Crazy About Apples

by Silentpegasus

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Applejack and her friends were all waiting in the Ponyville hospital lobby waiting for some news. Applejack was sobbing in the corner, Rarity and Twilight were trying their best to comfort their friend but were having no luck. Soon a bright pink light formed in the middle of the room to show Shinning Armor and Princess Cadence. Twilight ran to her brothers side, a doctor soon came out holding a clip board.

“Are you all here to see Gear Grinder?” Shinning stepped forward.

“Yes how is he?”

“Physically, he only has a mild concussion and a small cut. Mentally he’s in a catatonic state and currently un-responsive.” Shinning then trotted back over to the group and told them his condition. Applejack was sobbing harder than ever, even the princess of love was having trouble coping. Shinning went back over to the doctor.

“What’s his room number?”

“It’s B10 but you can’t-” he was cut off as Shinning brushed passed him along with the group of mares. When they entered the room they saw the familiar green pegasus hooked up to a breathing machine and heart monitor, every-pony had tears in their eyes. Even the guard captain couldn’t hold back his emotions, he turned around and looked at the mares with an icy stare.

“What happened!?” he bellowed, the mares all turned to Applejack who was still bawling her eyes out. When she looked up she saw a very cross guard captain looking down at her. She gathered what strength she had and began to tell them what had happened.

Gear woke up later than usual, as he turned on his side he saw a sleeping Applejack beginning to stir. He gave here quick peck on the cheek and trotted over to the window, it was pouring rain outside. Gear looked back to the bed to see Applejack sitting up with a smile on her face.

“Morning.” she said in a satisfied tone.

“Morning, sleep well?” he asked.

“Oh yes. What’r you doing up?”

“Twilight will be here soon to pick me up.”

“For the review?” Gear nodded. “Hey, can ah come with you?.....y’know for moral support.”

“Sure.....you’re my good luck charm after all. Let’s just get some food first.” Applejack nodded in agreement and the two ponies made their way down into the kitchen, as they ate Applejack noticed something odd about Gear.

“Hey hun, why is your hoof shaking like that?” Gear looked at his right hoof to see that it was shaking involuntarily, he raced upstairs to the bathroom with AJ in pursuit. He unscrewed the cap to his medicine and popped a pill in his mouth. Gear breathed a sigh of relief, his hoof had stopped. As he made his way to his room the shaking started again, Gear’s face was in shock, soon he heard a voice calling to him.

Here I come!

Gear backed away from the door, his whole body began to shake, he felt a splitting pain in his head, screams echoed through the house. Applejack rushed to his side but he pushed her away.

“AJ STAY BACK!”

“What’s wrong?” she said as she put a hoof to her mouth.

“Listen.......something really, really bad is a bout to happen.......when it does, do what ever it takes to defend yourself. I’m....sorry.” the shaking increased The voice in his head we stronger now.

I’m Back!

“Ah don’t understand! What’s happening?” AJ was soon joined by the CMC and Big Macintosh. Gear could feel the darkness starting to take him, he was losing, he had to do something. Gear’s shaking stopped and he crumbled to the floor. As Applejack drew nearer, Gear shot up and tried to lunge at Applejack. She looked into her colt friend’s eyes and saw that the white’s of his eyes were now saturated with his own blood. As he swung at her an unknown force seemed to throw him off balance, when he opened his mouth to speak his voice had changed from the strong/nervous voice she knew and loved to a menacing growl

“STILL FIGHTING HUH?”

“I wont let you hurt them!” he argued with himself. “I’ll protect them even if-” he took one last look at the frightened ponies, and for one last instant he he smiled. He turned in the other direction charging towards the window. The dark voice was screaming. “WHAT NO! YOU’LL KILL US ALL!” Gear gave a small smirk. “That’s the idea!” Gear could feel the glass cut into him as he jumped through the window, he heard the screams coming from Applejack and the others and he felt the cold wet ground collide with his head, as he heard hoof steps trotting up the road and breathed out a final sentence as the ponies crowded around him.
“Brass..AJ....I’m sorry.” then everything faded to black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the hospital, Applejack had finished her story and began to sob again, Shinning trotted over and put a hoof on the mares back.

“You’re sure his eyes and voice changed?” he asked.

“Y-yeah....Why? You know something don’t you!” Applejack bellowed with anger in her voice. Shinning levitated the file in front of her. “What is this?”

“Gear’s unedited psych profile......It’ll explain everything. It’s time for every-pony to know the truth.” Shinning gave a deep sigh and began explaining. “After Gear’s parent’s died, he was checked into an institution.”

“Yes we know that! But what happened in there?” Twilight asked.

“Have you ever heard of Dr. Red-blood?’ Twilight’s ears shot up at the name.

“Wasn’t he some Psychiatrist that got arrested a few years ago?”

