Spike's voice echoed as though he were calling through a cavern:

"Uh... Twilight? Everypony's at the door. Like, literally."

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. She'd fallen asleep in the chair. It was still early morning, her unsent letter laid beside her. It took a moment for the memories to come flooding back.

"Oh... uh, of course, let them in," she said, getting up and stretching.

He opened the door wide. In came Apple Jack with the shy Pegasus trailing right behind her. Pinkie and Dash were next. Twilight took one look at Fluttershy and smiled weakly... the yellow mare looked almost as groggy as she felt. AJ looked tired as well... dark rings had formed around her eyes overnight. Twilight wondered if she had slept either.

Looking at her friends, the Unicorn waited for them to speak... ask her questions. They all looked back, eagerly... hopefully. When she realized they were waiting for her to start (which made sense since Twilight had invited them), she shut her eyes and took a deep breath... then spoke slowly and clearly:

"By now you all probably know Rarity's in the hospital. I really think we should pay her a visit, girls. I don't know what's wrong, but it makes sense that seeing her friends would be the best thing right now. She's been alone working so long that, well... I'm hoping she just needs a break and somepony to talk to."

"I'm down with that!" Said Dash, cracking her neck as though she was about to take on an obstacle course.

"Me too!" Piped in Pinkie. "If Rarity's not feeling well, I'm just gonna have to cheer her up!"

Twilight smiled at her merry pink friend as Apple Jack now spoke:

"Alright then, Twilight... Ah saw this coming. Think I can spare an hour or two. Celestia knows ma hooves need a rest."

The Unicorn turned to her dragon assistant:

"You probably wanna come, too... Spike?

The drake looked off to the side, firmly grasping his tail. He answered slowly:

"Think I'd rather stay here. I'm not feeling that well, Twilight... upset stomach, ya know?"

"Aww, you sure about that, Sugarcube?" Apple Jack asked. "I'm sure Rarity would be awful happy to see you. I'd imagine Twilight can whip ya up somethin' that'll take the edge off... just for a few hours." She looked over to her purple friend. "Isn't that right, Twilight?"

Though sleepy, Twilight smiled and nodded:

"The 'Belly Aches, Breaks' potion Zecora taught me will work well for this occasion."

Spike nodded:

"I'm sure, girls. I'm just not feeling it today... okay?"

Twilight was already going through her books:

"Spike, I'm sure once you have the potion in you, you'll be singing a different tune. It's not that hard to put together. I can have it ready in a-"

"I said I'm not going!" Spike snapped.

Twilight blinked her eyes in surprise:

"Spike! Wh- what's come over you?"

He just stood there, rocking on his little feet, grumbling:

"I said I'm not feeling well... just want to stay home."

Apple Jack looked to her purple friend:

"Let 'em rest, Twilight." She said. "This whole ordeal's taken a whole lot out of us."

"Alright then, Spike," said Twilight, trying to look the dragon in the eye. His gaze was half to the side, half to the floor. "If you're really not feeling well, then... take the day off. Rest up all you need. Okay?"

He nodded slowly, not bothering to look up.

"Alright, girls," said Apple Jack, firmly. "There ain't no reason for us to be here any longer... Ah only got so much time I can give Rarity, so let's get goin'!"

Twilight looked back at Spike, as she was being pushed to the door by Apple Jack:

"Spike, if you could just sent that one letter to the Princess I'd be really hap-"

The door was slammed shut. Fluttershy and Rainbow were already outside, and Apple Jack was still pushing.

Twilight wanted to bump AJ on the head for being so impatient, but instead sighed... they all started walking on their own. Apple Jack was soon at the lead, impatient but at least loyal. The hospital was close by, yet the farm pony cantered in double-time.

No pony knew what they would find. Twilight and Fluttershy were very sleepy, to the point that neither wanted to be bothered, but... they were the closest to actually being in the loop. Twilight knew a bit and Fluttershy knew more, so both were grilled by their friends walking beside them:

"Do you think she'll know who she is?" Dash asked Fluttershy, with a touch of concern in her voice that caused the meek Pegasus to take a step back. "You were with her last... so, uh, maybe you know."

"Do you think she really sees Sweetie Belle?" Pinkie asked Twilight. "Like a ghost? That sounds scary! I wouldn't want to see ghosts, especially real ones. I don't know if I could giggle real ghosts away!"

