The Long road for love and life book one

Paul was still just getting over the shock of find out that he had the possibility of actually meeting a human then the air seemed to burn cold as if he was plunged in the breath of a Astronch an ice elemental monster, followed by a sensation of being in something awful which made his now pony fur stand up as the skin underneath felt like bugs were crawling all over it, his guards were about to ask what was wrong when he bolted leaving his bag behind him which carl picked up the bag an followed soya and steve as lone cloud shot off to find ivy and morris's group at speed.

as i pelted throw the street i had one memory burning in my mind of a city burning and a swearing oath to never allow such things again, i also found the vile sensation was like a compass pulling me towards it, i may have focused a bit too much and dropped my pony form, and i may of knocked a few ponies over....ok it was a lot more than a few but this was more important than pleasantries, i saw what one of those vile things could do, tear into ponies and changelings with eaz.

after scaring a few more of the town's inhabitants i skidded into a side street (or a back alley), as i rounded the corner i had no choice but to jump over Moonlight while i began to slowly charge my horn, and yes i did forget that i was not in my pony form otherwise i could of used my wings or just gallop up the sides of the buildings, after leaping over Moonlight and putting myself in front of a hoof which bounced off my chechen harmlessly, that is when the demonic looking pony spoke. "what is this before my eyes, it's a bug from the mountain of lies!! (demonic two toned laughter) welcome to my paler little fly!"

then the posets pony lunged at me, all i done was to grab her in a simple levitation spell when Moonlight who was still behind me spoke up "Paul don't hurt her, there is something wrong with her....it's just using her" this was then followed by my guards and some of the local guards appeared seeing Moonlight in distress with a changeling floating a pony in his magic and is probably going to heart said pony, honestly i was glad and thankful for Moonlight and my guards who bought me enough time to find the source of the possession on the disheveled aqua mare with now fiery eyes,

putting the mare into a spin was the easy part, trying to stop her flailing her limbs was not so easy but she or the thing controlling her mad it easier to locate a black round lump which had what appeared to be oranges glowing veins, with some quick work i dropped the spell and focused on removing the parasite, all the while hopping that their was still time to save the pony's life mind and soul, with a lot of cursing and words of profanity in ancient tong's, i managed to remove the parasite and the tendrils that it used to manipulate the magical field generated by the pony's access to the planet's energy or its life force.

after fully removing the foul thing and making sure it was quiet died by a fire spell, that was when morris and ivy turned up to see a blast of flame and a colapts pony, the rest of the events that transpired are blank to me as i was hit by a spell of some kind, all i felt was intense pain all over my body before i blacked out, when i eventually came to i noticed a strange sound, it was faint but every now and then i would hear a beep, followed by another one of a similar tone, then i noticed a strange soft but firm sensation along my left side and the feeling of something lighter on my right, i was as you can expect i was feeling quiet comfy and warm, i felt at peace until i started to remember what had happened to me.

when i opened my eyes i found myself in a strange bed with a stranger object which was making the sound, i noticed it was night as i could feel it in the air as a cool refreshing breeze, i noticed that my room had no windows to big to see out of or in, the air was coming from one of the two rectangle shaped windows which were close to the ceiling. i did try to move but i found myself unable to do anything but breath and blink, i must still be under the effects of that spell and if i am now in jail for helping a pony then so be it i thought, suddenly the room was bathed in a light which almost completely obscured my vision.

I did manage to move my head a little which was enough to get a reaction, as soon as i moved there was a sudden sound of hooves rushing over to my side then a strange female voice spoke up "you're safe Mr Paul, i don't know the details other than you were hit by a strong spell, you are currently in the lady of the sun hospital here in ponyville, now please try and get some rest, nurse Redheart will see you in the morning along with some important visitors" i am sure she said her name but the dream less sleep took hold of me once again.

when i came to the sun's rays wear streaming through the two window, i watched as the dust danced and swirled around as the breeze was coming through the opened window which from my current view was the one on the right all the while having that strange beeping for background ambiences(music).

