Painful Recovery [Closed] (Dated)

Mega had been unconscious for nearly 2 days. And for those two days Steel was beside her. He hardly left for food or water. He couldn't stand to be away from her, in case something happened. He could only replay the events as he knew them. Megs had been hurt. He has been taken by Zwei, causing a several hour detour from getting to Megs. His rage at Zwei grew the first day, but calmed by it's end. He knew Zwei was just trying to find a cure for his condition. It still was his fault for not finding her, not protecting her. Sure he had saved her, but what if next time he wasn't there. What if next time, Megs was hurt, and died alone, without anyone to care for her, or comfort her.

He could barely withstand the guilt the first day. He had promised...the day before, of course. The day after he promised, she was near dead, lying in the street. Then to find her insane, and wanting to kill anything in site...It was almost too much to think about. He could still see the look in her eyes...A look that said I will end you, if it's the last thing. If there was anything he feared almost more then Mega's death, it was he return to that....monster.

He stood by her bedside. It was nearly 1:00, when he last checked. The only way to tell time in the Under Market was clocks, which were plentiful, especially in the clinic. So, he waited, hoping for a sign that Mega was recovering, as the doctors said. They had made him leave several times to perform some procedures, and when they were done he came right back in. They knew that he was her colt friend, but many seemed concerned for his well being, with the exception of himself. Especially the one known as Mercy Heart, it was as if she knew his pain. But Steel didn't ponder these thoughts much. He mostly concerned himself with Mega, and not what others thought.

Mega sat there, just as before, 2 days ago. He still couldn't bear to see her like this. Yet he often spent hours staring at her, hoping, praying, doing everything he could not to go insane. All in the hopes Mega would awake soon.

Mega's breathing stayed slow but steady while she rested on the hospital bed, in the middle of one of many dreams she had running through her head while she slept for a total of two days straight. The images in front of her began to fade away as something made her slowly lift up from her state of deep sleep. Legs twitching slowly as the mare woke up in the bed, her eyes stayed closed as energy began to slowly return to her body, what little of it there was.

After a few moments, the pegasus' eyelids slowly parted to reveal the copper-colored eyes behind them. She didn't move beyond a few twitches of her limbs while her eyes slowly scanned the room, not seeing anything beyond the glum, gray ceiling of the clinic. It was then that her eyes caught sight of what she was looking for, the smith who had captured her heart. She tried to speak, but no sound left her lips, she was still to weak to come up with her voice.

She tried her best to wordlessly get Steel's attention in whatever way she could, but unable to move or make a sound on her own.

Steel was staring at the ground depressed, when he noticed something different. Something in the room had changed. For a moment, Steel looked at the ground, trying to pinpoint the difference. Something was off. The he heard it. A movement, from Megs. He stared at the ground longer, before looking up. She was awake...And she was staring at him. "Megs!" he said, concerned while also relieved. He couldn't believe she was up.

She was staring at Steel, trying to speak, but having nothing come out. "It's okay Megs. I'm here, I'm never leaving you again..." he said, nuzzling her. He couldn't believe she was back. Sane, alive, and remembering Steel.

Mega kept her eyes on Steel, a feeling of utter joy coming to her once the pony's eyes met hers. The faintest of smiles weakly made its place on her muzzle as Steel made contact with her. Feeling energy beginning to come back to her as the seconds slowly turned into minutes, she was finally able to speak up again. Able to talk for the first time in two long days.

"...I...l-love...you...Theelie..." She managed to push out past her lips with a bit of a struggle.

She couldn't say his name...Why couldn't she say his name. It must have been what the monster of a griffon did to her. He would have a few words with the doctors about that later. Now, he focused on what she just said. She...Still loves me.. he thought. He was elated to hear this, and realized this was the first time she had said it aloud. "I know, Megs. I feel the same way..." he said, taking a deep breath. "I love you.." he said, realizing that it held more weight then he intended.

He held her hoof, never wanting to let go. He loved Mega, with an almost overwhelming passion right then. He never wanted to leave her side. The two stood there, looking at each other with thankful eyes, holding each other, after being apart for so long...

