Rotten Appleby ChocovichChaptersChapter 1: The NewsChapter 2: Family TiesChapter 3: Recovery?Chapter 4: LossChapter 1: The NewsChapter 1: The News Applejack was waiting patiently inside Doctor Stable's office at Ponyville hospital, waiting for the doctor to come in with her test results. After passing out on the job a few days ago Big Mac pushed Applejack into getting a physical to make sure nothing was wrong, wanting to make sure she was okay, and that she'd be at full capacity in a month when applebuck season began. As time went on Applejack found herself idly clicking her hooves together, waiting patiently for the doctor to arrive, which he luckily did, as she had begun to become impatient. "Hello Ms Apple, how are you feeling today?" Doctor Stable asked as he came into the room, putting her medical folder on the desk nice and neatly. "I'm okay, I was forced to come by Big McIntosh" Applejack said honestly, trying her best to not look at her file, expecting it to say that she was completely okay and just passed out from the heat or something. Unfortunately for her, that's not even close to what was now inside her file. "Now Ms Apple, I hate to tell you this, but the reason you passed out was because you have a tumor growing on your brain" Doctor Stable said in a monotone voice, but it was clear it was hurting him to say it, "We believe it to be caused by your line of work" "What do you mean I got a 'tumor' from my line of work?" Applejack asked, making air quotes around the word tumor. "Do you use and chemicals on the job, or spend most of your day outside?" Doctor stable asked, picking up folder to go over it again, seeing the new sheet that clearly said she had a tumor on her frontal lobe. "Well, yeah, that's what farmers do" Applejack said in somewhat annoyed tone, feeling as if the doctor was asking so he could make fun of her to his colleagues. "Ms Apple, a brain tumor can develop when chemicals are taken into the body, which happens when you use them and then stay outdoors within a two mile radius of the chemicals" Doctor Stable explained, pointing a hoof to a poster on the wall labeled Chemicals and You!, which covered the dangers of using dangerous chemicals on any job. "So what does this mean for me? Can I still work on the farm?" Applejack asked worriedly, now realizing that Big Mac would lose it when he found out about this. "It means you have to come back in every two weeks, and we highly recommend you lay off the farm work, at least until the situation is under hoof" Doctor Stable said as he picked her file back up, "Other than that one thing you're perfectly fine, now just talk to the front desk to make your next appointment in two weeks" "Yes sir, thank you for seeing me" Applejack said as she shook his hoof before he left the room. Applejack felt like breaking down once he shut the door behind himself, but she managed to hold it together long enough to make the appointment and leave, but she quickly snapped once she was outside. Tears freely rolled down her face as she made the trek home, running into Rainbow Dash just outside the farm. "Hey AJ, what's up, where were you today?" Rainbow asked as she brought her napping cloud down to Applejack's level, floating along above her. When Applejack didn't answer Rainbow got worried, so she flew off her cloud and right into Applejack's face, the matted wet fur making Rainbow's eyes widen drastically. "Are you okay A-" Rainbow tried to ask, but Applejack stopped her. "Rainbow, can you get the rest of the girls and bring them to the farm later?" Applejack asked sadly, and Rainbow quickly nodded, flying off without any hesitation to find the rest of their friends. Applejack continued to slowly trot back to the farmhouse, the sound of Big Mac bucking apple trees coming from far away, each hit making Applejack cringe. She knew the news would break him, not only knowing that his sister has something deadly inside her, but he's be physically broken within a few days from having to work all by himself. "Hi sis!" Applebloom said cheerfully as she ran up next to Applejack, having been on her way home from school. Applejack only gave her a slight glance as she continued to trot up the path. Applebloom moved forwards to try and get a look at Applejack's face, but she kept moving it away, which started to annoy her. "Sis, what's wrong?" Applebloom asked impatiently, stomping her hoof down in front of Applejack, "Why are you ignoring me like that?" "I'll tell you later, now go play with your friends!" Applejack snapped, making Applebloom flinch. In all her life she's never had Applejack shout at her like that, and she just couldn't take it. Applebloom ran off without another word, her own tears fighting to run down her face as she did. Applejack cursed under her breath as Applebloom's hoof beats became a distant sound, eventually becoming too quiet to hear. As she made it into the yard of the farm house Applejack heard Big Mac galloping towards her, coming to a slow stop just a little bit away from her. "So, how did it go sis?" Big Mac asked, panting slightly. "Come inside and I'll tell ya when my friends arrive" Applejack said in a depressing tone, making Big Mac worry.It was rare for her to act this way towards anypony, let alone him, and that meant that something really big had happened. He silently followed Applejack into the house, hearing a loud chorus of hoof beats coming from the road, meaning her friends were already almost here. Rainbow was the first one to make it over the horizon, spotting Applejack heading into the farm house from far away, quickly ushering the other mares to pick up the pace. They arrived moments later, all of them except Rainbow were panting, and they all took a seat on either the floor or the couch in the main room. After a few moments of waiting Applejack cleared her throat, and told everypony what had happened, telling them every last detail. "Oh that's a load a' hooey" Granny Smith said with a wave of her hoof, dismissing the entire thing as "doctor mumbo-jumbo", but Twilight was probably the most worried of them all with the news of where the tumor sat. "Have they offered to remove it?" Twilight asked, remembering her anatomy studies from back in Canterlot. "No, they said as long as it doesn't get any bigger then I should be okay" Applejack said sadly, looking at Twilight with tired eyes. Everypony in the room felt the exact same way, some more than others. Big Mac was quietly shaking in his seat as he tried to hold back tears, and Rainbow was no different, she had to leave the room because of how sad she was, even Pinkie's hair had managed to deflate because of the news. "Have they