Rainbow was still shaken up over her encounter with Twilight as she approached the hospital entrance with her hood concealing her again.
Thankfully, those people who had taken notice of her previously did not seem to be there anymore, though it gave her little confidence as she approached the group once again.
She realized a major difference this time around...Everybody was there, rather than just Applejack and the CMC. Everybody was quiet, their heads to the ground. Applejack had her head in her hands.
Fluttershy was the first to notice the new presence in the room, though she didn't actually say anything. She tapped Rarity, before she too looked up. She looked surprised to see Dash standing there.
"Dash darling, whatever happened to you?"
Rainbow was confused for a moment, until a small pain near her eye reminded her.
"Oh..." She put a hand to her eye. "Take a wild guess..."
"Did Twilight?.." Rarity pressed.
Dash shrugged her shoulders. "It's less than I deserve, honestly..." There was a pause.
"Well...It does not mean Twilight should have done it. If we are going to judge based on "eye for an eye", then a large chunk of the school should be in hospital rooms right now..."
Dash cringed. Rarity sighed.
"Why did you do it Dash?.." Rarity asked quietly. "And, I mean, it's bad enough you had a part in this at all... but I need to know...Exactly how far did you know they were going to go with this?" They all looked to Dash, waiting for an answer.
Dash let out a sigh, ultimately deciding to confess.
"I...I knew she was going to end up in the hospital." There were a loud series of gasps.
Rarity stood up...and gave Rainbow a resounding slap across the face, before shaking her hand at her side and mouthing "ow..." She turned her attention back to Dash.
"Rainbow Dash...you have just caused me to do something VERY unlady-like...I hope you're happy..."
"But I figured it would only be for a day or so!" Rainbow tried to defend herself after getting over the shock that Rarity, of all people, had just slapped her.
" I never imagined...anything like this..." She sighed. "I don't know why I did it... I wasn't thinking...I wasn't in my right mind. I was just so angry after that post. I messed up...big time."
"We all messed up..." Pinkie spoke up, though it was no louder than a whisper.
"Dash, principal Celestia is here too." Rainbow looked up at Applejack at that.
"Wait, she is? Then where is she?..."
"She went in...Sunset woke up."
Rainbow lit up.
"She did??? Oh thank God!"
"Twilight was the first to go in. Though she did go in before Sunset woke up."
Rainbow remembered the things Twilight had said about Sunset's state. Particularly the brand...
"Have you guys?..."
"No we haven't been in yet. Celestia's the only other one to have been in there yet."
So they don't know... Dash thought to herself.
The CMC said nothing through any of this, rather, they found the floor particularly interesting. After a long pause though, Scootaloo found a bit of courage.
"Rainbow, I-"
"Save it scootaloo." Dash cut her off abruptly. "I am so not in the mood right now."
Scootaloo put her head back down. What had she done?...
A pair of shoes came into her vision, suddenly.
"What is this? CHS students who actually care enough to be here right now?.. Maybe there's hope for your school after all..." A sarcastic, unsympathic voice suddenly said.
Applebloom, along with everybody else currently there froze up. They knew without even looking, who that voice belonged to...
The portal rippled as Twilight touched it. She looked to Aria.
"Wait on this side of the portal." She instructed.
"Not like I have much of a choice..." Aria muttered, as she reached out a hand to touch the portal, but it acted as a regular wall to her.
"Don't take all day."
"Twilight rolled her eyes, before crossing the portal.
Immediately after emerging out the other side of the portal, Twilight teleported herself to the front of Celestia's castle, wasting no time, and instructing the guards that she needed to see Celestia.
They took her inside, and led her to the princess' chambers. Though, rather than taking her to the princess' chambers itself, they went past it.
"Uhh...guys?..." Twilight gestured to the large ornate doors as they passed them.
"Princess Celestia is not currently in her own chambers." One of them explained as they came upon another set of doors, these, not too far down from the princess' own chambers.
A guard knocked on the door.
"Princess Celestia?..." No answer. "Princess Twilight is here to see you."
