El sueño de la razón
Diamond Tiara tossed and turned in her bed. She opened her bloodshot eyes only to clench them shut when the light of the Moon jarred them mercilessly.
Blinking and cursing under her breath, she got out of bed and closed the curtain. She looked around her room. Everything was perfectly in place; it was probably the cleanest since she’d remembered it. Since her insomnia had started, she’d tried everything to fight it. Cleaning the room was one of the first things she did after she gave up all the hope that she’d ever sleep again.
It didn’t end with that, though. She’d spent quite a few nights looking for the right way to put all of her stuff in place. She’d sorted all of her toys by size; then she’d put all of the books on the shelves in an alphabetical order. Last night she’d rummaged through her closet, sorting all of the dresses in it by their age. It was a boring and tiring task, but unfortunately it didn’t make her fall asleep.
Diamond Tiara sighed and moved one of the boxes an inch closer to the wall. Then she slowly trotted back to her bed. She lay back in it, staring at the ceiling.
She knew how much her father was worried about her. After the doctors from Ponyville found nothing about her condition, Filthy Rich began to write letters to the best neurologists from Manehattan, Fillydelphia and Canterlot, but they also couldn’t find an answer. During the last month, she’d tried probably all the kinds of sleeping pills and potions equestrian pharmacies had in stock. Still, nothing changed. She couldn’t fall asleep for even a minute.
Diamond Tiara groaned, banging her hoof against the mattress. She wanted to sleep. She was exhausted; she could barely focus on anything at school. During the lessons, she was usually nodding off, yet still being painfully awake. Her marks deteriorated, even though Filthy Rich had talked with Cheerilee about her problems.
An image of Silver Spoon appeared in Diamond Tiara’s mind. Apart from her father, she was probably the only pony in the world who cared about her. Every time they met, she was asking Diamond if she’d managed to catch some z’s. After hearing Diamond’s “no”, she was always making the same worried expression and saying some reassuring words. Sometimes she was hugging Diamond. Sometimes she mentioned some book about insomnia she’d read.
Even though she was tired, Diamond Tiara smiled. Good, old Silver Spoon. She’d do anything for her. Diamond Tiara knew that Silver Spoon spent many hours looking for a remedy for her insomnia. It wasn’t much use – even though Silver Spoon was one of the brainiest ponies Diamond knew, she could barely understand the scientific language of the books she’d found. Yet, she was trying anyway.
Diamond Tiara trotted to the window again. This time she opened it, facing the moonlight. She took a few deep breaths; the chilling air woke her up even more, but she didn’t care about that anymore. She smelled the freshly mowed grass and a faint trace of smoke from a distant bonfire. Her ears were assaulted by chirping of the crickets. She shuddered when a stray moth brushed her mane. She looked around and saw it landing on the wall of her room.
For a while, Diamond Tiara was looking at the moth, but it didn’t move so Diamond turned back to the window. Suddenly, she got an idea. She climbed on the windowsill and sat on it. Then she jumped on the soft grass on the other side.
She shivered when her hooves got wet from the dew. She stretched her limbs and cracked her back. Then she walked through the large garden surrounding her house.
For the first time since Diamond’s insomnia started, she actually felt happy because of it. The garden was beautiful at night. The smell of evening stock and potato vine filled her nostrils, almost hypnotizing her. The light breeze was moving the leaves gently. Diamond trotted down the path and soon disappeared in the shadows of the bushes and trees.
She went to the hedge and began to walk alongside it. She remembered that there was a small hole in it she once used to sneak out of the garden when playing hide-and-seek with Silver Spoon. Poor Silver spent almost an hour trying to find her, which actually made Diamond feel bad for her. Later, she invited her for a milkshake, but even then things were a bit bad between them for a couple of days.
Well, Silver Spoon could never hold a grudge against somepony for long. Quiet, nerdy and a bit self-conscious about her glasses, Silver Spoon was the last pony one would expect Diamond Tiara to befriend. Crawling through a hole in the hedge, Diamond smiled, remembering how they’d met for the first time. It was a long time ago, when her mother was still alive. She was friends with Silver’s parents so the two often played together as little foals when the adults were talking.
Everything changed when Diamond’s mother died, and Silver Spoon’s parents moved to Vanhoover. Filthy Rich had no time for visits, so they grew apart till three years ago Silver Spoon came back to Ponyville with her mother and they met again in school. Diamond shuddered. It wasn’t caused by the cold night but rather by the memory of Silver crying, her broken glasses lying in front of her. Diamond remembered how she stood between her and the bullies.
