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Groaning, Dash rubs her temples.
Applejack flits her eyes up from the shot glass she's wiping. "You alright, sugarcube?"
"I don't know. My head hurts which is stupid because I'm just getting started," Dash mumbles with a frown. Applejack's movements stop. She has heard of this story before, too many times to count.
Glancing around them, Applejack lowers her voice. "Pass me your drink."
The glare Dash shoots her would have been more intimidating if she didn't look so pale.
"I'm not drunk yet, AJ."
Looking past her, Applejack fills the glass she'd been wiping with water and sets it down. "I know. I jus' forgot to add your favourite ingredient."
Dash slumps against the bar, failing to play it off as intentional. "Oh yeah? What is it?"
There.
Sharp eyes flicker to them from across the bar. Watching. Applejack looks away before they can notice her. Subtly, she pries the pint from Dash's weak hands and slides it beneath the counter.
"Follow me and I'll show you."
Dash squints at her.
"Are you hitting on me?"
If this situation wasn't so serious, Applejack might have laughed. As it is, she plays along.
Leaning forwards, Applejack smirks. "Find out."
Appropriately stunned, Dash blinks.
A heavy gaze suffocates them, and Applejack tries not to choke. Before Dash can respond, Applejack knocks her elbow against the glass, soaking Dash's clothes with water.
"Shoot, I'm mighty sorry 'bout that," Applejack lies as best as she can, pressing a small button under the counter and slipping around. "Let me help you clean up."
Dash just laughs, a little raspier than normal. "Don't worry about it."
"I insist," Applejack says, grabbing her arm and hoisting her down from the seat. She knows Dash is far gone when the girl doesn't question her persistence nor see through her poor acting skills.
Thankfully, after stumbling a little, Dash agrees. "Fine. You always get clumsy when you're nervous?"
Despite herself, Applejack's lips twitch. "You could say that."
Another raspy laugh. "That's cute."
Something warms Applejack's chest but she ignores the sensation. Right now, her priority is getting Dash to safety. Guiding her to the bathroom is harder than expected. Maybe that's because Dash is fully leaning into her side now, her tousled hair tickling Applejack's neck.
Applejack feels a soft sigh against her collarbone.
"You're warm."
Concerned, Applejack looks beside her. Dash's eyelids are drooping and her words are more slurred now than that one night she had chugged five pints of hard apple cider for a dare. Beneath the neon lighting, she can spot beads of sweat clinging to her forehead.
"We're almost there," Applejack reassures her, knowing that it's useless because Dash is completely unaware of the danger she's in.
After shoving the toilet door open, Applejack props Dash up onto the sink counter. Once she's safely slumped against the mirror, Applejack works on the lock.
The second the latch clicks into place, the brutal truth escapes from her.
"You've been spiked," Applejack blurts out, still facing the door. Overwhelmed by the act of speaking her suspicions to reality, she swallows and turns around. "Police and an ambulance are comin'. That okay, sugarcube?"
Dash stares at her with a frown.
"Oh."
Her tone sounds dejected. No, Applejack realises, she's disappointed.
Dash forces a laugh out. "That explains it."
Applejack doesn't know how to respond so she just nods while reaching for a nearby toilet roll. Exhaling sharply, Dash presses a hand to her forehead.
"You okay?"
Not seeming to hear her, Dash mutters under her breath, "This is such a stupid way to die."
"You're not goin' to die," Applejack declares firmly, patting a tissue against Dash's drenched crop top. "I won't let that happen."
Applejack hears a grunt in response and looks up to see Dash squeezing her eyes shut.
Alarms blare in Applejack's mind.
"Hey, stay awake, okay?"
Dash draws out a breath. "Okay."
Her voice is strained with effort. Anxiously, Applejack resumes drying Dash's damp clothes. Eventually, Dash's ragged breathing slows until she is quiet. Too quiet.
Worried, Applejack looks up from where she's pressing napkins into her leather jacket. Both Dash's brows and lips are downturned, like a bow about to shoot an arrow of complaints, and her eyes are still closed. Suddenly, her head lolls forwards and her body follows. Dropping the tissues, Applejack holds her shoulders to keep her upright.
"Dash?"
Dash remains silent.
Panic strikes Applejack like lightning. She's frantically shaking Dash before she realises that it might be a bad idea.
"Rainbow! Wake up! You said you'd stay awake-"
Applejack jumps when she feels a hand brush past her lips.
"So loud," Dash grumbles, dropping her arm. She follows with a curse. "My head..."
