0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Just a few simple words – that’s all it would take, and… no. No, no. I can do this myself.

Ryan’s hand burned horribly, the stinging pain from the hole only growing. He grimly thought that he and the changelings had something in common now, at least. Thoughts of his almost-epic rescue floated about his mind, both confusing and exhilarating. Perhaps he’d made a mistake in allowing the head changeling to escape; but looking into its eyes, into its mind? Ryan couldn’t bring himself to kill, which bothered him in more ways than one. Not to mention how bizarre it was to have pulled a blazing sword out of the air, even if only for a couple of seconds.

As to how he could have possibly managed to summon a flaming green sabre from thin air baffled him, but it was still kind of cool.
… I did magic. I did MAGIC, he said half-giddily to himself, before shaking it off. Not like that was a good thing. All magic had done so far was make his life miserable. It was difficult to focus for some reason. And he was hungry.

“Okay, so, like I get that,” Ryan tiredly crouched forward as Proppy led them down yet another of the seemingly endless corridors. “But, why do some of ya’ have, like, just wings or horns?”

“A fair question, milord.” Proppy replied instantly, a small smile on his face as he walked beside Ryan, the rest of the ragtag group following close behind. None more so than Twilight, directly behind him; many of the changelings either trotted intermingling with the group or hung at the back, talking quietly to each other. “Our kind are bred; or, rather, were bred-“ he corrected himself, and Ryan tried not to look at him guiltily.

It didn’t matter to Ryan whether or not the changeling could actually see him; he felt horrible for what he’d done, regardless of the numerous times the changeling insisted that it was a sort of blessing. The fact that Proppy continuously praised and thanked him over and over again somehow made him feel even worse.
“We are of multiple classes, generally reserved for alternating specialties. For example, our Pegasi and earth pony brethren possess the bare minimum of necessary magical talent to provide for the Hive and Queen.”
“That thing was a chick?!” Ryan spluttered, wounded hand clenching even more tightly to his side as he limped along. From what the changelings had said before, he really should have figured that out long before.

A couple of titters came from the back of the group, but Ryan ignored them.
“These are our basic scouts,” Proppy continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “They provided a vital role in obtaining and relaying information to the Queen. Our unicornian brethren, on the other hoof, supported the Hive in other beneficial manners.” He said as he rounded yet another corner sightlessly, without missing stride.
… How in the hell is he doing that? Ryan wondered vaguely.

“Many of them performed some of the more… strenuous tasks that others could not perform. As of late, many assisted in the construction of additional tunnels and feeding chambers.”
“… Feeding chambers?” Twilight asked lowly, eyeing the other changelings lagging behind a little nervously.
“Previously feeding chambers,” Proppy corrected himself, and bowed his head a little sadly. “I have instructed some of our brethren to purge the Hive completely, in order to potentially rescue any remaining inhabitants.”

Ryan heard a soft snort from the back, along with ‘potentially’. Enraged, Ryan spun on the spot-
-and promptly regretted doing so, as it felt like more than one of his gashes had just ripped open again.
“Who said that?” he seethed through clenched teeth. His eyes darted furiously back and forth, searching for the offender. It was difficult enough to walk, let alone turn around so quickly, and it only served to make him angrier.

One of the bolder changelings from the back, the large winged one from before, stepped forward.
“Do you really believe that there were any survivors?” he had a thin, puncturing voice; the way his teeth clacked together as he spoke, almost as if he were unaccustomed to using them, gave him an even more insect-like appearance. “There is no escape from the Hive. There is no hope to be found within these walls.” He spat contemptuously, wiry brows furrowing into a deep scowl.
Almost as if the universe itself had set out to prove him wrong, a small conclave of about five changelings rounded the corner, leading an even smaller group of frightened, dirty and grime-coated ponies.

“My Prophet!” one of them said warmly, stepping away from the pack. This particular changeling was one of the unicornian type, and many holes lined his body; even more than the rest of them. Ryan briefly wondered how they managed to walk at all. His bright blue eyes gleamed happily as he trotted forward, embracing the blind one in a one-legged hug.
“I trust all is going well with the search and rescue efforts?” Proppy asked kindly, breaking the embrace.
“Absolutely, my Prophet.” He nodded enthusiastically. “However, there were a few… minor complications.”

