//------------------------------// // The Storm // Story: The Silent War // by Dead_Account_0 //------------------------------// Rain lashed fiercely against the windows of the small farmhouse. Torrents of thick droplets fell freely from the dark and moody sky. A ferocious wind buffeted the small Apple farmhouse, causing it to creak and sway like an old tree. Every so often a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, accompanied by a loud clap of thunder. Applejack looked away from the windows with a sigh. Across from her, Crosswind was sprawled in Granny Smith’s old creaky rocking chair with a haphazardly wrapped bandage around his head. Fresh blood had already saturated the cotton, dyeing the pristine white a deep red. Two more bandages were tied around bad cuts on his chest. "Argh!" Applejack screamed in frustration as she went through her predicament in her head one more time. Voltage tol’ me to keep Crosswind away from the authorities… but, if he stays here, he may never wake up. Think, Applejack, think. What the hay do I do? I-I-I need a drink. Applejack trotted over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of hard cider. She took a swig and instantly began to feel the evils of the world start to peel away. She could feel the adrenaline in her body dying down. Her heart stopped its mad pounding and slowly reduced back to its normal rate. A deep, therapeutic breath later she managed to defog her addled mind. She returned to the seating area and collapsed into her dad’s old armchair. Her hoof brought the bottle to her mouth and she took a long draught of the sour drink with a relaxed sigh. The pegasus before her didn’t seem to be having any trouble breathing, but beyond the rise and fall of his chest there was no other movement. Nursing the bottle between her two forehooves, she slowly started weighing up her options. I guess the best option is to rally the girls an' then we can bring ‘im to Celestia. First of all though he’s gunna need more fixing up than I can manage. Now the real question is who to go to first? Fluttershy or Twilight I think. Twi's got magic on her side and lives in a library full of books, but Fluttershy is a vet and should have at least a basic idea of how to treat ‘im. I don't rightly know how Fluttershy would react to me arriving with a strange injured pegasus in the middle of a storm though. What if those two ponies who escaped that flying contraption were the ones that Voltage had warned me about? What if they go after Crosswind? I can't put Fluttershy through that. Applejack sighed heavily. Twilight it is then. A few minutes later and Applejack was struggling to put on her mack. With a tug of the cord with her mouth, she finally secured the jacket around her chest. She gingerly pulled the front door an inch when it suddenly slammed open throwing her backwards. The storm was still in full effect and Applejack struggled to get to her hooves against the howling wind. With slow, strong steps she managed to push herself outside. Around the side of the house was an old yet strong cart that she used to move the vast quantities of apples that she harvested around. Despite her mackintosh, she was already completely soaked. She carefully attached the harness of the cart to her back and brought it around to the front door. The rain’s endless barrage felt like being pummelled by small stones, but she continued to push forward with determination. It was then she noticed that through the deafening wail of the wind were the faint cries of animals in trouble. Her eyes went wide as she remembered a piece of large metal smashing through the roof of her family’s ruby red barn. She kicked open the barn door to a realm of chaos that would rival Discord’s reign. The hole in the roof from the debris had let the harsh rain and punishing wind inside the barn, free to cause as much havoc as they could. Soaked animals ran to and fro, occasionally crashing into each other. Luckily the metal had crashed into the middle of the barn. The large hole in the floorboards attested to that. Another burst of lightning nearby sent the animals into frenzy. I can't just leave them here like this, but Crosswind ain’t gunna last much longer. These animals are part of my livelihood; I can't just leave them here to die! Applejack bit her lip in intense concentration. I got it! The farmhouse! I'm going to have to bring them all into the farmhouse until this ‘ere storm stops. Applejack sprinted around the barn and opened up all the pens. “Okay, guys, this storm has done a real number on the barn. We’re gunna have ta move out to the farmhouse.” The animals began to slow their frantic runs and turn to the pony they recognised as master. Applejack vanished back out into the storm and returned with her apple cart. She let out a loud whistle and several of the smaller animals clambered into the cart. "You're gunna have ta follow me straight to the house. No hangin' around, kay?" Some of the animals replied with grunts and other noises. “On the count of three. One. Two. Three!” Applejack burst out of the barn in a mad dash, dragging the cart full of animals on the path to the farmhouse. The ground was coated in thick wet mud and she was fighting against a strong headwind, but she dragged the cart along slowly. Every so often it would get stuck in the mud and she would have to give it a powerful kick to free it. It was a hard slog with rain lashing at her skin through the mack, and the animals panicking whenever lightning struck. It took all of her skill to keep all the animals calm despite the extraneous circumstances, but eventually Applejack made it back to the house. She unhitched the cart by the front door that still hung open, letting all of the animals stream in and out of the wet and cold. Once she was sure they were all in she pushed the door shut and sprinted into the lounge to find Crosswind. He was still sprawled unceremoniously in the old rocking chair. The bandage tied around his head was now completely scarlet and yet more fresh blood poured from the over-saturated bandage. “Well, AJ, It’s now or never,” she whispered breathlessly. She left the animals to their own devices as she fetched Big Macintosh's rain mack. Wrapping the Pegasus in the overly large mack, she hoisted him onto her back and left the house. Once outside, she placed the pegasus in the cart, making sure he was still covered by the mac. Fortunately, the wind was now on her side and it was mostly downhill all the way to Ponyville. Summoning up all her reserve strength, she broke into a gallop. