Comatose

The Next Day...

"HUMPH" Applejack said as she rammed her hind legs into a tree, carefully knocking the apples that have fallen into pre-placed buckets. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Whew, finally, the last of it..." She said tiredly as she scooped up the buckets onto her back.

It was very early in the morning for most ponies, but no, not for Applejack. This is pretty normal for her, she had already eaten breakfast, took a shower, and even did some chores around the house first before actually coming outside to buck the apples, and it's not even 8 o'clock yet. Applejack was proud of that, but not too proud.

The sun peered out from behind the barn, it blinded her, and caused her to squint just to see where she was going. This was one of the ONLY things she hates about the morning.

She tossed the two buckets of apples with the rest inside of the barn. "Whew! Finally!" she said once again, taking a look at her work, which was tons upon tons of apple baskets.

She walked out of the barn, the sun seeming to shine into her green eyes no matter where she looked. She started to get annoyed and headed inside, where Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom were eating breakfast.

"Heya girls!" Applejack said as she walked in.

"Hi!"

"Yo."

"Hey sis!"

"What're ya'll up to?" Applejack already knew the answer, but she asked for the sake of having a conversation starter.

"Eating some cereal!" Scootaloo said, unnecessarily loud as she took a large bite of her had cereal. She wished that they girls weren't so loud sometimes.

"Ah see...Sweetie Belle, how's your sister doin'?" She asked, she decided that starting conversations is one of the things that she needs to work on from now on...

"She's good, I think." Sweetie Belle responded, shrugging.

"What do ya mean by that?" Applejack asked her.

"I dunno, Twilight came over for a few minutes talking about something, about Pinkie. I don't know much since I wasn't really trying to eavesdrop." Applejack nodded. Sweetie Belle's a pretty respectful little filly most of the time, much like her sister. Applebloom...on the other hoof, is another story...

"Oh, well alright then, well ah'll just let y'all fillies have fun." Applejack said as she walked out of the room, somewhat awkwardly.

"Bye!"

"See ya."

"Okay."

Applejack trotted back up the stairs of her home and into her room, being careful not to disturb Granny Smith and Big Mac, who were still sound asleep. Applejack didn't know how much longer, since the girls were now awake, but she decided to let them sleep while they can.

She lied down on her bed, her eyes getting increasingly heavier. She hadn't been getting much sleep over the last few nights, for whatever reason. She still has that to figure out. She's sure it wasn't her diet, or her work schedule, because neither of them have changed over the last few weeks. But even still, she was forced to get up this early, and for once she was regretting it.

She let her head hit the pillow, and felt almost immediate bliss. There is NO way ahm moving from this spot...She thought. Her eyes drifted closed and and her body relaxed.

"Ah'll just sleep for..." She yawned loudly. "a few more minutes..."

She fell asleep almost instantaneously after that.

*****

"Um...Applejack?"

Applejack groaned, before turning over in her bed. "5 more minutes momma..."

"Applejack? Wake up please..."

"Nnnghh..." Was all Applejacks response.

"Um, okay, I'll just stop by later then...nice talking to you Applejack..." The voice said as it left her room. Applejack smiled happily. She lied there for a good 30 seconds before the realization finally hit her: There's no way she going back asleep. She hopped out of her bed as she remembered the fact that there was a voice in her room a few seconds ago. She stood up and looked out her window to see a dejected pegasus pony walking down the road to Ponyville.

"Fluttershy! Wait!" She shouted.

Fluttershy turned around to see the orange pony staring back down at her from her window. "Oh! Hi Applejack!" Fluttershy said in no more than a whisper.

"I'll be down there in a second!" Applejack said as she sprinted down the stairs, she felt bad about completely ignoring her, and didn't want to keep her waiting any longer than she already was. She passed the fillies, who were watching cartoons on television. Applejack didn't really have time to say anything as she ran out the door.

She huffed as she finally approached Fluttershy, who was a little concerned. "Are you alright Applejack?" She asked.

"Ya, ahm fine. Sorry about earlier." She apologized. Fluttershy just smiled at her.

"Don't worry about it Applejack, I know you were probably tired or something from apple bucking. I shouldn't have tried to disturb you." She said, blaming it on herself.

Applejack ignored her accusation. "So what did ya need?"

"I was just wondering if you've seen every pony. I can't seem to find them anywhere..." Fluttershy said, as meek and timid as ever.

Applejack raised a single eyebrow. "What do ya mean by 'every pony'?" She questioned.

"I mean Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Rarity. And Pinkie as well, I haven't seen her in about three days now..." Fluttershy said, shrugging as she looked down. Her pink mane falling in front of her left eye, as it always did.

