Colors of Sanity

Chapter 7

Her ears felt like they were being pushed on constantly, with the occasional stronger push. It was loud, but she loved it. The rhythmic beats were her soul. Her very being.

The bass reached into her very core, and brought out the best in her. The joints in her neck were sore from bobbing back and forth, but she didn't care. Vinyl Scratch was at the prime of her life. She loved this more than anything. The oscillators and synthesizers and bass lines were her favorite thing. The saw-like noises of the drops and bridges were the opposite of the bane of her soul. The very thing she lived for. Her smile permeated through the hall, eliciting smiles from all the souls in the room. The final, most powerful chorus that ever seemed to exist exploded from the speakers, lifting her soul to an eternal paradise, a seemingly endless perfect that spread throughout her whole body, bringing the most perfect feelings ever to exist. The drop ended, resulting in a slow ending that echoed throughout the hall on the last note.

     It was the perfect ending to the night for Ponyville's resident DJ. Exiting the hall through some stone stairs, Vinyl Scratch was smiling still as she slipped down one of the stairs, hearing a small "crack" as she tumbled down each step. The staircase was at least the length of a full-size dragon, and each step caused a loud thud. As she was falling, every blow to her skull brought a screen of black and a numbing crack. Her glasses cracked, splintering into her battered, blood-coated face, as she hit the stone slab as the bottom with a sickening crack that ended her consciousness. On the way down, she managed to topple over a big, khaki mare who also tumbled down. Stone Grace's head was completely numb, rolling over and over down the hill that seemed endless. Her vision consisted of flashing images and constant blows to her body, ending with the crash into a big metal gate that made a resonating boom that echoed through the night air. Every movement, conscious or instinctual, caused a distinct pain that only occurs from blunt blows.

     Nausea set in almost instantly as she attempted to raise herself, in vain. Only one thing came to mind. The most primal of ways to receive assistance: scream. Stone Grace prepared her throat for a load call, but as her throat lifted for the action so did a big amount of blood. She just then noticed the crushed feeling in her throat, the  crumpled windpipe throbbing and swelling with each heartbeat. She coughed up another swell of blood, and another, before vomiting up more. She heard a deep voice yell

     "There she is, down there! Hurry! Get her up here! She's gotta get to the hospital!".

A aura of magic formed around her, carrying her up to the cart, and setting he inside before being whisked away, a city of muted color and shocked ponies staring at her in pity as she lost consciousness, a white and blue unicorn laying next to her. The world faded away, as a black shade closed her mind.

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     Star Listener lay solemnly, a single tear streaking down his emotionless face. His mane and coat were kept and normal as if nothing had happened. His wife lay in a hospital bed by his chair, her neck in a cast and heavily bandaged. She was asleep now, but just fell into it minutes ago. Valiant Tranquility was also there, just in another room, talking with a doctor about his condition. They did that often. Once a month they stopped by, so the doctors could talk to him to try to discover a reason why he was disabled in such a way. There were no answers yet. Still he held his head up high, optimism his supreme ruler. Star Listener thought about nothing. Not about his work, not about his injured wife or distorted child, nothing. Minutes later, and still nothing changed. Valiant even came back to his mother's room to ask his father if he could go with Rarity to go out for some sweets and a walk in the park, which he approved.

     Rarity was probably his favorite relative, and despite being young, he proved he had some logical thoughts in his small mind. He was glad Rarity came all the way from Ponyville to watch him for a few weeks, thought he didn't think of it now. Star Listener sat for a few more minutes in his expressionless stupor until sleep took hold and he passed into the realm of fiction.

     ----------

     "Hey Rarity, what did you say that colorful pony's name was?"

     "Do you mean Rainbow Dash?"

     "Yeah, her. I want to meet her, she sounds like such a cool pony."

     "She is quite extraordinary, with her stunts." Rarity and Valiant Tranquility walked down the well-paved roads of Manehattan, passing by ponies of all colors carrying all sorts of bags. It was soon after spring began, so the outdoor marketplace was open again, with large quantities of ponies filling the marketplace daily. They were headed back to the hospital, after taking Valiant Tranquility to get ice cream, after which they went for a walk in the park. Rarity felt uncomfortable the whole time, walking with a colt missing a wing, but she didn't show it.

     She did, however, feel good about supporting him, his mother being in the hospital. Rarity had told him some stories of her friends back home, their adventures, their good times. He seemed genuinely fascinated by her tales, absorbing every detail instantaneously. The next hour was practically silent as the happy but pitiful unicorn walked the joyful child back to his mother's hospital room, back to his family.