Twilight Sparkle walked through Ponyville's market, checklist floating close by in a magenta aura as she triple checked it for the second time to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. With a satisfied nod, she stowed the list away into her saddlebags and took in a relieved breath, glad that the mornings shopping was finished early.
"Phew, what a day." Twilight said with a sigh. "I'm surprised I got everything without forgetting something this time. Usually I have Spike with me to help me remember, but he's in Canterlot on royal business, so I guess I'm winging it this weekend."
With a chuckle to herself, she began to walk home at a relaxed trot. "Maybe I'll go visit Rarity and see how she and her new daughter are doing. Maybe there's something I can help them with." With that, she altered her direction toward Rarity's boutique.
After a few minutes, and a couple greetings to the residents of Ponyville, she found herself on the doorstep of the Carousel Boutique. Raising a hoof, she knocked on the door.
"Hello? Rarity?" Twilight called out. After a couple of seconds, she heard a reply from the other side.
"Just a moment, darling, and I will be right with you." Came the distinct voice of Rarity.
Twilight smiled, and took a step back, so as not to be directly in her friends face when she opened the door. She had read that that makes people very uncomfortable in most cases. Shortly after, the door opened, and she was greeted by her friends smiling face. "Twilight! It's so good to see you, dear." Rarity stated, beaming. " Why don't you come inside, I just finished making a pot of Jasmine tea."
"That sounds lovely, Rarity." Twilight replied. Stepping inside to follow Rarity into the kitchen, Twilight looked around the business/living space of the fashionista. "Where is Raine?" Twilight asked.
"She upstairs playing with the new doll I bought her this morning. The poor dear was having trouble sleeping last night, so I thought that it would help." Rarity explained.
"Did she say why she was having problems sleeping?" Twilight puzzled.
Rarity walked into the kitchen to fetch the kettle and a pair of tea cups, but continued to explain. "It would seem, though the place was absolutely dreadful, that she was used to sleeping in the orphanage with all the other little colts and fillies. Even though they didn't exactly treat her well, the company apparently helped her sleep. However, when I adopted her and took her home, she no longer had that company. It could have been the secure feeling of twenty or so more foals in the same room, or the white noise that helped her sleep, but hopefully, that doll will help some." As Rarity finished, she poured Twilight and herself a cup of tea, the steam rising from the two cups in lazy curls.
Twilight took a light sip from the still hot tea, but something else tugged at her mind. "What was that injury on her foreleg from? It looked quite painful when I saw her limping a little when she stepped out of the train."
At this, Rarity frowned deeply. "That was the result of extreme discrimination." At Twilight's puzzled look, Rarity continued to explain. "While she was at the orphanage, she was treated as.... Well, less than Equish. Far less. She was ostracized by the entire orphanage, even the caretaker. She had no friends, no one to confide in. It was terrible. Then, from what I'm told by the caretaker and Raine, one day a foal had stabbed her leg with a fork. The caretaker said that the foal was merely defending his friend because Raine had attacked him, but Raine says that she had just barely touched him as she reached for a box of cereal and the little colt panicked. Honestly, I believe Raine more than that horrible caretaker. But when I found her, she was curled up in a terrified ball on her bed, a dirty bandage barely wrapped around it." Rarity took a deep breath and sipped at her tea. After composing herself, she continued. "I am thinking about taking her to see a doctor to have it looked at. I fear it may become infected."
As Twilight listened, her horrified expression grew into a sickened look of disbelief. "Rarity, that's horrible! Please, let me take a look at Raine's wound. I may not be a doctor, or even a nurse, but I know a few First-Aid spells that will help."
Rarity smiled at her friends willingness to help her on an immediate notice. "That would be wonderful, Twilight. Thank you."
At this, Twilight nodded. As they both stood to walk to Raine's bedroom, they heard a voice in the kitchen doorway. "Mommy?"
Rarity and Twilight turned to see Raine in the kitchen entrance, her eye's half shut and her stance unsteady. "I don't feel so well." Raine said, her voice hesitant. With that, she collapsed into an unconscious heap.
With a panicked gasp, Rarity was immediately at her foals side. "Raine! What's wrong? Raine!?"
Twilight galloped over to where the unconscious foal lay. Focusing her magic into her horn, she cast a spell over Raine's body, enveloping it in her magenta aura. With a look of hurried concentration, she looked over Raine's body. With a gasp, she turned back to Rarity. "We have to get her to the hospital now! Her injury is already infected!"
Terrified, Rarity looked down at her daughter's wake-less form, Raine struggling for breath.
"Rarity!" Twilight yelled, snapping the alabaster unicorn out of her daze. Nodding quickly, Rarity lit her horn and began to levitate Raine in her light blue aura. Turning to the doorway to the outside world, she galloped at full speed, just barely opening the door before she slammed into it. Looking back to see Twilight just inches behind her, she continued her terrified rush to the hospital.
* * * * *
Rarity paced about the waiting room of the Ponyville General Hospital, the sound of the wall clocks incessant ticking the only noise that reached her ears. She had been waiting for almost two hours, with no word from anypony about her daughter's health. Just as she was starting to think about charging into the emergency room with a mothers conviction, a white earth pony mare with a candy pink mane pushed open the door to the waiting room and walked in.
"Rarity?" Nurse Redheart called into the waiting room.
Rarity almost ran to the nurse, eager and yet hesitant to hear the news.
"Yes? That is me. Is Raine OK? Please tell me my daughter is OK."
Nurse Redheart smiled and nodded. "Your daughter is well and currently healing in room 311 if you wish to see her.."
Rarity smiled as tears welled up in her eyes. She thanked the mare profusely and trotted as fast as she could to the room Nurse Redheart mentioned. After a few minutes of eyeing door plaques, she finally found the room where Raine was being kept. She quickly opened the door and stepped inside. There, sleeping peacefully in the bed across the room, was Raine, her leg neatly bandaged, a small bottle of antibiotics on the table next to her bed. Rarity crossed the room and sat next to Raine's bed, her tears not yet dry.
"Oh Raine, my little filly. I am so glad you are OK." Rarity said aloud, though she knew Raine was to deep in her slumber to hear hear. With fresh tears in her eyes, Rarity laid her head next to her daughter's still sleeping form, and fell asleep. It had been a long day, and she could no longer keep herself awake. She would be there when her daughter woke up.