SiE Chapter 10: ｢ＬＩＶＥ｣ and let ｢ＤＩＥ｣

>”Is that...his stand?”
>”It can’t be.”
>Giovi let’s out an unconscious groan of pain as the roots over take him.
>Anon swipes at it, pulling away chunks of dead wood in his hands.
>This does nothing to deter the roots however, as before your eyes they slowly stretch back to fill the gaps left by Anon’s assault.
“This has to be the work of an enemy stand user.”
>You cast your gaze over the rest of the alley, looking for anything out of place but finding nothing.
>The only thing you see is the walls of the surrounding cottages and, apart from Giovi’s laboured breathing, the only sound is the nearby hustle and bustle of the market.
>”Why attack Giovi though? Wouldn’t they be on the same side?”
“Maybe Nightmare doesn’t want to leave any evidence.”
>A scream echoes through the alley, and you and Anon shoot off without hesitation towards its source.
>The two of you burst back into the market, and push yourselves through the assembled crowd towards the sound of sobbing.
>”Somepony help him! He just collapsed!”
>You break through, and find yourself looking at a mare bawling her eyes out over prone form of an older stallion.
>It takes you a moment to notice, but you spot the same roots encasing Giovi creeping up the stallion’s legs.
>Another startled cry to goes up from the crowd and you spin yourself to face it.
>”I, I can’t move! Help!”
>A mare twists her body in vain against more grasping vines, wincing in pain as the bandage around her midsection slowly fills with red as the exertion rips her stitches.
“Oh Celestia…”


