My Time With the Farmer: Three Years Laterby Word_SmithChaptersAnother one of those days.A Transplant and a ProblemThe New PonyLife as an EquineJust a Party, RightEpilogueSequel InfoAnother one of those days.He heart monitors beeped as she slipped back into consciousness. She opened her eyes to the blinding light of the hospital room. Her chest throbbed. She tried to sit up but her body failed her. She flopped back down with a whimper. She felt someone brush her mane out of her eyes. She looked up to see who it was. I looked kind of like Joe. But that was ridiculous, Joe couldn't have been in equestria. Still it looked like, smelled like him. He smiled as a tear ran down his cheek. She smiled back as she lost consciousness again. Her dreams were filled with images of Joe. Him and her talking, shooting, laughing. Her weeping next to him after he had gotten shot, praying that he would wake up. Him holding her after the wolf attack. Joe teaching her to play the piano. Them sitting there with her friends after Christmas. And finally him waving to her there in the snow. It was hard to believe it had been three years. It felt like yesterday. It had been a very weird day for Joe. He went to a funeral, had to explain what a funeral was, traveled through time and space and found out that one of the best "people" he had ever met had a mysterious kind of heart cancer. But none of that except the cancer part mattered. After the funeral he had ended up in equestria with Celestia. She had told him during the inter-dimensional travel that applejack had gotten sick and she needed help. I didn't know why she had gotten me other than the fact that if she died she wanted me to see her one last time. He ran into the hospital and blew past the nurses with Celestia right behind him. She had told him what room she was in and he was off. He blew into the room startling the nurse pony and making her drop her clipboard. "How is she." I asked out of breath. "Sir visit-" she was cut off. "HOW IS SHE!" I yelled. The nurse just shook her head. "You don't mean," I said choking up. "She's not dead." Celestia said putting a hoof on my shoulder. "But she's not well and the only way to help her is a heart transplant. "Well then why haven't you done the transplant yet?" I asked still crying but lighter. "That's the problem, we haven't found a compatible or willing donor." She said. I held my wrist out to the nurse. "Check my blood type, see if I'm compatible." I said. The nurse looked over to Celestia who shook her head in approval. The nurse took me down the hallway and into another room with a padded chair that was far to small for me so I kneeled and rested my arm on the counter. The nurse came back in with a needle, tubing, a bag and a cookie which she proceeded to stuff in her mouth. Weird. She washed her hooves and went to work feeling my arm up and down for a vein. When she found one she took out a wipe and rubbed the spot clean with it and threw it away. She then picked up the needle in her mouth and hovered over my arm for a moment. I looked over at her, " is there a problem?" I asked her. "I, I don't like seeing blood. It makes me sick to my stomach." She said. I shood her back a bit and told her to step out of the room which she did. I took the needle and gingerly felt up my arm for the pulse again. I found it and stuck the needle in. My blood immediately started flowing down the tube and filled up the bag in less than a minute. I pulled the needle out and sealed the bag. I yanked out the tube and put it in the bio hazard box and wrapped the bag up in a few papertowels. I stepped out and saw the nurse standing aside the door. I handed her the bag. "Thank you." She said leaning up and kissing me on the cheek. "It was nothing." I said blushing. "When will the results be back." "Give me a minute." She said stepping into the room next to her. I stood there tapping my foot on the ground running my arm when rainbowdash and fluttershy came trotting by. "Hi Joe." They both said somberly stopping to talk. "What are you doing and why is your arm bandaged?" Rainbowdash asked. "They're checking my blood type to see if I'm a compatible donor for AJ." They both gasped. "Joe, you do know what that means." Fluttershy said. "Yes, I know exactly what it means, and I'm willing to do it. If I die so applejack can continue living then so be it." I said. They both nodded as the nurse stepped out of the room. "You are compatible." She said. "I can go register you for the transplant and we can begin the prep in an hour if you want." I nodded. "I just need you to come sign some papers, follow me." She said as she started walking down the hall. "So you're a nurse and you can't stand the sight of blood?" I asked her. "I know, very strange huh. When I went to medical school I expected to just get over it but it never was like that." She said. "Have you ever considered trying to do something else. You appear to be very young, I'm sure you cold find something else to do." I said. "I know I could, but I've always wanted to be a nurse that took care of the babies so I endure it all down here in hopes of, one day, being promoted. Your the first pony, sorry, person that ever cared. What's your name?" She asked looking up at me. "It's Joe." I said smiling down at her. We walked the rest of the way in silence. We reached a room with a small table in the middle. She went off behind a counter along the side of the room and got some papers. She walked out with a doctors bag and a stethoscope around her neck. "Sit down on the table and take off your shirt." She said. " I need to check you out first before I register you." I hopped up on the table and removed my shirt. She came over and sat the doctors bag on the ground and put the stethoscope to her ears and reached for my chest. She seemed to be a bit to short to reach. I noticed and picked her up and sat her on my lap. She rested the cold instrument against the center of my chest and listened. She then went a bit to the left. Finally she asked me to lean forward and rested it in between my shoulder blades. She leaned against my shoulder and he mane got in my face. It smelled slightly of strawberries. She pulled back and smiled at me. She wrapped her. Hooves around my neck. "Thank you Joe." She said her voice cracking. "For what." I said, slightly surprised. "Applejack and I were best friends as fillies. We did everything together." She said into my ear. She pulled back, a tear in her eye and kissed me. This surprised me. I just sat there like a moron for a second but quickly melted into the kiss. I felt her hooves leave my neck and start to go down my shyest and stomach and soon reach my belt. I put a hand on her chest and pushed her away. "Whoa whoa whoa," I said surprised by the nurses sudden change. She looked back at me. A tear formed in her eye, I had obviously hurt her she jumped off the tables and walked to the their side of the room with her back to me and began to cry. Now I felt bad. I slid off the table and walked over to her and crouched down. I put a hand around her shoulders and she looked up at me, still crying. "You think I'm ugly don't you." She said the hurt obviously in her voice. "No, I think your beautiful, I'm just not that kind of man." I said to her. My praise obviously making her a little bit happier. "I'm sorry, I just got a bit carried away." She said. I leaned down and hugged her. "Now about those papers." I said pulling away. A Transplant and a ProblemThe nurse retrieved the papers and a pen from the bulky doctors bag she had brought with her and spread them out upon the table. "Sign here, here and here and we can have you prepped for surgery in less than a hour." She said. I signed the papers, shuffled them and handed the. To the nurse. I