Applejack looked at Tenna, suddenly putting a hoof on the table the she was sharing lunch with Tenna with. It had been about a week since Tenna had had breakfast with Tech and Twilight, and ever since then Applejack had sensed something... off about the grey pegasus.
“You okay hun? You’ve seemed a bit off ever since you spent the night at Twilight’s. Everything okay?”
Tenna looked up at the unexpected conversation, before looking back down at her food, nodding. “Ye-yeah, I’m fine. Everything is just... fine.” She lied.
Applejack just stared at her. “Sugarcube, you’re looking at the element of honesty. Ya can’t lie to me.”
Tenna nodded, not trusting herself to say anything.
Applejack shook her head slightly, putting her hoof over Tenna’s. “Tenna, you’ve been here almost two weeks now. One of these days you’re going to finally figure out you can trust me.” She said softly.
Tenna nodded again, still not saying anything.
The orange mare sighed. “Tenna, I’m serious about you not looking too good. Maybe you should go to the doctors.” She said, smiling at Tenna softly, conveying a look of concern across.
Tenna suddenly looked up, fear flashing across her face. “N-no, I’m fine. I do-don’t need to go to the doctors.” She insisted.
“Tenna, are you afraid to go to the doctors?” Applejack asked.
She shook her head violently. “N-no! I’m not afraid! And I don’t n-need to go to the doc-doctors.”
“Tenna, when was the last time you even went to the doctors?” Applejack asked, sensing that there was something being unsaid.
Tenna stood up suddenly. “Well, thanks for the lunch Applejack, but I promised Twilight that I would help out in the library this afternoon.” She said, moving towards the door in the kitchen, except for Applejack was already there.
“Woah there. Tenna, you’re going to the doctors, if only to get a checkup. I have a feeling that you’re long overdue.”
Tenna looked at Applejack, trying to judge her chances of getting around her.
Applejack just raised her eyes at her. “Do you really think that’ll work?”
Tenna looked past her, at the open door that Applebloom had probably left open, one last shred of hope in her mind.
She went for the open door, trying for freedom.
000
Applejack trotted through town, ignoring the looks she got from the ponies in the market square. She smiled and waved at them, and they just rolled their eyes and laughed. She continued on in this fashion until she spotted a very familiar blue pegasus flying down from the cloudline.
“Hey Applejack! What’s up- Uh... AJ. You do realize you have Tenna tied up on your back, right?” She asked, a confused look on her face.
Applejack nodded. “Yeah, I do. Tenna here is going to the doctor’s. She’s been off all week, and Ah’m worried about her health.”
The confused look on Dash’s face didn’t leave. “Then why...?”
Applejack chuckled at her expression. “Well, Tenna here didn’t want to have a checkup. So Ah’m taking her anyway.” She said, shrugging slightly.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. ”Only you Applejack.” She said, while shaking her head slightly. “Anyway, I just wanted to warn you that we had to schedule an unexpected storm this afternoon, so be home by then. This one’s gonna be a doozy.”
Applejack nodded. “Thanks for the warning Dash. I’ll be sure to get ready.” She said. “I’ll talk to you later then.” She turned and began to walk down the street.
Tenna lifted her head and looked at Rainbow Dash with pleading eyes. “Please help me...” She said, desperation in her voice.
Rainbow Dash shook her head and laughed. “I’m sorry Tenna, but when Applejack get’s out the rope, there ain’t nothing that can be done to help. Trust me on that.”
Tenna let out a small whimper as she hung her head again.
“How’d she end up like that anyway?” Rainbow asked, gesturing to Tenna again.
Applejack shook her head as she remembered the strange turn of events that had led up to it.
“Tenna, don’t even think about it.” Applejack warned, seeing the look in her eyes. She didn’t know why Tenna was afraid of the doctor, but it had to be something big for it to be this bad.
Tenna didn’t respond, sizing up her options. Her stance changing as she prepared to bolt forward. Applejack saw this and got ready to stop her.
