//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: Laid To Rest 
// Story: Madhouse 
// by Closer-To-The-Sun 
//------------------------------//

“So what happened next?”

“My head is a little fuzzy, but I remember a trooper finding me and helping me get to a hospital,” Yearling explained, seeming exhausted from just telling her story. “The doctor told me that my hind legs were fractured pretty badly and I would have been dead if I waited any longer.”

“By Celestia, I’m glad you’re alright.”

Yearling let a small chuckle out, “You’re just saying that as my publicist.”

“What? Goodness, no! I was worried about you, Yearling! I had a massive search going on for you when you didn’t show up in Manehatten“ he explained.

“Well, I’m here now,” Yearling said looking down at the restaurant table in front of her. She then looked back up at her publicist, “I’m just happy that nightmare is over and things are starting to return to normal. My wing is finally recovering, but I’m sure I’m going to be stuck with a limp for the rest of my life. Guess that pony will still be haunting me.”

The blue coated stallion looked at her, “Well, how about you write about your experience?”

“Excuse me?” Yearling raised an eyebrow.

“Think about it. A non-fiction book about your ordeal; talking about your nasty spill, being held captive, the torture, all of it. I think it has the promise of being a best seller,” he explained, taking a sip of his water.

Yearling quickly shook her head, “No. Not going to happen. There is no way I want to relive all of that. If all I have to remember that is a limp and a small chip of my ear missing, I’m fine with that. Though I’m still wrestling with the codeine addiction I developed.” She shook at the thought of how she had become dependent on the painkillers. It was taking a while, but she was kicking the habit.

“By the way,” the stallion started, “You didn’t tell me what happened to that pony?”

A chill ran up Yearling’s spine at the memory, “The trooper told me that before he found me hiding in the bathroom, he followed the trail of blood outside. Apparently that pony dragged herself out to her shed before finally dying of her injuries. Her hooves….were on a chainsaw….”

The publicist gasped, “Sweet Celestia….”

“I’m just glad it’s over. I just wanna forget all of this happened,” Yearling said. She paused, and shivered again at the thought of Snow Script, “She might be gone….but I still can’t feel safe….“

“It’s alright, Yearling. It’s over, and I’ll make sure nothing like that ever happens again,” the blue pony assured.

Yearling was silent. Even being in a public restaurant didn’t make her feel comfortable. She was still shaking as a mixture of her paranoia and her codeine withdrawal.

A waitress approached the table, “Are you ready to order?”

“Oh, yes. I would like the house special please,” the stallion said.

She wrote the order upon her notepad, “Excellent choice, and for you ma’am?”

The pegasus looked up at the waitress and her face turned pale. The mare’s coat was snow white and the mane looked uncannily familiar. Yearling blinked in disbelief. Her eyes even started to trick her, showing her Snow Script’s bloody and burnt face briefly.

The waitress’ voice brought Yearling back to reality, “Excuse me for asking, but aren’t you A.K. Yearling, the author of Daring Do?”

She nodded, “Yes….I am.”

“I know you get this a lot but, I’m your number one fan.”

“That’s….very sweet of you….”

END