From the northeast corner of Equestria's borders, just off of the coast and reaching into the Celestial Sea, sits the impressive island city of Manehatten. Ponies of all kinds hustled and bustled up and down the vast street that saw no rest. Strong, rigid, brick buildings towered overhead as glass windows shimmered from the peeking sun. Street lamps, though currently unlit, stood dutifully at the edge of side walks, ready to light the streets when the sun was no longer present. Posters and advertisements dotted walls, street level windows, and even lamps showing special city events, shop exclusives, or even lost items or pet notices. Dust and garbage dotted the gutters, streets, and alleyways, despite the presence of city appointed teams to combat this. It was a home both clean and dirty, filled with virtue and vice, but most of all, it was a city of opportunity. A city of purpose, even for the purposeless.
At the top of the city's purpose was to seek new advancements in the standard of living for the rest of Equestria, endlessly researching the practical for the everyday pony. With it was the scientific and medicinal research, experimenting and attempting to perfect the dos and don'ts of Equestrian health and seeking answers to the dubious sides of nature itself. Magical beings Equestrians may be, but not everything could be solved with magic. At least, not yet.
Though, it was a slow, arduous process when conducting research into ailments that afflict the average and not-so-average pony. Some illnesses and problems could be cured, but only on a temporary basis. Some were only treated and alleviated, but weren't entirely conquerable. And some yet were still difficult to even push back against, even with the top minds working day in and day out to fight such issues.
Tragic as it may be, children were not entirely safe from such things. A heartbreaking shame it was, for little fillies and colts to be hospital-ridden as they fight their own internal battles that they could very well one day lose. For these reasons, certain programs were formulated to give these kids either a fighting chance, or at least something to give them hope for a brighter tomorrow. None was more prominent than the Granted Wishes Foundation where the children locked within hospital walls, fighting ailments not yet dented, were given their heart's deepest desire for the sake of bestowing a sense of hope in their little lives. This is why Rainbow Dash with a saddle-pack, and wearing her flying gear, was here in Manehatten while accompanied by Adna.
The Wonderbolts were contacted by the Granted Wishes Foundation, where a young filly of the name Glitter Flash had requested to meet and greet a genuine Wonderbolt. Due to schedule complications and absent members of the team, Rainbow Dash was selected to take part as a representative. Adna, whom was bestowed the title of honorary Wonderbolt for its prior actions, had joined the Element of Loyalty as a secondary representative.
While Rainbow Dash's presence was largely seen with some mild enthusiasm, the bizarre visage of Adna's form was met with awkward and uneasy stares. News of the fiasco at the Wonderbolt Academy wasn't elaborated very well, and the facts that managed to spread were some details of the perpetrators' visual appearances. Never the less, Dash's vouching for the angel had kept the trepidation to distant concerned looks, and allowed the two to pass through without issue. The only real issue was Adna's size compared to most ponies, which made getting through some doors an annoyance. Though the angel wasn't as tall as Elvis or Dumah, it wasn't easy for it to remain a bit unbothered by wings bumping into door frames, or other such occurrences. Never-the-less, the angel soldiered on without complaint, wishing to at least make sure this visit proceeded well.
As they cantered through the Children's Ward, Adna could sense some of the weakening spirits of the children that were likely bed ridden from their ailments. It hurt its heart to feel little lives so deeply affected, but hoped they would make a recovery soon. The miracles it could bestow were minor at best, and temporary for all intents and purposes, so any help it could grant just wouldn't be enough, no matter how much the angel desired to try. Adna gave a sigh, which caught Rainbow's attention.
"Hey, buddy, what's wrong?" she asked in concern.
"Their fragile, little lives, Lady Dash," it stated with a sorrowful tone, "Such struggle rends at this heart of mine."
Rainbow Dash gave a sigh, "Yeah, I know. Spitfire talked about personally representing the Wonderbolts for the Granted Wishes Foundation before, and while she says seeing those kids smile is always a major highlight, their problems make it hurt a little." She then gave a confident glance to her ward, and continued with, "Though, she always says it's worth it. Sometimes, it takes just a little bit of joy to be able to push through, ya know?"
