Family & Friends
Family and Friends
by Raefire
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Sunlight streamed through the window of the house at Sweet Apple Acres. It was noon, and everypony in the family had woken up. All except for Winona. The family dog was in the living room, more asleep than a log. Applejack smirked as she looked at the peaceful collie. She almost didn't want to wake her. But upon waking, the old girl would know a pet playdate had been missed – and wouldn't let her forget.
“Hey, sleepyhead...It's noon, you know.” Applejack nuzzled Winona's head. “Ya' can't sleep in all day.” The dog's eyes opened, but then slowly closed again. “Oh, so it's gonna be like that, eh?” Applejack gently rustled her with a hoof, drawing an annoyed growl. “Oh, stop it, ya' grump. You can sleep again later. Come on, big girl. Wake up. It's playdate time! Do you wanna miss that, ya' old silly?”
That seemed to work. Applejack stepped back while Winona finally roused herself, slowly stretching and yawning. It seemed to take fifteen minutes, but eventually her friend was awake. She took her outside, and while Winona did her morning business, fetched from the barn the small red wagon her parents had giddily towed her around in as a foal. After lining it with a few towels, she brought it back to where Winona was patiently waiting. She couldn't walk Winona to the pet playdate anymore – the dog would be too exhausted to do anything when they arrived at the park. “Okay, big girl,” she grunted, picking up the dog and plopping her in the wagon. “Up and in.” Winona licked her. “I love you, too.”
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“Well, hey there, little girl! Ain't you the cutest thing!” The little freckled filly giggled as the tiny ball of fur attacked her, knocking her on her back and slapping a lot of slobbery licks all over her face. “Okay, okay, girl... I get the point,” she laughed, shoving the excited puppy off of her. The dog jumped back and wagged its tail, barking. “What should I call you, sugar? Sugar?” The little puppy shook her head. “I'm just jokin' with ya, doggy... Um... Hey, I got it! Ma suggested Winona. You like that?”
The puppy excitedly yipped, tail wagging. She licked her new friend happily on being picked up again.
Little Applejack laughed. “Ya' do like that name? Okay, girl! Your name is Winona! Now come on, Winona – I'll race ya' to the barn!” She giggled and took off, the little collie dashing right off after her.
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“Whoah!” Dash yelped as the stick flew past her and landed in the grass near her hooves.
Applejack appeared, towing Winona in the wagon. “See it? Alright, when I put you down, go fetch!”
“Running a little late for the playdate, are we, Applejack?” teased the pegasus – immediately feeling bad upon seeing Applejack take the border collie out of the wagon and gently place her on the ground. Winona barked and beelined straight for the stick – at a limping, rather beleaguered pace. Dash hung her head. “Oh, right. Yeah. Sorry `bout that, AJ. I keep forgetting how she is these days.”
Applejack waved it off. “Ya' ain't got nothin' to apologize for, Rainbow. Winona's knees just ain't what they used to be. All the better for her to get some exercise at these playdates. Besides,” she grinned, glancing at Dash's lethargically pacing tortoise. “She's still faster than Tank.”
Rainbow ignored the comeback. “Oh, hey, I already told the others, but just so you know: Cloudsdale scheduled some emergency morning rainstorms for the next couple of days...Might go a whole week, but they're not completely sure. So we may not be able to have an outdoors playdate next week.”
Twilight trotted over, Owloysius on her back. “Rainbow, don't worry about that. All I have to do is put up a spell to protect the books in the library, and we can have the playdate there. Or maybe we could have it in Applejack's barn, if she's okay with it. Are you okay with that, Applejack? Uh... Applejack?”
Applejack looked at the stick she'd thrown earlier. Tank “lunged” for it with his beak, but Winona picked it up first. Swiftly, however, Angel ran through, giddily grabbing the stick from the collie's mouth. The dog limped off after the thief, tail wagging away. Sensing his old friend was not with him, Angel stopped, turned around, bowed his head – and apologetically returned the stick to Winona. Winona barked and happily licked Angel in thanks – much to his irritation. Applejack simply smiled.
“Hello! Applejack? Can we use the barn or not?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Huh? Oh, yeah... No problem, girls.”
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A sharp yelp in her ear and a stinging scratch on her face snatched the filly awake. “Ow! Hey! What–”
Lightning and thunder crashed, drawing another terrified yelp from the puppy standing on her neck, who leaped off her and ran to the darkest part of the room. “Oh, big girl... Is the lightning scaring you?” Applejack quickly got up and approached cautiously, hoofs outstretched. Winona yipped, but cautiously moved forward. “Come here... Come on... The weather ain't gonna hurt you.”
