Chapter Sixty Three
"It's Saturday, right?"
Spike's question caused Twilight to look up from her research notes, not entirely certain if she'd heard him correctly. He was actually asking her if she knew what day it was? Usually it was the other way around, what with how task oriented she could become at times. More than once, Spike's duties included being a vocal calendar to keep her properly scheduled.
"I... I think so?" Twilight replied, not entirely certain in her conviction to the answer. Was it Saturday? Or was Spike making a subtle effort to point out that it was after midnight, and she should be turning in? Looking away from the stack of papers before her, she glanced over at the clock. Hopefully the current time was still in the PM phase of the day, and it hadn't lapsed into the AM phase. "Why?" she asked, deciding to not beat around the bush. If she'd managed to tune Spike out and stay up the whole night, then she really needed to know.
"Because the way things have been going lately, it seriously feels like a Monday to me," Spike replied and stretched with a yawn.
Twilight frowned a little. Individual days didn't have specific feelings and sensations to them, that would allow a pony -or a dragon- to differentiate from one to another. It wasn't like specific days came with specific temperatures or humidity levels. She was fully prepared to give Spike a lecture on that point, but stopped herself before opening her mouth.
"And why do you say that?" she asked him as she turned a little more away from her notes.
"Because we've been so busy today. Usually weekends are supposed to be restful," Spike pointed out, before stretching again until there was an audible pop in his back, which brought with it a contented look on his face, indicating that was what he was after. "I still can't believe it took so long at the hospital to get you looked at. We were there for hours."
"I know, Spike, but Ponyville General still has its hooves full with the more serious victims of the manticore attack. Some delay was to be expected. We knew that going in," Twilight pointed out. Surely he understood that a small town hospital, subjected to a large number of ponies who were still in critical condition, had to divert resources to those who were most in need. They weren't in Canterlot after all.
"I know, I know, but it still took like forever. And we could've taken care of everything at home, just like Nurse Redheart said!" Spike replied, feeling exasperated as the matter was discussed. "The swelling in your muzzle went down, just like they said. Your eye finally cleared up, just like they said. We could've just taken off the bandages here and saved all that time. We didn't have to stand around for hours, reading last year's magazines while we waited."
Oh. So that's what this was about. Now it made a little more sense to her.
"I know, Spike, I know," she said as she pushed herself up to a standing position to walk over to where he was. "I know we could've done it ourselves at home, and saved a lot of time in the process. But going in for a checkup was the only pretext I could think of, in hopes of garnering some information from the hospital staff. We still don't know for certain just how many ponies have survived their encounter with the manticore, and how many are going to recover," she explained.
Spike frowned. If Twilight was hoping that her explanation was going to help, then she was hoping wrong.
"Twilight you've got enough on your plate already," he stated firmly, and in a tone that left no room for debate on the matter. "You're still trying to learn your own advanced spells. You're trying to teach more combative spells to those that volunteered for the classes. There's that sidelined experiment of yours with the changeling goo leftover from the last invasion. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are asking me all kinds of questions about Ulquiorra, and I don't know what to tell them. And don't even get me started on the mess we've got with the Elements of Harmony. You seriously don't need to be adding another thing to worry about, on top of what you and I already trying to deal with," he explained flipping up a claw for each point raised as he stepped closer to her.
"But-" Twilight started, only to be interrupted by Spike as he continued talking.
"No. There are no "buts" here, Twilight, you're spreading yourself too thin. You're trying to take on way too many responsibilities, when there are other ponies, who're perfectly capable of picking up the slack, whether it's real or imaginary," he stated as her closed the distance between them, looking her dead in the eye. "I get how stressful this is, Twilight, everything going to Tartarus around us, and we don't know which end is up. But you're trying to take responsibility for things that you don't need to, and that's just not healthy. There's a big difference between helpful, and meddling in the affairs of other ponies. And we're seriously crossing that line."
Twilight didn't know what to say in response to Spike's statement. What had started off as him voicing his concern about her taking on too many responsibilities, had somehow spiraled into a rant about her meddling with other ponies, and she hadn't even seen it happen. How exactly had they gotten to here? And how exactly did Spike see her actions as meddling?
Unfortunately she didn't get the chance to ask any of these questions, as there was a knock at the library door serving as a distraction. She ultimately decided that she'd have a word with Spike later on, after she finished addressing whoever had come to patron the library during the time it was closed. And after she ran through a mental checklist of whether or not there were any books out that could be considered overdue.
