Reaper Mare

As she entered the library, she saw Twilight sitting at her writing desk beneath the window. The unicorn's back was to her as she read through a book, humming quietly to herself. Spike was nowhere to be seen, probably having retired for the night.

Applejack was on the verge of a panic attack. She needed to find some way to get Twilight's attention without the unicorn writing it off as an odd quirk of an old building. There wasn't a moment to lose.

To her right, three inkwells sat in a neat row next to three aligned quills and three spare scrolls. She remembered how Spike had decided that he was going to serve her in return for saving his life. She had tried calling Twilight, who was too deep in her studies to hear her.

Twilight had only responded when Applejack had knocked one of the ink wells out of alignment.

Carefully, she reached to nudge the middle ink well. Her hoof passed through it.

She let out a growl. This was ridiculous. A pony's life was on the line. Why couldn't Luna restrain Rainbow Dash until doctors could get to her? Why did she have to work through a proxy? Why did she have to be involved anyways?

Frustration and rage built within her.

Her hoof connected with the ornate brass and the ink well went flying, knocking loudly against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

Startled, Twilight gasped and stood, searching the room for the source of the noise. She spotted the ink well, lying against the wall, and went to it.

She looked to where the other two stood and frowned in confusion. Carefully, she picked it up and made sure none of the ink had spilled. She returned it to the desk.

“Twilight, I need your help.” Applejack spat, trying to get her attention, but watched as the pony ignored her and went back to her reading.

“Really?” She whined before seizing the same inkwell and flinging it. It flew across the room and bounced off of the back of Twilight's head, eliciting a wince from Applejack and a startled yelp from the unicorn.

Twilight spun, angrily searching for whoever threw the ink well. When nothing was forthcoming, her contenance shifted to confusion.

“Spike!” She bellowed.

It took a few moments for the baby dragon to appear, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “What is it?”

Her jaw fell as she looked between her assistant and the table. “But...if you...and that...huh?” She stared at the table for a hard moment. “Something threw an ink well at me. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?”

Spike was automatically on the defensive. “What? No way! Those things are heavy. A pony could really get hurt.”

“You don't think we're dealing with something supernatural?”

Spike shrugged. “Wouldn't be the first time.”

Twilight's horn glowed as her magic built. “Watch the table. Whatever is here, it's there.” She hunched down into a defensive posture. “Reveal yourself.

There was a bright flash and Applejack reflexively raised a hoof to shield her eyes. When the light cleared, she blinked away the after-flash to see Twilight and Spike staring at her with identical looks of shock.

“Did you see what I saw?” Spike asked.

“...Applejack?” Slowly, Twilight's legs buckled and she sank to the floor.

“How? She's dead. How is she standing in the doorway?” Spike moaned.

“Ya'll? We don't have time for this.” Applejack warned.

Twilight lay on her side, twitching and hyperventilating. She blinked repeatedly, trying to focus.

“If you are Applejack, stomp your hoof twice.”

The hoof came down twice, creating loud and clear clops. Twilight moaned miserably.

“Spike, we need some way to communicate with her directly. I need to double-check that she's actually Applejack and not something disguised as her. Bring me that word game.”

Spike disappeared, returning after a minute with a long red box. He gave it to Twilight, who opened it and dumped the contents out on the floor.

“Listen up,” she commanded. “I need to make sure that you are Applejack and, if you are, why you're here.” She rearranged the tiles so that the letters faced up. “Use these to spell out your answers.”

“Alright. Ah think Ah can do that.” Applejack replied.

“Years ago, right after I moved to Ponyville, Applejack had to collect all of the apples on Sweet Apple Acres by herself. What was the reason she gave me for doing this?”

“Easy.” Applejack replied. She knelt down and began to arrange the tiles.

M-A-C-I-N-T-O-S-H-H-U-R-T-H-I-M-S-E-L-F.

Twilight's mouth moved as she read the words. She shook her head. “I'm not convinced. Let me ask you something else.”

Applejack hurried to rearrange the tiles. N-O-T-I-M-E.

“No time? Why is there no time?”

R-A-I-N-B-O-W-D-A-S-H-D-A-N-G-E-R.

“Rainbow Dash Danger?” Spike asked, confused. “Isn't 'Danger' her middle name?”

“Shut up.” Twilight hissed. “This is serious. Rainbow Dash is in danger. What kind of danger?”

S-U-I-C-I-D-E, came the prompt reply.

Twilight began to tremble.

Spike rested a claw on her neck. “It can't be. She got a full psych evaluation before she was released. She was a little depressed, but nothing terrible. She was just grieving.”

“I need to go. I'm not going to lose another friend to inaction.”

“But, we don't know if she's in any actual danger.” Spike objected. “This could be some kind of trap or distraction. That might not even be Applejack.”

“Doesn't matter. I need to check.”

“I'll come with you.”

She spun on her assistant. “No. You're going to stay here and find every book you can on the occult. When I get back, we're going to summon her.”

With a flash, Twilight vanished. Applejack called her Scythe, opened a rift, and followed.

