"Oh dear. Her heart rate is going up again." Twilight muttered. Staring at the tinted green screen. Watching the line rapidly go up and down, beeping at every peak. She sighed. This was at least the third time today. The unconscious mare couldn't seem to sleep peacefully.
Carefully, she stroked the young mare's mane. Hoping this would soothe her. Unfortunately, the rapid beeping continued. An orange mare stood up. Panic painted all over her face.

"Shall we git tha doctor?" She asked, frustrated. They had been in the hospital for ages, and their friend still hadn't woken up. It worried her sick about the pegasus.

"No, Applejack." A midnight blue alicorn trotted in. Her nightly sky mane flowing around her. She stood by the door. Standing up straight. Princess Luna was the first one to know of their return from that dark prison. She saw the draconequus appear in the hallway of Canterlot Castle. As the golden light shone brightly. The princess was happy that they were back, but upon seeing their panicked and scared faces, she knew something was up. After Twilight quickly jibbered what had happened to them, and showing the bleeding, near to death pegasus upon Applejack's back, the Princess of the Moon teleported them as quickly as she could to the hospital downstairs. Informing the doctors and her sister as well.
"She's simply experiencing a night terror. The young one cannot gain peace." She trotted over and sat beside the violet alicorn. Bringing her into a friendly hug. "It is not the first one. If...if you want me to, I can enter her dream. I can guide her, away from whatever is bothering her. Maybe, it might wake her up."

The six mares stood up, around the white bed. Staring with sorry, teary eyes at the cyan mare in the bed. The crystal white covers, delicately placed upon her small, petit body. Usually, the mare was well toned. Muscular, yet slender. Without out any fat. She had the perfect athletic body for the perfect working pegasus. But now, she was ridiculously thin. Her ribs showing. And she looked incredibly pale. When they girls and Discord had arrived at the hospital, the pegasus was on her last thread of life. Too weak to support herself any further.

They stared at her cyan chest. Slowly, but still moving, going gently up and down. Every so often, her wings would twitch. The doctors said she was very lucky her wing is still usable. After the tendons had snapped and the bone had been chipped, it was a miracle her wing was actually attached.

"Okay, Luna. But can I help?" Twilight asked. Her voice quiet.

"I'm not sure." The alicorn replied.

"Please. If you can't perform the spell, I can help. After it is my tal-"

"Nay, Twilight. Nay. It is when you enter somepony's dream. You do not know what to expect. Either something happy, like a memory. With family or friends. Playing among the sunlight. Dancing in the evening as the sun set. But then you have nightmares. Ghosts and monsters. Zom-ponies....and horrible distant memories. Twilight. You must understand. I have entered Rainbow Dash's dreams before. And they were not pretty."

"What did you see?"

"She dreams of many things. Like on where Equestria was in ashes. Burning to the ground. Blood stained streets and scattered corpses. Screams of pain echoing everywhere. The scent of burning flesh. I saw Rainbow Dash running, flying trying to stop the flames. As I walked further, I found her again. She sitting in the middle of Ponyville. Crying. In her arms was a small orange pegasus filly. With a ruffled fuschia mane. Blood coated the filly. It hurt so much to hear her cries, as Rainbow wailed, "I'm sorry.", over and over. And there are times where she fears she has disappointed her parents. And then...there is one memory. One memory she absolutely hates. The one memory which stole her innocence. The memory with...with..." The princess stuttered. Grimacing at the time she watched the assassin's dream. The dream walker remembered watching in full detail of the event happening.

"We know. The night her parents died." Rarity hushed.

"Yes. Thank you." Luna cleared her throat. "Twilight. You are to warned. With an assassin, comes the great price. Of life and death. Dreams and nightmares. She has killed many. And so much affects her. Torturing her mind. Plaguing her like a sickly disease." Luna explained. Twilight nodded in reply.

"I understand fully. I'm still helping you. I could help Rainbow." Twilight sighed again. Glancing at the sleeping mare.

