//------------------------------// // Chapter VII: Pony Center: Under The Hoof // Story: Equestria: The BEN Chronicles // by HylianJuggalo //------------------------------// -Beep- “Doctor, is he gonna be okay?! Is he alive!?” -Beep- “Don’t worry, miss Pie, he’s perfectly fine. He had a heart attack and lost a lot of blood. When you brought him here, we weren’t sure if we COULD fix him, but he seemed to pull through the surgery well. He’s extremely weak, though. He needs at the bare minimum, a month to recuperate. He had something lead-based stuck in his shoulder, so we had to take his left arm to prevent infection, and, by all accounts, It was too ruined to be repaired anyway. I hope he can handle the fact that he lost it. The blood transfusion was the toughest part; the only acceptable type we had for a human was swine blood, what with him being the only human to come here. I didn’t even know they existed.” -Beep- “We didn’t either. He showed up at mah farm the other day with a broken rib, I offa’ed him some food, he stayed the night, and offa’ed ta help us with th’ apple buckin’ this season. We think he has some kinda connection ta that weird lil’ statue that showed up a week ago.” -Beep- “Oh. That one. Ya know, there’s all kinds of folklore popping up about that thing ever since it showed up.” -Beep- “Like what, doc?” -Beep- The doctor turned away, staring at a few medical posters and a wall-mounted case of latex hoof gloves, looking down at the the floor for a moment, then back up to the wall. “Well, they say it’s a demon, a demon that can possess anypony at will, make them do unspeakable things. When it gets hold of you, you never know, but they say when he does, your eyes turn red, and you get really, really strong... and you use that strength in a foul way. They say, every time it laughs, somepony dies. And that song it plays? It can drive even the most strong-minded ponies to insanity. The mental ward has gotten a large influx of patients since it showed up. Barking Mad was just the first of many that he destroyed. They even say he can revive the dead, and kill on command.” The doctor sighed, taking a breath, then turned back to the two mares standing before him. “The worst part? They say... when he takes hold of you... he brings out your darkness. He brings out the antithesis of what you stand for... your... shadow, if you will. The doctor then went back to the posters, grabbing a small orange bottle from the nearby cabinet, still talking to AJ and Pinkie. “Even moreso than Queen Chrysalis, he may just be the biggest threat Equestria’s ever faced; at least SHE doesn’t kill. Add in the fact that Celestia’s gone on a power-hungry spree, and refused to fund the city’s facilities on top of the depression and her martial law, and the riots that happen every day to get it overturned? I’d say Ponyville may be facing the darkest of times it may have ever seen... I should probably shut up though, her ‘police’ could be listening...” Pinkie and Applejack gulped nervously, holding each other by the hooves, staring at the unconscious human in the bed next to them. The heart monitor sped up a bit, and Nick began to twitch some. “Ah, he’s waking. Give him some air, ladies.” --- Once again, I woke up in pain. I was in the Ponyville hospital. I felt extremely weak. A caramel colored unicorn in a white coat and glasses approached me. He had a heart monitor cutie mark on his flank; this must have been Heart, the doctor from Read It And Weep. “So... you’re awake. I’ll be honest, I was surprised when they brought a human in here. We didn’t have any medical records for your kind prior to your arrival, so we had to go off of a wild guess to figure out your anatomy, sir.” the doctor exclaimed, smiling at me a bit. I coughed some. My blood felt like ice. “Wait... what the hell happened?” “Oh, you? Well, when the others brought you he-” “Wait, what others?” “Oh, those two ponies over there!” the doctor said, smiling in the direction of AJ and Pinkie. I looked over at them, and they both gave me wide, happy grins. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “So... what happened to me?” “As I was saying, when they brought you here, you had suffered massive cardiac arrest. You were bleeding internally, and you’d lost a lot blood beforehand. Frankly, it’s a miracle you’re alive. Add in the fact that you had lead poisoning and some weird object in your left shoulder, plus the damage you already did to that entire arm, and nopony can help but say your survival is an absolute miracle. I hope it’s not too much of an inconvenience, but we had to take your left arm. It was broken beyond repair.” Heart said, pushing his glasses up his face some. I looked to my side, and noticed the blank space on my shoulder; a red patch of skin, tightly sewn