As soon as she arrived, Luna turned to face the nurse. “Inform Dr. Palliate that he is to report to the intensive care unit and remain on standby for Scootaloo.” The nurse gave a nod before leaving, wanting nothing more than to be out of the princess’s presence. Satisfied that she was alone, Luna braced herself while she waited. From what she’d seen in the operating room, anything could await her beyond that door, and the eagerness to use her spell returned in force as her patience rapidly wore out. She began to tap her hoof. She kept looking down the hall, all the while wishing for the nurse to hurry up.
As soon as her doctor became visible, Luna kept mentally urging him to walk faster, and as soon as he arrived she got uncomfortably close, speaking to him in a harsh whisper. “Remain outside the door on standby, and unless Scootaloo is in danger there are to be absolutely no interruptions.”
Opening the door she immediately caught her reflection in a mirror. She had dark circles under partially bloodshot eyes and her feathers were in disarray. Even her mane and tail appeared duller and less sparkly. It came as no surprise however, she’d spent the entire night before tending to the dream realm, and now instead of sleeping she was dealing with a mentally taxing ordeal.
Seeing Scootaloo up close hurt even worse than watching her from the viewing window. The thing that jumped out at her most was the breathing mask over her face, but as soon as she got over that she noticed the sunken look her eyes had and the dark rings under them. Much of her once perfectly messy purple mane had been shaved off to attach small disks to her head that were connected to a machine Luna didn’t pretend to understand. There were lengths of stitches on her torso, and IVs feeding into both her forelegs. If it weren’t for the continuous beep of the heart monitor she’d think Scootaloo was dead.
Luna felt her eyes mist at the sight but closed them tightly and hardened her resolve. She could fix this, and all it would take were nerves of steel. “Don’t worry Scootaloo, I’m here now. I have a spell to make you good as new- no.” She gave a smile with some teeth showing. “It’ll make you better than new. Now, let’s see if we can fix what has been broken.”
She closed her eyes and accessed magic she hadn’t tapped into for over a millennia. When she opened them her sclera had turned a glowing green while her pupils had become vertical. A purple haze emanated from her eyes as her horn was shrouded in a plum-colored aura. Before she used it she heard a door open and sharply turned her head to the room’s door to see it was still closed.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Luna turned her head just in time to see Discord close the door in the reflection and emerge from the mirror.
A low growl escaped through grit teeth as the magic around her horn dissipated. She braced for the impending headache that would soon be plaguing her. “Go away, Discord.”
He snapped his fingers and a rag appeared in front of him. “I can understand wanting to shake things up with a new look but Sombra‘s dark magic really clashes with your eyes.” Against her struggles, he scrubbed her face with it and when he pulled away her eyes were back to normal. “There, much better.”
Luna cast a silence spell on the room, not wanting any other ponies to hear their conversation. “State your business Discord, and do not interfere with mine!”
Nightmare Moon felt a wave of unease wash over her upon Discord’s arrival. He could ruin everything if he succeeded in reasoning with Luna. Worse still, she couldn’t influence Luna right now without giving herself away. Her tension only continued to mount as she saw Discord smile. The pony through which she could escape was within reach, but the thought that she could fail when she was so close revolted her.
“While I would love the chaos your spell would cause between you and Celestia, the repercussions would cause too much chaos, even for me.” Discord snapped, making a three-legged presentation stand with a bar graph appear along with glasses and a retractable pointer. “You see this is how much chaos you and Celestia generate now, this-” he pointed to a much taller bar. “is how much you two will generate if your spell succeeds, and that’s a big if.”
“How would it cause chaos? I only want to save Scootaloo!” Luna felt immense anger and impatience. She was right there, and if nothing else her spell could give the filly a fighting chance. “And what do you care either way?!”
Discord grinned and slid the pointer smaller before making his visual aids disappear. “Let’s assume you succeed, turn Scootaloo into a bat pony, and end up saving her. You’ll be putting yourself at odds with several ponies. For starters, Celestia has expressly forbidden the use of that spell, and Rainbow Dash may not appreciate the changes it makes to her.”
“Celestia is my equal and has no authority over me, Rainbow Dash has no say in this whatsoever, and just look at her!” Luna gestured a hoof at Scootaloo. “She’s on her deathbed and if there’s a chance I can save her I have to take it!”
