//------------------------------//
// Freedom at last 
// Story: Warhorse 
// by Hypnotwist 
//------------------------------//

I wake up the next morning and strangely enough I don't remember anything about my dreams or if princess Luna visited me.
I groan and stare up at the ceiling, I want to talk to Rarity but I don't want to wake her up if she isn't already awake. I'm so tempted to go back to sleep, I hear her start to stir. I hear her whine when I assume she did something to make her chest hurt.

"Morning." I croak, my throat was painfully dry and I required water otherwise I would get even crankier than I already was.

"Mmh.. Good morning darling."

"Sleep well?"

"I woke up twice, how about you Sunset?" 

"I drifted off and immediately woke up maybe five minutes ago, no dreams this time." I cough and my throat tells me to go screw myself. "I need water so badly. I feel like I'm going to die if I don't drink anything." 

Rarity hums and says nothing, maybe she wanted to go back to bed. Either way I don't blame her, we're both in pain and not in a great mood. I close my eyes and decide to go back to sleep when I hear her start talking. 

"Hey Sunset?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Could you tell me more about Equestria?" 

"Here?" I ask her, growing a little concerned that someone would overhear us. 

"Ye- Oh, no I just realized something, could we speak about your home at a later date?" 

I chuckle, she must've remembered that we're not in a private space and anyone could walk in at anytime. "Sure, perhaps I'll tell you about the mare on the moon."

She doesn't say anything as a knock at the door captures our attention, we quiet down so we're not overheard talking about Equestria. We stay quiet as one of the nurses walks in and approaches me first since I'm the one closest to the door. 

"Good morning ladies, how are you both feeling today?" He asked the both of us.

"I'm alright sir."

"I'm thirsty and need water before I do or say something stupid in an attempt to get some." I grumble, it was pretty funny that Rarity was graceful and polite and then I'm here being blunt, but I needed water asap.

He chuckled and turned away to try and hide it even though I noticed his shoulders heaving. He turned around to look at me again and spoke. "I'll bring you both breakfast as well if you ladies would like it." 

"Oh yes please." 

My stomach growls and answers for me, but I still decide to use my words because I'm a grown-ish woman and I'm perfectly capable of talking. "That sounds great, thanks." 

"Of course, I'll be back soon." 

I hum and I look over to see Rarity trying to sit up, she grunted in pain and laid back down. I said nothing and took another painful deep breath, I was glad I was alive and I wanted to tell Rarity about what I saw in the living void but I decided not to. It'd be a story for later, maybe a party story if I go back to attending parties like before.

"Hey Rarity? How would one tell someone about what death is like without making them panic?" 

I hear her inhale sharply, my question probably caught her off guard. "I don't know. Did you experience something?" 

"Yeah. I just want to want.. I don't know, I just want to tell someone about it without freaking them out." 

"You could tell me since I know the context for why you saw the afterlife." 

"I know Rares, it'll have to wait a while since despite being a somewhat short story I'll sound fothermucking insane." 

".. Did you just masterfully avoid swearing while swearing?" 

"Damn right I did!" I laugh and immediately wheeze, my ribs hurt whenever I took a breath, moved too quickly, coughed, or laughed. "Aw fuck.. Oww."

"So close." 

"Shut the up fuck bitch ma'am." 

"Now you're not speaking English." 

I snort and inhale, deciding to fuck with Rarity a little. "Me no speaky speaky English am colorful horse alien yeeyee." 

She doesn't talk, only laughing pretty hard in response. My joke clearly was a pretty big success, I'm glad because it was funny in my opinion. 
It lightened the mood considerably, even I don't feel as mentally awful because of my own joke.

I smirk and close my eyes again simply trying to rest before the nurse returns with breakfast, I idly wonder when I'm going to get out of the hospital again and what I'll have to do when returning to school. I don't know how long I rest before the nurse comes back, he's carrying two trays and gives me mine. 

I force myself to sit up so I can eat, I dig in and inhale my food, I was so hungry and the second I noticed I had a juice box I drank it. The liquid made my throat not tell me to go kill myself and I was now a semi happy camper.
My meal left me hungry still and I grumbled, the nurse had done his checks while I was distracted and had vacated the room, I close my eyes and lean back in my bed. "Rarity." 

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking about how things have been going recently and I sometimes feel like this is the world telling me to off myself." 

"I- Why-" She pauses and I think she's contemplating her next words carefully. "Why would you think that? It's just been horrible luck Sunset, not anyone telling you that you should.. You know." 

"I know.. I can't help feeling like the world wants me gone." 

"I don't want you gone, I don't think any of the others want you gone either." 

"Do you truly mean that?" 

"Of course darling! I- You're one of my best friends." 

"I 'unno Rares, sometimes I feel like I'd be doing everyone a favor by disappearing. Before you say anything I know I wouldn't, but the thoughts are still there and pop up occasionally to remind me of all of my failures." 

"Sunset.." I hear her say softly, she sounds noticeably heartbroken and it only serves to make my heart hurt, I can't help feeling the way I do and it was a mistake to open up to her. 

"Sorry, I started venting outta nowhere." 