offered any treatment to you?" Rarity asked worriedly. "They said I have to go in every two weeks for something, but they didn't say what" Applejack replied honestly, not being able to recall any information about how they planned to deal with it. At that everypony became very silent, save for some quiet sobs from Rainbow Dash and Big Mac. After a little while everypony left one by one, eventually leaving only Rainbow behind with the Apples. Not knowing what to do Rainbow flew over and gave Applejack a tight hug, seemingly wanting to never let go, and after she did she gave Big Mac a long hug, whispering something into his ear before she left. "I need to go finish today's harvest..." Big Mac said as he slowly got up and made his way outside, leaving Applejack all alone with Granny, who had fallen asleep a while ago. Now all Applejack had to do was tell Applebloom about all this, somehow... Chapter 2: Family TiesChapter 2: Family Ties Applejack was pacing through the house when Applebloom came home, bursting through the front door with her friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. As long as Rarity had managed to keep her mouth shut then none of them knew what was going on, but Applejack still cursed under her breath as the saw the three fillies run past her. She had only wanted to tell Applebloom, not her friends too. While Applejack thought about the consequences of telling all three of them about it at once they bounced into Applebloom's room, eager to find some weird way to finally get their cutie marks. "Did you guys notice how sad everypony looked as we ran past them?" Scootaloo asked, talking about the girls that had left not that long ago after hearing the bad news. "Yeah, I wonder what's bothering them..." Sweetie Belle trailed off as she tapped her chin with her hoof, waiting until an idea came to mind, "What if we tried to make them all happy again?" "Like counselors?" Applebloom asked, raising an eyebrow at Sweetie as she did. Sweetie Belle nodded happily at Applebloom, and when Scootaloo did the same the three of them prepared to make their plans official, just as Applejack walked through the door. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Counselors!" they all shouted, making Applejack cringe as they almost made her deaf too. Scootaloo was the first to notice that Applejack was in the room, and she quickly gave the other two a tap on the shoulder to let them know she was there as well. There was an awkward silence as none of them knew what to say, and instead they all ended up staring at one spot on the floor until Applejack finally spoke up. "Applebloom, I have something important to tell you" Aplpejack said in a quiet voice, making Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo look at each other nervously before they got the hint and left the room. Once they were in the hallway Applejack closed the door and moved to sit on Applebloom's bed, patting the area next to her so Applebloom would be right next to her when she found out. Applebloom quickly hopped up onto the bed next to Applejack and looked up at her, her curiosity getting the best of her as she impatiently waited to hear what was going on. The two fillies that were outside pressed their faces up against the door, just as interested in this as Applebloom was. "Applebloom, do you know how a pony can get really sick sometimes?" Applejack asked, looking down sadly at Applebloom, who nodded at her, "Do you know what the worse sickness is?" "Uh... a broken heart?" Applebloom replied honestly, having been listening to Mrs Cheerilee a bit too much. "No, that's only what Mrs Cheerilee says" Applejack said with a smile before she looked down at her hooves, the big moment having finally arrived, "Applebloom, when I was at the doctor's today, I was told that I have cancer..." Applejack choked on her words, feeling the impact of Applebloom's shocked face, but what made it worse was the sound of the door slamming open as Scootaloo ran towards Applejack, jumping at her so she could hug her. "No no no! Please don't have cancer, please!" Scootaloo begged as she held on tight to Applejack's neck, "Please, why did you have to get it?!" Applejack wasn't surprised that they had been listening in, but Scootaloo's reaction confused her, but only for a little while. Applejack was suddenly reminded of Scootaloo's mother, Firefly, who had come to Ponyville with her and her husband, Tex, after she was diagnosed with wing cancer. Scootaloo was only a few years old when Firefly passed, but she still remembered it, as Applejack could tell by her crying into her chest, silently asking for her to be joking and not be dying. "Are you going to die sis?" Applebloom asked as tears welled up in her eyes, Scootaloo's reaction having made her realize what Applejack meant. "I don't know Applebloom, I don't know..." Applejack said, soon being rushed by Applebloom as she started to cry, wanting nothing more than to latch onto her sister and never let go. Applejack looked towards the doorway just in time to see Sweetie Belle jump at her as well, grabbing onto her other side, crying just as hard as Applebloom and Scootaloo were. None of them wanted her to go, and because Scootaloo knew how dangerous it was they were all afraid that if they let go Applejack would just disappear forever. After what seemed like hours the fillies let go, allowing Applejack the chance to get up and leave them to do whatever they wanted. Applejack stayed outside the room for a few minutes after shutting the door, hoping they would return to playing around, but they never did. "What's going on sis?" Big Mac asked from behind Applejack, causing her to tense up. "N-nothing" Applejack suttered, having been startled by Big Mac's sudden appearance, "I just told Applebloom about it..." "How did she take it?" Big Mac asked as he glanced worriedly at Applebloom's door, the silence coming from it was deafening. "She cried, a lot, and didn't want to let me go, same with her friends" Applejack said, feeling her own tears starting to well up her eyes. Big Mac let out a quiet sigh before moving forwards to hug Applejack, breaking down the dam in the process, her tears now flowing freely down her face and onto his shoulder. The two of them stayed like that until her face and his shoulder were completely soaked, breaking apart only so Applejack could go help Granny make dinner while Big Mac talked to Applebloom and her friends about what happened. As Applejack prepared some apples for Granny's apple stew she saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle leave, being escorted by Big Mac, but that didn't stop them from giving