Our Happy Ending

by King Ice

Mercy

“Again? Rainbow, your last letter was from 7 hours ago!” Spike complained as he stopped writing on the parchment on Twilight’s desk. Since she was… occupied, he was in charge of some of her paperwork, sometimes helped by Starlight.

“And?” The cyan pegasus cocked an eyebrow stubbornly.

“Do you really think the princesses made any progress in the last 7 hours when they’ve been working at it for two weeks with no breakthrough yet?” He asked with crossed arms.

Spike had undergone significant changes since the day they first met. The baby dragon wasn’t much of a baby anymore. In fact, he now stood nearly as tall as Rainbow Dash, if not a tad taller. His impressive musculature and increased stature would surely have been intimidating to those ponies who hadn't known him as a baby. Naturally, his wings had also grown to match his newfound size.

“Maybe they did, how would you know if you don’t ask them?” Rainbow replied in faint anger. She was trying to get a hold of her temper, but it was understandably difficult because of the circumstances.

“Then they would have sent me a letter as soon as they did. I’m sure they’re trying the hardest they can, but pestering them by sending 10 letters a day asking for their progress won’t help,” Spike argued as the pegasus groaned in annoyance, clenching her teeth. She didn’t want to admit he was right, but he was making some sense…

“It doesn’t feel like it!” She stomped the floor before pacing around the room.

“Rainbow Dash…” Spike whispered worriedly, dropping his quill on the desk as he stared at his friend. It seemed her behavior erased all traces of annoyance and anger behind his eyes. “Maybe you should try to rest, and just… Just trust them, okay? You’re obviously not doing okay. The only times the girls and I see you are when we visit Twilight or when you want me to write a letter to the princesses,” He said softly as Rainbow paused, taking in his words.

“Do ya expect me to relax when… How am I supposed to just rest and trust them when Twilight is on her deathbed? Of course, I’m gonna worry!” She responded.

“And I understand that. Really, I do. It’s not like I’m relaxing either. I’m basically drowning myself in paperwork just to avoid thinking about all this!” The dragon retorted while motioning at the parchments on the desk. “And I’m sure everyone is doing something along those lines. If you need to talk to somepony, then your friends are here for you,” He explained, which obviously also included him.

“You think I don’t know that?” She spat. It seemed she was almost ready to snap at him, but then simply sighed instead. “You don’t get it. The girls are… They’re losing their best friend. You and Shining Armor are losing a sister,” She pointed out as Spike looked down, unsure of where she was going with this. “Her parents are losing a daughter, but… I’m losing my wife,” She blinked several times, seemingly trying to keep her tears from spilling out. “If something happens… Something that can’t be fixed… Then I won’t get better with a talk or even a million talks,” She admitted before letting silence settle between them.

Spike tentatively raised his hand, perhaps to comfort her, only to pull back a second later.

“I… I’m sorry. I can’t say I know what you’re going through,” He exhaled. After all, he was never married himself. He never even dated since the only one he ever had a crush on was Rarity, and look how that turned out.

“You know what? I’ll just leave. Twilight might be wondering where I am,” Rainbow Dash stated before flying off. Spike didn’t even have the time to tell her anything else as she burst out of the castle.

He doubted Twilight was even aware of Rainbow's presence in the room. Based on what he had observed himself, even when the alicorn was awake, she appeared completely disconnected. She didn't speak, didn't fix her gaze on anything, and barely moved. She just stared blankly ahead. Witnessing her in such a state was excruciating, which was why he limited his visits to once a day, spending only half an hour with her. In contrast, Rainbow Dash often stayed for entire days, especially when the doctors couldn't persuade her to leave. Spike felt a pang of shame, as the other girls also dedicated substantial time to their visits, whereas he struggled to stay for even an hour.

He sighed before turning his attention to one of the letters he had received from Princess Celestia. It was one of the letters he had kept hidden from Rainbow, mainly because Twilight's situation appeared quite dire. He dreaded the thought of how the pegasus would react if she were to discover it.

