Author's Note

Warning this next chapter contains blood and a large amount of unwanted knowledge of metals, like that mercury eats away at aluminum. Not sorry

The Crash

The clouds around Canterlot had moved in quick and fast, a seasonal storm had been scheduled and had unfortunately caught two ponies trapped in its cover. Twilight casted a magical glow from her horn causing the clouds around to glow silver while Rainbow Dash flew in front with a burning flare nestled in one of her saddlebags. The day had been slow and painfully boring for Rainbow. They had gone to Celestia and Luna about the meteor and had found out that they could get to the moon, after sufficient explanation, but the spell would need to be dug up and that it would be best to do the next day at twilight. Then they made their way to the alchemist’s and had to remain there for hours as the alchemists gave warnings and explained how to transport the dangerous liquid. Even for Twilight the experience was dull and grating, but finally they were reckoned sufficiently warned and sent off with the quicksilver. During their stay the bright noon sun had given way to a stormy and cold evening darkness. The density of the quicksilver in addition to the storm slowed them down significantly, almost to a crawl, as they made their way toward the high parapets of the palace. They flew nearly blind their lights barely piercing a hundred feet in front of them. The thunder and relentless rain filled the air drowning out all but yells between the two. The whole situation was close to being a hostile one for flying but that didn’t discourage either of them.

Rainbow enjoyed the challenge and felt like she was competing with the forces of nature…and winning. Twilight meanwhile, being fairly new to flying but not inept, enjoyed the opportunity and the feeling of the rain despite its aggressive downfall. Twilight was tempted to close her eyes and focus on the feeling of each drop as it bounced off her oily feathers and soaked into her mane, but knew she would get lost in the storm. Pushing aside those thoughts, she scanned the sky for Rainbow’s flare. It was hiding behind a large storm cloud that had risen up through the others to gather more rain. Twilight stared at it transfixed by it as much as she had been by the rain not seconds before, it was almost magical. Twilight had assumed it was Crimson’s and had followed its instructions after Rainbow had showed it to her before they left. Twilight didn’t understand how the open flame kept burning even in the rain, or how it kept burning without consuming itself like a candle. She was torn from her thoughts once more as she saw the flare descend, but not like it had been dropped. Twilight strained her wings and followed the flare pushing through the buffeting cloud layer to do so. Soon the Rainbow came into visual range and she was dropping like a stone, her wings barely moving and her whole body stiff. Twilight rushed to get under Rainbow and sudden felt her weight on her back, it caused her to fall several feet before see adapted to it.

“Rainbow, Rainbow…speak to me!” Twilight shouted behind her shoulder, but received no response. Panic rose in Twilight, she frantically searched for an escape route through the storm and onto the ground. Twilight saw the palace gardens as she scanned the ground and began a nearly uncontrolled dive toward it. Her flight got more and more erratic as they descended and soon the ground was approaching at an alarming rate. In a final effort Twilight folded her cramping wings and concentrated on making a bubble shield around Rainbow and herself. Rainbow bounced safely to a halt while Twilight’s shield burst and she slammed into the courtyard. Blood dripped down her forehead, stinging her eyes and clouding her vision. Through her restricted vision she saw guards burst out of the front gates and began to swarm her.

“Get away…help her, help Rainbow Dash.” Twilight ordered, blood dripping from her mouth with every syllable. The guards were hesitant with leaving the Princess in such a state but that only annoyed Twilight more. “I mean NOW!” a magical shockwave pushed the guards away who quickly scrambled to Rainbow Dash’s aid. They carried her inside and Twilight slowly picked herself up and with the added exertion blood began to clot patches of fur. The rain soon washed away the blood from her fur but didn’t heal the cuts which hindered her progress through the courtyard and up the stairs into the main hall. The hall was dim but busy with guards scrambling to the unexpected visitor’s aid. Twilight laid down watching the scene in shocked horror, unable to do anything. She slowly tuned out all the commotion and fell into her own thoughts, a flurry of idle concern and panic.

A few minutes passed in this fashion before light like the sun bloomed forth into the hall, “What is going on here?” Celestia and Luna had arrived.

Their quick, but calm walk turned into a horrified sprint when they saw the scene, “Guards, secure her and move her to the infirmary, we haven’t much time, an unconscious pony is a fragile one.”

Meanwhile Celestia rushed to Twilight, “Twilight! What happened?”

Twilight inhaled deeply several times before starting in a faltering voice, “we were on our way from the alchemists and we were in the storm when suddenly…Rainbow just started falling and falling. I flew as fast I could to her aid and I caught her but she was unresponsive and stiff as a board. We crash landed outside in the gardens and then the guards got us inside. What happened to Rainbow, please tell me. I won’t go on without her!”

Celestia was as calm and patient as ever, “Twilight, I have no idea what could have caused it, maybe you might help. What were you carrying?”

“Quicksilver.”

A flash of dread crossed Celestia face, “Oh, no, then she might have quicksilver poisoning. We must tell Luna and the doctors.”

“Let’s go!” Twilight stood up quickly causing her wounds to bleed even more profusely and drip into a pool of blood that had formed underneath her, soaking her underfur into a dank scarlet knotty mess.

“Oh my…Twilight you’re bleeding everywhere, we need to get you to the infirmary now.”

“Don’t worry I’ll be alright. I don’t want priority over Rainbow and I don’t want to be attended to until she is alright.”