started to move towards the door when I felt a hoof on my shoulder. I turned around and looked to the nurse. "Listen, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier, I just got a bit carried away and-" I cut her off with a kiss to the cheek. "Don't worry about it, if anything it was a compliment." I said. The nurse pony breathed a sigh of relief and we walked out the door. I headed to applejack's room to see all her friends there. They were all anxiously tapping their hooves on the ground but perked up when they saw me. "So..." Pinkie said with a little les than enthusiastic than usual. "I'm a compatible donor and I'm gonna be in surgery in less than an hour." I said. "You know what this means Joe, are you willing to do that for applejack. There is still time to back out. They will find a donor eventually." Celestia said. "I know what I'm signing up for and I'm not gonna back out. Applejack needs me and I'm gonna help her." I said confidently. The nurse showed up with my robe and some other equipment. She led me to the room right next to applejack's and set the equipment out on the counter on the far side wall. She threw me the robe and I went to the bathroom to change. When I emerged the nurse had a needle connected to an IV bag. She handed me the needle and I stuck it in my left arm and grabbed the pole with the IV bag on it and walked out into the hallway where there was two padded surgery tables stuck together and several unicorns with facemasks on. A purple on with black hair except for a pink stripe was among them but I didn't pay any attention to that right now. One of the surgeons took the IV bag off the stand as I climbed on to the tables. They wheeled the tables down the hallway at a leisurely gait. I looked around wondering why they were going so slow. There was a pony's life at stake if they didn't cut me open in time. "Umm, is there a reason why we are going so slow?" I asked the blue unicorn with a stethoscope as a cutie mark. He just nodded to the doctor to my right who inserted a needle into IV bag and injected a dark looking fluid into it. Within seconds the hallway started to stretch and the lights got brighter. "Wait, I have so many questions." I said slurring my words as I passed out. I opened my eyes to a pony standing over me in a blood spattered lab coat and gloves with a long dagger in its hands I kicked out to find I didn't have feet but brown hooves. It didn't matter I bucked the pony in the chest making them drop the dagger. I jumped up out of the bed all the while my chest throbbing horribly. I galloped down the hall and with the other pony hot on my tail, literally. I skidded to Aston and made award right and kept running. I reached the end of the hall. All that was there was a single window. I turned around to see the pony chasing me was right there. It pulled down the facemasks to reveal a scared muzzle. He rose up on his back hooves and held the dagger in his right hoof. I hopped up on the window seal and looked over at him. "Now where were we." He said in a raspy voice. He took a step closer and I spread my frot hooves and fell back with my eyes closed. The stallion threw the dagger as I fell through the window it clipping my nose and then spiraling away over my head. I fell for a long time, knowing it was the end for me. I fell with my back to the ground and my eyes wide open. I closed my eyes one last time and hot the ground, at least it was quick. My eyes shot open and I groaned. The ponies around me smiled as they heard the noise come from me, confirming I was still alive. I tried to sit up but the pain in my chest was too much. A pony that looked like the nurse came over and pressed a cold hoof to my neck. She broke the silence, "You seem fine but as you and I both know, you're not. Your own heart is decaying and you have a few days at best before it gives out. I hung my head and saw the huge bandage that adorned my chest. I looked back up to see everypony I had ever met. There was Celestia, Luna, applejack's littles sister and her brother, all of her friends and a pony with a whit pelt and red mane who looked to be the nurse which I now counted as a friend. "A few days, wow, shorter than I thought." I said. I began to rise up from the bed despite my body's and the other ponies protests. I stood up and started to walk, shakily, but walking all the same. I was surprised at how fast I was able to begin to start moving and without too much pain. That's magic for ya. I opened up the door with the other ponies following me and the nurse with my IV bag and I went next door to applejack's room. I opened the door to see applejack standing there doing push ups. She looked up and saw me with a little nit of sweat running down her face and a tear down the other. She jumped up into my arms and gave ma a huge kiss. After a while she pulled back and asked me with a frown on her face. "How long," she asked with a hard set expression on her face. "Applejack, you do-" I started. "How long." She asked again. "Three days, at best." I sighed. The New PonyApplejack looked at him stunned with tears streams down her cheeks. "Three days." She kept mumbling to herself. "No, there must be something that you can do to stop the cancer, slow it down at least." She said to the nurse and then Celestia. They both just hung their heads in defeat. Applejack wailed and I sat her down on her bed where she buried her head into the pillow and cried. Everyone exited the room and went back into the hallway. Most of each pony just looked at me funny or proudly, like it was an honor to know me. Which it was but that's beside the point. I was going to die in three days. But applejack would be able to live the rest of her life. It was worth it. Luna looked over to her sister who nodded and approached Joe. "Umm Joe," she said tapping him on the shoulder. "Can we talk to you for a moment, in private." Celestia added. They walked into his room and Joe followed. They shut the door behind him. "Now girls, if this is about finding another pony's heart for me to take, then I don't want to hear it." Joe said. "Joe, there is a way to survive this and no pony has to die. The only problem is, you wouldn't be you anymore." Luna said her midnight blue mane blowing in her sister's face making Celestia sneeze. "What are you talking about." Joe said cocking his head to the right and massaging his chest. "We could make you a pony." Celestia said. "It would slow the process of the cancer down to the point that it wouldn't be a threat until you were already dead." Luna added. "I have to think about it. Being a pony would be strange and I would never name able to go back home. But if I was a pony then I would live and I would get to stay with applejack. Then again if I stay human then I'll still die before I get to go home anyway. Wait a sec, how in the hell does that work. How would making me a horse make me live longer." I asked. "Do you remember the wolf attack. Well those wolves were possessed by the magic of a pony named nebula. He's a follower of darkness. When darkness was destroyed by Matthew 30 years ago nebula was one of his followers. He vowed to hunt down the descendants of Matthew and kill everyone in their family. He may have appeared in you dreams. But anyway, the cancer is magical and can be slowed by changing the species of the carrier." Luna said matter of factly. "I-I-I, yes, yes I want to be a pony. If it means living with applejack then yes, I do." Joe said. "Good, very good. We will do the spell tonight at sunset." Said Celestia exiting the room. Sunset was fast approaching and to pass the time joe was drawing. When the door opened he looked up to see Celestia standing there with her sister Luna and twilight. Joe sat up straight and looked out the window