Chapter 29: The biggest scare
*Starlight’s POV, first-person*
This was bad. Really, really bad.
No matter how hard I shook him or yelled, Sam wouldn’t wake up. He couldn’t be...dead.
The immense storm of feelings raging in me...I could barely grasp them. Fear? Panic? Disbelief? Guilt? All of them? Whatever they were, my breaths became quick and shallow, but the sight of Sam on the ground snapped me out of that fit. It wasn’t the time to panic.
I had no training in first aid. Even so, I knew enough to check if Sam was breathing, so I rolled him on his back and lowered my ear to his mouth. Warm, but weak blowing air brushed against it, which almost tickled. That alone let me feel a little relief, but not that much: he still wasn’t moving.
I took off and dashed through Ponyville, calling for Twilight. The only other time I wished that my hooves could move faster so bad was back when Chrysalis had most of my friends captured.
Near Ponyville’s Antique shop, I spotted Twilight trotting out of it. I ran toward her as I yelled, “Twilight! P-Please! I-I-I need y-your help!”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“S-Sam’s at h-home l-lying on the g-g-ground and I-I-I-”
Twilight laid her hooves on my shoulders and gently said, “Starlight, try to calm down. Take a deep breath then, calmly, tell me what’s wrong.”
So much for this not being a time to panic. I took that deep breath, but still couldn’t help but say in a yell, “Sam won't wake up!”
She gave one of the deepest, sharpest inhales I had ever seen and her eyes widened. “WHAT?! H-He won't wake up?!”
“N-no, and I--”
Twilight’s horn glowed and she teleported us to the house, near Sam. She immediately leaned her ear to his mouth. After a second, she smiled. “Good, he’s still breathing. There’s not a lot I can do here, so let’s get him to the hospital.”
One more teleport by Twilight and we were in front of Ponyville’s hospital. Why I didn’t think to take Sam there right away, I don’t know. Blanked out I guess. Sam and Twilight were always the ones I went to when something was seriously wrong, and I obviously couldn’t go to Sam.
I picked Sam up with my magic, then Twilight and I sped through the hospital’s front door and into its lobby. Sam received immediate treatment, but the nurses and doctors had...limited knowledge of human anatomy. Luckily, the world Sunset Shimmer lived in had the needed information, so Twilight hurried there and brought back as many medical books on humans as she could carry. She even made eight trips to bring any book that could be of use.
In the meantime, I paced back and forth in the waiting room and worried out of my mind, but hoped for the best. There were some ponies around in chairs, but I wasn’t in the mood to try talking to them like I might on a normal day. Even when Twilight joined me in waiting, I couldn’t stop pacing, but she at least was able to stay still. Minutes painfully dragged on to feel like hours.
Three or four hours, or a day to me, after I found Sam on the ground, one of the nurses, a white earth pony with a pink mane -- who I now knew was Nurse Redheart -- walked to us. I thought I’d feel relieved, but a sinking feeling in my stomach was felt instead. Was it from dread? Fear? Paranoia?
“Princess Twilight, Starlight Glimmer, thanks to the books on human anatomy that we had enough time to go through, we were able to stabilize Sam.”
“That’s great. Will he be alright?” I asked, leaning toward Nurse Redheart with likely the most hopeful eyes ever.
“Before I answer, can you come with me first? We should talk in privacy."
Twilight and I followed the nurse from the waiting room, down a hall, and into a small room. I had paced almost non-stop, but the soreness of my hooves was too insignificant to care one bit over. The room had five chairs in a row and a sixth one faced them. Twilight and I took that hint to walk to one of the chairs lined beside each other. The nurse sat in the chair by itself.
Nurse Redheart gave a small sigh, making my chest tighten. I was itching to hear her next words, yet I also didn’t want to.
“Okay, here’s the situation: his organs started to shut down, but what caused it to happen so suddenly is unclear. We suspect that something he had caught from wherever he came from might be the reason, but isn’t in those books you lent us. It is also possible that other factors, such as his body not being used to the air, foods, or magic in Equestria, played a role too. However, that is just a theory.”
My mouth widened. This was even worse than I thought!
I asked, “Well, c-can you do anything to make his organs not shut down? Those books helped, uh, s-stabilize him, right?”
