There's nothing wrong with Diamond Tiara. She just can't sleep at night. There's nothing wrong with her...
Strange things happen in Ponyville. Foals start to disappear; their parents and siblings, struck by grief, will resort to every mean to find the cause. Some of them blame timberwolves; some blame the zebra living in the forest. Some of them even blame their fellow ponies. None of them, however, suspects a little filly suffering from insomnia...
Diamond Tiara tossed and turned in her bed. She opened her bloodshot eyes only to clench them shut when the light of the Moon jarred them mercilessly.
Blinking and cursing under her breath, she got out of bed and closed the curtain. She looked around her room. Everything was perfectly in place; it was probably the cleanest since sheâd remembered it. Since her insomnia had started, sheâd tried everything to fight it. Cleaning the room was one of the first things she did after she gave up all the hope that sheâd ever sleep again.
It didnât end with that, though. Sheâd spent quite a few nights looking for the right way to put all of her stuff in place. Sheâd sorted all of her toys by size; then sheâd put all of the books on the shelves in an alphabetical order. Last night sheâd rummaged through her closet, sorting all of the dresses in it by their age. It was a boring and tiring task, but unfortunately it didnât make her fall asleep.
Diamond Tiara sighed and moved one of the boxes an inch closer to the wall. Then she slowly trotted back to her bed. She lay back in it, staring at the ceiling.
She knew how much her father was worried about her. After the doctors from Ponyville found nothing about her condition, Filthy Rich began to write letters to the best neurologists from Manehattan, Fillydelphia and Canterlot, but they also couldnât find an answer. During the last month, sheâd tried probably all the kinds of sleeping pills and potions equestrian pharmacies had in stock. Still, nothing changed. She couldnât fall asleep for even a minute.
Diamond Tiara groaned, banging her hoof against the mattress. She wanted to sleep. She was exhausted; she could barely focus on anything at school. During the lessons, she was usually nodding off, yet still being painfully awake. Her marks deteriorated, even though Filthy Rich had talked with Cheerilee about her problems.
An image of Silver Spoon appeared in Diamond Tiaraâs mind. Apart from her father, she was probably the only pony in the world who cared about her. Every time they met, she was asking Diamond if sheâd managed to catch some zâs. After hearing Diamondâs ânoâ, she was always making the same worried expression and saying some reassuring words. Sometimes she was hugging Diamond. Sometimes she mentioned some book about insomnia sheâd read.
Even though she was tired, Diamond Tiara smiled. Good, old Silver Spoon. Sheâd do anything for her. Diamond Tiara knew that Silver Spoon spent many hours looking for a remedy for her insomnia. It wasnât much use â even though Silver Spoon was one of the brainiest ponies Diamond knew, she could barely understand the scientific language of the books sheâd found. Yet, she was trying anyway.
Diamond Tiara trotted to the window again. This time she opened it, facing the moonlight. She took a few deep breaths; the chilling air woke her up even more, but she didnât care about that anymore. She smelled the freshly mowed grass and a faint trace of smoke from a distant bonfire. Her ears were assaulted by chirping of the crickets. She shuddered when a stray moth brushed her mane. She looked around and saw it landing on the wall of her room.
For a while, Diamond Tiara was looking at the moth, but it didnât move so Diamond turned back to the window. Suddenly, she got an idea. She climbed on the windowsill and sat on it. Then she jumped on the soft grass on the other side.
She shivered when her hooves got wet from the dew. She stretched her limbs and cracked her back. Then she walked through the large garden surrounding her house.
For the first time since Diamondâs insomnia started, she actually felt happy because of it. The garden was beautiful at night. The smell of evening stock and potato vine filled her nostrils, almost hypnotizing her. The light breeze was moving the leaves gently. Diamond trotted down the path and soon disappeared in the shadows of the bushes and trees.
She went to the hedge and began to walk alongside it. She remembered that there was a small hole in it she once used to sneak out of the garden when playing hide-and-seek with Silver Spoon. Poor Silver spent almost an hour trying to find her, which actually made Diamond feel bad for her. Later, she invited her for a milkshake, but even then things were a bit bad between them for a couple of days.
Well, Silver Spoon could never hold a grudge against somepony for long. Quiet, nerdy and a bit self-conscious about her glasses, Silver Spoon was the last pony one would expect Diamond Tiara to befriend. Crawling through a hole in the hedge, Diamond smiled, remembering how theyâd met for the first time. It was a long time ago, when her mother was still alive. She was friends with Silverâs parents so the two often played together as little foals when the adults were talking.
Everything changed when Diamondâs mother died, and Silver Spoonâs parents moved to Vanhoover. Filthy Rich had no time for visits, so they grew apart till three years ago Silver Spoon came back to Ponyville with her mother and they met again in school. Diamond shuddered. It wasnât caused by the cold night but rather by the memory of Silver crying, her broken glasses lying in front of her. Diamond remembered how she stood between her and the bullies.
She chuckled. Whoâd think back then that Silver would also become a bully? Sometimes life could be pretty ironic.
Just like now. Diamond Tiara had everything she wanted and yet a stupid lack of sleep was almost driving her insane. Her father was spending a fortune for doctors and they still couldnât determine the cause. Even though Diamond Tiara didnât believe in karma or similar forces, she even tried to be nice to all the blank flanks around. It didnât help either.
The street lamps were casting eerie shadows on the empty alley. Diamond Tiara took out a few branches that tangled in her mane when she was crawling through the hole in the hedge and trotted down the pavement. The houses were dark, only occasionally she could see a faint light in one of the windows. She tried to walk silently, but it felt like her every step could be heard in the whole town.
She walked into the market. Devoid of ponies, littered with empty stands and garbage, it looked oddly unsettling. Diamond Tiara felt a chill running down her spine. She creeped through it, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Suddenly, she saw a silhouette of a pony behind one of the stands. She froze, trying to make herself as small as possible. The pony, however, didnât move. Against the common sense, Diamond Tiara approached the stand curiously. A wave of stench overwhelmed her. She backed away, coughing.
From the safe distance, she took a second glance and recognized the pony as Vinyl Scratch. She was reeking of alcohol and something Diamond Tiara definitely didnât want to smell. The DJ, large sunglasses obscuring her eyes, was snoring, resting herself against the stand.
Lucky you⊠Diamond Tiara thought. She started to wonder if getting drunk would help her fall asleep, but after taking another look at Vinyl, she scratched that idea. She didnât want anypony to see her like that. Besides, nopony would sell alcohol to a nine-year-old.
Diamond Tiara shrugged and went past the market. For a brief moment she thought that she should find somepony to help Vinyl get to her house, but then she thought that sheâd have a hard time explaining to her father what she was doing in the market in the middle of the night.
Walking next to Sugarcube Corner, she remembered the gossip she heard about Vinyl. According to Silver Spoon whoâd heard it from Ruby Pinch whoâd heard her mother discussing it with Mrs. Cake, Vinyl was abducting and torturing foals to use their screams in her songs. Diamond Tiara thought that it was stupid: no foal ever disappeared in Ponyville, so it was either not true, or Vinyl was just very bad in abducting. Still, Diamond Tiara didnât want to be next to her when she awoke.
Finally, she left Ponyville and began to wander through the outskirts. Cold breeze ruffled her mane. It smelled a bit of smoke; Diamond Tiara faintly remembered Pipsqueak, Featherweight and Rumble talking about going camping during the weekend.
She trotted through the grass, scaring the grasshoppers away. The only source of light was now the Moon and a couple of fireflies floating above Diamondâs head. She looked up and saw the myriads of stars on the sky. She sat on the ground, watching them carefully. Her breath, quickened after the walk, steadied a bit.
She was looking at the stars without blinking till her eyes watered and the white points on the sky changed into blurry smears. She was inhaling the cold air slowly, savouring its smell and taste. Her eyes slowly started to closeâŠ
âDiamond Tiara? What are you doing here?â she heard a voice next to her.
She looked around, blinking, and saw a small, white and brown colt in front of her.
âHi, Pipsqueak,â she replied, blushing. âIâm⊠umm⊠stargazing.â She gave him a look suggesting âdonât even try to tell anypony about thatâ.
âStargazing? Cool,â Pipsqueak replied.
Suddenly, a strange feeling overwhelmed Diamond Tiara. A sharp pain in the back of the head almost made her pass out. She leaned forward, feeling that her stomach started to twist and turn. Her vision blurred, her ears suddenly got assaulted with a loud, high-pitched noise.
âAre you okay?â Pipsqueak asked. âDiamond?â
âYou donât look likeâŠâ Pipsqueak said. Even in the dim light of the Moon he could clearly see how pale Diamondâs face suddenly became. In fact, he remembered that every time he saw her at school, she looked utterly exhausted. Not that he looked at her often.
Diamond Tiara shuddered. Only a whimper escaped her lips.
âIâll walk you homeâŠâ Pipsqueak offered. He wrapped Diamondâs hoof around his neck and began to walk towards Ponyville with her.
âYou donât have toâŠâ Diamond Tiara groaned. She still could barely see anything. Suddenly, she remembered what one of the doctors had told her about brain tumours. The tomography didnât reveal any, but she still felt that it could be it. âStay with your friendsâŠâ
âDonât worry, theyâll wait for me,â Pipsqueak smiled at her.
They walked together for some time â Diamond couldnât recall how long â when the headache died a bit.
âI can walk on my own,â Diamond said. She slipped from Pipsqueakâs grasp and took a couple of shaky steps.
âAre you sure?â the colt asked. âIâd better walk you home and make sure you donât collapse somewhereâŠâ
At first Diamond wanted to refuse, but then she thought about Vinyl Scratch sleeping at the market. She definitely didnât want to join her.
They walked through the meadow. Diamond could see the Sweet Apple Acres in the distance and a wall of the Everfree forest not far away from them. She still felt the world spinning around her; the edges of her vision were a bit blurred. Pipsqueak was trotting by her side, occasionally giving her worried looks.
âYou knowâŠâ he said. âI⊠If you everâŠâ He looked at the ground underneath his hooves.
âIf I ever what?â Diamond Tiara asked. She looked at Pipsqueak, but all she could see was a white and brown blur. She blinked several times, but it didnât help.
âWellâŠâ Pipsqueak said. âI was recently⊠thinking⊠And I think that⊠Diamond Tiara, what are you doing?!â
What am I doing? Diamond Tiara thought. She looked around, but she couldnât see anything. She couldnât feel her own hooves. She heard ringing in her ears, along with some muffled screams and rhythmic knocking.
What am I doing? Pipsqueak? Where are you?
She wanted to scream or run away, but her body didnât listen to her. Some distorted pictures started to flash before her eyes, like frames from an old movie. Was that Pipsqueak? Or maybe it was Silver Spoon? Diamond couldnât tell. She was trying to sink in her own mind; find some safe place where she would wait to regain control over her body.
A sudden jolt of sharp pain in her hooves jerked her awake. She still couldnât see anything, but at least the sensation was back. She groaned and did the only thing that felt reasonable to her: she darted forward blindly, leaving the meadow and Pipsqueak behind.
Her vision was slowly coming back, but despite that she tripped several times. She didnât waste time to look back, instead getting up and continuing to run blindly. Blood was rushing through her veins; her muscles, not used to such exertion, were almost screaming in protest. She reached the town, stopped and leant against the wall of a nearby building, panting and spitting on the pavement.
Her vision and hearing were back. Her muscles were spasming, her knees were aching in places where sheâd grazed them. She looked around; Pipsqueak was nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps he got tired of chasing me⊠Diamond Tiara thought. He probably thinks Iâm crazyâŠ
She sighed and trotted down the street. The street lamps were now turned off, but it was now slightly lighter than before. Finally, Diamond got to her house and crawled through the hole in the hedge. Then she rushed through the garden, hoping that the gardener hadnât woken up yet.
She sighed with relief, seeing that the window of her room was still open, just like sheâd left it. She climbed on the windowsill and closed it.
Walking past the mirror, she noticed her reflection. Her mane was dishevelled; branches and blades of grass were tangled into it. Her coat was also dirty, pink fur covered in patches of mud and blood from small cuts and grazes sheâd acquired while running blindly through Ponyvilleâs outskirts. Her eyes were bloodshot, there was also a black and red smear on her face.
Diamond shook her head, seeing herself in such a state. She trotted to the door, sneaked out of her room and headed to the bathroom. Fortunately, both her father and the servants were still asleep.
She took a shower, carefully getting rid of every spot or smear on her pristine pink coat. Then she washed her mane, paying attention to every single hair. She had to look perfect. She just couldnât let anypony see her dirty or exhausted. She stepped out of the shower and wiped herself with the fluffy white towels. When she was dry, she stood in front of the mirror and combed her mane and tail, making sure that no loose hair escaped her brush.
Diamond Tiara was about to leave the bathroom when she noticed the shower base, now full of mud and hair. She gasped upon that view. Of course, she could leave it to the servants, but even if it stayed that way for a few more minutes, itâd bug her for at least a couple of days.
Reluctantly, she took the shower head and rinsed the base till there was not a single spot on the white surface. Then she took a mop and wiped the floor. Before leaving the bathroom, she also put all the bottles and packages on the shelves in order from the biggest to the smallest one. She knew how stupid it was, but she just couldnât leave it like that; it was helping her to calm down and forget about the events of the night.
Did it really happen? she thought. Maybe I just fell asleep and had a dream about meeting Pipsqueak? She still felt the weariness, so it was unlikely that she slept.
She left the bathroom and almost immediately ran into her father.
âHello,â Filthy Rich said. âDid you sleep?â
âDid you sleep?â. Not âhow did you sleep?â or âdid you sleep well?â, Diamond Tiara noticed. She looked at her father. He had bags under his eyes and his mane was in a mess. He was giving her a concerned look.
âIâm not sure,â Diamond Tiara replied. âI think I fell asleep for a while in the morning⊠I even had a dreamâŠâ Suddenly, something clicked in her head. If it was a dream, then where did the mud and grazes come from?
âGood.â Filthy Rich smiled half-heartedly. Diamond Tiara noticed that his hair started to slowly go grey and started to wonder if it was because of her. âIâm going to talk to that doctor from Trottingham today. Heâll probably be able to see you next weekend.â
âGreatâŠâ Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. âAnother shrinkâŠâ
âHeâs a neurologist, not a psychiatrist. And he specializes in insomniaâŠâ
âOkayâŠâ Diamond Tiara sighed. âIâm gonna eat something⊠I guess school starts soonâŠâ
âDiamondâŠâ Filthy Rich gave her a worried look. âItâs SundayâŠâ
âOh⊠I think Iâll visit Silver Spoon thenâŠâ she muttered and trotted to the dining room.
They ate breakfast in awkward silence. Diamond Tiara gave up any attempts to talk with her father long ago. Sooner or later, theyâd start to talk about her condition. Then Filthy Rich would start to give her worried looks again, whispering to her as if she was dying. If she had to choose, sheâd prefer to leave it as it was.
After she was finished, she trotted out of the house and headed to Silver Spoonâs house. Ponyville was slowly waking up; a couple of ponies greeted her as she was walking down the street. Vinyl Scratch, visibly green on her face, was sitting on a balcony of her house, yawning.
When she reached the city centre, she saw a couple of foals. Something was strange about them; instead of playing, they were gathered together in a small group, discussing something. She looked at them but Pipsqueak wasnât among them. Instead, she spotted Featherweight. She couldnât see his face, though â Scootaloo was hugging him.
âWhat theâŠâ she muttered. She looked around and saw Silver Spoon sitting alone on a bench. She rushed to her.
âHi Silver, what⊠what happened?!â Diamond exclaimed, seeing that her friendâs eyes were red and swollen. Her mane was almost begging for a proper braiding. Tears were flowing down her face. When Diamond sat next to her, she only sobbed and embraced her, weeping in her coat.
âWhatâs going on?â Diamond asked. âDid they hurt you?â
Diamond Tiara was standing next to the door of her fatherâs office. Sheâd just finished talking to the doctor â an old, dark blue unicorn with a grey mane who spent almost an hour asking her lots of questions. Now the doctor was talking to Filthy Rich.
Diamond Tiara sighed. It was just like any other meeting with a doctor. Before they met, he looked through the results of her check-up to find out that her level of hormones was normal, as well as the results of ECG, EEG, CT and other stuff she couldnât even remember. Silver Spoon would probably be able to decipher all those acronyms, but Diamond Tiara hadnât seen her since Pipsqueakâs funeral.
Then the doctor visited her in her room. He introduced himself as Midline Shift and immediately told her that she can call him âMidlineâ.
âI want to ask you a few questions, Diamond,â he said. âHopefully, Iâll be able to help you.â
She noticed that he wasnât taking any notes. In fact, only one of the doctors sheâd seen was doing that. Even then, he spent ten minutes explaining to her why he had to do that.
âWhat do you like to do in your free time?â Midline Shift asked.
âWell, I usually play alone or with my friend, Silver Spoon,â Diamond Tiara replied. âI like to make jewellery⊠Thatâs how I got my cutie mark.â
She talked about it for about ten minutes. She told Midline Shift how she liked everything to be in perfect order. There was something about the symmetry of the tiaras, necklaces or bracelets she was designing that was calming her down. Midline Shift was listening, only occasionally asking her some questions.
âIs Silver Spoon your only friend?â he asked when she paused to catch a breath.
âNo, I have lots of friends,â Diamond replied. It wasnât exactly true. Most of them were just her followers; she knew that they only liked her because she was rich. âSilver is just my best friend.â
Midline Shift nodded. âHow often do you meet?â
âAlmost every dayâŠâ Diamond Tiara hesitated. Since Sunday they only talked at school. Pipsqueakâs death shook Silver Spoon. On Wednesday she had to leave class during the lesson, crying. Diamond Tiara thought that she needed doctorâs help more than her.
There was also another reason. Diamond Tiara was almost sure that she was the pony who had taken a stone and smashed Pipsqueakâs skull with it. Who else could it be? He was alive when she saw him then⊠something happened, she ran away⊠She didnât want Silver Spoon to be around if something like that happened again.
âWhen I came here, I heard about this colt who died recentlyâŠâ Midline Shift said. âWas he also your friend?â
âYes,â Diamond Tiara replied quickly. She remembered the last time they talked and shuddered. âBut I couldnât sleep long time before he diedâŠâ
Midline Shift nodded. âHow about your mother?â he asked.
âShe died when I was threeâŠâ Diamond Tiara replied. âI barely remember her. She had an accident⊠Dad often says that Iâm similar to her. She liked to have everything organised.â
âI see,â said Midline Shift, looking around the room. âHow about your father?â
âHe worries about meâŠâ Diamond Tiara replied. âHe canât sleep tooâŠâ She knew what was coming next. Sooner or later every doctor would ask her if she was beaten or molested. They were usually circling around that question for long. They were asking her about her biggest fear; about Filthy Richâs reaction if she did something wrong; if somepony ever put their hooves where they shouldnât. Diamond Tiara answered all the Midline Shiftâs questions with a bored expression.
The doctor was about to leave, when he asked her about something else, âDo you have any problems with your vision or hearing?â
That caught her off guard. She hesitated for a while, before finally replying, âNo.â
Chill out, Diamond, she thought. You donât have any problems⊠It was just onceâŠ
âDid you have any... thoughts that made you scared or angry?â Midline Shift asked.
âAll the timeâŠâ she muttered. âI havenât slept for a month; Itâs normal that Iâm angryâŠâ
âYes, itâs normal,â Midline Shift replied. âThank you, Diamond. Iâm going to talk with your father now.â
When he left her room, she listened to his hoofsteps till she heard the door to Filthy Richâs room closing. Quietly, she trotted downstairs and stood in the corridor next to her fatherâs office.
â...Physically, sheâs okay,â she heard Midline Shiftâs voice. âHowever, she seems to be obsessed with order and symmetry. Was she always like that?â
âNo, of course not,â Filthy Rich replied. âI mean, she always liked to put things in order, just like Amber⊠But only recently she started to do that all the time. She says that sheâs bored at nightâŠâ
âI see,â Midline Shift said. Diamond Tiara could almost see him nodding with his professional expression. âMr. Rich, if you donât mind, Iâd like to ask you a couple of questions about your wifeâŠâ
Diamond Tiara turned away from the door. It seemed that they were going to talk for long, which was boring her. Suddenly, she started to miss Silver Spoon, so she decided to go to the town and look for her.
Walking through the streets of Ponyville, she started to wonder, why she hadnât been caught yet. When Rumble and Featherweight had found Pipsqueakâs body, they immediately ran to the town, calling for help. The guards who arrived at the meadow in the early morning photographed and measured all the hoofprints and traces they could find.
The body had been taken to the hospital. Diamond Tiara shuddered, imagining the colt lying on the metal table with a bloody hole in his skull. She remembered how sheâd showered after coming back from the walk in the middle of the night and how sheâd assumed that blood on her coat came from her wounds. Was it Pipsqueakâs? She didnât know. She had rinsed all the evidence down the drain.
She started to wonder whatâd happen if they found out that she was there with him. At first she thought about prison â cold, dirty walls, bars in the windows and deranged mares lurking in the shadows to hurt her â but then she shook it off. Nopony in Equestria was locking nine-year-old fillies in jail.
There was also another thing. In all the books sheâd read, the criminal usually pleaded insanity to be locked in an asylum, where they could easily escape. In those books, a brave detective or a smart lawyer could easily see through that plot and thwart the villainâs plans at the last moment.
This, however, wasnât a book. As much as Diamond Tiara didnât want to admit it, she lost control over her body and killed Pipsqueak⊠or something in her did. She wasnât sure anymore.
âHey! Watch out!â
She realised that sheâd almost bumped into another filly â a rose unicorn with three gems as a cutie mark. She knew her from school â her name was Ruby Pinch.
âItâs youâŠâ Ruby muttered, frowning. She backpedalled, glaring at Diamond Tiara angrily.
Does she know? Diamond Tiara thought, panicked.
âYou came to laugh me again?â Ruby shouted, her eyes watering. âDo you really think itâs funny? What would you do if⊠if your motherâŠâ Suddenly, she turned back and ran away.
âRuby, wait!â Diamond Tiara shouted. She wanted to chase her, but then she sat down, realising what it was about.
After theyâd noticed that Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle didnât care about their insults anymore, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon started to look for a new victim. Ruby Pinch, with her alcoholic mother and second-hoof handbooks was a far too easy target.
Diamond Tiara hesitated. Normally, sheâd shrug it off and go to Silver Spoon, but recently sheâd seen too many ponies crying because of her.
Sheâd barely made it through Pipsqueakâs funeral. The whole town had appeared there to bid farewell to the poor colt. Diamond Tiara couldnât look into their eyes; when Cheerilee started to cry during her speech, for a brief moment Diamond Tiara thought that her teacher was going to accuse her. Sheâd imagined the ponies gathering around her, glaring at her angrily. Sheâd imagined herself running to Filthy Rich, only to be pushed away by him; a pair of strong hooves wrapping around her throat, depriving her of air; her tiara landing on the ground where it was smashed to pieces. Sheâd imagined herself trying to fight, overpowered by the mob; ponies kicking her and tearing hairs from her mane.
She'd imagined them dumping her, dirty, bleeding from numerous wounds, into Pipsqueakâs grave. She'd looked up, and saw Silver Spoon staring at her emotionlessly.
âSilver⊠help me...â She coughed.
Silver Spoon said nothing; instead, she grabbed a hoofful of earth and threw it at her. The other ponies joined, burying Diamond Tiara alive.
âDiamond? Are you okay?â Silver Spoon asked, looking at her unsurely. Diamond Tiara only pulled her in a hug and spent the rest of the funeral crying in her coat.
They hadnât seen each other since then.
Now, Diamond Tiara looked in the direction where Ruby had ran away.
âWhat a crybabyâŠâ she finally muttered and headed to Silver Spoonâs house.