to see the sun begging to set. He looked back to Celestia and handed her the drawing. Unspoken words passed between them and Celestia nodded on agreement. And took her place at the end of the bed with Luna to her right and twilight to her left. Their horns started to glow and Joe felt himself begin to float. He closed his eyes and let what was about to happen, happen. Outside the door stood many ponies. Not only his friends but the entire hospital staff that wasn't busy, the patients at the hospital that were almost fine and applejack's family which he had yet to meet. All there to see the first human they had met since Matthew, be turned into a pony. A bright white light shine under the door and lit up the whole corridor. The light began to subside and there was a thud from inside the room and clopping of hooves to the door. The door opened revealing three ponies, the ones that had gone in. Some ponies looked at the ponies that came from inside confused when another pony joined them and walked out of the room. It was a tall, muscular brown Pegasus with a blond mane and piercing green gaze. A confident and slightly defiant smile creased his face. "Joe, is that, is that you." Applejack said her voice cracking. "The one and only." Said the familiar voice. Applejack squeaked and tackled him to the ground and covered his face with kisses. The crowd cheered for the former human. When applejack got off of him and allowed him to stand he looked over to Celestia. "Could I leave this place, the hospital I mean. It's getting real real boring here." He said to Celestia. "You should be fine now, just take it easy." She said. One of the doctors looked like he was about to protest but closed his mouth. When the highest authority in equestria approved something, it was approved. Joe proceeded to turn around and start trotting out of the hospital, with applejack and her friends on his tail along with the nurse and the princesses. "Wait, nurse redheart! You still have two hours left on your shift." One of the doctors yelled out. "I quit!" Nurse redheart said without turning around. "So your names nurse Redheart." Joes said casting a sideways glance to the cream colored pony with a red mane. "Amber Redheart, but you can call me Amber." She said smiling. As they cropped down the cobblestone streets of ponyville Joe spread his wings and took off. Feeling the wind in his mane was wonderful, nut not as wonderful as being with applejack. Nothing came close to that. Life as an EquineIt had been nearly a week since Joe had become a pony and he had to say, he was enjoying it. His strength had come back almost immediately and his Chest pains had subsided to a dull ache and then disappeared all together. He was living with the apple family and helping out around the farm. At first big Macintosh had been skeptical, but after I proved to him that I could work and work hard as well as faster than him and applejack he welcomed him like a brother. After he had eaten breakfast, he headed out to help applejack tend to the trees in the east orchard. He spread his wings and took off. The new ability to fly was amazing. He could go from walking on the ground to soaring through the sky with the wind in his mane in the blink of an eye. He landed on a branch of a tree and looked down at applejack who was still waiting for him to show up. "What in Tarantino is taking him so long?" She said. "He must ju- GAAAAAHHHHH!" She screamed as something heavy landed on her shoulders. She crumpled to the ground under its weight. They wrestled in the dust for a little it before the brown Pegasus pinned her to the ground. Applejack opened her eyes to see a brown Pegasus standing over her with a slight grin. She swatted at him playfully and he stepped off of her. "You need to pay attention to your surroundings, applejack." He said with a hint of laughter in his voice. "And you need to stop cheatin' and using yer wings." She said shaking the dust from her coat and casting a glare of mock anger at him. He looked back at her and her serious expression melted away and they both started to laugh uncontrollably. As the scene unfolded below her, rainbowdash stared dreamily at the brown Pegasus. Applejack doesn't know how good she has it. A family to support her, a great farm to work on with a steady source of income, and a handsome Pegasus to love her. As rainbowdash thought to herself, another Pegasus appeared behind her. It sat next to her and looked down as well. The Pegasus prodded rainbowdash in the ribs, supposing the pony and nearly making her fall off the cloud. "Gaaahh, fluttershy, don't do that to me." Rainbowdash said, recovering her composure and blowing her rainbow mane out of her eyes. "Are you spying on Joe and Applejack again." The cream and pink pony asked her with a mischievous grin on her face. "I am not!" Rainbow said, the blood rushing to her cheeks. "Rainbow, this is the third time this week, if you like him, tell him. Or I'll tell him for you." She said. "I-I do like him, nut he likes applejack. And I'm pretty surre she likes I'm too. I can't tell him. I wouldn't do that to applejack." Rainbowdash said. Down on the ground the applejack and Joe heard voices coming from a cloud hovering above them. Applejack pointed app and made a gesture with her lips. Joe nodded and spread his wings and took off silently and made his way to a spot under the cloud. He nodded to applejack who had a grin on her face. "Hey ya'll, how ya doin up there." Applejack waved a hoof and the two mares looked over the edge and blushed at their friend. They waved back to her and began talking. Joe sat under the cloud waiting from the wink from applejack. There it was, subtle but it was there. Joe plunged his head up through the cloud in front if the two mares. "Hello there ladies.!" He said as the two mare jumped back in fright. Joe punched the underside of the cloud and watched it disperse into water vapor. The two mares fell from the cloud and into thin air. Joe watched them fall. After they didn't open their wings and were getting dangerously close to the ground, Joe took off at top speed toward the mares. He flew under their frozen bodies and picked them up and lowered them safely to the ground. Applejack and Joe were sputtering with laughter while the two mares sat there dumbfounded. Fluttershy was the first to regain her composure and stood up and walked towards Joe. She stopped in front of him and kissed him on the cheek. "That's for saving me." She said. She then pulled a hoof back and slapped him across the face. "And that's for putting me in danger in the first place." She said. "I guess I deserved that." He said running his cheek. Applejack was now rolling on the grass laughing her flank off. Fluttershy began to walk off but then rembered something. She turned around and walked back up to Joe and whispered something into his ear that made a blush come to his face and his tail stop moving. Fluttershy turned and walked away with rainbowdash who cast a look back at Joe who was now standing there stunned. His ears stood erect and his cheeks were red. "What did you say to him?" Rainbowdash asked the cream colored mare. "That you think he is a sexy hunk of a stallion." Fluttershy said taking off and flying away quickly. Rainbowdash took all as well at speeds close to a sonic rainbow and headed back home to cloudsdale.she was to embarrassed to speak to Joe for the rest of the week. And Joe stood there for a good five minutes, stunned at what he had just heard. He turned to look at applejack who was now starting to stand back up and wiped a tear from her eyes. She looked up at the sun swing it was almost noon and they sat down under the shady trees like they did every day at noon and napped. Just a Party, RightJoe and