Fluorescence of a Tide

by Johnjohns

Chapter 1: Fluttershy

Fluorescence of a Tide
By: Johnjohns2

Chapter 2: Fluttershy

---

Fluttershy stood in a long, dimly-lit hallway. The black-speckled white marble floor was cold, and each tile was polished so well, that Fluttershy could almost make out the individual hairs of her mane inside the reflection. Looking in both directions, she noticed that the hallway seemed to stretch on forever in opposite directions. She was alone, and not a single other pony was in sight. Fluttershy thought that she was inside a hospital, judging by the appearance of her surroundings. Dimly-lit fluorescent lights ran down the ceiling in both directions. Doors were spaced evenly about every fifteen feet. There were tags on each door, however no numbers or letters decorated they’re shiny silver surfaces. Next to each room, there was a black file box. If this was a normal hospital, they would be filled with medical documents on the corresponding patients inside the rooms, however these boxes were empty. Fluttershy tried one of the doors closest to her. Locked. She tried the next door over to the right. Also locked. Fluttershy stood there, staring at the locked doors with a puzzled look upon her face. Suddenly she heard a tapping sound down the hallway to her right. The young mare turned to face the sound. She saw the question mark cutie mark of a tall earth-stallion with a light-brown tail and mane trotting rather quickly off into the distance.

“Hello?” Fluttershy shouted quietly, “Hey... excuse me.”

The stallion continued to walk away, slowly becoming a silhouette as he trotted into the darkness in the distance. Fluttershy hadn’t noticed previously that the hallway got darker the further she peered.

“Hey, wait up!” Fluttershy said, starting after him at a light gallop.

The hallway illuminated the darkness around her, while at all times she could only see about seven doors down before the hallway got too dark. The yellow mare quickened her pace as she hurried down the hallway after the grey pony. She could not see the stallion ahead of her, and was about to speed up to a full gallop, when she was forced to stop suddenly.

The hallway had stopped at a wall, and divided into a t-intersection. She looked to the right...nothing. Fluttershy looked to her left and saw the grey pony trotting away at the same pace he was before.

“Hey!” said Fluttershy, raising her voice slightly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. My name is... hey come back!” She started after the stallion once again when he failed to stop and acknowledge the pegasus's presence. She galloped after him once again, still not able to see that far ahead of herself. She began to use her wings to help her gallop faster, until the hallway was rushing past her in a blur of whites, blacks and grays. She knew that Rainbow Dash would be proud of her if she saw her run like this. In a gust of wind, Fluttershy flew down the hallway in pursuit of the mysterious grey stallion.

Fluttershy was once again forced to put on the brakes and slow down to a trot. The hallway had ended once again, however this time it did not branch in two different directions. Instead the hallway ended at a single, open hospital door. She quietly and cautiously approached the door. There was a faint blue light illuminating the interior. The blue light stood out against the white walls of the hallway, because the fluorescent light panel in front of the door was not giving off any light. Fluttershy stepped through the doorstep. There was a thin wall jutting out from the main wall on the left. This thin wall was about three feet long, and the yellow pony was forced to walk around it. She silently slinked around the corner, expecting to find the light-grey stallion, but what she found surprised her. Lying in a hospital bed in front of her was Twilight Sparkle. Her eyes were closed, and she had a slight smile on her face. She was tucked under the sheets, with three white pillows supporting her head. The light-blue glow that illuminated the room originated at no point in particular, and it really added to the strange feeling that Fluttershy was experiencing. The mare stepped up to the bed. She wanted to wake up the sleeping violet unicorn, but something stopped her. Instead she just looked down upon her dear friend, unmoving.

“She had mentioned you,” said a voice from behind the pegasus.

Fluttershy’s heart jumped into her throat, as she sprung into the air. She slowly turned around to face the voice. It was the grey stallion with the light-brown mane.

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,” he said with cold smirk on his face.

His cold grey eyes seemed to penetrate Fluttershy’s soul. His mane was well kept, and fell loosely around his neck. Fluttershy could not deny that he was handsome. She stared back into his eyes, with an equally powerful stare. The two looked at each other for only a few seconds, and then she broke the silence.

“Um...hi,” she whispered.

He continued to look at Fluttershy, his eyes not once breaking away from hers. He had a patient smile.

“You said that Twilight had mentioned me?” she asked unsurely.

“Yes she did...well, not you in particular. She talked about all of you,” he said, still smiling. Fluttershy wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by this. Did he mean her friends?

“What did she say about us?” she asked nervously. Fluttershy was still uneasy about this strange pony, but she was beginning to calm down. His words had a soothing effect on her.