She didnât even have to knock at the door â when she approached the manor, she saw Silver Spoon through the fence, lying on a blanket under the tree in the garden.
âHello,â Diamond Tiara called.
Silver Spoon yawned and looked around groggily. Seeing her slowly waking up, Diamond Tiara sighed â sheâd give anything to be able to sleep like that.
âHi, Diamond,â said Silver Spoon, letting her in. They trotted to the tree and sat on the blanket. âHow are you?â
âStill canât sleep,â Diamond Tiara replied, looking at the book Silver had used as a pillow â a large, black neurology handbook. âDo you even understand that?â
And I donât deserve that⊠Diamond Tiara thought. âYou know, I talked to that doctor from Trottingham todayâŠâ she said.
âHowâs he like?â Silver asked.
âJust like any other. He thinks thereâs something wrong with my head.â Diamond Tiara sighed. âYou know, all that cleaning and stuff⊠As if it had something to do with my insomnia⊠Now heâs talking to my dad.â
Silver Spoon nodded. For a while, they were just sitting next to each other in silence.
âYou know, Iâve met Ruby Pinch on my way here,â Diamond Tiara said.
âWho?â Silver Spoon asked. âWait, isnât it that pathetic kid? The one whose mother would sell her for vodka?â She laughed coldly. âWhat did she tell you? How fun it is to clean vomit from the floor?â
âI was just thinking that we may have been a little too harsh for herâŠâ Diamond Tiara said, not looking at her friend.
Silver Spoonâs smile faded instantly. âYes, I was just thinking thatâŠâ she muttered. âI mean, itâs hard for her to live like thatâŠâ
There you are, friend⊠Diamond Tiara thought. If I told you now that Ruby is a retard, youâd spend the rest of the day thinking of new insults, wouldnât you?
There was only one time when Silver Spoon stood up against her. Two years before, Twist had refused to let Diamond copy her homework and, after a rather unpleasant talk with Cheerilee, Diamond had decided to turn Twistâs life into hell.
She hadnât even started with that. When sheâd told Silver Spoon about her plans, she suddenly saw her face freezing in horror, before Silver blurted out âNo!â, trying to hold back tears.
Diamond Tiara was surprised that she didnât see that coming. Only later she remembered where sheâd heard somepony being called âfour-eyed retardâ before.
They never talked about it again. Nor Diamond Tiara ever tried to bully Twist again.
âDonât you think we should apologize?â Silver asked.
âApologize? No, I donât like her that muchâŠâ Diamond replied.
âYeah⊠youâre probably rightâŠâ said Silver Spoon and looked around uncomfortably.
Geez, grow a pair, girl, as Scootaloo would say⊠Diamond Tiara thought. Wonder what pair that blank flank meant⊠Pair of wings? She could grow a working one as well⊠She snickered. Then she looked at Silver Spoon, who was sitting silently, her eyes focused on some random tuft of grass in front of her.
âSilver? Are you okay?â she asked.
âItâs Pipsqueak⊠I still canât believe that⊠that heâs goneâŠâ Silver Spoon whispered.
Just what I needed⊠Diamond Tiara sighed and sat next to Silver Spoon, wrapping her hoof around her.
She was so used to happy, mischievous Silver Spoon that sheâd almost forgotten how vulnerable she could be. Deep inside, sheâd always known that her friendâs usual behaviour was merely a mask; she was hanging out with Diamond, agreeing with every her word, to forget how she used to be bullied herself.
Silver, Babs Seed⊠Do I even have real friends or just followers? Diamond Tiara thought. She was often pondering about that during the sleepless nights. Not that it bothered her; it was just one of the questions that were popping in her head.
They spent several hours sitting together, barely saying anything. Every time Diamond Tiara tried to talk about something else, Silver Spoon was coming back to Pipsqueak or Diamondâs insomnia.
Finally, Diamond had enough. âI gotta go,â she said, looking at the sun. âTake care, Silver.â
She trotted out of Silverâs garden and walked down through the town. The afternoon was warm; the streets were still full of ponies, talking cheerfully and enjoying themselves.
Suddenly, Diamond Tiara froze mid-step and blinked several times. She realized that she was in the townâs outskirts again. She couldnât tell how she got there â was barely paying attention where she was walking.
âWhat theâŠâ she muttered, looking around. She was in the meadow. It wasnât, however, the same part of it where sheâd met Pipsqueak a week before. Behind her, there was a steep river bank, covered in bushes and small trees.
She was about to head to her house, when she heard somepony crying. She looked at the group of bushes and noticed something dark pink among them.
âRuby?â she asked, approaching the filly, who was sitting on the grass, looking at the river. Several scared moths flew past her.
She looked at the steep river bank and shivered. She was scared of heights; when she was three, her mother was on a trip in the mountains. While climbing up the narrow path, a sudden head rush threw her off balance and she fell five hundred metres down. Diamond Tiara hadnât seen that, but since then she couldnât look down the chasm without the cold feeling overwhelming her.
âItâs you again?â Ruby asked. âI told you to leave me alone!â
Diamond Tiara shuddered. She noticed that the edges of her vision became blurry. She wanted to run away instantly, but instead she trotted to Ruby and sat next to her. Overcoming her fear, she looked down at the river. The stream there was rapid; they were maybe a mile from the hydroelectric dam.
âListenâŠâ Diamond Tiara said. âItâs not like that⊠IâŠâ
âYou what? After all those⊠things you and that pet of yours said about me, you think that âitâs not like thatâ will help?â Ruby whimpered.
âNoâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered. She extended her hoof and wrapped it around Ruby. âNo, Ruby, itâsâŠâ
Run, Ruby! Why donât you run away from me!?
It all lasted maybe a half of a second. Diamond Tiaraâs vision suddenly disappeared in a flash and when it came back, Ruby wasnât with her.
âDiamond Tiara!â she heard a panicked scream. She blinked, ran to the edge of the bank and looked down.
âNo!â she shouted, seeing Ruby desperately waving her hooves, trying to keep her head above the water.
âHold on, RubyâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered. She tried to run behind her, but suddenly, her hooves became weak, unable to support her weight; she could only sit there and watch Ruby struggling to get to the bank.
Ruby disappeared, but quickly emerged, coughing and hitting her hooves against the water erratically.
âDiamondâŠâ It wasnât even a scream; it was shriek which ended with a sob. âWhyâŠâ
âHold on!â Diamond Tiara cried.
âWhyâŠâ Ruby cried. Muscles in her legs spasmed. She exhaled the air and disappeared underwater. Her hooves didnât want to listen to her. The bottom of the river was so serene⊠Its cold calmness so welcoming. Ruby closed her eyes and inhaled, water filling her lungs immediately. Her mind started to fall apart, yet Ruby didnât care. She looked up and saw a distorted image of Diamond Tiara looking at the surface of the river.
Why she seemed so important to her? Ruby Pinch didnât know. She faintly remembered something about crying, but waved that thought off.
She wasnât going to cry anymore.
The Prancing Changeling pub in the middle of Ponyville was full of ponies. Even though it was late, they were drinking and chatting happily, celebrating another warm, June weekend.
Vinyl Scratch was in her element. She wasnât at work that night, so she could just drink and enjoy herself with her friends, Octavia, Lyra and Bon Bon.
â...and then I saidâŠâ She waved her hoof in the air and took a sip of her cider. ââHoney, thatâs not my horn, itâs that guyâsâââ The rest drowned in the laughter of her companions.
âAnd what did he say?â Lyra asked when the laughter died down.
ââI knew it! Itâs even harder than your horn...ââ Vinyl giggled. âSeriously, I sometimes think Neon likes stallionsâŠâ
âReally?â Bon Bon shook her head. âThen why is he with you?â
âHeâs not just with me, itâs the two of usâŠâ Vinyl poked Octavia. âOcty has sass, and I have niceââ Before Vinyl could finish, the door bursted open.
The pub suddenly went silent. All the patrons looked at the pony who entered the building, staggering slightly.
Thanks to Minuette whoâd talked to a couple of ponies, Berry Punch was currently banned from every pub and liquor store in Ponyville. Nopony had an idea how did she manage to get so wasted.
Berry looked around, examining the faces of the patrons. Suddenly, her eyes locked on Vinyl.
âYou!â she slurred, approaching her. âWhereâs my daughter, bitch?â
âWhat?â Vinyl looked at her unsurely. âI havenât seen your daughter!â
âShe disappeared today and still isnât back!â Berry shouted. She smelled of vodka and sweat; Vinyl shuddered upon smelling this. âYou mustâve done something to her!â
âListen, Berry, I donât know why are you thinking that I abduct fillies, but thatâs just dumb!â Vinyl snapped. âI donât even like kids! Get off me!â
âDonât bullshit me, Scratch!â Berry yelled. Some of the patrons hid under their tables.
âListen,â Vinyl stood up and approached Berry. âLook at my mouth. I. Didnât. Touch. Your. Daughter. Got it? Now, get out.â
Berry glared at her angrily, baring her teeth.
âJust look at yourselfâŠâ said Vinyl, rolling her eyes and putting her sunglasses on. âIâm not surprised that she prefered to run away than to stay with youâŠâ
Suddenly, Vinyl felt as if her head exploded. She landed on the table, which collapsed under her weight. The mugs smashed on the floor, covering it in shards of glass and puddles of cider. Berry screamed and darted forward to hit Vinyl again. Lyra and Bon Bon stood up and tackled her, pinning her to the ground, while Octavia shielded Vinyl with her own body.
âYouâre sickâŠâ Vinyl muttered, wiping blood from her muzzle. Berry thrashed in Lyra and Bon Bonâs grasp and began yelling obscenities at them. âShit, you knocked my tooth outâŠâ Vinyl picked up her broken sunglasses, examined them and threw them on the ground again.
âFuck youâŠâ Berry replied. Vinyl only sighed. She stood up slowly, examining her wounds. Her white coat was covered in cider, ketchup and blood from the cuts.
The bartender approached them. He looked at the broken table and shook his head. Then he turned to Vinyl.
âAre ya good or should I call the guards?â he asked. Vinyl said nothing; adrenaline was slowly evaporating from her system, so she felt pain in her muzzle and began realizing that she was covered in blood. Even the faintest trace of it was usually making her feel dizzy.
âYouâd better call the guards,â Octavia replied, glaring at Berry, who was still trying to free herself and reach Vinyl. âIâd rather not pull them apart againâŠâ
The night was slowly getting cold. Vinyl lit a cigarette with her magic and blew out the smoke, watching the patterns it formed before her.
Octavia coughed. âVinyl, could you not blow it in my face? I thought you donât smoke anymore...â
âOh, sorry,â Vinyl replied. âIâm just in a cigarette mood.â
âNot in the âI-just-got-punched-in-the-faceâ mood?â Lyra asked, laughing. They were walking through the Ponyville outskirts, enjoying the night. Or, at least, Octavia, Lyra and Bon Bon were enjoying the night.
âThatâs not funny, LyraâŠâ Vinyl sighed. âI donât know why, but ponies in this town treat me like a fucking zebra! Too much noise? Scratchâs fault. Vomit on your doormat? Scratch was there. You canât raise your kid? Scratch came and ate it⊠Why foals? I donât like them. Whyâd I even need them? I already live in that fancy Prench thingy with Octy and Neon...â
âIt could be worse,â Bon Bon muttered. âThey could accuse you of blowing up the libraryâŠâ
âYeah, thereâs probably somepony out there who thinks that I suddenly grew a pair of hands and dyed my coat red and blackâŠâ Vinyl rolled her eyes. âLyra, is it even possible to grow hands?â
âThereâs a rare genetic mutation that causes that,â Lyra replied, âbut they appear instead of front hooves. Such kids usually have other inborn defects and donât live longâŠâ
âExactly,â Vinyl nodded, ignoring Octavia and Bon Bonâs groans upon imagining a disfigured foal. âI didnât blow up the library, but still I apparently keep foals in my sex dungeon. Or at least that permanently intoxicated tosser thinks soâŠâ Vinyl rolled her eyes, trying to ignore Octavia telling her that a basement with a couple of the Wonderbolts pin-up posters plastered on the walls could hardly be called a âsex dungeonâ.
âWell, if my sister disappeared, Iâd be worried tooâŠâ Bon Bon said. âI can kinda understand herâŠâ
âYeah, but youâd just be worried.â Vinyl stepped on a bridge and turned back to her companions. âBerry got drunk and tried to beat the crap out of me⊠In fact, Iâm gonna apply for a restraining order. Who knows how messed she is⊠Today she beats ponies, tomorrow sheâll try to burn our house downâŠâ Vinyl tossed the cigarette butt into the river and watched it falling.
âOhâŠâ she muttered looking at the surface of the water below her. She staggered slightly and lit her horn. âOh shitâŠâ she whispered, her throat dry. âLyra, can you give me more light?â
Lyra approached the railing and lit her horn, looking down. Her magic was much lighter than Vinylâs; it reflected from the water, basking them in the golden light.
Octavia looked at the water and put her hoof on her mouth, seeing a small silhouette stuck between the pillars of the bridge. Bon Bon overcame the nausea and looked at it closer. Then she turned to her friends, her face pale.
âIs⊠is that Berryâs kid?â she asked in a shaky voice, perfectly knowing what the answer would be.
âPatientâs name: Ruby Berryshine Pinch. Type: unicorn. Age: nine. Coat colour: pink. Mane colour: rose, two-tone. Cutie mark: three gemsâŠâ The doctor put the dictaphone down and levitated a scalpel. âOkay, Ruby,â he said, looking at the filly lying on the table in front of him. The pale, unnatural light was making her look even smaller. âLetâs see what happened to youâŠâ
Diamond Tiara examined the knife carefully, looking for any irregularities of the blade. For a while, she was staring at her reflection in the stainless steel, before she took a cloth and began wiping it.
She put a knife back into the drawer and took another one â a small paring knife. She turned it in her hooves, fascinated by how well-balanced it was. Easy to conceal, yet sharp and, in the right hooves, deadly.
The cook Filthy Rich had hired definitely knew his knives. Each of the blades was perfect. Diamond Tiara thought about Silver Spoon; her friend was always interested in cutlery. Whenever somepony shown even the slightest hint of being interested in the topic, she was getting crazy over it. She could talk for hours about her collection of rare spoons, meanwhile boring the hapless listener to death.
Well, Diamond Tiara thought, running her hoof down the handle of the knife, looking for any dents. Her rambling is still less deadly than I amâŠ
She stood up and stretched her hooves. Then she wrapped herself in a blanket and left the kitchen, whistling some merry tune through the gritted teeth.
âDiamond?â She heard her fatherâs tired voice behind her. âWhat were you doing in the kitchen?â
âJust taking a walk,â she replied, sighing. âIâm so boredâŠâ
âDonât worry, Diamond.â Filthy Rich approached her and patted her head. âDoctor Shift said that thereâs a hospital in Trottingham for fillies with⊠problems. Once the school year is over, youâll go there andââ
âI donât want to goâŠâ said Diamond Tiara glumly. âIâm not crazyâŠâ
âI know that you arenât,â Filthy Rich replied. âYouâre my beloved little daughter⊠I donât want to lose you.â
âBut I donât want to go there⊠aloneâŠâ Diamond Tiara sobbed.
âIâll visit you as often as I can. And I think Silver wonât leave you tooâŠâ
âYeah⊠probablyâŠâ Diamond Tiara wiped her tears and trotted to her room. She lay on her bed, knowing far too well that it wouldnât help her.
It was even worse since Ruby died. Every time Diamond Tiara tried to close her eyes, she was seeing the betrayed look on her face. She could almost hear her âwhy?â just before the water closed above her head.
Diamond turned in her bed. Her vision started to blur, but even when she closed her eyes, her mind still wasnât able to drift away.
She lay on her back. Her eyes shot open, staring at the ceiling. Her blank expression slowly turned into a mischievous grin when she clenched her hoof around the small paring knife.
Berry Punch banged her hoof against the wall, smearing blood on the wallpaper. Her whole body was trembling uncontrollably. She collapsed on the floor panting heavily. Her heart was pounding against her chest, almost cracking her ribs. She rolled on her back, not caring about the shards of glass from broken bottles scattered around the floor. Crying, she slowly rose to her hooves, only to collapse again. She started to scratch her hoof vigorously, trying to get rid of the feeling that something was crawling through her fur.
She looked around the room. It was almost empty, save from a few broken bottles and pieces of destroyed furniture.
âRubyâŠâ Her whisper was barely audible due to her dry throat. She stood up shakily, tremors almost making her fall again. She inhaled deeply, filling her nostrils with the smell of spilled vodka and stale urine.
It was hours⊠or days since she was told that her daughter was dead. She barely remembered that moment â she was just nodding off in the cell where sheâd landed after a bar brawl, when a guard came to her and told her the news. Since then, everything was a one, continuous blur of pain, tremors and smashed glass.
Somepony knocked at the door. She tried to walk only to fall, face first, on the floor. She heard whispers; she wasnât sure whether they belonged to ponies behind the door, or were they the creation of her own mind.
The lock clicked. Berry looked at it and saw the door engulfed in blue magic. It opened swiftly and four ponies came in.
âSweet CelestiaâŠâ Lyra muttered, looking around the room. Octavia hesitated, hit by the stench. Minuette and Bon Bon, however, entered Berryâs house without wincing.
Light from the outside blinded Berry. She could only hear hoofsteps when Minuette approached her.
âIs she drunk?â Octaviaâs voice was muffled as if it was coming from the great distance. However, it was enough to make Berryâs head spin.
âNo, I donât think so,â Minuette replied. Berry blinked and saw her face close above her. âI think sheâs sober for the first time in a whileâŠâ
Bon Bon looked at Berry and tried to lift her. She thrashed, screaming and kicking. Bon Bon jumped back, sliding on the puddle of vodka.
âGood thing we talked Vinyl out of coming here with usâŠâ Lyra said. âWho knows what Berry would do if she saw herâŠâ
âNothing wise, Iâm afraid.â Minuette sighed. âOkay, girls, we need to get her out of hereâŠâ
She aimed her horn at Berry, who cowered on the floor.
âDonât worry, Berry, weâre going to help youâŠâ Minuette said, sitting next to Berry and patting her mane. âIt wonât hurt a bit⊠Here, let me help you, okay?â
Berry nodded, trying to contain the shaking of her legs. She looked around and uttered one word, âRats.â
âRats?â Octavia looked around the room, panicked. âWhere?â
âItâs withdrawal,â Minuette said and aimed her horn at Berry once more. âOkay, Berry, Iâll count to three⊠one, twoâŠâ
The blue aura engulfed Berry, who closed her eyes and stopped shaking, hanging limply in Minuetteâs hooves.
âOkayâŠâ Minuette said. âNow, letâs get her to the hospitalâŠâ
Silver Spoon was hiding.
She poked her head from behind the corner, making sure that nopony was in sight. Then she trotted quickly on the other side of the street and hid in the shadow of the house. She crept as close to the wall as possible and disappeared in the nook.
She sighed with relief. Nopony was going to see her there.
Silver Spoon was never a sociable pony. She preferred to be alone or with Diamond Tiara. She could only stand other ponies because Diamond Tiara liked to shine.
In fact, Silver Spoon was afraid of crowds, even if they consisted of ponies as friendly as the inhabitants of Ponyville.
Not to mention now. Since Ruby died, the inhabitants of Ponyville werenât friendly anymore. So far, nopony attacked her directly, but whispers and meaningful looks were even worse. The gossip spread quickly through the small town; everypony knew how she and Diamond Tiara were teasing Ruby. It was quickly assumed that they and Berry Punch were responsible for her death.
Silver Spoon shuddered. Itâd all be easier if Diamond Tiara was by her side. Too bad, Diamond Tiara was rarely coming to school recently â the school year was almost over and, from what Silver Spoon knew, her friend was preparing to leave Ponyville and go to Trottingham.
Silver Spoon trotted down the nook, not looking to the sides. She thought about the irony of the situation â she, who preferred books over the company of other ponies, wasnât sure how sheâd survive the Summer alone.
She stopped. In front of her, there was the market. It was early morning, so there were only a couple of ponies there, but it was enough for her to feel shiver running down her spine. She didnât want to trot right through it and make herself visible.
Silver Spoon sighed. Sheâd be late for school, but it didnât matter for her. She trotted back and walked alongside the wall, looking for the way around the market. Finally, she found the right backstreet â it was narrow and dirty, with old houses with mansard roofs on both sides, but it allowed her to remain unseen. She relaxed a bit and stepped on a sidewalk.
âHey, you!â She heard a voice behind her back and froze. She turned her head to see Scootaloo walking behind her. She didnât like her expression; Scootaloo wasnât even looking at her, as if she was appalled just by seeing her.
âYes, youâŠâ Scootaloo approached her. âYou tried with meâŠâ Her wings twitched slightly, but she didnât notice that. âAnd you just had to do that to Ruby!â
Silver Spoon took a step backwards. Scootaloo was close. Too close.
âAre you happy now?â Scootaloo asked. âOr are you already planning whoâll be next?â
Silver Spoon said nothing. She was trying not to cry, but every Scootalooâs word was like a stab in the heart. She stared at her hooves, trying desperately to shrink, to disappearâŠ
âYouâre not so brave when youâre alone, are you?â Scootaloo asked, pushing her at the wall. âAnd donât tell me that Diamond made you laugh at herâŠâ She grabbed Silverâs neck. The string of Silverâs necklace snapped and the pearls spilled on the pavement. Scootaloo released her from her grip and took a step backwards. Her wings snapped open; she was glaring furiously at Silver Spoon, who was standing there, shivering, with her eyes closed.
The punch threw Silver Spoon backwards at the wall. She fell on the pavement and cowered, whimpering. She was awaiting next punches and kicks, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes. One of the lenses in her glasses was shattered. She could also feel the blood running down her face from the place where the bent frame had hit her brow ridge. She blinked, stunned by the hit, and saw Scootaloo standing above her. Her eyes were widened; she was covering her mouth with her hoof.
âIâm sorry,â Scootaloo whispered. âIâm so sorry, SilverâŠâ
Silver Spoon didnât hear that â she got up and ran away quickly. She could barely see anything and she wasnât used to running, but she didnât care. She wanted only to crawl somewhere where nopony would find her and stay there forever.
She ran through the street, almost getting hit by a cart. Not hearing a pony yelling at her, she tripped over a flower stand, yet she continued to run blindly, panting heavily.
She bumped into someone and fell down, losing her mangled glasses.
âWhat theââ
âPlease, donât hurt me!â she screamed, addressing the white and blue blur in front of her.
âWhy would I want to do that?â The pony looked at her. âOh dear⊠What happened to you, kid?â
She recognized that voice. She heard it every day on the radio.
âMs. Scratch!â she exclaimed, getting up quickly and picking up the sorry remains of her glasses. âI⊠I tripped and fellâŠâ
âOn someponyâs hoofâŠâ Vinyl muttered.
âDonât worry, Iâm okay,â Silver Spoon said quickly. âI⊠I think Iâll go homeâŠâ
âListen, girl, youâre talking to a pony whose sweet sixteen ended in the emergency department.â Vinyl pointed at Silver Spoonâs brow ridge. âThis needs stitches.â
âN-no, thanks⊠I⊠I deserved thatâŠâ Silver Spoon muttered.
âIt doesnât matter, you still need stitches,â Vinyl said. âBesides⊠donât ever let somepony make you believe that itâs your fault. One filly already died because of thatâŠâ
Silver Spoon shuddered. âNo⊠it wasnât my mom⊠IâŠâ
âYeah, you tripped and fell,â Vinyl deadpanned. âAnyway, Iâm just going to the hospital to visit⊠some friend of mine. You like it or not, youâre going there with me.â
Silver Spoon froze. On one hoof, her wound was still bleeding and she started to feel dizzy. On the other, last thing she wanted was to talk with someone about Ruby. Or worse, meet Berry Punch.
