Appleloosa

by Kraken Albatross

Chapter 6

For the first time, Applejack dreamt of her mother.

The orange mare stood in the middle of a verdant apple orchard, each lush tree brimming with gleaming ripened fruit.  Her grin spread wider than what most would consider physically possible as she let her mane down and just ran.  As she galloped through the pristine valley, the landscape ahead of her inexplicably swelled up to form a hill topped with a lone tree. With wide eyes, the earth pony darted to its peak and was face to face with a healthy apple tree that seemed to smile down at her.

“Bloomberg! You’re all right!” She leapt through the air and tightly wrapped her hooves around the base of the trunk.

“Of course I am, momma! What would give you the silly notion that I wasn’t?!” boomed a loud, pleasant voice from the tree.  

“Never you mind about that, sugarcube. All that matters is that you’re safe. I’ll never abandon you again. I swear.” Applejack’s tears ran down the smooth bark as she clutched tighter.

No reply.

“Bloomberg?” A knot of fear landed in the earth pony’s gut and she hesitantly opened her eyes, looking up towards the apple tree’s canopy.  To her horror, there was no fruit, no leaves, nothing but gnarled branches snaking up from a cleaved husk. Almost immediately, the sky morphed from crystal clear to swirling, crimson clouds. Then it rained fire. The entirety of the once perfect orchard erupted into writhing pillars of flame.

“No! Everythin’ was fine a minute ago!” Her eyes filled with disbelief and terror as she bolted through the sea of burning trees. In the chaotic panic of her galloping, she tripped over something large and tumbled forward into the dirt. She looked down at her hooves to see that they were covered in blood, slowly turning back in morbid anticipation of what she had stumbled over. It was her cousin’s twisted, bloody corpse.

“Braeburn?!” The sight of the mangled mound of limbs and hair made Applejack nauseous. She brought a hoof to her mouth and fought back a gag when she heard a low, snide chuckle behind her.  

“A lot of fucking good that ‘family honor’ is doing you now, huh?” It was Black Hill, casually dusting himself off. “Looks like you gambled wrong.” Applejack simply roared and lunged at him, viciously swinging her legs at the saloon keeper, only to see her blows land ineffectively. He didn’t even flinch. The stallion’s snide chuckling turned to full-blown, demonic laughter as the flames of the firestorm engulfed him.

“What’s happening?!” the mare screamed as she collapsed, covering her face as the oppressive heat from the surrounding inferno overwhelmed her.

“Don’t be afraid, Applejack.” A strange yet familiar feminine voice echoed around the mare as she felt the ground disintegrate below her. She carefully removed the hooves from her face and was met with the sight of a reddish orange earth pony mare floating in a black abyss.  

“You don’t recognize your own mother?” the spectre asked with a warm smile.  The question made Applejack realize that she, in fact, didn’t.  It had been so long since her parents had died, she could barely remember their faces.  She couldn’t even be sure if the mare before her was actually her mother, or a loose approximation of her subconscious.

“Why are you here? You’re not real. You died.” Applejack turned away, only to see the apparition facing her once again.

“You should be askin’ yourself that question. You’re the one who called me here.” She hovered closer, her eyes filled with concern.  A translucent hoof rose to brush the hair from her daughter’s face before gently tracing the stress lines that marked it. Applejack flinched at the touch and lowered her eyes, hoping that she could simply will her alleged mother away.  “You look terrible, Applejack. Have you been gettin' enough sleep?”

“Oh yeah?! Well unlike you, I have responsibilities! Ponies who depend on me! An orchard that’s in one heck of a mess! And also unlike you, I don’t plan on dyin’ on those responsibilities! So excuse me for havin’ bags under my eyes and a few wrinkles!” Applejack didn’t understand why she was suddenly overcome with such a furious anger at this creation of her own mind, but she certainly didn’t care.

“Still so stubborn after all these years. That’s my girl.”

“Yeah, well somepony has to figure out how to fix everything...” The orange mare hung her head wearily, her rage subsiding.

