//------------------------------// // That Which is Left Behind- 2 // Story: Essence of a Sunrise: That which is Left Behind // by maxxxxxx //------------------------------// “Aaaaaah!” Sunrise let out a shrill scream of pure terror as she bolted awake, her breathing was rapid and heavy. Her heart pounded so loudly though her ears she could hardly hear the high pitch beeped of her cardiac monitor. She couldn't move a muscle or recall where she was, her entire body trembled with fear and her eyes were glued forward, wide open and dilated. Sweat dripped from her brow and tears streamed ceaselessly down her cheeks. She could hear muffled, panicked voices, she could see figures frantically running about, the bright light blinding her. Suddenly she felt pressure against her shoulders and a figure in front of her, desperately calling out her name. “Sunrise! Sunrise! Answer me, please, Sunrise!” The voice trembled, strained by a tightness in her throat. “I- it was just a nightmare.” Sunrise said absently, the shock numbing her every sense, every sense but one; Fear. Her eyes remained fixed, staring in horror of some unsealable phantasm that was keeping her entire body paralyzed with fear. “Sunrise please snap out of it! You're safe! You're in the hospital, with me, you're safe, I promise! Please Sunrise, your heart!” Twilight pleaded her voice chocked as anguished sobs forced back her every word. “I-it was just a nightmare...” Sunrise repeated herself with her eyes still fixated immediately forward and her body still frozen in fear. Suddenly, she felt her heart slow and her body began to relax, a pleasant haze began to wash over Sunrise. Her breathing calmed and she weakly fell back into her pillow. Her mind and body were now numb with this sensation and her eyes fell shut, fear screamed at her to stay awake, but the drugs compelled her to sleep. As she unwillingly drifted into the embrace of sleep, she heard a voice, one she could not recognize softly say one word, the voice was filled with a heartbreaking sadness as it weakly whispered through the darkness. “Twilight...” ***************************************************** Her eyes gently fluttered, she could feel warm morning light beaming down on her through the window by her bed. Despite her still bleary vision, Sunrise weakly started looking around her room. Her entire body was stiff and poorly responsive. W-what happened to me? She could hear faint hoof beats coming closer, they trotted slowly and hesitantly towards her door. Sunrise struggled to sit up, her forelegs buckling under her own weight. Why do I feel so weak? The door to her room slid open, and a familiar face stood at the door, her eyes seemingly glued to the floor. “T-Twi?” Sunrise felt her strength returning, just from the mere presence of the mare, shakily, she began to pick herself up now, pushing her body to sit upright. “Sunrise!” Twilight cried, her voice carried so much heartache and pain it stunned Sunrise, her strength faded, replaced with worried for the dearest pony to her in the world. In a blur of violet, Twilight closed the distance between them, throwing her hooves around Sunrise, holding her fragile body up in her embrace. Twilight began to sob over Sunrise's shoulder, tears fell from her face, drop after drop sinking into Sunrise's pale blue fur. “Twilight…” Sunrise said, the unexpected outburst from Twilight leaving her speechless. She raised her hoof over Twilight's shoulder and held her close. “What happened?” “S-Sunrise… I- I thought… I thought...” Her words were forced out through her powerful sobs, her tears flowed unabated as she tried to speak. She was trembling now, shaking like a leaf in the wind, all Sunrise could do was hold her closer, gently rubbing her back. “It's okay Twilight, I'm okay.” She whispered lovingly, trying to soothe Twilight's pain. “I-I thought I was going to lose you! Sunrise, I thought I was going to lose you too! I can't, I can't lose anyone else! Not you, please, don't leave me, not like that...” Sunrise could feel Twilight's jaw clench against the pain and anguish in her heart. “Twi, the doctor said I'd be alright… I'm sorry I worried you, please Twi, it's going to be okay.” Sunrise's voice was quivering now, reciprocating Twilight's heartache, her eyes became cloudy and she held ever tighter to Twilight's trembling body. Suddenly, cool air rushed in around Sunrise, filling a space left vacant as Twilight pulled back. She looked into Sunrise's eyes, her own filled with a complex look of grief, fear, sadness and confusion. Her crying whimpered to a stop as she stared at Sunrise. “You mean… you don't remember?” Twilight's voice was thick with worry and disappointment. “Remember what?” “You… you had another cardiac event last night. You just… you woke up screaming, saying something about a nightmare. I- I tried to get to you, but you wouldn't respond, you just kept saying it over and over again. The doctors had to sedate you, you were on the verge of a serious heart attack. Oh Sunrise, I've never been so afraid for anyone before, that look in your eyes… I never want to see that again!” Her tears began flowing again as she recalled the events and Sunrise could see the terror in her eyes. Guilt washed over her, she didn't notice it until now, but she looked exhausted, like she had been crying all night. “I'm sorry… I don't remember any of that.” She looked down, at her lap, guilt and sorrow filling her heart. How do I not remember any of that? Was it the anesthetics? Did they make me forget? Look at what I've done to Twilight… again. I keep putting her through these terrible ordeals, I keep making her watch as I suffer and… and at this rate, it won't be long before she watches me die… Sunrise gritted her teeth against a torrent of emotions, trying with all her strength to stay strong for Twilight, but to no avail. She couldn't contain herself as her feelings, fear, guilt and sadness poured from her eyes. “I-I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry!” Sunrise grabbed Twilight and pulled her back in, pressing her face against her chest sobbing desperately into her fur. Twilight's rhythmic heartbeat steadying her own damaged heart. “Oh Sunrise.” Twilight spoke softly, her voice loving and sympathetic as she rested her head on top of Sunrise's and stroked her prismatic mane, gently rocking her back and forth, trying to ease her suffering. Still, despite her loved one crying uncontrollably into her chest, her mind drifted back, only minutes before she had entered the room. “N-night terrors?” Twilight's voice trembled. The doctor nodded, holding up a clipboard and scanning it quickly. “Yes, and due to her… unusual condition, I felt it best to run an fMRI scan and… well, we found something I think you should know about.” Twilight did no like the doctor's tone, after what she had been through last night, she didn't know if she could take more bad news, but she knew there was nothing she could do. “W-what did you find? Is Sunrise going to be… hasn't she been through enough already?” Her eyes became cloudy, but she fought back the tears as the doctor began to speak. “Well, some areas of her brain seem to be… coming back online, for lack of a better term. Specifically, the areas responsible for memories and personality. This could be the cause of the night terrors.” The doctor's face was unusually grim, but Twilight was frozen, her mind had come to a grinding halt. She just stared impotently as he went on. “I don't think I have to tell you what this could mean, but…” He paused, seeming gathering courage to speak his next words. “It's not normally my policy to withhold relevant medical information from my patients, but in the state she's in, this kind of information could send her into another major cardiac event, and we were barely able to bring her back from that last one, she's in a very delicate state right now, and we aren't completely certain about what these results mean.” “I- I see...” Twilight stuttered. Her eyes were dull and her expression a mix of shock and helplessness. All she could do was stand there and wait. “I'm going to send this over to a friend of mine, she's a renowned neurologist and could interpret this better than anyone at this hospital. In the mean time, stay close to her, she's going to need you now.” “Oh Sunrise… It'll be okay...”