Battlefield: Equestria

by Capanna925

Apple Bloom

Applejack nodded solomly as she slowly unwrapped the bloody shirt sleeve from Berry Punch's arm.

"I thought that Iv'e heard them. Late at night... 'Spose it wasn't my imagination after all."

Nurse Red Heart trotted over."Now we can't be sure, there are loads of other creatur-" Her words were interrupted by a sharp gasp from Applejack, as she shut her eyes tight, then opened them slowly.

"I-...I can't..."

Applejack kept gasping and swallowing, as if she would vomit at any second, her eyes blinking hard then opening again as she continued to unwrap it, unveiling a green ooz that slowly dripped from her forearm.

"Sweet Luna.."

Nurse Redheart said silently. I jumped a bit when I noticed several ponies, some doctors and mostly patients, crowded around Berry's body. All muttering prayers and words of worry.

"..Iv'e never seen anything like it!.."

"..How did she get that way?"

"Do you think she'll live..?"

Applejack gulped and began to sweat.

"Get back!! What kind of doctors are you?!"

Twilight suddenly started swatting away the curious doctors and nurses with her hoof.

"She's right, give Applejack some space!"

I know my words probably did nothing for the cause, but it at least it made me feel a little less useless.
The country pony whipped around and started to yell."N-no!! Redheart, I need you! I..." Applejack looked down, with painful and embarrassed eyes.

"I don't think I can do this."

The look on her face was pure pain and sorrow..I don't think I've ever seen her so upset.

"We need to try and clean it out. Right? Applejack? Look at me!"

Nurse Redheart grabbed A.J.'s face with her hoof and looked right in her eyes.
"Applejack, I know this is hard, but you need to snap out of it! The training. Applejack, what do you remember in the training?! When you see a wound, what's the first thing you do?!"

I almost wanted to shove Redheart away from Applejack for the way she was yelling at her.
"You-...you clean i--..it!! An..and then you-"

The tears running down Applejack's face left streaks on her dirty cheeks, and kept making her choke up.

"And then what?! WHAT DO YOU DO?!"

"YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING!! You just freeze up and can't remember what to do and her small body starts to shake AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!! YOU JUST WATCH'ER DIE!! YOU JUST WATCH YOUR BABY SISTER BLEED TO DEATH AND THERE AIN'T NOTHING YOU CAN DO!!" Applejack's knees went limp as she fell to the ground.I saw her back twitch with every sob.

"You just hold her...and look into her diein' eyes and tell her it's all goin' to be alright..." The room was silent.
Everypony looked at everypony else, wondering what they should do.

"Oh, Sweetie..."
I knelt down beside her and just held her for a few seconds. She turned around and looked deep in my eyes, her's as cold and dead as stone.

"Somethin' deep in my mind told me that if I were to become a medic, to learn how to heal ponies, maybe I could save Apple Bloom..somehow."

"Then do it for her. Help Berry Punch." I nodded up to where she lie.

A.J.'s eyes looked up too, as she slowly rose to her feet.

"I..I have everything you need."

Nurse Redheart handed disinfectant and gauze to Applejack, and looked at her with sympathetic eyes. Clearly, she hadn't known about Apple Bloom. Hay, even I didn't know. I must have just been too afraid to ask.

"Thank you." Applejack said expressionlessly.

"Iv'e..been keeping her monitored." Twilight said gingerly. The news about Apple Bloom must have come as a shock to her too.

"The green, er..stuff..stopped coming out but her breathing is still pretty shallow."

"Can you do this, Applejack?" Redheart whispered.

The country pony didn't reply. She just started to get to work cleaning and sewing her wound.

Comments

[Styrofoam]

Apple Bloom! My goodness, first Fluttershy, now Apple Bloom? It's the innocents who go first...