Rainbow Dash blinked rapidly, her eyes watering as a light as bright as the sun suddenly flared across her vision. She pulled Twilight closer to her chest, tears running down her cheeks as a loud voice suddenly boomed through the castle ruins.
“Take Twilight Sparkle and get yourselves to safety! Go now!” The voice roared, anger and boundless power evident in the bodiless voice. A surge of power rippled through the structure, shattering the wall behind her with an ear splitting crack. Rainbow’s eyes went wide as magic swirled before her, condensing into a ball before expanding with a massive roar. A silvery portal appeared before her, through which she could just make out the waiting room of the Ponyville hospital.
Rainbow licked her lips, her eyes falling to the mare in her lap. She pressed a hoof to Twilight’s chest, a spark of hope filling her as she felt the weak thump of the unicorn’s heart. She slid her arms under the mare's neck, cradling her in her grip as she limped to the portal, slowly pushing a hoof through the strange material.
Her hooves went numb for a brief second as she limped through the portal, briefly stumbling as she lost all feeling in her body for a second. She steadied herself, pulled Twilight's motionless body closer to her chest, and pumped her wings as she suddenly appeared in the hospital.
“I need a doctor! Please, anypony, help!” She screamed, her eyes darting to the mare in her arms as the sound of hoofsteps filled the corridor. A doctor came galloping into view, his eyes focusing instantly focusing on Twilight's slumped body.
His horn shone a brilliant blue as he gently lifted the mare out of Dash's arms, her body drifting to a nearby gurney as the doctor screamed orders to the nurses around him.
“We need to get her into surgery, now!” The doctor thundered, his hooves clacking on the linoleum floor as he pushed the stretcher down the hallway. Rainbow lowered herself to the ground, limping after them as they wheeled the gurney out of the waiting room and into an empty surgery room.
Rainbow Dash looked on helplessly, her cyan fur stained red. She stared at the doors leading to the surgery room. Images of Twilight's bloody fur were burned into her eyes, her breath coming raggedly as she took a step closer to the doors, straining her neck as she struggled to look into the surgery room.
“Rainbow Dash.” A calm voice called out from behind her, drawing her attention away from the doors. She turned reluctantly, her eyes widening as she saw Princess Celestia stepping toward her, her white fur as spotless as ever. Her horn flared a bright golden light as a wheelchair rolled forward, rolling to a stop in front of Rainbow. “Will you come with me, please?”
Rainbow Dash glanced back at the door before nodding stiffly. She folded her wings in, her tail twitching behind her in irritation as she limped forward, letting herself fall into the wheelchair with a huff. Celestia's horn flared dimly as the wheelchair followed the princess’s billowing mane through the hospital corridors. She wrestled with her mounting anger, her eyes narrowing as Celestia smiled and nodded at each and every mare and stallion they passed.
Princess Celestia ducked into a doorway, the wheelchair following obediently behind her. Rainbow cocked an eye at the doctor waiting in the small room, who nervously smiled at her as she glanced over at the Princess. The wheelchair rolled into the room, sliding to a stop in front of the mare.
“I asked Doctor Stable to take a look at your leg.” Celestia said, calmly grabbing a magazine in her magical grip and flipping it open to a random page. Rainbow Dash glared at the alicorn, her eyes blazing with barely restrained anger as Celestia ignored the angry mare.
Doctor Stable's horn glowed a bright yellow, his magic coiling around Dash's leg with a cool embrace. Rainbow let her eyes slowly drift to her leg, staring at the magic twisting around her leg. The doctor's horn flared as his magic applied pressure to the injured leg, a series of light pops ringing through the room. She hissed as her leg bone slowly shifted, her broken leg straightening out as the bone slowly melded back together.
“If you can repair my leg that easily, Twilight should be okay… right?” Dash hesitantly asked, her eyes jerking to Princess Celestia as a loud ripping sound rang throughout the small office. Celestia stared at the torn halves of the magazine, her eyes unfocused as she quietly set the magazine remains on the table beside her.
“Ahem... It's not that easy with unicorns. Their magic actively fights our healing magic, and results can be... unpredictable at best.” Doctor Stable said, running a hoof through his mane as he cast an uncertain look at the Princess in the corner. “We have the best doctors in Ponyville looking after her though.” Stable smiled reassuringly at Dash before heading out of the small office.
Rainbow watched him leave, before turning to Princess Celestia. “You can do something, can't you? You’re the holder of the sun! Surely you can... help her...” Rainbow said, her face falling as Celestia slowly shook her head. “Well, like the doctor said, she'll be fine... right?”
Celestia opened her mouth, an obvious reassurance on her tongue before she closed her mouth. “I am not sure, Rainbow Dash. My student is one of the strongest ponies I know. But it is up to her…”
Rainbow Dash nodded, her eyes falling to stare at the ground. Her ear twitched as the pounding of hooves echoed into the room, inaudible shouting heard from the hallway outside.