Now that she mentions it, Applejack hasn't seem any of them in a while either. She's not so much surprised by the fact that Rarity and Twilight are gone, as they like to hole themselves in their homes, whether it be for work or study. Now Rainbow Dash, that's quite odd. Pinkie especially, she usually pops out of no where. It worries her a little bit.

"Hm, that's odd. Have you checked their houses?" Applejack asked her, Fluttershy gave her a certain look.

"Um, yes I did. No one's home." She responded.

"Oh, well, aim not sure what to tell you. If you'd like, I'm not doing anything...would you mind if ah helped you search?" Applejack asked her. It was true though, she had finished all of her work earlier this morning, so she didn't really have anything to do. Also, she really didn't want to be stuck hanging around her sister and friends all day. She can just leave that to Big Mac.

"Oh, of course I don't mind!" Fluttershy said quietly, not taking her eyes off the ground. Applejack couldn't believe that they have been friends for all this time, but she's still shy towards her. Some ponies never change. She tried to think that without sounding judgmental, but it very much seemed like it, and Applejack frowned at herself.

"What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, nothing, just thinking." She responded before she headed down the trail, leaving Sweet Apple Acres, and headed towards Ponyville. Fluttershy silently lagged behind her.

*****

The day itself was warm and pleasant, and the birds chirped happily. The sun was no longer an issue for Applejack, as the morning was now the afternoon. Applejack looked around the streets, searching for any of their four friends. All she saw were other ponies mingling around, laughing and having a good time as they walked to their destination. Applejack eventually stopped.

"Where in tanarnation could they be?" Applejack said, after a good while of looking. She looked over at Fluttershy, who just shrugged. Applejack was starting to get a little worried.

"Let's go check by their homes again, maybe they just left when ya got there er something. Maybe they're all meeting up somewheres. Applejack said. A look of understanding sprung upon Fluttershy's face as she nodded in agreement.

The first stop was Twilight's library.

They knocked on the door, waiting for either Spike, or Twilight to answer the door. There was a ruckus inside, many BANGS and CRASHES before the door was finally opened. A small purple dragon stood at the doorstep.

"Yes?" Spike said, a book in his arm. Applejack couldn't help but read the cover: "Science and Biology for Dummies." Hm, seems like Spike and Twilight aren't that different after all...

"Hi there Spike. Ah was wondering if you'd seen Twilight anywhere, or even Rarity and the others, we can't seem to find 'em anywhere." Applejack explained. Spike looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"Well, Fluttershy's right behind you." Spike burst into laughter, obviously thinking he was a riot. He looked at Applejack's unamused stare and quickly regained his composure. "But in all seriousness, I haven't seen her since this morning. All she said was that she and some others were headed into Ponyville for a while, then she left." Spike answered. Applejack sighed sadly.

"We were just walking through there, we didn't see her at all..." Fluttershy responded. Finally peeking out from behind Applejack.

"Well, I don't know, maybe you just got to look a little harder," Applejack and Fluttershy looked at each other with worry. "Now if you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of this here book." Spike held up his book, making Applejack laugh.Spike, your inner Twilight is showing...

"Well thanks, Spike. See ya later." Applejack said, turning away from him.

"Bye!" Fluttershy whispered, but Spike had already closed the door behind him.

Applejack couldn't help but sigh. Where would they go, and why wouldn't they tell Fluttershy and I?

"Come on, let's go back inta Ponyville. Maybe Spike's right, maybe we just didn't see 'em." Applejack retorted as she walked back into town.

"Actually, Applejack, I'm kind of hungry. I really need something to eat, is it okay if I catch up with you a little later?" Fluttershy asked her. Applejack listened carefully, and heard Fluttershy's stomach growling loudly, which made her chuckle. Fluttershy's stomach is louder than her actual voice!

"Sure hun. I'll see ya later okay?" Applejack said as Fluttershy began to walk toward her cottage.

"Oh yes!" She responded, before disappearing from sight down the path.

Applejack had two choices, to go home, or to continue looking for her friends. Well, it was weird that they disappeared, and that they didn't even say where they were going. She decided that it's better to keep looking.

Applejack suddenly felt more lonely than ever now.

*****

As time went on, Applejack's patience grew thin, and her worry grew immensely. This wasn't like any of the other girls at all. Maybe something came up out of the blue? Applejack didn't know. She just wanted to give up looking, in all honesty. She figured they'd all show up eventually, she hoped.

She couldn't help but think bad thoughts. What if everyone ditched her? Left her behind? Did she do anything to make them upset to the point that they wouldn't want to be friends with her anymore? Ugh, she felt herself turning into Twilight sometimes. She continued to walk down the Ponyville streets, but it didn't take to long for her to see a rainbow mane stand out from the crowd. She noticed it was heading right toward her.