A thought of shrinking down and escaping came into my mind which i ignored just as quickly, it was followed by a, you will be sorry feeling before everything went back to normal, i shooked my head to clear it, after a well deserved stretch i noticed that my crystals and the protective satchel wear missing, i almost panicked, but then i calmed down as i remembered that the pony's would give them back, after all this was a misunderstanding of some kind, i started to think more about what had happened and how i felt Moonlights pain at what happened to her friend, i was broken from this thought by the door opening and  i manage to turn round, still feeling stiff and a bit saw to see a brilliant White mare with a light Pink mane, she also had a hat that was White with a Red cross in the center, her eyes were a brilliant shade of Blue, that is when i twigged on about what that beeping was for a it sped up, i swear i went from black to almost red.

the mare after a quick chuckle, she spoke up. "well that's nomal for a male, but i am glad to hear that you have made a full recovery Mr Paul, that is good news, but since you are up i will first turn off the heart monitor then i will answer your questions, then i will tell you what will be happening" i swear this mare even tho she was calm and collective, she made me feel like i was being ordered by a general and her mannerisms and body language commanded the same respect, all i could manage was a node to show that i understood.

as she entered the room she closed the door behind her and proceeded towards the now known heart monitor, as she past me i noticed her name tag which read Red Heart : Head Matron. the rest contained the hospitals name and herbage number which i did not read out of respect, but i did see her cutie mark which had the same red cross as the one on her hat but it had four pink hearts one in each corner of her red cross.

I was musing over how she could of got her cutie mark when she cleared her throat "and in case you are wondering i got my cutie mark from helping a friend who had injured himself while we were on a trip with our school, and everyone asks me the same question who don't come from ponyville and it is mainly non pony patients who ask me that one as well" wow this ponys been around a very long time in the medical services, like a very scary long time as in, i feel sorry for anyone who would try and mess with this pony as i bet she could take you down with one presicce blow, mental note to self don't upset this pony.

"well miss Red Heart, i was wondering about a lot of things but here are my main concerns Ma'am, my first one would be about my loc-love crystals as they can become unstable if not cared for properly, second pleas tell me i was in time to save Moonlight's friend and lastly, how much trouble am i in?"

Now Red Heart had seen and heard a lot in her time, but this was the first time that she found herself speechless to a patient's questions, and to have it asked with such honesty and conviction from a changeling no less, well it was unheard of. The simple fact that this conversation was happening was enguth to give her pause for thourt, after all she and her team had to help the injured pony's and out of respect of her orth the changelings as well, even tho they did their best to save them all of them perished, the longest survivor from the attack on canterlot passed away a month later, her team tried everything they could but nothing seemed to help her changeling patents as the will to live was simply not their, unlike the one in front of her in fact not even a pony should of been up and about like he was after being hit by a spell like he was, infact it should've left him on death's doorstep as it was a spell used in war.

"you know something Paul, i have never met anypony like you before, and i can only answer one of your questions, with a bit of information, you have been in a stable condition for a week but have been unresponsive to outside stimuli, and your friends will be seeing you soon even tho i told them not to expect much in the way of conversation, infact i want to know how you are alive let alone able to walk and talk, you are not even connected to you'er Queen as all the changelings that we tried to save after the canterlot attack died after every thing me and my team tried to do to save them" Red Heart's eyes began to fill with the pain that she felt at the fact she could not save them.

the pain that she felt was like an ice cold dagger welded by death itself, each and every tear burned with the fury and passion of a parent who knows loss as she quite obviously throw herself into her work with all of her heart, and it was most likely why i was not abslutly famish as the emotions were freely given.

i could not just stand there as she was quite upset, so i put my hoof on her shoulder to support her. "thank you miss Red Heart, i want you to know that you and your team have done a great job by just simply caring about me, and in doing so you have manage to keep me in good health and also well fed with your emotions that were freely given, i do not think i can ever repay you or your team but if i can do anything to repay you please just let me know, and i am sorry but i do not think the changelings you tried to save could've survived too long anyway if my theory is correct, but i would need more information first, as they are many things that could do that to a few or an entire hive such as, their Queen is or was actively taking control of their minds most likely from hatching, so if they were controlled from a young age they can not develop properly and basicly will not be able to talk unless they are in their disguise, which is a very sad sounding life, altho their are many other such that can do the same as fungus parasites and even spells and disease."

thankfully this stopped the torrent of emotion enguth for her to collect herself.

