Disclaimer: I don't own My Little Pony. That belongs to the glorious being who is Laruen Faust and the corporation Hasbro.
Once Jarrad reached the others it looked as if Big Macintosh, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were ready to fight. It seemed they thought Jarrad and Zecora might have been a threat. They didn't seem to fully relax until the two of them revealed themselves.
After taking a moment to catch a breath he spoke, "Alright, who takes lead?"
He saw Big Macintosh nod to the others, a sign of his volunteering. He took off in a gallop that was even faster than Zecora's; Jarrad was almost daunted to try and keep up. He envisioned the chakras in his legs and felt them moving faster than before. The forest was a blur as he moved through it, dodging and weaving through trees, over logs, through fields and even across clearings. He moved with Big Macintosh running as close behind him and he would allow himself so he wouldn't fall behind and get lost. He was staggered at his capabilities. After just touching his magic for the first time he was able to keep up with a horse; track and field be damned. What awed him further was the fact that he was able to keep up and hardly feel exhausted. He didn't feel any fatigue in his muscles or his lungs burning for that next breath. Well, to be more specific, he did feel a bit out of breath, but only as if he were on a brisk jog, not a dead sprint.
It wasn't much longer before they reached the edge of the forest and the road to Ponyville. The Carousel Boutique and Mayor's office stood out in the distance against the backdrop of the starry night, making up the towns skyline. Because they were out of the forest he could slow down to Big Macintosh's trot. He wanted to wait on the others so he didn't get lost, or if they had some kind of plan to conceal him.
He heard rustling and turned to find the others galloping out of the forest after him and Big Macintosh, all out of breath and panting. He would assume that they were also sweating, but he couldn't really tell under their fur. He waited a few moments with Big Macintosh for them to catch up before turning to walk and falling flat on his face.
"Holy shit," he exclaimed as he fell to the ground. His legs felt as if they weren't there anymore, and had apparently given out. He looked down at them to see if he was injured and found nothing wrong with his legs on the outside, "What the hell just happened?"
"Big Macintosh, get him on your back. I believe I know what has transpired; your use of magic has caused your legs to expire. Too much overexertion of your abilities too soon, leads you to this place where there is no boon. By the time we get to the hospital you should be back on your feet, though I would not try overexertion until next week." Zecora offered; her voice light.
"You're having a laugh at my dumbass moment aren't you," he groaned as he was hoisted on Big Macintosh's back like a rolled up back or a sack or something else just as useless. Zecora's deep chortle told him all he needed. He was about to retort when the back of his head was grabbed by a pink hoof.
"What did I tell you about foul language mister?" asked Pinkie Pie, her left eye open wide and burrowing into his soul. Jarrad was briefly reminded of the horrifying mind powers of The Stare.
"Um…sorry ma'am, didn't mean to do that," whimpered Jarrad.
Her smile returned almost instantly and she bobbed her head up and down, seemingly excited by his agreement. Once she let him go he shifted himself as best he could on Big Macintosh's back so he was riding him like a regular horse. He really didn't feel like riding all the way on his stomach, he couldn't breathe right that way.
A large cloak was draped over his shoulder. So big it covered both him and most of Big Macintosh. He looked down to see Zecora had placed the cloak on top of him with Applejack standing next to her.
"Jarrad, Ah'm real sorry, but we got ta hide ya. We need ya to lie down on big brother and… put your arms 'round his neck ta tie that cloak off," Applejack hesitated on the last part.
Jarrad was confused for a second about why she hesitated. Then he had a thought: she didn't want him or her big brother to be uncomfortable and being that close might be… well, yeah. To this day one wouldn't be able to figure out why what happened next happened.
Jarrad continued to stare at Applejack for a few seconds before turning to Big Macintosh, "Well, I can't say it'd be terrible to have to put my arms around such a… powerful pony. I mean, just look at your coat; soft as velvet, and those muscles… damn, you fine, hoss man."
"Speak for yourself, sexy," said a deep feminine voice in front of him. Big Macintosh's eyes fluttered a bit, looking as coy as possible. To most men this would be a sign to simply get off and run away. Jarrad took this as a sign; recognition. It was an issued challenge, and he wasn't about to let Big Macintosh get the better of him.
"Tell me, could those big muscles of your protect me? Hold me at night and take my cares away," inquired Jarrad, his voice low and husky. He leaned down towards Mac's face as Mac leaned back into his.
"You'd never worry again." Big Macintosh whispered as he inched excruciatingly slow to Jarrad.
They moved closer and closer, inching forward in slow motion. Time stood still and the moon shined brightly on the two of them, almost like a spotlight. Their breath on one another, their noses almost touching.
(Editor's note):
{o,o}
[)_)
" "
*o rly?*
Grunting, Big Macintosh threw his head back to the front away from Jarrad's, who almost fell off from his sudden movement. "Dammit," he lamented, almost laughing.
"HA! I am the king of Gay Chicken," shouted Jarrad, hands high in the air.
Zecora, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack had to pick their jaws up off the floor. Their minds almost shut down from the sight in front of them. Two were slightly confused, and probably had fantasy fuel for the next few years. The other… well, she was more vocal in her distaste.
"What the bucking hell do ya think y'all're doin'!" seethed Applejack.
Jarrad shrugged, "He issued a challenge. As part of the Man code I was obliged to answer and one up his challenge."
"Gay chicken? Is that a really fun game?" asked Pinkie Pie.
"Nah, it's just somethin' that the dumbass colts do fer no reason," answered Applejack, glaring at both her brother and Jarrad.
