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A New Landscape (Applejack) by Landscape [OBSOLETE]

Aug 27th, 2016
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  5.  
  6. >a “hard worker” the website said
  7. >she certainly looked pretty strong
  8. >the picture on the screen showed her at all angles
  9. >certainly looked like the kind of pony who would be able to help you do your landscaping work
  10.  
  11. >so, you splurged
  12. >made the order, spent the money you’d been saving up
  13. >from what you hear, these ponies are pretty hardy
  14. >and in the list of descriptions, you saw “background in agriculture and manual labor”
  15. >and, surprisingly, she was rather cheap to purchase
  16. >that was all you needed to hear
  17.  
  18. >You were surprised when you heard your phone ring so early in the morning
  19. >it was the salesmen notifying you of when they would arrive at your house with your brand new pony you purchased
  20. >11:00 am in the morning
  21. >It was a Sunday, normally your day off to sleep in
  22. >but the news made you excited enough to make it impossible to sleep anymore
  23. >So, you get up and groggily set up your coffee maker
  24.  
  25. >You’ve already planned it out
  26. >You’ve got a guest room that you basically never use
  27. >It’ll be where she can sleep
  28. >and you’ve done your research on what ponies can eat
  29. >obviously, there’s no meat items allowed
  30. >but eggs are surprisingly ok to feed them, however
  31. >so, you bought a few dozen eggs
  32. >got plenty of fresh veggies and fruit
  33. >even some fancy bread
  34.  
  35. >true, you made your wallet cry a little bit
  36. >you do okay for yourself, but you’re not exactly rich either
  37. >but it’s the middle of summer, and there is plenty of landscaping work that you and your company have to do right now
  38. >you make a decent living
  39. >even if it’s tiring work
  40. >hopefully, your little pony will be up to helping out
  41. >you took a bit of a gamble
  42. >you’ll have to see!
  43.  
  44. >Finally, at ten past 11:00, you hear the knock on the door
  45. >a few loud thumps
  46. >then, the doorbell
  47. >You get up from your chair, where you’ve been sitting anxiously for the last half hour
  48. >you dart over, and open the door
  49.  
  50. >on the other side, there’s a short, chubby man
  51. >maybe 5 foot 7
  52. >and in his hand, he’s holding a thick leather leash
  53. >your eyes follow it down, until you clap eyes on her
  54.  
  55. >there she is, the pony that was in the picture
  56. >orange coat
  57. >little white freckles on her cheeks
  58. >emerald green eyes
  59. >blonde mane done up in a ponytail
  60. >it’s definitely the same pony
  61.  
  62. >but then, you notice a few other things
  63. >and the little smile on your face slowly fades away
  64.  
  65. >yeah, her mane is blonde
  66. >but, dirty blonde
  67. >as in, ACTUAL dirt
  68. >And the more you look her over, the more you see how skinny she is
  69. >wiry muscles show themselves, true
  70. >but so do her ribs, protruding faintly through the skin
  71. >you stare at her for a second
  72.  
  73. >and the pony, a soon as she notices you looking at her, very quickly averts her eyes
  74.  
  75. >The chubby man speaks, and you come back to reality
  76.  
  77. “Hello, sir. Are you mister Anon?”
  78.  
  79. >It was a question you knew the answer to
  80. >but it took you a few seconds to answer
  81. >you’re still looking at the pony there on your porch
  82. >and you start to realize why she was so much less expensive to purchase
  83. >eventually, though, you do respond
  84.  
  85. “Uhh… yeah. That’s me.”
  86.  
  87. >The man nods his head, and with one hand tightly grasping the leash, he reaches back and pulls out a clipboard
  88.  
  89. “Right, mister Anon. I’ll just need you to sign and turn in this paperwork and give your signature of ownership. The rest of the information we need was already provided by you online.”
  90.  
  91. >He hands you the clipboard and a pen
  92. >You pick it up, and begin to read
  93. >but your mind still wanders
  94. >and so do your eyes
  95.  
  96. >the orange pony doesn’t look anywhere but the ground
  97. >neck lowered
  98. >it’s like she’s afraid to look at you
  99.  
  100. >your gut churns
  101. >something feels off about this.
  102. >off about her
  103. >but even so, you tentatively sign the papers and hand the clipboard back to the man
  104.  
  105. >He smiles, not showing any teeth
  106. >stretching out his fat cheeks
  107. >and he nods
  108.  
  109. “Very well. Thank you for your business, sir. She’s yours, now. Enjoy.”
  110.  
  111. >He passes the leash over to you
  112. >with a bit of hesitation you take it from him
  113. >He gives you a short, parting wave, and turns around, walking back toward his car
  114. >a shiny black sedan
  115. >with a couple of other chubby men sitting in the passenger and back seats
  116.  
  117. >”Enjoy.”
  118. >That’s what he had said.
  119.  
  120. >you only look for a few seconds before a chill runs up your spine
  121. >you aren’t even sure exactly why
  122. >you look away, and look back down to the pony on your porch
  123.  
  124. >the little thing is a not much less than 5 feet tall, including her head
  125. >she hasn’t budged an inch from where she had been standing
  126. >and she’s still not looking at you
  127. >you look down to the leash in your hand
  128.  
  129. >finally, you shake off the uneasy feelings and speak your first words to her
  130. >”Come on, let’s get you inside…”
  131.  
  132. >You give a very gentle tug on the leash
  133. >she doesn’t speak a word, but her head lifts up momentarily when you pull the leash
  134. >then, she wordlessly takes a step forward through your front door
  135.  
  136. >you walk backwards, watching her closely
  137. >she’s staring at the hardwood floor
  138. >her hooves clop noisily on the hard surface
  139. >the way she walks is a little draggy
  140. >the tips of her petite hooves slightly scraping the floor with each step
  141.  
  142. >and lastly, you notice one more thing about you brand new little pony
  143. >she’s shivering.
  144. >Not the kind of shivering when you’re cold, oh no.
  145. >the kind of shivering someone does when they’re terrified
  146.  
  147. >For a second, the two of you stand there in silence
  148. >and your thoughts begin to race
  149. >This doesn't look good.
  150.  
  151. >you let go of the leash
  152. >The pony’s ears perk up, for a moment
  153. >but then they droop back down
  154.  
  155. >the silence is awful
  156. >painfully awkward
  157. >you decide to break it, since this pony is obviously incredibly shy
  158.  
  159. “Hello, I’m Anon. What’s your name?”
  160.  
  161. >You speak with a cordial tone
  162. >trying to lighten the mood
  163. >it doesn’t work
  164.  
  165. >The pony remains silent for a few moments
  166. >she’s staring at the floor
  167. >her hooves are shivering as she stands motionless
  168. >you don’t push her, giving her plenty of time
  169. >and eventually, she answers
  170.  
  171. “I-I’m Applejack, master.”
  172.  
  173. >her voice has a familiar country twang to it
  174. >being down south, it fits right in
  175. >but she says her own name with a wince
  176.  
  177. >however, that’s not the main thing you notice
  178. >did you hear that right?
  179.  
  180. “Uhh… did you just call me ‘master’?
  181.  
  182. >you ask her timidly
  183. >not threatening in any way
  184. >or so you thought
  185.  
  186. >the blonde-maned pony’s eyes grow wide
  187. >she suddenly looks up at you
  188. >and her lip is quivering
  189. >she speaks with a stammer and shortness of breath
  190.  
  191. “Oh, I-I’m real sorry! I didn’t know you w-wanted to be called something else…”
  192.  
  193. >she slinks back a little bit
  194. >flinches away from your gaze
  195.  
  196. >your confusion, however, only magnifies
  197. >so does your worry
  198. >what was the matter with this pony?
  199.  
  200. >brow furrowed, you address her again
  201.  
  202. “Yeaah... you can just call me Anon. Here, how about I just get this collar and leash off of you?”
  203.  
  204. >you take one, cautious step forward
  205. >this pony looks like she’s ready to bolt, the way she’s shying away from you
  206. >you kneel down and gently take hold of the collar
  207. >your fingers gently brush the muscles in her neck
  208. >they are hard as a rock
  209.  
  210. >but you also can see her ribs from close up
  211. >they aren’t bulging out, but you can definitely see them
  212. >you grimace
  213.  
  214. “Hey… are you hungry, Applejack? I’ve got plenty of food for you. Fruits, veggies, greens, eggs…”
  215.  
  216. >you cough to clear your throat
  217. >you fiddle with the buckle on the collar and pull the fabric out of the loop
  218. >once it’s off, you drop it on the floor
  219. >Applejack isn’t responding to you
  220. >so, you ask the question again
  221.  
  222. “Um, Applejack? Do you want lunch?”
  223.  
  224. >You scoot back, and stand up
  225. >but you hunch over and put your hands on your knees
  226. >you try to look her in the face, but she’s not looking back at you
  227. >your mind is going to dark places as you are beginning to piece things together
  228.  
  229. >Finally, she answers
  230. >but it’s not what you anticipated
  231.  
  232. “I-I’m… I’m allowed to eat all of that?”
  233.  
  234. >for the first time since she arrived, she looks up at you
  235. >there’s a tiny glimmer in her eyes
  236.  
  237. >but you must have been giving her a face by accident
  238. >because as soon as she does, she wilts, and turns her head back away from you
  239. >like she’s waiting to be struck
  240.  
  241. >this is when you start to piece things together
  242. >your mind was rejecting it as a possibility before
  243. >you didn’t want to believe it
  244. >but the emaciated look, her demeanor, the pain and fear in her voice
  245. >it all went far beyond shyness
  246. >really, it was the most obvious thing in the world
  247.  
  248. >This pony has been abused.
  249.  
  250. >You are going to have to tread very carefully.
  251. >you don’t want to draw attention to all of those horrible things she must have had to go through
  252. >at least, not yet
  253. >poor thing doesn’t look ready
  254. >so, you simply nod
  255. >and answer her softly
  256.  
  257. “Yes, Applejack. Of course, all of it. I got it just for you.”
  258.  
  259. >rather than wait for her, you decide to go to the kitchen
  260. >the way your house is, there are no walls between the living room and the kitchen
  261. >you open up the fridge and take out a carton of eggs, some cheese, a few handfuls of spinach, and a fresh apple
  262. >put them down on the counter right in front of her
  263.  
  264. “Hey, how about I make you an omelette? Cheese and spinach sound good?”
  265.  
  266. >Applejack is still rather quiet
  267. >but she looks up at the counter, finally managing to peel her eyes away from the floor
  268. >when she sees the ingredients you’ve laid out in front of her, you once again see the spark in her eyes
  269. >just a tad of life in there
  270. >and the tips of her ears twitch upward
  271. >she inhales
  272.  
  273. “Uh… uh huh…”
  274.  
  275. >Good, because you were going to make it anyway
  276. >You don’t waste time getting started.
  277. >you pull out a pan and a bowl
  278. >start heating the stovetop and cracking the eggs into the bowl
  279. >you weren’t exactly a cook, but this was one of those things you could actually make pretty well
  280. >lots of burnt eggs along the way to mastery, though
  281. >you’re going to try extra hard today to make the best dish you can
  282.  
  283. >you look over to her and realize that she’s sitting down on the floor, now
  284. >before, she was just standing there
  285. >bracing herself
  286. >you frown at her sympathetically and point to the living room couch
  287.  
  288. “Hey, you can sit down on the couch and wait if you want, Applejack. Go ahead and make yourself feel at home!”
  289.  
  290. >you talk loudly over the sizzling in the pan
  291. >checking the pan briefly before watching her
  292. >Applejack hears you, and looks over at the sofa
  293. >her emerald eyes widen, and her jaw falls
  294. >she glances over at you, a fearful expression on her face
  295. >but you just smile at her
  296. >and point at the couch again
  297.  
  298. “Go on, it’s ok!”
  299. >Applejack once again looks over at you
  300. >she’s still very tense
  301. >but her expression, slowly, begins to relax
  302. >eventually, she slinks over to the sofa
  303. >and gingerly steps on, sitting down
  304.  
  305. >a few minutes pass, and it’s all done
  306. >and it’s a masterpiece
  307. >you’re so glad you’re able to cook something so good for her
  308. >poor thing looks like she hasn’t had something like this in…
  309. >maybe ever.
  310.  
  311. >you put her plate down on one end of the table and sit down on the other side
  312.  
  313. “Alright, it’s done! Come on and eat up. I think you’ll like it, Applejack.”
  314.  
  315. >you look over the counter, the only thing separating the living room from the kitchen
  316. >you see her still sitting there
  317. >shoulders up straight, not relaxing in the slightest
  318. >but when she hears her name, she seems to automatically get up
  319. >and she walks over to the table with that same drag in her hooves
  320. >but she does what you say like it’s an order
  321.  
  322. >steady now
  323. >you’re going to take your time with her
  324. >it’s only just beginning
  325.  
  326. >Applejack looks at you warily before she sits down
  327. >with a wince
  328. >you notice, and it makes you raise your eyebrows
  329. >you put the plate with the omelette down in front of her, and a fork
  330. >you don’t know if she uses those things, what with hooves and all
  331. >but you’ll cover all your bases
  332. >not used to this pony stuff yet
  333.  
  334. >you sit down in the seat beside her
  335. >you have a cup of yogurt to eat so that things aren’t as awkward
  336. >so that you aren’t just watching her eat
  337.  
  338. >Applejack stares down at the plate
  339. >her body is still shivering
  340. >she looks like she’s in a trance, under some kind of spell
  341. >you point at the plate
  342.  
  343. “Go ahead, hon. You must be hungry. Right?”
  344.  
  345. >Applejack seems like she refuses to look at you in the eye
  346. >but she, with a little hesitation, responds in the affirmative
  347.  
  348. “Yes… I am, m-mmaster, I mean Anon! Anon….”
  349.  
  350. >she swiftly corrects herself
  351. >she must have suddenly remembered that you wanted her to call you by your name
  352. >Tears spring to her eyes
  353. >she freezes
  354.  
  355. >you see her beginning to panic
  356. >and you’re getting an idea of just how bad her past situation was
  357. >you try to dispel her fears as best as you can
  358.  
  359. “Hold on, hold on, Applejack! It’s alright, I’m not mad at you! Ok? I promise, it’s no big deal!”
  360.  
  361. >Applejack takes a hard, shaky breath
  362. >in and out
  363. >a tear falls down onto the table
  364. >she stammers
  365.  
  366. “I-I’m-m sorry…”
  367.  
  368. “That’s alright, hon. Now, please, just… eat. Ok?”
  369.  
  370. >Applejack nods
  371. >she sniffles, and slowly, she bends her head down
  372. >she takes a mouthful from on end, chews it quietly, and swallows
  373. >then, she looks over at you again
  374. >like she’s seeking approval for the next bite
  375.  
  376. >you feel her sad, fearful gaze as she stares at you
  377. >distrustingly
  378. >you smile gently
  379. >open up your yogurt cup
  380. >point at the omelette with your nose
  381.  
  382. “Go on!”
  383.  
  384. >Applejack gulps, and turns back to her plate
  385. >but then, she does something that surprises you
  386. >she eats much, MUCH more quickly
  387. >not ravenously, but close to it
  388.  
  389. >your hand freezes around your yogurt spoon watching her
  390. >she’s breathing heavily as she eats
  391. >within thirty seconds, the whole thing is gone
  392. >Applejack swallows her last bite, and her ears fold back
  393.  
  394. >you barely pay any attention to your spoon as you eat your yogurt
  395. >Applejack stares at her empty plate
  396. >screw it
  397. >you set your cup down
  398. >you weren’t hungry anyway
  399.  
  400. “Sooo, Applejack… how about I show you your room?”
  401.  
  402. >you get up from your seat
  403. >walk over to her
  404. >she finally follows you with her eyes
  405. >you gesture for her to get up
  406.  
  407. “Don’t worry, I’ll get your plate. Come on, follow me…”
  408.  
  409. >Applejack is predictably slow at first
  410. >but she nods her head silently and begins to slide out of her chair
  411.  
  412. >this time, though, you pay close attention to her face
  413. >and she winces again
  414. >you once again see some tears come up in her eyes
  415. >she sets her hooves down at a weird angle
  416. >like she’s angling herself away from you
  417.  
  418. >the alarm bells go off in your head
  419. >something is very wrong
  420. >you bite your lip
  421. >hold up your hand
  422.  
  423. “Uhh… hold up.”
  424.  
  425. >Applejack sucks in air through her nostrils
  426. >tenses up every muscle in her body
  427. >her eyes seem to pop out of her head for a moment
  428. >she looks at the floor by your feet
  429.  
  430. “Applejack… turn around.”
  431.  
  432. >Applejack’s jaw falls
  433. >and you hear a sob leave her
  434. >then, she does something that she hasn’t done in a while
  435. >she looks at you
  436. >right at you, if only for a moment
  437.  
  438. >but she does what you say
  439. >bows her head, and turns around with a sob
  440.  
  441. >when you see it, you bring a hand to your mouth
  442. >she’s trying to cover it with her tail, but it’s futile
  443.  
  444. >all up and down her legs and rear, you see numerous, violet-red stripes
  445. >they stretch across horizontally
  446. >and there’s too many of them to count
  447.  
  448. >all you can do is stare in shock
  449. >And the pony in front of you just quietly sobs
  450.  
  451. >You aren't sure what to do next.
  452.  
  453. >Applejack looks over her shoulder
  454. >tears are collecting on her chin and falling to the floor
  455. >now that she can’t hide it, she is expressing her pain more openly
  456. >and her obvious embarrassment
  457.  
  458. “I-I’m… I’m a good pony, Anon, I promise I don’t, I-I won’t give you any trouble… I swear!”
  459.  
  460. >As she continues talking, you begin to recall when your elementary school class talked about black slavery in the 1800s
  461. >something that sticks out in your mind as you realize what Applejack must believe you are thinking right now
  462. >when a potential buyer saw evidence of numerous whip scars, it was a sign that the slave was rebellious
  463. >it, in turn, decreased their valuation on the market
  464. >made them into a liability
  465.  
  466. >your heart breaks as Applejack looks at you pleadingly
  467.  
  468. “I’ll a-always do what you say, Anon! I’ll obey you…”
  469.  
  470. >that’s it
  471. >you can’t bear to hear any more
  472. >you hold up your hand to gesture for her to stop
  473. >she does, with a whimper
  474. >lowering her ears and head
  475.  
  476. >you take a long, deep breath
  477.  
  478. “Applejack, listen to me, hon. Whatever your old “master” did to you… I ain’t him. I will never, ever be him. Do you understand?”
  479.  
  480. >you do your best to keep your voice under control
  481. >you don’t want to scare her
  482. >but under the surface, you are furious
  483. >those lines, those scars
  484. >they are recent, and terrible
  485. >the skin has even been abraded enough to where there are patches that are shiny
  486. >where the skin’s surface isn’t there anymore
  487.  
  488. >Applejack is crying openly, now
  489. >she responds, almost automatically
  490.  
  491. “Yes, Anon!”
  492.  
  493. >but you can hear in her tone of voice, the fear
  494. >and you get the sense that she wasn’t fully processing what you just said
  495. >like all she heard was “do you understand”
  496. >and she said yes out of fear of further punishment
  497. >you cringe
  498.  
  499. >Applejack flinches when you step toward her
  500. >but her eyes grow wide when you get down on your knees
  501. >you do decide, however, to use her apparent will to obey you to your advantage
  502. >and give her a soft-spoken command
  503.  
  504. “Please, turn around, Applejack. Turn around and look at me."
  505.  
  506. >thankfully, Applejack lowers her tail, and turns herself around
  507. >she wavers, but she eventually does do what you ask
  508. >her eyes glisten, a tear tracing a line through the film of dust and dirt on her face
  509. >you stay kneeling
  510. >and very carefully, you extend your hands toward her
  511. >she gasps when you place them below her jaw, and gently lift her face
  512.  
  513. “I will never, ever do what he did to you. What I just said is the honest truth, hon. Whatever horrible things he did to you, that’s all in the past. I’m not going to be like him.”
  514.  
  515. >She looks intently at you
  516. >with those massive, expressive green irises
  517. >you could almost lose yourself in them
  518. >you blink rapidly for a moment, collecting yourself
  519.  
  520. “Tell me if you understand, Applejack.”
  521.  
  522. >Applejack’s face is frozen
  523. >a tear from her cheek drips onto your wrist
  524. >Her mouth is slightly agape
  525. >and it’s clear to you that she’s truly processing what you just told her, this time
  526.  
  527. >faintly, she nods her head
  528. >you can feel her warm exhale on your wrists
  529. >releasing air she had been holding inside of her this whole time
  530.  
  531. >it’s the first sign of her relaxing, even slightly, since you got her here
  532. >you smile
  533. >you hope it comes across as warm and welcoming
  534.  
  535. >Applejack doesn’t smile back, but she doesn’t avert her eyes from you, either
  536. >you can only hope that it isn’t just because you TOLD her to look at you
  537. >Either way, there is new business that you need to attend to
  538.  
  539. >and she isn’t going to enjoy it.
  540.  
  541. >you pull your hands away from her and slowly get up
  542. >Applejack’s head falls a little now that your hands aren’t propping it up
  543. >you really don’t want to say what you’re about to say
  544. >but after seeing those marks on her rear and legs, you can’t put it off
  545. >You bite your lip
  546.  
  547. “Alright. Now, Applejack… those marks are bad, hon. And I don’t want to put you through even more pain, but… we gotta clean those cuts.”
  548.  
  549. >You wince for Applejack’s sake
  550. >this won’t be pleasant for her
  551.  
  552. >what you just said takes a moment to sink in
  553. >but once it does, the orange pony’s head shoots up
  554. >she fixes you with those huge, glistening eyes once more
  555. >breathes shallowly through her open mouth
  556.  
  557. >you can clearly see the fear making a resurgence on her features
  558. >Her back hooves are shaking a little bit, too
  559. >she’s clearly still in a good deal of pain
  560. >but with a shuddering sigh, she lowers her head at you
  561. >gives a labored nod of her head
  562. >and once more, she seems calm
  563.  
  564. “Y-yes, Anon.”
  565.  
  566. >she sniffs
  567. >wipes a tear
  568. >but she also seems resigned to it all
  569.  
  570. >that’s about as good of a reaction as you could hope for
  571. >so, you’ll get this over with now
  572. >you wave at her, motioning for her to follow you down the hallway
  573.  
  574. “Alright. Let’s get you to the bathtub. Follow me…”
  575.  
  576. ----
  577. >Applejack is standing stock still in the doorway while you search the bathroom cabinet
  578. >sorting through the crap, you withdraw a fresh new bar of soap, still in the cardboard box
  579. >it’s nothing fancy, but it will get the job done
  580. >you don’t have any of that fancy antibiotic cream or anything
  581. >there’s also a small bottle of rubbing alcohol down there, but you aren’t going to touch that
  582. >you don’t want Applejack’s screams of agony to be heard around the neighborhood
  583. >sure, you use it sometimes on the job when the blade of a shovel or something cuts your hands, but not for something as widespread as this
  584. >poor thing wouldn’t be able to take it.
  585.  
  586. >you pop the bar of cream white soap from the box and turn on the water faucet
  587. >you run your hand beneath it until it is a comfortable lukewarm temperature
  588. >then, you motion to Applejack again
  589.  
  590. “Come on, hon. I’ll help you into the tub.”
  591.  
  592. >Applejack swallows, and slinks into the bathroom with her tail pressed tightly against her leg
  593. >she looks scared, but nothing like the terror that was on her face before
  594. >when she gets close enough, you reach under her front legs, and gently lift her up
  595.  
  596. >holy COW, she’s heavier than you thought she would be
  597. >thankfully, you’re used to lifting heavy bags of sand and hauling wheelbarrows filled with mulch and gravel
  598. >you set her down very carefully into the tub, and make sure she can stand on all four legs before letting go
  599. >you face her rear and hind legs toward the faucet
  600. >water laps up against the fetlocks of her back hooves
  601. >Applejack’s breathing hard, but she’s not resisting you
  602.  
  603. >you wince again when you see the marks
  604. >there are so many of them
  605. >some of the cuts are deeper than others
  606. >and it also doesn’t help that they’re in such a, well, embarrassing area
  607. >the wounds never appear to have been cleaned, as you expected
  608. >they’re dried out a little, but bits of dirt and grime are visible as well
  609. >honestly, her whole body could use a good bath
  610. >but you have to get this sorted first
  611. >have to give everything a thorough rinse with cool water until it’s moist and able to be cleaned
  612.  
  613. >thankfully, you have one of those detachable shower handles with a hose, the kind you can use to wash things up close
  614. >hopefully that will speed things up a little
  615.  
  616. “Ok Applejack, are you ready? I’m going to turn on the showerhead.”
  617.  
  618. >Applejack gasps lightly
  619. >she looks over her shoulder
  620. >takes a long look at the showerhead in your hand
  621. >like she was trying to verify that you really WERE going to do what you said you were doing
  622. >when she sees it, she swallows, and turns back around
  623.  
  624. >She nods her head, and you see her flick her tail away completely
  625. >keeping it off to the side
  626. >She also raises one of her front legs, and braces herself against the opposite wall with it
  627.  
  628. “Y-Yeah. I’m ready, Anon.”
