Applejack lay in bed, Applebloom by her side, ready to do the inevitable. She wept constantly, but not in front of her older sister. Big Mac sat down in a chair nearby, head in his hooves. Both wondering how it came to this. Applejack's thoughts retold the story in exact detail.
The sky had a purple-pink glow to it, and the sun had yet to rise, but all of the Apples had risen for the day. Being farm ponies, they were always in bed early and out of bed just the same. Applejack wouldn't be working on the farm today, though. The year after her first defeats at the Canterlot Rodeo Championships, she was prepared and ready for each event. Nothing could get in her way now. Nothing.
She said goodbye to Winona, and set off for the train station with her family. Accompanied by her friends and the Mayor just a bit later, she walked to the platform wearing a smile as wide as a mile. This time, she would prove to everypony that she could win. This was her year. Her year.
Now boarding the train, she turned and waved goodbye to her friends and to her family. Her goodbyes were long and exaggerated, just as everything seemed to be in the magical land of Equestria. The train whistled and was on its way to the big city, Canterlot. Applejack had always wondered how the city was built off of the side of the mountain, but it didn't matter. The altitude difference only meant colder air to her, which meant less sweating, and less heat to deal with.
The train was now approaching the station, and she eyeballed the competition aboard the same train from the bottom of her ten-gallon hat. The same as last year, plus three rookies from Appleloosa, which was new to the competing in the events as of this year. She stood, stretching her legs, and trotted to the exit. A loud screech was heard, and the train's progression slowed to a halt at the royal platform. The competitors stepped off in front of Applejack, who was being courteous as always. She got off and walked right over to the stadium. This was her warm-up. Rather than walk around on the field, she would walk all the way to the playing grounds and stretching would commence once she'd arrived. Her plan set in motion, she continued to follow her ideals into the arena.
Time seemed to fly while she awaited the beginning noise. Plenty of rodeo fans from all across Equestria came to watch their favorites. The Apples didn't have enough profit to come support their favorite little athlete, but AJ knew they were with her in spirit. She moved up to the starting line of the first event, the 200 meter dash.
AJ wore Bobby Orr's number four, (A little insert for us Hockey fans) and stepped up to her starting line. The starting gun went off. Applejack ran like the wind. Her pace was slower at first, and she was in fourteenth of twenty positions for most of the race. However, learning off of Twilight's tactic during the Running of the Leaves, she sprinted forwards at top speed. Zooming from fourteenth to second, she kept increasing pace. With the last 20 meters in front of her, she gave that little piece of effort winners call “110%”. Passing the first place runner by twelve inches, one full foot, she took the blue ribbon in her first event.
That little taste of victory was enough to keep her spirits up all dang day, as she took eight straight blue ribbons. The final event of the day, the hurdles, was up next. The other competitors weren't so confident in their own abilities, considering Applejack had only dropped first prize in two events that day. Her bit total was 900,000, considerably larger than anything she'd ever heard of before.
Now that the twelfth and final event was coming up, she had a chance at becoming the only million-bit rodeo pony in history for a single day of events.
The call was made over the loudspeakers that the event was about to start. Applejack trotted over to lane number four with unprecedented confidence. She licked her lips, and waited for the gun to sound.
After about three seconds, the gun sounded, and the racers began their final event for day one. Applejack decided to go for the gold, and ran right out in front. Hopping hurdles with heroic height, she figured on another 100,000 bits coming her way. She looked to the right, coming around the bend for the fifth hurdle, and nopony was within a ten foot span. She turned forward for the hurdle without looking left. She felt the leg of another racer against her shin, and tripped, falling head-first into the hurdle. She continued to fall, but she never hit the ground. Unconscious, the field medics rushed over to her side, and put her body on a stretcher, and two pegasi flew her to Royal Canterlot Hospital.
She woke up to find herself in a hospital bed, her hat on the table next to her. There was a tube in her throat, gouging into her neck. It made a faint whirring noise. She turned her head to see the doctor, a blue unicorn in a white scrub with a stethoscope around his neck, looking down at his clipboard, filled with notes. He levitated it onto the table with her hat, and sat down in a chair next to her.
“Wh-what happened?”
“You were knocked unconcious.”
“Oh. Am ah okay?”
