One fine morning a grey mare trotted down Ponyville’s cluttered streets. Ponies were buzzing about, humming and singing, and some were even enjoying picnics on colorful blankets. The mare trotted along the road, blonde tail and mane swishing. Her eyes were crossed (as usual) and, as she trotted joyously down the path, they bounced and tossed around with her mane.
The mare looked around happily slowing her pace to a walk as she observed the shops and stores around her. She read them aloud in her “derpy” little voice, “Sugar Cube Corner, Carousel Boutique, the Spa, the Theater, and the even the whole Marketplace is bursting with ponies!” she cooed. The mare approached the market area and observed the booths with their fine threads and silks, maps and books, anything the grey pony could ever imagine.
Derpy Hooves, as her friends had nicknamed her, just knew today was going to be splendid, that something was going to happen no matter what! The sky held Celestia’s brilliant sun high in the sky without any pesky clouds to hide its glory. Kites flew high in the sky, parading in the cloudless, baby blue sky. There was a good feeling between the sky, the land, and the ponies that inhabited both.
“Derpy!”
As the mare looked up she spotted a cyan pegasus with a face of worry. The mare made frantic hoof motions, but Ditzy Doo did not understand. The pegasus had been resting on a cloud just a second before, what could have bothered her so much as to alert the clumsiest pony in Ponyville of something? The last time she had communicated with the rainbow maned flying prodigy, she was being a klutzy, moron while setting up banners.
Since she was lost in confusion, Derpy did what she normally did – smiled goofily and waved. The mare was constantly in a state of confusion because, unfortunately, she had grown up without having the ability to completely understand others’ emotions. Even as a filly she did not understand what it meant when a “friend” ignored her at recess or abandoned her at lunch, so she kept on believing other colts and fillies were her friends, when in reality, she had made a fool of herself.
Suddenly, there was an earsplitting squeak and a large crash. The grey mare found herself in a blur of movement and shrill cries. Debris flew all over the place, some smashing and slamming into other ponies. A line of large cart filled with crates of food and other products had fallen on top of her and pushed into a shopping booth.
Rainbow Dash rushed to the dizzy pony’s side. The mare was ever so lightheaded, and her body ached. However, despite all the pain her body held, it was her head the ached and throbbed the most. As she limply lifted her head she found herself becoming dizzier.
“Everything is going to be okay, Derpy. We have called for an ambulance, just rest for now.” Rainbow Dash said calmly as she gathered several pegasi stallions and began moving the broken cart pieces away.
“Okay Dashie.” She said her voice fading. Soon, all movement was obscured and the world began to fade into black.
When Ditzy Doo awoke, she was in a hospital bed with her legs propped up in casts. The bed was rather comfortable and the sheets were soft, but something wasn’t quite right. The mare could not remember anything at all! She looked around, adjusting to the lights in the room and making note of every detail she could see.
“I see you have finally arisen from your slumber, Miss. Doo.” A voice said. “I am nurse Redheart and I will be taking care of you until you are fit to leave the hospital. Also, now that you are awake, there are ponies here to see you!” Redheart said. The white pony turned and left out the door, pink tail flicking.
Redheart soon returned with five ponies behind her. She could not recognize even one of them. They all looked at her worriedly as several ponies sat down in the chairs alongside one wall of the room.
“How are you feeling, Derpy?” a brown stallion asked as he approached her bed. Behind him, a dark grey pony, a green unicorn, and a white unicorn shifted uneasily in their seats. She noticed the green unicorn sat in an odd position, sitting squarely on her rump while her legs hung over the edge of the seat.
The injured mare stared blankly at the stallion. Who was he speaking to? Certainly not her! The brown stallion shook his head and asked, “Do you remember me?”
The mare once again stared absently at him, her head tilted slightly. He seemed shocked, hurt even. The grey pegasus found herself yearning to speak, to understand his sadness as well as what appeared to be his friends. She noticed he spoke with a strange –what was the word? Was it a tone one? Could it possibly be described as an attitude? Whatever it was, it made his voice sound strange.
“W-Who am I?”
