//------------------------------// // End Notes // Story: Just One Wish // by shysage //------------------------------// 1. Nopony knows for sure what it was that took Jack and April Apple and Granny Bloom from the farm, from Equestria, from three amazing children... and all within the space of 24 hours or less, leaving just Granny Smith to care for the young-uns... It was a great tragedy, and it seemed the whole town suffered through it. Doc Hooves had been in Ponyville less than a month when it happened, and he couldn't find anything... And he mentioned it didn't seem contageous, even though many thought it was Pony Pox. Well, historically, Pony Pox strikes the weaker, foals or older ponies. Well, April and Jack were not that, although April was clearly carrying another foal at the time. Still, Doc mentioned that he found himself face to face with death the first time out of school, and had to decide if he was willing to put his patient's well-being above his own life. He did. There was just nothing he could to do stop their rapid deterioration. Still, Jack Apple, huge strong stallion that he was, he worked in Public Works, working on large projects; extending the train line, building lakes, bridges over rivers, things like that. Equestria kept careful records of all such projects and the ponies that worked on them. This made it easy for me to track down 5 of the ponies still living that had worked with Jack so I could get their input on this question. Three of the 5 just cried. These 3 thought the world of Jack and April. Just like it was yesterday, they couldn't not feel this tragedy all over again. Just like the rest of Ponyville it seemed, they really had no clue what actually took their beloved pony friends away. I felt bad I had asked them about it. The other two, older stallions, well their story was the same, almost identical. They clearly resented Jack Apple for some reason, even though admitting he was a hard worker, consciencious... And when I asked what they felt had taken him away... eyes steeled, filled with a touch of anger maybe, heads slightly down... "Get out". They both did that, yelled that... I have been recording for a while. They don't have lie detectors in Equestria, but I just can't rule out... 2. Applejack told me from the start of recording this... It had to be a stallion who ran all this past her brother Big Mac, and got his input. This was easily understandable; Big Mac was the oldest when Jack, April and Granny Bloom passed on. I was not especially looking forward to this, so I tried to get the other recorder tasks done first. Once the account was done (and Applejack was happy with it), I made arrangements to meet with Big Mac at the farm, out in the orchard at his insistence. I read the account to him. He was stone cold silent for most of it, but when I got to where Applejack was brought back... This huge, powerful stallion who seldom spoke, he broke down and cried loudly. It was a while before he could even talk. But when he could, haltingly, he said this, still crying hard. "Momma and daddy called me Jack after daddy... "An' when it was clear I would be big like daddy... "They always called me 'Big Jack'... 'Yo'ur our Big Jack, son...' "It made me feel so proud... of them... of who I was... could be... "I always tried so hard to please them, to be like them... to live up... [He cried a while here...] "But when I lost 'em... "It hurt so bad... "Like I lost... everything... "It was hard to say... anything... after that... [More crying...] "But I could never say my own name... that name... or even bring myself to... ever again... didn't wanna' even hear it... [More crying...] "...guess 'Big Mac' stuck..." 3. It was the Keeper of Equestria who met us, in the big circle of Redwood trees, maybe 20 minutes flying time from Ponyville. He appeared briefly as we were resting in the grass, and commissioned Summer to send Applejack back in time to her family, but just for a spell... Summer knew what to do, how to do it, but also immediately understood, felt how much this would mean to our precious friend. We flew back to Ponyville, still early in the day, landed, then Summer flew to the farm, walked Applejack to the Castle, to the Portal, and sent her back right away. Then Summer explained to Princess Twilight what had happened. Of course Princess cried, and of course Pinkie showed up immediately, said she would round everypony up, ran back out... Then Summer and I flew back out to that circle of Redwoods. We were pretty sure that was where Applejack would come back... ~~~ Thoroughly researched and carefully written ~~~ ~~~ by Shysage, a Canterlot Recorder. ~~~ ~~~ Y.O.E. 1047 ~~~ 4. I apologize; this one is hand-written. I thought I was done with the Just One Wish account, and had printed it carefully out. Summer and I were taking it to Princess Twilight's Castle, for the trip via Air Coach to Canterlot for printing into book form. The Keeper of Equestria stopped us in our tracks on the way. It is hard to miss this huge, all white stallion Alicorn... We bowed right away, of course, eyes closed... He said simply "You need to add this. The smallest wish of the pure in heart is not lost in heaven." Then he was gone...