Pinkamena slowly sat up in her bed, her hair deflated and tangled at her right side. She yawned as she stretched out her hooves before dragging herself out of the bed. Sunlight pierced through the window, momentarily blinding her. Once she regained her vision, she looked outside the window, seeing a mother bird preening some if her fledglings. Pinkamena stared at them, seeing the fledgling happily gliding around as soon as their mother was finished with them.
Reminds me of the old days.
The birds continued to fly as the mother watched from the window-sill. Pinkamena opened the window somehow managing not scare the birds off. One of the fledglings landed in front of her and looked at her curiously.
"If I could trade places with you for a minute, I would do it." Pinkamena said. She knew the bird couldn't actually understand her, but it comforted her. The bird began to flap her wings in front of Pinkamena, much to her dismay. She lightly swatted at the bird, knocking it onto it's side.
Ugh... Why'd I do that? Pinkamena quickly corrected her mistake, helping the bird to stand. It scurried behind it's mother. She sighed as ran her hoof through her hair.
May as well go downstairs... I can't avoid Cheese Sandwich forever.
===============
Pinkie looked down at the spring. Pinkamena had left her here alone, with nothing to stimulate her besides the bed spring. Her eyelids hung heavy, but she wasn't about to give up. She worked the spring feverishly, desperate to cut the jacket as soon as she could.
"I gotta... gotta get outta here..." Pinkie's left fore-hoof fell for a moment, cutting herself. Even the pain barely kept her from passing out from exhaustion.
"Come on... I don't have much time." Pinkie said. She looked down at the spring, filled with anger and frustration. She pulled against the spring, trying widen the hole. Unfortunately, the fabric holding the spring ripped, sending her forehooves into her snout. She fell back, landing onto some sort of fabric. After a moment, she kicked the bed springs out of frustration.
At least I landed someplace comfortable. Pinkie rubbed her back into whatever she was laying on. She sat there for a moment, stalling as her heavy eyelids closed for a moment.
So comfortable... Pinkie rested her head on her right cheek. The fabric was so comfortable, she almost could--
"No!" Pinkie forced her eyes open, pushing herself off the fabric, and saw that it was the mattress she had pushed off hours ago. She kicked it away as she leaned over the bed springs, working the spring again.
"Snap out of it, Pinkie! You n-need to get out of here!"
Come on! Just come on! I don't have enough time!
Pinkie began to pull against the spring with more force. She groaned in frustration, only ripping a few stitches in the straitjacket.
Wait a moment... I think I've been doing this all wrong! If I just stab into and pull it upwards, it might rip it!.
Pinkie began to push down onto the spring. Soon after, she felt the pressure of the spring against her hoof.
"I swear... when I get outta here, PInkamena's gonna get it." Pinkie said angrily. The very thoughts of what Pinkamena had done made her angry.
Even more reason to get out of this cell.
Rippp
Pinkie heard the sound of the straight jacket's fabric ripping and the pain of the spring entering her hoof.
"Yes..." Pinkie said quietly, seeing that her plan had worked. She began to try and pull the spring away from the small hole she had just created, but a bolt of pain caused her to jerk back to it's prior position.
"Horseapples." Pinkie cursed under her breath.
Looks like I'm gonna have to pull it out of the wound unless I wanna mess up my hoof.
Pinkie began to slowly bring her hooves up, being careful not to injure her hoof further. She felt the rigid spring retract away from her flesh. Every movement hurt, but she didn't allow her hooves to wince or jerk away.
I just need to make sure that I don't pull it out too far...
Pinkie couldn't really tell where the flesh ended and where the spring would exit. She went slowly, being careful to make sure she didn't accidentally pull it out of the jacket. Suddenly, she felt the jacket shake and immediately stopped.
"Is it okay to move?" Pinkie asked herself as she hesitantly moved her hooves. There was no pain. Pinkie began to move with more force, thankfully with no pain in her hoof.