“Luna, I want you to think about how the consequences of your decision will affect Scootaloo.” He said with a firm tone, his eyes narrowing as he folded his arms. “You’ll be making her a social pariah from any other ponies. She’ll be the only pony of her kind, doomed to be an outcast for the rest of the long life you give her. I want you to think about the consequences your actions will have.”
As soon as she heard that Luna felt her ears drop and her left eye twitched sporadically. “Consequences? Consequences?! I will not be lectured about the consequences of my actions by a creature whose very existence is predicated upon ignoring his own!”
“I’m just trying to help, there’s no need to get so hostile.” Discord putting his hands up in mock surrender. “I can see trying to reason with you is like trying to talk to a wall right now Luna, but keep this in mind-” he vanished and appeared on the wall, looking like an amalgamation of shapes. “Success or failure, your spell will cause tragedy either way. I want you to think very carefully before you do something you can’t undo.” With that, he walked along the wall until he reached the mirror and crossed through it. He opened the door in the reflection, walked through, and closed it behind him.
“Twilight, are you alright?” Rainbow Dash asked, but she didn't answer, her expression changing every few seconds. She waited a few seconds and waved a hoof in front of her eyes before she sighed and put it to her face. “Of course…”
“Twilight’s really deep in thought. Word to the wise, if you want to draw a mustache on her, she won’t notice.” Spike said with a smug chuckle.
“How are you so happy?” Rainbow asked with disbelief.
“Eh, it’s nice to know at least she’s still acting normally.” He said with a small shrug, his expression changing from smug to sheepish.
“I’ve got it!” Twilight said it with such sudden, explosive volume and excitement that everypony jumped in surprise.
Rainbow Dash had an annoyed look on her face while she was breathing heavily. “While I’m waiting for my pulse to go back to normal, what exactly do you have?”
“I have a way you could adopt Scootaloo,” Twilight announced with a bright smile.
Luna stared at Scootaloo as her small chest continued to rise and fall. No matter what she couldn’t shake Discord’s words that success or failure, her plan would end in tragedy. She listened to the incessant beep of the heart monitor and her expression hardened. How could this end in tragedy if it was successful? Scootaloo would fully recover with time, and could even go on to do great things that Luna knew she was capable of, and all she needed to do was stop stalling and cast the spell already. “Enough distractions, let us begin.”
Nightmare Moon couldn’t agree more. Freedom, a new body, and a brand new lease on life were only seconds away. It was time to escape this prison and work to become her own mare once more. And it all started with Scootaloo.
“Now hold on, Twi, Ah just had a whole list of reasons why that’s a bad idea.” Applejack shot Rainbow a side glance.
“Just hear me out.” Twilight still has a smile on her face. “If Rainbow Dash moves in with Spike and I, her house wouldn’t be an obstacle for Scootaloo anymore, plus the two of us could help look after her."
“Sounds like a decent plan but there’s one major flaw. What about-”
“I thought of that, too. My castle was grown from super malleable crystal, I’m sure with a little magic I could make accommodations for Scootaloo’s condition.”
“And her wing?”
“I’ll field that question.” Rainbow Dash said putting a hoof out. “It’s not totally unheard of for a crippled pegasus to fly, and there are some great wing prosthetics for when her remaining wing catches up to the rest of her body. I’m not letting her dream of flying die yet.”
Applejack had to resist the urge to remind Rainbow Dash that Scootaloo was more likely to die than to achieve her dream, but she couldn’t deny Twilight had put together at least a plausible plan. On top of that, Twilight’s status would let her cut through any red tape that got in the way. She sighed, nodding. “Y’all make a good point. Ah’ll try to help you out any way Ah can.” She turned and saw Apple Bloom side hugging Sweetie Belle, and a wave of guilt washed over her like ice water causing her to shudder.
Luna clenched her teeth and growled at herself, her indecision standing in her way. Discord’s words just wouldn’t stop bouncing around her head. Of course Discord would be the one to throw a wrench into things. She took a deep breath in through her nose and held it for a moment, before exhaling. She looked down at Scootaloo’s damaged form and her expression hardened as her resolve returned.
“Something I can’t undo?! If I don’t act, she’ll perish, another thing that can’t be undone.” Luna felt dark power course into her horn, her eyes lighting up with dark magic. “I promise Scootaloo, no matter what comes of this, no matter what difficulties this causes you, I will be there to help you through them.” Luna leaned down and gave Scootaloo a kiss on the forehead. “If there had to be a permanent change in your life, I do believe it should be this over death.”
