Beyond the Dreamer's Veil

"I promise, Pinkie.” Twilight sighed, exasperated at her friend’s insistence.

"Pinkie promise!" The normally bubbly voice of the joyful pink pony was infected with a hysterical edge, as the two sat together in the corner of a hospital room.

Twilight gingerly lifted her hoof to her eye and said, “I Pinkie promise." Twilight had spent the last hour reassuring Pinkie, but she couldn't delay any longer. With that last promise she started casting her spell.

At first her horn glowed with a faint magenta light, but soon, a burning white spark emerged from her horn that grew in intensity until it shone as bright as Celestia's sun. With a flash of light her spell was complete, and Twilight collapsed unconscious into her bed.
---
Pinkie Pie looked on with awe as her friend performed her spell. She knew that Twilight had to do this, but she didn’t want to see her go. The way Twilight had described it made it sound so dark and lonely. What if her friend got sad or cold while she was in there? Pinkie critically examined the threadbare sheets of the hospital bed that Twilight now occupied. They looked so thin that she thought she might just poke holes in them by staring hard enough.

Pinkie looked across the room to where four beds sat, all in a row up against the wall. Although she couldn't see them from where she sat, she knew that those four beds each contained one of her dearest friends. She didn't know what had happened to make them sleep like this, but Twilight seemed like she knew how to fix it.

Pinkie just wanted her friends back. She wanted to see them smile again.
---
It was a disconcerting feeling to not know what way was up or down.

All around Twilight was endless blue sky and white clouds. No matter where she looked it was more of the same in every direction. The only thing Twilight had to orient herself was the blazing orange sun that hung low in the sky.

While looking around her, a soft breeze blew through the air, carrying with it just a hint of fresh rainfall. With little else to do she followed the breeze. Maybe rainfall would mean land. She could do with getting her hooves back on the ground.
---
Pinkie walked over to the four beds where her friends laid in their enchanted slumber. Rainbow Dash had been the first to come down with it. Pinkie had been the one to find her, taking one of her signature naps in a tree. She hadn't woken up when Pinkie called her down, and shaking her fared no better. Pinkie knew something was wrong when her best friend in the whole wide world wouldn’t wake up. So she did the only thing she could think to do.

She ran.
---
Twilight followed the breeze for what felt like hours. Sometimes the breeze would die down for a few minutes, only to start up again from a new direction, ever carrying the scent of rain. However nothing seemed to change around her, no matter where she went there was naught but clouds to be found, it was as if she was being taunted.

In frustration she kicked a cloud that happened to be drifting nearby, and to her surprise, it dissolved from her blow. When Twilight was young she was taught in school that only pegasi could manipulate the weather, but maybe things were different here.

Idly she began to kick nearby clouds, clearing the skies of the white fluff. It was an onerous task, but she stuck to it. At the very least, it gave her something to do while her thoughts wandered. She had never truly appreciated just how quickly Rainbow Dash managed to do it until now. She began to slowly travel in circles, kicking any clouds she passed by, picking up speed as she went. After a period of being lost in thought, she looked around her only to see that the majority of the sky was now empty.

She took off towards the last batch she saw off in the distance.
---
Pinkie ran faster than she’d ever run before. She didn’t stop when she stubbed her hoof on a pile of rocks that jutted out from the ground, she didn’t stop when she tripped on a branch and skinned her knees, she didn’t even stop when Ms. Cake shouted at her from Sugar Cube Corner wanting to know what was wrong. She just knew one thing, Rainbow Dash was in trouble and she had to get someone, anyone who could help Dashie.
---
As Twilight closed on the last cloudy outcropping, the air around her rumbled ominously. As she drew near, the cloud erupted in a flash of lightning, as if to ward her off. The wind began to pick up speed, buffeting her in her approach. The cloud poured forth torrential rain, and in an instant, she was drenched and chilled to the bone.

Still she pushed on, muscles burning, exhaustion causing her whole body to ache, being driven forward on pure adrenaline. She screamed in agony as her world became nothing but wind, water, and lightning. She couldn’t do it, her body refused to go on, her mind drove a hollow shell of forgotten flesh and bone. The last thing she felt before blacking out was a soft pop.
---
The room lit with a bright flash of white, and shook Pinkie from her reverie. She turned towards the source, and for a split second she thought that it was Twilight’s doing, before the accompanying thunder corrected her. She slowly walked towards the nearby window and sat in the chair below it to watch the coming storm.

Somewhere over Ponyville it began to rain.
---
When Twilight came to, she found herself in the familiar orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. She was immediately engulfed by the fragrant smell of ripe apples. All around her, the various apple trees of the Apple family were in full bloom. The leaves weaving a tapestry of gold, orange, and red as the rising sun blazed along the skyline.

She reached up to grab an apple from one of the nearby trees, and bit into it. The familiar taste of one of the Apple family’s golden delicious apples made her think of her friends. She missed all of them dearly. She began to wonder how long she had been out and whether Pinkie was okay all by herself.
---
Pinkie stared at the rain as it began to pour outside. She didn’t remember any scheduled thunderstorm for today. Perhaps now that the Ponyville Weather Team was out of service the rain would come and go, much like it did in the Everfree Forest. Did that mean the weather would move on its own? Applejack would know since she lived so close to the forest.

