//------------------------------// // Chapter VI: I Got A Golden Ticket // Story: Life Is A Game We All Must Play // by Bambi-Fuego //------------------------------// Chapter VI: I Got A Golden Ticket It took an hour before someone came out to look for me, well when I say an hour it probably was less than that but it was a while and I didn't exactly have a way to check the time. "Bambi, are you back here?" I heard a voice. I look up to see it was non other than Twilight. "Over here." I said so she could walk to my voice. "Why are you just sitting there?" She asked looking at me in my awkward, impossible-to-get-up-from position. "Two reasons: Depressed and stuck. So a little help would be nice." She answered by holding out a hoof. "And how am I meant to grab that?" She then curled her hoof, if that makes sense. I can do that? I tried it and apparently I can. She helped me up. "Thanks for that." "Now why are you around here anyways?" She asked as I got myself steady. "Because." "That's not an answer." It is for me. "You want to go back to the Library don't you?" She asked me. I nodded. "Okay because you don't the way back, go through the market, you'll see a sign that says Golden Oaks Library, follow the direction it shows you for three more signs, you see four that means you've gone the wrong way so go back. When you get there go through the front door and up the stairs you know the rest, there is a back door but if you can't find it just go through the front. Now there something else I need to go over with you but I'll have to over that later. Now while you go back now I'm going to, even though I don't want to, have to tell everypony that the pony who the party was for has left for one reason or another, I'll just tell them that your feeling ill." "Cheers... Three signs after the market?" I asked just to make sure. "Yes and goodbye" "T'ra" I headed off. Now even though I asked twice I still managed to fuck up, big time. I seen four signs so I went back, I managed to get back to the market that's how bad my sense of direction is. Maybe the fact that I wasn't paying attention as to where I was going, maybe I was continuously asking myself the same question over and over, maybe that particular question was "Who would care If I went 'missing'? If I were to walk away right now, just leave. Who would actually give a shit?" I came up with one name, Luna, whose name belongs to a princess who could do without me being a bad influence. I will admit I am, without a shadow of a doubt, a bad influence. It was the same with Jamie, smart fucker, yet completely wasted because he lived in a 3-bedroom house with three other people, went to the same pub every other night, had the same thing (when it was in stock) he had the same boring, under-paid job and he could do so much better, and I would only take half the blame the rest is all his because it was his choice to- I'm doing it again, bringing up memories that I would be more than happy with for them to hide in my mental box full of things to forget, it's a pretty big box. Reminding me of home, again reminding me I can't go home and that was the same reason I walked out of that rather childish party that was planned for me, which was not me. My idea of a party is having a night out with the lads, getting absolutely mortal then just fucking off home at four o'clock in the morning. And because I don't know any man, or stallion, here enough to class them as a 'lad' I don't see that happening anytime in the far future. There's digression for you. Once I made it back to the library-tree, that's what I'm now calling it, I looked up at the sky and judging from where the sun is I would have said it would have been anywhere between half three and half four, Rarity I think her name is, fuck me she can talk! We were there for a while, whilst she went on about a subject I couldn't care less about, simple as that. Again with the digression. Anyways I remembered most of what Twilight said so I went around the library-tree looking for the back door couldn't find one, not after five minutes of searching so I gave up, I've been doing a lot of that recently, and went through the front door where I was greeted by a sight that made me walk out the door I just came through, close that door and than bang my head against it several times before walking back in. Remember that little not-so scary dragon that woke me up this morning, also did I mention he's purple and green? If I didn't he is, who walks on two legs and has thumbs Lucky prick. Right, I seen him wearing a pink apron, holding a feather duster in his... claws? and humming. I decided to ignore it and walk up the stairs slowly because i'm not falling down them again, went into my room collapsed onto the bed for an hour an a half. I knew how long it was because where my head was facing if you go up and a little to the left there's a clock which had the time on it. The wrong time mind you but I could still see how long it had been. I got up because of a knock at the door. "Who is it?" I asked the knocker. "Spike... there's a letter for you here." That's nice. I got up and walked over to the door. I swear if he's wearing that apron. Fortunately for me when I opened the door he wasn't. I leaned against the door frame for balance while I held out a... hoof, never going to get used to that, so he could place the letter on it. It was a scroll but it's beside the point, he place the scroll on my hoof and at that very point two things crossed my mind: One, how am I going to open this? and two, HOLY SHIT HOW FUCKING HOT IS THING?! Although I never said or shown that, I waited until he closed the door and I heard him walk down the stairs, that's when "Bloody hell that's hot!" After five minutes of leaving it where I dropped it I went back to the scroll to check to see if it had cooled down. It had so after ten minutes of fucking around I found out how to pick it up and how to open it and when I did open it a golden ticket fell out which was put to the side until I read the letter. It read. 