In a hospital lies a girl. For five years, she has slept, as her nurse recorded her dreams. In these dreams, she is happy, and safe. This girl's name, is Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight Sparkle lives in the ideal world of Equestria. There, she is a pony, strong and proud, surrounded by friends, and with only studying as her job. Though some may try to mock this, as the student to the princess of this land, she is revered as one of the smartest and most amazing mares in the world. She even has the honor of defending the land, and going on adventures few even see in their dreams.
It is these dreams that for five years, Celestia has recorded, while looking over the human known as Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia walked down the quiet hall, taking a final look around before heading home. She then heard a small murmur, just as she came close to room 201. She stopped for another few moments, making sure the words were coherent today, before reaching into her coat pocket. Her fingers wrapped around a small recording device, one of almost half a dozen that her and the other nurses used for this patient.
For others, it would simply look like any patient’s room. Different machinery filled the room, showing the young woman’s vitals, her heartbeat, and anything else that someone may need to know. After working here as long as she had Celestia found herself accustomed to the rhythmic beeps and whirs along with other assorted sounds they produced, especially here. She briefly glanced out of the room, before pulling a chair over to the side of the bed and sitting down. She gazed at the bed’s occupant, a young woman with dark blue hair, cut in a strict line across her bangs, though a single strand had come to rest on her cheek. Celestia chuckled as she brushed it away. “Oh Twilight look at what you’ve managed to do.”
“Princess, I don’t understand. What did I do,” The sleeping woman murmured out as Celestia smiled down at her.
“In the five years that you’ve been here Twilight you’ve come so much farther than any doctor even thought was possible. Survived so much longer than anyone else thought you might. But you have never given up, just like I knew you wouldn’t.” Celestia gently stroked Twilight’s hair. Just like everything else, it had not changed. It warmed her heart if she were honest, every time the girl’s mother would come, just to make sure her hair was how Twilight liked it when she woke up. Just like Celestia, that woman could never give up hope that she would see her daughter awake again.
Twilight’s brow furrowed, and her breaths began to come in much shallower. “Pr-princess, what if I can’t succeed? I’ve done so little.”
Celestia gently hushed the girl, her mind working on how she may calm the poor woman. And then, she began to hum. “You’ve come such a long long way, and I’ve watched you from that very first day. To see how you might dream, to see what you will do, to fix what you’ve been through, and all the ways you’ve made me sad for you…” Celestia quickly brought a hand to her eyes, taking in a deep breath as she tried to steel herself for the last of the lullaby. For her plea. “It’s time now for a new change to come. To go where you will go, to see what you will see, To find what you will be, it’s time to embrace, reality.”
A tear came down Twilight’s face, and Celestia wrapped a hand around Twilight’s. For the next while, she simply listened. Listened to her patient recount her world. Speaking of a pink pony who swung to simulate flight, all while yelling something about alicorns. It hurt, as it always did, but it would not deter Celestia’s dream, and so she would continue to listen.
“Celestia? What are you doing here so late? You were off over an hour ago.”
Celestia turned her head to look at the man in the doorway, who wore a white lab coat. “I’m sorry, Doctor Armor. I just wanted to check on Twilight before I went home.”
Doctor Shining Armor walked into the room, a tablet in his hands “I heard you singing to her, and it was quite beautiful.” He bit into his lip as he quietly stepped over to the girl. “Do you sing to her often?”
“No not too often Doctor. Luna is more likely to be here this time of night, but she had to get re-certified for X-rays, so I needed to cover her shift. However, I know you’re usually busy with other patients, so what brings you here tonight?” Celestia got up and out of her chair, before putting it back against the wall.
“Well, there was an alert at the nurse’s desk that Twilight’s vitals had suddenly suddenly gone up. They wanted me to check as to why.” He handed her a clipboard with a record of the spike. “Has she said anything special to you tonight?”
Celestia shook her head “Other than calling me Princess again, nothing to note.”
Shining Armor rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I just don’t understand how you keep it up. I know we’ve seen her rally sometimes, and you were the first get her to begin speaking, but to keep trying with such dedication for five years…” He shook his head and stood straight again. “You aren’t planning on going anywhere, right?”
“No Doctor I know it’s against policy, but I’ve grown to care for Twilight. She seems to connect me to a mentor type figure from what I can gather from our conversations. Someone she can confide into, and trusts If I can help her I intend to, for I will not disappoint my dear patient. Just as always.”
Shining Armor took a step back as Celestia knelt by the bed. “And for that, I will always be in your debt. Just… make sure not to stay too late. I can only get you so much overtime for her.” He then stepped out of the room, to leave the ‘princess’ and her ‘student’ alone.
“Since you’ve come to this ward Twilight, you have demonstrated time and time again how little we know about what really happens in a coma. I can only hope that you enjoy the dreams I have been recording for you all this time.”
Twilight’s vitals sped up a bit as her hand gripped Celestia’s, causing the nurse’s eyes to widen.“Does this mean I won’t be your student anymore?”
Celestia squeezed the hand back, placing her other hand on the side of Twilight’s face.. “I will be here to help and guide you, but you have always been more than simply a student of mine, and once you wake up, you will be an inspiration to everyone who meets you Twilight.”
Twilight’s vitals leveled off and a smile slowly spread across her lips.
Shining Armor rushed back in, breathing hard, one hand holding his pager. “I just got told her vitals spiked again. What are you doing in here?”
Celestia kept her eyes focused on Twilight, a hand stroking her neat bangs “I don’t know, but I have a feeling that this is a good sign. You see doctor since I met Twilight she has always called me Princess; Luna and Cadance as well. If I am inferring correctly, her declaring herself to be a princess as well may mean that she is reaching out. Trying to connect more with us.” Celestia bit her lip, her eyes closing “Or…”
Shining Armor walked up behind Celestia, placing one hand on her shoulder, but being unable to meet her eyes, suspecting the news.. “Or?”
“Or she’s letting herself sink further into her dream by giving herself a larger, more important role. One more required in her world”
Shining Armor nodded “About what I thought. Listen it’s late, and she is quieting to simply murmurs. You need some real sleep though, lest you want to be useless to her tomorrow. Alright?”
Celestia hesitated before pulling her hand back and turning off her recorder “Yes, Doctor, and please, have a good night.” She got up and left the room, leaving Shining Armor to look down at his patient, before he reached down and gripped her hand.
“Are you crying?”
Shining Armor stopped, and noticed a single tear running down his cheek. He took in a deep breath, remembering the lie his father always told him when he didn’t want to admit to bad news. “Liquid pride, Twilight. Liquid pride.”
Luna burst into the long term care ward, evening out her pink scrubs as she slid on the tiles. She barely stopped herself on the nurse’s counter, her breath being forced out as she leaned over it. Looking up, she saw her sister raising an eyebrow. “Good afternoon sister.”
Luna felt a heat touch her cheeks as she coughed and tried to straighten. “Afternoon. Any pressing news for me?”
Celestia rolled her eyes, before passing over the files in her arms. “Fortunately, it has been a slow day, even with the doubled watch we’ve been put on Twilight. I was able to cover the other patients, and Cadance will be able to keep an eye on them when she gets here. However, I need you to do my job.” She reached back into the desk, and pulled out two recorders. “In case you run out of tape.”
Luna shook her head, trying to figure out what was going on. She knew that when it came to Twilight, Celestia would sometimes clock out and spend the whole second shift listening to the young woman ramble about her world. She gingerly took the tapes, her eyes narrowing. “And where will you be?”
Celestia reached back, checking the bun in her hair to make sure it was secure. While long term allowed for more relaxed standards, where she would be going needed her to be at her best. “Shining is soon to go into prep for a heart transplant. As the most experienced nurse in the hospital-”
Luna stopped her with a wave of the hand, knowing her sister hated discussing surgeries too much, despite being the best for them. “I’ll make sure to do the best I can then, so you can focus on your patient.” She then glanced down to the two devices that weighed her hand down. “Has she really been this active?”
Celestia barely nodded, her cheek collapsing into itself, pinched by her teeth. “Just… keep those and your pager near you.”
Luna paled, before placing a hand on her sister’s shoulder. She knew the horror that could come from Twilight ‘waking up’. The frothing at the mouth, the screaming, the cries to be home… those were the only days they found themselves relieved when no one could get her to react. “I won’t let her hurt herself, I promise.”
Celestia squeezed her sister’s hand, before nodding, a single tear splashed onto the clipboard she now handed to her sister. “Thank you. I’ll try to meet you for dinner. You can tell me about the reunion then.”
Luna nodded, turning away and waving the recorders as she said, “You should have been there. Lots of people wanted to see you!” She didn’t bother looking back though, knowing that her sister had refused so as to continue to watch Twilight. Ever since the girl’s ‘ascension’, she had been becoming more active, and Celestia had spent almost all of her time in the hospital. It was admirable, and if for no other reason to free her sister, motivated Luna even harder to get the girl to wake up.
Slipping into the room, she noticed Twilight twitch, and heard something about a crown, before she returned to babbling. Just how Luna preferred her. It had been long ago that Luna had decided that instead of mostly passive listening like Celestia, she preferred talking to her. Trying to insert her own elements into the stories being told, with the day she managed to re-enact the Indian and American war being her crowning achievement.
She put the recorder by Twilight’s head and cleared her throat. “So, I had my high school reunion last night. It was nice seeing everyone again.” She then smirked and put her feet up on a stool in the room, put there to help her and Celestia with the long shifts. “You should try it. It’d probably be a nice change of pace.”
Twilight shifted in her bed, and for a moment scared Luna as her breaths came in quicker, words about fear and new things coming from her. Luna reached over and cooed as she stroked Twilight’s mane. “I’m right here, Twilight. No matter what you’re facing, no matter how little I know of it, I will help you through.” She waited another moment, watching the girl’s chest as the rise and fall evened out. “Do you wish to hear about my night?”
“You can’t come Rainbow, I’m sorry. It would cause too many problems.”
Luna sighed before retracting her hand. “I’ll take that as a yes then.” She leaned back, and stared at the familiar tile, taking in the crack she had been watching for three years now. “Not too many were there, or at least, not as many as I would have liked. Artemis even ended up skipping, which was a real pain. I could definitely use finding someone. And ten years isn’t too long to try to rekindle a high school romance, is it?”
“I… I don’t care how cute… need to find…”
Luna glanced to one of the monitors, but saw her temperature was fine. It wasn’t a matter of a fever dream that the dream was becoming less lucid at least. “One consolation was with one of the army wannabes that came. Always so passionate about his job, Flash Sentry used to make me laugh, but seeing him yesterday, in a bodyguard’s suit… mmm, makes a girl get excited, doesn’t it?”
A soft smile spread over Twilight’s face. “Strong… kind… a good distraction from my hunt to beat Sunset.”
Luna chuckled at the description. “And here I thought your heart was as dead as your conciou-” She stopped, only having just registered the name. The name that had centered the nurses of the hospitals lives for two months. The name she wasn’t ever going to forget.
Luna sent her chair spiraling back as she got up, only just barely stopping herself from grabbing the woman’s shoulders and shaking her. “Who did you say?”