She says nothing and I don't break the uncomfortable silence, I want to go home to hide for a few hours and pretend like this incredibly awkward exchange never happened.  I really hope that we'd be discharged soon.

I'm unaware of how much time passes but the doctor comes in and tells us we should be discharged within the hour and a discharge planner will come in to talk to us to help plan out the care we will receive when we're back at home. 
I don't know what I'm going to do since I live alone and I'm nervous, I know Rarity is going to offer to let me live with her and her family but I can't let that happen. I'd only be a burden. 

I sigh and she probably figured out that something's wrong, I cringe when I see her sit up in her bed. "Sunset, what's wrong darling?" 

"I'm.. Fine." 

"..."

I cringe, she's incredibly intelligent and probably is aware that I'm lying, I decide to let her win just this once. "Fine, I'm going to have a hard time adjusting because I don't have anyone to help me with the little things I'd no doubt need help with." 

"Why don't you-" 

"No. I'd be a burden." I say stiffly, I really didn't want to impose or be a burden on her and her family. 

"You wouldn't, my home has too many unused bedrooms."

Her words make me think, is she saying that just to get me to accept or does she actually have a house that big? I remember her fancy car and I go with the latter, she probably does live in a house that big. "Alright fine, I just.. I don't want to be a burden." 

"You wouldn't ever be a burden darling, I promise. However my parents will have to pick us up because my car has been destroyed." 

"They might not be happy that I'm going to be staying with you." 

"Nonsense, they'll be happy to have you."

"Okay, I'm just nervous about meeting your parents." I pause and feel like I need to try and make a joke. "And I'm not even your girlfriend, if I was this would be a lot more terrifying." 

She chortles and moves her uninjured arm up to cover her mouth, I hear her trying to muffle her giggles and I smirk. She gets herself under control for the most part and lets out an amused 'really?'

"Hey, I couldn't pass the chance to make a joke like that up. But seriously, I'm still really nervous, what if they don't like me or-" 

"Sunset. They'll like you, what I've told them about you they seemed to genuinely really like you." 

"O-Okay.." 

She says nothing and I look off at the wall the door is on. I've got mixed feelings about staying with Rarity, on one hand I'll have the help I need to function until I heal completely, but on the other hand I'll be imposing on them and I'll have to be in the same building as Sweetie Belle for a few months. 

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by a knock on the door, a few moments later an older aged man walks into the room with some papers. "Good morning, I'm here to go over on what you ladies should do once you're discharged from the hospital."

I breathe a gentle sigh of relief, I can't wait to get out of there. He briefs us on what we should do and what we shouldn't do, giving helpful tips on how to recover as quickly as possible before leaving the room to let us get our regular clothes back on.  

I'm in the process of getting out of bed when my red velvet cupcake cravings return in full force. "Rarity? If it's not too much trouble could we stop by Sugarcube Cor- Wait nevermind- I don't have much money on me and I'm not sure if my cash is still in my jacket pockets or not." 

"I think we could, I'd just have to ask my parents to pay and I'll pay them back when I return to work."

"But-"

"I wish for something from the café too, remember? It's the reason why we were in the car in the first place. Plus I think we need it after all we've gone through." 

"Heh, maybe, I'll just pay you back whenever I get access to my money again." 

"No worries Sunset, it'll be on me."

I smile and don't bother trying argue, I really want those delicious cupcakes and who am I to argue with someone who's offering? I'll have to take her out to lunch sometime to pay her back for this though, but that's fine since I enjoy spending time with her.

We slowly get dressed and we very carefully make our way into the main lobby, Rarity's father is there waiting for her and quickly jumps up to go over. 

"Rarity! We were so worried about you and your friend, we saw the aftermath of the accident and it's a miracle you both survived!" Her father was teary eyed as he gently hugged her, earning a wince from my poor fashionista friend. 

"I'm alright daddy, but uhm.. Sunset lives alone and will probably need someone to help her so could she live with us for a few months until she's fully healed?"

He lets go of her and turns to look at me, his scrutinizing gaze makes me really nervous but he eventually stops and simply smiles widely. "Of course, you girls were in a nasty accident and anything you both need to recover will be given!" 

"Thank you sir." I say uncharacteristically quietly, my anxiety was being a pain in the ass but he was an incredibly intimidating man. 

"Of course young lady, now come on girls, we have to get you both home."

I nod and glance nervously at Rarity, she moves to the other side of me and gently grabs my hand, giving it a light squeeze before letting go and slowly following her father. I follow him as well and we both get to his car, I open the door for her to get in first and once she does I follow and plop a little too quickly onto the seat. 

"Hey daddy? Could we go to Sugarcube Corner? Me and Sunset were on our way there for brunch when we got into the accident."

I look in the front mirror and see the large man smile and nod, he still scared the shit out of me but he seemed to be a jolly fellow. "Sure, a cookie from them does sound good right about now, and you know how your mother loves their cheese danishes."

I turn and look at her, she nods at me and I hear the car engine start. I breathe out and look out the window on my right, the grayscale skies were so pretty to me, it reminded me of Cloudsdale for some reason despite Cloudsdale being much prettier and built in a Greco-Roman style.

The car rolls backwards slowly and I smile, I'm finally going to talk to Pinkie again on top of getting a nice treat.