>Your head hurts like a bitch, and your mouth has the taste of blood running through it. You open your eyes but the darkness that surrounds you envelopes your vision. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you make out basic shapes.
‘Mark…Alice…Basic systems check.’
M: Cuts and bruises mainly, nothing seems broken.
A: Brain function at normal, or as normal as you can be with a concussion.
>Basic shapes turn into proper vision and you see a p0ny knocked out across from you. It was the Russian p0ny who was chasing you through town, but she doesn’t look like she is moving. You slowly stand up, and limp your way towards her to make sure she is alright. This wasn’t what you wanted, you didn’t want her to get hurt. This was your fault.
>You kneel down next to her to see her chest slowly rise and fall.
A: Oh good, thank god she is alive.
‘Alice, access information on first aid and p0ny biology.’
>Memories of information flood your mind and you immediately get to work. Pulse, check. Breathing, check. Now to wake her up to ask her where she hurts. You shake her softly, trying your best to wake up. Her eyes shoot open and look at you.
>’AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!’
>She jumps to her feet, but falls over in pain.
‘Uspokoĭtesʹ, pozhaluĭsta. Ya pytayusʹ pomochʹ. (Calm down, please. I’m trying to help.)’
>She stops yelling and fighting back, but still whimpers in pain.
‘Okay, where does it hurt?’
>’My left leg…’
>She holds out her front left leg, and you lightly touch it. She winces away when you try to touch it.
‘Please, I feel bad about this. I am just trying to help you.’

>She extends her leg again and you lightly touch it. You try not to cause her more pain than you need to. After a quick examination, it’s obvious she has a broken leg.
‘You broke your leg on the way down. I need to find you a splint.’
>You look around and don’t see a lot. Just a simple log and her cello case. Your mind flashes, and you realise what you must do.
>You reach into your sock and pull out your emergency chisel. She looked at it then to you.
>’Oh no…Please don’t do this. I am sorry.’
A: Shit Anon, you are scaring her.
‘Oh crap! Sorry…I meant I am going to make you a splint from the log.’
>you stand up and walk towards the log. There is a branch still attached that matches her leg in size. After about 10 minutes of quick chiselling, you fashion a basic splint the looks like a wooden sock. You walk back over to her and fix it to her broken leg, tying it on with your bow tie.
M: You should have killed her.
>You don’t look at him, but he immediately falls over clutching his head in pain.
‘You should be fine. In the morning, I will try to carry you to the hospital.’
>You walk over to the log and sit down. You start to look over your body for injuries and notice the gash on your forehead.
A: You were more worried about here that you didn’t feel it.
>You check over everything else, nothing else out of order. You are startled when you hear her speak again.
>’Th…Thank you Anonymous.’
‘No. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have insulted you, Miss…’
>’Octavia. My name is Octavia.’

‘Octavia. I need you to do something for me, well for us really. I need you to keep me awake and I will do the same.’
>’Vhy?’
‘We may have concussions, and if we fall asleep we might be fucked.’
>’You…really vorried about me?’
>You start to dig the chisel into the log, trying to calm your mind.
‘I told you. I shouldn’t have angered you so, and I shouldn’t have been such a wimp.’
>’No. I called you an ape, and I let my pride get in my vay… again.’ Octavia sighed ‘I am zee vun to be apologising.’
‘I must tell you,’ your face goes deep red, and you hid away in your work ‘I actually liked how you played the cello. I was never really good at anything artistic.’
>’Anon, I have seen your art works from zee exhibition. Zay looked vonderful.’
>You look over and smile at her. She blushes and smiles back.
>’If you don’t mind me asking, how did you find your vay here?’
>You sigh and look at her.
‘I made many mistakes in my life, and tried to fix them. Instead of ending up where I thought I was going, I found my way into Princess Celestia’s throne room.’
>’Really?’
‘Yep.’ You chuckle and get back to work. ‘I called her a fucking horse.’
>’How are you not on zee moon yet?’ Octavia laughs.
‘I don’t know. I guess she saw me for who I was on the inside. Scared shitless and alone. She gave me a chance, and I didn’t let her down.’
>’Where did you learn P0niet?’
‘How about I ask you a question, and then you ask me a question?’
>’Okay.’
‘So, where did you come from?’

>’I come from P0niet Skarpi. It is very north of Equestria, very cold. Vhat is your homeland like?’
‘I come from a planet called earth, but more specific, I come from Australia. Humans are just like p0nies, society wise. Sometimes our leaders start wars that others disapprove of. We actually have a country that might be similar to yours. That’s how I know your language. Why play the cello?’
>Octavia sighs.
>’Vhen I came here, I started off in Manehatten. I didn’t have a lot of money, so I begged. One day I found an old violin, and started to play it for bits. The more I played, the better I got. I vas discovered and the rest is history, so to speak. Vhy carving wooden sculptures?’
‘I found it calmed my mind. I started off carving stuff in soap, but moved to wood after I realised I couldn’t bear to wash myself with my art.’
>Octavia giggled, and tried to move closer to you, but the pain was too great. You stand up and carry her over, laying her on the other end of the log.
‘Try not to move so much.’ You notice how close you two are sitting, and your face goes red again ‘Aren’t you worried that your special somep0ny is worrying about you?’
>Octavia blushes and starts to chuckle.
>’I don’t have a special somep0ny. I alvays act stuck up to ward p0nies off. My pride protects me from being hurt. But most p0nies vant to date me because I am famous.’
‘So…they never really want to get to know you? Their loss.’
>Octavia blushes again.
>’Vhat did you mean “Made mistakes you tried to fix”?’
>You stop working and look at her.

