//------------------------------//
// The Only Chance 
// Story: Aged Scales 
// by XineLegacy 
//------------------------------//

  I can do this. Spike said to himself. He summoned all of the magic which Princess Luna had restored. He immersed himself in it, searching and acquiring energy from every single part of his body. He inhaled slowly and felt heat build up in his chest. The spell then slowly began to escape his lips, forming a curve of blue light within a few moments.

Waves of heat rippled through the air and the ponies felt an eerie warmth blanket them. They stared anxiously at the mesmerising flame as it floated higher and began to spiral in on itself. The flame rose above Luna's head, the seconds ticking by.

Spike felt his energy draining. His spell faltered. I'm gonna...pass out... No. He needed to finish, and finish fast. With a final puff of air, Spike spit out the last bit of the flame and instantly fell backwards from the force. Rainbow's instincts were triggered instantly and she rushed to catch him. She yanked him from gravity's pull right before his head hit the ground. Luna didn't divert her attention however, and she captured the dragon's spell in her magical grasp. The ponies gathered around Spike but their attention too was largely focused on the blue fire which was now flying at lightning speed near the top of the room. Luna made it go around in circles as she performed the quick translation.

"It's now or never," she said right before blasting it onto Twilight's torso. She released the spell and watched with everypony else as its blue glow crept up the sides of the unicorn's body. It enveloped her head and neck, its light beginning to dissolve into her scarred skin. A few seconds passed and the light dissolved completely, leaving behind a light glow. The glow disappeared with a flash the moment it appeared, and was quickly followed by the jerking of Twilight's body.

She gasped loudly as her eyelids flew open. She panted coarsely for air and coughed repeatedly, but one thing was certain.

"She's alive," Celestia said in bewilderment. "She's alive!" she repeated, a feeling of relief and happiness overcoming her as she became aware of what she had just said. Huge smiles began to appear on the rest of the ponies' faces. 

Pinkie's mane inflated fully, an enormous grin plastered onto her face. "Twilight!" she exclaimed joyfully.

"Oh, Twilight you're alive!" Rarity chimed in. 

"He did it!" cried Rainbow, setting Spike down against the wall. 

Twilight still wasn't fully awake. She felt as if she was slipping through reality and states of shock. Flashes of the Diamond dogs' attack were playing in her mind.

"She is still hurt, but yes, I think most of the major internal injuries have been healed," said Celestia.

"But what about..." Fluttershy placed a worried hoof on Spike's shoulder. To her surprise, his claw reached up and grabbed it.  

"Twilight..." he said drowsily through grunts of pain. "D-did it work?"

Fluttershy smiled at him. "Yes Spike, you did it. Twilight is going to be just fine."

"Y-yaaay..." His voice faded away.

"I shall tend to him immediately," replied Luna. "Tell the nurse to take him back to his room."

"No!" said Spike. "Let me stay here...with Twilight..."

"Very well. Rarity, see if you can get the nurse to bring another bed into this room."

"Yes, Princess."

"Twilight?" Pinkie arched over the bed, trying to get her friend to speak.

"Hey Twilight, can you hear me?" asked Rainbow.

"R-rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie?" Twilight's mind began to re-immerse itself into reality and the her friends' faces came into focus. "Is that you?"

Pinkie wrapped her forelegs around Twilight's neck and hugged her warmly. "Yes, Twilight. It's us," she replied.

Rainbow too hugged Twilight just as Pinkie let go. "It definitely is," she said before releasing her.

Twilight tried to adjust herself to sit up. "Aack!" she cried out in pain.

Celestia put a hoof on the unicorn's foreleg. "Rest. You're still hurt."

"Princess Celestia? What's going on?" She spoke weakly and quietly with pain in her voice.

"You are in the hospital, Twilight."

"In the hospital? Where's Applejack?"

Rainbow gestured to the other bed. "Right there."

"Is she going to be alright?" asked Twilight worriedly.

"Heh, 'Is she going to be alright'," repeated Rainbow. "You were the one we were worried about. Applejack's fine. Well, not fine fine, but she'll be okay. But you...we were afraid that you were going to-going to...die."

"That is until Spike the Brave came to save you!" said Pinkie. "He used his magic to heal you!"

Just then, a bed began to enter the room through the doorway. Two nurses pushed it against the wall next to Twilight's bed. Rarity was right behind them. Fluttershy was still standing next to Spike when Luna's purple magical glow surrounded him and levitated him in the air over to the bed. Luna laid him down gently and walked over to the bedside. 

Fluttershy briefly turned to see Twilight. She's awake! she thought to herself before hurrying over. "You're awake, Twilight!" she exclaimed. "Oh, thank heavens."

"Hi Fluttershy. What's that bed for?"

"It's for Spike. Princess Luna is going to try to heal him."

"I shall do the best I can," said Luna. "But I'm afraid I can't make any promises."

"Why? What happened to him?!"

"He used too much magic," replied Luna. "He risked his life to save you, Twilight."

"Don't worry about me, Twilight," said Spike weakly. "I'll be fi-I'll be fiiii..." He trailed off, falling unconscious.

"He's going to be okay right?" asked Twilight in alarm. The ponies in the room exchanged uneasy looks, with Fluttershy once again on the verge of tears.

"I'll try my best," said Luna. 

"But for now Twilight, you must rest." added Celestia. "You are nowhere near a full recovery and every minute you spend awake will only worsen your condition. In fact, we should all leave. I believe Princess Luna will require full concentration for her spells and it will allow Twilight to get some rest." Luna nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry Twilight," said Rarity. "We shall be right outside the door in the waiting room."

"I will call you when it's time," said Luna as the ponies left the room. She closed the door and turned to Spike. "Stay strong, dragon. Let's begin." Her horn began to glow purple.

Spike was still awake, but just barely. With a last ounce of muscle, he moved his hand over the bed and to the edge of the next one. He felt Twilight's hoof and grasped it in his fingers. 

"Twilight..."