Too Late

"Can't you go any faster?"

"Easy for you to say, you're flying!"

"Just go!"

Twilight's friends quickly rush to Canterlot hospital, shoving aside some unlucky ponies, with the occasional "Sorry!" being yelled over their backs.

Twilight was experimenting on poison joke (Not a good idea) to attempt to tame it and use it to her advantage by figuring out it's magical properties. However, upon placing it amongst machines, the poison joke exploded, pulling every mechanism towards it... or rather, Twilight, who was holding it in her magical grasp.

She was immediately sent to Canterlot hospital, bearing injuries so serious that only the hospital in Canterlot have the necessary equipment to even give her a chance at full recovery. Spike sent a letter to the Princesses, and wrote five individual letters to her five closest friends. (Sent by owl post, aka Owilicious.)

The five friends took the nearest train to Canterlot, and rushed to the hospital. Spike stayed behind to take care of everything else. The door was thrown open with a loud BOOM, and they rushed towards the nearest nurse. "Twili-"

"Princess Twilight is in the operation room." The nurse smiled. "I've been expecting you, and knowing how rush you are, we are now treating her with the best doctors around. Having a machine to the head is not good."

"You can now do nothing but wait for her to come out, and pray to Celestia that she will be fine."

The group let out a breath they were holding, and slowly begin to walked towards the nearest chairs, all adrenaline drained.

"Well, I'm sure she will be fine, right?" Fluttershy squeaked. Rarity sighed.

"Yes, I suppose, darling." Rarity began. "But Twilight's a strong Princess, she can handle herself, I'm sure. Magic literally being her cutie mark? Why, she'll be absolutely perfect."

The door jingled as it opened, then fell off it's hinges, and hit the floor with a CRASH. Everypony looked at the unicorn who stood frozen at the door.

"Er, I think that you'll need to get a carpenter." The nurse merely glanced up and grunted in response. "Room 394." The nurse then left down the hallway.

"Thank You." The unicorn turned towards the direction of the hallway, but was stopped by a group of ponies. "Er, excuse me, but I need to go. It's an emergency."

"I'm not letting you go, Sunset Shimmer." Rainbow spat. Sunset Shimmer flinched at her words.

"But... didn't Twilight tell you that I was reformed?"

"Yeah, but she didn't tell us about you coming back. You might come here just to try to end Twilight's life!" Rainbow flew up higher, her mane almost touching the ceiling. "Well, I'm not gonna let you in!"

"Rainbow dash!" Sunset Shimmer spoke. "It's an emergency! I need to go to room 394, now! I don't have time for Twilight and her little stunts!" Sunset attempted to push through the crowd, to be blocked by AppleJack, Rarity, and Pinkie's party cannon.

"Em, guys? I think you should let her pass.. If its Okay with you..."

Fluttershy's reasoning went unheard, because of the crash that was heard. Apparently Sunset used magic to throw the ponies safely onto the couch (And broke a vase on the way) as she galloped towards her destination.

After a wild goose chase that involved cupcakes and a beach ball, Sunset was caught and brought to the front of the hospital.

"Alright, lady! Is she supposed to be allowed here?" Rainbow Dash hollered as she shook Sunset, who refused to teleport or fight. The nurse nodded.

"Yes she's supposed to be here!" The nurse glared at Rainbow Dash. "What have you been doing?" She questioned.

Rainbow Dash sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Well, then ya'll should follow her. Ah mean, we should keep an aye open fer her." AppleJack brought up, but before she finished her sentence, Sunset ran down the hallway.

The group kept up with her until they reached the spoken room. A doctor was coming out of her room and she took a glance in. She turned towards the doctor and shrieked at his face. "WHERE IS SHE? WHERE DID YOU BRING HER?"

The doctor saw Sunset, and murmured "Room 84."

Sunset's face paled as she broke down into sobs. The five ponies glanced at each other as Fluttershy came up and placed a loving hoof on Sunset's shoulder.

