The machine whirred slowly as Rarity felt her hooves strapped again. She held back her tears as Winter quickly trotted up to her.
"What did you see, Rarity?" he asked as he unstrapped her.
"I don't know..." she said as she slumped closed to the machine. "He was just... running away.."
"And I was chasing him. Asking him to come back!" Rarity shouted.
"But he never listened."
Winter frowned. "Anything else? Anything that happened after that?"
Rarity tried to stand up, but her hooves gave way. Winter jumped to her help.
"Easy, miss. Relax..."
She sniffled a little. "Then... Then something, I don't know what, just hit me!"
Winter passed her a tissue as she continued: "It was big! It just smashed me away!"
Rarity sobbed a little, burying her head in Winter's suit as he calmed her down.
"I'll think about this, okay Rarity?"
Rarity nodded slightly. She stretched her hooves as she struggled to stand up.
Her weak hooves nearly crumbled as she grunted with pain. She bit her lip, with tears falling out from her eyes.
"Slowly, Rarity. Slowly." Winter said, trying to encourage her.
"Nearly there, Rarity."
Her last hoof finally lifted itself up as it wobbled. Rarity took in a huge breath.
With one push, she finally stood firmly. A sheer look of determination burned in her eyes.
"That's great!" Winter applauded as he strode towards her.
"You okay now, Rarity?"
Rarity bit her lip with uncertainty.
"I don't know..."
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"Applejack! Just hold on!!"
Twilight tried to forget her screams as she paced around the corridor. Vinyl sat there, still trying to absorb what just happened.
Persimmon buried her face in her hooves, quietly sobbing on the chair.
"I-It's all my fault..."
"No it's not." Twilight told her as Vinyl shifted closer.
"It was that pony's fault. The pony that-"
"Don't mention him!!" Persimmon shouted, her teary eyes fueled with rage.
Vinyl stopped her from jumping off the seat as Twilight stumbled back a little.
At that point, the red light turned green.
The three ponies rushed to the doctor as he stepped out, a somber expression aligned on his face.
"So?" Twilight asked in desperation. "Is she alright?!"
The doctor straightened his glasses.
"She's in a critical condition. We are trying everything we can-"
"And?!" Vinyl cut in.
"We're sorry. She isn't going to make it."
Twilight froze in shock. "What do you mean?"
"She has lost a lot of blood. She had just fallen into a coma and-"
"No!" Twilight's voice twisted in anxiety and anger. "You need to save her life. Right now!"
The doctor bit his lip as he nervously glanced around.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we could d-"
A slap made him tumble backwards, his eyes widened in shock. His hoof clutched on his face as it ached with pain.
Twilight fixated a glare as she lowered her hoof. Tears started to brim around her eyes.
"She has a family, doctor!! She has friends!! And you're telling me she just going to die?!!"
"Twilight!!"
Persimmon shouted, breaking into Twilight's rage.
"Please! I have a way!"
"What do you mean?" Vinyl asked her. "What way?"
Persimmon held her breath, before continuing:
"A way to save your friend."
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Rainbow Dash never liked television.
"Nope!"
"Boring!"
"Nada!"
She switched through a hundred of channels, groaning in boredom as the television flickered with every click of the remote.
Her pet turtle, Tank, was slowly munching on a leaf of cabbage, clearly ignoring his owner's frustration.
"There's really nothing to on this thing these days!" Rainbow shouted to herself.
She smashed her face in the pillow, letting out a deep groan.
Tank just looked at her, slightly tilting his head.
"Aw, Tank." Rainbow Dash said as she launched the turtle in the air. Her pet landed safely on a small cluster of pillows, grinning happily.
"I don't know how you seem to enjoy everything!!" she said as she hugged her pet tortoise tightly.
Letting out a sigh, Rainbow Dash continued switching channels.
"When do the Wonderbolts come out..." she yawned sleepily as she stopped at the news channel.
Tank just sat beside her, curling up in his shell.
"-And we are reporting straight from Manehatten. Last night, an accident just around the Equestrian State Building has left the whole of the city in shock as ponies started questioning the recklessness of drivers-"
Rainbow's ears perked up. Manehatten.
That's where Twilight and Applejack are!
