It's all too much for me to take
The love that's shining all around you
Everywhere, it's what you make
For us to take, it's all too much
It's too much
Ah, it's too much
With your long blond hair and your eyes of blue
With your long blond hair and your eyes of blue
-George Harrison

(Ah, if only Patti had green eyes...)

“Hey Twi!” the voice called out. “Whoa sugar, did we really make this much of a mess?” Twilight heard Applejack’s voice coming from downstairs. She walked down the stairs to the landing that looked over the library.

“Hey hey AJ, what’s going on? I thought you’d be at the orchard prepping the trees for the winter.”

“Howdy Twi – Well Ah probably should be but from what ah recall we kinda’ went overboard last night and figured ya’ll could use the help.”

“I sure could,” Twilight replied with a smile “Pinky and Fluttershy are supposed to come by, but your help means something might actually get done before Spike and Rarity get back. Pinky and Fluttershy mean well, buuuut, they kinda get distracted easily.”

“Or get distracting. I know what you mean. About that, I hate to tell you but ah just saw Pinky at the Cake’s, they were frettin something fierce - a minor disaster with a weddin’ cake. She was trying to help them out. Not sure y’all will see her today and ah heard that Fluttershy came down with the flu. Carrot Cake tole me it wasn’t too bad, a mild fever. Not like some.”

“I know. It’s pretty serious,” Twilight said as she walked over to Applejack.”No matter what, you always come through. I am so lucky to have you as my friend.”

“Shucks Twi, I’m the lucky one. Besides, I know Dashie is really busy with the weather since Nippy is out with the flu too, otherwise she’d be here.”

“I know, I hope she’s not going too crazy. She got a little wild last night.”

“How could ya tell?” asked Applejack laughing.

The library was only a moderate disaster. Twilight was working in the reading room off the main building, wiping things down and sweeping.

“Hey Twi, what’s this here gold trophy for?” Applejack called out from the library.

“After losing 4 times I finally won that. It’s my only first place award and I won it for the Canterlot Spelling Bee. It’s very special to me.” Twilight yelled back.

“Ah should’a figured you’d be a good speller.”

“It’s not that kind of spelling silly.” Said Twilight laughing, “it’s for casting spells. It’s usually on the top shelf of the bookcase but Dash bet someone she could drink an entire apple beer from it in one shot so she flew up and grabbed it. I asked her not to, but she couldn’t hear me over everypony yelling RAIN-BOW, RAIN-BOW, RAIN-BOW!”

“Yeah, ah saw that, what a belch, scared the hay out of poor Fluttershy. I’ll put it back.”

“Thanks AJ, but don’t worry about it,” Twilight called out again “I’ll take care of it- hey I can fly now! Anyway that bookshelf is temporary and it’s not attached to the wa-“

Her voice was drowned out by a tremendous crash that came from the library. Twilight’s heart leapt, She raced into the library and saw the huge bookshelf fallen over on the floor. She could see one of Applejack’s legs protruding from underneath.

“No, no NO!! APPLEJACK, can you hear me?!!” she ran over and tried to lift the bookshelf, it was far too heavy. She put herself into a deep trance and focused every ounce of her being toward moving it, her horn glowing deep lavender. Beads of perspiration instantly formed on her face and dripped from her forehead into her eyes, stinging them. Gradually the bookshelf started to lift. With a fierce grunt she forced everything she had in one large burst and the bookcase flew up and slammed against the wall before shattering, Twilight staggered from the effort, then fell to her knees and began furiously pulling the fallen books off of her friend’s still body.

There was a deep gash in her head high above the left eye that was bleeding heavily, soaking her mane. Twilight’s initial instinct was to try to put her arms around her and hold her. A rational part of her mind realized that with a potential spinal injury, she could do substantial damage. She frantically looked around the room for help but remembered she was alone. She tried to materialize a cold compress but it was frozen solid. When she tried to thaw it, it exploded into a dust of ice crystals. She ran into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, ran it under cold water then ran back to Applejack gently placing it on her wound, dabbing it gently and wincing empathetically with each touch. It came away bloody. She fought the rising emotions that threatened everything.