One of the changelings from the new group with a thin cut along one cheek hung his head in shame. Oddly enough, so did one of the rescued ponies from behind him.
“Was anypony hurt?” Proppy asked quickly, concern fleeting across his small face.
“Understandably, some were quite frightened upon their… awakening.” The new changeling said uncomfortably, shifting from hoof to hoof. “But none sustained serious injuries!” he added hopefully. “We are currently conducting a secondary reconnaissance mission, in case there were any accidentally missed.”

“Hey, this shit’s great’n all-“ Ryan cut in, leaning woozily against one of the filthy walls. “-but if we don’t get outta here quick, Imma start freakin’ the fuck out.”
“Carry on.” Proppy patted the unicorn changeling on the back, beaming at him. He gave similar pats or kind words to each and every one they passed, changeling or not.
It was time consuming, and it was grinding on Ryan’s nerves.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The journey to the outside was relatively unexciting.
Then again, with as much as had been happening, Twilight was pretty welcome to the idea of ‘unexciting’.

She hadn’t spoken to anypony the entire way out, and most of the others did the same. Excluding Pinkie Pie, of course; her nonstop jabber provided the tagalong group of changelings plenty of entertainment. The changelings themselves spoke freely, and exuberantly. Most of their speech mainly consisted of sounding out words, repeating them in different accents and listening to them echo. Proppy proposed numerous rules and regulations that each changeling could follow to better their brethren, suggesting different ideas and moral codes which all went mainly ignored.
If Ryan hadn’t been so exhausted and worn down, he’d probably have tried kicking them all by now.

“So… got ‘nother question. You, uh… mind me askin’?” Ryan grumbled as he limped down the corridors, keeping his hands close to the wall for support. It felt like his balance was coming and going, and his mangled leg burned furiously. It was a miracle he was even standing, let alone walking.
“Very well, Dawnbreaker.” Proppy said instantly. “Thou need not ask permission of thine humble servant.”
“Don’t call me that!” Ryan snapped, and cringed when every single changeling in the group began cowering at his anger. Most of them calmed down once they’d discovered that Ryan meant them no harm, and a twinge of guilt shot through him as he saw that Proppy was evidently distraught.

“… Sorry.” Ryan hung his head, using his one good hand to wipe the crud from his eyes. The blinding headache wasn’t making things any easier. “Just… just don’t…. call me that, okay?”
“As you wish, my Lord.” The changeling all but whispered, bowing in reverence.
“… And quit doin’ that.” Ryan groaned uneasily. “It’s fuckin’ creepy. I ain’t nobody’s god, or shit.”
“But-but-but…!” Proppy objected. “But… my Lo-“
“Nyaht!” Ryan snapped again, holding up a finger before ashamedly realizing that the changeling couldn’t see it. He dropped his hand guiltily, and kneeled down next to him. “… Look, little dude. Can’tcha jus’ call me asshole like everybody else does?”

“Not everypony, just Fluttersh-!” Pinkie began, before she was promptly cut off by a flustered Fluttershy with a yellow hoof in her mouth. The pegasus sheepishly grinned, and Ryan could have sworn he heard a small squeak.
“Forgive my ignorance, milord, but I do not understand.” The changeling said slowly, confused. They began walking again, and Ryan noted with relief that sunlight could be seen not too far away.
“Just quit fuckin’ treatin’ me like I’m some kinda…” Ryan trailed off, using his right arm to scratch the back of his greasy head.
“Savior?” Proppy smiled. “Thou didst much more than grant me life, milord. I have been blessed with knowledge, of understanding and perception that we are as insects before thine divine holiness.”

“You’re doin’ that thing again.” Ryan deadpanned, limping with slightly more enthusiasm now that an exit was in sight.
“But it is true.” The white-eyed changeling reaffirmed. “Whereas my brethren were merely severed from the yokel of Queen Chrysalis, I was lifted high above my mortal counterparts in glorious ascension.” The rest of the group listened raptly to the changeling, but none more so than the changelings at the back. They leaned forward expectantly, watching his every move.
“See, it’s talkin’ crazy shit like that that gets people locked up in nut houses.” Ryan said rudely. He swiftly shielded his eyes as they emerged from the changeling hive, and Ryan took in a deep breath of air. It didn’t help much, but the smell of the forest was infinitely preferable to the dank and dark of the hive.

