Nurse Snowheart led a guilty-looking Pinkie Pie out of the hospital room. Terra sat on her bed, staring confusedly in their direction, her gaze only severed when the door closed behind them.

The nurse immediately turned to face Pinkie. “What did we say about sneaking into patient’s rooms?!”

“Sorry, Nurse Snowheart…” Pinkie apologized, her mane deflating slightly as she looked at the nurse pleadingly. “I just wanted to get to know the new pony in town!”

“I get that, Pinkie, but with this foal…” Snowheart let out a deep sigh, before shaking her head slightly. “Let’s just go find Nurse Redheart…” she said, before walking off in a direction that led further into the hospital.

Pinkie Pie followed Nurse Snowheart through the twisting hallways, trying her best to adhere to Pinkie Rule #12 (No bouncing in the hospital) and Pinkie Rule #27 (No loud singing in the hospital). She hummed a quiet tune under her breath instead, resisting the urge to hop along to the beat.

After a short while, they reached a door with a shiny golden plaque that read “Head Nurse Redheart”. Snowheart knocked, and after a moment they were invited inside.

A large window on the back wall let in the late afternoon light, illuminating a series of filing cabinets along one wall and a large bookshelf along the other. In the center of the room sat a very weary looking Nurse Redheart, her head turned down at her desk, the surface of which was covered by a large collection of scattered papers. Her tired eyes drifted to the door as it opened.

“Nurse Snowheart? ...Pinkie?!” Redheart said with alarm. “Don’t tell me you tried to break into a patient's room again?” she pleaded as the two guests sat down at a pair of pillows in front of the desk.

Pinkie’s mane deflated slightly more. Redheart only sighed in response.

“Pinkie, not all patients want to have a party during their hospital visits,” Redheart said with a slight shake of her head.

“Oh, no, it wasn’t that at all!” Pinkie countered. “I was just trying to get to know her so I could plan the most wonderfulest Welcome to Ponyville party ever!” she said excitedly, throwing a bit of confetti in the air.

Redheart’s eyes widened. “Nurse Snowheart, please tell me the patient she visited wasn’t the filly named Terra.”

Snowheart simply shook her head. “It was Terra, Nurse Redheart. I caught Pinkie up on her bed, spouting off a bunch of questions. Terra looked… really confused, mostly,” she explained, looking up at the ceiling in thought.

Redheart groaned in response. “Pinkie, I understand your enthusiasm, but… Terra is a foal who’s gone through an unimaginable amount of loss, much more than anypony should ever have to. Just… be gentle with her, okay? She’ll need a lot of time to adjust to everything…” she trailed off, looking back down at the scattered papers, giving a tired yawn as she shifted them around. “I wish I could tell you the best way to reach her, but… there’s so much even I don’t know, and I’m the one directly tasked with her care! But she doesn’t want to share, and I obviously won’t force her to. I just wish there was more I could do for her…” she said, anxiously tapping a hoof on her desk.

Pinkie hopped around the desk until she was right next to Redheart, before giving her a gentle hug. “Don’t worry, Nurse Redheart! I just know she’ll be alright!” she detached from the hug, before looking face-to-face at Redheart. “After all, she’s got the best ponies looking after her!”

Pinkie’s enthusiasm was infectious, and Redheart gave a weary smile in reply. “Thank you, Pinkie. I just hope you’re right…”

Satisfied, Pinkie took her leave and hopped her way towards the exit. After a stern glare from Snowheart, Pinkie stopped bouncing, gave a sheepish grin, and walked the rest of the way to the door, closing it behind her.

Snowheart looked back towards Redheart to see her resting her chin on her desk. “You should head home, Nurse Redheart. Get some sleep.”

…

“...Redheart?”

…

Snooooore…

In a small house on the other end of Ponyville, a cream colored mare pulled a batch of chocolate covered candies out of the fridge. She meticulously swirled a bit of melted chocolate on the top of each one, before placing them back in the fridge to cool. Her eyes darted back and forth between her current task and a double boiler containing a pool of melted sugar, waiting for it to reach the hard crack stage.

