Five mares pushed through the doors of the hospital, chatting happily. Pinkie darted up to a nurse to ask permission to bring her party cannon inside, and, upon receiving it, darted back outside again. They traveled through the halls, taking care not to disturb those still asleep. Applejack couldn't fathom how anypony could still be asleep at nine in the morning, but sick ponies always needed more sleep, she reasoned, so she stepped lightly.
The waiting room was almost empty, save for a familiar-looking stallion asleep on one bench. A very familiar-looking stallion...
Applejack trotted across the room and shook her brother awake. "What in blazes are you still doin' here?" she asked.
Big Mac blinked slowly. "Oh, AJ. Well, you never showed up, and Ah suppose Ah fell asleep waitin' for you."
Pinkie giggled. "Silly! Didn't you hear? Fluttershy woke up, so we don't need to stay here all day waiting for her! We're having a party now, so I guess your shift is over."
Rarity batted her eyelashes at him. "Although, I must say, it was terribly gallant of you to stay here all night for our dear Fluttershy. Perhaps you'd like to come and see her?"
Big Mac started to protest, making some excuse about his chores, but Applejack shut him up. "Come on, big brother. Five minutes won't kill you."
With that, Pinkie Pie pranced down the hallway, pushing her party cannon ahead of her. The other ponies followed. They pushed open the door to room 2B and greeted Fluttershy, who was finishing up a modest breakfast of what was probably supposed to be oatmeal, but looked more like slightly congealed mud.
"Well, howdy, Fluttershy!" Applejack enthused. "Great to see you're still with us."
The pegasus pushed aside her tray and gave her friends a small smile. "Hello, everypony. I'm sorry if I had you worried. I'm alright, I promise."
Pinkie Pie, who had been chatting with the room's other occupant, threw aside the curtain. Bon Bon sat in the bed, a hoof wrapped heavily in gauze. "Hey girls!" Pinkie skipped back over to her cannon. "Would it be okay if we expanded this party? Bon Bon got in an accident at work."
Twilight shuddered in sympathy. "Oooh. Sugar burns are the worst."
Rainbow Dash leaned down and pulled the string on the party cannon. "Of course! Twice the space, twice the awesome!"
Bon Bon chuckled weakly. "If you don't mind, I think I'll stay away from the caramels."
And so the party began. It was mild, even by Pinkie's standards; just perfect for a quiet pony like Fluttershy, especially since she still wasn't back to a hundred percent.
Big Mac gave a small smile to Fluttershy, who blushed and smiled back. She nibbled on a sugar cookie, her energy not entirely restored, and listened politely to Rarity's account of all the drama and gossip she had missed while she was unconscious.
Pinkie Pie skipped over to her and wrapped her in a huge hug, babbling away about how wonderful everything was now that one of her best friends was back. She smelled of all kinds of wonderful confections. Pinkie suddenly noticed something out the window and skipped away again, but Fluttershy continued breathing in the smells of her room. It still smelled like a hospital, but it also smelled like cookies and frosting and cake. And...flowers?
She turned her head to find a makeshift bouquet hanging limply in a plastic cup. "Oh, girls," Fluttershy cooed, grabbing some water. "They're so pretty. Thank you! How did you know I love honeysuckles?"
They all looked back at her, mystified. "Darling, we didn't bring those for you. I assure you, if I had brought flowers, they would be in a proper vase," Rarity sniffed.
Bon Bon put up her bandaged hoof. "I woke up around eleven thirty last night, and there was a nurse clattering around on your side of the room," she offered. "Maybe she brought them in?"
Applejack smirked. "Eleven thirty, huh? Gee, I wonder who coulda brought 'em." She turned to grin playfully at her brother, but he was gone. "Hey, anypony seen Big Mac?"
Twilight spoke up around a mouthful of muffin, "He left about a minute ago. He said something about being needed on the farm."
Rainbow Dash snorted. "You farm ponies. Always putting work ahead of fun."
"Well, he should've stuck around," Pinkie Pie pouted. "This party's for him as much as for Fluttershy."
The pegasus in question looked up from her flowers, confused. "What do you mean?"
Rarity sighed thoughtfully. "He was the one that found you, dear. When you didn't come back, your little Angel Bunny came rushing over to Sweet Apple Acres to get help. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Big Macintosh were all looking for you in the forest."
Applejack nuzzled Fluttershy affectionately. "That little rodent of yours is a piece of work, but Ah gotta say, he really cares about you. We were all over the place lookin' for you, then we heard Big Mac holler out that he found you, and Angel just about lost it. He went running back out towards the farm like a foal at a Pinkie Pie party."
Fluttershy smiled gratefully at all of her friends. "Well, the nurses said I could be out of here in a few days," she said. "I hope that Angel can hold on until then. I miss him, too."
The party lasted for the remainder of the morning. Pinkie Pie roped in anyone that dared enter the room. The nurses that came in to check on the two patients were given party hats and cupcakes. Lyra, when she came to visit Bon Bon, consumed an entire sheet cake, on a dare. Fluttershy settled back into her covers contentedly. It was great to see all of her friends, even if she felt like she had just seen them yesterday. When she gave a huge yawn, Twilight called off the party. "Let's give Fluttershy some time to sleep," she whispered, ushering out their friends. "She doesn't have as much energy as we all do."
