Softness. That was the first thing she acknowledged when she woke up. Warmth, comfort. It felt strange, after all she'd been through to feel so at peace and comforted here. She at first wanted to just lie back here, wherever she was, forget her troubles and just rest. After all, she had earned it, her tired mind told her. Take your time, don't worry about a thing, not where you are, what happened or…
Her head felt fuzzy and blurry, as well as rather weak in her limbs. The spell, it must have drained the last of her energy… she'd been inside his mind. They'd ended Doom together, her and Dusk… wait, Dusk!
Now that feeling of peace was gone, as was her drowsiness. She shot up and took in her surroundings, suddenly frantic to know where she was. She soon realised why she felt so comfortable, recognising the blue sheets she lay under, the sun streaming in through her window. She was in her room, in her bed, back at the library. She checked the sun in the sky. It was only just rising above the horizon. But… how could that be? It had only been the afternoon when…
Her worries only increased now. She looked out of her window. There were still signs of damage, but it was clear some reconstruction was already going on. Everypony was fine, they were back to normal. Her spell had worked! That gave her some relief, but not enough to fill her completely. The town was safe, but what about her friends? Spike? Dusk…?
In the end, she got an answer to at least one of those questions. Looking to the foot of her bed she saw Spike, sound asleep in his basket. Apart from the obvious signs outside, this looked like just the start of another normal day. In fact, if these things weren't here, she would be entirely convinced that the events that had happened were all just some horrible nightmare. It would be so much easier to think of it as that.
But would that happen? Did she expect Dusk to just come through the door, kiss her and then just get on as usual, perhaps practice some new spell that Luna had taught him or help her out with her own? They'd share some laughs, some disappointments, but it would just be another great day, apart from his grimacing and moments of silence that she knew exactly the reason for, but would never address it.
No… it wouldn't be like that. As much as she didn't want it to, it had happened now. Doom had returned, just how she always feared he would, but they had beaten him. They'd saved their town yet again, but not without some cost. She could only imagine what had happened to Dusk now and Rainbow, especially after her wings were…
Guilt hit her again. How could she have forgotten about Rainbow? Out of all of them, she had probably suffered just as badly as Dusk. She had brought it on herself, but she still had her wings broken. But what was she meant to do? Who was meant to be her priority here? Were they both okay, recovering somewhere? What had happened after she'd blacked out? What about the others? Had she been too late?
She rounded on Spike, about to wake him, only to see the dragon was already starting to stir.
"Whazat… who's there…? Twilight…?" He raised his head, his eyes half open, which snapped up all the way when he beheld her. "Twilight! You're okay!"
"Spike! Yes, I'm okay!" Despite the situation, she returned his hug. "What about you though?"
"Me? Oh, I'm fine." He rapped his chest proudly. "Thick scales and nerves of steel. Completely unshakable."
"Yeah, trying telling that to the mouse that you found in the basement," she giggled.
"Hey! That thing startled me, I said before!" he defended. "Anyway, I'm glad you're awake. Luna said that you would be by morning, but still."
"Luna? She was here?" Her worry returned again. "What about Celestia? Was everything okay? Did my spell actually work? Did-?"
"Calm down, your spell worked fine," he cut off. "They just came in to make sure there was no lingering influence of Doom. It's fine though, nopony really remembers anything from the point the spell was used on them."
She allowed the relief to sweep through her after hearing those words. A side effect of magic like that was, once it wore off, the pony in question didn't retain any memory of anything they'd done, as they weren't themselves when it happened. Not only that, but she was hoping that would be the case too… for different reasons.
"Right… good. I thought that might be the case," she nodded. "What about everypony else?"
"They're all fine," he assured. "You managed to pull off that spell in the nick of time though. We were just about done, then we all heard this weird whooshing noise and roaring, everypony was holding their heads and that freaky smoke came out of their heads. Next, they were asking us what we were all doing up there."
"What did you tell them?" she asked urgently.
"Just that Blackhole Doom attacked the town, took over, but we managed to beat him off, the princesses backed us up on that," he added. "Then they found you, said that you'd be fine by morning and bought you back here. The rest of the day was spent repairing any damage or allowing ponies to recover from injuries."
"Nopony was badly hurt?"
"There some cases of bruising and cuts… kinda awkward explaining that one since, technically, we were the ones that caused them, but nothing permanent," he reported brightly.
"Right… good," she repeated. Another question surfaced in her mind, one that she found herself dreading somewhat. "What about… Dusk?"
That dread only worsened when Spike broke eye contact, shuffled on his feet and fiddled with his claws. Before she could question him further, she heard the door opening downstairs and worried voices travelling up it.
"Twah'light? Spike, y'all here?"
"Sorry if we're bothering you, but… it would be nice to know if you're all okay."
That feeling of comfort returned again at the sound of her friend's voices and she even felt a smile start to grow on her face. Spike too looked relieved and hurried downstairs, Twilight following in his wake.
"They said they were gonna come round and check on you," he said quickly to her before shouting downstairs, "Don't worry, she's fine! Just like the princesses said!"
A second later, there they were, relief breaking on out on their faces. Apart from looking a little shaken, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Ray all looked fine and were just happy to see that she was too.
"Guys! I'm so glad you're okay!" They all gathered around her in a group hug, with the exception of one.
"We're glad to see you're well too, darling," Rarity said. "We were all so worried about you!"
"Yeah, you really looked tuckered out from that spell. Like when you crash after too much partying," said Pinkie. "You don't have a headache and blurry vision, do ya?"
"No, my head and eyes are fine, thank you, Pinkie," she assured.
"Great… hey, whaddya think you're doing?" she added to Ray, who was hanging out on the fringes. "Come on, get in here!"
"Really?" He looked a little surprised at being invited to do this. "I mean, I know we're all friends but… you sure it's okay for me to-?"
"Come on, leadin' us all against a horde-a crazy ponies comes to ya like pullin' a cart, but a bunch-a mares all havin' a tender moment, that's when yer unsure?" Applejack shook her head, smiling. "That's colts fer ya."
"Really?" They broke up and Twilight stepped towards him. "You took charge?"
"Absolutely and a fine job he did of it too," added Rarity. "I dare say that we wouldn't be here, were it not for his efforts."
"Yep, born leader this guy," said Spike with confidence.
"Thanks girls. I mean, I thought I did a good job, but it's good to know you all thought so too," he chuckled. "So… am I okay for a hug?"
"Yes, you are." Smiling, Twilight pulled him as well, giving him a personal hug. "I'm happy to see you're safe too, Ray."
"You too, Twilight," he returned warmly.
"Thank you for taking care of our friends." She pulled back and smiled at him. "It's good to know I can count on you."
"Happy to do it. Besides, they took care of me as much as I did them," he joked. "We all did great, especially Fluttershy here."
"Oh um… I'm sure you all did much better than me…" she muttered quietly.
