Chapter 21

Golden Oak Library 3rd POV

Twilight was in the library reorganizing the bookshelves for the fifth time in a row since she was trying to take her mind off the conversation she had with her friends about William. She was about to fill the last row of books with her magic when her phone rang from her pocket causing her to yelp in surprise and drop the books on the floor.

“Who could possibly be calling at a time like this?” She mumbled to herself.

She pulled out her phone and saw Spike’s number on the little screen. She sighed and pressed the answer button and prepared herself for whatever seemingly pointless subject he wanted to talk about.

“Yes Spike, what is it?” She answered.

“Twilight! You gotta call the others and tell them to get to the Hostpital now!” Spike yells over the phone.

“The Hostpital? Why, is somepony hurt?” Twilight asks in a now worried tone.

“It’s Will, Twilight! He got hurt really bad and is in the hospital!” Spike yells.

Twilight gasps and almost drops her phone. The mere thought of William hurt made her heart almost stop beating.

“WHAT?! WILLIAM IS HURT?!” She shrieks.

“YES! Once you’ve called the others, come to the Hostpital as soon as you possibly can!” Spike instructs then hangs up the phone.

Twilight spares no time and immediately begins to call Rainbow Dash. As she’s waiting she starts to hyperventilate and tears are forming in her eyes. The way Spike sounded, William was most likely just as hurt as he made it seem.

Please be alright, please… Twilight begs in her head.

20 minutes later outside of Ponyville Hospital

All together, the Mane Six met up with each other outside with their own looks of worry. As they entered the lobby, they looked around to see if they could spot William or Spike. Luckily, Spike was sitting in a chair on the right side with an ice pack in his claw and holding it up to his head for some reason.

“Spike!” They all cry as they hurry over to the young drake. Spike looks up and smiles a bit but then frowns as he gets up to greet the mares.

“Hey girls…” Spike greets sadly.

“Spike, what happened? Where is William? Why do you have an ice pack on your head?” Twilight questions frantically.

“This better not be a prank,” Rainbow interjects, “because if it is, it’s either a really good one or a really stupid one. Last I saw Will, he was just fine and not hurt whatsoever.”

“Why would you think I’d joke about something like this?!” Spike shouts causing the mares to flinch at the sudden tone of his voice. Spike then groans as he presses the ice pack in his head a little more to ease the pain.

“Spike darling, please tell us what happened,” Rarity requests.

Spike only sighs and takes his seat again and begins to tell them what happened at the lake.

“We were at the lake talking about…well, personal stuff with each other. We were about to leave when all of a sudden, Will got shot with a crossbow…” All the mares gasp and some start to form tears.

“Who would have the audacity to harm William like that?!” Rarity shrieks.

“It was…Heavy Step,” Spike responds, “he somehow escaped custody, killed a guard, stole his crossbow, and came back to Ponyville bent on getting back at Will for getting him arrested. He must’ve snuck up on us while we were distracted and shot Will in the stomach. I tried to defend Will, but Heavy knocked me out with the bottom of his crossbow. When I came too, Will had somehow managed to knock out Heavy but he had been shot two more times in the leg and shoulder. That’s when I called the ambulance and then you Twilight.”

“HE DID WHAT?!” The mares all yelled. Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow were all fuming at all the atrocities Heavy had done to not only William but to poor Spike. As well as Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie who were just as worried about William’s condition after hearing how hurt he was.

All the attention is then drawn to the double doors down the hall being opened and out walks a earth pony stallion wearing a doctors lab coat, a grey dress shirt and blue tie, and grey pants. His coat is a light amber, his mane and tail are dark brown, and his eyes are a light cerulean. The Mane Six and Spike quickly walk up to the doctor with worried expressions.

“Doctor, is he alright? Please tell us he’s alright,” Twilight begs.

