Secrets of the Heart

by Quick Fix

A Matter of Heart

"So Sweetie asks if there's any more surprises that night, and of course that's when the bill arrives."

Maybe it was the fact she was more relaxed, maybe it was the cider, but Applejack couldn't help but laugh as Windhover finished his anecdote about the evening he had spent with renowned singer Sweetie Belle after a performance in Manehatten. A small part of her wondered how, even with his guitar skill, he had been able to hang out with such a big name as the former cutie mark crusader. That was a minor point right now though, one she wasn't willing to ruin the moment by questioning. After all, he looked so happy to see her happy, to just be part of the group. His early letters had indicated that he lived a rather solitary life with only a few friends back home, another reason to let him have this moment.

On top of that, seeing him like this did wonders toward her own sense of calm. That cold grip in her chest had returned during the past few days, threatening to overwhelm her on the coldest nights with nothing but her memories for company. Here though, with her friends beside her and the atmosphere of a Pinkie Pie party around her, it held as much sway over her as the touch of a ghost. Seeing Windhover as he was though, it was enough to silence the feeling entirely, enough to let her stop worrying and simply enjoy herself again. It was similar to how she had felt around Bounty before, only this feeling lingered within her, instead of being a fleeting respite before he moved away and took it with him.

Applejack let out a small sigh, keeping her grin up as she looked back at Windhover and realised that he was looking back at her. Though he was trying to keep it casual she'd seen that look many times over the years, there was something he wanted to talk to her about. Normally she would have just asked him what was up, but part of her wanted to take a few minutes away from the center of the party and get her thoughts in order. She nodded slightly, indicating to follow as she got up. Windhover did the same and the two of them made their way away from the others, looking for a quiet spot. Applejack was well aware of how it might look, or if somepony got the wrong idea. She didn't mind though, virtually everypony in town knew that she was more committed to her work than to any stallion.

"What's on yer mind?" Applejack asked once they found a spot, just inside an alley on the street behind Sugarcube Corner.

"Well, this might sound a little awkward..." Windhover shifted in place slightly. "I put a few of my vacation days into extending my stay in Ponyville, only to find out my family are out of town. So without anything else to do, I was wondering if I could help out around Sweet Apple Acres a little?"

"Well, there's not all that much t'do at this time of year. But ah don't see why not," Applejack commented, watching as the pegasus gave a small sign of relief and smiled slightly more. "Not sure why ya had to drag me away from a perfectly good table for that though."

"I didn't want to risk upsetting Bounty. Especially after everything he's been going through."

"Understandable, he's been like a whole different pony recently. Ever since I first met him he's been so level headed. Now, he can flip between his normal self and ranting about completely random topics faster than a hot-footed hare. To be honest, ah don't think that his 'condition' is the reason either."

"What?" Windhover asked in surprise.

"Ah've been friends with Twilight Sparkle for a long time an' even in her craziest moments did she deal with anything like what Bounty's going through. If she'd been dealing with this onero syndrome he mentioned, she would have figured it out." Applejack said quietly, looking down as she said it.

"That's...Kind of flimsy reasoning." Windhover replied.

"It's all I've got!" Applejack snapped at she looked back at him before stepping back as she realised her outburst, finding it suddenly hard to breathe. It was a small mercy that nopony had been passing by their spot to overhear it. "I-I'm sorry, ah just...I don't understand what's happening to him. It feels like I'm watching him lose himself, an' I don't know how ah'm supposed to help him or what I'm supposed to do..."

Windhover stopped as Applejack shut her mouth and clenched her eyes closed. It was...Unnerving. Seeing one of the strongest mares in Equestria, both figuratively and literally, looking so brittle. Hearing her voice waver on the last few words and failing to keep a tear back despite her best efforts. Without even thinking about it he stepped forward and placed a supportive hoof on her shoulder. She took the offering and wrapped a hoof round the back of his neck. It didn't completely deal with the maelstrom of emotions rushing through her now, but feeling his chest against hers, its gentle rise and fall with each breath, the subtle shift of muscles evolved for the sky, they all helped slightly. The two of them held the moment, time having no meaning in the moment, simply letting the hug last as long as Applejack needed it to.

"Thanks..." Applejack finally said, taking a slow breath as she pulled back and straightened up again.

"It's ok," Windhover replied quietly as he let her go. A moment of thought flashed across his face before he looked her in the eye. "Applejack, this might sound weird to ask but it would explain a lot."

"Hmm?"

"Do you, love Bounty?"

