The Heart Of Death

by Talion The DARKandBRIGHT

Rating: teen
Tags: Suicide / Self Harm, Tragedy, Death, Anthro, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Nurse Redheart
Length: 11580

Death is only a part of life. A road we must all walk one day.

Death is only a part of life. A road we must all walk one day.

Dr. Rose R. Redheart is working another long late night shift at Canterlot Guiding Light Memorial Hospital, where tonight she will meet an unexpected patient. A patient who will challenge all of her assumptions about living and dying in this life and the next.

Published 2020-10-16 03:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2020-10-16 03:00:00 UTC

The Death Of Heart

Details
*Thoughts*
~Mental speaking~
"Normal speaking"
~"Mental and normal speaking"~
Songs
... (Radio static)...

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

"BP eighty and dropping!" Shouted a female nurse who was repeatedly squeezing a breathalyzer.

"Saw." Redheart called.

A tall, white male unicorn handed Redheart a small electric saw which she used to cut pass a layer of flesh in the open chest cavity of a sadated stallion.

"BP seventy-five!" The female nurse called.

"Spreader." Redheart calmly said.

"We should wait for the senior resident." The male doctor told Redheart as he handed her the spreader.

"He's bleeding out. We don't have time." Redheart responded.

"BP seventy!" The female nurse called.

Redheart reached into the chest cavity of the stallion.
"Okay, now the aorta."

"BP sixty-five!" The female nurse called.

"Come on." Redheart said as she looked towards the heart monitor.

"What's wrong?" The male doctor asked.

"I can't find the aorta." Redheart told him.

"BP sixty!" The female nurse called.

"If you're going to do it Redheart, do it. We're running out of time." The male doctor told her.

"Come on." Redheart repeated as she looked down.

"BP fifty-five!" The female nurse called.

A very tense silent moment passed before Redheart looked back up.
"Alright, got it. Aorta clamp."

"BP Fifty!" The female nurse called a little louder.

The male doctor quickly gave Redheart the clamp.

"BP sixty." The female nurse called.

Both Redheart and the male doctor watched as the sadated stallion's vitals steadily rose.

"BP seventy... eighty... ninety... one hundred and five. He's stable." The female nurse said.

Redheart sighed in relief beneath her medical mask.
"Thank God."

"Congratulations Dr. Redheart. Another life saved." The male nurse told her.

"He's lucky. If that knife had struck an inch more to the left, he might not have made it." She replied as she wiped the sweat off her forehead with her arm.

"We'll take care of the rest now." He told her.

"Thanks, Lorne." She said before walking out of the surgical room.

Redheart began removing her bloody coat and latex gloves as she made her way through ER.
There were many other doctors and nurses around rushing to get their work done. A few greeted and congratulated her as they passed by, but she mostly ignored them.

Redheart is usually always cheerful around others. But it has been many non stop hours of working to save lives and exhaustion was heavy throughout her body.
She couldn't really think about anything else at the moment. Not after everything she's seen.

Redheart placed her lab coat on a shelf before washing her hands in a sink.
She paused and took a moment to look up at a mirror of herself.

Her pink hear was slightly messy under her medical cap. Her blue eyes looked weary and tired.

"It never ends... and it never changes." She said to herself.

Redheart sighed and finished washing her hands before making her way towards the exit.

As soon as she exited urgent care, she was greeted by a pony couple with an older mare.
They stood up from their seats when they noticed Redheart and approached her.

"Doctor, my husband, will he be alright?" The older mare asked her.

"It's okay ma'am. You're husband is alright. He will live." Redheart told her with a smile.

Instant relief shown amongst the family at the good news and the older mare started to cry tears of joy.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" She told Redheart and hugged her which she returned.

"Ma'am." A female nurse called over to the older mare,
"If you can come with me, there is some paperwork I need you to sign."

"Yes, of course." The mare told the nurse before looking back to Redheart.
"Thank you again Doctor Redheart. Thank you so very much."

"Thank you doctor." The couple also said.

"You're welcome... I was glad to help." She told her and smiled as she watched the family leave.

As soon as they left, Redheart closed her eyes and placed a hand over her head as she leaned against a wall.
She felt a headache from earlier coming back and was just about to sit down when she heard someone step in front of her.

"You look terrible."

Redheart opened her eyes and saw Lorne standing in front of her.

"Heh. I need a vacation." She said and pushed herself off of the wall.

"That's not the only thing that you need, Rose." He said.

Lorne usually only called her doctor or Redheart while on duty. But whenever it was just the two of them, he would call her by her first name.

"I need a lot of things, Lorne... But what I need the most right now is pain killers." Redheart said and was about to walk pass him when she lost her balance.

Before she could fall to the ground, Lorne caught her.
"Hey, hey. I got you."

"Thanks Lorne." Redheart said as she regained her balance.

"You're not looking so good. Are you alright?" Lorne asked her.

"Yes. Yes I'm fine... Just a little tired." She was quick to respond.

"I'd say that you're more than just a little tired." He said.

Redheart rubbed a hand over her face.
"Nothing some coffee can't fix."

"You should go home, Rose. Get some rest for the night." Lorne told her.

"I told you, I'm fine, Lorne. I can make it through a few more hours." She said as she pushed passed him and walked towards a water dispenser.

"You can't keep going like this Rose. It's not good for you." Lorne said.

"It's nothing you or any other doctor in this hospital couldn't or wouldn't do." She said as she took a drink of water.

"Not like this. Not days and nights on end." He said and placed a hand on her shoulder as he stepped in front of her again.
His white fur almost blending in with the white walls behind him, except for his sky blue hair and eyes.
"Why do you keep doing this to yourself Rose? Why do you push yourself so hard?"

Redheart sighed and looked down. After a short moment she answered him.
"They need me... I must help them."

Lorne smiled at her.
"I need you to Rose... We all do. But what we don't need is you in this state. You're not in Ponyville anymore. You can't do this all on your own nor are you expected to do so." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
"Go home Rose. Go home and rest. There will still be ponies here to help when you return. There always are."

Redheart closed her eyes and smiled before looking back up to her friend.
"Alright, Lorne."

"Good." He said just as his pager started beeping.
"I need to take this. I'll see you later Rose. You get home safely."

"See you later." She said with a smile.

"I better not find you still here when I come back. Goodnight Rose." Lorne called as he made his way down the hallway.

"Goodnight Lorne." She said as she watched him leave.

She lingered there for a few moments longer before turning around. But just as she was about to leave, two male earth pony paramedics came in through the emergency entrance, rolling somepony in on a gurney.
Lightning flashed outside, lighting up the pouring rain.

"Let's go! Let's go!" One of the paramedics said.

Redheart sighed and closed her eyes again.
*No rest for the weary.* She opened her eyes and walked towards the paramedics.
"Alright, what'd we have?"