That night, Suture had to restrain from drugging herself to sleep. She was worried for Megabyte (even though her assessments proved she was recovering; still, she worried), and even more for Steel. Suture could almost empathize with Steel; however, he could not empathize with her. She had experienced something far more severe. Night terrors kept her from sleeping for more than few hours at a time- however, this wasn't all too bad. She was able to monitor Mega better this way. Instead of waking from a night terror this time, however, she awoke due to the sound of a pony's voice- Steel's. He was talking... his words to Mega. Drowsily, she moved herself from one of the beds Mercy had prepared for a patient (Suture didn't actually care. If she had it her way, she would be wired up to an I.V. 24/7.), moving toward the back room where Mega was. She sighed, propping herself up against the doorway, not fully awakened yet. However, seeing the two side-by-side, in love, caused her to look away. Once again, she sighed, closing her eyes in a mourning manner. Turning back to the two, she strode into the room, looking down at Mega and then to Steel. "So, she's finally awake," she groggily stated, levitating a syringe from her satchel quite close to her. She injected the contents of it, removing the syringe promptly after and placing it onto a nearby medical table. Turning once again to Steel, she spoke again: "Anything else I need to do?"

Steel looked up at Suture. She seemed tired, although it was the middle of the day. Of course Steel had no room to judge, since he'd been awake almost as much as she. She quickly injected a liquid into Mega, and set the syringe aside. He magic seemed to be up at full strength again. Steel couldn't quite the same for himself.

He stared at Megs again, and asked "What did you give her? I don't want her knocked out again.." He didn't want to lose her again so soon. He wanted to apologize to her...for everything. He looked back at Suture, expectantly.

Suture glanced over to the syringe, then back to Steel. "Something weaker than morphine, I assure you. It'll relieve pain but won't make her pass out again- even I want to avoid that." She looked down toward Mega, then back to Steel again.

"Thank you..." said Steel to Suture, and added. "I think that's all thats needed.." and turned back to Megs. He continued holding her hoof. He squeezed it a little bit. "Do you feel better, Megs?" he asked, smiling a sincere smile, hoping she was feeling better.

Mega looked over at Suture for a moment before back at Steel, too out of it for the moment to even register the needle piercing her skin to give her the pain medication. Giving Steel a weak nod to answer him, she leaned her head into him a bit. "Thankth to you, Thuture and...that other unicorn...I'm feeling...much better..." She replied quietly.

"I'm so sorry Megs...I wasn't there to protect you. Loose Gravel couldn't protect his family, and now I can't protect you...You might not be here if I had found you sooner." he said, on the verge of tears. He had felt guilt for much of the day, and it showed. He had broken is promise, that could not be denied. He had not been there for Mega, until she was near dead. And now she was stuck in a hospital, for the last 2 days and in pain because he couldn't handle a simple job of protecting her. "I'm just...so sorry. And then I found you half crazed..I was afraid I'd never get to apologize to the Mega I knew.." he said, still crying.

Mega's eyes began to fill with tears as she listened to Steel's words, the sadness of her coltfriend soaking into her and causing a frown to replace the smile she had been holding onto. "It ith't your fault Theelie... It'th mine...for doing the wrong...thing and not jutht running away...when things got thcary..." She replied quietly, a tear beginning to roll down her cheek as she spoke. "Don't blame yourthelf for my mithake... I'm not mad at you or anything... I'm jutht happy I get to thee you right here with me..."

Steel looked into Megs. Hearing her say those words..it helped if only slightly. "I should have been there in the first place.." he said looking away. Her lisp was noticeable, and this made him feel more guilty. "I should have been there...Maybe I could have done something..." he said looking back to Megs. He still felt guilty, even with Megs words comforting him. He couldn't believe that now she was scarred for life...How had they missed that? He thought quickly before having his thoughts back to Mega. She was still weak, but he knew now that she was awake, she'd gain more energy with each day. There was still work to be done. But he wasn't going to miss a second of it.

Mega slowly lifted her shaky hoof up to Steel and gently placed it on his cheek. "It ithn't your fault...I mean that with...every fiber of my being..." She replied quietly, looking into Steel's eyes with as serious of a look she could manage in her weakened state. "But... I now know... I can't make it...on my own... I need you...Theelie..." She confessed in the same weak, quiet tone. She had never had a thought even close to this come across her mind ever in her life. She had always done well without anypony around her... But there was something about this moment in time that made things different.

