//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Ending Of The End // Story: The Immortal Apple // by Partycannon_ //------------------------------// The Ending Of The End Apple Slice and Apple Bloom made their way back to Ponyville talking the entire way. Everything was silent as they talked, the grass, the trees, and even the wind. Apple Bloom pushed the wheel barrel as they talked but she didn't mind. Apple Slice's mind trotted off as she talked about apple legends and stories from long ago that Apple Bloom heard millions of times yet never grew tired of listening. "The Great Seedling was believed to help out the farm one hundred years ago! Ah mean, can you believe it!" Apple Slice trotted in excitement. "Really? One hundred years ago? Ah haven't seen one," Apple Bloom smiled. "Like I said, its only speculation, but my research tells me its probably true! Ah once tried to go out and catch one but mah mom got mad," Apple Slice beamed with excitement. "Hey, do ya live in Ponyville? If so ya want to come over and hunt the Great Seedling together?" "Ah suppose. Do ya not have anyone else to do it with?" Apple Bloom asked, curiosity taking the best of her. "Nah, Ah uh don't have a lot of friends... Its alright though, its um, easier to hunt for artifacts alone," Apple Slice kicked at the ground. "But hey, now that we are friends we can do it together! We can figure out why there is a pear tree back on the farm, we can hunt down the Great Seedling, and we can find artifacts to help out the farm! Apple Slice and... And..." Apple Slice blushed. "Umm, what's you're name again?" "Ah'll tell you when Ah get you home," Apple Bloom smiled. "A mystery.. Ah like it!" Apple Slice once again beamed. "Sorry for talking you're ear off.. Ah uh can't really talk about this stuff with any other pony.. So uh, thanks!" Apple Slice blushed. "Don't worry about it," Apple Bloom gave off a kind smile. "Does you're mom not talk to ya much?" Apple Bloom's curiosity once again takes hold. "She does, its just uh.. She is a little superstitious," Apple Slice put her hoof over her mouth as though she whispered it, but actually just said it normally. "Ah don't think ya know what that word means.." Apple Bloom smirked. "We are here.. Sweet Apple Acres, mah home," Apple Slice smiled, but it swiftly changed into fear. "Umm." "Hey Apple Slice? Are yawl alright?" Apple Bloom noticed her shaking limbs and realization of something fearful. "Um... Ma is going to be REALLY mad..." Apple Slice slowly turned her head to Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom chuckled, "Don't worry, Ah can handle that." Apple Bloom made her way down the dirt path to the barn while pushing the wheel barrel to the side. Apple Slice stood at the entrance of the farm and finally built enough courage to take a hoofstep forward and quickly found herself hiding behind Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom made her way to the front door, she knocked on the door and the ground began to rumble as the sound of a wood floor breaking filled the air. "I-Is there a monster in there?" asked Apple Bloom as she turned to Apple Slice. "I-If y-you c-count m-my m-mother" Apple Slice curled into a ball. Apple Bloom looked back to the door in a sweat as the sounds and earthquake got closer. 'Ah didn't think that my heart could still race..' Apple Bloom thought. The door flew off its hinges as a purple mare took its place in the door frame, the flaming eyes were intense as she opened her mouth to speak, "APPLE SLICE!" the words rang through Apple Bloom's ears and her head ached. The purple mare looked down to see Apple Bloom and her flaming gaze was extinguished, "Oh.. Hi little filly, sorry Ah didn't mean to frighten you. Ah thought you were my daughter." a ray of kindness flew off the purple mare. "I-Its o-okay.." Apple Bloom sighed in relief. Behind Apple Bloom, Apple Slice poked her head out a tiny bit to see her mother and that decision was a grave mistake. The purple mare picked up Apple Bloom and sat her to the side as she now saw her daughter frightened before her, her eyes grew flames that dragons could not hope to replicate "APPLE SLICE!" She lunged at her daughter but Apple Bloom quickly intervened. "SHE WAS WITH ME.. Any punishment you give to her, give to me instead," Apple Bloom stared at the purple mare with determination. Apple Slice's heart stopped for a few quick moments but was quickly warmed by the kindness of her friend. The purple mare halted mid lunge and looked at Apple Bloom with the flaming eyes but Apple Bloom did not back down, the purple mare backed up as her eyes extinguished. "And.. Who are you?" the mare asked. "Ah am Apple Bloom, Ah take it you are Apple Punch?" Apple Bloom stuck out her hoof. "That name sounds.. Familiar.." Apple Punch