Chapter 3: The Lone Apple Tree
It had been three months since Rarity passed away, and by this point, life had more or less gone back to normal in Ponyville. Although not having Pinkie Pie or Rarity around anymore was a little depressing, the Mane four knew that it was nothing worth remaining depressed this long over. They’d say to move on months prior. In fact, when the Mane four thought about it, both of their last words were about moving past death and keeping happy, although both were in different context. So, they did just that, and went back to the daily routine.
One day AppleJack went to Twilight's place, and asked if Twilight could help her with the apple picking.
“Why are you asking me to do this, AppleJack?” asked Twilight skeptically, “You and your family are usually so independent.”
“Yea, well, that’s kinda the problem." Replied AppleJack, "We are independent, but only as a family. Ya see, Big Macintosh ended up hurting his back legs the other day, and won’t be able to buck anything. That just leaves me and Applebloom, and you know what happened last time I did Applebuck Season alone, don’t ya?”
Twilight thought back. She remembered that day. It included Rainbow being launched halfway across town, an invasion of bunnies out of nowhere, and most of the population getting sick via cupcakes of DEATH!!! No way could she risk that ever happening again. She instantly agreed to help AppleJack, and said she’d get Rainbow to help too.
“Wait, why not Fluttershy?” asked AppleJack.
“I’ll give you 10 seconds to figure out why not Fluttershy.” Twilight answered.
“Oh yeah, duh.” Said AJ, turning a bit red in the cheeks.
Twilight and Rainbow showed up as promised, and the trio began bucking apples, or in Twilight’s case, picking them via telekinesis. They were making great progress, when suddenly Applebloom came rushing to Twilight, running like her house was on fire. Rainbow Dash noticed her and flew down to ground level, asking what was up. When Applebloom answered, Rainbow’s eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks. She told Applebloom to go back to her sister, while she told Twilight. Applebloom agreed, and they split up. Half a second later, Rainbow crashed into Twilight, panicking and talking too fast for anyone to understand her. Twilight calmly told Rainbow to speak slowly, and clearly. Rainbow took a deep breath, and said, “AppleJack is down!!!”
“What?!?!?!?” exclaimed Twilight, who was feeling a slight case of Déjà vu at that moment.
“According to Applebloom, she passed out in the Western field!”
“I’m on it” said Twilight, teleporting toward the West fields, while Rainbow Dash just flew over to them.
When Twilight and Rainbow got there, they saw that Applebloom wasn’t lying. AppleJack had collapsed in the field near an unbucked apple tree. Her hat had fallen off, her hairband had snapped, releasing her mane all over the place, and the bag full of apples in her saddlebag had spilled all across the field. AppleJack herself seemed to be in extreme pain. She was having trouble breathing, she seemed to have trouble moving her limbs, and her cutie mark seemed to be a little duller than normal, or was that just Twilight’s imagination? Either way, this needed to be examined on the double. “AppleJack, we need to take you to the hospital, like, RIGHT NOW!!” Twilight yelled, clearly in panic.
“Ughh, no… way… Twilight…” replied AppleJack
“What?!?! Why Not???”
“I… ain’t… leaving… till… this orchard… is completely bucked.”
“YOU ARE CLEARLY IN NO STATE OF BODY TO BUCK ANYTHING!! YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL BEFORE THIS GETS TO BE IRREPAIRABLE!!!”
“No means… No, Twi.”
“UGGGHHH” went Twilight, seeing how stubborn AppleJack was being, as usual. She looked up at Rainbow Dash, and figured out what had to be done.
“Ok, AppleJack, I’ll stay here and finish bucking apples, while Rainbow Dash takes you to the hospital. I can completely clear 10 trees at once, and Rainbow can get you to the hospital in ten seconds flat. This way we’re both satisfied.”