Fluttershy burrowed into the scratchy hospital sheets, which felt like the most comfortable blankets in the world on her tired body. As she drifted off, she thought of her friends, and how glad she was to have them all. Bon Bon and Lyra's conversation wrapped around her like a lullaby, and she was soon fast asleep again.
That night, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith stood in the kitchen of their humble farmhouse, contemplating the array of ingredients in front of them. Dinner was going to be a simple affair; Granny had decided that Apple Bloom was old enough to take charge of its preparation. The menu was a simple eggbread with salad and, of course, apple pie for dessert. Apple Bloom had made bread before, so she wasn't worried; her main concern was getting the pie just right. It was her granny's special talent, making pies. The filly wanted to prove how grown up she was and make her granny proud.
Things almost went without a hitch. Apple Bloom got both doughs successfully prepared and delivered them to the icebox and the oven without incident. Then came the time to make the pie filling. Suffice it to say, little ponies should not be given large knives.
"Aww, shoot, Granny," Apple Bloom whined, setting aside a small, misshapen apple. "Ah dunno if Ah should be doin' this. Ah just keep takin' big chunks'a flesh off, not just the peel. Sorry for wasting all these apples."
"Ain't no trouble at all, sugarcube," her granny replied with a patient smile. "How's about Ah peel these last few apples, and you can get started on cuttin' 'em up inta little pieces."
Mare and filly swapped places at the counter. Apple Bloom hefted a large knife, set a slightly mangled apple, naked and hollow, down on a weathered wooden board, and swung her hoof down. The knife bit into the apple, slicing cleanly through it from top to bottom. "Hey, there's nothin' to it!" Apple Bloom exclaimed with glee. She quickly cut up the apples she had peeled, dumping them into a metal mixing bowl.
Granny set aside a few more apples. These were pristinely peeled. Not a single speck of green skin remained on them, yet they were smooth as though they had been grown without a peel. Apple Bloom grabbed one and plopped it down on the board, readying her knife. As her hoof made its way down, her granny looked on in alarm and exclaimed, "Wait! I ain't cored 'em yet!"
The knife continued its path toward the perfect fruit, cutting through the top. It stopped at the apple's center, firmly lodged in the dense core. Apple Bloom wiggled the knife, trying to free it, but it was stuck fast. "Now, you be careful," her granny warned. Apple Bloom ignored this, her attempts becoming more frenzied. She stuck her right forehoof on the apple and put the other on the underside of the handle, just below the blade. She pushed her left forehoof up in a quick motion, expecting to knock the knife upwards. But the knife was slick with juice, and the little yellow hoof slipped along the sharp blade.
"Ow!" Apple Bloom yelled, quickly withdrawing. "Dammit! Granny, that hurt!"
Granny looked over at her granddaughter. "Let me see that, sugarcube," she commanded, beckoning for the injured limb. Then, she paused and looked at the filly with an angry expression. "What did you just say?"
Apple Bloom suddenly wondered if she wasn't supposed to have said that. "Uhh, nothin'," she said, a falsely innocent smile plastered across her muzzle.
Granny didn't look convinced, but she hummed to herself and said nothing more. The injured hoof was wrapped in a bandage, and Apple Bloom was instructed to let the older mare finish cutting the apples. The rest of the dinner was prepared in a tense silence.
When the timer on the counter buzzed, Granny sent Apple Bloom to bring her siblings in from the fields. A few minutes later, the sound of three sets of hoofsteps came trotting through the kitchen door, bringing in the earthy smells of dirt and sweat. Applejack rubbed a hoof affectionately on Apple Bloom's head. "Smells great, little sis."
"Aww, thanks," replied her little sister. "But Granny kinda had to take over towards the end."
The four Apples made their way to the table, where the dinner had been laid out. They went through the meal, talking about their days and commending Apple Bloom for her excellent salad preparation. Once the pie was brought out and distributed, Granny cleared her throat.
"So," she began sternly, eyeing each of her grandchildren in turn. "Apple Bloom learned a new word today."
Sensing that it wasn't the sort of word learned in school, Applejack turned to her sister and raised her eyebrow. Big Mac winced and began to eat his pie.
Apple Bloom looked appropriately guilty. "Ah'm sorry, Granny. Ah didn't realize it was a bad word. Ah just heard it out in the orchard today and Ah thought it was just another sayin'. You know, we got tons of 'em. It's kinda hard to remember 'em all." She once again smiled at her grandmother, trying to use her cuteness to worm her way out of a punishment.
Big Mac sighed. "Ah'm sorry, y'all. That musta been me she heard. Ah was out buckin' today and Ah slipped and hurt my hoof. Didn't realize there were any little fillies around, or Ah woulda kept a better hold on my tongue."
Applejack turned to him in alarm. "What's wrong, big brother? You never hurt yourself buckin' anymore."
He stuffed a bite of pie in his mouth. "Just wasn't payin' attention, is all," he offered, giving his family a messy smile.
Granny didn't seem convinced. She crossed her hooves in front of her and turned to her granddaughters. "Out. Both of you. Ah wanna have a talk with your brother here."
Apple Bloom shoved the rest of her pie in her mouth and skipped out of the room, pleased to have escaped punishment. Applejack followed more tentatively, glancing back at her brother in concern. Granny followed them both to the door and shut it firmly behind them. She returned to the table, sat down, and looked up at her grandson, her features neutral. "So, Big Mac," she began, a touch ominously, "What's on your mind?"