  629.  
  630. >It’s only just occurring to you now, however, how vulnerable Applejack is right now
  631. >you know this has to feel awkward for her
  632. >after all, you can kind of see everything right now
  633. >with a normal animal, you wouldn’t think anything of it
  634. >not even with a normal horse, or a pony
  635. >but a pony that can talk?
  636. >That was different
  637. >certainly more different than you were hoping it would feel.
  638.  
  639. >you push it out of your mind, however, when you realize that you have kept Applejack waiting for nearly ten extra seconds
  640. >so, you jerk the shower diverter on and point it at the bathtub wall
  641. >after all, you don’t want to startle her with a sudden rush of cool water
  642. >you want this to be as comfortable for her as you can make it
  643.  
  644. >the water shoots out with a gurgle and a hiss
  645. >Just from that sound alone, she jumps a little
  646. >but she settles back down quick, exhaling sharply
  647.  
  648. >you start with her right side, working from top to bottom
  649. >that way, everything will all flow down hill, so to speak
  650. >but when the lukewarm jets of water make contact with her damaged skin, Applejack winces audibly
  651. >she bends her bracing leg a little, closing her eyes
  652. >but she isn’t giving you any trouble as you work the water down slowly, watching some of the dirt and grime go down the drain
  653. >you are honestly appalled by how dark the water is beginning to look
  654. >Applejack may very well get an infection if you aren’t thorough enough
  655.  
  656. >you go over the whole right side three times before switching to the other side
  657. >this time, Applejack’s legs and rear tense up, and she hisses from between clenched teeth
  658. >the water pressure must be a little high
  659. >but with how scabbed over some of these marks are, and how much dirt seems to be pressed deeply in, you have to have it that way
  660.  
  661. >all the while, you are making a good effort to avoid the region directly below her tail
  662. >if anything, you have to get that part dead last, and only if she lets you
  663. >and only if you can stomach it
  664.  
  665. >once the regions are rinsed well, you can see the skin beginning to moisten and the marks getting a little bit brighter in color
  666. >the wounds are more open, now, but that also means they’re going to hurt more, too
  667. >but that’s unavoidable
  668.  
  669. >you reach down to the floor of the tub, and pick up the bar of now-lathered soap that you let sit in the pooling water, and grab a washcloth from a hook up on the wall
  670. >now it’s time for the even less pleasant part of this whole debacle
  671. >it’s not rubbing alcohol, but you know that this is still going to sting a lot
  672. >but it has to be done
  673.  
  674. >you lean your head forward
  675.  
  676. “Alright, Applejack. I gotta use the soap, now. You ready?”
  677.  
  678. >Applejack shivers
  679. >she turns her head, and her eyes lock onto the bar of soap
  680. >she hesitates, but her head nods again
  681.  
  682. “Yes, I-I’m ready Anon.”
  683.  
  684. >then, she lifts up her other hoof, and presses that one against the wall, too
  685. >she hides her head in between her hooves, bracing herself
  686. >you wipe the bar of soap onto the washcloth, and give it a thorough covering layer
  687. >and then, not making her wait any longer, you start again from the top, pressing the soapy cloth deeply into the grooves of each mark
  688.  
  689. “Ah… Ahh, ah! Ow...”
  690.  
  691. >Applejack winces, and a shiver travels up her spine
  692. >She gasps and vocalizes softly into her hooves, but the hard walls echo it around the room
  693. >you have to ignore it
  694. >this is for the best
  695. >you are very methodical, making sure you trace every mark you see
  696. >the suds are turning darker in color, too
  697.  
  698. >Applejack is still holding on, but you can hear her crying softly
  699. >her back hooves sometimes slosh the water when she raises and lowers them, trying to cope with the intense stinging pain
  700. >you once again, however, stay away from the place under her tail and between her legs
  701. >move past it, and slowly progress down her leg
  702. >until the whole surface of her right buttock and thigh is covered in suds
  703. >then, you rinse it all out with lukewarm water once again
  704.  
  705. >a tear or two mixes in with the water in the tub as Applejack holds in sobs
  706. >the poor thing is only halfway done, too
  707. >you rinse out the cloth twice with water, and reapply the soap
  708. >then, you begin working on the other side
  709.  
  710. “Ah! Ow, ow, ahh!”
  711.  
  712. >this time, Applejack is louder than before
  713. >she bends both of her front hooves, like she’s trying to pull her rear end away from you
  714. >you continue cleaning, however, which draws a sob from her throat
  715.  
  716. >you grimace
  717. >lowering your voice, you speak with a tone of gentle understanding
  718.  
  719. “It’s gonna be ok, Applejack. Just stay strong, stay still, you can do it…”
  720.  
  721. >still vocalizing, she gives a small stamp of her left rear hoof
  722. >splashing the water a bit
  723. >trying to do something to help distract herself
  724. >but hearing what you said, she unbends her front legs, and obediently moves back to where she was before
  725. >she mutters out a nearly-whispered apology
  726.  
  727. “S-s-sorry, Anon…”
  728.  
  729. “That’s ok. I’m working as fast as I can, hon.”
  730.  
  731. >It will be over soon.
  732.  
  733. >You do eventually make it all the way down her leg
  734. >Applejack is trying so hard to stay still, but her legs are shivering and shaking constantly
  735. >but when you start to rinse it all off, she begins to breathe a little easier
  736. >and her muscles relax
  737. >welcoming the cooling jets of water washing over the constant burn of stinging soap
  738.  
  739. >the long slashes across her rump and legs are a different color than they were
  740. >the water finally lost its grayish brown color as it ran down her legs
  741. >you still grimace when you take a long look at the damage
  742. >but at least it can now heal properly, with some heavy bandages and gauze tape
  743. >your work, at least on this part of her body, is finally done
  744. >you smile
  745.  
  746. “Alright, Applejack. That’s the end of that, ok? You did great.”
  747.  
  748. >Applejack nods faintly, but keeps her face hidden in between her hooves, which remain propped up against the wall
  749. >you leave the showerhead running, angling it down
  750. >you rinse off the washcloth again, and reapply the soap for a third time
  751. >business hasn’t concluded just yet, but at least the worst part is finally done...
  752.  
  753. “A...An-non?”
  754.  
  755. >suddenly, you hear Applejack’s voice peep out, that soft country twang of hers coming through once again
  756. >You freeze, holding the washcloth in your hand
  757. >well, that was unexpected
  758. >the first time she’s actually initiated anything with you
  759. >hopefully, this is because she’s starting to trust you, even just a little bit
  760.  
  761. >she also seems aware of the fact that she’s never addressed you before now, too
  762. >her voice cracks with timidity, like she’s expecting you to rebuke her for addressing you first
  763. >the thought that she would be so scared of something as simple as that...
  764. >it honestly makes you furious on the inside
  765. >but you keep your cool
  766. >you’re going to make sure that she knows that initiating conversation is perfectly ok
  767. >so, you reply, very casually
  768.  
  769. “Yes, Applejack? Is everything alright?”
  770.  
  771. >Applejack sniffs through clogged nostrils
  772. >she must have a runny nose after all that crying
  773. >the poor thing
  774.  
  775. >she stammers out what she says next
  776. >this time, she doesn’t even look over her shoulder
  777. >but you can still see part of her face
  778. >and it’s gone from orange to furious, scarlet red
  779. >and the corners of her lips are curled downward in a fearful frown
  780. >she keeps her position, like she isn’t daring to budge unless you tell her it’s ok, first
  781.  
  782. “Are you… are you gonna w-wash me… down there, too?”
  783.  
  784. >Oh shit.
  785.  
  786.  
  787. >firstly, you take note of the nervousness in her voice
  788. >it’s very clear that she isn’t asking because she actually WANTS you to
  789. >and to be honest, you were considering not doing it
  790. >she may be a pony, but she’s not some mindless animal
  791.  
  792. >but at the same time, you know that if it were you bathing yourself, you would want that spot cleaned, too
  793. >hell, ESPECIALLY that spot
  794. >but you also don’t want her to feel like you’re violating her
  795. >so, you sigh, and ask her the big question
  796.  
  797. “Well… be honest with me, Applejack. Would you be ok with it?”
  798.  
  799. >you wait for a reply
  800. >Applejack is thinking it through
  801. >glancing in your direction
  802. >you get the sense that she’s feeling you out
  803. >err, so to speak
  804. >trying to figure out if she trusts you enough
  805. >well, she understandably has issues with that, even though you’ve been nothing but nice to her
  806. >you wouldn’t blame her if she said no
  807.  
  808. >and come to think of it, you kind of want her to say no…
  809.  
  810. “I… I am.”
  811.  
  812. >aaand that was not the answer you were expecting
  813. >you can practically feel the static in the air with how awkward the situation just got
  814. >you close your eyes, bite your lips
  815. >And when you open them, her nethers are right there
  816.  
  817. >Applejack says no more
  818. >she’s closing her eyes, too
  819. >but you notice, with a strange, bubbling feeling building in your stomach, that she seems to extend her bracing legs even more
  820. >pushes her rear out, and lowers her front
  821. >and spreads her legs wider
  822.  
  823. >you grip the soapy washcloth in your hand a little tighter
  824. >she’s actually trying to make it easier for you
  825. >you have to say, you never expected to be in a situation like this with her
  826. >but here you are
  827. >you don’t want to do this, really
  828.  
  829. >but at the same time, you find yourself… flattered
  830. >in a really weird way
  831. >only a minute before, she was afraid you were going to hit her for just asking a question
  832. >and now, she trusts you this much?
  833. >quite a huge switch
  834.  
  835. “Well… if you say so. Just… lemme know if you need me to stop. At any time. Ok?
  836.  
  837. >Applejack nods
  838.  
  839. “Yes, Anon. I, I understand.”
  840.  
  841. >good
  842. >as long as she understands that, you’re just okay enough with this whole thing to do it
  843. >you take a moment to overcome your hesitation
  844. >remind yourself that she’s ok with this
  845. >and that it needs to be done
  846. >it needs to be done...
  847.  
  848. >You bunch up the washcloth and pinch it between your four fingers
  849. >angle the softest part outward
  850. >and at last, you press it firmly onto the folds of her most private place
  851.  
  852. >you feel her do a little jolt when you make contact
  853. >but she quickly relaxes
  854. >not hearing a demand for you to stop, you begin to rub the washcloth downward
  855. >pressing down firmly enough to actually do some good
  856. >you don’t scrub back and forth, but rather, you trace a single vertical line in the same direction
  857. >you feel the muscles tensing and contracting beneath your fingers, even through the cloth
  858. >Applejack is breathing hard through her nose
  859. >but she’s not telling you to stop
  860.  
  861. >so you continue
  862. >pushing away… well, any thoughts whatsoever about what you’re actually doing right now
  863. >you cringe when you see the suds, like before, turning darker in color
  864. >it really is more than a little gross, but you feel terrible for Applejack
  865. >having such a part of her body be dirty can’t be comfortable
  866. >listening to her carefully, making sure you aren’t doing anything painful, you begin to focus your attentions on the right fold
  867. >through a thick layer of washcloth, you trace down the outer lip
  868. >that’s when you hear Applejack gasp
  869.  
  870. “Ah…”
  871.  
  872. >your hand stops dead in its tracks
  873.  
  874. “You alright, hon?”
  875.  
  876. >Applejack’s ribs rise and fall rapidly
  877. >she’s trying to keep her breathing under control
  878. >trying to keep quiet while you do your work
  879. >she nods
  880.  
  881. “Y-yes, Anon, I’m fine. It’s just… it’s real sensitive.”
  882.  
  883. >you frown
  884. >the air around you feels charged
  885. >so tense
  886.  
  887. “Like… in a painful way, orr…”
  888.  
  889. >She shakes her head, this time
  890. >and exhales sharply
  891.  
  892. “N-no, the… other way...”
  893.  
  894. >Oh.
  895.  
  896. “Oh.”
  897.  
  898. >Applejack’s back shivers, but she remains exactly where she is
  899. >meanwhile, you’re not sure what to do, now
  900. >you were kind of hoping that this would be one of those unpleasant things that you do and get over with, and hopefully forget about
  901. >I mean, you’re glad she’s not in pain and all
  902. >but you’d almost prefer a little more of that, over…
  903. >fuck, this is so awkward.
  904. >Fuck.
  905.  
  906. “So… do you want me to stop, or…”
  907.  
  908. >Applejack sighs
  909. >her tail twitches
  910. >then, she shakes her head
  911.  
  912. “No, no… no, Anon. It’s ok.”
  913.  
  914. >well, at least she doesn’t sound TOO enthusiastic
  915. >after all, you need to clean her, not… stimulate her.
  916. >damn, you should’ve just said no
  917.  
  918. “If you’re sure, Applejack… I’m gonna keep going, ok?”
  919.  
  920. >she says nothing
  921. >whatever
  922. >you push your thoughts aside once more and, with the same diligence as before, you finish scrubbing the right side
  923. >Applejack fortunately doesn’t seem to make much noise as you trace down the left side of her nethers
  924. >scrubbing it kind of like how you would wipe the dust from a guitar string
  925. >luckily, your efforts do not seem to be pointless
  926. >she’s definitely getting cleaner
  927.  
  928. >now, for the final part
  929. >you bunch up the washcloth once again, and flatten your fingers inside of it
  930. >and, swallowing, you begin to clean the inner folds
  931. >it’s the last part, thank God
  932. >you feel like a total perve, but you don’t linger long
  933.  
  934. >but Applejack is feeling it, for sure
  935. >her right rear leg twitches, sloshing in the water some more
  936. >she gives a gasp, and for just a short moment, her vocal chords crack
  937. >as soon as that happens, it’s out with your hand
  938.  
  939. >once you pull it away, you swear that you can see her rump move back
  940. >jutting out even more, like it’s following the direction of your hand
  941. >but she pulls it back a second later
  942.  
  943. >you pick up the showerhead again, which has been idly shooting water all over the floor of the bathtub
  944. >and you rinse the whole spot, making sure that every single sud is washed away
  945.  
  946. >as soon as the water hits, though, Applejack makes the loudest sound yet
  947. >like a hiccup, but sharper
  948. >you decide that you aren’t going to ask
  949.  
  950. >but then, something happens that draws your full attention
  951. >at the bottom of her nethers, right at the tip of her vagina, a pinkish red spot suddenly pops out
  952. >goes back in
  953. >then pops back out again
  954.  
  955. >it keeps doing this, over and over again
  956. >you aren’t sure what to make of it
  957. >but it’s not like you’re going to ask your new pony what it is, either
  958. >”Hey, what’s wrong with your vagina?”
  959. >Jesus H. Christ…
  960.  
  961. >once you stop rinsing her, however, it stops
  962. >and Applejack’s whole body does a little lurch forward
  963. >a harsh exhale leaves her, a pent up breath that hadn’t been released until now
  964.  
  965. >and so concludes the most awkward situation you have ever been in all your life
  966. >both for you and, probably at least, for Applejack
  967. >you give the washcloth and extra thorough rinse, this time before you reapply the soap
  968. >you speak softly to Applejack, but still loudly enough to be audible over the background hiss of water
  969.  
  970. “Alright, hon, we’re done with that. Now, I know you’re probably sick of standing there so long, but I’m just gonna get the whole rest of you now, ok?”
  971.  
  972. >Applejack huffs and puffs
  973. >you notice out of the corner of your eye, that the thing pop in and out of her mare folds, again
  974. >but she answers you right away
  975.  
  976. >Yes, yes An-non, I… I’ll stay right here, Anon.”
  977.  
  978. >good, you think
  979. >she’s still cooperating, just like she always has been
  980. >even though you just basically fondled her
  981. >glad she’s so understanding
  982. >but you can’t help but give a little chuckle when you realize that she’s still in the same, bent over position
  983. >you clear your throat
  984.  
  985. “Um, hey Applejack… you can just stand up regular, now, hon.”
  986.  
  987. >her reaction is a little bit priceless
  988. >she gasps, redness on her face
  989. >starts to scramble
  990. >it’s a little difficult to do in a slippery tub, but she manages to put her front hooves back down and bring her back legs together
  991. >she starts to stutter, retracing her words
  992.  
  993. “Oh, I uh… yes, Anon, yes, I-I’m just… just gimme just a s… sorry, Anon…”
  994.  
  995. “That’s alright, hon. Now, just do what you’ve been doing, and let me work. You’re going to be clean as a whistle by the time I’m done!”
  996.  
  997. >with a little blush on her face, she simply nods wordlessly
  998. >she gives a little smile, even though it fades shortly afterward
  999.  
  1000. >it’s the happiest expression you’ve ever seen her make.
  1001.  
  1002. >with determination, and breathing a sigh of relief, you get to work.
  1003.  
  1004.  
  1005. >it still felt a little awkward, you won’t lie
  1006. >but bathing the rest of her, after THAT, felt like nothing
  1007. >when you finally finish rinsing her off, her orange coat looks a lot like it did in the picture
  1008. >bright, smooth, and soft
  1009.  
  1010. >unfortunately, washing her also reveals some other things
  1011. >a mixture of things you hadn’t noticed before, and things that were covered up before
  1012. >smaller, shallower scars scattered over her frame, as well as a good number of bruises
  1013. >this pony’s former master…
  1014. >you’d like to wrap your hands around his neck
  1015.  
  1016. >you dry her off, but take care not to touch her rear and thighs
  1017. >you don’t want pieces of fabric finding their way into the wounds
  1018. >that’s just going to have to drip dry
  1019. >you leave her for a moment, and search the bathroom cabinet again
  1020. >you find some gauze, but you give a low groan when you realize that it isn’t going to be enough
  1021. >you also don’t have any medical tape
  1022. >jesus, you probably should have checked that BEFORE you deep cleaned her… everything
  1023. >you’re in a bit of a pickle right now
  1024.  
  1025. >there’s a pharmacy only a five minute drive away from your house
  1026. >but you can’t take Applejack with you
  1027. >there’s no way
  1028. >you don’t want those scars to be seen in public
  1029. >and besides, you aren’t going to let her go anywhere at all while those things aren’t covered up
  1030.  
  1031. >but you can’t just leave her here at home, either
  1032. >not without supervision, that is…
  1033. >or… can you?
  1034.  
  1035. >you try to find another way, but it’s starting to become clear
  1036. >you’re probably making a huge mistake
  1037. >but you can’t see how else you’re going to do this
  1038.  
  1039. >you fix Applejack with a serious stare
  1040. >she’s not looking directly at you at first, but when she notices you staring at her, she jerks her head sideways to look back at you
  1041. >that instant, she folds her ears back
  1042. >and she seizes up
  1043.  
  1044. >you show her the half-used roll of gauze
  1045.  
  1046. “Hey, hon. I just checked the cabinet to get you some dressing for the wounds on you, but… I don’t have what I need.”
  1047.  
  1048. >Applejack’s face, steadily, relaxes a bit
  1049. >when she hears your tone of voice, you think she realizes that you aren’t cross with her
  1050. >jeez, your stare must have been angry looking
  1051. >you’ll have to work on that
  1052. >ahem
  1053.  
  1054. “So… I’m gonna have to go up to the store and get some stuff. It’s only five minutes away. So, Applejack…”
  1055.  
  1056. >you point at the placemat below her hooves
  1057.  
  1058. “I’m gonna need you to stay put while I’m gone. Ok?”
  1059.  
  1060. >Applejack, her face timid and fearful before, suddenly goes blank
  1061. >looks at you with this expression of “wait, what?”
  1062. >but she glances down at the placemat
  1063. >and when she looks back at you, she nods resolutely
  1064.  
  1065. “Yes, Anon. I won’t leave this spot, I promise.”
  1066.  
  1067. >you hear her enthusiasm
  1068. >or… whatever it is
  1069. >come to think of it, you honestly don’t doubt her, either
  1070. >poor thing probably still thinks you’ll take a belt to her or something if she moves
  1071. >but you’ll use her irrational fear to your advantage this time
  1072.  
  1073. >you nod back at her, and smile
  1074.  
  1075. “Ok, good. Thank you, Applejack. I’ll be back very soon, don’t worry!”
  1076.  
  1077. >you wave goodbye, and close the door slowly
  1078. >she doesn’t wave back
  1079. >but that’s ok.
  1080. >you know she’s going to be ok.
  1081.  
  1082. >your truck is a piece of shit.
  1083. >no really, it’s fucking garbage
  1084. >the whole back seat section is filled with half-empty bags of organic fertilizer, hardwood mulch, stone fragments, old fast food bags, a toolbox…
  1085. >you’re pretty sure Applejack would get an infection just being near this thing
  1086. >whatever happens, you made the right call
  1087.  
  1088. >you arrive at the pharmacy
  1089. >it takes you five minutes by itself just to find the stuff
  1090. >damn, gauze is expensive
  1091. >so is special first aid tape
  1092. >but it’s worth every penny if it means you can help this poor pony out
  1093. >fuck it, you get a tube of antibiotic ointment, too
  1094. >you really hope it won’t sting
  1095. >but you have to keep the region moist
  1096. >otherwise, the scars won’t heal as well or as quickly
  1097.  
  1098. >you make a beeline to the car once you’ve paid for them
  1099. >plastic bag in your hand
  1100. >you hop in the driver’s seat and toss the bag in the passenger’s side
  1101.  
  1102. >you back up quickly, in a hurry to get home…
  1103.  
  1104. >and then, you see a flash of headlights from behind and to the right of you
  1105. >which is followed by a thundering CRUNCH of metal
  1106. >And your head jerks to the side, before whiplashing back the other direction
  1107.  
  1108. >it takes a moment for it to sink in what just happened
  1109. >you sit there, hands gripping the wheel
  1110. >white knuckled
  1111. >and then, once you understand what just occurred, you swear
  1112. >loudly
  1113.  
  1114. “FUCK! FUCKING, FUCK GOD DAMN IT, SHIT PISS FFFFUCK!”
  1115.  
  1116. >the police were slow to the scene
  1117. >you told the guy driving the other truck that he could have your info, and he could back with you
  1118. >it was your fault, after all
  1119. >but nooo, he had to get the police
  1120.  
  1121. >well, you had looked over to his truck
  1122. >and you sighed with relative relief when you realized that it’s a piece of shit, too
  1123. >and the damage is quite minor
  1124. >at least your payment out of pocket wouldn’t be TOO exorbitant
  1125. >you hope
  1126. >but your premium is gonna go up, for sure
  1127. >damn it, you really wanted to save up some more spending money from your jobs this summer
  1128. >but life gives you lemons, and all that shit
  1129.  
  1130. >the dent from tonight honestly blends in with the rest of your jalopy
  1131. >you’re just glad you can drive home
  1132.  
  1133. >you check your watch
  1134. >and swear again
  1135. >it’s been almost two goddamn hours
  1136. >you told her it would take you what, five minutes? Ten minutes there and back?
  1137. >this is horrible.
  1138.  
  1139. >You rush to the front door, fumbling with the keys
  1140. >you just hope Applejack hasn’t thought the worst
  1141. >you hope she’s still there…
  1142.  
  1143. >you throw the door open and jog inside, heading right for the bathroom with the plastic bag of gauze and cream in your hand
  1144.  
  1145. “Applejack! I’m back, hon, I’m back! I’m so sorry...”
  1146.  
  1147. >You reach the bathroom door
  1148. >you see that it’s still closed
  1149. >you turn the knob and slam it open
  1150.  
  1151. “Ah! AHH! Ah…”
  1152.  
  1153. >and there she is
  1154. >lying down on the placemat on the floor
  1155. >or, at least, she WAS lying down
  1156. >but she jolts awake when the door swings open
  1157. >practically jumps in the air, and thumps into the wall of the bathtub behind her
  1158. >her sharp, terrified scream echoes around the bathroom
  1159. >and it’s soon followed by heavy, labored breathing
  1160.  
  1161. >she stares up at you with her pupils wide as saucers
  1162. >her ears pin down on her head, and she seems to try and melt into the bathtub wall
  1163.  
  1164. >well, now you feel like an idiot
  1165. >you had to just crash into the room, didn’t you?
  1166. >it’s not like the poor thing wasn’t already scared enough
  1167. >you quickly get down on one knee, and hold the bag forward, toward her cowering frame
  1168.  
  1169. “Hey, hey, it’s me, Applejack! It’s Anon!”
  1170.  
  1171. >you reach into the plastic bag and pull out the gauze, tape, and tube of cream
  1172. >you set them down at your feet, right in front of her
  1173. >then, you stick the bag in the trash can
  1174. >all the while, you’re looking at her
  1175. >taking in the fear you see in her eyes
  1176. >it’s heartbreaking
  1177. >you try to calm her down
  1178.  
  1179. “See? I got the stuff. I’m gonna be able to get your marks covered up, now. Applejack?”
  1180.  
  1181. >she looks like she’s in a bit of shock
  1182. >her eyes are still huge, but at least she’s not heaving as much
  1183. >then, as the seconds tick by, you finally see her release the tension in her muscles
  1184. >you also see a few tears spill right out of her eyes and plop onto the tile floor
  1185.  
  1186. >you keep talking to her, making sure your voice is calm, clear, and soft
  1187.  
  1188. “I’m sorry, so sorry I took so long, hon. I just… I got into a car accident. It wasn’t a big one, but I had to wait for the police, and… gosh, I’m so sorry, Applejack.”
