//------------------------------// // Being a Brother // Story: On Death's Door // by Axel IV //------------------------------// For now, the six mares had to wait impatiently outside of Big Mac's room. Since Princess Celestia arrived, she forbid them from going into his room for reasons unknown. Perhaps she was working some strange kind of healing magic that could be interrupted if they all were in there, or maybe there would be a strange interference problem. Whatever it was, it was torture to each and every one of them. Especially Applejack. The stetson wearing pony sat in the corner, her eyes staring bullets into her hoofs as she twiddled them in front of her. She was the only one sitting on the floor, refusing to take a seat as she sat with her back to the corner. She didn't help the awkward silence that was filling that end of the hospital hallway, each of them other ponies having been lost in their own thoughts. The curiosity of whatever was happening in that room was slowly killing them. "Hey..." Twilight spoke softly. She had the attention of the whole group, but their eyes will still elsewhere...either on the floor, ceiling, or their own hooves. Twilight cleared her throat, "Hey..." She said again, "Remember...Remember that one time...when Big Mac had accidentally walked through poison joke?..." There might have been a small cough, and the mood seemed to only keep dropping. "Yeah..." Pinkie Pie said, her eyes slowly raising from the floor, "...And the next day he woke up with a voice as high pitched as mine...." She giggled very lightly. "Heheh..." Rainbow grinned, "Yeah...and he also couldn't stop himself from talking...." "...So he told every secret that he was trying to keep...." Rarity snickered, "Every...little...one..." "Even the one about him aspiring to be a best selling romance novelist...." Fluttershy said, her smile widening, "And it turns out that he was one!" "My favorite was that he tried ballet dancing back when he was a young colt...." Twilight smirked, "Kept it a secret from everybody..." "How about the one when he accidentally ate hallucination mushrooms..." Pinkie Pie began to laugh, her deflated mane actually starting to puff up a little, "He thought Applebloom was a ravenous manticore out for his blood!" "He also thought that spike was a giant ice cream bar..." Rainbow smiled widely, chuckles spreading around the hallway, "And he swore that Rarity was a big old hairy gorilla!" "Hey!" Rarity snapped, "That was NOT FUNNY! He chased me around throwing bananas at me the whole day!Not to mention being called something so....hairy and disgusting!" "It's better than him thinking you were a mystical wizard with the powers to make him into a giant cheese wheel...." Fluttershy shuttered, "He tried building a shrine outside of my house for me...." Everypony in the room laughed, aside from Applejack. Yet her brown hat blocked the view of her ever growing smile. They each started sharing funny, even embarrassing stories that had related to Big Mac. And before they knew it, they were roaring from laughter, practically rolling on their backs as they remembered the good times with the large red stallion. After a few more minutes of giggles, the six friends were staring up at the ceiling. Their thoughts were back on the strong stallion who had protected them, his mangled body once again being a fresh image in their minds. "...You know...." Twilight said quietly, "He was always such a big goof. A hard worker, but a big goof ball." "No kidding..." Rainbow Dash sighed, "He really knew how to make us smile...or feel bad about something that we've done." "Always there to back us up when we needed it..." Pinkie Pie added. "However, he needed some new threads badly..." Rarity snorted, "That old beaten up yoke of his would look fantastic with ribbons." "I...don't think its that bad...." Fluttershy said quietly, "He really treasured that thing..." "He did." Applejack's voice cut through the air, but not in a menacing way. Her tone sounded hurt. The other five friends turned their gaze to the stetson-wearing orange mare who was now sitting up with her back against the wall once again. "Applejack...." Twilight sat up as well, "Its...Well, I was never here when you guys were fillies. So I was just curious...about what Big Mac was like when you were younger." The other friends sat up, looking at Applejack. It seems like they never really knew the past of the powerful stallion. Applejack bit her lip, but she finally looked up at them, "Big Macintosh...was everything he was before the accident. A goof, a hard worker...." She looked down at the floor again, "And the best brother I could ever ask for..." "Applejack...please come out...." "No!" "Come on...please..." "Not...Not until ma or pa comes back!" "Applejack....you know that- "SHUTTUP! They're coming back! I know they are!" Granny smith left it at that, sighing in defeat at the door of the young filly Applejack. She could understand her grandaughter's situation very well. There was a huge loss in her heart as well, but Applejack was too young to cope with it. The loss of both your parents at a young age was a major life-changing event. There weren't many who would be able to continue on their lives without the two major figures in their youth. Granny Smith was in no way a bad replacement. In fact, she was a perfect pony to look up to. Sure she seemed to be a bit weird in the head sometimes but she always knew what was best. However, the young filly just didn't see it that way. Her ma and pa were long gone, and there was nothing she could do about it other then cry. Big Macintosh, on the other hand, was taking things almost too well. The growing colt was almost the size of his pa now, and she knew he would continue to keep on growing. He was a strong pony, and as soon as his parents were gone he practically took over all of the work since Granny Smith was too old. Applebloom was still in diapers, and Applejack was going rebellious. Granny Smith made her way down the stairs, her head hanging down sadly. Things weren't going to be the same...she wasn't even sure that her beloved granddaughter would even smile again. She caught something