Within two hours after departing from the hospital, each pony is at the front doorstep of their own homes.

Fluttershy walks into her cottage and immediately breaks down into sobs. Her bunny Angel tries everything to cheer her up, but his attempt is in vain. Nothing would be able to cheer up the yellow Pegasus for the rest of the night.

Pinkie Pie walks into Sugarcube corner and immediately locks herself in her room upstairs as her mane completely flattens. Even something as simple as a cupcake or even a party would do nothing for the saddened party pony.

Rarity on the other hoof is reduced to quietly sobbing before she even reaches the front door of her boutique. Her little sister Sweetie Belle does absolutely everything she can to make her big sister happy, but it was all for nothing.

When Twilight reaches the library, she stops just outside the door.

‘Keep it together Twilight’, she thinks before finally opening the door and walking inside.

“Spike? Spike I'm home! I need to talk to you!”

A few seconds goes by before Spike walks out of his room and down the stairs.

“Hey Twilight. What's up?” Says the little dragon.

“Look, Spike...I want to apologize for the way I acted earlier. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You were just curious.”

Twilight digs at the floor with a hoof unable to make eye contact with the drake.

Spike crosses his arms and asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, what was that about?”

Twilight points to the stairs with a hoof finally making eye contact before saying simply.

“You'd better sit down.”

The dragon sits down on the bottom step with his arms still crossed.

“Alright. Now what's up?”

Twilight looks away momentarily, her ears pin back. She doesn't even notice that she is biting her lip until she begins to speak.

“Well, the girls and I have been at the hospital all day, we just got back from there...and...I'm afraid that...”

Spike gets an uncomfortable look in his eyes.

“Ooooh no...Twilight...you're not, y'know...”

Twilight looks at him with a confused look. The alicorn finally gets the hint when Spike makes a shape around his stomach with his claws. Her eyes shrink to pinpricks and her ears pin back once again.

“Oh Celestia no!!!! Yuck!!!”

“Oh good.”

Twilight shakes her head to rid herself of those unpleasant thoughts, only to have her head filled with new thoughts, making her frown.

“No, I'm not, thank Celestia. But we were at the hospital because, Rainbow Dash is in there. Somepony attacked her and hurt her pretty bad. She's alive but she keeps having a series of heart attacks. She might not make it another month.”

“Oh no! Rainbow!”

“That's why I snapped at you earlier. It's no excuse for me to do that, but we were all stressed out from earlier and I just lost it. I'm sorry.”

Twilight flashes a small smile at Spike in hopes she earns his forgiveness. The little dragon walks up to twilight and wraps her in a big hug to which she quickly returns.

“It's alright Twilight. I don't hold grudges.”

Twilight mentally sighs with relief and smiles.

“That's why you're my number one assistant.”

“You'd better head off to bed.”

“Alright, goodnight Spike.”

“Night Twilight.”

The Alicorn makes her way up to her bedroom and sinks beneath the covers. The next ten minutes are spent thinking about nothing except the wounded mare that she and so many others have come to love.

Twilight sniffles and soon is quietly sobbing to herself. Eventually the dark cloud that is tiredness overtakes her and she slowly drifts off to a world of slumber.

Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres, the entire Apple family is enjoying the rest of the night in the living room, save for a certain blonde cowpony. When she doesn't come inside the house, the hulking red stallion known as Big Macintosh goes out to investigate her reasoning.

He spends the next two hours searching the orchard but finds no sign of his sister. He almost decides to call it a night and head back up to the house, until finally he sees that the light in the barn is on.

Slowly and quietly the stallion approaches the barn and sees the mare in question, quietly sobbing to herself, and that she's on here sixteenth bottle of cider.

He slowly approaches the mare to prevent startling her in her drunken condition.

“AJ?”

Applejack immediately straightens up and attempts to cease her tears, but is unsuccessful.

“Oh, h-heeeeeeey Big Mac...h-h-h-h-h-how r-r-rong you been shtanding dere??”

“Ah been standin’ here long enough to know that you done had too much ta drink.”

“Pfft! Horseapples! Ah ain't never not no felt none no better in mmmmy liiiiife!”

“Applejack, yer drunk. We need ta getcha inside 'fore ya hurt yerself.”

“Ah ain't swear Ah drunk ta Celestia! Ah'm sober as an alcoholic on a Tuesday mornin’!!”

“AJ...there ain't a single word in those two sentences that made a lick o' sense.”

Big Mac slowly approaches his sloshed sister trying to help her onto his back, only to have her angrily push him back.

“AH'M FINE DAGGUMMIT!!!!”

Knowing his sister is in rough shape, Big Macintosh is able to keep his composure. Though his patience is slowly wearing thin. With a comforting look to his eyes, Big Mac asks in a stern but quiet voice.

“AJ. Tell me what's wrong. And Ah know you can't lie ta save yer life, so fess up and talk.”

Applejack takes one more big swig of her cider and chucks it across the barn, barely missing Big Mac`s head.

“Ah'm wor-r-r-r-r-r'd m’bout Daaaaaaasssssh.”

As if there were an on/off switch to his throat, Big Mac says in a gentle now more brotherly voice.

“Ah understand. But believe me, she will make it. Ah promise ya.”

This only angers the drunken mare and with bitterness in her voice, she replies.

“You dunn-no nuth'n m'bout what t'slike ta dern near lose someponnnnny ya loooooove.”

