A Special Visitor (Closed: Mojo, Gerrard)

[Mojo]

Haywire

On the Hay Family Farm, while her big brother Hayseed is out in the field with the hay baler and her older sister Haymaker was in the house doing paperwork for the hay supply business, little Haywire was outside setting up her latest creation, the largest firecracker rocket she ever made.

"I'll betcha this here rocket'll fly clear up to the moon!" the blank flank filly announced as she lit the long fuse and then hid behind a pile of rocks. Suddenly, the rocket began to rumble as the lit fuse ignited it. Seconds later, the firecracker rocket flew straight up into the sky. Little did Haywire know that the farm was about to receive a special visitor, one that would arrive through the air.

[Gerrard]

The winter afternoon was surprisingly mild far up into the upper reaches of the sky. The brisk air kept the attention of a black winged griffon who was dutifully following directions to the home of his prior date. He was looking to surprise her with his sudden return when his keen eyes caught notice of a small figure playing with something that looked like a rocket. The dark hybrid raised his brow in a concerned manner, only to have his actions met with a live rocket. While he was a fast flyer, he was no match for the speed of science as the toy shot right at him, exploding in his face, stunning the griffon for a moment. A loud ringing noise filled his head and he managed to shake it off before getting too close to the ground. His eyes widened as he managed to pull out of his fall at the last moment.

His temporary success was immediately met with a clear denier as he lifted his head to meet a clearly unimpressed barn. The griffon face planted into the barn, shaking the building as the structure decided to break his fall as much as a solid object might be able to. Silver and black feathers littered the air as the stunned hybrid slid off the wall and layed himself out on the ground in a crumpled heap, his body aching as he tried to keep track of where he was.

[Mojo]

"Uh oh!" little Haywire muttered as she saw her rocket explode in the sky, apparently striking a flying bird and sending it towards the ground. The sound of the explosion was enough to get the attention of her brother Hayseed, who was far away but came galloping back in the direction of the sound. The explosion also caught the attention of her older sister Haymaker, who was knocked out of her chair at the table with the sudden vibrations of the blast. Now the red maned mare was furious as she yelled out.

"HAYWIRE!!!!!!!!"

"oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh," Haywire repeatedly muttered as she galloped towards the sight of the crash, a First Aide Kit in her saddlebag as she rushed to the scene. There the blank flank filly gasped in amazement at the sight of the downed griffon. Haywire felt really bad now, but fighting the urge to cry, she was determined to do what she could to help him. Reaching for some smelling salts from her First Aide Kit, the first thing she tried to do was revive him. Waving the bottle under his beak, the rust colored mare hoped this would wake him up.

"Please wake up, mister. I didn't mean fer mah rocket ta blow ya up like this. Ya gotta wake up! I'm so sorry bout all this..."

That did it, she could no longer hold back her tears, they now came as a flood from her eyes. She didn't care a bit about the trouble SHE was in, all of her care and concern was now focused on this poor victim of her misguided rocket.

[Gerrard]

The world was spinning wildly around the downed griffon as he tried to regain his composure. Vague yelling noises rung in his head, only to be dispelled as the smelling salts basically punched him in the face. His weary eyes widened as he came to his senses, the griffon flapping his wings instinctively, only to cringe in pain before sitting down on his haunches.

"Ouch, that barn packs a punch," he grumbled weakly, the griffon looking to see if he was missing any limbs. Upon seeing that everything was mostly attached, he turned his attention to the crying filly. He was too sore to yell, not that he probably would. "That was one wicked Haymaker you threw at me," he joked weakly before trying to get on his feet.

His limbs felt like rubber and quickly gave way to his weight, dropping him on his chest. "Can you do me a favor and tell Haymaker that my surprise visit didn't work out like I expected," he apologized while he just lay there on the ground, too tired and sore to do much of anything.

[Mojo]

"Wait a minute, you KNOW mah sister?" Haywire asked in stunned amazement. She now realized who it was her rocket blasted. "You're... you're... Gerrard, ain't ya? Oh no, this is not good. I'm in huge trouble now."

Haymaker

"Gerrard!" Haymaker shouted the moment she arrived, galloping over to the downed griffon's side. "Are you alright? You don't look so good.."

