//------------------------------// // The Only Moment We Were Alone // Story: Decay // by Thyrai //------------------------------// Decay Part Two – The Only Moment We Were Alone Thyrai Live Reading by lk12lk21 Rain crashed against the window in unrelenting droves. It was the perfect night for a storm. While most citizens of Ponyville were fast asleep at such a time; the two equine figures within the Ponyville Library were far from slumber. A cyan pony lie sprawled on her back atop a star-printed bed, her limbs held firmly down with powerful magic. Her eyes were wide in a sort of shock. A unicorn lazily sauntered up to the bed, delicately placing a hoof upon the wriggling pegasus. She ran it down from the top of her captive's chest down to her haunches, pressing down slightly on what she found there. The pinned pony responded with a high-pitched groan. Grinning, the purple pony climbed on top, locking their bodies together in a sensual embrace. She leaned in closer and gave the cyan pony a long kiss. As their lips parted, the magic restraining her prisoner's mouth faded away. The victim coughed and gagged as she desperately tried to refill her lungs. “P-Please Twilight...” The cyan pony managed through her heavy panting, tears had begun forming in her eyes. “What’s your problem? This... This isn’t funny anymore!” Twilight giggled as she brought a hoof down hard upon the hapless pony's snout, giving a sickening crunch as it snapped. The pegasus yelped loudly as her blood painted her captor a new shade of deep red. The unicorn gasped as her expression changed to one of rage. “Rainbow! Look what you've done! Now I'll have to take a bath because of you!” Twilight slid herself off of the pegasus, then levitated the her prisoner up before ruthlessly slamming her down on the hardwood floor. Rainbow screamed in agony, but was stopped by a hoof to the neck. Rainbow's eyes grew wider still with terror, “... I can’t .. breathe..” she choked as her body quaked in tremendous pain. Tears continued to flow from her eyes as she writhed around on the blood-drenched floor. Twilight erupted into fit of laughter. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to for much longer.” The unicorn beamed as she produced a small knife and levitated it in front of her. Dash's eyes bulged as she let out another gut-wrenching scream. The hysterical pony struggled with all of her might against Twilight’s hold, but to no avail. She was able to effortlessly keep Rainbow firmly grounded with her magic. A savage grin appeared on Twilight's face. One final blood-curdling wail broke through the monotony of the stormy night. --- Twilight was up in a shot, screaming at the top of her lungs. It took her a long moment to realize she was back in her library. Another nightmare. She brought her head to her hooves and sobbed quietly for a long while. She should have been used to them by now, as sleep without the horrible dreams was becoming a distant memory. The nightmares began when Dash fell into a coma from her fall. They weren't so bad at first. In fact, they were bearable. But ever since Celestia's last visit, they seemed to grow worse with every passing day. Each one more sadistic than the last. Each ebbing away at her sanity one night at a time. As Twilight began to collect her thoughts, she noticed that her body was drenched in sweat from head to hoof. The book she'd been sleeping on had numerous pages torn and ripped from its bindings. Normally she would have kicked herself for such an unforgivable sin to one of her beloved tomes, but they seemed so unimportant now. “Twilight?” A voice from behind called. Twilight instinctively wiped the tears from her eyes. “Oh, Spike. Did I wake you again? I'm sorry.” “Another nightmare?” She felt the baby dragon attempt to give her a comforting hug. “... Yeah.” She kept her eyes locked on the book before her. “Hey... Maybe you should get out of the library. How about visiting Rainbow? Doctor Essall said she might be awake any day now.” Twilight absentmindedly rose and trotted up to one of the mostly-depleted bookcases, levitating a book from the shelf. “I will sometime later. I just... I can't sit around and do nothing while... while...” her voice trailed off as lump in her throat prevented her from continuing. The last thing she wanted was to burst into tears in front of her young assistant. Spike hesitated for a moment, but decided to speak up anyway, “but.. What about what Celestia said?” His question was answered by a glare. “I... I have to try.” “But, I mean. Celestia has been around for thousands of years and--” “Spike!” The anger in Twilight's voice was unmistakable, but her tone turned, “Please. Just let me try.” --- Beep Beep Beep Rainbow Dash awoke slowly and did her best to sit up in her bed. She did her best to rub the grog from her eyes with her casted