“Oh you know, stuff like talking about how great her friends were, and how much of an honor it was to be friends with them, and if she didn't make it, that it was ok, and to tell all of you not to worry about her, you know...the usual stuff,” he said with complete indifference.

Fluttershy turned to look down at Twilight Sparkle. The violet mare hadn’t stirred at all. She was breathing lightly. “What’s wrong with her?” she asked.

“I can’t say I know for certain,” he said. “She seemed to know what was wrong with her, because she was completely accepting of her condition.”

“How long has she been like this?” she questioned in a caring, yet frustrated voice. This pony was starting to annoy Fluttershy. She did not like the way he talked about her friend, and the soothing effect of his voice was rapidly departing. It was as if he didn't care at all.

“A long time.”

“How long has it been since you spoke with her?”

“Even longer,” he said.

Fluttershy was slowly starting to tear up. She didn’t know what to do.

“What else did she say?” she wondered from the grey earth-pony, a slight quiver in her voice.

“Only that you are the only pony who knows what is wrong with her,” he said, the smile slowly fading from his face. “Only you know how to save her.”

“But I... I don't know anything. I don’t know how to help,” she said, starting to panic.

“Twilight said that you would say that, she also said not to worry about it. She wanted me to tell you, that all of the questions you have would be answered in due time.”

Fluttershy wondered about this for a moment, her eyes fixed upon Twilight’s face. What was wrong with her friend? Who was this mysterious stallion? Why hadn't Twilight had him tell her what was wrong? Nothing was making sense to the yellow pegasus. Suddenly, she came up with a question to ask him.

“Hey!” she said. “You never told me your name.”

Fluttershy waited for a response...nothing. She turned around, but when she brought her eyes away from Twilight and around behind her, she was stunned. The grey earth-pony had disappeared.

“Hey!” Fluttershy shouted. “I wasn't done talking to you!”

Fluttershy started for the door, but when she failed to feel the floor beneath her hooves, she stopped. Fluttershy looked down. Darkness. Fluttershy looked up, and saw the hospital room rapidly decreasing in size above her. She had fallen straight through the floor, and was falling into the never-ending darkness. She tried to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. She tried to spread her wings, in an attempt to stop her descent, but had no luck. No matter how much she tried to flap her feathered wings, they refused to cooperate. She gave one last pleading look in the direction she had fallen from, before the darkness consumed her completely.

---

Fluttershy awoke suddenly. For a moment she was not sure where she was, but then she realized that she was lying in her bed. She sat up, feeling damp as she did. The pink-maned pegasus put a hoof against her head, and realized that she had been sweating profusely. She looked into her bedside mirror. She had tear stains running down her face.

“Wow,” she said to herself. “That was a terrible dream.” This was true. Her nightmare had shaken her to the bone. She looked down at her right fore-hoof and realized that she was shaking. It was then that she noticed the small, out-of-focus, white figure sitting at the foot of the bed. Fluttershy moved her hoof away from her face, and the figure came into focus. It was Angle. The small, white bunny had a worried look on its face.

“Oh Angle!” said Fluttershy. “It's ok. I just had a bad dream, no need to worry about me. Come here.”

Angle simple sat there, staring at Fluttershy. He made no attempt to come to Fluttershy’s side. Fluttershy was confused by his behavior.

“Now what’s gotten into you?" she asked, at the same time glancing to her right at the clock on the nightstand. It read 10:01 AM. She stared at the clock for a few seconds before it hit her.

“Oh no!” Fluttershy said out loud, hopping out of bed and down the stairs. “I slept late! Twilight was going to stop by at...” Fluttershy stopped at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the floor. She was remembering the dream from last night.

“Twilight...” she whispered to herself, staring off into space. Angle watched her curiously from the top of the stairs. She stared for a few seconds before shaking herself out of the daze. Fluttershy began to call out.

“Alright everyone!” she shouted inside the house, and out the kitchen window. “Time for breakfast!” All at once, animals of all kinds began to crawl out of their little homes inside the house. Some lived in holes in the walls, some came out of birdhouses, some simply stretched and climbed out of little plush beds scattered around the house, others came in through the front door. Fluttershy began to pour different kinds food into bowls of different sizes. The various animals under Fluttershy’s care happily moved to the bowls, and gobbled up their breakfasts. Over one hundred happy little birds, cats, dogs, insects, and small rodents gathered around the house to eat their morning meals. Fluttershy hurriedly walked outside of her tree-cottage to feed the larger farm animals outside in the pens and stables. She was in a rush, because Twilight was supposed to stop by at 10:30 to meet up with Fluttershy, about half an hour away. Twilight said that was going to drop off some supplies for Fluttershy’s animals as a thank you for watching over Spike four days ago. Twilight had business with Princess Celestia, and had been away in Canterlot for the day. Fluttershy hoped that Twilight was only kidding, because she didn’t want to inconvenience her. After they would meet up, the yellow pegasus and the violet unicorn had planned to go for a walk in the park, and afterwards get some lunch at a cafe. It was going to be a nice, easy simple day.

