//------------------------------// // In a White Room // Story: Catatonic // by Stormy Night //------------------------------// Catatonic: Chapter 5 The room was white. White tile floors, white plaster walls, white sheets on a white bed, white bandages wrapped around most of Twilight's motionless form. A small table sat by the bed, holding only a lamp and a small vase with a white lily. The white curtains fluttered in a slight breeze from the open window. The feeding tube that had been fed down Twilight's throat had been removed, in its place was one that seemed to be surgically inserted directly into her stomach. IV lines dripped fluids steadily into her bloodstream. A translucent mask over her muzzle fogged as she breathed, connected by a thick hose to a machine in which two bellows worked in tandem. A large metal tank, the word oxygen stenciled on its side alongside several indecipherable labels, sat in its base. The steady sounds of the machinery, beeps and hisses and drips, filled the otherwise quiet air. “What in tarnation coulda done this?” asked Applejack, breaking the collective silence. “Especially to somepony like Twilight?” “We do not yet know, Applejack.” Luna replied. “All that is known is that who, or what, ever did this did so with magic.” Fluttershy stood by the bed, examining Twilight's injuries. Her eyes seemed to grow larger as she took in the sheer number and severity. “Oh my.” She whispered, her voice scarcely audible. “I've never seen somepony so badly injured...” The shy pegasus was trembling, but she remained at the bedside. “I've seen some hurt animals out in the forest, but nothing even close to this.” Her normally yellow coat showed a bit of a greenish tinge. She swallowed, eyes squeezed shut, and darted out of the room. The sound of her breathing as she struggled to calm herself could be heard through the slightly open door. “Can you hear me, Fluttershy?” Celestia asked, raising her voice slightly. She waited for an affirmative squeak from the pegasus before continuing. “I've put the finest criminal investigators in Equestria on the case, but as of now there have been no developments. A specialist in magical injuries has been contacted, and is expected to arrive from the Crystal Empire as soon as she can.” Her gaze drifted across the gathered group of ponies. “In the mean time, I would ask that all of you spend time with Twilight if at all possible. The doctors assure me that comatose patients are often at least partly aware of their surroundings, and if that is the case then I want her to know that her friends are here for her. Luna and I will come when we can, and I am sure that she will have other visitors from around town, but the five of you are her dearest friends. Your presence will surely mean a lot to her.” “Say no more Princess!” Rainbow Dash said, puffing out her chest. “We'll do whatever it takes to help Twilight. I know she'd do the same for us!” “Eeyup.” Applejack agreed, in an uncanny imitation of her older brother. “Ah reckon it'd be the least Ah could do, after all the things Twilight's done to help me out.” She stepped forward, standing beside Rainbow. “Oh! It could be like a party!” Pinkie Pie hopped forward, grinning ear to ear. “A 'Help Twilight Get Better So We Can Have A Real Party' Party!” She pulled a number of inflated balloons from her saddlebags, deftly tying them to the frame of the bed. “Indeed.” Rarity smiled at her friends. “With all of us be her side, Twilight is sure to have a speedy recovery!” She grimaced at the too-white décor of the room. “And perhaps we can, er, spruce this place up just a bit? All of this white is going to give me such a headache, and that lily is entirely inappropriate. Maybe some daisies instead? Anything with a dash of color to it would be a vast improvement.” “Um, I'll stay with her too,” said Fluttershy, walking back into the room. She faltered as she saw them all looking at her. “Sorry, I had to run out of the room for something completely unrelated to seeing Twilight hurt...” Her words trailed off. The others smiled as she moved to stand with them. Celestia beamed. “I'm thrilled to see that Twilight has made such wonderful friends. It is times like these, I've learned, that truly show who a pony is. Your decisions to stand by your friend no matter how dark things may seem is exactly what I had hoped for.” “Am I late to the party, Tia dearest?” Another voice echoed around the room for a moment. One of the balloons that Pinkie Pie had brought rotated, revealing an image in black ink on its surface. The stark black lines revealed a very familiar amalgamation of parts from various creatures. “So sorry, I had some business elsewhere. Terribly dull, won't bore you with the details.” The balloon popped, showering the room with confetti. Discord stood amidst the scraps of rubber, only a few inches tall. He hopped onto the bed frame, pacing along the narrow metal rail. “Oh my, this is even worse than I'd feared.” He said, all traces of glee gone from his voice. “I shall miss you, dear Twilight. You were a worthy adversary. My only regret is that I never got to know you, as a friend.” He scratched his chin. “And that I never filled the library with lime gelatin, but that's rather beside the point.” “Do you mean...” Luna asked, her voice faltering as she processed his words. “That she's doomed?” Discord asked. “Nah. Just messing with you. She's out cold though.” He rapped gently on the un-bandaged side of her head. “The lights are on, but nopony is home.” The spirit of chaos vanished in a flash of light. He reappeared, full size, standing between the princesses a moment later. He wore a set of pale green scrubs, with a name-tag on the shirt that read “Dr. Disco”. “Discord!” Fluttershy scolded, glaring at the draconequus. “I think you should really show some respect.” She paused. “Um, if you don't mind, that is.” “It is quite alright, Fluttershy,” said Celestia. “While he may have been reformed, we can hardly expect Discord's behavior to change completely. And besides, should you not appreciate your friends for who they are?” “Ah, Tia.” Discord grinned. “I had no idea I was growing on you so quickly.” He spun, clutching at his chest, and dropped onto his back. A white lily appeared clutched in his claws. The vase, now empty, rattled briefly. “Alas! My poor heart cannot stand your sudden affections! I am slain!” Celestia kicked him. Her gold-clad hoof struck his long torso, sending a ripple along his length. “There is a line, Discord. Mind that you do not cross it, or you actually will be slain.” Spike