Anesthesia

CHAPTER 6

The filly woke up. Morning. Where she was she didn't know.
She slept under a bridge, next to a river that flowed.

She stared at her reflection. She stared back.
Cuts all over her body. Bloody hair. Mats.

Her "blank flank" was still raw; it bled only a little
thanks to the flames, it had slowed to a trickle.

It needed some serious stitching...
...godamnit, it wouldn't stop itching!

She looked at her horn, now just a stupid little stump.
Damnit, which was worse? Horn or flank? Or those 2 little lumps

which held her wings before they were ripped away.
"Those bastards. They'll pay. They will fuckin pay!"

But most important, and it was something she needed to find out.
Where did this...this...magic come about?

Her horn was broken. No, it was snapped in two!
"I never used magic before. What did I do?

How the hell was I using magic if I don't have a horn?"
Then she remembered she is-... was an Alicorn.

"But how? It's not possible...is it?
No horn means no magic! But yet..."

She used it. Not for fun or learning further
in school or studies. She did it... for murder.

No, not murder. Self defense. Yeah, that was it. Self defense.
She almost died from those attacks! She had to do something to prevent eternal rest!

"Wait...can I even die? I shouldn't be here at ALL!
I should be dead...but here I am." Her skin started to crawl

The sudden realization. The liquid inside her. It all made sense.
"No...no...nonononoNONONONOOOOOO!" Her head hit hooves so tense.

The crimson filly willed for this to stop out of so much frustration.
"...Fine. I guess I'll have to make light of this situation."

She looked up, those gold eyes roved her surroundings: grass, dirt, junk.
Broken glass, needles, shoes "...well, somepony was drunk."

She concentrated her sight onto some broken glass
and tried to summon her magic to make it float from the grass.

A long thin piece lit up with a dark purple glow.
Slowly, but surely, it floated up just before her nose.

A smile stole her lips. "Hahahah! Ahahahah! I did it!
I did it!" She could almost jump for joy! "I did it!"

The sharp glass suddenly shot out like a bullet into the air.
A sick "squick" sound, a soft thud, and a scream of despair.

"Why did she scream?" The thought lowered her ears.
Again, she buried her head into her hooves, threatening to shed more tears.

A gentle tickle on her flank made her jump and crane her neck
around to see 3 rats sniffing her bloody blank flanked mess.

One got very close and nibbled to get a taste.
The filly yelped and reflex kicked with haste,

sending the rat sprawling. It laid there, unmoving.
The 2 other rats scampered to its body, grooming

over its fur and checking for life signs.
Instead, they simply bit into its sides.

She looked away in disbelief and disgust
as the rats dragged their next meal into the dust.

"I hope those rats are going to help him.
Or...are they just going to eat him?"

Tiny wet squelching noises were her answer.
"Great. Another creature killed." She sighed. "There.

That's my answer to everything, isn't it? Death?
Really? Am I supposed to kill? Fine, be my guest, Death."

Another look into the river. "He ruined me... Death wouldn't let me die. Why me..?"
She closed her eyes when her horn started to glow with its dark purple sheen.

She let her magic take over her body, which started to make her feel good anew.
All of her cuts, bruises and scrapes started to seal up, all except for 2.

Her flanks. They won't heal. Too large of a cut.
A broken glass was levitated, slender and thin. "It will be done."

An old pony shoe string. "This'll do."
The string was threaded through a hole. "You...

You will help me." It hovered on the top of her flank.
She screwed up her face when into the flesh, the needle sank

Just where her cutie mark should have been. It hung like a necklace.
The pain stung like acid. She knew that pain; her heart started to race.

Some blood trickled out and stained the string red.
Once more, she cringed, when the pain went to her head.

The needle snaked to the bottom, taking on a life of its own
and it skewered the skin, making a bridge to both sides above muscle and bone.

The 2 ends were pulled together and tied in a bloody knot.
"One...down...more...to go." This process was repeated again and again. "Finally..." she thought.

Both flanks were sewn, though it still showed some raw flesh.
The skin still pulled, but it helped it heal at best.

"It's no cutie mark, but it'll do..." The flanks looked weird.
It formed... diamonds? A creepy stitched smile? Teeth? Tears?

Her reflection cast itself again in the river. "Wow...I look...I look good."
Her cuts and bruises were gone. For once, she was in a half-good mood.

She got up onto all fours, took a quick drink, and stepped out into the sunlight.
"Not many ponies in the park. Alright.

Time to get some food. Somehow..." Her stomach reminded her.
Away, she trotted from the bridge and into the park further.

Species of all kinds mingled, chatted and played;
Fillies, pups, young dragons and gryphon chicks whose parents haven't strayed.

The park was quite big; large boulders and plenty of trees.
Lots of places to climb and explore. Plenty of room to run free.

A cry of agony rips the silence apart.
A small unicorn tumbles in the dirt quite hard.

Her face bore a bruised hoof print
from a brown and fuchsia unicorn whose eyes did glint.

The hoof-print faced pony sat up, dazed and dirty.
Her black and white patched coat stained green, brown and gritty.

Slowly she rose, coughed out grass, shook her head.
She opened her eyes. "What...the...?" the crimson filly took a breath.

The black and white filly... was blind! Her eyes!
They were a solid milky blue. She couldn't even see light!

"Owoouugh... What was THAT for?!" the blind pony spat back.
"I'm just trying to go to the store!" Her ears laid back flat.

The brown-fuchsia pony replied, "This part of the park? Its mine.
Nopony else is allowed to enter, but me, Dynamite."

