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// Look Before Crossing 
// Story: A Bruised Apple 
// by ThaStrangr 
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	She had finished clearing an entire orchard. It had taken some time, but the money offered for the commissioned fruits was more than worth the additional effort. Applejack still felt as though she deserved a little treat, so she decided to take a dip in the spa’s hot tub to relax, which she wasn’t usually for but sounded delightful at the moment. As she walked, a group of three energetic fillies scurried into her path. They all turned to her with gleaming smiles on their faces.
“Hey, AJ!” They all shouted in unison. She chuckled at their enthusiasm.
“Well, howdy there, fillies. What ya’ll up to?” Her younger sister, yellow farm filly Apple Bloom, hopped over to her.
“We’re trying ta git our cutie marks in cleanin’ up litter!” Applejack raised a brow.
“Wow. That’s… actually pretty productive. Good idea.” She was sure they wouldn’t get a cutie mark for cleaning up the ecosystem (though she would like to see what such a mark would look like), but at least they’d be contributing to the community instead of destroying it.
“So what’re you doin’, AJ?”
“Jest finished the south orchard, so I’m gonna head up ta the spa an’ hit the hot tub.”
“Ya know, you really shoulda jest turned that job down. Ya look exhausted.”
“Don’t you worry none, filly. I’m jest a lil’ stressed. ‘Sides, with the bits we get fer this batch, we can git the roof re-tiled. Jest before rain season, too. I’ll be fine. Ya’ll go have fun. An’ be careful.”
“Okay, AJ. If yer sure yer alright. Bye.” The three trotted off, slightly less enthusiastically than they came. AJ smiled after them. She appreciated their consideration. But Applejack would never admit that she was having trouble, especially not to ones so young. She preferred to spare their innocent minds the pressures of adulthood.

She waited for them to cross the main street before moving. She looked around, attempting to re-assess her position. When she realized just where she was, she spun on her hooves and made her way to the spa. When she stepped in, she was overwhelmed by the enticing warmth and the fresh smell of bath salts.

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Applejack had never felt so refreshed. She was so full of energy and her skin felt as new. It more than made up for the extra apple-bucking. She began her walk home with a spring in her step. Today was a good day.
“APPLE BLOOM!” The cry shattered the blissful silence of the evening, and rang through Applejack’s mind like the most violent of thunder claps. Her eyes darted this way and that searching for the source of the ear-splitting noise. When she at last located it, she was overcome with a fear the likes of which she had never before experienced. In the middle of the main road in Ponyville was a small yellow filly reaching down for a few stray bits, ignorant to the runaway carriage barreling toward her. 

Applejack didn't know when she had started moving. She didn't know when her voice had begun to echo through the town. She didn't know when the water had begun encasing her eyes. All she knew in that moment was that her sister was in terrible danger… and she couldn't reach her in time to save her. Applejack pushed her body beyond it’s ordinary limits. She ran faster than she had ever run in her life. But in vain. She watched as the carriage inched closer to the filly, who had at last realized her poor fate but had no time to react. 

As the wagon came upon her, she began to see her life flashing before her. At the same moment, something flashed before Applejack. In the blink of an eye, a purple and green blur jumped into the street, snatching the little pony up and pulling her off to the side. 

Applejack skidded to a stunned halt, wondering whether what she had just seen was real. Sure enough, when the smoke had cleared, the road was minus one filly. She laughed and cried, only for a moment, as she began running toward her little sister’s hero.
“Spike, thank Equestria we have you.” The dragon in question was not so relieved. He was, in fact, quite frantic.
“AJ! Get help! I think she landed on a rock.” Applejack looked to the little pony lying next to him. A patch of blood could be seen on one part of her head. Spike, using knowledge learned from the library’s medical section, placed his claws firmly on the wound.
“I’m gonna try to suppress the bleeding. Go!” It took a moment for Applejack to compose herself. She nodded and rushed to the nearest building, borrowing a small cart and gently loading her sister onto it. She pulled the cart as Spike rode, tending to his patient in any way he could at the moment, grabbing a piece of spare cloth from a nearby vending stall and wrapping it around the filly’s head.

She charged through the front doors of the hospital. She bobbed and weaved through several ponies as she made her way to the entrance desk. Hospital security began moving toward her. Once they saw the icy glare on her face and the injured filly on her cart, they eased slowly away. Spike leaped from the cart onto the desk.
“This filly needs medical attention immediately!” He pointed down as he spoke and the clerk at the desk followed his claw. On seeing the huddled mass strung out on the little wagon, she picked up a nearby phone and called down one of the lead physicians, Dr. Circumpolar Star. He quickly observed the wound on her forehead and signalled for nearby nurses to place her on a gurney. They rolled the gurney to the elevator, the orange mare and dragon following in tow.

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“Rarity and Rainbow Dash are here. They’re gonna take you girls home.” Applejack’s focus remained locked on the direction of the ER as she spoke to the traumatized fillies. The aforementioned mares walked through the door to the waiting area at that very moment.
“I’m not leaving. Not until I know she’s okay,” rang the stubborn voice of Scootaloo as she simultaneously held a defiant glare at the older pony. Rainbow walked up to her and threw a foreleg around her. 
“C’mon, kid. I’ll help you practice flying.” She gave a slick smile and looked toward her adopted sister. The filly in question paid her no mind, her gaze still latched onto the orange mare in front of her. The white filly sitting next to her, finally composing herself after twenty minutes of crying, placed her hoof on Scootaloo’s, who was at last pulled from her trance.
“We should go, Scoots. There’s nothing we can do for her right now.” Scootaloo clenched her eyes shut in an intense scowl. Sweetie Belle was right, and Scootaloo hated it. She once more felt a comforting hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see the sweetly smiling face of her mentor, Rainbow Dash.
“Hey. She’ll be out in no time. And you know what she’d do to you if she found out you girls were depriving yourselves of sleep and food on her account.” Scootaloo looked to the clock on the nearby wall. It was almost nine o’clock. If she didn’t get home soon, her parents would never let her hear the end of it.
“Fine,” she breathed out. Her scowl had not dissipated. The four turned and began walking toward the main doorway. When the other three had stepped through, Applejack called to Scootaloo.
“Scootaloo. Why was she in the road?” The filly cast her eyes to the ground.
“She saw a few bits lying in the road. She wanted to get you something for working so hard.” Applejack flinched subtly at the small pony’s words. Scootaloo didn’t notice as she turned to walk through the door.
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Her eyes eased open, and snapped shut again. The light was so intense she couldn’t bear to look beyond her lids. She groaned and attempted once more to open them, this time giving them time to adjust to the light.
“Bloom!” she heard a nearby voice call, “Spike, she’s wakin’ up. Go git the doc.” Footsteps sounded in the room and she looked to the source. She saw a small purple figure dashing out of the room.
“Huh? I-” She attempted to speak, but was cut-off by a stray hoof.
“Yer still groggy. Ya shouldn’t try talkin’ yet.” Apple Bloom looked to the voice. An orange earth mare was smiling down at her.
“What happened?” She whispered out weakly.
“Ya hit yer head on a rock. Been out fer three days now.” 
“THREE DAYS?!” She tried to scream, which threw her into a fit of coughs. Applejack picked up a glass of water and lifted it to the choking filly’s mouth. After drowning her cough, she eased back onto her pillow.
“Sorry,' I was just foolin'. Only been a few hours. There, better?”
“Much. Thanks.”
“Don’t think on it. Anythin’ else ya need?”
“Actually, I do have a question.”
“Shoot.” Apple Bloom looked to the older pony with curiosity.
“Who are you?”