Apples and Herbs
Chapter 1 The Obligation
"Well? What do you think?"
Applejack stared at her.
"It...doesn't seem like...YOU, really."
A confused Rainbow Dash cocked her head.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Ah...Ah just think that it...doesn't seem to fit your(YUR) personality."
Dash grumbled. "Do you like it, or not?" she asked indignantly.
The thing in question was Dash's new perfume. Rarity had said that whether or not she was going to look nice, she might as well smell nice.
The scent in question smelled rather like mint, mixed with various herbal essences.
"Ah-yes,but-"
"Good, then that's final."
Applejack sighed, sometimes Dash could be so stubborn.
"If you'll excuse me, I have werk to do." Applejack huffed, turning back to bucking trees.
Rainbow looked uneasy, opened her mouth, but then shut it, and walked quickly away.
'Well, ain't that strange...' she thought to herself.
'Ah expected some bickerin', at least...ah-'
"What in tarnation?" she said aloud.
She felt the top of her head, only to find that her signature stetson hat was missing.
'Sneaky little...ooh, she's good...'
Dash laughed as she flew through the air.
'Wow, she didn't even notice! I'm that good!'
She continued, thinking that maybe she should turn back.
She turned around, but accidentally dropped the stetson. She dove down, but her hooves missed it. Comically, it came to rest on the top of her head. She giggled, and was just about to snatch it off, when she stopped herself. She felt...kind of...well, tingly.
'I'm...I'm wearing AJ's hat...' she thought dumbly, that simple thought somehow increasing the feeling.
'Woah, what the heck, Rainbow?' she asked herself, ripping the hat from her head.
She flew as fast as she could toward Sweet Apple Acres, before anything else strange could happen.
Applejack was just about to buck a particularly large tree, when Dash came soaring in, accidentally running into the tree.
"Ho' there, flyer girl!" Applejack said.
"You finally decided to come back, eh?"
Dash rubbed her head, wincing. She was going to have a lovely bruise sooner or later.
"Yeah, thought it'd take you a while to notice your hat's gone. I mean..."
Applejack tuned her out as a slight creeeeeeeak! sounded from her left. She saw the large apple tree begin to tip over, shaken from it's roots by Dash's impact.
Rainbow was too busy joking with her friend to notice.
"Rainbow! Watch out!" she called.
Dash, who'd turned to gesture, turned her head back towards where Applejack was. Applejack decided that it was time for action. She galloped towards her friend, shoving her to the side,then turning a full 85 degrees to face the falling mass of lumber.
Applejack took a stance on her front hooves, and performed a perfect full-force buck upwards. It had alot of force, but there is a difference between bucking stationary trees, and stopping extremely heavy trees from falling.
While she did slow it down, Applejack simply wasn't strong enough to keep it still. The tree continued it's downward tumble, but now it was taking Applejack with it.
Rainbow's eyes widened as the moment unfolded in slow motion. She burst forward, but by the time she got there, the tree had driven every gasp of air from Applejack's lungs.
"APPLEJACK!" she cried, beginning to panic.
Applejack managed to draw some air into her lungs, and managed a, "Go...get...help..." , before collapsing back, unable to fight the large tree's weight.
Rainbow tried to lift it up herself, but then realized Applejack was right, she couldn't do it alone.
She thought of the closest friend she could find, and took off, flying faster than Pinkie Pie on a sugar high.
Twilight Sparkle was busy studying some new spells, when she was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Let me rephrase that.
She was interrupted by the door being knocked down.
Twilight turned, startled, to see a familiar light-blue pony.
"RAINBOW DASH!" she said, rather loudly.
"Do you have any idea how much that door-"
She was interrupted by Rainbow urgently saying, "Just...come with me, quick! We ll worry about your cruddy door later!"
Twilight sighed, setting down the book she was reading.
"What's the big hurry?" she asked.
Dash, halfway out the door already, paused, impatient.
"You can see for yourself! C mon, we don't have time!"
Twilight, wondering what she was getting into, followed her friend as she shot off towards the general direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
Twilight gasped at the sight of Applejack wheezing quietly under the large apple tree.
"W...What h.. happened here?"She asked, on the verge of freaking out.
"NO TIME! MOVE THE THE BIG TREE OFF OF HER, PLEASE!" Rainbow Dash shouted, almost pleading now.
