//------------------------------// // Of Night Skies and Secrets // Story: Broken Wings // by Lt_Voss //------------------------------// As my right foot hit the landing, I pushed off with it again, leaping towards the yellow lump on the ground. In the darkness of the room, I saw a dark pool of liquid near the middle of the body. There was no doubt in my mind about what it was. Don't mover her yet, Will. We don't know where she's hurt. I acknowledged his thought with a nod, and carefully but with great speed stepped around Fluttershy's still form. I felt a sense of relief when I discovered that the wound was in her leg, not in her abdomen. But it went away quickly when I pieced together the sight before me. The cut in her hoof wasn't very large, but in contrast the pool of blood surrounding it was. That's a severed artery, Will! Pressurize it! I looked around in panic, but found nothing but the blanket on the bed. It'll have to do, Will! Grab it! I grabbed, and folding it, I wrapped it around Fluttershy's hoof. It wasn't as thick as I wished it was, but it was all I had. I heard a gasp from behind, signaling Angel's presence. I turned to him without taking my hands of the blanket. “Angel! Do you know where there might be any towels? Thick ones! Hell, get me anything thicker than this sheet! Now, please!” The bunny nodded vigorously. As he ran off, I heard the first sound from Fluttershy since I'd left to feed the animals. She groaned, and as I looked at her, her eyes slowly fluttered open. I could barely contain my joy. “Oh, thank the gods! You're alive, Fluttershy! I've never been happier to see your eyes!” “What?” She said groggily. “My arm hurts a lot. Why would it hurt?” My happiness plummeted. She was delirious. Then she spotted the knife by her good hoof, a knife I hadn't seen. “Oh no!” She screamed. “What have I done?!” Calm her down, Will. She's going into shock. Her breathing quickened. Now, Will! Before she hyperventilates as well! “Fluttershy, calm down. You're okay. I've got you. You're okay. Don't worry, you're safe now. I've got you...” I just repeated the same words over and over, in as soothing a manner as I could manage. Eventually she stopped trembling, which I hadn't noticed beginning. Her breathing slowed a bit, and while it wasn't as slow as I'd like, it was better than before. After a couple of minutes of this, Angel returned carrying a big plushy towel in his too-small arms. He ran as fast as his floppy feet would allow while carrying such a big load, and stuck out the towel to me. Keeping one hand on the blanket, I accepted the towel. It even felt thick, which is what Fluttershy desperately needed. Without bothering to remove the blanket, as I'd reasoned that an extra layer would be beneficial, I wrapped the towel around her hoof. Seeing Angel for the first time since she passed out, Fluttershy said to him, “I'm so, so sorry Angel. I don't what got into me. I felt so... sad, sadder than ever. I'm sorry, I just wanted to... run away...” She was crying now. Angel padded over to her to lay a paw on her good shoulder comfortingly. Attempting to make a joke, I said to Fluttershy, “Hey, do you think you could cry over the towel to keep it clean?” Then I moved my face straight in front of hers so she see the weak smile I'd put on. In response she flashed me an even weaker smile, but actually did put her head over her covered arm. “Fluttershy, you don't need to do that. It won't hurt, but all it does is strain your neck. You need to save your strength.” She looked slightly taken aback by this, but did as I asked. I turned to look at Angel, who still had a paw on Fluttershy's arm. “Angel?” He looked at me with panicky eyes that still managed to display a lot of sadness as well. “Could you fetch the fastest flier Fluttershy has under her care? I need something.” Original expression gone, it was replaced by a look of steeled determination. Angel snapped a bunny salute, and rand back down the stairs for the third time this night. I looked back at Fluttershy. “How're you feeling? Be honest.” I asked her. She was quiet for a few seconds. “I don't know why. I felt so bad about myself when you asked me why I apologize so much. