— Chapter 12 : Fracture —
As she awoke, the first thing that crossed her mind was pain. It was deep, throbbing in her mind, a ring of fire and lighting across her shoulder. She stirred, eyes still shut, and felt soft sheets over her. Finally, she opened her eyes to pure light. It burned, causing her to hiss and shut them again. A groan eked out of her.
She tried to remember how she ended up like this. Flashes of red, echoes of a thunderous crash, and scarred monster were all her mind could put together.
No need to be a brute, darling.
Applejack flinched at the voice. She let the desire pass and the memories floated away till discomfort remained. All that was left what the ringing, growing slowly louder till it bounced about her skull. She stayed like this until there was a knock at the door.
A voice called. “Attendant here.”
Applejack grumbled, touching her bedhead mane. She felt her mane, and a bandage. “Wait, where’s my hat?”
“Oh, you’re awake!” Hoofsteps approached where Applejack lay. The nurse continued to speak. “When you went to sleep last night, you looked like you’d never wake up.”
The volume of her voice was delicate, but it didn’t stop Applejack’s headache from worsening. “Land sakes, this must be what my apple trees feel like when I buck ‘em.”
The nurse laughed. “I’m sure, Miss Applejack. Let me check on some things real quick, and I’ll get Nurse Redheart and your visitors— Would you like visitors?”
Applejack opened her eyes again. The brightness of the room didn’t hurt as much, but her vision swam slightly. “Ah don’t know if I’m ready for visitors.” She closed her eyes again.
“Oh, are you sure? Your family is worried sick about—”
Applejack’s eyes shot open. “—My family? Why didn’t you say so? Of course they can come in.”
The nurse smiled and nodded. Applejack saw she was teal, with blue mane; not the nurse who brought her in. “Alright, I’ll let them know in just a moment.” She looked at monitors outside of Applejack’s field of view. Applejack wasn’t curious, and simply closed her eyes to keep the spinning at bay. She heard writing, then heard the nurse move away to the door. Curiously, Applejack didn’t hear it open. Instead, she heard the hoofsteps stop, then approach again. She opened her eyes to see the nurse standing next to her bed again. The nurse was smiling at her.
“I promised my family I’d thank you. We have a gaping hole in the side of my house, but we have our lives. It’s always scary when something happens here, and we townsfolk just run as fast as we can. Thank you so much, Applejack, for standing between us and that...”
The nurse didn’t finish, but she didn’t have to. Applejack cracked a stiff simile. “Ah just did what Ah had to.”
She gave a slight nod and backed to the door, then bowed out, smiling all the while. Left alone, Applejack tried to piece back together what she had meant, and the day. Slowly the images came back in violent spurts. She remembered the fire in the eyes of the Lunar Knight commander. She remembered absolute terror in Fluttershy’s face in the clearing, and how she leapt from the tree to save her. She remembered her own fear, following the horrible bite from the… Hekkatron, they called it?
Then her vision turned red. She shuddered, suddenly showered in pricks of pain from her shoulder, and sweating profusely. She was distinctly aware that through all that pain, she wasn’t sure she could feel her injured foreleg beyond her shoulder. Through the pain, she fumbled with the sheets, trying to tear them away. She struggled, pulling and pulling, until finally underneath she saw her leg in a splint. Her breathing eased. The hue in her vision returned to normal. She sighed, then chuckled at her fortune; Applejack had never been so thankful that the post was on time.
The door opened. The first thing Applejack heard was “Applejack, you’re okay!” Applebloom practically screamed. She winced.
“You gave us such a fright, deary.” Granny Smith said. At the sound of her voice, Applejack heart swelled. Her granny had made the trip from the farm all the way to the hospital. For this, Applejack smiled.
“E-yup,” chimed in Big Mac.
“I made you some sweets, Sugarcube,” said Granny Smith. You’re not gonna get any better eating this hospital food. Big Mac set down a basket on the table next to Applejack. “I know what makes an Apple right again, more than these so called doctors.”
“Thanks so much, Granny,” Applejack said weakly. She realized she was hungry then, and looked at the basket with unrestrained greed.
“I heard you kicked that monster’s flank!” started Applebloom. “I heard you helped all the frightened ponies get out of the way, then you stood up to him. Even when he went chomp, you didn’t run away! That’s so cool sis. You must be so brave, like a real hero!”
“Aw shucks, Ah didn’t feel brave. Anypony would’ve done what I did. I didn’t do nuthin but offer some suggestions to some lost ponies.” Applejack looked away, out the window. “When that beast bit me, it felt like that was my last scuffle. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if I didn’t face anything like that again...” She looked back and saw Applebloom giving her a worried, questioning look. “—But of course I’ll do what I must to keep this town safe. I am the most dependable of ponies. Ah didn’t mean to make you nervous, sis.”
At this, Applebloom’s cheer returned, but a frown quickly returned. “Where were all your friends, Applejack? It was just you and Fluttershy. Don’t the rest of them help out with this kind of stuff?”
“Yeah, how could none of them have my Grandfilly’s back?” Granny Smith asked irritably.
Applejack gave the filly a somber look. She sighed. “I honestly don’t know why. I wish I did.” Unable to wait anymore, she grabbed the juiciest apple from the care basket and took a bite.
When no one said anything, a new voice spoke up. “I want to say thank you, too, Applejack.” The voice gave Applejack pause. From behind Big Mac stepped a familiar white filly. “Thanks for saving the town. Applebloom is right, you are a hero.”
At first, Applejack didn’t reply. She stared at the filly, the memories flooding back, fighting the pain in her head and the sudden dose of reality that was like diving into a frozen lake. Applejack noticed Big Mac and Granny Smith giving her curious looks, and quickly recovered, her grimace fumbling into the best smile she could manage. She swallowed the bite of apple in her mouth. “Y-you’re welcome, Sweetie Belle.”
“You can always count on my big sister,” said Applebloom gleefully. She set a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder, and she immediately recoiled, sucking in air with a hiss. “Applejack?” she asked with worry.
Applejack looked into Applebloom’s face. She could tell the filly was scared for her, despite her claims of bravado. Applejack mustered up the strength to raise her foreleg a little bit. She felt the pain travel along the burning ring of teeth marks under her bandages and through all of her bruised bones, but she forced a smiled. “Ah’ll be fine in the end, Applebloom. As long as my family’s behind me, I’ll be able to pull through anything.” Her company collectively smiled and nodded. Truer words couldn’t be spoken.
“Applejack?” Sweetie Belle asked gingerly. “I heard about the Lunar Knights. You talked to them, right?”
The nervousness returned. “Uh, yes Ah did,” answered Applejack.
“I heard they asked about Twilight. Is she missing?”
“Uh, well…” She stole a glance to Big Mac. She wondered if he’d heard her conversation with Amber Eyes the other day.
“I thought she was with Rarity in Canterlot. Is she missing too? I also hear a few ponies saw Rainbow chasing her through town before she left. Do you know what that was all about?”
“Uh… Uhh…” Her pause was noticed. She glanced at Granny Smith and Big Macintosh. Granny raised a grey eyebrow and Big Mac narrowed his eyes. Searching for an answer, any answer, Applejack found her voice with the help of the truth.
“Twilight's still lookin for her… Magical things. Studying magic. And Canterlot… was just the first stop on their trip. They probably are just really, really searching hard into parts unknown. As for Rainbow, maybe she was trying to prank Twilight. You know how she can be.” The half-lie came out easier than Applejack hoped, and that shocked her. She glanced to Granny Smith and Big Mac, who were both giving questioning glares that stung like a bug bite. They didn’t compare to how Applejack felt inside; the fib burned more than the bite along her neck.
Nurse Redheart broke the silence, much to Applejack’s relief. “Applejack, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go over your condition now.”
The room quieted, but quickly Applejack nodded, eager to change topics. “Ah can’t wait to get healed up and get back started on the farm. I need to relax.”
No one spoke. Applejack frowned. She looked from pony to pony, and finally back to the nurse. “Well, spit it out.”
Nurse Redheart hesitated for only a moment before smiling. A moment Applejack noticed. “The good news is that you’ll be back on your feet in just three days.”
Instantly Applejack’s frown deepened. “Three days?” she asked through gritted teeth. “Ah won’t be out till Friday. You tellin’ me I’m gonna lose a whole week to this?”
“It should be a lot longer. Thankfully your Earth Pony resilience will bring you back to health soon. If you belonged to any other tribe your leg would’ve simply gone lame.”