"Yes?" she asked as she opened the library door, only to see Big Macintosh standing before her, and wearing a concerned look on his face.
"Howdy, Miss Twilight," he greeted politely.
"Howdy Big Macintosh," Twilight replied. Although now that she thought of it, the wording felt strange to use. Trying to talk like Applejack and her family wasn't the easiest thing she'd ever tried. Oh well. That really wasn't important right now. "What brings you by?" she asked, wondering how she could best be of assistance to the stoic stallion.
"It's not so much a what as a who," Big Macintosh started to explain, before glancing to his right and slowly stepping aside.
Twilight poked her head out the door to look at what Big Macintosh was getting to. When she did she saw Applejack standing there, looking both anxious and like a mess. She looked like she was fresh right out of the bath; fresh as in literally right out of the tub, and just barely dried off. Her mane and tail were unkempt, and her hat was heavily askew. And while Applejack was one who favored function over fashion, she always took a certain measure of pride in making herself relatively presentable to others. She was no Rarity, but she never would've come to town looking like she currently did unless it was an emergency.
And going by how anxious she looked, it probably was an emergency.
Twilight opened her mouth to speak and ask what was the matter. But she never even got the first word out, before Applejack more or less tackled her, and threw her forelegs around her to engage in one of the tightest embraces she could ever remember being on the receiving end of. Or at least outside of her encounters with Pinkie Pie.
She honestly had absolutely no objections to being hugged by her friends. Truth be told it was one of her favorite things about actually having friends. But this had come out of absolutely nowhere and left her caught off guard. She didn't know what else to do but tentatively return the hug, and be aware of the fact that Applejack was currently inhaling the scent of her mane.
"Um... alright I'm hopelessly confused here. What's going on?" Spike asked as he stepped closer to the door.
The next thing he knew, Applejack had abandoned Twilight, and was now in the process of trying her best to hug the stuffing out of him, as she picked him up off his feet in the process. And filling him with more confusion than ever before. What exactly was going on? What had Applejack so upset? Why was Big Macintosh here?
Twilight was left feeling clueless right now as she watched the strange hugging scene unfold before her. She turned to face Big Macintosh in hopes that he'd be able to provide some answers to the numerous questions that were forming in her mind.
"What's going on?" she asked, deciding to keep things simple for the moment. And then she caught a whiff of something that made her freshly-recovered muzzle wrinkle up in disgust. "Ugh. And what smells like vomit?"
"Mind if ah come in first? Doesn' really seem right ta be talkin' 'bout such things on the streets," he pointed out. Twilight stepped back to let him inside, and watched as he gave his hooves a cursory wiping off before entering the library. "Ta be honest, ah really don' know what happened. When ah found her she was covered in 'er own puke an' cryin' her heart out, babbling about things that didn' make much sense. Said she had ta come ta town an' make sure ya were alright, and wouldn't take no fer an answer. Ah barely even managed ta convince her ta wash up before comin' over," he explained.
Despite Big Macintosh's calm manner of address, Twilight could see that the stoic stallion wasn't quite so stoic. She recognized the signs of concern he was clearly wearing, yet unaware of them himself. Shining Armor had the same look at times. Elder sibling instinct to try and hide the sheer degree of terror they were experiencing, because they needed to at least pretend to be calm for the sake of the younger sibling. Applejack was lucky to have him as a big brother.
"Applejack," Twilight spoke softly as she approached and rested a foreleg on her withers. "What happened? Are you alright?"
"No," Applejack stated simply as she continued to hold onto Spike.
Twilight frowned in response to the bluntness. She'd been hoping for something more substantial than just that. This was going to require a little more effort on her part.
"Look at me, Applejack," she told her. At first there was no response from the earth pony. But slowly, Applejack loosened her hold on Spike -much to the young dragon's relief- and complied by turning to look back at her as she set him down. She nearly recoiled as the stench of her friend's breath reached her face, but she did her best to hold firm and not react. "That's better. Now what happened?"
"Ah... ah don' know jus' what happened. All ah know is it was horrible," Applejack replied, her gaze faltering as she looked down at the floor. But a lavender hoof touched her under her chin, and brought her back to eye level.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Twilight asked her, doing her best to temper her curiosity -and her annoyance- in favor of being supportive to a friend who was in need.
"A-ah don' wanna," Applejack mumbled and tried to look back down again, but found it to be quite difficult. She sighed in response and closed her eyes instead. "B-but... but ah will..."
