//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: There There // Story: Limited // by Cynical //------------------------------// “Ow…” Twilight grimaced as a bolt of pain finally made itself known to her. She pulled a hoof to her head and pressed it gently, rolling over and covering her head with the pillow. She stayed like that for a few moments until something clicked. She threw the pillow off her head with a yell and looked around wildly. She was in her bedroom, tucked into her bed with a glass of water on her bedside table. It was the same room that she’d woken up in for five years now. She sighed again and sat back in her bed as someone knocked at the door. “Uh… Come in?” she called uncertainly, picking the water up and taking a sip as the door opened to reveal Spike, now slightly taller than she was, carrying a tray of breakfast. “Morning, Twilight,” he greeted, walking alongside the bed and putting the tray down in front of her. “How’re you feeling?” “Fine…” Twilight replied hesitantly, “Um… how did I get here?” she asked him, idly picking at the toast he’d brought her. “I was hoping you could tell me…” he said, sitting at the end of her bed. “I heard something outside the house yesterday evening and came out to find you dead to the world,” he paused and twiddled his claw anxiously, “I was really worried, Twilight… Do you want me to call the hospital?” “No,” Twilight said quickly and Spike glanced at her uncertainly. “No,” Twilight tried again, much more calmly, “There’s no point in bothering them with something like that. I’m fine, see?” she said, smiling brightly at Spike and thanking her lucky stars that she had picked up some tips on lying over the years. “And the reason you were collapsed on the doorstep?” he prompted, still suspicious. “I miscalculated the amount of charge I would need to hop over here and completely drained it all… You remember when it’s happened before? Completely harmless.” Not quite a lie… but not quite the whole truth either. He scrutinised her for another few moments before shrugging. “Fair enough. Let me know if you need anything else,” he said, standing up again and leaving the room. Twilight bit her lip. She’d avoided telling him… He’d have to know sooner or later. “Later sounds good…” Twilight muttered to herself, helping herself to the breakfast he’d prepared for her: marmalade on toast and orange juice. She bit into the toast and savoured the flavour… It was one of her last meals after all. Soon enough, the orange juice and the toast were gone and the tray was left to the side of the bed. “Well… here goes…” she muttered to herself, climbing out of her bed and stepping towards the door. It creaked slightly as she pushed it open and she glanced out. Far below, she could just make out Spike shelving some of the new returns and humming a quiet tune to himself. It looked… so normal. “And now I’m going to have to ruin it…” she muttered to herself darkly, slipping out through the door and making her way down the stairs. “Spike?” she said, pausing just a few steps from the ground floor. “Yeah, Twilight?” he asked, looking over at her with a few books still held in his arms. So far, so good… now, how did you go about telling the closest thing you’d had to a brother that you were going to die in less than two days? Her mouth was dry. There really was no proper way to go about it she realised. There was no checklist she had to follow. No step one or step two. “Thanks for the breakfast,” she replied, cursing herself as she did so, “I’ve left the tray on the side so…” “I’ll take care of it,” Spike said, smiling up at her, “And you’re welcome. So, what’s the plan for today?” Twilight shrugged, then paused. “I… don’t have one,” she admitted, barely believing it herself. “So you’re finally taking my advice,” Spike said, completely ignorant of Twilight’s surprise. “I keep telling you that the days get a lot more enjoyable if you don’t plan them out five months beforehand. I bet you that today is going to be the best day of your life.” “Wouldn’t count on it,” she said under her breath, finally stepping off the stairs and heading towards the front door. “I’ll see you later, Spike; I need to run some errands.” “See you later, Twilight,” he called, starting on the books again as she slipped out through the door, shutting it quietly behind her. This was going to be harder than she’d thought. The sound of bells rang out across the street and she glanced towards the large clock tower in the middle of the town. It was already 11 AM and she hadn’t even managed to tell Spike about her condition. She sighed again. That was the drawback about having been given such a slight amount of time to live… besides the obvious problem anyway. There simply wasn’t enough time to do everything. Resolving to give it a damn good go anyway, she lit her horn. She’d get all of her friends together and tell them then; she’d include Spike too, along with anyone else that would need to know. Sparks flew from her horn and she quickly extinguished