Silent Hearts

by KalenNighteyes

Prologue

Applejack gazed out her window at the apple orchard beyond, the sun just cresting over the top of the far away hill. Today was the start of Apple Bucking season, and she was more than ready to get out there, and get to work. Today was going to be a good day for her.

Applejack made her way downstairs to the kitchen, where her family was gathered having breakfast. “Mornin' y'all. What's fer breakfast?”

“Toast and apple butter! Ya better get some before Big Mac eats it all!” Granny Smith said, pointing a hoof at the red stallion to her left.

“Ee-yup!” Big Mac said, shoving practically an entire piece of toast in his mouth.

Applejack smiled at her brother. As she was about to grab a piece of toast, her eyes fell on the extra chair at the table. The chair where the somepony she used to love would sit. A brief wave of sadness overcame her, but she managed to push it away, and reapply her smile.

“Ah think Ah'll eat later. Ah'm not really that hungry right now. Big Mac,” she said, turning to her brother. “You ready to get started with the apple buckin'?”

The stallion nodded as he shoved yet another entire piece of toast into his mouth.

“Good. Ah'd like to get as much of this done today as Ah can,” Applejack said, heading to the door.

“Yup!” Big Mac said, following his sister.

“Apple Bloom, don't be late fer school, ya hear?” Applejack said, looking back at her sister as she opened the door.

“Ah know. Ah won't be late! Ah'm meetin' Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle soon anyway!” the little filly said, dashing past her sister, and out the open door.

“Alright then. Granny, you take it easy today. Ah know yer hip's been botherin' ya. Ah'll be back in a while to check on ya,” Applejack said, giving her grandmother a warm smile.

“Oh, don't ya worry about me! You just get out there and get them apples!” Granny Smith said happily.

With that, Applejack walked out of the house, closing the door behind her. As she walked out into the orchard, she wondered why, after he'd been gone for so long, she'd suddenly be reminded of Storming Shield. It couldn't have simply been the chair he'd used to sit in — there had to be more of a reason.

Unable to see that reason, she once again shook off the thought, and set to work knocking apples from their trees.

* * * * *

Applejack looked up in the sky, taking note of the sun's position. “Wow. It's already one-thirty! Ah better get back to the house and check on Granny.” As she said that, her stomach made a growling noise. “And get myself somethin' to eat.”

As she neared the house, she noticed the mail pony placing the mail in the mailbox. “Anything good today?” she asked as she approached the pony.

“Don't know! I don't look at other ponies' mail!” the mail pony said, tipping his hat to Applejack, and running off down the road.

Applejack took the mail from the box, and walked into the house. “Hey Granny! I'm back!”

“How's the apple buckin' goin'?” Granny asked as she rocked back and forth in her rocking chair.

“It's comin' along pretty good,” Applejack said, spreading the mail out on the table. “Ah reckon we'll have it all done in about three days' time. We've made some good progress,” she finished as a piece of mail caught her eye. It was from some big hospital up in Canterlot, and it was addressed to her.

“Now, why in the world would a hospital be writin' to me?” Applejack said, tearing the letter open, and reading it.

Greetings Miss Applejack,

After some considerable effort, I am pretty sure I have finally tracked down the correct address to reach you. I am a doctor up at the Canterlot Mental Health Hospital, and we have a patient who has been asking for you for quite some time. This patient's name is Storming Shield. I would tell you more, but I feel it would be better explained if I were to speak with you face to face. Please, if you can make it up here, my patient and I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your time.

Applejack had to read the message through another four times before the words finally sank in. Storm was in a mental hospital up in Canterlot. She knew that he had been on the decline when he disappeared, but she hadn't thought it'd get this bad.

“What's wrong, honey? Ya look like you've just seen a ghost!” Granny said, walking over to Applejack.

“It's nothin'. Ah've gotta go. Tell Big Mac he'll have to get the apple buckin' done without me. Ah've got to go up to Canterlot,” Applejack said, rushing out the door.

* * * * *

“And that's all the message said?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Yeah. I don't know what Ah should do, Twilight. The way he left–he was just so cruel, and rude,” Applejack said, pacing back and forth.

“I know that — I was there. But I also know that despite what he did, you still care greatly for him. Unless I'm wrong?” Twilight said.

Applejack sighed. “No. Yer not wrong. Ah guess Ah'm just scared. It is a mental hospital after all.”

“How about if I come with you? Will that help?” Twilight asked.

“Ah suppose so. Are ya sure ya can get away? Ah know you've got a lot of Princess stuff to do here now that this here castle is around,” Applejack said.

“You're a little more important to me than anything I had planned here today,” Twilight said, giving Applejack a warm smile. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn't support you?”

“Thanks, Twilight. Ah really appreciate that. You don't have to come to the hospital, though...That's probably somethin' Ah should do myself.”

“If that's what you want, I'm fine with that. Just let me tell Spike that I'll be gone for a few days, and then we can head out,” Twilight said.

* * * * *

Applejack walked down the long corridor, the head doctor of the facility at her side. She was unsure why she had been chosen to be the one to come here. The way Storming Shield had left her, and her friends wasn't exactly the most polite way. After all, they had only been trying to help.

“Say, doc, help me out here. I'm a mite confused. Why was Ah the pony called down here? Storm and Ah aren't exactly on the best of terms,” Applejack said, glancing in the doctor's direction.

“Ever since he arrived here, Storm has been repeating your name over and over again. We haven't been able to figure out why,” the doctor said.

“Ah see,” Applejack said, feeling a pang of guilt and sadness wash over her. “How is he?”

The doctor stopped at a door at the end of the corridor, and gave Applejack a hard, but concerned, expression. “Not well,” he said, magically levitating a key into the lock of the door.

With a click, the door unlocked, and the doctor pulled it open. Applejack gave the doctor a hesitant look, then walked into the room. In the corner sat the light-gray, azure-maned pony, his forelegs hugged around him, and rocking ever so slightly back and forth.

“Applejack... I need Applejack,” he whispered.

Tears welled in Applejack's eyes as she turned back to the doctor. “What the hay happened to him?”

“We don't know. What he's saying now is all he has said since he came here two weeks ago. I'm not even sure who brought him here in the first place, but he was like this when that pony left him here,” the doctor said.

“What exactly is it that you think I can do to get through to him?” Applejack asked, looking back at Storm.

“Well, he is asking for you. My theory is that you'll be able to get through to him.”

“And what if yer wrong?” Applejack said.

“Then you can go, but I'd urge you not to give up if he doesn't respond the first time you try talking to him,” the doctor said.

“Ah'll see what Ah can do, but Ah can't promise anything,” Applejack said.

“Excellent. Before we get started, I'd like to know how this all started, and we'll eventually get to why he might have been asking for you specifically,” the doctor said, now motioning to a chair nearby.

Applejack, however, already knew exactly why Storm was asking for her. The two of them had grown close to one another; so close in fact, one night, things got intimate. Applejack pushed the painful memory away, and looked at the doctor. “Okay. Ah'll answer what Ah know.”

“Very good. How about you just start from the beginning? When you first met Storming Shield,” the doctor said.

“Well, it was about a year ago. Ah guess he'd arrived a few days earlier, and got a job helpin' Rainbow Dash and the other pegasi with the weather,” Applejack said.

Author's Note:

So, here we go. Trust me with this one guys. I know OCs aren't the most popular of things, but I feel I can give you an OC that doesn't suck. Thanks for reading, and, as always, constructive feedback is always welcome!

Comments

[Sea_Swirl]

COOL! so not only is this going to be a story of applejack trying to help him but! a story of when they spent together?

[RavenFire2908]

Keep up plis