Equestria, Sweet Equestria...

Rick’s mind was in paranoia mode, rushing thought after thought of what would soon befall him. Part of him wanted to get out of the hospital, but another part knew it was unless. He looked down at his injury only confirming he wouldn’t be getting anywhere if he tried to leave. He let out a sigh and laid back on the bed while his mind continued to race. He caught the sound of a curtain being drawn before he turned his head to the left. He was greeted with…. A gray pony with a short wavy dark blue mane tucked in a similar bed holding the curtain that had separated them aside with a single hoof and was giving him a peculiar look just like Twilight and Rainbow had. Rick just laid there staring back at the pony before he watched it pull its head back with that same look before letting the curtain separate them once again. Turning his head away to gaze at the wall across the room, Rick let out another sigh just as he felt himself start to relax somehow. The light pouring in from the window was slowly changing towards a bright orange telling him the sun was on the verge of setting for the day. He couldn’t help but find the idea of sleep seem like a good one as his eyes began to flutter between shut and open. He drew in a breath before letting it out as he shut his eyes. Maybe just a few minutes…just to calm his mind down….telling himself he’d figure out what to do next when he woke up…

“Spike, could you find A Pony’s Guide to Identification of Uncommon Creatures please?”

Twilight’s eyes scanned the shelves of her library with a quick pace. She had not been home for even a minute before going into her search about the library. She scanned down row after row looking for another book in particular…

“Aha,” She exclaimed as she channeled her magic causing the book to glow with her magical aura, “Here it is. Now spike…spike?”

She whipped her head around hoping to see Spike coming down from the ladder like most times when Twilight was preoccupied, but….only the sound of snoring came to her ears. Twilight let out a sigh knowing well where Spike was dozing off at, but did take into account…it had been a bit of a day…even for a Winter Wrap Up. Getting back to her work, she began on her search for the book in question while keeping the one she had close by.

“Ok let’s see…” Twilight said as opened the book and began flipping through the pages, “Transformation... now where is the…”

As she read, she passed another shelf giving it a quick look before her eyes focused on a thick dark brown book protruding slightly out from the rest of the books stacked side by side. Dividing her magic, she pulled the guide out of the shelf keeping the book she had still in the air. Quickly moving over to a small desk by a circular window, Twilight set the guide off to the side and placed the open book right in front of her while scanning the page. The information wasn’t anything new. She had read this particular section before, but there were times she felt she needed the necessary refresh. While going over the pages, she couldn’t help up but find her attention turn to the guide. The pages had small pieces sticking out of the pages making up the alphabet index…her gaze was locked on one of the pieces in particular.

“No...no...”

Twilight turned back to the book in front of her…as she recalled the aura she felt around Rick…she couldn’t help but still feel a little off by the name. After rereading the passage on the page once again particularly the one in regards to auras, she turned to the guide and flipped it open. She scanned past various pages filled to the brim with known information portraying to the creature on the page. She took longer on the ones that had relation to auras in the section of indentifiaction….as her eyes fell back onto the one particular piece of the index…. She turned back to the page but her mind was still drifting back to that one piece of the index… maybe…. She channeled her magic and several pages of the guide were engulfed in her aura before she began to flip them with an ever growing hesitation but...maybe….it wouldn’t hurt to take a look….

Rick felt his eyes begin to flutter as his eyesight became flooded with a bright light. Squinting his eyes as he leaned himself up towards a sitting position causing the covers over his upper body to slide off. As his eyes adjusted from the minor sting of light, he saw the hospital room as it had been. He looked to the window and saw the town now engulfed in board daylight and filled with a large number of ponies.

“Good morning,”

Rick tore his gaze from the window to the front of the bed and was greeted with a light yellow pony with a blue and light blue mane in a nurse’s cap. Bearing a warm smile on her face, she approached and propped her front hooves on the bed side and pulling herself up.

“Let’s just have a check up on this shall we?” She said while taking a closer look at Rick’s cast, “I must say. You’ve become the talk of the town.”

Rick kept silent while the nurse pony went about her work. She gave the cast on his leg a quick examination gently using her hooves to carefully move the entire leg limiting any movement of the bounded hoof.

“Not much of a talker,” The nurse pony commented while shifting her emerald eyes towards Rick before back to the cast, “Notice any pain or changes in your leg? Cause any trouble for sleep?”

Rick shook his head remaining in his silence before the light yellow pony backed off past the curtain.

