Bubbles
When Ditzy came to, she was cognizant of a subtle few sensations, pieced together haphazardly through sight and sound. She found it not only confusing, but intriguing to watch her scope gradually shift from a blurry haze to something that could only be described as passable vision. As the world around her began to clear, she was able to identify a ceiling, dark and plain, but a ceiling none-the-less.
Her thoughts came sluggishly, every observation an exercise in focus. Shifting to her side, Ditzy gritted her teeth as the soreness in all her muscles came to life. Luckily, the movement required only a small amount of exertion, and soon she spotted where the only source of light was coming from.
Inside the room she was in was a plain window with frilly curtains. Outside, Ditzy viewed the most spectacular hunter’s moon; its bright aura shone down with such illumination that distinct shadows could be made out despite the fact that it was night. She marveled at it for a few moments before letting a reluctant smile form over her face.
“Gotta enjoy the little things,” Ditzy whispered to herself.
She wasn’t aware how long she spent observing the moon, nor was she in any position to care. She soon noted that any movement resulted in either pain or irritation, and—like a dog barking at a slumbering dragon—quickly realized she shouldn’t do that. After staring at it for beauty’s sake, she began making inferences based on its position in the sky, which put the time at around two or three hours past midnight. Her job as a mailmare had made her very keen to using celestial bodies as not only a compass, but a clock. Ditzy sighed as the moon finally vanished upon the upper limit of the window.
She began bombarding herself with questions. Where was she? Why did it hurt to move? She tried to recall what she could last remember, but that again didn’t come hurriedly. She remembered packing up the delivery carrier for the job to Trottingham, but couldn’t remember what happened after that. Had she made it there? What could possibly have happened that would make her forget?
Closing her eyes in concentration, Ditzy strained to remember anything else she could. Ever so slowly, it began to come back to her.
I remember taking off… but then what? It was just a normal flight, wasn’t it?
Her mind flashed, like a lightning bolt through her mind as an image of falling clouded her mind. It made her cringe and gasp in fright.
I… fell? B-but I’m a good flier! I’m not good at a bunch of things, but never been too bad at that.
Another flash, and suddenly, like a roaring avalanche, it all hit her. She gasped as she remembered the storm, the lightning, the…pain. Ditzy shakily turned her head to catch a glimpse of her wing. Sadness gripped her heart as it overwhelmed her when she found it heavily bandaged, held down in place against her side. She winced as she attempted to move it, and a fresh wave of pain reminded her that movement was a bad idea.
That was it then. She ran into some patchy weather, and it caused her to have an accident. It hardly made her feel better, but she was at least relieved that she didn’t appear to be dead. Ditzy couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the cargo. So many ponies would be mad at her for making their parcels unsalvageable. Would she even still have a job when this all blew over? Mr. Forthright was a nice guy, but Ditzy had made so many mistakes, was this one too many? She vaguely remembered seeing the parcels on the ground, right after Twilight—
TWILIGHT!
A spasm jolted through her body and she sat up instinctively, which sent numbing pain coming from her wing that wracked down her spinal cord. Her entire body stiffed in protest and she fell flat on her back again. Once again, she became aware of the all-too-familiar sensation of blacking out. She let out a sigh and accepted her fate.
~*~*~
Ditzy’s eyes flicked sporadically behind her eyelids—the effects of the nightmare she was having. She was once again in the storm, lightning flashing all around her. She panted loudly as lightning cracks repeated in short secessions; a double edge sword that became the only source of light in a dark world. Her wings burned at the joints and spread all across her withers. Every muscle in her body screamed for her to stop, but she had a dreaded, apprehensive feeling that she would die if she stopped. She didn’t know how she knew, she just did.
Another lightning bolt sizzled inches away from her right side, scorching her once-grey coat with burnt black splotches. She was crying, but not out of fear or sadness, but from the sheer hopelessness in her stomach, like a black hole. In her mind, she knew she was going to die. She would never again see her friends. Never to see her daughters grow up.
A harsh updraft spiraled her higher into the air. She knew from experience that the winds would get even choppier as she ascended. The only motivation she had that kept her flapping was absolute panic and adrenaline. With no clear flight path, control nearly impossible, and muscles beginning to fail, Ditzy knew she didn’t have much time left.
And then, a bright flash of purple light surged all around her, as she once again felt the unbearable jolt of electricity passing through her.
With an involuntary gasp, Ditzy shot up to a sitting position, a cold sweat on her right side—the effect of her body weight pressing down on the bed. She held a hoof to her chest and felt its erratic beat. Taking a gulp and forcing herself to take deep, slow breaths, she eventually was able to calm down, laying back down on the bed. She was facing the same window she remembered when she had woken up during the night.
Shuffling from the other side of the room startled her. “Oh my gosh, you’re awake! Thank goodness, I was so so so so so so worried,” a voice said quickly.
Turning onto her other side wasn’t exactly a cakewalk, but she was determined. Shifting to her left side, Ditzy got full gloss of the entire room. It was apparent now that she was in a hospital bed. Two ponies were bounding over from the chairs they had been sitting in. Ditzy gave a little smile when she realized it was Pinkie Pie and Applejack.
“Oh, hey guys,” Ditzy said meekly.
“How you feeling, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, putting a hoof on the bed.
Ditzy wasn’t quite sure how to answer that question. Physically, she felt like she decided to ride the washing machine on super mega mode for ten hours. Emotionally, she felt confusion fused with fear. She couldn’t remember why she was afraid, all she knew was it constricted her body, to the point where she refused to move.
“I’m…okay,” Ditzy answered. “What happened exactly? How’d I get here?”
Pinkie and Applejack shared a worried look. “How much do you remember?” Applejack asked.
Ditzy raised a hoof to her forehead and rubbed it, massaging the brain juices into a more effective state. “I-I…I think I was in a storm… but that doesn’t make any sense... it must’ve been a dream. I mean, it came outta nowhere.”
Pinkie Pie reached over and held one of Ditzy’s hooves. “It wasn’t a dream,” she said. “The storm really happened; it was really loud and scary. Twilight called it a magic storm.”
Ditzy gripped Pinkie’s hoof as her whole body constricted. “Twilight!” Ditzy shouted, startling the two other ponies. “I saw her there. It was dark and stuff, but…” Ditzy’s eyes widened as the image of Twilight under the pile of heavy cargo branded her brain. “S-she was… is she…?” Ditzy pawed at Pinkie, exasperated.
Applejack cleared her throat and nudged Ditzy on her good side. “Alright, you need to calm down before ya hurt yourself. You’ll be able to see Twilight in a bit; she’s in the hospital room across the hall. But you need to relax… I didn’t carry ya back so you could hurt yourself now.”
