When Your Best isn't Good Enough

Evening was settling in, Sunrise was huddled in a corner of an alley starving and very faint from hunger, her loss of blood from a thug who had knifed her and stole her bag and bits and faint from walking since 1 P.M. that afternoon.

Her vision was beginning to blur and it was getting cooler. She knew the signs, she was gonna die if help didn't find her; she cried, she had dreams. Her biggest dream was working in a flower shop, her family was blind that she was very gifted and talented in floral arrangements. She could feel her breaths slowing and she used her own blood to write her name and that took her remaining energy and things went black last thing she remembered was hearing a voice saying, "Sweet Celestia! Call a medic!"

"Thank you your highnesses for coming, I asked you come because this is horrific what this filly as gone through. This beating almost killed her! All we know is that her name is Sunrise. Whoever did this broke six ribs, fractured the rest, broke her leg and hip, caused a concussion, fractured her muzzle and it's a miracle she loose any teethe! In addition, tore both ears to a point of leaving half of both ears. She's gonna be blind in one eye and she to top it all off has a stab wound if 2 millimeters over would've killed out right! Pardon my yelling but I am fucking outraged!"

Celestia and Luna nodded in understanding, Twilght just stared at the X-rays and at the bruising and commented, "Nurse Redheart, the bruises look like they were done by three different ponies; or is just me?"

"You're right Twilight, I am almost supecting family did this, there no defensive wounds and she is smaller than most mares her age. I putting her age at at fifteen. I forgot to mention, at some point she had to have an open heart surgery her heart isn't very strong by her vital readings."

"You're saying she was lucky to live past an hour at this amount of trauma?"

"Yes I am Princess Luna"

"Is there some sort of spell you can use to see her past?"

"There is replied Celestia. Luna began performing the spell and what they saw enraged them all. They saw Sunrise being the kind gentle, self-sacrificing and generous mare you'd want to have as a friend getting treated like refuse. When the beating came into view they barely were able to stomach the scene.

They looked at Sunrise and Luna and Celestia left Twilght with Redheart an went to retrieve the family.

Sunrise woke to the sound of a steady beep......beep.....beep and saw that she'd been hooked up to a heart monitor and the smell of hospital anesthesia hit her like a kick to the ribs.

"How the hell am I still alive?"

Nurse Redheart turned at the same moment when Twilght had and the latter spoke first, a few of my friends found you outside not too far from Sugarcube Corner."

Sunrise saw the X-rays and guessed that to be alive at all even with her weak heart she knew that in all technicalities should be dead. When she saw Redheart and Twilght she asked how she was still alive?

Twilght answered, "My friend Rainbow Dash found you in an alley practically dead, luckily for the both of you you weren't to too far Carasoul Boutique and Rarity levitated you while and ran you all the way here. By the way...........we.......um.......used a spell to see your history and we're frankly appalled how your family treated you. We are going to make things right, you don't deserve this, don't deserve to laying in bed clingy for life."

"I not worth any trouble, or so I'm told. I'm just an average pony with not talents.......I don't have a cutie mark......." At that moment five mares came in and a white unicorn with a purple mane and tail brought in a bouquet of flowers:

"Hello darling thought this might help cheer you up."

Sunrise recognized all five element bearers. She was ask about the sixth one until out of the void she popped up and said "Hi! How ya doin'? I'm Pinkie Pie" she almost fell out of the bed had it not been for the rails.

Her several week recovery gave visitors from all over Ponyville. She finally felt like she was worth something, she felt safe and cared for.

Most mornings she'd wake up and see one of the element bearers in the chair by her bed or on occasion a resident of Ponyville.

The morning Sunrise was going to be released she woke to soft music playing, it was sweet, yet she heard sadness, the sadness from a broken heart. She glanced over and saw a great mare with a cello, and her cutie mark was a purple treble clef. Sunrise recognized this visitor, this was the renowned cellist Octavia. "Octavia?"

"Yes dear need me to go find a nurse?"

"No, just wanna thank you for playing its.......so beautiful."

"Think nothing of it, I love playing for you." Just at that moment Nurse Redheart came in followed by three of the four princesses.