My Little Immortal: Friendship is Gothic

by Posh

Chapter Nine

"Big Mac?"

A red-eyed and mussed Big McIntosh rose from his youngest sister's bedside and glanced over his shoulder at a similarly bedraggled Applejack. "You was supposed to get some shut-eye."

"Reckon you need it more," said Applejack. "You even gotten a wink since..."

"Could you?"

"That's besides the point, an' you know it." Applejack's hooves tapped against the floor as she trotted slowly to her brother's side. "I ain't the one tryin' ta juggle apple buckin' season with watchin' a sickly sister, without stoppin' to breathe. When you ain't workin', ya should be sleepin', but instead you come here an' stay up all dang night. I keep hopin' you'll doze off, but'cha never do."

"Sleep when I'm dead."

"Gonna be sooner, rather'n later, if you keep this up, big brother. Ya need sleep."

"You don't sleep."

"I get my twenty minutes. That's the most I can nod off without feelin' guilty." Her hooves caressed Big Mac's shoulders, and his eyelids unconsciously drooped. "I get it. I do. Yer tryin' ta be the big, brave brother, keepin' his silent, lonely vigil, but you don't have to be. Alone, that is. We're in this together. No need to go isolatin' yerself."

Big Mac snorted. "Somepony's picked up some ten-bit words."

"You should try readin' a book sometime; y'might pick some up yerself." She thumped his shoulder, and Big Mac smiled sleepily. "She ain't gonna go off an' die if you shut yer eyes for a few minutes, is all I'm tryin' ta say. An' I'm here too, y'know. We'll share this burden. S'what family does."

Big Mac curled his lower lip inward, sucking in a well-worn and thoroughly chewed piece of straw which he hadn't bothered to replace in days. "An' the orchards?"

"I just got a reply back from Braeburn. He's rallyin' a posse from Appleoosa. Another day, an' we'll have all the help we can get, 'til Apple Bloom's on the mend."

A stirring of appreciation for the talkative stallion warmed Big Mac's heart. "Nice of him."

"Like I said. S' what family does." He felt Applejack nuzzle his cheek, and smiled again. "Go home an' crash, at least 'til Braeburn an' the others arrive. You'll be better off for it, believe me."

The temptation to rest was difficult to resist, and Applejack's words carried a sound logic (he vaguely recalled using some similar logic against her at some point in the past), but there was something compelling him to stay awake. Whether it was familial duty, or a personal sense of responsibility, or simply his own masculinity, there was some intangible force willing him to stave off rest and stay with Apple Bloom throughout her entire hour of need.

Then again, he was damn tired. "The minute he gets here, I'm goin' back to work."

"As long as yer workin' with a full head o'steam, I won't badger ya none." She nudged him with her cheek one final time, and Big McIntosh pulled away from Apple Bloom's bedside, taking one final, lingering look at her. Her mane was plastered against her coat from sweat, but her face was expressionless, serene. Were it not for the steadily beeping heart monitor, the drab and sterile trappings of the hospital room, the side-table full of gifts, cards, and treats from well-wishers, he'd have sworn that she were sleeping peacefully in her own room.

So, besides all those things that say she ain't sleepin' peacefully in her own room, she looks like she's sleepin' peacefully in her own room.

Big Mac shook his head rapidly. He'd been awake too long. He lumbered through the door and pulled it shut behind himself, leaving Applejack alone with Apple Bloom.

The mare dropped to a sitting position and rested her chin on the mattress, sighing. "Hey," she said numbly. "I, uh... Twilight's been out like a light since she did her thing. Must've taken a lot out of her. I'm... sorry... that what we tried didn't work." She chewed her lip, then exhaled. "She said it was too risky t'pry in yer head, without knowin' what was ailin' y'all, but I pushed her to. I was just s'dang desperate. I don't..." She hiccuped.

I don't like sittin' here like a useless lump while yer helpless.

"This feels familiar somehow," said Applejack. "You bein' in danger, me bein' all worried sick an' frantic... I feel as if I should be mighty sore with Fluttershy, f'r some reason." She glanced at the side-table, at the sundries left behind by friends and well-wishers. There was a box of a half-dozen apple-themed cupcakes, supplied gratis by the Cakes and delivered by Pinkie Pie, who'd tied a bouquet of balloons around the box. Now half-deflated, they hung limply over Apple Bloom's bedside. Next to the box was an intricate, artsy-looking card, purchased by Cheerilee and signed by each of her classmates. Even the usually antagonistic Silver Spoon had personally sent her a gift: a fresh set of sensible work boots, shined and polished and ready for a hard day's work.

Applejack frowned. Well-meaning or no, there was something mildly tacky about that filly's present.

