An Echo of What Once Was

“Get away from me!” Tony shouted as he shot up to a seated position, his bandaged body covered in sweat and shaking slightly, the heart monitor was going a crazy as the man look around the white room he was In. It took him a few minutes to get his heart rate down before he actually noticed that a familiar Changeling Queen was looking at him half asleep with a worried and shocked expression on her face, as she had been sleeping next to the bed with her head on his chest and had been rudely awoken by his outburst.

“Tony” She muttered quietly as the man looked down at his right arm before grabbing the wrist with his left hand.

“it's fucking real… it wasn't a fucking nightmare…” He said to himself, anger prominent in his voice as he began to squeeze his right wrist. “Twenty fucking years” He growled as he shook only to be caught off guard when the Changeling climbed onto the bed and wrapped herself around him, burying his head in her bust while stroking his hair gently.

“Shush, no one blames you for vanishing, Mr Xao and Mr Ming explained it all and as much as the girls and I wanted to rip Xao apart for kidnapping you in a sense… you would have died from your injuries” She said in a soothing way as she pried his right arm from his grip before holding his hand.

“B-but twenty years… I haven't aged at all” He stated with a short sob.

“Yes I know, it means you have plenty to catch up on, but just know that there is several mares… I mean women who are very anxious to see you” Chrys whispered to him as she nuzzled his head.

“B-but… Cadance remarried and Amber…” He started only to have Chrysalis remove his head from her chest and place a finger on his lips.

“Yes Cadance remarried and did her best to forget about you… which I really disagree about but Amber was needed in Dragonsreach and is actually on her way to Sanctuary… well she was when we informed her when you first came in” Chrys explained as she leveled her face with his.

“But… I don't know what to do about any of this… it has been so fucking long and I… I am…” Tony started but stopped as he looked away from his old lover.

“You are nervous, yes I know but you have Lucy, Moon, Molly, Amber, Mayli, Luna, Tia, Elise, Amanda, Cloud, Sweetie and myself who are here to help you get everything back the way it should be” She explained to her long lost mate as she gently turned his face to meet her gaze before giving him a slight kiss on his lips. “We have so much lost time to make up for” She added.

Before Tony could reply, the door of the room burst open and Doctor Stripe came in with a small bag only to relax when he saw the situation. “Sorry, I would have been here sooner but Lady Lucy was interrogating me again” He grumbled as he walked over to the bed.

“T-that is fine but why were you coming here?” Tony questioned.

“Your heart rate spiked and with what happened to you… I have been instructed by the Queen to keep you under careful observation.” He said as he ran basic checks on Tony.

“The Queen?” Tony asked.

“Oh that is right, Sweetheart became an Alicorn… well Nightmare made her one, which really pissed off Celestia and Cadance but yea, and seeing as she was engaged to you before… well you know, the populace just started calling her the Queen instead of Princess and well it stuck… She is still technically a Princess but eh” Chrysalis explained with a shrug.

“Right… um also any idea on what the fuck was that Dragon’s problem?” Tony asked as the room went quiet.

“We were hoping you could tell us seeing as you were in the pit… we couldn't examine the pit probably due to it collapsing in on itself as we got there” Chrys stated.

“Oh… okay, so how long am I stuck in hospital?” Tony asked the Zebra.

“Well if I had my way, a good few weeks… but knowing you and your partners, that won't happen so you can go if you can walk… that fair enough?” Stripe asked as Tony nodded before Chrys climbed off the bed and helped him out of bed. At first he collapsed against the Changeling but with a little encouragement from the Zebra Stallion and Chrys, he was stable on his feet.

“Okay cool… um can i have a shower?” He asked Stripe, who smiled and pointed to a small bathroom in the corner. “Thanks… ah shit I don't have a razor or any clo…” He started only for Chrys to pointed to a small rucksack by the bathroom. “How did I miss that?” he muttered.

“Oh and I recommend not removing that necklace as it is a special kind of painkiller” Stripe stated.

“What? How and why is it a painkiller?” Tony asked.

“Well it is a Zebra creation, the hospital has several enchantments on it that not only increase the speed of healing but with these Necklaces, it sort of works with the patient's nervous system to figure out the amount of pain they are in and negates it” Stripe explained.

“And how does one know when they are not in pain or in a manageable amount?” Tony inquired.

“There are four gems on the necklace that glow, the more gems that are glowing, the worse the pain… this was actually first implemented just after the Caribou war and help dramatically with all the wounded” Stripe explained further.

“Oh cool, where did you even get the idea?” Tony asked him.

“I believe it was thought up by Abigail” Stripe said as he watched Tony walk over to the bathroom.

“Oh I guess that makes some sense, um I'm gonna clean myself up now… Chrys, Stripe please don't tell the girls I'm up… I don't want to be murdered with affection” He explained as he entered the bathroom.

“You're going to tell them aren't you?” Stripe asked.

“Of course” She stated with a smirk as the two left the room.

As Tony stripped the smock like garb from his body, he quickly removed the bandages only to gifted with the sight of heavy bruising around the area he was bitten. With care he removed the necklace and immediately fell to his knees in agony, his chest felt as if someone had forced a chainsaw inside of him, his left arm throbbed like it had been shot, along an invisible curved line on his chest and back was a horrific stabbing pain and his head burnt like nothing else.