Tenna suddenly burst forward and ran towards the orange mare, who just stood there, ready to take the brunt of the force, until Tenna did something unexpected.
Tenna ducked down and slid underneath the farmer into freedom, stumbling to her feet and running out the door. Applejack stared after her for a few seconds, her mind trying to piece together what had just happened.
When her mind caught up with current events, she sighed and called out to Applebloom. “Get mah rope Applebloom! Ah gots a pony to catch!”
She could hear some noises coming from upstairs, followed by hooves coming down to the first floor. Tossing the rope to her sister, Applebloom looked up at her sister.
“Who do ya have ta catch Applejack?” She asked.
“Somepony needs to go to the doctor’s office.” Applejack mumbled around the rope in her mouth, before running out the door after the grey streak going down the orchard road.
After running hard and almost catching up, she dropped one end of the rope and started swinging it around, the lasso end coming up. With a fancy flick of her rope, she sent it flying towards the unaware Tenna.
Latching onto her leg, Applejack gave a slight tug, tightening it around the leg, and started to drag the unwilling pony towards her.
“Let me go!” Tenna cried out, trying to kick the rope off her hind leg while trying to run.
“No can do sugarcube. We’ve got a doctor’s appointment to make.” Applejack said, reeling the pegasus in.
Applejack just looked at Rainbow Dash and sighed. “It’s a long story. How about I tell you tonight when the girls go out for dinner?” She asked.
“Oh yeah! I had completely forgotten about that. Sounds like a plan!”
The lump on Applejack’s back spoke up moodily. “I’m glad my pain and misfortune is funny to you girls.” She said, before falling back into silence.
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Well, ya should have thought about that before trying to run away after I had already caught you.” She replied back while Rainbow Dash tried to hide her laughter. All Applejack got in response was a slight kick to the back of her head.
“Hey, none of that, ya hear?” She said. “Well, I gotta go Rainbow. See ya tonight.”
As Dash took off into the sky again, Applejack turned back towards her destination.
The Ponyville General Medical Office. Tenna gulped as the building came into view.
000
The secretary looked up from her desk as a bell rang, signifying that another patient had just entered. She jumped a little in her seat and dropped her pen she had been holding in her magic. Pushing her glasses back up and regaining her composure, she looked towards the farmer.
“Uh, Applejack, I’m afraid I have to ask why you have a pony tied up on your back.” She said, nodding her head towards Tenna.
“She’s tied up to prevent any harm coming to her or anypony in the streets while coming here.” Applejack said, her face completely straight.
Tenna took this time to kick out her legs and struggle some more. “I-I wouldn’t hurt anypony!” She cried out, kicking Applejack in the back of her head again. Applejack just gave the secretary a stare. “See?”
She nodded slowly. “Okay then. Do you have an appointment?” She said, picking up some papers in her magic.
Applejack shook her head. “Ah’m afraid ah don’t. It was sorta a spur of the moment thing.”
She nodded again. “Well, I’ll tell the doctor that...” She paused, giving the pony on Applejack’s back a look of pity.
“She’s-” Applejack started, but was interrupted by another kick.
“I-I can tell her myself!” Tenna said stubbornly. “My name is Tenna.” She said as she tried to get free again, only managing to fall to the floor.
“Ouchie...” She squeaked.
The secretary nodded again. “Well, I’ll tell the doctor that Applejack is here with Tenna. Take a seat and she’ll be with you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you kindly.” Applejack said, reaching over and grabbing Tenna off the floor and depositing her in the chair next to where she was going to sit.
Tenna looked over at Applejack with a glare of death.
“When I get out of here...I... I’m...” She said, leaving the threat hanging.
Applejack shrugged. “Well, you’ll have to be the one to explain why I’m dead.” She said, giving Tenna a grin.
Tenna let out a small squeak of discomfort, and set her sights on trying to chew through the rope.
Applejack rolled her eyes. “That ain’t going ta work hun.”
