Healing and Living

>The ticking of a clock
>The clop of hooves against polished marble floors
>The beeping of a heart monitor
>The pained wheezing of the pony in the bed beside her own
>That's all Applejack could hear as she sat in her hospital bed
>As time passed by, every tick of the clock went by at an agonizingly slow pace
>Eventually the door to Applejack's room gently opened, as to not disturb the other patients
>In the doorway stood Nurse Redheart, her pink hair softly reflecting the pale hospital light
>As she pushed the food cart towards Applejack's bed, the country mare softly stirred from her daze
>Picking the tray up in her mouth and placing it onto Applejack's lap, Redheart nudged the mare's shoulder
>Bringing her head up to meet the nurse's gaze, Applejack's eyes showed boredom and weariness
>"Hey there Applejack, how are you feeling?"
>Heaving a sigh Applejack turned her gaze once more to her lap
>Simply hearing that question was exhausting for her
"I feel the same as I did yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that"
>As she spoke, her tone slowly grew more frustrated
>Wincing at the mare's tone the nurse took a tentative step towards the mare
>Seeing no reaction from Applejack, Redheart went about checking the equipment and making sure nothing was wrong with it
>Going about the room and doing the same with the other patients, when she returned to Applejack's bedside to retrieve the cart she noticed the mare hadn't even touched her food
>"You know you really should eat Applejack"
>Not bothering to reply Applejack simply turned her gaze towards the window, looking out at the warm summer's day, a look of longing on her face
>Looking down in defeat, Redheart took the cart in her teeth and made her way out the room
>Stopping at the doorway she turned to Applejack once more
>"You just call us if you need anything, alright Applejack?"
>Again receiving no response, Redheart gently shut the door behind her as she went to check on the other patients
>As the door clicked shut Applejack tucked her legs up into her chest
>Clamping her eyes shut and biting her bottom lip she brought her hoof down on to the padded mattress beneath her in frustration
>She hated being cooped up during such a beautiful day
>She hated the bland food
>She hated the incessant beeping and ticking
>She hated the dull routine she had to go through everyday
>But most of all she hated how she's been acting lately
>She's always had respect for Redheart and everything she does
>But she just couldn't take it anymore
>For four months straight she's been in the hospital for no good reason
>Except she knew that wasn't the case
>Turning back to her food Redheart's words echoed in her mind
>Letting out a small sigh she brought her muzzle down to the food and took a bite before sitting up again
>As she chewed the mushed food her mind wandered to what brought her here in the first place
>All those months ago her young sister and friends had gotten into trouble in the Everfree again
>Applejack had thought that when those three got their cutie marks, she could finally not have to worry about what those three might be doing
>How wrong she was
>Those three still had a burning adventurous spirit within them and were getting into more trouble than they had before, if that was even possible
>They had informed Applejack that they would be paying Zecora a visit
>Seeing them off with the usual warnings she couldn't help but get that old feeling of worry building up inside her
>As she worked the orchard she couldn't help but turn her gaze to the Everfree Forest, hoping to see a yellow, white and orange dot come out of it each time she looked
>As the day drew on and minutes turned to hours Applejack's worry only increased until she couldn't hold herself anymore
>Applejack knew this could potentially lead to her being lectured by her sister about trust, but she had to know Applebloom was safe
>As she galloped into the Everfree, jumping over branches and swerving around trees she pushed on towards Zecora's hut
>As she made her way closer to the hut she stopped dead in her tracks as a shrill shriek rang through the forest
>Feeling her chest tighten, she swiveled her ears towards the source of the noise, begging to whoever was listening that it was just the forest' freaky excuse for a gust of wind
>Another shrill shriek rang through the forest, it was slightly different this time but there was no denying, the girls were in trouble
>Applejack's legs coiled like springs as they tensed up
>Bolting forward with a speed that would put Rainbow Dash to shame, Applejack pushed into the wild part of the forest
>Ducking under branches, jumping over exposed roots and swerving between trees Applejack only focused on getting to the girls
>Finally breaking through a treeline into a clearing her breath hitched in her throat and her heart sank at the sight
>In front of her were the three fillies huddled together, petrified with fear as a manticore loomed over them
>Seeing fear in her little sister's eyes as their gazes met Applejack snapped out of her shock
>Eyes now locked on the manticore she sprung forward putting herself between it and the girls
>With her back to the manticore she reared up her hind legs, coiling her muscles as best she could before bucking them back as hard as she could
>Connecting with its nose she heard a crack come from the point of impact as it stumbled back
>Seeing it distracted Applejack took the opportunity to shake the girl's out of their own shock
>Wrapping her fore-hooves around the fillies she shook them to bring them back to reality
"Come on girls we can't stay here, we've gotta move"
>Snapping out of her daze first, Applebloom looked up at Applejack
>"A-a-applejack?"
