Work.
It was the thing that was always on Applejack’s mind. Sure there were a few hours in the day where she spent her time thinking about other things like her friends and family. But business, keeping the farm afloat at all times was always present in her thoughts.
The tired farm pony stretched her back in weariness as she prepared for her night’s slumber. She had been working hard like she did every day and it was time to sleep off the aches and sores of her wrecked and ragged body.
She flopped onto her bed curling the blanket over her as she nestled into her pillow. She prepared to let her eyes drift off but it would be a few minutes more till sleep was rewarded.
As she dreamed that night she could swear it was the worst nightmare she had ever had.
She was standing on a hill, watching the grass go barren and the trees die. She tried her best to bring life to the land but all that surrounded her was death. She ran through the fields, trying to find an alive plant only to be tormented with disaster and failure.
“Applejack…” Applebloom coughed out dust as she lay on the ground starving, “Ah’m so hungry!”
“Eeyup…” Big Mac said, his voice begging for release from the pain.
Applejack looked around her as she saw ponies turn to skeletons, her once prosperous farm turn to sand and desert. She shook her head desperately, trying to find food for everyone, trying to just keep herself alive.
“What hav’ Ah done?” she just whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek.
Applejack shot up awake, panting in terror. She had been having that dream for a while… a dream of her very livelihood becoming the past. She knew she was just being paranoid, but her subconscious was trying to speak to her. Her farm was everything to her, if she ever lost it…. She wouldn’t know how to continue on. All her life she had been working so hard to keep it stable, and even though business prospered fear still run in her blood of failure.
She sat in the dark of the night, the moon bright and luminous outside. She just sighed, wiping the droplets of sweat from her forehead and lay back down onto her soft pillow. Maybe she should talk to some pony about these fears. Have someone help her understand why she was so worried of disaster when not in a million years would anything bad happen.
That’s it. She’d speak to Twilight about it tomorrow, that pony always knew how to help.
The next day, Applejack set out early to the town of Ponyville. The air was fresh and windy blowing her mane about and nearly making her lose her hat. She held it tight to her head as she walked the path into the town. She could see ponies setting up shop and stretching as they came outside to the bright sun. She smiled a little relaxed as she heard birds chirping and arrived at her destination, knocking on the door. She heard a voice call,
“Come in!”
She pushed the door open with her head and saw Twilight zap out a bit of magic, it bouncing around the room like electricity before hitting into a locket.
“Whach’ya doin’?” Applejack asked with a smile and Twilight turned to her with a beam.
“Oh just trying to create lightning and harvest it in this locket.”
“Why?”
“In case the weather ponies ever need extra storage of it,” Twilight said with a big beam. She looked at Applejack happily approaching her in eager steps, her earlier magic making her excited. She smiled at her friend and added,
“So what brings you here?”
“Oh Twilight,” Applejack said honestly, “Ah’ve just been having the most terrible of nightmares of late. Ah guess Ah just needed some pony to talk to them about.”
“Well I’m all ears,” Twilight said pleasantly and to prove that, her ears perked out into listening mode.
“Well, it’s just…” Applejack began but felt nervous, “Ah keep havin’ dreams of the farm endin’ and me not able to do anythin’ to stop it.”
“But you’re a brilliant farmer, Applejack,” Twilight said confused. The country mare just nodded her head.
“Ah know… but still, Ah don’t know why Ah’m even having these dreams.”
“Well it could be your subconscious trying to tell you something.” Twilight put forward with her analytic mind. Applejack frowned but nodded her head again in agreement.
“Ah guess… but what?”
“Maybe not to worry so much,” Twilight said. Applejack pulled a look at that. How could she not worry about something like this? Her farm was hers and her family’s livelihood. She however didn’t feel in the mood to discuss this and just muttered,
“Or maybe it’s a forewarning.”
“Of what?”
“Ah don’t know,” Applejack mumbled, looking down to the ground as she thought, “But last time Ah’d had these dreams, fruit bats invaded the North field.”
Twilight looked at her confused to hear this. That was very interesting if the dreams were prophetic, but maybe it was Applejack’s anxiety getting the better of her. She decided to go with the latter and said,
“I’d say not to worry. A lot of time is wasted on that.”
