3, 22, 1000, C.E.
Ponyville General Hospital.
10:00 A.M.
Sky Diver and Ruby Rose sat in the waiting room of the hospital while Midnight was pacing around the room. They had rushed Gadget to the emergency room but that was a few hours ago. They hadn't heard anything since. Midnight was getting more agitated by the minute. What could possibly be taking them so long! She stopped her pacing and looked to the door's. To hay with this waiting! She reached the doors and was just about to barge right through them.
"Sweety what are you--" Ruby was cut off as Midnight was stopped mid knock by a doctor exiting the Emergency Ward.
"Mr and Ms Sky Rose?" He called out.
"That would be us!" The two parents said as the doctor beckoned them forth. Dexter who was leaning against a wall also came along. The doctor looked at his list and was just about to let them all pass when he stopped Midnight.
"I am sorry but i'm afraid we are only allowing family in at this time." Midnight's eye's narrowed to pinprick's.
"If you do not let me pass this instant i will personally make sure you never work ever again! SIR Sky Rose is My Knight in waiting. I will not be held back from ensuring his safety! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?" Midnight was trembling in both anger and fear now. The doctor cowered before the princess before him. Midnight in her fit if anger had let her disguise slip and she was revealed to the whole waiting room as a much smaller version of Nightmare Moon. While it had been a few month's since her attack on ponyville there were still some pony's that feared her greatly. The doctor was one such pony and he cowered before the Alicorn as she swept past him into the ward in search of her Knight. Nurse Red Heart heard the commotion and when she saw who it was she ran over to the group.
"Rose! Diver!" She said waving to the couple. They all converged in a small hallway and Ruby embraced the Nurse in a hug.
"Hello Red Heart." Ruby said through a curtain of tear's.
"How's your mother doing?" She said as the two mares drifted apart.
"Oh you know." Red Heart said through tear's of her own.
"You can't keep her down. When she heard about Gadget she hopped on the next plane from Baltamare." Ruby chuckled.
"Yes that sound's like Bright Heart. She always had a soft spot for our little ball of sunshine." Her smile turned into a soft sob as she began to cry once more.
"Do they know what's happening to him?" Sky said as he came to comfort his wife. Red heart looked down.
"No. I'm afraid not." She looked to the door to Gadget's room.
"This is the first case like this we've ever had. The doctor's have him stabilized in the Cryo-Re-Constitution Chamber but that can only work for so long." She looked back to the group. She saw that Nightmare was there but when she saw the look on her face she couldn't bring herself to shriek away. Her face was one of deep sadness.
"How long?" Nightmare asked.
"What?"
"How Long?" She repeated a little louder this time.
"How long does he have before----" She choked up.
"Not long." Red Heart hung her head.
"I would say 3 hours at the most." As the new's sunk in Ruby and Sky were in shock.
"T-t-t-three -h--h-h-h-hour's? H--hoh--how could he h---hahahave t--r-r-ree? WHAT IN THE HEY WERE YOU ALL DOING IN THERE!!!" Ruby exploded in anger.
"WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR'S ARE YOU!!!" Red Heart had heard all of this before. She knew Ruby was afraid. So she took it, all of the anger, the insults the foul language and hurtful statement's. She knew that ruby needed to vent. So she became her shoulder.
When she was done ruby was panting and barely able to keep herself up on her hooves. Finally she caught her breath.
"Take us to him." She said calmly. The same doctor from before had come by to tell them more new's.
"I don't think--"
"I DON"T GIVE DAMN WHAT YOU THINK!" Ruby yelled at the doctor.
"TAKE ME TO MY SON! NOW!" She said as she grabbed the doctor in her magic and began to shake him like a rag doll. The doctor however was not in the mood to talk after Ruby body checked him with her magic. He slumped to the floor as limp as a wet noodle.
"YOU!" Ruby yelled at the nearest doctor. The doctor in question was stunned from Ruby's abuse of the first doctor and when she had set her sight's on him he nearly wet himself.
"Y-y-y-yes -m-m-miss?" He said trying to become one with the white wall's of the hospital.
"Will you please be a dear and escort us to our son's room?" She said batting her eye lash's at the young stallion. He quickly nodded his head and ran down the hall. The group fallowed close behind. When they got to Gadget's room they all stopped to take deep breath's to calm themselves down. Ruby tried to raise a hoof to open the door but her trembling body was making it a lot harder than it should have been.
"Here. Allow me." Nightmare said as she used her magic to open the door. A soft steady beeping greeted them as they entered the white scrubbed down room. They all saw Gadget. Instead of laying in a standard hospital bed he was instead suspended in a machine by a green force field. His body was covered from head to toe in a soft green shell that would pulse in time with the beating of his heart.
The group walked over to his side and they all sat there, looking. As they stood there Ruby looked around for a clock. She spotted one on a wall across form the bed.
"How could it have come to this?" She said to herself. Her husband looked at her with tear's in his eye's.
"Don't worry sweety. Were here now. That's all that matter's." He sighed.
"I might not be a doctor but our son has been through tougher stuff than this." He looked to Gadget and smiled.