After feeding the pigs, cows, and other large animals, Fluttershy walked back into the house and looked at the kitchen clock. The clock was not ticking. The hands were stuck on 12:01. Fluttershy frowned, the batteries must be dead. She walked into the living room. The wall clock read 10:32. Fluttershy frowned again. Twilight was never late; she was the most organized pony Fluttershy had ever known. Something must be keeping her. She found herself thinking about the nightmare again, but forced herself to shake away the slightly worried feeling that she felt creeping up on her. Fluttershy decided to take advantage of Twilight’s lateness, and take a quick shower. However a knocking at the door prevented her from doing so. Fluttershy trotted over to the door and opened it.

“Oh there you are Twilight!” exclaimed Fluttershy, relieved that she was alright.

“Sorry about being late Fluttershy,” she apologized. “I had just stopped over at Zecora’s place, to pick up some herbal medicine.”

“Oh, what for?” Fluttershy asked, her sense of worry coming back.

“Oh its nothing,” Twilight said. “I just had some sniffles and coughs last night, and I thought that I might be catching a cold, so I bought some black tea from Zecora, that will help me feel better. It’s probably just allergies.”

“Oh... well I hope you feel better,” said the pegasus, still worried.

“Thanks Fluttershy," said Twilight Sparkle. She smiled. "Although like I said, I'm sure it's nothing but allergies.”

“Alright, well come in,” ushered Fluttershy.

Twilight Sparkle walked through the doorway with two large saddle-bags on her back. She was also using her magic to suspend many other bags, cans, and other items, which floated into the cottage behind Twilight. Fluttershy had completely forgotten about the supplies that Twilight said she was bringing. Twilight set the bags down on the kitchen floor.

“Now, I wasn’t sure whether or you wanted whole grain, or oat rabbit food, so I got both...” Twilight began.

“Oh Twilight, you didn’t have t...”

“I also bought twenty cans of tuna cat food, two bags of kitty litter, four bags of feed for the cows, a bag of feed for the chickens...”

The items began to magically stack up neatly on the kitchen floor and counter. Items upon items flowed through the door, piling up in the tree cottage. Fluttershy was overwhelmed.

“...and lastly a box of chocolates, you know... just as a thank you for watching Spike.”

“Twilight, it was nothing really. Please, you didn’t need to buy all of this for me, I am perfectly fine with...”

“Fluttershy, I didn't buy this for you, I bought it for the animals. The chocolates are for you. Isn’t that right Angle?” Twilight asked, looking at the bunny. Angel stared greedily at the mountain of food and treats from the bottom of the stairs and nodded.

“See,” Twilight said, turning her attention back to Fluttershy. “Angel approves.”

“Well when you put it that way...” Fluttershy said quietly.

“Exactly,” said Twilight with a grin on her face. She sniffled. “Now, were we going to go on a walk or not?” She started for the door, but something stopped her. The unicorn crumpled to her knees. Fluttershy rushed to the purple mare’s side.

“Twilight!” she exclaimed. “Are you alright?”

“Yes... just a little lightheaded is all.” she tried to get up, but she wobbled on her hooves, and fell back down. “Whoa.”

“Here, maybe you should take a seat,” Fluttershy said, while leading Twilight to the couch in the living room, and sitting her down. “Now just stay there, and I will go get you a drink, what would you like?” she asked, ready to fetch whatever her friend needed.

“Just some water please,” Twilight whispered, unable to put strength behind her voice.

The yellow mare rushed into the kitchen, and back into the room, a large glass of water and ice balanced on top of her outstretched right wing. Twilight used her magic to levitate the glass to her lips, and she took a sip. Fluttershy watched her friend anxiously.

“Thank you Fluttershy,” she said with a small smile.

“You’re welcome. Let’s put off the walk for now, and just stay here for a bit until you feel better,” she said, the concern evident in her voice.

“That sounds good,” replied the purple unicorn.

Fluttershy and Twilight spoke for about ten minutes, talking about nothing in particular. Twilight said that she was beginning to feel a little bit better. Angel was lying at the head of the couch watching the two have their conversation.

“So, I went to the bookstore the other day, and the stallion behind the counter said that that they had misplaced my copy of Daring Doo: And the Quest for the flaming Silver Scroll that I had pre-ordered, so I said what about one of the copies that were behind the counter, and he said that those copies were reserved for other customers, so I said well what about this customer right here, and he said I’m sorry ma'am but we have a new shipment arriving in a couple days, you can get your copy then, so I said thank you very much, and then I left.”

