> The Gift of Life > by Sigil Flare > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prologue “Fluttershy?!” cried Rainbow Dash her voice being cut off from a clash of thunder in the distance. “Fluttershy can you hear me?!” Dark clouds were rolling in from the south, and it made Rainbow way to nervous for any sort of comfort. Her sports jacket was completely soaked through, and her T-shirt was sodden and heavy as a rock. Her jogging shorts were drenched and her rainbow hair clung to her face and neck. The sneakers on her feet dragging her down. Rainbow knew something wasn’t right when she’d seen Fluttershy this morning, but the timid girl hadn’t said anything until they met for their annual pet play date. Then Fluttershy had told Rainbow that she loved her. At first Rainbow was shocked speechless, not knowing how to respond. She knew she had a strong affection for her childhood friend, but she’d never thought about it before. Rainbow had tried to reply, but Fluttershy had already started to apologize and flew off. Rainbow had tried to go after her, but Fluttershy had shaken her off when they broke through the cloud layer. Rainbow knew the timid girl was good at hiding, but she’d never realized just how good she really was. Worst of all was the realization Fluttershy been crying. Just the thought of tears dampening the face of her pink haired friend broke her heart. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get the image out of her head. It was like a dark cloud hanging over her head. A strong gust of wind caught Rainbow by surprise, making her focus and blowing her further skyward. Tilting her wings she caught the gust and rode it back down, increasing her speed. She needed to find Fluttershy before the storm hit. She’d known the pink haired girl, from the time they were both little kids. She’d never been a strong flyer, and a storm like this would make flying nearly impossible. Rainbow Dash knew if there was any chance to find her friend she’d have to be fast. Rainbow flew parallel the approaching storm looking for any signs of her timid friends figure in the dim light offered by the setting sun. She thanked Spitfire for letting her borrow the goggles protecting her eyes. Without them the wind buffeting her face would be blinding. She wiped the water droplets off of her goggles once more as she scanned the skies. The storm was getting closer, the wind becoming almost too much to handle. Another bolt of lightning fired a few feet ahead of her, and a scream pierced the night. “Fluttershy!” Rainbow yelled pushing herself into the storm. The rainbow haired daredevil would recognize that scream anywhere. “Hold on Shy, I’m coming!” She could see a faint streak of pink in the distance. Fluttershy’s dull cream yellow sundress was soaked with water, her wings working furiously to fight off the storms gusts of wind. She’d lost her sandals somewhere in the storm, her bare feet dripping with rain water. Rainbow was closing fast, but the wind was too much, it kept holding her back. She pumped her wings harder and reached out her hand to Fluttershy. Fluttershy had stopped moving, dazed, looking around as if she’d been woken from a nightmare. She looked back at the sound of Rainbow’s voice. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a cry of pain escaped her lips. Her eyes shut in agony as a bolt of lightning shot through the girl’s body, her form convulsing sporadically. Her scream cut off as her body went limp and fell like a stone, plummeting towards the ground. Rainbow Dash let out a cry of grief and surged forward. With newfound strength, she folded her wings and took a dive. She fought back her tears and bit her lip hard, drawing blood from the wind burned skin. She had to catch Fluttershy before she hit the ground, she just had too. Lightning didn’t always kill, so there was still a chance she could save her friend. Rainbow wouldn’t let it end like this, not without giving Fluttershy the answer she deserved. “I won’t let you fall!” Screamed Rainbow Dash with determination, feeling the air grow thin around her. “I won’t let you die!” An explosion went off, and suddenly the rain began to slow. The sky lit up with every color of the rainbow, as Rainbow broke the sound barrier. She caught Fluttershy’s falling form a few hundred feet from the ground. She spread her wings to try and halt her decent, but with her friends sodden form in her arms it wasn’t enough. With an expression of horror she realized all too late that she couldn’t slow down in time. Adrenaline raced through her body and time itself seemed to stop. Looking at the sodden girl in her arms, Rainbow couldn’t help but smile. Rainbow had to make the hardest decision in her life. Reacting quickly she had just enough time to turn her back to the ground before they touched down. “At least i can save you” whispered Rainbow Dash in Fluttershy’s ear “Shy...” Closing her eyes, Rainbow braced herself for what was to come. A bone breaking crunch echoed in Rainbow’s ears as they hit the ground, she could feel the sodden ground breaking apart as they skidded along. They bounced, Rainbow clinging to Fluttershy once more putting herself between the unconscious girl and the unforgiving soil. This time it was a dull thud, the pain not as intense as the first hit. They skidded to a stop, the storm up above coming to it’s full strength as the rain fall turned into a