AppleJack opened her mouth to reply, but passed out before she was able to say anything, clearly because she was feeling some serious strain. Upon seeing this, Rainbow picked up AJ, and flew off at top speed while holding her. Twelve seconds later, they reached the hospital.
"Nurse! This pony needs some medical attention right away!" yelled Rainbow Dash as she burst through the doors. The nurse at the desk glanced upward with a half lidded look of apathy, as if she figured that Rainbow was simply overreacting. The second the nurse saw AppleJack, however, her look of apathy quickly switched to a look of horror. She had clearly seen this disease before, whatever it was. She rapidly pressed some buttons in front of her and called out a list of numbers (Specifically 14, 33, 2) upon which the other side yelled in shock and got a stretcher for her almost immediately. About ten seconds later, two ponies in biohazard suits came in to lift the gurney. When they saw AppleJack, they seemed to relax a bit, saying that she was in an early phase, so it’s not contagious, and it should be relatively easy to cure. Regardless, they ran off with the gurney toward wherever it was that this disease would be treated at. All this time, Rainbow Dash just sat there in horror, watching the staff’s reactions to this disease and feeling like she just watched a train wreck on a boat. And somehow, she felt that it was about to get worse.
The next day, Applebloom, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all burst through the hospital doors at top speed, all wanting to see AppleJack. The nurse at the front desk allowed them to, but only if they wore gas masks, and Applebloom wore a biohazard suit. This stage of the disease may not be contagious to adults, but there was no evidence that it couldn’t affect fillies. They complied and went to check on AppleJack. When they got to her room, they all recoiled in shock. AppleJack’s coat had practically turned gray, she had trouble keeping her eyes open, and one of the apples on her flank had vanished. When they called out to her, she turned onto her side and said, “Howdy doo, guys…” sounding like she had become drunk on cider. Applebloom walked up to her and put her hoof on AppleJack’s, in an attempt to comfort both her sister and herself. “How have you been holding up AppleJack?” asked Twilight.
“Terribly, Twilight, just terribly.”
“How so?” asked Fluttershy.
“Well, I’m stuck here in this bed while the farm remains unkept. I can’t stop worrying that the whole place will go to hell without me.” Replied AppleJack.
“That’s why you’re doing terribly??” asked Rainbow skeptically.
“Should there be another reason?” asked AppleJack.
“Oh, I don’t know, how about the fact that you’re in a hospital with a disease that the doctors fear?” replied Rainbow Dash, practically shouting at this point. Fluttershy knocked Rainbow lightly upside the head for yelling in a hospital, then said, “If that’s what’s worrying you, I can take care of the farm while you’re gone, if you’d like. I can handle the picking and the animal parts of the job with ease.”
“Well, since I’m not allowed to leave here, I suppose you could keep an eye on the farm, at least until this whole mess blows on over.” AppleJack said, after thinking her offer over.
“Please, AppleJack, just be alright.” Said Applebloom between sniffles. “We can’t stand to lose another big sister.”
“We?” asked AppleJack.
“The CMC. Sweetie Belle barely comes out anymore, and I couldn’t take losing you too.”
“Don’t worry your purty lil head none, Applebloom. I’ll always be there for ya, rain or shine.”
“Just recover, sis. Just recover…” said Applebloom, sounding more solemn than anypony had ever heard her sound before. She was clearly taking this hard, which was completely understandable. It was clear that Applebloom was about to burst out crying, which was something that could only make the situation worse. Taking the hint, the remaining members of the Mane six escorted her out of the ward, promising AppleJack that they’d be back tomorrow.
The next day, Twilight burst into the hospital once more, and requested to see AppleJack. The same conditions as yesterday applied, and once again, Twilight didn’t object. When she got into the ward, she had mixed reactions on what she saw. On the one hand, her coat had regained some of its shine, and she seemed to be able to move a bit better, considering she was reading a book. On the other hand, she had lost another apple from her flank, leaving only one dull apple left. AppleJack saw Twilight in the corner of her eye, put down her book, and said, “Howdy, Twi.” Once again, the voice made Twilight feel mixed. On the one hand, she didn’t sound drunk anymore, which was a plus, but on the other hand, Twilight could barely hear the voice. It sounded raspy and quiet. Not a good combination. She rushed over to AppleJack and asked, “How has the disease been going?”
