The next step (Snowflake mystery)

Before Nameless could respond, Loyal cut in with a harsh, "Yes. She is perfectly well. No thanks to your...stupidity. If it weren't for her, you would be dead." She threw a neutral glance (somehow) at the filly. "Yet still she believes that somehow she is still in your debt despite this. I have no idea what you did to make her acquire such a debt, but after we get you to care, you will not talk with her again."

Nameless' eyes widened at the ultimatum. "But...Loyal..."

"No buts!" Loyal snapped, as she steadied the guardpony. "This guard is now officially, mad, bad, and dangerous to know! Well, one out three isn't horrible. I was able to protect you today, but there are going to be times when I won't be! This whole thing has attracted unwanted attention, just like... "

Loyal paused as she guided Shields out of the alleyway.

"Nameless, this is an order.You are not to speak to Deputy Shields again."

Nameless looked down. "Got it, Loyal."

"Good. Now the hospital is this way..."

Durring all their talk, Renaultar was in a daze. He tried to do a check of what happen to him, but everything hurt and he couldn't see anything with his left eye. Some parts of him didn't seem to respond at all. After some more attempts to get up, he realized that he had some broken legs.

Renaultar was confused at the reaction of the other two. They seemed to act as if he would be okay enough to walk, but with each passing moment, it became harder to think. His body started to feel numb and his one good eye go blurry. "I....can't.......mmm......Sorry....Nameless..." He went limp. The next few moment's were uncertain, but he appeared dead. Fortunately a closer look would show he had only passed out...for now.

"...and you have just died on me," Loyal muttered, "Fantastic."

Nameless looked alarmed. "Renny is dead?"

The older maid looked over the guardpony carefully. "No, he's not dead. But he's not awake, either. Nameless, you'll have to get help. Don't think I can carry this overarmoured lug around. You got that, child?"

Nameless nodded with determination and ran off.

When she was gone, Loyal kicked the ground in frustration. "Damned guardponies. Useless, good-for-nothing..."

Blue Lightning slowly walks down the streets and alleyways, his hoof steps muffled by the boots on his hooves. He had quite a fortuitous day of scavenging, having found quite a few interesting pieces of scrap in the junkyards and from walking. It was truly a marvelous day as only one group of young thugs decided to harass him. And the older pony had scared them away with a wave of his wrench. He didn't even have to beat any of them. All there was left to do now was go home and rest his tired bones...

"...99% of them are more corrupted than Nightmare Moon, and even the ones that are remotely good, such as the one here, are completely and utterly stupid!"

Loyal went to kick the ground again, but unfortunately kicked Shields instead. Since Murphy's law was multiversal, it was at this time that a certain other pony appeared.

The maid looked up at the new arrival, and realised what the scene must have looked like. Breaking new records, she expressed a profanity for the second time that day.

Blue came to a stop at the scene. He looked to the maid, then to the broken guard laying in the alleyway. A guard that he knew. Most ponies would have flew into a rage at seeing their friend beaten and broken and bloody on the ground, but he slowly turned his head to see the other broken bodies of the local neighborhood thugs. This was bound to happen eventually. He looked up at the maid, fortunately having missed her kick him.

"How long has it been since you found him?"

"I...he's been like this for a couple of minutes, sir," Loyal replied, relieved that the pony hadn't assumed she'd done it, or attacked her. Yet. She got into a defensive stance, just in case.

"I've sent someone to go get medical help. I'm not sure if moving him around would be a good idea."

If she was not in a high state of tension at the current time, Loyal would have turned up her nose at him. The pony looked...wacky. And wackiness was something Loyal couldn't usually stand.

The old stallion cracks his neck.

"Judging by how much blood he's lost, the ambulance cart will have to sent back for a hearse. Put those young legs and neck to work and try to lift him up onto my back. Don't give me that look, just do it."

He crouches down somewhat by the broken body to make it easier on her.

Loyal still gave the wacky pony a disapproving look, but said nothing as she shifted part of the guardpony on his back.

"I can hardly let you do all the carrying work, sir," she stated.

The young descriptor was a nice change though. White Woods taunted her about her age constantly, and Something Nameless treated her like a mother. She did not show these thoughts on her impassive face.

"Good, he'd break my back with that heavy ass armor he's wearing. Now follow my lead and don't complain about the weight unless you're about to fall, I don't want to hear it."

Ugh, servants. Maids specifically. They're nothing but tools, lifeless machines with stoic faces. They're good tools, but tools that nonetheless took a pony's form that even to him, an inveritable mechanical wizard, looked like abominations. In his mind there was no difference between them and a mass of gears and cogs with fur wrapped around and clothes draped over them.

...
...
...
...
There was absolutely nothing to say.

---

Bursting into the hospital, breathing heavily, Nameless looked at the receptionist.

"Somepony's been badly hurt..."

Soon, an ambulance left the hospital post haste.

The elder pony expertly navigated the back alleys toward the nearest hospital. Two ponies could scarcely walk side by side on the crowded addressed streets without bumping into somepony else, and this circumstance required complete unobstructed mobility. But the hospital wasn't on this block. They'd have to cross eventually. Luckily right when they stepped onto the street the ambulance was about to go by.

"Ho there!"

He called out to the ambulance as loud as he could. Visibly weakened by carrying his materials and half of the guard's bulk on his back.

The ambulance screeched to a halt, and two medical ponies jumped out. Relieving the pair of their load, one of the pair said, "Sorry. Only personnel and the wounded on the cart. If you want, you can go to the hospital." The pony looked at the pair. "Your, um, other maid is there."

Loyal said nothing, only curtsying before they drove off. She then walked off towards the hospital in silence.

Blue stood in the wake of the ambulance for a moment while nopony else was occupying the space. The day's events were too much for the elder pony. He could walk all the way back to his apartment, unload his findings, and take a nap before going to the hospital. Or he could carry everything to the hospital now so he could have another thing to hold against Renaultar in case one of his experiments violated the zoning laws again.

With his decision made, he followed the maid toward the hospital.

Nameless sat in the waiting room, weeping her eyes out. She didn't care that such an action was inelegant. No, that was a lie. She cried silently, as to not disturb the other ponies who were also waiting. The tears were for two reason. The first, obvious reason was the state of Renny, her first and only friend (she wasn't sure if she could count Mr Brainfreeze as a friend yet). The second, more subtle reason was the fact that she wouldn't be able to talk to him ever again. Going against what Loyal said? Risky, but possible. Going against her direct order? Unthinkable.

"Something Nameless!"

Quickly wiping the tears away, the filly looked up to see Loyal walk into the room. "Yes, Loyal!"

The elder maid walked up to the filly. "We are going home to put all this silliness behind us." She raised her eyebrows when she noticed Nameless' red eyes, but said nothing.

"Yes, Loyal."

Loyal nodded, and turned to leave. Nameless slowly followed.

The older pony pushed himself to keep up with the much more spry maid, though he eventually lost sight of her in the mixing of the crowd. It didn't matter anyway, he knew where to go. Walking into the hospital he felt something bump into his forelegs. Looking down he noticed the unmistakable figure of a heartbroken filly. He lowered himself more down to her level. The other ponies in the crowd could just wait a moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. Oh... Is something the matter little one?"

The response was cold and unemotional. The filly didn't even look up.

"No."

Blue was a bit taken aback, then he noticed her clothes. He gets back up to his hooves and raises his voice to be better heard to her over the crowd.

"Speak up or you'll never never get what you want."

He stepped around the little nameless figure in the crowd and up to the receptionist's desk to check on Renaultar's status.