//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: We Might Be Crazy Late At Night // Story: The Everfree Medicine // by PonyJosiah13 //------------------------------// "What’s eating your mane, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy looked up from the glass of apple juice that she’d been staring at for the last ten minutes as if she could somehow scry some answers from the amber juice. Applejack was studying her from the other side of the bar, her head cocked to one side and an eyebrow raised in an expression of concern. “It’s...it’s a friend, Applejack,” Fluttershy admitted, poking a fork at the plate of spaghetti and vegetables in front of her. “Something we can help with?” Rara asked from Fluttershy’s left, a compassionate glimmer in her eyes. Fluttershy was silent for several seconds, slowly winding some noodles around her fork. She looked up at the stage, where Tree Hugger sat, eyes shut, guitar in her hooves. If I Had A Hammer was flowing like a river out of her instrument and throat, the sound wrapping around the dinnertime crowd at the Apple Pie in Your Eye. Tree Hugger loved Open Stage Sunday Dinner, and always attended it if they had time. Normally, Fluttershy would’ve been content to just eat her dinner in peace and listen to Tree’s sweet melodies, letting the music carry her worries away. Instead, all she could think about was Lightning Dust, red dust clinging to her nostrils and anger in her red-streaked eyes. It wasn’t really her place...was it? Lightning Dust could make her own decisions, it wasn’t for her to interfere in her life. But she and Tree Hugger were doctors, sworn under oath to prevent disease and apply all necessary measures for the benefit of the sick. Lightning Dust was in pain, even if she didn’t show it. And as a doctor, and her neighbor and fellow pony, Fluttershy had a duty to help her. “You might be able to,” Fluttershy said. She twiddled her hooves for a moment in thought, then took in a breath and spoke. “I...have a friend. Who has a drug addiction. Red poppydust.” Rara and Applejack exchanged glances, and Fluttershy could tell that they were both thinking back to when Rara first came to Sweet Apple Acres, pale and shivering as she struggled through the withdrawal, the cravings that came with quitting cold turkey. How many times had Fluttershy come to administer aid and comfort, to provide medicine and tend to Rara’s illness as Applejack fretted and whimpered over her shoulder, or simply to sit and talk and hold Rara’s sweaty hoof as she trembled on the bed whenever Applejack was away? Rara had survived, and now the two mares helped many other ponies free themselves from addiction. Surely, Fluttershy reflected, they counted as an available resource, a necessary measure? “I’m hoping that the four of us can talk to her, get her to admit she needs help,” Fluttershy offered. “We can certainly give it a shot,” Applejack said. “Who is this pony?” “Her name’s Lightning Dust,” Fluttershy said as Tree finished her last song and accepted a brief scattering of applause from the other patrons as she descended from the stage. “She’s a client, and a neighbor; I take care of her dog for her while she’s at work.” “Flutters, you sure about this?” Tree Hugger asked, sitting next to her partner. “It’s gonna be hard to get her to open up.” She paused for a beat, staring at her hoof as it lazily drew circles on the bar seemingly of its own accord. “I know her type, dude,” she admitted. “You’re probably right,” Fluttershy admitted. “But we still have to try.” Tree frowned, but nodded in assent. “You know where she lives?” Rara asked. “She has an apartment not far from our cottage,” Fluttershy said, glancing up at the clock over the bar. “She should be home in about an hour.” “Far out,” Tree said. “Gives me time to get some munchies. That spaghetti smells awesome.” “Steamed!” Rara called through the swinging doors into the kitchen, prompting the chubby blue pegasus to poke her head out with a smile. “Another dish of pasta and veggies, please!” “On the way!” Steamed sang and headed back inside, leaving the echo of an aria behind. “Thanks for coming to help,” Fluttershy said, hugging Applejack and Rara. “What’re friends for?” Applejack smiled, patting Fluttershy on the back. Lightning’s apartment was in one of the oldest buildings in the Everfree District: a two-story brick building that had been squeezed in between two larger office buildings. The brick was cracked and dusty, crumbling like the texture of an old, dry cookie, the red long faded to shades of gray and tan. Most of the windows were dark and grimy, denying any view of the interior. The four mares trotted up to the formerly blue front door, which sat in a cracked door frame, and Applejack reached out to try the door. Finding