"Attempted suicide found hanging in the attic of an abandoned house." One of the paramedics told her.

"Vitals?" Redheart asked him.

"Heart rate twenty plus. Blood pressure sixty over thirty. Respiration twelve." He told her.

Redheart internally sighed as she began checking the patient over.
He was a tall earth pony wearing a black suit as dark as his fur and hair. He almost looked like a living shadow.
Other than that, she couldn't see anything else on him that was distinguishable. Everything about him seemed normal.

Redheart returned her attention to the paramedics.
"Looks like you got him down just in time."

"I don't know about that. The landlord we talked to told us this guy's been hanging there for over twenty hours." One of the paramedics said as they quickly made their way through urgent care.

She looked at them in shock for a moment as they stopped in front of a bed.

"One, two, three." They both lifted the patient onto the bed.

A nurse quickly came over and began checking his pulse.
"He's ice cold." She said.

"I need some thermal blankets over here!" Redheart called before putting on a stethoscope and lifting up the patient's shirt.

"How is he still alive?" The nurse asked no one in particular.

"Any ID?" Redheart asked.

"No ID. We found this on him though." The paramedic handed her what looked like a very old black leather book.
"It's empty."

Redheart opened up the journal and quickly flipped through the pages, confirming that it was indeed empty.

"He's coming around doctor." The nurse told her.

Redheart put the journal away and grabbed the stallion's wrist.
"Can you hear me, sir?"

The dark stallion slowly opened his eyes a little.

Redheart paused when she looked into the stallion's eyes. They were dark. Very dark. Almost completely black. It was very unsettling.

Shaking herself, Redheart spoke to him again.
"Sir, do you know you're name?"

Lightning flashed outside again just as the stallion mumbled something unintelligible.

"Can you please say that again for me sir?" Redheart asked him. This time holding his hand.

The stallion struggled to take in a breath before looking directly at Redheart, causing her to cease all movement.

"I... am... Death."

Redheart yawned and rubbed her eyes as she walked through the hallway.

"Thirty-nine hours and counting. Should've just gone home." She said to herself and winced as pain pulsed through her head.

Redheart paused near a water dispenser and poured herself a cup as she pulled out a small orange bottle of Ibuprofen. She swallowed three of the red and blue pills before continuing on her way towards the front desk.

"Good morning Dr. Redheart." A middle-aged mare on the other side of the counter greeted her.

"Morning Mira. Have we received any word from the psychiatrist?" She asked.

"Yes. He'll be here to see our John Doe between five and seven." Mira answered.

Redheart groaned.
"That's over six hours from now. What am I supposed to do with him until then?"

"Nothing. What you need to do is checkout, go home and get some rest for a couple days. You're working way too hard when you've done enough already." Mira told her.

Redheart shook her head and chuckled.
"That's what everyone else has been telling me... But I can't go home yet. Not now."

"Then you better not let Dr. Blucross find you still here. He'll throw a fit when he finds out that you didn't go home yet." Mira told her.

"Then I'll make sure to stay clear of his routes. I'll see you later, Mira." Redheart said as she picked up a small stack of files before walking towards the hallway.

"Later Dr. Redheart." Mira called.

Redheart sighed as she made her way through the medical ward. It had been a very long busy day for her and she had been working almost non stop throughout her shift.
She knew that she needed to go home, but for some reason she couldn't take her mind off of the last patient who came in over an hour ago. It was hard to believe that he had been hanging for over twenty hours.

Pushing past those thoughts, Redheart entered her mysterious patient's dimly lit room, lightning still flashing outside.
She rubbed her aching head with one hand while she slowly walked past a few empty beds until she came up to the one holding the dark stallion, who tried to lift his hand, but was stopped by his restraints.

Redheart walked up to the side of his bed and greeted him.
"Hello. I'm Dr. Redheart."

"Look doctor, you don't have to worry about me... I'm not going to do it again." The stallion said without looking at her.

"Well that's good, but still-" He interrupted her.
"I mean, I would if I could, but... twenty-two hours of hanging there pretty much answered that question."

Redheart looked down at his medical report.
"Well, that is a long time."

He turned his head slightly to look at her.
"Not for me. But I should have known that I'd be wasting my time... I'm not even alive."

Redheart tilted her head at him and sat down on a small chair.
"And what makes you think that you're not alive mister..?"

"I already told you... I am Death." He said and she stared at him in confusion.
"You don't like that one? I answer to many others. Anubis, Atos, Hades, Yang-Wha. The Big Sleep, the Eternal Shadow, the Grim Reaper. Take your pick."

Redheart sighed and shook her head.
"Have you ever tried anything like this before?"

"No. But I thought about it... a lot." He replied.

"Sounds like depression. We rarely ever see any patients with that in this hospital." She commented.

"You figure that out all by yourself? What are you a specialist?" He teased her.

She rolled her eyes and looked down for a moment before continuing her questions.
"Since when have you started feeling this way?"

He closed his eyes and sighed.
"I don't know... Somewhere before the start of the first Celestial era and Discord's arrival. Many years before your princesses came."

Redheart huffed and placed the document on a side table before turning to face him.
"Look, I'm really trying to help you, but you need to work with me here." She told him, annoyance clear in her voice.

He looked back to her.
"Good bedside manners. Remember you asked me a question? Well I'm answering it.
Pre Celestial era. The Spell Plague. I took out over a third of the Crystal Empire and Griffonia, causing war between the two and the endless winters that followed. I hit the changlings too, but I went a little light here in Equestria... If that's not enough to get you depressed then I don't know what is."

Redheart closed her eyes and leaned on her hand.
"So let me get this straight... You tried to commit suicide because you feel responsible for the Spell Plague?"

"No not the Spell- Don't you get it? Death isn't just who I am, it's also what I do... What I've been doing day in and day out ever since the very beginning of time... Ever since those two ate the forbidden fruit." He told her.

She leaned back in her chair.
"Ya well I guess that's enough to make anyone depressed."

He closed his eyes.
"I've had it. I can't take it anymore." He reopened his eyes and gained a sudden look of determination.
"I quit."

She looked at him in confusion again.
"Really so, just like that no one's ever going to die again?"

He noded as he stared at the roof.
"Ya, that's right... Might put you out of business though."

"So if you quit, then why did you try to hang yourself?" She asked.

"Because They're not just going to let me quit, are They?" He replied.

(Sigh)"They?" She asked him.

"They, the celestial choir, the harmonies of the universe. The big three, The Holy Trinity. Whatever you want to call Them." He replied.

Redheart sighed. She just couldn't figure out this stallion. He's not like any patient she's ever treated and cared for. She really didn't understand most of what he was talking about.
Just as she was about to speak again, her pager went off.

"I have to take this." She told him and stood up.

"Go ahead. You can't help me anyway." He told her.

"I wouldn't say that. We have a very good psychiatric department here." She said.