âDonât worry, girl,â Vinyl said, leaning to her and stroking her mane. âEverything will be all right.â
Silver Spoon thought otherwise, but anyway she trotted behind Vinyl, wiping tears from her eyes.
The Royal Guard station in Ponyville looked like any other such building in Equestria. Cheap furniture, the Princesses smiling from the posters, photos of wives, marefriends and foals on the walls, and ubiquitous smell of old papers, coffee and cigarettes. Riot Control entered the room and sat in his chair.
When he was a young colt, he often dreamed about working in the Princess Celestiaâs palace in Canterlot. Now all he dreamed of was another guard to help them.
Usually, two guards were enough for Ponyville. But recently, after a nine-year-old colt was murdered, his classmate committed suicide, and then the drunk mother of said classmate beat another mare, they suddenly had a lot of work to do.
Luckily the other guard, called Front Kick, still was young and ambitious enough to work hard to solve those cases. A minute after Riot Control entered the office, Front Kick was there too, levitating a file. He dropped it on the desk. Riot Control looked at it and saw a photo of a filly with a large cut in her chest, making the internal organs visible. He winced. It wasnât for the photo â after many years of service, he was used to such views. However, when he saw it, he immediately imagined his granddaughter lying on the autopsy table.
He looked at the framed photo he kept on his desk, depicting a small, ginger filly wearing a scout uniform and smiling at the camera.
âI talked to doctor Tulp,â said Front Kick. âGuess what was the cause of death, boss.â
âDrowning?â Riot Control asked.
âYeah⊠Not surprising at all.â Front Kick sighed. âHowever, I took a walk up the river. About a mile from the dam, thereâs a steep bank. Somepony walked through those bushes recentlyâŠâ
âSo? Probably lots of kids play thereâŠâ Riot Control shook his head. Front Kick was surely enthusiastic, but he still lacked experience.
âThatâs not everything,â Front Kick said. âOur victim has a large abrasion on the side, as if she slid off the slippery slope before falling into the water. Doctor Tulp even found some sand in the wound⊠Probably there was more in her fur, but waterââ
âTo the point, Front KickâŠâ Riot Control interrupted him. He thought that he was too old for that.
âI took a look at that bank. About two yards above the surface of water thereâs a place where soil looks a bit moved, as if something heavy bounced off of it recently and fell into the waterâŠâ
Riot Control looked carefully at the younger guard. âSo, you found a place where that poor filly had jumped to the river. We donât have time to examine the suicides⊠The guy who murdered that colt two weeks ago is still running free.â
âWell, after I found that place, I examined the bushes and I found thisâŠâ Front Kick opened the file and levitated a photo of something carefully packed into a ziploc bag.
âItâs a hair.â Riot Control took his glasses and looked at the photo more carefully. âIt could be hersâŠâ
âItâs not,â Front Kick said. âItâs violet, not rose. Do you remember where we last found a violet hair, boss?â
Riot Control froze. He looked at the photo of his granddaughter again and imagined her lying in the morgue.
âSo, it means thatâŠâ
âI believe those cases are connected,â Front Kick said. âSomepony in Ponyville murders foalsâŠâ
âBut who?â Riot Control asked. âMany ponies have violet manes⊠We need to be careful. We canât let that motherfucker escape...â
âExactly,â Front Kick looked at the photo lying on the top of the small pile of papers â the one showing Ruby Pinchâs exposed organs. âWeâd better keep this a secret. We donât want ponies to panicâŠâ
Silver Spoon thanked Celestia for the sun. Even though her fur was soaked in sweat, she was trotting through the town quickly, almost bouncing happily. High temperature meant that most of the citizens hid in their houses, cursing the heat.
For some ponies, the view of the empty streets was uncanny; they were so used to the sight of the crowds that the sudden disappearance of them was tugging some primitive string in their hearts â an atavistic fear of being abandoned by the herd.
Silver Spoon had no such fear. Her âherdâ had abandoned her many times before. Sometimes she was just ignored, sometimes outright rejected. Sometimes, like a day before, it ended with bruises and cuts.
âHey, Silver!â
She shuddered and closed her eyes, waiting silently for what fate had in store for her.
âBe sure to come back home before evening. I heard Rainbow Dash telling my sister that thereâll be a storm tonight,â said somepony standing next to her.
Silver Spoon opened her eyes and saw Twist. She scolded herself for not recognising her at first, but, when she started to think about it, it was understandable. Twist had recently made lots of progress in dealing with her lisp and it was now almost unhearable. Silver still couldnât get used to her voice. The fact that they didnât talk very often wasnât helping.
âThanks,â Silver Spoon said. âIâm going to Diamondâs house. We havenât had a sleepover for ages.â
âCool,â Twist replied. Silver Spoon looked at her, unsure if she really meant it. However, one look at Twistâs face convinced her that she was honest.
Actually, Twist was always honest. It was the kind of oblivious, sometimes brutal honesty, which was probably the cause why she wasnât liked among the foals of Ponyville.
Weâre exactly the same, Silver Spoon thought. Except that I have Diamond⊠and Twist still is better off.
âIs everything okay?â Twist asked, looking at Silver unsurely.
âOf course,â Silver replied, avoiding her gaze.
âYou donât look like,â Twist stated. âWhat happened to your eye?â
âThis?â Silver put her hoof on her forehead. Scootaloo had given her a nasty-looking black eye and a couple of stitches. âI fell down. Itâs okay, you donât need to worry.â
âIt looks badâŠâ Twist said.
Silver Spoon sighed. Why did ponies give her so much attention? First Vinyl Scratch who had dragged her to the hospital, now Twist⊠She felt she didnât deserve that. She felt as if Rubyâs blood was on her hooves and everyone could see it⊠Then why some of the ponies didnât run away from her?
âDonât worry about me, really,â Silver Spoon said. She took a couple steps forward, but Twist was following her.
âItâs about Pipsqueak, right?â she asked. âI saw how you were looking at himâŠâ
âTwist⊠please, leave me alone.â Silver Spoon gave Twist a nasty look. Pipsqueak⊠Of course, Twist had noticed⊠Silver Spoon started to wonder if sheâd also noticed how Pipsqueak was looking at Diamond Tiara.
âOh, sorryâŠâ Twist smiled sheepishly, looking on the ground. âI mean⊠If you want to talk, Iâll always be there for youâŠâ
Yeah, right⊠Silver Spoon thought. Letâs see how tolerant you areâŠ
âItâs⊠Itâs about Ruby,â she said. âI⊠I killed herâŠâ
âWhat?â Twistâs smile faded. She backpedalled, watching Silver Spoon unsurely.
âI mean⊠Diamond and I⊠She killed herself because of usâŠâ Silver Spoon muttered. To her surprise, Twist didnât run away.
âYou couldnât do anything about that,â Twist said, avoiding Silverâs gaze. âItâth wath her motherâŠâ
Do you even believe what youâre saying? Silver Spoon thought. âI⊠I couldâve stopped thatâŠâ She sighed. âI did nothing when Diamond teased her⊠I teased her too! Itâs like I pushed her to the river⊠I⊠I couldâve said ânoâ... Just like when she wanted to⊠to bully youâŠâ
Twist said nothing. Instead, she pulled Silver Spoon into a hug. Silver immediately backed away, startled.
âOh, sorryâŠâ Twist muttered. âIt⊠itâs not your fault; I really mean it.â
Silver Spoon stood before her in silence.
âBesides⊠If you donât like what Diamond is doing, why do you keep hanging out with her?â Twist asked.
And what would I do? Silver Spoon thought. Go to those three blank flanks and beg them to let me become their friend?
âWell, sheâs good for meâŠâ she said. âSheâd do everything for me. I may not approve everything sheâs doing, but⊠Well, you know.â
Twist nodded.
âI need to go, Twist,â said Silver Spoon. âIf I ever need your help, Iâll ask for it.â
She didnât leave immediately; they stood for a while staring at each other awkwardly. Twist took off her saddlebags and reached to them, producing a small box.
âI made them myself,â she said, giving the box to Silver. âSee you, Silver.â Twist trotted down the street, leaving her behind.
Silver Spoon shrugged and went away. However, she couldnât stop thinking about Twist.
What does she know about friendship? Does she even have friends? She wants to be friends with everypony, but no one takes her seriouslyâŠ
Suddenly, a memory of her first days in a new school appeared in her mind. The ponies sheâd wanted to befriend and how theyâd teased her. How she was trying to be nice, even though everything she was given back were slurs and punches.
Does anyone take me seriously?
She was afraid to give herself an answer.
She thought about her mother â the only, except maybe Diamond Tiara, pony she trusted completely. She was surely taking Silver Spoon seriously, even though thereâd been a time when Silver Spoon doubted it.
There was also Diamond Tiara, but when Silver thought about her, she shivered. Since theyâd first met, they shared every single secret. It was far too easy for Silver to imagine Diamond Tiara spilling the beans about her foalhood in Vanhoover.
She shook these thoughts off. Diamond would never do that to her.
â...and she said that sheâll take me with her and show me how they make the stormsâŠâ
Silver Spoon froze. She looked around and saw Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walking towards her. She gulped and began to trot forward, trying to make herself as small as possible.
Scootaloo saw her anyway. âWhatâs up, murderer?â she asked. âStill plotting something?â
âScootaloo!â Sweetie Belle hissed. âStop it!â
Silver Spoon stared at her in disbelief. Sweetie Belle defending her? That was something new. However, her confusion didnât last long.
âYouâll be the same as her!â Sweetie Belle added.
Silver Spoon didnât want to listen to them anymore. She ran away from them. She was running all the way to Diamond Tiaraâs house.
She stood in front of the gate, panting. She straightened her glasses and mane, and waited for her breath to steady. Then she rang the bell.
The gate opened and Silver saw Randolph, Diamond Tiaraâs butler.
âMiss Spoon,â he said. âMiss Tiara awaits you in her room.â
Miss Tiara awaits you? Are they taught to speak like that? Silver Spoon thought. She followed the butler, trotting through the corridors of her friendâs manor. The creaking floor was always giving her chills. It was reminding her of her old house.
Randolph knocked on the door of Diamond Tiaraâs room.
âCome in!â Diamond shouted.
âMiss Spoon is here,â said Randolph after he opened the door.
âGreat,â Diamond Tiara replied. âCan you bring us something to drink?â
âIn a minute, Miss Tiara.â Randolph bowed and disappeared quietly in the dimly-lit corridor.
Silver Spoon couldnât exactly put her hoof on it, but it seemed to her that Diamond Tiara looked a bit better since theyâd last met. Sure, she still was pale and had bags under her eyes, but there was some kind of spark in them that Silver Spoon hadnât seen before. Her moves were more energetic; her voice was louder and clearer than earlier.
âWhat took you so long?â Diamond Tiara asked.
âTwist,â Silver Spoon replied. âShe thinks somethingâs wrong with me.â
Diamond Tiara gave her a long, meaningful look. Silver felt that the stitches in her brow ridge started to itch.
âI wonder what gave her that ideaâŠâ Diamond Tiara smirked. âYou look better than everâŠâ
âGive me a break,â Silver Spoon sighed and sat on Diamondâs bed.
âWho did that to you?â Diamond Tiara asked, still watching Silver Spoonâs forehead. She noticed that her friend was wearing a spare pair of glasses. It was easy to notice â the spare pair had a tiny dent on the left side of the frame.
Silver Spoon hesitated. She didnât want to share this with anyone, but, on the other hoof, Diamond Tiara was her friend. They never had any secrets.
âIt was Scootaloo,â she replied, shuddering at that memory. âShe⊠she said that Ruby⊠that itâs our fault.â
Something strange happened to Diamond Tiara; her eyelid twitched and she gritted her teeth.
âAre you okay?â Silver Spoon asked. âMaybe you have magnesium deficiency?â
âIâll ask Doctor Stable,â Diamond Tiara said. âThat blank flank⊠How did she dare? We need to do something about thatâŠâ
âI⊠I think weâŠâ Silver Spoon shifted her legs, blushing.
âWe what?â Diamond Tiara asked. âSince when are you so quiet, Silver?â
âNo, just⊠I think we shouldnâtâŠâ Silver Spoon was avoiding eye contact with her friend, instead focusing on some spot on the wall.
âSo she can make you her punching bag?â Diamond snapped. âDo you want this⊠again?â
Silver Spoon said nothing, still watching the wall. It seemed to her that the spot was in fact a moth that had accidentally wandered to Diamond Tiaraâs room at night.
âI can do this alone if you donât wantâŠâ Diamond was now close to Silver Spoon. She practically hissed the last words into her ear.
Then do it alone! Silver wanted to shout. Something, however, stopped her; she looked at Diamond Tiara â the only pony she could call her friend and imagined her life without her. Yet again, she thought about crawling into some cold and dark place to stay there forever.
âJust what I thoughtâŠâ There was disappointment in Diamondâs voice. âNevermind, Silver. Weâre having a sleepover â we donât talk about business on such occasions,â she said, mimicking her father.
âCheer up, Silver,â Diamond Tiara said, wrapping her hoof around Silver Spoon. âI have a feeling that tonight Iâll be able to finally sleepâŠâ
âGood for you,â Silver Spoon replied. Only when she relaxed a bit, she felt how tense her muscles were before.
âHow about you?â Diamond asked. âYou know, every time we meet, we only talk about meâŠâ She looked at Silverâs forehead. âYou seem stressedâŠâ
âWell, last two weeks were roughâŠâ Silver replied. âMom helps me a lot, butâŠâ
âYeah, Iâm sorry for leaving you like thatâŠâ Diamond Tiara sighed. âI simply canât focus. Doctor Shift said that I have something called microsleep â I pass out for a few seconds during the day, then I wake up againâŠâ
âStill better than no sleepâŠâ Silver Spoon smiled.
âIn fact, it sucksâŠâ Diamond Tiara replied. âIt only makes me feel more tired.â
Randolph knocked on the door; he brought them orange juice, cookies and some cake. Silver Spoon took the box of peppermint candies Twist had given her. For a while, they were munching the treats in silence.
âEnough talking about me,â Diamond said finally. âHowâs school?â
âIâm happy itâs almost overâŠâ Silver Spoon replied. âI really could use a breakâŠâ
âBlank flanks?â Diamond Tiara asked with concern.
âEveryponyâŠâ Silver Spoon sighed. âNot to mention that the sun is killing meâŠâ
âYeahâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered, looking at the window. The sun was setting, obscured by clouds that were slowly gathered by the pegasi. âGood thing thereâs a storm tonightâŠâ
âI heard Scootaloo saying that Rainbow Dash will let her watch the weather team at work,â Silver Spoon said. She looked at the sun; then she trotted to the door and locked it.
âReally? Hmm, maybe sheâll fall from the cloudâŠâ Diamond Tiara smirked. âWonder if sheâd fly? Ten bits that theyâd have to scrap her off the groundâŠâ
Silver Spoon shuddered. âOh noâŠâ
âOh, come onâŠâ Diamond Tiara shook her head. âShe beat you!â
âBut she doesnât deserve to dieâŠâ Silver Spoon replied.
âNopony deserves, yet they do,â Diamond Tiara said philosophically. âHow about your mother? She isnât in the weather team now, is she?â
âNo,â Silver Spoon replied. âShe was in one in Vanhoover⊠And she helped the pegasi when they were making that big tornado.â
Diamond Tiara nodded. Silver Spoon looked through the window, watching the first drops of rain falling to the ground. Diamond Tiara sat next to her, pulling her into a hug.
âAre you okay, Silver?â she asked.
âYes,â Silver Spoon replied. âYou know⊠Iâm afraid how itâll be⊠when youâll leave.â
âDonât worry about me,â Diamond Tiara replied. âTheyâll fix me and Iâll be back before vacation ends.â
âI hope soâŠâ Silver Spoon yawned. The first lightning tore the sky. For a moment they could see the garden illuminated by the eerie blue light.
âReally, thereâs nothing wrong with me,â Diamond Tiara said. âNothingâŠâ
She looked at Silver Spoon and saw that her friend was breathing calmly with her eyes closed. Diamond Tiara shook her head, took off Silverâs glasses and put them on the nightstand. Then she unbraided her mane. Silver Spoon muttered something in her sleep, wrapping her hooves around her.
âOh, come onâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered. âLet me at least lie down in my bed, sleepyheadâŠâ
âYeahâŠâ Silver Spoon muttered in a tone suggesting that she was in fact asleep. Diamond Tiara helped her lie down and wrapped her in a blanket, then lay next to her. Silver Spoon pulled her closer, sinking her face in Diamondâs mane.
âYeah, Silver, I love you tooâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered, rolling her eyes. However, the delicate beating of her friendâs heart against her back was something she wanted to feel forever. Diamond Tiaraâs expression softened; she relaxed and put her head on a pillow, trying to fall asleep.
âGoodnight, Silver SpoonâŠâ she whispered. âSleep well; donât worry about anything. Iâll always be here for youâŠâ
Diamond Tiara opened her eyes and looked around. Her room was dark; only occasionally a lightning was tearing the sky, making every detail of Diamondâs surroundings perfectly visible.
Diamond Tiara could feel the warmth of Silver Spoonâs body; her friend was breathing calmly in her sleep. When Diamond had first met her, she was surprised to find out that she wasnât afraid of storms â she simply adored the nights like that one. From what Diamond knew, it was one of the many things Silver had inherited from her pegasus mother.
Diamond smirked when she thought about the pegasi. Although storms were usually large and complicated operations, many weather team members couldnât resist an occasion to show their family and friends how fun their work was. Once again, Diamond Tiara thought about Silver Spoon â it was her mother whom sheâd heard complaining about making storms a âbloody picnicâ.
Interesting choice of words, Diamond Tiara thought. She freed herself from Silver Spoonâs grasp and reached under her bed. The paring knife was in the same place where sheâd left it. She looked at the blade â it still looked as perfect as earlier. Diamond Tiara got out of bed and stretched her hooves. Silver Spoon muttered something and hugged Diamondâs pillow, but didnât wake up.
Diamond Tiara sighed with relief. She took her saddlebags and put the knife in one of them. Then she put them on and trotted to the window.
She didnât want to use the door that Silver Spoon had locked before going to bed. Even though Silver was able to sleep calmly through storms, clicking of the lock was enough to wake her up. Diamond Tiara had never asked her why she insisted on doing that â as she knew from her own experience, ponyâs mind often worked in weird ways. Besides, Diamond Tiara knew exactly that it was one of the things Silver definitely wouldnât want to talk with her about.
Well, now I have such thing too⊠Diamond Tiara thought and opened the window. Lightning struck somewhere above the Everfree forest, but she didnât even flinch; instead, she jumped out of the window, landing in the wet grass.
Walking through the garden, she thought about yet another reason why sheâd wanted to avoid using the door â Filthy Rich was often working at night; heâd probably be interested where his daughter was going in the middle of the night with a knife in her saddlebags.
Before she made it to the hole in the hedge, her coat and mane were soaked. She didnât care about that. Silver Spoon was more important to her than any other pony in the world, including herself. Whoever dared to hit her had to be punished.
Diamond Tiara got out of the garden and galloped through the town, sliding on the muddy roads. Just like sheâd expected, the streets were completely devoid of ponies. Cold rain was pouring on her; she felt awake as sheâd never been before. She felt like she was unstoppable; her body was bigger; her hooves were stronger. She couldnât see anything through the wall of water in front of her, but her legs seemed to know where to go.
Something in her head was telling her that the whole trip wasnât making any sense; Rainbow Dash probably was taking care of Scootaloo, not letting her fall off the cloud. Diamond Tiara didnât even know exactly where the weather team was. There were many variables she had to take into account, but it seemed that her mind was already calculating them.
Diamond Tiara trotted through Ponyville outskirts. For a brief moment she stopped in the place where sheâd met Pipsqueak. His blood had been washed off of the ground by the rains, but when Diamond inhaled, she found out that she could still sense it. Her heart started to beat faster. She lowered her head and ran forward, to the silent wall of trees â the first outpost of the Everfree forest.
Another lightning struck a tree not far away from her. The roar was deafening; she fell on the ground, covering her ears. Then she blinked, trying to get her bearings. Large raindrops were pounding against her head, making it almost impossible to focus.
I should go back⊠she thought. What am I even doing? Scootaloo did a terrible thing, butâŠ
Go back? Now? another voice in her head scolded. Do you want Silver to think that youâre too weak to help her?
No! she replied. But⊠But itâs crazy⊠I donât want toâŠ
No time for your whining! Look! Even though there was nopony to show her where to look, she knew the direction exactly. Through the pouring torrents of rain she saw a small silhouette fighting against the strong wind. It was hopeless â the pegasusâ wings were too small and too weak to resist the forces of nature. The thrashing filly hit the tops of the trees not far away from the place where Diamond Tiara was standing and disappeared in the forest.
Now itâs your chance⊠the voice in her head said.
She licked her lips slowly and trotted into the forest. Branches were smacking her face, but she didnât pay attention to them, trampling the bushes with her hooves. Finally, she reached the clearing. She was standing knee-deep in mud; there were scratches on her face and loose branches in her mane. When another lightning struck somewhere above her, she saw her aim â an orange silhouette resting against a tree, not far away from the swamp.
Diamond Tiara approached Scootaloo and looked at her. The filly was unconscious; she had a black eye and one of her legs was bent at a weird angle. Only her shallow breath was indicating that she was alive.
Diamond Tiara sighed. Stabbing Scootaloo like that would be a mercy. If she died quickly right there, sheâd never feel what Silver Spoon had felt; the fear deeply rooted in her mind, the fear Scootaloo had unknowingly awoken. Diamond Tiara couldnât allow that. She trotted to Scootaloo, grabbed a hoofful of water from the nearby puddle and poured it on her face.
Scootaloo blinked and coughed. She hissed when she accidentally moved her injured leg and looked around groggily.
âHello,â Diamond Tiara said.
Scootalooâs eyes focused on her. âDiamond Tiara! What are you doing here?â
âOh, I was just passing byâŠâ Diamond Tiara smiled innocently, playing with the straps of her saddlebags.
âPassing by?â Scootaloo exclaimed. âOh fuckâŠâ She groaned, holding her head. âNever mind⊠Go back to Ponyville and get someone to help me!â
âDonât worry, thereâs no need to hurry,â Diamond Tiara replied calmly. She sat next to Scootaloo, searching through her saddlebags.
âNo need to hurry? Listen, thereâs no time for your games! I can die here!â Scootaloo hissed and rubbed her leg.
âFunny you mention thatâŠâ Diamond Tiara looked directly into her eyes.
âIs that some kind of a sick joke?!â Scootaloo yelled at her as loud as her injuries let her. Diamond Tiara saw a spark in her eyes and realised that she wasnât going to give up easily.
âChill out, Scootaloo,â she said. âIâll help youâŠâ
In one swift motion, Diamond Tiara took a knife from her saddlebags. Scootaloo froze; she tried to dodge her, but she was too slow. The knife found its way to the base of her left wing.
A scream tore the silence. The blade, as Diamond Tiara noted with disappointment, was too small to sever the wing completely. However, piercing through the hub of nerve endings and arteries was surely painful.
âDonât pull it out,â Diamond Tiara said to Scootaloo, who was thrashing in the mud, crying and choking. âYou donât want to bleed out, do you?â
âFuck you!â Scootaloo yelled.
âLanguage, fillyâŠâ Diamond Tiara shook her head. She approached Scootaloo and kicked her broken leg, causing her to scream again.
âAre you scared now?â she asked, standing on Scootalooâs left wing, which was twitching erratically. âI bet you areâŠâ
âShut up, you sick bitch!â Scootaloo hissed through gritted teeth.
Instead of reply, Diamond Tiara stomped on her wing, feeling delicate bones snap under her hooves. She continued to do that till she was sure that every single of them was crushed. More blood poured from Scootalooâs wound, but the knife was preventing her from bleeding out.
