In Darkness

by applejackofalltrades

One

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In Darkness

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With a startled yell, Spitfire jerked herself awake. Her wings flared out at her sides as her heart raced from her dream. Pain came from the wing movement, but that brought her a step closer to reality. The images disappeared into the jarring nothingness that had awaited her at every waking moment since that day. The feeling of softness beneath her and the smell of sterility served to put her more at ease at least, as she came to the realization that she was not on the battlefield anymore, if only by scent and touch.

Her forelegs shook as she sat up and held herself up with her good leg. The bandage around her left shoulder was as uncomfortable as always, but she felt more strength in it every day at least.

Still, Spitfire frowned. The grizzly images of her dreams burned in her mind and made it the only thing she could imagine when her world wasn’t complete darkness. It was almost as if her ears still rang from the magic flashbang, but it was more the horrible silence of the hospital room that did that to her.

That battle ended, or at least that was what a nurse had told Spitfire a couple of weeks ago – just a few days after she had arrived. It did not end well, and apparently, she was one of the lucky ones. The pain in her shoulder and the magically induced darkness would imply otherwise. She didn’t want to think about what the unlucky ones might have been going through. If it was anything like what happened to her closest troopmates—her friends—though, then maybe she was lucky. Just in a really messed up way.

The door opened, characterized by the loud click of the doorknob. Spitfire turned her head to the door, her ears perked in its direction. “I’m fine,” she expressed before the nurse even had the chance to ask. “Just a dream.”

Indeed, it was a nurse who came. It always was. “Have the sleeping meds not been working? Maybe we should up the dosage.”

Those meds made her feel sick more often than not, but they offered her peaceful sleep when they worked. She shrugged her good shoulder and sat back in the hospital bed. “If it means I won’t keep dreaming about it, then sure.”

The sound of magical sparkling faintly filled Spitfire’s ears along with the scratching of the quill. It was curious how different magic sounded in this place. Not angry and dangerous, but mellow and almost comforting. Though the sound made her head hurt and the area behind her eyes ached. She surreptitiously raised a hoof and rubbed her eye, even though she knew that wouldn’t help.

Once the magic noise stopped, so too did the pain. Or at least, it lessened. It wouldn’t leave until the unicorn was gone, Spitfire noticed. There was something about unicorn magic that bothered her in a dully painful way. It had to be an after-effect.

“We need to run another blood test,” the nurse told her. It was like clockwork. Every day for a month.

Spitfire was not surprised. “Sure.”

“And, I wanted to let you know that we have to move another pony in here,” she continued, speaking loud enough so that Spitfire could hear her with no issue.

Spitfire sat up in surprise, hissing as her shoulder ached with the sudden harsh movement. “Another pony? Why?”

“We don’t have enough rooms in the hospital to give everypony their own room, and you are one of the only ponies with her own room,” the nurse explained. She seemed almost apologetic. “I can’t tell you much about her since it’s not my place, but she went through a pretty bad ordeal and she needs the medical attention. Her hometown doctor was not able to help her well enough, so they decided to transfer her here.”

Maybe it’d be nice. Maybe not. Spitfire nodded anyway. It’s not like she could refuse. “Okay, whatever.”

“Thank you, General. Her name is Applejack, she’ll be in after I bring you back from your blood exam.”

Spitfire’s eyebrows furrowed as she noticed the nurse had implied she’d be taken out of the room. Considering it, she realized it made sense. Just an excuse to let the new pony settle in on her own. She felt over the edge of her bed for the wheelchair and climbed herself into it in a perfectly practiced motion. “Sure.”

The blood test itself was quick and nothing new to Spitfire, though the lightheadedness made it hard for her to keep any of the food they had fed her down. She managed, though, only feeling nauseous while they made her walk around to make sure her body got enough exercise.

During her short, hesitant limp around the empty waiting room, Spitfire thought about what the new pony might be like. The nurse mentioned that she had come from another town—her hometown—so that probably meant that she was not a soldier, or at least not on active duty. What could have possibly happened to this new, likely not military mare that couldn’t be helped in a regular hospital?

