//------------------------------// // On the Brink // Story: Under the Starry Skies // by Wintergreen Diaries //------------------------------// Chapter 16: On the Brink The sound of two bodies hitting the floor yanked Nurse Redheart into full wakefulness, and as she stood she saw Twilight standing over a shivering Applejack. “Twilight? What’s...” “Nurse Redheart, there’s no time! Applejack has alcohol poisoning, she’s going to die if she doesn’t get help now!” Lifting Applejack with her magic, Twilight rushed her into the urgent care unit, where Doctor Stable got right to work, shooing Twilight out of the room where she paced anxiously for a time before remembering her friends were likely in the dark. She closed her eyes and let the magic flow, and with a rush she appeared back inside the tavern, which was strangely empty. Her friends and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were the only ponies left in the whole establishment that she could see, and they all scrambled over to Twilight to hear the news. “Twilight, is Applejack all right?” “No, Rarity, she’s not. She’s in the urgent care unit of Ponyville Clinic.” There was a collective cry of shock, and Cerulean immediately threw an hoof around Pinkie’s shoulder as her hair fell down flat. “Is it really that bad?” Rainbow Dash asked, swallowing hard. “Yes, I’m afraid it is. Just the alcohol is bad enough, but Berry added something in that makes it worse somehow.” “She what?” Storm cried, slamming a hoof into the table. “How could she justify doing something like that?” “I don’t think it was intentional, Storm. Let’s not jump to any conclusions.” “No, Cerulean, what Berry did was wrong, and she’s gonna pay for it!” Pinkie announced, further fueling the fires and whipping her friends into a frenzy. “Would y’all stop shoutin’ and actin’ so foolish?” Everypony turned to stare at Applebloom as she hopped onto the table. “Mah sister wouldn’t want nopony out fer revenge. She was doin’ this to earn Berry’s fergiveness, and it ain’t gonna do her any good if she wakes up t’ find her friends ‘ave gone and done somethin’ stupid!” “Applebloom, your sister might not be alive to see the damage come morning!” Rainbow whipped back, causing the filly to nearly fall from the table in shock. “Enough!” Twilight bellowed, sealing the mouths of her friends and motioning for Cerulean to tend to Dawn, who had awoken from the shouts and became quite frightened by the hostility pervading the air. “Applebloom is right. I’m every bit as angry as the rest of you, but I don’t believe for a second that Berry would knowingly poison Applejack. Now, I want everypony to go home and get some sleep. I will stay at the hospital tonight, and inform you all should she awaken during the night.” Not giving them the chance to argue, she unsealed their mouths and teleported them to their respective homes. Cerulean walked over as Twilight sat down with a hoof to her head, shaking from the trauma and overuse of her magic. Teleporting herself was one thing, but teleporting others was far more draining. “Hey, take it easy,” he said softly, draping a foreleg around her shoulders and pulling her close. Dawn was just starting to calm, and the filly looked up at her mother with worried eyes. “No sad. Pease, no sad, mam.” Twilight tried to stifle the tears, shaking violently as they rolled slowly down despite her best efforts. “Cerulean, she looked like she was dead already. She was barely breathing when I found her. Big Macintosh was sitting with her under a hot shower, but her body was cold as ice. I’m so scared...” “Wait, Big Macintosh was... Twilight, this is bad. You know how protective he is of Applejack.” “Oh Celestia, I have to stop him,” she replied, attempting to rise but faltering and falling back to the bench. “Stay here and wait with Dawn. Take some time to rest, then make your way to the clinic on hoof. I’ll meet you there once I make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” Twilight nodded, and clutched Dawn close as he left, rocking her gently as the filly cried, helpless to aid her mother. A sudden crash yanked Berry from her tear-stained pillow, and she ventured into the living room to see the door on the ground, a soaking wet Big Macintosh standing in the doorway. Ruby dashed out to see what the commotion was and froze in fear as Big Macintosh slowly approached. “Ruby, go back to your room and don’t come out.” “But...” “Please, sweetie. Just go!” Ruby fled back to her room and slammed the door as Big Macintosh came to a halt in front of Berry, his furious eyes cutting deep. “Ah told you... very clearly... that if mah sister came t’ harm, there’d be trouble.” There was no trace of mercy in his face, no hint of compassion in his voice. “H-how is s-she?” “Dyin’, Berry! She’s dyin’ thanks t’ you!” he roared, stomping a hoof down and standing over the mare as she fell. “Give me... one good reason. One reason not t’ break you t’ pieces.” “Because Applejack wouldn’t stand for it, Big Mac! You know that!” Cerulean shouted as he swooped in, grabbing the stallion’s shoulder and attempting to yank him away. Big Mac whirled and took a swipe at Cerulean who dodged away and began to back away slowly, locking Applejack’s brother in a challenging gaze as he slowly led him away from Berry, who scrambled upright and away from the two. “Don’t you talk to me like you know what it feels like! Applejack may die tonight. Ah’ve lost mah parents, and now ah’m about t’ lose a sister! Stay out o’ it, Cerulean! Ah