//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: Peppermill's Sick Daze // by Mr Merritt //------------------------------// It took something incredibly substantial to keep Applejack away from her bucking duties at Sweet Apple Acres. Having her ill younger brother somehow successfully leave the farmhouse and get to the town library without any other Apple pony noticing was beyond substantial… “Honestly…Applejack. I promise…not to do it…again.” “Ah know sugarcube. But ah ain’t about to take any chances with you. And fer the record Applebloom and the rest of yer friends are under orders to watch out fer ya.” Peppermill, bundled in a quilt and burrowed into one end of the chesterfield in Sweet Apple Acres’ living room, gave a tired sigh. Applejack, who was leafing through the pages of a book but not actually reading it, sat on the opposite side. I wonder if…this constant guarding…is what Saltpeter is…going through…in the sanitarium. Though I…don`t think I am…the same kind of…sick that he is pondered the colt silently. He was just about to give into his fatigue when a knock on the front door caused both him and the mare to look up. “Hello?” called out Applejack. “It’s me and the girls. Can we come in?” came Twilight Sparkle’s voice. “Come on in. The more the merrier…” Moments later all of the Elements of Harmony were gathered in the room. “So wut bring you gals around here? Does Equestria need savin’ again?” smiled the blond mare. “Actually, we’re here because of Peppermill.” explained Twilight Sparkle. “Well, I appreciate the offer of help but I reckon I can watch over him myself.” “Now with…that blind spot…that Stetson…gives you.” Peppermill quipped from the chesterfield, which made the mare in question glare at him and the others to stifle giggles. “Heh, I see your silver tongue still works.” chuckled Rainbow Dash. “I noticed something the other day when Peppermill was at the library.” explained Twilight, quickly changing the subject. “I would like to perform an experiment before I finalize my theory on his sickness and any potential cures.” “This isn’t…going to involve…having to go into…the library basement, will it?” asked Peppermill. He recalled hearing from Pinkie Pie about some of the strange machines that the lavender mare kept there. “Don’t worry, this experiment can be done here.” smiled the unicorn. The set up only took a few minutes, resulting in the colt in the middle of the floor surrounded by the six mares. “Okay Peppermill, I want you to pay close attention to how you are feeling and make note of any changes you experience.” requested Twilight. “Very well…” With that Twilight produces a clipboard and quill. “All right Pinkie, you are first.” The bubble gum pink mare bounced over to Peppermill and proceeded to envelop the colt in a huge hug. Since this was not an uncommon event (Pinkie pretty much hugged him whenever she saw him to begin with…in fact, given half a chance she would hug any pony she came across) Peppermill didn’t think much about it. As much as he wanted to return the gesture though, he simply couldn’t find the strength to even lift his forelegs. He settled for enjoying the warmth and scent of baked goods that seemed to follow the mare. All too soon, Pinkie released her hold and took her place back among her friends. “Next!” announced Twilight. To the colt’s growing puzzlement the vivacious fashionista Rarity sauntered to the center of the circle and embraced him. Despite having developed a strong bond with him and the mare, Peppermill would never have expected her to willingly touch a sick pony no matter how much she might have cared for him. And yet… The slightest hint of perfume tickled the colt’s nose, and a vivid memory of his own lost mother came into his mind. The softness and warmth of the mare, both in nubile body and generous heart, touched the colt deeply. So absorbed in the pleasant sensation, Peppermill almost didn’t notice that for the first time that day he was no longer shivering. “It’s your turn now Fluttershy.” Peppermill hid a flicker of resentment towards Twilight for ending the embrace with Rarity. Within moments the unicorn had been replaced by the yellow Pegasus mare. “Um…I’m not holding you too tight am I?” asked Fluttershy in her usual whisper. “No…I’m fine.” the colt sighed. He knew it was entirely possible that the mare had caught his brief moment of annoyance, and erroneously thought she was at fault. Naturally he felt a pang of guilt at this, as any pony in the same situation would. He tried to relax, hoping it might calm the mare down. But he found his task tricky due to the fact that a bit of the mare’s luxuriant pink mane was threatening to make him sneeze. “Hmmm…” As Peppermill struggled in his task not to sneeze, Twilight’s full and undivided attention was on her private observations. So far her ‘theory’ was proving accurate, but she reminded herself that the experiment was only half over. “Okay Applejack, whenever you are ready.” Fluttershy murmured an unnecessary apology as the Apple mare stepped forward. For the first time that morning since this ‘experiment’ began, Peppermill was genuinely curious. He had discovered that for all of the honesty, love and loyalty he experienced as an Apple physical signs of affection were surprisingly rare. And of course…she smells of apples thought Peppermill as the mare put her strong forelegs around him. And…sweat apparently. But the thing that stuck in his mind was that unlike the other mares, Applejack had an undeniable solidness to her. The colt could feel all of the muscle that Applejack had proudly developed through a lifetime of apple bucking. Peppermill could genuinely see why a number of stallions in town tended to solicit him for whether or not she had a special somepony, as she was…well…attractive in a way. … … … Dear Celestia…I must be sicker…than I thought. Maybe…I should talk to….Big Macintosh about…this. “Um, Applejack?” It was Twilight’s voice that broke out Peppermill out of his minor concern for his…hormones. It also caused him to realize that the embrace his was receiving from his older sister was lasting considerably longer than that of the other mares. In fact, the others were beginning to look a bit concerned at just how long it was lasting. “Applejack, darling, a little decorum please.” requested Rarity. This comment seemed to finally snap the Apple mare out of whatever had been consuming her thoughts, and she sheepishly released the