//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Definition Of Shock // Story: Old Stories, Older Curses // by KillerSteel //------------------------------// Dead? Rainbow's dead? Rarity first ran the words through her head, her stare unwavering. They just didn't sound plausible, let alone something to say about her friend! She shook her head; no, it's not possible, Rainbow's fine, she has to be! Fluttershy’s shivering, sobbing form struck her like a flail across the face, and the unmoving pegasus under the meek soul's river of tears, Rainbow Dash, Equestria’s greatest flyer, the invincible Pegasus who would fight dragon and villain in order to protect her friends. Why didn't she move? She couldn't possibly be dead from a flying accident, right? She's too strong for that! “But… how could she… how did she hurt herself this badly…?” “I-I don’t know! She’s hit things far harder than a wooden roof or floor! She’s run full force into a cliff face and come out completely unscathed!” Twilight grabbed her head, trying to process the situation. Her mane sprang out in places as her brain cooked trying to process the reality of it all. She’s crashed and flown into so many stronger things than the Carousel Boutique's roof! Her skeleton has to be made of steel in order to survive it all! What, did she run into a thunder cloud and get hit by lightning!? “We have to get her to a hospital, have her checked properly!” Rarity blurted out, a weak smile growing on her face; yes, a proper medical examination will reveal this to be a prank! Rainbow will get up, shrug it all off, get a lecture from Twilight and everything will be back to normal! “I ch-checked… myself,” Fluttershy choked between sobs, immediately grabbing the attention of the two unicorns beside her. She looked up with soaked cheeks and bloodshot eyes, the waterworks still clearly flooding, “She-” A hiccup saved her from continuing as she looked back to the blue, swimming blur before her. “W-we've gotta get her to the hospital! Rarity's right; I know you have medical training, Fluttershy, but it’s best we just get the official word from a doctor! M-maybe you're wrong about her!" Twilight suggested with a grimace that tried to disguise itself as a smile, and she lifted Rainbow’s slack form with her magic. She shivered as the bones audibly shifted themselves within the body, “This… really doesn’t feel right.” “Now isn't the time to question moving her, Twilight! We need to go!" Rarity shouted, running to the door. “I think I can teleport us there, just let me focus! Come over here,” Twilight beckoned with a hoof. Rarity walked over to the frantic librarian as Fluttershy fought to stand up beside the body. Rainbow’s body was laid on the floor a few inches from Fluttershy, and Twilight focused, “C’mon,” She whispered, an image appearing in her mind; a hospital reception room, chairs lining the walls, a desk in the back next to a door of to its right leading into the hospital proper. "What's taking so long?!" Rarity looked around, seeing the same walls and mannequins, the typical things used in her craft; why hadn't they left yet? It's been 10 seconds! "Shut up and let me concentrate!! This is something I have to focus on!" Twilight growled, not bothering to hold her words in check; apologies could be made later, but the teleportation spell really was taking longer than normal. Maybe she hadn't visited the hospital enough to make it... natural? Twilight sighed, cursing her own lack of knowledge concerning instantaneous spatial movement. After a good minute of focus, something insider her skull clicked as her horn sparked up, and the room was blinded by a massive flash of light. With a crack and the suck of a vacuum, the group was gone. The next thing the group saw as they rejoined Equestria's reality was several very shocked ponies looking at them, the receptionist behind the desk seeming the most surprised. He blinked a few times, staring at the group, and supposedly decided some humor would help... somehow, “Usually, ponies use the front door…” A bored tone closed the sarcasm for the stallion, and his hoof rubbed against the stubble on his chin. A charging librarian towards somepony would take anypony aback, a reaction supported by Twilight rushing up to the desk. She stared the brown-coated Earth Pony straight in the eyes, panic possessing her like a demon. “Listen! We need a doctor, NOW! My friend is in cardiac arrest and we need help!” She shouts, receiving a blank stare with a few blinks from the stallion in front of her, “Now stop staring at me and move!” “Y-Yes ma’am!” He shouted with a salute before throwing himself over the desk and heading through