It was nearly 9 years since Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity had used the Elements of Harmony to banish Discord into an eternal imprisonment. The morning slowly gave way as the last streaks of night wained and gave way to the shining brilliance of Celestia's beautiful sun. It was a near perfect June morning. The morning dew had just settled on the window panes of a red farm house, it's occupants finally starting to stir.
Applejack awoke as a golden beam of sunlight struck her face, as is her custom. She let out a satisfied yawn as she swung her legs out from the covers, and gazed pleasantly outside the window towards the large orange orb that had awoken her. After her morning washing up, Applejack trotted downstairs, as she usually does, to greet Big Mac, Granny, and Applebloom. Instead of the usual trio she was used to, she was greeted with 4 mares awaiting her arrival. Sitting there were Twilight, Rarity, Ranbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. The smile that had formed on her face to see her friends slowly faded as she realized the somber attitude of the room. "Uh, hey ya'll, somethin' wrong?" Applejack asked. Their gazes shifted downwards, and only Twilight met her look. There were tears in her eyes. "Applejack," she said, her voice breaking. "There's been an accident." Applejack's heart hit her stomach. "What kind of accident?" She was almost to scared to ask, but forced it out.
Applejack couldn't believe her ears. "But... How?" She had barely been able to force out these words without breaking down into an inconsolable shell of her usual self. She was barely able to look at the yellow and pink pegasus that now lay before her, curled up into a pitiful bundle, looking surprisingly like she did when she slept. "We're still not completely sure," replied the coroner in true empathy. "She passed in the night. A sudden fever took her. We have yet to determine the cause, but we believe it was related to the large number of animals she lived with." The sick irony hit Applejack, and broke her down. Twilight put her forehoof around Applejack, consoling her. "How could it happen?" Applejack asked. "How could she be taken by what she loved the most?" Applejack broke and let tears flow from her eyes. The 4 friends sat in the coroner's office, in an embrace that shared the sorrow amongst them for what seemed like ages before anyone dared to break the grasp. They all nodded to each other, crying openly, before slowly departing for their own homes. As Applejack made her way to Sweet Apple Acres, she noticed a damper on the whole town. Fluttershy had been such a pure, loving soul. How could she be taken so quickly? How would the small town of Ponyville fair without her? Applejack tried to push these thoughts out of her head. Her friend was gone, but she still was determined to work the fields, partially to get the thought of Fluttershy's passing out of her mind. As she made her way to Sweet apple acres, she couldn't help but notice Fluttershy's cottage in the distance, and immediately ripped her gaze away, tears already flowing. "Hope it's nice wherever you are, Sugar Cube," she said, "you deserve that much."
The next morning was like most mornings, except for a certain feeling of emptiness that could only be understood by those going through what Applejack was. Despite the loss, she managed to perform her morning routine, and make her way downstairs. At the breakfast table, few words were shared. The only voice to break the silence would be the occasional request for something on the table to be past to them. The clock sitting on the wall adjacent to the table ticked and tocked loudly, and reverberated in the silence. The rhythmic and unending ticking was only adding to the seemingly endless thoughts of Fluttershy. "I'm goin' buckin," she announced, in a rather defeated tone. Once outside, an unusually warm beam of sunlight hit her face, as she made her way to the south field. She let out a heavy sigh as the grass beneath her feet led her to the first tree of the day. With a firm kick, more than half of the apples that weighed the tree fell neatly into the buckets below. She grumbled as she realized that she was only bucking at half capacity, and gave another firm kick. Still, not all fell. A defeated sigh escaped Applejack as she realized what was weighing her down. A look to the sky was followed by a statement directed at the already deceased Fluttershy. "It just ain't the same without ya, Fluttershy." The look of reflection her face took on was now being traced by a pair of tears making their way downwards.