“Wow, to think that he could just deny you a copy like that,” Fluttershy said. They were just talking gossip.

“I know right!” Twilight exclaimed. “I was about to file a complaint, but instead I took a deep breath, and I let it go.”

“That’s what I always do,” said Fluttershy with a giggle.

“That’s what I’ve always liked about you Fluttershy, you never let anypony or anything bother you for too long, you just let it go.” Twilight giggled as well.

Fluttershy said nothing, but just looked at Twilight and smiled. Yeah, she thought to herself... almost anything. They sat there silently for another minute before Twilight Sparkle spoke up.

“Well, I’m feeling a little bit better, perhaps we can go for a short walk to a place to eat, perhaps Sugarcube Corner?” she asked Fluttershy.

“Only if you feel up to it, I don't want something to happen to you,” she said in a quiet tone.

“Oh, I’ll be fine, we will grab something to eat, maybe we will see Pinkie Pie there, and we will have a good time,” Twilight said.

“Well...alright.”

“Great, let’s go!” Twilight said as she started to get up. Suddenly she closed her eyes and the muscles in her face tensed up. It appeared as though she were in pain.

“Twilight?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

Twilight Sparkle stood there for a few seconds not moving. She then let out a faint moan before collapsing to the floor. Fluttershy hopped off the couch to the side of her friend.

“Twilight!” she yelled.

Fluttershy quickly examined the violet pony. Twilight was breathing, however she was unconscious. Fluttershy opened Twilight’s eyelids, and found that her eyes were rolled up into her head. She started to panic with tears running down her face.

“Oh no no no no no no no,” Fluttershy wept. “Twilight!”

Fluttershy shook the violet unicorn, but she did not wake up.

“Oh, what do I do, what do I do?” she asked out loud. Suddenly all of the knowledge she had gained over the years of taking care of animals kicked into motion.

“The vet! The hospital!” she said to herself, her light bulb shining brilliantly.

Fluttershy delicately, but quickly slid Twilight’s limp body onto her back. Twilight was heavy, but Fluttershy could manage.

“Alright everyone, listen up!” Fluttershy shouted. “I’m taking Twilight to the hospital, and I want you all to behave while I am gone. Am I clear?” she said this with an unnatural power behind her voice as she gave them all a quick but powerful stare. They all nodded, especially Angel.

She walked out of the front door, spread her wings and took off into the sky. The animals all watched as Fluttershy disappeared into the clouds.

Fluttershy was not an aggressive flyer. She didn’t fly that much to begin with, but with Twilight’s life in her hands, her wings had a strength that she hadn’t felt since she had helped Rainbow Dash make that waterspout. That was Fluttershy’s proudest moment. Fluttershy flew through the clouds in the direction of Ponyville’s hospital. The moisture from the clouds covered her body, and the water vapor condensed on her face. The coolness made her focus even more, and she flew faster.

Suddenly something caught her eye in the left side of her peripheral vision. She turned her head to see a light blue pegasus with a rainbow mane, rapidly closing the distance between the two.

“Fluttershy!” yelled Rainbow Dash. “Where are you taking Twilight?”

“No time to talk Rainbow, I’m taking her to the hospital, I need you to gather up the others and meet me there,” she said firmly.

“But, what’s wrong with...”

“No time!” ordered Fluttershy. “Go now!”

Rainbow Dash nodded, reversed in mid-air, and rocketed in the opposite direction.

The clouds parted in front of Fluttershy, and she saw her destination. Ponyville’s hospital was a large beige building with golden-brown and dark-brown trim. The windows had a pinkish-hue to them. The building was H-shaped, and a large sign on the front lawn displayed the symbol of a red cross, with pink hearts decorating the corners.

Fluttershy was glad to see the building, mainly for Twilight's sake, but also because she was starting to get tired. She was carrying double her normal weight.

The yellow pegasus circled around the back of the hospital, landed roughly, and galloped across the dirt to the emergency room entrance. Medical ponies were already rushing out with a stretcher to meet her.

“Get her on the stretcher, and get some oxygen!” ordered a white coated earth-pony with a pink mane. Her cutie mark was the same as the hospital’s sign.

A unicorn levitated Twilight Sparkle onto the stretcher, placing an oxygen mask on her snout, and the two ponies carrying it, hurried into the hospital.

“What happened to her?” asked the nurse.

“I’m not sure,” stated the pegasus. “She had come over to the house, and we were about to...”

“Cut to the chase!” ordered the nurse.

“Oh, well she got dizzy when she stood up, and then about ten minutes later she collapsed, and I brought her here,” Fluttershy said, struggling to keep herself from crying.

