My Little Delirium

by Bookworm S.

Applejack was led into a small waiting room, the walls a pale mint color, meant to be soothing surely, but Applejack's stomach was certainly a testament to the how ineffective the color actually was at the task. She shared the room with four other ponies, with ponies being called away to their examination at irregular intervals, each time replaced by a fresh face in a matter of minutes.

She recognized the ponies from school, of course, but she couldn't claim to be more than passing acquaintances with any of them. Her normally gregarious self was held in check by the lump at the pit of her stomach, and she didn't seem to be the only one. The room was silent, the ponies either glancing around the room furtively, or staring down at their respective hooves. As the last pony before Applejack was called away, she was replaced by a familiar yellow pegasus. Fluttershy looked nervously around the room before heading to a spot against the wall that gave her the most distance to the other ponies. This also put her in a hoof's reach of Applejack, who regarded the pegasus with a feeling of pity.

As she watched, Applejack was aware that the filly was trembling, and she couldn't bear to keep her mouth shut any longer. She sidled over the Fluttershy and put a hoof over her own.

"It's going to be okay, sugarcube. Don't you worry none." Fluttershy peered from beneath her long bangs, and Applejack couldn't help but feel the fear in her eyes like a physical blow. As Fluttershy's eyes began to water, Applejack nuzzled her to try and comfort the terrified pony.

"Applejack?" The fact that Fluttershy knew her name surprised her a bit, as they never really spoke much before then, but she tried not to let it show. "I... don't know that I can do this."

"Sure you can, sugarcube, it'll be easy. Y'already have the cure, right? All they're gonna do is decide where you work and who y'all get paired with, and that's not so bad, right?" Applejack wasn't sure whether she was trying to convince Fluttershy or herself, but Fluttershy merely frowned and stared at the floor.

"You're right, but Applejack." She looked back into the earth pony's eyes. "I have a secret."

"Applejack!" The voice of the staff member interrupted them, and Applejack jolted away from the pegasus filly. Fluttershy seemed sad, but nodded at her as the mare led her away. The mare shot a glance of disapproval at the two before closing the door and leading Applejack down the hall.

The mare deposited Applejack in a small examination room. "Put your things in there and wait for the doctor." The staffer's voice was flat, almost bored, as she gestured to crate by the door, then left Applejack alone in the room.

Applejack deposited her saddlebags and hat in the crate, closed it, and moved the the center of the room where a flat white bed lay surrounded by big lights that were, at the moment, shut off. After five minutes that felt like much longer, the door handle moved, and a grey-coated unicorn stallion entered the room, a stethoscope around his neck. With a grunt, he gestured to the bed, and Applejack took that as her cue to lay on it while the doctor switched on the lights.

The doctor poked and prodded her an umber of times, took her pulse and blood pressure, looked in her mouth, eyes and ears, took her temperature and heart rate, listened to her chest, all the while taking down notes on a clipboard that he levitated beside him with his magic and, from time to time, clucking with disapproval.

After about fifteen minutes, and the examination of a few things that made Applejack very uncomfortable, the doctor concluded his examination.

"Wait here, somepony will get you." Applejack was fairly certain those were the only words he spoke during the entire examination, and watched as he left the room.

Alone again, Applejack's stomach began to rebel once more. She felt almost certain that, if she was left waiting for much longer, she was going to have to throw up, and since she hadn't seen any restrooms along the way she was afraid the garbage can in the corner would have to do.

Thankfully, before she had to resort to such extreme measures, the mare from earlier came to collect her.

"Applejack, the Board is ready for you. Leave your things, they will be waiting for you when you are finished."

Applejack nodded and followed her as she led her down the hall once again. This time they did pass a restroom, and while Applejack certainly wouldn't have minded the opportunity, the mare continued walking, and Applejack was too nervous to speak up.

At last, the mare came to a door marked simply "Room 4," and opened the door. Applejack could smell antiseptic before she could even see into the room. Trotting forward, Applejack gulped and tried to remember all the tips Rarity had given her while they were rehearsing the examination.

Head up dear, yes, like that. Eyes straight ahead, and just the hint of a pout on your face. Remember, act as though you own the room. You are gracing them with your time, not the other way around. Oh, and do lift your hooves more as you step, don't just shuffle along the ground. Are you certain I can't make you an outfit for the exam? We would look simply smashing in matching dresses, oh and the hats!

Applejack tried lifting her hooves as she stepped, but she felt odd and unnatural doing so. She blinked at the bright lights directed a her, leaving the three members of the Board in silhouette along one wall. She glanced around the room, and saw a metal table pushed up against the wall. Next to it was an ominous-looking machine, with wires and arms extending from it, but currently lying dormant and covered in transparent plastic. With a shudder, Applejack realized that this room must be where the Cure was applied, and she went nearly faint.

The bright lights shone down on her, and Applejack felt exposed and bare, despite the fact that she rarely wore any more than she had on at this moment. She couldn't make out the faces of the ponies seated behind the long table, nor their cutie marks. The pony on the right cleared her throat.