“Aright then,” She said with that warm smile still on her face while turning to face the pony on the other side of the curtain then back at Rick, “I’ll be right back with your two’s dosage for today.”

“Wait, dosage?” Rick finally said breaking his term of silence just as the nurse pony left the room.

“…of your herbs…” the voice of the pony from the other side of the curtain replied, “…you want to keep the healing going don’t you?”

Rick fell back into his silence as his mind tried processing the information but found his mind focusing on something else.

You’ve become the talk of the town…

Rick felt a light cold chill come over him as he directed his sight to the window again looking at the town. He just sat on the bed gazing at the town…the ponies out doing their daily routines…talking….discussing…. him?

Rick immediately shoved the idea off as absurd. There was no way that an entire town was still talking about him. Maybe throughout the day of the incident, but surely after a long night of sleep and going back to a daily routine meant that the incident had lingered away…right?

Rick found his thoughts diminish as the sound of the door to the hospital room opening and some...pony walking in. It was the nurse pony pushing a small rolling into the room with two bowls on it. Taking one of the bowls by part of the edge in her mouth, she trotted over to the pony behind the curtain. Rick then heard the sound of slurping coming from the other side of the curtain. The sound ceased before the nurse came trotting to the last bowl and picked it up. Once she was by Rick’s side, she used a single hoof to raise the bowl up. There was a green liquid in that swished ever so slightly as the nurse expertly balanced the bowl. Rick was hesitant at first, but ultimately gave in. He leaned forward finding the edge of the bowl come to his lips before it was tilted. Rick found his mouth slowly flooded with the green liquid. It had a tangy taste to it as Rick forced the stuff down his throat spreading the taste along his tongue. Once the bowl was empty the nurse pulled it away as Rick drew in a breath.

“There, that wasn’t so bad was it?” The nurse asked with that same warm smile on her face, “Now I’ll leave you two to rest.”

With that, the nurse spun around and walked back over to the kart before proceeding to push it out of the room before shutting the door. Rick laid back on the bed as he felt the liquid start to settle in his stomach. Not more than a few second, he felt a chill rush over him as he felt the stuff churn within his stomach. The chill ran over every corner of his body, but settled in his left front leg. The chill engulfed his entire leg before shifting once more towards his injury. Figuring it was something in the liquid, Rick sat quietly till the chill in his leg faded away. Once it was gone, Rick let out a sigh and looked out the window to see the sun….slowly moving across the sky….

“Twilight…Twilight.”

Twilight’s eyes shot open with a start as she heard Spike’s voice call out for her. Pushing herself, up she found her head had been lying on the open book. She let out a groan knowing well she had fallen asleep somewhere during her studying. She scanned the desk and saw everything was where it had been. The book…and the guide….still opened to the…

“You ok, Twilight?”

“Yeah…just…” Twilight began while turning from the desk, “...studying something.”

Twilight turned to the desk and looked out the window just above it which had the blazing rays of Celestia’s sun shining through.

Celestia’s sun….

“Spike, we need to take up a letter,” Twilight announced with her eye widening and a wave of nervousness coming over her.

Spike sped off to another part of the room as Twilight had nervousness engulf her. Spike returned quickly with a quill and paper in hand as Twilight drew in a breath.

I should have had this done earlier….

Dear Princess Celestia,

This is letter is being sent with an upmost urgency. During this year’s Winter Wrap Up, something was discovered in the center of Ponyville. A rather peculiar pony appeared. He is currently in Ponyville hospital. The reason I bring this up is that upon further investigation in regards to this pony has made the situation…

Twilight turned to the open guide on the desk. She stood there for a moment staring at the page letting the wave of nervousness almost consume her as Spike waited for her to continue.

…abnormal to say the least. This letter was written not to cause any alarm for now as I know very well you and Princess Luna have your duties in Canterlot to deal with. So I’ll be taking a deeper look into the matter and hopefully come up with something. I shall write to you again should I have found anything of interest.

From your most faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight channeled her magic and surrounded the paper with her aura once Spike had finished writing the last line. She read and reread what was written before finally feeling ok with what was written.

“Ok, Spike, make sure this gets to Princess Celestia,” Twilight said before handing the paper back to Spike, “Have yourself something for breakfast, I’ll be gone for a while.”