"You remember that night?" He said smiling at his wife.
"Yes of course. He was pretty banged up then to. The doctor said it was a miracle he survived." She looked at there son her resolve coming back.
"Exactly. If he can survive that then he will survive this. I don't normally believe in cosmic entity's with great power's but if there is one watching out for our boy then it will help us out now just like it did back then." He hugged his wife as the two sat there praying to what ever force there was out there that there son would pull thew this disaster. Nightmare and Dexter also began to pray to whatever cosmic force at work that there nephew and friend would be ok. Nightmare looked at Gadget with teary eye's. Please Gadget. Don't leave me.
10:00 A.M. Twilight's Library.
"Girl's!" Twilight shouted at the group. They all stopped bickering at each other and listened.
"For the last time this is not a curse, hex, enchantment or any other form of superstitious nonsense." She said scanning the room. All of her friends had sheepish looks on there face's.
"Ell hen hat lse ould t e?" Pinky asked threw her swollen tongue. Twilight looked at each of her friend's. Pinky had a swollen tongue. Rainbow's wing's looked frail and whenever she moved them she winced in pain. Rarity looked like an absolute wreck. Her mane was frizzy and she had huge bag's under her eye's like she hadn't slept in day's. Fluttershy had a sore throat that was so bad she couldn't talk. Apple Jack could barely walk. Her muscle's ached to much. As for Twilight her horn was on the fritz and she had a massive headache.
"Apple Jack how is Apple Bloom doing?" AJ winced as she lifted her head from the floor.
"Well twi she seem's ta be doing just fine. She complained about a stomach ache last night but this morning she she was as fit as a fiddle." AJ went back to resting her head on a stack of pillow's Twilight had grabbed for her. Twilight was stumped. All of her friend's had gotten sick over night. As she thought about the day before the only thing that came to mind was,
"Aha! Girls i think i know who will be able to help us!" She said as she began to walk over to Aj and help her up.
"Who?" they all asked at once. Twilight covered her ear's as her head swam with pain.
"uhh." She began to massage little circle's over her head.
"Well You all remember what happened yesterday with Zecora?" They all nodded there heads.
"Do you all remember were we where?" They all starred at her. She rolled her eye's.
"The field of blue flower's?"
"Ohhh." They all said at once. Twilight shook her head.
"So that mean's that Zecora was trying to worn us. Not put a curse on us?" Rainbow said.
"Exactly. So she must know what's wrong with us. If she does then she will know how to get rid of it." Twilight and her friend's slowly made there way to the everfree forest. After a few minute's of hard walking. The group stopped to take a break at the edge of the forest.
"Ok girls quick question? Does anypony actually know were in the everfree forest Zecora live's?" They all thought about it for a sec then shook there head's. Nope. Twilight just grumbled to herself. She held her head and sighed.
"Ok. Time for plan B." She said getting up and walking back to town. "What's Plan B?"
"We ask around town to see if anypony know's were Zecora live's."
Ponyville,
11:00 A.M.
After looking around for an hour the girls were stumped. No pony seemed to know or want to know were Zecora lived. The last place they had to go to was the hospital. They didn't want to bug anypony on duty there but they had very little choice. they were all exhausted and getting worse my the minute. Soon they might need to go to the hospital anyway just to check themselves in.
As the group made there way to the receptionist desk they heard a loud speaker come to life.
"ALL EMERGENCY MEDICAL PERSONAL TO THE E.R. STAT!" A large swarm of doctor's came running through a set of door's and racing off down the hall. The group got to the desk and ringed the bell. A few minute's later Nurse Red Heart came to the front desk.
"Girl's? What are all of you doing here?" She asked.
"Well Nurse we were wandering if anypony around here would know were Zecora lived in the everfree forest?" Twilight said.
"Girl's you all look horrible what happened to you?"
"Well deary." Rarity said stifling a yawn. "We were all in the ever free forest the other day looking for Apple Bloom. The poor young thing got lost or so we thought." She yawned again. Twilight decided to finish up.
"Long story short we had nothing to worry about. Gadget was there looking after Apple Bloom the entire time." Red Heart's Ear's shot up.
"Gadget?" She said her face beginning to show signs of worry.
"Yes. He was there looking after Apple Bloom." Twilight noticed Red Hearts panicked expression.
"Red Heart is there something wrong?" She looked at the group of pony's and scowled.
"YES THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG!" She shouted at all of them. They all recoiled from the outburst but they were soon caught up in a wheel chair as Red Heart scooped them all up and began to push the cart towards the E.R. A few second's later the girls could hear somepony sobbing uncontrollably in a room up ahead. They were all dumped out onto the floor.
"Hey what was that for?" Rainbow said rubbing her wing's. The nurse just shot a hoof to the door. The group all huddled around the window and then they all gasped in fright at what they saw. Several doctor's were in the room now plus Gadget's family. The doctor's were furiously trying to calm Gadget down as it looked like he was having a seizure. They all backed away from the window.
"What is happening to him?" Twilight asked as she looked from the door to the nurse. She shook her head.
