Chaser gratefully pulled herself out from under the bed and scrambled her legs for a moment, trying to find purchase and stand. She manages to do so, breathing a sigh of relief so strong that it was mistaken for a yawn. Chaser looked at the cracked but solid glass window and blushed.

“So, um. You caught me, I guess..” Chaser’s voice took on a strange tone. It was hard to place- sort of playful, sort of.. challenging? “You should probably punish me for all the troublve caused.. ” She pawed the ground nervously. “I mean, if you want to.” She curved her head to look up at AJ, a strange mood still over her.

Without warning she leaned up and pressed her lips to Applejack’s briefly, stealing a kiss from the older mare and immediately returning to her blushing, nervous yet strangely playful state. 
——————————
Applejack was quite caught off guard by Chaser’s actions, her cheeks immediately flushing bright red like the apples on the nearby trees outside.

“P-punish ya, sugarcube? Why would Ah wanna…?”

She realizes what Chaser is meaning by this…Her tone, body language…Applejack can’t help but chuckle.

“Somepony’s a lil’ more’n playful, huh?” The older orange mare giggles. Chaser was getting harder and harder to predict, but a familiar feeling from days in the past were showing up once more.

“Will do,” Shima spoke to Fluttershy, “but first I am going to need my clothes back.”   He turns his head to look at Pinkie only to find that she is not longer wearing his clothes.

“But you’re already wearing them,” she replied with a grin.

Sure enough when he looked down he found himself fully dressed.  “But?  What?  How?  Oh I think I need to lie down now.  My head is starting to hurt.”  He started rubbing the sides of his head trying to wrap his brain around what had just happened or who it could have happened.  Did this pink pony somehow have control over time?  Could she warp reality?  Did she have control over the five senses causing anyone who looks at her to be under complete hypnosis? 

The sound of a loud gasp broke him out of his train of thought.  Pinkie was now staring at him with sad yet determined eyes.

“I get it now.  Why my Pinkie sense keeps telling me that something is lost whenever I’m around you.  Why you can still be here with that massive wound.”  She closed her eyes and spoke solemnly.  “The thing that is lost is you.  You’re a lost soul still trapped on this mortal plane.” 

When she saw confusion on his face Pinkie spoke more directly.  “You’re dead and you don’t even know it.  But don’t worry.  I promise I will not rest until I help you cross over to the other side where you may gain your eternal rest.”   Leaving Shima stunned in silence she bounced her way out of the room mumbling to herself.  “I wonder if Twilight has any books on exorcising spirits?”

He had no words to say.  Looking at Applejack in the eyes he said the only thing he could.  “I’m not dead.”
————————-
Applejack blinked, stood there…Then blinked more. With the wound he had in his chest, it would have been quite believeable…

“Are ya sure about that? Ah mean, Pinkie sensed it…” she smirks a bit, raising a brow to him as her lips curled up into a smile, bumping her flank on his leg as she starts to walk off towards the doors.

“C’mon, Shima, before Pinkie comes back. Hopefully we can get a head start before then.” Applejack says calmly, but then she looks him straight in the eyes. “She ain’t gonna leave ya be now.”

“Well, I guess I just didn’t want to be a bother is all.” He pets her mane lightly.
——————————-
“Ya never would be a bother to me, hon…Don’t think like that.” she smiles, resting her head on him while he strokes her mane. Applejack loosens her hair tie, laying it on the ground as she sighs softly*

“Ya mean everythin’ to me…”

“Nonsense, you’re just the pony I needed to see~” He chuckles. “Kinda been in a rough spot lately.”
——————————
“Awwwwww…” AJ stays silent for a moment, nosing his neck before resting her chin on Gunboat’s shoulder.

“Why didn’t ya tell me…? Ah woulda been glad ta help ya…”

The agent beams a smile and wraps his forelegs around AJ. “Well, hello little lady~” He lightly kisses her on the lips. “Fancy meeting you here.”
——————————-
The mare smiles, blushing a bit as she nuzzles the agent’s cheek softly.
“Ah reckoned Ah’d find ya out here, ‘specially since ya said ya were wantin’ some quiet…” she giggles softly, scooting up closer to him.
“Ah hope Ah’m not interuptin’ it…~”

Gunboat Storm sits underneath a tree. Things have been really really hectic as of late, and not with just his job. Though he knows he’ll hate himself in the morning for it, he simply called in sick today. Anything to get away for even just a short while.
———————————-
The breeze blows through softly, the sound of hooves trotting along on the dirt mixed in with it as a shadow looms over Gunboat. Above him stands an orange earth mare, smiling down at him, stetson on her head.

“Howdy there, pardner~” she smiles warmly, lowering herself to the ground as she nestles into the grass and dirt, lazing on the other pony just a wee bit.

Rarity frowned as she released Shima from her magic.  She knew she was going to get no where in the current situation. No matter what protests she could bring forth they would only be dismissed; at least while Applejack was around.   Applejack seemed unusually keen on keeping anypony from getting too close to Shima.  Rarity ran her tongue across the back of her teeth several times as she wondered what the reasoning behind that could have been.

Having been freed from Rarity’s magical grip Shima smiled at the timid yellow pegasus.  It was rather endearing to have these creatures whom he had only just met have this much concern for him.  He felt a slight sting of guilt for making them worry so much, even if unintentional. 

He let out a small sigh.  “No no it’s all right.  You didn’t over step your bound.  If it will put your mind all of your minds at rest then I will agree to an examination.  As thorough a one as you see fit to put all your fears to rest.”  He could see several sets of eyes and ears quickly pointing in his direction.  “But later!”  He quickly emphasized.