The one card which stood out, which sat open on the table, facing Apple Bloom's bedside, was hoof-made and studded with precious gems supplied by Rarity. The card bore a picture of Apple Bloom and her friends, Ponyville's own Cutie Mark Crusaders. Their faces, squished together, all bore the same wide, toothy grin. Given their closeness in the picture, it almost looked like one continuous smile, arcing from one face, to the next, to the next. Beneath the picture was a mouth-written message:

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Well-Wishers!

Best Friends Forever,

-Scootaloo

-Sweeetie Belle"

P.S. Sorry for tattling on you!

Applejack smiled softly. "A lot of good ponies are pullin' t'see you up an' about 'fore too long." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "Braeburn's comin' ta town. I know how much you like listenin' ta his stories. I'm sure he's gonna have a bunch, jus' fer you."

She paused again, listening to the steady sound of her sister's breathing, and the gentle beeping of the heart monitor. "An' Pinkie Pie's already plannin' a 'Back-From-Yer-Coma' Party. I'm, heh, I'm gonna try an' convince her t'change the name..."

Apple Bloom's chest rose and fell steadily.

"An' as fer me? Well..." Applejack scooted closer to Apple Bloom and moved her head closer to her pillow. "I think what I'm gonna do is jus'... jus' take the rest of the month off. Y'know? We're gonna have Braeburn and company in town, an' he's gonna insist on workin' the orchards... so maybe you an' me could just, I dunno... spend some time together. Do whatever you like. Play yer favorite games... eat yer favorite foods... maybe take a campin' trip in the woods..." She smiled at the thought of the playful young filly, at the faintly remembered trill of her laughter and her warm and friendly drawl. "Shoot, maybe we'll wind up gettin' you that cutie mark, huh? An', heck, if we're crusadin' fer cutie marks, we can't 'zactly leave out yer friends, can we? The more the merrier!"

She smiled broadly, spoke brightly, half-hoping that her bravado would rouse the sleeping filly. Apple Bloom failed to stir and respond. Applejack's smile slowly began to shrink. "Yup. Soon as yer up an' about, you an' me'll..." She paused to sniffle. "Well, we'll..."

Applejack leaned her forehead against her sister's cheek, letting the tears pooling between her eyelids drip onto Apple Bloom's coat.

"Please come back soon."

******

"Apple Bloom! Supper's on! Come an' geddit!"

"Thanks, AJ! Didja set a place for Miss Gallespie?

"Ms. Ga-who-now?"

"Miss Gallespie! She's mah new friend! Say hi, Miss Gallespie!

"Applebloom... there ain't anypony there."

"What? But she's right here, AJ! Can'tcha see her?"

"Have you been gettin' inna mah special cider, Apple Bloom? I toldja t'stay outta - now, what're y'all gigglin' about?"

"Miss Gallespie jus' said somethin' funny."

"Oh yeah? Does 'Miss Gallespie' care t'share with the rest of us?"

"Naw, it was kinda mean. Uh. Sorry."

"Jus' get inside and wash up."

"Pfft. Washin' up is f'r preps, AJ."

"...For what?"

******

"Sweetie... did you notice anything weird about Apple Bloom today?"

"You mean the twitching, the big black circles under her eyes, or the way she kept whispering to herself?"

"Uh... yes."

"I know. It's freaking me out too."

"And did you hear what she said when I talked about the new Sapphire Shores album? I've never even heard some of those words before!"

"I have. You'd be surprised how often Rarity cusses when she thinks nopony's listening. But what's a 'poser' supposed to be, anyway?"

"Cutie Mark Crusader Ponyquins?"

"...Scootaloo."

"Yeah, probably not."

******

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Applejack. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but Apple Bloom's behavior in class for the past few days has been troubling."

"Now, Cheerilee, I know she can be rough to wrangle, but Apple Bloom's a good -

"I know. Normally, we wouldn't be having this conversation, but after what she did to Diamond Tiara at recess this morning - "

"Well, frankly, Cheerilee, I've always taught my sister that she's gotta stand up to bullies, or they'll never leave her alone."

"As problematic as that sentiment is, I wish it were as simple as just standing up to a bully. I have three eyewitnesses who say that Apple Bloom attacked Diamond Tiara unprovoked."

"That's a load of horseapples! Who said that?!"

"One of the witnesses was Silver Spoon. Granted, I'd take her testimony with a grain of salt where Diamond Tiara is concerned. But the other two were Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, and they've corroborated Silver Spoon's account."

"They... she..."

"Her behavior of late was worrying enough, but physical violence? Lashing out like this? And her language - she's clearly picked up some choice terms from somepony. Most of them I know, but 'bitca'? That's new. Has something happened to Apple Bloom at home? Something that might have sparked this sudden turn for the worse?"

