//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: The Blessing and the Curse // by Equestria Buck Yeah //------------------------------// After almost being torn to ribbons and the ensuing hospital visit, Matt had understandably wanted to take the previous day off more than anything. Then Twilight showed up with Celestia's letter. Heck, since the iPhone had shown up, peace was a thing of the past; it was a wonder Matt hadn't made himself sick out of stress and worry. On normal days, sitting with Twilight at his home just shooting the breeze like he was at that moment as they waited for the rest of their friends to show up and walk him to his hospital appointment would be a great way to start the day. However, the conversation he had with this Tina person about an hour after he hung up with her the night before unsettled him, leaving him even more anxious than ever. The woman did everything he suggested. The forest nearby had some fruits here and there, so in case she had no choice but to remain at home until she was hopefully found, she would have some food, even if her supply ran out. But, that didn't look like it was going to be a worry; the structures she found to the south of her house was a small series of shops – a Subway and an electronics repair store specifically – and a five-story office building. From what her texts described, he figured they arrived at some point in the middle of the night. The only people she found were a few security guards and a handful of janitorial staff where the offices were. The new arrivals weren't quite as terrified as Tina had been, and they all described a similar experience as to what she did – a strange yellow light encompassing everything then flashing away after several seconds. The emergency power had kicked on soon after, allowing for limited air conditioning to be used, which Tina had found to be an utter blessing, even though her car's was working fine. They had no issue with her asking to stay until everything had fixed itself – however that would happen. There were a few offices they had keys for and slept on the few couches and comfortable chairs they found. It didn't take long for them to simply smash open the vending machines in the building either. Sure, a variety of chips wasn't exactly the most filling thing in the world, but the relatively cold drinks were more than worth it. Either way, there was a sandwich store only two doors down that they could break into, just in case. They said they had yet to encounter anyone else besides her up until that point, so she was still in the dark as to what the locals were like. She told them of her chat with Matt and did her best to get his point across not to be afraid of any unexpected visitors. Hearing that there were a couple security officers made Matt worry that they'd end up shooting at whatever ponies may show up. Hopefully, Tina's half-informed pleas didn't fall on deaf ears. Though it took a little convincing on her part, she managed to get one of the custodians to let her into a few of the top floor's offices to get a good look into the distance. Aside from her own house and the forest beyond, she didn't see anything else in any direction. What made things even worse was that, unlike her driveway, the parking lot didn't arrive with them. If things dragged out and they felt they had to find somewhere else to go – assuming that Celestia's search parties didn't find Tina's house to begin with – moving around could be disastrous. Plus, Tina had a small car; she couldn't fit everyone in it if she tried. At least Matt was able to hear from the Princesses before he headed home. They agreed with his idea to search the areas described in his notes for Tina, her home, or these buildings. However, they also admitted that she doubted they'd find anything; Equestria was a big place and he really didn't have many details as far as where she could be, even with what he was able to get out of the panicky woman. On a side note, the seaworthy vessel they found in the castle's ballroom revealed nothing as did the random tree down the block. The evening appeared to go a little better at first when Applejack stopped by to spend some time with him after he left the library...until he was an idiot. She even fixed up a meal for him despite him not having a lot in the fridge. That girl sure knew how to cook; no doubt Granny Smith had taught her a thing or two. If she ever got together with someone, they'd be one happily fed stallion, that much he knew. In spite of the good food, his stomach had started to twist when he told her about the phone call and showed her the texts that Tina sent. Applejack recalled how Matt had reacted when he first landed in their collective lap and worried what a group of people would do. Maybe the fact that they weren't alone like he was would help keep them relatively calm? The possibility that what was going on was irreversible had come up in conversation, given that they hadn't figured anything out yet. It wasn't an easy thing to bring up, but Applejack still felt the need to mention it. He hadn't thought about it himself, but she did have a point. It was a worrisome notion, one that was compounded by a few brief but realistic things Matt suggested others humans may end up doing, even with their limited resources. Perhaps it wasn't the wisest thing to talk about it, but it would have inevitably come up at some point anyway. After she went home, Matt felt especially guilty for what