Irrigate the wound. Clean it She went back into the bathroom and got a glass of cold water and bought it back to Applejack. Don’t move her neck. She poured the water over the cut and watched as the bloody water drained down the sides of her head soaking her coat. This is good. This is the correct step in the process, once this washes out, put a piece of gauze over the wound and apply pressure.

As the wound flushed out she got a better look at it. Through the split she could see the white bone of her skull. She felt a wave of nausea rush up from her stomach and felt dizzy. “Don’t lose it, you can’t lose it,” she spoke out loud. Right now she wanted to scream and curse. She wanted someone to pay for this. She had unspeakable power within her and right now she was unable to control it and so it was useless.

Then something shiny and gold across the room caught her eye. “200th Annual Equestria Spelling and Conjuring Bee Championship” First Place Twilight Sparkle. Twilight could see her distorted golden reflection in the side of the large trophy; her eyes full of murderous rage. She raised it until it hung 6 feet above the floor and stared at it. She looked away from it, down to Applejack's face and suddenly her horn flashed and a large BANG resounded as the golden trophy burst into dust which settled over the pile of books.

You’ve been trained in this at Doctor Stable’s clinic from last summer. This is a patient that has been bought in with head trauma. What do you do? Don’t think about who it is, it’s just a patient. Initially apply pressure to the wound if unable to clean it, otherwise clean out the wound. Flushing with water is optimal. Examine depth of laceration. Flush with disinfectant if possible. Apply ice if practical to reduce swelling. Ice. No. Wait. Check vitals - She put her ear to Applejack's chest and let out a huge sigh of relief. It all left her dazed and confused. Then she inhaled and the body scent of Applejack filled her and this was no longer just a patient at the clinic. It was somepony who she loved as much as anything in her life. This was her Applejack.

She bit down hard to keep it together and try to get back to that place she’d been a second ago. Unfortunately she’d stepped out of that place into a world of blinding emotion and confusion. My objective is to help the patient – see to the patient’s welfare and reduce her pain.

“You’re going to be fine AJ, you’re strong and I know you-“she said, blinking back tears.

It was then that she noticed Applejack’s left back leg. The lower part of it was bent at a wrong angle. Thoughts of all the things that could be broken inside her began to rush through Twilight's mind. She was useless, overwhelmed, overmatched. She stood on wobbly legs. It was all too much and she began to see and feel the darkness descend.

At that moment, from the library entrance came a voice- “Hellooo, I heard a giant crash. Are you here Twilight? Is there anything I can do to help?” the voice called out.

“Derpy? Is that you?” Twilight cried out, suddenly snapping back to the present.

The little wall-eyed gray pony came around the corner. “What’s the matter? Twilight, why are you crying? Oh no! What happened to Applejack?!” Twilight could see she was getting very upset and on the verge of tears.

“It’s OK Derpy; Oh Celestia, thank you! Derpy, there is something you can do to help,OK? Go up to my bathroom on the 2nd floor. Do you know where it is?” The change that overcame the gray pony was incredible. Her face suddenly cleared and she got very serious. She nodded.

Twilight thought of the dust her wings would stir. “Climb the stairs and get me the first aid kit from there - it should be in the closet”

“Okay Twilight, I’ll be right back!” Derpy took the stairs two at a time and was back next to Twilight moments later.

“Thanks Derpy – You’re a life saver.”

“Thanks Twilight. What else can I do?”

“Fly to Dr. Stable’s office as fast as you can. Tell him that a large bookcase fell over on Applejack here at the library and I am with her. She has a deep laceration on her forehead that goes to the skull. I’ve irrigated it and have applied disinfectant and a bandage. She is unconscious but she has a steady heartbeat. It looks like her left rear leg is fractured below the canon so he should bring equipment to immobilize it and put a cast on it. I haven’t moved her and won’t until he arrives.” Can you remember that?

