> Tired > by Pvt Caboose > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: Dropping in > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight let out a content sigh as she leaned against Luna. The calm and quiet day had put her so at ease, at the very moment she nearly forgot to keep the gentle pace with her mate. Her purple ears twitched in the warm summers breeze, that flowed throughout the valley Ponyville resided in. Besides the sound of combined hoofsteps, along with gentle loving murmurs from her lover, the only other sounds to reach her ears were rustling leaves and the sounds of nature. Occasionally a green appendage would detach from it’s wooden home nestled up high, and slowly began to drift down. Twilight sighed at the sight of falling leaves, it seemed to be so early in the summer, but it looked like the trees had other ideas in mind. One specific leaf managed to find a temporary residence on Luna’s nose, causing a string of giggles coming from Twilight, as Luna quietly cursed and swiped away the leaf. Behind the couple, were the trailing sounds of hoofsteps, which came from their beloved guard, Moonlight. While in a tight situation, both princesses would be more than able to hold their own hundreds of times over, yet their protective guard insisted on accompanying them. Periodically, Twilight would gaze back at the guard, who was literally stopping to smell the roses. Twilight’s warm smile slowly grew as she leaned into Luna more as the large oak trees surrounding the path began to dissipate back out into open farm fields. The sun’s rays began poking through the trees more and more as the canopy thinned out, now shining it’s warmth down upon Ponyville’s residing princesses. “This is most wondrous.” Luna spoke quietly, nuzzling Twilight. “Indeed it is, my love.” Twilight replied in a tone barely above a whisper, as she too returned the affectionate gesture. Luna took a brief moment to peer back at their guard, before calling out in a calm tone, “Come Moonlight, there are plenty of roses to smell.” Moonlight immediately responded, with a slight blush from lazing about, “Yes, your majesty.” Now trailing mere feet behind the two princesses, Moonlight began rubbernecking. Attempting to take in the entirety of the beautiful scenery. In her long sweeps of her neck, and under her sharp gaze, she spotted something of concern a ways ahead of them. “Excuse me, your majesty.” Moonlight said sheepishly. “We have told you many of times, dear Moonlight. Just because we are in public, doesn’t mean you need to keep up the formalities.” Luna responded with a warm smile. “Noted, but what is that pegasus doing?” She asked, pointing ahead to the form of a pegasus falling straight out of the sky. It took mere seconds for their hearts to drop and to connect the dots. “They may be in distress!” Twilight spoke, while the three of them wordlessly kicked it into high gear as they took off galloping. The black dot that was the plummeting pegasus, was beginning to move faster than the ground the three mares could make up. As they continued on, they finally understood how far away the possible pony in peril was. With another wordless nod, the three of them took to the air. Now flying at speeds which could rival Rainbow Dash, the rescue party of royalty began to make up the ground between them and the falling pony. With a great deal of effort, the three mares began pushing themselves to their limits to intercept the possibly injured pony. Their efforts were of no use, the descending pony reached the impact zone before any of the three could near. The sickening thump of the plunging pegasus meeting ground echoed throughout the valley, sounding like several tons of bricks hitting concrete. In the near distance, a dust cloud slowly began to rise. As the trio neared the impact zone, a crater was noticeable from a good distance away. The force at which the body of the pegasus impacted the ground, and managed to dislodge a great amount of dirt in almost a perfect circle, and a couple feet down. Their breaths became hitched in their throats as they slowly peaked over the edge, fearing the worst. A dark blue coated colt laid motionless in the hole, that could have possibly been smoking from his entrance from the atmosphere. Twilight observed that if the colts coat wasn’t a few shades lighter, it could’ve been a perfect match to Luna. While still in shock of the violent impact, they gazed upon the slow breathing pegasus. Quickly realizing they had been pausing, the trio sprung into action as they moved into the hole. His black mane obscured his face, as his sides slowly expanded and contracted with his shallow breaths, which moved his wings which did not seem to survive the impact, being