Celestia beamed she knew Rainbow was special to Twilight, but she was still a paragon of friendship. “Let us be off then.” Celestia and Twilight raced down the hall, every few feet marked by a drop of blood, and nearly crashed into the infirmary. Celestia began talking with Luna while Twilight trotted off to a first aid station and bound her a large cut on her flank. As she finished she was once again approached by Celestia, “Twilight, to be honest, Rainbow is in bad shape we need refined bauxite to act as a catalyst for the poison, with that she will be alright.”

“Great, how do we get some?”

Celestia grew silent and Twilight became horrified, “Bauxite although common is very specifically located, there is none that I know of in the city. Our fastest flyers have been dispatched to locate some, but they will be cutting it close. I suggest you await by her side and maybe inspect your quicksilver.”

Twilight nodded crestfallen and on the verge of tears, she walked passed Celestia to Rainbow’s side and laid a hoof on her friend’s forehead, it was boiling hot and stiff. Before she could call for a nurse one appeared and doted upon Rainbow. Twilight walked back to the main hall and inspected their saddlebags. In Rainbow’s she saw the culprit, one of the iron jars holding the quicksilver had cracked in the storm and had leaked through and absorbed through Rainbow’s skin. Twilight collapsed on the spot and began weeping. She cried, something she had not done in a long time. She was supposed to be strong, but she didn’t want to be there and now. She grew angry at the task at hand and began to hate it and then she thought of the taskmaster and she stopped. He was always strong even though he had seen loss on a truly terrible scale, he didn’t back down, he chose to rise up and solve the problem. Twilight stopped crying and went through her collection of spells that could help her and then she remembered Rarity’s spell. Although it was attuned to crystals, it could be changed and now that she was an Alicorn the range would be increased exponentially. It was a jury-rigged plan but she had to try it even in futility. The magical pulse rung out throughout the land and Twilight received a ping back, not from far away, but in her saddlebags. She scrambled over and dug through her saddlebags discovering a long metallic rod with a note attached.

This is a bauxite rod, if any of you come in contact with the quicksilver you will need to go to a competent unicorn physician of the Princesses. It will act as a catalyst to the quicksilver. Quicksilver poisoning will cause you to stiffen and make your blood feel like its boiling. You must act quickly if such occurs.
-Your Personal Guard, Crimson.

Twilight silently thanked Crimson for his preparedness and rushed headlong towards the infirmary. She almost drifted into the room her hooves struggling to grip the worn marble and made her way to the sisters. “Here take this rod its bauxite. It’s from Crimson he sent it with us.”

Luna grabbed the rod and remarked, “Apparently your guard had enough forethought to prepare for this eventuality. She will be saved.”
Relief flooded over Twilight, and she nearly collapsed from the good news. Luna walked over to Rainbow and began to perform the transfusion process, usually it would take hours but alicorns speed up the process. A glow of midnight blue cloaked her, Rainbow, and the rod. Luna rose on her hind legs and let the magic flow. Rainbow levitated off the bed, her back arched, and silver droplets began to arise out of Rainbow until there was a cloud of it hover above her. The shimmering cloud condensed around the rod into a dull silvery snake that
moved around until it found its way into an iron jar held at the ready by a nurse. The rod had been dissolved, but Rainbow had been saved.

“What happened? Where am I?” Rainbow asked groggily slowly coming to her senses. “AHHHHH!” Rainbow spotted Luna, ”Princess Luna, what are you doing here? Am I dreaming?”

“Don’t worry you are in the realm of the waking, luckily. You have been afflict by severe quicksilver poisoning, if it wasn’t for the actions of Twilight Sparkle and the forethought of Crimson Fist you might’ve not made it.”

“Twilight is here? Where?”

Twilight rushed from behind Luna and hugged Rainbow, “Rainbow, I thought I lost you, first you fall out of the sky and then you almost die of poisoning. You should probably rest, I still hope to go to the moon tomorrow with you in tow.” She placed Rainbow’s hoof in hers.

“Okay egghead, I’ll get some shuteye…Twilight you don’t look so hot. Are you alright?”

Twilight’s injuries had been suppressed by the adrenaline of the situation, but were now back in full force. She coughed harshly spraying blood on Rainbow’s sheets and then a deafening ringing in her ears quickly grew worse becoming church bells in her eardrums and then she collapsed unconscious on top of Rainbow Dash, her lacerations dyeing the bed a bright red.

Rainbow’s eyes stared unblinking at Twilight’s body, she grew more and more hysterical, “Twilight…Twilight…TWILIGHT! Wake up Twilight! Wake up…just wake up…Please.” Tears started to swell in her eyes. Ponies swarmed over Twilight and moved her to the adjoining bed. The infirmary was filled with magic light as every magic abled pony poured their power into saving Twilight. Rainbow Dash was in shock and disbelief. All she wanted to escape this reality, but she felt drawn to Twilights side. She left her bed and sat at Twilight’s side, hoof in hoof. The evening hours passed in trepidation and eventually weariness overcame her and she fell into an uneasy sleep with all her feared scenarios playing on loop.

Morning came later than usual, but not by much. Celestia had had a restless sleep as well, but Twilight and Rainbow had recovered fully. They had left by dusk with Luna, Celestia hadn’t given a proper send off and was reminded of her forced banishing of Luna. She felt that Luna still resented her, despite its past necessity and Luna’s present revival. Celestia shook her head in an effort to forget these things, they smeared into a vague image that remained in her mind unsettling her until they got back.