Ditzy let out a pent up breath. “You… carried me, all the way? Applejack, I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Aw shucks, I’d do it again if I had to; couldn’t just leave ya there in the dirt after all. ‘Course the nurse had to give the go ahead first. Redheart wouldn’t even let me get near ya until she was sure ya didn’t need a stretcher.“
Ditzy just blinked at her. How could AJ just pretend it was nothing? Ditzy reached up a shaky hoof in Applejack’s direction, who titled her head in confusion as the gestured. Then in one swift motion, the mailmare wrapped the hoof around the farm pony’s neck and pulled her closer into a loose hug. “Thanks a bunch, Applejack, you’re so awesome.”
Applejack blushed at the compliment. “I don’t need none of that now. You woulda done the same for me, I reckon."
As Ditzy retracted from the embrace, a sharp spark of pain erupted from her right wing, like it was alive with pins and needles. The grimace on her face made Pinkie and AJ make a motion to grab her, easing her slowly into a laying position. Once the pain receded, Ditzy let out another shaky breath and allowed her eyes to open.
“My wing…” Ditzy muttered through gritted teeth. She looked up and met the stares of Pinkie and Applejack. “What’s wrong with it?” Both earth ponies shared a worried glance before a unicorn stallion wearing a white doctor’s getup and a stethoscope around his neck entered the room. His coat was a rare sunglow, while his mane was a deep brown.
“Ah, I see you have awaken, Ms. Doo,” the doctor spoke cheerily, floating a clipboard in front of him as he walked over towards the bed.”
Ditzy smiled—as always—at the recognition, though her once radiant smile was shadowed by a layer of fatigue. She still felt like she just ran a marathon. “Hiya doc. Any chance of getting some ice cream?”
The doctor chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do. Now then…”
Ditzy waited patiently while the doc examined her. She felt like one of those fancy-smancy dogs being judged based on their grooming. After a few affirmative grunts and pokes, the doctor scribbled something down on the clipboard. The mailmare craned her neck to try and see what he wrote, but he stashed it away the next instant.
“Well you seem to be in stable condition, Ms. Doo. You’re lucky your friends found you when they did. Another fifteen minutes or so and infection would’ve set into your wing.”
Ditzy cringed. “What… happened, doc?”
The doc’s eyes arched sympathetically. “You don’t remember that much, do you? Well, due to a freak accident of non-pony-controlled nature, you were struck by lightning. Your right wing got the worst of it unfortunately.”
The thought made Ditzy gulp in dread. “H-how bad is it?” she asked, turning her head to stare at her bandaged wing.
The doc cleared his throat while he hovered the clipboard back over to him and flipped two pages. “Your wing sustained third degree burns. Most of the feathers were burnt at first contact. The real problem lies within the muscle damage. Proper care will be needed to be administered daily for at least a month, if not two. After that, therapy will be needed to help strengthen the damaged muscle.”
“So…I-I’ll fly again?” Ditzy asked hopefully.
The doc reached over and patted Ditzy’s hoof. “I’m optimistic.”
Ditzy let out a sigh of relief. Anything would be worth it if she would be able to fly again, though she admitted that being in the sky again sent a shiver down her spine. Another question bubbled to the surface. She turned to Pinkie Pie and Applejack.
“How’d you girls find me anyway?”
“Twilight,” Pinkie responded cryptically. “She knew the storm was coming and ran off to warn you, but not before warning me to warn others about the warning she was running to warn you about.”
“We rounded up some of the ponies who work here at the hospital too, just in case…well, this happened,” Applejack answered.
Ditzy nodded slowly. “Thank you girls… if you didn’t show up... I don’t know…”
The air in the room stilled while the gravity of the situation sunk deep into the thoughts of all around. The sentence remained unfinished, but the implications what could and might have been danced across the edge of everypony’s conscience. Ditzy had never really been afraid of many things of her life. Hesitant to be sure, but truly terrified to the point of rendering her speechless? No, but now every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was the crack of vicious, ethereal lightning. It paralyzed her and sent shivers down her spine.
The instincts were of a more primal nature. She already felt herself slipping down the slippery slope of fear. Her heart rate was quickening and her pupils dilated, staring unblinkingly forward. Her coat stood on end as if the wisp of electricity still surrounded her. It was the most oppressive feeling in the world, like being strapped in the very bed that now comforted her but with the addition of being unable to move. This type of fear was something new and scary to her. She was afraid that she was afraid.
Behind her eyelids, she was still in that storm, unable to break free of her fate. Every blink sent emotional tremors that reverberated in a way that she felt violated. The hospital around her began to grow hazy as the storm became clearer. With rising panic, Ditzy gripped the sheets in a desperate attempt to stay ground bound.
No, not again, I can’t be taken again, please don’t let it take me again—
A strong hoof shook her out of her waking nightmare. “Ditzy?”
Ditzy blinked once again, and once again the she was plainly in the hospital room. In lieu of the fierce gusts that had dominated her hearing, she heard the sound heart rate monitors and general hospital hubbub. Her eyes shot to the ceiling, and instead of a whirling vortex of evil, it was the unadorned white-tiled limit. Her breathing became more controlled as she the nightmare faded into the reaches of her mind.
A hoof was tugging at her. She looked to the side to see Applejack looking four shades of worried.
“Ms. Doo, are you alright?” asked the doctor carefully.
Ditzy didn’t even know how to begin to describe how much she wasn’t alright. Still, she needed to be brave. Besides, ignoring these types of problems was usually the best course of action. “I’m okay,” she murmured. Wary glances were shared between the other three ponies. She realized a more convincing façade would be necessary. “Really,” Ditzy added, putting on a smile. “Just… a lot to take in, you know?”
Pinkie Pie raised her eyebrow suspiciously while leaning forward, tempting Ditzy to crack. Soon she was leaning so far over that Ditzy was sure she was stretching the vertebrae in her neck to double the usual size. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes!” Ditzy blurted quickly, and then threw on a cheesy grin for garnish. She didn’t know how long Pinkie was going to stay there, and she found it harder and harder to maintain eye contact. A sweat began to form on her forehead as her cheeks began to burn for over exertion.
“Okie dokie lokie…” Pinkie susurrated suspiciously, unconvinced. Ditzy allowed a small exhale of reprieve to escape as the party pony began to withdraw.
Ditzy cleared her throat and attempted to sway the conversation into a direction that would conceivably be more in her favor. “Where are the other girls?”
Applejack’s jaw tightened. “In the other room,” she said flatly.
“What room?” Ditzy prodded. Another beat of silence.
