I woke up to see Fluttershy sitting in the corner and Twilight just entering the hospital room. They both looked at me with worried expressions. I blinked a few times to clear my vision. How long had I been out this time? Fluttershy flew over to me and grabbed my hoof. Why was she crying? I turned to Twilight. She gave me a half smile. "It's good to see you awake Speedy." I nodded. "Glad to be awake. I hope I didn't scare you all too bad." Twilight's smile faded. "The princess didn't tell us anything until we got you here. I...I'm so sorry." I shook my head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Celestia told you that your magic slowed the effects?" She nodded. I smiled. "You saved me Twilight. I will never be able to repay you for that." I looked back at Fluttershy. She was still crying.

I let go of her hoof and put my hoof against her cheek. "Hey. I'm fine. There's no need to cry." That only made it worse. The tears came faster. I noticed her eyes glance down towards my legs. My legs. I had forgotten about them for a moment. I stretched them out. They must be sore after laying still for so long. My good leg stretched fine, but... I didn't move. "Twilight, did the doctors numb my bad leg until it heals?" Fluttershy began to sob and ran for the door. My eyes followed her. "Shy!" She was gone. "SHY!" My eyes fell on Twilight. She was tearing up.

I looked down at my bed sheets. I didn't want to. I knew what was coming. Slowly, I grabbed the top sheet and removed it. I froze. I could hear Twilight sniffle, but it barely registered to me. "Get out." Twilight took one step towards me. "Speedy-" My eyes locked with hers. I don't know what she saw in mine, but I could tell it scared her. "GET OUT!" She backed away and left the room. I was alone. As it should be. I finally let the tears come.

I cried. I cried until I couldn't cry any longer. And then I screamed. The whole time, I could only stare at where my leg should be.

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I had never seen Speedy so upset. When he had yelled at me to leave, I admit that I was scared. He seemed to be a different pony. One that was angry and perhaps even dangerous. I went to see him every few days after that, but he never spoke to me. Apparently he didn't speak to anyone. Two weeks had passed. We didn't know how long he would have to stay in the hospital.

I walked up to Fluttershy's cottage and knocked on the door. It really wasn't necessary. I knew she wouldn't answer, but I still wanted to be polite. I opened the door and found Fluttershy sitting on the couch. I could see that she had been crying. She looked up at me as I entered. "Hi Twilight." I smiled and joined her on the couch. "How are you?" She sniffled. "Okay...I guess." I put a hoof on her shoulder. "You know you can't stay here forever." She nodded. "I could here him scream. I had just gotten outside and I could here him. I...I don't know what to do Twilight! What can I do for him?" She began crying again and fell against my shoulder.

I let her cry for a minute. I gave her a hug. "You really care for him don't you?" She looked up at me. "I love him." I was surprised and touched. I never thought I would see the day that Fluttershy loved another pony. On the other hoof I was happy for her, and for Speedy. "You should tell him so." She instantly looked nervous. "I...I don't know. What if...what if he doesn't..." I locked eyes with her. " He loves you. I've never heard him say so, but something inside me knows that he does." Fluttershy smiled and gave me a hug.

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It had taken me the better part of an hour to hoist myself into a wheelchair. Now I was mobile. It was a start.

Poor Speedy. How useless you've become.

I looked around the room. I was alone. I sat silently, listening for the voice to speak again. I was interrupted by the doctor entering the room. He paused when he saw me. "Well, well! Look at you! Did you get into that chair by yourself?" I nodded. He smiled as he began looking over a medical chart. "You must be a pretty strong stallion."

I've seen better.

I looked at the doctor. "Did you say something?" The doctor walked closer. "And talkative too. That's the first time I've heard you speak since you've been here." He put the charts down. "Your results are promising. You'll be out of here in no time." With that, he was gone. I turned my chair around, looking over the room. Nothing. "Great, I'm going crazy."

Oh, I wish it was that simple. I love to watch bouts of insanity as much as the next pony. But sadly that isn't the case.

I felt a shiver run down my spine."Who are you?"

A friend. A friend who can help you.

I scoffed. "If you're a friend, then show yourself."

Unfortunately, I am otherwise occupied. But I invite you to visit me. In the Everfree Forest.

What was going on? Was I seriously listening to some voice out of nowhere? I sat for several minutes in silence. The voice didn't interrupt my thoughts, as if it knew I was sorting things out. "What do you want from me?" Laughter. It echoed all around me.

You are a pony of misfortune. That is where you fall in the order of things. I have a talent for messing with order. With my help, you can have everything you ever dreamed of having. You'll know how to find me.

I sat still for another hour, waiting for anything. The voice was gone. Come on Speedy! Get a hold of yourself! It has to be medication or disorientation. I had imagined the voice. It couldn't be real. But...what if it was? What if there was something out there that could help me?

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Finally! After two weeks, it's done. I looked over my brilliant work. Speedy would be so proud if he could see me now. Who knew I could have a talent for inventing? My self-praise was interrupted by a knock at the door. I checked myself in the nearby mirror to make sure I was presentable. I wasn't. But there wasn't any time to fix that. "Come in." The door opened to reveal Twilight. "Twilight darling! Just the pony I've wanted to see!" Twilight walked in. "Really? I would think the pony you would want to see is Speedy. You haven't visited him once Rarity." The guilt hit me again. My idea had kept me from seeing the poor dear. It was awful. But this would change things.

