...Cupcakes... streamers... rocketships... wait what? I don't... oh yea! I'm asleep. Silly Pinkie. Still what's that thing doing here? Looks a lot like... huh! Reminds me of somepony! But um... who was it again? Some kinda smarty-pants like Twilight but like, a THOUSAND times more! I can't remember his name. Weird! Wait! I bet it's super duper important! It feels like it is anyway! Momma always told me that dreams had important stuff in them, and to try and figure them out. Hm. Maybe if I think REAL hard about it... nope I got nothing! Oh well! Hey why am I asleep? It wasn't bed time last I checked! What happened? Did Ditzy conk me on the head again? My Pinkie Sense didn't go off so I don't think so... Oh yea, it was that sad pony! What happened to him? Or me for that matter! Hmmmmm. Well I'm sure it'll work out fine after a bit, I bet I just fell asleep! Hahaha!
Sadly, Pinkie was in the St.Mares Hospital due to a shock-induced coma from events earlier that day.
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Earlier that day...
Pinkie was bouncing along as usual meeting and greeting every passing pony with a cheerful smile and the occasional joke. Just another normal day with her until her tail and hooves started to itch. That usually meant something nasty was going to happen to somepony nearby. Giving herself an idle scratch she stops to look around and warn the nearby mule, "Hey, careful now! Something bad is about to happen!" giving him an award winning smile, then humming gently to herself as she bounced off.
Quite possibly the most cheerful doomsayer you'd ever meet.
After finishing her hellos for the morning she ponders what to do as she bounces on happily. The Cakes had given her the day off from Sugercube Corner and there were no birthdays, parties, banquets, or even social get together's to attend. So what was a Pinkie to do? Easy. Hop along until you meet someone new! Remembering her past mistake she decides to stay within hopping distance of Ponyville, and although that penguin was a great new friend she didn't like the idea of being a Pinkie Popsicle again.
A slow mute clop was heard as a lone figure trailed down a path towards town.
Who's this? A new friend?! Yay! Just what a bored Pinkie needed! I'll need to get the balloons and confetti and go grab my party cannon, better make sure to put confetti in it this time... But even as she rambled on to herself about preparations for this strangers party she noticed something a little off about him. It was as if the light bent away from him, no that's not quite it... colors seemed dim around him. Just looking in his direction made Pinkie feel a strange sense of loss, as if someone she knew had disappeared. Something was wrong about that pony, so she walks over to check on him.
"Hi! You must be new here, my name's Pinkie Pie!" Giving him the sweetest of smiles as she introduced herself.
"..." As if she doesn't exist he keeps on walking. Inexorably and determined.
"...Well uh, welcome to Ponyville!" Quiet huh? I've dealt with this before! Just stay positive... Although she couldn't help but feel a bit down at the silent treatment she was getting.
"..."
"Cat got your tongue mister? Eheheh..." Laughing a bit nervously at his continued silence.
"...Mmnh..." A low grunt is all that is heard from the strange stallion, and to Pinkies curiosity discovered how he left a trail of hoof prints behind him.
"Oh wow, you're super duper DIRTY! When was the last time you had a bath? You don't stink though, so maybe it's just dust? Or something?" She trots along beside him for a short while as she tries to coax him from silence. To get anything, even an annoyed shout for her to leave would be better then this stony silence.
"Hey, now you're just being rude to me!" Reaching over she puts a hoof on his shoulder to stop him, and the second she touches him he freezes in place as if suddenly time stopped for a second, startling her and making her jump back.
"O-oh um... I... uh... sorry! I uh... heh..." She squeaks loudly in surprise and blushes a bit feeling quite silly, but the gray Stallion pays her no mind and continues on his way, silent and slow as ever.
Giving a small sigh of defeat she turns around to walk away from the strange stallion, "Well... I'm sure he'll come around! I'll throw him a great party later. I wonder what color streamers he'd like..." Tapping a hoof to her chin she notices a little bit of the grey... stuff... he had been leaving behind on her hoof, ugly and almost sickly looking. "Eeyuck. He really WAS a dirty pony, I'd better go wash this off..." her voice trailing off as the small gray splotch on her hoof slowly grew larger right in front of her.
"H-huh...? Hey wha-what is this stuff...?!" Waving her hoof frantically as if to shake off the encroaching grayness she screeches for help, doing everything possible to try and get the smudge off.
"Get it oooooffff! Oh my gosh what is it?!" Flailing around helplessly she takes a deep breath.
"Okay, okay calm down Pinkamena... think! Just... just get to the doctor! Yeah, he can help...!" Rushing off as quickly as possible she hides her graying hoof as she passes through town with a speed even Rainbow Dash would admire.
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"...And so I say 'No that's not my pet, that's my wife!'" A round of laughter and grins abound as the hospital doctor and his assistant enjoy a quiet moment. Days like today were rare, calm and accident free, and they intended to enjoy it.
A white unicorn stallion with cutie mark of an anatomically correct heart grins at his own joke, nudging his nearby friend with a teasing look.
"Try and top that one Red! Best one so far." The doctor challenging his student playfully.
"I'm not sure if I can Ray!" replies his assistant, a brownish Earth Pony who just recently ascended colthood who goes by the name of Red Cross. If it weren't obvious, having a Red Cross on his flank.
"Guess I win then ah? Hahaha!" Letting loose with a laugh and leaning against the nearby wall he sighs gently. "Maybe I oughta let us take the day off. Haven't had one in months, and Celestia knows we coul-"
CRASH!
"What in the hay..."
