II.

As Ponyville prepared to celebrate Twilight's fifty-year jubilee, her thoughts could not be farther from all of her accomplishments that were to be recited by speakers and foreign delegates at the ceremony. She flew swiftly to the Ponyville Hospital and passed through the sliding glass doors. A rush of cold, sterile air greeted her as she entered the lobby, and her nose twitched with the sudden sharp smell of antiseptic. Spike and Rarity were there waiting for her, pacing and looking worried. At Twilight's entrance, they ran over and embraced their friend.

"How's she doing?" asked Twilight.

"Not well, I'm afraid. She's in Room 226, up the stairs to the left. I'm going to wait here for Fluttershy, and then we'll meet you and the others up there."

"All right. Thank you, Rarity."

"See you in a little while, darling."

Twilight hurried up the stairs with Spike, turned left, and entered a small, brightly lit hospital room. Potted plants holding flowers with big, cheesy grins were liberally scattered on the cheap wallpaper. They gave the room an oddly surreal feeling. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were already there, clustered around Rainbow Dash's bed, and at Twilight's entrance, Applejack leapt from her seat and rushed to the door to greet her.

Rainbow was laying on the bed, unconscious, machines tethered to her body beeping slowly but steadily. Pinkie Pie was by her side, making balloon animals and waving them in front of Dash's face hopefully. Twilight knew that the hospital itself would probably collapse from age before Pinkie lost patience with this game, and the thought made her smile in spite of herself.

"She was playing with the little fillies at the farm and just collapsed. I brought her over here quick as I could. The doctors say it looks like a stroke, but they can't tell how severe until she wakes up."

Twilight put a hoof around Applejack's shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry, Applejack. I'm sure Rainbow Dash will be just fine. She's a tough pony. She's been through worse."

"I sure hope you're right, Twi."

Twilight pulled another chair around next to Applejack's, on Rainbow's right side, and the two mares sat down. Spike clambered up onto Rainbow's bed and sat there at her feet, tail curled around his claws. Twilight took Rainbow's hoof in her own and caressed it gently, smiling reassuringly. "Come on, Rainbow Dash. You can do it."

Fluttershy and Rarity came in just then, Fluttershy out of breath from having rushed over from the Everfree Forest. They pulled up chairs around the bed as well, and the five friends spoke gently and comfortingly to each other as they waited for Rainbow Dash to wake up.

"I'm sure glad y'all could make it. Rainbow'll need all of our support to help her pull through."

"Rainbow isn't the only one who needs our support right now. I think we may all need each other even more," Rarity noted.

Pinkie sighed and put down her balloon animal. "You're right. I guess Rainbow probably doesn't even know we're here right now." She paused, then looked at Twilight. "Balloon animal, Twilight?"

Twilight chuckled. "No thank you, Pinkie."

"Suit yourself!" Pinkie shrugged, twisted a long balloon into a necklace, and put it around Rainbow's neck. "So she knows we've been waiting for her when she wakes up."

There was a long silence. Eventually Spike said, "So...how are the little ones down at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack?"

Applejack grinned wryly. "They're just as energetic as ever. This morning I was playin' with Apple Spice in the barn, and she got into the pigsty. Hoooo Lordy! You ain't never seen such a happy, grubby little 'un. The pigs were squealin' to beat the band, but she didn't give a hoot. Just kept right on playin' in the mud in the pen. I tell ya, that one ain't scared a nothin'. She's gonna be a real firebrand when she grows up, lemme tell ya."

Rarity laughed. "Sounds like Sweetie Belle when she was a fillie. My mother could not keep her still to save her life! Once, she got into the flour and other baking stuff under the sink, and she came out completely covered in yellow cornstarch! Ohhh, but she is the youngest, so she got away with it scot-free. I think I even ended up having to clean it up!"

Just then, the doctor came in. "I have the results of the CT scan. I'm afraid Rainbow Dash has suffered a severe stroke in the rear portion of her frontal lobe. It's one of the primary parts of the motor cortex, and it appears to have sustained some considerable damage from the hemorrhaging. Many ponies do not survive such a stroke, and even if your friend does wake up, it's likely she will never walk again."

"JUST LIKE MEEEE!" screamed Pinkie Pie in ecstasy. The doctor winced from the sudden sound, adjusted his glasses, and cleared his throat. "Yes, although we don't know anything for sure until she wakes up. The brain is a strange and complex thing, and it's possible, though unlikely, that your friend wakes up with very little side effects. The brain can compensate for damage in one part of the brain by reassigning tasks to other parts, and there are documented cases of complete or near-complete recovery in cases such as Ms. Dash's. But I do want to warn you of some of the potential outcomes."

"When will she wake up?" asked Rarity. The doctor sighed. "That's the thing. It's nearly impossible to tell. She could wake up at any moment, or she could never wake up at all. These sorts of things are very unpredictable."

"Thank you, doctor. Please keep us updated as soon as possible."

"I will. Good luck to all of you."

"Thank you. I have a feeling we'll need it."