//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Past The End // Story: The Immortal Apple // by Partycannon_ //------------------------------// Past The End The classroom was empty all except for three fillies, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. Everyone went home for the day, even Miss Cheerilee. The three fillies gathered around one of the desks as paper spilled onto the floor. "Look, if we don't do bungee jumping today then we will have to do it next Thursday. Where was that chart again, its somewhere around here," said Scootaloo as she searched the ground, turning over each paper. "But we can't do it today, I have to be home early to see my parents," said Sweetie Belle as she began drawing another chart. "We can't do it next Thursday either because that's when Babs comes over, why can't we do it Wednesday again?" asked Apple Bloom as she pointed to one of the family schedules she made. "We can't Wednesday because that's when we will try and get our planting cutie mark," answered Scootaloo standing up with a few papers. "Why didn't we just do this at the club house?" asked Sweetie Belle. "It was already too late when we realized that-" Knock! Knock! Knock! The sound of knocking filled the room and the three fillies looked to the only door in confusion. The three of them noticed as the walls around them fell, and the ceiling vanished. On the other side of the now collapsed walls was an endless desert, the sun lay still in the sky without a cloud in sight as a huge broken hourglass hides within the mounds of sand. The three fillies looked around in shock, eventually their eye's all met. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both looked at Apple Bloom with genuine smiles as tears roll down their face's. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both turned into sand, they collapsed leaving two piles on the floor. "G-Guys! Don't leave me!" Apple Bloom wept. She used her charred black hooves to pick up some of the sand. Knock! Knock! Knock! Knocking once again filled the air and soon the sound of Apple Bloom crying became inaudible. Apple Bloom awoke, she looked to the ceiling while laying on her back. She brought her yellow hoof up as though to grab the ceiling. Knock! Knock! Knock! "Give me a second!" she loudly spoke as she begun leaving her bed. Apple Bloom opened the door to the house and sunshine quickly overtook her eyes, once her eyes adjusted she saw a grey pegasus with a letter in her hoof. The pegasus stated "Letter for Apple Bloom, from Princess Twilight," she looked at Apple Bloom with a neutral expression but it quickly turned into a frown. "Ah'm Apple Bloom, thank you very much," Apple Bloom smiled as she stuck out her hoof. The mail pony handed the letter over still frowning. "Um, I know its none of my business but are you okay?" "W-Why is my hair messed up?" Apple Bloom grabbed ahold of her bow and was quickly relived. "No, its just. You seem to be crying..." the mail pony gave an awkward smirk. Apple Bloom then lifted her hoof up to her face and felt tears across her damp fur. "Oh, Ah'm okay... Was just cutting some onions, well, thank you!" Apple Bloom gave the mail pony two bits and closed the door quickly. Apple Bloom breathed in heavily and then let out a hefty sigh. She then looked to the letter as she lifted up her hoof, she opened it and began to read. 'Dear Apple Bloom, I wish you to join me tomorrow in the castle. Train tickets are paid in full, food and accommodations will be covered for you and any friends you bring. Hope to see you then!' "Well, Ah guess Ah'll start packing.." Apple Bloom took a towel and began drying up her face. Apple Bloom found herself at the train station with two suitcases as she talked to one of the workers. "I'm sorry filly but you're going to need an adult to buy a ticket," the worker stated. "Ah already told you that Ah am an adult, here is mah ID," Apple Bloom put a form of identification on the table above her. The worker rolled their eyes and looked over the ID. "You are Apple Bloom and you are, as of today, two hundred and fifty years old..." the worker looked down at the filly unimpressed. Apple Bloom face hooved. The train conductor stepped out of the train and looked about, he noticed Apple Bloom talking to a worker and made his way over. "Hey Apple Bloom, having difficulties today as well," the conductor asked with a smirk. "Oh, howdy. And yeah, it never gets old. Can ya help an old friend out?" Apple Bloom smiled at the conductor. "Sure, go ahead and load you're things up, I'll talk with the worker," the conductor smiled. "Thanks, don't know what Ah would do without ya!" said Apple Bloom as she started pushing her luggage on the train. "Anytime!" The train car was packed, it was filled with tons of ponies, mostly fillies, they mostly ran around playing with each other. Apple Bloom sat perfectly still and took out a book on advanced chemistry and flipped to her bookmark. She got looks from everypony, mostly negative but she didn't really mind. One of the fillies ran around the train car jumped to the seat next to Apple Bloom. The filly looked at her bow with awe and started to poke at it, Apple Bloom didn't notice as she flipped a page. The filly ended up untying the bow not entirely on purpose and it fell to the floor of the train car. The entire train car stopped, not a single pony made a sound, and nopony moved. Apple Bloom was pitch black as she appeared to be completely charred with bright red eyes. The smell of death made it so nopony could look away. Apple Bloom put her bookmark back in her book and sat it beside her, she got up and picked up the bow. She then tied the bow back in her hair and her appearance once again became normal and the smell subsided. She picked back up her book and continued to read. Nopony in the train car made a sound for the rest of the trip, the parents grabbed their children in silence and sat them extremely close and anypony near Apple Bloom scooted away as far as they could in complete silence. Apple Bloom sat in a small lobby as she read her chemistry book, the lobby room was circular and expanded upwards to towering heights like every other room in the castle. The room was overall quite, there was an important looking mare sitting a few seats away from Apple Bloom and a guard stands idly by. Two ponies in the corner of the room talked, one was behind a counter, she had piles of paperwork and looked rather stressed, the other was some pony with a barrel of bits as a cutie mark. "Hm, if Ah can make arsenic trioxide, then maybe that could work," Apple Bloom said under her breath. The important looking mare slowly turned her head to Apple Bloom in deep concern. One of the doors opened as a white stallion with golden hair entered the room with a large collection of papers. "Apple Bloom, you can go in now," said the stressed pony behind the counter. Apple Bloom got up from her chair and put her book in one of her suitcases, she then pushed the door open and trotted inside revealing a long room with magnificent glass pains filling the walls, at the end was a tall throne as Princess Twilight overlooked multiple papers. Apple Bloom made her way over to Twilight and stopped at the foot of the ramp that lead to the throne. "Howdy Twilight! Its been awhile," she said in a smile. Twilight levitated the papers off to her side and turned her gaze upon Apple Bloom with a lighthearted smile. "It has been far too long Apple Bloom, sorry I couldn't be more specific in my letter to you. I hope the trip found you well!" "Yeah it was pretty normal.. So why did ya call me here anyways?" Apple Bloom smirked. "Well, first let me say: happy birthday Apple Bloom," Twilight clapped her hooves softly. "Oh yeah, Ah forgot that was today.." Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her head. Twilight looked behind Apple Bloom and saw nopony. "Will anypony else be joining us?" "Nope, just me," Apple Bloom answered. There was a long silence and Twilight sighed, "I made a promise to Applejack a long time ago and its about time to conclude it." Twilight frowned, "Apple Bloom I shall grant you a wish. I have a few more ponies to get through before I have some free time so until then think about what you want," Twilight smiled. "What if Ah already know what Ah want?" asked Apple Bloom. "Oh, what is it Apple Bloom?" Twilight looked curious. Apple Bloom looked to Twilight with determination. "I need you to kill me."