together with stitches. God damn it, this was REALLY gonna set me back. So much for driving when I got home - IF I got home. But these thoughts were soon overtaken by an even more threatening one. The girls. Where were the girls?! “Where are the girls at!?” I asked, sitting up in a panic. “Sir, don’t move around too much, you aren’t fit to start stressing yourself for a long while. The three fillies that came here, you mean?” “Yes sir! Where are they!? Are they alive? What happened!?” “Well, one works as an intern for us here. The other two are having intensive surgery. We’re afraid the unicorn has taken a turn for the worst. Her organs are pretty badly scrambled, and she’s got a foreign lead object lodged one of her arteries.” I swallowed, fear spreading across my face. “What happened exactly?” “Sweetie shot herself with your weapon when she was trying to free us.” Pinkie exclaimed, tearing up and clutching hold of Applejack. My fear worsened. I weakly tried to stand, my body frail and tired. I nearly collapsed to the floor, but the doctor rushed to my side and caught me, setting me back into the bed. “Sir! Lie down! And while you’re at it, take two of these for the pain.” Heart ordered, dumping a few pills into my hand. I just sighed and hung my head, but then looked over to see... Twilight in the bed right next to me. My heart grew cold. I stared at her, looking deeply into her bruised and bloody face. She stared back at me, a sullen look, as if begging for redemption, and for her, I had none to give; I was far too angry right now. Her purple color was back, and her eyes were a regular color as well, but that didn’t change anything; I was pissed, and for good reason. I popped the medicine into my mouth, and then spoke. “Ah... Twilight Sparkle...” I began, my voice trailing off in anger. “You regret what you’ve been doing? You killed HUNDREDS of innocent creatures, you sick psychopath!” “Look, human. I don’t even-” “Call me Nick.” “Look, Nick, I don’t even know what the hay I’ve been doing the past week. The last thing I remember was taking a sip of the brothers’ new drink. Let me tell you, that stuff is ADDICTING. I don’t know what’s in there, but after I took the first drink, I pretty much blacked out, and kept craving more.” She said, turning to the side and spitting up a familiar black residue on the floor. “Oh yes. Sir? We heard you were the one that requested the DNA tests on the Cake’s children?” Heart asked, butting into my conversation. He handed me some papers. I viewed them carefully. They were indeed the tests I asked for, and I was pretty surprised at what I saw. The tests confirmed that, yes, Pound and Pumpkin were the Cake’s genetic children. Back home, many of us bronies believed that Cup may have cheated on Carrot, but, this just sealed it. There was no denying Carrot was the birth father. My heart sank. I set the papers down on the bed and the doctor took them away. I rolled over on my face and tried to sleep, crying into the pillow. I couldn’t come to terms with fact I killed Carrot now. I’d left Pound and Pumpkin without a father, and Mrs. Cake a widow. No matter how abusive he was, it didn’t change the fact that I killed the only father figure those children would ever have. I screamed into the soft, white cushion. Pinkie approached me, lightly pressing a hoof to my back. “Nick? What’s wrong? I was the one who killed Carrot, remember? It’s not your fault.” She said, with a barely audible squee, trying to cheer me up. She didn’t know the truth... nobody did. I couldn’t fathom telling them, let alone Mrs. - or MISS Cake. I continued to wallow in regret as the heart monitor I was tied to maintained its beep. I stopped for a moment and dried my tears, sitting up. “Doctor?” “Yes sir?” “Are the children and the misses safe?” “Yes sir. They have been recovering since they were brought here yesterday. The little unicorn foal was in pretty bad shape; she was missing her entire horn.” “I... will she ever recover?” “She herself will be fine, but she will never be able to use magic. Horns don’t grow back, sir.” I was about to cry at the statement. The lives of that family were ruined, thanks to BEN and I. That sick bastard needed to be stopped. I was about to cry again, but at that exact moment the doctor finished his words, there was the sound of a metallic door bashing open, some distance away, followed by a stallion yelling. “WHERE’S SWEETIE BELLE!?” Heart quickly turned out of the room and rushed down the hallway to answer the cry, but I couldn’t just sit here and wonder what happened to Sweetie Belle. No, I needed to see this, first hand. It was my fault she was even IN this position. Had I not come here, she wouldn’t have shot herself. And so, I got up off the bed, and tore out my IV cables, my heart monitor