Two Months Later
I watch as the ticking of the clock matches with the fall of the last bits of sands in my hourglass. As the last grain falls it rises its scythe ready to end my live as I lay dying on the hospital bed…
Rainbow Dash quickly closes the book and slumps backwards onto her bed. The first story she picks today just has to have Death in it, didn’t it. She puts the horror book back on the cart and looks through the rest. She has been reading a lot of books during her stay at the hospital, much to the surprise of her friends. They were even more surprised when she didn’t feel like reading the new Daring Doo. Her reason being that it has the Grim Reaper on background of the front cover. But she can’t tell them that. She seems to be noticing Death everywhere during her stay at the hospital. In books, pictures, everywhere, even one of the bloody nurses is wearing a pony skull necklaces. She doesn’t even need them to be reminded of Death, she just has to look at her side and see the mark. She feels luckily she has not seen the real Death yet, who yet to come for its favour. She has had nightmares about this favour.
‘What favour can I give to Death?’ she thinks nervously as she continues to look through the books, ‘Will she ask for my soul? Or maybe my blood? Or will she ask to eat my flesh while I am alive so… so… I really should not have read that horror book!’
“Miss Dash?”
“AHHHHHH!” Rainbow Dash screams at the sudden voice. She looks at source and see that it is just her morning nurse, who is called Mors.
“Are you ok, Miss Dash?” she says, in her usual rather drowsy tone.
Mors is pegasus and isn’t much to look at, she is a slight bit taller than Twilight and is very thinly built. Her coat is white and so is her mane, which is nearly as long Fluttershy’s, only hundred times messier, it is also rather wavy. It always hangs over her face, so it makes it sometimes impossible to see her face. Rainbow Dash wonders how she can sometimes see at all? She always looks like she just woke up. She also always wears the full nurse’s uniform and a nurse’s hat… and also the bloody pony skull necklace, apparently a gift from her brother.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just reading a scary book,” replies Rainbow Dash sheepishly, “Soooo, what’s up.”
“I’m here to take you to the showers,” Mors explains, yawning, “You did ask for one at 9, remember.”
“Yeah, right, I did, didn’t I?” Rainbow says remembering, “So no tests today?”
“No tests,” Mors replies, “No more tests ever, we have finished.”
“What, really?” says Rainbow Dash surprised.
“Well it has been two months,” Mors replies, pushing a wheelchair to the side of Rainbow Dash’s Hospital bed.
‘And so it has,’ she thinks as she is helped into the wheelchair and then wheeled off. She has spent two months in hospital. It has been much interesting than one of her other stays. For one, nearly once every two days they took her away to do a test or two to see how her heart and other organs that were damaged are doing. And when she doesn’t have tests she has visitors. Her friends visit nearly every day, sometimes even twice! Her family visited the morning after she woke up from her operation, coming right from Cloudsdale as soon they heard the news about her accident. Her Mother came crashing in, crying her eyes out thinking that she has died and then her father saying that they thought they were going to pick up a body. They then visited her once every week over the following months. Other ponies came and visited her as well. The Cutie Mark Crusader(mostly Scootaloo) came a lot, other members of the Weather Patrol visited regularly and other ponies came as well. Her bedside table is full of get well cards and presents, but they just help remind her that she did almost die. But the thing Rainbow Dash hates the most about all these visitors, is the look of relief that pass over their faces when they see her. Like they expected her to be dead or something. What hell are they saying behind her back? She never said to them anything and pretended not to notice. And also whenever she see the door open she always expects a pony covered in a black hooded robe.
“Here we are, Miss Dash,” Mors says, breaking Rainbow Dash out of thoughts.
Rainbow Dash quickly jumps off the wheelchair before Mors can help her off and heads into the bathroom, leaving Mors to wait outside. Inside Rainbow Dash removes the bandages covering her chest and throwing them into the bin. A bit of her fur has grown back, no longer leaving her skin completely naked, but it still has got a long way to go. As the last of the bandages fall the mark appears. The two crossed scythes and an hourglass in front. As she observes the mark she suddenly hears a sound by the bathroom window. She looks up at the window, there seems to be something on the other side? She climbs on top of a bench looks outside(Because she is not allowed to fly yet). She is greeted by a raven looking back at her. It seems to have something tried to its leg.
‘Maybe the raven belongs to Fluttershy,’ she thinks, as she opens the window.