forehooves, wishing she would have had something other than that annoying beeping machine to wake up to. She desperately wanted to get up and smash it to bits as each consecutive beep irritated her more and more. The machine was taunting her; reminding her of what the doctor had said the night before. Each beep counting down to the inevitable. Beep Beep Beep “I know! Stop it! Shut up! Leave me ALONE!” She screamed, feeling a familiar warm wetness slid along her already hot cheeks. Pressure welled up in her throat and in her eyes. It rapidly became overwhelming, and she couldn't hold it back any longer. A whimper escaped her lips, blooming into a fit of heaving and sobbing. Unable to stop, she cried into her pillow for what seemed like hours before she felt something nudge against her flank. “Rainbow Dash?” It was a calm, feminine voice. “G-g-go a-away.” “Please...” The figure gently prodded her shoulder. Rainbow bit back her tears and resisted the urge to lash out at whoever it was. She was glad she did, as she was greeted by none other than the kind face of Nurse Redheart when she turned around. The white mare wore an expression of the purest sympathy and heartache. Dash sniffled, “W-what do you w-want? “I just... You seem like.. I thought that maybe you'd want to talk?” Rainbow dropped her head back to the pillow. “No...” The nurse looked like she was about to burst into tears herself. Dash almost wished she would. It would serve her right for poking her nose where it shouldn't be. After a short while, Redheart spoke up again, “are you feeling alright?” Was she trying to be sympathetic or was she really that dumb? “Fine. Never been better,” Rainbow answered through clenched teeth. The nurse sat for awhile before trying again.“Is there anything you need?” “Yeah. I need you to to leave me alone.” “I was just wond--” “Get lost!” Rainbow was yelling now, and almost surprised herself with the sheer volume and spite within her voice. A twinge of remorse brushed her conscience. The nurse recoiled a bit with the sudden outburst, “sorry.” Redheart slouched back a bit before withdrawing something from under the bed. “Somepony dropped this off for you.” Rainbow felt something flop against the foot of her bed, but refused to look at whatever it was. Instead, she rolled over in her bed, turning her back on her. Undeterred, the nurse spoke up once again. “Your friends should be visiting soon. They come every day for hours, you know. They... They really love you. They're going to be so happy you're awake.” “Yeah. Whatever.” Nurse Redheart stopped by the door. “I'll be back, okay? Don't hesitate to call if you need anything.” Rainbow waited in silence as the nurse left the room and closed the door. Slowly, she looked at the gift at the end of the bed, immediately closing her eyes when she saw it. It was a blue and yellow uniform, topped with a pair of high-grade goggles. Was it sympathy? Did they know? Crashing into the ground and breaking two bones surely wasn't a part of the audition. Or were they so impressed with her perseverance that they gave it to her anyway? Regardless, it left a bitter taste in her mouth. It felt was like a slap in the face. They gave her a uniform to fly. A token of pride, of freedom. But here she was trapped in the hospital. Her whole life had been spent working for no other purpose than to become a Wonderbolt. She had dreamed of the day she would receive this uniform since she was a filly, and now it finally belonged to her. Her life's greatest goal was at last achieved. But she still felt empty. Her eyes drifted to a pile of flowers, cards and balloons that littered a good portion of the room. Normally, she would have scoffed at how uncool it was to have so much sappy junk everywhere. Somehow, it didn't seem to matter so much anymore. Her gaze fixed on a photograph somepony had placed on one of the nightstands. It was a candid shot of her and her five friends in Canterlot castle the night they had defeated Discord. Celestia had organized a huge celebration just for them. Pinkie had one of the goofiest smiles Dash had ever seen; Applejack and Rarity looked like they were in the middle of an argument with eachother again, and Fluttershy was on the far corner of the shot, hiding as much of her face as possible with her hair. Then, there was Twilight. The egghead had such a beautiful smile. And that purple mane with that infernal streak of pink hair. A small smile crept its way onto Rainbow's face as well. --- It was a week after Rainbow's crash, and she was still asleep. It was driving Twilight more insane than the time she ran out of ideas for her letter to the Princess. Speaking of which, the Princess had set up an abrupt and 'informal' meeting with her today. The letter sounded serious, but then again, all of her letters did. There was just something about this