the white double doors on the right side of the room; an authoritative tone that would make her brother charge into war for her. Shouting slammed up against the shut doors like a battering ram before a doctor did the job right, two nurses at his sides. Twilight looked to his forehead, a proud horn sitting atop it like a crown; good, a Unicorn, treatment tends to be faster with them. “Where’s the patient?” He said in a calm tone, betraying the worry written on his face. His eyes moved about the room before locking on the prone form of Rainbow Dash, “Nurse Breeze, get the Pegasus on the gurney and into the ER! Nurse Summer, come with me and we’ll set up the room!” “Right, Doctor!” The Nurses replied as they got to work, Breeze running over and picking up Dash with her hooves before setting the dead weight on her back. The Doctor and Nurse Summer ran down the hall ahead of their last team mate while Breeze carried Dash over to the gurney and put the slack Pegasus on it. With surprising speed and reassuring vigor, the gurney was shoved down the hall. “C’mon!” Twilight shouted, and she took off after the medical team. The fashionista and chronically shy pegasus were left behind in her dust, and they looked to each other before registering that they’re meant to be running after the lavender unicorn, not sitting there enjoying the scenery. They both charged down the hall, weaving around corners, trying to keep Twilight in their line of sight, while she tried to do the same with the Doctor and his assistants. “Grrr… great time to not be as fit as you can be, Twilight… those three are fast!” She skid to a halt outside a room with double doors, but the lack of windows denied her peaking curiosity any solace. A red light blinked on over her head, and the clang of tumblers in the doors signalled the sealing of the room. "Well, it’s in their hooves now,” She grimaced with a twinge of guilt for not being in there in time, though the feeling didn't last long as Fluttershy rounded the corner, neglecting Hooton's First Law of energy, inertia, which was quickly solved by the solid, lavender object in front of her, “Oof!” “Ah!” The Pegasus squeaked as she gave her wings a flap, moving up off the tumbling Unicorn and crashing into the floor six feet away. “Ohhh… owwwww.” “Fluttershy… you’ve got to look where you’re going! Ngh, my head,” Twilight rubbed her forehead, now having a headache on top of her twisted stomach and tornado of negative emotions. “Oh! I’m sorry!” Fluttershy popped up in Twilight's view, an apologetic look scratched into her face. A sigh pulled their eyes away from each other. “Ladies, this is a hospital. We shouldn’t be running, let alone crashing into each other,” Rarity rose up from the bottom of Twilight's sight, offering a hoof to help her up. Twilight sighed and took it, pulling herself up into a sitting position. Her left hoof traced circles on her temple, a feeble attempt to soothe the pain that usually came with overthinking as she looked at the door, “Did you see anything?” “The doors locked before I could get a good look. I know about as much as you do right now…” Twilight lowered her hoof, her eyes following suite to stare at the ground. Her brain once more set off on the trail of finding out what could have put Rainbow in such a state. Broken neck, concussion, heavy impact sending her brain on a roller coaster ride in her skull… what else? Mental shock from pain stopping her heart? Stray lightning strike? Sunstroke? There has to be an answer! “Fluttershy, you checked Rainbow, didn’t you? Did you find anything out of the ordinary?” Rarity interrupted Twilight’s already shaky train of thought, the librarian stumbling over an answer before turning to Fluttershy, seeing the pegasus trying to come up with her own. Oh... the question isn't for me. Back to Rainbow's diagnosis!" Fluttershy simply blinked in response before looking at the ground, drawing a slow circle in the immaculate tiling. “Fluttershy, you have to speak to us…” Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder, brow knotting in worry. “I… she…” Fluttershy simply shivered, trying to assemble a coherent sentence that would at least half-answer the question, but nothing representing a solid train of thought could fight its way through the storm of despair currently clouding her mind. She simply squeaks before looking away from the pair, eyes closed to fight the threat of a coming flood of tears. “Guess we’re going to have to wait for the doctor,” Twilight groaned; nothing about this was right, not even what she’s feeling right now. Her friend is for all she knows, DEAD, and all she can do is take an analytical approach to what