A mare burst into the room, her eyes tight as she turned to face Princess Celestia.
“Princess... Miss Sparkle is not responding well. If we cannot stop the bleeding soon...” She trailed off as she glanced over at Rainbow Dash. “If we cannot stop the bleeding soon, she will not make it through the night.”
Princess Celestia nodded, her eyes closed as she looked at the mare at the doorway. “Thank you for letting me know, Nurse Redheart. Please, do whatever you can for her... I'll pay for it myself.” The nurse nodded and quickly left the room. Turning to look back at Rainbow, Princess Celestia said, “Come, let us see how Twilight is doing.”
Rainbow Dash followed the alicorn out of the room, her mind a whirlwind of anger, sorrow, and most prevalent amongst her feelings... fear. They traveled through the hospital, Celestia once again greeting every pony that crossed their path. Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide as Nurse Redheart pushed open a doorway, revealing a bandaged and unconscious Twilight.
Rainbow darted forward, speeding to Twilight's side, her eyes rapidly wondering over the unicorns body. Her fur was cleaned, bandages wrapped around several sections of her body. A blanket covered her lower half, but Dash was sure that her lower half was just as damaged.
“She will make it right?” Dash asked, staring at her marefriend, her eyes watery.
“She will have to,” Celestia said, her eyes roaming the walls around them.
Rainbow gritted her teeth, a dull pounding filling her ears as she shot a venomous glare at the alicorn beside her. “You have to save her! You can’t just sit here and do nothing!” She yelled, slamming her hoof on the floor angrily. “She goes on all the time about how amazing you are, but when the time comes when you are really needed, you just fold up and let other ponies do your work!”
Celestia looked as if she had been slapped, and Rainbow could have sworn that she saw a sad expression appear on her face, if only for a moment.
“You lied! You said she'd be fine!” Dash suddenly screamed, anger evident in her voice as she turned, glaring at the alicorn, her hoof trembling as she pointed it accusingly at her.
“I know I did!” Celestia thundered, her voice booming at the angry pegasus. Her mane snapped behind her, flicking angrily in an invisible wind. “You think you're the only pony who cares for Twilight?! She is like a daughter to me, yet you accuse me of not caring for her!” She trailed off, her anger spent, replaced by a deep sorrow.
Rainbow landed and glared at Celestia as tears came to her eyes. “I swear, if Twilight dies...” She trailed off, sobs wrecking her thin body as Celestia stepped forward.
Princess Celestia lowered her head to nuzzle the sorrowful pegasus. “I am sorry, Rainbow Dash. But this is up to Twilight now... I cannot force her to come back to us.” Celestia lifted her head, a single tear falling down her face as she turned to leave the room. Behind her, she faintly caught Rainbow's last whispered words.
“Please Twilight... Don't leave me...”
~Twilight Sparkle~
The unicorn sat quietly, her head gazing at the midnight sky above her. Her eyes trailed across the stars, picking out each and every inaccuracy among the constellations. She shook her head slowly, her eyes drifting to the ground before her.
She sat upon a small island, the mass of land slowly drifting through space. She felt completely at ease, a smile on her face as the stars above her slowly winked out, the sky becoming darker and darker.
The island seemed to pick up speed, drifting ever closer to the sky, until she could almost reach up and drag a hoof through the milky blackness. She cocked her head as the sky suddenly ripped apart, a white glow filling its space as she drifted closer.
A sudden urge gripped her mind; an urge to throw herself into the glow. Her tail nervously flicked back and forth as she slowly stretched a hoof skyward. She pulled her arm back as a fierce scream suddenly filled the air.
"No! You lied! You said she'd be fine!" The bodiless voice screamed, filled with anger. She could feel her ears flatten as her heart fluttered against her chest. A moment passed and she slowly stretched her hoof out once again.
She froze as the voice returned.
"I swear, if you let Twilight die..." The voice trailed off, a soft weeping filling the silence around her. A second phantom voice joined the first.
"I am sorry, Rainbow Dash. But this is up to Twilight now... I can't force her to come back to us." The voice was mystical; an ancient sadness hidden within it's comforting tone. She turned, her eyes scanning in every direction for the source of the voices.
She narrowed her eyes, blinking as the judged the darkness below her. Her heart raced as she fought the urge to close her eyes, a deep fear rising in her mind as she peered into the blackness. If she wasn't mistaken, she would almost bet that the void below her was suddenly lighter.
"Please Twilight... Don't leave me..."
A spark fired in her chest, heat flashing across her heart as the usually confident voice echoed brokenly through the darkness. She stepped closer to the island's edge, her eyes studying the space below her. Above her the white glow was almost blinding, mere feet above her horn now.
She smiled as images flashed across her mind, each and everyone centering on a familiar pegasus. She stood on her back legs, her forelegs stretched out to either side of her as she closed her eyes. She leaned back, wind whistling past her back as gravity took hold.
"You've never let me fall before... Catch me, Dashie"