=BiE 58=

>You left Lotus and Mous to enjoy each other's company.
>Rainbow latched onto your neck as you both walked out of the hospital and nuzzled you.
>"This is sudden." you say as you wrap your arm around her. "Those two get you all worked up?"
>She keeps nuzzling your neck. "Really, Anon? Right here in the street?" she asks in a sultry tone.
>You know she's playing. No reason you can't as well. Rainbow yelps as you pull her close and launch a counterassault on her neck. "Here...there...anywhere and everywhere." you whisper.
>Rainbow laughs. "That was lame, Anon." Then she kisses you. "But it was sweet."
>You chuckle as you continue down the road. "Hey, I proposed didn't I? I'm prepared to fulfill my husbandly duties at any time or place."
>You walk with Rainbow attached to your neck a bit before your stomach stops you.
>You remember that you hadn't eaten all day.
>"But, how bout we go be engaged over breakfast?" you say.
>Rainbow plants a kiss on your cheek. "It's a date."
>She flies ahead of you as you walk to the diner. "But don't go trying to feel me up in public." she says back to you with a grin.

-Mous PoV-
>The doctor wakes you up when he enters the room.
>You were always a light sleeper.
>You check the clock, you've been out for a few hours.
At least we woke up...
>Shut up Brain, I'm still pissed at you.
>"Well, Mister Mous, so we meet again." the doctor says.
>"Doctor Horse, so we do."
>He grabs your chart at the end of the bed. "Impaled by a Diamond Dog." That's a step up from a manticore."
>"I enjoy moving forward."
>He trots up to your wounded side. "I just need to check your stitches." 
>His eyes drift past you. "Should we wake her up?"
>You look down at Lotus. She was still curled up on the bed with her head on your chest, fast asleep.
Daaaawwww...
>"No. Let's let her be."
>She needed the rest.
>Horse lifted up your gown and took a look at the scar underneath.
>It wasn't pretty. A deep dent sat on the left side of your stomach, accompanied by heavy discoloration where your imagine your blood was clotting. You could see the heavy stitch work that the doctors did to keep all your insides together. You imagine that your back looked similar.
>"Hmm. Your stitches are holding." Horse says.
>"That sounds good."
>He jots some things down on your chart. "It is. With injuries this bad, stitches sometimes get undone by the body itself. If they're holding this long after the surgery, they should be good."
>You lean back and exhale as he continues to talk. "You're very lucky, Mister Mous. An inch to your right and you'd have nicked your bowel, not to mention how your kidney somehow dodged the blade."
Well, at least we won't wind up like Trixie.
>Horse looks down at Lotus and turns around. "I'll leave you to your rest."
>As the door shuts, your sleeping companion stirs.

>Lotus rises from her slumber, and looks around. "Huh? Wha?"
>You chuckle a bit.
>She rubs her face with her hoof. "Was that the Doctor?"
>"Mmhmm" you say as you lay back down.
>Lotus remains in her sitting position. "What'd he say?"
>"He said that my body is rejecting itself and that I have ten minutes to live."
>Lotus just stares at you before collapsing back onto your chest. "Don't joke like that, especially after you just got stabbed."
Seems we touched a nerve.
>"Hey, you okay?"
>Lotus shifts around. "I just don't think you should be joking about dying when you almost did."
>You pull Lotus in closer.
>"Hon, I have to keep positive. If I let this damn stab wound turn me grim and brooding, then the dogs might as well of taken me out at that cave."
>Lotus looks up at you, her eyes full of worry. "You don't really mean that, do you?"
>"Would you have fallen for me if I were a different person?"
>Lotus opens her mouth to speak, but closes it as she considers your words.
>You lower the bed so your laying flat and pull Lotus to your chest.
>Just like home.
>"I know I wouldn't be able to live with myself is some stupid fear of death cost the mare I love the man she loved."
>Lotus gives a halfhearted laugh. "What a romantic doublethink."
>The two of you lay there in silence.
>You can't fault her for being worried. Near death incidents have that effect on people and ponies alike.
>Without warning, the building begins to shake and a blue light floods the room.