Eventually, she heard movement from the entryway. “Lyra, is that you?” she called out.

“Yeah, it’s me…” a voice replied in a distant tone.

Bon Bon turned down the heat on the sugar before moving to the threshold of the kitchen, watching Lyra take off her saddlebags with a sparkle of magic and remove the lyre held within them. “Something wrong?” Bon Bon asked, walking over to embrace Lyra. “How’s the search going?”

“That’s the thing… I found her.”

“Oh! Then that’s wonderful news!” Bon Bon exclaimed, lovingly nuzzling Lyra. “I’m so proud of you, Lyly! But… it sounds like there’s more?”

Lyra nodded, then began to recount her day since they left the town hall meeting that morning, taking the time to carefully place her lyre on its display shelf at the same time. Bon Bon gave a heartwarming smile hearing about Lyra convincing Terra to accept help, and her eyes filled with sympathy at the description of Terra’s situation, but when Lyra reached the part about Nurse Redheart’s request—

“What?!” Bon Bon yelled, a bit shocked.

“That’s exactly how I reacted,” Lyra said with a hint of mirth, before her face shifted to a pensive frown. “But, yeah… that’s the decision we have to make. And I know we’ve only been together for a couple years and we’re still getting used to living with each other but I shouldn’t just allow myself to leave a filly like her to fend for herself!” Lyra paced around the room, her words tumbling out in a rush. “And as far as I can tell she already seems to trust me—she doesn’t seem to know a whole lot of other ponies, so she’d just be placed with another random family that she’d have to learn to trust all over again—and I don’t know if I got the point across well enough that she has to learn to trust—”

“Lyra.” Bon Bon placed a calming hoof on Lyra’s shoulder, gently interrupting her anxious tirade. “Deep breaths, Lyly. You’re okay.”

Lyra froze mid-step, meeting Bon Bon’s level gaze, before closing her eyes and taking a few slow, measured breaths.

“Alright, let’s think this through,” Bon Bon began. “This is a massive responsibility, especially in the case of a foal who’s gone through as much as Terra has. Do we think we can handle that?”

Lyra sighed, looking at the ground in thought. “I’d like to think we could. I mean… we’ve talked about wanting foals before, right? Maybe not so soon, but… we’ve made this whole relationship work, against all odds. Doesn’t that count for something?”

Bon Bon tilted her head, her expression softening. “It does. But wanting foals and being ready for them are two entirely different things. And with Terra… she’s going to need more care, and more patience, than other foals. She’s fragile, Lyra.”

“I know, Bonnie,” Lyra admitted, her ears drooping. “But that’s why I think she needs us. I mean, if not us, then who else? She already trusts me, that has to be worth something.”

“It’s not just about her trusting us, though. We need to trust ourselves, too.” Bon Bon let out a small sigh, her gaze drifting to the kitchen. “We need to be sure that we can give her what she needs, and we need to do it right.”

“I know we can,” Lyra said, her voice filling with determination. “Maybe not perfectly, and maybe not right away, but I want to give everything I have to help her.”

Bon Bon narrowed her eyes for a moment. “You’ve already made your choice, haven’t you?” A sly grin found its way into her expression. “You’re attached to her.”

“Maybe…” Lyra said, chuckling nervously. “But that doesn’t take away from the fact that we can do this. Earning her trust was a start, we can handle the rest together.”

Bon Bon’s smile grew, a glint of something unreadable crossing her face. “...I think you’re right. And maybe… maybe it’s the right thing to do. She’s been through enough; the least she deserves is some stability.” She took a deep breath. “I’m in.”

“You’ll do it?! Really?! Oh, thank you thank you thank you!!” Lyra shouted enthusiastically, wrapping Bon Bon in a bone crushing hug.

“Don’t thank me, thank yourself. This is a wonderful opportunity for all three of us!” Bon Bon exclaimed, a bit strained from the hug. “Now let go of me, you goof. I have to get back to the sugar before it caramelizes.” she remarked with an amused smile.