“One of Equestria’s top physicians, who had arrived from Canterlot not long ago, had cast a spell to improve his condition.” She smiled warmly and added, “The spell was even more effective than when cast on ponies, and his organs are beginning to work as they should. Right now, things are looking good. You got him here just in time.”
The joy that surged through me nearly made my heart burst. It was a little painful from how I was grinning, but it didn't matter. Sam was going to be alright! I leapt to Nurse Redheart and wrapped my forelegs around her. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!”
She patted me on the back. “Haha, well, I didn’t do much, but it is our job to help our patients, so no thanks are necessary.”
“Still, thank you so much. That’s wonderful news,” Twilight said with a smile, though I’m sure it wasn’t as big as mine.
I let that magnificent nurse go, and she said, “Anyway, before I let you two be, the spell to help Sam wake up sooner won’t begin to kick in for several hours, but he should be awake tomorrow morning. You can visit him today if you want once the doctor is done in about an hour, but he just won’t be conscious.”
My decision was a no-brainer, but Twilight lightly patted her cheek in thought, then said, “Well, I should go and tell our friends what’s going on, then take care of some things I have to do at Town Hall soon. Since Sam is improving, I can come back later to visit him.”
“I have nothing to do, so I’ll stay and see Sam when I can.”
“Okay. In that case, Starlight, you can return to the waiting room, and I’ll tell you when it’s okay for you to see Sam.”
Twilight and I walked out of that room with Nurse Redheart right behind us. As I returned to the waiting room, Twilight left the hospital. After getting one of the biggest scares of my life, I didn’t mind waiting for an hour or two to see Sam. I even hummed half of the time.
Around an hour later, Nurse Redheart came to me.
“Starlight Glimmer?”
“Yes? Can I see Sam?”
She nodded. “Yes. Everything is done, so you have the green light to see him. Follow me.”
I got off from the chair, stretched my legs -- they felt stiff from sitting so long -- and followed Nurse Redheart down the hallways. A minute later, she led me to a well-lit, one-window room.
On a bed was Sam, lying on his back, his eyes closed. His shirt was off and several white circular sticky things were over his chest and stomach, and they were attached to cords that connected to a machine. With the rhythmic beeps from it and the red lines on a screen, it must have been an ECG machine.
This is the first time I saw Sam without a shirt on, so his chest was much hairier than I thought. Not nearly as hairy as ponies, and I didn’t know that even human males have nipples.
“If you want to hold his hoof--uh, ‘hands’, or touch his arm or leg, you may, but don’t touch anything that’s hooked up to him.”
“Okay.”
The nurse trotted out of the room. I walked to Sam; I wanted to run, but didn’t want to risk doing anything that might get me thrown out. I stood by Sam’s bed and gently laid a hoof on his hand. He had a peaceful smile. Maybe our hearts were beating in sync, but the only hint of it came from the constant beeping from that ECG machine.
“Hey, Sam, you gave me a scare back there,” I said with a little laugh. "Next time, you should take your naps on the couch or your bed."
Of course, there was no answer, but I couldn’t help but talk to him like he was awake. Despite knowing he’d be fine, the urge to stay was too strong, so I stuck around in Sam’s room. Luckily, the nurses and doctors let me stay--as long as I stayed out of the way when they came in to check on him.
Later on, Twilight, Spike, and the others came by to visit. Some, like Twilight and Spike, came together. Others, like Rainbow Dash, stopped by alone. Rarity brought a vase with the same type of roses we have at home near the room’s half-open window. She said that making the room more like home could help.
When the moon was raised, I finally left and went back home. It felt strange, even lonely, being alone since Sam was always there at night. I had no problem being alone in my former house of “Our Town” when I was in charge there, but back then, I was a VERY different pony. I don't even like being in charge of anything anymore.
The next morning, I went right to the hospital after I woke up. I didn’t even eat breakfast. Once there, I was let into Sam’s room and grinned at what I saw, or who.
Sam's shirt was back on, he wasn’t hooked up to any machines, and, better, his eyes were open.
I crept in, still grinning, and asked, “Hi, Sam, how are you doing?”
“A little weak, but good. The nurse said I'll be out in a couple of weeks, if everything keeps going well,” he answered with a smile.
Yes. He really was okay. I even hopped in place and squealed before running over to give him a hug, which he returned. I wasn't as paranoid about being asked to leave this time. It never felt so good to hug him.
