Author's Note

Hello there and welcome back again to yet another new chapter of Harmonious Repetitions Twofold, the one story out of many of my craft to go above and beyond the oneshots I have given you since the inception; suffice to say, the past chapter from before were by far a strong note for you all but on the bright side, we're nearing the end of it all at once.

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 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: I believe at this rate, everything will make sense soon enough.

Lastly, let me also say that I was planning to have Cheerilee appearing earlier in another chapter before it but due to time constraints and exhaustion from writing the last chapter, this did not come to pass; however, she'll make her appearance in this one along with two nurses who need more exposure as Redheart has.

Sprouts

The purely uncut darkness within was the only way of how the small world works all at large thereof, let alone the real world to say in the very least; as a matter of fact, the former was, by far, indeed the latter and vice versa altogether. The jet black void was all that could be seen but not heard, felt, tasted, or smelled therein; yet, it can be also sensed as well anyways, devoid of even a modicum of light bearing any hue whatsoever to permeate throughout its entirety. For a moment, it would had seemed that all was completely lost, its mere fate was already sealed and set in stone to say the least before the very beginning itself; as such, nothing else was going to even change that in even but a slight margin.

All of the sudden, the pitch black space was quickly illuminated, giving the area some shred of identity to the finite environment almost instantaneously. A quartet of partitions were padded with whiteness was already arranged in a strict pattern to be seen, save for some bars upon a window and a lone door. The flooring was aligned in the formation of a checkerboard, save for the squared edges where their dimensions proved themselves to be anything else. Hanging from the ceiling was but a diminutive lonely light bulb that had already dispersed so many photons in so little time by a fraction of a second. A simple pair of sandals was found to be resting soundlessly about at one of the corners within the walls laying aside with the heels touching themselves. The one element that had flourished all about the place was oxygen, providing only life and energy to start the day in any form or fashion whatsoever.

In the midst of it all, there had remained one solid figure that had sat right directly in the middle, giving off a looming shadow that touched a nearby wall at once. The individual in question had possessed a set of golden lock, reflecting the very light that was shown the way all too recently as they had reached the neckline. Its owner’s face was feminine, donning a complexion free of all imperfections even with its set of bright freckles studded from one side to another in symmetry. Underneath the blonde’s eyelids were some bag of darkened shadows that were painted thinly despite signs of respiration being more than ever present hereon. Draped over the rest of her body was a simple snow white gown with its thick length managing to cover both arms and reach over past the owner’s very kneecaps. Aside from the hands within possession were a pair of bare feet making themselves known as they brushed up against the walls all around the tanned blonde.

“Good morning, Applejack…” a lone voice was heard immediately, but it didn’t come from her at all whatsoever; although, it did make the aforementioned occupant in question’s eyelids fly wide open in a microsecond, flashing a pair of some jade orbs in the grand scheme of things no less.

As such, she had faced the glass pane upon the doorway up in front of her and replied instantly, “yeah… who’s there…?”

“It’s Nurse Tenderheart, you should have remembered me well, don’t you…?” the titular traveler had told the tanned blonde within due time no less despite the jingling of metal in the midst, “I got some good news for you: you’re going to be released from this place by the next fortnight; of course, there’s still the matter of your evaluation and living arrangements. In the meantime, you have a visitor waiting around in the lobby; now would be a good time to speak things out about what’s on both of your minds lately.”

“Who’s looking for me today; is it Twilight and her friends from the capital…?” Applejack had asked aloud as she was now found to be standing up on both of her feet, taking little of the time to face the footwear nearby and started brushing off the dusty particles from her snow white gown.

It wasn’t long until the lone occupant started putting on her sandal when the doorknob nearby her side turned at an angle with a click, followed by Tenderheart’s very answer, “actually, it’s your old friend Cheerilee, she’s right down the hallway…”

“I see, my sister’s old schoolteacher; my how time flies…” the tanned blonde had said now that she turned to face the open doorway again almost immediately, “in hindsight, Ah wouldn’t have minded if Big Mac had started dating her; in fact, there’s not a day going by where I stop missing him…”

As Applejack stepped out of the room slowly but surely, she had came face–to–face with another woman whom was a lot like her: tall, thin, and dressed in white; even so, there were differences. The individual from the other side of the doorway wore a hat painted with but a single red cross accompanied by several hearts around it, a stark contrast to her green locks wrapped in a bun. Tenderheart had both eyes of magenta steadily focused upon the former occupant in question with hope and restraint even amongst the drabness of the clouding reality they were both in. Unlike the tanned blonde’s skin complexion, the nurse’s integumentary system was as clear and bright like seashells sold by a young woman by the seashore on a hot midsummer’s afternoon. Even the observer opposite of Applejack herself was wearing more articles of clothing than the former: aside from the white ensemble of sneakers, socks, and shorts, there was also a blue vest.

