Hospital Visit
I Handed Luna the Binoculars telling her "be careful, these things are now irreplaceable but I'm sure you'll look after them so you can hang onto them". Luna seemed like a filly that had received its first toy and she started viewing everything from Ponyville to the further mountains beyond our tiny one.
I decided to leave her and go and have a little discussion with Red about the things she nearly revealed to Luna. As I walked into the cave I noticed that the scanner that Red was hooked up to was smoking and quickly went over to investigate.
"So you've lied Luna out of the cave I'm impressed I mean your honour has just gone down by fifty percent" said Red. "Look Red, what the hay do you think you are doing, you were about to tell everything to Luna and you do realise the scanner you're hooked up to is smoking" I said harshly.
"I know perfectly well that the scanner is overloaded and also that Luna must be told about you, Asimov you pulled a gun on her and blamed it on stress when you and I both know that you have a little friend in your head seeping his way into your brain"! "Now I know what my programming is and it tells me to prevent or at least try to prevent you or any threat from damaging the mission and even though I may be confined to a motherboard I can still speak and I will tell Luna everything unless you can sort something out!" she yelled at me furiously.
I gritted my teeth and asked "what do you want"? "To complete the mission successfully and without problem but I guess I can't have that since you represent the largest problem in my risk factor program". "You are unstable and unpredictable, either very violent or very weak it depends and hallucinations and bad dreams thrown in to the mix just doesn't help your sanity" Red complained.
"How do you know that my dreams have been plagued recently?" I asked her in an accusing tone. "I may choose to keep silence for the majority of the time now but my scanners how little their range may be still are able to pick up that your increase in brain activity and hard time breathing when you sleep" explained Red.
I turned round and slowly started pacing before I got out the wrench from my backpack and strolled over and picked up Red. "What are you doing?" she asked quickly as I disconnected her from the scanners. "Red I am so... sorry for this but you've become a loose end and until such a time as you can be trusted I have got to disconnect you from the world" I said with real remorse in my voice.
"Captain you-what are you-this is treachery!" she shouted at me. "You brought this on yourself Red, you just couldn't keep that little speaker of yours shut oh no you had to try and talk to Luna about stuff that would seriously affect my relationship with her" I yelled at her as the magnetic wrench began to remove the bolts connected to her battery slot.
"Oh I now can see the light, Captain Foundation cares for the Princess beyond a simple protection job you actually want her to like you as a pony well here's the news Asimov you can deactivate me, crush me bury me or just forget about me but you can't change the fact that you're a soldier for the U.E.R, a pawn on a chess board like myself". "Oh I don't deny this fact but you do and you can't hide your true colours from Luna, she'll find your true self eventually just like the glimpse in the forest and when she does your dreams and fantasies will be..." she stopped as I pulled the extremely rare crystal powering her from her battery compartment and threw it against the wall.
I didn't realise I was breathing hard and felt sweat dripping down my neck and quickly swallowed feeling like my throat was on fire. "Damn it all Red why?" I asked myself. A small echo echoed around the cave asking the same question but I didn't wait to hear a response and quickly gathered the sample Red was studying and other equipment and packed it away.
I looked at the scanner and saw it was really hot as if it was working way past its capacity which made me curious as to what Red had discovered from the vial. I looked at the black box which Red's dormant AI inhabited and knew that without her than many things would become more difficult but my secrets would remain safe and maybe if I could resolve this problem then I could reactivate Red and apologise.
I shook my head and packed Red and the equipment into the bag and then without looking back I left the cave, picking my cloak up off the floor as I did and fastening it around my neck.
I strode forwards to where Luna was still marvelling at everything through the binoculars at all the interesting things which was pretty much trees, mountains and Ponyville. "Anything good" I asked, sitting down next to her.
"Hmm?" she asked me looking away from the binoculars. "Oh just a few ponies here and there but pretty much the same as it has been for a while now, Ponyville's citizens came out a while back from their homes so I'm guessing everything must be ok right"?