“And here I was almost worried you’d be disappointed by not having the house all to yourself for a month."
“Hee hee, of course not! I was even a little lonely last night.”
We let each other go, which was followed by Sam reaching for my mane and rubbing it.
After that mane-rubbing was done, Sam looked toward the roses still by the room’s window. “So, who brought those by? You?”
“Not me. It was Rarity when she came by to visit yesterday when you were still unconscious.”
He chuckled. “That’s Rarity alright. She can’t help making things look good, or ‘fabulous’, can’t she?”
“No, she can not,” a voice called out. It sounded like Rarity’s.
Sam and I turned our heads toward the door, and I was right about the voice. Rarity was peeking her head in, as well as Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. Even Sunset was with them, and this was the first time I had seen her in Equestria. It never felt weirder to see another pony before.
If Trixie wasn't off to Las Pegasus to do one of her shows, she might have come too.
“Surprise!” Pinkie exclaimed, but not in too loud a voice. She didn’t make confetti rain down from nowhere: possibly the single most surprising thing she had ever done, or not done. Normally, it and balloons come down during times like this.
“Hi, Sam, can we come in?” Twilight asked. “The nurses normally only allow up to three visitors at once, but since you are in such stable condition, they will bend that rule this time as long as it's okay with you.”
“Sure.” Sam squinted his eyes. “Wait...is that you, Sunset?”
Sunset nodded. “Surprise. I forgot that you never saw how I really look. Am I cute?” she asked in a teasing voice and with a wink.
Sam playfully moaned. “You have to take your turn on picking on me about that too, huh?”
She answered with a smirk, “Yep!”
After we all laughed, the gang came in. They surrounded Sam’s bed in a semicircle.
Spike asked, “Sam, how are you feeling?”
“As I told Starlight, I’m a little weak, but good.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy frowned and rubbed her cheek. “Would you like us to come back later, or not all be in here at once?”
“No, you all can stay.”
“Good,” Rarity said. “Do you know what it was that happened to make you pass out like Twilight said you did?”
He rubbed his chin. “Nope. The doctors aren’t sure either, but whatever it was seemed to have passed. I should even be out in a couple of weeks.”
“Great! Last night, I searched my books on magic to see if I could uncover anything, but it doesn't seem like magic was a cause. I didn't think I would have any luck, but it didn't hurt to check.”
“Speaking of books, I had never seen you run so fast yesterday, Twilight,” Sunset said with a giggle. “You kept dropping some of the books you held as you were running. I could barely keep up with finding more books to bring back from how fast you kept coming back!”
That was news. Twilight seemed to be in full control of herself when we found Sam. But, deep down, she was more frantic than I thought, if what Sunset said was true.
“Well, at least you had an excuse to read books some more, egghead,” Rainbow said with a smirk toward Twilight.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Must you call me an ‘egghead’ anytime I read, or at all?”
Rainbow's smirk widened. “Yep, egghead,”
Twilight grumbled, but otherwise didn’t say anything. Didn’t think she’d give in that easy.
“In that case, Ah guess that makes you an egghead each time ya dig into a Daring Do book,” Applejack said, now with her own smile toward Rainbow.
“W-Well that’s different. Daring Do books are packed with mystery, suspense, action” -- Rainbow pumped her hooves -- “not boring history, Starswirl the Bearded’s life story, or 101 ways to cast a spell.”
“Come on, Rainbow!” Twilight’s frown lit into an excited grin as she added, “Starswirl the Bearded is Equestria’s greatest wizard of all time! He is anything but uninteresting!”
Sam laughed, lying back deeper in his bed. He always thought the banter between us is funny--he's not wrong. “I will never get tired of you guys picking on each other, or tired of you period. It even feels like I’ve been in Equestria half of my life, not just two years.”
“It feels like we have been friends for longer too,” Spike said with a little chuckle.
“We are glad that we have been able to make Equestria feel like home, darling, and that you are happy. Some in your place might have lashed out over being in a different world without warning.”
Sam stretched his arms, then pushed himself up to shift his position on his bed. “Well, you’ll have to thank my father. If not for how he taught me to try to roll with the punches, no matter what, who knows how I would have acted or been like. Maybe I would have been a grump.” Sam looked upward, almost like he was looking at someone. “You’ll probably like him if you ever get to meet him when it’s...time.”
“If I ever have the pleasure of meeting him, I will,” Twilight said.