‘You are embarrassed about your childhood, before moving to Manehatten?’ She nods ‘If I answer this, I will expect you to tell me. Are you okay with this?’
>She sits there for a few minutes just thinking, before giving you another nod. You take a deep breath and prepare your words.
‘3 years ago, I was in a fairly bad accident. Brain damage and such. After that point, I started to see things that weren’t there. I self admitted myself to a specialised hospital to receive medication. Dealing with this for 3 years, I made many mistakes and hurt my family a lot. I was a burden on them, and I wanted to fix that. I wanted for them to stop worrying about my safety, so I jumped off an apartment roof.’
>Her eyes filled with tears, but she wiped them away before you could properly notice.
‘I was a stupid person. I doubt I am now, but I did let my anger get me chased through town and your leg broken.’
>You look towards the east to see the sun rising over the horizon, the beauty of it making you smile. You place your chisel blade first into the log, and break out the wooden statue you were carving. You pick it up and wrap it in your jacket, and slide your chisel into your sock.
‘Okay, you place your cello on your back and then I’ll carry you on mine.’
>You help Octavia attach her cello case, and then crouch down to let her climb on. Picking up the small statue in your jacket, you hold it in your arms.
M: Holy crap, is she heavy?
>You didn’t mind the weight, you just need to get to the hospital. You were feeling dizzy.

>Step by step, you slowly make your way up the rocky slope. Each step you take has to be precise so you can walk up without slipping down. The slope was a good kilometre to the top, and because you had to walk slowly and precisely, it took you a good hour to make your way up it.
‘You *groan* okay back there?’
>There was no answer. She was starting to pass out. You knew what you had to do.
M:DO EET!
‘Fuck…off….Mark!’ you say out of breath.
A: He is right. If it keeps her awake till you get to the hospital, it could save her.
>You nod, and sharply poke her left leg.
>’AAAAAARGH!!!!!!  Syn Suka!’
‘Sorry, I need to keep you awake. Hate me later.’
>You trudge on. Now you are on level ground, you can move faster. Within another half hour, you have made it to the hospital. You look over your shoulder to see Octavia passed out. You forgot to check on her. FUCK!
>You run as fast as you can into the hospital and up to reception.
‘HEY! She needs help right away. We fell down a cliff face and she broke her leg. She might have a concussion, I don’t know. I don’t know how long she has been out for, like 20 minutes or something.’
>Two p0ny orderlies rush out with a stretcher and you lower her on to it. The rush off and the nurse takes you in to stitch up the gash on your head. After a mild painkiller and 6 stitches you are right to go. You contact Rarity at the hotel and she rushes down to see you.
>’Dahling, I was so worried about you. What happened last night?’

‘I fell down a cliff.’
>’Oh my stars, are you okay?’
‘6 stitches. Octavia was the one in trouble.’
>’Ooo…you made a friend?’ She gives you a wicked smile.
‘I pissed her off and she chased me to the cliff. If I didn’t insult her, I would have been fine and she wouldn’t have a broken leg.’
>’Okay dahling. I am just glad you are okay now. I sorted out all the business dealings and had a bank account set up in your name. Congratulations Anon, you are on everyp0nies lips.’ She leans in close ‘But I know whose lips you want to be on.’
‘Rarity, I am tired and I want to go home. You are lucky I still think you are a good boss. Can we go home?’
>’Of course.’
>You and Rarity sat on the train home, and you finally close your eyes to allow sleep to overcome you.
>’Anon, What happened to your jacket and tie?’
‘Oh, they got wrecked. Guess I need my favourite fashion icon to make me a new one.’
>This made her smile and gave you time to sleep.

>Octavia woke up in the hospital bed in Canterlot, her leg in a cast, painkillers relieving her of pain. On the table next to her sat an envelope and something wrapped in black. She reached over to read the note.

Dear Octavia
I’m sorry about last night, and I am sorry you broke your leg. I still think your music is beautiful. I hope to hear it again. I have payed for the hospital expenses, think of it as an apology. If you are ever in P0nyville, come visit me. I have the small shack surrounded by wooden creatures. While we spoke last night, I made this for you. Don’t ever let others think your music is not beautiful, but please don’t go chasing them down.
-Anon.

>Octavia smiled at this letter. She grabbed the cloth to reveal a wooden statue of her playing the cello, musical notes dancing around it. She looked back at the note, hoping to find an address to thank you.

P.S.
You still owe me that answer.