âTry to fly nowâŠâ Diamond Tiara smirked. One look into Scootalooâs eyes revealed that the spark disappeared from them; she was whimpering and shivering, trying to make herself as small as possible.
âNow I can see that youâre scaredâŠâ Diamond Tiara smiled triumphantly. âNow you know what Silver feltâŠâ
âSo, itâs about her?â Scootalooâs voice was barely audible. It was slurred â sheâd bit her tongue when Diamond Tiara had broken her wing. âIf you didnât tease RubyâŠâ
âSo, itâs about her?â Diamond Tiara asked, mocking her. âIâm gonna surprise you⊠Silver had nothing to do with Ruby⊠Hell, Ruby didnât even want to kill herself in the first placeâŠâ
She grinned widely seeing Scootalooâs expression when she understood what Diamond meant. Scootalooâs lips moved, but she couldnât utter even a single word.
âOh⊠you still feel for her, right?â Diamond Tiara asked. âCompassion is such a strange thing⊠I can see Silverâs fear and thatâs why weâre here⊠But you⊠Do you want to feel what Ruby felt?â With these words Diamond Tiara grabbed Scootalooâs mane and dragged her, screaming and thrashing to the swamp. She had to admit that Scootaloo was strong; she almost managed to free herself, but a quick kick to her mangled wing almost rendered her unconscious. She was barely able to resist when Diamond pushed her head under the muddy water. Her body started to thrash violently, fighting for breath.
Diamond Tiara winced when Scootaloo emptied her bladder, filling the air with the stench of urine. But slowly, the pegasus was losing strength; her moves became weaker and less coordinated.
âDiamond? What are you doing?â
Diamond Tiara froze. She released Scootaloo, who emerged from the swamp and lay on her back, panting and retching. Diamond Tiara didnât care about her; she slowly turned around to face the pony whoâd found her.
Silver Spoon was soaked to the bone. Her mane was hanging freely and the lenses of her glasses were covered in drops of water. Her face was pale, almost of the same colour as her hair.
âIâm avenging youâŠâ Diamond Tiara said calmly.
âAvenging me? Are you crazy?â Silver Spoon exclaimed, her eyes widening in horror when she spotted Scootaloo who was still lying in the mud, her body shaken by dry heave.
âMaybeâŠâ Diamond Tiara replied. She staggered slightly when her vision blurred for a while. âHow did you get here?â
âI⊠I woke up and saw an open window and tracesâŠâ Silver Spoon muttered. âDiamond⊠I told you I donât want you to hurt herâŠâ
âAnd do you remember what I told you?â Diamond Tiara asked. She approached Scootaloo and pulled the knife out of her wound. Pain woke Scootaloo up; she screamed and pushed her hoof to the gaping hole at the base of her wing, trying to stop the bleeding.
âI⊠I canâtâŠâ Diamond Tiara replied. Her vision blurred; she could barely see her hoof with the knife. âS-silverâŠâ
She heard a scream. Almost immediately it silenced, replaced by coughing and the sound of something heavy falling on the ground. Then she heard someoneâs laughter.
She opened her eyes and found that she was lying on the ground. The knife in front of her was lying in a red puddle. She still heard weak chuckling behind her.
âWhy are you laughing?â she yelled.
âAvengingâŠâ Scootalooâs voice was barely recognisable. Diamond Tiara turned to see her. She was bleeding profusely from her wing and mouth, but despite that, she was laughing. âAvenging, protecting⊠And when she sees you⊠you just slit her throat?â Scootaloo laughter ended in a fit of coughing. âBest friends forever, huh?â
Diamond Tiara froze. She didnât have to turn back â she could easily imagine Silver Spoonâs body lying in the mud, her head almost completely severed by the sharp blade.
âShut up!â she yelled at Scootaloo. âOrâŠâ
âOr what? Youâll kill me?â Scootaloo laughed. Her laughter was still echoing through the forest when Diamond Tiara picked up the knife and began stabbing her repeatedly, changing her body into an unrecognisable pulp.
Rain.
Rain was cleaning her body and her mind. The blood was mixing with water, flowing off her coat. Even the smallest spot had no chance; soon she was as clean and pristine as ever.
She was walking home, brimming with pride. Two ponies. Two lives. Their fate was in her hooves.
She looked at the sleeping town and smiled. The fate of every single pony in Equestria was in her hooves.
Diamond Tiaraâs eyes shot open. She rolled out of bed, shuddering, and landed on the floor, curled in fetal position. She tried to stand up, but the world around her began to spin. She tried to inhale, but she couldnât catch her breath. Her stomach was aching; she started to retch and threw up on the floor.
I killed Silver Spoon⊠Sweet Celestia, I killed Silver SpoonâŠ
âDiamond?â She heard a sleepy voice above her. âOh Luna, Diamond! Are you okay?â
I killed Silver SpoonâŠ
Suddenly, Diamond Tiara blinked and looked around. The voice asking her if she was okay was familiar. She rolled on her back, carefully avoiding the puddle of vomit on the floor and saw Silver Spoon staring at her from the bed with worried expression.
âI⊠Iâm okay⊠It must be something I ateâŠâ
Silver Spoon put a hoof on her forehead.
âYouâre cold⊠and wet,â she said, wiping her hoof in the blanket. âDid you take a shower?â
âA shower?â Diamond Tiara looked at her hooves. They were covered in scratches. The fur was indeed wet, which explained why she felt so cold. âY-yes⊠maybe.â
âStrange, I didnât hear the lock,â Silver Spoon said. She helped Diamond Tiara get up and lie down in bed. âYouâd better stay here. Iâll tell your dad that youâre sickâŠâ She looked at the floor. âAnd Iâll call someone to clean this.â
For a moment their eyes met and Diamond Tiara felt as if her head exploded. An image of forest appeared in her mind; she heard the sound of snapping bones and the sound of Silver Spoonâs glasses cracking when sheâd stomped on them before throwing them into the swamp, as far as she could.
âDiamond?â Silver Spoon asked.
Diamond Tiara blinked and saw her room again. âIâm okay,â she said. âI⊠I think I had a nightmare or somethingâŠâ
To her surprise, Silver Spoon smiled. âSo, you managed to fall asleep tonight!â she exclaimed.
âIâd rather not sleep than have dreams like thatâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered. Suddenly, she started to cough.
âYou really should stay in bedâŠâ Silver Spoon said, helping her wrap herself in the blanket.
âI told youâŠâ the grey pegasus mare with light grey mane said. âI told you so many times: no âbring your kids to workâ days during the storms!â
âSilverspeed!â Rainbow Dash shouted. âThatâs not the point! We need to find herâŠâ
The door bursted open and another couple of pegasi entered the Royal Guard station. Most of them were nodding off; some of them were soaked.
âWe didnât find her,â said Helia. âThunderlane and Cloudchaser are searching the northern part of the forest.â
âSheâs not in the orchardsâŠâ Flitter replied, whimpering. Rainbow Dash trotted to her and embraced her with her wing.
âHowâs Kicker?â she asked.
âBad⊠She says itâs her faultâŠâ
âBecause it is!â Silverspeed exclaimed, earning nasty glares from the rest of the pegasi.
âYeah, because youâre a role model when it comes to taking care of foalsâŠâ Flitter said. Rainbow Dash, Helia and Sassaflash had to contain Silverspeed before she managed to reach her.
Riot Control decided that it was enough. He approached the group, clearing his throat. Everypony looked at him.
âCan you tell me exactly whatâs going on?â he asked. âOr did you just choose the station for a place to argue?â
âMy little cousin is missing,â Flitter replied. âHer name is Alula.â
Riot Control thought for a moment. He remembered the small, yellow pegasus with purple mane. She was his neighbour and his granddaughterâs friend. He thought about Front Kickâs findings and shuddered.
âAlula?â he asked. âCloud Kickerâs sister?â
âYes, this one,â Rainbow Dash replied. âShe was blown off the cloud by the wind during the storm at nightâŠâ
âIf you didnât violate the OSH, she wouldnât even be thereâŠâ Silverspeed muttered.
âThatâs not the point,â Riot Control said, staring at her carefully.
He knew everything about the ponies from Ponyville, but Silverspeed was still a mystery to him. For a long time she lived in Vanhoover and came to Ponyville with her daughter about three years before. She was still quite young; maybe twenty-seven years old. He didnât know much about her husband â according to the gossip, he was rich and liked young mares.
Silverspeed was rich too. Although she wasnât officially a part of the weather team, she was providing financial support and occasionally helping the pegasi in the most difficult operations.
âSo⊠when did you see her last time?â Riot Control asked.
âAbout midnight, I think,â Flitter said. âSomewhere above the Everfree forest, I thinkâŠâ She shuddered and sink her face in Heliaâs coat.
âWe wanted to look for her instantly, but it was too dangerous,â Rainbow Dash said. âWe hoped she managed to land and went back homeâŠâ
Riot Control wanted to ask another question, but before he managed to open his mouth, the door bursted open again. Another group of ponies came in. Riot Control looked at it once more and thought that âgroupâ was a bad word. It was half of the town, lead by Lyra, Bon Bon, Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, Minuette and Berry Punch. Among the rest he saw Applejack, Rarity, Derpy Hooves, Time Turner, Carrot Top and many other ponies he knew well. His friends, neighbours⊠All were chatting nervously.
âWhat happened?â he asked, seeing that Bon Bon is wiping her eyes. Lyra was trying to cheer her up, but apparently she was failing miserably.
âA-another foal went missingâŠâ Vinyl Scratch stammered. Riot Control knew her well â numerous times he had been walking her home and locking her in the cell, drugged or drunk â but heâd never seen her so nervous.
âAlula?â Riot Control asked. âWeâre already working on this caseâŠâ
âSh-she just went to the garden for a moment and didnât come backâŠâ Bon Bon wept.
âWeâre afraid that⊠that someone could⊠You know, like when PipsqueakâŠâ Carrot Top added. Murmurs spread through the crowd.
âNot only him!â Berry Punch shouted. Riot Control realised, to his surprise, that she was sober. âMy daughter was murdered and no one did anything about that!â
Did Front Kick tell her? Riot Control thought. More ponies were yelling or whispering angrily. He rubbed his temples.
âI can assure you, weâre working on these cases,â he said.
âYouâre working, but someone still foalnaps our kids!â someone shouted.
âMaybe itâs that zebra?â
âAlula disappeared in the Everfree! It must be the zebra!â
So it begins, Riot Control thought bitterly. Grab your torches and sharpen your pitchforksâŠ
âIt could be anyone! Scratch or...â Suddenly Berry Punch approached Minuette. âYou were surprisingly effective with that sleeping spell... And when my daughter died you suddenly remembered about meâŠâ
âItâs because I thought youâd drink yourself to death, you old, ungrateful plonker!â Minuette snapped. âIf you cared about herâŠâ
âStop it!â Lyra exclaimed, stopping Berry Punch from attacking Minuette. âWeâll never find them if you keep accusing each other!â
âItâs a shame that this town only has two guards,â Octavia observed.
âFinally someone agrees with meâŠâ Riot Control muttered.
âDude, I never thought Iâd say that, but we need to help the guardsâŠâ Vinyl said. âOkay, guys! Listen to me! DJ Pon3âs speaking!â
The crowd silenced. Not that Vinyl had any authority over them; she just could be really loud when she wanted.
âI think we should organise neighbourhood watch,â she said. âThis way weâll be able to find âem.â
The crowd began to articulate their approval. Vinyl smirked and leaned to Riot Control.
âSee? Thatâs how you do it,â she whispered into his ear. âSoon youâll have this fuckerâs head on a trayâŠâ
âThatâs what Iâm afraid ofâŠâ Riot Control muttered.
Diamond Tiara looked around curiously. The bright pastel walls were probably supposed to make the visitors happy, but for her it didnât work. Everypony sheâd met since sheâd arrived there in the morning was treating her with that distinctive kind of affability that is taught in the medical schools; the one which everyone can easily see as fake, but they believe in it anyway.
The weather outside was sunny â it was one of the hottest summers in Equestriaâs history and ponies in Trottingham were enjoying it, walking around the old town, chatting happily. Diamond Tiara, however, didnât notice them; sheâd walked the whole distance from the railway station to the hospital watching the pavement beneath her hooves, lost in her thoughts.
She couldnât stop thinking about what sheâd done. When sheâd realised that she hadnât killed Silver Spoon sheâd cheered up a bit, but when sheâd been lying in her bed, struck by flu, sheâd gotten the news that had almost killed her.
Twist and Alula were missing. Worse, Alula had gone missing somewhere over the Everfree Forest. Their bodies werenât found yet, but, after over a week of searching, almost everypony in town considered them dead.
Diamond Tiara tried to remember Alulaâs face, but she got nothing. She knew Twist well; it was hard to forget somepony so⊠original. But when she tried to recall how Alula looked like, she had nothing. The only thing she remembered was a Hearts and Hooves Day card, lying forgotten somewhere in her room.
What was constantly bugging Diamond Tiara during the sleepless nights when she was recovering from the flu, was how pointless were the deaths of Alula and Twist. Alula was just a small pegasus lost in the forest; her only fault was that instead of somepony whoâd help her, sheâd encountered Diamond Tiara who, by some figment of a diseased imagination, mistook her as Scootaloo.
Not to mention Twist. Twist, who, as Diamond Tiara knew, was always so kind for Silver Spoon. In fact, Twist was one of the kindest ponies in Ponyville and that was probably what killed her â sheâd seen Diamond Tiara going somewhere during the storm and followed her, only to be killed and dumped in the swamp.
Sometimes, when she had a fever, Diamond Tiara could see the glimpses of what had happened on that night in the Everfree Forest. Sometimes they were parts of the hallucination sheâd had, sometimes they were blurry fragments of what had really happened. Diamond Tiara couldnât tell what was worse.
Now, when she recovered from the flu, she could finally go to Trottingham, to the Mental Clinic for Foals led by Dr. Midline Shift. It was located in a large, modern building on the town outskirts, surrounded by a park.
As soon as Filthy Rich said goodbye to her and left the hospital, she lay down on her bed and started to think. She didnât remember what sheâd exactly done with the bodies, but she knew that sooner or later someone would find them. Would they connect her with her crimes? She remembered throwing the knife away, but there was always a chance that itâd be found too.
She looked around the room. Two nightstands, two chairs, a table and two beds were all its furniture. There was a large window with a view to the park. Diamond Tiara knew that it was impossible to break the glass; the staff didnât want to risk the patients hurting themselves.
When she arrived to that room, the nurse told her that her roommate should come to her soon. Diamond Tiara looked at the opposite wall and saw a photo taped to it, just above the bed. It depicted an orange unicorn filly with a short, green mane, smiling impishly at the camera. She was about seven years old and had no cutie mark. Diamond Tiara thought that she looked a bit like a carrot.
She looked at the photo once again and something about it struck her; not the filly herself, but rather the place the photo was taken: the filly was resting nonchalantly on a coffin, surrounded by scattered pieces of granite.
I guess weâll get on well with each other⊠Diamond Tiara thought.
She got out of bed and walked outside of the room. The corridors and halls of the hospital were spacious and well-lit. She didnât walk for long before she met another patient.
The first thing she noticed about the filly in front of her were her big, dark green eyes. She had pale yellow coat and orange mane, braided in a fashion similar to Silver Spoon. She also had lots of freckles. Her cutie mark depicted two theatre masks.
âHello,â she said cheerfully. âMy nameâs Curtain Call. Are you new here?â
âYes,â Diamond Tiara replied. âIâm Diamond Tiara. I was just looking aroundâŠâ
âYeah⊠Nice place, donât you think?â Curtain Call looked at the nearby wall. âSome kids want to go home as soon as they feel better, but I really like it.â
âWell, Iâd rather be in Ponyville tooâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered. She started to wonder why Curtain Call didnât ask her why she was there. Maybe it was a taboo?
âOh, youâre from Ponyville?â Curtain Call smiled, showing her perfectly white teeth. âIâve been there once with my mom. I really liked the forest...â
âYeah, we love it tooâŠâ Diamond Tiara deadpanned. Something about Curtain Callâs smile seemed unnatural.
âYou know, weâre preparing the pageant for Hearthâs Warming Eve,â Curtain Call said. âIâll be Smart Cookie! Weâre still looking for someone to play Chancellor Puddinghead⊠If you couldâŠâ
âSorry, but I donât think Iâd stay here till December,â Diamond Tiara replied. âAlso, isnât that a little too early? You know, itâs not even JulyâŠâ
Curtain Callâs expression didnât change even a little bit. âToo badâŠâ she said. âI think itâs better to start the preparations early â I have more time to make everything perfectâŠâ
Diamond Tiara nodded. Just like Curtain Call, she appreciated perfection. âYou know, I can always help you with the scenography,â she said.
Before Curtain Call could reply, they heard trotting and one of the nurses, whoâd earlier introduced herself to Diamond Tiara as Charming Heart, approached them. Diamond Tiara didnât like the look on her face.
âCurtain Call!â the nurse exclaimed. âWhat did I tell you about sneaking out of the secure unit?â
Curtain Call stopped smiling. She shuddered visibly, her lip quivering. âBut itâs always so boring there! Why canât I go out and play with the other kids?â
Charming Heart sighed. Diamond Tiara looked at her and, to her surprise, noticed that the nurse was also at the verge of tears.
âIâll talk with Dr. Shift about that,â she said dryly, âbut now you must go with me.â
âBut I donât want to!â Curtain Call shouted.
âCurtain Call, pleaseâŠâ The nurse sat next to her and patted her mane gently. âI donât want to do anything against your will, but if you keep refusing, Iâll have to call the doctorsâŠâ
Curtain Call froze. âNo!â she cried. âNot the doctors!â
âWill you come with me?â Charming Heart asked.
âY-yesâŠâ Charming Call muttered reluctantly. They both walked away, leaving Diamond Tiara alone on the corridor.
âWhat the hayâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered.
âGirl, sheâs crazyâŠâ somepony behind her said, prolonging the vowels in a peculiar manner. Diamond Tiara jumped, startled, and looked back.
At first she wanted to run away â it seemed to her that Pipsqueak came back to life and came there to tease her. However, when she blinked, she saw that the colt in front of her wasnât even remotely similar to him.
âI see youâve met Curtain Call,â he said in a slow, sad voice. His appearance matched it â grey coat, black mane and half-closed eyes were giving an impression that he was constantly tired.
âWhatâs wrong with her?â Diamond Tiara asked.
âHavenât you heard?â The colt gave out a small chuckle. He shot nervous glances around before continuing, âIt was a big news a year ago in Manehattan. Yâknow, usually sheâs perfectly normal, but sometimes she flipsââ He waved his hoof. ââand then she ainât nice anymore. During one of her attacks she murdered her parents and then, as if nothing happened, went to the rehearsal of her theatre group. Yâknow, massacre, she came there covered in blood from head to hooves and began reciting Smart Cookieâs lines. Cool stuff. I bet her classmates shit themselvesâŠâ
Diamond Tiara stopped listening to him. For her, there was nothing âcoolâ about Curtain Callâs story. She couldnât help but think how much it resembled her own.
Will I also end up like this? Sneaking out of the ward just to talk to somepony?
âListenâŠâ She realised that she didnât know the coltâs name. âHowâs the secure unit?â
âDonât even speak that name!â Suddenly, the colt lowered his voice to a whisper. âThey only wait to put someone They donât like thereâŠâ Diamond Tiara was sure that it was âtheyâ with capital âtâ. ââYouâd better watch out,â the colt continued. âIf they give you any pills, donât take them. I know how to hide them; I can teach you. I hide them under the loose tile under my bed...â He looked around and chuckled nervously. âWatch out for the sockets â there are cameras and microphones in them. And watch out for the foodâŠâ
âWhat?â Diamond Tiara looked at the colt carefully. Maybe Curtain Call had killed her parents, but she seemed more normal than him.
âSometimes They take someone,â the colt whispered, âthen they remove their brain and add it to the food.â
Diamond Tiara rose her eyebrows. âHow do you know?â
âI once ate Sunshine Rainbowsâ brain and I could hear her thoughts,â the colt explained.
âBelieve me, punk, if ya could hear my thoughts, yaâd jump outta the window and finally stop pissinâ me off,â another voice said. Diamond Tiara lifted her head and saw an orange filly â the same sheâd seen in the photo in her room. She was slightly older than in the picture â probably a bit older than Diamond Tiara â but she still had no cutie mark. She approached them and glared at the colt angrily. âAlso, last time I checked, my brain was in its place,â she said. âStop scaring the new kids and get lost orâŠâ
âOr what?â the colt asked bluntly.
âOr Iâll tell the shrinks that ya donât take yer meds and yaâll end up in the secure unit where ya belongâŠâ
âYou wonât dareâŠâ the coltâs voice faltered.
âWanna bet?â
The colt shot her a nasty glare and walked away muttering something under his breath.
âWhat a dweebâŠâ the orange filly muttered. âBy the way, nameâs Sunshine Rainbows.â
âDiamond Tiara. I think weâll be roommatesâŠâ
âCool.â Sunshineâs voice was devoid of any trace of emotion. âWhyâre ya here?â
âNothing big⊠I just canât sleep,â Diamond Tiara replied. âHow about you?â
âAt least ya wonât snoreâŠâ Sunshine muttered. âAbout me⊠WellâŠâ She lifted her foreleg and showed it to Diamond Tiara who shuddered: the inner side of her forearm was covered in scars. Some of them were old, some of them quite fresh.
âDonât look at me like that... If I wanted to kill myself, Iâd do it along the way, not across the street.â Sunshine chuckled.
âWhy did you do that?â Diamond Tiara asked. They walked to their room and sat on their beds.
âTo make my parents stop thinkinâ only about their coffins and gravestonesâŠâ Sunshine replied, smiling at the photo on the wall. âReally, they pay more attention to those stiffs who are their clients than to me. Even when I bleed like a pig on a griffonian party they prefer to just drop me here for a couple of weeksâŠâ
âSounds terribleâŠâ Diamond Tiara said.
âMeh, itâs not that bad. I actually like this place. Yâknow, there are some little shits here, like this guy ya talked to, but the rest of the kids is cool. They like to tell stories and I like stories⊠The sadder the better. I guess thatâs just how I roll...â Sunshine Rainbows looked at Diamond Tiara curiously. âWhatâs yer story, Diamond?â
Diamond Tiara hesitated. She didnât know if she could trust her. Sunshine Rainbows seemed okay, but she was a blank flank. Not to mention that she was cutting herself, which Diamond Tiara found gross. But, on the other hoof, killing other ponies was probably even worse.
âWell, Iâm from PonyvilleâŠâ she started.
âOhhâŠâ Sunshine smirked. It looked even worse than her usual, deadpan expression. âI heard about those foals that went missing there⊠Somethinâ about the DJ eating them? Dunno. Is that why you canât sleep?â
âNo, it started earlierâŠâ Diamond Tiara replied reluctantly. âBut it got worse since thenâŠâ
âNothing weirdâŠâ Sunshine Rainbows nodded. âSo, yer parents decided to send ya to the old Midline Shift?â
âMy mom is deadâŠâ Diamond Tiara said. âListen, can we talk about something else?â
âOh, sorryâŠâ Sunshine muttered. âI guess ya feel bad about those kids⊠Were they your friends?â
âKinda,â Diamond Tiara replied. She looked at Sunshine and noticed that her vision started to blur around the edges. She grabbed the frame of her bed, shivering slightly.
