Chapter 1
I hate hospital waiting rooms. They seem to be fitted with the sole purpose of making their occupants uncomfortable. The stench of cleaning products and antiseptic wafted through the building and my thin, unpadded seat offered little comfort for me. Mix that with the barren white walls and the mindless magazines in the kiosk, and it could surely drive any sane pony mad.
For the umpteenth time, I unlocked and recrossed my forelegs. It’s never relaxing waiting for a doctor or nurse to return with the results of an examination, especially when said examination was taking exponentially longer than it should have. I was a nervous wreck, and the pony in question wasn’t even a close friend of mine, but the fact that she was close to one of my dearest companions in Ponyville was enough to put me on edge.
The pony in question was actually Pinkie’s younger sister, Blinkie Pie. She had become ill during a trip to Ponyville with little to explain why other than their shortcut through the Everfree Forest. She had been there for less than a few hours before collapsing into an unbreakable slumber, despite Pinkie’s vain efforts to awaken her.
My eyes scanned the heavy wooden doors leading into the depths of the hospital. I was hoping that Nurse Redheart or Dr. Stable would emerge to bring us some updates on Blinkie’s illness. Nopony was there. I sighed and drifted my sight over to the clock on the far side of the room. 4:30. The doctor had told us that the examination should only take about fifteen minutes at the very most, which was over an hour ago. The results couldn’t be good when the standard procedures take longer than normal.
A pink figure suddenly went through my line of sight. I pulled my attention away from the clock and followed it till I found the source.
If I was nervous about the situation, then Pinkie Pie was a complete train wreck. In all the years I’ve known the jubilant mare, I’d never seen her more distressed than she was today. During our time in the hospital, she had spent the whole wait pacing back and forth in the middle of the room. Her coat was no longer bright and vivid, her mane had become straight, losing all the eccentric volatility it once held. I noticed her eyes, red and puffy from the tears she had been shedding throughout the day.
I opened my mouth to speak to her, but closed it before I could emit any sound. I wanted so much to help her, to comfort her, to tell her that everything was going to be alright, but I had done more than my share of that today. I had tried many times to help her relax but to no avail. It was futile, and I knew that the only thing I could do was stay back and idly watch as she tried to cope with the situation on her own. I just hoped it was the right thing to do.
She was an absolute mess, but I didn’t blame her. If my brother was in the emergency room, I would be bawling on the floor, frantically searching for any signs that he would be okay, pestering the doctors and staff until they could tell me he would be fine and begging to see him when they did so.
My mind drifted off to more pleasant thoughts. I remembered the morning before the disaster began. Pinkie’s younger sisters Inkie and Blinkie were coming into Ponyville to visit her, and they were all going to have a family reunion at Sugarcube Corner this weekend since the Cakes were off visiting relatives in Canterlot.
I smiled as I remembered Pinkie’s uncontainable excitement as she told me everything about her sisters a few days back. Blinkie was the middle child of her family, shy and timid but never without a smile on her face. Inkie was the youngest, but also the toughest, an attitude as tough as stone according to her oldest sister. She was also supposed to be a bit mischievous, just like Pinkie.
Unlike their exuberant sister, the two were very loyal to their old family traditions. They took up ownership of the family rock farm after their parents passed away and had been maintaining it ever since. They had been exchanging letters with Pinkie for the last few weeks, preparing and arranging their impending visit.
The two finally decided to travel to Ponyville, cutting through the Everfree Forest along the way. It was when they finally arrived in Ponyville that things took a turn downhill.
I had been busy reading a new spellbook, teaching myself how to control the natural elements of Equestria, with my newest goal centered in controlling the growth and spread of fire. I had been concentrating on increasing the height of a candle flame when she burst into the library, startling me and causing me to lose control of my work. The result was several lost parchments and letters as well as a burnt coffee table.
With nearly two hours of hard work and studying wasted, I nearly lost it with Pinkie Pie. However, as soon as I saw the tears in her eyes and the utter despair on her face, all of my anger quickly dissipated. Suddenly I was bombarded by an endless expanse of frantic words from Pinkie Pie’s lips. She spoke so quickly that I could barely comprehend what she was saying, my ears catching only a few key words.
Blinke...sick...out cold...not moving...Everfree Forest...serious...help!