it unlocked, they proceeded into a musty foyer, lit only by a flickering bare lightbulb set in the ceiling. Applejack checked the mailboxes on the wall. “Lightning lives in number eleven, on the second floor,” she reported. As the four mares proceeded up the creaking staircase, Tree cleared her throat. “So, like, what’s our plan?” she asked. “We’re just going to start by introducing ourselves to her,” Rara said. “We’ll try to get her more comfortable at the start, then we’ll gently breach into the subject.” “She’s gonna know what you’re here for,” Tree pointed out. “We’ve done interventions like this before,” Rara smiled at Tree. “We know what we’re doing.” The hallway was as musty as the rest of the house, sections lit by bare bulbs. Their hoofsteps were muffled by an old, slightly moldy red and green carpet on the floor as they proceeded to the door marked eleven in brass lettering. Fluttershy rapped at the door. “Lighting Dust?” she called. There was a yipping inside, followed by the sound of claws scrabbling against the door. “Thunder?” Fluttershy asked. “Sounds like him,” Tree nodded. Fluttershy knocked again. “Lightning?” she called, a note of worry entering her voice. The only response was Thunder’s continued yapping. “You sure she should be home by now?” Applejack asked. “It’s well past six o’clock, her shift’s over by now,” Fluttershy said, her lips curling away in an expression of concern as she started to fidget in place. The door to apartment twelve opened behind them and a white unicorn with an electric blue mane peered out, her querying expression evident even from behind her purple sunglasses. The sound of a cello came from inside the apartment. “Oh, blessings, dude,” Tree greeted the mare. “We’re looking for Lightning Dust. Is she here?” The mare shook her head, then turned back into the house and rapped at the interior wall insistently. The sound of the cello from inside stopped, then there came hoofsteps approaching. A charcoal earth mare with a long black mane approached, adjusting her pink bowtie. “Good evening,” the mare nodded, speaking in an upper-class accent. “I am Octavia Melody, this is my friend Vinyl Scratch. Can we help you?” Fluttershy introduced herself and her friends. “We’re looking for Lightning Dust,” she explained. “She’s supposed to be home by now, isn’t she?” Octavia frowned a bit. “I do not spend much time with Miss Dust, but Vinyl is familiar with her; they have been casual friends for a few moons, since before I moved here from Canterlot.” Vinyl frowned for a moment, then started signing, using a combination of hoof gestures and ear flicks to communicate her meaning. Octavia raised an eyebrow and signed back a question, which Vinyl replied with the shake of her head and a few more gestures. “Vinyl says that Lightning sometimes goes to a nearby house to partake in drugs,” Octavia translated with a scowl that strongly communicated her displeasure. “Vinyl has accompanied her there before—she no longer partakes, thank you—and she remembers the address.” Vinyl scribbled down an address on a sheet of notepaper and handed it to Applejack. Applejack studied the note and nodded. “I know the place,” she stated grimly. “It’s close by.” “Hold on! What about Thunder?” Fluttershy cried, turning back to the door. The sounds of Thunder’s yipping and scratching could still be heard from within. “We do not have a spare key,” Octavia admitted. “And the superintendent is on vacation and is not due back for another two days, I’m afraid.” Fluttershy fretted in place for a few moments, then darted into Vinyl and Octavia’s apartment with an “Excuse me!” Carefully treading around the collected vinyl albums and the expensive cello in the stand, easily the most valuable item in the room, Fluttershy flung open a window and flew out into the warm evening air, quickly swooping around to the back of Lightning Dust’s apartment. Trying the windows and finding them all locked, she pressed her nose up against the glass and peered inside. Lightning’s apartment made the pigs at Sweet Apple Acres look positively neat. Magazines, towels, and clothes were thrown into every corner. Posters of the Wonderbolts were plastered over the walls and dirty dishes obscured the kitchen. An open door revealed that what used to be the bedroom appeared to have been converted into a home gym, judging by the stacks of weights scattered about and the makeshift canvas punching bag hanging from the ceiling. An air mattress stuffed into the corner covered in rumpled sheets served as a bed. The more Fluttershy looked, the more she saw. Stacked in one corner of the room were various books on Wonderbolts history and flight techniques, but they were so buried under comics and dishes that Fluttershy doubted that they'd been touched in months. Laying