  1189.  
  1190. >she makes no reply other than a sniffle
  1191. >she covers up her face partway with her hoof
  1192. >she begins to whisper something, but she closes her mouth before scarcely a syllable gets out
  1193.  
  1194. >you lean your head forward
  1195.  
  1196. “Applejack? What is it, hon?”
  1197.  
  1198. >she shivers
  1199. >continues to face the wall
  1200.  
  1201. “I-I thought… you were mad, c-cuz I was sleeping…”
  1202.  
  1203. >she stutters, and squirms uncomfortably
  1204. >you shake your head, gritting your teeth together
  1205. >your heart aches just hearing that
  1206.  
  1207. “Oh, no, no, Applejack! Why would I get angry over something like that? Besides, I’m the one who left you here for two hours… and I’m really sorry I slammed that door open, ok? I know it must have startled you.”
  1208.  
  1209. >Applejack finally dares to look at you
  1210. >you try to give her a warm smile
  1211. >hope to calm her down, make her realize you aren’t going to hurt her
  1212.  
  1213. >and, for once, it seems to work
  1214. >she lowers her hoof, showing the rest of her tearstained face
  1215.  
  1216. >now that she has calmed down, you pick up the gauze, tape, and antibiotic cream
  1217. >she looks at your hands warily, but seems to know that whatever it is, it’s going onto her
  1218. >god, you really hope this cream doesn’t burn…
  1219.  
  1220. “Ok, hon. I’m gonna need you stand up and stay still for me, ok?”
  1221.  
  1222. ----
  1223.  
  1224. >it’s a lot harder to apply all of this stuff than you you thought it would be
  1225. >thankfully, the antibiotic cream doesn’t sting when you put it on
  1226. >Applejack still braced herself against the wall anyway, though
  1227. >she actually seemed a little surprised when she realized that it didn’t hurt when you applied it
  1228. >poor girl probably thought you were going to make even more pain for her
  1229.  
  1230. >wrapping the gauze around her rump and affixing it on both of her flanks with the tape wasn’t easy, either
  1231. >you had to avoid putting gauze over either of her private spots, so you did vertical strips of gauze beside them instead
  1232. >once you got down to her legs, it was a lot less awkward, though
  1233. >it kind of looks weird once you’re finished
  1234. >but hey, it got the job done
  1235. >all finished, now
  1236. >now, it just needs to heal
  1237.  
  1238. >you put away what’s left of the cream, tape, and gauze under the bathroom sink
  1239. >then, you scoot yourself around to get a better look at her face, which is hidden between her hooves
  1240. >she’s still bracing herself
  1241. >you clear your throat
  1242.  
  1243. “Ok, Applejack. It’s all done.”
  1244.  
  1245. >she lifts up her head, and sighs deeply
  1246. >then, this time without you having to remind her, she takes her hooves off the wall
  1247. >stands up straight
  1248. >you smile
  1249.  
  1250. “You did great, hon. Thank you so much for cooperating all this time, even though I know it hurt a lot…”
  1251.  
  1252. >she nods her head, and bows it down
  1253. >she’s still not looking directly at you, but she does turn her body a little bit
  1254. >facing the corner to your right
  1255.  
  1256. >it suddenly occurs to you that she never seems to look right at you
  1257. >barely a glance every now and then, but that’s it
  1258. >unless you tell her to, that is
  1259. >you’ll have to work on that later
  1260. >for now, you have to tell her a few things
  1261. >and you might as well tell her to look at you while you say them
  1262.  
  1263. “Hey, look at me for a minute, hon.”
  1264.  
  1265. >Applejack’s eyes get bigger for a moment, and her ears twitch
  1266. >but, just like every other time you’ve told her to do something, she does it with little hesitation
  1267. >you stay kneeling, not wanting to tower over her in a domineering way
  1268.  
  1269. “Good. Now, those scars are going to take time to heal, ok? So, I need you not to touch those bandages, be very careful if you want to sit down, and not exert yourself too much, ok? Those bandages need to stay on.”
  1270.  
  1271. >you give her the instructions with a level voice
  1272. >firmly enough, but there’s no need to “hammer it in”
  1273. >she does nothing less than try her best to remember everything you told her
  1274. >sure enough, she replies in a grave tone
  1275.  
  1276. “Yes, Anon. I understand.”
  1277.  
  1278. >you inwardly fist pump
  1279. >well, now that’s settled
  1280. >this long, horribly awkward cleaning session is over
  1281. >and now, you’re gonna help this mare out in any way that you can
  1282. >you can’t wait for what you’re going to show her next
  1283. >even the thought of the car accident only hours before seems to fade in your mind
  1284.  
  1285. >you wave her toward you
  1286. >she understands the silent gesture, and approaches you, but stays at a distance
  1287.  
  1288. “Good. Now, follow me, ok? Let me show you your new room.”
  1289.  
  1290. >It’s right down the hall
  1291. >conveniently close to the bathroom
  1292. >it’s not a big room, and not a big bed
  1293. >but somehow, you doubt that will be a problem
  1294.  
  1295. >Applejack follows you at a short distance, maybe two feet
  1296. >so when you open the door to her room, she doesn’t automatically go in
  1297. >you have to point inside
  1298.  
  1299. “Come on, take a look!”
  1300.  
  1301. >Applejack purses her lips together, and nods silently
  1302. >she slinks up to you, standing on the other side of the doorway, watching you closely
  1303. >jeez, it’s like she’s expecting you to kick her if she fails some kind of test you’re giving her, or something
  1304. >you take a step back and give her all the room she needs
  1305.  
  1306. >she steps into the doorway
  1307. >and freezes
  1308.  
  1309. >you look down at her
  1310. >the seconds tick by
  1311. >and holy cow, she’s still not moving
  1312.  
  1313. >eventually, you see her front legs shake
  1314. >you’re about to say something, ask her if something is wrong
  1315. >you even look in the room with her
  1316. >half expecting some horror you weren’t aware of to be residing in the room
  1317. >I mean, you haven’t used this room in a while, so…”
  1318.  
  1319. “I… have a bed?”
  1320.  
  1321. >she asks the question in a mutter
  1322. >barely above a whisper
  1323. >she chokes on the word “bed”
  1324.  
  1325. >your heart flutters in your chest
  1326. >god, this hurts...
  1327. >you nod
  1328.  
  1329. “Yes, Applejack. It’s all yours!”
  1330.  
  1331. >she continues to stand there
  1332. >and stare
  1333. >and stare…
  1334. >just… in shock
  1335. >She hiccups
  1336.  
  1337. “But… I haven’t done anything yet…”
  1338.  
  1339. >she sounds so surprised
  1340. >and now, you can’t help smiling
  1341. >but that smile quickly turns into a grimace
  1342. >she’s so shocked that she gets to sleep in a bed…
  1343.  
  1344. >thinks she has to “earn” something so basic
  1345. >something you take for granted
  1346.  
  1347. >something happens to you
  1348. >you have an urge to do something that you were hesitant to do before
  1349. >Applejack is standing right next to you
  1350. >your hand is right there behind her head
  1351.  
  1352. >you bite your lip
  1353. >tense your whole body, hoping she won’t freak out
  1354.  
  1355. “It’s alright, hon.”
  1356.  
  1357. >you reach out, and put your hand on her head
  1358. >as expected, she tenses up
  1359. >gasps
  1360. >and her eyes dart over to you for an instant
  1361. >but you don’t withdraw your hand
  1362.  
  1363. >instead, you slowly brush over her mane with your hand, down the length of her neck
  1364. >feel her vertebrae faintly sticking out through her skin
  1365. >you wince, but you don’t stop
  1366. >you pet her several more times
  1367. >and she doesn’t move
  1368.  
  1369. >but then, something happens that chills your blood
  1370. >you’ll never forget it
  1371.  
  1372. “Ohh… I understand, An-non, I… wh-where do you want me?”
  1373.  
  1374. >your hand stops mid pet
  1375. >this time, you don’t just think it
  1376. >it slips out of your mouth in a low whisper
  1377.  
  1378. “Oh… oh shit…”
  1379.  
  1380. >Applejack heard you.
  1381. >You feel her muscles twitch under her skin as she angles her ears in your direction
  1382. >when you pull your hand away, she turns her head
  1383. >a worried look on her face
  1384.  
  1385. >you hold up your hands and take a step back
  1386. >shaking your head
  1387. >you take a deep breath with eyes closed, holding your head in your hands
  1388.  
  1389. “Uhh, Applejack… I just… what…”
  1390.  
  1391. >somehow, this is the biggest bombshell yet
  1392. >even bigger than when you saw the scars across her rear and legs
  1393. >does she really mean…
  1394.  
  1395. >it gets more unbelievable
  1396. >Applejack turns around after a second of hesitation
  1397. >you hear her hoofsteps as she rotates around to face you
  1398. >then, she speaks
  1399.  
  1400. “Oh, I-I understand, m-master Anon, I… the bandages…”
  1401.  
  1402. >you hear her take a step forward
  1403. >slowly, your eyes open up, but not before you feel something that jerks you to a state of alertness
  1404. >something tugs the fabric on your pants, and then, you hear the sound of your zipper being pulled down
  1405. >heart stopping, you look down to see Applejack right there, the head of the zipper in her teeth
  1406.  
  1407. >you can’t help how your respond
  1408. >if you could do a redo, you would
  1409. >but your hands, formerly behind your head, fly down
  1410. >and sharply, you swat her snout
  1411.  
  1412. “GAH! Applejack! No, no!”
  1413.  
  1414. >you flinch as soon as your hand connects
  1415. >Applejack’s teeth come off of your zipper
  1416. >she yips, and her eyes go cross for a brief moment
  1417. >you didn’t hit her hard, but when she stumbles back, you know you didn’t have to
  1418. >you stand there in shock, reeling back yourself
  1419.  
  1420. >Applejack, thanks to the swat to her nose, has fresh new tears welling up in her eyes
  1421. >she covers her snout with a hoof
  1422. >and looks shamefully down at the ground
  1423.  
  1424. “I, I-I’m sssorry, Anon, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I thought… I’ll t-turn around…”
  1425.  
  1426. >you can only stare in disbelief when she turns around and raises her tail
  1427. >and lowers the front of her body to the floor
  1428. >your mouth gapes open, and you start furiously shaking your head
  1429. >a loud shout preparing to escape your throat
  1430.  
  1431. >Applejack looks over her shoulder, at you
  1432. >through her teary eyes
  1433.  
  1434. “I can bend over the b-bed, mas--”
  1435.  
  1436. “APPLEJACK, STOP!”
  1437.  
  1438. >the whole house falls completely silent
  1439. >yet, it seems like your command is echoing around the hallway
  1440.  
  1441. >Instantly, before another word could get out, Applejack stopped
  1442. >and you can see her muscles bulge with tension
  1443. >she cringes like she’s just been kicked, and her tail clamps down over her privates
  1444. >you stare down at her with your jaw slackened
  1445.  
  1446. >there are tears in your eyes when you see her expression
  1447. >such fear
  1448. >a look that implores you about what she’s done wrong
  1449. >You bite your lips and calm yourself down from your outburst
  1450.  
  1451. >Applejack is still bent over
  1452. >her chin and cheek pressed against the carpet
  1453. >she won’t move
  1454.  
  1455. >So, you’re going to have to make her.
  1456. >it’s for her own good
  1457. >keeping your voice level, you address her after almost a minute of silence has passed
  1458.  
  1459. “Applejack, hon… stand up. Stand up, and turn around.”
  1460.  
  1461. >as usual, you don’t have to tell her twice
  1462. >her legs quiver, obviously sore from maintaining such an uncomfortable position
  1463. >but she does what you say
  1464. >however, you didn’t tell her to look at you
  1465. >so, she doesn’t, opting to gaze at the floor instead
  1466.  
  1467. >you don’t even know how to respond
  1468. >all you had done was pet her
  1469. >shown her some much-needed affection
  1470. >you never thought it would have led to this.
  1471.  
  1472. >you can tell Applejack is trying valiantly not to break down
  1473. >there is a small red spot on her nose where you bopped her
  1474. >you almost apologize, but you decide against it at the last second
  1475. >it was disturbing how fast she had worked your fly down
  1476. >you note, with a grimace, that she has obviously done it before
  1477. >you had to stop her right away, and besides, you didn’t actually hurt her
  1478. >no blood was dripping out of her nose, thank goodness...
  1479.  
  1480. >her soft voice, nearly a whisper, reaches your ears and pulls you out of your thoughts
  1481.  
  1482. “Master Anon, I---I’m so sorry, p-please---”
  1483.  
  1484. >you can’t hear any more of this
  1485. >it’s too much
  1486. >you cut her off right away, holding up your hand
  1487.  
  1488. “No, no. No, just… just stop, Applejack. Please. I’m not mad, I-I… just… just come here, hon. Come here.”
  1489.  
  1490. >you speak with as much softness as possible
  1491. >hold out your hand like you have something it it
  1492. >beckoning her toward you
  1493. >you even get down on one knee
  1494.  
  1495. >Applejack looks at you with terror in her eyes
  1496. >but despite herself, she takes the first, shivering step in your direction
  1497. >blinking rapidly, breathing heavily
  1498. >a tear falls like a rock to the floor
  1499. >but slowly, she approaches your outstretched hand
  1500.  
  1501. >you swallow hard
  1502. >there are no words you can think to say right now
  1503. >so, you’re going to do something else, instead
  1504. >you’re not going to say a word
  1505.  
  1506. >Applejack lowers her head in submission, and places it beneath your hand
  1507. >and that’s when you make your move
  1508.  
  1509. >you lean forward, both arms outstretched
  1510. >and then, clasping down tightly, you hug her around her shoulders
  1511. >and pull her into you
  1512.  
  1513. >the tension you feel in her entire body is unreal
  1514. >hard as stone
  1515. >you feel her jump in place when your arms wrap around her
  1516.  
  1517. “Ahh! Ah, ah…”
  1518.  
  1519. >you briefly feel her body jerk backward
  1520. >but just for a moment
  1521. >then, gradually, you feel her settle more into you
  1522. >her warm breath tickles your back, even through your t-shirt
  1523. >her head is perched on your shoulder
  1524. >then, you move one of your hands up to the top of her head
  1525. >and laying it into her silk-like mane you cradle her head
  1526.  
  1527. >you press your cheek against the side of her neck
  1528. >it feels so much like a normal horse
  1529. >you close your eyes, and at last, words make their way onto your tongue
  1530. >And then, hugging her tighter, you say them
  1531. >words that you never would have dreamed you would ever say, to anyone
  1532.  
  1533. “I’m not going to rape you.”
  1534.  
  1535. >you grasp the hairs of her mane in between your fingers
  1536. >and you dare to pet her head again
  1537. >her coat still smells like fresh soap from your bath
  1538. >you hold her close, and begin to rock her from side to side
  1539.  
  1540. >Applejack sniffles, and you feel her chest heave
  1541. >you continue stroking her mane, and repeat yourself in whispers
  1542. >she slowly starts to relax, and you feel just the slightest give in the skin of her neck
  1543.  
  1544. “I’m not going to rape you, alright? I’m not going to rape you. I’m…”
  1545.  
  1546. >then, it happens
  1547. >a sob
  1548. >you feel it wrack her body in your hold
  1549. >then another
  1550. >a hot teardrop falls onto your back, and seeps through the fabric of your shirt
  1551. >and her body, formerly tense as a coiled spring, begins to melt into your arms
  1552.  
  1553. >suddenly, you feel her weight pressing against you
  1554. >she goes limp, and several sobs escape her
  1555. >she’s pushing you backward, but you brace yourself on one knee and bear her weight
  1556. >in between cries, she tried to get something out
  1557.  
  1558. “I… I-I… I…”
  1559.  
  1560. >then, it all breaks loose
  1561. >she loses it, completely
  1562. >what can only be described as a broken wail leaves her throat
  1563. >her howls echo up and down the hallway
  1564. >tortured cries, the result of so much anguish for so long, come flooding out
  1565.  
  1566. >you don’t say a word.
  1567. >you press yourself deeper into her body, and keep her secure
  1568. >and her cries go on and on.
  1569.  
  1570. >you sit in your chair
  1571. >rotating a half empty bottle of beer in your hands
  1572. >a small lamp is the only thing lighting the room
  1573.  
  1574. >it’s getting late, but you can’t sleep
  1575. >Applejack, on the other hand, had no trouble
  1576. >the poor pony had exhausted herself from crying so hard, for so long
  1577. >you don’t even know if she really felt it when you picked her up and tucked her into her new bed
  1578. >you were very careful to lay her on her side, and make sure that her damaged rear was not taking any of her weight
  1579. >and that was that.
  1580.  
  1581. >You had to go to work tomorrow.
  1582. >Not only that, but your line of work meant that you had to get up early
  1583. >you had to meet with your other four employees before you all drove to the work site
  1584. >you also had to go up the stone sales center and get another pallet of stone because you were close to running out
  1585. >it was a big patio, after all
  1586. >and you were already running behind
  1587. >you were hoping that your new pony would be able to pitch in some help
  1588. >you’d show her the ropes, give her some simpler jobs to start out
  1589. >make sure she knew what she was doing
  1590. >but now…
  1591.  
  1592. >You couldn’t take her up to the work site in this condition
  1593. >Her hindquarters were whipped to hell, her body was thin, her mind…
  1594. >well, that was in the worst shape of all.
  1595. >but could you possibly leave her here? All alone, for hours?
  1596. >you almost think you should admit her to a hospital
  1597. >but you really won’t have much money to spare until you can finish this patio job
  1598. >and with the car accident, you know your premium is going to increase a ton
  1599.  
  1600. >you don’t know what to do.
  1601. >this had been such a bad idea…
  1602. >no. No it hadn’t.
  1603. >Applejack had been through hell before she came to you
  1604. >you saved her
  1605. >you saved her life.
  1606.  
  1607. >and you know, it’s starting to occur to you
  1608. >you’d left her in the same place for two hours
  1609. >on a damn bathmat
  1610. >and she hadn’t moved
  1611. >she hadn’t done anything to your house
  1612. >in fact, she’d done exactly what you said
  1613. >which only makes sense…
  1614.  
  1615. >you don’t want to do it, but you’re going to have to wake her up early
  1616. >she needs sleep, but you don’t want her to wake up and find you totally gone
  1617. >you thought of leaving a note, but that wouldn’t be ideal
  1618.  
  1619. >you drain the rest of your beer and get up
  1620. >it’s getting late, and maybe you’ll be able to fall asleep eventually
  1621. >you don’t take sleeping pills, because they make it almost impossible to get up the next morning
  1622.  
  1623. >two hours later, after tossing and turning and nearly throwing your blanket right off the bed, you finally drift to sleep.
  1624.  
  1625. -----
  1626.  
  1627. >the beep of your alarm rips you out of your slumber
  1628. >with a sharp breath, you roll over and slap the top of the clock, and the beeping ceases
  1629.  
  1630. >you actually look at the clock, hoping that maybe, just maybe, you still had 30 minutes left or something
  1631. >but you don’t
  1632. >you groan
  1633.  
  1634. >back to the old grind.
  1635.  
  1636. >you roll out of bed and walk groggily to the bathroom
  1637. >yawning loudly
  1638. >the light stings your eyes when you flip the switch
  1639. >as usual, you splash some cold water on your face
  1640. >it wakes you up
  1641. >at least, sort of
  1642. >then, you leave the light on and enter the hallway again
  1643. >you’re going to whip up some breakfast...
  1644.  
  1645. >you know, you really might have forgotten
  1646. >you were so groggy that you actually may have forgotten about the pony you had put to bed last night
  1647. >but lucky for you, when you exit the bathroom, she makes it impossible
  1648.  
  1649. >she’s standing right there, at the other end of the hall
  1650. >looking right at you
  1651. >the light coming out of the bathroom reflecting off of her huge, emerald green eyes
  1652.  
  1653. >you freeze in place
  1654. >practically stop mid yawn
  1655. >she points her nose at the floor, but angles her eyes up at you
  1656.  
  1657. “G-good morning, master Anon.”
  1658.  
  1659. >The two of you meet eyes, and stare for a long while
  1660. >all you can really see well at first was the light gleaming off of her eyes
  1661. >but the rest of her comes into the picture as your eyes adjust to the dark
  1662.  
  1663. >you tilt your head in surprise
  1664.  
  1665. “Oh. Well, hey. You’re… already up.”
  1666.  
  1667. >you rub your eyes and lean against the wall
  1668. >Applejack nods her head, and stands up straighter
  1669.  
  1670. “Yes, Master Anon. The sun was just starting to go up.”
  1671.  
  1672. >she almost sounds like a soldier
  1673. >talking to her superior officer, or something
  1674. >you furrow your eyebrows and chuckle under your breath
  1675. >and yawn again
  1676.  
  1677. “Oh. So, is that when you, you know, normally get up?”
  1678.  
  1679. >It’s a basic question
  1680. >you didn’t intend to communicate anything other than what you asked
  1681. >but you underestimate her nerves
  1682.  
  1683. >She lowers her head, and her posture slumps
  1684. >then, she asks you a question with a significantly diminished tone
  1685.  
  1686. “I’m sorry, di-id you want me up earlier? I haven’t done any work yet, I’m s…”
  1687.  
  1688. >She trails off
  1689. >and suddenly, it’s back to yesterday’s grind
  1690. >you take your leaning arm off of the wall, and shake your head at her
  1691.  
  1692. “No, no, Applejack. Relax, ok? Take a deep breath.”
  1693.  
  1694. >As usual, she takes your request as a demand
  1695. >breathes in deeply, and exhales deeply
  1696. >stops herself mid-sentence
  1697. >when it appears she has calmed down, you continue
  1698.  
  1699. “Well, if I’m honest, Applejack, I was going to let you sleep as long as you wanted this morning. I have to go to work early in the morning, and I was going to leave you a note letting you know where I was and letting you know what food I have for you to eat.”
  1700.  
  1701. >Applejack listens to you intently
  1702. >but as you talk, you can see one of her eyebrows rising up in confusion
  1703. >she looks down at your feet, appearing to contemplate what you’ve just said
  1704.  
  1705. “Oh, uh… yes, Anon. But-”
  1706.  
  1707. >she seizes up a bit
  1708. >you notice her look up at you as soon as the last word leaves her lips
  1709. >like she’s expecting you to rebuke her for talking back
  1710. >well, you’re going to clear that up right now
  1711.  
  1712. “Go on, hon, what is it?”
  1713.  
  1714. >Applejack seems to relax at your gentle tone
  1715. >she licks her lips
  1716. >and takes a step back
  1717.  
  1718. “I just… what work do you want me to do, Anon?”
  1719.  
  1720. >well, this is getting a little bit complicated
  1721. >you were planning on telling her yesterday why she was here
  1722. >why you purchased her in the first place
  1723. >but the whole everything yesterday had been such a clusterfuck you never got the chance.
  1724. >Now, you had to explain it all early in the morning
  1725. >damn, this week isn’t starting off well
  1726.  
  1727. “Ehh, it’s… a little complicated right now, hon. Don’t worry, I’ll have work for you to do, I will, it’s just… I can’t let you work in this state. Your rear end needs to heal, and you need to gain some weight back before I can let you work with me and my team.”
  1728.  
  1729. >You watch her face closely
  1730. >every word you say, for some reason, seems to be worrying her more
  1731. >she stammers, falls silent, but then begins to say something back in reply
  1732.  
  1733. “I can work, Master, I can work. I can pull, I can carry, I can push…”
  1734.  
  1735. “I’m sure you can, Applejack. But now, you need to get rest. There is no way you’re going to be working while those cuts are still healing. This stuff is good, hard work, and I’m not having you get injured or having your cuts start weeping again. Ok?”
  1736.  
  1737. >You wait for her typical “Yes, Anon, master sir your highness”
  1738. >but surprisingly, this time, there’s quite the delay
  1739. >she’s silently pondering everything to herself
  1740.  
  1741. >she licks her lips again, and her brow forms a V shape in between her eyes
  1742.  
  1743. “I-I… Anon, I…”
  1744.  
  1745. >ok, you really don’t have time for this
  1746. >if she’s going to be so obedient, you’re going to just have to keep on taking advantage of it when it’s for her own good
  1747.  
  1748. “No, Applejack. Stop. There’s no discussion here. What I said is final, and I don’t want to hear any more. Ok?”
  1749.  
  1750. >wow, you sounded a little harsh
  1751. >but you have to get going
  1752. >you haven’t even gotten your coffee going, yet…
  1753.  
  1754. >The expression Applejack makes is a pretty drastic change
  1755. >she communicates with her eyes low to the ground that she knows she’s overstepped her bounds a bit
  1756. >you can only imagine what her previous master's reaction would have been... then you stop imagining
  1757. >She shrinks back, lowering herself to the ground
  1758. >but she nods, and says no more on the matter.
  1759.  
  1760. “Yes, Anon.”
  1761.  
  1762. >Applejack is quiet for the next ten minutes
  1763. >she gingerly sits down at the table on a pillow-padded chair as you sip your coffee, absentmindedly eating your eggs
  1764. >she eats the breakfast you’ve laid out in front of her, but very slowly
  1765. >she looks around the dimly lit room
  1766. >you glance back and forth between your steaming mug, the clock on the wall, and the pony across the table from you
  1767.  