Both sets of eyes suddenly looked up as the door to the doctor’s office burst open and a familiar green pony came flying through the doors.
“Applejack! Rainbow Dash said somepony had tied up Tenna and...” Tech took in the scene in front of him. Applejack sitting in a chair grinning widely, Tenna glaring daggers at her. Tenna suddenly looked at Tech, her expression turning into one of pleading.
“Tech, help me! She’s crazy! Get me out of here, please!” Tenna cried, begging Tech to help her.
The secretary looked up from her paperwork, before immediately looking down again, grinning slightly.
“Uh...” Was Tech’s only response for a minute, as he switched his gaze from Tenna to Applejack, and repeating the cycle again. Tenna looked pitiful, and did honestly seem a little scared, but Applejack...
Applejack had that look on her face that could only be interpreted as ‘Boy, I will tie you up next to her.’
Tech shook his head quickly. “Sorry Tenna. I may be friends with you, but Applejack isn’t above tying me up and sending my back to my parent’s via Ditzy Doo.” Tech shuddered as he remembered.
Applejack laughed at his reaction. “Oh, Tech, you were a small one back then, weren’t you.”
Tenna looked at Applejack, new fear in her eyes. Trying to scoot away from the crazy mare, she only succeeded in falling on her face again.
Tech started to back up through the still open doors. “Well, uh... I’ll see you later tonight then Tenna!” He said quickly as he rushed through the door.
Tenna rolled over to her side, crying out in desperation. “Nooo! Tech, don’t leave me! You can’t leave me with this crazy pony!” She yelled at the retreating figure. She struggled before her expression turned angry. “Tech! You traitor!”
Applejack just shook her head in amusement, catching the eye of the secretary again. She had a look of utter confusion on her face. Applejack shrugged and spoke up so she could hear her.
“Kids these days. Whatcha goin’ ta do?” She said, which earned her another kick from the Tenna lying on the floor.
“I-I am not a kid! I‘m seventeen years old!” She shouted at Applejack.
Applejack was full on laughing by this point.
Tenna just pouted on the floor.
And this was the scene the nurse walked in on.
000
Applejack walked into the examination room, setting Tenna down on the exam chair.
Still tied up.
“Why am I still tied up Applejack!” Tenna complained loudly.
“Oh, hush you. You’re the one who went and tried to avoid this.”
“Because I’m fine!” Tenna retorted.
“I’ll let the doctor be the one to decide that.” Applejack said, sitting on one of the other chairs in the room.
The nurse nodded. “Of course. I am going to have to insist that she be untied. Her being in a restrained position would make mine and the doctor’s job more difficult. I am Nurse Red Cross, and you are...” She asked.
“Ten-Tenna.”
Red Cross nodded. “So, Applejack, would you untie her?”
Applejack shrugged. “Ah don’t see why Ah couldn’t, if she’ll promise not to run outta here.”
Tenna just stared at Applejack, her eyes conveying a hidden anger.
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Fine. Be that way, but Ah’m keeping my eye on you.” She said, going up to her and pulling on the rope in such a fashion that it all unraveled and lay around Tenna in a small pile. Tenna looked at the rope in disbelief and then up at Applejack.
Applejack smiled.
“It-It was that easy?” Tenna asked, her voice struggling to remain calm.
The orange mare nodded.
Red Cross smiled reassuringly, before turning around and getting some equipment out for the preliminary examination. She muttered their names to herself to make sure she had gotten it all.
“Let’s see... thermometer, stethoscope...” The list went on, but Tenna had stopped listening.
It was that thing. Red Cross had called it a stethoscope, but Tenna knew otherwise.
It was designed to remove ponies eyeballs.
Her own pair widened in fear, and her brain kicked into overtime. Red Cross had left the door open, but Applejack was sitting right next to it. Maybe if she were to surprise Applejack, she might make it. Tech would help her hide, right?
Shifting slightly, Tenna readied herself to jump.