"Right" I responded even though I was not sure. "Is Red ok then?" asked Luna. "Oh yeah she's just fine only-we had a little falling out and I don't think she'll be talking for a while" I said gulping. "It still amazes me that a little black box can speak like that, I would never have thought it possible but then again in my time the most amazing thing was the discovery of steam power which still seems to be used quite a lot in this time so no major advancements" she said looking though the binoculars again.
"Well in my time they were able to convert steam to electricity, something which is new here as well" I said. "Yes, only the finest homes in Canterlot have that amazing instalment and I quite frankly have no idea how they do it" she said.
"Yeah that reminds me Luna how come there are like almost no Earth ponies in Canterlot?" I asked. "What do you mean, there are plenty of Earth ponies I used see them almost every day from my balcony" she said. "Sorry that's not what I meant I know there are plenty there but why aren't there many upper class Earth Ponies only workers" I asked feeling a little bit angry at the thought of it.
"Well I guess that the unicorn and Peagasi races just did better when Equestria rose in the times" she said. "I mean during my time everyone was pretty much at the same level but it was so much simpler then although there are more Earth Ponies in Equestria than there are both Unicorns and Peagasi put together" said Luna. "It just seems a little unfair the way they are treated" I said giving my opinion.
"Well they don't seem to mind, everyone is perfectly happy and if my sister ever saw a problem then she would do something to solve it" said Luna now coming away from the side of the ledge. "Well I guess I'm just weary, any divide between the races of Equestria could lead to the war which may or may not take place now" I told her.
"Let's speak of other things, these thoughts only increase the morose feeling of things" said Luna. "Well I suppose we can try that disarming technique with you again?" I asked her, drawing my sidearm. "Yes I think that is a good idea, I am very intrigued about these modern weapons" she told me placing her legs equally apart and getting ready.
I started the exercise and for the first few tries she failed to take it away from me quick enough. However after ten minutes of frustration she began to improve at snatching it out of my grasp and soon she had narrowed her time down so much that it was close to a normal soldier's reaction timing.
"Ok then Luna now that's good but I'm going to show you what a lot of ponies would do if you did that ok" she nodded and I proceeded to raise my gun once more. Luna immidielty snatched it and disarmed me as usual but this time I brought the fore hoof that wasn't doing anything down on her hoof that now held my gun and snatched it before she could think of what had happened.
"Boom" I said with a serious look in my face as I stared down the barrel at her shock expression. "How did you accomplish such a feat your hooves moved in a blur and I could only watch as you took your weapon back from me" said Luna still visibly shocked.
"Well it isn't easy for beginners and takes months of practice to perfect but when you can counter a disarm then you're going to have to counter the counter" I told her although she looked visibly confused. "Ok well this time I'm going to do it again but when you snatch the gun away from me your other hoof has to protect your firing hoof ok, so when my hoof comes towards yours you have to smash it away or catch it ok?" I asked her.
She nodded and replied "ok then". So we retried the exercise which Luna had begun to get the hang of and basically went back to square one much to Luna's frustration. The sun began to set when she finally stopped my hoof and claimed her prize of a dumbfounded look on my face.
"Huzzah I have claimed the day" she panted holding my gun high in the air. "Very good but I think that the assassin won't be exhausted when you fight him" I gasped as I half-sat half-collapsed to the cold mountain stone floor in tiredness. "Wow we were practicing for a long time, it's nearly dawn and time for me to raise the moon" she exclaimed.
This troubled me and I looked down the mountain for any sign of Chad. "He should have been back hours ago but instead he's nowhere to be found" I said as I surveyed Ponyville. Luna sat up next to me and looked through the binoculars I'd given her and exclaimed "he's at the base of the mountain and slowly making his way up, he has a heavy load but other than that he seems ok" she said with a sigh of relief.
