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.
---
