"No."
I swear my heart stopped its beating for a full minute. This was not happening. This was impossible. This Doctor was lying, I told myself. She isn't dead, She has survived worse. No. Spoke my weary conciousness, She... She Is gone. I closed my eyes, memories washing over me, the same way the tears washed down my face. I remember seeing it with my own eyes. The creature, its deformed face howling in anger. I remember those teeth, tearing through flesh and bone like paper, the horrible, agonized wails of the victim of the beast.
The victim, my Friend.
The victim, my Fillyhood crush.
The victim, my Soulmate.
The victim, Rainbow Dash.
~*~
I remember the fear, the Ice-cold, numbing fear that gripped me like a vice as I had watched her die. Her blood, its drink. Her flesh, its food. I remember my sudden burst of absolute hate, the fury that burned through my every synapse in my body like an active volcano. I remember the cry, the cry of sheer agony I unleashed as I had leapt towards the Beast with a stone. My only goal was to murder it, to bring it pain, to stop it from hurting my one true love.
I remember my tears. I remember her tears, barely distinguished on her torn, bloodied and broken face. I remember the Pained cries the Beast let out as I struck, again and again, How each screech only served to add to my anger. I remember her wings, once graceful, elegant, pristine tools of flight, reduced to mere nubs of blood and muscle, the appendages themselves were ripped off earlier. I remember her eyes, her bloodstained gaps where spheres should have been, only showing a minute amount of the pain she was feeling. I can still see in my head the gouged-out sockets that onced housed the glowing Rose orbs I had loved so dearly.
I remember the rancid odor of blood, and of death, the malodorous gases hazing my train of thought, but not my anger. I remember the forest around us, once a tranquil clearing home to many memories, now a bloodied strech of grass, crimson flowers, and maroon bark. I remember those claws, slicing tendons and nerves left and right, as I tried to stop the assult. Of course, my actions were in vain, as I carried only a stone, and no muscle to fight with. My blows only served to annoy the creature, not to hinder it. I remember the eyes of the Beast, as they finally rose up, along with it's head, to look out into the trees. I remember it's last act of malevolence, the horrible noise of limbs being torn off. I watched in horror, her leg ripping off her body with a sickening tear, as the Beast ran off into the trees. I remember how relieved I was to find my lover had survived the attack, albiet the borderline fatal wounds her organs, skin, face, and wings had sustained. I figured it would be better when we arrived at the hospital. I had hoped it would be alright.
I remember how the sun had just risen as I had galloped into town with a dying mare on my back. I remember her hot blood, still pouring onto my mane and coat, the agonized screams coming from her, me, and the townsfolk. I remember their faces, some screamed, some stared. They were all terrified of me and my charge, and with all of the blood on me, added with the fact that Rainbow was more-or-less a breathing corpse, they had every right to be scared. I rushed into the hospital in a panic, screaming for the doctors to do something. I remember how shocked they all were at her injures, and how she managed to survive them. I remember that odd brown stallion doctor who kept muttering under his breath when different injuries were listed. but most importantly, I wil always remember the conversation that ruined my life. The one that I am having now.
~*~
A solitary tear slid down my face.
"No?" I repeated, convinced that the surgeon was lying. "But, you're the best doctors in Eqestria! you couldn't-"
"We barley maneged to do anything" the doctor solemnly replied, "The injureis she sustained were... massive, worse than we've ever seen. Her leg was ripped off, along with her wings, multiple nerve endings ripped out, several muscle tearings, neumorus organ failures, and extensive damage to... well, everywhere else. The only way we could have saved her would be if that beast never attacked her. I'm sorry miss Fluttershy, but Rainbow Dash is dead."
I tried to hold back my tears, tried so hard to contained myself, and succeded.
For 10 seconds.
I cried. and cried. and cried. I'm not sure how long, but I'm pretty sure my house Isn't a close walk from the hospital, less so from my current state. My friends tried to help me, but only more tears came. I was In ruins.
Why do we endure the storm, if there is no Rainbow to follow it?
What was the point of living?
"What do you have to eat?"
What?
I spun around, shaken out of my glum thoughts by the arrival of the same strange stallion I had seen at the hospital. upon closer examination, his mane was a much darker brown than his tan coat, he carried a metal stick in his saddlebags, and had an hourglass as his cutie mark.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"The Doctor, of course!"
"Well I know that, I saw you at the hosp-"
"Not That kind of Doctor!"
"oh... Then what kind are you?"
"Just 'The Doctor.'"
I was puzzled. who was this stallion, and what did he want? when I asked him, his answer was "The Doctor" and "To save your marefriend."