Rushing. It was everywhere. Hustling and bustling, confusion and worry. Doctors paced nervously, marking it their duty to save the former party pony. Pinkie had been friends with everyone. She was the cause most people smiled. She threw the best parties, made the best sweets, broke the fourth wall. She was irreplaceable.
How, you might ask, did it come to be this way? It is common knowledge that the pink mare enjoyed gorging on sweets as much as she liked preparing them. Apparently, the sugar was too much for her. It built up and up and up until it simply had no way to digest itself anymore. She developed diabetes. And here she was, regretting all the cupcakes, pies, lollipops, cakes, cookies, brownies she had ever eaten.
She lay there, bored out of her mind, the sharp planks of the board sharply jutting into her back. After a while, one of the nurses came to check on her.
"How are you feeling, Pinkie?" a kindly voice asked.
Opening her blue eyes, the rosy mare recognized the voice as Nurse Redheart's. "I've been better." she answered truthfully.
Nurse Redheart looked at her patient with pity. Her hair was flat and void of movement and life. Her eyes were dull and tired. Her fur was matted and dusty.
"We'll bring some food along soon, okay?" she replied after a moment.
"Sure." Pinkie answered. "And my name is not Pinkie."
"What is it, then?" the nurse asked, knowing the answer.
"It's Pinkamena." the pony replied, turning over.
Nurse Redheart correctly interpreted the flip as a sign to go away, that the conversation had ended. She obliged.
Pinkie Pie stared at the wall. It was white, and she thought it a very nice colour. It was just another indication that she was depressed. Normally Pinkie would've thought it boring, and a small corner of her mind knew that. The pink party pony thought of her friends and her family. Were they missing her right now? Were they even thinking about her? What about Maud? She would certainly miss her sister. They wouldn't be able to give each other rock candy necklaces anymore. A tear trickled down her cheek, clearing a thin layer of dust from her cheek fur. She stared at the wall for a few moments, and drifted off to sleep.
Rainbow Dash anxiously flew around the waiting room. Fluttershy was curled up into a ball, silent sobs wracking her body. Rarity's mane was uncharacteristicaly out of place, biting her lip. Twilight's appearance was similar to that of the Smarty Pants incident, and Applejack was repeatedly taking her hat on and off.
"I can't stand this!" Rainbow Dash said finally, landing on her hooves with a loud thud.
"Rainbow, we've been through this," Twilight replied. "You have to wait. Pinkie will be fine. She always is."
"Do you guys even care?" Rainbow Dash asked angrily, glaring around the room.
"Ah care more than you can imagine, sugarcube." Applejack replied softly.
"As do I." Rarity answered. "But we have to wait, darling. Busting into the patients' room is out of the question. Would Pinkie Pie like you breaking the rules?"
Rainbow Dash sighed at the mention of Pinkie Pie. "No."
"Alright." was Rarity's response.
Pinkie woke up, tentatively opening an eye. A nurse noticed and quickly rushed over to her.
"How ya, dear?" she asked. "Need anythin'?"
"My friends. Let them come in now." Pinkie said flatly, not bothering to say please.
The nurse nodded, scrambling to the waiting room.
"Pinkie says you can come in now." she announced. "Though she's not in the best mood, so be kind and patient."
Rainbow Dash couldn't help but glare at the pony for stating what was so obvious.
The Mane 6 minus 1 all followed the nurse as she escorted them to Pinkie Pie's room.
"Hey, Pinkie." Dash said. It made her so depressed to see her best friend, her pranking buddy, with her mane flattened.
"Dashie." the mare replied, turning over to smile at her friends.
"How have you been?" Twilight inquired, with a tilt of her head.
"Well, a bit better," the pink pony answered. "It doesn't hurt as much anymore."
"Good." Twilight responded with a nod.
Fluttershy looked more nervous than usual, and Pinkie noticed this.
"It's not contagious." she said flatly.
"I know." the yellow mare squeaked.
Applejack brushed some lint off of her hat before speaking. "What them doctors givin' ya ta eat?" she asked.
"Nothing sweet." was the answer. "Everything tastes so bland, but I know it's for my own good."
Pinkie Pie tensed all of a sudden, and there was a horrible beeping and clicking coming from most of the machines.
The doctors woke right up, pushing and buttons and trying to regulate things.
The Mane 6 watched helplessly, a look of fear on all their faces.
"Come closer, guys." Pinkie rasped. "I'm dying, so I need to tell you this now."
"W-" Rainbow Dash began, but was swiftly cut off by Pinkie's hoof.
"Rainbow Dash, I know you're going to miss me a lot. I.. I will miss pranking ponies with you. I want you to become a Wonderbolt for me, okay? Follow your dream of being the best of the best."
"Fluttershy? Try to become the best singer you can be. Be a wonderful animal trainer and an amazing Ponytone."
Fluttershy started silently crying again. Sure, Pinkie had sometimes scared her animals, but she never wanted.. this to happen.
"Applejack, one day, you'll be famous for your apple cider all over Equestria. You'll be the best apple bucker there is. And even if you don't do either of those things, do your best at what you can accomplish."
"Twilight. You've made me so proud. You went from a pony who didn't enjoy the party I gave you to the bestest friend ever and an alicorn. I'm not even sure if there's anything you can do anymore. But maybe, just for me, you could try to learn how to bake. Spike might not be willing forever."
The purple alicorn gave a trembly smile, nodding.
"Rarity? Try to be known all over Equestria for your fine dressmaking and your stunning generosity, okay?"
The white unicorn did not even attempt to disguise her sobs.
Pinkie lay on the cot, her mane springing to life once more. She closed her eyes and waited. She waited for death to come. It did. She didn't open her eyes again.
Author's Note
Just your everyday one-shot. Did you like it? Feel free to add some constructive criticism.
Constructive. Not destructive.
It wasn't really sad, but there wasn't a better category to put it in.
*EDIT*: Okay, apparently it is sad and this is the perfect category to put it in!