Jarrad knew one thing, he would have bro fiste-, no, bro hoofed Big Macintosh were he not on his back. With this whole thing about magic and his new powers it was helping him get his mind off of his situation. His childhood fantasies and day-dreams, those pesky little things that reality liked to beat down and smash into dust were now all possible. He could do things here that he would never dream to be able to do in his world, and the possibilities were amazing. A part of him wondered exactly what the extent of his powers were and how long it might take him to get there.
Zecora seemed to sense this change in perspective in him. This little view into stupidity helped her see he was getting better, or at least starting to cope. He had found a friend in Big Macintosh. Of course it also fed her guilt; this was going to hurt her when it was all over. But she knew, in the back of her mind and deep in her heart, that it was not only necessary, but it would work out in the end… somehow.
Jarrad patted Big Macintosh on the back before leaning over and wrapping the cloak around his neck. It was fairly uncomfortable, but he could deal with it. And for Big Macintosh, it only looked like him carrying some hay on his back rather than a person. Which was perfect, because to Jarrad's horror and discomfort, they were stopped five or six times and had to spend a fair amount of time talking. They had to keep somewhat a low profile so that people weren't scared, frightened, or otherwise unnerved. Thus it was business as usual and, from what from what Jarrad could tell, business was not only good and booming but it was about discussing every single solitary, insignificant, minute, miniscule, or out and out useless detail of EVERY. SINGLE. PONY. IN. PONYVILLE. It reminded him briefly of one of his father's gripes about his grandparents, or his father's parents to be more precise.
'Jared, bein' a doctor was the best and worst thing that could ever happen to me, especially being the kind'a doc I am.' Jarrad asked why. 'Well, you know how your nana likes to talk, right?' Jarrad nodded to this. 'See, she likes to tell me stuff about how she's doing, stuff I don't wanna know. I mean, good god son, I'll get into conversations about her sex life with pop, you know I don't wanna hear a damn thing about that.'
The memory made him laugh to himself. There were things in this world that one would truly be better off not knowing and that was damn sure one of them. He listened to them chat with some random people for a while and didn't hear a thing about some kind of 'hairless monkey' running amuck in the Everfree Forest.
'Probably want this handled with some subtlety. Yeah, that's gonna go over real well when they find out about me,' he thought to himself. Finally, after an eternity, he heard a door opening and eventually Big Macintosh's hooves on a hardwood floor.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so glad to have you all back here… wait, I thought you said you were bringing the… what was it, Nexus? Yes, I thought you were bringing the Nexus here to help poor Twilight," spoke a melodious voice. Jarrad recognized the tone of "Southern Belle" quickly; Rarity. They had made it to the hospital.
Jarrad slid himself from off Big Macintosh's back and onto the right. His legs hit the ground and he had to grab onto the large draft horse to keep himself from falling. Luckily, Big Macintosh seemed to barely notice. Jarrad's legs felt better, he could tense the muscles again, but they still felt loose. Almost as if he had stretched his hips and legs very hard. He moved the cloak off of himself and took in his surroundings: classic waiting room. A few desks with probably outdated magazines, reception window with a sign in sheet, even creepy/old paintings on the walls.
'Some shit's just cross dimensional,' he thought to himself. He moved his legs up and down, rotating them as if to open his hips in some attempt to get full function and feeling back in them once more. When he brought his knees up to his chest he finally noticed the others in the room. It seemed that Fluttershy and Rarity were both waiting with worn down and bitten hooves for this "mysterious Nexus" who would be able to help their friend. And from the stares it was rather awkward.
"Um… yo, what's up," asked Jarrad, attempting to alleviate the tension with a two finger salute.
He was met with frozen stares. The tension between him and the other two ponies he had just met was palpable. Awkward situations were never his forte, too many chances to offend without reason. He decided to get the awkwardness over then and introduce himself further. "So, name's Jarrad…um, I guess I already know who you guys are."
Fluttershy immediately darted behind Rarity with a small, barely audible, and adorably shy, "eep." Rarity looked at him with a slight amount of fear. "What exactly are you supposed to be?" she asked.
"Well, I'm a hu-," Jarrad began but was interrupted by Rarity trotting over and poking at his clothes with a slight amount of disgust.
"Darling, I don't know what hole you crawled out from, but simply must get you some new clothes. Now if you will come to my boutique later I can…" Rarity began going off on a long one-sided discussion about his clothes. She described, in near impossible detail, how she may dress him up in something presentable rather than the rags and…cloth he had on at the moment, going out of her way to mention how unbecoming it was for somepony, whatever they were, to look so garish. Jarrad was helpless; forced to listen to her prattle on about his choice in clothes, too unhorsed to actually say it was his only choice and that it wasn't like he could just go out and buy a pair of cargos and a shirt designed for a creature not on the planet.
Zecora finally broke Rarity's train of thought, "Rarity! We have a friend in need, or do you not want him to do the deed? Let's go ahead and get to fixing Twilight. I'd rather not have someone's health hanging over my head," she broke in. Zecora nudged Jarrad's hand to get him to follow her further into the hospital. Rarity followed behind looking somewhat abashed with the rest of the group trailing behind her. The hospital was only a one floor affair; apparently a lot of ponies didn't get hurt in Ponyville. Well, either that or they didn't get hurt badly enough to come here often.
'Then again, with magic, who stays hurt for all that long,' Jarrad thought of that as a distinct possibility as to why it was so small. Magic was able to heal, so who needs a hospital with long term care when you have unicorns with magical healing abilities.
