It was only a regular morning in the hospital. Patients were checking out, new patients were rolling in, doctors and nurses headed to their stations to help. To make a difference. To save lives. However, none of them would be prepared for what happened next.

Suddenly, as if a powerful wind did so, the front doors of the hospital burst open. However, it was not from a powerful wind, but from a small number of doctors and nurses, speeding a gurney through the halls of the hospital as quick as they could to get to the ER - also known as the Emergency Room. Many of the doctors and nurses couldn't tell who they were bringing in, but once they could see, their faces turned to complete shock.

"Ms. Fluttershy?" One of the nurses called out. That very nurse was Nurse Redheart, a nurse who had worked at the Ponyville Hospital for 13 years. She had known Fluttershy since the day she first ended up in Ponyville. She hardly came here, but when she did, she was always very calm and patient, such as when she got her shots for Pony Pox. She never expected to see her come in a gurney.

As quick as she could, she ran to the gurney, hoping to see the damage done. The scene stunned and shocked her immediately. Parts of Fluttershy's body was black and blue, giving the indication that someone had attacked her. She tried to see any further damage, but a blanket was covering the rest of her body.

Redheart didn't pay attention to the front of her until she ended up smacking right into the wall, causing her to fall to the ground. The doctors and nurses carried the gurney away, turning left at the very end of the next hallway. Questions rang through Redheart's head. What happened to Fluttershy? Why does she have all those bruises? And an even bigger question - Who did it?

That was when she realized: Fluttershy had other friends. Did they know of Fluttershy's condition? She had to be sure. As quick as she could, she ran out the front doors and down the path that led to the town of Ponyville. Redheart wasn't sure who to go to first. Twilight Sparkle? Pinkie Pie? Applejack? Lightning Flash?

That last name startled Redheart. She realized one day that Fluttershy came in with the stallion with that very name. Fluttershy told her they were a couple. How would he take it? How would her stallionfriend take the news, knowing Fluttershy was...assaulted?

That question didn't matter at the moment. The other question, however, quickly came with an answer, and she bolted her way to the slowly awakening town.

It was about 9:19 a.m when Twilight Sparkle awakened from her deep slumber. The party last night certainly wore her out. To clear the blurriness in her eyes, she wiped them with her hooves until she could see crystal clear. She slowly, and carefully, got out of bed, trying not to fall down like she did a few nights ago. Successfully, she managed to get on all fours without flaw.

Once standing, she walked her way to her #1 assistant's bed, where she saw him snuggled in his blanket, possibly tired from the party. They had been there for at least 5 hours last night, so he had to have been at least a little bit tired. Well, seeming on how Spike fell asleep right when they got home last night, of course he was tired.

Deciding to let him sleep for a little longer, Twilight headed downstairs to the kitchen area, where she immediately started making some breakfast. It was mostly the usual as it was every morning; eggs and toast. They used to have this extra food called bacon. They tried it and immediately loved it. They had it every morning for at least a month...until they found out how it was made. Never again would she eat that murderous treat, no matter how good it tasted.

Twilight grabbed four eggs; two for her, two for Spike. She cracked them and placed them onto the pan, watching as they sizzled. Once they were cooking, she grabbed two pieces of bread and placed them into the toaster, then pushed the switch down, turning it on.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, the eggs were finally cooked to perfection, as well as the toast. Twilight grabbed two plates and placed the eggs and toast on both. Twilight carried both plates to the dining table, and sat both down on opposite sides. She sat down on one side and began to eat. But not before placing a spell on Spike's food. The spell was to keep a certain object warm for a certain amount of time. Spike was bound to awaken soon, and when he did, his food would still be warm, as if it was just made. Twilight took the first bite of her eggs, and a tasteful sensation filled her mouth. After chewing for a few moments, she swallowed, then picked up another piece.