it, wincing. “Okay… so teleporting is currently out of order,” she muttered and sighed for the umpteenth time. “Alright… so I’m walking. Wonderful.” It was with that that she turned to the left and started walking towards Sweet Apple Acres, already trying to plan the explanation that she was going to have to present to all of her friends. She was so enthralled in trying to think it through that she didn’t notice when she missed the turn out of town until she was about ten more paces past. Slightly embarrassed, she turned around and headed back towards the turn and actually took it this time. Ahead of her, she could see a lone plume of smoke that could only belong to the Apple family’s chimney, rising slowly into the sky. She continued down the road, letting her mind wander back to the subject of what she was actually going to tell everyone. “Listen… I’m sorry, but I’m going to die sometime in the next few days.” Somehow, Twilight didn’t think that would be the best method of delivery. She growled to herself quietly for a moment before speaking again, “I’ve been diagnosed with advanced magical hyperactivity flux disorder. I can’t use much magic anymore and I’ve been given two days to live.” Yet again… it seemed like there’d be a better way to tell them all without countless blank stares or panicked faces. She shut her eyes, leaning her head forwards and letting the blood pool for a moment. As much as she’d love to finalise a speech on how she was going to die… she had to admit that she had more pressing matters to deal with before then. The fact that she’d passed the farm was one of them. The gate swung shut behind her as she passed through, heading straight towards the large farmhouse. It was oddly quiet; the usual sounds of the farm and its occupants strangely absent. Worried that no-one was home, Twilight stepped onto the porch and knocked sharply on the door. After a few seconds of anxious silence, she finally heard movement from inside the house and she turned towards the door as it opened to reveal Big Mac. She felt her smile droop slightly but tried to freeze it in place as Mac nodded at her. “’Afternoon, Miss Twilight,” he drawled. It’s afternoon already? Twilight thought to herself as she replied, “Hi. I don’t suppose you know where Applejack is, do you?” Mac shook his head and Twilight’s smile dropped again. “But…” he started thoughtfully and Twilight perked up, “I think she mentioned that she was gonna head into town today. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.” “Thanks, Mac,” Twilight said, turning towards the gate again. “No problem,” he called out behind her and a few moments later, she heard the click of the door shutting. Only then did she groan to herself. “Well that was pointless,” she grumbled to the quiet farm, slipping out the gate again and starting on the long road back into town. She could just hear the sound of bells announcing that it was already half-past the hour. She heard them twice more before she arrived back into town, the second time as the clock struck noon. During the walk back from the farm, she’d decided to go and look in at Sugarcube corner in the hopes that she’d find Pinkie. Finding Applejack in the meantime would be a bonus. More ponies were wandering about the streets now and she nodded a greeting to one or two that she recognised, looking out for Applejack as she did so. Sadly, there was no sign of her as she reached Sugarcube corner. Or rather, she reached the street that Sugarcube corner was on. Getting inside the store to talk to Pinkie appeared to be another matter entirely as the lunch-crowd seemed to simply grow from the store with no clear end as a mass of ponies chatted around outside, waiting for there to be enough space inside to move. “You have got to be kidding me…” she groaned to herself before walking down an alley to the back entrance of the shop. She knocked on the door and waited patiently. And more patiently. And more so. She knocked on the door again; harder this time and waited for some sign that she had been heard. Once again, no such sign came. Frustrated, she tried the handle, only to find it locked. She sighed and leant her head against the door. “I guess it’s just really not my day…” she murmured to herself before straightening up. Resolving to come back later, she headed out of the alley and started towards the Carousel Boutique, hoping that Rarity would be on her lunch break and, more importantly, there. Any hope of that was ruthlessly kicked aside as she reached the shop. Pride and place in the front window, a sign was held, stating: Gone for Lunch. Will be back soon. Rarity Twilight bit her lip to catch the exclamation she had been about to shout and took a deep breath. “Not the best of mornings,” she admitted to herself and shook her head slightly. It was noon, she was going to die in less than two days, she’d found not-a-one of her friends, she couldn’t do magic, and now she was getting hungry. Her stomach reiterated the last fact and she grimaced to herself. Of