But it had been nearly two weeks since she had seen Applejack out of her hospital bed. After Pinkie found Rainbow Dash it was Applejack who had helped carry her to the hospital. Applejack who had waited by Rainbow Dash’s bed every day of the week, hoping to be there when she woke up again. She would wake up extra early every morning, finish her chores at the farm, and head straight to the hospital to wait by Dashie’s bed. Finally one day the nurses had found her collapsed, presumably from exhaustion, at Rainbow’s bedside. The hospital had been unable to wake her.
---
Twilight began to wander the orchard fields. Over the generations that the Apple family had lived here they planted their seemingly limitless rows of apple trees. Neatly spaced, and all aligned in even rows, the trees prospered. It was a miracle that they were even capable of harvesting so many trees in such a short period. She knew that Applejack and Big Macintosh were hard workers, but the fields felt enormous.

Twilight had never been a particularly strong pony, preferring to stick to her books and magic. Sometimes though, while watching Applejack during applebucking season, she wondered what it was like to be an earth pony. To feel that special connection with the land they experienced, to touch the soil and know instinctively whether a garden would flourish, or wither and die. Experimentally, Twilight lifted her back hooves and gave a nearby tree a buck. A single apple fell from the tree, eliciting a giggle from the lavender unicorn. She didn’t think she was quite cut out for applebucking season.

As she continued to trot through the comforting orchards, the sun slowly sank below the horizon. Before she even noticed, nighttime was upon her. The darkness slowly settling around her made Twilight realize just how tired she was. She hadn’t seen the Apple family’s barn or house while she was wondering, but she was sure they wouldn’t mind if she took a nap beneath one their trees. She would just rest her eyes for a second and then continue with what she came here to do.
---
Pinkie remembered the next day vividly. Word had spread like wildfire that two of the Elements of Harmony were hospitalized. Some simply said they had fallen into a coma, but rumors that it was a terrible disease, a magical curse, or some other horrible affliction popped up like flies.

Some had called for a quarantine of the hospital, worrying that it would spread to others, but it hadn’t mattered. All around Ponyville they found ponies who had succumbed to the sleep that now afflicted both Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie watched helplessly as her friends were slowly taken from her.
---
Twilight awoke to a beautiful dawn, taking comfort in the fact that she knew Celestia watched over Equestria. She got up and stretched her sore legs, perhaps the ground was not the best place to sleep. If she could find the Apple family’s house, maybe they’d let her rest in one of their beds. They had a guest room, of course they’d let her stay there, why would she even worry about that.

She once more resumed her trot through the fields. Her thoughts were once more enthralled by the sweet smell of apples. Maybe the Apple family would bake her some of their delicious apple fritters or apple pies. Her mouth watered in anticipation at the mere possibility of getting her hands on one of their apple pies. The succulent apples surrounding her made the prospect all the more real.

She was so lost within her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the rapidly approaching house before her. She regained her senses mere seconds before she would have run face first into the closed door. She picked a hoof up and gently knocked on the red, wooden door. After a minute without a response she called out for Applejack. Still without a response, she quietly pushed the front door open. Inside the old house it was dim, the sun was hanging low on the horizon, and the faintest of light shone through the windows.

Since no one deemed to respond to her calls, she decided to investigate, hopefully Applejack wouldn’t be mad at her for barging in like this. She supposed they would forgive her though, the Apple family was nothing if not friendly. As she slowly trotted through the house, she came upon a bedroom and realized just how tired she had become. No one would mind if she took a short nap here.
---
Pinkie remembered the way the town looked at her after that fateful day. She may not have done anything, but it didn’t matter. The plague was inextricably linked to the Elements. Whereas before everyone greeted her with glowing smiles and shining eyes, they now looked on at her with trepidation, and did their best to avoid passing near her. Ponies she approached did their best to act like nothing had changed, but everyone suddenly had somewhere they needed to be or something that had to be done soon after she’d stop to talk to them.

The town she loved so dearly had turned her into a pariah.
---
Twilight woke to another day of hard labor. She was awfully thankful that the Apple family had taken her on as a farmhand to help with the applebucking season when she was short on bits. It was backbreaking work, and she wasn’t accustomed to it, but she did her fair share.

The sun had already crested the horizon and the Apples were likely already bucking their portions of the field. She headed out to do her portion of the field, even if she had to stay out late each day, she always finished her section. As she walked through the rows of trees, a slight drizzle began to come down, covering her fur and mane with a light coat of water. Though it was light enough that it did not soak through to her skin.

She had a long day ahead of her though, she had a section of field to clear and no rain would stop her. She began to buck trees.
---
When Pinkie became withdrawn, she sought solace from her friends. Twilight had been more than willing to give her a place to stay. The library was big enough that multiple ponies could live there easily, and she wouldn’t be in the way like she might be when living with Rarity and her family, or in Fluttershy’s small cottage. She remembered Twilight sending an urgent letter to Celestia asking for help.

The next day the doctors came.
---
The day had been slow going, the rain muddied the ground and made bucking hard. She frequently slipped and missed trees or skidded uncontrollably in the mud. The apple cart she hauled her apples in had gotten stuck multiple times, and only after strenuous amounts of pushing did it break free of the ground's firm grasp. The damnable thing seemed intent on keeping her from ever finishing here. To worsen things, the rain had grown heavier as the day dragged on, and she was now thoroughly drenched.

Then, the lightning came.
---
The doctors were the best Canterlot had to offer. They proceeded straight to Ponyville hospital where they set up their operation. That day they demanded that all of the sleepers be brought posthaste to the building. Pinkie had gone out to watch the spectacle like most of Ponyville’s residents.