  1768. >there’s a dejected look on her face
  1769. >a certain cloudiness in the whites of her eyes
  1770. >you poke the yolk of one of your eggs and watch it run out over the plate, but you don’t eat
  1771. >watching her is making you lose your appetite
  1772.  
  1773. “Hey, Applejack. You ok, hon?”
  1774.  
  1775. >the lack of delay when she nods her head at you is surprising
  1776. >she bites her lip, and stands back on her hooves
  1777.  
  1778. “Yes, A-Anon, I’m fine. I’m ok.”
  1779.  
  1780. >her posture changes
  1781. >shoulders are broader, head held higher
  1782. >legs straight
  1783. >like you’ve snapped her out of something
  1784.  
  1785. >but then it hits you
  1786. >she’s still trying to get you to change your mind
  1787. >put on the air that she’s ready to work.
  1788. >She dare not ask you again, you know
  1789. >but she’s a smart girl.
  1790.  
  1791. >still, you can’t.
  1792. >even though, for whatever reason, it’s killing her spirits
  1793. >the pony needs rest and rejuvenation
  1794. >and the injuries she’s sustained don’t mix with dirt, sand, and stone dust
  1795. >you shake your head
  1796.  
  1797. “Look, hon. I know you said you want to work, and I’m very happy to see you eager. The team and I could really use the help. But you can not, I repeat, can NOT work yet. I’m sorry, but that’s what has to happen. Ok, Applejack?”
  1798.  
  1799. >She folds her ears back, and her shoulders slump
  1800. >every new word makes her shrink down even more
  1801. >but she nods anyway
  1802.  
  1803. “Yes, Master Anon. I… so I will work, though?”
  1804.  
  1805. >you puff air through your nostrils in a slight laugh
  1806. >you drop your fork onto the plate
  1807. >and give a good natured roll of your eyes, smiling
  1808.  
  1809. “Yees, Applejack. I promise. I promise you’ll have plenty of work to do once you’ve healed up and you don’t look as skinny. And you can start by eating your breakfast now, ok? I mean, is everything on your plate alright?”
  1810.  
  1811. >you honestly aren’t mad
  1812. >just perplexed, and maybe a bit amused
  1813. >well, you don’t have to worry about work ethic whatsoever
  1814. >more than can be said than for a couple of your own guys
  1815. >you lean your head in your hand
  1816.  
  1817. >Applejack pauses and eyes her plate
  1818. >then she takes a little mouthful of her scrambled eggs
  1819. >she chews, swallows, and nods her head
  1820.  
  1821. “It’s good, Anon. Thank you.”
  1822.  
  1823. “Good. I’m glad. I made sure there weren’t any shells in it.”
  1824.  
  1825. >that gets a tiny smile out of her
  1826. >it disappears right away, but you notice
  1827. >and then, you smile
  1828.  
  1829. >another minute passes, and now you’re starting to think
  1830. >she wants to work, that much is true
  1831. >and you are going to have to leave her here alone for at least this week
  1832. >and it’s not like there’s an abundance of things to do
  1833. >and actually, even though you live here, when you are sick yourself, you get a little stir crazy, too.
  1834.  
  1835. >alright, Applejack. You win… sort of.
  1836. >you sigh, take the last bite of your breakfast, and get up
  1837. >Applejack flinches, and stares up at you now
  1838.  
  1839. >she watches you nervously as you open the drawer of your small end table
  1840. >a low stammer escapes her
  1841.  
  1842. “M-Master Anon?”
  1843.  
  1844. >you pull out a piece of paper, a pen, and tap your chin
  1845. >then, you begin to write
  1846.  
  1847. “Ok, Applejack. You may not be able to work with me now, but I’m going to write a list of things for you to do, right here at home. Ok?”
  1848.  
  1849. >paying close attention to her facial expression, you notice her ears perk up and angle towards you with intrigue
  1850. >her nervous frown fades
  1851. >you don’t know if she thought you were going to pull something else out of the drawer, or what
  1852. >you don’t know what’s going through her head
  1853. >it takes you a minute or two to think of enough things to put up on the list
  1854. >by the time you’re done, you have five things
  1855. >a few of them are minor things that you just have there to keep her busy if that’s what she wants
  1856. >the fifth, however, you added with an asterisk next to it
  1857. >there’s some dirt involved
  1858.  
  1859. >You pick up the piece of paper and walk over to where Applejack is standing
  1860. >then, you rotate the list in front of your chest so that it’s facing her
  1861.  
  1862. “Alright. Now, Applejack, here’s a list of some of the things that could be done around here. I’m not home all that much lately because of all the work I have to do, but with you here… maybe this stuff can finally get done.”
  1863.  
  1864. >you point at the first item and work your way down
  1865. >Applejack is listening very attentively
  1866. >paying close attention to every single word with wide eyes
  1867.  
  1868. “First, there’s the kitchen floor. It needs some sweeping, but I’ve got a broom and dustpan in the pantry. It’s on the bottom shelf. Then, I have a bit of a dust problem in the house… I, uhh, haven’t gotten around to dusting in a long time, but I have a duster in the laundry room. I’ll get it for you.”
  1869.  
  1870. >Applejack nods after each item, uttering a quick “Yes, Anon” each time
  1871. >you continue
  1872.  
  1873. “Thirdly, and this is really not something you have to do if you don’t want to, hon, but the bathroom we were in last night could use some extra scrubbing. I have a handled brush and a load of cleaning soap under the sink, but if you don’t want to do that, that’s fine. Just make sure you keep your bandages clear, ok?”
  1874.  
  1875. >Applejack nods enthusiastically
  1876.  
  1877. “Yes, Anon. I’ll be careful.”
  1878.  
  1879. “Good. Now, I also have some dirty dishes that need cleaning. They’re in the broken dishwasher. The sink’s right up there, and I got a nice wide stepladder propped up against the kitchen wall right over there so you can reach the counter. Just take your time, be careful, and don’t feel any pressure, ok?”
  1880.  
  1881. >Applejack purses her lips together, and nods her head
  1882. >she looks over at the stepladder, following your gaze
  1883.  
  1884. “Yes, Anon.”
  1885.  
  1886. >you smile
  1887. >you have a feeling she’ll be alright
  1888. >and now, for the final item
  1889. >you take a deep breath
  1890.  
  1891. “Good, Applejack. Now, this last one, you most DEFINITELY don’t have to do right now. But I wanted to leave it on the table just in case. My flowerbeds… well, they’re in bad shape. In fact, basically everything in there is a weed. If you can salvage any of the flowers in there, leave them, but I won’t be upset if you ripped basically all the plants in the beds out of there. There’s clover, dandelions, crabgrass, and all kinds of other crap sitting in there, growing taller and taller. Now, the really important thing here, Applejack, is that you have to do whatever you can to make sure that no dirt gets on those bandages. If you think you might, don’t do it, ok?”
  1892.  
  1893. >Applejack follows your eyes around the edge of the walls, getting an idea of how many beds of dirt and weeds you have around the house
  1894. >she’s very attentive
  1895. >the pony nods her head, a little slower this time, and glances over her shoulder back at her rear with a swish of her tail
  1896.  
  1897. “Yes, Anon. I understand.”
  1898.  
  1899. >You smile
  1900. >setting the list down on the kitchen table, you kneel down in front of her
  1901. >and despite her flinch, you put your hand under her chin
  1902. >you speak softly, making eye contact
  1903.  
  1904. “Ok. Now, listen to me, ok? If you don’t want to do this stuff today and decide that you want to rest, that’s perfectly alright. And if you aren’t sure of what to do or forget how to do something after I show you how, please don’t feel like you have to do it today. Ok?”
  1905.  
  1906. >Applejack hesitates for a moment
  1907. >and her nod is slower, but her eyes show understanding
  1908. >you really, really want to stress to her that she isn’t going to be in trouble if she doesn’t get all of these things done today
  1909. >you honestly hope she doesn’t get any of them done today, especially not after what happened yesterday
  1910. >pony needs some well deserved rest
  1911.  
  1912. >but for some reason
  1913. >you know, just a hunch
  1914. >you think she won’t just sleep today
  1915. >but it’s ok.
  1916. >this isn’t strenuous stuff.
  1917. >she’ll be fine.
  1918.  
  1919. >Applejack’s voice cuts through your ruminations
  1920.  
  1921. “Yes, Anon. I understand.”
  1922.  
  1923. >And that’s that.
  1924. >You’ve got fifteen minutes before you have to leave
  1925. >not a lot of time to give detailed directions
  1926. >but you'll have to make do...
  1927.  
  1928. >It's gonna be ok.
  1929.  
  1930. >It had taken twenty minutes to fully explain everything to Applejack
  1931. >but it was alright.
  1932. >it’s not like you were actually on a strict timetable day to day
  1933. >hell, you were the employer, and it’s not like you’d never been a tad late before
  1934.  
  1935. >Applejack had not disappointed you
  1936. >remaining attentive as ever
  1937. >You had spent those extra five minutes drilling it into her head that it was ok not to do things today
  1938. >you think she had understood…
  1939.  
  1940. >well, you were going to try and get things done quickly today.
  1941.  
  1942. >sometimes, you all met at the house or worksite, and sometimes, you all met at your own driveway
  1943. >you wished you’d agreed to meet at the latter
  1944. >would have given you some extra sleep
  1945. >goodness, you were exhausted right now
  1946. >probably the sleeping pills still wearing off
  1947. >you’ll get through it
  1948.  
  1949. >as usual, highway traffic sucked
  1950. >added an extra twenty minutes to the trip
  1951. >but you’d factored that in already
  1952. >you hoped your employees did the same
  1953.  
  1954. >you were the first to arrive, as usual
  1955. >not because they were late, but because you were early
  1956. >as with most of your clients, the house is pretty huge
  1957. >around back is the project your team has been working on
  1958. >you can’t see it from the front, and it’s a bit of a trek from the driveway
  1959. >it’s made it a pain to get all those pallets of stone onto the patio ground
  1960. >as well as the wheelbarrows full of gravel and sand
  1961. >no wonder you’re so far behind schedule
  1962.  
  1963. >you hop into the bed of your truck and retrieve a few of the tools you’ll need
  1964. >a shovel, a few bags of stone dust, a hammer and chisel, and a big stone saw
  1965. >carrying the bags, you walk around
  1966.  
  1967. >and there it is
  1968. >the nightmare
  1969. >the project from hell
  1970.  
  1971. >the patio is pretty huge
  1972. >three different levels of light red sandstone, each level about five inches above the one below it
  1973. >the whole thing is rectangular in shape, with a medium height border wall all around it
  1974. >or, at least, there will be one
  1975.  
  1976. >but the worst thing are the pillars in the middle
  1977. >they’re all covered in stone fragments on the bottom foundation
  1978. >those stone fragments might look haphazard, but holy hell, they are difficult to cut
  1979. >it takes a lot of expertise and skill, as well as time, to do them right
  1980. >they can be all different shapes, but they have to be around the same size
  1981. >cut from raw stone chunks
  1982. >also, they have to jut out the same distance from the pillar, so they have to be the same thickness
  1983. >it’s been a time vacuum unlike anything you ever expected
  1984. >you look over the the ground beside the patio, where the raw stone chunks are lying down
  1985. >man, the last thing you want to hear…
  1986.  
  1987. -----
  1988.  
  1989. “Boss, we gon’ need more stone.”
  1990.  
  1991. >this project isn’t a nightmare.
  1992. >it’s a night terror.
  1993. >you stare blankly at the man standing across from you, pointing at the pillars with his open hand
  1994. >you feel the air stop in your lungs
  1995. >trying to process
  1996. >hoping he’s joking
  1997.  
  1998. >but he’s not.
  1999. >you bring a hand up to your face, trying to hide your bubbling anger
  2000.  
  2001. “Alfredo… Alfredo, I just bought whole new pallet last week, man! Can’t you just…”
  2002.  
  2003. >you trail off when he shakes his head at you, an apologetic look in his eyes
  2004. >he gestures to the pillars again
  2005.  
  2006. “There’s not enough, boss. ‘s not enough, have to cut too much…”
  2007.  
  2008. >you groan, and take a step back
  2009. >you couldn’t believe it
  2010.  
  2011. >Alfredo was a fantastic worker
  2012. >and not only that, he was a skill stonecutter and mason
  2013. >you pay him very well
  2014. >he’s very good at what he does
  2015.  
  2016. >which is why it hurts
  2017. >because you know he’s right.
  2018.  
  2019. >that was easily another 1.5 grand you’re going to have to put into this project
  2020. >and you’ve already gotten more stone not one, not two, but three times
  2021. >you seriously underestimated this project
  2022. >those damn pillars…
  2023.  
  2024. >fuck it.
  2025. >you’re not going to worry about those for today
  2026. >you wave your hand at the pillars like you’re shooing away a fly
  2027.  
  2028. “Ahh, don’t worry about that for today, Alfredo. Let’s just join Paco and Aaron and focus on getting those other pallets of stone unloaded for sitting wall, ok? I’ll get more stone pieces tomorrow.”
  2029.  
  2030. >Alfredo shrugs his shoulders
  2031. >adjusts his gloves on his hands, sets down the chisel in his hand, and walks over to an empty wheelbarrow
  2032.  
  2033. “Ech, alright, boss.”
  2034.  
  2035. >you sigh
  2036. >when you’ll ever get this patio done, you have no idea
  2037. >no timetable
  2038. >this is going to be a looong day…
  2039.  
  2040. >damn, your legs were sore
  2041. >it hurt to even step on the brake
  2042. >better wheelbarrows are yet another thing you’re going to have to add to your list of things to get
  2043. >the ones you have now are creaky, and tip over if you look at them funny
  2044.  
  2045. >still, focusing all your attention on the sitting wall on the outside of the patio was a good idea
  2046. >you’d finished a good chunk of it
  2047. >even managed to affix some of it with mortar
  2048. >all you needed were the capstones, now, and you’d be able to finish it hopefully by the end of Wednesday
  2049.  
  2050. >truthfully, you could have gotten more done
  2051. >but you didn’t want to wait too long
  2052. >it was hard to work while you were distracted, anyway
  2053. >the thought of the orange pony at home, all alone for hours, made you call it quits by 2:30
  2054. >your fellow workers hadn’t complained, either
  2055. >this was tough work
  2056.  
  2057. >also on the plus side, the traffic wasn’t as bad yet
  2058. >you were almost home after only thirty minutes
  2059. >when you do arrive, you wait in the truck for a minute while you sip the rest of the gatorade bottle you purchased on the way back
  2060. >and you take a few deep breaths
  2061.  
  2062. >you aren’t sure what you’re going to see
  2063. >but whatever it is, you’re going to try to prepare for it
  2064.  
  2065. >you empty the bottle, throw it in an old grocery bag, and hop on out
  2066. >both of your feet feel like lead weights in your muddy, steel-toed boots
  2067. >you kick the dirt off the bottoms, take them off, and reach for the doorknob
  2068.  
  2069. >but then, you pause
  2070. >suddenly, you realize that there’s something different
  2071. >you were so tired that you almost didn’t see it, but it hits you
  2072. >you look at the beds of dirt on either side of the door
  2073.  
  2074. >they’re clear.
  2075. >before, there was a jungle of weeds
  2076. >but now, it’s just brown dirt
  2077. >and you can also see, as you look down the front wall, that there is a huge pile of leaves and debris
  2078. >all of the crap that was once in those flowerbeds
  2079. >and at first glance, you can also see the roots on the plants, still covered in dirt
  2080.  
  2081. >holy cow, she actually did it
  2082. >and it wasn’t a half-assed job, either
  2083. >she went all out, made sure to get to the deepest roots she could
  2084. >a smile spreads across your lips
  2085.  
  2086. >somehow, deep down, you expected this
  2087. >You couldn’t wait until she could really work with you and your team
  2088. >someone with her work ethic, with her drive…
  2089. >it was amazing
  2090.  
  2091. >you open the front door, and step inside
  2092.  
  2093. >you didn’t think that the mood in the air could change so quickly
  2094. >so dramatically
  2095. >but as soon as you enter, your smile disappears
  2096.  
  2097. >the first thing you notice is the total silence
  2098. >like the very air has gone still
  2099. >you don’t know why, but your hairs stand on end
  2100. >a prickling chill travels up your spine
  2101. >there isn’t a single peep
  2102. >not even your air conditioning is running at the moment
  2103.  
  2104. >Something is wrong.
  2105.  
  2106. >as quietly as you can, you set your work boots down beside the door, and close the front door
  2107. >the air around you feels oppressive
  2108. >weighing you down
  2109. >you call out, quietly
  2110.  
  2111. “Applejack? I’m home. Where are you?”
  2112.  
  2113. >you walk further in, past the couch
  2114. >no response
  2115. >your stomach starts churning
  2116. >you try again
  2117.  
  2118. “Applejack? Hon, you there?”
  2119.  
  2120. >still nothing
  2121. >well, she must not be inside the house
  2122. >then it hits you
  2123.  
  2124. >Of course! She must be working outside
  2125. >you exhale a breath you’d been holding inside of you
  2126. >nothing to worry about! She was just hard at work, that was all.
  2127.  
  2128. >you walk over to the sliding glass door at the opposite end of the room
  2129. >the blinds are partly closed, letting only some of the sunshine through
  2130. >it draws a thick column of light on the carpet, slicing the room in half
  2131.  
  2132. >you almost miss it as you walk over
  2133. >the light is so bright, it practically washes it out
  2134. >when you see the glistening out of the corner of your eye, you turn your head
  2135. >and you see it there, lying on the floor
  2136.  
  2137. >plate shards.
  2138. >they’re lying in a neat pile, and lying in the metal dustpan
  2139. >out in plain view
  2140. >and it’s a big stack
  2141. >and there’s something else you notice
  2142.  
  2143. >the shards are put back in the shape of the plates
  2144. >that is, as best as they CAN be put together
  2145. >and you can see that there are five plates in total that have been shattered
  2146.  
  2147. >and then, you eyes travel to a piece of paper
  2148. >it’s lying beside the dustpan
  2149. >and there’s word scribbled onto it
  2150.  
  2151. >gulping, and feeling a sinking in your stomach, you pick it up
  2152. >and read the words printed on the middle of the page
  2153.  
  2154. “Master Anon,
  2155. I am waiting in your room.
  2156. Applejack”
  2157.  
  2158. >the words leave your lips in a whisper
  2159. >and you read them over silently in your head several times
  2160. >eyes switching between the shards of the plates and the note in your hand, until finally, you turn around
  2161. >and look down the hallway, toward the end
  2162.  
  2163. >you clap eyes on your bedroom door
  2164. >and though you left it open this morning, it is closed.
  2165.  
  2166. >with every inhale you take, your intestines twist up into knots
  2167. >it was the forlorn frankness of those words that made your heart ache the most
  2168. >the resignation
  2169.  
  2170. >you let the paper fall to the floor
  2171. >it flutters down and lands on top of the shard stack
  2172. >then, closing your eyes, you start down the hallway
  2173.  
  2174. >to the pony surely awaiting doom.
  2175.  
  2176. >only wearing socks makes your steps very quiet
  2177. >especially on the carpet floor
  2178. >you know very well you will startle her if you open the door too quickly again
  2179. >and right now, startling her might induce a panic attack
  2180. >you can’t imagine what went through Applejack’s head when the plates broke
  2181.  
  2182. >when you reach the door, you listen very closely
  2183. >expecting maybe to hear her crying from the other side of the door
  2184. >but you don’t even hear that
  2185. >that makes you nervous
  2186.  
  2187. >is she sleeping?
  2188. >is she hiding somewhere else?
  2189. >or maybe she’s already made a run for it, hoping to buy herself some time with her note?
  2190. >all seem very unlikely, but…
  2191.  
  2192. >clenching your teeth, you knock on the door
  2193. >only a few times, and not too hard
  2194. >trying so hard not to convey anger or aggression in any way
  2195.  
  2196. “Hey, Applejack? Are you in there, hon?”
  2197.  
  2198. >your head leans in, and you press your ear against the wood
  2199. >at first, you can’t pick up anything
  2200. >in fact, you almost ask again
  2201.  
  2202. >but the cracked, choked voice, with just a hint of its now familiar country twang, pipes up from the other side of the door
  2203. >and takes the breath out of your lungs
  2204.  
  2205. “Y-y…..yes, Master, Ano…”
  2206.  
  2207. >she’s so shaky, she can’t even get the last consonant out
  2208. >you cringe
  2209. >then, you reach down, turn the doorknob and begin to push the door open
  2210.  
  2211. >That’s when you hear her gasp
  2212. >it’s accompanied by a sob
  2213. >you feel your eyes water a bit just hearing that
  2214. >you keep your voice calm and collected
  2215.  
  2216. “It’s ok, Applejack. It’s ok. I’m not angry, ok, hon?”
  2217.  
  2218. >you inch the door forward a little more
  2219. >somehow, you can sense her flinch
  2220. >you lick your lips nervously
  2221.  
  2222. >finally, you gently let the door swing open
  2223. >and you stand in the entrance
  2224.  
  2225. >there she is, sure enough
  2226. >beside your bed, on the floor
  2227. >she’s lowered her face to the floor, burying her nose in the carpet and resting uncomfortably on her knees
  2228. >whole body pressed into the floor like she’s trying to disappear
  2229.  
  2230. >her face is streaked with red
  2231. >so many lines of dried tears that they are one big blotch on her cheeks
  2232. >she’s shivering visibly from where you’re standing
  2233. >you open your mouth, about to say something
  2234. >but you stop
  2235. >your mouth stays open, jaw hanging loose when you see what’s lying on the ground in front of her
  2236.  
  2237. >a stick, thick as your finger and longer than your arm
  2238. >an old belt of yours, one of the ones you leave on the floor of your closet
  2239. >and a large, heavy kitchen spoon
  2240.  
  2241. >she doesn’t look at you
  2242. >closing her eyes, waiting
  2243. >she’s shuddering without cries
  2244.  
  2245. >you can only stare
  2246. >eyes fixed on the things on the floor, laid out in a row
  2247. >a sharp, stabbing pain hitting you in the gut
  2248.  
  2249. >Applejack cringes, and starts to speak
  2250. >voice just as cracked, broken
  2251.  
  2252. “P-Please, don’t… Master, please don’t g-get rid of me… please!”
  2253.  
  2254. >she opens her eyes, and that’s when the tears spring loose
  2255. >staring at the stick in front of her, not daring to even look up
  2256.  
  2257. “A-Anything, please don’t… Master, please don’t, I-I’ll do anything, punish me, but please, Master please don’t get rid of me…”
  2258.  
  2259. >She clumsily begins to stand
  2260. >and then, with a broken, choked whine, she bends herself over your bed
  2261. >her back hooves don’t touch the carpet
  2262. >watching in silent shock, your eyes widen
  2263. >her bandages are not there anymore
  2264. >they’re laid out on the floor behind her
  2265. >and her scarred, bare skin is exposed to the air again
  2266.  
  2267. >she hides her eyes between her front hooves
  2268. >throws her tail off to the side
  2269. >and gives one last shuddering sob before lying still
  2270.  
  2271. >and with that, and you standing still as a statue, silence takes over
  2272. >and the shock settles in.
  2273.  
  2274. >eventually, though, you do come to your senses
  2275. >and when you look down again, you see she hasn’t moved
  2276. >hasn’t looked over at you despite the fact you’ve been standing there for…
  2277. >well, a while, you think.
  2278.  
  2279. >you eyes drift back to those marks
  2280. >open to the air once again
  2281. >and then, you feel a bit of frustration bubble up inside of you
  2282. >you bite your lips
  2283.  
  2284. >you’re going to have to dress them up all over again only one day later
  2285. >you were hoping your arrangement would last at least two days
  2286.  
  2287. >you hold your head in your hand
  2288. >Applejack is shivering
  2289. >sobbing
  2290. >actually expecting you to pick up one of those items on the floor and use it on her
  2291. >for breaking some plates
  2292. >it was so sad to think about
  2293.  
  2294. >it feels weird that the first words you speak are a question
  2295.  
  2296. “I, uh… what happened to your bandages, hon? I thought I told you to keep them on.”
  2297.  
  2298. >you said it as gently as you could
  2299. >practically cooing the words
  2300. >as soon as you ask the question, you cringe and hold yourself back from punching yourself in the cock
  2301. >you maybe, just maybe, should have reassured her that you weren’t going to hurt her FIRST
  2302. >now she probably thinks it’s just another thing you’re going to punish her for
  2303. >you open your mouth, about to do just that, but it’s too late now as Applejack begins to stammer
  2304.  
  2305. “I-I got dirt on them, M-Master, I’m ss-sorry! I’m so sorry, I’m…”
  2306.  
  2307. >Applejack continues to look forward at the wall, straightening her back legs
  2308. >she sobs
  2309. >your stomach sinks, and you close your eyes
  2310.  
  2311. >this was horrible.
  2312. >you hold up your hand as she begins to hyperventilate, gripping the comforter tightly while she crosses her hooves behind her
  2313. >you were going to end this, right now
  2314.  
