Twilight Sparkle's Anguish

by Trailblazer Rocker

On Death's Door

"Do, any of you hear something going on outside?" Rarity asked.

The others listened up for the noise.

"I hear Fluttershy... Yelling? Is she yelling?" Twilight Sparkle looked up the hole to listen in.

"I hear her yelling too," Pinkie Pie answered. She gained momentum and bounced up at the hole. When she reached the wall, she jumped off of them and got up on the surface, observing what was going on.

At the edge of the water, Fluttershy and Red Rover were in a scuffle. Rover was easily shoving Fluttershy aside and whacking her away. At one point, she flew up into the air, safe from his punches.

"Are you really that much of a coward?" he called up to her. "I've had steaks tougher than you!"

"You can't hit me when I'm up here!" yelled Fluttershy, not bothering to defend herself.

"True, but you can't stop me either!" The red earth pony jumped into the water and began to swim at the rock that the others were staying in.

"Urk!" Fluttershy clenched her teeth, realizing her mistake. She flew back to where Rover was and distracted him some more.

"Would, you, bug off already!" he yelled at her.

"You go away, and STAY away!" she shouted back.

Fluttershy attempted to flap around him, and then started to push him back away from the rock. While they fought some more, she managed to wrap her legs around him, then lifted him out of the water. She strained to keep herself airborne with the heavy pony she was carrying fighting to get out of her grasp, only managing to fly a couple yards above the water. When she got above land, she swung backwards, then tossed him a couple feet in front of herself, to which he landed and toppled onto the ground.

"Oops! Sorry!" she called at him, holding her hooves in front of her mouth.

"Sorry?!" Red Rover was confused. "You really don't get fighting at all, do you?"

"Uhh..."

"Oh, never mind!" He began to force her out of the way to get back into the water. Fluttershy backed off, only to try to pluck him back out.

Back at the rock, Pinkie Pie watched as Fluttershy fought off Red Rover. She jumped back down into the hole and saw the others. AppleJack still laid down with Trailblazer resting on her back, still gasping for air, wheezing. With a broken ribcage, it would be difficult not to get hurt while breathing.

"Man..." he moaned. "It has been a REALLY long time, since I have felt, this pathetic."

"Wait, what was the other time?" Pinkie asked him.

"My dad emotionally abused me when he was still around." He let out a strained groan. "Oh, God, I am seriously screwed up."

"Trailblazer," Rarity spoke up. "We aren't going to leave you behind." She looked up at Twilight, who was studying the plate on the wall. "Twilight, dear, what are you doing?"

"I'm taking a look at this inscription on this wall," she answered.

"Well, are you deciphering anything?"

"Why, yes." Twilight continued to look at the writing. "From what I'm seeing here, this tablet tells the story of the Sacred Stars and their usage in the past. In every single Sario Hole appearance, a group of ponies, different ones from each time it showed up, put a stop to the Sario Hole and the Sinister Star that caused it. However, each group of ponies had to have a sense of teamwork and implicit trust between all of them. Otherwise, their efforts would be in vain."

Pinkie Pie and Rarity walked up to her to take a look at the plate itself. "So, we must be the ones next in line, and we all have to have strong bonds with each other... Otherwise, we won't be able to save the world." She looked around at the others. "We should be good, shouldn't we? I mean, we're all parts of the Elements of Harmony. Naturally, we ALL are like one with each other!"

"Ahem," AppleJack motioned to the injured colt on her back.

"Oh, right. But still! You trust us, don't you, Trailblazer?"

"Yeah, yeah... URK!" He let out a major exertion, then became irritated. "I am sick, and tired... Of being sick... And tired."

"I'm not leaving you behind, Trailblazer," Twilight told him, a little stern. She then noticed a dripping red fluid flowing from the left side of his chest. "Oh, God... You're bleeding."

"I don't have time to bleed." Trailblazer gently touched his side, trying not to put any pressure on it, then lifted his hoof in front of him to see. "Oh, crap... I am bleeding."

"Oh, Rainbow Dash had BETTER get to Ponyville and back!" said Twilight, worried about his condition.

Rarity and Pinkie stood near the hole in the ceiling, trying to make out what was going on between Red Rover and Fluttershy.