“Yes he was arrested for performing......disgusting procedures on his patients’.” Cadence said with tears in her eyes. “He was Gear’s doctor for his first year in the asylum.” the ponies looked in shock at the pink princess.

“He twisted Gear’s mind to the limit, tortured and manipulated him. Keeping him in complete darkness for days at a time, using electro shock therapy when none was required, water boarding him, you name it. The doctor completely shattered Gear’s mind, when I caught wind of it I put a stop to it but by then......it was too late.” Shinning said as his horn began to glow, a beam shot at the wall and projected a scene of a blood red unicorn stallion with a black mane in a lab coat with a look of fear on his face. “This is when the royal guard arrested him, I was only a Sargent at the time.” The picture started to move, three guards on each side of the hall way.

“Hey what are you doing here this is a private-” the doctor was knocked to the ground and held there by a white hoof, a familiar voice escaped the stallion’s lips.

“You are under arrest for the mistreatment of countless stallions and mare’s alike. Where is patient #19?” Shinning’s hoof began to press on the stallion’s throat. The dark unicorn breathed out the answer.

“End....of the hall......past the others.” Shinning got off of him and handed him off to two stallions who took him away in chains. Shinning and two other guards trotted past the other doors until they came to a massive iron bolted door. One of the guards stepped forward and unlocked the door, the inside was pitch black, the stallion’s ignited their horns and the room became filled with light, Shinning looked in the corner to see a green blob in the fetal position, the mass looked back at the stallions in fear and began to try and back away from them. As shinning drew closer the mass charged at them in a blind rage. Shinning advanced on the stallion and held him tightly, the green stallion was shocked at this motion.

“It’s okay Gear.....I’m here.....no one else is going to hurt you.” he said as he began to cry. The green stallion stopped his resisting and looked back at the armored stallion and slumped down in a fit of tears. As shinning accompanied his friend outside the room and into the light of the hall way, he saw that his friend was starved, had several burn marks and lacerations. As Gear stepped out of the room his eyes squinted in the sun, he took a few moment’s to take in the suns welcoming warmth and collapsed on the ground. The picture started to fade and Shinning’s horn began to dim. He looked back at the other ponies who all had tears in their eyes, Twilight had vomited into a nearby trash can. “The doctor was sentenced to life in prison and I was promoted for my deed.” he looked over at the green unconscious green stallion, tears began to form in his eyes. “But.....I was too late. Gear didn’t even recognize me or even his own reflection! He was lost to us, it took us six months before he said a word to any-pony......for four years he stayed in the asylum for the recovery process. It wasn’t easy but we managed to bring him back from the brink.”

“What was with his eyes?” AJ said through the sobs.

“The redness is a sign that his ‘other self’ has taken over.”

“Other self?” Twilight asked.

“When he was being tortured he split his mind into two personalities, the one we all know and a much darker one filled with all the hate and pain he’s suffered through. Those pills he takes are to repress his other self.” Applejack then shot up hearing this.

“NO! He took those pills this morning! I saw him there’s no way-” she was cut off by Big Macintosh entering the room with the Cutie Mark Crusaders along side of him with lowered heads.

“Ah know that this is a bad time, but these three have something they need to tell y’all.” he said as he shot a cold glance at the three fillies who entered the room.

“We.....It’s.......” Sweetie bell started but couldn’t muster the words through the tears.

“IT’S OUR FAULT!” Applebloom said with tears in her eyes. “Yesterday we were trying to get something out of the medicine cabinet and we accidentally spilled a lot of pills on the floor, we tried to put them all back but...” by then Applebloom had broken down and cried at her sister’s hooves. “We’re sorry!” Applejack didn’t even look at her sister she turned back to Shinning Armor.

“Before he passed out he said a name, Brass ah think it was”

“Who’s Brass?” Rainbow asked.

“His little sister, she died in Gears arms after the fire.” Shinning said in a sad tone. Applejack trotted over to her colt-friend and wrapped her hooves around his.

“Gear.....if you’re there.....you come back to me you here! You can’t leave us!” she said as she began to cry.

Comments

[Kickback]

Whoa....

[kingarr]

holly shit

[Silentpegasus]

1886166 Trust me I'm ot done with this yet!

[SadisticPomegranate]

Shock! Horror! Mild admission of surprise! Really good stuff here, Pegasus (can I call you Pegasus?). Also, those damn foals, there's a reason those pills were stored outside of the reach of foals!

[Silentpegasus]

1886449 I don't mind if you call me Silent, Pegasus what ever. Aulthough I may change my name in the future.

[Word_Smith]

That's deep bro. Try not to cry. It's coming,

[kitsunehunter]

Hollow Gear popped in to say hi!

[ThatCrazyPerson]

SLIM SHADY!