After starting Apple Bucking season, Applejack receives a letter. Storming Shield, the somepony Applejack once loved, has been admitted to a mental hospital in Canterlot. What's more, all Storm wants now, is to see Applejack.
A year after Storming Shield disappeared from Ponyville on bad terms with everypony, Applejack receives a letter telling her that he was admitted to a mental hospital in Canterlot. The doctor treating Storm has asked that Applejack come to the hospital. Why? Storm has been saying nothing but Applejack's name the entire month Storm had been in the hospital. Can Applejack bring Storm back from the brink of his insanity, or will she let how they parted ways get in the way?
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.
Applejack stood at her family's market stand as she made sales of all things apples. Apple Bucking season had been going so well, that she felt she could leave it in the hooves of her big brother, and come to the market to make some sales.
“Thank ya kindly Filthy Rich! Ya've made a good choice with them there apples!” Applejack said, as Filthy Rich smiled, and left with a large cart of apples.
Applejack was about to return to business as usual when a shout stopped her in her tracks.
“Look out!” a voice exclaimed.
Applejack had very little time to react. She was able to just barely dive out of the way as a massive lightning bolt struck her family's stand, effectively destroying it.
“I'm so sorry about that! Are you alright?” said the same voice that had called out the warning.
Applejack looked up at the light-gray coated, blue-maned pegasus standing over her. “What the hay's goin' on? Don't ya know how to control them clouds of yers?” Applejack asked, standing back up.
“I don't understand what happened. I was set to get rid of that cloud, but it was like it had a mind of its own. It got away from me,” the pegasus said.
“Storming Shield! What the heck are you doing? You could have killed somepony!” Rainbow Dash said, landing next to Applejack.
“I know. I'm really sorry. Something must have gone wrong in my process of knocking out that cloud! It's the first cloud to do this to me,” Storm said.
“Yer darn tootin' somethin' went wrong! Just look at my apple stand! That's lots of bits Ah ain't gonna be able to make back before the Apple Bucking season is over!” Applejack exclaimed as she glared at Storm.
“I said I was sorry. Since when has that not been good enough for the ponies in this town?” Storm said, his temper beginning to get the better of him.
“Yer sorry? Sorry ain't gonna make my apples come back from being exploded!” Applejack said.
“Then tell me what I can do to make this right! Yelling at me sure isn't going to bring back your apples either!” Storm said with a very sharp tone.
“Alright you two. Calm down. Applejack, what if he came to Sweet Apple Acres, and help buck some apples to replace these ones?” Rainbow suggested.
“Ah dunno Rainbow. He might end up destroyin' my whole orchard then,” Applejack said bitterly.
Storm narrowed his eyes angrily. “If you don't want my help, fine. I don't care. I've got more clouds to break down.”
“Not today, you don't. After this kind of incident, I can't let you bust clouds until you can prove to me this won't happen again,” Rainbow said. “Your only option for work right now, is to go help Applejack.”
“Did you not hear what she said? She doesn't want my help!” Storm said.
“Look, A.J. This is the only solution I can see. This situation is partly my fault too. I should have tested him better before I allowed him to bust clouds. He only has to help you until he replaces the apples he destroyed, then you can tell him to leave,” Rainbow said.
Applejack and Storming Shield stared one another down for a long moment before she finally spoke up. “Fine. He can come help. Be at Sweet Apple Acres bright and early. We start at six A.M.”
“Okay then. I'm glad you got over yourself for a second to see that all I want to do is to make this right,” Storm said.
“What'd ya say to me?” Applejack said, outraged.
“Enough you two! Storm, go home. You really need to watch that attitude of yours. It's not going to make friends for you,” Rainbow said.
Storm gave a mean-sounding chuckle. “I don't recall ever saying that I wanted to make friends. What gave you that impression?”
“Ya keep up that attitude, ya won't!” Applejack said.
“Friends are only there for you when it's convenient for them. I don't need friends,” Storm said bitterly as he walked away.
* * * * *
“So it's safe to say that you and Storming Shield didn't exactly start out on the best of terms?” the doctor asked.
“Yeah. Ya could say that,” Applejack said.
“What was your first impression of him?”
“Ah thought he was an arrogant jerk. He hadn't given me any other reason to think otherwise.”
“Would you say, despite his bad attitude, that he seemed mentally stable?” the doctor asked.
Applejack thought for a moment. She wanted to say no, but in the context the doctor was asking, that wasn't the honest answer. “Yes. Ah think, despite the attitude, he was stable. It wasn't until he came to the farm the next day that Ah noticed anything remotely strange about him.”
