Embrace the darkness

BEEP........BEEP........BEEP.........BEEP..... The heart monitor attached to Twilight's chest was the only indicator to the four ponies surrounding that their friend was even alive. She had been found three days ago just outside the Everfree forest, laying protectively over Rainbow who was barely alive. Immediately they had been taken to Ponyville general, then sent on to Canterlot hospital when it became apparent the small town hospital wasn't enough to treat their injuries. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie pie, and Fluttershy had taken the earliest train they could to the hospital and now they were standing around their violet friend's bed.

"Do you think she's okay, she should have woken up by now."

"Applejack darling, that's the fifth time you've asked that question in just as many minutes. And the answer still remains the same. We don't know."

     BEEP........BEEP........BEEP........BEEP.....

"I really hope she wakes up soon," Fluttershy said, "we're going to need her help in case the dragon comes back."

"Rai.....ow." The group of ponies stopped talking as Twilight murmured tiredly and shifted onto her side. It was the only sign of life they had seen since Twilight had been bought here.

"It better not come back," Applejack replied angrily, "I almost the entire southern field of because of that fire. How does a dragon have the ability to turn the entire sky over Ponyville into a firestorm anyway? It's completely unnatural."

BEEP......BEEP......BEEP......BEEP...

"Maybe Twilight can tell us more when she wakes up, she out there after all."

"That's if she wakes up." Pinkie said from the corner of the room, "she might become comatose never able to wake up again and then it would be like she's dead because she can't do anything." As Pinkie talked, her mane became flatter and flatter until finally it deflated completely and she broke down crying. Fluttershy pulled the sad party pony into her embrace and began making comforting noises to try and calm her down.

"I'm sure Twilight's going to be just fine, she'll wake up soon and then when Rainbow's better we can all go back home together." Eventually Pinkie settled down but she continued crying with quiet sobs.

BEEP......BEEP......BEEP......BEEP.....

"Please be okay darling," Rarity said brushing a piece of Twilight's mane from her face.

"Rain........bow." Rarity felt her heartbreak just thinking about what it would mean if either of her friend's didn't make it, and she began crying as well not caring whether it caused her makeup to run. Applejack silently sat down beside Rarity and wrapped her in a soft hug.

"Twilight's going to be just fine, you'll see Rares." As though to prove her point Twilight began tossing and turning and turning causing the heart monitor to beep rapidly.

"RAINBOW!" Everypony in the room stopped crying as Twilight's eyes shot open, and she began removing the various medical equipment attached to her body.

"Calm down Twi." Applejack said attenpting to push her back down into bed. Twilight.

"NO. I NEED TO GET RAINBOW, SHE NEEDS ME!!"

"Rainbow's fine," Applejack assured Twilight struggling to keep her in the bed. "A little help Rarity, she's stronger than she looks."

   "RAINBOW!" Twilight continued struggling against the earth pony's strength becoming more and more desperate to find her lover. "LET GO I NEED TO FIND RAINBOW."

"Please Twilight, calm down." Rarity implored, her horn glowing as she tried to help Applejack keep the Alicorn in bed. As soon as the magic touched Twilight's body the runes began glowing with electric dark blue light.

A nurse pony ran into the room with two doctors and they began trying to hold Twilight down. "Tranquilizer, now!" One of the doctors said barely able to keep the Alicorn down.

"I SAID LET GO!" Twilight screamed, placing a hoof on each of the doctor's chest. Blue lightning flashed through her hooves and the stallions were launched across the room. "RAINBOW!" Twilight ran out of the room shoving Applejack out of the way as the earth pony attempted to grab her. Twilight needed to find her Pegasus, needed to see her alive and well and hold her warm body against her own. "Where is Rainbow Dash?" Twilight demanded the reception pony."

"Fifth floor operating theatre."

Without even a thankyou, Twilight ran to the window and jumped through it not caring about the tiny shards of glass that lacerated her body. She only cared about finding her Rainbow Dash and making sure she was okay. Thankfully the window of the fifth was open and Twilight flew through it landing in the hallway. The door to the operating theatre turned to ash under her magic, and Twilight ran into the room pulling the doctors and nurses out of the way before coming to a stop beside Rainbow's heavily bandaged body.

