It wasn't every day that Applejack woke up feeling like dead weight.
The morning sun would find her awake, but motionless in her bed. She stared blankly up at the ceiling, her eyes bloodshot and virtually lifeless. Underneath her lower lid, there were markings to serve as indication of the tears shed. Locks of her mane were in a scattered mess, strewn all over the pillow she lay her head on. Not even the thick sheets could shut out the cold and numb feeling that was rendering her immobile right now. But even that was overridden by the burning ache within her chest, which screamed out to her more than any injury could've. It was the feeling of remorse after realizing what had happened before, self-loathing due to words that she couldn't take back, and helplessness knowing that there was nothing that could be done.
In her righteous fury, she had told Apple Bloom a refusal to acknowledge her as a sister from that point forward. She would have never thought worry and concern over someone else would come to such heartbreaking results. But now, she could guarantee that the filly wanted nothing more than to avoid even looking at her, let alone talk to her again. Not only that, but she was certain Granny Smith and Big Macintosh heard every scream exchanged between the two sisters. What would they think of her now, having so callously detached herself from the youngest sibling like that? She knew that she had made a big mistake, and now, it may have just cost her something very dear to her. It was one of the few times she found herself feeling an emotion she'd never thought herself to be capable of – fear.
Why would she dare to even bother getting out of bed? It would mean having to face down Apple Bloom and her family again after what had transpired. It would mean facing her friends with a subdued and sullen heart, for she knew she could never keep up a facade. They would realize what happened immediately, judge her for doing what she did and cast her out from the close circle they had formed. But all of it would exist because she had willed it to, unwillingly or not. It would have been better if she could just stay asleep until all of it blew over and passed with time. But, she wasn't naive to believe that could ever be true. She knew that she would have to get up and face the music, no matter how much it hurt.
This was solidified by a knock on the door – something that made the mare jump up to a sitting position very quickly.
“Applejack?” Big Macintosh's voice called from the outside. “You awake?” By this particular time, she would have already been awake and running around, ready for work. Only part of the usual had been fulfilled.
“Yeah, you can come in!” She shouted back, wincing at how hoarse her tone was. She coughed and cleared her throat a few times in an attempt to resolve this remedy as the door was slowly opened up, sliding herself out of bed. After shaking her head to get rid of the morning haze, she raised her head up to look at her brother and put on a smile. “How long have I slept in?”
“Only for a few minutes...” Big Macintosh drawled, pushing the door shut with a gentle kick as soon as he stepped completely inside. “Usually, you're up and about before the rest of us have time to even open our eyelids. Couldn't help but think something was up.” That brought Applejack a bit of guilty relief. So far, he was making it clear that he hadn't been aware of the argument.
“Are Apple Bloom and Granny Smith awake yet?”
“Granny's downstairs making breakfast...”
Applejack's heart immediately skipped a beat when Big Macintosh paused, a flicker of hesitation within those sap green eyes. A bit of her facade broke, and she couldn't help the slight tension within her voice as she asked the question. “And Apple Bloom?”
The next words spoken would be enough to shatter her mask.
“She's up and gone, Applejack. I just got done checking her room--”
That was all that could be said before the orange mare starting making a run towards him, her eyes wide and pupils dilated.
Abruptly, Big Macintosh found himself swinging around and grabbing Applejack's tail with his teeth as she attempted to bolt past him, quickly digging in his hooves. Despite her own physical strength, he had a much bigger and better muscular build than she did. So once he latched on, he was no different from an anchor holding down a ship. No matter how much she fought against him, he remained stubbornly in place.
“Let me go, Mac!” Applejack snarled, very tempted to buck him in the face. “You don't know what kind of horrible I done did last night! I've got to to get her!”
“I,” Big Macintosh had to make sure his teeth was clenched tightly to hold the clusters of her tail strands within his mouth as he spoke to her. “I couldn't exactly ignore the fact that you two were crowing as loud as the morning rooster!”
