//------------------------------// // The Apple Family Farm // Story: Time Lost // by Terciel1249 //------------------------------// Time Lost Ch. 4: The Apple Family Farm Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to anything related to MLP. All other characters are mine. The sun fell below the horizon on Canterlot. Behind her desk, Celestia’s eyes scanned the latest complaints from the Canterlot nobles. Princess Celestia growled in irritation. Sometimes I wish I could just send all of those stuck up snobs to the Sun. To Celestia’s surprise, a large brown folder flashed into existence on top of the piles of parchment littering her desk. Intrigued, Celestia levitated the envelope before her. The insides revealed to be a single letter and a stack of pure white paper documents. The letter read as such: Dear Princess Celestia, As you requested, here is all the information I have written on the human when he’s woken up. The copies of this document have been sent to the FPS office in Canterlot and to Royal Guard HQ. The human calls himself Luke Skywalker. From my observation of him, he has very disjointed memories. He was unable to even remember his original name. Luke has shown no signs of aggression towards any of the staff and me. I felt it would be in his best interest to send him home with his legal guardian, Macintosh Apple. I will require further tests to establish the extent of his mental capacities. From my first observations, I believe he is smarter than he is letting on. Or he may be an idiot with unknown information locked inside his little head. For now I will keep in close contact with both him and the Apples. I will update you when I’ve learned any new information. Tomorrow I’ll be paying a quick visit to Sweet Apple Acres. I’ll be sure to write you tomorrow if I learn anything new. Sincerely, Your Faithful Subject Mary Sue. Celestia smiled in contentment, That’s some good news for today. A loud chuckled filled the silent study, effectively ruining Celestia’s mood. Looking up, Celestia found Discord’s head hovering over the document, his long neck extending from her flowing mane. “Discord, why are you here? More importantly, get out of my mane!” In a flash, Discord appeared in front of Celestia’s purple desk. “I was keeping an eye on you. I knew you would receive a letter from your contact in Ponyville. Which begs the question; why not rely on your faithful student?” “I did not want Twilight to pester the poor boy. Could you imagine the extent she would go to if she found out the only human in existence is right under her nose?” Celestia asked rhetorically. Discord shut his trap. Images of a crazed Twilight running down the hippogriff like a raving bloodhound filled his mind. “Good point.” “What do you plan to do now?” Discord raised a bemused eyebrow, “What do you mean?” “I mean,” Celestia stressed, “the human you saved is now awake. What do you plan to do with him now? Do you plan to meeting with him?” “I’ve thought about it,” Discord scratched his chin. “My plan is to do nothing.” “Nothing?” “Yes,” Discord nodded in affirmation. “I don’t believe you,” Celestia said calmly. Discord pouted, taking the form of a very small and very adorable brown puppy. The puppy Discord looked up at Celestia with wide sad eyes. When she didn’t crack, Discord reverted back to normal. “I mean that I have thought about what you’ve said and agree with you.” Discord’s actually listening to a pony. Stop the presses! “I will keep to the shadows and remain hidden,” Discord continued, grumbling in sadness. “I will merrily keep an eye on Luke. If Luke and I are never to meet again, I will hold my tongue and remain silent.” Celestia didn’t know exactly how to feel. She felt a slight amount of pride in Discord’s decision. But sadness seeped its way in. Discord may never get the retribution he needed. Luke Skywalker may never be able to find out the truth of his rebirth and how much it may hurt Discord to remain silent. 0 0 0 For one the journey had just begun, Old but young, his time to come. But soon enough the clock struck two, The face must change, the music must too. Soon the music must end too, His time on earth to begin anew. The clock continues to tick on bye, Earth’s deep rock unmoved by time. Soon the clock will tick on bye, The actor's time to leave the spotlight dry. And now it's time for one last bow Like all those who had to go. The eleventh hour is over now, The clock is striking twelve. Discord looked down from the roof of Big Mac’s room, unseen by any wakeful. Discord felt a pang in his heart. Sleep didn’t reach Luke this night. Heat rose from the center of the hippogriff’s body, leaving him drenched in sweat. Luke tossed and turned on the small section of the mattress. Stomach rolled like the stormy sea. Luke’s small body could not fight off the ravenous pain assaulting the nerves. The stitches across his back, arm, chest and stomach became red and puffy. The inflamed flesh pressed against the synthetic fibers without mercy. His broken leg itched, the pain lacerating deep into the bone. Luke had only a seconds warning, his frail body finally giving into natures call. With a heave, Luke brought his head over the side. The face the metal bucket was ready for him. Discord cringed at the sound emitting from Luke’s beak. Big Mac jerked away, the loud banging of half solids smacking against metal. Big Mac craned his head to the side, seeing Luke’s back towards him. This is going to be a long night. Big Mac groaned, barely eleven o’clock and he was already comfortable. Pulling himself to his hooves, Big Mac left the room in silence. Big Mac returned shortly after, a glass of water held in his hoof for Luke. The hippogriff’s head rested on the side of the mattress panting. Every fiber of his being hurt, acting like his flesh was on fire. Big Mac brought the cool liquid to Luke, offering the hippogriff the glass. Luke’s bloodshot eye peered at the glass before taking the glass within his trembling talons. Luke could feel the weakness in his muscles. His hands reacted sluggishly