//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Questioning // Story: Those Two Ponies // by Catsofwar108 //------------------------------// Terminal woke up as many different foul-smelling cleaning chemicals that generally pervade hospitals invaded her nostrils. Coughing, she sat up, wincing as her ribs screamed in protest. It was quiet, eerily so. She called out a hello, but quickly realized she couldn’t hear herself! She began to panic, worried that her hearing had completely gone. Raising her hoof up, she felt her ear and calmed back down when she felt thick bandages covering them. She heard a muffled voice calling out from somewhere nearby, followed by nearly inaudible hoof taps on the hospital’s tiled floors. “Hey!” She yelled, not knowing just how loud her voice was. “I’m awake! Is anybody around!?” A tired Wind Stream poked his head in the room, a cup of coffee held in his wing. “Oh hey Wind Stream!” She shouted. He rubbed his hoof to his ear and told her something. “What?!” He told her this something again, a little louder this time. “What?!” This time he yelled it, and she heard. She was so happy at having heard something that she didn’t pay much attention to what he was saying. Wind looked at her, clearly expecting a reply of some sort. Terminal stared right back, a big happy grin plastered on her face. The stallion face-hooved when he realised that she could still not hear him. Fortunately, there was a simple solution. Wind held up one hoof flat in front of him, while making scribbling patterns with his other. She cocked her head, wondering why he was face-hooving. Maybe she looked a little strange with bandages on her ears. Yup, that’s it! The thought gave her giggles. A random part of her brain told her that she was completely jacked-up on pain pills right then, which is probably why she was acting like a dunce. I should probably tell Wind. “Wind! I’m on pills!” She shouted, causing the pony who had to room with her mutter something about crazies. Deciding he was getting nowhere fast, Wind left the room in seek of a nurse to provide him with some writing material. That, and he might become deaf as well if he remained in that room. He returned a minute later with some paper and writing utensils. The pegasus scribbled something on the note before handing it to Terminal. ‘Will you shut the buck up?’ Wind’s loopy hoofwriting stated. Terminal nodded, waiting for his reply. Happy that his ears were no longer in danger, Wind wrote another question on the paper after yanking it away from Terminal, who was trying to lick the paper. A doctor came in, staring at the strange sight of Wind attempting to keep the paper away from her. The doctor shook his head and addressed the two. “Goodmorning Terminal, Wind.” “Morning, Doc.” Wind greeted the medical pony, taking his eyes off of Terminal who took the opportunity to snatch the paper from him and began munching on it. Wind could only face hoof. “How long is she gonna be like this?” “It should wear off in about an hour.” He walked over to Terminal. “How are you feeling, my dear?” “Why does the paper taste like pineapples?” “Yup.” The doctor smiled. “About an hour.” “Great,” Wind groaned. “so I’m stuck with her like this for the next hour? Can’t I just give my statement to the Guard now?” “No, sir.” a white coated Unicorn said as he poked his head into the room. “We already have your solo statement, we need her to be coherent when you give your combined statement.” “If that’s all, I have other patients to attend to.” With that, the doctor left the room after yanking his tail out of Terminal’s grip. “Can I have more paperapples?” Terminal practically begged, staring at Wind with the biggest puppy eyes she could muster. An hour later, Terminal leaned over a bucket, puking up the twenty sheets of paper she had consumed. “Why did you-” She heaved again. “Why did you give me the paper?!” “You’re like a drunken puppy. I couldn’t say no!” Wind grumbled as he gave her another bucket. “I’d find that flattering bu-” A pause for retching. “-but I’m currently vomiting my insides out.” A guard came in. “Terminal, we need your state- okay I’m leaving.” “Oh no you don’t!” The blue stallion shouted as he bolted outside to push the guard back in. “I am not suffering through this alone! Besides, you’re the one that brought me most of the paper!” The guard gulped as he stared at the irate pegasus. Terminal turned around. “Fair’s fair, you know.” She leaned back against the wall. “I think I’m good for now. Just ask me your questions quickly.” The unicorn’s eyes briefly darted to the door, but that thought died when Wind spread his wings, blocking his escape. “Ok,” he began before levitating a notepad from his pockets, which was missing several pages. “When did all of this begin?” “Things started going wrong after Wind Stream and I began the tour of the breezes section of the factory. I sent him off to the storage closet to get some duct tape. He was taking forever, so I decided to go get some myself. Turns out he got locked in by a ‘shadowy figure’.” Terminal explained. The guard nodded, scribbling a few things on the uneaten paper. “Did any of you recognize the assailant? Or see which tribe the pony was?” Her eyebrow went up. “What part of ‘shadowy figure’ do you not understand? Although…” Her eyes turned upward, in a show of confusion. “When the giant hole appeared in the main chamber, it wasn’t jagged, like somebody smashed something through it. It was completely smooth, all the way around.” “That sounds like unicorn magic to me. You’re sure it was only the one?” Wind Stream nodded. “I only saw the one.” “I second that.” The guard rubbed his muzzle and yawned. “Sorry, but I had to stay up all night trying to solve this mystery.” “Perhaps we should continue this tomorrow, then?” Wind suggested, covering up his own yawn with a wing. “Doing this while fatigued won’t do anypony good.” Terminal stood up, feeling much better. “I’m not tired. A little sick, but not tired.” She flew over to Wind. “You know what we should do?” She leaned in close. “We should go adventuring. Find the mother-bucking bastard who destroyed my factory and bring him to justice!” “Ooooh no.” A new doctor surprised the trio when he walked in. “Terminal, you should be in bed. What are you even doing up! And don’t me even get started on you, Wind.” He pointed an accusing hoof towards the mentioned pegasus. “You may not have tons of broken bones like Ms. Velocity does, but you still have a few deep cuts we need to look at.” The doctor showed immense strength, even for an earth pony and picked both of them up by the scruff of their necks. “Ms. Velocity, put back on those bandages for your ears, and Mr. Stream, if you don’t get back in bed right now, I cannot be held accountable for what I will do.” “Y-Yes sir!” Wind stammered, now thoroughly terrified by the doctor who’s strong enough to pick him and the guard up with all of his armor at the same time. Terminal giggles slightly, stopping immediately when the doctor threw her an accusing glance. “Ms. Velocity. I will not ask again. Get. Back. In. Bed.” She squeaked with all the dignity of a squished mouse, and hopped back into her bed.