And just like that, the fire defused. Applejack immediately stopped struggling, her body freezing up as the words sank in. Her muscles relaxed, and her figure seemed to sink a little. Big Macintosh took this as a cue to release her tail, regarding her with a composed expression. She turned her head to look over at her shoulder at him, shock and confusion written on her countenance. When she didn't say anything, he took it as a cue to continue.
“I happened to be coming from the bathroom when I heard it. I couldn't help but eavesdrop, and I heard quite a lot, to say the least.”
“E...even the end of it?” Applejack nearly whimpered, to which Big Macintosh nodded solemnly.
“Eeyup...”
Silence. The two siblings just stared at one another for what seemed like the longest time. Applejack's ears dropped low, and she looked as if she was about to break into tears all over again. Big Macintosh simply regarded her with his usual look, although there was clear concern within his eyes. The only thing that broke the silence was the chirping of the birds. It would feel like an eternity before one of them spoke again.
“...well? Aren't you going to say it?”
Big Macintosh blinked in confusion. “Well... what?”
Applejack plopped herself down on her haunches, her eyes closed and her head bowed in a shamed manner. “Go on and say it.” She said bitterly. “I'm a monster. I'm a hardheaded fool who couldn't learn to keep her mouth from spitting too much and too far. I told Apple Bloom she was a dead little sister to me, after trying my best to look out for her. You and Granny Smith probably think I'm a lowlife piece of trash. So go on. Say what you need so I can go out and start this oh so beautiful day...”
“Applejack...” Big Macintosh began softly, walking towards her and placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Stop talking like that. You ain't a monster...”
“Then what am I?” Applejack abruptly raised her head back up, glaring into his eyes with conviction. “I'm certainly not the sister I was supposed to be!”
“We all make mistakes.” Big Macintosh answered readily and in a matter-of-fact tone. “We're all gonna have arguments like this sooner or later. Even family's gotta scuffle between each other now and again, and I know both of you well enough to know when you say things you don't mean.” As he watched Applejack's expression slowly transition from anger to confusion, he put on a small smile. “You may be a bit too wild for your own good sometimes, but you certainly ain't no monster...”
There was a brief silence. Applejack, under the calming words of her brother, seemed to have pushed all of her self-resentment away from her to trade it for a helpless weariness. “W... where is she now?” She questioned, slowly standing back up on her hooves.
Big Macintosh slowly shook his head. “Not sure. But considering last night, I doubt she'd allow herself to go very far. Think it'd be best to give her some space as of now...”
~Grisaille~
Thankfully, within the household of Twilight Sparkle, things had not escalated past the incident last night. No more nightmares had plagued Pinkie through its course, and consequently, all three of them had been allowed to sleep without consequence. However, Twilight lost a bit of it worrying about how to help Pinkie through this. Although she had been lucky enough not to have any more episodes, she knew that luck would not last forever. It was a right thing to put all of her hopes on the visit her friends would make, but would it be enough?
So with that basis of thinking, it wasn't unexpected for the unicorn to feel discombobulated upon waking up.
But what she didn't expect was the aroma of blueberry pancakes to enter her nostrils the moment she opened her eyes.
“Huh...?” With a confused groan, she sat herself up onto the couch and blinked a few times, trying to get the sleep out of her eyelids. Usually, she was the morning cook of the household, considering that Spike was a late riser. He was still a baby dragon, after all, and he needed more rest than she did – especially in a situation like this. But apparently, today was an exception for him. “I guess this must be the start of a good day...”
“Ahem!”
The sound of Pinkie clearing her throat abruptly brought Twilight out of her haze and desired attention. In her hooves, she held a tray complete with an assorted breakfast typical for the every day. There was a plate with a hot and steaming stack of five blueberry pancakes smothered in maple syrup, a tall glass of orange juice at its left flank, and a saucer with slices of two skinned kiwi fruit on its right flank. In the aroma of the food, Twilight nearly forgot who was standing in front of her with the food... that is, until Pinkie started giggling.
“Wow, Twilight, I didn't expect you to be that hungry!”
