Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened in shock. "That's Ditzy Doo!" she called to Fluttershy.
"Oh my," Fluttershy said softly, "usually she's very calm. What could possibly have made her so scared?" She dropped the basket of acorns she was holding, sending startled squirrels off in every direction. "What if she's hurt?"
"Hurry, Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted, already galloping. Fluttershy squeaked in surprise and flew after her.
***
Ditzy Doo was pacing in front of a sketchy-looking alley, her eyes wild with fear. She dashed into the alley as soon as Fluttershy and Twilight saw her. The unicorn and pegasus exchanged glances, then followed Ditzy Doo's hoofsteps.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Twilight asked the gray pegasus.
"No, I'm fine, but look!" Ditzy pointed with a trembling hoof at a crumpled mass of fabric against a wall.
Twilight teleported over to the pile of fabric scraps, probably leftovers from a clothing store. She didn't see anything unusual, but she knew Ditzy would never be this agitated over nothing. She levitated the tattered curtain aside, then gasped in shock. The rags had concealed a lavender mare, slightly lighter in shade than Twilight herself. Her dark brown mane was matted in front, because blood was leaking from a wound on the center of her forehead, as well as several superficial scratches on her sides and legs. She was unconscious; her eyes fluttered slightly as Twilight picked her up with the use of magic.
"Fluttershy, come help me!" called Twilight. Fluttershy bolted into the alley and shrieked as soon as she saw what Twilight was doing.
"Oh my goodness oh my goodness! Nothing like this has ever happened to me!" shrieked Fluttershy, jumping from hoof to hoof in agitation.
"Fluttershy, calm down! You're the one who knows about medical stuff! What should I do to help her?" Twilight begged.
Fluttershy took a deep breath. "Well, first keep her head higher than her heart, to minimize blood loss. You need to use your magic to lift her head while I carry her on my back. Then, make sure she has no broken bones or other serious injuries. From the placement of her head injury and the fact that she is unconscious, she may have head trauma. Make sure you're very gentle with her head, just in case. We need to bring her somewhere where we can have peace and quiet. When we get there, I have to clean her up so her cuts can heal right and not get infected. Finally, we have to give her water so she doesn't get dehydrated."
Twilight stood blinking in shock, then shook her head to break the spell cast on her by Fluttershy's medical rant. Fluttershy blushed, looking down. "If... if you think that's a good idea."
"What should I do?" Ditzy Doo broke in.
"You should come too," Twilight responded. "We might need all the help we can get.
Fluttershy flew high above the streets, carefully balancing the injured pony on her back, while Ditzy Doo flew just underneath in case the mare should fall. Twilight trotted below, concentrating her magic on levitating the head of the unconscious pony high above her.
When they arrived at Twilight's treehouse, an unspoken agreement was reached. Fluttershy tended the injured pony's wounds while Twilight closed the library doors and perused her books for information, and Ditzy Doo helped Fluttershy while preparing food for everypony. For a while, the library was silent. Suddenly, Fluttershy broke the silence. "Oh my goodness! Come look at this!"
Ditzy Doo and Twilight Sparkle crowded around the sofa to see. "Look," Fluttershy whispered, pushing the mare's bangs aside. Her forehead was now clean of blood. The injury surrounded something which appeared to be... the base of a horn?
Twilight was speechless with shock for a few seconds. Finally, she said quietly, almost to herself, "How could a unicorn lose her horn? That's unheard of! What if..." Twilight trailed off and visibly went pale.
"What, Twilight?" asked Ditzy.
"What if it was done on purpose?"
Fluttershy gasped and hid in a corner. "Twilight, who would possibly do that?! That's just so... so... horrible!" The yellow pegasus shuddered with fear.
"I don't know, Fluttershy," Twilight said, looking at the sleeping pony on the couch. "We'll have to wait until she wakes up to answer that question."
The three friends did wait. They waited for hours, until finally, shortly before sunset, the mare's eyes slowly opened.