colt. “Ahm sorry about that folks. It’s just…ah kinda realized I ain’t really done something lahk this with Peppermill before. Huggin’ I mean…” “Apples are…judicious with…their words and…their affections.” said Peppermill, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly at his elder sibling. “Eyup.” chuckled Applejack with a smile. “That’s okay Applejack. It won’t be that much longer. Now it is my turn.” announced Twilight Sparkle. If Peppermill was surprised by Applejack’s show of affection, he was even more taken back by the super smart unicorn’s willingness to take part in the experiment. But sure enough, the lavender mare stepped forward and embraced the colt. “Twilight?” he asked. “Yes?” “You didn’t…happen to go looking…for books on how…to hug before…this, did you?” Peppermill intended this as a joke, as he knew fully well how close she and Spike were. Still, he was rewarded when the mare responded in her typical serious response. “You know, there seems to be a surprising lack of material on the subject. That could be a good project for me after this is done…” You would do…something like that…wouldn’t you? For a mare whose most powerful feature was her mind, Twilight Sparkle’s body wasn’t lacking either. She was remarkably soft and warm, and for the second time that day the colt felt the pattern of relief followed by dismay when she had to finally release her hold. “And finally you Rainbow.” This…ought to be good. Even before she approached the colt, Rainbow Dash’s unease was palatable. While the brash mare was as eager to help as the rest of her friends, she was even less likely to show affection physically than Applejack was. She reached out awkwardly and seemed to hold Peppermill gingerly like a fragile package rather than a small pony. Her grip seemed to fluctuate from too tight to barely felt, almost as if she were afraid she might break him. As Peppermill sat there, noting that Rainbow Dash’s physique was similar to that of Applejack’s (and scolding himself at how much he seemed to like all the muscle embracing him) a thought occurred to him. It struck him as so funny, that he couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Unfortunately, his laugh came out as a cough, which threw Rainbow into a panic. “I swear I didn’t do anything!!!” she squawked, holding the colt out at foreleg’s length and her rose colored eyes wide with alarm. “It wasn’t…anything you did…Dash.” explained the colt once he caught his breath after his coughing fit. “I just had…a thought: here I am…surrounded and…being hugged by…six of the…most popular and…prettiest mares in…Ponyville. I can’t imagine…how many stallions…would do anything…to be in…my position.” As Peppermill had predicted, the reactions to his statement were varied. Pinkie Pie burst into a mix of giggles and snorts while Rarity merely gave an enigmatic smile in agreement. Poor Fluttershy looked like she wanted to find a hole to hide into, her cheeks burning bright despite trying to hide her face behind her mane. Applejack and Twilight Sparkle simply looked rather puzzled, while Rainbow looked like she had bitten into a lemon. “Aren’t you kind of young to be thinking about stuff like that?” grumbled Rainbow. “He isn’t that young darling.” remarked Rarity with amusement. “Can we get back to the experiment please?” asked Twilight, clearing her throat. “Okay Peppermill, did you notice anything while we went through the experiment? Any major changes in the way you felt?” “Hmmm…” Peppermill closed his eyes and tilted his head in thought. He ran back in his mind that last few minutes, trying to come up with an answer. Eventually, realization dawned on him. “The only time…I felt any better…was when you…or Rarity was close by. The others…I didn’t feel…the same way. Is that…important?” “That is exactly what I had hypothesized.” agreed Twilight in triumph. “I think I might know what the problem is, and how to help you.” “I didn’t doubt you would sugarcube” sighed Applejack in relief. “Egghead Lecture Mode Activate.” snickered Rainbow, recognizing the subtle change in Twilight’s posture. “As you are all well aware, Equestria is a world of magic. As such, magic in various forms and degrees can be found virtually everywhere. Even things that we normally wouldn’t consider traditional magical have absorbed enough traces of it to be noticed. That includes ponies…” “You mean, besides being able to fly or endurance?” questioned Fluttershy politely. “Exactly.” nodded the lavender mare. “Because of all this absorbed magic, everything can, to a degree, be affected by it. There have been more and more reports across the land about ‘magical illnesses’ being caught by ponies other than unicorns. I think that is what has happened to Peppermill.” “So, Peppermill has a magic cold? Neat!” chirped Pinkie. “Not exactly Pinkie. But the reason why his illness is lingering on for so long, not to mention the chills he has developed is due to it. That’s why standard medicines and cures aren’t working.” “So, how exactly are we supposed ta help him?” Applejack demanded. “As you heard, Peppermill felt better when he was in close contact with unicorns. I believe that a unicorn’s natural magic acts like…well…a natural curative. While I don’t have any numbers to crunch, I think that the more contact he has with unicorns will speed up the recovery process.” “How do you plan on getting a bunch of unicorns to come to Sweet Apple Acres?” questioned Rainbow Dash. “Oh I think you should be asking how you won’t keep the unicorns away darling.” remarked Rarity. “All of Ponyville respects the Apple clan. I’m sure once the news spreads that you need them to help poor Peppermill you’ll be overrun. Celestia knows that I would be happy to lend a hoof…once I get caught up on my workload. But I’m sure Sweetie Belle will be happy to help.” “Are you…that certain…about that?” questioned Peppermill. “Well, ah learned mah lesson long ago not to be afraid of askin’ fer help. I reckon there has got ta be some folks in town willing to help…” said Applejack. “We can all tell everypony! It’ll be like a big get well party!!” crowed Pinkie. “I would more than happy to arrange a schedule for the unicorn ponies that will come.” added Twilight. “Sounds good. I guess we’ll take all the help we can get. After all, didn’t some pony say something about needing a village to raise a colt?” In truth, Applejack had already began to hatch a plan that could take advantage of the situation…