Twilight shifted uncomfortably. She had never liked this room, and for good reason.
The waiting room of the Ponyville Hospital was truly living up to its name. After hours without any news from the doctor, Twilight’s anxiety threatened to break free at any moment.
For the past several hours, Twilight had attempted to distract herself. She initially took to studying the patterns on the floor. Once she had memorized each tile to the dot, she focused her attention to the ceiling. These efforts were futile, and her unease always returned. This feeling was like an itch, eating away at her sanity by the minute. If not for the four ponies around her, she would've lost it by now.
The sound of an opening door caused Twilight’s ears to perk. She looked up and, upon seeing the doctor headed in their direction, promptly rose from her seat. The others followed suit.
“How is she?” asked Twilight.
The doctor sighed. “If you five will come with me. The anesthesia is wearing off, and she should be coming around soon.”
----------
I awoke to a multitude of unfamiliar voices. I was somewhat confused by this, seeing as how we almost never had visitors. In fact, I couldn’t even remember the last time someone came to visit our colorless farm. Who would bother making the trip out here?
I was still lying in bed with my eyes shut, but my mind was fully alert. I did that a lot. Sometimes, my internal body clock would wake me up earlier than necessary, giving me extra time to do as I please. The majority of this time was spent doing one of two things: either looking forward to the end of the day, or brooding about the day to come. A constant switch between optimism and pessimism, if you would.
I’d always wanted to speak up against my parents. I would often fantasize about standing up to my mom and dad and telling them how pointless our line of work really was. I could just imagine the looks on their faces if I did.
My thoughts were interrupted by one of the voices from before.
“Why is her mane straightened out like that?”
I didn't understand at first. My hair had always been straight. That was assuming, of course, that they were talking about me. I didn't recognize the voice at all, so it couldn't have been one of my relatives. Then again, maybe it was an obscure distant relative I'd never met or heard of. It wouldn't be the first time that happened. I decided to stop speculating with myself and opened my eyes.
Two things in particular surprised me. First of all, I had no idea where I was. It certainly wasn’t my bedroom on the farm. The mattress was too comfortable, and the walls were too colorful. Second, there were five mares standing around me. I’d never seen any of them in my entire life.
Before me were two pegasi, two unicorns, and an earth pony. I immediately dismissed the idea of them being relatives, seeing as they bore absolutely no family resemblance.
“Oh, she’s awake!” exclaimed one of the unicorns. This one was lavender with a highlighted mane consisting of three different shades of purple.
I continued to lie there without a word. The five mares were still staring at me, and I was unsure of whether or not I should’ve said something.
“Pinkie, are you okay?” asked the same unicorn.
Pinkie? What kind of name was that? It was obviously similar to my own name, but when could someone have come up with it?
“My name is Pinkamena. Who are all of you?” I asked, hoping for a decent explanation.
Suddenly, one of the pegasi broke down into tears. I didn’t know why, and I had no idea how to respond. The second unicorn, whose white coat and purple mane seemed to almost glisten, put a hoof around the crying canary-yellow pegasus, trying to comfort her to the best of her ability. I could see the tears flowing down the pegasus’ face into her voluminous pink mane.
“Are you saying... you don’t know who any of us are?” asked the purple unicorn.
“Am I expected to?” I replied, as I started to sit up in the bed.
“Easy, now,” said a male unicorn wearing a white coat. I hadn’t noticed him before, but he made his way towards me, and the mares created a gap to allow him through. I could only assume he was a doctor. “Try not to strain yourself too much.”
I looked around the room. As I observed my surroundings, I realized that I was in a hospital. I couldn’t have imagined why I’d be in a place like this.
“What’s going on?” I asked the doctor.
“You’re in the hospital, Pinkie Pie,” he said.
“I gathered as much, and that’s not my name. It’s Pinkamena. Just tell me what happened.”
The doctor recoiled slightly at my blunt manner of speaking, but I didn’t care. Something was definitely amiss, and I intended to find out. Courtesy meant nothing to me at that moment.
“Unfortunately, we’re a bit stumped for details ourselves. Zecora found you, unconscious in the Everfree Forest, and she brought you here. Your friends have been waiting for hours to confirm that you’re okay.”
“Is this some kind of joke?” I asked with growing irritation. “I have no idea who this Zecora is, and I don’t know these five ponies, either!”
The doctor had a look of worry upon his face. Then, he asked me a completely random question. “Pinkamena, how old are you?”
