Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
That's the sound that greets my ears as consciousness is trickled into my being. I awake slowly. Very slowly. The first thing I'm aware of is the dull ache in several parts of my body as well as a stiff bed beneath me. Opening my eyes answers nearly all of the questions I've been having.
I've always hated hospitals. Mostly because of the fact that whenever I'm in one it's never by choice. My head is a little cloudy, probably from whatever painkillers they're pumping into me via the intravenous protruding from my leg. It takes a lot of restraint not to simply tear it free and walk out of this place, but restraint has always been something I've been known for.
My throat is dry. I twist my head around, attempting to locate some form of hydration until I notice a pitcher sitting near the side of my hospital bed, along with a few disposable cups. It's out of my reach, and using magic to acquire it would probable be a bad idea while I'm under the affects of this medicine. I could lose control and end up vaporizing some poor patient three rooms over.
Raising a hoof, I feel the bandages that have been wrapped around my chest. They look clean, so they must have been changed fairly recently. This probably means that-
"You're awake!"
My sister stands in the doorway to my room, eyes wide and mouth stretched into a smile.
"Yes Luna, I am." I reply, managing a small smile. "I'll go ahead and say that I've seen better days during my rule, though."
"Was... Was that supposed to be a joke, sister?" She asks, raising an eyebrow as she moves to my bedside.
"For goodness sake," I groan as I blow a few stray strands of my mane out of my eyes, "I'm laying in a hospital bed with a gunshot wound. The least you could do is try and humor me for once."
"Not on your life." She chuckles. "I'm quite glad you're alright, though."
"As am I. Could you... pass me some water, please?"
And she does.
Then we sit peacefully for a while. Her at my side as sunlight lazily streams in though the blinds that try in vain to cover the window to my room. Neither of us really want to address what happened, but we both know it has to happen eventually.
"How long was I asleep for?" I ask, breaking the silence.
"A couple days." She replies, sipping her cup of water. "The doctors said it was normal after surviving a wound like yours. You did wake up earlier than they had expected, though."
"I see, how long should I expect to be in this hospital bed?"
She smiles at this. "I was wondering when you would ask. I know how much you hate hospitals. The doctor said that he should be able to discharge you in about ten days. Luckily for you the bullet passed through your shoulder and out the other side without breaking any bones."
I raise my eyebrows at this.
"Yes." She says, "Did I mention that you were lucky?"
I can't put the elephant in the room out of my thoughts any longer. "Are Twilight and her friends..."
Her face hardens. "They're..." She pauses, drawing in a breath, "They're alive."
She's being vague on purpose, that much I can tell. Guilt hits me like a train.
"This is all my fault, isn't it?" I ask, turning to her. "If I hadn't been so damn blinded by-"
She places a hoof on my shoulder. "Sister." She says intensely, "Lister to me. This is not your fault. What happened was the doing of a madman, and he's gone now. Blaming yourself won't get you anywhere. All we can do for now is recover."
"You.. you saved my life, luna." I say as my vision blurs slightly thanks to the fresh tears that threaten to seep from my eyes.
She hugs me tightly. My chest aches a little, but I don't complain.
"You should probably get some rest. I can handle raising the sun until you have your strength back. We'll talk later, don't worry." With that, she turns off the lights and leaves me alone with my thoughts.
----------
I'm far less groggy the next time I awake, although I'm alone for far longer. I think about Vaas. How he taunted me, how he tricked me into being so damn stupid that I decided to face a psychopath all on my own, and of the innocent lives he took just to draw me out and make a point. I's like to say that I think about that last one the most.
Later on in the day the doctor visits me along with Luna and says that I'll be stuck in this damned hospital bed for at least ten more days. I'm disappointed, but not surprised. He tells me that I should expect to be walking with a crutch for at least a few more weeks, but I'm hoping that my alicorn healing will speed up the process of my recovery.
"Where are twilight and her friends?" I finally ask my sister, once the doctor leaves us.
Luna bit her lip and paused. "Are you-"
"I am."
"Alright." She sighed, "Rainbow Dash is currently in the same hospital as you here in Canterlot while she's having her broken wing mended. In an incredible act of bravery she managed to find and save her friends while you were attacking the pirate camp despite her wound. She won't stop trying to intimidate the doctors into letting her go stay with the rest of her friends." She chuckled, shaking her head, "How typical of the element of loyalty, hm?"
I couldn't help but smile. As horrible as Vaas was, he had been unable to break the spirit of the aspiring wonderbolt.
"Twilight is currently mourning her brother back at her library, which luckily wasn't raided by pirates during the attack on Ponyville. It's quite a sad affair and the fact that her horn and eye were damaged aren't helping her... but I'm confident she'll pull through. Her physical wounds will heal and her emotional ones eventually will as well. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie are with her, and though the three of them are all quite rattled, they are strong mares and I'm sure that they can get past this. Plus, having them with Twilight can do nothing but good in these hard times."
Luna's look was one of grim optimism. But It's clear that she was leaving a certain pony out.
"And Applejack?" I ask, fearing that she was left out for a reason.
Upon hearing the farm pony's name, my sister's face lost it's look of optimism. "Applejack... hasn't fared quite as well as the others, I'm afraid. The loss of her siblings had taken an enormous toll on her and the doctors have informed me that she is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, at least significantly more so than her friends. She is being kept here and is receiving help, but there's no telling when she'll be fit to be released. I fear she will be in here for the foreseeable future."
"She will eventually be alright, though, right?" I asked.
"I hope so, sister." Luna sighed, looking at the wall. "I hope so."
----------
I can't move. I can't- I CAN'T MOVE!
....
I can't feel my body. I'm just sorta like... a presence. It's like I can't... feel... where my physical being starts and where it ends. I don't understand- I just WANT-
Okay.
Calm down.
Deep breaths.
Just take a few deep breaths and- and notice that your heart isn't beating in your chest. Yeah. Why don't we just focus on wrapping our heads around that for a minute.
...
So I must be dead, then. This is death.
Huh.
This is going to be really fucking boring. I can't say I'm looking forward to-
Oh hold on second.
Yep. Those are my fingers. I can move them and- Oh that's my arms! Man, I've got great arms, dude. Okay, I can feel where my face is now. Stuff is falling into place. This is good. I'm just gonna open my eyes and-
Nothing. I can't see anything. I can't make any noise with my mouth, either. Maybe if I wait long enough I can-
Pressure. Not pain, but pressure. Something is pushing me down, but something is also pulling me up. I don't want to fall. Okay, move your fucking arms, tread water, do something!
C'mon!
Fight! FIGHT THIS! FIGHT!
----------
I wake up like I've been thrown into a river. Coughing and gagging.
I get to my knees and throw up onto the ground. There's a little blood in it, but once i wipe my mouth and spit a few times I can't help but laugh.
"I'm- I'm alive! Heh heh ha ha HA HA HA HA HA HA! FUCK YOU, CELLY!" I roar, flipping off the sun with both hands.
"You are, indeed." A familiar voice chuckles behind me, making me jump. "Thanks to an old friend, of course!"
I turn around to see two different sized red pupils sitting in a pair of yellow eyes that just so happened to be attached to the most mismatched person you'll ever meet.
"Most people say that death is set in stone, but to them I say, boulder-dash!"
Oh for fuck's sake.