"It's going to be okay Dashie. Everything's going to be okay." Ever since Twilight had heard the words operating theatre, she had been pulling magic from the healing rune carved on her chest and gathering it into her mouth. Being careful not to move the Pegasus too much, Twilight softly kissed her lover on the lips slipping her tongue into Rainbow's mouth. The healing magic flowed past Rainbow's mouth and into her body, where it began making her broken and fractured bones whole once more, before stitching the torn muscles and tendons back together. When she was done, Twilight felt something stick into her leg as one of the doctors injected her with tranquilizer. She suddenly felt dizzy and light headed, her legs felt like jelly, and the room slowly began turning into one solid color.

An Alicorn walked slowly through the streets of Ponyville, but unlike other stallions his physique was more that of a mare, lean and graceful and he was barely larger than Twilight. Yet as he walked through Ponyville everypony backed away fearfully as the air around them became colder than ice, and the light seemed to grew dimmer as the shadows grew darker and more deeper. The Alicorn walked with a predatory, and a deafening silence. His fur and wings were jet black, as was his mane and tail expect for a dark blue streak. His eyes glowed with electric blue light, and the cutie mark that adorned his flanks were that of a skull with blue flames burning out of its eyes and mouth. The Alicorn's horn glowed with an electric blue aura and the shadows began rising flooding the streets with darkness.

Twilight awoke with a gasp and blinked in the bright hospital light, the dream escaping from her memory becoming nothing more than a vague recollection of sketchy images, and muted emotions. "Glad to see you're back."

"RAINBOW!" All tiredness left the Alicorn's body as she grabbed her soulmate in a tight hug kissing her more passionately then she could remember. "I though I lost you Dashie," Twilight said tears falling from her eyes a she remembered holding her lover's dead body in the snow. Twilight held Rainbow more tightly taking comfort from her warmth, and the sound of her heart. "Please don't ever leave me again."

Rainbow didn't get a chance to answer as Twilight pulled her to the bed and began kissing her once more.

"Ahem. Perhaps you could wait until we're no longer present to continue your little affair." The two lovers broke apart as they remembered their four friends were still in the room. All their faces were burning bright red, and Twilight realized their positions were something that should only be done in the privacy of their own room. Rainbow lowered her tail and went to step off the bed.

"No." Twilight said pulling her back into her embrace, "I'm never letting you go again."

"I'll be fine Sparkles." This time Twilight let Rainbow go, but followed her lover out of the bed wrapping a wing around her causing the pegasus to blush deeply. "Come on Twilight." Rainbow whispered shifting uncomfortably, "you know I don't like you doing this in public."

"I said I was never letting you go."

"Twilight I'm so happy you're okay!" Pinkie yelled tackling Twilight to the ground and giving her a massive hug. Rainbow watched with amusement as Twilight went through the same thing she had when she had woken up. Twilight's horn glowed and she teleported from the party pony's grip reappearing beside Rainbow Dash once again draping a wing across her lover.

"Twilight, are you okay." Fluttershy asked. "You seem a little agitated."

"Fluttershy's right sugarcube, you do seem mighty antsy ever since you woke up."

"Twilight do you mind?" Rainbow asked glancing meaningfully at the violet wing draped across her back. Twilight's only response was to protectively pull Rainbow closer to her. The pegasus sighed and tried to walk out of the feathered appendage only to have Twilight's magic keep her where she was.

"I almost lost you Dashie. Can you really blame me for being a bit overprotective?"

"Fine." Rainbow muttered snuggling closer into Twilight's warm embrace.

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"Four days! I've been out for four days. What happened?" The six ponies were gathered at a local restaurant near Canterlot hospital having an early dinner, while catching up on what had happened since the blizzard.

"Well when the blizzard cleared up," Rarity began explaining, "a team of weather ponies went out to check what was damaged, when they found you both outside almost dead." Rarity shivered as she said that last part, and tears formed in her eyes. "Anyway, you were taken to Canterlot hospital right away, and everything turned out alright."

