Ch. 39 Scars
A dense silence filled the room, the beeping of a heart monitor and soft weeping the only exceptions. Six mares sat throughout the room in varying degrees of concern. The source of said concern was a pink mare sleeping soundly in a hospital bed at the room's heart. Should one take a look at the mare, they would see a pony with a teal blanket brought up to her chest with bandages wrapped around her head at the forehead with glowing runes scrawled across them. Her right foreleg rested at her side with an IV attached to it feeding a potion to her directly to improve her condition. Her left foreleg, however, fed nothing but anxiety and grief to everypony present. The limb was held up by an elevated sling connected to the bed. From hoof to shoulder, it was wrapped tightly in bandages that were covered with so many runes that it was impossible to determine the fabric's original color.
Flutterbat stared at the damaged limb for a second before her guilt made her look away. The pony sitting next to her, Sunset, placed a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder. The Thestral continued to stare at the ground as the weight of her crimes continued to drag her down. Derpy helplessly watched the display from her girlfriend's right, an irate fire sparking to life in her gut. Something she and Sunset had in common was a hatred of being helpless. If there was something that could be done to fix something, no mater how small, then she would hop on it. It was that very same determination that allowed her to find a way to help Sunset and all of her friends in one way or another. While it was true that she had to accept that she couldn't fix everything, those times were always the most difficult for her. Those feelings doubled when she looked across the room at the ponies sitting on the opposite side of Pinkie's bed.
Marble was clutching Limestone, the youngest Pie trembling as she weeped into her sister's chest. The older Pie showed a rare moment of tenderness as she gently stroked her sister's back, softly whispering reassurances in the vein attempt to calm her. Maud's expression was impossible to read as she stared at her sleeping younger sister, a small trail of tears the only sign of her distress.
Derpy sighed as she stared up at the ceiling, frustration turning into bitter resolution as she accepted that there was nothing she could do to improve the current situation. As she let that aggravating truth settle, her mind drifted to what had happened just a couple hours ago.
***
A dull buzzing woke Derpy from one of the nicest dreams she'd had to date, forcing an angry groan out of her as she sat up in bed. A quick examination of her surroundings confirmed that she had somehow wondered into Sunset's room again. It also alerted her to the fact that there was, in fact, two things buzzing in the room. One was the phone in her pocket while the other was Sunset's magic journal. She yawned as she pulled out her device, answered the call, and brought it to her ear.
"Hello?" she mumbled.
"WE NEED TO GET TO THE PORTAL RIGHT NOW!!!" screamed a frantic Fluttershy.
Derpy reared back from her phone, all sleep effectively blown out of her with the mercy of an incoming freight train. She waited a second for the ringing in her ear to pass before she brought the phone back to it as she got out of bed.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"They found Pinkie," Fluttershy said, panicky gasps and a much softer tone the only other sounds on her end of the line.
"Really?" she asked, then sighed in relief as she added, "That's good. Where is she?"
"Ponyville Medical in Equestria," Fluttershy said, the start of tears contaminating her voice. "F-Fluttershy sent me a message a couple minutes ago saying that a pony that looked like her Pinkie Pie got admitted to the local hospital. Sh-She's in the ER! We need to hurry!"
Derpy's relief turned into dread at those words. She quickly ran to her room to put on something other than her PJs before she returned to Sunset's room. She ripped the covers off of her girlfriend and near violently shook her awake.
"Derpy?" she muttered blearily. "What's going on?"
"No time!" she exclaimed. "We need to get going! Throw something on and get to the car, now!"
Sunset took a second to register her girlfriend's demeanor before she drunkenly jumped out of her bed. As she did, the gray teen ran out the door telling her to grab her journal on the way out. While Sunset pulled on some proper clothes, Derpy grabbed her keys and made her way towards the garage. She brought the phone back to her ear as the garage door slid open.
"Fluttershy?" she asked.
"I-I-I'm still here," she stammered.
"I'll be at your place in a few minutes. Do you have Maud's number?"
"I-I have all of Pinkie's sister's numbers," Fluttershy gulped.
"Call them," Derpy demanded. "They need to know that Pinkie's been found and that something's happened."
"Of course," she sniffled. "I-I-I'll call them."
"Good," Derpy sighed. "See you soon."
