Nailed In (Pt.1)
I’m in a sea of black. I can’t see anypony else. Where is everypony? Have they left me? I hope not. I’m still here so they should be too. There were some other ponies here, right? Where did they go? I see the sun on the black water. It’s so pretty! I love the Da… What was it called? I can’t remember. I don’t want to. It hurts my head too much.
I head to the sun. It’s hard to walk. The water is really heavy. It feels weird too. It feels solid. I reach the sun and touch it. It’s cold. Is Princess Celestia okay? I hope so. She’s so nice. I turn around and begin to walk away.
The sun suddenly becomes hot and painful. Red and orange spikes come from it. OWW!!! It hurts so much!!! Why is Princess Celestia hurting me? Did I make her mad? I always make somepony mad at me. But I’m a good filly!
“I’m so sorry! IT’S ALL MY FAULT! I WON’T DO IT AGAIN, I PROMISE! Please make it stop!” I yell. Nopony can hear me. The water begins to rise. I’m underwater. The spikes are gone, but the water is now hurting me. Everything wants to hurt me when I’m alone. I don’t like to be alone. Help me, I can’t breathe!
I’m falling. I’m going to be hurt! I wouldn’t be able to see anypony again! I wish I was a pegasus. I would be able to save myself. I hit the ground. I’m not hurt? How? I’m on a wood floor. It smells good. I look up. The sky is really pretty. It’s blue.
I hear squeaks coming from the floor. Is something loose? I see mice running by. Something goes thud. What was that? A mouse hit my side. He’s squeaking loudly. I should see if he’s okay. He’s brown. He’s saying something to me. “H-ow ya fee-lin’?” That’s weird. Mice can’t talk.
The mouse rams into my side again. The sky leaves. 4 blue walls, a bed in a corner. It’s very woody in here. Smells good. Where am I? “Ya able get up today?” the mouse asks. Wait, that’s not a mouse. It’s another pony! It’s a mare! A brown mare! Yay! I found somepony else! I won’t be alone! I hate being alone.
I jump out of bed. The room spins. I begin to fall, but a hoof stops me. It’s her hoof. “Slow down there, squirt. Ya still ain’t fully well,” the mare says. “Jus’ set back down for a bit ‘til yer able ta get up.” She pushes me back onto the bed. The room stops spinning. I feel better.
“Excuse me, ma’am…but who are you?” I’ve never seen her before. I’m really confused.
The mare’s eyebrow rises. She lets out a sigh and says, “Ah’d like ta ask ya the same thing, but Ah reckon Ah can least give ya mah name ‘fore Ah go interrogatin’ ya. Name’s Maple Craft; finest carpenter this side of the Misstirruppi.” She bows her head. She’s smiling. It’s a nice smile. Very warm.
“Carpenter? What’s that?” I ask.
She says, “Well hon’, a carpenter is somepony that is hoofy with tools. Ponies will ask me ta either make or fix somethin’ and then pay me if’n they like what Ah did.”
“Ohhh...OK!” I just learned something new! I love learning new stuff!
She walks up to me and places a hoof on my back. It feels good. I think that she’s really nice. “Now that ya know who Ah am, Ah reckon that ya’ll oughta tell me a bit ‘bout yerself. Fer starters, what’s yer name?”
What’s the answer? I can’t know that. Nopony told me the answer. Maybe she’ll know. “I don’t know. Can you tell me?” She looks confused. I’m scared. She doesn’t know? Then who does?
Cold. I’m very cold. Even though the smile is there. It’s not like Princess Celestia’s sun, but it’s still very warm and nice.
“Hon, if’n Ah knew, would Ah need ta ask ya? ‘Sides, how could Ah know? Ah only metcha a couple days ago.” She sighs. “Alrighty then. What about yer home? Where do ya’ll live?”
What? “Don’t I live here?” I can only remember living here. I’ve only been here.
Ms. Maple is upset. “Hon, what kinda foal do ya take me ta be? Why the blazes would Ah be askin’ ya’ll these questions if’n ya’ll were livin’ here with me?!” she says loudly.
Oops. “I don’t know. I forgot. I’m really sorry...” The room is hard to see.
Ms. Maple comes over to the bed. She pats my head. “ Aww...don’t cry, hon. Ah’m sorry Ah got mad, but Ah’m just a mite frustrated is all.” She walks over to the window. “Come over here. Ya should be able ta get up now,” she turns around and says.
