//------------------------------// // And You Were Late // Story: Stuck in Equestria // by Mike the Red //------------------------------// As I waited, and got soaked to the skin, Rarity continued her chat with Hoity Toity. At some point, the mare noticed my absence and peeked out the front door of his shop. She frowned upon seeing me standing, though I used Quorthon to help support my weight, considering the fact that standing on all fours had become tiresome after awhile. "Michael, darling, what are you doing out there? It's raining," Rarity observed casually. Then she noticed I was still wearing the jacket she had made me yesterday. "Please, come inside where it's dry -- I can't stand to see one of my creations get ruined by the rain!" "Okay, Rarity, I'm coming," I responded glumly. I held Quorthon in my right fore-hoof as I made my way back towards Hoity's shop, but before I had gotten too much further, a stray bolt of lightning struck my staff, the massive surge of electricity knocking me out and the staff a good distance away. Rarity called out my name in horror as she witnessed this, then commanded Spike to retrieve the staff. Hoity Toity saw what happened as well and he came outside to check on my status, placing a hoof on my chest to see if my heart was still beating. "His heart is beating, but it's very faint -- he needs medical attention quickly!" he shouted as a few ponies approached. One of them galloped away to get help for me as Rarity levitated my body in her aura. Spike climbed onto her back, holding my staff with both hands. At this point, the rain dissipated and some of the clouds parted to allow sunlight to shine through. "Michael, I am so sorry," the fashionista whispered to me as she carried me along in her aura. I couldn't hear her words as I had been temporarily deafened by the thunder -- I was lucky enough to still be alive, though just barely. She carried me all the way to the front gate of the Castle, where a medical team had already been assembled. My body was placed on a gurney and taken to the medical wing in the Castle. Princess Celestia was informed of what had happened and she took time to check on me. She met up with Rarity, who still seemed to be blaming herself for the accident. "Rarity, what happened exactly?" the Alicorn asked, her face a mask of concern. "I called for him to come out of the rain and he was struck by a bolt of lightning," she replied softly. "I am so sorry, Princess." "It's not your fault, Rarity, so please don't blame yourself. I will ensure he does not die," she intoned warmly. "Spike, is this a Clovellian staff?" "Yes, Princess Celestia -- I can't believe what's been carved into it!" the drake replied with some astonishment. "Let me have a look at it," she said, levitating it before her in her golden aura. She turned it around, examining it quite closely, then paused for a moment or two before speaking. "So, he wasn't lying about being in Twilight's body -- I must admit, he's done quite a bit. I owe him an apology," she stated softly as she levitated the staff back to the young drake. "He still seems concerned about his wife," the fashionista mused. "If you don't mind my asking, how is she doing?" "She is doing about as well as can be expected, Rarity, though it surprises me you seem so interested in her well-being. Rest assured, her concerns are being addressed, and when Michael regains consciousness, I will allow her to see him." "I would like to stay with him -- I can't help but feel responsible for causing this. It would mean so much to me, your Highness," the alabaster mare offered warmly. "Very well then, Rarity, you may stay with him -- but what about your business back in Ponyville? Don't you have work to do back there?" "My business and clientele can wait -- this is more important. Would you be kind enough to send Twilight a letter to inform her of what happened and where I can be found if she needs me?" "Of course, Rarity, I shall let her know what has transpired," the Alicorn replied, smiling warmly. The two of them trotted to the medical wing to ascertain my status and were shocked to see a unicorn doctor using a defibrillator on me. Apparently, my heart had stopped beating at some point and I had been hurried into the ICU. The medical team surrounded the doctor to provide additional assistance as she successfully resuscitated me. They expressed some relief that my heart had resumed beating, though a great deal of concern about how long my brain had gone without oxygen. A respirator was attached to my muzzle to aid my breathing, though I continued to remain unconscious. One of the medical staff left the ICU and Celestia met up with him to ask about me. He informed her that I had fallen into a coma and that I was very lucky even to be alive. He commented on the long jagged scar the lightning bolt had inflicted on my right fore-leg, which ran along the right side of my body. He expressed some curiosity about my cutie mark, which showed a long jagged lightning bolt running the length of my flanks. This caused the Alicorn to raise an eyebrow and Rarity to gasp softly. Rarity asked about how long it might be before I wake from my coma, but the response was not a good one as the medic informed her that he had no idea how long it would be, and that there was the possibility that I might never wake up again. He also stated that I would be under medical supervision until my condition had stabilized. I had no concept of the passage of time as I lay in a coma. My dreams consisted of dark visions, many of them involving my wife attacking me in some fashion, then Celestia administering punishments ranging from ludicrous to draconian -- in some cases, I watched in horror as the Alicorn took sadistic delight in causing her excruciating pain and suffering. Some of my visions involved me and Twilight or Rarity or some other pony doing things together while my wife watched helplessly. Sometimes I thought I heard her screaming my name and pounding on my chest, then crying and sobbing as she laid her head on my chest. Sometimes I remembered seeing a brilliant white flash and then a very loud roar before everything went black and I couldn't hear anything. Princess Celestia would come to visit me from time to time, sometimes even bringing my zebra wife to see what had happened. The first time this happened, the zebra blamed the Alicorn for my predicament and it took her quite awhile to accept the explanation. My