When Hope is Lost

Rosella still didn't know what had happened.

One moment, she was running through a golden field, laughing with joy for the first time in ages, and, suddenly, she was being wheeled through the hospital, her lower half covered by a sheet soaked in glittering blood, doctors and nurses shouting while one begged her to stay awake. Excruciating pain almost knocked her out again, but she fought to stay conscious. 

They hooked her up to a machine as a nurse hurried to stick a mask over her face, seeing as they couldn't stick a hypodermic needle through her skin. 

"What happened?" she mumbled, but nopony paid her heed as her eyelids started to droop. The last thing she remembered was staring in blurry horror at the sparkly, bloody mess and the shards of her skin scattered where her legs should be.

~~~

Rose woke up hours later, laying in a clean bed with a blanket thrown over her body. She tenetavely moved it aside and sighed with relief to see both her hind legs were still intact, though they were wrapped heavily in bandages. 

A doctor walked in, smiling pleasantly when he saw that she was awake.

"Rosella Petals. You're probably wondering why you're here, right?"

She nodded carefully, warily watching the doctor as he took a seat by her head.

"You tripped in a field, do you remember?"

Nod.

"You knocked yourself out, but somehow, you took a rather nasty fall down a cliff. You broke both legs pretty badly and shattered your hooves and skin, but not to worry; we got everything back in place. The cracks will disappear in time, and you'll be able to walk again, but you're going to have to spend some time in the hospital."

Rose sighed as the doctor nodded and left. Great. She was probably going to be alone, here, for a very long time, and she had a sinking feeling in her stomach, knowing that she was probably going to be spending it alone.

Clix walked into the hospital with a worried look on his face he had just heard that a pony had fallen off a cliff, he didn't even know the pony but it was always good to make sure that they were alright he had heard that her name was Rosella a very beautiful, kind sounding name. he asked the pony at the front desk where she was and than walked down the hall to her door where he than knocked on the door and asked in a kind voice "May i come in?"

(hope ya don't mind if i joins )

Rosie's ears perked when she heard the voice.

"Uh, sure," she responded, seeing the pony in the doorway. It was somepony she had never met before, but that kind of company seemed like better company than no company. After all, he was nice enough to come visit a grievously injured pony in the hospital. That was saying something, right? "What brings you to my little prison? It's not often somepony comes to visit me, after all."

She stuck a hoof out in greeting.

Clix took Rosellas hoof and shook it softly not wanting to damage her anymore than she already was "Well i heard that you had gotten injured so i decided to come and visit you, also why do other ponies not visit you often? You seem kind and loving, surprised this whole room isent filled with other ponies."

Ah, the beauty of indifference. This stallion didn't know who she was, and what she was capable of doing. Sometimes it was nice to meet ponies like that, but they would find out sooner or later.

"Let's just say it has to do with my mental health," she said vaguely, smiling. "It tends to drive ponies away. My other self isn't fond of company."

She patted his hoof.

"I'm not usually a ponies-pony, if you know what I'm saying. Thank you, by the way, for dropping in. It's very kind of you, Mr...?"

"Oh the name is Clix" he smiled warmly "and it's my pleasure" he was glad he could meet this mare she seemed nice. (sorry sort post)

Recurve sighed and entered the hospital. He hadn't been there in months. He trotted through to have his leg checked out again. It had been at least 5 months since he shot himself. And it still hurt like all hell.

As he was passing through, he noticed a very familiar face. He peered into the room, and saw a face that almost killed him to see. "Rosella, mother bucking Petals..." he said under his breath. Something compelled her to visit him. He hoped to Celestia she was okay, even though they had a very loose relationship with each other.

"Hey Rosella. Sorry if I'm intruding. Just thought I'd stop by on my way to have my leg check out."

Pale walked through the hospital, swearing under his breath. He'd been reproached by a mare he had hit on rather harshly. He had a massive pain on his neck and most of his body. He went up to reception. There was a rather lovely pony there, but Pale wasn't in the mood for flirting. The nurse saw the way he was walking and knew he was in pain. She booked him in for a check up in 15 minutes, and told him to wait.

