I can't believe that bucking foal. Question my orders... It's not like I don't want to help - I do - but I can't neglect my duties either. Speaking of which, it's been a few minutes; I should check on him.

I get up from my seat and begin walking up the stairs, when I hear a loud smash from outside. Maybe I should go check it out - no! I have to stick to my orders. I turn and walk quickly up to Twilight's room. Hmm... not in here.

I’m about to go to our room, when a thought comes to mind: this is Twilight Sparkle’s room—the prized student of Princess Celestia and the saviour of Equestria. I've only been a guard for about a year now, so I never had a chance to meet her before now, and she's completely different from what I heard.

Everypony says she's this bookworm who does nothing but read and play with magic, but she's totally different. She seems to always be doing stuff with those friends of hers, and I haven't seen her with a single book yet! Hmm… or did she… I wasn’t really paying attention at breakfast-

SLAM

I turn around and run back to the front room to see Rarity and Applejack searching around frantically.

"What are you girls looking for?" I ask as I approach them.

"Oh! Storm Cloud, dear, do you happen to know where the first aid kit is? Miles is hurt, and-"

"Miles is hurt? How did he get hurt?"

"He was fighting a bull, and-"

"A bull... HE'S OUTSIDE?!"

"Yes, and we need that first aid kit. Now are you going to tell us where it is, or continue to ask pointless questions?" I can't bucking believe this! How could he possibly be outside? GAH! I'd kick his flank if he weren’t injured... I still might, just for the hay of it. I fly to the kitchen, get the first aid kit from the cabinet, and fly back to the girls.

"Take me to him." They nod and run back out the door, with me flying behind them.

We go down the main road, and up ahead I can see Miles on the ground, being lifted by Twilight's magic. He has a massive black-and-blue bruise on his left side and looks to be in a lot of pain. Pinkie Pie is right next to Miles, looking really depressed. When we catch up to them, Twilight drops Miles and pants heavily.

"Twi, what were ya doin’ ta’ Miles?" Applejack asks.

"*pant* I... had to... re-set a couple of ribs," Twilight says weakly. She seems to have worked up a sweat and is close to collapsing.

"Twilight, how did you set his ribs if you've never seen a human before?" asks Rarity. Twilight catches her breath and looks down to the side. I think I can see her blushing.

"Well... he grabbed my hoof and... made me feel his uninjured side. Then I used it as a template to fix the other side." Applejack and Rarity look to each other in confusion, then turn to Pinkie Pie for an explanation, who - in an instant - springs up in the air and reverts to her old self.

"Oh my gosh, guys, it was soooo romantic! Twilight was all worried for Miles - and so was I, but not nearly as much as Twilight - and then she said she might be able to fix him and he said for her to do it but then she said she didn't know how so he grabbed her hoof and held it against his chest - AND SHE LIIIIIKED IT - and she was all 'I can't do it' and he was all 'work for the goal' and then she fixed him and he passed out and now Twilight can't stop blushing! Ahahahahaha!" Pinkie Pie says, in one breath. All of us are dumbfounded by this. Sh-she liked it? What is there to like? After a few moments of silent disbelief, Rarity composes herself and clears her throat before talking.

"Well, Twilight, dear, it's good to see you finally taking an interest in the opposite gender-"

"I WASN'T FEELING HIM UP LIKE THAT!" Twilight yells. "I only did that because I was worried - nothing more."

"Oh, darling, it's OK to have feelings for another pon—er, human. And what's not to like about a stal—er, man who can defeat a bull with his bare hands? Quite impressive, if I were to say so myself."

"Yeah! Just cause he's human don't mean ya can't get a little sweet on the guy," says Applejack with a playful wink. I think Twilight's starting to get a little worked up from all the teasing, so I jump in to stop this horrible conversation.

"I brought the medical kit from your kitchen. What do you need from it?"

"Yes, yes, let’s let the poor dear tend to her Miley-Wiley," Rarity says, finally making Twilight lose it.

