One Night (a.k.a A taste of an Apple)

"We have to see her,"

That was the only thing that came out of Applejack's mouth. A determination to see what had happened, to understand what had happened.

Fluttershy just cried at the door, her hoof trying to hide her distraught face and Applejack headed outside but Dash only whispered.

"I can't…"

"We have too." Applejack said looking at her with strong eyes.

This couldn't be true… this had to be a dream… Dash felt like her body had gone into shock, she couldn't move… couldn't breathe… this wasn't r-real.

"I had to tell you two," Fluttershy whimpered, "In case she doesn't make it through the night, we have to all be there."

"What…?" Dash asked in barely heard words.

"She stabbed herself in her gut, she might b-bleed out!" Fluttershy cried, Applejack trying to comfort her but she only shrunk back from them, "You have to come."

"Okay…" Dash only whispered… how could this be happening?

The trip to the hospital didn't even seem like it happened, one minute they were there the next standing in the halls of the white wards, Dash not feeling like she was present, that she was just watching as things happened around her.

They saw Twilight and Rarity in the waiting room, Rarity crying, the Cakes across the room holding each other in pain.

Twilight seemed to have a dead face on her, one of hate… one of confusion… and one that just seemed to need a reason for this happening.

Until she saw AJ and Dash.

"She's in surgery," she said in a quiet voice, Dash finding it hard to breathe, to live in this time and space and only heard Rarity whimper,

"I never should've l-left her… I saw the signs and I just l-left."

"You didn't know," Twilight said, putting her hoof around Rarity to stop the tears, "We all thought she'd be alright."

"What could make her do this?" Fluttershy cried weakly, Dash feeling her heart stop beating with that question, "What could drive a pony to this."

"Fillyfooling…"

Everyone grew silent as Twilight said those words, Applejack just staring at her in disbelief.

"We all know that is what."

"That has nothin' to do with it!" AJ yelled at her, she couldn't believe she was actually hearing this. Twilight said nothing… but it was clear she was thinking it… Applejack couldn't believe she still had this prejudice after everything.

"She was confused…" Twi only muttered… trying to find a cause for this, to understand the reason with her analytic mind. Applejack couldn't stand that one simple excuse.

"That's not why."

Dash just stood there amongst the noise… the crying, the fighting, the accusing but all she felt inside her was the knowing.

Knowing she had led her to it… it was her fault… her f-fault.

If Pinkie didn't survive this… what would she do?

And then the waiting game began. The silence falling over as everyone just waited, the white lights dim, midnight passing, one o clock... two o clock.

A doctor finally came out, every pony looking at him and he said.

"She's in the recovery ward… we saved her."

"Oh thank heavens!" Mrs. Cake only cried, "We have to see her."

"Then you should come back tomorrow… she needs her rest." The doctor only said with soft tired words and left the group, the friends and family only looking at each other quietly before Applejack said weakly,

"We all need our rest."

Twilight looked at Applejack angrily… how could she be so cold about this issue… she had said nothing about Pinkie's hurt all night, seeming to blame the pony instead of what she and Dash had led her too. She just couldn't understand it.

Dash only looked down the hall after the doctor… wanting to see Pinkie, apologize, beg for forgiveness… it was eating her up… the guilt… the pain she had caused that had led to a near suicide. It was her fault.

"Come on Rainbow,"

She looked at Applejack quietly… and shook her head.

"I have to stay."

Applejack's eyes widened confused. If Dash stayed here, she knew she would only be torturing herself with the wait.

"Please come home with me," she asked weakly. Everyone's eyes were on the two and Dash only shook her head whispering,

"I can't."

"Okay," Applejack said and returned back to her seat, their friends only watching them and the Cakes got up weakly, leaving the scene but the elemental ponies all stayed.

Applejack put her hoof over Dash who only stared out at nothing, Fluttershy getting something to eat from the cafeteria and Rarity just weeping in silence.

Twilight only looked at Applejack… the first one wanting to leave, the only one that didn't seem half affected by what had happened and she just couldn't understand her coldness.

Time moved by slowly until dawn started to approach, light coming through the windows weakly at first but soon the day came and no pony was home in their bed… but waiting to see Pinkie… praying that she was alright.

"Rainbow…" Applejack said quietly to her marefriend, seeing the frozen face and only said to her in silence "It wasn't your fault."

All the friends looked at the two… their eyes realizing now the pony who was the most affected and Twilight knew that what Applejack had said was true.

It wasn't Dash's fault… it was AJ's.

She was the one that broke Dash and Pinkie up… led Pinkie to this act and all she could do was reassure Dash when she should be blaming herself, they all should be blaming themselves.

A nurse came over to them with a small smile,

"Would a couple of you like to visit her now?"

"Yes p-please," Rarity said in a shivering voice and got up, Fluttershy following her and the nurse shook her head as Twilight was about to pursue,

"Only a couple at a time. When they're done you can go in."

"Okay," she said quietly but felt awkward being left behind with the two who had created this situation… she knew if she talked to them it would only lead to anger.

"Are you okay to go in Rainbow?" Applejack asked Dash quietly looking into her eyes softly, "Because if you can't do it today… we can come back."

"I have to see her," Dash only whispered and Applejack just nodded her head, becoming quiet but Twilight asked.

"Are you going to see her, AJ?"