  2315. “Applejack, please, please calm down, hon! I’m not going to punish you!”
  2316.  
  2317. >at first, you aren’t totally sure she heard you
  2318. >she’s still breathing shallow, tensed as a compressed spring
  2319.  
  2320. >but a few seconds later, there’s a change in the rhythm of how she’s crying, now
  2321. >you can’t put your finger on it exactly, but somehow something is just… different
  2322. >her breathing seemed to be coming from a deeper place
  2323.  
  2324. >when you look down at the floor, your jaw clenches when you see the spoon, belt, and stick lying there
  2325. >you take a quiet step forward, trying not to startle poor Applejack again, and gather all of the things in one hand
  2326. >all the while you stare at Applejack
  2327. >you toss the belt back into your open closet, and then walk toward the open door
  2328. >the sound of the heavy piece of leather hitting the floor makes Applejack yelp, and you wince in silent apology
  2329.  
  2330. “Shh, it’s alright, hon! Now, I’m gonna go put this spoon back in the kitchen and… well, throw this stick out into the yard. So you just stay there, ok? I’ll be back. Ok?”
  2331.  
  2332. >you feel a little like you’re talking to a small child right now
  2333. >a small, abused, neglected child
  2334. >you seriously hope it’s already sunken in that she isn’t in for a beating
  2335.  
  2336. >But thankfully, you see Applejack nod
  2337. >hide her dripping nose under her front hooves, and sinking into the mattress
  2338. >she’s still crying, but not as hard
  2339.  
  2340. “Y---Yes, Anon, I’ll stay…”
  2341.  
  2342. >alright, good
  2343. >that’s that
  2344. >you leave the room with the door open and immediately head to your kitchen, where you drop the spoon on the counter
  2345. >you probably won’t be looking at that spoon the same way ever again
  2346. >then, you lazily throw the stick out through the half open glass door and slide it back shut
  2347.  
  2348. >now, it’s just a matter of the bandages
  2349. >so, you go to the bathroom and take out the gauze and cream again
  2350. >thankfully it’s a big roll
  2351. >it’ll last you long enough for today
  2352. >however, the bottle of cream is a little less than half full
  2353. >guess you’ll have to spread it thinner
  2354.  
  2355. >but then, you also notice that bottle of rubbing alcohol and some cotton balls there
  2356. >hesitating, you do eventually grab those, too
  2357. >depending on what you see, you might end up having to use it
  2358. >you know you said you wouldn’t punish her, but you aren’t putting her back in the bathtub for a smaller affected area
  2359. >alcohol would be easier, then, but…
  2360.  
  2361. >crossing your fingers despite everything in your hands, you walk back into the room.
  2362.  
  2363. >you aren’t surprised that Applejack hasn’t moved
  2364. >you make sure to announce your presence so you don’t startle her
  2365.  
  2366. “Hey, hon. I’m back.”
  2367.  
  2368. >she jumps a bit, but not too badly
  2369. >sniffles, and tenses up
  2370. >her tail is still off to the side
  2371. >you see what you’re going to have to do, and it’s deja vu from last night
  2372. >this pony may be high maintenance, but it’s not something that she can help
  2373. >she speaks very softly
  2374.  
  2375. “Y-Yes, Anon…”
  2376.  
  2377. >you set down the rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, antibiotic cream, gauze and tape down on the bed
  2378. >in her view
  2379. >you want her to know what you’re doing
  2380. >you lean forward so you are closer to her face
  2381.  
  2382. “I gotta do what I did last night again, ok? I’ve got the rest of the cream here I used last night, but I’m not sure it’s gonna be enough. I might have to use a little rubbing alcohol, ok?”
  2383.  
  2384. >Applejack hears that, and you see her eyes widen a bit
  2385. >she darts her eyes over to the materials you dropped on the bed, and sees the bottle there
  2386. >you can see a small shiver travel up her spine
  2387. >she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and nods her head in acceptance
  2388. >despite the fact that she clearly knows what it’ll mean for her
  2389.  
  2390. “Yes, Anon… I understand, I-I… I slipped, a-and it… it… I really messed up, Anon.”
  2391.  
  2392. >Tears come back to her eyes, and they add to the dampness on the blanket under her face
  2393. >you wince, and slowly, you look back over at her flanks
  2394. >taking a much closer look, you feel the breath catch in your ribs
  2395.  
  2396. >damn it.
  2397. >sure enough, a good amount of dirt and dust got past the bandages on a couple of spots, on the left hindquarter
  2398. >That little bit left of the cream isn’t going to be able to get all of that
  2399. >and besides, you can’t just stick the cream on the dirt and let the particles just sit in there with open marks like this
  2400.  
  2401. >son of a bitch
  2402. >you NEVER should have given her that weeding job
  2403. >even though she had done a fantastic job…
  2404. >well, it’s too late now.
  2405. >Technically, she hadn’t been careful like you said, made an honest mistake
  2406. >but now, she was going to have to go through some more pain
  2407. >you really didn’t want to do this
  2408. >maybe you could do the bathtub routine again…
  2409.  
  2410. >no, this was faster.
  2411. >she’d survive.
  2412. >it was going to be alright
  2413. >you gently set a hand on the back of her head, through her blonde mane
  2414.  
  2415. “Alright, hon. I’m just gonna do it. It’ll sting a lot, but it won’t last long, I promise. Ok?”
  2416.  
  2417. >Applejack hides her snout between her hooves, eyes still closed
  2418. >she looks afraid, but her nod and voice are resolute
  2419.  
  2420. “Yes, Master Anon.”
  2421.  
  2422. >you smile just a tad, and pet her head once before picking up the bottle of rubbing alcohol
  2423. >you carefully unscrew the cap, place a cotton ball over the opening, and tip the bottle back and forth to moisten it
  2424. >you get down on one knee, and do another survey of the damage
  2425.  
  2426. >you know, with the bandages on you’d almost forgotten exactly how the marks looked
  2427. >and you wanted to forget
  2428. >whoever did this to her didn’t punish her, they tortured her
  2429. >and now, with the ball of alcohol soaked cotton in your fingers, you realize with a pause that you are going to make her re-experience some of that pain, all over again
  2430.  
  2431. >you bit your lip, hard
  2432. >then, you take a gentle hold of her left leg
  2433. >quickly, you explain yourself to her
  2434.  
  2435. “I’m holding this to make sure that you don’t kick me on accident, ok? I’m gonna start now.”
  2436.  
  2437. >Applejack mutters another ‘Yes, Anon’ under her hooves, and you feel the muscles in her leg harden
  2438. >shit, you feel so bad right now
  2439.  
  2440. >then, finally, you press the cotton ball into one of the many cuts and begin gently dabbing and swiping the dirt away
  2441. >Applejack’s shoots up from the blanket, and a loud gasp escapes through her clenched teeth
  2442.  
  2443. “AaAAH! Ahow, ow!”
  2444.  
  2445. >you feel her left leg twitch in your hand, kicking out lightly
  2446. >her hoof flexes around your palm, and her other leg thumps the side of the bed
  2447. >a sob escapes her as you continue, trying to work as fast as possible
  2448.  
  2449. >and suddenly, her crying gets much louder
  2450. >her voice breaks, and a howl leaves her throat
  2451.  
  2452. “Na, AHAaahaa, ooowwaaa! AH, M-Master, MASTER!”
  2453.  
  2454. >Your hand freezes, and your blood runs cold.
  2455.  
  2456. >you don’t know why, but there’s just something different about it this time
  2457. >the way Applejack’s voice broke, the way she’s shaking her head and suddenly having muscle spasms
  2458. >you know alcohol hurts, but this…
  2459.  
  2460.  
  2461. “Master, please no, nonoonono! NO MORE PLEASE! I’M SORRY I’M SOORRYYY!! AAA! NOO!”
  2462.  
  2463.  
  2464. >Her leg is pulling away from your holding hand, and she’s grasping at the blanket
  2465. >the cotton ball falls from your hand
  2466. >holy shit, she’s hysterical
  2467. >mouth gaping open with horrifying cries of anguish
  2468. >you’re frozen, brain trying to process what you’re seeing and hearing
  2469.  
  2470.  
  2471. “I can’t take it! I CAN’T TAKE NO MORE, I-I CAN’T, PLEASE! MASTER NOO, NOHOHOOO! I’M SORRY I’M SORRY AAAGHA PLEASE STOOOP!”
  2472.  
  2473.  
  2474. >Applejack bucks her legs, and writhes on the bed, flaying all her limbs in a frenzied panic
  2475. >You get hit by her other leg on the shoulder
  2476. >and holy hell, does it hurt
  2477. >That’s what jolts you out of whatever trance you were in
  2478. >with a grunt, you suddenly spring to your feet, and you scramble to try and bring Applejack under control
  2479. >she’s rolling back and forth, pulling herself forward over the bed
  2480. >all the while howling and raving at the top of her lungs
  2481. >totally losing it
  2482.  
  2483. >you place your hands on her back, and try to get a hold of her
  2484. >she’s flailing around and disheveling the blanket beneath her
  2485. >tears are pouring out of her, almost incoherent from sobbing
  2486. >begging and begging for the pain to stop
  2487. >you call out over her cries, trying to direct them to her ears
  2488.  
  2489.  
  2490. “Applejack! Stop, stop! Hon, what’s going on? Calm down, calm down! APPLEJACK!”
  2491.  
  2492.  
  2493. >she isn’t stopping, though
  2494. >instead, she starts saying something else
  2495. >and it’s making the hairs on your arms stand up
  2496.  
  2497.  
  2498. “I-I’ll--be a good girl, I’LL BE A GOOD GIRL! Please no more I’ll be a good girl I’m sorry Master, pleasepleaseplease I’m sorry…”
  2499.  
  2500.  
  2501. >her voice is cracking
  2502. >it’s more breathy than before
  2503. >slurred, exhausted
  2504. >trying to be loud, but she’s just not strong enough
  2505. >her head rolls back and forth on the bed, mouth agape
  2506. >gasping out the words ‘please’ and ‘good girl’ over and over
  2507.  
  2508.  
  2509. >it’s like she’s not even aware that you’re there
  2510. >like she doesn’t know where she is
  2511. >distant, like she’s in a different world
  2512. >you wave your hand in front of her face, but she looks right through it
  2513. >her cries go from loud to soft, then back to loud again, cycling back and forth
  2514.  
  2515. >this wasn’t the alcohol
  2516. >this was a full on panic attack unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed
  2517. >her gasping, sobbing and writhing in your hold chills you to the bone
  2518. >your brain races a mile a minute
  2519.  
  2520.  
  2521. >water.
  2522. >cold water. You needed it right now.
  2523. >Springing into action, you let go off Applejack’s relentlessly struggling body and sprint to the kitchen
  2524. >you grab a big glass and fill it with the tap before rushing back, not caring about the spillage in the hall
  2525.  
  2526.  
  2527. >Applejack is covering her head and splaying her hind legs open, kicking them into the air
  2528. >still pleading, sobbing wretchedly
  2529. >you brandish the glass of cold water, step aside of her legs
  2530. >and then, having a clear shot to her face, you chuck the content of the glass onto her
  2531.  
  2532.  
  2533. >the splash makes a wet slap as it hits her face
  2534. >and a short, sharp scream rips out of her throat
  2535. >but then, in the following seconds, her broken howls and cries for mercy suddenly cease
  2536. >her legs, which had been kicking like a rodeo bull, collapse with a thump onto the bed
  2537. >and her head, at last, stops lolling from side to side as she affixes the ceiling above her with her wide, emerald eyes
  2538. >her breathing is still shallow and panicked, but even that begins to slow as the seconds crawl by
  2539.  
  2540. >your hand trembles as it grips the now empty glass
  2541. >you stare down at her with eyes just as wide as hers
  2542. >besides her heavy breathing, the room is silent
  2543.  
  2544.  
  2545. >eventually, you dare to approach her
  2546. >hearing you take a step, Applejack’s head whips around, and her eyes lock onto you
  2547. >her entire face is streaked red
  2548.  
  2549.  
  2550. >when she sees you standing there, she freezes
  2551. >chest heaving, the individual ribs poking out through the skin of her belly
  2552. >you set the glass down on the blanket, all the while looking at her back
  2553.  
  2554.  
  2555. >unlike before, now, you can see that she is truly seeing you
  2556. >she’s no longer distant, far away
  2557.  
  2558.  
  2559. >Applejack had been in a totally different world
  2560. >The pieces are coming together in your mind
  2561. >she hadn’t been talking to you.
  2562. >she didn’t even know you were there
  2563. >in an instant, her entire world had been consumed with agony
  2564. >and you knew just whose fault it was.
  2565.  
  2566.  
  2567. >you try to smile, but it dies away into a concerned frown
  2568. >then, you break the silence hanging like a noose in the air
  2569. >Applejack looks at you with fear and apprehension in her eyes
  2570.  
  2571.  
  2572. “Applejack… It’s gonna be ok, hon.”
  2573.  
  2574. >Applejack’s mouth hangs open
  2575. >she hasn’t even attempted to wipe some of the drops of water from her face even though it’s dripping
  2576. >her eyes blink rapidly
  2577. >but encouragingly, her chest isn’t heaving so hard anymore
  2578.  
  2579.  
  2580. >her eyes never leave you
  2581. >shoulders slumping back, she brings her legs closer to her stomach
  2582. >curls up, and partially hides her face
  2583. >she’s shivering, now
  2584.  
  2585.  
  2586. >you inch forward toward her
  2587. >approach from the side so she can fully see you
  2588. >you want no surprises for her
  2589. >this pony is just so fundamentally broken, you aren’t even sure what to do
  2590.  
  2591.  
  2592. “Applejack, hon? Are you going to be ok?”
  2593.  
  2594.  
  2595. >what she just went through scared the hell out of you
  2596. >what if the water hadn’t worked?
  2597. >how would you have been able to get her out of her episode?
  2598. >you were seconds away from calling 911
  2599. >would they even take a pony?
  2600.  
  2601.  
  2602. >you listen intently, hoping that Applejack will answer you
  2603. >your eyes keep drifting back to her flanks and rear
  2604. >all of the words she had screamed
  2605. >pleading, over and over again
  2606. >words barely even decipherable
  2607. >now, you knew what true torture sounded like
  2608.  
  2609. “Applejack? Hon, it’s ok, you’re safe, nothing is gonna happen to y…”
  2610.  
  2611.  
  2612. >Applejack’s voice, barely above a whisper, stops your words dead in their tracks
  2613. >they barely make it through the air
  2614. >she says them with a deep exhale
  2615. >a sigh of defeat
  2616.  
  2617.  
  2618. “I ain’t worth it.”
  2619.  
  2620.  
  2621. >she curls up into a tighter ball
  2622. >tries to cover her head from your view
  2623. >you watch and listen as she wearily speaks sounding completely exhausted
  2624.  
  2625.  
  2626. “I ain’t worth this… your money, y---your time. I ain’t nothing.”
  2627.  
  2628.  
  2629. >she cringes
  2630. >but you don’t hear any more cries
  2631. >see any more tears
  2632. >not a sob, not a sniffle
  2633. >but the defeat in her voice is total
  2634. >just… absolute
  2635.  
  2636. “I don’t want to live anymore. I can’t… th-there…”
  2637.  
  2638.  
  2639. >Applejack rests her cheek on the blanket
  2640. >still no tears
  2641. >just resoluteness, conviction
  2642. >her whole body is limp
  2643. >like putty
  2644. >all the tension in her legs, all the resistance
  2645. >it’s gone
  2646.  
  2647.  
  2648. “I’m sorry… Don’t waste no more on me, M-Master. Just… kill me, however you want, torture, starve me… lemme die… I won’t be no more trouble. I’m sorry...”
  2649.  
  2650. >Applejack gently closes her eyes
  2651. >she looks like she’s trying to fall asleep
  2652. >her entire body ceases all movement
  2653.  
  2654.  
  2655. >it’s a display of total submission
  2656. >not to your demands, but to the consequences
  2657. >torture, starvation, it doesn’t matter what you have the power to do to her
  2658. >she’s given up.
  2659.  
  2660.  
  2661. >you stare, blankfaced
  2662. >the stubborn, enthusiastic pony of just this morning, now lifeless in front of you
  2663. >and you can sense a sob rising in your throat
  2664.  
  2665.  
  2666. >right now, you were her last hope.
  2667. >she had none left
  2668. >it’s just hitting you that you are talking to someone who is suicidal
  2669. >someone in a state of mind that warranted hospitalization…
  2670.  
  2671.  
  2672. >but she was a pony.
  2673. >mental issues? Suicidality?
  2674. >they wouldn’t take her
  2675. >whoever her master is, that was their problem to deal with
  2676. >and other masters?
  2677. >they’d just sell her
  2678. >hope to make a quick buck, cut their losses, and pass a broken soul over to the next man unfortunate enough to…
  2679. >to…
  2680.  
  2681. >You were that next man.
  2682. >Those tubby fat fucks in the car the day they’d dropped Applejack off
  2683. >they knew from the start
  2684. >but the only victim here wasn’t you
  2685. >it was the pony in front of you
  2686.  
  2687.  
  2688. >against all odds, she had tried to work
  2689. >tried to endure the pain
  2690. >but now, she was lying down and waiting for you to kill her
  2691. >she hadn’t been able to escape the agony of her past.
  2692.  
  2693.  
  2694. >you don’t know how to answer her
  2695. >it’s all so overwhelming
  2696. >but you have to try.
  2697. >you lick your dry lips, and approach her unresponsive form
  2698.  
  2699.  
  2700. “No, Applejack. You ARE worth it, hon. In so many ways… and you know, I ain’t just talking about the work you’ve done. Which is amazing, by the way.”
  2701.  
  2702.  
  2703. >Your voice is sincere
  2704. >gentle
  2705. >but you don’t even see as much as a twitch of her ear
  2706. >you gulp, and stay focused on your mind’s current track
  2707. >you have to speak calmly and carefully
  2708.  
  2709.  
  2710. “You were… I mean, I know I saw the scars and all, washed them… but tonight, I actually heard the pain from you. Just… hell. It was hell you went through, and you…”
  2711.  
  2712. >you pause, keeping your emotions in check
  2713.  
  2714.  
  2715. “...you’re still here. Against all odds. And knowing what I know now… I would have spent a fortune to rescue you from where you were. And it would have still been worth it. Hon… you are a wonderful pony.”
  2716.  
  2717.  
  2718. >you take a chance, and run your hand down the side of her neck
  2719. >she barely even flinches at your contact
  2720. >you grimace, but continue petting
  2721.  
  2722.  
  2723. “I care about you, hon. I do. Not just as a master to his slave, but a man to a living, breathing creature who deserves kindness, dignity… love. And I’m not going to give up on you.”
  2724.  
  2725.  
  2726. >you are taking what feels like a risk
  2727. >but you are going to do it
  2728. >you can’t just reach her with words
  2729. >so, you will try with the only other thing you can
  2730.  
  2731.  
  2732. >you don’t know why you do it
  2733. >but you begin to lift her
  2734. >sliding a hand beneath her shoulders, and another below her tummy
  2735. >her muscles, suddenly and for the first time, tense up
  2736. >and a tiny, surprised gasp escapes her
  2737.  
  2738. >you sit up, against the wall beside the bed
  2739. >and then, you pull her body into yours
  2740. >placing her head on your chest
  2741. >you wrap one arm around her withers
  2742. >and the other, you set gently atop her head
  2743.  
  2744.  
  2745. >Applejack’s eyes flutter as you begin to run your hand through her mane
  2746. >her body, tense as a rock
  2747. >but she isn’t resisting you at all
  2748.  
  2749.  
  2750. >then, as the minutes drag on, and the silence stretches on
  2751. >the tension slowly ebbs away
  2752. >until finally, without a word, Applejack just accepts it
  2753. >and with a long but soft exhale, she relaxes in your hold
  2754.  
  2755.  
  2756. >you stay there with her, petting her head
  2757. >the sun starts to go down, light dimming through the window
  2758. >not a word is uttered by either of you
  2759.  
  2760.  
  2761. >you won’t give up.
  2762. >not now, not ever.
  2763. >you refuse.
  2764.  
  2765.  
  2766. >you stay with her, not even noticing as the two of you fall asleep
  2767. >her body held firmly against yours.
  2768.  
  2769. >your eyes flicker
  2770. >and the room around you is totally dark
  2771. >holy crap, how long have you been asleep in here?
  2772.  
  2773.  
  2774. >that’s when you remember
  2775. >Applejack!
  2776. >you look down, and sigh lightly with relief when you see her there
  2777. >she hasn’t moved one inch
  2778. >in fact, she’s still just as limp
  2779. >but she’s breathing, so you’ll take it…
  2780.  
  2781.  
  2782. >suddenly, the room lights up
  2783. >a bright white flicker through the gaps in the blinds
  2784. >and then, there’s a faint rumble
  2785.  
  2786.  
  2787. >oh noooo
  2788. >what the hell is this?
  2789. >there weren’t supposed to be thunderstorms, were there?
  2790.  
  2791.  
  2792. >this is not good.
  2793. >you are a landscaper and a stone mason.
  2794. >rain is the devil.
  2795. >as if you needed more delays on your project from hell…
  2796.  
  2797. >the next boom of thunder is much, MUCH louder
  2798. >and it rattles the house
  2799. >the flash of lightning is longer, too
  2800. >you can faintly hear the leaves of the trees outside rustling with the rapidly picking up winds
  2801.  
  2802.  
  2803. >greaaat
  2804. >this was almost a guarantee to be a day’s delay if this thing sticks around
  2805. >you don’t know what time it is, either, but if it’s early morning then it’s all but guaranteed to set you back
  2806.  
  2807.  
  2808. >as the sounds of the storm pick up, you find yourself in a pickle
  2809. >Applejack is still breathing softly in your arms, limp
  2810. >the hair of her mane flows down over your arms
  2811. >but you need to check the time
  2812.  
  2813.  
  2814. >another boom, and the wind continues to pick up
  2815. >that’s it, you have to get up
  2816. >sorry, Applejack
  2817.  
  2818.  
  2819. >very slowly, you slip out from underneath her, supporting her head before letting it down onto the blanket
  2820. >she doesn’t seem to wake up
  2821. >good
  2822.  
  2823. >you tiptoe out of the room, the flashes of lightning illuminating your path
  2824. >you go down the hall and take a look at the clock
  2825. >you stop a groan from leaving you
  2826. >4:45
  2827. >that’s early for most people, but not for you
  2828. >you look out the window, seeing the trees swishing back and forth
  2829. >you’re gonna have to phone it in.
  2830.  
  2831.  
  2832. >you walk over to the side table, next to your couch
  2833. >you pick it up and swipe the lockscreen aside, cursing quietly to yourself
  2834. >your workers aren’t going to like not being paid tomorr…
  2835.  
  2836.  
  2837. >You see the exclamation point.
  2838. >a big fat red exclamation point
  2839. >it’s your weather alert app
  2840.  
  2841.  
  2842. TORNADO WARNING: FROM 4:40 PM -- 5:10 PM…
  2843.  
  2844.  
  2845. >you stare at the phone for a few seconds
  2846. >then, you look out the window, hairs raising on your arms
  2847. >the trees are swaying
  2848. >the lightning is picking up
  2849. >you look back down at the screen, and then click on the notification rectangle
  2850. >it brings up the radar
  2851.  
  2852.  
  2853. >you know how to read radar.
  2854. >the little flag indicating your location is right to the northeast of the concentrated blip of yellow, red, and violet
  2855. >and hanging right out the bottom of that blip, you see it
  2856. >almost right beside your location, maybe five minutes away at most
  2857. >a pronounced hook in the doppler, indicating strong tornadic rotation
  2858.  
  2859.  
  2860. >and it’s right to your east
  2861.  
  2862.  
  2863. >your heart stops.
  2864.  
  2865. >You stuff your phone in your pocket and fumble through the drawer of your end table
  2866. >you pick out the flashlight from inside it and flip it on
  2867. >it is a bright ass flashlight, a 200 dollar one that turns night into day
  2868. >guess it was a good purchase
  2869.  
  2870.  
  2871. >you run sprint down the hall and the turn the corner into the room
  2872. >you have absolutely no time to calmly wake Applejack up
  2873. >sorry, hon
  2874.  
  2875.  
  2876. “Applejack! Come on hon, we need to get moving, wake up!”
  2877.  
  2878.  
  2879. >your loud voice startles her awake
  2880. >Applejack gasps, and her legs flail outward
  2881. >her eyes snap open and flutter open and closed as the light of the flashlight hits her face
  2882.  
  2883.  
  2884. “Ahh, ah, whaa…”
  2885.  
  2886.  
  2887. “Sorry, Applejack, but we need to get up, right now! Come on, come with me!”
  2888.  
  2889.  
  2890. >time is ticking, and the storm is really brewing, now
  2891. >you begin shaking her with one arm on her shoulder
  2892. >Applejack is clearly disoriented, but when you begin to shake her, she starts to scramble
  2893. >vocalizing with loud exhales and emerald eyes wide with sudden fear
  2894. >she gets onto her knees and slides to the edge of the bed while you wave her toward you
  2895.  
  2896.  
  2897. “Wh-whaa, what’s happening, what’s going on! Master!”
