Doctor Song must save the residents of Ponyville from a mysterious stallion!
Doctor Song is a unicorn surgeon from Canterlot who has come to Ponyville to work at the Ponyville Hospital. Coincidentally, a villainous stallion has been making trouble with the locals. What does he plan to gain from injuring the citizens of Ponyville? What is this mysterious stallion after? While Twilight and Pinkie Pie race to identify the criminal, Doctor Song is stuck in the hospital patching up the stallion's victims.
Will probably contain gore in later chapters. Actually, it definitely will.
Finally, the day that Doctor Song is able to move to a quiet town like Ponyville. There are just too many patients in the Canterlot ER, and too many surgeons who wish to practice there. It seems like years have gone by since she has been able to get a good night's sleep. Being an emergency room doctor is a stressful job. Doctor Song speculates that if she stays in Canterlot any longer, her mane will start turning grey. As a doctor, she knows full well the complications of stress and sleep deprivation.
At last, she will be able to go to the countryside and enjoy some fresh air. Song grew up in Canterlot, and her parents never really liked to take her on vacation. They put her education as a top priority over anything even vaguely enjoyable. She didn't have many companions because of her strict parents. She doesn't have any friends now, because she will be leaving her colleagues behind to move to Ponyville. In most cases, it's not a smart move to settle down in a new town when one is a social outcast. But before she could worry about anything else, she had to get her rump out of bed.
Song groans as her eyelids creak open. The sun is out. Yes, it is morning. She hasn't seen the rising sun since she had finished college. Wearily, she rolls out of bed onto her stomach. Shouldn't she be excited to get out of this boring city? She springs up on to her hooves and walks to her suitcase that she had packed yesterday evening.
"Hmm, let's see. Clothing? Check. Reading glasses? Check. Extremely boring medical text describing every disease, condition, and syndrome known to marekind? Unfortunately, check." Song has a tendency to talk to herself out loud often. She doesn't think it strange, but sometimes the other ER doctors and patients give her funny looks. She tries to boost her self esteem by telling herself she is perfectly healthy, both mentally and physically.
Song smiles at her reflection in her bedroom mirror. "Cutie Mark, check." Stamped on her red mane, her mark is a scalpel with musical notes to accompany it. She is one of the rare few ponies who has a dual cutie mark. She can't help that she's so special.
She grabs her luggage and trots out of her apartment, forgetting about breakfast entirely. She is unable to remember such simple things as meal times, but when it comes to learning, there isn't a detail that she misses. Cheerfully, she waves farewell to her old apartment, and to Canterlot. As she walks to the train station, she takes in her last glances at the city. All the buildings, and shops, and the gorgeous castle that towers over all of Equestria. With her head held high, she boards the train heading to Ponyville.
Just a few hours after Song's departure, she arrives at Ponyville. The first thing she does when she steps off the train is stretch out her legs. Being a surgeon, she isn't used to being seated so long. The sun looks so beautiful above Ponyville. It makes the landscape come to life. Song can't see how anything could possibly go wrong in a peaceful town such as this one. But she is here to help heal those little flaws that occur in nature, the internal wounds that are inflicted upon a pony by mistake, or by heredity. Her sole reason for existence is to operate on ponies who are affected by some life altering illness that can only be cured through the use of a scalpel.
No words powerful enough exist to describe the feeling that Song has when she has a patient on the operating table, that euphoria she feels when she has her hooves inside of the patient, freely cutting and suturing the internal organs of the patient's body. The warmth, the blood all over her hooves is truly fascinating. She knew many ponies back in Canterlot who would faint and the mere sight of blood. When Song is in the OR, she feels almost omnipotent, like the two princesses of Equestria surely feel when they control the rise and fall of the moon and sun. Like the princesses, Song has a job fundamental to the health of marekind. It took a lot of education to get a license to practice medicine, but for Song, it is worth it.
While Song is walking into town lost in her own thoughts, a bright pink pony walks up to her and greets her excitedly. "Hello, there! Are you new to town? Of course you are! I know every pony in town! I'm going to have to throw you a surprise party. Whoops, it's not a surprise anymore, now is it? Oh, silly me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet you! And you are?"
Song confusedly stares at the pink mare. "The where in the what in the who now?" Song is surprised that anypony can say so much at once without talking a breath. This mare must have an abnormally large lung capacity she thinks to herself.
"Hello?" Pinkie says, waving her hoof violently in front of Song's face. "Are you listening to me?!"
"Ah, sorry," says Song, embarrassed from being caught of guard. "My name is Song. I'm the new doctor in town."
"Song, huh? That's a nice name. I'm Pinkie Pie. They call me that because I'm pink. And I like pie!" Song thinks this pony is a bit obnoxious, but somehow interesting at the same time. Is that even possible?
"So yeah, the party's going to be this evening, at six o'clock sharp. So don't be late!" Pinkie waves good-bye and trots off merrily.
Song rolls her eyes. She probably keeps up the entire town at night. Great, just great. Song looks around, and remembers that she needs to meet up with the hospital staff. But where is the hospital? She doesn't see it from here. She'll just have to ask one of the friendly townsponies.
She walks up to a purple unicorn, who is accompanied by what appears to be a baby dragon, but could be easily mistaken for a large, ugly lizard. "Excuse me, miss, could you point me in the direction of the hospital?"
The pony smiles gently. "Of course. Just follow that bend," she motions with her hoof, "and keep following it until you see a big white building. You can't miss it."
"Why, thank you," Song says. "By the way, my name is Song, what's yours?"
"I'm Twilight Sparkle, nice to meet you. I'll see you around town!"
"Thanks again, have a good afternoon."
Song follows the road and comes to the hospital. She walks inside slowly, trying to remember the position of all the buildings she just went by. She has a bad sense of direction that really needs working on. She goes up to the front desk and asks the staff there to meet with head doctor. They walk into a small conference room, where Song assumes that the interview is going to take place. The pony who showed her to the room promptly leaves. As she takes a seat inside, she notices a large stain on the floor. Oh, probably just a coffee spill. It's not like this town has enough bits to fund a carpet replacement anyhow.
The head doctor walks into the interview room. "Ah, and I assume you are the esteemed Doctor Song that we've been expecting?" the doctor greets her with a warm smile.
"Yes, sir. That would be me."
"We're glad to have a talented young surgeon join the team. Welcome aboard to Ponyville Hospital."
Song tilts her head. "You mean, I don't have to be interviewed?"
The doctor shakes his head. "No, young mare, that will not be necessary. We are so desperate around here for surgeons, that you'll pass inspection with only a medical license."
