• Published 29th Dec 2012
  • 12,586 Views, 1,189 Comments

Mother of Invention - zaponator



Awake and alone, Applejack will find a way to survive.

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Pinch Me

*KRAK-BOOM*

Thunder blasted through the air, making Applejack's ears twitch. She glanced up at the sky, and found it to be clear blue as far as the eye could see with not a cloud in sight. For a moment she thought something might be wrong, but then she couldn't remember what she was looking for in the sky so she simply shrugged it off and continued along her way.

The landscape around her was indistinct and blurry, fading into nothingness just a few feet from the road on either side. The path itself was hard-packed dirt, flanked by vibrant green grass that was speckled with bright wildflowers of various colors. She wasn't entirely sure where she was going, or where she had come from, but she kept following the road through the void.

A wooden door suddenly loomed in front of her. It, like the road and the grass, was surrounded on every side by endless nothingness. The world around her was not dark, nor was it light. There was simply nothing for as far as Applejack could see in every direction. Even behind her, the dirt and grass had been swallowed by the void, leaving her stranded on a small patch of earth in front of a door to nowhere.

With no other option, Applejack reached a hoof up and knocked on the door. The motion caused a weight to stir on her back, and she turned her head to find that she was wearing a pair of saddlebags. They were a light brown, with her cutie mark on the flap of each side. The bags were bulging with items, though Applejack hadn't the slightest clue what was actually in them. Still, she looked them over for a moment, and felt a satisfied sense that everything was there.

As she was contemplating the saddlebags, she heard the creaking of the door opening in front of her. She turned back to see that the door had opened into a bright and sunny interior room. The room was circular in shape, and every wall was completely lined with books.

Applejack felt a wind stir through her mane, and she shivered a little at the breeze. The room through the door looked warm and inviting. Applejack stepped through.

The inside of Twilight Sparkle's library was no different from usual. Books covered every inch of the walls in shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling. The titles seemed to shift and change, preventing Applejack from identifying any one tome from the sea of literature before her. She was alone in the library, and the world outside remained a featureless void visible through the windows. Something about it all felt wrong.

With a loud bang, the door slammed shut behind Applejack.

Twilight looked up from her seated position in the center of the room, startled from her reading by the sudden noise. She smiled warmly at Applejack, her expression radiating the simple joy of seeing a good friend. The sun shone through the window, bathing her in a peaceful luminescence.

Applejack glanced out the window; the beautiful rolling green hills of Equestria were visible outside, glowing with the light of Celestia's glorious sun. The beautiful blue sky stretched as far as she could see, unobstructed by a single cloud. A nagging feeling tugged at the back of Applejack's mind.

Shouldn't she be worried about something?

Whatever it was, it couldn't have been that important. Applejack turned back to Twilight, who was still sitting in the center of the library. One of the larger tomes lay open in front of her, temporarily forgotten. The bright sun shining through the window made Twilight's smile seem that much brighter with its golden energy.

Applejack wasn't quite sure what she was doing there, so she simply waited for her friend to speak. After a few moments of awkward silence, Twilight spoke up in a chipper tone.

"Do you have a water bottle?"

Applejack blinked, utterly confused, and opened her mouth to respond when Twilight cut her off.

"On second thought, a canteen would be even better, don't you think?" Twilight, for her part, was continuing to smile brightly.

Applejack nodded slowly, uncertain of what Twilight was even talking about.

"Check your bag," Twilight said in the same cheery tone. For the first time, Twilight looked Applejack straight in the eyes for a brief moment. "The saddlebag, check it."

Applejack turned to comply, but found that she was not, in fact, wearing any saddlebags at all. She was sure she had been wearing some a moment ago.

Hadn't she?

*KRAK-BOOM*

That one sounded close. Applejack glanced out the window; the rain pattered against the glass heavily. The tall trees blocked most of the view outside, waving and shaking in the wild winds, and providing scattered glimpses of the sky completely covered with dark, roiling clouds. A nagging feeling tugged at the back of Applejack's mind.

That's right, she was talking to Twilight.

Hopefully they weren't talking about anything important. Applejack turned back to Twilight, who was now standing directly in front of her, the unicorn's face barely an inch away from Applejack's own. Applejack jumped backwards in surprise.

Twilight simply stood there, still as a statue. The dim lighting in the room cast shadows across her features, and a manic grin covered most of Twilight's face. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, and her pupils were shrunken to small dots. Her mane was a mess, the ends were frayed, and stray hairs stuck haphazardly.

After a few moments of awkward, unblinking, mildly unsettling silence, Twilight spoke up in the same, almost overly-chipper tone.

"Did you know it takes only three days without water to die of dehydration?" She smiled brightly as she presented this fact, as if she had just informed Applejack of the scientific theory behind bunnies being cute. "An average pony will begin feeling the symptoms of dehydration after only approximately two percent water loss."

Applejack stared at Twilight, who appeared to be looking straight through her at a point somewhere in the distance.

"Mild symptoms include unexplained tiredness, irritability, lack of tears when crying, headache, and dry mouth. At slightly higher levels, ponies may suffer from up to 30% decrease in physical performance." Twilight's eyes momentarily focused on Applejack. "I don't think you'd be able to buck apples in that state."

As Twilight paused momentarily, lightning flashed outside, followed quickly by a blast of thunder. Applejack glanced around the room fitfully. The library creaked and groaned in the intense winds, and the windows shook in their frames. Applejack started to feel nervous, but noticed that Twilight didn't seem worried, and wasn't even acknowledging the storm. For some reason, that simple fact helped calm Applejack down.

