//------------------------------// // Hard Times // Story: Forbidden Fruit // by Vargras //------------------------------// Another day had come and gone on Sweet Apple Acres. It had been a good applebucking season so far, and despite being utterly exhausted by their efforts that day, Applejack simply couldn't fall asleep. She would toss and turn in her bed, trying to catch the least bit of shuteye, but to no avail - frustrated, the mare rolled out of bed and paced her room. The oddest feeling was nagging at her, and she almost felt as if this were something like her friend's 'Pinkie Sense'. "Naw. I know Pinkie Sense, and this ain't it." She huffed and continued to pace about, sometimes staring out her window at the moonlit orchard. It didn't make any sense to her at all - everything was going well at Sweet Apple Acres, her relationships with her friends were as perfect as could be, and even Apple Bloom was managing to do well in school, yet here was this nagging feeling. At the very least, Applejack knew who could help her. She walked out the door of her room and made a short trip down the hallway to Big Macintosh's room, giving it a gentle knock. Sheets rustled about within, and the door opened up to reveal a very tired looking Big Macintosh. "AJ, do ya have any idea what time it is?" "I know, Big Mac. Jus' lemme in." The stallion sighed and stepped aside, and Applejack slowly made her way into his room, hopping up onto his bed and staring at the floor. Big Macintosh carefully shut the door and made his way over as well, taking a seat on the floor and eying his sister. "So what is it this time, AJ? 'nother bad dream or somethin'?" "Shoot, Big Mac - ya make it sound like I'm jus' a filly or somethin'." "Just 'cause yer older doesn't mean ya can't have bad dreams, AJ." He tilted his head and stared at her - though he often gave the impression of being a simpleton to the citizens of Ponyville, he was anything but. "Now go on an' tell me what's botherin' ya." "Alright, fine. I jus' got this... feeling. Like this gut instinct that somethin' bad is gonna happen. I don't even know how ta explain it." Big Macintosh sighed and stood up, giving his sister's unkempt mane a ruffle. "We all get those from time ta time, lil' sister. Sometimes it's true, sometimes it ain't. All that matters is how ya handle it - either ya ignore it an' go 'Well, this COULD happen, but I ain't gonna let it get in the way of nothin', or ya let it get the better of ya and it ends up consumin' yer life. So what'll it be, AJ?" "The... the firs' one?" She blinked at him and couldn't help but grin as he gave her mane another ruffle. "There ya go, that's th' AJ I know. Now go on an' get some rest. Yer gonna need it fer tomorrow." Applejack sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Darnit. I fergot we still had more buckin' ta do. Thanks fer hearin' me out, Big Mac." The mare hopped off the bed and gave her older brother a hug before making her way back to her room. It didn't get rid of the nagging feeling, but she did feel a bit better after being comforted by Big Macintosh. With a yawn, she climbed back into her bed, and not long after, she was fast asleep. ----- "Where's Granny Smith?" It was a good question, really. Granny Smith had always been up at the crack of dawn for... well, for as long as Applejack could remember. Yet she was strangely absent. It didn't seem too unusual, however - Granny Smith was certainly getting older and had been napping a lot more. "She's probably jus' sleepin' in today, Apple Bloom." "She jus' sleeps a lot 'cause she's old." "Apple Bloom! Mind yer manners!" The filly poked at her toast before deciding to eat it, swallowing it in one gulp and washing it down with a glass of apple juice. "Well she is, sis." Applejack grumbled and ate her own breakfast, preferring to stay mum on the matter. Even after the filly ran off to school, she remained quiet a while longer before breaking her silence while helping Big Macintosh with the dishes. "I don' understand that girl sometimes. Big Mac, ya mind finishin' up all this while I go check on Granny?" "Nnnnnope. I can handle this, AJ." The mare nodded and left the kitchen, proceeding up the stairs and along the hallway until she reached Granny Smith's room. She carefully and quietly opened the door, slowly making her way in until she was at Granny's bedside - the old mare was fast asleep, and snoring quite loudly. She looked quite alright, and yet... something still felt off. It was that nagging feeling again, nipping away at her. "Eh, couldn' hurt..." Applejack carefully placed the back of one of her forelegs on Granny Smith's forehead, quickly pulling it away. She made her way back out of the bedroom, closing the door before going back down the stairs and to the kitchen. "So uh... Big Mac? On a whim, I went an' checked Granny's forehead an' all - she's burnin' up. Got quite th' fever. Ya think we should do anythin' about it?" "Granny's one of th' Apple family, AJ. We don' get sick that often." "No, but when we do, we get sick somethin' fierce." The stallion stopped scrubbing the dishes and stared down at the sink - they both knew she was right. He glanced over his