one that didn't quite feel right. The hours went by in the hospital as she awaited Celestia's arrival. She found that she couldn't take her eyes off of the cyan pony as she took in deep breaths, then exhaled. It may be bizarre, Twilight supposed, but the mere sight of the mare of her dreams in a peaceful slumber was enough to make her heart melt all over again. Temptation arose to trot up to her a kiss her on the forehead, but the pegasus' previous reaction led her to the decision that it might not be entirely appropriate. It was nearly nightfall before the door opened, and Princess Celestia entered. “Twilight, I'm so sorry I'm late.” Her words sounded less eloquent than usual, as if she had let her formality slip away. There was also something different about how the Princess was standing. Her typically regal and self-important pose seemed much more reserved. Her head hung lower than usual, and her mane no longer shimmered with magic. It was disconcerting, to say the least. Twilight stepped off of the cushion and bowed. “Are you alright, Princess? If you don't mind me saying, you don't look so well.” “I'm fine. Please, will you sit down with me?” The fact that Celestia was avoiding eye contact with her sent a chill straight to her bones. “S-sure?” Twilight sat back down, and was soon joined by Celestia. Silence ensued for a few agonizing moments. Something was dead wrong. “Was there... something you needed to talk me about?” “Yes.” Celestia took a long moment to mentally prepare herself. “It's... It's about Rainbow Dash.” Twilight's heart sank like a stone. She didn't need to be a smart pony to know where the Princess was going. “No... No no no no..” Twilight backed herself into the wall, as if Celestia was about to attack her. She couldn't feel her breath, but she knew she was hyperventilating. Tears began to stream down her face. Her mind turned to muck, and soon the only noises she could make were a frenzied sobs. This all had to be a terrible dream. Though she couldn't see through her tear-blinded eyes, she felt Celestia kneel down and hug her tightly. Twilight cried for what seemed like hours while the alabaster alicorn wordlessly held her in a firm, comforting embrace. The princess stroked the back of her mane, just like her mother used to do when she was a filly. --- The view of the falling sun from the window told Rainbow that the day was nearly at its end. Despite spending three weeks in a coma, she was still exhausted enough to sleep through the entire day. Sleep had a sort of mercy about it though, it took her mind off of things and seemed to calm her down. She stared out the window for a while before hearing a collective gasp through the thick hospital door. Those voices sounded familiar. Intrigued, she strained to hear what they were saying. “Awake!? Dashie's awake?” A voice squealed. “Yes, but do be careful with her. Three weeks of a coma is hard on the body, especially when combined with her previous condition; of which I'm certain you are all aware.” .The mere voice of the doctor evoked unnerving memories of the previous night. She tried her hardest to will away the leering anamnesis, but his tactless words once again blistered at the back of Rainbow's mind. “Yeah, we are. Can we go see her now?” “By all--” The door flung open and collided with the adjacent wall with a loud, dull crack. A effulgent Pinkie Pie stood in the doorway, brandishing a rather hefty load of new balloons. Applejack and Rarity stood behind her, looking slightly shocked. “...Means.” “Dashie! It's about time you woke up, you sleepyhead! Do you know how many balloons I've had to refill for you? A lot! That's how many!” Pinkie's facade of cheeriness was paper thin; her voice was distraught and a tear dribbled down one of her cheeks. Even her hair looked halfway deflated from its usual poofy state. Rainbow tried to give a small grin, “there wasn't a whole lot I c--” she was cut off by the charging pink pony, who had dropped her balloons and pounced on her; entangling her in the most tenacious bearhug she'd ever experienced. It wasn't long before she felt tears drench her shoulder. “Hey... Be careful with the casts,” Dash gasped through the ferocious constriction, but her trembling friend didn't seem to pay any mind. Rarity and Applejack had trotted inside, followed by a previously unseen Fluttershy. They were all smiling, but the pain in each was obvious. Applejack was the first to speak up, just as stoic as ever. “Gosh darnit, RD. Ya scared me half 'ta death when y'fell like that.” “Heh, sorry.” Rarity and Fluttershy circled around the crying party pony and each took a turn giving Rainbow a nuzzle. “It's so wonderful to see you awake again. We were so dreadfully worried.” “Um... Are you okay? I mean, feeling alright?” Fluttershy's hopelessly caring nature was just as bad as Redheart's. “Yeah.” Pinkie