My frustration was almost at its peak, but I managed to keep my composure. “Eleven. Why do you ask?”
The ponies around me gasped simultaneously. The other pegasus’ eyes widened to a ludicrous size, and I couldn’t help but notice it.
I found this particular pegasus interesting. She had a sky blue coat, with a rainbow mane and tail. It was much more color than I was used to, that was for sure.
The doctor spoke up once again. “May I ask that you remove your blanket and turn onto your side?”
I complied with his unusual request. Gazing at the bare fur on my flank, he blinked several times at the sight. He then proceeded to rub his eyes, as if questioning his own vision.
“It’s just as I feared,” he said at last. He gestured to the mares. “I’d like the five of you to come with me. We need to discuss a few things, and it should be done in private. Pinkamena, please remain here. We’ll be back soon.”
The six ponies departed from the room, giving me various looks as they passed by. I’m not one for reading faces, but all of their expressions seemed to share at least one attribute.
Distress.
----------
The five friends were gathered in a plain office, in front of an empty mahogany desk belonging to the doctor. He had prompted them to enter the office and have a seat, and assured them he would return momentarily. The office didn't contain much, save for a potted plant in each of the rear corners and three extra chairs intended for conferences such as these. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were standing while the others sat.
To say that they were simply upset would be an understatement. They were, above all, profoundly disturbed by what had just occurred.
“What... what did we just witness?” asked Rarity.
“I don’t know. It's unlike anything I've ever read about,” said Twilight.
“What do ya reckon happened?” asked Applejack.
“It's hard to say,” answered Twilight, “I've seen ponies who experience memory loss, but this is on an entire new level. Pinkie Pie has lost so much, that she doesn't even recall who she is anymore. I didn't think amnesia could happen on this large of a scale.”
“Neither did I, until now,” stated the doctor as he entered the room. He approached the desk and sat down behind it with great care.
“In all my years as a neurologist, I never would have believed this existed, and I certainly never thought I’d be the one to whom the responsibility fell,” stated the doctor.
“What are you talking about?” asked Twilight.
“Pinkie Pie appears to have contracted something known in the medical world as ‘Enchanted Memory Regression Syndrome,’” he explained.
“I beg your pardon?” asked Rarity.
“Enchanted Memory Regression Syndrome,” repeated the doctor, “or EMRS for short. In basic terms, it’s a very rare disease that is under the influence of magic.”
“How rare, exactly?” asked Applejack.
“I don’t know.” The doctor squinted his eyes in thought. “The odds of acquiring such a disease are supposedly astronomical. Less than one in a million, I’d imagine.”
There were a few seconds of silence, until Twilight finally spoke up. “Is there anything you can tell us about what we’re dealing with?”
“Not much,” said the doctor, as he put a hoof to his chin in contemplation. “There is normally a limit to how much someone’s memory can possibly regress. It is an undefined limit, mind you, but a practiced neurologist can usually tell. EMRS is said to utterly ignore that limit, and go as far as it pleases, so to speak—”
“—due to its magical properties,” finished Twilight, perceptive enough to figure the last part out on her own.
The doctor nodded. “Yes. Unfortunately, there is no known treatment, as far as we are aware.”
The ponies’ hearts sank.
“EMRS was supposed to be a myth derived from something that happened hundreds of years ago. It was never taken seriously in the medical world. It defies all logic, and quite frankly, sounds too ridiculous to be true.
“But alas, we do not live in a world defined by science. Magic can always be a variable,” he stated gravely.
An idea came to Twilight. “What if I used a memory spell on her?”
“That might work, but you’d run the risk of only amplifying the magic and causing her to regress further.”
Twilight’s head drooped in hopelessness. She could feel tears starting to form in her eyes, but she fought back the urge to cry.
“Is there anything we can do to help her?” asked Rainbow Dash.
Twilight looked up in surprise. Normally, Rainbow was the one who would sit back and not ask questions. This was both uplifting and upsetting at the same time. While it did confirm the fact that she was a loyal, caring friend, it also showed just how desperate the situation had become.
“The best thing you can do for now is to readjust her back into her daily life. Make sure to tell her who she is, where she lives, and what she does. Don’t overwhelm her with details, but don’t hide anything from her, either. She may not believe you at first, so be patient. If you have pictures, show them to her. Things of that sort,” instructed the doctor.
He turned to Twilight. “If I’m not mistaken, you know Princess Celestia quite well. Is that correct?”
