A Broken Flame

A Broken Flame

Day 2 part 1

By Luckyfanisaac, mainediting, sidrahumar120, and Ayaz Naseem.

Day 2

Current Time: 1:35 AM

Sunday, July 9th, 2017 year 1

It is late into the night. Doctor Scabs watches as Cadence and DJ Hopper sleep. His focus rested more on DJ.

“He is quite different alright, but how much? Where is he from anyways? Is he dangerous?’’ These questions bugged the Doctor as he continued gazing at DJ’s body stretched out on the hospital bed. Cadence shifted in her position but fell back to sleep immediately. “I’d really like to know what he is made of. I cannot dissect him but I can scan him obviously.” The Doctor smiled and left the room windows. In the hallway, he met with Nurse Sweetheart and one other Nurse.

“Nurse Sweetheart, please prepare DJ Hopper for an X-ray. And be discreet about it so as not to wake the sleeping princess.” The Doctor instructed the Nurses.

“Eee...hm, Doctor.....”

“Yes, what is it, Nurse Sweetheart?” the Doctor asked Nurse Sweetheart who was trying to make a statement.

“....The X-ray machine was used on him in the afternoon when he was being examined but the X-ray had a hard time detecting his body structure. We tried it several times but we got the same result so we stopped.” Explained the Nurse.

“And why am I just hearing about this now?!” The Doctor sounded furious and surprised all at once but tried to keep his voice down.

“I am sorry sir. Nurse Mayfair was supposed to enter that information into DJ’s medical record.” Nurse Sweetheart further explained.

“Hmmm...the X-ray machine not working on him is quite strange. I think we’d have to use the Magick X-ray to scan him.” said Doctor Scabs.

“The Magick X-ray?” replied Nurse Sweetheart and the other Nurse surprisingly.

“Yeah, I know that the Magick X-ray is a powerful and dangerous tool to use on patients but I think we all cannot deny that DJ is a strange being that needs special attention if we are to find out what is going on in his body,” replied the Doctor whilst looking into the Nurse's eyes. The Nurses nodded in affirmation.

“Alright. Nurse Sweetheart, please follow me,” instructed the Doctor.

Doctor Scabs and Nurse Sweetheart headed into DJ Hopper’s room. Inside the room, Cadence was still fast asleep on the bedside couch and DJ was stretched on the bed covered in his own sweat. Doctor Scabs handed over the notes with him to Nurse Sweetheart, folded his coat sleeves, and stretched his hoofs over the body of DJ. Orange light from the Doctor's hoofs beamed over DJ’s body. The light started scanning from DJ’s hoofs all the way to his head.

“Wow! What are all these shields inside his body?!” whispered Nurse Sweetheart as she scribbled down information from the ongoing scan into the notes the Doctor had earlier handed to her.

“And magical pathways too along his red stripes. I believe they are designed to protect him from harm or something.” the Doctor whispered back.

“They are quite sophisticated and advanced,” commented Nurse Sweetheart.

“Indeed they are, unlike anything I have ever seen. His whole body anatomy is advanced,” added Doctor Scabs.

The Doctor finished the scanning and rolled down his coat sleeves. He collected the notes from Nurse Sweetheart and scribbled in a few more details and then handed them back to Nurse Sweetheart.

“Take these notes to my office, please.” the Doctor instructed Nurse Sweetheart.

“Okay Doctor,” replied Nurse Sweetheart as she made her way out of the room.

In the hallway, she met Doctor Sabre who seemed to be in a hurry. He had a green coat and a yellow mane with deep crystal blue eyes. With a magnifying glass and a clipboard as his mark. He was wearing a white doctor's coat and a stethoscope.

“Nurse Sweetheart, I have been to your desk. I need your attention in room 43 right now.” said Doctor Sabre.

“I will be right there, Doctor. I just want to drop these notes in Doctor Scabs’ office,” replied Nurse Sweetheart.

She dropped the notes on Doctor Scabs’ desk and found her way to Doctor Sabre in room 43.

“Oh, you are here.” said Doctor Sabre as he sighted Nurse Sweetheart entering the room.

“Yes Doctor.”

“Very well, I need you to clean up the wound on this patient and administer morphine as indicated on his chart.”

“Okay Doctor.”

Nurse Sweetheart got to work immediately, cleaning the patient’s wound after looking at the patient’s chart. Doctor Sabre stands by the bedside of another patient, jotting down some details in his notes.

“By the way, what have you and Doctor Scabs been up to all day? Been seeing you two together since yesterday afternoon. Does it have anything to do with the patient brought in by the Princess?” He asked Nurse Sweetheart.

“Well, yes sir. Doctor Scabs and I have been examining that patient and I have to say that what we have found so far is really strange beyond what we could have imagined.” replied the Nurse.

“Really? What strange things have you observed about him?”

“He has a strange body anatomy, Doctor. Our X-ray machines couldn’t scan him. Doctor Scabs had to use the Magick X-ray.”

“What?! Is it that serious?” exclaimed Doctor Sabre.

“Yes Doctor. The Magick X-ray scan revealed that the patient has protective shields and strong magical pathways inside him. Doctor Scabs is going to be running more scans on him,” explained Nurse Sweetheart.

“Wow! Protective shield and magical pathways? That’s epic,” responded Doctor Sabre. He stopped writing, placed his stethoscope on his patient’s chest, held it for a while and then he removed it and resumed writing.

“I am through with the wounds, Doctor,” said Nurse Sweetheart.

“Very well. Would you mind taking me to Doctor Scabs and I’d love to see the strange patient myself.” Doctor Sabre requested.

“I don’t mind taking you sir,” replied Nurse Sweetheart.

They both finished up their duties and Nurse Sweetheart led Doctor Sabre to DJ’s room where they met Doctor Scabs and Nurse Mayfair discussing outside DJ’s room and looking in through the windows at the patient. Mayfair had a pink coat and wavy green hair and blue crystal eyes. She had a clipboard with golden writing as her mark.

“Hello Doctor Scabs. How are you Nurse Mayfair?” Doctor Sabre greets as he enters.

