She knocked three times on the door, and then waited. A minute passed and the rustle of hooves could be heard inside the building. Finally, the door opened, revealing a thin, scraggly bearded pony. “Hello?”
“Hey, Mr. Cake. Is Pinkie home?”
“She sure is. I'll go and tell her you've arrived. Pardon the mess. Got a large order last night and I've not had time to clean up the kitchen.”
“Oh, no worries. I know how it's like.”
“I'll go upstairs and fetch her. In the mean time, feel free to make yourself home.”
“Alright...”
She trotted to the dining room of the bakery-home and sat down, watching the clock tick away on the wall. Upstairs, she could hear the sound of muffled voices through the boards. A few moments passed before Pinkie descended the stairs and came into view.
When she saw her, she immediately jumped with elation. “Dashie!” She raced over to her and hugged her tight.
“Hey Pinkie.” Rainbow said smiling.
“Did you get my letter?” Pinkie asked.
“I sure did. Took a whole day off just for you. I know how you've been lately and thought I'd be good for us to do something together.”
“Aw, that's so nice of you! Here, lemme just brush my mane and we'll go. Oh! I'm so excited! You really have no idea how glad I am to see you again, Dashie.”
“Don't think nothing of it. It's what friends are for, right?”
“Right! I'll be right back! Fun!” The Pink pony rebounded up the stairs happily, humming to herself as she went, leaving Rainbow still standing in the dining room, as Mr. Cake came back downstairs.
“I really appreciate you coming, Dash.” Mr. Cake said. “It means more than you know.”
“Don't sweat it. Anything for Pinkie.”
“Just don't go too hard on her. She's been sick these past few months, and even though she's feeling better now, you never know.”
“Alright,” she said nodding. “Nothing rough then.”
“Thanks,” Mr. Cake said smiling. “Be sure to be home by five though. I don't want her staying out too late.”
“Five, got it.” It was then that Pinkie trotted down the staircase, yet again.
“Okay Dashie. Where do you wanna go?”
“I'll leave you two to it.” Mr. Cake said smiling, and walked off into another part of the bakery.
“Well, I promised that we wouldn't do anything rough. So, I was thinking a nice stroll through the woods around town. Just you and me.”
“Sure! That sounds fun!” Pinkie took a blue and white stripped scarf off the wrack and wrapped it around her neck. “It's a little chilly out there.”
“I hadn't really noticed,” Rainbow shrugged. “Ready?”
“Yup!”
“Then let's go.”
They left Sugarcube Corner and headed west, walking along a nature trail that lead around the outskirts of the town. They trekked along the winding path, passing by the farms and homesteads that dotted the hills and dales – their picturesque presence being made more sublime by the early fall that had come to Ponyville.
“It's so beautiful out here. Don't you think so?” Pinkie asked.
“Yeah.” Dash remarked, staring at the orange tree tops.
“Fall is my favorite season,” Pinkie said.
“Why's that?” Dash asked curiously.
“It's just...perfect. Not really hot, but not terribly cold, either. Lots of fresh air, and all the leaves always look so pretty. What's your favorite season, Dashie?”
“I dunno. I guess,summer.”
“Oh? Why's that?”
“Well, In the summer, it's nice and warm. I can do anything I want and hang out with my friends.”
“We didn't really get to do that much this year, did we, Dash?”
“No, you were home sick most of this summer.”
“Yeah. It wasn't much fun being in my room all the time, away from my friends. But at least we're together now, right?”
“You bet.”
As Dash trotted on, Pinkie paused a moment in the road, hanging her head down, as if in contemplation. A few seconds later, Dash noticed that she was not in her peripheral vision, and stopped to see what her friend standing in the middle of the road behind her. “Something wrong?”
“No, it's just...can I tell you something, Dashie?”
“Sure, Pinkie, you can tell me anything.”
“Well, I...” Pinkie stopped, and covered her mouth with her scarf. She start coughing – hard.
“Pinkie, are you alright?” Rainbow asked, as she rushed to her side.
“Yeah,” she said coughing again, “Just a little bout. Nothing to worry about.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. Just let me catch my breath.”
