Pearl's Beloved Forestsong

by Valtyrian

Chapter 6 - Concerns and Confessions

Twilight tapped her hoof rapidly on the ground as she stood in the waiting room. It had been hours since Kohaku had been taken into surgery. Closing her eyes, the princess took a long deep breath and let it out slowly as a doctor walked in.

“Princess Twilight,” Dr. Fauna smiled at her. “Good news. Your student is out of surgery. We just moved him into recovery.”

“Wonderful. Thank you Dr. Fauna. May we go see him?” Twilight breathed a heavy sigh of relief as Buttercup, Rarity, and the CMC’s all smiled.

“Unfortunately without permission from his legal guardian. That is going to be a no.” Doctor Patch sighed out.

“We sent out a notice for Fluttershy to return. But it might take her some time.”

“Well until her return I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait.” Dr. Fauna made a few marks on her clipboard.

“Well, is there anything you can tell me about his condition? As his mentor and princess I think I deserve that right.” Twilight remained her calm exterior, but on the inside she wanted to shake this doctor furiously.

“That I can do.” Smiling Dr. Fauna nodded. “Just come to my office and I’ll tell you what I can.”

Twilight nodded and waved her wing back. Looking over her shoulder. “You all stay here, I’ll be back shortly.” Twilight sighed as she heard a collective moan, primarily from the CMC’s. Following the doctor Twilight was led to a small cramped office with a small desk and a window.

“Sorry, since I don’t work here at the hospital much, the office they gave me isn’t that big.” Dr. Fauna sighed as she sat down in the comfy chair. With Twilight sitting directly in front of her.

Twilight understood. Being a veterinarian she wouldn’t be a regular at Ponyville General. In fact she only had one regular patient that brought her here. And he was currently in recovery.

“Well the good news is, he’s going to live. The surgery wasn’t easy. He had multiple broken bones on his limbs and his ribs. And a broken nose. Several bruises on his lungs and various organs. My question is how long was he fighting those Timberwolves. Many of these injuries are days old.”

Twilight listened carefully to what the doctor had to say about her student’s injuries. And about how hard the doctor worked to set things right inside of Kohaku’s young body. She made a mental note to talk to Kohaku when he got better about taking reckless actions like he did. Yes it had been to save his friends and the filly he loved, but there were better ways to go about it.

“What I’m most worried about is Kohaku’s internal magical pathways. The unicorn surgeon I was guiding found that many of them were torn open.” Dr Fauna sighed and produced a picture from her drawer.

Twilight felt as if all the wind had been punched out of her. As a former unicorn and current alicorn she knew how damaging this could be. “How bad is it?”

“Well Doctor Pathway said that they blew to internal stress. That young Kohaku had been pushing his magical powers well past his limitations.” Fauna pressed her hooves together. “Pathway did manage to patch them up, but unless he gives them time to heal. Kohaku might never again be able to use magic.”

“So I have to find a way to keep my student from using any magic.” Twilight groaned as the doctor nodded. “I think I might have an easier time understanding Discord.”

---

Pearl groaned as she tossed off the blankets and pulled herself out of the bed. Looking around, the room was dark and very quiet. Stretching her wings a little, the teenager kicked open the door and looked side to side. She had been laying about all day, and refused to do so any longer.

She wasn’t bored so much. After all, they had an excellent library at the hospital. But she was worried about her friend.

“Excuse me.” Pearl called out to a doctor who rushed past Pearl without so much as looking in her direction. Looking the other way she saw a nurse also galloping down the hall. “Hello, could you help me!” Reaching out, Pearl felt her hoof pass right through the nurse’s body and fell forward onto her face.

Blinking a few times Pearl questioned how she could have done that. Hearing a thunderclap behind her, Pearl leaped to her hooves and looked side to side. Feeling a cold breeze down her spine she turned around and met a shadowy figure. A powerful thunderclap erupted from the creature's body as it started to move closer.

Taking a few deep breaths she was reminded of her first Nightmare Night in ponyville. While she wasn’t the little filly she was then. She certainly was still scared. Reminded of talks with Kohaku, she used her fear and pushed forward. Pearl extended her wings and flew down the hallway.

