Moonlight Trails

I wake up in the middle of the night to hear my phone ringing. I looked down at Moonlight who hasn't budged, but still had the same smile on her face as before. I look over on my desk to see that the light coming from my phone. I reach over and grab it, bringing it up to me, the light almost blinding me. "Hello?" I whisper out, not to wake Moonlight.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" My boss screamed out from the other end of the line.

"Today's my day off, isn't it?" I asked, doing my best to play stupid.

"Is it?" My boss asked, actually confused himself. "Gah, dammit, hold on." He said before the sound of paper moving around filled the silence on the other end of the line until I heard him groan out. "No, it's scheduled for you to work tonight. You need to hurry up and get there." He said, a lot more calm.

I gave a defeated sigh "Ok, give me about 10 minutes and I'll be there." I said before hanging up the phone. I looked down at Moonlight to see that she still hasn't budged. I slowly began to sit up, gently moving her off of me and onto the other side of the bed before I finally managed to get up.

As I roamed around the room, trying to find my uniform, I felt a tug at my wing. "What's wrong?" I heard her ask in an exhausted tone.

I look behind me to see her hand still grasping my wing. "My boss called me and told me to get to work." I said while getting dressed.

She let go of my wing before grabbing the blankets and covering herself up. "You could have told him that you were working for Mother." She said in an exhausted tone under the blanket.

I chuckled softly and shook my head. "That probably wouldn't be that good of an idea, sweetie." I said, sitting down on the edge of the bed to lace up my boots.

I felt her sit up to rest her chin on my shoulder, hugging me from behind. "Sweetie?" She asked in a teasing manner.

I blushed softly and looked over at her. "Wait, I can't give you any cute nicknames?" I asked, teasing back.

She smirked and kissed my cheek. "I guess you can, but I need to come up with one for you." She said before nuzzling into me. "Maybe I can do that while you're at work." She said before laying back down, using her magic to turn on the lights for me.

I leaned over the bed to give the top of her head a gentle kiss. "I'll see you when I get back home." I said before turning to leave.

She nodded softly before pulling the blankets over her head. "Be careful out there." She said in a concerned voice before cutting of the lights as I made my way down stairs.

As I arrived at the Cart Lot, I saw my boss standing there. "Hey Smokey, what happened?" He asked, mildly annoyed at me.

I walked inside after locking the gate and door behind me. "I just simply thought that today was my day off. I just got my days mixed up is all." I said, making up an excuse.

"Well, you never do that, so I'm letting you off with a warning this time. Just please don't do that again." My boss pleaded. "My boss told me that you're up for promotion and everything is looking good for you. She is upset though because of this little incident, but I managed to save your butt." He said, looking up at me.

"I appreciate it Boss." I said, kind of excited to hear that my chance for a promotion is coming up.

"Well, you deserve it. Not many others that can rank up in several short months." He said with a smile. He then looked around. "I've already gotten the three major lots for you. You only got the four smaller lots to do. Be careful though, I've been hearing the wildlife up in the wood line again." He said before walking out the door and into his own cart.

I waited for him to leave before sitting down at my usual place. My head being held up by my hand as I watched the lot. Of course, nothings going on, random carts occasionally passing by. I gave an annoyed sigh and reached into my pockets and leaned back in my chair. "So bored!" I called out to myself. "Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored Bored. Oh so bored." I sung out to myself.

After thirty minutes passed, I heard my phone go off. I pull it out of my pocket to see Moonlight messaging me. "When are you coming home?" She asked in her message.

"Here in about an few hours."

"Awww."

"I'll come straight home after work."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now go on and get some sleep. I'll be home when you wake up."

"O'kay :)" She replied.

I chuckled to myself and slid my phone back into my pocket. I felt a smile on my face that stayed there for a while before the realization of my boring job came back into play.

I laid my head on the desk in front of me on top of my crossed arms. "I guess I ought to go and do a couple of rounds." I said to myself, pulling my flash light out from it's casing.

