//------------------------------// // Beautiful // Story: Life in the Fast Lane // by TheAmazingMe //------------------------------// When I opened my eyes, I realized slowly I wasn’t at home. For one, the bed was nowhere near as comfortable or roomy as mine and Div wasn’t wrapped around me. The room was white, the sheets were scratchy and I could see my pulse beeping along on a screen nearby. Great. The hospital. I took a deep breath, held it, then let it out. A few more times and I started scrambling my brains. How did I end up here? I shifted, and that’s when I felt something on top of my lower legs. Inclining my head slowly, I could make out the top of Bruiser’s hat. That’s when things clicked into place! The alley. Vinny. Getting Bru out of there and holding off the three until they overpowered me. I let my head fall back against the pillows. Sighing, I realized it could be worse. At least Div wasn’t… As if alerted by my thoughts, I heard his voice. “Ly.” He stood at my bedside, having moved out of the shadows in a corner of the room. He whispered in the darkened room. Even so, he sounded hoarse and tired. “You woke up. That’s good. How’re you feeling?” Taking stock of my sore spots, I answered. “Head feels like garbage. Hurts to breathe. I’m sore in places I didn’t know could get sore.” “I’m going to go let the staff know you’re awake. They’ll want to talk to you and make sure you're all there up there.” He said, tapping his head as he left. There was a rush of activity as the medical ponies looked me over. Questions answered, tests passed, and plenty of poking. Bruiser was moved and then returned after they looked over my legs again. In less time than I thought, but longer than I wanted, we were alone again. From his chair next to me, Div looked down at the end of the bed. “You’re lucky Bruiser was able to find help so soon.” He said finally, breaking the silence that fell after the nurses left. A thought occurred. “Has he been here the whole time?” “Do you even need to ask? Before you say anything, he’s eaten pretty well. Paisley went above and beyond for us.” That wasn't a familiar name. Slightly worried I might have forgotten somepony important, I asked, “Paisley?” Div caught my expression. “Oh! She's a city guard. Bruiser led a pair of City Guards straight to you. They saw you take the hit and Paisley took them down.” “You weakened em up for me.” A pegasus mare said from the doorway. “Ey, Jelly, get your rear over here.” Her accent was fairly strong, but I couldn’t place it. As she came in, a unicorn stallion poked his head around the doorway. “It’s after visiting hours!” He hissed. “He probably needs his rest.” “He’s been out for days. That’s enough beauty rest to even make you look presentable.” Her accent was like Open’s Equish accent but a bit more rugged and slightly nasal. She looked back at me. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner, mate. They did quite a number on ya. Those shrimps are frying down at the jail right now. From what the little ‘un said, they’d meant serious harm. We'll come back tomorrow and get your statement. Right now, just relax as much as you can. We've posted a guard outside your door just to be safe. No telling if those blokes were the only thugs after you.” “Thanks for making it when you did.” I replied. She nodded and nudged the stallion at her side. He sighed and looked at me. "Sir, I owe you and the colt an apology." "Let's explain it first. It's kind of funny, really." She relayed their encounter with my son. The stallion, apparently named Jelly Jogger, looked painfully embarrassed. Hard to tell which part embarrassed him the most, getting slapped, the collateral damage of the chase, or trying to restrain Bru when I was being attacked just a few feet away. I could see the humor, though. "Sorry Bruiser made things difficult. He's never really had to cope with a situation like this. I hope there's never a next time, but I'll talk to him about proper ways to deal with important, time-sensitive information." Jelly seemed more at ease. Paisley couldn't keep the smile off her face. Apparently, she saw the humor too. Paisley made their goodbyes and they exited, her partner not far behind her. “I like her.” Bruiser’s voice came from down by my rear legs. He sounded sleepy still, but I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, and you need to thank her for convincing her partner to not press charges.” Div said with a grin. I furrowed my brows. “Did I hear that right?” “Bruiser slapped a cop.” Div reminded me, his grin widening. Bruiser stirred at my feet. “Only because it was important and they didn’t listen the first time.” “At least you didn’t hit Paisley.” Div said. “That Hosstralian would’ve had you in a flash.” “Wrong to hit mares.” Bru said as he burrowed himself into my legs. They were a bit stiff, but they didn’t hurt like my front did. "Wrong to hit, period." I sighed and squeezed him gently. He wrapped his hooves around one leg and settled. “Hosstralian?” I asked. Div nodded. “Yup, Paisley’s from Brismane, Hosstralia. Flew quite a ways for a young filly and became a City Guard a few years later.” I smirked. “Should I be jealous?” He rolled his eyes. “Ha! As if. You know you’re the only mare for me.” I glared. “Oh bite me.” He looked decidedly unrepentant. “Don’t tempt me.” I sighed. “I’m in a hospital bed with my foal wrapped around my leg. Cool it, lover colt.