The stallion stared at her, dumbfounded. He shifted his hooves for a moment and sighed. “You mustn't be serious! Oh dear, you know precisely who you are!” he turned away from her towards the three sitting ponies. A cream colored pony was speaking to Nurse Redheart about somepony’s condition, whomever it was for, the confused pony did not know.
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“Nurse, will she recover soon?” a cream colored earth pony asked in fear. She glanced over at her friends, whom were watching the clueless pegasus they all loved so dearly.
“I’m afraid her concussion is worse than we expected! However, it isn’t too late to bring her memory back. Just be careful with her, teach her to do anything she cannot remember how to do, and try to ease the memories back, do not be forceful with it.” The nurse replied, a hint of empathy in her tone.
Bon Bon shook her head in anguish. “About how long will it take for her to be back on her hooves? When should her memory be fully restored?”
“Unfortunately, we can’t put numbers and dates on things like this. I am truly sorry.”
Bon Bon nodded and headed over to her friends to speak with them about what the nurse had said. They reacted with instant heartbreak; the happy-go-lucky mare was going to be gone for what they could only assume would be a long time.
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It had been a week after her friends had first seen the cross-eyed pegasus at the hospital, when nurse Redheart came to her room with a meal and a notepad. “Alright Miss. Doo, I brought you your supper.” She said as she paced a tray on the mare’s lap.
The nurse sat down next to her bed, “So, did your friends teach you anything?” Part of the mare’s treatment was to have Miss. Doo, as she addressed her, recite everything she had learned everyday during supper.
“I am a mare. I am grey with a blond mane and tail. I am a pegasus. I have several broken bones covered with casts. My eyes are yellow. My name is Ditzy Doo.” She said almost robotically. She took a couple bites of her meal and looked up at the nurse.
“What do you know about your friends?” Redheart asked sweetly, walking around the bed while adjusting her casts and sheets.
“I have five friends – Lyra Heartstrings, Octavia Melody, Vinyl Scratch, Bon Bon, and Doctor Whooves. Lyra and Vinyl are unicorns. Octavia, Bon Bon, and Doc are earth ponies.“
Ditzy Doo continued having her friends visit her until her wings and legs healed. Her concussion was still obviously there, but she had become more comfortable talking and doing other simple tasks an immobile pony could complete.
“Easy does it Miss. Doo!” her nurse said as she helped the pony out of bed. As soon as her hooves and bed sheets hit the floor, everypony gasped in shock. The grey pony stared at them in confusion. Why was everyone staring at her flank? Was something wrong? As she looked at her rump, she felt a little queasy. Had her so called “friends” deceived her?
The ponies had told her stories about their cutie marks, but Ditzy’s favorite had been Octavia’s. Octavia was very shy and never had a way to communicate with others. When she received her first instrument, it was like she had a whole new language and voice that everypony wanted to hear! She was brave and performed for her class during the talent show, and thus earning her cutie mark in a brave and remarkable way!
However, Ditzy was not feeling remarkable – only confused. Her rump was solid gray on both sides. She blinked several times to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. Her friends had told her she had many round, clear orbs dotting her flank called bubbles. Why would her friends lie to her?
“W-What’s going on?” her friends asked in confusion. The nurse stood there, staring at her empty flank. She shook her head in true empathy and sadness. The nurse had grown to like the grey mare despite her slowly developing and recovering personality.
“Allow me to explain. A cutie mark is something you are taught and must understand, correct?” she asked the ponies. They all nodded after thinking for a second while glancing at their flanks in confusion. The nurse continued with increasing sadness.
“Not only is it a hobby or a skill, but it gives you your place in society. Ditzy Doo has suffered from an extreme concussion, causing amnesia, memory-loss. This caused her to forget the moment she received her mark and why, thus losing her place in society and her purpose. This is a rare condition because most ponies are born with the instinct to remember the moment they earn their place in their society and understand their finest ability before anything else. We feared Miss. Doo would not have been born with that instinct when we checked her medical records, but we thought perhaps she would pull through. Miss. Doo is suffering from what is called ‘Fade’. Her mark has disappeared along with her memory. Her eyes and speech impediment were a sign and I failed to trust my instincts about it, I am truly sorry.”