"Thank you, Celestia..." She said as she began to pull against the spring less hesitantly. After another moment, she heard more of the fabric rip. For the first time all day, she felt the cool outside air touch her coat.
"Hopefully this is a sign that things are going to become better."
===============
Marble woke up in an empty hospital bedroom. Neither Limestone nor Igneous Pie were in sight. The bed sheet was still messy and unmade.
They can't have been gone that long. Father's bed is still messy. Maybe they went to see mother and Maud?
Marble trotted outside and began to trot to her mother's room. She looked over her surroundings, looking at the pale-lime and and light-blue lines intersecting on the walls beside her. After a few minutes, she found her mother's hospital bedroom. But for some reason, the door was closed. Limestone was sitting on the floor beside the door with a worried look on her face. Marble trotted over to her.
Marble trotted up beside her, waving as before she sat down beside her
"Hey."
"Where's father?"
"He's in there with mother. No idea what they're talking about."
"Mhmm." Marble sat quietly, waiting patiently for her father to step out. Her sister, however, was becoming inpatient.
"They've been in there for an hour now... I might peek in and see what they're talking about." Limestone said, standing. She reached for the door, only for Marble to grab her right fore-hoof.
"D-don't."
"We can know. We're not foals anymore." Limestone said, shaking off her sister's hoof as she quietly opened the door. Marble nervously bounced her hind-hooves against the ground as Limestone peaked inside, putting her ear to the door. After a moment, she quietly shut the door.
"They're talking about Pinkie." Limestone said. Marble froze up, remembering what she had saw at the farm.
There's no way Pinkie did this... she wouldn't do this to us. Mom, dad, and Maud haven't done anything to her.
Marble tried to think of another pony that might do this to her family. Pinkie was not a possibility.
The farm's pretty isolated besides the train station to Ponyville a few yards away from the house. Mother and father don't let us go out that often unless it was with Maud. Did she make somepony angry?
She put her one fore-hooves to her chin as she went deeper into the possibilities of who might do this and why.
Maybe... maybe Pinkie actually did it.
"Marble?"
Marble shook her head as she put her hoof back down on the ground and looked over at her sister. Her face flushed as she realized she had just completely blanked out with her sister standing in front of her.
"S-sorry. I--"
"I don't know!"
Marble jumped at the noise. Limestone looked back at the door, surprised by their mother's scream. She slowly trotted over to the door.
Limestone slightly cracked the door, looking inside.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"It's all right darling. We've brought this upon ourselves." Igneous said somberly.
What are they talking about?
"Really weird..." Limestone quietly noted.
"We never should have done it to her..." Cloudy said in a mournful tone.
To who? Pinkie?
"What's done is done. But what are we going to do now?"
"What the hay're they talking about? Do you know?" Limestone whispered, looking to her sister. Marble shook her head.
"We just need to wait for Maud... then we can go back to normal life."
"Yes... how are you taking this?"
"It's tough. I-I'm afraid she'll never wake up." Cloudy's voice was trembling out of fear and sadness.
"I know it is darling, but we mustn't think like that."
"I suppose you're right... may I see Limestone?"
"Of course, my darling." Igneous said as hoofsteps could be heard approaching. Limestone quickly rushed beside Marble, sitting down as Igneous opened the door.
"Limestone- oh. Hello Marble."
Marble nodded in acknowledgement.
"Would you two want to see your mother and sister?"
"Yes! Uh- I mean, yes sir."
"Mmhm."
"Good. You two follow me." Igneous said as he trotted back into the room.
I wonder if I could ask them about what they were talking about.
Marble trotted in behind Igneous and Limestone. Limestone quickly rushed up to Cloudy, wrapping her in a hug.
"How are you, mother?" Limestone asked as she released her mother.
"I'm fine. How are you, dear?"
"I'm all right. Just a little worried about you two."
Marble trailed away from their conversation as she looked up at her father, and saw a worried expression on his face.
"What's wrong, father?" Marble asked. He didn't answer.
"Father?" She asked once more, and got the same reply of silence.