“Hi Doctor Sabre. Please lower your voice. I wouldn’t want our patient here to wake up,” Doctor Scabs replied in a low voice without removing his gaze on DJ’s body.

“Oh sorry.” Doctor Sabre whispered back as he made his way to Doctor Scabs’ side.

“Nurse Sweetheart told me about your findings. What is your next line of action?” asked Doctor Sabre.

“Oh well, I want to carry out more Magick scans in case we missed some things during the first attempt.”

“Alright, I am with you. More findings about him will really be of benefit to our medical knowledge I think. I’d love to be present when you Magick scan him again. I would really love to see for myself.”

“Hmmm…. No problem. I want to round up stuff in my office then I will come back to scan him. I will notify you when I am about to start.”

“I really appreciate that thank you.” replied Doctor Sabre.

“Don’t you think scanning him the second time might be dangerous sir?” asked Nurse Sweetheart with concern.

“Well... I don’t think so.” replied Doctor Sabre before Doctor Scabs could respond. “After all, it will be a benefit to us to find out more about him,” he continued.

“Alright Doctor.” replied Nurse Sweetheart looking through the window into DJ’s room.

“I agree with Doctor Sabre. We will gain an abundance of knowledge by finding out more about DJ’s anatomy,” said Doctor Scabs.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a bright greyish light appears just by the door into DJ’s observation room. It shines into the eyes of the Doctors and Nurses. It was so bright they had to shield their eyes from its rays. The Doctors and the Nurses were surprised and they backed away from the bright greyish light. Just then, the light gathered to form a figure that looked exactly like DJ only in black and white. It stood in front of DJ’s room and faced the Doctors with a furious look.

Doctor Sabre and Doctor Scabs cautiously moved closer to the strange figure while the Nurses stayed back in fear.

“The threat must be neutralised. The threat must be neutralised,” chanted the greyish figure still looking very furious.

“Oh easy there!” Doctor Scabs said to it.

“Threat? What threat are you talking about and who is being threatened?” asked Doctor Sabre.

“The threat on DJ Hopper must be neutralised,” replied the strange figure.

“Threat to DJ Hopper? We are no threat to him. We are doctors and we take care of sick people, not harm them… right?” replied Doctor Sabre as he looked at Doctor Scabs and back at the trembling Nurses expecting them to affirm his claims to the strange figure. Doctor Scabs and the Nurses all nodded in affirmation.

“By the way, who… what are you?” asked Doctor Scabs.

“My name is Burnie. I am DJ’s Retina AI. I see everything around him and even far away from him. I am here to protect him from harm and threats. I have been watching you all along making all efforts to dissect him and then later scanning him and talking about getting more findings about him. You trying to dissect him and finding more about him is a threat on his life.” replied the figure.

“Hello…Burn…Burnie. Nice to meet you. My name is Doctor Scabs and these are my colleagues.” replied the Doctor. “Yes I tried to dissect him but I didn’t after all. And yes we ran a scan on him and all that but all we did and tried to do is to get to know how his body anatomy works so we would know how best to help him. We are not trying to harm him at all.”

“Y… yes. We are not harm… harming him,” the Nurses supported the doctor’s claims in a shaky voice.

“Hmmm…. We shall see about that. But I won’t let you carry out anymore scans on him,” Burnie said in a commanding tone.

“Okay Burnie, no more scans. We won’t run any more scans on him unless you want us to.” replied Doctor Sabre.

“But since you really know a lot about DJ Hopper and how his body works, would you help us with information and guide us on how best we can help him so we can help you neutralise any threat on his life?” The doctor continued.

“Yes, Doctor Sabre. I will help you but only on my terms,” replied Burnie.

Cadence woke up laying on the couch in DJ Hopper’s room. She had moved to the couch after DJ Hopper had calmed down. She was offered a bed by the nurses but she turned it down and said the couch will be fine.

(Room setup plus a sink and cupboards by the end of the bed.)

Cadence was laying on the couch relaxing when out of nowhere she heard a knock at the door. She got up and ran to the door to see for herself who was knocking at this hour.

“Who is there?” asked Cadence.

“Could you please open the door?” replied the visitors.

She opens the door and to her surprise she finds Doctor Scabs with a couple of nurses and another doctor standing at the doorway looking directly into Cadence’s eyes.

“What is it, doctor?”asked Cadence.

“We have come here to talk to you about DJ Hopper,” replied Doctor Scabs. “You might want to see this.”

Cadence steps out of the room to find a black and white version of DJ Hopper.

Cadence asks, “Who is this?”

“I am like an older brother to DJ Hopper- though I am really an AI- to protect DJ Hopper from threats,” said Burnie while introducing himself to Cadence.

"How, exactly, do you think that having you by his side would help DJ Hopper?" asked Cadence.

“Because I am the only one able to see things around him and surprisingly far away from him.'' answered Burnie. “DJ Hopper’s parents were very overprotective of him and that is why they created a lot of protection spells, protocols, and other things that no-one has ever heard of to protect him when he is away from them,” explained Burnie to Cadence.

“Could you please enlighten us more about DJ Hopper’s health?” asked Doctor Scabs.

“What do you want to be enlightened about?” asked Burnie.

“Why is he shell-shocked?” asked Doctor Scabs.

“He is shell-shocked in light of the fact that he was abused by his unicorn instructor in a conflict and that is the reason he doesn't care for unicorn sorcery anymore. He realizes war is coming; he has heard the soldiers and had seen the blue-penciled pictures provided in the paper. Furthermore, he thinks of it as his obligation to caution everybody within their unavoidable destiny; however no one is prepared to trust him or even pay attention to him.” explained Burnie.

“Why is he dealing with long term stress?” went on Doctor Scabs.

“He had been put on a pedestal in his early youth; he struggled making companions, and now, he views himself as a disappointment, for his best couldn't save the existence of the others. Presently he is thinking about his flaw that a ton of ponies have passed on as a result of him. Moreover, his teacher’s voice- that he is a failure- keeps echoing in his ears and it has put him into an atmosphere of long lasting unrest.” goes on Burnie.