  2898.  
  2899. >you help her to her hooves, your hands shaking
  2900. >the wind swirls the leaves of the trees, and a boom of thunder rattles the whole house
  2901. >you swiftly pull her forward alongside you, gritting your teeth
  2902.  
  2903.  
  2904. >You have no basement.
  2905. >the most central room in your house without any doors or windows was the next best option
  2906. >and that means…
  2907.  
  2908.  
  2909. >you talk down to the frightened pony as you move
  2910.  
  2911.  
  2912. “We need to get to the bathtub, ok? Come with me Applejack, come on!”
  2913.  
  2914.  
  2915. >you don’t shout, but your voice is urgent
  2916. >you are having a lot of trouble staying calm
  2917. >even if you hadn’t seen radar, there was just something different about this storm
  2918. >it was sinister
  2919.  
  2920.  
  2921. >Applejack is so confused, and her worry is compounding
  2922. >but she does what you say, letting herself be moved along
  2923. >she speaks with a crack in her voice
  2924.  
  2925.  
  2926. “Y-Yes, Anon, b-but I don’t understand…”
  2927.  
  2928.  
  2929. >you book it down to the bathroom
  2930. >you don’t have time to feel bad as you pull Applejack into the bathroom with some force behind it
  2931. >she yelps, but doesn’t pull back
  2932. >you flip on the light and set the flashlight down on the toilet seat
  2933. >then, you reach under her shoulders
  2934. >Applejack freezes, eyes widening
  2935.  
  2936.  
  2937. “Wh-what did I do, M-Mas…”
  2938.  
  2939.  
  2940. “No no, you’re ok, Applejack! You did nothing wrong, but you need to get into the tub right now, ok? Here…”
  2941.  
  2942. >You lift her up with a grunt
  2943. >is she slightly heavier? You don’t know
  2944. >wouldn’t be a bad thing for the skinny pony
  2945. >but you don’t have time to reflect
  2946.  
  2947.  
  2948. >Applejack shakes as you set her down inside
  2949. >it would be deja vu of your first night, if it weren’t for the current situation
  2950. >picking up the flashlight, you take the phone out of your pocket, kneeling down by the tub
  2951. >you open the screen of the weather app and put your hand over Applejack’s shoulders
  2952. >she’s quiet, but clearly unsettled, eyes darting all around
  2953. >you don’t want to tell her what’s going on
  2954. >poor thing is such a nervous wreck already, but telling her about a tornado?
  2955. >hell, does she even know what those are?
  2956. >if she had another panic attack, you wouldn’t even know what to do
  2957.  
  2958.  
  2959. “Good, hon, just sit tight for a little while, ok? Just relax, you’re not in trouble…”
  2960.  
  2961.  
  2962. >a massive boom of thunder, so loud it shakes the bathroom in the middle of your house
  2963. >Applejack yelps, and her legs go rigid
  2964. >you open the radar
  2965. >shit
  2966. >the storm is right on top of you
  2967. >another exclamation point goes across the banner on top of the screen
  2968.  
  2969.  
  2970. >TORNADO EMERGENCY: FROM 4:50 AM -- 5:00 AM…
  2971.  
  2972. >your stomach flips
  2973. >that is literally the worst notification possible
  2974. >that means a tornado is imminent
  2975.  
  2976.  
  2977. >it’s time to take action.
  2978. >you stick your phone back into your pocket, drop the flashlight into the tub, and put your leg inside
  2979. >Applejack backs up, pressing her rump against the other tub wall as you climb in
  2980.  
  2981.  
  2982. “Master, what’s going on? I’m gettin’ real scared…”
  2983.  
  2984.  
  2985. >you are, too
  2986. >but you can’t show that to her openly
  2987. >you get down on your knees, and motion for her to lay down
  2988.  
  2989.  
  2990. “Applejack, I know you’re confused, but do what I say. Turn yourself around, and lay down. I’m gonna climb over you. It’s gonna be uncomfortable, but you need to stay still, hon. Trust me.”
  2991.  
  2992.  
  2993. >Applejack stares intently at you, eyes locking in as soon as you tell her to do what you say
  2994. >she hesitates, but nods her head when you’re finished speaking, looking nervous
  2995. >but she turns around, tail pressed very tightly against her legs, and lays down with knees trembling
  2996. >you know she’s probably thinking the worst of your motivations right now, but she has to deal with it
  2997. >as soon as she gets down, you climb on top of her and put your knees down on either side of her covering her body without smashing her down into the porcelain
  2998. >Applejack is crying a little
  2999.  
  3000. >that’s it, you have to tell her what’s happening.
  3001. >she might think you’re setting her up
  3002. >think you're going to do something awful to her
  3003. >keeping her in the dark is not going to help anything
  3004. >you make sure your head is below the rim of the tub
  3005.  
  3006.  
  3007. “Applejack, hon… there’s a tornado coming. That’s why we’re here. We’ll be ok, but stay real quiet.”
  3008.  
  3009.  
  3010. >you lower yourself down further until your body is lying right against hers
  3011. >from your position, you’ve rendered her motionless
  3012. >you feel Applejack stiffen up beneath you, the muscles hardening to rock
  3013. >she nods, very faintly in the confined space so she doesn’t headbutt your chin
  3014.  
  3015.  
  3016. “Torna...Oh, oh no, noo…”
  3017.  
  3018.  
  3019. >she understood you.
  3020. >and now, her head shrinks back, and she huddles in closer to you, getting as underneath you as she is able to do
  3021. >she breaths in an irregular rhythm, shuts her eyes tight and shrivels up into the tightest ball she can
  3022. >well, she definitely knows what a tornado is, it seems
  3023.  
  3024.  
  3025. >you wouldn’t admit it to her
  3026. >but you are just as afraid as she is.
  3027.  
  3028.  
  3029. >the bathroom light is still on
  3030. >it’ll give you a bit of warning if it goes out
  3031. >as it stands, Applejack, despite being obviously terrified, obeys you totally
  3032. >she isn’t uttering one peep
  3033. >the room is deathly quiet, even though the sounds of your breathing echo off the hard bathtub walls
  3034. >the thunder is constant, lightly vibrating the house…
  3035.  
  3036.  
  3037. >You feel Applejack’s ears spring up to attention
  3038. >and a light whimper escapes her
  3039. >she shivers, and covers her head with her hooves
  3040. >the thunder gets a little louder…
  3041.  
  3042.  
  3043. >That’s not thunder.
  3044.  
  3045. >the hairs stand straight up on your arms and legs
  3046. >you’ve always heard that tornadoes sounded like trains as they approached
  3047. >and right now, you’re imagining a set of train tracks, with a tornado funnel rushing toward you down the rails
  3048.  
  3049.  
  3050. >you consider yourself a calm guy, but right now, you are terrified.
  3051. >the roar in the distance picks up in volume
  3052. >the fact you can hear it from inside the tub is a bad, bad sign
  3053. >at least, you think so
  3054. >it also hits you that it’s very early in the morning, yet there aren’t any tornado sirens that you know of in your city
  3055. >you’d only been able to prepare because you’d gotten lucky…
  3056.  
  3057.  
  3058. >Applejack’s barely contained sob jerks you out of your ruminations
  3059. >she shivers, gritting her teeth
  3060. >the muscles in her neck bulge with tension
  3061.  
  3062.  
  3063. >from your place right over her, it’s just hitting you
  3064. >in the face of terror, you realize that Applejack, despite all the horror that transpired last night, is afraid
  3065. >afraid of death
  3066. >perhaps it’s just instinct…
  3067.  
  3068.  
  3069. >but it doesn’t matter to you.
  3070. >even if you don’t survive, you’re going to make sure she does
  3071. >if she wants to live, you’ll do what you can
  3072. >at least, you’ll try
  3073. >this pony deserves it.
  3074.  
  3075. >As the roar becomes more pronounced, you lower yourself as you as you can go
  3076. >then, you gently wrap your arm around her neck and shoulders
  3077. >she tightens up, inhales sharply and whimpers through clenched teeth
  3078. >you whisper, closing your eyes tight
  3079.  
  3080.  
  3081. “We’ll be ok, Applejack. I got you.”
  3082.  
  3083.  
  3084. >She doesn’t reply.
  3085. >but feeling your arm wrapped around her, she leans into your hold
  3086. >you smile sadly, and try to relax
  3087.  
  3088.  
  3089. >this might be the end, but at least you have somebody you care about there with you.
  3090.  
  3091.  
  3092. >the walls begin to shake
  3093. >your heart thumps wildly against the pony underneath you
  3094. >Applejack isn’t just shivering right now, she’s trembling like a leaf
  3095. >she can’t stop herself, and she begins to cry
  3096. >you aren’t going to stop her
  3097. >you just squeeze a little tighter, trying to provide her just a little comfort
  3098.  
  3099.  
  3100. >you wait for it...
  3101.  
  3102.  
  3103. >the lights suddenly cut off
  3104. >You flinch, and let out a hiss in surprise
  3105. >Applejack, on the other hand, lets out a heart rending cry
  3106. >in the pitch blackness, you can only hear the rapidly increasing volume of the tornado’s roar, the air conditioning vents having totally shut off
  3107.  
  3108. >you hug Applejack close, and focus on the warmth of her body below you
  3109. >and you wait for your house to rip apart.
  3110.  
  3111.  
  3112. >the wind whistles against the roof, and you can hear something scraping against the tiles
  3113. >the sound of dust or debris hitting the sides of your house, scraping against the brick, nearly gives you a panic attack
  3114. >the roar never lets up, neither increasing or decreasing in volume
  3115. >you hear loud strikes against the roof and walls, and the air around you seems to fall away
  3116. >this is it
  3117. >you hold your breath…
  3118.  
  3119.  
  3120. >the clattering against the sides of your house is accompanied by the shattering of a window
  3121. >you hear a crackling sound from above and behind you
  3122. >Applejack hears it, and her cry of distress only slightly reaches over the roar of the tornado
  3123. >it’s right there, you can literally feel it
  3124. >the air pressure drops, popping your ears
  3125.  
  3126.  
  3127. >the house, even through your tub, vibrates like a plane caught in turbulence
  3128. >you hold onto Applejack for dear life
  3129. >hoping the sound of her cries and the roar of the tornado isn’t the last thing you’ll ever hear.
  3130.  
  3131. >the depth of the tornado’s roar makes every hair on your body stand rigid
  3132. >a sound like a pressure washer blasting sheet metal scrapes against your eardrums
  3133. >the wall of your house, right to your left, is getting blasted with what sounds like sand
  3134. >Despite being in the background, the terror in Applejack’s wavering scream will never leave your memory
  3135. >objects pelt the roof
  3136. >the ground beneath you trembles even more than you are
  3137.  
  3138.  
  3139. >then, for a split second, the roar seems to fall away completely
  3140. >the air around you feels like it falls, leaving you unable to draw a breath
  3141. >but it only lasts an instant
  3142. >the roar shifts into something like a tidal wave colliding with a brick wall
  3143. >the rushing sound is concentrated to your left
  3144. >the roof above you rattles like it’s being pelted with rocks
  3145. >with an involuntary shout, you close your eyes and lay your head beside Applejack’s, her soft mane touching your face
  3146.  
  3147.  
  3148. >you shut out everything else, and you make a conscious decision
  3149. >you’re not going to focus on the mayhem
  3150. >if your last thoughts are going to be about something, you want them to about something else
  3151. >something other than fear
  3152. >something good
  3153. >something warm
  3154. >something, someone, worth protecting…
  3155.  
  3156.  
  3157. >you stray out of time
  3158. >embrace the darkness
  3159. >surrender, and go limp...
  3160.  
  3161. >once your thoughts drift away, it takes a long while for them to come back
  3162. >and the first thing that enters your awareness is the arms you have wrapped around the pony beneath you
  3163. >hugging around her belly and neck
  3164. >you suddenly notice the ringing in your ears, but the constant whine begins to recede
  3165. >and when it does, you hear heavy breathing
  3166. >the push against your stomach as Applejack’s ribs rise and fall rapidly
  3167.  
  3168.  
  3169. >You open your eyes
  3170. >at first, nothing but murky blackness seeps into your vision
  3171. >but they quickly adjust, and you can see the white bathtub below you
  3172.  
  3173.  
  3174. >it takes a moment
  3175. >but it slowly occurs to you that, lying hunched over, you aren’t dead.
  3176. >unless, that is, your spirit was sent to the afterlife in a bathtub…
  3177. >you gingerly lift your head up, hearing the constant gasps of the poor mare lying underneath you
  3178. >it takes a minute for you to feel like you have voluntary control of your own lungs
  3179. >Applejack moves, sliding her head out from under her forelegs
  3180. >her hooves make little clops when they hit the bathtub
  3181. >she shudders, and feeling you move above her, she whispers
  3182.  
  3183.  
  3184. “M-Master, Master *hic!* Anon… Is it over? Is...”
  3185.  
  3186. >Applejack sniffles, giving a little sob
  3187. >your mouth hangs open, your shock addled brain taking forever to process such a basic question
  3188. >but eventually, you raise yourself up, and peek out over the tub, facing your left
  3189.  
  3190.  
  3191. >you don’t know what you expect
  3192. >perhaps, you expected nothing to be there
  3193. >or see a mass of destruction and debris strewn about where your house once was
  3194. >but weirdly, it’s the fact that you see neither of those things that shocks you the most
  3195.  
  3196.  
  3197. >the room is totally intact.
  3198. >in fact, nothing appears out of order
  3199. >the sink, the tile floor, the walls, even the hallway outside
  3200. >it looks just like how you left it
  3201.  
  3202.  
  3203. >there is no roar.
  3204. >there is no wind, no leaves rustling
  3205. >no sound other than the distant rumble of thunder and the flickering of lightning in the hall
  3206.  
  3207.  
  3208. >Applejack raises her head
  3209. >you feel her smooth mane against your neck, brushing against your skin
  3210. >the feeling jolts you out of your stunned state
  3211. >you inhale sharply
  3212. >Applejack’s frightened voice is amplified by the hard tub again
  3213.  
  3214.  
  3215. “Master, a-are we gonna be ok? Is it gone?”
  3216.  
  3217. >you feel her body squirm
  3218. >blinking doesn’t make the incredible sight of your intact bathroom go away
  3219. >the near silence hanging like a cloud over your heads is a wordless answer to Applejack’s fearful question
  3220.  
  3221.  
  3222. >eventually, you nod your head
  3223.  
  3224.  
  3225. “I… think so. It’s gone, hon…”
  3226.  
  3227.  
  3228. >using our hand, you push yourself up and inch your way off of Applejack’s back
  3229. >you feel the cold metal of the flashlight you brought with, and grab that
  3230. >your shirt sticks to her from the sweat on your body, and it peels away
  3231. >all the while, you stare at the room
  3232.  
  3233.  
  3234. >it takes you a minute to get out, your limbs stiff as can be
  3235. >but you do
  3236. >once you get off of her Applejack sits up, her joints popping
  3237. >you set your hand on top of her head, and coo gently to the shivering pony
  3238.  
  3239.  
  3240. “Hold on, ok, hon? Stay here, I’m gonna go look around. Ok?”
  3241.  
  3242.  
  3243. >Applejack’s shiny eyes drip tears, and she nods
  3244. >you nod back, pet her head, and stand up, creeping out the door with Applejack obediently staying behind
  3245.  
  3246.  
  3247. >the shock continues
  3248. >you look right and left, and see that none of your house is gone
  3249. >the flicker of lightning confirms it
  3250. >breathing quietly, you inch down the hallway until you enter the living room, then you turn on the flashlight
  3251.  
  3252.  
  3253. >then finally, you see the first bit of damage
  3254. >the two windows on the opposite wall are shattered, and small pieces of debris, dust, dirt, and all kinds of other shit are all over the carpet and furniture
  3255. >a bitch to clean up, but… honestly, your truck is probably messier
  3256. >and other than that, as you look around, even up at the ceiling… you see nothing else.
  3257.  
  3258.  
  3259. >you flick off the light, standing in the middle of the room in thoughtful silence.
  3260.  
  3261.  
  3262. >Could this have been it?
  3263. >there’s no way, you think
  3264. >the roar had been deafening, the shaking of your whole house, the long approach
  3265. >surely this couldn’t have been it!
  3266. >surely…
  3267.  
  3268.  
  3269. >no. This can’t be.
  3270. >it must’ve missed you
  3271. >it simply cannot be…
  3272.  
  3273.  
  3274. >you turn to the sliding glass door.
  3275. >the curtain is only partly closed
  3276. >your eyes hover on it for a second, until a flash of lightning pierces through into the room
  3277.  
  3278.  
  3279. >your legs move automatically toward the door
  3280. >you latch onto the handle, flick the lock, and slide it open
  3281. >the humidity of the air hits you, feeling like a spider web hitting you in the face
  3282. >thumb trembling, you tense up, take a deep breath, and then, you turn on the extremely bright flashlight, shining it into the distance of your fenced in backyard…
  3283.  
  3284.  
  3285. “Oh my god.”
  3286.  
  3287.  
  3288. >The flashlight falls from your hand.
  3289.  
  3290.  
  3291. >fragments of debris, pieces of wood and metal and stone, lay scattered all over your yard
  3292. >but it’s what lies beyond your yard that chills you to the bone
  3293.  
  3294.  
  3295. >Your “fenced in” backyard?
  3296. >the whole fence along the back and sides of two thirds of your property is gone
  3297. >your shed, normally located in the upper left portion of your yard, just a little across the way?
  3298. >no sign of it.
  3299. >but that was nothing, as your flashlight comes to rest on the wreckage of the house behind yours
  3300.  
  3301.  
  3302. >the roof is gone, and the outside walls have caved in
  3303. >split boards, crumbled brick and drywall, twisted metal pipes
  3304. >there is no roof to speak of
  3305.  
  3306.  
  3307. >cold shivers traveling up your spine, you pan the flashlight left to right, the column of light reaching very far
  3308. >all of the houses behind yours are on a different street, a different block
  3309. >there’s a good bit of land between you and them, perhaps just outside of comfortable shouting distance
  3310.  
  3311.  
  3312. >and they’re all destroyed.
  3313.  
  3314. >roofs, walls, trees, it’s all obliterated
  3315. >your light reveals a tall tree, bent sharply and stripped of its bark, next to one of the houses
  3316. >wrapped around the base of it is what looks like strips of metal, bent all the way around the trunk
  3317.  
  3318.  
  3319. >there isn’t even that much wreckage to sort through, the destruction looks so bad
  3320. >the only thing remaining of one of the houses is a pile of dust and debris
  3321. >tears are pouring down your face, and you feel sick
  3322.  
  3323.  
  3324. “Oh my fucking god, oh my…”
  3325.  
  3326.  
  3327. >this thing just missed you
  3328. >it would have killed you, too
  3329. >that bathtub wouldn’t have saved you or Applejack
  3330. >and these people living in these houses…
  3331.  
  3332.  
  3333. >you had to help.
  3334. >it takes you a minute to jerk yourself out of your trance, but when you do, you race back into the house
  3335. >the you shine the light down the hall and make sure to pace yourself, not wanting to startle Applejack
  3336. >although you want to sprint
  3337.  
  3338.  
  3339. >you turn the corner and enter the restroom
  3340. >Applejack is still standing in the tub, shoulders hunched over and shivering with her tail tightly tucked between her legs
  3341. >you get down in front of her on the other side of the tub
  3342. >she gazes at you with intense focus
  3343. >you gulp, and keep your voice from shaking as you speak
  3344.  
  3345.  
  3346. “Applejack, the… the tornado missed us, b-but… it hit the houses behind us, and it’s really bad, hon.”
  3347.  
  3348.  
  3349. >Applejack’s eyes widen, and you see her body tense up
  3350. >the muscles bulge
  3351. >her jaw drops, and she inhales sharply
  3352.  
  3353.  
  3354. “I-It… oh Celestia, we gotta go help ‘em! We gotta…”
  3355.  
  3356.  
  3357. >She starts forward, setting her hoof on the tub wall and suddenly springs forward
  3358. >You lean back as she sort of falls into your chest
  3359. >A cry of surprise leaves you in as she clumsily topples out of the tub
  3360. >you react by wrapping your arms around her
  3361. >her rump falls to the tile with a thud, her upper body in your hands
  3362. >you have to respond quickly, as Applejack is now thrashing in your hold
  3363.  
  3364.  
  3365. “Wait, wait, hold on Applejack! Hold on, calm down, just a second! Calm down, calm down…”
  3366.  
  3367.  
  3368. >Applejack is standing up, now, but you maintain your firm grip around her
  3369. >You really have to speak firmly with her, but she fortunately does go still and heeds your command
  3370. >you can’t have her just running out there right away
  3371. >she’s going to hurt herself
  3372. >She still breathes shallowly, however, and her muscles are like rock
  3373. >In all honesty, she’s probably strong enough to bowl you over, but she’s very submissive to you
  3374. >you step back and hold her face between your hands
  3375.  
  3376.  
  3377. “Listen, ok? We’re gonna go and help. I’m gonna call 911, and we’re going to go out there and help anyone we can. But I can’t have you running out there all by yourself when we don’t know what’s out there, you could get hurt. Ok? So stay with me, hon.”
  3378.  
  3379.  
  3380. >Applejack’s intense gaze gradually softens the more you talk
  3381. >what you’re saying is getting through to her
  3382. >she takes a moment or two to breathe, and she nods her head
  3383. >but the tension in her muscles show she’s far from relaxed
  3384. >she’s itching for action
  3385.  
  3386.  
  3387. “Yes, Master, I understand. But we gotta hurry, they could...”
  3388.  
  3389. >you can tell her heart is breaking
  3390. >You nod, standing up
  3391. >Her eagerness to go out and help…
  3392. >it’s the only thing that manages to give some warmth to your heart in the midst of this horrible time
  3393. >you point at your side, and hold the flashlight in your other hand
  3394.  
  3395. “Be careful, and don’t leave my side, hon. Let’s go.”
  3396.  
  3397.  
  3398. >Applejack takes the “don’t leave my side” command very seriously
  3399. >as usual
  3400. >the instant the pony sees the damage illuminated by your flashlight, you hear her gasp
  3401. >Getting closer to the wreckage, you begin to shine the light all around
  3402. >and you notice that even the ground you’re walking on requires careful treading
  3403. >sharp objects lying around, a bolt the size of your foot…
  3404.  
  3405.  
  3406. “Watch your step, Applejack, ok?”
  3407.  
  3408.  
  3409. >Applejack says “yes, Anon” in hushed tones
  3410. >She’s already being careful
  3411. >all around you, the distant flicker of lightning in the distance, from the storm that carried all of this with it, illuminates
  3412. >you’re within shouting distance of the destroyed houses, so you call out over the gusty winds
  3413.  
  3414.  
  3415. “Anybody need help!? Anybody there!?”
  3416.  
  3417.  
  3418. >You pause, listen, and when you don’t hear anything, you do it again, even louder this time
  3419. >your voice seems to dissolve into the air
  3420. >The rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning are constant, but distant
  3421. >Applejack’s ears are sticking straight up, high on alert
  3422. >they swivel back and forth, twitching whenever a boom of thunder sounds
  3423.  
  3424.  
  3425. >but then, she stands stiff at attention, inhaling a sharp breath of air
  3426. >then she points to your right, her big eyes fixed on a specific location
  3427.  
  3428.  
  3429. “Master, I can hear someone! I can hear them, over there!”
  3430.  
  3431. >She trots forward, but suddenly stops herself, folding her ears down and staying in place before backing up to your side again
  3432. >You would have taken a moment to admire just how closely she follows your every command, but there’s no room in your mind for that
  3433. >You shine your flashlight over in the direction she pointed, and it falls upon the shattered ruins of one of the houses, the outer walls caved completely in
  3434. >then, you pat Applejack on her shoulders, and take a jogging step forward
  3435.  
  3436.  
  3437. “Ok, let’s go. I’m gonna let you take the lead, Applejack!”
  3438.  
  3439.  
  3440. >You shine the light to illuminate the way, listening closely but not hearing anything
  3441. >but Applejack was adamant, so you trust her
  3442. >her ears must be more sensitive than yours.
  3443.  
  3444.  
  3445. >Applejack canters ahead of you, hopping over a sharp piece of plywood sticking out of the ground
  3446. >Her ears point straight forward, and she’s intensely focused
  3447. >you still don’t hear anyth…
  3448.  
  3449.  
  3450. >That’s when a wavering moan sounds faintly through the air
  3451. >as soon as you hear it, you clench your teeth together
  3452. >you whisper
  3453.  
  3454.  
  3455. “Oh, shit…”
  3456.  
  3457. >Applejack hears it, too
  3458. >She goes from a canter to a full gallop, and you struggle to stay right behind her
  3459.  
  3460.  
  3461. “We’re coming! Hold on, help’s coming!”
  3462.  
  3463.  
  3464. >you struggle to stay behind her, running at the max speed you can, considering all of the debris
  3465. >Applejack runs onto the rubble and steps onto the wobbly, unstable rubble which is sitting atop the foundation
  3466. >she stares down at the ground, and that’s when you hear the low, agonized moan
  3467. >Applejack gasps, and clambers over to the source of the sound
  3468.  
