Lost in the Ever-changing Winds

by Oceanlight

3 Beginnings

"Doctor! She's awake!"

Dr.Don pricked up his ears and a brief wave of an unreadable emotion came over his face before he returned to his composed nature. He then started briskly trotting in the direction the nurse led him, completely disregarding the fact there were 6 other ponies following him.

"Has she said anything?" he asked in a serious tone revealing that any emotion previously felt was long gone.

"Not a word doctor. She's just curled up on the bed and wont let anyone touch her. None of the nurses including myself can get her to calm down. When I left to come get you, she was trembling and hyperventilating. We were scared she might pass out."

Dr.Don didn't respond but instead quickened his pace. The group of ponies turned one of the many corners in the hospital and then arrived in front of a room with no doors and inside was a yellow pegasus, breathing heavily and tense. Her mane and tail frizzy and filled with mud and brambles all matted up. Her coat was covered in dry blood and dirt so thick it was hard to tell the hue of her body. She didn't really seem in much better shape than she was when Dash found her in the woods earlier that day. She had an IV tube leading into her left arm and some of her deeper cuts had been cleaned and there was a paste on them, her wings were bandaged as well as her right foreleg. Her eyes wide with fear and all of her limbs tucked closely to her body, as if to try and disappear into the bed frame away from all the eyes attached to her.

Dr.Don broke away from the group of ponies behind him soon after they reached the entrance of the hospital room that now belonged to the mystery mare. He stepped from the hallway into the room and immediately gave orders to those around him the same serious tone projecting from his mouth.

"Stats please."

"Jane Doe, looks around 18, sustained multiple lacerations, trauma to both her sides and face, and a 3 open fractures to both wings and right foreleg, B.P. initially low but now up too 90 over 60 after IV fluids and O neg transfusion, she lost a lot of blood, sir but seems to be doing a lot better."

"Okay fantastic, lets get her under control and determine treatment plans."

"Yes doctor."

The yellow pegasus' eyes flickered around the room to all the faces looking at her all the while trying to keep up with the conversation between the doctor and nurse. The word 'terrified' was hardly enough to even begin to explain the fear she felt. She started to breath heavily again shaking and trying to push her entire body into a corner. Wandering eyes came back to rest on the scared mare.

Dr.Don walked over to the group of ponies.

"Sorry I'm gonna have to ask all of you to stay out in the hall for a while until we can get her calm and see if its okay for you to see her. We need to make sure she's relaxed and I think your presence might be a bit overwhelming right now."

Not even waiting for a response Dr.Don yanked the curtain with his mouth so it now covered half the entrance to the room.
Rainbow Dash shivered a bit and blinked a couple times.

"Um.. Dashie are you o-"

"I'm good Pinkie." Dash interrupted her before she could finish her question. She has had enough of being weak today, she wasn't about to let her guard down again.

"I guess we should go return to the waiting room then." Rarity said to no one in particular, trying her best to lighten the atmosphere that was growing tense.

"You guys can go ahead I'm gonna wait here. You heard Dr.Don she needs friends and I'm gonna be that for her its the least I can do." Obviously Rainbow objected to the idea of leaving the poor mare alone. Not after she had spent all of her day worrying... about a random mare she didn't even know!聽Celestia, am I going soft?!

"If your stayin' then so 're we sugarcube."

"Yeah, Applejack is right. We will be here for her and for you. Always." offered Twilight, putting a comforting hoof to Rainbow's shoulder.

"That's what friends are for." Fluttershy added stepping closer to Dash.

"Thank you guys."

Just as the group parted from they're quick hug, a small shriek came from the room they were standing in front of. Rainbow peered through the opening of the curtain to see what was going on. She took just a moment to gather herself then she took a short breath before entering the room she had just been told to stay on the outside of.

"Hey! You can't be in here right now." a nurse announced with a slight hint of anger in her voice, probably because she couldn't get anywhere near the mare.

Never the less Rainbow kept walked toward the hospital bed. She walked over to the side of the bed where the mare was sitting up straight, her emerald eyes glued to Dash as she got closer but she didn't move an inch.

"Hey" Dash started in a soft voice. "My name is Rainbow Dash, can you tell me your name?"

She reached a hoof out trying her best to get the pegasus to trust her. She quickly flinched at the sudden movement so Dash stopped and turned her hoof over letting the mare make contact in her own time.

"No one is going to hurt you here. I am not going to hurt you, I promise."

