I'll Never Let You Go...

"What d'ya think Rarity's callin' us over for?" Applejack asked, looking over to Twilight as she posed the question.

"I don't really know, to be honest with you..." Twilight sighed, softly. Could it have been something to do with the hospital visit that she had earlier in the day? None of the girls were sure, all they knew is that it was a very important matter that required all of their attention. Even Spike.

Speaking of the little dragon, he had the exact same thought going through his head: Will she be all right? Is it anything serious? Does she have to go away? Is it good news, or bad news? Judging by the coolness of the invitation to the Carousel Boutique, it seemed to be the latter, "I hope she's okay..." He grumbled, aloud, which rewarded him with a reassuring pat on the head from Twilight's hoof.

"I'm sure she's fine, Spike, maybe it's something small. Something genetic, or maybe a little deformity." Twilight assured. But regardless to that assurance, she didn't even believe her own words. She was just as worried as everypony else. What if there was something wrong with her? What if she received the worst, possible medical news? Twilight's thoughts were interrupted by an ever-confident Rainbow Dash.

"Pfft, Rarity always over-exaggerates things! I bet it's something small, like a slightly over-grown hoof, or a gray hair in her mane." The pegasus chuckled, but she stopped when she was given a rather deathly glare by Applejack. She hung her head, slightly. Of course she was joking! But everypony seemed so on edge, that she was just making it worse. "I'm sure she's fine..." She grumbled, running a hoof through her prismatic mane. She was just as worried as everypony else, though... Perhaps even more so.

Pinkie didn't seem bothered, she was bouncing along in her usual, chipper demeanour! Even smiling, when the time called for it. Pinkie didn't seem to worry about anything, until she actually heard the bad news. So she was assuming the best, rather than the worst! "Oh, don't be such nervous-nellies! I'm sure she's super-duper-trooperly fine!"

This seemed to perk everypony's spirits... If even a little. Fluttershy was being her usual, quiet self. She didn't say much, if anything, and seemed to be the most nervous out of the six of them. The others would have just chalked this up to typical Fluttershy being her usual self, however.

"Okay, we're not going to make a big deal out of this." Twilight began, looking mostly to Spike, and Pinkie, "We're going to hear what she has to say, and give her support, should she need it. Okay?" Everypony nodded, but Spike took a little more encouragement to accept it. After a small stroke from Twilight's wing, he blinked and looked up at the her, "Everything is going to be fine.."

But, truth be told, everything wasn't fine. Rarity was sitting in the middle of the Carousel Boutique; the sign on the door read: "Closed! Come back soon!" But that was just for regular patrons, she had left it there so that she could have a private conversation with her friends, without being disturbed, "How am I going to do this..?" She mumbled to herself, pushing a stray curl of her violet mane out of her face.

"Come on, Rarity! Stop moping about! Do you really think your friends will take the news any better, if you were sitting on the floor like a lost filly?!" Her brain was right. She needed to be strong; not just for herself, but for her friends! This affected them, too. As an Element of Harmony, Rarity had to be ready to face any danger, no matter how her health was! She stood, and composed herself. This wasn't going to be an easy matter, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Just then, as her thoughts were composing themselves, she heard a knock on the door. It shattered her resolve, and she gulped nervously, "They're here..." She grumbled, aloud. With a shaky composure, she got up to let her friends in, a solemn expression gracing her face as grasped the handle of the door with her magic, and pulled it open, "Come in..."

All of her friends filed into the boutique, slowly. The look of dread on the unicorn's face let them know that this was not good news. Not at all. Twilight was the first to break the silence, tilting her head and giving a concerned look to Rarity, "What's the matter, Rarity?"

The seamstress gulped, and looked down at the floor, feeling the fresh sting of tears beginning to well up at the corner of her eyes. She looked back up, and into the eyes of each of her friends, individually, "I... As you all know, I visited the hospital this morning." She began, this brought a nod from everypony else in the room.

"Well, after one of my bi-annual blood tests, the results came back that..." Her voice was shaky. She was trembling, and could barely get the words out. Her throat had gone dry, and she failed to be able to support her weight any more. She plopped down on her flank, and whimpered. She was greeted by a familiar feeling of feathers gracing her shoulder, only to look up and see that Rainbow Dash had draped a wing over her.

"Come on, Rares... You can tell us, we're your friends." Dash assured her. The comforting words from her friend brought a surge of life to her heart. She regained her resolve, and nodded, slowly.

"The results came back that I..." She paused again, it was becoming nearly insufferable for everypony to suffer the tension of each imaginary ellipse. "Have cancer..."