Twilight thrashed in her sheets slightly. “S-Sunset Shimmer… crown… element… need to…” She shook for a few moments, and Luna put a hand on her head, feeling a sweat breaking over it.
“Shh, shh Twilight. Just… just relax. Go at the pace you need to.” she looked at a drawer beside the bed before reaching in and pulling out a purple, star shaped pendant. She placed it on the girl’s chest, and Twilight froze for a moment, before her breathing began to regulate itself again. Luna felt tears stream down her face as she still gripped into the pendant, trying to use the pain to focus again. “Now, whatever you do, don’t force it. We… I can’t lose this. Please. So just.. just tell your tale, Twilight.”
======+++++======
Celestia dragged herself into the ward. Her whole body ached, and she could feel a pressure building behind her eyes, threatening to become a migraine at any moment. She didn’t care though. She had just pushed through six hours of surgery, and she wanted to see her little gir-. The nurse stopped for a moment, straightening herself as she took a deep breath. “Your patient Celestia, she's your patient. Not your little girl.”
Her eyes snapped open as she heard a slam against one of the doors in the ward, rousing the few other members of staff there. Slowly, the door to room 201, Twilight’s, opened, and the dark blue figure of her sister revealed itself. Luna took one step away from the door before stumbling to the nurse’s counter, barely catching it before she collapsed onto the ground.
“Luna!” Celestia attempted to run over, but in her mutually weakened state, it was far more a hobble than anything else. Once she got to see her sister’s face, it scared her. The grit teeth, furrowed brow, and bloodshot eyes made the other nurse look like she had just come out of a war meeting instead of a coma patient’s room. “Did something happen to Twilight?”
Luna pushed against the counter, breathing hard as she tried to get straight. “Y-yeah, something did. Agh!’ She bent over the counter, her knees trembling as a hiss of air escaped the younger nurse.”You never realize just how important circulation is until you’ve been standing in one position for five hours.”
Celestia mouthed, ‘Five hours,’ before she felt her heart almost skip a beat. “Di-did Twilight start seizing up? What happened?”
Luna rolled her eyes. “Thank you so much for your concern sis.” She shook her head, a tear coming out just before she pushed away from the nurse’s station and forced herself to stay upright. “Yeah… I’ve been having to… calm her all day.” She took a deep breath, and finally stood like a human being, instead of like some hunchback. “But it was worth it.”
Celestia blinked a few times before cocking her head. Luna’s scowl switched to a thin lipped smile, and she leaned against her sterile smelling sister. “Canterlot High. She spent all day dreaming of her high school, and-and Sunset.”
Celestia’s jaw almost dropped, before she held Luna at arm’s length. “If you’re lying to me-”
“I’m not.”
The two stared each other down, before Celestia merely sighed. “I… I’m sorry. Just, to hear such good news, to know she is so close, I can’t help but feel like it might be fake.’
Luna shook her head, stepping behind the nurse’s desk now. “Well, I don’t think she’s awake yet. There is a divide, a portal between the two worlds, and even when focused on ‘this’ world, it focused on the fantastical elements, and Twilight didn’t even know what most things were, supposedly.” She fell back, rolling in the chair that she landed in. “None of that is a good sign if you ask me.”
Celestia shook her head. “No, no they are challenges, I won’t deny that. But still,” she said as a smile split open her face, “it means she recognizes us. Still recognizes that we that 'humans' can exist.” Tears started to leak out of Celestia’s eyes, before she tackled her sister and wrapped her arms around her. “Thank you, Luna. Thank you.”
Luna weakly wrapped her arms around her sister. “Yeah, yeah, I’m awesome. Don’t be so rough though with your hugs though. I’ve had a very long day.”
Celestia nodded, futilely wiping away the tears she had with the sleeves of her jacket. “O-of course. I’ll… I’ll go say hi to her then.” She then left Luna , and calmly stepped over the room. Peeking in, she could still see the beautiful, young woman laying in the bed, now stable, and silent. With all of the good news, all the bounds forwards this possibly meant for her coming back, to see Twilight sleep so peacefully almost made Celestia cry.
She sat beside the bed and squeezed Twilight’s hand, rummaging through her memory for lullabies. In the meantime, she could at least give a promise. “Don’t worry, Twilight. I know you could slip back, but I won’t let you. You’ll come back to us this time, I swear.”
Twilight hummed happily, her horn glowing as she dusted her books for the fifth time that morning. Spike would have mocked her for it, but she knew that everything had to be absolutely perfect, lest she not be ready for the wonderful news that was at the forefront of all of her thoughts. “Cadance is coming!”
Spike glanced up from where he was paging through his comic book and rolled his eyes. “Yes Twilight, I know. You’ve been bounding around the library like a filly since we got her letter, so I’d be surprised if anyone in Ponyville didn’t know by now . Also, if you dust those books again I think it’s entirely likely you’ll dust the words off!”
Twilight paused pursing her lips together “Oh Spike, I don’t think that could really happen.” Her ear flicked “Er, could it?”
“With as much dusting as you’ve been doing? Anything is possible.” Spike grinned, returning to his comic. “Besides, this is as close to spotless as I think any library can be. Not to mention, I really don’t think that Cadance is going to put on a white hoof bootie like an old Trottingham governess.”
Twilight giggled at the vision she suddenly saw in her mind of Cadance’s mane tied back in a bun while she tsked at the tiny amount of dust she had found. “You’re right Spike, Cadance isn’t like that at all!” She settled back on the floor, her wings folded up against her sides as she let out a sigh “I just wish Shining Armor could of come as well.”
Spike poked his head up from his comic his eyes narrowed “Why is it that he’s not coming again Twilight?”
Twilight paused in place and blinked “Oh, well, Cadance said that he was off fighting some beast that was terrorizing the lands, and only he and his closest companions would be able to vanquish it.”
Spike lifted an eyebrow up. “So he’s playing a game of Ogres and Oubliettes, using some new campaign him and his friends dreamed up?”
“Oh Spike, don’t be so...” Twilight took a step forward, her world spinning for a moment, one of the words Spike having said now ringing in her ear. She tried for a moment to latch onto it, and it only caused the beeping in her ears to become that much louder and harsher. She brought a trembling hoof to her chest, and took a deep breath in. Twilight then let it out, just as she had been taught so many times before to do so. As the air left her lungs though, she thought the sound of a muffled Celestia cursing was briefly mixed with the siren. She shut her eyes again, and heard nothing, so soon disregarded it as merely some trick on her mind. A quick glance to Spike let her know that he had seemingly missed the small panic attack, something she was quite grateful for.
There was a knock on the door a few seconds later and a huge smile grew on Twilight’s muzzle, all thoughts of the weird beeping being tucked away as she flung the door open. “Cadance! Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake!”
“Clap your hands and do a little shake!” Cadance finished before hugging Twilight close. “It is so good to see you Twilight, and I’m sorry it took so long to get away. You have no idea how lucky you are not to have an empire to look after. The paperwork alone is indescribable! I mean I thought it was bad when I was still in nursingpractice and helping Celestia, but this is nothing like that!”
Twilight hugged back just as tight “That’s okay. At least while you’re here you can take a break, right? Although, maybe I can do some of your paperwork? I mean if Pr- er Celestia would let me.”
“Oh Twilight, you are such a sweetheart! Unfortunately, the only way you’d be able to do my paperwork would be if you woke upin the Crystal Empire with me!” Cadance shut the door behind herself and sat at the table “Would you like me to make the tea Twilight?”
“Oh no, it’s alright Cadance. Spike has it, right Spike?” Twilight called towards the kitchen.
“Yep, no problems in here. Jasmine tea okay, Princess Cadance?”
Twilight turned to check on Cadance, only to see her mouthing something with a frown over her lips. Cadance looked up, and the two mares made eye contact. Cadance almost immediately smiled then. “Sure Spike, that’s fine!” She laughed “That was the weirdest thing. It was like I couldn’t remember Spike. I thought he wasn’t really in Ponyville nowadays, but instead in Canterlot nowadays to do favors for Nurcess Celestia.”
Twilight swallowed hard, looking away from Cadance, and trying to pretend that the empty hole she had seen in her wall was just her imagination. “Uh yeah he does sometimes but not today! it’s been a few weeks since she has called on him to come help her I wonder why.”
Cadance walked over to Twilight, wrapping her gently in a winged embrace. “What is it Twilight? I can tell that you’re trying to hide something from me.”
Twilight blushed before looking down at the floor “Oh, well, it’s nothing really. I just…”
Cadance gently lifted Twilight’s chin with her hoof, causing her to look deep into the purple mare’s eyes, which were now filled with tears “You just?”
“I...I sometimes feel like none of this is real. Like I’m just having a very long dream.” Twilight blinked, sending two trails of tears down her cheeks “I... I wish this feeling would go away Cadance!”
“Oh Twilight, I understand what you mean. I’ve felt like that before myself. wake up. it’s like everything is too good to be true, so you must be dreaming you are but you must understand this is all normal, real not real life. Does that help at all, Twilight?” Cadance paused as Twilight trembled in her wings “Twilight? Twilight, wake up look at me!”
Cadance jumped back as several alarms went off. Celestia and Luna raced through the door as Twilight began to convulse and scream her eyes darting back and forth.
Celestia raced straight to her bedside and gently restrained the teenager “Home! I want home home! No, no, not my fault. Home!”
Cadance shivered as she watched Celestia gently speak to Twilight until the young woman calmed down. The alerts slowed to a stop, though one look to her vitals, and Cadance knew that the patient would need to be constantly watched now, in case of relapse. At least Twilight’s eyes were now closed as she seemingly fell back to sleep.
Luna placed a hand on Cadance’s back and gently led her from the room to the nurse’s lounge, before pouring her a cup of coffee, which Cadance shakily accepted.
“Th-thank you, Luna.” Cadance took a sip of the coffee as Luna sat down with a understanding expression.
“Tia will probably be in here in a few minutes, but you need to calm down first. That was your first time seeing Twilight ‘wake up’, wasn’t it?”
Cadance nodded “Y-yes. I mean, I’ve done rounds with Celestia before, back when I was still in school. But Twilight always seemed so gentle.” She gripped the cup harder, her eyes squeezed shut. “Oh god. She is going to make sure I get transferred, maybe even fired for this, isn’t she?”
Luna shook her head. “No she won’t. Celestia has caused her to have that same reaction so many times, but she had experience with such reactions.” Luna pursed her lips, gently rubbing Cadance’s back as she tried to figure out what more to say. “I’m sorry that you were alone for the first time she awoke. Can you tell me what happened?”
Cadance stared down at the coffee in her hands. They were no longer shaking, but she took another moment to calm the rest of her, and collect her thoughts.. “Well I came in and she began talking immediately with that little rhyme she and I do. Have you heard it?”
Luna shook her head as Cadance blushed. “Er, well, it’s a nursery rhyme that I had to write during my pediatrics class so I decided to try it with Twilight since…” Luna nodded her to continue. “It’s strange, but every time I announce myself coming in, she says it, but only part, seeming to hope that I’ll finish it with her. It’s sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hands and do a little shake. She says hooves, but, um, I was told that that has to do with her coma... right?” Another nod came as Luna poured herself some coffee. “So I sat down and told her I was sorry that I hadn’t been by for the last little while because of all of the paperwork I had to do. She asked if she could do something, and I told her I’d let her help if she woke up. Then she mentioned tea, and Spike... er, what exactly is Spike?”