"Though we've been meaning to ask ya, did ya see a dragon at all when you were out there." Twilight shifted uncomfortably her wing extending searching for her pegasus. Rainbow sighed as Twilight once more draped a wing around her back, it seemed to be a reflex action whenever the Alicorn was bothered with something.

"There wasn't a dragon." Twilight muttered "it was me." Her statement was met with silence and shocked stares, even Pinkie wasn't talking.

"So you're saying you made the fire in the sky?" Twilight nodded and Applejack gave a low whistle. "Why in tarnation would you do such a thing twi? You almost destroyed my entire south field."

"Sorry. But when Rainbow didn't come home when she was supposed I got worried and went out to look for her. But I knew I wouldn't last long in such cold so I had Spike breathe fire onto my phoenix rune and used its powers to cover my body in flames. When I couldn't find Rainbow, I used the flames to destroy the blizzard so I could find her." Twilight wasn't willing to tell the version where she had found Rainbow dead, and then destroyed the blizzard in flaming retribution before bringing her lover back to life. They weren't ready for that yet, and Twilight was still trying to figure it out herself.

"That is so awesome." Rainbow said gazing at Twilight with what could only be described as complete awe. "You did what thirty of the best weather ponies from Cloudsadale couldn't. You stopped the blizzard and saved Ponyville from an early winter. Next time you'll definitely be the first one I come to if another blizzard comes in from the Everfree forest."

"Well if you had come to me in the first place, I could have cleared it up right away. And you wouldn't have di.....crashed and gotten severely injured." If the other ponies caught the hesitation in her sentence, they didn't mention it and Twilight was grateful for that. But she could tell from the glances she was getting from Applejack that the matter wasn't over.

"Well we're just glad everypony's okay, especially you Rainbow Dash darling."

"Thanks Rares, Though if it weren't for Twilight and her new runes, I would still be stuck in that hospital for another six months. Not to mention the years of physical therapy."

"Hello girls." The ponies each bowed as princess Celestia walked up to their table. "Please there's no need for that, I'm just here to see how Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash are doing. Spike sent me a letter explaining everything that had happened these past few days. Right now he's getting your rooms prepared in Canterlot Castle, we have a lot discuss over the next few days." Twilight was about to say something when the princess held p a hoof to stop her. "Everything will be explained tonight at dinner. It's good to see you again my little ponies."

"I don't know about you girls." Rainbow said when the princess left, and ducking out from Twilight's protective wing. "But I can't stand to spend another second in that hospital."

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said in a dangerously low tone holding out her wing. Rainbow groaned and obediently tucked herself under her marefriend's wing blushing deeply. When they were alone Rainbow planned to have a very long conversation about appropriate times for displaying such affection.

"I wander what Celestia wants to discuss with us tonight?" Twilight asked.

"Oh gee I don't know." Rainbow said sarcastically, "you only spent almost a week studying runes, then carving them into your body, before destroying an entire blizzard by turning the entire sky above Ponyville into a flaming ball of fire. I couldn't guess what the princess wants to talk about."

"No one likes sarcasm, Dashie."

"What's for dessert?" Pinkie asked shoving yet another empty plate away from her. "Isiticecreamcaramelappleshotcholate."

"Um Pinkie, don't you think you've had enough to eat?" Fluttershy asked timidly.

"Of course not!" Pinkie yelled jumping onto the table and shoving her face into Fluttershy's. "You can never have enough to eat especially if there's dessert involved!"

"Pinkie Pie, darling. Would you be so kind as to watch where you're putting your tail. I'd rather not get a mouthful of hair every time I take a sip of my drink."

"Sorry Rares." Pinkie muttered sitting back down.

"Don't worry Pinkie," Twilight said, "Princess Celestia usually has a lot of food prepared when entertaining guests. You might want to save some room for then."

"Anyway," Rainbow said, "with the permission of my girlfriend I'm going to go check out some of the shops. Of course I'll need a full Kevlar body suit in case I chip a hoof or kink a feather."

"I'm sorry Rainbow," Twilight muttered removing her wing, and moving further away. For a moment Rainbow felt a twinge of guilt as a tear formed in Twilight's eye, and she sniffled rubbing a hoof across her nose. Rainbow sighed and pulled Twilight's wing across her back and nuzzled the Alicorn's cheek.

