Pandemic

Twilight sat shaking in her bed. She trembled from both fear and the sickness that was slowly consuming her body. The dream she had frightened her. She couldn't possibly begin to understand what it meant, but she had a hunch that it wasn't good. If the dream's situation came true, then her and all of her friends would die before this ordeal was over. She shook this troubling thought from her head and just then noticed Rarity looking at her with deep concern as she stood beside her bed.

"Are you alright Twilight?" asked Rarity with a very serious tone. It was clear that she wasn't going to stand for an 'I'm fine'. Twilight looked at her calmly but with sorrow in her eyes. Rarity was the last friend she had with her, and if Dash didn't make it back soon than the white boutique owner was certain to fall prey to the malicious disease.

"You shouldn't worry Rarity, I'm just a little shaken from a nightmare I had." explained Twilight. There was no sense in telling her everything about her experience as Rarity wasn't exactly known for keeping her cool.

"You can tell me about it you know." Rarity chimed back whilst she broke eye contact with Twilight. She looked at the bed and then around the room. Spotting a picture on the wall that caught her interest, she trotted over to examine it. "I've realized that in the past I haven't been known for being able to deal with stressful situations," she continued, "but I really want to be here for you in your time of need. It's really the least I can do. I'm just sorry that I've not taken matters more seriously until now." she turned back to Twilight and resumed eye contact and moved back towards her. "I guess you get around to fixing your querks when its the end of the world don't you? heh..." she said with a forced laugh. "Amazing what an apocalypse can do to a pony," she broke eye contact again and looked at the floor with a shameful expression. She was clearly realizing that she may be the only element of harmony left in Ponyville soon, and it was about time she acted more seriously. Twilight listened intently to all of this, and, upon her finishing she looked down at the covers over her lap. A violent cough came from her throat and more blood spewed onto the already poka-dot  bed sheets. She contemplated what to say to her friend. Twilight decided that it would be best if she let her know about everything, as her time might be very limited.

"I had a dream about a room without an exit. It looked similar to this one but was incredibly cold and smelled of rotting flesh. I soon realized that the smell was emanating from six bodies in a pile on one side of the room. The bodies consisted of....us....the elements" Twilight said this last part with visible strain and she never made eye contact with Rarity. Rarity stared in dismay at the lavender pony before her and was quiet for a few moments.

"Twilight, just last night....I had a dream myself," admitted Rarity. She stamped her hooves as her nerves got to her and she paused before she continued. She looked down for a moment, and then resumed eye contact with Twilight, but her eyes were now wet. "I was in a lovely valley. It smelled of roses and daisies and all sorts of other wonderous smells." She sat on the floor before she continued visibly shaking from starting her confession. "I was happy, and I began to look around and explore. I saw an oak tree that seemed familiar, and then I realized, it was your library." Twilight perked up at this and listened as intently as she could, but she could feel herself drifting away as her fever returned and she began to feel fatigued. "It was overgrown and looked to be abandoned, and no other buildings surrounded it like they do today. This puzzled me and I figured this must be in the far off future. But then, everything stopped. I could smell nothing at all, nothing moved or flowed with any winds and nothing made any noises. I heard a sound like...like moles burrowing." She paused again and shut her eyes to hold back more tears. "I looked around me....and....there were.....bodies.....welling up from the ground." she said this as quickly as she could, pausing between words as she choked them out. "I screamed but made no noise, I made an effort to run but was held were I stood." Twilight was fading quickly now but couldn't interrupt Rarity as she explained further. "I began to cry and panic as more and more bodies welled up. Piles began to form and I began to smell their putrid scent. Just when I couldn't take anymore....I noticed six bodies in particular that had appeared in front of me.....and the one closest to me......was me." with this Twilight sank into a sickness induced sleep. Rarity cried after she finished, she bawled on the floor and sank to her knees. She had been hoping so strongly that the dream hadn't been sent to her, that it was just a nightmare. After comparison with Twilight's dream, it was clear that she was wrong to hope.

She didn't notice that her friend had fallen to sleep until she had finished sobbing and got up to continue their conversation. Twilight was sweating and her breathing was odd, coming in short, deep bursts. Rarity wasn't sure if she should call a doctor, they were busy enough as it was, but Twilight seemed to be having some trouble. She decided to leave the doctors be and simply sat at the edge of Twilight's bed, monitoring her.

Rarity woke suddenly to a thump. She looked over on the bed only to find that Twilight wasn't there. Her groggy mind was puzzled at first until she saw the writhing blanket on the floor. Twilight was having a violent seizure and had tangled herself up in her blanket. Rarity screamed at the site and ran for a doctor.

When she returned, Twilight had stopped her seizure and lay in a tangled mess breathing heavily on the floor. Her eyes were barely open and blood dripped out of her mouth like drool. The doctor lifted her back into the bed and began to untangle her to assess if she had sustained any injuries. As he cut the blanket off, blood started to squirt out of the spot where Twilight had been stabbed. Rarity fainted as the doctor called for assistance.

Rarity was only out for a moment and when she awoke three doctors were working furiously on Twilight. Rarity  dragged herself to her feet as the doctors finished restitching the wound and cleaning up the blood. They got her a new blanket and reinserted her I.V. Rarity watched her friend intently as she was almost sick with worry. She felt herself starting to cry but stopped her tears in their tracks. She had to keep her composure. She was the last element uninfected and she had to stand tall and strong in the face of this adversary.

She vowed to herself that she would not sleep in order to keep watch on Twilight. In the morning, if circumstances permitted, she would check on FlutterShy to make sure she was still holding on.

She sat motionless in the dark room, the only light that found it's way in came from the stars in the windows in the hallway. The light provided just enough visibility for Rarity to see what appeared to be writhing snakes appear on Twilight's chest.

It was a moonless night, and the beautiful constellations played and danced together in the sky.