Eventually, the puppy made it to her. Applejack cradled her, rocking the little thing back and forth, calmly petting and shushing her. A few thunderclaps later, Winona didn't even react. The filly smiled, lying on her stomach, letting the puppy down beside her. “See? It's not so bad!” Winona crawled up, sleepily rubbing against her owner's chest before curling up there, yawning. Applejack chuckled. “You wanna sleep there? Okay.” She curled her tail around the little dog, and soon the two were snoring.
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The playdate over, Applejack gathered Winona up into the wagon. They made it back to Sweet Apple Acres just in time for dinner, greeted by a cheerful Granny Smith. “Back right on time, just as always!”
Winona gave an attempt at a happy bark before heading right over to her bed, spinning a few times, then almost immediately dropping into an extremely deep nap. Applejack couldn't help but chuckle.
“Aw, ya' plum tuckered her out again!” whined Apple Bloom. “I was gonna play with her after dinner!”
“Now now, Apple Bloom,” Granny chastised. “She's just getting into the same habit your old Granny's fallen into when it comes to sleepin'. She'll be up after you've finished your food. Don't you worry.”
“Yeah, but just long enough for Applejack to give her her medicine...”
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“Whoah! Easy there, Winona! Easy, easy! Okay, OKAY! Stop barkin! Ya' got my attention already!”
Winona kept on barking, however, constantly running towards one direction and circling around.
“Huh? Did you find something, girl?” Applejack's eyes lit up. “Go on then! Show me what ya' found!”
The dog barked happily, taking off down the path. A short while, Winona stopped, jumping around and barking incessantly at the fence marking the edge of the land belonging to Sweet Apple Acres.
“You wanted to show me the fence?” asked Applejack, perplexed. “Winona, you silly dog...”
But Winona kept barking – and Applejack finally noticed it: A hat was hanging on one of the fence posts. Winona leaped up and barely managed to snag it in her jaws, bringing it back over. She stood up on her hind legs and dropped the hat right on her owner's head. Applejack giggled, and ran back off towards the house, the hat sometimes falling over her eyes. “Hey Ma! Pa! Look what Winona found!”
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“Winona, I know, sweetie. This medicine tastes somethin' awful. But ya' gotta take it!” With some extra manoeuvring and twisting around to hold her steady, Applejack finally managed to get the dropper in the aged dog's mouth. Winona recoiled from the medicine on her tongue, furiously whipping her head about trying to rid herself of it. “Oh, stop that, ya' old grump. You're getting' fussier than Granny, ya' know that?” Applejack rustled the fur behind the perturbed collie's ear and nuzzled her.
Slowly, Winona calmed down. “There we go... Now, was that so hard, grumpy? Was that so hard?” Applejack pet her old friend softly. “You're a good dog, Winona... Even when you are a bit of a pain.” She gently kissed her on the forehead, eliciting a slow wag of the tail from the collie. “Goodnight.”
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“First place, Winona! First place! We won the sheep herding competition!” Applejack laughed, skipping all around the Canterlot Arena's stable area, the blue ribbon medal jingling around her neck. Winona circled her ecstatic owner, happily barking, tail wagging. “And it was all thanks to you, big girl!” Applejack leaned down and ruffled the collie's forehead. “Ma and Pa are gonna be so proud when we get home! The first time they let me go to a rodeo alone, and we win!” Winona responded to the compliment by knocking her down and covering her with happy licks, causing Applejack to laugh – and then suddenly snatched the hat right off of her head, bolting towards the Arena entrance.
“What – Hey! You little rascal! Get back here with that! You know Ma made that hat for me since Pa's old one you found was too big for my head! She'll kill me if I end up losing it at my first solo Rodeo!”
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“Applejack? Applejack!”
“What? What?” Applejack woke and galloped over to Apple Bloom – and her own ears flattened.
Winona was lying there, unmoving, except for her eyes, which looked up when she drew near.
“She's just been sittin' there like that all mornin'! I know she hates to take her medicine, but now she won't even take a drink of water or eat any of her food! Should we go and get Fluttershy, Sis?”
Applejack drew Apple Bloom in against her chest. “Shh... There's really no use callin' Fluttershy now.”
Apple Bloom started to protest, but stopped, considering.
“We'd just be wastin' her time.”
The filly sniffed away some tears. “How – How long before she–”
“I don't know. Best we can do now is make the old girl as comfortable as possible. Go get a blanket.”