I try to stand. She’s right! I feel fine and not dizzy at all. I knew she was smart. “Come on! Hurry up! Ah wanna show ya somethin’,” she yells. She sounds mad. Wait…not mad. Tired? I should get over there. The floor is a bit loose. It makes noises while I walk on it. The noises are weird. They surprise me for a second.
“Don’t mind that, hon. The floor just has a couple loose screws is all,” she says to me. I stand next to Ms. Maple and look out the window.
I see a bunch of trees. Is that a forest? Something is strange about the forest though… Oh! All of the trees are reddish near the bottom. They look icky. I smell that nice smell again. It’s not a good thing anymore. It smells bad, like metal. There’s something else... the lower parts are smaller than the upper. They don’t have any bark. Ow… I feel something. It’s hurting my head. Who were they? I knew them once. Why were they..? Me? I’m still around. They aren’t...IT’S NOT FAIR!!!
I feel Ms. Maple put her hoof on me. It’s a little red, like the trees. “Ya alright? Yer still shakin’. Maybe ya best lay back down fer a spell. Ah sure as shoot don’t want ya passin’ out on me again.”
I shake my head. Ow, that hurt. I shouldn’t do that again. “I think I’m okay,” I say and turn to her. I can see only the floor. What happened to Ms. Maple? Oh wait, there are her hooves. What about her body? Hello floor. Goodbye hooves.
Something catches me. It’s a brown hoof! Ms. Maple saved me again! She looks worried. “See? Ah told ya. Hold on a sec,” she says. She takes me back to the bed. She picks me up and puts me on the bed. She leaves my eyes. She’s gone. She left.
“Where did you go?! Ms. Maple?!” I want her back... She can’t leave me. Not again....never again...
“Don’t worry, sugarcube. Ah’m right here.” Where is she? I look around. I still don’t see her. “Behind ya.” I turn my head and see her. She has her hooves on the bed. They’re are pretty big. “Hold tight now,” she says. She pushes the entire bed all the way over to the window.
“Wow! You’re really strong!” I say to her. She laughs. Did I say something funny? I must have. I can’t tell.
“Ah ain’t any stronger than the average pony.” She looks at me with a smile and laughs. She’s pretty. I like her. “Now hon’,” she says and points down at the grass near the trees. “A couple days ago Ah found ya lyin’ down there. Ya were covered in… well, let’s just say y’all were really red,” she continues.
“Like the trees, right?” I’m proud that I saw that. I’m very ‘observant about my surroundings’. Somepony once told me that. Or did they? I can’t remember.
She frowns, “Er… yeah… jus’ like the trees.” She looks down and whispers, “Jus’ like my trees...”
Cold is everywhere. She shakes her head. And the warmth returns. “Anyways, what Ah’m tryin’ ta get at is Ah don’t know anything about ya’ll. Now, Ah need ya to help me out here. Can ya remember anything at all?”
She wants me to remember. I don’t want her to be sad, but I don’t remember anything. I look at her and shake my head.
Ms. Maple looks back at me. She opens her muzzle, then closes it. She sighs. She’s been doing that a lot. I wonder if she’s okay.
Ms. Maple smiles. “It’s alright sugarcube. Ah sure as shoot don’t wanna force ya ta try and remember if’n ya can’t. Ah think it’ll come back on its own.” She’s happy again! I’m happy too! She smiles wider. “Now then, how about some breakfast? Ah make pretty darn good grits, if’n Ah do say so mahself.”
I am really hungry. How did she know? I knew she was smart. “Yes please, Ms. Maple!”
She laughs again. “Jus’ call me Maple, hon’. Ah’m only Ms. Maple to ponies Ah don’t know. Well... other than y’all of course.” She walks to the door and turns back to me.“Y’all try ta rest fer a bit more. Ah’ll wake ya when it’s ready,” she tells me.
“Okay Mi...um, I mean M-maple!” That sounds weird to say. But I kind of like it!
She laughs again and walks out the door. I’m really excited! I met somepony today and I’m getting fed! I hope ‘grits’ taste good. I’m sure they will, since Maple is making them. Something smells really good! It’s something I’ve never smelled before. It smells much better than the trees.