On the television, a car seem to swerve violently as the camera focused towards it. The camera pony rushed forward to a crowd forming a circle as shouts and cries echoed from the speakers.
"-just hold on!!" "Somepony get some help!!"
As the camera zoomed through the crowd, Rainbow let out a loud gasp.
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"We don't have much time! Come on!!"
Persimmon galloped down the hospital corridor, with a light blue pony following closely behind her.
Twilight heard the door open as Persimmon and the pony entered the room, sweating and panting a little.
Applejack rested silently in the bed, her hoof encased in bandages, with the exception of her head.
Applejack's uncle was there as well as Vinyl, who stood up first. "Who's this?"
"He can help." Persimmon said.
The stallion bowed to Vinyl and Twilight with courtesy. "So this is the one, huh?"
"Yeah," Persimmon nodded. "she's the one."
"You know you can't make it, right?" he asked Persimmon.
"What do you mean she can't make it?" Twilight questioned.
"What are you doing?"
Persimmon glanced away uneasily as the stallion explained:
"I specialize in a very... ancient form of medicine. It involves reviving or healing a pony's physical and mental structure with the use of essence from another."
"What?" Twilight said, slightly puzzled.
"In other words, I take the life force of one pony to help heal another."
"But that's-" Uncle Orange swallowed. "That's black magic!"
"You want your niece to live or not?!" Persimmon shouted at him.
"Isn't there any other way?" Vinyl asked. "Something that does not involve black magic?"
Persimmon shook her head. Twilight sighed.
The light blue pony looked at Applejack with a sigh.
"Her injuries are too severe."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"It means the pony giving the life force... must give it all."
Twilight gasped a little. "You mean..."
She looked in shock at Persimmon, who gave her an unsure smile.
"Don't worry, Twilight." she assured the unicorn, who was starting to cry.
"Caesar will be waiting for me."
Vinyl held back her tears as Twilight sniffled a little.
"There must be some other way..."
"But there isn't, Twilight dear." Persimmon wiped her tear away.
"Sometimes, Twilight, we must make a noble sacrifice. A sacrifice of time, a sacrifice of space. Anything."
Persimmon trotted to the next bed.
"But to save your friend, and a good friend I know she is to you, I must do it."
"But... your kids!"
"They're old enough. They had moved on." Persimmon chuckled slightly.
"They don't need an old mare to look after them any more-"
"Don't say that!" Twilight shouted. "Your kids will want to have you!"
She grabbed Persimmon by the hoof, tears still falling from her eyes.
"Please!! There must be some other way!"
"Twilight," Vinyl pulled her back. "Twilight! It's her choice!!"
"But-!"
"No 'but's, Twilight." Persimmon said.
"You have much to learn. About life. About letting go."
"I'll be waiting outside." Uncle Orange said. "I don't think I can handle this."
Persimmon laid herself on the bed, gesturing to the light blue stallion.
"I'm ready."
The light blue pony nodded, before beginning a series of chants.
Twilight slumped beside Applejack as Vinyl consoled her.
The chanting grew louder, the voice more hollow as the room shook a little.
Vinyl clutched tightly against the bed as a small rumble echoed throughout the room.
Twilight looked over to the witch doctor, who was now busy motioning his hooves around, appearing to be in some sort of trance.
The lights flickered as the rumbling grew louder. The whole room shook violently, with plaster falling off from every inch of the ceiling.
Twilight held onto a rattling medicine cart, looking around nervously as Persimmon closed her eyes tightly.
"Twilight!!"
Twilight looked over to Persimmon, who was gripping tightly on the sheets.
"Tell them!! Tell my kids!!"
Persimmon smiled at her with tears watering her eyes.
"Tell them I'm sorry!"
Twilight nodded immediately. "I will!"
With one booming shout, the witch doctor stomped his hoof on the floor.
Persimmon lurched forward violently with one silent scream, before falling back onto the bed.
The lights dimmed, then blacked out as a small orb of light floated out from Persimmon's body. It shone a bright blue in color, illuminating the darkness around.
Twilight and Vinyl looked in awe as the witch doctor guided the floating light towards him.
His chants became softer and softer, the light floating dreamily above his hoof.
Twilight strained her ears, at last understanding a word he said.
"Sleep my child, in the body of another;
Let your spirit flow ever farther, and your essence live on,
May you find peace, in the arms of the Mother.