"I don't know girls," replied Twilight, answering both questions. "I hope she knows who she is, and I doubt she's really seeing Sweetie Belle. Fluttershy doesn't know either... we'll just have to see for ourselves."

The questions didn't stop. Neither pony could answer them, so they didn't try. Their friends were concerned, but they couldn't answer what wasn't already covered by AJ or Fluttershy on the way to the library.

Twilight found solace looking to the front of the group at Apple Jack, the only pony who hasn't spoken at all. All she saw was her tail end, cantering at a brisk pace. Not that Twilight could see, but Apple Jack remained stone-faced as she marched on.

Checking in was as easy as it had been visiting Scootaloo. The mares were told a number and, while it was on a different floor, they were able to find it easily enough.

Once there, each took a breath before going in. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie hesitated, while the other two stepped right inside...

Their ivory friend appeared to be laying as any other pony would be in bed... reclined, relaxed, alone. She was even wearing a bathrobe, and had a matching purple sleeping mask beside her. Twilight smiled to see that she appeared to be resting, yet it was obvious from her demeanor that she had been sedated. Rarity's smile seemed too happy, her eyes too spacey for it to be natural, yet at least there were no machines hooked up to her... just a small, drippy IV. Though the ivory mare lacked the energy to get out of bed, she was wide awake. Twilight was the first to approach and speak. Rarity did not blink or acknowledge her at first.

"Hey Rarity," said Twilight. "How are you feeling?"

Rarity slowly turned her head, her gaze fixed and unblinking:

"Couldn't be better, darling."

Apple Jack spoke up, pulling herself beside the bed:

"You look like you've got something on your mind... why don't ya share it? It's the only way you're gonna feel better."

Rarity paused for a moment... then turned her head to look at all her friends:

"I'm so sorry I had to leave like that, Twilight. You must think it awfully rude of me."

Twilight smiled in response, glad to hear her friend was acknowledging things that actually happened:

"It's okay, Rarity... You're here to get better. Think of this as a vacation!"

A smile spread itself across Rarity's face:

"I like that, Twilight... I like that."

Other than the washed out expression on her face, Rarity seemed to be acting normally. The mares all sighed in relief, and spent nearly an hour visiting their friend. They found she didn't have a whole lot to say... which is natural, since Rarity isn't the type of pony who likes to be cooped up, but Fluttershy was able to get her talking about fashion and the spa:

"I'm going to treat you to a mud bath once you get out of here, Rarity," said the yellow Pegasus. "You really deserve it!"

"That would be wonderful darling!" Replied the unblinking mare. "It would be nice to see the twins again."

Twilight felt Rarity was being herself again and relaxed all the more.

Once that conversation was worn out (which didn't take long), Dash mused about possibility commissioning Rarity to make her and Scootaloo sleek, matching outfits for exercise... something Twilight rolled her eyes over since Rarity was there to rest, but... the ivory mare was clearly making out plans in her head, another good sign. Apple Jack was planning to tip her hat soon, but enjoyed being able to kick back against the wall all too much. She thought maybe a few more minutes might be in order.

Rarity started talking about her family:

"Mother and Father are coming tomorrow," she said, still unblinking. "Why it's been so long I can hardly wait to see them! They sent me a letter and say they're going to keep the Carousel Boutique open for business while I'm in here! I just hope Sweetie Belle hasn't made too much of a mess making me a card... why, won't you please bring her next time?"

Just about everypony's blood froze. AJ, who was falling asleep against the wall, nearly fell over.

"Sweetie-what?" She yipped.

Fluttershy spoke up, approaching her ivory friend, attempting to look her in the eye:

"Rarity, Sweetie Belle's gone..."

The mare's response sounded surprised and irritated:

"Where? Back home? Why, I must have a talk with her if mother and father haven't already... She knows she's not old enough to ride the train by herself!"

A tear ran down Pinkie Pie's cheek as she spoke:

"Rarity, Sweetie's dead... a really long time."

Rarity smiled, making eye-contact with the pink mare... her pupils were large, dark voids:

"Don't be silly, Pinkie..."

Twilight approached, tenderly putting a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder as her hair fell straight. This was Pinkie's first exposure to this, and just by looking into Rarity's unfocused gaze she knew there was nothing any of them could say to convince her otherwise.

