A small clump of dust drifted down from the ceiling of Sugarcube Corner that had been sent airborne by a gentle puff of wind from a blue mare's wing below. It's genesis (if you could call it that) had once been a microscopic, solitary dust mite that flew in on the breeze one afternoon from outside, helplessly thrown about by the currents of air on it's quest to becoming what every mite dreams to be a part of one day... a Dust Bunny.

When the invisible mite had been pushed into Sugarcube Corner some time ago by a windstorm and was caught in the updraft of the warmed air of the interior, it had thought it's life was over. Dust mites needed significant airflow to clump together naturally in order to form first the small clumps and then advance to the large bunnies they hoped to be a part of. But up in the rafters where it had landed, there was never a breeze at all.

No... I can become more than this! the solitary mite had defiantly thought, and then took the extraordinary measure of actually trying to communicate with the other mites around it. It took several years for them to develop the process of dialog and eventually an agreement was formed between all of the microscopic mites at forty-seven inches in from the north end on the first rafter near the door of Sugarcube Corner.... an agreement to form a clump.

For the first time in the history of the known universe, dust mites had joined together of their own free will instead of blind chance and in the scope of sentient beings, this was a monumental advancement of their kind, equivalent to the evolution of any known major species and worthy of going down in the annals of science for all future generations to see.

The clump grew, adding one mite at a time until it was finally visible to the naked eye. Inside the grey mass they had quickly developed an advanced society with laws, education, transportation and were making major breakthroughs with the use of science and technology at an unprecedented rate.

There was no war, conflict or disharmony... all were united in a common goal of advancing their society and willing to do whatever it took to do so happily. At the center of it all was that very first mite who had dared to challenge the understanding of how the world worked and was now hailed as the hero of their kind, complete with statues and monuments erected in his honor at the gathering centers of the major cities.

When the clump was dislodged by a wing beat from Rainbow Dash and began its terminal drift down towards the group of officers below, the mites inside were blissfully unaware of their impending doom. Gravity and orientation meant nothing to them as they had already created their own complex internal environmental control system capable of completely isolating it from the outside world.

Of course they did not hear Applejack pleading for Twilight to get out of the way. Nor did they hear the panicked summons from Fluttershy for the innocent bystanders to follow her out the back door behind the counter to safety. No... the dust mites inside the clump from forty-seven inches in from the north end on the first rafter near the door of Sugarcube Corner who had advanced their civilization well beyond any Pony, Pegasus, Unicorn, Human or Dolphin* accomplishments were content. Satisfied in their understanding that the technology they had developed would keep them completely safe from any threat they could possibly dream of.

So imagine their surprise when the clump landed on an officer's snout, causing him to sneeze violently and blow their entire civilization to pieces. In the blink of an eye they were gone, ending any chance of the larger world around them ever knowing about their amazing story... forever.

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"Whaaa-choo!"

We were all so tensed that a single sneeze started the melee that ended with me suffering in the agony of the unknown for hours. It all happened so fast that it wasn't until I found myself with nothing to do but think that I pieced together everything that happened.

Rainbow Dash shot forward when the guard sneezed. She was already coiled like a snake and the loud noise was all it took for her to trigger off a violent kick to the unfortunate officer's helmet, sending him reeling and blind from the dented metal that now covered his eyes.

We charged them, following Dash's lead and soon found ourselves locked in a pitched battle that spanned the entire floor space of the sweets shop. Rarity had somehow ended up beside me as soon as I'd exhausted my first flying kick to the leader's head, missing and landing a glancing blow to his shoulder that slid harmlessly off his armor. I never had time to gain my wings again and the large, bulky officers knew better than to fly in such tight quarters.

His large red hoof swung at me and it connected solidly with my shoulder, sending me in an awkward, off balance dance to the right. I caught Applejack out of the corner of my eye bucking another officer squarely in the chest with a powerful blow that sent him flying into the heavy display case of the store, collapsing it in a heap and sending heavy chunks of wood and glass flying everywhere. I heard a scream, but was immediately clobbered on the head by another hoof, sending my vision into swirling doubles of shiny armor everywhere.

It was Rarity who saved me, her magic taking up a piece of the broken case and sending it at a bullet's speed towards the advancing officer. It connected solidly with his helmet, knocking it off of his head and tearing a chunk of his ear out along with it. He bellowed in pain and rage, turning towards the white unicorn who was now back pedaling, searching for more ammunition.

He charged, screaming at her and just moments before his body connected with Rarity's in a collision that would have sent her flying, Wilson appeared at a dead run out of nowhere, slamming into the officer in a blind sided body check of his own that sent him sailing into the far wall with a crunch. Rarity and Wilson exchanged a look, but that was all I saw before something else caught my eye on the floor.