The more she sat still, the more she became aware of an eerie tension Applejack seemed to be holding onto. It was her eyes that gave it away—the slight dullness of fatigue, and something else. What was it; sadness, maybe? Ditzy wasn’t particularly perceptive—especially given her ordeal—but Applejack’s eyes just didn’t seem as vibrant right now. Maybe it’s the lighting, or I’m just being a silly pony… Ditzy assured herself.
Still, the feeling remained defiantly, and Applejack began to notice Ditzy giving her an intensive stare.
“Something wrong, sucarcube? You’re lookin’ at me all funny-like.” Applejack shifted uncomfortably.
“I was gunna ask the same thing,” Ditzy responded. “You look like you haven’t slept in like… a bazillion years.”
AJ didn’t make eye contact with Ditzy. Instead, she chose to exchange wary stares with Pinkie Pie. The doctor looked on in silence. “It’s… been ah long day,” Applejack sighed, “with you an’ Twilight.”
Long day? Ditzy looked out her window towards the rising sun, the day just beginning to be ushered in. They must’ve been up all night helping us…
“I’m sorry, Applejack. I’m glad you were there for us though. I don’t know what I woulda done,” Ditzy smiled sincerely. Applejack returned it with a tired smile.
“So can I see Twilight now?” Ditzy motioned.
Ditzy could feel the temperature in the room drop. Before Applejack or Pinkie could respond, however, the doctor spoke up with his usual brand of caring-but-straightforward professionalism.
“Yes, you may Ditzy, though I’m…very sorry to say that Ms. Sparkle was brought in a much worse condition than you.”
The mailmare could only recollect a negligible handful of memories in which time seemed to stop. Frozen in place, she wasn’t even able to feel her own heartbeat and was certain that it wasn’t in there anymore. The earliest such occasion happened by chance, when she was five and her pet mouse, Mr. Squeaker, had died. It was perhaps a silly way for a filly to become acquainted with death, but it impacted her as much as if a family member had gone.
Next, when she was in school a year or two later, word had spread that Ditzy Doo, the cross-eyed pegasus who could barely fly, was highly uncoordinated. It started off as simple jests, but eventually climaxed into a colt tripping her into the mud. It would have been fine except that it was on the playground, and everypony started laughing at her. It was then she realized that everypony had the potential to be mean; an insignificant fracture in time that dragged on for an abysmally long span. It all turned out alright though—she ran home to her mother who stroked her mane and made her some hot chocolate. Besides, she didn’t need anypony.
Her most recent episode happened years before, when she came to the horrifying realization that not only was she pregnant with Dinky, but she would be doing it alone. All past terrors were trumped by this seemingly-impossible task of raising a foal when she could barely take care of herself. At the time, she wasn’t aware that it was undoubtablely the greatest gift anypony could ask for.
And she was having one of those moments right then, though this time, she was acutely aware that her heart was still there, because it felt like there were icy tendrils ensnaring and squeezing it into an everlasting perdition. She knew that there was only one thing that could help.
“I want to see her,” Ditzy whispered.
“Are you sure?” AJ began. “You’re in pretty bad con—“
Finally, the shock wore off and all that was left was raw emotion. “I want to see Twilight!” Ditzy yelled, startling the other ponies in the room. Without waiting for a cue, Ditzy struggled out of bed, to the surprise of the doctor who tried to interfere, but she was too fast. Before anypony could make a move, she had already stumbled out of bed and landed shakily on her hooves. The full pain of the copious bruises and cuts was lost on her.
“Ditzy, I really must protest; at least allow us to help—“ the doctor pleaded.
Nope. Ditzy was already at the door, gritting her teeth unconsciously while the adrenaline rushed through her. After pushing through the door and into the hallway, she was quickly joined by Applejack and Pinkie Pie who tried their best to give her support as she walked. Nurses all around rushed over, but one quick wave from the doctor and they all halted and watched her as she wobbled over towards the door across the hall. The usually loud hospital was lost to silence as Ditzy finally made it to the door.
She glanced at the sign across the door before opening it.
Room 12a
Intensive Care
Her panic was already rising as she slowly opened it. She was met by a surprised group of ponies and one dragon. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Flutershy, and Spike all gawked at her, eyes wide.
“Ditzy dear, you’re up and okay!” Rarity placed a hoof over her chest in relief before rushing over, followed by the others. “Thank Celestia.”
“Barely up and maybe okay,” Ditzy responded with a slight smile, warmed that all her friends were around her.
“Shouldn’t you be in bed? You could get more hurt,” Fluttershy eyed her bandaged wing and cuts. Her eyes followed over the rest of her, assessing the damage and wincing every few seconds. The mailmare knew that she was imagining what could lie under the dressings.
“Seriously, you look like you can barely stand,” Rainbow Dash said with concern (and, Ditzy fantasized, a sliver of admiration). Ditzy had no doubt that Dash would have rushed to her side if Applejack and Pinkie weren’t there. She had been becoming more protective over the grey pegasus in recent weeks.
“No, I’m—“ Ditzy began, but then wobbled unstably, forcing Pinkie Pie to catch and help her up right. “I’m okay,” she finished with emphasized embarrassment. “Where’s Twilight?”
The three ponies in front of her shared wary glances before hesitantly stepping to the side, revealing the rest of the room. It was a bit larger than Ditzy’s room, and far more equipped for medical emergencies. Medical contraptions whizzed and beeped, none of which sounded pleasant to be around constantly. Generic framed landscape portraits peppered the walls, in what Ditzy could only imagine was an attempt to calm whoever may be in the room. The bed inside wasn’t any different from Ditzy’s: light blue—almost to the point of being white—sheets hemmed with white stitching, covered by a matching cover that looked exceedingly too thin.
But that didn’t matter; it’s what laid under those covers that caused Ditzy’s heart to drop. Ditzy suddenly felt ill and collapsed to her flank as she saw her best friend Twilight Sparkle lying unconscious in the bed before her. Half her head was bandaged diagonally across her face, covering one eye and leaving the other exposed, though it was black and bruised. Both her forelegs were sticking out from underneath the covers completely bandaged and splinted. Most of her body was covered, but Ditzy could see more bandages starting at her shoulders and working their way down her chest.
In short, Twilight was a mess. Her mane was unkempt and torn, and parts of her exposed coat showed signs of bruising. Ditzy didn’t know what to say or do but stood there in shock, then buried her head in her hooves and started to cry. The sight was too much for her; Twilight was in this condition because of her. If she wasn’t trying to warn her, then she’d be perfectly fine.
Ditzy unstably wobbled over to Twilight, and gave a sniff to clear her nose. “H-hey Twilight…” Ditzy croaked out in between a sob. “I’m r-really sorry… I don’t even know how to tell you how sorry I am.”