*knock knock knock*

Twilight Sparkle stopped when she heard the knocking. Who could that be? She definitely wasn't expecting anypony, especially this early in the morning. Was most likely Pinkie Pie inviting her to another party, or Rainbow Dash plotting to pull a prank the moment she opens the door.

"Twilight Sparkle?"

Her previous thoughts became invalid, for when she heard the voice, she instantly recognized who it belonged to. Putting down her fork, she got up from the table and headed to the front door. When she opened it, she was, indeed, greeted by the owner of the voice, Nurse Redheart.

"Nurse Redheart," Twilight began. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"Twilight Sparkle, you must come to the hospital immediately," Redheart replied with worry in her voice, the tone that made Twilight curious.

"Why? What's the matter?"

Redheart nodded. "It's Ms. Fluttershy. She's been attacked!"

Twilight's blood ran cold. Fluttershy? Attacked? No. No, this has to be a mistake. A joke. Something. Who in the wide, wide world of Equestria would attack somepony as innocent, fragile, and caring as Fluttershy?

However, Twilight knew that this was, indeed, not a joke. This was real. A pony like Nurse Redheart would never joke about something so serious, especially with Fluttershy involved. Twilight agreed that she would meet Redheart at the hospital, but first, she had to do a few things. She didn't want to bring Spike. If the damage was severe, she wouldn't want him to be scarred by the image.

As Redheart left to head back to the hospital, Twilight took out a note, and wrote down a few words on it. It was only a brief note. Once the note was finished, she placed it next to his plate, then headed out the door for the next objective: telling the others.

To be honest, she was afraid. How would her friends react, hearing that Fluttershy was attacked by someone? Most importantly, how would Fluttershy's stallionfriend react? He was more caring than her, and he was always worried for her safety. He was also sometimes sensitive, even for a stallion. How would he react to the news?

She decided not to dwell on that, as she'll cross that bridge when she comes to it. The one thing she was focusing on was getting all of her friends together, and getting to the hospital as soon as ponyly possible.

It was now 9:53 a.m. Twilight and the others arrived at the hospital about 10 minutes ago. Her friends' reactions were mostly a state of shock and horror, same as Twilight's. Lightning, however, took it the hardest. The fact that he wasn't there shattered him. However, he still stayed strong, just waiting for the doctors to tell them something.

Redheart was in the room Fluttershy was in, checking on blood levels and damage to her body. Since Redheart hasn't left the room since they arrived, they didn't know the full damage. However, they just hoped it wasn't too bad. But doctors did say someone assaulted her. Still, their hopes for minimal were pretty high.

They stayed in the waiting room for around 20 minutes, just waiting and hoping to get an answer. They waited and waited and waited. It felt like hours, yet it hadn't even been 30 minutes.

At around 10:10, they all heard a noise. They turned around to the source to see a doctor walking through the doorway. He had a slight look of concern on his face, like he was a bit afraid to say what he had to.

"What is it, doctor? What happened to Fluttershy?" Twilight was the first to speak up.

The doctor didn't reply for a few seconds. He slowly took off his glasses and placed them into his coat pocket. Once he did that, he looked back to them.

"Ms. Fluttershy, I'm afraid, was..." He paused for a moment, looking like he didn't want to say the next few words.

"...well...sexually assaulted...last night."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Sexually assaulted?

"...You mean she was..." Twilight paused, but the doctor finished her sentence before she could.

"...Raped. Yes, that is exactly what I am saying, Ms. Sparkle. I wish it wasn't true, but I'm afraid it is."

Twilight slowly looked down. Raped? Fluttershy was raped? ...But...why? Who would rape somepony so caring? So fragile? So...innocent?

"May...May we see her?" Twilight then asked, sounding like a child asking for candy.

"Yes. But I'm afraid...stallions are not allowed inside."

Lightning's saddened face turned to slight anger and confusion.

"What, why?"

