VISITOR FIVE
Applejack descended the stairs in a trance. The world as she knew it had gone hazy, as though replaced by some film. She knew she was a part of it—one of the central characters, really—but she thought it might not hurt just to wait and to watch for a time. It was easier that way, she felt. It didn’t hurt nearly as much that way.
When she entered the kitchen, she patted her sister on the head, not meeting her eyes. Apple Bloom asked her if she was feeling okay and Applejack nodded and said not a word. From a drawer, she removed the tin of nails and together they boarded up the window in Apple Bloom’s room. The quiet room across the hall lay untouched, its door shut tight.
Once the windows had been sealed again, the pair reentered the living room, where for the first time since all the horrors began, Applejack finally collapsed onto the couch.
From the kitchen, Apple Bloom asked her, “Don’t you want somethin’ to eat, Applejack? I thought you might want to eat a bit on account of that bite on your neck and all.”
Applejack smiled at her faintly; the loss of blood making her woozy and pale. Her tired and sore body ached in every joint and her eyes begged to close.
Sleep, she thought. I might be happy again if I slept. I might dream. I might dream of something other than this.
Apple Bloom looked concerned and stepped into the room. “You okay, Applejack? You look sick. Do you want a blanket? Some soup? I’m sure there’s a can of something in the stack.”
Applejack patted the part of the couch next to her. “Come sit with me for a bit, Apple Bloom. I just… I just wanna keep you close. It wasn’t safe for us to be apart, even while inside.” She tried for a smile again, her lips twitching.
Her sister came and sat down beside her. “You’re not mad at me, are you sis?”
She shook her head. “Never. You made a mistake, that’s all. But we solved it, didn’t we? We all make mistakes, from time to time, don’t we?”
Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder. “Why are you crying, Applejack?”
She wiped the single tear away and glanced at her wet hoof. “And here I thought I was done with all that.”
“Are you worried about Granny Smith and Big Mac?”
Applejack told her softly, “I’m worried about a lot of things. Like what I’ll do once I leave this place.”
“You don’t need to leave, Applejack. We can stay here. It’s safe here. And we’ve got each other and I’m sorry about before.” She paused and looked away from her. “I should have trusted you from the start. You were only looking out for us and all I could think about were my friends, even if they weren’t my friends at all. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
Applejack pulled her sister to her side and wrapped her in both legs. She rested her chin on her head and stared at a picture on the wall—a portrait of the four members of the Apple family, a few moments after one of the most bountiful harvests in years. In the picture, Applejack was holding her sister in just the same way.
“You remember that day, Apple Bloom?” she asked.
Her sister snuggled closer to her. “Of course I do. That was one of the first years you all let me help with the harvest. You all thought I’d get in the way, but in the end I helped organize better than anyone.”
Most ponies in town could have told her as much. It wasn’t hard knowledge to come by.
She gave her sister a squeeze. “Darn right, you did. And in truth, we never should have doubted you to begin with. But we sure learned better, didn’t we?”
Apple Bloom giggled. “I was glad to help. You guys always made it look like fun.”
She agreed. “Work can be fun, if you know what you’re doing.” Another tear slipped down her cheek. “You, ah… you remember what I told you right after we took that photo?”
“No. What did you say?”
“That I was proud of you—that you were my little apple bucking partner.” Another tear left her eye. “And you know I still am, right? That I’m proud of you.”
Apple Bloom hesitated. “Are you okay, Applejack?”
“I’m only a little tired is all. The last few days have been hard. For you, too.”
She squeezed her sister again, pinning her to her chest. Her eyes never left the picture on the wall, or the eyes of the smiling pair of sisters standing behind the barrel overloaded with apples.
She whispered to her, “Can you do something for me, Apple Bloom?”
“Sure, sis.”
She found the words hard to say. “All I want… I only want you to… I mean…”
Apple Bloom turned to her, and Applejack couldn’t meet her eyes. The voice of her sister was one thing—the living, breathing image was too terrible to look at. “What is it, Applejack?”
Applejack whimpered silently. “Tell me you love me. Tell me that you always will.”
“Of course I love you, Applejack!” her sister trumpeted. “You’re my sis and you’re the best sis in Equestria. I’ll always love you, Applejack. Always.”
Applejack watched the motionless Apple Bloom in the picture, happy and content, a hint of red in both cheeks from the hard day’s work. She heard the words of her sister from someone who was not her and yet it didn’t matter. She knew her sister loved her. Would always love her. All she wanted was to hear it one last time.
Now tears were coursing down both eyes.