A chunk of the display case had landed here that looked like the perfect sized club and I grabbed it up quickly. Armed now with something only a being with opposable thumbs could appreciate, I went on the deadly offensive. This was my third fight with ponies and I'd learned that they couldn't really hit hard unless you were at a big disadvantage where they could add their weight to the blow. Their bites were dangerous and if they had momentum they could knock you silly... but their heads couldn't take a hit. They were just poorly designed for melee.

My eyes cast around for somepony to engage and I watched with amusement briefly as Pinkie Pie sat on the back of a flattened officer beating her hooves against the top of his helmeted head in rage, yelling "How's this for a party!!"

Rainbow Dash was locked in a ground battle with an officer on the other side of the room. They were both standing upright and leaning against each other, gritting their teeth in a stare down of physical willpower with locked hooves. The officer's superior weight was winning and Dash's face fell when her rear hoof slipped on the wood surface below, causing her to buckle backwards and I heard him give a grunt of triumph as she crashed to the ground below him. He reared up to deliver a crushing blow to the dazed pegasus but the poor bastard never saw me coming. He collapsed next to Dash before he struck from a hard blow to the back of his helmeted head that rang out dully like a broken bell.

I helped Dash quickly to her hooves and then we turned with our backs to each other. I shot the club out in a low, sweeping arc to knock the rear hooves out from under another officer Pinkie and Applejack were battling with nearby, giving them the advantage immediately and laughed along with Dash at him before a thrown hoof from one of the last remaining combatants caused her to duck.

I turned to help her, but then I saw something that sent me into a blind rage. The leader of the group had Scootaloo on his back, blood matted her purple mane and orange coat in ugly red streaks. She wasn't moving at all as he used his hoof to shove Rarity out of the way from behind while she and Wilson double teamed the officer they were still fighting with.

I charged at him, barely aware that I was screaming but was suddenly brought short by a blow to the face from a hoof I never saw coming. Pain blossomed in my nose in a warm flood of coppery blood that filled my mouth. My vision doubled again but this time I couldn't be bothered with it. The new officer who hit me took a step back when I didn't fall and mouthed a silent word that I didn't quite catch... nor did I care to ask him what it was. All I knew is I had to get him out of my way in a hurry before the leader escaped with Scootaloo.

We were too close to swing the club properly so I quickly switched it to my left hand. My new strength from all the days of farm work served me well and for the first time in my life, I swung a fist hard, fast and true that connected solidly the officer's face on his exposed jaw. His head snapped back and he reeled, barely managing to stay on his hooves. The officer came back with a lunging, clumsy bite at my upper arm that was slowed by the blow to his head and was easily dodged. But it had given me enough time... enough time to take a step back and put the club back in my strong arm to swing away at the shiny helmeted head. Seconds later, I was stepping over his collapsed form towards the fleeing leader who was pushing past a vacant eyed and unmoving Twilight standing untouched in the middle of the melee.

Now he had to get through me.

Our eyes locked together, blood ran from my nose that I licked with savage lust in anticipation of watching him suffer for whatever the fuck he'd done to Scootaloo. But the leader didn't charge me, in fact his eyes were bulging from fear as he saw his troop was quickly reduced to only himself and one other who was quickly overpowered by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Raising the club, I charged at him silently with the full intent of bashing his skull in... but I only managed to take the first step before something held my entire body in a cold grip, causing me to freeze in mid stride.

"That... is... ENOUGH!" Twilight seethed behind the leader, her horn glowing red. "Leave us...." she growled at him.

Twilight's horn cut off and I dropped to my knees from the sudden pull that gravity had on me again. The same effect on the leader is what caused Scootaloo's limp form to slide from his back, landing on her side in a thud that captured everypony's attention in the sudden silence.

"Scoot!" I cried, scrabbling to her side and turning her over. She didn't feel right... something about the way her body moved felt like it was disjointed or something. Panic flooded my mind as I brushed her bloody mane back, looking for the source of the red flow.

"P-Please..." I heard the leader's voice come from beside me. "We- We were only doing our job... I was trying to help her. The case... she was caught underneath it when it fell."

"No..." I whispered, hearing the officers words but not caring. "...Open your eyes... for fucks sake, Puffball. Wake up..." her face doubled, then tripled in the tears that filled my eyes. I was dimly aware I could feel her shallow breathing but the broken, limp way her body felt in my arms was driving me insane. When my eyes scanned down her body looking for signs of injury, my heart froze and I felt the world tilt crazily in my head.

I hitched in a deep breath and screamed in anguish at the deep red gash on her stomach... deep enough to see well inside the skin that was bleeding and before I lost my sanity completely at the sight of her blood... I shut my eyes and yelled for the only pony that came to mind who could help. The desperate, shattered quality of my voice in the quiet interior only drove me further into madness.