the five, that seemed like the one that was the easiest to fix. With that thought in mind, she started towards a favourite restaurant of hers, specialising in freshly-made sandwiches among other things. Something else that she liked about that restaurant was how relatively unknown it was. On arriving, she sat down at a table next to a window and sat there, looking out over the street as ponies moved to and fro, ignorant of her dilemmas. After a few minutes of staring out the window, there was a polite cough from behind her and she looked over at the waiter, stood patiently next to her table with a notebook at the ready. “Oh…” Twilight said, slightly embarrassed, “Right.” She cleared her throat quietly before relaying her order of hayfries and a daisy and cress sandwich. The waiter flipped his notepad shut and headed towards the kitchens, leaving Twilight to go back to looking morosely out the window. She was hesitant to look at the clock though, knowing that it would only make her feel worse as she unconsciously ticked down the hours. She wondered whether Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash would be as elusive as her other friends, even if it was just a matter of poor timing on her part. Honestly, she wouldn’t put it past Fluttershy to choose today to go and tend to a creature in the Everfree forest. Added to the fact that it was almost a certainty that Rainbow would be wherever she pleased and Twilight had very little hope about finding all of her friends with any sort of decent speed. The waiter returned with the sandwich and she thanked him absent-mindedly, lost in her own apathy. It hardly seemed like she had enough time now. She still had to find and tell all of her friends, Spike, Celestia, her parents, and her brother; that was a trip to Canterlot in its own right. Then she’d have to sort out her affairs; what was going to happen to Spike after she was gone? Who was going to look after Owlicious? Who was going to take care of the library…? She took a bite of her sandwich, letting herself drown in her thoughts as they kept presenting her with more and more tasks to do. She was going to have to tidy the library, take out the rubbish, file all her research and put away all her equipment in the basement. The tasks kept piling up as she made her way through her lunch until, by the time that the last hayfry had been eaten, she had precisely two-hundred and thirty-seven tasks to complete in order to make sure she was ready to move on. Her horn sparked again and she winced, reaching for her bits with her hooves instead of her magic. Then she stood and left the restaurant without saying anything, not even noticing the waiter as she passed him, too far lost in her own thoughts. Without thinking, she glanced towards the clock tower again and sighed. It was one ‘o’clock in the afternoon and she was reminded of why she had been avoiding looking at the clock. “Well at least Rarity should be off her lunch break by now…” she muttered to herself, already walking the way she’d come again. By the time she reached the boutique, the sign from before had been removed and she stepped into the shop, shutting the door behind her to the tune of the doorbell above her. “Coming!” a voice trilled from the back of the shop and a few moments later, Rarity appeared from around the corner, a mannequin held behind her in her magic. “Twilight,” Rarity said, beaming, “What an unexpected pleasure. What can I do for you, dear?” “Hey, Rarity,” Twilight greeted, smiling back, “Listen… would you mind coming to the library a bit later, say about five?” Rarity looked at her curiously for a moment, “Of course, as if you’d need to ask… but, if I may, why?” “I just have some news that I’d like to share with all of you, that’s all,” Twilight said truthfully, “And if you happen to see any of the other girls, would you mind passing along the message? I haven’t had the best luck finding any of them so far.” “Of course,” Rarity said, “Applejack should be dropping in a little later and I suspect Fluttershy will be doing so too so you can let me tell them.” “Thanks Rarity,” Twilight said, trying not to let the relief show too plainly on her face, “I’ll see you later then.” “Take care,” Rarity called out behind her as Twilight pulled the door open and left the shop, heading straight towards Sugarcube corner now. The lunch-queue had died down by now and Twilight slipped inside the shop without hassle. Mrs Cake was behind the counter, chatting to the only other customer in the shop as she arrived. Twilight caught her eye and Mrs Cake smiled at her briefly before resuming her conversation, “But of course, Whooves, I’ll see what we can do about a cake for the party, is there anything you’d like it to say?” The stallion in front of her paused for a moment, thinking quietly before replying, “Just… ‘Happy Birthday’ I think…” Mrs Cake made a note on something in front of her and the stallion known as Whooves thanked her. “Think nothing of it; it should be ready for collection