“And how will we be able to treat him?” inquired Doctor Scabs.

“Do you really think I will let you treat him!?” Burnie came out with a roar.

“Since I have been watching you running enough bombed scans on his body, in this manner, I will only help you out on my terms, and I demand you stop running these scans this instant.” exclaimed Burnie wildly stomping a hoof.

“Indeed, totally! I'm simply attempting to dissect him to discover how his body operates so as to offset any threat to his life." Doctor Scabs replied.

“And I too would like to see what he is made of.” replied Doctor Sabre.

“You are not qualified enough to dissect and run your scans on his body because you have never dealt with any creature having protective shields and magical pathways before, and you are doing it because you want to become well known in the clinical field.” said Burnie furiously crossing his hooves in front of his chest.

He further explains to Doctor Scabs and the other medical staff also including Cadence that having him dissected and scanned through a Magick X-Ray is more lethal than any other threat, and this is what they need to neutralize.

“You think you are the one who could treat DJ Hopper?” asked Doctor Scabs.

“Yes, it is only I who could shield DJ Hopper from threats and dangers and that Cadence needs to ask DJ Hopper for affirmation.” said Burnie while continuously talking about the threat to be neutralized: constraining Doctor Scabs to run more magick scans on DJ Hoppers’ body.

The Doctor quits running more sweeps and Burnie is presently focusing on Cadence who has been standing unobtrusively for quite some time.

“Why are you standing so quiet Miss?” asked Burnie.

“I am really worried for DJ Hopper's health and if anything bad happened to him, I would never forgive myself.” replied Cadence, making a sorrowful face.

“Why does his life hold so much importance in your life?” asked Burnie curiously.

“Because he cares a lot about the lives of the other ponies and his determination to save them from the upcoming dangers has made me his fan.” explained Cadence with a light in her eyes.

“How far will you go to save his life?” Burnie asked Cadence while looking at DJ Hopper.

“For someone who is so protective of his people, he has the potential to do great things. And I will do whatever it takes to save his life.” said Cadence.

“Well, you seem like someone in this room who could be trusted, don't you?” asked Burnie.

“I am not so sure about that,” replied Cadence softly rubbing her left leg with her right.

“But I am quite sure as I can perceive things far away,” said Burnie with authority.

After much talking and seeing Cadence’s true colors, Burnie is ready to trust Cadence in shielding DJ Hopper from the looming dangers that Doctor Scabs possesses.

“Will you keep an eye on DJ Hopper?” asked Burnie in a hopeful manner.

“I’m very busy as a Princess but I think I can watch over him if I make DJ Hopper my student. I will be more than happy to take him on and teach him some social skills, help him with his anxiety, and long term stress along with anything else." stated Cadence showing a ray of hope.

While Burnie was busy talking with Cadence, Doctor Scabs saw it as an opportunity, and sneaks into DJ Hopper’s room to check on him since Burnie is distracted. He tries to attempt a Magical X-ray again.

“INTRUDER ALERT!!! INTRUDER ALERT!!!” screamed Burnie.

A yellow shield then forms around DJ Hopper and yellow lightning shoots off from the shield hitting and blowing Doctor Scabs back and through the wall at the end of his bed causing DJ Hopper to wake up.

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The nurses run to check on Doctor Scabs and apologize to the other patients for disturbing their sleep while Cadence goes to apologize to DJ Hopper.

She took DJ Hopper’s right hoof and said, “I’m so sorry about that DJ,” Cadence apologized, “I’ll make sure he never comes near you again.”

“It’s okay Cadence, I'm used to it.” DJ Hopper then smiled weakly at Cadence but was still feeling a bit depressed.

“No it’s not okay! I promised you, you will be safe and now look at what's happened.” Cadence expressed jestering towards the broken wall.

DJ turned his gaze towards the broken wall and saw several holes through other patient’s rooms with Doctor Scabs and a few nurses at the end trying to help him up. DJ blushes at the damage he caused and worries what Cadence and the medical staff will do to him. What if they keep trying to dissect him? How far will they go to get answers? How many more ponies will get hurt because of him? These thoughts disturbed DJ Hopper and he started to tear up.

“I’m sorry Cadence,” DJ choked out. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” He sobbed out.

Cadence leaned in and wrapped her hooves around him as she hugged him. “Shhh Shhh it’s okay Shhhhhhh.” She said as she ran her left hoof behind his back. “You reacted by instinct when your AI protection system registered a threat.”

*sniff* “You know about that?” He sniffled.

Cadence pulled herself away from DJ to look him in the eye. “Yes, your friend Burnie told me all about how protective your parents were of you and how much they loved you,” she explained. “I also told him that I will be looking out for you from now on and I would like to take you in as my personal student so I can stay close to you.”

“What does that mean?” he asks, tilting his head to the right.

“That means I will teach you about a few subjects that you need for a good social life and I will help you with your stress levels and other things you want to learn.” she explained.

“Really?” asked DJ Hopper, starting to cheer up a bit and starting to get excited.

“Yes, really,” she smiled sweetly at the colt.

“YAY!!!” he yelled as he grabbed Cadence’s neck, liking the idea as he wagged his tail under the sheets.

Just then nurse Sweetheart came up to Cadence and DJ Hopper.

“I’m sorry about Doctor Scabs. We should have assigned somepony else to handle DJ Hopper’s case.” Nurse Sweetheart apologized to Cadence and DJ Hopper.

Cadence took a deep breath, “I should have known that he would keep prying for more information after I specifically told him not to go too deep into it. DJ Hopper needs a gentle touch and somepony that understands his condition. Please find him another doctor that will do just that.”

“Of course your majesty.” replied nurse Sweetheart sympathetically as she left the room.

“Somepony?” asks DJ Hopper to Cadence.

“That is just how we refer to other ponies here.” Cadence explains.

“That seems kinda racist,” said DJ Hopper. “Where I’m from there are more than just ponies there.”

“I suppose it is now thinking about it.” replied Cadence, putting a hoof to her chin.

A nurse comes in and tapes a bed sheet over the hole in the wall until it can get repaired.

“Now that that’s settled let’s go back to sleep.” said Cadence.