Fluttershy, Applebloom and Applejack quickly followed out through the hexagonal hole, spotting several others like it along the side. Twilight, Spike, Scootaloo, Cheerilee, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash followed afterwards, who in turn were tailed by a distracted Rarity and talking group of changelings. She seemed to be busy discussing the finer points of color pallets, and the changelings clung to her every word (which she was evidently loving).
“-and for some, green is simply not your color.”
“Hey, um… Rarity?” Sweetie Belle interrupted, tugging on her sister’s leg.
“Yes, dear.” She answered sweetly, turning to her younger sister.
“Are the changelings still going to eat us?”

The majority of the group (Ryan included) slowly came to a halt, and stood in awkward silence. Proppy coughed into his hoof, garnering their attention.
“My Lord, if I may-“
“No.” Ryan cut him off. “No, you may not may.”
Twilight started to explain to him that his statement made no sense, but he cut her off as well with a wave of his one good hand.

“Y’ain’t callin’ me your ‘Lord’. Ya damn sure ain’t callin’ me Dawnbreaker. Just – call – me – Ryan.”
“… But… thou art our creator…!” Proppy said, evidently unhappy.
“No, you can’t call me some shit like ‘The Great Creator’, or anythin’ like that.”
“… I had not actually considered that one, but it has a very pleasant ring to-“
“No!” Ryan demanded. “Just… just Ryan. Okay?”

For a moment, the changeling said nothing. After a few seconds of quiet contemplation, he bowed his head. “If I may be so bold as to request an alternate form of reverence to thine holiness, milord.”
“… We’re you gonna call me the Pope?” Ryan asked sarcastically.
“I-I do not understand the reference, my Father.”

Ryan shrugged, groaning inwardly. “I… guess that’s a little less, uh…” he thought, scratching his chin.
“Creepy? Unsettling? Mentally perturbing?” Twilight proffered, taking up her stride on his opposite side.
“Yeah. Yeah, all o’ those are good.” Ryan nodded dimly, using each large tree for support as they walked toward what he sincerely hoped was Ponyville. It was getting harder to think straight again, let alone maintain his balance. He had begun to shake violently, although he did a good job of hiding it; the bleeding hole in his hand wasn’t helping matters.

It was nearly a full thirty seconds before the trio realized that they were the only ones walking.
“Aren’t… aren’t you coming?” Twilight asked the rest of the changelings nervously. Her friends watched them warily, and Fluttershy started to creep carefully behind Applejack.

The changelings, aside from Proppy, had all gathered together collectively, led by the larger pegasus-like one from before. He stood defiantly in front of the group, glaring at their blind guide.
“There has been a… disagreement.” He said loudly, scowling.
Twilight’s horn flashed brightly for a moment, but Ryan held her back and softly shook his head. “Easy, kid. Ain’t no need ta’ go rushin’ into things.”
“Oh, you’re one to talk-!” but Ryan hushed her as Proppy gently stepped toward him, feeling his way forward. It was evident that the blind changeling was having difficulty outside of the Hive, and Ryan felt a twang of sympathy for him.

“What seems to be the matter, child?” he asked kindly, extending a holed hoof.
The pegasus slapped it crudely away, frowning heavily. “The rest of us have decided that we don’t like your new rules.” He spat, and his wings flared angrily.
Proppy, however, was genuinely confused. “I… am afraid I do not understand.”
“Then let me spell it out for you.” the pegasus butted forward, knocking his own head against Proppy’s. To the alicorn changeling’s credit, he didn’t so much as flinch. “We’re leaving. Without you.” and with that, his wings buzzed loudly and carried him into the air. He motioned for the rest of the group to follow, and for a few seconds, nothing happened.

The sounds of one set of buzzing wings filled the air after another, and eventually, the air was filled with them. Some of the others that couldn’t fly simply ran after them. One of the smaller changelings, a skeletal unicorn, looked balefully back at Proppy before taking off after his fellows.

“… Sorry.” He mouthed mournfully, and quickly caught up with his companions and leaving them alone in the Everfree Forest.

Fluttershy seemed to be the first to recover.
“Well… fuck.”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Proppy was just a little dejected.

“They abandoned me.” he said it over and over again, as if in disbelief. Whereas before, it had been the changeling leading them out of the hive; this time, the rest of the group led him. Fluttershy kept the closest to him, regardless of the fact that it was his own fault her wing had been injured.
She nuzzled up close to him, keeping him from tripping; he would occasionally nod gratefully to her, obviously still distressed by his current predicament.

