A Beautiful Heart
Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be the household word it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was;
there is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of your mind
because I am out of your sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near just around the corner...
All is well. Nothing is past, nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before,
only better, infinitely happier
and forever we will be one together.
-Henry Scott Holland
Rarity gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the insipid filly bouncing around the inspiration room. "Hey! Hey Rarity! I could get you some more fabrics!" The bubbly filly asked as she hopped excitedly behind Rarity.
The pearl white unicorn pushed two pieces of linen through the sewing machine whilst blowing a lock of hair out of her face. "No no, Sweetie. It's quite alright." She tried sounding as kind as possible, but came off as annoyed.
Her little sister didn't get the message. "What if I deliver some of those dresses? I could do that, and then you'd be done faster so we could play!" Her voice cracked. She galloped towards the cluster of mannequins garbed with varying dresses, looking up at them with enthusiasm glistening in her eyes..
Rarity stopped sewing and groaned aloud, "Sweetie please! I'm trying to work!" She levitated her red half-moon spectacles to the desk and glared at her little sister cowering behind a mannequin. "I know you want to play, I know you want to help, put I have to get this order done by tomorrow!" Rarity hated it when Sweetie always insisted on helping her work. She preferred to work anyway, not play in the mud like some brutish animal.
Sweetie Belle hung her head low. "Okay." She muttered sadly. Rarity sighed in relief.
The filly broke her somber trot at the doorway and took one last look at her hard-working sister before hopping down the stairs.
After several minutes of careful sewing, the unicorn completed a mint colored polyester dress. She levitated it towards a bare mannequin, beaming proudly at her handy work. "Lovely, simply marvelous." She set it on the plastic mold's back, straightening the hem. "Ms. Shores will absolutely adore these gowns, I just know it!" She let out a blissful shriek, feeling nothing but pure joy. Rarity felt like she was finally making something of her life, her career was finally going to get somewhere after working with the famous pop star.
"And only..." Her prior enthusiasm and joy was replaced by exhaustion. "...nine more dresses, ugh!" She stared at the ground in defeat, then shot a determined gaze at the sewing machine across the room.
She's gone too far to quit now, and she wasn't going to let sleep deprivation get the better of her! Rarity trotted towards the machine, then stopped half way across the room, an an unfathomable pain took over. She felt as though a knife was lodged in her lungs. Breathing turned into labored gasps. She fell to her haunches and placed a hoof over her heart, exerting pressure. Rarity's mind was cluttered with terror, What's going on!? What's happening!?
Each breath became increasingly more excruciating, as if the knife lodged itself deeper with every inhale. The feeling was unbearable, tears blinded Rarity's vision. She knew she wasn't choking, she could breath just fine. But there was a stabbing pain in her chest that never ceased. The unicorn collapsed on her side, shuddered exhales shook her body.
She gathered all the strength she could muster and screamed for help, "Swee-Sweetie Belle!" She cried out at the boundless pain inflicted from speaking. She hoped to Celestia that Sweetie wasn't outside with her friends.
Rarity felt nauseous and dizzy, her vision blackened. The last thing she heard before slipping into unconsciousness was somepony's frantic hoofsteps clambering up the stairs.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Rarity strenuously forced open her eyelids. She glanced around the room, taking in her surroundings. Cream colored walls surrounded her, the floor covered with glossy tiles, and the room reeked of disinfectant and floor cleaner. She wrinkled her nose at the strong scent. Her sapphire eyes shifted to the left to find a patient monitor beeping in a steady rhythm. Tubes fell from beneath the monitor and led to a wristband grappled around the seam above her left hoof.
Beside the patient monitor was an I.V. bag filled with a clear liquid strung up on a pole. The bag tapered at the bottom resulting in a tube that connected to another wristband on Rarity's right foreleg, around her elbow. The bag was half full, hinting at the period of time Rarity was asleep.
She just lied back in her bed, pulling the cotton blanket in closer. The fashionista cringed at her hospital gown. Ugh, green. She took note of how it matched the curtains.
Out of pure boredom, Rarity fluffed her purple curled mane, still retaining it's unwavering form. And out of nowhere, the horrific memories of her near death experience flooded back like a tidal wave. Her heart beat faster as she started panting heavily, wondering what happened with her. The patient monitor's beeping accelerated.