"I know, sugarcube," Applejack says as soothingly as she can. Which is harder than she expects, after being tossed between fear and relief like a ragdoll on a bucking horse. "Jus' stay with me, okay?"
She's practically begging at this point. If Dash was sober, she'd be making fun of her, no doubt. Instead, Dash just leans into her.
"Why would I want to leave you?"
It's a confused mumble. Applejack's heart melts so fast her mind spins. Before she realises it, Applejack is pulling Dash into an embrace.
"You're goin' to be alright," Applejack promises. "I'm right here."
Applejack feels a long exhale brush past her neck, exhausted and pained. Dash's forehead falls onto her shoulder.
"I trust you."
The soft declaration almost wounds Applejack. She wishes she could have heard those words under different circumstances. Instead of responding, she just holds Dash tighter.
They wait like that for what feels like forever, Dash draped over Applejack and semi-conscious, Applejack clutching her like a lifeline. Eventually, sirens echo in the distance, stirring them out of their bubble.
"That's our cue," Applejack nudges Dash gently.
No response.
Her skin burns feverish.
Applejack's blood runs cold.
Wrapping her arms around Dash, Applejack hefts her off the counter. The following moments are a blur. Red and blue flash before her vision. The girl hanging limply in her arms shudders. Emergency service workers take her from her grasp. Applejack doesn't want to let her go.
A multitude of voices muffle around her as the ambulance swerves to and fro, but that's nothing compared to the sight of Dash lying unconscious on the stretcher, an oxygen mask strapped across her face and needles stabbing into her. Nausea fills Applejack.
The ambulance finally rolls to a stop. Doors are yanked open and Dash is wheeled out towards a hospital entrance, people shouting and sprinting. Applejack stands up to follow and immediately stumbles, her legs shaking. She doesn't give herself the chance to recover. Applejack chases after them.
Applejack presses her back further into the wall as if that can ground her. She hates hospitals. The scent of chemicals clings to the back of her throat, almost as intense as the dread pumping through her veins. The harsh, white hospital bulbs are an unwelcome contrast to the warm lighting of the bar she works at, with the exception of a few neon signs. Dash had gifted her one of the signs. A rainbow coloured apple. For serving the best apple cider known to mankind.
Applejack is stirred from her thoughts when a doctor leaves the room beside her.
"Is Dash okay?" she asks, shooting upright.
Surprised, the doctor whirls around, dropping his clipboard. Applejack catches it.
"Sorry 'bout that," she hands the clipboard back sheepishly. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"No worries. You have some quick reflexes," the doctor smiles good-naturedly. Applejack can't help but think, Dash would have been faster. "And yes, Rainbow Dash is alright. After running a blood test to find out which drugs she was spiked with, we gave her some antibiotics which will help her recover."
Applejack's relief is rapidly replaced with guilt. She had saved Rainbow's drink beneath the counter so that they would be able to detect the drugs quicker but she'd forgotten it in her haste. Pausing, Applejack realises that it might still be there and could help the police identify the suspect's fingerprints. Mentally, she makes a note to call the police later.
"She's lucky you were there."
Applejack blinks at the doctor, who gives her a meaningful look. She squashes her guilt down and tries for a smile.
"Can I see her?"
The doctor nods his assent. It takes all of Applejack's self-control to not break the darn door down. Stepping inside, her eyes find Dash straight away.
She's still unconscious, but this time, her expression looks peaceful. As if she's just asleep, living the wild dreams she always tells Applejack about. Only the constant beeping of the heart monitor breaks the illusion, but Applejack likes the reminders that Dash is alive.
Automatically, Applejack pulls a chair closer to Dash's bed and plops herself down. It still doesn't feel real. One moment she was serving Dash the usual, the next...
Applejack releases a quivering breath. Just the memory of Dash hanging in her arms scares her. More than she can understand.
Something rustles. Lifting her head, Applejack finds Dash already looking at her. Weakly, Dash moves her hand towards her.
Applejack hesitates before joining their hands together. She glances up again to see a feeble grin behind the oxygen mask.
"You scared me, Dash."
Dash attempts to respond but all Applejack can hear is an incoherent sequence of muffled noises.
"I can't hear you with that mask on."
Rolling her eyes, Dash settles for interlacing their fingers and squeezing them gently. Applejack laughs and squeezes back. Their gazes meet again. Later, they'll be able to continue this conversation, but for now, Applejack is content with staying by Dash's side.