“Fly to Dr. Stable’s office as fast as I can. Tell him that a large bookcase fell over on Applejack here at the library and you are with her. She has a deep laceration on her forehead that goes to the skull. You’ve irrigated it and have applied disinfectant and a bandage. She is unconscious but she has a steady heartbeat. It looks like her left rear leg is fractured below the canon so he should bring equipment to immobilize it and put a cast on it. You haven’t moved her and won’t until he arrives, I got it.”

Twilight stood there slack jawed as Derpy headed out the door. She thanked Celestia that Ponyville was the town that Derpy had chosen as her home. She should have a big red heart on her flank, not bubbles.

Twilight’s go to in times of crisis were her checklists, but as she looked around it was almost impossible to grab hold of reality, much less formulate a straight thought process as to how to deal with everything. Despite all the things she’d experienced in her life, from Discord to Chrysalis, she had never faced anything so frightening. This wasn’t helping. Twilight remembered her meditations lessons with Cadence, and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them to look at Applejack and she felt the panic rise again.

OK, let me think - shock, she is in shock, let’s see,- get her a blanket. Twilight ran the 2 flights upstairs and grabbed the quilt off her bed. As she ran back downstairs she heard a voice. She knew it immediately

“Oh dear sweet Celestia Nooo!!” It was Rainbow Dash, she’d come crashing into the library and scrambled, slipping and stumbling over the books on the floor and was on her knees next to Applejack's body. She knew enough not to touch or move her and just knelt there next to Applejack, her forelegs wrapped around the top of her head crying hysterically. She heard Twilight coming down the stairs from the loft and looked up, her face wet with tears.

“I saw Derpy,” she sobbed. “She was on her way to of Dr. Stable’s, she told me. Twi, tell me she’s ok.” Twilight saw that the gauze she’s applied to the wound was soaked with blood. She put the quilt around Applejack with Rainbow’s help. The usually cocky brash cyan pony looked to Twilight for hope. Twilight’s knowledge and intelligence made her the defacto source for information and help.

She reached out to Rainbow Dash to bring her close; to hold her and comfort her but the cyan pony drew back.

“Twilight just please, just tell me she’s going to be ok,” she was furious and choking back tears “that’s all, that’s all I need to hear. C’mon Twi, just say it!” Twilight moved to her and put her arms around her. Rainbow didn’t seem to notice. Then she turned and buried her face into the soft fur on Twilight's shoulder. Her breathing was so rapid that Twilight worried she might hyperventilate.. “PLEEEASE,” Rainbow cried.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were very close. There was an innate sense of camaraderie and competition that transcended the usual “I can do it better than you”. It was like they were two partnered spirits that had traveled the millenniums’ together, to be forever inseparably linked. It was evident to everypony in town. It was great to be with them when they started to crack jokes. They were like a comedy team, playing one off the other. Twilight took a deep shaky breath and looked into her eyes.

“It’s going to be OK Dashie, just try to calm down. We’re going to do everything we can to help her get better. What’s AJ gonna say when I tell her how you lost it? C'mon do you really think she’s never gonna let you forget it?” It got a couple of teary laughs out of Rainbow. Twilight continued to hold her and slowly rocked her back and forth. Gradually Rainbow Dash quieted down
.

“How’s she doing, any change?” Dr. Stable was suddenly there bending over Applejack's body with a stethoscope listening to her heart. He nodded to his assistant, a Pegasus pony, who’d begun the process of unpacking the suture kit. He began to relay initial observations to her and then placed a thermometer into her mouth, shined a flashlight into her eyes, then looked into her ears and up her nose. His assistant took her blood pressure and drew blood.

