Truth In The Shadows

CHAPTER TWO:

PONYVILLE HOSPITAL

   Mirage stopped at the edge of the forest as the small town of Ponyville came into vew, watching Valentine as she trotted happily out of the forest. She isn't paying attention, now's my chance. He thought to himself as he started to back away and turned to sneak back into the forest.

   "Ahum"

   Mirage stopped mid step and gave a long sigh as he let his eyes close and his head drop. "I told you already, kiddo." He said. "I can't just can't go into town."

   "And I told you" She said in a cheery yet stern voice. "We are going to get you fixed up." Mirage let out another sigh. It was now clear that this peasus was sharper then she seemed and she was not going to let him slip away before she helped him. He turned back to face her and looked up with an annoyed, questioning look on his face.

   "Why are you so determined to help me?" He asked. Valentine let a big grin spread on her face as she let out a giggle before she answered.

   "Because you saved me back there with that Ursa." She replied. "Now I have to return the faver. You helped me, I help you. That's the way it works."

   "You're not gonna give up 'till you've done this, are you?" He asked. She shook her head, grabbed his scarf and began to pull him away from the forest. He winced, the pain surged as the scarf was pulled against the back of his neck.

   It waz not untill after the were halfway between the forest and the town before she finally let go of his scarf. He pulled the scarf loose with his sore hoof, wich he found odd because he did not remember hurting his hoof when he fought that Ursa. He looked up toward the town and saw two young pegasi flying around the outside of town one leaving a trail of rainbow behind as they flew.

   He limped beside Valentine as they entered the town, ponies were going about their lives running their shops, buying supplies and just trotting around with loved ones. A few ponies looked up at him with shock as they saw him limping beside Valentine, dred blood staining his chin and bruised all over. He ignored them and continued to fallow the pink mare he saved in the forest.

   They came up to a large building, a red sighn with white lettering that read 'Ponyville Hospital' placed above the entrance. Valentine pushed open the door and looked back at Mirage expectantly with a frendly smile on her face. He let out a soft sigh as he limped though the door, Valentine fallowed behind him. Inside was several ponies with runny noses and sneezing hard, nursees trotting in and out calling ponies in to see the docter.

   Valentine pushed him from behind toward the front desk, he winced as the pain pinned his back from her actions. "Carefull, kiddo!" He hissed. She just giggled as she continued to guid him to the front desk. The nurse looked up from behind the desk and gave a look of shock at the sight of Mirage.

   "Oh my!" She said. "What happened to you, dear?"

   "He saved me from being clawed by an Ursa Miner." Valentine chirped earning and even bigger look of shock from the white mare.

   Mirage found himself in a hospital bed, bandages around his belly and left forehoof. The doctor had given him the full check up, he had a few broken ribs and maby a broken forehoof. Nothing permanent, in fact the doctor was amazed to see that his injuries appeared to have already healed like they had been for two days.

   Valentine came trotting in the room and sat next to his bed. "Hey Mirage." She chirped. "How're you doing? He looked at her quite coldly, but she continued to smile at him. He fought back the urge to tell her she should have just let him go back into the forest.

   "I'm fine." He answered. She replied with a nod then three ponies came in. One cream colored unicron mare with a blue mane done up in a ponytail, another cream colored earth pony mare with a deep blue mane with a pink stripe and the third was a mint green unicorn mare. The three looked relieved when they saw Valentine happily sitting next to Mirage.

   "Lyra, Bon Bon, Allie Way!" Valentine cheered as she ran up into a group hug with them.

   "Oh, Valentine!" Bon Bon sighed. "Are you okay? We heard that you were in the hosital." Valentine pulled herself to hooves length and smiled at her.

   "I'm fine sissy." She replied. "Mirage here saved me from an Ursa Miner and I had to repay him."

   "You and your paybacks." Lyra said.

   "Sissie!" Valentine sighed. Lyra replied with a giggle as she ruffled Valentine's mane witb her hoof. Valentine then turned her attention to Allie Way, whos gaze was fixed on the stallion in the hospital bed. "Allie?"Allie Way pulled her eyes off Mirage and leaned in closer to Valentine.

   "He's so handsome, V. I think you've hit a strike with this one." Allie Way whispered.

   "Allie, he's just a friend that saved me in the forest." Allie Way's eyes shot open as a grin sprang on her face.

   "Does that mean he's available?"

   "Allie!" Valentine snapped.

   "Relax, V." Allie Way said through a fight of giggles. "I was just kidding." She turned her gaze back to Mirage. "But he's still cute." Mirage just stared blankly at the quartet of mares that had invaded his life. Allie Way smiled at him wormly while Bon Bon came up to him.

   "I must thank you for saving my kid sister." She said with a thankfull smile. "I am Bon Bon, this is my marefriend Lyra" She gestured to the mint green mare who waved a hoof at him. "...and that is Allie Way." The cream unicorn waved at him with a smike on her face and he could swear he saw a hint of red in her cheeks. Mirage offered only a quiet nod in response.

   "Strong quiet type, eh?" Lyra said.

   "I'm Mirage." He said.

   "Well Mirage, thank you for saving little Valentine here. She means the world to us." Lyra said.

   "She is somethin' else." he replied earning a fit of giggles from Valentine.

   A nurse came in the room with a worm smile on her face. "Hello everypony." She chirped as she trotted up to the bed, smiling at Mirage. "How are you feeling?"

   "I'm fine." He replied coldly, using every ounce of his being not to say he would be bettr if he was back in the forest.

   "Well, the doctor would like to keep you over night just to be safe." The nurse stated. "You took quite a hit. You can check out in the mroning." Mirage's heart sank, it was bad enough that he allowed himself to get in this situation, but had he just left Valentine alone she would have been killed, if not by that Ursa, by some other monster out in the Everfree, now the doctor wanted to keep him over night.

This just gets better and better.He thought to himself. The nurse turned to the mares with a gentle smile.

   "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Your friend needs his rest."

I don't need to rest here, I need to get out of this place. Mirage thought to himself as he rolled his eyes.

   "Okay." Bon Bon replied. She turned to Lyra, Valentine and Allie Way and gestured for them to do as instructed. They walked out of the room and the nurse closed the door, Valentine had just enough time to look back and see Mirage before the door was shut.

   The four mares trotted outside the front door, a smile on Valentine's face, Lyra and Bon Bon side by side and Allie Way nudging at Valentine's side teasing her about finding a handsome coltfriend, wich Valentine grew quickly annoyed with.

   "Wait a minute." Lyra called out, they all stopped to look at the minty green mare. "Anypony else find it weird that this guy fought off an Ursa and made it out with only a few broken ribs, hoof and a realy bruised back?" Bon Bon's eyes widened with realization, she was right. Ursa's are very vicious creaters that have killed everpony that they targeted and Mirage managed to stand up against a miner and live.