“If that’s good news Ah almost don’t want to hear the bad news.” Applejack attempted to cross her forelegs but abandoned it when her nerves shouted in pained protest.
The nurse looked around the room. Applejack followed her gaze and noticed her family’s hard faces. “What’s wrong, Granny? Big Mac?” She looked back to Redheart. “Well, what is it?”
Redheart audibly swallowed. “You can’t applebuck anytime soon, or you won’t heal as you should.
Applejack’s voice was quiet, but grave. “How long, doc?”
“Two—”
“—two?” questioned Applejack, her voice strained.
“—to three weeks.”
“—three weeks?!” Fire burned behind Applejack’s eyes.
“It easily could have been several months, Miss Applejack.”
That fact did nothing to subdue Applejacks anger. “I’m already days behind on my applebucking! My family can’t do it without me!”
Granny Smith huffed. “Be mindful of your brother. Big Mac has been working extra hard in your absence.”
“Ma’am, the recovery process is too important to ignore. You could cause permanent damage down the line if you don’t let yourself heal correctly. If you’re patient, at least this way one day you’ll be back to full strength. In the interim, you could call on some family to help. I know you Apples are a large bunch.”
“The Apples all have their own crops to be harvistin’.”
“Your friends could help,” the nurse offered.
“My friends are—” she choked on the word. She realized didn’t know. She glanced quickly around the room once more. Somepony she expected to be there was missing. “Where’s Fluttershy? Anyone seen her?” The room shook its head, and she slunk back into the pillows behind her and she simmered. She felt alone.
“Ah’m sorry, y’all. It’s just…” This wasn’t the first time she needed help, nor the first time she didn’t have any friends to lend a hoof, but she never expected to be caught in the same situation again. After all they’d been through, finding herself alone felt so wrong. Her thoughts drifted back to last week when the five of them turned Twilight down. She bowed her head at the memory. She was not without blame.
“We will take care of the farm until you get better.” Big mac announced. His tone was firm, a declaration of truth.
Applejack smiled, and the room visibly relaxed as she did. “Okay, fine. But Ah swear Ah’m gettin out of here in two days, tops. Ma and Pa wouldn’t appreciate one of their own being so lazy.”
She laughed at her own joke, and everyone smiled reluctantly. With nothing left to say, Nurse Redheart began to usher her visitors out of the room.
“Big Macintosh? Can you stick around?”
Big Mac exchanged a look with Granny Smith before returning to Applejacks’ side. Applejack looked past him to the door until it shut behind Redheart. Her eyes snapped to Big Mac’s.
“How is Sweetie Belle? Is she frettin? Askin’ questions?”
“Nope.”
“Is Spike still…”
“E-Yup.”
Applejack visibly relaxed, but barely.
“Something doesn’t add up to a full barrel of apples here,” said Big Mac. His gaze was critical. Applejack knew he was suspicious, but also knew he couldn’t bring himself to actually question her. Her reputation spoke.
He didn’t need to say more. “You’re right. Ah can’t tell you yet, Big Mac, partly ‘cause Ah don’t know what’s what myself. Ah’ve got hope, but that’s all Ah’ve got right now. Hope that Ah’ll know how all this is figurin’ sooner rather than later.”
Applejack could see the frustration in Big Mac’s eyes. It was not unlike when Granny Smith would ask if she scared the cows again as a filly. She knew Applejack meant well, even if she shouldn’t do it.
“You’ve got more than hope. You’ve got family too.” Big Mac didn’t wait for a response, and was closing the door behind him before Applejack could say anything. When he gently closed the door, it felt like a slam. Applejack winced as it clicked shut.
She leaned back, and watched her family leave. While she couldn’t see Ponyville due to the side of the building her room was on, she could see the farm in the distance. As the day’s glow began to fade, she found herself so very tired. She ate the rest of her care package, and finally allowed herself a moment of rest. She didn’t dream.
***
Knocking awoke Applejack. The nurse from the day before peered into the room. Noticing the her patient awake, she asked, “Good morning. Visitor?”
However groggy Applejack was, she instantly woke up. “Ah’ll take’ em.”
The nurse left, and stepping into the room in her place was the pony she expected yesterday. Fluttershy looked as fragile as usual. Even so, Applejack couldn’t stop herself from looking away instead with a frown. Outside, a sunless sky held gorgeous blues as far as she could see. Fluttershy walked to the bed.
“It’s a bit late, innit? I reckoned you’d be here sooner.”
Fluttershy looked at Applejack in confusion, then stared at her hooves silently. She clearly didn't know what Applejack meant, and it irked her. Eventually she perked up. “This is a nice room,” offered Fluttershy. She stepped past the bed to the window. “The view is great too, even if you can’t see most of Ponyville.”
“The sun reminds me of the chores that need doin’, and the apples that need buckin, and it don’t help the farm’s out there if you know where to look,” said Applejack, her voice getting progressively harder.
Fluttershy flinched. “O-oh, sorry.”
They looked out the window in silence. It was a calm morning.
Finally, Applejack’s turned back to Fluttershy, her voice soft. “Sorry ‘Shy, I’m just on edge. These last few days have been more than this simple farm pony can handle. I’m glad to see you, Ah’m sure you were caught up yesterday. It looks like there’s something on your mind?”
A tear ran down Fluttershy’s face. “Are you alright?” she whispered, her voice haggard.
“Am I alright? Oh!” Applejack realized just how worried Fluttershy probably had been for her. “Ah’m more shaken than when Granny Smith loses her teeth. However, Ah’m alive and all my legs are still attached. Ah’ll be fine, promise, Ah didn’t mean to worry you.”
Fluttershy was still looking down. Applejack frowned at her odd reluctance today, but before she could voice her concern the pegasus wiped her face and spoke up again. “How long do you have to stay?”
Applejack tried to cross her hooves again, and again her nerves cried out in response. Instead, she turned up her nose and snorted. “Till Friday. It sure is a chip in my plough.”
“O-oh,” said Fluttershy. She grew pale. “Well, I guess that’s not so bad.”
“But that’s not all. Ah haven’t been on the farm in almost a week. Even once Ah’m out, Ah still can’t applebuck for two more weeks at least! This is prime bucking season, Fluttershy! Ah hate this so much, and mah family’s gonna be in a bind.”
Each point felt like a sting to Fluttershy. “I’m so sorry Applejack.” She closed the gap between them, softly touching Aapplejack’s unbandaged shoulder.
Applejack shook her head. “But that nurse can’t tell me nuthin’. Ah will be back on my farm a whole day early.” Applejack looked at Fluttershy with a grin, and saw her relax. It made her heart warm, seeing the poor pegasus feel some reprieve from beating herself up. “And,” she added, “we will see about them two weeks.”
Fluttershy finally smiled, the color returning to her cheeks. “I’m rooting for you, Applejack. I’m sure you’ll be better sooner rather than later.”
Applejack beamed, happy to see her friend smile, even if it was still marred with sadness. “Great, now that’s the Fluttershy I know. Familiar faces are what Ah need right now. Speaking off, you haven’t heard wind of Pinkie Pie, have you? Ah know Rainbow’s off, doin’ who knows what, and we know about the other two… but her...”
Fluttershy’s smile was snatched off her face. “I… She went home after we talked.”
Applejack arched an eyebrow. “You sure? The Cakes haven’t seen her since Saturday. Ah can’t think of anyone else who’s seen her.”
“I’m sure.” Fluttershy nodded along with her words, willing them true.
Applejack was quiet a moment. Something was off. “Well, at least she didn’t have to deal with that thing.”
After a pause, Fluttershy embraced the change the subject. “That was the most frightening monster I had ever seen. It just looked so…”
Applejack involuntarily shuddered. “Not of Equestria.”
Fluttershy gave a slight nod of agreement. “It felt twisted. It was wrong, and it felt like it knew it was. It was hurt, too. Badly. I didn't know Discord could make such creatures. I don’t remember any when he returned.”
Applejack chortled. “You say it was hurt, and Ah say not hurt enough. Ah thought Ah was gonna buy the farm. If it weren’t for that mailmare dropping out of the sky, Ah wouldn’t be here.” She closed her eyes. “And, as much as Ah hate to admit, Amber Eyes too.”
A frown marred Fluttershy’s face. “Oh, who was that again?” she asked loftily.