Apple Bloom nodded, running off. Applejack looked at the rain outside. “It just had to be this week...”
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“Ma! Pa! We're back! We're back! And we won the sheep herding competition! Look! Look! We won–” Applejack froze, the medal dangling on her outstretched hoof.
Standing on the front porch were Big Mac and Granny Smith. The elder one held in her hooves the crying baby Apple Bloom, swaddled in rags. Big Macintosh had a huge bandage around his chest.
Winona sensed something. She whined, her ears peeling back against her head. A terrified lump formed in Applejack's throat as she studied her family members' sullen faces. “...Ma? ...Pa?”
“Sis...I – I tried to save... but I wasn't–” Big Mac suddenly choked up and ran into the house.
Granny Smith watched him go, then turned back to the stunned Applejack. “...They're gone, dear.”
The blue ribbon medal fell to the dirt, striking a random pebble with a loud CLANG.
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Two days passed. The rain barely let up. And Winona barely moved. Unable to do any farm work outside, Applejack sat next to the dog every chance she could get. Sometimes, Apple Bloom, Big Mac or Granny Smith joined her, gently reminding her that she wasn't the only one in the family affected.
On the third day, Applejack looked up after finishing her late afternoon lunch to see that the rain had passed, and the sun was peeking around clouds that still hung in the sky. She walked over to her near-motionless friend. A soft smile curled over her lips. “Come on now, big girl. Let's get you outside.”
Minutes later, she gently set Winona down on the damp blades of grass. The wind was still cold, but the sun was more than enough to make up the difference. Applejack sighed, watching the cool breeze stir the dog's fur while the sun kissed their hides. She smiled down at her old friend. “Ya' always love lyin' out here watchin' the sunset after a hard day's work. Well, sun ain't settin' at the moment, but I figure you'd at least appreciate being out in it. Better than bein' cooped up inside all day, am I right?”
Winona didn't move or answer, but she did look her owner's way. Knowing her so well from their many years together, Applejack knew exactly what her friend was trying to say to her: Thank you.
She laid down next to her, rolling her head against the dog's body, feeling Winona's steady breathing. The animal's chest rose and fell with serious labour, but it was clear she was content with the company.
Applejack wrapped a hoof around her, staying until the sun had vanished before bringing her back in.
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“Yeah, it's me again, Ma. Things are goin' great at the farm. We might even be able to raise enough money this year to fix Granny Smith's hip! And maybe even Big Mac's injury – which he aggravated again...” The farmer adjusted her hat. “You should see Apple Bloom, too! Just as feisty and bright as I was when I was young! Winona's getting' up there in age, but she ain't lost a thing so far! Fact, we ain't lost a single herdin' competition in a long time! Ain't that right, big girl?” Winona barked in response.
Applejack chuckled. “Ya' both heard that, right, Pa? Oh – I met a new friend because of her! Shy little pegasus named Fluttershy. Silly Winona was chasin' after a little bunny down the road – I mean, you know how she's always been with suddenly runnin' off after varmints...” She kneeled on her front hooves in her excited babbling. “Anyways, turned out that bunny was this gal Fluttershy's pet. But that ain't the half of it! Fluttershy's a strange pegasus, that's for sure. Only one I know who loves the ground more than the sky. She's really nice, though pretty dang shy when it comes to talking to other ponies. But stars above, does she have a way with animals! Her cottage is full of the critters!”
Winona barked again. Applejack looked up. “Oh... Yeah. Well, sun's settin'. Gotta get back in time for dinner. Look at that. I just came here to do this, and I got myself ramblin' again... Best get back!”
She stood up and signaled to Winona that it was time to go. Before they stepped out of the cemetery, she draped yet another first place medal on the gravestones of her parents.
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The night didn't go so well. To Applejack's surprise, Winona moved her head – but the joy was soon tempered by pain when the border collie tried to bark, only for it to come out of her water-starved mouth as the most gut-wrenching wheeze the farm pony had ever heard. No matter how she tried to calm Winona, the dog kept trying to bark. And the more the dog wheezed, the more Applejack's heart ripped. The ordeal continued on past midnight, until Winona finally tired herself out and fell asleep.
Just as tired from fighting back her emotions, the farm pony finally managed to fall asleep herself.
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“Winona! Give me back my hat! You know I ain't in the mood for that after visiting Ma and Pa! Get–”
WHAM! The farm pony ran smack into a pony walking down the path. “Ow! Uh...Sorry bout that...”