His patience running on empty, and anger fully loaded, Big Mac snaps as he suddenly smacks a forehoof down on the top of the counter missing the drunk mare by inches, almost completely sobering her up with the sudden impact.

Big Mac hit the table with so much force there was a groove in the shape of a large fetlock. Applejack can only stare at the angry stallion with the widest eyes possible.

“HOW IN EQUESTRIA CAN YA SAY AH DON'T KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TA LOSE SOMEPONY?! YA THINK AH DIDN'T CRY NONE WHEN OUR FOLKS PASSED?! YA DON'T THINK AH WAS DEPRESSED OR NOTHIN'?! YA THINK AFTER THEY WAS BURIED EV’RYTHING WAS ALL FINE AND DANDY FER ME IMMEDIATELY AFTER?! WELL IF THATS WHAT YA THINK THEN YER SORELY MISTAKEN LIL MISSY!!!” Big Mac yells with a deep bellowing voice nearly scaring the cider out of his poor sister.

Applejacks mood immediately changes from angry and drunk, to sober and regretful.

“Big Mac...A-Ah'm so sorry. It was the cider...oh Mac...Ah'm so sorry...reckon Ah really have had a bit too much ta drink huh?”

Big Mac suddenly calms down at her sudden change in voice and smiles.

“More'n a little.”

“Yeah. Yeah yer right. Again Ah'm real sorry Big Mac. Ah'm just worried ‘bout Rainbow Dash. Ah dunno what any o' us will do if she's gone. Ah don't wanna lose her too. Ah can't go through it again! Ah just can't!” Applejack throws her forehooves around her brothers neck as she begins sobbing into his shoulder. Big Mac embraces his sister in the tightest but gentlest hugs he could muster.

“Ya really love ‘er, huh?”

Applejack slowly nods, tears still blurring her vision.

“More'n anything Big Mac. More’n apple buckin’ itself. It's like, when Ah'm around her Ah feel that it's jus' the two of us. Ev'rythin’ just stops. She somehow fills the hole that's been in my heart since ma and pa passed.”

“Then why dontcha tell her that? Next time ya go fer a visit, tell her that. But ya don't wanna make it too obvious. Give her a few hints and let ‘er guess fer herself.”

“Since when were ya the love whisperer?” Applejack asks with a grin. Big Mac smiles with a toothy grin.

“Ah may or may not have been practicin’ fer a special somepony.”

Without missing a beat, Applejack asks with the most evil smile she could get.

“It's Cherilee ain't it?”

“You say a single word ta her about it and Ah'll drag ya out ta the South fields and tie ya to one of the vampire fruit bat trees and leave ya there ‘til roosters crow.” Big Mac playfully threatens.

“You wouldn't dare!”

Big Mac raises an eyebrow and his smile just grows wider.

“Ya wanna bet on that Lil Jacky?”

It only takes a few seconds for Applejack to realize that her brother is telling the truth. She could see it in his eyes. His evil little eyes.

With a gulp she tries to think of something to say. She fails.

“Heh...yeah you know Ah ain't foalin’ around dontcha.”

Applejack rolls her eyes smiling at his teasing.

“Oh you hush up now.”

“Ah'm sorry fer scarin’ ya earlier sis, it just gets ta me when ponies try tellin’ me Ah ain't got a clue how they feel when losin’ a loved one.”

“You ain't gotta apologize fer anything Macky. Ah shouldnta said what Ah said. My fault fer actin’ a daggum foal drinkin’ my troubles away. That's gonna come back and haunt me in the mornin’.” Applejack says smacking a hoof to her face.

“Eeyup.”

“Welp. Ah guess we'd better mosey on up ta the house and get whatever sleep we can.”

Applejack attempts to stand on all fours, only to stumble like a new born fawn.

“Wooah! Alright. Let's go–(SMACK!!)

Applejack stumbles after running muzzle first into a wooden beam.

“Here sis, lemme help ya. Hop up on my back. Ah'll just carry ya up there.”

Big Mac lowers himself low enough for the drunken mare to slide into his back. Slowly and lazily she climbs on.

“Alright. Let's go.”

The two siblings stay silent as Big Mac carries Applejack up to the house and slowly, quietly walks inside, closing the door behind him and carefully walking up the stairs to Applejack`s room.

Once they reach her bed Big Mac waits for Applejack to slowly slide herself under the covers.

He grips her signature Stetson hat in his teeth and places it on the nightstand next to her bed.

“Alright. Now ya best get some sleep. Yer gonna need it ta deal with the monster hangover that's comin’ yer way in the morning.”

“Yippee...” Applejack says flatly.

Big Mac just lets out a small chuckle before saying to her.

“G’nite sis. Lemme know if ya need me ta getcha anything. Ah love ya.”

Big Mac leans down and kisses Applejack on the forehead.

“Night Big Mac. Ah love ya too”

As Big Mac is about to walk out the door, Applejack stops him.

“Big Mac?”

The red stallion turns around and looks at her.

“Hmm?”

“Ah actually dunno if Ah can sleep. Ah'm too worried about Dash.”

“Believe me, if Ah know that mare, she'll be alright. Trust me AJ. Nothing's gonna happen ta her. Alright? Try ta get some sleep. Ah'll see ya in the mornin’.”

Big Mac turns back around and closes the door. Applejack rolls over on her side.

“That's what Ah'm afraid of.” She says to herself before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep within minutes.

Author's Note

This chapter is a lot shorter than the last chapter. I just couldn't think of anything for this one. My rough draft was so much better, but alas, I no longer have it. Oh well! Laters!