“How so?”
“Well...” Applejack started.
* * * * *
Storm and Applejack had been apple bucking for the better part of the day, and the farm pony decided it was time to head in for some lunch. As Applejack was walking through the trees to get Storm, she heard him talking.
“Sweet mother of Celestia, why do you never shut up? I've told you countless times to not talk to me when we're out in public,” Storm said.
Applejack gave a confused look as she hid herself behind a tree, not wanting to say anything just yet. She figured she'd listen in a little more. After all, how often is it you catch somepony talking to themselves?
“No, it doesn't matter that we're in the middle of an apple orchard. I don't care about your opinion on the matter. I know what you've said you want me to do, and I'll do it when I can!” Storm said, pausing as though he were listening to somepony talk. “Are you kidding? We didn't exactly get off on the right hoof. I'm pretty sure she hates me, and I don't care.”
Applejack looked down at the ground, remembering how she had treated Storm yesterday. While he did destroy her apples, she probably shouldn't have gotten so angry with him. It was in that moment, she decided she'd try to make things right between herself, and Storm.
“Storm? Who ya talkin' to?” Applejack said finally, walking up to the pegasus.
Storm turned quickly, and gave Applejack a nervous smile. “I wasn't talking to anypony. What's going on? Are we done?”
“We're just goin' in fer some lunch. By my count, you've gotten about a third of the apples ya owe me,” Applejack said.
“Alright, well, I'll go find some lunch, and then be back here before you know it,” Storm said, getting ready to fly off.
“Now hold on there. Just because yer workin' to replace apples you destroyed, don't mean Ah won't feed ya. We may not like one another, but Ah was raised better than that. Yer comin' to the house with me,” Applejack said, with a smile.
“Wow. Kind words and a smile. I'm surprised,” Storm said, giving her a sly grin.
“Would ya rather I be rude, and yell at ya?” Applejack asked.
Storm couldn't help but smile. “I suppose not. I'm sure that yesterday showed that I can lose my temper pretty easy.”
“Well, that must be why yer parents name ya 'Storming',” Applejack said.
“I guess. I figured it was the light-gray color of my coat and feathers. I thought it reminded them of a rain cloud, but I could be wrong,” Storm admitted.
“Well, let's get goin'. Ah'm starvin'!” Applejack said.
* * * * *
The doctor wrote down some notes after Applejack had finished. “So, he was talking to himself, and you didn't think that was strange?”
“Well, Ah figured at some point or another, everypony has moments where they talk to themselves. Ah just figured that was one of those moments for him,” Applejack said.
“So he stated that there was something he was supposed to be doing for somepony?” the doctor asked.
“Yeah. It almost seemed like he was bein' forced to go about doing something bad. Ah'm just not sure what,” Applejack said.
“So, he never did anything suspicious in that whole month he was in Ponyville?” the doctor asked.
“No, not really. What does that even have to do with his mental health, doc?” Applejack asked.
“I'm trying to narrow down any possible causes of his sudden psychosis. You're saying that the day he left, he was still mentally stable?” the doctor asked.
“Can we take a break, doc? Ah'd like to try and talk to him. Can ya give me a few minutes?” Applejack asked.
The doctor sighed, but closed his notebook, and put his pen in his jacket pocket. “I suppose. I'll be back in a few minutes.”
“Thanks,” she said, watching the doctor leave the room.
Applejack walked over to Storm, and sat down on the floor in front of him. His mane was knotted and unkempt. His coat was slightly dirty, and his feathers were ruffled up. It was as though he wasn't being properly cared for, and that made Applejack angry.
“What are they doin' to you?” she asked, placing a hoof on his shoulder.
Storm flinched, and pulled quickly away from Applejack's touch. “No! I need Applejack. I need her!”
Applejack recoiled slightly, and a few tears escaped her eyes. “Storm it's me. It's Applejack. Ah'm here,” she said softly, and approached him once more. She couldn't believe how far down he had gone after only a year, and it broke her heart. Storm didn't usually have the best attitude, but no pony deserved this to happen to them.
Applejack pulled Storm into a hug, and just held him close. “Ah don't know what happened, but Ah'm not goin' to give up on you. Ah just need ya to hang in there. Can ya do that for me?”
“It was the voice... He's the one who made me like this. He never stops, and he insists he's real,” Storm whispered.
“Storm, there is no voice talkin' to ya. It's only me and you here right now,” Applejack said, pulling away, and attempting to make eye contact with him, but it was as though he didn't even see her. It was like she was looking at a near lifeless shell that was once the pony she cared for.