She didn’t have anyone to bring to the hospital, but she saw many familiar faces that day. She saw Mrs. Cake drag Mr. Cake on a makeshift stretcher made of bedsheets to that gloomy place. Her normally well styled crimson mane hung limply around her dejected face. All the joy and light seemed to have been sapped from her eyes. She looked as if she could barely raise her head from the burden that rested on her shoulders.
---
Lightning flared, thunder boomed, and Twilight remembered everything. She wasn’t here to buck apples, she was here to save her friends! She dropped everything and ran as fast as she could.

The rain quickened and sheets of the drenching liquid began to fall. Rivers formed around her hooves as the ground became inundated with water. Tree limbs shattered and fell, as wind whipped around her in furious gales. All around her, the forces of nature sought to impede her, to keep her from leaving this accursed place. Suddenly the earth itself cried out in a protest of her departure, and with a deep groan and a sickening crack the ground was torn asunder. She wouldn’t be stopped though, she couldn’t be stopped, Twilight galloped at full speed and leapt to cross the widening chasm.

She leapt, and she fell.
---
Pinkie glanced outside the window. The rain was coming down heavier now. Deep gray storm clouds brewed overhead, dimming what light the sun had left to give. The low intensity of the hospital lights only seemed to further darken the room. What little light they did provide, cast long shadows across everything in the room and made the corners feel pitch black.

This room was where the Canterlot Doctors had stayed. They kept Rainbow Dash and Applejack here since they were the first victims. Rainbow and Applejack were still here, but the doctors had long since departed. For all their pride and training they had been able to do nothing. They could not cure the ailing, nor give relief to those stricken with grief. There was no solace to be found.

For Pinkie, her friends still slept, and her world continued to crumble around her.
---
Twilight fell and the world faded around her. The rain tapered off to a fine mist before ceasing entirely, the howling gales slowly weakened until only a cool draft remained, and the earth faded from view until it was gone completely, and only an inky darkness prevailed. Gone were the endless rows of apple trees, the overwhelming smell of rain and apples, and the rumblings of sky. The only thing left to greet her was the oppressive sense of loneliness and abandonment that the darkness provided.

Twilight tried to cast a simple light spell to cut through the hostile presence, but it never came. She could feel the magic well up inside her and focus in her horn, but the night did not recede. She tried again with no better ends, which only drove her to try again and again, with more effort behind it each time. This continued for a short while until she heard a nearby voice grumble something.

“Could you please stop, you’re hurting my eyes.”
---
After the doctors departed, Ponyville truly began to panic. The brief glimmer of hope they had imparted on the town, died with their departure. The uneasy fear that had previously resided over everyone grew in intensity, and soon the streets were racked with paranoia. Everyone hid themselves indoors, avoiding going outside for fear of contracting the sickness. The usually tight knit community began to fear and distrust their own neighbors.

Market days were always the worst for Pinkie. She used to go to the town square on market days to sell Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s confections. She’d be able to meet anyone and everyone on those days, as everyone had some kind of business to get done on market day. Now all it did was bring back painful memories of what used to be a bustling town filled with friendly faces. Like every other day it was a ghost town, few dared the world outside their domiciles, and fewer still would risk talking to another pony.
---
Twilight froze as her mind went into overdrive. What did it mean she was hurting its eyes? Nothing was happening, how could it possibly hurt anyone’s eyes. There was nothing around her to see, nothing but the taunting darkness that still engulfed her. She heard the voice mumble, “The nerve of some ponies,” as the bearer departed. The realization suddenly dawned on her. She was blind.

Worry plagued Twilight’s mind. Why was she blind, or for that matter how was she blind? She had just witnessed her vision fade before her very eyes. How was she going to get around, she didn’t even know where she was for Celestia’s sake! The only time she’d ever even tried walking around blinded was when she played pin the tail on the donkey. She took a tentative step forward, as if worried that the ground would give way beneath her hooves if she dared move from where she now stood.
---
Twilight had remained reserved throughout the Doctors visit to Ponyville. Pinkie hadn’t seen her leave her study in the library the entire time they were there. After three days without seeing Twilight, Pinkie was worried that she had succumbed to the disease. She gently opened the door to Twilight’s study while calling her name. She was relieved to see her friend sitting there, but the relief was short lived when she saw the look on Twilight’s face.

Gone was the vigor that once filled Twilight’s every action. Before her, sat a haggard unicorn with bloodshot eyes and a disheveled mane. She looked as if she hadn’t slept at all the last few days, maybe even the last week. Behind her was a veritable mountain of books thrown haphazardly together, discarded as they ended their usefulness to the lavender mare. Never had Pinkie seen Twilight give so little regard for the well-being of her precious books.
---
The ground did not give way as Twilight took that first step. She heard the soft ‘clipclop’ sound of her hooves striking the cold hard ground, she felt the smooth texture of well worn stone against her hoof, she smelled the all too familiar scent of coffee grounds being brewed for the coming day, and she tasted the crisp, clean air that only winter mornings can bring, but she saw nothing. Her world was naught but darkness, gone were the vibrant colors that used to fill her waking life.

Twilight took a deep breath and calmed herself. She could do this, plenty of ponies were blind, and they got around Equestria just fine. She was a perfectly capable unicorn who would be fine without being able to see. Of course she hadn’t had years of coping with the affliction, but she would make do. If nothing else, she was sure some pony passing by could assist her. This was no reason to give up hope. She took her second step forward.
---
“Twilight,” Pinkie tentatively began as she carefully approached her friend.

Twilight barely managed to croak out a hoarse, “What?” before her voice gave way. She plainly looked exhausted, barely even functional. With the way her voice sounded, Pinkie wondered if she had so much as bothered to drink any water today.