“This comin’ from the biggest worry wart of them all?” Applejack joked and Twilight pulled an innocent face. She smiled at her friend and said quite hypocritically,
“Do as I say, not what I do… even I try not to worry about things if I can help it.”
Applejack took a sigh out and nodded with a smile,
“Ah guess that’s good advice.”
“It is,” Twilight said with a warm smile and the country mare returned it, a bit more hesitantly. She turned to leave, pushing open the front door.
Twilight grinned building up the magic in her horn as she got back to her task at hoof. But just as she let the lightning bolt surge out her horn she stumbled with Applejack calling,
“Twilight?”
Coming back in and the bolt bounced across the room, Applejack’s eyes widening as it collided right into her face and she screamed. She stumbled back on her hoofs and fell over in agony.
“APPLEJACK!” Twilight yelled, running out to her. Oh no! What had she done. There was sound as running could be heard coming down the stairs. Spike came over quickly as he said,
“Twilight, what was that noise? I was in bed and-?”
“I shot lightning into Applejack’s eyes!”
“What?!”
The two stared over the fallen pony and both their eyes opened in horror. The place where Applejack’s eyes were meant to be only lay frazzled goo and blood. Twilight was freaking out as she started jumping about on her hoofs in panic, Spike just whispering,
“Sweet Celestia.”
“We have to get her to a hospital!” Twilight yelled and levitated the unconscious pony up with her hoof, seeing blood drip down AJ’s face and in one brief minute she teleported the three of them to the reception hall.
“Hello?” Twilight yelled and a nurse came over to her confused, “My friend, lightning! In the eyes!”
The nurse still seemed puzzled until she saw Applejack and her mouth dropped opened.
“This way,” she said, Twilight levitating Applejack onto a trolley bed and the nurse got bandages. She wrapped them around Applejack’s eyes and pushed her bed into the emergency room calling a doctor over.
“What is it?” the doctor asked coming over in a hurry. The nurse explained it to him within seconds and he gasped.
“Can you fix this?” Twilight begged and he just pushed her out of the room, getting a torch and peeling back the bandage a little seeing the hollows in Applejack’s eyes.
Twilight waited outside in the waiting room. How could she have been so stupid? She should’ve waited to the all-clear before firing off a bolt of lightning. Tears came down her eyes, she hadn’t even listened to Applejack… forewarning, premonition and she had made this happen when she only meant to help!
Water streamed down her cheeks… what type of friend was she? Had she just ruined Applejack’s life? Was there any way to fix this?
Spike approached her, seeming to be disregarded the entire time and tugged her on the mane saying,
“We have to tell her family.”
Twilight just gasped in weeps… what?! Tell Applejack’s family that she had just blinded that farmer with her own incompetence.
“Spike, no!” Twilight said, but seeing the stern look on his face she didn’t feel she had any choice. She closed her eyes, teleporting herself out in a flash and landing in Sweet Apple Acres.
Everything was so dark. Everything was so empty… like nothing existed. Applejack tried to open her eyes but it seemed like they were resistant to let in any light.
She twisted and turned about in the black, feeling she was on a soft mattress and just heard a voice say weakly.
“Applejack?”
“Granny Smith?” She said confused, she tried to look around but felt like her head was hollow. She put her hoof to her face only to feel a bandage wrapped around it. She said confused,
“What’s happened? Why can’t Ah see ya?”
There was silence, she just lay there… feeling like something terrible had happened and asked,
“Please tell me?”
“Do ya remember what ya were doin’ before you woke up?”
“Ah was at Twilight’s…” Applejack said confused. She couldn’t see what was happening around her but felt like she was meant to continue, “And she was firing lightning.”
“That’s right, dear.” Granny Smith said slowly and it was obvious she had been crying from the way her voice wobbled when she spoke.
“And one hit you in the face.”
“Mah face!” Applejack said suddenly scared, feeling around for any bruising and when she touched her bandage she flinched.
It was at that second that things started to come back to her.
She sat there… her mouth opening as she whispered,
“She… hit mah e-e-eyes...?”
“Yes,”
“Oh, Applejack!” Applebloom cried and reached her hoof to her blind sister who flinched at the unexpected touch, “SHE BLINDED YOU!”