"Turns out Kevlar body suits aren't really that comfortable."

"Awww...that was absolutely adorable." Rarity sighed looking like she was about to swoon. "I just wish I had my own very special somepony." Twilight stood and stretched out yawning.

"Well we better get going if we want to do some shopping before Celestia's dinner."

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"Twenty bits!" Rainbow yelled placing a bag of bits on the counter.

"Forty bits!" The pony behind the counter yelled back pushing the bad away.

"Twenty five bits!"

"Thirty bits!"

"Done!" Rainbow said placing ten more bits on the counter, and placing her purchase in her saddlebags. Rainbow walked out of the jewellery and found Twilight at the book arcade searching through the fictional section. "Hey egghead!" Rainbow said slipping back under Twilight's wing. "Find anything interesting?" To Rainbow's relief Twilight folded her wing back but still remained close to her.

"Yes I have actually." Twilight levitated a book from her shopping bags and held it in front of her lover.

"One hundred and one positions and techniques to make your love life more interesting." Rainbow read aloud her cheeks flaming red. Twilight blushed as well placing the book back in her bag.

"I figured we might try some of these things, seeing as you don't like the same boring routines. The book actually describes some pretty interesting things."

"Could be cool. I say we get it."

"Great!" Twilight said levitating more books from the shelf, and taking them to the counter.

"What are those?" Rainbow asked following her girlfriend to the front of the store.

"Oh I've found a new adventure series I think you'll like. I also got the recent releases of Daring Do, and placed an a order for some new cook books. Rainbow, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you before with the whole wing thing, I wasn't exactly thinking right."

"Heh. It's all good. Just as long as you're happy I don't mind." Twilight paid for the books and they went outside where Rarity was waiting levitating several bags of material and other sewing supplies.

"Wow Rarity, what are you planning on doing with all that material?"

"Twilight dear, if we're going to be staying here for the next few days I'm going to need something to keep me busy. Besides, I need to be ready in case I find some amazing inspiration."

"Hey check it out!" Rainbow said pointing to the sky. Twilight looked up, and immediately her eyes and runes began glowing with dark blue light, and flames began flickering along her wings.

Pegasus ponies were placing dark snow clouds in the sky and white snow flakes were already falling to the ground, bringing with them memories of Rainbow's death. "You okay babe?" Rainbow asked. Twilight blinked a few times, and rubbed her head groaning in pain.

"What just happened? And why are my runes activated?" Rainbow stepped in front of her marefriend.

"Maybe we should find the others and head over to the castle. We don't want to get caught in the snow."

"Indeed..." Twilight said walking away muttering incoherent things to herself. Rainbow and Rarity exchanged a puzzled look and followed after the Alicorn.

"Twilight darling, are you feeling okay? You're acting a bit....off."

"Oh, hello Rarity what are you doing here? I thought you were off buying material." Rarity frowned and gestured to her floating bags of sewing products.

"I just finished, remember darling?"

"Huh. So you did. We should probably get them back to your boutique before it starts raining." Rarity glanced at Rainbow who just shrugged at her girlfriend's odd behaviour.

"Twilight, Rarity's boutique is back in Ponyville. We're in Canterlot." Twilight stared blankly at Rainbow for a moment as though she couldn't quite place her.

"That's beside the point, we need to get to the castle, or we'll be late for my coronation."

"WHA......!!!!" Both Rainbow and Rarity said at the same time.

"Twilight darling, you've already had your coronation, it was just last year. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Of course I'm feeling alright, in fact I'm feeling great. I just scored a date with Dashie." Twilight Squeed and began trotting happily towards the castle.

"I'm going to see if I can get anything that makes sense out of her." Rainbow said flying after Twilight, and landing in front of her.

"Oh hello Dashie. Did you get all your shopping done? We don't want to be late for Princess Celestia's dinner."

"So you're back to normal now?"

"What are you Talking about Rainbow Dash. Of course I'm normal."

"Really because just a few seconds ago you weren't making any sense whatsoever. You even thought you were on your way to your coronation." Twilight rolled her eyes and began walking to the Canterlot Castle

"Don't be silly Dashie. My coronation was last year."

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