As with the waiting room the whole feel of the hospital was exactly the same. Whitewashed walls and bright fluorescents devoid of any creativity or color surrounded the group on all sides. This place was meant to be a well oiled machine designed for getting peop- ponies in and out with as much speed and capability possible. This place wasn't meant to be comfortable, only functional. The whole hospital felt… clean. Far too clean for his liking; like every germ that could have been there was eradicated. It was kind of oppressing, almost as if he sneezed a troop of armed nurses would assault him and sterilize him.
'Heh, armed nurses,' the thought was pleasant, even if fairly… adult. Skimpy leather outfits and big guns holding him down to…sterilize him, 'No, wait, not here. These are ponies.' His mind acted accordingly and spat out new images for his viewing pleasure.
Jarrad shuddered a bit, "That's an unpleasant thought."
Zecora didn't say anything, whether she noticed it or not. After taking in the small hospital and some of its inhabitants, none looking too worse for wear, they reached the very back room. It was the most spacious and "deluxe" looking room out of the all. The walls were lined with cream colored wall paper, little dots and shapes of odd designs were speckled here and there. The floors were a beautiful hardwood, chestnut or oak probably. Chairs, a dresser, curtains, and a fairly well furnished bathroom were all found there. Well, what Jarrad assumed was the bathroom.
'Dear god, I hope they have indoor plumbing and how, no, focus on what's important,' his mind put forward. Randomly, mind you, but a valid question given the circumstances.
The curtains were drawn back to reveal of bright white pony with pinkish red hair and a red cross cutie mark with hearts in the blank spots. She was even wearing a nurse's hat. From what Jarrad could recall this was Nurse Redheart, and this was probably going to be awkward.
As the nurse drew the curtain she set eyes on Jarrad, and froze stock still. From the look on her face she probably had been told at least some of what had occurred and how Twilight ended up in this predicament. Jarrad couldn't blame her for being upset or scared, but there were far more important things to worry about at the moment.
"Ma'am, please, you've got nothing to worry about. I'm only here to help Twilight," he spoke as softly as he could. He may have been a bit impatient, but he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings or make them more uncomfortable than they were.
"Yes… well, that may be, but she wouldn't be in this mess if you had just-," Redheart seemed to have found her voice again.
"If I had just what, ma'am," asked Jarrad, eyes narrowing.
Nurse Redheart gulped a little, before her eyes grew steely. She wouldn't allow him to intimidate her, not when a patient's care was at stake. "If you had stayed to make sure she was alright we could have gotten to her sooner, the time it took to find her made repairing the damage that much harder," she finished strongly.
"Nurse, my last memory was being shot and killed back on my world before I got shanghaied into this one. The next thing I know I wake up somewhere; I'm scared, freaked out, and some random purple… thing is yelling and screaming almost right in my face. I ran because it was the only thing I could think to do at the time. I'm sorry that I didn't stay to make sure that she was okay, but I had other things to worry about. Like surviving, for instance," he deadpanned, "and hell, this whole mess is her fault. She used the fuckin' spell without knowing the consequences. She put herself in that bed, not me; I just got taken for the ride."
That one got the nurse quiet. She hadn't been informed of that part.
Walking past the nurse Jarrad looked down at Twilight. He was ready to give her a tongue lashing, a real lecture on the basics of proper common sense. Of course there was going to be yelling involved, he needed to get the point across to her. His anger evaporated when he saw her.
She looked pitiful. Her lavender coat was now a few shades whiter. Her mane was saggy and frazzled; it looked like she hadn't washed it or brushed in days. If he had to run his hands through it he guessed he would find some grease. Her face was contorted into a mask of sheer unbearable agony. It seemed like every part of her body was in near unimaginable pain. He wanted to be angry with her, wanted to see her suffer for what she had done, but he couldn't bring himself to. She had made a mistake. A mistake he had suffered for, maybe, but a mistake she looked like she was dying over.
He kneeled before the bed and brought a hand to her head. He brushed his hand softly down her coat, trying to coax her to consciousness. "Twilight, Twilight Sparkle, you there," he asked, suddenly realizing how stupid the question was.
Twilight's groan of pain told him all he needed.
"Zecora, what do I need to do," asked Jarrad, withdrawing his hand.
"Touch her magic with yours," She replied.
"What? I mean, what am I supposed do," he asked, beginning to sound irritated.
"Jarrad, touch her magic with yours," she repeated, more serious this time.
He knew she wasn't going to tell him much more. If she knew exactly what to do or not she wouldn't tell him. Jarrad tried to break down her statement to see if that could help.
'Okay, touch her magic with mine… touch her magic with mine… the magic I showed at the palace. That could be what she's talking about,' he took his right hand and spun all the chakras inside it. The warm red glow had returned, so he placed it on Twilight; the result was instantaneous.
Twilight moaned aloud at the touch, but not in pain, but in pleasure. If Jarrad had to guess he would say he did exactly what he needed to do. But in his surprise he drew his hand back, the glow subsiding. Twilight literally had tears in her eyes from the loss of contact. The pleasure she felt was denied; her window of normalcy was taken away from her. Jarrad thought himself a bastard for a moment.
Finding his wits again he re-did the attempt. He touched her once more and heard an appreciative moan at his ministrations. From what he could tell he was doing it right, but it didn't feel like enough. There was some niggling thought in the back of his mind that he wasn't doing something right. He placed his other hand, glowing with magic, on another part of her body, but it still didn't feel like enough.
He breathed out, closing his eyes to try and focus more. After a few minutes he heard something. It was the same kind of beat that he heard in the castle. Only, it wasn't coming from him, and it was almost unnoticeable; a whisper somewhere in the night. Figuring the best way was the one that worked before he put all his attention onto the "noise". After a few moments something formed in his minds eye. The more focus he put into it the more the picture became clear, until he was treated to an eerily similar sight.
