A Flame and a Promise
School had finally been let out for the weekend. Apple Bloom was walking along the road to her home with Applejack, feeling more than a little downcast. Sweetie Belle had come down with a bad cold and Scootaloo was vacationing with her parents, so she had no one to hang out or crusade with.
Applejack was quick to notice her sister’s mood. “What’s wrong with you today, sugarcube?” she asked. “Yer lookin’ sadder than Winona when Ah don’t give ‘er a bone.”
Apple Bloom sighed. “Ah miss mah friends,” she replied. “Ah know they ain’t gone forever, but Ah still don’t like that they’re gone.”
Applejack nodded in sympathy. “Ah understand,” she said. “Ah know Ah feel awful tore up when mah friends ain’t there.” She put her hoof on her chin and pondered the conundrum for a moment. Then an idea graced her mind. “Maybe you can make Sweetie Belle a get well card. That’ll perk ‘er up real fast. And the two o’ y’all can write ‘er a letter!”
Apple Bloom’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea, Sis!” she said. “Thank you so much!”
“Yer welcome, sugarcube. Ah’m just glad ta see ya smile again.”
That evening, Apple Bloom knocked eagerly on the door of the Carousel Boutique. After a moment, Rarity answered, looking more than a little unwell. “Well, hello there, darling,” she said weakly. “What can I do for you?”
“Ah came ta see Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom replied, waving the card she had made.
“Of course, dear. She’s in her room,” Rarity replied. “I wouldn’t stay too long, though. The poor dear is still dreadfully ill, and I believe that I am catching it as well. I wouldn’t want you to fall ill too.”
“You got it, Rarity,” Apple Bloom promised.
She hurried over to Sweetie Belle’s room and went in to see her friend curled up in bed. She looked pale and exhausted, but she managed a small smile at Apple Bloom. “Hey,” she said hoarsely. “What are you doing here?”
In response, Apple Bloom brought over the card over to her. Sweetie Belle carefully took the folded paper and studied it. The colorful drawing of the three Crusaders on the front made her smile even before she read the words that went with it. “Thank you, Apple Bloom,” she said before coughing loudly.
Apple Bloom lifted her head, worried. “Good golly, are ya sure that’s just a cold?” she asked.
Sweetie Belle attempted to grin. “Yeah, I’m sure,” she replied. “Don’t you worry though – a few more days of rest, and I’ll be back and ready to crusade!”
“Ok...” Apple Bloom replied hesitantly, giving her friend a nuzzle. “If ya need anything, y’all send word right away, and Ah’ll get it fer ya” she ordered.
Sweetie Belle laughed and saluted. “Yes ma’am, sir, ma’am,” she said jokingly before dissolving into another coughing fit.
After a few more minutes of trying to soothe her, Apple Bloom walked away from the Boutique, her heart severely troubled. “Ah know there must be somethin’ more Ah can do fer her,” she said aloud as she headed back toward Sweet Apple Acres. “But what?” A clap of thunder rumbled overhead, causing her to pick up her pace. “Cards can only do so much...and I’m not a doctor,” she added.
In the distance, she could hear the timber wolves begin to howl in the Everfree Forest. She shivered at the sound, remembering the few times she had run into them. Then her eyes widened. “The Everfree Forest...Zecora! Ah bet she’ll know what ta do fer Sweetie Belle!”
Apple Bloom ran eagerly toward the Forest. She didn’t care for the woods themselves, but getting to visit with Zecora and helping Sweetie Belle made it worth the scary parts. She carefully avoided the patch of Poison Joke, then ran across a log bridge and past a small cave before arriving outside of Zecora’s hut. The zebra was outside, tending to some herbs. “Why, hello there, Apple Bloom,” she said, raising her head and smiling. “What brings you here with an aura of gloom?”
She explained the purpose of her visit to the zebra. “Do ya think you can help her?” she asked.
Zecora nodded, smiling. “I think perhaps I can make something up,” she replied. “Come, my dear, step inside my hut.”
Apple Bloom followed her inside, where the zebra began gathering herbs and bottles. She carefully mixed them together in her cauldron. “What are ya puttin’ in it?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Licorice bark to sweeten the brew, a dash of honey and elder flower too,” Zecora answered, adjusting the flames under the pot. “Now we let the potion stew. An hour will pass before it’s ready for you.”