>Cutting off her sister Applejack began pushing them towards where she came from
>Shaking out of their dazes each girl began galloping towards the treeline
>Hearing a roar Applejack turned her head to see the manticore glaring daggers at the four of them
>Blood splattered across its face the manticore gave another roar before charging the four of them
>Going on instinct alone Applejack shoved the fillies forward as she charged to meet the manticore
>Jumping up before it could slash at her she landed perfectly on its back
>Bringing up a claw the manticore took a swipe at the mare
>Only having a few seconds, Applejack took full advantage of the position the manticore was in
>Launching herself under the manticore's arm, as she hit the ground she coiled her hind legs once more before bucking them backwards into the manticore's underbelly
>Having the wind knocked out of it the manticore staggered backwards
>Running back to the three fillies they had almost made it to the end of the clearing
>Sadly all Applejack's efforts did was anger the manticore further
>As the manticore roared once more it shook the earth as it charged the four
>Looking over her shoulder at the titan bearing down on the four of them Applejack knew they wouldn't be fast enough to outrun it
>Even if they could make it out of the clearing the manticore could probably break the trees like twigs
>As the beast leaped towards them Applejack coiled her legs as much as she could one more time
>Time seemed to slow for Applejack as it got closer and closer
>As the beast's claws were just about to tear into her hide Applejack let loose her hind-legs once more with a force like Pinkie's cannon
>Bucking her legs back they connected directly with the manticore's neck
>Retracting it's claws and bringing them up to it's throat the manticore flew back into the clearing
>Seeing it down for the count Applejack turned her gaze to see the fillies had left the clearing
>As she galloped after them a shooting pain shot through her whole body from her chest
>Ignoring the pain, Applejack ran after the fillies
>Finally reaching the beaten path of the Everfree, Applejack and the girls made a b-line for the exit
>Finally making it out of the forest Applejack and the girls heaved a sigh of relief as they sucked in as much air as possible to get their breath back
>Turning to the girls Applejack was prepared to shout her lungs out at them but was cut short as the stinging pain doubled in intensity
>The pain only went on to get more intense, bringing Applejack to her knees as her breath was now pained, heavy and slow
>A feeling of nausea overtook her as she began spitting out bile and blood as it invaded her mouth
>Freaking out at the state Applejack was in the girls began calling out for help as Applejack's state only worsened
>With her limbs feeling like lead, and her body burning with pain, Applejack's head became light and her eyelids grew heavy
>Falling to the ground with a thud Applejack passed out
>The next thing she remembers was waking up in the hospital, all sorts of fancy gizmos hooked up to her
>When she looked at the end of her bed all of her friends and family were watching her with tears in their eyes
>Seeing her stir and finally wake up they all clamored to embrace her, assaulting her with a million questions a minute
>Finally getting them all to calm down Applejack was able to ask some questions of her own
>Turns out the stinging feeling she initially felt was from the manticore's stinger piercing her chest in a last ditch effort to take her out
>Luckily the adrenaline pumping through her veins had apparently managed to hold off the worst of it whilst she made it out of the Everfree
>But as soon as she calmed down it began to fully infect her system
>Even though she was rushed to the hospital within a few minutes it wasn't a sure thing whether she'd make it
>They had tried everything, flushing her system, cleansing her blood, but no matter what they did, the venom from the stinger lingered in her system, even now
>If presented this scenario before now, Applejack would've said to stay in the hospital for as long as it took
>But now that she was here, she had a problem sticking to that
>After the first two weeks in the hospital she began to recover, slowly but surely
>Despite the venom still being in her system Applejack felt no different than she would've any other day
>No matter how many days passed nothing changed, if anything she just got better
>She wasn't even being given any fancy medicine, the venom just didn't do anything
>But with it being from the Everfree, nopony was taking any chances
>At least not for the first few weeks, after she was showing signs of recovery most agreed she'd probably be fine if she were let out, all except one, Big Mac
>Not knowing much about this stuff Granny Smith had chosen to let Big Macintosh make the final decision for her, and he said until there wasn't any venom left in her system she should stay put
>Finishing the last mouthful of her food her mind wandered back to the hospital and the time she's spent there
>Being in the hospital wasn't the worst part for her
>The worst part was what she saw in the hospital
>Before this, Applejack saw hospitals as places of healing and care, ponies would come in, be treated, and get back on with their lives
>She didn't see it that way so much anymore
>Everyday she'd see ponies leave the hospital, happy and healthy
>But in here, for every pony she saw leave, anywhere from two to ten ponies might take their place
>Applejack couldn't help but begin to shake as the thoughts of what might happen to those other ponies crept into her mind
>Shaking her head free of the thoughts, Applejack focused her attention back on the noises of the hospital, the day once more beginning to creep by
>Hearing the door to her room open once more she turned her head to the clock
>It was much too early for dinner
>Bringing her gaze to the door her eyes met the form of her friend Rainbow Dash
>A small smile crept onto Applejack's lips
>Her friends and family had always found times to visit her at least once a day
>It was probably the only thing keeping her sane at this point
>Not to mention Rainbow Dash was a breath of fresh compared to the others
>Of course Applejack was grateful that they all came to see her and help cheer her up, but they all wouldn't listen to her when it came to the venom
>Rainbow Dash at least sympathized with her situation
>Walking up to her bedside, Rainbow Dash leaned against the bed's railing
>"Hey AJ, good to see you're up"
"Good to see you too RD, how're things in Ponyville?"
