//------------------------------// // The Middle // Story: I Miss You, Girl // by TheTimeSword //------------------------------// The Past – She came home from a long day of bucking trees, immediately taking off her hat at the door, and setting her bag on the floor close by. “Where’s mah baby doll?” Applejack called out, wandering over to the alcove next to the stairs that held Winona’s bed. “There she is!” Winona was asleep but had awoken to the vibrations next to her bed. She sat up, curious as to who was there. Applejack put her face to Winona’s and rubbed them together, Winona returning her appreciation with a gentle lick. “How’s your foot girl? Yah better?” she asked as she undid the bandage. “Let’s find out.” She pat her hooves gently on Winona and led her outside to do her business. “C’mon. Get out there and go potty. Try not to step wrong goin’ up them steps.” Winona finished and they both went back inside. Applejack watched Winona for a moment. She was back to stepping on the knuckle once more. “Shoot girl… Friday can’t get here fast enough.” Applejack let Winona drink some water and then guided her back to bed. “Now you get some more rest and stay off your leg.” The words fell on deaf ears, literally and figuratively, as Winona spun in circles in her bed. Trying to move her blanket around and find a comfortable position, she continuously stepped on her knuckle. She finally stopped and laid down, only to start panting which eventually led to the return of the barking and yelping. The yapping led Applejack back to Winona, curious as to the cause. “Girl, I know you’re in pain, but you shouldn’t be steppin’ so much!” Winona sprawled out in her bed, constantly moving back and forth, barking and whining all at the same time. Applejack sat for a moment and cuddled her, trying to calm her down. Singing, petting, and holding did nothing to alleviate her stressed friend. The concern grew in Applejack. Granny Smith came into the room and pat Applejack on the shoulder. “I know yer friend is great with animals, but maybe we should see the town vet? It could be serious ‘nuff not to wait.” Worried over what might be happening with her best friend, Applejack agreed. She was growing impatient with all the barking, not understanding what her pal could be going through. The last thing she wanted was to be angry with Winona over something she couldn’t control. Applejack and Granny Smith left with Winona to visit the Ponyville veterinarian. Big Mac was left in charge of Apple Bloom, along with dinner, while they were gone. They reached the vet before he closed up for the night. Winona barked the whole way there, trying to move and get situated, but being unable to get in a position she was comfortable with. Applejack grew more and more frustrated at the barking, she held Winona close to her body as they remained in the waiting room. Eventually, they were led in to an examination room. “Alright, so she continuously barks and walks on her knuckle? Just the one leg?” the vet asked. “That’s right. It’s been going on for a couple days now, I reckon. Can yah do some sort of x-ray or somethin’?” Applejack responded as she held onto the yelping Winona. “Well we can do x-rays, although we may also want to do a blood test if the x-rays show nothing.” Applejack looked down as she held her pal close, the barking had becoming more infrequent as the panting had ramped up. “Let’s just try the x-rays. She probably just sprained her foot or something and is terrified out of her mind. I would be too if I was deaf and blind,” Applejack concluded, snuggling against the short hair of Winona. She resented the doctor’s words, assuming that all they could ever want is more money from extra medical bills. The vet nodded as the assistant lifted Winona up and carried her out of the room. As the door closed, Granny Smith and Applejack began to talk about the situation. “If it’s not a sprain what are yah gonna do?” Granny Smith asked. “What do yah mean? If it’s not a sprain then we’re gonna find out what it could be. It can’t be more than a sprain or fracture. That wouldn’t make sense,” Applejack replied sharply, she understood what Granny meant but did not want to acknowledge it. “All I’m saying youngin’, is that she’s an old dog. If she has somethin’ bad then it may be time to…” “The only thing bad that she could’ve gotten was cancer. It’s the only thing in all of tarnation that I could ever see happenin’, like puttin’ pressure on her spine or somethin’,” Applejack cut off Granny Smith, not wanting to hear her negative talk. Winona was a member of the family, only thing to hope for was the best possible outcome. “Just, if it’s not a sprain yah need to think about what’s best for her.” Applejack rolled her eyes right as they returned with Winona. The assistant set her back in Applejack’s care. “The vet will be back in a moment,” the assistant said as she left the room. Winona still continued to bark, her eyes were watery and brown streaks were below her lids. It was obvious she was stressed far more than just a sprain. Her tears lead Applejack to begin crying as well, but she resisted