Chapter Nine

Memor

The doctors said that my right kidney was shredded like a puppy’s chew toy and needed to be removed. Some muscle damage on top of that kept me in Manehattan Central Hospital for a while.

After the operation, I called the police and told them what I found in my father’s journal. A detective came by and got all that I knew. It turns out that Cherry Flower was on the missing persons list for years.

When Applejack came by for a visit, the detective had passed by her on the way out. When she asked me what we talked about, I told her what my dad did in the bathtub.

She sat in a nearby chair, dazed with surprise. “Dang, no wonder you wanted to leave yer apartment so fast.”

“I’m selling the place. Might as well. I found out all I wanted to know about my dad.”

“Yew didn’t fall too far from the tree, after all. Rarity told me you knifed Gilda in the gut and was ready to kill her. Course, she did shoot yew, so that would have been self-defense.”

I felt the stitches under the bandage. “I enjoyed stabbing her, though. I didn’t know I had it in me. Maybe I always did, but kept myself to myself.”

“Ah got my hooves dirty, too. Ah wanted to grind Trixie into mulch so bad, ah could taste it.”

“That was the Spectrum talking. You must have gotten splashed with it when I fell into the vat.”

Applejack shook her head. “It only got on mah hair, Equus. Twilight says it needs to at least touch skin before it affects yew. Ah got crazy all on mah own.”

“You really did a number on Trixie’s face. Not that I feel any pity for her.”

She scooted the chair next to me and looked me in the eyes. “Did Rainbow say anything about me?”

“No, but we only talked for about half a minute. I did tell her that you missed her.”

“Ah bet she was happy to hear that. Ah know ah would be.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Wish you told me the truth sooner, though.”

“I hope Dash won’t box my ears when I go where she is. I broke my vow of silence, after all.”

“If she raises a hoof to yew, she’ll answer to me,” Applejack replied, snickering. “Seriously, ah wouldn’t worry about it. She’s better than that.”

“I was almost as bad as my father.”

“Same here,” she said with a shudder. “But you chose not to kill. He didn’t. That makes you a better pony than him any day.”

“Dad chose to be lonely, to live what he knew was an inadequate life.”

“Yeah. Lot of that goin’ around. Listen, Equus? Yew and Twilight were right. Ah do need grief councelin’. How long are yew gonna be in here?”

My gut twinged again, making me moan. “It’ll be a few days before I can head on back to Ponyville.”

She got up from her chair and walked to the door. “Let me know when you get back. There’s somethin’ we need to do together.”

By the following week, I was riding a train back to Ponyville. The apartment was sold, and Dad’s journals were now police property.

To pass the time, I picked up a copy of The Manehattan Post. It ran a front page article about Trixie killing all those homeless ponies and selling their hair and clothes on the black market. Both Trixie and Gilda got life in prison for mass murder. Neither Discord or liquid rainbows were mentioned. A much smaller article in the back of the paper stated that Discord’s statue was found smashed to pieces near a Canterlot college and was deemed a frat prank gone wrong.

History is often a smooth and elusive liar, especially when it’s required to be.

Soon after I got home, I found myself sitting with Applejack in front of Rainbow Dash’s tombstone again. The surrounding snow was as thick and quiet as a cloud.

AJ was dusting the powdery snow off the engraved letters as she said, “Hey, babe. It’s me again. Just dropped by to say that ah ain’t comin’ here to see you any more. Don’t need to.”

Applejack tapped her chest with a hoof. “You were in here the whole time. Ah was just too busy punishin’ myself for no reason to see that. Once ah thought that ah deserved to be alone. That ain’t true.”

She cast a sideways look at me. “No One who has friends deserves that.”

Applejack wiped a cake of snow away from the top of the tombstone. “Some good people are helpin’ me see that, Dash. Ah bet you know that already, bein’ a fast learner and all.” She kissed the tombstone. “Take care, sugar-bear.”

She turned and walked away. I followed her out of the graveyard. Neither of us would return.

“That was a lovely speech, Applejack.”

“Thanks. Mah therapy group suggested it. Ah just wanted you to be a witness, since you helped me so much.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Same here. You seem to be healin’, too.”

“My gut’s still pretty sore, and I can’t lift anything heavy for a while, but yeah, I’m getting better. AJ?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you asked me on the train to Manehattan. About whether I have friends outside work? I think I’m ready for that now.”

Applejack smiled at me. “Yeah, we both have bad habits to leave behind. Ah hear that a music festival’s takin’ place in Canterlot soon. Good place to start.”

“Well, I am a Boards of Equestria fan. If they’re playing there, I’ll be in a front-row seat.”

“With a friend?”

I batted my eyes at her, innocently. “Oh, gee, am I supposed to bring somepony with me?”

A mischievous grin accompanied a chuckle. “Yes, yew frickin’ goof-ball!”

“Okay. Would you…”

“Ahem.”

“Maybe Twilight…”

“A-HEM!” She pressed her nose against mine, smirking.

I held up my front hooves in surrender, laughing. “I get it! New buddies only!”

It had been a long time since either of us had laughed about much of anything. It had warmed my heart to see Applejack happy again. There’s only so much grief one can have in one’s life before it turns into white noise. I’d rather have music. And friends.

Two things that my dad never allowed for himself. In a way, he was dead for years before he sacrificed himself. I swore I would never be like him. Again.

Discord was wrong about Equestria’s ponies all being insane, but he was right about one thing. Life is, indeed, for the living.

So we chose to live.

THE END

Author's Note

Latin Lesson #9 Memor (remembering, mindful)
Soundtrack for this chapter: "Before I Leave This World" by Ivan Torrent.

And that's it. This beast is what kept me out of the public eye for so long. A full time job and a lot of personal biz keeps from cranking out my stories as often as I like, but I hope you folks liked this one.

Hopefully the next death-pony story won't take six months to arrive.
Stay Pony, my friends.