>Waving her hoof dismissively Rainbow Dash let out a small huff
>"It's boring, that's what it is, nothing's happened there for months"
>Giving a chuckle Applejack can't help but find a peaceful Ponyville hard to comprehend
>For such a long time now, the usual for her was a crazy adventure of some sort every few days or so, maybe she'd get a week's rest if she were lucky
>Still the idea of a peaceful Ponyville brought a smile to her face and she couldn't help but yearn to see it
>Pondering this idea she looked up to Rainbow Dash, who had now become enamored with the ceiling fan
>Clearing her throat to get her attention, Applejack went over her words in her mind once more
"Listen Rainbow, I'm just thinking... if you're so bored... maybe we could, you know, go out for a while? We haven't hung out since I got cooped up in here"
>Hearing this, Rainbow's ears flattened against her head as she looked down to the floor
>Heaving a sigh she brought her head up to meet Applejack's gaze
>"I- I want to AJ, believe me I do, but well, you know..."
>Sitting up straight and leaning forward Applejack places her hoof on her friend's shoulder
"Come on RD, it's been four months and nothing's happened"
>Shifting slightly and fiddling with her hooves Rainbow Dash glances from side to side, almost as if checking to see if anypony was listening
"I'm not asking to be out for the whole day, just a few hours is all I need, I feel like I'll go mad if I don't"
>Tensing her hooves Rainbow Dash looks up to Applejack, seeing a fiery determination in her eyes
>Pondering her words Rainbow Dash groans as she makes her decision
>"Fine, but I'm only letting you out of here for one hour, after that you're back here, even if I have to drag you"
>Heaving a sigh of relief, Applejack can't help but chuckle with giddiness at the prospect of finally getting out of the hospital
>Hopping out of her bed Applejack flicks off the machines so that they won't alert the staff
>Applejack was able to learn some basic things about the machines from when the nurses and doctors fiddled with them
>Trotting on the spot to get the blood flowing back to her legs Applejack stretches herself out as Rainbow Dash checks the door
>Returning to her friend's side Rainbow has a look of small concern on her face
>"Ok I don't think we can get out of here that way, but we can probably get out the window"
"So long as we get out of here I don't care what we do"
>A smile spreads on Rainbow Dash's face at Applejack's determination
>Making their way to the window, Rainbow unbolts it and opens it as far as it will go
>Clearing the window, Applejack falls into a small bush, softening her landing
>Floating out of the window, Rainbow leaves it propped open slightly
>Moving out of the shadow of the hospital Applejack bathes in the warm sunlight, taking in a deep breathe of fresh air Applejack closes her eyes as she takes it all in
>Glancing around herself she can't help but feel the giddiness return
>The trodden dirt paths winding into Ponyville
>The sweeping plains of grass and flowers
>The cool breeze flowing through her coat
>She was surprised at how new it all seemed to her with how long she'd been exposed to the same dull room
>Stretching herself out once more she turns to Rainbow Dash who was looking anxiously from side to side
"Oh calm down RD, we'll be fine, now come on, I know exactly where I wanna go"
>Trotting off, Rainbow Dash quickly goes to catch up with Applejack
>With Ponyville shrinking in the distance as they made their way up the hill, Applejack begins to feel more and more energized with every hoof step
>The staff had wanted her to remain still as much as possible, as to not agitate the venom
>But here and now, trotting up the hill, feeling her blood pumping through her limbs, only confirms her previous thoughts
>Finally reaching the top of the hill Applejack's eyes meet the glistening blue water of Ponyville's pond
>Not being able to hold her excitement she galloped towards the water's edge before diving in head first
>Allowing herself to soak beneath the water, she felt the cool water wash away the sweat and dirt that the nurses and doctors had missed so many times
>Kicking her legs and breaching the water surface, Applejack flicks any excess water out of her mane, and brushes any rouge strands out of her eyes
>This is short lived however as a wave washes over her, causing more of her mane to cover her eyes
>Wiping her face with a hoof Applejack looks to the side to see a snickering Rainbow Dash trying to hold back her laughter
"Har har, very funny RD"
>Not being able to hold in her laughter anymore Rainbow Dash begin to guffaw openly
>"Oh come on Applejack, it was pretty funny"
>Cocking an eyebrow a smug grin crosses Applejack's face as she gets an idea