“Was it my fault, my Lo- Father?” Proppy asked miserably, carefully feeling his way over a particularly large winding root. “Was it mine own fault, that mine brethren cast aside the light of salvation in lieu of obeying the Hive?”
“I-I wouldn’t think of it quite like that,” Twilight said softly, trying to cheer him up. “Maybe they just… wanted to be with a herd of their own.”
“Herd?”

His confusion caught her off guard, and she didn’t know just how to help him.
So, they trudged onward in silence. Excluding Pinkie Pie, of course. She rambled to the little changeling almost nonstop, spouting between her giggles about the incredi-mazing party she was going to throw for him when they returned. Twilight even spotted a small, sad smile from him here and there.

Thunk.
“Ryan, this is no time for – Ryan!” she yelped, galloping quickly to his side. He slumped over, landing face first in the earthy soil.

It wasn’t just difficult for him to think anymore; it was like a cloud of noxious fog had settled over his mind. He couldn’t focus, couldn’t fight it. All he could do was embrace the oncoming unconsciousness once again.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Visiting hours are over, sir.”
“Hey, fuck you, bitch. ‘Dese niggas ain’t shit.” Ryan swore foully at the aged nurse, her bushy white eyebrows rising in shock into her even whiter hair.
“You tell ‘er, Superman!” Tiny Tim egged him on, grinning.

Flustered, the nurse stomped off down the hall.
Disrespect HER, would they?

She didn’t care if it was Tiffany’s friend or not; the crude hooligan was breaking the rules, and something would be done about it – even if she had to go straight to the top.
The bobbing wave of red hair passing by caught her attention first.
“Something the matter, Rachelle – oh.” Tiffany deadpanned as the aged nurse silently jabbed a finger over her shoulder as she stomped away, fuming.

Tiffany began to creep closer to the dreaded room, knowing exactly who she’d find inside. Listening intently, she pressed herself against the wall and couldn’t find it in herself to suppress a smile.

“… Is she gone?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Coolio. Read it again, read it again!”
“Give me a second, Christ.” Even though she couldn’t see him, she could almost hear the big, goofy grin on Ryan’s face.

For a while, there was silence, and she nearly left to continue her duties.

“… I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam I Am.”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“-re you sure, dear? I don’t think-“
“I said, he’s going to be fine!”
“Um… I… I think Rarity’s right, Twilight… Sometimes, animals don’t… get better with-“
“Just shut up! All of you, shut up! He isn’t an animal anymore! He’s going to be fine, you hear me?! Fine!”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Like a poison.
Gripping at his mind; choking it, strangling. It seethed and burned, a black and gnawing hunger at every turn.
… I’m… conscious. He dimly became aware. No real sense of direction, or embodiment – only existence.

… Huh. Weird.
It was still difficult to think, but not nearly as it was before. It was more or less of a mild distraction now. Everything was to the hunger. Not an overwhelming one, fortunately.

More like… the Spark. Where is it?

It took a long while to find it, so long that he wasn’t certain if he had ever begun searching at all. Eventually, however, he found it; somewhere so close to whatever he could call a ‘center’, the Spark remained. No longer was it a flickering, weak little thing.

That disturbed him to some degree.

It had woven itself into the emptiness around it, intermingling with the continuously growing hunger. At some points, he couldn’t tell where the poisonous touch ended and the Spark began.
And, of course, there are rarely any words for such a discovery.
Ryan had them anyway.

… ‘The FUCK.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Owowowowowowowwowowowow! Ryan thought furiously, slamming his eyes back shut. It didn’t help at all, though. The migraine pulsed angrily behind his eyes, and he felt sick to his stomach from the pressure. After a few minutes of strained, shaky breathing, he gently peeled his palm from his eyelids and tried to take in his surroundings without being forced to look at them.

Soft, slightly scratchy woolen sheets and a heavy antiseptic smell.
Yep. Back in the hospital.

His one relief was that the small bed was much softer than the ground, even if one of his long legs were currently dangling off the edge. Even better, it was his good leg. And it was beginning to fall asleep. From the tightness along most of his limbs, he guessed that somebody had bandage him up pretty well – unfortunately, his left hand was completely wrapped.
Aren’t I just fuckin’ lucky?