Twilight was engulfed in confusion, but she didn't hesitate to carry out Dash s logical orders.
Her horn lit up with a purple transparent glow, which soon covered the large apple tree that was crushing Applejack. Slowly but surely, the tree was moving off of Apple s motionless body. As soon as there was enough space, Dash swooped in and grabbed Applejack.
Twilight was a bit surprised at the speed Dash rushing in to save Applejack. However, she was more concerned about the fact that Applejack was no longer breathing.
Rainbow Dash lay near her motionless friend, shaking her softly saying Come on Applejack, wake up!"
Rainbow, we need to get some medical help, fast! She commanded.
Rainbow Dash looked at the lavender pony, through her now watery eyes.
Dash picked up Applejack swiftly, and placed the orange mare on her back.
Dash gave a meek "Okay" , and took to the skies in a flash, Twilight also disappearing in a flash, but instead, a bright one.
Dash busted through the doors of Ponyville's Urgent Care facility.
Dash galloped over the light blue tile floor, making her way to a small office window, in the corner of the lobby.
A young, white mare looked up from her desk, to be face to face with a prism colored maned pegasus.
"How may I help y-"
"This pony needs help, NOW!" Dash exclaimed.
"She's... not breathing! Please help!" She sobbed, almost hysterical at the thought of losing such a close friend.
The young mare pressed her hoof on a red button and talked into a microphone.
"We need a doctor in the lobby, stat!"
She announced into the mic, projecting her voice through out the medical facility.
A light blue stallion, quickly came from behind two large flapping doors, two other ponies right behind him.
He glanced over at Rainbow Dash, who wore a face of relief but, her eyes screamed large amounts of concern.
"Go get that orange mare off that pegasus's back." The doctor commanded his helper ponies.
They quickly trotted over, and put Applejack on a small hospital gurney, and carried her through some large rosewood doors.
The doctor glanced back at Dash, with a reassuring face.
"Don't worry."He started.
"We'll check her and diagnose her in no time. As soon as we get some information on her condition, I will come back and tell you."
Dash wiped a tear from her eye, and let out a soft "Okay".
The doctor heard the "Okay" , and galloped towards the rosewood doors, in effort to catch up to his helpers.
Dash turned around to find Twilight gazing at the flapping rosewood doors.
Dash and Twilight both glanced at each other, anxious for the life of their friend.
-
After waiting for what seemed like weeks, which was really only about 50 or so minutes, the rosewood doors opened again, admitting the light blue doctor pony again.
Dash and Twilight immediately stood up from the chairs they were sitting on.
The lavender unicorn was the first to speak.
"How is she, doctor?" She quickly questioned.
The doctor jumped back a tad bit, before opening his mouth.
"TELL US ALREADY, DOC!" Dash exclaimed.
The doctor hesitated. "I... I'm afraid I have some bad news, and good news."
Twilight and Dash exchanged terrified expressions.
"What's...what's the good news?" Twilight asked.
"Well, the good news is, we managed to get her breathing, and her heart beating again."
The two concerned ponies let sighs of relief slide through their lips.
"The bad news is...she's been showing abnormal signs in heart rate, which most likely means she's in a vegetative state, A.K.A, a coma. We can't be sure yet, but it sure looks like it. And,on top of that...we noticed the ligaments on both of her hind legs, are heavily damaged. And also the general mid-section of her back is twisted in a dangerous position . Her back will take much time to heal, as for her legs... well she ll be lucky to ever walk correctly again for the most part. Odds are, she'll always have a rather odd gait while walking." The doctor finished, trailing off.
Twilight's and Dash's spirits dropped, hard. They both had trouble thinking, as their heads were rushed by the thought of Applejack never walking.
"C...can we... see her?" Dash asked, sadness present in her question.
The doctor sighed.
"Well, I think it is too early for that. Her present state is a dangerous one. She will need all the rest she can get, with the least amount of outside distraction."
Both Twilight and Dash looked towards the tile floor, as a curtain of depression hung over the both of them.
"I suggest you two go home, get yourselves some rest as well. As soon as Applejack's condition changes, we will send you a letter."
They both muttered an "Okay" at the same time, as they turned for the entrance of Urgent Care.
'Poor fillies.' the doctor thought, as he turned his attention to the rosewood doors behind him.