tucked up to his sides. With great ease they made contact with the injured pony, keeping him stable and rolling him over as gently as possible. He was out cold, the impact alone would’ve been enough to knock him out. The colt began mumbling and moving around, slightly fighting against the invading limbs. “Be still child, you are hurt.” Luna spoke, but her command fell on deaf ears. Just as she was ready to repeat herself, and restrain the colts moving limbs, she was interrupted. “He can’t hear you, your highness.” Moonlight stated, “No matter what you do, he won’t stop and won’t respond.” Luna released a stressful sigh. It pained her deeply to see a youth such as this colt injured in such a manner. Adding in the fact that she was completely powerless to try and help the pegasus through medical means, sent a series of spiraling emotions throughout her mind. “We need to get him help.” Twilight quickly added, still checking over the colt for any further injuries or responses. Another wordless nod was exchanged, before the pegasus colt was restrained and enveloped in magenta magic, before being levitated through the air. Once secure, a large blue ball of magic surrounded the trio, and in a clap of thunder sent them just outside of Ponyville’s hospital. Ponies in the nearby street ducked for cover after the loud bang of teleportation, but they went unnoticed. Not pausing for a moment, they quickly charged into the main lobby of the hospital. The velocity at which the door was flung open, and then ricocheting off the wall, scared the day lights out of the receptionist and various ponies inside. Once the majority of the papers settled on the floor, the receptionist pulled herself up out of her heap of a chair to peer over the edge of her desk. Immediately her eyes widened at the sight, and quickly hit a panic button to alert nearby doctors and nurses. As soon as the button was depressed, she took off towards the princesses and began rattling off questions. In seconds a journey along with several doctors and several more nurses came rushing down the main hallway, before collecting the injured colt and whisking him away. The three mares let out great sighs, as the ill feelings that resided inside them refused to go away. They weren’t given a chance to relax, before they were swarmed once again with various parental forms, accident reports, and questions of consent to administer treatment. Twilight, who was not faring much better than Luna, seized the opportunity to bury her head in her lover's neck. There was no time for weeping and consultation amongst themselves, before they were retrieved by several doctors and filled in on the state of the colt. All three of their hearts began to sink more with every step they took closer to the room which held the injured pony. Today wasn’t going to be easy, and it was far from over. ---   > Chapter 2: Miracles > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight sat in the lobby chair with a distant stare in her eyes. Luna was next to her, wrapping her in a feathery embrace, while nuzzling her affectionately. She didn’t know why the sight of the falling colt bothered her so. It wasn’t exceptionally gruesome, but the thought of somepony so young being injured for no apparent reason hit close to home. It seemed like an eternity to the two princesses. Ever since they brought the poor pegasus in, there had been nothing but a steady stream of doctors and nurses into the room he occupied. They’d be here till he woke up, if he ever did, or until they knew he was going to make it through the next few hours. But the way things were going, it looked grim. A fall from that height would’ve destroyed the toughest of ponies in Equestria. The fact that the colt was still intact and breathing astonished the doctors, after having it explained to them several times. With a weighted sigh, Twilight looked out the front doors. Celestia’s sun had lowered considerably since they arrived. To the right of the doors, stood Moonlight. Though her public silence could rival Fluttershy, Moonlight's increased silence worried Twilight. The thousand yard stare out the front windows perturbed the two mares, as they watched the lone guardspony stand for what seemed like hours. Letters had been sent. Some to Celestia, informing her of their current situation, which was met with a heartfelt reply. Anything they needed would be provided, anything that had to be done was taken care of, and anyone who needed them was directed to somepony else. One was sent to Spike, who was sent to spend the night with Rarity and The Crusaders. The other's made their way to the other elements, explaining their current situation and where to find them. The gentle sounds of hoofsteps met the trio’s