“Oh, heh, sorry,” Lyra apologized, releasing Bon Bon from the death grip.

“We’ll talk more about this later, okay? There’s still a lot of details to work out.” Bon Bon nuzzled Lyra once more before she returned to the kitchen, leaving Lyra alone in the main hall.

The unicorn gave a heartening smile, looking back towards the front door. “Just hang in there, Terra,” she thought, feeling a surge of determination, “There’s hope for you yet.”

After eating and drinking my body weight in food and water, I slept the rest of the day away and awoke the following morning to find myself, once again, very bored. Although there seemed to be a lot more activity than normal outside the door to my room, no one came inside, besides the nurse that brought me breakfast. I tried reading for a while, but the storyline had hit a bit of a slow point, and given how I had literally nothing else to do, I resorted to just lying on the bed, looking out of the window. I’d do anything for even an hour of internet.

Even though I had literally turned into a horse, one of the biggest culture shocks I had experienced so far was the lack of communication. Without a phone, or any sort of electronic device for that matter, I didn’t have any of my normal means of talking to people. No texts from my mom, couldn’t scroll social media when I didn’t have anything better to do, and I was stuck with Discord instead of chatting with my friends on Discord; every speck of my normal routine was gone.

Given the extent of what I had seen so far, it seemed like all they had for communicating was written mail, besides just physically talking to one another. So not only did I barely know anyone here, but I also had no way of easily communicating with them like I was used to, partially because of how much I had to hide, but especially since I couldn’t leave the hospital.

And I know that I agreed to come back here, but… for what? So I could be bored out of my mind while waiting for this stupid injury to heal? And I’ve been here for three full days now, just doing the same routine over and over— well, I guess besides when I ran away—

Oh. Yeah.

I have nowhere else to go.

I let out a deep sigh, making circles in the sheets with a hoof. Why do I keep forgetting that I lost… everything? It’s almost like there’s a part of myself that’s still in denial of it all. And why wouldn’t it be?

I guess, with nowhere else to go… this hospital isn’t so bad. Three meals a day, a comfy bed, attentive nurses who check up on me and help change my bandages and everything… I’m okay with this, for now, I think. Despite knowing nothing about me, despite me keeping everything secret, despite me running off and being a complete nuisance, they still take care of me here. What more could I ask for, really? I can handle a bit of boredom, at least until they… find me a new place to live.

…

Finding a new home is supposed to be comforting, right?

So why does the thought make me so afraid?

A familiar ache crept into my chest, which tightened as my thoughts spiraled. The idea of a new place, with new faces and new expectations, threatened to tear down the small semblance of stability I’ve found since I lost it all. It wasn’t just about living somewhere else, it was about stepping into a life I wasn’t sure I could handle, surrounded by people I didn’t know if I could ever fully trust. What if they asked too many questions? What if they got fed up with me hiding everything?

What if they found out the truth, and turned me in?

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to push away the rising dread. The hospital was predictable. Safe, even. But the world outside was a chaotic storm of uncertainty I wasn’t ready for, where the small comfort I found in routine would vanish.

As my eyes traced the scenery outside, a soft knock at the door pulled me away from my spiraling thoughts. I only noticed my heart was racing as my ears flicked toward the sound, an action I was still not used to.

I looked behind me at the door as it opened to reveal Nurse Redheart, who looked much more refreshed than when I had seen her last. Behind her entered another pony I had never seen before (which wasn’t all that surprising, to be honest). She had an off white coat, a faded blue mane and tail with streaks of gray, and deep teal eyes. Her mane was kept in a neat bun, and on her face sat a pair of spectacles balanced on her snout, which she adjusted as she entered. Looking further, I noticed her weird butt tattoo was of two feathers overlayed on top of each other in the shape of a heart. Or were they quills?

Redheart’s words pulled me from musings, speaking in a soft, comforting tone, “Good morning, Terra. Did you sleep alright?”

