*Screech*
*Crunch*
Ahhhhh!!!
These were the sounds of my life changing in the blink of an eye. I was now bleeding on the floor, ponies taking videos and some even calling a Hospital. I twitched as my blood slowly left me, my life force draining and escaping my body. I could sense Thanatos' cold, unfeeling hoof upon my shoulder (the one not torn off) as I slowly faded into the abyss of unconsiousness. But before that could completely happen, I saw an ambulance carriage come and the occupants carry me away to the aforementioned carriage.
When I awoke, I found myself in a hospital bed, with a heating blanket places neatly over me. I looked down my body, and I saw ace bandages wrapped along my chest and...and...
My stump of a left foreleg. All that was left of my left foreleg was a stump of a shoulder, wrapped up in ace bandages and bloodied quite a bit. I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me, because suddenly, I couldn't breathe. tears started forming along my lower eye lid. I had moved to Ponyville hoping to make a change in my life. I guess a change has indeed happened. But it'll only ruin me in the end. You see, I am a runway model and well known fashionista down in Canterlot. They call me Precious Gem, because of my name 'Gem Beauty'. Recently, I had gotten a letter from a treatment center for injured and physically disabled foals. The letter stated they didn't make it to my last show because they hadn't raised the money in time to buy tickets for the foals to come to the show. They asked if I could come and give another show just for the colts and fillies in the center.
I wrote back with a no.
But I decided to go to Ponyville anyway, as I had planned on moving in with my cousin for a while now.
So, I packed my favorite outfits from the catwalk and from my personal collection, and headed for the train.
When I got off the train, however, things turned for the worst.
As I was getting off the train, there was a stallion in a hurry to get to work. I had spoken with him beforehand on the way to Ponyville in the train. He had just gotten a promotion from his old town in Baltimare, and was now going to Ponyville to accept the promotion. He accidentally shoved into me as I was walking off. So, my hoof got stuck in the gap between the train and the station. I got fully off the train and tried pulling out my hoof. But...it was too late. The train moved and dragged me along. I stood firm and it ended up tearing off my left foreleg, and here we are now.
A doctor came in suddenly, snapping me back to the present. I looked to him and he smiled pleasantly, as if nothing was wrong. He handed me some food and drink, then a nurse came in to help me eat so I wouldn't strain myself. The doctor I mentioned before looked to his chart, which he was levitating in front of his face. He then moved it away to look at me as he said, "Well, good news is, you'll live. The bad news is you'll need a walking assist or even a wheelchair. You'll probably never walk again."
I looked down, my head hung in sadness, and burst into tears. He then came closer and strained his eyes to look carefully at my stump. "Unless..." he muttered under his breath. He then continued with, "We have a rehabilitation program. All you'd have to do is sign up and get a special operation done to you. Afterwards will be excruciating pain but then comes physical therapy and training. You could get a prosthetic foreleg is what we're saying."
I looked up at him and said, "Where do I sign?"
The doctor left, then came back with a paper attached to a clipboard, and pointed to a line with an X next to it. He smiled reassuringly as he said gently, "We have the technology, but no one wishes to volunteer. You'll be making history."
That didn't comfort me.
It only made me feel worse.
This is my story...about beauty in all things.
Beauty in all Things
Written by Music the Looping Traceu
12 days before the surgery:
It was about a week before the surgery date that was chosen to be the 23rd. I laid in my hospital bed, telling jokes to myself as there was nopony to talk to. Suddenly, a very audible click was heard and I immediately sat up (with great difficulty, of course). In came Rarity, my cousin, who I planned to move in with. She looked around, then saw me, her eyes locked on target. The target being my stump. Her eyes burst into tears as she galloped at full speed towards me and hugged me, knocking the wind out of me. The whole time we embraced, she kept crying and sobbing. At some point her fabulous make-up started to run. I rubbed her back and told her in her ear it would be fine.