âDiamond Tiara?â Sunshine looked at her unsurely. âEquestria to Diamond Tiara! Are ya okay?â
âYeah, I seeâŠâ Sunshine chuckled. âFor a moment I thought ya wanted to murder me like that actress from the secure unitâŠâ
Diamond Tiara froze. Does she know? she thought. âCurtain Call? Iâve met her earlierâŠâ
âOh, she ran away again? Crap, I always miss the show⊠What did she do this time? Once they tried to let her out of the secure unit. She lasted a day, then this happened...â Sunshine Rainbows brushed away hair from her face, revealing a small scar. âChairâs leg. Luckily I saw it coming. I wasnât good at controlling my magic back then and I almost killed the poor girlâŠâ She sighed. âMaybe itâd be better for her⊠Since then they donât risk letting her outâŠâ
âThis time she did nothingâŠâ Diamond Tiara replied. âShe just wanted me to play the part of Chancellor Puddinghead in the Hearthâs Warming Eve pageantâŠâ
âOh, thisâŠâ Suddenly, Sunshine Rainbows frowned. âYâknow, Diamond, Iâve seen lots of creepy shit here, but she always makes meâŠâ For a while, she looked for a right word, then she wiped her eyes. âYâknow, the doctors said that sheâs, like, in a complete denial. She killed her parents and she still talks how theyâll come to see her playing in that stupid pageant⊠Sheâs still learning her part⊠But⊠but she doesnât know that her parents are gone⊠And thereâs no pageant⊠And when Hearthâs Warming Eve comes, she just brushes it off and waits another year⊠but thereâs still no pageant...â
Diamond Tiara lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Will I also wait for something that will never happen? Will I spend whole years preparing for it? Refusing to acknowledge the fact that thereâs no pageant?
Somepony knocked on the door. Sunshine Rainbows opened it.
âGood afternoon, Ms. Charminâ Heart,â she said.
âHello, Sunshine. Diamond Tiara, doctor Shift wants to see you. Weâre going to monitor your brain waves during the night with the EEG.â
Diamond Tiara got up. âSo, I wonât be sleeping here tonight?â
âNo,â Charming Heart replied. âBut tomorrow you can join your friendâŠâ
Friend? I wouldnât call her that⊠Diamond Tiara thought, trotting dutifully behind the nurse.
Itâd been two weeks since Alula and Twist had disappeared. The summer was hot; even the ponies guarding the streets hid in the nooks, waiting for the sun to set. Vinyl took a sip of her beer and looked at the small pegasus filly flying just above the ground, buzzing her wings like a hummingbird.
âWhatâs up, Zip?â she asked. âHowâs your dad?â
âHello, auntie! Heâs okay, thanks,â Zippoorwhill replied. âHave you seen Nano? I canât find him anywhereâŠâ
âThis little dog of yours? Iâve seen him somewhere there,â Vinyl replied, pointing at the nearby street. Suddenly, someone next to her cleared her throat.
âWhatâs going on, Berry?â Vinyl asked coldly. She noticed how Berry was looking at her and Zippoorwhill, simultaneously trying not to look at the beer Vinyl was holding. âZip, youâd better go and find Nano. And remember, donât go too far awayâŠâ
Zippoorwhill flew away. She could never understand what Berry Punch wanted from auntie Vinyl. She only knew that it had something to do with all those ponies whoâd suddenly disappeared.
âNano!â she called. There was no answer. The street was leading her to the Ponyville outskirts.
In fact, Vinyl wasnât her aunt. However, she was an old friend of her father â theyâd worked together on some album. Zippoorwhillâs father had never let her listen to it, but sheâd done it anyway when heâd been in Canterlot. She didnât exactly like it â her fatherâs guitar and Vinylâs beats sounded good together, but the vocalist who performed with them used way too many bad words for her liking.
Even though she was far away, she could still hear Vinyl and Berry arguing. Berry was talking about why Vinyl shouldnât be allowed to even look at foals, while Vinyl kept telling her how dumb she was. Zippoorwhill didnât understand them; Vinyl was always good for her, why shouldnât they meet?
She was flying above the meadow, calling her dog. It was slowly getting darker; Zippoorwhill looked at the sky and thought about what Vinyl had told her. She took a glance at the town behind her and decided to go home â Nano would surely come back. He was always coming back.
Suddenly, she heard barking coming from the forest in front of her.
âNano?â she called unsurely. The only answer was more barking.
She darted forward. Although it was a while since sheâd learned to fly, she still had some problems with manoeuvring, so she slowed down to avoid hitting a tree.
âNano? Where are you?â she asked, searching frantically through the bushes. She looked around and shuddered; she was quite deep in the forest and she could barely see the outline of the town behind her.
She found a small clearing and landed on it. She didnât like that place â there was a swamp nearby and its smell was unbearable. The ground was moist; soon after landing Zippoorwhill fell knee-deep in mud, so she decided to take off again.
She heard barking again, this time close to her. She also noticed some background noise; it sounded like buzzing of an insect, but it was louder. Zippoorwhill shuddered when she thought about a swarm of bees that could be there.
âNano?â She looked forward and saw the small terrier in front of her. âThere you are!â
The dog was dirty â nothing unusual since heâd walked all the way through the forest. He was barking and growling, attacking some object lying in the mud.
âNano! Leave it!â Zippoorwhill ordered. She approached the dog, taking a leash she had with her. She caught Nano and took the object he was munching out of his teeth.
âEwwâŠâ She winced and threw it on the ground. âWhyâd you eat that rotting piece of meatâŠâ
Suddenly she froze and looked at her hoof. Some meat and feathers stuck to it. She wanted to wipe it, but she couldnât take her gaze away from it. Although the feathers were ragged and dirty, she could still see their original colour. Sheâd recognise that shade of yellow everywhere.
âNoâŠâ she whispered, her eyes wide in horror. âNo, pleaseâŠâ Slowly, she turned her gaze away from her hoof and looked at the swamp in front of her. Or rather at the two swollen, grotesque shapes emerging from it, surrounded by swarms of flies.
âAlula⊠Twist... NoâŠâ she muttered, her throat dry. The smell of the swamp was assaulting her nostrils; she could feel the taste of bile in her mouth. She backed away slowly, still looking at the swamp. When she felt that she reached the bushes, she turned back and flew away as fast as she could, not caring about the trees or loose branches. All she wanted was to get out of there, screaming and crying, and hide somewhere to forget what sheâd seen.
Finally, she left the forest and crashed into the ground, releasing Nano from her grasp. She barely noticed when Vinyl, alarmed by the dog running through the town, barking like crazy, approached her, helping her up.
âWhat happened?â she asked, panting heavily.
Zippoorwhill told her. She was clenching her eyelids shut, trying to get rid of the picture of the swamp from her head; to just forget it. Forgetting was always so easyâŠ
Never before forgetting was so hard for Zippoorwhill.
Vinyl Scratch groaned. Her whole body was stiff from sleeping on a cold ground. She stretched her hooves and rubbed her forehead â pounding headache was telling her that she definitely had partied a bit too hard the night before.
She turned and clenched her eyes shut â she felt as if they were going to burn the moment she opened them. Her coat was sticky from sweat, her mane was unkempt and greasy. She could feel the taste of bile in her mouth.
She thought that it wasnât exactly her fault. Since sheâd found Zippoorwhill, she just couldnât focus when she was sober. When the guards had arrived, sheâd followed them to the forest and saw what had scared the little filly so much. Such view would reduce anypony to a whimpering mess.
Since that day, she was always taking her duties in the neighbourhood watch during the nights. After they were over, she was usually trotting to the nearby bar to drink a beer. Or, more often, a couple of beers. Then she walked home, or rather tried to â if she wasnât lucky to find someone to help her get to the house where she lived with Octavia and Neon, sheâd usually sleep on a park bench. On particularly rough nights, she couldnât even make it out of the bar. Then sheâd just nod off on the chair, trying, if it was unavoidable, to vomit all over herself rather than on the floor â pissing off the bartender was the last thing she wanted to do.
Vinyl hoped that she wouldnât have to look for a new home soon â while Octavia at first understood that her marefriend was going through a hard time, soon she grew increasingly annoyed at her. Neon couldnât stand that and before heâd left on tour, all three had a rather nasty argument. Vinyl didnât know how it ended â she went drinking, leaving Octavia and Neon alone. She hadnât even come back to say goodbye to Neon before heâd left Ponyville.
Later, Vinyl had spent the night shivering on the porch, begging Octavia to let her in.
Wonder where did I land today⊠she thought. The air smelled of decay. Vinylâs stomach grumbled in protest when she rolled over and tried to get on her hooves.
Slowly, she opened one eye. The first thing she saw was some dirty brick wall. A couple of overfilled trash cans stood next to it, which explained the smell. Still, Vinyl couldnât recognise in which part of the town she was.
âThere you are!â She heard a voice behind her.
âOcty?â she asked unsurely.
Suddenly, someone kicked her in the stomach, sending her tumbling at the trash cans. She hit one of them with her head. A loud cling almost deafened her. She looked around groggily, when another kick knocked the air out of her lungs.
âWhat theââ Another blow to the head interrupted her. She groaned and spat some blood and pieces of broken teeth.
âYou tell that kid to look for her dog in the forest and she finds your dumping ground⊠Yeah, I can totally believe that it was a coincidenceâŠâ The voice said. âWho knows whatâd happen if I didnât stop youâŠâ
âIt⊠it wasnâtâŠâ Vinyl slurred. Her vision was blurry; she could barely see the assailant, who was now rummaging through the scattered rubbish.
âShut up!â The next kick was aimed at Vinylâs crotch. She cowered, yelping in pain and praying to Celestia for someone to hear her.
The assailant stood above her. Vinyl, gritting her teeth, looked up and froze upon seeing the face of the pony holding a metal pipe in her mouth.
âB-berry⊠NoâŠâ
She felt her ribs cracking when the pipe landed on her side. She lifted her hoof to cover herself, only to hear a sickening crunch when her foreleg became numb. The third swing reached her temple; her body went limp and she rolled on her back, her white coat stained red.
Berry Punch threw the pipe away and looked at Vinyl with a frown on her face.
âThisâll teach youâŠâ she muttered and spat on her before walking away.
Randolph was serving the Rich family for years. He remembered the day when Filthy Rich was born; he remembered him growing and meeting his wife; he could easily recall the day when Mr. Richâs daughter had been born and the day when Ms. Amber had died.
Randolph didnât want to admit it, but he was getting old. The days when he could barely get out of bed were more and more often. His bones were aching even during hot days like that one. That was why heâd finally decided to ask Mr. Rich for a day off and went to the doctor.
Before that, he was worrying for the whole day what Mr. Richâs reaction would be. To his surprise, his boss only waved his hoof, dismissing him. Randolph knew him well and found such behaviour rather unusual for him. However, even though he was old, he wasnât blind: he could clearly see his boss worrying about the affliction of Miss Tiara.
Now, Randolph was sitting in a waiting room, watching the ponies as they passed past him. Some of them seemed worried; some of them were too lost in their thoughts to notice him. Almost all of them were younger than him.
Randolph was rarely leaving the Rich family estate. He didnât know a lot of ponies, but he knew almost everything about them, thanks to the other servants, who were always first to gossip. Randolph didnât like them â they were treating him as if he was some relic from the past; they had no respect to the family. Recently, he heard some of them calling young Miss Tiara a âpsychoâ or a âlittle bitchâ.
He saw two ponies who sat on the bench next to him â a big, grey pegasus with black beard and thick-rimmed glasses and a small pegasus filly. Randolph thought that she was probably his daughter. She was trotting slowly behind her father and when she sat next to him, she just stared at the wall with a blank expression.
âGood morning,â the stallion said.
âGood morning,â Randolph replied. To his clamour, he noticed that he was the only one to reply, even though the waiting room was full of ponies.
Suddenly, the door on the other side of the corridor bursted open. A couple of doctors and nurses ran past them with somepony lying on a trolley. Randolph took a look at the patient and saw a piece of electric blue mane, protruding from behind the i.v.âs, oxygen bottles and bandages. Behind the doctors, a minty green mare was running. Randolph knew her â a week or so ago sheâd come to the Rich family estate, asking if someone wanted to join the neighbourhood watch. From the conversations of the other servants, heâd learned that her name was Lyra Heartstrings and that she was a fillyfooler. Not that he cared about that much.
Randolph saw the the pegasus next to him was also staring at the trolley, his eyes wide in shock. His daughter hid behind his wing, embracing it as if it was the only safe harbour in the cruel world.
The doctors disappeared behind the door on the other side of the corridor, leaving Lyra Heartstrings behind. For a while, she stood there, her head lowered, but then she turned back.
âLyra!â the pegasus called. âWhat happened? Was thatâŠ?â
âYes, it was VinylâŠâ Lyra replied, her voice quivering. âI⊠I was going shopping and I f-found her in the nook⊠Someone beat her...â
âSweet Celestia!â the stallion exclaimed. âYou need to call the guards⊠Who could do this?â
âI already did. I bet it was Berry Punch⊠You know, she thinks that VinylâŠâ Lyra looked at the filly, who seemed completely lost in her thoughts.
âWell, sheâs upset because of her daughter,â the pegasus said, wrapping his wing around the filly. âBut thatâs just crazy⊠Though, if I got the guy who did this, Iâd probably do the same⊠for ZippoorwhillâŠâ
Zippoorwhill raised her head when she heard her name, but apart from that she remained motionless, as if she didnât realise where she was.
âJust like BonnieâŠâ Lyra said, wiping her eyes. âShe had to identify the⊠the body. Since then she doesnât leave her roomâŠâ
Randolph tried to tune the voices of those ponies out. He wasnât much interested in other poniesâ tragedies. Of course, he felt compassion; but he always considered things such as mourning as something intimate.
For a while, Lyra and the stallion stared at each other in silence.
âI think Iâll go to Octavia⊠She doesnât know yetâŠâ Lyra said, looking at the door. âAnd weâll have to call NeonâŠâ
âI donât like him,â the pegasus said. âVinyl is sometimes eccentric, but heâs a creep⊠I wouldnât be surprised if it was him⊠And since heâd left on tour, nopony disappearedâŠâ
âIâll talk to Octavia if she noticed anything strange,â Lyra replied. âWeâll be back soonâŠâ
She left the room, followed by the gazes of the other patients. Randolph sighed and straightened in his seat. There were still three ponies before him in the queue and he was getting tired. Heâd always thought of himself as very patient â after all he had to deal with Miss Tiara (though heâd never admit it, it could be rather absorbing) â but the company of all those ponies was throwing him off balance.
The door on the one side of the corridor opened and Randolph saw a familiar silhouette of a blue mare with grey mane and smile that looked slightly off. She was assisted by a nurse. Randolph knew her â she used to work as a gardenerâs assistant in the Rich family estate, but then she went crazy and had to be taken to the asylum.
âGood morning, Ms. Redheart,â said Randolph to the nurse. âGood morning, Screw Loose.â
Screw Loose looked at him and barked. It wasnât unusual; she was doing that since the day when the doctors arrived to take her away. More unusual was the reaction of the pegasus filly â if Randolph recalled correctly, her name was Zippoorwhill. She screamed and took off in the air; only a quick reaction of her father, who caught her, prevented her from ramming into the ceiling. Even then, she was trying to free herself, thrashing and screaming.
âIâm sorry for her,â the pegasus said to Randolph. âSheâs not herself sinceâŠâ
âThereâs no need to apologise,â Randolph replied. The view of the crying filly tugged some string in the heart of the old butler. âYou know, Iâve recently heard about a hospital in Trottingham⊠They do wonders with, umm⊠difficult casesâŠâ
Diamond Tiara glared at Sunshine Rainbows angrily. Her roommate had just turned in her bed and began muttering some random words. She was doing that from time to time; sometimes they werenât even words, just some nonsensical blends of syllables. On other occasions, Sunshine was having long conversations with Diamond Tiara in her sleep. They were usually absurd â for example, two nights before sheâd spent fifteen minutes talking about some colt Diamond Tiara didnât know and how good heâd look in the coffin.
Diamond Tiara groaned. She started to wonder why didnât she suffocate Sunshine with a pillow yet. She didnât even feel like it. Maybe it was another sign of progress? Over the last two weeks sheâd made some â she was now able to fall into a shallow slumber for an hour or so, usually during the day. Despite the warnings of the strange colt (Sunshine had told her that his name was Pepper; due to his paranoia, he was rather reluctant to introduce himself), she was dutifully taking all the pills the doctors were giving her. She was spending at least two hours a day talking to a doctor about her problems. Everything seemed good.
Except it wasnât. Despite the slumbers, she felt more tired than ever before. Every sound was annoying her â Sunshineâs babbling, rustling of water in the pipes, even buzzing of electricity in the wires. She preferred to stay awake during the nights â bright light was hurting her eyes.
She banged her hoof against her pillow. Sunshine was still muttering something incomprehensible. Diamond Tiara looked at her again, recalling the events of the past weeks. Sunshine had phases â usually she seemed normal, though maybe a bit cynical for her age. She also had a bit morbid sense of humour, though it wasnât too creepy for Diamond Tiara. But there were days when her condition was getting worse. She was usually spending them in her bed, barely speaking. Every attempt Diamond Tiara was making to cheer her up resulted in tears. Once during such phase, Sunshine started to talk about suicide and Diamond Tiara spent the night watching her carefully. Now she could easily imagine how her roommate acquired the rows of cuts on her forelegs.
On the next day, however, Sunshine was back to her usual, sarcastic self. She even helped Diamond Tiara convince Pepper that the doctors implanted a chip in his skull so they could hear his thoughts.
âBreezies⊠moths⊠clarity of calamityâŠâ Suddenly, Sunshineâs murmurs became more coherent.
Sunshine Rainbows sat on her bed and looked around â even though her eyes were still closed. âWhereâs my wallet?â she asked.
âThey donât let you keep money here because theyâre afraid youâd cut yourself with a sharpened coin,â Diamond Tiara explained. âNow, shut up and let me sleep.â
âRight⊠BreeziesâŠâ Sunshine replied and pulled the blanket over her head.
Diamond Tiara sighed. She turned her head to face the wall and closed her eyes.
Alula, bleeding profusely from the wound under her wing, watched in horror as Twist fell to the ground with a betrayed look on her face. Seeing that Diamond Tiara was now going back to her, she closed her eyes and wept.
âWhy are you laughing?â she heard Diamond Tiaraâs voice above her.
âIâm not laughingâŠâ she hissed. Even though sheâd put her hoof on the wound, she felt that she was getting weaker; her whole body went numb and she could barely see anything.
âShut up! OrâŠâ
This surprised Alula. âOr what? Youâll kill me?â
She screamed when the knife plunged into her body. She lifted her hooves, trying to defend herself, but then another stab reached her eye, piercing through it and reaching her brain. Her thrashing became incoherent before she finally lay limply on the ground.
Diamond Tiaraâs eyes shot open. She was lying in her bed, motionless, panting heavily. She could hear the rain banging against the window and Sunshineâs hoofsteps.
âHello, sleepyhead,â Sunshine said, putting a newspaper on Diamond Tiaraâs nightstand. She had a habit of stealing them from the doctorsâ room and tearing the articles sheâd found interesting (she was forbidden to have scissors). They were usually news about murders and disasters. She also liked to collect obituaries. While reading one she often wondered if her parents organised the funeral.
âWhatâs going on?â Diamond Tiara asked.
âI found some cool news from Ponyville. DJ Pon3 is in a coma,â Sunshine levitated a newspaper and opened it. âSomeone straightened her out with a lead pipe.â
âWhoâd do that?â Diamond Tiara asked.
âDunno, Sapphire Shores?â Sunshine shrugged. âOr maybe her lover⊠Those celebritiesâŠâ She chuckled. âHey, I have an autographed photo of her somewhere! If she kicks the bucket, its priceâs gonna get higher than CloudsdaleâŠâ
Diamond Tiara said nothing. She still had an image of Alula before her eyes, lying in the mud, her body almost unrecognisable after what sheâd done to her. Then she imagined Vinyl being in her place.
âBy the way, they found those kids who went missing thereâŠâ Sunshine said, flipping through the pages.
Diamond Tiara froze. âWhat happened to them?â she asked, trying her best to keep her voice steady.
âOh, someone massacred âem and dumped âem in the woods. They wrote that some kid was looking for her dog and found it eating a wingâŠâ
âEww⊠Do they know who killed them?â Diamond Tiara asked.
âNot yet,â Sunshine replied, giving Diamond the newspaper. âThereâs an interview with a guard here⊠He says that they have some trace⊠And that the killer has a patternâŠâ
âWhat pattern?â Diamond Tiara asked, looking at her curiously. Do I really have one? she thought.
âFour victims, two blank flanks and two with cutie marks,â Sunshine explained. âBlank flanks were mauled⊠smashed skull, multiple stabs⊠But those with cutie marks⊠one had slit throat, the other was drowned. They even thought it was a suicide. This guy ainât picky, but seems to hate blank flanksâŠâ
Diamond Tiara looked at the floor. âCan we stop talking about it?â she asked. âSome of them were my classmatesâŠâ
âYeah, sure,â Sunshine replied. âBut if this guy ever comes to Trottingham, Iâm deadâŠâ She looked at her flank. âKnowing my luck, Iâd be ripped open and fed my gutsâŠâ She shuddered. âIâd rather not meet that tosserâŠâ
Diamond Tiara looked at her blankly.
âI donât think theyâll ever find who it wasâŠâ Sunshine continued. âTwilight Sparkle will never let âem know about her little hobbyâŠâ
âWho else but her? Iâve read about those nobles⊠There was a unicorn tribe leader who had a harem of blank flanks⊠Once a kid got a cutie mark, they were given for the guards to play⊠And since he had lots of guardsâŠâ
âI think Iâll go for a walkâŠâ Diamond Tiara said.
She didnât trot far when she saw a couple of nurses running somewhere. She followed them â two weeks of living there taught her that running nurses usually meant that something interesting was happening.
They stopped in another wing of the building, the one inhabited by colts. Diamond Tiara hid behind the corner and saw one of the doctors, a slightly overweight earth pony called Barrel Cortex.
âI got it,â he said to the nurses. âOne of the colts suddenly began hitting his head against the wall, saying something about implantsâŠâ He chuckled. âDid you plant any implants recently?â
No one laughed. Diamond Tiara leant from behind the corner and saw that the doctorâs face was also serious.
âYouâd better check if heâs alright,â he said to the nurses. âCharming Heart, may I talk to you?â
The rest of the nurses left them alone in the corridor. Diamond Tiaraâs ears perked.
âCharming Heart, when you give those kids pillsâŠâ Barrel Cortex said, looking at the nurse with serious expression. â...do you check if they swallow them?â
âWhat? Yes⊠Of course,â Charming Heart replied.
âWell, he didnât look like a pony who takes pillsâŠâ Barrel Cortex muttered. âUnless, of course, they donât work for him⊠But I guess weâd find that out earlierâŠâ
âAre you accusing me?â Charming Heart exclaimed.
âOf course not, CharmingâŠâ Barrel Cortex shook his head, smiling mischievously. âAccidents like that happen⊠By the way, when heâs better, weâll transfer him to the secure unit. Youâll fill the paperwork.â
Charming Heart nodded her head and they trotted away.
Diamond Tiara felt stronger. When she imagined Pepper banging his head against the wall because of something sheâd told him, her body suddenly awoke. Her heart started to work faster. Sparks of electricity ran through her nerves. Finally she was able to tune out the background noise. The inside of her head was so silentâŠ
So, you want to sleep again? You know what you have to do⊠No more trying just to be rewarded with that ersatz of sleepingâŠ
She took a step forward. From what Sunshine had told her, Pepper lived alone. And now, he wasnât in his room⊠And it didnât seem that heâd be back soonâŠ
You know where he keeps them, donât you?
Pepperâs room looked almost exactly the same as hers; the only difference was the Wonderbolts poster on the wall and a bloody smear next to it, in the place where the poor colt had tried to get rid of an implant in his head. His bed was messy, but Diamond Tiara didnât care; she took a look under it and found a loose tile.
She gasped when she saw how many pills were there. Pepper probably was gathering them for quite a long time. Some of them were white, some green, some orange⊠Diamond Tiara smirked. Among the rubbish scattered on the floor she found a plastic bag and put all the pills into it.
