The Night Ahead

The grass had no longer struggled to rise back up, and it lay virtually parallel to the ground as Apple Bloom continued pacing nervously in front of her sister. By now there was a perfect crescent shape in front of the panting pony that lay on scarlet ground.

“Apple Bloom… calm down… everything’s gonna be just fine…”

Tears flowed freely from Apple Blooms eyes as she looked down into her sister’s puffy eyes. She rubbed her eyes with an already-humid hoof, leaving her eyes irritated. It didn’t matter; she was hyperventilating, her heart thumping hard against her ribcage, and her mind whirling with a thousand thoughts. This was not how tonight was supposed to go. It was supposed to be a happy night, just two sisters enjoying the wonders at night. And now it had turned into the worst night for both of them.

“But…” Applebloom stammered through her quivering lips, “There’s gotta be somethin’…”

Applejack winced in pain, sharp jabs emanating from within as she shifted slightly onto her side. The wound wasn’t too bad, but she wouldn’t want Apple Bloom worrying about it too much. She didn’t want the young filly to see her like that. What really hurt were her insides. The branch had crushed her ribcage, and she could feel blood pounding through her chest, much weaker now. Now, all that was keeping her alive was the weight of the branch that kept her from losing too much blood. AJ knew what was happening. She might not have been the brightest pony in town, but it didn’t take a bookworm to figure out there was nothing that could be done now. Apple Bloom let out a whimper as she watched her sister suffer.

“Please AJ….Ah…there must be somethin’ Ah can do…”

Applejack looked up at her young sister and let out a forced smile. She had to be strong for both of their sakes. And As much as AJ was hurting, she knew Apple Bloom would fare worse later on, especially if she had to watch her suffer.

“No, Ah just want y’all to calm down, ya hear?” Applejack said, firmly, but unable to mask the pain in her voice.

Her demand was met from a sniffling fit from the young pony, as she struggled to control herself. After moments of looking into each other’s eyes, Apple Bloom finally allowed herself to breathe slower, though every now and again, a sob would accompany her breaths.

“What… What do… What do we do now?”

Applejack thought about it for a while; it was best that Apple Bloom composed herself first. If something happened now, Apple Bloom would be all alone throughout the rest of the night. It was a good four hours before Celestia would raise the sun, and the first few golden shimmers would warm them up.

She hated herself for not being strong enough, for lying there helpless as her little sister suffered. She couldn’t traverse the orchard this late at night, not by herself.  She was still just a young filly, and if the timber wolves or whatever horrid creature from the nearby forest didn’t catch up with her, the elements would make short work of her. The only choice was sticking together through the night. Applejack reached out a hoof towards the teary filly.

“Come here, you.”

Apple Bloom obliged, shakily stumbling forward and lowering her head towards her sister’s hoof. Applejack wrapped her leg around her sister’s neck and guided her down next to her until she lay cradled in her tight embrace. She’d made sure her bloody side lay against the ground so as to not stain nor scare her. She could feel Apple Bloom trembling against her chest, and it made her heart hurt even more than it already was. She knew what would happen, and apparently, so did her little sister.

They lay, shivering, beneath the moon’s silent vigil, a young filly wrapped tight in her big sister’s protective embrace. They both wished they could have stayed like that forever.