Author's Note

Hello there and welcome back once more to yet another new chapter of Ocular Spectral Therapy, the one story out of many of my craft to go above and beyond the oneshots I have given you since the inception of my presence; suffice to say, the past chapters from before were by far a strong note for you all which had given a taste of what had came earlier on as well as what will come later onward.

Aside from disclaimers long ago, I want to take the time to say thank you for never pulling out too early since we're now in the the new year and a new month with a new hope to have and hold with tender loving care rather than yet a totally lost cause and the strength to continue onward in staying tuned for the future that is the now; in addition, I would also like to apologize for not doing so in time as usual since this chapter here was hard enough to write down given the whole turn of events I had made: I believe at this rate, everything will still make sense soon enough.

Lastly, let me also say that I hope you can find some joy in this chapter now more than in the others before them enough to have the strength in continuing onward in staying tuned though the passing times before it because some special guests are going to be joining our fateful protagonist in this chapter below; henceforth, I will leave you with much to say significantly: thank you very much and I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting.

Teal

Time had seemed to stand still in space as if the inhabitants were drifting aimlessly as they floated above the stars amongst the never–ending blackness that had been known to drive some from method to madness; it is only the memories of life when the richest beverage of a consumer keeps up their spirits so at least a destination will be within reach soon. Of course, time itself was the only thing that remained constant in the ever–changing plane of existence where many variables came in all shapes and size, coexisting alongside either in unions or divisions thereof as they all transcended boundaries without incident to say the least; then again, almost all of them succumbed to the folding sooner or later. This interval however would prove to be a special case since that there were those who have found themselves still standing rather than stumbling and falling to the depths of their failure nonetheless; however, not all of them were doing so as the whole wide world turned on its own axis: out of many of those in question, there was indeed one no less.

This one individual in question was none other than the tanned blonde herself, sleeping upon a gurney in what had appeared to be darkness save for the occasional rays of light poking from the blinds nearby. The golden locks that had been dangling from her weary head were now nestled deeply in between the terracotta skin that was provided by the scalp and the tender fabric that surrounded the pillow beneath. The tanned blonde possessed a visage that was tainted with darkened circles painted underneath the eyelids but otherwise at peace with the current surrounding of the very room she was already in. The rather quiet sounds of breathing were emanating from her nostrils and lips, the former strained with the intervals that brought forth terse percussions whereas the latter blew itself through the openings in her set of teeth. Draped over the tanned blonde’s body was a large sky blue comforter encroaching over much of the gurney where she laid sleeping, her arms currently stretching outward from its very depths with a tube dug into one of them from a machine. Her own shoulders were adorned with a cottony whiteness, its texture being of an unknown quality as is were with the blanket and pillow; aside from the undetermined aesthetics, it was serving as a piece of clothing no less.

As the tanned blonde remained nestled in what would have been an infernal slumber from long ago, her silent snoring and the steady beeping were now interspersed with a new sound: a sudden click from a nearby knob turning to its own side now became a prelude to a needed introduction. The door had been opened slowly but the small creaking and whines given off by the hinges were slowly started to snatch her out of her peace and quiet that she was currently basking in. The tanned blonde had felt her own two ears perking upwardly to the small sudden sounds from seconds ago but she still stayed firmly within the confines of the very gurney even as footfalls were invading such personal space all too nearby.

“Okay girls, this is her room but please remember: she’s just needs to be relaxed for now, okay?” a feminine voice made its own way throughout the static atmosphere in a rather careless whisper.

The shuffling of limbs decreased in a series of fractions and periods as an answer was made: another voice sharing the same gender and decibel but a different emotion and pattern, “well, alright then Miss Redheart; anything to support our friend here.”

“Oh, I can’t take the suspense any further: I’m so nervous about the whole thing but I’m also excited to find out that Applejack is alive; I’m nervo–cited...!” were a series of words that also made its way, straying from the rhythm emotion set by the first two, “I must see her right now and say something already…!”