“Alright, well you brought her to the right place,” said the mare. “Your friend will be alright.”

“Oh that’s good,” said Fluttershy.

“Let’s go inside, and I will go check on her,” she said. “My name is nurse Redheart by the way.”

“Fluttershy,” said the pegasus. The two shook hooves.

---

It’s a funny thing, but nopony ever hears the ticking of a clock, unless they listen for it. This thought had popped into Fluttershy’s head as she sat at Twilight’s bedside, listening to the timekeeping device. The ticks were evenly spaced between the beeps of the heart monitor. Tick beep tock beep tick beep tock beep. A vase filled with purple flowers sat on the nightstand.

It was 4:23 in the afternoon, and Twilight hadn’t woken up at all since she passed out. The nurse had the violet unicorn placed in room 377 on the third floor. Twilight had an IV filled with a saline solution plugged into her right foreleg. Redheart originally thought that Twilight was simply dehydrated, but that turned out not to be the case. Then the nurse thought that she had low blood-sugar. This also proved to be false. She came in to take a blood sample about an hour ago, but she said that the results wouldn’t come in until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.

The other medical pony had gone out into the hallway to talk, and grab snacks. Only Fluttershy remained at Twilight Sparkle’s side the whole time. Fluttershy looked out of the window. It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun shone brightly in the sky, a monument to princess Celestia’s immense power and glory. Fluttershy was saddened that she wasn’t able to enjoy this splendid day outside. Instead one of her best friends was unconscious with a condition that went above the heads of all the doctors.

Fluttershy was about to get up, and walk out into the hallway, when Twilight suddenly groaned. Fluttershy sprung up, as the purple unicorn mare opened her eyes.

“Uh...what, where am I?” asked Twilight Sparkle.

“Twilight!” exclaimed Fluttershy. ”I am so glad that you are alright!”

“What...oh hi Fluttershy,” she said as she turned her head to face the yellow pegasus.

“Twilight, when you were at my house, you passed out, and I didn’t know what to do, so I brought you here,” said Fluttershy.

Twilight continued to look at Fluttershy, she didn’t speak.

“How are you feeling?” asked Fluttershy.

“Oh... I feel really weird, it’s just that... I had a strange dream, and you were in it,” Twilight continued to look at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was about to ask what her dream was about, when the door opened loudly.

“Twilight!” yelled a happy blue pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane. Rainbow Dash flew over to the purple unicorn and gave her a hug. Walking into the room behind her were the rest of the Elements of Harmony.

“Well I'll be! Ms. Twilight Sparkle has finally woken up to spend time with her friends. Isn’t that nice?” laughed an orange earth-pony as she walked into the room.

“Hi Applejack.” smiled Twilight Sparkle, trying to give all of her friends some attention.

“Twilight! Hi hi hi hi hi, over here, over here, over here, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey Twilight!"

"Yes Pinkie!" shouted Twilight, finally turning her attention away from Applejack, and to the pink earth-pony who was bouncing up and down.

"Twilight, I just wanted to say that I am glad you are awake. Did you see the flowers that I got you?" Pinkie asked, obviously wondering whether or not Twilight had seen her gift.

The unicorn turned to look at the flowers in the vase beside her. She leaned over and gave the flowers a sniff.

"Oh, Pinkie Pie!" thanked Twilight. "They smell wonderful, how thoughtful of you!"

Pinkie Pie ran over to Twilight, and gave her a hug, as a white unicorn with a purple mane walked into the room. A small purple dragon, with green spikes sat on her back.

"Why hello Twilight!" said the unicorn. “I am very pleased to see that you are feeling better."

"Thank you Rarity," she said with a smile, turning her attention to the dragon.

"Spike!" exclaimed the bed-stuck pony. "How is my number-one assistant doing today?"

"Oh I'm alright," said Spike, "I'm just glad to know that you are alright. I thought you were going to die or something."

"Oh Spike, you are so silly, I'm not going to die," said Twilight playfully.

"Well that's good to hear; it's just that somepony made it seem that you were dying," Spike shot a glance at Pinkie Pie, who looked away.

“Well then Twilight,” began Rarity. “We all wish you well, and we hope that you get out of here soon, so that we can get out, and do things together again.”

“Thank you all very much. You have no idea how much that means to me,” thanked Twilight.

“I’m sorry, I wish I could stay and chat for a while, but I have a client who ordered a dress, and I need to have it ready for tomorrow. I better get going,” said Rarity.

“Ya, and I still got some trees to harvest before sundown, or else Granny Smith will have my flank,” explained Applejack.