The mailmare felt a hoof on her shoulder, and she turned to find a deflated Pinkie Pie. “This isn’t your fault Ditzy. She was doing what any one of us would have done to make sure you were safe. You would’ve done the same for her.”
Another fit of sobs were lost onto Pinkie Pie’s shoulder, and she became aware of a soft stroke of a hoof rustling through her mane. Ditzy held onto Pinkie for what felt like hours but were actually minutes. She then began to feel a slight pressure on one of her back legs, and she looked down to see Spike hugging it. She let go of Pinkie to embrace Spike fully.
“I-i-if I hadn’t been flying so high, or I flew just a little bit faster—“ Ditzy sobbed into his ear.
“No, don’t start that now,” came a surprisingly-commanding tone from the baby dragon. Ditzy looked at him questionably. “You can’t blame yourself for this. Twilight needs all of us right now.” He looked up with eyes red to the pony that for his entire life felt like an older sister to him. Ditzy could tell he’d been crying a lot, but still had a firm resolve about him. After the embrace ended, he hopped up on a chair right next to Twilight's bed, and held one of her hooves.
Rarity rushed quickly to Ditzy’s side and put a gentle hoof around her. “Now dear, don’t you worry; our Twilight is going to be just fine, you’ll see,” Rarity said. “She’s a tough pony who’s saved the world twice now.”
“Have you ever seen her like this though?” Ditzy asked, knowing the answer. Rarity remained silent. Ditzy decided to spare her and change the subject.
“Is she asleep?” Ditzy asked quietly, approaching Twilight’s bedside.
“No,” came the voice of the doctor, who had been standing in the doorway. “Ms. Sparkle unfortunately suffered head trauma, which caused some internal bleeding and swelling of the brain.” The doctor took a step into the room and glanced around to meet the eyes of all ponies in the room. “She’s in a coma.”
Another volley of sobs erupted from Ditzy, which she silenced by forcing her muzzle into the bed sheet. She felt Pinkie Pie rubbing her back once again, Being very careful not to touch either wing.
“W-when will she wake up? Can you wake her up please?” Ditzy begged.
“I’m afraid Ms. Sparkle is unresponsive to all stimuli. She’ll have to wake up in her own time.”
A sliver of hope. “S-so she’s gunna wake up?” Ditzy asked.
The doctor hesitated. “Well, er… most coma conditions aren’t permanent. They’ve been known to last for days, weeks… even months.” The doctor took a step towards Twilight’s bed and resting a hoof on one of her bedposts. “Sometimes they never wake up. But I promise you, we’ll be monitoring her brain activity and doing everything possible for her.”
“Oh Twilight…” Ditzy muttered sadly, taking Twilight’s bandaged hoof. She wanted to reach up and brush the strand of frazzled mane out of Twilight’s face, but she was too afraid that she may break her further. Instead, she settled for stroking her hoof gently. Ditzy had always thought she’d experienced sadness on all scales in existence. This was a new brand manifesting from terror and doubt.
Ditzy had forgotten her own fragility at the moment, and when she finally tried to stand up again, she found she couldn’t do it. Her limbs were far too unstable and most of her muscles were numb and unresponsive. Her body was still in shock as if she had just weathered the lightning storm all over again.
Ditzy felt a kind, yet firm, tug as the doctor helped Ditzy to her hooves and held her steady. Ditzy could hardly see him; her eyes were several shades of fuzzy. She reached up to wipe her eyes and sniffed. The doctor gave a gentle smile that somehow made her feel a little better.
“Listen to me,” he began in a hushed tone so that only she could hear, “I am going to do everything in my power to make sure your friend stays fine.”
That didn’t make her feel much better, much to the doctor’s acute awareness. “And besides,” he said aloud in a more conversational tone, “Twilight is going to need all of your support in this time. Studies have shown that coma patients in a loving environment surrounded by friends and family have had a much higher recuperation rate.”
The wheels in Ditzy’s head started spinning. That was it then! All she needed to do was be with Twilight, and make sure she never felt unloved. Could it really be that simple?
“But until then…” the doctor coughed to clear his throat while glancing up at the clock, “visiting hours are over for today. The patients need their rest. Including you, Ms. Doo.”
The wheels in her head froze. What? But it’s only morning! How can visiting hours be over already? I haven’t even seen my little girls!
Ditzy decided to vocalize her thoughts.
“You…kinda got it backwards, sugarcube,” Applejack stated.
“Yah, its sunset, not sunrise,” Rainbow Dash followed.
The mice spinning the wheels went on a coffee break. In Ditzy’s state, it was so difficult to focus on what they were saying that at first, it was easier to accept that she was right, and everypony else was wrong. Finally, as she calmed down, she studied the clock for herself and gave in.
I’ve been asleep all day? The thought filled her with exhausting gloom that weighed down on her like a bag of bricks.
“Where are my daughters?” Ditzy asked.
“Back at the library by now,” Spike answered, moving for the first time since he joined Twilight’s side. He padded over to Ditzy, but didn’t take his eyes off Twilight’s bed. He gave a big sigh before making eye contact with the mailmare. “They left not long before you got up. Dinky was getting sleepy and I told them that I’d stay here and keep an eye on you. Both of you.” Spike nodded towards the bed.
Ditzy eagerly wanted to see her daughters and tell them that she was alright, but she doubted the doctors would let her leave. She even doubted her own abilities to make it out the door.
“Spike, when you go back, can you please tell them that I’m fine and that I love them very much? If Dinky is asleep then you don’t need to bother her.”
Spike nodded slowly. “Sure thing.” The baby dragon tried his best not to show it, but the tone of his voice gave away his true fatigue.
And so everypony began to trickle out—as per the doctor’s request—giving Ditzy a word of relief that she had woken and was okay. Pinkie was especially thankful, and promised to bring her a tray of cupcakes her next visit to brighten Ditzy’s day. Finally it was just her, the doctor, and Twilight in the room, joined by the disconcerting noise of doctoral equipment.
“That means you too, Ms. Doo. You need to get to bed; you’re still very weak.”
“Am not!” Ditzy replied from the floor. She knew her argument was as feeble as she was. “Can I please just stay in here? I want to keep Twilight company.”
The doctor’s fortitude changed from professional to sympathetic in the quickest of instants. His shoulders relaxed as he reached out a hoof to once again help Ditzy up and across the hall. “I’ll see what I can do about putting an extra bed in here for you, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. For now, I ask that you sleep in your own room.” The doctor could see that Ditzy was about to say something, so he raised his hoof to silence her. “Just this one night.”