Twilight nodded. She didn’t want to speak, because she still had a knot in her throat.
“Well, I think it’s important that you contact her as soon as you can. She may have an idea of what to do, so I'd say it’s worth a try.”
He turned to address all of them once more. “I will continue to research this anomaly with diligence. With effort on all of our parts, I think this is possible to overcome. That means you all need to help Pinkie to the best of your ability. No matter how insignificant a simple favor or explanation may seem, it could mean the difference in Pinkie’s memory returning. I’m going to release her from the hospital’s care now, so I expect you five to start right away.”
The ponies took this as a hint that the conference was at its end. They got up one by one to leave the office. Twilight was the last to exit the room. Before doing so, she turned around.
“Doctor, how were you able to diagnose her so quickly? Surely you've had unusual cases of memory loss like this. How do you know this is different from the others?”
The doctor looked up from his papers, and removed his glasses. “Memory loss, even greater cases, does not strip a pony of her cutie mark, Twilight. There is no doubt in my mind that magic is at play here.”
The doctor returned to his work without a word. Twilight stood there in disbelief for the better part of a minute. Eventually, she returned to her senses and hastily left the room to catch up with her friends.
Pretty good so far! I like the idea. Although I'm torn: on one hand, I wish the entire story was completely from Pinkie's perspective, as that would really get us into her head and experience it for ourselves, but on the other hand the scenes with the other five are very good and without them we wouldn't have a good idea of just how deeply this will affect them.
So, uh, I guess what I'm trying to say is keep it up!
Oh, and just as a minor grammatical point, when a character is speaking and their dialogue is split into a separate paragraphs, the last line of the first paragraph should lose its quotation mark:
"I don't know where to go.
"Maybe we should go left?"
Otherwise it would look like two separate people talking. Just a small point
Thumbs up from me!
Well, this is certainly intriguing
1236422
Woops, I didn't realize that. To be honest it looked a bit strange to me, too. I went ahead and fixed it. Thanks for the heads up!
1236398
I actually had a hard time deciding whether or not I should add the sad tag in addition to slice of life. Perhaps I'll do that.
1236467 *British* QUITE!
Protip: Dash is not cyan.
Whaaaat is going on
MOAR
1236526 you're right. saved the picture in case i foreget.
back to the case. This story went right into my read later. simply because i love pinkiemena confront pinkie's frineds...
My mind . . . it's exploded . . .
Can't wait for more!!!
1236526
I've seen people call her a bunch of colors. Cyan, turquoise, sky blue... it seems pretty controversial to me. What color do you think she is?
My mind . . . it's exploded . . .
Can't wait for more!!!
You have my attention. And subscription.
Damn good start!
Nice so far, definitely tracked.
Just one thing, is it just me, or why is there about a screen of blank space at the end of the chapter?
1236622
When I imported it from Google docs, it added that huge gap. I just fixed it, for the most part.
Hmmmmmm...I'll have to read this later and before it gets featured because it looks cool.
Damn no cutie mark either! WOW 0_0
Wow. your sure doing well with this, Key Tapper
Very nice. I'm definitely interested in following this. One bit of feedback though: That large blank area after the end of the text is a bit inconvenient. It makes it take longer to get to the comments, and to get to the chapter selector at the bottom, and just generally gets in the way with no benefit that I can see.
1237220
Thanks, Storm!
The story went up sometime while I was trying to get out of the school parking. I arrived home, and suddenly I have like 25 notifications! I seriously didn't expect it to do this well so quickly!
1237229
The huge gap is still there? Shoot, I thought I got rid of that, already. I don't even know where it came from, but I sure as heck didn't put it there on purpose.
Oh my
Poor Pinki- I meen Pinkemania
*sees title* THIEF! *double-checks title, notes difference* Ah. Carry on, then.
(Just kidding, of course.)
Some issues with SDT, but this has me interested enough to see what happens next.
Good news, everyone! That pesky gap at the end of the chapter has been dealt with!
1237308
My title is dangerously close to yours. I assure you, that was completely unintentional.
Anyway, I agree with you on the issue of SDT. This is technically the first piece of fiction I've written on my own (outside of school), so I know there's a lot I can improve on.
Thanks for the advice, as well as the favorite! That goes for everyone else, too. Seriously, the positive response this has gotten caught me completely off-guard, but I really do appreciate the likes, favorites, and watches from all of you!