on the mattress were several papers, half-covered in scrawled writing. Closer examination revealed that they were Wonderbolt applications and practice examinations, all of them half-completed. Another open door revealed the bathroom, which was thankfully acceptably clean, but Fluttershy's eyes were drawn to a single detail: a spiderweb of cracks spreading from the center of the mirror, rendering the entire glass surface useless. Judging by the red stains in the center of the anomaly, it looked like somepony had punched the mirror. Thunder saw her at the window and ran up, yipping and wagging his tail. Fluttershy glanced around and let out a relieved sigh when she saw the half-full bowl of kibble and a bowl of clean water in the corner, next to some sheets of newspaper. “Don’t worry, Thunder,” she spoke through the window to the panting terrier. “We’ll find Lightning and bring her home for you.” Fluttershy returned inside via her original route, apologizing to Octavia and Vinyl as she passed by. “Let’s go try to find Lightning,” she said to her friends. “The sooner we get her home, the better.” “Thanks for the help,” Rara said to Octavia. “And that cello music was lovely! Do you play professionally?” “Thank you,” Octavia bowed with a smile. “Vinyl and I are both collaborating on new forms of music. I understand you are in charge of music at the Apple Pie?” “We’re always looking for new talents!” Rara cried with a bright smile. “If you—” “Rara!” Applejack called from the landing. “Oh, sorry,” Rara said. “Got to go. We’ll talk later!” “Good luck!” Octavia and Vinyl both waved as the group descended the stairs and headed back out into the crisp summer evening. The address Vinyl gave them corresponded to a rundown two-story building that used to be a restaurant. The red paint peeled from the walls; most of the windows were boarded up, a few having some glass shards clinging stubbornly to the frames. Inside the slightly rotten frame stood a thick metal door, immediately drawing the eye for being obviously newer than the rest of the house. “Oh, no, is this place still running?” Fluttershy cried. “Apparently,” Applejack scowled. “Why can’t the police just shut it down?” “I’m sure that they’re trying, love, but they have to follow the law,” Rara said soothingly. “They can’t just barge in on a suspicion.” “I’m guessing that this is, like, a staple of the drug scene?” Tree Hugger asked, frowning at the building. “This drug house has been here for years,” Fluttershy explained. “The police sometimes come and raid it, but it’s always been back up and running within a month.” “They oughta just raze this place to the ground,” Applejack growled. “The dealers would just move somewhere else,” Tree said calmingly. “Let it go, dude; it’s out of your hooves. We’re just trying to find Lightning Dust and get her home.” “Right,” Applejack nodded. “Let’s do this.” She, Tree Hugger, and Rara proceeded across the street to the door. Fluttershy hesitated for a few moments, then followed them. Applejack knocked at the door. A slat in the door opened up to reveal a pair of narrowed eyes. “Who’re you?” “We’re looking for a friend,” Tree Hugger said. “I hear she’s here, trying out the top-notch product here.” One of the thick eyebrows raised. Tree reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small bag that jingled. The pony stared for a few seconds longer, then the slat slammed shut. A moment later, there came the sound of several locks unlatching. The door opened wide, revealing a tall gray griffon setting a shotgun aside. The hallway within was grungy, the bare floor and walls covered in dirt and other filth. A skinny pony lay against the wall, red-streaked eyes staying at the ceiling; both of his forelegs were adorned with fresh track marks. A putrid scent of despair and decay emanated from the house. “Well, let’s go,” Applejack said, entering the house. Rara cringed but followed her marefriend inside. But Fluttershy hesitated. She kept her eyes on the griffon, who glared back at her, slowly reaching a claw towards his weapon. Fluttershy gulped and took a step back. “Flutters? You coming?” Tree asked. “I, uh…” Fluttershy retreated. “It’s okay, dude,” Tree said, placing a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “We’re all gonna be together. And we gotta find Lightning.” Fluttershy paused for a beat, then took in a deep breath. “Okay.” She proceeded into the house, lowering her head in submission before the guard. She felt the griffon’s eyes on her every step of the way. Tree gave the sentry a small smile as they passed. “Turquoise pegasus with yellow mane, lightning bolt cutie mark,” Applejack was saying to the pony laying on the floor. “You seen her?” The stallion stared at her for several seconds, then slowly raised a