“You have an interesting habit of waking up at all the wrong moments, Dawnbreaker.”
Ryan’s eyes snapped back open, feeling a pressure on the IV drip in his arm. He knew that voice; and more importantly, he recognized the deep cerulean blue pegasus currently pumping drugs into him. It was the one he’d seen before; not once, but twice. He’d bumped into him on the street…!

Ryan felt stupid for not having realized it before that the pegasus was obviously stalking him.
“F-from th’ bar…” Ryan slurred, vision blurring once again as he fought off the effects of the drugs.
“How astute of you to notice.” He replied dryly, and Ryan’s vision swam as he passed out.

“To sleep, perchance, to dream…” the pegasus smiled softly, adding a little extra to the syringe. “Sleep well, sweet prince – sleep, that you might soar upon glorious visions of flame. Sleep, and dream; dreams of fire.”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“We had a deal, Carlos! No kids! We had a deal!”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Why won’t you answer me, Ryan? Why don’t you ever answer?”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Of course I will, little man. I’m fuckin’ Superman.”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Ryan, it’s me – Donald. I don’t know if, or even when, you’ll get this; but we need you. Now.”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“You know me, Carlos! You know I’d never do anything like that-“
“You stole from me, Jaws. Don’t get me started on the tip of the iceberg.”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Let me out! Please, please – let me out!”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Not again! Please, not again! Let me out! Let me out!”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“I’m going to make you watch, Ryan. I gave you a LIFE, and you betrayed me. I’m going to make you watch while I take everything you’ve ever loved, and then I’m going to burn it to the ground in front of you. Clear?”
“Go fuck yourself!”
“You didn’t say ‘sir’.”

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Let me out! Please, not again! Not again! Just let me go, let me out! Let me out! Let me out! Let me-“

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ryan blinked.
He was conscious. That was a good thing.
The roaring pain in his head was gone. Even better.

Bright, early morning sunlight filtered in through the glass window, casting fading shadows in the small hospital room. He stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sound of his own breath. For some reason, the events of the night before were… blurred. He could remember escaping the Hive with the others, gradually losing focus until he collapsed from exhaustion and blood loss, but after that… nothing. And he hurt.
He hurt.
A lot.

It took him a moment to realize that he wasn’t alone.
Or wearing pants.
Ryan’s head snapped to the side, and he promptly regretted it; he’d accidentally jerked the IV drip in his left arm, pulling it out as he did so.
“Whoa, easy there, Mister Miller.” A chocolate colored pony with a short yellow mane said, noting the IV. “Just running a few tests-“
“How long was I out?” Ryan tried to yell, but croaked instead. The pony stared at him for a moment, then nodded politely to a large glass of water on the bedside stand. Ryan snatched it with his one good hand, shakily raising it to his lips. He nearly choked a couple of times from trying to down it too quickly, but he managed to drink ungratefully. It was lukewarm, anyway.

Trying to calm himself, Ryan spotted the stethoscope hanging from around the pony’s neck, over the clichéd white scrubs covering his front half. Slightly unsettlingly, his Cutie Mark displayed a pony’s skull over two crossing bones.
“… Tell me you ain’t a doctor.”
“White. Doctor Egg White.” The earth pony nodded, picking up a small clipboard in his one of his hooves.
Ryan blinked, a little surprised. “… Huh. Not what-“
“You were expecting?” Doctor White said sarcastically. “I know. And before you ask, your ‘visitors’ are in the cafeteria.”

“Uh… that wasn’t what I was gonna…” Ryan started, trailing off. Come to think of it, he was starving. Curious, he eyed Doctor White’s Cutie Mark.
“… I’m an orthopedic specialist.” He said blandly with a sigh.
“… Uh… I don’t know what that means.” Ryan admitted.
“I’m good with bones.” The doctor replied bluntly. “Let me see here…” he said slowly, checking his clipboard. “Ah, there we go. Three fractured ribs, a partially splintered femur, dislocated collarbone, don’t get me started on the difficulty with your hooves. More dislocation along the left thigh bone, severe lacerations on eighty percent of your body, major blood loss and partial clotting, two deep bite wounds which you should be glad aren’t infected, one thorough piercing which is infected-“
“I got it, I got it!” Ryan interrupted. “I look like shit.”

“Are you kidding?” Doctor White snorted. “You should be dead.”
“Yeah. I get that a lot.”