Twilight was now aware of the drool dripping down the corner of her slightly agape mouth and just why Pinkie was trying to keep herself from laughing up a storm. A slight flush came over her cheeks, and she cleared her throat as she recomposed herself. “Pinkie, I thought I told you to--”
“Not to come down here again?” Pinkie finished, smiling a bit sheepishly. “Well, see, I was thinking about that, and I really wanted to abide by what a good friend specifically told me to do, but then I started thinking about the fact that you were taking care of me even though you already have Spike to deal with, so I wanted to make it up to you by making the two of you breakfast!” She finished with a widening of her smile, with an audible “squee” to emphasize. It wasn't something that could keep Twilight irritated forever, and it didn't take long for the slightly stern expression to soften.
“Well,” She said, trailing off as she pondered. “I guess I can let you off just this one time.” With her magic, she levitated the tray away from Pinkie Pie's hooves and set it on the couch beside her. A smile came across her own face as she looked at the assortment of food. “I mean, you did work so hard on this. How can I complain?” She glanced over at Pinkie with a quirked eyebrow. “Though, where's Spike's?”
“Oh! I'm working on his still, but don't worry, it won't take long-- huh?”
Pinkie abruptly transitioned to slight confusion when she heard a faint “Mmmm” come from behind her. As she turned her attention towards the source, she could see the baby dragon following the vapor of aroma that made a path to the kitchen. A goofy smile was on his face and his eyes were closed, indicating that he wasn't aware of the mares' presence. Although Twilight regarded the scene with slight bewilderment, Pinkie seemed to disapprove of it entirely.
“Hey!” She promptly waved her hoof to disrupt the vapor, causing Spike to fall flat on his face. She ignored the surprised and annoyed “Ow!” that was emitted as a response. “You'll get your plate soon enough. You just sit here with Twilight and be patient!” Following that, she proceeded to follow her nose and ride the aroma herself, sporting the same goofy look that Spike had done. The said dragon was on his stomach with his chin in his hands, glaring at Pinkie as she made her exit.
“Ugh, you're such a... pig, Pinkie!”
Pinkie snorted all the way to the kitchen.
Twilight and Spike both burst into laughter, with the latter having immediately dismissed his negativity.
“And there's our favorite party pony!” The dragon said, once he had gotten over his mirth. He looked over at Twilight, trying his best to ignore the food that she was currently in the process of eating. “After last night, I didn't think she'd cheer up so quickly.”
“I wouldn't be so sure, Spike...” Twilight said, swallowing a bite of cake before allowing herself to talk again. “I mean, haven't you noticed something?”
Spike shrugged. “Like what?”
“Her mane and tail. They're usually poofy and what-not. From the moment she got here, they've been nothing but straight and down to earth – generally and figuratively speaking.”
Spike had to ponder this for a moment, which Twilight took to finishing the pancake she was on. He only needed a few seconds, and after that, he snapped his fingers in realization. “Oh! Right, I do remember one time when that happened! She was mentioning something about you guys not liking her parties and not wanting to be her friends anymore... or something along the lines of that. I don't remember.”
Twilight involuntarily shuddered a little. “Yeah. We really need to be careful of that when we do any future surprise birthday parties.” She muttered, shaking her head a little. “But my point is that her mane and tail only get like that when she's gloomy about something. We haven't taken care of what's bothering her yet until she tells all of us outright.” A slight frown came across her face as she was contemplating. “Though, I'm nervous. What if this simple visit doesn't work?”
“Ah, relax, Twi!” Spike waved a dismissive claw in reassurance. “Pinkie couldn't stay all gloomy and depressed even if she wanted to. She'll be fine in due time, I'm sure of it.”
Twilight sighed. “I hope so, Spike. I hope so...”
“In the meantime...” A mischievous grin came across Spike's face as he stood up and walked over to her, one of his claws readying to reach for one of Twilight's pancakes. “How about you do your number one assistant a most deserving favor and--”
“Ah, ah, ah, Spike!” Twilight abruptly cut him off, raising a hoof in order to stop him from getting too close. But she bore a smile of amusement. “I don't think Pinkie would like you trying to sneak food from off of my plate. She might be watching, after all...”