the call. Big Mac’s giant hoof pressed against the bottom of the glass, helping Luke steady it. Luke drained the glass. Cool relief filtered through his throat and to the stomach. Gently, Big Mac moved Luke’s small head back onto the bed. The amber eye was half-lidded, brain drowning in a sea of red pain signals. Mac held his hoof barely an inch from Luke’s body. There he could feel the heat radiate from Luke’s feathery forehead. Big Macintosh left Luke again, going downstairs to grab an icepack. The farmer could not help but reminisce. A feeling of nostalgia rose in his chest. “But Macky!” a small orange filly wined to her older brother as he tucked into pink blankets. “Ah don’t want to be sick! Ah want to go outside!” Little Mac shook his head, “Nope. You’re gonna stay in bed until ya’ll get better now. Mom and Pa will be mighty sore if’n you don’t stay in bed.” Applejack crossed her arms, huffing in indignation at her brother’s firm stance. No matter how cute she was, Little Mac would not be moved. Discord watched Macintosh’s memory, intrigued at what was going on in the farmer’s head. Who knew Applejack was such a cute little filly once? What happened? Applejack snorted in irritation. Returning to his room, Big Mac offered Luke sweet relief. Placing the cloth bag on his head, Big Mac gently nudged Luke away from the edge of the bed. To ensure he didn’t fall onto the cold hard ground. Satisfied, Big Mac returned to his side of the bed. When he was sure the pony was asleep, Discord body became visible. Discord felt beside Luke’s head with a tentative paw. Discord looked down at Luke with concern. I can’t heal him. That would raise too many suspicions. Saddened he couldn’t do anything, Discord disappeared. Luke continued to struggle through the night. Big Macintosh couldn’t sleep either, the hippogriff’s constant motion keeping him awake. Macintosh didn’t mind. He could never blame a sick pony for something they couldn’t control. Hours passed slowly, time warped by the surrounding darkness. Finally, Luke fell into a dreamless sleep. A healing sleep. At three thirty, the hippogriff’s body and mind started the recovery process. The big pony sighed in relief, Luke’s body ending its constant unrest. Groaning, Macintosh settled down into sleep. His eyelids drooped, dark bags showing through his red coat. Without hesitation, Big Mac fell into the dreamscape. 0 0 0 Granny Smith rolled out of bed. The cold hardwood floor met the elder’s hooves. “Mah hip,” Granny Smith groaned, stretching out her hindquarters to pop the offending hip. Ripping open the curtains, the light of Celestia sun blinded the elderly mare. Granny Smith slowly edged out of her room and into the hallway. Applejack’s door laid open, her room empty. The hallway echoed with Rainbow Dash’s snores. You’d think there was a full grown dragon sleeping in the guest room. With a chuckle, Granny Smith continued onto the rest of the rooms. Applebloom and her friends grumbled awake. The sun’s harsh rays danced in front of their closed eyes. Looking into Macintosh’s room, Granny Smith’s careful hooves glided over the worn wood floor. Granny’s green muzzle peered over Luke’s flushed faced. Even with feathers, a light red tint bled into the white. Granny removed the ice pack from Luke’s head. Water sloshed in the bag. Granny Smith could not help but chuckle at the sight of the two boys snoring loudly, drool dripping onto the fabric. Dragging the bucket behind her, Granny Smith made sure to clean the metal bucket outside. Eight o’clock rolled on by, Luke rolling off the side of the bed and all the way down to the ground. Hissing, Luke blinked the blurriness from his eyes. Muscles slow to lift off. Luke stumbled from the room, tripping over his own hooves/talons on the way. His vision blurred and warping, making the hallway twist and turn to the whims of the universe. The hippogriff’s movements were slow and jerking. Even with the pain throughout his body, Luke was on a mission. He had to perform the most important deed of the day. Nothing would stop him from reaching salvation. What did I do last night? Head pounding, Luke finally found his destination. The bathroom. Entering the sacred room, Luke groaned to himself, “Another hole in the floor.” Leaving the bathroom, Luke moved down the hallway. Much better. Some would assume this grown man had a destination or plan in mind. In Luke’s head, the brain you were trying to contact is temporarily out of service. Please hang up and try your call again later. On day two in Equestria, Luke met his second biggest challenge. Stairs! In front of him, the stairs contorted for Luke. They writhed like a coiling snakes ready to strike. “Are you okay?” a sweet voice asked. Luke nearly jumped out of his skin to end up falling on his rump and almost squashing his tail. Luke’s head swiveled towards Applebloom. The filly appeared incomplete without her pink bow. Applebloom was giving Luke a very confused look, her mane poking out in every direction. Luke shook his head, Applebloom’s hair waving in front of his eye. Applebloom the Gorgon. “I’m not sure.” Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo soon arrived. They looked over Luke’s flushed face. “You don’t look so good,” Sweetie Bell said. “Are you trying to go downstairs?” Scootaloo asked. Luke turned to face the stairs, then back to the three. A shrug was all they got for an answer. “Do you need help downstairs?” Applebloom asked, moving closer. “Sure.” I have no idea where I’m going. But there are cute ponies with me so nothing can go wrong. “Can you two help him downstairs?” Applebloom asked Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell. They nodded before Applebloom tore down the stairs, finding Granny Smith inside the kitchen. A large pot simmered on the worn stove. “Granny,” Applebloom called. “Howdy their squirt! How are you doing?” Granny Smith smiled, stirring the vegetable soup with a long wooden spoon. “Ah think Luke might be sick. He’s kinda wandering around upstairs,” Applebloom said. On the