“The doctors have been really making progress.” AppleJack replied.
“I don’t know, AJ. Have you seen your cutie mark? It’s about to vanish completely!”
“Yeah, well, it’s been like that since last night. According to the doctors, those apples represent how much life I have left. Ya see, this disease has several phases. In all of these phases though, the cutie mark thing remains the same. Apparantly, this illness makes a ponies cutie mark slowly disappear, all the while hitting the bearer with several other side effects, depending on the stage. If the mark completely disappears, then the pony dies. It’s that simple.” AppleJack explained.
Twilight couldn’t believe it. AppleJack barely had any life in her mark left, and yet she sounded this calm?? Why?? Twilight inquired, “HOW ARE YOU THAT CALM SOUNDING WHEN YOU HAVE ONE DULL APPLE LEFT ON YOUR HIDE??”
AppleJack laughed softly and said, “Mainly because that apple was like that since last night, Twilight. It hasn’t vanished anymore since. The doctors have said that this was an earlier phase, and it should be relatively easy to cure. Besides, didn’t ya hear me yesterday? I said I’ll always be there for ya, rain or shine. That’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”
Twilight started tearing up. Even though AppleJack probably wouldn’t admit it, she was probably really scared. The fact that she’s staying as calm as she could for her was really touching. AppleJack saw Twilight's tears welling up, and said, “Twilight, don’t worry. I promise that I’ll make it out of here. Just believe in the doctors, and believe in me. I’ll make it out.”
“Okay…” sniffled Twilight.
AppleJack motioned Twilight over, and gave her a hug once she got close. Twilight returned it, than left. She walked home, hoping that AJ would get through this.
Over the next week, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applebloom, and occasionally Fluttershy (she had a lot of farm work to do, so she didn’t have much free time) visited her constantly. They saw that she was getting better each time. They usually ended up playing games or telling stories with her. Life felt almost normal, except that AppleJack still hated having to depend on anypony for anything, and that she was in a hospital, where that was the entire point. One day, when Fluttershy and Applebloom were visiting, they saw something that was the cause of celebration. Her cutie mark was returning! One of the apples on her flank had returned, meaning the disease must be wearing off! Fluttershy immediately rushed to get the others, while Applebloom just hugged her big sister. When the others got the memo, they rushed in and saw that this was real! They all gave AppleJack a group hug, which while a bit crowded, was ultimately very enjoyable. They asked how she was doing with that, and she replied with, “Didn’t I say earlier that I would get through this? I am all about honesty, and if I thought I couldn’t get past something like this, I wouldn’t have promised it.”
“AppleJack, how were you so sure that you were going to make it out without a hitch?” asked Rainbow.
“Easy. The doctors said it themselves, this disease is at an early phase. One that is easy for them to cure. I trust them to know what they’re doing if they say something like that.”
“Were you at all scared?” asked Fluttershy.
“Course I was, Sugarcube, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you never make somepony panic about something out of their control, especially not for something this sensitive. Besides, I said I’d get through this, and I meant it.” AppleJack replied. About a week later, AppleJack’s third apple had returned, and they shined brighter than ever before. Upon seeing that, her friends figured she must be cured, and sure enough, they were right. AppleJack was released from the hospital the next day, which warranted another group hug. Upon release, they all headed to the acres with her. Upon arriving, her whole family welcomed her back with open arms. Granny Smith and Big Macintosh both gave a large hug, while Applebloom just stared at her sister in tears. “You made it out… You kept your promise…” said Applebloom, trying to hold back her joyful tears.
