Rotten Apple

Chapter 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.