Now Haymaker was furious, she turned towards her little sister, pointed at her with a front hoof as she shook in rage.

"YOU! You an' yur stupid rockets! I'm gonna ground you for so long, yur grandkids will be sharin' yur bedroom!"

At that moment, Hayseed reached the barn.

Hayseed

"Now settle down, Haymaker," the stallion said as he got between the two sisters. "Y'know Haywire didn't mean fer her rocket to blow up like that and.,"

"QUIT TAKING UP FOR HER!" Haymaker screamed before socking her brother in the jaw with a front hoof. "SHE COULD'VE KILLED THE MALE I LOVE! I'll deal with you two later, right now we're gonna nurse my Gerrard back to health!"

Haymaker rushed over to Gerrard, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes as she tried her best to make him comfortable.

"Don't you worry none, Gerrard, I'm here now and I'm gonna make ya better!" the red maned mare said before turning to her siblings. "Hayseed! Rig up a stretcher so we kin carry Gerrard to the house! Haywire, warm up some of that tomato soup I made on the stove! GET MOVING!!!!"

When their older sister raised her voice, Hayseed and Haywire scrambled into action. They know better than to argue with Haymaker, especially when she's so angry she could bite spike nails in two.

[Gerrard]

The sound of yelling ringed loudly in head, "Haymaker must have found me," he thought to himself, chuckling weakly as he turned his head over to see his worried marefriend. "I think I'm Gerrard. I'm alright, aside from my head, pride, wings, and other things that I can't seem to remember. A good night's sleep and I'll be flying tomorrow, or someday at least," he joked for her, smiling weakly for her as he tried to stay calm. "Don't be mad at your sister, it is pretty hard to hit a flying target with a rocket. She probably has a future in the military," he added with a laugh, wincing lightly as he tried to hide his clear discomfort.

"You know this farm is even nicer than Asteria made it out to be. Aside from the barn, he sucker punched me really hard, what a jerk," he grumbled playfully for her as he looked at the griffon sized dent in the side of the building. "Whomever built that did a great job at making it solid," he complimented slowly as he decided to untwist his body. The griffon rocked his body to the side and pulled one of his black talons out from beneath his body before slipping the other out in front of himself as well. He looked at his now dirty claws and flexed their digits, wincing at he did so. "Well, at least I can still shake your hoof," he joked, coughing lightly as he did so. "Just stay calm, everything is going to be okay, I promise to be okay," he added, letting out a light sigh as he locked his tired eyes on his worried friend.

[Mojo]

The words of Gerrard calmed Haymaker down a little, She was still in a state of shock that the one random day that the love of her life decided to drop in on her, Haywire would have to launch one of her experimental rockets. As their eyes met and a smile began to appear on her face, Hayseed returned.

"Got the stretcher all ready that ya asked fer, sis," the brown pelted stallion said.

"It's about time you got here, ya dolt!" Haymaker shouted back as she rushed up to him and raised one front hoof in the air.

"Sis, if ya hit me too hard, I ain't gonna be able ta help ya bring your friend up to the house."

"Reckon ya gotta point thar," the angry mare said as she lowered her front hoof. "Now git it ready so you an' me kin haul him over to.."

"Why don't ya jist use that cart over thar?" Haywire asked as the filly returned, pointing to it.

"YOU! Why ain't ya over at the house cookin' the soup like I told ya to!!!!"

"Soup's ready, sis," Haywire said, lowering her head in sadness.

"Stop yellin' at her, sis," Hayseed said sternly, "can't ya see how much Haywire's worried about Gerrard too? You ain't the only one that wants ta see'm get better."

Haymaker was now shaking in anger, but her brother's words made sense, so she calmed down.

"Ok then, everypony, help me put Gerrard on the cart, please?"

[Gerrard]

Gerrard watched Haymaker yelling and making a spectacle of his injury. He blinked his tired eyes and glanced up at his prior date, thinking of a nice way to put his words. "Haymaker, I know you care a lot, but can you turn the volume down. Your family is trying their best to help you out. It isn't nice to denounce your help," he warned weakly as the ponies lifted him into the cart. "All of this is pretty undignified, I guess I mainly hurt my pride after all," he joked while looking up to the bright blue sky above him. It would probably be a little while before he was back flying, but until then, he probably would get to spend some time with his clearly distraught marefriend.

