Living Mark of Courage

by Moowell

Old Mare's Tale

Big Macintosh and Applejack were walking back home from the train station. They had just sent a shipment of apples to Canterlot, and the remains of breakfast pie and several glasses of cider were waiting for them at home. The two walked leisurely until they saw the other five Element bearers rushing toward them. Each of them wore worried faces.

"Hey, girls. What's wrong?" Applejack asked.

"It's the school! Everypony's been foalnapped!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"What?!" The two Apples looked at each other. "Do ya'll know anythin' 'bout Apple Bloom? She was runnin' late today."

"Well, she's the one that told me, so she was ok..." Twilight said. The Apples sighed, relieved. "...but I think she ran off to save her classmates by herself!" A sudden terror gripped Applejack. She turned with frantic eyes toward her brother.

"Big Mac-"

"Go, AJ. Ah'll take care o'things here." She nodded and ran off with the others toward the school.

"Apple Bloom, please be okay..." she muttered as the village flew by. In the distance, she could see great mounds of dirt piled up in the schoolyard. "Diamond Dogs?!"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Twilight besides her. "Rainbow Dash has already taken Cheerilee to the hospital. She was injured in the attack."

"And the foals?"

"All underground. We'll have to search for them."

"Ah'm comin', Apple Bloom!" As soon as they arrived, Applejack jumped down the nearest hole, followed closely by the others. Her heart-rate was increasing by the second, and not just from the fall. She had to find her sister! Soon, she saw the ground hurtling towards her. She braced for a nasty landing, but fortunately, there was a soft patch of green right underneath her. She rolled out of the way quickly before the others landed on top of her.

"Well at least the landing wasn't as hard this time," commented Twilight. The group stood up and dusted themselves off, then suddenly realized they were surrounded. "Look, girls! It's the foals!"

*****

"When they reached the bottom, they were surrounded by the foals. All but one was safe and sound. That one... was my sister..." Old Mare Applejack sniffed a little bit as a tear came to her eye. Jubilee hoofed her a tissue. "Thank you..." *PBTPBTPBTPBTPBT!!! sniff* "When I found out she was gone, I was devastated. But my pain was nothing compared to what the Element Bearers had to go through after she fell..."

*****

*kechunk* AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaa......

"Oh Celestia, NO! APPLEBLOOOOOM!!"

The filly has chosen for you, it seems.

*CRASH* The world slowed down as the sound roared through Applejack's brain. "She's... gone..." She was vaguely aware of something grabbing her and putting something in her mouth, but her mind remained on that sound even as she was led away.

Hours seemed to pass as she walked through the corridors, deeper and deeper into the lair. The six mares were split up and taken to different areas. In Applejack's, there was a furnace and a brand, but she didn't care. Her element was removed from her neck and tossed in a safe. She could barely hear the dog chuckling over the echo of Apple Bloom's last moments. It pointed the metal toward her flank.

"Applejack!"

Applejack whirled. Standing there at the entrance to the room was her sister. She was alive! Apple Bloom threw an oddly shaped stick at the dog beside her, causing it to drop the brand. Applejack bucked it in the head and knocked it unconscious. Then she ran to touch her sister. Make sure she was real.

The earth rumbled, and a section of the room collapsed, separating the two sisters. "No! Apple Bloom!" She tried to moved the boulders, but they were too heavy. The earth rumbled again. Applejack barely had enough time to jump out of the way before another section crushed her, leaving a gap in the ceiling.

Had that really been Apple Bloom on the other side? No, it couldn't have been. The real Apple Bloom fell and died, and there was nothing Applejack could do about it. It may have been her ghost, helping her escape a horrible fate, but she was still dead. Having come back to her senses, Applejack ran through the gap and searched for her friends.

Suddenly a chorus of screams barreled down the corridor, striking her from all sides. Blood-chilling screams. The kind that paralyze you and rend at your soul. When she finally unfroze, her legs exploded with a sense of urgency matched only an hour ago. She saw an elevator. Each of her friends were muzzled and chained to the side.

And each of them had bright red squares on their flanks blotting out their cutie marks.

