Forest For The Trees

by Kartac

Chapter 2: Hero

Chapter 2: Hero

"Applejack dear, please stop pacing. You're putting me on edge." Rarity spoke, sitting in a very uncomfortable waiting room chair.

She and Applejack had been called down to the hospital by Rainbow Dash after hearing that Fluttershy had been found unconscious in front of the hospital just a few hours ago adding another night to the recent list of nights in which she wasn't getting a decent night's sleep. They were waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive and discussing another set of events that would lead to the 6 friends enjoying the company of gray speckled walls and the scent of sanitizer. The tanned farmgirl just stared at her, noticing that Applejack was trying to meet her gaze caused her to just tuck her head and attempt to hide. Applejack sat down next to her and put an arm around her, Rarity and her could both remember their last few trips into this very building. Rarity probably more vividly then most. Rainbow Dash marched back into the waiting room in confident strides and flashed the two of them a warm smile.

"There are a few scratches on her cheek that the police are concerned about, but there don't appear to be any signs of a struggle. Something happened, and she fainted. She should be fine." Rainbow explained to the two of them, neither of whom looked up at her but rather just stayed bundled together in the chairs.

Rainbow Dash looked out of the window at the world outside slowly being covered in a dim orange and pink glow as Luna and Celestia teasingly and tenderly dropped the moon and raised the sun. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but were it any day other than the days the friends had all spent in the friendly neighbourhood hospital, it was probably her favorite time of day. She pulled her hood down and tousled her multicoloured hair before moving away from the window and sitting with her friends. She looked over at AJ over the back of the curled up Rarity and saw her shake her head as if something was still bothering her.

"Look guys, this is different. Fluttershy just got hurt a little, there's nothing to worry about. This isn't like... those times." Rainbow said confidently, more for Rarity's benefit than Applejack's.

Last time Applejack was here it was because Granny Smith had passed. Last time Rarity was here... Rainbow shuddered, just thinking about the terrible things her friend had gone through ran shivers up her spine. The three of them all heard rapid footsteps coming down the hall from the hospital entrance towards them and all looked up as their two friends streaked into the waiting room. The six of them all met eyes with each other and words weren't really necessary. Things were still not good between Twilight and Rainbow, but the fact that the expressions on AJ and Rarity were not faces of dread told the new arrivals all they needed to know.

It was no sooner then the ladies all grouped up together on the chairs, Rainbow a few chairs to the right of the group, that familiar face came out of the infirm with a notepad and a police badge. Deep down the girls let out a collective sigh of relief, glad to see that the same detective who had helped them before was the one here gave them all a feeling of comfort. Remembering what the last case he'd been involved in gave them all a feeling of dread. He walked towards them as Rarity began to stand up to shake his hand before realising that AJ had been holding her down.

AJ whispered in her ear, "Aw no, sugarcube. You don't need ta be involved in no more police business."

Detective Gold shield stopped a few steps in front of the group and took a long look at his notepad, scribbling down something quickly before speaking. While he hadn't spoken much to the young woman in particular that he was looking for, her name and appearance more then gave her away. He took another step forward and looked at the woman on the far right, near the window.

"Miss Dash?" He called her attention to him calmly.

"Yes sir?" Rainbow spoke back nervously.

"She's stirring now, but before the doctors allow you all in. I'd like to speak to you momentarily, since you were listed as Miss Shy's emergency contact, if that's alright?" Gold Shield's tone was calm and collected.

A doctor came out and called for friends and family of Fluttershy and Rainbow took a second to wave the girls on, telling them to go in and start seeing her.

"I'll help you out any way that I can." She replied.

"I asked all the basic questions during my..." Gold Shield's voice dropped partway through his sentence and Rainbow noticed his eyes were looking over her shoulder at Rarity, who was waiting her turn. "... last investigation." He proceeded to take a folded picture out of his coat pocket handed it to Rainbow.

Rainbow unfolded the picture gingerly and saw a picture of a person in a full body robe sort of thing, lying Fluttershy gently down on a bench near the front door of the hospital. Rainbow looked up at Gold Shield and shot him a look of concern, he didn't have to ask his question. Rainbow knew where he was going.

"I have no clue who that is." She told him.

