It was with great sorrow that Applejack walked away from Rarity's graveside. Rarity's body had been retrieved by the coastguard, and Rarity had been dressed up in her Gala dress, as Fluttershy, Pinkie and Twilight had been, and then laid to rest beside the other three, with an expression of calm peace on her face. Spike and Sweetie Belle were understandably devastated, and Spike had decided to stay in Ponyville to look after Sweetie, knowing it was what Rarity would have wanted.
Applebloom had been understandably traumatised by Rarity's death, and was feeling sad for Sweetie Belle. Now she followed her sister towards home, worry playing on her mind.
Applejack had to smile at the memories of how she and Rarity had clashed in the early days of their friendship, but the smile soon faded. The Elements were all but gone; only Honesty and Loyalty remained. She had realised that the Elements were dying one after the other, and vowed to herself that she'd fight to live, unlike the quiet way Fluttershy, Pinkie, Twilight and Rarity had allowed death to take them. If she was going, she was going down fighting.
Applejack trotted through town towards Sweet Apple Acres, Applebloom trailing after. Applejack had cried herself out a long time ago, and no more tears would come even if she wanted them to.
When she got back to the farm, Applejack cantered out to the west orchard, where Big Macintosh was harvesting their crop of Red Delicious. Applejack gave her brother a look, and then began to kick the trees so hard she left hoofprints in the bark. Big Mac blinked respectfully at her before pulling his cartful of apples back towards the barn.
For several days the harvest went on, until every tree in the western field was bare of fruit. As Applejack rested in the barn, Applebloom came in. "Applejack?"
"What is it, Applebloom?"
"Can ah talk to you?" asked Applebloom
"Sure y'can, little sis. Ya know ya can talk to me about anythin'.
"Well... I'm worried about ya, Applejack. So's Big Mac. And even Granny Smith."
Applejack smiled. "Y'all don't need ta worry 'bout me. Ah'm a tough 'un. Why would y'all be worried?"
"Well, it's jus' that all the Elements have been dyin'... and ya're an Element. I don't wanna lose ya, Applejack."
Applejack chuckled and ruffled Applebloom's mane. "Don't worry, sis. Ah ain't going nowhere."
Applebloom smiled at her sister. "Yeah, ya are a tough pony. Ah just wanted to tell ya."
Applebloom skipped out of the barn, almost bumping into Big Mac as he trotted in. Big Mac watched Applebloom until she was out of sight, then turned to Applejack, who was lounging on a hay bale with a stalk of hay in her teeth. "Applejack."
"Big Mac?"
"Applejack, y'all are scared. I can see it in ya face."
Applejack spat the hay stem out. "Hayseeds! Ah ain't scared of nothin'."
"Y'all are scared of dyin'. Or of Rainbow Dash dyin'.
Applejack opened her mouth to argue, but Big Mac cut her off.
"Don't argue wit me, Applejack. Jus'... be careful, 'K? We can't afford ta lose ya."
The red stallion walked back out of the barn, leaving Applejack to sit and dwell on his words.
"Ah'll be fine, and so'll Rainbow. There's nowhere I can fall around here, I certainly ain't gonna starve, I'm not sick. There's fire, o'course, but everypony is so watchful fer it now that it just ain't gonna happen." Applejack laid back again and crunched on an apple.
A week later, the Cox apple harvest began. Applejack, Big Mac and even Applebloom were out working the fields 18 hours a day, trying to harvest their biggest orchard before the fruit was past its best. Big Mac did little of the actual applebucking, as he had to drag carts full of apples back to the barn. By the time he got back from one load, there was another to take back.
When there was only one more field to harvest, Applejack let Applebloom have a day off. Sweetie Belle had become a recluse, and with Applebloom working the fields Scootaloo had been left alone for a week. Applebloom headed into town with her pegasus friend while Applejack and Big Mac continued working.
Big Mac left with a cart of apples while Applejack harvested the apples from the last few trees. When she was done, she sprawled beneath a tree and pulled her hat down over her face. She was just drifting off when she heard something hiss nearby. Flipping her hat back onto her head, she scanned the ground and spotted the unwelcome, scaly, definingly-patterned back of an adder.
Applejack knew she had to get rid of it; she couldn't risk it biting Applebloom or Big Mac. She got to her hooves and walked towards it, slowly. The adder's eyes swivelled to glare at her, but it didn't move. With careful steps, Applejack got closer, forming a plan in her mind.
She had to disable the head, that was clear. If she planted one hoof on its neck, she could crush its head with the other hoof, a quick if not painless death for the snake. But even as she stepped forward, the adder gave a menacing hiss and raised its head, a clear warning. But regardless, Applejack had to get this dangerous snake out of Sweet Apple Acres. If only Fluttershy were here, she thought fleetingly.
Applejack moved back a few steps. The hissing lowered in volume, then the head sunk back down, but the yellow reptilian eyes were still fixed on Applejack.
