• Published 10th Jul 2023
  • 4,457 Views, 480 Comments

Never Alone - JeSuisLaPorte



Applejack finds a young filly on the verge of death at the edge of the Everfree Forest and as she's slowly nursed back to health, the earth pony decides to foster her, unaware of the many hurdles and dangers it'll bring her way.

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43. Moving Forward

A week later, Applejack, Olive and Twilight finally left the hospital for good, ready to face the coming winter. As was expected, the big fight at Ponyville’s schoolhouse attracted lots of attention. Spreading by word of mouth initially, it reached the big cities far away, manifesting in the ever-growing presence of the paparazzi assaulting them with all sorts of question.

Applejack hated their intrusion, their incessant desire to intrude on their personal lives. The worst part of all this was the fact that a less than desirable truth would spill to the rest of Equestria because of them; the monster within her daughter was no longer a secret. Their curiosity quickly turned to fear, and their questions shifted from Strong Hoof to Olive in an instant. The poor filly buried herself in her mother’s hooves, terrified by the oppressive presence of all these ponies staring at her with less than pleasant expressions.

Bitter, terror, disgust, none of them were willing to see past the monster buried within. The worst, however, had yet to come. Soon, all Equestria will know that this filly hides an eldritch beast inside. At least, her close friends won’t judge or fear her for it...

Applejack could already see the fearmongering headlines: Monster filly living among us!

Once that terrible experience was over, they left the hospital and returned to the farm. Now having some time alone, Applejack went back to a troubling thought, a nagging fear that persisted for the entire week, one she didn’t get much time to acknowledge but knew Twilight and Cheerilee were onto it.

The cerise mare’s story had a somewhat troubling detail. It happened eight years ago. The newborn filly was kidnapped eight years ago. What else happened eight years ago? Jolly Melody went missing, and Anarchy was birthed from the darkest corners of this country.

There was, however, a chance that this was all a coincidence, that they were looking too deep into it but still, now that this story was brought up... Olive does look somewhat like Cheerilee.

Applejack wondered if Cheerilee caught on. If she knew that the filly the farm pony was currently fostering was hers. If she knew then... what would happen? Olive was her daughter, her offspring, not Aj’s. Would the mare want her back?

And what about Care? Applejack froze. What about her? If the pegasus learned about this... Olive was only hers because the poor filly had no known relative to speak of, no family to go to. With Cheerilee being her biological mother, would she be sent to her?

Would Heedful Care take Olive away from her?

Applejack’s heart skipped a beat. It throbbed against her chest with ever-growing intensity, terrified. N-No! She can’t know! But still, wouldn’t it be wrong to keep her in the dark just so that she can keep Olive? Would it truly be for the best to lie to this kind counselor just for her own happiness?

The orange mare felt sick, disoriented. What should Ah do? What should Ah do? The fear was eating her inside, putting a complete stop to her work. Her mind couldn’t stop thinking about this story and its implications. Her body stopped moving, no longer willing to harvest the apples from the farm. There was a more pressing matter at hoof.

Dropping her baskets, she rushed back to her home, stopping by Granny Smith who sat on the porch reading peacefully. “U-Um, howdy Granny. Ah, uh... w-was wonderin’ where mah littl- where Olive went.” she stuttered awkwardly, unable to put her confused thoughts into coherent words.

Granny lifted her tired head, smiling gently. “Ah think Ah saw ta lil filly wander over to, ah...” Her smile slowly lowered. “Ta hill... with some big sticks and a rope. Ya know ta hill, ta one with ta, uh, flowers and apples...” With her head, she pointed at the one place they still struggled to mention, the resting place of Bright Mac and Pear Butter.

Looking over, Applejack could see a small pink and white figure on that hill, sitting near the graves. “Thanks, Granny!”

The trek to the hill was difficult, not because the road was tough to travel, no. It was a road filled with fear, confusing and contradicting thoughts and a desperate need for some comfort. Applejack only longed for one thing, to feel the small hooves of her daughter around her, to feel her love.

It was with a heavy heart that she reached the top, the memories of her parents coming back to haunt her in tandem with her own fears. Olive, however, didn’t sit in front of these graves. She was off to the side, where something strange caught the mare’s attention. Two sticks, fused together via a rope in the shape of a cross were planted on the ground next to her parent’s grave. On the vertical stick, a single word was carved:



Aurora



Heedful Care’s grim words came back to her mind. We did find something we believe belongs to Aurora... A severed wing... or what’s left of it anyway. The odd construction she was staring at was a grave. A crude looking grave, but one that was clearly made with heart.

Olive stared at it, struggling to keep her eyes on the carved name. Despite the awful cold, she felt nothing, no frost, no heat. Atop the hill, the wind howled, sharing her pain. Just then, her mother took a seat next to her, wrapping her hooves around to keep her warm.

“We know what it’s like, sugar cube. We know all too well.”

Olive whimpered; her eyes watered. In a flash, she saw all the times she spent with Aurora, her bright smile, her optimism and the love she had for her. If it wasn’t for her, she’d never be here, she wouldn’t have gotten a second chance at life, she wouldn’t have been happy. Her emotions slowly poured out of her, unable to stay within anymore. But Applejack was there, and she gave her a mane to cry into. With a scream of pain, she let her mother bring some much-needed comfort.

Sharing the filly’s pain, Applejack began to cry too but for a different reason. Ah don’t want to let her go. Ah just can’t...



She needs me more than ever.