applejack were heading into town. Applejack was there to make some bits on some of the juiciest apples that they had picked in the entire Tom that Joe had been working there. He and only worked there for a week or so, but these were some good apples. Whenever the got to the stand in the square and unhitched the cart Joe began to trot away. "We'll, where are you goin." Applejack asked him. "I actually had some stuff to do today, if you don't need any help that is." He said with a smile. He walked back towards her as she thought. She sighed and waved him on. He gave had a small kiss on the cheek and took off. He flew off to sugerarcube corner to talk to pinkie. He stepped in through the door and was immediately tackled by pinkie. "Oh hey Joe, how can I help you today. Do you need a party, a cake. Ooohhhh, how out a base drum!" She said pulling a giant drum from out of no where. "Actually,pinkie, I am here for a party." He said picking himself up and dusting himself off. When she heard the word party pinkie's smile widened and she started to bounce around. "Who's party is it?" She asked excitedly. "It's applejack's birthday party. She wouldn't tell anyone but her brother told me." He said. Pinkie's smile broadened to an impossible size. "Ok, what's the plan?" She asked. Joe smiled and they started planning. As the sun started to set Joe walked out of sugarcube corner and towards the market stalls that would soon be closing. He stopped by Roseluck and got a dozen white roses, applejack's favorite. Applejack stood at her now closed stall next to an empty cart and a newly filled bag of bits. She had made plenty of money today, but it was SO boring. She didn't even have any pony to talk to. She was also in feasibly tired and was ready to hit the hay, so to speak. She saw Joe trotting down the road and immediately perked up. She liked him, there was no doubt about it. But she wondered if he liked her back. He did seem to enjoy being around her, he'll, he Evan risked death to save her life. That sounded like love to her. But she couldn't be sure and she wasn't going to risk it. Not yet at least. Even if she had told him things she had never told any pony before. She just didn't want to ruin their friendship, it was to precious to her. But if he loved her to, they might be able to spend the rest of their lives together. Oh she was so confused, what should she do, en it came to her. She should ask rarity what to do. Yes rarity, she would ask her as soon as possible. "Happy birthday!" Joe cheered and handed her the flowers. Applejack, lost in thought, hadn't noticed him come up and jumped in suprise. She accepted the flowers and hugged him. She was surprised that he knew it was her birthday, barely any pony knew knew when her birthday was. But she chose to accept it and head They walked up to the barn and unhitched themselves. Applejack made a move to unlock the barn but Joe stopped her. "You look tired, you go inside and rest. I still have something planned for your birthday and I don't want you to fall asleep during it." He said. Applejack looked like she was about to argue but coded that nothing bad could come of him putting away the carts while she took a shower. She nodded and walked towards the house. When Joe was sure she was inside he unlocked the barn and looked inside to see all the ponies that applejack knew and the party just about set up. Pinkie walked up to him(with three party hats on, weird) and nodded. "Everything's all set. Just bring her on in and we'll do the rest." Pinkie said, an air of seriousness surrounding the insane party pony. Joe nodded and left the barn and headed towards the house. Applejack was glad to get under the warm water of the shower. As she cleaned herself she wondered what Joe meant when he said that he had something else planned for her birthday. She guessed that she would just have to wait. She stepped out of the shower and dried herself off and brushed her mane. She walked out of the bathroom to find a note on her bed. 'Meet me in the barn.' It said. Applejack could only wonder what he was planning. Bt followed the directions. She walked down stairs and out the door. She walked across the field to the barn. She thought she saw a streak of brown in the corner of her eye, but dismissed it. She unlocked the barn door and walked in. She reached over to flick on the lights that they had recently installed and just about fainted from what she saw. "SURPRISE!" Every pony she had ever met was there. Including her friends and family. She started to get weak in the legs but Joe appeared at her side and steadied her. "Did, did you plan all of this?" She asked. He nodded. "Isn't it awesome! I came to pinkie while you were selling apples and we set the whole thing up." Applejack smiled and proved to party with her friends and the pony that she loved and hoped loved her back. That party will forever go down as one of the most fun ever. There was much dancing and cake eating. The music was DJ'd by nine other than DJ PON-3. The party lasted until the wee hours of the morning until only pinkie, applejack and Joe standing there. As Joe walked out of the barn and sat in the moonlight applejack joined him while pinkie cleaned up. Applejack hasn't had a chance to talk to rarity that night but she figured that, now, was as good of time as any. "Joe, I wanted to, uh, I wanted to." Joe turned around and shushed her with a hoof and looked into her eyes. The moonlight glinting off of his green eyes and making his green mane almost appear to be emerald. He leaned forward and kissed her. The kiss lasted a while. Applejack melted into it, driving in the sweet smell of birthday cake. When they broke the kiss they stared dreamily into each others eyes and walked back towards the farmhouse together. Of only things could have stayed like they did that night, happy and loose. But things couldn't be like that, Joe and applejack would have to face a lot of bullshit before they could live the rest of their lives with each other. Things wouldn't be normal for a while, not by a long shot. EpilogueThat night had been amazing. He hasn't stopped thinking about it since then and Ephesus was reminded every time he looked at applejack. It had been a few months since then and he was about to go to bed. He felt applejack embrace him as he closed his eyes. "In his dreams he was floating in space looking at a star. It was a brilliant sight. He could have stared at it forever. Then it happened. The star exploded, blowing back everything near it and blowing gasses everywhere. It blew Joe back, sending him tumbling around in zero gravity. He heard a faint voice In his head. He couldn't make out what it was saying and had to focus on it to make out what it was saying. "I'm coming for you. Your ancestors have wronged my master and I am coming to avenge him. I will kill all that you hold dear, your friends, your family, your lover, her family. And then, after you have felt that loss, that pain. I'll kill you slowly." The voice died away with a cackle. Joe sat bolt upright in the bed. Sweat drenching his brown body. Applejack leaned up, concerned. "Joe. What's wrong." She said putting a hoof to his forehead and then running his back. "It-it's nothing. Just a bad dream." He said laying down facing her. She hugged him close and he kissed her in the cheek and closed his eyes. He was terrified by what he had heard but he wasn't going to tell applejack, nit yet. It would scare her. No she would be better off not knowing for now. As he drifted off to sleep he realized that the voice that he had heard was,the same as. The pony he had heard in his dreams at the hospital. The voice that threatened him was the evil pony that had chased him. Nebula was on the hunt, and he wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted, or until he was dead. Sequel InfoSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Another one of those days.He heart monitors beeped as she slipped back into consciousness. She opened her eyes to the blinding light of the hospital room. Her chest throbbed. She tried to sit up but her body failed her. She flopped back down with a whimper. She felt someone brush her mane out of her eyes. She looked up to see who it was. I looked kind of like Joe. But that was ridiculous, Joe couldn't have been in equestria. Still it looked like, smelled like him. He smiled as a tear ran down his cheek. She smiled back as she lost consciousness again. Her dreams were filled with images of Joe. Him and her talking, shooting, laughing. Her weeping next to him after he had gotten shot, praying that he would wake up. Him holding her after the wolf attack. Joe teaching her to play the piano. Them sitting there with her friends after Christmas. And finally him waving to her there in the snow. It was hard to believe it had been three years. It felt like yesterday. It had been a very weird day for Joe. He went to a funeral, had to explain what a funeral was, traveled through time and space and found out that one of the best "people" he had ever met had a mysterious kind of heart cancer. But none of that except the cancer part mattered. After the funeral he had ended up in equestria with Celestia. She had told him during the inter-dimensional travel that applejack had gotten sick and she needed help. I didn't know why she had gotten me other than the fact that if she died she wanted me to see her one last time. He ran into the hospital and blew past the nurses with Celestia right behind him. She had told him what room she was in and he was off. He blew into the room startling the nurse pony and making her drop her clipboard. "How is she." I asked out of breath. "Sir visit-" she was cut off. "HOW IS SHE!" I yelled. The nurse just shook her head. "You don't mean," I said choking up. "She's not dead." Celestia said putting a hoof on my shoulder. "But she's not well and the only way to help her is a heart transplant. "Well then why haven't you done the transplant yet?" I asked still crying but lighter. "That's the problem, we haven't found a compatible or willing donor." She said. I held my wrist out to the nurse. "Check my blood type, see if I'm compatible." I said. The nurse looked over to Celestia who shook her head in approval. The nurse took me down the hallway and into another room with a padded chair that was far to small for me so I kneeled and rested my arm on the counter. The nurse came back in with a needle, tubing, a bag and a cookie which she proceeded to stuff in her mouth. Weird. She washed her hooves and went to work feeling my arm up and down for a vein. When she found one she took out a wipe and rubbed the spot clean with it and threw it away. She then picked up the needle in her mouth and hovered over my arm for a moment. I looked over at her, " is there a problem?" I asked her. "I, I don't like seeing blood. It makes me sick to my stomach." She said. I shood her back a bit and told her to step out of the room which she did. I took the needle and gingerly felt up my arm for the pulse again. I found it and stuck the needle in. My blood immediately started flowing down the tube and filled up the bag in less than a minute. I pulled the needle out and sealed the bag. I yanked out the tube and put it in the bio hazard box and wrapped the bag up in a few papertowels. I stepped out and saw the nurse standing aside the door. I handed her the bag. "Thank you." She said leaning up and kissing me on the cheek. "It was nothing." I said blushing. "When will the results be back." "Give me a minute." She said stepping into the room next to her. I stood there tapping my foot on the ground running my arm when rainbowdash and fluttershy came trotting by. "Hi Joe." They both said somberly stopping to talk. "What are you doing and why is your arm bandaged?" Rainbowdash asked. "They're checking my blood type to see if I'm a compatible donor for AJ." They both gasped. "Joe, you do know what that means." Fluttershy said. "Yes, I know exactly what it means, and I'm willing to do it. If I die so applejack can continue living then so be it." I said. They both nodded as the nurse stepped out of the room. "You are compatible." She said. "I can go register you for the transplant and we can begin the prep in an hour if you want." I nodded. "I just need you to come sign some papers, follow me." She said as she started walking down the hall. "So you're a nurse and you can't stand the sight of blood?" I asked her. "I know, very strange huh. When I went to medical school I expected to just get over it but it never was like that." She said. "Have you ever considered trying to do something else. You appear to be very young, I'm sure you cold find something else to do." I said. "I know I could, but I've always wanted to be a nurse that took care of the babies so I endure it all down here in hopes of, one day, being promoted. Your the first pony, sorry, person that ever cared. What's your name?" She asked looking up at me. "It's Joe." I said smiling down at her. We walked the rest of the way in silence. We reached a room with a small table in the middle. She went off behind a counter along the side of the room and got some papers. She walked out with a doctors bag and a stethoscope around her neck. "Sit down on the table and take off your shirt." She said. " I need to check you out first before I register you." I hopped up on the table and removed my shirt. She came over and sat the doctors bag on the ground and put the stethoscope to her ears and reached for my chest. She seemed to be a bit to short to reach. I noticed and picked her up and sat her on my lap. She rested the cold instrument against the center of my chest and listened. She then went a bit to the left. Finally she asked me to lean forward and rested it in between my shoulder blades. She leaned against my shoulder and he mane got in my face. It smelled slightly of strawberries. She pulled back and smiled at me. She wrapped her. Hooves around my neck. "Thank you Joe." She said her voice cracking. "For what." I said, slightly surprised. "Applejack and I were best friends as fillies. We did everything together." She said into my ear. She pulled back, a tear in her eye and kissed me. This surprised me. I just sat there like a moron for a second but quickly melted into the kiss. I felt her hooves leave my neck and start to go down my shyest and stomach and soon reach my belt. I put a hand on her chest and pushed her away. "Whoa whoa whoa," I said surprised by the nurses sudden change. She looked back at me. A tear formed in her eye, I had obviously hurt her she jumped off the tables and walked to the their side of the room with her back to me and began to cry. Now I felt bad. I slid off the table and walked over to her and crouched down. I put a hand around her shoulders and she looked up at me, still crying. "You think I'm ugly don't you." She said the hurt obviously in her voice. "No, I think your beautiful, I'm just not that kind of man." I said to her. My praise obviously making her a little bit happier. "I'm sorry, I just got a bit carried away." She said. I leaned down and hugged her. "Now about those papers." I said pulling away.
