//------------------------------// // A Dream and a Nightmare // Story: A Long Life // by pertelote345 //------------------------------// Chapter 4 Apple Jack Granny Smith smothered my slice of warm cinnamon apple pie with whipped cream and I dug into it so fast, Pinkie would be surprised. Granny chuckled and put a stack of pancakes down on the Kitchen table. "I swear that appetite of yours never ceases to amaze me." Off in the corner, Star Fire and Rainbow Dash were playing that race car game on their console. Dash crashed her little buggy into a cartoon tree and stared in disbelief as Star swooped across the finish line. Star got that smug little smirk of hers and Dash threw down the controller. "This thing is so rigged!" Star flicked her red mane back and rolled her eyes. "Yeah right!" Derrick came down the stairs with Big Mac in tow. The two shared a brief, adorable kiss before sitting down and tucking into some pancakes. "You two sleep okay?" I asked through a mouthful of crumbly heaven. Mac smiled "Y'all are assuming we slept." Derrick blushed. I giggled. Those two were perfect for each other. "Say, where's Fluttershy?" "Over here AJ!" came a soft, beautiful voice. Fluttershy waved goodbye to a trio of bees who flew off through the window and into the sunny orchard. "Pollination going okay?" I asked. The yellow pegasus nodded. "Even better than last year!" "Oh I've always loved bees!" Said Rarity from across the table, daintily eating a single pancake. "They're so color coordinated! I wonder if black and yellow could be a new line..." I rolled my eyes, but I had a smile on my face when I did it. There was a knock on the door. I bounced off to open the old farmhouse door. A blue alicorn mare stood there, looking grim. I blinked. "Princess Luna?" She lowered her head. "I'm sorry Apple Jack, but you're in danger. You need to wake up. Now." That said, she smacked me in the face. # My eyes shot open. I was in a hospital room, it was dark... No it was red. Emergency lights? A pegasus mare in a lab coat was standing over me in shock. "Y-you were sedated!" I propped myself up and shook out my hair, "Divine intervention, literally." I hopped off the bed. "Y'all have my affects?" The mare sputtered, "Miss Apple Jack, you just had a myocardial infarction! You're in no condition to be out of bed! And in any case we're evacuating the hospital, we need to get you out of here." I opened up the plastic baggie next to the bed. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you... Well not the heart attack part." I tied back my hair and snapped on my belt. I slipped a clip into my Colt 1911 and clicked it to my foreleg. Her eyes went wide. "You were carrying a gun!?" I shushed her and put in my earpiece. "Star Fire, Derrick, you read?" "AJ?" Star Fire's voice crackled in my ear. "Thank Celestia you're awake. Are you mobile?" "Yeah," I said glancing down the hallways and checking the corners. "Luna gave me a boost. Is someone going to tell me what the hay is going on?" "Slice is here." The young marine continued, "We think he's here to finish what the heart attack started. We're holed up in a fortified room with Celestia and... and your old friend, Twilight. Did I mention she's alive." Holy horseapples, I wasn't seeing things. "AJ? APPLE JACK?!" I shook myself. "Is she safe?" "The room is armored and warded, but she's- hey!" There was a hiss of static. "Apple Jack? Apple Jack!? Is that you?" Asked a ghost. I staggered back... a thousand memories came rushing in. She was dead. I had no Idea what to say, what to do. "H-hi Twi." I managed. She sniffled. "It is so good to hear your voice! I-" The roof exploded. My reflexes kicked in. I tackled the pegasus doctor and we rolled out of the room in a feathery mess. Screams filled the halls as the last few patient stagglers and their doctors fled as fast as they could. I swung my forelegs around and aimed my pistol down the hole. The sunlight pouring in was almost cheerful... but what came through sure as hay wasn't. The unicorn was not physically imposing. He was thin with a tawny yellow coat. He wore nothing but some thin brown saddle bags and a pair of glasses. Even his expression was neutral. He floated to the ground in a haze of magical energy, setting himself easily on his hooves. "Apple Jack," He said, perfectly serene. "Your time has come." The saddle bags opened and a flurry of knives poured out. I grabbed the doctor and yanked us to the side. Blades slammed themselves into the walls behind us. I crouched down, aimed and fired off a shot. The bullet bounced right off his dang magical shield, but it made him blink, which gave me just enough time to grab that poor doctor by the tail and jump into the next room. I slammed the door behind us and wheeled on the mare. "Fly!" I shouted. Her eyes were glazed over. Aw Tarnation... I slapped her. "Leave! Window! Now!" She shook herself, got off the floor and left. Which was a darn good thing because it took all of two seconds for Slice to rip the door off its hinges. Now, when you've lived as long as I have, you pick up a few things, including some elementary physics. One of my favorite things in physics? The equation Force = Mass X Acceleration. A bullet does a lot of damage because it moves real fast, giving it a lot of force despite its small size, but there's more than one way to make an apple pie, and the mass part of that equation is very relevant. I weigh about 880 pounds. When Slice stepped through the door and I brought my hooves down on his skull, he was in a mess of trouble. His shield shattered from the force of the blow and his eyes went wide, but the bastard was too quick. He teleported behind me to escape. Bad move. I kicked him through the wall. Literally. He smashed right through the plaster and and boards and ended up on his back using a dented filing cabinet in the adjoining office as a pillow. Wasting no time to admire the decor, I swung around and opened fire, putting bullet after bullet right between his eyes. His shield flickered as they bounced off his skull. He was unimpressed. He lifted me into the air with telekinetic force. I reached for another clip, but he ripped it from my teeth. His expression was empty, completely and totally empty. A pressure built around my throat. I couldn't... Breathe... "Shh..." Slice whispered, his voice so very calm. "You have lived a long and painful life Apple Jack, but that's over now. There's no need for pain." My vision blurred. I struggled against his grasp. I needed to... "Shh..." Slice continued, He looked almost sad. "It's alright. I know how tired you are." He took my gun and eyed the well worn grip. "All those decades of suffering." He said. My vision went from blurry to dark. I could barely make out the stallion smiling. "Now you finally get to res-" An enormous purple beam of magic blasted him out of the office sending splinters of flaming wood flying everywhere. I fell gasping to the ground. Standing at the door to the office, horn smoking red, was a certain twitching purple Alicorn. "I have no idea who you are..." Twilight began. "But I am having a very bad day and YOU ARE NOT VERY NICE!!!!" The stallion, barely visible through the pile of smoking rubble twitched, but made no effort to escape. Star Fire and Celestia poked their heads in the door. "Dang," Said Star, eyeing the charred remains of a desk. "She grows on you quick." "Quickly" Celestia corrected, "And yes, she does."