Applejack looks that could break anypony's heart. They seemed like their world was completely crushed, Scootaloo probably having told them everything she knew about cancer. Applebloom came down the stairs behind them and waved goodbye before taking a seat on the couch, just staring at the floor until Granny called her for dinner an hour later. Once they had all eaten their dinner Applebloom ran off to her room, silently shutting her door before she shoved her face into her pillows so she could cry, her muffled sobs being just loud enough to be heard in the hallfway, making Applejack's heart break even more than it already had. Before going to bed herself Applejack turned to Applebloom's room. "I'm sorry..." Chapter 3: Recovery?Chapter 3: Recovery? Applejack woke up the next day with her fur sticking slightly to her pillow as she lifted her head off of it. She smiled sadly as she pulled the pillow off her face, remembering the last time she cried herself to sleep. It was right after Applebloom was born, and their mother passed. Her father had been helping to build the dam, and her mother went into labor. The news shocked him so much that he slipped into the river and drowned. In a sort of sad irony the news of his death caused her mother to become comatose during Applebloom's birth, which lasted long enough to cause her to pass away in her sleep. Granny had come home with Applebloom and told Big Mac everything, but Applejack had been spying on them at the time, and spent the rest of the day crying in her room. "Applejack. breakfast!" Big Mac shouted from the bottom of the stairs, snapping Applejack back to the present. When she went to get off her bed she felt a tear run down her face. Even eight years after her parents death she still managed to cry about it, despite constantly reminding herself that crying never solved anything. Wiping away her tears, Applejack left her room, running into Applebloom in the hallway. "Sis" Applebloom said sadly, her eyes shooting to the floor as she started walking beside Applejack. She kept looking down before running towards the table, where a breakfast of apple cinnamon oatmeal waited for her and Applejack. Without any hesitation she chomped down on her oatmeal, eating it happily before running back upstairs to grab her things for school. Applejack watched sadly as she came back downstairs, gave Big Mac and Granny hugs, and then left the house so she could meet up with the other Crusaders before school. Big Mac noticed Applejack sadly looking at Applebloom through the front window as she ran down the path off the farm. "Something bothering you sis?" Big Mac asked as he walked up next to her, putting a hoof onto her shoulder. "I don't know, it's just that..." Applejack trailed off as she looked back out the window, "It seems like Applebloom is trying to avoid me now" "I noticed, but she's young remember?" Big Mac said as he moved his face towards her face, "The news probably has her shaken up" "Yeah, I guess..." Applejack said slowly as she started to make her way towards her breakfast, noticing a note on the fridge with her name on it. Doctor's appointment for Applejack, Thursday at 2:30 PM. Applejack sighed as she looked at it, seeing it as just another reminder of her current situation. She decided to push it out of her mind for the meanwhile as she ate her oatmeal, the usual sweet taste being soured by the note on the fridge, which was sitting just on the edge of Applejack's peripheral vision. "Doctor Stable is waiting in his office" Nurse Redheart said as Applejack came into the hospital as she filed her hooves. Applejack nodded and headed down the hallway, stopping at the door to Doctor Stable's office, somewhat afraid of what he had planned for her. He had mentioned that today would be the beginning of her treatment, but other than that she had no idea what was going to happen to her. As she debated whether or not to go into the room the door opened, with Doctor Stable standing on the other side. "Redheart said you were here" he said as he beckoned Applejack into his office, motioning for her to sit down on the other side of his desk. Applejack looked around nervously as she entered the room, the inside of it being entirely foreign to her. On the walls hang commendations from schools across Equestria, along with a picture of him and many of his colleagues standing next to Celestia. Her nerves calmed down about seeing how decorated he was, but only a little. "Now Applejack, today we're going to start the chemotherapy to see if we can get rid of the cancer" Doctor Stable said as he sat down in his chair, spinning it around so he could look at Applejack as he spoke, "This kind of treatment can have some side effects though" "Chemo what?" Applejack asked, never having heard the word before. Doctor Stable smiled before telling her about it, having to admittedly dumb it down so it would make sense. "Basically we're going to see if we can't kill the cancer's infection by hitting you with a special kind of magic" Doctor Stable said as somepony knocked on the door, startling Applejack, "Come in!" Applejack turned around to see white Unicorn with a black mane come in, the only color on his body being his cutie mark, which appeared to be a rainbow of sorts. "Afternoon" the pony said as he smiled at Applejack, moving to stand next to Doctor Stable. Sensing Applejack's confusion Doctor Stable decided to introduce the pony that had just walked in. "Applejack, this is Spectrum, he will be administering the treatment" Doctor Stable said while motioning to the pony next to him, who waved as his name was mentioned, "He is a trained professional, so there's nothing to worry about" Applejack relaxed a little bit, but when both Doctor Stable and Spectrum started walking towards her she started to panic, but relaxed again as soon as they were past her. "Come now, we should get this over with as fast as possible, I'm sure you're a busy mare" Doctor Stable said with a laugh as he exited the room with the other two ponies following after him. After a small bit of walking they arrived at two doors, one leading to a well lit room with some tables, the other led to a room that was completely empty. Applejack was told to go stand in the empty room while Doctor Stable and Spectrum moved to the other. "Applejack, you may want to take your hat off for now" Doctor Stable advised through a speaker in the room. Listening to his advice Applejack took off her hat and placed it near the door, returning to the middle of the room as she waited to get another direction from the speaker. "Ok, now this may tickle a little bit" Spectrum said through the speaker as something