began to pull herself together, and released Rainbow with a sniffle. “You silly filly. You should have told us you felt so down!” “If I did, you guys would have pulled me out of the auditions.” Dash thought for a moment, “I will next time, trust me.” Rarity shot her a glare, obviously unimpressed with her attempt at such humor. “It's a shame Twilight couldn't be here. She hasn't been the same since Celestia's visit. She's been cooped up in that old library for weeks,” Rarity continued, “And the whole incident in the field didn't seem to help, either.” Rainbow wheezed, “she told you about that!?” “Well, yes. More less. It was more of an accident, really.” Rarity's eyes stared off into space out for a moment. “But that's a story for another time.” “B-but it wasn't-- I mean, I didn't want to leave her there. I had to.” Rarity pressed a hoof to her Rainbow's mouth. “I've heard it a million times, darling.” Dash wanted to press the issue futher, but arguing with Rarity about social matters was one of the most futile things a pony could do. She decided it best to let let this one go. Fluttershy turned to the doctor. “Can she... Come back with us?” “I'm afraid not. Her condition is so unstable that we must keep her monitored at all times. Besides that, the painkilling magic we've used will not last for very long without continued booster doses. I also need to run some tests.” Pinkie tried next, “Oh please! Please, please, please! We won't be long! Only a few days! Please Doctor Asshole!” “Doctor Essall,” the stallion corrected indignantly before continuing. “I'm sorry. You and your friends may stay here with her as long as you wish, but I cannot permit her to leave this room.” “So that's it then? 'Yer just gonna let her rot here? Make her spend her last days in a hospital bed?” “Hey! Quit talking about me like I'm not here!” Rainbow interjected. The doctor started towards the door, scribbling something down on his notes. “I'm just doing my job, miss,” he said bluntly as he magicked the door behind him closed. “Ugh, he is a buckin' asshole,” Applejack fumed, inciting a cringe from Fluttershy at the use of such language. “Sorry, Rainbow. And uh, Fluttershy.” “It's okay.” Dash waved a hoof as best as she could with her cast. “Don't worry about it,” she said before a new expression of determination appeared on her face. “But you all know what we have to do now, right?” --- The lone candle flickered and lapped at the air around it, casting long shadows along the library floors. The sun was going down, but Twilight didn't notice. The blinds were drawn all day long anyway. It wasn't so much the sunlight that bothered her, but the prospect of accidentally looking outside. She couldn't bring herself to look up into the sky anymore. Thoughts and memories of her dying friend seemed to haunt the clouds above Ponyville. She would find a cure. A spell to take away the abominable necrosis. Even if Celestia wouldn't help her, she would find a way. She had no reason to doubt her teacher – she'd never lied to her before. But Twilight knew that she would never be able to forgive herself if she didn't try. Somewhere, somehow, there might be a way tucked deep within the pages of her books. Sure, there were thousands of spells and remedies for sickness within the pages, but none of them had cures. In fact, disease curing was dismissed as mythology in almost every book she had read. A hint of desperation loomed over her search, as her rather bountiful supply of books was beginning to run out. Even the giant stack of medical and magic volumes 'borrowed' from the Royal Canterlot Library were beginning to run thin. Twilight levitated a book entitled Advances in Medical Science and Magic from a nearby bookshelf, unintentionally knocking over a rough brown tome. The binding broke on impact, causing its contents to spill out across the floor. It was her old scrapbook. Intrigued, Twilight levitated some of the contents closer to the candlelight. They were priceless photos of adventures past. There was a photo of the dragon flying away from his home after an encounter with Fluttershy, another of her friends during Winter Wrap-Up, and a few of the disastrous Grand Galloping Gala. One photograph in particular caught her eye, though. It was of Rainbow Dash the day she won the Young Flier's Competition. In all her years, she'd known it was scientifically impossible to smile from ear-to-ear, but leave it to Dash to prove science wrong. Twilight returned her smile. --- Applejack pulled her head away from the tall cupboard in the corner of the room. “Hey Rainbow, Look'a here,” she said as she heaved a metal device from the closet and dropped in on the floor. Rainbow recoiled in horror. “No. No way. There is not a chance in all of Equestria that I'd ever wear that.” “It's the only way. Y'sure as hay can't walk 