I tried to make sense of what I had just heard, but before I could Pinkie grabbed my hoof and zipped out the door towards the bakery. I was dragged along helplessly, the two of us a brilliant blur of pink and purple as we streaked through town with what seemed like complete disregard for any obstacles in our path, or other ponies for that matter.
Pinkie didn’t stop till she reached Sugarcube Corner and crashed through the door. I was amazed at how the hinges stayed intact, despite the sheer force that was Pinkie Pie colliding with it. As soon as I recovered, and the room had stopped spinning, I saw Inkie standing next to the Cake’s couch in the middle of the living room, a look of ill worry on her face. She quickly looked at me hopefully, though I still had no clue what was going on.
Then I saw Blinkie. Her figure was curled up in the couch, her head nestled in a soft yellow pillow and an orange comforter wrapped around her. She was asleep. Nay, that wasn’t merely sleep. If it was, then she would have woken up when Pinkie nearly broke down the front door.
Pinkie looked at me anxiously. She began to explain everything that had happened in the last half hour while I walked over to Blinkie’s side.
From what I had gathered, something happened on the road. It was hard to say exactly what at the moment, but along the way Blinkie caught something, some sort of illness that hadn’t taken effect until the two reached Ponyville. They had just walked into the bakery when Blinkie suddenly passed out at the doorway, falling unconscious.
They tried everything they could to wake her up. Pinkie had even gotten out the instruments for her one-pony band and began playing as loud as she could, but it was no use. Desperate, she had zipped over to over to the library, hoping I might have an idea as to what was wrong with her sister.
I'm still unsure why she had come to me first. I’m no medical expert. I wouldn’t even consider myself an expert on illnesses or diseases despite how much I read about them. Why didn’t she just go to a doctor? Did she really think I was her best bet?
Still, I couldn’t let them down. I unwrapped Blinkie’s blanket and examined her, looking for any traces of wounds, bite marks, stings, abrasions, anything that could give me a hint on what happened to her. Nothing. Her body was completely clean and healthy. Her breathing was perfectly stable, the muscles in her body still contracting and relaxing perfectly. I placed my hoof on her chest, and then on her neck as I checked her pulse. It was still beating steadily.
I was dumbfounded. I’d heard of ponies having comas before, but they usually involved physical injuries such as concussions. What was going on here? Then a possibility came to mind, one that I could not make sure of on my own. Intoxication. I turned to Pinkie and Inkie. “When did this happen again?”
“Less than an hour ago.” Inkie told me, her body trembling. “One moment she was completely fine, and then she said she was becoming dizzy and she just keeled over.”
Pinkie’s voice was shaking. “D...do you know what’s wrong with her Twiley?” She asked nervously.
What do I say?
“I...I think we need to get her to the hospital. Maybe they’ll know what’s wrong with her. M-maybe they can help.”
The wooden door swung open and I was blasted back to reality as Nurse Redheart walked into the waiting room. I leapt down from my chair and rushed over to her.
“Hello Nurse. Is she–”
I was cut off by a pink blur blowing past me, sending me into topspin in the middle of the room. Pinkie ran up to Redheart, their faces just inches away from each other. Before she could react a waterfall of questions and worries spilled out of Pinkie Pie’s mouth.
“Nurse! Is she okay?! What’s wrong with her?! She isn’t going to die is she?! Oh please tell me she’s not going to die! I’m so worried about her! I–”
I quickly got to my hooves and lit up my horn, grabbing Pinkie’s lips with my magic and promptly shutting them before she drove Redheart up the wall. Pinkie continued to mumble indefinitely in my grasp.
I walked up to Redheart. “I’m sorry Nurse. She’s just really worried, as am I.” But she promises to be calm when I let her go.” I turned to Pinkie. “Right, Pinkie?”
Pinkie whimpered but slowly nodded her head in agreement. Satisfied, I gently let go of her lips, releasing the purple aura around them. She looked at Redheart anxiously, wanting to say something but both to my relief and surprise she managed to restrain herself from going ballistic again.
Nurse Redheart recovered and began to speak. “It’s quite alright dearie. I sincerely understand.”
Seriousness took over me. “How is she? Did you get a diagnosis?”
Redheart sighed and I felt a lump form in the pit of my stomach. “We have. Don’t worry, she is very much alive right now and is in no immediate danger.”