injury she could’ve sustained? “Get your mind out of it, Twilight,” she whispered to herself, starting to feel alienated by her own thoughts. “Shall we head back to the reception area then?” Rarity looked between the pair, both of them pulling their eyes off the floor to look at the white unicorn. They exchange a glance before nodding, and the trio began their slow, uneventful walk back to the reception area. The next half hour drifted by in complete silence, the ponies preferring to sit away from each other, despite the occurrence. Despair seemed to hang over Fluttershy’s head like a terrible thunderhead, while simple confusion turned Twilight’s mind into a hurricane; Rarity seemed to sit between them in mentality, unable to tell how she should feel. Even the other ponies in the room seem weighed down by the atmosphere; a single look at Fluttershy's saddened, pathetic eyes was enough to crush somepony's soul. A glorious break in the silence came with the doctor stumbling into the room, looking as if he’d just seen something that doesn’t seem to work; a puzzle piece that seems part of the bigger picture, but it just doesn’t fit with its brethren in the design. He cleared his throat, looking over at the trio who brought him his mystery patient, “Er… i-if you three could come with me, please?” “Of course,” Rarity quickly answered, hopping off her seat and walking up to the doctor; thank Celestia, they were about to get some answers! Fluttershy and Twilight quietly follow her example, and the four headed back into the hospital proper. “Now, if I’m right, you three are Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Fluttershy, correct?” The doctor turned his head, a note of Canterlot’s higher style of living shining through in his accent, as he led them left down a hall. “Yes, we are,” Twilight nodded in confirmation, slight confusion showing in her eyes; weren't the Element Bearers famous across the country? “And the Pegasus you brought me is a Miss Rainbow Dash?” “That’s right.” “I apologize for not knowing you beforehoof, I’m a new transfer from Canterlot, and I’ve always been more tied up in my medical terminology than the goings on of celebrities. The only thing I heard about Discord’s defeat was how he went down, the names never stuck. My name is Sye Ringe, most of the ponies here simply call me ‘Doc’,” Doc gave a quick nod and a smile, the smirk quickly fading into the more serious look used by doctors with a lot on their shoulders. “Pleasure to meet you, Doctor Ringe. Have you found anything out with Rainbow?” Twilight asked, bracing herself for the answer. “That…seems to be the problem. Miss Dash has suffered no surface, muscular or skeletal injuries; her spine, skull and brain are all in perfect shape. How did she end up here?” “She… crashed through the roof of my shop, and we found her there. Fluttershy was the first to check on her, but couldn’t tell us anything... Twilight said her heart wasn’t beating, so we brought her here,” Rarity tried keeping her voice level, but it refused to stop itself from cracking in places. Looking over at Fluttershy didn't help much; her eyes were pretty well welded to the floor. “I see… well, I can tell you now that she didn’t suffer from any injury related to a broken neck. For everything that we’ve checked, she shouldn’t be in this state at all,” Doc grimaced, “I’ve never seen a case like this in the past, where the patient simply enters cardiac arrest for no reason at all. I’ve still to see her medical record, but a quick look over her body revealed that she is quite fit and healthy.” “It’s confusing us just as much, Doctor,” Twilight wore a serious look to cover up the derailing trains of thought in her head. She wasn’t injured in the accident? Her heart still stopped, randomly at that! Was she doing something in secret? Drinking? No, that’s not like her at all… “My staff are currently drawing blood for a test,” Doc stopped in his tracks, "That said, where are they?" He looked down the hall with a raised eyebrow, “Around the corner is the ER… they should have run past us by now.” “You don’t have the equipment in the operating room?” Twilight walked up to his side, following his eyes. “No, the equipment is too large to move from room to room, so we have a central lab where we perform our tests. It’s all within walking distance of the numerous holding areas and operating rooms. What are those two doing?” Doc furrowed his brow and continued on with a sigh, rounding one last corner before coming to the door that separated Twilight and her friend before, the red light above it now off. He pushed the door open with a burst from his horn, seeing the two Nurses