The spring had come, and with it came beautiful weather, perfect for going on a walk with a friend. Or in the case of one pink party pony, bouncing around while your two companions walked. Pinkie Pie bounced merrily around Applejack and Twilight Sparkle as they walked up a path along the river. They were heading towards the dam, where they could find a good place to enjoy a picnic lunch.
"Thanks for coming with me today, girls," Twilight told her friends as they enjoyed the late morning sun. Days like this were meant to be enjoyed, and it had taken her several years to learn that lesson. Twilight silently thanked Celestia that she had friends to enjoy it with. It was unfortunate that Rarity was busy with a fashion show up in Canterlot, and Fluttershy had some sick animals that needed her care today.
Rainbow Dash had been gone and was probably either practicing her maneuvers in hopes to make it into the Wonderbolts full time, or napping. Yeah, she was most likely napping. Even Spike was unavailable, where he had plans to spend it with the Cutie Mark Crusaders today. He seemed to have taken a liking to Babs Seed, and now that she has come by for a week, Spike would probably spend the entire time with the four fillies. Twilight giggled at the thought.
Still, Having AJ and Pinkie with her today was a blessing which she once again thanked Celestia for.
"Shucks Twi, I wouldn't have missed an opportunity to spend time with a couple friends. Y'all are my best friends," AJ smiled to her companions. "Besides, Big Mac and I have things caught up on the farm, so I need this time to take a break, lest Granny kick my flank for overworking myself again!" Twilight and Applejack had a chuckle at this. After the time when her brother had been injured, and she attempted to do the entire harvest all by herself, Granny Smith had become rather insistent that she take a break once in awhile.
Pinkie was only halfway listening to her two companion's conversation. She just happily bounced around them as the trio started their ascent up the hill. Pinkie merrily hummed to herself as they continued their journey to their chosen picnic spot. She didn’t not notice how soft the ground was along the edge of the wide path. With the recent thawing of the ground and the rains that the weather team had produced, certain spots along the edge were softer than others. It just happened to be that Pinkie Pie found one such spot. She had been bouncing along the edge of the path as she looked up to notice a familiar rainbow colored contrail blazing across the sky. "Oh look girls! Look who's up there," she pointed with her foreleg while bouncing. When her hooves touched the ground, the dirt at the edge gives away, and Pinkie tumbled down the bank towards the rocks at the river's edge, letting out a startled yell.
The world turned into a painful blur for her as she rolled down the small hill. The last thing she noticed was a large rock heading right for her face, and then one blinding, painful smack.
"Pinkie!" Twilight and Applejack yelled in unison. AJ was the quicker of the two to respond, and immediately ran to the edge to see if their pink friend was ok. She let out a gasp as Twilight ran up next to her. Pinkie Pie lay still next to a small boulder. There was a bloodstain on the large rock, and a pool of blood forming under her motionless head. The two of them scrambled down in a panic to check on her. AJ quickly moved to pick up the injured pony, but was stopped by Twilight.
"Don’t! Do not move her Applejack! You could exasperate her condition if you're not careful." Twilight carefully assessed Pinkie's injuries as best as she could. She had hit her head hard on the boulder, and Twilight saw signs of a severe head injury. Pinkie lied there twitching with her eyes rolled up inside her head.
Rainbow Dash quickly landed next to them at this point. She had been flying over when the accident happened, and wanted to make sure that everything was ok. Before she could say anything, the cyan pegasus gasped in shock at what she saw. Pinkie was one of her closest friends, and she felt an icy ball form in the pit of her stomach at the sight of her lying there.
"Oh Celestia... I'll go get help, Twilight! Stay here!" Rainbow told them as she flew off towards town. It didn’t take her long to travel the five miles to town, flying as fast as she dared this close to Ponyville. Within a few minutes, she had an ambulance chariot arriving on the scene with her. The paramedic ponies quickly got Pinkie assessed, and into the chariot for transport to Ponyville Medical.
* * * * *
Several hours later, Pinkie Pie’s closest friends sat in the Emergency Care waiting room, along with Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Spike and all four of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were there as well. The Crusaders saw the ambulance land at the hospital with RD right behind them, and Twilight and Applejack following soon behind them. Spike had been very helpful in this, having first dashed to Sugarcube Corner to get the Cakes, and then to Fluttershy's so she could be informed as well. Afterwards, he sent a hurried message to Princess Celestia asking her to find Rarity, explaining just what happened. The Princess had replied as soon as she found Rarity that the two of them would travel by chariot for Ponyville immediately. They had arrived about an hour ago. Now, Spike kept himself busy keeping four scared fillies occupied and not thinking about Pinkie Pie.
