Equestria Copes

For the longest time, nothing happened. Scootaloo didn't take another drink, Apple Bloom didn't say a word. They just sat there next to each other, staring across the room.

"Ah need ta tell ya somethin', Scoots," sighed Apple Bloom, finally.

Scootaloo looked up at Apple Bloom.

"Ah'm not..." she took off the wig. "Ah'm not really Rainbow Dash."

Scootaloo didn't say anything. She just stared.

"Ah'm real sorry, Scootaloo. When Ah saw how much it hurt ya ta know she was gone, Ah... Ah constructed this lie ta make ya feel better."

Silence followed.

"When Ah went inta yer room an' saw ya tearin' everythin' down, Ah panicked. Ah told ya this stuff was medicine, but... It jus' drowns everything out. Ah was more content ta see ya witherin' away than blowin' up, but... Ah was so stupid. It's the same thing, just... slower. This stuff ain't medicine. It's poison. An' Ah've been usin it ta drown your sorrows because... it makes me feel better about not dealing with mah own..."

Apple Bloom sighed and looked up at the rafters. "Applejack's gone. She's not comin' back, ever. Ah never thought for one second that mah big sister would ever leave me like this; that Ah'd have this emptiness inside that Ah'd need ta fill, but... What Ah'm doin' ain't workin'. It's just makin' more problems for me ta deal with down the line."

Finally, Scootaloo responded. Not with words, but by vomiting into Apple Bloom's lap.

"Ah s'pose Ah deserved that... Come on. Let's help you up..."

Apple Bloom hoisted Scootaloo up onto her shoulders with all of the strength Ponyville had come to expect from the Apple Family. Scootaloo just mumbled, unable to form complete words. At a brisk gallop, it didn't take long to reach the farmhouse, where Big Mac grabbed her and took her upstairs. Granny Smith was in town, so it was Apple Bloom that ran off to bring the doctor, who came and went without much fuss.

He'd called Apple Bloom "brave." He was a doctor, so Apple Bloom knew she should trust his words, but he was wrong. She wasn't brave. She certainly didn't feel brave.

The medical diagnosis was easy enough; Scootaloo had a bad hangover and malnutrition. She'd been drinking and not eating. Normally, this would call for her to be taken into protective care, but given the fact that the Apple Family was known for their hospitality and strong moral compass, it was assumed that none of them would force this on her, nor that they would allow this to happen on their watch. She was safe, for now, and in good hooves until proven otherwise.

Big Mac was downstairs now, preparing apple and cabbage stew, something soft and easy to eat, and well-known for being healthy for your kidneys.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom was curled up in the bathtub, having just finished washing the vomit off of her legs. She had decided that she was just going to sleep here, tonight. Scootaloo was going to use her bed, and that was good. She'd been sleeping on the floor for just under a week, and she needed something to support her. Besides, Apple Bloom couldn't stomach the thought of being comforted right now. She didn't feel that she deserved it after what she'd done.

After an hour of sitting like this, there was a knock at the door. "You okay in there, half-pint?" came Granny's voice.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom lied.

"No you ain't. Ah'm comin' in."

Before Apple Bloom could object, the door opened, and Granny walked in, sitting down next to the tub. "You wanna tell me what happened to that little filly in yer bed?"

Apple Bloom nodded, but the words didn't come out. She wanted to tell Granny everything, to spill all that had happened, and to be punished for her involvement in Scootaloo's sickness. But she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Well, let me see if Ah can guess..."

Granny's wisdom and insight was unmatched, as she guessed exactly what Apple Bloom had done. Every single accusation was like a knife in her back, and she was in tears before the end. Still, she nodded when Granny reached the end of her tale.

"Apple Bloom, ya know yer family loves ya. Ya know we're gonna look out fer ya. But this is gonna take a long time ta blow over, ya hear?"

Apple Bloom nodded again.

"Ah know yer brother an me didn't seem ta shed that many tears when yer sister passed, but do ya know why?"

Apple Bloom shook her head.

"It's because we both knew that it wouldn't do us any good. An' also, because we knew that, if Applejack was lookin' down on us right at that moment, she'd be mighty displeased ta see us hurtin'."

Apple Bloom shuffled her position slightly.

"It ain't right, what happened... Bad things happen ta good folks all the time. Ah've raised you kids ta understand that, in times like these, where things seem ta be goin' bad left an' right, ta always lend a helpin' hoof ta those in need. An' right now, yer filly friend is in need a' help. An' you? Ye'r in need a' guidance."

Granny Smith dropped her hoof into the tub, offering it to Apple Bloom. Rather than taking it, Apple Bloom stood up on her own and hugged her granny. "Ah'm sorry, Granny. Ah'm so, so sorry..."

"Ah know, half-pint... Ah know..."

Applejack followed Apple Bloom into her bedroom. "How's she doin'?"

Rainbow ran her hoof over Scootaloo's sleeping mane. "She threw up again, but she's managing to keep most of it down."

Applejack nodded. "Ah believe Apple Bloom's been set straight. If nothin' else, Granny'll keep 'er in line from now on."

Rainbow nodded. "Tell Vesper that I'm going to stay with Scootaloo for a bit. She still needs to do a lot of recovering, and I want to stay by her side."

"You can tell 'er yerself," snorted Applejack. "Ah'm stickin' around, too."

"You sure?" asked Rainbow. "They might think we've both gone rouge."

Applejack nodded. "This is more important."

Rainbow wrapped a hoof around Applejack's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks."