Black.
That was the only colour Fizzlepop could see. No source of light could break through it. The strange atmosphere had swept through the unicorn's mind like the ocean's waves crashing into some rocks. Fizzlepop could feel pain, but also something else that she seemed to feel was anger.
The anger she could feel was of course not towards the doctors and nurses who had stitched her up. It was the creature that took her horn away; the Ursa. If that stupid creature didn't attack her then she wouldn't be there. But then, it was also her fault that the ball she and her friends were playing with rolled into the Ursa's cave in the first place. She couldn't blame any pony, but herself. Couldn't she use her magic from a far distance and retrieve the ball from there? Or maybe she could've asked for an older pony to help her? Her mother, perhaps? Fizzlepop knew that the Ursa was just sleeping and she was the pony who disturbed it. No other pony's fault, but hers.
She also found out the reason why she couldn't see was that some pony had bandaged her eyes up. Fizzlepop remembered hearing a conversation from some of the doctors that she needed to keep wearing the bandages until the worst of the scars and the broken horn had healed up. She couldn't remember how long that would take for the damage to heal though, not to mention the mental damage as well.
The sound of a trolley became known to Fizzlepop and as the sound became louder, she turned her head towards the direction of where it was coming from and tried to listen for a voice of the pony who was pushing the trolley towards her. As she got closer, the pain then became stronger and Fizzlepop started to groan.
"It's okay, dear," the pony whispered, "I'm going to help you with your bandages."
Fizzlepop sat up, feeling around on her bed to find something to hold onto. She trusted this pony, but she still felt afraid and didn't know what was to come. At least she knew that what was blocking her sight though. Fizzlepop tried to relax as she listened to the pony's voice, as it was the only voice she had heard in the last twenty-four hours. The only other sounds she had heard were the hum of the machines that she was attached to and the odd conversation outside her room in the corridor. It was an advantage, being blinded by a bandage because that enabled Fizzlepop to use her ears to hear and listen to sounds that she would never hear.
The first strip of bandage came off from the top of Fizzlepop's head and was then rolled into a ball. It had soaked up her blood, which did seem a bit grim to look at, especially if it was none other than her own. But Fizzlepop retrained herself from screaming and just sat there watching the pony take off layer after layer of bandages. As there became fewer layers, Fizzlepop felt the weight lift from her head and could feel the pain sweep into the tip of her head. She groaned and placed her left hoof on top of her head.
"It will hurt for a while," the nurse explained, "I will give you something for the pain. Just keep looking at me, Fizzlepop."
Fizzlepop focused her light blue eyes at the face of the pony. She watched the nurse's arms move about in front of her view and the bandages coming off. They were then piled up into a massive ball and put in a medium-sized bowl, before being pressed so that most of the blood flowed out. The bowl of blood was then put to one side and out came a needle and thread.
The nurse went over to Fizzlepop with the equipment and then handed over a bottle containing a pink liquid inside. On the bottle was a label that had writing in red ink.
Pain-relief medicine. Only to be used by trained staff.
"Drink this..." the nurse said.
Fizzlepop didn't need to be told twice when it came to instructions. She leaned forward and allowed the nurse to feed her the medicine. It flowed down her throat like a waterfall and landed in the pit of her stomach. The crimson unicorn started coughing but soon relaxed again.
The nurse then put the needle up close to Fizzlepop's face and dug the needle into her skin. The thread went around the scar and closed up the most exposed sections. She couldn't feel any pain, but Fizzlepop knew that for a while she would look like some kind of monster from a horror story.
The pain was beginning to leave her body and head. It was replaced by the feeling to lie down again, but she didn't want to just in case the nurse wanted her to do something else. She tapped her hoof on the pony's back and then held onto the railing of the bed.
"You can lie down, Fizzlepop. I'll get you another pillow."
The nurse held Fizzlepop in her arms as she lowered her down in a horizontal position. She rested her head on the soft pillow that she already had and then breathed a relaxed sigh. The pain that she just had been through was beginning to fade away and was being replaced by the feeling of happiness. What she at least knew was that she was in a place where some pony was looking after her and caring about things that mattered the most.