"Very well then. Let's go." The nightly princess's horn glowed a beautiful musky blue. Both her own and Twilight's eyes shone pure white, as they entered the mind of the assassin. Preparing themselves for the worse.

~~~~~~

Everywhere was dark. Wherever you looked, it was pure black. You couldn't tell what was what. Even if your eyes got used to the field of black, it would still be too dark to see. No figures or shadows. Just a black canvas.

"Princess? Princess Luna?" The young pony whispered. Not wanting to shout, and startle the sleeping pony.

"Amazing, Twilight. I'm your friend, nearly your aunt, yet you still call me Princess. But, it does feel good when somepony informs me as royalty. I like that." The other voice replied. A hint of laughter and amazement added to her voice.

"Please, Luna. Where are you? It's dark, and I'm scared. Where are you?" The pony begged. Waving her fore-legs erratically in the darkness. She didn't like this. She was in her friends mind. Stuck in the dark. She suddenly felt warm as something soft was pressed against her.

A soft blue light lit up the area. Twilight twizzled her around the place. Noticing the midnight blue legs around her body. Embracing the violet pony into a warming hug.

"P-Princess Luna?" Twilight squeaked. Surprised by the moon princess's actions.

"There is nothing to fear, Twilight. All is fine. There is nothing to be scared of." Luna hushed. Smiling with her eyes closed, hugging the younger alicorn tighter.

"What?"

"Your mind overreacts when you are in the dark. Your imagination goes lose. It's only a shade." Princess Luna released the purple mare. Standing up, and letting her horn glow brighter. Making the blue tinted light grow larger. The smaller alicorn stood up, finally finding her hooves. She looked around the emptiness, looking for something. Any sign of her friend's consciousness. Yet, she saw nothing. Just complete darkness. It made her shiver with worry. What if her friend was dead. She was no longer living among her fellow friends. Twilight felt a horrible feeling at the bottom of her gut. Like a sick brick of absolute worry.

"Don't let your mind worry, my dear. Let it rest and lay swee-" The alicorn stopped in mid-sentence. The two ponies heard a scared crying. Wailing among the darkness. The two alicorns looked at each in concern, before trotting towards the sound.

As they walked closer, the crying got louder and louder. Twilight's violet orbs opened wide at the sight of bloody hoof-steps on the black floor. The bright, scarlet liquid showing clearly on the floor. They followed the hoof-steps, and as they did, they recognised the crying.
The crying of the poor, distraught friend. Rainbow Dash.

Suddenly, the two princesses spotted some hovering screens. Like ones at the cinema. And to Twilight, this reminds her of how she became an alicorn. When Celestia showed her many memories upon hovering screens. The first one held a happy family. Running and flying around a field. With a chequered blue blanket upon the floor. Holding empty plates and half full glasses of lemonade. The two mares smiled as they instantly recognised a cyan blue pegasus filly. Fluttering through the flowers. Her crazy rainbow mane bouncing everywhere. Behind her was another cyan pegasus. With a red, yellow and blue spiky mane. He was laughing along with the little filly. Chasing her. And behind him was another pegasus. A dark, musky blue stallion with a lightning green, blue and purple mane. He bounced after the two younger ponies. Laughing along with them as he flew after them. And sitting upon a small cloud, beside the blanket, was a pure white mare. With a beautiful puffy sunset layered mane. Her dark blue eyes followed her husband and her little ponies. She sweetly smiled at them. Giggling at them.

Twilight and Luna began to walk away. Looking the other screens. There was one with a filly Rainbow Dash and a tall yellow filly, with a long rosy pink mane. Another screen had one with a Sonic Rainboom. The bright colours exploding across the light blue sky. As they trotted down, following the hoof-steps of blood, more screens appeared. Ones with recent events, and a few unseen memories.

"These must be memories. But I've never seen them like this before. Usually, ponies dream of one particular memory. And re-enacting it. Not like this." The taller alicorn whispered to the purple pony.

"I've seen something like this. When Princess Celestia turned me into an alicorn. All my memories were on screens. Everywhere." Twilight gazed upon another screen. One with Rainbow in a white cloak. Like the ones Lyra and Cloudkicker wear. The violet alicorn watched as the teenaged Rainbow Dash span around. Throwing small blades at several different targets. And hitting them in the bullseye. They trotted further on. Not noticing the increase of blood on the floor. They watched other screens. Like ones of Hearth's Warming, Hearts and Hooves days and birthdays. Ones with their pegasus friend in the dark, killing another pony. The next screen was larger than the others, but held a dark aura around it. The mares stared at it. Unable to look away. This one held Rainbow's deepest, darkest memory. The night her parents died.They stared as a unicorn stallion violated their friend. And murder her parents.