“It looks like she may have suffered a concussion. Nurse, I need a picture of her cranial structure.” The nurse closed her eyes and her horn began to glow white. A incredibly detailed three dimensional image of Applejack's brain appeared in the air in front of the doctor. He examined it and rotated it. Using a white probe that was also glowing white, presumably from his assistant, he cut away parts of the image and examined them. After several minutes he asked for a general scan of her body with a detail image of her leg. He looked at that carefully and spoke to his assistant quietly.

Twilight heard only two words: Hemorrhage, paralysis. Suddenly the world was silent. She fought the images that appeared in her mind. It took all her self control not to interrupt.

While this was going on, Derpy quietly walked in, saw how upset Rainbow Dash was and went to her side. She whispered to her. “You okay Rainbow Dash? Is there anything I can do to help?”

Rainbow Dash looked at the little gray pony and gave her kind of a crooked smiled. “Hiya Derpy, there sure is,” she sniffed, “you and I gotta fly out to Sweet Apple Acres and talk to Big Macintosh” The two walked to the library’s entrance and before they took off, Rainbow glanced over her shoulder at Twilight who seemed relieved at hearing their plan. Twilight looked at her and without a trace of humor mouthed “I love you” to Rainbow, who, just as stoic, mouthed back “I know.”

It was a running joke between them from the Daring Do series of novels. It was a good sign and did a lot to get then both back towards center.

“Twilight?” Dr. Stable looked tired. “Applejack has suffered a severe concussion. From what I can tell-“

“I just heard you say hemorrhage and paralysis. Is she...?” Twilight asked, hoping not to sound as scared as she was.

“Woah there, first of all calm down. Both of those are possible, but extremely unlikely. As I was saying, she has suffered a concussion and the laceration to her skull. Other than that, the only other injury is her broken leg. We’re going to shave and suture up the head laceration. From what I see of her left rear leg, it looks like it’s broken. My assistant will put a cast on it after she shaves and sutures the wound.”

“I have a favor to ask of you and I’ll understand if you say no,” he continued, “Normally I would take her to the hospital, but we’re full of ponies with the E-8300 flu and they’re having to share rooms. I’m afraid if she contracted it in her weakened state, it would severely complicate her condition. Do you think you would be able keep her here? I’ll make sure nurses come here several times a day to change the dressing as well as her IV fluids and take care of her catheter. I’ve got staff on their way over here to help move her. Is that ok?”

Twilight nodded and instantly liked the idea. “They can take her upstairs to my bedroom. I have a nice firm mattress, but I can buy a new one at the Camera and Mattress store if I need to. But since Spike moved into his own room I bought a Queen sized bed so she’ll have plenty of room and, and of course I can bring her food and keep her spirits up and there’s a window there where she can look out over the village and we can…” Twilight was rattling on, doing her damnedest not to break down, but she was finding it very hard.

“Twilight?” Dr. Stable put his hoof on her shoulder to calm her. He spoke softly but seriously. “I think she has a great chance of pulling through this but the next 36 hours will be critical. She has an aneurysm …”

“That’s a blood vessel that is bulging, right?”

Dr. stable smiled “That’s my Twilight. It’s pressing on part of her brain, and being in a coma is the best place for her right now. Based on what I’m seeing surgery isn’t necessary, at least not yet, and I’d like to avoid it if I can. Where is Spike? Oh he went with Rarity, right? That’s good; you need to keep it quiet here. I’ll have a nurse stay here tonight with you so you can get some sleep. Promise me you’ll try to sleep.”

Twilight nodded and looked up at him.

“Dr. Stable?” Her voice broke “Is she…you know, uh” she bit down hard on her lip trying to keep her composure but it didn’t work. The doctor. turned and put his arm around her and gave her a gentle hug.

“Hey, where’s my brave mare? We’re talking about Applejack here, not some weak little filly. If anypony can get through this it’s Applejack. Now I need you to be strong for her, and for Rainbow Dash too, I know she’s taking this very hard. I have some serious cases of the flu back at the hospital or I’d stay longer. You be my strong, brave Twilight Sparkle, you hear me?” He put his hoof under her chin and lifted it up. “Your friend needs you and I know I can count on you never to let your friends down.”