hoof and pointed up a set of stairs. “Thanks,” Applejack said, leading the group up the creaking stairs. The combining stenches grew stronger as they ascended the steps to the second floor, causing all four mares to cough as they tried to avoid the worst of the filth clinging to every surface. At the top of the landing, they found themselves in a wide-open area; almost all of the walls had been torn down to make the entire second floor a single room. Ponies lay sprawled across the floor, some laying on mattresses, some curled up in corners or huddled up in somnambulant puddles, murmuring and giggling softly. The cloying miasma of fuel, chemicals, and body odor hung heavy in the air. Looking around, Fluttershy suddenly felt a crushing weight pressing on her chest, briefly halting her progress. She felt like she was walking through a battlefield, studying the wounded and dying who had been left behind by the enemy. There were more than a dozen here, and this was just one house. What difference did one pony make? She shook herself out of that train of thought. She couldn't save every sick or injured animal in Ponyville, but she still had a duty to save who she could. And she could save Lightning Dust. Maybe. “There she is,” Tree Hugger said, pointing to a turquoise mare laying on a mattress with her back to the door. A cracked mirror lay on the floor next to her, with a single line of red powder and a straw on top of it. Fluttershy trotted over to Lightning and shook her shoulder gently. “Lightning Dust? Lightning?” Lightning groaned and rolled over, blinking her red-streaked eyes heavily. “Fluttershy?” she moaned, reaching up a hoof and clumsily booping Fluttershy with a slightly crooked smile. “Hey, dude. You here to try some of this good shit?” “We’re here to get you home, Lightning,” Fluttershy said. “You left Thunder alone at home, he misses you.” “Thunder? Shit,” Lightning mumbled, slowly sitting up and shaking her head. “I’d better get home to my little dude...lemme just…” She took up the straw and bent over the mirror, inserting the straw into her nostril. “Lightning, no,” Tree said, pulling the mirror away. “That’s not gonna help you any, dude.” “Hey! Give it back!” Lightning protested, flailing feebly at the mirror. “Lightning, you’ve had enough,” Fluttershy said gently, pulling her away from the drugs. “We’ve got to get you home.” “Fuck off! Give it back!” Lightning snarled, pulling away from Fluttershy. Heads began to turn in their direction. “Lightning, listen to me,” Fluttershy said gently. “Thunder is waiting for you, and you have work tomorrow.” “Taking more of this is just gonna make you worse, dude,” Tree said, setting the mirror out of reach. “Who the fuck do you think you are?!” Lightning snapped, shoving Fluttershy off her. “My folks, always thinking that they could just tell me what not to do?! Well, you’re not, so fuck off!” “Lightning, listen—” Fluttershy started to protest. Her argument was interrupted by Lightning’s hoof crashing into Fluttershy’s jaw. The world spun and Fluttershy crashed to the floor, her entire face burning with pain, tears forming in her eyes. “So what if I fuck up my life?!” Lightning screamed at them as Tree and Rara both rushed to Fluttershy’s side. “So what if I use drugs, so what if I’m stuck in some delivery job shit?! So what if I leave Thunder alone for a few hours just cause I need to destress a bit?! He’s got food and water, he’s fine!” “Lightning, listen—” Applejack started to snap, striding forward. Another punch from Lightning crashed into Applejack’s face, staggering the farmpony and knocking her hat from her head. “You want some more?!” Lightning shouted, her face twisted in fury. "Come on! I ain't got shit to lose!" “Okay,” Fluttershy said, rising and raising a hoof placidly. “Okay. We’re leaving.” “But—” Applejack started to say. “No, Applejack,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head to clear it. “This isn’t a good time. We should just go.” Lightning shot them all a glare, then tossed herself down on the mattress, her back to them. She reached a hoof to the mirror, taking up the straw and poppydust once more. The four mares hesitated for a moment, then started to retreat to the rickety stairs. “You okay?” Rara asked Applejack, retrieving her hat. “I’m fine,” Applejack grunted in a voice that indicated that she wasn’t, replacing her hat. “Let’s get some ice on that when we get home,” Tree Hugger said, wincing at the bruise that was forming on Fluttershy’s jaw. Fluttershy nodded as they proceeded to the landing of the stairs. Pausing at the step, she turned and looked back at Lightning Dust. The pegasus was still laying on her side, her back to them all. But as the four started down the stairs, Fluttershy swore that she heard a stifled sniffling.