Suture sat in a corner, with her bag. As the conversation progressed, the more and more she thought about... it. She could do nothing about it, as it had already occurred. She waited for something now- an order, perhaps a request, possibly a comment directed at her. Otherwise, she would slowly force herself into an unconscious state.

Steel saw Mega. She meant it. Truly meant what she said, as she stared into his eyes, wither her copper ones. He knew that it didn't matter how she got there. That she only cared that Steel was here now, and she didn't focus on how it all happened. He nuzzled Megs once more and held her for a few minutes. He didn't want to let go, but he had to. He needed to ask Suture something. "I'll be right back Megs. I need to ask suture something. I promise it'll be quick." he said, though he pained to do it. He needed to asked Suture the question now before he forget. "Could you step outside with me, for a moment?" Steel asked, hoping Suture would comply.

Suture nodded, standing from her spot and following Steel outside, to wherever he decided to stop. Upon stopping, she stood there, in a sort of awkward position, looking toward the stallion. "So... there was something you wanted?"

Steel turned to Suture after they we're a safe distance from the door. "So...how in the hay did she get a lisp?!" asked Steel, in a loud whisper. He didn't want Megs, to hear, but he wanted Suture to know that he was not happy. "I mean, you guys had several days to fix her! Was her mouth not on the agenda?" he asked, accusingly. He was extremely angry about, but more so for himself. She'd never be able to say his name, or his pet name again, in a normal way again. And this pained him extremely. So he wanted answers, and Suture was just the doctor to provide.

Mercy continued her work while these two used her clinic as their temporary home. It was fine, since Megabyte and Steel were usually asleep. In fact, the company was rather nice, she never spoke to them besides to check on Megabyte, but their presence was a nice change from the usual monotony of her life. She spent the few days that Megabyte was resting to set up her plans for her new purifier. The old one had to be abandoned, not that it would have worked anyway. The construction was a little off and needed a more skilled engineer. Some parts of her fathers notes were beyond her.

No one came in for those days, much to Mercy's delight. She wanted to help people, but for now her purifier needed to be top priority. The other doctor was here to take care of Megabyte, also to Mercy's delight. This allowed her full freedom to plan. She and her assistant spent most of their time in the upstairs area. It was only a small room made into an office. Papers, books, and notes strewn across the floor in what could charitably be described as organized chaos. Occasionally she would bump into one of the three, smiling and mumbling a greeting before quickly disappearing back into her office. She did not mean to be rude, she just doesn't know how to handle ponies.

She was working on a new design, one using the natural sewer pipes as the intake, when she felt it; a strong sense of love. It caused her to pause, setting down the quill. She sat on her flank and just let it absorb her, a small tear falling down her cheek and onto her designs. That kind of feeling was something she had not felt before, not for a very long time. Her assistant was out, so she was alone. All alone.

She sat there, crying softly. At least they were happy.

Suture looked toward Steel, not matching his glare nor his angry tone. "I'm not a fucking expert in there, Steel. Her tongue is fucked up- I don't have the medical knowledge to fix that," she said in an even tone. She did have a look in there- and she was disturbed upon seeing the damage the griffons had done in there. She wasn't even sure medicine could fix it at all. "I'm sorry! I can't actually do anything about it. I'm not even sure it can be fixed, Steel!" Her temper was beginning to rise- the more she talked about it, the more she knew she was helpless to fix it, which made her absolutely angry.

Steel was considering more arguments, but decided against it. He would only rile Suture up more. "I-..I'm sorry. It's just hard to hear you're failure like that thrown in you're face. I know you understand, the way you look at us.." he said, letting her know that he noticed her, whenever he was around Megs. She always seemed longing for the same thing. The hug was another piece of the puzzle. "I'm sorry for you're loss, whoever it was...I know it can't be easy, with me and Megs around. But I appreciate you're help all the same." he said, thoughtfully.

The mix of emotions now confused her, "What the hay is going on down there?" Anger, hate, sadness, depression, it all swirled masking over the love she was feeling before. She focused her magic on where the feelings were coming from. Suture feeling angry, envious, depressed, sad, and longing. Steel feeling anger, regret, sadness, rage, helpless. "What? Why are they feeling like this? There is no reason." She sat there, waiting to see where the emotions would go next.

