We need Hope

Applejack woke up just as Celestia's sun started to rise. She always did. When she tried to get up off the hard wooden floor, she realized she was being gripped hard, she looked at Twilight, tears in her eyes, but was quite obviously still asleep. Applejack tried to listen to what she was murmuring, but it seemed like gibberish. "Twilight, wake up" Applejack whispered in Twilight`s ear. The lavender unicorn stirred, and squinted her eyes.

"Applejack?" Twilight's voice was soft, but it sounded dry.

"Ahm here sugarcube" Applejack got up, and walked over to the window. "Go on upstairs, Ahll be there soon" Applejack said. The sun started to peak out, and Applejack sighed. Luna, if this is a dream, then Ah never want to wake up.

Applejack stared for a while longer before trotting upstairs.Twilight was in the bed, breathing quite softly. Applejack crawled into the bed and wrapped her hooves around Twilight.

Twilight stirred, but only a little. Applejack fell asleep again in their embrace.

Hours later

There was a heavy knocking on the wooden door downstairs. Twilight awoke with a grunt as she rolled out of her bed.  Applejack soon followed as she too was awoken by the hard knocking .

"Ah'll see who it is Twily" Applejack stated, grogginess in her voice. Applejack may be a farm pony, but not until she coffee.

"I'll make breakfast then" Twilight responded. "You want coffee too" She asked. Applejack nodded gracefully. The hard knocking came again, so Applejack quickly trotted down the stairs, ignoring the annoying creak on the last step, and then proceeding to open the door. She nearly bucked the pony who stood in the doorway in the face.

"You!". Applejack hissed. It was Trombone, but something didn't seem right about him. He did not wear that cocky smile he always wore. Instead, it was a look of fear and anxiety.

"A-A-Applejack" he spurred out. "H-help me"

Suddenly, he collapsed on the floor, unconscious on the floor. In his hoof he held a letter.

It only had four word written on it.

I'm coming for you

Applejack froze. She looked at the initials hesitantly. It said SS.

"Twi! Get down here and' help mah get Trombone upstairs!" Applejack yelled out. She was afraid now. Silver was a pony that had more than a couple tricks up his sleeve. But why wasn't he stopping? He had already lost, he has nothing to gain now. And why years later? Why Trombone, what did he do? So many questions filled her head, and she had thought that they had happy ending. She just wanted a happy ending. She felt like she was now carrying the Weight of the world all over again. Finally, she broke down and started crying.

Twilight trapped Trombone with her magic and decided that it would be for the best to let Applejack cry for a while, she was in a lot of stress. Twilight levitated Trombone upstairs and grabbed the med-kit along the way. She set him on the table upstairs and started examining and cataloging his injuries.

Multiple lacerations on the back, bruises on his face and back, bleeding profusely She started to realize that she would have to examine him later, she needed to stop the the bleeding, or he would die. She pulled out alcohol and bandages. She poured some of the alcohol on a small towel and washed his most severe wounds down. His eyes snapped open and he screamed, whaling incoherent words. Twilight winced at the sudden noise, but continued to clean the wounds out. When she stopped, Trombones eyes fluttered closed again. He was breathing heavy, but it was ragged and choked. Twilight then wrapped the bandages around his back. She sat back, wiping a forehoof over her forehead. She trotted back downstairs to find Applejack still crying on the floor. Twilight felt a twinge of pain seeing her like this.

Twilight walked over to Applejack and wrapped her hooves around  Applejack and started whispering in her ear. "Shh, its ok, Im here now" Twilight clutched Applejack harder. Applejacks sobbing slowly became small hiccups and whimpers. "Applejack, what's wrong?" Twilight asked. Applejack handed her the note. Twilight read it and gasped. "N-No, it c-can`t be... No..." Twilight saw the look on Applejacks face, and saw nothing but pain. Deathly, hurtful pain.

"Twi, what do we do now?" Applejack said.

"I don't know hun. I just don't know" Twilight responded.

"Well, we have to do something"

"Well, we can ask Tr-" Twilight got interrupted when she heard crashing up stairs. Twilight  and applejack got up and started to run upstairs. When they got to the top, they saw Trombone on the floor, trying to stand.

"Fuck! Help me!" Trombone yelled with a scorn. Twilight and Applejack got trombone up on a chair and steadied him out. "Celestia dammit my fucking leg hurts!" He yelled out.

Twilight looked at his leg to see she missed a wound. It was a deep gash inside his hind leg. Twilight said "Hold still" when she got the bottle of alcohol and bandages. Twilight singled Applejack to hold him down. Suddenly, Twilight poured the stinging liquid on his wound. At the same time, Applejack lunged and held him down. Trombone once again yelled, but bucked his legs this time. Twilight got the bandages just as fast, then they backed off. His intel shocked disappeared, and then yelled at them. "What in the living fuck was that for?" Applejack smacked him.

"Shut up! Just shut up! She helped you stay alive and you should pay more motherfucking respect! I would have let you died!" She stopped to slap him again.

"Applejack! Stop!" Twilight said. Lets get some information out of him. Applejack opened her mouth to protest, but the she closed it.

Both mares then looked at Trombone.

"What? Oh fine, gather round little fillies" Trombone said annoyingly. Both mares rolled thier eyes and sat down. Trombone then began his story...