Angel slept fitfully that night, hardly sleeping over agitation of the next night. She hadn’t had any nightmares, but she found herself sniffing and wiping her sweaty face and occasionally runny nose with her sheets.
When woke up the next morning after finally getting 3 hours of sleep, the first thing she noticed was a warm a sticky feeling covering her body. At first, she thought it was just sweat, then, she felt that most of the moisture came from her nose.
Shooting up and breathing deeply, she flipped on the light and saw her nose was dripping in blood as nearly her entire body and bed was stained with red. After she screamed, she raced to the bathroom and flipped on the faucet, which was followed by two of her recommended pills down her throat. Once there, she grabbed all the toilet paper she could and put it up to her nose. When she looked up at the mirror, she saw her eyes were bloodshot, as all of her white fur beneath her eyes were now stained red with the blood that continued to drizzle down her mouth and onto her white chest. By then, most of it had already stained and hardened and would have to spend the whole morning cleaning herself and her sheets before she could go out. With that, she threw her hooves onto her face, smearing the blood on her hooves to the rest of her face, and then began to sob.
Twilight assured her that nopony would leave her like this, but what if she was wrong? Looking up at her now bloody face, Angel cringed at the thought. If even one of them rejected her, she was sure it would, break her. She would have nopony, not her friends, Big Mac, Blaze, or even her own parents could help. Her Mom and Daddy wouldn’t forgive her for leaving the way she did, they would probably just turn her away like she did to them.
There was a knock on the door and began to breath heavily. Nopony could not anypony to see her like this. She took the cloth away and blood came out of her nose like a faucet. She quickly put the cloth back up to her face which splattered more blood onto her face. She looked at herself again in the mirror, she looked like she committed a murder.
“Angel?” Twilight’s voice called out.
Angel's breathing began to quicken as her eyes darted from her chest to the door as she heard Twilight walk up the stairs.
“Angel? Are you here?” she called out worried.
With a deep sigh, Angel turned to face her, “Everyday...this is what I deal with…”
Twilight then grabbed a towel and wiped the blood off the floor and wanted to cry right then and there but didn’t.
“Twi...I know what you’re going to say...but know this...I’d rather suffer. At least I would die a warrior…”
“Well,” Twilight said with a smirk, “what would you say, if I… found a way, a certain spell to help you.”
Angel narrowed her eyes. “Twi, we been over this—”
“Yes, yes, but hear me out!”
Angel rest her head on her hoof. “Alright, go ahead, just be quick about it.”
Missing the sarcasm, Twilight said, “Thank you. Now, I know you said you looked into every medical possibility,” Twilight pulled out a book, “But, after talking with Celestia—”
Angel’s eyes widened. “YOU TOLD SOMEONE!” Her breathing became heavy.
“Oh… um, I mean, you said you already asked and…”
Angel rubbed her face. “It’s fine, I… I did, but… I did, but she said… there wasn’t anything she could do.”
Twilight's ears feel back. “Yeah… but, when I… suggested a few things…” she sighed, “I… wasn’t able to find a cure… but I may have a way to give you even more time..”
Attention caught, Angel nearly screamed, “H… What?”
Twilight opened her book. “Well, it’s a bit complex, so much so it might not be possible by most unicorns. However, it’s a cross between a freeze spell and an age spell that would slow down the Leukemia and send your body back a few months as well.”
Angel raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that very advanced magic?”
Twilight chuckled and tapped her horn. “You forget who you’re talking to?”
They chuckled.
Angel’s jaw doped. “Years?”
“Twi… I… I…”
Twilight placed a hoof on her own. “We still have to tell them.”
Angel lowered her head. “I know…I’ll tell them after the shower. I just,” she smiled, “I just feel so happy. I just… I know I said I don’t want to force it but...what if the spell fails?
“It won't, trust me...and if it does, you have every right to blame me.”
Angel smiled, “Alright, let’s do this…thank you for finally giving a ray of hope!”
Twilight smiled back and closed her eyes, horn lighting up.
On a hill far off from Ponyville, Angel, her friends, and Big Mac sat together waiting for the shower to start. Angel meanwhile, was fidgety, nervous for how everyone would react to this whole mess, yet hoping they would set aside their retaliation when they hear the good news. It had been enough to make herself enjoy the day.
“Someone looks extra happy tonight,” Pinkie chirped at Angel.
Angel giggled. “Why wouldn’t it be?” She waved a hoof at the night sky. “It’s a glorious day to be alive!”
The girls giggled, while Twilight only gave a half smile and a reassuring nod to Angel.