Adna gazed at its warden for a moment, before smiling inwardly. "Very well, then. Let us grant that little bit of joy."
"That's the spirit," she then fished out a note from her saddle-pack, reading its contents. She then gazed at the doors for a moment, before she pointed with her wing tip. "Glitter Flash should be in there. Ready to put on your game face?" Adna tilted its head to the side, slightly confused. Rainbow then paused for a moment, realizing she's never seen an expression on the angel's 'face'. "Erm, what I mean is, ready to make this kid smile?"
Adna granted a thumb up in approval as the two proceed to Glitter's door. The moment they opened it and stepped through, they were greeted by a warm room and a bundled filly, alone. Her face was sky blue, and the little bit of her mane that peeked out from the blankets was a very light violet. Her emerald colored eyes glimmered upon seeing Rainbow Dash at the door.
"Y-you're here! A real Wonderbolt!" Glitter Flash exclaimed.
"Heh-hey kid!" Rainbow Dash responded with enthusiasm, "Whazzup?!"
The little filly giggled slightly, before giving a slight cough and a shiver. "I'm so glad you came! I've always wanted to meet a real Wonderbolt! Though, I'm sad that Spitfire isn't here."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said, before her bravado slightly deflated and she rubbed the back of her head with her wing. "Sorry Spitfire couldn't make it. She and the rest of the team were wrapped up in a lot of other things. It is show season, after all," she explained, "Though, that isn't to say she isn't thinking of you. In fact..."
Rummaging through her saddle-pack, she pulled out a small, purple gemstone that had an odd symbol at the top, and presented it to the small filly. Her eyes glittered as the stone sparkled.
Before the little girl could even ask, Rainbow Dash began to explain, "A good friend of mine made this. It's called a 'recording stone'. She says it allows a pony to record a small message on it. Go ahead and take it!"
Reaching out from under her bundle of blankets, she extended her hoof and accepted the little stone. Rainbow Dash very gently slid it into the outstretched hoof, and continued with, "Now, give the symbol a tap."
Glitter looked at the pretty little stone briefly, before her other hoof extended out of the bundle and tapped the symbol, just as instructed. Just then, purple sparks of magic gently lit up around the carved spot, and a voice soon could be heard.
"Hey there, little missy! Spitfire here," announced the voice from the stone, "Sorry I couldn't make it to visit you. It's been quite the hectic time for the main team at the Academy. I sincerely hope you don't mind that I sent one of my best students to come and visit you!"
Rainbow Dash then blushed at the remark, embarrassed to be called that so brazenly by her idol and hero.
"I hear you really want to be a Wonderbolt one day! That's great news, and we can always use new recruits. So, you concentrate on fighting that thing you have, and get better as soon as possible. Our doors will always be open to you, Glitter Flash. Remember that. I can't wait to meet you in person some day soon. I'm told I can't speak for very long with this rock, so I guess this is goodbye, for now. I'm rootin' for ya!"
The stone's magic then faded and fizzled out.
"That was Spitfire! That was really Spitfire!" She excitedly squealed, holding the stone with care and joy.
"Yeah, and if you ever need to hear it again, all you need to do is just tap it on the symbol."
"You mean... I can keep it?"
"For sure!" Rainbow Dash answered in tenacious certainty. As the filly pulled the stone and her hooves back under her bundle of blankets, Rainbow Dash's bravado waned as the heat began to get to her. "Jeez. How can you take this heat, kid?"
"I'm sorry," Glitter said, much meeker than before, "It's because of my Frostblight."
"Frostblight?" Rainbow parroted.
"Yeah..." she answered, a little more somber now, "They say it's a very rare disease. It slows me down, and slowly freezes me. They say if I'm not kept constantly heated, I could pass out from the cold and... never wake back up."
