Act II: Keeping Broken Promises
I silently stalked behind the nurse through the hospital. It was nighttime, and most of the workers had left for home to get some rest. There were, however, still some guards on patrol in the halls, armed with flashlights. Nurse Redheart would always cautiously check behind each corner to see if anybody was coming, and I would keep an eye on our backs to make sure we weren’t spotted from behind.
We should have been much further than we were. Sweetie Belle was on the third floor, and we were still trying to climb up the stairs. Things would have been moving along much faster if I wasn’t bound around the ankles and suffering from lightheadedness. I couldn’t blame Redheart. I was still a prisoner, and letting me roam across the hospital freely wouldn’t have flown well with her. Still, it was obvious that the cuffs tethering my feet together were meant for a pony’s much shorter legs, resulting in me taking less than half-steps with each stride.
“I still can’t believe you talked me into this,” Redheart hissed.
“I can’t either,” I whispered back. “To be honest, I thought it would take a lot more to convince you to let me do this.” It wasn’t a lie, even though it took the better half of an hour and more bargaining than I would have liked just to get her to think about it. I was left in the room for a couple more hours until she came to a decision.
She threw me a look, and I didn’t dare say another word.
We reached the door that connected the stairwell to the third floor. Redheart carefully opened it, peered inside, and gave me the all-clear. Once inside, we were met with another maze of hallways and doors, but the nurse guided through expertly.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she continued. “If we get caught… I could get fired! What will I do then? I’ll have no job, no money! I’ll never work in a hospital again! All those years of medical school, gone to waste! I—”
“We won’t get caught,” I cut her off. She gave me a worried look, unconvinced. I let out a sharp sigh and stared to the ceiling for answers. There weren’t any. “Look, if we do, I’ll take the blame for it,” I offered, glancing back to her.
“How?” she asked incredulously. “What could you possibly do that will make everypony believe that you are in charge of this?” She stopped suddenly at an intersection, and looked both ways anxiously. “Maybe it would be better if we just turned around now,” she added nervously.
A few seconds of silence ticked by. “I used ‘Everfree magic’ or mind-control or whatever you ponies are convinced I have,” I explained. “With the rep I have around here, I’m sure it’ll be believable enough.”
Nurse Redheart paused. “Really?" she asked, turning to me with grateful eyes. "You would do that for me?”
I shrugged. “Like you said, if you get caught, you’ll be fired and left with nothing. I’ve already got nothing to lose. What’s the worst you guys can do, put me down?” I chuckled at my small joke, but the look in Redheart’s eyes wasn’t reassuring. “Um… You guys wouldn’t really do that, right?” She said nothing and continued to walk down the hall. I staggered for a second and rushed to catch up.
We continued in a tense and uncomfortable silence. Neither of us dared to break it in fear of any eavesdropping ears until we reached the last corner. Redheart peeked around the edge, and her ears shot up in alarm. “Hunter, hide!”
I wildly searched the hall for cover, but couldn’t find anything that could easily hide me. The closest protection I could find was a potted plant, and even that was a stretch with its long, thin stems. “Where?” I hissed.
Nurse Redheart spun around and scanned the hallway. “Um, there!” she pointed at one of the rooms a few doors away. “It should be vacant. I’ll try to distract the guard.”
Without wasting any more time, I hurriedly shuffled to the door and snuck inside. The light of the hallway quickly disappeared as the door was cautiously closed, plunging the room into darkness. Before it fully closed, I could hear gruff stallion’s voice. “Nurse Redheart? What are you doing up so late?” The rest of the conversation came through muffled.
My bound hands were pressed up against the door, my head resting on top of them. My heart was racing in my chest. That was too close for comfort. My breathing steadied as the ponies’ conversation carried on outside, and I observed the room I found myself in.
Moonlight filtered in through the curtains of the room’s only window. I realized how long it had probably been since I had seen the outside world, and I found myself drifting towards it. My hands pulled back the fabric, and the room was flooded with a soft blue glow.
I could see a large part of Ponyville from the window. It was so quiet, so peaceful, so… different from every other time I had seen it. A ghost of a smile found its way to my face as I watched the simple houses. This village wasn’t too bad if I forgot that the residents were holding me prisoner.
Something moved in the corner of my eye, and I jumped when I found a tall figure staring at me from across the room. My heartrate dropped close to normal when I realized it was my own reflection in a mirror. I quickly covered the distance between to investigate.
“Damn,” I breathed. It had been too long since I had seen my own reflection, and it showed. My hand moved around my body experimentally, and my eyes tracked it in the mirror, proving that what I was seeing was real. It was no wonder the ponies thought I was a monster. After looking at myself for a little while, I felt like I was one.
A large tear in my jeans exposed my right knee, and slightly lower the rest of the leg was all but shredded to ribbons. A layer of gauze showed between the holes in the left leg where skin was supposed to be. A hazy memory of timberwolves resurfaced, and I tried to push it back down.
My gray t-shirt had seen better days. It fared better than most of my other clothes, but even still, it bared some scars from my time here. Holes rested on top of my shoulders, exposing skin to the cool, sterile air. Another tear was found on the left side, courtesy of a near-miss escape from one of the Everfree’s seemingly endless number of predators.
My left forearm was still bound from elbow to wrist in bandages. A dull throb of pain emanated from a few small splotches of dried crimson near the middle, and flashes of teeth and mulch tearing into skin burned in my head. It was tender to the touch; I winced with each testing prod.
A single strip of gauze was tightly wrapped around my right elbow; another compromise between me and the nurse. She wanted to help, but she still didn’t fully trust me. I wasn’t sure if concentration was lower or if it was just a different sedative altogether, but she insisted I would stay awake long enough to do what needed to be done. Although it was hard to tell if it was going to work sooner than expected or if Placebo was playing tricks on me. My body tensed and I turned the other way as she pushed the sedative in my body. It worked in her favor one way or another, even if she didn’t mean for it. Even if I wanted to double-cross her, I doubted I would make it far without passing out. Still, a little prick and some drowsiness for a clear conscious sounded like a fair deal at the time.