The room fell silent. Rainbow Dash's wing seemed to tense up around Rarity's shoulder, and she looked up to see the strangest look on the pegasus' face... Fear.

"Wait... Did you just say..." Applejack began, only to be cut off by a nod of Rarity's head. She felt her eyes beginning to well up at the information.

Fluttershy had already burst into tears, and Pinkie Pie's mane and tail had deflated to their typical 'Pinkamena' look. Spike looked completely dumb-founded. He looked as though his young mind was trying to comprehend what that meant.

Twilight was the only one that approached Rarity, and broke the silence once more, "Rarity..." Her own eyes were already brimming with tears at the news her friend had just conveyed to them. She tried to keep her composure, the last thing that she needed was everypony else to lose track of their emotions. Rarity needed support.

"The tests confirmed that I have... Lymphoma." Rarity added, her tears finally bursting their banks before all of her friends. She was not left to wallow in her despair, however, as she felt the embrace of the other six instantly warming her body.

For the next half hour or so the girls, and Spike, spent their time sobbing and promising Rarity that they would give her all the support they could. They couldn't allow her to go through this alone, she was their friend! She needed as much support as they could give her, and by Celestia, was she going to get it.

Rarity pulled away from the hug when she realized that her mane and fur was getting stained in wet make up and tears, but it only brought her thoughts back to what the doctor had said: She could lose her fur, and her mane, due to the treatments used to beat the condition.

"So... How are you gonna deal with this?" Rainbow asked. Her voice was shaky, and breaking to pitches it never reached before. She looked to be the most upset out of all of them, and also seemed to be crying the most! That was the first time that Rarity had ever seen real tears of sorrow grace the pegasus' cheeks.

She wiped her own eyes, mascara and eye-liner staining her pure white fur, "I've been given three choices... Chemotherapy, radiotherapy... Or a bone marrow transplant." She explained, clearing her throat before she continued, "The doctor advised either chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, as it would take too long to get on the transplant list, and even longer to find a suitable donor..." They all nodded in unison, and Twilight gave Rarity an especially affectionate nuzzle.

"I've read about the effects of those treatments... I'm sure the doctor told you that there's a possibility that you'll lose your fur and mane?" Rarity solemnly nodded in response to this. It was, bizarrely, the fact that she was dreading the most. Heaving a sigh, Twilight followed up with another question, "Have you told Sweetie Belle?" Rarity shook her head in response to the question.

"Not yet... I'm going to tell her, once I decide on the treatment with the doctor..." Rarity stated. She felt it was the best way, once she had gotten through the intensity of her own emotions. She needed to be level-headed when she told her little sister. No doubt, Sweetie would need just as much consoling as Rarity did.

"We're all here for you, Rarity... I'm so sorry that you have to go through this." Fluttershy stated, softly. Pinkie piped up with a small smile, her mane and tail re-inflating before she spoke... That was the best way to describe how she returned to, well... Pinkie, "Yeah! And when you get all better, I'll throw you a big, super-duper congratulations party!"

Rarity looked to all of her friends, and gave a big smile despite her tears, "Thank you all... I don't know how I could get through this without you..."

After another hour or so of talking, reminiscing and promises, it was decided that it was time for Rarity to get some rest, "We should go, girls. If Rarity is going to see the doctor again tomorrow, she needs her rest." Twilight stated to the other five, including Spike.

The little dragon ran up to give Rarity a big hug, "I'm always here if you need me, Rarity.." She pat him on the head, and gave him a small kiss upon one of his spines, "Thank you, sweetheart... You're a true gentlecolt." With that, they all began to file out of the boutique after a long, and extensive hug from each of them.

Everypony, except Rainbow Dash.

"Hey, uh... I just want you to know that I'm just a shout away. If you, y'know, need somepony to come over and keep you company..." She remarked, pointing towards the nearby Cloudsdale. Rarity nodded, and gave the pegasus a big, squeezing hug. This caused Rainbow to tense up slightly, before she placed a hoof around Rarity's shoulder and nuzzled into her. She smelled so sweet.

Rarity held the hug for a few moments before breaking it and pressing a small kiss upon Rainbow's cheek, drawing a rather adorable blush from the cerulean pegasus, "Thank you, darling... You have no idea what that means to me..."

Rainbow nodded with a soft smile, and then took off for home. Leaving Rarity back at the boutique.

Alone...

But there was a moment of peace in her heart. A moment that was brought on by Rainbow's sweetened words. But... Just what could that mean?