"Heh. You guys... You never do give up on a patient here... I've always liked that about this hospital." The dark stallion commented.

Redheart stopped and looked at him.
"You've been here before?"

"Plenty of times." He replied.

"Then why don't you give me your real name so I can look up your records?" She asked.

The dark stallion smiled at her.
"You're very funny... I remember the first soul I ever collected from this hospital... Aura Starbloom. Little Aura Starbloom. Such a clever young mare."

Redheart stared at him for a moment longer before turning back towards the exit.

"If you don't believe me Rose, look it up for yourself." He called to her when she was about to leave.

Redheart turned to look at him in shock and confusion. She didn't remember telling him her first name and her name tag was still in her coat pocket.

"How did you-" He interrupted her again.
"Don't miss your call doctor." He told her as he closed his eyes.

She just stood there perplexed, but she didn't have time to continue wondering about this dark stallion.
Without delay, Redheart made her way back out to the front desk.

"You call me?" She asked Mira.

Mira looked up from her work.
"Yes. The psychiatrist called. Said he won't be able to make it tonight because of the storm, but said he should be able to make it here around tomorrow afternoon, depending on the weather."

Redheart groaned and rubbed her forehead.
"Why did the weather teams have to pick today of all days to make it rain?"

"Well it's not all bad. Now you can go home instead of waiting over six hours for the shrink." Mira said.

"I suppose... I was at least hoping he'd come tonight so we could get some real answers out of our patient." Redheart said.

"Speaking of which, how is our John Doe?" Mira asked.

"Oh... He says that he's responsible for the Spell Plague." She replied.

"Well that's good. Now we know who to blame it on." Mira joked.
"How are you holding up?"

Redheart started using her stethoscope to rub the sides of her forehead,
"Well despite this pounding in my head and my eyeballs feeling like there about to pop out of their sockets, I think I'm finally ready to call it a night and head on home."

"About time." Mira said.

"Well, I better go turn in my reports before I leave... Goodnight Mira." Redheart said before turning around and making her way towards her office.

"Goodnight Redheart. See you next week." Mira said and picked up a phone that started ringing.

As she approached the hallway to the offices, Redheart stopped and turned back to Mira.
"Hey Mira, would do me a favor?"

"Of course." She replied.

"Would you look up the first patient to die here for me?" Redheart asked.

Mira gave her a confused look but nodded.

"Thanks Mira." Redheart said and walked to her office.

Redheart entered her office and turned on the lights before opening up a file cabinet and putting her reference documents away. She then sat down at her desk and set down the file carrying what little information she had about the dark stallion who calls himself Death.

Redheart sighed and sat there in silence as she stared at the roof. She remained like this for a short while before sitting up in her chair. She couldn't get too comfortable, else she fall asleep.

She looked down at the reports on her desk for a moment before her eyes drifted to a small picture frame. It was a picture of her and her family and friends at her medical school graduation ceremony, over four years ago.
She remembered the moment when she walked up on that stage and received her degree. She can't remember any other time and place where she smiled so much. Back when she had something to smile for.

Redheart smiled softly at the fond memory. Although she missed Ponyville and everyone there she knew that Canterlot needed her more right now. Things just haven't been the same since the invasion. Maybe when things go back to some form of normalcy she would return home and see what's changed.

Redheart sighed again and rubbed her eyes before opening up the small file in front of her. It was mostly just a report concerning his treatment in the emergency room and the state of his body, both before and after his arrival.

Whoever this figure was, he was very different and difficult to understand.
His body was in perfect health. Really perfect health. There wasn't a single spec of damage or scar tissue anywhere across his entire body. Even around his neck, where the doctors expected to find bruising from his hanging.

As far as her and the rest of the doctors know, this dark stallion was perfectly healthy. As far as his body was concerned.
His mind on the other hand was a different matter. If the conversation she had with him was anything to go by.

Redheart really didn't understand him. She has never once in her entire career delt with someone like this before. She was at a lose for what to do. Just thinking about him and what he said was making her headache worse.

Redheart groaned as she leaned back in her chair and tried to relax for a few moments.

*What am I going to do?* She thought to herself before closing her eyes.
*It never changes and it never ends... So tired... So... tired...*

"Rose..."

"Rose..."

"Rose."

Redheart almost jumped out of her chair at the sound of name being called.
She quickly looked up and saw Lorne standing over her.
"Good morning Rose."

"Lorne. How long were standing there watching me?" She asked.

Lorne smiled at her.
"Only a few minutes. You're always so peaceful and beautiful when you sleep. I didn't want to awaken you."

Redheart blushed at him.
"I wasn't asleep. I was just resting my eyes a little... Well how long was I out anyway?"

"Only a few hours. At least from the last time Mira saw you." He replied.

"Oh. It felt longer than that." Redheart said as she stretched a little.

"I thought I told you to go home to sleep." He stated.

"Ah... Yes, I think I remember you saying something like that... Must have slipped my mind... The sleeping at home part." She lightly joked.

"Heh... I imagine it did. You always seem to forget about your own wellbeing when other's lives are at stake." He said.

"I know Lorne. I should have listened to you and just gone home for the night." She told him.

"Then why are you still here?" Lorne asked.

Redheart closed her eyes and leaned on her hand before a explaining.
"The last patient who came in last night... I don't know. There's just something strange and off about him. Something I can't figure out or move on from... I guess I just wanted to understand who he was and where he came from."

Lorne stared at her for a moment.
"Hmm... Well you won't have to worry about him anymore. He's gone."

Redheart tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh? I thought the psychiatrist wasn't coming until tomorrow to pick him up."

"No, the psychiatrist didn't come and take him. No one did. He's just gone. He left, Rose." Lorne told her.

Redheart suddenly stood up in shock.
"What!?"

"How in the world?" Redheart asked as she held one of the torn restraints that held the dark stallion.

"Maybe he's not the Grim Reaper. Maybe he just reads a lot of Daring Do novels." Lorne said as he also held one of the torn restraints.

Redheart looked down and closed her eyes.
"I was supposed to help him."

"Well from what you've told me about him, Rose, I don't think there was anything you could have said or done to help him." Lorne told her.

(Sigh)"Maybe. Maybe not... I suppose we will never know now." She said.

Lorne placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort.
"Don't let it get to you Rose. There are some people in the world who cannot be changed or reasoned with. Sometimes we find that the best way to help them, is to let them go."

Redheart held his hand and smiled.
"Thank you Lorne."

"You're welcome Rose." He said and turned to leave the room.

Redheart placed the restraint down and began turning off the lights around the bed.

"Oh, before I forget, Mira mentioned that you asked for the first patient who ever died here. A young mare named Aura Starbloom." Lorne told her.

Redheart looked at him in shock.
"What?"

"Aura Starbloom." Lorne repeated and noticed the shocked look on her face.
"Are you okay, Rose?"