She looked up into the smiling eyes of a very happy pink pony with a very curly mane. “Oh, don't worry about it! Your dog's just trying to cheer you up! A cemetery's not exactly a very happy place.” The pony extended her hoof with a beaming smile. “My name's Pinkie Pie. What's yours?”
The farmer smiled back, letting the other pony help her to her feet. “Applejack. My name's Applejack.”
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The rain was falling again when her eyes opened, but inside there was an unearthly silence. It unnerved Applejack greatly. She swiftly stood up and made her way to the kitchen, forcing herself not to look down. She made a bowl of oats cereal for breakfast, the loud crunching as she ate bringing a soothing normality of noise back into her ears. It was how the house was supposed to sound in the morning.
So focused had she made herself on her meal, she didn't realize company had joined her.
“Sis...”
Applejack jumped at Big Mac's whisper, nearly choking on her meal, surprised to see her family standing behind behind her, their eyes lost in emotion. “W–What?”
Apple Bloom gestured her head back, her lips trembling. “I – I think...”
A lump formed in Applejack's throat. She closed her eyes and gradually turned around, hoping to see just a sleeping collie. But when she opened them again, she found that her wish had not been granted.
Winona wasn't moving at all. There was no sign of breathing. Her tongue hung limply out of her jaw.
Applejack stonewalled her emotions as she collapsed next to her companion, running a hoof through Winona's fur in a last vain attempt to rouse life from her. But it was no use. The day had finally come. She cradled the lifeless body in her hooves, rocking back and forth, trying furiously to calm herself down as she had a scared puppy so many years ago. She nuzzled and kissed Winona's forehead. “Goodbye, big girl...” It was too much, and the dam broke. A few tears escaped, dripping on her face.
The rest of her family embraced her, all of them crying softly. The rain softly pattered against the windows of Sweet Apple Acres as its occupants consoled each other over their mutual loss.
Applejack didn't talk for the rest of the day. She could barely do any chores around the house without choking up, and constantly returned to the living room – prodding Winona's body some more, telling herself it hadn't happened and praying desperately for the dog to move. But Winona never moved.
That evening, she eventually admitted to herself that Winona was indeed gone. She found herself standing outside in the thunderstorm, staring at the patch of grass still indented with Winona's shape from their previous day of basking in the sun, trying to figure out just what to do with her fallen companion's body. She couldn't tell the rain from her tears anymore by the time she finally decided.
She ran to the barn, dragging out the little wagon and some tarps. Winona had one last trip to make.
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“You said you lost your Ma and Pa? Well, why don't we throw a party for them?”
“...Throw a party for them? Why in the hay would I want to throw a party for two dead ponies?”
“To celebrate their lives, silly! I did it after I lost my Granny Pie!”
Winona returned, hat in her mouth. Applejack snatched it back, and cleaned it off while she pondered Pinkie's words for a while. She put the hat back on her head and grinned. “Ya' know what, Pinkie? That don't sound like a bad idea. Lemme just get home to tell my family and all what we're doin'.”
“Great! I'll go get Rarity! She's so totally awesome with fabric, and we're gonna need decorations!”
Winona simply barked, joyfully following her owner.
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A sudden knock interrupted Fluttershy from trying to get Angel to eat his lunch again. “Huh?”
She opened her door to the sight of Applejack. The mare's hat was soaked through, and her drenched mane was flat against her bowed face. Her friend was pulling her wagon, loaded with something.
“Oh my, Applejack! You look awful!”
Applejack grabbed a huge tarp-covered bundle from the wagon and dropped it in the surprised animal caretaker's hooves. “Winona's gone. I'm on my way to get her cremated. But we ain't got a need for her blankets, toys and medicine anymore. Thought all your animal friends could put `em to good use.”
“Winona's – WHAT?! Wait, Applejack!” yelled Fluttershy – but her friend was already hightailing it away from the cottage in a fit of tears, headed for the funeral home. “...I'm so sorry for your loss...”
Fluttershy sighed and stepped back into her house – and saw a piece of paper fall out of the bundle. “What's this?” Angel picked it up and held it out for her to read. “Fluttershy: You're the only pony besides my family who knows Winona is dead now. I feel bad breaking it to you first, but you're the first friend I met because of her, so it just felt right. Anyways, can you please do me a favour, and get all the others to meet up at our normal pet playdate area tomorrow afternoon? You can tell them if you want. My heart's just too knotted to face anypony else right now. And please ask Pinkie to NOT secretly invite the whole town this time? I want just my closest friends to be there when I do this. –Applejack.”