Immediately, the eponymous occupant felt a pair of eyelids slowly drifting away from each other by a few millimeters; in doing so, the jade orbs from beneath were greeted with the sight of visitors: three females who were perhaps alike in fair dignity at first glance. Each of them all had possessed certain common traits: a bright complexion upon their skin, a set of pink hair flowing out from their heads, some cool color shades circling around their pupils, and a warm smile donned upon their faces. Of course, there were some significant differences that Applejack had taken notice upon awaking from her slumber: in fact, the only person she had recognized out of the trio was the nurse from before, this time without a mask; on the other hand, that did not mean that the others were to be left out anyway.

Speaking of the two though, they were the ones who had a fashion that was more loud and lively than Redheart herself, something that the patient use to identify them at once as of this moment in time. For starters, one of them had a darker color scheme and a puffy style adorned across the tresses whereas the other was light and straightforward all the way. Secondly, there was also a slight difference in height between the two females standing within Applejack’s line of sight, off by a few centimeters no less. Third of all, one was wearing a dark green overcoat that was reaching down to the top of the shins while the other had a light blue jacket with a pink shirt underneath it and a pair of purple shorts below them. In addition, the visitors were wearing shoes upon their feet that made the patient aware of her own current attire; then again, it didn’t matter at all to say the least. Wiping away those weary green eyes with her hands, Applejack had come to find that one of them had some worrisome teal upon the visage whereas the other had exuberant blue instead.

“Fluttershy… Pinkie… you’ve came; aw shucks, Ah can’t believe that it’s really you guys…!” the patient gasped weakly with a faint smile across the lips.

The visitor in the overcoat smiled back while walking forward and responded gently to Applejack, “me neither… we all had thought that you didn’t make it; we’re so sorry for all this!”

“It’s okay Fluttershy; it’s nothing to beat yourself up over…” the patient sighed at the advancing Fluttershy while wiping a tear from the corner of the eye, “this war may had changed the lot of us but at least that doesn’t mean that Ah can’t see you two again and again…”

“Oh Applejack; I wish I could find the strength to hold you tightly…” the visitor in the overcoat squeaked as she stopped slowly towards the gurney where Applejack lain; of course, the silence that would had filled air was cut off by the rapid footfalls of another.

Suddenly, the patient found herself wrapped around by a pair of arms belonging to another finding Pinkie shouting, “WELL, I CAN!! I’M SO HAPPY THAT YOU ARE ALIVE; YOU WERE THE FIRST PERSON THAT I COULDN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT IN THE LONGEST TIME EVER AND THAT–––”

“Shh…!” the nurse hissed as she had quickly pulled the extroverted visitor off of Applejack in an instant, “please keep it down already; there are some others in there that still need to have some sleep…!”

“Sorry…” Pinkie whimpered softly as she had then slinked sadly away from Redheart without so much as a question.

Turning to face the two nearby the patient, Fluttershy said to the nurse with only a slow stutter, “umm, Redheart unless if it’s too much trouble here, can Pinkie and I be left alone with Applejack please?”

“Well, okay then; I don’t see why not…” Redheart answered as she prepared to leave the room all at once, “however, I must inform you not to touch any part of her body for too long; doctors are still trying to make sure that she is completely well enough to be returning back on her feet, understood?”

“Oh yes ma’am; as long as the sky’s blue, we won’t be causing Applejack any problems at all…” the visitor in the overcoat replied while tilting her head towards the nurse without any hesitation.

With a hand on the doorknob, Redheart pulled on it and said to the three, “alright then, I’m going to leave you all be for the time being; just in case if you need anything Applejack, just push the button on the pad and one of the personnel will be with you momentarily.”

“Yes, dear; Ah will not forget to do so…” the patient said as the nurse started to leave them alone; afterwards, the former decided to focus upon the visitor nearby Fluttershy, “Ah never thought that we would meet again after all this…”

“I know, right; I mean, all I was thinking about was how Apple Bloom wanted to see you once more and well… before the… incident ago…” Pinkie responded to Applejack quickly before slowing down not too suddenly; at that moment, the former felt her locks become prostrated slowly.