torrential down pour. Rainbow shook with shallow breaths, feeling her ribs cracked and broken against her lungs. She looked through tear soaked eyes at the unconscious form in her arms. Rainbow’s eyes sparked with hope as she saw the faint rise and fall of Fluttershy’s chest. With an immense effort Rainbow tried to move, and found her body unwilling and broken. The pain shooting through her chest and back nearly unbearable. It was with sheer determination she clung to consciousness. She couldn’t let go just yet, Fluttershy still needed her! Rainbow reached up slowly and ripped the goggles from her eyes. They fell to the ground as, she let the rain wash away her tears. Blinking her eyes, she looked at Fluttershy in her arms. Her soft warm smile, twisted into a painful grimace. Her deep blue eyes closed and unmoving. It was too much for Rainbow Dash to take. “I am not going to just lie here” She said through gritted teeth “and let you die” Using every ounce of will she had, she forced herself to her feet, yelling in pained growls. She bit her lip as she put one foot in front of the other, working her way back towards town. From time to time she would slip and catch herself in the mud. Pain would tear through her body, like a slow burn. Rainbow didn’t let it stop her though, she fought for Fluttershy’s life now and that’s all that mattered. Seeing the large oak laying not far off, she made her way towards it. Soon she was standing in front of the Golden Oak Library. Her friend Twilight was inside, she’d be able to help them if anyone could. Tilting her head backwards with the last of her strength Rainbow Dash let out a pain hardened cry “Twilight!” At that final act Rainbow fell to her knees, her energy fading. The pain she felt overwhelmed her as she slid sideways and hit the muddied earth. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was Fluttershy’s face next to her’s, the cheeks illuminated in a single streak of light, at the sound of a door creaking open. > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1 A Deep Sleep 　　Fluttershy drew a ragged breath as her consciousness returned. Her chest felt heavy and her lungs burned with each breath. She tried to open her eyes, feeling the resistance of weight of her eyelids. The feelings hadn’t returned to her limbs yet and her breaths were short and slow. As her hearing slowly returned she could make out hushed voices, off in the distance. 　　 　　“Do you think she can hear us?” asked a female voice. It sounded nice and proper, kind of refined in it’s tone. But Fluttershy could feel the worry and despair hidden behind it’s soft tone. 　　 　　“I don’t know Rarity” replied another female voice. This voice wasn’t as refined, but it was well structured. It was as if it wasn’t allowed to have a flaw. “I’ve never read about this in any of my books” Fluttershy could read the doubt in her voice. 　　 　　Fluttershy let out a soft sigh. Her friends were nearby, and they were worried about her. Everything was going to be fine, nothing bad could happen as long as they were looking out for her. She wondered for a moment if Dashie was with them. Fluttershy tried once more to open her eyes, and was denied sight once more. 　　 　　“Come on y’all this is Rainbow we’re talkin bout” said a female voice with a southern drawl. It sound bold and confident on the outside, but it masked a deep sadness. “There’s no way she’s goin down this easy” 　　 　　“Rainbow?” thought Fluttershy her heart sinking “What’s wrong with Dashie?!” Trying to move to hear better, a searing pain tore through her mid section. She felt the bandages around her tighten against her skin as she moved. Deciding that it was best not to move again, Fluttershy held her breath and strained to hear what her friends were saying. 　　 　　Fluttershy tried to remember what happened that night. She remembered that Dashie had followed her into the storm, but her memories cut off with a blinding flash. Trying to recall anything else resulted in a prime example of futility. With a faint light of hope, she listened to her friends conversation. It might shed some light on what happened that night. 　　 　　“Yeah Dash is the best prankster in all of Ponyville” said a bouncy feminine voice “I bet any second now she’s gonna wake up and laugh at the sad looks on our faces” There was no sadness or worry in this voice, it was comforting to hear some positive words. 　　 　　“Pinkie dear” said Rarity with a long drawn out breath “This is not a prank. Rainbow would never do such a thing to her friends. She’d never fake something like this” The elegance in her voice began to crack, and Fluttershy heard the sound of heavy sobs. 　　At this Fluttershy could take no more. With a great effort her eyes creaked open. She was forced to shut them once more as light poured into them. Finally squinting her eyes she waited until they grew accustomed to the light and opened them further. Her vision semi restored, she began to take in her surroundings. The room she resided in had white walls, and a single large window with green curtains. 　　 　　It had a few furnishings; two chairs a sofa and a wardrobe with a television on top. Fluttershy herself was in a folding bed with a control panel to her right side. A faint beeping sound caught her attention. Turning to her left she saw a machine was wired up to her, it had a screen with a green line making mountains and valleys. It beeped in sync with the movement of the line. 　　 　　