//------------------------------//
// 5. Dark Wings 
// Story: TCB: The Heart of Everything 
// by Madrigal Baroque 
//------------------------------//

Tib had reset her internal wake alarm to 0730 so she would be sure to beat the breakfast rush. Last night at dinner she'd heard a rumor that there would be strawberries this morning, freshly imported. Tib loved strawberries. She couldn't wait to taste real ones.

She was up, washed and dressed when she noticed that the other bed in the room was still occupied. That was odd. Eun-sook was usually awake at least an hour before Tib stirred and would either rouse her early or go on to the cafeteria to save their table. The older woman was probably just worn out; they'd done a lot of walking yesterday, watching the new pegasi test out their wings on the roof, and the stairs had been a bit much for Eun-sook. She had only picked at her dinner and gone to bed early.

Tib was actually pleased at the prospect of getting to be the early bird for a change. This could be fun! She'd tease Halmeonee about it until she earned a swift slap on the back of her head, the signal to quit that nonsense. It was something of a game for them. Like the way Tib spoke in Cajun patois while Eun-sook used Korean phrasing when she was capable of perfectly correct English. They did this with each other all the time. It was their private joke.

"G'mawnin, sleepyhaid!" she sang out as she approached the still form on the bed. "Wakey wakey, aigs an' fake bakey!" She leaned over.  Eun-sook was facing away, towards the blank white wall. "C'mon, Halmeonee! Might could be strawberries this mawnin. We might could ask fo' French toast! Theyn't figgered out beignets yet, but I'll learn 'em. Anyhow, ya gotta git up, you!"

She was leaning close to Eun-sook's ear, but she hadn't even twitched. She wasn't moving.

At all.

"Halmeonee?" Tib felt a sudden, bone-deep tide of cold dread rearing up to swallow her. "Come on, Halmeonee, wake up. Please." 

Still nothing.

A small part of her  realized the awful truth, but the rest of her couldn't accept it. Wouldn't. "Eun-sook! Wake up!"  She clasped the rounded shoulder to shake her roommate, her adopted grandmother, to wakefulness.

Eun-sook was cold. Cold and stiff.


***


Tib tore down the hallway, knocking against people and causing startled ponies to canter out of her path. She didn't see, didn't notice, didn't give a fuck. 



She burst heedlessly into the reception area and ran straight to the desk where Beth was just getting ready to sign in the morning applicants. The receptionist looked up, startled. "Tib? What's –"

"She daid!" Tib screamed loud enough to rattle the walls. "Eun-sook, she be layin' back dere in her bunk stone col' daid! She passed in de night an' I never knew not'in', me!" Tib fell to her knees, curled up on the tiled floor, and wailed a mixture of Cajun French and incomprehensible sobs.

The next thing she knew, Beth and the PA–Lynn–had hustled her into one of the back rooms. Now she sat on a plasteel chair, hands over her face. She knew they were talking to her, asking her questions, trying to comfort her, but she was unable to respond. Some distant, rational part of her knew she wasn't just grieving for Eun-sook. She was crying for her father, her mother, for COREy.  For all the people who would die with the planet. For the planet itself.

The only coherent words she was able to string together came out as a howl. "Dem folks I love, why do dey allus hafta die on me?"

If Beth or Lynn had an answer for that, Tib didn't hear it. She didn't want to.

The steel door was flung open from the outside and a gurney rattled in. Lynn and Beth were no longer with Tib. She thought Beth might have left the room. After all, she had a job to do that didn't include babysitting heartsick Cajun brats.

Tib was no longer crying. Her tears were spent and her throat ached from sobbing and screaming and God only knew what other sounds she'd made. 

"Tib."

She felt empty. Empty of tears, empty of love, empty of hope.

"Tib."

She didn't care about conversion anymore. She didn't care about going to Equestria. She didn't care about making new friends. She couldn't afford to care about anything or anyone. Whatever she cared about inevitably got taken away from her. She couldn't bear any more loss. She was ready to die with the Earth.

"Delphine Renee Angelique Thibodeaux!"

She looked up, shocked at the sound of her complete name on someone else's lips. Roselyn Pastern was kneeling in front of her, all but shouting in her face, gloved hands locked to her chair's armrests. "Doc…?" she croaked weakly.

The doctor spoke more gently, but very firmly, her eyes locked on Tib's. "This is very important. I need you to stay calm and be focused. Can you do that for me?"

Tib swallowed and cleared her throat. "I'll try."

"Good girl." A box of NeatWipes was thrust into her hands. "Freshen up a bit. It'll give you a chance to compose yourself." She stood and turned towards the gurney. "Okay, Lynn, let's get her on the table and get that gown off of her."

Mechanically Tib pulled out one of the moist towelettes and scrubbed at her cheeks. She wondered who they'd brought into the exam room and why they hadn't taken them somewhere else. Maybe the other rooms were already in use. Tib didn't even know how many there were.

There were ripping sounds from the table. Were they tearing off the person's clothes? How would they get dressed again? Had there been some kind of accident? 

Dully, she looked up and saw Eun-sook's face, looked into the filmy dark eyes that would never look back again. The dead body was lying on its side, turning a sickly shade of gray.