"Well... she's been playin' with this Ouija board she got at Pinkie Pie's yard sale last week..."

"..."

"Yeah, it sounds silly when I say it out loud."

"I'm afraid that, under the circumstances, Apple Bloom will have to face suspension for a week. I'd keep a close eye on her, Applejack."

"'Course. I... I'm sorry this happened, Cheerilee."

"So am I."

******

"It's time for bed, Apple Bloom."

"Go fuk urself u preppy fukkin fuker."

"That is enough, Apple Bloom! I've had it up to here with your smartin' off like this! What's gotten into you? I raised you better'n this, didn't I?"

"I dun got 2 lizzen 2 u! Ur jsut a prep! A pozer wif a big fat fukin preppy flank who duznt no wut GC r!"

"I said enough! Lights out an' go to sleep!"

"FUK OF!!666 I - YOU - AJ... please...!"

"Apple Bloom? Apple Bloom! What's wrong with - stop thrashin' about like that; yer gonna hurt - Bic Mac! Get up here, now!"

******

"You don't understand! Prying into her subconscious like this - it's dangerous! There's the possibility that I could scramble our brains forever by mistake!"

"She ain't gettin' better Twi, an' you heard the doctor! They's clueless 'bout what's wrong with her; all they know is it's gettin' worse in a hurry."

"If we knew more about her condition, I - maybe I could, but we're flying completely blind here!

"Twilight, if there's anypony who can do it, it's you. Please. She needs to wake up."

*****

Twilight nudged the door to Apple Bloom's hospital room. It opened with a creak, and she poked her head inside. The sight of Applejack slumped against her sister, pressing their foreheads together, made her feel like an intruder, and she nearly backed out of the room.

But the sound of the door stirred Applejack. She rubbed her eyes furiously, then looked over her shoulder at Twilight. "I shouldn't'a made y'all do that. I'm sorry."

"You were desperate. And besides, it isn't as though we got nothing out of it."

Applejack wiped her nose and cleared her throat. "What've ya got fer me?"

"Admittedly, not much." Twilight felt a hollowness as she said those words, knowing full well that Applejack was counting on her to diagnose and fix Apple Bloom's problem. "But based on the force that repelled me earlier, and my own observations, it's clear that the problem isn't psychological."

"Yer own observations?"

"In Apple Bloom's mind, I encountered... somepony else."

"Somepony else?" Applejack frowned, scrunching her nose. "Somepony besides Apple Bloom?" Her eyes narrowed. "Is its name 'Miss Gallespie?'"

"No..." Twilight thought back, straining to recall specific details about what she'd seen, but it was already beginning to blur together, the way a dream slips away after waking. "It calls itself 'Ebony', and it's very different from Apple Bloom. Different coat, different manecut. No accent, no folksy, good-natured charm. At first, I figured it was her, some fractured caricature of herself that her damaged psyche created. I waited until I found an opening, and then I tried confronting her."

"An' we both know how that turned out."

"From what I saw, it's constructed a very elaborate fantasy world, drawing upon Apple Bloom's memories of herself and the rest of us," Twilight continued. "Except the world it's created is radically different from the real world."

"Howzat?"

Twilight focused, shutting her eyes in concentration. "Most of what I got has already slipped away - the specific things, anyway - but I remember... I remember that everypony was dressed very unusually. Lots of make-up, lots of clothes that didn't really make a whole lot of sense. Emblems, logos, words and phrases that I didn't recognize. And the profanity..."

"Profanity." Applejack considered this. "Makes sense t'me. The last few days 'fore this happened, Apple Bloom'd picked up a bushel o'nasty cuss words."

"Right," Twilight nodded. "Everypony is profane, garishly dressed, and just all around unpleasant. It isn't a nice world to live in, Applejack." She trotted to Apple Bloom's bedside, glancing at the gift-laden table briefly. Seeing what Ponyville had done for their ailing child gave her a pang of guilt. She wished she'd gotten something for the filly too. When she's better, she promised herself. "I think that the entity that's possessing her is foreign to Equestria, and it's brought with it its own cultural norms and history. The world it created, I think, is a hodge-podge of our own world and whatever world it came from. It even took on the form of a pony - a very unpleasant pony - to better fit into this world. The end result is a barely coherent nightmarish hell that takes our concept of normal and imposes something completely different upon it."

"This thing possessin' her... is it like Nightmare Moon?"

"No. No, I think this is very different from what the Nightmare Moon entity did to Luna. That was a case of physical possession, taking control of the princess's body to use it for its own nefarious purposes. Nightmare Moon subdued and suppressed Luna's persona, her soul. This entity... " She placed a hoof on Applejack's cheek and tilted her head so that they were looking into each other's eyes. Gravely serious, Twilight said "I think that this creature is feeding off of Apple Bloom's soul."