“If you want, you’ll find a way.” The phantom placed a reassuring hoof on her daughter’s shoulder.

“You always used to say that. But I ain't a filly no more. You can’t just spew candy coated lies and expect me to believe em’ and actually think that everything is gonna be okay!” Applejack bitterly spit out as she knocked away the motherly hoof and clenched her eyes shut.

“But everything is gonna be okay, my little apple. You just need to learn how to let ponies help you. You try so hard to be strong all the time. Why not let your guard down just once? Swallow your pride? You didn't even talk to Fluttershy about the orchard bein' in shambles. You just pretended like nothin' was wrong!" Her voice rose with stern parental authority, but there was a hurt, pleading sympathy in the tone.

"...So? ...I-I didn't want her to worry." Applejack lowered her head sheepishly, her ears down. Her thin excuse didn't even manage to convince herself. She would have glued her eyes to the floor if there had been one beneath her.

"You and I both know that she'll worry about you even if there ain't a proper reason to. If you weren't so proud, you might be able to let somepony shoulder your burdens with you." Applejack’s mother reached out to give her daughter one last hug, but before she could make contact, the ghastly figure began drifting back into the nothingness that surrounded them.  

“Why should I trouble anypony with my burdens when they’re mine to bear?” the younger mare asked softly, more to herself than anything else.  

The voice that called back was faint as it slipped into the void. “But they aren’t. You have so many wonderful friends who would help you if you’d only let them...”

---------------

Applejack’s eyes cracked open, only to snap shut immediately. The quaint master bedroom of the farmhouse was bathed in golden morning light, and her sleep had been far too restless for her to greet the day with any enthusiasm. After a groan, she groggily stretched her legs out to grab the pegasus that normally slept beside her. To her surprise, her cast yielded no catch.

"Fluttershy?" The bed was empty besides the mare who couldn't remember the last time her wife had actually woken up before her. Sensing that something was off, Applejack glanced at the dusty clock on the wall.

"Eleven Thirty?!" Fully awake, she rubbed her head and mentally kicked herself for her own laziness. The farmpony was accustomed to rising at the crack of dawn. Wasting almost half the day in bed was inexcusable, even if her sleep had apparently been more restless than she had thought. No longer concerned about Fluttershy's whereabouts, Applejack promptly leapt out of bed, tossed on her hat, and trotted downstairs as she went over the day's agenda in her head.

"Just need to rustle up them addresses..." she muttered to herself as she rummaged through Braeburn's old desk. When she found an address book, she let out a sigh of relief. For being a degenerate ‘salt fiend’ that allowed his orchard to fall into decay, he was at least organized enough to keep a few records. After flipping open the cover of the musty book, she saw the ‘Lady Types’ section denoted in large, barely legible letters.

“Movin’ along then...” She blushed and choked a little, carefully skipping over the chunk of pages that that composed a majority of the book. Applejack decided that after all, it was best to respect the privacy of other ponies, even dead ones. After hoofing through the worn notebook for a moment longer, she came to the 'Farmhands' category. She'd be the first to admit that the grin that spread across her face was much larger than the small victory warranted, but the earth pony couldn't help but feel optimistic, even in light of the previous day's events. The mare was even beginning to forget her bizarre dream.

Applejack removed the appropriate pages and made her way to her way to the door before spying a note that rested on the endtable by the coat rack.  She bent down to read Fluttershy's tiny, flowery handwriting.

Gone to the market to pick up some things I missed yesterday. There's a salad for you on the kitchen table. Please eat something before you leave.

-Fluttershy

"Yes ma'am." Applejack chuckled to herself as she went to obey her wife's orders, discovering a hearty bowl of lettuce, fruit, and nuts on the table as promised. The earth pony normally preferred sugary apple pastries, but she didn't mind Fluttershy's healthier creations. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if the pegasus was trying to send a message. She quickly looked back to examine her figure and concluded that she hadn't let herself go as she sat down to eat. Before Applejack took a bite, she noticed that there was another note next to her bowl.