Then, Spitfire remembered that not every town was lucky enough to have an established hospital like Canterlot or Cloudsdale. Maybe the mare came from a small town, like Appleoosa, or another small earth pony town like it. Spitfire found herself hoping that it was an earth pony in that case. There would be no lingering unicorn magic to trigger the pain in her head. It might have been selfish, but she wasn’t sure she could deal with the constant bothersome feeling of magic in the back of her skull.

It only took Spitfire to lose track of where she was and trot into a wall for the nurse to finally decide that Spitfire was done with her walk. After bringing her back to the wheelchair that Spitfire definitely thought she didn’t need, they brought her back to the room. In the room that she had called home for too long, Spitfire heard the sounds of new machinery, including the soft hissing of that same machine she had once when she couldn’t breathe well enough on her own. Curiously, Spitfire climbed up to her own bed and let herself fall limply into its false comfort. It was when the door closed and the pain her head went with the nurse that Spitfire noticed that her new roommate was either an earth pony or a pegasus as she had been hoping.

Her wings shifted beneath her as she listened to the machines and breathing from the new pony. Her head turned to the side, toward… Applejack, if she remembered right. Sure sounded like an earth pony name. “Hey,” she whispered into the discordant sounds of the machinery.

She didn’t get a response, so she tried again but louder. Loud enough to really be heard over everything else in the room. “Hey.”

Bedsheets rustled a bit next to her. For a moment, Spitfire thought that the mare might have been turning away from her. Though that was not the case as after only a moment, a low, gruff voice responded, “Heya.” This Applejack sounded like she hadn’t spoken in a while, which might have been true as the words came out with a struggle. “You the General they cooped me up here with?”

She already sounds like they put her in prison, Spitfire noted with a half-smirk. She noticed that the mare had an accent, which only lead her to wonder where she might have been from. Maybe somewhere like Appleoosa, but definitely not Manehattan. This pony had a country drawl to her voice. “Yeah. Your name’s Applejack, right?” she asked at the same level as before to make sure she’d be heard.

“Eeyup.”

Spitfire didn’t respond after that. What could she say to that? Maybe Applejack didn’t want to talk. Spitfire couldn’t exactly blame her, and it wasn’t like she had said anything either. Applejack went quiet, too, leaving the room to the silence again. The pegasus noticed how much she wanted to leave, then, but she wouldn’t deny that at least having another pony there was a bit of a welcome comfort. Being stuck in the hospital sucked, but at least now she had company.

“Spitfire, that’s your name, ain’t it?”

Or maybe she was wrong. Maybe Applejack did want to talk. Perhaps she was lonely, too. Though, Spitfire could only wonder if she’d be enough to satiate that possible want for company. “Yeah, that’s me,” she responded with a nod.

Applejack had a deep, smooth voice, though it was gravelly at times—like she had a sore throat. In some ways, it was pleasant to listen to. Spitfire hadn’t heard somepony with an accent like that before, at least not personally. “Well, nice to meet ya, General. And, uh, thanks, I guess. For, y’know, fightin’ in the war like you did.”

“Just call me Spitfire,” she responded quickly, not quite in the mood for military formalities. Spitfire wanted to say it was her pleasure to serve, but that wasn’t exactly right. It was her duty, her calling. Like she was meant to lead the Wonderbolts division into battle. But that didn’t seem right, either. If it was her duty, her destiny, then was it also her destiny to fail? The pegasus kept herself neutral. “And, sure.”

At least Applejack hadn’t asked what happened to her. Or anything else, for that matter. They simply exchanged some kind of polite greeting. Judging by her accent, she must have been from the countryside or some kind of hick town. Wasn’t that one of the things they were known for? Being polite to ponies they just met? Southern hospitality, or whatever that junk was?