“You remember,” Applejack asserted. “The leader of the Lunar Knights. That little ball of steel and nerves. She’s wound up tighter than Twilight when talking to Celestia.”
“Right.” Another slight nod. Outside the sun was beginning edge over the lip of the roof, and shine down into the room. Noon neared. Fluttershy swallowed hard.
“Applejack?” Applejack looked at her expectantly, but worried. Fluttershy began, cautiously. “Those Lunar Knights? You know they will be back. Eventually. Sooner than later, something won't add up and they'll wonder what we know. “
Applejack’s eyes didn't leave Fluttershy's, who kept looking away. She kept her voice low. “Ah don't think so Fluttershy. They will look all around Equestria for her. Maybe they'll be successful, maybe not. “
“What if another disaster happens?” Fluttershy looked over her shoulder at Applejack. She tensed at her stern expression, but continued. “What if we have to use the elements?”
Applejack responded instantly. “Well, we’ll just...” She faltered. She frowned.
Fluttershy turned around, moving on. “What did you end up telling Sweetie Belle?”
Puzzlement was all over Applejacks face. “I told her Rarity went to Canterlot with Twi.”
“I don't think that was the best idea.”
“Ah did what you suggested,” said Applejack tersely.
“I'm sorry Applejack, but I didn't make that suggestion. Rainbow did.”
Applejack made to reply, but held her tongue instead. She tried to remember the specifics, but found weird gaps, slices of her memory from that day gone. She shook her head. “Even if it was Rainbow Dash, I still stand by it. Ah'm doin all I can to protect that filly. Loss at that age is far from pleasant, I'll have you know. Having that hole in your life so early is terrible. “ The last of her words came through clenched teeth.
Fluttershy reflexively winced. Applejack rarely spoke about her parents, to the point where wasn't sure if she had mentioned them to Fluttershy before. A nerve was touched, but she wasn't finished. Fluttershy’s voice was nearly a murmur, quieter than normal, and ignoring Applejack’s remark.
“What will you do if they talk to Sweetie Belle? It’s only by luck they haven’t asked her yet, being her closest relative. At first, your tale to Sweetie Belle and your tale to Amber Eyes won’t clash. It’s when they dig they’ll realize. Rarity is known in Canterlot. All the Princesses have to do is ask the right ponies and they’ll know she hasn’t been to the city in months. Even if she wasn’t, Twilight’s arguably more notable.”
“Well—!”
“—So when they can’t find them in Canterlot, and they can’t find them across Equestria, they’re going to ask where did those suggestions come from? They may ask Sweetie Belle, but it all comes back here. They would ask us. They would ask you, the honest one.”
Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Speak plainly, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy tried to meet Applejack’s eyes, but could only look at her own hooves. She shut her eyes. “Maybe we should have told them that Twilight ran away. Maybe we should tell them now.”
A deep scowl twisted Applejack’s features. Deep breaths went in and out her nose. “They would want to know why.” Her voice was rising. “What would we say, that she ran away because of an accident? That we accidentally… did what we did to Rarity? That she’s scrambling for a cure?”
Fluttershy didn't look up. She forced herself to speak up, but her voice was still tiny following Applejack’s. “We didn’t do it to her, Applejack. It was only Twilight who killed her.”
Applejack gasped. Her face was a mask of disgust and indignation. Her voice was shaky. “Ah ask again, ‘Shy. What is this talk all about?”
“It’s Twilight or us.”
“You just want Twi to fail, is that it? Is that why you called her what you did in the forest? She is our friend!”
“She hurt me, Applejack!” cried Fluttershy.
“I’m hurt too, but I’m not suggestin’—”
“—No, you don’t understand. Rarity meant so much to me. Rainbow Dash too. And they are gone, and,” Fluttershy was looking all around the room, panicking, “and now I don’t even feel sad anymore, not really. I feel almost nothing, just a hole. We were all I had, and now I just feel lost, like I’m not myself.” She looked at Applejack longingly, hoping she would understand.
“You don’t think they weren’t important to me too? They’ve changed who Ah was, and Ah’m not a pony to go making adjustments in her life. Our friendship made me an even better pony. We can’t just give up Twilight to the Knights. Who knows what’ll happen to her?”
“How can you do this, Applejack?” Fluttershy was sobbing now. “How can you protect the mare who took so much from us?”
“How can you lose trust in our best friend, who is trying to make things right?”
“Do you honestly think that’s what she’s doing? Or did she do the smart thing and run while she could?”
“I reckon she’s working right now to fix her wrongs. You think she’s doing anything else?”
“I don’t know. Who would’ve thought Rainbow would’ve left us, but she’s not here. Where is she, Applejack?” She swallowed some deep breaths as her crying shook her body. “You’re supposed to be honest, Applejack, but you lied. You lied to Amber Eyes.”
Silence filled the air. Applejack listened to Fluttershy’s sobs. She didn’t feel pity for the pegasus, only dense frustration. “Ah know Ah did. Ah hate that Ah did. Bein’ honest is a huge part of who Ah am, and if you think Ah’m okay or Ah’m sleeping like a rock after talking to those Knights, after what Ah’ve told Sweetie Belle…” She clenched her teeth, doing her best to remain calm. “After all we’ve seen? Well, you’ve got another thing comin’. You forget there’s another part of who Ah am.”
She straightened up as best she could in bed. Her voice was like stone scraping stone. “Ah am also the most dependable ponies. Twilight can depend on me to help her make things right. How could we do anything different? Wish for anything else? If she’s trying to help Rares then why are you trying to stop her? Where is the kindness in that?” she snapped.
Fluttershy took an involuntary step backwards, as if she was struck by a blow. Her face was painted with shock. “B-B-But Applejack—”
“—Leave.”
She stepped back again. “You don’t understand. She— Twilight—”
“—Now. How could you want to sell her down the river, to save your own hide? Go, now. I’ll talk to you when I get out of here.”
Fluttershy sat rooted to the spot. Applejack said no more, but her eyes spoke for her. They burned, the anger in them foreign and feral, and she ground her hooves into the sheets. Finally, Fluttershy raised a hoof, and moved it towards the door. Then another. After a couple shaky steps, she found herself running, out the door, past the nurses and doctors, and into the bright afternoon..
Applejack fumed. She couldn’t believe Fluttershy’s gall. She refused to consider the alternative to… misleading the Knights. She laid her head down, and shut her eyes, in anger and exhaustion. It wasn’t long before she had a nightmare. Her sleep was unceremoniously disturbed by the nurse, checking on her. As she set about replacing her bandages, Applejack caught a glimpse of the clock.
“Whoa nelly, it’s that late?” She stared in disbelief, it showing just how past afternoon it was it was.
The nurse responded without missing a step. “Yes it is. Trust me, I didn’t want to disturb you, you looked so peaceful. Unfortunately, your breakfast did get cold.”
Applejack looked to her bedside table, and indeed the hardened remains of what barely looked like any breakfast she’d become accustomed to resided there. She made a face. As the nurse finished the bandaging, she managed to catch it.
“Don’t be silly, I’ve brought you dinner.” Stepping aside, Applejack noticed the tray behind her. She exchanged the sub-par breakfast for mediocre dinner, and smiled politely. Applejack gave a half-cocked smile, the best she could muster.
“Before I leave, would you be up for some more visitors?” The brief flash of uncertainty in Applejack’s eyes made her continue. “Please say yes, I think she’s dying in anticipation.”
“Ah’ve had my fill of visitors today.”
The nurse glanced back to the door, and Applejack did too. A eye was pressed up to the small pane of glass in the door, looking around the room. She looked back to Applejack, clearly irked by the pony outside. “Sorry, she’s been here for hours. She’ll be bothering me otherwise.”
Despite her protest, the nurse retreated to the door and opened it. As she stepped out, in stepped the a grey pegasus with a straw colored mane and muffin-adorned saddle bags. She was beaming and smiling and nearly skipped into the room. As she turned around to face the door, Applejack caught a glimpse of her eyes. They were looking in different directions.
Applejack’s friendly demeanor faltered, but quickly surfaced. Familiarity struck Applejack, however the pony’s name remained elusive. “Heh, Ah didn’t expect you.”
The mare stared into nothing for a moment, before her enthusiasm turned to annoyance. She beckoned, and a small lavender unicorn walked in. After a pause, the pegasus gestured more aggressively and another mare walked through, this one magenta. She was clearly the older sister, but not yet Applejack’s age. The young filly looked down at her hooves, while the older one looked out the window.