No, it's probably nothing! Just some silly little accident, the doctor will give me medicine, and I'll be on my way to finish those dresses by dinner time. No worries. Rarity knew she was probably kidding herself, but it gave false reassurance, which was welcomed. The monitor's melody declined.
Nurse Redheart walked in the room balancing a clipboard on her back. Her eyes widened a bit at the awakened patient. "Oh, Miss Rarity you're awake." She gave a smile, though her eyes shone with unease.
And to Rarity's observant eye, she immediately picked up on this. "What? What's the matter?"
Nurse Redheart sighed guiltily and walked beside Rarity's bed, gently placing a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Miss. Rarity, you ugh, you had a heart attack."
Rarity gaped, "You're not saying I'm fat, are you?"
The nurse pony dropped her hoof and looked down. With a faint smirk she said, "No. No, you're not fat. Sometimes ponies get a heart attack if they're under allot of stress."
The unicorn let out a massive sigh, "Oh Nurse Redheart, you have no idea what a relief that is!" Rarity knew what the nurse was going to tell her, "I know, I'll stop being stressed out once I get this order completed tomorrow."
The saddened expression on the white medical pony didn't change. Her icy blue eyes remained locked on the ground, refusing to look up at Rarity.
"What? What's wrong?" She asked, genuinely concerned and growing to be concerned.
Redheart closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, "Rarity, I'm not sure how else to say this, but-" She cleared her throat, "While you were asleep we did a medical examination and we found....something."
Rarity felt a knot tighten in her throat. She tried asking 'what' yet no sound came out.
Nurse Redheart continued, "I'm afraid..." She spoke every word as clearly as possible, trying to maintain her composure. "we found a tumor inside your brain." She took a deep breath, feeling tears burning her eyelids. "Brain cancer to be exact," she croaked.
Rarity felt her heart drop to the pits of her stomach.
Signs
A Generous Heart
Applejack trotted over to the four worn-out ponies carrying a dish with five mugs of cider balanced on her back. "Ah really wanna thank y'all for helpin' me with the apple buckin'." She praised her friends gathered around the white picket fence encircling the barn house.
Each pony slid a hoof through the handle of each mug, smacking their lips at the thirst quenching beverage. Applejack slid the tray off her back with the last mug still on top. Right before it crashed to the ground, she flawlessly caught it in her maw and grabbed hold through the handle.
The sweltering ponies, beaten down by Celestia's merciless summer sun, gulped down their drinks without haste. A.J took a steady taste of her cider, savoring every drop. She let out an emphasized sigh and said, "Even if Rarity's too prissy to get her hooves a 'lil dirty." Her comment made Rainbow Dash laugh in between sips.
Fluttershy buried her muzzle in the empty wooden mug and said, "I heard she had an order to complete." Her murmur was barley audible enough to reach Applejack.
"Aw fooey that order. She could set aside an hour of her time to help us in the orchard. She just don't wanna get dirty." Applejack's comment seemed rude, but her tone was a joking one.
Pinkie Pie set her mug on the ground and excitedly said, "I hope she's not all-" The bubbly pony stopped to stare blankly out in the distance, her blue eyes looking out into the orchard, "-like she did last time!" The pony hopped in place.
Applejack quirked a brow, as did Twilight. Rainbow Dash was too engrossed in her beverage to care. "What's that supposed to mean, sugarcube?" At first, A.J. didn't think it meant much, just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. But the thing about her comment that peeked everypony's attention was that it's about Rarity.
Pinkie didn't break her cheerful demeanor and started explaining in a very hyper tone, "It was last Thursday, at Sugarcube Corner. Rarity was helping me bake this super huge cake! And-And she started getting a headache, so she sat down for a minute. Right? Right. I told her too keep an eye on the oven, and when I came back she was all zoned out, like-" She did her imitation again for a brief moment, "And the cake was all burnt up! Like 'Ew! Who wants a burnt up cake!?' But I told her it's all right before I noticed she was zoned out during my entire lecture. She said something about going home and getting some sleep." The vibrant pink pony beamed proudly at her friends.
Rainbow Dash shook her head, trying to make sense of what Pinkie just said. Fluttershy took a quiet sip of cider from her mug. Twilight placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "Pinkie, that's serious! Did you try getting her to a hospital?"
She was actually surprised to hear the carefree pony's answer. "Well, duh! It's not normal for a pony to go all-" She stared out into space for a third time, wearing thin on the ponies. "I asked her the next day to see if she was getting better and said, 'Yup' so I walked away."