He realized soon he was staring, from what he could guess, at Twilight's magical pathways. And they looked to be in serious disarray.
They weren't broken, per se, but where as his had looked fairly thick and strong, hers looked withered and old. Like a piece of grass dried out by the sun.
He pushed his magic further and further and found it leaking into her and her pathways. The more he focused on his magic and his own chakras the more he could feel his seeping into Twilight. He even began to see the chakras in Twilight's own body beginning to spin a little. The beat began to get stronger and faster. It moved from a near silent whisper to the steady four note beat he had heard earlier. But something told him to keep going, to make it faster and faster. He was overtaken with the urge to make the chakras spin into one long blur.
He was vaguely aware of his arms moving over her in a loose circular motion. From the tip of her tail over her back hooves and further up her body, onto her flanks, even her head. His arms would move in some kind of a circle, covering a small part of her, then move upward in that same pattern. Every time he reached her head he began the process once more, almost seeming to draw something out of her.
If Jarrad wasn't so focused on the task at the time he would have noticed the ponies on the outside standing as far back as they could. The air in the room became thick and heady pressing down on every one of them. Twilight's previous moaning was turning into almost ecstatic screaming. It was almost like she was close to orgasm. Her horn was even beginning to glow brighter and brighter, almost blinding all ponies in the room.
To Jarrad he could see the coils and veins becoming thicker and stronger once more, but still he kept pushing. It didn't feel right to stop right then, but he was scared if he kept going further then he would end up destroying the veins entirely by putting too much magic through them. It had now be led somewhere, through some kind of outlet. Her horn answered that particular need. He ghosted his hands over her once more and forced the chakras to move as fast as possible, spinning into a blur and humming like a bird. One elongated note that never paused. He pushed all of her magic through her coils and willed it out her horn. In one last drawn out breath he exhaled everything out.
Twilight exploded.
Her screams reached crescendo and her horn gave of a blinding white light. Her body levitated off the bed as bits and pieces of furniture were thrown around the room. At the end the concussive force knocked the curtains off the windows and a few tiles out of the ceiling while Jarrad was thrown against the wall.
Twilight landed with a loud thump. Her body bounced a few times before settling neatly back on the bed, covers strewn about the floor. The others, who had been wise enough to exit the room once Twilight's horn began to glow, rushed back inside to check on the status of their friend. Zecora nearly galloped to make sure that Jarrad was unharmed.
A few tense minutes passed before Twilight gingerly opened her eyes. The pain she had been feeling had made her delirious, as someone on the edge of sleep yet being held on consciousness. Her mind would spin wild images and hallucinations, the pain too great for her. But now the pain was gone, replaced by a feeling of content? Yes, that's the right word, content. Her body not only no longer felt painful, but felt better than it had in a while. As if all the muscle aches, fatigue, and old injuries were not more than something of dreams.
"Twilight? Twilight Sparkle, how do you feel," she heard a voice in the distance ask. After a few moments she was able to force open her eyes, to find Nurse Redheart staring down at her.
"Wha… what's… ah," her voice felt scratchy, It's disuse clearly showing.
"Twilight, its okay, I want you to be calm about this. You've been in the hospital for a week. The magical pathways in your body were damaged severely, that was what was causing you so much pain. But they've been fixed now; you should start feeling better soon," the nurse spoke in an attempt to quell the probable frightening Twilight was feeling. She didn't need her to get scared or upset at what was going on. She herself couldn't believe it, but years of training had steeled her nerves against near anything. Patients always came first, answers could come later.
"Twi, can ya hear me? Ya just need to rest now sugarcube, everythin's gawn be alright," the soft voice of Applejack reached her ears.
"Wait… what about the human? What's happened to him," mustered Twilight. Given the last thing she clearly remembered was him, the trepidation and fear was still there for her and her friends.
"Twi, he's the one that healed ya." she heard Applejack say.
"What… how's that possible?" she asked, curiosity overtaking her pain.
She heard a rustle of wings behind her along with a forceful "Move!" If Twilight wasn't mistaken, that came from Fluttershy.
The human she was concerned about wasn't in the best shape. He had suffered from the concussive blow to the wall and numerous small cuts from flying debris. When Twilight opened her eyes enough she looked over to see him slumped down the wall with Zecora sitting next to him, trying to get him to wake up. She was successful, but he really didn't want to be awake. She heard him groaning and guessed that he might have hit the wall hard enough to have a concussion.
"Zecora, move him down onto the floor, I'm getting a pillow to elevate his head a bit and some ice for him," Fluttershy was in rare form, almost in complete control.
Zecora nodded. She knew exactly what they needed to do, "Nurse Redheart, we need a unicorn for this part."
"Wait, I'll help, just tell me exactly what you need me to do," Rarity had joined the commotion.
Once Fluttershy returned with a pillow Zecora helped lay Jarrad's head on top of it and examined him as best she could looking for any serious open wounds, finding none she was able to move on to the next objective. She needed to get him awake and assess the damage from that angle. She laid the ice down on his forehead and poked him lightly in an attempt to get him conscious.
"Jarrad, Jarrad, are you there?" she said softly.
Jarrad groaned heavily. His mouth felt like he had swallowed a large chunk of lead. His head was in an excruciating amount of pain. He tried to open his eyes but found he had severe trouble focusing, everything looked blurry. He was seeing stars as well.
"Zecora," he called weakly. His mind wouldn't focus and everything seemed a blur. What had he been doing?
