The hospital staff had balked at the weapons on me, the fact I was wounded, and the fact I was not ‘family’. At first they were not even going to let me in, however, cooler heads prevailed and, with some words from Big Macintosh, I was now resting in the room on a chair, watching Applejack breathe.

Speaking of the big guy, he had been in AJ’s room and heard the commotion and come out. Once things were calmed down, he let it be known I had the right to see her, that I was family far as the Apples were concerned.

As soon as ponies left us alone, he looked me in the eyes and asked if his little sister was alive. The fear in his eyes and in the tone of his voice was most prevalent. Putting my hand on his shoulder, I told him she was just fine. She was back safe, and Zecora was with her.

After that I avoided others and went into the room where AJ lay in a coma. A machine doing her breathing for her, the steady beep of her heart beat. I had been up now for over twenty hours, I couldn’t remember when I ate or drank last. I simply sat down after pulling the only chair that would accommodate me over. I looked at the orange mare and set my hand on her leg, then reached up and gently brushed her blond mane from the side of her head.

“AJ, I got Applebloom back, she is safe. I brought the gryphons to justice.” I whispered, closing my eyes, “I… I am sorry I was not there to protect you. I am sorry I have been such a thick-headed, stupid guy,” laying my head down next to her leg in a bent-over position while sitting in the chair.

I just meant to rest my eyes a bit, but I was gently woke by a hoof on my arm. Eyes snapping open My right hand dove down to the grip of the peacemaker, before I saw it was Redheart. She jerked back a little, and I sighed.

“Sorry, Shane, I was just trying to move you back some, so I could look at that wound on your leg.”

I shook my head. “No, I am sorry, Nurse Redheart, I…” exhaling slowly. “I am sorry for how I yelled at you today.”

She grew a small smile and chuckled. “ Yesterday, Shane. It is four in the morning, you have been asleep since seven last night. None of the staff wanted to move you, looked like you needed the sleep and, well,” she gestured to Applejack. “None of us were about to try and move you from your special somepony’s side.”

I felt my cheeks heat up. “She and I are just friends,” I retorted, only to receive a weird look from the white mare and a shake of her head.

“Will you let me tend your wound and then get you some food? How long has it been since you last ate?”

Pausing for a bit then glancing at the blood dried into my pants leg, I nodded my head. “That might be for the best, and to answer your second question I um… a day? Perhaps more?”

All told I was gone from the room for almost four hours. Between food, and Redheart cleaning out the wound then stitching it up. As I limped back I took note of a few things I had missed before. There were two of Twilight's guards in front of AJ’s room, there were what looked to be four or five more wandering the halls, or standing guard in the entrance. Clearly they were not taking this lightly.

As we approached the door one of the guards glanced at me then to Red who gave a nod. The guard gestured down to the waiting room. “Sir, I was told to inform you Ranger Apple was waiting for you. The doctor is with the Lady Apple right now, and asked you not come while he is working with her.”

I clicked my tongue in my cheek then returned a nod. “Thank you, Sergeant,” glancing at Redheart. “You will come get me soon as I can return to her side, yes?”

She smiled warmly. “Go on, Ranger, she is in the best hooves possible right now.”

Cortland looked like hammered crap. Then again, I suspect I did as well. Laying my rifle to lean on the chair next to him as I sat down, he was currently munching on some kind of cereal bar as far as I could tell, then spoke after he swallowed. “Permission ta’ speak freely, Lt?”

I rolled my eyes and groaned. “Cort, let's get this in your head now. We are Rangers, not military. You got a thought, you speak it. That is the only way we are going to work as partners out there.”

He took a chug from a bottle of what I assumed to be apple cider. “Shane, ya are a grade-A moron, ya know that? Ah’m talkin’ the south side of a northbound mule.” I lifted an eyebrow at him.

“Ya yelled at the most powerful pony in Equestria, perhaps all of the world. Ya stormed off bleeding on everything,” he held a hoof up as I was about to retort. “Ah ain’t done yet. Ya damn near got yerself killed because you didn’t have yer mind in the game. Ah am an Apple so I know stubborn and stupid, Shane,” his ear flicked as he looked up right at my eyes. “But y’all are about the most stubborn, stupid, rock-headed stallion ah I have ever met.”

I looked over at him, blinking a couple of times. “You done?”

He shook his head. “Ah am still proud as can be ta be yer friend, Shane, but y’all need to figure out stuff and get some help,” now his ears lowered and I picked up on a change in his demeanor and spirit.