The doctor shook his head, another heavy sigh escaping his lips. “You’ve been running these poor nurses ragged lately.”
“Maybe I’ll get a fuckin’ membership card.” Ryan deadpanned, dragging himself out of the bed. To his surprise, the doctor didn’t bother trying to stop him. There was a small part of him that expected the doctor to insist he stay back; or at the very least, put on some pants. The hospital gown they’d stuffed him in was too small. And drafty. He felt a small buzz of panic when he realized that he couldn’t find his clothes, in all likelihood still containing his photograph and useless phone – someone must have taken off with them.

“… Y’ain’t gonna say somethin’ like ‘you need rest!’ or ‘you’re in a seriously fragile conditon’, or-“
“Yeah, no.” the doctor said, opening the door for him. “Already went over that with the rest of the medical staff. Apparently, I’d just be wasting my breath.”
“… Huh. After you, then.” Ryan said courteously.

And just when Doctor White didn’t think that anything else would catch him off guard today, too.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Careful, Angel bunny. Make sure to chew your food thoroughly this time.” Fluttershy said quietly, completely ignored by the tuft of walking white fur on the hospital’s cafeteria table top. Angel shoved bits of carrot in his mouth, stuffing his cheeks full.

Giving Ryan, quite possibly, the greatest feeling he’d ever gotten from revenge, ever.
“OOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA!” he bellowed directly behind the rabbit, and Angel flailed violently as he choked on the carrot, flopping fiercely around on the table until he rolled onto the floor.
“Angel!” Fluttershy shrieked, diving for her pet. Angel coughed vehemently, spitting up the carrot as he glared indignantly at his six-foot tall offender. Ryan told himself that he would have helped Fluttershy make sure that Angel wasn’t going to choke to death any time soon. Really.

But he didn’t, because he was laughing too hard.

“Haha! Hahaha, ha ha ha ha ha, ah-hahahahahahahahaha!” Ryan gasped for air, his ribs burning as he clutched at them. Great, heavy tears fell down his face as he cackled, desperately trying to catch his breath.
“That wasn’t very nice!” Fluttershy scolded him over his amusement, and Ryan sucked in air as he wheezed through his teeth, fighting back enormous, childish giggles.
“Fucking – worth – it!”

Ryan’s little stunt had garnered the attention of the cafeteria’s inhabitants rather quickly, although that wasn’t saying much. Aside from Fluttershy and her now-traumatized rabbit, the only other occupants of the dining hall were an old earth pony in a wheelchair busy with a cup of applesauce, a lunch lady (lunch pony?) busying herself with preparing the breakfasts, Twilight and the blind changeling. Twilight sat on a small bench near one of the windows, talking quietly with Proppy. She turned her head toward them distractedly for a moment, before continuing her conversation.

Ryan grunted quietly to himself, snagging one of the readied food trays when he limped past the lunch lady-pony-thing. It contained the basics – what looked like hot oats, an apple, some toast. Ryan stared at it balefully for a moment, before shrugging internally. Food was food. But still… he needed meat. At this point, he’d settle for any kind of meat he could get. Since being dragged into Equestria, his diet had radically changed from beef and cheese to starch and vegetables. It was torture. Hell, if the rabbit weren’t so close to Fluttershy, he’d have tried making a sandwich out of him by now.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. He needed to think. Ryan needed his pants.
Can’t think without my pants, he thought dimly to himself.
“… Are you quite finished?” Fluttershy deadpanned as he sat across from her, unashamedly dropping the little plastic tray on the table. It bounced loudly, miraculously only spilling a small portion of the oats. She gently ran a hoof over Angel’s head protectively, trying to smooth out his flattened ears.
“Hey, that was funny as fuck.” Ryan jabbed a finger at her with his right hand, wishing he could do the same with his left.

“I beg to differ.” She sighed, and Angel glowered at him with all the love and compassion of a rabid hellhound. “Er… did you… rest well?” Fluttershy tried changing the subject, holding back Angel to prevent Ryan’s early demise.
“Meh. I’m actually kinda surprised nopony was clingin’ ta me when I was passed out this time. Fuck!” he swore suddenly, dropping the toast he’d been about to take a bite from. “… I just said nopony. Christ, that sounds retarded.”