Shima stole a glance at Applejack holding her gaze for a moment.  He smiled weakly at her resigned to his fate that he knew awaited him.  A touching, feeling, ticklish fate.
—————————————————
Applejack smirked faintly, giving her head a quick shake as she held back a laugh. There were some pretty heavy things hanging in the balance, from Shima’s description of this mysterious artifact…One that she didn’t want to fall into the wrong hooves.

“Sounds good, but like ya said, when ya ain’t so busy.” she winked at Shima, trying to keep curiosity on the down low.

“Oh, yes, we’d all like to make sure you’re fine, Mister Shima, sir.” Fluttershy said quietly as she smiles warmly. Even though it was quite the small smile, her concerns put aside for the time being. “Be sure to let us all know, okay?”

“I’m- I don’t think I was supposed to fit under here.” Chaser admitted nervously. “I guess I’ve grown a little bit since last time I was here..” She began to squirm, working her way out from under the bed- it had been easy to get under the bed with her momentum, none of which she had now. She managed to make it almost all the way out, but her rump caught on the frame of the bed, unable to squeeze past.

“Err.. Help?” Chaser asked tentatively, looking a little humiliated at the scene she found herself in. “Just-j lift the bed or something for a second. I can’t get my hind legs into any kind of lifting position..”
———————————————————-
Applejack had to hold back a laugh, not wanting the young mare to feel even more embarrassed than she already had been.

“Ya sure did, hon. Hang on a sec…”

The strong orange earth pony firmly planted her frontal hooves into the wooden floor boards as best as she could, giving her flank a little wiggle as she prepped herself. Applejack placed her hind hooves beneath the wooden bedframe, slowly lifting up the bed with her hind legs. She held it in place quite well, easily giving Chaser enough room to escape.

“T-there ya go, Chaser. C-C’mon outta there.” The older mare smiles warmly to heer sheepish unicorn friend. Boy, things sure had changed since all that time ago…

Any attempt Shima made to sit up was stopped by Rarity’s magic holding him down.

“Fluttershy dear, you have experience in dealing with injuries correct?  What do you make of these scars?  He says he’s fine but I’m afraid I have my doubts.”  Rarity spoke as she lifted Shima and placed him right in front of Fluttershy.
—————————————-
Fluttershy’s eyes grow wide, almost adverting her gaze on the mere glimpse of his wounds. The meek yellow mare winces and whimpers a bit, turning her gaze back towards Shima. She bites at her lower lip, tilting her head as she raises a quaking frontal hoof up to it, her hoof unable to stay steady before lowering it back to the ground as she drops right on her flank, looking away.

“T-That…Doesn’t look good…” Fluttershy barely gets out the words above a whisper. “You….Y-You can’t be comfortable with that wound…”

Applejack frowns. Whatever had caused the wound definitely wasn’t -natural-…Nothing she had ever seen, anyway.

“He says he’s fine though, can’t we just leave it be?”

Fluttershy picks herself back up onto her hooves, looking away from Shima.

“I…I’m sorry if I overtrotted my bounds…” came the quiet apology.

Now if Rarity would leave Shima be, he and Applejack could finally pull away from everypony. That Golden Apple wasn’t going to find itself!

He gave a firm nod to Applejack.  “Okay, I promise.”  He turns to look at Pinkie  “If it’s all right with you I would like my clothes back.”   She didn’t respond immediately instead eyeing him up cautiously as she slowly walked circles around him.

“How did it happen?”  She finally spoke hesitantly. 

Scratching his head his eyes shifted from Pinkie to Applejack.  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell them or that it was some secret he wanted to keep.  He just didn’t want any unnecessary worry directed his way. Still he doubted they’d let it go without at least the smallest bit of explanation.  He sat down next to Pinkie.

“It happened a while back.  So far back that it feels like a past life.  Quite literally perhaps.”  He says the last sentence devoid of humor.  “I had a disagreement with some people.  This is the end result.”

“What?  Who would be such a meanie to do such a thing?”  Pinkie’s expression changed every so slightly.  She was still frowning but it was more so because she was becoming mad.

“It’s all right,” Shima said running a hand through his still damp hair.  “I was sort of the meanie in that situation.”  He gave a sad smile.   “So I guess you can say this is me getting my just desserts.” 

Pinkie was unsure how to react.  She pulled a sleeve up exposing a hoof.  “Why would you say something like that?  Who deserves this?”  She poked him firmly in the chest.  He jerked back quickly in response.  He would have fallen flat on this back had he not bumped into something behind him.  He felt a pair of hooves pressing against his back holding him up; his body tensing up.

“Are you sure your wounds aren’t bothering you?”  Rarity asked pushing him so he was sitting upright again.  “I remember you reacting in a similar discomforting way when I touched you there.”

“Oh my gosh I’m sorry!  I didn’t hurt you did I?”  The concern and worry reappearing in Pinkie’s eyes.

“No no it’s not that.  They don’t hurt it’s just that well you see I, ummm.”  Shima trailed off feeling trapped in between the two mares.
—————————————————————
Applejack could only glance back and forth between Pinkie and Rarity, trying not to stare at his scar herself. “C’mon y’all, if he says he ain’t feelin’ no pain, let ‘em be.”

She knew Shima’s secret, with pony hooves…This wasn’t going to end well at all, Pinkie and Rarity poking at him like that. “Anyways, we gotta git a goin’, Shima. Ah’m feelin’ better luckily!”

Her green eyes continued to glance around, Rarity clearly looking unamused at AJ’s sudden haste to leave…When suddenly Fluttershy trots back into the room.

“Oh…Hello everypony. Did I…Miss something?”