The dawn rose slowly, blossoming on the horizon, as Rarity stared out of the hospital's window. She could still see the twinkling flames of candles floating among the clouds behind her eyelids. The dull beeps and whirrs of the machines, holding the thread of life her young sister clung to, echoed in the small room along Rarity's quiet breathing.
She watched as life began to stir outside the opaque barrier with the rise of Celestia's sun. Two birds fluttered by, chasing each other in the cool morning air.
Once more a collection of memories gathered in the back of Rarity’s mind, slowly slipping into her conscious thoughts.
Sweetie Belle’s sweet singing, the laughter of the fillies playing, spending precious moments with her little sister. Even the bitter memories of arguments; screaming, and yelling, wanting her freedom from the burden of a younger sibling. She felt sick realizing how horribly close to being free from that burden…. Forever.
She swore to herself to never, ever wish for that ever again. Though she occasionally yearned to be relieved of the stresses of her, she never wished to be free of Sweetie Belle.
Rarity’s gaze was unbroken as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky as the day grew later. The entire world was teeming with life outside the glass boundary, and though she stared intently she saw none of it as she was lost in the recesses of her own mind.
Nurses came in and out of the room. Doctors attempted to cheer up the white mare with words of encouragement and assurances of Sweetie Belle’s condition, but Rarity could see the lack of emotion in their eyes. It’s not that they didn’t care, they simply learned to separate themselves from a case when the chances weren’t high.
The hours drew longer each day, and time seemed to move slower than honey. The constant feeling of the unknown, never knowing if Sweetie Belle would wake, made it drag on and on.
Rarity thought back to the Sisterhooves Social. After one of the biggest fights with her little sister, Rarity had vowed to never be sister-less again, and Sweetie Belle adopted Applejack as a sister to spite her.
Applejack’s words still echoed in her mind.
“Being sisters, is like…. Apple pie! You can have amazing apples, and you can have a wonderfully crispy crust, but only together can you have a perfect apple pie.”
“But apart all we are is just a pile of mush, and a crumbly dry mess……” Rarity mumbled to herself. She laughed to herself. “I’m definitely a messy pile of mush.”
As an array of small creatures flew past the hospital window, Rarity was reminded of the camping trip her and her friends took with the fillies. The long hike to Winsome Falls. Rarity packing far more than necessary as usual, setting up the tents, telling stories by the fire, “protecting” Sweetie Belle from Rainbow’s Olden Pony and the Headless Horse.
A knock at the door was the only thing to break Rarity’s hypnotic gaze out the window. It wasn’t one of the distant doctors or nurses, it was too…. Heavy. Though a gentle knock it sounded as if some large pony was behind the hoof upon the door.
“Who in Equestria…..?” Rarity quietly wondered. “Come in?” she called gently, as if not to disturb the filly lying on the bed.
And of course the pony to walk through the door was one of the last she would ever expect.
“Macintosh?” She asked quietly.
Surely enough, the large red stallion with a golden mane and bright green eyes; known more commonly as Applejack’s brother Big Mac stepped through the small door.
He looked over to Sweetie Belle and nodded silently, once again as to not disturb the inert filly, just as Rarity had called gently.
Rarity looked a the floor, unable to meet his eyes. “I don’t mean to be rude, but….. Why are you here?” She asked peeking up for just a moment.
His hoof gently touched her chin, softly encouraging her to face him. He smiled, and turned to pull something off his back.
Now in his mouth, he held a beautiful bouquet of white lilies. She gasped in surprise, and he motioned for her to take them. Using her magic to levitate them in front of her, she smelled the sweet blossoms. “Macintosh, these are beautiful!”
“I heard about what happened when Applebloom came home that day. That little filly didn’t sleep at all. I would have come sooner, but I had to tend the farm while my sister tended to Applebloom. Well, anyway I wanted to give you two flowers,” he said motioning to the filly on the bed. “I hope she makes it out ok, and soon.”
Tears welled in Rarity’s eyes. She gently placed the flowers on the end table next to Sweetie Belle’s bed. She then walked slowly over to Macintosh, and hugged him.
At first he seemed shocked, tensing instantly at the unexpected embrace, but soon he relaxed throwing his foreleg around her as well.
“Thank you so much.” Rarity whispered, and they sat there for what felt like hours, Macintosh holding tight as Rarity quietly wept. When they finally drew apart, Rarity embarrassedly laughed at herself as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
“I apologize….” She began, but he held up a hoof to silence her.
“It’s no problem at all.” He said gently.
She smiled. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“Happy to be there for ya, Rarity.” he replied.
With that he hugged her again shortly, before quietly walking out the door. More tears welled in Rarity’s eyes as the door shut with a quiet metallic click.
She moved to Sweetie Belles bedside. She looked upon her sister’s face, still and without any movement, and with her hoof brushed a single stray hair from her face. A few tears broke free and rolled down her cheeks. Her hoof rested on the bed as she turned, now fixing her gaze on the gorgeous white lilies that lay on the table. They appeared to be a breed she had never before seen. A gleaming white, with an illuminating sapphire center, and amethyst purple specks along the star-point petals.
She quietly wondered where one finds such beautiful blossoms, and was instantly touched by the thought of the amount of effort a pony would need to come across such flowers. It was very sweet of Macintosh, but she wondered why he would make such an effort for her and her sister.
Rarity’s thoughts wandered once more.
----------------------------------------------------
It was an odd feeling, waking up. It was like waking up without knowing that you fell asleep, only with a strange thing in her nose and all sorts of machines attached to her small body. She squirmed slightly as the bed was sort of uncomfortable. She opened her eyes a little noticing and instantly recognizing the figure that sat beside her.
“Rarity?” Sweetie Belle said gently.