Suture turned her head away. She felt guilty for snapping, however, she supposed it couldn't be helped. Then there were his words- he knew of her sadness around them. Perhaps she should tell him, perhaps she shouldn't. She decided on the latter of the two, as secrecy was important to her- she didn't want help. "You'll never be able to understand..." she said, trailing off as she began to move away, toward the door and her bed. She wanted to rest again, no matter how many drugs it took.

"Never be able to understand? My marefriend was tortured and tied to a chair, tossed out a window, had a chair leg go through her. And then turned insane, trying to kill any living thing in site. I promise you, I'm fairly sure I can understand.." he said, in a sad tone. He didn't know what had happened, with Suture. He knew it was hurting her more to remember it then it was to forget it. He understood that. However, sometimes the only way to get anywhere, is to let it all out. "I just want to know..." he said, not really believing that's all he wanted to do for the mare. He wanted to help.

She stopped. Listened to Steel... then turned around. Her face was a mixture of anger, and sadness. She had started sobbing. "At least she's fucking alive!" She began to approach Steel now, her steps slow and deliberate. "I watched my coltfriend die, restrained on a fucking table, screaming his head off!" She began panting, sprawled across the floor in a semi sitting position, never breaking eye contact with Steel. "You wouldn't understand how many times I watched him go insane. Just... his mental condition degenerating to the point where he just... attacked people and... ended... them..." Her speech was slowing down now, and her sobbing was getting worse. She was now unable to speak- all had been said. She buried herself in her face in her forelegs, crying entirely now.

Steel came up to the mare, and put a foreleg around her. He understood now. Seeing Megs in her...manic... state...had set off her memories. And plenty of unpleasant ones. "I'm sorry for you're loss, Suture. Though you honor his memory by helping Mega, so she didn't stay like...Thank you." he said genuinely. He wondered if sending her to bed might be for the best. She seemed like she needed the sleep. "Suture, if you need anything, just ask. To talk, or something else, I can help you." he said, still holding a hoof around her.

Suture was panting heavily now, trying to calm herself down. She lifted her head now looking at Steel. "I really just... need to forget. It's less painful that way," she said, looking down toward the ground. She didn't want to think of these things, and now that they had been brought up, they were once again fresh in her mind. She quickly tried to push the thoughts from her mind, to no avail. She then began to stand, breaking Steel's hoof. Promptly, she went for her bag, taking a syringe from it, proceeding to her bed, injecting it into herself as she lay there. It was truly the fastest way to fall asleep.

Steel stood for a moment as he saw Suture inject herself with something, then promptly fall asleep. She didn't want to remember. It was too painful. But she'd have to, if she was going to get over it. Otherwise, she'd keep turning into a downward spiral. After a moment or two, he went towards Mega's room again. He went inside and closed the doors.

"Sorry about that Megs. Just wanted to clear something up..." he said, returning to her bedside. He held her hoof once again, and nuzzled her once more. He loved this mare, something fierce. He wanted her to know, that he loved her as much as possible. And he showed it with a kiss. A long, deep, kiss, one that ponies wished could last forever. He truly wished it could, but broke it after a few moments, knowing it couldn't go on forever. He was almost out of breath, however.

Mega closed her eyes as the muzzle of Steel met her own, only opening them once the kiss was broken. A small smile was placed on her face afterwords, the pegasus just staring up into her coltfriend's eyes. "I-it'th...okay Theelie." She replied quietly, just happy to be around him again. "I knew you would be coming back... Tho I waited here jutht for you..."

Steel chuckled a bit. "I think going anywhere is in your range right now. You we're hurt pretty bad Megs...Might be a while before you can be out and about. At least a few days." he said, holding her hoof. "I'll be here as much as I can. If the doctors don't kick me out first...Been sitting here with you for nearly 2 days." he said, admittedly. He hadn't eaten much or drank much in that time, but he didn't mind. His thought's we're elsewhere.

Mega's smile stayed on her face, ever growing as the time passed. As long as she was with the unicorn in front of her, she would be happy. "O-okay... I'm worried about my workthop though... W-what is thomepony breakth in and taketh all my thuff...?" She asked in a slightly worried tone. "I have to be there... it'th my home too..."