“Ah went to school with a colt like you, Shane. We joined the guard together. Brick was my best friend. Well, he was a hell of a lot like you, held everythin’ in, lost a mare he loved to another stallion, his mother passed away, sister OD’ed a week later on Rutt and salt.”

This was personal, and I wasn’t going to butt into his story. He grew quiet, reflecting on things so I just stayed quiet too.

“Brick took more and more risks, drank too much, Ah didn’t know how ta’ help him,” he turned and glanced up at me. “On the anniversary of his sister's death, Brick lept off the south wall of the castle and did a swan dive into the pavement.”

I blinked as I understood now why he was telling me this story. I opened my mouth to answer again and he shot me a glare.

“Shane, ah don’t want another friend to slip into that there darkness. When I look at you, ah see shades of it. Ah ain’t go’na stay silent a second time.”

I exhaled and looked around, it hit me, we were alone. Guards posted well out of earshot blocking the entrance to the waiting area we were in. Part of me was tempted to get mad, but how could I? This was a genuine friend, being concerned and putting himself out there.

“Cort, I… well, I don’t know what to say, and I won’t pretend to know what to do. I really don’t.” And that was the truth. Ever since Shawna had passed, I had avoided my feelings. Sure, part of that was just my desire not to hurt, but, could there be more to it? Then there was the Applejack thing, and my internal revelation of my feelings for her.

Cortland set his hoof on my arm, something he didn’t do very often. It was a best friends gesture, something only two guys who know each other well can do. “Get help, talk to someone. Hell, talk ta’ me. It don’t matter none who, just talk,” then he gestured down the hall. “And her?”

I sighed deeply and looked down the hall. “I love her, Cort. Lord help me, it’s a sin, but, I love her. I really have got myself in a bind.”

He was about to answer back when a unicorn stallion in a lab coat walked in. He glanced around and saw us, then headed our way. “Shane McDonald?” I nodded once in acknowledgement and he offered out his hoof. “Doctor Mercy. I was informed you are to be considered Apple family and I may speak to you about Lady Apple’s care?”

I blinked then gave a nod of my head, gripping his hoof and giving it a firm shake. “This is Ranger Apple, her cousin,” I motioned after the hand-hoof shake broke.

He dipped his head to Cortland then looked back at me. “We removed the breathing tube, she is breathing on her own. Her blood work looks good, no signs of major infection, Her leg was set and will heal proper,” his ears laid back some. “She is still in a coma, to our best scans she shouldn’t be, but...”

I breathed a small sigh and glanced at the unicorn next to me in his duster then back to the doctor. “Thank you, Doc. So, she is improving?”

His smile came back, just a slight one. “Yes,” his horn lit up with a hint of bluish magic and his glasses slid off his muzzle. A small cloth withdrew from a pocket and he started to clean them. The older stallion glanced back down the hall. “She was my first patient, you know. First foal I ever delivered, right out of medical school. Kind of feels personal to me, trying to heal her now.”

Then he chuckled as he put his glasses back on. “She was an Apple right out of the gate, kicked me in the muzzle, gave me a bloody nose for it. Hoof the size of a bit, and she gave me a bloody nose in payment for my giving her a slap on the plot to get her breathing.”

We all shared a genuine chuckle at that, before he glanced back at me. “You can go back in the room now. Talk to her, perhaps she can hear you. I will inform the Apple clan, and the princess.”

I turned and looked at Cort. “Go secure the prisoners, make sure no one talks to them, no one, not even a lawyer. I don’t care if it is Celestia and Luna, you tell anyone...”

He cut me off with a smirk. “Anypony.”

I blinked and stabbed him a look of daggers. “Shut up, Cort.”

Cortland laughed. “I get it, no one but us. The two wounded are under protective watch, and the remaining three are in the cells under Princess Twilight's castle under heavy guard.”

I gave him a nod back. “Come get me in a few hours, let’s pay them a little visit. I don’t know what our charter covers, I don’t have a clue yet where our jurisdiction starts and ends, but I plan on abusing the line as much as I can.”

He gave me a nod. “You sure you were not born an Apple?” spinning around and strolling off. I turned and headed for AJ’s room.
---

Sitting there I looked at the orange mare, my hand on her hoof once more as if I was holding another person's hand. I had taken my hat off, my guns other than the old peacemaker were over on a chair near the corner with my duster.

“AJ, I just...god knows you deserve someone better than me. I ain’t at all what you need in your life. I know I am stubborn and thick headed, I know my upbringing messes me up big. Hell, I have everyone in the known universe including my best friend telling me I need help… and I am too stupid to take their advice.”