>Bringing both her fore-hooves together Applejack launches a torrent of water over Rainbow Dash
>Now spluttering out water as she had been openly laughing during the assault, Rainbow shoots a glare towards Applejack
>However seeing her snicker Rainbow can't help but join in, using her wing to splash some water back at Applejack
>This continues on for a while as the two ponies try to one up each other as they splash water in each other's faces
>Tiring of this back and forth they both eventually begin to lay back in the water
>The chirp of the birds
>The whistling of the cool breeze
>The faint chatter from Ponyville
>As she lays on her back in the water this is all that Applejack can hear
>She found it was always the simplest things that she missed during her time in the hospital
>As the sun warms one side of her and the water cools the other, Applejack begins to relax
>That is, until the stomping of hooves on the hill make her snap her eyes open and flip over towards the source of the noise
>"APPLEJACK! I WANNA HAVE WORDS WITH YOU"
>Hearing her brother's voice make Applejack's eyes turn to pinpricks
>She knew that leaving the hospital would be a bad idea, but she thought an hour would go unnoticed
>Swimming to the side of the pond she climbs up the bank as Big Macintosh comes into view
>Towering over his little sister his face is almost as unreadable as ever except for the slight glare
"Big Mac I can explain-"
>"I don't wanna here it AJ"
>Hovering next to her friend Rainbow Dash holds up her hoof to Macintosh
>"Slow down Big Mac, I was the one who helped get her out, if anyone's to blame it's me"
>Shooting a glare at Rainbow Dash the mare shrinks back slightly
>"I'm not here for you Rainbow Dash, I'm here for my sister, now run along, I wanna talk with her. Alone"
>"But-"
>Putting up a hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder, Applejack gives the mare a reassuring smile
"Don't you worry none RD, y'all didn't do nothing wrong, now you get out of here. Oh and thanks for helping me stretch my legs"
>Hesitating slightly Rainbow Dash gives a huff before giving Applejack a curt nod and flying off
>Watching as the cyan pegasus flies away Applejack turns back to her brother
>With a stern expression and a slight glare on his face, Applejack can't help but feel slightly uncomfortable
>Not much got her brother riled like this
>Heaving an exasperated sigh Big Mac rubs his face with a hoof
>"AJ I- I don't even know where to start with you!"
>Wincing slightly at Big Mac's raised voice she feels a twinge of annoyance overcome her
>Stamping her hoof and puffing her chest out, Applejack meets Big Mac's gaze
"Oh come on Macintosh, are you really that mad at me?"
>Cocking his eyebrows, a look of disbelief and surprise crosses Big Mac's face before he recomposes himself
>"Actually Applejack, yes, I am! Do you even know what you were thinking doing this? Do you know what that stuff in your system might do to you? Might be doing to you right now?"
"Do you?"
>Taking a step forward Applejack tilts her head to the side as she shoots Big Mac a questioning look
>"I know well enough to listen to doctors when they tell me to do something, I know not to go gallivanting off to go swimming just because I'm bored when I'm supposed to be in the hospital, cause I'm an adult Applejack"
> Standing herself up straight once more Applejack shoots Big Mac a glare
"I am too Macintosh"
>Face falling slightly, Macintosh turns his gaze down, kicking at the ground
>"I know that Applejack-"
"Do you though Macintosh? Everytime you'd come down to the hospital, you'd ask if I'm getting enough rest, and then you'd tell me to take a nap!? How many adults do you tell to take a nap?"
>Feeling slightly out of breath from her rant Applejack feels her expression soften as she registers Big Mac's face
>Tears had began to form in the corners of his eyes, and his demeanor had softened
>"Applejack... I- I was just worried about you is all"
>Bringing her roof up to Big Mac's chest, Applejack gives him a reassuring smile
"Mac look at me, I'm fine, ain't nothing wrong with me"
>Wrapping his own hoof around Applejack's, Big Mac gives it a squeeze, as if he were scared to let his little sister go
>"...I know, but when you were in there for the first two weeks, and I talked to you whilst you were in that bed..."
>Bringing his hoof away from Applejack's, Big Mac brushes a stray strand of mane from her face, resting it gently on her cheek
>"...you sounded so small Applejack. I hated seeing you like that, you've always been so full of life, and I just want you to be you again. I don't know what that stuff might or might not do to you. But I do know that I want you to live a long time, and live a good life"
>Smiling up at her brother Applejack blinks back her own tears
"Then Mac...? Let me live"

End