The Fugitive

Crimson eyes sparkled mysteriously in the darkness. Emerging out of nowhere, the gray filly rose on its hind legs, beginning to perform an exotic dance. The curls of her jet-black mane with scarlet parting twisted in a whirlwind along with the perfect body, circling in pirouettes - closer and closer to to the insolent, frozen with surprise.

''Who else you are?..'' he muttered in bewilderment when the stranger had already crossed all permissible boundaries.

In the next pirouette, the fluffy tail seductively tickled his chest, and the hooves that fell on his shoulders gently pulled his reddened snout to the shamelessly smiling blond.

''So far - just a figment of your sick imagination'' she whispered sweetly ''But very soon...'' a heavy, warm breath caressed his neck ''I will become much more real than you can imagine. And we will do great business.''

''Business?..''

''Wake up'' the filly pulled back, leaving only her face visible. Her voice became hushed ''Come on! Wake up!''

Then the face disappeared. And then the light returned, with which a new face came. A middle-aged green-haired unicorn, with a pronounced anxiety in completely unremarkable blue eyes, stood opposite him, fearfully covering her pretty mouth with her hoof.

''Oh, I'm sorry, I thought...really, what nonsense'' she sighed with relief ''The orderlies are sometimes very rude. I yelled at them for these tranquilizers...I hope you're feeling better already?'' the nurse raised her eyebrows. The patient said nothing. He studied the room, lucky, the vertical position of the couch, or whatever it was, allowed.

''Sir?..''

''It can't be bad in the company of such a charming lady'' he finally replied with a wry grin. The flirtation worked flawlessly. The nurse's blond flushed. She looked away, embarrassed. A long lack of love by itself reflected on the face far from youth ''However, it would be much easier for me to enjoy her beauty, if I didn’t pinch these belts on my upper legs in such a shameless way'' the patient noted painfully.

The filly looked thoughtfully at the chained to the wall. She had no doubts that belts arranged in a similar way and tightened in such a situation could pinch. Doubts arose when looking at what they were holding down. Maybe this beige, almost cream-colored stallion with a soldier's haircut of jet-black hair seems quite adequate and even to some extent...cute, but do not forget that he is a patient. After all, wouldn't you just shackle him? It would be much wiser to wait for the head physician - Mr. Hooves, that mysterious "Doc," as one of the degenerates she had driven out with reverence and trepidation called him.

On the other hand, to look at the suffering of the patient, and especially to look as a doctor, who, in theory, should prevent these torments, is no less torment than hardened skin, rubbing sweaty flesh through and through. But even in spite of this, do not forget - she has not been a young graduate student for a long time. Moreover, such a decision looks overly frivolous even for her. But suffering ... damn it, why did she get a cutie mark not with flowers, not with butterflies, and not even with the notorious dusty books? Why is it the red cross that decorates her croup?..

She hesitated visibly. What could not be said about him.

''Grrr...'' the prisoner reached forward, making a grimace of sincere pain. So convincing that the unicorn gave a little back from surprise, never for a second taking her from the constrained even more frightened gaze.

''Please, be patient! M-m-m-m-r Hooves should be here any minute...'' she muttered.

''It will be much easier for Mr. Hooves to talk to me if my speech is at least similar to speech! And not to the groans of a dying manticore'' hissed the patient struggling with the intolerable severity of being.

The nurse finally broke down. After all, nothing terrible will happen if she looses the fasteners a little? In addition, in the event of force majeure, the unicorn will have a clear advantage over the earth pony. The main thing is to keep sufficient distance to be able to loosen the belts and not get a hoof in the face. Resolved.

''Okay...okay! But I warn you - if tricks start, blame yourself. Lean back and try to relax'' the filly entered a pose, tilting her head forward. A soft greenish glow enveloped her horn, very soon covering the upper straps of a simple ring-shaped design.

He was just waiting for that. Barely sensing a loosening of the grip, the patient rushed forward, throwing off the fetters that were released from the fasteners and immediately leaning towards the table, almost instantly magnetizing one of the syringes to the hoof. The unicorn did not even have time to scream, as a sharp needle flew in her direction.

The filly's eyes widened. She swayed. And then lavender hair scattered on the floor from under the cap that had come off. A sad gaze rested on the syringe thrust into the very heart, ominously towered over the still warm body. He felt no remorse. Only a little regretted.

Without much difficulty, he detached the lower legs of the earth-grabber and jumped to the cold floor. Pulling his numb limbs, he yawned long and as if nothing had happened, stepped over the corpse, not forgetting to grab a doctor's saw on the way. He headed straight for the closed door, pulling the handle of that door towards himself. Didn't give in. He pulled away from himself. Didn't give in again.

''You yourself are rare magicians...'' grinned the stallion, leaning over to the lock built into the door. Its design immediately seemed somewhat strange. Exactly in the center was a large groove, gradually tapering to the size of a small dot. At the same time, on the sides of this gutter there were recesses twisting into the depths, just like...and then it dawned on him. The gaze returned to the body lying behind, slowly crawling onto the horn. He would like to see this key. However, he was already looking.