[Mojo]

As Hayseed and Haymaker gently placed Gerrard in the cart, the worried red maned mare listened to what the love of her life just said to her.

"Reckon yur right, my love," Haymaker said as she turned towards her siblings. "I'm so surry I yelled at both of ya, and I really shouldn't have hit you, Hayseed. Guess I panicked when I saw my Gerrard all hurt like this. An' Haywire, I know ya didn't mean fer yur rocket to hurt anyone. Guys, we're a family and we'll make it through all this as a family, ok?"

"Right sis!" Hayseed neighed.

"But I feel so awful right now," Haywire said as tears filled her filly eyes. "This here's all mah fault!"

Hearing this compelled Haymaker to hug her younger sister as Hayseed hitched himself to the cart.

"It'll be alright, sis. You'll see," the red maned mare said as Hayseed began to pull the cart.

"Don't ya worry none, Gerrard! We'll git ya up to the big house and get ya all set up in the guest room," the brown stallion said as he walked slowly towards the large barn that served as the Hay Family home. After releasing their embrace, Haymaker and Haywire ran up to catch up with the cart.

"Thank you, Gerrard, fer settin' me straight. I didn't mean ta go all crazy like that."

"I hope you kin find it in yur heart ta forgive me, Mister Gerrard," the rust colored filly said, her eyes still filling with tears.

.

[Gerrard]

Gerrard looked over to the weeping filly and smiled for her, patting her on the head with one of his dark talons. "You may have shot me with that rocket, but is anyone firing a rocket really at fault when a fool gets hit by it? I saw you on the ground but I was too slow to move out of the way. If anyone here is at fault it is me. I should have probably not made it a surprise and I should have probably flew closer to where you could see me. I wanted to surprise both of you actually. I heard from a reliable source that you wanted to meet a griffon. In fact, I promise to forgive you if you never tell anyone about this Haywire. If all the other griffons found out I got beat up by a filly, they would laugh me out of town," he joked for her, resting his talon on his chest as the cart finally reached their home.

"I thank all of you for the help, truly. I'll just need a little bit of help walking up the stairs. This tired old bird can still walk, sort of," he lied playfully, his wobbly legs barely able to do much beyond staying still. "When I'm all rested up Haywire, I'll teach you all about griffons, the good, the bad and the awesome," he joked for her, poking a tongue out at her while wincing in pain.

[Mojo]

Gerrard's kind, gentle words calmed young Haywire. She wiped the tears from her eyes and even smiled at the mention of him telling more about griffons when he felt better.

"Thank ya, Mister Gerrard!" the blank flank filly neighed, "yur jist as nice as Haymaker said you was!"

Hearing this made Haymaker blush deep red through her white facial fur.

"Er, that's enough of that thar talk, little sister," the red maned mare said calmly as she and Hayseed helped Gerrard up the stairs towards the guest bedroom.

"It ain't much further now." added Hayseed as he and Haymaker helped the injured griffon into the room and into the large, soft bed.

"Thar ya go, mah love," Haymaker said sweetly, "Haywire's gonna fetch ya up some soup an' I'll be here to give ya anythin' else ya need. Did ya want me ta send Hayseed ta bring a doctor here? I think Doctor Stable's takin' a nature hike nearby."

[Gerrard]

The griffon let out an audible sigh as he was helped into the bed. He wasn't the type to complain about beds, and to be honest, any bed was probably going to feel good at this point. "Much better," he sighed with a smile as he rolled onto his side and into a comfortable position. "Oh I think I'll be okay," he replied with a smile, flexing his wing and wincing in agony as it clearly wasn't okay. "Well, a second opinion might help," he added weakly, trying to downplay how hurt he was in front of the concerned filly and her older sister. "It might be sprained, but nothing too bad," he added warmly, trying to calm her fears.

