The Encounter

by Winter_Solstice

Applejack

Applejack hated hospitals. They served a good purpose, of course, but she hated going to them. The last time she was here, it was to take Apple Bloom for a sprained hoof, after another enthusiastic round of ‘Crusadering.’ But a long time before that…

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She could remember everything quite clearly. She'd been nine years old, but she'd felt lost and much younger. She remembered being ushered into the room by her very pregnant mother, and the room was quiet except for the sounds of weeping and the soft beep of machines. Her father was in the bed, surrounded by flowers and as many of the Apple clan as could reasonably fit.

She felt very small, looking up at all her relatives, and seeing their sad faces. They made room for her. She came forward and her mother lifted her up onto the bed. She watched her father for a time, and then she gently nudged him.

“Daddy?” asked Applejack. “You alright?” Her father opened his eyes and mustered up a smile for his little filly.

“No, baby girl, I’m not.” He was seized by coughing, while his wife held him. Once he recovered himself, he turned back to her.

“I ain’t got much longer left, sweetie. I’m sorry. But you…you be strong now, y’hear? You’re an Apple. Ain’t none more capable than us in Equestria.”

Her tears were flowing freely now, but she quietly said, “okay.”

“That’s my girl. You got a little brother or sister on the way; you gotta be strong for them.” He coughed again, then pointed at the table. “I got something for you.” He nodded to his wife. She reached over to the nightstand, picked up his hat, and gave it to her.

“That’s yours now, honey. You take good care of it,” he said.

She clutched it to herself and said, “I will, Daddy! I promise!” He smiled, then lay back on the pillow, and closed his eyes. He looked very peaceful.

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Applejack wiped away the tear that was sliding down her cheek. No, she didn’t like hospitals.

She looked around. Rarity and Pinkie were huddled next to each other. Rainbow Dash was pacing back and forth, now flying, now walking, but never keeping still. And Twilight? She still hadn’t made it back, and it’s getting close to an hour. Those doctors should have told them something by now.

As if in answer to her unspoken thought the door to the examination room opened, and a grave-faced doctor came out. They all came forward.

He cleared his throat. “Are any of you family?”

“No, but we’re her best friends, doc,” said Applejack. “Please tell us how she is.”

He looked at them over his glasses. “I recognize you all: you’re the Bearers, correct?” They all nodded.

“Very well. Your friend is in serious condition. We were able to stabilize her, for now.”

Applejack asked, “Can we see her?”

He shook his head. “She’s still sedated. It’s best to let her rest.”

Rainbow asked, “What happened to her, doc? How bad is she?”

He looked at them all. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

“Yes, doctor. We have to know,” said Rarity.

He slowly removed his glasses, and then closed his eyes. Finally, he said, “She’s been lacerated all over her body. Both her wings are broken, and she has a severe concussion. It looks like she was attacked by some sort of animal.” He opened his eyes and faced them. “She may never fly again.”

At this news, there was a collective gasp. Rainbow looked stunned as she plopped down on the floor. Rarity and Pinkie broke into fresh tears, while Applejack remained outwardly stoic. As such she noticed something off in the doctor’s demeanor. She walked up to him and lowered her voice.

“What are you not telling us, doc?”

The doctor considered a moment. Of the four, the blonde pony seemed to be better in touch with herself. Best to tell her away from the others for now.

“May I speak to you in private, Miss…?”

“Applejack.”

“Miss Applejack, please come with me.” He led her to a quiet corner of the room.

“I didn’t want to say this in front of your other friends, but we’re baffled. There’s a poison in her wounds we can’t identify. We’ve made her stable, but if we don’t find an antidote soon, she won’t survive.”

Applejack blanched, but managed to ask, “How soon?”

“Two or three days at the most. I’m sorry.”

Applejack nodded, then turned away. She closed her eyes tight and thought. She knew she should be feeling sad at this further news, but she didn’t. What she felt was anger, building into rage.

She needed answers. And right now she only knew of one being who had them.

Raising her voice, she said, “Listen up, y’all! Rainbow Dash, go contact Fluttershy’s family. Tell them to hurry. Rarity, stay here and keep watch. Pinkie, you’re with me.”

“Where are we going, Applejack?”

“To go talk to that alien friend of yorn. He knows somethin', he has to! We need that information. C’mon!” Quickly she burst through the doors and sped off.

Pinkie looked around at the others, then yelled, “Wait up!” and followed her.

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Twilight examined the hue-mun’s wounds closely as he knelt on one knee. They were definitely claw marks, and they were fresh. She stood back and stared at him, while she thought about everything she knew so far, and the conversation back at the hospital:

(1) Fluttershy was found here, so the crime was committed at her house and she was carried here, or she was brought here and then assaulted. She had to agree with Applejack: that seemed unlikely he did either.

(2) Apart from small amounts of dust, the hue-mun’s feet were clean. If he’d walked the dirt roads between here and Fluttershy’s cottage and back, they’d be much filthier.

