Gas lamps gave the outside of the old building a serene, if rather macabre look at times, the warm light bathing its architecture added shadows and played on your imagination. On any other night, it was my home from home, the light beckoning me with the promise of safety and familiar companionship within. Tonight however, was not one of those nights.

As I walked in through the door, Blaze and her pegasi took off back to the wharf to help find stragglers and assist the army in whatever way they could. I let them go, maybe I shouldn’t have, but right now, all I cared about was finding out who had made it back and to see about restoring some semblance of order. The ancient oak door gave its familiar squeak as I pushed it open. Inside, stricken ponies lay everywhere, on benches, makeshift beds, not a piece of furniture or floor space had failed to be turned into a sanctuary for a wounded pony. Gangways had been left for the myriad of medical staff who must have been pulled in from all across Manehatten to help.

As we had arrived, an ambulance had taken off, ferrying some of the more seriously wounded to the medical facilities elsewhere in the city. There simply hadn’t been enough ambulances available for this many casualties in so short a time. Even in a city the size of Manehatten, medical emergencies were few and far between, no pony had expected something like this to happen. Could they ? Goddesses, maybe we, no…I, should have planned for such an event. But how the hell was I to know something like this could happen or for that matter, what actually had……

“Fairlight !”

For the umpteenth time that night, I was snapped out of my wandering thoughts and turned my head to see Meadow, her eyes wide in surprise and fear, looking at me from across a hastily constructed bed. The pony lying on the makeshift litter was
moaning softly, a blood soaked bandage across her middle. Meadow put down the pitcher of water she was carrying and hurried around the bed to eye me from nose to tail.

“Thank Celestia you’re alive, I thought…when you didn’t come back with the rest…Oh, I don’t know what I thought ! I….”, tears began welling in her big yellow eyes.

“Its all right love, I’m here, I’m ok. Look, I need to find out what’s happened tonight and get the officers together for a debrief, make sure everyone’s accounted for and taken care of. Something happened tonight, something…. Whoa, shit!” I stretched out my foreleg to steady myself as the room spun away from me.

“Dr. Spindle ! Quill ! Help me, for Celestia’s sake, quickly !”, Meadows voice drifted off to nothing as I sank to my knees, consciousness quickly fading into darkness.

The funny thing about being unconscious, I had found on the odd occasion I had been, was that I didn’t dream. Lights on, lights off, quite literally, it was that fast. This time however, the lights took quite a time to come back on. Shades of grey, shapes in the muggy light mingled with indistinct sound. Nausea pulled at my insides and I emptied my stomach into a bucket strategically placed at the side of the bed. I hated being sick, it made my head spin and it hurt like crazy. But, here I was, alive and….well….alive. Lets just leave it at that for now.

“Doctor, he’s coming to”, said a young mares voice.

“Call Nurse Meadow over if you please, she’ll want to see her husband”.

“Yes Doctor”

I could hear hoof steps approaching the bed. Weakly, I tried to lift my head up to see who it was. I felt like my head was submerged underwater and another wave of nausea passed over me. Luna have mercy, I didn’t want to see Meadow like this.

“I’m here love, don’t worry now, its okay. Its okay…..shhhhh”, a comforting hoof gently stroked my mane and forehead. I barely registered Meadows ministrations as my attention was drawn to a peculiar feeling of ‘pulling’ coming from my side. Lifting my head to look down at what was causing it, the nausea hit me again and I coughed bile into the hastily produced bucket.

“Keep him still for Celestia’s sake !”, snapped an irritated voice.

Meadow pushed me down firmly, wiping the sweat from my face with a damp cloth. The cool water was soothing. I wanted to get up, get out of there, I had to see to things in the watch house, what the hell was going on here ?

“Stay still love, please. For me, okay ?”. Losing myself in those beautiful eyes was a wonderful distraction from the yanking and pulling sensation that continued in earnest further down. Meadow turned to look at whatever it was that was going on, then
turned back to face me. “They’re nearly finished now, it won’t be long. You’re being really brave my big strong watch pony.”

Such a lovely smile, I couldn’t help but smile back weakly in response. By Luna, I was so tired, I could just go to sleep.

“Got it !”, the triumphant cry accompanied a metallic clink. “Just need to sew him up and get some antibiotics into him. He’s going to be okay, Meadow.”

Meadow nodded to the Doctor smiling, then turned back to me, relief flooding her features as tears welled up anew. She pushed her muzzle into my neck and breathed in deeply. “Fairlight, I never want to smell blood on you again. Never, never, never…….”, mumbling into my coat, I reached a foreleg round to her. “I’m sorry

love” I whispered into her ear, “forgive me”. She didn’t answer, only staying where she was while I drifted off into sleeps dark embrace.