Apple Bloom winced. “An hour?” she repeated, looking at the potion in dismay. “Are ya sure?”
“I am indeed, my little child. Why not sit and stay a while?”
She thought it over for a moment before a loud thunderclap split the night. The filly nearly jumped out of her pelt. “Ya got a deal,” Apple Bloom said shakily, sitting down.
“I’m glad you have decided to stay. I’ve not seen you in many days,” Zecora responded, sitting next to her. “Tell me, my dear, what is new in your life since I have seen you?”
“Not much, really,” Apple Bloom replied. “Still in school, still waitin’ fer mah cutie mark. Ah swear, sometimes Ah think that thing is never comin’!”
Zecora smiled. “I’ve said before, I’ll say again: It will come in the end. Give the future not your worry and instead enjoy the road to discovery.”
Apple Bloom groaned. “Ah know, Ah know,” she grumbled. “But –”
Zecora held up a hoof. “I hope that you did not forget of another time that you let impatience come and take hold of you and give you a sickness much worse than the flu.”
“Gee, thanks, ya had to remind me about that.”
The zebra began to laugh, the filly joining in a moment later. “It’s only my job to ensure that my friend’s health will endure,” Zecora commented.
“Ah understand, Miss Zecora. Believe me, Ah won’t try anythin’ that crazy ever again.”
Zecora opened her mouth to add on, but then she froze. Her lips turned to a frown and her brow creased. “What’s the matter?” Apple Bloom asked.
A moment passed as Zecora sniffed the air and walked over to her window. “Something is not right here,” she said softly. “I sense that danger is near.”
Apple Bloom stood and ran to join her. “What is it? What’s wrong?” She sniffed the air. “What is that, Zecora?!”
“I fear that I can smell smoke!” Zecora replied, a trace of fear in her voice for the first time Apple Bloom could remember. “Take heed, Apple Bloom – this is no joke!”
The yellow filly raced outside. An orange glow shone in the distance, but the wind was steadily pushing it in their direction. Her eyes widened in terror. “Zecora! Come on! We have ta go!” Apple Bloom hollered.
Zecora appeared a moment later, a small bag slung over her back. “I am here, Apple Bloom!” she declared. “Now run before we both are doomed!”
Apple Bloom didn’t need to be told twice. She turned and ran for the path to Ponyville, praying silently that the fire wouldn’t catch up to them. Zecora was right behind her, chanting something that Apple Bloom couldn’t understand. She’d ask her later though – there were more important things at hand right now.
Behind them, she could hear an eerie crackling sound. It cut through her soul, sending a shiver down her spine even as the heat of the flames began to reach them.
“The flames are gaining speed for sure! Apple Bloom, you must run faster than ever before!”
“I’m tryin’, I’m tryin’!” Apple Bloom screamed, her legs burning with the effort.
The pair ran on and on. Twice, Apple Bloom faltered, considering just letting the flames take her. Then Zecora’s sharp voice would urge her on, and she would keep running as the fire drew even with them. Just ahead, she could see the outline of Ponyville through the trees. “We’re almost there!” she cried.
Then, there was an ominous crackling noise. Apple Bloom looked up and froze. An old tree with flames lapping at the base towered over her. It swayed for a moment as the flames ate through the trunk, then with a deafening crack, the trunk swung down toward her.
“MAH-LEH!”
Apple Bloom suddenly felt her body fly forward. She landed in a heap several feet away. “What in –?” she started to ask.
Then she froze.
Zecora’s body was pinned beneath the tree trunk, unmoving. Apple Bloom let out a scream and ran back to her. “Zecora, no, no, no! Please, Zecora, please be okay!”
The zebra’s eyes slowly opened. Muttering something in Zebra, she weakly lifted her head. Apple Bloom nuzzled her friend desperately. “Come on, come on!” she cried.
Upon seeing Apple Bloom’s actions, Zecora’s lips curled into a sad smile. “You are safe, that I can see...now you must go, fear not for me.”
Apple Bloom scrambled to her hooves. “Zecora, no!” she screamed. In desperation, she put her hooves against the tree and pushed as hard as she could. It wouldn’t budge. “I can’t leave you here! You’ll...you’ll...”
“Fear not for me, dear Apple Bloom!” Zecora said sternly. “I care only that you are not doomed!”
