And then there were two...

The sun was still shining outside, and most of the children in Cheerilee’s class continued playing and enjoying their lunchtime, oblivious to what had unfolded in the town earlier that day. Whilst the sounds of laughter floated in from outside, the only sounds coming from within the large classroom were of three young fillies and an alicorn princess gently sobbing.

Cheerilee was somehow holding herself together but she knew she had to be strong not just for the youngsters, but also the mare who seemed to be taking this very hard. The teacher had gathered from Twilights words, and indeed her actions, that there was a reason good reason the princess was taking this personally. She knew better then to enquire right now but had to remember to follow up with her friend later.

After a few more moments of crying with her friends, Sweetie Belle looked back up to the pair of adults. “Where’s Rarity?” the unicorn sobbed softly.

“She’s already at the hospital little one” Twilight choked back a tear “She wanted to come and tell you the news herself but she was in no fit state to go anywhere.”

“I want to see her…Can I go to her?” Sweetie turned and asked Cheerilee, her mind not processing the news she had heard properly. Really the filly's was in a state of shock, and all she knew is she wanted the warm embrace of her sisters hooves.

Twilight wrapped a wing round the white filly who leant into her in responce “Of course Sweetie Belle. Go collect your things and I’ll take you there. Get your stuff as well Scootaloo, Apple Bloom…Sweetie needs her friends with her right now”

The trio slowly moved to the back of the room to collect their saddlebags, and Twilight went over and whispered to Cheerilee “You alright?”

“Yes your highness” Cheerilee replied a little distractedly “Are you?”

“Not really, but compared to what Sweetie Belle and Rarity are going through right now I’ll cope” the princess sighed, clearly holding back something. “Are you going to be okay looking after the class, you look a bit shaken up! Should we send the students home?”

“Well, I’ll have to tell the rest of them what’s happened, and that’s not going to be pleasant,” Twilight raised her eyebrows in surprise, so the teacher continued “Whilst I'm not one to gossip, this terrible news is going to spread around town quickly. I think it’s better that they find out properly in a controlled manner, rather than overhearing one by one on the way home.”

Twilight just nodded in response to this, and the pair fell silent as they thought about what had happened. The trio of fillies were walking slowly back towards them, Apple Bloom carrying Sweetie Belle’s bag for her. Twilight levitated the young unicorn onto her back, expecting that the youngster would be in no fit state to walk all the way across town to the hospital. “Come along Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, let’s get moving” Twilight motioned towards the door, and the two followed her.

As the four ponies started trotting off out of the Schoolyard, Sweetie Belle curled up between Twilights wings and started sobbing again. Lying on the back of another pony just brought back memories of being carried around by her mother as a foal, and the familiarity felt comforting. But regardless of the comfort from the soft fur of Twilight back, it also made the youngster remember the mare she would never see again.

Cheerilee watched the ponies disappeared over the horizon and let out a big breath, knowing she had to bring the students in and break the news to them. Ponyville was a tight nit community, and this was going to hit everypony hard. She went over an rung the bell to signal the end of break, and the bongs sounded so much more depressing than they usually did for the teacher.

The hospital was a long way across town and Twilight decided to take her charges around the edge of Ponyville, wanting to avoid other ponies and the sight of any of the destruction that had been caused this morning’s catastrophe.  The four ponies walked in silence and the stillness of both conversation and the areas they were passing through felt much more heavy to Twilight Sparkle than the weight of the filly on her back. Sweetie Belle was occasionally still sobbing, the tears making twilights coat damp. The alicorn looked over to the filly’s two friends and the usually happy and energetic pair were sulking along right next to her, neither of them really knowing what to say.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the large white building of Ponyville District Municipal Hospital came into view. There were a number of ponies milling around outside the building and many of them had obviously been crying, presumably, for whomever they had come to visit. Twilight knew that only three ponies had died but a lot more had been injured before she had been able to get the situation under control. Whilst no doubt the other ponies would recover, it was still tough on friends and families to see their loved ones hurt and in pain.

Twilight noticed Applejack was waiting outside, the farmpony looking as depressed as the purple mare had ever seen her. Apple Bloom went running over to her sister, and the pair fell into a deep hug using each other as a source of relief. After a few moments, the pair separated and Applejack looked over towards Twilight. The earth pony was about to speak when she saw the unicorn filly lying on the Princess’s back and all words seemed to instantly fail her. All she could do was take off her hat and, wordless, the five ponies entered the main hospital.

The nurses looked up as the group entered the triage lobby and recognising both Princess Twilight and Applejack from earlier in the day, just let them proceed into the main hospital undisturbed. Twilight led them towards one of the family rooms, where the sound of crying from a pony they all knew and loved was ringing out. Sweetie Belle recognised her sister’s sounds anywhere, but rather than the usual melodramatic exaggerations, the fashionista voice had the notes of genuine pain.

Applejack opened the door and Sweetie Belle jumped off Twilights back before the alicorn had entered the room. The young filly went galloping across the floor and practically jumped at her sister, who had heard her hooves clopping on the ground and opened her arms to receive her sister’s affection. Being in each others embrace just caused the pair to start crying again and no words were spoken between them.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were sitting either side of Rarity, but seeing the sisterly embrace, got up to give the pair a bit of space. Applejack had a hoof around Apple Bloom to comfort her and Scootaloo shuffled over from Twilight towards Rainbow Dash, the blue pegasus extending a wing around the miserable filly when she was close enough, fulfilling her role as surrogate sister. Twilight decided to go and stand with Fluttershy, who was joined by a dejected looking Spike who seemed as confused as much as sad, and the trio shared a quick embrace - everypony needed some support right now.

