Chapter One – You Gotta Move On
The morning sun peeked over the mountains east of Ponyville, shining on a new summer day. The light spread over the tiny town, and in one particular little dwelling, the sun's warmth fell over a small pony, still lying in bed, asleep. But the warmth was enough. She began to roll in bed. Her eyes fluttered open as they adjusted to the morning brightness.
As Rainbow Dash woke, she turned to her side. Her bedside alarm clock clearly stating the time. She knew she still had a few hours before she needed to start her day. But she also didn't want to remain where she was.
Rolling over, she fell off, and deftly landed on her hooves. Still slightly drowsy, she reached over her back, pulling the sheets off and attempted to throw them back onto the mattress, and instead realised they just got tangled around her hoof. A bit of frustrated shaking fixed that problem without issue.
She crossed her bedroom, walking across the hardwood floor, to the bathroom, where she quickly turned the faucet taps.
As water flowed out, she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked ragged. Her eyes were tired. She collected a bit of water in her hooves, and quickly rubbed it in her eyes. She looked at herself again, smiled, then turned, attempting to give her signature cocky look. She turned again, pointing at the mirror, as if to say, 'hey, good looking.' She felt she had moderate success, but it wasn't enough. Her smile fell, and she quickly turned off the faucet taps.
Staring at her face, in the mirror, she could think about nothing. She examined her eyes... her nose... her mane... her ears... looking for something she felt she could feel proud about at that moment.
Her face fell. Crossing the bathroom, she immediately turned the shower faucet on, and leaned against the wall. Her thoughts turning to the day ahead.
Far past the edge of town, the sun had already started shining on Sweet Apple Acres. The large orchard had undergone quite a few changes in the past year; the largest was a change in management, and management style. And at that moment, the new owner was in the kitchen of the main farmhouse, having only just woken up. Her head was resting on the kitchen counter, staring as her new favourite beverage slowly dripped into the heated carafe.
Apple Bloom was exhausted. She only barely got enough sleep the night before. Her new responsibilities had been causing her new worries, which had been keeping her up later than she'd like.
Figuring enough hot beverage had been made, she quickly pulled the carafe out of the coffee maker and poured it into her favourite mug, emblazoned with her cutie mark, and already filled with sugar and cream. She then quickly returned the carafe before too much coffee was able to leak onto the hot plate. Apple Bloom then grabbed a teaspoon she had already set aside, gave the coffee a quick stir before placing the spoon back down on the counter. She then watched the drink, as it spun around, the momentum of her stirring continuing without her input.
Eventually, the coffee came to a standstill, and she was forced to resign herself to her fate. She lifted the cup to her lips, took a few quick blows in an attempt to cool the hot liquid just enough, and then took a delicate sip. Slowly registering the flavour and brilliance of the beverage, a small smile came to her face. It was one of the few pleasures left that she could still afford to permit herself.
It was shortly after The Vanishing when Apple Bloom stepped up to take over management of Sweet Apple Acres. Her Granny Smith was slightly apprehensive, worried that it was too much responsibility to place on a young filly. But what happened in Ponyville had also happened everywhere; every city in Equestria lost half their population. As such, the Apple Family also lost half their members. This meant that while normally one of her cousins could've taken over in her elder siblings' absence; those that were remaining still had their own farmland to take care of, and those that didn't had to take over somepony else's. Apple Bloom had to take over Sweet Apple Acres... there simply was no pony left.
She sat at the kitchen table, cup in hoof, as she readied her mind for the coming day.
Another sip.
"... First date I had in nearly a year, really," Silver Heart explained, nervously shuffling his forehooves. "We met at the restaurant, just... didn't really say much at first, just... awkward silence..." His gaze was locked on the floor, as all the other group participants, sitting in the circle, watched him, intently listening. "I mean, what do you say?" He looked up, to try to read something from his fellows. "How many ponies did you lose? Do you like the lasagna?"
A series of small chuckles came from around the circle. Silver Heart's nervous jokes were always somewhat funny, if a little unsettling. But they were all there to be supportive. That was the point.
"So what did you talk about?" asked a mare opposite him.
"Just... whatever I could think of..." he continued. "Her job, my job. Friends, family... the ones that are left, anyway. Then she mentioned how she was with her friends that day---there were four of them... and she saw them all... she was the only one left. Then I mentioned how I saw Lily die and... She started crying just as the salads arrived."
"And how did you do?" asked the multicoloured-maned mare beside him.
"I lasted until dessert actually."
Everyone around the circle nodded in understanding.
"It was a really good lava cake though..." he continued. "I think the tears enhanced the flavour. But I'm seeing her again next week so... hooves crossed."
Rainbow Dash put a hoof on his shoulder. "You did good," she said. "You made the first real step. It wasn't easy." She looked around the group, taking in their faces. Some have been coming for weeks, others had only just arrived. But all of them were there for the same reason: They needed to talk to somepony, anypony who would understand... understand that dealing with the loss, dealing with The Vanishing, was not easy.
It's was only two months after The Vanishing when she decided to form this support group. She knew there were many ponies who needed help, and losing so many friends meant it was hard to make new ones... new relationships. And while some ponies handled it quite well, others... simply were not prepared to handle such loss. But while she knew she was no expert in this, she knew somepony needed to step up.
"It's important we learn: we can't focus on the past," Rainbow explained, in her most sensitive tone. "We all lost a lot. But that doesn't mean what we lost should dictate our lives. I lost a lot, I lost my best friends... I lost my parents... I also lost a friend I never really knew I had... and I blamed myself..." Rainbow paused for a second. Her thoughts of young Scootaloo tugged at her heart. "I never got the chance to let her know how much she meant to me. But I still had Twilight, I still had Spike. I even made some new friends, ones I probably wouldn't have even considered before."
She looked at the group around her, pausing for thought. Her next words were considered carefully. "We can't focus on what we lost, we can only focus on what we kept, and what we gained. If we only focus on what we lost, then we can never move forward. We can never grow." She bowed her head. "We have to grow, that is our goal now. We have to grow."
She scanned the room, watching the faces of her fellows. But at the back of the room, well outside the circle, she could clearly see a stallion waiting in the door frame, watching. Her eyes went to the clock on the wall.