Tears burst forth from the filly’s eyes. “But, Zecora!”
“GO!”
That single word shot through her heart like an arrow. Willing herself to turn away, she ran out of the Forest. “Help! Help!” she screamed. “Somepony, anypony! Help me!”
“Apple Bloom?!”
She turned her head at the sound of her name. Twilight Sparkle was standing by some fireponies, her horn ablaze in magenta light. “Twilight! Twilight!” she cried, running toward the magician.
“What are you –?”
“Zecora’s in there!” she screamed frantically. “She got trapped by a tree! Y’all have to save her! Please!”
Twilight Sparkle’s eyes widened in horror. She ran over and spoke urgently to the chief firepony. The firepony nodded grimly, then rounded up a team. They ran into the Forest, calling for Zecora. Twilight Sparkle came back over as they departed. “I told them about her,” she said softly. “Don’t worry, Apple Bloom. We’re going to do everything we can. You should probably go back to your house and wait there. I’m sure your brother and sister are beside themselves with worry right now.”
Apple Bloom opened her mouth to argue, but a look from Twilight Sparkle changed her mind. Instead, she just nodded and headed for Sweet Apple Acres.
Hours passed. Applejack fussed over her and asked where she’d been while Big Macintosh hugged her. She watched as teams of pegasi brought in as many rainclouds as possible. The unicorns gathered water from nearby lakes and bogs. After what seemed like hours, the flames had subsided. As the sun began to rise, Apple Bloom could see the charred remains of the Everfree Forest stretching for miles.
She also could see Twilight Sparkle trudging toward her farm.
Not wanting to wait any longer, Apple Bloom raced out of the house and met her at the gate. “Did you find her? What happened?” she asked.
Twilight Sparkle put a hoof in the air, looking dejected and exhausted. Apple Bloom fell silent. “She isn’t...you’re not...”
“I’m so sorry, Apple Bloom,” Twilight Sparkle said softly. “We did everything we could for her, but...she’s gone.”
It felt like the ground had dropped out from under her. Apple Bloom swayed on the spot, then dropped to her knees in shock. “She...she...”
Twilight Sparkle gently nuzzled her. “I know,” she said quietly, tears spilling out from her eyes.
Something snapped inside of her brain. Apple Bloom backed away, anger flooding her whole being. “Leave me alone,” she growled.
“Apple Bloom...”
“Leave me alone!!” she screamed, turning and running back to the farmhouse. She fled up the stairs into her room before slamming the door shut. She collapsed on her bed and let out a wail of pure agony. “Zecora, Ah’m sorry!” she sobbed. “Ah tried to get help! Ah really did, Zecora! Oh, why did you have to go? Why?! Why?! Why?!”
She stayed like that for hours, sobbing into her sheets. A couple of times, her anger took over and she threw whatever her hooves could reach against the wall. Then she would dissolve into tears again. Once or twice, she heard hoofsteps outside of her door, but nopony ever came in. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she guessed that they were waiting for her grief to burn out.
Finally, toward the end of the day, her sobs had turned into quiet sniffles, though her heart still felt like it had been shredded. She heard the hoofsteps again, followed by a gentle knock.
“Apple Bloom? Are ya awake, sugarcube?”
The filly heard her sister, but she didn’t answer. She didn’t even look at the door.
“Apple Bloom? Apple Bloom!”
She shut her eyes and pressed a pillow down over her head, trying to block out the sound of her sister’s voice.
The knocking paused. “She’s still not comin’ out,” she heard Applejack say.
“I know,” came the steady reply of her brother’s voice. “An’ I don’t blame her right now. Give ‘er time, AJ.”
There came a long, sad sigh. “All right, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “If ya don’t wanna come out, you don’t have to. But we’re here fer ya...we all are.”
Apple Bloom heard her two siblings walking away. She sighed, moving over to the window and peering out. Her eyes glistened with sadness as she watched Celestia’s sun slowly fell beneath the horizon. Normally, she would feel joy at the sight, but now the sight just made her feel ill.
Over the next hour or so, she could hear her siblings pass by her door every now and then, and her eyes would flick in that direction. Once or twice they would pause, as if waiting to see if she would come out. After a minute, they would continue on as if nothing had happened. Her eyes then returned to the window and watched Luna’s moon take to the sky. She waited patiently until she was sure that her family had fallen asleep. Then, silently, she made her way out of her room, down the stairs, and out into the night. The cool breeze wrapped around her as she stepped out, but she stubbornly ignored it. Nothing would distract her.