There was silence in the room, as the seven friends were just letting Sweetie Belle and Rarity be with each other. After what seemed like hours, but must have only been ten minutes at the most, there was a gentle knock on the door which sounded liked a jackhammer compared to the quietness that had developed. A stallion doctor opened the door and came into the room, followed by a nurse looking around at the ponies and the one dragon present.

“Rarity Belle, Sweetie Belle?” he asked as he sat down next to the pair of white ponies. “My name is Doctor John Canter. I am very sorry for your loss!”

Rarity looked up at the doctor “Thank you doctor…were you with my parents when…” the question hung in the air, the mare not being able to finish the sentence.

The doctor took one of Rarity’s hoof’s in his, whilst Rarity held onto Sweetie Belle on her lap with the other “Yes, we tried everything we could to save them, but unfortunately their injuries were just too severe.”

“Thank you for your efforts regardless of the outcome” Rarity sniffed as Sweetie Belle looked up at the adults “I’m sure you did all you could…I’m sure you all did” she finished, looking over to Twilight.

“What happened?” Sweetie Belle asked tentatively.

The doctor rubbed both of the sister’s hooves, and looked at Rarity whose eyes were also asking the same question. “When we got to your parents house, we found your parents were being treated by some of the neighbours. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but from what we’ve been told they were only still there when the Ursa Minor reached them as they helping other ponies evacuate the area.”

“That’s them alright, always thinking of everypony else” Rarity sniffed “No wonder I became the element of generosity”

"Of that I have no doubt,” The doctor smiled at unicorns “but unfortunately as they were helping a away a group of mothers and foals, a building collapsed onto them. Your father tried to protect your mother, and so took more of the impact. When medical help arrived, other ponies had already dug them out..." the doctor paused for a moment "...but unfortunately your father was already dead.”

The doctor fell silent for a few seconds, to allow everypony a chance to process what he was saying “Your mother was very badly injured and after stabilising her the best we could, we brought her into the hospital. Her body had been crushed which has caused internal injuries. Her heart stopped, so we decided to operate.”

“Operate! Isn’t that unusual?” Rarity asked in surprise, as Ponyville Hospital did not have the doctors or equipment usually required for such things. Only two hospitals in Equestria ever attempted operations, for the rare occasions where healing spells were not enough yet there was hope for a more direct solution.

“Yes, it was,” the doctor rubbed Rarity's hoof nervously “but we decided to do whatever we could to help you mother. However, the damage was too great and no matter what we did we couldn’t get her heart to restart. We worked out it for over an hour but in the end there was nothing we could do." The doctor looked down to Sweetie and spoke reassuringly "She was asleep the whole time so she wouldn’t have been in any pain.”

The two sisters just held onto each other, barely keeping themselves together but feeling rather cried out. Twilight levitated a cup of water over to each of them, as well as the doctor, and all three ponies took a drink.

The nurse came and sat down on the other side of Rarity, putting a comforting hoof on Sweeties back. The doctor braced himself before continuing - It was well known in Equestria that the religious beliefs varied usually down the lines of the three main pony species. However, Ponyville was one place that had the most mix of all three species, so it was never clear-cut on the exact procedure in these circumstances.

The doctor cleared his throat “Now, I know it varies from pony to pony, but if you want you can see your parents before we have to move them. I’m also not sure on your or your parent’s beliefs Ms Rarity, so I don't know if there are any special rites or procedures you would like us to follow? Or if there are any prayers that you would like to say?”

At this the nurse spoke for the first time, a lovely soft calming voice “Or, if it is your preference, you can help with the last duties of course.”

Rarity turned to the mare “No, mother and father had the same beliefs as me, there’s nothing special to be done at this stage,” Rarity stroked Sweetie Belle’s mane as she spoke, as much comforting herself then her sister “and thank you but I don't want to see my parents…like they are. I would rather keep hold of the memories.”

“That’s okay, we understand” the doctor replied soothingly, nodding to the nurse “Is there anything else you need?”

“No thank you, mine and my sisters friends here are all we need right now” Rarity replied. The nurse and doctor went to leave the room but a voice made them stop.

“I want to see them”

Rarity looked down at her youngster sister, still lying on her lap “Now Sweetie Belle, don’t you think…” but she was interrupted by her younger sister leaping out of her lap.

“I want to see them,” she replied slightly forcibly, before her tone dropped again “I mean…one last time”

The doctor came back over to the filly “That’s fine Sweetie Belle, Nurse Abby Fetlockhart will take you to see them.”

“You can call me Abby.” The nurse added, smiling towards the filly in a comforting but not too happy kind of way.

“I’m not going” Rarity almost pouted before adding meekly “I can’t … I simply can’t”

“But, sis! Are you sure? I mean…I’m not sure I can do it without you” the white filly’s ears dropped.

“Sorry Sweetie, I just can’t” Rarity began to weep into her hooves again, causing Applejack and Apple Bloom rushing over to comfort her.

“I’ll go with Sweetie Belle” Fluttershy offered, being unusually bold for the shy pegasus.

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, a little doubtful if the timid pony would be up for the task.

Fluttershy put a hoof around Twilight, and spoke softly so only her friend would hear “Yes Twilight. You’ve been through enough today, you may be a princess but you can let your friends carry some of the load. And don’t worry, I have to console animals all the time,"Fluttershy pawed at the ground a little "...I know it’s not the same, but I think I can handle it”

Twilight just smiled gratefully in response, and Fluttershy went over and put a comforting wing over Sweetie Belle “Come along little filly, lets go with the kind nurse Abby”