"Well, looks like that's time," she said, getting ready to stand. "Unless somepony else has something."
One pony slightly raised her hoof.
"Blossomforth?" Rainbow responded.
"Um... you know, it's nothing. It can wait 'til next time."
"You sure?"
She nodded.
"Alright," Rainbow Dash replied before standing and crossing the circle. "Next time, you're first," she said, placing a hoof on Blossomforth's shoulder. "Thanks for coming, everypony." She walked across the room. Her saddlebag sat on a table at the edge, right next to the door. As she approached it, her friend approached her.
"Well, that was an interesting speech," Open Skies responded.
Rainbow perked up, "What do you mean?" she asked. "Were you eavesdropping?" She became slightly incensed.
"Don't think it counts as eavesdropping if I'm standing in the open."
A couple ponies passed out the door behind him, waving, "Bye, Rainbow Dash," one of them said.
"Yeah," she replied. "Thanks again." She redirected her attention to her companion. "So what did you mean?"
"The part about blaming yourself."
Rainbow just paused briefly, before continuing to pack a few more folders into her bag.
"Sooooo..." he said, breaking the tension. "You wanna grab breakfast?"
As she slid on her saddlebag, she had to disappoint him. "Nah, I gotta go to Sweet Apple Acres, pick up their weather request."
"Oh, somepony else can do that," he explained. "Let one of the newbies take care of it."
"No, I... I'm gonna do it, it's fine."
"You gotta eat, Rainbow."
"And how do you know I didn't?"
"Because I know you, and right now you're slightly irritable."
She resigned the point. "Alright, just grab me something quick, I'll eat it in the office." Rainbow gave her friend a quick hug. "Thanks for looking out for me," she said.
"Somepony has to."
With a chuckle, she walked out of the room.
The paperwork on Apple Bloom's desk felt a bit overwhelming. Bills, payroll records, shipment and sales records, loan statements, daily inventory records for the ongoing harvest... almost too much to keep track of. But it all came down to one thing: bank statements. The bank statements were where it all simplified down: How much money did Sweet Apple Acres actually have? And that was what troubled her.
"Hey, Bloomy," came a voice.
Apple Bloom blinked a few times, before slowly turning to her left. Rainbow Dash stood there, leaning against the door frame, staring at the young filly, with a caring smile on her face.
"Don't you ever knock?" Apple Bloom asked, slightly irritated.
"I did," Rainbow responded, trotting into the office. "I guess you didn't hear me. Granny Smith let me in. Which is a good thing, because otherwise I would've broken in through the upper windows," she explained, half-joking.
Apple Bloom turned her attention back to her paperwork, starting to lazily shuffle them around in a vain attempt to process her thoughts.
"You doin' alright, kid?"
She shrugged.
Rainbow thought for a second before asking her next question. "How's business?"
This got the young filly's attention. She raised her head, and turned toward her friend. Peeking around, she noticed the door was still open.
Cluing in, Rainbow quickly closed the door behind her. Apple Bloom clearly wanted this to be a private conversation. "So?" she asked, as a simplified reinquiry of her earlier question.
"It's not great, Rainbow," the businesspony explained. "I don't think we're gonna make a profit this month."
Her rump dropped to the floor. "Again?"
With a slight nod, Apple Bloom communicated all she needed to.
Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. "Geez," she exclaimed. "But you can still stay afloat right?"
"I don't know..." Apple Bloom sighed in resignation. "Even if we manage to avoid bankruptcy, there's still no tellin' what's gonna happen next. I doubt the bank will just give us another loan. Even with Twilight's help, her acting as co-signer can only go so far."
It'd been a problem for months. Very quickly after The Vanishing, every remaining business owner in Ponyville realised something crucial: half their clientele had just disappeared. In some cases, half their competition had also disappeared, which, in a morbid way, they were thankful for as it earned them business from the clients of their former competitors. It was the only reason Sugarcube Corner was able to stay afloat. But Sweet Apple Acres was already the only game in town. There were no other apple farms. So when half the population vanished, so did half their customers, and no one came in to replace them.
"I keep thinking Applejack would've solved this," Apple Bloom explained. "She would've found something that would fix everything. Instead, I had to be the one left behind to screw everything up."
"Hey, hey," Rainbow replied, putting a hoof around her shoulders. "You're doing a brilliant job, given the circumstances."
"... for a filly..."
"... for an Apple."
Apple Bloom turned back to her friend.
"You keep seeing Applejack in rose-tinted light," Rainbow explained. "She was a pony just like anyone else. She wasn't perfect, and she was certainly capable of making mistakes and even failing."
"I guess..."
"And her ridiculous pride wouldn't have let her do any of the things you did," she continued. "Like downsizing the farm, or attempting to sell the unused land, or selling some of the old apple trees for timber." Rainbow gave her friend a good squeeze for encouragement. "She certainly wouldn't have asked Twilight to basically become part-owner, or branched out into peach and tomato farming. That was all you Apple Bloom. You're the one who was brave enough to do what needed to be done."
"But I did it all to try to save the farm, and the farm is..." she hung her head in resignation. "I think we may need to sell it."
"Okay, now, that's a bit extreme."
"Even the subsidies from Canterlot aren't enough to keep us profitable anymore."
Rainbow sighed. She didn't want to have to think about the politics of the situation. But the fact was, as she knew from both conversations with Twilight and what she occasionally glimpsed in the Ponyville Star, since less ponies meant less tax bits, the entire national public budget had to be slashed. As a result, farm subsidies also took a hit. And the end result was right before her: the possibility of Sweet Apple Acres shutting down.
"Well, I'm sure you'll think of something," Rainbow responded. "In fact, I think the solution may be simpler than you think. I mean, have you thought of raising the price of apples?"
"We did, Rainbow, you know that," Apple Bloom replied. "And our sales dropped by 30 per cent. The profit was minimal, and it got us a lot of bad will. We try that again, we may not be so lucky."
Rainbow paused. "Honestly, I didn't realize the drop was that much."
Apple Bloom just stared at the paperwork. "Why're you here Rainbow Dash?"
