Anesthesia

CHAPTER 7

"So... what happened back there?"

"...I don't... I don't wanna talk about it... ugh, it's not FAIR?"

"What's not fair?"

"My life... my body... my mind."

"Wha- what do you mean?"

"...death has betrayed me. Left me behind..."

They ended up in a alley, far from the park.
The two sat in the back, away from society and in the dark.

"...I don't think I understand. What do you mean 'left behind'?"
"I can't die. For some stupid reason, I can't die.

I was kidnapped. Some... scientist doctor or whatever
injected me with some liquid. Now I can't die. Ever."

The blind mare needn't say a word.
Scientist? Doctor? Immortal? It sounds absurd!

The red filly continued. "Almost everypony, or dragon, I run into dies.
It's been happening every single time. They just...die."

The blind mare sighed. "How... many have you killed?"
"3 dragons. That fuchsia girl. Possibly another pony I felled."

"That's not much at all... compared to the others."
"Wait, what?" The other pony gasped. "Others?"

The blind one sighed. "The crime rate in the city is off the wall.
It's so much, the police guards couldn't handle it all.

Then the Mayor ordered them to stop. Some parts of this city
are totally crime free. That's because they've been hit by the gangs already.

I heard stories of these places and their owners getting killed or destroyed.
They can't trust anybody. Not even those they employed.

Some of these gang members go undercover and get hired.
Now they have access to the place, and then BAM. A fire

or a murder happens. But the least horrible thing?
The least horrible thing to happen to a store is flash-stealing.

The police couldn't handle that kind of stuff happening so fast, one after the other.
That's also why they stopped helping. They just... they just couldn't bother."

She chuckled. "Heh, we have a small resistance group. If you wanna call it that.
But they can't do much at all. These gang's are so large, so they can't attack."

The red filly couldn't believe her ears. She just couldn't!
She grit her teeth. Resistance... they couldn't? Guards... they wouldn't?

"That's just fuckin wrong! Th-they- they can't DO THAT!
What gives them the idea they can do shit like that?!"

The smaller mare sternly replied. "Gangs practically moved in when they heard the guards stopped."

"Maybe that pink-poop colored pony I killed was gang."

"... I'll admit, you did make her stop...

...Stop living, that is. I wish all those gangs did!
Take them, move them out, jail them! I don't care! If-"

"Maybe that's my power."

"Your what? What do you-"

"My power. Maybe that's what... that's what I'm supposed to do.

Maybe I can use my magic to help?" The former-alicorn looked at the blind mare.
She expected to hear something like "No don't. It's not fair!"

To her surprise, the blind one looked her in the eyes.
Her face looked that of a rebel. Her voice did not lie.

"Do it. If you can do what you did to that bitch back there,
to those who did bad," she grinned. "...I think THAT would be fair.

Yeah, I'm blind. But I can see that you want to do good.
Killing may be a bad thing, but in nature? It is to survive. It's GOOD.

and I think you have that talent." She stood up.
"I can't do anything like that. It's not in me. But...

I support it." The red filly didn't know how to feel.
This blind, black and white, straight maned, little unicorn... could heal.

Not with medicine, but with bandages made of words.
She just met this girl. She made her feel GOOD. Not hurt.

But she had to admit, she didn't like murder or death...
Did she? She thought back. She caused those bullies' deaths.

If to commit murder is a bad thing,
then how come no one is bothering?

It happens in nature; to kill is to survive.
This city has seen plenty of that in its time.

Is "taking another life" her special talent?
She did, 4 or 5 times. Is murder even considered a talent?

Maybe, she thought, I can use this weird power
to help the city, and rid it of its evil followers?

...Would I be doing a good deed if my actions are bad?
Nobody helped me, except for one. Should I feel bad?

"I don't know what you're thinkin', but from the silence, I can tell.
Give them a taste of your medicine."

"I won't know... well..."

With a huff, she took to all fours.
"Fine. I will. I'll help this city out. Maybe even more."

The blind pony smiled. "Oh, I forgot to mention earlier.
Thanks for helping me, er, saving me, rather, back there."

"With everything that happened to me recently,
I didn't want that to happen to an innocent pony.

and uh... you're quite brave yourself."
The red filly felt unsure herself.

"Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I'm weak."
She trotted around a garbage bag. "See?

Well, I CANT. But I can tell where some objects are.
I can use magic." She levitated a pebble and tossed it quite far.

"I can also use it to see things and what they look like sometimes.
But only for a short time. It drains me a bit. But it's alright.

I know the city quite well by its sounds and textures.
This alley? I found it years ago. It one of my shelters.

I use it to get away from things." The red filly was impressed beyond words.
But thoughts were interrupted by a sound not unheard.

"Owahh... my stomach. What the- oh yeah. Haven't eaten in days..."
She lowered her head. She had no money. She felt ashamed.

The blind one giggled. "I know some excellent places!
I'll treat yah! What're you up for? Some exquisite tastes?"