Applejack didn’t say anything. This couldn’t be true… only hours ago she was awake and strolling through town, enjoying the weather. Seeing ponies set up shop, birds flying through the air. She just sat there shaking. After a few minutes she simply asked,
“Will she fix t-this?”
“We don’t know, dear.” Granny Smith said slowly, placing her hoof to her granddaughter’s. There was silence in the room, the sun setting in the sky as this new reality became present in the country mare’s life.
Fluttershy was outside, feeding her chickens in the pen and just enjoying the warmth of the weather. She fluttered about a little as she talked to the birds that flew around her, having safe fun with her animal friends.
She heard a popping sound and looked around surprised, seeing Twilight standing there in tears.
“Twilight?” she said in a weak confused voice, “W-what brings you here today?”
“I blinded Applejack…” was all the unicorn said. Fluttershy gasped running over to her and asking,
“What? H-how?”
“I zapped her with lightning… she’s home at the moment. I can’t bear to go, but I thought we should all know.”
Fluttershy nodded her head but all that ran through her mind was an injured creature needing her help and support.
“Oh my,” she whimpered out. Had this really just happened? She looked at Twilight a little afraid and said scared, “Of course I’ll go… Applejack needs all of us… oh I m-mean…” she said nervously remembering what Twilight had said, “When you can come of course… but MY goodness! I have to see how she is!”
Twilight nodded feeling pathetic in herself. Only a day had gone by and she had had to go tell all of her friends of what she had done. If only she had LISTENED to Applejack.
Fluttershy saw her pain and came over to her to comfort.
“Twilight, this must be killing you… b-but please don’t cry. We all make mistakes.”
“But she came to me specifically and I didn’t even listen! I caused this and I’m meant to be her friend!”
“She’ll forgive you.” Fluttershy said with love, but knew she had to see her injured friend. She couldn’t bare leave Twilight in this state but and so just hugged her friend saying,
“You can fix this I-I’m sure!”
“I don’t know if I can…” Twilight said in tears and just pushed Fluttershy away. The pegasus looked at her worried, “Go and see her, and tell me how she is… I just can’t.”
The meak pegasus nodded her head, lifting off the ground and flying in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
A million worries swam through her head, how would Applejack run the farm? How would she cope? Would she ever see again? Would she ever forgive Twilight?
She flew through the blue sky in weak flutters and after twenty minutes saw the farm. She fluttered down to it and became nervous as she knocked on the door, coming in to see that Rarity and Rainbow Dash were already there.
They were sitting in the lounge room, Applejack sitting on the armchair by herself with a bandage around her eyes and Wynona to her side on a leash.
“Fluttershy is here.” Rarity announced and Applejack nodded saying without moving her head.
“Hey, Fluttershy.”
“Oh, Applejack…” Fluttershy squeaked in tears seeing the injured pony and her heart just went out to her, “I’m so s-sorry t-this happened!”
She began to cry as she trembled over to her friend and hugged her in tears, “If there’s anything you need, tell me! I-I will be there for you.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy…” Applejack said lifeless and the pegasus just looked at her friend… as dead and alone she had ever seen her.
“I told Applejack I could help around the farm.” Rainbow Dash spoke up, catching Fluttershy’s ears, “And Rarity said she could do the stall in town on weekends.”
“But what can I-I do!” Fluttershy peeped out.
“Ya don’t need ta do anythin’ Sugarcube.” Applejack just muttered and Fluttershy felt like crying at this terrible loss her friend had been inflicted.
“N-no! I must!” Fluttershy whimpered in tears, “I could keep you company! Help you learn how to live this new way, look after you when your family can’t.”
Applejack smiled weakly at that offer… but sighed. She knew Fluttershy meant well… but she didn’t want to be treated like a handicap… it just made her feel ashamed.
“That’s sweet, sugarcube… but I don’t want you to go out of your way.”
“Applejack… p-please.” Fluttershy begged quietly. She couldn’t stand seeing any pony helpless, she had to do her best to make Applejack feel safe in this new world.
“Okay…” Applejack said sadly, and Fluttershy smiled weakly. She held her hoof and said,
“Anything for a friend…”
“So…” Rainbow Dash asked, silence falling in the room of the nervous friends and she looked at her blinded friend with awkwardness… not knowing how to handle this situation.
“How does it feel?”
“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity said shocked, shooting her an angry look.
