Fragile Wings

by Crystal Moose

Chapter Two

Pinkie was back in her room. The same cream coloured walls surrounded her. She sat on the small recliner, once again settling down to read the adventures of Daring Do, when a knock at the door roused her.

“Pinkamena?” Nurse Sweetheart asked, as she quietly stepped into the room. “You've got some visitors, dear.”

Visitors!

Pinkie perked up.

Friends!

She bounce about the room, stopping only long enough to put her gown on as Sweetheart had instructed her, then dashed down the hall.

“Who could it be?” she mused to herself. Maybe it was Rainbow Dash. Or Applejack. Or Rarity. Or maybe it was Twilight and Spike. No no no. They'd be too busy right now. Maybe it was Flutter—

She rounded the corner to see a white unicorn and an orange earth pony.

“Applejack! Rarity!” Pinkie bounded towards them, wrapping them both in a big Pinkie-hug. “Oh I've missed you so much.” Pinkie Pie let them go with a yelp, and grabbed at her left forearm, while Rarity and Applejack looked at her with concern.

“You okay, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

Pinkie Pie nodded silently.

“Are you sure, sweetie?" Rarity struggled to hide the concern in her voice. " We can get a nurse to come and—”

“Nope! I'm okie-dokie,” she answered, ignoring the pain… and their stares. She shifted in her gown until the sleeves covered all the way to her forehooves. “It’s just so good to see my good friends again.”

She led them to the small lounge. She waved to Sugar Forest; the young colt was sitting in the corner listening to some music. When he saw the two other mares enter the room his smile vanished, and he trotted out the door to the gardens.

“Oh my! Did we do something wrong?” Rarity asked, seeing the colt running away outside.

Pinkie smiled. “Oh, don't worry about Sugar Forest. He’s just a little shy.”

Applejack plopped down into the worn old sofa. Rarity sat on a recliner across from Applejack. Pinkie launched herself in the air, aiming for the spot next to Applejack.

“Pinkie, wait—” Applejack shouted, panicking at the rapidly approaching pink projectile. Impossibly, Pinkie seemed to slow down mid air, and landed softly on the couch next to Applejack.

“How?”

“Shhh!” Pinkie hissed, holding a hoof to Applejack's lips. “This is a hospital; you have to be quiet!” After a second of seriousness, Pinke broke into a fit of giggles, while Applejack shook her head with a smile.

Rarity cut in. “So, Pinkie, how have you been?”

“I’ve been…” Pinkie looked to the ground for a few seconds, before looking back up at Rarity. “…great!”

“Really?” Applejack beamed, “Well ain't that jus' great‽”

“Well...” Pinkie hesitated, she didn't want to worry her friends. “…maybe I have been just a little bit—” She stopped herself. No! She shook her head; she would not worry her friends about this.

Applejack gently put a hoof on Pinkie’s. “A little…?”

“It’s okay, Sweetie,” Rarity added. “We're your friends, and we are here for you. You can talk to us.”

“Well…” Pinkie continued to look intently at the floor. “I may be just the teeniest, teensy-weensy bit…” She stopped herself again. She looked up at them, the two mares both wore a look of concern on their face.

“Lonely,” she finally finished, in a whisper.

A orange forearm wrapped around her shoulder. “Ah'm real sorry bout that, Sugar.”

“We're all trying to come see you as much as we can.” Rarity looked away.

Pinkie shook her head. “Nope nope nope! My friends are here to see me. No time to be sad! Tell me: what’s been happening at Sweet Apple Acres. Or the boutique? Oooh, have I missed anything fun?” Pinkie Pie's eyes lit up. She desperately wanted to hear about what was happening in the outside world. Well, not the outside outside world. But she wanted to hear all about what her friends had been doing.

“Ooh-ooh-ooh!” Pinkie bounced with excitement again. “Have you heard from Twilight and Spike? Has Dashie learned any new tricks?”

Rarity winced under the barrage of questions hurled their way. Applejack smiled, answering Pinkie’s questions.

“Twilight and Spike are good. Gotta letter yesterday that she’d be comin’ back real soon. Everythin’s goin good at the farm, though the chicken coup is a bit of a mess after the crusaders last mishap,” Applejack chuckled. “Ah never seen Big Mac so mad; made Apple Bloom fix it all by herself. She did a pretty bang-up job of it too!”

Rarity joined in. “Yes,” she said with some irritation, “those girls do have a habit of causing trouble. You know what happened to those eggs they took?”

Applejack shook her head.

“Well, let's just say I have some expensive silk that I can’t use.” Rarity scowled as she spoke. “And they won’t be getting their cutie marks in making Fabergé eggs either.”

Pinkie Pie burst into laughter.

“Well, it was expensive silk.” Rarity grimaced. “But I supposed if it makes our Pinkie smile, then it might have been worth it.”

“How is Dashie?”

“Uhh,” Applejack stammered. “We ain’t seen too much of RD, lately. She’s been stayin' up at Cloudsdale a lot.”

“Will she visit me soon?” Pinkie deflated.

Applejack pulled Pinkie into a hug. “She’s just having a hard time of things lately.”

“You know how Rainbow Dash is,” Rarity said softly. “She’s just got a lot on her mind. And, uhh, you know she doesn’t like hospitals.”

Pinkie sniffled, nodding. “And what about—”

“Shall I get us some tea?” Rarity asked, looking around the visiting room and trotted over to the vending machine. “Applejack, would you like tea, or an apple juice?”

“Ah’ll take an apple juice, thanks. Pinkie?”

“Juice please,” she whispered.

“She said juice,” Applejack called out.

Ж

Rarity sipped at her tea. It was not the best tea— in fact far from it— but tea was tea and she was in desperate need of it. Applejack turned her nose up at the vending machine apple juice, muttering something obscene as she downed it in a single gulp. Pinkie just sat there, looking at the cup of amber liquid.

“Fluttershy is still mad at me, isn’t she?” Pinkie Pie’s lip started to quiver, and tears welled in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to, I was only trying to help—”

Applejack and Rarity looked at each other, weariness in their eyes. Rarity heaved a sigh.

“Pinkie…” Applejack pulled her pink friend in for a big hug. “You know Fluttershy don’t blame you.”

Pinkie started to sob; it wrenched at Applejacks heart to see her friend like this.

“You were trying to help,” Rarity added. “Fluttershy loves you. She wouldn’t be happy if she knew you were beating yourself up.”

“Then... why... won’t she...” Pinkie asked, struggling to breath, “come... see... me?”

She burst into wailing tears, and slunk to the ground. Applejack and Rarity got of their chairs, holding their friend in a tight group hug. Nothing they could do could console the crying mare.

The nurses quietly slipped into the visiting room. Two nurses lead Pinkie away, back to her room, while the third nurse stayed to talk with Rarity and Applejack. As soon as Pinkie was out of sight, Rarity broke into tears of her own. Applejack held her as Rarity cried on her shoulder.

“I know it is hard, but please,” the nurse smiled wearily, “you must stay strong. For her sake. We’ll give her something so she can calm down and sleep.”

Applejack nodded, leading Rarity through the doors to the front of the building. At the threshold, she had to stop, and wipe a tear from her own eyes.

Author's Note:

To repeat: if you are going to write in the comments, please use the [spoiler][/spoiler] tag. Last time pretty much everyone was giving away the ending in the comments.