It had hardly been two days since the accident, but Sweetie Belle was already well and recovering at the hospital. Despite the complete loss of her left foreleg below the knee, her spirits remained high, and she was even cracking hoof jokes with Scootaloo. She received visitors often, and was happy to see half the town wished her a speedy recovery.
She wished Applebloom was there too, but since that fateful day, she had only visited once. Applebloom merely apologized, holding back tears and refusing to look at her best friend before running away. Sweetie Belle didn't understand why she ran, she still loved her best friend and didn't hold any hard feelings. When she asked Rarity, her older sister merely sighed and said Applebloom would come around with time.
Another few weeks passed, and Rarity had already conferred with Twilight and many others to draw up plans for a prosthetic hoof. She even went as far as to make sure it would be compatible with any and all fashion. While she explained the concept to a very interested Sweetie Belle, a nurse poked her head in.
"You have a visitor," she said, opening the door for a miserable looking filly to shuffle in.
"I think I'll leave you two alone for a moment," Rarity said quietly, giving her sister a kiss on the head before letting herself out.
With only the two of them in the room, the silence was deafening. Sweetie Belle was sick of this, and she couldn't stand to see her like this any longer. She wanted her friend back.
"Applebloom... are you okay?"
Upon hearing those words from the pony she hurt so much, Applebloom looked up at Sweetie Belle, tears filling her eyes.
"Am... I okay?" She choked out before charging the bed and hopping onto it, wrapping her friend in a tight embrace. "How can you ask that?! this is all my fault! You lost your leg because of me and you ask me if I'm okay?"
Sweetie belle wrapped both legs around her tightly, trying to comfort her friend.
"Come on Applebloom, I forgive you... we're all still Cutie Mark Crusaders. We stick together."
"Yeah..." Applebloom released her friend, sitting back and wiping tears away. "Cutie Mark Crusaders."
"Hey..." Sweetie Belle said, raising her bandaged stump and waving at her. "Cutie Mark Crusader Amputee?"
Sweetie Belle earned a punch on the shoulder from her friend, and Applebloom cracked her first smile in a month.