"Because...I'm afraid the incident had...well, scarred Ms. Fluttershy's image. Meaning, she seems to have a panic attack whenever a stallion is around her. Whenever she hears a stallion's voice, same thing. It's happened many times before you arrived. That is the reason I've left her with the nurses."

"So, I came here only to find out I can't see my marefriend?" Lightning asked angrily.

"Unless you find a spell that turns you into a mare, then you cannot enter that room. I'm sorry, Mr. Flash. We were certainly not expecting this. Ladies, be in mind that Ms. Fluttershy is currently asleep at the moment. Be careful when or if you intend to wake her. She is still very fragile. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go assist some patients."

After that, the doctor began to walk away, leaving the group alone. A few moments after he left, they slowly began to enter the room, leaving Lightning to stand alone. However, Twilight turned around, holding the door, allowing the others to enter. She looked at the stallion, who's head was down, and tears were forming in his eyes. His mare was raped. Assaulted. Beaten. Many words to describe it....and he couldn't even be able to see her?

"Lightning?" Twilight spoke up, which slowly got his attention. However, he did not lift his head.

"Don't worry," he replied fairly quickly. "I'm fine."

His voice was cracked. Tears flowed down his face as he looked up to Twilight. She could see how much pain he was in. She knew how much he wanted to see Fluttershy just by looking at his face. A few times, he looked like he tried to say something, but couldn't seem to get it out. He was possibly still having a tough time trying to get everything wrapped around his head.

"I...I gotta go, alright?"

"Are you sure?"

"Well...there's really no point in just standing out here the whole time, right?" He chuckled slightly. Twilight knew he was right. If he couldn't go in, why stay?

"Just...tell Fluttershy I'm glad she's alright...and...tell her...tell her I love her so much...okay?"

Tears began to fall down Lightning's face again, like he would break down right there in the hallway. Twilight guessed he wanted to go before that happened.

"Al...Alright, then. Goodbye...then."

"Later, Twilight."

After saying goodbye, Lightning began to head down the hallway leading to the exit. Twilight watched as he walked down the hallway, until he finally turned to the right and disappeared behind the corner. She stared at the area he stood for a few seconds, before finally heading into the room, where her injured friend awaited her.

When she entered, it was a little corridor, around 10 hooves long. A door left of her had a symbol on it. The symbol portrayed a stallion and a mare, side by side, showing that this was the bathroom.

When she arrived in the room, it was a bit bigger than she had expected. It looked to be around 12 hooves wide. The decor of the room wasn't exactly much. There were a few pictures hanging on the walls. Some portrayed mountainsides and lakes; others portrayed the ocean. One picture portrayed the Equestria Trade Center in Manehattan, its twin towers standing tall above the skyline.

After looking at the pictures, Twilight focused her eyes to the bed. Lying down in the bed was her dear friend, Fluttershy, asleep and bruised, but luckily alive. There was a black and blue mark on her neck, as well as what looked like a hoofmark which means the stallions that...did this to her must've choked her maybe several times during it. This just didn't make any sense. It all seemed like a dream, just a figment of her imagination. But it was not. This was reality. The real world. Life. An unfair one. This wasn't fair. It just wasn't. Fluttershy didn't deserve this. Nopony deserves this.

"The poor darling..." Rarity was the first to speak up, but quietly as to not awaken the unconscious mare. Her breathing was steady and normal. Her body was the opposite of normal. One of her eyes were black and swollen as a result of the attack. Who in Tartarus was so cruel and sick to do this to a mare? Especially Fluttershy?

This question was interrupted when they began to hear a high pitched yawn emerging from the bed. They looked to see that Fluttershy had started to awaken from her slumber. According to the doctors, Fluttershy had been unconscious for around an hour and a half. The reason was a panic attack from seeing a stallion doctor.

After that, they only allowed one stallion doctor in the room; the one that just left. However, he claimed he left because of another panic attack. How come they didn't hear it? Maybe they put her to sleep before she could do anything?