As she waited for her friend to recover, she examined her friend more closely. She noticed she was looking rather pale – something she had not noticed before. “Pinkie,” she asked, “Are you feeling ill? If so, I can take you back home.”
“No, I'm fine,” she said waving it off. “Let's finish our walk. Please, Dashie?”
“Alright. But if you need me to stop, just say so.”
Pinkie gave a small smile, a weary gloom in her eyes. “I'll try not to slow you down too much.”
“No rush,” Rainbow reassured her, holding her hoof in hers. “Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?”
“Oh...nothing. I forget now.”
“Alright then. Ready?”
“Ready.”
They proceeded on through the forest, following the trail as it led them through the countryside, pausing every so often for Pinkie to rest. It was during these intervals that Rainbow would regularly check on her companion, making sure her condition didn't become any worse. She had promised Mr. Cake that she would bring her back safe and sound, and that's exactly what she intended to do.
When they reached a crossroads near a water-fall, they stopped once more for a break. Pinkie sat on the ground rested against a rock while Rainbow stood next to her. “I think we're almost to the end,” Rainbow said.
“That's good,” Pinkie said softly, lacking her usual enthusiasm.
“Are you alright, Pinkie?” Rainbow asked again.
“Yeah, I'm fine. I just feel so tired. Let me lay here a bit, then you can walk me home.”
“Alright...”
“Hey Dashie...”
“Yes?”
“I've really missed hanging out with you. It really means a lot for you to do this for me.”
“Yeah, but I am starting to regret it. I don't think I should have brought you this far. It's a long ways back, and you don't look so good.”
“It'll be alright, Dashie. I can make it back.” She started coughing again, only this time, it didn't stop. She wheezed and hacked, her lungs desperately trying to get air until a splatter of blood gushed from her mouth.
“Oh my God! Pinkie!” Rainbow patted her the back as she unwrapped the scarf she had around her mouth, but when she peered beneath the cloth, she saw that it was saturated with blood.
“Dashie,” Pinkie said weakly. “I'm real sorry....”
“Pinkie!”
“So sorry...”
“I need you to get you to the doctor!”
“Sorry....”
Rainbow hoisted her friend on her back and shakily flew her back to town, where the hospital was. By they time they got there, though, Pinkie had passed out. Rainbow entered through the double doors of the lobby, bearing Pinkie on her back. “Please, somepony get a doctor for my friend,” she said before collapsing on the floor. At which point a flood of nurses and orderlies instantly crowded around them and rushed Pinkie straight to the emergency room.
An hour or so after her arrival, Dash sat in the chair next to her friend, who still laid unconscious on the hospital bed. It was at that time that a doctor appeared in the doorway entered the room.
“Doctor, please, tell me, is she going to be alright?” Rainbow asked.
“Hard to say,” the Doctor said pressing the pen against his cheek. “Your friend could be suffering from a variety of different things. But please, tell me again, what happened exactly?”
“Well, we were out walking in the woods. She was coughing a lot, but I didn't think much of it. It wasn't until later that I noticed she was coughing up blood, and I rushed her straight here.”
“No physical trauma?”
“None that I know of.”
“Most peculiar...”
At that moment, Mr. Cake entered the room.
“Mr. Cake?” Dash asked in surprise.
“I came as soon as I heard. What happened?”
“I was just telling the doctor. We were out hiking and....she was coughing blood.”
“Why didn't you take her here sooner? You should have come here as soon as she started coughing.”
“I didn't know...”
“I told you not to push her. I told you she had been sick.”
Before he could continue, Mr. Cake was interrupted by a small, meek voice. “Please, Mr. Cake, don't be mad at Dashie. She didn't know...”
“Pinkie!” Mr. Cake fell to his knees and embraced her. “Thank Goodness! Are you alright?”
“I'm okay, Mr. Cake, just don't be mad at Dashie. It was my fault. I hid it from her.”
“But Pinkie...why?” Rainbow asked.
“I didn't want you to worry. I was going to tell you earlier, but we were having such a good time. I didn't want to ruin it...”
“Oh Pinkie...”
“Well,” the Doctor began, “She's awake. This is good, and she hasn't been coughing anymore blood.”
“What are you saying, Doctor?” Mr. Cake asked.