"I'll be up and walking around in no time, even if my wing is a bit busted up, don't worry about me too much," he added with a smile. "I can still talk and stuff, even if I'm hurt a bit," he explained with a sigh as he glanced over to Haymaker and smiled for her.

[Mojo]

Haymaker smiled back at Gerrard, and then turned to Hayseed.

"Brother, would you kindly go fetch Doc Stable fer us?" the red maned mare said politely before turning a bit more frantic, "AND TELL'M IT'S AN EMERGENCY!!!! MOVE IT!!!!"

"Yes sir! Er.. ma'am!" the brown pelted stallion neighed as he bolted down the stairs and out of the house.

"Got yur soup, Gerrard!" Haywire neighed as the filly carefully climbed up the stairs and brought a tray with a bowl of hot tomato soup on it. "Mah sister made it, I jist heated it up."

"Jist sit it down over there fer now," Haymaker commanded as she turned back towards the griffon. "Did ya wamt me to send off a telegram to Asteria, to let her know yur here and what the situation is?"

[Gerrard]

Gerrard found his date amusing, if not vaguely terrifying when she suddenly swung from calm to fury on the flip of a coin. He wanted to say that it wasn't an emergency, even if it partly was, but he decided against overruling his very protective date. "I'm sure it will be great. Haven't had tomato soup since my days at the university," he explained with a chuckle, leaving out the part where his meals normally had some type of meat in it. He figured that Haymaker might have been able to figure it out, but didn't want the young filly musing over his love of meat as his first fact on griffons.

When she brought up the name of his close friend, Gerrard's eyes widened and he instinctively flapped his wings to no avail, cringing from the pain before coming back to his senses. "Oh, I need to tell my job and Asteria that I will be out of comission for a month. Err a week at most," he commented quickly, trying to catch himself at the end and downplay how hurt he was. He had accidentally let his thought slip out, and the griffon let out an awkward sigh as he looked back to Haymaker. "Oh, it won't be that long. I'll be walking around in a few days. A lot of ponies walk around everywhere, I'm not any more important than them," he tried to explain calmly downplaying how much crashing into a barn may have affected him.

[Mojo]

When Gerrard let it slip that he might be out of commission for a month, both Haymaker and Haywire gasped.

"Oh NO!" the blank flank filly neighed.

"Well, all of us in the Hay family will nurse ya back ta health!" Haymaker proudly announced as Hayseed returned with a familiar unicorn stallion following him up the stairs.

Dr Stable

"That's the patient over thar, Doc," Hayseed said, pointing a hoof in Gerrard's direction.

"Yes, I can plainly see that," Doctor Stable said bluntly as he directed his attention to the griffon lying in the big bed. "Relax big fellow. I received my medical training in Canterlot, so I am quite familiar with treating griffons. Looks like you took quite a tumble, could you tell me how you got like this, and what parts of your body are in pain now?"

[Gerrard]

Gerrard gently patted the filly on the head to calm her down. When Haymaker offered to nurse him back to health, the black hybrid smiled bashfully, glad to see he was around some ponies who genuinely seemed to care about him.

When the doctor barged into the room and interrupted the stupor of the griffon. He blinked his golden eyes and glanced over to the stern doctor. "Ahh, Canterlot. I graduated from there three years ago. When did you go, maybe I was one of your underclassmen. Of course, that is another tale for another time," he explained positively for the doctor before realizing that he hadn't actually answered the question.

Gerrard looked over to the filly, but turned his attention to the doctor. "I was flying over here for a visit when I got distracted. I preceeded to crash face first into a barn. It counter-punched me off my rocker and messed up my wing. I think it sprained my wing pretty bad. Everything else is sore, but workable, I think," the griffon self diagnosed, being careful not to touch his own wings.

[Mojo]

"Gerrard ain't tell'n ya the whole story, Doc," Haywire spoke up as she looked the unicorn physician in the eye. "The reason he crashed inta our barn is cause of the big rocket I sent up in the sky and.."

"EGAD!" Doctor Stable neighed in surprise before a smirk appeared on his face. "Well, knowing your past history, Miss Haywire, I am hardly surprised."