"Ya... Ya I'm alright." She told him.

Lorne didn't look convinced so he walked back over to her.
"Hey, it's over. Whatever you went through with him is done now... Go home, Rose. Take a few days off to get your head clear of all this."

Redheart smiled at him again.
"Alright... I'll go home this time."

"May I walk you to the door, Dr. Redheart?" He asked and offered his arm for her to take.

Redheart chuckled at him before accepting his offer.
"Ever the gentlecolt aren't you, Dr. Blucross?"

"I try to be." He said with a wide smile.

They both walked through the long white hallways and corridors of the hospital until they arrived at the lobby.

"Dr. Blucross?"

Both Redheart and Lorne turned to see a male nurse approaching them.

"There's an fourteen year old colt with a high fever in Urgent care. The other doctors think it's being caused by something worse. They sent for you." He told Lorne.

Lorne sighed before turning to Redheart.
"Looks like duty calls."

"Go on. They need you. I'll be fine." Redheart told him.

"Will you be alright making it home?" He asked her.

"Yes." She said.

"You sure?" He asked again.

"Is there ever a time when I'm not?" She sarcastically asked.

He chuckled before pulling her into a hug.
"Be safe out there, Rose."

"Goodbye, Lorne." She told him.

Redheart watched him leave before turning towards the exit.

"Excuse us doctor."

Redheart paused and stepped aside for two nurses as they pushed a gurney carrying a deceased pony in a bodybag.

She watched them pass and walk into a hallway labeled Morgue. She stared at the morgue entrance for a moment before glancing towards the hospital entrance.

*I wonder... If I were Death, where would I go?* She asked herself.

Turning away from the hospital entrance, Redheart walked to the morgue.
She walked through the long empty hall until it split, leading to many rooms in both directions.
Redheart followed the arrows on the walls and looked into every room on the way until she reached the end where a set of double doors lead into a cremation room.

Redheart approached the doors and placed an ear against them.

"...I know it's a little too late, but... I apologize... I do hope that you all can find it in your hearts to forgive me."

Redheart pushed open the doors and walked in to see the dark stallion talking to a row of recently deceased patients.

She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head and approaching him with crossed arms.
"I knew it... Some how I knew that you'd come here."

"I knew you'd come too." He said as he walked around the corpses towards her.

She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.
"How did you get out of your restraints?

He shook his head and laughed.
"Oh please. I took out the Alicorn Empire. You think a couple of belts are going to hold me?"

Redheart sighed and rubbed a hand over her head. She really wasn't in a mood for what he was trying to pull.

"So, did you look up Aura Starbloom?" He asked her.

"Yes, but it doesn't prove a thing. Least of all you being Death." She replied.

He smirked at her.
"Ah. But I have got you wondering now... Haven't I?"

"You could have gotten that information from anywhere." She said.

"Anywhere?" He asked, stepping in front of her.

Now that he was standing up close to her, Redheart could clearly see just how much taller he was than her. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't a little intimidated by him.

Redheart took a step back from him.
"The certificates are public records. Now are you going to come back to your room or do I have to call security?"

"Calm down, Rose. There's no need for threats. If you must know, her name was in here just like all the others." He said and handed her his black leather book.

Redheart opened up the journal, which was no longer filled with blank pages, but was now filled with many names of people with Aura Starbloom appearing on the top of the first page she opened.

She was a little shocked at first but quickly calmed down and handed him back his journal.
"So you found a pen on the way down here, so what? Now are you coming or not?"

He raised his arms and gestured to the deceased ponies around them.
"May we have a moment? Please?"

Redheart was about to abject but chose to just wait by the doors.
She lightly groaned and rubbed her forehead as she leaned against the wall. Her headache was starting up again.

The dark stallion looked around the room as he spoke.
"Anyway as I was saying, I just wanted to let you all know that I quit. Now I know what you're all thinking; wish you made this decision days earlier, but... I'm so sorry that I waited this long to stop." He paused and took one last look around the room before turning to leave.
"See you in the next life."

Redheart was almost baffled. She had no idea about what to make of this stallion and what she just witnessed.
She turned to leave and together they both made their way through the hospital, back to the dark stallion's room.

After a short while of silent walking, the dark stallion spoke up.
"You know who I've been thinking about a lot recently? Abol Zerish."

"Would you do me a favor and save it for the psychiatrist?" She asked him, but he didn't seem to listen.

"He was this zebra who migrated here to Equestria with his wife and unborn son a while back. He and his wife had this unique way of talking about life, which really says something when considering they almost lost their's coming here.
I was tempted and I mean really tempted to look the other way when they got chased into that alley, but when the time came, I was so upset that I had to take them... But thankfully someone who wasn't supposed to be there, intervened. Now I can honestly say, I finally understand what they were talking about."

Redheart suddenly stopped and turned to face him with an irritated look.
"Alright, enough already! What is it you want from me, huh? What do you want me to say? You want me to say you're Death? Okay, fine. You're Death! You satisfied!?"

Thankfully there was no one else out in the hallway with them at this time.

The dark stallion just stood there, unfazed by her outburst.
"Great... Now you're patronizing me?"

Redheart huffed in annoyance at him. This was not helping her headache at all.

He leaned down and picked up a newspaper from a stand then offered it to her.
"Look, if you really want to be convinced, here."

She was reluctant to grab the newspaper but decided to take it.

"First page over." He told her.

Redheart sighed and shook her head before opening it and reading the head line.

OBITUARIES
No obituaries today due to no deaths reported.

"What is this, a joke?" Redheart asked, baffled.

"Am I laughing?" He asked in return.

"This isn't possible. People die every day, even here in Equestria." Redheart stated.

The dark stallion smiled as he leaned uncomfortably close to Redheart, causing her to gasp and freeze.

"Not anymore." He whispered close to her ear before turning around and walking back to his room, leaving Redheart completely speechless.

Redheart rubbed her forehead as she moved the phone she was using to her other ear.

"Ya. The obituaries get back with you yet?... And?... No one in the whole capital?... Okay. Thank you." She sighed and hung up the phone.
"I don't understand this."

"Nothing in Canterlot, Los Pegas, Cloudsdale, Baltimare, and Manehattan. Nor anyone from the Crystal Empire, Griffonia, Saddle Arabia or the East and West dragon kingdoms of Aríth Ithalaíd." The dark stallion said from his bed as he watched Redheart pace back and forth.

"Okay I admit this is very, very strange... The odds of anyone, anywhere not dying for twenty-four hours is..." Redheart trailed off.

"Yes?" He asked, waiting for her to finish.

She huffed and turned to face him.
"Well, it has to be astronomical, but it doesn't have anything to do with you!"

"You're sure?" He asked her, crossing his arms.