"Come on, if you hadn't been tending to Rainbow during our fight, she'd probably be in worse shape than she already was." There was a slight red tint to his cheeks as he said this. "You did great, Flutters."
She blushed from the use of this nickname, but returned the smile. "Thank you… you did great too, Ray. I know I keep saying but… you were really brave."
"Heh, just doing my best, like always, but thanks…" He rubbed the back of his head, that red tint now increased.
To save him some embarrassment and to quiet her own fears, Twilight posed her next question. "How is Rainbow, by the way?"
"Recoverin' at the hospital," Applejack told her. "We were all gonna go see her, if yer feelin' up ta it."
"Wait, hold on. What about…" She collected herself, preparing for anything they might tell her. "What about… Dusk?"
As soon as she uttered those words, silence fell over the group. None of them would look her in the eye, exchanging glances with each other in a way that only made Twilight more worried. She heard a quiet whimper from Flutterhy, Ray rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Why weren't they telling her anything? What was wrong?
Finally, Applejack spoke. "We were… gonna check up on him too. He's… at the hospital too."
That didn't exactly comfort her. "Why? What's wrong with him?"
"We… we don't know yet." Rarity gazed at her sympathetically. "They said they were going to check over him and tell us today but… it's hard to say."
"But… what…?"
"I think it would be best if we find out when we get there," Ray said. "I'm sure he's fine, Twilight." There wasn't a whole lot of conviction in his voice, but Twilight appreciated the gesture.
"Right… let's go then," she said resignedly, knowing they weren't going to tell her anything… and a small part of her didn't want them to.
They made the journey through town, passing construction crews at work on the buildings. Compared to when Spike had rampaged through, the destruction wasn't as bad as it could have been. Quite a few windows had been broken, doors smashed in, carts turned over and there was the crash that Rainbow had left, which had also caused some damage to surrounding structures. Now though, most of it had been repaired, though the cracks and crater in the square were still being filled in.
As a town that could now and again be threatened by any kind of threat, the ponies here had learned to work together in the best way possible to fix any damage done as a result.
While they walked, Twilight just couldn't stop worrying about Dusk. Her friend's silence hadn't done anything to make that better, if only serving to make it worse. What was so wrong with Dusk that they needed to wait until today to find out? Or did they really know and they were just keeping the truth from her, to prevent her pain? If this was had been caused by what she had done… how could she ever learn to live with herself?
These anxieties remained with her when they arrived. Because the hospital was at the edge of town and most of the chaos had been focused at its centre, the hospital had been largely undamaged by Doom or the converted Ponyvillians. This was lucky, as most of the medical staff who had hidden there could get to work quickly on patients sent in from the aftermath or continue to treat those already present.
Either Doom had thought those in the hospital too weak to be part of his army or he had left it as part of some other agenda. If he had targeted it though, if they hadn't acted when they had…
They signed themselves in, told them who they were visiting and went to see Rainbow first. She knew it was selfish, cowardly even, but part of her wanted to put off seeing Dusk, to have longer to prepare for… whatever might have happened.
They arrived at her room to find her already awake, beaming at the sight of them. "There you are! What the hay took you guys so long? I've been dying of boredom here!"
"Well, we had to wash her hooves before we came in and you know how long girls take with bathroom stuff," joked Ray, offering a hoof to bump.
"I'm almost tempted not to bump you for that. Almost." She grinned and brought up hers. "Nice to see you're still kicking, Ray."
"Likewise, minus the wings, of course," he added. Rainbow frowned at this.
"How is she, doctor?" asked Twilight, glad to get her mind onto something else.
"She's going to be fine," he repoted brightly, holding up x-rays of her broken wings. "Luckily she has friends like you who got her over here in a jiffy."
"How long do I need to lie here? I've got things I need to do!" said Rainbow impatiently.
"Well, that all depends on your recovery, but I'd say a few days minimum."
"You guys have gotta get me out of here, I'm gonna climb the walls!" she said desperately.
"While you might be tempted, I would advise you to refrain from as little activity as possible, if you wish to recover quickly," the doctor returned, leaving them all with her.
Rainbow growled disgruntledly. "Since you're all here then, mind telling me what happened after my… incident?"
Twilight listened while the others recounted all that happened after Doom broke her wings, how Twilight had fought him and beaten him (They didn't ask her to tell that, thankfully), how Ray had taken leadership of the group against the Doomites and that it was he who was responsible for rescuing her in the first place.
"Actually, that's something I've been meaning to ask," Twilight said when the subject arrived at this. "Ray, you teleported in that fight. How is that possible?"
"Yes and throughout our skirmish as well," added Rarity. "Care to explain how you can do such advanced magic with little to no effort?"
"I wouldn't say that exactly, but there's not much to it, really," he shrugged. "Just something I've been gifted at ever since I was little. I'd always impress others with it, try and earn a little more respect which I really kinda needed."
"He wasn't too well liked at his home," said Rarity with understanding. "I'll let him explain it better later but go on for now, Ray."
"Thanks." He smiled at her and continued. "Yeah, it was actually a complete accident I did discover it. I tried when I was nine and I wanted to do the hardest spell I could in order to get in to the magic school there, something to really impress them, you know?"
"You tried performing advanced level magic without knowing what effect it might have?" asked Twilight incredulously. "At that age, that could have killed you! What were you thinking?"
"Heh… I guess I wasn't." He rubbed the back of his head and coughed. "I just thought I'd go for it, see what would happen."
"Good policy, I'm the same," chuckled Rainbow. "So what, you were zapping to the finish line of every race you ran after that? Like to see how those kids would look."
"Actually, I couldn't really control it at first," he admitted. "I would now and again have teleporting sprees, just zapping somewhere one second, then somewhere else a second later. I ended up in some uh… weird places, to say the least." He flushed at the memories. "I got it under control in the end though and it worked for a while. Some of the kids did pay attention to me."
"Why only for a while?" asked Pinkie.
"Well… after some time, they didn't think I was cool anymore. They just thought I was some kind of a weirdo… a freak. Just because for something I could do they couldn't." His expression darkened as he spoke. "I coped with it but…"
He trailed off, unable to continue. Pinkie placed a leg around him comfortingly and he smiled up at her, along with the rest of the group. Twilight felt pity well up for him when she was reminded why that, until he had met them, he had been alone. Just like… she couldn't voice her thoughts on that though…
"You really remind me of Dusk, sometimes," Rarity remarked. "I think that was what he was scared of where his magic was concerned too."
"You know, I had a feeling you'd say that," he returned. "Hey, do you think Dusk's magic could-?"
"Would you shut up about Dusk already?" snapped Rainbow. Her smile had gone, her expression sour once more.
"What's got you all saddle-sore all-a sudden?" Applejack asked, surprised as they all were by this outburst.
"Why do you think?" She gestured to her wings. "Whose fault is it that I'm in this place? Who was it that first broke my wings, laughing while he did it?!"
"How can you say that?" Twilight was rather shocked to hear this. "How can you blame Dusk for this? It wasn't his fault!"
