Chapter 7
The next few weeks blew by quickly for Gear and Applejack. The two continued to work in the fields by day and spend time with their friends by night, the two managed to keep it a secret from Big Mac for a while but sooner or later they had to face the music. Today was that day, Gear and Applejack entered the barn to where the red stallion was sharpening his plow.
“Um...Big Mac we’ve got a confession to make.” Applejack said as she stepped forward. Big Mac put down his plow and trotted over to the two earth ponies.
“What’s up sis?”
“Um.....I’m..........Gear is......” Gear then took the wheel of the conversation.
“Your sister and I are going out.” he said as he started to back away from the stallion who’s face was a mixture of confusion, rage and surprise.
“Oh...ah see.” he said as his right eye began to twitch. “Ah only have one question, have you been forcing my sis-” he was cut off by an angry Applejack.
“NO! Gear hasn’t tried to pressure me to do anything I didn’t want to do!” she yelled as she advanced on the red stallion with anger in her eyes “Ah can’t believe that you would even think that he would try to force me to do.....THAT!” the large dark stallion had seen his sister angry before, but never like this. Mac began to take steps back as Gear put a hoof on his mare-friends shoulder.
“Easy AJ. He’s just looking out for you like an older brother should.” he said as the mare cast a cold glare at him. Gear could see the rage in the mare’s eyes begin to disappear. He then gave her a quick nose kiss, AJ gave a small giggle and walked out of the barn, Gear took a look over at the frightened red stallion. “Hey Mac do you remember the day I first got here? When you hog tied me?” the red stallion nodded and raised an eyebrow. “Well, let’s just say we’re even.” he said with a smug look on his face, Big Mac then brought him into a head lock and whispered to him.
“Hurt my sister, and I swear to Celestia I will tie your legs to the back of the cart and take a nice long trip to Canterlot and back.” he released his hold on the green stallion, Gear looked back at Mac with a surprised look in his eyes “Got it?”
“Y-yeah.” he said as he ran after Applejack. He eventually caught up with her and helped her with putting the rest of the tools away when Twilight came trotting up the road with a grin on her face. “Hey Twilight, AJ is in the back I can go get her-”
“I’m not here to see Applejack I’m here to see you.” she said in a serious tone.
“Oh, okay what’s up?”
“You’ve forgotten haven’t you.”
“For gotten wha-........It’s tomorrow isn’t it?” Twilight nodded her head reluctantly. “Great, how can I tell Applejack about THAT?” Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder.
“I don’t know but I think she deserves to know.” Gear looked at the mare and gave reluctant sigh. Soon Big Mac came trotting over to them with a cold look in his eyes.
“Can ah talk to you two in private?” he said as he looked in between the two ponies.
“Sure Mac what’s up?” Twilight asked.
“Gear, you write some interesting things.” the green stallion’s eyes shrank at the comment.
“How did....TWILIGHT! Did you tell him!?”
“NO, I told no pony that you wrote those books. I’d never-” she was cu off by a red hoof.
“Ah ain’t talkin about your conspiracy novels.”
“Then what are you talking about?” Gear asked in surprise.
“This.” Mac then withdrew a small black leather bound book and threw it on the ground. Gear’s heart rate sky rocketed as he saw the book, his book. The book that he put all of his feelings and thought’s into, his journal. He looked up at Big Mac in horror as he spoke. “A Five year stay at the Canterlot mental institution, ah did not see that coming.”
“Wh-where did y-you-”
“Ah found it while cleaning last night. My first thought was to bring this to AJ and let her read it.” tears started to form in Gear’s eyes.
“Mac, you can’t be serious! That was a long time ago and Gear is a changed stallion, he’s leaving tomorrow for his review!” Twilight said with fear in her eyes. Big Mac then raised an eyebrow and looked between the two ponies.
“Let me finish, I didn’t tell her seeing as it wasn’t my place to tell.” Gear breathed a sigh of relief. “But if you don’t tell her than I will.” fear coursed through Gear’s mind. “Ah’m sorry but ah have to think about what’s best for my sister, to be honest ah like you. You’re a good stallion, you may have a few screws loose but ah can look past that.”
“How can you just look past that?”
“I haven’t seen my sis smile like that in years, not since our folks died. I trust that you’ll tell her before you leave tomorrow morning because if you don’t-” Mac was cut off by Gear raising a hoof and wiping the tears from his eyes.
“You’re right Mac, I’ll tell her after dinner.” he said as Applejack rang the dinner bell, Twilight gave him a hug for good luck and trotted back to the library. Mac walked him inside and sat down at the table dinner was spent in silence. Gear was catching a few nervous looks from Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle for some reason, as Applejack finished she trotted up stairs. Mac gave him one last nod of encouragement. Gear returned the gesture and trotted upstairs. as he ascended the stairs thousand’s of thought’s raced through his mind. He opened the door to see Applejack brushing her bright golden mane, she looked at him with a smile and waved him in, Gear gave a heavy sigh and joined her closing the door behind him so the other’s couldn’t hear.