ain’t got no quarrel with you, but ah ain’t gonna let Berry off the hook.” “You’re wrong, Big Macintosh, I know exactly what it feels like!” Cerulean pressed, continuing to lead the him away. Big Mac charged, and Cerulean attempted to feint but tripped over the fallen door, landing on his back. He grimaced as the furious stallion slammed his hooves down, pinning his forelegs and glaring at Cerulean with murderous eyes. “How can you possibly know... what I’m feeling right now?” “Because I lost my little brother nearly sixteen years ago!” Big Macintosh’s anger was temporarily dispelled by the statement, and Cerulean seized the opportunity and froze Big Mac’s body. Cerulean waited for an appropriate time before breaking the ice, and Big Macintosh teetered for a moment before falling to the ground unconscious. Berry poked her head out of her room to find the blue stallion crying softly at having to voice those words. “I didn’t mean it, Jade. I don’t believe you’re gone.” He looked up as he noticed the pink mare watching him. “Berry, I won’t be able to move him on my own... Poor planning on my part, I guess. You may want to take your daughter and sleep in the tavern tonight.” “Cerulean, your legs...” The mare’s words suddenly seemed to trigger the pain receptors in his forelegs, where deep purple bruises were forming from Big Mac’s attack. “Better mine than yours; a mare should always look her best. Rarity would have a fit, seeing somepony look like this.” “How can you just shrug something like that off?” “Berry, make no mistake. I’m angry and hurt by what you did to Applejack. The fear of losing a close friend like her is infinitely more painful than a simple bruise ever could be. Now please, just... take your daughter and go.” Berry entered her daughter’s room, and together they left the building, averting their eyes from the scene and galloping to the safety of Starfall Tavern. Cerulean sat for a time, unmoving as the fuzzy memories of his brother played back through his mind. Ever since Crimson had visited some nine months ago, the longing for him seemed to be growing stronger every day. He had intended to stay with Big Macintosh, but if his condition didn’t improve, it may well result in a nightmare. Searching around the house, he found a scrap of parchment and wrote out a simple message, laying it in front of the sleeping stallion and trotting outside. Rather than invest the magic fixing the door, he generated a wall of ice over the doorway and enchanted it to last until morning before heading towards the clinic, summoning his wings and taking flight. Nurse Softheart looked up from the desk as Cerulean entered, ignoring his wounds and limping over to his mare who lay slumbering in a chair with Dawn asleep in her lap. “Cerulean, those are bad bruises. Something in your legs could be broken. Please, let me check and make sure it’s nothing serious.” He looked over at the concerned nurse with a pained grin. “I will agree if it comes with a bed that I can share with Twilight.” “Oh, of course. The poor thing, she looked plumb tuckered out when she came in the second time. Come, I’ll show you to a room.” Cerulean gently nudged Twilight awake, motioning for her to follow whereupon she grabbed his foreleg and examined them with horror. “Cerulean, what happened to you?” “I will explain when we are alone. Come on, you’re not spending the night in a chair.” They followed the nurse into a room adjacent from where Applejack had been moved to. They informed the two that she had stabilized, but she may not wake for a day or two yet, as her body had been thoroughly trashed by the magicked liquor and would take time to recover. Cerulean nodded apathetically as the Nurse explained he had acquired minor fractures in both legs, and was advised to spend as little time on his hooves at possible. “Ugh, this is gonna be torture. I like being able to move, you know.” “So, Big Macintosh did that?” Cerulean nodded and explained everything that had happened. Twilight wrapped her hooves around his neck and pulled him as close as they could manage without squishing Dawn, who lay between them. “When is this going to end, Cerulean?” “It’s been awhile since we pried, but why don’t you take a peek?” Twilight nodded, pressing her horn against Cerulean’s and drawing from both their magic reserves as she cast the premonition spell she had conjured around a year and a half prior. A purple haze filled her vision before receding, and she leaned over to give Cerulean a kiss before letting her exhaustion have its way. Big Macintosh’s fur was still damp when he awoke, coughing as he regained consciousness. He sat up slowly, utterly confused by the strange house he was in, the last thing he remembered being having Applejack be teleported away. Glancing around he saw a paper on the ground, which simply had his name written in big letters. Picking it up and turning it over, he read the contents as the memories came flooding back. “Did you ever stop to think how Applebloom must be feeling? She had to spend the night alone because you were so consumed by your rage. If you land yourself in jail, she’ll have nopony left. Don’t be an idiot, just go home. Cerulean” “Idiot, huh? Ah sure am,” he whispered, covering his face in shame. A chill ran through his body, and he slowly stood and examined the broken door, resolving to come back and fix it later. “Ah sure have developed some sort o’ grudge against doors.” He didn’t bother laughing at his own joke, not finding it