Thank you. I'll be back sometime this afternoon. Please don't work yourself too hard. Everything's going to be fine. I love you.

-Fluttershy

"Everything's gonna be fine, huh? You know somethin ain't right when she’s tellin' me that." With a soft smile, she shook her head and sighed contently. "What did I ever do to deserve that mare?"

---------------

"Oh, Fluttershy. You're so bad." A butter yellow pegasus scolded herself as she walked through Appleloosa's crowded market square, a dainty basket slung over her wing. "But she just looked so exhausted last night. I had to let her sleep in." The retort was convincing enough to allow the pegasus to grin as deviously as was possible for her.

"Yes. It was for her own good. Well done, Fluttershy." With a satisfied nod, she began to peruse the various booths and stands of Appleloosa's merchants.

After an hour, her basket was filled with a potpourri of mostly necessities as well as a few items that were not so necessary. The pegasus was experiencing particular buyer's remorse about the 'soap with a prize inside,' as the especially grimy vendor put it. It just sounded so enticing at the time. Right as she resolved to scold herself later for her impulsiveness, Fluttershy saw a three legged unicorn stallion hobbling directly towards her.

"You!" Doctor Nevermore began poking and prodding the pegasus as soon as he reached her, moving around to examine her body with an appraising look.

"Ex-excuse me?" was all Fluttershy could say as she repeatedly flinched and began to shut down from the sudden invasion of her personal space.

"You touched my patient yesterday, right? The colt?" He ignored her whimpering and reached a hoof up to feel her forehead.

"Y-yes, but I already apologized for-"

"Have you experienced any fever, vomiting, fatigue, or back pain since then?" He lifted up her forelegs to check the pegasus' underside. Fluttershy was completely flushed and bewildered, but answered him anyways. He was a doctor, after all.

"No-ooauuuughll" Nevermore used that opportunity to levitate a wooden tongue depressor into her mouth and use his horn to light up her throat. After a thorough inspection, he took a step back.

"Lucky you. You're immune. Let's go." He turned and beckoned her with a scrawny hoof before heading back out of the market.

"Well thank goodness! ...Immune from what?" She had only just recovered from her overwhelming sense of violation when she yelped and scurried to catch up to him. She wasn't one to ignore doctor's orders and her curiosity about what had just happened certainly didn't help.

"Fallpox." He didn't bother slowing down or even looking at her as they hurried through the town.

"Fallpox? I've never heard of that. Is it anything like the cutie pox?"

"Sort of. But instead of getting a bunch of amazing talents, you die."

"Oh my." Fluttershy gasped and thought of the sick colt she had just seen a day ago, realizing that he must have had fallpox. She hoped he wouldn't die.

"Hurry up. You're lagging behind a cripple. Please tell me you're better at other things than you are at walking." Nevermore shot a glance backwards as his prosthetic clacked on the wooden planks of the boardwalk below them.

"Other things? Where are we going?" Apprehension crept to her voice.

"I'm hiring you on as a nurse. Congratulations. I can't pay you much, but I'm sure you understand. Just think of the greater good and harmony and friendship or whatever. You Ponyville types are into that collectivist crap, right?" His pace slowed as they stepped back into the mud of the thoroughfare, giving Fluttershy a chance to catch up to the stallion again.

"Nurse?!" she squeaked. "Oh no. I'm not qualified to be a nurse. My only medical experience is with animals!"

"Ponies aren't animals?" He stopped to quirk an eyebrow at her before continuing back towards Dead Mare's Alley. "Even better. It's not hard. Just try not to let anyone die."

Fluttershy gulped. "Surely there has to be somepony else..."

"You're immune to fallpox, you aren't typical vile Appleloosan scum, you have some medical experience that I didn't even know about, and my wife gave you and your gal pals the ‘Atlantis Seal of Approval.’ Good enough in my book."