Applejack's eyes dialated, and she inhaled sharply. She slumped backward, her mouth hanging open, and slowly turned to regard her sister with horror. "Feedin' off of..."

"When it broke the connection and threw me out of Apple Bloom's mind, it said 'Apple Bloom is my best friend, and you won't take her away from me.' It wants to maintain its grip over Apple Bloom. And it's plainly obvious that the longer this goes on, the weaker and weaker Apple Bloom gets. All I have is a theory, Applejack, but if I'm right..."

For a long, drawn moment, Applejack stared silently at the comatose filly in the bed. When she spoke, her voice lacked strength or emotion; it was barely above a whisper. "An' what happens after that?"

Truthfully, Twilight didn't know. Possession cases were rare, and this one was unique in her (admittedly limited) experience. "I can't be positive. The entity might assume control over her body permanently. Or she might be comatose for the rest of her natural life. Or she might just - "

"I get it," Applejack interrupted curtly. "Whatever happens, it won't be good. So how do we stop it? Can you go back into her mind, like you did before?"

"Not right away," said Twilight. "I think it's on its guard now; it can repel me if I try to go in again. We need to wait for another opening."

"But like you said," said Applejack, turning on Twilight. "We wait too long, and this thing'll chow down on her soul so much that there won't be a lick'a her left!"

"I know," said Twilight hastily, holding a hoof up, as if to ward off her friend's concerns. "It's just, I don't know enough about her condition to make any kind of educated guess as to what our next move should be." She sighed and turned away from the bed. "I'm going back to the library to root through the archives. There has to be something, somewhere, that'll clue us in. I'll send a letter to the Princess, too; if there's an evil spirit possessing one of her subjects, then she might be able to do something about it."

"Right," said Applejack. She smiled weakly. "Think she could send over the Elements of Harmony? Might do the trick."

"Honestly, Applejack?" said Twilight. She looked over her shoulder at the earth pony. "It might just come down to that."

Twilight cantered quickly out of the room, once again leaving the sisters in one another's company. "Y'hear that?" said Applejack, forcing another smile. "Twilight's gonna get the Princess on this. Ain't nothin' can stand in the way of Princess Celestia when she sets her horn to a problem."

A moment passed, and Applejack allowed her smile to fade. She traced her sister's foreleg up to her shoulder, then moved her hoof up to her forehead. Gently, she brushed Apple Bloom's sweaty, matted bangs out of her face. "Don't wanna hide yer pretty face from the world. They're all gonna wanna get a look at you, y'know. Just t'see for themselves that yer alright."

The tears threatened to spill out again, but Applejack fought them down. She set her face in a solemn scowl and took Apple Bloom's hoof in her own. "Yer gonna make it, Apple Bloom," she said somberly. "I promise you that. Yer gonna live. We're gonna get you back."

And to her amazement, Apple Bloom stirred. Hope sang in her heart as she turned her head on the pillow and faced Applejack. As her eyelids raised, Applejack felt another smile - a genuine smile - break onto her face.

But her smile died when she saw Apple Bloom's eyes. They were blue, ice blue, like limpid tears of gothic depression. Apple Bloom spoke two words before drifting back into her coma - two words, a sentence fragment, as cold as the blue of her eyes.

"Fuk of."

Comments

[Firebrand]

Wait... that blurb at the end of Chapter 2...
You were planning this all along, weren't you?!

[Nonagon]

Wow. Never have I seen a story about-face so quickly without blowing apart. Of course, it was already a complete shambles by design to begin with, so that would make this an... implosion? Whatever it is, it's glorious.
Also: Consarn it, Pinkie. Your youthful shenanigans have once again doomed us all.

[Posh]

1042563

1042666 Well, the chapter does end with the phrase "limpid tears of gothic depression", so while the story does gain some emotional depth, it's still very much tongue-in-cheek.

[wubstep pony]

I love you.

[Posh]

1051365 Omfg y Kant u stup flossin mag stroy????6666665 U prepz n pozerz fink dat u no everyfing. Well gess wat!!!!111 Ur jus lik dat bad guy Diaphragm Tiara! Storp flannung My Little Impotence: Frendship is Garlic!!!!!!666666666666

[HedgieChan]

That was awesome.

[BrokenPinkiePromise]

I died at the line about limpid tears.

[horizon]

You magnificent bastard. Actual feels out of My Immortal? How did you even.

The last chapter was where the parody fired on all cylinders. This is where it becomes Art.

Still, hysterical moments. "Bitca." Limpid tears.