'till we get those casts off 'yer legs. Ya can't fly outta here either, unless you break that there window. And the doc's sure to hear that.” Applejack had a point, but Dash couldn't bring herself to even look at the horrid contraption. “Rainbow, darling. It's the only way. Please.” “Come on Dashie! It's not that bad! Nopony will see us anyway! We'll be super sneaky!” Rainbow sighed, they had a point. “Alright. But if I hear anything from any of you about this, you're all going to pay.” Dash said, squirming to the edge of the bed to where Applejack held the device upright. A short push later and she felt herself snugly secured into the most humiliating orientation she could ever imagine. Thoughts of legless dogs crossed Rainbow's mind as Applejack fastened the buckles in order to anchor it to her body. It was a simple mechanism, consisting of four metal rods, two wheels and an ergonomically designed cushion. It would allow her to roll herself along the ground with her hind legs, the wheels would remove the need for her forelegs. Needless to say, it looked ridiculous. Applejack took a step back to admire her handiwork, and visibly stifled a laugh with a brief snort. That was forgivable, and expected. Pinkie Pie merely snickered. Her biggest shock came from Fluttershy, who brought her hoof to her mouth to stop her giggling. “And what are you laughing at!?” “Nothing! Really. It's... nice...” Rarity silently closed the door she'd been peeking from and turned around. “Alright, we need to go now before he comes back.” Her eyes widened as she saw Rainbow The five ponies made haste out the door. That is, after unjamming one of Rainbow's wheels from its frame. Before long, they were off down one of the expansive hallways of the rather unnecessarily-large Ponyville hospital. It was a slow process, as each window had to be ducked and every open door checked for alert staff members. By dumb luck, however, the five ponies were able to remain unseen through the vast majority of the hospital. Rarity peeked around the corner of the final corridor before the exit. “Uh-oh. We've got a nurse coming straight for us, go back!” “No can do, we've got a doctor comin' from that'a way.” “Oh no..” “Quick! Into the storage closet!” Thankfully, the door was unlocked and the five ponies piled in the dark, cramped space before anypony noticed. Pinkie couldn't help but giggle at the completely misfortunate situation the ponies had gotten themselves into. “Hey! Get your face out of my flank!” “Sorry, I didn't mean to.” “Ugh, it's filthy in here.” “Shh! Somepony's coming.” A long silence ensued as the ponies tried to stay as silent and calm as possible, which was, for them, quite a feat. The dull clopping of hooves as they walked past slowly faded away, leaving only silence. “Are they gone?” Somepony whispered through the darkness. “Hey Rainbow, check the door” Rainbow sighed, “I can't, dimwit.” “Oh, sorry.” The ponies started as a shimmering blue aura appeared around the doorhandle. The door flung open, revealing none other than Doctor Essall standing in the hallway. He was again writing something down on his clipboard. A few seconds passed before he set down his pen and up at them. “Cute. Alright, now if you'd all please step out of th--” The doctor was interrupted as a large sack careened off of his forehead, exploding into a shower of baby powder. Blinded, the doctor reared violently and swore loudly. “Run!” Applejack yelled. The five made their way as quickly as they could to the exit. Pinkie Pie had to practically drag herself to the door, as her nonstop laughter left her in a state of paralysis. Fluttershy's instictive reaction was to apologize and ask if the doctor was alright, but was quickly yanked away by a sighing Applejack. One of Rainbow's wheels fell off from her erratic jostling, but it was quickly mended with a little help from Rarity's magic. Laughter accompanied them all the way to the Carousel Boutique. Tears of joy fell from their eyes for the first time in weeks. The impromtu gathering was met by Pinkie's regular zeal. The ponies recounted stories of their exploits over a large helping of cake that she had produced from nowhere specific. Fluttershy confessed that she was the one who threw the bag of powder, and how terrible she felt for doing so. Applejack slapped her on the back and told her how proud she was of her. Dash cringed as Rarity's industrial-strength scissors sliced through her casts. Thankfully, she was able to keep the tool stable without cutting into her tender legs. All things considered, it felt like something was missing. “And... There! Alright darling, how do your legs feel?” Rainbow tentatively put weight on her hooves. It felt a bit odd, and she wondered how the rest of her body could be betraying her while her legs healed up just fine. “A little sore, but they seem fine.” “Heeyaw, Ah knew it would work!” Applejack boasted. Pinkie gasped, “you know what we should do!? We should have a party! We got Dashie out of the hospital! And her legs are all healthy again!” Rainbow looked down at the floor and subconsciously scratched the back of her leg with a hoof, preparing for what she had to do. “Thanks Rarity. Thanks everypony. But there's somewhere... Somepony I need to see before I go back.” Fearing her friends, especially Pinkie, would be disappointed, she kept her head down until a white arm wrapped around her. She looked up to see a grinning Rarity. