A Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 2 ‘Somepony to watch over him’

A Diamond Tiara in the Vogonverse story

The sounds of coughing erupted in the small home Diamond shred with Fredrick. She looked up at the sound and followed it to where he was lying. He had surrendered most of the blankets earlier on, and he only had a small sheet on him. She touched his forehead and felt a burning hot fever.

“GLaDOS what’s wrong with him?” she asked quietly.

The viewscreen turned on and a moment later GLaDOS’ virtual representation appeared on the screen. Diamond heard the sound of the built in camera focusing on them for a moment.

“Fredrick appears to be ill. From the coughs present it could vary from a mere cold to phenomena. If it is phenomena then it could be fatal,” she said.

“What can I do?” Diamond asked.

“There is a Doctor ‘House-Call’ kit in the cabinet. Take it out, inside there is a swab, and an analyzer. The analyzer should be able to give an accurate diagnosis within a few moments time,” GLaDOS replied.

Diamond opened the cabinets and after a few moments she found a white looking box. She took it down, and touched the front. It opened open and a screen flickered.

“Welcome to the Doctor ‘House-Call’ kit model 2.0. This kit is used to give basic diagnosis for most simple illnesses. The Doctor ‘House-Call’ kit is not to be used in replacement of a healthcare professional. Warning, your Doctor ‘House-Call’ kit is running low on swabs. Please remember to replace them as soon as possible. To continue and receive a diagnosis please, swab inside of the mouth, place the moist end of the swab into the collector, and wait five minutes for a complete diagnosis,” the figure on the screen said.

She took one of the swabs, walked over to Fredrick, gently opened his mouth and swabbed the side of it. When she finished she returned, looked at the directions and placed the swab into the collector. A moment later the kit began to beep. She sat down, watching it, waiting for it to tell her what was wrong when finally the figure reappeared.

“You have bronchopneumonia. The treatment for this is antibiotics. Home treatment for this is amoxicillin five hundred milligrams, twice a day, for ten days. You need to also take it easy for the next three to four days. It is also advised that you drink at least three point seven liters unless you are suffering nausa and vomitting. If this is occuring then the suggested amount is five liters. It’s also suggested that you switch the intake from water to an electrolite formulated drink. Gatorade, Powerade, or one of the many sports drinks available should work fine. If left untreated bronchopneumonia will become fatal,” the figure said.

She looked at Fredrick and then back to GLaDOS.

“Where do I get the antibiotics?” she asked.

GLaDOS disappeared and suddenly a map replaced her image. There was a red dot that formed in a block and the words You are Here appeared. A line moved from that dot and shot out down the street moving around nine blocks away toward another area. This time the words Denton’s Family Apothecary appeared.

A whirling sound erupted from a corner and the map printed out in black and white. Once it did GLaDOS appeared again.

“Have the Doctor ‘House-Call’ print out what he needs. It will be an official script, and the Apothecary will let you fill it. I suggest that you go now,” GLaDOS said.

She nodded, moved back to the Doctor ‘House-Call’ and looked at it.

“Print please?” she asked.

“Would you like a script printed of the last treatment recommended?” it asked.

“Yes,” she said.

The whirling sound erupted again and this time a piece of paper formed with a signature with the number of amoxicillin pills and the direction for taking them. She gathered the papers, looked at Fredrick once more, and then moved toward the door and began moving out of the small home she shared with him.

She moved out of the pile of old carriages and out into the daylight. Fredrick had said that it was safer moving now, that most of the ponies who would want to hurt them would be gone for the day. She moved quietly and looked at the map. Turning left, she began to walk toward the street the Apothecary was on. She passed the edge of the stacks, moved down toward the street and noticed dozens of closed up buildings. Most of them looked like they had boarded up for years. The thought of why some of these ponies didn’t move into the buildings came to her. She could see a few of them open, but those seemed to be automated stores. It was vending machines, like the grocery they shopped at.

She moved until she saw another set of the Stacks. There was two large areas that looked blackened and scorched. She could see twisted remains of the scaffolds that had made up two Stacks, and she shuttered. The idea that these things could collapse and burn bothered her. There had to be hundreds, maybe even a thousand ponies in each one of those stacks, and to see that many lives lost at one time… It was horrible.

She turned the corner and saw a line of buildings that were all automated shops. She looked at them to notice that the signs of the buildings had long since faded into obscurity. She couldn’t ask for somepony to help her find the Apothecary. She wasn’t sure if there was any like Fredrick. They had met a few good ponies besides him, but there was so many that seemed so desperate and angry. She walked into a store and it was another grocery store. She almost walked out when she saw the sports drink that the Doctor ‘House-Call’ had mentioned. she walked over to the vending machine, and she touched the number pad, selected the number for the sports drink, and then she pressed her thumb to the indent.

There was a warm feeling on the bottom of her thumb for a moment before the sports drink fell into a collection area.