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Applejack arrived in Ponyville town centre in a matter of minutes. She flew past the coloured cottages, making a beeline straight for the library without breaking her extreme pace. Applejack’s legs were so sore that they felt like they were on fire. Each step sent shooting pains up her already aching legs. The pegasus on her back might as well have been made of lead to the pony at this stage. Twilight just has ta know what to do about this; she just has ta. Applejack pulled up at Twilight’s house with a screech of suddenly stopping wheels. She shook off the collar and let the yoke fall to the ground, before charging towards the large tree that housed the local library. She stopped at the large wooden door and bombarded it wildly with her hooves. A frenzied fit of knocks rang out with each hit. She heard muffled speech from the other side and the door opened to reveal a familiar small purple dragon. "Spike! I gotta big problem!" Applejack shouted, although Spike could read it off her face plain as day. The frantic breaths and wide eyes attested to that. "Is Twilight home?" "Yeah, she's in the library with Rarity. They’re looking at the fashions of Zebrica," Spike replied earnestly. "Is there anything I can do to help?" "You can find as many books on practical medicine as you can; I've got a pegasus with me who won’t wake up." "Really? How long have they been out? Are they here? Now?" Spike tried to look around her before meeting the pleading look in her eyes. "Okay! Okay!” Spike made a pushing gesture with his hands. “Don’t worry, Applejack! You can count on me!" Spike turned and rushed inside. Applejack gingerly lifted Crosswind out of the cart and brought him inside the house. Rain continued to lash against the window panes with its constant hammering while lightning soared through the sky. The lightning rod above Twilight’s house did its job though, each bright white bolt that got too close smashed into the rod with a resounding crash. A purple unicorn sat at her desk, staring intently at the book in front of her. Books were everywhere, lying open on different pages containing complex diagrams. Twilight Sparkle would read a page or two and then toss the book carelessly behind her and pull out another one. In the centre of the room a table had been cleared and on it laid the injured Pegasus on a spare bed sheet. A white unicorn with a strained but still styled purple mane stood over the injured pegasus wearing what had once been a pristine white baker’s apron. Despite the fact that the apron itself was covered in red droplets of varying sizes, Rarity had managed to avoid getting a single splodge on her own white coat. She hummed somewhat distressedly as she worked, and her eyes had that wide open quality typical of a slight disconnection with reality at this moment in time. Rarity's horn glowed and a needle coated in blue light threaded another stitch. Cutting it with a pair of scissors, she rethreaded the needle again and started another line. “Twilight, my dear, I can keep on fixing up these scrapes, but we both know why he isn’t moving.” “Argh!” Twilight shouted as she tossed another book behind her. She then turned to Spike. "Spike! None of these books have anything on how to treat head trauma! It’s all just theory!" Spike saluted dutifully and sprinted off into the depths of the library. “I know, Rarity! I’m trying to find a way to fix it!” Twilight shouted as she pulled another book from the pile with a burst of purple magic. Both ponies returned to their work in silence for around a minute. Twilight’s eyes scanning every page as her she magically skimmed the book. Rarity took care of another nasty gash on the pegasus’s hip. “I can’t believe the hospital would be closed to an emergency like this,” Rarity said conversationally. “The whole town knew about the storm. Everypony’s safe in their beds by now. Except us it seems.” “Speaking of beds, do you think Applejack is going to be okay? She looked positively exhausted when she pushed through that door.” “I’m sure she’ll be fine after a bit more rest,” Twilight replied flatly. “Spike!” Spike rushed back from the library carrying just one book a few seconds later. “Bear Griffon: Survival Tips for the Intrepid Adventurer” was emblazoned across the top. A picture of a rugged looking griffon in a faded green vest holding a machete filled the rest of the space on the cover. “Spike! Now is not the time or place for a book like this!” Twilight seized the book with her magic and prepared to toss it over her shoulder. “No, wait, Twilight!” Spike shouted with an outstretched claw. Twilight hesitated and the book held fast in midair above her head. “It’s got a big section on emergency medical techniques! I checked the index and it said there was something about dealing with head trauma on page ninety-six.” Upon hearing this Twilight slammed the book onto the desk in front of her and instantly flipped to page ninety-six. Sure enough there was a detailed set of images depicting how to perform emergency