"What?! No!" Apple Bloom howled.
Apple Bloom ran into the barn as fast as her hooves would allow. Applejack and Big Mac followed. Applejack's friends gasped and decided to join the rest of the family in going to see her in her last moments.
As they arrived upstairs, Granny Smith looked terrible. Her green had turned a pale color and her breathing came in short skips.
"Granny..." Apple Bloom said tears filling her eyes.
The Apples and the Mane 6 were about ready to join Apple Bloom in crying. But Granny Smith looked up and gave her family a weak smile.
"Applejack, Big Mac, Apple Bloom," Granny Smith croaked. "I want to give you some words before I go."
Granny Smith whispered some words Apple Bloom couldn't hear to Applejack and Big Mac. They just nodded in understanding and gave Granny Smith a hug before backing away to the family.
When it was Apple Bloom's turn, she leaned down to hear her Granny's voice. It pained her to see how her voice had once been so strong and happy, but now it was soft, quiet, and raspy.
"Apple Bloom," Granny Smith rasped. "I want you to know who you are inside and who you want to be. Do you know who you are?"
Apple Bloom was stumped by this question. She had never given it any thought. "I---"
Apple Bloom thought she could answer that when she earned her cutie mark, but this moment told her otherwise. She didn't know who she was anymore. She could only figure out cutie mark problems with her friends and now she could no longer follow the path that had been set out for her.
Granny Smith smiled. "Think about it."
Granny Smith closed her eyes and looked peaceful. She took one last shaky breath and it stopped completely.
Applejack's friends comforted her as she desperately held back tears she didn't want. Big Mac wanted to cry as well and he was comforted by other family members.
"Let's go," Apple Split told everyone sadly.
Everyone, except for Apple Bloom left.
"You coming?" they had asked.
"I'll be down in a minute," Apple Bloom had replied.
After they left, Apple Bloom turned back to Granny Smith who lie on her deathbed with a faint smile. Tears filled Apple Bloom's eyes. "Who am I?" She thought for a moment. "I am a girl who loves my family. I'm a girl who loves to see where I go." Apple Bloom leaned over and hugged Granny Smith again with tears running down her cheeks like rain. "Don't worry, Granny. I promise I'll make you proud."
Apple Bloom began to leave and she looked back at her grandmother. "And I won't break it." Apple Bloom left.
Apple Bloom felt grief for the first time. It wasn't like the time she thought she had to leave her farm. It was worse this time. It felt more real than that.
She would describe it as drowning, but seeing everypony else around her breathing. She felt an array of emotions. Denying that it happened, anger at anyone who seemed to try to comfort her. She tried to do something that could bring her back. She'd lay Granny Smith's bandana on her favorite rocking chair and talk to it as if it was her. She also constantly cried and felt devastated at the loss. Applejack and Big Mac seemed to have an easier time, but they still felt the same emotions.
Since it was Apple Bloom's first loss, she didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to control the emotions that arose from her. She tried to be happy like her family wanted her to, but she couldn't. The mask she tried to wear seemed to slip off her face faster than Rainbow Dash could do one of her tricks.
Apple Bloom desperately wanted her friends to come tell her it was okay, so she waited hopefully. But they never came.
So, Apple Bloom told herself to let go. To accept what had happened to Granny. To accept that her friends and her had drifted apart. To accept that time had run away from her and she had to grab a new present.
It was then that Apple Bloom, for the first time in months, could genuinely smile.
Scootaloo was bored. Rainbow Dash no longer had any free time. Scootaloo continued to practice flying, but she improved little by little. After a year, she could only fly a foot off the ground and could only do a front flip and a back flip. She was trying to learn to do a loop by herself, but her attempts were futile on her own. She always fell back to earth and every one of her knees was skinned.
Scootaloo rode her scooter to pass the time. She did the familiar tricks that she knew.
However, her scooter hit a bit of a rock and went flying. Scootaloo screamed and tried to use her wings, but she was dragged back down by fear. She landed on her scooter and it did a full flip in the air. Scootaloo held tightly onto the handlebars and managed to stay on. As her scooter landed, she was awarded with applause and cheers from some citizens of Ponyville. She patted her scooter with a relieved sigh. "Thank you."
"Hey! Nice moves!"
Scootaloo whirled around to see a stallion about her age standing against a building. He smiled at her.
"Thanks!" Scootaloo replied. "That's nice of you!"
The stallion walked up to her and checked on her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes," Scootaloo assured him. "I'm fine. I just didn't expect that."
"Me neither," the stallion replied with a chortle. "I'm Rumble. What's your name?"
"Scootaloo."
"Scootaloo," Rumble practiced the name. "That's such an awesome name!"
"Wow, thanks."
"Do you want to be friends?" Rumble inquired.
"That would be nice," Scootaloo said. "I've been needing friends."
"Me too," Rumble admitted. "I guess that's something we have in common already."
Scootaloo's spirits lifted up. It felt nice to know she had a new friend by her side.
Spike was pretty much done trying to win Rarity's heart, so he only worked at her boutique to help out as a friend. He was a bit taller now just a little bit taller than Rarity.
Now, he mostly talked and played with Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle started considering Spike one of her closest friends. Spike also started considering Sweetie Belle a close friend.
Rarity had noticed how distant Spike had become. He only responded and talked to her when she asked for favors. Rarity felt that the problem was her, so she tried reaching out to him.
"Spike, darling?" Rarity called. "Are you here?"
"What do you need?" Spike asked, pleasantly.
"Do you want to talk to me?" Rarity inquired him. "I'm here if you want to say anything."
Spike shrugged. "I don't really know what to say."
"Oh, I'm sure you do," Rarity replied with a giggle.
Spike knew what he wanted to say, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings either. So, he kept his mouth shut and didn't say anything. He just cleared his throat and rocked back and forth on his feet.
Rarity was confused. Spike used to love talking to her. Was was he acting so strange?
Rarity frowned. "Fine then. Don't say anything."
Spike was a bit shocked by her cold tone. It hadn't been firm, yelling, or mean. It had just been slightly hurt and cold.
Spike nodded and left the room not wanting to further argue with her. He met Sweetie Belle and sat down by her.
"I'll never understand girls," Spike admitted.
Sweetie Belle stifled a huge laugh. "It's alright. You can talk to me."
"What are you working on?" Spike asked.
"A drawing," Sweetie Belle replied.
"What for?"
Sweetie Belle clenched a crayon in her mouth and began to color in the picture. "Just for fun, really. I like drawing. It's one of my favorite things to do besides singing. I also love to crochet, but I like drawing better."
"Can you teach me how to draw? I want to make something for Twilight."
Sweetie Belle looked at him in surprise, but then a smile appeared on her face. "Of course."