tomorrow. That’ll be twenty-five bits, please.” The quiet clink of money passed over the counter and Twilight became the only customer in the shop. “Now then, Twilight,” Mrs Cake greeted warmly, “What can I do for you?” “Good afternoon, Mrs Cake,” Twilight replied, “I don’t suppose you’ve seen Pinkie around anywhere, have you?” “I can’t say I have, dear. The last time I saw her was this morning when she announced that she was going to go and replenish our supply of flour,” Mrs Cake broke off and smiled to herself, “I really don’t know what we would do without her.” “Well… If you see her later, would you mind telling her to come by the library at around five tonight?” “I’ll see what I can do, now can I trouble you for a favour of my own?” Twilight, who was about to turn around and leave the shop, paused, “Sure, what’s the matter?” “It’s Mr Cake,” Mrs Cake said, biting her lip, “He left a few hours ago to get some more sugar and he still hasn’t come back… Would you mind keeping an eye open?” “Of course I will,” Twilight replied, “I’ll tell him that you’re worrying about him.” “Thank you, dearie,” Mrs Cake said as Twilight turned and left the store, emerging into the mostly-quiet street. “Okay…” Twilight muttered to herself, “Two-hundred and thirty-eight tasks.” She paused and sighed, shutting her eyes and trying vainly to forget about everything but finding her last friend for now. Opening her eyes, she immediately looked upwards into the sky, searching for any sign of Rainbow Dash against the skyline. Yet it seemed her initial assumption was correct. There was no sign of Rainbow in the air, meaning that she could be absolutely anywhere at – Twilight glanced at the clock again – two ‘o’clock in the afternoon. She groaned… “So much for not looking at the clock,” she berated herself, “Now where could Rainbow be…” That thought plagued her as she continued down the street, walking absent-mindedly as she considered where-in-Equestria she was. The problem with Rainbow Dash was that she could feasibly be absolutely anywhere in Equestria. “There you are!” Twilight span around to see Rainbow Dash gliding down towards her, touching down at a trot which she slowed to a halt. “I’ve been looking all over for you,” she exclaimed, breathing heavily. “Me too,” Twilight said, still somewhat surprised at her questionably good fortune. “You have?” Rainbow said, slightly astonished, “Listen, would you mind if I talked to you about something?” “Can it wait, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, “I’ve got something that I need to talk to all of you about and it really can’t wait… can you meet me at the library at five tonight?” “Uh… I suppose…” Rainbow said, caught slightly off-guard, “But that’s not for another three hours… can’t I talk to you about this now?” she insisted. Twilight shook her head wearily. “Sorry, Rainbow… I’m in a bit of a hurry at the moment… can’t you talk to me later? Maybe at the library later?” “Then can I talk to you about this thing?” Rainbow reiterated and Twilight sighed, exasperated. “Yes, Rainbow. You can talk to me about whatever it is you’d like to talk to me about after I’ve talked to you all later, okay?” “Um… yeah, that’s fine… I’ll… talk to you later then?” she said and Twilight nodded. “See you later.” Twilight waved Rainbow goodbye as she turned and rose steadily into the air, setting off elsewhere and leaving Twilight on her own. She stood there for a few more moments, replaying that slightly odd conversation in her mind twice more before she shook her head; she had more important matters at hoof. She still had to tell… Who else did she have to tell to meet at the library later? She couldn’t think of anyone else for that matter. “Maybe I should just go back home…” she wondered quietly, still wracking her brains for anyone who she might have forgotten. After a few more minutes of that, she sighed and shook her head, setting off back home for some well-earned rest. The library was silent when she returned and she quickly found a note from Spike telling her that he’d gone out to pick up some more pancakes. She picked the note up and threw it away, making herself a glass of water while she contemplated what to do next. Against her better wishes, she’d managed to sneak a glance at the clock again on her way back to the library. It was only half-past two now; meaning she had another two-and-a-half hours to kill before she’d have to tell everyone. Setting the empty glass on the side, she walked into the library and scanned the bookshelves for something to help take her mind off the time. Almost immediately, she picked out an old favourite of hers: The Lord of the Rings. She set it down on the side of the sofa and laid herself beside it, flicking open the first page and starting to read. When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton. She found her eyes wandering, not quite seeing the words on the page as her mind reverted to the problem she’d had earlier. Just what exactly was she going to tell her friends? Maybe