Applejack paused again at the question, realising that this was the first time that anypony, including herself, had asked the question. She also realised that Windhover asking the question had been blunt, but necessary. Not putting any thought to precisely how she felt toward Bounty, or Windhover, had been a major factor toward her conflicted feelings. It wasn't a question that could be answered on the spot though, something like this would take some time and a lot of soul searching. She couldn't just leave the question hanging either though, so all she could do was be honest about things right now.

"I don't know. I mean, there's certainly somethin' there and I wouldn't mind having to be around him all day. But feeling something for somepony is a whole different barrel of apples from loving them. I've been putting off thinking about something like that for years though, even though it's been staring me straight in the face," She gave a small chuckle. "Element of Honesty and ah'm having to have the truth shown to me...Thanks, Windhover."

"No, problem." Windhover replied, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling slightly.

He looked set to say more before anything else could come out of his mouth, the sound of a body crashing against wood and a raised voice from nearby drew their attention. Bounty's voice. Applejack took one look back before breaking into a run toward it, Windhover hot on her hooves. It only took a few moments to reach where they had been before but a crowd was already blocking their way by the time they got there. Applejack carefully maneuvered her way though and to the front, only to stop at the sight waiting for her. Bounty had Arboreal pinned with her back against the table they had been at, his back hooves planted firmly against her back legs, his front hooves against her stomach and throat, and Little Hayseed doing her best to keep him from applying any further pressure.

"Okay okay, I was just cruel with that comment." Arboreal gasped, sounding unnerved for the first time Applejack could remember. A lot of that probably had to do with the look on Bounty's face, a cold fury that warned that he wouldn't need his magic to crush her.

"Then why'd you say it?" Bounty growled, bearing down further on his target. "I am so, so sick of your arrogance."

Applejack and Windhover moved as one, both recognising the danger if nothing else was done. Windhover wrapped his hooves round Bounty's chest from behind while Applejack got between him and Arboreal and applied her considerable strength. With three ponies pulling him back, Bounty was finally dragged off his target and to the floor. Windhover pinned his back legs down while Hayseed lay across his chest to keep his front end down. Bounty tried to struggle but from this position couldn't bring any of his strength to bear anymore.

"Bounty!" Applejack said to him as she moved round to his head. To her silent relief, his struggles seemed to ease up at her voice and he looked up at her. "Bounty, listen to me."

"N-no..." Bounty replied through gritted teeth. His gaze seemed unfocused as well, his eyes darting round with clear confusion in them.

"Ya have to, I-"

"No...Where am I?"

Those words struck Applejack more than anything else about the scene in front of her. There wasn't any hint that he was putting this on, he sounded genuinely lost and confused. Had he been going through another of his switches when he attacked Arboreal? She backed up slightly to give him some space as he stopped trying to resist entirely, though neither Windhover or Little Hayseed let him go yet.

"You're in Ponyville. You've been here for a while." She told him in a gentler tone, gauging his reaction.

"Th-that's not right. I've been..." Bounty tensed up and started looking round quickly, even if he couldn't see much on his back. "C...Cadance? Aurora? Where are you?"

"What's he talking about?" Hayseed whispered as she watched Bounty look up at Applejack with mounting distress.

She didn't have a response, too focused on his horn. The wrap that had been placed around it was still firmly in place, so whatever had brought this on wasn't connected to the former diagnosis. Much as she wanted to have a few words with whichever doctor had settled on this, right now her priority was helping him through this latest breakdown and out of the crowd.

"Let him up," She told the others. Windhover and Hayseed carefully moved off, watching as Bounty slowly got back to his hooves. "Come with me, Bounty. I think I know where she is.

Applejack gave a small, reassuring smile, only to be met by further confusion from Bounty.

"Wh-who?" He asked flatly. Applejack stood dumbfounded for a moment before motioning for him to follow her again.

As the two of them slowly made their way off in the direction of the hospital, walking side by side through the crowd as it began to disperse, Windhover watched them go. He realised that Applejack had been right about Bounty's condition, how it was much more serious than anticipated. He almost understood how she felt right now, standing here, not knowing what was happening, what he was supposed to do. A small part of him wondered if he should go with her, but he reasoning that she had a better understanding of the situation than he had did and turned away, hoping to salvage what was left of the day. Not noticing Applejack glance back toward him before she disappeared into the crowds.

"The hell was that about?" Arboreal panted as she got up, rubbing her neck and wincing slightly. She seemed a little unsteady on her hooves as well, even more rattled by what had happened than she cared to admit. While Little Hayseed did her best to support her, Windhover stopped next to them and gave one last look back.

"I wish I knew." He said simply, ignoring Arboreal's disappointed muttering as she slowly made her way out of the square. At this point, he wasn't sure if he was more surprised that something as crazy as this was happening, or that he hadn't seen it coming.