“I haven’t seen you come out of your room at all recently, are you okay?” The look of concern that filled Pinkie’s eyes would have melted even Rainbow Dash’s brazen heart. Twilight sighed, partially in concern for her friend, and partially in despair.

She supposed her friend was right, she hadn’t come out of her room at all recently. She had spent all her time pouring over her books looking for any hint of information that might help. What was this strange disease that afflicted the town, was there any hope of a cure, something, anything she could do to help save her friends? As her stomach grumbled for the hundredth time in recent history, she realized she hadn’t even bothered taking care of herself. She wouldn’t be of much use to her friends if she couldn’t even function.

“Come on,” Pinkie said with a concerned look in her eyes, “let’s get you something to eat.”

She slowly removed herself from her perch, her joints popping in protest of their sudden use after days of hardly moving. How long had she been sitting here now, she could hardly remember at this point. She knew she had to get something into her system or else she’d collapse, so she reluctantly left her books behind and followed Pinkie to the kitchen.
---
Twilight took another step, gaining confidence with each one. This wasn’t so bad, she could function like this. It was an odd feeling walking around without being able to see. She kept worrying about tripping over her own hooves, but the act of walking was so ingrained in her memory she not once faltered.

As she continued trotting around the area, she began to think about where she could possibly be. Ponyville didn’t have any stone streets, the small town had never had the money for building any official roads. Nor was she entirely sure they would have wanted to even if they were capable, the village was founded by earth ponies after all, they might just feel more comfortable walking trotting through grassy earth.

Come to think of it, the only ponies that really felt the need to build up cities were unicorns. Pegasi were content with their cloudy thoroughfares and open skies. Earth ponies were hardly any different, they rarely congregated in such large numbers as to need a densely packed city, preferring open fields and gardens. The only predominantly unicorn cities she could think of were Canterlot and Manehattan.
---
Twilight was slightly disoriented as she was lead down the stairs into her kitchen. Her friend reached into the cupboard to grab a glass, before filling it full of water from the sink. “Take this,” she said, as she left a glass of crystal clear water on the countertop. Twilight reached out with her magic and the glass wobbled precariously in the air as it made its way towards her. She could barely levitate things straight with how stressed she was right now.

Pinkie began rummaging throughout the kitchen looking for ingredients to cook. She hadn’t cooked much in her life, but all her time spent baking treats for the Cake’s store meant she knew how to whip up a quick meal here and there, even if it was nothing fancy. From the looks of it though, it was a lot more than Twilight had ever bothered learning.

The kitchen was nearly bare of anything even resembling a meal. All Pinkie could find was a few slices of bread, some hay, and a few stray dandelions. The best she could do was make her friend a simple sandwich, at least it was better than nothing at all. She settled on going out to pick up some food later that day.
---
Twilight heard the soft tinkling of a nearby bell, evoking the familiar memory of Sugar Cube Corner in her mind. Almost immediately thereafter she was struck by the scent of coffee and donuts. She cautiously tried to make her way towards the origin, at the very least there might be someone inside who could help her.

As she made her way towards the door she stubbed her hoof on the ground. She probed the ground to feel what it was that had caught her hoof. She probed the ground with her forehoof, it felt like the marble was broken and jutted out from the ground.

She paused, coffee, donuts, cracked marble pathways... this was all too familiar to her. She thought about it for a second, could this be Donut Joe’s Donuts and Joe? She used to come here almost every day back when she was studying at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. She’d either stop by early in the morning for some coffee to wake her up or she would come here when she needed to get out of the castle during one of her many late night study sessions.

If this was Joe’s, she might be able to make her way back to the castle from here. She had come here often enough that she felt like she knew the route by memory alone. Even better, if Joe wasn’t too busy, he could help her get find her way to the castle. If she could get back there Princess Celestia might be able to heal her vision.

Twilight pushed open the door with her muzzle and walked inside.
---
Pinkie walked through the town. She knew the chances of meeting a vendor was slim, but she had hoped that someone would attempt to return some semblance of normalcy to this place. Her hopes were dashed as she made her way through the market square. The sounds of crying and despair had long since subsided.

The town no longer wept for itself, their collective tears had dried. The friendly small-town feel had dissipated, replaced with a wellspring of sorrow that seeped through the very walls of the various buildings. What remained of this place was a hollow mockery of even the tiniest portion of the liveliness it once held.

She sighed, she knew in the back of her mind when she was coming here that it was highly unlikely for anyone to be in town, but still, she had hoped. Instead she began to make her way towards the outskirts of Ponyville. Even if no one else in this town was willing to come out of their homes, she knew of at least one place she could still get food. It was late enough in the year that the Apple family’s orchards would be in full bloom.

Right about now Applejack and Big Macintosh would be out bucking trees in order to bring in the harvest, but with Applejack being asleep for the last week she hadn’t heard a word from the Apple family. Maybe Big Macintosh was still working the farm all by himself. She just needed a basket or so of apples, and she would be fine, hopefully he wouldn’t mind her taking some.
----
Above her, the comforting tingle of the door’s bell could be heard. The fragrance of brewing coffee was overpowering, it’s pungent scent filling her nostrils giving the air a tantalizing aromatic quality. Sweet undercurrents of freshly baked donuts competed with the coffee for her attention, but were no match for the powerful, stimulating aroma.

Twilight took a deep breath of the calming smells and queried the store, “Joe?”

