//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: No Sweeter Salvation // by Proper Noun //------------------------------// Things hadn't quite gone to plan. I'd intended to throw Silver Spoon through a wall for daring to attack me, but instead, the wave of my hoof had brought somepony who told her to stay out of other ponies' rooms - and that it was time for breakfast. She'd given me a killing glare before leaving. The pony who took her away for me said he was surprised to see me awake - why was everypony treating that as unusual? - and that the doctor would be by to see me shortly. Then he left, too. That was okay, I supposed. Waking up was really slow, so much that it reminded me of - so slow that I needed more time. The room was brightening again, but my eyes had adjusted. I looked around, and wow, everything was white. The walls, floor and ceiling; my bed, and its empty twin off to the side; the shafts of light pouring into the room, divided by the bars outside the window. Even the mare entering the room was white. "Good morning, Sweetie Belle," the earth pony said, adjusting glasses that magnified her purple eyes comically. Impossibly, she was another pony I didn't recognize. Where were they all coming from? They couldn't all be Princess Luna, could they? Or maybe that was why only one unfamiliar pony at a time was showing up-- "I've been waiting for so long." Her mane was purple. In an instant, it straightened from gentle puffs to an elegant curl, and her brilliant blue eyes flashed at me. It was her. I screamed, diving off the bed in desperation to have anything between us. Somehow, she had gotten in again. She took a few steps towards me. "Why, whatever is the matter, Sweetie?" "Stay away from me! I'm not thirsty!" An indescribable white-and-purple mass descended over me, and I screamed again, kicking and flailing at its smothering embrace. "I'm not thirsty! Don't hurt me!" "Oh, Sweetie, you know I would never hurt you!" the mass roared in my ears. I screamed and fought, but only became more tangled. "Nopony will ever hurt you again!" There was a pinch in the side of my neck, and a weight holding me down. Everything was shimmering pale blue, and my legs became harder to lift, until finally, I stopped moving. That was it, then. I was going to-- "I think she's calmed," an unfamiliar voice said. The weight and the blue shimmer disappeared, and the white peeled away to reveal a gray pegasus mare and a pink unicorn stallion looking down at me with concern. The latter spoke to me again. "Are you feeling any better?" "Where did she go?" I glanced around a bit slowly, but she was nowhere in sight. The pegasus did look vaguely familiar, though... wait. "Are you Princess Luna?" "No," they said together, after trading curious glances. The mare continued, "Should I be?" "No - I mean, yes, but..." I was starting to feel a bit groggy, and shook my head. What had it been? I started to kick the rest of the white off me, and it turned out to be a sheet. I could feel my face start to warm up in embarrassment. "...sorry." "Quite alright. Are you feeling any better?" the unicorn asked. He offered me a hoof to get up by, and I took it, though once standing I immediately felt dizzy and spread my hooves for better balance. "I'm Doctor Rose, by the way. This is our intern, Miss Dusty Scrolls." "Nurse Dusty Scrolls," she corrected. The unicorn rolled his eyes. "Please, let's have that discussion in private." The pegasus snorted. "Now, Sweetie Belle, I think it would be a good idea to get some solid food. You've been asleep for quite some time." I nodded, prompting another wave of dizziness, and walked carefully after Doctor Rose. The pegasus nurse excused herself as we progressed slowly through a hallway. We passed one identical door after another on the right, and blank wall space on the left. She didn't show her face again, so only thing that changed as we walked was the numbered plaque next to each room. It had been counting down from 34 at mine, and the dizziness was gradually getting better as we went. Rose stopped me, however, as we passed a counter. "This is the pharmacy. If you need any medicine, you'll be able to pick it up at this counter. And over there is the emergency exit, which will open if there's a fire, or anything else dangerous happens." I glanced towards the door he indicated. It actually said Fire Exit across it in big, red letters. We started walking again, approaching the opposite end of the hallway from my room. "Here's the group therapy room, and right