"Wow Dashie! That trick was amazing!"
"Tell me about it!" Rainbow Dash bragged, rubbing a hoof on her shoulder. "Is there anything I do that isn't amazing?"
"Ok I'll tell you all about it! Well what I found interesting was—"
"Pinkie, I was joking!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "You don't have to tell me every single thing you found interesting."
"Aww, why not?" asked Pinkie with a pout.
"Simple. It would take too long."
"Oh! That's right! By the time I finish naming every reason, it'll be nightfall. Would it be alright if I just named a few reasons?"
"Well... I don't see why not," Rainbow Dash answered. She fell back on the soft grass and placed her hooves behind her head, ready to hear Pinkie's endless praise. It wasn't her fault for being so amazing, was it?
"Well, the first thing I liked was—"
An hour later...
"And those are just a few reasons why I loved your trick! Want me to name a few more?" Pinkie bounced around with excitement as she recalled ever single awesome detail.
"Nah, you can tell me the rest tomorrow," Rainbow Dash yawned as she rose back on to her hooves. Listening to Pinkie's incessant babbling had worn her down. It was time for a nice, long nap in the clouds.
"Do you have any more new tricks up your hoof, Dashie?" Pinkie asked.
"Well, I have been working on one totally awesome new trick. But... I'm not sure I should show you yet."
"Oh come on Dashie! Please Please Please!?" Pinkie begged as she held Rainbow Dash's hooves.
"I dunno Pinkie. I'm still working out a few difficulties here and there."
Despite Pinkie's pleas, Rainbow Dash wasn't going to change her mind. Pinkie, however, had a secret weapon.
Super sad face with teary eyes and quivering lip. Somewhere, a puppy whimpered in sync with her actions.
"Alright alright, only for you Pinkie!" Dash gave in to Pinkie's assault.
"Yay!" Pinkie cheered.
Rainbow Dash commenced a little warm up. A trick as demanding as the one she was about to pull off required preparation. After a few stretches, Dash took to the skies.
"Are you ready to be dazzled by awesome Pinkie!?" she yelled as she soared higher and higher.
"Wait! Give me juuuust a second," Pinkie shouted in response. She pulled out a pair of sunglasses and slowly put them on. "Ok! My body is ready!"
Once she'd reached a suitable altitude. Dash began her final preparations.
"Alright, wings are good. Altitude is good. Wind is still. No clouds in the predicted flight path. Let's do this."
Dash tucked her wings in and began a free fall to build up speed.
"Wow... look at Dashie go!" Pinkie chatted with herself. "What's she gonna do!?"
Pinkie stared with her awe-struck eyes at the incredible display of awesomeness. However, something caught her attention.
"Hey Dashie!" Pinkie shouted, "Watch out for—"
WHAM
Rainbow Dash collided at full speed with Derpy Hooves, who had been enjoying a casual flight whilst eating a muffin. Derpy, taken by painful surprise, spiraled out of control into a nearby table where Lyra and Bon-Bon were having lunch.
"Why does this always happen to us?" Bon Bon sighed.
The other mare tumbled in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, smashing through several clouds along the way. A series of silhouettes remained in them seconds after, as if to mock her.
"Dashie, don't worry! Momma Pinkie's coming!" Pinkie took off like a bullet, chasing after the jumbled rainbow trail.
"Grr... why won't this gosh darn weed come out already!?"
Applejack's back ached as she furiously worked to pull out a stubborn weed which had sprouted near her cabbage patch. Her plants needed all the nutrients they could get, and no weed was going to be stealing them on her watch.
Applejack suddenly lost her grip on the plant, and as a result, tumbled backwards into the nearby mud pit.
"Oink!" greeted the nearby pigs.
"Oink oink to you as well," grumbled Applejack as she began to clean herself off. Once she'd removed most of the mud, she affixed the weed with a stern gaze.
"Ya think you're tough, huh? Ya think ya can just waltz in and ruin my harvest with your greedy little roots, don't cha?"
"You'll never take me alive hat wearing pony!" spoke Applejack in a shrill voice, doing her best interpretation of an evil plant.
Applejack gave the weed another tug, only to fail she as she did before.
"Alright, I reckon it's time I pulled out the big guns."
Applejack glowered at the weed for a few more seconds before moving into the nearby tool shed. Once inside, she began to search for her weed doom bringer.
"Lil fella will never know what hit him," Applejack grinned as she found what she had been looking for. She grabbed it in her mouth and made her way back towards the weed.
As she approached it, she deliberately sauntered, relishing the fact that soon enough, the weed would be gone for good. She imagined her cabbage patch hailing her as, "Applejack, savior of the people!"
Applejack raised her blade in the air.
"See ya later!"
POW
Applejack lost her grip on the handle as a blue mare collided with her. The tool was sent flying high into the air. The two mares rolled and rolled until they finally came to a stop, Applejack pinning Rainbow Dash's hooves with her own.
"Looks like someone very happy to see me," Dash joked, eyes half-lidded, lower lip bitten.