"The hay it wasn't!" she yelled. "He's got as much to answer for as his big brother does and I'm just as willing to give him the test!"
"Rainbow! Keep your voice down!" hissed Rarity.
"Why should I?!" She slammed her hooves down on the bed. "I couldn't do anything! All I could do was scream while he took my wings and snapped them like twigs! Well, now I'm gonna make up for it and I don't care what you say!"
"Well, you should!" Ray looked absolutely livid from this outburst. "You have no right to say that!"
Rainbow looked just as shocked at Ray's outburst, but she stood her ground. "I got every right and don't you go trying to tell me otherwise!"
"You can't tell me what to do, just like you can't blame Dusk for what's happened to you!" he retorted. "He wasn't in control, you know he wouldn't have done something like that!"
"Seemed perfectly fine doing it to me and now I'm stuck here!"
"Well, guess what? Your wings will get better, but what about him? You think that this is any easier for him? You think you've got it worse than he does?!"
"Why do you care anyway?!"
"Why don't you?!"
"At least he won't be bored out of his skull, though I'm gonna bore into it when I get outta here!"
"You try anything and I'll make sure that you're put back in the second you get out!"
"Oh yeah?" She shot closer, snorting and glaring at him. "You wanna go a round, horn head?!"
"Bring it on, splinter wings!"
"Ray, stop it!" Fluttershy placed herself in-between them, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Both of you, please! This isn't helping anypony!"
Ray rounded on her, still glaring. "But she-!" He stopped when she scurried back, hiding behind her mane and weeping all the more. "I… I'm sorry, Fluttershy… I just… I lost it, I guess."
Whilst Ray calmed down and comforted Fluttershy, Twilight and the others marvelled at his sudden outburst. They would have leaped to Dusk's defence, but Ray was really being passionate about it, especially considering he got on with Rainbow the best out of all of them. Even now, she could see them looking daggers at each other. Was it because he considered Dusk to be his best friend and that was why?
But the way he had done that… it was with such empathy and conviction. What did that mean?
"Did I hear raised voices in here?" A nurse had arrived at the door, looking around suspiciously.
"No, nurse. Everything's fine," muttered Rainbow darkly.
"All right, my little ponies. Rainbow Dash needs her rest," the nurse told them. "You'll have to come back tomorrow."
The atmosphere still thick enough to cut with a knife, they all left with some cautious glances at the two ponies, a book shelf left outside the door. Remembering what Rainbow had said about being bored and hoping this might make her feel better, Twilight picked out a book that caught her eye immediately and gave it to her before she left.
"Here, you can try reading this. I think you might like it. I do, so does…" She trailed off, unable to finish turned to go.
She heard her mutter the title, something about reading being for eggheads and left her to it.
"Well… that happened," Pinkie remarked. "You okay Ray? You wanna-?"
"No, I don't," he said sharply. "Come on, Dusk now."
"Right, yes…" The others must have noticed the hesitance in Twilight's voice and stopped.
Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder. "We're all here for you, Twilight. It'll be fine."
"Yeah… okay… let's go." With each step feeling like a death march, Twilight followed them down the halls.
Now, it was time for the moment she'd been both anticipating and dreading. Twilight could feel her nerves mounting as they were taken to Intensive Care. She didn't want to see the state that he might be in but… she knew she had to. An image surfaced in her mind of him attached to life-support machines or reduced to a state of catatonia from the effect of her spell… or worse.
Needless to say, when they reached the door to his room, Twilight was seriously doubting if she could go in there, if she could even cope with what she might see. Her mind switched to a sort of autopilot, allowing herself to be guided in by the doctor and her friends, having no choice but to see him.
She froze at the door, unsure what to make of the sight, perhaps even unable.
"Oh my…" Fluttershy was the first to hurry forward. "Big brother…"
"Ah suppose that… it could be a lot worse," commented Applejack.
Rarity shook her head standing beside her. "I don't really see how."
"He could be dead, but he isn't," Ray said bluntly. "Be thankful for that… I know I am."
Not even Pinkie had any kind of comment or joke to lighten the atmosphere, nothing to comfort Twilight when she joined them by the bed.
He was alive. At least, that was what the beeping of the heart monitor next to him told her. An air respirator was attached to the area around his mouth and nose, allowing him to breathe properly. Tubes ran into his legs from IV bags hanging next to his bed, allowing him to be fed or for doctors to take samples of his blood. Twilight's analytical mind analysed these machines while her emotional side… just tried to comprehend.
He was lying there, on his bed, absent of his hat, glasses… and necklace. She absently felt hers when she noticed this, not entirely sure why. His eyes were closed, his mouth open while his chest rose and fell in gentle, steady rhythm. He was alive, her mind repeated. That was what she could take in now but… what about the rest?
"How is he, doctor?" It was Rarity who asked this, but Twilight didn't even look up.
"That's rather difficult to say," he said, walking over to Dusk. "Physically, apart from some minor and moderate lacerations and bruises, Dusk is fine. Mentally, however, we can't really say. He has entered a comatose state, with little to no acknowledgement of the world around him. He's alive, yes, but unresponsive."
There was a moment of silence to let that sink in. "How long will he be like this?" asked Ray.
"Again, we can't say with certainty," replied the doctor. "Coma patients can take as little as several days to recover, some as long as several years. Like I said, there doesn't appear to be any physical reason why he would be in this state, it might be something in his head, something mental, that he's like this. Whatever Doom did to him, I think he's just lucky to be alive."
Twilight turned around now, offering a confused look to the group, but didn't say anything.
"Strange… it's almost as if his mind as shut down completely…" The doctor seemed to ponder before he continued on. "Now, I want to elaborate something. As far as we know, Dusk will be fine, but we don't know how long it will be until he wakes up. I know it sounds difficult but… you may have to become accustomed to this. He will still need your help, so it's important that you're here to help him along, until he wakes up."
"And when he does… will he be okay?" asked Fluttershy, her voice lower than a whisper.
The doctor sighed. "We're not entirely sure of that either. There is the possibility that he'll be fine, but… he also may not be the same if he does come out of it. I'm sorry, but we're just not sure."
"Then be sure!" Twilight snapped. "I'm sorry, doctor, I just…"
"I understand, this must be difficult for you." He smiled sympathetically. "I'll give you some time with him."
The doctor left them in the room, so that only the beeping of the heart-beat monitor and the breathing of his respirator. Artificial and natural, working to keep him alive. Like the two different aspects clashing against each other like this, Twilight just didn't know how to feel. All she could do was gaze at him, everything else melting away.
"Well… like I said, he's alive. That's good… right?" Nopony said anything in direct response to this.
"We uh… we told 'em that Doom kidnapped an'… well, ya know." The end of Applejack's sentence was implicitly clear to those listening. "Nopony knows, 'cept fer us a-course. We figured it'd be best."
"Yes… right…" Even to her, Twilight's voice felt distant and detached. Not even looking up.
