Thundering smacks hailed above her as she lay on the uncomfortable bed. She whimpered, rubbing her head with one of her hooves. As her nose began to tickle, she clenched her eyes shut. “A-CHOO!” Blackened snot drizzled out. Wiping it away with her foreleg, she felt the caked black crust around her nostrils.

Sitting up, she reached over to a clinical bedside table, plucking a tissue from the box on top. She blew her nose, sniffling as she pulled it away. She let the thing drop to the grassy floor below, not caring what happened to it.

As somepony came near, she snapped her ears from the racket outside. “Hey, kid,” Rainbow greeted with a smile and a single tray balanced on one hoof. “Got some grub. You hungry?”

She felt a wave of nausea flow over her. The thought of having to swallow more disgusting, flavorless slop was almost unbearable. She bit her lip, glancing over at Silver Spoon. “Uhm, sis?” she responded, wearily. “I… I don’t… Can I ask you something?”

Rainbow nodded, an understanding look on her face. “Alright,” she encouraged. “Shoot.”

“W-Well, I, uh…” Scootaloo stumbled on her words as anxiety set in. She glanced at Silver again, her eyes catching on the tube up her friend’s nose. Even though Silver said it didn’t hurt that much, it still made her cringe. “Uhm… m-mh…”

“You still not up to eating, kid?” Rainbow asked softly, frowning.

Looking off to the side, regretting she brought it up. Scootaloo bit her lip, replying, “M-Maybe…”

There was a small pause before Rainbow said, “Kid, I think it’s time to get you a feeding tube.” Although silence returned, Scootaloo’s eyes looked up at her, large and watery. “Tell you what. From what I hear, Fluttershy can get it in without you feeling anything at all. How about I go fetch her so she can set it up?”

“But…” Feeling cornered, Scootaloo searched for an excuse. “But that’ll interrupt her lunchtime,” she concluded, her voice cracking.

Rainbow gave a small, reassuring smile. “She wouldn’t mind,” she said softly. More silence followed. Placing the tray down at the foot of the bed, she stepped over to the side of the bed and leaned on it to get to her eye level. Stroking Scootaloo’s mane, Rainbow continued, “Look, kid, just trust me. I promise it won’t hurt, okay?”

Awkward silence came between the two again. Finally, Scootaloo suggested, “H-How about before dinner time? T-That way, I won’t interrupt anything.”

Staring into her sister’s wide eyes, Rainbow whispered, “Scoot, you can’t just keep starving yourself. You need to eat.”

“I know…” Scootaloo muttered. Her stomach gurgled. She grimaced. A bitter flavor stained her tongue and throat. “I’m just… I’m just-”

“You’re scared of it, right?” Rainbow concluded. Her sister’s face blushed. “Hey, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, okay?” Looking outside, she bit her lip and exhaled. “Okay, fine,” she said, her eyes moving back to Scootaloo. “I’ll… I’ll let you skip lunch, but we’re getting that tube in later, okay?”

All Scootaloo could manage was a nod, her pride deflated. “I’ll see you soon, kid,” Rainbow said, pecking her on the forehead. She watched as Rainbow picked up the tray and left.

As Scootaloo thanked her lucky stars, a frustrated growl came from the left. Turning her head, she saw her gray bedmate staring up at the tent ceiling. “Oh, hey Silver,” Scootaloo greeted. “Didn’t realize you were awake.” Shifting to a more comfortable position, she continued. “What’s up?”

“Don’t know. Haven’t seen the sky in a while,” Silver joked in a flat, agitated tone. She looked over to Scootaloo. “What would I be doing anyway? There’s nothing to do here! Like, seriously, could they not have given us at least some entertainment?”

“I mean, it’s not their job to. Heck, they probably couldn’t even fit any with all the beds and stuff,” Scootaloo suggested chuckling. “Hey, how about we make our own entertainment?”

“How? We’re stuck in our beds, aching and feeling nauseous, and we don’t have anything to play with. No dolls, no board games, not even a pen and paper,” Silver moped.

“Oh come on. Don’t be like that,” Scootaloo scolded. “We don’t need things to have fun! We can… uh… play Eye Spy! Yeah! Eye spy with my little eye something…” Scootaloo scanned the room, looking for something. “Blue!”

Silver glanced at the room, uninterested. “Is it that foal vomiting onto his blanket?” she asked sarcastically, pointing at a blue colt. Looking over, Scootaloo saw a stallion trying to clean the blackened puke off the colt’s bedsheet.

Cringing, Scootaloo glared at the colt who was too distracted to notice. “Not helping me, dude,” she spitefully muttered. Turning back to Silver, she hastily thought of another thing. “Uh, what about we play Two Truths and a Lie?”

Scrunching her blanket, Silver spat, “I feel awful, we’re going to die in a week or two, and I’m an alicorn. Guess which one’s the lie.”