"Funny."
Applejack removed her hooves, allowing Rainbow Dash to get up.
"What in tarnation was that? I was this close to ridding the patch of that pesky weed and ya just come tumbling in like a tumbleweed outta nowhere! Speaking of which, where did my blade go?"
Both mares searched around, trying to find where the blade had gone.
"Ack!" gasped Applejack as a sharp pain struck her in the hoof.
"Well, that answers your question," Dash snickered. "Let me get that."
Rainbow Dash removed the blade from Applejack's hoof. She was about to crack a joke about running with sharp objects, when something caught her attention.
"What... is that?"
"What's what Rainbow?"
"That," Dash confirmed as she pointed a hoof to Applejack's hoof.
Applejack looked to her look, she was shocked to find a red liquid leaking from a narrow slit in her leg.
"What the... what in tarnation is that?"
"Looks like ketchup. You've been eating hay fries, haven't you? You really need to watch your figure Applejack." Rainbow Dash snickered.
"And why's that such a concern to ya?" Applejack snarked.
"Aww, why did you have to turn it around like that?"
Rainbow Dash wiped off some of the ketchup and gave it a lick.
"Hmm... this does not taste like ketchup."
"Why did you just lick that?"
"I dunno."
Applejack moved to a sink to wash the odd liquid off of her. It took her a mere few seconds to completely remove the red stuff off of her.
"There, all gone."
"Umm... how about no," Dash pointed out. She pointed once again to Applejack's hoof, confirming that more of the red stuff had materialized out of nowhere.
"Eww, what is this stuff...?"
"I dunno, it looks cool though!" Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof on Applejack's leg in an effort to get some of her own red stuff. She rubbed it down her eyes, leaving a vertical line.
"How do I look?" Dash struck a fearsome pose, ready for battle.
"Girl, are you crazy? We don't even know what this stuff is, yet you're rubbing it all over your face!"
"I know one thing," Rainbow Dash argued, "and that's the fact that I look sick!"
Dash took to the skies, she mentioned something about scaring a few colts and fillies before zooming away.
"And just as suddenly as she came, she left," sighed Applejack.
She moved to pick up the blade, but was halted by something pink.
Very pink.
"Hi Applejack! Did you see Rainbow Dash come this way?"
"Yup, she just left."
"Aww."
"Say Pinkie, do you know what this stuff is?" Applejack asked, pointing to her hoof.
"Wow! What is that!? I've never seen anything like it."
"I have no idea Pinkie. I was hoping maybe you'd know."
"Nope! Sorry! No idea whatsoever. Maybe it's a baking ingredient!"
"Pinkie, this stuff is leaking outta ma hoof like water. How could it possibly be a baking ingredient?"
"Only one way to find out!"
Pinkie pulled our her party cannon out of nowhere and fired away at an open space. A mini kitchen emerged out of the smoke caused by the blast.
"You like?" asked Pinkie. "Instead of just being a party cannon, I wanted Ol' Sparky here to do so much more! So I modified the ammunition! Now I can fire mini kitchens in the blink of an eye! That way, whenever we're together and we wanna eat some cake, I can fire my kitchen cannon and cook up some tasty treats!"
"That's... nice I guess," Applejack struggled to keep up with Pinkie's pace.
While she had been talking, Pinkie had prepared the cupcake batter.
"Alright Applejack, let's add that red stuff to the batter. Maybe it's food coloring! Maybe it's a flavor enhancer? The possibilities are endless!"
"Im not sure I wanna find out."
"Aww come on Applejack! Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
"Alright alright."
Applejack stuck her hoof over the batter and allowed some of the red liquid to fall into the batter. Pinkie then stirred the batter for a bit, then placed the bowl into the oven.
"I was thinking, maybe we should come up with a name for this stuff! How about gloop? Maybe gloob? Schmop?"
Pinkie was interrupted by the ding of the oven bell.
"Oh boy! It's finished!"
Pinkie donned her oven mitts and slowly pulled out the cupcake. It was by all definitions, a perfect cupcake. It was made by Pinkie, after all. The new ingredient had given it a slightly reddish appearance, aesthetically improving it.
"I gotta admit, that is a mighty fine lookin cupcake."
"See? I knew it was some kind of baking ingredient!" Pinkie bragged, raising a hoof in the air. "Would you like the first bite?"
"I dunno... It's a nice looking cupcake, but that don't necessarily mean it's healthy."
"Fine fine, I'll take the first bite then."
Pinkie took a large bite of the cupcake. Her face scrunched up in approval.
"Well," Applejack observed, "I guess that means it's good to ea—"
"Bleh!" Pinkie spat out every single bit of the cupcake. "Eww eww eww!"
"Uhh... there's a water trough over there if ya wanna use it," Applejack pointed out.
Pinkie threw the cupcake on the ground then dashed towards the trough with a speed to match Rainbow Dash.
"Lemme guess. It didn't taste good, did it?" laughed Applejack as Pinkie inhaled the water.
