“CAn You pAss tHE SALT, plEASe?”
“SUre, sUGARCUbE.”
The pile of flesh snarls before hacking up bile onto another’s goop. In response, the smaller mush of rotten meat screeches. “thaNKS APplEJAcK!” After vomiting some semblance of words, the beast uses its tentacles to shove the green slop into its mouth.
Three such creatures sit around the table in front of me. Miserable creatures who have no right to life; disgusting piles of flesh and blood with eyes and mouths. Around them lay a horror attraction: a familiar looking scene, to be sure, but glazed over by carnage. Veins pump through the walls, blood covers the lamp, the table and seats now just molded meat. It was as if someone smeared pig guts on everything they came across.
My family, eating in the kitchen like normal.
It makes me wince, knowing that my sweet sisters and grandmother have been turned into such freaks of nature. And the kitchen, a place that I could always settle down in, now turned into a living nightmare. Or, well, that’s what they’ve become for me, anyway.
I glance down at the putrid pile of goop called “dinner,” sighing. Unfortunately, due to my situation, all the edible goods of my past life have been corrupted just like the rest of the world. Nonetheless, not eating would only cause more suspicion, and that’s unacceptable.
Sliding some of the goop into one of my hooves, I quickly shove it into my mouth, not allowing any time for second thoughts. The taste makes my tongue curl back in agony, and I can feel tears forming at the corners of my eyes. Through willpower alone, I manage to swallow the substance without instantly puking it back up.
“HEy, mAC.’” One of the monsters say, gazing at me with its bloodshot eyes. From the small size and shrill voice compared to the other two creatures, this must be Applebloom.
“What?”
“can I sTAY tHE NiGHT at RaRItY’s toMoRROw? sweETiE BeLle AN’ scOOTalOo wilL BE thEre.”
“Sure.”
“all RiGHt!” The monster gargles out, leaping from its chair. Before I can tell what’s going on, warm tendrils are wrapped around my back. “tHANK yOu So MUch, Mac’! yeR the BesT!”
I clench my teeth together so hard I half expect them to break. There’s nothing more I want to do right now than grab the nearest sharp object and release this thing from its pathetic excuse of a life. My instincts scream at me, “Kill it!” and for a moment my awareness of the situation dims. I’m the prey, and this is my predator. No need to worry, though. There’s a knife right here, right beside me. I’ll be the one to survive this--!
The chunk of living meat flops off of me just as I start to reach for the blade. Before wriggling back to its seat, the monster glares its teeth at me, leaving me in a slight daze as my rationality comes back.
I feel a bit lightheaded as I sit there, stock still. Just moments before, I was fully willing to murder my little sister. Not just willing, but I was a few seconds away from stabbing her. Thinking about makes my head hurt.
“YOu OKaY, mAC’?” The biggest monster, most definitely Applejack, questions. The shrill, garbled voice snaps me out of my trance, and I’m left speechless.
“Uh-” I stop myself right before making a fatal error. The obvious course of action here is to just brush it off and say ‘I’m fine,’ but that won’t won’t work with this certain being. No matter how much my five senses may deny it, this is still the element of honesty, and situations like this have to be handled delicately.
“I… just have a headache. Excuse me.” Giving a completely truthful answer, I stand from my seat and rush out of the room without turning back
****
“-an’ then she let us see this really cool magic trick!”
“Oh, really? What was it about?”
“Well…”
The Apple Family kitchen was filled with extravagant smells and excited chatter that night. Applejack sat in her usual spot, as did the other three members of her family. As Applebloom spoke of the various shenanigans she and her friends got into, Applejack and her grandmother listened carefully; Applejack sometimes keeping the conversation going with a line or two, and Granny Apple adding a nod or chuckle when necessary. There was no doubt that the two loved the youngest member of their family very much.
To an outsider, this must have looked like a normal family scene. But, truthfully, that was far from reality. As Applebloom continued to speak, Applejack would frequently cast glances toward her older brother. Big Macintosh sat motionless, never settling his eyes in one place, much like a nervous animal would. Sometimes, the older sibling would contort his face, as if disgusted by something, but quickly return to a normal expression. This didn’t only happen in the kitchen, though, it happened everywhere he went. Ever since the accident, in which Big Macintosh almost lost his life due to a bad head injury, the stallion had turned into something completely different.
This was the source of the underlying gloom that hid within the Apple Family kitchen.
Finishing her story, Applebloom focused on finishing dinner. “Can you pass the salt, please?”
“Sure, sugarcube.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Applejack saw Big Macintosh flinch as she slid the container of salt to Applebloom. “Thanks Applejack!”
The room fell into silence after that.
As always, Macintosh kept silent. So far, he hadn’t said a word-- he didn’t even look like he was paying much attention to anything going on around him.
After a minute, the older brother gathered a pile of mashed potatoes in his hoof and shoved them into his mouth. He recoiled, slightly, and then swallowed. This was routine, too. Everything Big Macintosh ate seemed to shock him in some way or another. Applejack didn’t understand-- a few months ago, he would have loved to eat anything she put in front of him. Another thing that suspiciously came to be after the accident.
“Hey, Mac’.” The young voice of her sister broke the slightly awkward silence. Macintosh looked at her, eyes widening.
“What?”
“Can I stay the night at Rarity’s tomorrow? Sweetie Belle an’ Scootaloo will be there.”
“Sure.” The big brother responded quickly, saying words with a voice that Applejack could barely recognize. Even after a few months, she still hadn’t become used to the way he started to talk. There was only a hint of a southern drawl, and although his vocabulary expanded, he somehow found a way to speak less than before.
Applebloom, being energetic the little filly she was, immediately jumped out of her seat and wrapped herself around Bic Macintosh in a big hug. It would have looked cute if it wasn’t for Mac’s face.
There was absolute terror in his eyes, and, after a moment, rage. His face scrunched up in an emotion Applejack couldn’t identify, and for a second it looked like it was reaching for one of his eating utensils. Applebloom then slid off him, offering him one of her biggest smiles before happily trotting back to her seat.
Big Macintosh now had an expression of horror and exhaustion. His face was pale, and his mane was damp from sweat.Still, it seemed like the best choice at the time to probe him.
“You okay, Mac’?”
Her voice made Macintosh return her gaze. “Uh-”
He bit his lower lip and narrowed his eyes before continuing. “I… just have a headache. Excuse me.”
Big Macintosh flew out of the room before anypony could get another word in. Applejack was speechless. She’d never seen him just up and walk out of a room like that, especially in the unpleasant way he just did.
“...Somethin’ ain’t right about him.” The wizened voice of Granny Smith chimed in, only a few seconds after Mac’s hasty departure.
Applejack shook her head; there was nothing to add. It had been three months since the hospital had released him, and he had been acting strange since.
Something was definitely wrong with him, and enough was enough. They couldn’t just let him continue like this.
An idea began to form in the young mare’s head.
Maybe Twilight will know what to do...