The grin on Spike's face immediately faltered, and he deflated rather quickly. “Aw, horseapples...”
~Grisaille~
Within the confines of the kitchen, the mood within the living room was a sharp contrast to the mood within the kitchen.
Pinkie was leaning over the sink with a hoof over her eyes, silent and still as the stove worked its magic beside her. She closed her eyes, running her hooves through her mane and exhaling a heavy, labored sigh. The moment she had entered the kitchen was also the moment that the reality of her situation gave her a brutal kick to her face. She knew that her friends would support her as best as they could, and she couldn't complain about that. But they weren't the ones that she had spent her childhood with, the ones that suffered so many hardships alongside of her and earned their living right beside her. She had been closer to her parents and sisters than she had been to anyone else. But now, thanks to a mistake that could have been avoided with ease, the connection had been broken. She could not think of a single way to reestablish connection.
She was trying her best to fight off such thoughts. But she couldn't help but wonder whether or not it had been a good thing Rainbow Dash pulled her from the snow. If she hadn't, then she wouldn't have had to deal with this problem. She wouldn't have to be afraid of her friends rejecting her because of her mistake. Sure, Twilight may have given her a small slimmer of hope. But she didn't know what the full picture was. Once it was out, she would be at the mercy of all. She didn't want them to think less of her because of this, no matter how dire it was. But what if she couldn't help that? It was the black death of her mind, and she wanted it so desperately to stop.
She took a look over at the stove. The pancakes were just about done, and the other assortments were already set up. She inhaled and exhaled in order to calm herself, trying her best to put a smile on her face. She reached over towards the pan in order to pull the fruits of her labor off of the oven.
The sound of a window's glass shattering would freeze her in her tracks.
She snapped her head just in time to see the small figure of a filly tumble onto the floor, emitting grunts and yelps as it did so. On its back were pieces of a hang glider, its foundation ruined by the attempt to squeeze through the window. On its face were goggles that were partially cracked thanks to the impact. The figure itself had suffered several scratches and bruises on its way inside, but it was nothing serious. Eyes of gamboge quickly surveyed the area before locking on to the surprised Pinkie, expressing just as much shock and awe. But it only lasted for a moment, before the gaze as well as a growing smile turned sheepish.
“A...Apple Bloom?” Pinkie blinked a few times. “Why are you--”
The kitchen door abruptly swung open, once again cutting her off.
“Pinkie! What's going--” Twilight's voice began, but the demand was cut off once the source laid eyes on the filly that was laying on the ground. Then, the slap of a hoof against a face followed soon after. “Ugh. Apple Bloom, if you wanted in, you could have just knocked on the door!” This prompted an embarrassed blush on Apple Bloom's face, which only intensified once Spike ran into the room. All he needed to do was take one look at the scene before laughing, earning an annoyed groan and a roll of the eyes from Apple Bloom.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, baby lizard...” She grumbled, sitting herself and taking off what remained of the hang-glider. As she slid the goggles off of her head, she regarded Twilight with a sheepish gaze. “Real sorry about the window, Twilight, I... guess I just wasn't thinking that one through.”
Twilight sighed. “It's no problem. Just... try not to do that again, all right?” She walked over to the pieces of glass, using her magic in order to reconstitute the window. “What was so important that you had to crash through my kitchen window just to get in?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Spike quickly run back into the living room after he regained his ability to breathe properly, but she paid no mind to it.
Apple Bloom faltered a little. “Well, it's...” She began, but stopped herself. She seemed very hesitant all of a sudden, trying to figure out the right words to say. This seemed to garner the attention of Pinkie, who had remained silent and now became curious over the matter. “I just... you see...” It was becoming very clear to all of them that she couldn't find the right wording for it, or at least a way to make the words less harsh. It wasn't long before she gave up, going for the blunt route.
“Okay, fine. I had a bit of a fall-out with my sister and I might need a place to hide out, for a few days... or a week... or two...” While in the midst of explaining possible time, she sank to her stomach with her hind legs tucked in and one foreleg folded over the other. She had averted her gaze away from Twilight, looking sullen and ashamed for even bringing up the request.