Angel's ears drooped. His lip trembled. Fluttershy drew him against her as he cried. “Oh, Angel...”
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The next day, Applejack slowly walked up the path to the park. Clouds filled the sky while she fiercely held onto the little box she carried. Behind her came the rest of her family, their faces solemn.
The sight of her friends waiting for her, pets by their side... It was easily the best moment of her day. She set the box down and embraced the other ponies. “Thank you, girls... Thank you so much for bein' here. I honestly can't tell you how much this means to me. Winona was the friend who helped me get through Ma and Pa's passin'. Only seems fittin' that y'all be the ones to help me get through hers.”
“Of course, darling,” Rarity comforted. Opalescence gave a sad meow. “Oh, I know it's not going to be the same, Opal. But you'll just have to angrily hiss and swat at Gummi or Owloysius from now on.”
The comment drew a hearty chuckle from all the friends. Twilight nodded at Applejack. “If you just want to talk, you know where we are.” Owloysius hooted in approval from the unicorn's shoulder.
“Thanks, Twi.”
Pinkie didn't say anything. She simply offered a comforting hug – which Applejack accepted.
“Wait a minute...” Fluttershy looked around. “Where's Rainbow Dash?”
Sudden streaks zipping across the sky coincided with all the clouds quickly disappearing. Dash appeared with Tank a few seconds later. “Sorry. I had to make sure that every cloud was gone.”
Applejack nodded her thanks, sighing as the full sun hit her hide, warming it greatly. She took the box and carefully unwrapped the smaller bag that was nestled inside it. “We've already spread most of her around the farm, but it just didn't feel right to leave this place out of the equation. Winona loved these days so much... A part of her deserves to be here, too, so she can watch over her friends until time reunites them again.” She emptied the rest of the little bag, letting the ashes drift into the light wind.
Some of the ashes as were caught in a quick updraft of air. Everypony's eyes followed the flakes, rising towards the sky like little grey ribbons. Applejack smirked, tipping her hat up towards the blue.
“Go on, big girl. You go play with Ma and Pa now.”
FIN
In Memory of Khan and Tasha
1994-2011
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god damnit man...I'm in school...manly tears shouldn't be shed in the middle of lunch...
This really hit me hard, especially the ending lines.
I'm not much of a pet lover, but I do have to say. Well done.
wow, just wow... like dark0592 i'm in school, and I nearly started crying manly tears too. This really hit me hard because I have a dog that's getting up there in age, and I can't imagine her gone. You love these pets like a member of the family, and i'm sure it hurts like losing one too when they're gone. Very well done.
My dog just died a week ago, I had him since I was 12. Old flashbacks are coming
Five fluttercrys for you sir
A very nice one-shot. I love a good Winona story, and this fits the bill perfectly.
I know how she feels. I just lost my grandpa recently.
not gonna cry... not gonna cry... not gon-
Applejack smirked, tipping her hat up. “Go on, big girl. You go play with Ma and Pa now.”
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
THAT -sniffle, cough- WAS BEAUTIFUL -wipe tears off cheek- I WOULD PAY FOR THIS -more tears
- THIS IS BETTER THAN -sniffle- MONA LISA. BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 
Anyone who ever owned a pet knows how AJ feels in this story.
Rest easy, Winona.
403082
Aye!
I had a dog pass away nearly 10 years ago, and another one that I would be surprised if she made it through next year.
That was beautiful, made me miss my own dog, Holly.
Thanks for writing.
Every pet owner whose ever lost a pet will be able to identify with this story. I know I have, more than once. The loyalty of dogs really can't ever be over emphasized. When my little brother was in his bed, dying of cancer, one of our dogs crawled up into bed next to him and stayed with him the whole time, even after he had passed. My mother and older brother spent the whole night with the dog, thinking that since my brother had went, the dog would go too. He's still around, but he's mighty old.
There's a motto outside of an animal clinic in town that I think says it nicely: Pets aren't our whole lives, but they make our lives whole.
This was a wonderfully beautiful story.
Every pet owner whose ever lost a pet will be able to identify with this story. I know I have, more than once. The loyalty of dogs really can't ever be over emphasized. When my little brother was in his bed, dying of cancer, one of our dogs crawled up into bed next to him and stayed with him the whole time, even after he had passed. My mother and older brother spent the whole night with the dog, thinking that since my brother had went, the dog would go too. He's still around, but he's mighty old.
There's a motto outside of an animal clinic in town that I think says it nicely: Pets aren't our whole lives, but they make our lives whole.