going flat. I weakly limped, trying to be extra careful not to burst my new stitches, three of which ran down the length of my remaining limbs. Applejack ran over to me, grabbing me gently by my remaining arm, and trying to hold me up. “Nick, sugar, you’re too darn weak ta’ be movin’ around. For the love of Celestia, lie down! Get some rest!” She said, trying to keep me bedridden. I did nothing but just gently push her out of the way, and I stumbled over to the nightstand and grabbed my cell phone, which was off. I don’t know why I grabbed it; it was almost as if something told me to, and after turning it on and checking the battery (seventy-five percent), I stumbled through the door. As I did, though, I was nearly blindsided by Rarity’s parents, who were rushing in the direction of the ER. I decided to follow them, but as I turned the corner, I was immediately jumped in front of by nurse Redheart. “Sir, go back to your room, please.” “Ma’am, please let me pass. I need to see the unicorn in the ER. Her injuries were my fault. I replied gruffly, maintaining a steady eye contact. “Sir, I’m not going to ask you again. Return to your room.” “Look miss, I’ll be fine! I was the one who hurt that filly! Now please, let me pass!” Redheart was growing impatient, stomping her hoof down on the green tile. “Sir, I don’t care. Both you and her are not in ANY condition to be moving around. This is the last time I’m telling you, return to your room!” My anger was getting the better of me. The mask salesman laughed again, and in impatience, I threw her, quite forcefully, against the wall, and ran as fast as my injuries would allow. “God damn it, let me through, lady!” Applejack, Pinkie, and several doctors gave chase. I continued to run away, nearly getting tackled, but narrowly dodging an orderly. I burst through the doors to the ER, and, well, what I saw was the most gut-wrenching thing I’d ever laid eyes on. Sweetie Belle’s parents were there, holding each other, her mother crying into her husband's arms. There was a small team of about six ponies looming over Sweetie with scrubs and medical tools of various kinds. Sweetie Belle herself was cut open at the stomach, and covered in blood, though I couldn’t get a much better view than that, what with all the surgeons towering over her, and it’s not like I wanted to in the first place. The heart monitor was sounding off a flat. Applejack, Pinkie, and the orderlies who were chasing me stopped in the door frame, though, frozen at the sight, and didn’t even bother to subdue me; all they could do was watch the scene, just like me. "I'm not getting any vitals! Somepony get the defibrillators!" “Doctor, we need to get that thing out of her heart first!” “Forceps! Forceps! Celestia damn it, kid, stay with me!” “Forceps doctor.” “Alright, I’m going in. I can see the object. And... I got it!” “Doctor, still no lifeline! Get the paddles!” “Okay kid, work with me... one, two, three, clear!” The sound of a violent shock filled the room as Sweetie Belle’s body jolted and convulsed at the overcharge, and at the vile, cracking electrocution, I held back some vomit. Sweetie’s mother just wailed, holding tighter to her husband as her tears poured in streams. “One, two, three, clear!” The heart monitor started up again. “We’ve got a pulse! A pulse! Nurse, get me some adrenaline over here, stat!” “Vitals are critical! Blood pressure is one-twenty over forty and falling fast! We need to stabilize her!” “Where’s that damn adrenaline shot?!” “Keep fighting kid, come on!” “Adrenaline, doctor.” “Okay, we’ve got her stabilized. Suture kit.” “Suture kit.” “She’s coming to! More anesthesia!” The skull kid’s laugh filled the room, and at the sound, the heart monitor inexplicably stopped. “What the buck?! She’s going into cardiac arrest again! Defibrillators on the double!” I looked at my phone for a moment, then opened the screen. I stared at it for a second, then opened the video camera. I didn’t want to record this at all, but... something was calling me to. As I hit record, the elegy statue materialized right next to the operating table. I swallowed nervously, and hoped for the best, but with BEN? The ‘best’ was the worst, as far as I’d seen. “Doctor, what is that?!” a nurse asked, jumping away from the green statue that materialized right next to her. “There’s no time to worry about that! Focus on the patient! One, two, three, clear!” The monitor started again, then went out. “Clear!” Again. “Celestia. Bucking. Damn it! You are NOT dying on me, kid! Clear!” Sweetie’s heart started back up again, blood flying out of her body at the jolt, and accompanied by more of Mrs. Belle’s crying. “Okay, beginning the sutures. Starting on the heart.” “Be gentle, doctor...” “Heart repaired. Moving on to the stomach. ...Done. Reorganizing