"Twilight, I cannot imagine how you must be feeling right now, but you mustn't blame yourself for this," urged Rarity. "You did everything you could for him, you couldn't have known this would happen."
"You saved him, Twilight." Pinkie's voice was strangely sombre, yet still optimistic. "Look at him now. He looks so peaceful. If wasn't for… all this, he could be sleeping. I think it might be the best he's slept for a while now…"
Looking at him, the unicorn had to agree. His expression appeared to be one of peace and comfort, that this was just the long sleep before his awakening. Strange how, even when things looked their bleakest, Pinkie could still bring a small ray of hope. Not much, but she'd take it… she was going to need it.
"Come on, everypony. I think these two deserve some time alone." Twilight felt a surge of gratitude towards Spike, who smiled in understanding to her and gently guided the others away.
Fluttershy was last to go. She remained a few moments, hugging him as best she could on the bed.
"Be okay, big brother… come back to us…"
Tears glistening down her face, she followed them out, closing the door behind them. So now, it was just the two of them, though not in the way she would have liked.
Twilight didn't know many things about this. She didn't know if he was going to ever wake up, if he would even be the same when he awoke, if he would be in the same mental state, if his mind had been damaged beyond repair. The things she did know didn't give her much comfort and she cursed them quietly. But seeing him here, now, still breathing, his heart still beating, in the wake of her friend's words gave her one, vital thing, while he had given her another.
Hope… and faith. And she wasn't going to let them go. She remembered reading about how coma patients were meant to be aware of the world around them… she might as well try.
"Hey… it's me. It's Twilight. I've… come to see you. I should have brought grapes, sorry." No change. He would have laughed at that. "I hope that… you're comfortable. I wouldn't want you to have any trouble… sleeping. The staff… might see an example of my temper." Her feeble attempts at humour weren't making her feel any better. Her cheeks were already feeling wet from tears she never knew she was crying. "Oh Dusk… I'm so sorry… for everything. It shouldn't… shouldn't be like this. This is wrong… this is all wrong… it's all my fault, I'm so sorry…"
She leaned in closer, placing her hooves on his, gazing imploringly at him, like she could will him to wake up.
"I should have been there for you, I should have done something. I know it isn't much, but I'll make it up to you, right now. From now on, until you wake up, I'm never, ever going to leave your side. I promise." She pressed her hoof against his cheek, kissing his forehead. "I love you… I'm sorry I never told you that before… I love you…"
A day passed since then. A day since seeing two of her best friends, two ponies she viewed as pillars of strength in her life, always there to comfort and encourage her, in situations where it may seem like they would never recover. One angry and embittered, the other in an eternal, endless sleep, kept alive by machines and tubes. Fluttershy just didn't know which was worse.
She sat in her cottage, barely able to move from her couch, the floor around her soaked and flooded with her tears. She'd buckled and braced under the terrors of Doom and his monsters, had tried to be brave in the hope that once he was gone, everything would be back to the way it was, that it would all be okay. Instead, all this had happened and she just couldn't take it.
She hadn't seen any of the others since yesterday. She'd just returned to her home, didn't come out for anypony or anything, trying to comprehend why everything looked like it was falling apart, if there was any hope it would ever go back to normal. Ray and Rainbow fighting like that, Dusk hooked up to those machines and barely moving… it had all been too much. She couldn't be brave and that just made her feel worse.
Poor Dusk… having to endure the evil of Blackhole Doom for so long, alone, telling none of them about it for fear of how they might react. And what if he wasn't really gone? What if he ended up coming back, meaner and stronger than ever? Dusk would have to go through all that again, all that pain and suffering, caused by Doom and acted with his own hooves. No wonder there had been times he'd looked so sad when he looked at her or any of them.
She'd want to go to him, to tell him that she understood how that felt too. But what if she went and he woke up and it wasn't his warm emerald green eyes she saw, but those cold, callous jade ones staring back at her? The very thought just made her want to scream in fright and she did, annoying Angel, who was cleaning up her tears.
What kind of little sister was she, that she was too weak to even go to the one she considered her brother? How pathetic was she…
There was a knock at her door. She would have went to answer it, but decided not to. Nopony would want to see her like this. If she just stayed quiet, perhaps they'd go away. A part of her didn't want them to but… she just didn't know anymore…
That changed a little when she heard the voice. "Fluttershy? It's Ray. Are… you okay in there?"
"R-Ray?" Her voice must sound even weaker than usual. "I… I… it's o-open… i-i-if you want to come in…"
"Okay… I'm coming in." Slowly, he opened the door and stepped inside, his eyes settling on her on the couch. "Fluttershy? Are you okay?"
The sight of him triggered something in her, a need for some kind of comfort that she wasn't sure actually existed or not. Seeing him now, this last vestige of hope arrived at her door, brought it to life. Forgetting her inhibitions and her reservations, overcome only with that need, there was only one thing that drove her in her mind. Still sobbing, overwhelmed with both sadness and relief, she hurried over and captured him in a hug.
She felt some embarrassment when his body tensed from her contact. She felt a heat rise to her cheeks from it, but her mortification ended when he seemed to relax into it, returning the hug with care and tenderness. His fur felt warm, soft against hers and she already began to feel better. She didn't really know what it was, just that this felt somehow…
Right. She blushed even more from the thought.
"Having a rough time, huh?" he asked lightly. She sniffed and nodded. "Well, that's what I'm here for."
She looked up at him, that carefree smile set on his face. "You… you mean… you…?"
"Use your words, Flutters," he joked. She tingled a little from that recent nickname. "Yeah, I was worried about you so… I thought I might come and check on you."
"You… did?" His concern for her only increased that feeling. "I mean… if it's not too much trouble."
"Not even a little bit, you look like you need it anyway." He pulled out of the hug, his own cheeks quite red. "You wanna have a sit down then?"
Nodding silently again, they sat down on the couch together, mere feet away from one another. Another thought that made the heat rise in her face.
"Good thing I did show up then." A more serious note was in his voice. "This all must be hard for you."
"Yeah…" She wiped away some of her tears and tried looking him in the eye. "I mean… poor Rainbow… I hope she's okay…"
"Figured you'd be worried about that." There was detectable edge in his voice at the mention of her. "She'll be fine. She's already awake and recovering."
"I know, but…"
"From what you guys have told me, and from what I've seen, she's been through a million crashes and come out fine," he said confidently. "Okay, this isn't exactly a crash, but she's a tough cookie. She'll make it through this, even if the boredom does drive her nuts."
She smiled a little from that. "I… I suppose you're right. Just me being silly, I guess…"
"Silly?" He looked incredulous. "I don't see any silly ponies here. Just a gentle, kind Pegasus pony who cares enough about her friends that she's worried about them. That's not silly, that's just you and I like you. The others do too," he added quickly, another slight blush.
"Thanks Ray…" That smile had grown a little now. "I… I like you too…"
"Heh, thanks…" He rubbed the back of his head and coughed loudly. "But I get the feeling that's not all, is it?"