Now we only need someone to eat them⊠she thought, hiding the bag in her tail.
When she was back in her room, she lay on her bed and, to Sunshineâs surprise, soon fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Buzzing of wings of thousands of flies⊠Nanoâs barking⊠She could see the leaves and the muddy ground beneath her hooves. She could almost smell decay and feel the branches hitting her face. Her mouth opened in the silent scream; she was trying to fly away, but her wings didnât want to listen to her. She tried to at least turn her gaze away, but she couldnât. It was like she was attacked by a cockatrice, but worse: as if her own body rebelled against her, making her stand on the clearing and watch. Then her mind joined the body, replaying the whole scene in her head, over and over again. There was no escape. Nopony to help. Nopony toâŠ
âZippoorwhill! What are you doing here?â
She looked at the pony in front of her. Pink coat, violet and white mane⊠Diamond Tiara. Her name was Diamond Tiara. Zippoorwhill remembered her from Ponyville, though theyâd never talked to each other. Anyway, sheâd last seen her years ago.
Everything that had happened before that Summer afternoon in the Everfree Forest seemed like it happened a long time ago.
Zippoorwhill wanted to tell her, but her tongue froze. Even a thought about that even was making her feel dizzy.
Diamond Tiara rose her eyebrows. Zippoorwhill looked at her and she saw a spark in her eyes.
âYou were looking for your dog in the Everfree, werenât you?â Diamond Tiara asked.
Zippoorwhill nodded frantically.
âHow are you?â
âI⊠I canât sleep,â Zippoorwhill replied. âI still see themâŠâ
She remembered what ponies used to talk about Diamond Tiara soon after Rubyâs death. She closed her eyes, expecting laughter. Suddenly she felt hooves wrapping around her.
âDonât worry, Zip,â Diamond Tiara said. âI know how it is when you canât sleepâŠâ
âYou⊠you do?â Zippoorwhill asked.
âYes. Why do you think I am here?â Diamond Tiara said. âIt gets better with timeâŠâ
âI donât knowâŠâ Zippoorwhill sighed. âI feel like Iâm still there⊠and I canât escapeâŠâ She could swear that she saw tears in Diamond Tiaraâs eyes.
âDonât worry, Zip,â Diamond Tiara said. âIâll do everything to help youâŠâ
Riot Control sat at his desk and began reading a newspaper. Heâd already read it at least a hundred times, but the article he was focused on was still like a thorn in his hoof.
At least Berry Punch finally fell asleep. Since theyâd arrested her, she was either yelling obscenities at them or banging her hoof against the bars. Riot Control considered transferring her to the psychiatric department of the Ponyville Hospital, but the doctor theyâd called found no reasons to do so. Or maybe he just didnât want to deal with her.
Somepony knocked at the door.
âFinally you decided to comeâŠâ Riot Control muttered.
The pony who entered his office wasnât, however, Front Kick. Riot Control put the newspaper on his desk and looked carefully at the blue unicorn in front of him.
âHello, Minuette,â he said.
âGood morning, officer,â Minuette replied. âUmm⊠can I talk to Berry?â
âSheâs sleeping now,â Riot Control said. âShould I wake her up?â he added, thinking that he was going to regret that.
âNo, thanks.â Minuette approached his desk. âI just wanted to ask⊠Was it really her who did that? I mean, are you sure thatâŠâ
âWell, she wasnât exactly hidingâŠâ He lowered his voice to a whisper. âYou should hear her when sheâs awake⊠Also, her hoofprints were all over the place...â
âI know her; I can imagine what sheâs sayingâŠâ Minuette shook her head. âWell, I think Iâll just try to find her a lawyer⊠If she still considers me her friend...â
She stood up and left the office.
Thatâs the kind of crime we can deal with⊠Riot Control thought. A pony tries to murder another pony in a limelight, leaving lots of evidence⊠Piece of cake. But when someone murders foalsâŠ
The door opened and Front Kick came in.
âHello, boss,â he said. âI finished collecting the samples of hair and dropped them at the hospital. Soon weâll know who did thatâŠâ
âAre you sure you have all of them?â Riot Control asked.
âEvery single one, sir. Even princess Twilightâs. If anypony had at least one violet hair in the mane I have it.â Front Kick sat at his desk and levitated some papers.
âThereâs one more thingâŠâ Riot Control took a newspaper. âWhatâs with that bullshit you told them? What pattern? And why did you tell them that Ruby Pinch was also murdered?â
âWell, it is some kind of pattern,â Front Kick replied. âAnd I thought that it doesnât matter anymore whether they know about Ruby or not⊠They should know that someone tries to murder their kidsâŠâ
Suddenly, they heard a stream of abuse, yelled in a raspy voice, accompanied by banging of hoof against the metal.
âWell, I guess Ms. Scratch would disagreeâŠâ said Riot Control, shaking his head.
Dr. Stable sighed, looking at the ponies gathered in front of him. Normally, he was very understanding towards his patients, but Vinyl Scratch was really pushing his limits. It wasnât for something she did; it was hard to annoy someone while being in a coma, unless someone didnât like the sound of the machinery keeping the patient alive. It was rather for her odd relationship with Octavia Melody and Neon Lights. According to the law, they both had right to decide about her fate.
Neon Lights scratched his unshaven chin. Heâd just came back from Manehattan after he had to cancel his tour. His eyes were red and he was barely able to stand straight.
âSo, doc, youâre telling us that thereâs, like, a thirty percent chance she wakes up?â he asked. âAnd, like, two percent that sheâll be, like, normal, right?â
âExactly.â Dr. Stable nodded.
âSo, maybe itâd be better if we, like, pull out the plug, right?â Neon Lights asked, looking at Vinyl. Unconscious, surrounded by pipes and wires, she looked small and vulnerable; she didnât resemble the hyperactive, fun-loving DJ everypony in Equestria knew.
Octavia stood up, glaring at Neon angrily. âThirty percent is still a chance.â Her voice was cold and calm, but Dr. Stable could sense the emotions boiling in her. âJust because you donât want to deal with her if she wakes up⊠wrong, doesnât mean that we have to kill her!â
âIn such state itâd be a mercy!â Neon Lights exclaimed. âDo you think sheâd want to be, like, retarded? I know her better than you... Sheâd rather die than⊠than lie here like that...â
âYou know nothing about her!â Octavia shouted, tears shining in her eyes. âAdmit that you want to get rid of her, because taking care of her would ruin your perfect career! You just want to escape, like a coward!â
âOh, because you know her so well, right?â Neon rolled his eyes. âIf you didnât throw her out of the house, she wouldnât be here!â
âSo, itâs my fault?â Octavia grabbed Neon and looked into his eyes, their noses almost touching. âAnd who ignored her drinking problems? Worse, you encouraged her, you son of a bitch!â
âMs. Melody!â Dr. Stable exclaimed. âThatâs not the placeââ
Octavia didnât seem to hear him. âDo you even love her? Or youâre just happy that you can have two mares?â
âOf course I love her⊠Just like I love youâŠâ Neon replied. âBut sometimes itâs better to let it goâŠâ
âThen let it go and get out of our life!â Octavia exclaimed. âI wonât let you kill herâŠâ
Dr. Stable cleared his throat. âMaybe itâll be better if you discuss that in private,â he said. âVinyl needs peaceâŠâ
Neon and Octavia glared at him angrily and left the room without saying goodbye. He could still hear them arguing as they walked down the corridor. He sat on a chair next to Vinylâs bed and looked at her, sighing.
âYou three must really love each otherâŠâ he muttered.
Vinyl didnât reply.
Diamond Tiara looked at the moon. The feeling of euphoria sheâd experienced after sheâd stolen pills from Pepperâs room left her. Now her insomnia was even worse â even the sound of the wind could wake her up.
She looked at Sunshine Rainbows. Recently, her âphasesâ got more frequent. She cut herself again; the wounds werenât deep, but it was enough to make one of the nurses freak out. After having them bandaged, Sunshine spent a whole day in her bed; she didnât even get up to go to the toilet.
Diamond Tiara had enough. She yelled at her roommate about her views on lying in oneâs own piss. To her surprise, Sunshine got up without saying a word and went to shower herself and change the bedclothes.
Diamond Tiara didnât want to admit that to herself, but she enjoyed the power she had over Sunshine. She was scared to think about the moment when sheâd caught a faint smell of blood in the air and how it suddenly calmed her down.
It also didnât last for long. Something was bugging her; she couldnât focus on anything. The view of the park usually was enough to make her nod off for at least a couple of minutes, but that day was different. She felt that she needed to do something.
She saw a moth landing on the wall and began to wonder how it got there. Only the doctors could open the windows; but earlier that day one of them opened it after Sunshine had wet the bed.
The buzzing of the mothâs wings wasnât very loud, but for Diamond Tiara it was unbearable. She waved her hoof and smashed the insect. She examined the spot on the wall and an idea appeared in her head.
She wrapped herself in a blanket â the draughts on the corridors were freezing her to the bone. Then she opened a drawer of her nightstand and took a small box from it. She opened the door and looked around, checking for the nurses patrolling the building. Then she left the room and trotted down the hall.
Zippoorwhillâs room wasnât far away from hers. She knocked at the door and waited for her to open.
âOh, itâs youâŠâ Zippoorwhill said when she saw her. âI was just looking at the moon and wondering if Luna could help me with⊠with my dreams...â
âWho knows?â Diamond Tiara replied. âI heard that she sometimes appears⊠But maybe she thinks you should deal with that yourselfâŠâ
Zippoorwhill shuddered. âBut⊠I donât know if I can⊠I⊠I canât even look at NanoâŠâ She began to cry.
âThere, thereâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered, patting her mane.
âIâm so patheticâŠâ Zippoorwhill wept. âWhen I hear barking or buzzing of the fliesâŠâ
âYeahâŠâ Diamond Tiara murmured, looking around Zipporwhillâs room. Her blanket was too thick to do what she was planning to do, but the bed sheets seemed to be made to do that. âYouâre not pathetic, Zip⊠My roommate cuts herself, pees her bed and talks in her sleep⊠Thatâs pathetic, if you ask meâŠâ
âMaybeâŠâ Zippoorwhill replied. âStill, it doesnât make me feel betterâŠâ
âDonât worry⊠At first I thought that the therapy wouldnât help, but it really did. Youâll surely feel better soonâŠâ
Poor Zippoorwhill, she couldnât copeâŠ
Diamond Tiara froze. Suddenly, she felt as if the box she hid underneath her blanket was made of lead. Why did she take it with her? Was she planning something? She didnât know.
âAre you okay, Diamond?â Zippoorwhill asked.
âYes⊠Yes, I amâŠâ Diamond Tiara replied. âI need to drink⊠Do you want some water?â
âYes,â Zippoorwhill said. âI think I have some cups here.â
The cups were made of plastic; even if it was crushed, the edges werenât sharp. Diamond Tiara thought that it was wise, considering the patients such as Sunshine Rainbows. She took the cups and went to the bathroom.
She turned on the light and looked at herself in the mirror. Messy mane, narrowed pupils, bags under her eyes⊠She could barely recognise herself. Why was she still alive? Even considering the microsleep and slumbers, she should be dead a long time ago.
She turned the tap and filled the cups with water.
...though she looked long for a cureâŠ
Her reflection in the mirror disappeared. She blinked, trying to make her vision focus. She put the cups on the sink, reached for the box and opened it. She smirked, seeing the pills inside.
She thought about Nurse Charming Heart, who spent quite a long time, searching through Pepperâs room. Finally everypony assumed that the colt had thrown his pills away.
Diamond Tiara chuckled and began to pulverize the pills with her hoof. Then she poured the powder into one of the cups and went back to Zippoorwhill.
She found the pegasus lying on her bed, looking at the ceiling. For a moment Diamond Tiara thought that she was asleep; but soon, she jerked awake and put her glasses on.
âStill with me?â Diamond asked and gave her a cup. âDrink it. Youâll feel much better.â
âThanks,â Zippoorwhill replied. She took a sip of water, then she downed the cup.
âSmells funnyâŠâ she muttered.
âRusty pipes or something like that,â Diamond Tiara replied. âYou know, they have to disinfect it or somethingâŠâ
âYeah⊠maybe,â Zippoorwhill replied. âYou know, my dad doesnât let me drink water from the tap⊠He says that I can get sickâŠâ
âI donât usually drink water,â Diamond Tiara said, looking at the pegasus curiously. âI prefer apple juice.â
âI like it too,â Zippoorwhill replied. âAnd I once drank my dadâs coffee⊠Ms. Heartstrings wasnât amused when I started to fly around herâŠâ
âYeah, charmingâŠâ Diamond Tiara narrowed her eyes.
âI knowâŠâ Zippoorwhill flapped her wings. âMy daddy says that I should never⊠I should neverâŠâ Suddenly, her speech became slurred. She staggered and collapsed on her bed. Her eyes were still open; Diamond Tiara looked into them and shuddered, seeing them staring at her, expressionless. Zippoorwhillâs breath was shallow and stertorous.
Diamond Tiara felt a sharp pain and the back of her head. Her vision blurred for a moment when she helped Zippoorwhill up.
âYouâd better go to the bathroom with meâŠâ she muttered, taking a sheet from Zippoorwhillâs bed. Then she opened the door and examined the corridor. Luckily, it was empty, so she went out of the room, half-dragging, half-steering the pegasus.
They quickly reached the bathroom. Diamond Tiara opened the door of one of the stalls and looked at the ceiling. There were a couple of pipes above her; just something she needed to accomplish her plan. She dragged Zippoorwhill inside and tied the bed sheet into a noose.
...they found her hanging on the ropeâŠ
Diamond stood on the toilet and tied the sheet to the pipe. She examined it; the fabric seemed strong enough.
âNow itâs time for youâŠâ she muttered, trying to lift Zippoorwhill. Luckily for her, the pegasus wasnât heavy. Diamond remembered Silver Spoon telling her about the pegasi and how their bones were made to be light but strong. Still, it was hard to raise the numb filly.
Finally, Zippoorwhill was standing on the toilet, with a noose around her neck. So far, she made no attempt to resist. Diamond Tiara had to hold her to make her stand straight.
âYou wanted to escape from your dreams, didnât you?â she asked. âWell, now you have a chanceâŠâ
She pushed her off the toilet and trotted away a few steps. Zippoorwhillâs wings shot open; she opened her mouth, fighting for breath. She wasnât high above the ground, but the pills had weakened her and she couldnât reach it with her hooves. Her thrashing was slowly getting weaker.
âGoodbye, Zip,â Diamond Tiara said, closing the door to the stall.
...now she feels better for sure!
When Diamond Tiara was back in her room, she felt tired. Sunshine was muttering something, but she didnât care about that; she barely reached her bed and threw herself on it, falling asleep almost immediately.
Doctor Stable trotted up the hill and looked around. It was early August; usually at that time of year, the town was noisy, filled with voices of its inhabitants cheering and chatting happily, enjoying the sunny weather. But this year, it was unusually quiet. There was no chatting, just some unfriendly murmurs. No laughter, but barely hidden hostility. Doctor Stable stopped in the middle of the path and looked at the five stones on his right.
Usually, he didnât like cemeteries. Too many stories of his patients ended there. Too many names he could read on the plates were once ponies he knew. But today was different; he preferred the serene atmosphere of the Ponyville cemetery over the company of ponies, looking at each other like they were murderers.
He looked at the five small, white tombstones standing in a row next to the path. Pipsqueak, Ruby Pinch, Alula, Twist and Zippoorwhill. The dates of birth⊠Nine, ten and, in case of Zippoorwhill, seven years ago. He sat next to the graves, trying to understand. What could make a seven-year-old filly kill herself?
He sighed and went further down the path. The graves there were bigger. Finally he reached the one he was looking for. It was plain and elegant, even by Ponyvilleâs standards. One wouldnât expect such a modest place of the final resting from a pony who was buried there. Doctor Stable sat next to it and lowered his head.
Only a few days after the argument between her partners, Vinyl Scratch passed away quietly in the middle of the night. The autopsy revealed the cause, but for doctor Stable it wasnât important; for him, it was as if Vinyl didnât want Octavia and Neon to argue over her.
The funeral attracted lots of fans from all over Equestria. There were speculations in the newspapers whether Berry Punch should be tried for murder or grievous bodily harm resulting in death, but Doctor Stable didnât care about that. Whatever would happen to Berry couldnât bring Vinyl back to life.
Soon after the funeral, Neon Lights moved out to Baltimare. From what Doctor Stable knew, he was avoiding the press, trying to focus on work. Octavia, howeverâŠ
âGood morning, doctor,â he heard a calm voice behind his back. âI didnât expect to see you hereâŠâ
âHello, Ms. Melody,â he replied. âI was just passing by⊠If you want me to leaveâŠâ
âNo, doctor, you can stay,â Octavia said, sitting next to him. âI come here every day⊠I guess I just canât stand the empty houseâŠâ She looked at the grave. âI gave her equipment to Neon. What would I do with it?â
Doctor Stable said nothing. Heâd met many patients in his life and he knew that sometimes it was better to just let them talk; many of them got better just because he was there to listen about their problems.
âItâs all wrongâŠâ Octavia said, shuddering slightly. âWaking up in a bed without her or Neon⊠Do you know that I canât even bring myself to hate Berry for that? I just sit here, unable to do anything...â
âWell, Ms. MelodyâŠâ
âOctavia,â she said. âPlease, call me Octavia. No one calls me that anymore⊠Lyra and Bon Bon⊠they have their own problems. Bon Bon is still not herself, afterâŠâ Octavia looked at the graves of the five foals, visible in the distance. âAnd I donât want to see MinuetteâŠâ
âOctavia,â Dr. Stable said, looking into her mulberry eyes. âI think itâs good that you donât hate her. Forgivingââ
âBut I didnât forgive her!â Octavia exclaimed. âI⊠I just feel nothing⊠Part of me wants to go to her and⊠I donât know.â She looked at the grass beneath her hooves. âTalk to her? Tell her how I feel? Try to avenge Vinyl? Thatâs just...â
Suddenly, Octavia approached Dr. Stable and wrapped her hooves around him, sinking her face in his fur. He pulled her into a hug, letting her weep into his coat. For a moment, he just stood there, letting Octavia vent her emotions. Soon, however, she realised what she was doing and backed away.
Doctor Stable looked at her. Her eyes were red and puffy; she wiped them with her hoof and straightened her mane automatically.
âI⊠Iâm sorry⊠I shouldnâtâŠâ She whimpered.
âItâs okay,â he replied. Suddenly, he realised that she was still close to him. He could see exactly the tears still welling in her big, dark eyes. Their lips were almost touchingâŠ
âN-no⊠I shouldnât⊠I canâtâŠâ Octavia backpedalled, her gaze shifting from Dr. Stable to Vinylâs grave. Before he could say anything, she turned around and ran away.
âOctavia!â Dr. Stable called. âWait!â
She was too far to hear him, almost reaching the gate. For a moment, he considered running after her, but then he shrugged and turned back to Vinylâs grave. âMaresâŠâ he muttered, looking at it, as if he expected Vinyl to reply.
Riot Control shifted on his chair nervously. He didnât like that cold room, placed in the underground part of the Ponyville Hospital. He loathed its smell, the faint, yellow lights and the furniture, consisting of some metal tables and a large cold chamber.
At least all the drawers are closed⊠he thought. He looked at the entrance â the host of that place was currently busy in the other part of the hospital and Riot Control had been told to wait at him. His eyes rested on an inscription written above the old, scratched door.
Taceant colloquia, effugiat risus. Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae.
Optimistic⊠he thought.
The door opened and the old unicorn with grayish mane came in. Riot Control felt the chill running down his spine when he looked into the yellow eyes of the experienced medical examiner.
âGood morning, Dr. Tulp,â he said. âIâve heard that you have something for me.â
âIndeed.â Dr. Tulp levitated a pair of glasses to his face and opened one of the drawers in his desk. âIâve received a report from my counterpart in Trottingham. Iâd say that poor, little Zippoorwhill told her a lot...â
Riot Control decided not to delve into that topic, instead choosing to open the file that landed in front of him. He skipped the photos depicting Zippoorwhillâs body hanging from the bedsheet in the toilet stall or lying on the table with a large bruise around her neck; instead, he focused on the autopsy report.
ââUnusualâ...â he muttered. âOf course itâs unusual⊠Fillies that age donât usually hang themselvesâŠâ He thought about his granddaughter and shuddered.
âItâs not only that,â Dr. Tulp said. âDo you know why, while hanging is still quite⊠popular form of capital punishment, pegasi are never hanged?â
Riot Control sighed. Dr. Tulp had written several papers about the anatomy of pegasi wings and was considered one of the greatest experts in that matter. His fascination about the pegasi was dangerously close to obsession.
âI think I missed that lesson,â he replied, flipping through the pages of the report without much enthusiasm.
âItâs because itâs difficult and cruel to hang a pegasus,â Dr. Tulp replied. âEven if you restrain or break their wings, theyâll still try to fly to save themselves. Itâs a reflex; itâs like with trying to commit suicide by holding oneâs breath. Sooner or later the organism just makes you breathe.â
âSo, someone helped her?â Riot Control asked. âMaybe one of the doctors is our killer⊠Or their sidekickâŠâ
âNot necessarily. Look at the toxicology report.â Dr. Tulp levitated a page in question.
âSweet CelestiaâŠâ Riot Control muttered. âHow much did she take?â
âEnough to repress the reflex. Even if she didnât hang herself, itâd probably kill herâŠâ Dr. Tulp replied.
âStill, this case stinks,â Riot Control said, throwing the file on the desk. âShe takes enough pills to turn off her wings, yet manages to drag herself to the bathroom, tie a noose and kill herself? And how did she even get so many pills?â
âI believe guards in Trottingham are investigating thisâŠâ Dr. Tulp replied.
âOh, Iâve heard about thatâŠâ Riot Control said. âThey arrested a nurse who found her⊠Charming Heart or something like that.â He stood up. âThank you, doctor. Iâm gonna see Front Kick. Maybe heâll figure something out of thisâŠâ
He left the morgue and sighed with relief. Then he trotted upstairs, to the lab where Front Kick and a couple of technicians were comparing hair they acquired from the ponies with the ones theyâd found on the crime scenes.
âHello boss,â Front Kick said, not rising his head from the microscope. âSeems that I lost a bet⊠Itâs not Bon BonâŠâ
Riot Control felt the urge to smack him in the back of the head. âYouâre placing bets?â
âYou can win fifty bits for every bit you place on Roseluck,â one of the assistants said. âTwenty, if you think itâs Sparkler⊠Three for every bit waged on Rarity...â
âFront Kick, can we talk in private?â Riot Control asked, glaring daggers at the assistant. Front Kick stood up and they both went to the corridor.
âI have a riddle for you,â Riot Control said. âWho could give Zippoorwhill enough drugs to poison the whole ward of kids and hang her?â
âDunno, maybe one of the doctors?â Front Kick scratched his mane.
âIt wasnât a shrink⊠Have you seen any of those shrinks in Ponyville recently? Itâs our guy. He or she thought that Zippoorwhill knew something. Who could it be?â
Front Kick scrunched his face. âSomeone who either went to Trottingham recently, or travels there often⊠Theyâd have to find the way to sneak to the hospital at night without raising suspicionsâŠâ he said. âSomeone connected with the victims⊠Probably with violet maneâŠâ
âAny ideas?â Riot Control asked.
âZippoorwhillâs father? No, itâd be easier for him to knock off his daughter here⊠Pipsqueakâs parents⊠They went back to Trottingham after he diedâŠâ
âAnd howâd they kill the other foals?â Riot Control asked.
âRight⊠How about Filthy Rich?â Front Kickâs eyes lit up.
âFilthy Rich? How so?â Riot Control rose his eyebrows.