I tried to avoid the face of the man staring back at me in the mirror, but it was inevitable. I couldn’t recognize myself. Above my grime and dirt-caked face was a rat’s nest of brown hair, disheveled and unkempt from weeks of neglect. A mangy beard was starting to grow thanks to weeks without any sort of shaving equipment. A small scar formed on my bottom lip from my first visit to the hospital. A couple of layers of bandages held a fold of dirtied cloth in place on the side of my head. I couldn’t bring myself to look at his eyes out of fear of what I would see. Gone was the high school senior with a life back on Earth. The thing that stood before me, mirroring my every move, was the Beast of the Everfree.
I shuddered, and the beast mimicked me.
“Mr. Grey?” I snapped back to reality and turned towards the open door where Nurse Redheart waited patiently. “We should be alone now. The room is just around the corner.”
I nodded in thanks and followed the mare out of the room, around the corner, and down the hall. We stopped before an ordinary wooden door at the end. Nobody would have paid it a second glance; nothing about it was unusual. But to me, the simple door held an odd gravity, one that beckoned and repelled me at the same time. I stared at that door for minutes trying to work up the nerve to turn the handle.
“Here, allow me,” the nurse said as she stepped forward and opened the door. The room was dark. It was hard to decipher the shapes of the silhouettes from where I stood. “Take as much time as you need, but remember we’re a little pressed,” she said. “After you.”
I carefully crept into the room. It took my eyes a second to adjust to the low light from the windows as Redheart closed the door behind me. I tried to not make too much noise as I moved and winced as the chains between my ankles rattled, fearing it would wake the room’s sole occupant. The room was like mine, albeit slightly larger, and the moonlight pouring in through the window bathed everything in a soft blue glow. Redheart sat in one of the chairs lined against the far wall and waited patiently.
I navigated through the dark to the only bed stationed in the room. My eyes lingered on the nightstand with rows of cards reading “get well soon”. Resting on the bed was a small filly wrapped up in blankets, her white coat reflecting the moonlight. I smiled and carefully sat down next to the filly, wincing as the mattress groaned in protest. The little filly didn’t even stir.
A heavy sigh escaped my system. All my guilt was starting to creep up on me the more I looked at her. “I’m so sorry, Sweetie,” I whispered. I leaned forward on my knees and rested my head on my hands. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I should have been more careful.”
A weak voice interrupted my self-pity. “Hunter?”
I glanced at the little unicorn, and tired green eyes stared back at me. “Sweetie Belle?” I whispered in shock. My eyes darted to the shadows where the nurse waited. “You were supposed to be asleep,” I commented with a faint laugh.
“I couldn’t,” she yawned. My heart sunk as she stretched, revealing the bandages wrapped tightly around her back. “I’m not tired.” She blinked a few times, looking me over in confusion. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the Everfree Forest?”
“Not exactly,” I chuckled. I held up my hands for her to see, and my wrists pulled at the cuffs. “Got a bit of a change in residence nowadays,” I joked.
“You were caught?!” Sweetie cried out in disbelief.
“Hey, hey, quiet now,” I hushed. My eyes cast a furtive glance to the door. “Don’t be hollering like that. I’m not supposed to be up here right now.”
“What happened?” she demanded. “Did you escape?”
“Um, not really. It’s complicated,” I explained. “Enough about me, though; I came up here to check on you. Feeling any better?”
Sweetie Belle nodded her head sluggishly. “Yeah, the doctors said I’ll be fine. I should be good to leave in a couple days.” Her eyes lingered on my chains and fell to my bandaged arms. “I just don’t understand. Why did they catch you? They’re not hurting you, right?”
I sighed. “Nothing worse than a few migraines,” I joked halfheartedly.
She fell silent and looked down, her hooves suddenly becoming very interesting to her. “I’m really sorry I was so mean to you before,” she glumly apologized. “You were only trying to help; you even saved me, but you got caught because of it… because of me.”
“Hey, don’t be like that,” I tried to calm her. “This isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known the wolves were chasing us.”
“But I can’t even help!” Sweetie protested. She struggled to sit up on her bed. “I’ve been trying to tell everypony that you helped me, but they won’t listen! They keep telling me I need to rest, but I’ve been doing nothing but resting since I’ve been here. Even Rarity isn’t listening! She keeps thinking you did this to me.”
It was easy to tell she was distraught; although, who could blame her? She knew the truth, or most of it rather, and nobody cared enough to pay attention. Seemed to be a recurring theme for the ponies that knew me.
I wanted to help, but I wasn’t sure how. At least, that’s what I told myself. I grit my teeth and let out a heavy sigh, thankful that the darkness of the room blanketed my tension. Something about defending a pony that threatened to tear me apart didn’t settle well with me, but Sweetie Belle needed something to help her.
“Hey, don’t worry about Rarity. She’s just being a big sister,” I said through a forced smile. “Believe me, if anything like this happened to one of my brothers, I’d probably be out for whoever I thought did it, too.”
Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “You have brothers?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah,” I laughed. “Two of them. They’re a bunch of rascals and pains in the rear.” I sighed, “But I love them anyways.” A memory floated up. A part of me figured it could help, even if it was a little embarrassing. But maybe Sweetie could go for a small laugh.
“You know, way back in elementary, there actually was someone who was picking on my brother,” I started. “Apparently, someone thought the whole ‘stealing your lunch’ cliché was cool and kept taking his. Now, nobody really knew about it until Tanner came home without his lunchbox one day; I guess the bully decided he’d up the ante.
