The End Isn't Always The End
The End Isn't Always The End
I'm not sure if I'm going to make this into a series or not. I'd really like to, but I guess I'll just wait and see what you, the readers, think. This was a hard story to write, as I don't particularly like death scenes, especially where my favorite characters are considered. That said, I don't own any of the MLP characters, or rights to any of them. Firewing, however, is mine, and I would hope no one will use him without permission. I hope you enjoy the read! Feedback is always appreciated, and will help me determine if I should keep going with this as a series or not!
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I've never been a fan of hospitals. They were a place that conjured great fear. The sounds of those in pain, the smells, the sights.....It was all so overwhelming. And yet I found myself in a hospital now, and there was no where else I'd rather be right now..... But that's jumping ahead a bit. I should probably tell you how it was I came to be here, and why.
The day had started off beautifully, thanks to Rainbow Dash. There wasn't a single cloud to be seen in the sky, and for good reason! There was to be a rodeo in Ponyville, and it was going to be my first time to see one. It was to be held in an old unused orchard at Sweet Apple Acres, as it was the only place in Ponyville large enough, because ponies were going to be coming from all over Equestria to see the show, and there wasn't anyone more excited about it than Sweet Apple Acres' own Apple Jack.
"Well, we don't usually have many rodeos here, 'cause of space an all." Apple Jack said upon my inquiry. "But it will be nice to be able to get right into bed after the show's over. These things tucker me out somethin' crazy!"
There were all kinds of events to please ponies of all ages. Bronco bucking, hoop jumping, lasso twirling, and of course the rodeo clowns were always a hoot. I was thrilled to see that Trouble Shoes had made the journey to lead his troupe in their crazy antics. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going to get to see Apple Jack compete in any of the others events, especially the lasso, which I knew she excelled at. But if ever there was a stubborn mare in Ponyville, it was AJ. She had her sights set on the hay bale stack record, and nothing else would do. It was that determination that I admired about her. Well, one of many things, actually, but that's besides the point.
The day went by smoothly, and it seemed that time had flown by, and it was lunch time. Apple Jack was pacing restlessly in the barn, as the hay bale stacking event was right after lunch, and she wasn't eating anything, so I had had to step in. "Apple Jack, you ain't eaten a thing all day." I said with quiet concern. "You're using up all of your energy pacin' and frettin' like that."
"Ah know, Firewing." she said absently, her pacing not slowing for a second. "I have to stay focused. I'm goin' for a record, and I made some pretty bold statements around Ponyville where pleanty of folks could hear......"
"Which is why you need to eat and keep your strength up." I said matter-of-factly, holding up a basket. "Look, I brought muffins, apple and oat. I got 'em from Derpy so we could have lunch before your big moment." I thought maybe I had detected a flush of color in her cheeks, but wrote it off as wishful thinking, even when she smiled at me and finally sat down.
"Thanks, Firewing. Ya sure do know how to take care of a gal." I was suddenly thankful for my midnight black coat, because it hid my flush.
"That's what friends are for, Apple Jack... We take care of one another." She smiled warmly at me but said nothing, and we had a small, quiet lunch together. Looking back at those moments, I wonder if I would have said or done anything differently? Would I have told her? It's hard to say: I could never have forseen what was about to happen.
It was finally time for Apple Jack to stock the hay bales! I had practiced with Apple Jack and Big Mac a few times before, and I can tell you that those hay bales are heavy! The first time I tried to buck one of those bales (and this was some time AFTER I had been bucking in the orchard to help the Apple family) I sprained both of my hind legs, and had to be lifted on to Big Mac's back to be carried back to my bed in the barn, amid many 'I told you sos' and general teasing from Apple Jack. So that alone should give you an idea of how difficult it would be to buck stack eighteen bales on top of each other to break the record.
Apple Jack made the first eight bales look easy, despite the energy it must have taken. She was already looking visibly fatigued. Big Mac called a brief pause, and the two conferred quietly while I brought out a bucket of water from which she drank deeply. "Take it easy and pace yourself, darlin'. Those hay bales aren't going anywhere, and last I knew, this is a record for the highest stack, not the quickest." A brief nod was all that I got for acknowledgement. She was staring at those hay bales with such fierce determination that I had no doubt that if they could have, they would have jumped up and stacked themselves just to get away from her.
The next eight bales went up in similar fashion, but less ease than the first eight, and another short break was called. I looked up at the tower of hay bales with some anxiety. It wasn't the most stable looking, but I supposed that's what made it hard to stack so many of them at once. Two bales more would see AJ with the Ponyville record, but now I was beginning to understand exactly why that was such a hard thing to do, and why AJ coveted the title so much.
Apple Jack frowned in concentration and gave the signal, and the next bale was bucked her way. She turned and bucked it with all her might, sending it skyward. At first it looked as though it wasn't going to make it, but it slammed down on top of the stack, and the crowed cheered and stomped: Apple Jack had tied the record!
And that's when it happened. In a freak accident that no one could explain, the stack of hay bales collapsed. It was one of those terrible moments that seem to take a lifetime, seconds that stretch into forever. I'll never forget the look of sheer terror upon Apple Jack's face as the stack collapsed on top of her.
There was sceaming, and I was vaguely aware that some of the screams were my own. It was Big Mac and I who were there first, carefully kicking the bales away until we uncovered her hat. Then we worked even more carefully to get down to her while the medical ponies got a stretcher ready.
When we got to her, Apple Jack was unconcious, pale, and barely breathing. Blood was dripping from her nose, her mouth, and even her ears. Once the debris was moved, the medics shoved us out of the way so that they could do their work while the rest of us looked on helplessly.
"I wasn't.....I couldn't get to her fast enough...." This was whispered by Rainbow Dash, who had tears streaming down her face like the rest of us. "I tried so hard, I really did....If only...."