"Officially?" she replied. "To grab your weather request. Actually? To see a friend who clearly needs one."
Her comment brought a smile to the young mare's face. "Thanks, Rainbow, we're good. We don't need anything today."
"Clear skies, clear skies," Rainbow sang. "Gotcha."
She looked down on her friend and asked, "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah," Apple Bloom replied. "Thanks Rainbow, I just need some time to think."
"Alright." Rainbow opened the door and started to leave. But suddenly, a thought came to her. She turned around and asked, "Have you thought about outside investment?"
She scoffed. "Rainbow, Twilight's done enough, I don't think I can ask her to just give us money."
"I wasn't thinking of Twilight," she replied.
"Then who?"
"I was thinking of a local businesspony who might be looking to expand, and would be quite disappointed if his favourite supplier of quality apples just went away."
Apple Bloom straightened her back. "You don't mean!?"
Rainbow nodded. "The Cakes."
Carrot Cake was stocking the display shelves in the storefront of Sugarcube Corner. Sliding entire trays of baked goods into their designated sections.
It was a bright and sunny day outside, which meant a lot of ponies were likely to come in while passing by, and grab a sweet treat. Then again, that tended to be any day. The only difference the weather tended to influence was whether or not ponies decided to eat inside the bakery to take shelter from the rain, or take it to go so they could enjoy the beautiful sunshine.
He preferred the latter. After all, there weren't many chairs in the relatively small bakery.
But something tugged at him. He realised the store had already been open for a few hours, and they only had about eight customers. There was a good chance this was going to be a slow day. He looked at the trolley beside him, with baked goods waiting to be shelved. Totalling those on the trolley and on the shelf, there was a good chance they over produced this morning.
"Mr. Cake!" A voice came from the back room.
He quickly ceased his thoughts on supply, turning them to his newest employee. "Coming," he shouted.
He gave one last cursory glance at the stock, and then quickly proceeded to the back kitchen.
He quickly scanned the room. No damage, nothing smearing the walls, no explosions, no smell of burnt pastry. All was well... or at least, all the worst-case scenarios were avoided.
He looked forward and saw, in the middle of the room, behind the giant kitchen island, Sweetie Belle, sitting on a stool, wearing a giant chef's hat, with one hoof holding a giant mixing bowl and another wrapped around a wooden mixing spoon.
"How's our little Queen Bee doing?" he responded, as he trotted toward the young filly.
She gave a small smile at the little pet name. It was something she was weirdly proud of. When she first started working at Sugarcube Corner, a month or so after The Vanishing, Mr. Cake was impressed by her diligence, and curiosity, and eagerness to learn. So he made a joke about her being a little worker bee, and the nickname sorta stuck. Then, as time went on, her eagerness resulted in her taking over more and more of the kitchen responsibilities. Eventually this resulted in her upgrading to Queen Worker Bee. Of course his wife mentioned that's not how bees work. So it was simplified to Queen Bee. Sweetie Belle loved it. She even suggested it should've been on her name tag.
"Is anything wrong?" Mr. Cake asked.
"Oh... um..." Sweetie Belle stammered slightly, partially out of embarrassment. "I'm not... really... sure."
She dropped the bowl on the island, and with her magic calmly lifted the wooden spoon. As she did, what was intended to be cupcake batter just flowed right off, leaving barely a thin trace behind.
"Ah," he said, knowingly. "Too thin."
"I know!"
He quickly grabbed the bowl in his hooves and stirred it a bit. He was surprised at just how thin it was. "How much milk did you put in?" he asked.
"Um... four cups," she responded. "I think."
"Isn't it supposed to be two?"
Her eyes went wide... she smacked her forehead in frustration. "RAH!" she screamed, out of anger and self-hatred. Such a rookie mistake, and yet it was a mistake she kept making.
"Hey, it's okay," Carrot replied. "We just have to double the rest of the recipe." He placed the bowl down, and started looking for a larger mixing bowl.
"Really sorry, Mr. Cake."
"Oh, don't worry about it," he said, pulling out an extra-large mixing bowl from the top shelf in one of the cupboards.
Sweetie Belle quickly grabbed it in her magic, and brought it over to the table. Mr. Cake followed. It was one of the most interesting things he learned since hiring Sweetie Belle: how useful it was to have a unicorn in the kitchen. They may not always be the best cooks, but they can certainly speed things up.
Sweetie Belle poured the contents of the first bowl into the second, and began scraping any excess of the edges with the wooden spoon... not that there was much to scrape off.
As she got to work, Carrot decided to leave her to it, so he trotted towards the storefront. But as he approached the swinging double doors separating the two sections, a thought came to him. "Oh," he cried, turning around. "Sweetie Belle, after you're finished with that batch, I might need you to make a delivery."
"Huh? Where too?" she asked as she continued to add the additional ingredients.
"Sugarcube Café," he replied. "Just so the baked goods stock doesn't run out."
Sweetie Belle froze. "Uh... really?" she asked nervously. "I mean, I can watch the store while you go, it's fine."
Mr. Cake was about to object, but then he realised: Sugarcube Café, the newest expansion of Sugarcube Corner, was on the edge of one of the many public squares. But most specifically, it was the square where Sweetie Belle was sitting when The Vanishing occurred. Where she watched her best friend disappear, and likely die.
Of course, some ponies might've found it easy to tell her to get over it and move on or something; or ridicule her for being that concerned over just visiting the location. After all, Spike was in Sugarcube Corner at the same time, where he saw Pinkie Pie vanish, and he didn't avoid the bakery. In fact, Mr. Cake noticed he actually came more frequently, after he had a few months to get over things, he presumed. So he did think it was a bit silly for her to be that bothered.
But Mr. Cake couldn't bring himself to say anything. He just didn't feel he had the right. After all, unlike nearly every other pony in town, he didn't lose anypony he loved. His entire family survived. Yes, he lost Pinkie Pie, who was almost like a member of the family. But the key word was 'almost.' His wife and children were still with him. So unlike every other pony, he just didn't have much to grieve about.
By the time Carrot was finished processing his thoughts, Sweetie Belle had already finished mixing the new batter. Her speed still impressed him.