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m just really glad you're awake.” "Sorry I scared you both again." I said seriously, my eyes misting over. "Don't start or I'll cry too." Div said, looking down. Bruiser wiggled. "Too much talking. Didn't know I'd miss your snoring." *** The morning came quickly. Time flew by as doctors poked and prodded and asked silly questions all over again until they were satisfied. By the end of the day, I was at home with my ribs bandaged and a prescription for ice packs and plenty of rest. “Achoo-owww!” I sneezed. Given my busted barrel, sneezing was a literal pain in my sides. “Ooh, that must’ve hurt.” Div observed. I sat on the edge of the bed with a grimace. “Yeah. Yeah it did.” “Well, don’t do that.” He said cheekily. I hated how immune he was to my glare. Although, I glared anyway. “Not intentional.” "Dr. Clarity is coming by today." He reminded me as I gingerly stretched out on our bed. Bruiser's psychologist visited while I was still out and graciously offered to make a home visit to speak with us and Bruiser. Div had tentatively agreed and I insisted on it last night. I'd been attacked by a pony Bruiser knew. I wanted to make it clear it wasn't the foal's fault. Div smiled softly as I sighed in relief. "I'll take care of lunch, so just relax while I get things together." The tranquility was broken moments later as I heard a fluttering of wings at my window. Sitting up, I ignored my body's protests as I heard hoofsteps approaching the door out to the front balcony. I charged my horn and ran through a list of potential spells as the door opened. The light from outside was brighter than I anticipated and I jumped off the bed. My attack spell went off feebly, not even making a mark on the wall five feet to the left of my intended target. In response, the pegasus reared back in surprise, wings spread. As I charged my horn for a second attempt, the pegasus hit the floor. "Mercy! Surrender!" Velocity called out, fore-hooves covering her head. I stood shakily, the sudden movement from the bed aggravated every sore spot I had. Sitting rather abruptly on the edge, I sighed. "Get up Velocity. Haven't you ever heard of this new fad going around? It's called knocking at the front door." "Sorry, I flew over here from the hospital when I heard you'd come home. I'm not used to doing that anymore, so I nearly overshot your house altogether. I thought about gliding down to the front door but figured that'd be too weird after landing here." "Well that's still—wait. You flew?" I asked, excitedly. "You flew all the way from the hospital?" "Yeah, and I don't mind telling you that I am one sore pegasus. I haven't flown that far since the accident." She said with a smile. I heard a set of hooves charging up the stairs. Mildly concerned, I got up and stood between the door and Velocity. "That's great! I'm so happy for you!" I said cheerfully. The door burst open. Div stood, ready to attack as he took stock of the room. Getting his attention, I explained. "Div, you remember my friend from Whinnyapolis. Velocity, this is Div." "Where did she--" "The balcony. You know how pegasus ponies are, they can't resist an entrance from the top." From behind him, Bruiser piped up. "What's she doing here?" "Bruiser, be nice. She just wanted to drop in and see how I'm doing." Cutting the foal off before he could make any more observations, Div hurried him down the hallway. "Well, we better go see about setting another place for lunch. Ly, Dr. Clarity will be here in just a bit, so get ready--" "Yeah, maybe Dr. Clarity will use the front door." Bruiser said snarkily as I shut the door. "Sorry about that." I said apologetically. She shook her head. "No, I should be apologizing. I just wasn't thinking. After I heard about what happened I wanted to know everything but I didn't want to bother your family in such a difficult time. But then you left the hospital so quickly I hadn't even heard you'd woken up by the time—wait." She cut herself off abruptly and pointed to the door. "Did he say he's setting another place?" "We'd love to have you over for lunch. I think I owe you one, anyway. I missed our last lunch date." "Oh, no, you're fine. You don't have to—well, I mean, if you really—But you had a good reason, so I should probably..." She trailed off and turned toward the balcony. "I insist." *** "Thank you for coming over, Dr. Clarity." I heard Div say as I gingerly descended the stairs. Velocity practically hovered, one hoof outstretched in case I missed a step. That wasn't necessary, but I wanted her to feel like she was helping. As we hit the ground floor, I caught Bruiser peeking around the family room, his face going from excitement to irritation. "All right, ladies and Life, you go find a seat at the table and Bruiser and I will bring in what we made." Div announced. Dr. Clarity sampled the air and smiled. "Whatever it is, it smells delicious. Thank you immensely for having me over." I led the way into the dining room and sat at the head. I indicated the chair to the right for Dr. Clarity and Velocity took her seat. I noticed that she'd taken Bruiser's usual spot. "Velocity, I'd hate to do this, but that's Bruiser's spot. If you wouldn't mind sitting next to