What is he... Marble realized something.
He was staring at Maud.
"O-oh, sorry." She quietly said. Not another word slipped through her lips as she allowed Limestone and Cloudy's conversation fill the room.
===============
Pinkie continued to try and cut the jacket, making more progress with each pull and push. She felt optimistic for the first time in weeks.
"Thank you, Celestia." Pinkie said, thankful that things were finally going her way for once.
Creakkk
Pinkie didn't feel the spring pushing against the jacket anymore. She glanced down, looking for what had happened
"What?" Pinkie said as confusingly looked down at the spring. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she her eyes met with the spring.
It was bent downwards, in between other springs. There was no way for her to cut with it.
"No!" Pinkie said as she moved over to the spring and tried to straighten it out with the hole in her jacket.
"Nonononononono!" She exclaimed in disbelief.
I can't have gotten this far for nothing!
"M-maybe I could use my teeth?! Yeah! T-that should work!" Pinkie said as she reached down and grabbed the spring with her teeth, ignoring the other springs pressing against her face uncomfortably. She had to get out.
Crrrac-brrriinngg
The spring broke off in her mouth.
"No!" She said as she spit out the piece.
"There's gotta be something else I can cut out of her with!" Pinkie said as she looked over the rest of the bed-springs. Some of them were sharp, but they were too far away from Pinkie.
"No..." Pinkie's head hung against the spring. She was too exhausted to hold it up.
===============
Marble and Igneous sat outside, giving Cloudy and Limestone some time to talk. They sat in silent tension as they watched many patience and doctors passed by them, not saying a single word to them.
"How do you feel, my filly?" Igneous asked her, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.
"A-all right, father."
"Good." Igneous said. The uncomfortable silence returned after the words left his mouth.
This is my chance to ask him...
"Father, what happened to Pinkie?" Marble asked. Igneous' eyes widened for a moment, but he recomposed after a moment.
"Nothing, dear." Igneous said. The emotions in his voice was hard to decipher. Marble was having a hard time trying to figure out if he was angry or not.
"W-we heard what y-you were saying." Marble said. Igneous looked down at her.
"You were listening to us?" Igneous asked. Marble nervously nodded.
"Dear... I can't tell you. Your mother or I will tell you when you're older."
"Why?"
"I just can't." Igneous said harshly. Marble, surprised by the sudden outburst from her father, moved a few inches away from Igneous and looked down at the ground. After a moment, Igneous sighed.
"I'm sorry. We're just under a lot of stress right now... but I still cannot tell you."
"Okay"
What did they do to her that was so bad that they couldn't tell Limestone or me? Marble pondered.
===============
Pinkie laid down on the cold, hard floor, heartbroken. She had lost all hope. There'd be no way to get out of the straitjacket without something sharp, and the only thing close enough to her was the spring she had just broken.
"I'm never gonna see my friends again... my family..." A tear rolled down Pinkie's right cheek. She kicked the bed springs out of anger
"Why does she have to ruin my life?!" Pinkie said angrily.
Pinkie looked over to the mattress, which still tempted her.
"I might as well. Not like I'm gonna get outta here." Pinkie said as she moved over and put her head on the mattress. The unfamiliar situation actually reminded her of sleeping in her bed at Sugarcube Corner(the jacket being her blanket and the mattress being her pillow). It was surprisingly comfortable. She rubbed her snout into the fabric, almost giggling as it tickled her snout. She rested her head against the side of the mattress. Pinkie released a breath as she pulled her hind-hooves onto the bed.
"I just wish I could have gotten this jacket off..." Pinkie quietly said as she slowly closed her eyes close.
Poof
Pinkie's eyes jolted open as she heard the noise. She wiped her eyes away with her left fore-hoof.
"What was tha-?" Pinkie looked down at the hoof she had just used to wipe her eyes. She trailed down the hoof and saw that there was no longer a straight jacket enveloping her.
"Yes! I'm out! But how?!"
===============