stairs, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell gently shepherded Luke to ground level. Each filly placed a foreleg under Luke’s arms. Halfway down the rickety steps, Luke had to stop. His breath short, the world spun into a blur of colors. Scootaloo hefted Luke, his shoulders sagging, “You’re heavy for a freaking bird.” Hey! I am not fat! “That’s just the fever talking sugarcube. That’s why ah’m making the Apple family famous tomato basil soup,” Granny Smith said, taking a moment to take a quick taste. “Hmmm. Needs more salt.” “Wait, we have a family recipe that doesn’t involve apples?” Applebloom asked, flabbergasted. “OW!” Luke shouted, tripping over the last step. I curse you steps! I curse you and all of your kind! Let it be known that I will drive your race into extinction! I will seek the inventor of the stairs and push him down a flight of stairs! It will be ironic because he will break his legs, leaving him immobile and unable to use his own invention. Then his wife will leave him for the guy who invented the elevator. Because we all know, elevators are sexier than stairs! “What was that?” Applebloom looked into the next room, finding Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell pulling Luke into a standing position. “It’s all good Granny. Just an accident that’s all.” Granny Smith took her word for it, adding a little salt to the mix. “Where was Ah… Oh yeah. Of course the Apples have recipes outside our namesake. You can’t make a good soup with apples. Believe me child ah tried.” “What happened?” “Well,” Granny Smith drawled off. A memory swam to the surface of her consciousness. A metal pot melting into a pool of molten metal and shooting off sparks into the open air filled Granny’s mind’s eye. “Ah don’t wanna talk about it.” Applebloom wanted to ask more, but Granny Smith shushed her. Granny lifted a thick black lid on the pot before lowering the flame. “There we go Lucy Goose. Soup’s all ready.” Granny and Applebloom moved into the living room. Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo made way for Granny to take a look at Luke. The hippogriff simply lay on the floor, the cool wood feeling comfortable on his stomach with his eye closed. Ah sweet ground, how I love thee. You’re always there to catch me when I fall, except when it involves my face. How dare you blemish this gorgeous face! With an experience hoof, Granny checked Luke’s temperature.. Granny said to the three fillies, “Don’t worry. Luke’s got a fever that’s all.” Granny made her way into the kitchen, calling to Applebloom, “Bloom, how about you and yur friends go play? I’m sure there’s some crusading to do.” Celestia help me, Ah just encouraged them. The CMC left, Winona running through the open door. The thick coated dog’s tail wagged in excitement. She could smell something new in the house, someone new. She didn’t get the chance to visit yesterday. Those dastardly squirrels were mocking her again. There he is. Winona had to investigate, her dog instincts wanting to know who and what was lying on the floor. In her spot no less. Luke felt a cold wet nose poke his side, That tickles. Luke’s amber eye open, looking at the white and brown cattle dog smiling at him. Winona’s tail wagged excitedly. Luke raised his right hand towards Winona, allowing her to smell him. Winona’s nose crinkled before releasing a massive sneeze. She smelt strong sanitizer and blood on the hippogriff. Winona cocked her head to the right, as if to ask a question. Was this feathered one hurt? Winona allowed Luke’s knuckles to scratch against her chin absentmindedly. Again: sharp objects = problems. Winona was worried for him, he smelt of blood. Blood meant injury or worse. Winona’s protective instincts kicked in. She had stayed with each of her family when they were hurt. The big red one, the smaller orange one, the tiny one and the old one were all her family. It was a dog’s purpose to protect her family. If this hippogriff was here, then he must be new to the family. Just like her so many years ago. When Winona was a tiny puppy, she looked up with wide brown eyes expectantly at the ponies passing in front the cardboard box that housed her brothers and sisters. She waited for that one family to pick her. It wasn’t until a small orange filly’s muzzle entered the puppy’s vision, almost tripping over her own in haste to see Winona. Winona barked excitedly at the filly, tail wagging like a mad dog. The filly had to beg her parents to take Winona. They were hesitant. The scruffy dark red pony with a curling brown mane looked at the slender green pony to his right. The mare carried a tiny bundle on her back. When they said yes, the filly jumped four feet in the air to release an exuberant cheer. Applejack picked Winona out of the whole litter. From that day forward, Winona would be with the Apple bunch. Luke’s lips lifted in a slight smile, feeling Winona’s thick coat against his own fur. Winona’s wide brown eyes looked up at Luke’s face, his amber eye catching sight of her. With some difficulty, Luke lifted his right arm. The limb trembled as it rose. It felt stiff, the stitches burning under their wrappings. Granny Smith entered the living room, carrying with her a glass of water and several pills. Ain’t that just the sweetest sight. Luke had his right arm draped over Winona’s back, the cattle dog nuzzling Luke’s side. Luke’s eye closed. Moving to the pair, Granny Smith said, “Now sugarcube, before you go to sleep you need to take yur medicine.” Ah. Luke groaned, opening his single eye again. With his left hand, Luke popped the pills in his mouth before washing them down with water. “Good boy,” Granny Smith smiled. At least he’s better than Applejack was at that age. That filly ran like a bat out of Tartarus when it came to taking her medicine. Granny left Luke in peace to make breakfast for everypony. Ah think pancakes are in order. The CMC and Applejack gave thanks for the fluffy creations of delicious delicacies. Bang. Bang. Bang. All heads turned to the cyan mare slowly entering into the kitchen. The smell of sweet sugary deliciousness reached her all the way into the guest room. “Pancakes.” Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle at the rainbow mane sticking out in every possible direction. Rainbow Dash never paid her bad hairdo. Her glazed eyes and mind were on the sweet smell of, “Pancakes.” Rainbow Dash took a seat, looking at the tall stack of doughy round things that needed to be in her stomach right now. “How was sleeping in the guest room, Rainbow?” Applejack asked, sipping on her morning cup of coffee. “Hrrr.” Rainbow Dash grabbed herself a plate, piling it high before drowning it in dark syrup. Breakfast flew by, the CMC taking time to help Granny Smith clean the dishes. Applejack went outside to feed the pigs and chickens. Rainbow Dash went back to bed. Or to be more precise, she walked out on the patio and slumped onto the worn wooden like a sloth. The cyan Pegasus didn’t who saw her being lazy, it wasn’t even eleven. Who gets up this early? Outside, Sweetie Bell asked, “What do you girls want to do?” The three scratched their heads in unison. Scootaloo offered, “We can always try to get our cutie marks in dragon wrangling.” “Or we can do something that’s not insane,” Sweetie Bell groaned. Sweetie Bell and Scottaloo looked towards Applebloom. Applebloom wore a worried looked. “Hey! Wake up!” Scootaloo snapped, knocking Applebloom from her thoughts. “What?” “You were zoning out Applebloom,” Sweetie Bell said. “I was just thinking about Luke,” Applebloom began, “He looks really sick.” “Maybe we should do something nice for him?” Sweetie Bell offered. “That’s a great idea!” Scootaloo said, her wings buzzing excitedly. The young filly hovered a foot off the ground before her wings finally gave out. “Oh! We could make him a get-well-card,” Applebloom said with gusto. “Well,” Sweetie Bell injected, “He is getting better. He just left the hospital yesterday and you normally send get-well-cards to ponies in the hospital.” “Right,” Applebloom’s ears drooped sadly. “How about a ‘Welcome to the Apple Family card’?” Scootaloo scratched the back of her head. The orange Pegasus racking her brain for any good ideas. “That could work,” Applebloom muttered, thinking to herself. “How about we head to the clubhouse? We can think of something there,” Scootaloo said. “Alright, let’s go Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Applebloom said, the three fillies running full speed to their clubhouse. Big Mac groaned awake, his alarm clock reading 9:56 A.M. Craning his neck, Big Mac looked towards the other side of his bed. His heart froze. Luke wasn’t where he was supposed to be. “Oomph!” Big Mac rolled onto the floor, his hooves unable to catch him from the floor’s embrace. Granny Smith cackled, hearing the upstairs room reverberate with several loud bangs. The elderly mare sat quietly in her rocking chair, a needle and white cross-stitch in her hooves. Macintosh made his appearance, eyes wide, “W-where?” Granny Smith put a hoof to her lips, pointing to the sleeping form of Luke in front of the couch. Big Mac’s green eyes caught sight of something quite adorable. Winona snuggled the sleeping Luke. The hippogriff was sound asleep, his chest slowly rising and falling . To add to this moment, Luke’s arm was still wrapped around the cattle dog. Winona appeared very content at keeping an eye on Luke. Granny remembered another time when another small filly slept with Winona wrapped in her tiny hooves. Granny Smith slid off the wooden seat. With a wave of her hoof, Granny beckoned her grandson to follow her into the kitchen. “Want some breakfast Big Mac?” Big Mac nodded, his stomach grumbling in agreement. “When did ya get to sleep?” “Around three.” Granny Smith gave Big Mac the leftover pancakes Rainbow Dash didn’t manage to eat. The fluffy pancakes may be cold, but they were still delicious. But no morning is complete without a cup of Joe. Big Mac calmly walked out onto the patio with his drink. The cool breeze ruffled Big Mac’s ginger hair. Caffeine pumped its way throughout his veins, providing the jumper cables for Big Macintosh’s brain. Today his list of choirs was small. All he had to do was move the stacks of hay around, organize the workbench in the barn and check the support beams. Applejack said he was crazy for checking these. But with how many times the barn fell, Big Mac had to make sure his home would survive the next disaster. Granny Smith returned to her stitching, almost falling asleep the second she sat down. The living room became filled with the sound of snoring. The peaceful sleep could not last. Applejack entered the household, moving towards the stairs. The mare stopped, catching the sight of Winona curled up next to Luke in her peripheral vision. The sight of her dog lying next to that hippogriff made her blood boil. The puppy she trained for years, who had been one of her closest friends, was cuddling with Luke. This kid had the gale to enter her home without her approval. Applejack built this farm to what it is was today. Even though the barn keeps getting destroyed, that’s not mah fault. This was Applejack’s world. She knew everything that went on in her world. Ponyville may be crazy, but her farm was her sanctuary from that insanity. Here, Applejack was in control. Here, at Sweet Apple Acres, things tended to remain the same. That was what made the farm safe. Unknown elements at the farm were bad. In Applejack’s experience, they meant danger. Unpredictability didn’t sit well with Applejack. Luke Skywalker, he wasn’t supposed to be here. She knew nothing about him. Applejack didn’t like anything unknown entering Sweet Apple Acres. Luke represented that unknown element Applejack hated so much. To her, Luke had just waltz into her little slice of paradise. For the past three days, Applejack had to fight the dreaded feeling filling her head. The same thoughts rolled around in her head. Who was he? What did he want? Why was he going to live on her farm? Applejack couldn’t answer these questions and it drove her mad. She was responsible for her