Rarity and Fluttershy were spending the waiting time talking. Twilight was conversing with the Princess, and Applejack paced the room, a concerned look upon her face. Dash was pacing back and forth as well, her thoughts a jumbled mess, angry that she could do nothing to help her friend at the moment. The Cakes sat in a corner talking quietly between each other, deeply worried for the mare who had essentially become to be a member of their family.
All their heads lifted when a unicorn dressed in green scrubs walked in. "My name is Dr. Whitehoof.” He quickly introduced himself. “I assume that you're all here concerning Miss Pie? I have some news for you. She just got out of surgery, and she is stable at the moment, though she is in a coma right now, due to the head injury she received. There are certain details which I need to discuss with those she has listed as her contact ponies." Before he could continue, a sky blue Pegasus was practically in his face asking questions.
"Is she gonna be ok Doc? When can I go in to see her?" She didn't get to ask any more before Princess Celestia gently pulled her away from him with her Magic. Rainbow struggled for a bit before reluctantly relenting.
"I'm certain you will be able to see her soon Rainbow Dash," she gently tells the frantic pony. She too was nervous on the inside, but she had to appear calm for her ponies, because they looked up to and needed her strength.
The doctor continues, "Due to certain... complications, I will need to speak with the Cakes, the Bearers of the Elements, and the Princess. If you will follow me please, we can discuss this in private in my office."
Twilight pauses for a moment, thinking of the fillies and Spike. As if reading her mind, he tells her, "Go ahead Twilight, I'll take care of the girls. You're needed in there."
"Thanks Spike," she says. She feels that he should be included, but only Pinkie's contact ponies and the Princess could attend this meeting with the doctor. There are rules and laws for a reason, and she cannot expect them to be violated for the feelings of her assistant.
When they are all gathered within Dr. Whitehoof's office, he shuts the door and beckons them all to find a seat. When he himself takes his seat behind his desk, he begins to explain Pinkie's condition, and what was found. "When Miss Pie was brought in, she was assessed to have a severe head injury. X-rays showed a skull fracture inches in front her left ear," he tells them indicating along his own head with his hoof. "Furthermore, there were indications of swelling and bleeding within her cranium, which was causing a buildup of pressure. We were able to go in to relieve the pressure, and repair what we were able to. As of now, Miss Pie is in a coma, due to the head injury. We are hopeful that she will recover from this and awaken, though how long it takes is anypony's guess. It could be tomorrow, or it could be years. It all depends on how well her body can heal itself, and also luck and fate. None of us here can perform miracles, so we just have to wait.
"When we took the x-rays, we discovered something that was quite interesting. There appeared to be a possible growth in her forehead which had us puzzled. Specifically, it appeared to be a semi-crystalline growth known as a carbuncle." He paused for a moment for two of them, specifically, Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia, to digest what they have just learned. Out of the eight ponies within the room, they would be the ones who understand it's implications.
Celestia just nodded her understanding, having all along sensed that there was a difference within the pink Earth Pony. She had suspected that something like this might be the case, but had not felt it necessary to look deeper, choosing instead to simply accept that it was Pinkie Pie, and that was all the reason which was needed.
Twilight, on the other hoof, was stunned by this revelation. "How is this possible?" she asks the doctor. "A carbuncle only grows at the base of a Unicorn's..." And then, the realization dawns on her face. But how could this be possible? The rest came to realize the same, that Pinkamena Diane Pie was no ordinary Earth Pony. They too were pretty much floored by this realization, just as the purple Unicorn was.
Before the clamour of further questions could erupt, Dr. Whitehoof continues. "Yes, it appears that Miss Pie, was in fact, born a Unicorn. Right now, I have the records department going over her files trying to find answers. All that we can find so far is that she was adopted by her family as a newborn foal from Hoofington. Unfortunately, what records after the family moved here do not include the time before her coming to Ponyville. It seems that Hoofington General was greatly damaged by a fire years ago, including the total loss of their records department. It seems that there is some faint scarring on her forehead indicating that the horn had been removed surgically for some reason. In order to find out more, somepony will have to go to Hoofington to investigate. Has word gotten to her family in Hoofington?" he asks.
"Yes. Princess Luna personally delivered the message. She is with Pinkie Pie's family right now, and they await word on her condition. They can be here within an hour," she tells him.
"I think that would be for the best, Princess. That way, we can find out from them just what happened." He did not want to mention the other reason they needed to come. They needed to keep hope, for Miss Pie's sake.