"Ahaha, thank you sir." Song smiles uncomfortably. Licensed to operate at a new hospital without a proper interview? A bit unconventional, but maybe they really are just that desperate.
"When will I be able to begin my first day at work, sir?" Song questions.
"As soon as you turn in this small amount of paperwork. I'll give you a few days to settle into town and find a place to stay. Sound good?"
"Yes, I'll be on my way. Thank you very much!"
The doctor simply nods and walk out the door. He seems nice enough. Song leaves the room, ignoring the suspicious brown stain on the carpet, and thinking nothing more of it.
Song begins to search for an apartment in Ponyville. She finds a small pink building at the out skirts of town near the hospital to stay in. She goes into the bedroom, sets down her suitcase, and begins unpacking. "I didn't forget about you, little guy," she mumbles to a dulled, gold plated scalpel that was awarded to her for being surgeon of the year at the previous hospital she worked at. "It shouldn't be long until we can start working day shifts at the hospital." She grins at the cute, harmless scalpel. "I feel complete now. Ah, my life is wonderful."
Little did she know what had taken place the previous day.
Song is ready for this day. She is so pumped and wants to start tearing open patients immediately-- er, helping them. Maybe she is a little too excited. Just a smidge. But nevertheless, she is going to walk into that hospital today with that bold Canterlot strut, and show everypony who the new mare is in town. But, perhaps she should familiarize herself with the town first so she doesn't end up getting lost. And make acquaintance with some of Ponyville's residents.
She steps outside for some fresh country air. The birds are chirping, a pleasant breeze is blowing, and all is fine and well until she hears a loud crash! followed by a mare yelling, "Ouch!" Maybe this town has a bit more to offer than she had first expected.
Searching for the source of the startling noise, Song starts heading up a hill just outside of town. There she sees lying a baby blue colored pegasus with a gorgeous rainbow mane. She seems to be injured. Song decides to check on the pony and see if she needs any medical care.
She gallops up the hill and greets the pony. "Hi, there. Are you okay?" she asks.
The pegasus answers, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just crashed and..." The pegasus tries to stand up, and fails. "Ouch! Uh, maybe I am slightly sore.
Song smiles and says, "Why don't you come to the hospital and I'll check that leg out for you? I'm the new Doctor in town, Doctor Song."
"I don't think I need to..." she trails off. After a moment of consideration she says, "Actually, it's better safe than sorry. Lead the way doc. By the way, the name's Rainbow Dash."
"Nice to meet you, Rainbow. Can you walk?"
"No, but I can fly."
Song nods and they go to the hospital together. When they arrive, Song announces, "I have my first patient!" Song motions for RD to sit down in the waiting area. She goes over to the front desk and says, "Can you tell the doctor I'm here?"
Unexpectedly, a wave of nausea hits Song. She grimaces at the pain, and tries to think of what the source might be. Of course! She hasn't eaten since she left Canterlot. What a silly filly! She decides she can probably wait until lunch time. In the meantime, she had to take care of RD's pain.
"Rainbow, follow me," Song says. Rainbow Dash promptly hovers out of her seat and follows the doctor, being careful not to bump her injured leg into any furniture.
The two enter a small examination room, barely bigger than a closet it seems. The walls are a comforting shade of pale green, meant to relieve any anxieties that the patient might have upon entering such a claustrophobic room. Why wouldn't a pony be scared to be poked and prodded by an array of medical examination tools? Maybe that's why some are afraid to go to the dentist?
Both ponies take a seat. Song begins by doing some routine check-up: taking temperature (100°F, good), checking pulse (36 bpm, also good), taking height and weight measurements (about 3 feet, not too fat, not too thin), and visually checking for any infection of the hooves. Song asks Rainbow Dash about her injury.
On a side note, dear reader, the hospitals in Equestria are not like the ones on our own planet. They function as a clinic, and a place for seriously injured ponies. Surgeons may not only operate on patients, but also have consultations with them. Often, a pony will only have to see one doctor, and a nurse if they require recooperation time. The more training a pony has, the more jobs a doctor is able to do for their patient.
"Well, you see I was training in the skies, so that maybe one day I can fly with the Wonderbolts," Rainbow starts. Song smiles at this, and remembers her first dream of becoming a famous singer. She wonders if Rainbow will ever be get her wish. The Wonderbolts haven't accepted any new members for sometime now.
Rainbow continues, "And I was trying to gain enough speed to perform a Sonic Rainboom." What is that? I don't even...
"And I guess I didn't fly up high enough, so I came crashing down on that hill you found me at. Last time I was at this hospital, I had crashed and broken my wing. And Twi, she..." Rainbow lowers her voice, "turned me to the dark side." What did she mean by "the dark side"? Most likely just some nonsense.
"So, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the pain you are feeling?"
"Oh definitely a te- a five." Rainbow's eyes shift around nervously, not looking at the doctor.
"Right," Song says, not believing it. "So, I would suggest not flying for a few days until you're leg heals up. Use some ice on it for a few days, then apply heat. Make sure to get plenty of rest, and don't, I repeat do not put pressure on your leg. You have probably sprained it, so be really careful, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," Rainbow says sarcastically.
"It's for your own good," says the doctor. "Now head right home. Come see me if it get any worse, okay?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Rainbow leaves.
The rest of the morning is rather uneventful, so Song decides to read through some of the patient files. Maybe she could get to know some of the ponies in town through their records. She sees names like Derpy Hooves, Lyra Heartstrings, and Pinkie Pie, all complete with pictures. Right, didn't Pinkie say she was going to throw a surprise party? Maybe she decided not to because she knew it wouldn't be a surprise anymore.
As Song is shuffling through the files, a certain file catches her attention. The name at the top was Swift. There was no picture, and as far as she could tell, the only thing wrong with this stallion was mild depression. The file was incomplete at best, which was very odd for a well organized hospital. Song decided not to think about it anymore, and put it back in the file cabinet.
At lunchtime break, she went to a family owned bakery called Sugarcube Corner. She wasn't big on vegatables, and would rather have sweets any day. She bought one extra large cupcake and a cup of coffee for lunch.
Back at the hospital, she performed a few check-ups on patients. She left the hospital at 5:30 to go home. She arrives at her apartment at about six o'clock. She pauses for a moment because she has a strange feeling. Could it be from that huge cupcake she ate? She slowly opens the door to her apartment.
"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie screams.
Song stares at her in horror, and almost faints. She looks around briefly and sees approximately fifty other ponies inside. When she gains back her composure, she ask Pinkie in a stern voice, "How the heck did you, all of you, get into my apartment?"