I shook my head. “Discord finally said a word to me. Yeah, I have been here now what, almost eight months, and he finally got around to speaking to me. Know what he said? Get help. All the power in the universe and he tells me, I need to get some help. I don’t know if I should have laughed or cried.”

Exhaling slowly, I lay my head down once more next to her hoof. “I am so tired, Applejack, and I have no clue how to fix that. Every time I try to figure it out, I run into some part of me screaming how wrong it is.”

I was silent again, for an hour I just sat there holding her hoof. Then the door cracked open some and a rainbow-maned mare peeked in. So unlike the brash mare I knew, her eyes were rimmed red and her ears flat.

“C... can I come in?” Rainbow asked. Of course I replied with a nod and she trotted over to sit next to my side. “Any changes?” her voice soft, whispered.

I glanced over at her, shaking my head. “Not yet, but like you can see, she is off the breathing tube, that is a good thing. Doc says she is on her way to recovery… all we can do now is hope and pray.”

Rainbow Dash was silent for a bit, as we just sat there. Then the mare spoke up in a very timid tone, once more I remarked how dissimilar it was from her usual. “Did you make them pay, Shane?”

I glanced over at her then back at the orange earth pony on the bed. “Do you really want to know that, Rainbow?”

She gave a nod and I closed my eyes as I uttered in a far softer tone. “I had to kill one of them Rainbow. I was left no choice.”

She went silent, enough so I had to glance to see if she was still present. She was, just staring at her friend on the bed. Her eyes never moved, but her mouth opened and closed a few times. Almost as if she was chewing on the words to find the right ones. Her magenta cores flicked at me. “Don’t tell Flutters, okay? She won’t take it well… perhaps you shouldn’t tell anypony thinking about it,” her gaze shifted back to looking at the bed, then sighed. “Is… is it wrong, that part of me doesn’t care what happened to that gryphon? That, what you had to do was right?” her ears flattened.

I shook my head and moved my hand over, placing it lightly on her back. “It isn’t wrong, but it isn’t right, Rainbow. Don’t let yourself dwell on it, okay? It isn’t something you want to keep in your head.”

She gave a nod and leaned in, and I felt her weight press to my ribs lightly. “Why did they do this?”

I stayed very quiet. Minutes ticked by before I dared responding. “I don’t know, Rainbow, but I aim to find out.”

---

On my way out, clearing room for the nurse to do her rounds. I bumped into the rest of AJ’s family… and suddenly found my leg in a crushing grip. I mean crushing, almost breaking the bone as the little bow-wearing filly hugged to me and started to sob. One glance from Big Mac and Granny said it all and I slowly squatted down, prying her off my leg only found her clinging to my neck and me sitting on my ass now.

Apple Bloom just wept, and I kept my arms around her, as we sat there in the waiting room. It took her a bit to calm down before I heard her croak out. “T-thank y-y-you, Shane.”

I pet her neck and tried to calm her. “Shhhh, it’s okay, little one. You are safe now, you are safe so is everypony else.”

She sniffled and leaned back to look at my face, clearly unwilling to stop hugging me. I was ok with this, and kept my arms around her.

“Shane, why did they do this? What did we do ta them?”

Oh god, please, lord, how do I explain this and not crush her childhood? I looked up to Granny and Mac, but they both understood. I could see it in their eyes as they looked at the two of us.

Gulping, I gave an exhale to relax the tension permeating my expression. “Little one, I don’t have an answer for that yet, but I am going to find out.”

She searched my face then nodded her head and let go, sniffling. “Granny says long as we keep hope alive, everythin’ will work out fine.”

I nodded my head. “She is right,” glancing up at the two older ponies, who both sported soft smiles. “She is very right. Now, you go on and visit your sister. You remember she can hear you right now, so you keep her company, okay?”

Apple Bloom sniffled once more and moved back. “O-okay, Shane.”

I slowly stood up, finding a big red hoof hook under my armpit and help me. I nodded to him and turned noting the old faded green mare holding my hat out to me. I took it and slid it on. It was then the matriarch spoke to me.

“You dun good, young fella. Ya protected our family and brought my granddaughter home. More importantly, ya brought yerself home too.”

I was going to argue with part of that, but the look in her eyes told me not to dare. I just gave her a nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

Once they had moved past and into AJ’s room, I headed for the door. One of the guards glanced at me as I stepped past him. “Sir, I was to inform you, the princesses wait for you at the Crystal Castle,” he gestured the quarter mile or so away, where it sat.

I smiled some at him as I adjusted my belt and slung my rifle over my shoulder. “Eeyup,” and started for it.