“Tanner brushed it off saying he just forgot it somewhere, but I knew better. He loved that lunchbox, had his favorite superhero on it and everything. I asked him about it later, and he eventually told me that Ethan was stealing his lunch.” I paused and chuckled. “Now, I had no clue who on earth Ethan was,” I admitted. “Just that he was hurting my younger brother, and that was enough to get me interested. I did what any other big brother would have done at the time and started looking for him.
“After asking around for a while, I finally found him. When I confronted him about it, he denied everything, and things got a bit…” I clicked my tongue as I thought for the right word, “physical. We eventually ended up trading a few bruises before the teachers finally pulled us apart. I wound up getting suspended for a week and grounded for three.” I laughed to myself, “Probably not the smartest thing I’ve done in hindsight.”
“It was really sweet you tried to help, though,” Sweetie Belle offered with an uncertain smile.
“Yeah, well tried is the key word there,” I pointed out. “Turns out there were two Ethan’s in Tanner’s grade, and I accidentally tracked down the ‘destined-to-be baseball star’ Ethan. The real culprit was the ‘sits-in-the-corner-of-the-cafeteria-by-himself-practicing-the-recorder’ Ethan.” There was a hint of a genuine smirk before Sweetie covered it with a hoof.
“Point is, us bigger siblings are real protective of you little ones,” I continued. “Tanner actually tried to stop me before I ‘talked’ with the wrong Ethan, but I brushed him off trying to handle it on my own. I’m sure once Rarity calms down a bit, you’ll be able to get through to her.”
There was a small paused before the filly sighed. “Yeah, I hope so.”
You and me both, I thought to myself. If Rarity ever calmed down enough to listen to her sister, it would make things easier on my front; one less pony out to get me.
There was a short cough at the other end of the room. Sweetie Belle shot up, trying to look deeper into the shadows from her bed. I knew it was the nurse, though, and that it was my cue to start wrapping things up.
“Alright, it’s time for you to get some rest,” I whispered.
“But I’m not tired,” Sweetie protested, but the look in her eyes betrayed her.
A small yawn escaped her, and I couldn’t help but smile. She reminded me of Brandon, always trying to stay up past his bedtime. I rolled an idea in my head and gave her a knowing smile. “Would it help if you had a lullaby?” I offered. She hesitated, but a small grin quickly showed. She nestled herself back underneath her covers and looked to me expectantly, eager to hear a monster’s lullaby.
A familiar tune ran through my head, one I hadn’t heard in what felt like lifetimes ago. Memories of easier times resurfaced with the lyrics; memories of my family, my mother. I started with a faint hum and let it grow as the words came back, and Sweetie Belle waited patiently. When my confidence finally came, I started with a whisper.
“Angels watching ever round thee, All through the night. In thy slumbers close surround thee, All through the night. They will of all fears disarm thee, No forebodings should alarm thee, They will let no peril harm thee, All through the night.”
It was an old lullaby I learned from my mother. I felt as if I wasn’t doing it much justice compared to her, though; it was beautiful the way she used to sing it. Sweetie Belle’s eyes were struggling to stay open by the next verse, but they were fighting a losing battle. I couldn’t remember all the lyrics and eventually had to resort to humming, but by that point it was already over. Sweetie was lost in a peaceful sleep.
There was movement across the room. Redheart was quietly making her way to the door, motioning for me to follow. I gave one last look to the sleeping filly. A weight had lifted off my chest seeing her safe, and it helped ease the thought of being stuck here. I silently drifted over to the nurse, hoping not to disturb Sweetie’s rest. She carefully cracked open the door, and we snuck back outside to the hallway.
“I have to admit, I’m a little impressed,” the nurse whispered. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that. What was that little tune?”
“Just something my mother used to sing to me and my brothers when we were real little,” I waved off. “My youngest brother is actually still young enough for my folks to sing him to sleep; sometimes I hear them next door.” I offered an embarrassed smile. “Can’t remember all of the words though.”
“Well, whatever it was, it was really sweet of you,” she commented.
I shrugged innocently. “Guess the monster still has a heart,” I joked.
It won a small smile out of her, and we continued navigating through the halls. “Okay, we should be able to make it back to the basement without any troubles,” she explained. “All we need to do—”
DONG
A frying pan connected into the back of Redheart’s head. The nurse took a few wobbly steps forward before collapsing into a heap on the sterile floor. I stared dumbfounded at the floating pan, unsure of how to respond. It twisted, as if to face me, and I held my bound hands up in caution.
“Hey now, let’s think about this,” I tried to bargain.
“Psst! Hunter!” a hushed voice hissed. My eyes were still fixed on the flying pan before me. “Hunter!” it tried again. This time it caught my attention. “Over here.”
My eyes followed the frying pan as it drifted to one of the hospital rooms with a door left ajar. A mint green unicorn stepped out of the shadows, her golden eyes scanning the halls for more prey.
“That was close,” Lyra said. “Come on, Hunter; before any more of them show up.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I shook my head, trying to catch up with what was happening. “Lyra? What are you doing here? Twilight said you weren’t allowed anywhere near this place.”
She waved a hoof dismissively. “I’m not. I busted myself in, and now I’m busting you out,” she announced. “Now come on. There hasn’t been too much resistance so far. If the guards downstairs are still unconscious, then I’m pretty sure we have a safe route out.”
“What about Redheart?” I asked. “She risked her job doing this favor for me. We can’t just leave her here.”
“Redheart?” Lyra echoed. She looked down to the nurse and winced. “Ooh, sorry, Red,” she apologized to the still unconscious pony. “I doubt anypony will figure out she tried to help you,” she said, turning to me. “Besides, we’re on the third floor, and you were supposed to be in the basement.” The sound of hooves against tiles filled the air and was quickly getting louder. A figure appeared at the end of the hall and galloped to meet us. “Which reminds me,” Lyra said, unfazed at the new arrival.