This was a wonderfully beautiful story.
static.fjcdn.com/comments/every+fucking+time+_b3292a25d6114ef1e8d0177255ce0e3c.jpg
So
Bloody
Sad!!!!
This reminds me of my dog, Willy. I had him for 15 years before he sadly passed away. To this day, I still miss him. I can't even look at a picture of a cocker spainel (That's the type of dog Willy was) without being reminded of him.
Of course, I do know that he is in a better place now.
To quote Homer Simpson: "He's in Doggie heaven, where there is a moutain of bones and you can't turn around without sniffing another dog's butt."
Excellent stroy, my friend. I give it five sad Raritys.
That was pretty sad. And mostly well written.
My only gripe is that apparently Angel outlived Winona, which is weird, considering dogs have a much longer lifespan than rabbits.
471706
Actually, well cared-for domesticated rabbits can live for up to 15 years sometimes. The oldest rabbit on record lived to 18 years and 10 months. Given Fluttershy's talents as an animal caretaker, I'd say it's not that weird at all.
Oh, and the revision of this is coming. Just gotta get it reviewed one last time.
Revision is now live!
Aww. That is one of the saddest things I've ever read. I can definitely relate to this story. I had my 17 year old Dachshund cremated and I sprinkled his ashes in all his favorite spots.
Before I read this, is it basically a retelling of Old Yeller with ponies?
Excellent job. I remember when my dog died when I was a kid. My parents had her since before I was born. Very good job.
It's sad, but beautiful
Sigh. I just came back from the dormitory today and saw my dog, like I always do on the weekends. She was so eager to see me.
It's a great story, but I still wish I'd never read it.
:,( so sad! Reminds me of my last dog, and how sad I was when he passed.
God that story hit me right there.
I knew where it was going... but it was still a shock. Dammit... 
All my thumbs up, all of them.
Anyone whose lost a pet or had to let one go will know the pain Applejack's going through, I know I do, well done
man this hit me hard I lost my dog yesterday my parents got her when I was a baby. She was probably on of my greatest friends I miss that beagle so much
Five sad pinkies out of five :(
Fuck. I have a 15 year old cat in my garden right now, And with this Fic, I just remembered what will happen In some time.
By the story, I give you 6/5. Damn, I would like to be an spider to have many arms so I could give you more than 4 thumbs up. (?)
Wow...this hit me pretty hard. I just lost my 16 year old Golden Retriever, and he was arguably the sweetest dog you'd ever met. Much like Fluttershy in his temperament(afraid of darn near everything, but if anything threatened me he'd jump in to protect me)...I miss him everyday, and just like Applejack, I slept by his side the night before he died...I'm on the verge of tears, and not much is able to do that. Thank you for this...
Wow... that was... that was great.
Powerful, too. My hat's off to you, my good man. I especially liked that last line: “Go on, big girl. You go play with Ma and Pa now.” that was beautiful.
However, I d find myself wondering exactly what happened to AJ's parents. Could you explain at all, or is that part supposed to be left in mystery?
...I need to go outside...there's something I've got to do.
Everyone needs to cry once in a while...
Reminds me of my Shadow, beneath his favorite tree.
This was a very touching story. Solid four stars.
I cried. Then I cried harder when I remembered my dog Mason. She knew how to play hide and seek
This is pretty much exactly what played out with my dog Sadie. I cried big time.
Also, now featured on TV Tropes under the 'Other' folder.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/TearJerker/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicNonCanon
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TVTropes? Really? Wow...
I must thank all of you for your comments. As I mentioned in the blog post earlier today (and if the final lines of the story didn't make it blatantly obvious), this story was therapy for me, a tribute to my two best friends that I lost last year (the most lovely Lhasa Apsos ever...) Thank you for letting me know I didn't let their memories down. Someone on EqD commented that they're going to appreciate and treat their dog better after reading this. That...Wow. That moves me more than anything. Please do, good commenter. It's so worth it. Once again, thank you all. I can't tell you how much this means to me.
And suddenly, my heart stopped. You have definitely dredged up memories of past pets, my friend; a truly bittersweet and touching tale. Thank you.
If you stop and take the time to really read this story, you will be moved.
Darn you, Rarefire, in the most positive sense possible, for giving me a tear jerker to read at 2:00 in the morning.
I should be typing about how wonderful and bittersweet your story was. How well you conveyed emotions, and made me feel for Applejack... But the truth is, and I suspect it's the same for everypony who's ever lost a beloved pet... It made me think of the wonderful life of my own beloved pet.