'Dear Richard. I do hope you managed to get settled in Ponyville as it is different than what you have currently experienced in Equestria. Now you may have noticed a golden invitation that came with this letter, it is a personal invitation from me for the Grand Galloping Gala coming up in just over two months time. How you arrive to the gala is entirely up to you, Celestia has told me to instruct you to not arrive in your human form (Because you can alternate between the two with help from magic) but if you want to I can change you back despite my sister not wanting exactly that. Another thing is that you did something that involved my sister and it isn't good. I don't know what you did, but believe me when say that I will find out what you did, people still fear me because of what I did over a thousand years ago and if needed I will use that to my full advantage. You have until I see you next to come up with a very good excuse otherwise it wont end well for you, I will not tolerate you being overly aggressive towards my sister without a valid reason. Yours Sincerely, Luna. P.S. Don't let the bastards grind you down. :)' She actually put the smiley face thing, and the P.S. part was rather unexpected. I looked at the golden invitation on the floor which just said it was a personal invitation from Princess Luna to the Grand Galloping Gala, Another retarded name to add to the list. I left it there until I figured out how to pick it up. After reading that I instantly decided, just to defy a certain princess, that I was going to the GGG as me, the proper me. Then I was a little worried to how Luna would react on finding out what happened but that is a problem for another time, three weeks time. "Spike I'm back." I heard Twilight say as she came through the door downstairs. "Oh hi Twilight." Spike said. "Bambi back yet?" I'm never going to forgive myself for saying that. "Yeah he came back here about an hour and a half ago, why?" "I need to go over something with him." "Why is he staying here anyways?" "Spike! He might be able to hear us." Oh I can hear you alright. "And to answer your question, we are living here under the courtesy of Princess Celestia and we are also living of the crown so if she says that somepony will be staying with us for a short while I can't exactly say no in the manner." "Just sayin'." "Well don't. Now I'm going to call him so we can go do what we need to do we'll be back by eight at the latest so if you could prepare a little something to eat because I don't think he's eaten since yesterday even then it was just a light salad, so if you could that would be nice." "Sure, you want anything?" "No thanks, I ate at the party." You fucking scrounger! You ate nothing while I was there, I fuck off and you stuff your face. "Bambi!" She shouted up the stairs. "What?" I asked. "I need to talk to you about something." "What is it?" "Can you just come down here please?" "Okay hold on." I got away from the door, oh one thing I do love about this body, the ears: you can move them left, right and centre it's so helpful, such as if you want to over hear a conversation you can flick your ears up and press them perfectly against a door so you can hear as much as possible. "Okay what was it you wanted to talk to me ab-" I never got to finish that sentence because I wasn't paying attention and I fell down the stairs for the second time that day but this time it hurt a hell lot more. "Bambi! Are you alright?!" "Fuck that hurts!" "Can you walk?" "I don't know I'm still on the bloody floor!" I said sarcastically. "Now's not the time, hold on I help you up... there can you walk on it?" She asked indicating my right foreleg. I gently pressed it on the floor causing enough pain for me to say "Not a chance, hurts like hell." I then realised a predicament of sorts "I can't walk on three legs." "So?" She seemed rather dumbfounded by that, first time in my life I've ever used that word. "How the fuck am I going to move?" "I have an idea," her horn lit up. "NO!" She knew exactly what my reaction to would be and she still said it. "Well then how else are we going to get you to the hospital?" "Whoa... now who said I'm going there, cos' I ain't going to no hospital." "Why not? You need to get the leg checked over." She pointed to my possibly broken foreleg. "It's fine" I said. "And even if I did manage to limp all the way to the hospital. A Pegasus, who when broke his leg, didn't fly it's going to raise suspicion." "I've thought of an excuse for that already," Fuck it, what's the worst that can happen? "Fine, I'll go to the bloody hospital." At that response I swear down Twilight's face literally lit up. "Okay so here's how we're going to do this..." One very long hour of me leaning on Twilight for support later, we made it to the rather large hospital. "How can I help you two?" The receptionist asked, a mare if you're wondering. "My friend here fell down a flight of stairs and landed rather badly on his foreleg, and we think he may have broken it." Twilight told her "What's his name?" The mare across the desk asked. "Bambi Fuego." I said. "Okay then Mr. Fuego if you could be seated a doctor will be through