I felt a wave of relief spread through my body and out of the corner of my eye I could see Pinkie’s coat brighten up a little bit from the news. But what Redheart said next told me that things weren’t ending as smoothly as I had hoped.
“However, I’m afraid her situation is serious. Please, if you would follow me, Dr. Stable is waiting for us with Blinkie.”
Pinkie and I nodded and slowly followed Redheart through the wooden door and down the long, bleak hallway. Neither of us said a word. At one point I glanced over at Pinkie and saw her head hanging low to the ground, staring at the tile floor. She was still extremely nervous. She glanced up at me once and I tried to give her a small, comforting smile, telling her that everything was going to be alright. It worked, even if only a little bit.
After a couple minutes we walked into Blinkie’s room. We found Inkie standing over her bed, gently stroking her sister’s mane as the sick earth pony soundly slept away. Dr. Stable was over by the window waiting for us, he turned as he heard us come in.
“Good afternoon. I sincerely apologize for the delay.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine Dr. Stable. I’m happy that you took your time.” Pinkie didn’t say anything. Her attention was focused on her sleeping sister. I could imagine her thoughts in my head, begging for Blinkie to wake up.
Dr. Stable sighed. “I’m afraid we have found the source of Blinkie’s coma. While examining her we found traces of a poisonous substance in her nervous system. When we traced it, we found that it originated in her digestive track, indicating that the poison was most likely consumed. We delved deeper into our investigations and made a startling discovery.” He took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry to say it, but Blinkie’s been poisoned by a Crimson Belladonnar.”
My eyes widened and I felt a cold shiver run down the length of my spine. The Crimson Belladonnar. I’d heard of that plant before in my studies. As Dr. Stable began to explain the nature of the flower I recounted everything I knew about it from my books.
Beautiful; petals as gorgeous as the setting sun, smells more enchanting than the richest of fruits, rare, lives only in the deepest reaches of the Everfree Forest, sweet bright red berries, poisonous, causes infinite slumber. If victim is not awoken in time, lethal. More commonly known as Nightshade.
By now Pinkie was in tears again. She had fallen to the floor and her head was tucked in her fore hooves as she wept. Inkie crouched down next to her and wrapped her own forelegs around her, pulling her sister into an embrace. I felt my heart rip in two.
I looked back at Dr. Stable. “Is...is there a cure for it?” I asked hesitantly.
Dr. Stable’s answer was both reassuring and despairing. “There is a cure, but it’s very rare these days. The Belladonnar has a sister plant, one that botanists call the Golden Seraph. It is very identical to it in terms of genetics and biology. However it does not have the poisonous defense that its companion has. Doctors were able to create a counter to the Belladonnar’s poison by using the petals and berries of both plants.
As I listened I noticed Pinkie’s ears perk up and she raised her head up attentively. Dr. Stable continued, “However, because of the rarity of Belladonnar-related illnesses these days, we do not have the antidote at the moment. On top of that, the Golden Seraph has only been known to live in one place, the caves of Ghastly Gorge on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Acquiring one is very dangerous with all the predators in the region, especially the quarry eels. Plus, little is known about what lives inside those caverns. It’s quite a hazardous trip.”
I nodded in agreement. I had never walked through Ghastly Gorge, but I’d heard and read stories of the many dangers and wonders that could be found within the endless caverns. They were supposed to be beautiful to the eyes of any ponies who saw them, that is if they could get past the giant slithering guardians that lived at the entrances. Of the six of us, Rainbow Dash was the only one who would risk flying close to one of those openings.
My mind was deep in thought. Perhaps all six of us could work together to get through the caves. I’m sure Fluttershy could find a way to deal with the eels without the situation getting ugly. If she could tame a huge, vicious, fire-breathing dragon, then I’m sure she could deal with an eel only a fraction of its size. Plus the six of us have traveled through the deepest depths of the Everfree before, we could do it again.
The only problem with the plan was that everypony was either busy or out of town. Rainbow Dash was finishing up a session of training up at the Wonderbolt Academy and Fluttershy was visiting her for the weekend. Rarity was in Canterlot presenting a new line of fashion to Hoity Toity, and Applejack was swamped this weekend with the harvest at Sweet Apple Acres. All of them would be free by the beginning of the week. Then we could bring the news of Blinkie’s illness to them, but would it be too late?