"What are you doing to her?!" Tib sprang to her feet. She didn't feel empty anymore. She felt sudden, white-hot, uncontainable outrage. "She's dead! Leave her alone!"

Lynn cast aside the nightgown she'd cut off the wasted, wrinkled body. "It's all right, Tib. It's going to be okay."

"How can you say that?" Tib cast an anguished look at Doctor Pastern, who was measuring out sparkling purple fluid from a flask into a white paper cup. "Doc, what the hell you doing?"

Either Pastern didn't hear her, or she ignored the question. "Four ounces," she muttered. "Just to be safe."

"That's going to mess up the daily Potion allotment," Lynn warned. "We won't get another shipment until Monday. Can't we intubate?"

"Not while she's in rigor mortis, and I don't want to risk waiting for it to go away. As for the dose count, our ten o'clock today is five years old. He only needs two ounces anyway." Pastern set down the flask and carried the cup to the table where Eun-sook's body lay half curled on its side. "Give me a hand here, Lynn. I want to cover as much skin as I can get to so I'll need your help to turn her over."

Lynn went to Pastern's side. Tib looked from them, to the table, to the flask, then to the cup in Pastern's gloved hand. She realized that there were thaumatic hazard signs all over the walls.

This wasn't one of the examination rooms. This was the Conversion Room. 

Tib couldn't believe it. It made no sense to her. "You gonna Convert her? Pourquoi? What difference do it make now? Elle et morte! What do it matter if she be a daid woman or a daid pony? Mort et mort!"

Both women ignored her. Pastern poured the shimmering liquid over one side, then Lynn rolled the body over and Pastern poured out the rest. 

This was a travesty. Dead or not, Eun-sook deserved better than this! Tib was not merely offended; she was horrified. The dead should be remembered with love and respect, their remains properly disposed of, not...not subjected to some insane experimentation. 

Tib wanted to go stop them, but something held her back. Shock or disbelief or morbid curiosity–it made no difference. Whatever the reason, by the time she could convince her body to move, the changes had begun.

First Eun-sook's graying flesh took on a kind of dull sheen, as though she'd been dipped in paraffin. Then her whole body went stark white.

Tib gasped, but the doctor and the PA seemed to relax.

"It's working," said Lynn.

"Yes," Pastern said in evident relief. "I've never Converted anyone who'd gone into rigor before, but when I saw her skin–palor mortis, not livor, no streaks– she couldn't have died more than four hours ago, and probably a lot less! This couldn't have been better, right?"

The doctor was clearly excited and in her element, which made Lynn feel some very mixed emotions.

Roselyn grinned. "I was just reading about a case like this from the Vancouver Bureau last week, Lynn! Overdose, went full livor, and they still brought the bastard back. I was skeptical about this even working but that article convinced me. The holocams are on, right?"

Lynn nodded. The doc was probably already thinking about doing a bit for the hypernet. That could only mean that Ros was extremely confident about this. Lynn felt relieved–Pastern could be a little creepy sometimes, but she always meant well.

All smiles now, Lynn rushed to Tib. She reached out a hand and Pastern barked "Lynn! Gloves!"

Hastily Lynn tore them off and tossed them into a purple receptacle. Then she caught Tib's hands in hers and squeezed tight. "It's okay, Tib, really it is. Potion is magic, remember? It can raise the dead, so long as they're not too far gone!"

Tib found herself unable to look away from the miracle in front of her. Eun-sook's fingers and toes had merged together into white blobs that gradually began to grow hooves. Her head had changed shape completely, becoming larger and growing an unmistakable muzzle. Her torso lengthened and her legs–four of them now–stretched out, new hooves dangling beyond the table's edge. New eyes swelled underneath still-sealed lids. 

Eun-sook's new nostrils quivered. Her sides expanded as she drew her first new breath.

"She's alive!" Tib cried out, her heart fluttering with reawakened hope. She managed to look at Dr Pastern, who was smiling softly. "But she was…will she still be…her?"

Pastern nodded. "She absolutely will be. This isn't the first time I've seen something like this." Something flitted across the doctor's expression, but before Tib could identify it, it was gone. "The information encoded in the brain can subsist for hours after cessation of bodily functions. She'll be the same Eun-sook–only much happier."

Lynn interrupted, "Look, her coat's coming in!" 

Plush, short hair was sprouting to the newly formed body. It shone softly in the harsh overhead lights, a shade precisely between blue and green.

"Here comes the mane!" Dr Pastern sounded as girlishly excited as Lynn had. Soft, thick, silken hair flowed from the top of the new pony's head, from the back of her long neck, from the skinny rat-like tail Tib hadn't even noticed. The hair was all the colors of fire–bright red, warm orange, glowing yellow…

"Unicorn!" crowed Lynn, and sure enough, a bud erupted from Eun-sook's brow and quickly spiraled up into a gleam of pearlescence. The eyelids had unsealed, and the unicorn lay at her ease on her side, breathing slowly and deeply.

"She's beautiful," Tib whispered.