"Just like that?" Twilight asked in disbelief. The frizzle haired pony nodded enthusiastically, her weightless mane shifting through the gentle summer breeze. Rainbow Dash sporadically flew up into the air, out of sight.
Applejack balanced her self on her hind legs and started collecting the mugs. "Well," she said leaning over to pick up Pinkie's stein, "if she's fine, she's fine, no use cryin' over it."
Rainbow Dash came back down like an anvil and stopped just before hitting the ground, blowing some clouds of dust up into the air. Above her was a dark cloud, rumbling with thunder built up inside. She had a devious grin and said, "We should go over there and have a little 'fun.'"
Pinkie Pie did her infamous snort, complying with Dash's harmless prank. Fluttershy flew up to eye level with the azure pegasus, who rose a brow at this gesture, "Please don't be mad Rainbow, but Rarity really needs to do her work." Dash's face fell to a bored expression as she splayed across the black cloud like a bed. "She came to my cottage three days ago and excitedly told me how her career is finally 'getting somewhere.'" She gave a meek laugh. "I'm not sure what she was saying, but she seemed pretty happy. After that she just ran off."
Back on the ground, Applejack came back from her house with a new tray of cider filled mugs. Rainbow maneuvered beside the cloud and kicked it out into the distance. She frenziedly dashed down beside the orange earth pony and took a mug. Finely ground up dirt shot up into the air, causing Twilight to cough and grimace at the pegasus.
A.J. continued Fluttershy's tale, "Yeah, she then came to me happier than a school-filly and started blabbering 'bout Sapphire Shores cuttin' a deal with her." The cowpony silently chuckled at the memory. "If that's what got her cooped up in that boutique, then she has my felicitations."
Applejack partook in some cider and rose her mug. "Here's to Rarity and her ever-growin' pursuits!"
"To Rarity!" They all cheered, clashing their mugs together.
Rarity blinked a couple times, stunned by this abrupt news. Redheart wiped the mascara running down her face. "I'm....I'm sorry," Rarity began with a snicker of disbelief, "but...that-that has to be some sort of mistake!" She shot the nurse a nervous, somewhat eerie grin.
The somber look on Nurse Redheart remained unbroken. "Tests confirmed it." She said in a crisp voice. "I'm sorry, Miss."
The white unicorn darted her eyes around the room, as if this was some set-up. "No. No, this isn't happening. I've been healthy my whole life! How in Equestria could one just develop...cancer," Her heart ached at the thought of it, "It doesn't just appear out of nowhere!"
Redheart brushed a lanky strand of pink hair out of her eyes, tucking it under her nurse cap. Feeling partially relieved she got the hardest part out of the way though her heart still ached for the hapless unicorn. "Ponies just develop brain tumors over time. To this day, we still don't know what causes them."
Rarity's mind was in utter chaos. At first, she was in denial, thinking this is some sort of sick prank committed by Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie. Then she grew terrified; thoughts of leaving her friends, dying alone, and the Carousel Boutique being condemned were all possibilities crossing the bridge between imagination and reality. What about Sweetie Belle? How would her family react to the news of their loving, caring daughter being snatched away by the Pony of Death?
How would her friends feel? Would Rainbow be angry? Would Applejack even care? Will Pinkie Pie still be the exuberant pony that loves to make others smile? And what'll happen with poor fragile Fluttershy? She'll obviously take the news the hardest.
Every one of these thoughts hit Rarity like a punch in the face. Fat salty tears slid down her face, creating slightly dark tracks in her fur. Why? Why did this have to happen to me!? She screamed angrily in her mind as she buried her face in the light blanket, the spot becoming soaked within seconds.
Rarity cried the hardest she has in her entire life to the point where her choking sobs evolved into violent coughs. Black mascara and baby blue eyeshadow smeared across her face, making her not only feel terrible, but look terrible as well.
"I'm-I'm sorry you have to see me like....like....THIS!" Rarity paused long enough to say in a clear voice before a new wave of tears loomed.
Nurse Redheart nodded silently, though her patient could sense it. She felt awful that the wave of bad news would not end there. She placed a calming hoof on Rarity's arched back, just in between the point where the hospital gown laced together, and rubbed it in a circular motion. Like magic, it caused the unicorn's violent sobs to slow into muffled cries. "It's been there awhile, Rarity. We're actually surprised to see you lasted this long!" She said in a moderately upbeat tone.