Precious was family, a wonderful white cat who shared 20 years with us. She was so sweet and trusting. I remember how she climbed up a tree once, and was too scared to come down. My second youngest brother (the one she loved most... She treated him like her "baby") was still pretty little. She was not very old back then. He walked up and held his arms out and called her to jump. She trusted him completely, and let herself jump 60 feet from the tree, fearlessly, in to his soon to be torn up arms!
She loved us unconditionally. If we were sick, she came to our side. She saved my mother's life once by not giving up in convincing me to follow her. She was barely conscious. She was in the hospital for over a week, and she would have died that very night, had it not been for that cat.
She's been gone for half a decade, and I feel I could water a small tree with all the tears and snot in my nose right now.
I still love her to this day, and I always will. That cat had been with me through most of my childhood, all through high school, and all through college. She saw us grow up and leave home to start our own homes. She saw her favorite boy have a daughter of his own, and she lived long enough that the girl still remembers her.
Dumb eyes... can't focus through all the leaks... Good job breaking 'em, brony!
Her final day was... well, it was precious!
She woke up that morning, and though she didn't eat anything, she really couldn't that day, it was like she had 5 years shaved off her age. Her hips... She was able to jump into the window on her own, like the arthritis just left her. She spent the day just doing the things she loved. She watched the birds from the windows, she snuggled with her favorite toys, and she spent the day with my mother, not leaving her side. She was slower, but more active than she'd been in ages. She knew. I know she knew it. When she was ready, she laid in my mother's arms and slept forever.
I gotta go drink something now... Cause between Winona and Precious, I could water a garden!
I have to say... I feared for years the thought of her health failing, the possibility of having to consciously decide to put her down. The thought terrified me. It terrified me when she was 12, 14, 16, 18! I could not have prayed for a more peaceful, and a more beautiful way for her to pass. She went surrounded with love, she went with joy, and she went peacefully. What more can you ask for the end to a wonderful 20 years.
Precious's final day was beautiful...
Our dog Kunubs... We didn't even get to bury her...
Kunubs was a farm dog... 100% pure bred mutt!
She was "white", and by "white", I mean somewhere beteen white and a grungy muddy yellow, depending on what she rolled in!
She had many, many offspring, so she does live on. She was also the old Rainbow Dash...
The very definition of loyalty. She never killed any animal that we raised on the farm. She cared for them as well. That dog has not only nursed her own pups, but goat kids, and kittens. She once hurt one of the cats purely by accident. She became so depressed that we actually were worried she would make herself sick. She was so happy when the cat recovered! She was protective of every animal we raised. My father had a pigeon coop and also had rabbits. She would never attack the pigeons, ever, and once lunged for a wild rabbit that had gotten in with the domestic ones. She knew it didn't belong, and was protecting her bunnies! You didn't mess with her bunnies!
Silly dog was terrified of lightning, and begged to come inside and go into the basement during storms. She had the sweetest eyes. She'd perk one ear up, and let the other one flop. My dad could never say no to those eyes. He hated animals in the house, what with him being the life long farmer. Animals belong in the barn and the coops and the sheds... That dog though, she could sleep in the basement when it stormed. Precious was the only other animal that he "pretended" to not like living in the house. I got the incriminating photos to prove otherwise!
When Kunubs was still just a pup, antifreeze spilled on the ground while my dad was flushing the coolant from old Dodge Dart. She drank it. She should have died, she was suffering. My dad carried her out behind the grove... but he couldn't do it... he couldn't look at those puppy dog eyes through the sights of the rifle.
She made it. She lived. The big softie actually hid her till she got better!
That dog had lives like a cat. Between the antifreeze, and every other farm risk... For Luna's sakes! We accidentally RAN HER OVER WITH A TRACTOR (Farmall B) at TOP SPEED (15 MPH), on a solid gravel road... and she walked it off!
Her love for the boys is what got her, though... She used to cross the field and meet the neighbor's dog. For the terrible crime of "making his dog run off to the neighbor's field"... Kunubs disappeared. Of course we didn't know. She just never came home one day.
Drunkard monsters should not brag at bars of their crimes against innocent creatures who only know love and loyalty.