I step back outside and begun to fly around the cart lot, trying to see if there was anypony on any of them or see if anything was damaged. Of course nothing was damaged. Only time ponies come here is if they're going by.

I landed and stretched out, yawning softly. "Well, at least this is the worst of it." I said to myself, going to each cart, inspecting them closely and making sure that they're all locked up on the lots.

A few minutes passed before my ears sprung up as I heard a low growl in the wood line. I looked over to see nothing, but kept hearing something moving around in the forest line. "For the love of... Get the hell out of there!" I yelled out, thinking that it was probably the local stallions just trying to play a prank on me.

I walk up to the wood line to inspect it closer. There was something there alright. Not a stallion, but a manticore towering over me. I stepped back, terrified to move at first. "Good kitty." I said in a terrified tone. Slowly moving back and away from it with it slowly following my every move.

Come on Smokey, think of something! Bigger, make yourself look bigger! I spread my wings out, my wing span spreading out further than the Manticore. It backed away a bit upon me doing this, but quickly saw through me.

I look around and notice that the ground was dry and mostly dusty. I began to flap my wings, slinging up as much dust as I can, blinding the beast and buying me enough time to fly away and back into the main office.

I grabbed my phone and called my boss back. "All patrols are cancelled tonight. I almost got attacked by a manticore." I said, my nerves on end.

"That's what I was afraid of. Everypony thought he was gone, but apparently not." He said with a defeated sigh. "Alright, lock yourself away and don't make any noise." He requested.

"Is there any chance of that thing coming in here?" I asked.

"There is, but you should be safe. Just don't make a lot of noise. I gotta make a call." He said before hanging up the phone.

Oh great! I'm at risk of being killed by a bloodthirsty beast. I begin to look around the inside of the office, trying to find something to put together for some defense. A few minutes pass as the only thing I was able to come up with is a make shift club out of pieces of wood and stone. I look like a damn caveman with this thing.

I stood at the door, my ear tightly pressed against to try and hear what was on the outside. Foot steps, four of them. That thing was walking around trying to find me. I heard a low growl in front of the door before I felt it smack hard against my head, sending me flying back.

It was inside the office. I laid there for a second, trying to gather my bearing, but only felt primal anger and rage. "Smash..." I growled out to myself, in a blood thirsty growl as I picked myself off the ground. "Smash!" I said louder. "BEARDMAN SMASH!" I finally cried out, lunging forward at it, putting everything I had into the club as I swung it.

I heard a sickening thud as I felt the club connect, cracks soon to follow as I felt the club give way. I look down at the manticore, it's upper shoulder completely shattered with it's leg now dragging the ground.

It looked up at me, crying for help. I felt a sickening evil grin creep along my face. "Kitty no want play no more?" I said, that primal urge still taking over. I held the club over it's head, dangling it. "But Beardman no get bored." I said, pressing the blunt part of the club against it's neck, watching it attempt to crawl away.

I finally snapped back to reality and look down at the Manticore. It whining and crying, doing it's best to get away from me. I lift the club up to see it walk outside and collapse on the ground, crying out in pain. "D-Did I really do that?!" I asked myself, dropping at the club and looking closely at my hands.

I look back at the Manticore to see it finally calming down, but whimpering out. I walk over to it and place my hand on the broken shoulder. It looked up at me and began to thrash around in terror, accidently clawing into my arm.

I pull away in pain, holding my arm. "You little shi-" I pause to see absolute terror in it's eyes. "Ok, I have a beast of the forest terrified of me. How did this come about?" I asked in a sarcastic tone.

I walk back inside as it took off on its own way. I look back at my arm to see that the whole right side of my uniform was soaked in blood. "Huh, I might need to go to the hospital." I said to myself before blacking out.

When I came to, I woke up to a blinding light. "W-What the hell?" I groaned out, my throat completely dry.

Ah, yes. Mr. Trail, welcome back." I heard a voice say. "Where am I?" I asked, still trying to see through the blinding light in front of me.

"Well the hospital. We lost you for a bit due to blood loss. That Manticore cut pretty deep into your arm." The voice said before pulling away the blinding light. He was a doctor of course, brown coat and mane with glasses perched up upon his nose.