Fizzlepop watched her nurse walk out of the room, before turning head to face the other side of the room. There was a window that was large enough to see what was happening outside. But really the only action that was going on was the odd pony walking towards or away from the building. The path to the hospital was split into two lanes by a red line.
Walk on the left. a sign said with an arrow pointing towards the cart park.
Fizzlepop guessed that there would be another one that instructed ponies to walk on the left when heading towards the hospital. It would make sense after all. The path was also lined up by lights that were embedded in the concrete. The lights led up all the way to the main entrance of the hospital. By this piece of information, Fizzlepop knew that she was near the reception area, which was useful because she was thinking of going over there to ask if her parents were here. Probably not though, it was a working day after all.
A mirror was sitting on the nearest table to Fizzlepop. Thinking it would be best to know what sort of state she would be in, the unicorn reached over and picked up the mirror with her two hooves. After grabbing hold of the object, she looked into it and saw the result of the Ursa attack.
Over her right eye, a stitched up scar was visible. It was a thin line that was about five inches long and was placed directly in the middle of her eye socket. When she was looking straight ahead, the pupil in Fizzlepop's eye lined up with the scar. The stitching almost went right up to her eyelid and at the very tip of the top and bottom rows of Fizzlepop's eyelashes, a "V" shape could be seen up close where the eyelid had been cut at. The makeup that Fizzlepop was wearing on the previous day had dripped down her cheek, like a black and dirty teardrop. Disappointed that even her makeup was ruined, Fizzlepop sunk her head into her pillow and looked up at the ceiling.
The door opened to reveal the nurse with the pillow her patient had requested. She tucked it behind Fizzlepop and then pulled the covers over her body.
"Is that everything, dear?" the nurse asked. Fizzlepop thought what she wanted else. Probably a drink that wasn't related to medicine.
"Just some water, please" Fizzlepop replied, "that's all I need now. Thanks."
Understanding her task at hoof, the nurse left Fizzlepop's side and walked out of her room.
Fizzlepop tried to look up at the ceiling, for if she rested on her side, the pain from the scar would sweep in again. She stroked the stitching around her eye. It was like touching one of her dolls that she used to play with. The similar feel of the thread that attached the arms to the body of the doll and the buttons for its eyes. Fizzlepop had learnt to sow from when stitching up her dolls every time they would fall apart and she could feel the plastic-type material of the thread bedding into her skin. For the first time in a long while, Fizzlepop couldn't understand what was meant to happen next. Was she staying at the hospital and if so, how long? This wasn't holiday season or half term, but a normal studying day.
But for just that moment, Fizzlepop looked up at the ceiling and made a wish not for her, but for some pony else.
"I wish mummy is okay."
A week passed and Fizzlepop was still in the hospital. She had distracted herself by reading some books her parents had brought in and, with special permission, her friends Avon and Star Myth came along to give her some company. They even tried to sow together as a group. However, the other two found that it wasn't their thing and struggled incredibly. They sometimes stopped and watched Fizzlepop glide her needle through her doll as if she had done it a million times before.
"Okay, so you thread the needle through the body and then pull it out and start again."
Avon managed to keep up, but the other unicorn found himself getting his needle tangled up with the doll and messed up the whole process. Star Myth frowned, which made Avon stop and look at him. Fizzlepop felt bad for him and put her doll down on top of her blankets.
"You're not enjoying this, aren't you?" The other two unicorns hid their emotions and looked at each other.
"No, it's not that, Fizzlepop," Avon said, "We're just not as good as you are at doing this. This is your thing and you enjoy it and we both respect that. You're the best at it in Year 5, perhaps the best in the whole school!"
Fizzlepop blushed at the compliment her friend had given her and then carried on sowing the doll together.
"How are the lessons without me?" she asked, cheerfully. Her friends were the next to turn a shade of crimson.