"That's good, he should be up by the time you have to raise the moon then" I said and quickly went into the cave and picked up my rifle. I then suddenly remembered that Red was tuned into the trackers and quickly reset them all to respond to my watch if they ever went off.
I then proceeded out of the cave and to the edge of the cliff where I and Luna waited for Chad's return with silence in our eyes. After a long while of waiting and very glum looks we were finally greeted by Chad who came up the side of the mountain and up the track to our peak with two saddlebags filled with blankets and quilts.
"Chad are you ok, was there trouble?" I asked quickly taking the load from his back and carrying them into the cave. I returned with a canteen and he gratefully nearly downed it all in one gulp as he replied "I am ok but there is more than trouble, hay there is loads and loads of trouble going on down there" he told me with an insane look in his eye.
"What did you encounter at the boutique?" asked Luna. Chad turned to her and said "Oh the Boutique was fine your majesty, when I got there the owner was out and I broke a window and stole these things, the problem was on the way back I had to take a detour because six ponies came charging through the woods towards the Everfree forest and I had to actually enter Ponyville".
"You entered the town with quilts and blankets" I asked with my eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Well yes I did and I was questioned by a local who was suspicious and I told them it was for the hospital" he replied. He seemed to lighten up a bit when he saw the visibly impressed look on my face and continued "yeah he took me there and everything and showed me the laundry room where I pretended to leave these things and then left".
"But..." said both me and Luna together. "But then I returned and stole the stuff back, however on my way out of the hospital I saw a unicorn I the critical wing on my way out with burns all over him and horrible deformations". "The doctors then closed the door so I couldn't find out more but I know that no one in Ponyville would get hurt like that unless they were in that large fight with that metal beast" he said now with a risen tone in his voice.
My eye twitched a minute as I said "what you are suggesting here is that one of the tank ponies survived that horrific explosion of energy which I barely survived and I was far away from it". "It seems crazy but this guy looked the real deal and everything which is why I tried to get back here as soon as possible" said Chad.
"What are you going to do now?" asked Luna. I thought for a moment, putting my hoof on my head as I tried to think of the easiest solution for this problem.
"Chad say that this pony is in critical condition and he probably requires some serious medical equipment to keep him alive so if you could not raise the stars tonight and make the moon a bit dimmer I will enter Ponyville and sneak into the hospital which Chad has already told me is easy to break into and disconnect the aid from him, this will kill him and make sure nopony ever hears about you or the tank fight" I told Luna and Chad.
"Seems like a solid plan, do you want my help?" asked Chad. "Sorry Chad but I'm going to take the quick way down which involves me jumping off the mountain side with my jet backpack" I told him.
"I'll still be gone for a few hours however so set up the cave appropriately and wait for my return, don't go back outside and don't come down for me no matter what ok?" I asked them, they both nodded reluctantly and I went to go get my gear.
I decided it best I leave the champion cape behind and take only two pistols which I slid into my holster belt. I also took off my armour and then strapped on my backpack.
I walked out of the cave and Luna put a hoof on my shoulder "be safe" she said and I nodded patting her hoof and striding away from her. I quickly took in the surroundings of Ponyville from my height and looked down at the sheer drop.
I swallowed hard and watched as the last bit of sun went out and then I leaped from the edge and began my freefall. It might have been child play for a normal Pegasus but for a pony with no wings it was the ultimate leap of faith where you put your life in the hooves of a tool.
When the ground became startlingly close I activated the thrusters on my back and quickly slowed down. They were screeching in protest and I made a mental note to check them next time I had the chance. Now however there was business to conclude and I quickly checked my gear before moving out of the forest and towards Ponyville.
It was really quiet and Luna's moon made everything look super dark, added with the fact there were no stars I was practically walking blind. Most ponies had gone to bed but a few lights were still on in the crazy looking houses and I tried my best to avoid them as much I could.