Edging forward in an acute angle, the patient asked the visitor calmly, “Pinkie, this isn’t much like ya: ya usually spoke up in a chipper mood before the war; are ya okay here, sugarcube?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much Applejack…” Pinkie answered as she started to rub her own shoulder gently, “I just wished that it had been under more pleasanter times…”

“Ah can see that; all that matters to me now is that the war is over and mah sister is safe at last,” Applejack sighed weakly as she looked at the thick comforter that was draped over her very legs.

Taking a small breath of oxygen inside, the other visitor slowly started to ask the patient in front, “well, unless you mind me saying this, how is she; did the girl managed to make it out okay?”

“Yeah, she did, Fluttershy, but not unscathed to say the least…” Applejack answered sadly as a tear fell onto the fabric, “Ah can still remember the fateful day when Morkhav took Granny Smith away from the both of us and how Apple Bloom begged for my help as she was being dragged off. Ah try not to think about too much because of how everything changed for us: Big Mac no longer being found, Winona, and the house being destroyed when Ah had came to; they all made me cry so much. To be honest, Ah had thought that with her gone, it felt lahk Ah had broken a promise to mah maw and paw to keep mah sister safe so Ah figured that there was no use in living any more longer. Then, something happened: Ah had found out Apple Bloom was alive and whatnot but all Ah felt was nothing but anger and dread upon learning that fact; after all, the last time she had been seen, that brute of a man came to mah mind. Nevertheless, it was as if that Ah had regained a purpose in existing so this discovery gave me an opportunity worth getting her back and out of harm’s way; of course, there was absolutely no way it would prepare me from what Ah witnessed. At first, when Ah seen my sister again, instead of feeling joyful there was fear and sorrow taunting me: that little girl could not even see me at all or what had been done around her. All Ah could simply say about it is that Ah am glad that Zecora is taking care of Apple Bloom because Ah can’t seem to do anything without being reminded of the pain that we had gone through all alone in this consarned world out there.”

“Oh my, you poor thing…” was all that Fluttershy could say as the patient was wiping away the tears from the weary eyes as a puddle formed.

Applejack had found barely enough time at all to react when the other visitor ran up to her side and wailed, “WE SHOULD HAVE NEVER ABANDONED YOU AT ALL; I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT I HAD BEEN SUCH A HORRIBLE FRIEND TO YOU FOR DOING SO, LET ALONE AN INDIVIDUAL NO LESS!”

“Pinkie, please get off of me; ya remembered what the nurse had said: Ah can’t be touched…!” the patient choked out as she felt Pinkie’s tears descending upon the garment and the arms wrapping around it, “ya are crushing me a bit, sugarcube and Ah don’t want ya to get infected!”

“I DON’T CARE; YOU DON’T DESERVE TO SUFFER WHAT THOSE MEANIES DID TO YOU…!” the extrovert sobbed as she was pulled off of Applejack again by the other visitor in attendance already.

Sniffling softly, the patient took a small breath and sighed, “Ah can see that y’all care for me so much after all this and that: it’s not even any of yer fault at all nor does this make any of ya horrible friends either; none of us truly knew how far this very war would have taken us.”

“I see where you are going with this; you are not alone as you may think Applejack…” Fluttershy had said solemnly while looking down onto the floor beneath the very trio, “I can’t seem to stop thinking about the pets I had been forced to leave behind.”

“How come…?” Applejack asked as the visitor in front placed hands into the overcoat’s pockets.

Aside from the tears being shed by Pinkie touching the floor and the steady whines of electronics filling the atmosphere, the room had fallen silent; then, Fluttershy had begun to speak at once, “the truth is, I was there at Terminal when the whole thing had taken place…”

“Terminal; isn’t that the place where the Guards were stationed at…?” the extrovert exclaimed so suddenly, “you’re not a Guard at all; what were you, of all people doing there…?!”