“I thought you said Hunter was in the basement,” she hissed at Noteworthy as he came to a sliding halt.
Noteworthy flinched, and he gave an apologetic smile. “Oh hey, you found him!” he said quietly, trying to change the subject. I noticed he had a bandage wrapped around his head, covering most of his mane.
“What happened to you?” I asked in shock.
He gave me a confused look, and his eyes widened as he looked up. “Oh, that,” he chuckled. “Nah, this was just for show,” he explained as he unraveled the bandages. “Lyra wasn’t allowed in the front door, so we had to sneak in and literally open a window for her.”
“Yeah, a second story window,” she reminded him with a glare.
Noteworthy shrugged apologetically. “It was out of my hooves,” he pointed out. Lyra huffed and rolled her eyes, obviously still upset about whatever it was I missed. “Let’s just get Daisy and get out of here,” he sighed in defeat.
“Daisy’s here?” I asked incredulously. “How many ponies did you rope into this?” I hissed to Lyra.
“It’s just us,” Lyra promised. “And nopony’s ‘roped’ into anything. We all chose to do this. We wanted to help.” I shook my head; my mind was still reeling. Everything was moving so fast. Was this really happening?
Lyra picked the keys off Redheart’s unconscious body and unfastened my cuffs. They silently led me down the hall. I stole one last glance at the nurse, left so unceremoniously on the floor, before we turned the corner. My eyes were getting heavy. The sedatives were kicking in. As long as I kept moving, though, it felt as if I could stave it off, but everything felt disconnected. My hands had death grips on the handrails as we descended to the second floor, trying to anchor me from falling from the stairs and into sleep. I shook my head to dispel the drowsy fog that was smothering me as we crept through the second floor. Behind the darkened windows to the rooms, the Beast of the Everfree clumsily mimicked me.
Not exactly Our idea of a ‘grand escape’, it commented groggily each time it appeared. But it will do for now.
We reached the end of a hall, and Noteworthy paused at the last door. He lifted a hoof and quickly knocked twice before carefully pushing through the door. I followed closely behind. His ears shot up, and he suddenly ducked, giving the vase ample room to swing into my gut.
I clutched at my stomach, gasping for air as I crumpled to the cold tiles.
“Hunter?” a familiar voice whispered in shock.
“What the hay, Daisy?” Lyra demanded. “We’re supposed to be saving him from the hospital, not keeping him here.”
“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry.” I heard hooves scampering off the counter and stop next to me. “Are you alright?” Daisy asked. “I didn’t hit you too hard, did I?”
“C’mon, Daisy, we went over this,” Noteworthy groaned. “Two knocks meant it was safe.”
“Oh, do you even know how generic ‘two knocks’ is?” Daisy hissed. “I thought somepony came looking for the doctor we stuffed in the broom closet.”
“If it’s so bad, then why didn’t you say anything?” he demanded, a hint of hurt in his voice.
“I did,” she stressed. “But you two ran off before I could finish!”
“Worst. Rescue. Ever,” I wheezed.
I felt a hoof on my shoulder, and it rolled me to my side. Lyra’s face appeared with an apologetic wince. “Holding together alright?” she asked hopefully. My head nodded against the tile, but my eyes were getting too heavy. The hoof shook me, and my eyes fluttered open to reveal a much more worried Lyra. “Hey, what’s the matter with you?”
I took in a deep breath, hoping it would give me some energy. “Um, Redheart… sedatives,” I barely managed to say. I was slipping, trying to find anything to anchor on to.
“Shoot,” Lyra swore. She and Daisy helped me up and led me to the open window. “Come on, stay with us just a little bit longer,” she begged.
I propped myself up on the sill and peered out the window. It was a drop. Not far enough to hurt too much, but not short enough to feel too great about either. A rope of linen dangled out of the window next to my hand. It led about a third of the way down the wall. My eyes traced it back into the room where Noteworthy stood confidently.
“Don’t worry, I can hold you,” he promised. My eyes shot to Lyra, and she gave a quick nod. I took in a breath and shook the sleep out of my head. “I can hold you,” he echoed quietly, as if to assure himself this time.
Noteworthy gripped his end with his teeth and braced himself, and I crawled out the window and began my descent. The rope jerked slightly downward the moment I put my full weight on it, and my heart leaped out of my chest. It was good. It was keeping me awake, and the cool breeze helped by sending tiny pricks against my skin.
I was dangling by the last inches of the bed sheets. My feet propped against the wall and pushed me back as I let go. The grass crunched beneath my toes as I rolled back. My body ached from the fall; my wounds screamed in rebellion. My hands clutched around my left calf, trying to calm it down. I hissed out a breath and stared up. And in spite of it all, a smile formed and quickly grew. The moon and stars looked down at me from the night sky as if to greet me. I did it. I escaped.
We moved as soon as everyone made it out. Noteworthy and Daisy stayed a good distance ahead to scout the streets as Lyra and I stayed close to the buildings, taking the alleyways whenever we could. My eyes kept darting to the darkened windows of the moonlit houses. I felt so exposed. Anytime we had to leave the shadows and enter the moonlight, my mind would run rampant with fantasies of someone seeing us. I didn’t have the energy to run away this time.
The cold was starting to lose its effect on me, and I found myself leaning against the Ponyville homes for support. My feet stumbled more often than I liked. I could feel small rocks poking and prodding my skin and my wounded leg flaring with each step, but it still wasn’t enough. My body felt like it was being dragged to the earth, and there was nothing I could do but press on and hope I wouldn’t fall under the weight of the drug.
I accidentally ran into something while I was on autopilot. Or, someone, rather. My eyes fell to find Lyra staring back up at me expectantly. I realized she asked me a question.
“What was that?” I asked, my voice barely breaking a tired groan.