“I need to go too. There are some loose ends that need tying up,” Pinkie said this with a sinister voice. “Plus, I need to plan your Welcome- Home-Twilight-Sparkle-Party. I already have the date chosen, can you guess when?”

“Um, when I get back home?” Twilight asked.

“Yes! Wow, you are really good at this game, we should play more often, some other time though, I need to get going.” said Pinkie.

“Alright everypony, have a good night!” said Twilight, as Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie walked out of the room. Spike, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash remained.

“Hey Twilight?” said the blue pegasus.

“Yes Rainbow Dash?” asked the violet unicorn eagerly.

“I, uh... I got you something, wait here,” said Rainbow as she flew out of the room, regardless of the fact that Twilight wasn’t going anywhere.

Spike and Fluttershy watched as she flew out of the room and came back, clutching a book against her chest with her forelegs.

“I picked this up for you,” Rainbow held the book out to Twilight.

The title of the book was; Daring Doo: And the Quest for the flaming Silver Scroll.

“Oh Rainbow, you didn't have to give me this, I bought one already,” said Twilight, attempting to give the book back.

“Oh, well then, did you read it yet?” asked the pegasus.

“No, I went to pick it up the other day, but they had lost my copy,” explained the unicorn. “They were going to give me my book, when a new shipment comes in.”

“Oh, well then you can have this one, and then you can give me yours when you get out of here,” said Rainbow, giving the book back.

“But don’t you want to read it?” asked Twilight.

“Ya, but I think you should read it first, let me know if it’s any good,” said Rainbow with a smile.

“Oh, well that is very thoughtful of you,” smiled Twilight.

“Anyway, I'll leave you with the book, I better get going,” said the pegasus. “I’ll try and stop by tomorrow, so you can tell me how the book is.”

“Alright Rainbow, have a good night.”

“Thanks, you too!”

As Rainbow Dash left the room, Fluttershy and Spike remained seated next to the bed. Nurse Redheart walked into the room.

“Twilight Sparkle, good to see that you are awake. How do you feel?” asked the nurse.

“I just feel weird, like something just isn’t right, like something bad is going to happen,” explained the purple mare.

“But physically, do you feel fine physically?” asked Redheart. “Any aches or pains?”

“No, I feel fine,” said Twilight.

“Alright, but I think we should keep you here a little longer, until the blood work comes back, and we are sure that nothing is wrong with you.” explained the nurse.

“Whatever you say.”

“Alright, well if you need anything just push that red button next to you,” said Redheart.

“This button?”

“Yes, that one. By the way dinner will be ready in an hour, if you are hungry.”

“Ok, thank you nurse.” smiled the unicorn.

Nurse Redheart walked out of the room.

“Is there anything that I can do for you, Twilight?” asked Fluttershy.

“No Fluttershy, you’ve done enough for me already today. Go on home, I know you need to take care of your animals,” said the unicorn.

“Really, are you sure?” asked Fluttershy. “Because I can easily just have...”

“Fluttershy. It’s alright, go on home, I’ll be fine,” said Twilight.

“Well, ok, but I will come over first thing in the morning to check on you, ok?” asked Fluttershy.

“Alright, and could you do me a favor and take Spike home as well?” asked the violet mare.

“Sure.”

“Alright Spike, you get the house to yourself tonight. No parties, and no mares over please. Ok?” asked Twilight with a nervous stare.

“Ya ya ya, I know,” Spike blushed. “I’ll probably just organize the science-fiction books into alphabetical order, or something.”

“Alright, goodnight you two, and Spike?” said Twilight, calling Spike’s attention once more.

“Can you send Princess Celestia a letter explaining all of this, and tell her that I will get out of here soon, in case she asks?” asked Twilight with a pleading smile.

“Sure thing Twilight, have a good night,” Spike waved as he and Fluttershy left the room.

“You too.”

Spike sat on top of Fluttershy’s back as they walked down the hallway to the elevator. The hallway was busy with activity, but not to an overwhelming extent. Nurses occasionally walked in and out of rooms, and behind the main desk was nurse Redheart. Fluttershy drew her attention.

“Where are you two going?” asked the nurse.

“Oh, I’m just taking Spike home, and then going home myself,” said Fluttershy.

“Oh, ok, was Twilight ok in there?” she asked.

“Yes, she’s fine.”

“Ok, you two have a good night!” said nurse Redheart.

Fluttershy said nothing, but smiled at the nurse, before walking to the elevator. Fluttershy pushed the button on the wall, and the elevator doors slid open. Dull elevator music was playing inside. She then pressed the button which would bring the metal box down to the lobby. Neither of them said anything at first.

“Long day huh, Spike?” said Fluttershy, attempting to break the awkward silence.

“Ya, I just want to go home and get some dinner, I am starving,” said Spike.