"...H-Huh?" A whisper arose from Fluttershy's gentle lips. Slowly, she looked around with her open eye, to see the ponies before her, only to find out that they were her friends.

Quickly, Fluttershy jumped back a bit, gasping in sudden surprise.

"W-Whoa there, hon. Doctor says ya can't move 'round too much," Applejack was the first to respond.

"Where...Where am I?" Fluttershy asked.

"You're in the hospital," Twilight replied, "They told us you were attacked last night."

Fluttershy's face suddenly showed slight confusion, like she didn't know what Twilight was talking about...until the thoughts came back to her. They flashed through her. The pain coursed through her again. She would not let the panic take over again. Quickly, she tightened her eyes, trying to suppress the thoughts, breathing heavily as she tried to do so.

"Fluttershy? What's wrong?" Twilight asked, extremely worried.

The moment Twilight spoke, the visions suddenly seemed to fade as quick as they came. It was almost as if they never happened. She knew, however, it wouldn't be the end of it.

"I...I-I remember..." Fluttershy slowly said, her voice cracked.

The room became silent for only a couple of seconds, before Fluttershy began to break into tears, remembering all the pain she endured just 12 hours ago; all the things they did to her...all the ways they violated her and stole her innocence. It all flooded back to her.

"Darling..." Rarity said, her voice cracking from heartbreak, seeing Fluttershy's sudden action. Slowly, she leaned over the bed, and started to gently hug the sobbing mare. Soon enough, the rest of the girls joined in on the hug, letting Fluttershy know that her friends were here for her.

For the first time in just 12 hours, Fluttershy felt safe. Safe and protected. However, that would never last.

Suddenly, Fluttershy had a sudden thought...Where's Lightning? Why wasn't he here with the others?

"U-Uh...g-girls? W...Where's Lightning?"

The girls slowly parted from the hug, looking at each other for a moment, before Rarity spoke up.

"Darling...I'm afraid you might not be seeing him for quite a while."

"Why?"

Twilight added in, "The doctors said you started having a panic attack whenever you saw a stallion around you. They wouldn't let him in for your safety."

Panic attack?

That was when it all came back to her.

"O-Oh...r-right..."

It was silent once more for a moment or two.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, Fluttershy," Twilight said, sadness in her cracked voice.

"I-It's alright. T-They didn't hurt me too bad," she lied.

"'Not too bad'?" Rainbow suddenly yelled, but not too loud. "Fluttershy, they raped you! Beat you! Look at your eye! It's black! How did they not hurt you too bad?"

"Rainbow," Twilight said a bit angrily, which silenced the pegasus, mumbling to herself silently.

"Don't worry, hon," Applejack added. "We'll make sure them varmints git what's coming to them. Until then, we'll be here for ya."

Fluttershy smiled. A tear fell down her face as she looked at Applejack.

"T-Thank you, Applejack." She looked to the others. "Thank all of y-you."

The girls began to smile. Pinkie Pie, for the first time since she heard the news, smiled, her poofy hair returning. Once more, they all joined in on a hug, securing themselves in the safety in comfort of each other.

Fluttershy felt safe again, knowing she was in the care of her best friends. Soon enough, she'd be even safer, being in the care of her stallionfriend. For now, that'll have to wait.

Right now, recovering is the only objective. But recovering from something like this will take much longer than anything. In the end, it will definitely be worth it.

Hours had passed, as the girls stayed in Fluttershy's room, talking about...well, what they usually talked about. They talked little about the incident, and whenever they didn't, they acted as if it never happened. It would've worked, had it not been for the setting they were in, as well as the bruises on Fluttershy's body and eye.

Fluttershy's bruises were clearly visible on her body. Black and blue on most spots, proving that they beat her most of the time. The black eye, Fluttershy explained, was because she refused one of their demands. Had she rejected another, it probably would've proved fatal.