"Unfortunately, neither do we. That is the best shot we have of him. Picked up on the security camera out front. I just thought I'd ask before questioning Miss Shy directly, which I think I'll do now, if you'll excuse me." And with that, she watched Gold Shield walk back through the double doors towards the patient rooms leaving Dash with Rarity and the just returned Applejack and Twilight.

Twilight was the first to speak in this instance. "I'm glad that Fluttershy is okay, but I think she shouldn't be so quick to call that guy a hero." She was running her caramel hands up and down her sweatered arms, giving the air of someone who was either nervous, or frozen.

"What guy are you referring to dear?" Rarity inquired, her eyes opening up in surprise at the thought of any man with Fluttershy. Surprisingly, it was Rainbow that spoke up.

"Gold Shield just showed me a picture, you can't see his face. It was a dude in some sort of white robe. He was the one that brought Shy here." She explained.

Rarity on the other hand showed incredible interest, "So Fluttershy has a secret admirer..."

"Now, Ah wouldn't call him that. We know nothin' about this guy, except that he had the smarts to not leave her out there to freeze. In fact, harvest season is over and winter is comin'. Why in Equestria was Shy wearin' just that thin shirt?" Applejack jumped into the conversation, trying to shift Rarity's thoughts away from the last 'secret admirer' that was around them.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but roll her eyes at Applejack, even if she knew in her heart that AJ had a good reason to do what she was doing. She opened her mouth to unleash a snarky comment but was interrupted by the doors opening and Pinkie Pie coming out with a less than happy look on her face, something, which for her was a sure sign of trouble. She walked over to the group with half a skip in her step and then looked at Rainbow and Rarity.

"She wants to see you guys and she's been telling the cops that she doesn't know who the mysterious guy is but she won't tell them anything about what she saw other than she was held up by the three thugs that apparently vandalized the clinic and it doesn't matter how much it'll help but she keeps insisting that the guy that brought her here saved her but supposedly she passed out before anything happned and I guess they have suspicions about the culprits but I guess Shy didn't see their faces and..."

"We get it Pink, you can stop now." Rainbow said very abruptly putting an end to Pinkie's rant which was almost getting repetitive at that point. "Let's go Rare."

Rainbow and Rarity began walking to the swinging double doors that led to the section of the hospital in which most of the overnight observation rooms were. Rarity paused for a second in front of the doors and gave a pleading look at Rainbow Dash. Dash opened one of the doors and before tromping through held a hand out and invited Rarity to take it. Rarity took Rainbow Dash's hand in her own and let her Rainbow haired friend lead her down the hall to a room, much smaller than the last one that she visited, but continually covered in those hideous gray speckled walls.

There, against the far wall was a small bed, and on it, curled up in the smallest ball she could form and covered in a white sheet, was the dainty and thin, cotton candy haired form of Fluttershy. She was breathing quickly and letting out the occasional soft cry as tears poured down her face. The average person would say that Fluttershy had been crying for hours, her friends knew that the more likely scenario was that the waterworks had started in the last half an hour or so, probably about the time she woke up. Not that her crying in her sleep was impossible.

Rarity and Rainbow Dash sat down in chairs next to the bed that she was in and Fluttershy looked up at them with tears still in her eyes. Her head hurt, and her face was scratched up and all the doctors were saying was things like 'minor scratches' and 'mild concussion' and even her friends seemed to just be asking about the mysterious figure who protected her. She didn't want to cry, she wanted to be strong but everyone was scaring her. Rarity had opened her mouth to speak but Fluttershy just started shaking her head furiously.

"I don't know who he is, but he is a good person, I could feel it." Fluttershy spoke in the hoarsest whisper, nearly inaudible, pausing every few words to let out a sob.

"What was that Fluttershy, dear?" Rarity asked, trying to get her to speak up.

Fluttershy let out a few more sobs, a couple more tears lining down her cheeks.

"He's good..." She spoke, still softly but with a little more conviction, still letting out a couple sobs. "... I could tell."

Rarity turned to look at Rainbow Dash who was still staring at Fluttershy. Rainbow opened her mouth to speak and anybody could tell the look on her face indicated her words might be less than kind. Rarity held a hand up to stop her then turned back to Fluttershy herself.

"Of course dear, of course." Rarity confirmed this for Fluttershy, placing a hand gently on her side, though not entirely convinced herself.

Comments

[SureFreeD]

Not hand.
Hoof mate, they are ponies afterall...
You seemed to be confused with ponies and humans...