Pastern tossed her own gloves into the purple bin and put an arm around Tib's waist since her shoulders were too high up. Damn, the girl was tall. "Ponies are always beautiful…but Eun-sook is particularly striking."

Tib took a step towards the sleeping miracle. She put out a hand, hesitated, cast a look of anxious pleading at Pastern. "Can I touch her? Will it hurt her?"

Pastern smiled and stepped back. "Not a bit."

Slowly, almost reverently, Tib moved closer to the table. She noticed Eun-sook's eyes moving underneath the closed lids. "She's dreaming." She ran a lock of the fiery mane through her trembling fingers. "So soft!"

She stroked a hand down the long, sleek neck. The blue-green coat was smooth and silky, a pleasure to touch. She could feel the strong pulse under the neck.

"Doc Ros?" Her voice was a soft whisper. "Can I stay with her until she wakes up? Please?"

Pastern nodded. "I think she'd like that very much. Lynn, could you grab one of the blankets? Let's make these girls comfortable..."


***


When Eun-sook woke up, she found herself not in bed, but lying on a blanket. It was hard underneath; she must be on the floor. She wasn't in the room she shared with her adopted granddaughter, either. It felt…different. Smelled different.

Her eyes seemed stuck shut for a moment, but she managed to coax them open. The  first thing she saw was Tib's face, bending over her. The child's eyes were red and swollen--she'd been crying--but she wore an eager smile. She was kneeling on the floor, and Eun-sook realized her head was in her granddaughter's lap.

"Hwnh…" Eun-sook's mouth felt strange. She tried to work out how to speak with it–had she had a stroke? That thought should have worried her, but somehow it didn't. She felt too good. She felt wonderful.

She tried moving her legs, then her arms. Everything seemed to be working, but it felt kind of strange. Good, strong, with no pain for the first time in years…but strange.

Again she tried to speak, and this time it worked better. "Where are we? What happened?"

"You're a pony now, Halmeonee." Tib looked happier than Eun-sook had ever seen her. Joy made her look almost pretty. "You've been Converted."

"I've been what?" Eun-sook moved her arms, only they weren't arms anymore, they were forelegs. She stared at her polished hooves in astonishment. "When did this happen?"

"Almost an hour ago." Tib was stroking her neck. It felt really nice. Comforting. "You're so beautiful."

Eun-sook squirmed, trying to get her new legs under her. "Why did nobody ask me first? I go to sleep in bed, and boom! I wake up as a pony?"

Tib bit her lip. "Don't you like it?"

"Of course I like it! I came all the way out here to be a pony!" She twisted and managed to push herself upright, resting on folded legs, trying to bring  her face level with Tib's.  "I just didn't expect it to be like this. Surprise, pony!"



"Umm…"Tib looked away, behind Eun-sook. "Little help here?"

Eun-sook turned her head. To her surprise, she found that she could look directly behind her without turning her body. That nice doctor, the one with red hair, was smiling at her.

"You had a bit of a medical emergency last night," the doctor explained. "I didn't have time to examine you, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was a heart attack. We had to ponify you right away."

"And you turned out amazing!" When Eun-sook turned back to Tib, she was holding up a plastic mirror. "See how lovely you are?"

The reflection looking back at her had wide eyes like glowing embers. Her coat was blue-green, her mane a riot of blazing color.

"I'm a kirin!" she exclaimed, turning her head this way and that, watching her mane shimmer and sweep. "Only one horn though. A kirin should have two."

"Sorry, Halmeonee," Tib chuckled. "Only one to a customer. But you're a unicorn. That means you can learn magic!"

Eun-sook turned her head and studied her flanks. "No scales either. A kirin should have scales. They're cousins to dragons."

Something lightly smacked the back of her head. She turned and blinked at Tib's smug smirk. "You fuss too much!" said the girl in an attempt at a Korean accent.

"You…you head-slapped me!" There was more surprise than outrage in Eun-sook's tone.

"Yeah, because you're being silly!  You have a brand new healthy body, you're a gorgeous unicorn and you're going to live in Equestria! So what do you got to bitch about, you?" Tib laughed, still stroking Eun-sook's neck...but she looked ready to cry again, too.

Maybe that's why Eun-sook couldn't glare at her with all the force of a properly affronted Korean grandmother. She didn't even feel affronted, properly or otherwise. That was...kind of funny. In fact, it was very funny, now that she thought about it. She giggled like the schoolgirl she had once been. "I guess I am being silly."

Tib put her arms around Eun-sook's neck and hugged her. "I just want you to be as happy as I'm happy for you, Halmeonee."

"I am happy, Tib." Eun-sook nuzzled the side of Tib's head, finding it the most natural thing in the world. "Really I am."

"I'm going to have to kick you two out,"Pastern said, opening the door. "I have a little boy coming in about half an hour."

"I'll try," Eun-sook said, shifting her legs underneath her. "I'm not sure yet how to work these things."

"I'll help." Tib stood up, wrapped her long arms around Eun-sook's barrel, and lifted her to her hooves. With her granddaughter steadying her, the newfoal unicorn managed to walk out of the Conversion Room with a modicum of dignity.


***