over there is the cafeteria. Breakfast just started, and your plate should be along in a few minutes. Why don't you have a seat with that Silver filly while you wait? She's been very concerned for your recovery, and I'm sure she'd love to know you're up." "But she--" When I turned to protest to him, Doctor Rose was gone. I shrugged. Ponies did have a tendency to come and go. Looking out over the cafeteria, I saw a lot of foals and not many open spaces. I could sit next to some temporarily-greenish colt who was vomiting after trying to drink an egg yolk through his nose with a straw, or Silver Spoon, alone at a small table in the corner. I wasn't surprised nopony would sit next to her; she was never very nice to anypony but Diamond Tiara. That wasn't the only thing that struck me as off about her, but oh, well. If she was mean to me, I could just get her taken away again. I went ahead and crossed through the room's general din to sit with her. "About time you got up. What are you, like, some kind of bum?" I rolled my eyes as I took a seat. The filly wasn't wasting any time when it came to being mean, but I'd had a lot of time to rehearse for her usual antics. "What's the matter, Silver Spoon? Are you upset that you have to sit alone, because you've been so mean to everypony that even Diamond Tiara won't put up - ngh!" Under the table, she managed to kick me straight in the belly. Her expression remained dull, almost uninterested, as I gasped for breath. This was very new. Since when did Silver Spoon actually hit ponies?! "You don't deserve to talk about her," she said matter-of-factly, before taking a nibble at her toast. I groaned, protecting my middle with a foreleg. She reached across the table and gave me a condescending pat on the head. "You--" "Here, Sweetie Belle!" Doctor Rose said cheerily. He set a covered plate down in front of me. "It's nice to see you two catching up. Maybe you can even help each other!" I turned to respond, but he was already halfway to the door, and I sighed, taking the cover off my plate to see what I'd been given. It looked like breakfast would be buttered toast and a scrambled egg or two. That, a small cup of apple juice, and a fork stared back at me. "A-hem." My attention was drawn back to the bully on the other side of the table. I glared at her, and she rolled her eyes. That was the other thing off about her: her face looked very different without glasses. "Well?" "Well, what?" I reached out to grab my fork telekinetically, and... nothing happened. Nearly crossing my eyes, I looked up to the tip of my horn, just visible in the upper edges of my vision. It was covered in some kind of black sleeve, and I poked at it with a hoof. The texture was that of some sort of cloth, but it was at the same time cool, metallic, and form-hugging. "Stupid blank-flank. Don't you know what a horn clamp is? It means you aren't allowed to use magic, and I can see why. You're so clumsy, you might hurt yourself." She snickered, but I ignored her for a moment, following the sleeve to the base of my horn. It seemed to be attached to some heavier metal ring, along which I could feel two little bumps on opposite sides. I shrugged, and turned my focus back to my breakfast. Unlike an older unicorn, I was still used to using silverware with my hooves from time to time, and that's precisely what I did. I was rewarded with another kick, though it struck the leg I had been protecting myself with. "Ow! Knock it off, Silver Spoon! What's wrong with you?!" "Diamond Tiara. Don't you ever think of what happened to her?" "I try not to." I took a bite of egg, and Silver Spoon kicked me again. I shot her another glare. I was being as tolerant as I could, but I was half a step away from banishing her to the moon again. "I said, stop!" "Ugh, talking with your mouth full! You're such an uncultured little filly." She rolled her eyes, seeming ignorant of the peril she was in. But she was right, even though I didn't want to admit it: I had been raised better than that. "Chew, swallow, and listen, okay? If you can behave like a proper filly for like, five minutes, I'll tell you what's wrong." "Fine," I grumbled, after swallowing. It wasn't that hard to sit and eat properly, and while I usually tried not to think about it, I had gotten kind of curious. Without Diamond Tiara to hide behind, Silver Spoon rarely - if ever - risked the odds of somepony fighting back against her meanness. