Tarnished Teapot whiled away the hours watching Maud sleep. They were in a regular hospital room now, but still not allowed visitors, for whatever reason, much to Tarnish’s dismay. He couldn’t imagine how worried the Pie family must be, or his own mother for that matter. The reason was never explained.
Passing the time was no easy feat. Tarnish had taken to drawing Maud, which he didn’t feel that he was very good at, he could make crude sketches of flowers, but those were simple. Maud was complex and beautiful. He had tried writing poems about rocks, but he wasn’t sure he knew what to say about rocks. His rock poems lacked something that Maud had. He had even tried passing the time by speaking to Boulder, but the rock was silent.
In the worst moments of his boredom, he had taken to practicing his telekinesis by scratching his own needy… itch in the bathroom. He was getting better at it, and had resolved to try something new as well as exciting upon Maud once she recovered.
Twilight Sparkle had brought him books, but he was far too worried about Maud to be able to study. He wanted to speak to somepony, he needed to hear somepony’s voice. He was going crazy. He wasn’t certain how much more boredom he could endure.
Sitting in a chair beside Maud’s bed, Tarnish felt his hopes rise when Maud’s eyelids fluttered. He leaned forwards and put down his pencil—he had been playing tic tac toe with himself and losing. He heard Maud make a low cough down deep in her throat.
Her eyes opened, revealing her brilliant turquoise peepers. Tarnish gasped, feeling relief, and then realised that Maud was looking at him. It took a moment for her eyes to focus. He put down his notebook and slipped out of his chair. With two steps he was at Maud’s bed, with an eyeblink he was crawling into bed with her, squeezing himself in beside her, mindful of being careful. He poured a glass of water from the pitcher and slipped in a straw.
Before Maud could even make the request, he had water for her. She began sipping, her eyes focused upon him. Reaching out, Tarnish stroked Maud’s barrel as she drank. The horrible wet rasping sounds in her lungs had been gone for a while.
After drinking for a while, Maud pulled her head away from the straw, leaving behind a string of shiny drool. Her head fell back against the pale green pillowcase and a strand of her mane slipped back over her ear.
“Hiya, sleepyhead,” Tarnish said in a voice choked with emotion, “how ya feeling?”
“Not too bad,” Maud replied, her voice scratchy. “We got rescued.”
“We’re in Las Pegasus, at the university research hospital.” As Tarnish spoke, he pressed the button to call the nurse. He leaned closer to Maud and gave her a muzzle nuzzle. “We survived a volcano… they tell me it is only a little one, or we might have been in real trouble.”
Much to Tarnish’s surprise, Maud let out a weak chuckle and then he heard her say, “I trust in your survival skills and my own durability. I think you and I can take whatever nature throws at us. I really need to pee.”
The door to the room opened and one very surprised looking nurse entered. She cried out, calling for the doctor, and then the room was filled with ponies. Tarnish sighed, longing for time with his wife, but at least things were no longer boring.
At long last, Tarnish was alone with Maud again. The doctors had poked and prodded her, looked down her throat, checked her ears, examined her eyes, watched her swallow water, and performed all of their strange tests.
With a gentle touch, Tarnish planted a kiss on the corner of Maud’s mouth and then buried his face into the soft fuzzy place just below her ear. At least she had been allowed to pee before the doctors had begun poking and prodding.
As he lay there beside Maud, Tarnish heard the sound of the door opening again. He grumbled, wanting to keep Maud to himself. Opening his eyes, he lifted his head to see who had entered. What he saw surprised him.
Cloudy Quartz and his own mother, Pinny Lane stood together in the door. Both of them looked awful, as though they had not slept in months. Both were crying. It was Cloudy that moved first, taking one hesitant step, then another, and then both mares moved together.
“They’ll only allow two visitors at a time,” Pinny said in a low voice.
“Pinkie Pie is beside herself,” Cloudy added, her lower lip quivering.
“You kept my baby alive,” both mares said in unison, their voices both breaking as they spoke, both becoming cracked and raspy.
In the span of a moment, Tarnish was being crushed, both his mother and his mother in law squeezing him and Maud together. He heard Maud let out a weak cough and he felt a wet cheek pressed up against his own, it was Pinny’s.
“We’ve been wanting to see you, but they refused visitors until Maud woke up… and you Tarnish, you refused to take a separate, single room on your own. Thank you so much for never leaving Maud’s side,” Cloudy Quartz said as she held both Maud and Tarnish, standing on her hind hooves beside the bed.
Pinny kissed her son on the cheek, then leaned over and kissed Maud. She lifted her head and looked down at Tarnish. “Both of you have been in the papers. Photographic stills from the film that you made have been all over the front pages. A lot of crazy things are being said—”
“Like what?” Tarnish asked.
“Never you mind that right now,” Cloudy replied, shaking her head, “you’ll find out soon enough, I’m sure.”
“Mama, I’m really happy to see you… both of you…” Maud’s voice trailed off and after a moment of silence, she coughed a few times.
“Maud, you okay?” Tarnish rubbed Maud’s barrel with his hoof. His ears strained, trying to listen, and he felt a growing sense of worry. For a second, he thought about asking Pinny and Cloudy to leave, thinking that Maud needed her rest. He understood why only two visitors were allowed, the entire family might be overwhelming.
“Just a tickle in the back of my throat, nothing to worry about. But I am thirsty again.” Maud replied in a somewhat scratchy monotone. “Well, I can cross that off of my scientific checklist—witness and survive volcanic eruption.”
“It was quite a honeymoon.” Tarnish laid his head upon the pillow, resting it beside Maud’s. “Got to see life on the road, got to experience wildlife up close, learned how to dance a little better, and got to watch a volcano erupt. We lost the wagon, but at least I grabbed the film and a few little mementos.”
“The wagon and everything in it can be replaced… we could never get you back,” Pinny said, glancing at Cloudy and one eyebrow raising as she spoke.
“Poor Marble has been beside herself… Pinny here has been keeping her going… there can be no doubt about it, we’re family now, all of us.” Cloudy Quartz let go of Maud, dropped down to all fours, and then sat in a chair beside the bed.
“How is Marble doing with Sonneur?” Tarnish asked.
Cloudy managed to smile, her teeth visible for a second. “Oh, they’re going steady already. They sit around being shy together. She plays pranks on him. Marble will be flattered to know that you’re thinking about her, even in the middle of all of this happening. She is fond of you, you know.”
Tarnish felt himself blushing. He liked Marble and he found himself missing her. He thought of Limestone and then thought of the Pie Family Rock Farm. It took a while before he realised that he was homesick. More than anything, he wanted to go back there for a while.
As if she had been reading her son in law’s mind, Cloudy remarked, “As soon as the doctors clear you for discharge, we are all taking the train home. I realise that Maud will want to leave home again soon, but both of you are coming home. We have a surprise waiting for you.”
“A surprise?” Tarnish asked.
“Tarnish, if she told us, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Maud said in a monotonous voice of seeming disinterest. “I want to go home. I don’t need to stay here to get bed rest and recover.”
“When we step out, we’ll talk to the doctor,” Pinny said. “We promised the others that we would give them a chance to see you.”