No More Apples

Weeks later, Applejack found herself strangely alone. Anna had gone to Manehattan on a supply run, leaving her to go about her old routine in a stupor. Was bucking apples always so hard? She had to kick the trees so many times now to get any apples to fall, and it just left her feeling tired.

"Sup Applejack?" Rainbow Dash glided in and landed next to her friend.

"Go away," Applejack sighed, "I'm not in the mood to do anything but get these chores done." She wiped her brow with the back of her hoof and stared out at all the trees she still had to buck, and it was getting late into the afternoon already. She spied Big Macintosh out of the corner of her eye, and was suddenly struck by two conflicting emotions; relief that he was helping her, and a pang of indignation that he was helping her at all, as though she couldn't do this on her own.

"Are you sure you don't have time for a race?" Rainbow Dash smirked and raised her eyebrows, knowing exactly what would goad her friend into getting her mind off of work.

Glad to not have another awkward conversation with one of her friends, Applejack was suddenly invigorated. "Well partner, you are on. I'm a little surprised you still keep this up when we both know nopony's faster on hoof than me," she said with a look of pure determination.

The two of them lined up on the road and Rainbow Dash pointed off into the distance. "First one to that bend in the road over there wins. Really think you can beat me in an all-out sprint?" She chuckled and estimated the distance to herself at around 800 meters. Maybe Applejack had her beat on long-distance running, but in a short distance full-burn? It was anypony's race.

"Well, so long as you don't cheat somehow," Applejack scowled for emphasis, "I think that yes, I can beat you. And I will, too."

"We run when this apple hits the ground," Rainbow Dash said, chucking a red delicious high in the air. The two ponies got ready and set, their eyes fixed on the apple. As soon as it smashed into the ground, they were off, their legs pounding the dirt, hooves a blur of motion. Applejack loved it, the wind through her mane, racing with a friend, but then she noticed Rainbow Dash was way out in front of her. She was getting further and further ahead, how was this possible? She was running as fast as she could. She saw Rainbow Dash glance behind her, and instead of a cocky grin, her face sported a look of amazement, and then grave concern. She saw Rainbow Dash slow down to a canter, and she quickly caught up with her.

"How…are you…so…bucking fast?" Applejack wheezed, gasping between each word as the two of them trotted to a stop. "You…cheat me?" She was shaking mad, or shaking from something. Her legs were definitely burning and screaming for rest, her heart was pounding in her chest so hard she could hear it in her ears.

"No, Applejack, I didn't get any faster," Rainbow shook her head sadly, "I didn't cheat at all. You got slow."

"That's…whew…no, no, you're wrong. I am…huff…still as fast…as I ever was!" She finished, her breathing ragged. "I'm just plum exhausted…from all the bucking I was doing…before you interrupted me. Whew, think I need to lay down for a spell," she panted, stepping over to the shade of a nearby tree. "I will find out how you cheated, just as soon as…woo…soon as I get up," she said dizzily as she fell on her side and promptly fainted.

"Yup, that's about what I thought would happen. You just can't ever make it easy for anypony to help you, can you?" Rainbow let out an annoyed groan and then craned her neck down, getting under her gaunt frame, and lifted her friend up onto her back. "Wow, you know you weigh less than Scootaloo right now? I'm taking you to a hospital," she said, Applejack protesting unintelligibly under her breath.

Applejack awoke in a bed not her own, surrounded by white curtains and all her friends. "Where the hay am I?" She looked up at Twilight.

Rainbow Dash volunteered, "I took you to the hospital yesterday after you passed out. Applejack, you need help, you're sick. You could have really hurt yourself if you kept this up," she said, placing her hoof on her friend's shoulder.

"The doctor said that it looked as though you'd been engaging in some self-starvation and possibly self-induced vomiting, is that correct?" Twilight looked knowingly at her friend, and Applejack was distraught, because it was the truth.

"I'm sorry everypony, I don't know what came over me," she started. Fluttershy interjected that it's a condition known as anorexia nervosa, and started to tell them about a similar experience she had back when she was a photo model, but then trailed off sheepishly once she realized she was out of turn. Applejack cleared her throat and then continued, "I don't know why but, I just had this horrible thought one day that I was fat, and that my sister was going to become fat, too, to be like me. And that thought buzzed around in my brain like a bee, keepin' me up nights, makin' me stop eating even when I was still hungry. It just made me go a little crazy and I couldn't see for myself that I was never overweight to begin with. I just wanted to be a good role model for Apple Bloom."

"Aw, but you are a great role model," Apple Bloom piped up, trying to be seen over the railing of the hospital bed. "I'm sorry sis, I didn't mean it like that, you know I'd never say something hurtful about you. It's all my fault, I just meant I was so proud of you and wanted to be strong like you."

"That's alright sugarcube, no harm done," Applejack smiled softly, reaching out to stroke her sister's mane.

Twilight raised her hoof and said, "Actually, the doctor put it rather bluntly that you did quite a lot of harm to yourself, and that you'd have to be slowly re-introduced to increasing amounts of food so as not to shock your system, and even then that while you may be able to make a modest recovery, it won't be a full recovery to the strength you had a month ago. At least not without months and months of long hours of physical therapy, and weight resistance training, in addition to whatever you can still do around the farm."

"Twi…you're kinda ruinin' the moment," Applejack snickered, and slowly the seven of them all started laughing, louder and louder, until a nurse had to come in and tell them to quiet down. They all smiled bashfully and then Pinkie Pie yelled for a group hug, earning another glare from the nurse.

Months of physical therapy later, Applejack wiped her brow with the back of her hoof and looked out over all the trees she'd bucked that day. Not as many as she'd hoped, but still a great haul. Big Macintosh joined her up on the hill and she smiled at him, "Well, I'm definitely not back up to a hundred percent, but I'm gettin' there," she nodded, satisfaction of a hard day's work filling her with warmth.

"Eeeyup," Big Macintosh concurred, and they loaded up the cart with a few more bushels before walking it down the hill.