he said and did. Applejack came over to make him feel better and all he ended up doing was filling her head with terrible ideas that undoubtedly left her as unable to sleep as he knew he was going to be. It was a rare thing for him to hang out with his favorite mare and not feel better afterwards, but he was the only one to blame. As Twilight and Matt talked about the implications of Equestria's new visitors themselves, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity had arrived one by one. While they waited for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, Matt spent most of the time reflecting how A.J. and her friends had been relatively cool in spite of everything recently. When he first showed up and had gotten used to his new surroundings, he was the one who seemed to have the coolest head of the bunch during some of their more...interesting encounters. Now, even though he knew that everything showing up in Equestria was from Earth, he was the one stressing out the most over it. Perhaps it felt very reminiscent to them of what Discord constantly threw at them? After all, for the most part he'd simply turn things upside down and not send Ursas and dragons after them. Whatever the case, it made him feel useless. A few minutes more passed when a pair of pegasi knocked on the door. Rarity opened it for their troubled friend and led the last arrivals inside. With everypony there and ready to go, a gentle nudge of an orange hoof snapped him back to reality. As he walked by his window-side desk, he snatched his wallet and keys but paused when he reached for the phone. After leaving the library last night, aside from when Applejack visited, he had spent most of the rest of the evening staring at it like he did the first night it arrived. Numerous scenarios played out in Matt's head as he thought about Tina's predicament. Even after he woke up and did his morning routine, various ideas kept coming to him. But regardless of what may have been happening to her, the damn thing had actually worked! Another person – who, like him, was never meant to be in Equestria to begin with – was able to make contact with it. The others Tina found probably could too since they weren't far away from her residence. Would there be others who would try and call this 'Jack's' number? Could Matt himself reach others? Were there others? His eyes shifted as he asked himself those questions over and over. But he couldn't stand there all day; he had an appointment to get to. Biting his lip, he slipped the phone into his pocket. Finally set to go, he shuffled out the door behind the girls as they waited just outside, taking a moment to rub the staples again. Just like most of the other times, the farmer smacked him in the leg to make him stop. ----- He said next to nothing during their walk around town. His worries about Tina and what she was going through faded into the background of his mind when he looked at the phone on the way out, and the new idea was bugging him to no end. He had given his flip phone to an angry red dragon over a year ago, and this new phone had only been with him about a week. Despite it being able to receive calls – and presumably send them out too – he couldn't remember any of his old friend's numbers to save his life. Why would he when he hasn't talked to them in so long? Matt wasn't aware if anypony had said anything to him as they strolled down the road; he was too lost in thought. But occasionally, he'd shoot a wayward glance at Applejack. Whether she noticed or not, he wasn't sure. She didn't seem agitated despite the stupid things he said the night before. He wanted to ask her if she was okay but felt it was best not to risk stirring things up again, particularly with everyone else there. Others may not be able to deal with what he told her as well. As they neared the market, a familiar red machine gradually came into view. Ah, that's right. He knew he was forgetting something the day before. At least the Blazer wasn't carted off like the dead cat was, though how would the citizenry have been able to do it? Twilight was probably the only unicorn in town who could lift it with some effort and they didn't have the keys either. With a chirp of the alarm, Matt popped open the doors for his escort and they hopped inside, figuring a short drive couldn't hurt. It could help clear his head a bit too. Whenever he was feeling down back home, driving around a bit with his music on usually helped. This time would be no different. He managed to find the will to tell the others about Tina and what she found. Even at slower speeds to allow ponies to get out of the way, it probably wouldn't take more than about ten minutes to get the hospital. That is, until he came to a stop several dozen yards ahead, much to his passengers' confusion. But he had to – the octagonal sign told him to. In that very spot, he also noticed a particular blue, metal box next to a coffee shop out of the corner of his eye. The white eagle-shaped icon plastered on the side confirmed his suspicions. At least it wasn't a mountain lion again. A stop sign and a Post Office box weren't anything to really panic about, but they still didn't belong. "Well, hopefully nobody tossed their bills in there," Matt deadpanned. He glanced back at Twilight quizzically. She knew exactly what he was going to say after spotting what he was looking at. "After everything we've looked over so far, I can't imagine I'll find anything on those two