For that, at least, Spitfire was thankful. It meant she wasn’t stuck with a nosey pony who would ask about her personal life. Though, she wasn’t quite sure if she really wanted someone else there. The loneliness that was forced upon her sucked, sure, but did she really want somepony else to fill in the gap? Did she deserve that?

Spitfire absentmindedly rubbed a hoof over her injured shoulder, wincing slightly at its tenderness. At least that would heal soon enough. That would be better, and so would the stitches on her side. Judging by her track record, it wouldn’t be a problem. The physical injuries would heal, and sooner rather than later, Spitfire would be trotting without much of a limp with only scars to show for it. She wouldn’t mind the scar, though. Scars tell stories your mouth can’t, or at least that was what she had told Rainbow Dash after…

Spitfire shook her head from the unwelcome intrusion. She didn’t want to think about her. And she didn’t want to think about anypony else, either. But she had to admit… It could be nice, maybe. Applejack’s newfound appearance was unexpected, but from their very brief exchange, it was almost refreshing.

Physical injuries would heal, but she wasn’t sure if the ones deep down would. Though, maybe she could work with that never-closing wound. Spitfire couldn’t even see the mare, but she knew that Applejack was there, despite her lack of words. It seemed that she had fallen asleep, judging by the slowed breathing coming from the mare. There wasn’t much to do in the hospital other than sleep, so Spitfire couldn’t really blame her. Plus, being moved around was exhausting, especially if you had a big injury.

With Applejack in the room, there was a second set of rhythmic beeping in the room. It didn’t bother Spitfire as much as she thought it would. The pair of beeps were offset slightly from each other, but still, it made for good background noise to lull Spitfire back to sleep as well. It worked almost as well as those sleeping meds. Almost.

Comments

[Bicyclette]

With a startled yell, Spitfire jerked herself awake. Her wings flared out at her sides as her heart raced from her dream. Pain came from the wing movement, but that brought her a step closer to reality. The images disappeared into the jarring nothingness that had awaited her at every waking moment since that day. The feeling of softness beneath her and the smell of sterility served to put her more at ease at least, as she came to the realization that she was not on the battlefield anymore, if only by scent and touch.

oof, i wish i could write like this! it settles and orients the reader firmly into Spitfire's place, with just a touch of poetry

It was almost as if her ears still rang from the magic flashbang, but it was more the horrible silence of the hospital room that did that to her.

Once the magic noise stopped, so too did the pain. Or at least, it lessened. It wouldn’t leave until the unicorn was gone, Spitfire noticed. There was something about unicorn magic that bothered her in a dully painful way. It had to be an after-effect.

ooh, love how the tinnitus set us up for this less directly relatable sensation by analogy!

Maybe the mare came from a small town, like Appleoosa, or another small earth pony town like it.

of course, no reason for her to think about Ponyville in this timeline! though somehow, that small earthpony town does have a hospital apparently?

Applejack, if she remembered right. Sure sounded like an earth pony name.

so true

Applejack had a deep, smooth voice, though it was gravelly at times—like she had a sore throat. In some ways, it was pleasant to listen to.

so true!

For that, at least, Spitfire was thankful. It meant she wasn’t stuck with a nosey pony who would ask about her personal life.

haha, isn't the other side of the coin of rural hospitality nosiness?

Scars tell stories your mouth can’t, or at least that was what she had told Rainbow Dash after…

oof, that explains what ended up happening to her after the previous chapter...

The pair of beeps were offset slightly from each other, but still, it made for good background noise to lull Spitfire back to sleep as well. It worked almost as well as those sleeping meds. Almost.

i already love the atmosphere that you've set up so far: rest and healing and quiet along with loneliness and pain and loss. the unnaturalness of a space so quiet and empty, that makes every little change an intrusion. so many little things set up here to pay off later, with Spitfire's misothaumia at the presence of unicorn magic being the most intriguing, but certainly getting to know Applejack better, as well. and a prose style that feels so natural against the skin of the main character's mind. haha, anygay, i should keep reading!