The Tragic Prognosis

Twilight sat in her castle’s library, flipping through another spell book. The sun was shining in through the windows, she had a plate of daisy sandwiches before her, and beside her was a tall glass of chocolate milk. Any other day this was the perfect setup for a long, perfectly quiet reading and study session, one of her favorite things.

But this was not any other day.

She was looking for a helpful spell, something to save Scootaloo, but didn’t find what she was looking for. Groaning she slammed her book shut and tossed it aside, picking up another one. Opening it up she began to pour over the details written in it.

“Twilight, shouldn’t we be at the hospital?” Spike asked picking the book up off the floor and setting it on a pile of other books she discarded. “Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo need our support.”

“Scootaloo is likely too drugged out to benefit from our support, and the others can help Rainbow without me.” She told him without looking up from her book. She picked up her refreshment, taking a big drink of her chocolate milk.

“I thought you said healing spells took to years to learn and master.” Spike pointed out while getting comfy on a couch until she inevitably tossed that book aside too.

Twilight groaned at her dragon’s valid point. There was a reason hospital bills were so expensive. Ponies attended four years of university and four years of medical school just to learn medical technique, anatomy, and medicine. Some unicorns attended yet another four years at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns to master healing spells and more advanced knowledge. To think in the space of a few hours she could learn more than the surgeons did in at least twelve years was foolish.

She sighed and put her head in her hooves, feeling a headache coming on. Reading through several spell books for a miracle cure for the filly was a futile endeavor and she knew it. If there was a magic cure-all they would teach it day one and save the time of both the students and the instructors. “I did, and I’m not going to be able to help Scootaloo in time.” Twilight admitted in a defeated tone.

“So why were you studying at all?” Spike asked.

Twilight sighed again and didn’t look up. “Because I needed to try to look for a solution so I wouldn’t feel useless. I want to be able to at least say I tried instead of just being emotional support.” Twilight explained. “I needed to do it for my own peace of mind.” She finished, picking up her glass of chocolate milk and chugging it.

“So shouldn’t we get to the hospital and help comfort Rainbow Dash now?” Spike asked, getting up from the couch to go.

His answer was Twilight slamming her empty glass on to the table and wiping her milk mustache off. “Yep.”

“I’m glad you’re stopping before you switch to coffee, things get crazy when you drink coffee.” Spike couldn’t help but chuckle at the mean look she was giving him.

Luna’s carriage set down outside the hospital, and she hastily stepped out. “Excellent work. Somepony send word to Canterlot about the stalled train we saw, and Dr. Palliate, assist Scootaloo at once.” The older unicorn nodded and entered the hospital, heading into the surgical wing.

As soon as she entered the hospital herself she saw Rainbow Dash being held by Big Macintosh, the pegasus trembling in his forelegs. The lunar princess made her presence known and put a hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder. “My sympathies Rainbow Dash, I too worry for Scootaloo. But know I have journeyed from Canterlot to help her, bringing my own personal physician to aid in her recovery.”

She looked at the other pony present, the stallion giving her a silent nod to acknowledge her. He continually rubbed Rainbow’s back with one of his strong hooves while the other foreleg held her close.

“I’m scared, princess Luna. I’m scared Scootaloo won’t pull through this. Scared I’ll lose her.” At her admission of fear she felt the stallion hug her closer, the pressure on her body a soothing comfort. “We have such hopes and dreams that we want to achieve together. I mean I have dreams of my own too, but I mean we, ugh!” She gave a noise of frustration at being unable to put her thoughts into words.

“You want her to live through this so she can achieve her own dreams and you both can pursue your shared ones.” Big Macintosh summed up, looking down at her.

“Yep.” Rainbow Dash stole the farmer’s catch phrase.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll make a recovery.” Pinkie Pie’s voice came from the reception desk as her head poked up. She giggled, bouncing over the counter to join her friends. “I’m so sure I’m already planning her recovery party!” She said bouncing in place.

“That’s the spirit.” Applejack’s voice came from the entrance. The four ponies to see her, Apple Bloom, Fluttershy, and Twilight. Spike was present as well, riding on Twilight's back.