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable...” “Fluttershy.” I say, to grab her attention. It didn't work. “I don't know what came over me. I knew I couldn't stop saying sorry. I thought the only way to do what you wanted was to...” She sobbed. “Was to... hurt myself...” “Fluttershy.” I tried again, but like before, it didn't work. “I don't know why! I felt the only way to stop making you uncomfortable was to hurt myself! Hurt myself so bad I could never do anything wrong again!” “FLUTTERSHY!” I yelled. She looked at me, startled out of her self loathing. “GET A GRIP, GIRL!” I barked in a commanding tone, the militant in me pervading. “YOU WILL STOP THIS NONSENSE RIGHT NOW, OR I WILL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT!” I ended up sounding not like a commanding person, but a threatening one. Fluttershy could only whimper and cry out in response, and at that very moment I regained my calm. I feared I'd made it worse. I started over, carefully making sure it would sound apologetic and gentle. “Fluttershy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I just lost it. I couldn't take it, seeing you beat yourself up. I just wanted you to stop feeling bad about yourself. Please, please, please forgive me. I truly didn't mean what I said... please, I'm... sorry... sorry... sorry...” Fluttershy didn't respond except with more cries and sobs. WILL! THE WALLS ARE FALLING! DAMMIT, THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS! Composing myself as best I could, I tried speaking again. I managed a few sad croaks. Taking a couple of breaths, I tried again. “Fluttershy, I'm going to get you to a hospital. They'll fix you up. After that, we can go get some ice cream. That sound good to you? Then we can meet the rest of the animals, and then we can go eat out, then we can...” I said more, but what else I don't remember. I was babbling. I do remember after I finished my incoherent rambling that Fluttershy nodded and began to quiet down. I must've said something calming, but as I was babbling, the exact words escaped my memory. Just then, Angel returned with a hawk. I heard the flapping of its wings before I saw them, and this time I saw them flying up the stairs, Angel figuratively and the hawk literally. “Thanks Angel.” I called out. Turning my attention to the hawk, I asked it, “And you're the fastest?” It nodded. “Good. I need you to fly as fast as you can to the hospital in Ponyville. I need an ambulance here, understand?” It nodded again. “Great, now go, fly like the wind, I'll get you a treat when you get back with the ambulance.” It took off, creating a small gust of wind inside Fluttershy's bedroom. I looked back at Angel. “You did good, buddy.” He looked smugly at me in response to my praise, but then saddened as he turned to look at Fluttershy. In an effort to comfort him, I said, “Don't worry, buddy. The hawk will be back. She'll be okay, Angel. Fluttershy will be okay.” In my mind I desperately hoped I was right. Severed arteries needed to be closed before the victim bled out. Then I remembered something from Field Medicine training. “Angel, do you have a strip of cloth, about four or five feet long?” Angel nodded in the affirmative. “Get me one, please, as fast as you can.” He took off. Fluttershy looked at me questioningly. “What are you doing, Will?” She asked in her whispery voice. “Fluttershy,” I responded. “I'm planning on doing something that'll stop the bleeding, but it'll hurt a lot. I want your permission before doing it.” She widened her eyes. “What do you want to do?” She asked, and I detected a hint of fear in her voice. “I plan on tying a tourniquet. Do you know what that is?” She shook her head, which surprised me. I expected her to at least have heard of it, seeing as how she's taken care of so many animals. “A tourniquet is a bandage, but can be made out of strips of cloth or anything like that, that stops the flow of blood. They have to be tied very tight, so it can compress the vessels and arteries deep in the limb. Unfortunately, this is painful. It should only be used in dire circumstances, and because I can't see how deep you've cut yourself, I think this is dire.” She nodded in understanding, her eyes betraying her fear. “Do it. I don't want to bleed out.” I snarled, more to myself that to her. “Fluttershy, you are not going to bleed out. I'm going to make sure of that.” She nodded once. She didn't look to sure, but there was nothing I could do to assure her. I couldn't even convince myself of this. Angel's back, Will. I turned to see Angel walking towards me, a scarf of thin cloth wrapped in his arms. I took it from him, thanked him, then brought my attention back to Fluttershy's still form. Will, you can do this. Just calm down. Steady, deep breaths. You're just tying a knot. A really tight knot. I nodded. “Okay.” I said aloud. “I can do this.” Slipping the scarf underneath Fluttershy's leg, I started tying the knot. “I just want you to know, Fluttershy, that I'm sorry if I hurt you.” She nodded. Pulling the knot as tight as I could manage, I heard Fluttershy gasp in pain. “Angel,” I said to the bunny. “Get a stick or something for her to bite on. Please.” He snapped a salute, and I continued with the knot. I pulled a bit harder to make sure it was as tight as it was going to get, apologizing to Fluttershy in the process. Angel returned with a dowel, and put it in Fluttershy's mouth. She clamped down onto