"How do you think she's holding out out there?" Rarity asked.

"I can check." Pinkie bounced back up the hole and onto the rock, seeing that the two were in the water, struggling to push the other around. She jumped back down the hole. "They're in a stalemate right now."

"Is she hurt?"

"No, she's not."

Twilight walked over to Trailblazer and AppleJack, checking on him. "How are you feeling...?"

"How do you think?" he asked her.

"No need to be rude, you know, but I guess you're still not feeling well."

"Sorry. It's just, I'm not a big fan of lying around like... a deadbeat. I'd, rather be the supporter, than the supported." He let out another shrill moan, then lightly bellowed, just by trying to move himself for better comfort.

"Hey DON'T, move!" Twilight said. "You're going to hurt yourself even more if you do that!"

Trailblazer looked at his chest, then reluctantly laid his head on AppleJack's back again. "Jesus, I am seriously fubar!"

"Fubar?"

"It means... Well, Screwed-Up Beyond All Recognition. The 'Screwed' is actually in place of a, stronger word, if you know what I-"

"OOOHHHHHHHH."

"Yeah, THAT word..." He hissed and breathed in harshly. "C'mon, Trailblazer. You're better than this. You can pull through!" he whispered to himself.

"Do, you, NOT, get tired?!" Red Rover yelled as he got dunked in the water for yet another time.

"I CAN'T let you in there!" Fluttershy yelled back. She carried him out of the water for yet another time, and tossed him at a tree trunk.

"Oww!" he said, rubbing his head. "Jeez, you're acting like you have an injured friend in there!"

Fluttershy gasped. "How do you know??"

Red Rover gave her a confused look, then became smug again. "Because you just told me so!"

She put her forelegs in front of her mouth. "Oops."

"Hm, and that was just a shot in the dark...! But yeah, easy pickings!" Rover charged at her again, trying to bowl her over. She resisted harder than before, knowing that with a motive, Rover was more determined to get in the rock. Now, Fluttershy had to try even harder to keep him out.

"I can hear the fray from out here..." Rarity commented, looking straight up the hole in the ceiling.

"So can I..." Twilight laid down next to Trailblazer, keeping an eye on him. "How bad is it now...?"

"D'uhhh, ouughh, this is really getting to me..." he strained to talk.

She then put a foreleg on his neck to check his pulse.

"Your heart rate has dropped... And I feel safe in saying that that's not a good thing."

"Gah, every, thing, hurts."

"Oh, I know it hurts, but you have to stay with us." Then, Twilight's face showed a small scowl. "What is taking Rainbow Dash so long?"

"Just talk to Celestia again. "I'm sure she might have an update," assured Rarity.

"Well, I had hope she'd have one." Her horn glowed again, showing her trying to contact Celestia.

"Is that you again, Twilight?" she heard.

"Yes, yes it is!" she answered. "I wanted to ask you, has Rainbow Dash reached Ponyville to get that Vial of Vigor?"

"Actually, I gave it to her 10 minutes ago," Celestia answered her with.

Twilight shook her head rapidly, then looked surprised. "Whoa, already??"

"Yes."

"Wow, she's making great progress!"

"Yes, well, what happened was, I decided to show up and give it to her myself, rather than have my servant deliver that potion. She would recognize me better than any other pony that I forgot to describe."

"Okay, that's good. But, we're running out of time. I don't think Trailblazer will be able to sustain his injury much longer."

AppleJack raised her head in a frightened manner and looked at Twilight Sparkle. "Oh, please tell me that yer playin' a joke on me!"

"AppleJack, this is no laughing matter. I'm concerned too, just like you are."

AppleJack turned her head a little bit more to face Trailblazer. "Are ya gonna make it??"

He coughed and wheezed, straining as he did so. "I gotta call uncle here..." he opened his eyes and squinted in bewilderment. "Oh God... Even my vision's getting screwed up."

"Wait, you can't see right??"

"That, and I feel faint, and like I'm going to throw up..."

Twilight turned around to look away from them. "Can I still get in touch with Rainbow Dash now??"

"I'm sure you can," said the princess.

Twilight attempted to reach her, in hopes of getting to give her an update.

"Rainbow Dash?" she asked.

No response came.

"Rainbow Dash."