"No parties, no presents, no amount of giggling is ever gunna make this nasty thing go away..." Pinkie grumbled irritably, walking away.

"Come on, girls," said Apple Jack, pushing herself from the wall. "I'm gunna let Rarity rest for now and I suggest we all do the same. We can talk about this with her tomorrow."

"You will bring my sister then?" Rarity asked, turning to Apple Jack.

"Ah would if I could," responded the farm pony, walking towards the exit. "See ya tomorrow, Rarity, if Ah can find the time."

Twilight looked at Apple Jack as she exited and bowed her head in silence... she looked up at her two friends -- Fluttershy was exhausted and Pinkie now looked like she needed cheering up herself.

"Come on, girls... we can come back tomorrow."

"Yeah, you think I want to?" Grumbled Pinkie Pie, also walking towards the exit.

Rainbow Dash patted her on the back as she passed:

"I'm going to stay a bit longer, Twilight... you've got Spike to worry about, I can keep Rarity company. Besides, Scootaloo's here, too, and she's probably going to want an early morning visitor, too."

Twilight smiled at the cyan Pegasus:

"You really are a good friend, Rainbow." She turned to the bed as she took a step towards the door. "See you tomorrow, Rarity."

"Ta-ta for now, Twilight. I do hope you all feel better... you're ever so grouchy all of the sudden. Is there something I did wrong?"

"No, Rarity. We're all just stressed. Please understand."

"Pity."

Sad and frustrated, only twenty-percent of the group stayed behind... the rest left with their heads down. They hoped this would all fade in time, but no pony knew for sure... the real tragedy is only Twilight came back the next day.

The ponies went their separate ways... Apple Jack to the farm, Twilight to Spike, Fluttershy to her animals, and Pinkie to the bakery... Mrs. Cake told Pinkie to take the day off the moment she saw her, as she didn't quite look right. Pinkie ended up on her bed, staring up at the ceiling for many hours.

Pinkie's frizz returned later in that day after she heard the Cake's foals crying in the other room and went to entertain them. It took only moments of impersonating a train while playing to cheer the pink mare right up. She didn't forget, she just had having fun with the foals to focus on now.

When Twilight went into the library, Spike was nowhere to be found. She looked all over and found him in the most logical place... his bed. He was awake, she could hear him groaning under his covers. She approached and he opened them up. She didn't have to say anything... they both hugged. They spent the day playing board games and ate out for all three meals. Spike didn't have to lift a claw and for the first time in a very long time... Twilight blew the whole day off.

With all that had happened, Apple Jack was quite busy. It was her first day of bucking for 14 hours instead of 8. She couldn't sleep that night and neither could Rainbow Dash. Dash spent another hour visiting with Rarity, but found herself mostly talking about herself... conversations with the ivory mare quickly became one-sided with no other pony around, but as long as Dash was talking she felt okay. Eventually she got tired of it and left for Scootaloo... a pony she found much less difficult to talk to.

Fluttershy went through the motions of caring for her animals, upsetting Angel Bunny yet again, but he was always easy to offend in some way so she paid no attention... upsetting him all the more.

That night Twilight spent studying, looking up the potential consequences of exhaustion and heavy metal poisoning for a pony... it didn't look good. In fact, it looked so bad... she chose not to let her friends know. Hallucinations and odd behavior were only one aspect of it.

The next afternoon Rarity's parents arrived. They went to see her first thing and naturally thought she was just exhausted, but acting normally... until they got on the subject of Sweetie Belle, something the Nurses and Doctors had all warned them about. Hearing their living, breathing daughter talking about their late filly like she was still alive made Rarity's Mother cry and unsettled her Father... but he kept a straight-face for his two favorite mares. He threw up afterwards, though, when he was all alone.

Despite being disturbed, they had a job to do:

Rarity's Mother ran the shop, selling her hoof-crafted merchandise with very little knowledge of what she was actually selling. Her Father would be balancing the books and canceling all unfinished orders. He found himself reluctantly handing out refunds once he realized his daughter sometimes made almost more than he did in a week on a single order. They were both very proud of her... and very concerned for her well-being. As evening approached each day they paid her a visit... the hospital being known to bend the rules sometimes for family. Her parents were happy to be allowed in... and were the only ponies to know the results of their daughter's evaluation, which caused them to visit her even more.