The only response she received was the uncomfortable almost-silence that pervaded the room. The dull whirr of the coffee grinders could be heard coming from the back of the shop, but no other sound filled the void. The invigorating fragrance that engulfed the room dwindled, dissipating like an early morning mist in the new day sun. The incessant ever-present whirr that filled the air gradually slowed until it became a heavy, monotonous clicking sound before dying entirely. Soon the smell of coffee had departed entirely, replaced by the moist odor of soft decay and wet earth. The hard stone floor gave way to the spongy feel of wet grass and dirt beneath her hooves.

A drop of water splattered against her cheek.
---
The apple orchards were empty when Pinkie arrived. All the trees were in full bloom, but there were none of the tell-tale signs of applebucking season. There were no baskets placed around the base of the trees, there was no consistent cracking sounds to be heard as ponies bucked trees to loosen the apples from their branches, there were no carts laden with apples to deliver to the storage shed, there was nothing but the trees.

The only sign of life Pinkie found in the rows of apple trees was a family of deer feeding on the apples from one of the many trees. She thought about scolding them for stealing her friend’s apples, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. After all, she was here for the exact same reason.

Pinkie walked into the shed where the Apples kept all of their baskets and other assorted tools for the harvest and care of the orchard. She picked up one of the many baskets they had stored in there. She left a handful of bits off to the side along with a note explaining things in case any of them were still awake. They hopefully wouldn’t mind her taking the apples and basket without permission, but she needed these right now.

Out in the orchards Pinkie gathered her basket of apples and left the farm as quickly as she could. The barren nature of the farm left her feeling uneasy, and she didn’t want to stay here any longer than necessary. She planned on stopping by Rarity’s and Fluttershy’s homes before heading back to Twilight’s tree. She thought they could probably use some of the apples she had picked up.
---
A light rain fell around Twilight, matting her fur and soaking her coat. It wasn’t enough to cause much more than mild discomfort to her, but she knew she should find her way out of the brewing storm before it got worse. It wasn’t helping that she didn’t know where she was, and to make matters worse the soft ground and constant pattering sound of rainfall made it nigh impossible to navigate by sound. She started to feel lost and very much alone.

As she aimlessly wove her way through the grounds, she felt something softly crumble beneath her hoof on a small mound of dirt. She reached down to pick up the now crushed object, but her hoof caught on something sharp that pricked her, causing her to bleed. She cautiously reached down again to examine the object, and her hoof gently caressed the stem of a plant. She carefully picked it up and felt the twisting stem, sharp thorns, and delicate flower-topped head of a rose.
---
She walked up to Rarity’s boutique and headed inside. The bell that would alert Rarity to new customers rang, but the sound felt empty to Pinkie’s ears without the warm greeting from Rarity that normally accompanied it. Nevertheless, she made her way into the boutique, calling out Rarity’s name. The ominous silence that hung over the building was only broken by the creaking of the worn wooden floors as Pinkie wandered throughout the first floor looking for Rarity.

Pinkie gradually made her way upstairs. The heavy burden of the apples kept shifting awkwardly on her back. It made the climb up the stairs increasingly difficult as they threatened to spill over at every jostling step. Eventually she crested the final stair and made her way to the upper landing.
---
Twilight reached down to lay the rose back on the ground, but her hoof brushed up against another flower. Probing the ground now she found a small pile of flowers heaped upon the mound. Roses, lilies, daffodils, azaleas, and many others she couldn’t identify. She lifted up a handful of the flowers to her nose, forming a makeshift bouquet, their smell was slightly dampened by the rain, but the flowers were fresh enough that their wonderful fragrance still lingered.

Twilight laid the flowers down to rest upon the mound and felt around her, seeking the stone tablet she knew to be somewhere nearby. Her hoof bumped into the object she sought, and she reached out to feel the curved surface of its coarse granite edges. The last standing memory of someone who had passed into the great unknown.

She ran her hoof across the tombstone’s surface to read it’s engraving.
---
Pinkie’s heart nearly broke in half when she crested that final step. Before her lay Rarity and Sweetie Belle, huddled together. Putting down her basket of apples; she walked up to the two sisters.

Rarity lay collapsed on her side, her legs splayed out awkwardly in front of her. Her mane was unnaturally messy; her normally perfectly styled royal purple hair was frayed and tangled. Her coat looked ill cared for, as if she hadn’t bathed in days. Her face lacked the makeup that accentuated her natural beauty. Everything about how she looked was wrong. She was obviously the same Rarity she had known for so long, but it was so unlike her to completely stop caring about her looks.

Sweetie Belle fared only marginally better than her sister. She rested atop her sister’s side, her face buried in Rarity’s coat. Looking closer, there were two small patches of wet fur beneath Sweetie Belle’s eyes. Sweetie Belle must have only been taken recently, her sister being taken beforehand. Pinkie quietly pitied her, she could only imagine how painful it would be to find the individual you cared for most in the world inexplicably and cruelly taken from you in such a capricious manner.

She moved to depart, there was nothing she could do for the two. All she could do was hope that Twilight found a cure for what ailed them. She hefted the basket of apples onto her back once more, and descended the staircase. The weight of her burden felt as if it had been doubled, the crushing feeling of another lost friend dragged on her heart.
---
Twilight brushed her hooves across the rough engraving on the tombstone, reading the carved words on the surface. The stone was cold in the winter air and chilled her hooves quickly. The small depressions had quickly gathered water that ran down her soaked hoof in tiny rivulets. Engraved upon the tablet rested the words,

“In memory of
Twilight Sparkle,
beloved daughter
cherished friend
she will be missed.”

---
Pinkie continued her wearisome journey Fluttershy's cottage. She hoped desperately that the shy pegasus would still be awake. She didn't think she could take losing another friend.