"Y-Yeah," Fluttershy whimpered. "B-Bye."
The phone clicked as the call ended. At the same time, Derpy let her arm go limp at her side as she tried to get her frazzled mind to focus. She took a deep breath to steady herself then made her way towards her car and got herself behind the wheel. Her eyes were locked onto the door leading into the house as she waited for Sunset to come through. At the same time, she couldn't help letting a single optimistic thought enter her mind.
Thank god she's still alive.
***
That past thought left a bittersweet taste in her mouth as she looked at the pony in the bed. While she was still alive, it was clear that Pinkie was not in the best of situations. Granted, the damage could've been so much worse, but that didn't detract from how severe the pink mare's injuries were. It was that very fact that tore into Fluttershy every time she looked at her bedridden friend. Over and over again, memories of the night she found her ran through her head like a video trapped on loop. Each iteration telling her the same thing with cold certainty as she remembered what happened just short of an hour ago.
***
"How bad is she?" Maud asked, her tone displaying only the faintest trace of worry.
Princess Twilight sighed from her seat in the waiting room, her eyes locked onto the hospital floor as a frown marred her face.
"Not very good. She has a crack on the back of her skull and lost a lot of blood. The worst of it is her foreleg."
"W-Why is that?" Marble asked, clutching her oldest sister's side as best she could in her new body.
"Her leg..."
Twilight paused, then took a deep breath as she braced herself for the pain her words were about to deliver.
"Her leg has been torn apart."
Wide eyes and slacked jaws were aimed at the Princess.
"W-What do you mean?" Sunset managed to force out.
Twilight sighed then said, "Just that. I did what I could to save it when I found her, but there wasn't much left to save. It was like parts of her leg were ripped away. I...I could even see bones. It was the worst injury I've ever seen. I...I think it would be a miracle if she was ever able to use it again after this."
"Wh-What did this?" Flutterbat stammered, sadness and rage at war with themselves in her heart.
Before the Princess could respond, a familiar male voice growled, "She tried to use a natural portal, that's what happened!"
A second later, Discord slithered out from behind Twilight, a sour expression decorating his normally jovial face. The Pie Sisters let out startled yelps in the Chaos God's presence while Sunset and her party gave him confused frowns.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Sunset asked as he took a seat next to Twilight.
He gave her an incredulous look, then frowned at the Thestral in the room.
"You didn't tell them?" he asked.
Flutterbat blinked, then shook her head as shame settled in her gut. Discord let out an irate growl then crossed his arms as he gave his general audience is attention.
"To put it simply," he started. "Your world's Pinkie Pie is what's called a Gapwalker. They are creatures that are able to use a low level form of Dimension Magic that allows them to open portals. At high enough levels, they can even open portals between worlds. While it is a useful skill, it comes with a small weakness."
"Which is?" Derpy asked.
"They can't pass through naturally made portals. A Gapwalker is basically a walking portal. While they can pass through their own portals without any problems, if they try to use an already existing portal it will tear them apart. It's like trying to cram a black hole through another one; one of them is going to destroy the other."
Everypony in the room listened in resignation, the hows and whys of the situation giving them some level of understanding. For Flutterbat, however, a different reaction was taking place. A cold, heartbreaking realization as the events of a couple days ago came back to her.
She was the reason Pinkie forced herself to use the portal. She made her promise her.
This was all my fault...
***
That thought echoed through the Thestral's mind like a cold chant. Every time she looked at Pinkie, the guilt grew like a tumor. Her body trembled as self-loathing seeped into her very soul. She couldn't take it anymore. She was starting to feel sick as she forced herself to stand up. She ignored her friends as she practically ran out of the room into the dark and empty halls beyond. Her eyes quickly spotted a trashcan in the darkness just as her nausea started to get the better of her. She bolted to the bin and retched, tears running down her cheeks as the infernal chant echoed in her mind. After a moment, she staggered away from the desecrated bin and weeped.
This was all my fault... If I hadn't made her make that promise, she wouldn't be here right now... I...I hurt another friend. This is all my fault. This is all my fault! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!!!
Her thoughts continued to spiral as she sat there, the dark feeling like it was attempting to smother her as she cried. She wished it could, that it could all just end. That she could help a friend without almost killing them, that things could go back to how they were a couple months ago.