“Hmm, I assume the lot of you are here for the human William who was brought in not too long ago?” The doctor asks. Everypony nods and the doctor gesture them to follow him. They all walk through the halls following close behind the doctor until they come to a room at the end of the hall. The doctor then opens the door to let everypony inside and they’re met with a horrible sight.
There, laying on the bed, was their friend William in a Hostpital gown and almost his entire upper body is covered in bandages along with his left leg that is raised in a gurney. His stomach area, right shoulder and left leg have red blotches of blood indicating the areas where he was shot, including a bit of dried blood at the corner of his mouth. William is also hooked up to a heart monitor and his heartbeat is slow but still beating. The girls and Spike can only gather around his bed with sad expressions, some start to cry at the sight of poor William.

“I don’t know what exactly he did,” the doctor explains, “but whatever he did, he managed to heal his injuries enough to stop most of the bleeding. He even was able to repair any serious damage to his shoulder and leg so the only thing really wrong with him is he’s unconscious due to blood loss and a couple cracked ribs.”

“How long will he be unconscious, Doc?” Spike asks.

“It’s hard to say but you should all be rest assured that your human friend is fine, all things considering. He just needs rest and proper treatment so his body can get his blood flowing properly again,” the doctor reassures the group.
This helps relax their nerves a bit but they’re all still upset at the state that William is in. The only thing that they can all do now, is patiently wait until he awakes from his slumber.

Within William’s Mind 1st POV

I slowly open my eyes and am met with only darkness. My body seems to be weightlessly floating in mid air but I can still feel it as I test my limbs movement. Even though I can’t see anything, I somehow know I’m still alive since this strangely feels like a dream yet different. I raise my right hand in the darkness and try to summon an orb of Ki to light my surroundings. A small orb of Ki forms and I can now see my body. I’m still in my clothes with my jacket and yet I feel no damage I had taken from the bolts or see any blood stains. Before I can say anything, a light appears behind me making me spin around but raise my arm from the brightness. I hear no footsteps and the light is right in front of me, like there’s something or something there examining me.

“I have been waiting…” the voice says in a feminine voice. It sounds familiar yet I cannot seem to remember why.

I try to say something but nothing comes out. I place a hand on my throat and try to say something again, only to be met with the same results.

“Do not fret, though you may not be able to speak I can still hear your thoughts so you may communicate with me that way,” the voice said.

My thoughts huh? she nods in response surprising me a little. “Alright, so where exactly am I?”

“You are within the confines of your mind. You were injured and are now recovering in a medical center,” the voice answers.

“So I’m still alive, that’s good to know. So I guess that begs my other obvious question, who are you?”

“I believe you already know the answer to that, Young Youth,” the voice says teasingly.

“Young Youth? Wait…I’ve been called that before. Are you…?”

I couldn’t tell because of the light but I got the feeling that she was smiling. “Yes Young Youth, I am Queen Faust,” she says.

Even though I couldn’t physically talk at the moment, I was speechless. I tried to bow in mid air, only to somersault stupidly in front of the freaking Queen of Eques. Queen Faust only giggles at my antics and I stop spinning and smile sheepishly.

“Sorry about that, just wasn’t expecting to meet you so soon so I was trying to bow, your majesty.”

“It’s quite alright, Young Youth,” she giggles, “and you do not need to bow. You are the new Guardian and you are also not within the public eye so you may address me as just Faust.”

I nod but then gain a serious expression. So many questions are swirling I don’t know what to ask first. I was about to ask something but Faust seems to raise her hand, from what I could tell at least.

“You’ve many questions, but unfortunately I cannot reveal much since you have not yet progressed enough on your journey. However I will tell you this, you should be proud to know you have proven me right and I am very pleased about my decision due to the many heroics you have already achieved since your arrival. As to how I am able to communicate with you, it is through your soul. I have used my own soul to connect with yours however I’m only able to do it for a limited time. Rest assured, this will not be the only time we shall speak with one another so I must speak quickly. You must continue on with how you have been for there will be more dangers you will face, so you must be prepared,” Faust explains.

“What exactly can I do to prepare? If I was able to get taken down this easily I doubt there’s much I can do.”

“You mustn’t lose faith Young Youth,” she says sternly, “not now or ever. You have these abilities for a reason and it is up to you to hone them so you do not end up in a similar state. As you are now, you are still discovering your power’s true potential. You have even managed to discover a new ability much earlier than expected.”