"Oh... jeez..." Rainbow, with the reality of the situation finally sinking in, wavered slightly in her stature. Adna, sensing her dipping resolve, placed a hand upon her shoulder, causing the Wonderbolt to glance up at the angel. It was as if Adna was telling her not to lose heart, for the sake of Glitter. She smiled in appreciation, regaining some of her confidence back. Further, she felt a little cooler now, as if the heat of the room was no longer an issue. It was then that Glitter noticed the other being in the room, which gave her a concerned pause.
"Uhm... who's that?" she asked, much more meekly this time around.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Rainbow Dash apologized, "This is my buddy, Adna. He's here representing the Wonderbolts with me."
"Wait... he's a Wonderbolt too?" She asked, incredulous.
"Honorary," Adna clarified, "For my actions when the Academy was besieged."
"I thought we weren't supposed to talk about it," Rainbow Dash whispered.
"There's nothing wrong with this child knowing," the angel stated.
She stared at the angel for a moment, puzzling over what she was told, before her eyes lit up, coming to an epiphany. "Wait, you mean THAT attack at the Academy?"
"Huh? Do you already know about it?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yeah! My friend was there when it happened! She told me all about how this weird, upside down face dragon came from the sky, and these strange bird creatures were attacking everyone, but one of them was fighting back. Then they all left, except for the one. You're that one?!"
"I had done what I had thought was right," Adna expressed.
"That's so COOL!" she squealed in admiration, before a small coughing fit halted her joy and a chill ran through her body. "S-sorry about that."
"N-no worries, kid," Rainbow Dash said, before rummaging through the bag once again. "A-anyway, the stone isn't our only gift to you. We also got you this!"
Rainbow Dash then pulled out and presented what seemed to be a filly sized flight suit as well as a badge with it. The badge had her name engraved upon it, noting her as an honorary member.
"Spitfire had it commissioned for you," Rainbow Dash confessed.
With a gasp of pure shock, awe, and joy, her hooves reached out towards the suit and badge, and graciously accepted them. Pulling them close, she gave the suit a tight hug, as if she were cuddling a dearly beloved stuffed toy. Tears streamed down her face, as she hiccuped and said tears froze against her cheeks. Annoyed at the sudden cold spots on her face, she wiped the ice crystals away, where they landed upon her bed and melted from the heat of the room. The annoyance didn't matter to the little filly, as her heart felt warm for the first time in a while, as she continued to hug that flight suit.
"Thank you," was all she could utter, as she curled closer under her bundle of blankets.
"Aw, jeez," Rainbow Dash said bashfully, "This is a bit too much. I'm gonna go get a drink real quick. I promise I'll be right back. Do either of you want anything?"
The little filly and the angel declined the offer, as Adna stated, "I will remain and watch over her."
"Alright, bud. Keep her safe until I get back." And, with that, she departed, leaving the two alone in the heated room.
Silence prevailed in the air for some time, as the little filly continued to cuddle her suit. Eventually, however, curiosity overtook her, as her attention shifted towards the angel, as it gazed out of the window, watching the sun's rays dance in the outside world.
"Uhm... Mr. Adna?" Glitter addressed the angel.
"Yes, little one?" it answered.
"What are you?"
Adna paused for a moment, but decided it wasn't a topic worthy for the filly to know. "Nothing very important, in the grand scheme. You, however," it stated, "are worth knowing about. What bore this love for the Wonderbolts?"
Glitter fidgeted under her blankets, as she thought about it for a moment. "A few years ago, before I got sick, I saw a Wonderbolts show with my ma and pa. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to fly as fast as they did. Faster, even! I wanted to be as amazing as they were in the skies. I took flying lessons, and worked hard every single day to get faster and fly higher."
"You were very dedicated."
Glitters face scrunched at that. "What's 'de-di-cate-ed'?"
The angel laughed gently, "Ah, but you're yet still a learning child," It gave a mirthful sigh, "To be dedicated is to be focused on wanting to do something. No matter what."
"Yeah," she agreed, "... I guess I was dedicated." The mood shifted back to a somber atmosphere as the heat continued to swelter. "But, what if," she started, "I won't be able to be dedicated again?"
Adna paused, thinking about what she was implying. The question was quite heavy. Far more than a child should ever have to bare to ask. Yet, here it was, slapping its beak with the reality of the issue.