Ms. Maple is really nice...I should do something for her! Maybe I could help her cook! I get up and go to the door. Oww... why is my stomach hurting now?
I look down and see... white paper? No...it’s a bandage? Why do I have a bandage around my stomach? Did Ms. Maple put it there? She must have. I touch it...“OW OW OW OW!!!!” That really hurt. Why did it hurt so much? Am I okay? The bandage is now red... What’s going on?! “Ms. Maple?! Maple!!”
Ms. Maple gallops into the room. “What?!! What’s wrong?” She sees the red paper. Her eyes become small. “Oh horseapples!” she shouts. She gallops out of the room. Where did she go? What’s going on? She gallops back in with another bandage and a towel. “Hold still fer a second, okay sugarcube? Jus’ look out the window and everything will be alright.”
I look out the window, since she told me to. I trust her.
I don’t feel the bandage on my body anymore. There is something wet instead. Is it the towel? She must be washing my side? Why though? I’ll just take a little peek...
My side is very red, blue and black and it looks like I’ve eaten too much. I feel something sharp coming in my side... There are small holes! What?! Why do I have holes in my side?! The red is coming from those holes. The red is the same as the trees. Did I make the trees look like that? Why would I do that to them? Why would they do this to me?
I’m scared... I begin to move. I need to find out about the trees! Why did they do this?! Why did the forest do this to me?! “Ah told ya ta hold still. Yer only makin’ it worse by wiggilin’ about like that. Jus’ keep calm and Ah’ll make it all better, ‘kay hon?” Ms. Maple says to me. The warmth is back. I’m already feeling better. Ms. Maple is really good at this...
“Alright sugarcube, this might be a bit painful...” Wait...what is she going to do? “Hold still fer me as much as ya can, ‘kay?” she says that nicely. There’s a new smell. It’s different than the metal one. I hate this one more than the other. It hurts my nose really badly. Ms. Maple takes the towel and puts it into a small bottle. She takes it back out and the smell becomes really strong.
“Wait, what’s going..?” She puts the towel on my side and...
OWWWWWWW!!!! WHAT WAS THAT?!?! IT FEELS LIKE WATER BUT IT’S HOT LIKE CELESTIA’S SUN!!! WHAT DID SHE DO TO ME?! Why did...she...they...to me..?
The darkness returns.
Where am I? Oh, wait... I’m in Ms. Maple’s house... but why is it so dark out? Oh right, I’m asleep. I should get up now.
The darkness is gone again. The walls are back. My walls are back.
I try to get up, but there’s a big hoof on top of me. It’s brown... Ms. Maple?! I look over at the side of the bed. She’s there.
“Maple?” I ask. I push her side with my hoof. “Wake up,” I say. She won’t get up. “Please wake up.” She still won’t get up. “Please wake up!!” I shout.
She opens her eyes and yawns. She looks around. She sees me and her eyes get wide. She takes me into her hooves and hugs me. It hurts... “Can you please stop? You’re hurting me,” I tell her and push on her hoof to get away.
She lets go and smiles. “Sorry sugarcube. Ah’m jus’ glad ta see yer alright! Ya have no idea how worried Ah was when ya suddenly passed out on me like that,” she says. She sounds really happy.
“What happened to me?” I ask her. I’m confused.
She looks down. The smile is gone. “Well...Ah’m afraid that was ma fault. Ya must not have been able ta handle the rubbing alcohol jus’ yet. Ah should have realized that. Ah really am sorry, but Ah can tell ya, Ah sure as Tartarus won’t do that ever again.”
She stares at me. She wants something. I don’t know what. Is it an ‘okay’? That the only thing I can think of. “Okay, Ms...er, Maple,” I say.
She smiles again. “Well good! Ah’m glad that ya don’t hold it against me.” She really was sad about that. She’s really nice.
Ms. Maple heads for the door and looks back. “Ah know it’s a mite late, but how about some of them grits Ah promised?”
I’m even more hungry than before. I nod. “Alright then. Ah’ll be right back with a big ol’ plate of grits fer ya then. And this time, don’t even think of gettin’ up outta that bed,” she says and winks. She leaves the room. But she’ll come back. I know she will.
The room is small. There’s one window and two doors. One door is the one that Ms. Maple went out from. I don’t know what the other is for. I didn’t notice it before but everything in the room is wooden. Did Ms. Maple make everything in here? She did say she makes things. She must have made the bed too. She’s really good. It’s a nice bed.