She chuckled. Who’d think back then that Silver would also become a bully? Sometimes life could be pretty ironic.
Just like now. Diamond Tiara had everything she wanted and yet a stupid lack of sleep was almost driving her insane. Her father was spending a fortune for doctors and they still couldn’t determine the cause. Even though Diamond Tiara didn’t believe in karma or similar forces, she even tried to be nice to all the blank flanks around. It didn’t help either.
The street lamps were casting eerie shadows on the empty alley. Diamond Tiara took out a few branches that tangled in her mane when she was crawling through the hole in the hedge and trotted down the pavement. The houses were dark, only occasionally she could see a faint light in one of the windows. She tried to walk silently, but it felt like her every step could be heard in the whole town.
She walked into the market. Devoid of ponies, littered with empty stands and garbage, it looked oddly unsettling. Diamond Tiara felt a chill running down her spine. She creeped through it, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Suddenly, she saw a silhouette of a pony behind one of the stands. She froze, trying to make herself as small as possible. The pony, however, didn’t move. Against the common sense, Diamond Tiara approached the stand curiously. A wave of stench overwhelmed her. She backed away, coughing.
From the safe distance, she took a second glance and recognized the pony as Vinyl Scratch. She was reeking of alcohol and something Diamond Tiara definitely didn’t want to smell. The DJ, large sunglasses obscuring her eyes, was snoring, resting herself against the stand.
Lucky you… Diamond Tiara thought. She started to wonder if getting drunk would help her fall asleep, but after taking another look at Vinyl, she scratched that idea. She didn’t want anypony to see her like that. Besides, nopony would sell alcohol to a nine-year-old.
Diamond Tiara shrugged and went past the market. For a brief moment she thought that she should find somepony to help Vinyl get to her house, but then she thought that she’d have a hard time explaining to her father what she was doing in the market in the middle of the night.
Walking next to Sugarcube Corner, she remembered the gossip she heard about Vinyl. According to Silver Spoon who’d heard it from Ruby Pinch who’d heard her mother discussing it with Mrs. Cake, Vinyl was abducting and torturing foals to use their screams in her songs. Diamond Tiara thought that it was stupid: no foal ever disappeared in Ponyville, so it was either not true, or Vinyl was just very bad in abducting. Still, Diamond Tiara didn’t want to be next to her when she awoke.
Finally, she left Ponyville and began to wander through the outskirts. Cold breeze ruffled her mane. It smelled a bit of smoke; Diamond Tiara faintly remembered Pipsqueak, Featherweight and Rumble talking about going camping during the weekend.
She trotted through the grass, scaring the grasshoppers away. The only source of light was now the Moon and a couple of fireflies floating above Diamond’s head. She looked up and saw the myriads of stars on the sky. She sat on the ground, watching them carefully. Her breath, quickened after the walk, steadied a bit.
She was looking at the stars without blinking till her eyes watered and the white points on the sky changed into blurry smears. She was inhaling the cold air slowly, savouring its smell and taste. Her eyes slowly started to close…
“Diamond Tiara? What are you doing here?” she heard a voice next to her.
She looked around, blinking, and saw a small, white and brown colt in front of her.
“Hi, Pipsqueak,” she replied, blushing. “I’m… umm… stargazing.” She gave him a look suggesting “don’t even try to tell anypony about that”.
“Stargazing? Cool,” Pipsqueak replied.
Suddenly, a strange feeling overwhelmed Diamond Tiara. A sharp pain in the back of the head almost made her pass out. She leaned forward, feeling that her stomach started to twist and turn. Her vision blurred, her ears suddenly got assaulted with a loud, high-pitched noise.
“Are you okay?” Pipsqueak asked. “Diamond?”
“Yes…” Diamond Tiara panted. “I’m… okay…”
“You don’t look like…” Pipsqueak said. Even in the dim light of the Moon he could clearly see how pale Diamond’s face suddenly became. In fact, he remembered that every time he saw her at school, she looked utterly exhausted. Not that he looked at her often.
Diamond Tiara shuddered. Only a whimper escaped her lips.
“I’ll walk you home…” Pipsqueak offered. He wrapped Diamond’s hoof around his neck and began to walk towards Ponyville with her.