A Transplant and a ProblemThe nurse retrieved the papers and a pen from the bulky doctors bag she had brought with her and spread them out upon the table. "Sign here, here and here and we can have you prepped for surgery in less than a hour." She said. I signed the papers, shuffled them and handed the. To the nurse. I started to move towards the door when I felt a hoof on my shoulder. I turned around and looked to the nurse. "Listen, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier, I just got a bit carried away and-" I cut her off with a kiss to the cheek. "Don't worry about it, if anything it was a compliment." I said. The nurse pony breathed a sigh of relief and we walked out the door. I headed to applejack's room to see all her friends there. They were all anxiously tapping their hooves on the ground but perked up when they saw me. "So..." Pinkie said with a little les than enthusiastic than usual. "I'm a compatible donor and I'm gonna be in surgery in less than an hour." I said. "You know what this means Joe, are you willing to do that for applejack. There is still time to back out. They will find a donor eventually." Celestia said. "I know what I'm signing up for and I'm not gonna back out. Applejack needs me and I'm gonna help her." I said confidently. The nurse showed up with my robe and some other equipment. She led me to the room right next to applejack's and set the equipment out on the counter on the far side wall. She threw me the robe and I went to the bathroom to change. When I emerged the nurse had a needle connected to an IV bag. She handed me the needle and I stuck it in my left arm and grabbed the pole with the IV bag on it and walked out into the hallway where there was two padded surgery tables stuck together and several unicorns with facemasks on. A purple on with black hair except for a pink stripe was among them but I didn't pay any attention to that right now. One of the surgeons took the IV bag off the stand as I climbed on to the tables. They wheeled the tables down the hallway at a leisurely gait. I looked around wondering why they were going so slow. There was a pony's life at stake if they didn't cut me open in time. "Umm, is there a reason why we are going so slow?" I asked the blue unicorn with a stethoscope as a cutie mark. He just nodded to the doctor to my right who inserted a needle into IV bag and injected a dark looking fluid into it. Within seconds the hallway started to stretch and the lights got brighter. "Wait, I have so many questions." I said slurring my words as I passed out. I opened my eyes to a pony standing over me in a blood spattered lab coat and gloves with a long dagger in its hands I kicked out to find I didn't have feet but brown hooves. It didn't matter I bucked the pony in the chest making them drop the dagger. I jumped up out of the bed all the while my chest throbbing horribly. I galloped down the hall and with the other pony hot on my tail, literally. I skidded to Aston and made award right and kept running. I reached the end of the hall. All that was there was a single window. I turned around to see the pony chasing me was right there. It pulled down the facemasks to reveal a scared muzzle. He rose up on his back hooves and held the dagger in his right hoof. I hopped up on the window seal and looked over at him. "Now where were we." He said in a raspy voice. He took a step closer and I spread my frot hooves and fell back with my eyes closed. The stallion threw the dagger as I fell through the window it clipping my nose and then spiraling away over my head. I fell for a long time, knowing it was the end for me. I fell with my back to the ground and my eyes wide open. I closed my eyes one last time and hot the ground, at least it was quick. My eyes shot open and I groaned. The ponies around me smiled as they heard the noise come from me, confirming I was still alive. I tried to sit up but the pain in my chest was too much. A pony that looked like the nurse came over and pressed a cold hoof to my neck. She broke the silence, "You seem fine but as you and I both know, you're not. Your own heart is decaying and you have a few days at best before it gives out. I hung my head and saw the huge bandage that adorned my chest. I looked back up to see everypony I had ever met. There was Celestia, Luna, applejack's littles sister and her brother, all of her friends and a pony with a whit pelt and red mane who looked to be the nurse which I now counted as a friend. "A few days, wow, shorter than I thought." I said. I began to rise up from the bed despite my body's and the other ponies protests. I stood up and started to walk, shakily, but walking all the same. I was surprised at how fast I was able to begin to start moving and without too much pain. That's magic for ya. I opened up the door with the other ponies following me and the nurse with my IV bag and I went next door to applejack's room. I opened the door to see applejack standing there doing push ups. She looked up and saw me with a little nit of sweat running down her face and a tear down the other. She jumped up into my arms and gave ma a huge kiss. After a while she pulled back and asked me with a frown on her face. "How long," she asked with a hard set expression on her face. "Applejack, you do-" I started. "How long." She asked again. "Three days, at best." I sighed.
The New PonyApplejack looked at him stunned with tears streams down her cheeks. "Three days." She kept mumbling to herself. "No, there must be something that you can do to stop the cancer, slow it down at least." She said to the nurse and then Celestia. They both just hung their heads in defeat. Applejack wailed and I sat her down on her bed where she buried her head into the pillow and cried. Everyone exited the room and went back into the hallway. Most of each pony just looked at me funny or proudly, like it was an honor to know me. Which it was but that's beside the point. I was going to die in three days. But applejack would be able to live the rest of her life. It was worth it. Luna looked over to her sister who nodded and approached Joe. "Umm Joe," she said tapping him on the shoulder. "Can we talk to you for a moment, in private." Celestia added. They walked into his room and Joe followed. They shut the door behind him. "Now girls, if this is about finding another pony's heart for me to take, then I don't want to hear it." Joe said. "Joe, there is a way to survive this and no pony has to die. The only problem is, you wouldn't be you anymore." Luna said her midnight blue mane blowing in her sister's face making Celestia sneeze. "What are you talking about." Joe said cocking his head to the right and massaging his chest. "We could make you a pony." Celestia said. "It would slow the process of the cancer down to the point that it wouldn't be a threat until you were already dead." Luna added. "I have to think about it. Being a pony would be strange and I would never name able to go back home. But if I was a pony then I would live and I would get to stay with applejack. Then again if I stay human then I'll still die before I get to go home anyway. Wait a sec, how in the hell does that work. How would making me a horse make me live longer." I asked. "Do you remember the wolf attack. Well those wolves were possessed by the magic of a pony named nebula. He's a follower of darkness. When darkness was destroyed by Matthew 30 years ago nebula was one of his followers. He vowed to hunt down the descendants of Matthew and kill everyone in their family. He may have appeared in you dreams. But anyway, the cancer is magical and can be slowed by changing the species of the carrier." Luna said matter of factly. "I-I-I, yes, yes I want to be a pony. If it means living with applejack then yes, I do." Joe said. "Good, very good. We will do the spell tonight at sunset." Said Celestia exiting the room. Sunset was fast approaching and to pass the time joe was drawing. When the door opened he looked up to see Celestia standing there with her sister Luna and twilight. Joe sat up straight and looked out the window to see the sun begging to set. He looked back to Celestia