Chapter 115

The emergency room of the Canterlot hospital was the last place we expected to end up on Boxing Day. Six of us had taken random seats throughout the large waiting room, interspersed with other people who were either waiting to get in to see a doctor, or simply waiting to hear some news about a loved one, much like we were.

In the meantime, we had sent Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo across the street with Sonata to a fast food restaurant, partly because that waiting room was numbing to the brain: nothing to look at except for the clock, some out-of-date magazines, and a TV tuned to the weather network, repeating the same report ad nauseam. The other reason to get them out was because we had no idea what the doctors might tell us when they came out to see us, and if the report was going to be bad, we didn’t want them to have to hear it so candidly.

Doctors can be quite frank at times, which can be tough on sensitive ears—especially Scootaloo’s. She’d looked up to the rainbow-haired girl throughout the years of her youth, and was feeling guilty for insisting that Rainbow Dash play with her, which, in her eyes, had exacerbated the athlete’s condition and brought about her collapse on Fluttershy’s living room floor.

Rarity was not thrilled about sending her sister and the others off with the siren, despite Sunset’s insistence that they would be fine. Stubbornly, the fashionista instructed Sweetie Belle to send her a message immediately if Sonata did anything unsavory.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack were sitting together near the TV. Neither spoke; AJ watched the weather report somewhat indifferently while Pinkie simply stared at the floor. Fluttershy and I were seated at the center of the vast sea of chairs. Her fingers were laced with mine, squeezing tirelessly, her head resting on my shoulder while we waited for some news about her childhood friend. Sunset and Twilight were seated directly across from us. Sunset’s head was tipped back and she stared at the ceiling, arms folded, feet stretched out and crossed. Twilight’s phone was cradled in her hand with some reading material on the screen, but it was clear by her blank and unmoving eyes that she hadn’t read a single word.

The only one currently absent, besides Dash, was Rarity, who had gone to the in-hospital coffee shop to get everyone something to drink.

*****

“OK,” the cafe employee summarized as she slid two loaded paper trays to the edge of the counter. “That’s three double-doubles, one blueberry tea latte, one black, one cappuccino smoothie, and one orange pekoe.”

“Excellent. Thank you kindly, darling,” Rarity smiled as she hung her purse over her shoulder and took a tray in each hand. “Ta-ta!” And she turned to head back to the waiting room.

It was a long walk, and the trays were heavy, but if anybody could make such a mundane task look good, it was Rarity. She kept her chin high, eyes straight ahead. Her heels clopped along the shiny marble floor, keeping time like a metronome as her hair bounced gently next to her cheek. Her pace was quick, as if it were possible to outrun any bad news that might decide to creep up on her.

She swallowed the worry that hung in her throat like a stuck morsel. She had to be strong; for the group, for Fluttershy—and especially Rainbow Dash.

As she thought about this, she heard a chime from her phone, signalling that a text message had been received. Unable to answer it with her hands full, she continued on, raising a brow as she went.

“Whoops,” she said aloud when the phone went off again. “I hope someone hasn’t changed their mind about what they want. I’m afraid it’s too late for that; they’ve missed their chance!”

At last, the fashionista re-entered the waiting room, looking down at the drinks to remember which belonged to who.

“OK, darlings, I have one cappuccino smoothie for Pinkie Pie, one orange pekoe for Fluttersh—“

She stopped suddenly when she noticed that no one was sitting. Instead, they had gathered around an older man in a button-up shirt who was accompanied by a much younger resident in a long, white coat with green scrubs underneath.

Everyone was listening intently to the doctor, who spoke rather quietly—unnervingly so. Nobody looked overly thrilled by what they were hearing.

Applejack’s hands rested on her hips as she looked down at the floor, the Stetson hat hiding her expression. Pinkie’s arms were folded and she was staring blankly at the doctor’s name tag. Twilight chewed her thumbnail, listening and watching intently. Sunset was rubbing her forehead. Fluttershy’s mouth was covered by her hands, and my arm was wrapped around her shoulders.