ears, but it didn’t faze them. That’s how it had been for the past hours, constant walking to and fro, in a hurry or not, they all ended up in one place. It wasn’t until a completely silent doctor walked into view and sat down that they finally broke out of their own trances. His quiet presence frightened the Princesses, as Moonlight quickly made her way back to the duo. He stared at the floor, an emotionless mask on his face. All of their hearts sank, smashed into bits and left to be blown away by the harsh winds of reality. The doctors tan hoof made it’s way up to his eyes, pushing up his glasses as he tiredly rubbed his eyes. With a large sigh, he dropped his hoof as his glasses returned to a slightly tilted position. “I’ve never seen anything...I don’t even know what to compare...Whatever’s in the room to…” His voice was level, and full of disbelief. Twilight quickly scanned his name tag before responding, “What do you mean Doctor Stable?” “You three brought us a colt. Under any other circumstances, the fall alone would’ve killed him instantly and dismembered him beyond recognition. From the fall, he sustained very little, to no broken bones, and the most severe concussion I have ever heard of. That alone, could’ve killed him...” Doctor Stable trailed off. “What are you getting at, Doctor?” Twilight asked, her grip on Luna’s wing embrace tightening. “He’s awake. How-Why-It goes against all logic. I don't fully understand how to convey his condition in proper Equestrian, because it makes no sense!" He answered with tired laughter, "I just-I can't...He's either extremely lucky, or there's something keeping that colt alive." All of their hearts sored, as tears of happiness accumulated in their eyes. Loving and happy embraces were shared upon the good news. “This-This is going to keep me thinking, no, everypony thinking for years and years. I’m-I’m so speechless at a miracle such as him living. I-I-I don’t think I can…” Doctor Stable slowly went silent as he lost himself in thought. Luna smiled from ear to ear, “Go now Doctor, you have done your work.” With an unsure nod, he slowly left his seat, disheveled, stumbling, and mumbling to himself. Once a good ways away, the three mares happily squealed to each other and shared words of gratefulness for the young life of the colt continuing. Moments later, a more lively looking nurse made her way down to the trio. A small smile on her lips as she came to a stop a few feet away from them and bowed. “You may visit him now, if you wish.” The nurse said, her name tag reading Softheart, “He’s a little confused and a bit curious, if you wish to ask questions to help return him to his family, so be it.” They all nodded with a smile before following the nurse. Every hoofstep brought great anxiety and excitement in all of them as they neared the door. It was time to see the one who they saved, and worried about the most.                                                          --- The door to the room was carefully opened by Softheart, who carefully entered before the trio of saviors, “Hey buddy, we’ve got some special ponies that wanted to see you.” With a nod of her head, Softheart ushered everypony inside. It was a simple hospital room, white everything, from the floor to the ceiling and then some. The typical smell of sterilizer, and the slight hint of copper lingering in the air. Machines and wires and tubes connected to various parts of the body they kept alive. The quiet talk of several nurses speaking calmly to each other. Straight ahead, laid the colt, who curiously looked around the room at the hoof-full of medical professionals who were poking and prodding at him, while keeping an unfocused, distant stare in his eyes. A cloth sling was wrapped around his abdomen, and was focused on his right wing. Gauze and bandages sporadically covered his forelegs, abdomen, and neck. Some stained pink and crimson, while others were just being replaced and cleaned. Lazily he glanced over at the new arrivals, and slowly sat up, as if new life had been breathed into him. The small smile that grew on his face, was slowly reflected on the faces of his new guests. As they neared, the true condition of the colt became clear. He was battered and bruised, a tired smile on his face. Dark bags clung to his cheeks under his eyes, while is coat and mane were ruffled and mussed. “Hello, Softheart.” He said quietly, his voice gravelly, and groggy. She smiled again, before stepping to the side to allow his guests to move closer as Luna stepped closer, “H-Hello young one, I am Luna, Princess of the Night.” “My names Twilight Sparkle, newly crowned Princess of Friendship.” Twilight said next. Moonlight stood stoic and silent as ever, which was met with a roll