"TWILIGHT!"

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The waiting room floor below the seat I was in was slate gray. The hard, smooth surface looked like stone... but wasn't, given the texture it had and the way it felt when you walked on it. I'd had what seemed like several hours so far to study its composition as I sat in the hard plastic yellow chair that was never designed for a human's ass. You'd think they'd make hospital chairs more comfortable given the amount of time you had to sit in them, I thought irritably. My leg wouldn't stop twitching either... bouncing up and down for some reason as if it too had a mind of its own mind that was consumed with worry about Scootaloo and the growing baby inside her.

I don't know how long exactly we'd been here since the panicked flight Rainbow Dash and I took to get Scoots here from Sugarcube Corner. I don't even know what happened with all the officers or what was going to become of us for basically kicking the crap out of what amounted to law enforcement here. In truth, I didn't care. I just wanted answers about the only two things in the world that mattered to me right now.

News had been slow to come by so far. Twilight had managed to seal her wounds before we left but there was internal damage presumably caused by the heavy display case that she had been crushed under when that officer was thrown against it. Dash and I had rushed her to the hospital while the rest stayed behind to deal with the mess until they could join us later.

But we'd only seen Doctor Goodhoof once since she'd been whisked away, he'd told us then that she needed surgery to repair her wing and she'd broken several ribs at least.. probably her front shoulder bone as well. When I'd asked him about the baby... his only reply was that they were still checking on it. Because it was barely a couple cycles old, it was hard to tell without extensive testing.

Dash sat beside me, chewing on her hoof nervously and was no better off than I when it came to being calm or collected. We'd comforted each other as much as we could, but after so long... you only wanted to be left alone in the silence your ears heard, but never quite reached the thoughts in your head. It was after another anxiety filled wait since the last time I saw the doctor, spent with my head in my hands, that I felt a muzzle press against my arm. When I looked up, it was Apple Bloom's tear stained face that looked back at me.

"Anythin'? her small voice asked hopefully.

"No.. What are you doing here?" I asked her as I pulled her into a tight hug, grateful for her presence.

"Applejack sent me here ta check up on ya'll. Things were getting mighty ugly again back at Sugarcube Corner but I think Twilight'l straighten it out. She sent a letter to Celestia and she's on her way now."

"Oh.."

There really wasn't much to say after that and while I was happy to have her here, I also didn't feel like talking anymore. I think she sensed it and the red head moved away to the blue seats across the isle from me, sitting there miserably, looking at the door behind and to my right that went deeper into the hospital where Scootaloo was. Her face was filled with a strange recognition mixed with fear that I barely paused to consider.

My mind was shattered and for no specific reason at all other than the overwhelming fear of Scootaloo and our baby... I began to cry again, dropping my head into my hands where it had already been several times since I got here. Tears dropped from my nose and landed on the same spot where they'd been falling off and on like a broken rainstorm that never quite had a chance to dry between showers.

Time dragged on.

My fucking leg wouldn't stop bouncing.

The sound of the door being pushed open brought me to my feet instantly and I was speaking before I even knew who was there.

"Are they OK?" I said quickly, moving to him and grabbing him by the lapels of his open lab coat. He wasn't getting away from me this time.. not without answers. I stared into his light blue eyes desperately...

"Scootaloo and the baby will be fine." he smiled.

Relief washed over me so powerful that my legs buckled. My hands wouldn't release their grip on his coat however, and they held their grasp, sliding down with me as I dropped to my knees in front of him on that strange, gray floor.

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Hospital rooms were usually depressing places and this one was no exception. A single light glowed above her head casting a sickly pallor over her face with unnatural shadows surrounded by equipment that occasionally beeped and whirled. She was still asleep when they allowed me to go back and see her and I felt sick to my stomach at the sight of such a carefree and happy soul stuck in the shape she was in through no fault of her own. My mind kept replaying the love we had made just hours ago and how as we lay on the cloud together, her ending up like this was the last thing either of us could ever expect.

There was a white sheet draped over her body that only covered from the belly down, revealing a heavy bandage wrapped tightly around her midsection. Blood still matted her disheveled mane and stuck in spots on her coat that served as a grim reminder of the now invisible wounds she had suffered that had already been taken care of.

But she looked peaceful.

"Scoot...?" I whispered as I came to the bedside to put a hand on her soft belly just below the bandage. I was so happy to see her again and to know that everything was going to be alright that I cried for a record breaking time that day. I stood there, bawling openly with no reservations, finally feeling the release of anxiety I had needed so badly take hold while closing my eyes at the sensation of relief. They were both going to be OK.

It was Rainbow Dash who leaned against my side with her head bent slightly around my stomach in the kind of hug that only a pony could give.

Author's Note

* - Yes... Dolphins. Bonus points if anypony catches the reference.