She asked me, "How can you be so sure?" To which I replied, "I'm going to be in the surgical room where they'll be fitting me with a prosthetic leg." She smiled wide and wiped the make-up off with her handkerchief, taking off the fake eye lashes on the process. She then sat down and re-applied the make-up. I tried to get my make-ip with my magic, but being the weakest unicorn in terms of magic, it wouldn't budge. I'm slowly starting to see what it's like being disabled. You can't do what should come as second nature.
I might have to visit that treatment center when this is all over.
10 days before the surgery:
"So that's when I got the call you were in the Hospital for a train injury. I thought it might've been a thing that would have killed you. In a way, I was so relieved when I saw it was just a limb. Because it meant you would live!" Rarity kept on blabbing about how terrified she was, she didn't notice five other ponies came through the door until I coughed awkwardly and said, "Hello?" to the visitors. She turned around and got bright eyed and smiled wide. She rushed over to the ponies and turned to face me as she said, "These are my friends! Gem, I want you to meet Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and...wait, where's Fluttershy? She was just here a second ago..."
Suddenly, a creamy yellow Pegasus came from behind the purple one, who was Twilight, and waved shyly to me. I waved back with right foreleg and she whimpered a small "H-hello..."
Rarity pulled her away from Twilight and smiled. "And this is Fluttershy. These other five ponies are my friends!" She then turned to them and said, "Friends, this is my cousin, the famous--"
"Gem Beauty!!!" Pinkie Pie, the pink one, exclaimed. Rarity cocked her head sideways as she realized Pinkie Pie must have known me from somewhere. But both Rarity and I had trouble figuring out how. Pinkie giggled and said, "I work at Sugarcube Corner. You order from us all the time!" I nodded and mouthed an 'oh'. Then I replied, stating "I love your cakes. They're so yummy, I think I gained 5 pounds at one point. It was no good, but I still ate that cake while I exercised." She giggled, snorting a bit. Rarity beamed as she said, "I see already you're growing used to them, Gem. You know, I had managed to get them all tickets to your fashion show. Rainbow Dash was unwilling at first, but then she said 'why the heck not?' It was too funny, the look on her face when she saw you up on stage wearing such fabulous clothing."
"Hey, it's not my fault the clothes were cool!" Rainbow Dash said with a red face. She was the cyan colored one with the multi-colored mane. I could only laugh in response to her face. They all laughed soon after.
9 days before the surgery:
I was turned the lamp on and off repeatedly when I got a knock on my door. In came the doctor, holding a clipboard and having a concerned face. He opened his mouth, then closed it as he paced. Once again he opened it, but actually said something. He said, "So, we're going to have to speed up the days before the surgery, seeing as we're already done building the prostheses."
"What do you mean, doctor?" I asked.
He said, "I mean the surgery has been changed to tomorrow, first thing in the morning."
~~8~~ 0 Days before the surgery:
I was out like a light. So, I can't really tell you the details. But...even in my sleep, I had felt the pain of being sliced open on my stump as they put metal parts on the inside of it. I could feel them placing special wires in there and connecting them, connecting them to nerves through welding, and eventually, they popped something in, causing me a great deal of pain. But thankfully, I knew it was over when they did that. Because soon after, they brought me back from under, my eyes drowsily opening to the bright lights of the operating room. They all cheered when I awoke, glad this was a successful operation. I looked to my left stump, and there was a metal foreleg in its place. It all a cold steel color, with rubbing for the parts where the knee and shoulder bend.
I started smiling. I wasn't aware, but later on that day, they told me I was smiling. They then began pushing my gurney to a place to rest, but I was too excited to rest. I would be able to walk again. So, I stayed up all day and even all night. The following day, I was asked to get out of the bed. I started by using my right foreleg, but the doctor told me to try and use my left foreleg before I could even move. So, I strained to control the prosthetic leg and with great struggle, kicked the sheets off.
The second those sheets flew off the bed, I knew...
This was going to be a long journey ahead.