Let your body be remembered by the next dawn."
The small light slowly descended towards Applejack. A small burst of rays gleamed in the dark, forcing Vinyl and Twilight to shield their eyes.
It seemed to hover there for awhile, before dissolving completely into Applejack's body.
The lights started flickering back on as the witch doctor sighed with relief.
"It's done."
"Applejack?" Twilight shook her orange hoof. "Applejack, please answer me!"
Vinyl rushed by Twilight's side, as the witch doctor sat down, tired.
"Applejack?" she called one last time.
The orange pony stirred a little, giving out a loud groan.
"W...Where.. What..."
Twilight and Vinyl sighed in relief as they helped the orange pony sit up. The witch doctor smiled at her.
"Twilight?" Applejack said as she looked around. "What in tarnation just happened?"
"Thank goodness you're alive!!" Twilight hugged her friend with tears of joy flowing from her eyes.
Applejack just tumbled back, surprised by her behavior.
"Well, 'course I'm alive, Twi." she chuckled slightly. "I ain't be sitting here talking to you if I wasn't, eh?"
Twilight laughed along as well. "I'm glad you are, Applejack."
Applejack turned slightly, before spotting Persimmon on the bed.
"What happened?" she asked frantically. "Did that pony get her too?"
"No, Applejack." Vinyl stifled a small sob. "It's not like that."
Applejack struggled to lift her broken hoof up, as Twilight helped her to walk.
The orange pony limped towards Persimmon, who seemed to sleep peacefully.
"Persimmon gave her life up... for you."
Applejack stood there stunned, staring at Vinyl.
"Wha-What did you say?"
"Persimmon passed her life source to you," Twilight explained, her violet pupils watering as she took a glance at the pony on the bed.
"We tried to stop her, but she said there was no other way!"
Applejack looked back at Persimmon. Her smile made her look so calm, so serene.
"Celestia..."
"If... If I hadn't stand on the road in the first place, none of this would've happen!"
"No, AJ!" Vinyl said, holding back a sob. "It wasn't your fault."
"I was too sensitive! Too ignorant of myself! She shouldn't do that for me! She shoudn't have!!"
"Applejack, stop saying that!" Twilight cried out.
The orange pony gazed at her dejectedly, tears flowing down her freckled face.
"Persimmon wouldn't want to see you saying this." the purple unicorn said, calming down a little.
"Please, Applejack. Don't do this to yourself!"
Applejack glanced away uneasily, settling her gaze on Persimmon.
She sniffled a little, brushing away a tear.
"Please..." Twilight's voice faltered as she let out a small whimper.
Applejack slumped back onto her bed, her eyes still widened in shock.
"Alright,Twi..."
Twilight looked up to her friend. "What?"
"I won't do it. Never again!"
Applejack suddenly jumped up with fierce determination, ignoring the pain searing in her left hoof.
Vinyl smiled brightly along with Twilight.
Applejack placed her signature hat on, shaking her blonde mane with a burning desire in her eyes.
"I promise!"
Vinyl whistled for her friend as Twilight clopped a little.
Applejack limped towards the light blue pony.
"I gotta say this. Thank you. For everything." she said with a smile.
"What you've done is a miracle, Mr..."
"Please," the light blue pony grinned politely back at her. "Call me Dresden."
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"And you're sure she's alive?"
"I don't know!" Rainbow's voice rang through the speaker. "I can't just fly all the way there!"
Rarity sighed defiantly. "When are they coming back?"
"Two days? Three? I have no idea, Rarity."
"I hope she's alright," Rarity bit her lip nervously. "I don't like the sound of this."
"Sound of what?" Rainbow Dash said in her usual, raspy voice.
"About that Mirror pony?"
"I guess." she said. "After all, you can't just pop from here to Manehatten, can't you?"
"Even Twilight can't do that, Rarity." Rainbow's voice crackled.
"Magic has its limits. The whole of Equestria knows about that."
"Unless..." Rarity pondered.
"Unless what, Rarity?"
"Winter said this was no pony. He, or more likely she, is something else. Something unnatural."
"So what, we're fighting against a pony that's not a pony?" Rainbow asked with doubt.
"Something. A changeling, perhaps? An alicorn?"
"Rarity," Rainbow Dash cut in. "Alicorns are ponies."