Her horn gained a powerful glow and she flared her wings as a stream of magic went from her into Scootaloo. It struck her in the chest, but she didn’t move an inch as it entered her. Luna’s eyes returned to normal and she waited with bated breath for any sign it was working.
A faint purple glow began to shine from a row of her stitches and Luna put a hoof to the area to investigate. The incision was closing before her eyes, and she felt a small smile spread across her face. “It still works. After all these years, it still works.”
She used her magic to gently open one of her eyes, seeing her pupil slowly lengthen and contract into a vertical slit. Despite it appearing to work, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Scootaloo’s eye twitched so Luna let it close again, but suddenly a piercing, continuous sound rang through the room that threatened to make Luna’s heart stop. The heart rate monitor was displaying a continuous flat streak, and she felt as though her own pulse had stopped, yet she could swear her pulse shot up to a million beats a minute.
“What?! No!” Luna looked to the door and wondered why Dr. Palliate didn’t enter and realized her own silence spell was ensuring no sound exited the room. She wasted no time in throwing open the door with her magic, grabbed him by the tail, and dragging him inside. “Do something!” She pleaded.
Dr. Palliate gave her an indignant look as he pulled a syringe out of his coat and injected it into Scootaloo’s IV line. As soon as that was done he put his hooves to her chest and began compressions.
Luna’s breath came in short, fast inhales followed by slightly longer exhales. Every second seemed like an hour as her physician continued to work and watched the heart monitor, but there was no change. After what felt like an eternity Dr. Palliate stopped. He was panting slightly, perspiration dotting his face.
“Why did you stop?! Continue at once!” Luna demanded, but he shook his head in response.
“It won’t do any good, Scootaloo is gone. If the drug I gave her hasn’t restarted her heart by now it’s not going to. I’m afraid there’s nothing left of her to save. I’m sorry.” As if to punctuate his statement he turned the heart monitor off. “What would you have me do now, your highness?”
Luna shook her head and sighed sadly. “Very well then. Inform Scootaloo’s friends of her passing, then take the carriage back to Canterlot. That will be all.” Her tone was heavy with disappointment and more than a hint of sadness.
“You won’t be joining me, your highness?” He asked, wiping his brow with the back of his hoof.
“I wish to be alone right now. You know what to do.” With this Luna’s horn glowed and she disappeared in a flash of blue light.
A while later after both siblings had returned, Dr. Palliate exited an elevator into the main lobby, seeing a group of ponies. “Are you Scootaloo’s friends?” He asked with a professional tone.
“How is she?” Rainbow Dash asked, feeling an ominous pit begin to form in her stomach.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” He put a hoof to his chest. “I am Dr. Palliate, Princess Luna’s personal physician. I was brought here to oversee your friend’s treatment.”
The pit became a chasm. If he was here to take care of Scootaloo, what was he doing here? He spoke with a phlegmatic tone that lacked inflection, giving a calming vibe to his voice, but it was doing little for Rainbow Dash.
“As for her, there’s no easy way to say this. Scootaloo has passed away due to her injuries.” He shook his head and looking down. His eyes were already half-closed, but they got a slant that gave a hint of sadness through his glasses.
After he delivered the news a heavy silence fell on the gathered ponies as they all worked to process what he’d said. Scootaloo was gone, it a tough pill to swallow.
Rainbow Dash looked to the floor, then back to Dr. Palliate. “Take me to her. Please, I need to see her.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. Hospital policy forbids anyone but hospital staff from entering the morgue. Besides, I’m afraid you probably wouldn’t want to see her in the state she’s in.”
“Please!” She begged, her wings drooping from her sides until they were practically touching the floor. Her voice broke as she spoke. The fact that she hadn’t broken down crying was nothing short of a miracle. “My mind knows she’s gone, but my heart doesn’t. The only way I’m ever going to begin to move past this is to see her firsthoof.” She looked him in the eye and tried an analogy she was sure he’d understand. “It’s like surgery, you’ve gotta cut something open before the healing can really begin.”
“I’m sorry, really, but there’s nothing I can do. My hooves are tied.” Again his phlegmatic voice held a hint of sadness, but his expression remained largely unchanged.
“But mine aren’t!” Twilight stepped forward, her wings unfolding the slightest bit. “As the Princess of Friendship, consider that rule overwritten; you will be taking us both to see Scootaloo.” Twilight fought to conceal her unease afterward. As a princess, she could bend a lot of rules, but she still felt uncomfortable pulling rank like that. It made her feel awkward, and like she was forcing other ponies to do things they didn’t want to do.