Dear Spike,

I have received Rainbow Dash, your and the others’ letters. Twilight is truly lucky to have all of you by her side. To know that you are cared about is the greatest gift any pony could ask for. As we have promised, Luna and I are working hard on finding some kind of cure or a way to stop the disease from spreading further, even Princess Cadance abandoned her duties in the Crystal Empire to look through the oldest books in the empire’s castle’s library.

As ancient as my sister and I may be, there are still many mysteries in this world that elude us, unfortunately. Our efforts have yielded limited progress, but from what we have unearthed, the Alicornia Syndrome has existed since the time of the very first alicorn. Regrettably, there is no record in any Equestrian tome that provides a hint of a potential cure or explains the origins of this malady. Please, do not lose hope. Starswirl and the other pillars have volunteered to venture beyond Equestria's borders in their quest for possible answers elsewhere.

I truly hope we find something before Twilight’s disease reaches its final stage. If it does, then all will be lost. For now, the future is looking grim.

Princess Celestia,

She could have at least tried to make it less depressing at the end, but Spike supposed he couldn’t blame her. She couldn’t give them all false hope either because it would only hurt even more if they failed. For his part, no matter the case, Spike would believe in them and Twilight until the end. After everything they’ve been through, it couldn’t end like this. That was… too grim of an ending for him.

He considered at least showing this letter to the other girls, but he couldn’t risk them talking about it to Rainbow, who would, undoubtedly, fly to Celestia and snap at her.

The teenage dragon gazed down at the desk cluttered with paperwork, his eyes narrowed in weariness. He appeared more fatigued than anything else, but suddenly, he erupted with frustration. He seized the desk and hurled it against the wall with tremendous force, shattering it into pieces.

"RAAAAAA!" He roared as loudly as he could, clenching his fists tightly. He raised them high into the air, prepared to strike out at anything that crossed his path, but then he gradually lowered them. As much as he yearned to unleash his frustration by breaking things, he knew Twilight had taught him better than that.

He had hoped that she would still be here to continue teaching him and guiding him.

---

“Just give me at least half an hour for Celestia’s sake!” Rainbow Dash screamed, unconcerned by the looks she received from the other visitors, medical staff, and patients in the hallway.

“I apologize, Princess, but Princess Twilight needs her rest and you’ve already overstayed your welcome. If you continue to disturb our other patients by causing more commotion, then I’ll have to call security,” The nurse warned as the cyan pegasus rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, see if I care. As if they could make me leave anyway,” She scoffed in dismissal as she unfolded her wings, ready to push the nurse out of the way.

“Just let her in,” Someone sighed, pulling their attention away. It was the doctor Rainbow was familiar with, and he was accompanied by Nurse Redheart.

“But… Doctor! She’s been here all morning already!” The first nurse responded in outrage.

“I wasn’t! I had to leave for something, and now I’m back!” Rainbow Dash retorted in annoyance.

“And she’s disturbing the other patients with her screaming!” The nurse added, making the cyan pegasus groan.

“That’s because you don’t want to let me in!” Rainbow slammed a hoof on the floor while the doctor sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Right now, you’re both screaming. This will do no good to anyone. Princess Rainbow, I understand what you’re feeling. Everypony here does,” The doctor motioned the hallway, gesturing to the patients and visitors. Rainbow frowned but didn’t respond. “I’ll give you thirty minutes, but no more,”

“Thanks,” Rainbow simply said before going in, ignoring the nurse’s glare.

The doctor watched her close the door behind her before turning his attention to the nurse who argued with Rainbow Dash.

“I’m sorry about that. She is a bit… impulsive,” He explained as the nurse nodded, accepting his apology. It wasn’t like she was mad at him, after all. The one she actually wanted an apology from was the princess, but she guessed that was still better than nothing.

Rainbow let out a tired sigh. Why did they have to be so stubborn? It should have been simple – just let her in, and she wouldn't bother anyone. She only wanted to be with her wife during these challenging times, and it appeared they didn't truly comprehend her intentions. She had no desire to prolong the argument any further.

Walking up to Twilight's bed, she gently brushed a hoof through her mane. The alicorn didn't seem to have improved, but at least she wasn't worse either.

“Hey. Sorry, I had to leave earlier. I wanted to send a letter to Princess Celestia,” Rainbow explained.