surgery on an injured friend in the wilderness using just a knife. Twilight pored her attention onto the pages in front of her, committing the images to memory. Twisting away from the book with a nod, she approached the table. Rarity finished a suture and took a step back as Twilight trotted over. Twilight went straight for the swollen, purplish bump that graced the grey pegasus’s head. "According to my books, bruising of this colour is normally a sign of massive internal bleeding. Let's hope he hasn't haemorrhaged yet... I wonder…" Twilight muttered aloud to herself. She gave the bruise a light prod and something sloshed inside. "There's no helping it. We’re going to have to cut his head open.” “What?” Rarity spluttered. “Bruising of this colour is indicative of blood pooling in the cranium. The longer we leave it, the more chance there is of a blood clot forming and that might kill him. On top of that, it could be due to pressure building up or, more likely, something is stuck in there.” Rarity looked dumbstruck at the cold logic employed by Twilight. “B-b-but, you want to cut his head open.” Twilight lit up her horn and touched it to the ailing pegasus’s forehead. “There’s definitely something in there. As soon as it’s out, he can start the recovery process.” “Are you sure, Twilight? It just seems so… barbaric,” Rarity asked awkwardly. “Don’t worry, Rarity. I know what I’m doing. Bear Griffon says that it’ll be over before you know it. Spike, fetch me a sharp knife from the kitchen and sterilise it with boiling water." "T-t-twilight?" Spike stuttered back. "Don't argue Spike; this Pony is dying!" Spike paled a little but he still gave a dutiful nod before sprinting off into another room. “Rarity, I’m going to…” Rarity continued to stare at the injured pegasus with a glazed look in her eyes. “Rarity!” Twilight waved a hoof in front of Rarity’s face, earning a jump from the mare. “Twilight,” Rarity whispered before she realised what she was doing. “Twilight! I don’t know if I can take this. Sewing him up was one thing, it reminded me a little of sewing a dress, but this is quite something else. I-I don’t know if I can handle so much blood.” Tears began to well up in her eyes, and her mane was growing more and more dishevelled by the second. “I’m sorry Rarity, but I’ll need your assistance. Somepony needs to restrain him while I work. If he as much as nods during the procedure, I could kill him.” Rarity’s body began to shake with barely suppressed fear. “You wouldn’t need to look. If you could just hold him in place for me, it’d boost his chances considerably. You could use the same spell that you use on clients.” Rarity gulped audibly, but gave a slight tip of her head. Just then Spike ran in holding a knife that she’d typically use on particularly tough plants with a red-hot blade. Twilight’s gaze hardened as she enveloped the blade in her purple magic. "You might want to look away Spike," She said coldly as she lined the blade up with the picture in the diagram. "Now Rarity!” As soon as the pegasus was surrounded by a field of blue magic, Twilight stuck the knife in to the pegasus’s skull. It slide in with surprising ease, akin to gathering butter, and she used it to follow an imaginary dotted line as if she were cutting paper. Hot blood began to leak down his skull as his body started to move seemingly of its own accord. Rarity closed her eyes as she tightened her concentration and the blue light that left her horn and enclosed the pegasus began to shine brighter. Twilight finished the incision and gently placed the knife onto the table. With morbid fascination, she gently lifted off the top of the skull and placed it onto the table too. She peered inside the pegasus’s brain box and a large grin grew on her face. "There's the problem!" Twilight shouted in triumph and her horn glowed. A sickly squelching noise accompanied a spray of blood as a jagged piece of metal was ripped out of his brain. Unfortunately for Rarity, the rain of blood was thrown directly at her. A high pitched scream left her lips as the horrid red substance hit her luxurious soft fur. Rarity released her magical hold and galloped into the bathroom. Twilight stood deathly still, but nothing happened. The pegasus remained still on the table, apart from the weak rising and falling of his chest. Twilight lofted up Rarity’s needle and thread with a sigh and started to work on stitching up his head. Rarity eventually came back downstairs looking a bit calmer. Her coat was once again a lustrous alabaster, while her mane was a perfect prismatic purple. Twilight had finished up with a rough stitching job which could only be described as functional, and was tidying away the books she had thrown around. Spike was back with a mop and bucket that he used to mop up the blood that had spread around the table. "Did it work?” Rarity called out from the stairs. "Will he finally wake up?" Twilight sighed without turning from the shelves. “According to the book with any neurological trauma there is always a chance of brain death, but I think he should pull through. We've done all we can and it's up to him to pull through." Another bolt of lightning struck the rod above with a crash. “There’s no point you going home now, Rarity. In fact, I think it’s time we all called it a night.” Spike yawned loudly and Rarity nodded in agreement. The trio left their tasks half finished and began to walk up the stairs. “You can share my bed, Rarity. There’s no need to disturb Applejack,” Twilight said quietly as they vanished into a doorway upstairs. There would be no slumber party this time as they all went straight to bed. Memories of the impromptu surgery still burning fresh in their minds like the hot blade that did the task. Downstairs a pegasus stirred briefly and rolled onto his side.