After several mouthfuls, Pinkie was able to talk.
"Well, it started off ok, but then I got a weird taste in my mouth! It tasted a bit like copper. Cupcakes and copper do not go well together if you ask me. Why would anyone eat metal with a cupcake? That doesn't make any sense! Unless you're a robot, then you might eat metal. But if you're a robot, why would you be eating cupcakes!? Oh! Maybe the consumer is half pony, half machine! It's the perfect explanation!"
"Well I think it's safe to confirm that this stuff isn't a baking ingredient."
"Agreed. Oh, by the way Applejack, your hoof's still leaking."
"Gah! Why won't this stuff go away?"
In an attempt to rid herself of the red stuff, Applejack dumped her hoof in the water trough, turning its contents red.
"Ugh, why did I do that? Now I've got to change the water."
"We can do that later Applejack. First, we need to figure out what this stuff is. What if it's dangerous? For all we know, that red liquid could be plotting to take over the world, and they'll destroy us all to make it happen! Destroy us all! Destroy us all! Destroy us all! Destroy us all! Destroy us a–"
Applejack politely sealed Pinkie's talking hole with her clean hoof.
"Maybe we should ask Fluttershy and see what she knows?" suggested Applejack in a reasonable tone of voice.
"Very well, let's set a course for Fluttershy's Cottage!"
Pinkie bounced towards the new objective, leaving Applejack trotting in pursuit.
"Come on Angel, finish all of your veggies first, then you can get dessert."
Angel shook his head in protest.
"Angel, please, we've been through this," sighed Fluttershy. "I know you don't want to eat your veggies, but they're good for you! They'll help you grow up nice and strong! Don't you want to look nice for any potential mates?" Fluttershy completed her rebuttal with an eyebrow bounce.
To Fluttershy's credit, Angel became flustered for a short moment. However, he quickly regained himself and continued his protest with a violent head-shake.
"I don't want to have to use the stare again so soon. How can else can I get him to eat his food?"
Fluttershy called, "Angeline!"
Within a few moments, a female bunny had hopped its way towards her, and was nuzzling her hoof.
"Good afternoon Angeline, I was hoping you could help me with something special."
Angel watched in silent dread as his secret crush, Angeline, listened to Fluttershy's whispers. What diabolical scheme were they formulating back there?
Angeline shot Fluttershy a knowing glance once she had been informed of the plan. She ever so slowly hopped her way towards Angel. She cast him a half-lidded, side-ways glance, complete with rapidly blinking eyes and an ear twitch to boot.
Angel was captivated by the fluffy seductress.
Angeline picked up the lettuce in her mouth, and offered it to Angel, who promptly accepted it.
"That's my girl," Fluttershy laughed, beside herself with amusement.
Knock knock knock
"Hmm, I wonder who that could be?"
"Fluttershy!? You hoooome!?" Pinkie yelled from outside.
"I'll be right there!"
Fluttershy opened her door to reveal an ecstatic Pinkie and a mildly amused Applejack.
"Hello girls, what bring you to my cottage? Would you like some tea? How about a nice chamomile?"
"No thanks Fluttershy. We just came to ask you a quick question.," Applejack responded.
"That's right!" Pinkie confirmed. "The sooner we know what that stuff is the better, Applejack. It's never too early to begin preparations for an all-out red apocalypse! Oh isn't it exciting!?"
"A... apocalypse!?" Fluttershy panicked.
"Pinkie, would ya kindly quit your mumbo jumbo about that darn apocalypse?"
"Hey, the sooner she knows the better," Pinkie shrugged.
"Anyways, about why we're here," Applejack began, "Pinkie and I were wondering if you'd know what this red stuff leaking outta ma hoof is."
Fluttershy directed her attention to Applejack's hoof. She gasped at the sight of Applejack's red-stained fur and the narrow slit from which a grotesque red liquid was leaking. A peek behind Applejack revealed a series of slightly-red hoofsteps leading up to her doorstep.
"Oh my! What is that!?" she squeaked.
"Well, I guess that means you don't know what it is then," Applejack sighed. "Would you like to accompany me and Pinkie to Rarity's house? Maybe she'd have an idea. Uhh... Fluttershy!?"
Fluttershy had fainted. She lay on the floor, hoofs in the air, wing twitching.
"I knew it!" gasped Pinkie. "The red stuff attacked Fluttershy's vulnerable mind, and we're next! Looks like we're facing a smart enemy..."
"Consarnit Pinkie! Please, just stop with your crazy theories. Let's go to Rarity's and find out what she knows."
"Sorry Applejack, no can do. I need to head back to Sugarcube Corner and stock up on supplies. When the red stuff attacks, I'll be ready..."
On that note, Pinkie bounced away, leaving behind a facehooving Applejack.
"Something's missing... something to give it a bit more... flair."
"Rarity!" squeaked Sweetie Belle. "You've been in there for hours now! Can't you come out and take a break? Maybe a nice cup of tea?"