“Hey there you, need something?” she said in a happy voice.
“AJ.....we need to talk.” Gear saw that those words alone were enough to hurt the mare.
“S-sure a-about what?”
“About us....It’s just that-”
“Are you breaking up with me?” she said as tears began to form in her eyes.
“NO!, Celestia no! It’s just that.....I have a secret Applejack, a big secret that I’ve been keeping from you.” Applejack had calmed down a little but the worry was now replaced by curiosity.
“What secret?”
“Years ago, when my parent’s died....I didn’t take it well.” he avoided eye contact and started to stare at the floor boards. “I was....put in a mental ward.....and I was there for five years.” tears were now streaming down his face, Applejack was in utter shock. “Tomorrow..I have to go back there for my review.”
“Y-your review?” she said as she got out of her chair.
“Yeah, it’s a meeting to see whether I’m ready to rejoin society or not. If I pass then I can continue living my life here, but if I don’t......then....I’ll have to go back.” he was now sobbing uncontrollably as he sat on the mares bed. “I’m so sorry for not telling you sooner, I was afraid of your reaction, I was afraid that you would see me as nothing more as a crazy stallion. I understand if you feel that way now, I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t-” he was cut off by Applejack sitting next to him and wrapping him in a warm hug, Gear was surprised by the mares action.
“Shhh, It’s okay. Ah understand why yah didn’t want to tell me and to be honest ah’m pretty shocked by this. But it’s not enough to scare me away.” Gear’s eyes stopped crying at her words. “You’re kind, generous and honest. So if you have some baggage, ah can accept that.” she looked back at him with a teary eyed smile.
“Y-you’re not angry?” Gear said in shock.
“Well ah am pretty irritated that you lied to me for this long, but it’s understandable. Heck if you told me that you were a screwball when ah first met you ah’d probably be afraid of you.” Gear’s face turned to sadness. “But now that ah know you, ah know that you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me or mah family.”
“AJ, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and ah don’t want to lose you.”
“Nor I you.” she said as she gave him a kiss. “So what happens during this ‘review’ thing.”
“Well, my doctor, the head of the ward and ponies on the psych commission ask me a bunch of questions and they determine my mental health by the answers I give.” Applejack then took her hat off and looked at the stallion.
“Maybe ah could help you review for this test?” she said as she got of the bed.
“It’s not like a normal test AJ. There is no way to stud-” he was cut off by Applejack standing in front of him with her hair undone and looking at him with lust filled eyes, her muzzle was less than and inch away from his, Gear’s face turned crimson as Applejack forced him down on the bed and looked at him with a seductive smile on her face. As she leaned in to kiss the stallion he felt her hair starting to tickle his ears, as he pushed her mane to the sides he stared into her deep emerald eyes.
“AJ you don’t have to do-”
“Ah know. But ah want to.” the two proceeded to spend the night together.
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Two room’s over, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were having a sleep over, minus the sleep. Their minds were filled with worry.
“We should tell Big Mac he’d understand.” Sweetie Belle said with false hope.
“I’d doubt it.” Scootaloo said.
“Look girls we can spend all night worrying about what happens or we can just face the music in the morning like mature adult’s.” Applebloom said in a stern voice, her two friends nodded in agreement and turned in to face the coming storm.
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Back in Canterlot Cadence was just outside of Shinning Armor’s office, as she came inside she locked the door behind her. Shinning was sitting at his desk patiently for her. He looked at her with a warm smile.
“We’re you followed?” he asked.
“No. Why would I be? Why did you call me here at this hour, it’s six in the morning.” she said in an annoyed tone. Shining opened a drawer and retrieved a red file with Gears picture attached to it.
“This is Gear’s unaltered and unedited psychological file.” Cadence eyes lit up hearing this. “But I’m warning you Cadence, it’s not pretty.” he set the file in front of the pink alicorn. Cadence opened the file and began to read, as she got to the second page her face looked as though she had just seen Discord be resurrected. She put her hooves to her mouth as tears began to flow from her eyes, she looked at her husband.
“Is this........Did they really.........Gear is..” Shinning nodded and wrapped his wife in a comforting hug. “I...I had no idea...that.....he was the one.....they all talked about.” she said through the sobs.
“Shhh. That’s all in the past now Gear is fine he’s-” they were cut off by a knock at the door. Shinning put the file away and opened the door to see a guard stallion standing at attention. “What is it soldier?”
“Sorry to disturb you sir, but this letter just arrived for you, the princess said it was urgent.” the pony handed him the scroll and trotted away, Shining brought the letter over to his wife and read it. His eyes shrank at the message.
“CADENCE WE NEED TO GET TO PONYVILLE NOW!” he bellowed.
“What’s wrong?” she glanced at the letter to what was wrong, the message read.
Shinning Armor,
BROKEN GLASS!
“What does that mean?” Cadence asked in confusion.
“It means Gear is in serious danger.” Shinning trotted next to his wife with the file in hoof and the two vanished from Canterlot Castle.