Rarity shot her head up from the wet spot on the blanket and fell back. The nurse quickly retracted her hoof. Staring blankly up at the ceiling, Rarity sarcastically replied with, "Thanks, that makes me feel sooo much better!" The corners of her eyes were blood red.
"I'm sorry." The nurse pony apologized sincerely. "What I was trying to say is patients don't usually last long with a tumor like yours."
The fashionista sniffled. Her head fell to the right, away from the nurse and out at the window pasted with an expansive sky. From her spot, Rarity could see nothing more than that. "But there's a catch. There's always a catch." She said dryly.
Nurse Redheart swallowed hard, feeling like her mouth was filled with cotton. "We're not sure how long you have. It could be days. It could be a week. It could be a month."
Rarity said nothing, still mulling over her situation of grand magnitude, a blue jay zipped by the window caught her attention for a brief moment. It reminded her of Fluttershy, outside, living freely. Not here, cooped up in the hospital waiting for your doomsday clock to reach midnight.
The white earth pony broke the awkward silence. "Your little sister saved your life. She said she'd be back as soon as she can with all of your friends." Rarity's lips curved into a faint smile. The nurse took note of that and mimicked the notion. "Would you like to see them when they get here?"
Rarity nodded her head a couple times, still contemplating the gorgeous blue sky. "Yes.....Yes I would like that very much."
You'll Know When it Happens
Sweetie Belle sprinted down the dirt path through Sweet Apple Orchards, towards the farmhouse. There, she saw five ponies laughing it up whilst drinking mugs of cider like there wasn't a care in the world. Spike stood beside them, writing a letter for the Princess about another lesson Twilight learned on the magic of friendship.
The white filly ran towards them with tear tracks inscribed on her cheeks. They only had a split second to look at her before she started screaming, "Where were you guys!? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Fresh tears blurred her vision.
The ponies, feeling guilty yet confused at the filly's outburst, exchanged glances. Applejack placed her mug on the ground and approached the panting, sobbing unicorn. "Now calm down, partner. What's wrong?"
Sweetie Belle glared at her with puffy eyes and spoke between incoherent sobs. "I-I looked at the library, the cake shop, and no one was there! I thought something bad happened to you guys!" She broke down into greater wails.
Applejack's heart ached to see the little mare cry. She lied on her stomach beside her and tenderly wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders. Sweetie Belle sniffled, her whimpers declined.
Pinkie Pie hopped in front of her, craned her head low to the ground so that her chin was buried in dirt and said, "Come on you silly filly! Let's turn that frown upside down!" She rotated her head 180 degrees like an owl. Sweetie Belle giggled at the party pony's skit, causing her to pump a hoof in the air in victory. "Yes! I made somepony smile!" She cheered.
Rainbow Dash landed beside her, slightly perturbed at the insouciant pony. "Pinkie, I think this is a little more important than making the kid smile."
Pinkie stopped her bouncing, yet her joyous expression remained unfaltered. Applejack looked down at the sniveling pony. "Now what's wrong sugarcube? Why'd ya wanna see us so bad?"
She wiped her misty eyes. "It's Rarity." She said in a trembling voice. "Something's wrong." Her eyes immediately began to water as the horrifying memories flooded her mind.
Applejack's heart skipped a beat, yet she remained collected. "What happened to her?"
Sweetie Belle felt her stomach was filled with lead, not knowing how to say the words. "She-I, uh....I was sleeping on the couch downstairs, and then Rarity started screaming my name." Her heart beat with adrenaline, remembering how she was uncharacteristically screaming for her little sister of all ponies. "So I got up there and she was lyin' on the floor, not breathing!" Her eyes caught sight of a vibrant blue jay resting on a tree branch. For reasons she couldn't explain, it filled her with dismay, like something bad was going to happen with her older sister.
Everypony's eyes widened. "What!?" Rainbow Dash said in a loud whisper. Spike looked particularly shocked, clutching his small claw over his heart and breathed in short bursts. He kept whispering Rarity's name to himself.
Applejack tripped over her words, trying to collect her thoughts. "So uh-what did you....what did you do after that?"
Sweetie Belle explained in a calm, steady voice, "I sprinted to the hospital, told them what happened, and then I tried finding you guys."
"So she's at the hospital!?" Rainbow asked in an urgent matter. Sweetie nodded. "Well what're we waiting for!?" She and Fluttershy took flight. For the first time in a while, Pinkie Pie sprinted underneath the pegasi's shadows rather than hop.