Twilight nodded, taking encouragement from his words and recalled the previous summer working part time in his clinic as an assistant. He loved her interest in learning and science and had become almost a surrogate father to her, and was a wonderful doctor for the mind, body and soul. He leaned forward and kissed her on the top of her head. “It’s going to be alright.” She looked up at him and nodded.

The orderly’s arrived, one with a stretcher mounted to his back and the other a unicorn who gingerly lifted Applejack up to the stretcher. They carried her up to Twilight's room and lifted her onto the bed, then put a hospital gown on her, changed her IV, inserted a catheter and hooked up a device that would keep track her vital signs.

When she’d heard that Applejack had been injured, Cami Tea, Dr. Stable’s top nurse and someone Twilight had learned to have great respect for while working at the doctor’s office, insisted that she be assigned. It meant that she would not only have to care for Applejack, but keep up with her paperwork back at the office, altogether about a 15 hour day.

After everypony had left, Twilight sat quietly at the foot of the bed and looked at her friend. Cami sat beside the bed and was busily filling out paperwork. When she finished she left for the clinic to get some supplies.

Twilight used her magic to try picking up a hair brush to brush out Applejack’s tail. It wouldn’t respond. She applied more force and was finally able to move it, however once it was levitating she discovered she was unable to direct it, or even sustain a degree of steady control. This was a rudimentary exercise back in kindergarten. She recalled that she was near the last in her class to master it. It was, to a large degree, responsible for her subsequent intense devotion to her studies. She’s been a prodigy and taken it for granted. This lesson taught her no small degree of humility. Other experiences only re-enforced this lesson.

She redoubled her efforts and was initially successful. She tried lifting the half full glass of water from Applejack's night side table. It floated up and began to move toward her in a smooth controlled motion. Suddenly it accelerated across the room and smashed into the wall.

Twilight was surprised at herself for not getting more upset. Not being able to trust her magic was disturbing, but only so far as it might interfere with her ability to care for AJ.

The practice of meditation that Cadence had taught Twilight at a young age had served in all aspects of her life. Twilight began to study how to gain control of both her conscious and subconscious mind. Teaching herself how to use her subconscious mind to control basic skills like levitation gave her the foundation to try for a feat that had only been successfully performed 10 or 15 times.

It involved holding a needle in her hoof, and using her subconscious mind to levitate a length of thread. This freed her conscious mind to apply a set of extremely fine secondary manipulative skills, to actually thread the needle.

The key was to have as much physical contact with the needle as possible. Then by visualizing through her mind’s eye a perspective from a point on the side of the eye opposite the thread she could look through the needle's eye and thus guide the thread toward her and through the eye.

Now, Twilight attempted to achieve the inner calm required to examine her subconscious mind. She was unable to; it was all too much for her to take. Thoughts of Applejack’s condition, and emotions kept interfering. She was familiar with this having studied the effects of emotion on magic but thought that her exceptional ability exempted her from it.

Very little in the library stacks regarding Applejack’s condition was new information to her. The studies were limited and she'd read most of it last summer while working at the clinic. She cursed herself for not being able to do anything more.

In any event, attempts at reading were pointless. A page or two would slip by without her knowledge, her thoughts somewhere in the past with Applejack.

Of course there was the mess in the library. Moving the books with magic was very simple and was an opportunity to get some control over her power again. It was mindless and left her conscious mind free to let thoughts bob up from her subconscious mind.

Suddenly she looked around and realized that at some point she had stopped working, who know for how long.

Oh Twilight, this is just pointless...

In the bottom drawer of her dresser she found what she’d been looking for, and as the blue afternoon sky of late autumn underwent endless subtle shifts of color toward a deeper blue, Twilight sat at the foot of her bed and with a hairbrush strapped to her hoof, untied the red ribbon from Applejack’s pony tail and tenderly brushed out Applejack’s mane.