“New ability?”

“I again cannot tell you for you must discover this for yourself,” Faust says making me frown, “but as I have said you must train yourself and hone your skills and become stronger. If you are to bring honor to the Equestrian Guardian title, just as Sir Rokai Stormborne had, you must believe in yourself and protect those precious to you at all cost. That is what Sir Stormborne did and that is what you must do.”

I look down at my hands in deep thought. She’s right, I can’t ever doubt myself for it would mean I’ve already given up. I made an oath to myself to never die again and I swore I’d be a worthy successor to Rokai. Why the hell am I complaining anyway? I got like this because I wasn’t strong enough, so I’m gonna make sure that changes ASAP.
I clench my fists and look up at Faust with determination and nod. She seems to smile again and nods.

“Very well Young Youth, I am pleased you have regained your confidence and conviction. So I shall now awaken you so you can begin your training. Also, I shall leave something for you to help aid you on your journey and your training. Consider it a gift from me to you,” she says as the light grows brighter. My vision starts to fade and before it fades within the light, I thought I heard Faust say something.

“You truly are just like him…”

I hear the sound of constant beeping to my left which makes me groan in annoyance. I slowly open my eyes again but this time I know I’m actually awake. I see a white ceiling above me and I look around to see I’m in some sort of hostpital room. I look down and see I’m wearing a gown and my upper body is almost completely covered in bandages and my left leg is raised in a gurney and bandaged as well. I try to move but grunt in discomfort and slight pain from my stomach, chest, and shoulder, which I just found out was also injured.

Well this sucks… I think to myself.
I then remind myself I can easily heal these injuries and mentally facepalm. I then bring my left hand up and gently place it on my right shoulder and concentrate. The same blue glow covers my hand as my healing Ki gets to work to repair my shoulder. I already can feel the wound close the rest of the way and once I feel like it’s enough I begin to heal my stomach and chest. The chest was easier to heal since it just felt like I cracked a couple of ribs but it takes a bit longer to heal my stomach area since my insides were probably also damaged from the bolt but I’m still able to heal it completely. Once done, I test out my shoulder and move my arm and it feels like I was never shot, same with my stomach even though they’re both still a bit sore but nothing’s ever perfect in life.
I lean forward and heal my leg and slip it out of the gurney and bring both my legs over the edge of my bed and sit up. After stretching and receiving some very satisfying pops throughout my body I stand up and crack my neck. I was about to pull out the cords hooked up to my chest when I hear someone gasp and a metallic tray hits the floor. I turn around and am met with an Earth pony mare in a nurses outfit, hat and shoes and all. She has a coat almost as white as Rarity’s and her mane and tail are peach pink while her mane is tied up in a bun. On the left pocket of her shirt is a symbol of a medical cross with a heart in the middle.

“Oh my goodness! You’re awake!” She squeaks while walking over to me.

“Uh yeah, I guess I am. I’m sorry who are you?” I ask.

“Oh apologies,” she says while now standing in front of me, “I am Nurse Redheart, senior nurse here are Ponyville Hostpital,” she introduces with a slight bow.

“I see, well it’s nice to meet you Nurse Redheart. My name is William Saber, but I suppose you already knew that,” I said. She giggles and nods. I was about to pull the cords out again she places a hand on mine and another on my chest and pushes me on the bed making me sit.

“I apologize Mr. Saber, but I must insist you stay in bed. You’re still injured after all and you mustn’t worsen them if you wish to recover properly,” Redheart informs.

“I appreciate your concern Nurse Redheart, but you’ll be pleased to know that I have completely healed my injuries myself,” I said.

She tilts her head in confusion but I simply smile and raise my arms motioning her to remove the bandages. She’s hesitant at first but pulls a cart with a small plastic bin on it beside her and begins to remove my bandages. She removes my upper body and leg bandages and goes wide eyed. As expected, my stomach, shoulder, and leg are completely healed and not leaving so much of a scar, excluding the ones I already have and especially the one going across my abs. She looks up at me and I smirk at her shocked expression.