she could tell it to them quickly; just to get it over and done with… but then they’d demand more of an explanation. Or she could just give them the explanation straight-away… but then they might not understand it, or the significance might be lost on them… Somewhere that was not in Twilight’s inner monologue, she heard the door open and close, signifying Spike’s arrival back into the house. What if she didn’t tell them? She still had tomorrow to do it after all. She’d just have to invent something else to say to them when they all arrived later today… assuming they did all arrive later today. She didn’t know for certain that Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were going to make it. Maybe they wouldn’t and she’d be able to put it off with the excuse that not all of them were there yet? She could hope after all… The doorbell rang, knocking her from her reverie. She glanced around for a moment, trying to get her head back into the world of the living. She glanced down at the book and saw that she was still on the first page. She grimaced and shut the book, listening as Spike went to answer the door. “Oh, hey, Rarity,” she heard, “What can I do for you?” “Good evening, Spike. I don’t suppose Twilight is home?” “Uh, yeah… she’s just through here.” Twilight sat up as Rarity came into the room and she offered her guest a smile. “Isn’t it still a bit early?” she said uncertainly as Rarity sat herself down on a chair. “Only fifteen minutes so, dear,” Rarity replied, “I know you said five, but I thought I’d drop in a bit earlier to let you know that I’ve passed on the invitation to Applejack and Fluttershy; they both say that they’ll be coming.” Of all the pieces of information in that sentence, Twilight focused on only one. “It’s quarter-to-five?” she asked incredulously, looking towards the window and at the darkened sky outside. “Well… yes,” Rarity said, confused, before she looked at the book on the table, “Ah… you must have lost track of time again… I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve sat down with a good book in the morning and only put it down after nightfall.” Twilight looked at the book in disbelief, “I wasn’t even reading it…” she muttered under her breath as the doorbell rang again and Spike set off to answer it. This time, it was Pinkie who bounced into the room in high spirits, “Heya, Twilight,” she greeted, hopping over the sofa and landing next to Rarity, who blanched. “Do you mind,” Rarity said hotly, glaring at Pinkie, “I’ve just had this tail curled. I’d prefer it if you didn’t sit on it, dear.” The doorbell rang once more as Pinkie simply offered Rarity an innocent smile and Twilight stood up sharply, “I’ll get it,” she said to Spike, eager to not get involved in the glaring war she was leaving behind. She opened the door to find Applejack and Fluttershy on the doorstep. “Evenin’ Twi,” Applejack greeted warmly. Twilight smiled back and stood back from the door, “Welcome, come inside,” she said, looking up at the darkened sky before she shut the door behind herself. “Rarity and Pinkie are already here,” she said, pointing the two of them towards the suspiciously-silent room beyond. They nodded and headed on through, leaving Twilight on her own in the hallway as Pinkie greeted the newcomers exuberantly. “Now I just have to wait for Rainbow Dash…” she muttered to herself, trying to get her nerves in order even as someone knocked on the door. She opened it and smiled at Rainbow Dash, “Thanks for coming,” she said, shutting the door after her and leading her into the room. “Well I could hardly refuse, could I?” Rainbow asked, smirking. Twilight didn’t reply, leading Rainbow to the others and letting them greet her in their own ways. “Spike?” she called. “Yeah, Twilight?” he asked, appearing around the corner of the kitchen and looking at her expectantly. “Would you mind joining us for a few minutes?” Shrugging, he nodded and did so, greeting the other ponies who he hadn’t seen yet. After another minute, Twilight cleared her throat and spoke. “Thanks for coming, everypony,” she said, letting the noise die down before she continued, “I’m afraid that I have some bad news…” She licked her lips, going over the numerous iterations of speeches that she’d prepared for this moment, trying to choose the best. “I’m dying,” she said in the silence of the library. “I’ve been diagnosed with a rare condition that’s fatal,” she continued, trying to ignore the horrified stares from the audience in front of her, “I’ve been given a few days of life before it happens… That’s what I wanted to talk to you about… Any questions?” She scanned her friend’s faces, waiting for any response as they all stared at her with a mix of horror and bug-eyed shock. “You’re… you’re sure about this, right?” Applejack started at last, causing the others to snowball in on the questions. “You can’t be serious!” “What about a second opinion?” “Is there a cure?” “What about Princess Celestia?” “What about me?” Twilight held up her hooves and tried