"Yes I'm sure!" Redheart shouted at him. She was done with his antics.
"Look, you are very clever, a very strange and delusional stallion, but this has all just been a coincidence and nothing more!" She pointed her finger at him.
"I don't understand what you're trying to pull, but I am getting tired of you messing with my head! I don't care who or what you say you are. You are not Death!"

With that, Redheart turned to the exit and stormed her way towards it when suddenly lightning flashed and all the lights in the room went off, except for the one above Death.

"Hi little Rosie!"

The sound of an all to familiar female voice stopped Redheart dead in her tracks. She slowly turned around with wide eyes and gasped at what she saw.

"Mom?" She barely got the word out.

Laying in the bed where Death was laying was Redheart's mother, softly smiling at her.

"Mom." Redheart repeated in shock.

"Please God... Take care of my family. Keep them safe... and watch over my little Heart... That's all I ask... That's... all... I... ask."

Redheart held a hand over her mouth and started to cry as she watched her mother pass away for the second time.
Her breathing started to pick up rapidly and her legs began moving on their own accord as Redheart quickly turned to leave.

"Redheart?"

Redheart screamed for a short moment as she almost ran into Mira, who also screamed.

Mira held a hand over her chest as she tried to catch her breath.
"I'm so sorry Redheart... Power went out, so I came to check on the other patients. I didn't know that you were still here."

Redheart stood in silence, facing away from Mira. The vision of her mother's death, gone.

"I heard yelling... Are you okay, Dr. Redheart? Mira asked.

"Yes. I'm fine." Redheart responded.

Mira didn't look convinced.
"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I just need to be alone right now... Please." She told Mira.

Mira looked very concerned but chose to let her be and leave.
As soon as she left, Redheart quickly rushed over to a nearby sink as Death watched her.

"Watching your mother go through that agony for weeks, I know was very difficult for you." Death said in a low voice as Redheart washed water over her face.
"I remember you from when I came to take her... The look of determination in your eyes. You'd never let anyone suffer like that again."

Redheart pushed herself up and turned around just as another flash of lightning lit up the room to reveal Death standing over her.
She gasped and tried to back away from him, but was stopped by the sink behind her.

"I'm so sorry, Rose... I didn't want to hurt you... I didn't want to hurt anyone." He said as he looked down at her.

Redheart turned back around and leaned over the sink again. She couldn't believe it. She didn't know what to believe anymore.

"You might say, I'm the reason that you left Ponyville for Canterlot and became a doctor here." He said.

Redheart looked up at him through the mirror and stared at him.
"You... You really are Death, aren't you?"

Death raised his head and closed his eyes.
"I am."

Another flash of lightning lit up the room and for that single moment, Death really looked like Death. The outline of his black cloak, sythe and eyes glowed darkly around him.

Redheart stood still for a moment before turning around to face him and he looked down at her.

"You are Death." She finally admitted.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked.

"I'm terrified, but... at the same time... relieved." She told him.

"How so?" He asked her.

"I was scared of you because... I didn't know you... but now I do." She answered.

He smiled at her.
"Not many get to know and understand who and what I am, Rose. Take comfort in the knowledge that you have seen me more than most when I was and you still yet live."

Death turned away from her and walked back to his bed, while Redheart watched him.

"So, what now?" Redheart asked him.

"What do you mean?" He asked in return.

"Is it really true what you said?... No more Death, forever?" She asked.

Death sighed as he sat down on the side of his bed.
"Forever... is a long time. But like I said before, They won't make it easy on me. They'll put on the pressure and push. And when They push..."

Redheart grunted from a sudden spike of pain caused by her headache. She stumbled over to him as she held her head for a moment.

"Ya? Well They can push all They want!" She said and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen, you... You have to stay strong here."

Death looked surprised at her.
"You mean, you think I'm doing the right thing? You support this?"

"Absolutely." She said with enthusiasm.

"There could be draw backs." Death stated as power came back on.

"What? You mean like over population?" She asked.

"Ya, the world could get pretty crowded." He replied.

"Well we can deal with that." She told him.

"I like your attitude." He said with enthusiasm as well.

Redheart smiled at him and held both his hands.
"This... This changes everything. Don't you see? What you've done it's... It's a miracle."

Death smiled at her.
"I'm tearing up here. I don't know what to say, but... Thank you Rose."

Redheart's attention was drawn to her pager which started beeping. She picked it up and frowned.
"Great. Code yellow... Look, I need go but we'll pick this up later. I'll be right back as soon as I can."

Death stood up as Redheart turned to leave.
"Rose, it's alright. I'm not working anymore."

"Just don't go anywhere, okay! We still have a lot to talk about!" Redheart called as she rushed out of the room towards ER.

Death watched her leave before sighing and closing his eyes for a moment. He then turned and looked out of a window towards the rising Sun.

Redheart rushed out of the elevator and made her way towards the emergency room. She passed by many other doctors and nurses, some of which were also heading to the same place.

As soon as Redheart approached ER, she heard screaming and shouting as many ponies were rushing around the room.

She quickly stepped away from the door for a couple of doctors to exit.
"Contact Burn Unit. Tell them we have eight wounded down here in critical condition."

She walked into ER and was instantly greeted by Mira.

"Oh thank God. I was just about to go get you." She told Redheart and led her to the injured patients.

"What'd we have, Mira?" She asked as she put on medical gloves.

"An exposed gas line was ruptured and lit at a construction zone. The whole facility went up in flames in seconds. We have eight workers severely wounded." Mira explained.

"Let's get an IV started here, Mira. Let's go, let's go!" Redheart said as she put on her stethoscope and rushed over to one of the injured workers.
"I need sailen. I need an IV stat here now."

"I'm not getting a pulse!" A paramedic said.

"Mira!" Redheart called.

"It's not working." Mira said.

"What?" She asked her.

"Look at the monitor. There's no heart beat, no blood pressure, nothing." Mira told her.

"Well then, there must be something wrong with the monitor." Redheart said as she moved to check it.

Just as she grabbed the screen, she noticed that another monitor was showing the same thing. She looked around the room and saw that all of the monitors were the same.

"What's going on here... These ponies are flatlining, but they can't be." Mira said in shock.

Redheart's breath caught in her throat as she looked around the room at the undead ponies.
They were all screaming in agony as they thrashed around on their beds. Their skin was completely burnt and scared all over. Some still bleeding.
The nurses and doctors were trying to hold them down.

"Oh my God." Redheart said as she backed away slowly.

Much of the other doctors and nurses were also standing back in shock as they watched the suffering in horror.

Redheart slowly started walking backwards towards the exit before turning around completely and running out of the room in panic.

"Dr. Redheart!" Mira called her, but she didn't stop.

*My God... What have I done?* Redheart thought as she ran out of ER.

She was running so fast that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going.
As she rounded the corner of the hallway, she ran right into Lorne, who quickly caught her.

"Whoa! Rose? Rose, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Lorne, I-... They-" Redheart stuttered as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Rose, what happened? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Lorne asked, concerned.