“Th-this is impossible! These should’ve at least taken a few more days to heal completely, yet there’s nothing there and you were actually able to stand on your own,” she said.

She just now realized I was already standing? I think.

“How in Equestria were you able to heal yourself?” She asks.

Before I could answer the door to my room opens and I turn to see the doctor of the hospital walk in. When he sees me he raises his eyebrows but smiles as he walks over to me.

“Ah it seems you’re awake, and earlier than expected no less,” he said.

“I’m guessing you’re the one who treated me?” I ask. He smiles and nods and stands next to Redheart.

“Indeed, along with Nurse Redheart. I am Dr. Greymare, Mr. Saber,” he introduces while extending his hand. I smile back and take his hand and shake it. He notices I’m shaking with my injured arm and raises a brow.

“You’re probably wondering how I’m moving my arm that’s supposed to be injured, along with even moving on my own?” I ask. He nods and I lean back and begin explaining the basics of how my power works. After about five to ten minutes of explaining, Greymare and Redheart were both intrigued and shocked at how I was able to heal myself with no trouble.

“I see,” Greymare said, “I suppose that explains how your injuries weren’t as serious as I was told.”

“Yep, although I probably could’ve healed it completely if I was interrupted by my would be assailant.” I said, “Speaking of which, what happened while I was out? And for that matter how long was I out for?”

“Your dragon friend, Spike I believe his name is, called us and we brought you here for immediate treatment. You’ve only been unconscious for over a day so there’s no need to fret,” he explains.

Over a day? It felt like I was only talking to Faust for a few minutes. I think.

“As for your attacker, young Spike also informed us to bring the town guard along with our ambulances. Heavy Step, as he’s called, was immediately re restrained and transported to the Canterlot dungeons.”

“I see, well that’s good to know,” I said, “what about Spike? Is he alright?”

“Oh he’s quite alright, small head trauma due to his head injury but due to his dragon scales he should be quite fine by now,” Greymare said.

I sigh in relief and look down at the cords still attached to me. Seems like I was kept on close watch since I was unconscious over a day.

“Doc, do you mind removing these cords now? They’re a little uncomfortable,” I request.

“Well, I suppose they’re unnecessary since you’re now awake. But we would still like for you to remain in your room until we can officially discharge you,” he said.

“Fair enough,” I agree. Greymare nods to Redheart and she begins to remove the cords and injection tubes. As she’s doing so, I catch a glimpse of her slightly blushing as she seems to stare at my chest and stomach. But she shakes her head and tries to focus on her work, only to be “distracted” again and shakes her head.

Jeez what am I, eye candy for mares? I groan in my head.

About three hours later I’m still in my room and Nurse Redheart has been coming to my room periodically to check up on me, physically and mentally. So far nothing seems to be wrong since I’m able to move my body normally and my mental thoughts are in working order. While I was waiting for my approval for being discharged, I was doing some exercises to keep my body in shape since laying in bed for over a day made me a little stiff. I have my gown off but I’m still wearing my boxers and I’m doing burpees in the middle of the floor. I could’ve put my clothes back on but I was told that they had to cut my shirt and jeans open to treat my wounds so the only pieces of clothing that survived and not disposed of were my jacket, even though the right sleeve still had some small blood stains, and my socks and shoes.
It was late in the afternoon and the moon was about ready to rise into the sky and I had just finished my tenth set of twenty burpees. Once I was done, I took a breath and drank a couple glasses of water that the staff were kind enough to offer me. I reached for a towel they also gave me and started to wipe off the sweat when I heard voices approaching the door to my room.

“Do you think he’s awake now?”

“Come on Dash, you’ve asked that every time we’ve come to visit him.”

“Tha Doc said he wasn’t sure when Will would come too so y’all er gonna have to be patient.”

“I hope he wakes up soon, I don’t think I could bare it if he doesn’t…”

“Don’t worry Fluttershy, I believe he’s gonna be awake as soon as we come to his room. He still has his Cute-Ceañera that I set up for him to attend. And I made sure to make it extra super duper special when he does wake up!”