even slightly amusing under the domination of his depression. Bucking through the ice, he stepped out into a sunny morning and made for Sweet Apple Acres, his slow canter building into a gallop as he rushed for home. Stepping into the house, he found Granny Smith at the table with Applebloom curled up in her lap. The old mare was quiet for once, but that only made the disconcerting silence that much more oppressive. “Where were ya last night, Big Macintosh? You had us all worried sick.” Big Mac sat down across from Granny Smith and stared at the grain of the wood. “You let yer temper get the better of ya, I reckon.” He nodded once, turning his head away. “Now listen here, Big Macintosh. I know you always put your family first, but it ain’t gonna do anypony a lick o’ good fer you to go all crazy. You’re just as frightened as the rest o’ us, I can tell.” “You’re right, ah know. Sorry, Granny Smith.” “Did anypony get hurt?” “Ah don’t think so. How’s Applebloom?” “Quieter than a mouse. I haven’t heard a peep from her since last night.” “Did she tell you what happened?” “All I know is she drank Berry under the table and got sick. Impressive, but why would anypony want to try?” He didn’t have the strength to fill in the rest of the details. Applebloom needed his attention more than Granny Smith, and so he set the filly onto his back and took her to her room, where he sat and waited. She would speak when she was ready, and there he resolved to wait until she did. She didn’t keep him waiting very long. “Ah wanna see her.” “Applebloom?” “Ah want t’ see Applejack. Take me t’ see Applejack, Big Mac.” “She probably ain’t even awake, why don’t...” “Ah don’t want t’ wait, she may die before ah can say goodbye!” she cried, leaping upright and ignoring the tears that streamed down her cheeks. “Ah didn’t get to say goodbye to Ma or Pa before they left, an’ I ain’t about to let go o’ Applejack without seein’ her one more time!” Having cried through much of the night and gotten little sleep, her body was unequipped to deal with the sudden rush of emotion, and she slowly sank down to her haunches and let her head droop to the bed. “It may already be too late, but ah have t’ try.” She opened her eyes halfway as she was lifted back onto her brother’s back. “Hold on tight, Applebloom. Ah don’t Applejack t’ wake to a banged up little sister. She’s gonna be sore enough with me fer what ah did last night.” Fervent determination can easily be mistaken for obsession. Silver couldn’t tell if he had crossed the line, but waking up amidst a veritable rug of notes with a beaker near his outstretched hoof told him he was close. But, he was also adamant that he was just as near to completing his longest running experiment. Rubbing his eyes and sifting through the plethora of parchments, he found his most recent ones from the previous night and organized the lab equipment on the table, making sure everything was perfect before beginning the last trial. Success or failure, it didn’t matter; too many ponies in Ponyville were waiting for him. He couldn’t justify staying any longer, so he poured everything into his work. Selecting a beaker that was covered in tiny alchemical runes, he filled it with a small amount of aqua vitae as a base, since it was easiest for him to manipulate. From there, he used the months of research to begin adding various ingredients one by one. Touching his horn to the beaker, the various inscriptions began to shine as he activated them in turn, weaving them into the mix like a spell. Ignoring the hissing noise as the substance became unstable, he continued the process, pouring massive amounts of his magic into the beaker. The pieces began to align in his mind. The truth that he had been seeking was nearly within his grasp. And then, as he made the final push, the sound of glass shattering broke his concentration. A familiar sting seared through his chest as a small amount of the concoction splashed up from the broken beaker. The compound appeared to be highly corrosive, devouring anything it came into contact with and digging into the table, just as it was his chest. “No... I was so close, it was right there. It’s not fair!” he roared, slamming his hooves down as he stared down at yet another failure, the only reward for his efforts being another scar. “I just... want honesty.” An end to confusion, and the strife that comes with it. An end to lies and half truths, of convolution and turmoil. These longings welled within and pushed out the tears, running down his muzzle and dripping into the mixture. He stared in disbelief as the compound calmed, leaving the room silent. Wiping his tears on a hoof, he pressed them into the new wound on his chest, wincing a bit before that too ceased its slow devouring of his flesh. “This can’t be right, it doesn’t make any sense. The solution is too simple. Or maybe... No, this makes perfect sense.” He dipped a hoof into the leftovers on the table and brought it to his lips. It offered no stimulation for his taste buds, but within seconds he could feel the difference. It was ready. Even if it hadn’t been that long, the days Silver had spent away from Ponyville felt like weeks. It was just past eleven in the evening when he stepped off the train, and he paused to take a deep breath of the clean, country air. While his first inclination was to rush to Sweet Apple Acres to make amends, he decided to put his things away at home first. There were nearly no ponies out and about, though he figured that was