With that statement, Applejack took a breath in effort to steady herself for sharing her experiences with her friends.
"Ah was out inspectin' the southern orchards at the time..."
Twilight, Spike, and Big Macintosh all sat in silence, as they listened to Applejack do her best to explain the tale of her experiences, horrified at the details she had to share with them.
For Twilight herself, it was particularly hard to sit through Applejack's story without making any significant noises, or otherwise breaking down in a fit of crying of her own. It took a great deal of willpower, and self restraint, to not simply walk over to her, and pull her into a hug that rivaled what she'd been subjected to not all that long ago.
Applejack's story bore an uncomfortable similarity to what she heard Rainbow Dash recount to Celestia about her own ordeals. There were far too many similarities to overlook. The only real notable difference was how each was affected; Rainbow Dash had been lead to believe that the others had turned against her, and she couldn't trust anyone. But Applejack had been lead to believe that she had been the one to not only turn against the others, but her own family. It was just so utterly heartbreaking to hear.
And that was to say nothing of the logical complications of it all! But she'd get to those later on, once she managed to calm herself down a bit more.
"... next thing ah know the orchards are back in their pristine condition, an' ah'm left cryin' an' pukin' all at the same time," Applejack concluded, doing her best to remain stable and collected throughout it all.
The next thing she knew, Twilight was on her and hugging her tight. And in what just had to be the perfect position to allow her to rest her head against her back. She was all too wiling to return the gesture. There was no way she was not going to hug in the state she was in.
"Wow..." Spike breathed in response, uncertain of what else to say. He never saw this one coming, nor would he have even wanted to. "That's... that's... I'm sorry, but there's just no other way to put it adequately. That's seriously fucked up!" he stated.
Twilight was in full agreement with Spike's assessment of the situation, profanity and all. A situation like this all but demanded profanity. But right now she didn't feel up to actually stating such. She was certain that if she started talking right now, her voice was going to start wavering, and that would in turn set Applejack off again. And while crying was supposed to be healthy, it also added greater difficulty in focusing on whatever task was at hoof.
"Do ya reckon whatever happened ta Applejack, is related ta wha' happened ta Rainbow Dash?" Big Macintosh asked them. At the moment it was the only thing he could think of, that didn't greatly infuriate him to the point of not even being able to see straight. And that battle to keep his temper in check was slowly but surely becoming a losing battle.
"I don't really know for certain, Big Macintosh, but I certainly believe there's a connection to be had," Twilight replied as she slowly disengaged the hug with Applejack, much to the earth pony's obvious chagrin with the idea of actually letting go. "There's no way in Tartarus that this is just a coincidence. With all of the similarities it's a statistical impossibility. And I think it's safe to say that we've just shot down one of Ulquiorra's theories on this whole matter."
Applejack blinked, uncertain of what to say in this situation. It almost sounded like Twilight was coming up with some sort of plan.
"Which one?" Spike asked. The number of theories that could be attributed to Ulquiorra could easily fill up several pages worth of notes, and it was hard to keep them all straight.
"The one about Rainbow Dash's predicament being the result of affliction by some sort of biological impairment, either of an internal or external nature. The sudden onset could have certainly made that theory plausible in nature, but this completely undermines that," Twilight explained.
"Ah'm... ah'm not followin'," Applejack finally spoke up, doing the best to not let her own shakiness enter her voice.
"Ah'm not either," Big Macintosh added. The stuff they were talking about was going right over his head. Although he had some small understanding of the terms that were being hurled about, he had no idea what the context was.
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. Ever since she had heard of the theory that Rainbow Dash was sick was some sort of disease, she'd been trying to avoid getting into any conversations with anypony that might lead to her releasing such details. But that had been partly related to the fact that she'd learned of it around the same time of learning about the Element of Loyalty going dark. Out of fear of saying something she shouldn't, she'd opted to say very little around town. She knew herself well enough to know that if she went off on a tangent, there was no telling where she'd stop. That fact had only been reinforced by the whole wingboner episode with Spike.
She was going to need to be careful in what was said, and what wasn't said. And all while trying to balance it against the fact that she'd promised Applejack and the others she wouldn't lie to them on important matters anymore. She knew she needed to censor herself, but only so much.