It flies in and lands on her outstretched hoof. It is a very well looked after raven, its feathers are clean and looks very healthy as far as Rainbow Dash can see. She removes the note carefully. As soon as she does the raven jumps off her hoof and lands on top the shower nozzle. Frowning at the raven Rainbow Dash unrolls the message and reads it.
“We will meet soon,” it reads. It was sighed with the mark that is on her.
Rainbow falls to her knees, shivering. It will be coming soon. Suddenly there is a knocking at the door. Rainbow Dash falls off the bench and crawls into the corner. Is it here? Has it come already?
“Miss Dash, are you alright? I haven’t heard the sound of running water?” calls the tired voice from the other side of the door.
It is Mors. Rainbow Dash feels huge relief at the realization. The door opens and Mors trots in. The raven lets out a cry, startling Rainbow Dash and Mors. It then swoops Rainbow Dash, snatching the note and then flying out the window.
“WHAT IN THE SIX PLANES!” yells Mors, “What in Tartarus is that raven doing in here?” she then notices Rainbow Dash shivering in the corner, “Are you alright, Miss Dash?.... Do you have Ornithophobia?”
“Huh, what’s Ornithophobia?” Rainbow Dash, temporally distracted from her fears by the weird question.
“Fear of Birds,” Mors states flatly.
“Oh. No I don’t have that,” replies Rainbow Dash quickly.
“Hmm,” says Mors, looking around the room, “How did it get in?”
“I think the window was open,” Rainbow Dash lies.
“Tsk,” Mors clicks her tongue in irritation, “We going to have to use a different shower, this one may be dirty. Argh, now I have to walk further!”
Rainbow Dash just nods, happy that she is not questioning her further and follows Mors into the hallway and back onto her wheel chair. Who then wheels her to another shower. That went uneventfully this time, except when Mors fell asleep outside on the wheelchair while Rainbow Dash was having her shower, she then spent the next 10 minutes waking Mors up. Afterwards she wheeled Rainbow Dash back to her room. Where Doctor Highlander is waiting.
“Ah Miss Dash, back from your shower?” he asks calmly in his usual Shetlandish accent, “I hear you had some trouble with some bird?”
“Yeah, but it is good now, Ankou,” she says, using his name instead of his family one.
“Hmm,” he says, as he watches Rainbow Dash get back onto her bed, “Nurse you can leave us now.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Mors says, yawning and wheeling the wheelchair out.
Soon Rainbow Dash and Doctor Highlander are alone.
“She pretty lazy isn’t she,” Rainbow Dash says, quietly.
“She is fine in the afternoon,” he says, as he flips through some papers, “It’s only in the morning she has trouble. Also did she tell you that we have finished the tests we were running?” he says, examining a piece of paper.
“Yeah, she did,” replies Rainbow Dash.
“Yes, while the injury luckily won’t impair any of your abilities, like flying, running or eating…” he pause, as he seems to think over what next to say, “But there are complications.”
“What complications?” says Rainbow Dash nervously.
He seems to think for a while and then sighs, “Did what me to tell you now or later when you’re more ready?”
“No, please just tell me,” she says, urgently.
“Then I will give it to you straight, Miss Dash. Your lifespan has been severely shortened,” he states
“What?” says Rainbow confused.
“I mean your heart will stop working sooner than most,” he explains.
“Can’t it be fixed?” asks Rainbow Dash scared.
“Not with today’s medicines,” he says sadly, “We can only delay it with medicines and a healthy lifestyle.”
Rainbow Dash flops backward on her bed and stares at ceiling. “How long do you think I have left then?” she asks, flatly.
“You will be luckily to live for a decade,” he states, “But if I would have to guess though am pretty sure you will live last past eight though.”
“So I have eight to ten years left?” she says.
“Most likely,” he says, hanging his head, “Do you want us to tell your family for you?”
“No,” she says quickly, sitting up, “And don’t tell my friends either, not even Twilight.”
“Don’t worry we won’t,” he says calmly, “But you will have to tell them someday. I do not want to have to suddenly explain myself if you drop dead.”
“Ok,” she says flatly, “I would like to be by myself for a while.”
“Of course, this is a lot to take in,” he says starting to leave the room. He stops by the door, “Also we can release you tomorrow, so I will need you to sign some things later.” He is about to leave again when he stops again, “Also we can send someone to look after for a while in case of unforeseen complications if you want.” And with that he leaves her alone.
Rainbow Dash lays on her bed, looking at ceiling. Her head flops sideways and she looks out the window. The raven is there. Looking back at her.
“Just enough time, right,” she says quietly.
The raven seems to nod and then taking flight disappears out of view.