Strange Hooves

Drownit.

A Beog crashes through the window, sending glass shards everywhere along the floor and couch. Screaming can be heard from both mares as it lands on the table. It turns around and charges at Mike, but Mike has drawn his boomerang weapon again and strikes the Beog in the face, but it had already pinned Mike. It was shoved off, and Mike races out the now-open window with a sound he keeps making even though he most likely shouldn’t be able to.

COME AT ME BROS

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy sit still on the couch in stunned silence, eyes searching the now-dead monster crumpled on the floor. Sounds of conflict bombarded their ears. A somewhat unknown chorus of noise wafted in from the window, as curiosity got the better of them. They look over the couch and what they can see they will remember for a very long time.

Mike was standing outside in Fluttershys yard, surrounded by the dark shadows of the beasts as they attacked him seemingly all at once. What he could not dodge, he slashed, yelling all the while.

Poor thing, Fluttershy thought. It must be terrified.

Beogs? That’s not cool enough. Wolfers? No. Wozzlies? No. Beawulves? Maybe. Grizzwolves? Drears? Hahahahahahha

Mike keeps fighting like this for a while, the dark night somewhat concealing the conflict. Mike’s strength began to wane, however, as multiple bite marks and scratches adorned his already hurt body.

The last one.

It pounces him, Mike being too tired to do anything now. He looks into the face of the abomination, and shows his teeth in a snarl. The beast rears its head to bite, but that’s as far as it got. With an almost invisible violet influence, the would-be murderer lifts up into the air, and is slammed down again with a satisfying crunch. It is then raised into the air again, and is slammed down again. This keeps happening as Mike wonders what’s going on. It finally is laid to rest long after all signs of struggling have ceased, and Mike looks to his left to see a scared, exhausted Twilight leaning on the back of the couch, along with Fluttershy.  She spoke first.

“Mike, are you okay? You seem to be hurt again.”

Mike raises himself to his knees, and looks at himself. Then, he scans the immediate area around him.

I just killed again. I must stop this. I’m not a monster. I’m not. I’m not.

It covers its face with its hands, sorrow being contained with a huge amount of effort.

“You okay, Mike?”

With a sniff, Mike replied. “Yeah, Fluttershy. I’m fine. I’ve been through worse, believe me. “

Liar.

Shut up, you. Remember the Warehouse Safehouse?

Oh yeah.

It somehow lifts itself to its feet, limping back to the cottage.  Walking in through the door this time, he sits back down on the pink cot and looks at the two ponies staring back.

“I’d hate to impose, but I need medical assistan—“

Collapsing yet again, Mike curses himself for lack of control over these sorts of things before blacking out yet again.

Fluttershy works tirelessly yet again to bandage up Mike as best she could, but she’s not a human doctor. She doesn’t even have the necessary supplies to stitch up some of these more serious wounds. As Fluttershy works, Twilight comes up with something.

“Shouldn’t we get an ambulance?”

Fluttershy hadn’t even thought of that, considering how she was single-hoofedly taking care of Mike so far.

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt. Could you take care of him while I run for help?”

Twilight beams with excitement with the opportunity to do more than watch. The table is nudged closer to the couch with a little magic, with Mike and his cot gently moved over and onto it.

“You do know first aid, right?”

“Yeah! I read all about pony medicine!”

Of course she did. How silly of me.

“I’ll be on my way, then. Also, he isn’t a pony.”

Twilight beams with excitement.

“I know! I get to practice medicine on a human! I don’t even know what they are, but this is exciting!”

Twilight continues to telekinetically apply aid for Mike, her smile drooping as the reality of this poor, innocent pony—human’s life in the balance. Fluttershy is already out the door, flying into the cool, blue sky.

After what felt like hours to Twilight but only 20 minutes passes on by before Fluttershy admits herself in again, escorted by two paramedic ponies with a stretcher. They stop to see the sorry state of Mike before going out to get a bigger stretcher. Fluttershy hovers over Mike with a new-found fondness that comes with him saving her life. Twilight notices this and asks

“He saved you from them in the woods, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Ahh, I remember when he saved my life. It seems like it was yesterday.”

A shared giggle lightens the tension as the medical team now moves to move mike onto the new stretcher, straining to move him quickly to the carriage. As soon as he was loaded up, the ponies strap themselves into the carriage and made for the hospital, Leaving Fluttershy alone on her porch.

Should I have told them about Twilight? She’s got several sprains, but no broken bones. It’ll be alright.

She steps back into the cottage, door closing behind her.

“Fluttershy, don’t worry. Mike will be okay, you’ll see.”

“What about you? I’m so sorry for not letting them know how hurt you are.”

“It’s fine. I’m just about ready to start walking again anyway. Could you help me with that?”

She seems pretty confident she can walk again. Is she trying healing spells on herself?

Twilight readies herself, but the tension that creates is shattered when she simply steps off the couch and walks around, testing her legs. She seems to be stable, which surprises her.

“Couldn’t you try a healing spell on Mike?”

“We don’t know much about him, and I’d rather not mess about.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

Okay. This has got to be the strangest call I’ve ever taken. First it was Fluttershy of all ponies that reported it in, and when we got to her cottage, it wasn’t the pile of animals that was in the front yard that needed our help, it was the strange thing inside. We had to get a bigger stretcher just for cases like him. Is it even a him? Must concentrate.