Fluttershy shook her head, taking a piece of his toast. “Most everypony has already gone home – Applejack took Applebloom back, and everypony was so relieved. Ms. Cheerilee went back with Scootaloo and Spike, and Rarity got her little sister back to her parents as quickly as she could. Dashie was needed at the Rainbow Factory, and Pinkie Pie tagged along.”
Ryan hadn’t really been paying attention, but that last one caught his ear.
“… Rainbow Factory?” he repeated slowly, crunching on the slightly-overdone toast.

“It’s where Rainbow Dash works.”
“Skittles has a job?”
“Just how many times are you going to drop that toast?”

Ryan balked at her, thinking. Angel had long since crept away with his apple, but he was sick of apples by that point, anyway.
Swear to god, if Applejack tries shovin’ another ‘scrum-dee-diddly-umptious’ piece of crap in my throat hole one more time…!
Ryan rubbed his temples, forcing his thoughts into coherence. He needed more than to stay awake; he needed to focus.
“Okay. Okay,” he breathed. “I take it you guys dragged me in here after I, uh… kind of…”
“Nearly died? Again?” Fluttershy asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. That.” He grimaced. “What happened?”
Fluttershy shrugged, but wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Blood loss, I suppose. Trying to save everypony all the time can get you hurt an awful lot.”
Ryan snorted. “… ‘Course I’m gonna save everybody. I’m fuckin’ Superman.” After a few thoughtful crunches of toast and silent bites of cooling oats, Ryan asked “So… what ‘xactly do you little shits do when you’re not clingin’ ta me or nearly dyin’?”
“… You’re serious.” Fluttershy deadpanned. Again.
“… What?”
“You can’t… you can’t really be serious.”
“Do I look like I’m fuckin’ joking?” Ryan growled, gesturing toward himself with his tiny wooden spoon.

“No, you look like a train wreck.”
“Thanks for the confidence booster.”
“You’re welcome.”
“That was sarcasm.”
“I couldn’t tell.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“You’re not very good at expressing emotion.”
“Fuck you.”
“You’re not my type.”

Ryan swallowed the rest of his toast, glaring at Fluttershy. “… Talkative little shit today, aren’tcha?”
For a moment, she looked a bit saddened, but met his gaze once again. “… Nopony else really talks to me.”
Ryan instantly groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in agitation. “Don’t.”
“… I-I’m sorry?”
“No. Don’t even start that shit. I don’t need any more of you little psychos havin’ any more ‘emotional issues’.”

Ryan immediately regretted saying so, because Fluttershy looked wounded.
No! Bad guilt, bad! Go away! Bad!
“I… I’m sorry…” she all but whispered, ears flattening as she attempted to hide behind her curtain of pink mane.
I’m NOT feeling guilty! I’m not! he insisted to himself. She’s a lying, manipulative little…! Little… a little… just a little…
Fluttershy looked to be on the verge of tears, but forced herself to remain stoic in the face of oppression.
“… Kid.”

She slowly glanced up, expecting to see the generally fuming, raging behemoth they’d all come to expect him to be. Instead, Ryan’s normally beady and mean looking black eyes retained a hint of mournfulness to them, and once again, Ryan did something completely unexpected.

He reached out with his one good hand, softly patting her on one hoof.
“… I’m sorry, kid.” He said gently, suddenly having a hard time looking her in the eyes himself.
“It’s fine-“
“No, it ain’t.” Ryan cut her off. “You kids have been through a lot – a hell of a lot, in a real short amount o’ time. And I, of all people, oughta known better. If… if there’s anything you need, anybody you need ta’ talk to, I’ll listen.”

Fluttershy looked hard at him for a long minute. Eventually, however, her gaze softened up a bit.
“Thank you.”
“You’re fuckin’ welome.” Ryan replied instantaneously.
She chuckled, shaking her head and breaking contact from him. “It’s enough for me to know that I’ll always have friends willing to help me out, should I ever need them. But I think somepony else needs you a lot more than I ever would – somepony that we nearly had to drag away from you just so that you could sleep.”
“Yeah, well, I think Proppy just needs some real good medication.” Ryan grinned.
“I wasn’t talking about the changeling.”

The smirk faded from his face, and he followed Fluttershy’s gaze to a very forlorn Twilight Sparkle.
“… Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.” Fluttershy deadpanned.
Smartass.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Author's Notes:

This chapter was a pain in the ass to write.
Not because it was difficult to, but because of the interruptions every five minutes.

Also, I hate hospitals.