Soon enough, day began to turn to night. It was now around 8:00 p.m. 10 whole hours had passed since their arrival. Soon enough, their time here had to end.

The door of the room opened, and someone walked in. They all looked to see it had been a nurse, and thankfully not a stallion. This wasn't just any nurse, though. It was Nurse Redheart, the same nurse that told the five of them of Fluttershy just this morning.

"Hey, girls. Having a good time?" Redheart began.

"Yes, nurse. We're fine," Applejack replied, smiling to the well known nurse.

"That's good. I'm afraid, though, that you'll have to come back tomorrow. Ms. Fluttershy here needs her rest."

The girls all went "aww!" in disappointment, but they quickly admitted it. It was pretty exhausting having a conversation for almost half a day, and not doing anything else. Plus, they were all pretty tired by now. One by one, they all said goodbye to the yellow pegasus, and left through the door back to their homes. Twilight, however, ran back home, forgetting that she left Spike all alone at home the whole day.

Once all of the girls had left the room, Redheart closed the door behind her, then turned to Fluttershy's bed.

"H-Hi, Nurse," Fluttershy said, smiling to the well known pony.

Redheart walked over to the bed and stood next to it. She smiled back to Fluttershy.

"How're you doing, Miss Fluttershy?" She finally asked.

"O-Oh, I'm doing just fine," Fluttershy replied, smiling still.

Redheart smiled, then turned towards a table where she had set down a pillow and a blanket. She headed over to it and first picked up the pillow. She turned back towards Fluttershy and walked over to her.

"Can you gently lift your head up, dear?" Redheart asked politely.

"Oh, okay." Fluttershy did as she was told, and lifted her head high enough that it was off the pillow. Redheart grabbed the pillow that Fluttershy had been using the entire day and set it onto the table behind her, next to the fresh blanket. Once that was done, Redheart picked up the blanket, then turned back to the bed. She set the blanket aside onto the drawer next to the bed, then began to pull the blanket from between the mattresses. Once they were out from between, she pulled the entire blanket off of the bed, leaving the bed and the timid yellow pegasus exposed.

"U-Uh...Ms. Redheart?" Fluttershy spoke up.

"Yes, Miss Fluttershy?" Redheart looked up as she was placing the old blanket onto the table behind her.

"I...I need to...u-um...I need to...pee."

"You need to what?" Redheart didn't exactly hear what she said at first.

"I need to...pee," Fluttershy repeated, but louder.

"Oh," Redheart responded. "Alright then. Do you need help or anything?"

"U-Uh, n-no. I think I'll be fine."

Slowly, Fluttershy began to turn so her hind legs aimed towards the edge of the bed. She then slowly began to get off the bed. Pain quickly followed, but it wasn't enough to cause the mare to collapse to the floor. She started to walk, and every step hurt. It still stung from the events that occured nearly 24 hours ago.

"Miss Fluttershy? Are you alright?"

"Y...Yes," Fluttershy managed to reply. Every step was complete agony for the timid mare. She only managed to walk just 10 hooves from her bed before she collapsed to the ground, crying in pain. Redheart immediately rushed to her side.

"It's okay, Fluttershy, I have you. Don't worry," Redheart tried to keep the pegasus calm. It would've been easier to fly, but due to the event, that option is no longer possible. Walking is the only, but more difficult, way.

Slowly, Redheart lifted Fluttershy off the ground back onto her hooves, and slowly began to guide her to the bathroom, supporting her as much as she ponyly could, should she fall down again. Successfully, though, she did make it to the bathroom. Redheart lifted a hoof to the light switch to turn the light on. Once she flicked it upward, the room immediately lit up. Redheart then guided the pegasus towards the toilet, just a few hooves away. When they reached it, the nurse slowly helped Fluttershy onto the toilet, with Fluttershy doing most of the work, of course. She wasn't completely useless, after all. Not implying she was useless in the first place, of course.