to calm them all down as they continued to babble on regardless. Gritting her teeth, she let a flare erupt from her horn and cried out in pain, sinking to the floor. “Please… please…” she whispered to herself in the silence of the library, “Just… be quiet…” “Twilight…” “I’m fine…” she said shortly, getting to her hooves and breathing heavily. “Yes, Applejack, I’m sure… I got the diagnosis last night; the second diagnosis. No, there isn’t a cure and… I haven’t actually told Celestia yet; you’re the first ones I’ve told so far.” “And what about me?” Spike repeated, looking up at Twilight incredulously. “Spike…” she started. “No…” he interrupted, “I wondered what was wrong with you this morning; I asked you if you were okay and you said you were. I heard you scream when you came back last night,” he continued, tears in his eyes, “You said you were fine and I accepted it… Why didn’t you tell me, Twilight? What’s going to happen to me when you’re gone?” “I… I… don’t know…” Twilight stammered out, looking down, ashamed, only to feel a pair of arms that wrapped themselves around her neck a few moments later. “I don’t want you to die…” Spike said next to her ear and she wrapped a foreleg around him in return, staying silent. A few moments more and Spike was joined with Twilight’s friends, all of whom tried to wrap her in a hug and all of whom tried to offer their support through sob-wracked breaths. “It’s going to be okay…” she muttered quietly, knowing that not-a-one of them believed her. She cried along with them and shut her eyes, resting her head on Spike’s as the tears dripped down her face. Eventually, the hug broke and Twilight was left looking at her puffy-eyed friends, trying to keep her own eyes clear. “Do you want us to stay the night?” Fluttershy asked, looking at Twilght with worry. “No,” Twilight replied, her voice breaking somewhat, “I’ll be fine… I’d just like some time to myself for now.” “If you’re sure…” Rarity said doubtfully. “We’ll be around first-thing tomorrow, ya hear?” Applejack said, not moving either. Twilight nodded, “Alright… I’ll see you then, okay?” The rest of them nodded then, with varying numbers of worrying glances sent back towards Twilight, they all left the library, Applejack shutting the door behind her as she did so. “Would… would you like something to eat?” Twilight looked over at Spike, looking at her with tears still brimming in his eyes, and sighed. “Honestly Spike? I don’t feel hungry now. I think I’m going to have an early night.” “I’ll come with you then!” Spike exclaimed, standing up and heading towards the stairwell. “No, Spike,” Twilight said suddenly, causing him to pause with his claw on the banister. “No… I’d just like some peace and quiet, please.” “But, Twilight…” Spike protested, “You said it yourself, you’re going to die soon. I’d just like to have a bit more time with you before then… please…” “No,” Twilight said again, carefully not looking into Spike’s eyes, “I’d just like a bit of time to myself now… please.” It almost looked as if Spike was about to continue arguing but, after a moment, he sighed. “Fine… I’ll have your favourite breakfast ready in the morning… if tomorrow is your last day, then I’m going to do my part to make sure that it’s the best day ever.” He hopped off the stairs and headed towards the kitchen, leaving Twilight alone in the room. She sighed. “Thanks, Spike…” she said quietly. She looked around again and started climbing the stairs to her room. She pushed open the door and stood there for a moment, looking around silently for a moment before she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. She scanned the room again and stepped towards another pair of doors, these leading outside to the small balcony she had. She stepped through and into the chilly night, leaning on the banister surrounding her. Twilight sighed, looking up towards the night sky. The stars were out tonight, uncovered by clouds. “Well that day could have gone better,” she said, deadpan. “Not enough time…” she murmured to herself, letting her head fall into her hooves. She still had to tell Celestia, her family, her solicitor, the mayor, and countless other ponies who were going to have to pick up the pieces that she would leave behind. She’d barely managed to force Spike to leave her alone to her problems and to get some sleep. What was Celestia going to do when she found out? The stars twinkled in reply to her thoughts and she looked down again… She’d been given forty-eight hours to live and she’d used twenty-four of them to tell six ponies and one dragon… “I wish I had another day…” It was a moment before she realised that she murmur was her own. But… what would another day give her? It’d give her time to tell a few more ponies and get a few more of her problems in order… then she’d still die. She didn’t want to die. She took one last look at the stars before she headed inside again, shutting the door to the balcony behind her before she crawled into her bed and buried her head into the pillows.