If anything, Twilight looked very baffled at the suggestion. “H-Hide out?” She repeated. “But why would you need to--”
“I don't want to talk about it. Can you help me or not?” Apple Bloom said snappishly, her stubbornness very clear. Twilight pursed her lips together at the show of rudeness, but chose to hold her tongue on that matter.
“Well... for one thing, why did you come here, specifically? I mean, maybe one of the others could--”
“Fluttershy's having enough trouble with her animals, and Rarity's probably got her hooves full with Sweetie Belle.” Apple Bloom interrupted. “I didn't want to give them any more hassle than I have to...”
“Look, Apple Bloom,” Twilight said firmly, frowning sternly. “I've got my hooves full, too. Pinkie's already in my care and she's still very much under the weather,” She shot a pointed look at the pink pony. “Despite her happening to be up right now. I'm sorry, but--”
“Oh, come on, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie whined, immediately moving up behind Apple Bloom before the latter knew what happened. She scooped the filly up in her hooves and held her up to Twilight, who mirrored the filly with surprised expressions. “Look at her! She's come all this way to ask a favor of you! How could you say no to this adorable and pleading face?” For emphasis, she followed up with a pouting lip, which in turn was followed by Apple Bloom attempting to emphasize this with an awkward smile.
“Pinkie, why on Earth would you want to help her do this?” Twilight was quick to round on the pink pony for it. “If we go through with this and Applejack finds out, she'll think we'll be taking sides against her in whatever the subject of argument is between the two. I already saw her get angry when she assumed Apple Bloom was kidnapped, and trust me when I say I don't want to see that again!”
“I'm sure Applejack just needs to cool off, that's all!” Pinkie Pie insisted. “After all, I don't think she's somebody to remain angry at anyone for long, especially her family!”
“Yeah, right...” Apple Bloom muttered under her breath. Thankfully and miraculously, neither one of the mares picked it up.
After regarding the two of them for a few moments, Twilight gave a heavy sigh of aggravation. “Fine, fine! She can stay here, too. But might I remind you that Applejack and the others are going to be coming here later on in the day, and I'm not going to be responsible if she catches her little sister here!”
“No problem, Twi!” Pinkie answered readily, putting on her brightest smile as she slipped Apple Bloom on her back. “By the way, those pancakes should be done by now. You can take them off the fridge and ready them for Spike.” She trotted away from the purple unicorn, humming a tune to herself as she opened up and closed the door behind her. But following afterward, her loud gasp could be heard.
“Spike! I made those specifically for Twilight! Why would you do that?”
“Who cares? She's got mine anyway.”
This was followed by the sound of a hoof smacking against what was presumably against a certain dragon's skull, followed by an exclamation of “Ow!” and Apple Bloom's snickers. Twilight could only roll her eyes, turning her attention to the pan holding what had been Spike's food. As she set to preparing her plate, she couldn't help but wonder why exactly Pinkie had been so quick to decide they should help out. This was a family issue, after all, and getting involved would've most likely only worsened things. Matter of fact, it would have been better to remain stubborn and make Apple Bloom return back to Applejack.
“Why did you come?”
But even so, those four words she had believed to hear Apple Bloom speak was starting to unnerve her greatly. Even if it was family business, she still couldn't help but worry about the weight of those words. What if Applejack couldn't solve it? What if Apple Bloom was actually thinking about prematurely ending her life? She could easily chalk the reasoning for her dreads up to a lot of paranoia and stress. But no matter what she personally thought, she understood that it was still a possibility.
Maybe Pinkie had something in mind for the filly...
As soon as she got to the last stair, Pinkie abruptly swung a foreleg over her mouth as she burst into a brief but intense coughing fit. Every cough made her body jolt, nearly making Apple Bloom fall over in the process. Reflexively, the filly began to slap at Pinkie in an attempt to help relieve the sick mare faster. Neither of them were sure that was even working, but it wasn't long before Pinkie managed to get herself together once again.