The grey pegasus turned back to Applejack kept smiling at Applejack. Her face didn’t smile in the way one would expect. Like her eyes, it shifted unexpectedly, and at times looked like a grimace. However, her joy was always there, at constant risk of breaking the surface.
Applejack broke the silence. “Uh, hello there?”
Like a wind up toy let loose, the pegasus began to speak. “Hello Applejack! I’m known as Derpy Hooves. These are my foals you saved the other day. We are here to say thank you!”
“I’m not a foal, mother,” said the older one.
Derpy didn’t stop smiling. “The grumpy one is Amethyst Star. The little one is Dinky Hooves.”
Applejack could see she was doing her best to speak through her smile, which refused to leave. Her cheer amused her.
The pegasus turned to her daughters. “Well girls, what do you have to say?”
“Thank you for saving us,” they chimed together.
“Can we go now?” asked Amethyst Star.
Derpy laughed, pleased. “Now, that wasn’t that bad, was it?”
Applejack smiled warmly. “Shucks, you’re welcome,” she said.
Derpy turned to her children. “Thank you girls. You can wait outside now.”
The two young ponies quickly left through the door, and Derpy approached the bed, or at least she tried to. She tripped on seemingly nothing, and hit the rolling tray next to Applejack’s bed. Applejack’s dinner noisily landed on the floor, the tray clattering.
Applejack leaned over the edge of her bed. “Whoa there, are you alright?”
“I’m okay!” she claimed.
Derpy rolled off her back and with great exaggerated care stood up. A nurse poked her head in.
“What in Equestria was—” She spotted Derpy, and her face fell flat. “Oh, you. I’ll be back when you’re finished in here, ma’am.” She shook her head and left, Applejack eying her as she left.
Derpy chuckled weakly, before turning back to Applejack. Quickly her demeanor changed, and her face sombered up. She looked Applejack in her eyes. Or, one of her eyes did. The other seemed permanently fixated on a ceiling tile from Applejack’s point of view. She tried not to stare.
“Are you okay, Applejack? How long did they give you?”
Applejack nodded, and chuckled. “Ah’m not gonna die. Doc says three days. Ah’m supposed to be out Friday, but we’ll see about that. But even then, it’s still rest till I get back to full strength.” She have to elaborate. Derpy’s face was full of understanding.
“I’m sorry to hear that. But at least it was for something. My girls are my everything.”
Applejack simply nodded. Derpy’s reputation didn’t prepare her for the sincere tone in her voice. Applejack could tell true words were being spoken. There was no trace of the smiley mare from before.
“I understand what you did for me that day, but I'm not sure you do. I am a mother. I would stand between them and a dragon. You stood between them and the hekkathingy when I was absent. You fought for them when I could not. I am eternally grateful.”
Applejack rushed to interject. “Ah watch out fer mah lil sis, Applebloom. Ah do understand; Ah did what Ah had to do. Besides, It weren’t just me. You finished it off. That mail carriage must’ve been mighty heavy, I could feel that impact up and down my legs.”
Derpy nodded, with a modest smile. “My job gives me the heaviest load sometimes. They know only I can fly them. It must have hit that monster with maybe several thousand newtons.”
Applejack blinked twice.
Derpy pawed the ground, suddenly awkward in her actions. “Uh, nevermind. But what you did, it’s not lost on me. I have lost ponies I love, and I am thankful I did not yesterday. Here, I brought you something. It’s very important to me, and I want you to have it. It will make you feel better. Open it later if you’re feeling down. I promise these were baked good.” Derpy winked, and began digging in a saddlebag, and brought out a brown sack. She sat it on the edge of her bed. Derpy’s smile was stretched to the fullest
“Thank you,” said Applejack with a curious look.
Silence passed between them, and eventually Derpy’s smile faded to her regular grin. “If you need anything, call me, and I’ll be there lickity split. I live next door to you, on the carrot farm with Carrot Top.” Derpy tilted her head, then laughed. It was just like a filly’s, extremely unrefined and infectious. It instantly made Applejack brighten up, flushing at the levity of it. “Oh, I should probably say Golden Harvest; I’m not sure she likes that nickname.”
She continued to laugh, and Applejack’s face continued to redden. She held onto Derpy’s offer close to her chest.
The laughter died, and Derpy stood there for some time not saying anything, just smiling. Finally, she became aware of herself, and made to leave. “Well, I guess it’s time to go. I should make sure those two aren’t being attacked by another monster.” She smirked.
“Hold on,” Applejack before she could stop herself. Derpy looked back, expectantly. She tried tried to hold the pegasus’, gaze, but looked away before finally speaking. “I, uh…”
Derpy sat back down next to Applejack, her features opening up, her smile becoming subtle, and she leaned in. Applejack saw all of this, and knew Derpy would listen to her. Yet, it still was a struggle to put to words just ha she wanted. She mulled it over for a minute, as she knew Derpy wouldn’t rush her. Finally, she found a place to start. “It’s been a sleepless night. Ah still feel restless.”
Derpy slightly tilted her head, but nodded anyways. “Of course you do. You belong on Sweet Apple Acres.”
With reluctance, Applejack smiled. Derpy grinned in return. She waited expectantly.
“Well… I…” There was much on her heart, true, but her mind drifted to the consequences of sharing the burden. She could never let the ponyfolk of Ponyville know the secrets she kept.
“Go on,” urged Derpy.
Still, she wanted to say she hadn’t slept well since she saw her friend torn to pieces so small she had to wash it out of her mane, or how she’s essentially lying to cover up the fact that another friend was the one responsible for the destruction, or how she was lying to Canterlot officials about the whole ordeal. Worst of all, she couldn’t talk about the poor filly who one day would find out she was now an only child.
She knew opening up would destroy her name. The town would turn on her. Even her family would disown her for such a gross thing. It made her wonder if her choice was the right one, when she had to be in the dark. Despite the cowardice of her words, Fluttershy had a point. Applejack was beginning to feel alone. No, she was alone. The pony that should be here for her to work through with she sent away in tears. Her words still made her angry, and she tried her best to think of something else. Instead, she focused on what mattered.
She looked into Derpy’s eyes, or one eye. One was still looking at the ceiling, but they were both smiling patiently. It was a look Applejack was familiar with, but couldn’t place where from. It was comforting, and she felt secure. She opened her mouth. “Derpy, I could really—”
“—Hold up!” Applejack choked down her words with a cough. “If we’re gonna get heavy, you might want to open that bag now,” she said, pointing to her gift. “It doubles as an important tool for heart-wrenching talky emergencies such as this one.”
Applejack looked confused, but Derpy winked her good eye and laughed. She opened the bag, and retrieved a muffin from inside. “It’s an emergency muffin,” Derpy explained, “to help make you feel better. It always works for me, at least. I brought you two. And I promise, these muffins are baked goods.” Derpy winked again.
Applejack was completely lost. Derpy huffed, then feigned vomiting violently onto the floor. The callback clicked and Applejack blushed but laughed, and Derpy joined in, laughing harder than before. “Sorry about that, I didn’t know where my head was that day,” said Applejack, but Derpy shook her head.
“I know you didn’t mean nuthin by it, it was funny. I’m just happy you got the joke, I thought it was going to go over your head.” As her laughter subsided, she waited expectantly. Applejack bit into the muffin, and Derpy was right. It was absolutely delicious. There was no way this muffin came from a baker in Ponyville. It was unlike anything she’d ever tasted before. She involuntarily shuddered with content from the flavor and the hospitality.
As she chewed, she looked at Derpy. The pony was immensely pleased with herself, grinning and rocking a bit on the spot. When she finished the muffin, Applejack mustered her courage, and began again. Finally feeling secure, she began to speak. “Have you ever had someone you care about, just , do something that changes everything? And Ah mean in a bad way.”
Derpy’s face was back to the somber look. She didn’t prod.
“Nevermind. Let me start over. Ah’m in a bad place, Derpy. Ah thought I could… My family has a lot on their plates. My friends are gone. Ah’m no use to nopony anytime soon. Ah hate asking for favors—”
“—I can tell,” Derpy interrupted. “You’re like my Amethyst Star when she needs something. All this buildup, but still no question. What do you need, Applejack?”
Applejack chuckled. “Ah’m normally don’t beat around the apple barrel. I’ve learned my lesson on asking for help, but it doesn’t make it any easier. Derpy, could you help me with my farm? Until Ah get on my feet again?”