Luna mixed some milk and sugar into her coffee before shrugging. “Near as Celestia and I can figure, Spike is a baby dragon who helps Twilight in her dream as an assistant. Sometimes she seems to dictate for hours to him, though mostly just mumbling babble, but” Luna took a sip of her coffee, “Why?”
“Well, I played along, but then she got upset and said that sometimes none of this feels real, like she was just having a very long dream. So I gently stroked her hand with my fingertip and I...I told Twilight to wake up. Then, well, you saw what happened.”
Luna rubbed the bridge of her nose “I see. Well, Shining Armor is going to want a report of what happened, and even if he didn’t, I can tell you, without a doubt, that Celestia will have one question. Were you really having a conversation with Twilight?”
Cadance nodded and Luna put a finger to her lips before gently gnawing at it.. “Hmm, maybe Tia was right after all”
“Right about what? If I might ask.” Cadance tapped her leg as she waited, watching Luna drain her coffee.
“Oh, right. Well, since Twilight ascended, Tia has been certain that this would lead to her waking up. It certainly appears that she may be right, or at least, that she is becoming increasingly aware of her surroundings.. I’ll assign you to other patients if you’d like Cadance. It’s only likely to get worse from here on out.” Luna tossed her cup into the garbage.
Cadance hesitated. “Maybe, but don’t fully remove me, okay?”
Luna nodded. “Good luck getting Twilight away from Tia though. She’ll be wanting to keep a close eye on Twilight’s condition and make sure she is still ready for her friends to come visit her.”
The children pushed the one in a wheelchair forwards. The girl’s bright, purple hair was a mess, but didn’t hide the pure, raw excitement that shined in them as she looked to the Olympic gymnast/runner who had been so kind as to visit the hospital today. Scootaloo had been watching Rainbow’s progress, and was a long term fan, and simply had to ask her question before the chance to left. “So, you think we can achieve what we want, as long as we don’t lose our dreams?”
Rainbow grinned at the child as she nodded. “Of course. If you stop dreaming, how are you going to find the next way to be as awesome as I am? However, don’t forget about reality. I had to work hard to get where I am, and…” she took in a deep breath, the letter from Celestia flashing into her head before she opened them back up, “I once knew a girl with all the promise in the world, but right now, she is lost to her dreams, and seems to have forgotten all about the world.” Her hand’s grip on her arm tightened, and she had to make sure not to lose her grip on the rafter as she recomposed herself. “Because of that, those who could help her make those dreams a reality, and make her happy can’t do that. Don’t ever let that happen to all of you, okay? Remember that no matter what reality throws at you, it’s just another step towards your dreams, and that you will find a way to overcome the obstacles with the help of your friends, families, and of course, hard work.”
She smiled at the children’s cheers, happy to have been able to make the sick kids feel like they could make it out, even though she had days where her own faith in such thoughts were failing. That was the exact opposite of why she was here though.
“Well said words, Miss Dash.”
Rainbow’s smile brightened to a more genuine one as she bent upwards, gripping into the bar above her before slipping the one foot that had kept her in place off, and landing perfectly on the floor, to the excited gasps of those in front of her. She then spun around to her favorite nurse, Celestia, one hand on her hip, the latex of her blue and yellow gymnastic suit pressing against her nimble fingers. “Thanks. They come from a pretty personal place, like a lot of what I say.”
Celestia nodded for a moment. “It’s only a shame that your method keeps attracting trouble for you. Though,” she said as she looked back to the reporters, “I would say they would love you to say something more… profane than what you just did.”
A bark of laughter escaped Rainbow as she thought to less than flattering articles about her interviews and opinions, not that she cared. The only rules she followed were her own, and the ones she absolutely had to stay an Olympian, and even those had to bend for what she had to do. Hence why she had spent the last forty eight hours since receiving Celestia’s email on a plane to get here. “Yeah, well, they won’t be getting anymore material, right Sven?”
The weasly looking man rolled his eyes before nodding. “Of course, as we agreed.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow as Rainbow’s manager began telling the reporters the fact that the ward that Rainbow now had to go to was for family and close, personal friends only, and that they weren’t allowed. Anyone, including Rainbow herself, knew the manager was giving up big time publicity because of this. A shot of Rainbow being vulnerable would have been worth millions. “You have a pretty loose manager.”
Rainbow shook her head. “No, he just didn’t like your email, or the idea of having to spend so much time on a private with a me that was ready to punch him for merely breathing. I think he chose the right option.”
Celestia chuckled for a moment as she nodded. “I’m sure he did.”
Rainbow was about to begin following Celestia, when she felt an arm touch her own. She looked back to the purple haired girl that had asked her the last question, and gave her a large smile. “Yeah?”
Scootaloo gripped her own arm, and she cleared her throat so loud that even Celestia could hear it. “Well, I was hoping if you might stop by again. You know, before you have to leave.”
Sven opened his mouth, but didn’t get a word out before Rainbow gave her a large thumbs up. “Of course kid. Why wouldn’t I?”
Celestia put a hand to Sven’s mouth as Rainbow stepped out of the ward, making sure the manager didn’t say anything stupid while they walked. Rainbow wanted to thank her, but knew the older woman probably knew. She had a way of doing stuff like that, having caught on to her feelings towards her bookworm even before Pinkie. She only hoped that Celestia was right this time too. “So, you said she’s getting better?”
The nurse beside her slowly nodded as they made their way through back halls of the hospital, just to make sure they shook any remaining reporters that may try to get into the coma ward. “I believe so. While she did suffer a relapse in the afternoon that I sent you the letter, we hope that it was simply momentary.”
Rainbow sucked in her lips as she took in a deep breath, before placing her hands on the back of her head and beginning to stare at the ceiling while they walked. “It’s better than nothing I guess.”
Celestia nodded. “As well, I wanted to grab you when I did, as you seem to have gotten into some sort of accident.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Was it during my tryouts for the Wondercolts?”
“It’s Wonderbolts, and no, just practicing something you shouldn’t have, from what I could collect.”
A small grin spread over Rainbows lips as she let her arms flop back down to her side, just before they crossed into the ward. “Well, I guess I can’t blame her. She was always worried about me hurting myself.”
“And yet, little did she know that every day you waited, you hurt a bit inside from your inaction.”
Celestia earned her a glare for that one. “Don’t try to be poetic about that shit. I’m not the romantic type to fall for it, and while I do still kick myself to this day for never telling Twi how I felt, I didn’t ‘hurt’ because of it.”
The older woman rolled her eyes as they passed empty room after empty room. “I suppose you would know best.” She then spun on her heel, and looked straight at Sven, who had continued following them. “So, shall we get coffee at the Nurse’s station while Rainbow talks to her friend.”
Sven frowned, but honestly had no leverage here. Heck, all the positive buzz her visit with the kids would generate meant this was only a positive, especially with the cameras now only having speculations on what sort of scandals may be going on here. Of course, Rainbow knew all of this, having learned the tricks using skills Twilight had taught her, and a year of experience with the weasel. “I suppose I could use a cup.”
Celestia nodded. “Good.” She then turned to Rainbow and squeezed the athlete’s shoulder “We’ll see you later, okay?”
Rainbow gave them a thumbs up, and waited patiently as she watched them turn the corner. The moment they were out of sight, she let out a long sigh, and reached for the door with a trembling hand. She could barely wrap it around the knob as she heard her heart as clear wedding bells. Still, she had to open it.
“Hey Rainbow. I hope you’re feeling okay.”
Rainbow froze in the doorway, staring at Twilight. It was a familiar scene by now. Her bookworm had her hair flat against the bed as she stared straight into the ceiling, her blanket tucked around her torso so as to allow her arms to meet the air, but covering everything else. The familiarity extended to her eyes, specifically, how they were closed.
She shook her head, wondering why she expected anymore as she walked in. “I’m okay. A little down, but that’s pretty normal during stuff like this.”
“Do you know what always gets me down when I’m feeling so blue? And yes Pinkie, cake can help, but that’s not what I was about to suggest.”
Rainbow swallowed hard as she heard her stomach rumble. “I would love to share some cake with you, or Pinkie, if you want.”
“Ignore the cake Rainbow! I was going to talk about reading. I even brought one with me. It’s from my favorite series, Daring Do.”
Rainbow leaned back, her body finally beginning to rest as she listened to exactly what she wanted. She whispered to herself, “If they’re anything like Ranger’s Apprentice, I know the pony me will adore it,” before actually saying-
“This is the first one. I know how little you like to read, but give it a shot, for me.”
Rainbow paused, before shaking her head. She shouldn’t have expected Twilight’s dream to pause for her musings, and wasn’t going to fall behind this time. “Fine, but why don’t you stick around and read the first paragraph with me?”
Twilight didn’t respond for a few moments, before saying more softly, “Alright Rainbow Dash, I’ll go. You get some shut eye and recover quickly.”
Rainbow froze this time, before her hands curled around a bar on the side of the bed. She had been lucid before. She was not about to accept that she had just gotten lucky, but that Twilight had known she was there, and had heard her. The idiot had to. She was too smart not to! “But I’m not tired! I’d rather have the company.”
“So Pinkie, is there a reason you brought up the cake?”
Rainbow Dash leaned over her, tears coming to the edges of her eyes as she began to whisper. “You were supposed to be getting better. You were going to hear me and respond back. Please don’t make Celestia have been lying to me. Don’t just build me up before you-”
“Rarity wants to make a dress for me? I guess I could stop by her place soo-”
Crash!
Rainbow looked at the vase that used to be on the table beside the bed, now smashed under her fist. The young woman could feel splinters and shards stabbing into her hand, but only squeezed tighter as she brought the hand to her forehead. She was so stupid, so fuccking stupid.
She slammed the door shut behind her when she finally left. She didn’t know how long she had been there, though she knew not too long. She couldn’t allow her sleeping beauty to ever break her down. She had vowed that when the news first reached her that Twilight might never kup, and she wasn’t about to break that promise, no matter how much it hurt. Still, she couldn’t just ignore the quite active bleeding that flowed from the side of her hand, and thus made her way back to Celestia.
The nurse gasped at the sight of the mare. Rainbow only now became a ware of her tears as Celestia brushed one away from her face at the same time she grabbed some gauze from the desk. Sven’s eyes were snapped wide open, but neither mare paid him too much attention, as there were more pressing matters.
Celestia only hesitated upon seeing the shards, before bringing out a set of tweezers so as to clear out the wound once Rainbow was sitting. The young woman wished she could get her hand to stop shaking, but the pain, both physically and emotionally, made it damn near impossible, and she was overjoyed that Celestia was as good as she was. “I-I’m sorry. I know that vase was probably yours.”
Celestia shook her head as sweat came down her brow. “It’s perfectly fine, as such things can be replaced. However, I do need to know if you’re okay, and I don’t mean your hand.”