“You’re not the only one who misses people, let alone some familiar faces here and there: I remember the hospital used to have a more when I’d started on the job since your teenage years; but, enough about that for now cause we have a long day to go about it so let’s not waste it…” Tenderheart replied as she alone started to lead the occupant out of the room altogether at once.

The two individuals walked on the floor away from there in where the tanned blonde had once resided in with only but a series of lights above them providing guidance and visual altogether. The sights and sounds of footfalls from them created a pattern in which would be observed every time door frames were passed by occasionally interspersed with the droning about of inhabitants. Applejack had steadily stared at the small sandals on both her feet where they’d rested upon the white tiles underneath themselves as they were traveling onward by all throughout the hallway. The otherwise composed nurse directly nearby the trembling occupant still kept a sharp eye right on the former as the latter had maintained a small but rather significant distance all so warily.

Within only minutes, the otherwise strenuous pattern had now met its end, overtaken by a vast new area that the two walked in. Filling the widened space were sets of round tables strewn across from there, each occupied by more than just one in attendance. Above themselves were a few wooden fans spinning about from beneath the ceiling in the same speed but lacking synchronicity. The walls had but a set of windows providing both light and scenery from the outside world beyond the very premises thereof. There was also another hallway in the vicinity where the people alone were coming in from, way more numerous than their arrival. Even the very flooring itself now had gained some bits of color that were sprinkling about all across the uniformity of whiteness.

It wasn’t long until the tanned blonde herself had spotted another bright skinned female in the distance, the latter sitting down with a left arm being thrown upwardly. The singular visitor had possessed some tinted silvery lining all across the mauve tresses directly upon her head, already reaching right past the nape of the neck at once. Although the other bright skinned woman in question was sharing the exact same eye color as Applejack, the former alone had the rather lighter shade than the latter. Even the visitor’s very attire was more colorful than their collective appearances: a thick purple sweater, a long green skirt, tall pink socks, and brown open laced shoes.

Sure enough, the lone occupant had gone right over to her very counterpart and greeted happily, “Cheerilee…!”

“Hello, Applejack… what a pleasure to see you again: I take that you have slept well; anyway, how are you doing today…?” the eponymous visitor had instantaneously replied as the tanned blonde quickly took her seat on the opposite side at once, “it’s only a matter of time until you leave here; what are you feelings about it…?”

“Really numbed to the whole thing, you know Cheerilee: Ah never considered the fact that a lot can change in so many years, let alone be changed in the process; even now, Ah can’t help but yearn for a more peaceful sleep rather than just trudging onward like Ah had done before…” Applejack already answered almost absentmindedly.

The smile upon the bright skinned woman’s face started to falter a bit while she began to speak, “I know, Sweetie Belle hasn’t been able to leave therapy since that fateful day: of course, this was to be expected by someone at her age and her friends as well; on the bright side, Dr. Couch Potato said she’s still making some progress. I’m still worried about her sister Rarity though: I just heard that she had another breakdown one morning; they said it was most likely her period but I highly doubt it anyway considering everything that happened of course…”

“To tell you the truth, she was also on mah mind as well, considering that we’re so alike in more ways than one, no matter how much we would hate to admit, let alone come to terms with it…” the patient sighed with a mirthless laughter to boot, looking at the other people nearby them, “heck, even our sisters have more in common with each other than us two ourselves mind you. It’s a shame that this is all they have to talk about for so many years, especially Sweetie Belle of all the people; come to think of it, we’ve never been able to talk to Apple Bloom about what happened to mom and dad for the most part, save for a few bits and pieces here and there. Now, it seems to me that she’ll never know about it whatsoever; even Granny Smith was the last bastion of credible information regarding them but between that and the home being torn down, mah sister has no way of knowing altogether. Even worse, the fact that Ah was willing to end her life because of what these monsters had done to the lot of us shows that Ah am no different from them or Rarity; the only way Ah can communicate with her is through letters that Zecora had helped sent out…”

“Come to think of it, Sweetie Belle had gotten a letter from Apple Bloom weeks ago since her birthday party: she’s been thinking about wanting to see her sister Rarity again but hasn’t gotten around to it; what would you do in her shoes, Applejack…?” Cheerilee had asked as she quickly regained the tanned blonde’s attention immediately.