“Me too,” said Fluttershy, suddenly remembering that she hadn't eaten anything all day. Her stomach grumbled.

The elevator doors opened once again, and the two walked through the main lobby, and out the front door.

“Hold on, Spike,” commanded the pink-maned pegasus.

Spike wrapped his arms around Fluttershy, as she spread her wings. The pegasus got a galloping start, before taking off into the sky. Spike looked back one last time at the hospital, before it disappeared behind the clouds.

---

After dropping Spike off at the library, Fluttershy drifted through the rest of her evening. She went home, fed the animals, fed herself, cleaned around the house, and took that shower which she desperately needed. The whole time however, her body went and did all of these actions, while her mind was constantly on Twilight. By the time she got into the shower, and the warm water impacted her yellow coat, she had no idea of how, or when she had gotten there.

The shower had a relaxing effect on the yellow pegasus mare. Almost all of the worries, sorrows, and stresses were washed down the drain with the water. She felt a whole lot better.

Fluttershy stepped out of the shower, and dried herself off. She wrapped the towel around her mane, and open up the bathroom door. Fluttershy walked into the kitchen and looked at the clock. It still read 12:01.

“Oh right,” Fluttershy said to nopony in particular. “Batteries.”

Fluttershy opened up the drawer on the right side of the sink. She took out two batteries from a box, and then took the clock off of the wall. She opened up the battery compartment on the rear side, took out the old batteries, and replaced them with new ones.

“There we go,” the pegasus said to herself. “Now I just have to reset this thing again and...”

Fluttershy stopped, when she saw the face of the clock. The seconds hand had not begun to tick. Fluttershy tried to turn the little knobs on the back, which set the time, but they did not move the hands either.

“Must be broken,” she said out loud. “That's a shame, I liked this clock.”

The pegasus walked out into the living room, and looked at the clock. It also read 12:01. It was then that Fluttershy began to think about the dream from last night. Something wasn’t right.

‘Only you can save her’, is what the mysterious stallion from the dream had said. Fluttershy wondered how she could possibly save Twilight from something she didn’t understand. She found herself locked in thought once again, when a letter popped into existence in front of her in a cloud of pink smoke. Fluttershy was startled, but she read the letter.

Dear Fluttershy,

Something has happened to Twilight Sparkle, down at the hospital. We are not exactly sure what’s going on, but something strange happened after she fell asleep. I need you down here right away.

Sincerely,

Nurse Redheart

Without a moment’s hesitation, Fluttershy got up, opened the door, and flew out into the night sky. She didn’t even bother to tell the animals’ good-night.

---

Twilight Sparkle was lying in her hospital bed in room 317 on the third floor of Ponyville's hospital asleep. She was tucked under the covers, and had three pillows supporting her head. The continuous beep of her heart monitor filled the room with an ominous echo. An IV filled with a clear liquid was connected to her by a clear plastic tube to a receptacle in her right foreleg, and an oxygen mask covered her face. The clock on the wall read 11:41 PM, and the blinds on the windows were closed. Sitting on the table was a vase, filled with various types of flowers; which provided the room with a sweet fragrance. The newest book in the Daring Do series sat next to the vase, a bookmark dwelling only a few pages from the book's end. Kneeling at the side of the bed, resting her head on her forelegs was a butter yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane. The look on her face was that of a mix of confusion, and sadness. She had tear-stains running from her eyes to her chin. Her gaze was fixed upon the violet unicorn’s face, whose expression was one of ease and content. The image of Twilight’s peaceful smile had burned itself into the mind of Fluttershy. She wasn't absolutely sure, but she felt as though her friend had accepted her condition, and did not fear the dire situation that she was currently encapsulated in. This brought a slight ease to Fluttershy’s warring emotions, but not completely so.

The door to the room opened quietly. “Excuse me, Fluttershy, but may I speak with you for a minute?”

Fluttershy nodded and leaned over to give Twilight a kiss on the forehead, before turning to walk out of the room. She closed the door behind her as silently as it had opened.

Inside the hallway it was quiet. The normal hustle and bustle of the hospital was completely absent. There were only a few medical ponies behind the main desk sorting out paperwork. Occasionally a medical assistant would enter or leave one of the rooms in the hallway to check in on the patients. A grey-coated stallion with a light-brown mane and tail exited the elevator at the end of the hall and walked over to a janitor’s closet, opened the door, and disappeared inside. One of the fluorescent lights in the panel above Fluttershy's head flickered, its days of giving off light soon coming to a close, at which it would be replaced by another brand-new gas-filled tube.

“What is it?” Fluttershy asked in a quiet tone, her sense of worry increasing.