Rainbow hung her head low and took in a deep, quaking breath. “... I don’t know, but I haven’t been certain for a good while now. I only feel actually okay training, and that’s because it makes me simply forget. Makes me not think about any of this stuff, or what others want from me.”
Celestia softly shushed the girl in her arms as she grabbed the gauze. “How about with the kids? If you wait here for another hour or so, I’m almost certain they would let you reprise your role, just like you told Scootaloo you would.”
Rainbow was silent for a few moments, before the smallest hint of a smile came over her lips. “Yeah… yeah, I think that would be nice.”
The hour before though, as she waited for her body to decide if she had enough blood, the scene in Twilight’s room kept replaying itself over and over again. The dead eyes of Twilight as they stayed shut, never registering Rainbow once, even when she shattered the vase. Rainbow was nothing to her in this world, and even her ‘pony’ version couldn’t get the attention she wished for in her dreams. And all she had to respond to that was that it made sense. These were Twilight’s dreams, not hers, and thoughts like this, that she was nothing to the goddess that was Twilight, was the exact reason she had never said anything to her before the accident, and why she had sought so hard to improve herself afterwards.
Fluttershy looked up and smiled. Owlowiscious was actually Twilight’s pet that she had found when they were freshmen. Fluttershy had been happy to help her hatch and care for him and when Twilight was hurt, her parents asked Fluttershy to take care of him until Twilight was well enough to take him back. “Don’t worry Owlowiscious, Celestia wants me to bring you too. She says that you are in Twilight’s dream.”
“Hoo.” The owl ruffled his wings, as if preparing himself to see his owner. It made Fluttershy smile as she opened the door to his travel cage. “I know you don’t like it but it’s Doctor Armor’s rule. You can come but until we get to Twilight’s room you must be in your cage.” She sighed as he gave her a love nip and climbed into his cage. “That’s a good boy. Now, is there anything else I need…” Fluttershy looked around her room. It hadn’t changed much though since highschool, except that her desk was now covered in veterinary textbooks. “No, I think we’re good.” She grabbed her purse and then picked up the cage slowly walking downstairs. “Mom, Dad I'm going out.”
Fluttershy’s mother poked her head out of the kitchen a small smile not quite reaching her eyes. “Are you going to visit Twilight again Fluttershy? This isn’t the normal day you go.”
Fluttershy set the cage down and turned to face her mother, remembering the many talks they’d had over the past five years about Twilight, and how more than once they become outright fights. Her mother just didn’t understand why she kept going to see someone who wasn’t even aware. Fluttershy shook her head If Twilight didn’t know I was there, maybe I could stop… but she does. I know she does! “Mom, I recieved an email from Twilight’s main nurse, Celestia, you remember her don’t you?” Fluttershy saw her mother’s nod and continued. “She asked that all of us come to see Twilight this week, as she is showing signs that she may be getting ready to wake up and hopes that our presence will help.”
“I see, well I wish you all the best luck then my dear. If you plan to be out past dinner. call, so I’ll know to only make enough for your father, brother, and myself.” Fluttershy’s mother nodded before heading back into the kitchen.
“I will.” Fluttershy shook her head, picked up the cage, and walked out to her car.
Fluttershy tucked her hair behind her right ear as she thought about the email again. She knew Twilight’s nurse fairly well, having gotten close to the older woman during the times she visited her friend. She closed her eyes, thinking back to the accident. At first they had all gone to visit as often as they could. But, slowly, ever so slowly, the visits stopped.
First they started only coming a few times a week then every week, then every month, and then came the day that Applejack stopped coming. Not that Fluttershy blamed her! AJ was busy in her own right taking care of Sweet Apple Acres once Granny Smith had well… Fluttershy didn’t like thinking about that day.
Then after AJ stopped coming Rarity got that scholarship to that fashion school in Paris. Fluttershy had come in while Rarity was telling Twilight about the chance, how it was an opportunity she couldn’t say no to. And when Twilight had answered… but no, no she was only talking to the Rarity in her dream. Fluttershy hadn’t seen Rarity since.
Then Pinkie, she chewed on her lip before sighing. Fluttershy wasn’t exactly certain what had happened to stop Pinkie from going to see Twilight. All she knew was that there was an incident of some type.
That left just herself and Rainbow Dash, the both of them had gone to see Twilight as often as they could though Rainbow normally was only able to stay a few minutes or was late. Once she made the US team she stopped being able to come all together. That just left Fluttershy.
Fluttershy walked into the long term care ward to see Luna at the desk working on her computer. She cleared her throat causing Luna to look up. “Good afternoon Luna.”
Luna smiled, “Hey Fluttershy, I guess you got the email Tia sent?” She sighed as Fluttershy nodded. “Well you can go back in just a bit. Doctor Armor is giving Twilight her weekly check up. I suppose you’d like to know what is going on?”
“I-if you wouldn’t mind? All the email said was that Twilight was showing signs of waking up and she hoped that having us all visit within the same week might help…” Fluttershy trailed off as Luna stood up.
“Cadance, I'm taking a short break. Think you can handle the desk for like the next ten minutes?” Luna glanced over to where the younger girl was reading over another patient’s file. The young woman nodded giving Luna a thumbs up without even looking up. “Alright, come on Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy followed after the blue haired woman into the employee’s lounge “Am I even allowed in here?”
“Normally? No, but I'm here so it’s fine. Coffee? Tea?” Luna looked up from the counter nodding at Fluttershy to sit down which the young woman did finally setting Owlowiscious’ cage next to her chair.
“Um, tea please if you wouldn’t mind?” Fluttershy blushed. Normally when she came to see Twilight she dealt with Celestia. Not that Luna wasn’t nice but, she just didn’t know her as well.
“Yeah, Tia normally wants tea too.” Luna shrugged preparing Fluttershy’s tea and her own coffee before sitting down “Alright so, what all do you know about Twilight’s condition?”
“Um, do you mean after the accident?” Fluttershy asked taking a sip of her tea while Luna nodded. “W-well I know she is in a coma, but that she is sometimes vocal. I think Doctor Armor told us it was a type of waking coma?” At Luna’s nod she studied her tea with a frown “I know she is dreaming, and that we’re all in her dreams.”
“That’s basically correct. However things have recently begun to change ever since Twilight became a… oh what did Tia say Twilight was now calling herself an all a corn? Anyways ever since then it seems like Twilight’s dream is starting to break.”
Fluttershy frowned as she took another drink of her tea. “Is it hurting her?”
Luna sighed, “Really? It’s hard to tell. The last time her dream really broke she woke up crying that she wanted home. I must stress that she wasn’t exactly waking up. It was… like she was between her dream and reality.”
“I think I understand Luna. Um, do you think that all of us coming here and visiting will really help Twilight wake up?” Fluttershy asked, catching Luna’s eye who sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose.
“I-I really don’t know Fluttershy but Tia seems to think it will…” Luna shrugged catching sight of the clock and gulped down the rest of her coffee. “Well Doctor Armor should be done with Twilight’s check up so grab the owl and head on in. Tia will probably stay in the room with you, in case Twilight wakes up at all. She is really the only one capable of handling one of well, hopefully you won’t have to see it.”
Fluttershy trembled as she gripped Owlowiscious’ cage and followed after Luna, walking into Twilight’s room to see Celestia covering Twilight with a light blanket. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she saw Twilight’s wrists had been strapped to the guard rails, Celestia looked up at Fluttershy’s gasp and smiled sadly.
“Hello Fluttershy, I know it’s not easy to see Twilight restrained like this, but Doctor Armor decided and I agree that with how violent Twilight’s awakenings have been, this will keep her from hurting herself or anyone else in the room. Thank you for coming and bringing Twilight’s pet. Rainbow Dash was here yesterday.” Celestia nodded to Luna who smiled shutting the door “Why don’t you let Owlowiscious out? He usually likes to perch near Twilight’s head.”
Fluttershy nodded opening the cage after a few moments Owlowiscious stretched his wings and took to the air to perch on the headboard looking down at Twilight’s peaceful face. “Hoo.”
“Oh Owlowiscious I'm glad you are up! Would you go help Spike in the…” Twilight’s voice trailed off as her eyelids twitched.
Celestia took Fluttershy’s arm and led her to the chair next to Twilight’s bedside and nodded for her to sit down. After Fluttershy had sat down she felt Celestia’s breath by her ear. “She has been very alert since you walked in but if she hears my voice I'm afraid her concentration will be centered on my dream self. Go on and say hi to Twilight.”
Fluttershy took a deep breath as she stared at the still form of one of her best friends. “H-hi Twilight.”
For a few moments Twilight didn’t seem to react before. “Oh! Fluttershy I'm sorry I was just reading, and well... you know how I can be! I’m so glad you came by. I wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday.”
Fluttershy turned to Celestia and mouthed “yesterday?” Celestia thought for a few moments before shrugging and mouthing back “play it by ear.” Fluttershy nodded and bit her top lip knowing her dream self seemed to be very similar to her real self so it was likely... “I’m sorry Twilight I...I was just so scared…”
Fluttershy waited her breath held hoping that had been the right thing to say and sagged in relief as she heard Twilight giggle. “I know Fluttershy; stagefright isn’t any fun. I mean, the only reason I was able to sing at Shining Armor and Cadance’s wedding was the fact that I cast a courage spell right before. I was just hoping that, well…”
“What is it Twilight? What can I do?” Fluttershy sat forward, her eyes wide, this was the first time that Twilight had been so alert. it’s like she’s awake, well almost… Wake up, please Twilight…
“Well, it’s silly but I was hoping that maybe we could sing together? For just a few minutes? Spike is in the basement area so nopony will hear us.” Twilight sounded nervous and Fluttershy could see her lips turned up in a familiar nervous smile, one which she feared she’d never see again.
“Of course Twilight, I’d love to sing with you. What shall we sing?” Fluttershy desperately hoped she chose a real song not just something from inside her dream. She glanced back to see Celestia holding out a recorder her eyes wide as they both waited and hoped for Twilight to answer.
“I was thinking we could sing the song you were singing with the Ponytones.” Fluttershy felt like she wanted to cry the likelihood that she’d know a song from Twilight’s dream… “You know Find The Music in You?” All at once Fluttershy felt like she wanted to cry for another reason That’s a song we sang in choir, I think, yes!
“Sure Twilight we can do that which part would you like to sing?” Fluttershy licked her lips as she ran through the lyrics in her mind.
“Oh well, I don’t know it as well as you so I thought we’d just sing one verse together if that’s alright?” Twilight cocked her head to the right her eyelids twitching.
“One verse is fine. How about the last verse?” Fluttershy smiled as she watched Twilight move around. Oh Twilight…
“Of course. I hope you don’t mind if I sing mainly the chorus?”
“Not at all Twilight.” Fluttershy took a deep breathe and began to sing “There's music in the treetops, and there's music in the vale. And all around the music fills the sky. There's music by the river, and there's music in the grass, and the music makes your heart soar in reply.” She smiled as she heard Twilight actually singing the backup. Actually singing!
“When you find you've got the music.”
“You've got to look inside and find” Fluttershy closed her eyes sent back in time.