DJ Hopper gives Cadence a hug goodnight and he drifts off to sleep. Once he is asleep Cadence goes to take care of Doctor Scabs.

Angered by Doctor Scabs’ attempt to conduct a Magick X-ray scan on DJ Hopper, Cadence sets out to confront the doctor over his actions. As Cadence approaches the medical ward, she is shaken and shocked to see Doctor Scabs covered in an entire body cast. "I did not realize the extent of the damage," she exclaims.

The doctor lets out a groan as he struggles to get his words out. "I was curious to find out more about the patient, as I have never seen anything quite like him before," says the doctor in a quivering voice.

The doctor’s lack of remorse filled Cadence up with anger, and she proceeded to chew out the doctor. "What if something had gone wrong? You had no right to conduct a scan without his consent,” said Cadence in a resentful tone. “You saw what happened earlier, what if others got injured due to your actions,” she continued. Cadence then told the doctor, “This injury serves you right for poking your snout into places it doesn’t belong.” The doctor, ashamed of his actions, kept rolling his eyes to avoid eye contact with Cadence.

“I’m deeply sorry, your majesty, I should not have reacted so hastily. I promise to not interfere again,” the doctor muttered.

“That’s right!” replied Cadence in a sharp tone. "I don't want to see you near him ever again," she says as she storms out of the ward and heads back to the room DJ Hopper was being treated in.

As she passes through the narrow hallway, she arrives outside the room and carefully opens the door to not disturb DJ Hopper.

Cadence enters the room to see that DJ Hopper was asleep. She then pulls up the sheets, and whispers “Don’t worry! I will always protect you,” as she pats him on the head.

Cadence then inspects the damage caused to the room by the incident that had occurred earlier, and she vows to herself to always be there for DJ Hopper.

She then finds herself a pillow and falls asleep on the couch by DJ Hopper's bed.

Day 2

Current Time: 7:00 AM

Sunday, July 9th

In the morning Cadence glances over at DJ Hopper's bed and finds out he has also woken up.

"Good morning," says Cadence as she trots up to DJ Hopper's bed. DJ Hopper lets out a weak smile and proceeds to thank Cadence for being there for him.

"I don't know what would have happened to me if you weren't there," murmured DJ Hopper.

"You don't have to thank me. I just did what was right," explained Cadence.

Cadence then told DJ Hopper how excited she was to take him under her wing. "I can't wait till you're up and about again so I can show you around and teach you everything there is to know," said Cadence.

DJ Hopper told her how excited he was, "I'm excited to learn from you," he said, as he started wagging his tail underneath the sheets.

Cadence could not hide her joy and asked DJ Hopper if he'd be OK with her telling her aunts about the whole incident. "I never hide anything from my aunts, and I can't wait to tell them about you," said Cadence before asking DJ Hopper for his approval.

"I…. suppose…. I don't mind you telling others about me, I trust your judgement," replied DJ Hopper.

Cadence was thrilled to receive DJ Hopper's approval, and she hugged him in excitement. "I'm going to write them a letter explaining the situation," she said. DJ Hopper nodded his head.

Cadence explains the whole scenario to her aunts about how she had found DJ Hopper as she starts writing the letter after taking some paper from the table in the room left from a notebook from a nurse who left it there. ‘I’m very excited to inform you that I have rescued somepony who was mentally injured. His name is DJ Hopper, and I will be taking care of him throughout his healing process. I want to mentor him so that I can teach him and take care of him as he has been through a lot. I can’t wait for you all to meet him, he’s quite a character!' Cadence wrote in the letter.

Just as Cadence finishes writing up the letter, she hears a knock on the door. Alarmed by the setback, she looks over to DJ Hopper before getting up to open the door.

DJ Hopper lifts himself from a resting position and sits on the bed as he gestures to Cadence to check who is at the door. Cadence opens the door to find a nurse waiting outside the room.

"Come in," says Cadence.

Nurse Sweetheart walks into the room, and says, "I hope you all are well rested." Cadence and DJ nod their heads. The nurse then walks over to DJ Hopper’s bed, observes the monitors, and takes some quick notes on her writing pad.

The nurse then asks DJ Hopper to stretch out his arms and legs.
DJ complies with the nurse’s request stretching out his arms and legs.

"There we go," says Nurse Sweetheart as she proceeds to check DJ’s physical condition, and asks, “Are you feeling better now?”

DJ Hopper nods his head in approval.

“That is great!” says the nurse as she begins to detach the tubes from DJ Hopper’s body. "If there is no discomfort, then you are free to leave after the new doctor checks you out," says the nurse.

Excited upon hearing the news, Cadence walks toward DJ with a smile and hugs him. Cadence and DJ then proceed to thank Nurse Sweetheart for her service. “I’m really thankful for your help, Nurse. And I’m sorry for bothering you and causing all that damage.” says DJ as he points towards the holes in the wall caused by the events last night.

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about, it wasn’t your fault. And you don’t have to thank me, I’m just doing my job.” replies Nurse Sweetheart with a smile. The Nurse then finishes writing up the report, collects her notes, and proceeds to walk towards the door.

“So, about the checking out procedure. How long do we have to wait till the new Doctor comes in?” asks Cadence as she walks towards the Nurse.

“I’m going over to his office right now to hand over these reports. He’ll be here in a bit, don’t worry!” Nurse Sweetheart replies.

Cadence then walks over to DJ’s bed and sits right next to him. “I’m glad that you’re OK. There mustn’t be anything serious if they are letting us go.” says Cadence.

“Yeah! I can’t wait to get out of this place.” replies DJ as he smiles at Cadence.

Several minutes later the two then hear a gentle knock on the door. “That must be the doctor. I’ll go get it.” says Cadence as she gets up to open the door.

As she opens the door, she is surprised to see a short figure with a green coat and a darker green mane with crystal blue eyes wearing a white coat standing outside the room.
“Good morning! My name is Doctor Goodwill. I will be checking up on a few things after which you guys will be free to leave.” says the Doctor in a soft tone as he walks into the room.

“Hi Doctor Goodwill! My name is Cadence.”

