The sun was setting on another beautiful day of Equestria, and the last waining beams of sunlight cave way to creeping tendrils of darkness reaching across the sky. Applejack let out a grunt as she focused her energy into one last buck. The apple tree shook, of course, but did not yield all of it's cargo. She sighed with a mix of frustration and sadness. "Ain't what I used to be, I suppose," she said, rubbing her perspiration covered forehead. She, of course, was getting old... and she could feel it. The once energetic pony now grew weary after a long days work. The muscles that once rivaled even the strongest of colts had now yielded to age, holding far less power than they had used to. Despite this, she tended the fields, proving that she still had a good bit of work left in her. Day in and day out, she worked the orchard just as she did as a spry young mare. She heard the familiar clopping of hooves behind her, and knew who it was. "Oh hey, Appleb Bloom," she said in her usual friendly manner. "Big Mac done with the South Field yet?" Her little sis, as she still liked to call her, instead of answering asked, "When the hay is Rarity getting back? Sweetiebelle is starting to worry." Applejack mulled this over a bit. Rarity had been gone awfully long. She was only supposed to be in Manehattan for a week, plus 4 days for traveling. "She's been gone 2 weeks," added Applebloom. "How about we this we go and send word for her tomorrow?" negotiated Applejack. "I'm sure she's fine, Applebloom. She probably just got caught up in the fancy city life," she added, assuring herself as well as Applebloom. She certainly hoped she was right.
The next day, Applejack awoke with a fright. "Just a dream," she grumbled to herself. As she rubbed her eyes, she noticed that her face was wet. She'd been crying. "That dream," she whispered to herself, letting a tear flow from her eye. That dream had haunted her since Fluttershy passed, and only amplified when Pinkie went as well. She let out a small sniff, trying desperately to shake out the memory of that dream. "You OK, sis?" The voice belonged to Apple Bloom. Applejack was unable to find her voice, and instead gave a simple nod to Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom, of course, knew that it wasn't all right. She could see it in AJ's eyes. It was a trait that she developed after being with Applejack so long, helping her through sorrow, and in all truthfulness, Applejack hated it. Despite this, she found herself in an embrace with her younger sister, who always seemed to know exactly what Applejack needed. "Thanks, sis," Applejack said, a consoled sigh escaping her. "For what?" her sister inquired, unsure of what exactly Applejack was talking about. "For just being there," her sister said, voice muffled in her little sibling's shoulder.
She made her way downstairs, and was greeted by Twilight Sparkle. "Good morning, Applejack," she said in her usual cheery tone. "Oh, mornin' Twi," the orange earth pony replied, with a sudden lift in her spirit. "What do we got planned for the day?" Twilight's head cocked to the side as it often does when she analyzes something. "Don't you usually work the fields in the mornings?" she asked with true skepticism. "Well," replied Applejack. "Figured I'd take the day off, maybe head into town, enjoy myself for once." Twilight giggled in that innocent way she does, and replied, "Well then come on," before striding out the door with her friend.
"Ah, nothing like a day enjoying yourself around Ponyvillle to lift the spirits, right?" asked Twilight, a wide smile pasted to her face. "Ooh boy, I haven't had a nice time for myself in ages, Twi. Thanks for lettin' me tag along," she said with a truly appreciative smile aimed at her friend. "Oh, of course," replied Twilight, her usual cheery attitude unwavering. "Mind if I stop by Rarity's Boutique to check up on Sweetie Belle?" inquired Twilight. "Actually," replied Applejack, "I was just about to make a quick run over there to see if any news had come about when she'd get back." The two darted off in the direction of the boutique, a large white and purple cylinder, vaguely resembled a wedding cake. As the large carousel shaped building came into view, they slowed. "Goodness," said Applejack, "ain't as chipper as I used to be." She was still in better shape than Twilight, who never really had any interest in outdoor work, much less sports. Twilight disregarded these thoughts, as she usually did with irrelevant ones, and gingerly opened the large, gilded door that adorned boutique.
"Sweetie Belle!" Twilight called out. "Are you in here?" The boutique was in perfect condition, just as Rarity left it. A sense of emptiness, however, filled the small central room. Mannequins draped with unfinished designs collected dust. "Twi?" Asked Applejack. "You gettin' some bad vibes from here?" Twilight felt a shudder travel down her spine. "It certainly is strange that this place hasn't changed at all," she assessed. "The only thing that looks like it's been used is the oven." The oven that Twilight was referring to was open, with an eerie light emitting from it. A half eaten, burnt pie laid on the center rack. A sniffle, barely audible, found its way downstairs. Applejack said nothing, and dashed upstairs, a certain sense of dread filling her; one that she knew too well, and hoped never to feel again. There, in her bedroom, huddled up on the floor, was Sweetie Belle. A small letter laid beside her, damp with tears.
"Sweetie Bell!" called out Applejack. The pink and purple maned pony flinched at her name. As Applejack raced over to console her, a faint whisper leaked from the younger mare. "She's gone," was all she managed. Applejack's heart dropped like a stone, reaching the deepest depths of her being. Her eyes widened, as she was overcome with that familiar feeling of dread, emptiness, and sorrow. She knew exactly what Sweetie meant. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there, Rarity," the broken unicorn said. "I should've gone with you." Applejack broke down once more, and collapsed next to Sweetie Belle. Twilight, who had just arrived, immediately understood what was happening, and lost the strength in her hind legs, dropping to her haunches, with her face locked at the ground, weeping for another friend lost.
"She was supposed to be back in less than 2 weeks," Sweetie Belle forced out. "She was uh... showing her new collection to a famous designer up in Manehattan. Her dreams were finally coming true." The white unicorn was barely able to explain what had happened. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo listened intently, their eyes flooding as they sympathized for their grieving friend. "On her way back to her apartment," continued Sweetie, "she was held up by some thugs, and... and she tried to fight back." Tears flowed from her face, tracing their way downward to her chin. "Somepony walking by rushed in and tried to help her... buy her some time to run. They were both shot... Rarity was almost in the clear, and then..." Sweetie was unable to finish her sentence. The sorrow of losing her sister, her mentor, her caretaker was far too fresh in her mind to continue. Applebloom and Scootaloo embraced Sweetie Belle, trying fruitlessly to sooth the stinging sorrow of losing a loved one.
Rainbow Dash was still sensitive about Pinkie Pie's passing, less than a year earlier. The news about Rarity would surely break the pegasus. "Listen ya'll," Applejack said, addressing Twilight and the trio of mares before her. "Rainbow is still pretty beat up about what happened to Pinkie Pie. Best let her be... She'll figure it out soon enough. Don't need anymore sudden trauma, poor thing." Applejack shook her head as she said this. Rainbow Dash was always good at hiding her emotions, but deep down, she had a deeper connection to her friends than anyone. A loss of a friend to her was tenfold that of any other pony. Any sudden news of the incident would surely send the rainbow pegasus into a deep depression. "For now," Applejack said, "tell her that Rarity is staying with her parents. It'll make it easier on her." She, of course, felt guilty about lying to her friend, but it was the only way to keep her from spiraling into another fit of anguish, as she did when Pinkie passed, one of which she almost never recovered. The 4 ponies in front of her nodded, their faces contorted with guilt and sorrow. "Ok," Twilight said simply, unable to find the words to piece together a more witty response.