Applejack got up and leaned over for Sweetie Belle to climb on. She awkwardly clambered up and the cowpony started sprinting with a hitched Spike and Twilight beside her.
The baby dragon grabbed a clawfull of Twilight's mane to keep his balance and stared at the hyperventilating filly. "She'll be okay, Sweetie Belle!" He yelled over the wind rushing past the accelerating ponies.
The adolescent unicorn locked green eyes with the reptile as she struggled to stay mounted on the earth pony's back. "Are you sure?" She had to scream over the deafening gales.
Spike nodded, "Rarity's strong! She'll pull through!"
After a rough, exhausting ride the ponies hurriedly squeezed through the automatic sliding doors without giving them the chance to open up all the way.
The entrance wing was a plain, boring room on tiled floors and the walls lined with red cushioned chairs, tranquil paintings of sailboats on lakes and sunset backdrops watched over each row. Across from the auto-doors was an unoccupied desk with a potted plant resting beside a terminal. Where the desk broke off was a path that led to the back of the room into the bowels of the hospital.
Nurse Redheart was already awaiting their arrival, standing at attention with the desk behind her. "Oh, good. You're here." She said in a kind, warming tone as the ponies caught their breath.
"We're...here." panted Twilight.
"Where's Rarity?" Spike asked urgently. "Is she okay?"
The nurse pony's face fell, crushing Spike's spirit. "She's alright, but-" She didn't know how to break the news, especially to the minors.
Applejack, maintaining her composure, noticed the nurse glancing sympathetically at Sweetie Bell. The cowpony stepped beside the evidently worried filly and said, "Anything we hear, she hears too." She swallowed hard, dreading the news she was about to receive.
The nurse exchanged glances with each distressed pony. Even Pinkie Pie was visibly anxious. "Very well." Redheart began. She took a deep, calm breath and exhaled. "Rarity suffered from a heart attack due to some stress she's encountering at home. When we did a medical scan, we found a...." her voice cracked on the words, "malignant brain tumor."
Like a slap in the face.
She gave the ponies a moment to recover from the shock, the only audible sound being the mind-numbing ticking of the wall mounted clock, over looking the whole scene. Fluttershy placed a hoof over her mouth and whispered, "No...no no no no no." to herself over and over again, on the brink of tears.
Rainbow Dash tried resisting, though it was useless. The only thing she could utter was a tearful, "What!?" An unbearably tight knot twisted up in her stomach.
"Oh mah stars...." A.J. mumbled whilst taking her hat off and placing it over her heart, her mind overloaded with trying to process this information.
Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight's forelegs and buried his face in her coat, sobbing. The librarian would've allowed her emotions to overtake her, but she had to remain strong for her number one assistant. She tenderly rubbed her head beside his in an attempt to comfort him, allowing a single visible tear slide down her cheek. "It'll be okay, Spike." She whispered.
Sweetie Belle looked around at the mournful ponies, worried and confused. "What-What does that mean!?" She asked, voice cracking with emotions.
Nurse Redheart continued, "I'm very sorry. I know this'll be a very difficult time for you but-"
Pinkie Pie took this the hardest. Her aqua blue eyes darted around the room, her heart rate picked up, and breathing became paced as she struggled to keep a smile on her face. The only thing she could say was, "You can fix her, right?" Nopony answered. "Right!?" She then broke down completely, collapsing to the ground and rubbing the downpour of tears from her eyes.
The white mare somberly nodded her head. "I'm sorry," She said again. Before she could finish, Rainbow lashed out and flew up to the nurse's face, "Sorry!? Our friend is dying and you're sorry!?" The nurse backed away until her flank bumped into the unoccupied front desk.
"Dying!?" Sweetie Belle cried
"Rainbow!" Applejack snapped. She sat on her haunches, pulled Sweetie in and hugged her tightly, who was staring at the ground with a ghost's stare.
Feeling guilty, the brash pegasus flew back and landed beside her friends. "I'm sorry." She muttered. Redheart's tension lessened. "It's okay." She said, relieved. "But I am deeply sorry you have to go through with this. My sister died of brain cancer last year." She closed her eyes, recalling the memory.
Twilight looked up from the still weeping dragon. "I'm so sorry." She said with a cracked voice.