Rainbow smiled at her friends and gently pulled out of Big Mac’s embrace. “Hey girls, and Spike, thanks for coming. But, where’s Rarity?” She asked.

“She had a modeling gig in Canterlot. I sent her a letter about what’s going on here, she should be on her way.” Spike answered her, getting down from Twilight.

“Hello Luna, glad to see you.” Twilight greeted.

“Yes, and as I’m sure you’re all aware I wish I was here on a happier errand.”

Nightmare Moon felt a strange mix of glee and anger within Luna’s mind. There was loathing emanating from her. These five wretched ponies and their absent comrade delayed a plan a thousand years in the making, and trapped her very mind within Luna. She had been plotting her revenge since the day she was imprisoned.

But in addition to her anger she felt happy to be here. Somewhere in this hospital was her ticket to becoming physical again, and the more hurt that filly was the better. She was prepared to save Scootaloo, and make her her new host. She just needed a way to escape.

Then again there was always the chance Scootaloo died before Nightmare Moon got to her. If that happened it’d be a setback no doubt, but all she would have to do is wait for another opportunity like this to present itself. It might take years or even decades. But she’d waited a thousand years already what was a few more; she had patience for delays but no tolerance for those that caused them.

Through Luna she saw Nurse Redheart exit the surgical wing and focused, but her sullen expression told the evil pony it’d be good news for her.

“Is Scootaloo okay?!” Rainbow Dash immediately asked, her expression falling at Redheart’s and her shaking her head.

“You’ll all want to sit down for this one.” When nobody moved to follow her suggestion she looked at the floor. “Very well, Scootaloo is far from alright. That poor foal has sustained multiple devastating injuries.”

At her news the Apples winced, Luna looked shocked, Pinkie’s smile fell, Spike fell to the ground, all while Fluttershy gasped and put a hoof to her mouth. Rainbow Dash felt her knees grown weak, her legs falling out from under her. The only pony who had some composure was Twilight.

“How devastating?” She hesitantly asked, bracing herself for the bad news that was to come.

Redheart looked like she was having trouble keeping her composure, which Twilight knew was a bad sign. “She suffered eight broken ribs, one of which punctured a lung, another hit her spleen which resulted in heavy internal bleeding.

Twilight winced at those injuries. A punctured lung was bad, but a punctured spleen? Up to a third of the body’s red blood cells were stored in it, and damage to the spleen could result in it needing to be removed. Following the loss of the spleen a pony suffered an acute decline in athletic ability. She paused at her knowledge; she must’ve learned more than she thought.

She was snapped out of it when Redheart continued. “Her back left femur was broken in two places, while her right one was severely fractured.”

Rainbow Dash felt her cold sadness burning away, a white hot rage igniting in her chest as she turned towards the Apples. “What the buck were you hauling, anvils?!” She demanded with a burning glare. “You were supposed to watch over her, make sure she was safe, and look what happened!” The three siblings couldn’t stand her glare as she railed against them. “Hang gliding, hay bale stackers, timberwolf pup taming, I knew one of these cutie mark getting attempts would go too far someday! So why was it your dumb apple hauling is what went wrong?!”

“B-But, but we didn’t know this would hap-happen! It was an ac-accident. Scootaloo saved me fr-from being in the s-same situation.” Apple Bloom stuttered out, wilting under the pegasus’s burning magenta eyes.

“I know it was an accident, that’s why I’m still talking to you.” She coldly told the filly.

“Hold on, you’re making it sound like they meant for it to happen. Apple Bloom is right, it was an honest, tragic accident.” Fluttershy tried to reason with her friend. Rainbow was about to retort when Spike of all creatures got between them.

“Calm down, Rainbow Dash! Scootaloo is going to need her big sister when she gets out of surgery, and I doubt the first thing she wants to see is her big sister acting like a bully.” He reasoned.