“While I do appreciate your enthusiasm darling, I must agree with Applejack we must all be patient so our dear friend to-“

Rarity is cut off as she opens the door and everyone walks in and looks at me. Many moments of silence go by and we just stare at each other. I slowly look down and see I’m yet again only wearing my boxers and get the annoying sense of déjà vu as I look back up to the mares. Unsurprisingly, they all have bright blushes on their faces as they stare at my half naked form. Not to mention I notice that Rainbow’s and Fluttershy’s wings are twitching slightly. I was about to say something when I was suddenly tackled to the floor by a pink blur. I look up and see two large orbs of flesh covered in a light blue shirt covering my face and above them is the face of everyone’s favorite party mare with her trademark bright smile.

“YAY! YOU’RE AWAKE!” Pinkie chirps as she hugs my face tighter.
She doesn’t seem to realize she’s also pressing her breasts in my face and I can feel my cheeks start to heat up rapidly, not to mention I feel a certain “someone” downstairs start to wake up.

DON’T YOU DARE! I shout in my head. I HAVE A SINGLE PIECE OF CLOTHING COVERING YOU AND YOU WILL STAY PUT!

Thankfully I managed to calm myself down but I’m still blushing up a damn storm due to Pinkie’s chest still in my face.

“Mmmffff mmmmmffff!” I muffle.

“Um Pinkie, I think he’s telling you to get off him, if you don’t mind,” I hear Fluttershy say. Pinkie looks back to the others and back down to me but is still smiling as she gets off. I take a breath of air and sit up and look at the others, who are still blushing like mad since I’m still half naked. I even see Rarity’s and Rainbow’s eyelids start to droop as they continue to gawk, even Applejack and that’s kinda saying something. I quickly get up and grab my gown and put it on. I turn back to the others and I’m almost tackled again but I’m still standing. I look down and see Twilight hugging me as tight as she possibly could and crying into my chest.

“You’re ok! Thank Celestia you’re ok!” She cries.

I sigh and wrap an arm around her small frame and pat her head with my other hand.

“Yes, I’m ok Twilight,” I console, “sorry for worrying you, you all as well,” I say while looking up at the others.

Twilight steps back while whipping her tears and Rarity steps forward and hugs me next.

“You have nothing to apologize for, William. That brute, Heavy Step, attacked you and poor Spike. We’re all just so very glad you’re ok, me especially.” Rarity said.

I smile hug her back with an arm and she also steps back. The next to greet me was Rainbow and she flys up and hugs me around my neck.

“I knew something like this wouldn’t keep you down big guy,” she says in my ear, “you’re as tough as you look,” she whispers making my spine tingle for some reason.
She flys back and Fluttershy and Applejack walk up to me. Applejack slugs my arm and nods in approval to my recovery and Fluttershy is smiling happily while a couple tears fall. I’m glad I have friends who care about me so much that they’d react this way. I notice Rarity has a large bag filled with clothes which makes me curious.

“Hey Rarity, what’s in the bag?” I ask.

“Oh well while you were asleep, I took the liberty of making those clothes I promised you. You’ll be pleased to know I made you a wide assortment of shirts, pants, even socks and undergarments,” Rarity said. She then hands me the bag and I look inside and I smile happily. As she said, there are wonderfully made shirts, pants, socks, and even boxers. I pull out a light orange shirt, much like my old one, with a black trim, and a pair of dark purple jeans. I put the bag and clothes on the bed and walk over to Rarity and give her a big hug making gasp lightly in surprise.

“These clothes are perfect, Rarity. Thank you so much,” I whisper in her ear. I feel her shudder little in my embrace and she hugs me back. I then step back and was about to put my clothes back on, only to remind myself I’m not alone.

“Um, girls? You mind giving me some privacy? I kinda need to get dressed in my new clothes now,” I tell them. They all nod and proceed to leave the room to wait for me in the lobby, until only Rainbow Dash is left and she’s got a sly smirk across her muzzle.

