//------------------------------// // Chapter 49 - The Soft and the Fragile // Story: The Pony Dreadfuls // by No one is home //------------------------------// No! Just no! How could they let this happen?!?! They caused this! They bound Thirteen’s magic so she couldn’t hide! They only fed her enough to get by so she wouldn’t be able to fight. They even bound up her wings so she couldn’t fly! She was helpless! They were supposed to keep her safe! Thirteen’s just a big grub, really. She doesn’t even have a carapace. Normally when all you see is her smile it looks like she’s bouncing along at pony-level because she’s really flying. Since we’ve been here she’s had to crawl along on the floor like a worm. It would break most changelings, but she never stopped smiling. Even I can’t smile in this place, but there’s no stopping Thirteen. And now she’s in traction because of that stupid pegasus Gale Storm. All because she was taking too long in the snack line! I should start from the beginning. We had finished our second set of classes for the day, and they were passing out snacks in the day-room. I never bother to get in the snack line. I hate their stupid stale cookies and their stupid juice cups. It’s not even food for me. And they're not even real cookies compared to what mom used to make at the bakery. But Thirteen never had mom’s cookies, so I guess they were alright to her. Stupid Gale Storm, with her fat stupid blue flank had got sent to the back of the line for pushing. Of course Thirteen was in the back of the line. She’s always at the end of the line because she has to crawl everywhere. Thirteen was moving as quick as she could. But that stupid whorse just kept nagging her to go faster. I should have stayed with her, even if I do hate their stupid fake cookies, I shouldn’t have left her by herself. Gale just wouldn’t leave Thirteen alone, and finally Thirteen told her to shove it up her plot. And… and… she stomped on her! And there was screaming. And then I got there, and I saw Thirteen laying there Twitching like that… and… I’m not sorry. I don’t care if I have to wear a muzzle forever. I hope the scar on her stupid face never heals and foals and fillies scream and throw things at her for the rest of her life. I don’t know if Thirteen is going to be alright or not. The teacher doesn’t want to look at me when I ask. They let me have my journal back, and they let me out of the restraints eventually. But I’m still looked up in observation. Alice looked in through the window once and smiled at me. I think she tried to tell me something, but I couldn’t hear her through the door. I still have the dreams, sometimes. The ones about Train Wreck and Carrot. Sometimes I like to daydream that he’s gonna come back some day. And he’s going to tear this stupid school apart and he’s going to rip that stupid door right off its stupid hinges, and he’s going to take me and Thirteen out of this stupid place and we’re going to be a family again. Alice too if she wants to come. But I know it’s just a stupid dream. The Nopony took Train Wreck and threw him right out of the whole world, and Carrot… Z still holds out hope because they never found a body in Baltimare. But it’s been so long… she would have come back already if she could. She wouldn’t have left Z hanging like that. Especially not after everything that happened with the hive and the rest of the changelings. It had to have been in all the papers. I’m really tired right now. I’m going to lay down until they come back around to wheel me to the feeding pods. I still get strapped down when they have to move me back through general population. I’ll write more after lunch. -=-=-=-=- They wheeled me into the medical area to see Thirteen. She looks pretty rough, but the big squishy dent is gone, and she’s awake, and… she was grinning like a damned fool. I felt so stupid. I haven’t cried so much since mom’s funeral in Ponyville. And while I was blubbering like a foal, Thirteen was just grinning and talking… and talking… and talking! She said Alice had come by to see her earlier, which I could see beause she was still there. I got mad a little, because I should have got to seen her first. Not mad at Alice of course. I was mad at the stupid staff for making me wait until after lunch! Alice said Gale was going to be alright, and I told her I didn’t care. The teacher said I shouldn’t say things like that, but that stupid pegasus could have killed Thirteen, over some stale cookies! And she didn’t even care! The teacher tried to lie and say Gale Storm felt really bad, and that she even cried when she found out how bad Thirteen was hurt. I told her she was only crying because I bit her stupid face. She wanted to hurt Thirteen! She would be laughing right now if I hadn’t made sure she got hurt too. Then they wheeled me back into observation because they said I was upsetting Thirteen. I guess she did look upset, but it was that stupid pegasus’ fault! So it looks like I’m gonna be spending lots of quality time to myself for a few days. I’m just glad they let me have my journal. I told them the stupid cap on my tail was chafing, and they said they’d send someone in to sedate me and adjust it later. That kind of annoys me. I’m not gonna sting some pony when they’re trying to help me. I only ever hurt ponies and changelings who deserved it. That includes that stupid bully Gale. I only feel bad because I should have been in the snack line with Thirteen to look after her. And a little because I know when Z comes to visit she’s gonna give me that look. That damned stupid, I’m-not-angry-I’m-sad look. None of this would happen if Train Wreck were here. He’d never let some stupid bully stomp on Thirteen like that. I try to be like him. I try to be like mom. But it seems like all that ever happens is ponies get hurt and in the end I can’t protect anypony. Well, that’s enough for one day. I’m going to try to get a nap before dinner. There’s not much else to do when you’re locked in observation.