Luna nodded, slowly pulling herself together. She was getting over the initial shock and news, but saw a look on Redheart’s face that meant she was withholding information. This made her stomach sink with worry and her heart fill with dread. “What don’t we know?” She asked, having a feeling she would regret asking. She heard a sound like sniffling coming from the nurse.

Redheart wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “Those weren’t the worst of her injuries. The worst ones, well, they’re permanent.”

“Hold on, permanent? As in forever and ever and ever?” Pinkie asked rubbing the back of her head, her smile having become a grimace. “Like, they’ll never go away?”

“I’m afraid so. Her left wing was mangled beyond our ability to reconstruct, even with magic. We couldn’t save it. But the very worst of all I’m afraid is that her back was broken.” Redheart’s voice was wavering throughout her speech, and at the last injury she sounded very upset.

Rainbow Dash’s anger evaporated the second she heard Scootaloo had lost a wing. Her legs gave out and she fell to the ground, only faintly aware of her surroundings, her mind zoning out. She imagined the energetic orange filly who dreamed of flying high above the clouds, grounded forever.

She wanted to sob, she wanted to be angry at the Apple family, she wanted to demand to know where Scootaloo was, but none of these took root, leaving her frozen. Rainbow felt tears in her eyes as memories of Scootaloo flashed through her mind. Her racing through Ponyville doing tricks on her scooter and doing all sorts of crazy activities for a cutie mark, and it pained the pegasus to no end that these were impossible for her now.

“Hold on.” Fluttershy’s soft, quiet voice had a quiver in it. “There’s nothing you can do for her?”

"I'm sorry, I really am, but even magic can't undo her injuries. All it was able to do was to prevent her from dying already." The nurse informed them. This seemed to snap Applejack to attention.

“Hold up, already? What do you mean already?!” She demanded with small pupils and wide eyes.

Her response was a sigh. “Look, the accident was bad and she's in critical condition. Despite the speed you brought her here with, Luna’s physician pitching in, and our best efforts, I’m doubtful of her chances.”

“What do you mean?” Big Macintosh knew it was a dumb question in the back of his mind but he was in a state of sheer disbelief. He had a hard time wrapping his head around the situation. He knew she’d be hurt but he never imagined it'd be this bleak.

He felt a small object clinging to him with the force of a timberwolf’s jaw. He didn’t need to look down to know it was an inconsolable Apple Bloom. Playing the part of a nurturing older brother he wrapped his forelimbs around her to hold her close, and gently nuzzled the top of her head.

“While we’re doing everything in our power to save her, you should all prepare for the very likely outcome that we can’t.”

Fluttershy internally wondered if that would be so bad. If Scootaloo survived she’d be disabled all her life, knowing her dreams were dead. Without her full mobility life would be a series of obstacles and hardships for her, and she knew Scootaloo wouldn’t want to live like that.

She was all for saving lives, but not if it meant dooming them to suffer. In her experience treating wounded animals she found sometimes putting them out of their misery was the kindness they needed. Fluttershy didn’t like it, but sometimes death was preferable to living in the state fate had thrust on them.

That did it. That news was the killing blow for Luna’s self-restraint. She started crying, and darted into the restroom. The stress of the situation would be manageable for her if it was anypony besides a Cutie Mark Crusader. She cared deeply for all of them, and to hear Scootaloo was on the edge of death was more than she could bear.

She used her magic to turn the sink on and splashed her face. The cold water helped shock her back to focus.

Nightmare Moon couldn’t be more excited. The news of Scootaloo’s injuries was like manna falling from paradise for her. Any one of those injuries were dire on their own but all together spelled doom for anypony. While the doctors had no hope of healing her, she knew she could. But first she needed to escape, and to escape she needed to weaken Luna.

Luna just needed some added stress and grief, something to give her a headache perhaps or make her sleepless. The opportunity to do so quickly presented itself when she entered the bathroom. It’d take a bit of energy, but it was worth it. Focusing she made her image appear in place of Luna’s. As soon as the princess looked up she flinched sharply at her reflection, making a quick, sharp noise of surprise.

“Hello Luna.” Nightmare Moon greeted with a fanged smile.