13. Acceptance

Fluttershy opened her eyes nervously to the sight of brown leaves silently floating down all around her. Being pulled down into the tangle of plant was the memory fresh in her mind, and very upsetting to say the least. Now, it seemed to be nothing more than a pile of withered vines and leaves. To her surprise, Twilight was slumped right beside her, which did explain the extra weight she felt around her. Leaves went everywhere again as Rarity fell from above, causing both ponies to jump in fright.

"Oops, sorry. I lost my grip, not to say you're heavy, actually you're pretty light. But you didn't really say just how bright that spell would be." Twilight did notice that Rainbow Dash was unusually apologetic to Rarity, even for dropping her by accident. Rarity had enough trouble in trying to get back up from the impact to take notice. Applejack finally freed herself from the limp vines to join the rest in the clearing. Some of the apple trees had been singed too, but it was a small cost in comparison to getting rid of the terrible plant creature.

"You ponies alright? That there was one of the most wild things I've ever come across. You did pretty good Rarity, might I say." Dash settled down beside Rarity to help keep her steady. Applejack was quite right, while she had acted like her usual self at first, the way she stood up to the plant was pretty awesome. And neither of the ponies swallowed by the plant were hurt, that was the really important part.

"How did you stop it Rarity? I hoped that you'd be able to at least hurt it, but you pretty much wiped it out completely, that level of magic is incredible for one without training like me." There was no response for a moment, as Rarity still couldn't maintain her balance. A constant throbbing in her head, centred on her horn, made it impossible to concentrate on anything for more than a few seconds.

"I don't quite know. My head hurts too much to think..." This time when she passed out, it was a dizzy slump to the ground. Rainbow Dash was quick to make sure she was still breathing. The faint movement of her chest was a relief to see, but the way she had collapsed without any obvious warning had her scared.

"She landed on the leaves when I dropped her, and we weren't that high anyway. I'm sure of it!" Twilight rested her hoof on Dash's shoulder to try and reassure her. There was definitely something going on, Rainbow Dash had always remained calm and confident when one of them was in trouble. Now she seemed close to panicking over Rarity's state.

"Fluttershy can go with you to notify the hospital. AJ and I will get her back to the barn in the meantime." Fluttershy did her best to comfort Rainbow Dash as well, before they both took off to get help. Pinkie Pie had taken the initiative in pulling together a makeshift stretcher, out of dead branches and the convenient abundance of vines. "I'll notify Celestia once she's in good hooves, for now we should try and keep her head cool."

*

Rarity found herself waking in a hospital bed. Her horn was still throbbing from pain, but it no longer caused her head to spin uncontrollably. She jumped briefly as her focus returned; all of her friends were there in the room. From what she could tell, all were fine and unhurt, a great relief to see. For a moment, she began to sit up in order to greet them properly, the lack of balance following drew their attention back.

"Easy Rarity, take it slowly. The doctor's say that you put quite a strain on your magic there, and it's taking its toll. The spell you used was really intense, and you haven't had the necessary training for that level of spell. It'll take time to recover." Rarity nodded slowly as Twilight eased her back. The reassurance wasn't all positive, but it was far better than hearing something like the spell burned her horn out altogether.

"I'll be without magic for a while then, assume..." She relied on her magic for the quality of her work; confirmation of those worries would be a real blow. The look on the attending nurse's face was enough. That settled it then. Simple things like preparing food and doing stitching wouldn't be hampered too much, but the more important tasks like full dress design would be delayed. Magic served as her extra pair of hooves.

On an impulse, she glanced over at the table beside the bed. Her dressmaking glasses, a gesture she appreciated. Despite her initial behaviour, they all cared enough to take time and consider her comfort. Underneath the glasses was a small note, one that she felt was the sort best read in private. Silence had fallen across the room by then. And rather surprisingly, she found herself feeling rather sleepy, made evident by a small yawn.

"We'll give you some time to rest then Rarity. Take care of yourself." Applejack replaced her prized hat on her head before leaving, followed gradually by the other ponies. It wouldn't be fair of her to expect them to stay with her at all; they had their own lives too. Twilight especially, she had already given up so much of her valuable time to help out in her busy times. Eventually, only Rainbow Dash remained. Unlike the others however, she didn't seem to be intent on leaving yet, casually glancing at the note beside Rarity instead.

It was a subtle hint, but she didn't need more than that to get it. Reaching for the note caused a moment of dizziness, which passed by the time she brought it into reading distance. I'm sorry that I've been so rough with you lately. Before, I just wasn't sure how serious you really were about our relationship, now I feel pretty stupid for doubting you at all. Just don't hesitate to ask anything, we're cool through and through now. Rarity glanced above the note at a now somewhat uneasy Rainbow Dash, before placing the note back in its original place. Such a considerate offer, from one who often held herself in high esteem.

"Thank... Thank you, Rainbow Dash. I really do appreciate the offer, so long as it isn't intruding on your time. I do have a lot of work that I don't think I will be able to keep up with now, if you're capable of handling my dressmaker's attitude." The uneasiness passed; soon Dash was standing beside the bed to rest her hoof on Rarity's shoulder. She had definitely changed recently, though this was the biggest change by far.

"I promised you I'd try to make this work, and after you pushed your magic to the limit to save everyone, I'm taking that seriously. They say you'll be ready to go home in an hour, I told them that I'd take care of you at home. I never did thank you properly for taking care of me on that night, so it's no big deal." The nurse came back into the room as if to confirm her previous statement.

"We've done all the necessary tests; this is something that will just need time to recover from. You can go home now if you feel up to it, otherwise we'll release you in the morning." A brief glance passed between the unicorn and the pegasus. She didn't feel too bad, save for the constant pain and imbalance. With Rainbow Dash to support her too, she could probably get home without even needing a wheelchair.

"Alright, I wouldn't want to take up a bed from other ponies who need it more than I do." Getting out of bed proved to be the start of the journey itself. Each shuffle towards the edge of the bed upset her horn, causing another bout of sickness. But Rarity continued on, she had friends who would support her, one right there for her now. Afterwards a visit to the palace wouldn't be out of place. If Celestia knew of some way to heal her pain, or perhaps even prevent a similar incident in future, then it would be well worth it.

The edge of the bed brought her thoughts back into how she would actually get down. Leaning too much made her eyes spin giddily. Worry continued to build as she started to slide from gravity alone, too fast for her head to adjust properly. In that moment, it felt like she would miss her footing completely, and land on her other side. Instead, she found Rainbow Dash there to keep her steady, her wing wrapped tightly over her back.

"It's okay, I got you covered. Just take it slow and we'll get you home, I promise. And try not to break out into song while you're at it." Walking with her was tedious and slow, definitely not what Dash liked at all. But this wasn't about her, or about speed and agility. Rarity wasn't trying to impress anyone, just doing what needed to be done, and she had suffered for that. Nopony could disrespect that in their right mind.

Going from the hospital to the Carousel proved to be a learning experience for both of them. While neither had been comfortable about being so close in public before, the reality proved to be far better than what they imagined. Ponies didn't turn heads, or whisper to their friends. There were no sounds of disapproval or confusion. If anything, there was concern for Rarity's poor state of health, and admiration that Dash was helping her.

Neither separated until Rarity was carefully lifted into bed. "Anything you need, just ask. I'll just hang out downstairs in the meantime, catch up on some reading and all." Before that, she made her way towards the window. "I think Ponyville's cool with us. Which is nice, I guess." Rarity had fallen asleep by then, which made Dash smile to herself. It was one wild day, admittedly not as wild as others she recalled, but it was definitely one to remember.