1237361
HA! Don't worry about it, I didn't realize until it was too late that there's another story out there named Changes which has been published for a while now. Such is the peril of writing, I suppose.
That you recognize that you have issues with SDT is a good sign--one cannot improve as a writer if one is not willing to admit to flaws. I'm at capacity for authors to edit/proofread for, but I strongly advise you to go to the /fic/ reviewers and ask for their input--I go to them with my projects, and if I may brag a bit it's helped shape them into rather fine stories.
Best of luck to you on your projects!
C-K
So how can Pinkie's friends restore her memory if she doesn't even have her cutie mark, what if Pinkie Pie ends getting a cutie mark in something else?
I love anything and everything Pinkamena, so this is a definite read for me.
Huh. I had a similar idea to this, only it was Twilight and her friends had to convince her not to leave for Canterlot. Considering her attitude before she met them...that was gonna be difficult.
Still, now I'm excited for more! And it's nice to see some Pinkamena that isn't hopelessly depressed or psychotic.
You have my attention. Seeing this explained should be good. Seeing how Pinkamena reacts to Celestia showing up all the sudden will be even better.
Hrm... I think that seeing a Pinkamena that isn't homicidal or absolutely crazy should be interesting. I look forward to the next chapter.
When I read this I was like:
"This is great, let's see what else I can read by this author"
*See's this is author's first fic*
"Wow... You're good"
*Watches author*
-- I thought this was very well written! I highly enjoyed it. Please keep writing more chapters to this, Mister Key Tapper, and be quick about it if you will.
-- I can't imagine Pinkie Pie without her memory. The way your wrote it seemed so real!
-- *GASP* I could never forget my friends! Key Tapper, you're a saddy McSaddy pants!
-- Of all the sad fics, this is the saddest possible fic!
-- Oh... my...
-- Ah'm not too sure what ta make o' this...
-- Whoa. That was, um, really... sad. Not that I'm into that sappy stuff anyway, but this was... you know what I mean.
And I personally love this story. Liked, tracked, and watched.
this is gunna be a good story! im gunna call it sonic rainboom im excited for this! :D woot! faved/tracking thumb (^w^)v
Huh. Good so far. Eagerly awaiting the next chapter.
Tersely,
~Plyxe
"THAT'S HORRIBLE!!"
*Steel looks over at his reviewing partner, who is currenly freaking out. She holds her head between her hooves.*
P-Pinkie, calm down! You heard the doctor, the chances of contracting the disease are less than one in a million!
"That doesn't mean it WON'T HAPPEN! I don't wanna forget everything, Steel!!!"
You won't, just calm down!
"What's going on?"
*Steel turns to the source of the voice, looking up at his ceiling to see a cyan pegasus sticking her head through the trap door.*
Uh, me and Pinkie were reading this story, and suddenly she's freaking out over losing her memory. Think you can help me calm her down?
"Sure, I guess..."
*Rainbow hops down from the roof into the room, walking up to Pinkie.*
"Dashie, it's horrible! I'm gonna catch a magic-based disease that's gonna make me forget everything and then I won't be partying and I'll only remember my days on the rock farm and I won't remember you or Twilight or Rarity or Fluttershy or Applejack or ANYPONY!!!"
"Pinkie, you've gotta chill out! You're not gonna catch this, and even if you did, we'd help you get it back!"
"Y-You would? You really would?"
"Sheesh, Pinkie, think about who you're talking to! Of course I would."
"Thank you...!"
Good, now that that ordeal's over...
*Steel turns back to the monitor as Pinkie and Rainbow share a quick hug before joining him at the desk.*
Right, this story. This story isn't like other sad stories, it actually gives the chance for either a continuation, or honestly a very happy ending, and that's the kind of story I really enjoy reading.
Crush my soul however you want through the story; if you grant us the light of hope at the end, then we'll leave satisfied.
"You enjoy sad stories that leave you crushed though."
I do, but not in succession. Coming across this story though? This kind of story I could read in succession. It presses down on your heart, and you're constantly wishing for even one way out of the dire situation. And what happened here? We got it, and I respect that.
Well done, sir. Well done.
"So why was Pinkie freaking out again?"
She was worried she'd contract EMRS, Enchanted Memory Regression Syndrome. Basically, think of it as if Twilight used her magic to delete your memories.
"She can do that?"
No, of course not.
"Then why use the example?"
