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// Home 
// Story: Silverponies 
// by Scribblestick 
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Applejack was surprised at how many ponies she found gathered at the town hall. The ponies she now recognized as Apple Bloom, Big Mac and Granny Smith were standing in the front, dressed entirely in black and quietly mourning. Twilight Sparkle was giving a speech extolling Applejack's virtues and deeds, and Applejack was touched by her friend's sincerity. She recognized most of the ponies there, though she couldn't yet put names to all the faces, and it didn't take her long to spot her closest friends in the crowd.

"Applejack was a friend and a helper to all," Twilight was saying. "Her last hours were spend protecting those she loved, and we must never forget her sacrifice or her courage. I, for one, will always remember her as one of my dearest friends, and I'm sure many here will do the same."

Applejack felt bad about interrupting, but she figured the situation would only become more awkward the longer she waited. She cleared her throat, and a hundred heads whirled in her direction.





The air grew chill as Applejack stepped from the pool. She sat at its edge, watching until the ripples settled and the water became still. The sun crawled across the sky. Its rays dried her fur but did little to warm her. Firefly was gone. This was a fact, and Applejack knew no amount of waiting would change it. They'd both known this was a possibility, yet some part of her hadn't fully accepted that, and it was all Applejack could do to sit and cling to the memories of her friend.

It was strange, she thought, that of all the memories she could now access, she focused on the ones she made in that wasteland.

Applejack's own sneeze broke her silent vigil, and she began the process of orienting herself. Based on the sun's movement, she was able to discern her directions.  She guessed she was still somewhere in the Everfree Forest, and with that knowledge, she made a rough estimation of where Ponyville might lay.

As the afternoon wore on, Applejack's mind wandered through areas that had been clouded for so long. She thought of her family, her friends and their adventures, her farm and work, taking solace in the things she now remembered having. Her Stetson was missing, undoubtedly lost somewhere. Perhaps Apple Bloom or one of her friends had found it. It was insignificant in the scheme of things, but she still felt strange without its weight on her head.

A hissing sound jolted Applejack from her thoughts with a startled yelp. It took her a moment to find an offended snake making the noise, and a moment longer to see one of her hooves had trapped it. "Heh, sorry," she said as she lifted the hoof. The snake hissed again and slithered into the forest. 

It was then Applejack noticed something familiar, though it was not the sign she'd hoped to find. Some of the trees were smeared with what could only be Silverpony sludge, the markings becoming more pronounced deeper into the forest. She stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. On the one hoof, she had no desire to see those monsters again, but on the other, somepony had to find out if they were still lurking here, and on the third, she definitely knew more about them than any other pony she knew.

Her fourth hoof was too tired to weigh in, so she decided to follow the trail, her fully functioning senses alert.





It was rare for a pony to crash her own funeral, so of course, only Pinkie Pie knew what to do: Throw a party.

It was easier done than said, as some light refreshments had been prepared for those who came to mourn her passing. The crowd was already there, of course, and though Pinkie had no plans for a we-all-thought-Applejack-died-but-then-she-didn't party, she improvised well enough. Applejack made a point of greeting her family first, followed by her friends, and then she spent a while letting everypony tell her how happy they were to see her again. The attention and excitement made her a little uncomfortable, but she endured it as best she could. After all, it wasn't every day a pony came back from the grave.

After the party, Twilight approached, looking a little sheepish. "Listen," she started, "I'm sorry I left you in the forest. I should have stayed and helped."

Applejack gave her friend a hug. "Don't worry about it. All's well that ends well, right?"

Twilight nodded, brushing the traces of a tear from her eye. "I'm glad you're safe. If it's not too much trouble, do you think you could come to the castle tomorrow? I'd like to hear more about what happened."

Applejack nodded. "'Course. Ah'll be there first thing in the morning."

Twilight smiled. "Great. See you then!"





The ooze grew thicker on the trees the farther she went, but she didn't let fear get the best of her. As the sun began to set, she found herself facing a rocky outcropping she'd seen before. She'd never thought much about it, but now, with the whole thing covered in slime, she figured it was time to give it a little more attention. A massive boulder inscribed with some kind of foreign language now blocked the tunnel that led underground. Though the tunnel's outline was coated in ooze, the boulder itself appeared untouched.

She hadn't the slightest idea what it meant, but she had a feeling the zebra standing nearby might.

"Hello there, dear Applejack," Zecora said after the two exchanged hugs. "It's so nice to see you back."

"It's nice to be back," Applejack agreed. Turning her attention to the boulder, she asked, "What happened here."

"This is where the monsters lurked," Zecora said. "This was the source of their foul murk."

Applejack put a hoof against the boulder. "You think this'll hold them?"

Zecora nodded. "Princess Twilight lent a hoof to make this Silverpony-proof. Her power and my zebra lore have sealed their portal with this door."

Applejack let her hoof slide down the boulder until it rested on the ground. "Well, that's good, Ah guess."

Zecora watched her for a moment. "Something troubles your mind still," she said at last. "What is it that makes you chill?"

Applejack sighed. "It's just... Ah met another pony," she said. "We tried to escape, but..."

Applejack couldn't finish her sentence. Zecora placed a hoof on her shoulder. The sensation helped Applejack withstand the weight of her regret. "If it weren't for her, Ah wouldn't have made it back," Applejack said at last. "There was nothing either of us could've done, but Ah wish there was."

Zecora gave her a smile but said nothing while Applejack mourned anew. At last, Zecora led her back to her hut. When Applejack dreamed, it was of a world of gray, and a pegasus with two blue lightning bolts on her flank.





"So, that's my story."

Twilight finished scribbling the last few sentences on her scroll and set her quill aside. Applejack looked at herself in the gleaming crystal walls while her friend reread her report. On the surface, nothing looked different, yet Applejack still felt different seeing her own reflection. There was something new in her eyes, a kind of tired sadness she hadn't noticed before.

"Thanks." Twilight's voice interrupted Applejack's melancholy thoughts. "I appreciate you telling me that. It sounded difficult for you."

Applejack nodded. "Thanks for listening. Anything else Ah can do for you?"

"No," Twilight said, though her expression suggested there was a 'but' to follow. "I might have something for you, though."

"Yeah?" Applejack wasn't sure what her friend meant. She already had her Stetson, so it had to be something unrelated to all this Silverpony business.

"When I told the princesses what was going on, they came here right away to help," Twilight began. "Thanks to the Silverpony you stuffed in the chest, they figured out pretty quickly what they were, and we were able to find a lot of information about them."

Applejack nodded, not sure what this had to do with her. "Ah'm glad Ah could help," was all she said.

"There was another time when the Silverponies ran rampant in Equestria. There was a lot to sort through, so I don't remember every account of what happened," Twilight continued. "It was a long time ago, right after Tirek was banished for the first time. A bunch of ponies then were able to trap the Silverponies in their own world, which I'm guessing is that weird place you talked about."

Applejack said nothing. Twilight cleared her through. "The point," she said hastily, "is the pony who figured out how to stop them. Apparently she was captured by the Silverponies and taken to their world, but she escaped with another pony's help. That other pony disappeared when she returned home."

Applejack's heart began to beat quickly, but she dared not hope. "What kinda pony was this?"

"A pegasus," Twilight said. "I never found her name — I was more concerned with other things at the time — but she did say she would never forget about the pony who helped her find her way home, and she only wished she could have thanked her for never giving up on her."

Applejack let her mind digest this story before she allowed herself to smile. It was nothing certain, her doubting half said. Perhaps she would never know for sure. But as she walked home, she decided not to worry too much about it. Sometimes, it was best just to hope.