âHis daughter is also in that nuthouse⊠He visits her there from time to time,â Front Kick replied. âAlso, she has, if I recall correctly, white and violet mane. He might have picked some accidentally before he went for a walk to kill some filliesâŠâ
âYeah, rightâŠâ Riot Control rolled his eyes. âMaybe itâs his daughter who killed them?â
âThatâs possible,â Front Kick said. âI found no traces of adult ponies on any of the crime scenesâŠâ
âOh, come onâŠâ Riot Control muttered. He bowed before Nurse Redheart, who just walked past them. âDo you imagine such a filly killing someone? I think the killer was a pegasus⊠or, more likely, a bat pony. No traces on the ground; could kill Alula and Twist while pretending to look for them; could go to Trottingham and back in a couple of hours⊠No one suspects a bat pony going somewhere in the middle of the night...â
Front Kick only shook his head.
Lyra took a sip of her cider and put a mug on the table. âRedheart says that the guards think that it was a bat pony with a violet mane,â she said.
âSo, they suspect Dusk Dancer?â Time Turner asked. âI canât say Iâm surprised. She always seemed⊠weird. When I asked her to join the neighbourhood watch, she told me that she had no time.â
âWell, all the bat ponies seem weird, if you ask meâŠâ Cherry Berry said. âAnd Dusk Dancer drinks blood.â
âHow do you know?â Minuette asked. She was half-sitting, half-lying in an armchair, courtesy of a couple of mugs of cider sheâd drunk.
âLily told me,â Cherry Berry replied.
âYeah⊠Because Lily is a reliable source of information,â Minuette said. âLyra, youâd better not tell Bonnie about that⊠We donât want her to pull a Berry Punch on poor Dusk DancerâŠâ
Cherry Berry glared at her angrily. âI thought you were helping my cousinâŠâ she said.
Minuette levitated a mug of cider in front of her, drank the rest of the beverage and threw the mug back on the table, making all the glasses jangle. âIâm helping her, but I still think sheâs an idiot,â she replied, trying to focus her gaze on Cherry Berry.
Time Turner cleared his throat. âMinuette!â he hissed.
âWhat?â Minuette exclaimed. âYou wonât tell me that killing Vinyl was normal. Worse, youâre now looking for another scapegoatâŠâ
âIâm not telling that it was normal,â Time Turner replied. His face turned a faint shade of red. âBut⊠If something happened to DinkyâŠâ
âThen what? Youâd go and, dunno, burn down Dusk Dancerâs house because Redheart told Lyra that one guardââ
âMinuette, stop it!â Lyra exclaimed.
âOf course notâŠâ Time Turner said, running his hoof through his mane nervously. âBut the neighbourhood watch should observe Dusk Dancer andââ
âWatch-shmatch!â Minuette exclaimed. The bar immediately silenced. âThereâs no watch since Vinyl kicked the bucket⊠Just a bunch of assholes whoâll believe in every gossipâŠâ She stood up, staggering. âGoodnight, paranoid tossers.â
She trotted out of the bar, slamming the door behind her.
ââParanoid tossersâ?â Lyra took a sip of her cider, still looking at the door. âGeez, she really had too much todayâŠâ
âSheâs mad because Berry doesnât like her oh so great ideasâŠâ Cherry Berry muttered, rolling her eyes. âI swear, if she jumped from her ego on her IQ, sheâd knock herself into a coââ She paused, seeing the look Lyra was giving her. âWhatâs wrong with you now?â
âApparently, the word âcomaâ is a taboo now,â Time Turner said.
They heard the sound of the door creaking open and turned to see Cloud Kicker coming in. She went to a bar, bought a mug of cider and trotted to them.
âHello,â she said and sat on the only free armchair. âI met Minuette on my way here. What have you done to her?â
âOh, the usual,â Cherry Berry said. âShe doesnât want to hang out with paranoid toââ
âCherry, please,â Time Turner interrupted her.
âAnd youâre paranoid because?â Cloud Kicker asked. She took a sip of her cider and stretched her wings.
âI talked with Redheart today and she told me that the guards have a suspect,â Lyra said. She shifted in her chair nervously.
âOh, come on!â Cherry Berry exclaimed. ââSuspectâ! A bloodsucker! Sheâs surely guiltyâŠâ
Cloud Kickerâs ears perked up. She leaned closer to Cherry Berry. âWhich bloodsucker?â she whispered.
âEnough, CherryâŠâ Time Turner said. âI think Minuette was right⊠We canât justââ
âOh, come on!â Cherry Berry exclaimed, spilling her cider. âYou said yourself that we need to observe herâŠâ
âI can observe herâŠâ Cloud Kicker said. âIf she killed AlulaâŠâ She waved her hoof.
Time Turner only shook his head.
With an ear-piercing screech of the brakes, the train skid to a halt. The doors opened and a couple of ponies walked out of it. Most of them quickly stretched their hooves, stiff after a long journey, and promptly went to their homes.
Diamond Tiara was the last to stand on the platform. She trotted by Filthy Richâs side, watching the familiar view of her hometown. She sniffed the air, smelling the mix of bonfire smoke, strange flowers from the Everfree forest and a faint scent of disinfectant that somehow still stayed on her coat. Then she looked straight into the setting sun, enjoying the eerie colours of the sky. A couple of moths flew past her, one of them tangling into her mane for a moment.
Diamond Tiara smiled. For the last couple of nights sheâd slept like a newborn foal. According to Dr. Midline Shift, she got better and was ready to go home. She promptly agreed, even though she wasnât sure about his diagnosis.
She still felt that strange presence that had first spoken to her on that night when sheâd killed Alula and Twist. It was asleep â fed by the view of Zippoorwhill fighting for her last breath, it could lie dormant for a long time, like a rattlesnake â be she could still feel it there.
Diamond Tiara looked around the town, staring at the few ponies that still dared to stay outside, and her smile grew even wider.
First drops of rain banged against the leaves. Diamond Tiara looked at the pony in front of her, who was standing in the middle of the swamp, unfazed by its smell.
âItâs impossible,â she said calmly. âYouâre locked in Trottingham. I must be dreaming.â
Curtain Call turned her big, green eyes at her and started to play with her braid. âOf course it is,â she replied. âBut who can tell what is a dream? Maybe youâre locked with me and thisââ she pointed at the trees, ââis just a scenography? Itâs raining, but we are dry. Weâre sitting in the mud, but weâre clean.â
âOh, come onâŠâ Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. âYouâre gonna teach me about what is real? Donât you remember the pageant?â
âThereâs no pageant,â Curtain Call replied, smiling in her usual, a bit unconscious way. âBut I prefer to think that there is. You know whatâs the alternativeâŠâ
Diamond Tiara felt a chill running down her spine. Suddenly, she saw that Curtain Call was now right behind her. She jumped, startled and tried to run away, but her hooves refused to follow her orders.
âOh, I see that you get the idea,â the filly said. âWho knows, maybe thereâs no Ponyville⊠No Silver Spoon⊠Just the loneliness and cold walls of the mental hospitalâŠâ
Everything around them started to blur. Diamond Tiara looked around in panic, but now she couldnât even see Curtain Callâs face.
âInsomnia⊠aggression⊠I doubt sheâll ever get betterâŠâ Midline Shiftâs voice was coming from somewhere above her.
âOh yeahâŠâ Barrel Cortex replied. âIâm afraid sheâll have to stay here foreverâŠâ
âForeverâŠâ Pepperâs voice rang in her ears.
âForever!â Sunshine Rainbows laughed. For a moment, Diamond Tiara caught a glimpse of her, waving her bloodied hoof at her.
âMaybe now youâll play in a pageant with me?â Curtain Call asked with hope in her voice.
âThereâs no pageantâŠâ
âBut there can be⊠You and me will make a lovely playâŠâ Curtain Call appeared in front of her, smiling impishly. âWho knows, maybe weâll get more ponies to star in it?â
âThereâs no pageant!â Diamond Tiara exclaimed, trying to push her away.
âDiamond! Are you okay?â
Diamond Tiaraâs eyes shot open when she heard Filthy Richâs voice. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it, tears flowing down her face. She looked around and saw her father standing in the door to her room with worried expression.
âY-yesâŠâ she replied. âI⊠I had a bad dreamâŠâ
Filthy Rich sat next to her. She noticed that he looked much better than before sheâd gone to Trottingham. âIs thatâŠ?â he asked.
âNo,â she replied. âI guess itâs just because of Zippoorwhill⊠I talked to her a bit before⊠She seemed so normal...â
Filthy Rich nodded understandingly. âSometimes itâs hard to say whatâs going on in a ponyâs headâŠâ he replied.
Diamond Tiara had never agreed with him so much before. âI sometimes think that⊠that Iâm getting too used to that,â she said.
âWhat do you mean?â Filthy Rich asked.
âThe wholeâŠâ She pointed her hoof at the window. âThe ponies dying⊠The atmosphere⊠RandolphâŠâ
Since sheâd returned, Filthy Rich ordered Randolph to walk with her any time when she was going to the town. No foal died since Twist and Alula were found, but he didnât want to take any chances.
Her father remained silent.
âIâll go back to sleep,â Diamond Tiara said. âI want to see Silver Spoon tomorrow.â
âIâll tell Randolph in the morning,â Filthy Rich said. âGoodnight, Diamond.â
âGoodnight, dad,â Diamond Tiara replied. When he left the room, she pulled the blanket over her head and sighed.
She felt that she wasnât going to sleep that night.
Silver Spoon was sitting at the window of her room, watching the street below. A couple of foals went down the pavement, accompanied by Carrot Top. Silver noticed Carrotâs daughter, Ginger Snap, walking in the group. She was wearing her filly scout uniform, so Silver deduced that they were going camping.
Suddenly, she saw Diamond Tiara trotting towards her house. Randolph was walking slowly behind her, looking around carefully. Silver Spoon began to wonder howâd he help Diamond Tiara if someone wanted to kill her. Maybe heâd scare the killer away?
She got up and went downstairs where she nearly bumped into her mother.
âWhere are you going, hon?â Silverspeed asked. She was wearing a brightly-coloured apron. Even though she was rich, she still liked to cook by herself.
âOh, itâs good sheâs back,â her mother said. âI thought that you were going to spend the whole summer in your roomâŠâ
âI didnât sit there the whole summerâŠâ Silver muttered.
âYeah, youâre going downstairs when youâre hungry⊠Really, if you had a fridge in your room, Iâd forget what you look likeâŠâ Silverspeed shook her head. âYou really should go out more. Maybe you should become a filly scout, like Carrot Topâs daughter?â
âNo, thanksâŠâ Silver Spoon replied, imagining what Diamond Tiara would say if she saw her in a uniform.
They heard knocking at the door. Silver Spoon ran to the hall and opened it.
âDiamond Tiara!â she exclaimed and pulled her friend into a hug. She felt Diamondâs muscles tense, as if she want to push her away. Maybe she doesnât want Randolph to see that? she thought.
âHello,â Diamond Tiara said. âGood morning, Ms. Silverspeed,â she added when she saw Silver Spoonâs mother.
âHow are you?â Silver Spoon asked. âBetter?â
âYeah, much better,â Diamond Tiara replied absentmindedly. âRandolph, you can go. Iâll be going back about eight.â
âYes, Miss Tiara,â Randolph replied. He bowed and walked away.
He seems almost invisible, Silver Spoon thought, watching him. Who knows, maybe heâs the killer? No one would suspect him.
âGood to see you back, Diamond,â Silverspeed said. âDo you want something to eat?â
âNo, thanks,â Diamond Tiara replied. Silver Spoon noticed that she wasnât as cheerful as usual; her eyes were half-closed; her fur lost its shine. Maybe it was a side effect of some medicines?
They walked upstairs to Silver Spoonâs room. Diamond Tiara sat on an armchair and looked at the shelves, where Silverâs collection of rare spoons was.
âAny new ones?â she asked.
âMy aunt sent me one from Stalliongrad.â Silver Spoon went to a shelf and took a wooden spoon painted in leaf-like motifs. Diamond Tiara looked at it and a faint smile appeared on her face.
âHowâs your vacation?â she asked.
âOh, nothing specialâŠâ Silver Spoon replied. âIâm just sitting here, thinking⊠Even though no foal died recently, Iâm kinda afraid⊠And you know me, I donât like, umm⊠companyâŠâ
âYeahâŠâ Diamond Tiara smirked. âAnd how about DJ Pon3? Iâve heard that she diedâŠâ
âThat was horribleâŠâ Silver Spoonâs eyes widened. âBerry Punch beat her to death⊠She thought that Vinyl killed RubyâŠâ When she looked at Diamond Tiara she saw that she was staring blankly at something in the corner of her room. Silver Spoon followed her gaze, but there was nothing there. âAre you okay?â
âY-yesâŠâ Diamond Tiara replied. âI mean⊠Thatâs really terrible. And whatâs with all those ponies in the street? They donât seem nice...â
âTheyâre helping the guards to find the killer⊠But they mostly accuse each other,â Silver Spoon replied. âZippoorwhillâs father almost beat them when they came to his house⊠He thinks Berry killed Vinyl because of themâŠâ
Diamond Tiara looked through the window and saw Time Turner and Roseluck patrolling the street. She noticed a sleepy bat pony walking on the other side of the pavement. The members of the neighbourhood watch were eyeing her curiously.
âMom says that they panic too much,â Silver Spoon said. âShe says that the killer ran away to the Crystal Empire or somewhere far awayâŠâ
âAnd what do you think?â Diamond Tiara asked. âWho do you think it is?â
âYouâll laugh⊠For a moment today I thought it was RandolphâŠâ Silver Spoon replied.
Diamond Tiara gave out a little chuckle. âRandolph? Whyâd he do that?â
âI donât know⊠In books itâs always the butlerâŠâ Suddenly, Silver Spoonâs expression turned somber. âOnce I had a dream that it was my dadâŠâ
âBut thatâs impossible, right?â Diamond Tiara asked. âHeâs still in VanhooverâŠâ
âYes; and heâs not going to be released anytime soonâŠâ Silver Spoon sighed. Diamond Tiara knew how hard it was for her to talk about that.
âGood,â Diamond Tiara said, looking at the corner of Silverâs room again. For a moment, they were sitting in silence.
âHow was, umm⊠the hospital?â Silver Spoon asked.
âCrazyâŠâ Diamond Tiara smiled. âAll those ponies⊠Not to mention Zippoorwhill⊠She came there, I talked to her and then⊠Sheâs gone. Just like that⊠And I couldnât even make myself care⊠Like⊠I got used to deathâŠâ
âSo did I,â Silver Spoon replied. âItâs the town, you know⊠I just wait for something to happen⊠Whoâll be next⊠Will it be me?â
âNo,â Diamond Tiara replied. Silver Spoon looked at her, surprised. âI mean⊠I donât think the killer would want to kill youâŠâ
âWhy do you think so?â Silver Spoon asked.
âWhoâd want to kill you, Silver? Youâre the best, kindest friend I knowâŠâ Diamond Tiara replied, hugging her.
Few hours later, Diamond Tiara was trotting home with Randolph. She noticed that Time Turner and Roseluck were no longer patrolling the street, replaced by Big Macintosh and Applejack. From what Silver told her, the Element Bearers were also involved in looking for the killer. Some ponies were saying that Twilight Sparkle even asked Princess Luna to search the dreams of all the inhabitants of Equestria to look for some clues.
I doubt she did that⊠Diamond Tiara thought. Luna would surely seeâ
Hello, Diamond! Curtain Call was trotting next to her as if she was really there, though Diamond Tiara was sure that she was the only one who could see her. She was with her all the time, sitting calmly in the corner of Silver Spoonâs room. I saw kids going camping! Maybe theyâll also want to play in our pageant?
âThereâs no pageant,â Diamond Tiara muttered through gritted teeth. Randolph looked at her, but said nothing; Diamond Tiara smiled sheepishly at him.
Oh, come on! Why donât we go there and ask them? Curtain Call insisted. Iâm so boredâŠ
Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. Iâm not going to talk to you, she thought. You donât exist.
Oh, please⊠Suddenly, Curtain Call appeared in front of her. Her green eyes were almost hypnotizing; her mane became an orange blur. A strange thought appeared in Diamond Tiaraâs mind. As she walked, it was growing clearer and clearer, till it finally flashed before her eyes.
The outskirts...
Cloud Kicker looked at the moon above her; she could swear that its position was completely different than a couple of minutes before. She faintly remembered the navigation lessons back in the Cloudsdale Academy; she wasnât sure, but the moon probably wasnât supposed to do that.
Also, they told us not to drink and fly⊠she thought, recalling all the beer sheâd drunk before she decided to take that flight. Definitely, it was affecting her orientation in the night sky. Not to mention that she already felt how true was an old saying about renting beer instead of buying it.
She took a long, hungry look at the small hut at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Well, Dusk Dancer could wait. She found a strategically placed group of bushes on the ground and landed next to them. She put the safety matches and a can of kerosene on the ground and hid between the bushes to get rid of the beer.
A couple of minutes later she was back. She looked at the ground, searching for matches and the can, but she couldnât find them. She scratched her head.
âMustâve forgotten themâŠâ she muttered to herself. The world was spinning around her, which wasnât helping her to focus. âOr maybe I justâŠâ She looked at Dusk Dancerâs house. âWhat am I even doing? Theyâll lock me with Berry...â She shrugged and took off clumsily, almost losing balance.
It seemed that the way home was going to be long. She had problems with flapping her wings in a coherent way. She brushed against a tree branch and barely avoided crashing into an old oak. For a brief moment she thought about just sleeping it off on some cloud, but all of them were out of her reach. She didnât want to risk flying too high in such a state.
Another tree appeared just a couple of feet in front of her. She straightened her wings to slow herself down, but even then she rammed into the treetop. Branches scratched her face and a large bough hit her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs.
âShitâŠâ Cloud Kicker hissed through gritted teeth. She climbed onto a branch and lay flat on it. âNo more flying for me todayâŠâ
She closed her eyes and snored.
âHey! Sheâs here!â
Cloud Kicker groaned. Bright sunlight assaulted her eyes. She felt as if there was an iron foundry in her head. She even could smell the smoke.
âSheâs here!â
Of course Iâm here⊠she thought. Shut up and let me sleepâŠ
âApplejack! Donâtâ!â
âThud!â
The whole tree shook as if it was hit with a pile driver. For a one, blissful moment, Cloud Kicker felt a familiar sensation of flying. Then she hit the ground.
âWake up!â Somepony caught her mane and shook her brutally.
âMinuette! Enough! Somepony call Front Kick!â Applejack exclaimed. Cloud Kicker recognised her accent immediately.
Cloud Kicker rolled on her legs. Just like every pegasus, she knew that gravity was a harsh mistress, but the effects of her punishments werenât usually long-lasting. If only the smell of smoke could leave her nostrils aloneâŠ
She blinked and looked at the ponies in front of her. Applejackâs hat was missing; she was covered in ashes. Minuette had a long burn on her side, but she seemed unfazed by it. There was also Derpy Hooves with them; when Cloud Kicker looked at her, she felt chill running down her spine â for the first time in her life she saw such disdain in her eyes.
âWhat the hayâŠâ she muttered.
âFront Kick will explain that to you,â Derpy said. âAnd pray that Riot Control or Carrot Top donât get you earlierâŠâ
Cloud Kicker saw the guard walking to them through the grass. He was wearing an expression of worry â and Cloud Kicker knew that a guard with such expression meant bad news.
âGood morning, Ms. Cloud Kicker,â he said. âYouâll go with me.â
âWait⊠What did I do?â she asked. âIs it about flying intoxicated? Or sleeping on a tree?â
Front Kick looked into her eyes. She felt that her fur was drenched with sweat. âSomeone lit the meadow on fireâŠâ he explained. âUnfortunately, it was in the place where filly scouts were camping.â
Cloud Kicker froze. Then she remembered that sheâd left the matches and kerosene at home.
âSome of the foals are wounded⊠One of them⊠Riot Controlâs granddaughter⊠is dead,â Front Kick continued.
âDo⊠do you have the suspect?â Cloud Kicker asked, her throat dry. She didnât like the looks Derpy, Minuette and Applejack were giving her.
âWell⊠we found an empty can of keroseneâŠâ Front Kick said. âThere were hoofprints on it. We identified them as belonging to a mare who was caught shoplifting in Cloudsdale, a couple of years agoâŠâ
Cloud Kicker shuddered. She remembered exactly a rather unpleasant visit on the Royal Guard station, a short trial and long hours spent cleaning the lower levels of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. She remembered how she promised herself that it was the last time sheâd ever done something against the law.
Something clicked and she felt the hoofcuffs closing around her forelegs.
Cold.
The bathroom floor was cold. Diamond Tiara shuddered. Her stomach was burning; she crawled to the toilet bowl and threw up again. She made sure that the door was closed; last thing she wanted was her father seeing her like that.
She swallowed saliva, feeling the bitter taste of bile in her mouth. Then she flushed the toilet and went to the shower.
âThat was awesome!â Curtain Call exclaimed. âWe really need to do that againâŠâ
Diamond Tiara looked at her. She could still see her excitement when they were avoiding the members of the neighbourhood watch; how she spotted drunk Cloud Kicker going somewhere and how it gave them the idea; Curtain Callâs mane, flowing as if the filly was a princess; becoming one with the raging fire. How she danced in flames, reciting a poem she probably had made herself.
Scouting is fun, scouting is games, Scouts are all caring and helpful; Scout Ginger Snap, she died in flames, probably she wasnât careful.
âWeâll do that one more time, right?â Curtain Call asked, looking at Diamond Tiara with hope in her eyes.
Diamond Tiara glared at her angrily and turned the tap. Cold water seeped into her fur, rinsing the ash and kerosene. âThis will end,â she replied. âThis will end todayâŠâ
Riot Control trotted through the halls of the hospital and sat on the first chair he found. He was still trying to get his bearings after the fire. He could still see it: pegasi diving into flames to rescue foals; bleeding Minuette, trying desperately to get to the camp, before Nurse Redheart pulled her away; Carrot Top, injured and crying after she realised that her daughter wasnât among the survivors. He shuddered; he still had to go to Dr. Tulp.
His worst nightmare was going to come true: heâd see Ginger Snapâs burned body lying on the autopsy table.
He raised his head and saw Front Kick approaching him. His usual smile disappeared; he was carrying some papers which he put on the coffee table next to Riot Control.
âDid you find her?â the older guard asked.
Front Kick nodded. âIt got complicated,â he said, sitting on one of the chairs.
Riot Control blinked and looked at him. âWhat do you mean by âcomplicatedâ? She called an attorney? No lawyer will help her...â
âNo, itâs not that,â Front Kick replied. âI have⊠doubts. We found her napping on a tree not far away from the meadow, slightly hung over. Do you think sheâd be there if she did that?â
âI donât know.â Riot Control shook his head. âIf I recall correctly, sheâs kinda dense⊠Youâve mentioned she said that she wanted to burn some bat ponyâs house but then someone stole her kerosene, right?â
âIndeed, sheâs not the sharpest tool in the shed,â Front Kick said. âBut even then, she seems wise enough to not sleep in a place where the fire couldâve easily spread. And, if weâre to believe the toxicology results, she wasnât that drunk to just pass out there.â
Riot Control rolled his eyes. âThatâs not important,â he said. âWe have a can of kerosene with her hoofprints; she wanted to kill a bat pony. Now imagine a jury consisting of, umm⊠ethnic minorities and angry housewives. Theyâll make pillows out of her feathersâŠâ He sighed. âNot that I have something against thatâŠâ
Front Kick looked at him nervously and levitated one of the papers from the table. âI checked that can again,â he said. âHer hoofprints are not the only ones thereâŠâ
Diamond Tiara took her saddlebags and checked their contents. Everything was in its place. She looked around her room; it was as clean as it never was before. Then she sat on her bed and looked around again, checking every corner of her room. She sighed with relief; Curtain Call was nowhere to be seen.
