Applejack woke up from a restful sleep. She slowly got out of bed and tiredly made her way to the bathroom connected to her room. She took a quick shower before headed downstairs to feed Winona.
“Winona!” she called out. “Winona, come here, girl.” When Applejack got no response, she began to get worried. She walked outside and saw her precious Border Collie still sleeping in her doghouse. Applejack smiled as she trotted up to the sleeping dog. “C'mon, Winona. Wake up girl.” The canine did not stir. Applejack reached out a hoof to stir her friend awake. As she came into contact with the body, she found it stiff and cold, unmoving and lifeless.
Applejack backed away, not believing what she was seeing. Her dog, no, her best friend lay lifeless before her. Her mind was numb. She could not think straight. She sat down and pulled the deceased canine towards her, cradling the body in her arms. She slowly rocked back and forth, her tears falling to stain the brown and white coat of Winona.
Applejack set her best friend back down on the hay she had been sleeping on and started walking towards the farm house, her eyes sending rivulets down her cheeks. She trotted up to her room and grabbed her favorite blanket off her bed. She trotted back to Winona's doghouse and gently placed the blanket over the canine, as if tucking her in. Applejack kissed her friend on the forehead before retreating out of the house. Sitting in front of the house in a silent vigil.
What happened, Winona? We were rough housin' just yesterday. You were so full of life. What happened, girl?
So lost in her thoughts was Applejack that she did not notice Big Macintosh come up behind her. “Hey AJ, What're ya doin' out he-” he stopped speaking as her say the blanket over Winona and the tears running down Applejack's face. He stared at the dog for a good minute before his eyes started to leak. Applejack looked to her older brother and, as if seeing his tears was the catalyst, she burst into heavy sobs. She threw her forelegs around his neck and soaked his coat with her tears. He wrapped a foreleg around his little sister and gently patted her back, his own tears flowing into Applejack's blonde mane. The two stayed that way for five minutes before finally breaking apart.
Big Mac looked into his sister's watery eyes with his own. “We need ta bury her, AJ. Ah don' want 'Bloom ta see her like this.”
Applejack nodded slowly. “Yer right o' course. Ah just want ta sit with her a bit longer.”
“Ah understand lil' sis. Ah'll be inside if ya need anything.”
Applejack nodded again, not feeling it necessary to verbally respond. She continued to stare at her best friend. After sitting for a minute more she stuck her head in the doghouse. She wrapped the blanket around the canine and picked her up she slowly marched to Winona's favorite tree in the whole orchard, the one she always slept under with Applejack. She set Winona down on the ground and sadly made her way to the barn. She unlatched the door and trudged inside. She looked to her left and immediately found what she was looking for, the old shovel that Big Mac had used to bury their parents. She grabbed the tool in her mouth and made her way to the tree that her best friend lay under. She laid the shovel down in order to grip it with her forehooves. She stood on her hind legs as she dug the shovel into the soft earth.
She had been digging for ten minutes before her shovel struck a root of the tree. She brought the shovel down on the root, digging it in several inches. She kept hacking at the root until, finally, she cut through it. She set the shovel on the ground to take a break, only to yelp in pain as her hooves touched the ground. She looked at her hooves and saw that they were bloody from the hard digging. She honestly did not care. She would bury Winona here no matter what.
“Hey, AJ, whatcha doin'?”
Applejack looked up to see her cyan colored friend hovering above her. “Nothin', Rainbow.”
Rainbow Dash took one good look at Applejack and noticed something was wrong. “Sure doesn't look like 'nothing'. Seriously AJ, what's goi-” She stopped as she noticed the bundled up blanket next to the hole. Rainbow looked back to Applejack, who had fresh tears in her eyes. She swooped in and wrapped her friend in a tight embrace. “Oh, Applejack, I'm so sorry.” She stood there silently patting Applejack on the back, letting the farm pony cry into her shoulder. As Applejack finally pushed away, Rainbow silently flew to the barn and grabbed another shovel. With out a word the two friends continued to dig the hole until it was large enough for the orange mare's best friend.
Applejack slowly moved to Winona's lifeless form and picked her up. She laid down the canine, blanket and all, into the hole. As she looked upon the form that had been her best friend, renewed tears forced their way to her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. Rainbow Dash scooted over and draped a foreleg across the shoulders of her friend.
Applejack, tears still streaming down her face, moved to place the dirt over her friend. This time, Rainbow did not help, sensing that this was something Applejack needed to do for herself. Instead, she grabbed to small branches and began to weave them together with some grass.
As Applejack finished, she stood back, looking upon the fresh grave. Rainbow Dash moved forward and placed her finished project, a cross, into the freshly turned earth. She stood back and both mare's stood silent vigil over the dog.
Good bye Winona, the best friend I've ever had. I loved you and will always continue to love you. May your sleep be peaceful, and when we meet again we will roll around in the fields of the Great Plains. Until then, sleep well my beautiful princess.
Author's Note
For Lily. The most loving and dependable dog anyone could ever ask for. I love you girl.
