A Cure for a Toxin.

There was a familiar sound. It was hauntingly familiar, like an alarm clock calling him back to the land of the living...

'Beep.'

'Beep.'

That beep.

Toxic's eyes snapped open, and he took a deep (and rather painful) breath. He had a fairly good idea of where he was...

Yep. Sand colored walls, and that unforgettable antiseptic smell. The hospital, it would seem. What had hap-

The mare!

Toxic turned his head far too quickly, and the world spun for a moment.

“Hey there, take it easy.”

He blinked as a unicorn nurse walked over to his bed, entering from the nearby hallway.

“My name is Nurse Shot....”

Indeed, her light yellow flank bore the image of a syringe.

“A not so fun name and cutie mark, I know. Lucky for you, no injections are needed. You were brought in last night. You had a few cuts and bruises, and were suffering from magical exhaustion.”

“T-the fi-ight?”

Nurse Shot's eyes widened at the sound of his fluctuating voice, but to her credit, she recovered quickly.

“Ah, the other stallions? That situation has already been handled. A few bystanders at the club saw the incident, and the security video somehow managed to catch most of it on tape.”

The nurse then tapped her hoof pensively on the floor, not meeting Toxic's gaze.

“We also got a message from Princess Luna. She urged us to get you up and on your hooves as soon as possible. Something about a train to catch. Anyhow, you're free to go. The overwhelming evidence negates the normal trial procedures for those brutes.”

Nodding gratefully to the nurse as she unhooked the IV's and heart monitors, Toxic then took a quick glance around the room. He seemed to be the only one in this particularly small room, the other two beds empty.

“Th-e ma-re?”

Nurse Shot helped him to stand, to which Toxic was quite proud of the end results. Standing and able to walk with only a few-

Ok. OW. A lot of pain, but manageable.

“The mare? Ah yes. She was checked out as only having some minor head wounds, and some cuts and scrapes like yourself. She was free to go after a brief check-up, no major harm done, thanks to you. If you'll follow me, I can show you to the check out desk.”

Toxic nodded, following the nurse down the halls, which were rather empty (which, in his opinion, was a good thing.)

“That was a very brave thing you did, saving her like that.”

He glanced over to the nurse in surprise, and she responded with a knowing look.

“Really, it was. Not many others would have helped. If you hadn't been there...”

“I w-wan-ted to h-elp.”

“And because you did so, she is fine. I'm glad there are stallions like yourself out there. We all to often see the results of...not so noble individuals.”

Toxic stayed silent, not sure what to say. The idea of more abusers roaming around made his blood boil.

“W-wha-t was h-er na-me?”

Nurse Shot stopped walking, having reached the simple check-out desk.

“I honestly can't remember. It's almost mid-day, and no official record was filed, since she was in good condition. Sorry.”

“T-than-k you f-for yo-ur he-lp.”

Shot bowed her head in farewell, turning to trot back to her patients, leaving Toxic to fill out some simple paperwork and retrieve his saddlebags. Again.

Massive deja-vu hit as he exited the hospital, but by this time tomorrow, he'd be on a train to Ponyville. Hopefully he'd be able to return home without running into any more incidents.

Now, to pack. Again.

Princess Celestia nodded approvingly as she reviewed the Canterlot General Hospital check-out log. Good, so Toxic Shield wasn't too badly injured. The five other individuals had numerous broken bones, to which she thought was a fairly light punishment for their intended actions. Nonetheless, she intended to have them in prison for a fair amount of time.

Toxic however, would hopefully be on his way to Ponyville in a day or so.

She pulled up the list of ponies traveling to the pleasant town in the coming day or two. One name stood out, and Celestia couldn't help but smile.

“Perhaps, my dear, you will get a chance to thank Toxic yourself. Goodness knows he needs some kindness shown to him, even if such is but words.”