Seeing this, Rarity’s heart twisted with panic. Realising something, she set the trays on the nearest table and dug frantically through her purse in search of her phone. She found it, pulled it out and turned it on the check the messages. Then she gasped softly, covering her mouth as she read.

SUNSET: You better get back here

SUNSET: Rainbow Dash has stomach cancer

*****

“But… b-but is there nothing that can be done?” Rarity asked the doctor, who shook his head solemnly.

“I’m sorry, but unfortunately, her cancer has progressed to a stage four. If it’d been detected sooner, we might have been able to do a partial or even a total gastrectomy combined with chemo, but this was allowed to go for too long and it’s spread to her lymph nodes, lungs and liver as well.”

All of us were quiet. Rarity stood there, tapping her fingertips against her lips as she absorbed the terrible news.

After a sigh, Twilight opened her mouth to speak hesitantly. “Um… so, how long does she have?”

Everyone, except for me and Sunset glared at her, taken aback by the question.

“Twilight!” Rarity scolded. “Perhaps a smidgen of tact, if you don’t mind?”

Twilight shook her head and shrugged. “This isn’t easy for anyone, Rarity, but it is what it is. Unfortunately, once it gets into the blood, it spreads like wildfire and there’s not much that can be done about it, aside from making her more comfortable until it’s over.”

This harsh reality evidently proved to be too much for the shy girl; a shaky sob escaped from beneath her hands and she turned to bury her face in my shoulder.

The rest of us stood awkwardly as Twilight folded her hands, looking remorseful for her bluntness. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice barely audible. “Maybe Rarity’s right.”

It was Applejack who spoke next. “So… how long does she have?” she asked quietly, looking up at the doctor as the fashionista pinched the bridge of her nose after hearing the question a second time.

He paused for a moment to adjust his glasses. “Two weeks. A month at the most.”

The answer threw the farm girl —as well as the rest of us— for a loop. None of us expected such a bleak outlook.

The doctor cleared his throat. “She’ll be in palliative care, starting immediately. We’ll keep her comfortable with round the clock medication for the pain, and we’ll—“

“Can’t you at least try to save her?” Pinkie cut in, her voice wavering. “I know it looks bad, but… what do we have to lose by trying?”

The outpour of emotion from Pinkie was surprising for the rest of us, but the doctor seemed to be prepared for it. Presumably, he’d been through this conversation numerous times, and he knew the sort of desperation people feel when forced into circumstances like these.

“Again,” the doctor raised his hands, “the cancer has spread too far for us to be able to remove it all. She won’t be strong enough to handle surgery, and she certainly won’t be able to tolerate the amount of chemo we’d have to administer.”

“Ohh…” Pinkie whimpered, looking down to the floor.

“You have to consider, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said, “Rainbow Dash is not the only one who is suffering like this, and health care resources are limited. There are others, though, who can still be saved, and it’s not fair to have them waiting for treatment longer than they need to because we have someone in the operating room who cannot be helped anyway.”

Each word was like a punch to the party-girl’s stomach. She struggled to keep her face straight as she nodded; intellectually, she understood fully, but her mind and her heart could not accept it.

Applejack could see the inevitable breakdown bubbling just beneath the surface, and so she reached out and pulled Pinkie in for a hug, letting the party-girl bury her face into her shoulder.

Everyone else glared at Twilight —again— making her fold her hands and look down at the floor. “I’m… gonna stop talking now.”

“Look, I’m very sorry everyone,” the doctor said, trying to take the pressure off of Twilight, who was correct, after all. “If we felt there was any chance of helping her, we would do it. But it was left untreated for too long, and anything we try now is only gonna prolong her suffering.”

“Can we see her?” Sunset asked.

The resident and the doctor glanced at each other.

“Is she awake?” Sunset insisted.