"Well, I don't know..You're workshop might not be safe anymore. I don't know...you were pretty close when I found you." he said, not sure he wanted Mega alone again. He was coming up with reasons they shouldn't be apart. "And I think Suture might be staying here...And I couldn't stand the thought of you being alone again. So much can go wrong." he said, thinking back to Zwei, and her recent beating. Not to mention, she might have another fit of insanity, and then there would be no one to stop her. Or help her, as Mercy had done.

And then he might end up as Suture. Stricken with grief when the memory of Mega came up again, drowning out his sorrows in drug or alcohol. He didn't want to live like that, and he knew Megs didn't want him to live like that either. "I just...Don't want you to be alone again."

Mega looked at Steel while he spoke to her, closing her eyes in thought after his words ended. "I don't want to be apart from you either Theelie... But...what will be do...?" She asked quietly, keeping her hoof in Steel's while enjoying the closeness of the other pony. She knew going back to her workshop wouldn't be the wise choice, but everything that belonged to her was stored inside there. She would like to at least gather her things before going somewhere else.

Steel thought upon this for a few moments. He then thought of a solution, after pondering it for a bit. "I got it. Move in with me Megs! I still have the spare bedroom, and you can use that for you're workshop." he said, with a smile. The thought of Megs being a room away, safely within his watch, pleased him. He didn't doubt that she could take care of herself, but now that she knew she needed him, moving in would be for the best. He also hoped she could get him to rig a few traps in case some of the griffons came knocking.

Mega blankly stared at Steel as the words flowed into her ear, it taking a moment for the mare to fully process the information. Once it fully soaked in, Mega let loose a loud "Ehhh?!" while staring at Steel with wide eyes. "I-ithn't that going a little...too fatht Theelie...?" She asked quietly, quickly calming down from the original shock of the request.

She took a deep breath after a few moments to calm herself down, returning to her previous position on the bed. "I'm thorry...that jutht thurprithed me a bit..." She stated with a small frown on her face. "I...would love to thay with you..."

Steel sighed. "I didn't mean it like that Megs...I just think it'll be safer in my smith. You being all alone...It scares me. And I'm not asking to share a bedroom or anything. You have a room completely to yourself. If you'd like, I won't even bother you while you work." he said, with a smile. He didn't want things to become awkward between them. They had met only a few days ago. But to Steel it felt like months. However, he knew things would seem fast, when he asked. He only wanted what was best for Mega.

Mega regained her smile while listening to Steel's reasoning behind wanting her to move into his shop and home. She closed her eyes for a moment while falling into deep thought. A few moments of silence passed before she opened her eyes to look at Steel once more. "I...I'll do it...I'll live in your thmith." She replied, her smile growing ever wider. "I jutht hope you don't mind the thoundth of my tinkering."

Steel smiled, and knew she understood. He wasn't doing it for him. Or even for them. He was doing it for her. He listened to her playful tone and responded. "As long as you don't mind the sound of my hammering and various smithy activities." he said, equally as playful. He loved it when Megs was playful and joking around. It allowed him to take his mind off how crappy the world was for just a few moments, and respond.

Mega smiled and weakly pulled Steel into a weak hug once he returned her playful tone of voice. "Thith ith going to be great." She said, her smile only growing wider as thoughts raced through her mind. She held the hug for a few moments before laying back down as her sore muscles began acting up in the position. "It'll take a lot of work getting all of my thingth into your thmith though..."

Steel snuggled with Megs. "Megs, as long as were together, I think we can do anything." he said, his eyes closed. He never wanted to lose Megs, and he'd do anything to protect her.

Mercy opened the door and stood in the entrance blinking in surprise at the past out doctor. "We'll, I guess that is what happened to those emotions." She shook her head and proceeded inside. "I am glad you two found a compromise for the future. It is always good to have plan." She moved to check on the plasma pack. It is not like she overheard the conversation, in fact she had been upstairs for most of it. But being around these two for so long allowed her to gain a deeper understanding of them. She knew they were in love, that Steel was more worried than anything else, and that Megabyte did not want to make any ponies feel bad. These two actually helped her build a tolerance for others, and for this she was grateful.

"How are you feeling Megabyte? Any pain?" She knew that there wasn't much, but her books told her that bedside manner was important. "You have been asleep for a few days, good rest." She checked the bandages and sheets as well. "I assume you are probably hungry," she said with a pleasant smile.