“Well I have to ask!” Rainbow Dash just said back annoyed and Applejack sighed, touching her bandages as she said.
“Like Ah can’t open my eyes… scary… like Ah’m just a foal, helpless and alone.”
“Oh…” the blue pegasus said uneasily, laughing awkwardly as she added, “I guess you won’t be beating me in any races soon.”
Fluttershy frowned at Rainbow’s joke, but she knew it was just because her friend was nervous of this new development.
“Yeah…” AJ said and gave the weakest of smirks, “Ah guess not.”
“Well you still look fabulous.” Rarity put forward, “In fact I bet I could makeshift a prettier bandage to put around your eyes… make you the bell of the ball.”
Applejack sighed, still feeling Fluttershy holding her hoof and tried to get up to go to the kitchen but Fluttershy stopped her.
“What is it, Applejack? Do you n-need anything?”
“Just an apple…”
“I’ll be right back,” Fluttershy said with a kind smile and hurried out of the room. Wynona jumped onto her owner's lap once the yellow pegasus had disappeared and Applejack took a breath out saying,
“That’s a good girl.”
“Man… I couldn’t bear it if I were blind.” Rainbow Dash blurted out inconsiderately, looking at Applejack and how helpless she was, “I am NOT popping around to Twilight’s any time soon.”
“Do you think she’ll be able to fix this?” Rarity whispered to her hoping Applejack couldn’t hear and the pegasus just shrugged.
“If anyone can… Twilight can.”
“But what if she can’t!” Rarity whispered loudly in fear and Applejack said slowly, her friends turning to her,
“Than Ah guess… Ah’m blind.”
“Oh of course, dear… but we were just saying.”
“You two don’t have to talk like Ah’m not here.” Applejack said quietly, feeling dead inside “At least wait till Ah’m not around.”
“We are just worried, Applejack.” Rarity insisted, but she could see the country mare was crushed. Rainbow Dash however couldn’t and just yelled,
“Yeah, AJ! We’re just being considerate!”
“Here you go.” Fluttershy said as she fluttered back into the room with an apple in her hoof. She held it against Applejack’s lips and the pony sighed, taking a bite and Fluttershy smiled sweetly.
“Look,” Applejack said as she swallowed down the bite and looked into the darkness that was her sight, “Ya guys just treat me like normal… Ah may be blind… but Ah’m not any different than Ah was before.”
“Applejack,” Rarity said in a gasp at how Applejack was treating this situation, “This completely changes your life. We can’t act like nothing has changed.”
Applejack sighed. She knew that was true. Oh how she wished it wasn’t. She reached forward and took another bite of the apple, feeling pathetic and Fluttershy just fluttered there holding it with kindness.
In that second there was a scream, and Fluttershy suddenly jumped, dropping the fruit and hiding behind the arm chair, Pinkie Pie just staring at the blind pony and yelled.
“OH MY CELESTIA! APPLEJACK! YOU’RE BLIND AS A BAT!”
“Hello Pinkie…” Applejack said, a little annoyed.
“You know, I was once blind… but then I realized that I just had my eyes closed so I opened them and I could see but of course you don’t have any eyes so.”
“Ah hear ya, Pinkie.”
“Of all the ponies in all the world this could happen to, it happened to you! Funny isn’t it!”
“Yep,” Applejack said slowly, giving a weak laugh and added, “It’s hilarious…”
“Way for words, Pinkie…” Rainbow Dash said annoyed at her and the pink pony smiled brightly. She bounced up to Rainbow and pushed in between her and Rarity on the couch.
“Thanks, Rainbow! You know I just say whatever comes to me. It’s all just natural, really.”
“Uh huh.”
Pinkie beamed larger but then pulled a sad face as she looked at her disabled friend,
“Oh, Applejack, you really lost your sight at the worst time. Now you can’t see this new expression I've invented called desperiah.”
She pulled a face that looked constipated mixed with happiness and Rainbow just asked confused.
“What is that, Pinkie?”
“When you desperately want to spill your guts but have to hold it in mixed with needing the toilet.”
“Ha!” the pegasus laughed hitting her on the back with the good cheer it bought her and Rarity just giggled at the thought of this new expression.