The white earth pony smiled, "It's fine. When my family found out, we were devastated. So what did we do? We stopped pitying the inevitable and spent as much time with her as possible before she passed. And when it happened, we were glad that her last days were some of the happiest in her life." The nurses face brightened up. "I think Rarity would enjoy the same."
Twilight beamed warmly and did a slight nod. "I think she will."
Nurse Redheart turned her attention to a clipboard lying on the desk and took a pen in her mouth. She scribbled a report and looked back at the recovering group of ponies. "When you're ready, Rarity would like to see you guys."
With a sense of bleak hopelessness, the ponies rested for a moment to recollect their thoughts. They gathered in a private, windowless room Nurse Redheart set up; an empty quarters with seven plastic fold-up chairs set up in a circle. Despite the ample seats, Spike drifted asleep on Twilight's back, resting his head against her well-combed mane.
"This is terrible." Applejack said glumly, eyes locked on the tiled floor. "This can't be real....it just can't."
To the left, Pinkie's face showed happiness yet her teal eyes were outlined with a shade of red, "We have to be happy! If we're sad, then Rarity's sad, and that's no fun at all!" He naivety actually lightened up the heavy mood, drawing some quiet chuckles from Twilight and A.J.
Across from the pink earth pony, Fluttershy nodded. "I agree with Pinkie. Rarity's probably devastated already without us being sad too."
The minor remained silent this whole time. "Will my sister by okay?" Sweetie Belle asked with glossy eyes. Applejack felt her chest tighten at the sight of the depressed filly. Sweetie reminded the country esque pony of her own kin, Applebloom. She couldn't bear the thought of how her sister would react if she were to perish.
The only thing she could say was a somber, "Maybe." She knew Sweetie wasn't an idiot. She heard what'll happen back there.
Nurse Redheart poked her head in the doorway, looking chipper, though it was probably an attempt to lighten the dreadful mood. "Guess who wants you guys to pay her a visit?" She said in a sing-song voice. Nopony answered.
The nurse took this as a hint to cut the act. She opened the door and filed the anxious ponies through the hallway. Not a pony uttered a sound until they arrived at room W123. Twilight's heart skipped a beat as the white wooden door creaked open, inching ever so closer with the gut-wrenching sight of a bedridden Rarity. And sure enough, there she was. Her weak smile grew wider at the sight of her friends, the pair of sapphire eyes looked glazed over in the dimly lit room. She appeared great despite the circumstances. Her curled mane was pristine as always and her cream colored coat looked fairly groomed as well, though her face was devoid of any make up, giving her a rather abnormal look.
The ponies didn't even bother to take not of this. They just cried out Rarity's name and jumped her. Pinkie was the first to wrap her forelegs around the unicorn, squeezing the life out of her.
"Ugh, Pinkie Pie...can't-breath!" She choked. The industrial strength earth pony released her hold and giggled, "I'm sorry, Rarity! It's just that I'm so so happy to see you!"
The others gathered around as the nurse vacated the room. "You got us real worried back there!" Rainbow commented, fluttering overhead.
Sweetie Belle hopped onto her sister's stomach. "Rarity! You're okay!" She cried, allowing tears of joy to stain her coat. The elder leaned over and buried her muzzle in her sister's back. The cotton candy-maned filly tilted her head to the side and caressed her cheek against Rarity's. "I'm sorry I gave you such a scare, darling." The whole scene brought tears to Twilight's eyes, not because it was a happy one, but because it was so tragic. It shows how much Sweetie and Rarity love eachother, and a foreshadowing to what'll happen when the time comes.
Sweetie hopped down from Rarity's bed, still grinning with ecstasy. Applejack to climb up to her back. The filly complied, standing on her hind legs and peeked over the pony's cowboy hat. The ponies all wore tearful grins, not sure what else to say. The unicorn laughed, "I apologize you have to see me like....this." She looked down in shame so the others wouldn't have to see her face voided of any makeup, thinking it made her look ghastly.
Twilight smiled underneath her tears and said, "It's fine Rarity, we're just glad you're okay." She trotted over to the left side of the bed.
Spike stirred from his deep slumber with Rarity's well combed mane being his first sight. Overcome with pure joy, he hopped from Twilight's back and flawlessly wrapped his skinny arms around the unicorn's neck. "Rarity!" Was the the only thing he could say from his tears of joy.