“I think she's in a stable condition, at least for now. But I would still advise she not go home just yet. I would advise she stay overnight at the hospital to be monitored. Are you her father?”
“No, I'm her landlord. She lives with my wife and I. We run a bakery in town.”
“Ah, I see. May I assume then that in case of any emergency I may contact you then?”
“Yes, that would be fine. I only wish I could stay...”
“What's the matter?” Rainbow asked.
“The Missus at home has a migraine. She's looking after the kids while I'm away, but she's in a lot of pain. I was reluctant to leave her, but I knew I could never have lived with myself if anything had happened to Pinkie. But Doctor, let me get this clear, just so I will have no doubts: she will be okay, yes?”
“She should be. There doesn't appear that anything is wrong. If she stays the way she does, I think she should be able to return home by tomorrow.”
“I am feeling a lot better now, Mr. Cake.” Pinkie said.
“I'll stay, just in case.” Rainbow said.
“Would you, Dash?” Mr. Cake asked.
“I will. It's the least I could do for Pinkie, especially after what's happened today.”
“Alright. Then I'm going to head back home then. Thanks again, Dash, for everything you're doing.”
“Hey, no problem.”
“Goodbye Pinkie.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Cake.”
“I'll be back tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay...”
“Alright. I'm off.” With that, Mr. Cake took his leave and exited the room.
“Do you need me to answer any more questions?” the Doctor asked.
“No, I think I understand. Thank you for all your help, Doctor.”
The doctor nodded. “If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ring me with this buzzer.” He pointed to a red button next to a intercom on the wall.
“I'll remember that, thank you.”
The doctor bowed slightly, then left.
“Well, it seems it's just you and me now,” Dash said, turning back to Pinkie.
“You really are loyal, aren't you, Dashie?”
“I try to be...”
“Dashie, I'm really sorry about earlier. I thought I'd make it, I really did. I didn't mean to make you so upset.”
“I understand, Pinkie. Just don't scare me like that again, okay?”
“I won't. I promise.”
“Good.”
“Hey, Dashie...”
“Yeah?”
“You're really awesome, you know that?”
“Hey, it's what I do. Is there anything I can get for you?”
“No, I'm fine. I'm still really tired though. Will you stay with me a bit while I rest?”
Rainbow softly grasped Pinkie's hoof in hers. “I'm not leaving you.”
“Thanks, Dashie.”
An hour or two passed before Pinkie nodded off – all the while, Rainbow kept herself content by reading a few spare magazines in the room and wandering down the hallways every so often. She never strayed too far, though. She didn't want to be too far off, just in case Pinkie needed her. It wasn't until around two in the morning that the need to stay awake was overcome by her exhaustion, and she herself nodded off in the chair next to Pinkie's bed.
When she awoke, sometime later, she noticed that Pinkie was awake. “Pinkie? Why are you up?” Rainbow asked, stretching.“Is something wrong?”
“No, I just kept having nightmares. I dreamed I was all alone in the dark and there was nopony around. I was really scared, and all I could do is cry, but even then, nopony heard me. Nopony was there...”
Rainbow held her hoof. “I'm here.”
“Hey Dashie, is it morning yes?
She looked up at the clock. “It will be in a few hours.”
Pinkie slumped in her bed and sighed. “Then I won't be able to see it...”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I'm dying, Dashie.”
“Don't talk like that!” Rainbow snapped. “You're not dying!”
“Isn't it obvious? Can you not see?” Rainbow could see the pallor of her cheeks the dark bags under he eyes.
“You're not dying...” She stated again.
“Look at me, Rainbow. Look!”
“Pinkie you're not dying! Stop saying that! You're scaring me!”
Tears began to form in Pinkie's eye. “I'm scared, Dashie...”
“Don't be...”
“I am!”
“There's nothing to be scared of.”
“But there is!” She exclaimed as tears began to form in her eyes.
Rainbow stooped to the bed . “It's alright,” she said lulling her in arms. “Everything's alright.” As she held her in her arms, Pinkie began to weep into Rainbow's arms.
“I don't want to die.”
“You won't...”
“I'm afraid to.”
“Why?”
“I don't want to leave. Not yet.”