"Every pony misses you, Fizzlepop" Star Myth said, "even the teachers have set up a donation to pay for some of the medication that isn't covered by the EHS. So far, the school's raised seventy bits." Fizzlepop blinked in shock.
"Seventy bits?!" she repeated, "Oh you guys... they shouldn't have done that!" Star Myth scoffed in disagreement.
"Are you kidding?!" he exclaimed, "You're the coolest and bravest student there now. Every pony loves you! You fought off that Ursa like it was nothing." Fizzlepop suddenly then frowned.
"That's not really true, though," she said, "I had to get away from that creature. There was no way I could have faced it with a broken horn and a damaged eye. It would have been a stale fight."
"She's right, Star Myth," Avon added, "Ursa's are dangerous creatures, even if it was a baby one. Fizzlepop was lucky to get out there with just a few scars and a broken horn. No offence, Fizzlepop. She could have been killed."
"Touché."
No pony talked for a moment or so, but Avon broke the silence when she pulled out a brown paper bag from her rucksack and opened it up.
"Sweet, Fizzlepop?" Fizzlepop looked at the back and shook her head.
"No thank you," she replied, "I'm on a sugar-free diet, but thanks for offering though." Avon then passed the bag to Star Myth, who picked out an orange gobstopper and placed it in his mouth. After taking one for herself, Avon put the bag back into her rucksack. The two ponies chewed whilst sitting down next to Fizzlepop's bed.
"So when you're out," Star Myth said, "we're were thinking of going somewhere a little closer to the village where we could play hoofball and somewhere that is nowhere near any wild creatures that could harm us. Perhaps the day when you come back to school, we could go after lessons have finished. Besides, the majority of Year 5 would have gone on some trip."
"That's so kind of you," Fizzlepop whispered, "I love you guys."
The three of them went into a group hug, trying to avoid causing any damage to the machines that Fizzlepop was attached to. Tears of joy fell into the unicorns' eyes and they all laughed in embarrassment.
"Just remember, Fizzlepop," Avon said, "just because you've lost your horn, that doesn't mean you're no longer a unicorn at heart."
"Unicorns forever, eh?"
"Unicorns forever."
Avon then looked at her pocket watch and grabbed Star Myth's arm.
"We best be going now," she said, "we promised to the headmistress to do some extra work if we were allowed to visit you. We don't want to be late. Come on Star Myth, let's give Fizzlepop some rest."
Avon picked up her belongings and with Star Myth following behind her, exited the room.
Fizzlepop looked back down at her doll and the dolls that her friends were working on. She picked up hers with her hooves and looked directly into its button eyes. Fizzlepop always imagined since she first touched a doll that they always stared back at you and were trying to tell you something, but couldn't get their message across. They were a mysterious thing, dolls, which was what made Fizzlepop think.
Would they be her "imaginary friends" or just another toy to play with?
The thought, however, soon vanished as a wave of tiredness swept over her head. She laid her head down on the pillow and held the doll tight in her arms. Fizzlepop looked up at the ceiling and instead of looking at a light, she saw a shining star in the sky. The filly let her imagination take hold, as she fell into a relaxed trance and whispered something to herself.
"Please, Luna. I want to see you. Please see me in my dream tonight. Just this once..."
It was too difficult to understand at first, but soon Fizzlepop managed to understand why she was surrounded by a grey mist and could hear the sound of a mare singing. She knew that she was dreaming, but it was the first time Fizzlepop had a dream that felt so real. It was like she was actually there. The smell, the temperature, the singing; it wasn't a fragment of her imagination. She was actually dreaming!
Fizzlepop walked around where she was standing and every hoof step she took, her dream seemed to respond to it. She looked around to see if there was anything that could be of any use, but nothing came into the view. But after a few more hoof steps, a bright white light appeared in front of her, blinding her view. Fizzlepop raised her hoof over her eyes and turned away from the light. It was so bright, that she couldn't look at the figure standing in the middle of the light. Then, the place trembled at a recognisable and powerful voice.