She knew she couldn’t put it off, but for now, she just wanted to be happy. She now had a chance, and she was not going to let this good night pass before she had to drop the bomb. They already had done so much before at the pre-party celebration in town, as all the girls had to embarrass her when Big Mac won her a stuffed doll at a ring toss.
Which speaking of, she felt as a large red hoof wrapped itself around her.
Angle nuzzled his chest. “Eeyup.”
Everypony began to take their seat as Big Mac sat down next to Angel on their blanket and kissed her.
“Come now,” Rarity nudged to the girls, “let's get, ‘our’ seats, shall we?”
The all whistle innocently, while Twilight gave her a concerned look.
While Big Mac’s back was turned—setting up their blanket— she whispered, “I promise, in just a little bit, okay?”
Twilight nodded. “Okay, but, would you like…”
Angel raised an eyebrow at her and Twilight nodded. “Okay.” She then gave Angel a devilish grin as Big returned his attention to her. “Don’t have too much fun you two!”
She giggled as the pair blushed bright red. Angel turned to Big Mac, her face still warm as he made a small laugh at her expression.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“Yer face just looks adorable right now…”
Angel blinked and looked shyly at her hooves.
“Angel, you alright?”
“Yeah...it’s just...Big Mac...what if there was something somepony wanted to tell you but didn’t know how and it was something important...how would you react if they told you?”
Big Mac blinked. “Angel...what’s goin’ on?”
“I...I…”
Angel choked, this was the moment, but she couldn’t do it. The fear consumed her as she thought of all the negative things that would happen.
“I’ll tell you after the shower...promise…”
Big Mac looked at her confused as she put on the warmest smile she could come up with. This set all his suspicions aside for the moment as he kissed her softly.
Angel smiled then began thinking about how this news would crush Big Mac and began crying.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing...I just need you to promise me something.”
“What is it?”
“No matter what happens, you need to be strong for me.”
Big Mac was silent for a moment, until at last, he nodded his head. “Ah promise.”
Angel dried her tears as the shower started, never in Angel’s life had she ever seen a meteor shower and was very fortunate to live long enough to see one.
She then saw Big Mac close his eyes, smiling.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Makin’ a wish.”
Angel raised an eyebrow. “What for?”
“If Ah tell ya, it won’t happen!”
Angel snorted a laugh, “Fine.”
She then felt Big Mac take her hoof in his, “But Ah'll tell ya this...it involves you.”
Angel felt all the heat in her body rise to her face, her stomach began to twist, no more hiding, no more choking, she had to tell him.
“Big Mac...I know we were going to wait until after the meteor shower...but I need to tell you now and remember your promise okay?”
She felt his hoof pull away, till he squeezed onto her own more tightly. “Okay.”
“I—”
Angel suddenly felt something rising up her throat from her stomach.
‘Oh no...not now, PLEASE not now!!’
Big Mac tilted his head. “Angel?”
Instead of responding, she began vomiting everything in her stomach.
“Angel!”
Big Mac held her hair back as she continued.
“Ah gotcha, Ah’m here, just let it out.”
When Angel finally stopped, she was panting with wide eyes about what just happened, and who it was in front of. She looked up at him, “I’m so sorry.”
He then looked at her with wide eyes as well, “Yer fine it’s just...yer nose is bleedin’!”
She placed a hoof to her nose, and began to panic, “No…” She knew what was going to happen next.
“Big Mac, go...get...Twilight…”
“Angel what’s happening?”
“Please...I...I—” She was then interrupted by more regurgitation.
He yanked the blanket under her and started to clean her up chin. “Hang on, ah… AH!”
It took Big Mac a second in the dark, but he soon realized that it wasn’t bile she was spitting up, but BLOOD! Once he realized this he held her and screamed and cried for help.
“Somepony, get a doctor!”
He then felt her body go limp as every pony on that hill crowded around them. Mac then heard a loud zoom and saw Rainbow Dash flying to get help. Big Mac felt helpless and clueless as to what was happening to Angel, his sweet innocent Angel. He looked at her face as he held her, her eyes closed and blood framing and dripping from her mouth. He honestly thought she was dead, but all that changed when she croaked, “Big...Mac…”
“Angel!” Even as the blood on his hooves began to dry and crackle as more fresh blood began to stain his coat, even as ponies from all around began to crowd around the scene, he held onto to her.
Eyes openly lightly, she held onto him with all she had, “I...I’m s-sorry.”
“Now, now, ” he assured as the doctors began to arrive. “Must of been something ya ate, no big deal. Ya have nothing ta be sorry for.”
“Believe me...I do…”
Just then, the paramedics parted the crowd and lifted Angel onto a stretcher. Big Mac could only watch as the mare he loved was taken away hurriedly to the hospital.