Author's Note

Please not too much hate. This is simply a story about grieving and I picked the characters I personally saw fit best.
I'm writing to cope with my own grief at the moment.

Thank you for reading.

Sudden Loss

Chapter 1 - Sudden Loss

WARN: Childbirth, bleeding

Falling in love with someone is dangerous, because they are not going to be with us forever. Even if the relationship does not end, they will leave us behind. When they do leave the realm of the living, they are still in a way with us.

***

It is a little after midnight on a late summer night. It was a calm night as most people were asleep. However, Twilight Sparkle sat on the side of a bed in a hospital delivery room whimpering in pain. She was tired, only sleeping for a few hours after arriving at the hospital earlier that evening. She was awakened by labor pains, contractions now only a few minutes apart, and had not slept since.

Timber Spruce, her husband, stood holding onto Twilight as her head was buried deep in his chest. He was a sentinel of support against her suffering. His heart clenched at the mixture of helplessness and deep concern with which each cry of pain escaped her throat, muffled by his chest. Her arms wrapped around his waist, squeezing him tightly. As he watched her struggle, his anguish mounted with each passing second.

"Is she going to be okay?" Timber's voice shook with concern as he turned pleadingly to the attending midwife.

She smiled warmly. "She'll be fine. These moments frighten new fathers too."

Timber nodded, though his concern still came across like a shadow in his heart. When Twilight's pain briefly subsided, she released tight holds and looked up at Timber.

"I'm fine," she whispered, with a gentle smile. "I just… need to get through this."

Timber's heart ached with the desire to ease Twilight of her suffering. He pressed a soft kiss to her head. "I wish I could take it all away." he whispered to her.

"Don’t worry too much, please. I won't be like this for long…" Twilight muttered. “The twins will arrive soon and I can't wait to finally meet them."

"Neither can I." Timber smiled warmly.

“Ooh, they’re going to love the nursery we set up for them.” Twilight squealed with joy. She continued to speak to distract herself from her current situation. “The lamp that makes stars go around the room and plays music box nursery rhymes…they’re going to love that…”

Timber held onto both of Twilight’s hands, one of them having an IV needle injected. “You play that lamp in our room already. I think you’re the one who loves it.” he teased in his usual humorous tone.

Twilight padded his bicep. “Nah, it’s for them to stop kicking around in there!” She clarified.

Timber smirked and inched closer to his wife’s face. “They’re just excited to meet you, Twi.”

Twilight grinned, placing her IV hand on Timber’s face. They stared into each other with loving eyes. Their faces started to get closer together, until another wave of pain washed away their tender moment. Twilight winced and grunted, squeezing Timber's shoulders as hard as she could. He winced in sympathy as his heart broke at her obvious distress. It was going to be a long night.

4AM

"Just a few more!" the midwife called out. "You're doing a great job!"

"Come on, Twi. Hang in there!" Timber called to his wife.

Twilight didn't know how much she had in her. She had become very deprived of energy and was desperate to gather as much strength as she had. Her bangs were pasted to her sweaty forehead as she panted heavily. As soon as she was ready, she mustered up her strength to let out another push. She squeezed Timber's hand so tightly, her writs shook. She arched her neck back as more tears fell down the sides of her face.

"You got it, you got it!" She heard the midwife call. “Great job!”

Twilight stopped her push and caught her breath. She panted as her tear-filled eyes opened, looking up at Timber. “I’m tired…honey…” she whimpered.

“I know, I know…” Timber said soothingly as he massaged her shoulder. “It will be all over soon!”

"One more, you're doing a great job!" The midwife called to her.

Gathering her last reserves of strength, she grasped Timber's hand with one and the bedpost with the other. She summoned all her energy for this last final push, letting out a sharp cry.

"It's a girl!" the midwife exclaimed and placed the newborn that was wrapped in a blanket in Timber's arms. One of the aiding nurses cleared the baby's airways and then an ear-piercing cry echoed through the room. Once the umbilical cord was cut, Timber lowered the baby closer to Twilight's side.

"Look, Twi…" he said, "It's a girl…"

Turning her head slowly to her side, Twilight faced her crying baby. "Hello, beautiful!" she said, her voice raspy, as she touched her daughter's cheek with a finger. "It's great to meet you, sweetheart. I'm Mommy…"

The baby girl had already started to calm down after hearing her mother's voice. Twilight barely managed to lift her head a little and placed a tender kiss on her daughter's forehead. She looked up at Timber—smiling through the exhaustion in her eyes. "She's so beautiful." She spoke softly.