There was a pause, then the sound of stirring from within. Celestia opened up the door, looking less than her usual regal self. Her mane was flat, and her eyes were red, like she had just been crying.
"Twilight..." Celestia wiped at her eye.
"Uhh...May I come in?" Twilight asked quietly.
Celestia paused, seeming deep in thought, before responding.
"Yes. Yes, come in." Celestia opened the door up for Twilight, before closing it right after she entered.
Twilight studied Celestia. She did not look at all like the majestic princess of Equestria...Rather, she looked like somepony who had just lost someone very dear to her. Even the sun outside seemed to have lost a portion of its light.
Twilight looked around the room they were in. Soft shades of a setting sun painted the area in a shimmer of beauty.
But it wasn't until Twilight's gaze landed on the bed, that it dawned on her exactly who this room belonged to, or rather, had belonged to.
Sunset's familiar sun-split cutiemark decorated the center of the bedspread.
A small music box was lying on the bed, Twilight saw, before she turned her attention back to Celestia.
"I had always hoped that she would come back...If even just for a visit. I had really begun to believe that she could make a life over there...make some real...friends."
There was a long silence, before Twilight finally decided to break it.
"I, uhh...I was able to see Sunset over there." She said quietly. Celestia looked at her at that, waiting for more.
"I think you should come over and see her for yourself."
Celestia sighed. "I'm not ready for that yet, Twilight."
"I know...But if you don't come now...I can't guarantee you'll get a chance to later."
Celestia stared at Twilight.
"She's in rough shape." There was a long pause.
"Ok...Let's go."
The group looked with contempt at the two new people in the room.
Principal Cinch of Crystal Prep. CHS' rival school, with her daughter Sunny Flare.
Cinch was wearing a look of almost indifference. But Sunny Flare...She was actually wearing a look of genuine sympathy... a sharp contrast to her mother.
"What are you doing here?" Dash demanded.
"I could be asking you the exact same question Rainbow Dash..." Rainbow felt her blood boil.
"We are here for the same reason you guys are." Sunny Flare cut in, before anything could escalate any more.
"We saw the news story, and contrary to popular belief, we do care at Crystal Prep, and not everything has to be about rivalry between our schools. Especially when it comes to something like this."
"If anything, we should be welcomed here, seeing as it was my school's own students who called this all in." Cinch pointed out smugly.
Applejack saw Rainbow's tension, and put an arm out to her, and spoke quietly to her. "CHS doesn't need to be looking any wore than it already does...Same goes with you." Rainbow sighed, and forced herself to calm down, knowing what Applejack said was true.
"Anyway...Is there tea, or a coffee machine around here while we wait?" She wondered aloud as she left the waiting area to go search for something to satisfy her craving.
Sunny Flare looked genuinely embarrassed by her mother's behavior. She looked at them.
"Look...My mom really does mean well..."
"Why do you defend her?" Dash demanded.
Sunny looked at her with a hint of anger. "Gee, I don't know...Maybe because she's my mom.
"Ya, well, I could say a few things about your mom."
"Rainbow!!" Applejack glared at her.
"...Ya, well, you know Dash, I could say a few things about you too... I really don't think you're in any position to be judging."
That shut Rainbow up.
Sunny sighed.
"Look, whatever my mother's views may be, they aren't mine. I'm not here to fight or argue. Our schools may have a rivalry, but isn't that as far as it should go? What has happened here is not a matter of school rivalry...Its an issue of human life...I would have something very wrong with me if I held a petty school rivalry above basic human decency."
That surprised the girls. They didn't think a Crystal Prepper would swallow their pride so easily, but Sunny seemed genuine.
"Perhaps we don't know as much about Crystal Preppers as we thought..." Rarity spoke up. "Alright, if you're willing to get along with us, we will do the same for you here."
"I still don't trust her..." Dash muttered.
Rarity sighed. "We didn't trust Sunset either Dash...Don't you think it's time for a change?"
Rainbow knew she had no right to argue that...She really had no choice but to go along with this.