Applejack notices Tenna tensing up, and smiles slightly.
‘So predictable.’
Tenna launched herself at the open door, her wings flapping to gain some extra speed. She slammed into the other side of the hallway, and took off down the hall, fear fueling her escape.
Applejack was immediately out of her chair grabbing her rope and was out into the hallway too, swinging it into a lasso. Tenna, who looked behind her for a moment, saw this and made a sudden left turn, down another hallway.
Applejack threw the lasso down the hallway, where staff and patients alike had come out to see what was causing the noise, were stunned to see the lasso turn ninety degrees and continue to follow Tenna.
Tenna had slowed down, trying to figure out where she was in relation to the exit, and was surprised to feel the sudden tug of something on both of her hind legs. Eyes widening in shock, she let out a cry of despair as she felt herself being drug backwards along the floor. Twisting her body around, she tried to gnaw her way through the rope before she was dragged back into sight.
She had given up by the time Applejack had dragged her back to the exam room, the door shut this time. Tenna, however, was refusing to get on the exam table, and was cowering in the corner, covering her eyes.
Red Cross looked at Applejack, who just shrugged silently. Walking over to Tenna, she put a hoof on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. But instead of calming her down, it had the opposite effect.
“They’re my eyes! You can’t have them!” Tenna shouted, squishing her eyes shut and jerking away from the touch.
“Yer eyes...?” Applejack own eyes widened as the realization hit her before she facehoofed. “Tenna, nopony here wants yer eyes!” She said in exasperation.
Tenna just scrunched her eyes harder and shook her head. “Nuh-uh. I-I’m not opening my eyes.” She said defiantly.
Applejack looked at Red Cross, who had a slightly amused, yet slightly exasperated expression on her face. The farmer smiled at her with an embarrassed smile, before turning back to Tenna.
“Land-sakes girl, you act like you’ve never been to the doctors office before.
“...”
Applejack was surprised yet again as she came to the realization that the grey pegasus indeed had never been to a doctor before.
Speaking slowly, she shook her head in wonder. “Tenna, the longer I know you, the less sense you make, ya know that?”
“I’m still not opening my eyes.” Tenna said stubbornly.
Applejack racked her brain for anything that might help get this over with. The only thing she could think of would be what she used to have to do with Applebloom, who was scared stiff of the doctors.
“Tenna, would you let Nurse Red Cross examine you if she does it to me first?” Applejack asked.
Red Cross smiled at AJ’s words, she remembered this trick from Applebloom’s old visits.
Tenna slowly took her hooves off her eyes and opened them slowly and warily, ready to snap them shut at the mere sight of the dreaded... ‘stethoscope’.
Applejack smiled. It was progress.
“What?”
“Would you be willing to let Red Cross look at you if she also takes a look at me? That way you know that she isn’t going to do anything nasty to ya.” Applejack explained.
Tenna stared at Applejack suspiciously. “Why would you do that?”
Applejack sighed while still smiling. “Because ah want to get home before the storm hits, and that ain’t happening with you in the floor.”
Tenna looked at Applejack, and then at Red Cross, who was smiling placidly. Tenna made her decision and slowly stood up. “Well... Okay. I-I’d be willing to do that.”
Applejack smiled, a genuine smile this time.
‘Finally.’ She thought to herself.
000
Applejack sat on the exam table, Tenna sitting right next to her, and Red Cross was playing along with AJ’s plan. Currently the nurse was taking Applejack’s blood pressure, the cuff on Applejack’s foreleg squeezing her slightly as Red Cross glanced at the dial.
“Well, whatever it is you do in your off season Applejack hasn’t stopped you from having one of the best blood pressure I’ve ever seen.” She complimented.
The orange mare smiled. “Thanks. Can’t have me getting soft before apple bucking season.”
Taking off the cuff with her magic, Red Cross turned towards Tenna, who stiffened and grabbed Applejack’s forearm. Applejack just rolled her eyes, but suffered through the other mare’s surprisingly tight grip.