I couldn't bring myself to meet Twilight's accusing gaze. "I know. But there is a good reason." This made Twilight even angrier. "A good reason?! What could possibly be so important that you couldn't take one afternoon to go and see our friend?" Instead of answering her directly, I stepped away from my project. Twilight looked at the table, her eyes growing wider. "Is that Speedy's-" I cut her off. "Of course it isn't the actual one! I took Speedy's original design and I've been tweaking it for the past couple weeks. What do you think?" Twilight stepped closer. "It's amazing! It looks so real." I sighed. "Yes, it has the look, but not the function. That's why I was so excited to see you. I knew I would need your help figuring out the right spells to make it work." Twilight looked confused. "Make it work? You mean like the real thing?" I nodded. Twilight glanced back at the table.

It was a lot I was asking of her. But it was for a good cause. It was for a friend. She looked at me and smiled. "I guess it's time for a little studying. I'm going to need every book I've got to figure this one out."

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I really hope I can help him understand. Twilight's letter had been quite descriptive about his anger and grief. I could understand why. I knew of no other pony in all the kingdom that had only three legs. Without all four, a pony really couldn't do anything. But I had to believe otherwise. There was always a solution to everything.

Ponyville passed below. It was great to finally have use for that invisibility spell I had discovered so many years before. Now I could travel to town without alerting every citizen of my arrival. The doctors had been gracious enough to swear secrecy on my presence at the hospital. And thinking on the hospital, there it is.

I started to descend when I noticed something moving along the road, away from the hospital. It was a wheelchair. And was that...Speedy?

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I did my best to wheel around the tree roots. Sometimes it was unavoidable. I did my best to keep my balance in the chair. I looked around the forest. I half expected the dragon to reappear and take his revenge on me. But everything remained peaceful, or as peaceful as it can be in Everfree. The voice had said I would know where to go. Why can't strange voices be straightforward? How was I supposed to know where to meet this...whatever it was?

I rolled forward until the trees grew too close to pass between. I looked around and spotted a small path. It was just wide enough for me. As soon as I got through I found myself in a dark clearing. The tree branches grew together forming a leafy roof, blocking out most of the sunlight.

Welcome.

The voice! I looked around the clearing until my eyes fell on something in the center. I rolled closer. It was a statue. An ugly statue.

I'm glad you could make it Speedy. I've been alone here for a very long time. It's nice to have some company.

How was this possible. The statue's lips never moved, and yet it was talking to me. "What are you?"

My body was turned to stone. I've been quite isolated until recently. A spark of magic was set off in the forest a few months back. It freed my mind enough that I can communicate now. But nothing more. You set that spark off Speedy. When you killed the dragon.

Me? I shook my head to clear it. This was already confusing enough without bringing up the past confusion. "Why did you want to see me?"

To thank you. And to give you a gift.

"Don't listen to him Speedy." I looked behind me to find Princess Celestia entering the clearing. "You have no business with him Discord." I looked back at the statue. This was Discord? The spirit of chaos? My head began to pound from all the confusion it was in.

Oh, but I do Celestia. He's freed me. Well...somewhat freed me. I only wish to thank him.

I could almost feel those stone eyes looking right into me.

Allow me to show you what I'm capable of Speedy.

I felt something. Something cold. I could feel it press against me skull, my very mind. There was a flash of light below me. When I looked down to see what it was, I found two legs. "My...my leg!"

And that's only the first part of my gift. I can make you into the stallion you've always wanted to become.

Celestia took a step closer. "Speedy, no! We need to leave now!"

Of course. You should go with her.

Another flash of light and my leg was gone again. The cold feeling left as well.

Go back to the hospital and be a weak, useless three-legged pony with no special talent who relies on his contacts to get others to like him.

Memories flashed through my mind; me as a teenager with no cutie mark, being laughed at and called a freak, looking down at my one remaining leg for the first time, telling my friends about different, famous ponies that I knew because of my family. Discord was right. I had nothing. I was nothing. I heard Celestia behind me. "Speedy. He's telling you lies. Come back with me to Ponyville." Could I really go back? What if my friendships really were lies? No. They couldn't be. I knew at least my relationship with Fluttershy was real. And then I remembered her running out of the hospital room. She never came to see me. Could she really have feelings for me now? "Speedy!" Celestia's voice broke through my thoughts. I gathered my senses. This was Discord. He was deceptive There had to be a reason he was trying to be nice. I looked up at the statue. "What's the catch?"

Catch? Oh yes. I guess there is a catch. Though it's rather insignificant. It's really not worth mentioning.

My eyes narrowed. "Tell me."

The only way that I can make you what you want is by touching your mind. At the moment that can only happen in this clearing. In order for the effects to be permanent-

"You would have to be in constant contact with my mind. You would have to actually get inside my head."

Exactly! So we have a deal?

He's kidding right? He really thinks that I would... My eyes had fallen back down to my one leg. Discord had actually been able to give me four legs again. And he had promised more. The clearing echoed with a low chuckle. Celestia stepped up next to me. "Speedy we need to get away from here."

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I had my hoof on Speedy's shoulder now. "Speedy?" The wheelchair turned. What I saw will haunt me for a long time. I was staring at Speedy except...his eyes. They were no longer his. They were Discord's. Speedy's mouth opened and a chilling laugh filled the clearing.

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