"Yes…" The smile had gone now, that dread growing once more in the pit of her stomach.
Showing his uncanny ability to read ponies, Ray spoke up. "I'm worried about Dusk too. I mean, he's the best pal I've ever had. But I'm sure he'll wake up soon enough, it's only a matter of time."
"It's not just that though…" she whispered. "I'm… I'm scared about… when he does… and if a-a-a-anything else m-m-might… wake up too…"
He comprehended her meaning in seconds. "Oh. You mean him?"
She nodded fearfully. "I mean, I know Twilight did her spell and I know he's meant to be gone, but what if he isn't? What if poor Dusk has to live with him, inside his head, for the rest of his life, with nothing anypony else can do?" Her voice started to break, sobs cutting her off. "I've seen mean, but… he's just evil and… my big brother has to live with him, growling and… and snarling in his head like an angry hydra. Worse… he might come back again and I'd lose him again! I… I don't want to lose him again, I want him back!"
The tears began to fall again and she buried her face in her hooves. How Ray must be feeling right now, having to deal with her like this again. She considered just saying that he could leave if he wanted. He didn't say anything to her, so she was probably making him feel worse now. How much of a burden she must be to him…
She heard the sound of fur brushing on fabric, felt the gentle warmth of a leg being placed around her. It was tentative, unsure at first, but she found herself needing this again and she let him. She let him pull her in closer, wrap his other foreleg around her, in a manner that suggested like he was protecting her from something. She could even feel his hoof gently stroking her mane, silently comforting and calming her.
Once again, this just felt right somehow. Like she could just stay here, in his caring embrace forever. Safe and secure… When he spoke, his voice took on a sympathetic tone that she'd never heard before.
"I don't have any easy answers, Flutters," he said a little sadly. "But what I can tell you is that you shouldn't worry, or you'll just cause yourself even more distress. Like now."
"I know…" Her voice was muffled slightly, buried into his shoulder. She looked up at him. "But I still… I still worry about him. How… how can I not?"
"I understand." He continued to hold her, to stroke her mane. "I know where you're coming from and I understand why."
"W-w-what do you mean?" she stammered.
He sounded a little grim now. "Twilight may have done her spell, the essence of Doom might be gone but, in a way, his dark side will never be really gone. Not completely. It'll always be there underneath the surface of everything else."
"So… so I'm right?" she asked fearfully. "Oh no… no…"
"No, but that's okay," he went on. "All of us have a darker part of ourselves. Some of us can overcome it, others… they let it consume them. But in the end, it doesn't really matter. If you choose to be better than it, to not let it get the better of you, then that's half the battle won and I think Dusk is gonna keep fighting on."
"But… how do you know?"
"From what you've told me, he's had to deal with this thing for six months and in all that time, he never let it get the better of him. He was still able to laugh and be happy, to enjoy himself and spend time with all of you. He didn't let it win, he kept on fighting and I know he's gonna do the same again when he wakes up. I know he will…"
Fluttershy felt a little emboldened by his words. It sounded rather inspiring when he said it like that. Inspiring and… knowing. Like he understood it in a way more than what he was saying. She still had that dread inside her, but he'd lessened it now. Significantly.
"When you put it like that, I guess… it doesn't sound so bad." She smiled up at him admirably. "How do you know all that?"
He chuckled in response. "Let's just say it's some complicated personal beliefs. I'll tell you something else too." He looked directly into her eyes now. "Remember how I said I was gonna do everything in my power to help him? Well, when he wakes up, I'm gonna do just that. No matter how long it takes, I'm gonna help him with his problems, overcome them and beat them. I promise."
There was such confidence, such determination in his voice, that Fluttershy believed him, that dread now practically gone from inside her. She let a smile grow instead, wiping away the remnants of her tears.
"Thank you, Ray." She hugged him a little closer. "I really hope you can."
"And I really know I can." He pulled back, grinning at her. "Now, let's get you up and moving. You stay here on this couch all day, you're gonna get a sore rump."
"Okay then," she giggled. "What do you think we should do? I mean, if you want do something with me…"
He thought for a moment and sprang to his hooves. "I know, let's go see Rainbow Dash! I bet she could use some cheering up and… I kinda need to make some amends there too."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she agreed. "Hold on, I'll go get her favourite board game. A little winning would cheer her up."
Her heart now feeling much lighter, she fluttered off upstairs to retrieve it, still feeling that floating feeling in her chest from when Ray had hugged her, replacing her dread completely with a newfound hope. A hope that no matter what might happen, Dusk would be okay. Hopefully.
Daring Do had just found the Sapphire Statue. She was so close to reaching her goal, Rainbow felt that she was right there with her. Together, they could just reach out and take it and both be the most awesome ponies who'd ever lived. She was going to read on, to see what deadly traps might be guarding this treasure, if she'd make it out.
Until she heard a knock and the door opening. Panicking, not wanting any of the others to know she'd become an egghead, she stuffed the book under the covers and tried to look casual as two visitors walked in.
"Hi Rainbow Dash!" chorused Ray and Fluttershy. Then they blushed when they realised they'd said it together.
"Uh, hey, guys..." she returned, keeping up her pretence.
"We thought we'd come and cheer you up!" said Fluttershy brightly.
"So, we brought me!" grinned Ray. "Oh yeah and also this board game, apparently it's your favourite, but I know which you'd prefer."
"Heh, yeah, right," she chuckled nervously, still remembering yesterday.
He seemed to as well, for he suddenly looked contrite. "Look, I'm sorry about all those things I said to you yesterday. I can understand why you'd feel that way but hey, we're all friends here, right? Not much point in us all fighting each other."
Of course, that. She still felt bitter about Dusk and… what had happened. In her boredom and anger, after the others had left, she even had a nurse take her to his room in a wheelchair. Twilight had been there and she'd asked for a few minutes with him, to which she'd reluctantly agreed. From there, she'd… vented out her feelings. Nothing physical but… she did it.
It had barely made her feel much better, for she was still bored out of her mind and angry at him. But now, she'd started reading her book and from what she'd done… she felt even less proud than she did at first. That made her next words a little easier to say, while still feeling a twinge of something unpleasant in her gut that had nothing to do with the hospital's food.
"Oh, that?" She made a dismissive noise. "I'd already forgotten about that. Don't sweat it man, it's cool."
"Really? Just like that?" He looked confused for a minute, but his grin soon returned. "Well, okay then, great! So, how about we play this board game then?"
"You go first, Rainbow Dash!" invited Fluttershy.
"No, no, you first," she insisted. She needed to get rid of these guys and quickly. Luckily, she had an idea to do it.
The two exchanged a look, but conceded. "Alright, uh... bishop to E5?"
"No, Ray, not that board game," whispered Fluttershy.
"Oh um… does your person have a moustache?"
"Not that one either."
There was a slight smirk on his face while Fluttershy giggled. "Well… can I set up the cage yet? How do I connect four? Can I go up a ladder? Where's the dice?"