"You left your door unlocked. Plus, I told you I was going to throw you a surprise party, so I did!" Pinkie laughs.
"Right..." Song sighs. "I guess I'll let you guys stay for a little while, but please be gone by nine."
"Yup, okay!" Pinkie bounces into the kitchen.
Song tries to enjoy herself at the party. She is not too pleased with the fact that so many ponies were invited in her apartment without permission. She looks out the window next to her bed and thinks she sees a figure moving through the bushes. Probably just a squirrel.
At eight, the party finally ends and only some treats and Song are left. At least nopony broke anything. Song is too lazy to clean up, so she snuggles up in her bed at falls asleep immediately from exhaustion.
Outside of the apartment window, there he was, lurking in the shadows. No pony knew of his existence. He was invisible in the night. He would decide to strike, when the time was right.
Song is woken up by a frantic pounding at her door. Looking at her clock, she sees that the time is 3:13 am. She races over to see who is at the door. As she opens the door, she sees a nurse.
"Oh, thank Celestia you're awake! You were the closest pony I could find!" She takes a minute to catch her breath. "By the way, my name is Nurse Redheart. I heard you are the new doctor, so I thought I would come here to get you and..."
"And?"
"I have a hurt pony outside. I sent another nurse to get a stretcher, she should be here in less than a minute. You have to come outside, please!"
Yes, that's right. No ambulance. Risky business.
"Uh, can't it wait until I finish sleeping?" Song thought she was finally going to be able to get a decent night's sleep in Ponyville. Good luck with that, doc.
"No!" Nurse Redheart says with a stern voice.
Without any further comments from Song, they run outside of the building. There, laying on the ground unconscious, is the aforementioned pony. There is a bloody bandage that was quickly wrapped around the pony's chest area.
"Oh, my." Song turns to the nurse. "Do you know what happened?"
"Well, it appears to be a stab wound, but I didn't see who did it. I was outside for a quick breather, and then I heard this awful, piercing scream. Uh, no pun intended."
How did I not hear that? Song wonders. "Who in Equestria would hurt another pony like this?"
"I...can't imagine."
In Equestria, it is unthinkable that somepony would injure another. Ponies are such gentle creatures, and highly unlikely to hurt even a fly. Maybe it wasn't even a pony who did this? But all the dangerous creatures nearby live in the Everfree Forest. They have never come out before without being provoked.
A pony with a stretcher quickly approaches them. "Here you go, Miss Redheart," she says.
"Thanks, now let's get this mare on the stretcher," Nurse Redheart orders.
Both nurses get the pony on the stretcher. All three of them wordlessly rush to the hospital.
They go into the ER, and there are only a few other nurses and doctors. This is most likely because nothing bad ever happens in Ponyville, at least not during the night. The only reason anypony is there at all is because of the patients that have to stay there overnight to recover.
They put the victim on a bed, and one of the nurses begin to unwrap the patient. Once the wrapping is off, the wound begins to ooze blood. Upon further inspection, it appears that a rib is protruding.
"Nurse Redheart, keep track of vitals. Nurse, um..."
"My name is First Aid. You may refer to me as Nurse Aid," says the quiet, white pony. Why is it that the nurses are always white mares?
"Oh, haha. You can administer local anesthesia, please. Just in case the patient wakes up."
"Right on it."
In Equestria, sterilization is unnecessary, because magic protects every living creature there from infection. Don't even get me started on how ponies contract diseases if they can't get infected. It's just too much to explain. I guess you could say that there are plenty of other things in the world that ponies can get ill from.
"Are we all ready now?"
"Ready!" say the nurses in unison.
"Okay then. We'll start by checking for internal bleeding and damage of any vital organs. Retractor, please."
First Aid hands her a retractor. Song uses it to open the wound a bit more to expose the underlying tissue. A rib is fractured, but that will heal on its own over time. The doctor then checks thoroughly to make sure no organs were pierced, which is actually quite difficult when there is blood everywhere. Doctor Song takes a rag and dabs the area inside the wound.
"It actually looks pretty good in there, guys. Needle."
Song is handed the needle. First, she removes the retractor, then swiftly sutures the wound.
"All's well that ends well, I suppose! Seriously though, couldn't you two have handled this on your own?"
"Well, I guess I panicked," admits Nurse Redheart. "I brought you here just in case. I was so scared that this pony got stabbed! How crazy is that?"
"Oh fine, I can go back to bed in a few minutes, anyway. After I wash my hooves off." Song then proceeds to wash her hooves, carefully walking to the sink on her back legs.
While at the sink, she asks, "Do either of you know her name?"
"Yeah, it's Rarity. She's going to be really annoying and whiny once she wakes up," replies Nurse Aid.
"Ugh, I'll be heading back home then. See you!"
With Song back in her bed, she tries to imagine the reason for somepony to want to stab Rarity, whoever she is. Wait, isn't she a friend of the new princess Twilight? That's not good. Maybe somepony was trying to rob her or something. Well, whatever it is, she is sure that some detective would get to the bottom of it somehow. There weren't really any clues left behind. It's possible that Rarity saw the pony's face, but it's not certain.
The word of the stabbing soon reaches Pinkie Pie's ears. And just like that time she was on the train with her friends, she has to play detective. Twilight joins her detective team, mostly just to keep her in check. I suppose she is worried about the safety of Ponyville, too.
"Oh, Twily!" yells Pinkie Pie from Twilight's front door. "Wake up!"
Twilight opens the door. "I told you to come at ten, not eight! I'm not ready yet."
Pinkie smiles in an adorable way.
"Oh, okay. Come in and sit down. Just don't get into anything." Twilight goes upstairs to do who knows what.
Pinkie Pie tries really hard to keep her hooves off of Twilight's belongings, but she just can't do it. She figures that since both Twi and Spike are both upstairs, it won't hurt if she looks at some of the books Twilight has out, right? She goes to the pile of books and papers that are on the desk. Among them, there is a book with the title of "Putting the Clues Together". Careful not to make too much noise, she picks up the book from the pile and opens it up to the first chapter.
A detective needs to keep an open mind when searching for clues. One can't let any pony off the hook until they have an air tight alibi. Even the friends of the victim could be potentially suspicious. Even the most timid looking pony could be the criminal.
The next important thing to remember is to never overlook any clues. Ever. Even if a clue seems irrelevant at the time, one needs to remember that the criminal may not have left many clues behind.
Pinkie closes the book. She puts the book back carefully in the pile, and turns to go sit back down before Twilight comes back.