Before the angel could give an answer, however, something began to feel off. It could feel dark energy surrounding the two of them in the room, which gave the former messenger of God cause for alarm. The little Glitter, though not aware of what it was, could also feel something was wrong, and gained a scared expression.
"Mr. Adna?" she whimpered, gazing towards her guardian.
Suddenly, almost with no further warning, a dome of darkness surrounded the two of them, and a violent sense of vertigo gripped the angel and sick child as they tumbled through nothingness. For a few moments, it felt as if they were being pulled somewhere. Just as either one of them were able to think that, light opened up before them, and the two were jettisoned out of the blackness and into a weightless, open space of deep purple clouds and floating buildings.
All around them, it seemed like bits and pieces of Manehatten was just present all around in a chaotic fashion, where they too were now floating helpless. Adna, whom was used to such a feeling many, many eons ago, found its bearings, and gazed about its surroundings.
"Glitter!" the angel called out, concerned for the little filly. Just then, Adna could hear the tiny sound of Glitter. Turning towards the source, it saw the child floating a fair distance away. The blankets were gone, likely scattered about, but she was still tightly holding the gifts she was given. It seemed as if the only other things taken to this strange realm were themselves, blankets, a couple pillows, and a small potted plant. Furniture and medical monitors were missing, thankfully. The idea of their presence gave the angel small worries of what would have happened if any of them came into contact with the frail, ill filly.
The angel flew over to Glitter and found her shivering and whimpering, cold to the touch. Her eyes, previously shut tight, cracked open slightly as she looked to the angel. "M-Mr. Ad-d-dna?"
Adna wasted no time. Conjuring the miracle energy within its body, it created a blanket made of warm light and bundled the filly with it, which subsided some of the shivering. The subsiding shiver turned to peaceful slumber, as if the sudden excitement exhausted the weakened child enough to pass out. At least, it hoped, this would mean she could save her strength for now. Sensing danger, however, it cast a spherical barrier around it while the child laid in its arm, hopefully to protect the two of them for whatever may come.
Instantly, the feeling of dark magic tipped Adna off, but the angel's reaction wasn't enough. A hefty boot made of magic slammed into the hard light shield sphere and caused it and the two inside to rocket towards a nearby floating building. A scattering of flower pedals could be seen as the giant, phantom limb dissipated after the strike while they sailed away. The impact was enough to cause the sphere to embed into the side, though the shield itself held out well enough, despite how shaken the angel felt and a crack beginning to form at the surface. Looking towards where the attack came from, Adna noticed the assailant.
"Well, well," the tall, slender woman wrapped in a black garb and adorned with gold and red ribbons spoke. "Didn't think I could find a little cockroach in this part of the 'in betwixt'." She gently nudged her glasses up, making sure they were in their proper place, and gave a wicked smile.
It was a witch. Though, no ordinary one, by the looks of it, and the visage was oddly familiar. Though Adna knew it never has seen this one before, the features of this darkened magic user bore a striking similarity with one that separated Adna from Heaven in the first place. Anger and righteous fury welled up within it, causing its fist to clench hard, but the light shiver from Glitter all bundled up calmed the angel. This wasn't a time for holy vengeance or divine decree. The filly's safety was more important. Adna needed to flee.
The angel dispelled the shield briefly to unstick itself from the building, only to resummon it once more.
"Going somewhere?" she asked in a sultry and playful, but also a very mocking tone. "Oh, I love a good chase."
Not wishing to humor her, Adna instead cast an enhancement miracle upon its wings, and suddenly sped off with amazing speed through the strange purple clouded realm. Its only objective was to find a way out.
As Adna sped through, it could hear the witch, distantly behind, shout the name "RAGANA!". Suddenly, another giant boot made of darkness kicked out towards them. Adna dipped down, barely avoiding the attack, only to have to suddenly rise up as another one swiped at them from below. Then a blackened fist appeared from above, causing Adna to veer off to the side, getting close to one of the floating buildings. A second fist, appearing from the side aimed to collide with the spherical shield with earth shattering might, but Adna once again rose up and barely avoided the attack. The fist collided with the floating building and utterly shattered it like it was striking a sand castle while also scattering more flower pedals like the very first impact.