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Silver Spoon stepped inside the Carousel Boutique, the bell over the door jingling as usual. Diamond Tiara had been missing all week, and when they last talked, Diamond had said her daddy was sending her to get a dress made. When the weekend came with no sign of the pink filly, Silver had set out to ask if anypony saw where she went - but the place seemed empty. Somepony really needed to learn to lock the doors... well, if nopony was home to ask, she could still take a quick look around for clues. It wasn't long before there was only one place left to check - a door, just barely ajar, that led into darkness and seemed to radiate a sense of foreboding. She steeled herself, carefully pushed the door open, and stepped forward as quietly as she could, urged to silence by instinct. Fumbling in the dim stairwell, Silver Spoon carefully made her way down to the near-blackness at the bottom and paused to get her bearings. The sole point of light in the basement's gloom, a tiny gemstone lamp, illuminated a shock of light purple mane and the vague outline of a young pony standing by the far wall. "Diamond Tiara?" There was no reply. Silver gathered her nerves and advanced carefully across the floor, barely keeping her balance as she tripped over the indistinct forms of tools and containers. Finally, she took the lamp down from its hook and held it up to the other filly. "Oh, it's you." Her voice dripped disdain as the light revealed the face of Tattle Telle. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ "Hey!" "Whatever. Do you want to know what happened or not?" I gave her the most dignified huff I could, along with a reluctant nod. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ "Why are you hiding down here? I've been looking for Diamond Tiara all afternoon!" No response. The filly didn't even move. Silver rolled her eyes and turned away. "Whatever. I don't have time for--" Her jaw dropped, leaving her sentence unfinished. Moving the lamp again had revealed another young pony lurking in the darkness. The white-streaked purple mane, the familiar ornament mounted on her head, and the raw, twisted expression of horror frozen into sparkling pink features told her more than she needed to know. The police found three frozen fillies in the basement: Diamond Tiara, Tattle Telle, and Snitchaloo. Silver Spoon didn't keep track of the other two; Diamond was her only friend. She refused to leave the pink filly's side as Mr. Rich, still grinning after the order for Rarity's arrest, had Diamond Tiara sent to the best and most expensive hospital in Equestria, Canterlot's Center for Medicomagical Solutions and Rehabilitation. Silver lived by the side of the bed her friend had been laid awkwardly sideways on, eating, sleeping, and doing homework within the confines of a tiny, sterilized white room. There were visitors, at first. Ponies kept coming by to leave flowers and cards, both from Diamond's family and her own. A few ponies she didn't recognize came around as well, probably to curry favor with the Riches. After the first week, though, almost nopony visited but nurses. Occasionally, a doctor would stop in as well, testing spells that would invariably fail. Sometimes, Mr. Rich would come to visit his daughter, but he would do paperwork the whole time. By the end of the month, the flowers had withered and been discarded, and Silver Spoon was the only pony who stayed. Nopony else really cared, or did more than bring her food and homework. Weeks went by like this, though the gray filly didn't bother to keep track of time. Over and over, hospital staff would urge her to go home and get some real rest, but she refused, and they couldn't make her leave after Diamond's daddy said she could stay as long as she wanted. Silver Spoon was there for the last treatment. Four unicorns filed in together, all in hospital scrubs, and she took a well-practiced step out of the way to let them work. All of them took up positions and surrounded the bed, though with enough space between them for her to see her frozen friend clearly. After a few customary readiness and procedural notes were taken, the four doctors bowed their heads together in concentration. Magic glowed around the horn of each, before lancing out towards the other three and a central point. The colored beams blended together, forming a purplish-pink pyramid over the bed and around the gemstone filly. A brilliant magenta flash forced Silver to cover her eyes and turn away, but she wasn't quick enough to avoid being momentarily blinded. Over the groans of the doctors, though, she finally