How a Unicorn Became an Earth Pony
With the arrival of Luna and Pinkie's parents, Celestia and Luna first took care of their duties with the Sun and Moon, and then they all gathered once again within Dr. Whitehoof's office. After the doctor explained to the two of them just what happened, with the help of Applejack and Twilight, they then inquired on when they would be able to see their daughter.
"Right now, Mr. and Mrs. Cake are in with her. Where as she just recently came out of surgery, she should not have too many visitors at one time. If you do not mind, I do have questions I would like to ask," he tells the two. "Could you tell us how Miss Pie came to be without a horn? Her medical records from when she lived in Hoofington were unfortunately destroyed years back in the fire at Hoofington General. If you could fill us in on as much as you know, it could be of great benefit to your daughter."
Mr. Pie had expected this. He was worried though for his daughter. Even with how much has been done in society to remove as much stigma towards ponies with handicaps or disfigurements, such ponies were often still shunned. He did not wish to see this happen to his daughter. From the letters which he would receive from Pinkamina, and the Cakes, who took her in when she had arrived in Ponyville, he felt that her friends could be trusted with this secret. But what of others? And what happens if somepony inadvertently talks about this around the wrong ponies? This is why he hadn't even told his close friend and cousin, Mr. Cake about what happened with his adoptive daughter.
In spite of his fears, he knew that he needed to tell them the truth. If there was any chance that the knowledge would help Pinkamina recover, then it has to be done.
Taking his wife's hoof in his, he begins the tale. "As you know, our daughter Pinkamina was adopted. She was born to a pair of Unicorn parents who were an abomination in Faust's eyes. They were abusive to each other and to their foal. When Pony Services took Pinkamina away from them, we were the first ones to be offered the opportunity to take her in.
"When we first saw her, the bruises were fading, but she had a cast on her horn, where it had been fractured from the abuse she had received." Telling this story brings back painful memories for the grey Earth Pony, but he pushes through the sad feelings, and continues. "We had been home with her a week when one morning, heading back home from town, a cart being hauled by a pair of young stallions comes around a corner too fast. They were running late for something important, and in their haste to get the cart into town, they took the curve too wide. Their cart sideswiped the cart I was pulling, and my wife and daughter were thrown from it. When I got to the two of them, Pinkamina's horn had been broken off at the base."
This brings varying reactions from the other ponies within the room. The two most pronounced reactions being Twilight's and Rarity's. Twilight's reaction is one of horror, trying to conceive just how horrible it had to have been for an infant foal to have something so traumatic happen to her. Rarity was deeply saddened, thinking about how cruel fate can be, to rip something so precious from a foal so innocent. The others had various degrees of emotions, all strong, but they did their best to hide them, for the sake of Pinkie, and her parents, who needed to tell the rest of the story.
"When the two stallions realized what they had done, they were quite distraught. They immediately helped me right my cart, helped me and my family back up in it, and pulled it to the hospital for us.
When we got there, they rushed Pinkamina into the ER, and from there, surgery. They had to amputate what remained of her horn, but they felt it would cause more harm to remove her carbuncle. Still, without her horn, she would in essence be an Earth Pony for the remainder of her life. So, that is how we raised her," he says, finishing the story.
"Why did you choose to hide her Unicorn side from her though?" asks Twilight. "Why not let her know?"
"Prejudice. A pony with disabilities is often looked down upon by those who are not. As if they were less of a pony, just because of something that is out of their control. Even today, where views have started to change, in some communities, especially more conservative ones, such as Hoofington, she would be viewed with scorn by many. We did not want that for her. We thought this would be the best way to give her as normal of a life as possible."
"The love and caring that you show for your daughter is commendable. Mr. Pie, but I feel that the time has come that she should know the truth about herself," says Celestia.
"Well, this does explain how she is able to do the things that she does," Rarity pipes in.
"I'm surprised that you never discovered this when you ran those tests on her back when you was trying to understand her Pinkie sense, Twilight," Applejack tells her friend.
"I don't care what she is, whether she is a Unicorn or not. She is still my best friend!" exclaims Rainbow Dash. "Nothing will change that."
The doctor is pleased that this went as well as it did. Later on, he would like to find out just who the surgeon was who amputated Miss Pie's horn, so he could get a doctor's perspective of what happened back then. That could be done later though. For now, maybe Mr. and Mrs. Pie would want to be with their daughter. He expresses this to everypony there, and the Pies thankfully agree. The doctor escorts the two elder Earth Ponies to the room where their daughter rests as the remainder of them file out of the room.