As she approached the quiet mare’s home, she noticed a distinct lack of sound coming from the surroundings. Fluttershy cared for a plethora of animals both great and small, all of which produced a constant stream of noise. She should have easily been able to hear their cacophony of sounds by now, but the cottage was eerily quiet.
---
Twilight stumbled away from the accursed stone, accidentally dislodging the pile of flowers from its place atop the mound in the process. Something must be wrong, this couldn’t be possible. She was right here. She couldn’t be dead. She wasn’t dead! What happened? Who would want to do something like this? Why would they do it? This didn’t make any sense. She took off running, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from the place as she possibly could.

A cold wind swirled around her.
---
Pinkie walked up to Fluttershy's door, her apprehension growing with each step. Her hoofsteps were like drums to her ears. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. She knocked on the front door, but there was no response. She opened the front door just far enough to stick her head in, and called out Fluttershy’s name, but still there was no response.

She mentally steeled herself and entered the house, expecting the worst. She walked into the foyer area and looked around her. Fluttershy’s usual assortment of animal homes and feeding bowls were clean and orderly as ever, but the pegasus was nowhere to be found. It was late enough now that it’s possible she had already gone to bed, but this seemed early, even for the meek pegasus.

Regardless, she set her cargo down, at the bottom of the stairs this time, and walked up to Fluttershy’s room. She’d just peek in and make sure Fluttershy was okay before leaving. As she drew close to Fluttershy’s room she heard a quiet mumbling coming from the other side of the door. Never in her life had she been so relieved to hear Fluttershy’s dulcet voice. She immediately burst through the door.

“Fluttershy! I’m so glad you-”
---
Twilight ran from the perplexing and terrifying scene. It made no sense, but she didn't care. The only thing she cared about right now was putting space between her and that awful place.

The ground was wet and slick beneath her hooves. It made running over the uneven, treacherous ground increasingly dangerous. Her hooves managed to find every nook and cranny, causing her to nearly fall on multiple occasions.

Still she ran on, fear driving her onwards, pushing her to her physical limits and beyond. Her breathing was labored as her body desperately gasped in air to sustain her mad sprint. Her legs cried out in pain, objecting to the cruel and unusual punishment she put them through.

The wind drove against her, slowing her fervid escape and weakening her already tired body, but still she ran on. Freezing rain fell in waves, stiffening her aching muscles, but still she ran on. Hail pelted her from the heavens, causing tiny red welts to rise up in angry protest across her body, but still she ran on. She ran as if death itself was on her heels.
---
The words died on her lips mid sentence at the sight that confronted her. Fluttershy sat on the floor in the middle of the room, her head downcast, mumbling something unintelligible. Her mane hung down, hiding her puffy red eyes from Pinkie's sights.

Surrounding her on the floor were dozens of animals, all peacefully at rest. Pinkie slowly walked up to her side to give her a comforting hug when she saw something cradled in her arms. A small ball of white fur sat cradled in her grasp, pressed up against her chest. It was her pet bunny, Angel.

Being so close to Fluttershy meant Pinkie could finally make out what she was mumbling.

"All gone, all gone, all gone."

Fluttershy’s animals were her life. She dedicated nearly every waking moment to caring for and feeding them. There was no one else that Pinkie knew who showed so much kindness towards all living things. It hurt her just to think about how much anguish having them taken from her must cause her friend.

So she did the only thing she could think to do, she gently wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy. It was a small gesture, one that any friend would do given their situation, but that simple act of kindness was enough to send Fluttershy over the edge, and she burst into tears. It wasn’t much, but it was all she could do as their worlds unravelled around them.
---
She ran on and on for what felt like an eternity. Her weary body consigning itself to the debilitating race with no finish line to speak of. Her body no longer felt anything, as it was no more than a drifting mass in a black void of nothingness.

Her legs carried her forward on her endless journey, but they ceased to protest or cry out in pain. Her ears still heard the repetitive beat of her hooves against the ground, but it ceased perceiving it. Freezing rain continued its torrential downpour that soaked her, but she ceased to be cold. Hail continued to fall and strike her with daunting frequency, but it ceased to sting her flesh.

The world and life continued on around her, but Twilight Sparkle ceased to exist.
---
Pinkie invited Fluttershy to stay with Twilight and her at Twilight's house. She didn't want her to be alone in a state like this. With all of her animal friends asleep, there was little reason for her to stay here, and it was only likely to remind her of their absence. At the very least, Pinkie and Twilight could provide her with some kind of company if she was with them.

She once more hefted her basket onto her back, and they left to walk to Twilight's. Both of their worlds were a little brighter for the other's companionship. The pass through the town square was a little less dreary, and the quiet that lay over the town was a little less oppressive.

On the way back Pinkie quickly stopped by Sugar Cube Corner and commandeered a small sack of flour and a few other ingredients. She could bake the three of them some apple treats easily enough with these, or make up a loaf of bread. Regardless, it would be enough for them to last off of for at least a little while.
---
Twilight Sparkle ceased to exist, but the world formed anew. Gone was the inky blackness of the void, replaced by the verdant greenery of Whitetail Woods. Tall, majestic trees dominated the landscape accompanied by low-lying ferns and bushes that obscured the ground. In every direction there were a multitude of different plant species all competing for precious life-sustaining resources.

Soon after, the animals came. Birds sang melodious tunes from treetops or gracefully flew through the skies, squirrels scampered across the ground in search of acorns, berries, and other bits of food, and family of deer skipped across the ground, grazing on the abundant plant life. Soon the forest was filled with life; the sounds of which could be heard coming from every nook and cranny of the place.