My youngest brother probably loved that dog more than anyone. He was training for the National Guard... He used to have a bit of a rough streak, and it was either the guards, or jail time. He chose to serve the nation, rather than serve time. He'd been going on some rather long runs to build up his body. There's a tiny little town, barely a village, about 5-6 miles down the gravel road from the farm we lived on. I think it has a population of like 80 people. The gas station/diner/bar/farmer's coop/grain elevator/fertilizer supply/tire shop/mechanic (yes, one place) is the tiny social gathering place for the town, and it connects to all the major country roads too, so all the dirt drunks like it, so they can drive home off the main roads, drunk as can be. My brother had stopped there to use the pay phone (remember those?). He picked up the handset, and overheard our neighbor bragging about how he shot that "dumb white dog" about 3 months prior, after downing a few Milwaukees. Not even sure if my brother bothered with his call. My brother used all of his guard training that night... and walked out. If the National guard did anything for him, they taught him how to hold back his temper.
Still... While my brother did resist the urge to pummel the sick bastard right then and there,
the Guards also showed him how to temper his temper into a focused goal instead...
Vengeance is a dish best served cold, and it takes time and planning to properly chill a dish...
NONE of that drunk's vehicles ever drove again.
My brother made sure of that, as his parting gift before shipping out to Iraq...
Sugar and rice, and sand in his I.C.E. That's what gas engines are 'fraid of.
My brother waited long enough for the man to destroy his engines.
He then came right out, and told him that he had done it, and why he had done it...
He wasn't gonna hide in a bar, get drunk, and gossip about it.
He told the man, to his face, that he considers the man's wrong now settled.
He didn't need to be driving drunk anyway. Last thing he needs is to add human to his kill count.
My brother also made it clear that the man had the right to make a fuss if he liked. He certainly had the right...
But his Guardsmen... his brothers... also stood with my brother that day.
They all knew what he had done.
They all made it clear they were walking away,
but if he followed them, gave even one of them, gave my brother trouble...
They made it clear that if you mess with one, you messed with them all.
And that man never bothered us again.
That was a dark time, back then...
We lost our beloved dog to a drunk asshole.
We worried for 2 years about my brother.
My brother endured his deployment, and eventually came home safe.
I can't say what he did was necessarily right.
Technically it was trespassing and destruction of property.
It doesn't bring Kunubs back either...
But the one thing it did do...
It sure scared the living shit out of that cowardly sack of shit pet killer, and kept him from driving drunk, to boot!
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If I honestly had the chance I would do the exact same thing your brother did in that situation. I'm very sorry for the loss of both of your pets. I know how much mine mean to me, and you've shown me I need to make what time I have with them special. Your story drove me to tears even more so than the original story did. I haven't cried that much in years. Thank you for telling your inspiring story, and I'm sure that asshole will get what's coming to him in the next life.
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Yeah... I think the thing that made both of those two pets so special, was they both had that "motherly" instinct. Precious was spayed. Never had a kitten, but she treated myself and my other siblings, as if we were her own kittens. She loved us, and cared for us like we were her own... and in some way, we were hers.
Kunubs was the perpetual mother. She had more experience than she ever should have had. She was never spayed, so yeah... poor example of pet ownership there... But you never saw a more loving and protective mother. Not just her pups, but everything. She wanted to love you. Family, friend, stranger, cattle, scootalo...
err... chickens, geese, swans, Rarity... 
err... I mean ducks, horses, goats, rabbits, pigeons... So. Many. Kinds of people and animals... She loved them all as if they were her own. She was the infinite mother on the farm... She cared for every critter, even the ones she didn't give birth to herself! 
I just lost my cat. He wasnt even a year old D: . Wonderful story!!
488199 We had a mutant zebra finch that lived 16 years. O___o
We've had 3 dogs, the second being the only one I actually cared about because he was simply so naturally well-behaved and intelligent. He's the only dog I've ever seen who could actually differentiate the commands in similar sentences, as well as follow a complex compound command (such as "Go into the den and get your new toy"), far beyond the ability of any other dog. The one we have now... utterly spoiled and uncontrollable. My mom babied him too much.
We've also had many cats. One we still have who is now 12 is named Lucky. He's a very gentle black cat who greets you in the morning, always wants to sit close to you, who 'asks' if he can come up and sleep next to you, and plays with all the others and our dog. He's always the first the accept a new kitten in the house (such as the one I found in October), and of all the cats we had, when he dies I know I'm going to be an emotional wreck that day. You simply couldn't ask for a better cat.
now THIS is what the show should be like
twilight is the smart one
Pinkie pie is the funny one
Rarity is the posh one
Rainbow dash is the cool one
Fluttershy is the cute one
Applejack should be the one we feel for, the one we understand the one we can relate to, loved the story