I was right. She does come back into the room and has a plate with something white and mushy on it. She also has some water in a cup... Wait, is that water? Or is it some more of... NO! NOT AGAIN!!
I push against the bed and sit up. My side hurts, but not as much as more of that will!
“I thought you said that you wouldn’t use that ‘rubbing al...alho...alpo...’ that stuff again?!” I yell. I’m scared. That stuff was really painful.
She looks confused. But then she sees the glass. Then she laughs. “This ain’t rubbing alcohol, sugarcube. It’s jus’ plain ol’ water. See?” she drinks some. She’s fine.
“Oh...Ok!” I say. Why was I worried? She wouldn’t do that to me again. She said so.
She comes over to the bed and puts the plate on my lap. She sets the glass of water on a table near the bed. Ms. Maple then looks down at me and says, “Sorry ‘bout this sugarcube, but Ah’ve got a job over at my aunt’s farm that Ah can’t miss. Will ya be okay fer jus’ a bit on yer own?”
I stop eating. “You’re leaving? For how long?” I ask her. I still have some grits in my muzzle. The bed covers are now messy.
She crosses one of her front legs and says, “Not fer long. Jus’ an hour. Ah’ll hurry back as soon as Ah can. Ah promise.” She’s smiling. She won’t leave me forever. I won’t be left alone again.
“Okay, you can go, since you promised that you’d come back,” I tell her. She laughs and nods.
“Ah’ll be back, don’t you worry.” She walks to the door near the window and opens it. She reaches in and pulls out a brown hat. She puts the hat on and walks to the other door. This is the door that must go downstairs. She waves her hoof over her should at me. I wave back, but she can’t see. She doesn’t look at me and says, “See ya in a bit!” She then goes out of the room.
I’m alone. But not for long. I know because she promised. Nopony would ever break a promise.
I wouldn’t at least.
The following is a magical recording of a conversation between a Ms. Maple ‘Apple’ Craft and a former officer of the Ponyville Police Department. Maple came to the PPD with the report that she had found a filly on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Due to a fire that damaged the recording about twenty years ago, only Maple’s responses can be heard clearly.
“Maple ‘Apple’ Craft.”
“What? The ‘Apple’ part? That’s mah real name. Ah had it changed when...it’s a long story. Just forget about it.”
“Ah just don’t like ta bring it up is all.”
“Now look. Ah thought that we were gonna be talkin’ bout the foal, not me!”
“Ah really don’t see why it matters.”
“No, it ain’t that.”
“Not that either.”
“Really? Yer serious..?”
“Do ya ‘onestly think that Ah would do that? Do Ah look like a criminal?”
“None taken. If it’ll getcha ta stop askin’ Ah’ll tell ya. Ah had a fallin’ out with mah family. That’s all Ah can say about the matter, so just drop it.”
“It’s alright. Ah get it. Anyways just call me Ms. Maple. Makes it easier on the both of us.”
“Thank ya kindly.”
“Occupa-what now?”
“Oh, mah job! Well, why didn’t ya’ll just that in the first place? Ah’m a carpenter. Best one in Equestria, if ya ask me!”
“Ya weren’t asking me?...Smart-flank.”
“Alright, alright...Ah’m sorry. Is that better?”
“Good. Now where were we? Oh right, mah job! Well Ah’ve had a knack for fixing things ever since Ah was just a little filly. Ah got my cutie mark pretty late, though, last in mah class. Why, if Ah remember right, Ah was tending to the trees in the South Acres...that is the farm’s south apple orchards, and Ah saw...”
“Pardon?”
“Oh right. Sorry, Ah tend ta get carried away sometimes. Anyhing else y’all need ta now bout me?”
“How dare you?!?! Didn’t yer mother tell ya ta never ask a mare that?!”
“Ah don’t care if y’all are ‘in charge’ here!! Ya simply don’t go around askin’ a mare her age. Even in the woods that’d be bad manners! Now how would ya like it if somepony was flankin’ their nose inta yer personal life, mister...uh what did y’all say yer name was again?”
“Vigilance, huh...Good name.”
“Completely ‘onest.”
“Yer welcome. Now can we please get to the foal?”