"That would be great! Hey, I never got your name."

"My name is Brielle. What's yours?"

"I...uh," she lowered her voice in sadness. "...don't have a name."

Brielle lead the way out of the alley and onto the sidewalk.
"Your parents never gave you a name?" Brielle slowly walked.

"N-no. They were gonna wait to find out my..." she trailed off.

"Special talent?"

"...cutie mark." I'll never see my mark. she thought.

They walked on in silence at those last words. It truly left their mark.
But the 2 had the same thoughts; they won't ever see their cutie marks.

"Well, at least you get to pick your own name! I don't think 'filly' suits you. You sound older than me!"

"I think that's because I am older than you."

"I'm 25 years old!" Brielle beamed.

The red filly looked at the passing windows, feeling weird at the fact
that her new friend is older yet smaller than her. "Oh, well, never mind that."

Her sight was stolen by a strange even in one particular window.
A masked blue unicorn was placing a weird device over a gryphon's mouth, who dozed

off seconds later. "I hope she's not torturing that gryphon."
She halted, ready to burst through the window, her muscles stiffened.

"What? Which gryphon?" Brielle twitched her ears, expecting to hear screams.
But her brain told her it was the screams of a small raspy-air sounding machine.

"That one. In the window. Some doctor girl is putting needles in his mouth."
"Uhm... she might be a, you know...a dentist? They tend to do that with your mouth."

"She's got an orange pony assistant. The gryphon is lying back in the chair.
Why isn't he moving?" She felt Brielle brush up against her hair.

"Smells minty... and that machine sounds like mmmmmmm I gonna say local anesthesia."
The red filly had no clue what Brielle just said. "What's annasteezyah?"

"An-uh-stee-zya. It's some weird gas that's puts a beast to sleep so they won't feel pain."
That word struck a chord in the filly's mind. She liked that name.

Something that puts a beast to sleep... "They wake up later, do they?"
"Yup! It doesn't last long. Only a few minutes or an hour. What's the name?"

"Of what?"

"The store. It should say it somewhere. I think I know this place."
The filly read the words slowly. "Dental work by Colgate.

Specializes in: surgeries, fillings, braces, cavities,
anesthesia and more!" That word. Anesthesia. It pulled her in like gravity!

Brielle brightened. "Colgate! Such a great friend!
Met when we were in preschool. Wonder how she's doin-"

"I like that word."

"What? Colgate?"

"No. Anesthesia. I think... that will be my name."

The unicorn turned to her friend. "I like it! Its sounds pretty! Fits a pretty sounding mare just like you!"
Anesthesia looked at her chest scars. She breathed. "....that can't be true."

"Let's go eat. I'm hungry!" Brielle started to walk. Anesthesia turned to follow, but looked at her reflection.
A quick glance, her eyes roved over her to her flank. Her eyes widened a bit in reaction.

"Th-those spots weren't there before..." She turned her head.
2 dots above her flank scars stared back. Much like eyes, but dead.

Normally, anypony would be excited. But instead, she felt hurt.
She licked the marks again and again just to make sure it wasn't dirt.

It didn't smear or go away or taste funny. That confirmed it.
She got her cutie mark....and She couldn't even see it.

She didn't know whether to be excited or sad. It hurt down to her heart.
Her flank scars never fully healed. They covered up the rest of the cutie mark.

"Anesthesia? You coming?" Brielle's curious voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Coming!" She trotted to her new friend. Should she tell Brielle? She fought

with herself. Here goes nothing. "I think, I uh... got my cutie mark."
Brielle suddenly burst with excitement. "You didn't! What is it? What's your cutie mark?"

Anesthesia was taken aback by the sudden outburst. "I uh... don't know.
There's two dots. The rest is covered up by cuts and stitches. I don't know,

I'd say it looks like a..." she cast a quick peek.
"Really creepy smiley face. The scars give it diamond shaped teeth?"

Brielle heard the sadness in her friend's voice. "Wow, that sounds kinda neat!"
"It makes it all the more fun to guess what it is!" she beamed.

She knew the same would be for her, but not in the situation.
Anypony would see her own except herself. She felt her friend's frustration.

Anesthesia averted her eyes. "That's true. But still.
I'll never be able to see it. Never will."

The former changed the subject. "I know what'll cheer you up.
What's your favorite food?" The two turned the corner and onto one

crowded cobblestone street, where tables were abundant. The smells were overwhelming.
Ponies, dragons, gryphons, goats, and every species known where mingling.

Waiters and waitresses brought mountains of food back and forth from different restaurants
that lined each side of the street, literally door to door. Many were bon vinvants!

Umbrellas sported many colors and different names. Their customers laughed and whooped.
This is a place where boundaries are forgotten. Enemies made friends over a table of food.

Anesthesia was stunned. She never saw anything like this.

"Welcome to Stone Street! Let's eat!"

Anesthesia smiled a little. "I'll go for anything."