Doors were nothing more than streaks of white and grey as she flew as hard as she could. A thunderclap in front of her caused the filly to turn hard left. She didn’t know where she was going. Only that she had to escape the storm behind her. Questioning why a pegasus would ever run from a thunderstorm. Even one shaped as it was.

Feeling the burn on her wings, Pearl felt a powerful strike to the muscles between her wings. Not unlike how Kohaku did when loosening the knots in them. The force of the blow sent her sliding down the hall and through a door, stopping just short of a hospital bed.

Groaning, Pearl got up and was met with a shock. There on the bed was Kohaku. Tubes were running in and out of his limbs and nose. A constant beeping from the heart monitor made her ears twerk.

“Who would have guessed I’d end up here.” Pearl whispered as she leaned into the bed. “No lie Kohaku, you look horrible. But what did I expect?” Looking at Kohaku, she sighed deeply, almost expecting an answer. “Alright I expected you to just jump from underneath the bed I was in and say ‘gotcha’ it was all just a joke.”

Reaching out with her wing, Pearl caressed Kohaku’s muzzle.

“Please tell me this is just a joke Kohaku. Please.” Bowing her head, she heard the sounds of a thunderstorm once more. Spinning around Pearl watched as the storm that was once just a pony like shape mass, now looked more graceful. Nine long tails swished behind it.

Rubbing her eyes she saw the form it took was a very large and intimidating nine tailed fox. And by the curves it was most certainly a vixen.

“Go away! You can’t have him!” Spreading her wings, Pearl lowered her shoulders and spread her legs in a defensive strike position. Kohaku had protected her, and even if it cost her life. She was going to protect him. “Leave him be, he’s hurt. Find some other creature!”

Pearl trembled as the storm just looked at her, it’s lightning grey eyes almost smiling. The storm vixen pushed past Pearl with the ease of a breeze through a tree canopy. Deforming and then reforming on the other side of the bed.

Pearl watched as one of it’s huge paws caressed Kohaku’s cheek. All about outside the hospital was the same storm that chased her down to Fluttershy’s cabin. Tilting her head she just shook her head.

“Who…” Pearl couldn’t get the words out. She watched the Storm Vixen lean down and kiss Kohaku’s forehead and motioned for Pearl to come closer. She didn’t know why she obeyed, but she did. The storm vixen had taken one of Pearl’s hooves and placed it on Kohaku’s limp paw. Bowing her head it turned and moved to the window.

For an instant lightning struck outside, giving Pearl a glimpse of the vixen behind the storm. She had seen that face before. Kohaku always talked about her. Why wouldn’t he, she was like a second mother to him. Feeling her head grow dizzy, Pearl passed out with her head landing on the bed.

---

Kohaku groaned as he lay there on the bed. The bandages wrapped tight round his chest, restricting his breathing. Keeping his eyes closed, he lifted a paw up to the center chest.

“Rin, Pyo, Toh, Sha…” Before he could utter another word. His body erupted in pain as if struck by lightning. His screams echoed through the room and down the hallway. The markings on his body flickering in and out. After a few seconds had passed he collapsed on the bed.

“Wha..?” his breathing quickened. It was then he could feel it. He was cut off from his magic. Even from the sounds of the potted plants around him. Which usually were a harmonious melody, were now filled with static.

The door to his room suddenly burst open. Two familiar mares came rushing in, a nurse and his beloved mentor.

“Is everything okay?” Nurse Blue Shield asked as she checked her patience vitals while Kohaku just shook his head. “What's wrong?”

“My magic… I. I can’t.” Tears started to well up in his eyes until he felt a familiar set of hooves gripping his paw.

Resting his paw down, Kohaku looked down and saw a sight he never thought to see. There was Pearl, resting on the side of his bed, tears streaming down her face. His pain filled scream had woken her up. Behind her was Twilight nodding in understanding.

“Nurse, may we have some time alone with him?” Twilight stopped the nurse from continuing.

“Alright, he looks okay. Just a little magic backlash.” The nurse sighed out. “Please have him refrain from trying that again.” Nurse Blue Shield spun on her hooves and walked out, closing the door with her magic aura.

“Kohaku, do you remember what you did?” Twilight sat on the other side of the bed, opposite of Pearl and touched her student’s shoulder.