Timber smiled and looked down at his newborn daughter as she whimpered in his arms. Her skin color was very much like his and her hair was dark blue with a lavender and green stripe. “She is.” He agreed. “And I know she's also going to be smart…just like you.”

Twilight managed together out a small, weak chuckle. “And I know she's going to be strong…just like yo--”

This exchange was interrupted as she felt the second baby starting to come. She gritted her teeth as the pain once again overtook her. She just had to get through this for a little while longer.

Timber grasped Twilight's hand as he held his daughter in his other arm. In the eight years he knew Twilight, he never saw her this distressed. She looked like she was being tortured. It was a sight that was heartbreaking to bear.

Twilight took a break from her labor to catch her breath. She looked at Timber with depleted eyes, softening her grip on his hand. "I can't…" Twilight whimpered as she hyperventilated. “I can’t stay awake…”

"It's almost over twilight!" Timber exclaimed. "You CAN do this. Our little girl is about to have a brother or sister any second now."

Once it was time, Twilight gripped the side of the bed as her other hand gripped her husband's. She felt the pain ripping through her once again, letting out a sharp cry. More tears streamed down her face. The pain didn't just feel much worse this time pushing; she had no energy left.

"Help! Please!" She cried out. She desperately wanted it to be over.

“Almost there!” the midwife called.

“You're okay, Twilight! You're okay!” Timber begged frantically.

Twilight squeezed Timber’s entire wrist as she silently grunted through her teeth, giving her all to bring her child to the world. As she caught her breath, her vision was blurred from her tear filled eyes. She felt the exhaustion spread over her, losing the ability to stay awake.

"You're going to be a very good mom." The midwife encouraged her. “We just need one more push and this will finally be over.”

Twilight gathered the little strength that she had left, which was now not so much, and gave it all to this last push.

"It's a boy!" Called the midwife.

The aiding nurse cleared the baby’s airways and he let out a loud, high-pitched cry. He was placed on Twilight’s chest, and a small blanket covered him. Twilight wrapped both her arms around the crying baby to comfort him, the pain once again fading as she was happy to see her son.

"Hello little man." Twilight spoke in between breaths. “There, there. It’s okay. I’m here.”

The baby began to calm down at the sound of his mother’s voice, similar to his sister. The newborn boy had light blue skin and his hair was dark emerald with green streaks. Twilight gave her son a kiss on his forehead. She then looked up at Timber with an expression of happiness and exhaustion. "They're here…" she panted, lifting an arm to once again touch her daughter's head. “They’re finally here…”

"You did it, Twilight!" Timber beamed. He looked down at the whimpering babies. "You see that, kids? Mommy is amazing."

Twilight smiled softly, happily knowing that her children arrived safely. Despite having her glasses on, Twilight could barely see Timber speak, as her vision began to blur and darken around the edges. His voice sounded muffled and distant, along with the other people in the room. She struggled to keep her eyelids open as they felt to be getting heavier and heavier.

“I …love my family…” Twilight muttered, her voice was barely audible. Her eyes started to close. Then, Twilight’s body went completely limp as she passed out. The hand that was on her daughter’s head fell beside her.

“Twilight…?” Timber called as he noticed Twilight’s still body. He shook her gently, but she was completely unresponsive. "Twilight! Twilight, honey?!"

"She's bleeding out," the midwife told the doctor that was present. The medical team went to Twilight’s aid and the delivery room was suddenly in a scurry.

Timber's heart sank, and his eyes widened in panic; he looked down at Twilight, her face pale and eyes closed, completely unconscious. Timber noticed red pooling beneath her, and waves of terror crashed over him.

"Mr. Spruce, we need you to step out, please," one of the nurses said, her tone urgent yet gentle.

"What's going on?!" Timber's voice was frantic as his daughter was removed from his arms. "What's happening to her? Please, tell me she's going to be okay!"

"We are doing our very best to help her," the nurse said, her words barely piercing through the rising panic of Timber while she led him out of the room.