the intestinal tract.” As the operation continued, I became increasingly worried.They were almost done, but something didn’t quite add up. BEN being here didn’t help either. I knew the sick fuck was making her suffer through this whole thing. I crossed my taped up fingers together, still holding the camera. “Sutures complete. Disinfecting.” “We’re almost done, kid. Hang in there!” “Sterilization done. Sealing the body. ...Done. patching the wound.” “Vitals are stable. Heart rate is normal. Congratulations doct--” At that moment, things got bad. Really, really, bad. The lights pulsed a few times as the skull kid laughed again, and the room grew extremely cold. The air became thin, and a vile presence filled the room. The statue was rocking back and forth gently, and we were all staring at it. A familiar serpentine voice reverberated through the ER. “You shouldn’t have done that...” Just then, the skull kid’s scream blasted through the hospital, and the entirety of the building’s power went out. Doctors and nurses alike went scrambling in random directions as heart monitors flatlined, lights cut, testing machines failed, computers bluescreened, and instantly, the place fell into chaos. I rushed over to Sweetie Belle, as she was coming to. The surgeons were wanting to push me out of the way, as evidenced by the looks I was getting, but they let me stay. I set the camera at her hooves, still recording. “QUICK! ACTIVATE THE BACKUP GENERATORS!” a pony screamed from out in the hallway. I shivered, and looked into Sweetie Belle’s eyes. I tried to force a smile at the distressed white filly. “Hey... how you doin, kiddo?” Sweetie Belle groaned a bit, coughing up some blood, then looked up to me, bringing a hoof to my face. “I... I’m sorry Nick...” “Sorry for what?” I asked, my eye going soft as I placed my hand behind her head and gently tickled her ears, trying as best I could to make her feel better amidst her pain. “I’m sorry I let you down...” “You...” tears began to well in my eyes some. “You didn’t let anyone down. You did what you had to do, honey. You may have gotten hurt, but you did the right thing: you saved us. None of us would be around if it weren’t for you!” Pinkie, AJ, and Sweetie Belle’s parents walked up beside me. Each of them placed a hoof to her, holding her close. “Nick?” “Yes, Sweetie?” “What’s it supposed to feel like, living with all that pain? You’ve been hurt more than anypony I know...” She said, coughing viciously, as her breathing became shallow and weak. “I... I’m just lucky I guess... but listen, Sweetie Belle, you WILL make it out of this.” “No, NIck. No, I won’t. I know it’s time.” The way she said those words made me freeze in fear. They sounded too sure of themselves. She really meant it. When an eight year old child tells you they’re going to die... what do you say? “Is Applebloom okay?” She asked. I sniffed a bit, unsure of what to say. “I... I don’t know, Sweetie.” I said. One of the surgeons looked over to me. “She’s fine, sir. She’s recovering in her own room.” Sweetie smiled lightly, her breath becoming even thinner; she definitely was not healthy. “That’s good. I can rest easy now. Applejack?” “Yeah, sugarcube?” “Can you tell Rarity I’m sorry about the Sisterhoof Social? I’ll never forgive myself for saying all those things.” “Sweetie Belle, Don’t talk like that! You’ll be okay! Pinkie said, tearing up. “That’s nice of you, Pinkie, but... I know I won’t be here much longer.” Pinkie couldn’t do anything but cry at those words, and Applejack? Well, I knew she was dying on the inside; I could see it. Sweetie weakly looked over to her parents. “Mom, dad? I love you.” “We- we love you too, Sweetie Belle.” Her father said, hugging his wife closely as the pink unicorn continued to cry. “Nick?” Sweetie Belle piped up again, her struggled breathing accompanying the dull tone of the flatlining monitor. Her green eyes radiated brightly in the darkened room as tears began to fill them, and they reflected the image of the still heart monitor back into my own. “Yes?” “Can... you do me a big favor?” “Absolutely, Sweetie Belle.” “Promise me you will stop BEN. He can’t be allowed to torture anypony else! Pinkie promise me!” I took Sweetie Belle’s hoof in my hand and tried to smile amidst my tears. I gave her a light kiss on the cheek and the others put their hooves on my shoulders. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” “Thank you. I’ll hold you to that.” Sweetie Belle said, giggling. Suddenly, there was a strange light appearing from Sweetie’s flank. Was it... Yes it was. Her cutie mark. She had the image of an open cage, and a pony stepping out of it. Considering what she did back at the labs? My guess was her talent was escape artistry, and I couldn’t help but smile widely. “Heh... Look at that. I got my cutie mark...” “I’m proud of you Sweetie Belle. We all are. Congratulations.” “Thanks, Nick.” I stared at her a few moments more, looking at her injury, and I still couldn’t believe that this little pony sacrificed herself to save ME. She truly cared, putting her friends before her, and it left me with only one thing to say. “You know Sweetie... I’ve only been here for a few days, but... I love you.” What was I saying? How could I love a cartoon horse? Was this real? Did these ponies truly save my life, or was I having a dream? I still couldn’t tell. “I love you too Nick. I love all of you.” The tiny unicorn said, looking between us all. “...and Nick? Please forgive Twilight.” As Sweetie completed her words, though, the skull kid laughed, and at the noise, Sweetie’s body contorted. She gasped for air as she was abruptly taken and lifted an inch off the operating table. Her body was twisted in two directions at once, and suddenly, she began to swell. Her stitches burst open and sprayed blood and entrails all around the room. Everybody screamed. “OH MY DEAR FUCKING GOD!” Nope. It’s been real the whole time. This shit wasn’t a dream at all - I could feel the warm iron splatter over me. I passed out from the shock, and the statue faded away in its traditional green energy funnel with a laugh. “Happy birthday, Jadusable...” BEN never had this kind of power back home... --- It was a stormy evening in Equestria, violent winds rattling the windows of houses abound, rain pouring in torrents as the sun began to fade over the horizon, Celestia preparing to raise the moon as guards patrolled the nighttime streets in droves, covering every block of Ponyville and beyond. A small squad was finishing up cleaning the debris of Twilight’s destroyed library. Some distance away, the sound of something materializing could be heard from the hill above, well away from the destroyed tree, and all that could be seen (had anypony been there, of course) was a small set of brown boots standing on a polished mahogany stand. To the side of them approached a second set of feet, neither of which matched. “So... would you like to tell me why you failed me?” “Well... master, you see... The unicorn filly broke them free. If it weren’t for her, It would have gone off smoothly! “Jadusable is still alive. I thought I made it perfectly clear that you ensured Twilight killed him. You failed SO poorly, that I had to step in halfway through and handle him for you before he shot up the room! You call yourself the god of chaos, yet you can’t even bring yourself to handle a few pathetic mortals! Why didn’t you turn them against each other so they would refuse to cooperate!?” “Master, I-” Shut the fuck up with your excuses! I only freed you from your petty stone prison because I needed you to get Twilight to consume the drink - that horse is far too questioning for her own good. I KNEW she wouldn’t drink it without some ‘persuasion’, which I couldn’t do on my own; she had far too strong a will! While you succeeded in this, in the end, we lost our army to your incompetence, and Jadusable still roams. You have failed me MISERABLY, and you know what?” “No master... what?” “You shouldn’t have done that...” a crack of thunder echoed throughout the land, which was later followed by a strange, magical aura, black and purple in shade. “Wha- what are you doing!?” “Punishing you.” The sound of the magical mist continued to hover in the air for a few moments more, before being interrupted by a violent snapping noise, and a scream as the mismatched feet fell down to the grass, cringing in pain. The green blades slowly began to turn red as a lion’s paw fell beside the puddle with a fleshy noise. “Do you know, Discord, what TRUE chaos is? Making cotton candy rain chocolate while buffalo dance around in tutus? Of course not! Chaos, where I’m from, means the worst of things: death, murder, destruction, rape, racketeering, war... what YOU did before I came here, was child’s play! I still don’t understand how the people of this world even fear someone like you; someone that won’t even kill! Where I come from, those that do the unspeakable are the ones who are feared. Somebody like you? We would just laugh at you. You, Discord, amount to nothing more than a petty illusionist with a silver tongue!” Discord continued to whimper in pain, curled up as he nursed his stub. “Aww... do you miss your paw? You want it back? How about this... you get Rarity to kill Jadusable, and I MIGHT not take your other arm.” “Y-y-yes... m-m-m-master...” “Good. I am going to speak with Chrysalis about getting a new army. I expect no less than a hundred and ten percent while I’m away. Kill. Jadusable.” “I- I understand...” The mask salesman giggled again, and the brown boots faded off of the