The resident sighed. “She is awake, but she’s heavily sedated, so she’s kind of ‘in and out.’ You can see her, but she might not be able to hold a conversation, just so you know.”

We took a moment to glance around at one another, then Sunset nodded at the doctors.

“OK.”

*****

A block away, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sonata Dusk had entered the only fast food restaurant they could find that was open, hoping to get a bite to eat while they waited for news about Rainbow Dash. The place was quiet. The only people inside were the employees, none of whom looked happy to be working on Boxing Day.

They approached the counter, Apple Bloom taking the lead. “Hmm…” She rubbed her chin, reading the menu with narrowed eyes. Then she pointed at the screen above the counter. “Whut’s that?” she asked the attendant, who turned around to look where the young girl was pointing.

“Uh… double cheeseburger combo for three ninety-nine,” the lady replied. “It’s kind of our ‘big special’ for the holidays.”

Apple Bloom’s eyebrows went up. “That’s a purty good deal, actually,” she said, turning to her friends. “Whadda y’all think?”

Everyone nodded, including Sonata, who approached and leaned on the counter next to the young red-head.

“Alright...” Apple Bloom turned back to the employee. “I guess we’ll take four a’ them, then.”

The lady nodded and began punching in the order. “That’ll be eighteen oh-five.”

Scootaloo cut past her friend to approach the counter, producing her wallet. “I got this, guys.”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked surprised. Sonata just smiled.

“Yer sure?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo replied, holding her debit card up to show the employee before slipping it into the machine. “It’s because of me that we’re here in the first place.”

“Ugh! This again?” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “We already told you, like a thousand times: it’s not your fault Rainbow Dash collapsed.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom agreed. “You could tell there was somethin really wrong with her already; ya said yerself that she was real quiet on the ride out.”

Scootaloo huffed. “I know that, but... I shouldn’t have pushed her to play with me—now can you guys just shut up and let me buy your food?”

“Fine.” Apple Bloom folded her arms. “But ya’ll gotta quit kickin yerself over this. I’m sure Rainbow Dash is gonna be just fine. It’s prolly just some dang winter bug goin ‘round, just like every other year.”

“Yeah-yeah,” Scootaloo replied absentmindedly, punching her pin number in as the employee set a tray out and laid the order printout on it.

Sonata finally took the opportunity to speak up. “Dashie’s a tough girl. They’re all tough girls, and really good friends. Especially P. She’s super funny! I betcha they’re gonna be A-OK, though—for realzies.”

The three younger girls stared at Sonata, unsure of what to say—and feeling a bit awkward about it.

“What?” the siren asked, noticing the lack of reaction.

“Uh… nothing.” Sweetie Belle rubbed her arm, eyes to the side. “We just… weren’t really expecting to be hanging out with a siren on Christmas, that’s all.”

Sonata’s eyes dropped to the floor. “Oh.”

“Do you remember us?” Apple Bloom asked. “We was in the battle a’ the bands too, but… we got eliminated purty early.”

“It was bullshit!” Scootaloo complained as she put her wallet away.

Sonata stroked her chin, brow furrowed. “Hmm… I’m not really sure. That was a long time ago.”

“We was wearin them crazy-coloured outfits, and we had our faces all painted-up and our hair all spiked,” Apple Bloom continued, causing Sonata’s eyes to light up almost immediately.

“Hey, yeah!” the siren replied excitedly, pointing a finger at the girls. “You guys did that eighties glam rock thing; I really liked that!”

Sweetie Belle looked surprised. “You did?”

Sonata smiled and nodded. “Yeah! It was good!”

“Good, like… ’funny’ good, or… good good?” Scootaloo asked dubiously.

The siren’s eyes shifted up to the ceiling. “Uhh… like, it was cute. And… it was really authentic; and, like, your song was pretty awesome, too.”

The three friends took a moment to glance at one another while the employee set four burgers wrapped in white and red paper on the tray. Sonata took notice of this, and she glanced up at the lady, who was checking the order printout to see what else was needed.