Derpy nodded furiously like a child would, shaking her mane, but her face held complete seriousness. “Of course Applejack. If you’re asking me for help, then I know it’s a big deal.”
Applejack decided not to protest of Derpy’s assessment of her character. She wasn’t the foolish mare who poisoned half the town due to her exhaustion anymore, but the mailmare probably didn’t know she’d changed.
“Ah need something else, Derpy. And this one is the big big favor.”
Derpy gave an inquisitive look. “Bigger than helping Applejack herself with her farm?”
Applejack nodded. “Yes, much bigger. Ah saw what you can do out there. Ah saw your bravery. You acted when you were needed. And, if need be, could you help me protect Ponyville?”
Derpy’s smile faltered. Her head tilted down, deep in consideration.
“Look, Ah know you’ve got your girls,” said Applejack. “Ah don’t want you to do anything that can jeopardize your or their safety without reason. But if you’re up to it, Ah’d just like another pony alongside me while trying to save everypony.”
Derpy looked at Applejack, genuine curiosity on her face. “What about your friends?”
Applejack’s face was stone. “They were a great help that day, weren’t they?”
Derpy’s smile completely left. She sat in silence. Finally, she responded. “Applejack, please know my girls come before everything. Admittedly, I easily get confused, so I have to be in tip top shape to handle them.”
Applejack nodded, suddenly ashamed she had asked. “Of course they do. Family always comes first.”
“But by saving the town, I’ll be saving them, so I promise I’ll do what I can when I’m needed. As you can see, I’ll do what I must to save them, and everypony, including nearly getting fired from my job.” She smirked. “They gave me a two week leave of absence instead, which was so nice of them to do so.”
“Thank you Derpy, that means so much for me.”
“I’m a little surprised at all the favors. I feel like next I am sure you’re going to tell me you’re going to stay here till Friday instead of tomorrow—”
Applejack’s melancholy gaze hardened, and she looked at her hooves.
“—not that there would be anything wrong with that,” Derpy quickly added.
Applejack didn’t look up. “Ah haven’t decided yet.”
Derpy touched Applejack. “It’s okay if you need the rest. You work so hard anyways.”
“How’d you know it was on my mind? How sorry Ah look? Ah bet Ah look like a filly who missed out on rodeo tryouts”.
Derpy gently shook her head. Her good eye still looked at Applejack, but the other eye now settled to the floor. “When I listen with my mother’s heart, I could tell. You earned the rest. If you stay, no one could say anything bad about you.”’
Applejack thought of how Fluttershy and Big Mac felt about her, and silently disagreed. Regardless, Applejack sank into her bed, a weight off her shoulders. “Thanks Derpy, I needed to hear that.”
Derpy smiled. “Anytime, friend. If you know you’re healed, leave when you like. I’ll seeya later!” She turned to walk to the door, and immediately ran into the food cart again.
“I’m okay!” the mare said before Applejack asked. Applejack did her best not to laugh, but during the commotion she let out a small snicker. To her surprise, Derpy was still smiling anyways. The nurse returned, and Derpy slid past her as quick as she could while uttering apologies. The nurse rolled her eyes and began cleaning up the mess.
“Wow, everypony is right; I swear if that mare isn’t the clumsiest bunch of feathers I’ve ever seen,” she said as she set a newly prepared dinner on the cart.
“Hey,” Applejack said. “She was the one who took down the hekkatron.”
The nurse looked over. “The what now?”
“You know, the rampaging beast. That monster that destroyed your house and put me in here.”
The nurse paused, her face paling, and said a simple “Oh,” and returned to her work.
Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Ah hope you thanked her too.”
The nurse finished picking up the spilled food, smiled unpleasantly. A whinny of contempt escaped Applejack. She hesitated near the door. “If you truly wish to leave early, you can fill out a release form. We can either bring it to you, or you can find it at the front desk.” She left quietly.
She turned to the window, the news of the release form spinning in her head. Outside she managed to catch Derpy hovering around her children as they traversed the path back to Carrot Top’s farm, which resided beyond Sweet Apple Acres. She looked more animated than they were, hovering over them and obviously talking more than they were. She looked like a deeply loving mother.
Applejack finished the dinner given by the nurse quickly, forcing it down with water. She then reached into the bag and ate the second muffin. She watched, the sky show its hidden regal colors of dusk. The muffin was delicious, just like the first, and in the bed, with the light, Applejack was comfortable. She rolled to her side, careful to keep her injured leg steady, and passed into sleep. She wanted to dream of leaving the hospital in the morning, returning to her smiling family on her farm. Instead, the nightmares returned.
***
“Eat it!” she shrieked.
Fluttershy flung a pan across the room. It whizzed past Pinkie Pie’s head and hit the wall with a loud clang. Any critters still in the room scattered, leaving the only the two mares and Angel. Fluttershy stomped up to the table and slammed it, rattling the bowl of porridge in front of Pinkie.
“Eat it! Please!” she begged. Her jaw was tight, and she was panting. Pinkie’s head was tilted down to the bowl, her hair hanging like loose silk around her face, covering her eyes.
“I’m trying to help you! Why won’t you—?” Fluttershy felt a small tap on her ankle. She whirled around. “What!” It was more of a scream then a question.
Angel Bunny glared up at her, unflinching. His ears were lowered and his little arms were crossed.
Fluttershy stared at him, furious. The tiny bunny remained poised. “I just— This is just—” A tear fell from her eye. “Everything is so wrong.”
She shut her eyes and another tear emerged. She turned back to Pinkie. “I just want her to eat.” She walked around the table to Pinkie and ran a hoof through her hair. It spilled back into her face like a waterfall.
“I am losing my friend— all my friends. And I’m losing myself, too.”
She paced the room. “Why am I so angry? This isn’t like me at all, I’m supposed to be Kindness.” Fluttershy jerked her head to the side, as if the realization was a physical blow. “No, they’re the one who’ve changed! Why is Applejack lying, going against who she is? Why is Twilight a… Oh, I can't even say it. It turns my stomach, she didn’t even apologize. And Rainbow— Rainbow!” She stomped. “Why did she leave us? Why did she leave me? I’m her oldest friend. Doesn’t she love me?”
She shut her eyes, recoiling at her own words. “I can’t believe I said that.” She knew her friends loved her dearly. They had been there for her through so much, and they’ve been so patient and kind for her. She wished she could force her heart would accept that, despite recent events
Angel bunny tapped his foot, his glare unchanging.
“That was a long time ago,” she answered him. “Iron Will was trying to help me. I learned my lesson.” Angel Bunny’s face continued to be unconvinced. Fluttershy didn’t dare mention the scene she made at the Galloping Gala. “If I have to be a meanie because my friends are in trouble, well, I’ll do what I must. I’ve done it before.”
Fluttershy lightly shook Pinkie, hoping this time she’d come to. Of course, Pinkie’s head just rolled about. Fluttershy drew back an eyelid. Pinkie’s eyes were still pale, barely twitching. She looked back to Angel, her eyes pleading. “But what do I do when my friends are the trouble?”
Angel raised his tiny furry paws in a shrug.
“Me neither.” Fluttershy turned back to Pinkie. She put a hoof to her face. Her voice softened to the nurturing tone she was known for. “I’m sorry I said those things, Pinkie Pie. I didn’t realize they would be so hurtful. That’s the last thing I want to be to anypony ever. I never would do that on purpose. I’m just so scared.” When she spoke, her voice shook. “Do you remember? She floated away in pieces. I can’t close my eyes without seeing it happen over and over again. I’m scared and I can’t help anyone, even my animals.”
She was met with silence. There were no squeaks or squawks or any sign of life in the room. The only evidence of life in her cottage were overfull food bowls and torn open seed bags. Angel’s frown remained, but he walked up to his owner and laid a soft paw on her side. Fluttershy flinched.
“I know she needs help. I’ll take her, I promise, but I can’t let Applejack see.”
Inside, Fluttershy was shaking her head. She knew with an injury such as her, Applejack would need all the rest she needed, and possibly longer to ensure there were no long term effects. If the tissue healed wrong, Applejack could look forward to horrible joints in old age, all her natural ability prematurely robbed from her. She felt bad she encouraged this choice.
But Fluttershy looked Pinkie over. She was in terrible shape. She was taking in shallow breaths through chapped lips. She couldn’t last like this. Applejack would be fine in the end, but Pinkie needed help now.