"It's not your fault, Dashie." Pinkie Pie said quietly. "There was nothing you could do. There was nothing any of us could do."
The accident happened two days ago, and i've been here ever since. I've gotten used to the sounds of the machines hooked up to her, learned to tune out the other sounds of the hospital so that I could notice any changes in her condition. She hadn't woken up once while she was here. Apple Jack was the strongest pony I had ever known.....She'd pull through. Wouldn't she?
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"I'm afraid her condition has been in a steady decline since she was admitted her." The doctor said sadly. "We had some hope at first, as she had been brought so quickly....."
"So what are you saying, doctor?!" I snapped, more out of fear than anger. How long is it going to take for her to get better? What do I.... I mean, what do WE have to do?" The doctor looked at us all for a long moment with such a look of profound sympathy that it left us with no doubt as to what he was about to say.
"All we can do now is make her comfortable.....I'm sorry, but we don't expect her to make it through the night. Everyone should pay their last respects and say goodbye while they can." The force of his words was like a kick from AJ herself. My legs gave way and I sat down heavily, numbed to everything. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie started to cry immediately. Twilight, Dashie, and myself....We were too stunned, unable to believe it, or perhaps trying to deny that this was real. This wasn't happening.....It was just a dream, a terrible, terrible dream, and Princess Luna would wake me any minute.......
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But it wasn't a dream, and Princess Luna didn't come to wake me. It was a horrible reality, one that I wish I didn't have to live through, but was forced to. I stood in the back of the room, saying nothing, drifting through my own mind as word was sent out about AJ. Everyone that knew her, loved her, and called her a friend came to say their farewells, every pony from Derpy, all the way up to the three princesses, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence.
The moon rose, and we could all feel it: The time was drawing near when we would lose our friend. Twilight looked over at her shoulder and saw me. She was the first to know of my feelings for Apple Jack, and I had never had to say anything out loud. I think they all knew, on some level. "Come on, everyone. I think we should let Firewing say goodbye in private." Twilight hugged me on the way out. "I'm so sorry Firewing....." Her voice caught in her throat, and she left quickly, closing the door behind her, leaving Apple Jack and I alone with the beeping of the machines.
I sat at her bedside quietly for a moment, looking down at her, before reaching out with a hoof to brush a lock of hair out of her face. Even now, she was beautiful to me, she always would be. "Apple Jack....We've been friends for so long and I....I never told you how I really felt. I should have, and I wish I had. If I had, maybe this wouldn't have happened!" I shook the thought away. Now wasn't the time. I had to tell her before it was too late. "Apple Jack.....I love you. I've always loved you, and I will always love you." I laid my hoof on top of hers, and that's when I saw it.
Her eye fluttered open, not all the way, but I could see she was looking at me. She could see me with her, and her ear flicked, just once, a sign perhaps that she could hear me too. As I looked down into that beautiful green eye, I saw something I had never seen before, a small sparkle. She knew. She knew my feelings for her, perhaps always had, and I felt my heart take a leap as her hoof weakly brushed mine. She knew how I felt for her, because she loved me too. I laid my heart on her chest, listening to her heart slowly beating....Slower, slower...... I heard faintly the wild beeping of the machines, but it was so far away.....Loud voices......
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What had happened that night, in that hospital roomdefied all explanation and left doctors baffled and searching for an explanation, despite what all of their medical data and knowledge had taught them. And it also left our friends with more grief than they had already been trying to accept. That night, in that room, as Apple Jack was slipping away, I left with her.
The doctors' only explanation was that my heart had failed, but at such a young age, they were at a complete loss as to how to explain it. But our friends knew, of course. And even Twilight, who in any other situation would have thrown out such an explanation, knew the truth. "Firewing died of a broken heart. He couldn't live without Apple Jack, and so he went with her."
She told everyone this the day of our funeral. We were buried together at Sweet Apple Acres, and our friends visit our graves to this day. But you know what they say.....The end of one story is just the beginning of another........
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Birds were chirping, and I could smell sweetly fragrant grass. It was bright, even through my closed eyes. As I opened them, I found myself sprawled in a field next to an orchard. Sweet Apple Acres? Had all of that really been a dream?
"Oh, sugarcube......What have you done?" I scrambled to my hooves in excitement as I heard the voice. It was Apple Jack! But how......? "Firewing, you weren't supposed to come here yet.....What in Equestria have you done?" She sounded upset, but the look on her face said otherwise.
"I didn't do anything, Apple Jack." I said as I trotted over her, to give her a nuzzle. "My heart wouldn't let me go on without you. I love you, i've always loved you, and I always will. Through this life, and any other."
"I heard ya the first time, you silly Stallion. I couldn't say so back in the hospital but.....I love ya too, Firewing. And even though I'm a mite ticked off ya just couldn't wait 'til yer proper time...... I'm glad yer here." And there, in that orchard, is where we shared our first kiss.
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I think it's been a year, since our passing. It's really hard to tell in this new life. It's a lot like our old life, but it's a little bit quieter, without our friends. We've seen other ponies, of course, as they come to buy our apples, and we've even made some new friends. But they could never replace those we've left behind, and hope to see again someday.
"Well ah hope you've been enjoyin' the peace and quiet here on the farm, Firewing, 'cause things are about to get a whole lot more interesting." Apple Jack said to me one day as we sat upon the porch of our home, watching the sun go down, her head resting on my shoulder.
"Oh yeah? Why do you say that, sweetie?" I asked, turning my head to look at her.
Apple Jack gave off her cute chuckle as she lifted her head to look at me, adjusting her hat. Her eyes were sparkling in the fading light, and she said in her honest way, "Well that's easy, sugar cube...... Ahm pregnant." Leaving me to stare at her with an open mouth.
The End?