family and she needed to know what happened. Big Mac hadn’t been much help. He told her he was messed up and left it at that. He couldn’t have told her more simply because he didn’t know enough at the time. When Applejack caught sight of him, she couldn’t help but feel an unknown resentment towards him. His bandages and broken leg caught her off guard, but she thought he would be healthy enough to handle a little talk. She didn’t intend to too much force, just enough to hold him in one place for a few seconds. Applejack cast her gauze to her sleeping Granny. Ah think it’s time we have a little chat Skywalker. Winona jerked awake, Applejack’s hooves approaching. Applejack said in a serious tone, “Go Winona.” The cattle dog wined before obeying the mare. She didn’t want to leave, but Winona slowly trotted outside. Like the good dog she was. Applejack placed a hoof against Luke’s back, intending on holding him to the ground. “Argh!” Luke jerked awake, fire lacing across his back. Blinded by sleep, head full of cluttered images of colors, Luke attempted to push against the mountainous pressure bearing down on him. Bad move. The move sent white stars across his eye. Luke twisted his head, his amber eye looking up at Applejack. “What?” Luke’s pitifully voiced in pain. “Why are you on my farm?” “W-wwhat?” Luke couldn’t hear right. Luke’s priorities were on the stabbing pain across his back and his sides. “Why are you here?” Applejack added more forcefully, ignoring Luke’s trembling body. Applejack didn’t see the pain, she saw it as fear. Fear of a colt that had something to hide. “P-please stop.” Applejack’s hoof was too big and too heavy for Luke to even try to budge. The synthetic fibers of his stitches continued to push into the inflamed skin. The pressure on his ribcage sparked jolts of white hot pain across Luke’s nervous. His ribs were not up for this kind of activity. Applejack took Luke’s meager attempts to move as a sign of struggle. Applebloom had tried the same tactic when she was younger. Writhing and crying under her sister’s hoof until she ran out of energy. Then Applebloom would calm down enough to tell her older sister what was wrong. “I want to know what you did.” “I didn’t do anything,” Luke said, his voice a scratchy whisper. Lungs weren’t working properly and he couldn’t breathe in the air he needed to talk properly. “Then why did you end up on my farm with all those bandages?” “I was attacked.” Applejack could tell this was part of the truth. Her bones told her he was holding out. She wanted, needed to know what had happened to the young hippogriff. She needed to know if he was dragging her family into danger. “By what?” “I don’t know!” Luke snapped shutting his eye from Applejack’s accusing glare. The human’s mind may be old, but this body was still young. Hormones worked differently in the hippogriff’s body. The brain’s chemistry acted differently, bringing in waves of electronic stimulus the human was not accustomed to. Luke had not developed any form of control in this body. The pain seemed to be more severe now. Luke had no defenses against the torrent of information wracking his brain. “What aren’t you telling me?” Applejack said, her muzzle mere inches from Luke’s face. “What?” Luke stuttered, his eye opening to look into Applejack’s face. His mind ran blank for any possible reasons. Is she referring to me being human or something else? “Ah know yur hiding something! Ah can see it. Now tell me everything I need to know! Are you in danger? Are you bringing harm to this Family?” Applejack snapped, losing her patience with the young colt. “Applejack!” The very low base voice shocked Applejack to her very core. Angry and loud, Big Mac’s voice woke Granny Smith from her nap. “Wha- oh,” Granny Smith asked, before her eyes caught sight of Applejack. She turned to Big Mac, gulping at the sight of his expression. Thick veins pulsed visibly under Big Mac’s furry forehead, his pupils focused into pinpricks. The scowl on his face would scare even the bravest of stallions. Applejack stood stock still. In all honestly, Applejack was afraid of her brother. In her stupor, Applejack shifted her weight to her other hooves. Taking advantage of the lessened weight, Luke pulled away from Applejack. Startled, Applejack instinctually grabbed the white bandages under her hoof. The thin material tore off Luke in his desperate stumble away from her. Luke pushed himself backwards, making sure to keep his eye on Applejack the entire time. Luke stopped when something very hard and furry pushed against his back, flinching when the object made contact with his stitches. Granny Smith jumped to her hooves, seeing Luke panic in his mad rush away from Applejack and into Big Mac’s leg. White bandages slipped off Luke’s chest and back to litter the dark wooded floor. Granny Smith felt sadness seep into her heart. Even though Big Mac had gone over Luke’s injuries after Luke arrived. Seeing was an entirely different experience. The raw red skin shone brightly against Luke’s coat. Four jagged cuts across his chest and the four puncture wounds into the blue fur of his gut were an eyesore to any pony. The red jagged skin looked like somepony took a page out of Dr. Frankenstein’s handbook. “Big Mac?” Granny Smith asked, not knowing what had just transpired. Macintosh ignored Granny Smith, instead asking, “Why?” Applejack couldn’t help but shiver at the venom in her brother’s voice. She knew he was angry. She would be too if she had just finished doing her choirs to finding her one of her siblings holding a houseguest to the ground. “Now Macintosh…” “Don’t you now MACINTOSH me!” Big Mac snapped. “Why were you putting your hoof on a houseguest? Better yet! Why were you holding him down to begin with?” “I-I n-n-need to know if he was trouble,” Applejack stuttered. The icy grip of fear played at her heart. “Let me get this straight,” Big Mac slowly stated, ever word released with great articulation to ensure he would not be misunderstood. Each word forced through his teeth with great pain. “Applejack, you