"Mr. Cake?" she asked, slightly concerned. "I mean... I guess I could go if you really want me to. It's just..."
"Oh, if it makes you uncomfortable, that's fine."
"No no... I can go... I mean... it is a bit silly," Sweetie Belle explained. She started pouring the batter into the first of two cupcake pans which were already filled with specially-made cupcake papers. It was her favourite design. It just used flat parchment paper, and as a result less cupcake actually stuck to the paper, which was something that always annoyed her about traditional cupcake papers. She came up with the idea shortly after she started working there, and it became her baking signature.
"If you're sure," Mr. Cake said. Glad he was able to let the point rest.
Sweetie Belle had already crossed the room, with the first two trays of cupcakes, and was sliding them into the already piping hot oven. "I'm sure Mr. Cake," she said, with forced confidence. "I'll be fine."
Sweetie Belle quickly closed the oven door.
Spike quickly opened the oven door. The smell of freshly baked cupcakes filled the room.
He reached in and pulled them out, quickly running over to the kitchen table, and placing them down.
He was quite eager to test this latest batch, hoping this would finally be it. Hoping it would finally be the answer he was looking for.
He took a tea towel and started fanning the cupcakes, in a vain attempt to help them cool faster.
He had been trying for months. A way to replicate Pinkie Pie's most popular recipe: Rainbow Cupcakes. Despite their best efforts to the contrary, nopony could find a single sign of any of Pinkie's recipe cards. Either she had them on her at the time of her dusting; or, and Spike considered this the more likely possibility, she never kept any.
So his only option during the past year was to experiment. He was lucky though; there was one last batch. The Cakes found some extra batter and icing, and realised it had to be the Rainbow Cupcakes; enough for two full pans. After convincing them to let him have it, he froze what he could, and would occasionally bake one at a time, merely so his attempts to replicate the formula would give him something to compare them to.
He had a one-eighth slice of an original Rainbow Cupcake resting on a plate. He broke it in half, and tossed it in his mouth. He cherished the flavour as a smile came to his face; it was exactly as he remembered. He then pulled one of the new cupcakes out of the pan, peeled off the wrapper, and took a bite. He chewed for a few seconds, considering the flavour. After fully analyzing the cupcake, he swallowed, then looked at the pastry in his claw.
Then with all his strength, fuelled by all his frustration and all his rage, he threw the still-warm treat straight at the nearest wall, where it splattered in a creamy mess.
Spike took a deep breath. He looked at the tray. No, they were not Rainbow Cupcakes. At least, they weren't Pinkie's Rainbow Cupcakes. But they were pretty good... edible. Maybe the girls would still like them. He got a small pot of icing, one of his earlier still-edible failures, and began to spread it across the pastries.
Sweetie Belle's nerves were getting the better of her. She had not been near this part of town in nearly a year; not since she saw her best friend dissolve in front of her. But what was she to do? Avoid an entire section of town for the rest of her life? Whatever fears she had, she knew she had to confront them.
She dragged the cart of treats through the road, avoiding the gazes of the ponies around her. She just needed to focus.
As she turned another corner, her target was in sight. She could see the garden in the middle of the square. Her legs froze.
"Come on, Sweetie Belle," she said, under her breath. "You can do this. Just one step at a time."
She took one step... and another... and another... and froze.
Her heart started racing.
She took a deep breath... and another... and another...
She had to come up with another strategy.
She turned her head down... lower... and lower... until, when moving her eyes toward the top of her brow, she could not see more than a few metres in front of her.
She took a deep breath... and another... and another...
"I can do this..." she said.
She started walking, her walk picked up to a trot... then a canter. But she was careful not to raise her head. She had no idea how close she was, and she preferred that. She could see enough that she had an idea regarding what was in front of her, but not so much that she could see what she was moving towards.
Her canter came to a sudden halt, as she saw two pale blue hooves on the ground in front of her, standing in her way.
"Excuse me," she said, not raising her head. "Could you please move?"
"Sweetie Belle?" came Rainbow Dash's voice. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I have a delivery to make," Sweetie Belle explained. "Could you please move?"
"Okay," she replied, taking one step to the side as Sweetie Belle continued her journey. "Mind if I walk with you?"
"Sure--whatever you want--free kingdom..."
The two ponies walked alongside each other. Sweetie Belle refusing to take her eyes off the ground.
Rainbow was getting more and more concerned. She decided to try to make conversation. "So... delivering cakes?" she asked, slightly desperate.
"Yeah."
Silence descended.
Rainbow was getting nervous.
"So... I'm guessing to Sugarcube Café," Rainbow continued.
"Uh huh."
Sweetie Belle was focused on her task, Rainbow could tell that. But it didn't explain why exactly she was refusing to look up; why she looked so scared. There were slight tremors going through her body.
Rainbow realised she was distracting the young mare, from... whatever she was trying to do. So she decided to keep quiet.
The two continued to trot in silence.
As she looked around, Rainbow Dash watched for anything that could threaten her young friend. Not only for anything that could physically harm her, but emotionally harm her. Anypony who looked like they would try to make conversation. Sweetie Belle obviously wanted to avoid that.
They continued trotting for around a minute. Until, without any warning, Sweetie Belle came to a complete stop.
Rainbow looked, and could really only guess why she stopped now. But by her best estimation, it was because the space finally opened up. The building to Sweetie Belle's immediate right was gone, and near her hooves were the edges of the flower beds that surrounded the tiny public square.
Sweetie Belle started taking several deep breaths. Her head slowly rose.
She slowly tried to bring her eyes into focus, so she could actually see the location she arrived at.
Her eyes scanned the public square. Her heartbeat accelerated.
She took another deep breath... and another... and then, her eyes rested.
To her right, on the edge of the square, she saw a simple wooden bench. It hadn't moved. It was the same bench she sat on that day... where Scootaloo died.
But unexpectedly, to her surprise, she didn't feel sadness, or fear. Nothing bad happened. She just felt... peace.
Everything was okay.
She turned her head. To the right of the bench, in the corner of the square, was her destination: Sugarcube Cafe.
She immediately trotted toward it with a smile.