"OHHHHHH MYYYYYYY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH HEEEEEEELP!!" The scream followed by someone beating their desk ring to death.
A small sigh escapes the colt as he stands up to head to the front desk, waving at his coworkers "Probably a kid broke his arm or something, I can handle it...", disappearing through the doors he immediately turns around wide eyed with terror as he looks to the doctor nearby.
"What is it? Ponypox? Please don't tell me it's another one of those factory accidents...?" Ray looks to his protege with a slight concern, he'd taught the colt not to fear any illness or injury no matter how severe. As it was important to stay calm and to perform perfectly under pressure. And now the poor colt looked like he was about to wet himself.
"Sh-she's... I d-don't even kn-know." Is all he manages to stammer out. The older and wiser unicorn pushes past the assistant. Clearly this was something serious, but he was sure he could...
"Dear Celestia what is that on her face?!"
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Twilight was the first on the scene, having been contacted by the hospital to investigate a "new and terrible disease" that had afflicted who they thought was Pinkie Pie. Dropping everything, even her prized books in a pile, she yells to Spike to close up for the day and to meet her later...
At the hospital...
"Ray, what was that?! I've never seen anything like it before!" The worried colt looked pleadingly to his mentor for even a small ounce of knowledge, but the unicorn could only shake his head.
"I don't know Red. It's something I've never seen before... hopefully Twilight will know more. Because this definitely isn't a normal disease. It looks more like a curse.." he shivers a bit at the mention of such dark arts, "She should be here soon."
Doors slam themselves open hard enough to leave cracks on the walls as Twilight storms into the hospital with a frantic look in her eyes. "Where is she? Is Pinkie okay? Where?!" yelling at them impatiently she continues on ahead towards the rooms, but she's blocked by the Unicorn.
"Wait, miss Sparkle! You don't want to touch her! We don't how this thing spreads, but everything she touches seems to be affected!" Doing his best from preventing her to enter at least until he had explained himself.
"What?! Then... well I have to at least see her!"
The young stallion nodding to her reassuringly, "Don't worry, we put her in the observation room we use for lecture. It has fully functional medical capabilities, but we are able to observe her at a safe distance."
She takes a deep breath and does her best to calm down, getting panicky wasn't going to help anyone, and right now Pinkie needed her more then ever. "Okay, okay... did you tell anyone else?"
"No. So far we are the only ones who know about this."
"Okay... well... let's go check on her..." she nods solemnly to the both of them to lead the way, preparing her for the worst of what she might see.
They walk down multiple linoleum lined hallways, cleaned to the point of shiny reflection Twilight can't help but feel a little calmed by it all. If not for her affinity with magic she might've aspired to become a nurse. But that's not important right now as she focuses ahead on the final set of double doors they approach, opening out into a room that hung above a large auditorium-like stage, with a single table as it's center piece.
It was a depressing sight.
Pinkie Pie was strapped to the table with strong leather straps that held her tightly as multiple monitoring equipment tubes ran into her, sustaining her. At first Twilight didn't even recognize the mare, her skin changed to a grey ash-like color, mane reduced to a monotone shale and perhaps most disturbing of all, her cutie mark had deformed into a droop of it'[s previous glory, the party balloons looking wilted and deprived of air. She appeared to be sleeping but would occasionally jerk her body awkwardly against the bindings. Tears well up in her eyes and Twilight looks away, unable to see her friend in such a state.
"How long has she been like this...?"
"About an hour. She wasn't completely gray when we contacted you however, and her cutie mark has only just begun to change."
"But... that's impossible! No force in the world should be able to change a ponies cutie mark! It's a mark of destiny and fate, something like that isn't so easily changed!" Twilight's mind runs through every conceivable explanation for the disturbing turn of events, racking her mind until she thought her head would explode.
"I don't know what could've caused this... but... I know where I can find out." She nods to the two doctors in finality, determination in her eyes as she develops a plan. "I want you to contact Rainbow Dash and let her know about the situation, and tell her and the girls to come be here with Pinkie. I'm going to go find a cure for this, no matter the cost! Surely something like this has happened before..."
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Meanwhile...
Discord floats along lazily, observing where the tracks lead him until finally he reaches the prison. Yawning a bit as if waking from a nap he scratches his backside idly, looking around at the various ponies that dare to look at him. Most were scared.
Ah well, just makes pranking them that much easier! Hoohohooo! No, Discord you aren't here for that! Not yet anyway. Gotta find the poor sap that met with a terrible fate and fix him before things get out of hand. Again. Yeesh last time was bad enough, but this time I actually CARE about these ponies. Well. One, anyway. And with a small annoyed sigh he set off to enter the prison, but is stopped by the guard on duty.
"Halt! Where do you think you're going Discord?" The guard obviously putting on a show, and practically shaking in his boots, Discord decides maybe he COULD squeeze in a little fun...
"Oh nowhere you know. Just thought I'd let the psychopaths free into society! Oh, that rhymed didn't it? Poet and I didn't even know I had the capability to be!" Laughing wildly at his own (terrible) joke.
"I'm afraid I c-can't allow that." The stallion holding up his spear for protection as the poor Earth Pony attempts to do his duty.
"Oh. Well. Alrighty then! Ciao!" And with a wave the great and mighty God of Chaos was defeated by a town guard, complete with fiery explosions and lots of dramatic monologue that if I tried to write down now would probably end up as it's own show on Shoen Pony! Right next to that strange show with the orange ninja pony... you know what, back to the story.
In reality Discord just made a huge show of himself for giggles and to distract the guards as the real Discord snuck inside to find his target...