“Um... gee, thanks,” Apple Bloom finally said as the employee ventured back into the kitchen to see how much time was left on the fries. “We’re glad ya liked it. Kinda surprisin though, really…”

Sonata smiled.

“And…” the young farm girl continued, “I also just wanted ta say that I think it’s great ya decided ta join our big sisters and change yer life around. If anyone’ll help ya out, it’d be them fer sure.”

Hearing this from the lovely young girl made Sonata’s bosom flutter slightly, and she couldn’t help but smile even wider, not caring that it may have made her look somewhat goofy. “Thanks,” she said quietly, glancing down at the burgers.

The siren suddenly felt the need to show some gratitude to these young ladies for their kindness, so she glanced into the kitchen. The worker was out of sight. Remembering a trick Adagio had frequently used, Sonata snatched two of the burgers from the tray and held them out to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

“Here,” the siren said. The girls took the food, looking confused. “Why don’t you guys go find a spot to sit and I’ll bring the tray out when it’s ready?” she offered, handing the other two burgers to Apple Bloom.

“Uh… OK?” Sweetie Belle replied. After a short pause, the three of them turned and headed into the dining area.

With a sigh, Sonata faced the counter and waited, hands behind her back.

The employee eventually returned with four sleeves of fries, which she set on the tray before absentmindedly reading the order again. “Hm,” she mumbled, glancing at what she’d already brought out. She turned to set four cups under the drink fountain to let them fill before going back to the kitchen. She’d fallen for the siren’s scheme; monotony had gotten the better of her, and she’d forgotten what she’d already brought out.

Sonata waited, smiling innocently as the lady returned to set four more burgers on the tray and then retrieved the drinks to add them to the spread.

“Aaaand there you go,” she said, forcing a smile as she slid the tray towards the siren. “Four double cheeseburger meals.”

“Thanks a bunch!” Sonata smiled as she took the tray and headed into the sea of tables and booths to find the girls.

She set the tray down on the table and joined the others, making doubly sure that no food had fallen on the bench before sitting. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle each had their mouths full, but were laughing and talking in spite of being raised not to.

“Oh my god, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo was giggling, using her hand to block her mouth. “I can’t believe you said that!”

Sweetie Belle was red-faced with laughter, trying not to let the others see the chewed-up food in her mouth.

“Ya gotta dial back on bein so edgy all the time,” Apple Bloom said. “Ya make people uncomfortable when ya say stuff likes that!”

“Yeah well, he made me pretty uncomfortable the first time I met him!” Sweetie Belle fired back.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “It don’t sound like it was on purpose, though.”

By then, Sonata was listening curiously, head cocked. “Who are we talking about?”

“That Arrow guy,” Scootaloo replied.

Sonata glanced at the short-haired girl first, then at Sweetie Belle. “What’d you say to him?”

Apple Bloom cut in to answer for her. “Earlier tonight, at the party, she propositioned him fer...” —she quickly looked around the restaurant before lowering her voice to a whisper— “S-E-X!”

Sonata’s brow jumped up and she turned to Sweetie Belle, who was forced to look away to avoid spitting her food out.

“Yeah!” Scootaloo shouted out loud, “she asked him when it was her turn for a fuck!”

“Shhh! Dang it, Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom scolded, making Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle laugh again.

“Did he say yes?” Sonata asked.

The three of them went silent and stared at her.

“Uh, no...” Sweetie Belle replied with a furrowed brow. “He didn’t say anything; it was just a joke.”

“Huh.” The siren grabbed her first burger and set it down in front of her. “I’m surprised he didn’t say yes. He’d probably do it with you,” she said, which made Sweetie Belle’s face turn rosy. “He’s kind of a man-whore, that guy.”

“Right,” Apple Bloom interjected flatly, “and I don’t suppose ya got a chance ta tell him you were jokin before the thing with Rainbow Dash happened, did ya?”