Once Fluttershy's soft, yellow tushie was sat completely onto the toilet seat, she winced from the pain, but she kept it inside. She sat down onto it, getting used to it. A few seconds passed by before Fluttershy spoke up.

"U-Um...Can I...be alone...?" She asked.

"O-Oh! Right. Sorry, Miss. Take all the time you need," Redheart quickly said, chuckling a bit, before leaving the bathroom. She stood right outside the door in case Fluttershy had needed any help whatsoever. Seconds later, she began to hear a liquid pouring into the toilet. Redheart obviously had known Fluttershy was...doing what a mare needs to do. Soon enough, though, she heard the sound of a flush, which meant Fluttershy was finished. A few seconds later, she opened up the door.

"Fluttershy? Do you need help?"

"No. I g-got it this time, Nurse. Th-Thank you," Fluttershy replied, smiling at the nurse as she began to push herself off the seat. Successfully, she landed on all fours, a bit of pain from her rather private parts in the process. She slowly began to walk towards the sink. Fluttershy lifted herself off the floor so her forehooves could reach the knobs. She turned the water on and added soap to her soft hooves. She began to wash them under the warm, soapy water. After around 30 seconds, she turned the water off, then slowly began to make her way out of the bathroom. Soon enough, she fell once again, but Redheart was right there to support her and make sure she made her way to the bed. Successfully, she did. Gently, Fluttershy pushed herself up so she was laying into the position she was in before. Once she was in her previous position, Redheart finally went over to the fresh blanket and began to set it on top of the bed.

Fluttershy's body quickly became enveloped in the warm fluffiness of the blanket's material. It felt completely relaxing to her. For the first time in the past 24 hours, all of the pain inside of her seemed to just...disappear. However, it was only temporary. She knew the pain would come back soon. But for now, she just decided to enjoy the relaxation while it lasted.

"There you go," Redheart began as she finished making the rest of the bed. "Now, just get some sleep, alright?"

"O-Okay..."

Redheart looked at Fluttershy's face. She wasn't sure, but it looked like Fluttershy didn't want to be by herself.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy. You'll be just fine tonight. Don't worry. Just get a good night's rest. Okay?"

Fluttershy nodded in response, smiling back at the nurse, believing her. Of course, she can believe her. Redheart was one of the most protective doctors here. Seeming how Fluttershy was a much closer patient than any other, she would definitely make sure she was okay, even after what had happened recently.

"A-Alright, then...G...Good night, Nurse Redheart."

The nurse smiled at the yellow pegasus, and leaned over her. She wrapped her forelegs around the pegasus, but was really careful not to touch her wing. She gave the pegasus a gentle, but caring and loving hug. It didn't last very long, as Redheart pulled away from the pegasus.

"Good night, Fluttershy. Sleep tight."

Redheart then walked over to the table and grabbed the old pillow and blanket, placed them onto her back, then began to walk out. Before she left, she took one last look at Fluttershy, who's eyes were already closed. She smiled for a moment, then continued to walk. As she walked out, she passed the light switch. She flipped it down, turning the lights in the room automatically off. The room quickly became dark. Redheart then passed through the door and shut it behind her.

As Fluttershy closed her eyes, sleep quickly began to overtake her mind. It had been a long, tiring day. Right now, Fluttershy deserved this rest.

But this sleep won't be much of a peaceful one...

Author's Note

There you go! Chapter 2! Sorry this took so long to do! Been working on other things. *cough*clopping*cough* :3

Might be a bit stupid and cheesy in many parts, but that's what happens when I'm up at 3:00 a.m. I'll work on them eventually. Also, sorry it's shorter than the first. Wanted to get this finished as quick as possible, but not extremely quick. :3

For now, hope you enjoyed. :D

Edit 7/14/13: Yes, I have changed Thunder's name. However, I'm not sure if it will be official. At the moment, it is changed to Lightning Flash. Let me know if you like it. :3