"Ray, please, I explained this to you," Fluttershy said in-between giggling.
"I know, I'm just messing with you," he winked.
"Well, come on!" Rainbow urged impatiently. "It's your go!"
"Okay, okay, I'll go." He examined the board. "Cloud three?"
"Aw, shucks, you... rained on my cumulus, heh," she despaired. "Go again!"
"Um... sky five?" offered Fluttershy.
"Whoaa, you found my seagull." She held up the plastic bird and threw it away.
She kept this up, giving them their victories until all of her pieces were gone. Fluttershy looked confused, but Ray was studying her quite intently by the end of it. She remembered how easily he could read ponies and hoped she wasn't being too obvious. Finally, all of them were gone and now she had an excuse to get rid of them.
They could tell something was up. They told her she didn't even get a turn, that she'd never lost a game, that she had been desperate for things to do. She thought they were on to her there and feigned that it was time for her nap, lying on the bed and pretending to snore. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ray give her a weird look and give one to Fluttershy too, who returned it.
"Glad we could... cheer you up?" Fluttershy said unsurely, leaving with Ray, who was still looking at her like that.
She watched, waited until they were gone, checked to see their shadows under the door, whipped it out and continued on, her eyes travelling over the page once more.
"Daring Do stood at the entrance to the central temple chamber," she read aloud in her excitement. "At last, she was face-to-face with the legendary sapphire statue!"
"Sounds exciting." She jumped at Ray's voice, who was standing next to her bedside with a grin. "Are you sure you're wings aren't fixed yet? You must have jumped about a foot."
"W-what?!" He'd caught her! Him, of all ponies! "How… how did you… how long…?"
"I teleported back in when I thought something was up, told Fluttershy to wait while I check something," he shrugged. "I thought something was up, looks like I was right."
"I… I was just… you… you…!"
"So, you're one of us eggheads now, eh?" he commented. "You wanna receive your special gift package and badge?"
She finally found her voice. "If… if you tell anypony about this, I'll… I'll…"
"Stammer at me?" He laughed and grinned all the more. "Relax, I won't say a word. Wouldn't wanna ruin your street cred. Or air cred, rather."
She felt some small relief at his words. "You… you won't tell?"
"I dunno, I might…" He laughed at her horror-struck face. "Nah, just kidding. Your secret's safe with me. Think of it as me making up for yesterday."
"Right… good…" Rainbow sighed with relief and nodded. "Thanks, man."
"No probs," he replied. "Right, better get back before Fluttershy wanders in here and sees this too." He paused at the door and looked back. "I hear Dusk likes those books too. Just saying."
Rainbow didn't feel much at the mention of Dusk's name now, but again felt that uncomfortable twinge in her chest as Ray left. Not like when this place had felt like a prison.
Yeah, the hospital perhaps wasn't as bad as she thought if she had Daring Do's adventures to keep her enthralled… even though there was that growing guilt festering in her chest now, which somehow even immersing herself in the story couldn't get rid of it completely.
Still, it wasn't like Dusk actually heard her… right?
Her rear hooves slammed into the tree with more force than was necessary. The apples she carried in the baskets were just a little more than she could handle. The way she dumped them at the barn to be stored was done with little care, just speed in order to get back and do more. Work, just work because that was all she could do.
Years of applebucking, years of working on this farm every day of her life. Her strength was something she was proud of. She could buck all the apples off any tree in a single kick. She could run for miles without ever feeling tired. She would do what it took to help out anypony, for whatever reason. She wasn't called the most loyal and dependable of ponies for nothing.
Applejack could help with anything… except where it had counted most, for two of her friends.
Angry, frustrated with herself to such a degree, she had thrown herself at her work now because, quite frankly, that was all she could now. It was all she was good for. Just kicking down apples, bringing in apples, selling apples, helping her family and even that had caused doubt in her mind now. She still remembered Big Mac, how she'd tried to help him and couldn't even stop him by herself.
Speaking of Big Mac… she had just slammed her hooves into another tree, causing it to wobble slightly, when she heard his voice.
"Now, what did that tree ever do ta you ta deserve such a punishment?" he asked, approaching from the orchard he was meant to be harvesting.
"A full sentence, Big Mac?" she joked, hoping to distract from the issue. "This mus' be serious."
"Ai-yup," he affirmed typically. "Ah was willin' ta overlook it at first, but now ah think that it's high time that you an' ah talked."
"Dunno what yer talkin' about, Big Mac," she attempted to deflect and kicking the tree again. "T'aint nothin' we need ta talk about at all."
"Then why are ya kickin' that tree ya bucked only two seconds ago?" She looked to see that she hadn't noticed all the apples had already fallen. "Ya never make a mistake like that when yer thinkin' straight, so ah'd say that it's time we talked."
"Now, hold on there," she said quickly. "Like ah said, there ain't nothin' ta discuss fer no reason whatever."
"Ah ain't the only one who thinks so, ya know. The rest-a the family does too," he pressed on. "Since yesterday an' the day before, ya barely say a word at meal times, ya snap more'n Winona when it's bath night and you've been workin' at more'n jus' yer normal chores. Even Ray agrees with us."
"Oh, he put ya up to this, did he?"
"Ai-yup, said so jus' yesterday after ya near knocked him out when ya kicked at him instead-a that tree while he was walkin' past." He smiled a little. "He don't blame you, but he agrees with the family in that somepony needs ta talk to ya."
Applejack had hoped to deal with this in her own way, but part of being in a family meant that it was very hard to keep secrets from one another. While he didn't say much and preferred to focus on work, Big Mac could be surprisingly insightful when he wanted to be. That was probably why he had most likely put himself forward for this, with some prompting from the others no doubt.
Only a few knew the truth about Dusk and Doom. Her family was among them, for the most part accepting with understanding, Big Mac probably the most. He could also be just as stubborn as she was, so there was no chance of her being able to talk him out of this. Unless she decided to resort to force, but she didn't want it to come to that. Not again… Besides, he'd probably beat her anyway.
"Ah guess there ain't nothin' ta be hidden from you, huh?" she asked.
"Ah learned a long time ago that when ya talk less, ya listen more. That way, ya got more ta say when ya do talk." There was that insight she'd thought about. "Now come on, what's eatin' away ta yer apple core?"
She sighed and leaned against a nearby tree. "Ah guess… it's jus' after all that's happened, ah'm… a lil' shaken."
"Ah noticed that." He joined her at the tree. "Ah already forgave ya fer havin' ta kick me. Ya did what ya had ta do and ah don't hold ya fer anythin'."
"No, it ain't that. Least, not entirely." She thought before her next words. "Ah didn't try hard enough, Big Mac…"
"At what?"
"At everythin'," she murmured. "Everythin' that happened that day, ah know that there was more that ah coulda done."