of the Princesses eyes, “That’s Moonlight, she gets a little shy around new ponies.” Twilight joked. The introduction caused the colt to weakly chuckle, alongside the nurses, as Moonlight flushed pink and glared at the purple princess. Once everyone’s giggles had passed, and Moonlight had stopped fuming, Twilight resumed. “Can you tell us your name?” She asked, and was instantly met with silence and a blank face. “M-My name?” He paused, digging deep for anything, “I-I-I can’t remember. I-I don’t remember my name.” The three mares hearts suddenly dropped. “Can you tell us why you were up so high and fell?” Twilight quickly added. Again, there was a pause, “I...I can’t remember anything. I-I…” He slowly trailed off. The nameless colt went silent again, staring off into space as a couple nurses attempted to keep him talking. With little success, the crestfallen trio was pulled to the side by Softheart, who felt the same weight of the colts few words. “We had him checked out my some of our leading doctors, and they’ve concluded that he has a severe case of amnesia. Even though the fall did little physically, which is a miracle in itself, it damaged him mentally. At the moment, he has no recollection of anything, his memories may return, or they may not. It’ll take a lot of time and patience to help the poor thing.” She concluded, looking back over at the colt, who seemed to be laughing with the group of nurses around him. “Man, does my head hurt when I think.” He said with a little giggle, holding his head, “It’s like when I had too much school work to do.” “Yeah?” One of the nurses commented, “Can you tell us more?” “More of what?” He asked, in a sudden change of character. “Your school work.” She repeated. “I don’t remember any school work…” He replied, “I wonder if I ever went to school?” “He also has short-term memory loss, like he has alzheimer's, along with a list of other quirks and random mood swings. But he’s a cute little colt, ain’t he?” Softheart concluded in a motherly tone. “You do have a point.” Luna agreed, along with the other two, as a wave of giggles erupted from the colt’s flailing direction. “How old do you think he is?” Twilight asked, still watching the colt. “We’re taking a shot in the dark at about seventeen, give or take.” Softheart replied, giggling softly at the colt’s antics, which seemed sporadic and hilarious. Twilight hummed softly, “So young.” “He’s a tough little thing, and a good sport too. But it’ll take a while for him to heal, along with his wing.” Softheart commented. “How damaged is it, nurse?” Luna asked, feeling pity for such an injury. “He was lucky to keep it. The majority of the muscles, bones, and tendons were broken and mangled. With any luck, a lot of therapy and time will hopefully give him the opportunity to use it again.” Softheart replied. Another weight added to the trio’s emotions, which were still trying to figure themselves out. While they spoke softly, the colt’s continuous laughter never ceased as he joked around with the hoof full of nurses around him. “Well, on a lighter note, you three can stick around for awhile and keep talking to him. He’s the best entertainment we’ve had all week.” Softheart said with a smile that spread to the three mares faces as they pulled up chairs near the foot of the bed. The colt turned to the trio with a large smile, while attempting to contain his laughter.   "So tell me a little bit about yourselves." The nameless colt asked politely, before smiling wide as everypony began settling in.                                                          ---     > Chapter 3: Leaps > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A soft sigh emanated from the lone colt that lay resting on his hospital bed. The injured colt laid upon his good side, his mangled wing on display and becoming a daily reminder to everyone how lucky he was. But he wasn’t feeling very lucky being locked up in his room all day, not to mention the pain, loneliness, needles and his broken memory. He stared at nothing in particular, getting lost in his own mind. Another sigh left his lips as he tried to disappear from the world, into the stiff platform that the hospital deemed a bed. His hooves tightened around the layers of cotton blankets that were piled on him, as he tried to escape the slight nip in the morning air. Beams of light entered the room from the window behind him, casting long, golden rays across the room. The already blinding white of the room became even more intense, as she sun climbed higher in the sky. Outside, white puffy clouds effortlessly passed by, birds chirped happily in the early morning hours, and other pegasi like himself flew carelessly through the open air. He was envious. Deep down, his heart ached to be freed of his white prison cell. His wings yearned to be stretched, and to catch the familiar feeling of air passing over them. Another sigh drew the conclusion that he’d never remembered flying, or having a single conscious moment off of the ground. But inside, like a natural instinct, he begged for the sweet careless release of being able to take to the sky.   