Everyone looked in sheer terror, as they beholded the warped visage of their dear friend. Her eyes were removed with horrifying delicacy, it seemed, as the rim around her eye sockets was unharmed, and her eye lids were also unscathed. If one were to ignore the tragedy, one could consider the irony of the most talkative and frivolous pony in Ponyville to be reduced to whatever one could call her current state. Spike's expression was one of mind-shattering confoundment. Upon seeing the empty spaces where her eyes should have been, along with her lips stitched together conveyed an image of pure horror into spike's mind. The very girl he idolized for her beauty has been horribly mutilated beyond repair. Not a single sound was made. No one dared to make a sound, whether out of shock, horror, or respect. The silence helped nothing however, especially Rarity's already broken self esteem.

'Why aren't they talking? Why isn't anyone saying anything? Am I so hideous now, that my own friends are fearful of me? They are probably to disgusted to even-'

"Her eyes were gouged out by the assailant, and if it wasn't for the shoddy stitching, we wouldn't even be able to feed her through a straw."

Rarity covered herself with the hospital covers. Nurse Redheart sighed. "Listen, you better leave-"

"Rarity... It's alright... Rarity? There is no need to be ashamed..."

Everyone in the room turned and watched as the dragon tried to calm her. He sat right on top of her. He slowly unveiled her from the the bedsheets from her face. At first she resisted, but she eventually let him remove the sheets, once again revealing her face. He placed a hand on her face, before pulling her into a hug.

He then felt her unsure hand blindly finding it's way to her head.

"I promise I will never let something like this happen to you again..."

A stream of red tears made their way down Rarity's cheek. The image the other ponies beholded was almost beautiful, if not tragic and macabre. "Spike has a point, Rarity! Jus' cuz you can't see... or speak... doesn't mean you are any less the friend you were before." She said with a sudden, and surprising vigor. The others soon joined in her consoling. "Yeah!" "Absolutely." "Yup!".

Although faint, Rarity's stitched mouth formed the best smile it could form.

Redheart simply watched the affair, with little smile on her face.

Throughout the next few days, everyone regularily paid their friend visits, however Spike was the most frequent, assuming he even left at all. Whenever he was there, he became the unofficial caretaker of Rarity, taking care of her every need and whim, often to the amusement of the faculty.

"Hey Redheart. Who's the little dragon who is always in Patient 34's room?"

"Oh, that's just Spike."

"Does he work here?"

Redheart simply shrugged her shoulders, as she took another bite out of her lunch.

"Nope. But at least he gives me more time for lunch." She joked, pointing to the daisy sandwich in her hoof, before devouring it whole.

"So, the little dragon has been here 24/7, busting his hump for her, for free?"

Redheart nodded to the other nurse, then gulping down her sandwich,

"Why? That's not healthy! Why shouldn't I call security and get him outta here?"

"Why should you? Newsflash, patient 34 had her eyeballs gouged out, and her mouth shut by stitches. The 'lil grape's actions are rather touching, in my opinion."

"If you say so... By the way, whatever happened to the wall-eyed pony?"

D'aww. I am just too big a softie to make this chapter too depressing. The next chapters shouldn't be too bad. In my opinion, they should go rather well for a while. And just to say, this ain't a tragedy story. Well, it is, but it isn't. Things will get horribly warped, and disturbing, but whether this is a bad thing or not, is a YMMV topic. Yes, I am a troper. Deal with it. As for The 'lil mention of derpy at the end? A part of a small micro-plot. Maybe. At the same time, don't unfave this, thinking this is gonna be pansy-fied. I personally want both at the same time here. And by that, I mean both positive, and disturbing and bleak at the same time. How? We shall see. Oh, also, one cryptic tip about the killer: If I asked you which villain did it, t'would be a trick question.

It's not as forward as it seems, kids. Think about it. Or better yet, don't.

Well, I am off.