She rolled her eyes and huffed in agitation, obviously not happy with my response. “I asked how you were holding up,” she repeated. “But I guess that answers that.”
I shook my head and leaned against the wall of a house, sliding down to the cold earth. “Sorry, I’m trying my best,” I swore. A yawn took over me, and I couldn’t find the strength to open my eyes again.
“Don’t you give out on me just yet,” she warned. I could feel her get closer. “We’re almost there. We just need to cross this street, and the rest of the trip will be a breeze.” I rolled the thought over in my head, and my head followed it lazily. A hoof nudged against my arm. I took in a deep breath as my eyes fluttered open. There was Lyra again. Even in my drowsy state, I could still see her worry. “Just a little bit longer,” she begged.
I tried to shake the drowsiness out of my head and held my hand out to Lyra. She grabbed it with a relieved smile and pulled me to my feet. I peeked out of the cover of the houses to get the lay of the land.
The street was wide. A few of the houses still had lights on, which meant some of the ponies were still awake. They were far enough down the road to make it difficult to see me, but that didn’t mean I could just throw caution out the window. A familiar tree stood at the end of the street; one of its top windows shining like a beacon. It brought bad memories back with it, and I wanted nothing more than to get as far away from it as I could.
Two figures trotted across further down the way. It could have been Note and Daisy, but it was hard to be sure, and I didn’t want to take the chance. If I crossed the street as slowly as I’ve been walking this whole time, I could get caught. I could run, but as I shifted my weight to my left, my calf flared in protest. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with it, or what the ponies did trying to fix it, but my gut told me that it wouldn’t take to kindly to a quick sprint.
“Just straight across, right?” I asked.
Lyra nodded. “Yeah, and after that, it’s practically a straight shot to my place. You can get some rest there.”
I rolled my options around in my head and sighed. My eyes fell back on the tree, and I wanted nothing more than to just get this over with. “I’m going to hate myself for this later,” I grumbled, lowering myself to a runner’s stance.
“What are you doing?” Lyra asked.
“Oh… something stupid.” I took off with a sprint across the open street. The nerves in my leg caught fire with each pounding step I took. My body threatened to collapse halfway across. When I reached the other side, I crumpled and rolled into the alley.
I laid on the hard, cold ground, clutching my throbbing leg and silently screaming. Something warm was spreading beneath the bandages. My trembling hands pulled back the pant leg, revealing the padding and gauze. Even in the shade from the moonlit sky, I could see a dark stain growing beneath it and cursed under my breath. On the bright side, I was awake now.
Lyra came galloping up to me. “Oh my gosh, Hunter, are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied. My body shook as I pushed myself up, using the wall of the nearby house for support. I took a step forward and nearly crumpled. “How much further do we have?” I hissed through the pain.
“Not too far,” Lyra answered. She eyed my leg, noting the growing stain, and shook her head. “But you’re not going to make it on that leg.” She paused, trying to come up with some sort of plan. Something sparked behind her eyes, and she trotted up next to me. She carefully stood up, balancing herself on her hind legs, and wrapped her forelegs around my waist. “Just lean on me when you need to,” she smiled as she looked up to me. “I’ll have your back.”
We were able to slowly trudge through the Ponyville streets. Lyra’s legs quivered under my weight whenever I’d lean on her for support, and mine still ached with each shaky step we took. We stuck close to the buildings, trying not to expose ourselves in the moonlight. I realized that I didn’t know where we were going. I had never been this far into Ponyville; at least, not since my first night. A part of me could have sworn the forest was the other way.
“So, where are you taking me anyways?” I asked as she led me around a corner.
“My place,” she explained in a strained voice. “Zecora’s waiting there to take you back to the forest where it’s safe.”
I snorted. Safe. With the timberwolves still on the hunt for me and the ponies trying to keep me locked up in a basement, I wasn’t sure anywhere was safe for me now. “I don’t think that’s the best idea,” I pointed out.
“You’re right; Zecora will have a hard time taking you back in this condition,” Lyra thought aloud. We were on two different pages, but if it stalled me from returning to the forest, I didn’t feel the need to correct her. “I think I have an idea,” she hummed in thought. “Let’s just get you there first.”
As we shuffled around another corner, two ponies were revealed in the broad moonlight next to one of the houses. I tried to pull us back in the shadows, but Lyra kept tugging me forward. The strangers saw us and waved, one of them galloping up to meet us halfway.
“What took you two so long?” Noteworthy greeted us with a hiss. “Daisy’s been worrying sick, and I’m not just saying that. She’s looking as green as her mane out of stress.” He paused and gave us a once over, and his aggression melted into shock. “Oh wow, are you alright?”
“Yeah,” I strained. “Just went for a little jog.”
Noteworthy glanced between the two of us and shook his head in disbelief. “Here, let me help you,” he offered. He reared up on his hind legs, one of his forelegs balancing on my side and the other gently pushing Lyra back. “You go help Daisy. She’s a mess, and she could use the comfort.” Lyra nodded and switched, galloping off to the other stranger.
I could move a little faster with Noteworthy’s help. His legs were sturdier than Lyra’s whenever I leaned against him. The closer we drew to the house, the more I could see how badly Daisy was shaking. She gave us a frantic smile as we approached, Lyra trying unsuccessfully to calm down her jitteriness with a supportive hoof on her back.
“Oh, thank Celestia you made it,” she sighed in relief. She turned to Lyra hopefully. “Can we go inside now?” Lyra nodded, and before we knew it Daisy had already burst through the door, leaving Lyra and Noteworthy helped me limp inside.
“Bon-Bon, I’m back!” Lyra called as we entered. She and Noteworthy allowed me to prop myself against a wall to relax. “And I brought Hunter with me, too!”
“Just a minute!” a voice sang deeper in the house.