The world was born anew, and Twilight Sparkle existed once more.
---
The howling wind outside shook Pinkie awake. She had fallen asleep while sitting in her chair beneath the window. She yawned and stretched her legs as she stood up to walk around the room. Twilight had been out for quite a while now. They had arrived here before noon, and Twilight had cast her spell well before nightfall. The storm outside still raged on, making it difficult to tell what time it was by the light.

She took the opportunity to stretch her legs and take a brisk walk around the hospital as she looked for a clock. Many of the rooms were occupied by ponies that had been brought here when the Canterlot doctors had come. They had been carelessly left here with their departure. No one had wanted to enter the hospital for fear of what lie inside. Out in the lobby, a clock rested on the wall. Dawn would be approaching soon, Twilight had been out for most of a day.

She trotted back to the room where her friends slept and thought back once more.
---
Twilight Sparkle awoke beneath the large, shade-giving branches of a massive oak tree. She yawned and stretched her limbs, her body stiff from lying still for so long. She had originally come here looking for some particular plants she saw in a field guide, but the heat of the day had gotten the best of her. Hot weather always made her sleepy, and she decided to take a nap beneath one of the many trees in the area.

As she came to, her mind began to focus once more on why she had come here in the first place. She levitated her saddle back up onto her hips and pulled her notebook out of them. Skimming through it she found the pages where she had taken down notes on the various plant life of the area. She also had her bird identification guide in case she spotted any birds she didn’t recognize. She had come here a few times before with Fluttershy, and her extensive knowledge of the local wildlife was incredibly impressive. Twilight Sparkle didn’t even have a fraction of that instinctual recognition Fluttershy had.

Fully awake now, Twilight carried on with her foray into the forest.
---
As the days dragged on Pinkie started to worry about her friends. The brief moment of respite that Fluttershy and her had shared diminished with the passing of time. Pinkie would often find her sitting by the window, silently staring off in the direction of her cottage. She had never spoken with much frequency, but now she was almost entirely silent. The few attempts Pinkie had made at engaging her were met with distant and short replies, as if not actually part of the conversation.

Twilight was doing only slightly better. She still locked herself away in her room in her ceaseless quest for a cure, but Pinkie made sure she didn't drive herself to the edge of oblivion in her pursuit. She still looked haggard and Pinkie wasn't entirely sure she ever slept. Maybe it was because of her compulsive need to find a cure, but maybe she was just too scared to fall asleep at this point. That fear had kept Pinkie awake late into the night on several occasions, but sleep always came to claim her in the end.

Fluttershy seemed to have no problems falling asleep each night, which somehow worried her more than Twilight's lack of sleep.
---
This heat was becoming unbearable. It wasn't a humid day, but it felt stifling. There was no cool breeze to provide minor relief from the blazing orb in sky. All there was was the damnable ever present heat. She wished the Ponyville weather service could break this heatwave they'd been suffering from. However there had been an accident at the weather factory in Cloudsdale last month, and it hadn't been able to make any clouds since then. Most of Equestria was covered in drought as a result.

Twilight was no stranger to hot summer days, at least since moving to Ponyville, but this heat was simply too much for her. The cloudless skies promised no abatement from the sun, and the trees did little to protect from it during its zenith. The stiff, dry grass crunched beneath her hooves and the ground felt blisteringly hot. Perhaps today was not the best day to go on an outdoors expedition.
---
Pinkie had taken it upon herself to try and return some form of regularity to their lives. It was strange for her, she was naturally all things chaotic. Pinkie could be described as a plethora of things, disorganized, endlessly energetic, ceaselessly cheerful, spastic, crazy, random, frantic, hyper, and unstable, but normal was not one of those things. She had always had others to be dull and organized. She had left it to them to take care of the mundane things in life so she could plan parties, make friends, or bake delicious treats.

Now she found herself doing all those mundane things that occupied the lives of other ponies. She had taken up many of the chores that Spike used to perform. She cooked their meals throughout the day and cleaned up the resulting mess. She took care of the general maintenance of the library, fetching any the books Twilight asked for and trying to re-shelve the books she tossed aside so carelessly. Fluttershy had originally helped her with the cleaning and reshelving, but she had slipped into reclusiveness, spending her days away from the bustling pony.

Even if she had wanted to she could hardly spend her time like she normally did. There were hardly any ponies left in Ponyville to make friends with, there were no grand parties to plan, nothing to celebrate, and the ovens of Sugar Cube Corner had gone dark.

Pinkie sighed and put another book on the shelf.
---
Twilight looked down at the plant as she flipped through her field guide. It certainly resembled what she had been looking for, but the plant had all the color drained from it. The field guide showed it as a majestic shade of crimson red, but this was at best a dull rust color. Furthermore the plant was obviously wilting from lack of water. The picture she had displayed a flower with beautiful, delicately curving petals. The flower before her was shrivelled and the petals looked ready to fall off at the slightest disturbance. Not that there had been any wind recently to do that.

Twilight's thoughts were interrupted when the entire flower in front of her exploded in a shower of petals. Between her hooves, a fox scampered away, obviously running from or after something. She hadn't seen anything else run this way, but she hadn't exactly been paying close attention. She decided to go investigate what had scared the poor animal. She sneezed as something in the air caused her nose to tingle.
---
Pinkie was cooking breakfast for the three of them when she heard a joyful squeal emanate from upstairs. Moments later Twilight crashed through her bedroom door and bounded down the stairs. She was calling out for Pinkie and Fluttershy. Pinkie turned off the stove top burner she was using and walked into the living room where Twilight was happily bouncing in circles.