"No, I... I-I... It's all my fault, Lorne." She said and began to cry.

Lorne wrapped his arms around Redheart and pulled her into a hug. She leaned against him as he held her tightly.
Lorne closed his eyes and ran a hand down Redheart's back in comfort as she cried into his chest.

After a few moments of silence, Redheart finally spoke up.
"All... I wanted to do was save lives and help people... That's all I wanted... I didn't want to hurt them... I didn't want to hurt anyone."

"I know you don't, Rose... You wouldn't hurt anyone." Lorne said before pulling away to look down at her again.
"What's going on, Rose? What happened?" He asked, stoll holding her shoulders.

She looked up to him with teary eyes.
"The dead... They can't die.. and I did that to them."

"What? Rose, what are you saying?" He asked her.

"Lorne I... I stopped Death... No more Death... forever." She told him and looked down.

Lorne looked completely shocked at her.
"Rose..."

Suddenly they both started to hear many ponies running and shouting back in the hallway.
Lorne turned the corner and saw many of the hospital's staff rushing towards ER or away from it.

"Dr. Blucross! Dr. Redheart!"

They both heard from behind them.

An earth pony security guard ran up to them with panic in his eyes.
"There's something wrong happening in the morgue! We need doctors!"
He told them before turning back the way he came.
"Come on, hurry!"

Lorne looked back to Redheart who looked very uneasy. He leaned down to look her in the eyes.
"Rose. I need you right now. Can I count on your help?"

She stared with wide eyes at him for a moment before answering.
"Yes."

He held her hand and turned around.
"Let's go!"

Together, they both quickly followed the security guard down to the morgue, passing by many panicked ponies along the way. The whole hospital was in chaos at this point. Everyone was running and screaming as they tried to get out or farther in.

Just as the three of them entered the lobby, all of the fire alarms were turned on and the sound of shattering glass could be heard from the hospital entrance.
They all turned and saw a large crowd of ponies outside of the hospital, violently attempting to get in pass a line of security and Canterlot guards who were trying to hold them back.

"We need some help over here!" One of the guards shouted.

The security guard with Redheart and Lorne quickly turned to them.
"I have to help. You two head down to the morgue and help the ponies down there. Quickly!"

With that, the guard turned back around and rushed over to help barricade the hospital entrance.

Redheart and Lorne watched the scene in complete shock as one of the guards shouted into a loud speaker.

"THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND LAST WARNING!
EVERYPONY BACK AWAY FROM THE ENTRANCE AND CEASE ALL HOSTILE ACTIVITIES! IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY, WE WILL USE LETHEL FORCE TO SUBDUE YOU!
I SAY AGAIN: THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND LAST WARNING!"

Lorne grabbed Redheart's shoulder and pulled her away from the rioting crowd.
"Come on. We need to keep going."

She nodded and ran with him to the morgue. As they both ran through the hallway, ponies ran past them in the opposite direction.
As they approached the morgue doors, they both heard screaming and shouting from the other side.

Lorne hesitated for a moment before opening the doors and they both watched in horror at what they saw inside.
Many of the presumed dead ponies were now standing. Those who weren't screaming and thrashing around on the floor. Some of them were shouting none sensible words as they held their head and smashed it into the walls or tables.

Neither Redheart or Lorne could bare to watch anymore. Lorne quickly grabbed the doors and slammed them shut.

"What in all that is good on this world was that?" Lorne asked in shock.

Redheart didn't respond. She just stared at the closed doors in horror.

Lorne grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
"Rose! What's going on here?"

Redheart looked at him with wide eyes.
"I... I have to go."

She quickly turned around and was about to run, but Lorne grabbed her arm.

"Rose, wait! I don't understand." He told her.

"Let me go, Lorne. I have to put a stop to this." She told him.

"How? Please Rose, tell me." He begged her.

She stared at him for a moment before looking down.
"Death."

Lorne remained silent for a moment.
"Death?... You mean..."

She looked back up at him with a series expression.
"He is Death, Lorne... He was all along."

It was Lorne's turn to remain silent as he tried to register what Redheart was telling him.

"He wanted to stop... I wanted him to stop. I encouraged him to... I believed that with no more Death, the world would be a better place... No, more goodbyes. No more pain of loss, but... now I understand why there is Death... and why he must come back." She placed a hand on Lorne's.
"I must stop this suffering I've caused. Please Lorne... let me go."

He didn't know what to say.
"Rose... I... Maybe there's another way, Rose... Another way we can fix this."

"No Lorne! Don't you understand!? Without Death... Equestria, our home, our whole world, it becomes Hell on Earth... I'm sorry Lorne, but there is no other way. Not for you... or for me." She told him before yanking her hand free from his grasp and running back up the hallway.

"No, wait! Rose! Rose come back!" Lorne called to her but she didn't stop or look back.

He attempted to follow her, but lost sight of her when they entered back into the lobby, which was now in more chaos than before.
Lorne quickly looked around for Redheart before seeing her just turn a corner into another hallway.

"Rose!" He shouted to Redheart but she was already gone.

Redheart pushed passed rows of ponies in the hallway as she rushed towards the patent rooms.
She needed to find Death. She had to put a stop to this undeath.

Redheart turned another corner and entered the hallway leading to the patient rooms. She ran down the long hall until she came up to the last room and threw open the doors, but saw no sight of Death. She quickly looked around for him but he wasn't in the room.

*Where did he go? Where could he have gone?* She thought to herself.

Redheart held her head in pain from her headache and was about to start panicking when she noticed on Death's bed was his black leather book. Slowly, she walked over and picked it up before opening it. Like the first time she looked into it, once again the book was blank.

She closed the small book and closed her eyes.
"My God... What have I done?"

"What anyone else would have done."

Redheart gasped and opened her eyes at the sound of Death's voice. She turned around and saw him standing in the door way she had just came through, holding a red rose.
Before she could say anything to him, he turned and walked back into the hallway.

"Death! Wait Death!" She called and ran after him.

As soon as she left the room, expecting to see Death just outside, she saw him walking farther down the hall than expected. She was shocked at first but chased after him.

"Death!" She called out to him again as he turned a corner.

Redheart quickly ran to the corner and came to a door leading to a stairwell. Opening up the door, she looked down and saw no sight of him. She then heard the sound of a door closing a few levels above her.
Without delay, she ran up the stairs all the way to the top, which ended at the hospital's roof access door.

Redheart had to pause to take a break from all the running and catch her breath.
After a short moment, she pushed open the door and walked out, where she was greeted by an amazing view of Canterlot and the lands of Equestria below in the morning Sun.

She walked closer to the edge before looking around the roof for Death. She then turned around and saw him standing in front of a bench with his back towards her, on the opposite side of the hospital roof.