shoulder at her, unsure of what to say at first. "A fair point, lil' sister. Jus' do what ya think is best, an' I'll go along with it." "I'mma go fetch Nurse Redheart then. Don' you go nowhere, Big Mac." "Wasn' gonna, AJ." Being an earth pony meant Applejack was a surprisingly fast runner, and it didn't take long for her to reach Ponyville Urgent Care. Nurse Redheart was hot on her heels on the trip back to Sweet Apple Acres, and the white mare was quick to hurry up the steps to Granny Smith's room while Applejack and Big Macintosh waited down below. A little over an hour passed, and yet it still felt like an eternity - Big Macintosh paced back and forth, and Applejack fiddled with her hat. The nurse eventually stepped out from Granny's room and made her way down the stairs, a clipboard in her mouth. After setting it down upon one of the tables, she carefully read it over. Applejack was growing increasingly impatient and couldn't wait any longer. "Nurse Redheart, what's goin' on with Granny Smith? Is she gonna be okay?" "Based upon the symptoms, Applejack, it appears your grandmother has influenza, and a rather nasty case at that." She looked over the clipboard once more before glancing back up at the brother and sister. "It's not uncommon for the elderly to catch influenza either. I'm just a bit surprised that we've gotten a case this early." The orange mare had since put her hat back on and was continually pacing the room, even while talking. "Alrighty, so she's got this 'influenza' thing. But can ya do anythin' fer her?" Nurse Redheart sighed and shook her head, gathering up her things and making her way for the door. "I'm afraid not. Medicines don't work on influenza. The best you can do is just make sure she gets plenty of rest. I'm sorry, Applejack, I truly am - the Apple family has always been one of the most polite and hardest working families in Ponyville. But there's simply nothing I can do." Big Macintosh remained silent, and Applejack slowly nodded. "I understan', Nurse Redheart. Thank ya kindly fer comin' all the way out here." The white mare nodded and made her leave, and for the longest time, Applejack and Big Macintosh simply stood in silence. For once, however, the older brother would be the one to break it. "All we can do now is jus' finish up th' applebuckin' season an' hope Granny Smith gets better." "But what if she don', Big Mac? What then?" "Nothin' can ever keep Granny Smith down fer long, AJ." The stallion reared up and wrapped his forelegs briefly around Applejack's neck, giving her a hug. "She'll get better, an' then everythin' will be right as rain. Jus' you wait an' see." "I sure hope so, Big Mac." Applejack glanced out the kitchen window, frowning as she saw Apple Bloom on her way back from school. "I sure hope so." ----- Hopes would not be enough for the Apple family. Though initially capable of taking care of herself, Granny Smith's condition progressively worsened, and it wasn't long before Applejack had to stop tending the orchards entirely in order to take care of her. Hour after hour, she would tend to Granny's every need, doing her very best to help her on the path to recovery. Such a thing does not come without a price, however, and she continually lost more and more sleep with no real improvement in her grandmother's condition. Days ticked by, and as Granny Smith's health declined, so too did Applejack's demeanor. The orange mare began to snap at friends and customers alike, and not even her own family was safe - Big Macintosh was often a target for her frustrations, and Apple Bloom couldn't escape it either. The first night it happened was particularly rough for the young filly. She had been out 'crusading' the entire day, only to return home to an extremely irritated older sister. "Apple Bloom! Where the heck have ya been?" "I... I was out with Scootaloo an' Sweetie Belle. I even told ya about it." Apple Bloom had been used to Applejack being overprotective, but this seemed all wrong. Her sister didn't sound worried - she sounded furious. "Ya think I don' know that? What, do ya think I'm some sorta dummy that don' know nothin' about what's been goin' on?" The mare began to make several advancing steps towards Apple Bloom, and the filly found herself continually backing away. She was actually frightened by the same sister she normally loved and adored. "But... I even told ya that I was out with mah friends!" "I know ya told me, ya dumb girl! But yer still late! Ya still missed supper!" Unable to take any more of it, Apple Bloom burst into tears and fled from her sister, running up the stairs and into her room. As the days went on, it became increasingly more common for a tearful Apple Bloom to run to Big Macintosh, demanding to know what was wrong with Applejack. The filly had never seen her sister like this, and didn't know she could even be capable of such cruelties. A family can only take so much strain, and something had to give. "Big Macintosh! Applejack's holed up in the cellar and she won' come out! I keep askin' what's wrong an' she just tells me ta shut up and go away!" The stallion had been in bed, but was wide awake as soon as Apple Bloom had arrived. He rolled out