Harvesting season at Sweet Apple Acres was normally a simple affair. With two strong ponies in the family, and an entire season to conduct the harvest, they very rarely needed to hire outside help until the final fortnight.
But since both Applejack and Big Macintosh were taken in The Vanishing, that changed. With only Apple Bloom and Granny Smith left, neither of whom were able to properly buck for apples, if at all, they were forced to look for outside help at the very beginning.
Caramel struck the tree with all the strength he could muster.
Nothing happened.
He struck it again, this time with both of his back hooves.
Still nothing.
Then he tried a different tack. Raising both his back legs, and balancing on his forehooves, he quickly struck the tree with his left hoof, then his right, then his left, in quick succession like a rapid-fire hammer.
Apples began falling into the baskets down below, as he continued the technique.
"AAAHHHHH!!" he exclaimed, as an expression of sheer power.
When he eventually stopped, satisfied that the baskets were full, he noticed two unicorn mares just staring at him.
"Bit overzealous, are we?" Minuette asked.
"It's effective," he replied.
"Kept expecting the tree to go before the apples," Lyra explained.
He trotted over to his left, to check on the other workers. Thunderlane and Cloudchaser were busy loading up a cart with apple baskets, as Roseluck was bucking a nearby tree, filling up the baskets below.
How is she better at this than me? he thought, slightly dejected.
"Hey, kids!" A familiar voice shouted across the orchard.
Caramel turned around, and watched his boss approach the team with a smile.
"Apple Bloom," he responded. He turned to the two unicorns. "Back to work, ladies."
Minuette returned to apple bucking as Lyra loaded Caramel's baskets into a nearby cart.
He turned back to the young businesspony. "What's up?" he asked.
"How's the harvest going?" she asked.
"Really well, we're actually ahead of schedule."
"That's good," she replied. "Walk with me."
As she walked away from the others, Caramel followed. He was slightly concerned that this conversation was going to go in a direction he didn't like.
"I was thinking," Apple Bloom explained. "We might have to cut a few ponies from the payroll."
He was right. "Uh, I don't know about that Apple Bloom," he replied. "When I say 'ahead of schedule' I don't mean by much."
"Doesn't matter," she explained. "We're still failing to make a profit. We have to cut corners where we can." She stopped, turning around to face her employee. "I want reports on everypony's performance. Honest reports."
"Yes, ma'am."
She bowed her head. "For the record: I'm not happy about this either."
Caramel couldn't think of how to respond. He scratched the back of his neck, nerves catching up with him.
"I'm still looking for alternatives. I have an idea which could fix everything, but it might still mean downsizin' the staff. I won't know until it's done."
Caramel sighed. "You'll get the reports tomorrow."
"Thank you," she replied. "And don't worry, I won't do anything too drastic without telling you."
He nodded.
"Now, get back to work."
"Yes ma'am."
Caramel watched as Apple Bloom turned around, and proceeded into town. He knew the little filly had a lot on her shoulders, and knew these were tough decisions. But he also knew she would make the right ones.
He turned around, and went back to work.
Sweetie Belle levitated the last package out of the now-empty cart, and placed it directly on the table.
Mrs. Cake approached her, opening the newest box. "I'm guessing we had a bit of a surplus at the bakery," she observed with a chuckle.
"He didn't say anything to me," the young filly replied.
"Oh, it's fine dearie. I'm sure we'll sell all of these." She pulled out three products, a strawberry danish, a blueberry-mint cupcake, and an apple brownie; and carried them over on a single hoof to the counter, placing them inside the display case.
Sweetie Belle began reattaching the cart to her torso, and started carrying it out the shop.
She suddenly paused. "You know, Mrs. Cake."
The baker popped her head up.
"I think I'm going to take a break before heading back," Sweetie Belle explained. "Could I get a..." She paused, suddenly considering her situation. There were so many beverages she could possibly order. But only one felt appropriate. "... a sarsaparilla?"
"Of course, dearie." She walked over to the nearby display fridge and pulled out a bottle filled with a dark soda.
Sweetie Belle levitated it toward her. "Thank you," she replied.
"Enjoy yourself, Sweetie Belle."
Leaving the café, she noticed Rainbow Dash, still standing there, leaning against a building.
"Have you been waiting for me?"
"Oh... maybe..." she replied, slightly coy. "You doing okay?"
A small smile appeared on Sweetie Belle's face. "I'm doing better," she replied. "Thanks."
"You wanna talk about it?"
Sweetie Belle didn't respond. She just trotted past her friend, straight to a nearby bench. Releasing the delivery cart, she then hopped up onto the bench, magically opened her bottle, and calmly started drinking.
Rainbow sat down beside her. "So..." she mused. "This is where it happened..."
"Really happened everywhere," Sweetie Belle responded.
"Well, yeah, but... Scootaloo."
She bowed her head. "Yeah," she said, with a melancholic tone. She turned to Rainbow Dash. "Actually, she was sitting right there."
Rainbow Dash suddenly got slightly uncomfortable. But she didn't feel like it was right to move at this point. "You've been avoiding this place?" she asked.
"Little bit," Sweetie replied. "Haven't been here... since..."
"And how do you feel now?"
She laughed. "Like it was silly. I'm finally here, and nothing bad happened. No more ponies turned to dust. I didn't break into tears. I don't know why I was so scared."
Rainbow Dash just watched as her young friend took another sip of her beverage.
Several seconds passed with no words.
"Did I tell you what her last words were?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Rainbow tried to think. "Uhh... don't think so," she replied.
"She asked me not to cry," Sweetie Belle explained. "She wanted me to be happy." She lowered the bottle into her hooves, gripping onto it tightly. "But I did... I did cry..."
Rainbow remembered. That day, when they found Sweetie Belle and Spike, on the stoop of Sugarcube Corner, huddled together in each other's arms, each releasing their sorrow into the other's embrace. For the rest of the day they were all together, those two just didn't stop crying. It ebbed and waned, but it never stopped.
"That's alright Sweetie Belle," Rainbow explained, placing a hoof around her shoulders. "I don't think she'd blame you for that. You just lost your best friend, and your sister. It was only natural to cry."
"You didn't," the young filly responded.
"No... I didn't," Rainbow replied, slightly unsure about whether she should continue. "But I wish I did."
