//------------------------------//
// The Angel 
// Story: The Hooves of Death 
// by Lunar Pen9 
//------------------------------//

Apple Bloom found Applejack in the kitchen making breakfast. Applejack spun around and smiled. “Hey, Apple Bloom. Ya alright?” Apple Bloom gave Applejack the note.
“What does this mean, sis?” Applejack stared at the note and thought for a moment.
“We’ll need ta ask Twilight. Let’s go, Apple Bloom. Hope she’s not too busy.” The two sisters began walking towards Twilight’s library with the note.

Knock knock knock. “Coming!” A muffled voice was heard inside. Soon, the door opened and Spike was standing in the doorway. “Oh hey Applejack. Hey Apple Bloom. Come in.” Spike stepped aside, allowing the sisters to walk in. Applejack placed the note on the table. Twilight turned around and perked up at the sight of her friends. “What do you need, Applejack?” Applejack motioned towards the note.
“Can ya solve this, Twi?” she asked. Twilight picked up the note and paced back and forth reading it thoroughly. Finally, she said, “Where did you find this?” Apple Bloom stepped forward.
“I found it in my bedroom this mornin’.” Twilight screwed her face up in concentration.

Suddenly, Twilight started pulling books off the shelves, flipping through them quickly. “What’s the note about, Twilight?” Apple Bloom inquired. Twilight was still busy looking through various books. After a while, Twilight looked up. “I’ve managed to decipher what it means. Well, part of it, anyway. I’m pretty sure it means you have to go to the graveyard in Manehattan. I’m not sure what the angel part means, though.” Twilight explained.
“We have ta go all the way to Manehattan?!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. Twilight nodded.
“I guess so.”
Applejack was thinking and had an idea. “What if the angel part means she has ta find a grave with an angel?”
“Good thinking, Applejack! I’ll arrange your train to Manehattan and back, you two. Meet me at the station tomorrow morning at around 7. Good luck, Apple Bloom.” With that, Applejack and Apple Bloom walked back to Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom was jumping in excitement.



On the train, Apple Bloom leaned her head against the cold window and slept. During the trip, Applejack pondered her little sister’s sanity, questioning all this talk of ghosts leaving behind cryptic messages. Perhaps this was all a dream? Maybe it was still the middle of the night and they were safely tucked away in bed? Applejack doubted it, though. This was all very real. She even tested this by ordering and eating a cake. Applejack glanced out the window, spotting the train station sign. Applejack woke up Apple Bloom and they made their way out the doors of the train.

“Wow! Manehattan is busier than ah thought! Look at all this!” Apple Bloom jumped from store to store, admiring the many things they had on sale. Applejack couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm, keeping an eye on Apple Bloom to make sure she didn’t wander off.
As the sun dipped under the horizon, the two farmponies reached the cemetery and promptly began searching for graves with angels on them. Thankfully, a fairly large tombstone around the middle of the cemetery had a huge angel statue situated on the top. The sisters assumed this was the grave the note had told them to go to. “Why did that note tell us ta come to Manehattan? This here note don’t make no sense…” Applejack mumbled, scratching the back of her head in confusion.

They sat and waited patiently well into the hours of dusk. Applejack finally lost her patience and rested her hoof on Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “We gotta go, Apple Bloom. This mighta been just a prank or somethin’…” Applejack glared around at the graveyard. Apple Bloom looked up at her sister, then up at the angel. She had slight tears in her eyes that trailed down her cheeks. “Ah really thought…” she started, but quickly shook her head. “Let’s go.”
As the sisters left, they were completely oblivious to a dead-eyed lime green pony following close behind smiling and whispering, “I’m glad you came.”



Later that night, as Apple Bloom was getting ready for bed, she felt a sudden cold nearby. She brushed it off and closed her bedroom window. The little filly slipped into bed and called out to Applejack. The sister trotted in and sat on the edge of Apple Bloom’s bed. The young one suddenly spoke up. “Hey sis?”
“What is it, sugarcube?” Applejack gently replied, petting Apple Bloom’s mane.
“Do ya think…do ya think Granny Smith can see us?”
“Of course, Apple Bloom. She’s always watchin’ over us and keepin’ us safe. Why do you ask?” Applejack kissed the filly’s head and stood up.
“I jus’ wanted ta know…” Apple Bloom began drifting off to sleep. Applejack chuckled softly to herself and silently walked out, turning off the light. If Applejack had stayed in the room just a little longer she would’ve seen a lime green pony appearing, seemingly from nowhere, and carefully placing a jar of Zap Apple Jam in the middle of the floor.

The pony stared down at the sleeping filly with loving eyes, kissing her head and disappearing by the light of the moon.