions breaking all around you. She slaps your cheek once more to grab your attention. “What's your name, kid?” she calmly asks. You cough up some blood before managing a response.
“A-Anonymous.” you croak. She cuts through your clothing and exposes your chest.  She lets out a playful scoff before starting to treat your wounds. “Now this might hurt a bit. But just bare with me.”
Her cold hands run along the length of your body, applying gauze and ointments to your burns. She produces a small syringe and injects you with its contents. You wince in pain as she applies pressure to your wounds. Blood seeps out of her hands and drains all over the ground beneath you. You feel her cold hands press against your abdomen. It's strange. The pain is starting to go away...
She grabs a piece of nearby piece of debris and uses it to prop up an IV line. “Now don't you worry Anonymous, I've got an excellent track with this line of work.” she proudly declares. “I'll get you and up and running, better than new, in no time!”
You hack up a bit of blood before weakly responding. “Gah, that's exactly what I'm worried about.” She belts out a hearty laugh before returning to her work.
“Hey now, don't go soft on me. We need you back in action, Anony-” Gun fire erupts not too far from here. You can hear chaos break out just a few blocks away. A few men who were in the rescue effort have taken up arms and began marching toward the gunfire. The radio on your shoulder springs to life with combat chatter. Yet, the woman mending your wounds seems completely oblivious to all this. She looks back at you with a cool, calm collective face.
“What unit you from?”
You turn your head to face the sounds. Your eyes stricken with fear.
“Come on now.” she mumbles while fumbling with her sutures. “Don't be scared. You'll be fine. Now tell me, what unit? You with the boys in Alpha? Bravo?” You glance back to her and shakily reply : “E-Echo.”
She gives you a surprised look on her face. “Echo unit, eh? How a scrawny shrimp like you end up in Echo?”
“B-Bad luck..”
She chuckles under her breath. “Echo is reserved for the cream of the crop. And.. Well, you're certainly no military commando, that's for sure. So that must mean you're a specialist or something. Am I right?”
“E-Explosives..” you grunt. You feel your head lighten.
“Well then Anonymous,” she declares as she finishes suturing a wound. “We can't afford to lose guys like you. For one thing, you might actually know how you're doing around here. It's hard enough finding guys to volunteer for this shit as it is.”
You let out a soft chuckle. She leans you over to your side and places a makeshift stretcher underneath you. You gasp in pain as she grabs your still tender wounds.
“There. There. We're almost done here. We're gonna get you out. Understand?” You try to give a nod. But it's difficult. Your body gives out. And your’e overcome with a general sense of helplessness
“Anonymous?” the medic asks. “Anonymous!?”
You become loose and your head plops back onto the ground. Each breath becomes a struggle in itself, one that proves to be too difficult.
“I'm losing him! I'm losing him!” the medic shouts.
She flicks a switch against her headset.
“This is Charlie One! Charlie One to command!”
Her voice echoes in the radio transceiver hung around your chest.
“I've got a priority one patient, located just south of the hospice. Requesting immediate medivac!” Gun fire whizzes nearby. She flinches.
“We need to pull out!” she barks to the other medics. The darkness creeps in from the corner of your vision. “Anonymous?” she shouts, “Just stay with me! Just stay wi-”
Her voice is cut short.
Red mist splatters from her body onto her face.
Streams of blood land on your face and skin.
She clutches her stomach and falls to the ground, writhing in pain.
You struggle.
The crippling darkness engulfs your vision. One by one, your senses go flat. You order body. To move. To do anything.
You jerk your arms.
Move damn it.
You kick your legs.
Come on…
You thrash your body.
Fucking move!
You muster what little strength you have.
“N-No! Help!” you croak.

“Hold him down!”
“I-I can't! He's kicking around too much!”
“S-Stop him! Before he hurts somepony!”
“Hi legs! Tie his legs!”
You feel a barrage of hands holding you down. They pin you down to the cold floor. It's a horrible feeling.
“S-Stop! Please!” you shout.