Sweetie Belle stopped, pursed her lips, and looked down at the table to escape eye contact.

“Yeah. Didn’t think so.”

Scootaloo laughed. “Ha! Way to go, home fry! Now he’s gonna be going around thinking you wanna jump his bone!”

Sweetie Belle looked at Sonata. “You don’t think he’d try to... take me up on that, do you?”

Sonata paused from unwrapping the burger, which finally drew attention to the fact that there were four extras on the tray. “Actually...” she stared up at the lights, thinking. Then she looked at Sweetie Belle and shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”

The young, ivory-skinned girl deflated slightly—which didn’t go unnoticed by her friends. “Really? Didn’t you just say he probably would?”

“Well, I mean... you’re Rarity’s little sister, and to be honest? She’s kinda scary.”

Sweetie Belle paused for a moment. “Hm,” was her only response before turning to look out the window, past her friends—who were now staring inquisitively at the extra food.

“Hey… did you order more burgers?” Scootaloo asked after swallowing a mouthful.

Sonata looked down at the tray. “Uh… yeah. Well, no. I… kinda talked her into giving us extras.”

Apple Bloom raised a brow. “Really? How’d ya do that?”

Sonata shrugged, took a bite of her burger and then proceeded to answer with a full mouth. “Oh… well, I just told her our friend was sick in the hospital, and she felt bad.”

The farm girl’s brow rose. “Oh! Well that was nice of ‘er. And you. Thanks!”

Sonata had taken her second bite and was looking around the restaurant while she chewed, glancing intently out each window as if she was on the lookout for something.

Noticing this, Scootaloo paused to watch the siren, then swallowed and cleared her throat. “What’s up with you?”

Sonata quickly turned to give Scootaloo one of those ‘deer in the headlights’ sort of looks.

“Are you worried about running into your sisters or something?”

Sonata swallowed and shook her head. “No, um… actually, I’m not… technically supposed to be in town.”

“Why not?” Apple Bloom asked before taking another bite.

“I, well... all three of us, were told to get out and never come back... or something bad would happen to us.”

Scootaloo raised a brow. “Who told you that?”

Sonata licked her lips and then pursed them, looking up to the ceiling. “It was a lady, wearing a black mask and black tights.”

All three of the young girls froze and stared at the siren, shocked by the description.

“What?” Sonata asked, looking back at them.

“You… saw the Dark Mistress?” Scootaloo asked, her eyes wide.

Sonata cocked her head. “The dark what?”

“The Dark Mistress,” Sweetie Belle repeated. “She’s become a legend around town lately—though, to be honest, I kind of assumed she was just one of those urban myths.”

“Same here,” Scootaloo agreed, “but if you’ve actually seen her, then that means… she’s actually real!”

Sonata nodded. “Yeah, she’s real,” she said, quite matter-of-factly. “She even talked to me.”

“What did she say?” Sweetie Belle asked, eyes full of wonder.

“She told me to leave town and that if I came back, she would kill me.”

The girls paused, then took a few glances outside for themselves. Then they all shifted away from Sonata.

“Well… I can see why you’d be nervous,” Scootaloo said, returning her eyes to Sonata.

“Yeah, yer nuts bein here!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “What are ya thinkin, comin ta town with us?”

Sonata shrugged. “I don’t know… I was worried about Dashie; I didn’t really think about it until we were already here.”

“Well, don’t worry,” Scootaloo said, taking another bite and continuing with a full mouth. “If she comes here, we’ll tell her you’re cool now. You’re with us.”

Flattered, Sonata put on a goofy smile. “Aw… thanks.” She took a sip of her drink, creasing her brow when she thought of something. “It’s kinda crazy, you know? Who knew she’d get so famous so fast?”

“Oh yeah, she’s been all over the news,” Scootaloo replied. “But no one’s gotten any good pictures or videos of her yet—other than some crappy street cam shots, which are so blurry you don’t even know what you’re looking at. It’s like those grainy Bigfoot pictures you always see.”