it, hard, and grunts escaped between her clenched teeth as I tugged. Seeing I could tighten the knot no further, I began tying another knot to keep the scarf in place. The scarf was a long one, easily six or seven feet long. Using the long free end of the scarf, I tied a knot around Fluttershy's shoulder to keep the tourniquet in place. “Fluttershy,” I said. “Don't move your shoulder too much. I need the tourniquet to stay put. Understand?” She nodded. I heard the wail of an ambulance siren in the distance. “Fluttershy, cab's almost here. We'll get you to the hospital real fast. You'll be okay. You're okay.” I said the last bit more to myself. Will, I'm doing repairs on the wall. Keep up the happy thoughts. Oh, and well. I guess, uh... good job. 'Thanks, Bill.' I mean it, Will. You did good. I was astounded. Bill was congratulating me for saving a life. He wasn't making a snide remark, maybe something to do with only doing it for Fluttershy or something. Bill had changed over the years. With nothing to do, I pulled out my mission log to check how much time I had before I was due back to the company. Turning it on, it attracted Fluttershy's attention with the sudden light in the darkness of the room. She looked at it, and asked, “What is that, Will?” I looked up from it, noting that I had only a little over a day left. “It's my mission log.” I told her. “It's what the army uses to tell people what to do.” I moved to sit next to her, holding the log so both of us would be able to easily see. “See, in the middle it says what I'm supposed to do. 'Scout surrounding area, identify threats, establish contact with locals.' That's my mission. Do you see the numbers at the top?” “Yes. They're counting backwards. Why?” She said. “They're counting backwards because it's telling me how much time I have left to finish. So, if you look at it, I have twenty six hours and nineteen minutes left to finish the mission.” “You have more than a day?” She asked. I nodded. “Yes." “Then, why didn't you want to stay with me tonight?” If she could see me, she'd see that I'd blanched. If I said the wrong thing, she could go into a suicidal spiral again. Choosing my words carefully, I said, “Because I need to make contact with the locals. That's you ponies.” “But you've already met Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and me. Who else do you need to meet?” “Sorry, it doesn't explain. By 'make contact with the locals,' it means to go to the nearest town or village and talk to the headmaster or mayor.” The siren was getting loud now. It was close. “Okay, Fluttershy. I'm going to move you. Could you hold your injured leg above you? Yes, like that. Thank you. That should limit blood flow to your hoof. Could you flap your wings to keep your back legs from dragging on the ground? Thank you.” I had my arms underneath her front legs, about where the underarms were on humans. I heard the sirens grow very loud, and soon after also heard a screeching sound. The ambulance had arrived. The door flew open, though not unkindly and not so as to do any damage. “Keep her hoof above her heart! It's keeping the blood from flowing!” I called out to the paramedical ponies. Unicorns again, they grabbed hold of Fluttershy and floated her to the rear of the van. “Fluttershy!” I said. “Yes, Will?” She replied drowsily. The blood loss was catching up to her. “I need to get my things from my campsite. When I've got it all, I'm coming after you, okay?” “Okay, Will. I'd like that.” She said, though it was more of a mumble. She was going under. Turning to the two unicorns, I told them, “Keep her safe, got it?” They looked at me as if I were crazy, but nodded. They climbed into the van after Fluttershy and closed the doors. Fishtailing into a one hundred eighty degree turn, the ambulance sped off towards Ponyville. I stood looking after it for several moments. Sighing, I turned to fly to my camp, but felt another tugging at my pant leg. Glancing down, I saw it was Angel. He pointed towards the direction of the ambulance. “Are they going to the hospital?” I asked. He nodded. “Yes, Angel. They're taking Fluttershy as fast as they can. She's in good hands, she's going to be okay.” I said, doubtfully. I returned my gaze towards the direction of Ponyville. “I hope.” I added softly. I knelt down beside Angel and began scratching behind the ears. He leaned into my hand as if he were a dog or cat. Getting up, I said, “See you later, Angel.” I saluted him. He returned it. “I' going to get my things, Angel. I'm going to go spend the night at the hospital, make sure Fluttershy's okay. Alright?” He nodded, pleasure evident in his face. He was glad I was going to keep his “owner” safe. I took off towards my campsite, not bothering with the drama of putting on a show for Angel. I just sped off. During the flight, Bill