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// One. 
// Story: One by One 
// by DreamWings 
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Big Mac looked around at the ever-expanding land before him. Ever since his youngest sister had left it had been a lot more tiresome for them to get all of the work done. Granny Smith was far too old and tired to help them out in any way anymore; she had been in poor health for a while now and Big Mac knew, though he would never tell anypony, that soon his Grandmother would not be around to even tell them what was best to do on the farm. It was sad and heart breaking to the older stallion, but he knew life and death was simply a matter of the everlasting cycle that ponies went through; even alicorns would die eventually.

Now Mac himself was in charge of the whole crop of apples, the fruits that the family relied on to survive through the years. Without their harvest of apples they would have not been able to carry on living in their treasured Apple Acres and could not afford to pay for the hospital bills that had to be paid in order for Granny Smith’s life to be prolonged for as long as possible. He couldn’t let go at the minute, Granny Smith had raised him from a young foal; he loved her more than any other pony could ever love a family member. If it weren’t for her then he and his sisters wouldn’t have grown up in the respectable position that they had. His parents were lovely, kindly folk but the area they worked in wasn’t exactly a good place for young fillies and colts to grow up.

Nevertheless they hadn’t grown up there so it didn’t really matter much. What was important was that they owed Granny Smith, and he, more than the others, understood this. He was willing to do anything for his Grandmother, and if looking after her foalhood ranch for her while she herself could not, then so be it. It was his job now to see that the farm would be the best farm in the area and he would see to it that it was.

His two sisters did not have the same work ethic he had, though he felt bad to say it. It’s true that they did help out the best that they could, but only when they were asked and no more than that. Both sisters felt that they had to be given permission before doing a kind deed for somepony, especially their Granny who so often wanted to do things for herself but couldn’t. Yes, Mac could see it in her eyes, Granny was ready to go and there was nothing even she could do to slow down her inevitable end. Applejack and Applebloom could not see the signs as well as he could but he had known the old green mare for so long and had never faulted her as his sisters had growing up; he could see the truth of what the future lay in store.

He couldn’t help but feel sorrow. It was natural for anypony to feel upset at the prospect of a loved one leaving, but he could not linger on these thoughts for long, he had to stay cheerful so that his younger sisters would never suspect his misery. In order for them to feel brave throughout the loss he knew that he must set the best example he possibly could; one single tear was all he could afford to weep when the time came, before moving on and doing his best to help the farm continue to prosper. Applejack would be a great help in these times, though he knew she would never be able to do all of the work herself; she was robust but she was young and smaller than most working stallions, she needed somepony to help her or the yields would never be so large on their orchards.

It had been hard for the family to get used to only having two ponies to tend to the acres of land they owned. With Granny Smith constantly resting or in hospital and their little sister Applebloom now interning in Canterlot as an architect, they were low on the number of workers. Just Big Mac and Applejack now, as it would be for a long time.  Big Mac nodded to himself. It was good that little Bloom should have the opportunity to do what she loved to do, he was really proud of her for her hard work and determination. He could still remember the days when she was desperate to get her cutie mark, and that cutie mark had come to serve her well, it had. She was a good’un was his youngest sister, and he liked her despite the many faults she had had growing up.

Big Mac stood for a minute watching the sun slide down beneath the fields. It always looked so calming and beautiful at sunset, the one time when night and day could come together and bring wonder onto the land. If ever anypony upset him or teased him as a foal he would have come out here to watch the orange and red paint dab over the sky with the brushes of the pegasus artists. It was a shame nopony else seemed to love this time of day too much, it was the best time to be outside in his eyes.

The wind whistled through the foliage and the apples danced upon their stalks. They would be ready to harvest soon, but not yet, they were not fully grown at this point. Apples were his livelihood, apples were his nature. He was so enrapt in the peacefulness of the sunset that even a simple rustling of the bushes would not bother or upset him in any way. A shadow could move behind him and he would not have minded in the slightest. A heavy blow could fall onto his shoulder and he would feel nothing. He felt nothing.

The stallion lay paralysed on the floor as hit after hit fell onto his face and chest. Blood spurted out of his collapsed eyes and flooded out onto the floor in a thick  clotted pool of red. 

The apples bowed to the weight of the rippling thunder that flew overhead. Zap apple season was coming. The shadow grimaced at the thought of the rainbow fruits, before looking down at the lifeless corpse underneath it. Perfect it thought.

The winds picked up and the shadow picked up the soil from the dark earth. The disfigured mouth of the stallion was opened with a quick hoof and the dirt shoved down into his throat. The head was released and fell flat onto the ground. 

“Mac” a voice called in the distance “Are ya comin’ back in now?” 

The shadow grit its teeth in anger. It wasn’t time yet, it would have to wait. The darkness hid the caped pony as it ran off through the trees into the expanse of the large orchard.

ONE.