and handed her the drawing. Unspoken words passed between them and Celestia nodded on agreement. And took her place at the end of the bed with Luna to her right and twilight to her left. Their horns started to glow and Joe felt himself begin to float. He closed his eyes and let what was about to happen, happen. Outside the door stood many ponies. Not only his friends but the entire hospital staff that wasn't busy, the patients at the hospital that were almost fine and applejack's family which he had yet to meet. All there to see the first human they had met since Matthew, be turned into a pony. A bright white light shine under the door and lit up the whole corridor. The light began to subside and there was a thud from inside the room and clopping of hooves to the door. The door opened revealing three ponies, the ones that had gone in. Some ponies looked at the ponies that came from inside confused when another pony joined them and walked out of the room. It was a tall, muscular brown Pegasus with a blond mane and piercing green gaze. A confident and slightly defiant smile creased his face. "Joe, is that, is that you." Applejack said her voice cracking. "The one and only." Said the familiar voice. Applejack squeaked and tackled him to the ground and covered his face with kisses. The crowd cheered for the former human. When applejack got off of him and allowed him to stand he looked over to Celestia. "Could I leave this place, the hospital I mean. It's getting real real boring here." He said to Celestia. "You should be fine now, just take it easy." She said. One of the doctors looked like he was about to protest but closed his mouth. When the highest authority in equestria approved something, it was approved. Joe proceeded to turn around and start trotting out of the hospital, with applejack and her friends on his tail along with the nurse and the princesses. "Wait, nurse redheart! You still have two hours left on your shift." One of the doctors yelled out. "I quit!" Nurse redheart said without turning around. "So your names nurse Redheart." Joes said casting a sideways glance to the cream colored pony with a red mane. "Amber Redheart, but you can call me Amber." She said smiling. As they cropped down the cobblestone streets of ponyville Joe spread his wings and took off. Feeling the wind in his mane was wonderful, nut not as wonderful as being with applejack. Nothing came close to that.
Life as an EquineIt had been nearly a week since Joe had become a pony and he had to say, he was enjoying it. His strength had come back almost immediately and his Chest pains had subsided to a dull ache and then disappeared all together. He was living with the apple family and helping out around the farm. At first big Macintosh had been skeptical, but after I proved to him that I could work and work hard as well as faster than him and applejack he welcomed him like a brother. After he had eaten breakfast, he headed out to help applejack tend to the trees in the east orchard. He spread his wings and took off. The new ability to fly was amazing. He could go from walking on the ground to soaring through the sky with the wind in his mane in the blink of an eye. He landed on a branch of a tree and looked down at applejack who was still waiting for him to show up. "What in Tarantino is taking him so long?" She said. "He must ju- GAAAAAHHHHH!" She screamed as something heavy landed on her shoulders. She crumpled to the ground under its weight. They wrestled in the dust for a little it before the brown Pegasus pinned her to the ground. Applejack opened her eyes to see a brown Pegasus standing over her with a slight grin. She swatted at him playfully and he stepped off of her. "You need to pay attention to your surroundings, applejack." He said with a hint of laughter in his voice. "And you need to stop cheatin' and using yer wings." She said shaking the dust from her coat and casting a glare of mock anger at him. He looked back at her and her serious expression melted away and they both started to laugh uncontrollably. As the scene unfolded below her, rainbowdash stared dreamily at the brown Pegasus. Applejack doesn't know how good she has it. A family to support her, a great farm to work on with a steady source of income, and a handsome Pegasus to love her. As rainbowdash thought to herself, another Pegasus appeared behind her. It sat next to her and looked down as well. The Pegasus prodded rainbowdash in the ribs, supposing the pony and nearly making her fall off the cloud. "Gaaahh, fluttershy, don't do that to me." Rainbowdash said, recovering her composure and blowing her rainbow mane out of her eyes. "Are you spying on Joe and Applejack again." The cream and pink pony asked her with a mischievous grin on her face. "I am not!" Rainbow said, the blood rushing to her cheeks. "Rainbow, this is the third time this week, if you like him, tell him. Or I'll tell him for you." She said. "I-I do like him, nut he likes applejack. And I'm pretty surre she likes I'm too. I can't tell him. I wouldn't do that to applejack." Rainbowdash said. Down on the ground the applejack and Joe heard voices coming from a cloud hovering above them. Applejack pointed app and made a gesture with her lips. Joe nodded and spread his wings and took off silently and made his way to a spot under the cloud. He nodded to applejack who had a grin on her face. "Hey ya'll, how ya doin up there." Applejack waved a hoof and the two mares looked over the edge and blushed at their friend. They waved back to her and began talking. Joe sat under the cloud waiting from the wink from applejack. There it was, subtle but it was there. Joe plunged his head up through the cloud in front if the two mares. "Hello there ladies.!" He said as the two mare jumped back in fright. Joe punched the underside of the cloud and watched it disperse into water vapor. The two mares fell from the cloud and into thin air. Joe watched them fall. After they didn't open their wings and were getting dangerously close to the ground, Joe took off at top speed toward the mares. He flew under their frozen bodies and picked them up and lowered them safely to the ground. Applejack and Joe were sputtering with laughter while the two mares sat there dumbfounded. Fluttershy was the first to regain her composure and stood up and walked towards Joe. She stopped in front of him and kissed him on the cheek. "That's for saving me." She said. She then pulled a hoof back and slapped him across the face. "And that's for putting me in danger in the first place." She said. "I guess I deserved that." He said running his cheek. Applejack was now rolling on the grass laughing her flank off. Fluttershy began to walk off but then rembered something. She turned around and walked back up to Joe and whispered something into his ear that made a blush come to his face and his tail stop moving. Fluttershy turned and walked away with rainbowdash who cast a look back at Joe who was now standing there stunned. His ears stood erect and his cheeks were red. "What did you say to him?" Rainbowdash asked the cream colored mare. "That you think he is a sexy hunk of a stallion." Fluttershy said taking off and flying away quickly. Rainbowdash took all as well at speeds close to a sonic rainbow and headed back home to cloudsdale.she was to embarrassed to speak to Joe for the rest of the week. And Joe stood there for a good five minutes, stunned at what he had just heard. He turned to look at applejack who was now starting to stand back up and wiped a tear from her eyes. She looked up at the sun swing it was almost noon and they sat down under the shady trees like they did every day at noon and napped.