shook Apple Bloom's hoof as she stared off into space searching for an answer. Apple Slice also began thinking but none of them drew to a conclusion. "What's all that racket!" a elderly mare entered the room behind Apple Punch, she had a peg leg made from a apple tree and her fur was red. "Oh, Apple Bloom? Its been so long!" she rushed over and gave Apple Bloom a big hug. "Oh, hey, how are yawl doing Fuji!" Apple Bloom returned the hug. "Doing well, and how is my great, great, great aunt doing?" Fuji let Apple Bloom down in a smile. "The usual- actually, quite well," Apple Bloom smiled. Apple Slice ran up to the two of them in excitement. "W-Wait, are you really her great, great, great aunt?" "Eyup," Apple Bloom smirked. "That is.. SO COOL!" Apple Slice shouted. "Apple Bloom here ran the farm for at least one hundred years, she ran it when Ah was young," Fuji smiled. "But wait.. If you're my grandmother's great, great, great aunt then what does that make us? Maybe my great, great, great, great-" "It makes us family!" Apple Bloom gave Apple Slice a small hug. Apple Punch sat there in a daze and finally began to come back to reality. "W-Wait, if that's true and you say who you say you are then how are you still.. Alive?" Apple Punch looked skeptical at best. "SHOW APPLE BLOOM RESPECT!" Fuji looked to Apple Punch as a mountain of flame erupts from her eyes that not even Twilight could match. She quickly extinguished her eyes and looked back to Apple Bloom in a soft smile as Apple Punch sat down out of loss of strength while black dust fell from the ceiling. "Umm.. Its alright, Ah can talk about it. Ah know Ah shied away from telling yawl in the past. The truth is that Ah was cursed with Immortality and a few other things.." Apple Bloom smirked as she rubbed the back of her head. "But curses don't exi-" Apple Punch quickly stopped as Fuji began to turn her head back. "sorry!" "Ah hope Ah don't become that scary when Ah grow up.. Hey wait, cursed with immortality? Isn't immortality a good thing?" Apple Slice tilted her head. "Also, Ah KNEW CURSES EXIST! YES!" Apple Slice threw her hooves up in excitement. "One would think.. Actually it's not too bad." Apple Bloom smiled to Apple Slice. Apple Bloom found herself once again in the large circular room waiting to see Twilight. It was night outside and because of that no one appeared to be in the waiting room other then the overworked mare behind the counter and the sleepy guard. Apple Bloom found herself reading a story of a young colt as he makes his robot love a heart of steam, obviously a fictional tale but one that she thought she could share with Apple Slice. One of the doors opened and a important looking stallion trotting in the room. The mare behind the counter looked to Apple Bloom, "You can go in now," she said as she drank coffee. Apple Bloom made her way into the room and stopped in front of the ramp that led to the throne. She saw as a tired Twilight scanned through the pile of papers endlessly only stopping to breathe. "Twilight?" Apple Bloom looked up to the throne. Twilight looked down putting her papers to the side. "Apple Bloom!" Twilight smiled with her tired face. "Do yawl need some help?" Apple Bloom tilted her head. "Apple Bloom, you know me more then most. You already know that I love reading..." Twilight looked to the pile of papers. "Even if it is about the exact amount of flowers we should have for the most pollen income" Twilight whispered into her hoof. "R-Right.. Anyways Ah was thinking about my wish," Apple Bloom looked up. Twilight sat up in a gulp as her face became stern. "Yes?" Apple Bloom looked to Twilight with determination "Do you know about the legend of the Great Seedling?" Apple Bloom sat in Sweetie Belle's house, the room had photos of their lives together and showed them as they grew old, all except for Apple Bloom. A old Scootaloo sat on the couch next to Apple Bloom while almost falling asleep. "Tea?" a old Sweetie Belle entered the room and gave a now awake Scootaloo and Apple Bloom a cup. She also sat down with her own cup across from the two. There was a long pause as the three drank there tea, Sweetie Belle sat her cup down on the table. "Apple Bloom... When we pass.." Sweetie started. "No!" Apple Bloom shot. "Apple Bloom..." Scootaloo said as she frowned. "Ah.. Ah.." tears began to form on Apple Blooms face. "Y-You girls can't leave me!" "A-Apple Bloom, we can't stay.." Sweetie Belle looked Apple Bloom directly in her eyes. "Y-Yes you can!" Apple Bloom wiped away the flood of tears. Scootaloo shook her head as she hid her face while tears began to form. "Me and Scootaloo talked this over, its our final wish," Sweetie began to tear up. "W-What?" Apple Bloom fought with her tears. "We.. We, most of all, want you to be happy." The End!