"I wish I could just disappear," she sniffled, eyes shut tight as her pain continued to grow.
She was so lost in her pain that she failed to notice the presence of another being in the hall, even as they towered over her. She gasped as she felt soft feathers caress the top of her head, startling her into opening her eyes. What she saw tore away her grief and replaced it with awe. Standing before was a massive bird, its head just short of touching the ceiling as it stared down at her with sharp, yet kind, emerald eyes. Its feathers were a bright fiery shade of red with light orange markings that winded and curved like tribal patterns. A soft pink glow surrounded it while a small cluster of orange flames orbited its head like a crown.
Tears still dripping down her face, she marveled at the majestic creature standing before her. Her shock only grew when it spoke to her in a soft feminine voice.
"Hush now. It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay."
"B-B-But," she stammered, throat tight as she tried to find her voice.
She was stopped by a wingtip gently placed on her lips as another lightly brushed her tears away. A gentle warmth filled her at the contact, like a mother comforting her child after a bad dream. A small smile spread across her muzzle as she stared into the bird's emerald eyes.
"Tell me, what is your name?" the bird asked.
"F-Fluttershy, but everyone calls me Flutterbat," she stammered, blushing slightly at the mention of her alias.
The bird sported a brief look of surprise, before a small chuckle escaped her beak.
"I see. So her friends follow her here as well," the bird smiled.
"Huh?" Flutterbat asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"It's nothing," she sighed, then added, "My name is Hearths Warming. Tell me Flutterbat, do you happen to know where Pinkie Pie's room is? My old friend brought me here and failed to give me proper directions."
The Thestral nodded and lead the way back towards the room. Soon, Flutterbat found herself opening the door to her friend's room for the massive bird. When everyone saw Hearths Warming, a wide variety of reactions filled the room. Maud stared at her with wide eyes and mouth, wonder plain on her face for all to see. Limestone rubbed her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision as she tried to make sense of what she was looking at while her youngest sister gave the massive raptor a nervous smile. Derpy blinked dumbly at the bird, partially desensitized to the magical elements of her life by this point that Hearths Warming brought out the most mild reaction out of her. Sunset, on the other hand, gave the most extreme reaction as she rose from her seat to bow before the creature.
"It is an honor to meet you, o' Sacred Mother of all Phoenixes."
Hearths Warming gave her a small chuckle and said, "Rise Daughter of the Sun and it is a pleasure to meet you as well."
Sunset did so, but stood in a much more formal manner as she smiled up at Hearths Warming. Derpy stared at her girlfriend with wide eyes. Never had she seen the mare act in such a formal manner, not even in the presence of other High Royals. For Sunset to present herself in such a way, Hearths Warming had to be an extremely important figure.
The ancient Phoenix stared down at the bed bound mare and let out a small sigh.
"So she really did try to use a natural portal," she tisked. "Such foolishness."
Delicately, she leaned down and traced her beak across the bandages covering Pinkie's damaged leg. The cloth wrappings stopped glowing and fell away from the limb, revealing the extent of the damages present. The sight made everyone gasp and whimper. While the length of the leg remained, whole chunks seemed to have been ripped away from it. Veins, bone, and muscle tissue could be seen with perfect clarity from large tears in the skin. Black dust drifted off the edges of the gaping wounds, but not a single drop of blood left the leg.
Hearths Warming examined the wound with a critical eye, then smiled as she turned her head towards the Pie siblings.
"You are her immediate family, correct?"
They nodded.
"Tell her when she wakes up that she is the luckiest girl in two worlds."
With that, she buried her face into her right wing. When she pulled her head free, a single gold and red feather was clutched in her beak. She lightly placed the feather onto Pinkie's injured leg, then stepped back. Instantly, the feather burst into golden flames. Just as everyone was about to try and put it out, they paused as they saw Pinkie's wounds start to close. Happy tears fell from the Pie sister's eyes as they slowly came to a glorious conclusion; their sister was going to be fine.
"Thank you," Maud sniffled, her monotone voice shaky as she threw her hooves around the Phoenix.
Hearths Warming smiled and draped a wing over the mare's back in a small embrace.
"Think nothing of it," she chuckled. "I'm just glad I could help."