Mega turned her attention to Mercy as she spoke to her and Steel. "Thank you very much ma'am." She replied with a kind smile across her muzzle. Holding Steel gently in her forelegs, she tried her best to sit up a bit more in the bed, only to wince slightly as a slight pain came from her stitched up wound in her side.

"I'm feeling a little better, but that might jutht be the pain killerth." She replied in the same weakened tone of voice. Upon hearing the final statement, the pegasus mare blinked her eyes a few times. She hadn't focused her mind on it since waking up, she was too distracted by Steel and other things to nice, but she was suddenly feeling extremely hungry. "I'm tharving..."

Steel looked to Mercy. He realized then he was starving as well. "I wouldn't mind something as well, if it isn't too much trouble." he said, happily, then thought of Suture. She just stuck a needle in her arm a few minutes ago, and the sight troubled the smith. He knew that needle wasn't suppose to be with Suture in her arm. "I think you need to keep an eye on Suture...And your drug supply. I'm afraid she's an addict..." said Steel instantly regretting bringing up the topic.

He had a cousin once, who became a drug addict. He was asked to go to the intervention, and what he saw didn't seem like the same pony that he had seen on several family outings. He instead found the shell of a pony that he used to know, wrapped in layers of doubt and unwillingness. He died the next year due to an overdose. "I think we need an intervention for her...and soon." said Steel, looking to Megs as he said it.

Mercy just looked at Steel with a thin smile and her eyes in a confusing glare. "Really?" The words were soft and hardly audible. She continued the awkward look for a few more moments before turning around. After all they had been through, he could not stop thinking about others. Yes, Suture was an addict. She knew for a while now, but didn't think anything of it. That was the difference between them. Mercy helps others just because that is what she feels she needs to do. These two, they help out of pure selflessness. This was something she had never seen before.

She left the room, without saying anything else.

Mega looked at Steel for a moment, then at Mercy to watch her reaction to the words of her coltfriend. Just one word made its way into her ears: 'Really?'. She watched the doctor leave soon after letting the word escape her. This left Mega very confused, and it showed clearly on her face. The action seemed to out of place for the kind medic she knew Mercy was from the little time she knew her.

"That wath...weird..." She said quietly once she was alone with Steel once again.

Steel nodded. That was pretty weird for Mercy. She always seemed so kind, and then to just leave with a single word..."Well, I have no clue what that was about.." said Steel, equally as confused. He shook his head for a moment. "We still need to hold an intervention for Suture...I brought up some bad memories a few minutes ago, and she just put a needle in her arm and collapsed into her bed..." he said, still a bit shocked to think of the scene. "She had a colt-friend turn insane...sort of like you were when I first found you. It probably brought up the whole memory up again.." he said a bit disheartened.

Mega nodded her head lightly while Steel spoke to show she was listening. She paused all movement once a piece of information was brought up to her, however. Slowly turning to Steel, she looked into his eyes with a confused and almost afraid look. "I...went inthane...?" She asked quietly, her tone of voice conveying a sense of both knowing and confusion.

She tried her best to get her train of thought off of herself soon after her question. "We need to help Thuture...if it'th like that... the could really hurt herthelf..."

Steel nodded, and thought about her response to his statement. "Yes, Megs. You were...insane. It was like you wanted to kill anypony, without even caring. It was scary...I'd never seen you so angry. I can only imagine what Sutures colt friend did.If he was anything like you were, he may have had to have been put down." said Steel, sadness in his eyes. He feared Megs would one day return to that state. But for now, she was Mega, and they needed to help the mare that saved their life.

Mega turned away from Steel slightly as she tried to process the information she had been given, looking as if she had just been hit across the head with a hammer or some other blunt object. "I can't believe...the managed to get out again..." She said quietly, seeming to fall into her own little world while Steel continued to speak about Suture's coltfriend. She didn't speak for a long few moments before finally managing to say a quiet "I'm thorry...Theelie..."

"Yes you were quite crazy. I did my best to calm you, which seemed to work." Mercy entered the room with food, two fresh plates of dandelion and daphodil sandwiches. She levitated one to Steel and the other to Megabyte on her bed. "I hope these are good enough." She smiled. The connection had grown enough that she did not even need to hear them speak to know what they were talking about. She stood there after giving them the food.