“Thank you for your purchase!” a voice cheerfully said.

She collected it, looked at the sacks for sale, selected one, and pressed her thumb into its indent. A sack spat out of the mouth of the box, and she pulled it on out. She placed the sports drink into it, and then she walked out of the store and into the one next to it. She did this for six stores before she finally came to the Apothecary.

“Welcome to Denton’s Family Apothecary! Please slide your prescription into the reader to begin!” another cheerful voice said.

She walked up toward a large black section of the wall, and pushed the paper with the signature and pill information into it. It disappeared inside of it for a moment before a virtual figure appeared on the glossy part of the wall.

“So, you’re needing Amoxicillin, five hundred milligrams, twice a day, for ten days eh? Please press your thumb into the scanner if that is correct,” the figure said.

She did and a moment later the figure smiled.

“Very good, your prescription is being prepared. The prescription is ready! Please, press your thumb back into the scanner to be charged,” the figure said.

She did and then the sound of something dropping into a collection bin could be heard. A drawer slid out and she looked at the small amber bottle lying in the drawer. She reached down, pulled it out, and placed it into the sack. She walked out and noticed the sky was darkening. She moved toward the direction she had came and then she heard the steps behind her.

“Well, well, look what we have here,” a voice said.

She began to move faster.

“No, no, don’t run sweetthing, I’m only gonna make you feel good,” the voice said.

Fredrick had said to keep moving, don’t respond, just keep moving and if you had to, run. The steps got closer and she took off running toward the stacks. The steps echoed behind her, and she moved between the rectangle homes of the strange Stacks with the two scorched areas. There was the sound of a thudding as the owner of the voice behind her slammed into one of the homes.

“We’ve got a bitch that just went to the Apothecary! She’s one of them helpmates, and ain’t no one gonna care what we do to her!” the voice screamed.

Her ears laid flat and she looked at the street. This was her chance. She ran forward and heard the sound of something making an exploding sound, rapidly, for several seconds. She ran past it, toward the street, and ran down it as fast as she could. She could hear the sounds again, and something flew past her nearly touching her. She kept moving trying not to stop when something jumped in front of her. She fell down dropping the bag, and watched as the sports drink exploded into a bluish mess on the ground. She gripped the amber bottle and pulled it next to her as she got up. There was something, something holding her. Diamond struggled against the hand that was wrapped around her hoof. She finally brought her other hoof down and was rewarded with the sound of something crunching.

"MY FUCKING HAND!!!! YOU BITCH YOU CRUSHED MY HAND!" the stallion screamed.

She ran, as hard as she could toward the dark. She could lose them, maybe get back to Fredrick. She sniffed back a tear as she skidded to a stop and bolted into a darken part of the Stacks. She could hear running, shouts, and finally she heard the voice of that one stallion that scared her. She'd never admit it, but he scared her so badly.

"I'm going to find you little girl, and after I'm done breaking you I'm going to turn your sweet little ass out on the street. You're mine! You hear me?! MINE! And if I catch that little pipsqueak you're hanging around with... I'm going to gut him," he said toward the darkness.

She looked at the bottle of medicine she had. Fredrick was sick, and GLaDOS said this would help him. It had been hard finding Antibiotics , but it was even harder getting them back here. Those stallions wanted them for themselves. But she had bought them, straight from that Apothecary, and she had even braved going out alone. When the sounds died down she worked her way back into the pile of carriages until she made it to the home she shared with Fredrick. She could see him barely breathing, his breath sounding so raspy.

"GLaDOS... What do I do?" she asked.

"He needs to take the antibiotics, make him eat, give him what it says on the directions, and make sure he keeps it down," GLaDOS said.

She nodded, grabbed a can of SpaghettiO's, opened it, put it into a bowl and warmed it up, and then took it to him.

"Fredrick, I need you to eat," she said.

"N... Not hungry," he barely got out.

"Please... I don't want to be alone. Please eat," she whispered.

He opened his mouth, and she gave him a spoonful. She watched as he managed to swallow the food she gave him. Slowly, she feed him the entire bowl and then she gave him a drink from a water bottle for the first pill. She touched his head and felt how hot it was.

“He’s got a fever… What do I do?” she asked.

“Wet a washcloth, drape it over his forehead. Search the medical kit and see if there is some aspirin. If so give that to him,” GLaDOS said.

She did, and there was a small bottle of aspirin. She dug one out, gave it to him, and made him swallow. Once it was down his throat she took a seat near him.

“Will he be okay?” she asked.

“Perhaps. The medication should heal him, but he needs food, rest, and fluids. He will need a nursemaid for several days,” GLaDOS said.

“I’ll do it. I owe him that much,” Diamond said.

Author's Note

(And Boom the next chapter is done! So, this is actually been fun. I plan on doing another update on Diamond in the rough before too long. Thanks for reading,

LF)