Redheart took down numbers from the two monitors onto a clipboard held in her magic. The steady beep from both units was a welcome sign. Sleeping on the two beds side by side lay two stallions, one a large draft she knew well, the other a huge-winged pegasus. Hearing steps behind her she turned her head and looked at her husband.
“Still the same? I tell you, Red, we can’t figure it out. Two days now and still their hearts are in perfect sync, their breathing in perfect sync,” Mercy laid his ears down.
“He,” Red pointed at Rescue. “Shouldn’t even be breathing let alone…”
Redheart gave a soft smile. “Mercy, stop. You heard the princess' orders. Don’t look to deep into it, okay?”
The white unicorn frowned then gave a nod. “I know, I know. I just…”
From one bed, a slight groan made them both spin their heads to look in that direction. The golden pegasus twitched some and a dry-throated word came from him. “R-Res?”
Mercy was at his side in a single step. “Stop. Don’t move at all, Mr. Sempar. Can you understand me?” looking up at his wife and head nurse. “Red, go get the princess... now.”
A soft, strained voice from the bed spoke. “Y-yeah, I... where am I..? Why do I feel like a pile of stones landed on me? Where is my husband?”
Red ran down the hall, so she didn’t hear the questions, or the answers to them.
“You are in Ponyville Mercy Hospital. You went through quite the ordeal from what I am told, and he is laying behind you.”
A eye cracked open, looking up at the doctor. “Is he—”
Mercy set his hoof on the stallion's muzzle. “He is alive and breathing on his own. I am told to let the princesses tell you the rest. That is all I really can speak to.”
Ailan gave a soft nod. “T... thanks, Doc, thank you for... for saving him,” closing his eyes again.
Mercy gave a soft exhale of air. “I wish I could take the credit, Ailan. Now, you rest, gain your strength back. I want my favorite EMT squad back in action.”
---
When next Ailan opened his eyes, it was sundown outside. Sitting in a chair across from him was Princess Twilight, along with a little paint foal sitting with her reading a book together. Again, his voice cracked and croaked out.
“Ca—” he licked his lips. “Can a pony get a drink of water?”
Pipsqueak leaped up and was across the short space in a heart's beat, looping his hooves around his pegasus father’s neck in a hug. “D-dad, I was so worried! How do you feel?”
A voice from behind him he couldn’t see, but he knew well. Luna’s tone for sure. “Pip, let your father get a breath and some water, then he can tell us.”
Twilight’s magic was a little shaky still, but she brought a glass of water over in her purple glow. Lifting it to Ailan’s lips. As he took a sip he kept one hoof on Pip’s hoof to keep him sitting near him.
“Ah, a little better,” he even sounded a bit better. “I... I remember going to sleep behind Rescue. Then, I remember, it was dark and cold. Then it hurt, like I had fallen in fire, and suddenly it was gone, and…” shaking his head very gently. “I don’t remember a thing more, but my back hurts like hell.”
That made Twilight’s ears lift, and two alicorns walk around the bed into view. Celestia leaned down. “Pipsqueak, would you do me a huge favor? Go out and tell Thunderlane to fly and let the others know your father is awake and talking, and that I am sure Rescue will be soon, too.”
The colt snapped to attention and his eyes glanced to the darker alicorn, who gave a nod and a smile. “Yes, Princess!” and he was out the door, hooves scrambling.
When the door closed, Celestia exhaled. “Yes, princess, not yes, my princess,” glancing at her sister. “And you doubted the loyalty and love ponies have for you.”
Blushing, Luna turned and looked at the stallion pegasus laying on the bed. “We heard you say your back hurts, Sempar?”
He gave a soft grunt. “Yeah, it's like, you know when your leg falls asleep? It’s like that, only more painful, and my whole spine and hind legs.”
All three princesses looked back and forth at each other, then Celestia’s horn lit up. Unseen by Ailan, she lifted a stainless steel and rubber Taylor’s hammer up. Turning it in her grip, she brought the handle point down and poked it lightly into Rescue’s frog.
Ailan jumped his right leg, the same she poked on the big earth pony stallion, twitching. “Hey, what the heck?!”
All again looked at each other and Twilight gave a nod, turning to look at Ailan. “We have a lot to talk about, Ailan, but let me start. Rescue... is going to make it. The spell worked.”
Ailan didn’t hear much else, as tears welled up and he was overwhelmed with emotion. He cried, and three princesses lay their hooves on him lightly to offer support as he did.
---
“So, the closer we are, the more we can feel each other's pain, aches, tickles, all the basic touches?”
Luna gave a nod. “And if you concentrate very hard, you will be able to get a slight hint as to where the other is, at distances.”
Ailan exhaled. “So, why isn’t he awake yet?”
Celestia fielded that one. “That tingle you still feel is his spine and cord healing. I suspect he will wake in a few hours,” she laid her ears back a bit.
“Ailan Sempar, you will have a road before you. Chief R—your husband’s body will be healed, but his brain will need to relearn some things. Likely how to walk again, how to access the muscle memories in the parts of his brain and nervous system that were rebuilt by the spell.”
He gulped and gave a nod, Twilight spoke very softly.
“It won’t take too long, a month or two at the most, but at first he will be as weak and helpless as a newborn foal. You are going to pick all that up from him, too. The pain, the frustration, the anger. The soulbond will give that all to you. It is going to be a hard road for you, because you will have to learn how to push all his emotions down, at the same time you help him learn how to do the same.”
Luna again spoke. “But, there are other things. When you or he feel joy, the other will know if they are close. If you feel afraid, the same. You will not hear each other's thoughts, but you will know when something has happened good, or bad, to the other.”
Ailan again gave a gulp and nodded his head. “And, when one of us, passes, the other will join minutes later.”
At that all three gave a slight nod, Celestia spoke. “Yes, you will cross the divide together. Such is the price you paid for this, you will never know time alone, nor will he. It is a life of together, not his or yours alone now.”
Ailan exhaled longer and slower. “I... I can live with that,” turning and looking up “Pr... Saint Luna,” the term making Celestia blink and Twilight give a slight smile. Luna on the other hand blushed rather hard.
“Will you be the one to stay and help me explain it all to him. When he wakes that is. I think it would mean a great deal if you were the first princess here. Nothing personal, Twilight, Princess Celestia.”
Luna glanced at her sister first, who smiled very softly, then over to Twilight who gave a bit of a nod, then turning back to the bedridden golden pegasus.
“We would—I would be honored.”
---
Almost two hours to the minute later, a cough came from the other bed. Rescue’s eyes opened a bit and he let out a groan.
“W-why do I feel like I got hit by a wagon, then it b-backed up and finished the job?” his voice cracking some.
As the room came into focus he could see the night out the window, he could see the lights on soft in the room. He could see Ailan laying in the bed just feet away from him looking over into his eyes…wait.
“A-Ailan? What, where are we? are... are you okay? Why can’t I move? Why can’t I get up to hug you, what—"
The Pegasus reached out with a hoof and gently placed it on the big earth pony draft stallion's lips.
“You talk too much.”
Tears welled up in Rescue’s eyes. He was quiet for a few moments before he murmured around the hoof.
“There is a story here, isn’t there? That, or I died.”
At that Ailan smiled some and moved his hoof to touch the bigger male’s leg. “A very long story, Rescue, but one that has to be talked about. We will wait for Luna, she stepped out to talk with Twilight for a moment.”
Rescue laid there, he couldn’t move, talking was a chore. It was a hard effort just to make his jaw move some. “I... I love you.”
Ailan’s felt tears run down his muzzle as he looked at his husband, or had they been there for the whole of the conversation?