“Ah good morning” said a pink haired woman entering the room “It’s good to see you awake” She was wearing the white dress of a nurse, and a red cross was emblazoned on her skirt. Fluttershy recognized her as Nurse Redheart, the head nurse of Ponyville Hospital. She had on white sneakers with red trim, and had her long pink hair in a ponytail draped over her left shoulder. 　　 　　“Why am I in the hospital?” asked Fluttershy in a scared tone 　　 　　“You were some sort of accident” said Redheart walking across the room, opening the blinds and letting sunlight into the room. “Massive amounts of blunt force trauma to your midsection. You were unconscious for quite some time Miss Fluttershy” The nurse turned and shot the timid girl a curious look. “Do you remember any of that?” 　　 　　“Honestly I can’t remember anything about what happened last night, past a blinding flash of light. It’s almost as if it was burned out of my mind...” said Fluttershy hoping that Redheart would know more. 　　 　　“Ah I’ve heard that before” said Redheart snapping her fingers as a sign of victory “You must have been struck by lightning. That’s why you can’t remember anything about what happened, seven days ago” 　　 　　“Did you just say seven days ago?” squeaked Fluttershy her mind reeling in surprise. “Had she really been unconscious for seven whole days?” questions and doubts began to rise in her mind “What happened that night, how bad was she hurt, but most importantly Where’s Rainbow Dash?!” 　　 　　Almost having read the girls mind, Redheart simply walked over and placed a hand over Fluttershy’s mouth, stopping the barrage of questions before she could form the words. Fluttershy looked up into the nurse’s eyes and found only calm reassurance. Redheart pulled up a chair and sat down beside Fluttershy. 　　 　　“You can calm down Miss Fluttershy” said Redheart in a soothing tone. Fluttershy began to relax a bit at her kind words and tried to calm her frantic thoughts. “Now I can make no promises that I can answer all of your questions, but i’ll be happy to try. If you promise me to calm down and take a deep breath” 　　 　　Fluttershy made a slow node in acceptance. As Nurse Redheart removed her hand, she closed her eyes and let her head fall back on the pillow. She took in a deep slow breath, feeling her body react in response. As she let it out, she felt a small twang of pain on her left side. Opening her eyes she caught a look of apology on Nurse Redheart’s face. 　　 　　“What’s with the look?” asked Fluttershy blushing in embarrassment “Did I do it wrong?” 　　 　　“No” replied the Nurse laying a hand ever so softly on Fluttershy’s chest “I for a second I forgot just how badly you were injured. That breath, however relaxing, must have caused you some pain” Fluttershy could tell it was a sincere apology and couldn’t help but smile. 　　 　　“It’s alright” said Fluttershy warmly “I needed to take a breather anyway” 　　 　　“I’d say so” said Redheart “ You’ve been through so much, you must be really worried about what’s happened while you were unconscious” 　　 　　“I am worried my absence has affect my friends” said Fluttershy “But most of all I’m worried about Rainbow Dash” 　　 　　“Oh..” said Redheart leaning back in her chair, waiting for Fluttershy to elaborate. 　　 　　“She followed me into the storm that night” continued Fluttershy her mind working against her bringing up all of her worst fears. “I really hope nothing bad happened to her” 　　 　　“Well Fluttershy I have good news for you then” said Redheart leaning in closer to Fluttershy “Rainbow Dash is the reason you’re alive” 　　 　　“What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy her eyes growing wide with shock 　　 　　“If Rainbow Dash hadn’t brought you in here when she did you’d never have survived that fall” said Redheart with a smile 　　 　　“Is she okay?” asked Fluttershy urgently. She needed to know that Rainbow Dash was okay. “I heard my friends talking about her earlier” 　　 　　The smile faded from Redheart’s face. She took in a deep breath before she stood up and walked over to the window. She stared out into the distance for some time before she turned with a blank expression. 　　 　　“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to share that information with you” was all she said before she changed the subject “It’s against Hospital policy to share information about patients with patients.” 　　 　　“You can’t tell me anything?” asked Fluttershy desperately grasping any information at all about her injured friend 　　 　　“I’m sorry Miss Fluttershy” answered Redheart with an apologetic look “I can share no information about Miss Dash’s condition at this time. If you’d like to know anything you’re going to need to talk to her family or guardian” 　　 　　“How can my friends get to see her?” asked Fluttershy confused “When I can’t even find out if she’s alive?” 　　 　　“Nurse Redheart!” called an angry male voice with a foreign accent from the hallway 　　 　　“Coming Doctor!” called Redheart dashing out of the room. As she exited she turned back and said “I truly am sorry, but my hands are tied” 　　 　　With that Fluttershy was left alone once more. She had so many questions swirling her mind as she stared out into the hall. “Why were they keeping so much information from her on purpose?” Fluttershy couldn’t figure it out yet, but she was going to one way or another. She needed to know if Rainbow Dash was okay.