Because it's concise! Anyway. EMRS is a magical form of amnesia that's capable of sending a pony 'back in time'. Their memories are removed completely as their mind moves backwards, and it can even remove one's Cutie Mark.
"That's terrible!"
Yes, but it's also unconfirmed. Ask Twilight later about it and see if she's heard of any cases here.
"I'm gonna have to go to the Princess about this if Twi' doesn't know."
I'd...advise against that. Princess Celestia is really busy during the day, isn't she?
"I actually dunno. She doesn't leave the castle a lot, no, but is she all that busy usually?"
...
*All three of the beings in Steel's house stare up at the ceiling in thought, Pinkie seeming to have forgotten all about her ordeal.*
1236544 Twice?
I could do without the huge, bold headers defining who is speaking. At first, I thought it was a really cool, title shot like the ones you get in crime dramas after the cold opening, when it switches from the discovery of the body of the week to the police tape. Then, I saw the designation for POV, and, well, that was disheartening to say the least.
Interesting use of magic and amnesia. I too am intrigued by the missing cutie mark, and I like the subtle overtones of a not intentionally abusive but rather dysfunctional childhood. The sadness and the complacency is both disturbing and depressing, very like Pinkie's story if it were actually true and missing the Pink filter on it.
I like how the third person areas are comprised of almost all dialogue. That was very impressive on your part, to make a scene that can be "watched and heard" rather than simply read. I must admit, the voices of the characters just jumping out me then was impressive, as was the rather somber thoughts of Pinkamena coming at me as I read.
I don't really feel much compulsion to read further than the first chapter. Toodles, and thanks for the story.
I'm definitely looking forward to more of this story.
Woah. Man, if my first fic was this good I might have a few more readers, but alas, I used fiction to explain unexplainable fact, and truth was born of it. What was I saying? Oh yeah, great work, like it lots.
Interesting......... Tracking for sure
OH COME ON!! ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS HAVE RAINBOW DASH DO A SONIC RAINBOOM, AND BAM!! PINKAMENA TURNS BACK INTO PINKIE PIE! IT'S TOO EASY!! BUT NOPE! WE'RE GONNA PRBABLY HAVE 20 CHAPTERS OF SLOW MOVING PLOT INTO DASH SUDDENLY DECIDES, "OH! i WONDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I SHOWED HER MY SONIC RAINBOOM?" AND BAM, THE END!
mooooooore! more more more more moooore!
U best not dissappoint.
Did i spell that right?
meh
...
...
...
Bagel. There; i said it.
1238679
Probably not that easy. That was situational; the right moment and mood may be needed for that to work. That, and she wanted to make her family smile. These five are not her family and she does not care about making them smile, so she won't throw a party, and therefore no cute mark. Maybe if, over the course of time, she become their friend again, and she learns to care about them, she will be motivated to throw the necessary party to become Pinky Pie again. I see this happening only after many chapters of interaction .
I see something happening that reminds the others of the lost Pinky. Pinkamena, having become their friend again, sees this and tries to make them smile. This leads to a party; possibly because she knows that that is what Pinky would do and wants to reassure them that she will remember who she was someday.
*Looks at the other comments*No one? Nobody?
...Okay I'll do it...
"What is a name?A miserable pile of letters!But enough talk..."
Horrifying concept.
It is interesting, to me, that she lost not only her memories, but the special something that made them friends before having met. How Important is that special something that friends share before even meeting?
Also, I this opens the opportunity to ask how much the cutie mark effects the individual's talent or if it has any effect at all. Is she naturally gifted in throwing parties or did she have to study them? There is time to have done so when she, presumably, went to get the necessities for throwing her first party. Dose she still know how to throw one? Where parties always something she was good at or something that is easy for her to learn?
This story has the opportunity to explore the pinky sense. Did she have it as a filly? If so, what did she think of it? Did EMRS, being magical, take it away to? If so, dose that make it magical? Is her cutie mark tied into her pinky sense?
And WHAT IS A ROCK FARM!? I understand what a quarry is, but moving rocks like rotational crops?
I love the story, and would like to see more. Especially if you play with some fun ideas.
Fukken' faved
I have the feeling that a Sonic Rainboom will be part of the cure.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Marked for "Read Later" - I have an eye for good premises, and this is a very interesting one. I'm going to wait for a while, maybe forget about this fic temporarily, then come back when the fic's been cleaned up a little. No offense; I just don't want typos/grammar errors to mar the first time I experience the story within.
i love this story