Chapter 10: ｢ＬＩＶＥ｣ and let ｢ＤＩＥ｣


>More screams and cries of alarm erupt from the marketplace and you whirl around, trying to figure out why the stand is attacking the ponies that it is.
>Anon yells in frustration, and you watch as he delivers a flurry of blows at the roots entangling a nearby mare’s hooves and, before the roots can recover, hefts her onto his shoulder.
>The roots twist around each other, then slowly sink back into the ground.
>”Well, looks like they can’t latch onto someone if they’re not touching the ground.”
“Great, so the entirety of Ponyville just needs to play the floor is lava until we defeat the stand’s user.”
>”Not everyone.”
>You and Anon turn to see Bon Bon slowly making her way through the crowd.
>At first you think she’s just having trouble making it through the crush of ponies, but as she gets closer you see that every other step she’s breaking roots off of her hooves.
>"Look around, it's only attacking the old, or the sick and injured."
>To punctuate her point, Bon Bon rips another clump of roots from her hooves, and allows Anon to scoop her up and deposit her on one of the stalls next to the other mare.
"But what about me and Anon? You got some pretty good hits on us before, why isn't it attacking us?"
>"Not directly, but look around. By attacking everyone else they're still hurting you."
>"Bastard..."
>You don't reply, but you don’t have to for Bon Bon to know what she says is true.
"Alright, well how do we find him then?"
>"Hmmm."
>You see Anon crouch next to small cluster of roots protruding from the ground where Bon Bon stood, and with a grunt of exertion grab it and pull it upwards.
>The roots rise out of the ground with a shower of dirt, but don't break.
>Anon starts to walk as he continues to pull and more of the root rises out of the ground, guiding Anon back to its source.
"That works. Lets go."
>The three of you follow the roots deeper into the market, helping anypony you see being attacked by them.
>The trail leads you past (and in some cases through) numerous market stalls, and eventually you exit the market altogether.
>At one point the roots lead you right into a wall, and Bon Bon reluctantly lets the roots ensnare her so that you can pick up the trail again.
>Before long you leave Ponyville altogether, and you recognise the trail your on as heading towards…
“Oh Celestia, Sweet Apple Acres.”
>You hope in you gut that the enemy stand’s range isn’t that far, but you know that if it’s stretches all the way to the Apple family’s farm, then there’s only one pony it can be attacking.
>With a flap of your wings you take to the air, leaving Bon Bon in the dust as you shoot off toward the orchard.
>Apple trees zoom past, leaves and branches spiraling in your wake.
>The wind blows cuts against your face and blows through your mane but you push through, not stopping until you reach the front of Applejack’s house.
>You practically throw yourself through their front door, the painted wood slamming against the wall with a loud bang that startles Applebloom.
>”That tha’ hay? Rainbow Dash, what ar-”
“Where’s Granny Smith?”
>The interrupted filly cocks her head at you.
>”In tha’ back garden, wh-”
>The rest of Applebloom’s sentence is swallowed by the wind as you speed through the house and out the back door.
>You spot Granny Smith almost immediately, seated in her rocking chair next to Applejack, and your heart sinks as you see the tangle of vines snaking up the aging wood of her rocking chair.
>But then you’re stopped short as you hear… laughter.
>”I didn’t even know a filly could eat so many apples, but you did. You wouldn’t touch a bite o’ food for days after you were so full.”
>Gone is the grim expression you last saw Applejack wearing as she launches into another fit of laughs.
“Applejack…”
>It’s Granny Smith that responds first, turning her head and waving her one unbound hoof at you.
>”Well howdy Rainbow Dash. What brings you to Sweet Apple Acres?”
 “Applejack can I… can I talk with you for a moment?”
>Applejack gives you a confused expression but stands up anyway.
>”Ah’ll be right back Granny.”
>The elder pony waves her off with a smile, and you lead Applejack inside the house.
>”So, did you have to wake up Rar-”
“Stop.”
>Applejack seems taken aback by your interruption, and you continue before she can object.
“What the hay is going on? Why aren’t you at the market? What’s with the vines on Granny Smith’s chair?”
>”I… it doesn't matter why I left the market. As for the vines they were here when I got here.”
>”Horseapples it doesn't matter! You’d never leave the market early, especially if you were the only pony there!”
>”Look, I wasn’t feeling all that well ok?”
>Applejack doesn't have to be the element of honesty for her poor poker face to give her away, and she knows that too and decides to deflect the conversation.
>”Now if you two’ll excuse me Granny’s feeling better than she has in weeks. I’ll talk with you later.”
“Applejack wait, those vines are hurting ponies.”
>You see the farm mare visibly stiffen before she turns her head back at you.
>”What?”
“It’s some sort of enemy stand. At the marketplace vines just like the ones out there are attacking old and injured ponies. We managed to follow the vines all the way here only…”
>”They’re not hurting the oldest pony here, despite her being half tangled in them.”
>”That don’t mean nothin’! Maybe you got the wrong vines. Maybe that stand doens’t reach this far.”
>A knock at the door interrupts your conversation, and you turn to watch at Applebloom opens it, revealing a haggard looking Bon Bon.
>Despite only standing there for a few moments, the vines have grown all the way up her legs and Anon steps over to her to help rip them off and carry her inside.
>”Did...that pony just float…”
>”Applebloom, go upstairs!”
>The filly pouts but follows her sister’s advice, grumbling as she goes.
“Believe me now?”
>”Well maybe they’re different vines...”
>”Or maybe Granny Smith’s the stand user.”
>”NO!”
>Applejack’s yell comes as a surprise, but not as big as a surprise as who she was yelling at.
>”You can see me.”
>”’ah… I guess so.”
>”Wait, Applejack has a stand too?”
>The gears in your head turn, leading to one terrible, terrible conclusion.
“Applejack… Are these vines your stand?”
>”I… I don’t know.”
>Applejack turns and looks out the window at Granny Smith, still rocking away in the garden.
>”After you left, Big Mac showed up. He told me that he reckon’d Granny was close to… to passing.”
>”’Ah ran all the way home, and I was terrified when I saw her covered in all those vines but then I… saw her. She looked better than she had in weeks. Vibrant. Alive, like the Granny I knew.”
>Bon Bon gives a startled yelp as the floorboards under her hooves splinter, and vines erupt out of the gaps to embrace her.
“Applejack, these vines are hurting ponies.”
>”It’s just temporary! Soon she’ll be right at rain! Pinkie Swear it!”
“Then why isn’t it effecting me?”
>”What?”
“Bon Bon got me and Anon pretty good in our fight, but the vines attacked her and not me.”
>”W-what does it matter?”
>You turn on your hooves and walk out the front door, planing your hooves firmly in the dirt as you turn back to face Applejack.
“Well it it’s only temporary and it helps your Granny fine. Use me too.”
>”Dash, ya’ll don’t need to-”
“Am I not injured enough for it to work? Fine. Anon, break my wing.”
>”What?”
“I need to be injured for Applejack’s stand to activate. Break. My. Wing.”
>”Dash stop this isn’t-”
“IT IS APPLEJACK! Because you know, deep down it’s hurting ponies! That’s why you’ll hurt everypony in town if you can but you won’t let it hurt those you care about the most. Your family and your friends!”
>”Dash please-”
“No. Either have your vines attack me or deactivate your stand.”
>”It I stop it’ll kill Granny!”
“If you don’t it’ll kill celestia knows how many ponies in Ponyville! Do you think Granny’ll want that!”
>Applejack surprises you once again, this time slugging you straight in the jaw.
>”You don’t know what my Granny wants!”
“No but you do, and you know she wouldn’t want you to do this.”
>Applejack gives a shuddering breath and casts her gaze downwards.
>”But… she’s all we have left.”
“You have each other. And you have the elements… us.”
>Applejack just offers a sniffle in reply, but she turns around, dragging her hooves as she walks towards the back door.
>As she walks you see the vines binding Bon Bon recede back into the ground, all but disappearing by the time she passes the cream coloured pony.
>Applejack disappears out the back door and you let her go, taking a seat on the couch to wait for her to return.
>Bon Bon excuses herself and leaves, using the excuse that she can go check on Ponyville.
>You don’t know how much time passes, but eventually Applejack re-enters the house, her features streaked with tears.
>She doesn't say anything, and she doesn't have to. You open your hooves and wrap her in a hug, and she does the same.
>At some point you feel a much bigger and a much smaller pair of hooves join you, and you welcome it.

>Given the size of the Apple Family alone, you’re surprised by how small of a funeral Granny Smith actually has.
>As Applejack puts it, she knew so many ponies that the barn would barely be able to hold half of them.
>It is a good service though. Succinct and to the point, a lot like Granny Smith.
>And at the end they take her all the way to the far east corner of the orchard and plant (of course) an apple tree to mark the spot.


https://youtu.be/lfavaxRNlMM


<=To=Be=Continued==