Chapter 3: Fluttershy's room

Chapter 3

The trip to her room seemed longer than it should have been for the five mares. The ICU wing of the ponyville hospital was abuzz with talk of this strange new disease that afflicted, not only the 5 mare's friend, but a handfull more, including some of the staff who were caring for the sick ponies. Though the five paid no mind to what they were hearing, their mind elsewhere, specifically on the back of the doctor that was leading them, and the fate of the sixth mare of the group. IT wasn’t long before they reached the end off the hall, The third to last door read had '103' painted on the door, a paper name tag was taped to the door, it read 'Fluttershy, pegasus'. A peculiar glow to the door that bore their friends name. The girls visibly shook as they stared at the door, knowing full well what it held behind. The five wondered if they were ready to see her again.

Before the girls were allowed entry however, the doctor levitated a white face mask to the five girls. All of which looked at the device with equal measure of confusion. “Whatever your friend has is extremely contagious, it has already infected half of my staff. For your own safety and for anyone you come into contact with, you need to wear these.” The doctor stated simply, the five mares looked at each-other before taking the offered masks and putting them on, not before Twilight added a little something to the five masks. Thinking that a little enchantment on the protective devices couldn’t hurt. Once they were all done getting their masks on. The doctor nodded and opened the door to let the girls inside.

The view inside was heartbreaking, memories of how they first found their friend getting refreshed and made worse now. Their yellow friend laid down in the same position as when they found her in her home to begin with.  Her chest barely rose and fell, by the looks of it, it looked painful for her to draw breath.  Her eyes hazy and staring to be enveloped by the red gem stone. Her fur had all but fallen off, to include her once flowing pink mane. Bandages covered sections of her skin that tore from the expansion of the red stone.

Fluttershy slowly tuned her eyes towards her friends, crimson tears fell free as the yellow pegasus tried to turn to face the, but found it too pailful. Whimpering in both pain, and inability to look towards her friends with more than just her eyes. “Girls..you came....why..did you come?” she said softly, softer tha normal, almost to the point of inaudible. Her voice raspy ad broken up with tiny fits of coughing

The five mares again found their words leaving them as the approached Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash, the first one to regain her voice. Much like before, she came up to Fluttershy with her usual brand of quickness, hooves trying and failing to find a spot that was free of bandages or sores for her to hug. Instead, she decided to nuzzle her friend's neck with her own. “That's a stupid question, you think that we would abandon our friend?” She asked, sounding much like she was boasting like she normally would. But those that knew her well saw through her charade, spotting the tired and sad wings as they dropped, as well as the subtle cracking of her voice as she spoke. “We arent about to leave you alone in your time of need,” she affirmed as the four girls came around Fluttershy, and confirmed Dash's statement. Trying their collective best to smile for their friend, all of them trying to be strong for her.

Fluttershy looked upon her friends, a fresh wave of crimson tears welling up in her eyes as she shut them tightly. “I'm going to die...” She said in a whisper, sobbing just as softly. “It happened to angel and now it's going to happen to me...” She sobbed a little more audibly, her friends feeling more tears come to their eyes as well. “You guys cant stay here, you'll just get sick like that nurse pony” she said rather loudly for Fluttershy at least. “Get out...” she whispered, the girls looked at eachother, “get out!...” She said louder now, blood coming to the edges of her lips dripping on to the bed, her voice cracking. The girls looked in disbelief at their friend. “GET THE BUCK OUT OF THIS ROOM! I WILL NOT HAVE YOUR BLOOD ON MY HOOOooo-HackKfffKff-” Blood started to sputter out of her mouth. All the girls looked at Fluttershy unsure of what to do as her friend continued to cough and hack up blood. The doctor and nurse burst through the door at that moment, pushing the girls back and demanding they get out while they attempted to stabilize Fluttershy. The girls did as they were told, exiting the room, just as another nurse rushed through the open door, slamming it with her magic behind her. The five girls stood in the hallway for a moment listening to her dying friend continue to cough, hack and wheeze.

It all became to much for Pinkie Pie as she ran down the halls sobbing loudly. The girls noticing their friend rushed after her. All but one, the blue pegasus could do little more than sit on her haunches and stare at the door. The sounds of her dying friend began to be burned into her memory. It would be the things of nightmares for the rest of her existence. She could have left, she could have seeked escape much like Pinkie did, but she couldn’t. She felt it wrong to simply run away from this, to abandon her friend while she faced her mortality. Even if she didnt want her there, she still felt the need to be here, to watch over her/ Even if it was from another room. So there she sat silently, listening as the coughing subsided. There she sat as the doctor and nurses, covered in her friends blood exited the room. There she sat until Celestia's sun set, and Luna's moon occupied the sky. There she sat even after the nurses told her to leave. There she sat, waiting for the end of her friend.

I wasnt until she was all alone in the dark hallway for the hospital that she got off her haunches. Quietly she trotted inside of Shy's room, leaving her white face mask behind. Once inside the sight before her seemed to serve as another painful sting at her heart. Fluttershy's condition had worsened, the skin she had left was starting to peel off of her body despite the medical's staff attempt to keep it on her. The cyan pegasus simply stared at the crimson gem that had invaded and was now taking over her oldest friend's body. She was unsure of what to think, what to say, she only knew what to do. Slowly she made her way to Fluttershy once more.