spoke to me. Calm down, Will. I just now noticed I was shaking. And it wasn't because it was cold, because it wasn't. Staying tense will cause you to make mistakes. Unwind. Break out that bottle you have in your pack, you deserve a bit of medicinal bourbon after what's happened tonight. I wasn't much of a drinker, but I had to admit he was right. In the last vestiges of light provided by the sliver of sunlight on the horizon, I found my camp. The tent was a dull green. To the casual observer, it wouldn't appear as anything special. But one who knew what he was looking for could spot it easily. Every thing I'd brought on this recon mission was inside; I didn't want to risk anything from being stolen. Unzipping the tent, I pulled out my pack, which also served as my pillow. The middle pocket contained the bourbon. It was sandwiched between layers of clothes to reduce the chance of it breaking. I took a long drink. I must've gulped down a bit, because after I put it away I was swaying even as I knelt on the ground. I folded the supports for the tent, then folded the tent, the support sticks laying in the middle to be contained within the tent itself. I orderly shoved it into my pack, and making sure I was leaving nothing behind, I beat my wings and rose into the air. Looking around for the lights that signaled the location of Ponyville, for I wasn't sober enough to remember which direction it was, I flew off, my back towards the millimeter thick line that was the last moment of day. I don't remember much of the short flight, only that I had bobbed drunkenly, which was to be expected, and that Bill had told me a few things. He'd probably remind me later. I do remember landing in the center of town, and I would have fallen had purple unicorn with a dark, navy blue mane with a little purple and pink highlights magicked me upright. She looked me up and down. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “You look like one of those humans sent to help us fight off these monsters. But you have wings, none of the others do. Who are you?” Intentionally or not, I ignored her question and asked my own. “Which way to the hospital?” She furrowed both eyebrows, as if debating on answering my question. After I'd swayed again, and my eyes lost focus, she magicked me still again and told me. “Go down four buildings, turn right onto the street. It'll be the second on your left.” I nodded, and took off running in the direction the unicorn told me. She continued to stare after me, a quizzical look on her face. “Twilight, whoever he was, he's crazy.” She muttered under her breath. I managed not to fall on the way to the hospital. I walked in through the front doors, unsure if there was an emergency entrance. I walked up to a yellow earth pony sitting behind a desk, looking over some papers. “Hello,” I ventured. “I need to visit somepony.” She looked up from her notes. “Is this pony expecting you? What's your name and who do you want to visit?” I nodded. This was a normal question. “My name is Will. The pony's name is Fluttershy, a yellow pegasus with a pink mane. She should be expecting me.” Moving aside the papers she was looking at, and I noticed she placed them underneath some folders, she pulled out another folder labeled “Patient List.” I spoke up. “It would be filed under emergencies if a pony came in in ambulance, right?” She looked up from the folder, as she turned to the “F” section. “Yes, sir. Did she come in riding an ambulance?” I nodded. “She did. I watched her being loaded on.” She looked at me as if I were one of the dumbest people she'd ever met. I probably was. In this drunken state, I didn't remember or think to tell her first that Fluttershy had ridden here in an ambulance. She put away the folder she was currently looking at and pulled out yet another, labeled “Emergency.” She flipped to “F.” Placing her hoof on the paper, she scrolled down. “Ah, yes. Fluttershy. Admitted not ten minutes ago. Are you sure she's expecting you?” I sighed. “Yes, I'm sure. I told her I'd get my equipment before I could stay with her.” “Very well. She's in room 39a.” “Thank you, ma'am. Have a good night.” As I walked away, I heard the receptionist say under her breath, “The man is crazy. Very polite, though. I wonder how good he is.” I shuddered, and continued walking. With a little help from the nurses that were roaming the halls, I found 39a. I knocked on the door to be polite, then let myself in. “Fluttershy?” I called out in a stage whisper. I was ecstatic when I heard an answering, “Yes? Will, is that you?” I slowly walked in, closing the door gently to make little noise. “Yes, Fluttershy. It's me. I'm here, like I told you I would.” I smiled. “How're you feeling?” “I feel a little light-headed, and my leg still throbs a bit, but other than that, I'm okay.” Concerned, I