Time slowed for Adna for a moment, as it began to understand something very critical. That last attack was FAR stronger than the strike it had when this chase began. If Adna were ever to get hit by one this time around, the hard light shield would most definitely fail.
However, there was no more time to think, as another fist came from below, forcing Adna to swerve and barrel roll to avoid the danger. As it retained its barrings, Adna flew harder and faster, pushing its abilities to the limit. The floaty, frictionless environment certainly made it much easier to do so, making the angel feel it could fly faster than ever before. Despite this, the danger it felt was never very far behind. In fact, Adna felt a strong sense of foreboding, with something deep inside it screaming at it to make a hard turn.
As the angel obeyed the internal command, it noticed at the corner of its vision a building flying towards to where they were just mere split seconds ago. The building collided into another large floating object and both shattered like planets destroyed by colossal meteors.
No matter how fast Adna was moving, it seemed that the assailant was able to have objects and attacks move just a little faster. Such a thought then caused the angel to realize a horrifying revelation. The witch was just toying with them. That was the absolute worst case scenario for the angel. Best case was that Adna was wrong, and the witch's reaction speed wasn't nearly as powerful as her top speed, which is why she was still missing the attacks. Adna certainly hoped for the latter.
Still, no sign of an exit could be seen as it moved through the strange realm, so Adna's options were becoming more and more limited as mere seconds marched onward, and the light shiver of Glitter was making the angel feel more concerned and desperate.
Soon, it stopped flying. Running wasn't going to save them. The matriarch of this realm wasn't going to stop, regardless of the circumstances, and if she landed even one hit, lucky or calculated, it would be over for both of them. It was better to stand its ground. Summoning hard light to its free hand, Adna formed its signature staff and pointed it in the direction of where the attacker might be.
Another fist, flying towards Adna directly this time, aimed to shatter the angel, but it managed to dodge the attack just in time, where it barely scraped the surface of the shield. Another boot formed overhead, forcing Adna to move to the side, only to move back when another fist appeared from below. Then another boot. Then another fist. Soon, it was a flurry of giant punches and kicks, aimed to utterly annihilate the angel, which it did its best to dodge and stay alive from.
It wasn't long before the barrage of attacks ended, and Adna was left somewhat winded from the constant attacks, but kept its staff held aloft.
"I should have known cockroaches were this dodgy," the witch remarked, appearing from behind one of the buildings, leaning against the bricked surface. Before she could say what she intended to say, she paused, and her gaze fixated more intently on the angel. "Hang on, that's strange. You're lacking a halo."
Adna, remaining as calm as it could, kept the staff pointed towards its foe.
"Also, what's that you're holding in your other arm?" the witch asked, finally noticing the bundle it was carrying. "Wait, I sense life. Don't tell me you have a hostage, now. Oh, ho ho ho, I didn't know you angels would stoop so low."
"SILENCE, THOU HORRID CREATURE!" Adna outburst, clenching the staff harder.
"Must have hit a nerve there," she said in a cheeky tone.
It was then the sound of another voice could be heard coming from within the bundle Adna was holding.
"Hey there, little missy! Spitfire here, Sorry I couldn't make it to visit you. It's been quite the hectic time for the main team at the Academy. I sincerely hope you don't mind that I sent one of my best students to come and visit you!"
The witch tilted her head, puzzled by the new voice, which continued to speak.
"I hear you really want to be a Wonderbolt one day! That's great news, and we can always use new recruits. So, you concentrate on fighting that thing you have, and get better as soon as possible. Our doors will always be open to you, Glitter Flash. Remember that. I can't wait to meet you in person some day soon. I'm told I can't speak for very long with this rock, so I guess this is goodbye, for now. I'm rootin' for ya!"
Then, there was silence between the witch and angel for a few moments, as Adna remained holding its staff defensively. The awkward tension in the air remained for quite some time, before a weak, cold voice came from the bundle in Adna's arm.