The inside was simple, but nice, in my opinion. When we entered the door, we were immediately in the living room. There was a staircase on the right wall that led to the second floor, which had a simple hallway guarded by a wooden rail. In the living room, Daisy was sprawled out on her back on the green couch that rested against the wall of the staircase. Two chairs sat opposite from the couch, facing the wooden coffee table in the middle of the room. Between them sat an old phonograph with a small bookshelf filled with records next to it.
The entrance to the dining area was straight across from the front door. A sweet aroma wafted into the living room, promising homemade muffins. Two mares came into view and entered from the kitchen, one a very familiar zebra that greeted me with a smile, and the other a cream-colored mare with a blue curly mane and a bright pink strip.
“It’s good to finally meet you, Hunter,” the stranger greeted. “Lyra’s told me so much about—” Her body went rigid; her teal eyes locked on me. I watched as they slowly filled with confusion and then shock and finally shrinking with fear. “It’s the monster!” she screamed, backpedaling a few steps. Her head darted around wildly for an exit. “Somepony call for help! The monster is in my house!”
Lyra shot forward and tackled the mare, trying to calm her down. We watched in shock as the two mares struggled for control across the floor. Zecora had a worried look on her face, but she inched away from the mares, trying not to get sucked in. Bits and pieces of screamed conversations escaped the mangled mess of mares. Their audience stared at each other in concern. Were we supposed to do something?
It eventually ended with Lyra pinning the screaming mystery mare on the ground. They were both out of breath, but at least the commotion had died down. “Bon-Bon,” Lyra panted, looking up to me. “I’d like you to meet my friend… Hunter.” Bon-Bon followed her eyes and craned her neck to see me. I cautiously raised a hand and waved, nervous that moving too quickly would set her off again.
She forced a strained smile and looked back up. “Lyra?” she asked through her teeth. “Could you please tell me what’s going on here?”
“Well… I might have just busted Hunter out of the hospital to help him escape back into the Everfree,” Lyra explained, waving a hoof dismissively. “But you see, he’s a little hurt and needs a place to stay and rest for the night. So, I was wondering—”
“No.”
Lyra blinked. “What?”
“No,” Bon-Bon repeated. “The monster is not staying in my house, Lyra.”
“He’s not a monster, Bon-Bon,” Lyra snapped defensively, her nostrils flaring. “And why not?” she demanded. “You were perfectly fine with it when I asked you this afternoon!”
“Yes, but you left out the fact that Hunter was the Beast of the Everfree!” Bon-Bon retaliated. “Besides, when you told me about him, I thought he was a nice stallion you met at the park. I thought he was going to stop by for dessert, not for the night and then some.” She glanced down and back at Lyra. “And could you please get off me?” she groaned.
Lyra rolled her eyes and complied, helping Bon-Bon back up to her hooves. “Look, he’s hurt,” she explained. “I’m not asking for him to stay forever, just until he’s better.”
Bon-Bon’s eyes narrowed as they shot to Zecora. “You were in on this, too, weren’t you?”
“Forgive me, Bon-Bon, I meant not to deceive,” Zecora apologized. “I hope there is a way I can make you believe.” She looked over me, and I realized I was standing a little slumped. I tried to straighten myself out and winced as my weight fell on my left again. “Originally our plan was to take him away, but seeing his condition, it’d be best if he stayed. I do hate to trouble you, I hate to be a pest, but I cannot take him now, Hunter needs to rest.”
Bon-Bon’s eyebrow rose. “Just one night?” she clarified, looking between Lyra and Zecora. “And then he goes to the forest?” They glanced at each other and nodded their heads. She gave me a distrustful look. “Let’s continue this in the kitchen,” Bon-Bon said, not taking her eyes off me.
“Really?” Lyra gasped with hopeful eyes. A wide grin threatened to split her face. “Does this mean—”
“Maybe,” Bon-Bon cut her off. She took her eyes off me with a sigh and turned to Lyra. “If it’s going to stay here, then we have a lot to discuss.” Her eyes darted to Zecora. “You, too.”
Zecora nodded in understanding and relaxed slightly, as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders. She threw me a reassuring smile and trotted back into the dining area. Bon-Bon put a hoof on Lyra and pushed her to follow.
“Um, don’t worry, Hunter,” she called as she was forced deeper into the house. “We’ll come up with something. In the meantime, make yourself at home!” Bon-Bon gave her another shove behind the doorway and gave me a glare. She brought her hoof up to her eyes and traced them back to me before disappearing as well, leaving me alone with Noteworthy and Daisy.
Daisy somehow managed to melt even further into the couch, her face buried in her hooves. Her body was still shaking, but it wasn’t until I saw her wide grin that I realized that it was out of excitement rather than anxiety.
“Oh. My. Gosh!” she exclaimed. She sprung up and looked between me and Noteworthy with thrill in her eyes. “I can’t believe we did it. We actually pulled it off!” She leaned in towards Noteworthy, planting her hooves on the coffee table. “Did you feel it? That rush? We could have gotten caught at any time, but we did it!” she squealed in delight.
Her excitement must have been contagious. Noteworthy was already prancing in place. “I know!” he exclaimed with a broad smile. “My heart was racing the whole time. It felt amazing! We need to go on adventures like this more often.”
I couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Maybe, but not too soon,” I offered with a chuckle. “I don’t think I have it in me to bust out of a hospital again.”
Daisy’s ears shot up. “Oh, Hunter!” She made room and beckoned me over to the couch. “Sorry, I forgot you were hurt. Get off that leg and get some rest.”
“Geez, Daisy, took you this long to remember?” Noteworthy teased as he sat in one of the chairs.
“Oh, shut up,” she shot back with a smile. It seemed like nothing could get her out of her bubbly mood. Daisy turned to me as I hobbled over to the free seat. “So, do you think we could tag along tomorrow when you and Zecora go back to the Everfree?”