“No. Not that Ah could see. Ah doubt that she’d have it now anyways. Not somepony as young as that un’.”
“Ah’m pretty sure.”
“She’s got a gray mane, really messy thing, and a blue coat.”
“Like the sky, yeah.”
“Some more? Uh...her eyes are purple, if that helps. Ah mean it’s not like ya have records on everypony’s eye color...”
“What?! Ya do?! Well, Ah’m more surprised than an apple in an orange tree.”
“Ah saw her a-layin’ down in the grass. The trees were all messed up. The darndest thing Ah ever did see.”
“The bottom halves of the trees were all de-barked. There was a bunch of blood coverin’ them too.”
“Err...she was close ta the trees... Actually she had a coupla splinters stuck in her side. She musta been the one who mangled mah trees. Not that Ah’m mad, of course! Ah’m just confused...”
“The Everfree Forest. Why do y’all ask? Wait... Ah think Ah know. It’s ‘cuz of all the ‘dangerous critters’ that live in there, right? Well, Ah got a good reason fer not mindin’ them. Ah’m a carpenter, right?”
“Yeah, so Ah need a lot of wood fer work and let me tell ya, these days it’s mighty hard to come across some high quality maple. There are some darn good maples in the forest. Lucky fer me, Ah found a bunch growin’ on the outskirts. So Ah set up mah house next to ‘em. Even used ‘em ta build it.”
“Ah know, Ah know. A Maple is living in some maples next to some maples. Hilarious. Anyways that’s why Ah live out th...”
“Then why else wouldja ask?”
“A filly that ran inta the woods a coupla days ago? Ah haven’t heard anything about it.”
“WHAT?!Butthat’s awful!! Have ya’ll at least caught the varmints responsible?”
“Not yet? Do ya at least know who did it?”
“Ah ain’t sure. Ah mean Ah haven’t seen anything like a dog lurkin’ in the forest. Ah’ll be sure ta tell y’all if... wait, what does this have to do with the filly?”
“WHAT DIDJA JUST SAY?!?!”
“Lemme get this straight. Y’all think that the filly Ah found and the one that went missin’ are the same?”
“But that would mean...That explains why she was..! And her side..!”
“Oh. Well...um...when Ah asked her a coupla questions, like where she was livin’ and who her parents were, she couldn’t remember a thing! It musta been from the shock! Oh mah Celestia! Oh the poor little...”
“Ah’m...fine. It’s just that...when Ah was a filly mah parents meant the world ta me. Ah can’t imagine what she must be goin’ through right now.”
“Can ya repeat that? Ah could’ve sworn ya said ya were gonna send her ta an orphanage.”
“Ohhh no ya ain’t!! There ain’t no way in Tartarus that Ah’m gonna let that foal get raised in an orphanage!”
“Well...Ah reckon that Ah could raise her. At least she’d have somepony watchin’ over her.”
“No way. Ah already told ya that ain’t gonna happen.”
“Ah don’t care what ya’ll think! She needs a good home where she’ll be loved forever! Ya ain’t gonna get that from no orphanage!”
“Yes Ah sure as shoot can. May surprise y’all but Ah’m good with foals.”
“Don’t get sarcastic with me!”
“Ah’m sure.”
“Of course Ah’d be willin’ ta sign a few documents. As long as ya’ll let me keep her.”
About twenty minutes time passes as Ms. Maple signs papers, before conversation picks back up.
“There. Ah signed yer dang papers. Anything else?”
“Is that really necessary? Ah mean comin’ in every week is gonna get in the way of mah work... Oh who cares? If that’s what it takes then, yeah Ah’ll let ya know how she’s doin’.”
“Great! Let’s shake on it then!”
“Oh toughen up. Just a little spit is all. It won’t hurt none.”
“Well, Ah’m glad Ah came down here. Ah need ta get on back home. Ah told her that Ah was going ta the farm for to do a bit of work. She might be gettin’ worried.”
“Pleasure meetin’ y’all and don’t worry, Ah’ll keep y’all informed.”
“Oh wait a second. Ah completely forgot ta ask fer the foal’s name.”
“What? Are you sure? Ah thought ya were supposed ta be more responsible ‘bout these kinda things than that?”
“Nevermind, Ah’ll just hafta come up with a name mahself. Well, Ah really must be goin’. Ah’ll be back next week.”
End of recording