“How long does it take before the infection becomes, lethal?” I asked. In my mind I begged for it to be more than a few days.’
“The infection has already spread throughout her body, but her system should be able to hold off the worst of the poison for another six days.” Dr. Stable stated.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Pinkie’s ear flick and her eyes sparkle. What was she thinking?
Six days, three before the rest of the gang returned home and three to find the flowers. It was cutting it close, but I knew that together we could pull it off.
“I think my friends and I could gather up the ingredients needed for the cure. We’ll do whatever we can, but I want to wait for their help so we would have a better chance at making it through the caverns.”
“No!”
Everypony including myself jumped as Pinkie leapt up from the floor, her face stricken with panic. “We need to go now!” She fidgeted as she looked me straight in the eyes, pleading with me.
Oh, how do I do this? I knew that reasoning with her wasn’t going to be an easy task. I took a deep breath.
“Pinkie listen to me, I’d rather try to find the ingredients together as a group. It would be safer that way.”
“But what if we don’t make it Twilight?” Pinkie asked. “What if we’re too late?”
“We won’t be.” I reassured her, although I wasn’t too sure myself. “Trust me; we’ll be back in time to save her. I promise.”
“But what if we don’t have as much time as you think we do? I’m not losing her!” Before I could answer she bolted out of the room.
“Pinkie wait!” I yelled after her, completely forgetting I was in the middle of a hospital. I dashed after her but quickly found myself falling behind. I swear that pony could easily challenge Rainbow Dash to a racing contest if she wanted. Before long the two of us found ourselves outside of the hospital. By now she was almost out of my vision and my legs were worn out from the running. It was time for drastic measures.
I lit up my horn and in a bright flash I teleported in front of the desperate mare, which turned out to be a mistake. All of my breath was knocked out as Pinkie crashed into me, sending the two of us rolling across the ground for several meters before coming to a stop. Pinkie got up and was about to run off again when I lit up my horn and caught her by the tail, pulling her to a halt and finally ending her rampage.
“Oh no you don’t!” I called to her. “You’re not going anywhere! I won’t let you!” The strain in my magic began to relax as Pinkie finally calmed down.
After catching my breath, I spoke to my frightened friend. “Pinkie, please understand. It’s too dangerous to go alone! Barely anypony has been in those caverns to date!”
“I don’t care!” She said, turning around to face me. ”She’s my sister! I’ve got to do something to save her! Please, just let me go! I’ll be okay!”
“No you won’t! You’ve never been in those caves! None of us have! We don’t know what could be lurking in there, not to mention that you would be going through the Everfree Forest on your own!”
“But I’ve been in the forest on my own!” Pinkie tried to reason with me, the poor mare was completely hysterical.
“Not at night! Pinkie, I’ve been in there alone during the evening and the forest is nothing like it is during the day. I almost didn’t make it! I was attacked by a Cockatrice! I won’t let you go in there alone!”
“Then why don’t we both go in there?” she finally suggested. “We’d have each other and we could watch out for one another. Isn’t that safer?”
I sighed. “I don’t even trust going in there with just one other pony, especially at night. The only time we’ve been in there during the evening was with the others and I don’t want to venture in there without the skills of our friends. Fluttershy can tame some of the animals, Rainbow Dash can fly, Applejack can fight, and Rarity also has her magic.”
“I don’t care!”, Pinkie said hysterically. “I don’t care what might be lurking in there! I need to get the cure!”
“Pink-”
“I don’t want to lose her!”
She suddenly swung her hooves around me and buried her face in my chest. She gave up on trying to hold in her tears, letting them pour out as much as she pleased. I didn’t say anything. All I could do was return the hug, pulling her close to me and gently stroking her head. Before long the fur on my chest was soaked and matted from her tears.
I don’t know how long the embrace lasted. It was probably only a minute or two, but it felt like an eternity. Slowly, Pinkie’s crying degraded to the occasional sob and sniffle as she finally managed to compose herself. Eventually she pulled away from me but didn’t bother making eye contact. She just stared at the ground, defeated.
I sighed before speaking. “Pinkie, I’m so sorry about what’s happened to her, I really am. But running off right now would just put you in danger and make the situation worse than it already is. And... I don’t want to lose any of my friends. If we wait for the others, then our chances on finding the ingredients for the cure safely will be greater. ” An idea suddenly spawned in my mind. “Pinkie, will you Pinkie-Promise that you won’t go after the cure again?”