"M-Mr. Adna," Glitter spoke, shivering more, "W-wh-what's wr-wrong? Wh-what's g-g-going on?"
"By my faith, stay warm, little poppet. I shall get you back home, come hell or high water."
The little filly giggled weakly, "Why are you t-talking funny?"
Adna, calming from the lightly jovial attitude from the small, but steadfast filly, felt its guard drop for a moment. However, panic rose back within it, causing its attention to fix back towards its foe, only for Adna to see the witch mere inches away from them and the sphere they were in.
The witch, with a cheeky smile, kissed the tips of her two fingers, before gently poking the kissed tips against the shield. It then suddenly shattered, dispelled. Adna, too weak from dodging the attacks and flying at insane speeds, simply couldn't make a new one. Instead it kept the staff pointed, as if telling her to back off.
"What even is that in your arm?" the witch inquired, "She sounds adorable!"
"Get back, thou cursed wench!" Adna demanded. The sound of Glitter coughing and shivering more caused the angel to turn its attention away once again in deep concern. It was then the witch moved forward and snatched Glitter from Adna's weakening grip, eliciting a squeak of panic from Glitter. The angel was about to protest, but one look at the little filly had the witch exclaim in worry, interrupting Adna.
"Oh, my dear child, what happened to you?!"
Adna, weakly reaching, felt ashamed it wasn't able to properly protect the filly, and instead merely spoke. "She's afflicted with Frostblight. Please, if thou art have any decency, let us leave this realm. She will not survive here like this."
The witch turned to the angel with a raised eyebrow. "Frostblight? I've never heard of an ailment like that, but," her gaze then shifted towards the shivering filly, "It does not seem incurable." With a slow wave of her fingers above the filly all cocooned in the warm blanket of light, she uttered something in Adna's native language that the angel didn't quite pick up on. However, what came next was nothing short of astounding. Strange blue energies lifted off of Glitter, as said filly gave a deep, almost relieved breath. The energies in question gathered into a solid, blue ball of what looked like ice, which permeated with strong magic.
"There we are. One extracted illness." She then opened a small black portal, and placed the little magical ice ball inside of it, before closing said portal. "Save THAT for further research." She then turned to Adna, who remained stunned by the turn of events. "Forgive my previous rude behavior. I've been trying to fish out nasty little cockroaches that were infesting other worlds. I suppose your particular circumstances are a tad different from all of the other pigeons I've ensnared."
Adna twitched in ire from both the belittling name and the implication for what the witch was doing prior, but did not act upon it.
"Never-the-less," she stated, handing Glitter back to Adna, who protectively pulled the filly close and shrouded that side with one of its wings, "I'm aware of my personal faux-pas. You lot are very much about forgiveness and reconciliation, correct?" Before Adna could answer, she continued with. "Well, I sincerely apologize. I will take great caution next time before i go 'fishing' for more loathsome cockroaches."
Adna remained stoic and stern in its stance, and spoke lowly with a growl, "You already apologized for that."
"You're very mistaken," she said with a cheeky grin, "I apologized previously for attacking you without knowing details. I'm now apologizing for dragging you and the little one there into this plane betwixt in the first place."
The angel relaxed a little, sensing no hint of deception, ulterior motive, or even sarcasm. This was pure sincerity. "Very well," it stated, "Do you know of where we may seek the exit?"
"Right this way," she ushered, floating fast away from the Angel. Adna swiftly followed, as the party of three sailed through the strange emptiness around them, passing broken buildings and... other objects that seemed very unfamiliar to the land of Equestria, especially Manehatten. Taking another look, the buildings that were noticed at first were vastly outnumbered in the infinite, purple cloud sea by a multitude of islands, statues, pillars, ancient and futuristic buildings, as well as a large variety of smaller objects. How long has this witch been at this, Adna wondered.
However, despite that question taking the forefront of Adna's thoughts, it was a different question that left the angel's beak. "What was that odd orb you collected? How did you cure the young child?"