Pale sat in the waiting area. He was feeling a little better- he felt the urge to flirt coming back. He turned to a mare sitting beside him and he whispered:

"I must say darling, your mane is lovely. The smell, the colour, the-"

That was as far as he could get before she raised her hoof to punch him. Pale had lots of experience with that though, so he dodged easily. Unfortunately the aforementioned mare was now steaming with rage. She chased Pale around the hospital, too fast to be caught but Pale could still outrun her. He turned a corner and went to hide in the nearest room. He got a vague image of two stallions talking to a bedridden mare before he blacked out from exhaustion and pain.

To what was surely Recurve's surprise, Rose reacted in no way to his presence. It seemed almost as if she hadn't heard him until she looked him in the eyes and smiled.

"Hey, Curvy."

It was something she had called him a while back. She wasn't sure if he liked it or not (though she assumed it was the latter), but it was easier to call him that than his full name, which she feared would stir the monster that was her other half.

She looked away before he said anything, focusing instead on the stallion who had just burst into her room and fainted on the floor. She stared for a moment before looking apologetically at Clix.

"I'd help him, but I can't get out of bed."

She turned her gaze back to Recurve as she smiled again, but this time, it was forced and condescending.

"Leg problems, hmm?"

She gestured to her bandaged-wrapped limbs.

"I actually shattered both of my hind legs. Can you believe it, Curvy? After all the time I spent filing off scratches."

Clix nodded, picked the fainted stallion up and placed him in on a nearby chair than looked back to the other stallion that had walked in  who may you be?"

Recurve chuckled a bit with the cute nickname Rosella had for him. Curvy. He looked at her again, still laughing a little.

"Curvy, huh? Are you calling me fat?"

After a bit of laughing, another stallion passed out and fell into the room. Wouldn't somepony like that be in a hospital bed? He looked like he had a few bruises already. Poor stallion. And it looked like the one who was already there was taking care of it. He sat down next to Rosella to give his leg some rest.

"Yeah, my leg isn't that great. I had an 'accident' a little while ago. I don't wanna say. Hate to kill the mood. Oh, and I'm gonna be a dad pretty soon."

Recurve still felt a bit odd looking at and talking to Rosella. He had a few memories of them still in his mind. And how he reacted when he found out he broke her heart. He hoped she forgot them.

Pale groggily opened his eyes. He must have blacked out for a moment. He looked at the ponies in the room. A stallion with a messed up leg. Another one looking quite concerned and a mare lying in bed. Pale himself groaned: that was embarassing. Still, he needed to hide from that psycho for a bit.

"Erm...excuse me. I hope you don't mind, but I need to stay here. Somepony's after me, and I need to hide while they cool off."

He helped himself to a cup of tea from ingredients left on the bedside table. Pale hoped the mare wouldn't mind. He drank deeply, feeling the hot tea calm him down. He felt some parts of his mind still weren't going yet. Particularly the flirting bit. He was regarding the mare as he regarded stallions: just a normal pony.

"So, my name's Pake Moonlight. Nice to meet you all. What're your names?"

"Of course you aren't fat, Curvy," Rose responded, smiling a bit wider. "You're just a bit... curvy, you know?"

She giggled a bit before registering what Recurve had said.

"Oh... congrats," she said, her smile fading. "How far along is... she?"

Rose still couldn't bring herself to speak Sweet Dreams's name. It would hurt too much, and she didn't want to let her other self have a chance to ruin her relationships with ponies again. Blindsight was tolerant to it, but he wasn't here... Where was he? She needed a comforting hoof now.

In response to the other stallion, she stuck her hoof out again.

"I'm Rosella Petals. My friends call me Rosie or Rose. It's nice to meet you."