"Jarrad, I need you to stay still, you hit your head hard near the windowsill. I know this will probably hurt, but please bear with me if this will work." she attempted to calm him. "Rarity, shine a light on his eyes."
Jarrad's pain increased with the bright light, closing his eyes to get away from it. He tried to move his arms up, but they were sluggish and weak.
"Jarrad please, open your eyes." he tried again but the light was still too bright. Zecora forced an eye open to check for retinal dilation. Each one seemed to dilate fine, which told Fluttershy and Zecora that this should only be a mild concussion.
Zecora worked further, pinching different parts of his body, making sure he was fully aware of everything going on around him. From the jerks his body made he seemed to be fairly conscious. Now it was time to make absolutely sure.
"Jarrad, that's a wonderful name," spoke Fluttershy reassuringly, testing his condition further. "Jarrad, can you tell me something?"
"What?" he asked, tears of leaking from his eyes.
"What happened today, give me the story?" she asked.
Jarrad's headache increased with the act of attempting to remember, "We went to the Palace in Everfree to get me *groan* in tune with my magic. We needed to do that so I could help *gyahhh* Twilight. We ran back to Ponyville… that's all I remember. *moan* How'd I end up on the floor?"
Zecora and Fluttershy shared another looked; partial amnesia. He didn't remember helping to heal Twilight or making his way into Ponyville.
"Jarrad, you've done more than that. You healed Twilight of her plight, but the magical backlash sent you into flight," Zecora explained.
"Did I… hit something?" asked Jarrad, looking unsure.
"Yes. You hit that wall pretty hard." Fluttershy added.
Jarrad groaned, "No wonder I've *ow* got a splitting headache…*hurp* Zecora I feel nauseous… I think I'm gonna-" that was as far as he got before he began to dry heave onto the floor. He hadn't eaten in so long there was nothing in his stomach to put out.
"Fuck," he groaned, his head hitting the pillow once more. The tears had stopped but his eyes were still wet. His head was splitting but his eyes were able to focus a bit better. Instead of just one big blur he was starting to make out individual blurs.
"Rarity, levitate him and put him on that bed across from Twilight," Fluttershy pointed across the room to another large bed, one that should be big enough to hold Jarrad. It was important to levitate him, keeping his movement as low as possible.
Rarity's horn glowed once more as Jarrad was lifted up over and onto the bed. She placed him there gingerly while Zecora and Fluttershy followed.
"Jarrad, tell me what time it is," asked Fluttershy
Jarrad looked outside, "I don't know, but it looks late at night. Possibly some time very early in the morning. How long has it been since I can last remember?"
"Think of how far back you can remember, think specifics, what is the very last thing," asked Fluttershy.
"Uhhh… gay chicken with Big Macintosh." Jarrad answered after a few moments.
A pin could have been heard five rooms down the hall. All sound stopped instantly. Well, not a pin, but a few heads whipped so fast one would have thought whiplash injuries would have resulted.
"Can you… repeat that?" asked Rarity, not quite sure what she heard.
"I played gay chicken with Big Macintosh. *Groan* Won too." he chuckled the last bit.
Big Macintosh was glad his fur was red; otherwise they would have seen the embarrassment.
Zecora could see the indignation and shock on Rarity's face. Even under dire circumstances her sensibilities could be disturbed. Thinking quickly she attempted to diffuse the situation. "I believe that it would be best, given the excitement, for everypony to get some rest. Fluttershy, if you wouldn't mind, I will stay with Jarrad until morning time," she inserted.
Fluttershy nodded, "Do you know the times he needs to be woken?"
Zecora nodded.
Fluttershy accepted this and moved back over to Rarity, ushering her over to Twilight. Zecora leaned down and spoke softly to Jarrad.
"It seems that when you allowed Twilight's magic to come forward, a concussion was your reward. If you wish to rest, the by all means, be my guest. I will need to wake you at some points during the night, but you should be alright come the morning light," her voice, to Jarrad, sounded more soothing than anything he had heard before.
"Thank you, Zecora," he muttered. He was feeling fairly sleepy and it sounded like a good idea. Though, a thought struck him, "Zecora… I haven't eaten in days… or drank anything. Can I at least get some water?"
She nodded. However, it seemed Nurse Redheart was already there, a large water bottle of a sort in hand. It was far too big to maneuver for Jarrad, so Zecora leaned him up a bit to take a sip. Redheart also thought a head a brought a straw, given that the thing might as well have been called a jug. Jarrad drank greedily, almost downing the entire thing. He didn't realize exactly how thirsty he really was.
Jarrad laid back, his thirst sated for the time being. The nurse left for a few moments only to come back with a bin and the jug refilled. She indicated what the bin could be used for if he had the need of it, but his eyes were closed already; sleep had claimed him almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. She smiled somewhat fondly at him.
"I'll help watching him Zecora; I've got Nurse Apos working with Twilight to make sure everything is okay. From the looks of things, he did more than was needed," she pointed out.
"How so," asked Zecora. She had her own theory, but she wasn't entirely sure if it was true. If it was, then things were progressing far faster than she realized.
"From what Nurse Apos tells me he not only re-established her leylines; but he also purged them. He forced her magic to literally expel itself and anything left behind. They're clean… almost as clean as a newborn unicorn foals would be. Zecora, just who is he? I've never seen someone able to do that, let alone with another person's magic," Her voice was more curious than scared.
"He is important. To divulge more would be unwise, but he may tell you in the morrow when he opens his eyes," she answered. "But do not worry your head, he does not pose a threat."
