The Rasp

Been in and out of it all day. Waking up, falling asleep. Most of the time I was riding along Applejack's back. She says I've got a fever. Says not to worry about walkin. I think she just wants to keep me close. She smells so sweet. Sweaty, but I can smell the apples in her mane. Mouth watering apples. Scarlet treasures growing on trees. Bright, dazzling rubies.

So hungry...

We approached Sweet Apple Acres around the evening. The sun was going down, and night was just starting to get into full swing. Luna and Celestia must be somewhere, still working on princess stuff. Instead of helping us. I hate them. I HATE THEM! They should be saving their subjects, not screwing around with the sun and the moon!!

Angry again. Raging again. Need to calm down. Will write soon.

Applejack took us to an older barn that was on the outskirts of the property. Empty place. Mostly used farm equipment. Lots of bales of hay. Lots of tools. I wondered if there was something here I could use to help me get more of my blood out. Have to get it out...It's all I can think about. I have to get it out to rescue Twilight. I've got to.

There wasn't much around except apple trees. She marched into the barn with us in tow and stopped in the middle of the room. There, she tapped her hoof on the ground three times. I watched all of this quietly. THUNK THUNK THUNK. The ground was hollow.

As lame as I was feeling, I was still amazed. This must have been an old cellar or something they built a barn over. Now it housed a new quarantine. That's what you call a group of people hiding right? Because that's what it was housing. A massive red hoof opened up a hatch from inside, and Big Mac poked his boxy nose out at us. I have never seen Big Mac smile like the way he did when he saw Applejack. I could feel my heart melt, but they didn't embrace as I expected them to.

They were both smiling, but they kept their distance. Big Mac glanced down behind him, into the cellar, and then back out at A.J. with a grimace. As if he were bracing himself for what would come next.

"...Applejack." Big Mac said tersely. I could feel the tension in the air. It was suffocating. I was suffocating. Applejack nodded her head stiffly and adjusted her stance. She glanced back at Octavia, myself, and Pinkie Pie, and then drew a deep breath. For a moment...I didn't understand what I was seeing. Like the gestures didn't make any sense. The orange one pointed to the other two, and then at me. Why was she pointing at me? I didn't like it. I didn't like her hoof pointed at me.

"Octavia n' Pinkie Pie need medical attention. Pinkie got bit, n' Octavia got hurt somethin' fierce. We ain't shown no symptoms, but...Spike...ain't doin' so well." She said slowly. I perked my ear fins and tilted my head. The name Spike sounded familiar.

"Spike...Ya'll gonna need ta stay out here, okay?" Somebody was saying. Somebody was saying it far far away. My thoughts felt muddled. Like, I was trying to focus on a million different things at once. Like everything was fuzzy and the words all stopped making sense. It was almost like I was falling asleep.

"I think yer sick...and...I can't letcha make us sick too. Spike? Sugarcube?" The voice asked. They were talking to somepony else. They were talking about things I didn't care about. They weren't talking about Twilight. They weren't focusing on rescuing Twilight! THEY DIDN'T CARE ABOUT TWILIGHT!!! I had to do something!! The longer we sat around talking the longer Twilight was sick! I had to do something! I needed to get that blood. NOW!

I remember falling on all fours, spitting fire into the air. I snarled and bit and snapped at them as they tried to get closer to me. Applejack had a rope, and for some reason seeing that sent me further into a rage.

Then,

Then something weird happened. I remembered Twilight for a moment. I could see her face. I could see her mane. I could hear her voice. She's my family, and she was in trouble. I wanted to save her. That's all I wanted. That was my only goal. I knew that I was sick. But if I could make myself better again, I could make Twilight better too!! I had to get the orange pony's blood! Hers wasn't infected! She wasn't sick!

But then a new voice whispered in my ear. It was soft. And it was gentle, and it was loving and it was crying.

It was pink.

"H-hey...You've gotta be really scared right now, right? I know I am, but we're gonna get through this. We're gonna get through this and we're gonna have a party afterward. You n' me, and Applejack and Twilight, and all of our friends, okay? I promise!! I promise we're gonna be okay!! Y-you gotta believe that, cause it's the only way ...it's t-the only way we can get through this! "The voice sobbed itself into tears. Someone was...holding me? For a few seconds, I was confused. The voice had mentioned Twilight. I felt calmer somehow.

Twilight? Who was Twilight. I swear that name sounded familiar. That name... Yes. Twilight! This was about Twilight! Saving Twilight! It didn't matter WHO saved Twilight, as long as somepony did! I didn't know where I was at the moment, but the only thing that mattered to me was finding and saving Twilight!! Yes! Yes focus on Twilight. What's your best bet at saving Twilight?! Uninfected blood! Applejack has uninfected blood! No! Not her blood...I didn't need Applejack's blood...I NEEDED APPLEJACK!!

It was like a breath of fresh air! Like, suddenly waking up from some terrible dream! I could remember standing up, and holding up both my claws in the air apologetically. I regained my senses- just as Big Mac clapped me on the back of the head with one huge hoof. He'd snuck up behind me during the scuffle.

I was out like a light.