Applejack suddenly dashed forwards, leaping to land her hooves on the adder's head and neck. But the snake's head suddenly blurred as it lunged, and she ended up with one front hoof on the adder's body and the other one on the ground.
Before she could react to this twist in her plan, the adder turned its head and struck, its fangs sinking into her front leg and dispelling its poison into her blood.
Applejack gave a whinny of shock and pain, stumbling backwards a few steps as the adder, now reasonably defenseless without its poison, began to slide away. Applejack shook her head, which seemed slightly fuzzy suddenly, and sprang again for the snake, one hoof precisely on the back of its skull. The other front hoof- the bitten one- pounded down forcefully on the adder's head once, twice, three times.
The adder's body thrashed for a minute in its death throes, then grew still. Applejack picked up the body and slung it away, then began to limp back towards the farmhouse.
Big Mac, returning with his empty cart, found Applejack collapsed on the track. His heart in his mouth, he checked her vital signs, and to his relief she was breathing, her heart beating a faint rhythm against her chest. As he hefted his sister's limp form onto the cart, he saw the snakebite on her foreleg.
He had never pulled the cart so fast.
Back at the house, Big Mac laid Applejack on her bed, before galloping into town to find the doctor.
Big Mac came back with the doctor to see Granny Smith sponging Applejack's forehead while Applebloom sat beside her prone sister, tears in her eyes.
The doctor examined the snakebite. "An adder." he sighed; he hated giving bad news. "It's an adder bite. An adder bite is fatal 85% of the time, and judging by the fact that she's unconscious, I'd say she won't last the night."
Applebloom broke down, sobbing, while Big Mac pounded his hoof on the floorboards. "Surely there's somethin' we can do?"
The doctor fixed him with a gaze. "You can hope that she's in the 15% that survives."
The doctor departed, with his condolences. Applebloom climbed on the bed with her sister. "Ah'm sleeping here t'night, just in case she wakes up before... before..."Applebloom sniffed.
"Now, dearie, don't talk like that!" wheezed Granny Smith. "Your sister's a real fighter; she'll pull through."
"Eeyup." said Big Mac, though his common sense told him otherwise.
"Wha..." came a croaky voice.
Applebloom jumped. "Applejack!"
Applejack's green eyes opened and blearily tried to focus on her sister. "Ooohhh, heyyy thurr Appleblooooom..." she slurred.
Applebloom smiled through her tears. "She can talk! She'll be alright! You were right, Granny Smith!"
"Darn tootin' I was!" cried Granny Smith.
"Hold it." said Big Mac, pointing a hoof at Applejack. "She's gone again."
Applejack's eyes had closed again. Applebloom nudged her, but she didn't move.
For most of the evening, Applejack drifted in and out of conciousness. Big Mac, leaving his sister's side for a little while, managed to track down Rainbow Dash and tell her what had happened. Rainbow was gone in a flash of colours, and was sitting by Applejack's sickbed when he got back to the house.
But to all who saw her, Applejack was clearly getting weaker, and though they tried to deny it, inside they could see her fading. Applebloom stayed hunched on the bed beside her sister for hours. As the sun set, Granny Smith tried to pull her away, but Applebloom wouldn't go, protesting, "What if she wakes up and I'm not here?"
Rainbow Dash stayed too, and even as night set in, the Apples didn't have the heart to ask her to leave.
Applejack woke for the last time late at night. She knew what was going on from snatches of conversation she had picked up through the veil of unconsciousness, and grinned as she thought, Well, if I'm dying tonight, at least I've gone fighting like I vowed I would. She twitched a bit, and immediately Applebloom sat up.
"Applejack, are you awake?"
"Eeyup." said Applejack weakly.
Rainbow stood beside her, a few tears trickling down her face. "Applejack, I thought I'd lost you."
Applejack didn't say anything, just reached out and patted Rainbow's hoof with her own.
Applebloom whispered, "Applejack?"
Applejack coughed. "What... what is it, little sis?
"Are you going to die?"
Applejack thought for a few seconds, then went with the hurtful, but truthful answer. "Ah think ah might, Applebloom."
Applebloom buried her face in Applejack's mane and Applejack felt tears on her neck. "Ah just... cain't lose you, big sis! I jus' cain't!" Applebloom choked.
As Applebloom continued to sob, Applejack looked up at Rainbow. "Stay with me fer the end, won't you, Rainbow?"
Rainbow cracked a smile through her tears. "Of course I'll stay with you. That's why they call me Loyalty."
"Ah, don't you cry too. Ah'm the one who's dyin."
Rainbow gave a harsh laugh. "Honesty really suits you, Applejack."
An hour later, as the three Apple family members, Big Mac with tears running down his face and Granny Smith and Applebloom bawling, and Rainbow Dash, one blue hoof in Applejack's orange one, watched, Applejack slipped away quietly, having fought her all.