“Find you've got the music.”
“The music deep inside you.” To five years ago when she stood next to Twilight singing this very song.
“Find you've got the music.”
“'Cause when you look inside, you'll see it.” Both girls had been nervous to join choir having stage fright, but Rainbow was wanting to form a band…
“Find you've got the music.”
“You're gonna find it, gonna find” So they had promised to try. Both girls had grown to love choir as they could sing but didn’t have to be the center of attention. They had gotten so close…
“You've got the music Got the music, got the music Got the music in you!” A smile beamed on Twilight’s lips as they both finished the song and Fluttershy gasped as Twilight’s hand opened her fingertips touching Fluttershy’s palm.
“Thank you for coming I know how busy you are with your animals Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy couldn’t breathe, was Twilight waking up? Really waking up? Was she talking to her? Or the dream her? She couldn’t look away as she smiled placing her hand under Twilight’s gently gripping it. “I-I’ll always have time for you Twilight, I had fun singing with you.”
“Me too Fluttershy, we’ll have to do it again, but I need to get back to this project I'm working on…” Fluttershy felt Twilight’s grip lessen.
“I don’t have to go yet Twilight! Tell me about your project, please!” Fluttershy felt desperation set in as Twilight began to babble again. Tears dripped down her cheeks. “Twilight please! Tell me! I want to help! Don’t leave me again Twilight!” She bowed her head as Twilight stopped responding, her shoulders trembling as she felt Celestia’s hand on her shoulder. Fluttershy turned burying her face in Celestia’s chest where she sobbed.
Pinkie stared at the door in front of her, slightly shaking as the name of the friend she had failed stared back at her. I mean, isn’t it obvious? I hadn’t gone to check on her, and what sort of friend does that? Even if I knew where she was, and knew she wasn’t alone, I… I shouldn’t have, I could have, if I had- Pinkie shut her eyes, and a single tear ran down her face.
Celestia place a hand onto Pinkie’s shoulder and gave the younger woman a soft smile. She had seen that look on Pinkie’s face before. Over time, it had become more constant, came faster, and while the nurse had hoped that enough time had passed, it was obvious this wasn’t the case. Celestia could still remember the image of Pinkie over Twilight, threatening to give the poor woman whiplash as she tried to shake her awake. Neither of them wanted that to happen again, not when it had sent Twilight’s vitals spiraling. “Do you think you’re ready?”
Pinkie glanced up, before crossing her fingers with each other. She shouldn’t be here, but Celestia’s email had said that she might be able to help. Could she really help though? Pinkie doubted it, and even thought that she should just have kept to her agreement with the hospital to come back. She couldn’t mess anything up then. Twilight could actually get some help then. “I… I don’t know.”
“We could have you record a message, if you think that would help. Just a message to encourage her forwards.”
And then I would drift farther away from her than the others, like that was something she wanted. Pinkie sighed, knowing that the thought spoke the truth. Fear hurt, but losing a friend hurt more. “No, no, I can manage, I promise. I’ll just make sure it’s brief, so I don’t get too… excited. Is that okay?”
Celestia nodded, before slowly undoing the lock to the room. Opening it brought only silence to the hallway, and Pinkie let out a sigh of relief. She had liked playing with the words before, making it a game to be herself, but as she heard more and more of Twilight’s tales, they had just started to hurt, as it felt more and more like her friend was forgetting her. That she was nothing but a ghost now.
She walked in slowly, her body shaking as she got closer. Pinkie than put a hand on the side of Twilight’s face, and bit into her cheek. She looked so peaceful, so… happy. Her world made her that way. Not her, or any of the others.
Just the spirits.
She shut her eyes, her body quivering, wanting so much to act. To lash out, to make a fool of herself, to plead with her to remember her. But instead, she resisted, and let a single tear fall as she gripped Twilight’s shoulder. “T-Twilight, I… I just want you to know that… that whatever you choose, don’t…”
She was silent for a moment. Twilight was supposedly relapsing again, between reality and the dream, and there was no way to know what would happen with her words. Or if they would even matter. Then again, if she said nothing, simply because she was afraid of them mattering, or sending her deeper into the place she enjoyed, what sort of friend would she be?
Pinkie took in a deep breath. “Twilight, I cross my heart, and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye, that… that whatever you choose, so long as you’re happy, I… I will be happy for you, because that’s all that matters. For my friends to be…”
Celestia stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the shaking girl and squeezing her tight. “You don’t need to finish it. Twilight will understand how hard this must be for you.”
“But I want to help her.”
“Do you really think she would want you simply to hurt yourself for her happiness?”
Pinkie became silent at that. Twilight may have been a bookworm, but calling her selfish felt wrong. No, she cared too much about the rest of them to do that. She even included them in her little safeplace, even her. Despite the insanity, the frustration, and even pain Pinkie had brought her, she still was there.
She smiled, and let Celestia turn her away from the sleeping girl. “S-Sleep well, Twilight, and I hope you have sweet dreams until we see each other again.”
Just as the door closed, the words, “Thank you Pinkie,” came through to the pink girl, and Celestia knelt with her as she began to sob, simply massaging her back as she tried to deal with what that might mean.
Celestia took a sip of her coffee as she waited by the reception desk. Unlike the others, she expected this one to be simple and painless, just like the visitor themselves. For her to complicate things would end up being rather surprising, all things considered. Even if she was the least likely to show.
She pursed her lips as she looked down at her cup. Celestia had hesitated to send the letter, having even considered going to see the woman herself and inviting her. It would have made things uncomfortable though, and Applejack would have said yes out of politeness, not because she wanted to come. So, she had sent a letter, just like for the rest.
And now, the one with the shortest trip had taken the second longest to show.
Celestia took another sip as she glanced at her paperwork again. She had hoped for other results, or better news to tell Applejack at this point. By now, Twilight had recovered to being completely stable once more, as she was before Cadance’s disruption. Her fingers coiled almost instinctively into a fist, before she dismissed the anger. The younger nurse had screwed things up, yes, but her heart had been in the right place, even if it hurt.
That seemed to be how this all had started to feel like at this point. From Luna’s optimism, to Cadance’s mess-up, to Twilight’s friends coming… They all meant well, but none had actually been able to seem to help.
A soft ding turned her attention away from her thoughts, and to the new figure who was walking in. She smiled softly to the farm girl as she made her way to the reception desk, a pie in between her hands. Applejack didn’t share her smile, instead turning away. At least, Celestia thought, she had still gotten dressed for this, wearing slacks and a button up t-shirt. Her normal, classier outfit.
Celestia took the warm pie from Applejack so the other woman could get started on signing in. “I honestly was surprised that you decided to take the time out of your day to come say hi to her. After last ti-”
“I’m not here to say hi to her.” Applejack looked up, meeting Celestia’s eyes for a moment in a hard stare. There was no joviality in them, just anger, and, beneath that, pain. “I’m here because you deserve a break, and I want to help you get that.”
Celestia hung her head for a moment before sighing. She should have seen such a reaction coming, even if she doubted the other woman’s sincerity. Applejack cared too much for that. “Thank you for the pie. I know it will be enjoyed.”
Applejack nodded as she stood up from the sign in sheet, capping the pen, and turning away from it. “I hope you like it. Now, is she still in the same room?”
Celestia nodded, and turned with Applejack to go to it. Both had travelled the path countless times, their shoes softly clicking against the tiles. It was a familiar enough rhythm to get others attentions, but also missing for a long enough time to have made it eerily familiar. Once they saw the farm girl though, it clicked in their minds, and they turned away, not wanting to look at her for too long.
Applejack wasn’t the only one with bad memories of Twilight and her.
Celestia glanced to her companion as they came closer, a pang of guilt in her own chest. While not entirely her fault, Applejack’s hatred for this place was not entirely the younger woman’s fault, either. Not when Celestia, in her haste to get things fixed, had… “I’m sorry.”
Applejack stumbled a little bit at the sudden words, and the confusion they brought with them, at least, to her. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. It’s not because of you that Twilight isn’t willing to wake up.”
And that was the issue, summed up in one line. This woman, this dear friend, had given up, especially after Celestia and her had figured out that trying to force Twilight out of her dreams only made the coma worse. After seeing that, she’d given up and washed her hands of Twilight, believing the poor girl didn’t want to wake up.
All because Celestia had believed they could fix her in the first year of her treatment.
Celestia placed a hand on Applejack’s shoulder and took in a deep breath. She discarded the arguments she had made before. Things like ‘it’s not her choice,’ no longer worked for the sceptic. So, instead she tried another route. “Just remember that this will help remind her what she has here, rather than perhaps thinking that there is nothing waiting for her here.”
Applejack opened her mouth while taking in a sharp breath, ready to retort, before she saw the pain and desperation in Celestia’s eyes. Just because she had given up didn’t mean the nurse had, and she was still clinging to anything she could cling to. She wouldn’t rob her of that. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
The words were false, and both women knew it, causing them to look away from each other. Neither was willing to speak at this point, and the uncomfortableness both had expected to happen came over them. It couldn’t even leave long enough for Celestia to say anything to Applejack as she stepped into Twilight’s room.
And she found herself speechless. Twilight looked as serene as she always had before. So content so peaceful, so… happy. It hurt, especially since Applejack knew she couldn’t do anything about it.
So, she did the one thing she thought she could, and put a hand onto her shoulder. With a squeeze, she then whispered, “I’m still waiting for you, okay sugarcube? W-we’re all still waiting for you.”
And for just a moment Applejack thought she saw Twilight’s smile widen, and hoped, prayed, that it was for her, rather than whatever illusion of her was in the dream.
“Look Sassy, I know that Upper Crust can be fairly uppity about all of this, but do remind him that this is the fifth time that he has tried to charge us more for putting dresses into his stores, and that if he really wants to, then I suppose we’ll need a one hundred percent discount and our stock back.”
”You mean like last time?”
Rarity winced at the thought, before rubbing her temples. She had been hoping for nothing overly stressful today, but of course something like this had to happen. It was non-stop really, if she were honest. Some old jerk trying to cheat the new mogul. “You know what, it isn’t worth it. We’ll put him on a six month probation, and when the fall line comes, he’ll have a chance to start stocking us again.”
”Alright, Miss Rarity. I will inform him of his status change then. Now, you go enjoy yourself. I know you were looking forward to today.”
“Yeah. Well, goodluck, bye, and kisses!” She smiled as she heard the click of the call and slipped the bluetooth in her ear out. She was done taking calls, especially since she knew that she should be getting to the hospital pretty soon. “Sorry about that, Coco. Just some business to take care of.”
The small woman next to her smiled slightly, which was her form of a full blown grin. Rarity had learned a while ago though that her assistant and girlfriend was not always the most… expressive when her nerves got to her. “Like always?”
Rarity let herself grin at Coco as she slipped off her sunglasses. The sun was plenty strong enough today to justify them, but she had just thought of what Twilight, or Rainbow for that matter, would say about how she looked. “Touche. Now if only I had remembered to dress lightly like you.”