"She did? We only spoke for a few minutes..." Fluttershy was grasping at straws to pull out any excuse she could muster.

"She can tell you're trustworthy and competent just by looking at you." He turned to face her with wide, dramatic eyes. Waving his hooves around ridiculously as if he were a magician casting a spell. "OoooOOooOo!" The unicorn's face immediately returned to its typical cold scowl and the pair finished their trek down the alley, finally arriving at the doctor's meager office.

Nevermore suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, casting out a foreleg to block Fluttershy from getting closer to the cabin. It took the pegasus a moment to realize that the door to the office was ajar and when she pricked up her ears to listen closely, she could hear somepony moving around inside. In a halting motion, he silently ordered her to stay where she was as he snuck up to the door. With a burst of magic glow from the unicorn’s horn, the door swung open and Nevermore rushed inside.

"'Ello, Doc!" Gladius' grinning face met the him as the enormous burgundy stallion towered over the bony doctor in the middle of the room.

"What the hell are you doing in my office, Gladius?! Get out!" He shoved past the earth pony and went to the adjoining tent which was now filled with a slew of sleeping patients. He feverishly began checking on each of them. "What did you do?!"

"Aw, nothing to fuss over, Doc. Black's stomach just started acting up again. You weren't home so I was looking for the medicine you give usually give him. I was gonna pay you, honest!" The earth pony beamed at the doctor who finished his hasty examinations and stormed back over to him.

"Well the next time your boss' 'stomach starts acting up,' you tell him to wait until I'm available to make a house call instead of sending one of his thugs to snoop around my place," Nevermore spat out as he angrily ushered the larger stallion out the door.

"Come on, Doc! Thug?! You're hurting my feelings!"

"Or would you prefer goon? Now leave!"

"I think I like thug better, honestly... But as you wish, Doc. You should learn to lighten up a bit. I heard meditation works great." Gladius casually strolled past the doctor and tipped his head to Fluttershy as he passed her. "Morning, love." As he left the pair, he wore an inexplicably smug expression, as if he was somehow satisfied with his seemingly failed medicine run.

"Is that bad?" Fluttershy asked nervously as she watched him go.

"Probably, but we don't have time to be worrying about that right now." Nevermore shambled over to his supply cabinet and began a quick inventory. "Well it looks like he didn't take anything."

"Umm. I'm still not exactly sure... what is going on... at all." She helplessly looked to the doctor in whom she was trusting far more than she thought she should.  Regardless, turning a blind eye while ponies got sick and died was unthinkable.

"It looks like there's been a fallpox outbreak. It's a contagious disease that only crops up - surprise, surprise - in the autumn. Normally an illness like this wouldn't be a huge deal. However, the ingredients for the cure and antidote are incredibly rare and will cost a fortune to mass produce, which we'll need, considering the filthy, crowded conditions of our beloved town. We could have quite the epidemic on our hooves. Therefore, we'll most likely be at way beyond maximum capacity soon, so I'll need your help tending to the sick, changing their bandages, giving them water, keeping them as comfortable as possible. Does that sum up everything nicely for you, Butter Pie?"

"Oh. Yes. That was very helpful. Thank you, Doctor... But, um, Butter Pie?"

"Yeah, I forgot your name so I took a guess. No dice?"

"It's Fluttershy."

"Eh, I like 'Butter Pie' better. You look more like a 'Butter Pie' to me." He wearily slumped over the alchemy table and removed his wooden leg. The unicorn winced and rubbed his stump tenderly before taking a swig from an unlabeled bottle out of his medicine chest. Fluttershy shifted her weight awkwardly and looked away, trying not to wonder what was held within the murky glass and all the implications that came with it.

"This is going to be bad, isn't it?"

"Yep. Just don't tell anyone. We don't want mass panic..." His eyes unfocused and he smirked. It was the first time Fluttershy had seen anything on his face resembling a smile. "Like I said, Butter Pie, you sure chose a hell of a time to come to Appleloosa.”