//------------------------------//
// Oh, hello Applejack. How have you been? 
// Story: So Long Old Friend 
// by Silver Butcher 
//------------------------------//

Spike reminisced over the pictures in the small book in front of him. He and Applejack were looking through it. Applejack was laying on his hand as she tried to show him the pictures in the book that to him looked more like smudges than pictures, and after looking at the pictures on the page

"Is that Big Mac? He asked, squinting to see the small smudges before him.

"No, that's a picture of Granny Smith."

"Oh....is that one Big Mac?"

"No that's one of baby me."

"How about....that one."

"That's a picture of Bloomberg," Applejack said with a chuckle, followed by a sigh "They’re all gone now."

"Oh? Where did they go?" Spike asked.

"A.....a better place," Applejack said.

"Can we go visit them some time?"

"Well.... the other girls and ah can't go there, we....we’re not allowed." She said. 

After a while, Spike looked at Applejack, "Can I go there someday? I'd like to visit them, I feel like I haven't seen them in a while." 

Applejack sighed, "One day....one day ya’ll get to go there, but when ya do go, you.....you won't be able to come back either."

"Oh," Spike replied and after a short silence he looked at Applejack with eyes that seemed to be glowing. His eyes seemed brighter than they had earlier, eyes she hadn't seen like that for years. "You're telling me they all died aren't you?" Spike asked as he looked at her.

Applejack wasn’t one to lie so she laid it out for him, "You were there, you attended the funerals of so many, but your so old Spike, your memory is failing you, half the time you don't even recognize us, and when you do, you never remember talking to us afterward." Applejack sighed and gazed sadly at Spike who tilted his head a bit.

"How long have I been in the cave?"

"It's.....it’s been a very long time. Most ponies nowadays don't even believe you exist, most just think yer a myth." Applejack sighed once more waiting for his response but it was too late, the light in his eyes was dead and after looking at her for a moment he smiled.

"Oh, hello Applejack. How have you been?" 

Applejack sighed but smiled, "Oh I'm fine Spike I've just brought this here book with me so we can look back on old times." And so Applejack flipped back to the beginning of the book and began again, "This is a picture of Trixie and Starlight flying kites, and here's a picture of me and Bigmac...." This went on for hours, but Applejack never got far, as Spike would always forget what they were doing.