“You guys wanna know what I heard?” Apple Bloom said quietly, ducking her head and leaning in close.

The other three followed suit, listening intently.

“I heard there’s two a’ them now.”

“Two!?” Scootaloo whispered excitedly.

“Uh-huh,” the farm girl nodded. “Word has it she calls herself the ‘Nightmare,’ er some such thing, and that she’s in cahoots with the Dark Mistress.”

“OK... that’s kinda scary,” Sonata confessed.

“Don’t worry, we got yer back,” Apple Bloom promised.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle added. She leaned back while taking a sip of her drink, staring absentmindedly into space. “Man, this is so crazy! I can’t believe there are real superheroes in Canterlot!” She glanced around the table at the others. “I wonder who they really are…”

*****

Quietly, we entered the private room one-by-one, met by the sight of Rainbow Dash lying in the bed with the backrest raised. Her arms, shockingly frail when not hidden under a thick sweater, were on top of the covers with several tubes running from them, connecting her to a cluster of machines and IV stands that stood around the bed, helpless to do anything but monitor the once-fit and healthy young woman until her body gave in.

Her eyes were closed, her faded hair greasy and combed back to keep it out of her pale, sunken face.

Everyone paused, unsure if we were in the right room. This did not look at all like Rainbow Dash.

Applejack removed her hat and held it to her chest. “Dang,” she said softly. “I can barely recognize ‘er. How did she get so bad so fast?”

The resident’s voice sounded from the doorway behind us. “The disease progresses exponentially,” she said, making us turn back to face her. “When it gets to this stage, their health normally deteriorates quite fast. Your friend is one tough cookie; I can’t imagine the suffering she must have been going through these past few weeks.”

One-by-one, we turned back to face the bed.

Sunset sighed and shook her head. “Damn stubborn girl,” she whispered.

“She may or may not be awake right now,” the resident said as she turned to leave. “But she’ll be pretty out-of-it because of the pain management, so try not to push her too hard. If you need anything, the call button is on the bed rail, and the nurses are just down the hall at the station.”

Rarity turned to her, forcing a smile. “Thank you, dar— … er, doctor.”

Now alone, we surrounded the bed. Applejack, holding her hat to her chest, stood directly to Dash’s right and leaned down to speak softly.

“Are ya awake, Rainbow?”

Those pale, blue lips pursed slightly, and her eyelids squeezed together before finally opening. Slowly, she looked around at us through narrow slits. “Nghhhh…”

She tried to sit forward, but Sunset, who was on her left, placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Shhhh, just relax. Don’t move.”

Dash complied.

“Do you know where you are?” Sunset asked.

Dash lifted her eyelids a little higher, and she took a methodical glance around at each of us. Then she closed her eyes and nodded.

Twilight cleared her throat and then spoke softly. “Did they… tell you what’s wrong with you?”

Dash’s eyes opened once more; she locked a glassy stare onto the lavender girl before looking down at her lap and nodding.

The rest of us looked around at each other, wondering what everyone else was thinking, and wondering what must have been going through Rainbow Dash’s mind right then. I noticed Fluttershy covering her mouth in my peripheries. I turned to look at her, and, noticing the moisture in her eyes, reached out to give her shoulder a comforting rub.

“Sss… s-s-sorry…” Dash breathed, capturing our attention again.

“I beg your pardon, darling,” Rarity asked, scowling. “Sorry for what?”

Dash took a slow, deep breath and closed her eyes again. “Fucked up…”

“Who fucked up? You?” Sunset asked.

Dash nodded, exhaling.

“No you didn’t,” Sunset replied, shaking her head. “This isn’t your fault.”

Dash grimaced. She tried to lift a hand to rub her forehead, but was stopped when she met resistance from the IV line, which made her open her eyes and look at her hand. She let out a defeated groan and dropped her arm to the bed. “Should’ve… sooner.”