Spike comes down the stairs. "Would you like a drink or anything?"
Pinkie says, "Yeah, could I get a glass of water?"
"Sure." Spike goes to the kitchen, hops up on the counter to reach a glass, and fills it up with water in the sink. Not spilling any water, he jumps down and hands the glass to Pinkie.
"Thanks!" Pinkie says with sincere gratitude. "I was so excited to start searching for clue that I forgot to drink anything this morning."
"Yeah, that's great. Uh, have you seen Rarity today?" Spike blushes while saying this.
"No, but you can come along with me and Twi to see her today."
Twilight walks down the stairs. "Thanks for waiting, Pinkie. I'm all ready to go now."
Pinkie starts hopping up and down. "Yay! We get to be detectives!" Even after reading that book, Pinkie still doesn't understand anything about what being a detective curtails.
Twilight tries to keep her from bouncing, but she knows that nothing can calm down Pinkie. Instead, she sighs and walk out the door with her friend and Spike.
When they get to Rarity's house, Pinkie lets her self in without knocking. "Hello!" Pinkie chimes.
"Oh, hello dear," Rarity says in a pained voice.
"I'm sorry about what happened, Rarity, but can Pinkie and I ask you a few questions? It's really important," says Twilight.
"Fine. Go ahead. But that doesn't change the fact that my coat is ruined!"
"What are you talking about Rarity? I thought the doctor fixed you all up?" asks Twilight.
"The scar, darling, I'm talking about the scar!" whines Rarity. "My coat will never look the same again. It's like that zit that never goes away! I'll never be able to walk outside of my house again. Oh, woe is me."
Spike walks over to Rarity to comfort her. Rarity is so caught up in her worries that she doesn't notice he is there. "There, there," Spike whispers into her ear.
"There probably won't even be a scar, silly filly!" squeaks Pinkie Pie.
Twilight says, "A small scar isn't going to show after your coat grows back in. You'll be as good as new in a few days. Just give it some time. You'll get better, I promise."
Rarity nods and wipes a tear from her eye. "Ok," she whimpers. "Now, what about those questions?"
"Right. Spike, write some notes down, if you would." Twilight then turns to Pinkie. "And you can, uh ... loiter?"
"Okey dokey lokey!" Pinkie bounces up and down like she had way too much caffeine this morning.
Twilight puts on her serious, detective face. "Do you remember what the perpetrator looked like at all?"
"Dear, I, uh ... can't quite seem to remember. The whole event was just so traumatic that--" Rarity stops. "It's all coming back to me now! Okay, he was wearing black. Yes, lots of black. Distasteful if you ask me. Uh, he was a bit taller than me. And I'm quite sure he was a stallion, from the stench of his mane." Rarity exhales forcefully, as if trying to clear out the smell of the pony who stabbed her out of her nostrils. "That's all I remember. His face was completely covered up!"
Twilight gives Spike a moment to finish writing. "That's a start, I suppose, but doesn't really narrow things down much." Twilight searches the room for another question to ask. "Did you see the weapon?"
"Not really. It was razor-sharp, though."
Twilight face-hoofs. "Right. What was the size and shape of the wound?"
"Ew, gross! Did you think I would have looked at it?" Rarity makes a disgusted face.
"That's all the questions we have for you, I guess."
"I'm sorry I wasn't of much help, dear," Rarity apologizes.
"That's ok, we have only just started our investigation, anyway. Spike, Pinkie, we're leaving now. Have a nice day, Rarity." Twilight turns toward the exit, when she is interrupted by Rarity.
"Twilight, I have a really bad feeling about this guy."
Twilight looks at her briefly, then leaves the room with her friends.
Meanwhile, Doctor Song is at the hospital doing morning rounds, and prepping for a minor operation. No brain surgery or anything, she isn't too fond of that. She doesn't like the idea of plastic surgery either; it seems like too much of a risk for frivolous cosmetic purposes. She can handle anything else, though. Come to think of it, she hasn't done much hooves-on work at this hospital yet. She will get her chance soon enough.
She sees Nurse Redheart from last night in the hallway. "Hello, how are you doing this morning?" the nurse asks.
"A bit shaken up from last night, but otherwise fine," she replies. "Have you heard any news about the stabbing?"
"Not anything that we didn't witness ourselves."
"That's too bad. I have to get back to business. See you later!" Song walks past her, heading towards the OR.
"Oh, and Song?" the nurse adds, "No one told you about what happened here a couple days ago, did they?"
Song stops dead in her tracks. "N-no, what happened?"
"You see," the nurse lowers her voice to a whisper, "Somepony was murdered inside this hospital."
A chill is sent down Song's spine. Her pupils narrow, and she remembers the stain on the floor of the conference room. This thought of it renders her speechless.
"Are you ... I mean, do you know if it was the same pony who stabbed Rarity?" Song stares into the nurses eyes, searching for an answer that can't come soon enough.
Still whispering, the nurse replies, "I'm not one-hundred percent positive, but I believe so. Nothing bad like this has happened in a long, long time."
Song can't take it anymore. "I'm sorry, I'll be leaving now." As if trying to escape from her fears, she walks quickly down the hall.
The rest of the day, and through her operation, she can't stop thinking about the Nurses words. What could this mean for her? Maybe coming to Ponyville was a mistake. She can't give up her new life in Ponyville on account of some criminal, though. There is no other option, but to continue living as if she knew nothing about it.
All of Rarity's friend know that she got stabbed, but what they don't know is that a pony had actually been murdered. Who was it? Surely Pinkie would have noticed by now if somepony had gone missing.
That's when it hits Pinkie. Where is Derpy? Pinkie Pie is good friends with Derpy. Derpy wouldn't just leave. Maybe something came up and she had to go visit her relatives. Yeah, that sounds plausible.
It is pet day, the day that the mane six bring their pets to hang out together. Even Rarity came, because it didn't take much time for her to recuperate from her stab wound. If Gummy had teeth, this probably wouldn't be such a fun day. How does an alligator not have teeth? I suspect Pinkie has something to do with it. She isn't as innocent as you might think. Maybe it's something like getting a cat's claws capped?
"Hey Twi, do ya notice sumthin' odd?" ask AJ.
"Now that you mention it, yes. Where's Fluttershy?" she responds.
All of them sit at there and think about that for a minute. Fluttershy would never miss pet day. She was the pony who suggested it in the first place. They have to go to check up on her, to make sure she didn't get hurt like Rarity did.
When they get to her house, Pinkie Pie is the first one in line, so she knocks on the door. "Is anypony home in there?"