things." "Probably not, but Celestia and Luna will want to know about it," he replied. "Yeah, you're right," she sighed. Her horn lit up and she popped away, reappearing in front of the mailbox. After a few seconds, she trotted across the street to the stop sign and inspected it as well. Matt could see her eyes glowing like before as she worked. As they returned to normal, she disappeared again only to show up back in her seat. She shook her head, as he figured she would. "Eh, was worth a shot." With that settled, they continued on to the hospital. Didn't want to be late. ----- "Ah, Mr. Doherty, good to see you again," the receptionist said. "How's your head doing?" "Itchy." "Heh, yeah, that can happen sometimes. The doctor will be with you shortly." As he sat beside the girls, he couldn't help but feel sick. Granted, he wasn't going in for anything serious, but he still hated going to the doctor's. Hopefully getting the staples taken out wouldn't take too long, though they probably want to run a few tests just to check up on his condition. Matt scanned around the waiting room as they sat there, his friends' conversation not registering to him. Only one other group of ponies was there, a husband and wife it appeared. The stallion was clutching one of his forelimbs close to his chest. Was probably broken or something. Ugh, what can be keeping the doctor? He really didn't feel like waiting an hour. Several more agonizingly slow minutes passed before he heard his name called by a nurse. He gave the girls a quick wave goodbye and headed inside. After his voice had faded from behind the door, Applejack got out of her seat and tapped Rarity on the shoulder, nodding for her to follow. The pair stepped outside, letting the door close behind them before speaking. "Something the matter, dear?" Rarity asked. "No, I've just...come to a decision, is all...about Matt. Wanted to talk to you about it." "Oh! What'd you decide?" "Well, I went over to Matt's last night. Just sat and talked a while. He...he showed me these, uh...they were like letters on that phone of his. Apparently, some more of his people showed up a couple days ago somewhere...err, well, somewhere," Applejack began. "Oh, that isn't good." "Tell me about it. He was so stressed out when he showed me the, uh...texts last night. We talked for a while about what could happen if we couldn't fix this and more of his people showed up, what they could do. I could see it in his eyes. I haven't seen him so flummoxed since this whole mess started." "It's not like this has been easy on any of us, you realize," Rarity added. "Not even the Princesses have any idea what's going on, and that's saying a lot." The country mare peered in the windows and frowned, wondering how Matt was doing. Sure, he was probably fine, but she could still be concerned. "I know. It's just...I've been thinking about it since I got home last night and...I-I think I'm just going to hold off on telling him how I feel until we fix all this. I mean, he's got a ton on his mind right now. I wouldn't feel right about having him suddenly worrying over me too if things went too crazy, y'know? Provided he...even feels the same and all. He's just got enough on his plate. I don't want to add more to it." The unicorn sat and took her friend by the hoof. Their sad eyes met. "Applejack, sweetie, you know as well as I that if things got serious, he'd look out for all of us, regardless of his feelings. I still think you should just tell him and get it over with. Who knows, maybe it would help relax him or distract him from all this nonsense." "Maybe, but if he doesn't feel the same, then I could accidentally make things worse. I'd prefer to play it safe for now," Applejack countered. "It's not like I'm suddenly not going to be supportive if he needs me or anything." "Well, if that's what you want to do..." Rarity muttered with a curl of her lips. "It is. For now." "Then I hope we take care of this matter sooner than later, for you if nothing else." "Me too," the earth pony sighed. She looked once more through the window and fought back sobbing, though her quivering lips and the shake of her head gave her away. "This shouldn't have happened." "What, darling?" The farmer motioned toward the waiting room, tears running down her cheeks. "This. When that cat pounced on him, I...I just froze. When I saw the blood and...and heard him scream, I...I-I thought I was going to lose him. I should've moved the moment he fell down and I just...I just stood there and it almost got him killed!" "Applejack, listen. From what you and Twilight and Fluttershy said, he insisted you stay out of harm's way. Out of all of us, he's closest to you. What would have happened if that beast decided to go after you as you charged at him?" Rarity asked as she sat beside her friend and wrapped a comforting hoof around her shoulders. "I can tell you right now that if you would have been hurt, he would have been absolutely devastated. He made you stay away because he didn't want to see anything happen to you." "I would have been fine! You and I both know I've gone up against some pretty nasty critters on my own! But, Matt still almost got his head taken off!" Applejack snapped. "And he almost died when he brought that Ursa down, remember?" Rarity pointed out. "I still can't believe he was able to do such a thing. But, he survived because we've always looked out for him, and he's always looked out for us. I'm sure you would have been able to save