Applejack put her hat on. “How long ya been feelin like this?”

Drawing another breath, Dash scanned the group until her eyes finally landed on me. “Months... since Golds...” She exhaled noisily and slowly shook her head. “Fuuugh... so tired.”

“Would you like us to leave you alone, darling? So you can sleep?”

Rainbow Dash studied Rarity for a few seconds and then blinked a few times. “No…”

Applejack was frowning and rubbing her forehead by then. “Hold up, now; how did this happen if ya started feelin sick that long ago?”

Dash sighed and laid her head back, her dull, glassy eyes looking up to the ceiling.

The farm girl leaned down and rested her chin on her hand, her elbow leaning on the bed rail. “How come ya never told anyone?”

The rainbow-haired girl closed her eyes for a short moment, then she turned to face her friend. “Not bad at first. Just… thought it was the flu... hnngh something. Then it went away for a long time, like a few weeks, or months—can’t remember. Then... it came back.” She paused to clear her throat, which was a more laboured affair than what was comfortable to watch.

“Why didn’t you go see a doctor?” Sunset asked.

Dash turned to face her. “I did.”

Sunset looked surprised. “And what’d they say?”

Rainbow Dash looked down at her lap. “They said it was... prolly nothing; just a stomach bug or something.”

Rarity huffed, her arms folded. “How awful! Why would they just brush it off like that?”

Twilight spoke up. “Unfortunately, stomach cancer can be difficult to diagnose early; couple that with the lack of resources, funding, and politics that medical professionals face these days, and you end up with a recipe for disaster.” She sighed, looking at her bed-ridden friend. “Sadly, this kind of thing happens far more often than it should, especially with young people who don’t fall into the group with the highest risk factors.”

“So what’d you do, Dashie?” Pinkie asked quietly, placing her hand on Rainbow Dash’s leg.

She turned slowly to face Pinkie and licked her lips. “I… basically just believed the doctor, and hoped he was right: that it would just go away.”

“But it didn’t,” AJ said.

Dash gave her head a slow shake.

“Dang,” the blonde whispered, looking down at herself. “Why didn’t ya go back ta the doc when it didn’t stop?”

“I dunno…” she whimpered. “I was afraid they would just tell me the same thing again, or that they wouldn’t believe me. Then when it kept getting worse, I… got scared. I kinda knew what it was, but I was scared to go.”

“But why, darling?”

Dash shrugged. “I was worried they would... freak out on me for letting it go so long, and… I dunno. I was kinda… just scared to hear it. Like… I felt like I already knew, but… I still didn’t wanna know.” She groaned and closed her eyes. “I didn’t know what to do. If it was what I thought, I knew it was probably past being curable by then, and… I dunno. So stupid. I totally painted myself into a corner... and it’s all my fault.”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Sunset asked. “I mean, we could have helped you,” she said, with a deliberate glance toward me.

I looked back at her with a cocked brow. She was right, however; I could have saved Rainbow Dash with one roll under the covers. It was inconceivable to me that she didn’t ask for it, given that she knew her life was probably hanging in the balance. Granted, she was uncomfortable with the thought of sleeping with me, so I could understand her perspective as far as that went, but to go ahead and let this happen without even telling us about it —going out of her way to hide it, in fact— was truly shocking.

“I DID tell you,” Dash said suddenly, catching everyone off-guard.

AJ cocked a brow. “Whut? You sure ‘bout that? I think we woulda remembered somethin like that.”

“Yeah, I’m sure!” Dash’s volume increased. “At the Sweet Shoppe, the night Fluttershy came home.”

Applejack shook her head, confused. “I… I don’t remember—“

“Ugh… I said it right to you, AJ. I said: ‘I. Don’t. Feel. Good. I’m scared.’”