Ditzy grumbled incoherently while she was half-help, half-dragged back into her own room. Before she was helped into bed, she halted as a thought surfaced in her mind.
“Hey doc, you said that coma patients that are surrounded by family and friends are more likely to recuperate.”
The stallion nodded. “Indeed I did.”
“Why is that?” Ditzy asked.
The doctor finished helping Ditzy into bed before he answered. “Research has shown that during certain stimuli, coma patients have had a spike in temporal lobe activity.”
Ditzy gave him a blank stare.
The doctor chuckled. “Hearing, Ms. Doo. Although the rest of the Lambic system remains at low activity, the brain seems to be able to pick up sound. There are doctors that happen to believe that this means coma patients have the ability to hear, though it wouldn’t be like we’re hearing now. It would be subconscious.” The doctors pulled the covers up to her chest. “Any more questions?”
Ditzy shook her head. “Thanks, doc. For taking care of me and Twilight.”
The doctor smiled and gave a small chuckle before leaving the room. The lights went out, but the room was still illuminated by the failing light of the sunset.
So, maybe Twilight can still hear me?
That gave her an idea.
~*~*~
Okay…okay… NOW! No! Not now! I thought I heard something…
Ditzy piqued her left eye open. She was met with the sight of her dark hospital room. She shifted her vision from left to right stealthily—she didn’t want to be caught after all. Once she was sure that the coast was clear, and that there was no night security pony walking out in the hall, she opened both her eyes and quickly scanned her room more comprehensively.
It was the exact same the way it was about an hour before when the doctor had been in to help her into bed. Still, she wanted to make sure that there weren’t any booby traps or alarm systems—who knew what hospitals were capable of after all. The moonlight coming in from the window proved to be more than enough to get a passable prevue of the space around her.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously while she slowly—so very slowly—slid her way out of bed in one fluid motion that resembled her melting onto the floor. Her eyes never strayed from the door, which had a window on it which anypony walking by could easily look in and spot her.
Once she was certain that she had made it onto the ground without tripping any laser alarms, she brought out a fake dummy of her that she made out of pillows, which was hiding under her bed. She liked to call her Fake Ditzy. So while Fake Ditzy took real Ditzy’s spot on the cozy cot with the covers wrapped close around her pillow-y torso. She took special care to tuck her fake self in nice and tight; just because she was sneaking out, it didn’t mean that she wanted to let fake her catch a cold.
Finally, she was free to gallivant around the room to make sure there were no secret cameras or ninjas (Ditzy severely doubted that the hospital was ninja-proof). Once she was entirely satisfied that she was alone, she made her way towards the door. It was easy to open, but harder to do so without making noise. The hinges on the door frame had not been oiled in some time, it seemed. It was a slow process to pull the door open; she built up a sweat with each inch the door gave as she pulled it open. The door eventually opened enough for her to squeeze out, and she did just that.
Ditzy felt a mixture of fright and an adrenaline rush as she peered around the darkened hallway. Her heart pounded excitedly as she checked for signs of the night security.
Nowhere to be seen, Ditzy congratulated herself on her adept timing. As sly as a fox, Ditzy compressed herself flat against the wall opposing her room; Twilight’s door was right next to her. The adrenaline coursing through her veins helped her ignore the pain that shot down her spine. Smiling at her own ingenuity—being the mastermind behind this plan, she allowed herself a quiet chuckle as she reached for Twilight door and pushed on it. It wouldn’t budge.
No, I must’ve pushed it wrong… Ditzy assured herself. She pushed on it even harder, but it still stood stock still. She even tried pulling on it before she glanced to the side and noticed a key-card swipe security system. Above the device, engraved in a simple metal plate, were a few simple words:
Doors lock after visiting hours.
Ditzy face-hooved. How could she not have known that? She went back to her own door and tried to open it; it remained just as still as the door before. She was trapped in the very hallway she had congratulated herself for breaking into. For a moment, her heart pounded with paranoia of what would happen if she was caught out of her bed. Would she be thrown in jail? Or hospital jail? Do hospitals have jails? She didn’t want to find out.
She forced herself to calm down by taking several deep breaths. It helped, and she was able to think more logically. Okay, I just need to get one of those key-card things so I can get into the rooms. I think the security guard at the front desk has one…
She quietly tip-toed down the hallway, ducking behind a mobile miniature book shelf and other random counters and carts in the hallway: anything to provide cover. She discovered she was on the second floor when she came upon a stairwell, which she slowly slithered down in perfect silence. She hid using the cover of darkness in the shadows of corners, her eyes attune to even the slightest movement or change in light.
The trek down the stairs unfortunately reminded her of her brittle condition. Although she managed to stay inaudible, her limbs were shaky with every step down. Every now and then it would cause her to trip, and the resulting jolt sent tremors through her body that she could feel in her injured wing. It was a pain that halted her until the attack was over, leaving her gritting her teeth and breathing out through her nostrils to avoid groaning.
She must’ve spent near five minutes going down one set of stairs. The constant transfer of weight from one limb to the next required a certain cognitive solidarity that she did not possess at the current time. Although she wouldn’t admit it, she was tired and probably would have benefited from a good night’s sleep. But she pushed on—Twilight needed her, and she remained locked in her room like a damsel in distress.
Finally, she made it to the base of the stairs. She breathed a sigh of relief as she was able to disperse her weight over all her hooves evenly. Epic trial conquered, she made her way out the door, making sure to check for guards. At the far end of the hall, in a chair facing away from her, was a watchpony sitting at the front desk. Ditzy narrowed her eyes at him and licked her lips in apprehension; there was no telling how trained he was. Sure, at first sight it might appear that he was slouching lazily and might’ve been dozing off, but that might have been a ruse! Ditzy couldn’t afford to fall for any traps, so she wouldn’t take the chance of underestimating him.
With her eyes locked on the guard like a tiger stalking her prey, she shadowed the walls, taking special care to stay low to the ground. When she was about a few pony-lengths behind the guard, she peered around to the desk in front of the guard. Lying in a tauntingly-viewable position on the edge of the desk was a shiny blue key-card. She eyed it hungrily.
Her eyes shifted back towards the guard, who turned out to be fully awake. He seemed to be preoccupying himself with a pencil—rolling it back and forth on the desk. To the untrained eye this would appear to be slacking off, and a foolish pony might attempt to just take the key card under the guard’s nose, but Ditzy knew better. No; a better diversion would have to be implemented.
She began scanning her environment for anything she could use to her advantage. Eventually, she spied a door to the side with the engraved words “storage” across it. She nodded with a sly smile, and she made her way towards it. She had a very strong urge to ninja roll over to her, but she admitted it might have been a detriment to her condition. Still, she imagined that she rolled over to the door, and it was so cool.