Nurse Redheart nodded, accepting the answer. She and Zecora stayed with him throughout the night, waking him at certain intervals and asking him questions again and again, making sure he wasn't suffering too badly from the concussion. The constant waking up irritated him to no end, but he realized soon after why they had to do it. Regardless of his annoyance, he was deep down very appreciative of them being there to help someone who was a complete stranger. They even helped him walk on his feet to use the restroom and remove his sandals, hand clothing, and shirt. He made a bit of a fuss when they tried to remove his underwear and kilt. Something about not wanting to flap in the breeze in front of random strangers, medical professionals or no, even if Zecora had seen him. To that he blushed, realizing exactly how she had to treat him. He didn't want to keep that thought in his head for too long. Eventually the sun rose and, still being completely exhausted, Jarrad was allowed to sleep uninterrupted. After watching him for roughly 8 hours, Nurse Redheart and Zecora figured that the worst had passed.
Now, let's rewind the clock a bit and look at this situation from Twilight's perspective. If we want the best look, let's begin soon after Fluttershy and Zecora rush over to check on Jarrad.
"AJ, what happened? He looks like he's got a concussion," Asked Twilight.
"Twi, hold yur questions a bit, 'kay? We need tha get a nurse in here's to look atchya," said Applejack, "Fluttershy 'n Zecora got things handled with him, m'kay?"
With worry still etched on her face, Twilight nodded knowing that if Fluttershy and Zecora were looking after him then the human should be okay. She figured that a concussion was the same on her world as it was there, or at least, hoped that was the case. A nurse unicorn with a dark blue coat and a cutie mark of a winged serpent wrapped around a staff walked in a few moments later. Her black mane, much like Redhearts, was pulled into a bun tightly on the back of her head. She walked calmly to Twilight, pushing past a few of the onlookers on the room.
"Miss Sparkle," she called getting Twilight's attention, her accent a thick German, "My name is Nurse Apos, I'm going to be examining you to make sure everything is okay and see what changes there are in your condition. Tell me, how do you feel right now?"
Twilight nodded and took stock. Her pain was gone, her breathing and heartbeat were normal, and the fatigue in her muscles was gone. She felt normal, actually, even better than normal.
"Nurse, I feel fine, almost better than before." she answered, and then she felt it. Her moving legs caught a feeling of wetness. She felt somewhat gooey between her haunches and, somewhat embarrassed, blushed a deep red.
Nurse Apos took no notice. Her horn glowed brightly as she brought it near Twilight's frame. She began looking through and scanning Twilight's magical pathways to see if they were well and truly healed. What she felt, what she found, was astonishing. She couldn't tell if she was looking at a mere fluke or a miracle of modern magic.
"Miss Sparkle, when was the last time you purged," asked the Nurse. Purging is the act of forcing magic out of the body with the intent of getting "residue" and "gunk" off of the pathways. In much the way one exercises and eats healthy to keep the arteries clean, continued use of magic and the occasional purge allows for the pathways to remain clear.
"Umm… how long have I been out?" asked Twilight.
"A week, dear." replied Nurse Redheart.
"Then it should have been about two weeks ago. Why do you ask?"
Nurse Apos almost fell over in shock. She had never seen anything like this before. She had a bit of trouble breaching the subject. "Miss Sparkle, from what I can tell your magical pathways are working fine again and are completely clean." She answered.
"Is that a bad thing nurse?" asked Applejack
"No, no, not at all. Having clean pathways is a must for a unicorn, but even after a purge there are still small amounts of residue on the pathways. Twilight Sparkle…literally has none. At all. Her pathways are as clean as a newborn foals, as if she has yet to do magic at all." Nurse Apos explained.
That had Twilight stumped, she had been in excruciating pain earlier, but now she was fine and her pathways were clean. Just how had that happened?
"Twi, you 'member how I said that Jarrad done healed' ya," asked Applejack.
"Yeah," she responded hesitantly.
"Well, he did somethin' else. The more he worked on ya the brighter ya got till ya exploded in ah huge flash o' light. Ah think… ah think that's what he did, he "purged" ya." she replied with a pensive expression on her face.
Twilight was baffled, "Why would he help me?"
"Twi, ya never talked with 'im, didja." asked Applejack
"No, AJ, I was too busy screaming my head off," she deadpanned.
"Twi, he's a perty nice fella' once ya get ta know 'im. He decided ta help ya out fer no reason 'tall." Applejack gave Twilight a look; clearly she didn't appreciate the sarcasm.
Twilight was confused; she had seen the world he had come from and the kind of people they had there, why would he go and heal her for no reason.
"Twilight, you gotta get over and talk to him once you feel better. I mean, he may not be the nicest pony in the world, especially when you get him angry, but he's a REALLY awesome guy when he wants to be." Pinkie interjected, attempting to get Twilight over this perceived distaste for him.
All in all, Twilight was anything but impractical. She nodded to Pinkie, "I'll talk to him once we get the chance. It doesn't look like he's going to be in any way to talk soon."
Nurse Redheart nodded, "From what I can tell he suffered a mild concussion from hitting the wall so hard when you… well when you exploded. If you don't mind, I'll leave Nurse Apos to take care of you. I'm going to watch him for the night."
Twilight acquiesced. A unicorn nurse to take care of her seemed a better idea than leaving the human in Zecora's hands. It wasn't that she didn't trust her, but she didn't know whether or not Zecora had the same extensive medical expertise that Nurse Redheart and even Fluttershy had. She laid her head on the pillow and allowed the nurse to continue her examination. Once finished she was cleared completely and ready to leave the next day.