"Twilight?" she heard Rainbow Dash say.

"Oh, thank God I could reach you. But, you have to listen to this, okay?"

"What is it?" the pegasus asked.

"Trailblazer is starting to see some hypovolemia."

"Hypovolemia?"

"It means he's lost a lot of blood. I think he's going into shock too. If this keeps up, he'll..." But she couldn't bring herself to say "that one" last word.

"...Oh..."

"So, look, you have to hustle, okay??"

"I'll come back, on the double!"

"All right, then... Please do."

Twilight stopped the call.

"Well, girls, it's been nice knowing you all..." Trailblazer began to say.

"Trailblazer," said AppleJack in a stern voice. She took in a loud sniffle. "Don't ya DARE die on me!"

"I don't think I have that option, AppleJack..." He struggled to breathe in, then out. "This just, sucks. I'm about to die in a cave like some run-of-the-mill civilian. Now I just feel... Pathetic..."

They were all silent for a few moments, reflecting on the moments they had with him, and each other.

"If there's anything you'd like to say before I go... You should say it now..." he said, breaking the silence in the cave.

"I love ya, Trailblazer. I'll miss ya forever..."

"I'll always love you too, AppleJack..."

Rarity slowly walked up to Twilight. "Now might be your last and only chance, dear..."

Twilight let out a deep sigh. "Trailblazer, I just want you to know... After all that you've done for me, by making me feel better when I was hurt, and when you saved me... I just want you to know, that... I..." But she just couldn't seem to say the last few words. The thought of getting chewed out by a saddened and enraged AppleJack if his death ensued seemed to be just the thing that Rarity forewarned her about; the friendship between them could be gone.

"Outta my way, coming through!" they all heard somepony say.

All of them looked up at the hole, recognizing the voice as the rash Pegasus that all of them have heard plenty of times before.

"Rainbow Dash?!" Pinkie yelled.

Sure enough, she flew down the hole and landed back in the cavern they were holed up in. She quickly reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small, brown, translucent bottle. It was filled with a semi-viscous liquid.

"I'm here, I have the Vial of Vigor," she said. "Celestia told me that he has to drink this whole bottle."

"All right, then, give it to me. Let's not waste time here." Twilight plucked it from Rainbow Dash with her magic and twisted the cork off. She then forced Trailblazer's mouth to open so that she could pour the liquid down into his mouth. He swallowed, then licked his lips.

"Did it work? ...Did it?!" AppleJack asked anxiously.

"Nothing's happening..." Twilight said. "But we couldn't have been too late, we just couldn't have!!"

There was no reaction from his part for a moment. The main six watched with tension.

"HOOOMPH!" Trailblazer's eyes widened. He placed one hoof over his mouth and the other on his stomach. "Bleagh, oh, GOD!" He got up and stumbled, letting out some harsh coughs and gags, almost as if he was ready to vomit. AppleJack stood back up, in awe, then in gratitude.

"Oh, it worked! Oh, thank GOD it worked!" she yelled, happier than ever.

"Oh, GOD!" Trailblazer yelled, gagging again. "That aftertaste was TERRIBLE! So bitter and sour, my God!" He hacked again, trying to hold back the bad taste. Then, he stopped, and looked at himself. He was able to stand again, no moment caused any pain, and his chest didn't hurt. He could now breathe easily without hurting himself with each one.

"Holy, Trailblazer, you're okay!" Twilight and AppleJack got up and started a group hug. Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity joined in as well.

"I don't know how that stuff worked, but when it worked, it WORKED!" shouted Trailblazer, a bit shocked at the potency of the liquid he ingested.

"All right, sugarcube. Ah'm so glad yer okay, but please don't scare me like that again, y'hear?" AppleJack said.

"I don't think I had that choice. None of us saw that collapsing ceiling coming down..."

"Trailblazer..."

"It was bad, but it's all good now." He turned to face AppleJack. "I'll do my best not to. I didn't want to be in that situation under any circumstances."

"All right, Trailblazer, Ah get it now, but Ah believe ya."

They all held their hug for another moment, but then dispersed in the circular room.

"Now, you said that Fluttershy was fighting Red Rover outside the lake, right?"

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie hopped.

"Well then, how about we see how they're doing?"