shortly." The receptionist replied. "Thank you." Twilight then helped me over to a seat. Five minutes later a nurse came through some double doors "Bambi Fuego?" I raised a hoof "This way please." About half an hour later I had an X-ray and was in a cubicle waiting for the results. "I hate hospitals." I said to no one in particular. "Why's that" Twilight asked. She decided to stay for some reason, I said she could leave but she told me that she wouldn't leave me alone in a hospital, which I was thankful for. "Can't stand the smell." Death and disinfectant, the only two things a hospital can smell of, even though one is metaphorical. "Quick question, do you have to pay for your healthcare?" "Obviously. While I don't, courtesy of the crown, everypony else does. Why do you ask?" I couldn't help myself from having a smug face. NHS health care, yes please many thanks. I then continued the rest of the song that was from in my head. "No reason." "I'm going to find something to drink. Be back soon." "Alright bye then." Two minutes later the nurse from earlier, Redheart I think she said her name was if not something along the lines, and showed me the X-ray results and it's not so good. According to the results I broke my metacarpal bone in two places. To put it easier for me, on my normal legs it's the bone between my ankle and my knee and it's now broken in three pieces. I also noticed, it was more of a confirmed suspicion, that Pegasi have a honeycomb bone structure and that's why my leg is now broken in two places, honeycomb bones they're light and strong, just not as strong. "Now I need to ask you a question." The nurse said. "Are you against magical treatment?" I guessed that meant was I against having magic used on me and was an instant no. "Yes." "I expected as much." She then started to smile and. "Many years from now you may change your mind." That part was quieter but I'm pretty sure I was meant to hear it. "Doubt it." I said. "Trust me on this, you'll change your mind." I asked her to prove it and then she started to smile. "Okay then, you sure you want me to tell you?" "Yes, if got n'ote else to do." "As you get older cancer becomes a bigger threat and we need to check for said cancers, magic is a lot easier for checking ones such as prostate cancer." Since I was sitting on the bed I looked at my hoof, the one that I could lift. "So the whole thing... goes in the-" "Yes." She said nodding. I know how a prostate exam works, and I then decided if I don't kill myself or I'm killed by someone else prostate cancer will kill me. "How many people do you tell that to?" I asked, but seriously that's not something that should ever bebrought up. "Most of the stallions that don't like magic, that also tell me to prove it." She's a right bitch for being a nurse who coincidently has the same cutie mark as the sign outside. "Anyways since you wont allow a specialist to reconstruct the bone, which wouldn't cost you anything because it's all paid for by the crown-" It's good having friends in high places. "- We'll have to place a metal plate in your foreleg and then we will put a cast on it until it heals." "And how long will that take? The plate and the cast I mean." "If your asking when will you be able to leave, we should be able to discharge you tomorrow." Could be worse. Wait no it can't, I'm spending a night in a hospital. Twilight decided to make her entrance at the same time the nurse was leaving, the nurse whispered something into Twilight's ear then left. "What she say?" I asked when Twilight sat down on the chair next to me. "She said visiting hours are over in seventeen minutes." She took a sip from the paper coffee cup that I only just noticed. "Seventeen minutes of company left in a place that makes me think I'm going to die." "Now your just exaggerating." "I'm honestly not, it doesn't matter if I've been stabbed, shot," Would be best to point out that is because the first time I was in hospital other than being born and having my tonsils removed, I was there because I was stabbed which nearly killed me, I was also stabbed three times after that, fortunately non were as bad as the first. "broke my wrist, broke my arm, broke my collar bone, broke my nose, broke my other collar bone, or split my head open I still feel like I'm going to die." I haven't lived the quietest of lives. "Stabbed!?" She exclaimed. "Four times." "How can you say it like it's no big deal?" "Oh it is, it's just that two weeks after I was out of the hospital for the first one, the guy who did it to me ended up in intensive care obviously I was the main suspect but CCTV proves I was at an Indian restaurant, Lal Quila I think they do a nice onion bhaji, at the supposed time of attack. Second guy who stabbed me twice, dark alley brick around the side of the head, I was working at the time fortunately two people were sober enough to remember who was behind the bar. And the last guy, same as the second I was at the Aley Paley... Alexandra Palace for the darts premier league and because that was a televised event I was definitely not on the list of suspects. It's called having friends who have your back, and because of that I was arrested for arson. The more you know." Now obviously this was followed by a load of questions from Twilight which took up the remaining fifteen minutes of visiting hours. "This conversation is not over." Twilight said as she left and didn't give me an opportunity to reply, doesn't mean I didn't. "No matter what you say to anyone society is in my favour, you can't slander a cripple." "I heard that!" I guess Twilight did hear my reply then.