white poked through the wall, which Applejack assumed to be his horn. After a few seconds the tip of his horn turned white, and a strange sensation passed over Applejack's body, making her giggle because, as Spectrum had said, it tickled a little bit. When the door to the room opened Doctor Stable came in, with Spectrum not far behind. "Ok, we're done for today, but you do have to come back next week for another session" Doctor Stable said, quickly writing Applejack a note using the notepad he had in his lab coat, "Thank you for being so cooperative today" "No problem Doctor, I'll see you next week" Applejack said as she took the note and her hat as she left the room, not noticing as a few hairs fell out of her mane and tail. As far as Applejack knew she was in good hooves, and the side effects didn't seem to be affecting her at all. Now all she had to do was keep coming here every week and she'll be good in no time at all, or so she thought. Chapter 4: LossChapter 4: Loss Applejack woke up early in the morning to find a suspicious amount of blond hair in her bed, but she ignored it, not even checking to see where it had come from. When she got down the kitchen table she found a bowl of cereal with a note next to it, which was addressed to her. "Applejack, me and Applebloom had to run to the school house early for an interview with Cheerilee" Applejack read out loud, "Signed, Big Mac" Applejack grunted and put the note down on the table, deciding to eat her breakfast rather than try and find out if Big Mac was telling the truth. She ate her cereal quickly and then looked around for Granny, but was unable to find her anywhere in the house. "Granny's gone too?" Applejack asked out loud angrily, not liking it when she is left out of the loop. After giving the house one more look Applejack decided that she was going to go find Rainbow so she could have someone to talk to. Once she had her hat, which, like her bed, had blond hairs stuck to the inside of it. Shrugging it off again Applejack decided it would be a good idea to keep her hat on for as long as she could, not wanting to have anypony else notice the blond hairs. A few minutes after leaving the house Applejack ran into Big Mac, who had just finished his meeting with Cheerilee. "Hey sis" Big Mac said as he trotted up to her, stopping when he noticed how for down her hat was sitting, "Is there something wrong with your hat?" "No, why?" Applejack asked back, not noticing anything strange about her hat for the last few minutes she's been wearing it. She took the hat off for a moment, trusting that her brother wouldn't say anything if there was something weird about it, and unfortunately for her, she was right. After looking at the hat in confusion for a few seconds she put it back on, not noticing her brothers worried look as she happily trotted down the path, his silence having given her the idea that nothing was wrong. "Hey Applejack!" Rainbow shouted as she came flying down to the path, cutting Applejack's search very short, "What's with the new look?" "New look?" Applejack asked confusedly, giving Rainbow and equally confused look, "Are you sure you're talkin' to me?" "Yeah, because you're the only pony here, for one" Rainbow said as she went to remove Applejack's hat, "and two..." Rainbow dropped the stetson as she looked at Applejack's head, her eyes completely fixed on a particular portion of Applejack's head. "What's wrong with you, you look like you've seen a timberwolf" Applejack said as she moved her head, watching as Rainbow's head and eyes moved with her. Finding it somewhat amusing Applejack moved her head around quickly, causing Rainbow to get dizzy. "Hey! That wasn't very nice" Rainbow complained as she shook her head from side to side so she could see straight again. "Well you were the one staring at my head" Applejack said stubbornly, the mention of her head making Rainbow look again. After a few seconds of looking Rainbow bolted away, heading towards her house, which was currently floating over the farm due to the wind. Before Applejack could start moving again Rainbow returned with a hoofheld mirror, passing it to Applejack. "What am I going to do with this?" Applejack asked flatly, giving Rainbow a strange look. "Look at your head with it" Rainbow said, rolling her eyes as if Applejack was supposed to have already known. Applejack let out a loud sigh as she went to hold the mirror up, freezing as her eyes locked onto the same spot Rainbow's had been. "Bald" Applejack muttered, her eyes growing wide as she continued to stare at the spot on her head, "How can I be going bald?" The shock of seeing the large bald spot on her head made her lift a hoof up to feel it, with it becoming a hard truth as soon as her hoof touched the area. Rather than her normally smooth mane she felt only her coat, which in itself was rather thin. "Didn't you say you were in for some treatment or something?" Rainbow asked, remembering something Rarity had told her about the kind of treatment Applejack was having, "I think it can cause hair loss from the mane and tail" "Tail?!" Applejack shouted as she spun around to look at her tail, noticing it's unusual shortness. When she looked back forwards she had a look that was a mixture of pain and shock on her face, making Rainbow worry. "Are you okay Applejack?" Rainbow asked as she landed on the path next to Applejack, draping a hoof across her shoulders. "Okay?" Applejack asked quickly, turning to look at Rainbow with worried eyes, "Do I look like I'm okay?!" "N-no..." Rainbow stuttered, being caught off guard, and slightly scared, of Applejack's reaction. "Exactly!" Applejack cried, "How am I going to be okay with no mane or tail?! I'll become a freak!" "You know that won't hap-" Rainbow tried to say, but was cut off by Applejack's hoof. "I'll have nothing but my coat!" Applejack screamed as she pushed Rainbow back, the two of the eventually hitting a tree, "Now everypony is going to laugh at me!" "I-I don't-" "I'M GOING TO BECOME A LAUGHING STOCK!" Applejack cried, tears of anger and sadness now running down her face, her strength eventually fading, allowing Rainbow to get off the tree. Rainbow gave Applejack a sad look before flying off, knowing better than to try and calm a pony down when they were acting like this. After a little while Applejack headed back up the house, remembering to grab her hat before she left, and for the rest of the day she stayed in her room, not wanting anypony else to see her like this. "Why did this have to happen to me?" Applejack sobbed as she looked out her window at the setting sun, it's orange and yellow rays shining over the farm until it went below the horizon, making Applejack cry more.