"Now now Sweetie Belle, I am in the creative zone. As such, I must ask you to leave me be for the moment. Any second now, I'm going to have en epiphany! I will then proceed to finish my piece, creating the most dazzling dress ever!"
"Riiiiight. Well, while you do that, I'll be leaving for the Cutie Mark Crusader meeting."
"Alright. Do behave yourself Sweetie Belle. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."
The filly in question winced at the memory.
"Don't you worry Rarity, we've learned our lesson. Alright bye!"
Sweetie Belle left the building, leaving Rarity alone.
"Well, maybe now I can work in peace," Rarity sighed, only to feel a sudden pain in her hooves. "Maybe I should take a break, my hooves are absolutely killing me."
Rarity migrated to her living room, where she proceeded to flop onto her lavish couch. She reached with her magic under the seat and retrieved her latest issue of Ponies magazine.
"Oh, what's this? Princess Cadence caught with another stallion? Marital Discord? This, I must read. I sure hope Twilight doesn't happen to have a copy of this magazine."
Rarity hadn't read the first word before she was interrupted by a knock from the door.
"Rarity! It's me, Applejack!"
"Applejack? Give me a moment, dear. I'll be right there."
Rarity opened her door and greeted Applejack with a jovial smile.
"Hello Applejack, to what do I owe your presence? Have you finally taken me up on my offer to accompany you to the spa? You really could use a good hooficure you know."
"Pfft, a farmer mare like me ain't got time to worry about that nonsense," Applejack replied. "Anyway, down to business. I was wondering if you had any idea what this stuff was." Applejack directed Rarity's attention to her bloodied hoof.
"Why, I've never seen anything quite like this. Do tell, where did this stuff come from?"
"i was getting rid of a weed when I had a bit of an accident. I sorta cut the blade stuck in my hoof somehow and then this stuff started leaking out like water."
"I see... Darling, I'm afraid I have no idea what this stuff is. Have you asked the others?"
"I've already spoken with Rainbow, Pinkie and Fluttershy. None of them have any idea what this here stuff is."
"Hmm... I wonder if it could by a dye of some sort. Ah ha! That's it! Applejack, you must come with me at once!"
Rarity dragged Applejack towards her work room, where her unfinished dress was left spread across the table. She pulled out a piece of fabric from a nearby cupboard.
"Applejack, would you mind placing that odd red liquid on this piece of this piece of fabric."
"Well, I don't see why not."
Applejack placed her hoof on the fabric and allowed the liquid to seep into it. It stained the cloth a vibrant red.
Rarity picked up the cloth and let out a squeal of glee.
"Wow! Such color! I'm sure I can implement this into my dress somehow."
Excitedly, Rarity placed the red fabric on the unfinished dress. Her excitement, however, was short lived.
"Meh, it's not really that great after all."
Rarity discarded the fabric and trotted back over to Applejack.
"Sorry darling, I'm afraid I can't help you out here. I have no idea what that stuff could possibly be, or how hygienic it is for that matter."
"Well considering it's leaking outta ma hoof, I'd say it's a might dirty."
"Have you tried washing it off with water?"
"Yup, more of the stuff just comes leaking right back out."
Rarity glanced at the floor, and was greeted by a series of red shapes dotting the immaculate white tiles.
"Well, I just hope it doesn't stain my floor."
"Whoops, sorry bout that."
"It's ok darling. Although I do hope you'll understand if I ask you to leave so I may clean this mess."
"I understand. Guess I'll see ya later then Rarity."
"Ta-ta. By the way, my offer still stands!"
With Applejack gone, Rarity found herself alone with her thoughts.
"I wonder what that stuff was? It might make for some gossip material later on. Perhaps I should accompany Applejack? Maybe we can go to Twilight's and she'll figure it out."
Rarity turned over the boutique's sign, alerting ponies that it was closed. She hurriedly trotted over to Applejack.
"What brings ya here sugar cube?"
"Why, I was so curious as to what that red stuff on your hoof was that I wanted to follow you to Twilight's. Maybe we can get some answers there?"
"Good idea!"
The duo made their way towards Twilight's library in the hopes of figuring out what the annoying red liquid was.
*Bump*
"Oww! What in tarnation?"
"Oh. Why hello there Lyra! How can we help you?"
Lyra didn't answer. She merely stared at the red liquid ever so slowly trickling down Applejack's leg.
"Uhh, Equestria to Lyra?"
"You... you bleed... just like them." Lyra finally spoke. Her pupils shrunk and her breathing rate increased. Sweat poured down her fur as she continued to glare at the wound.
"Ah'm... bleeding? What the heck is bleeding?"
Once again, Lyra remained unresponsive.
"I am getting the creeps," Rarity whispered to Applejack, growing increasingly nervous with each passing second. That nervousness sky-rocketed when Lyra slowly began to approach them.
"Tell me everything you know..." she drawled.
"Hey! Look over there! More... uh... what was it again? More blood!" Rarity shrieked.
