Rainbow Dash screamed down into Ponyville, her thoughts shooting across her head almost as fast as her body was shooting across the sky. She hadn’t gotten much information about Applejack, but she knew one thing: if Fluttershy came up into Cloudsdale to tell her something, she knew it was serious.
Fluttershy followed Rainbow, albeit slightly slower. She was nearly 100% sure she knew what was happening to Applejack, but a small part of her whispered: Am I wrong?
The pair of pegasi sped down into Ponyville, but continued to fly, low to the ground. Today it was a bit more busy than usual because of a special sale at the market, but Rainbow’s haste was so great that she paid no mind whatsoever to the ponies milling about in the streets. She continued flying in a straight line to the library without as much as a backward glance. Fluttershy, as kind as ever, helped the pedestrians regain their bearings (and their groceries) before speeding off in pursuit of Rainbow Dash.
“Hey, Fluttershy!” Fluttershy looked up and saw Rainbow Dash flying ahead of her. “Don’t worry! I’m sure Applejack will be fine!” RD called. Fluttershy nodded, comforted by the cyan mare’s words, but still insecure.
* * *
“Come on! Rainbow and Fluttershy are probably already at the library!” called Pinkie Pie. She resumed her frantic bouncing and looked back with impatience at the two unicorns doing their best to keep the pink pony in sight.
“Well, Pinkie, it would be a bit easier to keep up if you would just slow down!” Rarity huffed.
“Don’t be mean, Rarity,” scolded Twilight. “She’s just worried about Applejack.”
“Oh, all right. I apologize,” Rarity called, though whether Pinkie had heard or not was a mystery. She then stopped short, realizing something. “Say, Twilight,” she began. Twilight slowed down and looked back at Rarity. “Yes?” she responded.
“Couldn’t we just teleport to the library?” asked Rarity.
Twilight looked ahead nervously, where Pinkie was quickly becoming no more than a speck on the pony-crowded horizon. “Well, I would, but my magic is acting up a bit,” she explained hurriedly. “That’s why I stopped by Zecora’s house—to see if she had any herbs that could help.”
“Oh, I see,” said Rarity. Realizing how far they were behind Pinkie, she abruptly broke into a gallop and ran after her. Twilight followed, startled by the sudden takeoff. As Twilight caught up with her, Rarity said, “My magic isn’t working today either. Why, when I tried to lift up a piece of fabric for a new dress earlier, it ended up transforming into a pig! A rather large and unusually shaped one, in fact. Although it does make an excellent model, its dirtiness is astounding! Ugh!”
“Oh dear,” responded Twilight. Although she felt sorry for her friend, she couldn’t help but smile a little at the thought of a pig wearing one of Rarity’s dresses. Galloping faster, the two unicorns sped off in hot pursuit of Pinkie.
* * *
All five mares arrived at the same time in front of the library, which seemed impossible, but then again, Pinkie was with them, so nothing was impossible. They rounded on Big Mac, who simply nodded his head in the direction of said library.
There was a venerable stampede to get into the book-filled tree, which was halted by the sight of Applejack lying on a makeshift operating table, surrounded by several medical supplies. A slow beeping from the heart monitor threw the grimness of the situation into sharp relief. At the sight of the five ponies, Spike walked over from where he was sitting next to Applejack and gave them all a sad smile.
“Hey, guys,” he said. Immediately, the ponies began firing off questions about Applejack.
“What’s wrong with her? Did you find out?” asked Rarity.
“Can you do anything to help her?” queried Fluttershy.
“How come she’s green?” wondered Rainbow Dash.
“Is it a curse?” yelped Pinkie.
Everypony fell silent and looked at her. “What?” she asked. “It could be.”
They all took deep breaths and were about to start a new onslaught of questions when Twilight appeared in front of them. “Fluttershy, didn’t you say that you knew what Applejack turned into?” she asked.
“Oh! Oh, yes, of course!” replied Fluttershy, suddenly remembering. She trotted over to the table. All the others crowded around Applejack, glancing down at her with worry.
“You see, as soon as I saw Applejack in the cart, I knew exactly what was happening. I’ve seen it before when I’ve taken care of caterpillars. They eat a lot, get bigger, and then wrap themselves up in a nice, cozy cocoon until they turn into butterflies. Then they break out and fly away.” Fluttershy took a deep breath, winded by the long speech.
The room was filled with a shocked silence so thick you could cut it with a pair of safety scissors. Then Rainbow Dash burst out, “Are…are you saying that she’s a…a chrysalis?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Exactly.”