An Apple Sleep Experiment

Four ponies shuffled along the dismal white hallways of Ponyville hospital, and one bounced. Twilight fell behind her friends and couldn’t mask the tears of guilt and shame she felt for Applejack’s condition. Once she learned what had happened she knew she was to blame. Doctors had refused Applejack visitors for the first few days, trying to reign in her sanity. They contacted Twilight personally when they were medically stumped as to why she wasn’t responding to their sedatives. Twilight poured over her notes, gleaning everything she had on the subject of the potion she never mastered. Book after useless book was thrown in disarray while she and her friends waited to see their ailing friend. When the time had come at last, weeks after the initial incident, Twilight felt like nothing short of a complete failure. All she had learned was the potion she inadvertently created was robbing Applejack of her sleep and that there was no known cure.

Pinkie Pie, happily bouncing in denial, paused at the door and declared aloud

“We’re HERE!” She turned to see the hopeful smiles of her friends, with the exception of Twilight who still hung her head in shame.

“Come now, darling, I’m sure Applejack will forgive you, it was an honest mistake and you were only trying to help.” Rarity offered.

“Forgive me? She may not even recognize me! Terrible things happen to ponies when they don’t sleep Rarity… somepony who has been awake this long has never been seen before, all else considered, Applejack should be dead right now!” Twilight snapped, shaking on her hooves.

“Well that’s not very cheery! We’re supposed to be cheery, remember?” Pinkie Pie said

“It’s not like we haven’t run into these kinds of problems before, you’ll figure it out Twi. Aj’ll be fine!” Rainbow Dash reassured.

“Yeah…” Twilight said, her voice shaky. “You’re probably right.”

Her friends knew it was a lie, and not a convincing one at that, but it was all the permission they needed to press onward. Nopony knew what to expect when they opened the door. They were surprised to see the lights were off and there was momentary hope that Applejack might have finally fallen asleep. While Rainbow searched the wall for the light switch, the ponies all turned up their noses at the strange smell.

“Is that…” Rarity started but was quickly cut off by Fluttershy’s shrill of terror moments before the light flickered on.

“Blood!” Twilight cried.

The other ponies could only stare in horror at the chaos of the room. The hospital bed was thrown up against one of the walls, the medical equipment strewn in every corner. The restraints were empty but the one in the upper left corner of the bed was gnawed clean through and caked in a layer of blood. The blood smears on the floor and walls showed that quite a struggle had taken place. It didn’t take the ponies long to notice the open window and the trail of blood that lead from it.

“She can’t have gotten far! Come on!” Rainbow Dash said, soaring out the window in pursuit.

“Wh-what’s she going to do Twilight? Will she hurt herself again?” Fluttershy asked.

“I… I don’t know. We’ve got to find her. NOW.”