"An' what's THAT supposed ta mean, ya quack!" Haymaker snarled as she lifted a front hoof in the air, "if'n ya keep mean mouthin' mah little sister, YOUR gonna need a dentist when I knock yur teeth out!"

"Whoa sis, take it easy," Hayseed said as the stallion rushed up to hold his angry red maned sister back, "the good doctor is here out of the kindness of his heart to help Gerrard. Please don't upset him."

"Quite alright, Mr. Hayseed," Doctor Stable said, "I am well aware of your older sister's explosive temper. Please everypony, calm down so I can examine the patient."

As Haymaker growled while Hayseed still held the angry mare back, Doctor Stable began to gantly examine the injured wing.

"Hmmmm. Without the hospital facilities to take an X-Ray but judging from my own eyesight, I don't think you have any broken bones, which is good. I would recommend preparing a simple splint to keep the wing immobile for a few days. If my hunch is right and this is a mere sprain, the splint should help in the healing process. However, even after the splint is removed, you need to stay off that wing for a few days more."

"That's a relief," Haywire said.

"Oh, to answer your question, Gerrard is it? I got my degree from Canterlot University about five years ago. What was your course of study? Did you achieve a Master's Degree or Doctorate? I must confess, I don't remember seeing you in my university stay, but then again, Canterlot U. has a large campus,"

[Gerrard]

"Well, I should have dodged the rocket with how high I was flying. I feel like an old person slipping on a rollerskate and falling down the stairs. "Hey you can't hurt one of my fellow alumi. He can't fix me if you hurt him. Plus I don't have any teeth to donate him if you knock his out," Gerrard joked and warned his marefriend while looking over to the doctor.

"That's a relief. I'll take the splint and get it x-rayed later. Should I stay in bed the whole time? Or will I be able to walk around with my splint on?" he asked curiously hoping he could walk about soon.

"I graduated with a master's in architecture and another master's in water resources engineering. I work at the university and am working really slowly on a doctorate. No real rush for one," he explained proudly, declaring his ownership of two degrees. I probably didn't have any classes with you, except maybe the occasional pony history course.

[Mojo]

"That is an impressive set of degrees, Gerrard," Doctor Stable said with a smile, "and once we wrap the splint around the wing, you shouldn't have to stay in bed, unless you have any other injuries that you haven't told me about. I can see a few small bruises on your legs, but they shouldn't be a problem."

Hearing the doctor's caring words calmed Haymaker a little. Then the unicorn stallion turned to the Hay Family.

"I will need two cut wooden boards to use for the splint. They should be a few inches shorter than his wing to allow for some movement if he chooses to walk around."

"I'll go fetch'm now, Doc!" Hayseed neighed as he dashed down the stairs.

"I will also need gauge bandages, one piece about three feet long to wrap the wing with the splint, and another longer gauge bandage to serve as a sling that I can wrap around the patient's abdomen."

"Ab-do-whatsit"

"Belly, Miss Haywire, around his belly."

"Gotcha Doc! I kin git'm fer ya!" the rust colored filly neighed as she dashed off.

"Look Doc, I'm surry fer git'n all mad at ya," Haymaker said as the red maned mare lowered her head.

"It's ok. you are very concerned for your friend.."

"He's more than jist mah friend, Doc," Haymaker confessed, "he my very special somegriffon!"

[Gerrard]

"That is great to hear Doctor Stable. I'm glad to hear I can move about and do other things than mope about and feel sorry for myself," the griffon joked. "I hope he doesn't forget that griffons have longer wings than pegasi. That would be awkward having to walk around with tiny splints. I would look really silly," he added with a chuckle, looking over to the filly.

When she didn't know what an abdomen was though, Gerrard held back another laugh, trying not to hurt her feelings. When Haymaker apologized for her outbursts, the griffon let out a sigh of relief, glad to see that she was starting to cool off, at least slightly. The doctor was understanding and that eased him as well, until she declared that he was her special somegriffon. He smiled, glad she indeed liked him back, although he wondered if she should keep such things private, knowing that not everyone was probably as open minded as the pair of friends.

[Mojo]

Soon Hayseed and Haywire returned to the guest room.

"Got the boards, Doc!" the brown pelted stallion neighed, "I did remember that griffon wings are longer than Pegasi wings, so I cut'm to order!"