No answer.
Rainbow Dash breaks down the door, because it is locked. That's no excuse though, now RD will have to pay for the replacement.
"Eep!" cries a high-pitched voice.
"Fluttershy, we know you're in there somewhere. Can you come out and tell us what's wrong?" Twilight asks.
"Darling, please come out of there," Rarity adds. "We're worried for you!"
Fluttershy sighs like she has been holding her breath for five minutes. "Oh, it just you guys. I was locked up i... he...." The rest of the sentence is unintelligible.
"Speak up, Flutter, we can't here you!" yells RD.
"Oh sorry. I guess it's ok if I come out now because you guys are here. Give me one little second, if you don't mind."
The ponies can hear locks of all kinds unlocking and turning from the other side of the door. It must have taken a lot of effort on her part to install all of those locks. The door opens slowly, and Fluttershy looks around carefully.
"Well, you see, I was hiding from the ... um the ..."
"Spit it out." Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes.
"THE MURDERER!" Fluttershy screams, when she gains the courage to do so.
The ponies all gasp. Their eyes are all wide open in astonishment. Even tough Rainbow Dash is scared silly from hearing this.
After a short silence, Twilight speaks up first. "Fluttershy, do you mean to tell us that somepony was killed in Ponyville? Surely we would have all heard about this before, right girls?"
The other ponies nod their heads vigorously, looking desperate for some kind of answer.
"Well, that's just what I heard. And I know for sure that it's not a rumor. And I'm also pretty sure that is is the same pony who stabbed Rarity."
Pinkie Pie says, "I have been getting these new weird Pinkie sensations. It's kind of a creepy crawly feeling. I guess that has something to do with the murderer, don't you think?"
When Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Senses tell her something, it's 100% certain. Fluttershy couldn't have just heard a rumor. Pinkie Pie said she felt new sensations, and Pinkie always knows what her senses are telling her! It can't be just a coincidence.
"Oh, Fluttershy," AJ says, "I reckon Twi and Pinkie's gonna find the stallion who did this. Don't you go worrying now, it's gonna be fine. So can you please bring Angel and come to pet day with us? Pretty please?"
"Well, okay. I really don't want to miss out on the fun. Thank you for coming and checking on me. It's not the murderer is going to strike in the middle of the day anyhow. Sorry for worrying you girls."
"It's okay, Flutters," says RD, "I'm going to show that stallion who's boss!"
Fluttershy picks up Angel, and the ponies go to their pet day gathering spot. The sky was clear before they left, but it is now starting to get cloudy. Maybe the pegasi have a last minute storm planned for today, though usually the pegasi are very organized. After a few hours together, the ponies go their separate ways and back to their homes. None of them are going to worry about the criminal any longer. That would just waste precious energy needed to find and apprehend the criminal.
When Twilight reaches her house, she asks Spike, "Did you hear anything about the murderer?"
"No," says Spike, his eyes drifting off towards the floor.
Twilight notices his eyes drifting, so she asks, "What's up, Spike? Is the news of the murderer bothering you?"
"Yeah, kinda." Spike blushes. He is so cute when he does that. That little munchkin.
"You can sleep in my bed tonight if it would make you feel safer."
"Thanks, Twi. So, are you and Pinkie going to meet up together again tomorrow?"
"Yeah, you can come too. I might need your assistance."
Spike nods, then heads toward Twilight's bedroom. Twilight decides to stay up and study a little before going to bed. She picks up a book called "Spells for Crime Solving". Yes, Twilight has a book for that. No, there isn't an app for that.
At the hospital, Doctor Song is doing her rounds, checking up on patients, dealing with the occasional mishap in the ER, and the like. The murder is on her mind all the while. But there is nothing she can do about it anyhow. All she can do is hope and pray to Celestia that she isn't next. Still, she feels that it is her responsibility to stop the killer in his tracks. There is barely any evidence. Wait, what about the blood stain on the carpet? Perhaps there was something left there. She can't help but wondering why there isn't a big scene going on about the crime. Ponyville seems too calm.
Nurse Redheart smiles sweetly at Song. "Hello, sweetie. Are you still worried about that thing I told you?"
Reluctantly, Song sighs and nods. "Well, yes. I am quite worried. It just blows my mind that something like that would happen the day before I came here."
"It must be a coincidence. How would he know that there was going to be a new doctor?"
"Now that you mention it, it makes no sense that it would have anything to do with me. What was I thinking, nurse? But I'm glad you told me about it, even though it was bound to make me worry. Oh, would you look at the time. I better get going."
"Remember, I'm here for you any time."
Walking away smiling, Song visualizes the stain on the carpet. Wouldn't there be more blood on the floor than just one large stain? Perhaps the rest was able to be washed out. Maybe the blood all went to one spot, instead of splattering everywhere. For that to happen, the victim had to of either died instantly, or gave up trying to get away. Maybe the victim was bagged up to avoid any mess. Song is used to seeing blood, of course, but seeing it soaked into the carpet is much different. Maybe the murder just didn't even matter anymore. The killer might not even be after anyone else, and Song is worried over nothing.
Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie are gathered in Pinkie's bedroom at Sugarcube Corner to discuss the investigation. Poor Pinkie Pie, who has the attention span of a squirrel, has to sit through this discussion whether she likes it or not. Originally, she wanted to help with the investigation because she thought it was going to be fun. Now, she just wants to protect everypony from the criminal.
"Pinkie Pie, what is your opinion on this matter?" asks Twilight.
Pinkie Pie is spacing out thinking about her next party. Twilight pokes her in the flank. She snaps to attention. "Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"
Twilight shakes her head in disappointment. "As I said, what do you think about us three going to the scene of the crime to look for evidence? I was thinking that Spike and I could go to the hospital, while you could check the scene where Rarity was found."
Pinkie does not hesitate to answer, "Okey dokey lokey, artichokey!"
Spike whispers into Twilight's ear, "Can we really trust her to do it by herself?"
Twilight simply nods. She is sure that Pinkie can do this by herself. She is very enthusiastic about it, after all.
"Can I go right now, please?!" Pinkie is hopping up to the ceiling at this point.
"Sure, Pinkie. Spike and I are going to eat a snack first, and then head out shortly." Twilight notices Pinkie leaving already, so she quickly adds, "Don't forget to collect samples!" Hopefully Pinkie heard that.
Doctor Song walks into the hospital, and right behind her is Twilight and Spike. Twilight asks Song, "Oh, are you the new doctor?"
"Yes, I am. Did you need something?"