Sweetie Belle looked up.
"Instead, I waited 'til I got home and cried for three hours," she explained with a chuckle.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I just lost all my closest friends, I lost... I lost Scootaloo too..." Rainbow explained, choking up slightly. "I never even knew how much she meant to me until that day... I always thought I was the one who was supposed to protect them, all of them; and when they needed me, I was helpless. It was tearing me apart all day, and once I started letting it out, I couldn't stop."
Sweetie Belle considered her words. "You didn't lose all your friends," she explained.
"Well... nearly, all--most--almost all, let's say."
She smiled. "But why didn't you want to cry with us?"
Rainbow told her the truth. "Because I felt I needed to keep up appearances? And also, somepony needed to keep us together, rather than just crying in a heap the whole time." She gave Sweetie Belle an affectionate squeeze. "I took the strain for the rest of you, and I was happy to do it."
She smiled again. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash," she said. "You're a good friend."
Rainbow smiled, and continued to sit with her friend, enjoying the view as many ponies walked by.
In the main throne room of the Castle of Friendship, six thrones sat around a giant table. At one point, they all had symbols at the top. The cutie marks of each of the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony. But that was a year ago.
Unsurprisingly, at least to Spike, once The Vanishing was over, four of the thrones suddenly stood blank. He took this as confirmation; Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie really were gone; really were dead. They didn't 'go away.' They didn't 'disappear.' They were dead; truly dead. Those four were not coming back. And he felt it safe to assume, neither were the tens of millions of other ponies who also turned to dust that fateful day.
It took months before anything changed. Before two new symbols appeared on the thrones. Because after supporting and helping Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle through this difficult time in their lives, Rainbow and Twilight eventually considered them friends... close friends... best friends... and that was when two shield-like cutie marks appeared on two of the vacant thrones; one for each of their newest friends. They were part of the team, and would always stay that way.
But they weren't the first new additions. Because it was only a few weeks earlier when a symbol of a swirling green flame appeared on one of the empty thrones. They didn't know what it meant at first, because no pony they knew had a cutie mark like that. But Twilight eventually figured it out. That was the castle's way of telling them there was only one individual meant to sit on that throne: Spike. But because Spike wasn't a pony, and didn't have a cutie mark, it had to improvise.
So that was where Spike sat, reclining across his throne, a book in his claws.
He didn't do much this day. His thoughts were too restless. In fact, he didn't do much most days. Since The Vanishing, dealing with Twilight's bizarre mission, his new friends, and the new projects he started, he didn't really have the energy to clean and maintain the castle like he used to. So instead, he would just relax... read... think...
His mind started wandering. He looked across the table, where Rainbow's empty throne sat. He could see to his right, Twilight's throne, and to his left, the thrones of Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle's right beside his. But there was still one, to his right; still empty... still vacant... still blank. No one used it, and he doubted anyone would ever will... at least not permanently... and officially. But maybe that was why... the unfilled space.
Because in the past year, they found themselves in a curious situation. You see, in the time since The Vanishing, the map stayed silent. Not once did it summon them to a far away part of Equestria on a mission of friendship. Instead, it sat, quiet... empty... It was just a table now. A table currently holding a plate of cupcakes.
Spike kept wondering, 'why?' If there was ever a time in Equestria's history that they needed the magic of friendship, it was now! But nothing. Was it waiting for the final space to be filled? Did it need all six to work?
Or was there another reason? Was it because, despite the fact that their friendship was the strongest in Equestria, the map knew they simply weren't ready to deal with this? That nopony was? After all, half of all Equestrians had died... how do you deal with this? What do you do? How do you grieve... so many lost...?
A light knocking came, breaking him out of his reverie. A door on the far side of the throne room slowly creaked open.
"Hellooooooo!" came a voice, as a bright orange head slowly peeked over the door edge.
Her eyes scanned the room, searching for any sign of life. Then she spotted it: "Spike!" she screamed, jumping through the door.
Spike smiled. "Hey Sunset!" he replied, happy to see his friend.
Sunset Shimmer wandered over to the empty throne. "How's tricks, little guy?" she asked, reaching over to give his head a quick rub.
"Oh, not bad."
She sat down. "Are those cupcakes!?" she asked before quickly magicking them over to her.
Spike's eyes moved to the clock in the corner. It was already mid-afternoon. While Sunset Shimmer was here early, it was only a matter of time before the others arrived. But he didn't want to get up. He didn't want to move. Did they really need tea for their bi-weekly afternoon tea? ... Probably.
Sunset also noticed the time. "Wow," she exclaimed, with a mass of cupcake squashed in the side of her mouth. "I guess I'm here early."
"Isn't it the same time over there?"
"It fluctuates back and forth, I haven't figured out the patterns yet." She swallowed the pastry, and quickly got up, leaving her saddlebag on the chair. "So, need help making the tea?"
"Eh!" he exclaimed, waving a claw.
"You okay, Spike?" Sunset asked with genuine concern.
He sighed. "Just tired," he said, with resignation.
"Well then, let me help." She quickly levitated him, and slowly dropped him to his feet. "There, I did the hardest part for you," Sunset explained before trotting off to the kitchen.
He followed her close behind, but had to stop the moment Sunset entered the kitchen. She had turned to look at the cupcake mess right next to the door.
"Let me guess," Sunset proposed. "Another attempt at those Rainbow Cupcakes and you got pissed."
"Yeah," Spike replied, hanging his head.
"And you couldn't clean it up?" She levitated most of the pastry in a magical aura, clumped it into a ball, and threw it into the trash bin on the other side of the room with a simple "YEET!"
Sunset levitated the kettle that was sitting on the stove, and quickly started filling it up at the sink.
"So how many attempts is this?" she asked the young dragon.
"I don't know," he replied. "I lost count."
"Not a good sign," she responded.
Sunset then took the kettle, placed it back on the stove, and tried to start the burner. Lowering her gaze so she could watch the flame light, she continued the conversation.
"I mean, you're kinda obsessing over these cupcakes," she explained.
He walked over. "You've never had them," he rebutted, before breathing a flame over the burner, setting it alight.
