Pompeii

Pompeii

A fanfic by Ash the Kitsune

E e o e o

E e o e o

E e o e o

E e o e o

“We're losing him!”

The harsh, explosive sound of his own heartbeat hurt his ears as it broke through his mind, making each breath more labored with the passing seconds, the screeching of the heart monitor further decaying his crumbling state of mind as his body fought to give up. His mind fatalistic called for his last moments, while his breaking heart cried out to be saved, for something to protect him, for his mothers love and gift to keep him.

His body was pinned to something stiff but soft, keeping him from moving, not that he felt he could. Too much pain, too much of the sudden fires that were enveloping his whole body, burning him away to nothing but ash...

“We need to stabilize him now!”

The world crashed upon him as his eyes blinked shut.

E e o e o

E e o e o

E e o e o

E e o e o

The quiet hissing slowly passed through his mind, making him shake his head, his mane softly tumbling from side to side.

“...? Hey, … are you ok?”

He shook his head again, his tail flicking to the side in irritation as the ringing came back, hiding something from him as he looked over to his concerned friends.

“Twilight, we really should get him over to Nurse Redheart or Fluttershy. He hit the ground pretty hard.” The brash, though uncharacteristicly concerned voice of his best friend, the fastest mare alive soothed the ringing hiss rumbling through his mind.

“I think you're right Rainbow. …, Can you walk?”

He slowly took a deep breath, and his eyes blinked shut.

I was left to my own devices

Many days fell away with nothing to show

“... is awake! Doctor, he's breathing again!”

The panicked voices washed over him, confusing him greatly. Where were his friends? What was going o-

The pain! The pain made him scream out, his throat feeling like a shattered mosaic as his voice shattered against his mind, adding to the great fire that ripped over his body, stealing away his thoughts and his friends as his body was punished for something.

And then he blinked.

And the walls kept tumbling down

In the city that we love

Great clouds roll over the hills

Bringing darkness from above

“...? ...! Twilight, he's awake!”

The strange feeling of floating, not under his own power, his eyes flooded with a soft purple glow as he gazed upon the darkening clouds from the...

… What was it that he had been doing before? He had been doing something to the clouds. To... protect himself right?

“Hurry Twilight! He really doesn't look that good!” The brash voice, still filled with that strange concern, alien to your ears, wraps around him almost like a soothing blanket, keeping his breath steady and keeping him from panicking. She was so concerned. He must really be hurt. Best not to aggravate his injuries, and hold still.

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

The floating sensation continued as a building started to fill his view, the loud sound of his brash friend bursting through the double doors of the building in front of him as the second voice, his bookish friend yelling out as she ran in, “NURSE REDHEART! Medical Emergency! Hurry!”

Another voice gasped from so far away, almost as if he wasn't hearing it with his own ears as his eyes slid shut... and he blinked.

We were caught up and lost in all of our vices

In your pose as the dust settles around us

And the walls kept tumbling down

In the city that we love

Rain clouds roll over the hills

Bringing darkness from above

The fire burned brighter, hotter, stealing his breath and all feeling. Nothing moved, his heart frozen between beats as he screamed and screamed, yet no sound left. No sound was heard.

He felt it before he saw it, something metal and cold, a frozen fire, pressing into his body and sending a blast of harnessed lighting through his entire body, a real scream leaving his throat and echoing in the aether of pain that had consumed him.

“... has revitalized! We need more morphine! Come on damn it, I'm not letting him bleed out here!”

His friends were gone again, the pain pushing back in as something sharp jabbed into his side.

“T-those fucking bastards. How the fuck did they trigger the IED?!”

The pain stole away the words and their meanings, though slowly, a cool water flooded him, sliding over his belabored mind and body, a numbness filling in where the fire had burned through him. The holes felt so real, ashes remaining where his arm and leg were, his face falling apart as his eyes tumbled shut.

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

Oh where do we begin?

The rubble or our sins?

Oh where do we begin?

The rubble or our sins?

“Awaken.”

He blinked, looking around in confusion before suddenly gripping at himself, gasping in pain and shuddering as he fell to his knees as he took in his surroundings and himself.

The world was all black. No color could be seen but the black, and a soft, white glowing mist that blanketed the world around him. He felt torn, ripped between... something, so much pain... and so much loss.

“It hurts, it burns. The sins of ones past. The things that you tried to do, the things you did, the sacrifices you made...”

Slowly, the pain faded, the feeling of being torn in two bled away, like he was being washed clean, purged of everything that was plaguing and hurting him as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet.

“.... Hmmm. Not quite there yet, are we. No, I'd suppose not.”

The voice was soothing, comforting... mother like, almost. He wanted to reach out to it, hug close to it, let it hold him and take away the memories of the pain.

“Perhaps. Fear not, your pain is almost at an end, your story ending. But it is only the beginning. Someone stole something precious from you, but only because you gave it to them... to keep those precious things of others safe. You gave up all you were for others. Noble, to shield others from harm.”

And the walls kept tumbling down

In the city that we love

Rain clouds roll over the hills

Bringing darkness from above

He felt so confused, and the confusion made tears slide from his eyes. But why? Why would this confusion just make him cry? He reached out for the voice as a sob choked out from a burnt throat as he fell to his knees once again.

“Forgiveness. For what, I ask? For being human? For fighting? For your sins?”

He sobbed again, not even sure where these boiling emotions came from as he tried so hard to reach the voice, to be enveloped in it's comforting embraced, to have his fears and pains soothed and left behind in this void.

“... Very well. Then judgment will be passed upon you. As it was said, it would be he who saved the life of another, be if he had saved the world. Rest.”

And his eyes closed.

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

“-lite.”

The odd sound made his ear flick, the motion making it rub against something soft, and his steady breathing making his fur slide against the soft... something, that was draped over his body.

“Twilight. I think he's awake.”

The soft tone was so unlike the mare's usual bravado filled voice. It filled him with confusion as he moaned and shifted, trying to shake off the ringing and the unusual nightmare that had filled his mind.

“Woah! Hey, easy, easy... you hit the ground really hard.” The collected voice of the leader, his first friend, slowly drew him back into reality as he carefully started to shift himself up to a sitting rest, wincing at the tightness on his skull.

“That's it, slowly. Do you want some water?”

A nod brought a glass filled with cool, refreshing water to his lips, the soft tingle of magic lightly tilting his head back and softly pouring the water into his dry, sand-filled mouth, washing away the desert that had filled it while he was... had he been unconscious?

“Thank goodness you're ok... for a few moments I thought you'd slipped away to have a private chat with Celestia or Luna.” Her voice was so filled with relief, filling back up with that bold bravado that had lead him into friendship with her, his flying buddy, his coach, and his motivation. She had always been there for him, and he felt safe and relaxed knowing that she was there with him, the warm feeling of his face spreading a bit at her face doing the same.

“There's a sight I haven't seen all day. A smiling Rainbow Dash.” The leader said, also sounding so relieved as she reached out with her hooves and forelegs and softly pulled your brash friend into a soft hug, nuzzling her softly.

“Hey, my number one student crashed hard into the ground after bouncing off a storm-cloud! I think I'm allowed to be serious, egghead.” The brash friend softly shoving the leader before hugging her back, turning to him.

“How are you feeling now, ...?”

The question washed over him before his mouth opened and he closed his eyes.

"Like I lost something... but gained something precious."