“Simple, Pinkie: a few nights before the battle broke out, one of the highest ranking commanders of a platoon had met with a terrible fate…” a faint groan had escaped from the other visitor’s tender lips as she was taken aback by Pinkie’s interruption.

The patient felt her ears perk upwardly moved herself a bit forward and said, “yeah, Ah think Ah remembered now: mah brother told me and Granny about how he’d to be called off for his services on that night; come to think, how does this have anything to do you at all Fluttershy?”

“Let’s just say I was to be put on capital punishment; the officials said I had planted an improvised explosive device in attempt to sabotage peace talks…” Fluttershy had quickly answered Applejack, causing the latter’s pupils to contract at once so soon, “even then, I refused to believe it for one bit at first, until I was told that they were going to destroy the animals living at my home. I was scared and saddened when they were about to do that thing: they said it was because a radical like myself should never be able to be around animals just to use them carry out my dirty work; that left me in a wreck. I was left alone to cry in a cell and I can remember how your brother, may he rest in peace, was the only one who didn’t see me as that kind of person at all; he brought me comfort and the hope that they wouldn’t have me executed. I would never even have a single thought of doing such a terrible thing to the kingdom I loved the kingdom, I loved the neighbors, I loved the princesses, and I loved you guys but they didn’t see it that way. Anyways, as I was sitting in that chair waiting for the call to come through, I had closed my own eyes and wept; however, instead of having go through what should have happened, something else took over: a massive explosion knocked out the power source, cutting off the juice. The fighting got everyone in attendance paying attention to the battle that had taken place: while there were soldiers fighting off the invaders, Big Mac took me away from the strife and led me to safety; this was the last time I ever got to see him alive and now I can’t find a way to repay him.”

“Ah am sorry to hear what you had to go through; Ah never imagine that those people would be suspecting you of all this…” the patient critiqued as she found streams of fluids pouring from the speaker’s eyes, its volumetric flow being much more smaller than the other one in attendance.

Wiping away the tears from the teal eyes, Fluttershy caught ahold of her own breath and said, “it’s alright Applejack… I already found the strength to forgive the survivors and the prime minister as well; even so, she’s attempting to help me get through this.”

“Yeah, Ah knew that: Ah was told that he had stepped down from the office and managed to name a successor to take over from here; anyways, Ah can’t seem to forgive mahself for what Ah had tried to do to mah sister…” Applejack sighed as she looked at the comforter upon herself, “no matter how many times Ah hear Apple Bloom saying that she forgives me; it’s like Ah had lost touch with everything and everyone else around here.”

“You haven’t lost your touch at all, Applejack and we have already forgiven you nonetheless; it was the war that made you do these things and had there been any differences thereof, we would never judge you at all for this nonetheless…” the tender visitor spoke as she watch another teardrop splash onto the fabric all at once no less.

A small smile formed upon Applejack’s visage as she turned to face Fluttershy once again and spoke, “thank you kindly for saying that, Fluttershy: that’s all Ah had expected from you and that’s the truth…”

“We wouldn’t want it any other way…!” Pinkie interjected as the light blue eyes became dry again, the concave upon the face inverting itself, “please get well soon Applejack; I’m sorry about before…”

“Don’t even worry about it at all, Pinkie; Ah am just glad to be here to see you all once again…” the patient had spoken up in a faint yet coherent tone before yawning a bit slowly but tersely.

As Applejack prepared to recline back onto the gurney where she had slept earlier, the visitors were finding themselves closer to the door in which where Redheart had departed from before; of the very two, the one in the overcoat, turned around and said, “so are we, just get some rest soon; we’ll see you later…”

“Me too; Ah will be waiting soon enough…” the patient yawned as she watched both Pinkie and Fluttershy vacate the premises all at once while waving; afterwards, the former turned to her side and muttered with a faint smile, “best friends forever, yes we are…”