The Divide

6

"4th Division?" the griffon officer said aloud, looking at his prisoners . "Vasari, do you recall a '4th Division' fighting here?"

A griffon behind him shook his head in response. "No, sir.

While this was going on, Applejack was far too concerned with escaping out of here. She was struggling with her binds, keeping her arms behind her back.

“ANY PONY! HELP!” her cries for salvation were drowned away by the heavy thundering winds.

She was kicking herself for not grabbing the ballistic vest and putting it on before running out and getting shot right in the abdomen. And now, she was rapidly bleeding out. She placed her right hoof onto her stomach, applying pressure to her wound to keep the blood in whilst continuing forward. But she would soon notice that the blood was dripping off her arm, regardless.

"Ackph-agph-ack!" She had tried fighting herself from coughing for a while now, knowing how much more it would hurt because of the muscle contractions when coughing. Deep down though, she didn't want to face the truth. She looked at the snow in front of her and saw the spray of red substance on it. The pain was too much. Too unbearable to continue on.

Applejack simply sat in place. Sitting on her knees. She waited a while until the pain had seceded even just by a little big. Feeling the pain has gone, she tried to get back on her legs but she just couldn't. It wasn’t the pain or exhaustion that immobilized her. Her pain was gone, but her ability to feel no longer was there. She started to panic at her sudden numbness. Her eyelids began to feel heavy, a burden to keep up.

No, no, no, no! Not now, not now!

Attempting to get her emotions and rational thoughts under control. She tried thinking of the Apple Orchard, her family, and friends. To see them once again. To embrace them in her hooves. If only for one last time.

She would try anything to gather strength to press forward. But it was futile. Her legs were already unresponsive, dead in their tracks. No amount of physical prowess over the years could have her surmount this one last challenge.

Applejack felt tears coming again, despite her efforts to the contrary. Against her better judgement, she let a tear fall. And another. Then another. Soon enough she lowered her head away from what’s in front of her, to where her final resting place will be. Her tears, despite how little they were, gave off some warm but it too quickly disappeared, becoming cold and dead.  She was a mess of sadness, loneliness, and hopelessness. Before she knew it, she found her face planted on the snow. She didn’t even notice her bitter cold on her cheek until she opened her eyes.

She quickly felt himself drifting off to sleep. Permanent sleep. She let out one last breath of air trapped in her lungs. Forcing one last sentence out of her. “Ah’m sorry ah can’t be there, everypony.”