"There there, it's okay-"

"No! Nothing's okay!" Sunset managed to choke out before she broke down into sobs, but allowed herself to be pulled up as they proceeded slowly to room 84.

A blast of green goo was shot onto a jagged piece of Twilight's horn that cause it to glow as it was lowered onto the severed stump. The machine immediately begin to beep rhythmically.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The six ponies in the room sighed as they took off their masks. A pegasus with a brown mane and white coat with the cutie mark of a surgical knife raised his hoof. "The operation was a success."

The ponies silently cheered as they begin to unhook the machines from Twilight, and prepared to wheel her out of the operation room.

"No... No..."

Sunset's hooves gave way as she collapsed to the floor sobbing. In front of her was a table with a pony lying on it, a white sheet spread over it's lifeless body. A tag was printed on the small corner of the sheet.

Trixie Lulamoon

The ponies surrounding her saddened as Sunset sobbed over the body. There was a stallion with a mask and coat that was standing next to her. Pinkie walked up to him.

"Hey, mister? What happened to Trixie?" Pinkie's voice lacked it's cheerful tone, and her mane was straight and flat.

"Trixie Lulamoon was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer has been caused by an artefact that contains large amounts of magic. If using or wearing that artefact gives you powers, then the magic from the artefact will leave it's residue on that pony."

The ponies gasped. "The Alicorn Amulet!" Pinkie shrieked.

The doctor arched an eyebrow as Sunset continued to sob over the body. "The magical residue is often unstable, and if the influence is evil, it would do anything to stay in it's host. Soon... It's affects took over her, and she died."

"W-When was this, doctor?" Rarity stammered.

"About three minutes ago. You ponies were three minutes late."

The many pounding voices echoed through her head. She tried to open her eyes and lift her head, but all she was able to do was wince and groan.

"Hey, She's awake!"

Twilight took time to adjust to the room light as six blurry figures appear-

Wait a minute, six?

Twilight forced her eyes open as she looks at the familiar-yet-unknown stranger. Twilight groaned again and croaked.

"Wa-water..."

Pinkie Pie quickly took a glass of clear water and gently poured it down Twilight's throat, while Fluttershy used her wing to rub Sunset's back. Twilight swallowed and weakly pushed the cup away, spilling some on the blanket.

"S-Sunset? Wah happened?" Twilight slurred. Fluttershy looked up and begin to explain.

"Well, you were knocked in the head by machinery, and Sunset came back to see Trixie. She came back, but because of us, she was too late." She turned to Sunset. "I'm sorry."

Twilight reached for the bedside remote, and the bed was propped up. Twilight looked at Sunset.

"I- I know a spell that can help raise the ponies last thoughts. But... Im too weak." She muttered, before blinking slowly. Sunset sniffed, and finally spoke.

"I'll wait."

Three Months Later...

Twilight trotted towards the room, lead by the doctor. She stepped in front of Trixie's body, who was dressed and groomed. Her horn begins to glow as a purple aura surrounded Trixie's body. Soon, a soft whisper was heard.

"Oh, Sunset... Why aren't you here?"

Sunset sat in front of her grave, holding a white lily. She set it down carefully in front of the headstone.

"Lilies were always your favourite."

Sunset sniffed as the surrounding ponies that came for her funeral left, one by one. Sunset stayed.

"Heh... remember that first time that I met you? You were so scared that I'll bully you like the rest that you froze up. I saw potential in you, and I instantly liked you. You followed in my hoof steps, being my closest friend."

"You might have been my only friend."

"Knowing you, you left for your ambition four years back, and I continued practicing Fire magic. *Sob* Did you know... That I was corrupted? That I went astray? That I failed? I failed because I was all al-alone, and that m-my best friend was not there to stop me, and guide me down the right path."

"I went into the other dimension, and your other dimentional self was like you... but I was so corrupted that I treated you differently. I teased everyone, and everybody. I want you to know that when Twilight brought me to my senses, the first pony that I thought of..."

"Was you."

Sunset Shimmer's face was stained with tears as she whispered her final words.

"I'm sorry."