Aftermath.
Ponyville Hospital was its usual quiet self late that Saturday night.
The waiting room was sparsely populated only by a couple of elder ponies wanting their vacation vaccinations, the receptionist was picking out the right varnish for her just-manicured hooves and the majority of the staff had been given the evening off due to the predicted lack of weekend activity.
This tranquil state of affairs was about to come to an abrupt end. It all started with four seemingly simple words uttered by Nurse Sweetheart as she led a famous guest inside the double-doors of the unfrequented building.
“This way, Miss Twilight.”
Nurse Redheart at the front desk, having seemingly settled on Princess Pink for her new hoof colour, was about to meet the actual definition of the word. For as soon as she uninterestingly lifted her eyes at the sound of this new arrival (who probably just wanted a tiny splinter removed, or something) her pupils grew to the size of saucers upon realising the identity of their unmistakably auspicious guest.
“Y-You’re… Y-You’re…”
“Yes, I’m here to see somepony in Ward 3B.” Twilight Sparkle’s words were spoken matter-of-factly, without their usual buoyancy. “They’ve been here for a few days now, and…”
“T-That’s the F-Fillies and C-Colts ward…” Nurse Redheart unnecessarily stuttered, still starstruck by their unexpected visitor.
“Yes, I know that.” Usually Twilight would’ve found the nervous medical employee’s state somewhat amusing, and taken steps to assure her not to feel overawed in her presence. But not today. “Is he in there?”
“ ‘He’?” Redheart desperately tried recovering her composure, as she frantically began leafing through a big stack of papers. “E-er, who could you possibly…”
“...His name is ‘Still Water’.” An infinitely more composed Nurse Sweetheart interrupted her panicky colleague, apparently wanting to save her from any further embarrassment. “You don’t have to check us in. Everything’s already been arranged. Just… make sure we’re not disturbed.”
“O-Oh, okay.” Redheart put away the huge mass of documentation to sit back down again. “So, I guess you can… go straight through, then.”
“Thank you.” Those were a stoic Twilight Sparkle’s parting words as she walked ahead, closely followed by a frowning Nurse Sweetheart staring back at her jittery co-worker with a look which could loosely be transcribed as ‘we’ll discuss this later’.
As soon as the pair were out of sight, Redheart made a grab for the nearest unopened tissue box and practically dampened half the pack with the stream of perspiration coming from her brow.
“I-It’s not my fault I’m in such a state… nopony here tells me anything! How was I supposed to know we had a significant personage of royal status turning up today… they can’t pin this one on me…!”
The accusations came thick and fast as the much-harassed medical employee ranted at nopony in particular, apart from the pair of nonplussed senior ponies in the corner still waiting for their shots. But all they did was mutually shrug, before returning to their old magazines about agricultural products.
Unable to find a willing audience for her grievances, Nurse Redheart was just about to return to her usual sedentary activities (amongst maybe preparing something for her upcoming employment tribunal) when in her peripheral vision she caught glance of a piece of paper on the floor which must’ve fallen apart from the rest during her little ‘episode’ seconds before.
Muttering incoherently to herself, she bent down to pick it up, fully intending to reunite it with the rest of the stacked files…
When two large printed words on the front of the form stopped her in her tracks. Still. Water.
“Oh, Celestia. This must belong to…” Redheart suddenly felt very naughty, even though she was perfectly within her rights to read it. Should I thought? If the Princess is visiting him, then maybe it’s something personal she doesn’t want anypony else to know about…
In the end, overwhelming curiosity and blatant insubordination won the day. Without even bothering to brew any coffee, the eager nurse dived right into the carefully typed-out text. “I have to know what’s so important about this colt that a Princess with no direct link to him, familial or otherwise, just showed up right now! Let me see… Tirek… Discord… Invasion… Big Battle, and… oh no…”
The paper slipped from Redheart’s shaking hooves as the full impact of the situation sunk in, and a wave of sympathy mixed in with guilt washed over her. H-How could I be so selfish… what she must be going through now… after all she’s done for Equestria… I could n-never…
And then, Redheart cried. Oh, how she cried. Even the old couple in the Waiting Area who’d thought her a bit of an oddball dropped their farming publications without hesitation to comfort the uncontrollably sobbing mare.
As for the document which’d caused such a change in mood, it laid inconsequentially on the floor once more, its contents a mystery to most inside the building…
But those unlucky enough to read it would probably never forget it. Just like those unfortunate enough to be involved in the tragic incident itself.
*******************
“How are you feeling, Twi?”
“How d’ya think I feel Spike?! Sick, absolutely sick. How could I, a Princess who was supposed to protect the realm, do something like this and live with myself? I don’t deserve this castle, my wings or my crown. In fact, how can anypony ever speak to me after…”
“It was an accident, Twilight. Even his parents don’t blame you! How were you supposed to know he was hiding behind Tirek when you took that shot, and…”
“I don’t want to even think about it, Spike. Just… leave me alone for now. Please.”
“Whatever you say, Twilight. But know that I’ll never stop believing in you. And neither will all your friends.”
“I know Spike, I know. I’d like to say that helps me right now… but it doesn’t.”
“What will, then? I really want to help…”
“Him waking up. Until then… nothing.”
“...Nothing?”
“Nothing.”