* * * * *
Several days have passed. Other than the uncertainty of when she will come out of the coma, Pinkie Pie's prognosis was for a likely full recovery, at least physically. There was always the possibility of memory loss, or even worse damage which they would not be able to detect until she woke, but until then, all they could do is hope.
Pinkie's parents stayed for only a few days, before they had to head back to their farm in Hoofington. They did not want to leave, but Hoofington was not far away, and when they received news, they could be back quickly. One thing which they did decide was that they would be visiting often. The Cakes had promised that they would be always welcome, and that they would have a room for them on the times which they come by.
Inside the hospital room where lay the comatose mare sat Rainbow Dash beside the bed. Whenever she was not working, she would be spending her time at the hospital, either sitting next to Pinkie's bed, or somewhere nearby if the Cakes or the Pies wished to have time with her. It was very reluctantly that she would leave at night, when Nurse Redheart would come in and tell her that it was time for her to go home for the evening.
She had been sitting there since mid afternoon, refusing to leave her side. She hated hospitals with a passion, but it was way worse to see someone she cared for lying there. It made her feel powerless to not be able to do anything for her, so she did the one thing that she was able to do. She would make certain that Pinkie was not alone.
Damnit! Why did this have to happen? Rainbow Dash was feeling torn up inside. Pinkie had become her best friend over the past few years. and, within Dash, her feelings for the funny, quirky mare have grown stronger recently.
"You and I will have to come up with a whole lot of new pranks to pull on all of our friends, Pinkie. We'll have so much fun together. Please wake up Pinkie. We miss you. I miss you." Rainbow sheds silent tears as she talks to the silent form in the bed. "I need you Pinkie. I cannot bear the thought of you no longer in my life. Please come back to me."
The dam inside bursts and Rainbow Dash jumps up to hug her comatose friend, her tears now flowing freely. "Damnit Pinkie, I love you! Don't you dare die on me!" she cries out. She spends several minutes just holding the mare, crying the tears she had been holding in ever since the accident. After a little bit, she felt something gently brush against her side. It was Pinkie. She was waking up, and at that moment, Rainbow Dash's tears went from ones of sorrow to joy.
Outside the room, Nurse Redheart felt a joy well up inside of her. She had been silently praying that the pink Mare would waken, and it seems that her prayers have been answered. Dr. Whitehoof was by her desk, going over a few forms involving patients under his care. when he received the news, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the worst should now be over. Looking up at the clock, she sees that visiting hours on this ward have ended, and she heads to inform Rainbow that the time has come for her to head home.
"Nurse Redheart, I think it would be ok this time to bend the rules a little," the doctor tells her. She could not have been happier to hear this. If anything, it would be good for the patient to wake up to someone who cares about her, that and she just did not have it in her to separate the two of them, especially when it was so apparent how the Pegasus felt about Miss Pie.
Yes, for tonight, the rules could be bent. "Will you be informing Twilight and the Cakes, Dr. Whitehoof?" she asks.
"Yes, I shall inform them as soon as I can get my coat. And I shall send a Pegasus to inform Miss Pie's parents in Hoofington.
* * * * *
Twilight had just received the news. She immediately had Spike send a note to the Princesses, and then galloped straight to Rarity's to pass on what the doctor had told her. From there, she headed straight for Sweet Apple Acres to inform Applejack and her family while Rarity went to inform Fluttershy.
Within the Apple household, the family was setting down for their evening dinner together. Even though they were worried for their friend, life did have to continue, and that included a hearty meal after a hard day of farmwork. When they heard the knock on the door, it had them puzzled, because normally, no one would be visiting them at this time of the evening. "I'll get the door," Applejack informs them, getting up to answer. When she opens it, she gets a chill when she sees Twilight there gasping for breath. She could only think of one reason why Twilight would have run that hard all the way from the center of town. "Dear Celestia, it's Pinkie, isn't it?" she asks, dreading the news.
When Twilight looked up still struggling to catch her breath, it was not a look of sorrow the farmer saw, but a look or elation. "She woke up AJ! She came out of the coma! She's going to be alright!" exclaims an excited Twilight.
Applejack immediately embraced the exhausted mare in a hug tight enough to crush a cider barrel, much to the now struggling to breath Twilight. "Thank Celestia! Come on in Twi, and tell everyone the news!" Letting go of the mare, she yells for her brother to fix another plate, and that Twilight has news for everypony. "Come on and grab a seat and share dinner with us Twilight."