A full beat of silence between the two women in question had passed before Applejack began to give out her reply in due time, “well, considering the fact that so much time had passed and that she’s getting the help that’s needed, Ah think the best course of action is to start things out with a letter. While that Ah would have loved nothing more than to find, capture, and strangle the sumbitch who did all this to her, Ah think the logical solution would be to ask her how her day was for starters. What Ah would prefer is to avoid the painful stuff as much as possible unless it’s necessary: after what happened to Sweetie Belle, it would best to do so for our sake and theirs.”

“Way ahead of you; as a matter of fact, she had once written to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo about the whole thing and how she had lost her voice for a while, the same time they lost their sight and hearing respectively…” the colorfully dressed visitor said as she had pulled out a piece of paper from her sweater, “she even wrote a letter to you; do you want to read it though…?”

“Anything to pass the time in here…” the drab patient said as her hands were now touching the surface of the folded parchment; before long, as soon as its ownership was relinquished to her, the new possessor took the time to rip it open and find something within it: a piece of paper carefully folded into shape.

The tanned blonde found a small wall of text inscribed across the very way, focusing her attention on what was about to read as she had exhaled a deep breath before preparing to concentrate every bit of her energy onto the paper now in her grasp while the bright skinned woman said, “aren’t you excited about it all…?”

“Just let me read the letter and you’ll get mah answer soon enough, Miss…” Applejack snarled playfully at Cheerilee before the former began to read loud enough for only the latter to hear, “Hello Applejack, how are you doing so far with therapy? My doctor, Couch Potato has been a positive influence into helping reconcile with my parents’ death amongst other things that have been bothering me lately; nevertheless, it was nice to see my friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo once again just like old times but it made me think of you and the rest of your friends, but mostly you. It would be nice to see you again face–to–face like before the war broke out when we met you: so many years had passed since then and there’s not a day that goes by to remind me of it all yet Zecora and Apple Bloom said that things have been going well so far; I wish I could’ve been your sister. Rumors have been flying around that Rarity’s been getting worse but I refuse to believe those lies; I think this must have something to do with discrediting my sister and her friends like before though what really scares me is what happened to my former classmate Twist. Besides that, I want to see my sister again more than ever despite what she had tried to do to me so long ago; I don’t like what is happening altogether, especially with what’s been happening back at home: Sweet Apple Acres has become a graveyard, the ashes of the Boutique are still there, and Fluttershy’s cottage has become the final resting place for many pets. I still feel sorry for your sister though, seeing that she’s not old enough to see you by herself or with any adult, let alone Zecora; Scootaloo is still afraid to even go any near this place even if she doesn’t have anyone or reason to be here, save for you and while Rainbow may have been there to keep her safe, it didn’t change the fact that she shared them with me. I’m still worried about Twist though: she acts like she hates me because I’m not Apple Bloom but I think is had something to do with why she’s there; of course, she wasn’t like that to Miss Cheerilee for the most part. Nurse Sweetheart said that she was suffering from the same condition that Dinky’s mother has; I think the stories I had read in the newspaper years ago play a role in it: what she did in the war was horrific in and of itself and the fact she didn’t speak up about it sooner made her mad with guilt. That being said, I’m still sorry to hear about what happened to all of my classmates, especially Noi: her sister, Carrot Top still misses her to this day and the only thing that was keeping her going is raising her niece and nephew; I hope that these doctors and nurses let you out soon so you could come live with us one day.

With love and best wishes, XOXO

Your Sister’s Best Friend, Sweetie Belle.

P.S. – Please tell Apple Bloom that I’m sorry about what this brutes did to her and Ruby; she sounded nice and brave enough to protect her than any of us could have.”

“Applejack…?” the colorful visitor whimpered as she watched the aforementioned patient struggling to have her composure remaining still like the pools of stagnant water, only to be on the verge of unleashing them in due time no less.

Needless to say, it wasn’t long until the tanned blonde in question had placed the very parchment onto the surface of the tabletop; at that moment, she finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and began to let loose into her forearms almost immediately, “Ah can’t believe so much time had passed that Ah have missed out on her friends growing up and closer despite their hardships…! Meanwhile, people like Rarity and mahself are wasting away in this facility while everyone else Ah know and care for ends up leaving me at the end of the day, permanently and/or otherwise…! Ah bet our parents wouldn’t help but be disappointed, let alone devastated to see us in this state, especially since we tried to kill our own sisters rather than let them suffer through the thought of living after that forsaken war in such a manner…! Not even being forced into being the town whore would be enough of an excuse for the way Ah had acted in the midst of doing what Ah had done to get Apple Bloom back, let alone seeing her in those wretched pictures like some piece of property to be used and abused before being casted aside like yesterday’s garbage…! Damn straight that a man couldn’t be able to get away with the stuff I had done, let alone escape a death sentence regardless of whether or not he serves his time; then again, considering what happening to Rumble and Bravebird, even laughing about it would be just as bad irregardless…! All Ah want is for Apple Bloom to not see me as a monster anymore; Ah am sick of the fact that she has to live with the notion that all of the terrible things that happened to her were for no reason whatsoever so to speak.”