Coco shook her head, knowing that, even if Rarity claimed to have remembered her friend’s tastes, she wouldn’t have. The fashionista had spent too many days in her long dresses, and elegant suits. They were simply what she wore now. Besides, Coco thought the blue and purple dress was quite fitting for this outing anyways. It was inspired by who they were off to see anyways. Unlike her yellow sundress at least.
Coco made the final turn to face the hospital. It was a large building, almost imposing even, but the main part wasn’t where they were heading. No, they needed to take about another two turns to the small wing in the back of the hospital for those not expected to leave the hospital. The Cha-rity ward, as it was called after a ‘certain’ wealthy business woman donated for it to be made.
Coco slid into their reserved parking spot, the style of their Porsche being almost as effective as any parking pass. While she slid out of the car, Rarity didn’t. Instead she leaned back, almost as if trying to force herself into the upholstery as her fingers intertwined with one another.
For a few moments, the two were silent, just looking at each other, before Rarity glanced back to Coco and then shook her head. “S-sorry, I’m just being silly, aren’t I?”
Coco shook her head as she walked towards the trunk. “Not at all, Rarity. It has been a while, and I know you never felt right about leaving, despite making sure she was safe and set here.”
“Yeah…” Rarity forced her legs to move, getting out of the car one foot at a time, instead of her normal, casual swing. She tried to blame the twelve hour flight before now, instead of the thoughts swimming in her head. “I-I’ll take a suitcase.”
Coco huffed a little bit as her arms swung back, her body swaying with a practiced timing to counterbalance the overly stuffed packages. “Come on, Rarity. You don’t have anything to, mph, make up to me. Besides, I bet you’d just drop it.”
A scowl crossed Rarity’s lips before she straightened her back and huffed. “You do know I once had no one to help me carry such things around before, correct? Honestly, I’ve never been so insulted in my life!” She then turned on her heel, not wanting Coco to see the smile that her assistant probably knew she had on anyways. Such things did come from being overly dramatic after all.
The two strode through the halls as if they were two celebrities, guest passes bouncing from their necks. As donors to the ward, they were entitled to come and go as they pleased, a privilege that Rarity wished she had used before. They still had to state where they were going, in case a patient wasn’t in any condition for them, but otherwise, they didn’t even have to sign in.
Not that Rarity took advantage of that today as she walked towards the nurse’s station. Cadance was behind the desk today and leapt at the sight of Rarity, which was rather peculiar to her. She had never seen this nurse, and didn’t know that the hospital had stressed how important it was to treat this woman with respect, even having gone so far as to imprint Rarity’s face in Cadance’s mind.
If Rarity had known this, she might know why the woman was panicking so much to write in the fact that they were here. Instead, she frowned slightly more before clasping her hands behind herself “My name is Rarity, and I was hoping to see Nurse Celestia here. Is she not in today?”
Cadance stopped for a moment as she tried to fix her panicked scribbles and took a second look at Rarity. The mare had an air of heaviness around her, as if something unseen had been on her shoulders for far longer than it should have, despite her seemingly calm attitude. It was something Cadance had seen a few times over the past two weeks. “Are… Are you one of Twilight’s friends?”
A smile broke over Rarity’s face as she answered, her voice not allowing for her to hear Coco’s sigh, as the smaller woman could see the fists behind her employer’s back. “Yes, I am. Is Twilight or/and Celestia available?”
Cadance swallowed hard as she walked around the desk. “Twilight is, but Celestia has unfortunately been awake for the past fourteen hours, and Luna and I finally got her to go to sleep in the break room only about fifteen minutes ago. Trust me though, I understand how important Twilight is to all of you, and I should be able to make a fine substitute for Celestia.”
Rarity was silent for a few moments, just letting an uncomfortable stillness come between the two. She didn’t know this nurse. She barely knew Luna for that matter, due to the hours she worked, and hardly trusted her either. Still, she did know that a nurse at least had to see her to the room, so… “Alright, lead the way then.”
Cadance nodded, trying to act like she didn’t notice the long pause, but still couldn’t help but look at Coco, who simply shook her head, as if to tell her not to question it. Which, was exactly what she did, like so many other times when it came to this patient.
And, before Rarity was truly ready, they were at Twilight’s room. Looking in, they all could see the frail woman in the bed, sound asleep. No murmurs or movements, but just the gentle rise and fall of her chest.
Rarity looked back to Coco, before snapping her fingers. “Blanket.”
Coco nodded, working wordlessly as she opened one of the suitcases and pulling out a large quilt. It blended to each square better than ordinary quilts, because Rarity couldn’t ever do something like this as normal. In each square, surrounded by the girl’s color, was their ‘cutie mark’ as Twilight had described them to Celestia.
It was a work of beauty, but Coco honestly hated it, wishing that her beloved hadn’t ever had to hurt so much to make it. She was still able to hide those feelings from Rarity though, especially as she handed it to her.
Rarity nodded, feeling the heavy weight of it in her hand as she walked into the room. It was so plain and drab still, just as she had left it, something Rarity now scolded herself. She’d had a few days, so why hadn’t she spent a little bit more time on personalizing Twilight’s room? Well, now she would make up that mistake at least.
She threw the large blanket over the bed, letting it fall gracefully onto her friend. It would be more than enough to keep her warm and comfortable. Still, it was only part of her sleeping arrangements, so… “Pillow.”
This one was a spectrum of every color in the rainbow that surrounded ‘Celestia’s cutie mark’. Not only was it made from the softest materials that money could buy, but she hoped that it would make her think of the two that loved her most. The two that cared about her, unlike a…
She spun around, surprising Coco as held the second suitcase open. Rarity’s hand shot into the bags of materials within, expertly plucking out what she wanted before she pointed to a chair back at the nurse’s station. “Bring that in, and then put the case on it.”
Coco sighed at the request, but Rarity was too far gone at the point. “Cadance, can you grab it? If I leave with her supplies, she’ll start panicking.”
Cadance blinked, confused as to what was going on, before walking back to the station. There, she saw Luna sitting at her station, resting her head on a hand as she looked towards Twilight’s room. “Do you know what is going on?”
Luna’s eyes flicked to Cadance, as if taking her in for the first time. “Oh, um, just… Celestia winning another bet I guess. I wouldn’t worry about it too much though.”
“Okay…” Cadance grabbed the chair that had been requested, before walking back to the room. Already, Rarity had put up a half dozen, highly detailed, lightning bolts on the walls. Now she had what looked like crystal apples that she was applying to the next segment of empty space. “What…”
Coco laid her suitcase down onto the chair and then stepped out of the room. “Celestia asked us to only use two suitcases, or else we would have had a half dozen for all of this.”
Cadance shook her head as she followed Coco back to the station. “That… That’s not what I meant. I mean, what is she doing?”
Luna yawned, having stayed up for far too long herself. “She is trying to make the room about Twilight’s friends, rather than anything else.”
Coco leaned back, her eyes on the brewing coffee pot with a touch of dismay. “All because…”
Rarity stopped, gently lifting the last decoration from its place at the bottom of the suitcase. She then stepped over to Twilight, her body shaking as she held the ornament. “I… I don’t know if this one’s accurate, but… but she did always like these colors, and talked about studying it… I don’t know. I’m sorry. I just hope you like it.”
She placed the small, paper craft on Twilight’s chest, tears coming to her eyes as she ran out of gifts. They were supposed to fix this. Fix the hole in her chest. Fix the debt that she owed her friend, because she couldn’t help her.
She lowered her head, tears beginning to fall as she whispered, “I’m sorry. I just… I want to help you, but I’m not a doctor. All… All I have is stupid fabric and money, and that can’t do anything. Not… Not for my friend, so what good are they?”
And, the only reply to her was silence, and the small breeze that went through the room as Rarity left to walk into Coco’s arms.
The breeze ran through the room, shaking the butterflies that hung from the ceiling. It ran over Rarity’s own gems, brushed Twilight’s hair as it came past her head, and then ran over the quilt. It ran and ran, until it picked up the dual colored sun, orange and yellow, that laid on Twilight’s chest, and let it shine in the sunlight that filtered into the room for just a moment.
Twilight hummed as her sneakers squeaked down the hallway. She was having to work pretty hard, sure, but her mind wouldn’t let her focus on how her arms burned from the exertion of pulling the crate she had found. She was too excited what she was going to be able to do with what was inside.
A quick peak within reinvigorated her efforts, making her move faster back towards the science labs in the school. Her and Sunset had been saving up for a while to get these materials, and while they’d had to keep them away from the lab until after hours, she was finally able to bring them to their mad science theater. Elements the school couldn’t didn’t carry, fine tuned instruments, all in the safety of a semi-professional lab.
She nudged the door open with her rear, huffing and puffing as she got the crate carefully through the door. She glanced over her shoulder, sniffing at an odd smell in the room. “Sunset, you remembered to use the fume hood, right?”
Sunset, the girl standing at one of the many stations with a few starter chemicals beginning to heat up on a small pilot light. “Of course, Twilight. Besides, these ones don’t even produce fumes, not in this sort of combination at least.”
Twilight frowned, stretching out her back with a groan as she couldn’t get rid of the smell in her nose. She knew she should know it, but couldn’t place it. Not that it mattered. If it wa gas, the pilot light would have reacted to it before she could smell it on the other side of the room. Instead, she pushed it out of her mind, and pulled out a long, thin tube. “I have brought you your tools, mistress.”
Sunset grinned, raising a hand that, for a moment, looked slightly blackened. “Very good, my minion! However, did you bring all of it, or am I to be left alone even longer as I start on our great hypothesis?”
Twilight scoffed for a moment, putting a hand on her chest as her other hand slipped into a lab coat. Safety first and what not. “Now, how dare you! You really think I would have been away for so long only to fail to bring everything? In fact, it was only in that pursuit that it took me so long.”
Sunset chuckled, her cheeks turning slightly red as she scratched the back of her head. I guess two lockers full of materials would be somewhat hard to move, wouldn’t it?”
Twilight nodded as she finished buttoning up her coat. It was a bit dusty, probably from how many of their peers ignored such rules, and she clapped her hands together, only to find a sharp pain come from them as they came in contact with one another. Looking to her hands, she thought she saw some sort of scarring on them, before they returned to their normal purple. “What?”
Sunset glanced back at Twilight, slowly stirring the ingredients in the heated beaker as she tilted her head. “What’s wrong? Do you have a cut or something, because we do have bandages and what not for those.”
Twilight blinked a few times, still staring at her pristine hands before shaking her head. “No, no, I’m fine. Just clapped a little too hard.”
A sly grin came over Sunset’s face as Twilight came closer, and the bacon haired girl pinched her friend’s arm. “Oh yes, because these arms are-”
“-strong enough!”
“Twilight!”
Twilight blinked, her stomach and mind swimming as she tried to remember how she had gotten onto the floor. It was surprisingly warm, especially since she knew that Principal Celestia enjoyed cutting corners wherever she could. It must have been the pipes or something though, as that made sense, right?
She looked back up at Sunset, who was standing over her, frowning. Twilight waved a hand to her, trying to joke like she was just waving hi for the first time that day. “Oh, I-I’m fine. Just a moment of dizziness, alright?”
