Light of the moon

The sun rose over Ponyville. The glaring light refracted through the window, reflected off of a metal pole, and ended up hitting Moon Light right in the eyes. With a tiny groan, a stretch, and a hiss of sharp pain, he awoke, only to find himself still being targeted by the sun’s rays. It must be a Monday, he thought with a smile. No other day would the sun only hit him in the eye.

Today, according to a quick, strange chat he had with Luna while dreaming, he would be released to find something. Moon struggled to remember the dream, but the morphine and sleeping medicine made it come out muffled and foggy. However, he remembered something about Twilight coming to save him… or something along those lines. He quickly looked at the damage he had taken, and groaned in pain from the sight. His right wing was heavily bandaged, the bandages themselves a deep red, matching the identical stain on the sheets. It ached and itched horribly, but he knew that pulling off the bandages would only make his wing bleed more. Luckily, it seemed like the bleeding had stopped for now, so he went on to identify his other wounds.

His left hind leg also hurt, so that would be priority number two. As he bent forward to look at it, a searing agony filled his body as muscles that had been horribly injured began working again. Taking it slower this time, he sat up so that he could throw off the blankets. While he was covered in bandaged cuts and bruises, it didn’t seem as bad as it could have been. From what he expected, it wasn’t even as bad as it should have been!

Moon’s head hurt, as some memory attempted to surface, but failed miserably. Shaking his head, he looked around for something to wear. Quickly finding a gown nearby, he slowly and tenderly slipped out of bed. As his legs hit the floor, they quickly crumpled as a massive amount of pain lanced upward. He knew he shouldn’t be walking, but he had no choice. He had already failed Luna once, he would not do so again.

Through sheer force of will, he managed to stand, wrapping the gown clumsily around him. Grabbing a nearby metal pole for support, he noticed the IV in his arm. It must be to replace all the blood he kept losing. He followed the IV to the bag, hanging on another metal pole that rolled on wheels. Letting go of his current pole, he stumbled toward the other pole, grabbing it just in time. Steeling himself for the fight the doctor was most likely going to put up, he started walking towards the door, using the IV stand to support himself.

The door opened just before he got there, leaving him face to face with a white unicorn mare. He recognized her as Redheart. He wasn’t too sure, but that didn’t stop him. Opening his mouth, he attempted to speak.

“Go… leaving… Princess,” he managed, before he began coughing from the strain. This was going to be difficult.

“Oh, yes, I know. Princess Luna has personally seen to it that you will most likely get an infection and die. Have fun!” Nurse Redheart seemed to be having difficulty sounding polite. Moon guessed that it was simply the indignation of being overridden that must be making her mad.

Twilight awoke at the same time she always did, which was fifteen minutes early for the meeting. The girls would come and get Moon out of the hospital, and then throw him a true Pinkie Pie welcoming party! While the doctors would certainly be upset, it would be fine! With the Saviours of Equestria, he would be fine! Suddenly, she realized that Moon had no place to stay. He couldn’t stay with her, because between Spike and the new amalgam reaction she had devised, the only room was the basement, where the experiments were being done. Pinkie Pie would accept him, but the Cakes couldn’t hold any more ponies in their house. Rarity would probably drive him insane, and her penchant for tight clothing would do more harm than good. Maybe he could stay with Rainbow Dash?

Twilight’s face fell as she thought. He couldn’t stay with Rainbow after… Oh, dear Celestia, that poor boy’s wing. It was a sight she didn’t ever want to see again. She tried desperately to forget it. A sweet smell filled her nostrils, as she realized Spike must be up and making breakfast. Usually, he sleeps in! He must be feeling extra helpful today. Suddenly, the food and wing thought mixed, and she felt nauseous. Maybe today wasn’t a good day for breakfast.

Heading down the stairs, she realized she hadn’t solved her problem yet. With every issue so far, the only three choices were to stay with Fluttershy, Applejack, or to get a house alone. The purple unicorn winced as she remembered rumours she had heard in the marketplace, about the cost of housing. It would be tough, but he probably could make it.

Spike came out, holding a plate full of waffles. They smelled faintly of apples and cinnamon, and Twilight’s heart broke. Spike must have spent so much time and effort onto those waffles, and she wasn’t going to eat a single bite.

Well…. Maybe just one. Or two.

The girls met near the statue in the middle of the town square. Rarity looked absolutely dreadful, and appeared to have not slept a wink. With a spin of her hair, and a bit of magic, the weariness and exhaustion flowed away, leaving her mane springing back into its usual style. Fluttershy had arrived early, and was in the bushes playing with some small rodent. A single cloud, Rainbow Dash’s trademark, flew overhead. A loud explosion heralded the arrival of the Element of Laughter, followed by yelling from an approaching Applejack. As Pinkie Pie landed, Twilight distinctly saw an apple pie disappear, pan and all, into the pink mare’s mouth.

Twilight gathered the girls around her quickly. It was time for a speech! “Now, I know everypony has things to get done today, but I told you what the Princess said. I need volunteers for everything. First, we need a house for him. We have three options. He can either go with Applejack, stay with Fluttershy, or he can attempt to buy a house. Ideas?”

Fluttershy popped her head out of the bushes “Oh, I don’t know if he can stay with me. I mean, I don’t mean to sound rude, but I just met him, and the animals haven’t, and they may not like him and—“

Applejack began speaking, interrupting Fluttershy, “Fine, he can come stay with me, but ah still want him to try to help with the farmin’! Ah know he’s hurtin’ and all, but maybe we can give him some of the light jobs, if he wants ‘em.”

Twilight nodded “Ok, that’s part one. Pinkie Pie, you know what part two is. From there, we can spend the day showing him around Ponyville. Tomorrow, we need to start the lessons.”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened as her friend mentioned part two. “OH! I need to get ready for part two! Give me five minutes, a piñata, and a bagel!” At the looks from her friends, she shrugged. “What? Bagels are good in the morning!”

The friends, sans a pink pony, set off towards the hospital. Moon must be ready to get out of there by now.

As Moon stumbled out into the blinding sunlight, he saw three ponies approaching him. They appeared to be security personnel, even though there were very few valuables in the hospital. Waving his discharge form, two backed away while one still approached. The security guard offered a hoof, and Moon gladly took it, balancing himself as the world spun again. He knew he could do this. All he had to do was find Twilight and find out what that strange dream was about.

A yellow blur shot past him, and he felt himself take flight. The immediate shock sent a spike of agony through his wing, and he yelled in pain and surprise. Looking around, he found himself nose to nose with Fluttershy, who had picked him up and was flying towards a group of ponies. Blushing and turning away, he looked at the approaching group and was pleased to note that both Twilight and Rainbow Dash were among them.

He tapped Fluttershy, and asked to be let down. He wanted to show how strong he was, and maybe impress the legendary flyer. Setting his unsteady legs on the ground, he began to walk towards the group. Fluttershy followed him at every step, making sure he was not going to fall. Looking up, he noticed Pinkie Pie’s absence. Shaking his head slightly, he wondered what devious plans she was cooking up.

He came up to the group faster than he expected. Smiling at the group, Moon spoke his first clear sentence of the day.

“Hello Twilight. I apparently died and got better. The Princess needed something. Before we talk about that, I need food. It seems nutrient supplements do nothing for the body’s desire for taste. What’s for lunch?”