"Well, that's good to know that I almost died." I joked, now able to move around.

"Oh, no. You didn't almost die. You actually died. Temporarily that is." He said, giving me a concerned look.

I looked at my arm to see different stitches and staples lining it, then back up at him, slightly surprised. "How long was I out for?" I asked, sitting myself up with my legs draped over the side of the bed.

He walked over to this stack of papers and began to examine them. "Well, for three minutes. You were lucky to walk out of that alive, Mr. Trail." He said, looking up at me.

I chuckled and nodded softly. "I guess you're right." I said, trying to get up push myself off of the bed, but was held back with different medical items.

"Wait, you're not admitted to leave just yet, please just sit back down and relax." He pleaded with me.

I sighed and nodded, laying back down. "Who saved me?" I asked, looking over at the doctor. "Well, your boss called some hunters to get the manticore out of the area for you, but they found it dead a hundred feet away with it's throat crushed." I heard him say with a chuckle. "Never thought that I'd see the day a pony would kill a manticore and live to tell the tale about it." He started.

"Yeah, not a very likely thing to have happen." I replied.

A few minutes passed before I heard a set of foot steps come down the hallway. It was Boss Man and he didn't look very happy. "Smokey Trail! What in the world did you do?!" He bellowed out.

"I killed a Manticore to protect myself?"

"You went against orders! You were to stay inside of there and not try to go after it." He said, looking down at me.

A wave of anger hit me as I shot out of bed able to stand on my own two feet now. "That bastard attacked me first! I refuse to stand around and be fucking cat food for something that's going to toy with me first before it kills me!" I snapped at him.

"You still went against orders and for that, I'm sorry that I have to be the one to tell you that you're fired. This hospital bill will not be covered by us." He stated, glaring up at me.

I stood there, my fist tightly clinched. "Well excuse me, I would figure that a damn hospital bill would be better than paying for my funeral costs!" I growled out at him.

"Those are the rules Smokey and you went against them." He said placing a termination slip on the table in front of me before leaving.

I sat looked at him, my body shaking with anger. "Gah...dammit." I said to myself before sitting back down on the bedside.

A few minutes passed before I heard another set of footsteps coming down the hallway. I was already lying back down with my back turned away from the opening. "Excuse me, Smokey?" The doctor said from the entrance of the room.

I sat up and looked to see that he had a stack of papers in his hands. "Let me guess? Bills?" I asked, annoyed at his current presence.

He held his breath before nodding. "Yeah, seeing as how the company refused to pay for your bill, we need someone to sign off and pay for this." He said placing it down in front of me.

"Well doc..." I said before laughing. "You may as well go ahead and cut it off at the shoulder." I said while holding up my cut up arm. "I ain't got the means to pay for any bills. I just lost my job."

He gave a defeated sigh and nodded. "Well, if that's the case then we need to get you out of here." He said, before walking out of the room again.

I sat there, in shock from all this. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I almost died, but because I don't have the fucking means to pay for it, then to hell with me then. Ain't that right?" I called out.

A few more minutes passed as I got up and ready to leave. I still had pants on, but was lacking a shirt. The only shirt that I had was covered in blood. I look around the room to see a solid white shirt laying out. I walk over to it and picked it up, examining it.

Suddenly the sound of not one, or two, but three ponies walking up to the door. "Here to kick me out now?" I asked, ripping the shirt arm off so it won't rub up against the stitches and staples.

I was almost knocked over before I felt arms wrap around me. "Smokey!" I hear Moonlight cry out.

I look down to see her with tears in her eyes, sobbing into me. "Thank goodness you're ok." She said, holding my close.

I look up at the door way to see Princess Twilight and Sunset standing there as well. "Are you ok?" Sunset asked, walking up to me, examining my arm.

"Yeah, I should be fine. It's just sore is all." I said with a pained smile.

Sunset and Moonlight both looked up at me, the both of them slightly annoyed at my remark. "Smokey, what is this?" I hear Princess Twilight call out, examining my termination papers.