"Yeah, I hope we aren't bothering you, but could you show us where the murder took place? We are looking for clues pointing to the killer."
Song tilts her head, looking confused. "You heard about that? I thought that information was only released to the employees here."
"Really? Well, I only know because my friend, Fluttershy, told me. I think one the animals in the forest might have told her.
Having the feeling that she's being watched by woodland critters, Song looks around nervously. Since she attended medical school, she has been wary of other living organisms, especially fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Honestly, all she has to fear is fear itself, because ponies have great immune systems. It's ironic how Song doesn't mind blood at all, but is terrified of germs.
"Sure, I'll show you to the crime scene, Miss ..."
"Twilight Sparkle."
"Yes, right this way, Miss Sparkle."
Spike and Twilight follow Song to the conference room, which seems to be emitting an evil aura. Or maybe it was just the smell of the blood dried into the carpet. Either way, it's downright creepy. Song leaves Twilight and Spike alone so she can get back to work, not that she had actually started yet today.
The first thing Twilight notices about the room is the stain on the carpet. Spike walks over to the stain and sniffs it.
"Yep, definitely smells like blood to me. Well, actually more like dirt, since most of the blood was cleaned out of the carpet," he says.
"Since you are closer to the floor, Spike, how about looking for some clues, or DNA samples? I have some hoofprinting materials at home, but I will need some samples from suspects too. I guess we can rule out some suspects later, though."
Twilight and Spike search the room from floor to ceiling, yet there is not a clue to be found. Not a single hair, or skin cell, or anything found in the room looked even slight suspicious. If only they had come here a bit earlier, maybe something would have been left. Pinkie will probably have more luck than us thinks Twilight.
"Spike, let's go find Pinkie," says Twilight unenthusiastically.
"Hm, this pegasus feather looks suspicious," mumbles Spike.
"Uh, Spike. I'm leaving." Twilight begins to slowly back out of the room, waiting for Spike to say something. "Bye," she whispers. He'll notice I'm gone in a few minutes she thinks.
Exiting the room, Twilight bumps into somepony. Startled, Twilight says "Excuse me! Oh, it's you, Doctor Song."
Song says "That's okay. Have you found anything yet?"
Twilight looks away. "No, we searched the entire room, and we didn't find anything."
"Don't be discouraged. I'm sure you two will find something eventually."
Twilight looks Song in the eye. "Thanks, but we won't find anything here."
"I should be thanking you, Twilight. Nopony else has bothered with the investigation."
Twilight thinks about that. Does nopony really care about a murderer on the loose?
Spike finally realizes Twilight is not in the conference room, and goes out to see Twilight and Song standing there. Spike doesn't seem too happy to see the doctor again. This may be related to the fact that Spike hates dentists.
Twilight realizes that the murderer may be on record in the hospital. "Song, can I look at the patients files?" she asks.
"If it will help you with your investigation. But make it quick, or I might get in trouble for releasing confidential information." Then Song remembers a particular patient file. "Actually, I think I might know just what you're looking for. Come with me into my office."
In the office, Song hangs Twilight a file. Twilight notices an odd aura emanating from the file. "What is this?" ask Twilight.
Song says, "A file that seemed a little off to me."
"Okay then." Twilight opens the file, and reads the name Swift at the top. "Doesn't this pony have a last name?"
"That's the thing. The patient file seems to be incomplete. Not suspicious at all, right?"
Twilight giggles. "Yeah, sure." She gets an idea. "Hey, Spike. Do you think this file could be under a spell of some kind?"
Spike blinks. "Maybe? I don't know too many unicorns around that are good at casting concealment spells."
"But it's only a partial concealment spell, Spike. I have a hunch that the murderer paid somepony to put a concealment spell on this information."
Spikes eyes widen. "Oh, I get it! He must have done this so he wouldn't be ratted out."
"Exactly. If we could just find the perpetrator's henchpony, or henchponies depending on whether he has more, we could get a good lead on to where to look next!" Twilight looks quite satisfied with her theory. "Good bye, Doctor Song, Spike and I have a criminal to catch!"
The two then promptly leave the hospital to go tell Pinkie there findings, and to see whether or not she has found anything.
As they quickly approach Pinkie Pie, she yells out, "I got another one!"
Twilight and Spike stop in front of her, breathing heavily. Spike waits to catch his breath, then asks, "Another one of what?"
The corners of Pinkie's mouth turn upward into a goofy grin. "A piece of evidence, silly filly!"
Twilight and Spike's eyes both widen in astonishment. Twilight exclaims, "Really? We could hardly find anything!" She looks at the ground in front of Pinkie front hooves. "So, what evidence are you talking about?"
"Doesn't this rock look suspicious? It's a perfect isosceles triangle!" Pinkie shrieks.
Twilight raises a confused eyebrow and says, "It's a rock, Pinkie. It's just a triangular rock. What does that prove, exactly?"
"I don't know," says the still grinning Pinkie, "but it looks awfully suspicious to me!"
Twilight and Spike sigh. Spike tells Twilight in a hushed tone, "Well, that's Pinkie logic for you."
Twilight spends her morning practicing a revealing spell inside her bedroom to cast on the file that Doctor Song gave her. To her surprise, it's harder to master than she thought it would be. She has never had to use a revealing spell before. She reads in her advanced magic book that revealing spells can only be used to reverse concealment spells.
"Okay, Spike. I'm going to try this again." She starts to chant the words to the complicated spell. The reason it is so difficult is because the spell is a lengthy tongue twister. "Reveal and reverse the concealment curse with a single spell. Lift the spell that a unicorn uttered to seal a secret well. Disperse the verse that was used to -- oh darn it all! I wish this spell was more terse!"
Spike chuckles. "Nice rhyme, Twilight."
Twilight sighs from frustration. "Maybe I could rewrite the spell, do you think?"
"Nope."
"What? Why not?"
"I'm sure there is a reason that the spell is so long," says Spike. "Besides, you can't waste anymore time on this spell than you have to. Ponies lives are on the line!"
Reluctantly, Twilight agrees, "Yeah, I suppose I do have more to worry about than just myself." Twilight pauses and smirks. "And since when did you get so wise, Spike."
Spike bites his lip. "Um, I've been hanging around you too long?"
They both laugh at Spike's uncertainty.
"Okay, again." She puts all of her focus on the file now that is sitting on her bed. "Reveal and reverse the concealment curse with a single spell. Lift the spell that a unicorn uttered to seal a secret well. Disperse the verse that was used to inverse the information in this file." Twilight has to admit that the spell is a little bit corny, but hopefully it has served its purpose.