“S-shit… fuck me” He growled as he used the sink to pull himself to his feet while he panted from the pain. “Come on Tony, get accustom to it… this is gonna be the normal for a while” He said to his reflection while panting, after a few moments it seemed to become more manageable so he took a deep breath and ran the shower. “So… I guess I have to find that prick and deal with him so he doesn't. .. doesn't cause too much devastation” He muttered as he stood under the hot water. The water ran over his form, making the man give a sigh of relief as he felt his muscles loosen, which never got a proper chance to after waking up in the cocoon. The pain seemed to lessen aa the muscles loosened also which drew a happy sigh from the man.

“Oh shit” A voice said from behind him which Tony just stayed quiet while facing the wall. “That thing really did a number on you” the voice said as Tony did his best to place his finger on the voice, though it didn't take long for his attention to be taken away from that as he heard the sound of a zipper coming undone before feeling someone place their hands on his back. “You weren't supposed to take the necklace off” The female voice stated with concern.

“It would not help as I am planning to exit the hospital today, and if it only works inside it well… I didn't want to collapse to my knees and make people worried” He replied as he felt gentle scaled hands explore his back.

“Was it that bad?” She asked him, failing to hide her worry when she spoke.

“Sorta, I guess most was probably my stiffened muscles from cryo sleep and getting cocooned… it is better now after warming them” He explained as ne felt a scaled muzzle give the right side of his neck a kiss while a pair of green scaled arms wrapped around him.

“I missed you Tony” She stated with a slight sniffle.

“I'm sorry Amber, I didn't mean nor want any of this shit to happen” he said as he placed a hand on one of the dragoness’ hands.

“I know sweetie, we have so much time to make up for… but unfortunately seeing your current condition, I believe sex is out of the question” Amber stated with slight disappointment.

“Yea but there are other things… anyway I best finish up for everyone else joins us” He chuckled before he watched her hands grab a bottle of body wash and pour some on his back, causing him to shiver for a moment.

“No I think I'll wash you, as it will be quicker and less painful for you” Amber said as she massaged the liquid into his bruised back.

“You just want to feel me up” Tony stated with a chuckle, that Amber soon shared.

“Never said I wouldn't” She giggled. After several minutes of showering, They stepped out of the shower to dry themselves, although Amber placed her hand on Tony’s chin and quickly inspected him. “You have barely aged” She said quietly before kissing him softly.

“That is Cryo for you” Tony said with a chuckle as he knelt down and opened the rucksack with his clothes in it.

“Oh and Cadance is in the other room… she isn't happy either” Amber said as she redressed herself.

“Cadance? What is she doing here?” Tony questioned as he dressed himself carefully.

“She came down with her partner for the friendship games and was at the house visiting everyone when Mayli burst in and shouted that you were alive and in surgery. .. and you can kind of guess how they reacted” Amber said before helping Tony with his top. “Well at least that is what I was told.” She added.

“Okay, um I think I can guess why she isn't happy” He said to the dragoness.

“Yea so can I but I think she wants to talk to you in private” Amber said as the two exited the bathroom to see a pink alicorn, roughly the same size as Celestia with a flowing multicolored mane, she was reading Tony’s medical chart from the end of his bed before looking up and frowning at the man. “Well I best leave you two alone” Amber said before quickly making her exit.

Once she was out, Cadance’s horn glowed for a moment before she placed the chart down. “Hey Ca…”Tony started only to stop when the Mare raised her hoof to silence him.

“Is that all you have to say? Hi? After what you did… a simple hi?” She asked with a glare.

“What I did? I went off to stop some horny old bastard from turning every woman into his fuck toy” Tony replied as Cadance shook her head.

“That is not what I am talking about… I am talking about your little scheme to run off” She said to him, causing the man to be taken back in shock. “We were all told that Mr Xao made a deal with you to ‘save’ the world and in doing so he ‘banished’ you… but you know what I think?” She asked as she got off the bed. “I think you were planning this all along, because you had a reason to run away so you worked with Mr Xao to do so… only to come back twenty years later when our… my foals are all grown up, and have everypony fall head over heals with some sob story about being kidnapped well I don't bucking by it, you were just too much of a bastard to be a father and I honestly thought be…” Cadance shouted at him before Tony grabbed her muzzle to shut her up, the act caught the mare off guard and the look of anger and hurt on his face caused her ears to flatten against her head.

“Are you serious? Are you god damn fucking serious?” he asked her before letting go of her muzzle. “Why the fuck would I leave my heavily pregnant wife… who I fucking loved, behind thinking that I died? Do you really think that low of me?!” He shouted back at her, his voice dripping with venom. “Ever since I took you in when Shining had been abusing you, I cared about you and when we started going out… I swore to myself that I would never, even if it fucking killed me, hurt you… if I really didn't want to be a fucking father then I would never of fucking married you!” He shouted louder as the mare took a step back.

“Bu-but…” Cadance tried to cut in her earlier anger was gone, but Tony cut her off.

“And you thought I was working together with the… thing that fucking murdered my father in front of me to prove a fucking point to me, really? The thing that butchered hundreds or maybe even thousands of humans because he didn't like them… how the ever loving fuck did it get in your head that I would willingly work with someone like that to do something so fucking petty?” He roared at her before taking a moment to breath and think what he was trying to say. “These relationships are supposed to be about trust and love… but I guess you didn't have enough to make it work.” He said to her, not even looking at her as he grabbed the rucksack and walked towards the exit.

“T-tony?” Cadance asked in an attempt to stop him “Please I just thou…”

“Don't even try to justify yourself to me right now, I have to fucking figure out how to save what little remains of my relationships after being gone for so long, and you the first thing I thought when I returned to this world because a very little amount of time had seemingly passed for me?” He asked her.

“W-what?” the alicorn asked.

“I can't wait to see Cadance again and show her I love her”He said to her before exiting the room.