“Well... it’s about Twilight,” started the nurse. “We went through all of her medical records. She has had no health problems in the past. We have... well... we still have no idea of what’s wrong with her. I feel that all we can do is wait for the blood results to get here tomorrow, so we can get a better idea of what’s going on inside her.”

Fluttershy felt a wave of agony course through her veins. “Oh no,” she whimpered. “Have we heard anything from... from the others?” she asked while choking back a tear.

“Yes,” said the nurse. “We contacted each of them, and they each said that they are on their way.”

“Oh, well I hope that they come. I feel that we should all be by Twilight’s side, so that we can help her... help her get through this,” Fluttershy suddenly unable to will back the tears, began to cry.

The nurse hugged Fluttershy tightly.

“Fluttershy, listen to me. We are doing everything we can to help her. Twilight is going to be alright,” said the nurse, trying to comfort the yellow pegasus.

“But what if she’s not going to be alright. I never even got to say goodbye and...” wept Fluttershy.

“Hey! Don’t start thinking like that. You have to be strong, for your friend, and for yourself. Do you understand me?” the nurse asked in a powerful voice.

“Yes,” Fluttershy was slowly starting to stop crying. “I understand. Thank you for...”

Fluttershy was suddenly cut off by an alarm coming from a speaker next to an illuminated red light on the wall above Twilight’s door.

The nurse hesitated for only a fraction of a second before galloping over to the door and slamming it open, along with two medical assistants. The nurse began to shout out orders.

“She has gone into cardiac arrest,” stated the nurse. “Somepony get me a syringe of epinephrine now!”

The medical assistants got busy, and listened to the pink-maned nurse in charge. Her cutie mark was the same as the hospital's logo.

“The defibrillator is charged, Nurse Redheart,” stated the medical assistant.

“Alright,” said nurse Redheart as she stuck the syringe into the same vein in Twilight’s right foreleg as the IV tube, and then withdrew, at the same time removing the sheets covering Twilight Sparkle. “Ok, give her a charge at fifty percent.”

The first assistant brought over the two paddles, while the second assistant stuffed a wad of gauze into the unicorn's mouth.

The nurse took the two paddles from the assistant, touched them together, and then placed the paddles of life against Twilight’s violet chest. “Clear!”

Twilight Sparkle’s body lurched upwards, as all of the muscles in her body clenched up. After a second her body fell back onto the bed, the alarm from her heart monitor still wailing.

“Get me another shot, and get ready to give her another jolt!” ordered the nurse.

Meanwhile during all of this Fluttershy was watching from the doorway of the room, tears of sadness running down her face. Here she was; watching her friend die, and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Where were the others? What was taking them so long? Is Twilight going to be alright? All of these questions swarmed throughout the matrix of thought that was Fluttershy’s mind; all the while she was watching nurse Redheart desperately try to save Twilight from this immediate threat to her life.

“Hold on Twilight,” wept Fluttershy.

“Just hold on.”

Nurse Redheart injected Twilight with another syringe of epinephrine.

“Alright,” ordered the nurse. “Shock her again.”

The nurse took the paddles once again from the medical assistant, and placed them against Twilight’s chest. “Clear!”

The unicorn’s body, lurched up once again, and then fell. This time however, the wailing heart monitor ceased to wail, and returned to a rhythmic beeping.

“Alright,” said Redheart. “She is stabilized, somepony give her some anti-arrhythmic drugs.”

Nurse Redheart walked out of the room to Fluttershy.

“Is she alright?” asked the pegasus, through tears.

“Yes, she is alright now, but there is something very wrong with her. I just don’t know what,” said the nurse while walking back to her desk.

The medical assistants cleared out of the room as well, and Fluttershy walked back into the room, and sat next to Twilight.

“Twilight?” began the crying pegasus. “I don’t know whether you can hear me or not, but I need you to wake up. Your friends need you.”

Fluttershy began running her hoof through Twilight’s hair, crying while doing so.

“We are all so worried about you,” she continued. “If you would just wake up and tell me what’s wrong, and then I could help you. Please. Just wake up. I need you to wake up...”

The clock on the wall suddenly struck 12:01, and something happened which Fluttershy did not expect.

A small white glow began to shine forth from the unicorn’s horn. It grew brighter and brighter, until Fluttershy had to look away, but it grew brighter still. The light grew and grew, until it enveloped the whole room and Fluttershy in the light. She looked into the light one more time, and she thought she could see a faint silhouette walking towards her. As the figure got closer, Fluttershy’s vision began to blur, until the light had fully consumed her. Fluttershy thought about Twilight one last time, before all thought slipped from her mind and she fell into the light.

Comments

[Flutterstrucked]

She see's the light.....( I'm out of jokes n' stuff)