Spike crosses his fingers. Twilight slowly opens the glowing file. Inside, on the first page, it says:
Name: Swift Dark Gender: Male Species: Earth Pony Marital Status: Single Address: N/A
The address was not filled in. Did that mean the murderer is homeless? Twilight thinks I suppose it would be easier for a pony to stay undetected if they don't even have a home address.
Spike jumps up in the air trying to see the file that Twilight is now holding. "Lemme see!" says Spike.
"His name is Swift Dark," she says. "A name I've never heard before."
Spike stops jumping. "Does it give you any helpful information?"
Twilight looked briefly at the other pages in the file, then shakes her head. "I guess not." In the same breath, she says "Wait, what's this?"
On the back of the folder is written:
Snails wuz hear.
"That little twerp!" exclaims Spike.
"You're one to talk."
"Hey!"
"Pinkie Pie, reporting for duty!" says Pinkie, opening the door to the library.
"I'm glad you're here. We need to track down a certain somepony. Snails to be exact," says Twilight.
"Ooh, he's going to be in big trouble with his mommy," says Pinkie.
"Does he even have parents?" asks Twilight.
Pinkie frowned. "That's a touchy subject."
"Nevermind then."
Spike asks, "So are we going to start searching, or what?"
"Yeah, about that." Twilight takes out a map, and a pen to mark it. "I was hoping that we could split up; Pinkie could search to the west of town, Spike to the east, and I to the north. Then we could all meet up the the South. Sound good so far?"
Spike and Pinkie nod.
"Good. If any of us see Snails, we are to tell him that we have a surprise for him at Sugarcube corner."
Twilight is interrupted by Pinkie, "Ooh, I like surprises!"
"Yeah, that's just great, Pinkie. Anyway, tell Snails not to come to Sugarcube corner until six pm. Now let's move out, soldiers!" Twilight snickers. "I've always wanted to say that."
The mares and Spike head out to their assigned destinations. It's great that they finally have somewhere to start looking for clues to the villain's whereabouts.
Twilight begins her search at the very outskirts of town, planning to work her way inwards. She looks near the old ponies homes, the hospital, and in every nook, cranny, and alleyway in the northern section of Ponyville. After about an hour, she sighs, and says to herself, "Too bad none of my other friends could help. AJ's busy harvesting, RD is busy with the weather, Rarity's busy with her dressmaking, and Fluttershy is busy with whatever she does all day with her animals.
In the east, Spike is not only searching for Snails, but jewels too. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," he whispers. "Where are you, my pretties." He realizes that he is not going to find gems in the middle of the street. "Oh, silly me. Oh, Snails, where are you?
To the west, Pinkie bounces around like her usual self. "Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails," she sings. "That's not what cupcakes are made of!" Lacking the creativity to think of another song, Pinkie Pie decides to make a game out of the search. "Are you in here?" she says into a barrel. "Are you in here?" she says into a dog's mouth.
"Ought, oh, Celestios," she says as she feels her Pinkie's senses start to tingle. "Ear twitch, hoof spasm, belly rumble, tail swish. If I remember right, that means that Snails is about to appear."
Snails appears out of seemingly nowhere with his best friend Snips. "Did someone say my name?" asks Snails, looking around. "Oh, Pinkie! Whatcha doin'?"
She replies, "Oh, nothing. By the way, since you are here, I wanted to let you to know to come to Sugarcube Corner at six tonight."
"What for?"
"It's a surprise, silly!" she explains.
"Oh, okay then. Can I bring Snips?"
"Yeah sure, why not? Well, see you there!" Pinkie says as she bounces off to meet up with Spike and Twilight in the south part of town.
After ten minutes of waiting in the south, Twilight walks towards Pinkie with Spike on her back. "You find him?" she calls out, still twenty feet away.
"Yup!"
"Oh, that's great!"
Pinkie's eyes drift towards the sky, like she's deep in thought. When Twilight is closer, Pinkie asks, "So what are we going to do now? Y'know, since I already found Snails."
"Good question," Spike points out.
Twilight ponders Pinkie's question for a moment, then remembers, "Oh, we should take that file back to the hospital. If it's missing for too long, Doctor Song might get in trouble. I'd never be able to live that down."
"Okey dokey, good idea-ey!" answers Pinkie.
The trio walks into the hospital, and go into Doctor Songs office, and set down the file on her desk. Just as they turn around to leave the room, Doctor Song walks in.
"Oh, goodness, you scared me!" Aren't you the mares from yesterday?
Spike rolls his eyes and adds, "Male here!"
"What are you doing sneaking around?" say Song accusingly.
"We're not sneaking around, ma'am, we just left the file we borrowed yesterday on your desk," explains Twilight.
"Thanks." The doctor thinks of something else to say before they leave. "So, there wasn't anything else you needed?"
"No, not at the moment. Thanks for asking, though. We'll be seeing you."
"Or maybe we won't?" wonders Pinkie.
After a couple hours of twiddling their thumbs (although the only one who has thumbs is Spike), it's finally five o'clock, so Pinkie, Twilight, and Spike go to Sugarcube Corner to talk to the unsuspecting Snails. Inside waits Snail and Snips.
When Twilight sees that Snips is also there, she whispers into Pinkie's ear, "I didn't know he was going to come, too! Why did you let him come, anyhow?"
"Uh, I thought he would want a surprise, too?" Pinkie responds, hoping her answer will be enough to make Twilight stop questioning her.
"Really."
"Really, really. I'm not lying!" she insists.
Twilight ignores her, and instead go over to talk to Snails.
Snails asks, "So what's the surprise?"
"It's upstairs in Pinkie's room."
"Oh, golly, I love surprises!"
Twilight quickly says, "But Snips can't go up there."
"Aw..." whimpers Snips.
"You can stay down here and have fun with me!" Pinkie interjects.
"Uh, okay," he says.
Spike follows Twilight when she goes upstairs with Snails. She seats him in a chair in Pinkie's bedroom. "Close your eyes," says Twilight. When she is sure that his eyes are closed, she quickly locks the door and ties Snails to the chair.
When Snails feels the rope around his waist, his eyes open and he says in a panicked tone, "W-why are you tying me up?"
"I guess I can't keep this from you any longer. Do you know a stallion by the name of Swift Dark?"
Snails gulps. "Uh...ye--no, I mean. Never heard of the guy."
Twilight raises an eyebrow. "Really? I believe you're lying to me."
Beads of sweat start to form on Snails forehead. "Can I leave now? Please?"