“You want to tag along?” I asked as I collapsed next to her. She shot up an inch as the cushion launched her. My hands helped my leg find its way to the coffee table and let it rest there. “Weren’t you the one literally getting sick from stress a few minutes ago?”
She tried to wave it off with a hoof. “Yeah, but that’s why I want to do it again!” She looked me dead in the eye. “I spend all my time behind a flower booth in the marketplace; all day, every day. This was the most excitement I’ve had in years! Well, the fun kind of excitement anyways.” She hummed in thought as her mind trailed. “Oh, I wonder what Rose and Lily would say if they knew what we did tonight.” She leaned back on the couch and let her head roll back, the goofy smile still plastered on her face.
“Is this what it always feels like?” Noteworthy asked excitedly. I gave him a look, asking for more clarity. “When you’re in the forest,” he explained. “When you’re out there by yourself doing whatever dangerous stuff you do. Is this the kinda rush you normally get?”
I hesitated for a second and shook my head and smiled. “I don’t think this goes up there on the list of ‘dangerous stuff’ I’ve done,” I explained. “A lot of crazy things happened while I was out there.”
“Like what?” he pressed.
He was eager, I could tell that much. Like Daisy, this was probably one of the most daring things he had done in a while. I wasn’t sure if he realized how deadly the forest really was for me, how every day was a fight for survival. Even still, the good mood in the air was contagious, and I was quickly falling under its symptoms.
“Tell you what,” I offered, leaning forward a bit. “When this all blows over and things calm down enough, come over to the castle sometime, and I’ll tell you about the time I ran into a space bear.”
His eyes widened as his jaw dropped. And slowly, ever so slowly, it morphed into the biggest grin I had seen yet. “Deal!” he laughed.
“Yes!”
We all turned our attention to the dining room where the excited voice came from. Lyra hopped into the room with a broad smile on her face, practically dancing. She leapt into the air and landed between me and Daisy on the couch. Bon-Bon walked in soon after in a much calmer manner. She seemed a little worn out as she dragged herself into the room and climbed into one of the chairs. Zecora followed closely behind, an amused look in her eyes.
Bon-Bon let out a deep sigh. “Alright, Hunter,” she started. I was surprised she called me by name. “After a long and very tedious discussion, Lyra and I have decided—” She buried her head into a hoof in defeat. “You can stay for the time being.”
Lyra shot up, pumping her hoof into the air. “Aw, yeah!”
“But I expect you to behave yourself,” Bon-Bon added with a hardened look. “So help me, if I have to clean up any messes you make—”
“I’ll be sure to keep everything as clean as possible,” I promised, holding my hands up in defense.
She nodded tiredly and hopped off the chair. “Alright then. Everypony, it’s time to go to bed. It’s nearly two in the morning, and I have a busy day tomorrow.” She turned to Zecora. “No offense, but my house is a little full at the moment.”
“I understand,” Zecora nodded. “No need to feel impolite.” Her eyes flickered to me before she gave a smile. “I’ll return for Hunter by tomorrow’s night.”
Noteworthy and Daisy were already on their way out the door, wishing me a good night’s rest. Zecora waved goodbye, and I returned it as she disappeared through the front door. Bon-Bon trotted up the stairs to the second floor, and I heard a door close.
Lyra hopped off the couch and tugged on my arm. “Come on, Hunter. You could use the sleep more than any of us.”
I laughed, “Not arguing that.” I waved her off though. “The couch is pretty cozy though. I can crash here for tonight. Don’t want to be too much trouble.”
She shook her head. “No way. You’re my guest, and you are not sleeping on the couch. Besides, what if somepony walks through the front door and catches you sleeping?” she asked. “You’ll get caught, and I’ll have to break you out of that hospital again.”
It was clear she wasn’t planning on letting up, and I was too exhausted to argue where I was supposed to sleep. With a sigh and a grunt, I pulled myself up and trudged over to the stairs. My leg could carry my weight a little better; either that or it was just growing numb to the pain. I still had to use the rail for support.
When we reached to top of the stairs, one of the doors glowed and swung open, and I followed Lyra as she trotted inside The lights came on with a soft click. It was a nice, simple room. A large bed with an ornate headboard jutted out of the middle of the right wall. A dark green rug laid on the floor before it, and two nightstands flanked both of its sides, one of which had a lamp that illuminated the room.
There was clutter lying around everywhere. Wads of crumpled paper were haphazardly tossed to the trashcan next to the desk in the corner. A lyre, music stand, and chair rested in the other corner, musical paper littered around it. I noticed there were posters around the desk, all having crudely drawn pictures of a human with ponies. I blinked as I realized whose room this was.
“Sorry about the mess,” Lyra apologized as she trotted further in. “I didn’t think I was going to have company tonight.” Her horn ignited, and her bed began making itself. The sheets tidied themselves, and decorative pillows fell into position. Once the ensemble was finished, the covers peeled back from the side as if to invite me. Lyra gave a satisfied smile as she turned to me. “Bed’s all yours,” she explained. She took one of the pillows and summoned a blanket from the closet, settling down on the rug at the end of the bed.
“Hey, I’m not too comfortable kicking you out of your own bed,” I said. “Let me take the floor.”
She shook her head defiantly. “Oh, no you don’t. You’ve been through way too much these last few days,” she explained. “You deserve a bed worth sleeping in. I’ll be here if you need anything.” I tried to argue, but she refused to even acknowledge me, laying her head down on the pillow and turning her back to me. I snorted and shook my head in disbelief. Redheart’s words rang in my head. She definitely was a stubborn one.
I tried to seem begrudging as I hobbled to the bed, but truth be told, I was ready to collapse into its open arms. My body melted as I laid into the bed. It was comfortable. Really comfortable. It easily beat the hard mattress at the hospital. I had forgotten how nice it was to bury myself beneath the sheets and comforter. My grin wouldn’t fade, even as I drifted closer and closer into sleep.