Sunset reached down, her hand becoming black and charred for a moment in Twilight’s vision, causing the nerdy girl to yelp as she recoiled from the cracked digits. Sunset retracted her hand, looking truly scared now. “Twilight?”
Twilight shook her head as she used a desk to stand back up. Something was wrong, but all rational thought declared it to be wrong. She could of course be drea- “Ah!”
“Twilight!” Sunset rushed over, putting her hands on her friend’s shoulders as she clutched her head. There wasn’t much more she could say, but for Twilight, her friend’s touch seemed to almost make the pain in her head worse, and she pushed her away.
For a few moments, Twilight merely breathed. In and out. Pause for a few moments, count to five, three out, five more counts in. Just to calm everything around her. “S-sorry about this.”
Sunset stepped back towards the station, turning one of the knobs on it as she spoke. “What… What’s wrong?”
Twilight rubbed her temples, breathing in heavily as she tried to word exactly what it was she felt. Sense had been thrown out of the window, and it seemed as if her body were going against any… She stopped that track of thought as the pain in her head felt like it was starting to come back.
A different approach was needed. What was off? Well, she could still smell that weird, revolting smell. It made her sick to the stomach for some reason, and brought with it an odd crackling sound. Then there were the burns… “Well, for some reason, I keep seeing burns on me and you. That’s at least a start.”
Sunset nodded, taking her hand away from the now stream of fire in front of her. “Huh. I was wondering if I might get a good segway to talk about this.”
Twilight blinked, watching as her friend’s arm burned in front of her, before she let out a small yell as she said, “What are you doing?”
Sunset waved her hand, before throwing a fireball to her other one. Both arms weren’t covered by a labcoat now, but instead were charred and black. “Well, now that you’re finally here, I’m recontextualizing, so that way you stay with me. So, for now, let’s say I’m a pyromancer!”
Twilight blinked for a few moments, before her mind felt assuaged by the justification. Magic had been introduced to this world by the Elements of Harmony, and Sunset had even channeled them herself… at some point, so it only made sense she would have magic now. “Oh, when do you think everyone else will start showing their own powers?”
Sunset snorted and shook her head, tears at the edges of her eyes as she smiled. “Oh, I doubt that. It’s not like you’d want them to go through what I had to.”
Twilight opened her mouth, ready to ask what she did, before the words were forced away from her. Instead, something pulled her attention to the fact that half their labstation was now on fire, along with a part of the ceiling. “Sunset, control your fire! What will the principal think if she saw this?”
Sunset glanced at the fires, and the fire on her arm spread to the side of her head, devouring her hair to make it seemingly come alive. “I doubt the damage will be the first thing she is worried about. Just like it wasn’t yours.”
Twilight blinked a few times, watching as the side of Sunset’s face began turning black. The headache was returning, but she wasn’t questioning anything. She was just scared for her friend at this point. They were supposed to be just doing a fun experiment, but now she had come back to-
And Twilight was there again. She stood just in front of the stations, watching as fire consumed half the lab, and was currently coming closer to her. She could see the pipe that the gas for their station was a torrent of flame. Sunset wasn’t at their station though. Instead, she was closer to the fire extinguisher, a part of the ceiling having collapsed to trap the arm that ad been playfully on fire just a moment ago.
Twilight took a step back, her headache growing as her breathing almost stopped. Her hands hurt from when she had tried to help her friend, but hadn’t been able to manage it, and that meant she couldn’t use the fire extinguisher. She was powerless to help her closest friend in the world.
Sunset looked at Twilight, one of her eyes gone by the flames that were consuming her as she yelled, “Run, Twilight. Get out of here!”
Twilight stammered, spots of black beginning to fill her vision. This was too real. This wasn’t her school. This wasn’t Canterlot High. This wasn’t Equestria. She wanted to be in Equestria.
Sunset, her voice much harsher now as ashes and embers went into her esophagus, yelled, “Twilight, it’s not your fault. I should have checked the smell, so please, just leave. I don’t want you getting hurt too!”
Twilight shut her eyes, her body becoming weak as she tried to turn away from it all.
Her hip hit one of the desks, throwing her off balance. The next thing Twilight knew, she was falling as everything faded.
Light. Blinding light. Light brighter than any sun she could remember was what met Twilight first.
Next, was pain. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire, and an attempt to move caused her body to scream in protest, her muscles barely inching her limbs along. She couldn’t figure out for the life of her why it was happening, but it wasn’t right. Had Chrysalis captured her? Discord? Sombra?
She blinked, her ears catching something. It was an annoying, long, keening noise screaming in her ear. Where it came from, she didn’t know. What was causing it? No. All she knew was that it was annoying.
Twilight barely managed to place a hoof… No, a hand, on the floor, and pushed against it. It was weak, she could tell that much, and she didn’t move an inch because of it. The more she tried, the more fear that rushed into her system. What was she going to do if she had somehow caused her body to become paralyzed? What had happened to do something like that?
And then, a radiant, white face with soft rainbow colored hair came into her vision. It was one she had memorized over the past years, and she barely managed to croak out, “Ce-Cele- Celestia?”
Two more hoo- hands touched her, holding her shoulders as tears came to her old friend’s eyes for some reason. Was she that injured? Was she on the way to being dead? Oh, she really hoped that wasn’t the case.
Celestia swallowed hard, whispering, “P-princess, or just Celestia?”
Twilight blinked a few times, her head hurting at the question. She knew Princess Celestia. In fact, that was the only Celestia she did know of, but… this wasn’t the princess. This was a human. And yet, she still trusted her like the princess… “Just?”
Celestia swallowed again, more tears coming to her eyes as she turned towards the door. She thought about calling for her fellow nurses, but then they would be here too… She bit into her lip, before slipping her arms underneath Twilight’s legs and back.
Lifting her up from the floor, the nurse noticed two things. One, the multiple stickers that had been torn off of Twilight when she fell off the bed. Two was just how weak Twilight had to be, and how Celestia should have realized that before. Years of atrophy and simple nutrition had left her muscles and weight to wither to nothing. Even if she was out of shape, she wouldn’t have needed any help to lift her patient.
She set Twilight down, frowning. Twilight noticed the expression, and blinked back a couple of tears herself. “C-Celestia, i-is there so-something wrong with me?”
Celestia slowly shook her head, reaching over to grip one of Twilight’s hands. “No, just… what do you remember last?”
Twilight blinked, before frowning. She could see a purple pony that was her, but, also not her. And five others, all of other colors that filled her heart with joy, before they changed to match the sort of fleshy skin tone that Twilight had now. Those were the re- “Ah!”
Celestia reached over, her eyes widening as she gently wrapped Twilight into her arms. “What’s wrong? What is it?”
Twilight’s body began to shake, her mind remembering the last dream, and what Sunset had said during it. And… and what she had said back when. Before the dreams. “I left to go get some tools. I was only gone for maybe twenty minutes, because I needed to find something to carry it, but when I got back, everything wa-”
Twilight was cut off as her body caught up with her mind and mouth, and her throat, unused to making words and sentences closed up, forcing her to hack and cough for air.
Celestia slowly stroked Twilight on the back, helping her through the fit as she cooed in the girl’s ear. The other nurses were in her peripheral, but she ignored them. They could wait while she focused on her dearest patient. “It’s okay, Twilight. We know what happened, and it wasn’t your fault.”
Twilight blinked a few times, trying to get control of herself, even as tears continued to stream down her face. She couldn’t say anything, not yet, but she could nod. Sunset had said just as much, and she… She couldn’t keep blaming herself and hiding, not now that she was away from her little ponies.
Luna stepped closer to Celestia, whispering in her sister’s ear, “Is it alright if I start making some calls? Her friends and family deserve to know, and it’ll still give you a few hours first.”
Celestia nodded, gently cradling Twilight in her arms. The girl needed time to adjust anyways, and those she knew would help her make the transition back to this world. Even if she wanted to be all that Twilight needed it, the nurse knew better than that.
After about a half hour of tears, Twilight began to quiet down, weakly clinging to Celestia’s shirt as she lifted her head up. She had finally gotten past at least the first wave of pain that came with the past, and now her mind was turning to the opposite. “I… I’ve missed… so much. What… what now?”
Celestia looked down for a few moments, contemplating how exactly to put this, before sighing. “You’ll need at least a full year of physical and speech therapy to get full use of your body back. Beyond that, it will probably take at least a month for you to get used to more basic functions, such as eating, reading, and things like that.”
She paused, her heart breaking as she saw the light in Twilight’s eyes began to fade. It was going to be tough for her, but Celestia hoped that she had something to give the girl something to cling to.
Celestia slowly tilted the girl’s head up, and guided her gaze to everything in the room. Twilight stared at the remnants of her dreams that decorated every inch of it. Fluttershy’s butterflies hanging from the ceilings, Rarity’s and Applejack’s cutie marks covering the left wall, while Rainbow Dash’s and Pinkie’s covered the other. And, on the ceiling, were her stars, twinkling like real stars.
“Your friends never forgot about you. Fluttershy visited on an almost weekly basis the whole time you slept, Pinkie is waiting to give you a party, Rarity made this wing just to house you, Rainbow Dash has a charity fund linked to her career for coma patients, and Applejack, despite all the time, still wants you back, and even made you a pie earlier this week.”
“They’re all waiting for you, and I can tell you that this news will beat almost everything they’ve done while you’re gone.”
Twilight blinked, feeling tears come down her face, as she couldn’t stop them, not now. She didn’t want to either, not with Celestia. “I’m… happy they… found lives.”
Celestia nodded, lowering Twilight’s gaze to one last item. A simple recorder that the nurse had fished out of her pocket. “And, I think, with this, you might be able to have a life as well, even while you recover. You just need to trust me, okay?”
Twilight looked up at Celestia, before slowly nodding.
======+++++======
Rainbow Dash tapped her foot against the poor writer’s chair that she was sitting behind. She’d been there for maybe five minutes, waiting on the script that he had, and it was obvious that, just like her character, she wasn’t exactly patient. Then again, everything that the writer knew about the athlete, he couldn’t hold it entirely against her.
He merely watched the printer, waiting for the last few pages to come out. The minute it was out, he stapled it, and held it up, happy that he was about to be rid of the nuisance.
Rainbow Dash snatched the papers from his hands, leaping about four feet away from where she had been sitting at at the same time. “About time, Dave.”
The writer groaned, but Rainbow Dash didn’t care. She had what she needed, and now sprinted down the halls. She was off of training for a week, not something hard to get for her when it included being at her charity’s role model’s premiere of her greatest achievement. Rainbow didn’t care about any of that though. She was just happy to be with Twilight.
She crashed through the door that led into Twilight’s office, sliding on her sneakers as she slowed down. The power slide took her far enough to bump against Twilight’s desk, but no further. “I have returned!”
Twilight looked up, a small smile on her lips. She was indeed bound to her wheelchair, as she was only about halfway through her therapy, and this was easier, but things were getting easier. Besides, when you had someone like Rainbow to call your girlfriend, you didn’t really need to run. “Hey. Do you have the script?”
Rainbow squatted, grinning as she came face to face with her beloved. “It’s gonna take you a kiss first. You know, as my pay.”