could have just asked me. Instead, you decided to put pressure on a colt that has stitches across his back, chest, four broken ribs, and is running a fever just so you ask what kind of trouble he’s in?” Applejack started to make her response, but Big Mac held up his hoof. “I want to know why you didn’t ask me. I could have told you everything about you needed to know. Now tell me why.” Applejack choked on her words before releasing them, trying to find a good excuse. “Ah wanted to make sure it was the full truth. And Ah didn’t mean to hurt him too much. I just thought he had a few stitches.” If Big Mac could look more angered, now was the time. Big Mac’s body trembled in suppressed rage, his face growing a shade of darker red. “Ah was going to tell you today when ah had the chance. You were giving Luke the stink eye last night and ah didn’t want to cause a fight. But why, in the name of Celestia’s sugar coated tits, did you honestly think it was a good idea to question a sick pony?” Applejack just stood in place, unable to respond. “What if he told a lie? How would we know what the truth was unless somepony asked him?” Big Mac snorted in disgust, before he could say anything however- “I would hope you had enough faith in another pony’s ability to tell honesty.” Seven eyes turned to the open front door, Mary Sue standing calmly in the doorway. “Who are you and what are you doing on mah farm?” Applejack snapped. “I’m Mary Sue, Luke’s councilor. I heard raised voiced, so I decided to investigate,” Mary Sue calmly walked into the room. “I do have the right to enter any property if I believe a child under government watch is at risk. Or do I need to bring over a Royal Guard to explain the law?” When no pony responded, Mary walked over to Luke. The hippogriff sat frozen next to Big Mac’s hoof. “Are you alright Luke?” Mary asked her calm voice becoming worried. With a delicate hoof, Mary felt around Luke’s flushed face feeling the elevated temperature. Luke deftly nodded, not trusting his own voice. Luke’s heart bashed against his chest. He had no idea what was going on. First he was asleep, and then he was abruptly woken up by pain. That would frazzle anyone’s nerves. Mary didn’t look too satisfied, but she turned to Big Mac. The large stallion worried about what the councilor would say. “Macintosh,” Sue clearly said. Big Mac felt as if the mare was about to snap at him for allowing Luke to be harmed under his care. “I believe Luke requires a bath. Rolling on the floor without bandages isn’t the best of activities for him to partake in. If you would be so kind, could you take him into the bathroom. I would like to speak with Applejack please.” Big Mac nodded dumbly, surprised at Mary Sue. Gently, Big Mac lifted Luke by the scruff of his neck. Silently, Big Mac and Luke moved upstairs towards the bathroom. Mary turned to Applejack when she heard the bathroom door slam behind them. “Now Applejack, let’s talk.” Luke’s furry rump sat on the cold bathroom rug. Next to him Big Mac ran cold water into the old Victorian bathtub of white plaster. When the bath was around four inches deep, Big Mac stopped the flow of water to add some saline salt. Luke and Mac remained silent. Neither one wanted to talk about what had just transpired. With one hoof, Big Mac swirled the water in the tub. When all of the white crystals were dissolved, Big Mac moved in front of Luke. With hooves too gentle for the giant, Big Mac slowly unwound the white gauze from Luke’s head. With each layer removed, Big Mac’s disgust grew. Mac’s stoic expression never changed, but inside he felt the hot coals of anger writhe hotter. Four deep horizontal slashed, almost half an inch wide destroyed the left side of Luke’s face. The flesh was only held together by thick black plastic. Dr. Hoarse had to remove every single feather from the top of his head to under his chin. The more horrifying part of Luke’s image was the empty socket. A black hole surrounded by black and purple bruised skin. There wasn’t even an inch of skin that didn’t look affected by the discoloration. A think horizontal cut was barely visible under the socket to the cheek, the only sign of Dr. Hoarse’s exceptional surgical skill. To Hoarse’s credit, the cheekbones and facial structure perfectly matched the undamaged side. Luke felt the soft gauze peel off his flesh, but something disturbed him. The left side of his vision was still black. Somewhere in the back of his head, Luke felt something close to dread grow. Looking to the left then right, Luke felt as if his eye was there and moving. The muscles still received electronic signals from the brain, giving him the illusion that his eye was still in its socket. Big Mac gently sat Luke into the tub. That’s cold. Big Mac left the water lukewarm to drop Luke’s fever. To Luke the water felt like he was skinny dipping in the Pacific Ocean. Not that I’ve done that mind you. Luke shivered lightly. Big Mac produced a clean wash cloth from under the bathroom sink. With great care, the pony dabbed at the cuts on Luke’s back. Silence filled the air with a tension so thick Luke could cut it with his claws. Big Mac preferred the silence. Silence made life easier for him to work. Silence made it easier for him to handle the sadness and anger he felt. “Big Mac?” “Eeyup?” “Did I do something wrong?” Luke asked his voice scratchy. Luke couldn’t make sense of Applejack. She asked him questions as if he did something to earn these injuries. Applejack had focused on him for some reason. She knew I wasn’t telling the whole truth, but that doesn’t mean I did anything wrong. Right? “No, no you didn’t do anything wrong,” Big Mac sighed, his ears pulling against his head. “But why?” Big Mac took a moment to think about the answer. “Applejack’s a cautious mare. She only wants to protect the family.” Luke sat silently, taking in the low voice. “Mah sister’s a stubborn mule. She will only take what she sees in front of her as fact. Being the Element of Honesty doesn’t help in that matter.” Element of Honesty? Does that mean she