Frowning, Scootaloo questioned, “Are you… mad at me?”

Silver’s ears perked up. “N-No! Not at all,” she exclaimed, thrown by Scootaloo’s question. “I-I’m just…” Swallowing the knot in her throat, she continued in a softer tone. “I’m not feeling well today. That’s all.” She moved her eyes back to the blanket. “I… I’m sorry for being so rude.”

“It’s alright,” Scootaloo assured. She waited for a response, but none came. “Would you like to talk about it?”

A bittersweet smile faded onto Silver’s lips. “Where would I even start?” Tears began trickling down to the blanket below them. “Everything’s been so awful lately.” She locked eyes with Scootaloo again, asking, “W-Where should I start?”

“Just start with whatever you think of first,” Scootaloo suggested.

Taking a moment to think, Silver finally replied, “I-I thought I was going to follow my wildest dreams. I was going to find somepony I love, go to one of those big universities, get an expensive penthouse in a big city, start up a restaurant that would get scores of high-class patrons every day… B-But now…”

Scootaloo shook her head. “Wasn’t there some saying about a fat mare we learned in school?”

“It isn’t over till the fat mare sings?” Silver suggested.

“That’s it! It isn’t over yet! Who knows? Maybe they’ll find some kind of cure and we’ll get to go home,” Scootaloo chipperly exclaimed.

“Yeah right,” Silver moped. “There’s no way they’ll find a cure before we’re gone. Just face it. We’re done for.”

“You never know,” Scootaloo reminded. “Crazier things have happened here in Ponyville.”

Silver looked off to the side. “Maybe… Still, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to go home anymore.”

“W-What?” Scootaloo asked, eyes widening. “But you just said-”

“That was before everything went downhill,” Silver explained. “Now, mother and father hate each other, and my only friend is dead,” she cried, tears cascading down her face. “Now I’m all alone and I’ll never get to follow my dreams.”

It felt like somepony had just punched her in the gut. The bluntness of Silver’s reply left her speechless for a moment. Scootaloo wanted to give her teary-eyed friend a hug, but she was too far away to reach.

“Silver, you aren’t alone,” Scootaloo corrected caringly. “Look, I know it isn’t a replacement for Diamond, but you’ve still got me. And if we do survive, maybe we can have a sleepover with the other Crusaders.”

Raising an eyebrow, Silver asked, “W-Why would you invite someone like me? I-I’m not a Crusader.”

Chuckling, Scootaloo replied, “You don’t have to be a Crusader just to hang out with us. But, if you do wanna join, we’d be glad to have you!”

Finally, Silver’s crying began to ease up, though her sorrow still stained her face. “You wouldn’t want somepony like me. I’m an idiot.”

“Why would you say that?” Scootaloo asked, tilting her head sideways.

“Because I am,” Silver muttered. Seeing Scootaloo wasn’t satisfied, she continued, “Look, I… I got sick because I did something stupid, okay?”

“What did you do?” Scootaloo asked, curiosity peaked.

“Well…”

***

The light drizzle tickled Rainbow’s neck as she walked toward the picknick spot Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie had set up. The location was under a large tree that was fairly close to the main tent and food prep tent, so luckily, she wouldn’t be drenched by the time she arrived.

She spotted the tree without trouble, her friends already digging into their lunches. Rainbow smiled as Pinkie’s eyes locked on her. Opening her wings, she flew the rest of the way over, landing in between Applejack and Pinkie. “Hey,” she greeted.

Pinkie beamed, exclaiming, “Dashie! You’re back,” with a chunk of half-chewed blueberry muffin still in her mouth.

Scratching the back of her neck, Rainbow awkwardly chuckled. “Hehe. Sorry about being so late,” she apologized.

“Oh, it’s alright,” Fluttershy’s timid voice assured. “Actually, we only started eating a minute ago. W-We thought you weren’t coming, since your sister… well… We thought you would be too busy taking care of her to come and eat with us.”

“About that,” Rainbow began, looking off in the direction of the tent she just left. “Fluttershy, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m gonna need your help after lunch.”

Fluttershy gasped, covering it with her forehoof. Stunned, she asked, “Y-You need my help?”

Rainbow choked back tears as the picture of her sweet little sister withering away entered her mind. Turning back to her shy friend, she meekly asked, “Can you put a feeding tube in Scoot for me?”

There was a small pause before Rainbow continued, “She isn’t eating because she’s nauseous, but she’s too scared to let me install it. I figured if you did it instead of me, she’d feel more comfortable, since you’re so gentle…” Her voice trailed, and she felt her heart sink. Unlike me, she thought.

“Oh, well, um, I-I suppose I could,” Fluttershy agreed, faintly blushing. “D-Do you need me to install it now, or…”

“After lunch’ll be great,” Rainbow informed, shoving her sorrow and guilt to the back of her mind. “I just need to-”

“Darlings!” A regal, snobby voice entered Rainbow’s ears. She didn’t need to even look to know who it was. “So, so, SO sorry for being late,” the mare apologized insincerely. “I was just having the worst of luck trying to find my umbrella.”

