“Excuse me, Aunt Rarity, could you say that again please?” Cloud Blossom asked, disbelief in her voice.
Rarity took a delicate sip of her cinnamon flavoured tea from the cup held in her magic and carefully set it back on it’s saucer, taking the time to dab at her lips before repeating what she had just told her two nieces. “I said,” Rarity began, looking the two pegasi in the eyes, “Applejack, your mother, my friend, has stage two skin cancer darling. To be specific, basal cell carcinoma.”
“Eeyup, that’s what ah thought y’all said Aunt Rarity.” Apple Honey sat next to her sister, opposite her Aunt Rarity and Momma Fluttershy in the shade of the Zap apple trees, the table between them holding their chosen teas and coffee, the latter of which belonged to the athletic pegasus and remained untouched. “So…what’s that mean?”
“Is…is Momma Jackie going to be alright?” Cloud asked, “She isn’t, you know…going to…is she?” She trailed off, staring at her cooling cup of earl grey tea, not wanting to finish her sentence.
“Is mah Momma gonna die?”
“Apple Honey!” Rarity and Cloud both exclaimed in unison.
“What? Ah’m only askin’ what’s gonna happen now.”
“Girls please.” Fluttershy quietly silenced the three mares around the table. “First of all yes, Applejack has skin cancer. Second it’s not fatal. Your mother is going to make a full recovery from this illness. The doctor’s caught it early in stage two, a simple surgery and a skin graft is all that’s required.” Fluttershy took a sip of her rose tea, giving her daughters a warm smile.
“So that’s why you wrote us to come home Momma?”
Rarity giggled. “You have to admit Cloud Blossom dear it’s not the sort of thing one can put in a letter now is it?”
Fluttershy put her emptied cup on its saucer, and motioned to Rarity for a re-fill, which the unicorn happily obliged with her magic. “Yes it was Cloudy, and while I’m very pleased to see you both here, I must ask; there isn’t going to be any ‘unpleasantness’ between you is there?”
“No Momma.” Apple Honey reached over and hugged her sister tight. “We’ve had a chance to talk, properly ah mean. Ah promise there ain’t gonna be no more hassle.”
“Honey’s right Momma,” Cloud returned the hug as best she could. “We’re alright, really.”
Fluttershy fixed them both with her stare, attempting to discern any lie in her daughter’s faces. Finding none she relaxed with a sigh. “I’m so pleased you both finally came to your senses girls. It’s a shame it took you so long.”
“Well!” Rarity exclaimed, throwing her hooves up. “I’m no Pinkie but I’d say this calls for a celebration. Fluttershy darling may I?”
“Of course you may Rarity. Please can we keep it down though? Applejack does need her rest.”
“Certainly dear.” Rarity lit her horn, and floated a barrel of Sweet Apple cider from the nearby barn over to their table, along with four mugs. Once the mugs were filled with cider Rarity offered a toast. “To family.”
"Y'all wouldn't be startin' without me now would ya?" Applejack's voice carried from the bottom of the Zap Apple orchard.
Fluttershy looked at Rarity; "I thought I said be quiet?"
Rarity looked at Fluttershy; "I was being quiet darling, at least I thought I was..." The white unicorn trailed off under Fluttershy's stern gaze.
"Momma!" Cloud Blossom sprang from her seating pad and flew straight into Applejack's waiting hooves, pulling her mother into a tight hug.
Apple Honey couldn't help but giggle. "Ah wouldn' worry about it Aunt Rarity, y'all know Momma Jackie can hear cider sloshin' a mile away. Remember the time Aunt Rainbow tried helpin' herself to the hard stuff in th' cellar that time?"
"Ah yes. How could anypony forget that?" Rarity and Fluttershy both laughed at the happy memory. In fact the only pony who hadn't been happy was Rainbow Dash, after Applejack had made her work off the amount of cider the weather pony had "borrowed".
"Cloud!" Apple Honey called to her sister, "Loosen up ya grip sis, ah want mah Momma conscious when ah get to hug her after you!"
Cloud Blossom gave up her seating pad to Applejack, who took it with a smile. "Why thank you kindly sugarcube. Rarity, since y'all woke me up, would ya mind bringin' out another seat and a mug, if'n ya please?"
"It would be my pleasure Applejack." Rarity smiled, levitating out another seating pad and a mug as Fluttershy moved her pad next to her wife and gave her a huge squeeze.
"Now, where were y'all before ah so rudely interrupted?"
"Aunt Rarity was making a toast to family Momma." Cloud chirped happily, taking her new seat next to her sister.
"Well," Applejack smiled at her favourite group of mares, "Ah reckon ah can go for that." The farmer lifted her freshly filled mug to the middle of the table. "T' family!"
The other four mares pressed their mugs together, spilling cider over the table. "Family!"
Cloud Blossom turned to her sister and extended her mug to her. "To Sisters."
Apple Honey returned the gesture with a smile. “Sisters.”
"Well now..." Applejack fanned herself with her hat, a broad grin on her muzzle. "There's a sight these old eye's thought they'd never see. Though ah ain't gonna gripe for seein' it, it sure would'a been nice t' see it sooner."
"Momma, are ya gonna die?"
Applejack took a long drink of her cider, and looked her daughter square in the eyes as she answered; "No Honey, ah ain't gonna die. Ah just gotta go t' hospital, have an operation. Ah'll be buckin' these here trees six ways t' Sunday quicker than a rat up a drainpipe before ya know it."
"But what if something goes wrong?"
"It won' Cloud, ah know it won'."
"How can you be so sure Momma?"
Applejack took another drink, considering her answer. "Ah'll tell ya for why. Ah got th' best wife ah could wish t' ask for," The farmer gave Fluttershy a squeeze and a kiss, "Ah got four o' th' best friends in Equestria behind me," Applejack raised her mug to Rarity with a smile. "Ah got you two girls t' hold mah hoof," She nodded to Cloud Blossom and Apple Honey each in turn, "An' ah got ya brother an' sister up there in heaven watchin' over me too. Wi' all these ponies watchin' mah back ah can't not be alright now can ah?"
~
The moon had just been risen to the night sky, casting its pale light over the apple farm. Two mares sat side by side on the grass under an ancient apple tree, each with a wing draped over the other to ward off the chill, but mainly to hold one sister close to her sibling.
“How long are you staying for?” Cloud asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
“Ah’ll stay for th’ operation, then ah gotta get back t’ Manehatten. Get the Sharks in trainin’ for th’ local games comin’ up soon. How ‘bout you?”
Cloud smiled, thinking of her date tomorrow. “If all goes well with Rosie, I’ll be around more.”
“Oh…‘Rosie’ is it now?” Apple Honey sniggered, “Do ah need t’ give her th’ ‘don’ hurt my sis’ speech?”
“No thank you.” Cloud nuzzled her sister, “Although I appreciate the sentiment.”
Apple Honey looked out over the sleeping farm, bathed in the eerie glow of moonlight. “Funny ain’t it?”
“Hmm? What is?”
Apple Honey rested her head on her sister’s shoulder, “All them years we spent fightin’, hatin’ each other.” Tears ran down the burnt yellow pegasus’ cheek. “Ah’d love to have a few of ‘em back.”
Cloud Blossom felt the tears on her fur, and turned her head to kiss away her sibling’s tears. “Me too sis. Me too.”