can tell when someone’s lying? “Applejack didn’t know about your injuries, but that don’t mean what she did was right. She’s afraid because she doesn’t know you. Word is that griffons are a violent species. Ah mean we do have a nice cook who’s a griffon, but her interactions with griffons haven’t been the best. Applejack assumed you were trouble, therefore you were bringing harm to her family.” Luke turned to silence. Big Mac’s hoof moved to clean the cuts on his chest and arm. Luke could have protested, but he didn’t have the will to. He felt bad. He was the reason Big Macintosh was mad at Applejack. Luke couldn’t help thinking about his sister. She’s dead and here I am, being bathed like a small child. Luke angrily brushed the itching at the corner of his right eye, telling himself there wasn’t a tear. Big Mac caught sight of this, “Don’t you worry bout nothing. Things will work out in the end. They always do.” Luke didn’t believe him. 0 0 0 Mary Sue stood in front of Applejack, keeping her expression calm and collective. “Now Applejack, did you honestly expect I would send a potentially dangerous individual to live with you and your family?” “Um, no.” “Then,” Mary’s voice curt, “Why would you assume Luke is in anyway dangerous or bringing danger to you?” “Well Ah haven’t had a chance to talk to him properly, didn’t ah?” Applejack said her voice hard. She was not going to give in to this councilor like she did with her brother. “All Ah know is that he’s hiding something. I saw it in his eye just now.” “Did you expect anything less?” Applejack opened her mouth, “Ah expect him to tell me the full truth. There is no way Ah will allow him to stay on this farm until Ah know full and well he’s good.” “So you needed to see him tell you the truth?” “Eeyup.” “So you can’t believe the word of a health care profession who has worked for several years with children? Who has personally been trained and prepared to deal with difficult or traumatized children? Instead you believe just because you’re the Element of Honesty, you can’t rely on the words of said professional?” When you put it like that it makes me sound like a grade A bitch. “That’s not what I meant?” Granny Smith was about to say something to her stubborn grandchild, but Mary Sue beat her. “Then tell me, would you be fully honest with ponies you had just met if you had woken up in the hospital, covered in injuries and without all of your memories?” “What?” “Did you even bother to learn about Luke before you decided to talk to him?,” Mary asked coldly. “Well I’ll let you in on the whole story.” With a deep breath, Mary listed, “Broken knee joint, four broken ribs, punctured organs in the abdomen, skin lacerations that made the nurse almost faint halfway through stitching them all, an eye that was surgically removed and amnesia.” Applejack’s ears went back even farther, hurting her head. She felt the wind get knocked out of her. “Did you know that Luke isn’t actually his name? He tried so hard to remember his own name, but ended up drawing a blank. I was there when he picked the name Luke Skywalker. And while I was informing him about Ponyville, I took some time to question him.” Mary’s eyes dropped sadly, “After he had fully woke up, he gave me more details about his attacker. A ‘monster’ as he called it with grey and brown fur, sharp claws, a long sharp tooth and big yellow eyes.” Applejack felt shame building inside of her, “What about his family?” “They’re dead.” Gasp! All ponies in the room turned to the front door, the CMC standing in the doorway with wide eyes. In Applebloom’s hoof was a large piece of paper folded in half. The paper was covered with red and green glitter, leaving a sparkling trail behind her. Granny Smith decided to handle this one. Moving over to the fillies, Granny Smith ushered them outside. “Come along girls. Applejack and the nice councilor need to be alone right now.” When Granny Smith was out of sight, Applejack asked, “How do you know?” “He saw their bodies,” Mary Sue voice became low. “Luke didn’t describe it, but I saw the sadness in his eyes. You can’t fake that kind of sadness. We had to stop our talk because he was getting incredibly upset. I gave Luke a lunch break to give him ample time to calm down.” “So that mean-“ “It means Luke is all alone.” 0 0 0 A fluffy pink towel patted Luke’s head dry. Luke may have wanted to dry himself, but Big Mac’s instinct as a older brother told him no. Luke felt terrible. I’m the one who brought conflict in this household. Big Mac’s been so kind and I’ve caused him trouble. Luke’s eye turned away from the red pony in front of him, catching sight of the mirror. Sparking an idea in his sickness addled mind. Never once had he looked at his own reflection without the band aids. Yesterday he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the hospital bathroom, but most of his face was covered in white gauze. Originally, Luke assumed he couldn’t see out of his left eye because it was covered. Now, he wasn’t so sure. What’s under those bandages? Pushing away from Big Mac, Luke approached the sink and counter. He intended to jump on that counter to see his full reflection. Luke needed to know what those bandages were hiding. Big Mac’s large hoof landed in front of Luke, blocking his way. Luke looked up into Big Mac’s worried filled eyes. Macintosh knew what the hippogriff was thinking. And Big Mac didn’t want Luke to see the damage done to his face. That knowledge could hurt Luke in his weakened state. “Please?” Big Mac shook his head. “I need to know,” Luke tried a second time. Again, Big Mac shook his head. “I can’t see out my eye. I need to know what happened! I can’t bear not knowing what is wrong with my own body. Without the bandages, I should be able to see, but I can’t! Why can’t I see, Big Mac?” Luke nearly pleaded. Too much had gone wrong today and Luke didn’t want to deal with having this over his head. Big Mac couldn’t look away from Luke’s amber eye and black socket. With much reservation, Big Mac lifted Luke onto the counter. There, Luke would