//------------------------------// // Another Doctor's Appointment // Story: Angel Wings // by SeasonTheWiccan //------------------------------// A month after the visit, Summer had came and went, and now Fall was approaching that meant things for the Apples were being kicked into high gear. Big Mac was needed more for the farm, which Angel understood. So on the day’s Big Mac couldn’t take his mare out, she’d come over to Sweet Apple Acres to spend some bonding time with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith until his chores were done. Then they’d snuggle under one of the nearby apple trees in the backyard. But one day when Angel came for a visit Granny Smith had ended up taking a nap and Apple Bloom had gone out with her Crusader friends, leaving Angel to herself waiting patiently on the stairs for Big Mac. While she waited, she noticed a ragged wall piano in the living area. She hadn’t played in a long time, but something about it put her under a spell that made her approach it. The piano looked as though it had been played a lot, but not in a long time. She slowly lifted the drawer covering the keys and slowly, key by key, began playing. Big Mac returned to the house later on in a sweaty mess and with a cartful of apples. All he was thinking about was spending time with Angel when he heard the tinkling of a piano coming from inside the house. It sounded like his mother’s playing, when he was young and before his mother died. She would play the piano for him, Applejack, and baby Apple Bloom whenever they were sad. When she fell ill, she tried her best to play for them before bed like always but when her deathbed came closer, she couldn’t. The song that was being played was one Big Mac had never heard before, not even from his mother’s song books! He unhitched himself from the cart and curiously approached the house. As he got closer, the music became more fast paced and more passionate, as if the player had a secret fire in him/her that needed to be let out and it was coming out through their music. But then he realized that nopony in the house could play piano. He feared somepony had broken in and was attempting to take their most prized memories of their parents. He raced inside, prepared to defend his loved ones and to fight the intruder. Big Mac followed the sound of the piano; when he got to the living room entrance, what he saw shocked him. He saw Angel at the piano and playing with her eyes closed as if she knew the placement of the keys by heart. She played with such passion and ferocity that he half expected her to be playing for an audience! He looked around for the rest of his family in the living room but saw none of them. He could only look in amazement as the piece ended. The best way to describe Angel’s expression was as if she had come home after being away for months, years even. Big Mac could tell it had been a long time since she played, Angel then looked up and embarrassment came on her face. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude…” “Yer not, it was beautiful!” Angel blushed, “Thank you.” “How come ya didn’t tell me you could play?” “I didn’t want to play for the longest time…” “Why?” “You see...long before I came to Ponyville, I was playing in a church alone back in Manehattan, there were some candles lit...I fell asleep...the building caught fire, next thing I knew, I was on the other side of the street watching the building burn down and I haven’t played since.” Big Mac could only look in worry, but Angel assured him, “It was nothing, I was seeing this doctor and she put me on these meds—” Big Mac’s eyes went wide, “Wait, wait, wait, what doctor? What meds?” Angel’s spine went cold, she stood there frozen for a moment, ‘Pony feathers! I shouldn’t have let that slip!’ “Big Mac, it’s nothing!” “Angel, what’s goin’ on?” “Big Mac, I’m fine.” “Yer sure?” Angel nodded, “Positive.” Angel screamed at herself inside. She hated lying to him, she loathed it with a passion! Honesty and trust were the two big factors in a relationship, and right now she felt as if she didn’t deserve him. She was scared, terrified of losing him like she lost Blazing Saddle. She loved Big Mac with every fiber in her and she didn’t want to lose it and be left to wither away alone. She would die alone, she was not only lying to her coltfriend, but to her best friends! She wanted to die right then and there so she wouldn’t have to explain, she wanted lightning to strike her where she stood, but nothing happened. She could only stand there with a guilty expression