"I DON'T LIKE HIM LIKE THAT! I don't even know the guy! We only met yesterday! So could you please stop saying things like that?!" Rarity is about to say something, when Twilight grabs her hoof and presses it against the good side of Miles’ chest. Rarity tries to pull away, but the moment she makes contact, her expression goes straight to one of disbelief. Once Twilight lets go, Rarity feels around his body as if she's inspecting it.

"Hey! Somepony mind filling me and AJ in?" whines Pinkie Pie.

"I don't understand..." says Rarity. “Normally, the energy goes towards the wound, not away. It doesn't make any sense!"

"I know. That's what has me concerned. Not to mention, the amount of energy moving could probably fix him right now." They both look back to him while the rest of us are left in confusion. Before anypony can ask, I hear a carriage being pulled towards us. I look back to see a medical carriage, being pulled by two stallions, coming towards us at breakneck speed. Ahead of them, in the air, are Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. The stallions screech to a halt in front of us and run to the back of the carriage, pulling out a stretcher.

One of them turns to us and asks, "Which one of you needs help?" We all point to Miles. He takes a quick look, then does a double take. "Uh... what is that?"

"His name is Miles," I say to them, "and he is in dire need of medical attention." They take one look at me, and then run over to Miles with their longest stretcher. After some fumbling around, they finally get him on and load him into the carriage.
Before they strap themselves in, they turn to us and ask, "Is there anypony who will come with us to the hospital?"

"I will," Twilight and I say at the same time.

"I'm his liaison; I will go."

"Well I'm his caretaker, so I should go."

"It's my job to keep an eye on him, so I'm going."

"Yeah, and look at how good of a job you’re doing. You don't even like him!"

"Apparently you don't either." Twilight and I glare at one another for a few seconds, before one of the medical ponies chimes in.

"There's room for two; you can both come if you want." We only break our glare long enough to get into the back seats. As we pull away, I look back to all the other girls. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy look confused, while the rest just have massive smiles on their faces, trying their best not to laugh. We sit there the entire trip in silence.

When we arrive at the hospital, we’re told to wait in the lobby while they take Miles into the E.R. A few hours after we arrive, a nurse approaches the two of us.

"Are you two here for the... thing?" she asks as she flips through a clipboard.

"‘Human’, and yes we are," says Twilight.

"Right, human… Anyway, we need to know his medical history. Do you know if he’s allergic to any medication?"

"We don't know anything about his medical history. He only appeared here yesterday." The nurse scribbles some notes onto the clipboard.

"Hmm... okay. So, we've dealt with all the major problems for now. Fixed some fractures, stopped the internal bleeding, and gave him some sedatives for the pain, but he'll have to recover on his own until we can get his history."

"If you want, we can ask him when he wakes up," Twilight offers.

"Actually, that would help a lot. I have to go and find that pony who keeps stealing slippers..." she mutters as she gives Twilight the clipboard. "He’s in room one-twelve. You can go to him right now, but I ask that you don't wake him. He needs all the rest he can get." With that being said, she runs off into the hospital.

We make our way up the stairs and find his room. We enter and find a unicorn looking over Miles. He’s a caramel color with dark brown hair, a white lab coat, glasses, and a heart monitor for a cutie mark.

"How does he look, doc?" I ask, gaining his attention.

"Well, physically, he should be fine after a few days rest, but I'm more concerned with his energy output. It's going the wrong direction. I don't know if it's because that's how his species works, or if we should run a complete diagnostic on him."

"Is there anything we can do?" asks Twilight.

"When he wakes up, try to find out as much about his medical history and physiology as possible. I don't want him to leave with some major problem unattended. Now, I have to get his x-rays. Please let him get some rest." We give him a nod and he leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. Twilight immediately runs to Miles’ side and looks him over. He looks like he's sleeping peacefully, with his chest-area wrapped in bandages.

"Are you going to be okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just wish there were something I could do, but humans don't exist! None of the books or scrolls I've read in the library say anything about them. No references - not even in any of the prophecies or crazy rambles!" she says as she lays her head on the end of the bed and looks up at Miles. I don't know why, but this is driving me crazy. Why does she care so much for something she only met yesterday? ...I can't take it anymore; I have to ask.