asked, “When your leg throbs, does it hurt?” She answered, “Yes, a lot. But it doesn't happen often. The doctors didn't say anything.” I frowned. I stepped closer to her, and peered closely at her hoof. The new bandage the doctors put on her were soaked. I was about to say something, but a nurse walked in. She was a pink earth pony with a red cross as her cutie mark, which is what those tattoos were called, I remembered. I instead asked the nurse a question. “Excuse me, nurse...” I trailed off, not wanting to be impolite. “Redheart.” She filled in tersely. “Nurse Redheart. Sorry. Have you any news as to how her hoof is?” “It's healing well. When I'm finished here, step outside with me.” She said in a dismissive tone. She began checking the bandage. She asked Fluttershy to look away, and she removed the gauze. My eyes met with a horrendous sight. The hoof was swollen, with several red lines indicating stretching and tearing. It was as if the doctors had let her hoof go untreated. Nurse Redheart wrapped a new bandage on and I followed her outside. “Listen here, mister. She's severed two arteries. She'd barely managed to avoid the bones. All we can do is wait for the next shipment of sleep drug, which is soon.” “No, no, no no no no. You have to do something!” I felt my temper flaring. Will, stay calm. Calm. Will! “You can't just sit back! You have to have some unicorns here! They can fix it!” Will, stop speaking through the alcohol! Get someone who can help! That purple mare you bumped into a while ago, that unicorn! I think I remember something about her being very good at magic. She might be able to help! Getting thrown out of the hospital won't help Fluttershy! Or yourself, for that matter. I paid no attention to Bill at the moment. “You can't just sit there! You're nurses and doctors, for Christ's sake! YOU CAN FIX IT!” I shouted. WILL! A-TEN-HUT! I snapped to attention out of instinct. I noticed a wary look on Redheart's face. STAND DOWN, SOLDIER! GET A GRIP! YOU WILL APOLOGIZE TO THE NURSE, AND YOU WILL MARCH OUT OF THIS BUILDING AND LOOK FOR THAT UNICORN! DO YOU GET ME, DIRTBAG?! 'Yes, sir!' SOUND OFF LIKE YOU'VE GOT A PAIR BETWEEN THOSE LEGS! 'SIR, YES SIR!' NOW MOVE IT, SOLDIER! Breaking out of my trance, I shrunk down. “I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to yell or insult you. I'm just worried sick. And with what you've told me...” I trailed off in sadness. Seeming to accept the apology, Redheart said, “It's okay, mister. It's a perfectly understandable reason, and I'd be angrier if you didn't react that way judging by how much you care for her. Which... brings me to ask, why do you care so much for Fluttershy? You aren't related, that much is obvious. I mean, if you don't mind my asking.” I didn't say anything for several moments, wondering whether or not to admit what I've been trying to deny this whole time. Will. Bill had calmed down. Say it. What could it hurt now? He had a point. “Nurse Redheart, unless you have my permission, which I'm not giving to you at this time, don't tell anyone else what I'm about to say. I have my suspicions that Fluttershy knows already, but I'm not sure.” Oh god, you liar. “I... I... well, I, uh... I, kind of... like... Fluttershy.” Redheart looked at me blankly for a moment, as if not registering my words. Then it clicked. “What? That's it? Everyone likes Fluttershy, mister. Well, aside from some vets here in Ponyville, but aside from that everyone does. Why is that strange?” “Well, ma'am, it's not like that... I... like Fluttershy. As in... er...” Say it like the man you're supposed to be! “As in...” And the last word came out barely above a whisper. “Love.” Her eyes flew wide open. “You love Fluttershy?!” She asked loudly. I made a shushing motion with my hands. “Quiet down, please!” I said. “Please, lower your voice.” “You love Fluttershy?!” She repeated, but softer this time. “How can you love Fluttershy? You're a human! Admittedly, you have wings, but still! This is... this is...” She trailed off. I feared she was going to faint from shock. “Strange? Unprecedented?” I offered. I was rewarded with a nod from Redheart. “Don't worry. As weird as it seems, I agree with you. I couldn't believe it. I'd fallen in love with a pegasus pony? But over time, as I spent more time with her, I began to warm to the idea. I saw that she was an intelligent pony, who had many things in common with me.” Redheart looked at me incredulously. “Really? What things do you have in common?” I gave a crooked smile. “I was told I hide behind my hair like Fluttershy hides behind her mane. I've also seen we like animals, though I realize she is a bit more... has a certain affinity with them.” I chuckled. “I've been trying to understand why this is true. I don't know why I have essentially a clone in the form of