'Sunset? Sunset, can ya hear me?'
'It's not working! Try again!'
'Sunny... please wake up...'
'Help is on the way, please just hold on!'
'Dammit AJ, try again!'
Muffled voices were pulling sunset forward from the blanket of darkness surrounding her. Why were people yelling? What had happened? Sunset slowly opened her eyes.
Immediately, a strong arm flexed around her waist and Sunset felt the familiar sting of acid moving up her throat. Without time to think, she leaned forward and wretched. She watched as her bile swirled down the drain to her shower. Shower? Why was she in the shower? What in Celestia's name was going o-
Realization hit her like a magically enhanced hoofball to the face as her memories quickly flooded back. The pills. The Pills! Sunset flailed in a blind panic, feeling a warmth behind her hold her tight.
"Sunset! Calm down, it's ok! Yer safe!" Her tear blurred vision was able to make out four vaguely human shaped blobs crowded around her small bathroom, and a tan, freckled arm had an iron grip around her waist. Without hesitating she gripped the arm and twisted her head back. She met the honest emerald eyes of her once friend.
"P-please," she rasped, throat burning from her own stomach acid. Sunset watched the blackness encroaching on her vision and could feel herself getting heavier. She didn't have much time. "Please, just let me go..." she pleaded before sagging backwards into the warmth, allowing herself to be dragged back into oblivion.
A steady, stabbing, infuriating beeping was filling Sunset's head and forcing her from the blankness of sleep. It was a weekend, why did she have an alarm set? Thoroughly annoyed, she attempted to roll over and bury her head in pillows in a futile attempt to stop the incessant beeping. However, she couldn't get very far before she felt a light tug at her arm, almost as though she were tied to something. That thought made her freeze in place, awareness washing over her like an icy wave. This wasn't her bed or her blankets. That sound wasn't her alarm. Even the harsh lights filtered through her eyelids were so different from the soft morning sunlight she had mistaken them for moments ago. She didn't need to open her eyes to knw where she was. Before she could stop herself, a small whimper escaped her throat.
Immediately she heard shuffling around the room; the sound of many people suddenly sitting up, alert. Silence reigned for just a moment.
"Sunset?" a quiet, pained voice asked. Sunset's bottom lip trembled. "Sunset, are you awake?" the voice asked again. The heartache in the voice of her kind friend tore Sunset to shreds, and she couldn't stop the tears from sliding out from under her lids. There was immediately more shuffling from around her and Sunset flinched lightly.
A single, soft hand gently caressed her cheek. "Sunset, look at me." The same voice stated, a firmness taking place of the timid wobble. Sunset slowly opened her eyes and looked up into the wide, shining teal eyes of Fluttershy. Her friend smiled gently, thumb wiping away a few of Sunset's tears as they fell.
"Flut-"
"Shhhh," Fluttershy cut off her attempt at speech. "Don't talk, your throat is damaged from all the stomach acid. It'll just hurt you more." She finished with a small nod.
Sunset nodded, gulping hard. Fluttershy was right, her throat stung harshly. Her eyes followed Fluttershy's other hand as it moved to a small table beside her bed. Sunset briefly noted the tubes leading from a bag hanging above her head into her arm. She realized that must have been the tugging she felt earlier as she turned her attention back to Fluttershy. She grabbed a small glass of water and lifted it towards Sunset, head tilted in question. Sunset nodded and sighed in relief as the glass was placed to her lips and cool water flowed into her mouth. It hurt a bit as she swallowed, but she drank greedily until the cup was empty and Fluttershy replaced it on the table. Sunset sighed again, the water already helping with her fuzzy thoughts and blurred vision. Opening her eyes, she allowed them to wander around the room. The first thing she noticed were the four people standing near her bed.
Applejack stood on the side opposite of where Fluttershy sat, hat missing and hair disheveled. She offered Sunset a small smile when their eyes met. Rarity was beside her, hand on a thick blanket she hadn't noticed before that was covering her lower half. It had the trademarks of Rarity's designs and was far too well made and warm to belong to the hospital. She teared up a bit but broke into a large smile when Sunset looked at her. She wasn't wearing her usual makeup. Rainbow Dash stood at the foot of her bed, eyebrows scrunched and jaw set into a hard line. She froze under Sunset's gaze, magenta eyes widening with... fear? Worry? Sunset couldn't tell. The last person was seated in a large chair. Pinkie was... duller. Her hair laid in flat ribbons covering half of her face. The one eye Sunset could see was staring back at her, wide and watering.
"S-Sunny?" Pinkie asked quietly from her corner and the other four turned to look at her in shock. After a moment's silence, Applejack ran a hand through her messy bangs.
"Those're the first words she's said since we got here," she told Sunset, who swallowed thickly. She opened her mouth before closing it again, remembering Fluttershy's warning from before. Speaking of, a warm hand was pressed against Sunset's left shoulder and she turned her head back to the quiet girl.
"Sunset, I.. we're all just, so so so sorry," she started, tears already falling down her thin face. The other's muttered their assent. "You don't have to forgive us, what we said and how we treated you was awful. I can't speak for the others, but I was too concerned with my own hurt to realize that I'd forgotten to be a friend." Fluttershy took a moment to breathe, her tears coming faster now, Rarity took the moment to speak up, laying a hand over where Sunset's legs were.
"As Fluttershy said, we're all very sorry. I was so selfish, I was only thinking abut myself and didn't think about how my heinous words would hurt you. I... I'm so sorry, Sunset.." she hung her head, purple curls obscuring her face. The room was silent for a moment before the scrape of a chair on marble was heard from the corner.
Pinkie stood, a thin blanket falling from her lap. Paying it no attention, she walked forward to Sunset's bed. Applejack backed up at her approach, allowing her access to Sunset. The two girls stared at each other for a moment before pinkie bent at her waist, gathering Sunset in a hug and burying her face into her friends golden hair. Her sobs rang out in the quiet room, heaves shaking the bed.
"I-I'm so so-so-soryyyyyy," she cried, voice catching between her muffled sobs. Sunset, responding more out of instinct than anything else, wrapped her arms around the crying girl, nuzzling her nose into the flat, pink hair. This only made Pinkie start crying harder. "Sunny, I'm so sorry!" her pained cries were cut off by the sound of a door opening.
A pale blue, almost white colored woman walked in. Her coat designated her as a doctor, and her indigo hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She frowned slightly at the sight of Pinkie and Sunset, sadness pinging in her heart. She sighed before clearing her throat.
"I'm afraid visiting hours are over, girls." she said softly, sympathy in her eyes. The four girls shared a glance before Fluttershy nodded and stood from the stool beside the bed.
"She's right, we need to go, girls. Sunset..." she laid her hand gently over Sunset's and waited for the girl to make eye contact with her. "We'll be back tomorrow. Get some rest." she smiled gently before grabbing her possessions along with Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Applejack pulled pinkie to her slightly as she detached from Sunset, tears still falling but her breathing more normal.
"Ah promise we'll be back the moment school ends," she said, and Sunset wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or Pinkie.
The pink girl nodded, gripping Sunset's hand tightly.
"I love you, Sunny." she said quietly. Sunset could only nod at her, tears forming again. Her friends filtered out of the room, both Sunset and the doctor watching them go. Finally, the door clicked shut and the woman turned to Sunset, a small smile on her face.
"Hello, miss Shimmer. How are you feeling?"