"You really care about him, don't you?" She picks up her head and stares daggers at me.

"Why does everypony keep saying that?! Why is it so wrong to worry for somepony of the opposite gender?!"

"It's not wrong to, it's just that... I dunno... you seem to really care."

"So what!? Why do you even care about who I care for?"

"Well... I-"

"Shut up, Auxy and Dolum! Fuck! Do you two always have to... oh... right," Miles says from the bed.

---

I awaken to find myself in a room I've never been in before. The walls are a dark blue-green color, with the bottom quarter being light brown. There are two beds, and a small end table in-between them. The other bed is unoccupied, and a small lamp is on the end table. I'm lying in a bed, under some light-purple blankets, with Twilight to my left and Storm Cloud at the end.

"Who are ‘Auxy’ and ‘Dolum,’ and why did you think we were them?" Asks Twilight.

"Well... Auxy and Dolum were some of my best friends. Dolum was my roommate for years, and every time Auxy would come over... they had a routine." Dammit, talking about Dolum is making me tear up. I wonder if Auxilium made it out alright...

"What was their routine?" Asks Storm Cloud. Maybe talking about the good times will help me.

"Well, she would come over, they'd get all cuddly, they would argue with each other, and then they would... you know..."

"Then they would what?" Asks Twilight. I don't think she gets it. Then again, Storm Cloud doesn't look to be doing any better at putting one and one together.

"You know... fuck." They continue looking at me without a clue in the world as to what I'm talking about. "Have sex." Now they get it! Both of their faces turn bright red and they look away from one another. Oh my... I think something was about to happen. They both refuse to make eye contact with anyone, and they keep shifting around in an attempt to hide their blushing faces.

"Oh sweet Barbra, you two were going to-"

"No we weren't!" Yells Twilight.

"So how long has this been going on?" I pester.

"Nothing is going on," replies Storm Cloud.

"Is this how you got the job to watch over me, or did this recently happen?"

"Nothing happened," Storm Cloud says sternly. OK, I've had my fun. Time for some questions.

"Alright, alright, nothing happened - whatever you say. So, where am I, and how did I get here?" They both let out a sigh of relief and look back to me.

"Well, after you took out that bull, I re-set your broken ribs, which made you pass out. And now you’re in Ponyville Urgent Care," explains Twilight.

"Which reminds me: how did you escape the library?!" Storm asks.

"I used the door. How's the town looking?"

"Some minor damage, but nothing serious-"

"The door!? You expect me to believe that you walked through the doors without Princess Luna's magic stopping you!?" Storm asks as he stares at me in disbelief. It’s sad how honest I am.

"Do you have a better explanation for how I got here?" I ask as I try to sit up, only to have Twilight push me back down.

"Miles, you need to lie down. You got really hurt, and it's going to take time to heal."

"That's nice. How do you expect me to use the restroom?" Twilight gives a small blush before reaching under the bed and pulling out a bedpan.

"Oh, fuck that shit. I am not using that," I say as I try to get up again, only to have Twilight push me back down. I keep trying to get up, and Twilight keeps pushing me down.

"You need rest!"

"I'm not using that!"

"Yes you are!"

"No - I'm - not!" I finally succeed in standing, knocking Twilight on her backside. It takes a moment for me to realize that I'm naked... again. I quickly drop back onto bed and cover myself up. "WHY AM I NAKED AGAIN?!" Twilight turns her back to me while Storm Cloud just sits there, wide-eyed. After a few seconds of awkward silence, our attention is brought to the door being opened. In walks a unicorn pony with dark brown hair, a light-brown body, and glasses at the end of his face. He's wearing what looks like a white lab coat that goes down to his mark - a heart monitor.

"What's all the commotion about?" he asks as he looks around the room.

"Why am I naked?" I ask in an irritated tone.

"We had to remove your clothes to do the x-rays. We tried to put you in some patient gowns, but none of them fit-"

"So you left me naked?"