-Anon PoV-
>After Lunch, you and Rainbow went to go hang out with Twilight and try to tackle this Diamond Dog problem.
>You had been at the library for a while, it was mid-afternoon now.
>Twilight was levitating scrolls around her as she chased three trains of thought at once.
>You were checking some old notes by Starswirl the Bearded for any reference on magic in other races.
>Rainbow was reading Daring Do.
>Twilight put her scrolls down. "This makes no sense, Diamond Dogs don't have the knowledge of leylines required to use magic. They can't manipulate it the same way we can."
>You put down the journal you had and look at Twilight. "Twi, I was there. I saw the dogs casting with my own eyes."
>"But how could the dogs have gotten such mastery of magic so quickly! It's supposed to take years of study for a single pony to learn, let alone an entire race!"
>Twilight's pride was showing, but her words got you thinking. "Twilight, is it possible for them to steal magic energy from somewhere? Use it to jumpstart their own abilities?"
>Twilight thought for a moment. "I suppose, in theory. But where would they get the magic to even make that work? I don't think even Princess Celestia could do that."
>A gizmo at the back of Twilight's study suddenly whirred and popped.
>Once it stopped, the lights snapped off. "Uh...what happened?" Rainbow asked.
>Twilight trotted over to her little machine. "This was what I was using to keep track of leyline disturbances in town...but if it's dead then that means...
>"All the magic in town just got sucked up by something?" Twilight turns to you and nods with panic in her eyes.
>A low rumble begins to shake the library.

>You, Twilight and Rainbow rush outside.
>The rumbling intensifies as you run to town square. You spot cobalt jolts of energy shooting out over the buildings.
>You all stop in horror as you see a portal the size of a house in the middle of town's square.
>Diamond Dogs were pouring out of it and startling away any townsfolk still sticking around.
>What comes out of the portal next is the biggest canine you have ever seen.
>Almost as tall as the portal itself, the interesting thing about this dog was that it had three heads.
>Twilight reels back. "Cerberus!? Here!?"
>What are they, Greek?
>The dog you spotted in the caves, the one with the suit, was standing on top of the Cerberus.
>He removed a cigar from his mouth and pointed over the town. "Level it." he called out.
>The dogs started smashing buildings as Cerberus ran down the path in front of it.
>Holy shit!
>You turn to Twilight. She was staring in shock "We have to get everyp0ny out of town, now!"
>"How could this happen!?" she shouted.
>You grab her by the shoulders and shake her to get her attention. "It doesn't matter how it happened, we need to save the town, now!"
>Twilight regains her composure. "Right, all do what I can to alert the town. Rainbow Dash! Go herd everyp0ny you can to the train station!" 
>Rainbow salutes and shoots off into the sky.
>"Anon, get to the train station and get it ready to go, we need to get to Canterlot yesterday!"
>You nod and race off to the train station.
>This was going to have to be fast...

>The conductors were just as shocked as the rest of the town, but you had gotten them to start up the train by raising your voice a little.
>Ponies were filing into the train as fast as they could. Fortunately, the dogs seemed more interested in sacking the town then in killing anyp0ny.
>You warded off a pair of dogs with some ice crystals and allowed the family they were chasing to jump onboard the train.
>You were still worried sick. You had run to the hospital, only to find it deserted and Mous's room empty.
>You did, however, find a Diamond Dog with a scalpel jammed in his eye. So you were hopeful.
>Twilight ran up to you with the mayor. "Anon! Is everypony on board!?" she shouted.
>"All that came! What about the rest?"
>There was no way this train could support the entire population of the town.
>"They're running to the Everfree Forest! Zecora is going to help them hide in the mountains!"
>As good a plan as any.
>Mister Cake runs by with his children on his back as Pinkie hops into the train. "Sweetie? Has anyone seen my wife?!" he cried.
>"Help!" you heard.
>You saw two dogs making off with Ms. Cake over their shoulder. "Sweetheart!" Mr. Cake called out.
>You bounded down the street and tossed a crystal at the head of one of the dogs, encasing it in blue ice.
>You were about to do the same for the one carrying Ms. Cake before a knife flew out of the nearby alley.

>"Mous!" You call out as you run to meet him.
>He had changed into the clothes he had gotten stabbed in and was wheeling around a bag of blood as it still dripped into him.
>He held his stab wound as he pulled David out of the dead dogs neck. "In sync even here, huh Anon?"
>Mous grimaces as he speaks. Lotus helping support him with a worried look. "I'm fine, just off the morphine..."
>You help Mous get back to the train station before you see a cyan bolt racing across the sky.
>You see it impact Cerberus in the middle of town, knocking him back a bit. "Yeah! How do you like that!?" it called out.
>"Rainbow! We have to go!" you cry out.
>Rainbow banked hard and came racing towards the train.
>But not without bringing Cerberus with her.
>You weren't going to let this mutt harm your fiancé, let alone the passengers.
>You throw not one, but three crystals at the beast, one for each head.
>The effects of the crystals prove enough of a distraction for Rainbow to get on the train.
>Cerberus roars in outrage and makes for the train again. "Anon! Onboard, now!" Mous shouted.
>You jump onboard and shout for the conductors to gun it.
>Cerberus crashes through the train station just as you clear it and get onto the tracks.
>Cerberus doesn't follow and proceeds to wreck the train station.
>You watch as Ponyville, the town you'd called home for the past two years almost, shrink in the distance. Smoke bellowing up from it.