Eventually, they walked away. Shaking their heads. Wanting to get rid of the horrible sight they had witnessed. Then, as they walked further on, they heard laughing. From a few of the screens. Ones holding laughing mares. Twilight smiled at the happy memories. The Gala, the day Rainbow performed a Sonic Rainboom, parties and just plain, good days.

Suddenly, all the screens fell. Smashing as they hit the ground. The laughing stopped. Only crying could be heard. That, and talking.
"Rainbow? Are you okay?"

"Soarin....I never thanked you for saving my life. When Spitfire tried to drown me."

"It doesn't matter. The fact that you're still alive is enough."

"But...Soarin....You've been there for me. Even when I was in the Academy. You helped me no matter what. You came looking for in the woods. You helped me face my fears of my past. And all I've done...is push you away."

"Rainbow?"

"Soarin. I-I...I think....I."

"I know what you are thinking Rainbow. You don't have to say anything. Just show it."

"I love you, Soarin." They heard Rainbow whisper. They stared at the last screen. Hovering with a bright light around it. They watched in awe as the two pegasi shared their love. They watched as Soarin pushed himself forwards. The two ponies' lips meeting. The two pegasus ponies embracing their love for one another. Pressing themselves closer to each other, despite the chains. Their love that they had bottled up for so long, now burst into full blown passion.

Twilight smiled. Knowing that her dear friend had found somepony to make her happy. However, the screen burst into tiny sparks. Scattering across the place like embers of a recent fire.
Now, where the screen once was, a slouched mare sat among the darkness. Her wings splayed out beside her.

"Rainbow....is that you?" Twilight asked. She knew that it must be Rainbow Dash, but she had to be sure.

"Of course it's me, Princess. You're in my head. My dream." The mare croaked.

"Wait. How did you know?"

"The screens only smash if someone views them. It's happened so many times. That's why I'm hiding. I can't look at them. Every time they smash, it only sends pain. I can feel it all over." Rainbow explained through her scratchy voice. It was clear that she had been crying.

"Rainbow. What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Twilight begged as she trotted over. Rainbow sighed.

"Can't you see. Soarin. The pony I pushed away when I so dearly needed him. The pony who has changed my life. The pony I need to be with is dying." The pegasus looked down at the ground. Her tears falling to the floor. Splashing to the ground. "I can feel it, Twi. I can feel him. I can feel him slowly getting weaker. I can feel the pain in his heart. But I can't mend it. I'm not there to help him. He's going to die alone. He's going to die without me."

"Rainbow...." The violet alicorn hushed. Hugging her friend. Her broken, crying friend.

"I don't want him to die. I can't loose another pony I love. I want him to stay....I-I...I want to die with him."

"What?! No! No Rainbow! Not this again! You are not dying!"

"Twilight. You do crazy things for love. Even if that means...ending my life." Rainbow paused. Not seeing the horrified faces of the princesses. "It's not the first time I've considered suicide. When I was younger. I guess I didn't have the courage to do so."

Twilight rose to her hooves and raised her hoof. Slapping it across the cyan mare's face. Both Luna and Rainbow looked surprised by her actions.

"Rainbow. You do have courage. You're the bravest pony I know. To go through everything that has happened in your life, and still stand strong. But now, you're a blubbering wreck. The Rainbow Dash I know would fly up into the air, do a loop 'd' loop as well, and shout 'this is nothing!' Or 'this is the best you've got?' Cause the Rainbow I know is a loyal, brave, confident, determined pony. Who never gives up."

"...b-but...Soarin...." Rainbow whispered.

"And now, the friend we all love, our loving vibrant pegasus, has found somepony. Somepony to make her happy. To make her feel special. To make her feel loved. You have found love, Rainbow. Love. Something so precious and delicate, but stronger than the toughest metal. Rainbow, love does make you do crazy things. But committing suicide is not one of the. Rodeo and Hoofliet, two mad for each other ponies, killed themselves. Just to be with each other peacefully. But you will not do that. You and Soarin will make out of this. And you two will live peacefully. He will survive, Rainbow. He will."

Rainbow stared at the alicorn with tear filled eyes. Making her rosey gems sparkle like stars. Tge pegasus smiled and hugged her friend.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." She whispered. Crying onto her friend's shoulder.

"I'm only doing what friends do to help. And I will help at any cost." Twilight reassured. "I will make this better. You will live peacefully with your lover, Rainbow. I will make sure of it. Just give me some time."

Author's Notes:

Yay! Another few chapters to go now. Don't ask how many, cause I don't know. I make this story up as I go along. *Puts on sunglasses* That's how I roll.

Yes, well *throws sunglasses away* , thank you for reading and comment anything.

Oh, and HAPPY HEARTH'S WARMING!!!