“I love you too, Apple Bloom. More than you could imagine. And I’m sorry I let you down. I was supposed to protect you and in the end I couldn’t. I should have kept my eyes on you like all big sisters should, but I lost you along the way. And now it’s too late. And I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry for that.”
Apple Bloom turned to her. “What are you talking about, Applejack? I’m right here. You’re not sounding yourself.”
“I’m just fine. Don’t worry your little head. I only need to make sure this house stays safe. No more visitors allowed.”
One of Applejack’s legs rested against Apple Bloom’s chest, wrapping around her shoulders. Applejack slid her other leg up to Apple Bloom’s throat. Then she pulled her towards her.
“You’re squeezing me too tight, Applejack.”
Applejack kept her eyes on the family picture. “I know.”
Her sister squirmed in her grasp. “You’re hurting me, Applejack!”
“I know.”
Eventually, Apple Bloom’s head fell to her side and her eyes closed; her breathing became shallow and ragged. Applejack laid her down on the living room rug and found the sight too terrible to view. An old stack of newspapers sat in the kitchen, so she grabbed the top one and set a single layer over her sister’s head.
***
On the way to get her pickaxe upstairs, she stopped by the closed door across the hall. She laid her head against it. She didn’t dare go back inside. Not yet.
She let the pickaxe drag against the floor on her way back down, clipping each step. The sound died instantly as it dragged along the rug.
She gripped it in her teeth and brought it back, momentary glancing at the picture on the wall again. Perhaps she’d sleep after this, she thought. Perhaps she’d dream of that precious moment again. Perhaps she’d wake up and everything would be all right—or maybe she’d be caught or killed by the time she came to. Whatever the case, at least it would mean an end to all of this.
The thin layer of newspaper did little to muffle the crunch of bone. The pickaxe made a clean hole in the paper, and from its center came a thick ring of crimson that slowly pooled around the head. An advertisement for a local bookstore was the first to turn a muddy brown.
Applejack let her weapon stay where it was, then she took a step back and sat on the ground. It took her a very long time to come to the understanding that something was wrong—that something was out of place and wasn’t adding up. Her focus felt more detached than before, almost numb.
She looked at the handle of her pickaxe, still stuck up in the air. Her eyes followed it down to the stained paper and shattered head underneath. From there, her eyes went to the yellow legs sprawled out along the rug, the tiny smooth hooves that remained motionless.
The changeling that’d disguised itself as Sweetie Belle upstairs had reversed back to its true self once it died. Apple Bloom still looked like…
Applejack shook her head. “No. That’s not right.”
Her eyelids barely held up and as she climbed the stairs she wavered from side to side. She must have lost a lot of blood, she thought. Or maybe she lost something much worse.
The closet door in the closed room creaked open and Applejack stared at the empty space. Old jackets and scarves hung along hangers near the ceiling—worn ice skates lay abandoned in the corner. The corpse of her sister was nowhere to be found.
Applejack shut her eyes and fell to the floor, the sight overwhelming.
It was so much easier to embrace the darkness with her eyes shut tight.
In the darkness, there was warmth—a complete lack of understanding. She knew what had happened, of course she had. But it would be a long, long time until it finally sunk in. It was better to believe in something less painful. To do what all those visitors at her door had asked of her from the start: to believe in all those little lies that begged to be swallowed whole.
It was simple, really. It was a path without pain.
“You all right, Applejack?”
She turned and found Apple Bloom in the doorway. Her big red bow was aligned just right and both big eyes regarded her cautiously.
“I’m fine, Apple Bloom,” she said from the floor. “Everything’s okay now, isn’t it?”
Apple Bloom nodded. “I think so, sis.”
“That’s good,” Applejack said. “That’s good to hear.”
Her sister approached. “You need to come downstairs, Applejack. There’s someone to see us.”
“Another visitor.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, but I think this one you’ll want to see.” Apple Bloom perked up and grabbed at her foreleg.
Applejack got to her hooves and followed her sister, any sense of foreboding danger stripped from her mind. Her sister was safe and with her again, what more could she want? She was by her side, happy and whole, the rest of her life lay ahead of her.
Before even touching the head of the stairs, Applejack noted a radiant glow from the doorway. Entering the living room, she bent one leg and lowered to the ground.
“Princess?” she asked, the bright wash of light hurting her eyes.
Princess Celestia smiled at her warmly, that same radiant mane hovering in an unseen breeze. She, too, bowed, and together they stood.
The rug and coffee table were missing from the living room, as well as each thick board from the door. Applejack took no notice.
Celestia said calmly, “You are safe now, Applejack. Everyone is. I have gathered the other five Elements and now we are waiting on you to help wield them. Time is of the essence, I’m afraid, so we’ll need to make haste.”
