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// IX:  A Pale Fluid... 
// Story: The Color of Apples 
// by Jet Howitzer 
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(What's that?  Another chapter?  But Howitzer, you just posted chapter 8!)
(As usual, any errors, let me know.)

You watched the city approach in the distance, and it filled you with a sense of bittersweetness.  You were finally coming home, and yet you felt like you would rather be anyplace else.  The skyline, iconic to so many, filled you only with a sense of finality.  Within the next three days you’d be making some of the hardest decisions of your life, and you weren’t sure if you were ready for all of this.  You glanced at Applejack, and a surge of rightness filled you.  You weren’t doing this for just yourself.  You were doing this for Scootaloo, and the rest of Ponyville.

The bridge approached quickly, and soon you are crossing the Hoofson River.  You looked down the river, and out in the distance you could make out the bay.  And from there it took mere moments to find the massive statue of Celestia that lit up the bay at night.  You recall walks in the southern park, watching as the shining beacon illuminated the entire bay.

A few moments later, and your view was cut off, as the train went below ground, heading for the massive terminal near the center of the city.  The abrupt change from light to dark startled you, and you nearly fell backwards.  You looked over at Applejack, and she had a smile on her face.

“I never rode the train in, or out of, the city.  The sudden change startled me, is all.”  She gives you a larger smile, and she shakes her head.  You quickly stuff your things back into your saddlebags, and then you take a seat once more, waiting for the train to arrive at the station.  It only takes a few more minutes of traveling to arrive, and soon the train grinds to a halt at the platform.

The two of you make your way off the train, and into the station, and you look around you, taking in the familiar sights and smells of the station.  Without missing a beat you begin walking towards the most convenient exit, and Applejack follows close behind you.  You effortlessly weave between the ponies rushing to their destinations, and before you know it you’re standing on the sidewalk outside the station.  Applejack takes a few moments longer than you, and you can tell that she’s not used to such an environment.

You take a deep breath, and the smells of the city fill you up, bringing back memories of all sorts.  You look down the road, and then back to Applejack.  You motion for her to follow, and she does so.  It takes the better part of an hour to make it to the exterior of your old apartment building, and it looks just like it did the day you left.  You look up to the window that you knew was for your old room, and before your gaze can make it all the way up a hoof rests on your shoulder.

“Don’t look, sugarcube.  You can’t afford to get sentimental just yet.”

“I know, AJ.  It’s just…  It’s hard to come back here.”  You shrug off Applejack’s hoof, and then you walk up to the door, and you quickly enter the combination that it was when you left.  Much to your surprise the door quickly opens, and you make your way inside.  Applejack follows, and soon enough you’re standing outside your old apartment.  Apartment one on the ninth floor.  Numbered 9001, it was home for longer than you ever thought it would be.  You raised a hoof to knock, but something held you back.

You held your hoof out for almost a full minute before you dropped it back to the ground.  You looked up at the ceiling, and you closed your eyes, before taking a deep breath.  Without stopping to think about it, you quickly raised a hoof, and knocked on the door three times in rapid succession.  A brief pause followed, and then you knocked two more times.  That was the way you and your sister had always knocked.  It was how you knew that she was home, or how she knew you were home.

The silence that followed your knocking filled you with dread.  If she’s not here…  Sweet Celestia, let her be here.  You lowered your head slowly, not wanting to accept the fact that your easy solution was so quickly cast aside.  You moved one hoof over to the doorknob, and the other to the small knocker that was centered on the door.  With difficulty you managed to get your hooves into their appropriate positions, and then you pushed on the knocker, and the knob, in just the right fashion, and you were rewarded with a soft click.

The door slowly swung open, and you pushed the door open faster, wanting to get the first look over with as quickly as possible.  The small living room was a complete mess, littered with empty bottles, and other pieces of garbage that weren’t so easily identified.  You gingerly entered, taking care not to step on anything too fragile.  A sickening squishing sound came from below your hoof as you put it down, and you looked down to see a pale fluid oozing out of a rubber tube, and you quickly looked back up, desperately trying to forget what you just stepped in.

The remaining steps to get to the kitchen were, thankfully, free of any squishes, but you still didn’t want to think of what you were stepping in that didn’t go squish.  The kitchen wasn’t much better than the living room, but at least the floor was mostly clear of debris.  On the table, though, was a stack of parchment that caught your eye.  You walked over, still watching your step, and then you saw what the stack of parchment was.

You quickly looked through the pile, and a frown appeared on your face.  Almost all of it was bills that had to be paid, that your sister had deferred.  But on top of the stack was a collection of almost a dozen drafts of her letter to you.  They were almost identical to each other, save for the shaky hand writing, and stains littering the pages.  The wording was almost the same across all of them as well, and you just put the stack down, unwilling to look further than you had already.

With a sigh, you turned to look down the short hallway that led to the bathroom, and the bedrooms.  You began the walk, and the first room you checked was your own.  Surprisingly, it was almost exactly how you left it.  It was as if it had been preserved.  Memories threatened to boil to the surface, but you beat them back, unwilling to reminisce right now.  You turned from the room, and then you headed to your sisters room.  Again, to your surprise, it was incredibly neat.  Not like yours had been, but compared to the rest of the apartment it was practically spotless.

As you turned to leave the room you noticed a picture frame sitting on the bedside table, and you went over to look at it.  When you saw what it was a picture of you couldn’t stop the tears that rolled down your cheeks.  It was a family portrait, taken just a few weeks before your parents had died.  You quickly put the frame back down, and then you walked out of the room.  Applejack quickly moved to embrace you, but you pushed her back.