Nurse Apos insisted on her staying the rest of the night and tomorrow under observation; better safe than sorry, ja? The rest of the ponies were hesitant to leave, so Nurse Apos and Redheart discussed having more beds brought in for the other ponies. At least so they could be with her friend while she recovered. They were asked to keep as quiet as possible so Jarrad could rest, or at least get as much rest as he could given the circumstances.
Twilight didn't know when she or the others fell asleep, she only remember waking up to what looked like the late morning or early afternoon sun. She leaned over to see Rarity and Pinkie Pie conversing quietly to her right. To her surprise there, was an uproarious noise coming from the foot of her bed. She looked down to find Jarrad under the covers on the bed across the room putting the phrase "sawing logs" to shame. His mouth was open slightly and she wouldn't have been surprised if he was bringing down the building.
Rarity caught the look on Twilight's face, "It's simply ghastly, isn't it? I've never heard someone who was able to snore so loudly."
"Aw, come on guys; don't be so hard on him. He's been through a lot… and we haven't even had the chance to throw him a party yet," Pinkie shouted.
"Pinkie… why would we throw him a party," asked Twilight incredulously.
Pinkie deflated a bit at that, then remembered, "Oh yeah, you haven't met him yet and you haven't had Zecora tell you about him."
"What did Zecora say?" asked Twilight
"Well, she talked about the world he came from. I must say Twilight, it was simply dreadful. Po- no, people was the term she used, were so mean and hateful to one another. They've completely lost what it means to be part of the world; yet she also said how lucky we were," spoke a saddened Rarity.
"I know, Rarity, I saw his world before I summoned him here. My question is, why is he not under watch from Celestia?" asked Twilight.
"Well Twilight, that's the thing; we haven't been able to reach her. Rainbow Dash took off a few days ago to get her and we haven't heard back from her. And with Spike already in Canterlot… well, you get the idea. But Twilight, he's not as bad as you make him out to be… at least according to Zecora and Pinkie." Rarity answered.
"How do you mean?" Twilight looked toward Pinkie Pie for the answer.
"Well from what he said, he was a philosopher when he was in his old world; and how many of those guys are out to destroy the world? Plus, when you summoned him well…" Pinkie couldn't bring herself to finish.
"When Miss Sparkle summoned him to Equestria last week, his chances at life had gone down far below meek. You had summoned the Nexus to this plane, the life and soul of his body had been torn in twain." Spoke a smoky voice from Twilight's feet.
Twilight jumped a bit to find Zecora standing at the foot of her bed. The zebra looked fondly at Jarrad for a moment before turning her attention back to the unicorn.
"Wait… I wasn't even trying to summon him." squeaked Twilight
"Whatever do you mean, darling?" asked Rarity
Twilight looked deep in thought as she recounted, "Well, I used a viewing spell of some sort to find what I was looking at it as an experiment to bring someone or something over. The first world I found was this Earth place. It looked terrifying and devastating, but I knew I didn't have enough magic to do another viewing spell and the retrieval, so I wanted to find something there, some object, to bring back. Bringing back a person just seemed way too dangerous, especially if it was to have someone from that world here."
"So you decided to bring someone here who was dying here to help him with magic anyway?" asked Pinkie a little giddily.
Twilight frowned, "No, I actually tried to bring back whatever it was that was inside him and causing him pain. I didn't think I had another choice, I mean what else was I supposed to do? Just let him die on the floor by bleeding to death?"
Pinkie looked like she was about to reply before a voice beat her to it, "No offense meant to your kindness, but yeah, I would've appreciated it more."
Four heads twisted to the other side of the room to see Jarrad sitting up and grabbing hold of the pitcher of water next to his bed. He drained it in one go before focusing on the others.
"Wait, you would rather die on the floor than be helped?" asked Twilight, the concept of not being able to survive foreign to her.
Jarrad's look deadpanned as if to ask if she was serious, "I'd be dead so my consciousness would cease to function… so, yeah, I wouldn't care one way or the other. Besides how I die doesn't really matter in the end, but I suppose if I could do it again I'd be happy to die the way I did."
"Why? Why would you want to do something like that?" asked Twilight, still not grasping his perspective. The others chose to remain silent on the matter, wanting to see how this played out.
Jarrad wracked his brain trying to come up with an answer. Then it hit him, her fear. She was scared to death of him when they first "met" because she had seen his world. "You said you saw my world, right?" he asked. Twilight nodded. "Okay, time for a thought experiment. Place yourself in that world with your current perspective. How would you feel?"
Twilight was silent a moment, her hoof resting on her chin for an answer, "I'd feel trapped."
Jarrad smiled, "Exactly. I had your perspective; I could see the stupid garbage we did. Of course added to the fact that I'm a bit fucked up in the head, but that's not where I'm going with this." He looked a bit nervously at Pinkie, but she didn't seem to mind. "Now let's change it a bit. Think of this as any run of the mill situation; what do you do, or what's simplest to do, when a situation is out of control or causes you stress?"
This time Pinkie answered, "Well, if it were me, I'd leave. I don't wanna deal with some super messy-mess of a situation any day if I don't have to."
Jarrad nodded, "Mm-hm. And here we get to the crux of the matter; if life, to you, is that situation you don't want to deal with how do you "leave"?"
When the answer hit them, it hit hard.
"Yep, you kill yourself," Jarrad leaned forward over his lap, "and this leads into my situation, I could never bring myself to do it. Suicide's an easy out, way too damn easy. And as much as I couldn't stand everything going on around me I knew that it could help make me a better person. That strife and conflict were a necessary part of life and suicide just wasn't the way to deal with it… damn Nietzsche. Anyway, when I died on the floor of that diner, or was dying, I figured it was good. I had died defending my father, someone I love very much, even if I had made a massive mistake in my technique. To put it bluntly, I died probably the best way I could think to: my way."