She noticed Pinkie’s head resting in the bowl. Fluttershy rushed over to pull her out, and forced her mouth open to clear out the food that could get stuck in her throat so she didn’t choke. Fluttershy had assisted animals with food before, baby ones. Pinkie was a pony, and was just one year younger. She never expected to give this kind of care to a pony, especially not one who wasn’t elderly, just one year her junior. The activity was disgusting to her.
She was pale, her hair limp in her face, a visage disturbingly un-Pinkie Pie. She was thin, the constant stream of sweets she ate interrupted by her condition. At night, Fluttershy was sure she was talking to herself, in voices. Scary voices. Her eyes looked dry and empty. They had lost their shine. She hadn’t slept in days, and Fluttershy barely slept more than her. She needed real help.
“I can’t let her know I did this,” she whispered again. “She said she’s not staying the whole time in the hospital. By this afternoon, she’ll be home, and I can take her.”
A a splash and a clunk sounded behind her, and she turned to see Pinkie no longer on the table. She was on the ground. The smell of ordure reached her nose.
“Pinkie? Pinkie!”
She was pale. She was thin. She was talking to herself, in voices. Scary voices. Her eyes looked dry, empty. They had lost their shine., and she hadn’t slept all night. Her lips were cracked, dry too.
Angel slapped Fluttershy, who snapped at him. “What do you want?!” screamed Fluttershy tearfully. But Angels expression froze her. He had never looked so furious. She held his gaze. She already knew. She looked for the time. Applejack should be getting discharged at this very moment. She longed to make the journey at night, but she looked back at Pinkie, smelled the stench, and knew she couldn’t wait anymore. She quickly cleaned the mess, ran out the door to retrieve her wagon, and began to load her shell of a friend into the cart.
***
Applejack left her room uncontested. As she limped to the front of the hospital, no doctors ran after her, screaming for her to get back in bed. She entered the lobby, and while the receptionist glanced up at her, she did nothing. In the lobby, Applejack could see some of the less able-bodied citizens of Ponyville checking in for minor injuries. She saw bandages, and ice packs, but nothing like herself. She looked down at herself. Her entire right foreleg was bandaged, and most of her torso. Her joint was splinted, allowing only just enough movement to where she wasn’t lame.
She looked outside. It was pouring down rain, and the path leading up to the hospitals roofed patio was waterlogged. She knew no work would be getting done in the farm today.
Instead of walking forward, towards the double doors and out into the air and back to her farm, instead Applejack turned and walked to the desk. After a quick conversation, she had the room number she sought. There was another thankless pony residing in the hospital. She took one more look outside, and retreated back into the innards of the small hospital.
It didn’t take a lot of searching to find who she was looking for. As she neared the doors, she heard hushed voices. Three mares bickered in hushed voices beyond the door. Applejack hesitate for just a moment, but figured she was neighborly enough to deal with her company. She knocked.
“Ms. Bon Bon? Ah hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
As the door swung open, Applejack caught the cream colored mare quickly spinning to the door with a glare in her eyes. When Applejack first saw her face, it was a scowl, before quickly changing into something much more cheerful. She glanced around the room, and saw they were alone. “I swear I thought you had company.”
Bon Bon shook her head. Her curls bounced about. “It’s just me. Hello Applejack. It’s good to see you’re bouncing back. I’ll be getting released sometime today, myself. It’s time I go back to my shop. I wish they would let us leave now. Just a few more hours."
"Us?"
She quickly turned to Applejack. “You and I,” she answered cheerfully. For a moment, she could see Bon Bon with a vacant look on her face, like a filly caught in a lie. In a flash, it was gone, replaced with an equally playful smirk.
Applejack didn’t trust the cheer, but responded in kind. “That’s great to hear. Ah’ve got more time myself. Ah can’t wait to get back to work.”
“What’s life without it?” Her tone was now listless.
“Not as fulfilling, that’s for sure.” Applejack grinned, and asked, “You’re a hardworking mare too?”
Bon Bon nodded. “I’ve got to stay busy. I tell ya, I hate being stuck in here. No one’s around to get my shop in order except me. I’ve had to write some letters, but I much prefer face to face. It’s easier to explain what I need done, how I want it done, when it needs doing.
“For what it’s worth, the break is nice. Ah’m always busy with my farm.”
“I don’t take breaks.”
Despite her tone, her anxiousness was apparent. Applejack walked up to the window beside Bon Bon. Bon Bon raised a hoof to lean on the glass and said, “You can only see the back of the roof of The Sweetie Drop from here.”
Applejack looked out. Through the rain, she could only see a sliver of roof exposing the shop. “Nothing looks bad from here, what all happened to it?”
“You’re right, it wasn’t too bad,” she said flatly, her hoof dropping. “Just had my front windows blown out, several display cases destroyed, loss of product. It’s the worst my shop has ever been damaged from a monster attack, but yes, it is much better than it could have been.”
“Ah’m sorry to hear that.” Applejack squinted, but as far as she could tell the shop looked fine. “That’s part of why I’m here. As you said, it could have been worse, so Ah want thank you. Ah had tried to stop the hekkatron from getting to Ponyville, but I failed. Thank you so much for standing up to it until help could arrive; you saved a lot of ponies that way.”
Bon Bon glared at Applejack, as if reading her. She eventually turned back. “Actually, I was just mad it damaged my shop.”
“Oh,” said Applejack. “Well, anywho, thanks.” Applejack sat staring at the pony beside her. Her brow was furrowed under her curly mane, and she was squinting at her shop, though Applejack knew she couldn’t see anything. Her mouth would twitch through various expressions of annoyance and disgust. She couldn’t tell what from. She decided to press on anyways. “Ah have an idea. Would you willing to lend a hoof to help fight monsters?”
A chortle escaped from Bon Bon before she could hold it back. “Why would I do that?”
“To protect your neighbors.”
“You already do that.”
Applejack arched an eyebrow. “Then to protect your shop.”
“I definitely already do that. If you’re still living in Ponyville after the ursa, the hyrda, Discord, what have you, then you’ve got it coming. Look, I’ve made my peace with the local wildlife and chaotic happenings. I can take care of my own.”
Applejack couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Maybe, but you seem to have a knack for wranglin critters from what Ah’ve heard—
“—Oh, what have you heard?” Bon Bon’s eyes were squinted, sharp. They were re-appraising Applejack.
“That you’ve got some uncommon talent. It would be put to good use standin’ against the fiends from the forest. Specifically, I heard you flipped that hekatron upside down in one move. Ah’m impressed, that’s a doozy of a move.”
Bon Bon smiled, but didn’t say anything. Silence passed between the ponies. Applejack was content to let it play out, having said her piece.
“Tell me, Applejack. You rarely make them, but I’m very curious about your family’s cupcakes. What do you use in them? Is it extra shortening? Do you include brown sugar?”
Applejack replied without hesitation, but with feigned innocence. “It’s actually applesauce and sauerkraut. It’s less fattening than butter and oil, and of course, apples.” She couldn’t help but chuckle.
Bon Bon left out a choked laugh. “That sounds horrible.”
“But you can’t taste it, can you?”
“I can’t lie, they’re delicious. I always found the texture interesting too.” She paused, appearing to be deep in thought. “How can you just let that information go so easily?”
“Honest question gets honest answers,” said Applejack playfully. The gears turned behind Bon Bon eyes, but Applejack wasn’t liking what she saw. The mare had taken an attachment to her answer, and was thinking something up.
“But then what about the fritters? They don’t have any horrible secrets, do they?”
Applejack winked. “I can’t go telling you everything, now. That was a freebie, for being so kind as to save the town.”
Bon Bon nodded. “Of course. Nothing is free. So, now we're even. I helped out with the hekkatron, and you gave me a secret.” More silence, and Applejack could see in Bon Bon’s eyes that she wasn’t going to like what the mare said next. “That can be the baseline. When you need my help, answer whatever question I have, and you’ll have me for a whole day.”
“Now hold on there, I can’t just be giving away family secrets like that. That goes into business. ‘Sides, some of those aren’t even mine, but Granny Smith’s”
Bon Bon tilted her head. “I can’t just be giving away my time like that. I have a business to run, and time away. Do you know how far I was set back this week?”
Applejack stomped her hoof. “You won’t have a business if everypony is driven from Ponyville.”