“Are you sure that I won't get,” Apple Bloom began, becoming more and more wary of Pinkie and her status. However, she was quick to retract her statement before it could be finished. “Oh, who am I kidding? If you don't mind, maybe you can direct some of those whooping calls my way, Pinkie.”
“Why... would I do that, silly?” Pinkie asked, somewhat confused. “I wouldn't want you to get sick, too! I mean, why would I want that when I'm trying to help you out?” A sigh escaped Apple Bloom as a response, but she couldn't help but pass a curious and somewhat suspecting look at the back of Pinkie's head.
“Speaking of “help”, you seemed real ready to say yes to Twilight. Why is that?”
Pinkie paused for a brief moment, and Apple Bloom immediately assumed that whatever suspicions to be had were confirmed. But that thought was shot away at the next choice of words. “Well, you seemed really... sad.” She said, trying to pick out the right words for explanation. “And I don't just mean “your ice cream fell out of your cone on the ground” kind of sad. I mean “your favorite puppy accidentally got trampled by a runaway carriage” kind of sad, you know?”
With each and every word, Apple Bloom looked more and more pained. “A...am I really that obvious?” She attempted to joke, but the somewhat upset tone of her voice masked any sort of humor she could attempt to conjure up.
“Mhm!” Pinkie nodded. “So I'm going to do whatever it takes to cheer you up, put a smile on that canary face of yours!”
Apple Bloom scowled, turning away from Pinkie. “Didn't I say before that I didn't want to ta--” However, she stopped herself mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she registered what had been said to her. “W-wait a minute. Canary?” She slapped forehooves to her cheeks, her face heating up slightly. “I'm not that yellow!”
“Yes, you are!” Seeing an opportunity to fulfill her objective, Pinkie allowed a mischievous smile to cross her face as she continued what was to be a rather playful argument. Once she reached the door to Twilight's bedroom, she opened it and stepped inside. Apple Bloom, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice even as the door was shut behind them.
“No, I'm not!”
“Yes you are!”
“Well, at least I don't look like a walking pile of... bubble gum!”
“Hey!” Pinkie said indignantly, prompting a triumphant grin to cross Apple Bloom's face. But once again, she would be surprised. “I prefer the term “cotton candy”. A walking pile of cotton. Candy!”
“Nope. You're bubble gum.”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yeah-huh!”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yeah-huh!”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yeah-huh!”
“Yeah-huh!”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yeah-huh!”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yeah-huh!”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yeah-huh!”
“Darn it, Pinkie!” The assumption of Apple Bloom being unaware that they had crossed into Twilight's room would be proven false when she leaped off of Pinkie's back and moved herself around so that she was directly facing the mare. Gamboge eyes stared into cerulean with defiance, and she even stomped her hoof in emphasis of her position. “When I say you're not, you're not!”
“Okey-dokey-lokey!” Pinkie said cheerfully, leaping onto the bed and plopping on her back. “You're always right!”
“Of course I a-- huh?” What would've been a smug look on Apple Bloom's face was immediately wiped away when she began to register what they both had just said. What replaced the expression was enough to make Pinkie Pie burst with laughter, much to the filly's chagrin. “Hey, wait a minute!”
“Too late! No take backs!”
“Ugh!” With a protesting groan, Apple Bloom fell on her haunches, folding her forelegs and pouting. However, as Pinkie Pie continued to laugh and snort, she soon found herself starting to give way with chuckles and snickers of her own. It wasn't long before she gave way to full blown laughter herself. Within a situation like hers, it was very refreshing and almost foreign in a sense. But it was also very welcoming, providing at least a temporary source of confidence. Pinkie Pie could understand this with ease, if the stop of her laughter and the keeping of her grin was any indication.
“See? If we're off to a start like that, then I think cheering you up won't be that much of a problem at all!”
That made Apple Bloom stop herself, regarding Pinkie Pie with surprise. As she continued to stare, she couldn't help but slowly regain her own smile. For a moment, her troubles had lifted off of her shoulders and into the air, freeing her of her burden. Maybe hanging around the party pony would do her some good out of this mess.
“Yeah... not a problem...”