  3469.  
  3470. >you can hear the strangled cry from underneath a pile of 2x4s and crumbled drywall, toward the center
  3471. >You lower the flashlight and go to help
  3472. >But Applejack beats you there, and you freeze when she does something that stuns you
  3473. >She lowers her head and shoulders, and with a roar, she slams into a large plank of wood, sitting beneath the majority of the debris that’s actually there
  3474.  
  3475.  
  3476. >she uses it like a lever, digging in her hooves and pushing forward like a football player to a practice pad
  3477. >You hear loud crunching of powdered drywall and the creaking of the wide plank, and you leap forward with your arms held out, gesticulating like you’re about to help her
  3478. >But in a matter of seconds, Applejack ferociously shoves the pile away, where it lands with a loud crunch on the other side
  3479. >You step back in startled response
  3480.  
  3481.  
  3482. >Applejack gasps, and you see her get down onto her knees
  3483. >and then you see her, curled up on what used to be the floor
  3484.  
  3485. >a girl of maybe 8 years of age comes into view from the cloud of dust
  3486. >or rather, her body does, lying on its side
  3487. >The curled up little girl is shuddering, and you hear her moan in pain
  3488. >Applejack gasps, and scampers forward with her head held low
  3489. >she looks up at you, and you meet her eyes while she points to the child’s torso
  3490.  
  3491.  
  3492. “Oh my gosh, she’s… she’s got something in her chest!”
  3493.  
  3494.  
  3495. >Her voice breaks, and she points to the object in question
  3496. >you run forward and step beside her, next to the poor girl
  3497. >when you see it, you gasp, and put a hand over your mouth
  3498. >It’s a fragment of wood, and it’s driven straight through the right side of her chest
  3499. >straight through, all the way
  3500. >she’s shaking, and holding her right side with a white knuckled grip
  3501. >tears stream out of her eyes, and she sobs
  3502. >your mouth hangs open
  3503.  
  3504.  
  3505. >Applejack gets down on her knees and lays her hoof over her chest
  3506. >She walks around the injured girl’s body and lays down in front of her
  3507. >The kid’s head bends forward and she looks to the pony now lying in front of her
  3508.  
  3509.  
  3510. “It’s ok, it’s ok! We’re gonna help you, just stay still, it’s gonna be ok! Oh, Celestia…”
  3511.  
  3512.  
  3513. >You aren’t even sure what to do
  3514. >the little girl has been basically impaled
  3515. >you’re still in shock
  3516. >But as your senses come back to you, your hand shoots to your pocket
  3517. >you pull out your phone and dial 911
  3518. >Applejack is speaking softly to the girl, who’s crying much louder than before
  3519. >you hear the child’s weak voice sob out
  3520.  
  3521.  
  3522. “I can’t… take it... h-hurts! Hurts...”
  3523.  
  3524. >her head jerks to the side rapidly, twice in a row
  3525. >it’s the kind of movement one makes when they’re overcome with pain
  3526. >chills raise the hairs on your entire body
  3527.  
  3528.  
  3529. “911, what is your emergency?”
  3530.  
  3531.  
  3532. >The droning female voice on the other end of the phone forces you out of the state of newfound despair you’re feeling from looking at this girl
  3533. >you stammer, then take a deep breath, and then manage to talk more calmly
  3534.  
  3535.  
  3536. “Yes, I-I got a little girl with me who’s hurt, real bad… got a piece of wood impaled through her, she’s crying, sh-she’s… we’re on Teal Circle Road, uhh… either 12 or 15 Teal Circle Road...”
  3537.  
  3538.  
  3539. >The voice on the other end of the line speaks at the same time that you’re just starting to hear sirens
  3540. >it’s a hell of a coincidence
  3541.  
  3542.  
  3543. “Yes, sir, we’ve already received reports from your area, help is on the way. Is the girl still conscious?”
  3544.  
  3545.  
  3546. >You look down at Applejack, who is lying beside the little girl and nuzzling her head
  3547. >telling her it’s going to be alright
  3548. >you see the little girl grab Applejack’s mane with her left hand
  3549. >the sounds of crying are still chilling your blood
  3550.  
  3551. “Yes, she’s still conscious! She’s got a piece of a plank or something going right through her chest, u-up on the right…”
  3552.  
  3553.  
  3554. “Alright, sir, do not attempt to remove the object. Is she losing blood?”
  3555.  
  3556.  
  3557. >You look back down, breathing shallow
  3558. >You go over and get down on one knee, next to the shivering child
  3559.  
  3560.  
  3561. “Hold on, hold on, just…”
  3562.  
  3563.  
  3564. >there’s a crimson streak of blood going down vertically from the exit of the wound, and when you check the other side, it’s the same story
  3565. >it’s like it went clean through, like a spear
  3566. >You look at the ground, and you see a small trickle of blood, but it isn’t growing
  3567. >you look worriedly at Applejack, who is able to do little more than comfort the child, who is holding onto her blonde mane with a death grip
  3568. >You nod
  3569.  
  3570.  
  3571. “Y-yes, she is, but it’s k-kinda slow, at least for now…”
  3572.  
  3573.  
  3574. “Ok, sir. I’m gonna ask you to just stay on the line with me, an ambulance has been sent to your address. Stay with her until help arrives.”
  3575.  
  3576. >You hear the ambulance sirens in the far distance
  3577. >You wipe a tear from your cheek and then stare down at the girl
  3578. >she is gasping, sobbing, and gritting her teeth with tears pouring down
  3579. >Applejack kisses her forehead, and scoots in further
  3580. >She’s extremely careful not to touch the wooden plank shard
  3581. >the little girl moans pitifully in agony, and holds onto Applejack for dear life
  3582. >The pony rests her hoof on top of the girl’s head and cradles it
  3583.  
  3584.  
  3585. “Hold on, Sugarcube… I know it hurts, but you’re gonna be ok… just hang onto me, it’s ok…”
  3586.  
  3587.  
  3588. >You stay at a slight distance, continuing to speak with the operator, telling her more details and just paying close attention
  3589. >but as you watch the scene in front of you, Applejack and the little girl lying down beside one another on the cold slab of where the house used to be, a tiny little sentiment enters your brain
  3590. >you think it to yourself, whispering it even though it’s in your own mind
  3591.  
  3592.  
  3593. >“Good girl, Applejack. Good girl.”
  3594.  
  3595.  
  3596. >You applaud how quickly emergency personnel arrive on the scene.
  3597. >they may have been forewarned, you don’t know
  3598. >all you know is that the little girl’s life is now out of your hands and into the ones of people far more capable.
  3599.  
  3600.  
  3601. >Applejack watches in solemn silence as the girl is loaded onto a stretcher and lifted into the back of the ambulance
  3602. >It’s not the only medical vehicle here. The whole block is covered in flashing lights, and sirens are still all around
  3603. >It’s a rather populated suburban area, so you think there’s personnel from all over the county
  3604. >firefighters, police, paramedics…
  3605.  
  3606.  
  3607. >You were reassured by paramedics that these sorts of incidents, that is to say, the girl’s IMPALEMENT, were actually treatable
  3608. >you don’t know if you should trust him, but you decide that you will
  3609. >even though it seems unbelievable to you
  3610.  
  3611. >Applejack cries silently
  3612. >You remember how tightly the girl held onto her mane as she was transported on the stretcher to the ambulance
  3613. >Applejack followed by her side the whole distance
  3614. >now, she was watching her being worked on in the back of the vehicle, bandages and casts and things you have no idea what they are being fastened around her torso, around the piece of plank
  3615. >you put your hand on her neck and pull her against your side, in a little hug
  3616. >Applejack continues to stare as they close the back door, and within ten seconds, they’re on the way out
  3617. >She wipes a hoof across her nose
  3618.  
  3619.  
  3620. “I don’t wanna leave her…”
  3621.  
  3622.  
  3623. >Your eyes water, and you stroke the side of her neck
  3624.  
  3625.  
  3626. “I know, hon. But she’s in good hands, now. I think she’ll make it.”
  3627.  
  3628.  
  3629. >Applejack swallows, you can feel it since your hand is on her neck
  3630. >She nods her head, and leans into you
  3631.  
  3632.  
  3633. “I hope so, Master. She… was in so much pain, I just…”
  3634.  
  3635.  
  3636. “It’s ok now, Applejack. You were there for her, you helped her. You dug her out, and if it weren’t for you hearing her…”
  3637.  
  3638.  
  3639. >You trail off.
  3640. >it doesn’t really need to be said, you both understand
  3641. >Applejack sniffles
  3642. >rubbing her neck all the way up and down one more time, you pull your hand away…
  3643.  
  3644.  
  3645. >You see red.
  3646. >Immediately your eyes shoot down to your hand, and you suddenly notice the sticky red blood on your fingertips
  3647. >You stop breathing, and then you look over Applejack’s shoulder
  3648.  
  3649. >Low on her side, and down on her belly from front to close to her flanks, there’s a thick, wet smear of blood
  3650. >At first, you feel your heartbeat quicken as you think your pony is now injured, too
  3651. >but then, the realization hits you
  3652. >that’s not her blood…
  3653.  
  3654.  
  3655. >you feel sick.
  3656. >you gag, and and look away from your hand
  3657. >you don’t wipe your hand on your clothes, or anywhere else
  3658. >it just sits limply by your side
  3659.  
  3660.  
  3661. >Applejack stays next to you
  3662. >she still remembers your order
  3663. >but she’s looking all around, taking everything in with an anxious demeanor
  3664. >her eyes bug out, and she points to where two paramedics are carrying a stretcher
  3665.  
  3666.  
  3667. “I-Is… is that…”
  3668.  
  3669.  
  3670. >you look over
  3671. >and your face blanches
  3672. >it’s a white sheet covered stretcher…
  3673. >coming from the far corner of the same house where you found the girl.
  3674.  
  3675.  
  3676. >the two of you stand, slackjawed.
  3677. >And that’s when Applejack starts to cry aloud.
  3678. >shivering sobs wrack her body, and she lowers her weepy face to the road.
  3679.  
  3680. >you’re more in shock than she is, so you don’t cry
  3681. >but the knowledge of who that must be isn’t lost on you.
  3682.  
  3683.  
  3684. >you feel a horrendous, splitting headache all of a sudden
  3685. >you put your bloody hand up to your forehead out of habit, but before you can remember, it’s too late
  3686. >you yank your hand away, but it leaves a smear on your skin that you can feel
  3687. >your eyes roll back, and you feel faint, but you fight it
  3688. >eventually, you do win, but you’re done.
  3689. >you can’t do this…
  3690.  
  3691.  
  3692. >You pet Applejack’s head, and start slowly walking away from the scene, back to the safety of your home
  3693. >She looks up at you, bloodshot eyes fixing you questioningly
  3694. >you shake your head, ignoring your throbbing head
  3695.  
  3696.  
  3697. “Let’s… come on, hon, let’s go. We gotta get home and get you cleaned up…”
  3698.  
  3699.  
  3700. >You feel like the ground beneath your feet is shaking
  3701. >but it’s probably just you
  3702. >Applejack opens her mouth, about to say something, but she closes it quickly
  3703. >lowering her head, she nods
  3704.  
  3705.  
  3706. “Yes, Master… but what about other people, what if they need…”
  3707.  
  3708.  
  3709. >Your head is killing you, but your heart melts
  3710. >but you just can’t do it right now, and you can’t just let Applejack go off by herself
  3711. >it’s actually against the law, too
  3712. >you shake your head and cradle hers as you walk
  3713.  
  3714.  
  3715. >you’re more in shock than she is, so you don’t cry
  3716. >but the knowledge of who that must be isn’t lost on you.
  3717.  
  3718.  
  3719. >you feel a horrendous, splitting headache all of a sudden
  3720. >you put your bloody hand up to your forehead out of habit, but before you can remember, it’s too late
  3721. >you yank your hand away, but it leaves a smear on your skin that you can feel
  3722. >your eyes roll back, and you feel faint, but you fight it
  3723. >eventually, you do win, but you’re done.
  3724. >you can’t do this…
  3725.  
  3726.  
  3727. >You pet Applejack’s head, and start slowly walking away from the scene, back to the safety of your home
  3728. >She looks up at you, bloodshot eyes fixing you questioningly
  3729. >you shake your head, ignoring your throbbing head
  3730.  
  3731.  
  3732. “Let’s… come on, hon, let’s go. We gotta get home and get you cleaned up…”
  3733.  
  3734.  
  3735. >You feel like the ground beneath your feet is shaking
  3736. >but it’s probably just you
  3737. >Applejack opens her mouth, about to say something, but she closes it quickly
  3738. >lowering her head, she nods
  3739.  
  3740.  
  3741. “Yes, Master… but what about other people, what if they need…”
  3742.  
  3743.  
  3744. >Your head is killing you, but your heart melts
  3745. >but you just can’t do it right now, and you can’t just let Applejack go off by herself
  3746. >it’s actually against the law, too
  3747. >you shake your head and cradle hers as you walk
  3748.  
  3749. >Applejack stays to your side, but she’s angled inwards
  3750. >watching your every move
  3751. >you just want to get home…
  3752.  
  3753.  
  3754. >then, the thought of the little girl’s blood enters your mind again
  3755. >on the ground, on Applejack, on your hands…
  3756. >the wooden stake driven through her chest...
  3757.  
  3758.  
  3759. >you don’t remember doing it, but your legs give out from under you
  3760. >your body slumps forward, and you crumple toward the earth
  3761. >your eyes falling closed.
  3762.  
  3763. >you feel the soft surface under you before you open your eyes
  3764. >you feel it before you see anything
  3765. >you groan, and slowly, open your eyes
  3766.  
  3767. >despite that the room is still dark, you can see well since your eyes have been closed
  3768. >but as soon as you do open them, you hear a gasp
  3769.  
  3770. “Oh, land’s sakes, Anon! I was worried sick, you just fainted and fell down onto me and I had to carry you in!”
  3771.  
  3772. >turning your head, you see Applejack get up from where she was laying on the floor beside you
  3773. >You can now see you’re on the sofa
  3774. >groaning, you put your hand on your head
  3775.  
  3776. “Ughh… hey, hon... H-How long… how long I’ve been out?”
  3777.  
  3778. >Applejack walks over to you
  3779. >her eyes glimmer with concern
  3780. >she pushes her snout under your chin and nuzzles you
  3781.  
  3782. “Only a minute or two, Master. I was about to splash some water on your face, but…”
  3783.  
  3784. >she points down at the floor, where a full glass of water lies
  3785. >you look down, and you groan again
  3786. >you have a weird, light-headed throb in your skull
  3787. >honestly, you can’t even remember fainting at all
  3788.  
  3789. “So… I fell on you?”
  3790.  
  3791. “Yes, Anon. I caught you just before you hit, but you still, uhh, hit the ground a little bit. But I got your head.”
  3792.  
  3793. >She sidesteps over to the water glass and picks it up before placing it next to your lips
  3794. >you grunt, and push your body upright so you’re sitting up against the couch arm
  3795. >you take the glass and bring it to your lips
  3796. >seeing the clear, cold liquid in the cup you suddenly realize how parched you actually are
  3797. >you down the whole thing in less than ten seconds flat
  3798. >the glass sort of rolls out of your hand, onto the sofa cushion
  3799. >Applejack picks up the glass with her teeth and sets it back down on the floor
  3800. >she still looks worried
  3801.  
  3802. “Anon, you ok? You drank that real fast.”
  3803.  
  3804. >you’re slowly coming to your senses, now.
  3805. >slowly, you sit up all the way
  3806. >you nod
  3807.  
  3808. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thirsty… oh god.”
  3809.  
  3810. >And there it is again
  3811. >you look down at your hand, about to push yourself up from the cushion and stand up
  3812. >and you see the stain of red on your hand, again
  3813. >along with the dirty, nasty feeling of stickiness on the webs of your fingers
  3814. >just like that, you feel a shiver up your spine, and you remember everything prior to passing out
  3815.  
  3816. >And there it is again
  3817. >you look down at your hand, about to push yourself up from the cushion and stand up
  3818. >and you see the stain of red on your hand, again
  3819. >along with the dirty, nasty feeling of stickiness on the webs of your fingers
  3820. >just like that, you feel a shiver up your spine, and you remember everything prior to passing out
  3821.  
  3822. >but this time, you shake it from your mind, teeth gritted
  3823. >you refuse to succumb to another fainting spell
  3824. >You shake your head roughly and get to your feet
  3825. >Applejack appears confused, and she comes forward to give you support, should you need it
  3826.  
  3827. “Forgive me, Anon, but are you sure you’re alright? You were dead weight only a minute ago…”
  3828.  
  3829. “Yeah, Applejack, I’m fine, just… we gotta get this blood off.”
  3830.  
  3831. >it still feels like a bad dream as you head to the bathroom
  3832. >you feel like your feet are moving by themselves
  3833. >but you get there without falling over again
  3834. >you try to turn on the light by force of habit, but the electricity is still out
  3835. >well, shit
  3836.  
  3837. >you turn back around and nearly bump into Applejack on your way to the living room
  3838. >with a gasp, she hops back scurries out of the way
  3839. >you mutter a “sorry” and push the thought of the little girl’s blood out of your mind while you search for the flashlight
  3840.  
  3841. “Hey, Applejack, did you happen to get my flashli… oh, there it is.”
  3842.  
  3843. >you find it on the floor next to your sofa
  3844. >Applejack is quick to answer your question anyway, though
  3845.  
  3846. “Yes, Master Anon, I ran back out and picked it up after I set you down.”
  3847.  
  3848. >this pony really doesn’t miss a detail, does she?
  3849. >Well, it looks like you might need some extra batteries for this thing
  3850. >but it’ll be good for now
  3851.  
  3852. >You barge into the bathroom and crank the knob on the tub with your unbloodied hand, setting the flashlight face up on the toilet seat
  3853. >the water comes pouring out, but you know it isn’t going to be hot for very long
  3854. >your boiler is electric
  3855. >you put it on lukewarm and begin immediately rinsing off the scabbed blood
  3856. >the water turns murky red as you scrub at it with your other hand
  3857.  
  3858. >Applejack noses in to your left, close to you
  3859. >her body touches against your side, and she looks into the tub at your hand with her ears pinned back
  3860. >you glance over at her, and she looks up at you with saddened, dim eyes
  3861.  
  3862. >You turn up the heat a little, and the blood comes off all the way
  3863. >there’s still some hot water in your boiler, you’re sure, but you have to conserve it
  3864. >so, after clearing your hand you crank the knob back off, and then grab the bar of soap and washcloth from their holders
  3865. >you turn to Applejack
  3866. >She blanches a little
  3867.  
  3868. “Ok, Applejack, I’m gonna put you in the tub and clean this… this… clean you off. Ok?”
  3869.  
  3870. >She nods
  3871. >actually, she starts to climb in herself, but you help her
  3872. >she knows the drill, turns around in the tight space so her back legs and rump face the faucet
  3873. >That’s when you see the cuts on her backside again, and you realize that the blood was not the only thing you had to wash off right now
  3874. >you just had to do it, and push the thought of the carnage outside out of your mind
  3875.  
  3876. >You douse the cloth in some warm water, soap it up, and then tap Applejack’s croup a couple of times with your hand
  3877.  
  3878. “We still have to get the dirt and everything on your rear cleaned up, hon. After everything that happened, we never got to it. Ok?”
  3879.  
  3880. >Applejack, to her credit, just nods her head and, like the first time, braces with a hoof on the wall
  3881.  
  3882. “Oh. Yes, Anon. S-sorry…”
  3883.  
  3884. >Sorry?
  3885. >Guess she thinks it’s her fault…
  3886. >Not her fault she had a breakdown like that, poor girl.
  3887.  
  3888. “No, Applejack, it’s not your fault. Please, don’t do that to yourself.”
  3889.  
  3890. >You just don’t waste any time, and begin scrubbing
  3891. >she flinches, and clearly grunts in pain, but she stays still
  3892. >and just like that, it’s the first night all over again
  3893. >again…
  3894.  
  3895. >It doesn’t take so long this time
  3896. >Applejack’s a tough pony, you’ve seen that, but she still can’t help but shed some tears in the tub
  3897. >preparing for the last step, you take the shower hose off the holder
  3898. >You turn the knob just long enough to rinse the spot off, with luckily still warm water, before you tap her on the croup again
  3899.  
  3900. “I’m so sorry, Applejack. I know it hurts, but you’re doing great. Here, can you turn around and face me, now? This is the last thing, I promise. I have to clean your belly and side off, but it shouldn’t hurt.”
  3901.  
  3902. >Applejack sniffs through her runny snout, and right away begins to turn around
  3903. >She’s shivering, and when you get a closer look at her face, she looks like she’s in a good deal of pain
  3904. >her red-smeared side is showing, now, and suddenly you feel squeamish again
  3905. >but you are going to push through it. If she bear her pain quietly, then you can stomach this.
  3906. >Wring out the cloth, re-soap, and then you get to work.
  3907.  
  3908. >When the scabbed smears of blood turn brighter red, leaking down and dripping into the tub, it almost looks like it’s Applejack herself who is hurt
  3909. >you have to have the water running this time, the tendrils of blood turn the flowing water a murky, dark pink color
  3910.  
  3911. >Applejack stares down at the water.
  3912. >Her eyes are unblinking, and the whites of her eyes are almost the same shade as the water. Bloodshot.
  3913. >She bites her quivering lip, eyes following the ribbons of blood flowing toward the drain.
  3914. >her expression is frozen with horror, and it acts like a window into her mind
  3915.  
  3916. >You can somehow tell that something is very wrong almost right away
  3917. >the same look from last night flashes across her face
  3918. >She’s seeing the blood in the same light as you are
  3919. >The blue light of the flashlight almost making the blood look darker in color, like black snakes moving through the water...
  3920.  
  3921. >Applejack sighs, and then gives a sob
  3922. >She shakes her head
  3923.  
  3924. “I wish we could have traded places.”
  3925.  
  3926. >Her fetlocks tremble.
  3927. >She’s choked up, and you can see more tears trickling down her cheeks
  3928.  
  3929. “I wish it was me out there, and her in the tub with you when the tornado hit... “
  3930.  
  3931. >Your heart aches hearing this again
  3932. >Applejack hides her head between her forelegs, and another sob echoes into the bathtub
  3933. >you try to nip this in the bud
  3934.  
  3935. “Now, Applejack, there’s no use talking like that…”
  3936.  
  3937. “She’s so young, little, and I’m just… I’ve got nothing, I’m… I’m nothing.”
  3938.  
  3939. >Oh, no.
  3940. >it’s happening again
  3941. >Applejack bends at her knees, and with your hand on her ribs, you feel them heave
  3942. >your washing hand stops
  3943. >Shaking your head, you immediately try to reassure her, the sense of sadness heavy in the air
  3944.  
  3945. “Applejack, you aren’t nothing! You saved her, dug her out.”
  3946.  
  3947. “She’s not gonna make it. I-It went right through her… I couldn’t save her, either…”
  3948.  
  3949. >Either?
  3950. >You would think for a second longer about what you just heard, but she’s falling apart
  3951. >the sobbing you hear is barely repressed
  3952. >you scoot closer, and just drop the washcloth
  3953. >You place a hand on her withers
  3954.  
  3955. “The paramedics said…”
  3956.  
  3957. >Applejack isn’t listening.
  3958. >She backs up, and falls onto her back legs, sinking down
  3959. >her body falls away from your hand, which lands on the side of the tub
  3960. >her hooves cover her face, and she squeezes her eyes shut, sobbing brokenly
  3961.  
  3962. “I can’t lose her, too, I can’t, I c-can’t! I CAN’T!”
  3963.  
  3964. >Applejack’s voice cracks as she snaps, and her whole body is wracked with sobs
  3965. >The sudden loud cry makes you drop the shower handle
  3966. >feeling the hairs stand up on your neck and your vision blurring, you find yourself jumping into the tub
  3967. >verging on panic, you reach to pick her up, grabbing a hold of her shoulders
  3968.  
  3969. “Applejack, Applejack! It’s ok, it’s gonna be ok…”
  3970.  
  3971. >You can’t possibly think of something else to say as she turns into a puddle in the tub
  3972. >Stretching yourself down, you grunt in an attempt to lift Applejack’s shoulder up, trying to get a hold of her
  3973. >your legs and pants are soaked through as you kneel down
  3974. >there’s nothing you can think to say to ease what she’s feeling, so you’re doing the only thing maybe you can do, try to give her just a bit of comfort
  3975. >just something to hold on to…
  3976.  
  3977. >Then, with Applejack feeling your hands on her, she does something that shocks you
  3978. >With a jolt, she lurches into you, and buries her face into your chest, legs wrapping all the way around you
  3979. >out of reflex, you embrace her right back, and she collapses heavily into your arms
  3980. >back legs bunched up behind her while her belly rests on the tops of your thighs
  3981.  
  3982. >You are speechless as she pulls you toward her with her powerful front legs
  3983. >the muscles in her forelimbs are harder than granite stone
  3984. >she weeps into your shirt, tears pouring out like water
  3985. >Her voice is barely coherent, but you make out what she’s saying, mouth and nose buried into your chest
  3986.  
