Wounded

by AvertingFates

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Adventure
Length: 1892

We all know that unicorns have magic. But what if they were wounded, and would lose that ability forever?

After an exploration into the Everfree goes wrong, Star Gazer finds herself at the local hospital, where she is told that she has been wounded.

For life.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-02-20 16:22:25 UTC

Chapter I: The Discovery

It was bright. Really bright. Ok, so maybe it wasn't too bright so her eyes burned, but the last thing she remembered was being in a really dark place, where no light seemed to reach, so much light at once was kind of a surprise for her eyes. She remembered entering the Everfree Forest, but not much more. You know, that one big forest not far from Ponyville. Where everypony sane around here was telling you not to go, but where you went anyway out of curiosity. She didn't have a reason to be in any other place where it was dark. Not what she could recall at the moment anyway. She had just woke up. Although, were ponies supposed to instantly remember stuff like that? After thinking a little about why she would be here, she sat up in her bed, and looked to her right. She was in...

...A hospital room, maybe? That's what she could guess by the looks of it. She was laying on a hospital-like bed, and it had all these fancy medical stuff lying around, like that medicine (what was it called now again?), that stopped bleeding, and that one medicine that could instantly seal wounds. How the buck that was possible, nopony really knew. But not like they cared, as long as it healed them. Which it did, and pretty darn well too. She looked around the room further, for anything to hint at where she was. Other then a sign hanging to the right of the only door there was in this room that said "Patient #7: Star Gazer", there was nothing.

Atleast, there was nothing until she noticed the window, which was hanging a mere two meters from her. She had managed to miss it becuase it wasn't clearly visible to her, and she first noticed it when she noticed the hole in the wall. It seemed that the walls in this place were pretty thick. Like a mental hospital! ...Hopefully this wasn't one. She didn't remember talking or acting insane recently, but she didn't remember why she went into the Everfree either, so maybe that's why.

She took sometime thinking about what had happened, when she finally gave up, got out of the bed, and walked up to the window. Around the hospital was a bunch of houses. You know, those regular houses you'd see nearly everywhere. Not really anything special about them. There were also these bakeries all around, like Sugarcube Corner, where Star had passed by alot of times during her childhood. Sadly, she had never went in there. Her parents had forbid her, and instead, they always went to Canterlot for their daily cookies or whatnot. Star had never figured out why they disliked Sugarcube Corner, but it was probably the fact that they were from Canterlot, and had been teached not to

During her childhood, Star had been wandering to the edges of Everfree many times, but never entering. Nopony, in their righteous mind, would go in there, as everypony knew that it was far too dangerous. She had, of course, considered going to an exploration bureau in Canterlot for them to guide her through the Everfree, but the suggestion was always turned down by her parents. While thinking about her childhood, Star remembered that she had been kinda-sorta good at magic.

Of course, not so good that she'd boast about it or anything, but if there was one thing her parents had taught her, it was that unicorns should be really proud about their magic, no matter how weak. Sadly, she never did boast about it, and her parents allways seemed a bit curious to why. They'd always ask something like "Why don't you talk about your magic so much, my dear", to which Star always had answered "I don't feel that it's worth boasting about". Her parents never understood her though, and just talked on and on about being proud.

After finishing the reminiscence, she turned around and took a careful look around the room, to spend the time until somepony came and told her what she was here for. She must have been badly injured, becuase, for example, a light or medium cut wound could easily be fixed with medicine.

The first thing to catch her eye was the bed where she had been laying. It was a lime green bed with a white quilt on top of it, like all hospital beds had been pictured. It was elevated about 75 cm above the floor, which was the standard height according to the manual attached to the bed. That's something to know. It'd probably not be useful ever, but still.

Next, she turned to look at small table to the left of the bed, where she hadn't looked when she woke up. On top of it was a glass of water, a needle and a few bits. She presumed those bits were her belongings by the time she was brought here. Of course, that brought up the question of why the buck she only had a few bits on her when she would wander into the Everfree. Surely, she must have brought something else with her, so she could defend herself, right?