“Miss Applejack,” he began, “I have some very unfortunate news for you. The fall you took in the rodeo hurdles ruptured your spine, and,..”
“Wha can't ah feel mah legs?” Applejack uncharacteristically interrupted.
“Miss Applejack,”
“DOC! WHAT'S GOIN' ON?!?!”
“Miss, please be calm.” He sighed and took off his glasses, “Miss Applejack, you've become a quadriplegic.”
“What? What's that?”
“A very severe case of paralysis.”
“Wha can't a move?”
“You will be unable to move any part of your body, as is the definitive characteristic of tetraplegia.”
“Can ah walk again?”
“I'm afraid not.”
“Doc, you've got ta be jokin'. Movin' is livin'. If ah can't move, mah farm won't produce enough apples. If ah can't move, ah can't walk, embrace, hug, pick apples, wave, buck, or do much of anythin'.”
“Yes, however, ...” He was abruptly cut off mid sentence.
“There ain't no however here, Doc. To live is tah move. If ah'm gonna be in agony for the rest of mah life, then at least don't make me suffer.”
“I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that. Besides, there's always prosthetics and surgical altering thanks to magic.”
“Doc, how am ah gonna move my arms if'n there ain't no nerves?”
“You make a valid point. Nevertheless, I will most certainly not let you die on us. You have much to live for.”
“Why would yah lie to mah face? Why, Doc? Ah can't help Applebloom with her cutie mark, ah can't dance or race or move, ah can't ever have kids of mah own.”
The doctor returned his glasses into their resting spot on the bridge of his nose via his magic. He looked over at his patient, sighed, and left the room.
The rest of the week was filled with sadness from the entire farm family, especially the extended family, including Spike. Everypony's visits were nothing for Applejack except for a way to say goodbye. Her intention to commit assisted suicide was made known to all of the elements, and to all of the Apples and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Nopony would deny their friend a last request, had it been rational to their view.
The Element of Honesty's only request was to be let go, but this was irrational to all of the others in the Mane 6. Not a single pony was willing to release, or essentially, kill, their friend. There was only one pony Applejack had yet to ask, and she would do it soon.
The Apples had been the last ones in the hospital, as always. Granny Smith had begun to complain about her hip, and so Big Mac decided it was time to leave. Applejack wanted hugs, so her brother and grandmother gave her one each. They stepped out the door, and Applebloom ran over and gave her sister a big hug.
“T'ain't fair!”
“Applebloom,”
“Ah mean, you shouldn't be in here! Why can't ah be here!”
“Applebloom.”
“Yeah?”
“I hate this.”
“Me, too.”
“Help me. Ah know y'all are gonna be just fine without me. Take care of Winona for me.”
“Applejack, you okay?”
“Applebloom, take that plug, and rip it out of the wall.”
“Why?”
“It's mah final request. Take mah hat. Wear it with pride.”
“Applejack...” she began to cry, “Ah...”
“Applebloom, I love y'all. Ah really do. I just, can't take this anymore.”
“Applejack,” she said through streams of warm tears, “Ah'm so sorry.”
Applebloom walked over to the socket in the wall. Looking back at her sister, she frowned, and sobbed more intensely than ever. Her sister gave a reassuring smile, and the crusader took hold of the plug. Applejack looked over to see her sister with the cord in her mouth. Applebloom pulled hard. The wire came flying out, landing at the yellow pony's feet. She looked up.
“Applebloom,” Applejack gasped, “Thank you.” and with that, she laid her head back and ceased to exist.
Applebloom looked at her passed sister through blurred sight, and looked at her smile. There is such a peace in death, such a last little piece of knowledge, that a soul last leaving the body can form a smile which holds for all of eternity. Only those who have died can actually tell us the entire cycle beyond the smile, as only they know it's secrets, and only they have experienced it. But alas, we cannot communicate with them, as they are deceased.
Applebloom grabbed her sister's hat from the table, holding it over her heart for a moment, a full ninety seconds, before putting it on her head and leaving the hospital, holding all of Applejack's bits in a small sack in her mouth. She walked down the road, weeping hidden behind the bottom of the hat that was too large, and sounds muffled by the bag of bits. As she walked back, she began reminiscing of the good times with her sister, and took one look back at the hospital. Her head turned, and her crying discontinued. She had to be strong for her sister. For Applejack.