"AJ, ah'm sure that you did everythin' ya-"
"No, ah didn't!" she snapped. "Ah coulda done more, ah shoulda done more, but ah didn't! Ah coulda stopped Doom from breakin' ma friends wings, but ah didn't. Ah coulda noticed before with Dusk when ah thought that somethin' was wrong, but ah didn't. Ah coulda done anythin' ta stop all-a that from ever happenin', but ah didn't do a derned thing!" She was standing now out of anger. "An' that ain't even the worst part!"
"What is then?" he asked patiently.
"When ah think 'bout what Twah'light had ta do, ta save him. She knew what might happen if she used that spell, but she did it anyways an' now… now Dusk might never wake up." She was silent for a moment. "An' ah think ta maself, try ta put maself in that same situation, if ah coulda done it. If ah had that power, if ah coulda done what she did an'… ah jus' can't answer that. Ah'm not even sure if ah want ta."
Big Mac was looking steadily at her. "Yer askin' too much-a yerself, Applejack."
Could ah have done more though? 'Cause if ah could barely raise a hoof ta stop you from tearin' me ta shreds… how could ah have done that ta one-a ma closest friends, knowin' what it might do ta him if ah did?"
She'd said it all now. Everything she'd kept bottled up inside herself, to try to deal with on her own had just been said. This was one of those rare times when she felt vulnerable, knowing that Big Mac's next words might either console her or confirm her fears. When all was said and done, it was always words that won the day.
Big Mac just shook his head. "Now, that is somethin' that ah know ain't true. Ya never were the best at lyin', Applejack."
"This ain't funny, Big Mac!" she shot.
"Ah didn't say that it was. Ah jus' said that it weren't true." That smile returned. "Ah remember, ya know? You, tryin' ta talk ta me when ah was actin' crazy."
"You… you do?"
"Sure do. Right when ah was losin' maself, ah remember you, jus' talkin' ta me like at the end-a the tunnel. Ah tried ta reach it but… well, ya know what happened," he shrugged. "That don't sound like a pony that didn't do all she could ta me."
"Easy fer you ta say," she muttered.
"It easy fer me ta say, 'cause that is the truth," he said firmly. "You had every chance ta step down, ta jus' walk away and not be a part-a it but ya didn't. You stood by yer friends, yo fought with 'em an' you'd have ta dress me up in another-a Granny's girdles 'fore you could even try ta get me ta say that ya didn't try yer derned hardest at it."
"An' what about Dusk?"
"What does it matter 'bout him? Like ya said, Twilight's done her spell and that's done it's work. Ain't no point in wonderin' about what mighta been or what you mighta done. It's done now an' we gotta jus' move on with it. He might not be awake, but Dusk is safe. Ain't that enough?"
Applejack let his words sink in, knowing that he was right and beginning to mentally chastise herself for thinking like this. Yes, Dusk was safe and that should have been enough, but it wasn't. Instead, she'd just tortured herself thinking about what she might have done, what she could have done better. Dusk was safe, her family was safe, so were her friends and her home. How had she thought she'd come off bad?"
"'Sides," he went on, "ah get the feelin' that ya woulda done the same thing. 'Cause even knowin' what woulda happened, ya woulda saved yer friend. That's somethin' ah know that you'd do in a second."
"True enough." She hugged her brother, already feeling better. "Thanks, Big Mac. Sorry 'bout losin' it there fer a bit."
"We all do at times, AJ," he replied. "What matters is that ya always find it again."
"Ex-actly," she nodded. "Ya know, you can be quite the speaker when ya want ta be."
"Ai-yup."
"Hey Applejack! Hey Big Mac!" a bright voice greeted nearby.
"Howdy, Pinkie Pie," she greeted, her brother nodding. "What brings ya here?"
"My hooves, silly!" she giggled. "Anyway, I was just gonna go visit Rainbow and Dusk at the hospital when I thought that you might like to come along too. Having one friend come to see you is nice, but having two friends come to see you is even better, 'cause that's one more friend visiting."
Before this talk, she might have turned that down, for seeing them would be another reminder of her apparent failure. Now though, she knew she could be there for her friends, as she should have been from the start.
"Well, ah agree with ya there." She looked at Big Mac. "Ya don't mind doin' ma bit, do ya?"
"Nope. Me an' Ray'll handle it jus' fine," he assured. "You go on now."
She tipped her hat in thanks and joined the pink party pony in walking down the road.
Not for the first time, Applejack was glad that she had a family as caring as she did and vowed never to forget how important they were again. It might slip occasionally, but they were a family. They'd work things out. Honorary and proper.
The library had been too quiet. Quieter than it should have been. At first, Spike thought he would have enjoyed it. No work to do, he could sleep in more, eat whatever he wanted, have a free reign of the place. For the first half an hour of the first day, he had done that. But now that Twilight hadn't come back last night or the night before and with Dusk gone… it just felt so empty. Even Owlowiscious didn't stick around much. Probably off seeing Ophelia.
Nothing had been able to get rid of this. Not napping, not doing little jobs, not even singing in the shower like he usually did. So, because of the silence hanging over him like a knife dangling over his head, Spike left the library today. For that and another, deeper reason that had taken him to the Carousel Boutique.
Rarity opened the door. She looked like she'd been crying. Without hesitation, Spike hugged her and she returned it. After insisting she sit down, Spike went to prepare them some tea and brought it to her.
"Thank you, Spikey," she murmured. "Oh this whole thing is simply... well, I simply don't know what to say."
"Yeah, I hear you," he replied. "This whole thing is just... so messed up."
"To say the least." She looked over at the door. "I keep expecting him to come through that door. We'll sit and chat, I'd tease him about Twilight and he'd stammer and blush. Now..."
"It's the same for me. Not the Twilight stuff," he said quickly, "but without him and Twilight around..."
"Oh Spike, you poor thing! All on your own in that place..." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "You could stay with me, if you'd like."
His eyed widened. "W-Wow! You'd do that?"
"Of course, Spikey-wikey. At least until they're both..." She trailed off. "Well, regardless, I insist. The offer is there, if you want it."
"Um... thanks, Rarity," he muttered with a blush. "I'll think about it. It sounds weird but... I feel like I should be there, waiting for them to come back."
"You utter dear." She smiled fondly at him and sighed. "Can you believe it though? Dusk and Doom, one and the same. I knew he had been battling something, I could see it but I never expected this."
"You're telling me," agreed Spike. "I mean, you'd never think it to look. But I guess that's the power Discord has on a pony."
"It's dreadful! Imagine it, Spike! One moment, he's your dear friend. The next, he's turned into a rampaging beast, intent on trampling whatever is in his..." She trailed off when she realised what she was saying. "Oh. S-Spike, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"
"No, you're right," he said quietly. He looked down at his claw. "I guess I'm lucky. I don't remember all that much of what happened when I got... well, really bad. I just wanted more and more, nothing else mattered. I mean, except for..."
"I recall," she said with a tender smile.
"I mean, after all this, I just wonder what it was like for him. Do you... do you think he remembers? Being Doom, I mean."