As soon as Applejack set her gaze on Twilight once more, she continued speaking in a too-cheery tone of voice. "At around five to six percent water loss, a pony may become groggy or sleepy, experience headaches or nausea, and experience paresthesia, or 'pins and needles' in their extremities."

The wind outside picked up to gale-force levels, howling like some sort of otherworldly creature as it battered the library relentlessly. It sounded to Applejack like the old wood of the library was going to snap at any moment under the strain. The rain pattered continuously against the widows of the little building, never quite allowing silence to descend upon the two ponies sheltered within.

*KRAK-BOOM*

The entire library was momentarily illuminated brighter than daylight as lightning flashed at the same instant the sound of thunder reached Applejack's ears. That had to have been right on top of them. After blinking to clear the spots from her vision, Applejack glanced out the window; the landscape outside was a mystery. Nothing whatsoever was visible beyond the veil of sky-borne water completely obscuring the world outside the window. A nagging feeling tugged at the back of Applejack's mind.

Was it even raining a moment ago?

"After 10 to 15 percent water loss, a pony's muscles may become spastic, their skin may shrivel and wrinkle, their vision may dim, and delirium may begin." Twilight listed off the symptoms without varying her tone in the slightest, still as happy as ever.

Applejack looked over at the sound of Twilight's voice. Twilight was still sitting in the center of the library, and still staring into space. Her face was bunched in a pained expression, and it took Applejack only a moment to spot why. Twilight's horn was marred by black scorch marks, stretching from the point almost to her forehead. Smoke was gently rising off of it, floating towards the ceiling of the library and dissipating into the air. Twilight's mane was soaking wet, sticking to her face and neck, and dripping water all over the floor.

The library lurched violently to one side, causing Applejack to stumble in order to retain her balance. Books flew from the shelves, and furniture toppled over, but Twilight remained perfectly still.

As the library righted itself, Twilight spoke up once more, her cheery voice somehow perfectly audible above the cacophony created by the storm and the still-swaying library. "Any water loss greater than 15 percent is typically fatal. So, as you can see, my concern about you having a water bottle is perfectly legitimate." Twilight's pained facial expression, what little of it was visible behind her sopping mane, juxtaposed harshly with her cheerful tone, but that was the least of Applejack's concerns.

Water began seeping in through the cracks in the old wood of the library, dripping down from the ceiling, and rising up between the floorboards. The building tilted to one side slightly with a loud creaking of straining wood, causing the water to pool in the lowest area.

Twilight finally looked up, gazing straight into Applejack's eyes.

"You're going to need lots of water."

*KRAK-BOOM*

Applejack yelped as the floor in the middle of the library exploded. Brilliant blue light filled the room, and chunks of wood flew in every direction. The hairs of Applejack's coat stood on end as she was thrown backwards against the wall on the high side of the library, furthest away from the ever increasing pool of water. The world was a blur, and Applejack's ears were ringing. As she tried to distinguish one hazy shape from another, a nagging feeling tugged at the back of Applejack's mind.

What about Twilight?

When her vision finally cleared, her head was still spinning. She groggily looked to the center of the room to see Twilight sitting in the same position as before, unmoved by the strike. A large, jagged hole had appeared in the floor in front of Twilight, but she paid it no mind. Her face was still pained, and her mane still clung to her wetly, but she seemed to have no problem keeping her balance in the ruined library.

From her current position, Applejack couldn't see through the hole in the floor, but she knew she didn't want to fall through it. No sooner had that thought entered her mind then the library groaned loudly and began to pitch further in the direction it was already leaning.

Applejack scrabbled at the floor around her, attempting to find purchase with her hooves and stop her deadly descent. It was of no use, her speed increased as she slid down the rain-slick floorboards. Applejack clenched her eyes shut, and before she could even scream, she plunged over the edge of the precipice, and into the darkness below.

After a few moments, when the sensation of falling failed to appear, Applejack tentatively inched opened her eyes. Lavender light filled her vision, lightly humming in an aura that surrounded her whole body.

With a gasp, Applejack glanced upwards. Water poured over the edges of the hole in little falls, passing by Applejack on all sides. The floor of the library was just barely out of reach, and she could see Twilight's face peering over the edge above her. Her black and smoking horn was glowing, though its brightness seemed diminished compared to its normal brilliance.

Twilight appeared to be straining, her legs were wobbling and her eyes were clenched shut. Slowly, but surely, Applejack started rising to meet her. Inch by agonizing inch, she was lifted by Twilight's magic. Every second appeared to be taking its toll on Twilight, who looked about ready to collapse.

Just as Applejack was almost close enough to pull herself up, Twilight let out a pained gasp. Applejack's eyes widened as she spotted a tiny hairline fracture appear at the point of Twilight's horn, and slowly work its way down toward the base. Purple energy pulsed violently within the tiny crack, making it stand out harshly against the black of Twilight's horn.

Twilight's eyes snapped open, edged with tears of both pain and remorse. She locked eyes with Applejack. For the first time, Twilight spoke not in a cheery or happy tone. Her voice was completely filled with nothing but sadness and regret. Barely a whisper, it somehow carried perfectly to Applejack's ears. Two words stood out amongst the sounds of the storm and the collapsing library.

"I'm sorry."

Applejack screamed as she fell.

Author's Note:

Edited by Pilate. The real zebra. The best zebra.