grass, leaving a traumatized, one-handed Discord screaming painfully into the night as the rain began to wash the sticky red mess through the field. --- After waking up, it was pretty much a safe bet to say Sweetie Belle was dead. As my vision came to, I noticed I was back in my bed again, with AJ, Pinkie, and Sweetie’s parents staring at me from the foot, distressed looks over all their faces. Mrs. Belle was hysterical, crying in torrents as she held her husband. The power was back on as well, one light flickering on and off for a few moments before burning out. That was a horrible way to go. Nobody deserves to die the way Sweetie did. I didn’t say anything for a moment, just sat there, sullen. I turned over and dug my face into the soft pillow, screaming as my own tears began to flow. I had lost more than Sweetie Belle - I had lost a friend, perhaps my best friend, her being my favorite Crusader from the show, and yet, perhaps, something even deeper than that. I doubt I was heard, but I spoke softly, the white puff muffling my words. “I’m sorry about your daughter. It’s my fault.” “It wasn’t you, human. It was that THING in the emergency room...” I heard Mr. Belle say behind me, anger filling his voice as his wife paralleled him with more tears. I continued to let my sadness and depression out even more, crying at the statement. Scootaloo walked into the room, talking to them all for a brief moment, and they got up and let me be. Suddenly, I felt a hoof touch my shoulder. I turned around, and my eyes met with Twilight. She breathed in a bit, then spoke, looking at my red, watery eye. “So... are you feeling okay?” I dried my tears off, meanly scowling at her. I had no respect for this pony. “What the fuck do you think?” Twilight jumped back, pulling her hoof away. “Woah... why the hostility?” “You know goddamn well why! If it weren’t for you, NONE of us would be in this mess, and Sweetie Belle would still be alive!” I yelled, turning away from her and pulling the blanket over my side, snorting gruffly. Heart walked into the room, and tapped me on the side. I rolled over, an angry look still pervading my face. “Sir? About your injuries... we won’t be able to give you the reconstructive surgery you need for your...” he paused, looking at my right hand, unsure of what to say. “Fingers?” I asked. “Yes sir.” I sat up, looking inquisitively at the doctor, then to my taped up fingers. “Why?” The doctor just looked down at the tile, kicking his hoof, then back up. “Well, to put it bluntly, sir, we are extremely underfunded. In fact, we’re so underfunded that we can only afford to keep the emergency generator running for hours at a time.” He said as the lights started to flicker again. “We’ve been losing a LOT of injured ponies to this whole mess.” “Why are you so underfunded?” “Why? Well, sir, ever since Celestia got this strange thirst for power, she’s been ignoring all of her subjects except those in the wealthier cities like Manehattan and Canterlot. We actually just got served papers from her that state we are to cease operation of the hospital in the next two months. You’ve seen the condition the homes are in on the street, right sir? All run down and boarded up? We’re in a massive depression. The only thing anypony seems to be spending money on is Flim and Flam’s new drink. I don’t know what they put in there, but literally, everypony seems to be coming back for more.” I licked my lips at the thought of the drink and began to salivate, the delicious taste coming back to my mouth. “Well... I could go for another one of those... that was damn good.” I said, smiling. The doctor looked at me with a disappointed gaze for some reason. “Sir, don’t tell me you’re an addict too!” I chuckled, looking at the doctor. Did he really believe that? Was I? Hell no, I couldn’t be. “What? No I’m not, doc...” The doctor walked away with a sigh as he left the room with one final message. “Your hand will be back to full use after a month or so, but it can NOT be strained too much.” “Understood, doctor.” I was much calmer after thinking about the delicious taste of the drink, the aroma, the flavor, everything about it was calling for another round. This pleasant thought was suddenly cut short as Twilight touched me again, and my new blood ran even colder as I lost my cheerful demeanor. She didn’t say anything, but with some magic, levitated a book over to me and set it in front of my face, on the other side of the bed. as it gently settled into my hand, and the purple haze faded off the book, I read the cover. It was one of the ‘Daring Do’ novels. I sighed and opened it up, reading myself to a restless, tortured sleep. I just wanted to go home, pretend this never happened. I wished Sweetie Belle was back. “I’m sorry, Nick.” “Shut the fuck up, Twilight.”