His gaze stuck to Twilight as an oxygen mask was placed on her face. At that moment, Timber knew at this point, Twilight wasn't fighting to stay awake, she was fighting to stay alive. His mind could not wrap around the thought of what was about to transpire. Was he about to lose his wife? Were the newborn's about to lose their mother? Unable to witness anymore, he quickly turned, allowing the nurse to continue walking him out of the room. “Please don’t die on us, Twi…” He muttered to himself.

The doors swung shut behind him, cutting him off from the rush of medics scrambling to save Twilight. He stood there in the corridor, shaking, the sterile walls closing in on him as the weight of his helplessness crushed down upon him.

***

He stood there, motionless, in that sterile hospital corridor, his eyes locked onto his right hand, still throbbing from earlier when Twilight had been grasping it rather strongly, her hands clutching his with all her might, her cries still fresh in his mind. It had to be some time around 5 a.m. in the morning—the world was still as the sun was rising.

It had been around forty-five minutes since Timber was ushered out of the delivery room. He heard footsteps come echoing down the hallway, and he saw the doctor who was taking care of Twilight approach him. Timber's gut sank at the sight of the sorrowful look in his face.

"Is…is she okay?" Timber's voice trembled.

The doctor took a slight inhale before speaking softly, "You might want to sit down, Mr. Spruce."

A cold dread settled into his stomach as he lowered himself into one of the chairs that ringed the hallway. The world seemed to blur around him, all focus narrowing onto the doctor's next words.

"I'm so sorry…" the doctor began, his voice heavy with regret. "We lost her."

It was as if Timber was hit by a freight train at full speed. He could only stare at the doctor with a look of dread and disbelief. "W-what?" His speech sounded more a gasp of disbelief than a question. “H-how..?”

The doctor continued, calm but serious, "She had a severe hemorrhage, likely from delivering the second baby, who is slightly larger than his sister. We did everything we could but we were unable to get the bleeding stopped in time."

“No, no, no.” He muttered wildly. “She's okay. she HAS to be okay.”

The doctor looked at Timber as his own heart ached for the man in front of him. "Mr. Spruce, we—"

Timber interrupted, desperation in his voice, "This isn't real. None of this is really happening. It can't be." He looked up with the deepest dred painted in his eyes at the doctor. "She's just asleep, right? She'll wake up soon, and everything will be fine."

He sighed deeply, his face a picture of sorrow. "We did everything to save her. She's being taken to the morgue as we speak. They'll be in contact with you regarding burial options open to you."

The words the doctor was saying felt so unreal. Timber kept his head in his hands, struggling to process the devastating reality that Twilight was gone and he was left to navigate a future without her.

"The twins are healthy and are just fine." The doctor continued. "We'll be keeping them monitored in the nursery for a few days, and they can be brought home on Thursday."

He noticed Timber was not responding. He bent over, laying a hand on Timber's shoulder. "My deepest condolences go out to you and your family, Mr. Spruce. I know this is incredibly difficult to process."

His eyes dropped to the floor as the words from the doctor continued to smack him down "I-I have t-to go." he stammered. His voice shook as much as his body did. "I can't be here right now."

The doctor wanted to say something that would console him but held back. He had seen this hundreds of times—the minute the realization crushes one down due to the loss of a loved one. Of course, the reaction Timber displayed was nothing new.

The scraping of the chair on the floor broke the sudden silence when Timber got up. He felt his legs weakening and his body started shaking. "I cannot be here right now," he said, and to him, saying it out loud might make things easier to get through.

Without another word, Timber frantically rushed down the empty hallway. The doctor looking back at him with sympathetic eyes. He shoved open the door to the stairwell; the cold metal handle held him in place for a moment. Then he was quickly walking down the stairs, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the empty space. The whirring of the floors barely registered in his mind, which was a jumbled mess.

He finally burst out into the main lobby and into the open air. The early summer morning warmth hit him like a wave, well in contrast to the sterile coldness of the hospital. He looked up at the sky, where the twilight colors were mixing together, painfully reminding him of Twilight's hair. As if in response, a shooting star streaked across the horizon in a fleeting glimmer in the dim light.

The calmness in Timber snapped. He tossed his head back up to the sky and wailed, his voice echoing into the night.

"TWILIGHT! COME BACK!"

But the world around him remained silent. It felt like a cruel joke to see stillness at the start of this morning, an utterly insensitive observer of his pain. He stood there silently staring at the horizon as a new day would start without her.