Dr. Clarity." I said smoothly. She blushed, but got up with a laugh. Div and Bruiser brought in a vegetable stir fry with rice and, my favorite, fruit salad. As the two earth ponies set out the food, our guests made remarks. I found it hard to follow any thread of conversation. My head felt fuzzy. Div bumped my shoulder with a smile and things snapped back into focus. I smiled and shook my head. Looking around to see if anyone had noticed, I saw Bruiser pick up a feather on his chair. He frowned at it, then looked over to Velocity with a glare. I snorted in spite of myself. I'd have to write myself a note so I'd remember to ask Bruiser what his problem with Velocity was. Div tapped my shoulder lightly. I'd been zoning out again and the contact took me by surprise. "What?" I asked. "I asked if you wanted some fruit salad. Are you alright? You seemed a little zoned out." I waved a hoof. "I'm fine, just wool-gathering." Everypony turned their attention to the food, which is when I realized everypony had food on their plates. I hadn't even noticed Bruiser serving himself. In fact, he'd even dropped some between his plate and the serving tray... "Life?" Div said exaggeratedly. "Equestria to Life!" "Huh? What?" I asked. "Are you going to eat or stare around like a zompony with your fork halfway?" He asked. His tone was light but his face showed the beginnings of concern. "Perhaps you're just a bit overtaxed, Life." Dr. Clarity suggested. "You've been through an awful lot. We should've given you a bit more time at home to recover." "I'm fine." I insisted. "Life, there's no shame in needing some more time to recoup." Dr. Clarity countered. "Especially when it comes to head injuries." "Yeah, she's right, Life." Velocity agreed. "You see it a lot as a flyer. Sometimes a bonk on the head leads to some...erratic behavior. A little rest can mean a world of difference. I wouldn't want to see one of my friends go down like that." The fuzziness returned as everyone looked at me. In the fog, I caught Velocity's gaze. Her eyes...seemed odd. Like they were glowing. I closed my eyes and bit my lip. The haze passed. "Life, maybe you should go back to bed. You're not looking good, buddy." Div said, pushing his chair back to stand up. A thought occurred. "Velocity. Where did we meet?" Taken aback, Velocity stammered. "Uh, ah. Um, Whinnyapolis, of course. I was a flyer there until my injury." "No, where in Whinnyapolis?" I pressed on. "Life, what is going on?" Div asked quietly. "Why is it important where we met? We've been friends ever since." Velocity seemed uneasy, but it would have been the easiest thing to mention the skyscraper or the party without mentioning why she was there. I pointed a hoof. "That's not Velocity." Div snorted. "Of course it is. What, do you think a changeling just waltzed on in?" "How did you know where we lived? I've never talked about that with you." I asked. "Life, you've gone paranoid." Velocity said, standing up. "Dr. Clarity, you're a psychiatrist, why don't you..." A-ha! "She's not a psychiatrist. Velocity knows that." The room went dead quiet. Velocity took a few steps toward the door. I cast the locking spell and keyed it to me only. "There's a difference between a psychologist like me and a psychiatrist." Dr. Clarity said quietly, with a slight hint of annoyance, as if she'd had to make the distinction often. Bruiser nodded. "When Velocity helped dad pick out Dr. Clarity, she told him that the doctor was a psychologist." "Has everypony gone mad? I'm Velocity!" She insisted. Her eyes glowed again and everypony winced. I shielded myself and Div just in time, but couldn't protect Bruiser and Dr. Clarity as not-Velocity's magic pushed against my shield. "Life, what's going on?" Div asked, eyes brimming with concern as Bru and Clarity slumped over in their chairs. I inhaled sharply as the magic doubled in intensity. "It's not Velocity. She's gotta be a unicorn." "Can you fight her?" He asked, hooves tapping alternately on the floor as he stood. "Maintaining the shield is hard enough. If I let it go carelessly, you'd be knocked like a bowling pin." He stomped a hoof. "Then blow your shield carefully. Can you fight her if you're not holding the shield?" Not-Velocity grinned widely as she stepped closer to us. Her magic pressed against my shield with growing strain. "I'm not letting her hurt you like she did Bru. I have to protect you..." Div whispered harshly in my ear. "They just seem knocked out. She needs to knock all of us out if she's going to mess with our heads. We can't let her win. If you go down, we're all screwed." Tears fell down my cheeks, whether from the thought of my loved ones being attacked in my own home or from the strain of holding the shield, I couldn't say. "Get ready." I said tensely. Div picked up a knife from the table. Not-Velocity missed the small gesture as her eyes locked with mine. With more effort than I should have used, I let the energy in my own shield deteriorate. At the right moment, I broke the spell, unleashing the energy towards my assailant. The shield energy knocked her back a step, but her glowing eyes shone with power and victory. Her spell wore off, revealing the unicorn underneath in a flash of green. This pony was unfamiliar, with a bright green coat and eyes. Her straw-colored mane fell down one side of