A small smile graced his lips at the thought of being free to do as he pleased, by himself, without a care in the world. But as did his gaze drop from the window, his smile followed as he was brought back to the boring, sterile reality he was faced with. He didn’t know how long he’d been here. The only thing close to a day to him, was the amount of time he was able to remain conscious before his painkillers dragged him off into a comfortable darkness. His eyes traveled up the wall to glance at the clock. Like the beat of his heart, the clock rhythmically ticked time away. All he'd ever do, was stare at the clock and watch time pass by until something happened. He became so desperate for entertainment, that he'd count the little hash marks on the clock in an attempt to pass the time. Sometimes he would be saved from his fate by a distant thought or a surprise visitor. Maybe I'm going stir-crazy... But it could also take a toll on him. He loved having visitors, but could become overwhelmed with questions and medical tests, to the point where he'd shut down from a sensory overload. Maybe I'm broken… Before he could continue his mental ramblings, the faint sound of distant hoof-steps drew his attention to the door. A quick glance at the clock showed that the nurse was right on time. As quietly as she could, Nurse Softheart opened the door and scooted in. Every morning he’d await her arrival, as most mornings started with him waking up early and waiting for his daily poking and prodding. Upon noticing his consciousness, she gave up the act and slowly approached him with a warm smile, “How’re feeling today, buddy?” she asked, eyeing over her clipboard. Ever since his arrival, the injured colt had had the pleasure of Nurse Softheart becoming his regular car taker. He liked her. She was caring and nice, and visited him as much as she could. While he watched her work, he could easily tell that she was quite fond of him as well, as were the Princess’ and their guard that visited almost daily. Even though he hid his emotions well behind a stoic mask, he enjoyed the company, which broke up the endless hours of staring at the ceiling.   The nameless colt carefully rolled over, before reflecting her warm smile and stretching, "Meh." Softheart’s smiled widened as she carefully check over the few machines he still remained bound to, "Just 'Meh'?" “Mmm-yup.” He said tiredly, closing his eyes and sinking back into the bed. There was a small pause before he looked around. His tired gaze landed back on Softheart, who stood next to him, blocking out the morning sun. She concentrated intently on the devices hooked up to him, while periodically scratching something down on her clipboard. “But seriously buddy, how are you feeling?” Softheart asked, her tone calm and gentle with a hint of seriousness, “No aches or pains?” “I’m peachy,” He replied with a smile, “Just peachy.” She smiled before turning back to her clipboard, before checking the clock. Seeing that she had extra time, she quickly pulled up a chair and sat down. The highlights of her day, and many of the other nurses days, was checking up on the nameless colt and chatting with him. Every time they spoke, small bits and pieces of his shattered mind were located and put together.   Some of his memories would stick around longer than others, but in the end he’d mostly forget them. While there were only a few memories he could easily bring to mind, he held on to them dearly. Though his mind healed more and more daily, he wasn’t entirely out of the woods, due to his impact with the ground. His wing still remained badly damaged, and would be for a great period of time, but his other minor injuries were healing up quickly. But those were the cards that he was dealt, and Softheart vowed to help him through his predicament, and into some state of normality. Luckily she wasn’t alone in her endeavor, early on the Princesses and their guard took great interest in him, and tried to visit him as often as possible. Both Princesses also noted, the growing fondness between the hardened guard and the injured colt. Softheart quietly let the colt speak freely, while she roamed her thoughts. Periodically she’d snap herself out of her trance to answer a question every now and then. Usually it was to keep the colt going off on a random tangent to possibly gain any more information about him. Thankfully he was her biggest priority, so she could get away with amusing him for a little bit without getting in trouble. The clock ticked loudly, five minutes had passed. Softheart now conversed with the tired colt, happily wasting time with her favorite patient.                                                  --- Sadly Nurse Softheart was called out to more important matters, leaving the colt to his own devices. The morning was still young, leaving him plenty of time to daydream and doze off before any visitors, meals, or testing arrived. Softheart had mentioned the possibility of the Princesses visiting again, which gave him something to look forward to for the rest of the day. Though currently, his thoughts were occupied on what lay just beyond the window. Freedom. While he understood why it was necessary for him to stay in the hospital, he couldn’t help but feel like his time of healing was turning into a prison sentence. His gaze remained locked outside, yearning to be let out of his sterile prison cell. In his head, a battle waged on whether or not to go for broke. The small nod and sigh to himself sealed his deal, as he ever so carefully began removing tubes from his body. His teeth clenched in pain as bloody needles were pulled out of his arms. Now free of the machines that bound him to the bed, he carefully stood up as to not disturb his injured wing. As quietly as he could, he moved over to the window and peered out. He audibly gulped, he was on the second floor. Doubt ran through his mind, as he weighed his options of getting back in the bed. But he committed himself to leaving. Carefully he opened the window, the wind immediately blowing in and knocking around the curtains that surrounded the colt. Being mindful of his wing, he shimmied out onto the sill of the window and took a last minute down to see where he’d land. Aiming for the bushes around the edge of the building, he let go. Immediately his gown caught the sill, ripping and throwing him sideways. He spun through the air as the ground met him almost instantly. He barely caught the edge of the bush, and managed to land on his bad side. The air left his lungs as he writhed in agony on the ground, his mangled wing sending lightning bolts of pain down his spine. A cross between a death noise and a wheeze left him as he slowly regained control of his breathing. Gingerly, he rolled over and did the best he could to stand up. Pain still radiated from his wing, as he balanced on three legs. His left hind leg sustained most of the force of the fall, and became useless as he slowly limped away. He carefully checked his surroundings as he disappeared behind a hedge row, being careful to remain quiet as possible in his injured state. While he was in a great deal of pain, a smile remained on his face, as slight crazed laughter left him as he found a nice clearing to rest in momentarily. He was free for the time being, he didn’t care how far away he got or where he went, just as long as he was free of his hospital room. --- “He’s doing better, his spirits are still up.” Softheart said, glancing back at Twilight, Luna, and Moonlight. “That’s good, especially somepony who’s had a traumatic injury, such as his.” Twilight replied, as they gathered outside of the room that held the colt. Softheart carefully opened the door and entered, the others following suit, “Hey buddy, you’ve got some-...Uh....” Her heart dropped, the bed was empty. The IV tubes and wires laid discarded on the bed and floor. The blankets thrown haphazardly off to the side, and a small dotted trail of blood that led to the window. The curtains flapped in the wind of the open window, skid to a stop and looked out. A small scrap of hospital gown laid lodged in the window sill. Her heart managed to sink even lower as she peered out of the window. Below a small splatter of blood stained the ground, accompanied by a small trail that disappeared off into the bushes. As Softheart turned back, she could see the worry on the Princess's face as she quickly exited the room.   “Code red. Code red. Missing patient.” Softheart called over the intercom. In a heartbeat, doctors and nurses scattered sporadically through the halls. Several waited near the room, as Softheart, Redheart, and the hospitals security guard headed downstairs to search outside for the colt. --- Moonlight watched on in slight despair, as she watched the doctors and nurses scramble around. If it wasn’t for the Princesses, who also waited in the tense air of the now frantic hospital. With a deep sigh and a quick apology, she took off out of the room and down the hall to the stairs. She’d never moved so fast in her life as she found herself leaving the hospital. Her chest was heaving as she moved around the building to where the colt jumped from, and began searching for the colt. Immediately an ear piercing shriek shattered her concentration, as she took off into the bushes towards the injured colt. --- Softheart carefully made her way through the bushes and into the clearing. A small blood trail led the two nurses and security guard straight to the colt. As quietly as she could, she approached the colt, who laid in the shade of a small sapling. A reluctant sigh and laugh left her as she spoke, “Hey, buddy.” The colt turned his head to look at her with a smile, “Hello.” “What do you think you’re doing out here?” She asked with a small smile, coming around and sitting in front of him. “I wanted to go outside, it’s felt like forever since I’ve been out here.” He replied, as he took in his surroundings. Carefully Nurse Redheart observed his injuries with a frown, “Oh dear…” His injuries were considerably worse. His gown ripped and dirty, his fur, bloody and smudged. The stitches opened on his wing, and the bandages were hanging off, barely containing the bleeding. The security guard watched on with a deep frown.   “Can I please stay out here just a bit longer?” The colt pleaded sweetly, much to the dismay of the nurses. “Oh buddy, we have to get your stitches fixed.” Redheart tried to reason. “C’mon, I promise I’ll take you outside more if you come with us now.” Softheart added with a smile. The colt sighed and hung his head, “I suppose so...But maybe a minute?” The two nurses giggled, “Only because you asked so nicely.” Redheart said. “I don’t think so.” Said the security guard with a sneer on his lips. “Oh, relax Nightwatch. He’s fine.” Said Redheart arguably. “No, he doesn’t get any free time. He’s going back in.” Nightwatch stated, approaching the slightly cowering colt. “Seriously?” Redheart asked, standing in his way. “Yeah, some little punk isn’t going to get away with jumping out of a hospital window.” Nightwatch said seriously, brushing passed Redheart, “Now lets go!” The colt shrieked in pain as his injured hind leg was yanked. “Nightwatch!” Softheart and Redheart yelled in unison. “Oh he’s just dragging this out. If he didn’t jump out of the window in the first place, he wouldn’t be in pain. Lets go runt-oof-” Nightwatch was cut off, as he was hit by a train of a guard-pony. The next sound that left his lips was pained gurgling, as the force of the impact wrapped him around the small sapling with a sickening snap of bones. Moonlight stood above him, panting hard with a look of disgust on her face. The two nurses watched on with wide eyes, as the colts’ smile grew. “So help you if you touch that colt again, you won’t feel me hitting you next time.” The menacing guard threateningly whispered to him. “Moonlight!” The colt called out happily. She stood back up and smiled, “Hello, buddy. Are you alright?” He giggled, “Of course, but I have to go back inside now.” “I don’t know if we can comfortably move you.” Softheart said, carefully trying to help the colt up. “Here.” Moonlight said, kneeling down next to him and carefully pulling him up onto her back before standing, “How’s that, champ?” The colt giggled again, “This is fun, bring me places, Moonlight!” She joined him in giggling, “Oh I’ll bring you places, alright.” Slowly they began hiking out of the small clearing, before the injured security guard caught their attention. “What about me?” He groaned, still wrapped around the tree. “What about you?” Softheart asked sternly. “Aren’t you two going to help me?” He added, trying to untangle himself. “Maybe if you weren’t such a dickhead…” Redheart trailed off, before turning and leaving the injured pony where he laid. --- The duo had carefully made their way back inside, and up to the hospital room. The craze of ponies running around had calmed down, and were very happy and relieved to see the escapee back. Twilight and Luna patiently awaited his arrival, and were also happy to see him relatively unscathed from his journey. He was released back to his bed, before being cleaned up and reacquainted with the machines around his bed. “So are you done jumping out of windows?” Softheart asked, taking a seat with the others. “I guess. I just couldn’t handle not being outside.” The colt replied, his look sheepish as he remained under the gaze of his caretakers. He wasn’t exactly proud of exiting the hospital like that in front of the Princesses, but they didn’t mind so much. They were more amused than angry with him. “If you wanted to go outside so much, you could’ve told us.” Twilight started, “But if you can keep from throwing yourself out of the window, we’ll take you out on the town.” He smiled, looking up at her, “I think I can handle it.” *        *        *