"And here's all that thar gauze ya wanted," added Haywire.

"Excellent, thank you both," Doc Stable said as he used his horn magic to levitate the items in the air, "relax Mr. Gerrard, this won't hurt a bit."

Quickly, Doctor Stable's levitation magic lifted the injured griffon slighty upward as the gauze and wooden boards soon formed into the perfect splint and sling.

"There you are, keep the splint on for at least a few days. If you'd like to get that wing properly X-rayed, then stop by the Ponyville Hospital. I'm usually on duty there. But for now, let's see how well you can get around with the splint on. Walk around a bit, if you please."

"You kin do it, Gerrard! I know you kin!" Haymaker shouted word of encouragement to the injured griffon.

[Gerrard]

The griffon watched closely as the splint materials were brought into the room. The doctor mentioned that it wouldn't hurt and Gerrard nodded in understanding even though he knew it would probably hurt. When the splint was set, the injured hybrid clenched his beak as his hurt wings ached. He found the splint comfortable enough and didn't protest his treatment.

"I'll head on down to the hospital in a day or so. Nothing to worry about there from me," he explained with a laugh before being shut up with a request to walk around, something his body clearly didn't want to do.

Gerrard stammered for a moment trying to maintain his composure. He had to put on a show for his marefriend. He couldn't let her down! "Ahh, sure I can walk around a bit. I'm feeling ragged and I'm still sore, but I will show you guys how I am," he explained as confidently as he could. The injured griffon gulped loudly before crawling out of bed. He gingerly walked around with his wings not bothering him. He wanted to groan about his sore limbs but soldiered through before climbing back into bed. Gerrard smiled weakly and glanced over to his marefriend and his doctor for approval.

[Mojo]

Doctor Stable observed the discomfort and small facial expressions of pain Gerrard had as the injured griffon gingerly walking around the room.

"Ah ha! Just as I thought!" the unicorn physician neighed sternly, "I thought you were more injured than you were telling me, Gerrard. I see this all the time with tough stallions trying to act like they're not hurt as bad as they are. Sorry I had you up walking, but I had to prove to yourself that you need more care. Now, get back into bed, Doctor's orders!"

Doctor Stable used his levitation magic to gently lift the griffon up, pull the covers down and set him back into the bed. Witnessing all this, as Hayseed and Haywire looked on, a furious Haymaker confronted the pony doctor.

"YOU mean ya had him walk around know'n he was hurtin' like that?" the red maned mare snorted, "I changed mah mind, I'm gonna clobber ya!"

"Don't do it, sis!" Hayseed yelled as the stallion pulled his sister away from the frightened doctor. "What the doc did he did ta help Gerrard, can't ya see that?"

"Yeah sis, I think they call that, bedside manner, ain't that right, doc?" Haywire asked.

"That's right, Miss Haywire," Doctor Stable said as he turned to the griffon in bed. "Now that we've established just how hurt you are, Mr. Gerrard, you could help me with diagnosing your other injuries if you would please tell me about them. Are your legs aching? Is it your back? Try to give me as much details as you can."

[Gerrard]

Gerrard grimaced as the sly doctor quickly picked through his disguise. He was probably more sore than he wanted to expect, the griffon glancing over to see his marefriend explode with rage. He winced as he listened to her fierce diatribe.

"No no Haymaker, the doctor is right. My feet are sore right now, but I don't think they are broken. I can walk on them, but they are tender. My back is okay, but my neck is sort of stiff. I did face plant into a barn, but aside from that, I'm okay, I guess," he replied weakly for the doctor, looking away in shame of himself.

[Gerrard]

Gerrard grimaced as the sly doctor quickly picked through his disguise. He was probably more sore than he wanted to expect, the griffon glancing over to see his marefriend explode with rage. He winced as he listened to her fierce diatribe.

"No no Haymaker, the doctor is right. My feet are sore right now, but I don't think they are broken. I can walk on them, but they are tender. My back is okay, but my neck is sort of stiff. I did face plant into a barn, but aside from that, I'm okay, I guess," he replied weakly for the doctor, looking away in shame of himself.