Just a Party, RightJoe and applejack were heading into town. Applejack was there to make some bits on some of the juiciest apples that they had picked in the entire Tom that Joe had been working there. He and only worked there for a week or so, but these were some good apples. Whenever the got to the stand in the square and unhitched the cart Joe began to trot away. "We'll, where are you goin." Applejack asked him. "I actually had some stuff to do today, if you don't need any help that is." He said with a smile. He walked back towards her as she thought. She sighed and waved him on. He gave had a small kiss on the cheek and took off. He flew off to sugerarcube corner to talk to pinkie. He stepped in through the door and was immediately tackled by pinkie. "Oh hey Joe, how can I help you today. Do you need a party, a cake. Ooohhhh, how out a base drum!" She said pulling a giant drum from out of no where. "Actually,pinkie, I am here for a party." He said picking himself up and dusting himself off. When she heard the word party pinkie's smile widened and she started to bounce around. "Who's party is it?" She asked excitedly. "It's applejack's birthday party. She wouldn't tell anyone but her brother told me." He said. Pinkie's smile broadened to an impossible size. "Ok, what's the plan?" She asked. Joe smiled and they started planning. As the sun started to set Joe walked out of sugarcube corner and towards the market stalls that would soon be closing. He stopped by Roseluck and got a dozen white roses, applejack's favorite. Applejack stood at her now closed stall next to an empty cart and a newly filled bag of bits. She had made plenty of money today, but it was SO boring. She didn't even have any pony to talk to. She was also in feasibly tired and was ready to hit the hay, so to speak. She saw Joe trotting down the road and immediately perked up. She liked him, there was no doubt about it. But she wondered if he liked her back. He did seem to enjoy being around her, he'll, he Evan risked death to save her life. That sounded like love to her. But she couldn't be sure and she wasn't going to risk it. Not yet at least. Even if she had told him things she had never told any pony before. She just didn't want to ruin their friendship, it was to precious to her. But if he loved her to, they might be able to spend the rest of their lives together. Oh she was so confused, what should she do, en it came to her. She should ask rarity what to do. Yes rarity, she would ask her as soon as possible. "Happy birthday!" Joe cheered and handed her the flowers. Applejack, lost in thought, hadn't noticed him come up and jumped in suprise. She accepted the flowers and hugged him. She was surprised that he knew it was her birthday, barely any pony knew knew when her birthday was. But she chose to accept it and head They walked up to the barn and unhitched themselves. Applejack made a move to unlock the barn but Joe stopped her. "You look tired, you go inside and rest. I still have something planned for your birthday and I don't want you to fall asleep during it." He said. Applejack looked like she was about to argue but coded that nothing bad could come of him putting away the carts while she took a shower. She nodded and walked towards the house. When Joe was sure she was inside he unlocked the barn and looked inside to see all the ponies that applejack knew and the party just about set up. Pinkie walked up to him(with three party hats on, weird) and nodded. "Everything's all set. Just bring her on in and we'll do the rest." Pinkie said, an air of seriousness surrounding the insane party pony. Joe nodded and left the barn and headed towards the house. Applejack was glad to get under the warm water of the shower. As she cleaned herself she wondered what Joe meant when he said that he had something else planned for her birthday. She guessed that she would just have to wait. She stepped out of the shower and dried herself off and brushed her mane. She walked out of the bathroom to find a note on her bed. 'Meet me in the barn.' It said. Applejack could only wonder what he was planning. Bt followed the directions. She walked down stairs and out the door. She walked across the field to the barn. She thought she saw a streak of brown in the corner of her eye, but dismissed it. She unlocked the barn door and walked in. She reached over to flick on the lights that they had recently installed and just about fainted from what she saw. "SURPRISE!" Every pony she had ever met was there. Including her friends and family. She started to get weak in the legs but Joe appeared at her side and steadied her. "Did, did you plan all of this?" She asked. He nodded. "Isn't it awesome! I came to pinkie while you were selling apples and we set the whole thing up." Applejack smiled and proved to party with her friends and the pony that she loved and hoped loved her back. That party will forever go down as one of the most fun ever. There was much dancing and cake eating. The music was DJ'd by nine other than DJ PON-3. The party lasted until the wee hours of the morning until only pinkie, applejack and Joe standing there. As Joe walked out of the barn and sat in the moonlight applejack joined him while pinkie cleaned up. Applejack hasn't had a chance to talk to rarity that night but she figured that, now, was as good of time as any. "Joe, I wanted to, uh, I wanted to." Joe turned around and shushed her with a hoof and looked into her eyes. The moonlight glinting off of his green eyes and making his green mane almost appear to be emerald. He leaned forward and kissed her. The kiss lasted a while. Applejack melted into it, driving in the sweet smell of birthday cake. When they broke the kiss they stared dreamily into each others eyes and walked back towards the farmhouse together. Of only things could have stayed like they did that night, happy and loose. But things couldn't be like that, Joe and applejack would have to face a lot of bullshit before they could live the rest of their lives with each other. Things wouldn't be normal for a while, not by a long shot.
EpilogueThat night had been amazing. He hasn't stopped thinking about it since then and Ephesus was reminded every time he looked at applejack. It had been a few months since then and he was about to go to bed. He felt applejack embrace him as he closed his eyes. "In his dreams he was floating in space looking at a star. It was a brilliant sight. He could have stared at it forever. Then it happened. The star exploded, blowing back everything near it and blowing gasses everywhere. It blew Joe back, sending him tumbling around in zero gravity. He heard a faint voice In his head. He couldn't make out what it was saying and had to focus on it to make out what it was saying. "I'm coming for you. Your ancestors have wronged my master and I am coming to avenge him. I will kill all that you hold dear, your friends, your family, your lover, her family. And then, after you have felt that loss, that pain. I'll kill you slowly." The voice died away with a cackle. Joe sat bolt upright in the bed. Sweat drenching his brown body. Applejack leaned up, concerned. "Joe. What's wrong." She said putting a hoof to his forehead and then running his back. "It-it's nothing. Just a bad dream." He said laying down facing her. She hugged him close and he kissed her in the cheek and closed his eyes. He was terrified by what he had heard but he wasn't going to tell applejack, nit yet. It would scare her. No she would be better off not knowing for now. As he drifted off to sleep he realized that the voice that he had heard was,the same as. The pony he had heard in his dreams at the hospital. The voice that threatened him was the evil pony that had chased him. Nebula was on the hunt, and he wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted, or until he was dead.