Redheart sighed great relief and started walking towards Death. As she got closer to Death, he turned slightly to the side and looked at Redheart, causing her to stop and freeze in fear.

For the first time in knowing him, it was at this moment he truly was Death.
She could see the outline of his dark cloak and sythe around him again, but this time looking into his eyes, she saw true Death.

They both stood still. Neither of them moving or making a sound until Redheart finally built up enough courage to begin slowly walking towards him.
Death continued to watch Redheart as she got closer until she finally came up to his side, he turned back towards the view.

Now that she was with him again, she didn't really know what to say to him.
"Death."

Death closed his eyes and sighed before speaking.
"I kill flowers too, Rose... You probably never thought about that... It's not just insects, people and animals, but also flowers, grass, trees... Everything that lives... Everything."

Redheart remained silent and listened to Death as he continued.

He reopened his eyes and looked down at the rose in his hand.
"The other day I saw a rose... like this one here... and for the first time in my existence I stopped and I thought to myself; My God, that is... beautiful... So beautiful... And I knew that I didn't want to kill it or anything... or anyone... I never wanted to kill anyone."

Redheart looked down when he finished. She knew that being Death must have been very hard for him. But she didn't know how hard.
She closed her eyes as tears fell from them.

Suddenly, Redheart felt a hand gently rub her cheek. She opened her eyes and looked up to Death who was wiping away her tears.

Death gently smiled at her as a single tear fell from his own eye.
"I have seen so much pain and loss for so long, Rose... So many tears I have watched fall for those I have taken... Never once have I seen them fall... for me."

Redheart wrapped her arms around Death and hugged him as her tears pored out for him.
He leaned down and hugged her tightly as he also cried.

Death leaned down his head to Redheart's and whispered into her ear.
"Thank you... so much."

After a short while, when there tears ceased, Redheart pulled away from Death and looked up to him.
"Death, I-"

He sighed and looked down to her.
"I know why you're here, Rose... I have seen."

"Death, I... need you... we need you to come back." She said.

"You don't know what you're asking for, Rose." He said.

"Yes I do, Death. I'm asking for you to come back. Life without you isn't a blessing, it's a curse. The world needs you back." She told him.

He shook his head.
"No Rose. The world needs you. Not me."

"Death-" He interrupted her.
"Yes. Death... That's what I am. What I've always been. Nothing more and nothing less... Well I'm tired of it Rose. I'm tired of this endless suffering and pain I personally bare witness to every second of the day of every year. All the ugliness I'm forced to watch and wait for until They tell me otherwise... I just can't take it anymore, Rose. I can't."

"Death, I understand how you must feel, but-" He interrupted her again.
"NO YOU DON'T! No one understands me, because no one has lived like me and they never will!
People will come and go always claiming to understand how another feels. How they understand the pain and suffering of another, but let me tell you, Rose, no one ever really does."

Redheart stared at him in shock and fear. This had been the first time she had seen him this way.

Death looked down and closed his eyes.
"You can't even begin to imagine what I go through. What I've seen... You wouldn't believe what people can do to people... And it's always the same way, every day all over the world. It never changes and it never ends... This... This isn't living."

Redheart looked down in shame. He was right. She didn't realize what she was asking of him.
"I'm sorry... I never knew what you go through."

He sighed.
"Now you do... Look Rose, I'm sorry... I rarely ever get mad, but... it has been very hard for me to give up what I was made for... I know that you mean well for others. You've always have, but you can't help me like them, Rose... No one can... You don't want me back."

Redheart reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Death... this isn't about what you, I or anyone wants. We don't have a choice in this matter. We never did... The world needs you back... I need you back."

He stared at her for a moment before looking down at the city below.
"One day off in the countless years I have walked the Earth and the whole world falls apart."

Redheart also looked down at the city below and saw thousands of ponies on the streets. The whole scene was complete chaos. As bad as it is here, she couldn't imagine what it's like elsewhere around the world.

Redheart took in a long breath and exhaled.
"Please Death... If you won't come back for me, then come back for them... End their suffering."

Death sighed and turned back to face her again.
"Tell me Rose, when was the last time you stopped to smell your namesake?"

She shook her head.
"Death, we do not have time for this."

"I think we do." He said.

She sighed and rubbed the back of her head.
"I don't know... Between Nursing school and Med school... Let's just say, it's been awhile."

Death smiled at Redheart and offered her his rose.
She looked at him for a moment before taking the flower and smelling it.

"Do you remember that smell?" He asked her.

She looked at the flower with a small smile as she answered.
"I remember."

"Life... It's a beautiful thing... A true miracle." Death said as he looked her in the eyes.
"Are you sure you want me back, Rose?"

She looked him in the eyes as well for what felt like eternity. She hadn't really thought that Death would give her the choice.

"I wanted you to stop before because I had believed that a world without you, would be beautiful and perfect... I believed so much that with no more Death, forever, I would finally be able to help others." She paused and looked down at her hands.
"But... a good friend of mine taught me that, sometimes we find that the best way to help others is to let them go."

Death smiled at her again.
"My dear Rose... You have helped so many people because you've never given up on anyone... Even me."

She gently took his wrist and placed the rose back in his hand.
"Come back, Death."

Death stared down at the rose for a long moment before closing his eyes and lifting the flower to his nose. He took in long slow breath and the rose quickly withered away.
Redheart took in a long breath and exhaled in relief.

Death sighed and looked towards the horizon.
"My book, please."

Redheart had almost forgotten that she was even carrying it. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled it out.

"Open it." He told her.

She stared at him in confusion for a moment, but complied. She opened the black leather book and was almost taken a back by the first name she saw at the top.

Dr. Rose R. Redheart.

"What is this?" She asked him.

"Exactly what it says." Death replied.

She frowned at him.
"This isn't funny, Death."

"No. It never is... They do have quite the sense of humor, don't They?" Death said as he took his book back.

"Look, there are people down there who nee- AHHHHH!" Redheart started before grabbing her head and screaming in pain as her head started ringing and felt like it was about to explode.

"Maybe you should sit down." Death told her.

She managed to lower herself down as her vision became blurry and the ringing in her ears got louder.
Just when she couldn't take it anymore, Death placed a hand on her shoulder and everything stopped.

"Feel better?" He asked her as she reopened her eyes.

Redheart felt strange. Almost weightless. Looking around, she saw that everything had lost it's color and was now in black, white and gray.

She slowly pushed herself up and began looking around.
"Actually, I do."

Redheart continued to look around before noticing that Death was still looking down. Following his gaze, Redheart gasped at what she saw.
It was her. Leaning back on the bench with closed eyes was Redheart.

She looked down at her hands which were now transparent.
"I don't understand. What-"

"Those headaches you were having... It was an aneurysm." Death explained.

Redheart was at a loss for words.
"How?... Why?"

"Your name was in the book, Rose... It's your time." He told her.