"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack yelled toward her. Rainbow jerked her head up, noticed who it was, and then dipped her head again and sighed.

"Hey AJ..." Rainbow said as she unavoidably walked up to Fluttershy and Applejack, who gave her a stern look.

"Where were you and the others today? Ah can't seem to find Twilight, Rarity, or Pinkie anywhere..." Rainbow Dash trembled as soon as the word "Pinkie" escaped from her mouth. Applejack didn't understand.

"Rainbow...what's wrong?" Applejack had asked.

"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all. I'm fine, just...don't worry about it..." Rainbow Dash said, as she made her way past her, almost shoving her aside.

Before Applejack could say anything, Rainbow Dash sped off down the street, ignoring her friends' calls for her to come back.

I wonder what her deal is...

"Rainbow? Come back!" A voice called out near them, Applejack turned, it was Twilight, who had a worried expression on her face. Next to her was Rarity, who seems to be much more composed than Twilight was at this time.

"Girls? Where in the sam heck have y'all been? I've been searching high and low for you girls!" Applejack said as she ran up to them eagerly. Finally! It only took all day...

"Oh, hello Applejack. And sorry, we were...taking care of a few things..." Rarity said, looking at Twilight. It was obvious that Twilight nor Rarity has told her. Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Why did Rainbow run off like that...?" Applejack asked them sincerely. She was genuinely confused as of right now, and would really like her answers to finally be answered.

Twilight sighed painfully. She looked over at Rarity and nodded, almost indicating to her 'Do it'.

"Well, I'll tell you, just...come with us alright?" Twilight said, before turning around, heading toward the hospital. Applejack followed behind her, while Rarity stayed right at her side.

"Um, where's Pinkie?" Applejack unknowingly asked her. Twilight could only hold back a tear.

"Please....just follow me..." Was all she said. Her voice was full of sorrow, and sadness. It make Applejack's heart feel...painful. Applejack didn't know what to say. She observed the direction where they were headed, and put a few pieces together in her head. Oh please...tell me were not going to the hospital...she thought. Her mind was filled with worry now. Did...did something bad happen?

*****

"Room 120...119...118...117. Here we go..." Twilight said, letting Rarity walk into the room. Before Applejack took a step inside, Twilight took her aside and spoke to her in the hallway. "So just know, that there's no telling if she's coming out of this, and that it's okay if you're upset. We all are..."

Applejack heart dropped so far down that it almost made her lose her balance. W-What is the supposed to mean!? She ran into the room, and saw the same hideous sight as the other have seen. A mangled and torn Pinkie Pie, in a hospital bed.

"W...What..." Applejack couldn't even get out the words. "What happened to 'er?" Applejack asked, she tried to be strong, and wasn't much for crying at all. But she didn't know...

Rarity finally got the courage to tell her straight up what had happened. "Well, it says here on this clipboard..." She levitated the clipboard over to both Applejacks view, she read it carefully:

"B-Blunt Force Trauma induced Coma!?" Applejack staggered back, she couldn't believe this. How...why...what!?

Applejack started to put more pieces together. "So ya mean...she was assaulted!? Or attacked!?" Anger was starting to rise deep inside of Applejack now, and she didn't like it.

"No one knows darling. We'll have to ask her when she wakes up." Rarity simply stated. Applejack took another look at the clipboard and frowned.

"But right here...it says 'Time of awakening: Unknown', what does that mean" Applejack asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Well...to put it bluntly, there's not telling when, or even if she'll wake up..." Rarity said. Applejack looked over at Pinkie Pie, and back to everyone else. Applejack didn't know what to think, or what to say. She just stood there, dumbstruck. When the feelings and thoughts finally returned to her, she fell to the ground in a heaping mess of tears.

"Applejack!" Rarity shouted, helping Applejack back up to her feet. Applejack wanted nothing more but to lie on the ground and cry. As much as she didn't want to do it in front of her friends...

"Applejack, I think Rainbow would want me to ask you this..." Rarity got ready to ask. That reminded Applejack about what happened earlier, with Rainbow Dash. She seemed really upset, and looked like she was in a big hurry to get away. Now she knew the reason.

She finally managed to get the feeling back in her throat. "What would that be?"

"What was the last thing you said to her...?" Twilight finished for Rarity. They both wanted to know.

Applejack blinked away a few tears as she tried to remember the last thing she said to Pinkie Pie. It took her a moment to think of it.

"W-Why do ya wanna know that?" Applejack first responded.

