An Apple By Another Name

by Sky McFly

Core

The day everypony vanished, I awoke with a feeling of trepidation. I unsuccessfully tried to shake it off, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

Upon entering the kitchen, I was met with an unusual silence. There was no sound of eggs cooking on the griddle, no early-morning Apple family chatter to start the day. Was the rest of my family still in bed?

I trotted back upstairs to check.

“Apple Bloom?” I said, peering into her bedroom. She wasn’t there. There wasn’t even a filly-shaped lump of sheets under the covers like she sometimes left when she sneaked out.

“Big Macintosh? Granny Smith?” I called, checking each of their rooms. Not an Apple to be found.

Maybe they had started the day without me.

I galloped downstairs and out into the early morning sunlight.

“Apple Bloom?” I called again. “Big Macintosh?” There was nopony in sight.

Had they gone into town? We hadn’t planned to take the apples into town today. And they wouldn’t have up and left without me.

What was going on?

I went into town, only to find the streets strangely empty, even for this early in the morning. Usually at this time there might be ponies sweeping the streets or ponies setting up shop early. But there was no sign of anypony anywhere.

“Is anypony here?” I shouted, my heart racing. Slowly I walked through the streets, scanning the windows and hoping to see movement inside.

I arrived at Sugarcube Corner. It should have been open by this time, but the sign on the door still indicated otherwise.

“Pinkie Pie!” I shouted, pounding on the door. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake! Open up! Where is everypony?”

There was no answer.

I spun around desperately. Where else could I go?

I galloped to Rainbow Dash’s cloud house and called up to her.

No answer.

I raced to the Carousel Boutique.

Nopony was home.

Twilight’s library.

Empty.

Fluttershy’s cottage.

No answer.

Heart pounding, I struggled to catch my breath. I tried the door. It was locked. Without considering any other options, I backed up a few paces and then galloped straight at Fluttershy’s front door, throwing my shoulder into the hard wood and then stumbling away as it refused to yield.

I backed up and then rammed the door again.

I don’t remember how many times I slammed into the door before it splintered and gave way, sending me sprawling on the carpet in Fluttershy’s living room. My bruised shoulder throbbed with pain.

Aside from the mice that skittered out of view as I entered the cottage, there was no sign of life. I crept through the rooms in Fluttershy’s house.

There was nopony to be found.

As far as I could tell, there were no ponies left in Ponyville.

...but this never actually happened…

This memory only ever existed in my mind…

I awoke with a pounding headache. I was sprawled on the grass, surrounded by at least a half-dozen empty bottles. I squinted and turned my head to try to shut out the late-afternoon sun that was shining down from yet another cloudless sky. I jumped when I saw Rainbow Dash, or more accurately, the changeling disguised as Rainbow Dash, sitting on the grass a few feet away, watching me.

“Back so soon?” I asked, attempting to recover gracefully from my surprise.

“I wanted to see how you were doing,” the changeling said.

“Oh I’m doin’ just peachy,” I drawled, wincing as my head throbbed with pain. “Why wouldn’ I be? Only jus’ found out everypony’s dead ‘cause o’ me and everythin’ my mind’s tellin’ me is a lie. How the hay are you?”

The changeling was silent.

I glared at it.

The changeling stared back at me.

“Want me to help you pick up these bottles?” it eventually asked.

“Um… okay,” I replied. In silence we gathered up the empty bottles and returned them to my saddlebags.

Before long the silence became too much for me.

“I can’t take it!” I burst out. “Who am I? What am I supposed to believe? I can’t trust my own mind, ‘cause it ain’t even mine! I can’t hardly remember bein’ a changelin’, and I sure as hay don’t feel like one, but apparen’ly I ain’t a pony neither. I can’t go on like this! What am I s’posed to do?”

The changeling looked at me for a long time before responding. “I’m no good at this,” it began. “I can’t tell you what you should do, but I can tell you this: Even when you were part of the Swarm, you were always more pony than changeling. It wasn’t until Queen Chrysalis replaced your memories with those of the orange pony that you really seemed like you had found your place. I think you may have had a pony’s mind all along.”

My cheeks felt wet and I realized that I was crying.

“I may have been wrong earlier,” the changeling continued after a pause, “It looks to me like one pony did survive after all.”

A flock of geese crossed the evening sky.

“I have to go back,” the changeling said. “I’ve been gone too long.”

“No!” I exclaimed before I could help myself. “Don’t leave me!” I suddenly felt embarrassed. “Please. I’ve been alone for so long. Just stay here for one night.”

The changeling hesitated.

“You can leave in the mornin’,” I pleaded.

“One night then,” the changeling conceded, and lay down in the grass under the willow tree. I curled up next to her and leaned my head on her shoulder, only just realizing how much I had missed the warmth of another pony. I nuzzled my face in her soft fur and drifted off to sleep.

Comments

[Bilbo Swaggins]

[FluffyDoom]

[Starlight Nova]

Have you ever considered submitting this story to Equestria Daily? You can find out how to do so here.

[PaulAsaran]

I have to wonder why this changeling cares so much.