//------------------------------// // Blame // Story: Fallen Angel // by Applefai //------------------------------// "It's all my fault. I'm the reason why he's like this." said Twilight as she walked down the hall of her castle. "Aww, come on Twilight, it's not your fault, quit being so hard on yourself. " said Spike comfortingly. "But it is, Spike. If only I tried harder to stop him I could've talked him from out from taking that dare to fly into that thunder cloud, if it weren't for my negligence he would still be awake." Twilight's eyes star to water up as she remembers that day. "I should have stopped him from taking that dare, I know Rainbow Dash didn't mean for this to happen, but it's mainly my fault I relented when I tried to stop him. "Twilight, it's not your faul__." "YES, IT IS SPIKE!" Twilight yelled with tears in her eyes. "I RELENTED, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE TO STOP HIM. EVERYPONY AND EVERY CREATURE TELLS ME IT'S NOT MY FAULT, BUT IT IS, IT IS, SPIKE!" Twilight's voice lowers in volume after catching her breath. "It is my fault, and this is the only way I can repent. I don't know when or if he'll wake up, but I can at least monitor his situation until I do know, I keep the staff and students informed, but I won't allow them to see him like this, it'll break their hearts, especially Silverstream's and it's my burden to carry, my responsibility. I won't be able to perform my duties as headmare so I asked Starlight if she'll take over and still perform her duties as guidance counselor." Twilight turns to Spike and hugs him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, I know you're only trying to help, but these are feelings I must face on my own." Twilight opens up a door to a room to check in on a comatose Gallus wrapped up in bandages and connected to medical equipment to monitor his vitals. Twilight let's out a sigh. "It has been six months since the accident and still no signs of improving, but there are no signs of deterioration yet so that's good." Twilight gingerly adjusts Gallus's pillow, replaces the empty saline bag with a fresh one, and covers him up. Just seeing him in this state brings Twilight to tears, she wishes with all her heart that she could just use magic to wake him from his coma, but she realizes that this ain't no fairy tale and that some things you can't fix with magic. She hasn't let anypony else in here, just her and on occasion Spike helps out in monitoring the patient. Looking down at Gallus in his comatose state brought Twilight back to when it first happened, it was a stormy day and after school Gallus and Rainbow Dash had started a routine of giving each other dares and bantering each other, given their personalities it was not surprising they would do this. "Hey, professor Egghead." Gallus said. "I figured you'd be in the library reading Daring Doo books, you're so predictable." "Oh yeah, Birdbrain? Like how you actually pay attention in class, but act like you don't?" Rainbow Dash said with laughter in her voice. "Alright, enough you two." said Twilight. "I have to go over the lesson plans for tomorrow." "Alright Twilight, but can Gallus and I at least play truth or dare and we'd like it if you joined." said Rainbow Dash. "Alright. I'll play." said Twilight nervously. "So Gallus, truth or dare?" asked Rainbow Dash mischievously. "Dare." Gallus said undeterred. "I dare you to fly into those thunderclouds." Rainbow Dash said with gusto. "Woah, I'm gonna have to stop you there, doesn't that seem a bit too dangerous?" asked Twilight nervously. "Pft, chill out worrywart, being a flyer he should be fine." said Rainbow Dash encouragingly. "But still as teachers we have a responsibility to ensure the safety and health of our students, for the sake of their caretakers and themselves." "Don't worry headmare Twilight, I'll be fine, what's the worse that can happen?" Gallus said unfazed by the dare and bolted out the door to perform the dare tasked to him. Twilight tried to run after him, but Rainbow Dash told her he'll be fine and invited her to watch as Gallus performed the stunt. Outside the school Gallus prepared for take off as the storm clouds covered the sky. Gallus took off at breakneck speed and dove into the storm clouds as the lightning raged inside. A few moments later Twilight saw that something went wrong as Gallus fell from the sky. As quick as she could she flew out to catch him only to find that he was unconscious in her hooves. Fearing the worst she along with the rest of her friends rushed him to Ponyville General to get his state examined. Twilight and the rest of her friends waited in the waiting room for what seemed like years. "How could ya let Gallus do a fool thing like that anyway Rainbow Dash?" Applejack said angrily. "I have to agree with Applejack darling, what made you dare him to do such a thing as that?" "Look I didn't mean for him to get hurt, I thought he could handle it." Twilight hearing this couldn't stand her friends bickering with each other. "It's not Rainbow's fault, it's mine. I didn't do anything else to stop him, I relented and just didn't run after him when he left the library to take the dare." "Aww, it's ok, Twilight. It's not your fault either." Fluttershy said empathetically. "No, it is, Fluttershy. I'm the one who relented and didn't stand firm. At that moment Nurse Redheart entered the waiting room with gloomy demeanor and aura. "The test are complete and frankly I wish I had better news. Gallus has sustained multiple injuries due to the shock and the resulting truama has left him in a coma." Nurse Redheart said with a hung head. Twilight and her friends all gasped in light of this revelation. Twilight with tears in her eyes turned to her friends to ask for their help in informing the students and to not let them see him as she went to Grandpa Gruff to inform him. When Twilight arrived in Griffonstone she relayed the news to Grandpa Gruff, but she was aghast at his response. "So that feather head took a dare he knew was dangerous and fell into a coma? Why should I care he ain't my kid nor has no relation to me. He's merely a moocher to me and nothing more, with him gone I have one less mouth to feed. You wasted your time coming here." Grandpa Gruff flew off leaving Twilight in a shocked state when Gabby and Gilda approached her. "That's Grandpa Gruff for you, most of us griffons might of changed, but he's still stuck in his ways. It's a miracle he actually took Gabby and I in off the streets when we were in Gallus's situation. Gilda said with empathy. "Ms. Twilight, is Gallus going to be ok?" Gabby asked with tears in her eyes. "I don't know, but I'll keep you two in the loop. I'll watch over him like a hawk." Twilight told the two griffons before flying off.