Hearths Warming gave all the other ponies present a brief look over and said, "Her leg will recover, but there will still be some minor complications. The leg will have scars and she will need therapy to get the limb to regain full functionality."
"Th-That's fine," Limestone stammered, wiping happy tears away from her face as she smiled up at the Phoenix. "Knowing that she'll get through this is good enough. We can deal with the rest when it happens."
Marble nodded, tears running down her smiling face as she stared at her bed-bound sister.
Hearths Warming smiled at that before letting Maud let go of her. She turned and looked down at the injured pony before her with intrigue as she mulled over her options. Her kind were few in number and while she was looking for an apprentice, was this young woman truly worthy of taking her place? Would it be right to place that kind of responsibility on her shoulders?
It will be her decision, she thought. For now, recover young one.
***
Pinkie walked, solid stone walls surrounding her on all sides as she moved. For what felt like hours, she wandered through the stone labyrinth, her hooves echoing hollowly in the empty halls. Her eyes were blank as they stared at the ground. She failed to keep her promise. Worse still, she left herself at the mercy of the very same ponies she was trying to avoid. She knew the second she woke up that her life was over, that Princess Celestia's hate-filled face would greet her before she put her in a grave. The only regret she had was that she never had the chance to tell Sunset that she was sorry, that if she could, she'd undo everything that happened before she tried to kill herself.
She sighed as she stopped, fell to her haunches, and stared up into the empty black void above her.
"I wish I could tell her I'm sorry," she muttered.
No sooner had the words left her mouth did the black void make a sudden shift. A dark purple sky with thousands of stars took the void's place along with a shining full moon. At the same time, she felt a strange tingle in the back of her mind, similar to the one she felt when Tattle borrowed her senses when she was awake.
"W-What?" she stammered.
"A much prettier sight, would you not agree?" asked a strong female voice behind her.
Pinkie froze, then slowly looked over her shoulder.
Standing behind her was a dark blue Alicorn, her waving etherial mane and tail a similar shade with small sparkling star-like lights. A black chest plate with a crescent moon at its center decorated her upper barrel with a matching tiara resting on her head just behind her horn. Shining silver slippers covered her hooves, a clashing contrast to the harsh stone beneath them. Her cyan eyes scanned the heavens as a small satisfied smile graced her muzzle.
A sad smile formed on the pink mare's face as she shifted her gaze down to her hooves.
"Are you here to punish me?" she asked.
Luna stared down at her, a perplexed frown replacing her smile.
"Th-That's fine," Pinkie continued, her shoulders trembling as she felt the Alicorn's eyes bore into her back. "I-I would't blame you. I-I-I hurt Sunset, so it's only fair, right? J-Just.... can I make one request?"
Luna raised a brow at that, then said, "Very well. What is thine request?"
Pinkie took a deep breath, then sported a mirthless smile as she said, "Could you tell Sunset I'm sorry?"
A pause, then Luna sighed as she said, "Very well. Do you have any other wishes you would like to get off your chest?"
"Yeah," Pinkie nodded. "Could you tell my sisters that I love them? I... don't think I've told them that enough back home and... it never really hit me just how much they mattered to me until I came to Equestria."
"It will be done," Luna nodded. "Is that all?"
"Yeah," she sniffled. "Do whatever you want. I... I'm kind of tired of running and hiding anyway. Just... make it quick, okay?"
"Very well," Luna said.
Pinkie closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain that was sure to come. Instead, she felt a pair of forelegs wrap around her in a soft and gentle hug from behind. Her eyes opened in shock as she struggled to make sense of what was happening, a part of her not able to do so even as a pair of wings was added to the embrace.
"You need no punishment," Luna smiled. "In fact, we think you have been punished far more than you truly deserve. Our son has told us of your guilt and your desire to make things right with our niece. In light of all of that, we choose to sentence you with forgiveness and our blessing should the need arise."
Pinkie stared forward blankly as she processed what was happening, then a smile spread across her muzzle as tears ran down her face. She felt a great weight slide off of her shoulders as she accepted her "punishment" with grace.
"Th-Thank you Princess," she sniffled.
"Simply Luna will do," Luna chuckled. "Now, we believe it is time you awakened. There are many in the waking world who wish to see you."