“You don’t have to…” Diamond Tiara groaned. She still could barely see anything. Suddenly, she remembered what one of the doctors had told her about brain tumours. The tomography didn’t reveal any, but she still felt that it could be it. “Stay with your friends…”
“Don’t worry, they’ll wait for me,” Pipsqueak smiled at her.
They walked together for some time – Diamond couldn’t recall how long – when the headache died a bit.
“I can walk on my own,” Diamond said. She slipped from Pipsqueak’s grasp and took a couple of shaky steps.
“Are you sure?” the colt asked. “I’d better walk you home and make sure you don’t collapse somewhere…”
At first Diamond wanted to refuse, but then she thought about Vinyl Scratch sleeping at the market. She definitely didn’t want to join her.
They walked through the meadow. Diamond could see the Sweet Apple Acres in the distance and a wall of the Everfree forest not far away from them. She still felt the world spinning around her; the edges of her vision were a bit blurred. Pipsqueak was trotting by her side, occasionally giving her worried looks.
“You know…” he said. “I… If you ever…” He looked at the ground underneath his hooves.
“If I ever what?” Diamond Tiara asked. She looked at Pipsqueak, but all she could see was a white and brown blur. She blinked several times, but it didn’t help.
“Well…” Pipsqueak said. “I was recently… thinking… And I think that… Diamond Tiara, what are you doing?!”
What am I doing? Diamond Tiara thought. She looked around, but she couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t feel her own hooves. She heard ringing in her ears, along with some muffled screams and rhythmic knocking.
What am I doing? Pipsqueak? Where are you?
She wanted to scream or run away, but her body didn’t listen to her. Some distorted pictures started to flash before her eyes, like frames from an old movie. Was that Pipsqueak? Or maybe it was Silver Spoon? Diamond couldn’t tell. She was trying to sink in her own mind; find some safe place where she would wait to regain control over her body.
A sudden jolt of sharp pain in her hooves jerked her awake. She still couldn’t see anything, but at least the sensation was back. She groaned and did the only thing that felt reasonable to her: she darted forward blindly, leaving the meadow and Pipsqueak behind.
Her vision was slowly coming back, but despite that she tripped several times. She didn’t waste time to look back, instead getting up and continuing to run blindly. Blood was rushing through her veins; her muscles, not used to such exertion, were almost screaming in protest. She reached the town, stopped and leant against the wall of a nearby building, panting and spitting on the pavement.
Her vision and hearing were back. Her muscles were spasming, her knees were aching in places where she’d grazed them. She looked around; Pipsqueak was nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps he got tired of chasing me… Diamond Tiara thought. He probably thinks I’m crazy…
She sighed and trotted down the street. The street lamps were now turned off, but it was now slightly lighter than before. Finally, Diamond got to her house and crawled through the hole in the hedge. Then she rushed through the garden, hoping that the gardener hadn’t woken up yet.
She sighed with relief, seeing that the window of her room was still open, just like she’d left it. She climbed on the windowsill and closed it.
Walking past the mirror, she noticed her reflection. Her mane was dishevelled; branches and blades of grass were tangled into it. Her coat was also dirty, pink fur covered in patches of mud and blood from small cuts and grazes she’d acquired while running blindly through Ponyville’s outskirts. Her eyes were bloodshot, there was also a black and red smear on her face.
Diamond shook her head, seeing herself in such a state. She trotted to the door, sneaked out of her room and headed to the bathroom. Fortunately, both her father and the servants were still asleep.
She took a shower, carefully getting rid of every spot or smear on her pristine pink coat. Then she washed her mane, paying attention to every single hair. She had to look perfect. She just couldn’t let anypony see her dirty or exhausted. She stepped out of the shower and wiped herself with the fluffy white towels. When she was dry, she stood in front of the mirror and combed her mane and tail, making sure that no loose hair escaped her brush.
Diamond Tiara was about to leave the bathroom when she noticed the shower base, now full of mud and hair. She gasped upon that view. Of course, she could leave it to the servants, but even if it stayed that way for a few more minutes, it’d bug her for at least a couple of days.
Reluctantly, she took the shower head and rinsed the base till there was not a single spot on the white surface. Then she took a mop and wiped the floor. Before leaving the bathroom, she also put all the bottles and packages on the shelves in order from the biggest to the smallest one. She knew how stupid it was, but she just couldn’t leave it like that; it was helping her to calm down and forget about the events of the night.
Did it really happen? she thought. Maybe I just fell asleep and had a dream about meeting Pipsqueak? She still felt the weariness, so it was unlikely that she slept.
She left the bathroom and almost immediately ran into her father.
