Tears in her eyes, Applejack nodded. "Lord, fergive me fer what Ah'm about ta do." She squeezed on the trigger, and discharged both barrels at once. The flames roared out of the barrel as the twin shotgun shells slammed into the creature, tearing it into a mass of blood and flesh as it hit the ground. It was too much, and Applejack collapsed onto her knees weeping. She had supposed to look out for Apple Bloom, but she had failed her sister completely. She had been taken by those things, and now she was dead by her own hands. Applejack knew that if she survived this night, she would be going straight to hell.
"Do not worry," said a voice behind her, a girl in an 1850s outfit with glowing eyes. "Let me take you back!"
"How?" Applejack whispered. "Ah'm a murderer. Ah just killed mah own sister!"
"Do not fear, as all can be undone," the girl said again. "Return to reality!"
Just then, all went white...
Applejack awoke with a start in her bedroom, sitting up in bed with sweat pouring down her face. She looked around inside to see all was calm. Her window was closed, and the curtains were closed across it, indicating that it was the night or some point around then. Twilight perhaps? No, not that Twilight. No, not THAT Twilight either. The farm girl grunted and wiped her forehead to remove some of the accumulation of water that had gathered upon her face, and checked her bedside clock. The old hands still rolled faithfully around their circular frame, firm, well built and easy to maintain as it was just a mass of gears and levers that kept the wonderful old machine running like clockwork, if you would excuse the pun.
The small hand was pointed toward the four, and the large hand was pointed toward the six. Four-Thirty. In the morning. Applejack groaned and lay back for a moment. What on Earth had that dream been about? First going into the Everfree Forest to give something to Zecora (who the heck was Zecora? Applejack had never heard of her, and yet there she was in the dream giving something to her of value), and then they had been waylaid by a fallen tree. Then Apple Bloom had vanished into the forest. Applejack had been so scared and worried for her, not knowing where in the world she could be, and then those things had attacked them. Applejack had never taken a life before, but those things were technically no longer alive, so at least it didn't count in that regard. But then she had heard another one. A shuffling noise had approached her, and she then went to look... to see that they had gotten Apple Bloom. The one person who should have survived, moved on, but didn't. It had pained Applejack so much to see what had happened, to see the one she was closest to in her family reduced to nothing but a monster, a walking hunk of mindless flesh and bone replacing the wonderful human being that had once been there. But that was the tragedy, and possibly, the irony of the entire thing as well. Complying with the creature's wishes, Applejack had taken the bullet (or the shotgun shell, to be exact) to the creature, at least ending Apple Bloom's pain.
But that didn't mean it didn't hurt. As she had dropped to her knees, weeping at the horrific crime she had just committed, a voice had told her that she had to go back. And here she was now, at home, with...
Wait, Apple Bloom! Applejack jumped out of bed and pulled her slippers on, running into the corridor (after opening the door first. Entering the corridor whilst the door was closed would not only have been challenging, not to metion painful and expensive. Doors cost money, after all!) and turned to her right, speeding toward her sister's bedroom.
Suddenly, a blur of yellow and red crashed into her, coming the other way, and the two of them ended up piled on top of one another. Applejack knew exactly who it was. "Sugarcube!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the younger girl. She was just so relieved that Apple Bloom was alive.
This same relief seemed to be shared by the younger girl. "Sis!" she cried, not caring what time of day it was. "Ah've never been so glad ta wake up."
Applejack was confused. "Did ya by any chance have a dream about goin' ta see Zecora?"
"Err... yes?" Apple Bloom replied. "Then this creepy girl appeared, and Ah followed her ta this place called Sunny Town, and there were ghosts and dead people everywhere! Then it gets a bit hazy after that..."
Applejack just held Apple Bloom tigher. "It don't matter none anymore," she smiled gently, not knowing tears were rolling down her face. "Yer safe, and that's all that matters. But don't ya go runnin' off from me in real life, ya hear?"
"Y-yes ma'am!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Should we try ta get some more sleep? School tom- well, today."
Applejack couldn't agree more.
The next day, or should I say that very day, dawned upon the world, the sun casting forth its eye upon the world and radiant beams thundering down upon Canterlot. That very day, the Apple siblings, Big Mac included for what would soon be the final time, arrived and went their separate ways. In Form Room, Cheerilee greeted the class, which included Apple Bloom and her friends, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Cozy Glow.
"Attention students!" she called. "Before we begin with the boring stuff, I just wanted to tell you all that we have a new student starting today. She's from Philadelphia, and I want you all to be as nice to her as possible. You can come in now!"
The door opened, and a girl stepped through the door. She had yellow skin and green eyes, as well as green hair. She was dressed in a purple shirt and blue jeans, and wore a pair of white trainers on her feet.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Jade, and I'm- Cozy Glow?"