“You don’t have to do this Twilight, really.” Despite telling her that, Rainbow Dash still had a pleading look on her face.
“You’re right, I don’t have to, I want to. Rainbow, I can practically feel the sadness you’re desperately trying to bottle up. If I didn’t try to help you in every way I could, what kind of friend would that make me?” Twilight wrapped a wing around Rainbow Dash and gently pulled her closer. Her pegasus friend leaned into that, letting out an exhale she didn’t know she’d been holding.
Dr. Palliate sighed and shook his head a little. “Very well, I will take you both to see Scootaloo. This way, please.” As the three were turning to leave a voice spoke from behind them.
“Sorry, Rainbow Dash, but we need to get going.” Applejack had an apologetic tone. “While Ah’m sorry about everything that’s happened, we have chores to do in the morning in addition to the ones we couldn’t do today. Besides, it’s already past Apple Bloom’s bedtime. C’mon, sugar cube.” She said nodding firmly to her little sister.
Apple Bloom gave Sweetie Belle one more big hug before slowly trotting over to her siblings, but Rainbow Dash had a look of surprise on her face. “Bedtime? What time is it?”
Big Macintosh saw how tired his little sister looked and put her on his back while Applejack spoke up. “Late enough for it to be night time.” With a solemn nod, the Apple siblings began to leave.
“I’m afraid on that note Sweetie Belle and I must leave as well. It’s dreadfully late and I have orders to fill tomorrow. Besides, she’ll need all the sleep she can get after this.” Rarity went to pick up Sweetie Belle but the younger pony swatted her older sister’s hooves away.
“I’ll walk…” She said with a yawn, but stood close to her sister.
“Goodnight, Rainbow Dash, and if you need anything from me, anything at all, all you need do is ask for it.” Rarity said before she left with Sweetie Belle.
“Thanks, Rarity, I appreciate it!” Rainbow Dash called after her, feeling a tiny shred of a smile appear on her face knowing her friends were still at her side.
“I need to go too, my animal friends are probably worried sick about me. I told them I was just going for a walk, not away for most of the day.” Fluttershy walked up to Rainbow Dash and gave her a big hug, which she reciprocated. “I’ll make you the same offer Rarity made: if you need anything from me, all you have to do is ask for it.”
Rainbow Dash nuzzled her cheek and hugged Fluttershy closer. She felt her resistance breaking, her eyes grew moist, and without her consent, she started crying. She couldn’t stop herself as her tears fell, and felt two more ponies joining in the hug. “Why, why am I crying?” She asked, desperately trying to stop the waterworks.
Dr. Palliate stepped forward and made his presence known. “I think I can answer that. You feel as though Fluttershy leaving you is a parallel to Scootaloo leaving all of you, and you feel like you’re being abandoned both by Scootaloo and your friends and you're so scared because you don't want to be alone or have to face it alone.” He said, looking slightly towards the floor as he finished.
Everyone was speechless as they mulled over his words, and Rainbow Dash thought hard about it. He’d just summed up her feelings in a few sentences, and they couldn’t be more accurate. “How did you piece that together?”
“Let’s just say I’ve been in a similar situation to this.” With that, he shifted the subject rather quickly. “If you want to see Scootaloo then we’d best be going.”
Rainbow Dash took a deep shuddering breath and nodded, letting go of Fluttershy. “Does anypony else need to go?” She looked to Pinkie who nodded. “I have to work tomorrow, plus I agreed to watch the Cake twins. Besides, there’s no point in staying here.”
Twilight and Rainbow both winced at her comment. It was brutal, but not incorrect. Being here wouldn’t bring Scootaloo back. Rainbow Dash sighed and nodded. “I’ll make sure to visit you tomorrow though.” She wiped some tears out of her eyes and managed half a smile as the group hug ended.
At her words Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy each gained a small smile. The fact that Rainbow Dash had plans for tomorrow that didn’t involve lying around and moping. “I better be going before my animal friends send out a search party for me. Bye everypony.” Fluttershy began trotting out of the hospital, with Pinkie Pie looking to her then back to Rainbow Dash.
“I’m gonna hold you to that, Rainbow Dash.” Pinkie’s mane had reinflated and she had some more spring to her step as she followed Fluttershy out of the hospital.
“Well then,” Dr. Palliate’s calm voice got both mare’s attention, as well as the attention of the dragon who’d been watching everything happen while silently thinking to himself. “Shall we be going?”