"Rainbow Dash seemed really upset earlier, and she felt really bad due to the last things she said to her. She asked me the exact same question. Would you care to answer it for us, sweetie?" Rarity said, her voice turning ever more gentle and calm.

Applejack choked back some more tears. "Fine...ya'll really wanna know...it was three days ago..."

~*~*~

Applejack sat there under a tree, taking a break from a long day of apple bucking. She groaned as she tried to get into a more comfortable position.

"Ugh...just a little bit more. Then I'm done..." She said to herself, tipped her hat over her eyes, enjoying the very little moment she had to rest. She cherished simple times like these.

Her legs were very refined to doing a large amount of apple bucking each day, but today, her legs were really giving her trouble. They had been throbbing and painfully hurting her all day. She had been pondering if maybe she had slept weird, although she sincerely doubted that.

Pinkie Pie poked her head out of the top of the tree that Applejack was standing under, but she lost her grip, and fell down into Applejack's lap. Landing with a thud.

"Mother of Celestia!" Applejack shouted in astonishment, before glaring at Pinkie Pie angrily. Pinkie only gave her an embarrassed look.

"Oopsie, my bad." She responded, finally stepping off of Applejack, who had gotten up from her comfy seat under the tree. She began to dust herself off with her hat.

"Don't worry 'bout it sugar cube. What's up?" Applejack asked, her mood genuinely changing for the better.

"Nothing much, no one can really play today...let me guess, you're busy?" Pinkie asked her sadly. Applejack responded truthfully, with a simple nod. "Ah, I see. Well that's fine then! We can party later!" Pinkie said, a large grin appearing on her face. It make Applejack laugh.

"Well that's what ah like ta hear!" Applejack responded.

"Hey, um...I never had a chance to tell everyone else this, since they've been so busy lately..." Pinkie Pie started, Applejack was all ears. "But my Pinkie Senses have been...unnerving me lately."

Applejack bore a confused look on her face. "What do ya mean?"

"I just have a bad feeling about something, and I want you to remember one thing, alright?" Pinkie said. Applejack leaned in a little closer.

"LIFE IS A PARTY!" She cheered, straight in Applejacks ear. Out of no where, confetti came and landed on her body, and various amounts of glitter as well. Usually Applejack didn't like it when she got her all full of silly things like that, but for some reason she let it slide.

"Haha, definately Pinkie. Well I gotta get back to work." Applejack looked at the position of the sun as it was making it's decent and already knew that her break was over. She was a little disappointed, but it didn't matter, she was almost done anyways.

"Alrighty! See ya later alligator!" Pinkie Pie said as she, once again, bounced away. Down the trail from Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville.

Life is a Party? What next...? Applejack thought as she picked up a few apple buckets before getting back to work, bucking the tree that Pinkie had just fallen out of.

~*~*~

"...so yeah...that's the last time I saw her..." Applejack concluded. The room was dead silent. Except for the beeping of the heart monitor. The tension in the room was cold, and dead, and a chill suddenly appeared.

"I'm so sorry..." Twilight said to her. Applejack was getting ready to cry again.

"Life is a party, huh...I'm not surprised she'd say something like that..." Rarity said, taking a look at Pinkie Pie, eyeing up the bandages around her forehead.

"Yeah, ah didn't really get it either." Applejack responded, in between sobs.

"I think I know what she means." Twilight spoke up.

"Well? What?" Applejack asked.

"I think she means, 'Live life as if it's a celebration. Celebrate a new day, a new dawn, and new dusk. What it means to be alive..." Twilight said. Looking at Pinkie. Who knew Pinkie was so good at deep, hidden messages like that...

"You know what Twilight, that actually makes a lot of sense..." Rarity said, going back to thinking to herself.

"Did anyone tell Fluttershy about this yet" Twilight asked the two of them. Applejack shook her head, but Twilight had already knew that she didn't. They had just told her about Pinkie's condition just now. So she looked at Rarity, who just shrugged.

Applejack didn't feel well, she almost felt sick to her stomach, so she sat down in nearby chair.

"I wish we didn't have to tell her..." Twilight said, a desperate look on her face.

"Why do we have to?" Rarity asked, instantly taking back what she had just said.

"How would you feel if we kept information like this from you!? Huh!?" Twilight angrily retorted. Rarity just apologized and took a step back from Twilight. On edge, much?

"I'll be right back..." Twilight said as she exited the room, and ran into the hallway. Leaving Rarity and Applejack alone.

Applejack only sighed, it was a lot to take in at one time. She couldn't stand to see Pinkie like this. But the question still remained implanted into her mind...What happened to Pinkie Pie...?

"Life is a party..." Rarity spoke up. She looked over at Applejack, a determined look on her face. "One of the most true statements I've ever heard."