At first Diamond Tiara thought about a long, warm bath and a razor blade. How did Sunshine call it? âAlong the way, not across the streetâ, or something like that. But then she reconsidered that. Itâd be a messy death. Messy deaths were good for blank flanks; she wanted her body to be pure. No traces to wash off; sheâd just die and let the ponies forget about her and move on.
She took the rope out of her saddlebags and smirked. There was some poetic justice about it. Diamond Tiara heard that if the rope didnât break a ponyâs neck instantly, the death was long and painful. She remembered exactly how Zippoorwhill had trashed, trying to catch some air. Dying in the same way as her seemed like a good idea. She wanted to feel pain; to be punished for her deeds.
Pipsqueak, Ruby, Alula, Twist and Zippoorwhill didnât deserve what had happened to them. But Diamond Tiara was a different case; she wanted to die in the most painful way possible.
She put the rope back into the saddlebag. Then she took the letter from the drawer and placed it carefully on her bed before leaving the room.
Riot Control stared at his assistant in disbelief. âAnother set of hoofprints?â he asked. âWhose?â
âI donât know exactly,â Front Kick replied. âThey seem small⊠As if they belonged to a filly...â He scratched his head.
Suddenly, an idea appeared in Riot Controlâs mind. He remembered all the details about the past murders. Something was wrong...
âWhen Pipsqueak diedâŠâ he said slowly, â...whose hoofprints were on the crime scene?â
âPipsqueakâsâŠâ Front Kick replied. âHis friendsâ... some other kidsâ...â
Riot Control slammed his hoof against his forehead. âRemember the place where Ruby fell into the water? Whose hoofprints were there?â
âRubyâsâŠâ Front Kick said, scrunching his face. âAnd lots of kidsâ hoofprints. They often play there.â
âExactly!â Riot Control exclaimed. âAnd how about Twist and Alula?â
âWell, we discovered them laterâŠâ Front Kick replied. âThe dogâs, Zipporwhillâs and Vinyl Scratchâs⊠But she made them when she went after us and lost her lunch when she saw the bodies⊠They were some older prints, but I assumed that they were Twistâs...â
âNevermind,â Riot Control said. âYou like patterns. Can you see the pattern?â
âWell⊠Not really,â Front Kick replied. âAm I missing something?â
Riot Control straightened in his chair and looked into Front Kickâs eyes. âWell, âmissingâ is a good word,â he said. âSomethingâs missing on the crime scenes⊠Think about those hoofprints⊠Whatâs missing?â
A spark appeared in Front Kickâs eyes. âAn adult!â he exclaimed. âAll the hoofprints belonged to foals⊠Some kidâs killing them!â
âSilver!â
Silver Spoon put down a book she was reading and opened the door to her room to hear her mother better.
âYes, mom?â she asked.
âCan you go to the market and buy some apples?â
Silver Spoon sighed and rolled her eyes. She slowly got up from her bed and trotted downstairs, where Silverspeed was waiting for her.
âIâm not sure if thereâll be somepony on the market,â Silver Spoon said when her mother gave her the money. âDuring such heat, nopony wants to get sickâŠâ
âThen youâll go to the Sweet Apple Acres,â Silverspeed replied. âItâs even closer than the marketâŠâ
âYes momâŠâ Silver Spoon replied, sighing.
Diamond Tiara climbed up the hill and inhaled the air. The weather was hot; a light breeze was rustling the leaves of the apple trees. Diamond Tiara could still smell the smoke coming from the outskirts, tarnishing the beauty of that remote part of Sweet Apple Acres.
Diamond Tiara looked around. The place looked good. It was far from any buildings; it was green, full of grass and flowers. The smell of fresh apples was overwhelming. Diamond Tiara could hear buzzing of the countless insects and birds singing cheerfully.
She sighed and walked to the nearby tree. Its branches looked sound enough to withstand her weight. Not far away from it, she found a trunk of some cut-down tree; even though someone had dug it from the ground, it was quite heavy. She pulled it and placed it below the branch; then she put her saddlebags on it.
Whistling some happy tune, she took the rope out of the bag and began tying a noose. When it was ready, she tied the rope to the branch.
âWhat are you doing?â Curtain Call asked. She was lying in the grass, rubbing the suntan lotion into her body.
âNot your business,â Diamond Tiara replied. She checked if the rope was firmly attached to the branch, then she stood on a trunk.
âDonât do that,â Curtain Call said, watching her with a smile on her face. âWe still donât have all the actors to our pageant.â
âNot my problem,â Diamond Tiara muttered, putting the noose on her neck. âI donât know why you bother. You donât even exist.â
âYet youâre still talking to me,â Curtain Call smirked playfully. âAnd I do exist⊠Iâm just in Trottingham⊠so lonelyâŠâ
âThen go back there and stop pestering me!â Diamond Tiara exclaimed.
âThink about it.â Suddenly, Diamond Tiara felt that Curtain Call was next to her. âIâm a product of your poor, sick brain. The same part of your mind that makes you walk at night killing ponies. Still, Iâm a part of your mind. You donât want to do that, Diamond Tiara.â
âI want and I will!â Diamond Tiara exclaimed. She bent her knees, readying herself to jump off the trunk.
Nothing happened. Her muscles froze, keeping her in place.
âSee?â Curtain Callâs smile was so wide that she could see all her teeth. âYou donât want to do that, DiamondâŠâ
Diamond Tiara gritted her teeth. She tried to jump, but Curtain Call was holding her. âGet off me!â she exclaimed.
âDiamond Tiara? What are ya doinâ here?â
Diamond Tiara blinked. She looked around and saw Apple Bloom approaching her.
âAre ya crazy?â Apple Bloom asked. âGet down!â
âAs you wish,â Diamond Tiara muttered. She took the noose off her neck and jumped off the trunk to face Apple Bloom. Curtain Call was following her.
âWhy did ya try to do that?â Apple Bloom asked, looking at the rope.
âIâm crazy and killed those foals,â Curtain Call prompted. She sat next to Apple Bloom and began to play with her mane.
âIâm crâ I mean, itâs none of your business, blank flank!â Diamond Tiara muttered, shooting her a nasty glare.
âBlank flank⊠How originalâŠâ Apple Bloom sighed. âReally, Diamond⊠And Ah bother to save yer lifeâŠâ
âCraaaazyyyâŠâ Curtain Call sang.
âNo one asked you for that,â Diamond Tiara replied. âGet out of here!â
âItâs mah orchard,â Apple Bloom said. âItâs ya who should get outâŠâ
âGet out!â Diamond Tiara exclaimed. Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks when she saw that Curtain Call rose and began sneaking to Apple Bloom with a rock in her hoof. âOrâŠâ
âOr what?â
âOr else Iâll adorn the grass with the contents of your thick skull,â Curtain Call prompted calmly.
âOr IâllâŠâ Diamond Tiara hesitated. Then she darted forward and tackled Apple Bloom, pinning her to the ground.
She had to admit that she underestimated Apple Bloom. They rolled on the grass and soon Diamond Tiara was trying to catch her breath after she got headbutted in the chest. She grabbed Apple Bloomâs mane and yanked it, pulling her closer. She felt the taste of blood in her mouth and realised that she was biting Apple Bloomâs ear.
Apple Bloom screamed and thrashed, pushing Diamond Tiara away. Then, a powerful buck threw Diamond even further; she spat a chipped tooth and looked around groggily. Apple Bloom was standing in front of her, staggering. A tip of her ear was missing, she had a black eye and a nosebleed.
âYaâre sick!â she exclaimed. Then she turned back and walked away, limping.
âNow!â Curtain Call whispered into Diamond Tiaraâs ear, pointing at the rock lying next to her.
Letting out a powerful scream, Diamond Tiara rose and threw the stone at Apple Bloom. It hit the back of her head; she collapsed on the grass. Before she could get up, Diamond Tiara was next to her, hitting her with bare hooves. Apple Bloom tried to shield herself, but one of the punches landed on her temple; she lay on the ground limply with her hooves spread wide.
âSay goodnightâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered, raising the rock to deliver the final blow.
âItâs not just âsome kidâ,â Riot Control said. âYou were right about the hairâŠâ
âWhat?â Front Kick rose his eyebrows. âBut we found no match! And we even took the samples from foalsâŠâ
âYes⊠but only from foals who were in Ponyville at the time when we started collecting themâŠâ Riot Control said.
âShitâŠâ Front Kick muttered. âShe has violet mane⊠And she was in Trottingham when ZippoorwhillâŠâ
âExactly.â Riot Control got up from his sit. âOur culprit is Filthy Richâs daughter!â
Silver Spoon wiped sweat from her forehead. She was slowly climbing up the hill, panting heavily. Sheâd decided to approach the Sweet Apple Acres from the East, since it was the closest way from her house. Too bad, it was also the most uneven one, with a couple of steep hills she had to climb on.
She was just thinking about taking a short rest, when she saw somepony at the top of the nearby hill. She came closer; two ponies were rolling in the grass. Silver Spoon blushed. She once overheard her mother saying something about the Apples âliking each other too muchâ, but she never thought that it could be true. She was about to turn around and choose another way, when she saw something else.
One of the ponies just threw a rock at another. Silver Spoon darted forward.
âHelp!â she shouted, running up the hill. âSomepony help!â
One of the ponies rose a hoof with the rock, ready to hit the other with it. Silver Spoon couldnât see who it was, as the sun was blinding her. She saw, however, that the mysterious assailant turned their head at her, threw the rock on the ground and ran away.
Panting, Silver Spoon reached the top of the hill. The assailant was nowhere to be seen. Silver Spoon galloped to the pony lying in the grass and immediately recognised her as Apple Bloom. She was lying in a puddle of blood, but she was breathing. When she saw Silver Spoon, she tried to lift her head and say something.
âWhat in tarnationâŠâ Applejack muttered. âBig Macintosh! Go and find a doctor!â
She followed Silver Spoon to the hill. Apple Bloom was moving. When she saw Applejack, she tried to get up.
âDonât move, sugarcubeâŠâ Applejack said. âAhâm with youâŠâ
Suddenly, Silver Spoon saw something shining in the grass. She approached it and examined it closer. When she looked at it, she staggered, feeling the taste of bile in her mouth. She looked at Applejack unsurely, but she was too busy taking care of Apple Bloom to notice her.
Silver Spoon picked the piece of a broken tiara and hid it in her saddlebags. Then she looked at the place where squished grass was marking the assailantâs route of escape.
Silver Spoon swallowed her tears. A piece of broken jewellery in her saddlebags was an absolute proof. For a while, she was thinking what to do with it. Then she sighed and quickly ran down the path.
Riot Control and Front Kick barely left the hospital when they saw a cart skidding to a halt in front of them. A couple of paramedics emerged from it, carrying a stretcher with an unconscious filly on it. Applejack trotted behind them, not even noticing the guards.
âWhatâs going on?â Riot Control exclaimed.
âAnother attack!â one of the paramedics replied before he joined his colleagues.
âWhere?â Front Kick shouted.
âSweet Apple Acres!â the paramedic replied before he disappeared behind the door.
âQuick!â Riot Control exclaimed. âMaybe weâll catch her!â
The stench of smoke and ash was overwhelming. Silver Spoon could barely walk, seeing the remains of the tents and scattered equipment. She could easily imagine what happened there at night.
It was easy to spot Diamond Tiaraâs hoofprints on the ground, but hard to follow them; apparently, sheâd been running in circles, stopping from time to time, as if she was talking to someone.
âDiamond!â Silver Spoon called. âAre you here? Diamond!â
There was no answer. Silver Spoon trotted forward, tripping over a couple of writhen pipes â the only remains of a bunk bed. She wiped the ashes from her face and continued to walk, calling Diamond Tiara from time to time.
âDiamond! I⊠I know about everythingâŠâ she said. Tears were flowing down her face, leaving two streams in the soot. âDiamond, please⊠come with me⊠Together weâll⊠weâll find the cureâŠâ
Suddenly, she saw something pink hidden behind a pile of half-burned saddlebags. She trotted there and saw Diamond Tiara lying on the ground, panting heavily.
âD-diamondâŠâ Silver Spoon cried. âAre you okay?â
âGet out.â Diamond Tiaraâs voice was a barely audible mechanical whisper. Her pupils were shrunk to pinpricks; her eyes were focused on some point far in the distance.
âNo, Diamond⊠I canât leave youâŠâ
âGet out!â Diamond Tiara yelled. âDonât you understand? Iâm dangerous⊠Sheâs talking to me⊠I can kill you at any momentâŠâ
âYou wonât kill me!â Silver Spoon exclaimed. âWhoever she is, you can fight her⊠Weâre best friends, remember?â
âY-yesâŠâ Diamond Tiara sat down, resting herself against another bunk bed. âThatâs why you should leave⊠I⊠I donât want to kill youâŠâ
Silver Spoon approached her and pulled her into a hug. âCome with meâŠâ she said. âIâll help youâŠâ
âOnceâŠâ Diamond Tiara muttered. âOnce I thought I killed you, but⊠it was Twist⊠Please, Silver, go away⊠I donât know h-how long Iâll be able t-to control myself⊠I donât even know if youâre real...â
âIâm real,â Silver Spoon replied. âAnd I wonât leave you⊠I donât want you to hurt yourselfâŠâ
âI tried⊠I couldnâtâ,â Diamond Tiara replied. She was walking slowly next to Silver Spoon. âApple Bloom tried to stop me and look what happened.â
âSheâs aliveâŠâ Silver Spoon said. âListen, Diamond, Iâll take you to the hospital⊠Theyâll cure you, but let me help youâŠâ
âYes.â Diamond Tiara staggered and fell down. She got up, holding a metal pipe from a bunk bed, using it as a cane.
âGoodâŠâ Silver Spoon smiled. âJust a couple more steps and weâll be thereâŠâ
Suddenly, her vision darkened. She collapsed, not sure what just happened. All she felt was cold, spreading from her stomach to the whole body. Her heart was pounding against her chest, almost cracking her ribs.
âNo!â She heard Diamond Tiaraâs voice above her. âSilver Spoon, Iâm sorry! Iâm so sorry!â
âItâs okayâŠâ Silver Spoon replied calmly. She felt Diamond Tiaraâs arms wrapping around her. She didnât feel pain, just numbness. She looked down and saw a metal pipe protruding from her stomach. âItâs okay, Diamond TiaraâŠâ
âNo! Silver, donât leave me!â Diamond Tiara shouted, pulling her into a hug, smearing blood and ash on her fur.
âI wonât leave youâŠâ Silver Spoon replied, watching blood sipping from her wound. âNo matter what happens, I will never leave youâŠâ
She closed her eyes. Her mind slowly drifted away. Diamond Tiara felt her body getting colder in her hooves and cried, sinking her face in Silver Spoonâs coat. Her screams echoed through the burned meadow, soon reaching Ponyville.
When Riot Control and Front Kick found her, she was still sitting there, holding Silver Spoonâs body in her hooves.
Pageant⊠Weâll make a wonderful pageant. You as chancellor Puddinghead⊠Me as Smart Cookie⊠Ruby as Clover the Clever⊠Alula as Commander HurricaneâŠ
âThereâs no pageant!â
âSheâs screaming that from time to time,â Barrel Cortex muttered. âI guess she spends lots of time with Curtain CallâŠâ
âNo surprise,â Midline Shift replied. âThose two have lot in commonâŠâ
I have nothing in common with her!
âHappy birthday, Diamond Tiara!â
I need to stay strong. One day Iâll get better. Then Iâll meet Silver Spoon and everything will be like before.
Thereâs no Silver Spoon! You killed her, remember?
âDelusional⊠Complete denialâŠâ
âYâknow, the doctors said that sheâs, like, in a complete denial,â Sunshine Rainbows said. âShe killed her parents and she still talks how theyâll come to see her playing in that stupid pageantâŠâ
Thereâs no pageant. And thereâll never be.
Thereâs no Silver Spoon.
Silver Spoon.
âSilver Spoon!â Diamond Tiara jumped out of her bed, wrapping her hooves around Nurse Charmingâs neck.
âHappy birthday, Diamond Tiara!â
âSo, DiamondâŠâ The doctor looked at her curiously. âTell me what happened when Pipsqueak diedâŠâ
âI⊠It was like I lost control over my body⊠And when I regained itâŠâ
âI just want to see the other foals⊠I want to see Silver Spoon.â
Moths. Thousands of moths. She tried to smash them, but the new ones were still appearing.
âAt first it was that⊠Like with Ruby⊠Then there were voices⊠whispers⊠and then I saw herâŠâ
Curtain Call turned her big, green eyes at her and started to play with her braid. âOf course it is,â she replied. âBut who can tell what is a dream? Maybe youâre locked with me and thisââ she pointed at the trees, ââis just a scenography? Itâs raining, but we are dry. Weâre sitting in the mud, but weâre clean.â
âOh, come onâŠâ Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. âYouâre gonna teach me about what is real? Donât you remember the pageant?â
âThereâs no pageant,â Curtain Call replied, smiling in her usual, a bit unconscious way. âBut I prefer to think that there is. You know whatâs the alternativeâŠâ
Thereâs no pageant. Thereâs no Silver Spoon.
Thereâs no Silver Spoon. But I prefer to think that she lives. You know whatâs the alternativeâŠ
âWho knows, maybe thereâs no Ponyville⊠No Silver Spoon⊠Just the loneliness and cold walls of the mental hospitalâŠâ
No! Silver Spoon lives! Iâve seen her!
âI will never leave youâŠâ
âHappy birthday, Diamond Tiara!â
âMidline, we canât feed her with pills all the time! Just look at her! She doesnât even know whatâs going on around her!â
âDo you want to risk? We donât know what triggers those attacksâŠâ
âHow do you want to learn what triggers them? She canât even move a hoof!â
âHappy birthday, Diamond Tiara!â
âElectroconvulsive therapy?â Filthy Richâs face became white. âYou still use it?â
âYes, and itâs getting more and more popularâŠâ Dr. Shift replied. âItâs not like in the books⊠Under anaesthesia itâs practically painlessâŠâ
âHappy birthday, Diamond Tiara!â
âWell, some progress was made,â Midline Shift said. âShe didnât try to kill anypony recently. Maybe weâll be able to cure her.â
And Iâll see Silver SpoonâŠ
âShe doesnât look dangerous,â the reporter said. âWhoâd say⊠How old is she now?â
âFifteen,â Midline Shift replied.
âDo you know what caused that?â
âWe can only guess. From what I know, her mother had a neurological problemâŠâ
âHappy birthday, Diamond Tiara!â
Sixteen.
â...a neurological problem. She passed out during a hike and fell down the mountain.â
âWeâll make a wonderful pageantâŠâ
âStop it! Thereâs no pageant!â
âDiamond Tiara!â
âI donât know what happened. In one moment she was okay, and seconds later she wanted to smother poor Curtain Call.â
âHowâs she now?â
âStill on meds. I donât know what triggers those attacks.â
âSo, you think she inherited it from her mother?â
âHappy birthday, Diamond Tiara!â
Seventeen. I wonder if Silver Spoon has a coltfriend. Maybe Pipsqueak finally asked her out?
âHappy birthday, Diamond Tiara!â
âHappy birthday, Diamond Tiara!â
Diamond Tiara slowly opened her eyes. She looked at nurse Charming Heart and smiled weakly. She saw that the nurseâs mane started to go grey and began to wonder why she hadnât noticed that before.
âSo, how am I?â she asked.
âDoctor Shift saw your results. It seems that you may leave us soon,â Charming Heart replied. âBy now, you can get out of the secure unit.â
âGreat!â Diamond Tiara jumped out of her bed. Over the last couple of years it became a bit too small for her. She stretched her hooves and went out of her room.
Walking down the corridor, she thought about the ponies sheâd met there. Of them all, only Curtain Call was still in Trottingham; yet, she was to be relocated to the hospital for adults soon.
It seemed unbelievable, but the first to leave was Pepper. After he had finally started to take his pills, his mental health quickly improved and he left the hospital when he was fifteen. From what Diamond Tiara heard, he was now living in Baltimare. Soon after, Sunshine Rainbows left the hospital and never came back. Later, Diamond Tiara overheard the doctors saying that sheâd ran away from home, went to Manehattan and started to work in the local funeral parlour.
Now, it was Diamond Tiaraâs turn. She didnât pack her things yet; she couldnât stand a thought that sheâd have to unpack them again.
She couldnât exactly remember the next couple of days. She was still living in her room, but she could walk around the whole hospital. However, she didnât do that much; she was nineteen and all the foals were much younger than her, so she had nothing to talk about with them. Some of them even thought that she was a new nurse.
Finally, the day came. When she woke up in the morning, she saw Filthy Rich standing in the door to her room. It struck her how old he looked; of course, heâd been visiting her from time to time, but she didnât remember that; everything was a continuous blur of screams, weird whispers and fragments of conversations.
âHello, Diamond,â Filthy Rich said. She hugged him, noticing that she was now a bit taller than him. Tears were flowing from her eyes, but she didnât care; finally she was free.
When Diamond Tiara was younger, she was often bored by the long train ride from Trottingham to Ponyville. But this time it was different.
âHowâs Ponyville?â she asked. âDo you think they wonât have anything against me?â
âOh, lots of things happened since thenâŠâ Filthy Rich replied. âBerry Punch⊠Well, nevermind. I talked to Apple Bloom a couple of days ago; she forgives you.â
âReally?â Diamond Tiaraâs eyes widened. Of all the ponies, it was Apple Bloomâs and Scootalooâs reaction she was worried about the most. From what Filthy Rich told her, Scootaloo didnât take well the fact that Diamond Tiara wanted to kill her.
âYouâll never believe,â Filthy Rich said. âScootaloo trains to be a royal guard.â
âNo way!â Diamond Tiara exclaimed.
âShe really does,â her father replied. âAnd SilverspeedâŠâ His expression faltered. âYouâd better avoid her. She never came to terms withâŠâ
âNeither did I,â Diamond Tiara said and sighed heavily. âSilver⊠She only wanted to help me and itâŠâ She pointed at her head. âIt killed herâŠâ
Filthy Rich only nodded his head.
With the screeching of the brakes, the train skid to a halt. Diamond Tiara stood on the platform and an idea appeared in her mind.
âI need to go to the cemetery,â she said to Filthy Rich.
âAre you sure you want to do that?â he asked.
Diamond Tiara nodded. âI need to apologise,â she replied. âThat⊠Thatâd be right, I thinkâŠâ
Walking down the street, she quickly noticed the curious glances ponies were giving her. She trotted past Lyra and Bon Bonâs house and saw them both hanging out in the garden. Lyra waved her hoof at her, but Bon Bon turned her head back, trying not to look at her.
Bon Bon muttered something under her breath. For a moment, Diamond Tiara stood before her in silence. Finally, Bon Bon spoke, âI know you werenât yourself. I donât blame you, just⊠I donât think Iâll be able to forgive youâŠâ
Diamond Tiara nodded.
âSheâd be nineteenâŠâ Bon Bon continued.
Diamond Tiara shuddered. Before Bon Bon could say anything, she was running down the street, trying to hold back tears.
She stopped by the cemetery gate. She looked at it unsurely before taking a step forward. The ponies she wanted to meet were dead; unlike the living, they couldnât hurt her.
She felt dull pain in her legs when she was climbing up the hill; ten years spent in a small room werenât good for her stamina and now she could feel it well. She started to sweat; even though it was September, it was still sunny and the dusty path was burning her hooves.
Finally, she saw them. Seven white tombstones standing in a row. She read the name and dates on each of them and sat in front of the last one.
Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara looked at the ground beneath her hooves. Reading her name would be like admitting that she was dead.
âDonât worry, Diamond. I told you that I would never leave youâŠâ
Startled by the voice, she raised her head. She was there. Unlike Diamond Tiara, she didnât age a day since theyâd last met.
âWelcome home, Diamond Tiara,â Silver Spoon said, jumping from the tombstone and smirking at her playfully.