her face while her matching tail swished in excitement. Div jumped onto the table and threw the knife he'd taken as he ran to attack. Green eyes widened in surprise as she barely deflected his knife in a flash of verdant magic. I charged my horn as he jumped off the end of the table in a flying body drop. Her magic caught him, although she struggled under his weight. With an effort that cost her precious moments, she threw him sidelong into the wall. He slid down, the combined forces of the throw and her magic knocked him out as well. My glyph hovered in the air between us as she turned her attention back to me. Eyes widening again, she turned tail as I spat a cherry pit through the force-acceleration glyph. I'd augmented the spell with a homing charm and the pit curved through the air to follow her as she rushed toward the window. She didn't make her target. The pit struck the back of her head and she went tumbling hooves over head. She landed in the foyer, knocked out cold. *** "I gotta say, I think we owe you one." Paisley said idly as she sidled over to me. My front yard seemed like a hive of activity as City Guards, inspectors, jailors and EMP's came and went. I smirked, my forehooves holding one of Div's. The EMP working on him assured me that everypony would be fine. Bruiser and Dr. Clarity were off to one side of the yard holding bags of ice against aching heads as their EMP's finished up. Bruiser insisted I go see to Div. My husband hadn't moved an inch since taking the blow to make that distraction. "I'd just as soon call it even. Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't want to make run-ins with the City Guard a regular thing." Paisley snorted, then sobered up as Jelly Jogger made his way over. "It's confirmed. She's Masquerade." Jelly announced. Paisley's eyebrows rose. "THE Masquerade? Once-broke-into-the-Royal-Palace Masquerade?" He nodded stoically. She turned back to me. "What kind of enemies have you made?" I shrugged. "I have no clue." "Masquerade is a highly paid mercenary. She's not above taking some less-than-legal contracts. She's not a killer, but we've had thefts, assaults, and more where our only clues was her M.O. In addition to using appearance altering spells of the highest caliber, she can mess with a pony's mind. Her signature is a sleep spell mixed with a memory eraser spell. Memory eraser spell? Div stirred next to me and I looked down, unease deep in my gut." "Life?" Div asked. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Celestia, Div." Bruiser bounded over and wrapped his forehooves around Div. "Dad!" "Dad?" Div asked, confused. Oh, looks like I was relieved too soon. *** Div's parents practically insisted on watching Bruiser so that Div and I could reconnect. He'd regained a lot of his memory, especially as far as work with Princess Luna's House Guard. Occasionally, we'd still find gaps. I tried not to blurt every answer out; the medical ponies insisted that he would eventually regain it all on his own and helping him would make the process longer. "It's Hearts and Hooves Day." I said as he woke up next to me. "Sorry. I don't know if I had anything planned." He said with a small blush. I smiled and snuggled up against him. He was still a bit timid as far as contact went; he'd had trouble remembering what I liked versus what he liked. Giving him his space hadn't quite worked out for either of us, so he decided that I should take the lead as far as contact and he'd play catch-up. "Don't worry, love. We have the whole day to ourselves. We'll start off with breakfast at one of the best bakeries in Canterlot. Then we'll have lunch at your favorite fruit café. Finally, we'll do dinner at Clydesdale House's restaurant." He laughed. "Well, that's our food covered. What about entertainment?" I proceeded to show him exactly the kind of entertainment I'd imagined for the morning. Div was so entertained that he gave in to his own desires and entertained me as well. *** "I can't help but feel I know a place with bigger cinnamon rolls." Div said, a look of confusion on his face as we sat together at Sunridge Sweets. "We don't usually do breakfast outside of the house, but I'm not in the mood to do dishes today." I said as I sized up the chocolate éclair I'd ordered. It wasn't the biggest, in fact Div's homemade cannoli was bigger, but I was sure it would hit the spot just fine. Chocolate for breakfast was just one of the many benefits to being an adult. "I don't know where you'd get a bigger cinnamon roll. Unless you've been sneaking around behind my back." I joked. He smiled, then replied with mock-seriousness. "You're the biggest cinnamon roll, and the only one for me." Leaning over, he surprised me with a kiss. It was made all the more sweet (not just by the fact that he hadn't wiped off his mouth after biting into his roll) by the fact that he initiated this one. As he pulled away, he smiled again. "I just remembered something." My heart fluttered in my chest. I couldn't mask my excitement. "What is it?" I asked eagerly. "I'm hopelessly in love with you." He said as he leaned in to kiss me again. I couldn't keep the heat from my face as he sat back again. "You're a dork." I muttered. He laughed, holding his hoof against my cheek. My blush deepened and I was sure he could tell by now. "You know you love it."