Nopony could say a word. That explanation had them floored, especially Twilight; her notions were preconceived, but she couldn't believe there was someone there who hated his world as much as he seemed to. Somewhere in her mind she wondered if there could be others, and if him being a student of philosophy had something to do with it, but what came to the forefront was a deep sorrow for this person.
"I… I didn't know… I'm so sorry," she sputtered out.
Jarrad held up a hand, "A day or so ago I'd have been royally pissed at you, but at this point I'm kinda giddy. I mean, I can do magic! I can push myself further beyond the limits of anyone on my world; do things I thought were only there in fantasy. I gotta say, the prospect is appealing to me more and more lately."
Zecora smiled, "Your attitude has improved."
Jarrad smiled warmly, "Yeah, I suppose it has. Thinking about it, I guess I've just been suffering from depression as well as trying to cope with dying. I'm far better off now simply for the fact that I've got something to look forward to."
The reaction he got to that was unexpected. Zecora's face didn't change, but Rarity and Pinkie's did. Rarity seemed to have was it guilt flash across her eyes? It was fast, so fast he almost didn't notice it. Pinkie, on the other hand, almost had tears streaming down her face.
"Hey guys, I'll be back later on okay? I just remembered the Cakes need me today. Get well soon Twilight," Pinkie almost heaved out before near bolting from the room.
Jarrad and Twilight both looked confused, "Wait, the hell was that?"
"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing darling. Our Pinkie's just so random, I'm sure she'll be back to her regular self in no time. Anyway, while we're here, how about getting you something to eat." Rarity answered, her high class drawl showing.
It did bother Jarrad to leave it, but he figured he'd find out about what was going on later. Food sounded like a better idea. "Alright, let me get dressed and I'll join you guys. I don't exactly fancy having breakfast in bed today and I need to get up and keep moving around. Oh, and Twilight, if ya don't mind my asking, would ya care to join us?" asked Jarrad.
She shot him a look.
"Well, I mean, you need to get up and move around. From what I heard from the nurse you should be doing much better." he continued, moving up and out of the bed.
Twilight, after much deliberation, agreed. Jarrad was dressed back in the attire Zecora had left him and wondered when he was going to be able to get them washed. If he had to guess, they probably had a fair stench to them. He decided to take up Rarity on her offer of new clothes she had mentioned earlier.
Jarrad, Twilight, Zecora, and Rarity joined Applejack and Fluttershy a few minutes later when the latter had come to see Twilight. Jarrad's stomach growling dictated exactly where they needed to go before anyone asked. There was a problem, however, with this plan. Namely the two Royal Guards standing at the entrance to the Hospital. '….the fuck,' asked Jarrad to himself. Then it hit him, Celestia knew he was there and this was her welcoming committee.
"Halt, by order of her Highness, Princess Celestia, that human will come with us," ordered one of the two guards in an imperious tone.
Zecora looked as if she was about to speak, but Jarrad didn't notice it and spoke first, "I'm sorry, but what the fuck are you blathering on about?"
"Do not make us repeat ourselves, whelp," the other guard growled.
That one didn't sit well with him. Jarrad decided to try and defuse the situation, at least to figure out exactly what they wanted. He slowly made his way toward them, hands up, and made to speak. He was met with a quick, but effective, buck to his unguarded midsection.
He noticed it fast enough to spin his chakras, even if slightly, but it hardened his body enough to take the blow without causing him serious internal injury. It still hurt like nothing he ever felt before. The blow also sent him sailing back and directly into one of the chairs of the waiting room. If the circumstances were different then he would have laughed at such a silly shot, but this was not the case.
The rage he had been feeling for the past few days came back a hundred fold. He was offended at the guards, he was pissed off at his situation, and he was suffering a severe amount of indignation at Celestia's response to his arrival.
He was furious. And he responded.
Drawing on his power he was almost flew across the room. He jumped and spun, delivering a fierce side kick right into the face of one of the guards. The surprise attack caught the guard unaware and he was near blasted across the pathway to the hospital, landing in a heap almost twelve meters away.
Before the other guard could respond Jarrad had grabbed him by the frilly top to his helmet and rained down one blow after another, denting the Pegasus's armor and caving in a part of his face. His right hand, after letting go of the helmet, reached down to grab the foreleg of the guard and, with super human strength, twisted his body and threw the guard like a rag doll. This one flew farther and even hit a tree, knocking off leaves as his body impacted hard.
The sight that greeted Jarrad, once sense had returned to him somewhat, was of roughly thirty guards in formation around the hospital. Apparently Celestia had anticipated him being a problem… and he was just willing enough to oblige her.
Given the stress of the situation he forgot about the others, only that his life was possibly on the line, most definitely his freedom. It was between him and what looked to be a small platoon of guards. Some part of his mind thought this whole situation surreal, and therefore allowed his mouth to move before his mind thought. He found himself shouting something completely irrelevant to the situation, and what was probably going to lead to an even harder fight than before.
He leaned his upper body back; arms spread wide and power radiating off him, and screamed, "COME AT ME BRO!"
A/N: Yeah….sorry, but I couldn't resist it. It was too good.
Anyway, sorry again for the long wait. RL is getting in the way a lot more, especially since I'm working for a full time job and also trying to crank out twenty pages of pony goodness.
Anyway, here's the new chapter and let me know what you think. Also, once again, a big thanks to my editor nobodyreallyimportant for his awesome input on this work. (Sorry for putting this out there a bit sooner, but I feel the heat from the torches of the townsfolk whos patience has run thin).