The farm girl paused, mouth hanging open as the memory of that night slowly came back to her. “Dag gummit,” she whispered, looking back at her friend. “I do remember that! I… I thought you was talkin ‘bout Fluttershy bein gone; I didn’t know that’s what ya meant! Ya shoulda told us that’s what you was talkin ‘bout.”

“I was gonna,” Dash explained. “But... it was hard. Only reason I said that much was cuz I... I was upset about Fluttershy. I was emotional, and I thought I could open up to you...” She glanced around at Pinkie and Rarity, who were also present that night. “But then... Fluttershy actually showed up, and… I got overshadowed.”

Fluttershy gasped and covered her mouth when she heard this. “Oh no! Dashie... I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—“

Dash grimaced and waved the shy girl off. “Nah, s’not your fault, Flutters. Don’t be sorry.”

“No, Dashie. I feel just awful now; I never meant to steal your thunder—especially about something this important.”

The rainbow-haired girl shook her head. “Doesn’t matter; was prolly too late by then anyway.”

“Not necessarily,” Twilight interjected. “It is possible to cure stomach cancer as late as stage three —depending on the type— but it would have taken extreme amounts of chemo and radiation therapy, and they would have had to remove a significant portion, or even your entire stomach to—“

Sunset raised her hands to stop Twilight. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s really helpful right now, Twi.”

Twilight sighed and folded her hands. “Right. Sorry.”

Rainbow Dash open her mouth wide and yawned. “S’OK… Twilight. You just… try… help…” Her eyes drifted shut. The rest of us stood and watched, helpless. “I… sorry, guys. So… stupid…”

Sunset placed a hand over her face, hoping to rub the stress away. She then reached for Dash’s shoulder to give it a squeeze. “You’re not stupid, Rainbow. This kind of thing is scary, and people react in all kinds of strange ways to it.”

“Mmmmhhh…”

The red-head sighed and shook her head. Then she patted Dash’s shoulder. “Look, just get some rest, OK? We’ll be here.” She turned to the rest of us. “Right guys?”

Everyone nodded and replied with some quiet ‘yeahs’ and ‘mm-hms.’

Rainbow Dash was already out cold, however, snoring softly.

*****

The next few hours were spent sitting in silence. There was really nothing else to do. We kept in contact with Sonata and the other three girls, who were still sitting and waiting at the restaurant down the street, anxious to hear any news we might have. Rarity was reluctant to tell them, especially Scootaloo; such news would have been devastating to hear during the holidays.

Eventually, Scootaloo had to leave; she was scheduled to work at the restaurant in the morning, and although she wasn’t overly thrilled at the prospect, she needed the money.

It wasn’t long after then that Pinkie Pie began to nod off. It was after 3:00am after all, so Applejack eventually made the tough decision to offer the party-girl a ride home, along with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Sonata. AJ was extremely reluctant to leave her best friend’s side at such a time —as evidenced by how long it took her to leave— but Pinkie still needed to sleep, and it wasn’t fair to the others to make them sit at that greasy burger joint all night.

After a solemn farewell, the rest of us remained in the room with Rainbow Dash, who didn’t stir even once. We sat in silence for the majority of the time, staring at the floor, at each other, holding hands, exchanging very few words along the way. More than once, I noticed them watching me, and I knew exactly what they were thinking.

I could have cured her—if she’d come to me for help, that is.

It was morning when the girls decided to take a walk for a change of scenery, to recharge their brains, and to try to remember what their friend looked like when she was her old, healthy self. Sunset, Twilight and Rarity stood to leave after deciding to visit the coffee shop once again, but when they asked Fluttershy if she was coming, she shook her head.

They looked to me next. Not wanting to leave her alone, I decided to stick with the shy girl, despite how badly I wanted to get out of that room. The others understood, and after asking what we wanted from the cafe, they left the room and shuffled down the hall like zombies.

It was within a minute of them leaving that Fluttershy turned to me, her eyes resolute, catching me off-guard with a soft proclamation:

“You have to save her.”