“There anything else you wanna tell me?” I ask.

“Nah, just here to enjoy the view,” she says while her gaze travels south. I blush and turn away and a rope comes flying out of the doorway and wraps around Rainbow Dash and is pulled out.

“Aw come on! Let me stay! I promise I won’t peek! Much…” she whines as the door closes.

I chuckle and shake my head and proceed to put on my clothes, until I sniff my body get a whiff of a foul stench since I just got done with a workout. Luckily there’s a door leading to a shower on the other side of the room so I pick up my clothes and bring them with me so I can change once I’m done bathing.
As I wait for the water to warm up I look in the mirror and see the stubble on my face has grown a bit. I look at the sink and see a razor and a bar of soap.

Might as well, I guess. I think as I grab the both of them and step into the shower.

10 minutes later

I walk out of my room, nice and clean and freshly shaved, with my new clothes and jacket on down the hallway. As I walk towards the lobby, after being told which way to go by Redheart, I notice some of the medical ponies working here begin to stare at me. Some stare with interest and some, namely the nurses, blush as I walk by. I look back at a couple nurses and they look away while giggling to one another making me smirk and roll my eyes. I finally make it to the lobby and see all my friends waiting patiently for me on the seats. They notice me and smile as the stand up and meet me at the front desk where Dr. Greymare is also waiting for me.

“I’m glad you’re up and about, Mr. Saber,” Greymare says with a smile.

“Same Doc,” I agree, “I guess now I gotta figure out how I’m gonna pay for the bill for your services.” I realize that I haven’t given any thought about how this worlds currency system works which makes me nervous since I have no amount of money to my name. But Greymare just smiles and waves his hand dismissively.

“Think nothing of it Mr. Saber, consider it on us since this is your first time here and you managed to heal most of your injuries,” he said.

“Wow, thanks a bunch Doc. I’ll try not end up here in the future, wouldn’t wanna take advantage of that offer,” I joke making him laugh. I was about to leave with the rest of my friends when Greymare grabs my shoulder.

“If you wouldn’t mind Mr. Saber, I’d like to ask you about something privately very quick,” he requests. Thinking it’s just to double check about my condition I nod and gesture the others to wait outside for me. They nod and leave as I turn back to Greymare who has a bit of a serious expression.

“I hope you don’t mind Mr. Saber, but while I was examining you, while you were unconscious, I also had to make sure you weren’t injured anywhere else,” explains, “that is until I examined your head.”

My whole body jolts and I frown and my eyebrows furrow as I look away. I grit my teeth and try to gain control of my breathing as I clench my fists tightly in my pockets. Greymare was about to say something but I snap back to him making him flinch a bit.

“Was there anypony else with you while you were looking over me?” I ask with slight anger. He shakes his head and begins to look a little fearful at my sudden change of attitude. I sigh and look away again. “Then with all due respect Doc, please keep what you think you saw to yourself and yourself alone. I understand you may have questions but I don’t want anypony else to know about it, at least not yet. Just don’t report it, write it down, or anything, understand?” I demand.

Greymare is still in shock but relaxes since he can tell what I’m feeling isn’t pleasant. I feel him put a hand on my shoulder and I look up to see him nod with a pitying look. I smile sadly and nod back satisfied that he’ll keep his word. I turn around and make my way to the exit and am greeted by the mares who are waiting for me with smiles. They tell me they wish to bring me to my long awaited Cute-Ceañera at some place called Sugercube Corner. Little do they know, I’m inwardly trying to keep my anger and sadness suppressed as more painful memories from my past life come back to me. The certain area on my head throbs and I bring my hand up to it while pretending to scratch my head while I’m actually rubbing the area to ease the pain.

Calm down…Not here, don’t lose it here…You’re safe, and they’re not here…They never were… I repeat in my head the rest of the way.

Author's Note

Yay! Saber has awoken! And it seems we have some more questions about who Saber was in his past life. What could he be hiding and why? Hopefully he’ll be able to tell his tale soon. Next chapter, the Cute-Ceañera and more possible crushes on Saber! Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…