My name was Apple- like the fruit. First name Lilac, named as such for my soft, flower-like coat, and wings that resembled petals. I was thirteen years old when I was murdered, on January 29th, 2027.
Though I wasn't particularly well-known at my school, a lot of people came to my memorial service- despite the common busy-ness that tended to flow through Ponyville's everyday life. Everyone that I knew of- from custodians to the principal himself- came. My small circle of friends showed the most emotion, other than my mother of course. After the service, some ponies would still come to my grave and leave lilac branches. My family, bless them, came three days a week and would always leave painted rocks- one of the little things I had really liked. My mother, Fluttershy McBreeze, would always paint a lush lilac flower with butterflies sitting majestically on the branches. My father, "Big" Macintosh Apple, always wrote a quote from Lewis Carrot, an author I always admired for his whimsical tales of Card Soldiers and Mad Hatters. My two siblings, because neither of them had gotten the hang of art quite yet, collaborated to make a little rabbit picture using pastels (to their distress, the colors would often smudge and "ruin" the picture).
When I was alive, I would often help my mother at the Natural Recovery Center, nourishing babies and learning about how to caretake for different animals. She was known for her particular skill in the area~ some big-shot from Canterlot even offered her her own show "Cat Whisperer" or something... she declined (and then they got some new pony- Jackson Galaxy or whoever). My father taught me how to properly buck trees when I was 10, the age of my sister. Everyday, we'd go out into the orchard, kick the trunks of trees until we had a good barrel or so, filled to the brim with Red Gala's, Pink Ladies, Honey-crisp's, and Fuji's.
My sister, Honeycrisp Posey Apple, was two years younger than me at the time of my death. It was hard to take for my baby brother, Appleseed, but it was harder for her. Honeycrisp had grown up with me for her entire life, and through thick and thin, we'd always managed to stand by each other ~ and live as true sisters. There was an embarrassing story about Honeycrisp and I that my dad always liked to tell; when I was 4 and Honeycrisp was 2, my parents gave her all of their attention (naturally, but a 4 year-old filly would have a hard time understanding that, eh?) , so in a rage, I..... Peed on her when my parents were making lunch. Honeycrisp never let me live that down. As for my brother, Appleseed, there isn't much to say other than that he's three.
As for my current situation, I reside in heaven, among the bright streets of Utopia Square, seeing and feeling what I always desired. But heaven isn't all that it seems. Not if you come the wrong way, like I did on January 29th, 2027.
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School had gotten out early so that we could take advantage of the snow being here during the short lived winters of Ponyville. My parents had already picked up Honeycrisp from school, and asked that I get home ASAP. At the point of no return, I was only a short five-minute trot from the barn on the outskirts of Ponyville, and I had just come by a familiar green house with a familiarly neat garden. This was Mr. Harvey's home, I recognized it because my mother always admired the garden, and I'd seen his little teepee out lately, a hobby of his.
"Hello," said a voice. I turned around to see Mr. Harvey, the fat pegasus of Talon Street. His gray coat was smudged with dirt and stained with a faded red, wine I figured, he was known for being a bit of an alcoholic. "You're the older Apple girl, right?"
"Yes," I responded curtly. "Lilac."
"Aw, so you foalsat for my little filly Cyan. Why don't you come inside for a little bit of cider! It's the least I could do, she hasn't stopped talking' about you for weeks."
Nothing could be wrong with a simple glass of cider, right?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Harvey, I'm supposed to be home soon, we have plans to visit my Aunt Rarity in Las Pegasus."
He contemplated for a moment, and then spoke, in a slightly more firm voice.
"Well, I got a lot of it, and I need help finishing it. Come on, you're doin' me a service, and don't your parents always want you to help in the community? It won't be long."
His points convinced me, though I knew I should've declined.
"Alright," I confirmed. "I'll come."
As Mr. Harvey stepped on to his doormat, he stopped dead in his tracks. "You know, I think I left the cider in my cellar." Mr. Harvey said with a polite smile. "Come with me, please?"
I nodded, and trotted behind him. He had a slight spring in his step, and his hooves hit the ground briefly and hard, as if he was waiting for something. After a short while, Harvey and I had reached a small hill with a door dug into the side. It looked like a Hobbithole from 'The Lord of the Rings'. The pegasus in front of me opened the door and revealed a staircase. He beckoned me as he began to trot down. I was starting to get suspicious, but for whatever reason, I didn't go back. Ponyville was a town of tranquil history, nopony could've REALLY thought anything bad would come from this.
. . .