on her face while Big Mac continued to stare at her as beads of sweat ran down her main. “Angel? You alright?” he asked again. Angel couldn’t speak, she only shook her head as she began tearing up. Big Mac showed pity, he thought she was crying because of the memories from the fire. He then approached her and enveloped her in his arms as she began sobbing. “Ssh, it’s okay, Ah’m not gonna let anything happen to you...You are mah life. You are the only thing right now it would hurt to lose.” Angel felt sick to her stomach. she knew her telling him the truth was coming closer, she just didn’t know when. Should she tell him now or later? Which would be the biggest risk of losing him altogether? But the biggest question remained, would he still love her after he found out? Angel now knew what she had to do to buy herself some more time, and it was something she denied herself of when she first went to the doctor in Ponyville. Two days later, Angel was sitting in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, listening to the calming guitar music wondering if it was too late to request this of her doctor. She was scared and nervous, not just about the possibility of being denied for her request, that she could live with (no pun intended) but her friends and Big Mac’s reaction to her condition. Would they abandon her? Stand with her? Or would they just go and spread the news to the rest of the town? She told herself to calm down or she would have a breakdown. “Angel Wings?” The nurse called. She smiled politely and got up, walking to the smiling nurse, she then led Angel to the appointment. “Doctor Horse will be with you shortly.” “Thank you.” Angel sat on the examination bed, and waited with agitation, she knew that this medicine was new to Equestrian medicine and had no clue what the side effects were and if the medicine would even work. Her thinking this made her more scared, was she too close that it wouldn’t be worth it? Angel then thought about if it happened in her house and Big Mac or one of her friends found her, the thought brought tears to her eyes. ‘No, I can’t do that to them, any of them...I can’t take ‘no’ for an answer...not now.’ Just as she thought that, the doctor came in and saw the tears fogging up her eyes. “Ms Wings, are you alright?” Angel dried up her face, “Yeah, I-I’m fine.” The doctor looked at her curiously, closed the door, then sat down on his stool, “Is there...something you want to tell me?” “I...I was wondering if...the life expansion medicine is still an option.” The doctor looked at her surprised, then composed himself, “Are you sure?” “When you first asked me...I said ‘I have nothing to live for...’ now I do.” The doctor took a deep breath, “Alright, the option is still available...but...since you are getting more and more symptoms...there are going to be more side effects.” Angle flinched in her seat. “Like what?” He read off his notes. “Increased risk of depression, stiff joints, back pains, migraines, as well as low to no ovulation.” Angel nodded, “I understand.” she then mumbled to herself, “I wouldn’t have been able to carry a foal full term anyway.” “This also means you’ll have to take extra pills for the pains, headaches and depression.” Angel sighed, then held her head up high. “I know, I don’t care if I have to have pills shoved down my throat! I just...I just want more time.” The doctor nodded. “Alright, if this is really what you want...I’ll write out the prescription for you. Now, it will take a week so I suggest you don’t hesitate in telling your friends and coltfriend.” Angel nodded again, inside she was bursting with happiness. She now had the time she needed to spend time with all the ponies she met to say her final goodbyes. Angel left the doctor’s office giddy but still filled with worry on how the others would react. She didn’t know how she would be able to explain the IV on her leg if her friends visited, or even Big Mac. She knew she had to tell one of her friends now, so she decided to tell them one by one. After that, she would ask them not to tell each other till she got to the next one. She would save Big Mac for last since he was going to be the hardest to tell. As Angel pondered on who to tell first, and after a few fast heartbeats later, she knew who. Twilight was reading a book on Astronomy when she heard knocks on the front door, she closed her book and opened the door to see Angel, out of breath and sweating beads. “Angel! Did you run here? What’s wrong?” “Twilight, can...I...talk to you for a minute?” Twilight stepped