Lost and Found
By the time Apple Bloom realized she was in the Everfree Forest, she had already lost all sense of direction. The trees seemed to press in around her when she could see them at all, and more than once her hooves caught on a rock or root, sending her tumbling to the ground. The deeper she traveled, the thicker the forest became until she found herself pushing her way through tangles of branches and leaves just to make headway.
The filly threw herself against a particularly thick patch and bounced off, adding yet another bruise to her growing collection. Her legs ached from all the pushing and shoving, and her chest and face stung with what felt like hundreds of scrapes and cuts. She looked around, trying to find the way she’d come, but the darkness made it all but impossible. “Is anypony out there?” she called. Her words seemed to travel only a few feet before falling dead against the foliage. “Anypony at all?”
The sound of flapping wings reached her ears. She looked up. The clouds above shifted to reveal the full moon. A moment later, several pegasi flew across the sky, momentarily silhouetted against the night sky.
Apple Bloom’s heart leapt to her throat. They must be looking for me! “Hey! Down here! I’m down he—”
Her words were cut off by a hoof that suddenly pressed against her mouth. “Make not a peep, my little one,” a soft voice said. “These ponies do not serve the sun.”
Apple Bloom let out a soft squeak as the last of the pegasi passed overhead. The hoof left her mouth, and she turned to see a familiar striped face looking at her in the light of a lantern. “Zecora! What are you doing out here?”
“I came looking for some flowers to enhance my potions’ powers,” Zecora said. “Then the night came far too soon, and I feared Ponyville’s doom.”
Apple Bloom’s gaze turned to the sky. The clouds had already halfway covered the moon again. “What’s going on, Zecora? Who were those ponies?”
“Shadowbolts are what they are,” Zecora answered. “They serve the dark mare near and far. She summons them with magic black, and then she uses them to attack.”
“You mean those are the things that set fire to Ponyville?” Apple Bloom asked. Zecora nodded. “Why would they do that? They’re ponies just like the rest of us, aren’t they?”
“I fear not, my Apple Bloom,” said Zecora. “These ponies only bring death and gloom. We must find shelter very soon,” she added before Apple Bloom could ask another question, “or we’ll be caught by Nightmare Moon.”
Apple Bloom nodded as Zecora picked up her lantern and walked into the forest. The filly wasn’t sure how the zebra was able to find a clear path through the trees, but find it she did. She heard wings flapping a few more times as they made their way to Zecora’s hut. Each time, Zecora would leave her path and hide beneath a rocky overhang or thick net of branches. “Why are we hiding?” she whispered at one point.
“They are searching for escapees,” Zecora whispered back. “Their presence fills me with unease.”
The constant ducking and hiding did little to calm Apple Bloom’s nerves. By the time Zecora’s hut came into view, her head was filled with questions, but one weighed more heavily than the others. “Zecora?” she asked as they walked in the door. “Where’s Applejack and Big Mac and my Granny Smith?”
Zecora lit a fire under her cauldron and began searching through her bottles and vases. “Those cuts look like they hurt a lot,” she said. “Let’s give a few of these a shot.”
“Forget the cuts!” Apple Bloom shouted as Zecora grouped several jars on her table. “What happened to my family?”
“Hush! Be silent, little one, or all our efforts will be undone,” Zecora hissed. “Nightmare Moon still roams the night. Against her, we cannot hope to fight.”
Apple Bloom groaned and sat down while Zecora applied a sweet-smelling potion to her cuts. The potion stung, but it closed up her wounds in a matter of minutes. “What is that stuff?” she asked.
“A potion from the south, my dear,” Zecora replied as she reached for another bottle. “This will help to quell your fear.”
“I’m not afrai—” Apple Bloom managed to say before Zecora put the bottle to her lips. The potion tasted like apple cider, and she felt her body begin to relax. “That’s pretty good stuff.”
“Feeling better after all,” Zecora observed. “You’ve been through a lot for one so small.”
Now that she had calmed down, Apple Bloom looked around the hut. For the most part, it looked just how she remembered it—bubbling cauldron, slightly creepy masks, jars all over. However, she also saw a pair of saddlebags hanging on the wall filled with herbs and bottles. “What’re those for?” she asked.
Zecora glanced at the bags as she added something to her cauldron. “My safety here reaches new lows as the dark mare’s power grows,” she said. “I must leave this dreadful place before her servants can give chase.”
“You’re leavin’?” Apple Bloom repeated. “But what about my family? Who’s gonna help me find them?”
Zecora sighed and looked into Apple Bloom’s eyes. “The mare of darkness will not spare those who rose against her there,” she said. “If Applejack attacked head first, I fear we must assume the worst.”
Apple Bloom’s mind suddenly froze. “N-no. It can’t… Applejack couldn’t….”
“Applejack was proud and strong, but she would not have lasted long,” Zecora said.
“B-but what about Big Mac? What about Granny?” Apple Bloom pressed.
Zecora shook her head. “Ponyville was naught but ash after today’s terrible clash. I hate to share this news with you, but I fear that it is true.”
“You don’t know that!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Applejack’s still out there! She has to be! S-she… she…”
Apple Bloom’s voice gave out, and her words were buried under sobs. She felt Zecora put a hoof on her shoulder. Apple Bloom wrapped her forelegs around the zebra and pressed her face into her chest, hoping that somehow it would make everything better.
“I am sorry, little one, that this battle was not won,” Zecora said softly.
“W-what am I gonna do?” Apple Bloom asked, looking up at Zecora through her tears. “Where am I gonna go?”
Zecora gave her a soft smile. “I leave tomorrow for my home in Zebrica, where I used to roam,” she said. “The journey will be quite a hike, but you may follow, if you like.”
Apple Bloom closed her eyes. Everything I know is gone, she thought. Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville… She fought to hold back a fresh wave of sobs and sucked in a deep breath. She knew she had family in Manehattan and Appleloosa, but as long as Nightmare Moon roamed free, how could she feel safe in any part of Equestria?
“Well, my child, what will it be?” Zecora asked. “Whatever you choose is fine with me. Just promise me that you’ll not stay where Nightmare Moon can take you away.”
Apple Bloom swallowed and told herself that she was making the right choice. “All right, Zecora,” she said at last. “I’ll go with you.”
Zecora nodded. “Right now, the dark mare’s too hostile. I want you to rest a while. We will leave at light of dawn, when the Shadowbolts are gone.”
Apple Bloom nodded and curled up in a corner. Her long run through the wilderness had left her exhausted, and the warm fire beneath the cauldron and the soft clink of bottles made her eyelids heavy. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep with only her dreams to keep her company.