crimson in the window and bit her lip, seeing her grandson plow the large field. The poor pony had done almost half of the huge field, and there was still more to come. Worst part was that it looked like they were in for a heavy storm, the trees rustling as grey clouds approached from the west. This was the same kind of day that Applejack's parents passed away on. Granny Smith had a horrible feeling that something bad was going to happen. Ignoring the creaking of her old bones, she sprinted up the stairs to Applejack's room. "AJ! Are you there?!" She called, "Applejack!" There was no answer. Gritting her teeth, Granny spun around, giving the door a powerful bucking with her old two legs. The door broke open. There was no orange mare in sight. Just an open window. "Oh no..." Granny Smith cried out, running up to look outside. Her granddaughter was nowhere in sight, and panic began to flood into her heart. She saw Big Mac making his way to the barn, dragging the old large plow along with him. "Macintosh!" She yelled out, thunder echoing out in the distance, "AJ...She's gone!" Mac's eyes instantly met his grandmother's, yet he still kept the same calm expression. He pulled off his signature yoke and broke off into a gallop. He knew precisely where his sister would be. Applejack was definitely not thinking things through. The rain was coming down hard, the wind cutting into her body like knives. She was cold, wet, and crying. She had twisted one of her ankles when she was sprinting through Sweet Apple Acres, and now she was in a strange sort of limp as she tried to hurry as fast as she could. When she hit a particular muddy section of the path, her front hooves got stock and set her sprawling onto her face into the filth. Gritting her teeth, Applejack managed to stand up, the pain almost unbearable coming from her leg. The rain was already starting to wash away the mud on her coat, and soon she had just about reached her destination. She limped past the tombstones, each of them her eyes searching for the ones that held the names of her parents. The rain was making it hard to see, and Applejack soon began to wonder if she was in the right cemetery. After what seemed like hours, her eyes had finally proved her tree. She spotted the two freshly dug graves underneath a single beautiful white tombstone. It had been carved by the best sculptor in Canterlot, and the names were as plain as day. Applejack stumbled over, sitting on her flank as the rain continued to pour down on her relentlessly. "Ma....Pa...." Tears filled her eyes, the filly's lip quivered, "I'm here..." The only answer she received was from the thunder in the clouds above. The rain was so loud that she could barely hear the familiar voice call her name. "Applejack!" Big Mac called out, walking up behind her. Applejack spun around, her eyes red with sadness and rage. "Get away from me!" She screamed, "I don't need you! Ma and Pa are right here! I'm never gonna let them leave me ever again!" Big Macintosh stared at her with his same stone-faced expression, and her anger only seemed to get hotter and hotter. "What's wrong with you?!" The orange mare cried out, "You almost never talk! I hardly hear you laugh or complain! You're just a mindless stupid pony that goes around the farm doing whatever anyone tells you to do!" She was back on her hooves now, screaming out at her big brother. "You...YOU WEREN'T EVEN AT THE FUNERAL!" Applejack sobbed, "I DIDN'T EVEN SEE YOU CRY! YOU'RE A HEARTLESS, SELFISH PONY THAT CAN'T EVEN THINK FOR HIMSELF! YOU- "Enough." Macintosh said, and for the first time she heard a bit of an angry tone coming from his voice. "What?!" She growled, "Can't take the insults because you know they're true?!" "Ma and Pa are watching." Big Mac said, "Can't you tell that they're crying?" Applejack blinked, turning back to look at the tombstone. The rain water was giving off an image of sadness, and Applejack just couldn't handle that. She collapsed back onto her flank, her loud sobs being even louder than the thunder and the rain. Big Mac sat down by his sister and she leaned on him, her face buried his chest as she cried. He smiled sadly, hooking his fore-hoof around her. "AJ..." He said, "Don't forget. They are always watching us and they will always be with us. They may be gone, but they will never be gone from our hearts." Applejack glanced up at her brother, and although it was raining, she thought she could see tears coming down from his cheeks. They sat in silence, their eyes upon the tombstone before them. When the rain lightened up and finally disappeared, Macintosh pulled his sister onto his back, bringing her back to the house. "It was raining then too, huh?" Fluttershy asked, recalling the time when Big Mac saved her during a thunderstorm. "Big Macintosh is a pony like no other..." Twilight smiled, "You're very lucky to have him as your brother, Applejack." "Thanks, Twilight." Applejack said with a sad smirk, "I guess I sort of had a BBBFF of my own." Each of the six friends laughed lightly to themselves. Big Mac's door shot open, and they all jumped up onto their feet in surprise. Celestia stood at the doorway, and she looked exhausted. Her coat was ruffled up, sweat coming from her brow. She was panting when they saw her, and she gave them a little smile. "I managed to heal all of his wounds..." Celestia spoke, "But no matter how hard I tried...I couldn't wake him. I'm sorry, Applejack." The orange mare nodded slowly, and Celestia moved out of the way as the stetson wearing pony rushed into her brother's hospital room. All of his wounds were gone, but they had been replaced with scars that littered his body. His breathing was much better, and his heartbeat was strong and normal. Applejack gave out a cry of relief, laying her head on the bed with a light sob. "Thank you so much, Celestia...." Twilight smiled, the other ponies making their way into the room, "Big Mac maybe have not woken up, but you gave us the next best thing." The tall, beautiful white pony looked back at where the red stallion slept. No matter how much better the situation looked, she couldn't erase the worry that was tugging at her heart.