In the nice cozy warm cottage at Sweet Apple Acres, the apple family are enjoying their Heart's Warming Eve. Big Mac's eyes gleam as he opens his pile of presents. Granny Smith wraps a bib for the filly Applebloom; Applejack looks at her gifts, and goes after the biggest box. Excitement flowing in her,she tears the wrapping apart from the box. inside she finds a most adorable sight, she looks into its eyes. Its coat is brown, and the paws are colored white; filled with energy, the dog happily jumps inside it's box . Applejack gasped, she felt joy flowing through her. Granny knew exactly what she wanted, this new born was the cutest pet Applejack ever saw; the orange colored mare forgot about all her other presents and trotted off with her new best friend.
Applejack played day and night with the precious canine, the dog would stick by her as if her pooch was her second right hoof, soon enough it started to help complete her chores. Applejack stopped backing the fields one day and stared at the dog.
" You need a name little fella. I'm not good at this, but since your are part of the family ah got to give you something. hey y'all out to be named as my great aunt apple Winona. Yeah ah should call you Winona." Applejack picked her up and started to stroke it's fur. Applejack soon forgot her chores and spent the rest that evening embracing her dog cherishing every moment.
As the days gone by Applejack lost more interest with Winona, Applejack was tired from working the farm and she did not have the desire to play catch with her dog. Soon enough Applejack stopped taking Winona to work, Applebloom was old enough to help out in the fields, leaving Winona stuck her in a kennel whenever she left. The pony play day seized after some years; Applejack was just too busy to look after Winona. The dog howled and whined for Applejack when she left her in the cage, but AJ never listened to the dog's cries, she even ignored to feed her on a day to day basis. Applejack grew less attached to Winona until she did not want to see her anymore;The dog was becoming a hassle, Applejack started hating her for being what it is.
"Stupid dog, why do y'all have to be so simple." She was getting tired of picking up after her. Eventually she left Winona outside, Where Applejack would not be bothered anymore. The mare even forgets to feed her from to time to time, whenever Winona cries or pouts Applejack just shouts and hushes the poor pup. One night Applejack could not stand the cries of Winona anymore, so the mare throw the pup outside. She know that the weather was cold and wet, but Applejack did not care. AJ left Winona out for a long time, and when it occurred to her, she shrugged the thought off and went to bed, she awoke every so often to hear the cries grow weaker and weaker but would did not think anything of it, and went back to slumber. Applejack decided to inspect the wretched pup after the next morning, she gasped in horror as she watched the gruesome sight. Her coat is wet and caked with feces, she shoke at an alarming rate, Winona moaned in deep pain as she laid perfectly still. In a panic, Applejack picked up the sick pup as fluids emptied through her mouth. The orange mare felt sick as well, millions of thought's flew through her mind making her nauseous from the inside. Applejack took Winona to Big Mac.
"eyuup, she is not doing well. Told you not to leave her outside. Winona might have gotten parvo, she could have gotten it because you left her out there in the rain all day. What were you thinking?"
"Don't you lecture me, I have worked hard enough to keep that dog healthy, and it would be helpful to get somepony else to take care of her." Applejack fired back, she was in no mood for this conversation, her head pounded in pain and her nausea made her feel light headed. she took in what her brother had to say though, Applejack could have treated the dog better.
"You must be two kinds of stupid, I cant believe I'm related to such an idiot!" Big Mac's tone caught Applejack off guard. "Now I have to pay for a vet to fix her, if she even has a chance of living. Lay her down I want to see if she can walk. Let me get a hold of the pony clinic." Applejack gently lays the pup on the floor, Winona struggled to walk but limped a few feet and fell on its side.
Applejack picked the pup up and carried Winona around her hooves. Applejack thought desperately of how she can save her one and only best friend. She filled two bowls with food and water, and tried to feed Winona but the dog would not eat. Taking Winona a bath seemed to make the her seem worse, Winona reacts irrationally to the water and vomited liquids towards the drain. She dried her beloved pup and sat her down on her hind legs. The pup would not stop shaking. Applejack attempted to force some water down Winona, but she would not drink. "Stupid dog" she thought " left you water, food and a blanket. And still, you have to get sick. I never wanted you to get ill. Im sorry."
