Who's next?
One of the strongest and honest ponies I've ever known.
She managed to harvest half of her family's apple orchard by herself once, but she wasn't strong enough to finish on her own.
Ever since that day she had been pushing herself harder and harder to do what nopony in her family had ever done before.
She died doing what she loved, at least...
-
"C'mon, Apple Bloom; we got work tuh do." Applejack said tiredly as she roused her little sister from bed.
It had been seventeen years since Flim and Flam first came into Ponyville, and word had spread that they were getting ready to come by again.
Apple Bloom had developed into a strong young mare while Applejack was starting to weaken in some places; her hind legs mostly.
Ever since that day when she had felt humiliated at having to ask for help when she couldn't do what she tried so hard to do, she had been training to finally do it.
"Ah can feel it; this is the day ah'm fahnally gonna do it." Applejack said proudly, hopping between her left and right hooves in anticipation.
"You've been sayin' that ever since you mahnaged tuh get all the way back tuh that old well." Apple Bloom said sleepily as she trotted out of the house with her older sister.
"Naw, somethin' feels different about tuhday. Ah feel...Stronger, ah guess." Applejack said as she slung two baskets over her back.
"Yall call me if'n ya need anythang, alright Apple Bloom?" Applejack called over her shoulder, leaving Apple Bloom to take care of the animals.
-
"Ahn that's...Number four hundred ahn thirty nine...Or was that thirty eight? Ah, gosh darnit." Applejack said in between pants.
The sun was high in the sky by the time Applejack had filled her three hundredth and something basket.
She was sweating profusely, but it was all part of the training.
"Tuhday's the day, Applejack. Don't forget that..." she told herself as she fixed her hat and wiped beads of sweat from her snout.
As she slowly trotted towards a blurry tree, Applejack turned and brought her hooves to meet the bark.
A loud crack echoed through the orchard like always when hooves met trees, but this time Applejack collapsed to the ground wailing in pain.
Applejack bit her tongue in an attempt to resist the urge to curse as she gently poked her hind leg.
"Shoot!" she hissed as she tensed up in pain again.
"Ah...Ah can't move..." she whimpered as she realized her hind leg was broken; possibly even shattered.
She tried to move it up and found that even the thought of that hurt.
"Apple Bloom!" she wailed, scared and shaken at the thought of being left out here the rest of the day.
But no matter how many times she yelled her younger sisters name, no matter how many times she begged for Celestia to help her, nothing ever changed.
She was stuck in the middle of a huge apple orchard; broken and melting in the hot summer sun.
-
"Applejack? Applejack, where are ya?" Apple Bloom called out as she wandered through the maze of apple trees.
Every time she thought she saw her sister's orange coat, she raced forward only to discover a basket filled to the brim with apples. She followed the trail deeper into the orchard as the sun disappeared behind the mountains.
"Applejack? Come on, it's gettin' late ahn Big MacIntosh is gettin' worried!" Apple Bloom called out as she passed yet another stripped apple tree.
"Apple...Bloom..." a hoarse voice choked out.
Apple Bloom squeaked and turned to see her big sister crumpled at the base of a tree, panting shallowly.
As she took a step forward, she noticed the ground sink a bit from wetness. There was a heavy stench of sweat in the air around Applejack.
"A-Applejack...?" Apple Bloom asked cautiously. "Are you alright?"
"D-Do ah...Do ah look alright...Tuh you..?" Applejack whispered.
"Ah'll go get Big MacIntosh!" Apple Bloom said, turning to race off back towards the farm.
"N-No...Apple Bloom, jus'...Jus' listen tuh me.." Applejack said between breaths.
She had been baking in the sun the entire day with nothing to drink, and she realized that her body was being forced to shut down.
"Apple Bloom..." Applejack began.
"Don't...Don't you ever...Let anypony tell you...That there's something ya can't do...You can do absolutely anything and everything...If ya jus...If ya jus put yer mind...Tuh it..." Applejack said slowly, her voice faltering near the end.
Apple Bloom began to tear up as she stared at the crumpled body of her big sister, watching her flank give way as the last breath left her body.
Ahn remember; don't let anypony tell you that ya can't do somethin'. Apples' got a long history of proven others wrong nahcely, o'course. But you can do absolutely anything if ya jus' trah hard 'nough.
Apple Bloom ran the memories of every time her older sister had told her that; every time she felt like no matter how hard she tried to do something and it seemed to turn out wrong.
Apple Bloom wiped away a tear and let it fall to the soggy ground, letting it mix in with her big sister's determination and hard work.
She let her sadness mix in with her sister's spirit.