because those that were up were likely enjoying a nice glass of cider at Starfall Tavern. However, an unexplainable sense of dread came over him as he beheld his home, with no lights on and the closed sign hanging in the doorway. “What is today, Friday? It shouldn’t be closed.” Increasing his speed, he unlocked the door and examined the dining area, which was set in order and untouched. A churning in the pit of his stomach prompted him to race up the stairs and into his room where he found Berry asleep in his bed with Ruby held in her hooves. “Berry? Berry, wake up, I’m back.” His cousin took a moment or two for her eyes to focus before tackling him to the ground and wrapping him in an uncomfortably tight embrace. “That’s one way to make a stallion feel welcome. It’s good to see you... Berry, what’s wrong?” Wracking sobs stole coherent speech from the mare, too ashamed to look her cousin in the face. “Shiny?” The filly’s eyes didn’t reflect the excitement Moonshine had expected, but a great sadness. “Ruby, what happened while I was away?” “Mommy made a mistake, and Applejack... she’s in the hospital.” How could things have fallen apart this fast since I left? “How... how did this happen, Berry?” “Silver, please forgive me, I never meant for this to happen,” Berry pleaded, squeezing even tighter. “Don’t hate me. Don’t hate me, please...” The questions would have to wait. Even as his heart filled with dismay at the news, he returned the embrace and spoke softly, despising the quavering nervousness in his voice. “Berry, it’s ok. It’s going to be all right, nothing you could do would make me hate you. Just calm down.” The mare nodded and stifled her cries, causing her body to shake more violently as she strained to bring herself under control. Even after her breathing had normalized, she remained where she was atop Silver, the one calm center in the midst of a storm she had created. “Berry, I’m not trying to press, but... I need to know what happened since I left.” She released him and sat up, sniffing a bit before giving him a detailed report on everything, from Applejack’s depression to Berry’s challenge, to Big Mac breaking into her house. The names and motives didn’t matter, because no matter how he looked at it, Silver felt it was all his fault. Berry watched as he stood moved towards the door. “Berry, I forgive you. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was furious, but it’s not with you. I’m going to go see her now. You can stay here tonight, so try to get some rest, all right?” She nodded, scooping Ruby up and climbing back into bed, waving feebly as he left. Rainbow Dash looked up with shock as Silver quietly entered Applejack’s room at the clinic. She had been expecting Storm, and it took her a couple of seconds for her to process the information and put together a response. “Silver? Are you really back?” “Yes, I...” “What the hay took you so long?” she shouted, too overcome to keep her voice down. “Do you have any idea what she’s been through since you left? I hope whatever you spent your time on over there was worth it.” “Not at this cost, no. It wasn’t.” He walked past the cyan pegasus and stood at the edge of Applejack’s bed. Her breathing was steady, but her matted coat and tousled mane, along with the sweat that beaded her forehead, showed that she wasn’t merely sleeping. “How long has she been out?” “Around a day. She just got taken off the respirator a few hours ago.” Silver ignored the opening door as Storm walked back in with two cups of coffee, nearly dropping them upon seeing Silver. “What took you so long, Silver?” Storm asked quietly. Silver stood slowly and pulled out a small vial from his pocket, holding up the clear fluid for them both to see. “It looks like water.” “It’s something that I’ve been working on for years, on and off. And it’s also... what gave me these.” Tired of hiding, he stripped off his clothes and stood with his scars in full display. “But you’d be right to be upset with me, because this,” he paused, pointing to the vial, “isn’t worth that,” he finished, pointing to Applejack. “I can’t take back the time that I’ve wasted, but I’m back to stay. Please, I ask for your forgiveness, and your friendship.” “All right, Silver, we’ll forgive you on one condition.” “Anything.” “Don’t you ever run off like that again, unless you take Applejack with you. I mean, that’s just rude, leaving your mare behind while you go off gallivanting around the city.” “I can agree to that,” he chuckled softly, before growing somber as he turned back towards Applejack. “Could you two give me a moment alone with Applejack? I know she’s asleep, but... there’s some things I’d like to get off my chest.” The couple nodded and exited quietly. “You’re one crazy mare, taking on my cousin’s drinking challenge. Stubborn too, seeing as how you won. Applejack, I don’t know if you can hear me, or if you even want to. Ever since I came to Ponyville, it just seems like nothing has been going right for you.” Seeing her in such a state and knowing all that had happened brought down a heavy wave of guilt. And yet, something deeper was undeniably there, a draw that he didn’t want to resist. “I’m scared, Applejack. This is all new to me, but... I want you to know that I will be there for you, if you’ll let me.” The mare continued her slumber, showing no signs she had heard his words. Leaning over, he gently kissed her forehead before wrapping his hooves around one of hers and sitting beside the bed. “Please, let me in.”