Author's Notes:

This is a canon sequel to "Ending", a brilliant one-shot by MisterBlonde. I highly recommend checking it out to understand what is going on.

I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or any of it's characters or settings. I do not own the character Jason Wright or the story he takes place in. This is purely writing for writing's sake.

I don't know how long I was out. I had expected to never regain consciousness at all, or at the very most wake up in Hell. Judging by the massive ache in my neck, it was the latter. I screwed my eyes shut tight as I could, trying to alleviate some of the pain. The featureless white of before had been replaced by the harsh glare of fluorescent light filtering through my eyelids, giving me the beginnings of a headache. I dared not open them.

Lastly, a faint beeping and murmuring came to my senses. In my disorientated state, I couldn't place their origin.

"—patient is waking—"

"Quick, get—sedative!"

My consciousness faltered, and I knew nothing.

-----

Again, my peace was ruined by a harsh fluorescent glare and an incessant beeping. This time, however, I chanced a crack of my eyelids. The blinding white sent burning nails through my skull, but faded to a bearable brightness within a couple moments. First thing I noticed? I was in a hospital. Immediately, my heart fell.

I'd failed. I was still stuck in Hell. Unbidden, a choked sob forced its way out of my abused throat, sending a white-hot lance of pain through my neck.

"I think he's waking up..."

My eyes turned to look at the source of the voice, but the farm-pony was still out of view. I tried to turn my head, but was immediately stopped by a jolt of pain and a large obstruction keeping me facing forward. A glance down confirmed my suspicion. I was wearing a neck-brace.

My observations were interrupted by an orange equine face coming into view, bloodshot and puffy eyes giving her a miserable appearance. I didn't respond. I couldn't, if making any sound at all was agonizing.

Why was Applejack here? She was the most aggressive of the ponies who antagonized me, aside from Rainbow. She had no reason to be anywhere near me, let alone at my bedside.

My thoughts were once again broken by the clearing of a stallion's throat. "You're lucky to be alive, Mr. Wright. Any longer, and a crushed larynx would've been the least of your problems."

I inwardly snorted at the 'lucky' part.

"We've run several scans, and there doesn't seem to be any brain-damage. It may take some time, but we expect you to make a full recovery." The doctor immediately headed for the door, anxious to get away. For a moment, I wondered how they had found doctors willing to heal me. For an even briefer instant, my thoughts wandered to how I hadn't been 'accidentally' disposed of. I was in no position to stop it, and from my experience I wouldn't have expected any better.

My eyes drifted back towards the orange mare. She stared for several minutes, her expression going from something like pity to a poorly-masked revulsion. Finally, she sighed and sat down.

"...Why?"

It took my sluggish mind a moment to process the question, and even then I couldn't vocalize a response. I wish I had learned sign-language when I was on earth, but even then what good would it have done? They don't even have fingers, so the chances of them understanding me—

I tried and failed to shake my head. My mind was growing fuzzy and flighty, wandering even worse than before. The pain in my neck seemed far away, hardly registering to my addled mind. I felt almost...giddy. God I love morphine.

Letting my mind wander from one nonsensical idea to the next, my hand absently reached for Applejack's ear. She immediately lurched away with an audible shudder, but gradually came back. She still seemed incredibly tense though, barely tolerating the contact. Not that I cared, I was high as a kite.

-----

I must have dozed off without realizing it, because when I woke up I was alone. And I had to go to the bathroom. Badly. I gave a hiss of pain as I sat up, the brace taking most of the strain off my neck. God I felt horrible. Shakily, my legs creeped off the side of the too-small bed, and I winced as my feet touched the ground.

Ice-cold. Of course, why would it be anything else? It took several moments for me to feel steady enough to stand, and several more to take a step. It felt like I hadn't walked in days. Actually...I probably hadn't. I have no idea how long I'd been out, and none of the ponies were willing to tell me.

My thoughts wandering off without me once again, I hardly noticed when I had made it halfway across the room. The only thing that stopped me was the sharp sting of a needle in my arm being jostled, causing me to let out a near-soundless gasp. I looked down to the tube, following it up to a wheeled bag-stand with a nearly-empty bag of what I assumed was painkiller. I inwardly groaned as I turned back to retrieve the stand, my shaky steps costing me precious seconds my bladder was insisting I couldn't spare. Silently opening the door, I peeked out into the dimly-lit hallway.

There was no one there. It must've been night; with no windows in my room, I'd lost track of day and night. My lips twitched into a faint smile for the first time in months. This should be easy.

-----

Nothing was ever easy. Why could nothing ever be easy? I had found a young white-coated mare with her pale-pink mane done up in a neat bun, sitting behind the help-desk. The plain nametag read "Nurse Redheart",

Now, since I had been residing in this hospital for any number of days, I'd figured the staff would be used to me. I couldn't have been more right. Nurse Redheart hardly flinched at all when I came into view, but still refused to look directly at me until I approached the desk. It was clear she was uncomfortable, but...I really needed to take a piss.

"C-can I help you?" She asked, her eyes flitting from me to the hospital entrance. Her legs were shuffling on her chair, and it was clear she was contemplating bolting. I briefly felt a spike of guilt.

"...Athr-m." I croaked, wincing at the feel of sandpaper and nails in my throat. Redheart flinched at the harsh grunt as well, recoiling further at the pained grimace I was wearing. "B...bathroom."
The nurse silently pointed a foreleg down the far hall, to which I grunted a thank you. I hobbled along, trying to give the pony as wide a berth as possible. I pushed the door in and stumbled through, seeing the most wonderful thing I’d seen in three years. A real, honest-to-God running toilet.

-----

I closed my eyes in relief, feeling better than I had since I had woken up. A silent sigh escaped my lips, and I prepared to return to my room. Shaking myself and righting the patchwork hospital-gown I was fitted with, I turned to leave and…Oh…Oh God. Was that ME?!

I hesitantly walked closer to the mirror, reflecting the visage of a grimy, bearded wildman. The scraggly, greasy hair on both my scalp and face was ropy and full of debris. My skin, once fair and clear, was deeply tanned and leathery from exposure to the elements. But the worst by far were my eyes. Once sharp and brilliant like twin emeralds, the dull, fearful gaze staring back from the mirror was that of a stranger. A strangled sob tore from my throat, as I hesitantly lifted one hand towards my face. The grubby limb was shaking with terror, and the mirror reflected my fear. It WAS me.

This…this couldn’t be possible. The last time I had seen myself, my hair was cropped short and clean as could be, my face was clean-shaven, and my skin was clear and smooth. This…savage couldn’t be me. But there I was, filthy and caveman-like. There’s no way my family would recognize the scrawny feral man I’d turned into. Looking down at my near-emaciated form, I saw my ‘saving grace’. When I had calculated the height I would drop from when I hanged myself, I had assumed I was still the one-hundred and ninety pound man I was when I’d first come to Equestria. It was supposed to snap my neck, killing me instantly. But I couldn’t have been more than a hundred pounds in my current condition. At the distance I’d fallen, that weight was nowhere near enough to break my neck.

My breath began coming faster, out of my control. In the last…however many days I’d gone from being the village pariah, to attempting suicide, to being cared for (however reluctantly) by the same creatures that had made the last three years of my life a living Hell. I wish I had my family, friends, SOMEONE to comfort me, but I had left them all behind. Willingly. I pounded my fist against the wall, the scream I had intended coming out as a raspy, keening whine. My legs collapsed from under me, and my back impacted the wall. Sliding down to the floor, I held my head in my hands and cried.