The hospital fills view as the carriage nears their destination. They go through the motions that they regularly do, Nurses Orange Chapstick and Glass Thermometer aid the “human” as Fluttershy puts it. They quickly learn several things, along with Doctor Stable.

One, he’s a he.

Two, he’s a mammal.

Three, he’s bleeding out.

They use all of their efforts and hard-learned knowledge to seal, stitch, and otherwise mend the skin organ that was obviously in some sort of fighting.

Was he fighting those things outside?

It does make sense, really. Covered in bite marks and scratches, the human—wait. Fluttershy called him Mike. Better refer to him as that. Mike was covered in many injuries that would be easily mended with magic, but Doctor Stethoscope suggested that since they know too little about him, it’s probably safer not to mess around with his system with magic. There was one strange bite mark that was bigger than the others, though. Severely larger. The Doctor almost thought he’d lost him by that point. He did decide to take the risk and administer plasma to him.

After a few hours, their work was complete.  Below, Mike looked like something from a horror story. To be fair, it was only because of the mass amount of stitching used. Still, he was a new sight in Equestria, that’s for sure.

Nurse Orange looked up and out of the emergency room, seeing the familiar faces peering in to see their friend.

Was he their friend? I remember these ponies from when a certain Rainbow Dash was treated for a broken wing here.

She shakes her head. Everypony know how that went down. She steps outside to debrief the 6 ponies—

Weren't there only 2 ponies earlier?

Outside the ER, she has an opportunity to talk, but then Pinkie Pie interrupts with her usual banter.

“OhmygoshishegoingtobeokayhelookslikesomethingoutofFrankenstallionwillbeabletoplaythepianoagain—“

Her mouth is occupied by an orange hoof that belongs to a slightly embarrassed but used to this business Applejack, whom says,

“Heheh. Go on, Nurse.”

“Well, Mike is going to be okay. How he got those injuries is beyond me, but we have stabilized him. With a little careful magic, he’ll be okay in a couple of days.”

This is Mission Control.

Mission Control, go ahead.

Begin diagnostic inspection.

Roger. Beginning inspection of vital systems… we are green on vital organs.

Roger. Begin startup of limbs.

Limbs… check. We have 2 arms and legs that are fully functional, fingers and toes intact.

That is an affirmative on the limbs. Begin optical scan… now.

Mike’s eyes crack open, letting in light that at first stung, but was quickly subsided as necessary adjustments were made. He also noticed that he could hear the presence of several beings hovering around him. His eyes opened up a little more, and he saw some familiar concerned faces hovering over him.

Begin vocal tests.

“Hay.”

What surprised Mike next was the reaction of these ponies. They varied, from a simple sigh of relief, to a Pinkie Pie breakdown which somehow generated confetti.

***Skin anomalies detected.

---***

Mike raises his hands to his scarred face, and lightly brushes one of the stitches. Fluttershy is quick to react.

“Please don’t touch that, Mike. It’ll slow your recovery slightly.”

“Un..under..stood. How… long…wa..was I out?”

Twilight responds with a cheery voice.

“I’d say several hours, now that it’s light out. Ponies are very good at medicine, after all.”

Bowel vacancy detected.

“How’s the hospital food?”

Regular speech pattern re-instated.

Check the neck.

Roger.

Mike, with some difficulty, turns his neck to look around. The 6 ponies from earlier surround him, and he appeared to be in a bed in a hospital.

Further skin anomalies detected along body.

Mike gets his bearings as he counts his many lacerations.

”How long am I in here?”

Fluttershy responds with a soft,

“Thankfully, only several days.”

“Now the doctors will probably tell me I need sleep. I can’t sleep. Too many nightmares.”

“I’m so sorry, Mike. Why do you have nightmares?”

“The zo—crazies. They brought about the end of humanity as I knew it, and they either consume everyone I knew, or they became crazies themselves.”

Fluttershy notices the memories flashing before Mike’s eyes, and she only wishes she knows what’s really going on in his head. She nuzzles him, and he turns his head to talk to her.

“Sorry, Fluttershy. I guess I’m safe now, but the memories remain. I’ve got my story to tell, though I already told you it, I don’t want to spare any more heartbreaking details. I’ve…”

Tears form in his eyes.

“I’ve murdered… both then and now. Doesn’t matter what it is. I’ve ended lives. It isn’t fair that I’ve had to kill or be killed.”

He closes his eyes, desperately trying to will away the horror.

“I’m a monster, I tell you. I done things that no one should. I’m paying the consequences for conflict right now. Look at these st-stitches. I’m a monster like the monsters that have died at my hands.”

“Um, girls? Is it alright if I can be alone with him for a while?”

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash vacate the room, all knowing how good Fluttershy is with these scenarios. Fluttershy expertly snuggles up to the human, blushing a bit as she did so as he is bigger than she is, and she calmly sings to Mike, which suprises him.

Music. She’s singing to me, with accompanying instruments, somehow.

“Now, Mikey, it doesn’t matter who you were.

Now, Mikey, it only matters who you are.

Now, Mikey, you just lay your little head.

Now, Mikey, you just go to bed.

Now, Mikey, don’t you worry now.

Now ,Mikey, you’ll love our town.”

Fluttershy then hums to Mike as he falls asleep, into the past memories, where the nightmares remain.