/Hey, guys! I am so sorry this chapter has taken so long... I swear this story will never go unfinished. I hate leaving behind projects. I just got really busy all of a sudden. I saw two amazing movies (Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X Men: Days of Future Past) and did some other stuff, too. Infinite thanks to my first two reviewers, I NEED BACKSTORY and ! You guys are awesome, and I'm glad you like my story so much!/
Twilight lays Pinkie on her side, showing us all her wound. I can see it shimmering violently with a sorta magical residue, pouring blood. Pinkie grunts in pain as Twilight opens up one of Zecora's cabinets and starts pilfering through the different mixtures.
"Don't, Twilight, you don't know potions like Zecora did." Pinkie says through grit teeth.
"I'm not going to let you get infected, Pinkamena. You could die." Twilight says hurriedly, plucking a colorful herb from a pot.
"And you could poison me quicker, Twilight! Just put some bandages on the wound or something and I won't bleed to death!"
I stare at Pinkie. She's never had an outburst like that before. I mean, I know she's changed and all since Dash left, but she's never yelled at one of us like that before. It's kinda scary, seeing her angry.
"I think you have to try somethin', Twi." I say. "Only Celestia knows what kinda things can happen after a blast like that."
Twilight hangs her head slightly. I keep forgetting that Princess Celestia is, well, dead. It just doesn't seem that likely and I keep thinking she's still in Canterlot, sending out troops.
"I don't think I asked you, Applejack..." Pinkie grunts, holding her side.
"And I don't think I was talkin' to you, Pinkie..." I mutter, grabbing a roll of cloth bandages from the cabinet.
I clench one end of the cloth in my teeth and start gently wrapping it around Pinkie's torso. She flinches in pain, turning over so I can't get to the wound. I grunt, frustrated. If she would just hold still... She fidgets on the floor.
"What in tarnation are you doin', Pinkamena?" I huff. "Keep still!"
I try to get to the wound again, but Pinkie flinches like I'm coming at her with a weapon.
"You have to hold still or she can't help you, Pinkamena." Fluttershy murmurs soothingly, sitting down beside her.
Pinkie looks up into Fluttershy's comforting eyes and holds rigidly still. I dab at her bloody wound with the cloth in my teeth and she cries out. She grasps onto Fluttershy's hoof and nods stiffly. I gently place the cloth on her torso. Pinkie grits her teeth and squeezes the hoof in her grasp. Twilight uses her magic to gently lift Pinkie off the ground. I wrap the cloth bandage around her torso about five times around and tie it off as carefully as possible. Twilight lowers Pinkie to the ground.
"You okay?" I ask quietly.
"Apart from the fact that I might be bleeding my treacherous life away, I'm doing just peachy, Applejack." Pinkie grunts sarcastically.
I don't respond but to sit beside her. Out of the corner of my eye, Twilight bustles about the cabinets and sinks hurriedly and levitates a steaming cup of a clear substance towards Pinkie.
"This will ease the pain. Drink up." She says.
Pinkie studies the medicine skeptically.
"Do you know what you're doing?" She asks.
"Of course I do. I wouldn't give you anything that I didn't know for a fact would work. I learned that lesson the hard way." Twilight bites her lip guiltily. We all flinch at the memory. "You trust me, don't you?"
Twilight eases the cup closer to Pinkie, who takes a cautious sip. When nothing happens she allows Twilight to empty the contents down her throat.
"I do believe we should get moving. I see shadows." Rarity says, panicked.
"Can you stand, Pinkamena?" Twilight asks.
Pinkie pulls herself up, trembling, but manages to get steady. She nods. I get up beside her, keeping her steady. We can't risk anypony falling behind, so somepony's gotta keep her on her hooves. Twilight flings open the door and we all get running. Hoofsteps behind us speed up, growing louder with every moment. My heart thumps in my chest, my breaths growing heavy, sharp, and painful. My hooves pound against the dirt, stumbling. Terrified I might fall. Terrified one of us might be hit. A fatal wound would end us.
If only Rainbow Dash were here...
"I trusted you, Twilight! I trusted that potion might work!" Rainbow Dash screamed, voice breaking. Tears streaming from her eyes.
"I... I thought it would..." Twilight stammered.
Her eyes were bloodshot. Tired, as if she hadn't slept in weeks. Which was true, she hadn't. She had stayed up all month, without rest, working to finish that potion. She relied entirely on coffee from Sugarcube Corner to keep her awake, and it was driving her crazy.
"Well, it didn't! My mother is dead because of you, Twilight!"
Tears fill my eyes. That was one of the roughest days any of us have had to face in a long time, especially for Twilight. I feel a burning skim across my hide and, looking down, blood drips down my side in a long cut. I bite my lip and continue running alongside Pinkie.
"You doin' alright?" I ask.
"I'm fine!" Pinkie shouts.
I look back. The others are still behind us, safe. I'm not the only one that's been hit, though. Rarity runs lopsided, blood trickling from her back right. More blood pours from a wound near the tip of Fluttershy's wing. Twilight's cheek bleeds similar to my side, in a long cut. I breathe a sharp, painful, cold breath. Any one of us could be killed at any time.
We need to find Rainbow Dash, and we need to find her fast.
/Well, that was fun. I hope that little bit of backstory is satisfying for now. I'll add on as the story progresses, don't worry. You'll get the whole thing. I'll see you all in the next chapter, which I hope comes faster than this one did!/