“Hey, Lyra?” I called in a whisper. She hummed in response. “Thanks for busting me out.”
I heard her chuckle. “You kidding?” she asked tiredly. “Breaking friends out of trouble is what friends do. Goodnight, Hunter.” There was soft click, and the room was plunged into darkness.
I smiled in disbelief and felt a yawn take over as I began to drift. “Goodnight, Lyra.”
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And then they Fell asleep.
I have a bad feeling about this.
God bless the cactuses.
Poor Redheart
As much as I want to see Hunter free, he probably should've stayed. Busting him out will not end well at all.
Why...? Was he on pony death row or something? There was literally no reason to risk breaking him out.
And cue a Luna dream visitation
8169493 Well he was a prisoner. He was treated in an hospital, but still bound to his bed, and with no guarantee what the ponies were going to do with him once he was healed.
Great work dude
8169493 you don't know that. What would you think when all of the sudden a talking horse with wings and magic appears out of nowhere? Being public known it might be treated at first if it has injuries to show 'humane' hospitality but the horse will surely end up in a lab to be disected.
8169372
Best line in the whole story so far. Got me to really laugh out loud.
Poor Hunter though, I can understand his hesitation at either choice of the Forest or Ponyville. He's getting beaten up no matter where he goes. Makes me wonder if the Everfree is actually safer than Ponyville. Heh.
Oh! And someone... get that man a shaver! I've let myself hair get out of control for a few months before and it'd scare an alien pony too. Surely ponies have hair trimmers and shavers, right? (With his luck, I bet it's the old barber's razor and a very very steady hoof)
8169967 So he goes with other talking horses?
8146134
Probably not, if this story is to go the way of similar HiE's. They can get away with anything if they were 'scared' enough.
Looking forward to the next chapter
8170677
Yeah, Spicy yet true,
as if, my wish could abolish
and atone for sin.
What creates such blandness?
Have originality,
Fall not to cliche.
Steady, hold, ready,
Create a masterpiece, not
More drivel that floods.
Honor the haiku,
A way forgotten to time,
Much told, little said.
Does this mean no hug scene? Cause the hug scene was nice.
8173528 Hug scene? I may have forgotten about it
I'll try looking it up in the old files to see if I can remember it
8173714 That's fine. In the old one Hunter wakes up holding Lyra and it was pretty hilarious. It made me smirk. If you decide not to donate mind me, it's your story after all. I was just asking.
8173749 Oh, that one
I was thinking about it, but maybe not so soon; it felt a little rushed and out of nowhere last time.
8173800 Yeah, I was just hoping it would happen at some point because reasons. Love the story btw.
Can't wait to read Twilight's reaction when she learns Hunter escaped
8169273
vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/e/ec/FANMADE_Twilight_Clapping.gif/revision/latest?cb=20120228224010
8182886 No, you're right; it was the older version
8183696 I'm curious why you've decided to omit it. It does seem to not completely fit the current tone you have going now but I thought it was a good indication of how bad hunter thought his situation was. And who doesn't like a good creepy dream sequence.
8183734 Oh, I could probably write an essay about that
It's mostly what you said, 'not completely fitting the current tone' and all. Not to mention it's difficult to nail a good nightmare scene without going overboard (at least, in my opinion). I was originally wanting to have a Twilight scene similar to the old one. Hunter was supposed to be following Lyra through the maze until they were safe, and when he turned to face her Twilight was in her place. But I've been wanting to build more on this 'uninvited guest' in Hunter's head for a while now, and I saw this as the perfect opportunity.
I wound up trading more obvious indications of Hunter's thoughts on his situation for more subtle ones (or, that's what I was hoping for, at least). In hindsight, I probably could have handled it a little better. But, hey, who knows? There's plenty of opportunities for 'good creepy dream sequences' in the future, and I'll try to compensate for any missed opportunities here
8183696
This little moment of peace won't last long, will it?
8185159 kayleighmaymedia.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/spoilerstoo.gif
Only time will tell
8186176
I can already hear Murphy's laughter man.
8186336
gag.fm/uploads/posts/t/l-13428.jpg
8186572
I happen to be fluent in hidden
Two chapters in a month? My eyes must be tricking me.
dis iz gud, eben ass a dum dum as ay am. ay liek diz sturiye
iz a gud ting ay fulloed u
:)
Please don't take this is an insult.
8227352
No kidding. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact this story is nearly 5 years old
I should be so much further in this by now or finished with it
8227719
I never thought you'd get this far. When I saw the chapters disappear for the rewrite, I knew in my heart of hearts the story was dead.
Now? Now I'm up at 1 AM all over again. Drawn back into the world of Hunter and Lyra and the timber wolf and the amazing beatiful world you've crafted.
The exchange with Sweetie Belle was very sweet to read. I liked it.
And the escape. OH MAN, I was smiling and at the edge of my seat. I feel Daisy's and Noteworthy's excitement over the whole affair. Excitement really is contagious. Well, everything is going smoothly, but something tells me that when Twilight discovers Hunter's absence, Bon-Bon's home will be the first place they will look for him. Not looking forward to that.
And poor Nurse.
Really one of the best chapters, love to re-read it everytime!
I shrugged. “Like you said, if you get caught, you’ll be fired and left with nothing. I’ve already got nothing to lose. What’s the worst you guys can do, put me down?” I chuckled at my small joke, but the look in Redheart’s eyes wasn’t reassuring. “Um… You guys wouldn’t really do that, right?” She said nothing and continued to walk down the hall. I staggered for a second and rushed to catch up. What the fuck? They would actually kill hunter for an escape attempt I wonder how Celestia would react if that actually happened