Opening her eyes Narci was greeted by a the sight of clear blue skies. High above she could make out a hawk soaring on the thermals. Gasping she realized she could make out every feather on his proud form. Sunlight reflected off his wings in brilliant gold's and browns. Rolling over she planted her hooves beneath her she stood up.
To her right were endless green fields as far as the eye could see and to her left stood an expansive forest. The little leaves danced in the wind. And she could make out little birds flittering among the branches. The hum of bee's flying from flower to flower out pacing the slow wing beats of the butterfly. It was so much, it was too much to take in.
Several things didn't make since. The first was how sharp her eye sight had become, the world wasn't a haze of odd and shapeless objects and everything stood out in vivid color. The other was that the sun didn't bother her. A deep frown crossed her face as she realized there was only one possibility. She was dead!
Her little legs started to shake as the enormous weight fell atop her soul. Falling to the ground she began to sob. Burying her muzzle under one of her forelegs she thought about all those she left behind. The faces of her family floated through her mind. She would never see her parents again, even though she rarely saw them anyway. Her father was always away. She pounded the ground as she remember his last words to her before he left,
"I love you Narcissus! I don't want you to forget that. I hope you understand that I have to go away for a while. The princess has returned, our princess! I can't believe it. I have got to fulfill my hereditary duty. The founder of our family was Princess Luna's Guard captain and now I must go and be the same."
Growling she hit the ground again and cursed him. She tore at the earth flinging a clump of grass as she cursed again so forcefully that spittle rained down on the now terrified grass. Then her mother came to mind. Unlike her father she had always been illusive. Her father stayed home and tended her and her sisters while her mother worked. It was that closeness that made her father going away so hard. Night Lilly was a much a slave of duty as her father. Unlike him she wasn't bound by oath. She did it because she wanted too. Her political ambitions over ruled her parental duty.
Each of her sisters came to mind and none of their memories hurt her like her parents. She had her share of scraps with them but for the most part they lived in harmony. They all looked after Narci in their own way. As the youngest and as a pony with a handicap they treated her like she was a treasure. Her anger melted away as those happy memories pushed away those that pained her.
Her tutor was a silver coated stallion named, Ebony Script who treated her like a like a brother would treat his favorite little sister. He helped her with her homework and helped her learn bridlelle. He was her constant companion. And sadly her only friend from the first day of school to the day she left for Ponyville.
What hurt her the most was the thought of her new friends. She would never see Sweeties smile again. She would never get to poke fun at Silver again. She only did that because she liked to push the filly out of her comfort zone and because Silver reminded her one of her sisters. Then there was the constant bickering of Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. They too reminded her of her sisters. She had subconsciously created a home away from home. And now that too was gone.
Tears started returning and a sob was caught in her throat when she heard something. It was faint like a voice far off but she had heard something. Her ears swiveled back and forth trying to capture the sound again.
"Now?" whispered a familiar bouncy voice.
"Please Doctor?" it asked again.
Suddenly shadows were cast upon the ground. All of them were vaguely pony shaped. Backing up Narci counted them, there were twenty-five in all. Most of them were silent. One of the Shadows bounced around full of energy. It antics for the most part were directed around the darkest of the shadows.
"Please! Please! Puh-lease!" begged the bouncy shadow.
"No!" said two shadows in unison; each sounding like very much alike each other with only an octave of difference between their voices. The smaller shadow even looked like a petite version of the darker one, only he was wearing a top hat.
Another shadow took flight and hovered over the darkest one's shoulder,
"Look at her she is so sad. Can I give her a muffin?" asked the concerned mares voice which held a distinctively motherly tone.
A pop filled the air sounding oddly like someone pulling a sucker out of their mouth came from somewhere off to her right. Laying on her side a shadow pointed an object at the trio that were previously talking. It took Narci a moment before she realized the object the shadow held was indeed the shadow of a sucker,
"Lighten up Doc!" demanded the shadow in a husky but still feminine voice.
The dark shadow complied as his shadow faded until it was almost non-existent, which made the bouncy and flying shadows laugh.
"Not what I meant," said the lounging shadow flatly.
A click like sound came from the top hatted shadow,
"Well we are almost out of time, its now or never!'
"Please?" pleaded the bouncy shadow and the flying shadow in unison.
"Not yet," answered the once dark shadow.
The world started to draw in around Narci. It was a strange experience for the bat filly and she was filled with a since of dread. As the world withdrew into her and just before she let out a scream she heard one final voice,
"Oki doki loki! You're the Doctor!"
"Wake up!" pleaded Sweetie's voice, "Please wake up!" Slowly Narci's eyes fluttered open. Before she could even grasp what had happened Sweetie pulled her up into a hug. Narci eased her hooves up Sweetie's sides and wrapped her forelegs around her. Sweeties tears were a welcomed warmth as they rubbed of into Narci's damp coat. They stayed like that for a while before Sweetie finally let go.
"I thought I lost you!" sobbed Sweetie her face puffy from crying. Rubbing her head Narci gave Sweetie a weak smile,
"I think you did, but I'm back now."
Pulling her into another hug Sweetie let out a sigh of relief. Becoming uncomfortable with all the mushy gushy stuff Narci pushed Sweetie away. The unicorn filly dropped her head and sniffed. Narci's wings tingled. Laying there the circulation must have been cut off because they still held a pins and needles feeling. She started to stretch them out put she quickly stopped as her left wing started to throb.
"Don't move your left wing," said Sweetie as she held her hooves up ready to stop her patient from doing anything that would hurt herself, "The rock fractured the tip and first joint of your left wings anterior phalange."
Bringing the wing around Narci looked over the wing. The tip had a popsicle stick on each side and was wrapped in gauze along with the next phalange in series to stabilize the injury. Eyeing Sweeite a smile that reached up and caused eye eyes to smile as well Narci said,
"If you didn't already have a microphone cutie mark I think you would have a medical cutie mark."
Her mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide. Turning to admire her own flank Sweetie spotted it, black and metallic microphone surrounded by a green aura. Rubbing a hoof across it to make sure it was real it didn't smear and it was then that she knew it was real and it was hers. She let out a squee and then got up and started to do a strange little victory dance that looked very little like what it was supposed to be, the cabbage patch. Falling to her feet she was wearing the biggest smile that Narci had ever seen. Narci gazed up and mouthed a prayer,
"Thank you! Blessed Sisters here my words of thanks. You have brought me back from Elysium to my friends. I am eternally indebted to you."
After the prayer she looked around for Silver. She wasn't anywhere to be found,
"Sweetie where is Sliver?"
"Oh, she went to get help." she answered.
"We don't need help!" replied Narci.
Raising a hoof Sweetie pointed to the now broken bridge,
"Yes we do!"
A moment latter the echo's revealed that Sweetie was right,
"So, we just wait." she said dejected.
"Yep!" replied Sweetie sounding way to cheerful.