"Where!?" Lyra eagerly spun around. "Oh, ha ha very funny. Now tell me everything you... Hey, where'd they go?"
"Alright Spike, pass me the test tube over there."
"Sure thing Twilight!" Spike saluted.
"Hold up! Be careful, Spike. These ingredients are highly unstable. Any severe movement could potentially cause an explosion."
Spike suppressed a shiver. "Is it safe to be working with ingredients like this, Twilight?"
"Why of course it is! As long was we're careful, this experiment will proceed without a hitch."
"If you say so."
Bang Bang Bang
"Wah!" Spike cried as the sudden noise startled him. He lost his grip on the test tube, which was sent sailing through the air.
Twilight acted fast, catching the test tube with her magic before it could hit the ground.
"That was too close," she panted. "Spike, go see who's at the door. I think I need to sit down for a bit."
With a salute, Spike hurried to the door.
"I bet that's Applejack. She pounds the door something fierce."
The door opened to reveal two ponies.
"Rarity!" Spike exclaimed as he leapt to give the unicorn a hug.
"Oh, why hello there Spikey wikey!"
"Hello to you too, Spike," Applejack grumbled.
"Oh, hi Applejack," Spike replied, offering an apologetic smile.
"Hey girls! What brings you two here? Another sleepover maybe?"
"Nope," Applejack replied, "Rarity and I just wanted to ask ya a quick question."
"Well, ask away!"
"Would you by any chance happen to know what this odd, red liquid is?" Rarity asked as she pointed to Applejack's bloodied hoof.
Twilight was startled at the sight of Applejack's hoof. Her fur was red and sticky from a peculiar substance leaking out off what looked to be a slit.
"I've never seen anything like this... Take a seat you two. Perhaps I can find some information concerning this somewhere in the library. Spike! Bring me all off the medical books we have, please."
Twilight's number one assistant immediately got to work, gathering as many books as his little claws could handle. Once he'd gotten them all, he placed them on Twilight's table.
"I appreciate your effort Twilight," Applejack spoke up, "you're always read to help a frien—"
THUMP
"Ahh!" cried Applejack as she clutched her hoof. She had carelessly struck the nearby table with her hoof. The red liquid, as if angered by the sudden impact, began leaking at an even faster rate."
Rarity fanned herself with a hoof, "Goodness me, you might want to hurry Twilight. We don't know what that stuff is capable of."
"Alright, let's get to work then!"
Twilight flicked and skimmed through every book with the aid of her magic. Her efforts were in vain however. She found detailed diagrams depicting various body parts, lists of diseases and their treatments, instructions on how to heal broken bones and torn ligaments, but nothing describing an red, liquid. Was it even a liquid? Perhaps it was some kind of jelly.
"Wow, I'm afraid I can't find any information about your condition in my books Applejack. That's odd... books are usually the answer to all of life's problems."
"Perhaps there would be a book about it in the Royal Canterlot Archives?" Spike suggested.
"Perhaps," agreed Twilight, "but we don't have the time to go to Canterlot right now."
"Aren't you able to teleport yourself there dear?"
"Oh... right! My bad," Twilight blushed in embarrassment. "Be right back everypony! And dragon."
Twilight vanished with a flash of light, leaving Spike, Rarity and Applejack alone in the library. A sense of awkwardness began to set in.
"So," Spike attempted to initiate conversation, "how are things?"
With another flash, Twilight reappeared in the library, bearing an apologetic look.
"Sorry guys," she began, "I can't find any information pertaining to the matter at hand. Not even in the Royal Archives."
"Well, if Twi can't figure out what this stuff is, Ah reckon nopony can."
"How did you find this stuff? Where did it come from?" Twilight inquired. "If I had more information, maybe I could be of more use."
"Well, this stuff started leaking outta ma hoof after I accidentally poked myself with ma weed cutter."
"Interesting..."
"If we were to poke ourselves with a similar object, would this stuff leak out of us as well?" asked Rarity.
"Well, I think it would be safe to assume that this stuff comes out whenever there is an opening in the body,"
"This stuff could be bad news Twilight," Applejack pointed out. "This hole is pretty big, and it hurts like hell to boot."
"That may be so, but that doesn't mean I can't run a few tests." Twilight pointed out. "Think about it Applejack, what if this could lead to a new scientific discovery? Imagine it. We'll be famous! We might even get to name this stuff. Personally, I'd call it... drum roll please."
Spike pulled out a conveniently located drum set and gave Twilight her wish.
"Sparkle fluid!"
Applejack and Rarity tumbled into a pile of laughter. Spike fell off of his drum set to join them.
"Really sugar cube? Sparkle fluid? Ah'll be damned if that ain't the silliest thing I ever heard."
"I'll admit, it could use a bit of work," Rarity admitted as she wiped a tear out of her eye.
"You guys should call it glop!" Pinkie shouted through the window as she trotted by, pulling a covered cart. A few pieces of wood could be seen poking out from different angles as well as an odd suit.