“Applejack, I–––” the bright skinned woman called out to the aforementioned listener but was shut down by the latter slamming her hands down onto the surface of the table loudly, causing the former to recoil in trepidation instantaneously so to speak; afterwards, some red liquid was found pooling underneath them both, “APPLEJACK…!”

“I’m sorry but you need to leave…!” another voice had interjected, making its way to Cheerilee’s ears, albeit belonging to the likes of Tenderheart herself who pulled the latter aside and out of the table quickly but gently.

At the same time, a harsh and loud klaxon was discharged as the colorful visitor was being dragged off to join the crowd consisting of her own kind by the nurse in question; conversely, patients including Applejack herself were being herded off to the other side by many orderlies, including doctors and nurses in much similar attire along with some guards.

Speaking of which, a paired combo was found to be dragging the bleeding individual away by the forearms and onto a nearby wheelchair that she was strapped to in due time. The fact which their presence was quickly made known to all personal especially the tanned blonde herself left no time whatsoever to pay attention to such similarities at all. Under no circumstances however were their differences left unnoticed by Applejack even as she was being taken away from the room where the other nurse had once led her to.

Of the two in question, the feminine orderly in a similar complexion to the escorted patient said, “it happened again; this farmgirl doesn’t even remember how to control her own strength…”

“Unfortunate… at least she’s nothing like that Rarity, though I am worried about her anyway…” another orderly on the opposite side, a dark skinned man replied in a calmer tone, “that being said, we should get her all bandaged up; her cuts may be small, but her blood is still contagious…”

“Not since the war, she ain’t…” the tanned nurse retorted as she had helped him wheel the tanned blonde down a much different path than the latter came down from not too long ago no less.

It didn’t take long until Applejack looked onward in a fit of melancholy and broke down crying, “Apple Bloom…”

“LOCKDOWN PERIOD IS NOW IN EFFECT: ALL VISITORS ARE TO VACATE THE PREMISE IMMEDIATELY; REENTRY WILL NOT BE PERMITTED…!” another voice had suddenly echoed throughout the hallway, this time coming from the speakers themselves rather than the people alone, “ALL PATIENTS ARE TO RETURN TO THEIR ROOMS NOW…!”

“Come to think of it, Vigilance, any new developments on little miss haberdasher so far…?” the employee on the left had asked.

The titular guard gave out his answer, “not much, Snowheart: for what it’s worth, Spec Ops said that the tumor may have stopped growing but she can barely even do anything, let alone eat; compared to the damage that had been caused, Rarity just stays shut up in her room staring at the window…”

“Serves her right for strangling her own sister anyway…!” the tanned nurse scoffed with a faint frown, looking upon the masses of people nearby their collective line of sight, “she should have helped her anyway; she’s no better than these Ratfink brats, especially the one who sold out her brother of all people. As a matter of fact, their precious community had this coming for a long time for what it’s worth; all this violence and cruelty for what: a few measly bits to buy some pissant candy, let alone some got–dang gobstoppers?! I mean, I’m aware of the expression ‘kids these days’ but their behavior had placed them far beyond that of normal kids, let alone the likes of Diamond Tiara…”

“Even so, the court says she’s not culpable anyway: besides, I highly doubt that Rarity would’ve gotten the help needed regarding her tumor; speaking of which, even Applejack would have died in prison had things been different…” he had said to Snowheart almost immediately as they went past the line of doors.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, the eponymous patient had slowly slipped into unconsciousness as the flow of blood began to stop; nevertheless, the surface beneath her hands were wet and sticky. Putting it lightly, the tanned blonde was lucky to be alive but not enough to be excused from the grim reality which she was living in currently, especially in a sorry state of affairs such as being put in a wheelchair. Now all that was left for Applejack to do right now was to let her wounds be tended to by the professionals in her care, even though that she would be completely unaware of it all in its entirety so to speak.

Sure enough, the bleeding patient was finally taken to another room thanks to the combined efforts of Vigilance and the nearby nurse, free from the contact of other individuals like and unlike herself.