Applejack looked at her with a distant face "Not today."

"I think you should."

"I don't want to." Applejack pressed and Twilight hated how she was acting… what was wrong with her?

"Can I talk to you in private?" she said hard and Applejack only lowered her eyebrows, getting up and the two walked away to another hall, Dash still only looking into space.

"Why are you acting this way?" Twilight asked then and there, "Why don't you care about what you did?"

"What did I do?" Applejack asked back coldly.

"You and Dash made her do this.. I can't stand seeing you just thinking this is nothing!"

"I don't think it's NOTHING." Applejack said back angrily but kept her voice steady, "But I am not going to feel sorry for her. What Pinkie did was selfish."

"Selfish?" Twilight asked taken back by that statement, "How was it selfish? You two LEFT her in the COLD!"

"It was selfish!" Applejack only replied back in anger "She was only thinking about herself! She didn't care enough about others to see what she was doing."

"She was in pain!"

"SHE CHOSE TO KILL HERSELF!" Applejack only yelled back, but took a deep breath as Twilight only stared at her shocked. Applejack nearly had tears ready to come out but held them back… no, she would not cry over something so pitiful.

"My parents…" She simply said, "…are dead… and you don't think I know what it was like to be in her pain?" Twilight looked at her not understanding this hate and Applejack only said quietly

"I've been there… but I was never that selfish."

She left after that, leaving Twilight in the cold and went back to Dash… knowing that the ones in the true hurt were Pinkie's friends and family… how could she just do this?

Rarity and Fluttershy came back into the hall. Their eyes were in tears, they appearance just sadness and Dash knew she had to go in and apologize… she had to be forgiven… she could barely think of anything else.

She got up ready to head in but looked back at Applejack scared.

"Go on," the orange pony said with a soft voice and Dash took a deep breath heading in nervously.

The room was shrouded in shadows… there was a blood bag hanging over the bed, machines monitoring and she nearly froze when she saw Pinkie lying there… her face drained of life… her mane down straight.

"Pinkie…" Dash said in barely any words.

The pink pony didn't look at her… her blue eyes only gazing down to her hoofs… the cuts she had given herself and Dash only cried… afraid to get any closer,

"I'm so s-sorry…"

There was no reply.

"I…" Dash whispered, taking a brave step closer, but her heart was so afraid, "I didn't know it was this bad…"

Pinkie only closed her eyes… the room silent and Dash couldn't take it,

"P-please say something!"

The pink mare just looked at her… her eyes soulless as she said quietly.

"You hurt me so much… and you didn't even care."

"I didn't understand!" Dash said back in tears, "I didn't know you were like that!"

"But you should've."

Dash became silent, tears streaming weakly down her cheeks as she saw those dead eyes look at her.

"You put me through so much pain… so much and didn't even care. You didn't even talk to me… you did nothing and I only pray,"

Dash looked at her, her heart barely beating… listening.

"I only pray that you feel the pain I felt… and that it kills you… like you nearly killed me."

"P-pinkie…?" Dash only whispered in disbelief, Pinkie hated her… she hated her enough to want her dead, "I'm SORRY!"

"leave… me…ALONE!" Pinkie yelled and Dash stepped back in terror… she couldn't stay and see her like this… the hate in her eyes… the pain she had caused.

She left the room and stood out in the hall barely breathing.

Pinkie hated her… hated her more than life that she had tried to kill herself to get away from her.

She had led Pinkie to that knife.

She was the one that stabbed her.

I-it was her fault… it was all her fault… and everyone knew.

Applejack sat out in the hall… her head annoying her again with nausea… it kept coming on the past couple of days, but ignored it quickly when she saw Rainbowdash walk quietly down the hall and got up saying to her,

"Are you okay?"

"I did it…" Dash only whispered, looking quietly into Applejack's eyes, "I was the one that held that knife last night."

"DON'T SAY THAT." Applejack said sternly, "Never say that."

"I'm a monster…" Dash only cried in weak tears and Applejack only held her, saying in love.

"We're leaving…"

"I can't go."

"You're not staying here." She responded and Dash only cried as AJ led her out… but all she felt was eyes staring at her… judging her for what she did… everyone knew now… all her friends knew the monster she was.

Time went by slowly from that point… Applejack feeling sicker but not knowing if it was from the stress she was encapsulated in… Dash's self-loathing… or her friends vanishing from her life in the week that came… only hearing news from her brother when Pinkie had gotten out of the hospital.

It was all too much and it was all because of that pony's selfish act.

Applejack hated how she ended up back in that building a week from the day Pinkie had been omitted. Standing in the room as she waited for the doctor to return.

She couldn't stand Rainbowdash blaming herself for something that was not her fault… for her friends all in the pain Pinkie had caused and sighed, looking down to the ground before the doctor re-entered and said with a smile.

"It's good news."

"Good… I need some about now," Applejack only muttered… she just wished things were normal again, that life was good and the doctor smiled.

"Then get ready. You're pregnant!"

...What?

Applejack only looked at him slowly… no… not this… anything but this.

"Are you sure…?" she asked, begging he had gotten the wrong chart and he just looked at her confused.

"Oh I'm positive Miss Apple… who's the lucky stallion?"

Just hoping life would be normal again seemed like a distant memory now… as she stood there in that room… feeling like things would never be the same.

And how would she tell Rainbow…