“Oh of course, Your Majesty! I already know who you are. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Says Doctor Goodwill.

“I take it you’ll be helping us with the checking out procedure?” replies Cadence.

“Yes, but first I need to make sure that everything is in order.” Says Doctor Goodwill as he walks towards DJ’s bed.
“And you must be the great DJ Hopper. I must say that I have heard a lot of things about you.” says Doctor Goodwill.

“Hello Doctor. Might I ask what it is that you have heard about me? I hope it’s nothing bad.” says DJ in a puzzled tone.

“Oh you don’t have to worry about that. You’re in good hooves now.” Says the Doctor as he attempts to comfort DJ.

“Tell me, Doctor Goodwill. Did I do something wrong?” asks DJ.

“You know, with what happened to Doctor Scabs and all. Let’s just say you’re quite a powerful colt, eh?” the Doctor chuckles as he pats DJ on the back.

“No! Please tell me what happened. Did I hurt him?” asks DJ in a remorseful tone as he starts to get anxious.

Doctor Goodwill lets out a sigh and begins to explain the situation to DJ Hopper. “Well, where do I begin? After you were brought in, the nurses treating you couldn’t obtain any meaningful results from their X-ray scans. They told Doctor Scabs about this and he ran a Magick X-ray scan on you to find out more about your anatomy. The test is quite dangerous, and it triggered your defense system. Your friend Burnie warned Doctor Scabs not to do it again, but Doctor Scabs didn’t listen to him. Curiosity got the best of him and he ran the Magick scan again. As soon as he ran the second Magick test, your defense mechanisms kicked in to protect you, and a shield sent the Doctor flying through the wall.” Doctor Goodwill explained. “Doctor Scabs is currently in a full body cast due to the injuries he sustained, but he should be OK!”

“Oh no! What have I done?” exclaims DJ as he holds his head in his hooves.

Cadence and Doctor Goodwill then attempt to comfort DJ Hopper, and the Doctor tells him, “It’s Ok, DJ, you don’t have to worry about him. It wasn’t your fault anyway. Doctor Scabs knew what was going on. Burnie told him all about the situation, and how he shouldn’t run the test again as it posed a serious threat to your safety. He went ahead and did it anyway knowing full well that anything could have happened. Doctor Scabs should have consulted with all the other doctors before taking such a step. I want to apologize on behalf of all the staff here at the hospital for putting your safety at risk.”

“Yes, DJ, Doctor Goodwill is right. Doctor Scabs had no right to run such a dangerous test on you without seeking permission. Even I told him to not go ahead with it, but he didn’t listen to me. The body cast serves him right for not listening to Burnie. It’s all good, though. I went to check up on him, and he will be Ok. I also gave him an earful for what he did.” giggles Cadence.

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, I just hope his injuries aren’t too serious.” replies DJ with a look of despair on his face.

All of a sudden an alarm sets off in the room and the blaring noises catch everybody by surprise.

“What is that noise?” says Doctor Goodwill as he covers his ears with his hooves, and frantically looks in all directions to try and find a source for the noise.

“Don’t worry, guys! I’m getting a message from Burnie.” says DJ.

“You had us worried for a second there.” replies Cadence in a relieved voice.

An alert then pops up on DJ’s defense system, and the notification appears to confirm the situation, and it also tells DJ about what happened to Doctor Scabs.

Upon receiving the confirmation, DJ begins to calm down. “Yeah! You guys are right. I shouldn’t be so worried about what happened to that Doctor. Maybe if he had listened the first time round, all of this wouldn’t have happened.” says DJ as he grins.

“Yeah, let’s not worry about that too much. You already have a lot on your plate so let’s focus on getting you right.” replies Doctor Goodwill.

“What’s wrong with me Doctor? Why am I in this situation?” DJ asks the doctor.

“You have been through a lot, and it’s natural for you to be in a state of shock given what has happened to you.” says Goodwill.

“Wait! You guys know about my past?” asks DJ with a startled look on his face as he tried to hide his face in his hooves.

“Yes. When Doctor Scabs ran the Magick scan for the first time and your defense mechanisms kicked in, Burnie explained the whole situation to us. I believe that you’re suffering from shell shock due to what happened between you and your instructor during the war. We know that you’re a bright fellow, but what happened to you can break anyone.” says Doctor Goodwill.

DJ Hopper scratches his head with his hoof and becomes teary eyed. “I don’t want to talk about my past, please.” says DJ as he sniffles.

Cadence then gets up and hands DJ Hopper a glass of water. “Here, DJ. Drink some water. Don’t stress yourself.” she says.

Doctor Goodwill then comes closer to DJ, places his hoof on DJ Hopper’s back and says “Look, I understand that you’re feeling stressed, and we don’t have to talk about your past anymore. But as a Doctor, it was my duty to inform you. You must also know that you’re suffering from long term stress as well. The events that happened in your childhood have taken a toll on you, but, you don’t have to worry about it. Over here you will receive the best care to make sure that you overcome this stress and anxiety.”

“Cadence told me that she will take care of me and I can be her student.” says DJ Hopper hoofing over his cup back to Cadence.

“Yes, Doctor Goodwill. I have already told DJ that from now on I’ll be taking care of him. I see a lot of potential in DJ, and I will teach him all there is to know about having a good social life.” Cadence tells the Doctor.

“Will you excuse us for a minute?” Doctor Goodwill says to DJ as he steps aside and asks Cadence to come outside to talk.
DJ nods his head, and Cadence follows Doctor Goodwill outside the room.

“What is it, doctor?” asks Cadence.

“Well, I have a lot of faith in you, however, taking care of him is one thing but you also have to make sure that he is in the right place mentally. As I have explained earlier, he needs a lot of care to help him overcome the stress and anxiety. I know that you have a lot of responsibilities as a Princess so are you ready to take on this task?” Doctor Goodwill asks Cadence.

“I know what I’m getting myself into. I feel like I have a responsibility towards DJ, and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get him on the right track.” replies Cadence.