“That’s great, Pinkie.” Applejack said with a small smile, trying to be included in the conversation and Pinkie just smiled replying.
“It is! And now you will be denied of it!”
“Applejack’s going to need some extra hoofs around the farm, Pinkie.” Rainbow added, the pink pony looking at her listening intently. Rainbow could see her friend was eager to hear the rest of what she had to say, “I said I could help, but I do have weather duty… maybe some days you could lend a hoof?”
“Absoloutely-tutely!” Pinkie said with a big beam to Applejack, “Applejack, don’t you worry! Your farm is in safe hoofs with me and Rainbow.”
“Yeah…” the country mare said, with the tiniest tint of worry.
“And don’t you worry about your sales, Applejack.” Rarity said putting her two cents in, “I can gather attention with my mere presence.”
“Don’t remind me…” Applejack said blankly and Rarity pulled a,
“Well!”
But knew Applejack was only teasing so let it go. She wasn’t about to fight with a blind pony.
Applejack smiled weakly, listening to her friends talk and had to ask… the one thing that was on her mind.
“Did Twilight say when she was comin’ over?”
There was silence. The friends all looked at each other nervously. Fluttershy flew before Applejack and said with a meek stutter.
“Oh Applejack… she… she’s just so ashamed.”
“Yeah…” Rainbow said, the friends all nodding at each other with that knowledge “She just seems to be determined to find a cure or something.”
“There ain’t no healing spell but…” Applejack said with a sigh and Rarity looked at her with determined eyes.
“Not yet… but Twilight knows the answer to everything.”
“That’s why I NEVER play trivia with her.” Pinkie said with a pout and Applejack felt Fluttershy hold her hoof, Wynona snuggling into her on her lap.
“She’ll c-come around.” Fluttershy said weakly looking at Applejack with hope but the country mare couldn’t see a thing. The friends all nodded again and Applejack took a breath out, nodding her head as well and added.
“Well then we’ll just have ta see.”
“Cept’ you!” Pinkie joked and Rainbow Dash burst into laughter, not able to hold it in. Applejack frowned as she heard the two cackling ponies and signalled Wynona to get off her. The dog jumped to the ground with a bark and Applejack said to her friends as she stood on her all fours.
“Well Ah don’t expect ya ‘ll to be here all day when there is work ta be done.” She stood there, expecting some sound to know what they had said and continued, “Ah’m late with harvest so Pinkie and Dash will have to get to work on it. Knowing you two, I’ll need both of ya to do the same amount of work I’d do in a day.”
“Hey!” Dash said offended by what Applejack thought of her capability, “I could do twice as much work as you with both my wings tied around my back.”
“No offense, Rainbow” Applejack said bluntly, looking in the dark at the direction the voice had come from, “But Ah do it without wings every day.”
“She’s got you there, Dashie!” Pinkie teased and bounced to her hoofs looking at Applejack with a big grin.
“We’ll get straight to work, Applejack. You just rest those legs of yours!”
Applejack would’ve rolled her eyes if she had any and used Wynona’s leash to lead her out of the sitting room to outside, the dog wagging her tail as she loyally led the way for her owner.
The four ponies followed her out as Applejack stood there with the wind blowing in her mane and wished she could see whether it was day or night, if the trees were still there and if her friends were even pulling funny faces.
But she couldn’t… not anymore and she just said,
“Right… you two get to work. Big Mac should be down the field.”
“Okay dokey lokey!” Pinkie beamed and bounced off, Rainbow rolling her eyes as she followed her friend on.
“Sorry to say this, dear.” Rarity said hesitantly looking at Applejack with awkward eyes, “But I really have to go back to work.”
“It’s okay, Rarity,” Applejack said with a weak smile and the unicorn pat her on the back leaving.
Applejack just stood there, listening to the wind blow through the trees and heard a voice peep.
“Err… A-Applejack?”
“Yes, Fluttershy?”
The pegasus squeaked nervously but approached her friend slowly and stood by her side,
“Things will be… o-okay. I just… I know they will.”
Applejack smiled as she felt her presence and only stood there… not able to do anything else except feel, smell and listen to the things around her. She didn’t want to fight and muttered,
“Thanks, Fluttershy… “
Not knowing what else to say, so she stood there. Not being able to see what kind of future that lay ahead.
Not being able to see a thing.