(3) The wounds on his neck could not have been made by Fluttershy. Ponies kick and bite to fight back. Pegasi can use their wings, but only for distance and speed, not for direct assault. The wounds were inconsistent with a pony defending herself.

(4) Finally, she knew he considered Fluttershy a friend. If friendship means the same to hue-muns as it does to ponies, he would not have attacked her.

These mental calculations took her only a few moments, while the alien met her gaze. It was a mark in his favor he could look her in the eyes, as her experience with liars is they have difficulty doing so. Therefore, the most logical conclusion is he did not attack Fluttershy.

“Alright,” she said as she sat back down. “I believe you, for now. But who are these ‘others’ you say did this?”

The hue-mun sat cross-legged on the floor and took his own moment before answering.

“The ones…not pony. Not like I. I not know what.”

“What did they want?” asked Twilight.

The alien’s face scowled in indecision.

“If I sey…what the ones…what they…want, they sey they kill Flut-ter-sy.”

Both Twilight and Spike gasped at this statement.

“I won’t let that happen!” said Twilight. “Listen to me: I need you to tell me everything you know about them. How many you saw, what they said, what abilities they have.”

It was plain that the hue-mun did not understand every word, but he did as well as he could in explaining. At the end of the half-hour Twilight knew there were at least two of them, they had some form of teleportation and they could communicate directly with the hue-mun. Fluttershy’s injured body arose unbidden in her memory, so most importantly Twilight knew they were both vicious and ruthless. Even Tirek had only drained ponies of their magic; he’d never physically harmed any besides herself, and he was the most vicious creature she knew. Before now.

“Plees. I see Celes-te. Must see Celes-te.”

“'Celes-te?' You mean ‘Celestia?’ Why her?”

“She…help.”

Twilight considered. “You’re right; she can help. But it might take some days to arrange it.”

“Plees. Not…know what…you sey?”

Twilight sighed in frustration. “I can see we still need to continue your lessons, despite what’s happened. In fact, everything may depend upon you being able to better communicate.” Spike, who had been sitting quietly and watching, piped up.

“I can help him, Twilight!” She smiled at him.

“That would be great, Spike. With the two of us working with him, we should make better progress.” She got to her hooves. “We should get back to the hospital. The doctors must know something by now.”

The hue-mun startled at the word ‘hospital.’ “I go with Twi-liit? See Flut-ter-sy?”

Twilight hesitated. Just as she was about to answer, she heard yelling. It sounded like Applejack.

“In here, Applejack!” Soon, she and Pinkie appeared at the door, both of them winded from running.

“Twi…Twilight! The alien! He’s…he’s gotta help Fluttershy!” Applejack panted.

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I was never so glad to see a friendly face. Even now, Pinkie was able to manage a smile when she saw me, though I could tell she’d been crying recently. But a smile was all she had time for, as her attention was drawn to the urgent conversation Twilight and the blonde pony were now having. The blonde pony, Applejack, was talking about me and Fluttershy. There was something she needed me to do, that much was clear. But I had no idea what she wanted.

I went over the talk Twilight and I had had, and I felt guilty about not telling her everything. I hadn’t mentioned the device those monsters had stuck in me, nor the mission they’d given me. I thought it was too dangerous for Fluttershy, and I still hadn’t come up with a plan, other than to do as they demanded and meet Celestia.

I’d probably said too much already if they were monitoring me. But I reasoned I needed help; I couldn’t do this alone. Besides, I couldn’t stand one more second of Twilight thinking I had hurt Fluttershy. I hoped that selfishness hadn’t condemned my friend, but it was clear to me that neither I nor Fluttershy were the focus of their intentions. We were simply a means to their ends. I’d never met Celestia, but from the ponies’ descriptions, she is at least a demi-god, just like her younger sister. What could those aliens or their implant possibly do to her?

Now the blonde pony said something that made them all gasp. I didn’t catch every word, but I understood it was about Fluttershy’s condition. I caught the phrase, “three days left.” That can’t be right. How would she know about the deadline? I had to know more.

“Ex-cuse plees. What means, ‘three deys left,’ Epple-jeck?”

I could tell she was reluctant to speak directly to me, but I saw no accusation in her eyes, so Twilight must have told her she believed me.

“Fluttershy’s been poisoned,” she said.

I stumbled over the unfamiliar word. Then I pieced it together from context: the ponies didn’t know about the deadline, but they knew Fluttershy had three days left. Something else was wrong with her in addition to her wounds. It could only mean one thing. Those aliens had lied to me about my mission. They intended to kill her no matter what I decided. I wasn’t going to let that happen. But in order to help, I had to learn the ponies’ language. And we were all almost out of time. I turned to Twilight.

“Twi-liit. Teach…I…more pony-talk. Fast. I…must…help Flut-ter-sy.”

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Applejack watched the alien closely. He still frightened her: his height, his teeth, those weird, five digit hands of his. But she could read his face, and she knew honesty when she saw it. She only hoped he could help in time.

Comments

[ArcaneVisions]

sigh, no more slice of life

[Jack Kellar]

Good, you got folks talking it out reasonably instead of shoving in more animosity. It's a step in the right direction.