Those voices, they sound familiar. Your eyes quickly become adjusted to the new light as you glance around. Twilight hovers over you. Her face plastered with worry.
“Are..” she whispers “Are you alright?”
Her voice mesmerizes you. You stare long and hard at the purple unicorn. You glance around once more. You're still in the throne room. The other ponies close by.
“Anonymous?” Twilight meekly asks
You snap back at her.
“Are you alright?” Her voice echoes throughout the throne room. You pause for a moment to collect your thoughts.
“Y-Yeah.” you croak. “I'm just...shaken up.”
You sit up, to which the ponies crowd around you. Placing one foot in front of the other, you try to stand. But your body is still stiff from your ordeal. And you quickly stumble back to the ground. The ponies catch you before you hit the floor.
“Careful!” Twilight barks. “Are you alright!?” You groggily place one hand on her head, and reassure her you’re fine.  “Is there anything we can do for you?” she timidly asks.
“W-Water.” you croak. “Please. I need water.”
The royal pony steps forward, and casts a magic spell. A flash of white light blinds your eyes. Once it settles, you see glass bottle and cup floating in front of you. You ignore the cup and go straight for the bottle. You barely have time to savor the taste. Clean, crisp and cool. A luxury you couldn't afford in the war. You finish the bottle and hand it back to royal.
“T-Thank you.”
“You're most welcome.”
You glance up at the royal pony. Something about her seems all too familiar. You feel as though you've met her before in some other place. You scour your mind for what seems like ages before it hits you.
“Celestia?” you whisper
Her ears perk as you mention her name.
“Your name. Princess Celestia. Isn't it?”  She smiles, and for a split second you can almost see a wave of a relief pass over her. “Yes. It is.” she mentions. “I take it my spell worked.”
“Barely.” you mutter.

“Can you stand?” she asks.
“After that episode back there? I hope so.”
Her faces cringes at the pain in your voice. She quickly trots to your side.
“I'll help you.” she whispers. Her horn glows white and your body engulfs in a rich white aura. She lifts you back onto your feet. You wrap your arm around her neck and lean on her for support. She pulls you up to stand and helps you up. This time, you feel a certain sense of weightlessness in your step.
“There. There.” the royal whispers. “One step at a time.”
“Where are we going?” you ask. She doesn't respond. The rest of the ponies follow suit.  They whisper amongst themselves the entire way out.

Celestia doesn't tell you where she's taking you. Instead, she leads you out the throne room and through the halls, albeit slowly. Many of the castles denizens stop in their tracks once they spot you. You try to ignore their stares.
You arrive at a set of tall white doors.
“We're here.” the Celestia declares before swinging them open. Inside rows and rows of hospital bed line the walls. Celestia limps your over the nearest one and helps you on.
“There. Just relax.” she coos. “You're safe. We'll take care of you.”
“Is he alright?” Twilight nervously asks.
“He doesn't look alright to me.” the Cyan Pony replies “Is that blood running down his side?”
Her voice. It sound familiar.
She prods a hoof into your chest. A dull pain runs down your body. Your body, it's still sore.  “Don't touch him!” Twilight shouts.

“Celestia?” an unfamiliar voice calls out. “Celestia? Is that you?” Her voice echoes from another room.
“Yes. Nurse Redheart. It's me!” Celestia responds. “I hope it's not too much of a burden, but one of my guests here has fallen ill. Could you be a dear and give him quick checkup?”
“Why, I thought I heard a familiar voice.” she hollers from the doorway. “Anything for you, Celes-” She rounds the door way and finally lays eyes on you. She stops dead in her tracks. Her eyes widen, and she drops the pan she was carrying. She quickly glances back between you and Celestia, her eyes begging for an explanation. Celestia leaves your side and walks over to the nurse.
“Nurse Redheart? This here is my guest.” she so. “His name is Anonymous.” Nurse Redheart simply stares in confusion. She doesn't break eye contact with you.
“Now. Now. Don't be shy.” Celestia jests. “He doesn't bite. I promise.”
“Celestia?” she whimpers “What is that?”
“My guest.” Celestia starkly replies. “He is wounded. Please, won't you help him?”
Nurse Redheart looks at you with cold curious eyes. She examines every inch of your body before turning back to the princess.
“Anything for you, Celestia.” she coldly responds.  Heading to the other room she returns with a cart of medical supplies. She reaches out and touches your arm. Hesitantly, she extends it. All the meanwhile, she keeps her dead locked onto you. With a frightened look in her eyes, she carefully watches to how you'd react. Eventually, she loosens up as curiosity get's the best of her. She holds your hand in her hoof.
“It's beautiful.” she whispers.
She takes her hoof and runs it down your hand down along your muddy clothes. She pulls back on your sleeve, revealing your skin. It's swollen, peeling and sore to the touch. With a curious look, she turns back to the princess. 
“I'll need him to undress.” she worriedly declares.
Princess Celestia simply nods before turning to you.
“Anonymous?”
You give a quick glance over to Celestia.
“Can you do it yourself? Or would you like my help?” she asks.
“Please.” you reply. “My head is still spinning.”
Nurse Redheart's ear perk up at the sound of your voice.
You let out a heavy sigh before you start to remove your clothes. Celestia uses her telekinesis to give you a hand. Layer by layer, she remove your upper body clothing. The air is cool, and you feel goosebumps rising along yourself. The only thing left on your body are various makeshift bandages across your chest and back. Old torn up shirts and rags hold your wounds in place. All of which are stained in a deep red. A soft audible gasp is heard throughout the room as you reveal yourself. Many of the ponies step back in shock. You can see the horror in their eyes.
Your time in the war has taken its toll. Both mentally and physically. Heavy scars and wounds run across your body. Burns run across your back. Your skin runs charred and wrinkled. It runs all the way down your arms and onto your neck. There's almost no hiding it. It's a heavy burden. But one you've become accustomed to.
Save for the sounds of a flickering candle light, the room is silent. It's a dreadful silence. One that you wish would end.