staring back at him. “Both of you! Why haven’t you-“ “Doc! We-We’ve got a problem!” Nurse Breeze shouted, empty syringe in hoof. She looked like she just saw a ghost! “A problem? What do you mean?” Doc asked as he walked over, the nurse meeting him half way. She leaned to his ear and said... something. With a quick nod, he looked back to the trio, “Did you see any blood when you found Miss Dash?” “N-No, we didn’t. Why?” Twilight blinked. Why ask about blood? The floor was as clean as it usually is, except for all the shrapnel from the roof. “Then this is going to sound very strange. There’s a reason my staff couldn’t perform the blood test. That reason being, well… there’s no blood to use for a test.” “No… blood…?” “None. She’s been bled out,” Doc turned back to his staff, “Did you see any kind of hole? Any spatter or blood stains?” “No, just these bite marks…” Breeze answers, pointing to the half-circle of cuts in the right side of Rainbow’s neck. “What in Tartarus?” “Wait, what does this mean, then!? I don’t know of any monsters that can fly!” Twilight leapt to Doc's side, looking at Rainbow. The prospect of a new monster feeding on ponies sent shivers down her spine; one that can fly and keep up with Rainbow Dash!? “I-I don’t know! This is completely new to me! The Guard needs to be informed, there’s something out there; this injury isn’t in any way natural,” Doc turned and started his deft march out of the room. “Hang on, I can get a letter sent straight to the Princess! Just give me a minute!” The shout made Doc jump, and he turned to only see the blinding flash of a pony vanishing from existence. “T-Teleportation?” He said, rubbing his eyes. A Unicorn that can use teleportation? “Letter sent to… so that’s why the name seemed familiar.” “Doctor, is there anything else we can do here?” Rarity tapped him on the shoulder, breaking his short trance. “Uh, no, I don’t think so. With no blood for the heart to pump… well… it doesn’t really matter if we can get the heart started again or not,” He looked at the ground, then turned his eyes to his staff, finding the ground a rather sad conversational partner. Everyone just stared back at him, as if seeking answers for this. Suddenly the ground was seeming like a far better thing to talk to, “Just… record the time of death and add it to her record. Keep the body in the morgue, ready for release upon request of friends or family.” “… Right,” Nurse Summer nodded solemnly, moving to the counter to collect a clipboard and pen. “Miss Rarity, Miss Flut-“ Thud. “Fluttershy?” Rarity stared at the prone form of her friend, panic immediately charging the gates before logic could barely respond; she's not dead too, is she?! “Fluttershy!?” “She must have fainted, hang on,” Doc quickly moved over to the yellow pegasus, pressing his ear up against her neck. After a few moments of waiting, he gave a curt nod, “Yes, there’s still a pulse. The poor mare must be having a hard time.” “A harder time than you would want to know, Doctor Sye,” Rarity looked over at Dash’s body, now being covered up with a white cloth. She pulled her eyes away from the macabre scene, a chill running-, well, more jogging down her spine as the bones freeze over; A harder time than anypony would want to know, and now Equestria’s most gentle pony has to endure it… “Give me a hoof, we’ll move her out to the reception area.” “No, don’t worry… I can do it,” Rarity lifted Fluttershy with her magic, placing her gently on her back. Using her magic to support the weight, Rarity walked out of the room, leaving the Doctor and his nurses to their work. A small magical explosion caught her attention, turning to see Twilight through the open door. Twilight's head whipped around in search of something before finally settling on Rarity behind her, and the librarian quickly walked over. “Did they find anything?” Twilight grimaced slightly, worry already coming back. “Nothing beyond what you were told,” Rarity slowly shook her head, “Fluttershy just fainted, so I’m moving her out to the reception area.” Twilight looked at her as if Rarity were a book that contained all of Equestria’s worst nightmares, spells summoning horrors as soon as the pages were opened. All hope that this was simply a prank fell into the abyss of Twilight's worst fears. “Yes, dear… and now Fluttershy has to deal with the heaviest burden of us all.” “Tell me when you get back to the library.” “Why?” “Because I’ve got some reading to do,” And without another word, Twilight blinked out of space again, leaving Rarity and an unconscious Fluttershy to their walk, and a bit of a blindness problem. “Reading? What could she possibly read at a time like this?"