  3987. “Don’t be my angel, no more… save someone else, don’t, don’t… don’t try to save me, just save her instead… save her instead… don’t be my angel no more…”
  3988.  
  3989. >Applejack presses further into you, weeping
  3990. >her tears are staining your shirt
  3991. >you are forced to kneel from her dead weight on the tops of your thighs, the water soaking into your jeans
  3992. >it occurs to you at the last moment to reach back and shut off the water, which you do
  3993. >the gurgling of water coming out of the showerhead ceases, leaving you both in dripping silence
  3994. >the only sound remaining is the echoes of Applejack’s cries off the bathroom walls
  3995.  
  3996. >You reach your other arm lower, and forcefully pull her lower half closer to you so her hooves aren’t dragging in the water
  3997. >The meaning of what she just said to you is starting to sink in as she totally surrenders to you
  3998.  
  3999. >She called you her “angel”
  4000. >just for feeding her, giving her a bed
  4001. >treating her with basic kindness and respect
  4002. >not beating or raping her
  4003.  
  4004. >For those reasons, you were her “angel”.
  4005.  
  4006. >you aren’t ashamed that you are close to crying
  4007. >You gently shh her, and bend you head down to rest your chin on the top of her head
  4008. >her ears flatten back
  4009.  
  4010. “Go to her, instead… just leave me, just… let me drown here, let me…”
  4011.  
  4012. >Applejack trails off, and devolves into more cries
  4013. >it feels like a punch to your gut hearing her ask you to kill her
  4014. >you shake your head, and take tighter hold of her hair
  4015. >your teeth are gritting together from the ache you feel in your chest
  4016.  
  4017. “No, Applejack. None of this was your fault.”
  4018.  
  4019. >This doesn’t comfort her.
  4020. >Applejack’s ribs heave and shudder against you
  4021. >she shakes her head madly, and begins to writhe in your grasp
  4022.  
  4023. “No! You don’t understand! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!”
  4024.  
  4025. >you suddenly have to fight to hold on to her
  4026. >Applejack hyperventilates, and she suddenly pulls away from you
  4027. >You are again reminded of how strong she is as you have to practically flex every muscle in your body to hang onto her
  4028.  
  4029. >She squirms as hard as she can, sobbing breathlessly
  4030. >you try shushing, calmly speaking words of comfort into her ear, and even resting your cheek on the top of her head in the tightest hug you can manage
  4031. >but it doesn’t console her.
  4032.  
  4033. >Applejack continues to struggle
  4034. >that is, until she realizes she can’t get away, her position too awkward to get any traction
  4035. >then, she gives up, and goes limp like a dead fish, and simply accepts your grip around her
  4036.  
  4037. >You know Applejack isn’t relaxing
  4038. >She’s just… dead.
  4039. >You wish you could say something, do something, ANYTHING, but you’re at a total loss
  4040.  
  4041. >Breathless moans of despair are interspersed with barely audible, whispered words
  4042. >but your ear is so close to her mouth, you can barely make them out…
  4043.  
  4044. “Sis… ‘m sorry, I’m sorry… I couldn’t save you…”
  4045.  
  4046. >Sis…
  4047. >sister?
  4048. >The piece of this whole, uncomfortable puzzle of her torment at the hands of her former master falls heavily in front of you
  4049. >The more things you discover, the more your heart breaks for Applejack
  4050.  
  4051. >but you won’t ask her now.
  4052. >Later. It had to be later.
  4053. >Right now, you just had to be here for her.
  4054. >You only continue to listen, kneeling in the wet tub while Applejack slowly drifts away in your arms.
  4055.  
  4056. >In the dark, the quickly warming and humid air around you makes you sweat now that your air conditioning no longer works.
  4057. >You carried her again, to the sofa, and laid her down where you were lying down only a little before.
  4058. >Neither one of you were asleep.
  4059. >The sun was peeking out over the horizon, but you can’t stomach looking out the window.
  4060. >the tornado damage outside is surely much more visible, now…
  4061.  
  4062. >Applejack breathes softly, and if it weren’t for her open eyes, you’d think she was asleep
  4063. >her cheeks are covered in red lines from how long she’s been crying
  4064. >She stares off, looking at the wall
  4065. >her gaze is distant, like she’s somewhere else
  4066.  
  4067. >You sit in the seat next to the sofa, and while you’re looking in her direction, your gaze is just as distant as hers
  4068. >so much is on your mind…
  4069.  
  4070. >She speaks, and her voice cuts through the heavy, humid air.
  4071.  
  4072. “My sister is gone. My sister is gone, he… he sold her to the mine, a-and I’ll never see her again.”
  4073.  
  4074. >Applejack’s words come out of the blue.
  4075. >You snap out of whatever trance you’re in, and you feel like your heart just stopped.
  4076.  
  4077. >Her tone is eerily quiet
  4078. >just like last night, you realize
  4079. >flat, drained of life, of feeling…
  4080.  
  4081. >For some reason, the only thing you can think of saying in response, is her name
  4082. >meekly, like a question
  4083.  
  4084. “...Applejack?”
  4085.  
  4086. >She curls up, and his her eyes behind her hooves
  4087. >her voice breaks
  4088.  
  4089. “And it’s… all my fault.”
  4090.  
  4091. >Applejack’s eyes are hidden from you
  4092. >but dark spots form on the sofa cushion below her face as tears drip from her cheeks
  4093.  
  4094. >all it takes is the word “mine” for you to seize up
  4095. >you’ve seen pictures
  4096. >this is a pro-slave pony area of the country, but even here, you know of the opposition to forcing ponies into mine labor
  4097. >you’ve seen the pictures
  4098. >the dirt and scars, the statistics on pony’s lifespans doing that kind of labor
  4099. >they were bad.
  4100. >bad enough that even pony slave owners have spoken out against it before
  4101. >And Applejack’s little sister was suffering that fate...
  4102.  
  4103. >at least it is illegal in some states, but there are too many elected members of Congress in the pockets of pony slave industry to force a majority vote against it on a national level
  4104. >at least, for now
  4105. >but things are changing...
  4106.  
  4107. >you want to immediately console her, reach your hand out to her
  4108. >tell her that she’s wrong
  4109. >but at this point, you only know one thing:
  4110. >you know nothing.
  4111. >you only have an inkling of what she’s been through, and right now, you don’t want to assume anything.
  4112.  
  4113. >but this can’t be put off any longer.
  4114. >you need to know.
  4115.  
  4116. >So, you decide that you will dare to pry further.
  4117. >Not knowing what she’ll say, or do, you speak softly, but directly.
  4118.  
  4119. “Applejack… tell me what happened, hon. Please. I must know.”
  4120.  
  4121. >Applejack gives no response at first.
  4122. >she lies stock still, and the only sound in the room is her gentle breathing
  4123. >you wait patiently, just hoping for a response
  4124. >the last thing you know you should do is try and force it out of her
  4125. >she’s so shattered right now, you’re starting to wonder if even imploring gently is going one step too far.
  4126.  
  4127. >you take the next several seconds of silence as a refusal
  4128. >but unlike other times, you aren’t going to take advantage of her submissiveness to you and demand an answer
  4129. >only when it had been for her own good, but now, not this time.
  4130. >damn, you shouldn’t have even asked…
  4131.  
  4132. >You don’t even notice it when Applejack raises her head
  4133. >but you do notice when she speaks
  4134. >startled, you whip your head around
  4135.  
  4136. >staring off into the wall, she speaks softly, but clearly.
  4137.  
  4138. “It feels like so long… but it can't have been more than a year since I last saw her…”
  4139.  
  4140. >>(POV Applejack)
  4141.  
  4142. >You got your work done in only eight hours today
  4143. >and that was including all of the double checking
  4144.  
  4145. >thanks to how well your work went, maybe now, Master would give Apple Bloom some extra food for today’s meal
  4146. >but probably not
  4147. >with Master, it was always an all or nothing deal
  4148. >if you didn’t do a satisfactory job, your sister went hungry
  4149. >if you did, Apple Bloom got her rations
  4150. >It was that simple.
  4151.  
  4152. >And you would be damned before you let your sister starve
  4153. >Your joints ached, your muscles burned, and your body was always covered in sweat
  4154. >but you pressed on anyway
  4155. >day after day, you just mindlessly followed the routine
  4156. >you dared not think of anything but your tasks
  4157. >anything else was a waste of time
  4158.  
  4159. >But even still, as the sun tanned your orange coat, you couldn’t help but think of your hat
  4160. >you missed it…
  4161.  
  4162. >The water from the hose is not cold, but you are so thirsty that you do not care
  4163. >you gulp it greedily, the bump in your throat bulging out with each swallow
  4164. >once you’ve had your fill, you walk toward the house
  4165.  
  4166. >Master’s house isn’t even really a house
  4167. >it’s a mansion, an estate
  4168. >despite its size, it’s separate from Master’s other agricultural enterprises
  4169.  
  4170. >you were powerful, strong
  4171. >your two former Masters had learned that
  4172. >and they’d learned that the hard way…
  4173.  
  4174. >in fact, you had originally been stationed outside of the estate when you first got here
  4175. >they started you on the grunt work, some of the heaviest labor at this place
  4176. >but you weren’t afraid of lashes, or strikes
  4177. >you did the work, but you never feared giving them lip
  4178. >showing them the fires of your defiance
  4179. >even sometimes disobeying orders from your overseers
  4180.  
  4181. >That is, until...
  4182.  
  4183. >You never figured out how Master discovered your sister.
  4184. >You’ll never forget the day when he brought you into his house, dragged between three guards
  4185. >they dragged you through his front door, into the front lobby
  4186.  
  4187. >and as soon as you saw her, standing beside your Master, your heart had stopped
  4188. >a growing filly, with a red wavy mane, her pale yellow coat and your mother’s beautiful, expressive eyes staring back at you
  4189. >she was older, but still very much a filly
  4190. >you knew it was her the second you clapped eyes on her
  4191.  
  4192. “Ap...Apple Bloom?”
  4193.  
  4194. >You barely whispered it
  4195. >you almost wanted to ask yourself if it was a dream, if this could possibly be real
  4196. >but you could feel the cold floor beneath your hooves
  4197. >you could still sense the prickling tingle of the sunburn on your face and shoulders
  4198. >and you knew it was real.
  4199.  
  4200. >Apple Bloom’s eyes had practically bugged out of her head when she saw you
  4201. >her jaw dropped, and she seemed to stop breathing upon her realization
  4202. >and for the first time since you had been ripped from all family, all traces of your former life, you felt a warmth in your heart
  4203. >it felt like it was floating in your chest when she called your name back at you, face beaming with elation
  4204.  
  4205. “Applejack! APPLEJACK! Oh gosh, oh Celestia, Applejack!”
  4206.  
  4207. >it was the first time you had heard her voice in so, so long
  4208. >and when it said your name, it made the tears start flowing like rivers down your face
  4209. >you cry unashamedly, and you rush forward
  4210.  
  4211. “Apple Bloom! Oh, Apple Bloom, it’s you! Oh my gosh, it’s YOU!”
  4212.  
  4213. >There were tears in her eyes, too, as she began towards you
  4214. >In that moment, everything else around you disappeared
  4215. >you had tunnel vision, and all you could see was her
  4216. >tears falling, a smile so wide it could have lit up the night sky, you closed the distance between you...
  4217.  
  4218. >and got a boot hard to the gut.
  4219.  
  4220. >in an instant, all of the air whooshed out of your lungs, and you fell flat on your stomach
  4221. >striking the hard floor, the impact knocked you dizzy
  4222. >you didn’t even have the breath to give a shocked cry of pain
  4223. >and your mouth gapes open with failed attempts to draw breath
  4224.  
  4225. >But then, you heard the scream of your sister.
  4226.  
  4227. >someone grabbed your mane, and yanked your head up
  4228. >and behind you someone stepped onto your back, pinning you to the floor
  4229. >you gasped noiselessly for air, and it took a moment for your lungs to start working again
  4230.  
  4231. >neck bent awkwardly, you were forced to look ahead
  4232. >and the sight you saw made your heart feel like it was going to explode
  4233.  
  4234. >The third guard, who had been with you, now forcefully held Apple Bloom down
  4235. >his foot stood on top of her lower back, and his hand held her tail taut
  4236. >Apple Bloom tried to kick out, but he pushed her down, making her cry out with distress
  4237.  
  4238. >your brain registered pain and confusion at the same time as the scene around you crumbled
  4239. >every muscle cried out as you tried to struggle, but you were immobilized
  4240. >still, you tried to say her name, your pulse so hard that you could feel it in your throat
  4241.  
  4242. “Apple Bloom! Ap---ahh!”
  4243.  
  4244. >the guard’s foot pumped down hard on top of you, driving the air out of your lungs once again
  4245. >your sister’s name dies before it can leave your mouth
  4246. >Across from you, Master stood unperturbed by all that was happening.
  4247. >he took turns looking at you, and then Apple Bloom, doing this over and over
  4248.  
  4249. >from across the floor where she lay, you met your little sister’s gaze
  4250. >the thoughts that would have been racing through your mind, the joy at seeing her right here in front of you
  4251. >it was ruined when you saw the terror in her eyes
  4252.  
  4253. >Master bent his head down to look at you
  4254. >The hand gripping your mane pulled your head to the right, forcing you to look back at him
  4255. >when you saw his face, the icy smile on his lips made your skin go cold
  4256.  
  4257. “Ahh. So, she IS your sister! I knew it was true the second I saw your face when you walked in here.”
  4258.  
  4259. >The jovial tone was so saccharine sweet that it makes your blood chill in your veins
  4260. >it wasn’t sincere
  4261. >it wasn’t happy
  4262. >it was…
  4263.  
  4264. >All of a sudden, you saw the whip in his hand.
  4265. >The sight of it made you jolt, like a shock was just sent through your body
  4266. >Master smirked at you, and he gritted his teeth
  4267. >you’ll never forget that look on his face, long as you live
  4268. >the seething rage beneath his smile…
  4269.  
  4270. >Apple Bloom saw it, too
  4271. >she went pale, and began to try and slip away as he stepped toward her, focusing all of his attention on her
  4272. >you don’t know why, but at first it was like you were too shocked, too confused to say anything
  4273. >it was like your brain just couldn’t catch up with what was suddenly happening
  4274.  
  4275. “No, no, w-wait, w-what’d I… no!”
  4276.  
  4277. >Apple Bloom’s shaky voice broke with a heart-rending squeak as Master raised the thin, cordlike whip above his head.
  4278.  
  4279. >before, you had been frozen in shock, unable to process what was happening
  4280. >but now, at seeing the whip being raised, your voice finally unfreezes
  4281. >The scream of terror that rips out of your throat echoes around the large antechamber
  4282.  
  4283. “NO! Master, Master no! I’ll do anything, I’LL DO ANYTHING!”
  4284.  
  4285. >Your Master’s arm and shoulder twitch forward, and so does the whip
  4286. >but at the last possible second, his arm stops
  4287. >the cord of leather swings back and forth like a pendulum, dangling under his elbow
  4288.  
  4289. >He turns to you, and away from your quaking sister
  4290. >His eyebrows raise, and he tilts his head
  4291.  
  4292. “Oh? Anything?”
  4293.  
  4294. >He tries his best to sound surprised
  4295. >amused
  4296. >But it’s lost on you, and you don’t hesitate to nod your head
  4297. >emphatically
  4298.  
  4299. “Yes! Anything, anything, Master! Please, don’t!”
  4300.  
  4301. >Master smiles
  4302. >it’s a look that twists your stomach
  4303. >and then, slowly, he lowers the whip
  4304. >the end of the leather cord now drags on the floor
  4305. >but his eyes remain fixed on you
  4306.  
  4307. >instead of breathing a sigh of relief, you gasp, bringing air into your lungs
  4308. >your pulse pounds in your ears, and tears of absolute relief drip to the floor
  4309. >Apple Bloom’s eyes, which had been squeezed shut in preparation for the whipping she was going to receive, now flutter open
  4310. >Her eyes dart all around, taking in the scene before her, before they rest back onto you
  4311.  
  4312. >There’s gratefulness, but also, pain in her gaze
  4313. >seeing her expression makes you begin to better realize what you just promised
  4314. >you promised to do anything
  4315. >and you knew not what cruelties you were now going to endure
  4316. >but the fear now gripping your heart, compared to the pain Apple Bloom has just been spared, is nothing
  4317. >you no longer care what fate now befalls you
  4318. >as long as she is safe.
  4319.  
  4320. >The sound of your Master’s boot stepping on the hard floor shake you out of your thoughts
  4321. >He rolls up the short whip, and holds it by his hip, and takes a few more steps toward you
  4322. >until he is standing just in front of you
  4323.  
  4324. >he kneels down, and your very blood turns to ice
  4325. >his hand reaches under your chin
  4326. >and softly caresses it
  4327. >you can’t help it, but you start to shiver
  4328.  
  4329. >He leans down, and speaks to you
  4330.  
  4331. “Anything. Anything… that’s quite refreshing, coming from you.”
  4332.  
  4333. >He runs his hand down your cheek, and down your neck
  4334. >despite it all, you have to resist the urge to bite him
  4335. >you almost feel ashamed that the thought even crosses your mind
  4336.  
  4337. “You see, I’ve heard from many of my men that you have been quite the handful. And what’s worse, other ponies have begun to catch on. It seems you’ve turned into… inspiration for them.”
  4338.  
  4339. >He runs his palm down your throat
  4340. >and you jolt as he gives it a brief squeeze
  4341. >for a moment, your airways are closed, but he releases almost immediately
  4342. >but the short display of power makes you understand the gravity of your situation
  4343. >you cringe as he leans close to your ear
  4344.  
  4345. “I wasn’t sure of how to deal with that. I thought, maybe I’ll flog her? Brand her? But then I realized I would be making a martyr. And what if you didn’t break? Goodness, what a disaster that would end up being. I found myself in a pickle… until I found her.”
  4346.  
  4347. >He points to Apple Bloom with his finger, jabbing it in her direction
  4348.  
  4349. “So, here’s what I’m going to do, Applejack. Rather than just flog you to pieces, as much as I would LOVE to whip you into bloody ribbons right now, I’ve decided to be more civilized. I’ll keep you nice and close to my home, and put you on labor duty on the manor instead. Your sister, on the other hand, will work in your old placement, away the manor. And guess what?”
  4350.  
  4351. >He presses up on your chin, and speaks softly
  4352. >every word drips venom, and the things he says next make you more afraid than any prospect of being flogged to death
  4353.  
  4354. “I’ll be watching you closely. Every time I see you, and I don’t like your work, if you don’t meet your quota… your little sister won’t eat. And every time you try something, give lip to my men, defy orders, inspire other ponies to resist? I’ll have your sister whipped. And every time she doesn’t get her rations or she feels the lash on her back, she’ll know. She’ll know it was all your fault.”
  4355.  
  4356. >He lets go of your chin, and your head falls down with a thud on the floor
  4357. >But this time, it stays there for a moment
  4358. >like the very weight of his words are pressing down your head, keeping it floored
  4359. >and when you lift it, the weight never lets up
  4360.  
  4361. >Apple Bloom’s face has blanked
  4362. >her jaw lays slack, and she lies motionless
  4363. >Tail and back legs still gripped by the man behind her
  4364.  
  4365. >You know she heard everything your Master just said.
  4366. >You can see it in her expression…
  4367.  
  4368. “Alright, that concludes business here. Take Applejack up the steps to her new room, and take… Apple Bloom, was it? Take Apple Bloom off the manor grounds.”
  4369.  
  4370. >The suddenness of his orders, spoken with no regard to you or your sister, quicken your heartbeat
  4371. >and when you feel the men yank you up by your forelegs, letting your back legs drag on the floor, you feel panic grip your chest
  4372.  
  4373. “W--Wait! Wait, Master, m-my sister…”
  4374.  
  4375. >Apple Bloom gasps as the man behind her very roughly jerks her upright
  4376. >he wraps his arm around her middle, and hauls her into the air
  4377. >pressing her against his chest, and he begins to carry her away
  4378.  
  4379. >In a matter of a moment, you see Apple Bloom slipping away from you
  4380. >in your dreams, you had longed for a chance to embrace her, every day since the day you were separated
  4381. >and now, after seeing her in the flesh, so close to you, the thought of her slipping away was more painful than you could have possibly imagined
  4382.  
  4383. >you scream
  4384.  
  4385. “N-No, NO! NOOO! NO, please, please Master, please…”
  4386.  
  4387. “Please, what?”
  4388.  
  4389. >He snaps back at you
  4390. >but the dragging does cease, and you come to a halt
  4391. >They twist you around, and you meet him eye to eye once again
  4392. >you stammer, and shamelessly plead, so desperate that you speak amid sobs
  4393.  
  4394. “Please, just let me hug my sister… let me have just one minute, just one… please, please, please…”
  4395.  
  4396. >The amusement on his face means nothing to you
  4397. >you care not that you’re totally breaking down
  4398. >you care not that he can see your will to resist shattered
  4399. >you need her
  4400. >you need her…
  4401.  
  4402. >Master walks to Apple Bloom, who is gasping
  4403. >she is pleading as well, in more subdued tones, for the same thing as you
  4404. >he looks first at you, then at her, and repeats this process three or four times
  4405.  
  4406. >he narrows his eyes, and then shakes the coiled whip in his hand at your prone sister
  4407.  
  4408. “Well, Applejack, that depends. Is your sister willing to take ten lashes for it? Right here, in front of you?”
  4409.  
  4410. “YES! YES, I WILL! I’LL TAKE THEM!”
  4411.  
  4412. >Apple Bloom’s shout pierces the air
  4413. >You don’t even have a chance to process his question by the time your sister agrees
  4414. >Your mouth opens in unspoken words, not able to escape in time
  4415.  
  4416. >the two men holding you drop you onto the floor, and you land with a thud
  4417. >the same happens to your little sister
  4418.  
  4419. >Master shakes his head, and steps away to give you some room
  4420. >but he fiddles with the whip in his hands
  4421.  
  4422. “Alright, that’s that. 60 seconds. 59…”
  4423.  
  4424. >As he begins to count the seconds, you recover from your surprise, realizing that what’s said has been said
  4425. >your sister already agreed
  4426. >there was no objecting, no going back...
  4427.  
  4428. >Nothing else mattered, now
  4429. >weeping, you frantically pick yourself back up
  4430. >Apple Bloom springs forward, and for a moment, time slows down to a crawl
  4431. >a scene from your desperate, fevered dreams, suddenly realized
  4432.  
  4433. >Her warm body collides into yours, and you wrap your hooves tightly around her shoulders
  4434. >you squeeze her tightly, and she squeezes you back
  4435. >Your hoof goes up to cradle her head, running it through her smooth, beautiful red mane
  4436.  
  4437. >you try to speak clearly, but you are crying so hard that they come out as hiccups
  4438. >Apple Bloom nuzzles into you, and you kiss her on the head, again and again
  4439. >broken stammers are interspersed with words
  4440.  
  4441. “Ap-ple Bloom, oh Apple Bloom, I l-love, I love you, I love you…”
  4442.  
  4443. >It was all you could think to say
  4444. >You rock her back and forth, rubbing the spot between her shoulders
  4445. >Apple Bloom sobs into your chest, shaking like a leaf
  4446.  
  4447. “I lo...love y’too, Applejack, sis… s-sis!”
  4448.  
  4449. >her voice cracks, and she weeps brokenly
  4450. >you kiss her again, the warmth of her body against you the only thing in your universe that matters to you
  4451.  
  4452. “Bloom, I-I’ll work, I’ll keep you safe... I won’t give up, Bloom, I love you… be strong, no matter what...”
  4453.  
  4454. “I… I will! I’ll be strong… I love you, big sis…”
  4455.  
  4456. >It all devolves into cries, sobs, and gasps
  4457. >no more words, just the tightest hug you can manage
  4458. >You never wanted to let her go…
  4459.  
  4460. ...Zero. Alright, hold her down.”
  4461.  
  4462. >Your Master’s voice enters your realm of awareness
  4463. >and you feel the body of your sister suddenly being forcibly pulled away
  4464. >Your eyes shoot open, and a river of tears pour down your face
  4465. >a wavering, strangled sob escapes your throat
  4466. >and the feeling of your sister’s warmth leaving you leaves you feeling colder than ice
  4467.  
  4468. >It was what your sister had agreed to.
  4469. >Despite even your toughest grip, the powerful pairs of human arms tear your crying sister away from you, while another wraps around your neck
  4470. >Choking you, Master’s guard forces you back until you’re far enough away
  4471.  
  4472. >Across from you Apple Bloom’s forehooves are stretched out in front of her by one of the two men, while the other does the same for her back hooves
  4473. >She heaves with sobs and presses her face in between her hooves
  4474. >the reality of what was about to occur sinks in, and you can’t help yourself
  4475. >you beg for mercy as Master approaches, twirling the whip
  4476.  
  4477. “Master, please… please, I beg you, punish me… give me fifty, a hundred, please… please just punish me…”
  4478.  
  4479. >Master sighs
  4480. >shakes his head
  4481. >and raises his whip
  4482.  
  4483. “I am.”
  4484.  
  4485. >Outside, even on the outer limits of Master’s property, the cracks of the whip and the screams of your sister ring out in the air.
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