Rainbow Dash's injuries landed her in the hospital for a week and a half.
Although, it was a marvel we got her there in the first place. The merciless buck sent her flying. It also rendered her a screaming, bloody mess (and, oh Celestia, there was a lot of blood). The situation devolved from there as Twilight snatched Applejack up into a levitating sphere. While Applejack hollered, cussed, and struggled against the bubble, Rainbow Dash's screams were loud enough to draw Big Macintosh to our location.
Naturally, he understood the severity of our circumstance, and the heartbreak could be seen in his eyes. Stars bless him, he immediately hoisted Rainbow Dash onto his muscular back and took off like a freight train. Fluttershy, with tears streaming down her face, chased after him, and Pinkie Pie wasn't far behind her.
Twilight and I were left to determine Applejack's fate. In all honesty, it was such a hard decision and we really didn't know what to do. Releasing her was out of the question—not after what she had done. It was, unfortunately, the only thing on which we agreed. Twilight was so broken up about making a decision. She had more than enough authority to sentence Applejack right then and there, but the last thing she wanted to do was exorcise it.
It felt unbearably cold-hearted for me to remind her she had an obligation to uphold the law, especially since she saw the crime take place right before her eyes. The best she could do—the best she was willing to do—was confine Applejack within Town Hall. The building's cellar was fitted with jail cells in case of an emergency, and this certainly qualified.
Twilight teleported us right to Town Hall's interior. I'm certain it was because she didn't want Granny Smith to watch as we took her remaining granddaughter away. Plus, Applejack's continued endeavors to get free instilled a fear in us she would somehow bring harm upon herself.
We placed her in an enchanted cell (so she could not kick free), whilst we explained the situation to Mayor Mare. She was dumbstruck, but she agreed without protest to take care of Applejack for us. Until we got around to a proper sentencing, she was to be given food and water on a regular basis.
We then made haste to the hospital. It was so reminiscent of the day Apple Bloom died, I feared I would become nauseous. But, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were there to greet us with good news. Rainbow Dash was going to be fine. She was already out of surgery, in fact, and was resting.
Nurse Redheart came out to explain the extent of her injuries. Her injuries looked worse than they appeared. Her muzzle had been broken, but her teeth suffered the most damage; many were knocked loose or chipped—all fixed by the doctors' medical magic. Now, she only needed monitored and tested to make sure she hadn't sustained any brain injuries.
To say we were relieved is an understatement. We all embraced. It was a glimmer of joy in what we believed was another of our darkest days. If Applejack ended up murdering Rainbow Dash, it would have been the end of us.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
To protect both the Apple Family and Rainbow, we kept the incident under wraps. Granny Smith and Big Macintosh, of course, met us back at Town Hall to discuss it. It was easier to reach a proper verdict, as Rainbow insisted on not having charges pressed.
The Element of Loyalty wouldn't waver, it seemed.
Anyway, it was ultimately Applejack's family who decided her punishment—to which we mutually agreed was more than suitable. Her punishment: temporary exile. She was to spend an undetermined amount of time with her cousin Braeburn in Appleloosa, of course, but it felt like we had condemned her to exile. And it was certainly what Applejack accused us of as she was escorted back to the farm.
Despite my reservations, I joined the girls to see her off the next morning. I did not bring Sweetie Belle with me, and Scootaloo was at the hospital with Rainbow Dash. As such, there was nothing I wanted to say. I merely wanted my presence to be one of the ones reminding Applejack of Rainbow's absence, who was responsible for it.
I was glad she had nothing to say to me in turn. She said little to the others, however. It was either, “Eeyup,” or, “Uh-huh.” She didn't even react to Fluttershy's hug. Her face remained stoic, even as her family bid their farewells.
She then boarded the train, and she was on her way to Appleloosa.
In all honesty, I felt an enormous weight leave my shoulders now that she was no longer in Ponyville. I was angry about her actions, yet I believed some time away was really the best thing for her. Perhaps she would reflect and regret her wretched behavior enough to return a changed mare, full of apologies.
During the time I thought about how lovely that would be, I didn't notice Granny Smith approach me. I was, needless to say, startled by the feeling of her hoof on mine. “'Scuse me, young filly,” she said.
“Yes?” I instantly replied, masking my start.
“I hate t'be a botherin' ya, but I wanted to let you know you and yer friends are still welcomed on the farm in spite of this.”
Behind her, Big Mac nodded.
Fluttershy walked up beside me. “Thank you... Thank you so much for your kindness, Granny Smith,” she said, sniffling. “I know it's been difficult for you recently...”
“Don't mention it, sweetie.” The old mare shrugged. “Hopefully, Braeburn will knock some sense into his cousin. Celestia knows she needs it.”
Again, her grandson only nodded.
“C'mon now, y'all want some lunch? My treat.”
I thought it was a fantastic idea. The girls certainly thought so, too. It was another little something to take our minds off Applejack for a while. If Granny Smith and Big Mac needed the same, I wanted to be there for them. I'm positive we all did.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After taking the leftover pie and tarts to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, routine took over. Hospital visits were slipped in between trips to Sweet Apple Acres over the course of the next few days. We didn't hear news of Applejack until the end of the week. It came in the form of a letter from her cousin. She was doing well, working with Braeburn, though conversation remained minimal between them. But, she was eating, sleeping, and working, so I wasn't worried.
It was easy to accept this new reality.
Then, came Sunday. I was snipping away at a length of silk for a customer's dress. It was, as usual, a perfect cut, until a frenzied knocking at my workroom door spooked me into jerking the scissors—leaving an ugly rip the rest of the way. Of course, I was flustered, and it didn't help the hoof hammering away at the door didn't cease for a second.