“We all know everyone’s not going anywhere, not unless it gets really bad. And then, you and your friends can take care of it. If the wunderkind can’t handle it, Celestia will send Wonderbolts if she sees fit. If you want my time though, you’ll have to buy it.”
It was Applejack’s turn to glare. Bon Bon said her terms matter-of-factly, but she didn’t smile, nor gloat. She was as serious as Applejack was. “So what, you want some advice? That’s awfully strange from a pony seems to keep their own consul so tightly. Don’t you run your shop yourself?”
An eye twitched, but otherwise Bon Bon didn’t react. “Only a fool would let help slip by.”
Applejack stared Bon Bon down, but she never turned her eyes away. The longer she stared, the more Bon Bon’s face took on a stupid grin. Applejack hated that grin, and hated how someone with so much could offer so little help. She stood, and sulked to the door, not saying another word to the crooked mare.
She left, stepping in the hallway. As she walked away, the ire remained. Halfway back to her room, she decided she needed to go outside for some air, even if it was damp. No one stopped her before.
As she neared the lobby, she heard someone shouting. Applejack began to walk faster, as much as her leg would allow. When she entered, she wasn’t ready for the scene before her.
Fluttershy was at the counter yelling at the formerly disinterested receptionist, who was full of energy now. Her friend was covered in scrapes and bruises, and dirt coated her. Behind her was a trail of mud, and following it, Applejack saw a sight that made her heart leap off a cliff.
Pinkie paid in the middle of the trail, which lead out the double glass doors and what to Applejack guessed was Fluttershy’s destroyed cart. Half of it was embedded in the dirt path. Pinkie herself laid like a discarded toy on the ground, looking worse off than Fluttershy. Her mane was caked with mud, tangled over her face, but her figure was unmistakable. She was overjoyed, but horrified.
Fluttershy’s voice reached her ears. “Please! Please, I can’t help her!”
The receptionist assured her everything thing would be alright, and the doctor would be there soon, and rushed out the office and past Applejack. Fluttershy watched the nurse leave, until she passed Applejack, and their eyes locked. The color drained out of Fluttershy’s face. She stared at Applejack as if she were a dragon, about to breathe fire upon her.
Applejack moved first. She wrapped Fluttershy in a tight hug, nuzzling her intently. “You found her! Thank Celestia!” She laughed, and her vision swam. She fought back tears, doing her best not to cry. “I’m so happy to...”
She let go of the wet pegasus and hobbled past. She didn’t notice, but Fluttershy’s eyes didn’t leave her. When she approached, the smell hit her first. Through the mud, Pinkie smelled foul, and unclean. Applejack bent down and tried to wipe away the dirt from her face, and jumped back as she saw it was vacant. She tried desperately to clean the mud off her, and as she scraped off the slowly drying earth, hair easily came with it, leaving splotches of bruised skin along Pinkie’s body.
She looked at Fluttershy, silently mouthing her fear. Fluttershy's horror was frozen on her face. She looked back to Pinkie, and tried to lift a leg. She dropped it instantly. It was so light, so limp.
“Excuse me, step away ma’am.” Before she knew what was going on, an orderly was guiding her away from her newly found friend, while another set her on a stretcher. A doctor hovered around Pinkie, examining her. Soon, she had an IV in her.
“What’s wrong with her? Pinkie, can you hear me?”
The doctor signaled the orderlies to push Pinkie down the hall into the hospital. He spoke briefly with Fluttershy. Applejack huffed and walked up to the doctor, tapping him on the shoulder. “Excuse me? What’s going on here?”
The doctor glanced at Applejack. “She’s horribly ill.” He turned back to Fluttershy. “Come with us please, we have some questions.”
“No, I need to know what happened to my friend,” shouted Applejack.
Fluttershy stepped in. “She’s just weak, she hasn’t eaten in days. I can’ figure out what’s wrong with her.”
“And it’s a good thing you did, I think more is wrong. She’s horribly malnourished, and we think a possible vitamin deficiency. Now excuse us, we have a life to save!” The nurse continued to push Pinkie down the hall, leaving Applejack and Fluttershy.
“What did the nurse say?” asked Applejack.
Fluttershy was shaking. “Sh-sh-she said Pinkie is comatose. She needs medical care and close medical watch.”
“Well, she’s in the right place, but land sakes I’m so happy she’s here but I’m scared, Shy. How did she end up like this?
“I don’t know, Applejack.”
Applejack became quiet. “Tell me, what’s wrong with her?”
Fluttershy obliged, reciting the nurse’s assessment of her health.
“And tell me, what caused this.”
“I, I think maybe she got lost in the woods?”
“Fluttershy. Please. We’re such good friends. Are you… Lying?”
The accusation caused Fluttershy to fall down, and back away. “I’m… But I’m not, Applejack.”
Applejack took a solid step forward. Her face was immense shock, twisted with a scowl and frustration. “No, you’re not doing this right now, Fluttershy. Just tell me what happened to her.”
Fluttershy took another step back, and bumped the wall behind her. She gasped, and looked all around. The hallways had gotten smaller, and turning back to Applejack she dominated her vision. Her eyes were focused, her pain forgotten, and something horrible rising to the surface.
“Please calm down.” Her voice dripped like honey.
Applejack froze, and her face emptied. She teetered in place, one foot still in the air. Fluttershy rose from the floor, her eyes locked on Applejack’s. “How about we talk about this later? Our friend is so sick, and she needs her rest.”
Applejack slowly nodded.
“I didn’t hurt Pinkie Pie.”
Applejack blinked, and shook her head. “No, no you found her. Conveniently.” She blinked more, here pupils shrinking. “I can tell, you’re… you’re not telling the whole truth, Fluttershy. Everything got all weird, and…”
They stare at each other, seconds ticking by. Fluttershy’s breathing was shallow, her her heart rate red lining. Applejack’s lowered her brow, her teeth grit. Her eyes begin to mist over.
Fluttershy bolted. She lunged down the hall, her wings taking over, beating as hard as she could make them. She flew down the long hallway to the entrance, aware of the hooves clattering behind her.
“Fluttershy! Don’t your dare leave! I have words for you!” Applejack’s voice echoed after here, filling the hall as if she was everywhere at once. Fluttershy chanced a look behind her. She was whipping by doors, trays. Knocking things over in her gait. When a turn came Fluttershy would glide around the corner, while Applejack slammed against the opposite wall, pushing off reserve momentum. Fluttershy came up to the last stretch, the last bit of hallway before she’d be out of the hospital.
She burst through the doors to the lobby, making a bee-line for the exit. The few ponies waiting to be seen shouted in shock. Fluttershy didn’t hear them, she was pumping her wings with all her might, and hoped beyond hope that they were enough, that1 the turns were enough to keep Applejack off of her.
Behind her, the Applejack stumbled through the doors, and landing on her bandaged shoulder. She let out a yelp, and Fluttershy hesitated, looking back. Applejack rolled to her feet, and in Fluttershy’s hesitance, closed the gap.
Fluttershy felt a yank from behind, and as she was brought to the tiled floor instantly, her breath knocked out of her body. She looked behind her, and saw Applejack with a mouthful of her tail, with a look that hurt more than anything. Fluttershy rolled on her back, and began to back away. Applejack spit out her tail and advanced on her.
“Tell me, Fluttershy!”
The ponies were paralyzed. Some had risen to help up Fluttershy, but Applejack’s anger froze them in their tracks.
“Where did you find her?” Applejack roared, her anger seemingly knowing no bounds.
Fluttershy shrunk in herself, shutting her eyes as she cried. “S-She was never lost.”
“Why is she like that?”
Fluttershy tried to speak through her sobs. Her words came out bubbly. “I’m so sorry. I… I screamed at her. I couldn’t take it, she… she was… I’m so sorry!” Her eyes pleaded with Applejacks.
Moments passed, no one in the lobby making a move. The only sound was Applejack’s huffing, and Fluttershy weeping. When she spoke again, Applejack’s voice was smoldering. “And you kept her hidden all this time.”
“Because it’s my fault. Because I made her this way and I thought I could help, and no one know.”
“What a great help you’ve been.” The words were like whips.
“Please believe me, I didn’t want—”
“—Go away, Fluttershy. It doesn’t matter what you wanted. What you’ve done to Pinkie, what you’ve said about Twi’. I know what you did in Everfree, Fluttershy! I know what you did just now. You used your stare,” said Applejack. Her face was twisted, and she was shaking her head. “How could you? How did you lose yourself?”