"We can get to work naming this stuff after we make our discovery," said Twilight. "Now..." she pulled out a freakishly large needle from behind her. "Let's get started!"
Applejack let out an audible gulp.
"Uhh, Twi? What exactly are ya planning on doing with that?"
"Well, how else are we going to extract the substance?"
"Can't ya just... I dunno... wipe it off with a cloth or something?"
"That would contaminate the sample, Applejack."
"Twilight. I'm scared of needles! So you best not come closer with that thing!"
"You have nothing to worry about Applejack," Twilight assured her as she sterilized the needle. "Just one quick prick, then you're done!"
Twilight slowly approached, a deranged smile on her face. Each creak of the floorboards signaled Applejack of her incoming doom.
"You stay back with that thing Twi!" Applejack panicked.
"Come on Applejack! Do it for science!" Rarity encouraged.
"Science can go shove it for all I care!"
Twilight stumbled for a moment.
"What? That's impossible. How can a pony not like science?"
"Well, it's possible now." Applejack shrugged.
Twilight slumped, "Well, I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to. It's a shame though, we might have discovered something new."
"I'm sure someone else will discover it later, darling," consoled Rarity. "It wouldn't be right to force Applejack. Although, it would've been nice to be famous."
"Well, I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use to you guys," sighed Twilight. "I can write a report to Celestia asking her for some information, but that's just about all I can do at the moment. Is there anything else you'd like?"
"Nah. I'd say that's just about it for me. What about you Rarity?"
"Would you mind if I stayed for a little cup of tea, Twilight?"
"Not at all!"
"Well, Ah best be off. Ah gotta get back to the farm and help with the apple bucking. Maybe I can... stop this stuff from leaking if..."
Applejack, wobbled as she walked to the doorway. She staggered for a moment before righting herself.
"Are you alright darling?" Rarity called out in a voice filled with concern. "You're walking worse than Rainbow Dash after a few mugs of cider."
"Ah'm fiiiine," Applejack drawled, right before she passed out stone cold.
"Applejack!" screamed everyone. Minus Rarity, who passed out and was caught by Spike.
"Everypony stand back! I got this!"
Pinkie violently burst into the library, dressed in a hazmat suit and carrying a box beside her.
"Pinkie? What are you doing here!? How did you... why are you..." Twilight shouted, in a panic at the sudden twist of events.
"Relax Twilight! I'll bring this evil liquid to justice!"
Pinkie set her box down next to Applejack's unconscious body.
"First you attack Fluttershy with your evil mind powers, now you do the same with Applejack? Are you doing this of your own accord, or are you working with someone? Tell me who you're working for!" Pinkie raged at the red liquid. "I know all about your dastardly plans! I won't let you hurt my friend or take over the world, you hear me!?"
"..."
"So, you're the strong, silent type, huh? Oh, you wanna do this the hard way? We can do this the hard way!"
Pinkie reached into her box. Her breath came in ragged gasps, fogging her visor. Twilight and Spike remained rooted in their spots, unsure on how to act.
"Spike, we can't just stand by doing nothing. Perhaps Celestia will be able to help us... Quick, take a letter!" she instructed.
Reluctantly, Spike allowed Rarity to fall so that he could retrieve his paper and quill. He swiftly copied as Twilight dictated the current situation. The unicorn cast a nervous glance at the two ponies nearby.
"Alright, I'll give you ten more seconds to spill the jellybeans," Pinkie hissed. "One, two, threefourfivesixseveneightnineten! Time's up! Now face my wrath!"
Pinkie wrapped a roll of gauze around the offender.
"Take that you fiend!" Pinkie roared like a mighty pink lion.
"Pinkie? What are you doing with that gauze?" Twilight asked, dumbstruck. "No! Don't write that in the letter Spike!"
"Just trust me on this Twilight!" Pinkie pleaded.
To Pinkie's dismay, the gauze stained red, signifying that the liquid was still leaking. Clutching at straws, Pinkie wrapped another layer of gauze around in an attempt to cease the incessant leak.
"You'll never stop me Pinkie! Once I'm down with your little friend here, you're all next! Muahahaha!"
"Quiet you!" Pinkie snapped.
"Did you say something Spike?" Twilight asked.
"Nu uh."
"Crud! It's still not working"—Pinkie paused a moment to clean her visor—"I guess I'll just have to use... force!"
Pinkie desperately pressed down on the gauze. She had to stop the hostile takeover. For Applejack! For Equestria!
Miraculously, the combination of gauze and pressure seemed to stop the flow.
"Curses! I've been foiled again! Mark my words pink pony, I shall return the next time one of you injures yourselves! You will rue this day!"
"I'll be waiting..." Pinkie growled. Applying pressure once more, Pinkie stopped the effluence for good. Equestria was saved!
Twilight and Spike stared, dumbstruck at Pinkie. She had just done what they could not.
"Holy buck, how did she... Nevermind," Twilight sighed and shook her head, she allowed a smile to make its way upon her face. "This is Pinkie Pie after all."