“Hello,” Filthy Rich said. “Did you sleep?”
“Did you sleep?”. Not “how did you sleep?” or “did you sleep well?”, Diamond Tiara noticed. She looked at her father. He had bags under his eyes and his mane was in a mess. He was giving her a concerned look.
“I’m not sure,” Diamond Tiara replied. “I think I fell asleep for a while in the morning… I even had a dream…” Suddenly, something clicked in her head. If it was a dream, then where did the mud and grazes come from?
“Good.” Filthy Rich smiled half-heartedly. Diamond Tiara noticed that his hair started to slowly go grey and started to wonder if it was because of her. “I’m going to talk to that doctor from Trottingham today. He’ll probably be able to see you next weekend.”
“Great…” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “Another shrink…”
“He’s a neurologist, not a psychiatrist. And he specializes in insomnia…”
“Okay…” Diamond Tiara sighed. “I’m gonna eat something… I guess school starts soon…”
“Diamond…” Filthy Rich gave her a worried look. “It’s Sunday…”
“Oh… I think I’ll visit Silver Spoon then…” she muttered and trotted to the dining room.
They ate breakfast in awkward silence. Diamond Tiara gave up any attempts to talk with her father long ago. Sooner or later, they’d start to talk about her condition. Then Filthy Rich would start to give her worried looks again, whispering to her as if she was dying. If she had to choose, she’d prefer to leave it as it was.
After she was finished, she trotted out of the house and headed to Silver Spoon’s house. Ponyville was slowly waking up; a couple of ponies greeted her as she was walking down the street. Vinyl Scratch, visibly green on her face, was sitting on a balcony of her house, yawning.
When she reached the city centre, she saw a couple of foals. Something was strange about them; instead of playing, they were gathered together in a small group, discussing something. She looked at them but Pipsqueak wasn’t among them. Instead, she spotted Featherweight. She couldn’t see his face, though – Scootaloo was hugging him.
“What the…” she muttered. She looked around and saw Silver Spoon sitting alone on a bench. She rushed to her.
“Hi Silver, what… what happened?!” Diamond exclaimed, seeing that her friend’s eyes were red and swollen. Her mane was almost begging for a proper braiding. Tears were flowing down her face. When Diamond sat next to her, she only sobbed and embraced her, weeping in her coat.
“What’s going on?” Diamond asked. “Did they hurt you?”
“No…” Silver Spoon replied, shivering. “It’s Pipsqueak… Someone killed him…”
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'Reads description.'
...
Sorry, I can't help that.
'Reads chapter.'
Yeah, the music I posted is extremely fitting. Great job, can't wait to see more.
Aww yeah, here we go!
Oh goodness, it's the Hinamizawa Syndrome!
This reminds me of my novel I'm writing, oddly. Not just that, but a novel I read in 8th grade. Its promising, I want to see more.
4609149
Hmm, sounds quite similar...
4609164
Maybe great minds think alike...
Thanks
(Sung to the tune of "Hush Little Baby".)
"Hush Little Diamond"
Hush little Diamond, don't you cry.
You have found a way to close your eyes.
A good night's sleep is what you lack.
Your sanity has begun to crack.
You've taken drastic measures...
And will soon succumb to dark pleasures.
Last night was not a real dream...
You truly did hear Pipsqueak scream.
The blood turned your pink fur to red.
But there's still no need for you to dread.
For you'll need to sleep again soon.
And another foal shall scream under the moon.
So hush, little Diamond and you will see.
All of these Blank Flanks need...
To...
...Bleed...
4609664 You, sir, win the internet.
4610213
It kinda works that way – now it's an early stage...
4609664
th04.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2013/333/d/3/pinkamena_seal_of_approval_by_invader_guy-d6w38pc.png
Can't wait for the next chapter
This is amazing!
Just the kind of fic I love!
4611376
Thanks
DIAMOND, YOU KILLED PIPSQUEAK! I loved this story, it might go into my favorite pile, that would make it number five
i bet it was diamond in her crazy state
First chapter, first victim.
RIP PIpsqueak.
Well then... first chapter of the story and a foal died in what was most likely a very brutal fasion.
...
Whelp, time to read the rest
well
that escalated quick
NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU PIPSQUEAK NEVER GOT TO TELL DIAMONDHE LOVED HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
4609664
And the first victim is Pipsqueak.
Oh, this seems like a very interesting idea. Well made, too.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
11590915
The avatar checks out...