Tenna watched the cuff float towards her, stiffening up as the nurse slid it around her forearm, securing the velcro. The glow left, and Tenna looked with extreme apprehension at the cuff.
And then it started to tighten as Red Cross squeezed something in her magic. Tenna breath started to hitch.
The pressure. It was too much. It was going to cut off circulation in her forearm. And then she wouldn’t be able to walk right, and she’d have to get a cane and then she’d have to hobble-
“Tenna.”
-everywhere and then everypony would laugh at her and she would-
“Tenna, it’s over.”
-have to hide away in a cave in the Everfree, wait what?
Tenna looked down at her arm, where the nurse was pulling the cuff off. Tenna sighed in relief, before getting a look at where the cuff had been.
Shiny black.
She looked up at Red Cross and Applejack to see if they had noticed it, and to her relief, they hadn’t. Glancing back down at it, she concentrated, her cheeks puffing out. It quickly turned back into the grey coat that she had grown to live with.
She looked back up Applejack, and her breath caught as she saw Applejack looking at her arm with a raised eye. Tenna forced herself to start breathing normally and smile nervously at the farmer as Applejack looked up at Tenna, the question on her lips.
“Tenna, did you see-” She started, but was interrupted by Nurse Red Cross holding a thermometer.
“Time to take your temperature.” She said. Tenna looked at the device with some suspicion. Applejack sighed as she saw the inevitable. Opening her mouth, she let the nurse stick the thermometer before closing it.
The nurse hummed a small little tune while waiting for it to finish it’s job.
*beep*
The nursed smiled, taking it out and glancing at the small screen.
“Slightly above normal, but that’s expected this time of year.” She said while disinfecting it. Wiping it off, she turned to Tenna, who slowly opened her mouth. Red Cross floated it over, putting in her mouth.
She looked at Applejack, the thermometer still floating in Red Cross’s magic. Applejack snickered at the look on Tenna’s face.
“Ya gotta close your mouth, sugarcube.”
Tenna blushed, closing her mouth quickly. The magic disappeared, leaving it hanging there.
*Beep*
Taking it back out, she smiled. “Well Tenna. It seems your temperature is completely normal. Now, just one more exam. We have check your heart.”
She put the thermometer back on the counter, and brought up the thing that Tenna had been dreading the most about this visit.
The stethoscope.
Tenna tried to shrink, but failing that, she just tried to hide next to Applejack.
“Tenna, the stethoscope isn’t going to be going anywhere near yer head!”
Tenna glanced at the stethoscope again, her fears being alleviated bit by bit, but not completely.
“O-okay.”
Tenna felt Applejack scoot away from Tenna, the orange mare sitting up straighter. The nurse levitated the hook end of the stethoscope towards her head, sticking the pieces in her ears, before levitating the other end towards Applejack. Despite Applejack’s assurances, Tenna’s breath still hitched as it got closer to her friend.
And then in touched her, and nothing happened. Red Cross seemed to be concentrating on something, and Applejack just sat there. Tenna looked at this strange scene for a moment, before shaking her head slightly.
“Take a deep breath.” Red Cross said to Applejack, to which she complied. Redheart moved the stethoscope to a different part of AJ’s chest, to which Applejack responded with another deep breath.
Red Cross nodded, before taking the stethoscope off of Applejack’s chest. “Your heart seems as fit as ever, Applejack.” She said with a slight hint of amusement.
Applejack snorted. “Working in the fields will do that to ya, Red”
Red Cross laughed softly, before turning her attention to Tenna. “Okay Tenna. Let’s take a look at you.”
Tenna’s breath hitched again, even though she had seen the stethoscope being used before.
Red Cross rolled her eyes in amusement, before slowly approaching the shivering mare.
The stethoscope approached Tenna, and she stared at it until she couldn’t anymore, shutting her eyes. She jumped slightly at the contact of the cold metal on her fur.