“I said I would, and I did, Applebloom. It’s as simple as that.” Said AppleJack, clearly holding back tears of her own. They gave each other the tightest hug ever given, and got back to life on the farm.
To Be Continued…
Right now. For you see, it was not as simple as that.
Over the next couple weeks, it became clear that AppleJack wasn’t quite on her ‘A’ game. She seemed to be a lot slower, both in conversation and in her work. Whenever the mane 4 talked, AppleJack barely responded. More often than not, she just smiled and nodded at the talker, very rarely arguing or anything. In addition, she had trouble on the farm. While she could still technically do her job, she was going at it at a rate that made Applebuck season seem fast. Eventually, everypony, including AppleJack, realized that this wasn't over. After a failed game of go fish (where AJ asked Fluttershy three times in a row if she had any fours, when AppleJack herelf didn't have any fours.), AppleJack realized she needed further treatment, and checked herself back into the hospital.
Upon being rediagnosed, the doctors said that the disease had faked being cured, and is now back in a far deadlier form. How on earth a disease could do something like that was beyond anyone's knowledge, but the fact still stood that AppleJack was in serious danger. The others panicked and rushed to visit her, but were unable to do so at first, due to the disease being too risky to invite vistors in until they pinned down some facts, even if they wore biohazard suits. The mane three and Applebloom agreed and went home, hoping for a miracle. The next day, they were allowed admittance, although they all had to wear full bio gear, as the disease was incredibly contagious at this point. When the four of them entered the ward, they saw that AJ was looking worse than ever before. She was fully grayscale, her eyes were barely open, her limbs seemed immobile, and she barely had one apple left on her flank. Applebloom called out for her sister as loud as she could, but AppleJack didn't respond, as she seemed physically unable to. There was nothing her friends could do but watch her mark and listen to the beeps as the doctors frantically worked. Then, the last apple just faded off, and the tone faded in. The mane three didn't need to take a hint, and headed off to the waiting lounge, dragging Applebloom with them, as she was doing everything she could to be next to her sister. Regardless, they walked into the waiting room and waited for the doctor's verdict. Twilight took off everypony's mask so she could get a good grip on everyone's face. Rainbow had grabbed a pen from the desk and started drawing an eight on her arm over and over again. Although it wasn't quite clear what Rainbow was thinking, it was clear that she was trying her hardest to avoid looking at anypony else. Fluttershy was just staring at the door. Her expression was clearly sad, but she seemed like she knew what was going to happen when the doctor walked through that door. Honestly, they all knew that was true. Well, all except maybe Applebloom. Applebloom wasn’t crying, but she certainly wanted to. Her eyes were full of tears as she looked around the circle at the other three. When she saw that no pony had many tears, she quietly said to the group, “She’ll… She’ll be alright…Right?” Twilight looked down at her and shrugged. She was almost positive that AppleJack wouldn’t make it out of this, but there was no way she’d tell Applebloom that. “She… has to… she said she’ll always be there for me…” said Applebloom softly to herself, sounding like she was doing all she could to hold onto a last thread of hope. No response from anyone, except a slight sniffling from one of the Mane three. Which one was unknown, since they were all facing away from one another.
About three minutes later, the doctor came in and gave his verdict. A slow and sad shake of the head indicated that it was over. Upon hearing the verdict, Rainbow flew out the door at top speed, clearly wanting to get some distance between her and everypony else. Fluttershy turned her head away from the doctor and started sobbing softly. Twilight just lied down, and put her face in her hooves. Applebloom was not as reserved as the others. She froze in place, and then started screaming the word No at the top of her lungs. That No would be stuck in Twilight and Fluttershy’s ears for the rest of their lives.