Chapter 1: The NewsChapter 1: The News Applejack was waiting patiently inside Doctor Stable's office at Ponyville hospital, waiting for the doctor to come in with her test results. After passing out on the job a few days ago Big Mac pushed Applejack into getting a physical to make sure nothing was wrong, wanting to make sure she was okay, and that she'd be at full capacity in a month when applebuck season began. As time went on Applejack found herself idly clicking her hooves together, waiting patiently for the doctor to arrive, which he luckily did, as she had begun to become impatient. "Hello Ms Apple, how are you feeling today?" Doctor Stable asked as he came into the room, putting her medical folder on the desk nice and neatly. "I'm okay, I was forced to come by Big McIntosh" Applejack said honestly, trying her best to not look at her file, expecting it to say that she was completely okay and just passed out from the heat or something. Unfortunately for her, that's not even close to what was now inside her file. "Now Ms Apple, I hate to tell you this, but the reason you passed out was because you have a tumor growing on your brain" Doctor Stable said in a monotone voice, but it was clear it was hurting him to say it, "We believe it to be caused by your line of work" "What do you mean I got a 'tumor' from my line of work?" Applejack asked, making air quotes around the word tumor. "Do you use and chemicals on the job, or spend most of your day outside?" Doctor stable asked, picking up folder to go over it again, seeing the new sheet that clearly said she had a tumor on her frontal lobe. "Well, yeah, that's what farmers do" Applejack said in somewhat annoyed tone, feeling as if the doctor was asking so he could make fun of her to his colleagues. "Ms Apple, a brain tumor can develop when chemicals are taken into the body, which happens when you use them and then stay outdoors within a two mile radius of the chemicals" Doctor Stable explained, pointing a hoof to a poster on the wall labeled Chemicals and You!, which covered the dangers of using dangerous chemicals on any job. "So what does this mean for me? Can I still work on the farm?" Applejack asked worriedly, now realizing that Big Mac would lose it when he found out about this. "It means you have to come back in every two weeks, and we highly recommend you lay off the farm work, at least until the situation is under hoof" Doctor Stable said as he picked her file back up, "Other than that one thing you're perfectly fine, now just talk to the front desk to make your next appointment in two weeks" "Yes sir, thank you for seeing me" Applejack said as she shook his hoof before he left the room. Applejack felt like breaking down once he shut the door behind himself, but she managed to hold it together long enough to make the appointment and leave, but she quickly snapped once she was outside. Tears freely rolled down her face as she made the trek home, running into Rainbow Dash just outside the farm. "Hey AJ, what's up, where were you today?" Rainbow asked as she brought her napping cloud down to Applejack's level, floating along above her. When Applejack didn't answer Rainbow got worried, so she flew off her cloud and right into Applejack's face, the matted wet fur making Rainbow's eyes widen drastically. "Are you okay A-" Rainbow tried to ask, but Applejack stopped her. "Rainbow, can you get the rest of the girls and bring them to the farm later?" Applejack asked sadly, and Rainbow quickly nodded, flying off without any hesitation to find the rest of their friends. Applejack continued to slowly trot back to the farmhouse, the sound of Big Mac bucking apple trees coming from far away, each hit making Applejack cringe. She knew the news would break him, not only knowing that his sister has something deadly inside her, but he's be physically broken within a few days from having to work all by himself. "Hi sis!" Applebloom said cheerfully as she ran up next to Applejack, having been on her way home from school. Applejack only gave her a slight glance as she continued to trot up the path. Applebloom moved forwards to try and get a look at Applejack's face, but she kept moving it away, which started to annoy her. "Sis, what's wrong?" Applebloom asked impatiently, stomping her hoof down in front of Applejack, "Why are you ignoring me like that?" "I'll tell you later, now go play with your friends!" Applejack snapped, making Applebloom flinch. In all her life she's never had Applejack shout at her like that, and she just couldn't take it. Applebloom ran off without another word, her own tears fighting to run down her face as she did. Applejack cursed under her breath as Applebloom's hoof beats became a distant sound, eventually becoming too quiet to hear. As she made it into the yard of the farm house Applejack heard Big Mac galloping towards her, coming to a slow stop just a little bit away from her. "So, how did it go sis?" Big Mac asked, panting slightly. "Come inside and I'll tell ya when my friends arrive" Applejack said in a depressing tone, making Big Mac worry.It was rare for her to act this way towards anypony, let alone him, and that meant that something really big had happened. He silently followed Applejack into the house, hearing a loud chorus of hoof beats coming from the road, meaning her friends were already almost here. Rainbow was the first one to make it over the horizon, spotting Applejack heading into the farm house from far away, quickly ushering the other mares to pick up the pace. They arrived moments later, all of them except Rainbow were panting, and they all took a seat on either the floor or the couch in the main room. After a few moments of waiting Applejack cleared her throat, and told everypony what had happened, telling them every last detail. "Oh that's a load a' hooey" Granny Smith said with a wave of her hoof, dismissing the entire thing as "doctor mumbo-jumbo", but Twilight was probably the most worried of them all with the news of where the tumor sat. "Have they offered to remove it?" Twilight asked, remembering her anatomy studies from back in Canterlot. "No, they said as long as it doesn't get any bigger then I should be okay" Applejack said sadly, looking at Twilight with tired eyes. Everypony in the room felt the exact same way, some more than others. Big Mac was quietly shaking in his seat as he tried to hold back tears, and Rainbow was no different, she had to leave the room because of how sad she was, even Pinkie's hair had managed to deflate because of the news. "Have they offered any treatment to you?" Rarity asked worriedly. "They said I have to go in every two weeks for something, but they didn't say what" Applejack replied honestly, not being able to recall any information about how they planned to deal with it. At that everypony became very silent, save for some quiet sobs from Rainbow Dash and Big Mac. After a little while everypony left one by one, eventually leaving only Rainbow behind with the Apples. Not knowing what to do Rainbow flew over and gave Applejack a tight hug, seemingly wanting to never let go, and after she did she gave Big Mac a long hug, whispering something into his ear before she left. "I need to go finish today's harvest..." Big Mac said as he slowly got up and made his way outside, leaving Applejack all alone with Granny, who had fallen asleep a while ago. Now all Applejack had to do was tell Applebloom about all this, somehow...