She shook her head. "I couldn't say with any certainty. Like I said, there were times when he seemed to have something heavy weighing on his mind but he never spoke of it. You know what he's like."
"Oh boy, do I know," he said with a chuckle. "Well, when he wakes up, maybe I'll ask him. If he's up for talking about it."
"I'm sure he'd appreciate it, if nothing else. Though if he does remember... I can't imagine what that would be like for him."
"Nothing good." Something else came to Spike's mind, thinking back to his greed rampage. "Uh, Rarity? There's something I wanted to ask you about uh... what happened when I went... you know..."
She didn't say anything, only looked at him expectantly. He swallowed and tried his best to control his nerves.
"Just uh... well... the r-reason why it worked when you... I-I mean, I've always had sort of a cru-"
A hoof was gently placed over his lips. Rarity still had her smile.
"I know, Spike," she said simply.
"H-Huh?!" Spike stared at her. "B-But how did you... Who told you that I-?!"
She tittered. "Spike, please, nopony told me. To be frank, you were far from subtle about it."
"Oh... right..." He hung his head.
"I'm sorry, Spike, I don't mean to laugh." She placed a hoof under his chin to look at her. "You're very sweet and generous, I treasure our friendship dearly. But I'm simply too old for you, darling. I hope you understand."
Some part of Spike had always known this. He wasn't an idiot. But it still hurt a little to hear it.
"It's fine, I-I get it," he sighed. "Your friendship means a lot to me too, Rarity. I never want to lose that."
"That's very mature of you, Spike," she said. "Will... will you be alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he murmured. "I... still think you're the most generous and beautiful unicorn in all of Equestria, though."
"And I think you're the sweetest, kindest dragon that ever lived," she returned. "I'm truly lucky to have you as my friend, Spike."
"Me too, Rarity." He came around the table to hug her and she returned it. "Thanks. I... think I needed this."
"No trouble, darling. I think I did too." She broke away and smiled at him. "After all, in times such as these, who better to call upon than those dearest to you?"
"You said it."
Spike managed a smile of his own. They weren't out of the woods yet, but for the first time since all this went down, he started to feel like they'd actually manage it. The moment passed when the door suddenly opened.
"Hey Rarity! Hey Spike!" They looked to see Pinkie and Applejack stood in the doorway. "Aww, did I miss the hugs?"
"You both alright?" asked the farm pony.
"Much better, now." Rarity exchanged a look with him and he nodded. "What brings you two to my abode today?"
"We're just off ta see Rainbow an' Dusk. Wanna tag along?"
"That sounds like a splendid idea." She turned to Spike. "Shall we, my little dragon?"
"We shall, milady." He bowed again and followed her out.
Now in a much better mood than before, Spike accompanied them to the hospital. They went to see Rainbow Dash first though after a display of eating that even made him cringe, the food made him feel a little sick in the throat too, they left her in only a few seconds, telling her they'd come and see her tomorrow.
Dusk was still there in Intensive Care when they got there. Twilight was there too, reading aloud to him from a Daring Do book. Her mane showed definite signs of unkemptness, parts of her fur stuck out in places and there were rings beginning to form under her eyes. She really had been here since they'd left her two days ago… she really meant it.
"How is he?" Rarity asked, standing next to her.
"No change," she sighed. "But I'm going to keep at it until he wakes up, just like I promised so don't try and say anything."
"I wasn't going too." She smiled warmly at her. "I'm sure he's very grateful to you."
"Is he enjoyin' that?" asked Applejack, gesturing to the book.
"I hope he is." She looked at the cover. "Daring Do gets a love interest in this one. I always thought it was rather tacked on but… I can sort of appreciate it now."
"How are you though, Twilight?" asked Spike.
"I'm fine, Spike…" She yawned loudly, her eyelids drooping slightly. "I'm a… a little tired, but it's fine. Don't worry about me."
"If you say so then." He looked over to his fellow assistant. "Hey bro. It's me, Spike. I came here to see you. Good to see you're still in the game. You keep at it, I'm here for you. We all are." He pressed his fist to his hoof, feeling the beginnings of tears again.
"I'm sure he needed that, Spike," Twilight said sincerely. "Thanks for coming by."
"Hey, what kinda kid wouldn't come to visit his parents, right?" he joked.
Instead of denying that, she smiled noticeably and put the book down to hug him. He took some pride of being able to help her out, even now. Still number one dragon assistant.
"I hope this helps too." Pinkie pulled out a cupcake, placing it beside another on the table.
"Another one, Pinkie?"
"Of course. He'll be hungry when he wakes up and I'm sure that a cupcake will be just what he needs to help him feel better. It's his favourite kind."
"I'm… sure it'll help. Thank you."
"No problem."
Looking at Dusk, Spike felt a warmer presence on his side and looked to see Rarity had joined him. She gave him her most beautiful smile and put her foreleg around him in a hug.
They'd get through this. They all would.
The hospital was quiet at night. Apart from patients stirring softly in their beds or hospital staff working the late night shift, not a soul moved. Darkness brought silence, the night brought peace, a peace that was truly deserved following the events that had happened only days ago. A peace that its bringer was only too happy to bring to her subjects.
She passed through the hospital as a shadow, something that the attendants only saw out of the corner of their eye and dismissed just as quickly. The patients slept soundly on as she passed, only mildly aware of her presence there. She'd caught sight of Rainbow Dash in her room, staying up and reading late, but didn't pay it much mind. Though she did regret what had happened to her, she wasn't here for the Element of Loyalty.
She would have come here sooner, but she'd had a lot of nightmares to deal with in Ponyville in the wake of Doom's departure. They might not remember what had happened entirely, but they still retained enough that she had to be there to comfort them. Tonight though, she was determined to see him. She knew he was safe, but she wanted to see for herself.
At last, she found him, in the state of comatose she had suspected. He wasn't alone either, the prone form of Twilight Sparkle asleep across him on an open book. A small smile came to Luna's lips at this sight, stepping into the light to look at him properly.
That smile only grew wider when she realised something. After all of this time, he was free of the one who had tormented him. There would still be the memories, but the essence, the potential to corrupt him again, was gone for good. Dusk's mind was truly his own. If only there was more she could do for him.
She couldn't enter his dreams with his mind like this. It was like entering a dark, tangled forest with only the tiniest glimmers of light to guide her. She might become just as lost as he was now. All she could do was hope he would find his way back.
But perhaps there might be something she could do. A spell that would help his recovery, as she had done before. Stepping softly across the floor, she lowered her horn and pressed it to his, planting the spell in his mind. This was what she could give him to guide him back… and a song to sooth him to his sleep, as well as the one he loved.
May all your dreams be sweet tonight
Safe upon your bed of moonlight
And know not of sadness, pain, or care
And when I dream, I'll fly away and meet you there
Sleep...
Placing Twilight in a more comfortable position, she smiled down at him again and departed into the night, becoming formless shadow once more.