Quietly, she pushed open the supply closet and shut the door behind her. Inside was completely dark, and she fumbled around for a light source. After tripping over at least a dozen awkwardly-placed objects, her hoof found a string dangling down from the ceiling. Yanking on it softly, a soft lightning filled the space from a dull light bulb overhead.
Most of the junk in the room was beyond her comprehension: tubes, glasses, bags, and all different types of medical supplies filled the shelves, but none of that interested her. She was far more concerned with a few lockers in the back with a small bench. On it was a blue security uniform. Eyes alight, she bounded over and began dawning her disguise.
It took her longer than expected, especially when it came to pulling up the overcoat over her injured wing. It was a slow process, and she could feel every ounce of added weight on her wound under the bandages. It took a few seconds for the pain to wear off, and the end result was worth it; she now looked just like the security personnel.
Well… not quite. She was still paranoid that the guard might recognize her as a patient, even though she had a disguise. It was missing something…
Ditzy began rummaging through the lockers to find nothing in particular, but a special something that would cause a total immersion into her role. After many seconds past, she found a container. She placed it on the bench gently, and used her hoof to open up the front flap.
Inside was a bunch of fake mustaches. Ditzy grinned.
Perfect…
~*~*~
Disguise completed and utterly infallible, Ditzy made her way to the front desk with confidence. The guard appeared to have forsaken his pencil in exchange for a piece of gum, which he lazily chewed at while he leaned back in his chair. His eye lids were threatening to close on each other when Ditzy slammed her hoof down on the desk, causing him to yelp in surprise and fall out of his seat.
“Hey, what’s the big idea?” The stallion turned around towards Ditzy, and gave her a once over.
What would a guy say in this position? She asked herself. “Uh, just messin’ with you… bro,” Ditzy said, dropping her voice a few octaves. “Makin’ sure you’re not too asleep on the job.”
The colt eyed her suspiciously. Ditzy felt her cheeks start to burn up and her forehead start to sweat. For a moment, she thought she had been caught. But then the colt broke out into a sheepish smile and stroked the back of his neck nervously.
“Heh, yeah I was nodding off, wasn’t I? Can you do me a solid and not tell the boss?”
“Pfft, you know how it is; we guards got to stick together!” Ditzy assured.
“Ain’t that the truth,” the colt agreed.
“Hey, why don’t you take a cider break, I got the front desk until you get back,” Ditzy said nonchalantly.
“You wouldn’t mind? Hey thanks!” The opposing guard clapped Ditzy on the shoulder, erupting her side in pain that she tried her best to stifle, but he noticed the look on her face. “Hey, you alright?”
“FINE…fine…” She muttered, trying to smile through the pain.
“Oh…kay…” the stallion said suspiciously. “Anyway, I’ll be back in a second.”
With that, the guard left his post and Ditzy was left alone. As soon as he was out of sight, she crumbled into the chair, gasping for air. She knew she didn’t have time to waste though, so she focused her thoughts and seized the key-card.
Back into the hallway she walked. She was already at the stairs in a matter of seconds. Although it wasn’t as difficult to go up the stairs, it was still a chore that made her sore muscles burn. But she knew that the guard could return to the post at any moment, so she needed to be quick.
On the second floor once again, she trotted over towards her own door and swiped the key-card. The console lit up green and the sound of a locking mechanism releasing could be heard. She pushed the door open and searched around for something to prop the door open, eventually settling on a trash can. Then she went across the hall and did the same thing, pushing open the door and finding something to prop it open.
She froze for a moment to watch Twilight, who looked so peaceful. Ditzy could swear that she was just sleeping; the purple mare’s chest rose and fell in a passive, almost melodic, rhythm with her silent breathing. Far from stoic, Ditzy wanted greatly just to stay with her, and the thought of leaving her even for a second was hard to imagine. But she had a job to do; she had to return the key-card before the security guard returned to the desk.
After a few hesitant moments in the doorway, Ditzy sighed and forced her gaze away from Twilight as she trotted back in the hallway. She was back downstairs and at the front desk in no time at all, and replaced the key-card on the desk just in time as the guard came back into the room.
“Whew, colt I really needed that, thanks! That’ll help me get through the rest of the shift.”
Ditzy kept her distance this time, just in case the stallion decided to get physical again. “My pleasure, see ya around.”
The stallion nodded, and with a grunt, fell back into his chair and resumed his watchful duties, none the wiser that he had been fooled by Ditzy the Mastermind. Before she left, Ditzy returned the uniform and fake mustache to the storage room. She clicked back into sneaking mode as she left the safe room. She took her time walking back up the stairs and back into Twilight’s room.
She once again found herself in a trance-like state as she watched Twilight. Ditzy was stuck in the doorway unable to move closer. Although she came up with this plan, this is where it ended; she had no idea what to do now that she was in the room. After taking a deep breath, she approached Twilight’s bedside.
“H-hey Twilight…” Ditzy breathed out in a whisper, as if she was trying to wake a sleeping pony. She joined the purple mare at her bedside, taking a chair up and taking a seat. Awkwardly, Ditzy rubbed her two front hooves together before reaching out and taking Twilight’s hoof in her own.
“Hey Twilight…” she reiterated a bit louder. “C-can you hear me?”
It was a stupid thing to ask and she knew it, but she felt it needed to be asked. “I’m sure you can… I just don’t know what to say.”
A truer statement has never been said. What could Ditzy say to Twilight? That she was sorry? Why did the word sorry always have a way of not being good enough? The thought that Ditzy was even indirectly involved in Twilight ending up in this bed made her sick to her stomach. She remembered what the doctor said though—Twilight might be able to hear her, so she needed to make the most of it, even if that meant just talking for the sake of talking.
“Listen, I’m here now so you don’t need to be scared. I know I get scared sometimes, but you’ve helped me calm down a lot. Now I know you’re in a bad situation, but I’m right here, and I’m not leaving. I’ll make sure you always have somepony to talk to.” Ditzy glanced up to Twilight’s face and studied it closely for any slight movement that it might do: a facial tick, eye movement… anything. But nothing happened.
Ditzy pulled up Twilight’s covers closer to Twilight’s chest. “Just in case you’re cold. I could go get my blanket too if you want.” She waited for a response out of impulse.
“Nah I think you’re fine for now. It’s a nice night outside anyway.” Ditzy peered out the window and admired the moon, wondering what her friend would think of it if she could see it.
