Auto-imported from derpibooru.org (1745163)

A week had passed since Larskpur brought Thunder Bird back to the cottage. She wasn't partial to speaking, and preferred to take naps on his mother's couch. Larkspur tried his best to take care of her, but he either couldn't get near her, or she went into hiding whenever he came around.
Since she seemed so terrified of his draconequus form, he had taken to his humble Earth pony form.

He tried to ask her what kind of tea she liked. She didn't have one. He tried to bake her treats. She ate them and said nothing. Did she like animals? Did she like plants? Did she want to help him in his garden? He read to her a variety of books, but the words never seemed to register. It was like she was on the moon, staring at the world from entirely alien eyes. The day he found her in the woods was the last time he had seen any sort of reaction from her. Something dreadful must have happened to make her like this. He decided it was best to leave her alone. Maybe he was being too pushy.

He desperately searched for answers in his mind to find a way to help her, but nothing came up. She was an enigma. Animals and other ponies had been fairly straightforward. None of them were catatonic.

On the seventh day, Larkspur awoke at his normal time to begin his work. He was surprised to see the strange pegasus awake at the crack of dawn. She sat on the couch wrapped in a thick blanket, staring blankly at the floor.

He walked gently toward her, "Good to see you up so early."

She only stared.

Larkspur felt unsure of himself. "I-I'm going to go take care of the Sanctuary. If you need anything, just ask. There's pancake mix and apples in the kitchen if you get hungry." He turned to head out.

"Don't go." Her voice cut through the air, almost making Larkspur jump. He turned back to face her.

"Well, this is a surprise! She still speaks!" Larkspur smiled gleefully, and stepped back to her. "Do you need something?"

"Am I dreaming?"

"Er, no….ah, do you know where you are, miss?" Larkspur went to feel her forehead, and to his amazement she let him.

"No…everything is upside down. It's so warm and bright here…there are so many animals, and you bring me food out of nowhere..this has to be a dream…my luck has never been so good. I'm either dreaming, or I'm dead."

"You're neither, sweetheart, and thank goodness for that! You're in Ponyville, one of the most peaceful towns in the known world. You'll surely find sanctuary her…the animals sure did." Larkspur checked her wing. It was healing beautifully, and her cuts and bruises were fading.

"You're like an angel…"

Larkspur blushed, and pulled away from her. "Oh well, it's nothing…someone had to help you." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

But she gave no hint of emotion. It was a statement of fact, not a compliment. There was this naivety about her, this resigned innocence. Larkspur felt his skin crawl. Whoever this pony was, where she came from or who she was running from, had kept her isolated from the world. An isolation in a place that was hardly like Equestria. He wondered if she really was from the moon. "Guess running into you in the woods was a happy accident, huh?" He gave her a half smile.

She raised her head to meet his gaze. "Tell me…when did the world get better?"

Larskpur's ears twitched, "I'm afraid I don't understand, miss."

"After the war…when did the world get better?"

"There hasn't been a war in millennia. Literally. I'm a bit of history nerd myself, and I haven't heard anything about a war in our borders. Well, except for threats from the yaks and the occasional villain, but really nothing more than a half an hour can't solve." Larkspur almost giggled, but the question unnerved him. "So…the world hasn't needed to 'get better.' It's always been pretty good."

Thunder Bird blinked, "That…that doesn't make any sense…nothing here makes sense…" She began to shiver.

"Hey, i-it's alright…" Larskpur went to lay a hoof on her shoulder, but she shied away.

"No…nothing's alright. Everything…everything is wrong…she told me…the world had ended."

"Who told you that?" Larkspur was leaning closer, brows furrowed. He sucked a breath. "…is she the one you're running from?…did she hurt you?"

No answer. Thunder Bird just stared at the ground again, eyes sunken back. They sat in silence for a long time as the weight of the moment settled.

Larskpur began to put some of the pieces together. This pony could not be left alone, and she needed something to keep her grounded.

"Miss…if it pleases you…I need your help."

Her eyes flicked up. "What is it?"

"Can you help me in my garden?"

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The first real conversation between Thunder Bird and Larkspur after bringing her home. He still doesn't know her name at this point, but it's in this moment that he realized that maybe this patient didn't need a doting doctor. She wanted something to keep her mind busy. Or at least, he hoped it would work. It would be a long time before Thunder felt any form of normalcy, and even longer before she could begin exploring Ponyville.

Upvotes at import: 35 | Stars at import: 22
Posted previously at: 2018-05-30T07:20:47 | Posted previously by: Mildgyth