Deflated

by ambaharmony

So They Say

Now that Pinkie Pie had been resting at home for a few days, it was finally time to remove the bandages. The doctors at Ponyville Hospital had solemnly told her that there would most likely be permanent scarring, but their prognosis was dismissed with a giggle. She'd have to see it for herself to believe it!

Applejack and Apple Bloom, her rescuers, were present as well. The sisters watched anxiously as Pinkie prepared the new wrappings that would replace the old, and then examined her bandaged flank in the mirror. When she looked up at them, they awkwardly glanced away. Pinkie let out a laugh.

"Oh, come on, you guys. They said I'd be just fine! Nothing could ever take down Pinkie Pie!"

Applejack grinned half-heartedly at her. "Yeah, sugar cube, we know. We're just, uh, nervous to see it. That's all."

"Exactly!" Apple Bloom interjected. "I feel like I'm gonna burst if I have to wait any longer. I wanna see how it's healin' up!"

"Well then let's get right to it. Here we go!" Suspense mounted up inside Pinkie's chest as she slowly peeled off the medical tape securing the thick gauze over her right flank.

"Oh my," Applejack breathed, staring in disbelief. Apple Bloom had partially hidden herself behind her sister's leg, feeling squeamish from the open wound.

At first, Pinkie's eyes widened and she let out a small gasp. Yes, as predicted, her cutie mark was still visible, though fractions of it were now obscured by thin, light pink slashes. If the balloons adorning her flank had been real, the ripping of her attacker's fierce claws would have popped them instantly. The injury was still somewhat raw, so droplets of blood oozed here and there, but most portions of it had begun to heal. Her mouth fell into a frown for a moment as she thought about what this meant for herself. Everypony knew that the realm of cutie marks was mysterious and all-powerful, something ponies still didn't quite understand. Even the magic of almighty alicorns could not tamper with one's cutie mark. So what did this mean?

After a moment of consideration with no logical possibilities coming to mind, Pinkie spoke up.

"Look, it's not that bad. It's still healing, remember? There's plenty of time for it to close up. I'm sure it'll look just fine!" Applejack and Apple Bloom presented no objections, so she shrugged it off with a smile. They assisted Pinkie in rebandaging the injury, stayed around to enjoy some cupcakes with her, and left just as the moon was beginning to appear in the night sky.

The positive outlook didn't quite follow Pinkie to bed. Her mind refused to focus on anything else except reliving the brutal attack, over and over, until she slipped into a restless slumber. In her dreams she was dashing through the murky forest again with ominous cries tickling in her ears, as if her attacker was just behind her. This time, dozens of pastel balloons drifted among the somber trees. One by one, she heard them burst as her assailant got closer and closer until it finally dug its claws into her back. She wailed for help, but nobody came this time.

The loudest, sharpest pop! of an imaginary balloon being punctured jolted Pinkie out of bed just as the sun was rising over the sleepy residents of Ponyville. She rubbed her groggy eyes and gazed forlornly out the window. The gloom of last night's dream was a little too much for her to bear on her own. She felt a bit more relieved once she remembered she'd promised to visit Twilight Sparkle, who had expressed interest in hanging out once Pinkie felt well enough to do so.

"A good day with a best friend can make anything better!" Pinkie asserted to herself.

Mr. and Mrs. Cake were quieter than usual at breakfast. They did remind Pinkie of what they had already told her, that she had the next week or so off from her duties at Sugar Cube Corner so she could properly recover. The twin foals did not refrain from their usual shrieks and food throwing.

After eating, Pinkie trotted towards Twilight's library in her usual cheery manner, though she moved carefully as not to injure herself any further. The bulky bandages, accompanied by the fact that her story must have been spread quickly, accounted for the intrigued, sympathetic looks she got. Oblivious to their unease, Pinkie shot her award-winning smile at everyone who caught her eye.

Luckily, Twilight happened to be home. After answering the door, she gasped and embraced Pinkie in a tight hug.

"Oh, Pinkie! I'm so sorry! I was so involved in my homework that I had forgotten that we had made plans. But I'm glad you remembered! Come on in. How are you doing? How does it look? I really want to see."

Pinkie once again removed the wrappings to display the wound to her friend. Twilight stared in awe, unable to tear her eyes from her friend's damaged cutie mark.