Twilight’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red at the request, but she closed her eyes and leaned slightly forward to oblige. It wasn’t that she didn’t like kissing Rainbow, but she had never been great with these sorts of feelings, dream or life, and she had passed out when Rainbow had confessed on her third day awake. Since then, warm, soft pecks on her lips were fairly normal between the two, just like now.
Rainbow sat down on the desk, ignoring the fact that there were even more papers on it. “So… do you really need to look at that script today? I know I wasn’t allowed to come back until I got it, but I also know this great chinese place I’d like us to go to, and if we left now, we’d have plenty of time to go through the park and head home.”
Twilight smiled, unable to look away from her lover, despite having a rather important script right in her hands. On the other hand… “You know, I’ll have plenty to do tomorrow, so… sure.”
Rainbow Dash grinned, swinging around to grab ahold of the back of the wheelchair and beginning to push it along. Twilight closed her eyes, enjoying the wind from rushing so quickly out of the building. The rest of the staff knew they were allowed to leave early, and, if they wanted to they could skip tomorrow.
All in celebration for their show finally coming out. The show entirely based on hundreds of tapes, recorded over several years, and clarified and fixed by the one who rambled on them.
The show was to be the world within Twilight’s dream: My Little Pony, and it’s first two episodes aired tomorrow.
Trenderhoof’s mouth flipped down into a deep scowl, and he stomped forward, stopping the redheaded woman who was making her way up the red carpet that had been laid out for the premiere. He lifted himself up, pen and paper in his hands, before meeting the woman’s eyes. “So, Miss Faust, might I know where your boss, Twilight Sparkle is? I know it can be hard sometimes to get interviews with her, as she’s so busy, but I would have thought that even she’d show up to her big movie premiere.”
Lauren let out a small sigh as she nodded in agreement. “Yes, Twilight should be here. Unfortunately, earlier tonight, I got a call from her betrothed saying that the excitement had gotten to her, and she pushed herself too hard in her physical therapy today. As such, she is resting at home. I’m sorry, but I would hope the press can understand that.”
Trenderhoof stepped back, biting into his lip as his cheek’s reddened. “Of course. We wouldn’t want to try to punish Miss Sparkle for her condition.”
Faust rolled her eyes, moving past him as he slunk back into the crowd. Of course he wouldn’t, not after the press hounded the ‘Coma Creator’ as she had been dubbed after the premiere of My Little Pony. In fact, she was almost happy she hadn’t been able to make it so that her and Rainbow could spend the evening together.
And so they were, but not where she though. Rainbow stood beside Twilight, both staring at the red carpet as it passed. They were wearing long cloaks to hide themselves in, not wanting to get discovered. Not when being able to just focus on tonight meant so much to Twilight.
The crowd surged forward as the last of the celebrities entered the theater. Rainbow glanced back at Twilight, before grabbing her hand and giving her a slight tug. Her lover’s eyes flickered over to her for a moment, before returning to that thousand yard stare she’d had on since this morning. Another tug let Rainbow know that she would at least move now.
Twilight was mostly on auto-pilot though, her heart hammering in her ears. She glanced to her side, biting her lip as she saw the girl beside her. Leather jacket, purple skirt, and ridiculous, bacon colored hair. “H-Hey, Sunset.”
Sunset glanced at Twilight. She grinned a little bit, before nudging Twilight with one of her elbows. “So, are you excited? Your first movie, and you couldn’t ask for a larger crowd.”
Twilight looked down, her cowl shaking a bit with the movement. Only someone looking directly at her face could tell who it was, another precaution to make sure she wasn’t caught. “I’m just happy that you’re here for this, even if…”
Sunset patted her friend on the shoulder as they got into the theater, slowly trudging towards the ticket master. “Hey, don’t listen to those idiots. If you want me here, I’ll be here. Besides, it’s not like I could miss the movie about me. Though, did I really need to be the bad guy? I mean, I know I can be a bit brash, but- Hey, idiot, I’m walking here!”
Twilight smirked at the faux Boston accent she put on, watching as a person walked through her friend. Sunset could always be abrasive, but she loved movies, and whenever they made stories, she pretended to be the bad guy. The one causing trouble, and convincing her to try possibly dangerous experiments. It had seemed fitting while writing the movie.
“Name for the tickets?”
Rainbow Dash and Twilight both glanced up, before Rainbow slid twenty dollars and her I.D. forward. “Sunset Shimmer, and please, leave it at that. For the creator’s sake.”
The ticket master took one glance at the I.D., before slipping the three tickets back over, along with the twenty. “I see no problems here, Miss Shimmer.”
Sunset scoffed upon hearing her name. “Oh, really? The super successful show creator needs me to pay for this? You better at least be paying for the popcorn!”
Twilight smiled a little, before pretending to nudge Sunset in the ribs. “I will, I promise. You always owed me though for buying the chemicals.”
Sunset turned away, acting as if she’d been wounded. “I should have known you would have kept me to my debts. You’ve always a stickler for the rules, aren’t you?”
She shrugged, holding her hands up before going to the concession stand. It was going to take a while to get through, sure, and Twilight didn’t normally care about popcorn, but there was a tradition to be kept. “So, what shall I be trying today?”
Sunset brought a hand to her chin, tapping it as she thought. “Well, last time, it was some of those cinnamon balls, but it’s been so long that I bet you’d have an all new reaction to it. Hmm…”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Oh, well, I suppose if that’s the case, I’ll just have to have you get some chocolate covered raisins. I know how much you love those.”
A gagging escaped the teenage girl, before she shook her head furiously. “Nope! Not doing that again.” She tilted her head up again, before nodding, having chosen something better. “Cookie dough bites.”
Twilight nodded. “Then you’re getting sourheads.”
Sunset’s lips puckered at the mere mention of the candies, before grinning. Both of them knew that the two candies were each others favorites, and it honestly made sense for them to have those tonight.
Rainbow heard what she got and instinctively puckered her lips too. Luckily, she didn’t have the same tradition as Twilight and Sunset, and would remember to give Pinkie her set tomorrow. Or, tonight, since she bet their ‘housekeeper’ would be waiting for them, just as she always did. “At least it means Twilight isn’t alone when I’m gone.”
The next ten minutes were what you’d think they were. Shuffling to the theater, finding a cramped seat, getting yelled at for not giving up the empty seat (while Sunset joked about not knowing what they meant), and small banter before the movie. At least, most of those. The last one was fairly minimal, as Twilight shrank back into her seat, staring at the screen.
As the first frames came on, Rainbow and Sunset both grabbed one of her hands, making sure she knew they were there until the final frames of the movie. Through the movie, Twilight just stared, her eyes only looking away to look at Sunset. Her friend simply watched the movie, taking it in, and giving the odd chuckle here and there.
By the end frames, Twilight hung her head down, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She’d hoped for more. For her friend to love it. For it to be the tribute that she’d always wanted. For it to… for it to fix Twilight’s failure.
And, as the credits came on, and people waited, knowing that they’d get to talk to the creator, or thinking they would, afterwards, Twilight felt a soft set of lips on the back of her head. Looking over, she saw Sunset smiling, tears coming down her cheeks.
Sunset squeezed her friend’s hand slightly, before whispering, “Thank you. I… I always wanted to make sure that after I was gone, I would be remembered. That I’d leave an impact. To see how much I meant to you, and how much everyone enjoyed this…”
Twilight smiled back, and squeezed Sunset’s hand back, before she found herself holding nothing. She blinked a few times, staring at the empty seat beside her. Rainbow’s hand came onto her shoulder, and she said something, but Twilight didn’t hear it.
No, Twilight’s mind was elsewhere, and as she saw Derpy appear in the credits, she stood up. Not many people immediately noticed the thin girl walk down the steps, with those who did showing concern as each one almost made her fall. She didn’t slow down though, and didn’t accept Rainbow’s help when she tried to give it.
This was her moment to be the girl that Sunset had always admired. The one who was so smart, the one who came up with their biggest ideas.
The one who didn’t shirk her responsibilities, no matter what, and did everything she could for her friends.
The crowd took note of her as she weakly climbed onto the stage. A podium was being wheeled out for Faust to talk in front of, but the assistant producer stopped following it as she saw the struggling figure. Instead, she ran over to the figure, and smiled as Twilight looked up at her.
The two walked back to the podium, with Twilight almost collapsing onto it they stopped. There was a murmur running through the crowd now, before Lauren pushed Twilight’s hood back. At that, the room erupted in applause.
Twilight stood up, her arms supporting her more than her legs at this point, and smiled at the audience. Rainbow helped with moving the mic, and Twilight let out a small, not entirely fake, cough to quiet them all.
She then took a deep breath, and spoke.
“I know this is a time for you to ask me whatever you want to. Why I included Flash, why a high school setting, all those questions I’ve been seeing on the forums. And yes, I do look at the forums. However, I think the best way for me to explain why, is to explain who this movie was for.
She stood tall, pushing back her pain. ’Stop being so weak! If you keep doing that, people will keep using you.’ Her muscles turned to steel, and all the shaking in Twilight’s body stopped on a dime.
“This movie is for Sunset Shimmer, my best friend. I knew her since I was four years old, and ever since then, she has been one of the biggest parts of my life. She pushed me to be bigger, better, and stronger than what I was. If not for her, I would not know my friends, who you may or may not know.” She chuckled a little at her own joke, as the fact that her friends were the other five stars was not a secret to any degree.
“When we got into high school though, she wanted me to do even more. She pushed me to be Secretary of our school government, even though she wanted me to be president, forced me to date a nice guy for a year, before I came out as being a lesbian. You cannot imagine how awkward that conversation was, especially when she ended up dating the same guy after me.”
She then hung her head, gripping the podium with all of her strength as she forced her tears back. “And then… then we were seniors. It was early in the year, and we thought we had a hypothesis never tried before. I went to get the materials, and she…” Twilight took a deep breath in, before looking out to the crowd. “By the time I got back, the gas left on by another student had already been ignited, knocking parts of the ceiling loose, and burning my best friend alive. I went to go help, but slipped, and fell unconscious.”
Twilight wiped a tear from her eye. “So, thank you for coming, and seeing my tribute to a dear, dear friend. And,” turning to Lauren, who was smiling at her, “thank you for letting me say goodbye to her one last time on my terms.”
Lauren nodded, before shoo-ing Twilight away. Twilight was confused for a moment, before she felt every ounce of strength in her just leave. Luckily, Rainbow was there to catch her, especially before the crowd noticed, and the two took their exit stage right while Lauren explained why she left.
Twilight smiled, listening to the questions backstage, before she wrapped her arms around Rainbow. “I’m sorry. I know this should have just been for the two of us, but I needed to bring her.”
Rainbow patted her on the head with a soft sigh. “Hey, you know I don’t mind. If it helps you, I’ll even let the pony version of me interrupt our dates.”
Twilight chuckled a little as she laid her head on Rainbow’s thigh. “No… I don’t think this will happen again. Promise.”
She then closed her eyes, and, for the first time so long, saw nothing in that darkness. No Sunset, no ponies, and certainly no world she needed to run to. Not anymore.
