"Sometimes when you're down, you've got to look up and see the stars... Because they're there for you in the darkest of nights."
Gums is a young unicorn, whose never, in fact, left his Ponyville hospital as long as he can remember, not that he has amnesia, but he can only remember one faint memory of 'outside,' the sky. The rest is blurred and slightly unsynced. But that sky, that beautiful sky that Gums saw, was full of stars, and he would never forget it.
At his current age, Gums should be outside, playing with his friends, if he had any outside.... In his solitary room at the Ponyville hospital, his only friends were Mr. Beeper and Ms. Wheezer, and the occasional nurses and doctors who came to check up on him. Mr. Beeper would beep all day and night, Ms. Wheezer would make wheezing noises all the time, and for a
Ioppe two are on an ongoing conversation. Gums would listen, day and night, through dry days and stormy nights.
Despite this Gums would remain silent. Listening to the beeps and wheezes of both of his only friends. When he is tired, he would rest, take a short nap or so, dreams of the sky would visit his mind every day, and he never gets bored of it.
On a rainy day, in a midsummer's night. Gums' already weak body began to slip. His consciousness, slowly disappearing into oblivion. As the doctors and nurses around him, in that hectic state of his, attempt to bring Gums back. "It will be alright...." "It will be alright...." "It will all-". Gums slips off to his dream, not knowing that this will probably be his last.
"Stand up kid."
"W-w-what?"
"Stand up!"
"Huh?"
"I said... STAND! UP!"
Gums slowly comes to, he's in his bed per usual, in his room, in the hospital.
"What's wrong?"
"STAND UP, don't just stay there, STAND!"
Gums slowly stood up to the silhouette. His legs still weak, yet improving by the second.
"Wh-who....Who are you?" Gums asks while he slowly squints his eyes to see the silhouette in the light.
"I could ask you the same thing" said the silhouette
"I-I'm Gums, who are you?"
"You'll see soon enough" The silhouette slowly takes shape. "But first, we need to get that body of yours to work correctly"
"Huh? What do you-?" Gums felt a slight jolt of shock through his body from his hooves up. He let out a small 'ouch.'
"How's it now?" The silhouette slowly approaches him
"It hurts a little, and why is it so bright?" Gums said as. The silhouette slowly approaches him.
"Oh sorry, its for safety measures" The brightness turned down, and as Gums' eyes slowly attuned to fading light. With his eyes, he sees what it seems to be a unicorn.
"My name is Luna, I'm here to help."
"Help? Why?"
"I still have time to spare so I could accompany you for a few more minutes... Well, let's say that you aren't... Well... As of now, do you remember anything?"
"No, not much"
"Anything?"
Gums shook his head.
"How about this, let's take a little walk" Luna pointed down a road. "Who knows if it could jog your memory."
Gums walked to Luna's side.
As they walked and walked, down the road, Gums couldn't help but notice the spectacular scenery to his left, a river to his right, and a continuation of the scenery just beyond the river. There was only one slight difference, the land just beyond the small river had greener grass, faint hills at the horizon, and he could hear a slight low hum.
"Miss Luna, why is the grass greener on the other side?" Gums asks as he stops for a while.
Luna paused for a while.
"Well, child, the grass is always greener on the other side because you see it that way" She said with a smile.
Gums looked confused, he looked to his side of the river the grass is green, but with a very slight tint of yellow. The grass is obviously greener on the other side. But thinking that he won't trouble Luna again, Gums decided that he wouldn't take up that subject again.
So their walk continues. They walk, and walk, and walk. There was everything around that he could see, but there was nothing else to see. The scenery did not change, the sky was still clear, and the hum was still there.... Maybe slightly louder? Maybe softer? Gums can't decide.
Gums remained silent for a while, he wanted to ask more questions, but as he looked up to Luna's face, it seemed as though she knew what Gums was about to ask. So he looked down on the ground. Then he realized something, The grass is slowly becoming yellow, the trees on his side are losing leaves, and the ground, the earth beneath him was ever so slightly getting harder.
"What's happening, Miss Luna?" Gums asks, confused by what is happening. He looks up at Luna, but took a glimpse at the other side of the river, which was still green and beautiful.
"Well child, this side and that side, are different, as you can see. The grass, the trees, the land on this side and that side belongs to a different pony. This side is yours, while the other side is... Well... Somepony else's." Luna explains
Gums became even more confused.
"But, why is everything on this side losing color, and everything on that side staying green?"
"Everything on this side is yours." Luna slowly comes to a stop. "And everything on that side, is a... happier place."
"Then why don't we go over to that side? Isn't it a better place?"
"We can, but we may only cross over once, the river is the only thing holding us back..."
"Then let's cross it!" Gums said excitedly as he runs towards the river.
"Wait, Child!"
But it was too late, Gums has taken his first hoof step into the cold water.
Suddenly, half of the sky turned dark. The trees on his side went bald, the grass disappeared and Luna went pale.
"Wh-what's happening? Miss Luna, I'm scared." Gums pulled his hoof, and nothing changed. He looked at Luna, who was now pale.
Luna remained silent, but after pulling Gums out of the river, she began to say, "This place is called the "limbo". Its for special ponies like you, who are stuck in-between"
"How? Why?" Gums asks, wanting answers to this place.
"Try to remember Child, how did you get here?"
"I don't remember anything, Miss Luna"
"What do you remember the most?"
"I-I do remember that I was in Bed, that I only had Mr. Beeper and Ms. Wheezer t-to keep me company. But overall,I-I remember the Sky the most"
"Hm, that's not much" Luna thought for a while. "Don't you know what happened and why you're here?"
Gums Shook his head. His eyes remained wide open, looking in disbelief of 'his' side of the river.
"Your condition as of now is critical, and so is the choice that you have to make. I did not want to be this early to tell it to you" says Luna, "You have a choice, three in fact, on what to do. You can stay here, on this side, and I shall keep you company. You can cross the river, where you shall move on or, you may go deeper into these broken lands, where you will continue to live."
"But what if I don't make the right choice?"
"You will, child, just believe in yourself."
"But what happens if I'm left all alone and you're not there for me?"
Luna paused.
"Sometimes when you're down, you've got to look up and see the stars... Because they're there for you in the darkest of nights. You will never be alone..."
Luna stretched her wings, Gums saw that it is Luna, Princess Luna, who was his new friend. Her eyes began to shine...
Ponyville hospital has never been more quieter. Mr. Beeper no longer beeps, Ms. Wheezer no longer wheezes. Gums is no longer in his bed...
He's looking at the sky now, always looking at the stars in the sky....
Counting them one by one, thanking Luna for the time he had with each count. After all,
it is his first time outside...