An idea popped into her mind. “Hey, I never told you how I got my cutie mark, did I?” Ditzy leaned in towards the bed. “Most ponies see bubbles and think that it’s something to do with bubble wrap. I mean, don’t get me wrong—I love me some bubble wrap, but that’s not why I got my cutie mark. Even being a mailmare doesn’t have much to do with it…”
Ditzy tried to focus her thoughts into words, but she had trouble finding a correct way to display her feelings without certain details seeming unimportant.
She chuckled nervously. “Actually, I can’t remember the last time I told anypony this story. I don’t even know how to start it…”
An awkward silence filled the room as Ditzy wondered how deep into her past she’d have to delve to find the proper starting point. It took her a while, but then she found the words.
“Well…” she began, leaning in closer to Twilight to make sure she could hear, “when I was a really little filly, like before I can even remember, my mom told me that I used to do the weirdest things that nopony could really explain.” She pointed to the ceiling. “Sometimes I’d fly on the ceiling so it’d look like I was walking upside down. Sometimes I’d pop out of the most random places… there was this one time that I popped out of the oven and it scared my mom to death. They always wondered how I could get into these places, but to be honest I don’t know.”
Ditzy chuckled to herself. “What I’m trying to say I guess is that I liked to do stuff that was unexpected. Then when I was a slightly older filly in school, I always just assumed I liked doing random stuff because it was so fun. I was too young to even think there was a greater purpose.” She looked out the window and sighed before she continued.
“Then one day our teacher, Mrs. Desdemona, came in and she was all sad.” Ditzy’s ears fell to the side of her head. “I was too young to understand why she was sad, but all I knew was that I didn’t want her to stay like that. Nopony else in my class even caught on to it; she wasn’t openly crying or anything. I could just feel in my heart that something was wrong with her. So, I did my best to cheer her up.”
Ditzy waited for a moment, and imagined Twilight saying “Yah, and then what happened?”
“Well, Twilight,” Ditzy began, “I popped out of her desk and surprised her, but before she could do anything, I told her how much of a good teacher she was, and that I loved being taught by her. She was so happy that I think she wanted to cry…”
“I felt something inside me, Twilight... like an understanding. All this time I thought I’ve liked doing stuff because it was fun but pointless. But then I realized I did the stuff I did because it made ponies happy.”
Ditzy held a hoof to her chest. “It made me so happy to make other ponies happy. Making everypony smile and knowing that their lives are a little better because of me gives my life a purpose. I wish I could give that feeling to everything—not just ponies, but I’m probably kidding myself.”
She tugged on Twilight’s bedcovers. “Don’t you see, Twilight? That’s how I got my cutie mark! Whenever I’m really happy from helping other ponies, my insides get all bubbly and I feel… useful.” The last word came out as a sigh, as if she was resigning herself to something she didn’t want to admit.
“I… I’m not that useful of a pony, Twilight. I’ve never been good at anything. In the end, that’s why I became a mailmare. It’s something I could do to help everypony while kinda staying in the background so I don’t mess up anything.”
Ditzy stood up suddenly and leaned in much closer to Twilight. “But then you came, Twilight, and you pulled me outta the background. You showed other ponies that I was somepony worth mentioning!” she said passionately, almost desperately trying to convey this feeling.
“I wasn’t just the mailmare anymore! I was a friend! I could go on adventures, and have fun at slumber parties, and watch fashion shows, and survive ninja massage parlors… stuff I’ve never done before until you came into my life!”
Ditzy’s ears flopped down as tears welled up in her eyes. She finally gained the courage to reach up and brush the stray piece of Twilight’s mane out of her face. “You made me a better pony, Twilight, and I can’t thank you enough. And now you’re here in this bed because you were trying to save my life. Nopony deserves the amount of loyalty you’ve shown me.”
The first tear rolled down her face, much to her displeasure. “S-so that’s why you gotta be alright Twilight. I… I don’t think I can do this without you. I was so scared… all the time, I just never realized it.”
She sniffed to clear her sinuses and thoughts, and then gave a wet chuckle. “Heh, d-do you remember the first day you came over my house? I remember every second of it. Sometimes I like to replay it in my head.” She closed her eyes. “When you saw my daughters and me in the picture, you said I was beautiful. Twilight, nopony has ever called me beautiful, a-and what’s more is you made me believe you.”
“A-and that’s why you’re going to be okay. I-I’m not a clever pony but I don’t have to be the smartest to know that this town needs you… and so I do, more than you know. So please… you have to wake up…
…p-please wake up?”
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[Me sitting at work] Hmm, wonder if ive gotten any emails lately...
Hotmail.com
5 new emails (yay!)
Looking...looking..increase size, bleh...New update from FiMfiction Trails and Trials...
Hey, Chief, I'm going home.
But its only 1:45
Yeah, see ya monday
(im now reading this in my car before i move out of the parking lot)
Yesssss I've been waiting so long for this fic! :DDD
FUCK YES!
I think I need to go wipe my cheeks dry. Dang you and your ability to bypass my defenses and provoke manly tears!
I can't begin to describe how long I've been waiting for this chapter... I just hope for more. Adventure? A bit could be useful in this case, but why would anyone go on an adventure with Twilight comatose?!
Unless she wakes up and she took other more permanent damage... like her magic or her eyes... I can't imagine what that would do to her. To not be able to see... to read... to gaze into the night sky... it would break her I think. I know it would break me. I don't know if she could whip up a magical-AoE sight spell or something, but even that wouldn't replace the loss of her precious eyes. Magic is tiresome, and every time she used it would only be a reminder of what she's lost. That would be too painful to bear... it's bad enough that this happened at all. Ditzy... I pray that this ends so easily. I can only hope it does.
Man. Even if Twilight does end up pretty much okay, Ditzy is still going to blame herself for this on some level or another. All part of being equine, I guess.
ALL OF MY FEELS
It's alive! Hallelujah!
Is that a Dr. Mcninja reference I spy?
Aaaaand now that I've read it, now I feel sad. D:
544965
Like a boss.
*man-tears*
Really... first man-tears on this site and you envoked them...
... This was so... "deep"...
Kind of seems like the tone varied too much between the lighter comedic elements and the more serious dramatic moments. Not to say that both didn't work wonderfully but think for a chapter like this it should've been less comedy throughout. Regardless though such wonderful storytelling and ya make
proud to exist. Really love this story look forward to the next!
Sad the way twilight is hurt but that will not stop silly derpy from helping
Have Celestia heard that a magic storm have occured and that her student almost died and is in a coma? well will see some fics tend to forget of the other ponies that cares for those getting hurt and in Twilinghts case its mostly her parents that are forgotten.
yay updated at last
(took your time
)
but great chapter can not wait for the next part so keep up the work and get writing again..... if you dont mind
MANLY TEARS
but not cause twi is hurt
because derpy is so heartbroken and lacking in understanding of it
I need someone like that when I inevitably put myself in a coma attempting something stupid.
