āStop! Thief!ā
Rainbow Dash tried not to flinch as the words reached her ears amidst the cacophony of the marketplace. Feigning casualness, she pulled the hood of her cloak further over her head, hiding her blue ears and colorful mane. Her teeth clamped down harder on the paper bag teetering in her mouth, and she cantered through the crowd of shoppers and salesponies in the plaza.
āHelp! Guards! Itās that pony in the black cape!ā
True to her name, Dash instinctively leaped out from underneath her cloak, earning gasps from the masses of ponies around her. She pounded the air with her broad, azure wings, and soared above the lower homes of Canterlot with her contraband swaying about in her mouth. Her eyes hastily scanned the busy cobblestone streets, searching for a familiar alley. She dove toward a dark passage in between two buildings.
The downtrodden alley was lined with trash, sick beggars and homeless poniesāmostly Pegasi and Earth ponies. Rainbow Dash recognized several of them, and they looked up at her with hopeful, curious eyes as she trotted past them, but she only looked straight ahead. She couldnāt help them all.
She trotted into a disheveled stone shack on the farthest side of the backstreet, and gently pushed the door shut, taking care to slide the lock in behind her. Her excitement growing, she quickly maneuvered over boards of wood, blankets, books, and piles of hay strewn about the floor of the shack, and headed toward the back room.
Dash grinned proudly, dropping the prized paper bag in the doorway. āLook, AJ! I got some of that magic root forāā
Rainbow stopped in her tracks. On a worn mattress in the center of the room lay an orange mare on her side, away from Rainbow, her breathing shallow and strained. Several blankets were amassed around the bed, having long since been kicked to the ground. Her once vibrant coat was now pale and drenched with sweat, sticking to her taut muscles.
Picking up her abandoned cache, Rainbow approached her mate hesitantly. She was reluctant to wake Applejack after she had finally fallen asleep after a long, painful night of migraines and colic.
But Rainbow couldnāt bear to see her marefriend suffer another minute. She never wanted to see Applejack cringing in pain, a forced smile plastered on her face just to try and ease Rainbowās nerves. She was tired of pacing the shack night after night, hoping against hope that Applejack would make it through until morning.
Rainbow stood above Applejack and nuzzled her neck gently.
āH-hey,ā Rainbow uttered softly after she felt her stir. āFeeling any better?ā
Applejack rolled sleepily onto her back to face her, and took a deep, trembling breath. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke, āAh think so. Just a little bit.ā She glanced at the paper bag lying beside her on the mattress. āWhatās in there?ā
āI got you something. They say itāll make the sickness go away.ā Dash opened the bag in question and pulled out what looked like the root of an herb. āItās magic root. I think youāre just supposed to eat it. Here, itāll make you better.ā
Applejack complied, slowly sitting up. She took the foreign plant from her marefriendās mouth and began to nibble on it.
āNeed me to chew it for you?ā Dash asked.
Applejack chuckled softly. āThanks, but Ah think Ah got it, Sugar.ā
She took a few more bites, and frowned at the taste. āāS really bitter. Whereād you find this stuff, anyhow?ā
Dash gulped and sat down beside her on the bed. āWell, at the market. This Unicorn was selling them, but he wouldnāt one to give me, so I kinda had to take it myself.ā
āYa didnāt pay for this?ā
āI left some bits there, AJ. So technically, I did.ā
Applejack looked like she was going to question further, but Dash held a hoof to her mouth.
āAnd even if I hadnāt paid for it, Iād still take it,ā Rainbow continued. āI donāt care what it takes. Iām not going to let you suffer from this any longer than you have to. Now hush up and eat.ā
Applejack simply nodded and smiled, finishing up the last of the terribly bitter root. āThanks, Dash. Iāmāā
A raucous knock sounded from the front door of their makeshift home. āCanterlot guard! Open up!ā
Applejack glared incredulously at her marefriend. She whispered harshly, āThe guards are following you?ā
āHeh. Oops?ā
So sweet
Huh... wonder what universe this is.