Fluttershy sucked in her breath, but her tears did not stop. Applejack looked down at her, the entirety of the last week playing out before her. It had been a nightmare. No, worse, as at least in her nightmares, her friends are by her side, helping her fight. The pony being wheeled to the depths of the hospital was no longer the friend she knew, to no fault of her own. The sniveling pegasus before here was not her friend, twisted by fear and hate. Applejack flinched slightly, the thought causing her pain. Hate was never a word she thought she’d ever associate with Fluttershy. How did she let that happen to the best of them?
With the pain of that thought came the pain of her body. She looked down. The bandages around her foreleg were draping, and the stitches along her shoulder had gotten loose. Trickles of blood ran down seeping into the fabric, and into the floor. In a corner, a nurse watched, clearly concerned about her wounds but unwilling to encroach upon them.
“I’m not a bad pony, I just made a bad decision!” cried Fluttershy pathetically.
Applejack looked back to Fluttershy one last time. “Make sure to tell that to Twilight when you see her again. She’s not the only one of us who stole a friend away.”
She turned, and walked to the double doors, and soon the nurse made for her. Applejack didn’t resist as she was lead back to her room, cleaned, and left alone. It was exactly how she felt, and exactly what she felt she deserved.
***
“That fall you took yesterday will set you back. You can still leave today, but we don’t recommend it.”
“That’s fine. Ah’ll stay here, with her.” A orange colored hoof stroked a cotton candy mane.
“We had to redo some of your stitches, and your brace will have to be replaced, and—”
“—Tell me about her, doc.”
The doctor looked at Nurse Redheart, then looked at his patient. She refused to stay in her room, wouldn’t leave the side of her friend. She looked like a mare who just lost family. “Alright. Pinkamena is horribly malnourished. It seems in the five days she’s been missing, she hasn’t eaten nor drank. On top of that, it seems like a vitamin deficiency. She’s leaking body fluids and any sustenance we put into her. Her fur is falling out. The thing is, while all of these are typical symptoms for her ailment, they’re not supposed to happen for months into it. Something has terribly accelerated her status. She’s stable now, but she’s going to need constant personal care for the foreseeable future. Even if she recovers from what’s physically wrong with her, who knows how long she’ll be comatose.”
Applejack sniffed. The Doctor offered her a handkerchief she promptly used and returned. “Ah hate seein’ her like this. It aint right.”
The Doctor looked back at Pinkie. “She threw my daughter a birthday last year. I’ve never seen my daughter’s face light up so. She was so happy, Pinkie made her feel like a princess. Seeing her like this, laughless— It’s terrible something like this happened to a pony so loved.”
Applejack looked over at the doctor and nodded, still stroking Pinkie’s mane. She noticed him quickly wipe his face.
“Have you found someone yet?”
Applejack shut her eyes tight. “No.”
“I’m sure the Cakes are relieved she’s been found.”
“Trust me, they really want to. Pinkie means so much to them, and they burst into tears when they saw her, but they can’t commit to the care she needs right now. They have two new foals, and Pinkie would be like a third, they can’t take on a third and run their business.” The response was robotic. Aplejack felt like a hollowed tree, like the slightest nudge would make her break.
“You friends..?” His voice trailed off when he saw Applejack’s immediately grew hard. “I mean, aside from...”
“Who knows with them.”
“And are you sure your family is out of the question?”
“My brother Big Mac will be on the farm all day, and my sis is too young to take care of herself. Granny’s in no shape to be lookin’ after a pony with Pinkie’s needs, and Ah... Ah’m not in no shape to take myself. How useless would Ah be takin care of somepony with her kind of needs?”
“Okay, we understand.”
“Ah’d never leave a friend in need, but... Ah’m, not a bad pony for this, am Ah?” Applejack’s voice was whisper quiet. She could feel the pricks in her eyes as she asked the question. “She gave us… me, control of her well being. If I could, Ah swear to Celestia herself Ah would.”
Nurse Redheart stepped forward. Her face was soft. “Of course you’re not, dear. You’ve given so much. You’re not wrong in this situation. This isn’t the first time a hard call has been made, and it won’t be the last. It’s just your turn to make it, and your turn to be taken care of. We’ll send word immediately. Her closest family should arrive soon after to retrieve her.”
Applejack looked into her face. “Could you please let me know who gets her? Ah can’t leave things like this.”
The Doctor Spoke up. “I’m sorry, Applejack. Since you have deferred your responsibility, that’ll be the kin’s decision.”
Applejack stared in shock, but didn’t say anything. As her gaze returned to Pinkie, she understood. Applejack knew she’d want a say so for her family’s well being before anyone else. At any rate, she was numb to everything. Even when Pinkie gave them the right to decide her fate, a move that of course Pinkie would do and plan before hand, she failed her now.
“Don’t worry. She won’t need medical treatment shortly, just tender love and care. We’re sending her to her family, Applejack. Who better to watch over her?”
Applejack turned back to her friend. The sight of her made her feel ill, that something so bad could happen to somepony so nice, but she forced herself to look. She had to steel herself, for the next weeks of her life will be the most difficult. She leaned in, and whispered to her Pinkie. “Ah guarantee, as soon as Ah’m on four legs again Ah’m comin for Pinkie Pie.”
Shortly, the doctor and nurse left Applejack and Pinkie alone. She should be resting, letting her newly sutured stitches mend, but none would dare ask Applejack to leave. She stayed there, through the day and night, napping on the bench in the room, until it was time for her to leave.
A knock at the door woke her up, and she groggily lifted her head from the covers of the bed to see Redhart looking at her. Applejack took one last, long look at Pinkie, and left. Each step felt as hard as a buck to a tree, but she managed to walk to down the halls to the lobby, where her Granny awaited. They hugged tightly. After reviewing some release forms they were walking back in silence, Granny Smith respecting Applejack’s silence. It felt like the road home took twice as long for Applejack, her foreleg stiff, uselessly slowing her the entire way.
Sweetie Belle and her friends were playing in the yard, trying another scheme of theirs. For once, Applejack wasn’t interested in what the crusaders were getting into. She noticed Sweetie Belle slow in her play, and was watching her. Applejack turned back to the house and followed Granny Smith inside.
As soon as she was inside, she felt the comfortable weight of one of her stetsons. She looked to her side to see Big Mac had rested it on her head, and he was smiling wide. “Thanks Big Macintosh. I haven’t been feeling myself lately, but this sure does help.”
E-yup.” Big Mac stood silently. His gaze passed from happiness to concern. Applejack saw him eye her leg.
“Oh, don’t dote on me! It’s okay Big Mac. I’ll take it easy, Ah promise.”
Granny smith called from the kitchen. “Now that we’re home, these these hayballs and applesauce aren’t gonna eat themselves! I’ve had them ready all day waiting for you, sugarcube!”
At the mention of food, Applejack’s stomach called out for the delicious layers of apple sauce and baked hay. A good meal, for once, after a week of hospital food.
“I’ll be right there, Granny Smith!” she called. Applejack walked past the kitchen and made for the stairs, and knew she didn’t have to look back to know Big Mac was staring at her. They would talk eventually.
At the end of the hall Applejack slowly opened the door to what was normally an unoccupied guest bedroom. She walked to the edge of the bed and gingerly got on it. When she didn’t get the response she wanted, she laid a hoof on Spike’s shoulder. He flinched, but remained silent.
“Are you alright, Spike?”
He was under the blankets, looking out the window. He nodded.
“Are you hungry?”
He shook his head now. A quick look showed that there was a plate of gems at his bedside table, untouched.
“How are you sleeping?”
“Just fine, Applejack.”
Applejack smiled, as he sounded like his old lazy self when he said that. But, the smile didn’t last.
“Has Celestia written?”
Spike pulled an arm from under the sheets and pointed to the corner, a series of letters in a pile. Applejack picked one up and read
“Dear Spike.
I wasn’t expecting that. I thought you and Twilight were inseparable, but I guess she decided to let you have a break. I am anxious for Twilight suddenly going on an expedition without her most faithful assistant, but I know she made that decision with lots of careful planning, even if her reasoning was… odd. I do look forward to hearing what she learns on her trip when she returns.
Your Princess,
Celestia.”
She looked back over to Spike, who had turned away towards the window. Applejack wiped her brow, closed the door behind her, and ate her first real dinner that week.