The pearl white mare returned the embrace and made a blissful shriek, "Oh my Spikey Wikey! It's so good to see you!" The dragon's purple complexion turned a bright shade of red as he released his grasp.
The blond pony gave her a hefty pat on her shoulder, "Don't go off scarin' us like that again, ya hear?" She said in an obvious joking tone.
Her pink earth pony counterpart bounced with excitement, "When you get out of here, we're gonna throw you a big welcome home party! It's gonna be the biggest in Equestrian history!" Rarity gave a sheepish laugh, "I'll keep that in mind." She said with gratefulness etched from her tone.
The light yellow pegasus was silent the whole time, shedding tears without a word. She looked up at the bed-ridden pony with pink and blue eyes, awkwardly gliding a hoof on the tiled floor. She tried to think of the right words to say, "I'm happy your happy, Rarity." Rarity grinned and tapped Fluttershy's hoof with her's in acknowledgement. The pegasus's soft yellow eyes shone with tears, she tried to continue, "And..I would real-really appreciate it if...if you don't..." She turned and bolted out of the room with her cries of despair echoing down the hall.
Twilight followed her in pursuit screaming down the hall, "Fluttershy! Wait!"
An awkward silence filled the room. Rarity glanced around everyone's concerned expressions. "Poor thing," Applejack muttered. "She'll come around, don't fret sugarcube."
Rarity's smile grew wider as she took in her friend's comforting thought. But then she remembered why she was in here in the first place, looking out the window shooting a ray of warm light into the room. "Friends," She began in a stern tone, "it means so much to me that you're all here, but let's not forget why." Everypony followed her gaze up to the I.V. dripping fluids in a soft rhythm.
Every pony's face fell. Rarity continued in a somber tone, "The doctors aren't sure when I'll go. It could be now, it could be tonight, it could be at the end of the week."
Applejack slammed her hoof on the ground, making every pony jump. "Now quit thinkin' like that, your 'lil sister's here! You're sick, and there's nothing we could do about it!" Her voice shook with hurt emotions. "Cryin' ain't gonna fix it, pity ain't gonna fix it, and anger ain't gonna fix it!" Rarity was completely shocked to hear the normally headstrong earth pony talk like this, like she was about to burst into tears at any given moment. "I'll be darned if we don't make these last few days some of the best in your life. Are ya with me?"
The unicorn took a moment to soak in what she just heard. Meanwhile, the others stood in stunned silence, not expecting what'll happen. Even Pinkie Pie was muted by that rant. After several seconds of awkward tension, Rarity nodded. "Yes. I would enjoy that very much."
The ponies all closed in on the sick dressmaker and pulled her in for a warm embrace. For the longest time they stayed like that, wishing this moment would last forever. In one way or another, tears broke their way through the ponies' eyelids.
"Fluttershy, what's the matter!?" Twilight Sparkle asked, following the yellow pegasus out the front door of the hospital.
The humble pony only made a quiet sniffling sound with her lengthy pink hair blanketing her face. The librarian, not knowing what else to do, brushed the mane out of the way. Fluttershy didn't resist. When her soft pink hair was groomed to each side of her face, it revealed the fur on her face to be ruffled and messy, stained with tears.
"Oh my," The lilac unicorn began, "Fluttershy, why're you so upset."
The pegasus mumbled something incomprehensible.
Twilight leaned an ear closer, "What was that?" She mumbled again. "Again?"
Fluttershy finally blurted out in a quick, soft voice, "I don't want her to die." Sadness edged her throat, "I mean, I saw her yesterday! I saw her Twilight, I did! But...but she was fine, she was happy and-and..." The pegasus exploded into tears.
Without warning, she wrapped a foreleg around Twilight and buried her face into her violet coat. The only thing Twilight could give is a reassuring pat on the back and some soothing words, "I know Fluttershy, I don't want her to go. But there's nothing we could do...." She trembled on the last words as choke wails caught her throat, "The best we could do i-is be with her until the end."
The soft-spoken pegasus nodded, "I hate this, Twilight." She whispered.
A/N: Alright guys, I kinda need your help with something that's a little 'personal.' Somebody messaged me how this story reminds them of another story, 'Loss' by Caffum. Out of curiosity, I checked the story out, and not only does it have some elements I planned on using, but it's so well written that I'm actually kind of intimidated by it. Honestly, I don't know what I'm asking from you guys. Some advice? Words of wisdom? What I should do? I don't know. Maybe I'm just rambling.