Pinkie nodded and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the feeling of Luna's foreleg's and wings faded away to be replaced with the feelings of a mattress and sheets. Sitting around her were ponyfied versions of her friends and family, some of which looking as though they had been crying for a while. They stared at her with wide eyes and slack jaws as she stared at them. A weak smile spread across her muzzle as happy tears started to form at the corners of her eyes.
"Hey everyone," she smiled, tone weak and dry. "Long time no see, huh?"
And now the subplots connect. Hope you all are looking forward to everything that happens in the coming chapters cuz believe me, this story is going to end with a pretty big bang if everything goes according to plan. See you all in the next chapter and keep safe out there. Ciou!
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About time
10155079
Sorry abut that. I had another project that needed my attention and just managed to find a good enough stopping point to come back to this. I don't plan to jump to any other stories until this one is finished so no worries in that department.
10155084
I meant that Pinkie should have spoken to her friends sooner, not that the chapter should have come up sooner. Take as much time as you need.
Howthewhatnow? Could I get a repeat on the specific terms used here?
I say, that could have been very bad indeed. Girl's definitely got the will, she just needs a bit more knowledge on the proper use of her abilities. Unfortunately, this little escapade is likely going to push back her ability to make the crossing on her own quite significantly. But hey, at least all of the confusion is cleared up, yes?
And, as long as she's here Hearths Warming can network with the local magical powers about a solution to that little wight problem she's been having. After all, I'm sure she wouldn't go charging off again to keep fighting the thing solo with a whole town full of innocents on the line? That would just be silly.
10155103
It should've said Gapwalker.
Sorry about that. My editing software has issues sometimes.
...you better give FlutterBat - alone or with other Flutters - some good ish for making her worry like that. BI ...
Glad to see this plot line coming to a close soon, also I only just NOW got the pun with the title.
He’ll yeah new chapter
So, this story is going to end with the birth of a universe?
Far out, man.
PINKIE'S FINALLY GONNA GO HOOOOOOOME!!!! TTuTT
Good to see the T Pinkie subplot resolved, at least to this extent, given that she obviously won't be able to go home for a while yet. But at least Pinkie's sisters know where she is now.
Also, Flutterbat, this isn't really your fault, you didn't know that restriction. If anyone is to "blame" for this it might be Tattle, as he never told Pinkie that rule either, just focused her on doing it herself. Assuming he knew that little rule either.
10155394
He didn't know either.
10155501
Figures. So Discord and Hearth's Warming fall prey to one of the curses of "immortality". The assumption that because you remember something, everyone else does too. We mortals are great at forgetting little but vital details like that, hehe.
Stated since both somewhat acted as if the rest of the cast should have known the rule, and Pinkie was just ignoring it.
Well that is good to see both plots merge but I hope TPinkie will be able to be healed. Now the question becomes can she ever find the correct path home?
10155576
Well, Hearths Warming is looking for an apprentice.
What a long & overdue reunion & it was beautiful
YAY PINKIE!!! "hugs her and Flutterbat"
Oooooh, so THAT'S why you've been focusing on Pinkie's ability to Gapwalk
Whew, at last that hurdle is over with. I do think Pinkie deserves a scolding for dancing around and worrying everyone for just her paranoia, but that's something her family can take care off.
10158635
I do see where you're coming from here, but there was a good reason for Pinkie's arc being the way it was. First off, it show cased her new abilities and her growing bond with Tattle. Second, it allowed her to find some perspective, being a human dropped into a world of magic ponies. The paranoia was a result of Princess Celestia's presence at the assembly towards the end of Seven Saviors and became an obstacle for her to overcome. And finally, being forced into self induced exile helped her realize what she'd taken for granted until now and added to her desperation to get through the portal when she found it. All so that she could come out of it a wiser and much stronger person. An important transformation considering what I have instore for her.
Sigh, two people actually knew where TPinkie was but choose to stay silent about it and now with added paranoia the former ended up hospitalized, because the best idea anyone could come up with is to force TPinkie to cross a death trap. Fuck!
Confirmed and wandered
10359160
Well to be fair it looked like the fastest way to get her home how was anyone supposed to know what it was a bad idea when gap walkers aren't common.
10759127
Ask the one known gap walker.