"A few days ago, Ulquiorra had the theory that Rainbow Dash wasn't attacked in any traditional sense, but was actually suffering from some as of yet undetermined disease. But I couldn't mention that to anypony at the time, because we really didn't know just what kind of disease was suspected, and we didn't want to cause a panic. You know how word travels around here," she began. They nodded in understanding of the fact. "Right. Anyway I got word from Celestia that Rainbow Dash is being examined by the doctors in Canterlot, but I haven't heard anything back on the matter. So I couldn't tell you if they suspect it's something viral, bacterial, or even fungal in nature," she continued. She decided to leave out the whole mental illness issue, as it would simply serve as a distraction in the matter. She just hoped that Spike wouldn't spot the omission and speak up in her place.
Fortunately, he didn't seem to catch on, and instead remained silent. Thankful for that fact, she continued in her explanation.
"Naturally this theory is terrifying to even consider. But I honestly believe that we can safely discount that theory now," she stated.
"How?" Applejack asked, uncertain of what else to really say.
"In simple terms, Applejack, because of what you experienced in the orchards. I know that I'm no expert in the field of virology, but I'm having a really hard time believing that there's any sort of naturally occurring disease in the world, that could affect anyone in the way you and Rainbow Dash have been affected. Hallucinations, that's possible. Loss of time, also possible. Affected senses, still quite possible. But everything occurring all at the same time, and combined with a level of sadism that simply defies imagination, is simply NOT possible! I find it to be utterly impossible to believe that some disease could affect you and Rainbow Dash in the same manner, and subject the both of you to what you've been through!" Twilight stated, her voice and demeanor growing stronger as she continued. This was no longer simple a analytical explanation. And as such, she could afford to let some emotion loose in her words.
"Wait jus' a minute. Maybe ah'm not followin' er somethin', but are ya sayin' it's a good thing this happened ta me?" Applejack asked as she tilted her head. The way Twilight was getting herself excited, it was really hard to tell one way or the other what she was thinking right now.
"What? No!" Twilight replied, disturbed that Applejack would even think that she was suggesting such. She really needed to work on her pony skills or something. "Of course I'm not saying anything like that. Applejack, what you went through was horrible, and nopony should ever have to go through that. I honestly don't know what I would've done if I was in your place, and faced with the same impossible decisions," she explained as best she could.
Applejack didn't say anything, and simply nodded in response to the statement, indicating that she was paying attention.
"But the fact this happened to you, and that it happened in the way that it did, may actually bring us one step closer to being able to help Rainbow Dash," Twilight pointed out.
Applejack really didn't know what to say in response. She didn't really understand just where Twilight was going with this. And she really didn't know how her imagining that she'd murdered all her friends, and even her siblings, was going to be helpful in any way. But if it meant helping Rainbow Dash out of her predicament, she supposed she could take one for the team. Faust knew she loved that mare like she was her own sister. A thought that, in hindsight, struck her with a great sense of irony when she stopped to consider just what a ripened zap apple looked like. If she wasn't utterly confused -and emotionally shaken- right now, she might've started snorting with laughter at the similarity.
But right now, there was a pressing question that needed to be addressed.
"So how do ya figure that, Twi'?" she asked, hoping some clarification would help her. How exactly did her torment aid them in this matter?
Twilight paused momentarily, trying to think of how best to explain her position. If she said it right as it came to her mind, she knew it was going to sound insensitive. Even to her it sounded cold, and vaguely like she was treating Applejack like a lab rat. That imagery was just unacceptable.
"Well as I said, I find it impossible to believe that a disease could afflict a pony with what you and Rainbow Dash went through. But up until now only Rainbow Dash was affected, meaning we had precious little to actually go on. So little in fact, even Ulquiorra didn't know what to make of it. But now we have more information, and we can do a proper compare and contrast between the similarities, and differences of each instance. And I'm fairly certain that with this new information, and a little bit of time, we can positively eliminate biological impairments as being a possibility," she explained.
"So wha' yer sayin' is, if this hadn' happened ta me, we might still be spinnin' our wheels, chasin' common colds an' such?" Applejack asked, trying to properly compare what Twilight was saying, to something that made basic sense to her.
"Well... that's one way of putting it," Twilight replied, biting her tongue at the urge to correct Applejack's overly simplified interpretation of what she was saying. The issue at hoof was a whole lot more complicated than the common cold could ever hope to be. Assuming viruses could ever develop beyond basic survival instinct that is.
"Well... so long as somethin' goods come outta this mess. If it helps RD out, ah guess ah can take one fer the team," Applejack stated.
"What!?" Spike practically yelled in response to Applejack's casual attitude about everything. "Applejack, that's terrible!"