"I am sorry about that, it is not professional of me" she said more to herself then to me. "well miss Red Heart if you did not care for your patents as much as you do i would probably be on the edge of starvation, and it also speaks volumes about you and your team, your patients should feel very lucky to be under your tentative care, i know i do ma'am, but could i ask one more question please?" Red Heart who was feeling better at the changelings kind words noded, still not letting go of all of her emotions as per her training but he did help her to regain her level head so he can't be one of the bad ones could he? or was he just messing with her? She thought to herself.

"from what you told me i am to be getting a visitor or two later, may i ask who they are please?" just as he said that their was a knock at the door which also gave the impression of a prison cell with it being painted white cream like the walls of the room, "come in it is open" Red Heart shouted with some reverberation from the bare walls.

the door opened and in stepped two guards clad in golden armor, who still facing forwards silently and unblinking took a step to the side of the door so each of them covered the sides, that is when a pony wearing something on his head took three steps into the room before bellowing "HER MADGESTY PRINCESS CELESTIA" now i do not wish ill on any pony but that hurt my head and as such i was temporarily deaf and i had my eyes closed wincing in pain, i was about to ask what his problem was when i opened my eyes and saw a brilliant white and tall mare with a flowing multi colored maine she also had a long hoen and by her sides where wings, i was glad that i just manage to open my mouth with a halfe silent word upon my lips as i bowed before her.

I manage to shut my mouth and promptly bowed before the princess of the sun.

"you may ries Paul, (which i promptly did not saying a word) I have heard a lot about you from my sister and also from my little pony's, but before we continue i must ask you do you hold anything against my pony's for you being here?" the princess said in an inquisitive tone of voice. "I must say no to that Princess, as to tell you the truth, i would most likely of done the same thing, but is Moonlight and her friend safe? did i manage to save her friend from that parasites control or was i to late?" i asked trying my hardest not to sound like a crazy frantic changeling, all the while also trying to fight back my own tears of desperation and trepidation.

the princess seemed taken aback by my response for a second before she spoke again. "well my sister was right about you, and yes you did manage to save Lilly's life and she is on her way to making a full recovery, and i believe there are some ponies that wish to meet you, that is if nurse Red Heart is happy with discharging you?" nurse Redheart was finding this quite flattering as she knew that the princess was more than able to discharge the changeling herself, but she was as always quite happy for the princess of the sun allowed her to keep her own authority in this matter, after all that is just one of the reasons why the ponies of Equestria love there princess of the sun and the princess of the moon.

"well apart from being freakishly able to heal himself quickly somehow with very little emotions, i would say he is a healthy typical stallion in his late 20s but it's hard to tell for sure as i have not really had such an opportunity to interact with a changeling before he came here, in fact i feel like asking the one responsible for him coming here in the first place to come in for a full physical and that is in my medical opinion, other than that he is free to go."

nurse Redheart said with an amused smile as the changeling looked embarrassed at the typical stallion references, and the princess was more than quick to smirk at the same references with a knowing smile of her own. "well my little pony that's good to know and i will get the pony responsible to report directly to you once we have clarified the situation, and i am sorry my little pony for not going into more detail but this matter is ongoing." the princess said with a bow of her head before continuing. "now i believe we have taken up enough of your valuable time Miss Red Heart, so if Paul has anything to add before we go?" the princess said in her warm cherry tone.

i noded my head and said my thanks and my gratachud at the hospitality i had received, afterwards the princess and i left the room behind us as we walked through the long maze of corridors of the hospital which had a stranges sent of its own which was a mix of smell beast left undiscovered if found separately, "Erm Princess Celestia i must ask how did i end up in hospital, that is if you can answer that one, that is to say if it will not impede any current investigation as i do not wish to seem disrespectful in any way, and if i come across as such then i more than apologies princess." "all in good time my little pony (the princess stopped what she was saying and had a chuckle at her mistake) sorry Paul but i am not so used to haven pleasantries with some pony....i mean some body such as yourself, but rest assured all your questions will be answered as i have many to ask myself."