//-------------------------------------------------------// How long has it been? -by ThatCactusPony- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1 "Hurry! Hurry!" a pony yelled over the sound of rain. "Where is it?!" another called out, wings flapping franticly. "There it is!!!" A large white building standing out from the rest. Three ponies burst through it's doors, manes soaked from the rain. They were breathing heavily from running. "Huh? Hello Twilight!" A tan pony in a doctor's coat greeted the ponies. "What brings you by at this hour?" The purple unicorn caught her breath, then urgently told the doctor at the Ponyville hospital what was wrong. "I-it's P-Pinkie Pie.... She..... you.... please.... follow us!" The doctor's eyes widened. He called a couple nurses with him, and the group went back out into the pouring rain. Rainbow Dash, the one leading the group, pointed ahead. There, a chariot was smashed to pieces near a cliff side. Over the cliff side, a small taxi chariot was broken at the bottom. Two other ponies were standing by it. One, a yellow Pegasus, the other a white unicorn. "Rarity! Fluttershy!" An orange earth pony called down to them. Fluttershy looked up. "Applejack!" she exclaimed. The group of ponies dashed down the steep cliff side. "What happened?" The doctor asked. "The thick rain made it hard to see and it was very slippery. One chariot collided with hers., and hers tumbled off this cliff" Rarity explained quickly, and stuck out a hoof. "Rainbow Dash was there when it happened." "Is she going to be ok?" Fluttershy cried, her face was wet with both tears and rain. "I don't know yet, where is she?" The doctor asked, nudging aside pieces of the broken chariot with his hoof. The other ponies began to help him throw pieces aside until they found what they were looking for. Even in the dark, Pinkie's pink mane and coat were visible. Cuts and bruises covered Pinkie Pie. Blood dripped from her muzzle and body. It looked like death was only a hoof step away. "Get her on the stretcher!" A nurse said to the other. The grabbed the stretcher they brought with them and loaded Pinkie Pie onto it. With the help from the pegasi, Rainbow and Fluttershy, they got her off the cliff, and carried her back to the hospital. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pinkie Pie was hooked up to the machines after being cleaned and bandaged up. "Is she going to be ok doc?" AJ asked, eyes filled with sorrow. The doctor looked over at the ponies. "I don't know how to say this, but your friend is in a coma" he explained. "B-but when will she wake up?" Twilight demanded. "I don't know." The doctor took off his glasses and cleared his throat, indicating that what he was about to say was serious. "Just in case it, for whatever reason, comes to the point, who is going to, you know...." he glanced over at the machines. "...pull the plug?" Everypony sadly glanced at one another. Rainbow Dash stepped up. "She always said if she wanted anyone to, she would want me to do it. I never thought it would come to it though" Rainbow Dash stammered. "How long do you want to give her?" The doctor asked. "What ever do you mean?" Rarity interrupted. "You don't know how long she would want to be on the machines" The doctor hinted.         "Give her a year!!!" Fluttershy cried out.          "Or two!!" Rainbow added.          "I don't know if that would be to long or not...." The doctor said, but then shrugged and added, "we'll, one pony was in a coma for about a year and a half." He turned and walked out if the room.           Twilight lightly hugged her dieing friend. "Goodbye Pinkie. We'll be sure to visit you." Every pony gave her a hug, and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.