aside, “Of course, come in!” Angel entered panting, she had clearly ran all the way there from the Doctor’s office. Twilight closed the door behind her as Angel sat down. Twilight walked in front of her and lifted Angel’s chin so she was looking at her. “Is everything alright?” “Twilight...I need to tell you something, and I need your promise that you won't tell anypony…” Twilight was then prepared for whatever news Angel had for her, “I promise Angel, now tell me what’s wrong.” Angel paused, this was it, it was now or never. She took a deep breath and said simply, “I’m sick.” Twilight looked confused, “Do you have the flu or something—” “No, Twilight, I mean...I’m really sick…” Twilight got it as her eyes widened, “You’re…” Angel lowered her head. “I have leukemia. I’ve had leukemia, I’ve always had it, and I always will until…” Twilight only stood in shock, “You getting sick all those times...the nosebleeds...the bruising...all this time you said you were fine!” Angel began to cry, “I’m so sorry Twilight, I kept this hidden because I didn’t want to be your charity project, the doctor told me to live life as normally as possible.” “Angel...are you—” “Yes Twilight, I’m dying...2 months before I came to Ponyville, I stopped responding to treatments.” Twilight’s eyes were then filled with tears, she placed a hoof on her muzzle and began sobbing. “Twi...I’m so sorry.” “Please tell me it isn’t true, please…” Angel looked into her pleading eyes, she wanted to tell her it wasn’t true, she wanted one of her best friends to have that hope that she was going to live. “I’m sorry, but it’s true.” Twilight dropped down to her haunches as she began to sob harder, Angel could only release a little of her own tears as she wrapped her arms around Twilight in a hug. She then waited for the scolding, screaming and finally, banning Angel from her presence. Twilight’s crying began to lessen, “Okay, okay, let’s just...explore our options—” “Twilight—” “No! There has to be another way! You have to live!” “Twilight! It’s no use!” Twilight had already raced to her books and began to summon all the books on illnesses in her magic as the library swarmed with opening and closing texts.. “There has to be a way for you to start responding to treatments again…” She looked into a yellow book. “Maybe we can try a blood transfusion.” She shifted to a blue one. “Or maybe we can get some doctor’s in Canterlot who specializes in this!” “Twilight—” Angel said as she ducked a large red book. “I’m sure we can do something!” she flipped through book after book as her mane began to split as her eyes widen. “Celestia has to know a spell! We can get that cancer out of you! All we have to do is look into a couple of spells—” “TWILIGHT! IT’S NO USE! YOU THINK I HAVEN'T LOOKED INTO ALL THAT ALREADY! I’M GOING TO DIE!!” Twilight stiffened as all the books dropped out of her magic and rained onto the floor. she stared back at Angel, eyes puffing up. “You’re… You’ve just given up?” Angle sighed. “My body can’t fight anymore. So there’s no use in forcing it!” “No, no, no, no!” She threw herself at Angle. “Don’t say that! Don’t give up!” Angle sniffled. “Please, just don’t do this...I’ve come to terms with it. So please, Twilight...” Twilight looked hopeless as she sat down, “Alright...alright...I’m sorry.” There was silence between them, until Twilight asked, “How long?” “I’m being put on this medicine that extends my life by 4 months, it’s arriving in 2 weeks.” “Which will be…” “Late Winter, early Spring.” “Are you going to tell anypony else?” “I know it’s bound to get out but I’m going to tell the others individually starting tomorrow.” “But you do know that tomorrow is the centennial meteor shower...why don’t you tell them all there?” Angel backed up and began to shuffle her hooves. “I-I’m scared to.” Twilight put a hoof on Angel's shoulder. “Just tell them upfront like you told me, you may get a bunch of reactions and some scoldings but at least you’ll have it over with and we will be right by you to help...okay?” Angel took a deep breath, “Okay.” “Good, but I have to ask something…” “Yeah?” “Are you scared?” Angel paused and made a slight smile, “To death.” Twilight rolled her eyes as she laughed while she wiped away a tear. “That’s not… That’s not funny.” Angel chuckled. “Just lightening the mood.” Twilight laughed along and then hugged her friend, “If the others don’t stick by you, I will, and so will Big Mac.” This made Angel smile as hope lifted her upwards. It was the hope that they would all understand and stay beside her.