"Spike-" Twilight started, planning to scold him for his outburst. But a dragon on a mission was a tough thing to stop, as he was still talking and paying no attention to her.
"You didn't volunteer for this, and we sure didn't ask you to do it for us! You didn't take one for the team, you got taken advantage of, just like Rainbow Dash!"
Spike was suddenly finding it very hard to breathe, and his skin was starting to feel hot; even hotter than usual. And along with that heat was an uncomfortable tightness all over, like his skin had suddenly shrunken on him. It was like being in a panic, but without being afraid. Right now he was way too upset to be afraid. Instead he was feeling... he was feeling really hostile and aggressive. It was just like when he had to fight Rainbow Dash. But this time it felt a lot worse to experience.
"I... I don't feel so good," he mumbled in between intense breaths.
The next thing he knew, he found himself being pulled into an embrace by Twilight from behind, as she wrapped her forelegs around him, and sat on her haunches to hold him close.
"It's alright, Spike, it's alright," Twilight reassured him, doing her best to try and calm him down. She didn't need him going to pieces on her right now. And truth be told, he was starting to scare her with how he was acting. "We're all going to get through this, Spike, I promise. It'll all be alright," she said as she tried to keep Spike from hyperventilating.
While Twilight worked at getting Spike calmed down, Applejack and Big Macintosh watched in silence, not entirely sure of what had happened, or what had managed to get Spike so upset, and do it so quickly.
"Come on, Spike, deep breaths," Twilight said as she loosened her hold just enough to rub his back. "It's alright, it's alright."
"No," Spike wheezed in between his efforts at slowing his breathing down. "No it's not alright! What happened to Applejack isn't alright! It isn't!" he stated, his efforts at calming down now being wasted as he got himself worked up again.
"Is tha' what this is all about?" Applejack asked, not sure if raising an eyebrow right now was entirely appropriate. "Now lookie here, Spike, ah never said ah was a'right with wha' happened, 'cuz ah'm not. And if ah ever catch the ornery sidewinder tha' did this ta me, ah'm gonna stomp 'em 'til they're nothin' but a greasy stain on mah hooves," she pointed out, stomping her right hoof against the ground to emphasize the fact that she was upset. But then her features softened as she continued to address him. "But if it's like Twilight said, an' we can use this ta help RD some, then ah'm gonna be focusin' on that instead."
She had to stay focused on the potential for the positive in this situation. She couldn't stop and think about what she was actually feeling right now. Even just thinking about actually thinking about the stuff she'd experienced back in the orchards, was making her stomach feel upset all over again. She didn't want to spend so much as a single minute thinking about what she'd been forced to do, and the choices she'd been forced to make.
So instead she'd focus her attention on how what she'd experienced, could possibly be used by Twilight and the others, to help them figure out how they could help out Rainbow Dash. As long as she could do that, she would be alright. She had to be alright.
Fortunately it seemed the message was getting across to Spike, as he was calming down better now. Regardless of how Applejack felt right now, it helped in some small way to see that Spike had actually gotten himself all worked up because she wasn't worked up; at least not visually. It helped remind her that somepony else cared, and she wasn't facing this crisis alone. Being here helped remind her of what was actually real and tangible. The here and now wasn't some sadistic hallucination that fooled her into believing it was real, it just couldn't be.
"That's a very interesting way of looking at this whole situation, Applejack," Twilight said as she finally felt Spike relaxing against her. She held onto him a bit longer, making sure that it actually took this time, and that he was actually alright and properly settled down, before finally releasing him, and climbing back to her hooves. "But interesting or not, it doesn't change the fact that we're here for YOU as well, Applejack. We're going to do everything we can to help Rainbow Dash, but we're going to help you too. I don't know just how yet, but we will. And nothing is going to stop us from doing just that," she stated confidently, wanting her to understand the full gravity of the matter. She wasn't about to sacrifice one friend for the purpose of saving another.
"Right," Spike added and nodded in agreement.
"Thank ya kindly, both o' ya," Applejack stated, a genuine smile beginning to come across her face at their kindness. She was really lucky to have friends like this.
"And with that thought in mind, I think we should write Ulquiorra and bring him up to speed on this matter. He needs to know how the situation has changed," Twilight stated.
"Yeah, Mr. Cifer's got a good head on his shoulders. He'll know wha' ta do," Applejack replied and nodded. If anyone could figure this matter out, then it was most likely him.