They both appeared inside. Twilight cast her cloud-walking spell and began to move through Rainbow's house. Applejack watched, realizing that Twilight had never before been inside here.

“This ain't no time for sightseein', Twi. Rainbow might be in serious trouble.”

The unicorn continued to check the lower level of the house. Ignoring her, Applejack immediately climbed the stairs to the second level. From there, she went straight to Dash's room.

Abandoned.

She checked the bed, and the closet, and anywhere else the pegasus might hide. A knot of anxiety clenched her throat as her search turned up nothing.

A scream echoed from down the hall. Wheeling, she fled from the room to the source of the scream. Twilight stood in the bathroom door, trembling and frozen with shock. Not bothering to stop, Applejack charged through her and slid to a halt.

Rainbow Dash lay on the cloud floor, face-down, in a puddle of vomit. Above her, the door to the medicine cabnet lay open and everything from prescription bottles to empty first-aid solutions were scattered about on the floor.

She had taken it all.

Like a wraith, Luna exploded upward from the floor. She hovered for a moment before settling down next to the pegasus.

“P-P-rincess, I came as soon as I could.” Twilight babbled. “I-I-I got some mixed-up message from something claiming to be Applejack.”

“I know. I sent her.” Luna replied, looking over Dash while her horn glowed.

“You mean you called Applejack's spirit to come and warn me?”

“No. Applejack came to me with a warning, and I sent her to you while I investigated Rainbow Dash's mind.”

“B-b-but, if you were already here, you could have stopped her!” Twilight accused.

“You know the laws concerning mind-control magic, Twilight Sparkle. Your want-it-need-it spell came perilously close to breaking those laws, if I recall correctly.”

“But you were already here. Why didn't you just pop into existence and restrain her?”

“There isn't time for this!” Luna snapped, causing the unicorn to cower slightly. “Rainbow Dash is still alive, but she is in desperate need of medical attention. If we continue to linger, she will not survive. Go and find help.”

“But-”

“IMMEDIATELY!” Luna bellowed, making use of the Royal Canterlot Voice.

In a flash of lavender light, Twilight vanished.

Luna returned to her work as her horn began to glow brightly. Applejack approached her.

“Princess, Ah'm-”

“You did well, Applejack.” Luna assured her, sweat beading across her brow as she concentrated. “I simply wish I had gotten here sooner.”

“Can ya save her?”

“I am trying to nullify the poisons within her, but there are so many. I do not even recognize some of them. I, alone, cannot save her, but I hope to buy time until help can arrive.” She began to pant from exertion.

Applejack paced. Never before had she felt so terrified and helpless. She wanted to assist Luna and Rainbow, but had no idea as to how to do it. She wanted to roll Dash over so the mare would have an easier time breathing, but the only time she had an effect on the physical world was when her emotions were running high and those usually had violent results. She could roll Dash over, but she risked seriously injuring, possibly killing, the mare.

Luna let out a sigh and lifted Rainbow Dash in her magic. “Her life continues to slip away and I can do no more to help her. Come, we must take her to the hospital ourselves.”

Applejack thought of the hospital and opened a rift, stepping in as Luna vanished. They arrived at the same moment. Luna charged through the doors of the emergency department with an invisible Applejack on her tail.

“WE REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE!” She bellowed, deafening anypony nearby.

The first to respond was a unicorn doctor, who took Rainbow with his magic. “What happened, your majesty?”

“She appears to have attempted to take her own life.”

He gave her a cursory inspection. “I don't see any marks on her.”

“It was poison.”

“Which one?”

“All of them.”

The doctor nodded solemnly. “I understand.” Two nurses came up with a gurney, which Dash was laid on, before all three took off with her, the doctor gathering ponies and giving instructions as he went.

“Princess?”

Luna turned to Twilight, who crept through the door, looking thoroughly shamefaced. “Fear not, Twilight Sparkle. The fault is mine. I had not properly assessed Rainbow Dash's condition and should have brought her here straightaway, rather than attempt to save her myself.”

She turned and pointed a hoof at a receptionist. “You, there. I require Rainbow Dash's medical records. I wish to know what incompetent excuse for a psychologist released her.”

The receptionist's ears folded back. “Y-your majesty; doctor-patient confidentiality dictates that-”

“You would deny your princess her request?” Luna said with deadly calm.

“N-n-no, y-your majesty, but the law states-”

“I am well aware of what the law states, but I state that you will fetch the records. A mare, who was obviously ill, was released and I am conducting an investigation as to who allowed it and why. Unless you wish to be arrested and charged with interfering with that investigation, I suggest you assist me in any capacity I may need.”

The mare gave a quick nod and vanished.

Luna turned to Twilight. “Go home, Twilight Sparkle. Rest, if you can. It will be a while before Rainbow Dash is ready to receive visitors and a while more before she is considered fit to be released.”

Twilight shook her head. “I don't think I'll be able to rest, Princess, but there's a certain pony I need to ask a few questions.” She hesitated. “If I can.”