"Who dares to stand in the way of thee?!" the voice asked. It was the voice of a mare.
"My name... my name is Fizzlepop, miss!" the filly replied, "Fizzlepop Berrytwist. I mean you no harm!"
"Fizzlepop Berrytwist?" the mare repeated, "Is thou Fizzlepop the unicorn who lost her horn to the Ursa?"
"Yes, yes!" Fizzlepop replied, "I am that mare that you speak of! I am the unicorn who was attacked by the Ursa back in my hometown!"
The mare then walked out of the shining light and stood in the way of Fizzlepop. The filly gasped in surprise and then went over to touch the hoof of the pony.
"Princess Luna*?"
"It is I, yes. Why does Fizzlepop question this?" Fizzlepop let go of Luna's hoof and stepped back.
"I'm dreaming, right?" she asked. Luna laughed and then raised her hoof in the air.
"I am the princess of the night," the alicorn said, "thus it is my duties to come into your dreams. I sense there is something troubling thou and I know that it is not me. I know when ponies lie, Fizzlepop, so be careful what you say to her highness."
Fizzlepop sighed and turned away in disappointment. She wanted to get away from her fears, not walk into them. Was this meant to be a dream or a nightmare? Was Luna helping or just being another obstacle to think about? But she did say that she knew when any pony was lying to her, even her own sister, Celestia.
"I'm not like any other unicorn, princess" Fizzlepop explained, "I have no horn anymore. What do I do? I can't remain like this forever, can I?"
Luna put her hoof to her chin and looked up in thought. She hummed something that Fizzlepop couldn't make out. Was she... thinking?
"Let Fizzlepop come forth!" Luna commanded.
Fizzlepop walked closer to the dark blue alicorn, so close that their muzzles were almost touching. The unicorn didn't say anything, for she feared that Luna would shout at her for questioning the princess' actions.
"Fizzlepop was blinded by bandages, was she not?" Luna asked.
"Yes?" Fizzlepop replied, gulping. The princess raised her left eyebrow in question to how her prey responded to her what she had just asked. Luna's pupils thinned and became tiny prim-pricks. Fizzlepop found her as terrifying as she was in her Nightmare Moon form, but she trusted her. Besides, she was the only pony who she knew to have felt in a way betrayed by other ponies.
"You and I are alike, Fizzlepop," Luna explained, wrapping an arm around Fizzlepop's shoulder, "we have witnessed defeat and have wept at ourselves for being different. But even if I do return to my sister's side, I will always be Luna, even if I am monster to pony kind, like Nightmare Moon for example."
"What do my bandages have to do with this?"
"The bandages that Fizzlepop wore not only blinded you physically but mentally. When blinded by hatred, ponies can stray far from peace and harmony and become a monster to others. Evil is strong and can hold onto like a fisherman's hook and never let go." Fizzlepop became confused.
"But, I'm not evil. Am I?"
Luna tried to think of something that would help Fizzlepop listen to her. She clasped hold of her hoof and lifted Fizzlepop up into the air. Suddenly, the location that they were in morphed into another setting, which Fizzlepop could recognise...
The filly was left speechless for a while, before eventually making a comment.
"My... my dream?"
"It is not a dream, little pony," Luna said, "the princess of the night sees it as a vision. Thus, it is the future of what Canterlot will look like. I see a figure following the footsteps of an evil king, seeing him as a second father and guardian, even if his heart is ice cold of pure hatred. She is lost and needs a wise pony, not myself, to show her what friendship really is."
Fizzlepop started breathing quickly and noticed that she was about to wake up. She was going to wake up in fear, a response to any nightmare and it wouldn't just be a nightmare, but a sign of what was yet to come. Fizzlepop turned to the princess one last time, before asking her a simple question.
"Who is this pony you speak of?!" she asked, crying her eyes out. Luna's horn began to glow a deep blue colour, before responding to Fizzlepop.
"You."