"Yay Pinkie Pie!" cheered Spike.
"Well, my work here is done," Pinkie said as she slipped out of her hazmat suit and stuffed it back into her box. "Leave the gauze there for a little while longer. You two should carry Applejack to the hospital where she can recover."
"Wait, what are you going to do?" Twilight asked.
"I need to put back all this wood I borrowed. It would've been impossible, even for me, to get this much on such short notice."
"Alright, come meet us at the hospital later then."
"Twilight," interrupted Spike, "do you feel a draft?"
Twilight paused for a moment.
"Now that you mention it, I do."
Twilight spun around to find that a large portion of her wall had gone missing.
"Pinkie Pie, how did you... Never mind, you better fix this right now!"
"Well, to be fair, I was gonna invite you to take shelter in Sugarcube Corner after I barricaded it with this wood in the event that the red liquid managed to take over."
"Pinkie, just fix this mess please."
"Okie dokie lokie!"
"Ugh, why am I so darn tired?"
Applejack awoke herself to find herself in a hospital bed, surrounded by all of her friends.
"Hey guys! She's awake." Rainbow Dash observed.
"Applejack! We were so worried about you. Are you feeling better?" Fluttershy asked.
"I sure am, thanks for asking Fluttershy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta get back to the farm."
Applejack struggled to rise. Her limbs were heavy with fatigue, acting as weights pulling her back into the bed.
"No way darling, you are staying right here for at least a few more hours." Rarity said as she pressed Applejack back into the bedsheets. "The doctors need to make sure you're alright."
"The liquid... what happened to it?"
"Pinkie Pie took care of it!" Spike answered. "You shoulda seen her! She was wearing this awesome suit and she was like pow, wham, kersplat! She stopped that red stuff from leaking in no time at all."
"Well butter my flank and call me a biscuit"—Applejack smiled sincerely at Pinkie—"Thank ya kindly Pinkie Pie."
"Pfffffft, what are friends for!?"
"Well," Twilight started, "now that this mess is taken care of. I'd like to try studying this substance. I've come to the hypothesis that this liquid is secreted from the body through openings inflicted by physical harm. Unfortunately... Princess Celestia has strictly forbidden me from purposefully harming myself for science."
"What kind of weirdo hurts themselves for science? Spike asked.
"Well, guess you have a point there," Twilight admitted, blushing. "I have come to the belief that if leaked in sufficient quantities, this liquid can cause harm to a pony. Pinkie, you should teach us about your technique, just incase something like this happens again."
"Sure! That way, if any of us are hurt and all saddy waddy, we can patch ourselves up right away!"
"You know," Rarity began, "it puzzles me as to why this liquid has only now been discovered. Wouldn't other ponies who have been injured seen this stuff before?"
"Keep in mind," Twilight reminded, "that this is caused by opening in the body. The worst injuries sustained by a pony are usually broken bones. I can't imagine why ponies would hurt each other with sharp objects. It's just plain unethical!"
"I wonder if there's another planet out there somewhere," Spike mused, "where it's inhabitants do things like that."
Spike's comment elicited a roar of laughter.
"Ha! That's just plain silly."
"Indeed it is."
The room suddenly grew blindingly bright, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. Except Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who merely retrieved their sunglasses from seemingly nowhere.
"Violence is a terrible thing, my little ponies."
"Princess Celestia!" gasped everypony and dragon with pleasant surprise.
"Hello!" tittered Celestia. "I hope I'm not... intruding on anything?"
"Not at all your highness," assured Applejack. "What brings ya here?"
Celestia's face took on a worried expression, "I noticed that you were injured, badly enough that you were bleeding. I would've come sooner had I not been caught in some important business. This liquid is quite dangerous, after all."
"Ha! I knew it!" shouted Pinkie. "It was going to destroy the world! It told me all about its plans while I was helping Applejack!"
"Wait, how did you know that Applejack was injured?" inquired Rarity.
"As a former wielder myself, I share a connection with the Elements of Harmony. Since you six are currently wielding the elements, I can share that connection with you as well. Simply put, whenever any of you are injured, I'll know."
"So awesome!" Rainbow Dash commented.
"Wow! That's incredible! How does it work? Can you go into the specifics?" Twilight's thirst for knowledge slowly began to consume her.
Celestia giggled at the display, "Perhaps another time Twilight, my time is brief. I must return to Canterlot soon."
"So, why are you really here then?" asked Fluttershy.
Celestia took a moment to gather her thoughts. The others waited patiently as she did so, anxious to hear what their princess had to say.
"Violence... is a terrible thing. Sure, we are all entitled to the occasional squabble or scuffle, but this injury"—Celestia pointed to Applejack's bloodied, albeit slowly healing, hoof—"was caused by a special kind of violence."
"But... but I didn't mean to do it!" shrieked Rainbow Dash, visibly shrinking.
"Rainbow Dash? You caused this?" Rarity gasped.