Plus it wouldn't hurt to have another friend present. The way she was feeling right now, the more friends that were around, the better.
And with that thought in mind...
"Uh... ah hope ah'm not imposin' er nothin', but... would it... would it be a'right with ya if ah stayed over fer the night? Jus' fer some reassurance tha' things didn' happen the way ah thought they did?" she asked them. "Ah'd really rather not be alone tonight, if ya know what ah mean..."
Twilight knew full well what Applejack meant. However she didn't really have any idea how the farmpony was actually going to manage to sleep tonight. If this had happened to her instead, she would be hitting the coffee extra hard, terrified that every time she even so much as blinked, her tormented mind would force her to replay the events over and over again, leaving her unable to look away. She wasn't even sure if Luna's magic would've been strong enough to stop that from occurring.
But she was getting distracted right now. She understood what Applejack was saying about not wanting to be alone. Had it been her that went through that nightmare, she would've been calling an emergency sleepover with mandatory attendance. She couldn't even consider actually denying Applejack's request, and sending her away from the library. If she were to do something that heartless, and Applejack woke up in the middle of the night, all alone in her room, and unsure of whether or not things had happened like she thought they had, the potential for emotional and psychological trauma couldn't be overstated. Such an approach simply wouldn't do, and wouldn't be done under any circumstances.
"Like I would ever make you leave," Twilight replied as she approached and pulled Applejack into yet another hug. A hug that was quickly reciprocated. "You can stay as long as you need to. We'll even call the others over if you'd like," she offered.
Big Macintosh remained silent as he watched the bonding between Twilight and his sister. The unicorn's presence was doing her a lot of good right now; far more than his own had done, he was ashamed to say.
It wasn't that he was bitter, or even jealous for that matter. But it felt like he was falling down in his duties by not being able to help his little sister during her time of need. What exactly had he done anyway? Escorted her to Ponyville when she was on shaky legs, doing his best at keeping her steady when she was stumbling. It wasn't that he hadn't played an important part in it all. But that elder sibling status just made him wish that he could do more for her.
However his thoughts on the matter became interrupted, as he became aware of the fact that he was being hugged around his neck, and realizing that it was Applejack doing the hugging, as she stood up on her hind legs to wraps her forelegs around his neck. And suddenly all thoughts about his own inadequacies as an older sibling were subdued and chased away, as his sister went about her own way of assuring him that he wasn't being abandoned in favor of the company of others.
"Ah'll be back tomorrow, Big Mac, jus' gotta get everything sorted out first," she told him.
Twilight nodded as she stepped closer. "You don't have to worry, Big Macintosh, we'll take good care of Applejack," she assured him.
"Much appreciated, Miss Twilight," Big Macintosh replied as Applejack finally released him. But he became confused when Twilight stepped closer, and stood up to hug him around his neck much like his sister had done. It wasn't undesired, but it was certainly unexpected.
Spike just stood back and shook his head, before going over to the desk where Twilight kept some of her writing supplies, and retrieved a quill and piece of parchment. He would let the others have their moment, while he laid out the basic premise of what had taken place over this evening, and giving just enough information to get Celestia and the others here; he knew that even if he spent an entire hour articulating the letter, there would still be questions getting asked, and he'd rather not explain it all a second time, regardless of the change in presented medium.
"When it comes to helping out my friends, I'd do just about anything for them," Twilight stated as she slowly let go of Big Macintosh. "Whether it's providing a place to stay, or a wither to cry on... or even letting them take a proper shower so they can stop smelling like vomit."
Despite the inner turmoil she was feeling right now, Applejack just couldn't bite back the snort that came from Twilight's deadpan delivery of that last part of the statement. With the subject matter and the way it was delivered... it was just too much for her.
"Ah guess ah do stink a bit. Sorry 'bout that, ah was in a big hurry ta get over here an' make sure ya were a'right. Didn' bother wit' making mahself presentable er nothin'," she apologized/explained.
"You still showed a lot more restraint than I would've in the matter. If it'd been me, I probably would've teleported to find you without worrying about my hygiene. That would've made for an awkward and unpleasant hug," Twilight replied and grinned awkwardly.
Despite his attention primarily focused on the letter he was writing, Spike was still listening to what was being said around him. At that last part of the exchange, he decided to put down the suggestion of waiting twenty minutes before responding, in order to give Applejack the chance to get herself cleaned up. After all, it wasn't like the twenty minutes was going to make that much of a difference in the matter. Right?