Truth

"Twilight! Come along, quick!"

If there was one thing she hated, it would be ponies destroying the immaculacy of her books. But if there could be another most hated thing, it'd be said ponies bursting in while she was busy on a project, especially if said project involved naptime. Nevertheless, she jumped to her hooves and set to follow Applejack who had already taken a headstart out of the library. "What's going on?" she asked after catching up.

"It's Rainbow Dash," Applejack answered between panted breaths. "They said she's at the clinic, really urgent."

"What? No, this shouldn't have happened... it can't have." As no reply came, Twilight decided it was best to save her breath for running.

Ponyville wasn't a city by any means, but its size was still apparent when running from one end to another. But she couldn't give in now. Her mind went nearly blank as they ran past one pony after the other, burning only with the thought that forced her to push on. It only recuperated once they were right outside the clinic and she was allowed a second's break. In that exact moment when her mind returned, it brought along the idea of using a teleportation spell which would've saved both of them a lot of time and effort, but it didn't matter anymore. Applejack led her through the corridors and announced them, "There. Brought her as fast I could," as she passed through the door.

From the outside, it looked like just yet another hospital room. Next to the bed, a card stood on the bedside table. The lamps on the tiled ceiling illuminated a lone picture hanging on the white walls right where the patient's viewpoint would be. Four ponies sat in various locations around the bed. Most notably of all was Pinkie Pie, leaning on the edge and constantly murmuring. On the inside however, it gave a feeling of lifelessness, as everything was in perfect order like the cleaner staff would leave it. It filled Twilight with a murky feeling, as if she'd been in this exact room before. The only indicators that there was somepony using the room were found in and around the bed, in the form of a mare surrounded by gadgets with varying shapes and functions.

Once the information passed through her brain, she rushed to see Rainbow for herself. Centered against the wall, the pegasus lay covered under white sheets, deathly pale but, according to a rhythmic beeping, still alive. Her forelegs were speckled with bandages. A blood transfusion led under one of them. "What in the heavens happened to you?" Twilight breathed, straining to keep her composure.

"Cloud Chaser caught her falling from her house, bleeding and unconscious. They say the worst is over but also that we can only know for sure when she comes back," Rarity said from behind. She didn't seem to up for much conversation though, as she then returned to lightly stroking the crying Fluttershy's mane and cooing into her ears.

Thus, Twilight was left alone with her own thoughts. She trotted over to the window looking for distractions, but the usual caught up to her nonetheless, and she had to question if it wasn't all her own fault. Of course it wasn't. She could just barely refrain from slapping herself for being so cliché. Perhaps she should do it as the self-accusations refused to leave her brain. She sighed and started pacing around the room.

Minutes whizzed by, as did hours. Eventually, the sun stood high over Ponyville while Twilight's pacing hadn't come to a stop yet. Some time ago, Applejack had excused herself to tend to farm and family, and Twilight knew that, if she ever stopped, she'd be forced to confront her rampaging memories. Other than that however, nopony had moved an inch since she'd arrived.

She had taken to watching the clock above the door whenever it was in sight, even though she grew to hate it more with each passing. Something about the object made her despise it, the rule with which its hands steadily moved in synchronicity with Dash's vital signs. Although, on her hundred and first pass, it suddenly lost the tact it'd been following so neatly. In fact, as she stood and glared at it for its inaccuracy, it missed more and more beats. Only when a collective gasp ran through the room was she torn from her haze and whirled around.

At long last, Rainbow's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Wha... wher... oh," she managed to mumble before Pinkie buried her beneath herself, quickly joined by Fluttershy in that effort. "Woo, ca- careful. Ugh, my head." She carefully shook her mind free of idle thoughts, as if other parts like her stomach were still as unstable as Twilight expected them to be.

"You stupid, idiotic, brainrotten pony," Pinkie cried, still clinging onto her love. Her face was overflowing with tears, but they seemed to contain at least a tiny core of happiness within them. "Why in Equestria would you do such a thing?"

Rainbow beckoned for her to come closer, yet unable to move much on her own. Once there, she gave her a gentle kiss which served to cease the flow somewhat. "I'm sorry," she said in a whisper that could hardly differ more from her usual strong ways. "It was the only way to make you see the truth."

"You dumbhead! You moron! You..." While Pinkie was bringing forth her vocabulary, Twilight was torn away from her through a sharp poke in the side.

"She talked it out with Applejack. I hope you've learned something," Rarity said with an unmarked envelope floating between them. Her face was emotionless, making Twilight fear for what she may be hiding behind her limitless self-control. She didn't speak another word, but the situation could hardly give a message less clear.

Twilight took a deep breath and went to work, her thoughts never leaving Pinkie Pie until her best fire spell was fully evocated. She was a broken, but endlessly glad, mare, there was no denying it. The paper turned light red as her magic flooded over it.