him – that's not my point. My point is that he's alive and well. I don't know what happened to make that mountain lion...flicker or whatever it was. But there's no reason for you to accept blame for something that didn't happen. You three did what any of us would have done and got him here as soon as you could. Yes, what happened was terrible, but nothing tragic came of it." Slouching over, the miserable mare sniffled and wiped her nose on her hoof. The rather uncouth display made Rarity squirm just a little, but she couldn't blame her friend for being broken up. Applejack always was protective of ponies – or people, in this case – that she considered family. Though she never really talked about what happened to her parents in detail, the unicorn wouldn't have been surprised if Applejack placed some of the blame on herself, even if she had nothing to do with their passing. "I guess," the country girl muttered. With a thought, a handkerchief materialized in front of the fashionista. Rarity – still with her forelimb draped across her friend – gave Applejack an encouraging shake. "Buck up, sweetie. Things'll be okay, I promise. Come now, Matt shouldn't be too long in there, and we don't want him to see you upset, now do we?" The tissue floated across her orange cheeks and down to her hoof, wiping everything clean as it went. The cloth went away as fast as it appeared, and with a giggle, the dressmaker trotted back inside without waiting for an answer to her question. Despite being a little annoyed at practically being babied by her friend, Applejack took a deep breath and went back inside a few paces behind. As she approached her entourage, a sports magazine sitting on one of the nearby end tables caught her eye. Meh, at least she could read something while she waited. ----- It wasn't terribly long – maybe a half hour – before the double doors opened and Matt, sans his staples, came walking out with the doctor by his side. The girls hopped to their hooves and cantered up to him, most of them inspecting the now-bald strips of skin on his head. Though he was glad to see them, the thoughts that were swimming through his head on the way to the hospital were still floating around. He didn't do much more than silently nod hello. "Well, good news," the doctor spoke up. "His flesh has healed up just fine, no scar tissue, and according to the few tests we ran, he's in good shape. Just make sure he doesn't tangle with any wild animals any time soon, okay?" With a pat on Matt's back, the stallion turned to head back inside. "Take it easy, son. Stay safe." "Thanks, doc." He gazed blankly at his four-legged friends, almost as if he was looking right through them. "Guess we can go." "Uh, did you want to grab some lunch or something?" Twilight tentatively asked. She, like the others, could see how preoccupied he still was. They figured he would have been happy to have the recent nightmare finally behind him. With pursed lips, he shook his head and answered, "Eh, not really." "Err, are you...feeling alright, sugarcube?" A.J. eventually asked. They had all wanted to but feared they may inadvertently set him off if he wasn't in the mood to discuss it. Fortunately, he remained relatively calm. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just...just thinking about something, that's all. No big deal really." "Ooo, can we make it a guessing game?" Pinkie piped up. "Are you thinking about a party? How about a good book? The fact that you've got a clean bill of health? Is it cupcakes?" "Pinkie, not now, okay? Please?" he growled as he strutted past them. The girls shared a startled glance between each other as he came to a halt in front of the exit, sighing and rubbing his forehead. "Sorry, sorry. Just..." An explanation never came. Yeah, it was definitely best not to pry and simply let it go. "Look, you were going to eat out. You want me to drop you off somewhere? I really just want to go home and think." "Well, if you don't want to go, there's not really much of a point," the pink-haired pegasus said. "We wanted to take you to lunch to celebrate that you're okay." Hit by a wave of guilt, the young man hunched over and groaned under his breath. "Sorry girls, I just really wouldn't be very good company right now. We'll do it in a couple days or something, 'kay?" "I suppose that's alright," the bookworm hummed, the sound of disappointment obvious in her tone. "I guess we should go on home then?" Similarly saddened by Matt's decision, the others agreed and plodded out the door behind him. Rainbow zipped up to meet him face to face once she left the waiting room. "I'll go ahead and fly home. Don't think you'd be able to drive that thing into the sky," she tried to joke. Her heart wasn't in it though. "Just chillax when you get home, okay?" With a nod goodbye, the speedster raced off with her prismatic contrail following behind her. The more soft-spoken flier glided up beside him next. "I think I will too. You know you can always talk to us if something's bothering you, right?" "Yeah, I know," he smirked. Wrapping her forelimbs around Matt's head, Fluttershy nuzzled him and gave him a goodbye kiss on his exposed scalp before flying off. Her innocent display made Applejack's brow subtly furrow. The Blazer's alarm turned off as Matt reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys. One by one, the remaining mares climbed in to what had become their usual spots since the day he entertained them with the music he found.