"Oh, this looks absolutely horrible. And your cutie mark..."

"Yeah, I know, but it'll heal up in no time, right?" Pinkie replied, gently placing the bandages back on her flank. She finally recognized Twilight's restlessness and tilted her head curiously. "What's the matter? Don'tcha think so?"

The corners of Twilight's mouth twitched up into a small smile. "Well, yes, the wound certainly will heal. But I think the doctors are right. There could be a scar over your cutie mark and something about that just seems odd. You know, I think I've read something about this! Hold on a second."

As soon as Twilight eagerly galloped over to one of the dozens of bookshelves lining the walls and began to scan the spines of multiple volumes, Pinkie knew she would be here for longer than just a second. She curled up on a spare cushion while Twilight piled stacks of books into a fortress of knowledge around herself. She must have dozed off because a sudden cry of "Aha! Found it!" brought Pinkie from a picnic under the pleasant sun at Ponyville Park with her best friends back to Twilight's library with a dull burning, that had become the norm as of late, returning to her flank.

Once Pinkie was fully alert again, Twilight continued with her findings. "Well, I can't say any more than speculation in your case. At least, so far. But listen to this!"

'In most cases, a cutie mark's appearance and meaning is certain: this is the exact way it will look, and it acutely represents the purpose its owner will serve for the remaining days of their life. Old legends dating back to the early years of Canterlot settlement, however, tell stories of a cutie mark's meaning being changed through its owner experiencing physical trauma. Receiving a large blast of powerful magic or a scar or some other kind of permanent marking on the flank where a cutie mark is present could foreshadow a dramatic change in a pony's destiny, especially pertaining to the meaning of their cutie mark.'"

Twilight looked on distressfully as Pinkie stared blankly into the distance, processing what she had just heard. Could this injury be proclaiming a change in her life's purpose? How could throwing parties not be what she was meant to do? It was those parties that made her happiest, and they were something that everypony else seemed to enjoy as well. She couldn't imagine doing anything else but planning extravagant bashes and spreading smiles to her friends. A wave of chills swept through her body, bringing along with it an unfamiliar feeling: despair.

"Will my destiny really be changed? I don't want to stop throwing parties! What else am I supposed to do? I love parties! I--"

"Calm down, Pinkie. Let's think rationally and reasonably about this!" Twilight interrupted, trying her best to mask anxiousness from appearing in her facial expression. "These stories are from old Canterlot. They were told hundreds and hundreds of years ago. There never was a documented case of a pony's destiny being changed in this way. Anypony could have made those up. You don't feel any different, do you?"

No, she hadn't, not until Twilight's findings had planted a seed of doubt in her mind. She thought of the faces of ponies she had passed by earlier, how they hadn't greeted her as they usually do. The awkward silence of the Cakes. Were they simply concerned, or did she not possess the ability to make everypony smile anymore?

"I guess not. I'm getting kinda tired, though, so I'm gonna head home. Thanks for having me over," Pinkie sighed.

Twilight felt a pang of guilt threatening to take over, for she realized her research had caused her friend's discomfort. "Pinkie, I'm sorry. Forget I even said anything about that. They're all old mare's tales. You'll be totally fine, okay?"

"Okay."

For the first time in her life, Pinkie focused on the ground as she dragged her hooves down the streets of Ponyville.

Comments

[xDan]

puu.sh/1w7Wi.jpg

[Dusty Sage]

A truly intriguing premise. (And, as always, Twilight finds the dark cloud in front of the silver lining.) Sign me up for the rest of this.

[Chaotic Discord]

I really like this story, I've never seen anything like it! Keep on going!

[The Rarispy]

Wow, this sounds like a REALLY intriguing and fascinating concept. I love it when people have ideas like this.

[Pixels]

Fascinattting!

[theYasha]

aww nooooo.............
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

[SuperPinkBrony12]

Nice job breaking it Twilight, you just couldn't keep your big mouth shut could you?

Now look what you did to Pinkie Pie, you may have put all of Eqeustria in danger.

[Awesomer Than Prussia]

!!!!!!!!!!!!FACONATINGAMAZINGAWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BrokenPinkiePromise]

I think this story has a good premise. Keep writing.