“Pinkie! I did, I found a cure! We can save our friends! We can save all of Ponyville! We can- wait, where’s Fluttershy?”
---
Twilight pushed through the brush to the clearing on the other side. She was greeted by the sight of a swarm of small mammals running in her direction. She heard the fluttering of wings and looked up to see a flock of birds flying away. Shortly thereafter came the larger animals, deers, bears, and more all travelling in the same general direction.

The reason was clear enough now, stacks of smoke billowed from the treetops in the distance. Small bits of ash gently drifted through the air on the eddies caused by the migrating animals, irritating her nostrils. This was bad, she didn't know if the weather team could do anything about this with the unusual drought. She had to do something to help though, she couldn't just sit here idly by, while the forest burnt to the ground.

She took off running towards those imposing stacks of smoke.
---
Pinkie and Twilight entered the guest room where Fluttershy had stayed while at Twilight’s domicile. The room was dimly lit, the curtains having been drawn to keep out the sunlight. Lying silently asleep on the bed was Fluttershy. Gone was the lifeless look that had possessed her features these past few days. All that remained was a peaceful aura of serenity. She had finally escaped the nightmare that filled her waking life.

Pinkie and Twilight gathered everything they needed and headed to the hospital. They dragged Fluttershy behind them on a makeshift stretcher. In the hospital they pushed another bed up against the wall where Applejack and Rainbow both slept. There, they put Fluttershy.

As Twilight put everything she needed to cast her spell together, Pinkie left to go collect Rarity. Finding Sweetie Belle and her together hurt less the second time around. She gently tucked Sweetie into her bed before putting Rarity onto the stretcher and dragging her to the hospital.
---
As she climbed the hill, the air around her filled with smoke. It stung her eyes and scorched her lungs. Through the growing smog there was a persistent orange glow that caused everything to blend together in a mesh of warm summer colors. She could hear the crackle of burning wood and the resounding crash of falling trees. Beneath it all were the frightened calls of trapped or wounded animals unable to escape the blazing inferno.

She crested the hill top and saw the spreading flame in the valley below. It was far beyond her ability to control it or prevent its spread at this point. The best she could hope for was to limit the impact it had. She might not be able to save the forest, but she could try to save its inhabitants.

She dove into the fires, heedless of the danger to herself. She used her magic to find the animals hidden behind the smoke's veil. When she had hold of an animal she took it to the edge of the fire before once more diving into the hellish blaze.

Again and again she leapt into those flickering flames. Tossing aside debris with her magic to clear the way. Each time returning with some animal, and a new burn to show for it. Her fur was singed, her hooves had blisters, and her maned was scorched, but she let none of this slow her down.
---
Twilight had taken her last waking moments to explain to Pinkie what her spell did and how it worked. Most of it had gone over Pinkie's head. She never had the magical training that unicorns received at a young age. What she did know, was that her final friend was leaving her alone.

That was how she found herself here, waiting quietly by Twilight's bed. It would be morning soon and the unicorn still showed no signs of waking. Wanting desperately for there to be any kind of sign that her friends would be okay. That she wouldn't be the last pony in Equestria, doomed to forever walk the planet alone until the day she died.

She just wanted things to be back to normal, for her friends to all come back.
---
The fire had grown uncontrollably, and each foray in meant that a further journey back to the edge awaited her. The heat from the flames had taken their toll on her body. Her lungs felt as if they were half filled with ash. Worse yet she could feel her magic waning from overuse.

She knew she couldn't continue doing this, her body was too weak and before long her use of magic would be unsustainable. Still she went in one final time, she had felt something hiding on her last journey in, and she couldn’t leave it there. She ran along the same path reaching out with magical tendrils, hoping to find it again. She felt its presence once more, and followed the path of the pull towards it.

As she closed in on the place, she could feel whatever it was underground, but there was no obvious entrance. Then she spotted the collapsed entrance to a fox burrow beneath the flaming corpse of a tree. The way out had been demolished when the tree toppled over onto the poor creature's home.

The tree was larger than anything she had tried moving before. Her head began to throb as she poured her magic into moving it. The tree wibbled and shook as it started to lift from the ground. Her horn felt as if it was trying to split her skull open and tear her mind in half, but the tree moved. Slowly it began to roll to the side, moving away from burrow. With one final push she shunted it aside. She pushed forward and clawed at the rubble blocking the entrance with her hooves.

She broke through the cave in and saw a tiny fox kit lying unconscious in the den. She picked it up by the scruff of its neck and ran. The way back was blocked, and in every direction she turned, she found trees and other debris in her path. There was nowhere to go; she was trapped.

She did the only thing to come to mind. She put a spell around the fox to make sure it wouldn't hurt itself from the fall, and used her magic to launch him into the air as far away from here as she could before collapsing from overexertion.
---
The storm over Ponyville broke, dissipating into a cool morning mist. The sun once more rose to greet the residents of the small town, bringing with it a glorious dawn.

All around town, ponies groggily awoke from their deep slumber. Couples lovingly joined together in relief that the nightmare was finally over. Families joyfully clasped each other in their hooves as many tears of joy slowly trickled down cheeks. Sound and life returned in full force as ponies ran outside to greet their newly risen neighbors. The terrible fit of fear and paranoia that had grasped the town was departed with the new day.

For one small group of friends though, the day came at a terrible price. Five ponies solemnly sat around a bed in Ponyville Hospital. Tears rolled down one pink pony’s cheeks as she stared at the lavender unicorn that occupied the bed.

“You Pinkie promised.”

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