Grief: A Neverending Pain

by Jazz

4. Quick Silver (Chapter 3.)

Nightfall flew herself around the corner to her next class, stopping only to look at her hoof- it was bloody and mangled. Nightfall let out a slow moan as she heard hoofsteps coming from around the corner. She looked to her left and right, but it was too late. "Pr-principal C-cocoa..." she gasped, looking up at the tall mare in front of her.

"Young mare, why aren't you in class?" Principal Cocoa said in a fairly loud voice, making Nightfall tremble, and would have made Nightfall sit in fear if she were not sitting at the moment.

Nightfall began to draw her hoof to the back of her, but Principal Cocoa noticed this and snatched up Nightfall's hoof, eliciting a yelp from Nightfall. "Oww! My hoof!" she yelled.

"Nightfall, what happened? Your hoof looks like it was in a blender! Oh, come now. To Nurse Berry," Principal Cocoa said, changing her expression from mad to reassuring.

Nightfall could merely nod out and flap her right wing to smooth it out. Deep blue feathers scrawled across the marble floor. "W-who is t-that..?" Nightfall gasped, falling to the floor, her wings faltered in the sunlight through the stained glass window of the school name: Canterlot High.

"Nightfall! Perhaps she has amnesia as well! Nurse Berry! Come quickly," the scarred principal yelled across the halls, getting the nurse to stand up and carry Nightfall to her office. Within about three minutes, the ambulance that Nurse Berry had called showed up, and loaded Nightfall into the back of the ambulance. As the ambulance took off, Principal Cocoa and Nurse Berry went into conversation.

"This is strange... How could this have happened? Would a student do this? And if so, who, and why? These questions ponder me, Strawberry," Principal Cocoa stated, looking at the floor as if she were thinking hard.

"Well, we can bring her friends in and tell them. Hopefully nopony at the moment knows about the... erm... predicament. I'll go fetch them. What class are they in?" Nurse Berry said, trying to help.

"English," Principal Cocoa said.

"Ok, I'll go fetch them and bring them into my office. You stay here." And Nurse Berry took off to fetch the three girls. "Mr. Wave, may I borrow Sky Star, Peppermint, and Diamond Heart? Thank you. Excuse my interruption, pardon."

"Why, of course. I don't see why not. Go on, continue. Now, if I put a comma here..." he replied.

"Girls... Follow me," Nurse Berry said grimly.

The three girls looked at each other and followed Nurse Berry. "What does she want?" Sky Star asked in a whisper.

"I don't know. Why us though? We're nothing special," Diamond Heart replied, just as curious as the other two mares.

"M-maybe it's about Nightfall..." Peppermint squeaked. "I don't see Nightfall."

"Pshh! Who needs that bitch? She's just a slut," Diamond Heart said, hoof bumping Sky Star.

"You mean, you aren't friends anymore?!" Peppermint said, surprised and shocked- a bit in the wrong way.

"Tartarus, no. But your still our friend. Dee Dee, honestly. Please," Sky Star said.

"Oh, yes! Peppermint, you have a choice- Us, or... her..." Diamond Heart said.

"So," Sky Star said. "What's it going to be?"

Peppermint looked as if she were to explode. "I-I don't know... I mean... She's not a bitch or a slut. We should all be friends again. remember the pool party?" Peppermint tried her best. "We should just-"

"As I thought," Sky Star said, turning to Diamond Heart.

"Slut," she replied as Sky Star turned to her.

The group entered the office and stepped into the nurse's room. Principal Cocoa looked as if she were even more puzzled then ever. "Now girls..."

"Now girls what? We can handle it. So... What's this all about?" Sky Star said.
"So, what's this about? I mean, we were in the middle of English class. Why us three?" Sky Star asked.
"Your friend Nightfall... was, well... She is not good. I found her bloody and bruised in the hallway. You girls may leave school if you so choose. I am sorry to have to inform you this," Nurse Berry said, sadly.
Suddenly, Sky Star had an idea. She began to look so shocked. "WHAT? N-NO! THIS IS A MISTAKE! It's not, is it.... Can I just go home and drink some coffee? I need to go mope in my room," she said.
"You are excused from school for the day, Sky Star. I'll give you tomorrow off as well if you need it. Anypony else?" Principal Cocoa informed the others grimly.
Peppermint was in tears, but barely raised her hoof. She said nothing, and walked out. Peppermint didn't look as sad as Sky Star- manely because she was really hurt. Peppermint however looked as if it were all a big mistake. A cruel joke. A prank. Not real. She looked... weak. Peppermint never looked weak. She was always an optimist. Always seeing the rainbow. Always looking forward to the future. Even in the dark, she saw the light. Even imprisoned, she was free. Even evil, she was nice.
"Diamond Heart?" Nurse Berry said. Diamond looked sick. She looked as if she was just stabbed in the heart. Nothing but sadness filled her soul. Diamond Heart remembered the note. She wondered if Nightfall attempted suicide. Diamond Heart looked up at Nurse Berry. Her sweet eyes. Her pink coat that matched her red mane and green eyes. She was a strawberry. "I'm sorry for this, but do you want to go home?"
What could Diamond Heart do? Simply nod. That's all. No more, no less. It. And all. She knew deep down that the note was a lie. She had to tell Nightfall the truth. She didn't want to write the note. She was blackmailed. Sorrow filled her soul as she just remembered what happened a few days ago.
"Please, I don't want to... She's my best friend!" Diamond Heart screamed.
"Alright boys. Good thing your already chained there. It would be hard to get you there now that your all stressed out," a stallion laughed with three other stallions behind him.
The stallions inched closer to Diamond Heart passionately. "No, please!"
"Alright, you have a choice: Write that letter and hang out with us, which is a win-win. Or, you can be friends with Nightfall or whatever, and get yourself in a sticky situation. Which is one win and a one lose. Which would leave you with..." The head stallion said, as the three other said in unison: "Nothing!"
Diamond Heart begged and pleaded for another way. "Why me? Why Nightfall?"
"Because we can. And, because Nightfall is a greedy bitch," one of the back stallions said.
"Why would you even want to hang out with her? Just tell everybody the truth- she's a slut who deserves to die. We already have a beautiful mare on our side. Would you make that two? Please?" he asked as he stroked her mane.
"Sh-she's none of those things! And get your grubby hooves off me."
"I don't have to."
"Now, go on. Get to writing. No? Fellas... you know what," the head stallion said as he watched Diamond Heart struggle to free herself. But nothing happened except pain, and stallions. "Wait! One last chance. Still a virgin?" Diamond Heart gave a frightful nod. "Still wanna be a virgin?" Another nod from Diamond Heart. "Would you rather be a virgin or a friend?" Diamond heart had little to no choice. Her virginity and future was on the line. Sure she would have a low chance of having a foal, but there was still a chance. And she was only a Senior in High School, she couldn't afford a foal. She sighed and wrote the note.
Diamond Heart resisted the urge to cry. She ran out of the office and dashed home. Tears burned her eyes. But she didn't cry. She hadn't cried since the stallions. And before that, she hadn't cried since she was just a foal. Suddenly, she knew it. She saw the stallions surrounding her. Shaking her head, she continued to run. And she ran fast.