Chapter 2: Family TiesChapter 2: Family Ties Applejack was pacing through the house when Applebloom came home, bursting through the front door with her friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. As long as Rarity had managed to keep her mouth shut then none of them knew what was going on, but Applejack still cursed under her breath as the saw the three fillies run past her. She had only wanted to tell Applebloom, not her friends too. While Applejack thought about the consequences of telling all three of them about it at once they bounced into Applebloom's room, eager to find some weird way to finally get their cutie marks. "Did you guys notice how sad everypony looked as we ran past them?" Scootaloo asked, talking about the girls that had left not that long ago after hearing the bad news. "Yeah, I wonder what's bothering them..." Sweetie Belle trailed off as she tapped her chin with her hoof, waiting until an idea came to mind, "What if we tried to make them all happy again?" "Like counselors?" Applebloom asked, raising an eyebrow at Sweetie as she did. Sweetie Belle nodded happily at Applebloom, and when Scootaloo did the same the three of them prepared to make their plans official, just as Applejack walked through the door. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Counselors!" they all shouted, making Applejack cringe as they almost made her deaf too. Scootaloo was the first to notice that Applejack was in the room, and she quickly gave the other two a tap on the shoulder to let them know she was there as well. There was an awkward silence as none of them knew what to say, and instead they all ended up staring at one spot on the floor until Applejack finally spoke up. "Applebloom, I have something important to tell you" Aplpejack said in a quiet voice, making Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo look at each other nervously before they got the hint and left the room. Once they were in the hallway Applejack closed the door and moved to sit on Applebloom's bed, patting the area next to her so Applebloom would be right next to her when she found out. Applebloom quickly hopped up onto the bed next to Applejack and looked up at her, her curiosity getting the best of her as she impatiently waited to hear what was going on. The two fillies that were outside pressed their faces up against the door, just as interested in this as Applebloom was. "Applebloom, do you know how a pony can get really sick sometimes?" Applejack asked, looking down sadly at Applebloom, who nodded at her, "Do you know what the worse sickness is?" "Uh... a broken heart?" Applebloom replied honestly, having been listening to Mrs Cheerilee a bit too much. "No, that's only what Mrs Cheerilee says" Applejack said with a smile before she looked down at her hooves, the big moment having finally arrived, "Applebloom, when I was at the doctor's today, I was told that I have cancer..." Applejack choked on her words, feeling the impact of Applebloom's shocked face, but what made it worse was the sound of the door slamming open as Scootaloo ran towards Applejack, jumping at her so she could hug her. "No no no! Please don't have cancer, please!" Scootaloo begged as she held on tight to Applejack's neck, "Please, why did you have to get it?!" Applejack wasn't surprised that they had been listening in, but Scootaloo's reaction confused her, but only for a little while. Applejack was suddenly reminded of Scootaloo's mother, Firefly, who had come to Ponyville with her and her husband, Tex, after she was diagnosed with wing cancer. Scootaloo was only a few years old when Firefly passed, but she still remembered it, as Applejack could tell by her crying into her chest, silently asking for her to be joking and not be dying. "Are you going to die sis?" Applebloom asked as tears welled up in her eyes, Scootaloo's reaction having made her realize what Applejack meant. "I don't know Applebloom, I don't know..." Applejack said, soon being rushed by Applebloom as she started to cry, wanting nothing more than to latch onto her sister and never let go. Applejack looked towards the doorway just in time to see Sweetie Belle jump at her as well, grabbing onto her other side, crying just as hard as Applebloom and Scootaloo were. None of them wanted her to go, and because Scootaloo knew how dangerous it was they were all afraid that if they let go Applejack would just disappear forever. After what seemed like hours the fillies let go, allowing Applejack the chance to get up and leave them to do whatever they wanted. Applejack stayed outside the room for a few minutes after shutting the door, hoping they would return to playing around, but they never did. "What's going on sis?" Big Mac asked from behind Applejack, causing her to tense up. "N-nothing" Applejack suttered, having been startled by Big Mac's sudden appearance, "I just told Applebloom about it..." "How did she take it?" Big Mac asked as he glanced worriedly at Applebloom's door, the silence coming from it was deafening. "She cried, a lot, and didn't want to let me go, same with her friends" Applejack said, feeling her own tears starting to well up her eyes. Big Mac let out a quiet sigh before moving forwards to hug Applejack, breaking down the dam in the process, her tears now flowing freely down her face and onto his shoulder. The two of them stayed like that until her face and his shoulder were completely soaked, breaking apart only so Applejack could go help Granny make dinner while Big Mac talked to Applebloom and her friends about what happened. As Applejack prepared some apples for Granny's apple stew she saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle leave, being escorted by Big Mac, but that didn't stop them from giving Applejack looks that could break anypony's heart. They seemed like their world was completely crushed, Scootaloo probably having told them everything she knew about cancer. Applebloom came down the stairs behind them and waved goodbye before taking a seat on the couch, just staring at the floor until Granny called her for dinner an hour later. Once they had all eaten their dinner Applebloom ran off to her room, silently shutting her door before she shoved her face into her pillows so she could cry, her muffled sobs being just loud enough to be heard in the hallfway, making Applejack's heart break even more than it already had. Before going to bed herself Applejack turned to Applebloom's room. "I'm sorry..."