When she got closer she could hear, Fluttershy's labored breathing, the soft cries and whimpers of the dying mare as pain surged through her body. Dash wanted so bad to run away, to leave the painful sight of her dying friend, but she was the element of loyalty. There was no way that she would be able to leave the dying mare, even if it killed her. She found herself staring at Shy's face for a moment, the placid face only served to hide the inner turmoil that hid beneath. Her eyes were shut, probably permanently, her eye lids completely covered by the gemstone. Her face neutral, not happy, not sad, not in pain, just...there... The only skin left to her face was a little bite of her nose, and the inside of her mouth which hung open slightly, just enough to let air through and tiny trails of blood out.

The pegasus sat next to her friend for several minuets before she spoke, “hey flutters..” She said in a hushed tone. Shy's breahing shifting slightly as she was brought out of her pain induced stupport from the sudden realizations of another being. “Whaa ahh hou hoing he'e” she pegasues said as best she could with her lips set in gemstone. The cyan pegasus chuckled half heartedly as she looked at her dying friend. “Isn’t it obvious? I'm here to be with you Shy...I'm your..friend, after all, and no one should go through this alone.” she said smiling slightly. Though the new crimson pegasus could only grunt and growl at this, “buh I hon' wah hou he'e! Hou'll he' hick!” She retorted angrily, the effort she had to put in to keep enough oxygen in her body was a strain in itself, made worse in her angered state.

Dash chuckled again, it only served to anger the other pagasus even more. “Hua' ho hunny!” Shy cried out, her breath to the getting to the point of hyperventilating.

“It's funny that you think I care about getting sick,” Dash said, confusing Fluttershy as the cyan pegasus moved closer to her friend. Brining her hooves up to either side of Shy's gemstone face, her hoove clinking as they made contact with the glass like surface. “To be honest Shy, I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to be able to keep going once you're gone... You're my oldest friend, my best friend, none of the other girls can compare to you in my mind.” She spoke softly, stroking Shy's muzzle while she did, her breathing calming down, but her confusion was still there. “You've always been so nice to me, to everyone really. You've always been there for me, cared for me when I tried some stupid trick and got myself hurt. Always been there supporting me when I try those stupid tricks,” she giggled at that one.

Dash took a long pause, her hoof still stroking Fluttershy's muzzle. Shy was about to say something, but shy tapped her hoof to her solidified lips, shooshing her as she did. “Let me finish,” she said simply, letting out a long sigh before she started again. “It hurts you know...seeing you like this..knowing you wont be here much longer...” Fresh tears started to form in Dash's eyes, “I'm soo stupid! Always trying to act so cool in front of you and the girls! Always trying to stay away from the mushy junk just to 'be cool'! Nevere really expressing my true feelings because I was afraid of-...!” She let her head rop slightly, letting out tiny sniffles before bringing her head back with vigor. “Well no more! I wont hide anything anymore! It's time I came clean!” She said happily, even through the sniffling and the tears.

Fluttershy, while happy that Dash was coming out like she was, was still very much confused. That was until she felt something against her hardened lips, something that made her gasp. A warmth that could only come from another living pony pressing against her lips. Dash was kissing her! She was in shock! Her mind stalling as she tried to process what was happening. “I love you Fluttershy..I love you! I have loved you since the day we met! I've always wanted to tell you but was always so afraid of being called a fillyfoller, a sissy and everything else! I wanted you by my side for so long and now your going to leave me!” she said, tears flowing down her cheeks. If she could have, Fluttershy would be crying right along with her. “I had to go and wait until you were dying to tell you how much I cared for you!” she said sobbing loudly.

Fluttershy's breath was shaky as it escaped her lips, tiny whimpers coming out with her breaths. Dash had to take another moment to compose herself, to calm herself down enough to be able to speak again. Wiping the tears with her foreleg before smiling at Fluttershy. “But at least I got a chance to tell you! I at least have that much!” she said, giggling a bit on the hysterical side, as she held Fluttershy's face between her hooves. “You may only have a short time left on this earth, but at the very least I can say that I confessed my love! You can go to knowing you were at least loved!” She giggled again, though this time it sounded more like crying.

Fluttershy will was broken, to think the pain that she would cause her oldest friend..no her lover.. Angel's death hit her hard, but this devastated her. Why fate was being so cruel to her she didn’t know. All she knew was pain now, pain in her heart and body. She wanted to cry, but her illness wouldn’t give her the pleasure. Words failed her, not knowing what she could tell Dash, if anything. Nothing she could say would even come close to comforting her. All she could do was sit there and listen, not even see, just listen to her dear Dash tell her all. She wished for death to come for here then and there while hoping against hope that she could be cured of this disease.

Her hope would not fulfilled, but her wish would. A strong pain hit her chest as she felt the chrystals start to coat her lungs, painfully shredding the tissue, making it harder and harder to breath. She panicked for the longest time, not wanting to go, but soon enough she found peace. An escape to the torment. Her breathing slowed, becoming more shallow with each breath. Her world was going black, blacker than the world of her blindness. Her pain was beginning to ebb away, her mind loosing contact with the rest of her body. She was ready now, it would all be over, she would be free, but not before she did her lover one last justice. “Hash...” she wheezed in a breath to speak her last words, “I hove...hou...” she sighed out the last word. Her body not taking another breath, while her soul escaped her the confines of her crimson prison.

Dash sat there the rest of the night, knowing full well that her lover was no longer with her. Her last words, etched into her mind, never to be forgotten. Celestia's sun was retaking it's place in the sky by the time Dash moved, pressing her lips one last time to the now cold gemstone that was her lover's body. “I love you too Shy...I'll see you soon” she whispered as she hopped off the bed and exited the room. Grabbing one of the facemasks that sat outside the room, putting it on before she continued down the hall. there was something about her that had changed in that short amount of time. It was subtle, but it was there, her dark magenta eyes had changed. Turning to a deep crimson red.