“One room to go, AJ.  One more room, and then I’ll let myself break down.  But not yet.”

You stopped at the door to the master suite, and you pushed it open.  The sight that greeted you filled you with revulsion, but you still entered, unable to look away.  The room was filled with the most perverted instruments you had ever seen.  You felt the ground beneath your hooves, and it had an awful moist feeling to it, but you didn’t care.  You continued making your way into the room, until you were at the foot of the bed.  A tear ran down your cheek, and it landed on the carpet with a soft sound that was lost to your senses.

You turned to look back at Applejack, and she just met your blank stare with a sad expression.  You made your way out of the master suite, and then you managed to make your way back to your old room.  Once you got there, you just stood in place, trying to rationalize what you’d just seen.  Applejack’s presence did nothing to calm you, and so your mind just continued to shut down, until finally you blacked out.





You woke up some time later, your head throbbing.  A soft hoof made its way through your mane at regular intervals, and when you finally opened your eyes you saw Applejack looking at you with tears in her eyes.  When she saw you open your eyes she quickly pulled you into an embrace, and you returned it half-heartedly.

“You just collapsed.  I didn’t know what to do, so I just held you.”

“It’s okay, AJ.  I just… I just need to get out of here.  I need to go, and never come back here.  I thought it would help, but this has only made it worse.”

“Come on, sugarcube.  Let’s go.”

Applejack led the way out of the apartment, and soon the two of you were standing outside the building.  You finally managed to shake your stupor enough to start moving on your own, and so you looked up and down the street, trying to remember just where it was that you needed to go next.

You began delving into the loathsome depths of your mind, dredging up the worst things you remembered about your sister’s profession, and all the nuances that came with it.

As your memories returned, you turned left, and began walking down the street.  You began to see eerily familiar faces, but none of them seemed to recognize you.  After almost an hour you made it to your destination.  To nearly any pony it would just seem like an ordinary intersection, but to those who knew the streets it was a veritable cornucopia of carnal pleasure.  You spotted a few ponies working the oldest trade, and you shook your head slowly, unwilling to watch as they tried to entice the passing stallions.

You nudged Applejack, and she looked at you, and you motioned to one of the bars near the intersection.  She followed, and you walked into the bar, the bouncer barely acknowledging your existence.  You took a seat at the bar, and the bartender eventually worked his way over to you.  He looked you up and down once, and then did the same for Applejack.

“What’s yer poison?”

“No poison, just a glass of ice, and a glass of water.”  The bartender narrowed his gaze for a moment, before he moved back just a bit.

“You sure you want that, kid?”

“Yes.  And don’t skimp on the ice.”  The bartender’s eyes widened a bit as you completed the brief exchange.  He went into the back of the bar, and left you to your own devices for a bit.  You turned to look at Applejack, and her gaze was flitting from pony to pony, unable to sit still in this hellhole of a bar.  You put a hoof on hers, and her gaze flicked over to you.

“AJ, I need you to calm down, and let me do the talking.  You’re acting so nervous that it’s rubbing off on me.  And I can’t afford that when I’m dealing with these ponies.”

“I just can’t help it.  There’s so much wrong with this place.”

“I know.  Hopefully we won’t be here for long.”  Several tense minutes passed before the bartender returned with a glass of ice, and a glass of water.  You clutched the glass of water, and then you pulled it closer, along with the napkin that was below it.  Scrawled on the napkin it said:


Meet me at the corner booth in five minutes.


You let a small smile cross your face before you brought back your emotionless visage.  “We’re okay, AJ.  They don’t think we’re cops, so hopefully things will be okay.”  After five minutes you got up, and made your way to the corner booth, and then you sat down.  You were only seated for a moment before a red unicorn came over and took a seat across from you.  Right behind him came a massive earth pony that would make Big Mac look small in comparison.

“So, I hear you’re looking for some exclusive services?”  The unicorn narrowed his gaze as he looked you over.  “Name the slut, and I’ll name the price.”  You had to bite your tongue to keep from shouting at him, and so you stayed silent for a moment.

“Yeah, I’m looking for Sunburst.  Orange pegasus, microphone cutie mark.”

“I know the mare.  She’s a real feisty one.  Likes it rough, that one does.”  The stallion looks at Applejack for a moment, and his eyes widen a tiny bit, before narrowing once again.  “But, clearly you have better company than that slut.  Unless, of course, you’re looking to get into the business with this fine catch of yours.”

Before Applejack can respond you put a hoof on hers, and you can feel her shaking.  “No, she’s not for sale.  She’s a fine catch I’ve made, and I won’t have her soiled in such a way.”

“I’m sorry, I think that came across as a question.  I wasn’t asking, I was telling.  Lock Jaw, take this mare to the back.  She’s a fine one, and I know a certain stallion who’d be quite interested to see this mare again.”  You turn to look at the massive pony, just as he wraps a hoof around Applejack.  You leap from your seat at the pony, but your attack simply falls off of him, not even moving him.  “You see, I remember you.  You’re not going to save your sister, you stupid colt.  You should just count yourself lucky that I’m not taking you in, considering how much some mares pay for a good slave.  And even some stallions would pay to have you.”  He pushes you back into the booth, your strength leaving you as you watch the massive pony carry Applejack away.

“Just leave the city, and consider yourself lucky that you’re alive.”

You hold back your words, knowing that for once, silence would serve you better than a sharp tongue.  Just before she gets pulled into the back you meet Applejack’s gaze once more, and the terror present in her eyes shakes you to the core.  You look around the bar, only to see that not one pony was even looking at you.  Not even one pony had taken an interest in what was happening.

You were alone in Manehattan.  Again.