vision of Brenda screaming my name and crying as she lay her head on my chest proved to be correct as her numerous visits attested to her desire to have me back. Rarity had stayed for as long as she could before she was finally persuaded to return to Ponyville. Before she left, she whispered into my ear something I had wanted to hear for a long time. Even though I was still in a coma and virtually unable to hear what she said, the corners of my mouth turned upward at her statement. Twilight would stop by from time to time as well -- her impression upon seeing Quorthon was utter amazement. She commented to her mentor about how much I had accomplished while in a copy of her body and that she wanted to know as much as she could about me. She pleaded with Celestia to use her magic on me, but was informed that doing so could be quite dangerous and that I would have to recover from the coma when I could. Days turned into weeks as my body continued to atrophy under the ravages of my coma. I wasn't sure exactly how long I had been asleep before I woke up in a hospital bed. The monitors seemingly sprang to life and alerted the one remaining medical pony who'd been the unlucky recipient of the short straw and given the task of overseeing me. She entered my room and gave me a cursory examination, then gasped as I opened my eyes. "Where's my wife?" I tried to ask, then immediately regretted even trying to open my mouth, let alone speak as the dryness in my throat caused me to clamp my mouth shut in pain, eliciting a light whimpering from me. "Don't try to speak -- I will fetch the lead doctor immediately!" she exclaimed, partially out of concern for my health and partially due to her shock at my recovery. She nearly galloped out of my room and returned very shortly with another pony, this one being a light green unicorn stallion who wore dark green glasses. He trotted over to me slowly and conducted a more thorough examination. I saw his mouth move, but could not hear anything he said. "How long has he been awake?" the doctor asked the nurse. "He just woke up a few minutes ago, doctor," she replied. "He tried to speak, then whimpered in pain." "Fetch a mist bottle so we can hydrate his throat. Get an eyedropper and a glass of saline water. Fetch another IV bag, this one's about gone," he commanded brusquely, causing the nurse to nearly gallop to comply with his demands. He trotted over to me slowly to assess my condition, lifting my forelegs one at a time, pressing a stethoscope to my chest to listen to my heartbeat, though the monitor showed a regularity to it to indicate a normalizing condition. The doctor examined my scarred right foreleg a little more closely, noting that the singed fur had regrown, though the area was now shock-white instead of medium purple. "Looks like you're on your way to a full recovery, Michael," he stated aloud, though I could not hear him. I turned my head quizzically upon seeing him speak but not hearing his words. "Can you hear me?" he asked. I had read his lips and shook my head sadly in response. "Hmm. Your hearing is still gone -- I will consult a medical directory and see what can be done about that." I tried to open my mouth to ask about my wife, which caused him to shake his head. "Don't try to speak, Michael -- you've been in a coma for six months and we need to hydrate you before you try to speak again," the doctor advised. I tried to light my horn to use magic, but a sharp pain in my forehead put a quick stop to that, causing me to whimper again. "I believe you may have suffered a magic overload when you were struck by lightning, Michael -- I will give the Princess a full report," the doctor stated in a dull monotone. The nurse returned with the requested supplies, accompanied by another medical technician for additional assistance. Word had reached Princess Celestia at this point and she arrived in my room about five minutes later as the team busied themselves with spraying a light mist of saline solution into my mouth. The saltiness of the water made me want to vomit, but there was nothing in my stomach to purge. I continued to swallow very gingerly as they used the eyedropper to provide additional hydration. "Michael, I am terribly sorry for what happened to you," Princess Celestia stated upon seeing me in the bed. She trotted slowly to me and motioned for the medical team to provide some room for her. She knelt beside me and placed her head on my chest, a tear trickling from her right eye. "Trust me when I tell you I shall do what I can to help you," she added softly. "Your Highness, he cannot hear you," the doctor noted matter-of-factly. Upon hearing this, the Alicorn used her magic on me to attempt to heal my hearing. The first sound that I was able to discern was something that sounded like the roar of ocean waves crashing on a shoreline. This took several minutes to subside to a somewhat reasonable level, though the sound was still omnipresent and loud enough to obscure most of the conversation the medical team was having. "Can you hear me now?" asked Celestia, giving me a hopeful look. I tried to speak again, opening my mouth, then clamping it shut again, another whimper coming from me. The alicorn used a little more magic, healing my throat just a little. "Mmmmh, uhhhh, ahhh, mmmmh," I moaned. "My wife," I added, my voice croaking out of my mouth. "Michael, I shall fetch her immediately," she stated, then disappeared in a flash of white light, only to reappear mere seconds later with my zebra wife. Brenda trotted over to me slowly, tears streaming from her eyes. "Mike! Mike! I thought I had lost you!" she cried happily as she leaned on top of me on the bed, giving me a light kiss on my lips. She saw tears beginning to form at the corners of my eyes as I made the Herculean effort of placing my left foreleg on top of her. "Mmmmmh, Brenda," I said softly, my voice still very hoarse. The medical team watched as the zebra lay on top of me, though they expressed some concern about my state of physical weakness. "Madam, he is going to need about six months of physical rehabilitation," the lead doctor opined, giving the both of us a look of sympathy. "I want to be with him -- Mike, I am so sorry for causing you so much pain," Brenda offered warmly. "Princess, I would desire you let me stay with him until he recovers fully." "Granted, Brenda. Take all the time you need," she replied warmly before trotting out of the room.