 Yeah. Take a good look. This is what I've become. 
 This is who I am. 
Celestia's hooves make a soft clopping sound against the marble floor. She stands by your side, giving off a warm and boastful aura. You hear the soft ruffle of feathers as she runs her wing along your back.
“These burns?” she asks “Are these from the-”
“They're from the hospital.” you interrupt. “There wasn't enough to perform a proper skin graft. So I'm stuck like this.”
She drapes her wing over your shoulder and exchanges glances with you. She's silent. But her eyes say it all.
 I know. 
 I saw. 
 And I'm truly sorry. 
She looks like she's on the verge of tears. You can just see the pain in her eyes. True pain.
You break eye contact and glance to the others. Twilight and the others are whispering amongst themselves. They sound worried. Frightened even.

But you wouldn't hold it against them.
“Well then.” Redheart announces. “I'd better get started then.” Nurse Redheart takes a wet sponge from her cart and starts washing along your body. The water is warm and inviting. And the mud on your skin falls right off. She hands you a small wash cloth.
“Give me a hand, won't you?”
You take it and clean yourself off little by little.
Next, she grabs a pair of scissors and starts removing the makeshift bandages. Her eyes squint in disbelief during the whole procedure. But one by one, Redheart removes you dirtied 'bandages' and replaces them with new ones.
“This should help with the burns.” she declares as she rubs various ointments along your skin. They're cool to touch, leaving you with goose bumps. She moves down your body, all the way to your legs. It takes a while, but Redheard finally finishes up with her patch job.
By the time she finishes, she's nearly got your entire body covered in gauze.
“There.” she remarks. “That should hold him up for a few days.” 
“How is he?” Twilight asks “Is he well? What about those cuts?”
“Those wounds? They've healed.... Well, mostly.” She glances over to you.
“How long does he plan on staying here? I think I'd like to keep an eye on them just to be sure.”
Celestia glances at you.
“Permanently.” Celestia beams. It's barely visible, but Redheart cracks the tiniest smile. You can see the excitement in her eyes. She must be giddy with joy to be able to play doctor on you. Whatever her feelings may be, she does an excellent job at maintaining her professionalism, for the most part.
“Good.” Redheard responds. “In the meanwhile, he should get some rest. I expect him to check in with me at least once a day.”
“Thank you, Nurse.” Celestia replies. Redheart glances at wall clock, and turns back to Celestia
“I'll be finishing my rounds for tonight, anything happens, just give me a holler.”	
Celestia nods.
And just like that. Redheart disappears, leaving a cold silence in the room.

“How are you feeling?” Celestia smiles warmly.
“Better. But not quite there yet.”
“Well,” she starts. Her voice on the cracks with remorse. “You've been through a lot, Anonymous.” She pulls a blanket over you and lies you on your side.
“But you're safe here. With me-...” she pauses. “....With us.”  She prods your shoulder with her horn, and engulfs your body with a rich aura. A sensation of bliss and relief washes over your body. And just for a split second. You escape your pain.
Bliss.

You stare deep into those bright pink eyes. There, you see nothing less but of compassion, sympathy and understanding. They alone say everything that's needed to be said.
 You've been through a lot. And I understand. 
 I've seen your pain. Felt it even. 
 Your sacrifice. It's not something just anyone can understand. 
 But I do. 
 I've been there. And I'll be there. 
 For you. 

Her spell is running it's course. Your eyes feel heavy. Your body begins to fall numb.
“Rest easy Anonymous.” she whispers. 
“You've earned it.”