"Yes... I don't see the problem with that." Of course he wouldn't. "But if you’re done complaining, we have your x-rays right here," he says as he pulls out the sheets from his jacket with his magic, bringing them to eye-view. "Thanks to Miss Sparkle here, you won't have any enduring injuries. But it will still take some time for them to heal properly. We also had to go in magically and fix your lung, as well as some other internal problems." I look to Twilight, who glances back at me, and give her a quick nod and a smile. She returns the smile, but looks away again. Heh, Storm looked away with a frown. He's totally jealous. "But that's not what concerns me." My smile drops as I look back to the doctor.

"What else is wrong, doc?" I ask.

"Well, it has to do with the energy flowing through you." Oh great, I've got the bends again. I hate having to go without magic for weeks from over-using it. "It seems to be flowing the wrong direction." OK, now I'm lost.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask.

"Well, whenever a pony gets hurt, unicorns can feel the energy in their bodies flowing towards the wound. With you, it seems to flow away from it." Oh, hot damn - I thought something was wrong. Whew!

"Don't worry, doc; that's normal for humans."

"Hmm... Well, if you say so. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask some questions about your physiology - in case you happen to find yourself back in here."

"Not like I plan on spending much time in here, but alright." He pulls out a checklist and a pen from his coat and begins writing stuff down.

"Okay, so any family history of medical problems?"

"I don't know; I grew up as an orphan."

"Oh, sorry to hear that. Um, are you allergic to any medication?"

"None that I'm aware of." He scribbles on his note.

"Okay, history of broken limbs."

"Uh, let’s see... I've broken my left arm once, my right leg twice, and now a few of my ribs." He scribbles some more.

"Alright, that should do for now. Now lie back down, try to relax, and get some rest. I don't want you doing any strenuous activities for at least a week."

"Can do, doc." I say as I lay back under the sheets. Once the doctor leaves the room, I look back to Storm Cloud and Twilight.

"So, where were we?"

"You’re an orphan?" asks Twilight.

"Yeah. Now you two-"

"What happened?" she interrupts. I can see Storm Cloud wants to hear this as well, so I decide to tell them.

"My parents were from Diamond Halls. Diamond Halls was attacked and destroyed by the enemy while I was being born. My mother died during the procedure, and my father was never found. So the military put me in an orphanage." Twilight looks really saddened by this, and Storm Cloud looks like he’s trying to keep a serious face on, but I can see the sadness in his eyes. "Don't worry about it though. If it weren't for that, I would have never found all of my friends." I try to give a convincing smile, but I can't really muster one. Even if they lived after the attack, they would have died thousands of years ago.

"Do you miss them?" asks Twilight.

"More than anything, but the worst part is that I didn't get to fix anything. We had a lot of problems coming between all of us. Half of my friends were mad at me, while the other half were destroying themselves. It seemed like I was at the center of all their problems. Who knows... maybe with me gone, they were able to fix them." I bring my knees up to my chest and hug myself. Maybe me being sent away was for the best...

"I don't believe that," says Storm Cloud. I look up to him and see that he has a single tear rolling down his left cheek. "I once had a friend that I was mad at. He thought that he was causing problems for his family and friends, and eventually committed suicide. Only with him gone did I realize that I wasn't mad at him, but at myself. Don't let yourself believe that your friends were better off without you; if they were, you were never friends to begin with." Twilight is looking between the two of us and has tears rolling down the sides of her face.

"Alright guys, it’s too depressing in here," I say as I lay my legs down, getting small chuckles from everyone else. "Let’s start over." Storm Cloud and Twilight look at me confused. I stick my hand out to Storm and say “I’m Miles; let’s be friends."
He looks to my hand, sticks his hoof into it, and says, "I'm Storm, and I think I'd like that."

After I shake his hoof, I reach over to Twilight and ask, "Friends?"

She gives me a smile and shakes my hand. "Friends."

Next Chapter: Chapter 13 Long Road To Recovery Estimated time remaining: 85 Hours, 42 Minutes