“You're just ill, that's all.” Rainbow reassured her. “You heard the doctor, he says you're going to be alright.”
“He doesn't know how had bad it is, Dashie. Nopony does.”
“What do you mean?”
“I've had this for several months now...”
“What? Why didn't you go and seek help?”
“I did. I went to the doctors. There’s no cure. Magic doesn't affect it.”
“Why didn't you tell us? I could have gotten others, we could have used the elements...”
“It wouldn't have done any good, Dashie. Not even Celestia could have helped. It's incurable.”
“I don't believe that...”
“It is.”
“I don't believe that! I'm going to get a doctor.” she said getting up.
“No!” Pinkie screeched. She cleared her throat and brought her voice back down soft whisper. “No...don't go.”
“Pinkie, you need help.”
“They can't help me, Dashie.”
Rainbow paced reluctantly.“Then what do you want me to do?”
“Stay with me...”
Rainbow sighed, sitting down on the chair, once again. “Why didn't you tell us?” she asked as she held her face in her hooves.
“I didn't want you all to worry.”
“I still don't understand. Why did you try to hide it? I would have never taken you out if I had known you were this bad off.”
“Because I know I don't have much longer and I wanted to spend one last day with you.”
“Why me, though?”
“You remember earlier today? When I wanted to tell you something but I forgot...”
“Yes?”
“Well I didn't actually forget. I wanted to tell you, that you mean more to me than any other pony in Equestria and that I...I love you.”
What Pinkie said caught Rainbow Dash completely off-guard. She had known Pinkie a long time, even before Twilight had moved to town and they had found the elements together. They had always been friends, but she never thought they would be anything else. She was suddenly overcome with a flood of emotions, and it seemed for a brief moment, in the small confines of the hospital room, that the weight of the entire world had come down upon her. As her mind raced through the implications of her friend's newly divulged feelings, Rainbow slumped down in her seat, unable to form a response.
“Dashie...don't be upset.”
Rainbow paused a moment and shook her head. “I'm not upset. I could never be upset with you...”
“Then what's wrong?”
“It's just...I don't know what to say. I guess I've always loved you, deep down inside. You've always been so kind, which is why this is so painful now. To see you like this. You know that I'm tough, but you're making my heart ache.”
“I'm sorry, Dash. For everything. If I had known how much pain it would have brought you, I would not have said anything at all.”
“No...that's not what's important right now. Here,” she grasped Pinkie's hoof in hers and smiled, brushing away the tears that were forming in her own eyes. “We'll get through this. You and me. You'll see.”
“Yes, we'll get through this together.”
“See, that's the spirit. Just keep your head high. It's gonna be alright. You're going to live...”
“Hey Dashie...”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think it's like?”
“What's like?”
“Being dead.”
“Oh, I don't know. I never gave it much thought. I suppose it'd be like living.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah...except without the drawbacks. Nothing to hold you down or hurt you. In death you are free. Free from everything that makes that makes you angry or sad. Everything is perfect.”
“It wouldn't be perfect without you...”
Rainbow rubbed Pinkie's mane, staring off to place that only she could see. “If you should go, don't worry. Just wait on me. I'll be there before too long.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
“Hey, Pinkie?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you too.” She leaned in and planted a small kiss on the top of Pinkie's forehead.
It was then that Dash noticed the sun peering over the horizon though the window on the other side of the room.
“It's morning now...”
“Is it?”
“Yeah. The Doctor will be making his rounds so, I bet.”
Pinkie nodded. “Thanks for staying up with me, Dashie. I think now, I can get through this...”
“Do you need anything?”
“Yes. A cup of water, please. My throat is so dry...” Rainbow turned to leave, but as she got to the door entrance, she was stopped. “Hey, Dashie.”
“Yeah?”
“I'm not afraid anymore.”
Rainbow stared at her for a moment and nodded. “I'll be right back,” and hurried out the door. She trotted down the hallway to the serving area where she found a water fountain and a cup dispenser. She took a cup and filled it up and hurried back to Pinkie's room.
When Rainbow returned, she was gone. Her limpid blue eyes stared straight up at the ceiling as her hoof rested on her heart. But it seemed to Rainbow, her face had an expression of calm - a small smile gleaming on her lips.