a pegasus pony. Then again, I'm sure Fluttershy must be thinking the same thing.” Redheart shook her head. “Mister-” “Will.” I cut in. “Will... I know what I said earlier. I told you that there was nothing we could do to save Fluttershy. In part, I'm right. With two severed arteries, recovery is a slim chance, and a slimmer chance of a full recovery. But, for you, and I don't do these things often, I'll do my best to do what I can. I swear it, I'll try my best to save her... all I'm asking is that you don't count on it.” She sighed. “I'm sorry.” I sighed as well. “It's all I ask. I'm still going to ask you if I can stay the night in there. I won't try anything, I'll keep my hands to myself, but I think that, with my limited psychological knowledge,” I'm hurt, Will! You have me to teach you these things! “It would be beneficial if Fluttershy had someone who was close to her by her side, even if only to hold her hand as she... as she...” I couldn't finish the sentence. I didn't want to say Fluttershy's name and the word “death” in the same sentence without the words “will never experience” in between them. “I know what you're thinking, and I understand why you can't bring yourself to say it. I won't make you. And, of course, you can stay with her for the night. Nothing's going to stop you. I mean, even if someone said no to you, I doubt you'd listen anyway.” She smiled. Her smile was warm and kind. She winked. I took this as a compliment. I had to laugh. “I guess you're right.” I shook my head. “I must ask you a question, and this only came to me recently. Would you allow a unicorn to come in and see what she could do?” Redheart shook her head. “I've no problem with that. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind either.” I smiled at her now. “Thank you.” I looked at my watch. “Oh, my. It's already midnight. I'll be retiring soon. May I get you anything?” With a mischievous smile, she asked, “Is that a date?” My smile faded and I looked on her in shock. Noticing my discomfort, she laughed. “I'm joking, Will! In answer to your question, no. I only want one thing from you, and that's your trust. I want you to trust that I'll do everything I can to help Fluttershy.” I didn't even hesitate. “You have it, Nurse Redheart.” She nodded and smiled. “Now go, your 'significant other' is waiting for you, Will.” Bowing to her, I let myself back into Fluttershy's room. “Fluttershy?” I called in a whisper. “Yes, Will?” She responded. I was both pleased and displeased that she'd remained awake. Pleased on one hand, because I wanted to talk to her until she was blue in the face. But I was also displeased because I wanted her to keep up her strength. “Fluttershy, I'm torn.” She looked at me sadly. “Why, Will?” I wanted to smile, but I couldn't bring myself to. “I want to talk to you until we're old and tired. But I want you to save your strength. I'm opting with the latter; you're supposed to be recovering. You should be asleep.” “Oh, okay, Will. Anything you want.” She complied, her voice already becoming sleepy. Soon after, she began breathing deeply in sleep. I noticed there was a window to the outside beside the bed. I walked over to the window, and slid it open. I looked up into the night sky I was admiring only a few hours ago. Will. I want to apologize, for, uh, yelling at you. 'No, Bill. I needed some sense drilled into me. I should have remembered to keep my cool.' Yes, but simply calmly telling you might've worked as well. I've been doing that this entire mission. Why did I snap like that? I didn't have an answer. I stared off into the night sky, at a loss for words to tell Bill. 'Beautiful night sky.' It is. 'Almost as beautiful as Fluttershy.' Bill was silent for a moment. ... Yes. 'I love her, Bill. I love her, and I can't tell her.' You'll find the courage to do so soon. You love her so much, it's a wonder I'm not telling her for you. I acknowledged that Bill was right. I questioned myself. 'What do I do now?' Well, now, Will, you go to sleep. You need to rest. You haven't slept since the day of Mac's death. Get to sleep. That is an order. 