Without wasting time on unnecessary hesitation, the patient walked around the nurse and lifted her by the education protruding from his head, taking the saw aside with his right hoof and sharply hitting the main dignity of any unicorn with it.

The corpse let out a piercing cry. The saw fell to the table with a clang and the patient staggered back to the cabinets. Behind the wall came the sound of hooves.

''This whore isn't dead?!'' he could only exclaim, staring at the convulsing nurse. It seems that a sharp blow to such a powerful magical conductor caused an equally sharp rush of adrenaline into the blood, starting the heart again. Or he simply doesn't know how to throw.

In a matter of seconds regaining his composure, the notoriously crafted brilliant strategist without further hesitation grabbed the nurse by the mane and pulled this wriggling something to the blocked passage. Then he clasped the skull with his hooves and thrust the horn of that into the keyhole. Someone started banging on the door.

''Healney? Are you all right there?!''

The patient swore foully, throwing the crumpled lady on the floor, and fell against the door wall, preparing the saw to attack.

''Healney! Tear you Tartar!'' the door threatened to fly off its hinges.

''Mel, what's going on here?'' came a voice nearby.

''Oh, Mr. Hooves! It's good that you came. I heard a scream from the operating room! There's a new nurse looking after your maniac...''

''One?..'' with astonishing speed, the restrained voice grew into an indignant cry ''What idiot thought of leaving them alone?!''

''I don't know, sir... I was just passing by.''

''Leave unnecessary conversations! You two - open the door. You - urgently on the guard post. Let them draw everypony here! EVERYPONY!''

The doors shook with unprecedented force and clang. Someone was clearly knocking the lock. And it obviously won't last long.

The patient evened his breathing and gripped the weapon of sophisticated killing tighter. An instant later the door swung open with an eerie crash. An imposing-looking, blue-uniformed security guard burst into the room, bumping into the saliva-splashing nurse on the way.

''Healney, my mother mare! - he bent over the horse, - She has a seizure!''

''Rghypvapyvariyavryap ... abyr ... abyr-roll!''

Next came an intelligent-looking unicorn in a medical gown and with round glasses on madly darting from side to side eyes.

''Damn it...'' immediately glancing in the direction of the disconnected device he muttered. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, a natural reaction to the pop behind him.

''Wanted to see me, doc?'' someone said with a dirty grin.

In the next instant, a bright flash illuminated the room, and the last thing that the guard blinded by her saw for a moment was a mustang flying at him, bringing a saw over the victim with shiny sharpened blades. And the blades sank into her neck, cutting through the aorta like a knife cuts through butter. A fountain of blood hit the stallion's muzzle in distorted rage, immediately hitting his opponent's legs and ripping the saw out of the shredded flesh. The rest was dealt with by nature.

''IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR HEAD IS A RARE RAT!'' he barked, intercepting the saw and turning to the colleague of the murdered standing at the newly opened door.

''S-stay there, where you stand!'' stuttering mumbled pegasus, shaken by gagging.

''And if I don't stand?''

''Then ... then-a-a-AAAAAA!'' only the dexterity inherent in his race saved the boy from a psychopath who had pounced on the door that grew right in front of him. But he was not going to give up.

''Better run while you can run. Perhaps this way you will prolong your miserable life at least a little'' came from the operating room with amazing calmness. Pegasus swallowed. How to be? He will not keep him here for a long time - the lock is knocked out, and the pegasus clearly does not have enough strength to hold this earthly on one handle. Run? But what about the rest? How will colleagues look at him later? Like a coward. Wait, what is this...

The psychopath's ears heard the vile crunch and thud of the collapsed body. And then a lingering creak.

She was standing there. The same gray fur, the same strange mane and the same mysterious shine of crimson eyes.

''In life, you are even more beautiful...''

''And you're still the same freak.''

The filly smiled slyly, pulling an utterly strange object from the girdle of her belt, and threw it to the stallion.

''Ever met something like that?''

''I see for the first time'' admitted patient without hiding a slight bewilderment, having caught an unknown thing. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be something like a hoof attachment, on the sides of which there were fixing plates going in the opposite direction, and several small wide trunks protruded from the front.

''Never mind, you will still have plenty of opportunities to appreciate this baby.''

At some point, he came out of the stupor caused by the unexpected appearance of a new acquaintance, starting to rely on his head, and not movement under his own bottom.

''Maybe even now you will bother to explain what is happening here?''

''Everything has its time. Plus, now we have bigger problems...''

The deafening roar of sirens rang out over their heads.

''And if you don’t want to aggravate them even more, I advise you to run after me'' she turned around and wanted to lean forward, as she stopped, throwing a painfully pressing question behind her back.

''By the way, do you even remember your name?''

''Heh. I don't...''

The filly chuckled.

''In that case, I will call you Fugitive'' the stranger threw in a laughing tone and disappeared behind the turn of the corridor that opened ahead.

''You know'' the Fugitive said after her ''Sometimes I feel like a fool. And this is an extremely pleasant feeling.''