Tipping her hat while nodding, Applejack greeted, “Glad ya could make it, Rares.”

Rainbow ground her teeth as Rarity sat down. “I am too,” Rarity concurred. “It’s been ages since we’ve had one of our picknicks together; what with this foul disease and all.”

Rainbow felt her blood pressure rise. “Right?” Pinkie chipperly agreed. “I mean, I can’t even remember last time.”

Now Rainbow’s blood was beginning to boil. “But didn’t we do this two weeks ago?” Fluttershy timidly asked, hiding behind her mane.

“Has it only been that long?” Rarity asked, tapping her chin gently with her pristine white hoof. Shrugging it off, she casually suggested, “Perhaps the hectic work just made it feel longer.”

Her left eyelid twitched, her lid about to burst. Two weeks ago. It really only felt like a few days ago. At least, to her. After all, that was the day before her sister got sick. The day before her sister would be doomed to wither away on a hospital bed. And all of it was because of that mare.

“Time certainly does pass slower if one is overworked, wouldn’t you say?” Rarity asked.

“Slower?” Rainbow mumbled. She was unable to hold back her tears any longer. She snapped her eyes up to meet Rarity’s, giving a wavering, hurt smile. “You gotta be kidding me.”

Rarity’s eyes widened, seeing Rainbow’s anger. “Since that day, I’ve had to watch as my sister in pain, day after day,” Rainbow seethed. “I’ve seen her lose her entire life thus far. It feels like it’s all gone by in a flash.”

“Rainbow, I-”

“NO,” Rainbow shouted, cutting Rarity off. At this point, there was no smile. Only an angry scowl. She stood up, closing her eyes. “If you had just watched them…”

Rainbow took in a deep breath. Her eyes snapped wide open, glaring down at Rarity, and she shouted at the top of her lungs, “SHE WOULDN’T BE DYING!”

Burning hot tears trickled down Rainbow’s cheeks, her face flush. “S-She’s dying because of YOU,” she cried, her voice cracking.

Rainbow felt her anger beginning to eat her up inside. Before anypony could say anything, she turned around and began running away from the tree, leaving her friends to sit there, slack jawed.

As she made it back to where the main tent was, the rain began to fall down harder, soaking her mane and coat. She could only imagine how loud it must’ve been for the foals, with their heightened hearing.

When she approached the tent, her tears had slowed and, so to, did her anger cool. Before entering the tent, she decided to toss what remained of her lunch, which she had snatched before she ran away.

Thankfully, the dumpsters were on the left side of the tent on the outside. As she approached them, her ear caught Scootaloo’s voice.

“Why would you say that?” Scootaloo’s voice asked. The tent walls were thin, meaning Rainbow was able to hear them fairly clearly, but with how loud the rain was, they couldn’t hear her.

“Because I am,” a slightly whiny sounding voice stated. Silver’s, no doubt. There was a small pause before the filly continued, “Look, I… I got sick because I did something stupid, okay?”

Rainbow stared down at the dumpster, ready to drop her trash in. But, for some reason, she found herself just listening in on her sister’s conversation.

“What did you do?” Scootaloo’s voice asked, sounding intrigued.

“Well…” There was another small pause before Silver answered. “I snuck out of the house.” Rainbow heard shuffling behind the wall of the curtain. “I was so bored and lonely, and I just wanted to talk to somepony again. And not my parents. All they do is fight. So, I snuck out… you can piece together the rest.”

To be honest, the story coming from Silver wasn’t all that uncommon. In fact, sneaking out was the leading cause of the spread. Still, Rainbow understood where Silver was coming from.

“That’s not so bad,” Scootaloo assured. Although Rainbow couldn’t see what was going on, she could tell Silver wasn’t convinced. “Sure is a lot less dumb than how I caught it.”

Rainbow’s ears perked up. “Yeah right,” Silver said.

“It is! In fact, I’ll tell you how I caught it! …if you promise not to tell anypony, that is.”

She wanted to intervene. She wanted to tell her sister that nothing was her fault, and that it was all Rarity’s, but curiosity got the better of Rainbow. Instead of cutting in, she just listened.

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Silver whispered loudly, probably trying to make sure Scootaloo heard her over the rain.

Yet another defining pause came, but only for a few seconds. Then, the truth came out.

Everything seemed to click together, like a twisted jigsaw puzzle. Nopony had noticed her enter nor did they notice her leave. It sounded crazy, but it made sense. The why, the how, it was all answered.

In that moment, standing there silently, hurt and seething with rage, Rainbow began seeing only red.

Author's Note

Well, it's been a while, but I managed to finish up this chapter. Stay tuned for the (eventual) release of the next, and thank you all so very much for continuing to read this story!