Deus Ex: Cosplay Revolution

No, I wasn't going after that mare.

I doubt I'd be able to catch her, dislocated shoulder and numbness spreading through my body. She was faster than me, tougher, and no doubt meaner. At the least, I'd gotten a good look at her.

I stumbled over to the stallion. The cut wasn't as large as I first thought, but it damn near turned his entire leg into mulch below the thigh. Deep red blood stained his outfit, and I doubted he'd live long without help.

My coat came off. I tore strips off the bottom with my teeth and my working arm, pain flaring in my head, warm blood spilling down my arm. I lifted his leg, saw more blood spill forth. Tried to wrap the makeshift tourniquet around his leg, tried to stop the bleeding, tried to apply pressure. He gasped, looked me in the eye. Fear, then a growing understanding that I was trying to help.

More footsteps. Looked to the source, saw guards in golden armor rushing down the hall, swords and spears drawn. Horns glowed, crossbows floated through the air, all their weapons and spells pointed in my direction.

One of them hit me square in the chest, numbness spreading from there. Made my fingers fumble, but the tourniquet was tied on and I grinned.

A blade bit into my neck. I flinched away, shakily put a hand up to it, saw the glimmering shine of blood and the hot feeling of it rolling down my neck. Almost chuckled, almost.

"Sir, step away from the victim, put your hooves behind your head, and walk away."

I grinned like a madman. "Th-the one you'-you're lookin' for. The one wh-who-who did this... she's long gone, d-d-own that hall...: I groaned out, lifting my shaking arm and pointing down the hall. The sergeant must've muttered something to his subordinate, as three of them broke off and started flying in that direction.

Everything started blurring then. One of them walked up, horn glowing with the baton in his magical grip. "We're taking you in for questioning," I thought he said, but by then it was all fading quick.

Soon all I saw was black.

I woke up in a haze. Bandages wrapped all around my chest, all around my left arm, where I'd been hit and where the shoulder was dislocated. Only thing I wore were my slacks, my vest and turtleneck having been stripped. Little plastic pads dotted my chest, a heartbeat monitor beep-beeping away.

i groaned. An I.V. drip stood next to my bed, going into my arm. Clear liquid flowed from it, down the tube, and into the vein. Must've had some sort of sedative in it, cause I was feeling dizzy just looking at it.

Could barely see, but there was a motionless form lying on the bed next to me. Wore a hospital gown, but... fuck, that was the stallion I saved! He lived. Holy hell he lived. Thank god those guards came by when they did. The heartbeat monitor on him was beeping at a weak-if-steady pace, up and down and up and down. Could see the sheets over his chest rhythmically move, hear the breathing. Looked like he was fine, physically.

I'd take to him later, when I figured out where I was. Tried to sit up, but the dizziness just intensified. Managed to use my right arm to lean against the back of the bed, at least. My sunglasses were on the side, on top of a table with a glass of water and clipboard.

Took me a minute to position myself right, but I managed to snag the clipboard and start reading.

There were two sheets on it, one with "D. Mays", and "Duvet" on another. I took a quick look at mine, seeing that the only injuries were a couple of bruised ribs, the cut on my arm, and the dislocated shoulder. Grinned at the field for Race, as they put "Earth Pony?" on it. Fuckers didn't know I had a condition.

"Duvet"'s sheet, on the other hand, made me frown. Internal bruising caused by... telekinesis, the massive cut on his leg, and the note detailing even worse injuries. No doubt caused by that bitch.

Whoever this bitch was that did this to him, I'd fucking end her.

I set the clipboard back down, took a sip of the water. Was interrupted halfway through by footsteps, and before I knew it a young mare in a nurse's uniform was standing by my bed.

Looked surprised to see me up. I looked her dead in the eye and chuckled. Then I got back into a prone position on the bed, rubbed my face, and waited for her to ask the obvious questions. Surprising there wasn't a guard right behind her, considering how lax security was to let... that happen.

Shit, let me eat my words right then. A guy in armor, electric blue hair on his head, white coat, blue eyes, and a tired look on his face walked in, sword on his belt. A purple shield crest marked him as someone of a higher rank, I think. He looked me right in the eye and smiled tiredly.

"I'll let the lovely nurse here ask you a couple questions," the guy said, sounding like a surfer dude. I honestly couldn't care less.

"Fire away, I ain't goin' anywhere," I grunted out.

Nurse looked at Cap, and the Cap nodded. She gulped, raising the clipboard and putting the pen to it. She asked the usual series of questions a nurse would ask. Sexual activity, drugs, alcohol, the like. I answered to the best of my ability, that being I avoided every question regarding who I was. Far as they would know, I was just one of these Earth Ponies with a condition.

Soon as the mare got done, she left the room. The captain, whatever his name was, sat on the stool the nurse once occupied.

He looked at me. "Usually, we let the investigative branch of the guard handle this. But, considering this happened in the castle, in the weeks leading up to my wedding, I've decided to take things into my own hooves. My name is Shining Armor, and I want to know exactly why you were found next to this stallion."

I chuckled. "I was in the right place at the right time."

"Alright. And what exactly were the conditions that resulted in this stallion's injuries?"

Bile went up the back of my throat. "Mare was wanting to have her way with him. Held him down with magic, and when I tried to stop her she cut his leg open."

Shining blanched, a scowl crossing his lips. "Did you stop her?"

"I did, if you couldn't tell. Broke her arm, most of her ribs, and I got a good description of her. Little shorter than me but bigger than than Duvet here, white coat, black mane, looked like one of those maids you'd see in a cheap porno. Odd enough, she was using magic without a horn."

Shining produced a notepad. "And what color was her magical aura?"

"Blue. She got glowing blue eyes. Don't think she was normal."

The captain nodded. "Now, explain to me why you were wandering the castle at night."

An internal wince. "Got a hard time sleeping in an unfamiliar place. have to walk to get the energy out of me. Like I said, right place at the right time."

Shining looked unsure, but smiled anyway. "Thank you for your cooperation, sir. And thank you for putting that tourniquet on Duvet. He'd not have survived without your help. I'm sure you understand that this is all a formality, and that ponies will consider you a hero."

I nodded. Then Shining stood up and left me to my own devices.