“Very well! If you can take care of DJ, then you guys are free to leave. Let’s tell him the good news.” says Doctor Goodwill.
Cadence and Doctor Goodwill then step back into the room. DJ Hopper can spot the smiles on their faces.

“What happened out there?” DJ asks anxiously.

“We are free to leave, DJ. I told Doctor Goodwill how I will be taking you under my wing, and he has allowed us to let us leave.” replies Cadence in an ecstatic tone.

“Woo hoo!! Finally we can leave this place.” yells DJ Hopper in excitement.

Doctor Goodwill then walks towards DJ’s bed, leans in, and says, “DJ, you are in good hooves now. You are lucky to have Cadence by your side. I’m sure she will take good care of you.”

“I know, Doctor.” replies DJ Hopper with a smile.

“Right! You guys should pack up your things. Be sure to grab something to eat from the dining room before you guys leave. I will send Nurse Sweetheart to help you out with your stuff.” says Doctor Goodwill as he walks towards the door.

“Thanks for your help, Doctor Goodwill.” says Cadence as she walks him out of the room.

Cadence then approaches DJ’s bed and says, “So we are finally free to go. I can’t wait to show you around, I have a lot of activities planned for us.”

“Really?” asks DJ Hopper in excitement.

Cadence nods her head.

Nurse Sweetheart then enters the room and says, “Everything’s clear. Doctor Goodwill told me that you guys are free to leave now.”

Excited at the news, DJ gets out of the bed and limps over to Cadence and the nurse. “I can’t thank you guys enough for your support," he says before hugging Cadence.

"Careful," says the nurse. "You will still have to tend to your anxiety attacks. Take these medicines with you, and make sure to check in with the hospital in a week.”

“Don’t worry, nurse! I will take care of him," replies Cadence with confidence as DJ Hopper hugs her while wagging his tail.

“Perfect! Pack your things, and get yourselves something to eat from the dining room. You must be starving,” says Nurse Sweetheart before walking out of the room.

“She’s right. You must be hungry. Let’s go and grab some breakfast," Cadence tells DJ Hopper.

"Sure!" replies DJ.

As they leave the room, they observe the damage caused to the room by DJ's defense mechanisms. "You are one strange fellow," says Cadence as DJ Hopper lets out a chuckle.

As they pass through the narrow hallways of the medical bay, they find a sign on the wall to their right indicating the dining room.

They walk through the doors to see a spacious room with a large dining table in the center. The wooden dining chairs have a blue fabric lining on them.

DJ steps back and points to a large door, “What’s that door for?” he asks Cadence.

“Oh, that must be the kitchen. Let’s get seated. The chef must be around here somewhere,” Cadence tells DJ.

Cadence pulls out a chair for DJ Hopper and asks him to sit down.

As they sit on their chairs, they find a button on the side of the table.

“What does that do?” asks DJ intriguingly.

“Let me show you,” says Cadence as she presses the button. A loud bell then rings in the kitchen.

"Wow! This is such a nice place," says DJ Hopper in amazement.

A chef then enters the dining room. He’s a white coated stallion with a blonde mane and wearing a chef uniform. He asks, "What would you guys like for breakfast?"

"Pancakes," replies DJ.

“Pancakes? Really?! I love pancakes," exclaims Cadence.

"Perfect, I shall prepare your pancakes," says the chef as he walks back towards the kitchen.

“So, is everything around here as lavish as this dining room?” DJ asks Cadence as they wait for their pancakes.

“Well, all of this seems normal to me now. It might take some getting used to,” replies Cadence.

“I’m not sure about what happened last night. I didn’t mean for anything bad to happen.” says Cadence as they wait for their pancakes to arrive.

“Don’t worry. It was just something that my parents did to protect me in case something happens to me,” replies DJ.
“I also want to apologize for any damage caused to the room,” DJ continues.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, DJ. It’s not your fault, the doctor shouldn’t have interfered,” Cadence tells DJ.

Several minutes later, the kitchen door then opens, and the chef walks in with the pancakes and some syrup and butter.

“Umm, this is a weird request, but could I get some blueberry syrup?” DJ asks the chef as he sets the pancakes on the table.

The chef nods his head, and walks back to the kitchen.

“I didn’t take you for a blueberry syrup kind of guy,” Cadence says.

“Well, what can I say? I don’t eat pancakes unless I get the blueberry syrup. You should try it!” he tells Candace.

The chef walks back into the room with the blueberry syrup.

“Thank you!” says DJ.

DJ then takes a knife, and spreads butter on his pancakes. He then pours the blueberry syrup on the pancakes.

"Get me more please," he yells to the chef.

“Calm down! They aren’t going anywhere," says Cadence as she laughs at DJ’s actions.

As they are both eating their pancakes, Cadence asked, "What would you like to do today, DJ?"

“I’m down with whatever, but I’m still feeling a bit tired. Perhaps you could surprise me?” replies DJ Hopper taking a bite of his pancakes.

“Let’s not do something too exhausting then. I will show you around the place," says Cadence.

As they ate their pancakes, DJ holds his head in his hooves and says, “I’m really sorry for all of this. I don’t want to be a burden on anyone.”

Having noticed the sort of stress he is under, Candace asked, "What's bothering you, DJ?"

"It's nothing," replied DJ Hopper.

"It's OK, DJ! You can trust me," says Cadence as she wraps her arms around DJ's shoulder.

DJ lets out a deep breath as he begins to explain his situation.

“All of this has taken a toll on me," said DJ Hooper.
“I thought that I would come out of the war as a different person. The instructor that was supposed to teach me, and who I was supposed to trust with my life, ended up violating my trust," says DJ as a tear rolls down his face.

"I was a promising warrior, and people had a lot of expectations from me. I did all I could to protect people during the Great Dimensional War," DJ continued.

Cadence could see the discomfort that DJ was under, and she started to console him. "Don't cry. You did all that you could," she said.

"My darkness instructor set me up!! He didn't want to take the fall, and so he put me in a very risky situation," explained DJ.

"Don't let the action of others define you," Cadence told DJ Hopper as she attempted to comfort him.