"But I'm only twenty-six. That's not fair... Thats-"

"Why I'm always depressed." Death finished for her.

"Is there no way you can change this? Just put me back and look the other way?" She asked him.

(Sigh) "I'm tempted... I'm really tempted, but... Only They can take you from me now." He told her.

Redheart closed her eyes for a moment before looking at herself. She looked so peaceful, as if she wasn't really dead. Only asleep.

Redheart breathed in and let out a long exhale.
"So this is what death looks like... No fear, no grief, no sorrow... Only peace... I suppose it's natural for the dead to be at peace."

"For some... but not all." Death said.

She turned to him.
"Death?"

"Dr. Lorne P. Blucross." He said.

Redheart's eyes widened in realization.
"Lorne, I...No."

Death placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You couldn't have known, Rose."

She looked down as a tear fell from her eye.
"I left him behind... Alone."

"Rose, you and I both know that there was nothing either of us could have done to change this... This is just how it is meant to be." He told her.

She looked down.
"I know, but... I just wish that things could have been different... I wish I had told him how I..."

"Tell me, Rose, who was Dr. Blucross to you?" Death asked.

Redheart smiled softly.
"Lorne, he... He was my friend and more than that... I love him... I wonder if he feels the same towards me."

"Trust me when I say that he loves you too, Rose. He always has." He said with a smile before looking down in shame.

"What is it, Death?" She asked.

"I had no right, Rose... No right to have taken away that happiness... If you choose me, then Lorne loses you." He looked away from her again.
"I wouldn't have chosen me."

"Maybe you wouldn't, but I did and I would do it again." Redheart told him.

He shook his head and chuckled.
"Well then, you would be the first, Rose. And probably the last... But thank you."

"I didn't know that this was so hard for you." She commented.

"It usually never is, but... you're different... You've changed my mind." He told her.

Redheart tilted her head.
"About what?"

He looked down at the withered rose in his hand for a moment before leaning down and placing it in her hair.
"I never once saw the beauty in death... Until now."

Redheart smiled fondly at Death and hugged him.
"Thank you, Death."

"No, Rose. Thank you." He said and returned the hug.

They both stayed like this for a few moments longer before Death pulled away.

"Well... Time to go." He said and turned around.

"Wait Death. There's just one more thing I have to know." Redheart said.

"Yes?" He asked, looking back to her.

She walked up to his side.
"That knife stab victim I treated in the ER yesterday, Jay Ferguson... Who really saved him? You or me?"

Death smirked at her.
"If you hadn't been in that room, Rose, he would have been in my book that night... But, I would be lying if I said that I didn't take my time with that one."

"Then I guess we both saved him." Redheart said.

Death looked down at his book for a moment before putting it in his coat.
"Heh. Now isn't that something?... Death saving life... Out of curiosity, how did it feel to have saved a life?"

Redheart smiled at Death.
"It felt good... Really good."

Death smiled at Redheart.
"Yes... I imagine it did."

Together, Heart and Death walked towards the light. Slowly and silently fading away from the world of the living.

The cool wind blew gently across the roof of Canterlot Guiding Light Memorial Hospital as the sound of singing birds filled the air.
The gentle autumn breeze blew off Redheart's cap, allowing her hair to flow freely in the soft wind and the morning light.

"Rose!... Rose!" Blucross called as he rushed up the stairs leading to the hospital's roof.

He was panting heavily as he ran up the stairs. He had been searching almost everywhere in the hospital for Redheart, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. Despite the chaos that was going on throughout the hospital, he wasn't about to give up his search for Rose.

A fellow doctor had told him a few minutes earlier that he thought he had seen Redheart heading towards the stairwell. So now here he was, pushing himself to exhaustion as he assended the stairs.

*She has to be here. She just has to.* Blucross thought to himself.

Blucross paused to catch his breath as he arrived at the last set of stairs. After a short rest, Blucross lightly jogged up to the roof and opened the door, where he was immediately blinded by the Sun's light.

Blucross shielded his eyes until they adjusted to the morning light outside. He walked outside with a raised hand as he looked around the roof.

"Rose!" He called.

Blucross walked towards the edge of the roof and looked down at the street below and saw that much of the chao and rioting had settled down some. But there was still panic and fires throughout the city.

He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes as he tried to calm himself down.
*Breath in. Count to four. Breath out. Count to four.*

Blucross relaxed as he felt the warm morning Sun on his face and the gentle autumn breeze blowing against his back.
He took in a deep breath of the cool air just as he felt something bump into his leg.

He opened his eyes and looked down to find Redheart's cap rolling around from the soft wind. He leaned down to pick it up and felt the wind change directions for a moment.

Blucross turned around and saw Redheart sitting down on a bench with her back to him at the opposite end of the roof.

"Rose. Thank God I found you." He said and walked towards her.
"I've been looking everywhere for you... I was so worried."

Redheart didn't respond or move as he approached her. She remained motionless with only her hair moving from the soft wind.

Blucross tilted his head as he stepped around the bench.
"Rose? Rose are you alright?"

He moved to stand in front of her and saw that her eyes were closed.

"Rose?" He called as he leaned down and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Rose, what-" He stopped when he felt her shoulder was limp.
"Rose!" He quickly sat at Redheart's side and grabbed a hold of her wrist.

Blucross's heart stopped and his eyes widened as everything around him slowed down when he felt no pulse.

He froze in shock as the realization slowly came to him.
"Oh my God." His eyes began to fill with tears as he held Redheart in his arms.
"Rose... No. Not you... Please Rose... Please don't leave me... Not now... Not alone."

The cool wind blew gently across the roof of Canterlot Guiding Light Memorial Hospital, as Blucross hugged and cried over his friend and colleague, Redheart, alone in the gentle autumn breeze and the morning light.

The true measure of a hero is that of a man who sacrifices himself for those who will never know.

Life and Death walk side by side. They are partners in the cycle of existence. Two sides of the same coin that in this life, cannot exist without the other.
If you do not believe me, just wait. In the end we all must walk that thin narrow road leading to the vail beyond.
So take a lesson from Dr. Rose R. Redheart. A mare who learned that no matter how hard we hope and struggle, Death comes to all. Sooner or later.

He smiles on us all. Sometimes all we can do is smile back.

Will you?

Author's Note

I would like to thank you everyone for reading my first short story based off of THE TWILIGHT ZONE: One Night At Mercy's.
I hope you enjoyed it. I am excited to hear what you all think.

This is an open expandable short story trilogy within my main story universe. If any of you would like me to continue another part to this, let me know.

Now for those of you who want to know why I haven't put out a new chapter for Unearthed, well that's because I moved and got a job.
Don't worry though. I will still be able to write on a regular basis. I promise to you all, this time I'm back and I have a new chapter almost ready for you all.

Thank you everyone for the support and your patience. As always, I will see you up ahead.