sat by the bedside, his eyes on Twilight and Twilight alone. He still couldn't believe that this could have happened to her. She was the closest he'd ever had to a real family. No, he thought, that wasn't right. She was his family, a mother and an older sister in one. He couldn't help but feel that he should have been able to prevent whatever had done this to her. “I'm sorry, Twilight.” He said, wiping his eyes with the edge of the sheet. “I'm sorry I was too late to stop this all from happening.” “Oh, you poor dear.” Rarity said, hugging the dragon. “I can't even imagine how hard this must be for you.” She released him, looking him in the eye. “If you'd like, you are more than welcome to stay at the Boutique with Sweetie Belle and I. Although I should warn you, my sister is having some kind of sleepover tonight. You may want to bring some earplugs. And a helmet.” “And if there's anything at all Ah can do fer ya,” Applejack chimed in, wrapping a hoof around Spike, “don't you ever hesitate to ask Sugarcube.” “The same goes for me!” Rainbow Dash said, throwing herself into the rapidly growing group hug. “I'm not the Element of Loyalty for nothing after all!” Fluttershy stepped forward and embraced her friends, “Me too.” She said. “And I think someone else would like to say something as well.” She looked back over her shoulder at a very conspicuous gap between the two princesses. “Discord.” She scolded, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Oh, fine.” The draconequus said, “But I am not going to hug anyone.” He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. “Oh come on Discord!” Pinkie Pie nearly shouted, wrapping her hooves tightly around the his neck. “You're just being a big old sourpuss.” “As much as I can appreciate the value of laughter, Pinkie Pie,” He gasped. “I cannot help but value oxygen just a tad more.” He reached up, grasped his head in both hands, and began to twist it. With a faint metallic rasping, it unscrewed. He slipped his neck out of Pinkie's grip and set his head back on the stump. A quick snap of his wrists set it spinning, screwing it back in. He smirked at Pinkie's confused expression and stuck out his tongue. “Top that, sister.” “As much as I would love to offer the six of you my support and assistance, I am afraid that Luna and I must return to Canterlot.” Celestia said. “Our royal duties, unfortunately, will not wait for Twilight's recovery. I know that you will all be here for her. Knowing that, my mind can be at ease.” “I, too, am pleased to see that Twilight Sparkle will be in such company during her stay here.” Luna added. She rose and began walking to the door. “Farewell, my friends.” Twilight Darkness, Twilight had decided, was extremely boring. So was pain. But while darkness could be ignored after a while, the pain was a constant presence. It waxed and waned, retreating almost entirely before returning in what seemed like greater force than before. Also unlike darkness, the pain came in several agonizing varieties. Each seemed to be on its own cycle, and the severity varied wildly. She stared out into the void, or maybe the inside of her eyelids. It was rather difficult to tell which. She had thought, for just an instant or an eternity, that she had felt something...else. That her interminable torment had been broken by something other than pain. A vague, far-off tingle of what may have been warmth. It was not a physical feeling, but rather something mental. Something emotional. She contemplated the sensation in a broken manner, turning her thoughts to it whenever the pain receded. After some length of time she came to a conclusion. The feeling, whatever it was, was some form of communication. There was absolutely no evidence to back up that decision, something that her scientific mind hated with a passion, but it seemed somehow right. It reminded her of when she had made the mistake of trying to analyze Pinkie Pie. At the thought of her friend, the sensation flared slightly. The feeling, whatever it was, was achingly familiar. Something vitally important, but she couldn't remember what. The uncertainty gnawed at her thoughts. She had been focusing, trying her best to remember through a mind clouded by pain, for some time when she became aware of something else. Something that frightened her almost as much as her isolation. She was moving. There were no landmarks in the void, nothing against which to match her progress. Only a vague sensation of moving, or being moved. As she moved, drifting through the endless darkness and silence, it seemed that the odd but familiar sensation she had been contemplating was fading. That warm tingle on the edge of her perception grew fainter and fainter as the void shifted imperceptibly around her. The fear and pain surged as the faint suggestion of warmth faded, but they did not come alone. There was something else, a deeper and much more worrying sensation. Vaguely similar to the tingling warmth that she still felt in a far-off way, but vastly different. Diametrically opposed, the polar opposite. It was a cold, she knew although the feeling was far too vague yet for any certainty. A biting chill that, when she truly experienced it, would bite deeper than bone. An icy dagger that would cut into her very soul. It grew slowly, as the infinite darkness moved slowly around her. She had the odd thought that the faint warmth was acting as some kind of tether, binding her where she was and keeping her from sinking any deeper into the darkness. Although she couldn't move, she focused all of her willpower on that tiny thread of sensation. She clung for all she was worth to it, refusing to let it fade from her mind, not wanting that growing chill to consume her. As frightened as she had been through the entire ordeal, as alone and hurt and confused, the thought of that cold deep in the void was infinitely worse. She was sure that if she allowed herself to slip into that place there could be no return. Her mind would never survive, nor would her heart. Two sensations, one growing and one fading, one warm and one cold, were all that she had left in this word of isolation and agony. Now, more than ever, Twilight Sparkle wanted to go home. She tried to remember how she had ended up in this place, but there was nothing. Her memories of the accident were a blur of darkness and madness. Trying to remember scared her almost as much as the void, but she had to. Her only chance of escape was to remember how she had gotten here, what had happened to put her in this state. There was simply no other option.