//------------------------------//
// Sparks of Truth 
// Story: Ashen Apples 
// by ErraticOverlord 
//------------------------------//


The four of us sit in the kitchen of Twilight's library while Spike cracks eggs to make omelets. Twilight sits across from me while Lyra sits to my left and Ash to my right.

Twilight starts to say something, then thinks better of it. After doing this a few times, she makes up her mind. "So,"

I nod. "Yes, she's sitting to my right."

Twilight nods, carefully. "And you started seeing her this morning?"

Ash leans toward me, eyes fixed on Twilight. "She's not the brightest apple on the tree, is she?"

The cloth still wrapped over my ears starts to itch. Being up here I can still hear things pretty well, but I'd rather avoid more screaming. The kitchen should be dark, there are only a hooffull of candles lit besides the fire Spike is working with, but I can see perfectly.

"Yes. I started seeing her this morning and she disappeared once before I went in Lyra's house, then again when Lyra was taking me here."

"Well,"

"I'm not crazy." I break in.

Twilight lowers her eyelids. "I was actually going to ask what kind of things she's said to you so far."

I think about it for a moment, then I can feel blood rush to my cheeks.

Ash leans over the table toward Twilight. "You want to find out, Sparkle?"

Lyra and Twilight exchange a glance.

Twilight blushes and clears her throat. "Alright. We'll come back to that. What about other problems?" She glances up to the cloth.

I reach a hoof up and itch my ear. "Hearing is the main one. At certain times, everything I hear sounds a hundred times louder."

"More deafening," Ash supplies.

"Hush," I say, turning to Ash.

Twilight watched the exchange with what some would call a blank expression. I know better. "Has she said anything about it?"

I face Ash. "I tried to ask her about it but all she said was 'everything's the same sound. You can just hear it better,' what does that mean?"

Twilight lays a hoof on her chin. "So it isn't making things louder, it's improving your hearing."

I scoff. "I wouldn't call this an improvement."

Twilight's eyes flick to the cloth and then back to me. "Any idea when your hearing improves? You said it only happens at certain times."

I think back. "Actually, it's a little wierd. It was okay when I was trotting home in the rain, terrible when I got back home, okay in the morning today, fine trotting around town, and then terrible when I was in the basement."

Twilight checks through each location in her head. "But that doesn't make sense. There isn't anything that connects those."

"Both times were in the evening. Is that the rule?" Lyra asks.

Twilight shakes her head. "But it's evening now. The more I hear about this curse, the less sense it makes."

Lyra faces Twilight, turning away from me. "Do you think the cut from the skeleton in the cave did this?"

I can see Twilight get more stressed with every wrong hypothesis and additional question. "I don't even know if anything actually did this or..." She breaks off.

"Or if I'm just crazy." I finish.

"Applejack."

"No. It's not the first time I've thought about it. Heck, Ash says she's just a figment of my imagination. Maybe I should just accept it."

Lyra breaks in. "No. If this were all in your head, your hearing wouldn't be affected. You said you could hear what we were whispering from the basement. That's not insanity, that's magic. What about the fever? When I was carrying her here, she had a burning fever and suddenly it's completely gone when she gets here? I don't buy it. What if we did a test to see if we tell Ash something, Applejack knows it. If she is imaginary, Applejack couldn't possibly and if she isn't Applejack will."

Twilight shakes her head. "But if she has enhanced hearing, she'll just be able to hear whatever we tell Ash."

"So? If she can, it'll just proves she has enhanced hearing, won't it? Still magic."

Twilight shrugs and looks at me. "It's worth a try, if you're okay with it, Applejack."

I set my stetson back on my head, taking care in avoiding the cloth covering or 'bandages' as I've decided to call them. "Let's try it."

I leave Ash in the kitchen with Twilight and Lyra while I trot upstairs. The house is definitely dark, I decide. There's no lamps or candles anywhere and it's night outside so it should be pitch black. But it's not pitch black. I wave my hoof in front of my face. I can see everything, clearer than I can in the day.

Even through the bandages I can still hear downstairs but I force myself to focus elsewhere. I turn my hearing to outside, to Ponyville at night.

I think I can hear laughter. Chilling, malevolent laughter. But why? And who's doing it?

I try to listen closer, to see if I can hear anything around it. I strain my ears until I reach up and remove the bandage around it, then I listen again.

I hear a scream.

It splits the sky like a peal of thunder, striking upward into oblivion. The sound shakes through to my core and I cover my ears with my hooves again.

It was a mare's scream, somewhere in the middle of town.

Something's happened.

I turn around to head back down the stairs but see myself blocked by a mare who looks just like me, but grayer.

"Ash?"

"Not this time, cousin. My name's Spark."

She leans forward as if to say something more, then makes a jab at my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.

I try to back away but she grabs my head and slams her forehead into it. I can hear a crunch as she connects, breaking my nose.

She tries to slam a hoof down on my neck but I roll out of the way and down the stairs.

I can hear her only a step behind me as I roll down the stairs, waiting to pound a hoof onto my head and end me.

Not gonna happen.

I come out at the bottom of the stairs to see Twilight and Lyra open the door at the commotion and look in, gasping.

I come out of my roll and jump into the kitchen, shoving Twilight and Lyra inside, slamming the door behind me.

Before I pass out from the adrenaline and blood leaking out of me, I count the ponies present in the room, Twilight, Lyra, Spike, Ash.

Good.

We're all here.

I can feel myself falling, sliding along the door to the floor. Before reaching the ground, I can only think of one thing.

We're all okay.