Applejack brightened, although her eyes did not open all the way. “My friends? They’re safe? All of them?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes. And they’re waiting for us, to help Equestria again.”
“And Twilight? I heard…”
The Princess placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Twilight is fine, Applejack. Everyone is. And now so are you.”
But Twilight had been ripped to—
No.
No. Applejack had only remembered it wrong. Twilight was fine. She must’ve been. It wouldn’t have made sense any other way.
Applejack looked up to her and smiled, her dry lips cracking. “Thank you, Princess. I’m glad you finally came… before something bad happened to us.”
Celestia smirked and a small burst of green fire swam inside her pupils. It was brief, the sight, so brief a single eye blink would have missed it. But Applejack had nearly stopped blinking at all by then.
“Your eyes…” she started.
Celestia added more warmth to her smile. “I sometimes change the color of my eyes. Have I never told you that?”
“No, you—”
This isn’t Celestia. You KNOW this isn’t Cel—
“—never mentioned that.”
Celestia came to her side and wrapped a wing around her, guiding her towards the door. “You and I rarely talk, do we? That’s something that should change, once we get you out from the fog.”
Applejack agreed and allowed herself to be led away. Her family home did not feel like it used to. Its heart had been removed, leaving a hollow frame of metal and wood. That was all right, though. She always had her sister. Her wonderful, adorable, litt—
Your sister is dead! She’s lying on a rug in the kitchen with a pickaxe through her head that YOU put there! And now there’s nothing you can—
No.
No. Applejack had only remembered it wrong. Her sister was fine.
Once at the bottom of the porch steps, Apple Bloom joined her sister by her side. Applejack ruffled her mane and she giggled. She was happy. Of course she was. The hardship was over and now the one pony in all of Equestria that could make it all better had come. Princess Celestia had never been the type to lie.
The three of them were soon consumed by the fog.
***
“What did you do to her?” Celestia asked Apple Bloom, once her sister had trotted a few paces ahead.
Apple Bloom held a small smile on her lips, her eyes rarely leaving Applejack’s sight. “I did what I had to. To prove to you I belonged.”
Celestia glared at her. “What you did was disgusting and unnecessary. All you’ve done is solidify my reasoning for banishing you and your ilk. You got your brothers and sisters killed, playing your twisted games. The Element could have been yours at any point, and yet you chose to toy with her instead. I thought I taught you all better.”
Apple Bloom seemed unfazed by the remarks. “She loves me. It’s clear, isn’t it? And she’ll continue to love me, forever and always. I feel it even now. It makes my mouth water just walking next to her.”
Celestia lowered her head. “That little filly—the one you parade around as now—did not deserve what happened to her. She—”
“I had no idea where events would lead, Chrysi. Honest. All I did was take advantage of the situation, the same as I believe you must be doing.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re hurting ponies—killing them and eating them. The same ‘vile deeds’ that got us banished in the first place. You might claim to be nobler than yours truly, but you’re starting to act a lot like those ‘ilk’ you threw away.”
Celestia closed her eyes. “I cannot control each and every member of my hive. We were starving, for far too long. Most of what you heard was merely for show, to scare the populace out of their wits before taking them away, leaving them frantic and vulnerable.”
Apple Bloom muttered dreamily, “I love my sister.”
“What did you say?”
“I said, ‘Whatever lets you sleep at night, Chrysi.’”
The pair walked in silence for a time.
The Princess asked, “What happens now?”
Apple Bloom gestured towards her sister. “Now she is yours. To do with as you will.”
“And in return?”
“You allow me back in, along with the others.” She hesitated, before adding, “You also allow me to act as her sister while she stays with us. I think it would be good for her.”
“Or for you?” Celestia rebuked.
“Is it wrong to want more?” Apple Bloom said sincerely. “The way these ponies care for each other—the way they love each other—it’s enough to kill for, I’ve found. When she speaks to me, all of her words taste of honey. When she holds me close, I feel the warmth of a burning sun in my heart. It is pure, her love is. And I want it more than anything.”
Celestia grew sullen. “I tried to love you, you know. All of my children.”
“Then you failed on that front, Mother.”
Applejack turned to them, her eyes tired and half-closed. “What you two chatting about back there? We need to hustle if we want to set things right with the other Elements.”
“Coming, sis!” Apple Bloom yelled, trotting ahead.
Apple Bloom leapt onto her sister’s back, eliciting a chuckle from the other. Applejack playfully bucked a few times, trying to rock her off. The filly giggled and held on tight to her sister.
Celestia watched the two, as a hint of green fire erupted in both pupils.