Looking around further, she noticed a letter on a desk on the wall opposite her bed. She decided that it was a good time to try using magic again, so without further ado, she wrapped the letter in her magic. Or atleast that's what she thought she did. but there was no blue aura around the letter. Sure, it was wierd, but Star just took it as just having woken up would leave you drained of magic. She hadn't experienced that before, but she was in a hospital. Maybe the events in the Everfree had influenced her magic in some way? That, or her magic was just charging up at the moment. Was that a thing though? She hadn't paid attention during those lessons.

Whatever the cause, it didn't matter right now. She walked over to the desk, and picked up the letter. It was marked with Patient #7: Recovery Report on the front, but nothing more. She tried opening it, but her hooves weren't all that precise. She just found herself fumbling around, trying to find somewhere she could open. But when her hooves found no grip, she gave up. She then noticed a ball in the corner, about as big as a hoofball. Seeing nothing else to do around here, she took the ball, went back to her bed, and started hitting it back and forth at the wall. "If only waiting is magic..."

After half an hour of hitting the ball back and forth and constantly having the ball bounce off on the bed and onto the floor, a knock on the door was heard. Star, who had just about started getting into the rhythm of the ball's bouncing, took the ball when it came back to her, and after hiding it under the bed, asked "Yes?". The one who knocked then opened the door and stepped in, and Star could already tell he was a doctor. After all, who could mistake that white coat that pretty much every doctor had?

The doctor stepped in fully, took a pitiful look at Star, and after locating the letter that she had tried to open before, used his magic to grab it. He didn't seemed surprised that there were obvious hoofmarks on it, like he knew that she'd try to open it by hoof. He opened it fairly easily with his own magic. How she wish she could have used her's to open that letter. If it was a recovery report on her, she would prefer knowing what it said right now. But the doctor, carefully reading through the light green paper hovering in front of him, seemed to take his time. Star decided to wait until he finished. She never was one to interupt ponies.

She had just about started pondering if she shouldn't actually say something when the doctor looked up from the paper, observing her with pity once again. She didn't understand why he looked at her that way though. She just had a lack of magic at the moment. Well, maybe she had a giant scar on her forehead? Now that she thought about it, she hadn't had the chance to properly look at herself due to the lack of mirrors in this room. Maybe she should do so when she gets out of this hospital?

The doctor, noticing that he didn't have Star's full attention, cleared his throat, after which Star snapped out of her thinking. The doctor then spoke.

"Greetings, Mrs. Gazer", he said politely.

"I'd prefer being called Mrs. Star, thank you", Star answered him. She quite disliked when ponies called her "Mrs. Gazer". It made her sound like some kind of pony who stares alot. She had, of course, thought about about asking to be called "Star", but that just made her look like she thought she was the star of Equestria. Which she knew she wasn't, nor tried to be.

"Okay, Mrs. Star."

He looked down on the papers again, looked up at her, and then asked a question.

"Would you like the good or bad news first?"

She wasn't very confortable with that question, becuase she knew that the bad news really were bad. They always were in those movies she had watched. One thing she had learnt from those movies were that the good news should come first, becuase the bad news would then completely overshadow the good ones.

"What are the good news?"

"Well, you'll be out of here in two days. You didn't get all that injured on your *legs*, so-"

Star interrupted him after picking up the legs part.

"Wait, then where was I-"

"That's part of the bad news."

She didn't want to hear the bad news yet, so she gave up that line of questioning.

"Alright, continue what you were saying before."

The doctor nodded, and looked back down on the paper for a few seconds before looking back at her.

"As I was saying, your legs weren't hurt badly, so they healed within the first two days. You also managed to avoid any other injuries on your body, so unless the situation worsens, you'll be out soon, as I've already said."

"Those are the good news?"

"Yep."

"Then what are the bad ones?"

The doctor hesitated for a moment, like he was going to say something that would insult her pride. Star anticipated that the news couldn't be good.

"...I'm afraid we had to cut off the tip of your horn, Mrs. Star."

Star didn't seem very shocked, which surprised the doctor. It was like she had prepared for the worst news of her life, only to be met with the info that it wasn't true at all.

"So what? It'll just grow back out. Sure, it may take time, but-"

"No."

The interruption surprised Star, and not exacly for the better either.

"...What do you mean no?"

The doctor once again hesitated, and this time, it was gonna be actual bad news.

"Well... To put it short... Your horn..."

He stopped to collect some courage, then finished the sentance.

"...Cannot grow back out again."