"Ha-have you been to see her yet, Rayne?" AJ asked. The blonde's friend ran a hand through multi-coloured hair.
"Not yet. I just can't yet. Fiona says she's completely gone. Says she won't even call her Fiona. Calls her Fluttershy for some reason. I don't know what to make of It." Rayne said, tears welling in her deep purple eyes. AJ hugged her, tears of her own falling down freckled cheeks.
"Tami says the doctors think she might recover. We might get our Pinkie back." AJ said through her tears. She pulled away from Rayne and smiled. "Remember when we gave her that nick name? Cause she made that pie with bright pink filling?"
"Haha, yeah. Do you think Rachel ever got that stain out of her dress?" Rayne laughed, wiping tears away. AJ shook her head.
"Nope. Rachel was so mad too, cause it was the first she ever made herself. Hard to believe she has her own custom order store now, huh?" AJ wiped her own face clear and pulled her thick hair back into a pony tail.
"You ever wonder where Pinkie went? I mean, Tami says she has this look on her face like she's somewhere far far away. And Fiona says Pinkie's always talking about magic and flying and someplace called Ponyville." Rayne looked away, trying to imagine what her lost friend saw. AJ shrugged.
"We could try, you know, talking to her. Asked her what she sees, where she's at." She suggested cautiously. Rayne looked at her, tears threatening her eyes again. Then she nodded slowly.
"Yeah. Can't hurt to ask, can it?" Rayne grabbed her keys from a near by table. "We can take my car. Let's go." Rayne and AJ drive across town to Sunny Moon's mental institute. AJ shivered as they drove through the gates.
"I hate the name of this place. It's moronic." AJ said, rubbing her arms. Rayne just nodded. They parked and climbed out of the car. The outside of the building was beautiful, with Greek pillars and marble arches. They walked up the wide stairs to the front door. To one side, there was a small black call button just below a grey speaker. AJ held the button down and waited. A crackled voice asked them a series of general questions before allowing them inside. The lobby was just as beautiful as the outside of the building. The walls were lined with lush black sofas and oak coffe tables. A TV hung in one corner, mutely displaying a children's cartoon. In the opposite corner was a reception desk, guarded by a thick piece of bullet proof glass, and a thick, heavy door. Neither girl could see past the receptionist into the hospital itself, as she was a rather large woman. She chewed a bit of gum, not unlike a cow chews it's cud.
"Who are you here to see," droned the large woman, who didn't take her eyes off the trashy novel in her hands.
"Um, Penelope. Penolope Peters." Rayne said clearly. The large woman slide to name tags under the glass.
"First and last names only. I'll buzz you in when you've displayed them clearly. " The girls complied and went through tW thick door. The halls were a sharp contrast to what theyd seen so far. The floor was an ugly yellow tile, and the walls were painted an off white. Railing went down both sides of the walls, assumably for patients with disability. AJ looked at Rayne and gulped, then the set off down the halls. After several wrong turns and poor direction from the uncaring staff, they reached Pinkie's room. Outside were Rachel and Tami. None of the girls spoke, exchanging hugs in lieu of greetings. The four opened the door to see Fiona already engaged in conversation with their strange friend. They all sat in various places about the room, and let themselves be swept away by Pinkie's stories. Over the next few hours, the girls listened to Pinkie talk about people and places that didn't exist. She said everyone was ponies, and gave them all silly names. She talked about things like Pegusi and unicorns, magic and flying, cutie marks and peoples special talents. Her friends knew that part of Pinkie was still in there some where, as she mentioned things that were real, like Tami's love of learning, or Rayne being a Pilot. Pinkie mentioned AJ's family farm, and Rachel's sister Annabelle. But whatever grip Pinkie had on the threads of the real world was slipping away fast. She had a whole world of people and places in her head, and she was more than happy with them. So each of the girls, save one, hugged their Pinkie and left, closing the door on the ramblings of their friend.
Meanwhile, in Equestria, Pinkie Pie wandered about Ponyville looking for her friends. Twilight wasn't in the library, Apple Jack wasn't at Sweet Apple Acres, Rarity wasnt home, Rainbow wasn't zooming about in the clouds and Fluttershy wasn't with the animals on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Pinkie couldn't find them anywhere. She felt sad and lonely, unable to fill the gap her friends had left with the company of other ponies. She went home, her normally bouncy , curly mane falling flat around her face. She tried to have a party, using a random assortment of objects In place of her friends. But that only served to feed her unhappiness. When Rainbow dash did show up, Pinkie's psychosis rejected her. It wasn't till Rainbow literally dragged her to Apple Jacks barn for the surprise party, that Pinkie was able to snap out of her depression and spring back into good old Pinkie Pie. Fiona cried silently as she set a piece of bright pink pie on the bedside table in her sick friends room.
"Happy Birthday, Penelope."