"Of course, silly me!" Rarity laughed a little, before continuing.
"Then what is it? Something that powerful couldn't be a normal pony."
"I don't know, Rarity." Rainbow said uneasily.
"Why can't we get the Princesses to help?"
"That's not the problem, Rainbow." Rarity said.
"The problem is," she corrected. "why don't the Princesses help? The explosion, the deaths are in papers all over Equestria. They could've just stepped in."
"You're right, Rarity." the pegasus said. "It doesn't make any sense."
"First Spike," the white pony trembled as she mentioned the dragon's name.
"Then Pinkie Pie. And now possibly Applejack."
"Rainbow, I think it's time to be careful." she continued.
"Either Fluttershy or you could get hurt next."
Rainbow snorted. "If anypony lays a single hoof on Fluttershy, I'll kick his gnarly butt!"
Rarity and Rainbow laughed loudly.
"Just be careful." the unicorn reminded her friend.
"I will, Rarity." she replied. Rarity could hear her raspy voice burn in determination.
"I will."
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Autumn sat uneasily beside Caper, her hoof clutching tightly on her purse.
"... and they said we are fools?!" Thistle shouted through the room.
"Pah!!"
The robed pony overturned the small table, checker pieces flying everywhere as the sound of cracking wood erupted into a loud snap.
"This is why," Thistle said, his voice gloating with fury. "we don't trust your family, Miss Autumn!!"
"Look at what they've done to this wretched town!!"
Autumn hung her head low, sobbing silently behind her mane as Caper tried to calm her down.
Thistle held up the poster, for the rest of the ponies to see.
"More taxes and fees!" he raged, crumpling and tearing the poster.
"And what did you ponies waste it on? A bucking masquerade ball!!!"
Thistle spat onto the floor.
"How romantic~!" he said coldly with sarcasm. "How pathetic!!"
He slammed the torn pieces onto the table, glaring at the pale yellow mare.
"Rotten as your brother!"
"What did you say?!" Caper slammed his black hooves on the table.
"Well, well!" Thistle sneered. "Looks like we've got ourselves a couple!!"
Whispers and murmurs crept throughout the room, as Caper slowly sat back down, glancing away uneasily.
"Tell you what, Caper Masque. You need to learn your position," Thistle began as he slowly walked towards the black pony.
"You must learn some manners, you big-headed fool!"
And with that, Thistle smacked Caper hard, making him stumble off his seat.
Autumn stifled a gasp.
"Caper!"
"And Miss Autumn!" Thistle's voice boomed. "I'll give your coltfriend one last chance."
Autumn turned around, nervously looking at his razor sharp glare as she helped Caper up.
"And of course, your brother!" the robed stallion continued.
"Or I'll make sure he will regret the day he became Patriarch."
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Rainbow Dash slowly trotted down the corridor, passing by nurses and doctors as she sifted her way through the crowd.
"Just be careful." Rarity's voice echoed in her head. She tried to shake it off; the thought of somepony following her, the thought of somepony trying to get her.
She stopped trotting. The bright turquoise door stood in front of her.
Rainbow swallowed nervously, giving it a knock.
The door swung open with a small creak, as she stepped into the room.
Pinkie Pie laid on the bed, silently sleeping. Light shone on her face, the pink color slightly drained from her skin.
Her mane wasn't its usual, poofy self. Rainbow tried not to think about it.
A nurse came in, pushing a medicinal cart. Behind her was a yellow pegasi.
"R..Rainbow? You're here too?"
"Hey, Flutters." Rainbow called out her name. "Just checking on Pinkie Pie."
The yellow pegasus strode towards her friend. "I..Is she alright?"
Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I don't know."
She looked at Pinkie's hoof. It was bruised and battered.
"Yesterday... when she... attacked... t-the other patient," Fluttershy said with a gulp.
"Do you think she.. she really did it?"
Rainbow Dash shuddered at the thought of it.
"She wasn't herself." she replied. "I don't think she wanted to do it."
It happened in this very room, when Rainbow Dash came to visit Pinkie Pie.
"Hi, Dashie."
"Hi Pinkie!" Rainbow said with enthusiasm. "How are you feeling?"
"Alright, I guess." Pinkie replied. Every small sound of happiness seemed to have seeped from Pinkie Pie.