"Oh, I didn't cure her," she stated flatly, eyes focused forward as if she were looking out for something, "Not really, at least. I simply extracted the illness from her body. It was magical in nature, and currently, I have no idea how to eliminate it. So, instead, I just took it."
"What of the filly's fate?"
"Oh, the little one will be perfectly fine, as long as an external catalyst doesn't make her contract that 'Frostblight' again. As she isn't really 'cured', however, she has no immunities against it." She then stopped floating, and turned sharply towards Adna, causing the angel to come to an abrupt stop, much to its chagrin. "Here's hoping there are no repeat issues." With a flick of her wrist and a flourish of her garb, a black portal opened up beside her. "Last stop. Please, take all of your belongings before you enter the portal."
Adna looked about, and noticed the pillows, blankets, and a flower pot floating about. The angel floated over to each item, collected it, and returned to the portal. It stopped for a moment, realizing that it sucked them in previously, which was why items from the room were jettisoned in with them. When Adna was about to ask why the portal wasn't doing that now, the look the witch gave suggested that the reason was her doing. An element of surprise, perhaps, Adna thought.
Before advancing through the portal to leave, the angel had one more question it couldn't help but ask, "How art thou seemingly knowing of ailments and alleviations? Thy behavior-"
Her two fingers gently touched against the tip of Adna's beak and interrupted its query, as if to shush the angel. "Let's just say I have a thing of playing nurse," she said with a low, sultry giggle. Her emphasis on the 'I' suggested something more secretive, as if she could recognize Adna's instant familiarity with what she is, but didn't want to elaborate. "Now, off you two pop. I still have work to be done, and I'm not used to 'catch and release' taking so much time."
As the two passed through the portal, the witch called out to them one last time. "Now, behave yourself little one. You too, big boy." Before Adna could protest, the portal closed behind the two, and disappeared from sight.
-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-
The hospital was in a bit of an uproar after they had returned to the room. Perhaps even before, in all honesty. Their disappearance was well noticed, due to Glitter previously being hooked up to monitoring equipment. Once they were forcefully removed from the room from the portal's shenanigans, the leftover devices began blaring alarms, which put the various nurses and doctors into a tizzy. It wasn't just the absence of their critically conditioned patient that made them concerned, but the fact that a strange creature was with her AND that the two disappeared without any sign of leaving the room. It would have been declared an emergency, or perhaps a foalnapping, if it weren't for the fact that both Glitter and Adna both reappeared in the same room nearly a half hour later.
It was a bizarre turn of events, made even more mind boggling when it was determined that Glitter Flash, after some testing, was shown to be symptom-free of the previously incurable Frostblight. The fact alone was an absolutely amazing, but both she and the angel refused to divulge how or why, with said angel stating it was the act of an outside force, refusing to elaborate further. Threats of interrogation, on the desire to learn the secret to be able to fight against such a rare ailment, were thwarted by Rainbow Dash, whom did have enough authority to pardon the angel and vouch for it. For all intents and purposes, the cure was by and large unattainable at present. Instead, the hospital staff decided to just accept it as the miracle it genuinely was, no matter the source or reason.
When all was said and done, Rainbow Dash and Adna wrapped up their Granted Wishes visit with Glitter Flash, whom now had a brand new lease on life. The little filly even declared her intention of living up to her dreams, and train to become a bona fide Wonderbolt one day, even boasting she'll surpass Rainbow Dash's already impressive speed. Rainbow responded in kind with a playful taunt, hoping to actually see her try. As the two departed the room of the overjoyed filly, Adna's thoughts raced onward with concern. Powerful magic, including miracles, were able to rip open holes in reality. This fact was proven time and again before this angel. How easy was it to do such a thing, truly? Or, perhaps more terrifyingly, how many individuals out there were strong enough to do so?
"Hey, dude, you alright?" Rainbow Dash asked her ward.
"T'is no concern, Lady Dash," the angel responded, deciding to put those thoughts to rest. There was no use in dwelling on the what ifs. All Adna could really do was hope that these situations were rare, and that those that could perform such acts were few and far between, and hopefully benevolent. The concerned angel plainly wished to never need to move faster than light again.