"Settle down y'all, it was an accident, nothing more," Applejack clarified. "Rainbow would never hurt anypony intentionally."
"That's right! I'm the element of Loyalty after all!" bragged Rainbow Dash, previous guilt completely erased.
"Anyway," Celestia began, capturing the group's attention, "whenever somepony is injured, this red liquid might appear, depending on the nature of the injury. A small little bruise, such as when you scrape a knee, may bring forth the tiniest droplet of liquid, highly unnoticeable. However, a more serious injury like Applejack's may bring forth much, much more. Whether intentional or not, this liquid can cause harm if enough is leaked. I would request further research in the matter, but that would mean intentionally harming my little ponies, something I am not so happy with." Celestia and Twilight locked gazes, sharing a private laugh.
"So, lemme get this straight. This liquid is called blood. It's caused by injuries. The more severe the injury, the more blood you lose. When you lose enough, you can get hurt?"
"Correct."
"Well golly!"
"This is crazy," commented Rainbow Dash.
"Luckily for you, Applejack. Pinkie somehow figured out how to stop the blood flow. Without magic no less! You must teach me how to do so at a later point in time, Pinkie." Celestia praised.
"I'd be happy to!"
"I have a question," said Fluttershy, "Apparently, no pony has known that blood existed till this day. How is that possible?"
"A good question," Celestia praised. "Keep in mind, Equestria is experiencing a peaceful period. Why, just last week, we managed to quell an issue with the changelings. There has been no major violence in Equestria for many centuries."
"But what about the changeling attack?" Spike asked. "Wasn't that real violence?"
Celestia laughed a hearty laugh, hearty enough to bring forth a few tears. "Oh Spike," she giggled, "you haven't seen real violence, nor should you."
"Why? What's it like?"
"Time is running short, I'll tell you my tale another time. Before I leave... Pinkie! I would like you to teach your friends the techniques you used to prevent Applejack's bleeding."
"It was easy! All I did was give it a smack and a good talking too! It pretty much died after that. Wait... does this mean I killed something!? Oh no! How am I going to sleep at night!?" Pinkie burst out the door, wailing her sorrows aloud.
Celestia sighed, "Once Pinkie has taught you all her methods, I would like you to teach them to the local hospital staff as well. Doctor Stable and Nurse Redheart will no doubt be delighted to learn something new. We can never be too careful, after all. You never know when something can take a turn for the worse..."
Celestia was interrupted by the beeping of her hoof watch.
"Darn, time's up! Quick, group nuzzle!" Celestia instructed.
Everyone gathered around Celestia for a group nuzzle. Pinkie ran back to get in a quick goodbye nuzzle before darting back out again, leaving a trail of tears.
"Bye princess!"
"Goodbye my little ponies! You too Spike! Remember, violence is never the answer. If you ever see blood again, you know what to do."
On that note, Celestia vanished in a blinding white light.
"Well, I guess I should go get Pinkie," groaned Rainbow Dash.
"Good luck with that," laughed Applejack, "you ain't catching her."
"Wanna bet?"
"Sure."
"Shake on it!"
After a quick shake, Rainbow dashed off. Leaving Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Spike.
"Applejack, how do you suppose Lyra knew about blood? Clearly it isn't very popular around here."
"Must be from that human mythology mumbo jumbo she's been reading."
"I suppose."
Awkward silence made it's way into the room.
"I still can't believe you wanted to name it Sparkle fluid," Spike laughed.
Everyone laughed again, especially Fluttershy, who was new to the joke. Twilight, however, was unamused.
"Just a little...harder," Lyra panted as she scraped her hoof with her scissors, eager to draw blood of her own. Her efforts were met with success. A newly created slit allowed for blood to leak out of Lyra's hoof.
"Ah ha! I have returned! This time, no pink pony will prevent my inevitable conquest!"
"Wow! I'm... I'm bleeding! Oh my gosh, this is so exciting! I'm one step closer to being like them... I must have more!"
Lyra painstakingly continued to scrape her hoof with the scissors, drawing forth a few more drops of blood.
"Yes! Keep cutting my foolish little pony. Allow me to take over your soul!"
Suddenly, the door slammed open. Lyra dropped her scissors in shock.
"Lyra! Stop that right now! It isn't good to hurt yourself like that."
"But Pinkie you don't understand! By cutting, I'm one step closer to being like them!"
"Oh please, if you want to be like them, you can just do this!" Pinkie pointed out as she blew into her hoof. Several odd looking fingers poked out of her hood.
"Wow! Can you teach me how to do that?"
"Sure! But first..."
"No! Stay back! I will not allow you to ruin my plans once again!"
Pinkie donned her hazmat suit and prepared her gauze.
Author's Note
This was my take on what might happen if blood were suddenly introduced to the sweet, adorable ponies we know and love, who know nothing of true violence.Things like murder, rape, etc. Although, I suppose the Canterlot Wedding episode was a bit violent. Meh. Anyways, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the story. 
I do not own the characters portrayed in this short story.