Chapter 3: Recovery?Chapter 3: Recovery? Applejack woke up the next day with her fur sticking slightly to her pillow as she lifted her head off of it. She smiled sadly as she pulled the pillow off her face, remembering the last time she cried herself to sleep. It was right after Applebloom was born, and their mother passed. Her father had been helping to build the dam, and her mother went into labor. The news shocked him so much that he slipped into the river and drowned. In a sort of sad irony the news of his death caused her mother to become comatose during Applebloom's birth, which lasted long enough to cause her to pass away in her sleep. Granny had come home with Applebloom and told Big Mac everything, but Applejack had been spying on them at the time, and spent the rest of the day crying in her room. "Applejack. breakfast!" Big Mac shouted from the bottom of the stairs, snapping Applejack back to the present. When she went to get off her bed she felt a tear run down her face. Even eight years after her parents death she still managed to cry about it, despite constantly reminding herself that crying never solved anything. Wiping away her tears, Applejack left her room, running into Applebloom in the hallway. "Sis" Applebloom said sadly, her eyes shooting to the floor as she started walking beside Applejack. She kept looking down before running towards the table, where a breakfast of apple cinnamon oatmeal waited for her and Applejack. Without any hesitation she chomped down on her oatmeal, eating it happily before running back upstairs to grab her things for school. Applejack watched sadly as she came back downstairs, gave Big Mac and Granny hugs, and then left the house so she could meet up with the other Crusaders before school. Big Mac noticed Applejack sadly looking at Applebloom through the front window as she ran down the path off the farm. "Something bothering you sis?" Big Mac asked as he walked up next to her, putting a hoof onto her shoulder. "I don't know, it's just that..." Applejack trailed off as she looked back out the window, "It seems like Applebloom is trying to avoid me now" "I noticed, but she's young remember?" Big Mac said as he moved his face towards her face, "The news probably has her shaken up" "Yeah, I guess..." Applejack said slowly as she started to make her way towards her breakfast, noticing a note on the fridge with her name on it. Doctor's appointment for Applejack, Thursday at 2:30 PM. Applejack sighed as she looked at it, seeing it as just another reminder of her current situation. She decided to push it out of her mind for the meanwhile as she ate her oatmeal, the usual sweet taste being soured by the note on the fridge, which was sitting just on the edge of Applejack's peripheral vision. "Doctor Stable is waiting in his office" Nurse Redheart said as Applejack came into the hospital as she filed her hooves. Applejack nodded and headed down the hallway, stopping at the door to Doctor Stable's office, somewhat afraid of what he had planned for her. He had mentioned that today would be the beginning of her treatment, but other than that she had no idea what was going to happen to her. As she debated whether or not to go into the room the door opened, with Doctor Stable standing on the other side. "Redheart said you were here" he said as he beckoned Applejack into his office, motioning for her to sit down on the other side of his desk. Applejack looked around nervously as she entered the room, the inside of it being entirely foreign to her. On the walls hang commendations from schools across Equestria, along with a picture of him and many of his colleagues standing next to Celestia. Her nerves calmed down about seeing how decorated he was, but only a little. "Now Applejack, today we're going to start the chemotherapy to see if we can get rid of the cancer" Doctor Stable said as he sat down in his chair, spinning it around so he could look at Applejack as he spoke, "This kind of treatment can have some side effects though" "Chemo what?" Applejack asked, never having heard the word before. Doctor Stable smiled before telling her about it, having to admittedly dumb it down so it would make sense. "Basically we're going to see if we can't kill the cancer's infection by hitting you with a special kind of magic" Doctor Stable said as somepony knocked on the door, startling Applejack, "Come in!" Applejack turned around to see white Unicorn with a black mane come in, the only color on his body being his cutie mark, which appeared to be a rainbow of sorts. "Afternoon" the pony said as he smiled at Applejack, moving to stand next to Doctor Stable. Sensing Applejack's confusion Doctor Stable decided to introduce the pony that had just walked in. "Applejack, this is Spectrum, he will be administering the treatment" Doctor Stable said while motioning to the pony next to him, who waved as his name was mentioned, "He is a trained professional, so there's nothing to worry about" Applejack relaxed a little bit, but when both Doctor Stable and Spectrum started walking towards her she started to panic, but relaxed again as soon as they were past her. "Come now, we should get this over with as fast as possible, I'm sure you're a busy mare" Doctor Stable said with a laugh as he exited the room with the other two ponies following after him. After a small bit of walking they arrived at two doors, one leading to a well lit room with some tables, the other led to a room that was completely empty. Applejack was told to go stand in the empty room while Doctor Stable and Spectrum moved to the other. "Applejack, you may want to take your hat off for now" Doctor Stable advised through a speaker in the room. Listening to his advice Applejack took off her hat and placed it near the door, returning to the middle of the room as she waited to get another direction from the speaker. "Ok, now this may tickle a little bit" Spectrum said through the speaker as something white poked through the wall, which Applejack assumed to be his horn. After a few seconds the tip of his horn turned white, and a strange sensation passed over Applejack's body, making her giggle because, as Spectrum had said, it tickled a little bit. When the door to the room opened Doctor Stable came in, with Spectrum not far behind. "Ok, we're done for today, but you do have to come back next week for another session" Doctor Stable said, quickly writing Applejack a note using the notepad he had in his lab coat, "Thank you for being so cooperative today" "No problem Doctor, I'll see you next week" Applejack said as she took the note and her hat as she left the room, not noticing as a few hairs fell out of her mane and tail. As far as Applejack knew she was in good hooves, and the side effects didn't seem to be affecting her at all. Now all she had to do was keep coming here every week and she'll be good in no time at all, or so she thought.