The smaller blind filly stamped her hoof.
"Your part of the park? Are you serious? Where the proof?

Oh wait, THERE IS NONE! This isn't your park!
It's EVERYBODY's park!" Her voice was very sharp.

"What's wrong with beasts these days?! They think they own the place!
It's a public park for everyone to enjoy!" Anger stuck to her face.

Although she stood from afar, the crimson filly heard everything.
She was amazed, awestruck. Why wasn't anypony helping?

The blind unicorn was a strange sight: black patches on a white coat,
straight black and white mane and tail. She couldn't be more than 8 years old!

Dynamite replied coolly. "Not when I'm around. Go away...
...or else."

"Or else what?"

"I'll make you pay."

The blind mare fumed. She couldn't see Dynamite's sneer.
She wouldn't back down. She's not like that...although inside, she feared.

She was small for her age. She can't exactly defend herself.
But she didn't move, not an inch. "No way in hell.

This is the way I like to go to the store.
I'm not about to change it because you. You...you.. FILTHY WHORE!!"

Dynamite truly lived up to her name as she exploded towards the blind mare.
Some could say they saw sparks on her hooves and explosions in the air.

The blind filly felt the tremors and heard the deafening thunder.
Her hooves went up, but her body fell backwards and under

from Dynamite's bone jarring headbutt. Her body lay on the grass.
Sore, confused, all she heard was "I'm gonna kick your blank ASS!"

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" A flash of red with a splash of white.
Dynamite's body rolled away from the fight.

There was the crimson filly with no name, head down.
Standing in front of the blind filly, filled with rage.

Dynamite scrambled to her feet, very confused.
"Stay out of this! Who the fuck are you!?"

"I won't stand for this. Leave NOW!"

"Make me."

"Don't make me hurt you..."

"Oh yeah? HOW?"

At the last word, Dynamite sprang into the air!
The crimson filly reared, whipping back her hair.

Her hoof met Dynamite's chin, and Dynamite's hoof met the filly's face.
Both fell backwards. The red one landed on the smaller blind one's face.

Quickly, she rolled off. "I'm sorry! Are you alright?"
Her loud, young voice wasn't strong. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm alright."

"I'll fucking KILL YOOOOUUU!!" Dynamite roared!
A large, sparkling static orb of light spawned from her horn.

The crimson red filly planted her feet into the ground.
"...No...no you won't. I won't allow it!" A wild look in her eyes was all to be found.

When her own "horn" took on its dark purple glow,
the fuchsia brown unicorn's energy fired, sparks in tow.

The blind filly couldn't see, but she felt the intense heat rocket towards them.
Still on the ground, her instinct told her to cover her head.

But the pain never hit. There was no explosion or searing pain.
Nothing. She couldn't see what was happening. She was hearing... "...wait."

Was that...laughing?
No...it was...gasping?

She cast a special spell, one only she can use.
The shape of her protector appeared in her view.

No color, all she saw was black.
But the vibrations waves from her horn bounced back.

Even Dynamite's silhouette was there. That meant they were close.
But where was the heat magic? Up onto her feet, she rose.

Dynamite froze. She couldn't move.
Before her eyes, a sight no one believed to be true.

There was her powerful magic orb, surrounded in black.
"She... somehow... stopped my attack!"

By physics this should happen! But then, a thought!
She pulled back on her magic a touch. "Hmm, her pull is quite taut..."

She relaxed. The orb floated down just above the dirt.
"Please...just leave. I don't want you to get hurt..."

The fuchsia pony smiled. "Alright. I will leave...
you in PIECES!" Forward, she heaved

the orb towards the black haired pony's neck,
and willed the orb to explode! The orb touched the filly's creamy chest.

...Where's the boom? Where's the combustion?
Why isn't there fire? Why is there no explosion?!

The red filly held her head high, eyes never left her target.
She growled. "You HAD your chance!" It was a face no one could forget.

The orb was in her control now. She brought it above,
and whipped her head forward, sending the orb back to where it came from.

Dynamite couldn't move fast enough. She saw her world shrink.
Her last movement was to open her mouth slightly, before her right world winked.

Fur ripped from her skin, pore by pore.
Skin stretched from muscle, more and more.

Her right shoulder freed itself from the bones it hung onto,
sending blood onto the grass. Her leg was now in two.

The orb continued towards the ribs; a very vulnerable spot.
Dynamite didn't die just yet. She felt everything. and it was very hot.

Skin stretched beyond its limits, sucked into the orb's deadly grip.
She couldn't scream; her lungs sizzled and pop into little slimey bits.

Ribs turned into dust, the kidneys into pasty goop.
Pink intestines exploded, the liver blackened. Veins melted and drooped.

Her cutie mark of an explosive dynamite stick was the last to go
as it simply exploded. Her entire backside sported a giant hole.

The orb flew on towards the trees
where is suddenly vanished in a bright white gleam.

Dynamite looked absolutely nothing like before.
Half a face, only one leg. Ponies saw her heart beat once more.

The body fell to one side, in a pool of dark red and pink on grass once green.
Dynamite looked more of what some ponies would call a zombie.

Sounds came from the surrounding city, oblivious to recent death.
Sobs. Panting. Sudden shrieks of fear and terror. Sudden gasps of breath

all came in slowly at first. Then it fell in like rain.
Some doubled over from shock, as if they were in pain.

"Shit. We...gotta get outta here." The red filly said. "...damn."
"Why? Wha hap-....oh my cel- FOLLOW ME!" The blind mare suddenly ran.

The black and white mare dodged around obstacles as if she could see.
The red one was impressed. This one knew her way around the city.