The alicorn was awake, but she didn't seem to acknowledge the presence of the pegasus beside her. According to the doctor, Alicornia Syndrome had likely impaired her vision, rendering her partially blind. It was also possible that she lacked the strength to move her body, as she remained entirely still. However, Rainbow had faith that Twilight could hear her. Regardless of whether she displayed any signs of acknowledgment, Rainbow didn't require confirmation to know that her words were reaching her wife.

“Spike can barely handle all that paperwork, you know,” Rainbow chuckled as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I would help him, but I literally have no idea what any of it means… The faster you get better, the faster he can rest,” She added sheepishly.

Rainbow Dash fell silent, allowing a hush to envelop them both. She gazed at her wife, her mind struggling to find words. Over the past two weeks, she had spent countless hours talking to Twilight, but now, it felt as though she had exhausted nearly every topic. There wasn't much occurring in her life lately, as she was confined to this room. However, that was perfectly fine with Rainbow. Words weren't always necessary. As long as her wife knew she was there, that was enough.

Suddenly, Twilight's lips began to move, their motion slow and feeble. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in astonishment as she watched the alicorn's mouth opening and closing. She was saying something—actually talking! Twilight hadn't spoken a single word since being admitted to the hospital!

“Twilight!” Rainbow exclaimed in happiness as she moved her head closer to the princess’ lips to listen. Unfortunately, because of the mask Twilight was wearing, her words were inaudible. Hesitantly, the pegasus looked from left to right, checking no one else was in the room with her, then pulled the mask off Twilight’s face. “What is it?”

Immediately, Twilight began to wheeze desperately, her breaths shallow and strained. It seemed as though she was choking on something or that her lungs were barely functioning. However, Rainbow understood that this was not the case. It was merely a reaction brought on by the disease. According to what the doctor and the princesses had explained, this was just another symptom. The breathing difficulties wouldn't prove fatal, even though they undoubtedly caused her considerable discomfort.

“It’s okay! I’m here, Twi! I-I’m sorry, can you repeat what you said?”

“Rainbow… Rainbow…” Twilight weakly muttered with a coarse voice through her heavy breathing.

“I’m here!” Rainbow Dash responded while the alicorn was still repeating her name.

“It hurts… Rain… bow… It hurts… Please…” Twilight managed to utter while her heart rate was increasing more and more. “Please…”

“I-I know! But don’t worry, everyone is looking for a cure. You’ll be better soon!” Rainbow Dash assured her while caressing the top of her head.

“It hurts… Please… Kill… Kill… Me,” Twilight, with empty eyes, whispered through her pain as her wife suddenly paled until her face was completely white.

“What?” Rainbow asked with wide eyes, unsure if she heard the alicorn correctly. “What did you say?”

“Please… Rainbow… Kill… Me… Hurts… So much,” She responded with the little strength she had. “Please… Please… Rainbow… Dashie…”

“A-Are you crazy? No! I’m not… I’m not gonna do that!” Rainbow Dash snapped as Twilight simply repeated her request as if the pegasus hadn’t just shouted in her ears.

“Please… Kill me…” The alicorn requested again as Rainbow shook her head frantically while backing away.

“No, no, this is wrong!” She shouted before blasting the door open and flying out, shoving a nurse and a doctor to the floor in the process. She ignored the ponies telling her to stop as well as the nurses running toward Twilight’s room in panic as they likely noticed her unusual heart rate.

Every instinct within Rainbow Dash urged her to return and stand by Twilight's side, ensuring her safety. But how could she? How was it even possible to do that when Twilight had just asked her to... to end her life?! How could she make such a request of her own wife, of all ponies?! If she stayed, Twilight might beg her again, and she wasn't certain she could bear to listen to her desperate pleas. She couldn't bring herself to hear the one she loved so deeply pleading for her own death!

How did things get to this point? Everything was perfect a month ago! And now everything was falling apart. She wasn’t stupid, unlike what most ponies seemed to think. She was aware that everyone was losing hope. Even the princesses! And she was supposed to stand back and watch them look through some stupid books or do useless experiments that would go nowhere while they were slowly giving up?!