I noticed some hesitation in Pinkie before she finally answered. “Yes, Twilight,” she quietly mumbled, “I Pinkie-Promise.” She did the gestures of the bond. They weren’t nearly as enthusiastic as they normally were. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She completely missed her eye and her hoof just sailed past her head. She didn’t pay any mind to it.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Pinkie Pie.”
She started to walk past me, head hanging low to the ground. “I’d better get back to the hospital, Twiley. My sister is probably wondering where I am. Thank you, for being there for me.”
“No problem, Pinkie.” I watched as she walked back towards the hospital. I felt something pull in my chest.
“Don’t worry, Pinkie. We’ll get through this. If you need me, just let me know. I’ll help as much as I can. We’ll save her.”
“I know,” I heard her mumble sadly. I watched her go until she was out of my vision, then I slowly turned and headed back to the library. We had done all we could for the time being. The only thing to do now was to wait for the others.
The rest of the day was very, very quiet. I didn’t say much to Spike when I got home, although I did let him know what had happened that afternoon. As one of Pinkie’s best friends, I felt that he had the right to know.
Throughout the evening, I tried everything I could to take my mind off of the day’s events. I tried reading books, practicing new spells, eating, anything that would draw my attention away. Of course, none of it worked.
Finally, night had come, its dark embrace bringing an end to the nightmarish day. The library had grown pitch black and I was lying wide awake in my bed, the warm covers wrapped around my figure and my head nestled in the pillow as I looked up at the ceiling above my bedroom. My mind was a storm of thoughts and memories, swirling endlessly in oblivion like a hurricane.
Blinkie, the hospital, the deadly Nightshade, the cure, the inevitable journey to come, all of those thoughts kept plaguing my head like a dense fog. But of all of them, none were more profound than the memory of Pinkie running out of the hospital.
The tears in her eyes, the sheer desperation in her voice, her determination, all of them haunted me. Was I doing the right thing, waiting? I knew that there was a chance of finding the flowers earlier, but it had its risks. These plants weren’t well known in Equestria, even in the Everfree. We could have spent days looking for them, and maybe then we wouldn’t have even brought back the correct ones. It would have meant spending several dangerous nights in the forest’s depths, not to mention journeying through the enormous cave system of Ghastly Gorge, a system ponies knew little about, all for nothing. For just two mares, it was entirely too dangerous. There were just too many chances, too many things that could go wrong.
Yes, I had done the right thing.
But Pinkie had seemed pretty determined today. Once she focused on a goal, it was hard to deter her from it.
Then I thought; She made a Pinkie Promise. She would never break a Pinkie Promise! Never!
I smiled reassuringly to myself and I relaxed. I shifted on my side, the warm security of my blanket following me along the way.
Everything is fine, Pinkie may be silly but she’s not crazy!
I sighed as I closed my eyes, letting my body go numb. Before long sleep took over and I was out like a light.
The next morning I was awoken by a large rapping at the front door. I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I looked at the clock. Five O'clock in the morning, nearly two hours before I usually woke up. Who could be at my door this early in the morning?
I heard an irritated grumble next to my bed and I saw Spike pull his pillow over his head as the knocking at my door continued. Whoever it was, they weren’t going away anytime soon. I slipped out from the security of my covers and onto the cool hardwood floor of the bedroom. It was still a bit dark outside so I lit my bedside candle and levitated it in front of me before walking down the stairs to the living room. The knocking continued.
“Ugh. I’m coming, I’m coming.” I grumbled and looked out the window next to the door to see who it was. I had been expecting to see Pinkie hopping up and down outside the library, but to my great surprise I saw neither mane nor tail of the pink pony. Instead I saw a panic-stricken Inkie Pie standing outside the door.
I quickly unlocked the door and opened it. The gray mare darted inside before I could speak.
“Inkie? What the heck is going on? It’s five in the morning!”
“Twilight! Thank goodness you’re home!” She stuttered in between breaths.
“What’s wrong?”
“I-I can’t f-f-find her!”, Inkie stuttered. “I searched everywhere at the bakery but couldn’t find her!”
“Who?” I asked nervously. I had a dreadful feeling forming in the pit of my chest.
Inkie turned to me. “Pinkie! She’s gone!"