Twilight proceed out the door as she heard a quick rush of flame before closing it behind her and being engulfed in the sun shine from above. Quickly channeling her magic, she formed an aura around her before vanishing on the spot once again.

The space between her and the destination was always an empty white and never lasted longer than a split second before it faded away. She was greeted with the entrance to Ponyville and wasted no time entering the building.

“Good morning,”

Twilight directed her attention to towards the front desk seeing Nurse RedHeart with a warm smile on her face.

“Morning Nurse RedHeart,” Twilight replied as she trotted over to the desk, “I’m here to visit the patient Rainbow brought in the other day.”

“Go right on ahead dear,” Nurse RedHeart said while motioning towards the two doors that lead to the rest of the hospital.

After say thank you to the white nurse pony, Twilight proceed through the doors and into the hallways. She took a familiar left down another hallway paying close attention to the doors recalling the room number from yesterday. Passing several karts with medical supplies on them, she came to the door labeled with the room number and found it was fully opened. She proceeded quietly through the doorway before quickly stepping off to the side as another nurse pony came by pushing a single kart out through the door.

“Good morning, are you here to visit?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Twilight replied with a small smile.

“They’ve just had their medicine and are now eating breakfast,” The nurse happily reported stopping a moment at the door, “So I’ll leave you to your visit.”

With that, the nurse pony stepped out of the room closing the door behind her as Twilight made her way towards the hospital bed right by the window. Once she had past the curtain separating the two beds, she saw the pony, Rick as she recalled him saying, there in the bed eyeing a simple flower sandwich on his plate. He had one eyebrow lowered and the other was raised.

“Good morning,” Twilight greeted catching Rick’s attention from the sandwich.

“.oh…um...Hi.” Rick replied before turning back to his sandwich once again.

Twilight stood there watching Rick fumble with the plate with his useable forehoof pushing it towards the side of the bed but catching it quickly before it would fall. Twilight, irking to get a conversation going, raised a hoof hoping to get his attention, but she kept silent as Rick continued to fumble with the plate.

“…oh boy…” She heard Rick whisper out before looking at her, “Oh...um sorry…need something?”

“Oh, I came in to see how you were doing,” Twilight replied with a smile, “Also I figured I tell you about Ponyville, since you’re new.”

Twilight felt a slight feeling of dread come over regretting the slight moment of hesitation during the last part of her sentence. However, Rick had no sign of suspicion come over his face but more of a curious look, as if he hadn’t noticed. With the momentary regret and dread leaving her conscious, Twilight began regaling Rick with the various notable aspects of Ponyville. Normally, she had a tendency to ramble on whenever going into a subject that had a lot to it, but she reminded herself she was here to learn anything she could and kept the notable mentions to average description. Despite that, she saw curiosity and wonder become more prominent Rick’s face, whom remained silent for most of Twilight’s explanation. At one point, he did turn to look out the window before turning his attention back. Then came the inventible, Twilight had just finished up with Sweet Apple Arcs and Sugar CubeCorner, with a little urge to go on about them some more, but her mind kicked the matter she had come for back in place.

“Why don’t you tell a little about yourself?” Twilight finally asked feeling a load of anxiety come of her chest, “What was your home like?”

It wasn’t more than a second before Twilight saw Rick’s face contrive to that familiar one from the other day. Wide eyed surprise and silence… The look was only broken by the light chuckle he gave before…pausing for the longest time…

“Uh…er well…ummm…” He pieced out before giving a blank stare, “…hold on a sec…”

Oh boy….

The thought echoed throughout Twilight’s head as Rick continued to stutter and piece words together, the look of confusion and worry becoming more prominent on his face.

Spike was right in the middle of breakfast when he felt it. A distinct churn in his stomach that normally one would associate with vomiting, but this one was slightly different and he knew it all too well. He felt the churn run up his throat before he let out a loud burp as he felt the heat of a small flame leave his mouth. The flame quickly formed into a letter that dropped into Spike’s out reached hand. Taking the ribbon off and unrolling the paper, Spike proceeded to scan the contents of the letter.

“To my most faithful student Twilight,” Spike recited out loud hoping to see if the contents were of an urgent manner that he needed to go and tell Twilight now or a matter that could wait.

The letter was rather lengthy. A length that gave off that it had been written probably before Spike even sent Twilight’s…

The moment Spike finished reading the message; he abandoned his food and ran for the door. Once outside the library, he immediately set off for Ponyville hospital hoping Twilight was still there.