I answered with a simple nod, shifting nervously on the bed. “A-And um, sorry again, about running away…”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, we’re all just glad you’re safe,” Redheart reassured, walking closer to the bed. “Now, introductions! Terra, this is Miss Amber Quill, visiting today from the Ministry of Foal Welfare in Canterlot!” she announced excitedly. I mentally grumbled a bit from being talked to like a child.

Amber Quill spoke up then. “Hi, Terra. I’ve heard a lot about you,” she said with a slight smile, approaching the bed as well.

“Well, that’s not ominous at all…”

“Uh, hello,” I said, holding out my right arm— foreleg— on instinct, before awkwardly sitting down and switching to holding out my left foreleg, so as to not further aggravate my injury. Amber shook it as her smile grew a little wider.

“Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here,” she continued, nodding her head in Redheart’s direction, “Nurse Redheart here has been informing the Ministry of your situation since you arrived, and we’ve been working to find you a home with ponies who can take care of you. Turns out, we didn’t need to do all that, because a couple has volunteered! Now, you might know one of them if I recall, a mare by the name of Lyra Heartstrings, and her partner Bon Bon. We just need to make sure this is alright with you before we move on.”

My eyes widened in shock. “Lyra? Yeah, I… I know her…” I trailed off, shifting my gaze to the bed below me.

I felt my ear twitch slightly. This was good news, right? I mean, much better than someone I didn’t know… right? Even still, I couldn’t help but feel a stab of anxiety. It was one thing to see this on the edge of the horizon, and another thing entirely to be face-to-face with moving in alongside someone I only barely knew, and with them tasked to take care of me…

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, being reminded of Lyra’s words. I was completely out of my depth here, in a world I was entirely unfamiliar with, and I’ve been given the opportunity to get direct help from someone that I actually sort of knew and trusted. It wasn’t an opportunity I should give up so easily.

Eventually, I opened my eyes and looked back up. Both ponies in the room seemed like they were waiting for me to do so, as both of them sent gentle smiles my way.

“It’s alright if you need more time, Terra,” Redheart spoke softly. “I know it’s a lot to process, especially after going through everything that you did. You can take as long as you need.”

I took another deep breath. “No, it’s alright… I’m fine with it. I trust Lyra.”

Both mares were practically beaming. “Wonderful!” Amber exclaimed, before pulling a clipboard from a bag hanging from her back and looking down at it. “I’ll just be around, making sure the transition runs smoothly. We should also plan a time for you all to meet each other, say… tomorrow afternoon?” She looked back up in my direction. “Is that alright with you, Terra?” After a quick nod from me, she continued, “Great! I'll coordinate with the couple to make sure it works for them as well. I’ll see you both later!” she announced, before swiftly exiting the room.

Redheart looked at me with a gentle warmth. “I know that was difficult for you, Terra. I’m very proud of you,” she said, leaning over and giving me a soft hug. The hug was a little awkward, but the sentiment was enough to make my eyes water. Part of me wanted to pull away, but that was the same part that made me run away from the hospital, so I stubbornly disregarded it.

After a few moments, Redheart withdrew from the hug, looking at me with a kind smile. “Alright Terra, I’ll come back later to pick you up for the meeting. I hope you’re excited!”

Despite being treated like a kid again, I sent a reluctant smile her way as she left the room. I collapsed on the bed as the door closed behind her.

“Well… this is it, huh? I’m finally getting out of here…” I let out a gentle sigh, hearing Redheart’s muffled hoofsteps leading away from the door. I let my eyes drift back to the window, catching a glimpse of the clear sky beyond. “I guess all that's left to do is hope it’ll all be okay, however fragile that hope may be.”

Author's Note

New chapter yay! This took a bit longer than I was expecting, sorry folks. I quite like how this one turned out, though :3

You could say Terra was hungry enough to eat a horse...

I hope all the Americans had a great Thanksgiving! And I hope the non-Americans had a great... uh... Thursday.

And of course extra special thanks to my wonderful editors Lilyheart, Rainy Skies, Sparkly Sparks, and Lunasee!