'Yes, sir.' I closed the window with a sigh. I took out my blanket from my pack, both of which were a dull green. I sat down on the chair next to Fluttershy's bed. I looked at her sadly, wishing to god that she made a full recovery. I took in the reddening bandage on her hoof. It had only been less than twenty minutes, yet already the red bandage was darkening, already soaked with a first layer of blood. I was surprised that Fluttershy could have so much blood in her, but I noticed that there were several blood bags laying on a counter, new, obviously for nurses to walk in and “feed” them to her. I looked back upon Fluttershy's beautiful face, and remembered what Nurse Redheart said to me: about how there was little that could be done. My eyes watered over. Now that I was alone, I didn't bother trying to hide it anymore. I'd had enough with hiding my feelings. I didn't care anymore. I think I remained awake long enough to barely notice a nurse come in to change the bandage, but I was nearly asleep then. When sleep finally grabbed me, I was instantly thrust into dreams. The first was one I hoped would never come true. I was standing in the hospital room, in front of the bed. Fluttershy's eyes were open wide, a very pained expression on her face. Blood was gushing from the wound in her arm; she was drenched from the stomach down. I cried out in emotional anguish. I felt the shift of a new dream, but the same setting was in place. Only this time, Fluttershy looked at me, and spoke. “Will. Do you like me? I like me. I like how I look. Don't you?” Mind you, she was still the same blood-soaked pegasus from the previous dream. I thought this dream was horrifying. And understandable reaction, I'm sure. Then along came another shift. The same details happened from the second dream. In my unconscious state, I realized the dreams were getting progressively worse. I remember the third dream coming shortly after the second, because in the third dream Fluttershy was just ending her speech about how she liked how she looked, blood-soaked and all. But this dream contained something I didn't want to let loose. There was a chance Fluttershy could be saved, this third one need not come round yet. “Don't you?” Fluttershy finished. My dream self teared up, because the vision became very blurred. I felt my hand grip something cold and metallic. My fingers fit well into the contours of the handle. My grip tightened, and I felt a cold, metallic object press against my temple. The last thing I heard was a loud report, then everything went white. I bolted upright from my leaned back position. Looking behind me, I saw the sun still had not risen. I looked at my watch. I'd only slept two and a half hours. Whether or not that was a good thing was debatable. Will, are you- Bill started before he was interrupted. “Good morning, Will.” Fluttershy said drowsily. My head snapped to her. “Fluttershy, you're okay!” My words must have been stupid, for she answered, “Well, why wouldn't I be, silly?” “I'm sorry. I just...” I trailed off, unsure of how to proceed. “You were having bad dreams. I heard you talking in your sleep. You screamed once, which made a nurse run in. She was worried sick. She was that nice Redheart pony. She saw you were sleeping and left you alone. I was scared. I didn't know what you were dreaming and I couldn't help.” That threw me off. So, I apparently talk in my sleep, and when I dreamed of the scream... my scream... I must've screamed it aloud. Redheart bursts in, thinking the worst, but is met with an apologetic Fluttershy and a fitfully sleeping Will. She leaves, and Fluttershy is scared because I'd only scream like that in a bad dream and she didn't know how to help. Now that I'd summarized it, I could make sense of it. “I'm sorry if I woke you up, Fluttershy. I was having a bad dream... three, actually, but now I'm awake and safe. And I'm with you. And you're awake. You're okay. That makes me so happy, I'd forget the nightmares if it weren't so soon after.” “Oh, you didn't wake me up. I never went to sleep when you told me to. I wanted to see what you'd do.” I stared at her incredulously. “I saw you open the window and look at the sky. I heard you talk to yourself under your breath.” I stood shocked, afraid she'd found out my secret... and I wasn't talking about me loving her. “You said the night sky was beautiful, almost as beautiful as me. Then you said you loved me. You said, 'I love her. I love her and I can't tell her.” “I'm sorry.” I said, afraid she was taking it badly. “Sorry? Why?” “I didn't mean to say that. I wasn't thinking.” “Are you saying you don't love me?” I stood there, silent. If I answered no, she'd probably get sadder and lose the will to live. If I said yes, I'd risk losing her friendship. Through my logic, I figured I could earn her friendship back someday. I couldn't exactly earn another Fluttershy. “... Yes.” I said, well aware Bill had said the same thing hours ago. “Yes you do, or yes you don't?” She said, the hint of a smile on her face. “Yes I do.” I said simply, breaking the news to her as simply as possible. She looked ahead with a distant gaze, obviously thinking this over. She was quiet for a long time. Long enough for me to start dozing before she said anything again. “Thank you, Will. That's what I wanted to hear. Because there's something you should know.” I looked at her, eyes drooping from lack of sleep. I envied her energetic form; her eyes were open. “I love you too.” Then I plummeted back into sleep. And I dreamed good dreams.