of bed and peered at the filly, speaking simply. "Apple Bloom. Go ta bed." "But-" "Now, Apple Bloom. I'll take care of it. Jus' shut yer door. Got it?" Apple Bloom nodded and quickly made a retreat to her room, shutting the door tight behind herself - something in Big Macintosh's voice frightened her. It was a distinct tone she had never heard out of him before, but it almost sounded like... anger. The stallion made his way down and out of the house, proceeding to the barn and the cellar door. He pounded a heavy hoof on it, his intent clear. "Applejack, ya better open this door up." He was not expecting the answer he was about to receive. "I ain't openin' that door for nopony, not even you! Jus'... jus' shut up an' go back to bed!" "AJ, I swear I'mma break this door down if ya don' open it!" Big Macintosh waited, listening for any sound of movement. When he heard none, his patience wore thin, and he swiftly brought a hoof down upon the cellar door, cracking it wide open. What struck him first was the smell - it was an awful smell and it made him immediately recoil, but the shattered bottles on the floor soon told him what it was, and he grimaced as he made his way into the cellar. At the bottom of the stairs sat his sister, surrounded by shattered glass and empty bottles, with two red and broken bands and her hat laying off to the side. Applejack's mane and tail sprawled out over her body and the floor, and the mare feebly held onto a bottle of hard cider. "Applejack... have ya been drinkin'?" She quickly turned and scowled at him, and Big Macintosh found himself completely shaken by what he saw - he knew this was his sister, and yet... it wasn't. This was nothing like her at all. "What does it look like, ya dummy? 'Course I've been drinkin'!" "AJ, put th' bottle down an' let's talk about this." "Screw you!" She took a quick swig and set the bottle down, muttering to herself as it rattled about on the stone floor. "Ain't you seen anythin' that's been goin' on lately? Granny Smith ain't gonna make it past the end of th' year. Sales are way down. It's all goin' ta pieces, an' I'm the only pony that's even noticed!" Big Macintosh was utterly appalled by the turn of events, and found himself resorting to something he knew he would regret - but it had to be done, otherwise he might never break his sister from this stupor. "Look atcha, Applejack! Look what ya've done to yerself, yer friends, and yer own family! Ya think Mom and Pop would be proud of ya fer this?" Applejack's eyes went wide with shock, and her ears instantly flattened. She stared at her brother, not sure what to even think, and she slowly looked down at the bottle sitting beside her, as well as those that lay scattered about her. A look of disgust began to form on the mare's face, and she quickly kicked the bottle away from herself, the bottle shattering against the wall from the impact. She fell over onto the floor, curling into a ball and burying her face in her mane to hide her shame. It pained him to see his own sister like this, and he was already beginning to regret even mentioning their parents - slowly, Big Macintosh made his way to Applejack's side, and he took a seat beside her. Almost instinctually, the orange mare clambered up to her brother's side, her body shaking and shuddering as she silently wept. "AJ... I'm real sorry I had to mention Mom an' Pop like that. But ya've been actin' awful funny lately, and it's gotten a whole lot of us real concerned fer ya." Applejack looked up at him, and though her mane hid most of her eyes, he could tell she had been crying quite a bit. Her tears had stained her coat, and even now, she was still shaking ever so slightly, her breathing ragged. "L-like w-who?" "All yer friends, AJ. Miss Twilight was over earlier, an' all the rest stopped by too. They've been worried sick about ya, Applejack - real worried." She looked back down at the floor, her unkempt mane hiding much of her face. It was easy to forget just how long it truly was, considering she almost always had it tied up. Her response was barely above a whisper, something quite uncharacteristic for her. "I need ta get away from this place, Big Mac. I don' wanna be here no more." The stallion nodded and stood up, crouching down a bit to allow his sister to climb onto his back. After doing so, Big Macintosh grabbed Applejack's hat with his mouth and left the ruins of the cellar - he would repair the door tomorrow. For now, his focus was on his sister's well-being. Applejack was already passed out by the time they had gotten back to the house, but that didn't deter him from giving his sister a much-needed bath. She reeked of hard cider, and much of it was stuck to her coat and mane - he wasn't about to put her to bed in that shape. Big Macintosh worked gently, doing his best not to wake her from her sleep. He apparently succeeded, given that she snored through all of it, and he carefully carried her up the steps and to her room, laying her upon her bed and even tucking her in. "G'night, AJ. Sleep well." He knew that Applejack would likely never know just how far he had gone to take care of her that night, and for him, he was perfectly content with that.