as she knew that Winona could be okay. In her mind, the doctors would make things right. Shortly, the vet returned with the x-ray. “Well, unfortunately we’ve found bad news. There is no sprain or any damage to the bone in her leg. This means that the cause is something more in her head, something turned off that keeps the foot stepping normally on the pad,” the vet explained. “What the heck does that mean? How can that happen?” Applejack asked, infuriated by this result. “A dog’s brain is unable to retain information like we ponies do. The brain subconsciously keeps the paws standing up right, but hers has stopped. The back right leg has started to step on the knuckle as well.” Applejack looked down at Winona in disbelief. She had not seen her stepping wrong on the other leg, and did not believe what the vet was saying. Unfortunately, she did not have time to contemplate a counter argument. “The other issue is, the heart. You can see by this x-ray that the heart is pretty enlarged. This is abnormal, it’s about three times the size of a normal dog’s heart. This could be caused by a range of medical problems. Worms, cancer, or several other diseases. It may be possible to fix this, but at this stage it seems too large to be helped by just giving her some medicine. A blood test could reveal what the cause is for the heart, but we may not be able to treat the issue with her brain, even with major surgery.” The vet paused for a moment before continuing, “The reasoning behind the problem with her brain is most likely caused by a tumor that resides in the portion of the skull that controls motor skills. It may be impossible for us to remove it at this stage.” Listening to the vet, Applejack stared at Winona. She knew what had to be done, Granny Smith was right and she cursed her for it. Applejack knew she couldn’t put Winona through all of the surgery just to extend her pain. She was already blind and deaf, she didn’t need to have her brain tampered with too. “I’ll give you a moment to decide,” the vet said, closing the door to the room. Granny Smith looked at Applejack who had begun to cry on her barking friend. “I’m sorry Applejack.” “Shut up,” demanded Applejack. “I was only tryin’ to…” “Just… Shut up,” she said as she cried into Winona’s fur, distraught at what had become of her closest friend. The assistant eventually returned to the room. “Do you guys need more time, or have you decided?” Granny Smith looked at the assistant. “Uhh, err…” “We’ll go ahead with it,” Applejack said, not looking up from her best pal. “We’ll let her go.” The Present, One Month After - It had already been one month, but the feeling in her heart hadn’t changed. There was an empty spot left wide open and needed to be filled. Today felt like the day after she lost her best friend all over again. All because a pony asked one simple question. “So, did you get another dog yet?” That question ran through her head the entire week. Applejack had gotten use to an old dogs habits of sleeping, eating, and making sure she got her exercise. Having to not worry about her pet bumping into things blindly had become a great relief. Perhaps the exact opposite of an old dog would fill the hole in her heart, without cutting too close to the memories of her companion. It seemed too soon, but not soon enough. The need to give comfort to another pet felt right, at least, at the time. Her attitude had returned to normal, but only when she was around other ponies. No pony knew how sad she felt inside every time she returned home. Every night for the last month she would sleep on the couch. There was no reason to her sleep patterns, other than she simply had no desire to sleep in a bed. The comforting feel of being unable to move in her sleep was relaxing to her. The house had become a much quieter place, no screaming or yelling. To most ponies, the term that would come to mind when describing the Apple family home would be calm or tranquil. But to Applejack, it was tense and unsettling – no more barking or calling out ringing throughout the house. The most noise came from the dinner table’s chatter or hooves going up and down steps. But the quiet did give way to something more, as every day, Applejack would begin with talking to the little wooden box on the shelf. Just like it began, it would also end with Applejack saying goodnight to it as well. It helped her grief release just a little bit more every day. Of course, today was a bit different for Applejack. Applejack and Apple Bloom headed out for the day to see Fluttershy. Apple Bloom wanted a pet of her own, a cat that she could become best friends with. While Applejack knew little Apple Bloom would find cats to be a bit boring, perhaps a dog would be available and likable enough for the family to enjoy. It would not be a replacement, but a new friend. Fluttershy had been having an adoption week, many ponies were already visiting her to see about getting an animal of their own. Dogs and cats were in good supply however, and Apple Bloom immediately ran off to see the kittens once they had arrived. Knowing she had time to look around, Applejack checked out the birds, lizards, and some of the other more unique critters. Of course, it really wasn’t something she was interested in. She was here to see the dogs after all. Fluttershy had noticed her arrival, and after finishing with another pony, she glided her wings over to Applejack. “So. Dogs, huh?” Fluttershy said as she landed next to Applejack. “I’m just, uh, lookin’, I reckon,” she replied, slightly embarrassed. Fluttershy contently smiled at Applejack, placing a hoof on her back. “If you find one you’d like, you can have it. If it doesn’t work out, you can always bring it back with no worries.” Applejack returned a smile. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I’ll take a look around and then let you know.” Fluttershy flew off to help another pony once more as Applejack entered the corral for canines. The large fenced off area had different sections. The largest of the sections contained small sized dogs like terriers and pugs, while the smallest pen contained the two largest dogs available. She ignored both of those pens and went straight for the mid-size canines. There were only a few of the mid-sized left, or perhaps there weren’t too many to begin with. Applejack walked around the pen and greeted each of the dogs individually. She finally came across one that was overly excited to see her. Deep brown eyes and a wagging tail stared at Applejack with glee. Her black coat felt right at place with the unique brown eye brows above her eyes. The name on the pen read ‘Baylee’. “Well aren’tchu just a darlin’?” Applejack asked, the dog replied with a bark. As Applejack stared at the dog, Apple Bloom eventually wandered over next to her. “Applejack, cats are lame. And they scratch. Why can’t more cats be like Rarity’s?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “I’m pretty sure Opal’s only been on her best behavior while you are there. From the stories Rarity yammers on about, ownin’ a cat is not all glitz and glamor like you believe.” “Aww! She’s a cutie!” Apple Bloom yelled out as she looked at Baylee. A smile lit up on Applejack’s face. “I think she’s the one.” “Really Applejack!?” Apple Bloom jumped up and down in delight. Fluttershy had just arrived in time to over hear the two earth ponies talking. “Oh my, Baylee has found a new owner I take it?” Applejack nodded, a smile ear to ear on her face. Apple Bloom hopping up and down next to her. “Well then, feel free to take her. If it doesn’t work out, just let me know alright?” Fluttershy hugged Applejack tight before wandering back off to the other animals. Grabbing the leash off the side of the pen, Applejack opened the door and lassoed Baylee up. “Come on girl! You’re coming home with us! Yeeeeehaw!” Unfortunately, while she looked good on display, she was not something Applejack could truly handle. The earth pony had grown use to an old dog, and this new, young canine was far more trouble than she had expected. The next day, Applejack returned to Fluttershy’s cottage with Baylee in hoof. “I’m sorry Fluttershy…” Applejack looked down in disappointment and embarrassment. “Don’t feel bad Applejack. Sometimes these things don’t work out. I’m surprised you returned so quickly, but that’s okay. What was wrong?” Fluttershy inquired as she took the leash. “Well, ahem, err…” Applejack grew a tad nervous with the answer. “She kinda, destroyed a bunch of paper and envelopes.” Fluttershy stared at her with blank eyes. “Is… Is that it?” Applejack wrapped her foreleg around the nape of her neck, looking away to avoid eye contact. “No, she also pooped and peed a lot in the house, knocked Granny over, chewed on Apple Blooms bows… Oh, and she would take off running every time she’d get outside.” “Oh, my,” Fluttershy replied as she covered her mouth. “W-Well, I’m sorry about all this. Thank you for letting me know.” “H-Hey. Don’t worry about it Flutters. It doesn’t help that I also wasn’t ready for this yet. It’s been too soon.” Fluttershy nodded and took Baylee back inside. Applejack returned to Sweet Apple Acres a little bit heart broken. A new dog didn’t work out for her in more ways than one, but it did help ease her mind. No dog could replace the hole in her heart, because the best dog in the world had already been taken from her. She knew that now more than ever, and this gave her a slight sense of satisfaction. “I’m back,” she called out to the silent house. No pony had answered, but she wasn’t exactly calling out to a pony. Applejack wandered over to the shelf that held the little brown box of Winona’s ashes. “Hey girl. I hope you know how much I care about you, wherever you are. I had to return that dog. Too much of a hassle. Old dogs are so much better.” Applejack stood there, talking to the box like it was listening. This had become a common occurrence for her, always saying good morning and good night to the box. She spoke to it at intervals during the day whenever she was around. “You’re the only dog for me. Of course, I already knew that.” She ended with a kiss on the top of the box. Applejack wandered into the kitchen. “What’s for lunch girl?” she said. “I’m starvin’!”