find horror. The childlike feathered right side was the same as before. But that was a face. The left side looked like he had been mauled by Freddy Krueger. A close second if you ask me. Luke wanted to throw up. His esophagus clenched, trying to bring up anything of substance left in his stomach. This was not his face or a hippogriff’s face. This is the face of a victim, a boy who had suffered at the hands of a monster. Big Mac wrapped a foreleg around Luke. The hippogriff’s good eye watering as the gravity of the situation hit him. This was more than just a face. This was the face he may be wearing for the rest of his natural life. Luke turned to Big Mac, “My eye’s gone.” Luke shuttered at the thought. Too much was being piled onto him. Applejack and now this was not doing any favors for Luke’s psyche. Emotions flooded his system. Not just pain, but sadness at the reality. Big Mac pulled Luke into his chest, taking care not to push on Luke’s injuries. Luke wrapped his legs around Big Mac’s barrel. He didn’t care how childish he was looking. A small child hugging a grown stallion while crying on the bathroom floor. Luke had no control over this. This child’s body had not developed blockers for this kind of burden. No way to prepare for this kind of world to exist. “Why?” Luke screamed into Big Mac’s red coat, tears dotting the fur. Mary Sue and Applejack looked up, hearing Luke’s muffle cries. For the first time, Luke had time to think about his situation without interruption or fear for his life. “There, there. You’re going to be fine.” “It’s not fine!” Luke snapped, looking up into Big Mac’s muzzle. “I’m alive and my sister’s dead. I get to live while she doesn’t. That is not alright! I have to live with this face while she rots in the earth!” Big Mac didn’t have anything to say at this. He knew Luke wasn’t himself. Luke was talking out of anger, pain and sadness. For the first time, Luke was able to experience the soul crushing realization that he survived. The cold pit pulsing in Luke’s stomach was acknowledgment in the fact that he was the only one to make it out alive. Mary Sue slid the bathroom door open, popping her head inside. She looked at the bizarre scene of Big Mac sitting on the cold floor holding a weeping Luke. Big Mac shook his head, telling Mary without words that now was not the time. Half an hour later, Luke passed out. His body didn’t have the resources to stay conscious. Having no food in the stomach and fighting a fever at the same time took it out of Luke. With a heavy heart, Big Mac carefully wrapped Luke in a fresh set of bandages. Mary waited patiently outside the bathroom. Applejack stood next to her. No one spoke a single word until Big Mac opened the door with Luke carefully placed on his back. “Is he alright?” Mary asked, beating Applejack to the punch. “He’s shaken up,” Big Mac said moving towards his room. “The shock of today really took it out of him.” The pony stopped, turning to look at Mary. “Luke said he lives while his sister died. Ah think we need to keep a close eye on him. Ah don’t want him thinking the wrong ideas.” Mary nodded in agreement, following Big Mac to his room. Only Big Mac entered, the others thinking it was best not to crowd him. Big Mac gently laid the clean Luke on the mattress. Luke’s feathered head rested on the pillow. Big Mac felt the uncontrolled impulse to do something for Luke, to give Luke some form of comfort. But how could he give something to a pony that had these kinds of wounds? These kinds of scar would run deep, deeper than the flesh. Big Mac’s eyes caught sight of something. Ah may not be able to give you much, but Ah hope this helps a little. Big Mac lifted one of Luke’s talons, sliding his beloved Mr. Smarty Pants for the hippogriff to hug. Luke wrapped around his arms around the doll. The subconscious reached out in a desperate attempt to hold onto something. “This here is Mr. Smarty Pants. He’ll be here for you whenever you need it.” With that Big Mac left the room, finding the two silent mares looking on him with sad eyes. Big Mac led them downstairs and out the house. Rainbow Dash sat on the porch, wide awake and wearing a worried looked. When Big Mac stopped, Applejack tried to say, “Big Mac, Ah-“ “Applejack.” “Yeah?” “Don’t do that again,” Big Mac said in a very distant voice. He wasn’t mad anymore, just disappointed in his sister. He didn’t need to give her a long lecture from the way her ears were positioned and her constant shifting from one hoof to the next. Applejack nodded silently, not trusting her mouth at this time. When Big Mac was ready to talk, Mary Sue asked him a couple of questions. Mainly focused on how he and the rest of the Apples where doing with Luke’s presence. Big Mac answered them, assuring her Granny Smith and Applebloom were fine with Luke. Mary seemed convinced when Big Mac assured her this kind of situation would never happen again. The look of determination on his face would convince Iron Will there was no stopping the farmpony. “Applejack,” Big Mac turned to his sister. Applejack flinched, expecting Big Mac to strike her. “You owe somepony a big apology.” Applejack nodded, turning her eyes towards the ground. Finally satisfied, Mary made her leave with a quick farewell. Big Mac decided to take a walk through the orchard to clear his head. Granny Smith was wide awake and inside the house with the CMC. They would be able to hold down the fort in his absence. Applejack dragged her hooves to sit next to Rainbow Dash. The cyan mare only caught part of the conversation inside, but she knew her friend wasn’t happy. In a comforting move, Rainbow Dash patted Applejack’s shoulder, “Things will turn out fine, AJ. You goofed up, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it right later.” Applejack nodded. If she was paying attention, she would have noticed the irony of Rainbow Dash acting in the role of the sensible pony. Inside Big Mac’s room, a set of invisible claws slowly pulled the thin red sheets over Luke’s chest, taking extra time to tuck them along the side.