The next day was the funeral, which was almost standard fare for the Mane three at this point. Rainbow Dash was staring intently at everything except the tomb, looking like she desperately wanted to escape. Her eyes, which used to display courage, confidence, and a heavy duty amount of egotism, seemed to display pure fear, like the world was ending and she was powerless to stop it. Fluttershy took a glance at the crowd, which consisted of 1000’s of relatives of the Apple family, as well as a few pegasi who appeared to be from Cloudsdale. She was curious about why, but was drawn out of her train of thought when nudged by Rainbow, who was trying to pass her a note. Fluttershy opened the note, which read:
“Friends never say goodbye…
Right?”
Fluttershy was about to say right, but upon thinking about it, realized that at this point, she wasn’t really sure. Twilight once again stared at the CMC, who were reacting in an odd way, to say the least. The only one who’s actions made sense was Scootaloo, who by this point was practically attaching herself to Rainbow Dash, bawling like a maniac and blubbering, “Please don’t leave me Rainbow Dash, don’t die, please don’t die. I can’t go on without you…” Rainbow Dash looked down at Scootaloo and said that she wouldn’t be going anywhere. Even still, Rainbow didn’t seem too sure of those words this time. Sweetie Belle was out, but surprisingly, she wasn’t crying at all. She was just staring at Applebloom, who was staring at the tomb, as opposed to the coffin her sister resided in. Sweetie Belle walked over to Applebloom and whispered something into her ear. Applebloom whispered something back and started tearing up. Sweetie took the hint and walked over to a seat next to Twilight. Twilight knew it wasn’t her business, but she just had to know. “Hey, Sweetie Belle.”
“Yes, Twilight?” asked Sweetie.
“What did you two say over there?”
Sweetie Belle sighed, and recapped the ‘conversation’.
“Well, I saw that she wasn’t moving, she was just looking at the grave. I asked her what is going through her mind. Her response was, ‘she said she’d be there…’” Sweetie explained.
Twilight had no response. What would she respond with?
They had the funeral, but this time the Mane three came prepared. They each had an object from the last time they’d interacted. After letting the remaining family put their things in the coffin or say their words to the deceased, Twilight placed in a photo from the time when they had a sleepover. Fluttershy placed a long fang inside the coffin. When asked what the tooth was, Fluttershy simply replied with one word: Bats. That answered that in a hurry. Rainbow Dash placed a number tag that had an 8 on it into the tomb, and softly said, “When you see this tag, I hope you remember our run as friends, not as foes.” Applebloom took out a picture of the two of them together, and held it tightly to her. She eventually released the picture, turned over to Scootaloo and said, “Scootaloo, could you please put this in the coffin?”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and said, “Why? You could easily reach this one.”
Applebloom came over to Scootaloo and whispered something into her ear. Upon hearing her response, Scootaloo nodded, hovered up to the coffin lid, and dropped the picture in.
“What did she say?” whispered Fluttershy.
“She said she wanted to remember the AppleJack from her memory, not the one in the coffin.” Scootaloo whispered back.
At that point, Big Mac closed the lid, lowered the coffin into the grave, and buried it. “It’s not right for a big brother to have to bury his little sister” he said to himself in a solemn voice. Upon finishing, everyone left just stared at the grave, which read: “Here lies AppleJack, the embodiment of honesty, and one of the best friends anypony could’ve hoped for. ‘The truth will set you free… John 8:32’ 1996-2017”
This time, there wasn’t a ton to say. The CMC just watched Applebloom, who was staring at the grave. Eventually, she said, “I guess ahm the big sister now…” before slowly walking away. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo each stood on one side of the grave, and put one hoof on the grave while standing on two legs. They bowed their heads for a moment, then rushed off to find Applebloom. The Mane three just read the tombstone, than slowly turned toward one another. They all had tears in their eyes, but didn’t have anything to say. They eventually looked up at one another. They touched hooves together, and held the pose, looking into one another’s eyes. They eventually spread their wings in unison, and began flying into the air, still holding their hooves, bowing their heads throughout the ascension. They looked at each other one last time and flew back home, each wishing they could fly away from the turmoil that they felt inside...
To Be Continued…