Aw man, I was getting ready to post 'Woo buck yeah, she's a ninja', and then you had to go ahead and give me the feels.
So many times when I reached the bottom of the page and couldn't see who was talking, I was hoping with all my heart that Twilight had finally woken up and it was her speaking. Beautifully done sir, truly an example of why we read your stories.
MOAR!
I'll be honest, I forgot that I was tracking this story. Look at my surprise and joy when I found out that it was updated!!!
My heeeart. BREAKING. ;-;
Finally after so long
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw2249-67326_-_Sweetie_Belle_manly_tears_reaction_image.jpg
worth the wait
So glad to see this return from hiatus!
I'm sure there's an extremely serious, medically essential reason for a hospital to have a jar full of fake mustaches...
>that might have been a rouse!
Ruse...
This chapter really played with my emotions. It made me happy, it made me sad, and it made me laugh. I already suspected that Twilight would be in a coma, that didn't surprise me, but I didn't realize how much Ditzy got hurt. Do write more, and please hurry.
wow just wow
Manly tears be shed.
Fake mustaches.
Priceless.
So. Worth. The wait.
Oh look, an update.
OH GOD, TWILIGHT PLEASE BE OKAY!!!!!
It took alot out of me to resist sheding manily tears, and now the only thing I can say is update fast.
I was scared this story was dead... I'm glad that I'm wrong. Can't wait for the next chapter.
yeah worth the wait. Thank you
Gah, right in the feel >.< why must you make it so sad... even tho it was pointing to it... it still hurts. I am glad you updated, hopefully, we won't have to wait as long again for the next chapter.... but the main concern would be if you randomly said you were dropping this fic.... if that were the case, I'd think you'd have hitmen out for your flank
SO MANY FEELS
WHY CAN'T I HOLD ALL THESE FEELS
am i the only one who said fucking bubbles the moment he read the titel?
EDIT: now that i read it i have only one think to say
And thus, my heart exploded.
I really really really like your version of Ditzy! And all this introspection on her character is super well written. I also like all the references to Ditzy being a background pony in her dialogue (Twilight's the listener damnit!), making everyone happy from the sidelines and whatnot.
Also love how you make us realize through Ditzy's thought what a big deal Twilight was to her life. Keep em coming!
;_;
Yo dawg I heard you like warnings, and dont abuse the power of the solid. Those were the only references I got
. But on a more serious note. I'm really glad this is back from the dead, and I also love how Ditzy can think of ninjas even in an environment like a hospital where her first friend is in a coma in the next room. More power to her. 
Wow, this fic has more emotions packed in than most shipping or drama fics i´ve read (probably the reason why i confuse it sometimes with shipping...). I loved how you made Ditzy when waking up not all about Twi, but her confusion and her own injuries, but didn´t forgot Twi completley either.
I liked how long it took for Ditzy to get enough courage to brush Twi´s mane, especially with her ninja mission before it seemed to take more courage than acting as a guard and stealing the key card, well done.
I liked how none of her friends blamed her for what happend, though maybe you can do so with Twi´s parents/Bro/princesses in some way, i do hope we get to see them in the next chapter aka the next day. Wonder how the doc/nurses/poor guard will react when they find out that Ditzy spend the night with Twi, talking to her (so so so frikking sweet, i cried so much during that, especially the part that she still remembers the first time Twi came to visit her or that she truly believed her when she told Ditzy that she´s beautiful...
).
I liked the whole Ditzy-like view of her mission to get to Twi and the whole talking to her with even making the one response up of Twi inside Ditzy´s mind.
I liked how no one got forgotten with the mention of her daugthers, expect Twi´s family and the princesses, how comes no one said that they´ll notify or will send them a letter about that accident? Twi´s in a coma which might take days, weeks, months or forever! Is that not reason enough to tell them about it.
I hope we won´t have to wait too long for the next update. Keep up the great work!
I love this Derpy. (I call her Derpy out of habit and love.
HONEST AS APPLEJACK I AM!) You can feel the intensity and gravity of the situation, and at the same time, you can't help but smile at Derpy's bubbly nature. Twilight, WAKE UP!!!
YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD.
You start off all dramatic and sad and you get me really involved and then you just... Some absolutely masterful, brilliant comedy followed, I was laughing and really enjoying myself, I could SEE Derpy Mc Ninja gallavanting about...
And then, right when I lower my defenses you SUCKER PUNCH ME IN THE HEART.
You kicked my heart in the testicles.
I...That was an absolutely brilliant combo and you pulled both elements off in ways that an author could wish to emulate either one HALF as well, seamlessly pulling sad and comedy together in ways that strengthen both.
You make me enjoy having my heart broken and goddamn you sir if I'm not begging for an encore.
I think I'm allergic to this chapter, because by the time I got to the end, my eyes were running and I had the sniffles.
You should really put a warning on the top, or something.
WHY CAN'T I HOLD ALL THESE HNNNGGGGG'S!!!
WooooW, just wow. SUPERB fic! I am stunned... Deep yet not overly so, sad, but with enough happiness and silliness to be readable. EXCELLENT!
A definite MOAR!!!! (+ an obvious trace + fav + email + watch :))
Woah this was awesome I want more
Oh god, that ending. While I'm not outright sobbing, I'm pretty close. I think this probably is one of the if not the saddest ending to a chapter I've ever read, and yes I think this beats out my little dashie because suspending meta she has to get better, you evoke a feeling of desperate pleading for her to wake up, that would not be out of place in real life at the bedside of a loved one in a similar situation.
Guess what? My favourite story, right here...
Brilliant. You have somehow combined the elements of a good story and made it creep through my stone-cold defences and touched my heart. Especially with this chapter.
Also, interesting take on Ditzy's Cutie Mark!
Instant thumbs up, and favourite/track!
This was the very first ponyfic I read- Stumbled across it from one friend or another. It was the driving force behind me starting to read fics and definitely the main reason I came to Fimfiction.
This chapter is an excellent example why. Amazing, so many feels. The cutie-mark thing was superb, and Ditzy's interpretation of the world around her remains delightfully unique. You, good writer, are a hero among bronykind.
Ah, the tears flow. Once again you've done a masterful job portraying the scenes. They swim in my mind's eye as easily as my own memories, and thus cut just as deep. Extremely wonderful writing, a beautiful take on Ditzy's cutie mark, and her life in general, and a heart-crushing portrayal of being virtually helpless to assist somepony dear to you when they're in need. Please keep writing, I'll keep reading.