Ponyville General Hospital was a strangely wholesome place during the wintertime, particularly around the Hearth’s Warming season. The halls and wards were decorated, patients received hot cocoa, and carolers would frequently visit. Everypony did their best to make sure the patients felt at home and happy. Nopony should be alone and sad during Hearth’s Warming. It was a rather sad affair when new patients had to be admitted, but one had to make do with what one had to make ponies happy.
On one particular evening, Rainbow Dash entered the hospital with a foal on her back. “I was doing my rounds and saw him lying out in the snow,” she explained. “He wasn’t moving.” The colt in question had a hide which was muted gold in color and his hair was black. The most immediate cause for concern was the various cuts and bruises all over his body. Fortunately, those marks could be healed, as they were relatively recent. What truly horrified everypony was the scar. It was as though somepony had pushed a torch into the left side of the colt’s face.
“Who did this to him?” That was the question on the mind of every doctor and nurse who took a look at the colt, whom they tentatively dubbed Gold until he could wake up and tell them his real name. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, was thinking something else entirely.
“Somepony’s gonna pay for this.”
Several hours had passed since Gold’s admittance to the hospital. He had not yet awakened, and it was confirmed that nothing could be done about his scar. It had been there for years. He would have it the rest of his life. There was no doubt in anypony’s mind that Gold had been horribly abused and ran away from home. Erring on the side of caution, they placed him in a private ward, where only a few ponies could interact with him. A more public room could very well frighten him. Nurse Tender Heart drove such morbid thoughts from her mind as she went to check on the colt. Putting on her friendliest expression, she slowly opened the door.
Gold was awake. His head turned sharply to stare at Tender Heart, fear and confusion in his golden eyes. “Where am I?” he demanded. “Who are you? What are you? What’s happened to me?”
Tender Heart now had many questions, but the priority was calming the patient. She raised a placating hoof. “It’s okay. You’re safe here. Nopony’s going to hurt you.”
“Safe? Pony?” he looked around. “Is this the spirit world?” He looked down at his hooves. “Is that why I look like this? Are you a spirit”
“No, this isn’t the spirit world and I’m not a spirit,” replied Tender Heart, wondering what that meant. “Can you tell me your name?”
“Zuko,” said the colt. “If this isn’t the spirit world, then why am I a horse talking to another horse? Is this a dream?”
Tender Heart briefly raised an eyebrow at that. How could Zuko know his name, which was decidedly un-ponylike, but not know his own species? She moved closer to the hospital bed. “You’re not dreaming, little one. This is all real.” She reached out. “Can I touch your hoof?”
Zuko looked from her hoof to his own. He reached forward and touched her hoof. His eyes widened. “This is real. I’m a talking horse.”
“Pony,” Tender Heart corrected.
“What happened to me? Where am I? Where’s my uncle?” His voice sounded more panicked with each question.
The nurse tried to sound as soothing as possible. If she wasn’t careful, he’d close up at best and bolt at worst. “It’s okay. Rainbow Dash found you in the snow and brought you to the hospital. You’re safe here. Can you tell me what you’re uncle looks like?”
“What he looks like? I-! He-! Tell me you know what a human is?”
A what? “Sorry, I don’t know.”
Zuko’s fear gave way to anger. “What do you mean, you don’t know? Humans! Men! Women! Walks on two legs? Two hands? Five fingers?”
Tender Heart backed up to the nearby call button. “I still don’t know what you’re talking about. Please calm down.” Zuko didn’t listen. Instead, his breathing quickened. Anticipating what could be a panic attack, she took hold of his hoof to try and ground him.
Zuko slapped her hoof away and backed up to the edge of the bed. He shut his eyes and screamed in anguish. Flames erupted from his horn. Tender Heart hit the call button, sending out the code for a combative patient.
Two nurses and a doctor arrived in record time. Zuko thrust one foreleg forward, but he was too far away to land a punch. The doctor used his magic to inject the colt with a sedative. One minute and one torched ward later, Zuko was unconscious once again.
“What happened?” asked Dr. Hooves.
Tender Heart recalled every strange thing the colt had said, how confused and scared he was. “Doctor, I’m wondering the same thing.”