“Yeah, something insanely stupid.” Kohaku bowed his head. Taking his paws he folded them as he sat up. “I was tired, sore. My magic was spent. And despite all of your’s and my father’s teachings, I did something I shouldn’t have ever done. I burned my mana to the ground.”

“Well yes. But you also saved your friends' lives.” Leaning in Twilight nudged Kohaku’s cheek. At the same time he felt a tear streaked face bury itself in one of his tails. “I’m very proud of you, my student. And your insane luck seems to have held out. If you can avoid using magic for the next month, you should have your magic back in full swing.”

Kohaku smiled and nodded. “If my sisters or my papa was around, they would have healed the damage easily enough.” Looking up into his mentor’s eyes he sighed “I know the procedure, but it looks like it’ll be a month before I can do it.” Looking forward into the darkness he let out a light yell and fell backward.

“What the buck am I going to do for a month! No magic. No tricks. Its’ going to be torture.” His tail grabbed a pillow and pushed it against his face. Causing both Twilight and Pearl to laugh loudly.

“You mean I might have a day without having a heart attack?” Pearl laughed out as she gripped the pillow with her teeth and pulled it away from Kohaku. Flinging it to the foot of the bed. “Sounds like a vacation to me.” Pearl laughed at seeing the face Kohaku was making.

“Twilight?” Pearl looked up at her mentor and sighed. “Could you leave me and Kohaku alone. Please?”

Twilight looked at her young student and smiled. Nodding slowly she walked to the door. “Remember Pearl, he needs his rest.”

“Don’t worry I’ll make sure he doesn’t move from this bed.” On hearing that Twilight left the room. Pearl turned back and slapped her friend's front leg hard, harder than she meant to.

“You foolish, stupid, thrill seeking royal pain in the flank.” Leaping up onto the bed pearl griped Kohaku’s hospital gown with both hooves. Lifting him up off the bed and lowered her nose to touch his. She glared into his eyes. “What the living buck were you thinking. Do you realize how scared I was. Not knowing if you were going to die or not.”

Kohaku blinked at seeing the storming fury in her eyes and gulped. He had only felt this kind of rage from one individual before. The only living creature he ever feared. “I…”

“Shut it!” Pearl half shook him up and down as she vented her frustrations. Tears falling from her eyes as her voice half cracked. “What were you thinking damn you. Why didn’t you just grab us and run. Why couldn’t you just hide us. Why fight off two bucking timberwolves to the death.”

Kohaku remained quiet, watching her eyes as the cryed. His chest feeling heavier out of guilt.

“Why, Why did you do it. Why burn through all your magic like that.” Collapsing hard she buried her face into his neck.

“Wow Pearl.” Kohaku chuckled weakly. His front legs wrapped around her barrel and pulled her in tight. Once comfortable, he caressed her mane lovingly. “You’ve never gone off on me like that. I swear I was worried you might throw of a lightning bolt or two. So why all the storming fury?”

Lifting herself up from his strong, warm grip. Pearl looked into his eyes. Her heart never beat as fast as it did at that moment. Slugging his shoulder hard she pushed him down with both front hooves.

“Because I love you!” Finally. She had said it aloud to him. With one confession, her whole body felt as weak as a newborn foal. “I love you. You stupid fox.” Bowing her head, her tears dropped onto his hospital gown.

Kohaku opened his mouth and closed it instantly. He had heard her say those words so many times in the past. Only now did the carry a different weight. So much his heart skipped a beat. Praying that it meant what he hoped it did, he cupped Pearl’s cheek with a paw and looked into her eyes.

Leaning up Kohaku pressed his lips against hers. He could taste the salt from her tears but it only added to the sensations.

Pearl looked into his eyes and felt the warmth of his paw against her cheek. She felt her heart skip a beat as he leaned up and pressed his lips against her own. A heavy shiver went down her spine as she felt her heartbeat increase. Leaning in Pearl kissed Kohaku back with as much passion as her years attributed her. And she wasn’t disappointed when he returned it.

---

Twilight stood there outside the door. Listening to Pearl berate her best friend over and over again.

“You sure we should leave them alone?” Buttercup asked as the room suddenly went silent.

Pushing the door open she found the two engaged in a very affectionate lip lock. Smiling Twilight closed the door and ushered her friends down the hall.

“Definitely. He isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.” Grinning wide, Twilight felt like skipping down the hallway.