I felt my heart sink. "W-Well, when my boss found out that a Manticore attacked me and I attacked it back. I done more damage to it than it did to me." I said, looking down at Moonlight, who was also inspecting the damages to my arm.

Moonlight paused and looked up at me. "You almost died!" She cried out.

Twilight looked around to see my medical documents and read through those as well. "No, he didn't almost die. He actually did die for a moment." She said looking down at the papers in shock.

Moonlight looked up at me, a wave of fear and joy quickly overtaking her as she rested her head back on my chest. "W-Well, thank goodness that you're ok and safe." She said, her voice cracking from worry.

"P-Princess Twilight? What are you doing here?" The doctor called out from the hallway.

I looked up to see a small smile on her face. "We're just here checking on my daughters coltfriend. We heard that he got hurt at work. Though we didn't know that he died for a bit." She said, looking through the paper work once more.

"W-Well, yes, but we was quick enough to bring him back." He said trying to put pride into his words.

"Right." I heard Twilight say before turning the pages. She looked at the corner of her eye to see that the doctor was holding other documents and grabbed them, reading them over. "Excuse me, Doctor. Would you mind explaining this?" She asked, pointing towards the bill amount.

"Well, you see, your highness. While he was under our care, his place of employment terminated him. So seeing as how his place of employment fired him and refused to pay for treatment. We had to halt all treatment." He said, backing away from her.

Her happy expression quickly changed to anger. "So, he's at work, gets hurt, and almost dies and his place of employment refuses to care for him? On top of that, the hospital, who I know has a back up fund for cases like this!" She said, backing him into the corner.

"W-We haven't had that fund for several years now. The owner of the hospital done away with that and told us to kick out those who can't pay for treatment!" He cried out, curling up into a ball in the corner.

She snorted at him, staring him down before turning away. "I want him to be escorted to the castle, my own personal doctors will see to him. As for the company, they will hear from me tomorrow morning. You will have your payment for his treatment regardless." She said before walking out the door. "Now where's the office of the owner of this hospital." She said to herself as she started down the hallway.

"Oh no. You're mother is going to kill someone." Sunset said, chasing after Twilight.

Moonlight looked up at me and rested her head against my good arm. "Come on, let's get you taken care of, Sweetpea." She said with a smile, looking up at me.

"Sweetpea?" I asked with a soft grin.

"Yup! I'm your sweetie and you're my sweetpea." She said, interlocking her fingers with mine as we made our way outside.

I chuckled softly and nodded, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "I think I like the sound of that." I said before wrapping a wing around her.

As we arrived at the castle, there was already a whole team of surgeons and doctors waiting for me. They walked me in and sat me down on a stretcher and led me to one of the many rooms in the castle. "Alright, Smokey Trail. We're going to have to remove those staples and stiches currently in your arm and redo them. The doctor at the hospital who done it done a complete hack job." He said examining my arm.

I groaned and nodded softly. "Alright then, let's do this." I said with a chuckle.

He looked up at me and rose a brow. "Well, to do that, we're going to have to knock you out to do this."

"Like hell you are. I already died once tonight. If I'm going to die again, I damn well better be awake and see it coming." I said, looking down at them all.

They all looked at me in shock before nodding. "Well, if that's what you want, then alright, but most of the time, when pony's start seeing their own body being worked on, it induces some form of panic, but if that's what you want to do, I guess we can do that, but we do need to numb the area at least." He added.

"I don't have a problem there, just don't put me to sleep." I requested.

Moonlight looked up at me. "Are you sure that you don't want to be put asleep for this?" She asked, a hint of worry in her own tone.

I shook my head and smiled. "Nah, I'll be fine. Besides, if someone messes up, I wanna be sure I can give them a good smack on the head" I joked, wrapping an arm around her and pulled her close to me.

She giggled softly and looked up at me, that beautiful smile on her face. "Just don't hurt them to bad." She teased, nuzzling into me.

"I won't, sweetie." I said, petting along her arm to comfort her.