Rainbow Dash glanced at her pink friend uneasily as Pinkie looked out the window.
"I miss going out there," she said. "I miss the freedom."
Rainbow Dash was slightly taken aback. "That's quite... deep, Pinkie."
Pinkie turned to her friend, her eyes filled with sadness. A small sigh escaped her lips.
"How long am I suppose to be here?"
"A few days more, perhaps." the pegasus answered.
"By the way, the doctor said you're gonna have a roommate!"
Pinkie widened her eyes. "Who is it?"
The door swung open as two nurses pushed a pony on a wheelchair into the room.
"There he is!" Rainbow Dash pointed at the pony. "He's gonna be your roommate!"
Pinkie Pie watched the nurses helped lift the patient from the wheelchair, thinking of what to say.
"Hi." she grinned at the pony, being tended by the nurses as they helped tuck him into his bed.
"I'm Pinkie Pie."
The pony just grunted a little in pain, caressing his broken leg with care. Rainbow eased herself up from her chair.
"I hope you two ponies get along." she said, chuckling nervously.
The pony just lay on his bed, not saying a word.
Pinkie Pie tried again.
"Are you from.. around here? I've never seen you before."
The pony murmured quietly under his breath.
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie's face twisted into a dark grimace.
"What did you say?"
"Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow Dash tried to calm her friend down. "He didn't say anything!"
The pony just cowered a little. "She's right... I didn't."
Pinkie gritted her teeth, her brows furrowed towards the pony.
"Alright, Pinkie. That's quite enough growls for today!" Rainbow Dash said, laughing nervously.
Pinkie Pie breathed a little, slowly calming down as she closed her eyes.
"Crazy pony..."
Suddenly, Pinkie launched herself from the bed, kicking Rainbow aside as the pegasus fell to the floor.
"Pinkie!! Don't!!"
The nurses frantically tried to pull her down as the pony below shouted and cringed. Pinkie glared into his face, her eyes turning into slits.
"You stupid, wretched, fiend!!"
She slammed her hoof hard onto the pony's broken leg, triggering a loud scream of pain.
"Rot in Tartarus!! Rot for all I care!!"
A few more ponies rushed in, trying desperately to pull Pinkie down from the bed as she continuously crushed the other pony's hoof.
"You think I'm crazy?!! You think I'm a crazy pony??!!"
She reached for the medicine cart, her hoof gripping tightly onto a scalpel.
Rainbow let out a horrified gasp.
Pinkie raised the scalpel high up, her eyes fueled with rage.
"Well, you don't know how CRAZY I can GET!!"
"PINKIE PIE!!!"
The pink pony stopped, the scalpel just a few centimeters from the pony's face.
She let the scalpel go, dropping it onto the mattress.
"I.... I.."
"Get me out of here!!" the pony screamed in fear. "Another room!! Please!!"
The nurse quickly lifted him up as Rainbow slowly helped Pinkie down, who was still frozen in shock.
"Pinkie? Pinkie, are you alright?" she asked in desperation.
Pinkie Pie turned to her friend, still absorbing what happened.
"What.... Why?!"
She started whimpering and sniffling, burying her face onto Rainbow's shoulder.
"Why am I doing this..."
Rainbow slowly shushed her as Pinkie Pie sobbed loudly.
"Why....."
"S..She looks so peaceful."
Fluttershy's voice chirped, breaking into Rainbow's thoughts.
The nurse slowly opened the bandages around her hoof.
"She does, doesn't she?" Rainbow replied.
On the pink hoof, a slash wound opened, making Fluttershy look away as Rainbow Dash widened her eyes in horror.
The nurse rubbed some oil on the wound, the sleeping pony whimpering softly in pain.
"She did this to herself yesterday," the nurse explained, wrapping a new bandage over it.
"Celestia..." Fluttershy cried out. Rainbow stood there, stunned at her sleeping pink friend.
"What happened to her," the nurse continued, "It was too traumatic. We don't know if she should stay here longer. She's psychologically scarred, horribly in fact."
Rainbow Dash tried not to gasp as her pink friend let out an irritated growl, turning restlessly to her side.
"Is... Is she going to be okay, nurse?" Fluttershy asked with concern.
"I don't know," was the reply.