The filly followed the path out of Sweet Apple Acres. She paid no heed to the remaining ponies still out, going about their evening business. Instead, she silently pressed on, heading for the Everfree Forest. Or, at least, what now remained. Once she actually reached the Forest, she paused for a moment, just looking at it. It was hard to believe that only a day ago, it had been green, growing, and alive. Now, all she could see were piles of grey and black. Nothing was alive. She stubbornly pushed the tears back, determined not to let them fall again...not yet.
At last, she came to her destination...that tree that had blocked the path. Tears sprung to her eyes as she studied the blackened wood, looking for that spot. She could see nothing to indicate where Zec...where she had been. Nothing at all...
“Why such gloom, fair Apple Bloom?”
She looked up in confusion. There was no pony there. Sighing, she said, “Great. Now Ah’m imaginin’ stuff.”
“My dear, your ears are not acting silly. Now turn around, my little filly.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. She whirled around, not daring to believe the voice she was hearing.
“There now, Apple Bloom, you see? The voice you hear is really me.”
Indeed, there stood Zecora, standing tall and strong not a ponystride away in the shadow of a cloud that had passed beneath the moon. “Zecora!!” Apple Bloom screamed, running toward her. “I thought you were...you were...”
“Apple Bloom, stop and look...my life, indeed, the fire took.”
Confused, Apple Bloom paused and looked at her friend. “What are ya talkin’ about?” she asked. “Yer right here, in front of me!”
As if in answer, a breeze pushed the cloud away. Apple Bloom let out a gasp as she saw that Zecora’s form, looked faded and transparent, almost like her Nightmare Moon illusion from Nightmare Night. “What, but...how?” she stuttered.
Zecora’s shade smiled. “It’s a wish the Great Ones grant to those who didn’t get the chance to their loved ones say good-bye...my wish was granted, and here am I.”
“Ah...don’t understand...” Apple Bloom replied softly. “Y’all are...ya know...and ya came back...to say g’bye to me?”
Zecora nodded. “You do understand, my little filly,” she said softly, allowing a single ghostly tear to run down her cheek. “Sometimes you speak words so silly.”
Apple Bloom reached out to touch her cheek, only to have her hoof fall forward through the faded zebra. The tears returned full force as her grief roared its ugly head. “Why did y’all do it?!” she screamed at her. “Why did ya push me out o’ the way?! You shoulda just let the tree fall on me! It shoulda been me!!”
She threw herself on the ground, sobbing. A moment later, a warm glow wrapped around Apple Bloom. Lifting her head, she saw that Zecora had wrapped her in a hug. “Hush now, my dear, grieve not for me. I want you go on, live sadness-free.”
“How?” the filly wailed. “How am Ah supposed to go on, Zecora? It’s mah fault that yer...”
Zecora shook her head firmly. “Do not give yourself the blame for the fate I met in the flames,” she said sternly. “I made the choice, I accepted what came, and you now have to do the same.”
The two sat in silence for a moment, allowing Apple Bloom to digest what Zecora had said, even as the tears continued to flow down her face. “All...all right,” she said finally. “Ah’ll promise that Ah'll try my level best to...to move on.” She turned and faced her friend. “But Ah...Ah'm gonna miss you so much..."
A strong, insistent breeze blew through the Forest. Zecora looked up at the sky, then turned back to Apple Bloom. “I am aware of the difficulty of letting the spirit of a loved one go free," she said softly, then moved closer and placed a hoof on Apple Bloom’s chest. "But remember, even when our bodies are apart, I shall always be within your heart. All you need is to remember with care, and when you need me, I will be there.”
The zebra gave the filly a loving nuzzle before turning and walking toward the heart of the Forest. With every step that she took, her form faded more and more until she was completely gone.
Apple Bloom sat there for a moment, staring at the spot where Zecora had been. Her previous grief lapped at her heart and mind, threatening to take over again. She shut her eyes and forced it away, not wanting to give in. Then she turned and began the walk back to Sweet Apple Acres. “Ah promise, Zecora” she whispered to nopony in particular. “Ah’ll live mah life from now on...fer you.”