heard the cries of a voice that had become too precious for words. "Daddy, Celestia, help me! Daddy, Celestia, help me! Daddy, Celestia, help me! Daddy, Celestia..." Silver Spoon sprang from her chair, squealing in delight. She hopped onto one of the unicorns' backs, and from there to the bed, dragging her friend into a tight hug. "Ohmygosh Diamond Tiara ohmygosh you're okay!" In that moment, the entire world was her and her Diamond. It was like every hope and dream she'd ever had since that horrible day, all coming true at once. She knew she was crying, but she was also too happy to care. "... Silver Spoon?" She pulled her head back from the pink filly's shoulders. "Yes?" "You're messing up my mane." She hadn't changed a bit. Silver buried her face in the familiar purple mane, darkening it with wet streaks. Then she started to moan, and squirmed in obvious pain. "Ugh... I... I feel awful." "But it's okay now! You're all fixed and--" The gray filly cut herself off with a shriek. Diamond's' face was withering before her, her eyes becoming sunken in their sockets. Patches of pink fur started to fall away, revealing blanched skin stretched tight - cracked, and oozing blood in some places - over the bones and shrunken, puny muscles. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ "Oh Celestia! Stop! I don't want to hear any more!" My insides tightened uncomfortably, but my command was met with a smile that was at once tearful and malicious. "The doctors couldn't separate us, you know? She clung to me as she died..." ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ "Miss Spoon, Miss Tiara, please let go of each other! We need space to work, here!" one of the doctors pleaded. Another took charge of the situation, issuing orders as he tore into the cabinets of medical tools. "The spell overcorrected; she's starved and dehydrated! I need a heart monitor five minutes ago! Doctor Rose, get Doctor Asclepius in here immediately! We need nutritive and blood plasma infusions now! You, give Diamond Tiara your strongest painkiller!" Instantly, the room was abuzz with activity and magical auras. Soft pink surrounded Diamond's head and neck, and after a couple of seconds, she was able to lay her head back and give the other filly a soft, sad smile - though she winced when the effort tore open her cheeks. Her smile spread into a ghastly, bloody grin that stretched literally from ear to ear, and only a crumbling, bleeding pink hoof over Silver's mouth stopped the filly from screaming. "Hey, Silver Spoon..." Diamond croaked. Silver whimpered as she let the nearly-skeletal filly pull her down into another embrace, though the exposed, meatless bones pressing into her coat made her shudder. "I'm going to die now, aren't I." It wasn't a question, but the response was still a tear-drenched, trembling nod. Diamond looked away. "I don't want to... to go like this," she whimpered, as the horrible stink of decay began to fill the room. It was like the one time a wealthy gryphon had visited the Rich family while Silver Spoon was over, and the family had served him meat-based dishes of unknown origin at dinner. As if that hadn't smelled horrible enough, he had quickly dismissed himself to the bathroom during whatever political discussion kept everypony at the table. The reeking stink of meat-based diarrhea had wafted through the room, growing in strength and stench, until the fillies started gagging and choking on it and fled the mansion. Even so, Silver still would have preferred it to the smothering, deathly odor enveloping her then. "Remember me, okay? Not like--" Diamond coughed, spattering Silver's face with blood and something even more putrid. "Not like Daddy. Remember me." Even as Diamond Tiara's flesh started to disintegrate into little chunks of meat, and her eyes dried to the size of raisins, she added her final word. She said, in earnest for the first time: "Please." ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ I shoved my plate away and ran as nausea started to overtake me. I caught Silver Spoon's smirk out of the corner of my eye, but that was a lot less important than finding a toilet. Somepony yelled at me to slow down, but I didn't have a choice. The hallway was starting to spin around me, walls and doors approaching at weird angles - The floor hit me in the face. I stumbled, trying to right myself, and hit a wall, then my muzzle met the floor again. When I yelped in pain, vomit spewed out in place of a cry. Darkness settled around my eyes, and I was glad to pass out.