Chapter 4: LossChapter 4: Loss Applejack woke up early in the morning to find a suspicious amount of blond hair in her bed, but she ignored it, not even checking to see where it had come from. When she got down the kitchen table she found a bowl of cereal with a note next to it, which was addressed to her. "Applejack, me and Applebloom had to run to the school house early for an interview with Cheerilee" Applejack read out loud, "Signed, Big Mac" Applejack grunted and put the note down on the table, deciding to eat her breakfast rather than try and find out if Big Mac was telling the truth. She ate her cereal quickly and then looked around for Granny, but was unable to find her anywhere in the house. "Granny's gone too?" Applejack asked out loud angrily, not liking it when she is left out of the loop. After giving the house one more look Applejack decided that she was going to go find Rainbow so she could have someone to talk to. Once she had her hat, which, like her bed, had blond hairs stuck to the inside of it. Shrugging it off again Applejack decided it would be a good idea to keep her hat on for as long as she could, not wanting to have anypony else notice the blond hairs. A few minutes after leaving the house Applejack ran into Big Mac, who had just finished his meeting with Cheerilee. "Hey sis" Big Mac said as he trotted up to her, stopping when he noticed how for down her hat was sitting, "Is there something wrong with your hat?" "No, why?" Applejack asked back, not noticing anything strange about her hat for the last few minutes she's been wearing it. She took the hat off for a moment, trusting that her brother wouldn't say anything if there was something weird about it, and unfortunately for her, she was right. After looking at the hat in confusion for a few seconds she put it back on, not noticing her brothers worried look as she happily trotted down the path, his silence having given her the idea that nothing was wrong. "Hey Applejack!" Rainbow shouted as she came flying down to the path, cutting Applejack's search very short, "What's with the new look?" "New look?" Applejack asked confusedly, giving Rainbow and equally confused look, "Are you sure you're talkin' to me?" "Yeah, because you're the only pony here, for one" Rainbow said as she went to remove Applejack's hat, "and two..." Rainbow dropped the stetson as she looked at Applejack's head, her eyes completely fixed on a particular portion of Applejack's head. "What's wrong with you, you look like you've seen a timberwolf" Applejack said as she moved her head, watching as Rainbow's head and eyes moved with her. Finding it somewhat amusing Applejack moved her head around quickly, causing Rainbow to get dizzy. "Hey! That wasn't very nice" Rainbow complained as she shook her head from side to side so she could see straight again. "Well you were the one staring at my head" Applejack said stubbornly, the mention of her head making Rainbow look again. After a few seconds of looking Rainbow bolted away, heading towards her house, which was currently floating over the farm due to the wind. Before Applejack could start moving again Rainbow returned with a hoofheld mirror, passing it to Applejack. "What am I going to do with this?" Applejack asked flatly, giving Rainbow a strange look. "Look at your head with it" Rainbow said, rolling her eyes as if Applejack was supposed to have already known. Applejack let out a loud sigh as she went to hold the mirror up, freezing as her eyes locked onto the same spot Rainbow's had been. "Bald" Applejack muttered, her eyes growing wide as she continued to stare at the spot on her head, "How can I be going bald?" The shock of seeing the large bald spot on her head made her lift a hoof up to feel it, with it becoming a hard truth as soon as her hoof touched the area. Rather than her normally smooth mane she felt only her coat, which in itself was rather thin. "Didn't you say you were in for some treatment or something?" Rainbow asked, remembering something Rarity had told her about the kind of treatment Applejack was having, "I think it can cause hair loss from the mane and tail" "Tail?!" Applejack shouted as she spun around to look at her tail, noticing it's unusual shortness. When she looked back forwards she had a look that was a mixture of pain and shock on her face, making Rainbow worry. "Are you okay Applejack?" Rainbow asked as she landed on the path next to Applejack, draping a hoof across her shoulders. "Okay?" Applejack asked quickly, turning to look at Rainbow with worried eyes, "Do I look like I'm okay?!" "N-no..." Rainbow stuttered, being caught off guard, and slightly scared, of Applejack's reaction. "Exactly!" Applejack cried, "How am I going to be okay with no mane or tail?! I'll become a freak!" "You know that won't hap-" Rainbow tried to say, but was cut off by Applejack's hoof. "I'll have nothing but my coat!" Applejack screamed as she pushed Rainbow back, the two of the eventually hitting a tree, "Now everypony is going to laugh at me!" "I-I don't-" "I'M GOING TO BECOME A LAUGHING STOCK!" Applejack cried, tears of anger and sadness now running down her face, her strength eventually fading, allowing Rainbow to get off the tree. Rainbow gave Applejack a sad look before flying off, knowing better than to try and calm a pony down when they were acting like this. After a little while Applejack headed back up the house, remembering to grab her hat before she left, and for the rest of the day she stayed in her room, not wanting anypony else to see her like this. "Why did this have to happen to me?" Applejack sobbed as she looked out her window at the setting sun, it's orange and yellow rays shining over the farm until it went below the horizon, making Applejack cry more.
