//------------------------------// // Lay Your Head Down // Story: One Last Dying Wish // by SauceInaCan //------------------------------// Beep It saddened Twilight Sparkle to see the stiff body of her friend in a hospital bed, attached to so many tubes that the alicorn didn't dare to count, let alone look at. She didn't need to be reminded about the critical state her dear buddy was in, as if staring at her, waiting for her to wake up doesn't help at all. Rarity would be the last to go. Ironically, it wouldn't be old age that would be taking her life but instead a small carriage accident. A careless carriage driver had struck her dead on, leaving the injured mare in the middle of the street as if he was afraid he'd be executed for it. Twilight had half the mind to go track down this pony and give him a piece of her mind, but, with Rarity demanding Twilight's attention, the lavender mare decided to push all her thoughts of a lecture away and focus on making sure her friend made this out alive. Beep Beneath her white eyelids, Twilight noticed a speck of blue flutter as Rarity let out a groan. Twilight nearly bounced up and down with glee at the sight of the gorgeous mare waking up: they didn't have to say goodbye yet! In her excitement, the Princess of Friendship barely noticed a slight tear stroll down her pal's cheek and the whimper that followed. "Pain..." Rarity muttered, struggling to lift her hoof up to her mangled mane, but stopped once she'd seen how difficult it is. "So much... pain." Twilight felt her own tears slip from her violet eyes as she listened closely to her friend. "You'll feel pain for a little while. Don't worry, though. It'll be over before you know it, and then we'll be back hanging out and talking as much as you'd like. Just like old times, except..." The memory frizzled through Twilight's mind, and she was barely able to control her sobs. It was of Applejack, laying there on a medical bed as she convulsed uncontrollably, leaving the doctors and Twilight watching as her spasms slowed to a halt. By that time, the earth pony had ceased to breathe, and a doctor confirmed her to be dead. "Twilight, darling, is that you?" Rarity spoke, her words faint as the white unicorn attempted to turn her head. She looked ghastly compared to the mare she was beforehand. A bandage was wrapped around her face, splitting off to reveal her horn and covering over her right eye. Several cuts and bruises littered her body, more noticeably being a long, deep cut drifting down her side. "I look like a wreck, don't I?" After a moment of hesitation, Twilight nodded her head. As she witnessed a look of horror flash through the other mare's visible eye. "B-but we can fix you up later, when we get back to the castle. It won't be long until you're back to your home, running your shop. Just like you were back in the day. D-don't worry, they'll make sure you live." Beep It was obvious that Rarity had struggled with the attempt to keep her eyes open. Twilight could see her eyelids weakly falling at each passing second. She must be very tired. "Well, I'll be on my way, then. I'll see you again soon, Rarity. This time, I'll bring those daisy sandwiches you loved so much." "Mmm..." Rarity murmured, as if the thought of given food made her hungry. Either that, or she was moaning. Twilight nodded and got out of her chair; however, before she could leave, Rarity told her to stop. "Could you sing me a lullaby? Any one would do greatly, darling. I could use the help to get to sleep." Twilight didn't know how to respond, but she sat back down and began to sing anyways. She sang a song her mother used to sing when the alicorn was just a little filly. Twilight did not know how she remembered all of it, but, as she lulled Rarity to a comforting sleep, the words sort of came back to her. Taking a look down at her dozing pal, Twilight smiled and trotted towards the door. As soon as she made it to the doorway, Twilight's attention was ripped to a sound that echoed through her mind. Twillight had only heard it four times before, and it pulled her spirit to hear it for a fifth time. A flatline. Twilight insisted she was hearing things, that her mind was playing tricks on her, in an attempt to stop the flow. However, as soon as she closed the thick door behind her, the waterworks broke. In a heartbeat, she went from confident to bursting out into a sob, kneeling on the floor and resting her head on a chair. The princess's mind flashed through every happy memory she had with her friends: the time they defeated Tirek, when they found the keys to the chest, when they had saved the tree of harmony, when they managed to finish Starswirl the Bearded's ancient spell. Twilight remembered watching all the Pinkie Pies running about, the defeat of King Sombra and the return of the Crystal Empire, the wedding of her brother and Princess Cadence. She remembered it all as she cried her eyes out on the chair, unable to stop the flow. "I never had the chance to say goodbye to any of them," Twilight balled, her voice cracking as she spoke. "They all died so suddenly. I never thought I'd live to see the day theirs ended." The lavender, winged unicorn had a group of amazing friends she couldn't live without. Now, she was all alone, and it hurt her inside to feel so lonely. It was cold, dark, and fearsome being without even the last of her friends. Twilight Sparkle's mind flashed to when she first met the rest of the mane six, and how much she distanced herself. She didn't realise how much those five ponies would be so important to the bookworm. Now, Twilight sees how wrong she was. The light purple pony was showed how magical friendship was, and now, it was gone.