DJ Hopper could not overcome his emotions and broke down in tears. "I escaped that place to seek refuge. I was assigned to an instructor who was not very fair to me. I wanted to defend the natives, but I was hurt badly due to his actions, and I wanted to come to a place where my wounds could be treated. I wanted to come here so that I could have a new beginning," sobbed DJ.

“You have to leave these negative thoughts behind you. I promise to help you in overcoming this stress," says Cadence as she passes DJ a napkin.

"My people will look after you, and I will ensure that you have a swift healing process. I will protect you from everything," Cadence reassures DJ Hopper.

“Really?” sniffles DJ Hopper as he struggles to hold back tears.

Cadence nods her head and says, "I can give you some tips to recover from this stress. I have vowed to myself to always protect you, and I’ll help you get through this.”

Excited by Cadence's offer of support, DJ Hopper quickly wiped off his tears and said to Cadence, "I can't thank you enough and I promise I won't let you down."

"You don't need to thank me," Cadence tells DJ Hopper as more pancakes arrive.

"Let's start off with the basics!" says Cadence. "You should try to take deep breaths, as it eases your body and tells your brain to calm down which will help you to deal with your stress."

DJ starts taking short, deep breaths but a bit too quickly.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqCsEhd5fWY

"Not so fast!" says Cadence as she laughs at DJ. "Deep breathing is most effective when you take some time between your breaths," she explains.

"OK, I will try to do that," replies DJ as he starts taking deep breaths. He then asks Cadence, "What else can I do to take my mind off of the stress?"

"There are a lot of activities here that can keep your mind occupied," Cadence tells DJ. "I would suggest you explore this place by walking around it. I can accompany you if you want," she explains.

“Hmm. That sounds interesting. What other activities can we do?” DJ asks Cadence.

"There are a lot of activities. We could go on long walks, or we could even dance," says Cadence.

“Dance? I love dancing," says DJ in excitement.

"Really? I can’t wait to see your moves again,” she says as they both laugh.

"If these steps don't work, then you should consider talking to others as it takes a lot of stress off your shoulders. I could help you find a therapist," suggests Cadence.

"That sounds like a good idea but I'm not sure if I can trust others with my story," replies DJ, taking another bite of his pancakes.

"Well, if that's the case, maybe I can be your therapist," says Cadence.

“You?! Are you even a registered therapist?” asks DJ intriguingly.

"Yes. I help couples with counselling, and I also talk to other people about love and their problems. Let's set up sessions where we talk to each other for an hour," Cadence tells DJ Hopper.

"That sounds great," says DJ Hopper.

"Also, I feel like you could benefit by having other people around you. You should make some friends to keep yourself occupied here," Cadence tells DJ.

"YES!" yelled DJ in excitement. "Maybe you could introduce me to some of your friends," he tells Cadence.

“Sure thing! I will introduce you to the others," replies Cadence.

Just then a puff of smoke materializes and a scroll appears in front of Cadence as it lands on the table next to her plate. Cadence opens it with her hooves.

Dear Cadence,

We are glad to hear from you, and we hope that you are keeping well. What you did was a very noble act, and we hope that the pony you helped is feeling better now. We are all very proud of your actions, and we wanted to inform you that Luna will soon be coming to visit you along with Azure. We hope that your friend recovers quickly, and that you spend some good time in their company.

Love,
Aunt Celestia

“What does it say?” asked DJ.

“It says Luna will be coming down with Azure.” replied Cadence.

“Luu..naa” asked DJ Hopper, pulling an astonishing face.

“Yes, Luna, the tender-hearted princess, who is also my aunt, who took Azure under her wings when everybody else was feeling below the belt to do so. Do you know who Azure is?” asked Cadence.

“No! I do not know. I have never heard the name.” replied DJ Hopper.

“Oh, she is such a sweet soul, and I assure you that you would love to be around her.” said Cadence.

“Really? Can you tell me more about her?” asked DJ Hopper eagerly.

“I see you are interested in talking about her, and I will tell you everything about her.” explained Cadence putting a smile on her face.

“I am all ears then.” replied DJ Hopper expecting Cadence to start at that exact moment as he took a drink from his glass of milk.

“I will not make you yearn for it then.” chuckled Cadence.

“Azure is a filly with a shy personality. She is smart and intelligent like Twilight but shy like Fluttershy but she is good at heart and she can be a bit like Pinkie Pie once you get to know her.’’ went on Cadence.

“Azure is a very special pony. She belongs to the Tomato family, which is known for their agricultural work. She loved reading magic books, and was always found in the library. She is Luna’s student, and she is a magic buff. But things were not that easy for her….. .” Cadence stopped in between taking a drink of her orange juice.

“Why did you stop?.... Tell me everything you know about her.” asked DJ Hopper like he did not want Cadence to stop.

“She is one of the most talented ponies that I know. She was persecuted for being different, and her family put in a lot of effort to get her to a school where her abilities would be welcomed and nurtured, but she was initially rejected by Luna’s sister, Celestia, who is also my aunt, just on the basis of not being a unicorn. Since she was born without a horn, she was considered a misfit to perform and learn magic.”

“WHAT!! Celestia rejected her just because she was an earth pony?! How awful of her!!! Earth ponies can do magic too. My people are a bunch of earth ponies and they can do magic!!” said DJ as he scowled. He then started glowing a deep red.

DJ Hopper then teleports to the corner of the room “See? I can easily perform magic,” says DJ as he scowls.

DJ then turns towards the fruit basket, takes out an apple, casts a spell on it and turns it into a seed. He then turns the seeds into a rotten apple.

Shocked by what she has seen, Cadence gasps and says “How is that even possible? An age spell is only for Alicorns and they can only do that sort of magic!!?”

DJ Hopper then approaches the chef, looks at him mischievously, and casts a spell on him which turns the chef into a mare. He then reverses the spell, and turns him back into a stallion. The chef’s face turns red in embarrassment and he runs out of the room.

“See how easy that is for me?” exclaims DJ huffing and puffing.

“You didn’t have to prove anything to me, DJ. I already knew you were a powerful magic user,” says Cadence as she attempts to calm down DJ.