"Applejack Apple?" Applejack nodded at the sound of her name, standing as still as she could manage in the center of the room.

"Yes ma'am." Her eyes flitted around the room, and she could see a long bank of windows above where the board sat. Observation bays, to watch the procedure being carried out, she had no doubt. Her mind briefly went back to Fluttershy, and she pictured her in this room, strapped to the table, the long arms with their sharp needles pressing into her neck...

Applejack gulped and tried to clear her head. The stallion at the table had asked her a question. What was the question? She began to sweat, as it came to her.

"In three months sir."

"We can tell your grades have been consistently good, though perhaps not stellar. Would you like to tell us a bit about your favorite subject?" Applejack's mind suddenly emptied, and all the things that Twilight had told her, about what the Board wanted to hear, came back to her. She struggled to straighten out her thoughts, to try and remember what Twilight had said about the subject.

"Biology, ma'am. I like t' hear about how the seeds grow int'a plants, and how crops... work." She cursed herself mentally for not being to come up with better words than those. She could hear the frown on the stallions face as he continued.

"One would think that, if that were your favorite subject, your grades would be a little better. If you only applied yourself that as much as you did to Physical Education... but no matter. We've already discussed your scholastic achievements, we want to learn a little bit more about you. Tell us, miss Apple, what is it you enjoy doing in your spare time. Any hobbies?"

"I like runnin', sir." Applejack's mouth felt dry, and she was certain the sweat was beginning to stain her fur in places.

"Running?" The stress on the "g" from the leftmost mare made Applejack blush.

Try to enunciate, darling. While you and I know that just because your family has its roots elsewhere doesn't make you less intelligent, well it's a harsh truth that your accent does have unfortunate... associations for some ponies.

"Yes ma'am. I'm in cross country at school, and I take part in th' Runnin'... Running of the Leaves each year." She allowed herself a small smile. "Last year I took fifth place!" She wasn't sure that impressed the Board as much as she had hoped it would.

The rightmost mare cleared her throat again. "Yes, very nice, but I'd like to get to the matter we've been talking around up till now.

"Applejack blanched and tried to avoid the gaze of the Board members. As she did so, she could see the dark outlines of a pony moving behind the observation bay windows. She tried to make out its form, but it briefly vanished, and she was alone with the three ponies once again.

"Let us talk about your family. Specifically your mother. It says here that the Cure didn't take, is this true?"

"Y-yes, ma'am." Applejack thought she really was going to be sick now. She had almost convinced herself that the Board was only going to concern itself with her, and not her family history. She should have know that was a naive notion.

"And that she took her own life because of the deleria, is that true." the stallion's voice was hard as diamond, and Applejack felt an urge to bolt for the door. She fought it down, and the corner of her eye caught movement in the observation bay again. She avoided looking up, and leveled her gaze straight ahead.

"Yes sir, that's true. When our father passed away, the sickness returned."

She could hear the sound of quills on parchment, and her heart sank. This wasn't going well. She knew that she was going to be considered a risk factor. Much too dangerous to entrust the town's food source to. She'd be lucky if she ended up as a janitor someplace.

"So, miss Apple, why should this Board..." The mare's statement was suddenly interrupted by a loud klaxon. Applejack, stood still for a moment, frozen in confusion.

"Oh for the love of... what now?" The left mare got up to move to the intercom on the wall, but before she could get there the speaker blurted.

"Evacuation procedures, all staff to emergency stations!" The ponies behind the desk got up worriedly. One of the Board members flicked on the light switch, and the overhead fluorescents flickered on. The light illuminated the observation bay as well, and she could get a vague glimpse of the shape that had been moving about behind the glass.

The board members shuffled to the door, and Applejack thought she hear... mooing? Could that be?

As the lead mare opened the door - now that Applejack could get a good look at her, she still didn't recognize her nor any of the other members - she could see a steady stream of ponies rushing by.

"What's going on?" The mare at the door held out a hoof to stop a worried-looking pegasus.

"Some kind of stampede! We were told to evacuate."

"Stampede? Inside the building?" The pegasus merely shrugged, then pushed her way past the mare and rejoined the stream of ponies hurrying towards the exit.

Applejack's eyes perked up at the word stampede. "Anyway I can help" Ain't no herd I can't round up!" She felt a sense of pride at finally being able to show a bit of competence to the Board members. The mare taking up the rear merely clucked.

"Thank you dear, but I'm sure the professionals have it well in hoof." She slowly followed the other two members as they tried to edge their way out into the stream of ponies in the hallway.

Applejack threw a glance back at the observation bay, and merely cried out. The figure that had been moving around in the shadows was standing there, staring at her. Slowly, the blue.coated mare in the uniform of a security guard put a hoof to her mouth. Then, without saying a word, she winked at her, then turned and exited the observation room, her wings slightly unfurled in her wake.

Applejack shook her head to clear the image of the strange mare, and followed the Board members out the door, moving with the crowd until they came to the heavy double doors of the front entrance. She was certain she could hear mooing over the sound of hooves on hard linoleum flooring.