Even Pinkie stopped throwing parties! Even Twilight herself wanted to give up. At this point, did anyone else even believe in her recovery? What was she supposed to do? Couldn’t she have an answer to that at least? Well… She did know she wouldn’t respect Twilight’s wish.

She hid her face behind her hooves as tears streamed down her face after finally landing on a lone cloud above the hospital. Was… Was Twilight still talking? Was she talking to the doctors? Begging them to put her out of her misery? Would they listen to her? Was that even a thing in Equestria?

Maybe the others were right… Maybe she should rest, and pretend, like the others, that she wasn’t miserable.

Tears streamed down Rainbow Dash's face as she clutched a small blanket tightly to her chest. She made no effort to wipe her tears or pretend to be alright when Twilight opened the door to their room. In the past, she had often hidden her emotions to avoid mockery from others—it had become a habit. But that had changed significantly since she had started dating Twilight.

“Can I come in?” Twilight carefully asked, to which Rainbow replied by sniffling. Since the pegasus didn’t tell or shout at her to leave, she came in and joined her on the edge of the bed. “Stupid question, but are you doing okay?” She asked as she put a hoof on her shoulder.

“No… Why did-did it have to happen to him?” Rainbow stammered. While she wasn’t crying as profusely as before, she could still barely talk without being cut off by hiccups.

“I don’t know. It was just… Bad luck, I suppose,” Twilight grimly stated. “With tortoises that old… There can be complications…”

“But it’s unfair!” Rainbow Dash retorted in anger, although she was more sad than angry. “Turtles are supposed to live for so long! I thought, I thought I’d never lose him!”

“Oh, Rainbow… Here,” Twilight softly spoke before pulling the cyan pegasus into a hug, letting her cry into her chest while the princess’ wings wrapped around her marefriend in a tight embrace.

Tank… Had unexpectedly fallen ill a week prior. He didn’t want to drink or eat and wasn’t feeling well at all. Rainbow wanted to bring him to a veterinary or to Fluttershy the day after; unfortunately, she woke up the next morning beside his dead body. The pegasus was understandably heartbroken and didn’t even want to know how it happened. She spent most of her day crying. Today had been Tank’s funeral.

“It was too soon, Twi! He-He didn’t even know I loved him!” Rainbow sniffled into Twilight’s chest.

“You petted him, nourished them, told him how much you cared about him every single day. Of course, he knew you loved him, Rainbow,” The alicorn responded reassuringly while caressing Rainbow’s back.

“But what if he didn’t? I could have done more! He deserved to die of old age! Not… Not like that!” Rainbow retorted.

“He knew you cared Rainbow, and I’m sure Fluttershy could tell you the same,” Twilight whispered while the pegasus’ cries quieted. “Come on, let it all out,”

“Can you stay a bit longer, Twi?” Rainbow asked.

The alicorn had duties as a princess and headmaster of the school of friendship, after all. However, she would never put those duties over her friends’ feelings, especially her marefriend’s.

“Of course, I’ll stay with you as long as you need me to,” Twilight replied, holding the pegasus tighter.

“You better not leave me,” Rainbow muttered through her tears.

“I promise I won’t,”

Rainbow Dash wiped her tears away as the memory faded away. How could she ever forget that day? She rarely lost loved ones, and Tank certainly wasn’t just any loved one. She wasn’t even sure she moved on yet, and now she would have to mourn her lover, too?!

The Wonderbolt furrowed her brows in anger. No. Twilight promised she wouldn’t leave her, and it was only natural for Rainbow Dash to fight as much as she could to save the one she loved. The others’ efforts weren’t enough. They didn’t try hard enough!

So she would do it herself. She would fly all around Equestria and look for a cure. Question anyone she met until someone would give her the answer she wanted to hear.

Comments

[texzee]

noo!! poor Rainbow, poor Twilight! I can't imagine what it must be like hearing the love of you life just pleading for an end to pain, can't imagine the kind of agony Twiggy must be going through!

please continue this though, I would love more and would love to see how this ends, whether happy, tragic or just bittersweet.
I love how you write as well, keep it up!

[King Ice]

11752276
Thank you for the review, I'll definitely finish it! I'm just working on my other story a bit since it's a longer one