Red Cross held it there for a few seconds, before asking Tenna to breath deeply. Tenan complied, taking a shaky breath and letting it out in one big expulsion of air.
Red Cross moved the stethoscope again, and Tenna took another breath and let it out, this time a little bit more steady.
Tenna felt the stethoscope move again.
“Last time. One more deep breath.”
Tenna took another one, held it for a moment, and let it out. This time it was completely calm.
Tenna opened her eyes to see Red Cross smiling at her. “Now. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Tenna slowly shook her head no, before asking a question that was on her mind.
“Mrs. Red Cross? Wh-what does that thing do?” She asked, her voice quiet.
Red Cross took the stethoscope off, and slipped it around Tenna’s neck.
“Why don’t I show you?” She asked kindly.
Tenna nodded.
“Okay, I’m just going to put these in your ears.” Red Cross said, before going and doing just that. Tenna jumped a little at the close proximity of the stethoscope to her head, but settled down when it didn’t jump and try to eat her eyeballs.
“Now, watch this.” Red Cross said, grinning. She lifted up the free end of the stethoscope and pressed it against her chest.
Ba-dum, Ba-dum, Ba-dum.
Tenna’s head jerked before she realized that she wasn’t being hurt.
She looked up at Red Cross, a questioning look on her face. Red Cross smiled as she removed the end from her chest, and Applejack laughed silently nearby.
“That, Tenna, would be the sound of my heart.”
Tenna’s face lit up in wonder, as she grabbed the stethoscope and pressed it to her own chest, her old fear of the piece of equipment long forgotten.
Ba-bump, Ba-bump, Ba-bump.
Tenna giggled, so caught up in the amazing thing that was a stethoscope, that she didn’t even notice the two adults talking.
“So, what’d the prelim say?” Applejack said.
Red Cross sighed. “To be honest, I don’t think that having the Doctor come in and examining Tenna would even be needed. She’s as fit as anyone else.”
Applejack smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. “Eh heh, I guess maybe I was out of line bringing her in here like that.”
Red Cross patted Applejack on the back, smiling. “No, you were worried about her. If any of my cousins were acting strange, I’d have done the same.”
Applejack thanked her, before something hit her about what Red Cross had said. “Oh-ho-ho-no. We ain’t related at all Red Cross. She’s just living with us while... while...” Applejack stopped. Thinking about it, Applejack wasn’t sure if Tenna had ever told her what she was doing in Ponyville.
“Well, if you aren’t related, you two sure act like it. Come to the front desk, and we can get this finished with.” Red Cross said, leaving before Applejack could reply to that remark.
Applejack stopped to think for a moment, glancing at the grey pegasus playing with the stethoscope, her attention completely enraptured by the simple device. The look of joy on her face was enough to make a smile come to Applejack’s face.
Maybe the nurse wasn’t so wrong after all.
000
The rain splattered against the glass near the group of girls that had gathered in one of Ponyville’s many restaurants ‘Hay! Burgers!’.
And they were having a fun time, currently laughing so hard some of them had tears in their eyes.
“You’re kidding! You’re telling me that Tenna was afraid of a stethoscope!?” Rainbow said, laughing harder than the rest of the group, her hoof smacking the table.
Applejack nodded, shaking from keeping some laughter inside.
“She said something about her eyes? Ah think that she thought that it was going to hurt her eyes?”
Rarity let out a dainty giggle. “Well, I hope that she learns that nothing is going to hurt her here. I wonder where she came from before she came to Ponyville, as she seems to not know about a majority of things that make life civilized. Why, just the other day I caught her looking at my eyelash curler like it was from another planet!”
Applejack had stopped listening by this point. Twilight had stopped smiling for a moment before regaining her composure.
Applejack picked up on that. The sad frown, ears slightly down, eyes worried were all there before Twilight had covered it up, throwing herself back into Rarity’s story with more gusto than it required.
Applejack smiled. Maybe, just maybe, she could get some answers from Twilight.
And with luck they wouldn’t make more questions than they answered.