Big mac signaled for Applejack to follow him. Picking up the pup, she walked with Big Mac to his cart. Gently the stallion grabbed Winona and layed her on the bed of the cart. Big Mac and Applejack carried the pup to the nearest pony vet, the trip was thick in tension leaving the two silent.The operation did not take too long. After a couple of minutes later the doctor came back with the results.
" The test are negative, Winona does not have parvo, but she has intoxia and there is only so much we can do; it is up to you how far we go." The doctor was implieng about how much money the apples were willing to spend. "Winona is going to have to take medication, and you will have to force feed her too, she will not be able to eat on her own. She may stay here at the hospital, or she could go home with you. It's you choice."
"She's better off at home doctor." Applejack said, Winona would be in better care if the apple family looked after her. The doctor gave the prescription's to Big Mac and both ponies made the trip back to sweet Apple acres. When they arrived home Big mac layed Winona on his bed. The dog looked liflesss and unresponsive. "Big Brother lets try feeding her." Applejack inserted the medicine by a mouth syring; She massaged Winona 's Neck so she can swallow the liquid. Big Mac sat down with pup and petted her coat.
"Hey sis do me a favor and clean up her bowl, I will take care of Winona for now."Applejack left Bag Mac to work on what he asked. After a while Applejack fixed a cage for Winona.Then she came to checking on her pup. As she walks in to the room Big Mac looked at his sister as if he saw a ghost."Applejack, I don't know what happened she just stopped breathing."
"No!" Applejack thought. This could not be true, her friend is dying. Applejack Picked up Winona and performed CPR, after many attempts Winona would not come to. "Come on Winona you can pull through. Come on girl fight it." After what seemed an eternity, Applejack given up on reviving her dog. She stares at the corps, she would do anything to get her dog back.
"Sis, We need to bury her, it's too late." Applejack sighed, how could she let Winona die. She was so heartless to her, she treated her dog so horridly and now she is gone. Applejack felt ice chilling needles piercing through every bone in her body. But she managed to walk with her big brother and, helped dig the grave.
Applejack was alone in her room, staring at the floor. She thought of how amazing Winona was and how intelligent the animal had been. She thought back to the time Winona helped round up cattle. The orange mare thought at the late nigh she would laying down with her as they boll fell into a deep sleep. All this time Applejack only thought of herself, she never considered how Winona was, until it was too late. If Applejack wasn't so worried about life, she could have gave Winona the care she deserved, her pup didn't deserved to die like this. Applejack sat at her desk for the longest of time, glancing at her notebook and quill; she flipped open her notebook and began write. Applejack thought about writing this as a letter to Celestia. Applejack wrote how she wish she could have been more caring,how she loved her and the fatal death . Applejack felt bad about Winona but she could not shed a tear, she did not feel sad or unhappy about her dog dying. She hated her self for not feeling emotion for her, Winona was part of the Apple family but in her eyes she was just another dog. Applejack thought of herself as a horrible person, she felt disgusted and dirty. Not even a thousand shower's would wipe away the filth she felt. If there was anything she learned, it would be that one should taking care of who they love, because in the end all life dies. life is too precious to waste worrying about the little things, and we as apples should focus on what is important. Applejack Finished writing the Letter and titled it Lifeless Soul.
It was too late for Applejack, She learned the hard way. She let Winona die, an apple die, a sister. A pony cannot easily cope with a death like this, and she would not let herself get off that easy. Every night Applejack visited Winona's grave. The tombstone is decorated with flowers and apples. A picture of Winona's face mounted on the tombstone. She deeply regrets leaving Winona outside.
Author's Note
I wanted this story to be much longer but there are other's I'm interested in writing. This is probably my most half hearted work,and I'm sorry if this was not interesting. I promise to add more to Rarity and the Quest for the sapphire gem; as we speak I have two chapters of that completed. Thanks for looking at my fics, I appreciate everything