"We don't know. We've tried every cure in the book but nothing is working." She said her eye's began to water.
"But that isn't even the worst part." All of the pony's jumped as somepony began to scream in pain. They all looked through the door to see Gadget thrashing about in the stasis field.
"How could this possibly get any worse?" Twilight asked. The nurse was quite at first. Then as if trying to whisper it she said,
"Because Gadget only has a few hours left to live." The whole group was silent.
"WHAT?" They all shouted at once.
"How is that even--"
"We don't know." She said as she began to cry.
"One of my best friends is going to die and there's nothing i can do to help him!" she shouted as she clung to Twilight sobbing. Twilight looked around. All of the girls were shocked at the new's. They had known Gadget for a few year's now and while they all only just recently started to hang out together, they were all hit pretty hard by the new's. No! there has to be way to stop this! We have to find Zecora! Twilight turned to go back to the entrance.
"Twi were ya goin?" AJ Asked.
"I'm going to go get some answer's." she said as she headed towards the front desk. She was joined by the rest of the group trying to get to there hooves to fallow her but she held up a hoof.
"No you all stay here and rest."
"You want us to sir her and rest while our friend id=s in there dyin?" AJ said.
"Yes. But more importantly." She added as the girls were about to argue. "I want you all to be here for Gadget when he wake's up." She looked at the door. Gadget's screaming had stopped.
"Go on Twilight." Rarity said. "We'll be here for him just as he was there for us." Twilight nodded her head and then ignoring her massive head ache she ran out the hospital towards Sweet Apple Acre's.
Ponyville, 12:00 P.M.
The Hospital room was deathly quite. Gadget was sedated and he was calm for now. Nightmare was exhausted. She had spent the better part of the last hour entering Gadget's coma dream's calming him down. It was taxing on her physically, mentally, emotionally, and magically. The last thing he had said to her before he cut there connection was to tell his parent's that he loved them and that he would miss them, her and the girl's. Then he was silent. Nightmare didn't like it at all. IT felt like he was giving up.
"Don't you dare give up on me." She whispered. "if you do when i get to the after life i'll find you and make you wish you hadn't."
She looked at the clock. 1 Hour left? Why? Why Must time Fly so fast when things are at there worst? Yet when thing's are at there best it fly's like the wind. Here one minute gone the next. She had to lay down. She couldn't take the stress anymore. She crumpled onto the floor and began to weep. the one pony in her life that did not think of her as a monster was about to die.
"Good evening pony folk. I see you ignored my warning of the joke?" All of the pony's looked over at the door to see that last pony they expected. However none were prepared for the pony that was most shocked to see her.
"Zecora?" All of the pony's looked over to see Dexter on his hooves and looking quite red in the face. Zecora looked at Dexter who turned away.
"Ah good Dexter. It is quite well to see you so. But i must digress. You are all under some duress." She trotted up to Gadget's bed.
"Quite severe this is. Proper treatment is a must. So i will do what i can to fight this illness to the last strand." Zecora set to work on all of the pony's present. One by one they were all cured of there affliction's. Gadget however would need more treatment than all of the rest combined. Zecora was able to stabilize him and keep him alive. But she worked through out the night just to get him well again.
3, 31, 1000, C.E.
After a week in the hospital Gadget was finally aloud to leave. As he was wheeled out he was greeted by all of his friend's and neighbor's who had wished him well when they had heard about his condition. At the forefront of them all was his family and Midnight. Even the girls were there to. They all gave him a huge smile. Then he opened his arm's and they all gave him a big teary group hug. His mom and dad both gave him an extra hug.
"It is so good to finally be able to see you sweety." Ruby said as she hugged her son peppering his cheek with kiss's.
"It's great to see you to mom." He said hugging her back. Sky scooped Gadget up in his strong arm's and gave him the biggest hug ever.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again young man." His dad said through teary eye's. Gadget chuckled.
"Can't make any promise's dad but i'll try not to." He said. The two stayed like that until Sky was curtain his son wasn't going to just up and vanish. Then Gadget and Midnight shared a glance as she came up to him.
"Well Sir Sky Rose you seem to be as resilient as ever." She said keeping a calm face about her. Inside her emotions were all over the place. But she kept them hidden under her mask.
"Ya well it must be my thick skull." Gadget said chuckling. Midnight joined him with an edge of nervousness about her. She calmed herself down and looked Gadget in the eye's. His deep sapphire blue eye's met her own golden one's and they stayed locked like that. Slowly she made her way over to him and embraced him in a soft hug.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again Gadget." She spoke so only he could here her. Gadget was stunned. She actually called me by my name! As the two broke there hug Gadget did something no pony was expecting him to do. He got down on his knee's and bowed to Midnight.
"My Princess. I am deeply sorry if i frightened you. I shall assure you that it will do my best to make sure it does not happen again." With his declaration over, Gadget collapsed onto the ground in front of everypony.
"Oh not again!" His parent's said as they went to go and scoop there son off of the ground. The girls had a laugh at this little spectacle but Midnight was rooted to the spot a heavy blush on her face and her heart was beating faster. What are these feeling i am having?