"Thank you," she responded. "I mean my Pinkie did have some Rainbow Cookies that were pretty good."
"Did she keep any recipe cards?"
"Well, we haven't found them yet."
Spike just sulked.
"I just think you're obsessing for nothing. I mean those cupcakes you made out there were pretty good."
"Yeah, but... they're not the same."
"You're right, I'll bet they're better."
Spike just walked away, as Sunset started searching the cupboards for the appropriate equipment.
It was already mid-afternoon. Sweetie Belle had just gotten off work. The day she had was... interesting. But now, she was just happy it was over, and she could spend the rest of the day with her closest friends.
She trotted down the road. Straight to the Castle of Friendship.
Her eyes glanced over the buildings she passed. Some were still in use; stores and houses, still either patroned or populated. But many more weren't. Many more were boarded up, vacated.
Since The Vanishing removed half of all ponies, it meant half of all houses were now unneeded. With no one to live in them, they were just abandoned and boarded up. Mainly because this also created what could only be described as the biggest buyer's market in history, except there was no one to actually buy. Sweetie Belle knew this because of her conversations with Apple Bloom. There was so much unused and vacated land for sale, the desperation of those left behind to actually sell their useless property, and the fact that there were so few ponies actually looking to buy, meant the price was almost nothing. Because of that, Apple Bloom couldn't sell half the farm like she wanted. That is... well... she could've, but for much less than she wanted to, and much less than she found it to be worth.
Sweetie Belle passed by all the vacant buildings, until she reached one of the town's larger public squares. She recognised it instantly. It was one she used to spend a lot of time at. Because on the other side of the square sat the former home of Carousel Boutique... now just an empty building, windows covered in plywood.
But that wasn't the most important thing in Sweetie Belle's mind. For in the centre of this little square, there used to be a beautiful water fountain. But it was torn down not too long ago, and now, several stonesmiths were working on the new centrepiece to this section of town.
She approached the project and began reading.
It wasn't anything too special at that moment; just a large stone cylinder. The ceremonial trough surrounding it, intended to be mainly used during the dedication ceremony, was small and nondescript. But the interesting part was the text on the cylinder. At the very top, in large, elegant and beautiful text, it merely said, "To Those We Lost, and Loved." The phrase repeated three times around the top of the monument. As Sweetie Belle walked around it, she could see many names engraved into the stone.
The engravings were all marked down in a spiral, from a nondescript position at the very top, and all the way around, continually descending. The names were also in alphabetical order.
She looked around the column, trying to see names she recognised. Applejack and Big Macintosh were on there... clearly... right near the top of the list. Cheerilee as well, her old schoolteacher. She saw some of her former classmates: Aurora Shade, Button Mash, Diamond Tiara, Featherweight... Fluttershy's name was also engraved. But then the list stopped. They weren't even halfway finished.
One of the worker ponies, noticing the young unicorn behind him, stopped what he was doing, and turned around. "You okay kid?" he asked, in a gruff voice.
"Oh, I'm fine," Sweetie Belle replied. "Just looking."
"Hmmm..." he glanced at the work behind him. "Lose anypony?" He asked before realised how redundant the question was.
A melancholic smile appeared on her face. "Haven't we all?"
"Heh, yeah..." he replied nervously.
"But their names aren't on there yet," she responded, only mildly disappointed.
"They'll all get on, don't worry."
She smiled, "I know."
Sweetie Belle stood there, watching as the stonesmith got back to engraving.
She focused her eyes a bit better, and noticed just how they were working. The stone monument already had the next few names marked on them with ink. It looked as if they were going to etch out the sections after they marked them out.
As she processed this, a voice came into her ear.
"HELLO!"
The unicorn jumped in surprise, and quickly spun around.
Apple Bloom stood there, a big grin on her face.
Sweetie Belle exhaled a sigh of relief. It was only her best friend. She just snuck up behind to startle her.
"Whatcha doin'?" The young farmer asked.
She sighed again, and straightened her stance. "I was just taking a look at the memorial," Sweetie Belle explained. "You know, your family got on and mine didn't," she said, with a touch of false anger in her voice.
"What!?" Apple Bloom was shocked. "But... how---why!?"
Sweetie Belle laughed. "I'm kidding!" she explained. "I only mean it because it's in alphabetical order. 'Applejack' and 'Big Macintosh' both come before 'Rarity.'"
"Oh... heh... yeah." Apple Bloom looked up from her embarrassed stance. "So I guess Scootaloo's not on either?" she inquired.
"Nope... but I'm sure they'll all get on before the dedication ceremony."
Sweetie Belle began walking away from the scene, toward the Castle of Friendship.
Apple Bloom quickly ran after her.
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I'm just here for Rocket Raccoon.
Echoes of allies reverberating in the void.
11825813
He'll show up eventually, and spoiler warning: I'm going to ship him with Twilight. UwU
Welp, absolutely nothing will be the same, even after all come back, which they will, four elements won't be elements, Apple bloom will be the owner now, relegating Applejack and big Mac, and a lot of etc. XD
See you all in another half decade!
11825927
Yeah, hopefully not. I actually wrote this chapter shortly after I wrote the prologue, I just never published it because I was waiting for my editor to get back to me, and he never did. So I said, 'fuck it' and finally decided to release it without an outside editor. But yes, I understand the frustration.
I think I might get the next chapter out in a month or two at most. But I've learned not to make guarantees on that front.
Well...this is crushing. You better continue.
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I'm not frustrated at all, I know the struggle. If it happens it happens. No pressure.
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I hope so. I understand the frustration. But I'll give you a quick preview of the next chapter, just in case I get hit by a bus before then: Twilight shows up at the Castle, in a rut because her latest quest has turned up diddly squat regarding the origins of The Vanishing. So, to get them out of this rut, the new quintet is taken to the EQG continuity by Sunset for a visit, and they're all excited, partly because some of the ponies who were snapped on one side, were not snapped on the other. So Sweetie Belle is excited to see the alternates of her sister and her best friend. Apple Bloom flies through the portal, and ends up landing on her back. She opens her eyes and sees her alternate looking down on her. "Howdy!"