“Well, your aunts think that earth ponies can’t perform magic. I had to show you something,” DJ replies waving his hooves around.

“They don’t think that anymore and are trying to change the world’s opinion about earth ponies and pegasi.” explained Cadence, still trying to calm DJ down.

“I still don’t like Celestia,” replied DJ, crossing his arms as he sat back down.

What should I do to keep poor DJ’s mind off his stress? I have to keep him busy otherwise he won’t be able to leave his past behind.

She then looks over to DJ. “You must be bored, DJ. Let’s keep ourselves occupied until Luna and Azure get here in a few days,” says Cadence.

“You’re right! We haven’t done anything since we got out of the hospital. Could you recommend some activities?” DJ asks Cadence.

“Let’s see” says Cadence as she places her hoof on her chin. “We could play some board games. Do you know how to play chess?”

“I never really understood that game. It is way too complex for me. Perhaps, you could teach me how to play?” responds DJ.

“Yeah! I can teach you, but, if it really isn’t your type we could try out other board games such as Sorry. I even have a set of cards, and we can try out games such as Uno or Rack-O,” says Cadence.

DJ Hopper’s eyes light up in excitement. “I love playing Sorry, we should try it later,” he says.

“Of course! And when we have had enough playing board games, maybe we could utilize our surroundings and play some more physically intensive games such as hide and seek,” suggests Cadence.

“But I don’t even know this place that well. How am I supposed to play it if I’m not familiar with my surroundings? That would be unfair,” says DJ with a frown on his face.

Cadence leans towards the Colt and places her hoof on his shoulders. “Don’t worry! I promise to show you around the place before we play. Maybe playing hide and seek would be helpful for you to discover this place,” says Cadence with a smile on her face as she continues to comfort DJ Hopper.

“I’m not sure. I really don’t feel like playing hide and seek right now. Maybe when I get better, and when I have actually seen the place?”

“I understand! We can try it some other time if you don’t feel like playing right now. How about we do something less tiring,”

“Like what?” asks DJ Hopper.

“Have you ever played charades?” asks Cadence.

“I’ve played it a few times with my cousins,” says DJ Hopper.

“It might seem a little difficult at first, but it only works well when there are more ponies around. Maybe we should try something simple. What if we test our creative abilities by painting?” says Cadence.

“Painting seems fun, but I’m not really good at it. Depth was something I always struggled with,” DJ replies.

“Ok. Maybe we could even try to take pictures if you don’t feel like painting. Capturing moments spent with others helps to create good memories,” says Cadence.

“That sounds like a good idea, maybe we should take pictures of something.” replies DJ.

Cadence began to notice that something was not quite right. ”What else can I do?” She thought to herself. ”Maybe he’s feeling a bit stressed and needs some affection. But how do I comfort him? Should I cuddle him?”

Cadence then cautiously scoots over towards DJ Hopper. “DJ?” she mutters.

“Yes, Cadence?” replies DJ Hopper.

“Maybe we could try to cuddle. It will help you to relieve your stress, and I really feel like you could do with a cuddle right now,” Cadence whispers into DJ’s ear in a sexy voice.

“Really?” replies DJ liking the idea from the way Cadence talked, making him want it more.

Cadence then pulls DJ closer, and slowly places her hoof on the Colt’s shoulder. She then rubs his arms and comforts him.

After a while, Cadence notices that DJ is getting closer and more affectionate. She spreads out her wings and holds DJ under them. DJ accepts the gesture and cuddles her back. She holds DJ tightly under her wing, and she observes that DJ is slowly starting to enjoy the cuddle as she spots a smile on his face and he starts to glow a yellow hue.

As some time passes, she then tries to think of something that could be more comforting for the colt. “What if I massage him? Maybe that will help him overcome the stress.” She then taps DJ on the shoulder and asks him, “Would it be OK if I try massaging your legs and hooves to relieve you of your stress a bit more?”

“You really don’t have to,” replies DJ rolling his head back as Cadence rubs under his chin and on his chest.

“It’s not a problem. Plus, I’m really good at massaging, so I’m doing you a favor,” she chuckles.

DJ nods his head, and starts stretching out his legs. Cadence then proceeds to gently massage DJ’s legs.

“I didn’t realize how much I needed a massage. You really are good at this,” says DJ as he stretches out and relaxes his legs. Cadence smiles at the compliment.

As she continues to massage DJ’s legs, she tries to make small talk by continuing with her recommendations of activities that they could do together. “Maybe we could try dressing up in cute clothes, and taking pictures together.”

“I like the idea. I love taking pictures, but I'll have to get some new clothes and then maybe we can try it?” replies DJ Hopper shyly.

“Sounds great! But I have some enchanted fitting clothes that you can wear before I take you to the store to get some clothes for you another day,” Cadence tells DJ.

Excited by the news, DJ gets up and hugs Cadence and thanks her for the massage. “We have got to do that again sometime,” he says.

Cadence then lifts up DJ Hopper, and cradles him in her arms. She looks at him with a grin on her face as he snuggles into her chest fluff, and says, “DJ, you’re the cutest little colt I have ever seen in a long while. I could just cuddle you silly.” As she rocks him back and forth.

Upon hearing this compliment, DJ begins to blush, and his cheeks turn red in embarrassment as he brings his hooves up and touches his cheeks. He starts wagging his tail, and begins to glow even more yellow with excitement. “Thhhhhhhhanks! You’re the best pony I could have met, and I can’t thank you enough for saving me and caring for me. I don’t know how I could ever repay you!” says DJ Hopper as he continues to blush. DJ gets himself more comfortable, and snuggles into Cadence’s chest fluff.

Cadence holds him tightly and says, “You don’t have to thank me. I will always be there for you….Want to head to my cuddle dungeon now?” She asks him.

“Okay…. um…. Do you mind….possibly….carrying me?” He asks shyly. “I’m just enjoying your chest fluff so much.” He exclaims while cuddling into her chest fluff some more while rubbing his head all over it.

Cadence giggles, “Sure I can carry you.” She says while tickling his belly as he laughs.

So with that they both head to Cadence’s cuddle dungeon.