"Not until you tell the truth, Snails," she says, putting an intimidating emphasis on his name.
"Oh, Twilight, I'm so sorry!" Snails sobs. "It just, me and Snips were so desperate for money. I had to do something about it, so I took the first job I could get. Um, is Mr. Swift in some kind of trouble? He wouldn't tell me what he needed my skills for, so I have no idea what he was doing."
"Huh. Well, there has been a murder in Ponyville. And we wanted to find who did it."
He sits there staring at Twilight, horrified. "T-there has, eh? Can you untie me now?"
"Oh, I forgot about that." She begins undoing the poorly tied knots. "There you go."
Snails stands up, and stretches when he gets up, as if he had been tied up on the chair for hours. "So, do I get my surprise now?"
Twilight laughs. "I'm sure Pinkie and I can whip up something."
It's Sunday in Ponyville, and Doctor Song reflects on why the days of the week have names of astrological objects. For the life of her, she can't figure what Wednesday is supposed to mean. She imagines a Wednesday deity in the shape of a comet zooming about in outer space. Nurse Redheart snaps the doctor out of her daydream.
"What are you standing there for, hun?" the nurse asks inquisitively.
"Oh, um..." Doctor Song shifts her eyes around, avoiding the nurse's questioning gaze. "I was just trying to decide whether or not I should amputate," she lies.
"Right. Are you sure you've been sleeping enough lately?" says the nurse, raising an eyebrow.
Song admits, "No, I probably haven't been."
"You're not worrying again, are you?"
"No, no, nothing like that," Song defends, "I've just been a bit spacey lately." She reconsiders that statement. "Well, I have been thinking that maybe the criminal will never be caught. Maybe—"
The nurse cuts her off. "'Maybe' means it's a fleeting thought, along with 'what if' and 'perhaps'. Besides, as the phrase goes, 'The good guy always wins.'"
"But how are we going to win? Ponyville doesn't even have an official police team! There are just a couple of mares on the case."
Nurse Redheart rests a reassuring hoof on Song's shoulder. "Look, hun. I'm sure Twilight and her friends will solve this case in no time at all. Twilight is Princess Celestia's student, after all. She is very smart."
Song sighs. "Okay, I get it. No more worrying."
Satisfied, the nurse says, "See you later!"
Song heads out into the main entrance of the hospital, and her new found relief is promptly ruined when she sees two nurses carrying in a traumatized pony on a stretcher. The pony's hind leg is twisted in an ungodly manner, and covered in blood.
"Speak of Discord."
Song holds the door open as the stretcher comes in, and Song asks, "What do we have here?" even though she already knew.
The yellow nurse answers, "The pony who notified us of this emergency said, and I quote, 'This here stallion were just a yellering and then he fainted.'"
"Eh, that doesn't really give me much information, but okay. Bring her on in." The stretcher is brought into the ER, followed by Doctor Song.
The doctor inspects the injury. "Well," she begins in a contemplative manner, "The only way I think this could have happened is by somepony coming up behind, grabbing the leg while holding the body down, and then just twisting. It must have taken a lot of strength though, not to mention anger."
One of the nurses looks just about ready to vomit at the thought. "Surely, that couldn't be the case." She looks into the doctor's strangely calm eyes. "Could it?" Though the mare can't think of any other explanation herself, considering the circumstances.
Nothing else needs to be said. Everypony got outfitted and Song started fixing the leg. First thing was first, untwist the leg back into it natural position. Song then cleaned all the blood off of the large wound in order to be able to see the injury better. As soon as she wiped it though, it started getting dirty all over again. She assigned one of the nurses to put pressure on it to decrease the blood flow.
Song grabs the bone glue, puts some on the largest fractures, and bends the bone back into place. After making sure the bone is perfectly aligned, she holds it there for a few seconds. Then, she removes some fragment of bones from the surrounding area. When everything inside appeared to be in place, Song stitches up the remaining tissues together. She finishes up by applying a full leg cast, careful not to crease the fabric.
The whole process ended up only taking about an hour, one hour and a half tops. Through the entire surgery, Song is less worried up the victim and more about the pony who could have done this, almost definitely the murderer.
At the end of her shift, Song walks home, staring up at the looming gray clouds overhead. Before going home, she decides to go talk to Twilight at the library. As she approaches the library, she begins to regret even coming here, to the library, and to Ponyville. After a long inhale and a deep sigh, she knocks on the door.
"Come in." Song can hear Twilight's muffled voice, and pushes open the door. Twilight walks out from a corner of the library and greets the doctor with a simple nod. Song starts the conversation by saying, "Look Twilight, I just want to–"
"I already heard all about the incident," Twilight says in a solemn voice. She looks like she is going to burst into tears. "Poor Pinkie."
Song's eye twitches. "What?"
Twilight stares at the floor. She realizes something, then looks up at Song. "You saw her in the ER, didn't you?"
There is an awkward silence in the room, then after a brief moment of reflection Song repeats, "What?!"
Twilight rolls her eyes. "You operated on her, right?"
Song says this time in an even more bemused tone, "What?" Thinking back to the operation, she realizes the patient did have a pink coat, but it was much duller than Pinkie's, and the pony's hair was also straight. She says, "No, that couldn't have been Pinkie.
"I'm not surprised you didn't recognize her. She was pretty messed up, huh?"
Desperately trying to understand the circumstances, Song ends up having tears dribble down her cheeks. "Why?!" she screams, forcing Twilight to cover her ears. "Why did this happen to Pinkie! She was the only other pony on this case..." Her legs give way, and her bottom plunked onto the floor. "She's going to be in recovery for months."
Twilight kneels beside Song. "C'mon, you can't cry now. There's still hope. My friends and I have already saved Equestria from destruction a few times, I'm sure this will be nothing compared to those incidents."
Twilight is right. "You can stay at my place tonight if it would make you feel better."
Song really just wants to go home to take a shower and rest, by she accepts Twilight's offer. "Okay."
The mares go upstairs, and Song goes into the guest bedroom, and falls asleep almost at once.
"Doctor!" somepony says. "Song! Doctor Song! We need you!
She followed the voice through the long hall of the hospital to the ER. "What is it?" she calls out.
Another pony, presumably a relative of the victim stops the doctor and cries out, "Please save her! Oh, please!
When Song finally reaches her destination, she pushes through the door and immediately notices the patient's infected wounds. Her face is covered in blood, and green pus is oozing from the lacerations. Her eyes are rolled back up into her head. Her limbs containing broken bones are bruised a dark brownish-purple color. Song walks up to the mare and recognizes her.