I was actually about to give you a detailed summary of what I have planned for the next several chapters, but I decided to hold off. It's now sitting in a text file in my Dropbox. If I end up not writing anything else by the end of the year, I'll post it.
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Thank you for your understanding.
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By the way, I should've mentioned this in my first reply, but I think Endgame was also the only film I ever cried at. I was spoiled about Iron Man's death, but it still hit me like a ton of fucking bricks, and I did actually weep. My mother was sitting next to me, she made fun of me for it. That's why I decided not to go to any more movies with her ever again. That and for the first fifteen minutes of the film she kept chanting the words 'not funny.'
Did you wait 5 years on purpose? Because if so, that's some dedication.
I had to reread the first chapter, but this story definitely was worth it. You did an amazing job capturing the small details of how everypony in Equestria would be affected.
What about Celestia and Luna though? Cadance and Shining? I am curious about who else is missing out of the big characters.
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LOL! No. If only. This chapter was written shortly after I wrote the prologue. I was just waiting for my editor to get back to me, and he never did. So I finally decided 'fuck it' and decided to release this with no outside editor. I'm gonna say it was because my grandfather died recently, and it put shit in perspective for me.
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It'll be revealed, but I'll just say this, I have a line from Cadance to Twilight coming in probably chapter four that'll be something along the lines of, "I lost everything, except you."
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You better be joking. Rocket would never cheat on Lylla, even if she's dead.
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Who? Is that a character from Guardians Vol. 3? Well, I haven't actually seen it, so I can't comment. But this does take place before that film, and even then, it's not really a relationship, just casual flirting between the two of them. With Rocket just wanting what's best for her, and at one point just trying to convince her to go home, to Equestria.
You know, I have to wonder where Discord is in all of this. Given that Fluttershy got Snapped I'm going to guess that either the Stones got him too or he's embarked on his own trek across the universe to track down Thanos (and probably be disappointed that Thor got to him first).
11826918
I actually debated this in my head. Should I snap him? Should I not? No way I would allow him to join the ponies. But if he survived, how would I make that work? But I have an idea that would allow him to be alive, but not go with the ponies into space. He's staying on Equestria.
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So... I released the next chapter. Sorry it took so long.
If you want more information, I did a blog post.
Five years between chapters. That's quite a record. I don't believe any other story I've stuck on my watchlist has had a hiatus anywhere near that long. I thought G5 might bring back some authors but the timing is off on this one so I guess that's not the case with you.
Haven't read the new chapter yet. Reread the first. There's definitely an interesting exercise in taking your favorite universe and "snaping" it just to see what sort of story you get out of it, and the prologue does this horrifyingly well with pony.
Off to read the first chapter now, then see you all in 2029 I guess!
Wait, the five year gap? That wasn't intentional given the Blip was five years was it?... Nah...
First chapter is good, though little relevant to the core story seems to have happened in it. We get a lot of world building and character building of the "Vanished" Equestria and how the ponies we knew are looking now, which is good, but the story has progressed slowly through this chapter and hopefully in the next one we will see things start to happen with the story.
One thing I noticed is you make a remark that the 50% split seems to be even with the Apple family and a flock of geese. Though I always thought it was more of a mathematical probability thing. After all all of the original Avengers survived (though Stark's life was negotiated by Strange), and Antman was trapped in the quantum realm when his entire support team dusted. On the other hand you dusted four out of the Mane 6 so it's clearly not an even split in your interpretation all the time either. So not sure why that statement was in the story anyway.
The support group is pretty much a reflection of the one we see in Endgame. While certainly Equestria would have had such groups I don't care to see when source material is copied so closely; it was a bit much if you just intended to reference it. Better to lean a bit more towards originality imo.
So there's one thing I noticed that may or may not be a big sticking point for me; still too early to tell. But if you are following the MCU's rules for who was affected by the snap then it has a good chance.
Whenever there's a crossover involving humans, I usually never like to see the Equestria Girls universe canon in that story. Having one Earth (from the crossover) and then Equestria Girls' world as a separate world that just happens to look and behave just like that Earth usually doesn't make any sense. The story would need to justify it in some way and it never does.
On the other hand, if "Earth" IS the Equestria Girls' universe in this scenario, that would work well, and would also explain how the story can move forward. We haven't heard from Sunset if the snap affected anything over there. But the snap should only have affected the one universe , right?... but maybe you're bending that rule.
If Earth is meant to be a separate world here, I hope at least EQG's involvement is minimal. If it's referenced solely to pull in Sunset to the story I'll probably be OK with that. Edit: You mentioned ponies in space so I am assuming they're separate.
Looking forward to the next chapter, hopefully before 2029, and hopefully it will push the story along! As Thor said, "BRING ME THANOS"
Also looking forward to more MLD. I believe I still recall the rough story of that. Always love some Stargate crossovers.
11826646
Just wanted to say sorry for your loss. My grandmother recently passed as well.
Great story so far! I'm excited to see where this goes.
11827247
I actually wrote that chapter shortly after the prologue, but was waiting for my editor to get back to me, and he never did. Eventually, I decided to go on without an editor. But it did take way too long.
The 50% is actually pretty even split among our heroes. Because if you consider the ten of them (Mane6+CMC+Spike), five are gone, five survive.
Now, as for involving Equestria Girls, I understand your concerns, and I kinda agree. But I feel like I'd be remiss not to mention what happened over there. Like it or not, they are a part of the core MLP canon. Could've just said, 'nothing happened' because it's a different universe. But especially with the TVA and the sacred timeline being a thing at this point in the narrative, wouldn't add up.
But don't worry, apart from a few chapters in the beginning, (which are necessary for the plot, and not just a gimmick); and I have an idea for a single adventure where they arrive on the EQG planet, but without going through the portal, so they're still in pony bodies; we won't be seeing them at all.
As for My Little Destiny?... Monday...
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I didn't even know the guy. Wasn't much of a loss, but it did put things in perspective for me.
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Seems like that alternates-not-zapped detail ought to come up way sooner than a year later…
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Well, they didn't just find out.
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Please watch Guardians 3, James Gunn is a genius film maker.
A fic using the Thanos Snap but Spike gets to survive said Snap?
That is rare honestly.