Rainbow looked deep in her chromatic eyes... past the fear, past the worry, past the pain... Behind it all was somepony who was buried underneath years of neglect and self hatred, somepony who was so lost within themselves that Dash didn't know if she'd ever find herself again. It was almost a reflection into Rainbow herself but quickly brushed away the thought.

In one quick movement the mare reached her hoof out and gripped onto Dash's. At first she was surprised and froze with eyes widening slightly, then she relaxed and held the mares hoof gently as she softened her eyes, a delicate smile appeared on the mares face and dash tightened her grip around her hoof and smiled back weakly, trying her best to project confidence to reassure the broken mare before her.

Rainbow looked away just for a second to glance at the nurse who was standing with Dr. Don and her friends near the door. She gave them a hopeful look and Dr. Don nodded then began to escort her friends to the waiting room and he and the nurse walked out of the room, giving them a moment alone. She then turned back to the pony who's hoof was interlocked in her own. As she turned to look into the mares eyes again, she slowly felt everything around her fade out and looking into those deep aqua eyes she lost herself in them once again. It felt like just her and that mare where the only ones in the entire world.It was a strange feeling she'd never felt before and it was especially strange seeing as how they had just met, but even so there was an automatic connection between the two that was undeniable. She squeezed her hoof reassuringly and then spoke.

"It's just you and me now. Can we start with your name?"

"Oceanlight.." The mare choked our her voice cracking and hoarse from lack of use or perhaps over use.

"Oceanlight, that's a cool name!" Dash said sort of awkwardly excited that the mare decided to did trust her. "Do... do you remember what happened?"

"I-I uh..." Ocean started to shake again remembering the events that had taken place earlier that day.. day? week?

"We don't have to talk about it right now if you don't want too" Dash tried to keep her from falling back into her previous state as best she could, considering the mare was still very unstable. "I found you passed out in the Everfree forest.. you looked pretty beat up and they said you had been out there for a while.Me and two other stallions brought you back here to this hospital and the doctors patched you up. Do you have any family or friends that can come and get you?"

"N-no..I don't have anyone" The mare said a single tear sliding down her cheek. Dash winced and wiped it away with her other hoof.

"Hey hey, it’s okay. I-if you want uh.. you can stay at my place until you feel better or until we figure something out?" Rainbow just blurted it out not really thinking about it. Like it was on impulse.

"Oh-uh-I um.. a-are you sure?"

"Totally." Rainbow smiled at that. Oceanlight smiled back a bit more color in her eyes than before.

Then as if on cue Dr.Don walked through the entrance of the room. Rainbow dash let go of Ocean's hoof and they both turned to look at him. He walked over to the pair and started to talk.

"So, Ms...."

"Oceanlight."

"Ah yes Ms. Oceanlight, your condition is significantly better then when you where first brought in today. We have agreed that you can be released upon certain conditions. The first is you will need to stay off of your hooves for at least 2 weeks and no flying for same amount of time. You have strong bones and your young so I don't doubt it'll be any longer than 3 weeks than you will have to be immobilised. The second condition is you but give us and address that you will be at for the next 2 months for you recovery process. You will need to come to the hospital once a week in that period of time for follow up appointments. The third condition is that you talk to someone about what you have experienced emotionally. I have had extensive experience with trauma patients and I always make it a rule that you have to talk to someone whether it be a professional or friend or family. Those are the rules so, what do you say?"

Oceanlight had been listening intently and taking in what the doctor had to say. It all seemed to makes since more or less. She turned her head to look over at Rainbow with a questioning look, almost as to get her permission to agree. She nodded her head back signalling that she thought Ocean to agree. After a moment she spoke.

"Okay." Oceanlight said plainly.

"She'll be staying with me" Rainbow interjected, making sure that Dr. Don knew that the second condition was taken care of.

"Great. I will get the release forms and then your free to go" He said then looked over to Ocean. "I'll see you in a week" Then he winked and disappeared out of the room.

Rainbow turned back to face the yellow mare.

"Awesome! can't wait to hang out roomie!!" She said enthusiastically doing a little backflip in the air.

Ocean couldn't help but giggle at her new friends odd behavior.

"Thanks for everything Rainbow Dash. I've never really had a friend before so, it's good to finally have one" The mare couldn't help but smile when the Rainbow maned pony tried biting her lip from the contagious excitement in the room.

"Yeah no problem! I'm gonna go tell my friends the news, I'll be right back. You good?

"Yep!"