*****

"When Princess Celestia surrendered, the five Element bearers were paraded around Equestria as a symbol of victory," Applejack concluded. "Each element was divided among the kingdoms that assaulted Equestria as per the terms of surrender. The princess disappeared, our Empress assumed control of the throne, and here we are today."

"What about the sixth? Weren't there six Elements of Harmony?"

"Looks like somepony's been studying!" the old mare said with a wink. "There were, in fact, six Elements and six Bearers, but only five were captured. The stories say the sixth was lost during the cave-ins and that its bearer died underground."

"What do you think? You were there."

"Me?" The fascinated foals looked up at her with eager eyes. "I think she's still out there, waiting for the right time to save her friends."

"Do you think they're still alive?"

"It's possible. I mean, I'm still alive, aren't I?" Applejack chuckled. "I like to think they are out there somewhere, waiting to be rescued from their prisons." She yawned. "Hoo, gracious. It's almost time for my midday nap. Thank you again for having me, Miss Jubilee. And thank you all for listening to the story of a kooky old mare like me." The foals stomped in applause as she got up from her seat and walked to the door.

"Miss Applejack?" Applejack froze. That voice... It was so familiar, like a ghost of the past returned to haunt her. "Miss Applejack?" the voice repeated. She put on her spectacles and turned around to see the filly raising her hoof and calling her.

No... It couldn't be...

"Apple Bloom...?" she said quietly, a sob rising in her throat.

"Uh..." the filly lowered her hoof, a little confused. "No. Mah name's Epona."

"Of course... Silly me," she said. She regained what she could of her composure. "Can I help you, Epona?"

"Well, um, it's a little embarrassin', but... er... Would ya give me a hug?" The class looked at her like she was crazy. Asking for a hug from 100 year old strangers? What was Epona thinking? "Ah mean! Well, nevermind... Ah just felt like Ah needed to hug ya fer some reason. Sorry fer botherin' ya, Miss Apple...jack?" The old mare was reduced to tears. The two looked at each other for a moment before Applejack walked toward her with a purpose. "A-ah'm sorry! Ah didn't mean ta--"

The old mare's legs wrapped around Epona in a loving embrace. She froze from the unexpected contact, but soon she melted. Applejack was a really good hugger, she realized. Like she knew exactly how hard to squeeze, exactly where to rest her head. It was a perfect hug from a perfect stranger.

Epona hugged Applejack back, and Applejack melted the same way. This little filly was exactly the same as her Apple Bloom. Her coat. The way she talked. The way she squished her head into Applejack's neck. It was too much for her to handle, and she wept into the filly's mane.

Ah've missed ya so much, she thought to the filly. Ah love ya, Apple Bloom...

"Ahem," Jubilee coughed. The two released each other slowly.

"Th-thank ya, Miss Applejack. Ah'm sorry Ah made ya cry..." Epona wiped her own eyes of the mist that had taken them.

"It's a'right, Epona," she said, momentarily reverting to her old accent. "That was the best hug anypony has given me in a very, very long time." Applejack tearfully put her spectacles back in their pouch. The class was silent as she walked out of the room.

Comments

[Tastethelolz]

2500775 "I'd like to be a Tree."

[Night Frost]

AWWWWW YEAH ZELDA FIC. FAVING INSTANTLY!!

[Stoneificaunt]

If only Epona knew her real name. NOW BRING IN NAVI TO START LEADING HER TO HER DESTINY. And find more hero stuff along the way. LIKE THE FOUR SWORDS.

[Changeling-Drone]

2506133 ... YES YES YES YES YES YES

[Moowell]

2505786
It's a possibility...

2505809
So many enthusiasms! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!

2506133>>2506262
A navi-esque character is in the works, don't you worry. As for the four sword, gimme time! The filly's gotta grow into her role before she can get something of that caliber.

[Stoneificaunt]

I also have a question? What are the items she has so far?

[Moowell]

2506619
It has been shown that she has the digging mitts and the boomerang, along with a sword and shield.

[Stoneificaunt]

2507278 Doesn't she also have the Tunic.

[Moowell]

2507680
And a cap too.

[Starcat5]

2506533
The Four Sword/Picori Blade? Meh. Give me the Blade of Evil's Bane any day. Even if it's Spirit Companion was the most useless of the guides.