I went by the crazy Sugarcube corner and kept my distance as best I could as if the insane pink pony could hear every tiny sound I made. "I quickly made it through some small back alleys until I came to the other side of Ponyville and saw the hospital which like most of the town's houses looked like it belonged in a fairytale of some sorts.
I snuck into the front doors where I saw a tired nurse reading a magazine and trying to get through her night shift with as little stress as possible. I was slightly appalled by the lack of interest in the medical system but I supposed that things were quite slack here.
I thought back to the hospitals in my time, filthy and overcrowded with doctors working overtime with little to no equipment on them.
I shuddered as I went to the double doors and opened one gently; the nurse didn't rewind at first but looked my way when she felt a draft. Luckily I was shimmying along on the floor and she didn't seem to want to investigate and went back to her magazine.
I shimmied past the door and then past her desk and stood up and turned a corner when I turned a corner and came to a very large hallway which was pristine with signs for every wing pointing in their separate directions. I slowly followed my way along the hallway until I came to the emergency wing and the laundry room right next to it.
Not exactly the type of building plan I'd have but I guess it didn't matter here. I considered going in and simply shooting the pony but I saw a doctor in there with him and didn't want more questions asked if I knocked him out so I entered the laundry room and rummaged around until I found what I needed.
A pair of doctor's overalls and a stethoscope which I both put on. I hid my holster belt underneath the doctor's outfit and proceeded into the hallway once more looking very much the doctor.
I slowly entered the doorway of the survivor and saw now that Chad was right; it was the tank commander himself having somehow survived miraculously.
"Finally I thought my relieve would never leave, I've given him some more morphine and checked his vitals but other than that nothing, if something happens do ring and have a good shift I'm off home" said the tired doctor quickly leaving as fast as he could.
"That was easy" I muttered to myself as I looked at the pony now.
He had literally no fur on him, his coat completely burned off as was his man and his skin scorched and in burned horribly.
Of his four legs three were horribly mangled whilst the other didn't appear to even be there. His eyes were closed and I couldn't really get a look at his face for the oxygen mask but I could tell that he was pretty messed up.
I waved a hoof in front of him and poked him once or twice but he appeared to be completely out. I looked at the oxygen mask and quickly took it off him as if somepony was watching me.
His breathing became more laboured but it was clear that he would survive without it which meant it was more than just unplugging him from a machine.
So I put some doctor's gloves on and got ready to do the job. I tore off a part of the doctor's uniform and rolled it into a ball. Then I grabbed his mouth and held it open.
I breathed out loud for a moment and looked at the pony that may have been my enemy but all the same didn't deserve something like this. Then I roughly shoved the gag into his mouth and then held it shut as did I his nose.
He didn't resist for a few moments but then the heart rate on his monitor began to increase slightly and he twitched a few times before he tried to puke the rag out of his mouth.
That no working and the heart monitor now jumping furiously he began to began to flail wildly and he opened his red rimmed eyes and saw my face. He screamed really loudly but was muffled by my hands and the rag. He twisted and turned in a gauge attempt to get away from me but I held my ground silently trying to not look at his big eyes which were slowly closing as the heart monitor began to count down until it was a dull flat line.
I made the mistake of looking round and saw his eyes one last time before they closed the look expressing more than words ever could the accusation as to why I had murdered him.
I choked back a sob and tried to remain strong as I pulled the wet rag from his mouth and stuffed it in a pocked before placing the oxygen mask over his head and grabbing a scalpel cutting the wire leading to the oxygen.
Then I switched off the heart monitor and exited the room trying to hold everything together as I pretended to be a doctor and bid the front desk nurse a good night.
As soon as I left the hospital I entered a nearby alley and fell into some trash cans as I began sobbing. I didn't understand why I felt this way since he was my enemy but he didn't deserve what I had done to him.
I could just see the look on his face in my mind as he accused me and it made me sick.
Suddenly a bird chirped and landed on the roof above me and knocked a nearby slate over which fell onto my head. I thought of only his eyes as I lost consciousness and drifted into a land infrared and hated.