"Alright Smokey, we're going to begin." The doctor said, putting his mask over his face. "Moonlight, if you'd please step out of the room until we get done." He asked.

She nodded softly before leaning up on her toes to kiss my cheek. "I'll be in the next room, just call for me if you need me, Sweetpea." She said before running off.

I nodded softly and laid back on the bed and looked up at him. "Alright doc! Do your thing." I said with a smile.

He began by injecting a numbing solution into several places in my arm. "Ok, do you feel this?" He asked as he began to remove the first staple.

Surely enough, I didn't feel any pain. "Nope! Feels like nothing's going on there." I said, watching him.

He gave a sigh of relief and nodded as he began to remove the rest of the staples in my arms. A few minutes passed as I heard him now undoing the stitches on my arm. "How are we holding up?" I heard him ask.

I chuckled softly. "Doing fine, just bored." I joked.

I heard him laugh. "Well, that's good to know then." He said, finally pulling the last bit of the stitches from the wounds. He then spun around to pull a twine from a cabinet, and went back to focus back on my arm.

An hour passed as he worked his magic on my arm. "Alright, I'm just about done. Now we're going to see if you're able to have feeling back in your arm again once the numbing solution wears off. After that, we'll figure out what we need to do." He said with a smile.

I nodded softly and smiled. "Thanks doc, though I gotta question. What things did you do differently?" I asked, looking up at me.

"Well, the last doctor was focused on not using a lot of stitching and mainly jammed staples in you anywhere he saw fit. Granted you need a few, but not as many as he put into you." He said, before pulling away. "And we're done!" He said with a smile, removing his mask.

I sat up and smiled. "Thanks doc. Now what?" I asked, looking up at him. "Well, like I said, we gotta wait for the numbing solution to wear off. Then Doctor Horse is going to come in to give you a check up, make sure everything is secured, and to stop any bleeding, if there is any." He said, giving a sigh of relief.

Moonlight popped her head around the corner. "May I come back in?" She asked in a shy tone.I smiled and nodded to automatically almost be knocked over once more.

"So when's the wedding?" The doctor teased, automatically get the both of us to blush.

"W-Well, we've just started dating, so it's probably going to be a while." I said, looking down at her to see her face beam with joy. "Well that's if she can put up with me for that long." I joked.

Her expression quickly changed into a pout. "What, don't think I can put up with you?" She asked, crossing her arms.

I laughed and held her close. "I'm only picking." I said with a chuckle.

"You better be!" She whined out before nuzzling into my chest.

"So what now?" I asked to doctor.

"Try to make a fist." He requested of me as he reached over and grabbed his clipboard. I nodded softly, slowly moving my fingers in, but not able to make a fist. I heard him give a worried sigh. "That's not good. It seems that you might have some nerve damage in that hand now." He said, writing his findings down on the clipboard.

"Well what does that mean?" I asked, looking down at him.

"It means that either you'll eventually regain capability to move your hand and fingers in time, or you'll lose all feeling in your arm and it will have to be amputated." He stated as he finished writing down his findings.

I sat there with a slacked jaw. "Wait? I might lose my arm?" I asked.

"There is a possibility, but it's not a likely one. We just need to keep a close eye on it. So until then, we have made accommodations for you to stay here in the castle until then so you can remain under watch." He said, looking back up at me from the clipboard.

"I can't do that. I have a pet at home that I need to take care of." I objected, looking down at him.

"A-Actually, while you was being operated on, Mom and Mother came to me and asked me to get a few of you things from home, just in case." Moonlight said, looking up at me, "Don't worry though, your kitty is here safely." She said in a cheerful mood.

"Well, if everything is already here, then I guess so." I said, looking at her, giving a small smile. I then turned towards the doctor "So, you want me to stay in here right now until the other doctor is ready to see me?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, that's fine. You can go on to your room and get relaxed. He'll come to you when he's ready." The doctor said before packing up and stepping outside of the room.

"Come on Sweetpea." Moonlight said as she helped me out of the room. "Let's get to bed. You must be tired." She said, leading me back through the castle.