Clix silently sat down and looked at the crowded room and sighed. He than pushed up his glasses and laid back in the chair. He than took some screws and nails out of one of his vest pockets and started to float them around in the air humming as the others talked to each other.

Recurve looked at Rosella very worryingly. She didn't seem too happy when he announced Sweet's pregnancy. He expected as much, but it still felt awful. He then remembered when him and Rose first met. She was really sweet. But they never talked much after that. He wondered what it would have been like if they were together.

Curvy leaned back in his chair, wincing a bit with his sore leg. He really didn't want to talk anymore, but he couldn't help but discuss it.

"She's about six months in now. They're gonna be twins. Say, I'm sorry to bring this up, Rosie... But... how do you think we would have been together? What if I never met... you know who... and we were dating?"

Pale was glad he wasn't in Recurve's position. He didn't like foals all that much, and he'd be responsible and take care of his metaphorical son, but he'd rather be young and wild for the time being. 

One thing troubled him though. He should have been all over Rosella, but he seemed to be repressing that part. Why was that? Had more damage been done than he thought? Regardless, he turned to the zebra who'd just entered.

"Oh don't be like that! Sit down with us. I'm sure the rest wouldn't mind in the slightest."

He gave a look to the other ponies suggesting that consequences would be faced if that zebra was excluded. Pale knew what it felt like to be left out, inferior. He'd hate anypony else to feel that.

(Posting may be slow. Left my iPod at me Gran's.)

"Oh."

That hurt. She almost visibly winced, rubbing her front hooves together, but she managed to keep herself together. 

And then the other question came. He really had to go that far, didn't he? Blow after blow after blow. She didn't answer, staring stonily at the door until it opened.

Rose didn't realize how stiff she had gotten until Blindsight had walked in, basket in mouth. She felt herself relax, sinking further into the hard mattress as she finally had a distraction to this awkward conversation.

"Hi, Blindsight. That's really sweet of you; thanks."

She held out her hoof to him, silently begging for him to take it with her eyes. This was a bit of comfort that she needed, and she needed it badly.

She had an answer now.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be like this, that's certain," she said calmly, but a bit of harshness wove its way into her words. "I wouldn't be almost friendless with two broken legs."

Recurve felt even more hurt with Rosella's response to him and his question. It probably would have been better if that arrow killed him. Or if they never met. Or Recurve was never born... A few long seconds later, he realized he just said that out loud.

"Oh, um, uh..." Recurve rubbed his hooves awkwardly at what he mumbled. "I think I should... go..."

Recurve got up and winced at his leg, and slowly trotted towards the door. He still somewhat liked being around Rosie, but it always felt so awkward. And it seemed he was already attracted to another

Pale raised an eyebrow. Evidently, this pair had some history. He decided to be at least decent- this stallion was clearly hurt.

"Let me help you there, mate."

Pale tended to talk much more informally to stallions, as he didn't really care about seeming cultured or intelligent around them. He was to some degree, but it meant that it could be rather jarring when he suddenly changed tone.

Anyway, he helped Recurve to the door, half to be helpful and half to see if the coast was clear. He stuck his head out the door. He heard faint shouts of "Where is he?!??!", so he simply held the door for Recurve and kept himself out of sight from anypony passing, or rather galloping by to stop the rampaging mare.

"Wait, Curvy," Rose pleaded, reaching out her other hoof. "I didn't really mean it like that... It was bound to happen, anyways, is what my psychiatrist told me. I would have ended up the way I am, albeit a bit later, if it hadn't happened... I've had her since I was in the Empire."

She looked up at Blindsight, who couldn't see her, and felt a sense of fear. What if he was to leave her, "seeing" her now as this cruel, harsh mare? She had never let her other self wrestle control over her body around him, but with Recurve inadvertently dropping anvils on her chest, she really didn't want the zebra to leave her, deciding she was just a lost cause.

"No," she said finally, in response to his question. "Just... Just hold me... Don't let go..."

(nothing much for me to do so skips)