“He’d like to meet a real princess.” Sam’s lips curled into a sly smile. “However, if you must give him a friendship speech, try not to give too corny a one.”
Twilight giggled. I think she has grown to like the teasing even more than she lets on. “I’ll try, but you know me. But seriously, they really aren’t that corny, are they?”
Sunset tittered and rubbed the back of her neck. "I used to think the same thing about friendship speeches, but now I might give them. Funny how stuff can grow on you."
“No kidding. To be truthful, Twilight, they weren’t TOO corny, but it was too fun to keep messing with you about them. Corny or not, you did always look cute giving them anyhow.”
“Hehe, thanks,” Twilight said with a little blush.
We would go on to talk for a while longer before we all left to let Sam rest. I was surprised with how Sunset came over; she never seemed to want to. Wonder what it was that made her do it this time?
It was two weeks after I found Sam on the ground unresponsive--and my heart almost stopped from the shock. Earlier today, he was released from Ponyville's hospital, but over those two weeks, I went to visit him every day. With my best friend back home, things were back to normal.
Sam and I were in our third game of Dragon Pit. We were both sitting on the couch this time, but I often sit somewhere else when we play. What happened to him must have shaken me up even more than I thought, because I wanted to be near him when we played our favorite board game.
I still remember the bad luck Sam had the first time we played and how he made me lose. Twilight sure didn’t mind it.
“I only need a ‘4’ to win!” I said, tossing the die with my magic.
It came up “2.”
“Aw.”
He rubbed my mane. “Too bad, BF, but you’re not winning yet.”
I moved my dragon piece forward two spaces on the board. “Right, yet.”
He picked up the die and tossed it. He needed a “6” to win. As Twilight would say, the odds were in my favor.
The die came up…”6.” He definitely was having better luck this time.
He raised a fist in victory. “Yes! ‘6’! I win! Did I just win three times in a row?”
“Unfortunately,” I answered. I was in a pouty voice, yet at the same time, I didn’t really mind losing, but just being playful. That good luck of his would have to end soon, so I asked, “You want to play again? I bet you won’t win a fourth time in a row!”
“We can, but how about I fix us some dinner first? I’m getting hungry.”
The growl from my stomach answered for me. I must have blushed, going by my warming cheeks.
“I take that as a ‘yes’.” He stood up. “So let me--”
Knocks came from the front door.
“Who could that be?” Sam mused. He walked to the door and opened it.
Twilight was on the other side, but something was odd. Her head was down, her ears were pressed against her head, and she was scraping a hoof against the porch.
“Twilight? Is something wrong?” Sam asked.
She stopped scraping the porch and raised her head. Why was she frowning? “I just wanted to say something. May I come in?”
“Sure.” Sam backed away from the door and motioned his hands in a “come in” manner.
Twilight took the cue and crept inside. Why did I feel a chill?
“You are usually more cheerful than...this. What's the problem?” Sam asked.
Twilight tapped the floor and looked down for a moment. Whenever I acted like that, it always meant I was about to say something I had been holding back. But, that couldn’t be it here. That mare wasn’t hiding anything...was she? Once she apparently collected herself, Twilight answered, “Okay. After what happened two weeks ago, just in case something...unexpected happens again, our friends told me that I can't keep waiting. I need to tell you something I’ve been keeping from you for a long time.”
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Stress, the silent killer
oh no, something bad is gonna happen isn't it!
Keep up the great chapters!
Sam doesn’t have much time left to live... does he?
Wait, you mean earlier as in the few first ones or the few recent ones?
10549741
It can be, but that has nothing to do with what's coming.
10549800
Maybe, and thanks!
10549861
Nope, that's not what Twilight's going to say.
10550232
Oops, I meant to say previous chapters, not earlier ones. I will say that the foreshadowing isn't in the most recent chapters. At least, not any hints that I meant to put in as foreshadowing.
Well she either likes him or had something to do with him being there. Or both even.
10550252
So it's pretty much anywhere in this >100k words long fic...
Yeah I think imma sit this one out, chief.
Sam's going to turn into a pony, now that the magic has fully suffused his cells.
Hmm...let's see, he said he was tired because the unicorns who worked with him at his job were out with a disease, he lives with a unicorn and was found passed out, face down. Me thinks a pony disease made a species jump, specifically something that effects unicorns.