“Sun and moon,” I cursed. I set the scissors down and, in spite of my annoyance, I went to answer the nuisance. With a tad bit more force than I intended, I threw the door open with my magic. “Yes, how may I...?” My voice failed me before I could finish.
It was Pinkie Pie. Her eyes were wide, her pink mane was a frazzled mess. “Rarity!” she shouted. “You have to come quick! Somepony busted into Twilight's castle!”
She grabbed my hoof and pulled me along so fast I was unable to touch the ground until we reached the castle. Even then, she hurriedly dragged me inside. As we sped through the sparkling corridors, I saw no signs of a robbery. The exquisite windows were intact, the dining hall was ship-shape, and even the throne room showed no signs of a disturbance.
Then, we reached the library, and the scene was absolute chaos. The shelves were stripped bare, the tomes thrown to the floor without care. Some of them had their pages torn asunder. Others were piled in haphazard piles, like someone had gone through them in a hurry.
At the heart of it all, Twilight sat weeping, Spike and Fluttershy by her side. Pinkie and I joined them in a blink of an eye. “Twilight, darling,” I gasped. “What in the world happened here?”
Her wings drooped as she hiccuped a sob. “S-Spike and I... W-we went to v-visit Zecora,” she choked. “It was l-like this when we got back. We were... We were gone for only an hour!”
Spike's tiny hands clenched into fists. “It doesn't make any sense!” he exclaimed. “Why would someone do this?”
I wrapped one of my forelegs around him in a hug. “Oh, Spikey, I wish I knew.” I held him as he hugged me back, and I turned my attention to Fluttershy. “Does only the library look like this?” I asked.
She nodded. “... Yes.”
“Was anything taken?”
Twilight shook her head back and forth. “I don't know! There's no way to tell in this mess!”
There came no warning as she stood and enveloped all the books within her violet-colored magic. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks as she pieced the damage scriptures back together and, simultaneously, returned the lot of them back to their rightful places. She then flew up and down the shelves, saying nothing. Her silence was soon broken by a relieved sigh, during which she made a slow descent to join us on the floor. “Nothing's missing,” she breathed, cracking a small smile.
Out of the corner of my eye, I witnessed Pinkie's mane regain some of its fluffy mass. “I don't understand,” she said. “Why would some meanie-mean-pants go through all this and not take anything?”
“I don't know. Something about this doesn't feel right.” She rested her left hoof on a shelf. “Some of these books were sent by Princess Celestia herself, and contain magical knowledge beyond anything found in a common library. Whatever they were looking for, they didn't find it here. It's so strange...”
“Tell me about it!”
I didn't know what to make of it when Pinkie's body suddenly spasm-ed, her coat rippling like ocean waves. If that wasn't strange enough, her head began to spin in place as a siren-esque wail left her lips. It didn't last long, thankfully, for she soon grabbed her own head to stop it, whilst clamping a hoof over her mouth. Yet, her eyeballs didn't stop spinning for a good while.
Spike's grip tightened on me. “Pinkie, what the heck was that?” he asked in a shaky voice.
Twilight cautiously approached her. “Was that... your Pinkie Sense?”
Our party pony friend nodded rapidly. “Zecora is coming!” she squeaked. Her right hind leg bend in a manner that was most disturbing, then. “Correction! Zecora is at the front door!”
As was her prophecy, a slow knocking boomed through the empty halls. We ran to meet our zebra friend, but we were caught completely off-guard by the condition in which we saw her.
She was injured. On wobbling legs, she stood with a hoof pressed against a wound on the side of her forehead—just above her left, swollen eye. “Forgive my intrusion, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. Her voice slurred. “But, as you can see, I was in a bit of a quarrel.”
Twilight rushed to support her. “Zecora! What happened?!” she asked, and I moved aside as she escorted the zebra inside.
She groaned. “After the brawl, it's hard to recall.”
“Well, let's get you fixed up first.” Twilight turned her attention to me. “Rarity, please, fetch the first-aid kit from the bathroom.”
I didn't hesitate (as it was an easy find), and when I returned to the throne room I immediately handed it to Fluttershy. Her expertise in caring for her beloved animals came in handy for such a time. She set about the task of disinfecting and bandaging Zecora's wound, which was nothing more than a shallow gash.
“I'm afraid I do not remember the culprit's face,” she spoke. Her eyes continuously switched between the five of us, yet she remained still in Fluttershy's care. “From my memory, it was erased. The attack came while my back was turned, and when I awoke my whole home was upturned!”
“Goodness gracious!” I gasped. “How horrible!”
Pinkie Pie pulled Zecora into a gentle hug. “Oh, thank Celestia you're okay though!”
“Yes, the past few months have been terrible enough. We don't want to lose you, too!”
Zecora smiled. “Your words are kind, but do not let this get you down. It will take a lot more to put this mare in the ground.”
Twilight rested her front hooves on the table. “I'm sorry, Zecora, but we have every reason to fret. Somepony broke into the castle library!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“It happened while Spike and I were out visiting you. It can't be a coincidence you were then attacked after we left!”
“Did the thief snatch anything from your shelves? A book of power to take for...?” Her voice sounded haunted as it trailed off into thin air. Her eyes narrowed, the gears clearly turning in her head, and then she gasped. “Oh, by the sun! I remember what they've done!” she cried, jumping from her seat.
Reaching out to steady her, Fluttershy implored, “Please, tell us!”
The zebra's eyes were wide as wagon wheels. “I now remember for what they were desperate! What was stolen from me was the Alicorn Amulet!”