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy also shared a smile nearby, and Applejack tipped her hat in affirmation, “Yeah. We know. Go ahead, we can have our party later.” Rainbow waved goodbye and stepped out of the Boutique. She ruffled her wings, preparing for the first flight in a month. A cough escaped her before takeoff, coating her tongue in something metallic in taste. She spat it out, leaving a red stain on the pavement below. 'Looks like I'll have to make this fast.' --- “Useless!” Twilight screamed as her magic slingshotted the book she'd been reading across the room, where it collided with one of the bookcases and exploded into a shower of displaced pages. The force of the impact knocked its few remaining books onto the floor and nearly toppled the bookcase itself. She was a tornado of emotions. It was sort of a mixture if wanting to explode with rage and break down crying at the same time. All of her searching was fruitless. Every single book that had anything to do with powerful magic or medicine in the library was exhausted. All of them failed. She'd failed. Celestia was right. Tears once again bit at her eyes. “I'm a failure. I'm... I'm just too weak...” Twilight collapsed on the floor and began to sob once again. Mere seconds passed before a warm body crossed her flank and tugged her close. At first, Twilight suspected she'd awaken Spike again. But the figure was much larger. “You're not weak, Twilight. You're the strongest pony I know.” A gentle voice whispered. It was female. It was... no. Twilight opened her eyes, meeting the rose-colored eyes of Rainbow Dash. Dumbfounded and unable to help herself, she leaped at the pegasus, who wrapped her in a warm embrace. “I'm sorry... I'm so sorry.” Twilight cried. Rainbow hugged her tight while she cried into her shoulder. “You have nothing to be sorry about. It's not your fault. It's not anypony's fault.” Twilight wept for a long time, but her sobbing eventually came to an end within her friend's calming embrace. Rainbow slowly released her and climbed to her hooves. “Hey, come on. I want to show you something.” Dash nudged her up the staircase, past a contentedly-sleeping Spike. She led her out to the deck that branched from the top of the Library. The cool air of the night blew past Twilight's mane as she looked at the sight before her. The stars above shone like a thousands of luminescent lights in the black sky. The moon was full and large, cresting just over the balcony; silhouetting Rainbow in a dark shadow. It was a perfect night. “It's awesome, isn't it?” Twilight down beside her friend, “Beautiful.” The two of them sat down together and gazed in silence. Twilight wondered if she'd remembered the abrupt kiss a month earlier. She didn't blame her for flying away, it's what any sensible pony would have done. The experience had to be one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. Rainbow eventually turned her gaze from the moon to Twilight. “So...”she began. 'Please don't.' “Uhm,” 'Oh, dear Celestia.' “What was that kiss all about anyway?” Twilight froze. “Y-you... Remember that?” “Yeah.” Twilight looked down at the floor. “It just me being selfish. Forget about it.” She felt a hoof under her chin, gently lifting her face to meet Rainbow's eyes. She wore a mischievous grin, and a bright red blush contrasted against her cyan coat. “I enjoyed it.” The pegasus leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. A hot tingle passed through her body, warming her from head to hooves. It felt good. Minutes passed until Twilight finally parted lips. “But... Why did you fly away?” Rainbow stared back at her, looking conflicted. “I uh...” Rainbow looked like she was going to be sick as she replayed the memory in her head. “Erm, that's really not important. But this is.” The cyan mare dropped her head and began kissing Twilight's neck. She couldn't help but give a soft moan as she felt Dash's tongue run along her neck and back up to her lips. She moved closer still and kissed her back. The two mares lie together in eachother's embrace for the rest of the night before drifting off into a peaceful slumber, both with smiles on their faces. --- Massive thanks to ambion (imambion@gmail.com) for pre-reading this!!