Olive spent a while resting on the couch, hidden underneath a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate in reach. She’d spent a lot of time outside without any boots or a scarf which nearly gave her a cold. As such, she was instructed to stay indoors for the rest of the day until she warms up. It was a good thing, mourning inside certainly felt better than it did in the frosty lands of Equestria.

At least here, she was comfortable dealing with her sad feelings. Of course, it was obvious that she should move forward and not dwell on the past...

Oh, but it was so difficult! Every time she thought about Aurora, another memory of them playing popped up. One lead to another and thus, Olive lost track of what she was even supposed to sort out. She’d gone from mourning her loss, to thinking about all the important things she taught her, to all the fun times they had, to what it was like to live with her father and at that point, she started to forget why she was even feeling sad to begin with.

Being her was annoying. A simple word, sentence or even an image can send her spiralling down an endless staircase of memories that leads to another one, so on and so forth. Her mind was nothing more than paralysis. When she was lucky, she could break out of this vicious cycle and forget about it, other times, not so much. Fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, sometimes even forty-five minutes could be lost thinking about such pointless things! It was so frustrating.

It’s so frustrating to feel so useless...

...

Did they also see her as weak and useless? She was no idiot; she could clearly tell that her simple inclusion in the family lead to some financial problems. Foals cost a lot of money to take care of. After all the things they did for her, the last thing she wanted was to be nothing more than a burden.

She can’t stay here sipping her hot chocolate and acting like a useless filly. She’s strong, smart and determined. With this early winter taking everypony by surprise, her family needs all the help they can get. They need her to be outside.

Jumping out of her blanket, Olive put on her boots, a scarf to keep her neck warm and a toque for her mane. Then, she headed outside and braved the cold, trotting through the deep snow to her mother as she was bucking the apple trees.

Applejack wiped the sweat off her forehead, turning around to buck another tree when Olive came into view. The filly looked up to her with her beautiful eyes sparkling with a renewed determination. “Hey, sugar cube. Ya feelin’ better?”

Olive nodded. “Yes. I’m here to help you!”

“Uh, help me?” Applejack stopped and stared at the filly from her hooves all the way up her mane. Her daughter was small, even smaller than Apple Bloom. She didn’t quite know what to say to that. Olive might even be younger than her baby sister. But still, it couldn’t hurt to let her try. “Sure, Ah believe ya can help Apple Bloom with ‘er work! She could always use an extra pair of hooves!”



Directed to her sister, Olive waltzed next to her, puffing her chest. “I’m here to help you!” She said with a surprising amount of confidence and determination.

“Oh really?” Apple Bloom stopped her apple bucking, panting. “Ah’m guessin’ mah sister sent ya to help.”

Olive nodded happily. “Mommy said you could use some help!”

Her older sister narrowed her eyes, examining the energetic filly from top to bottom. Not only was she smaller than her, but she was also a unicorn. Unicorns aren’t quite as strong as earth ponies... “Um, are ya sure yer strong enough to buck an apple tree?”

In response, Olive lifted a hoof, flexing her foreleg. “I am really strong! Look, I’ll prove it right now!” The pink unicorn got in position and, imitating her older sister, bucked the tree with all her might. It cracked under her sheer power and showered the two siblings with apples.

Olive fell to the ground, wincing in pain. She had proven her point, but her hind legs now hurt.

Apple Bloom smiled. “That’s great!” Her glee was short lived as she noticed the pain her sister was in. “But, uh... yer not supposed to buck it s’hard as ya can. That... just hurts yer legs.”

Olive whimpered, holding her hind legs. She panicked, wondering if she accidentally broke a leg again. Stretching one out, she came to realise that everything was fine. The pain was gone, and so were her worries. “I can still work!” She said, brushing her sister off. “I’m okay! I’m not frail.”

The farm filly smiled proudly. “Of course, yer an Apple! And we’re all tough as steel!”





After a long afternoon of work, Olive and Apple Bloom joined their friends as agreed near Sugar Cube Corner. On their way, the two siblings passed by a young stallion who was immediately startled by the mere presence of the pink unicorn, creating as much distance between them as possible. He must be one of those crazy reporters strolling in town, not knowing a thing about her or her sad upbringing. With a mane as white as snow, she was hard to spot in this weather.

The residents of Ponyville never really panicked after the information leaked out, they already knew from Twilight and her friends that this filly was a kind and gentle soul.

Apple Bloom sighed and shook her heads. “Ah can’t believe ponies are already fearin’ ya. Ah mean, can’t they see yer no monster?”

Olive’s blank expression crumbled, now replaced by worry. “Do you think I should try to look more friendly?” Another thing she was known for were her blank and often lifeless expressions. Until you talk to her, at which point she seemingly springs to life and can engage in a normal conversation without any problems.

She simply doesn’t approach other ponies unless she has important business with them, making her not much of a social butterfly. To outsiders, however, that only serves to make her look more alien because of her other, darker side.

“What if I try to smile?” Olive stretched her mouth wide, baring her teeth.

Her sister cringed not just at the idea, but mostly at the execution. “Ah think yer better off bein’ yerself. No offense but ya look kinda creepy right naow.”

“Aw, why can’t I look friendly?”

Apple Bloom gasped. “Right there! That’s better! Ya look a lot nicer when ya ‘ave this look on yer face!”

Olive stared at a window, examining her reflection for a few seconds. “But that’s just how I look when I’m feeling down!”

“Oh right... Ah can’t really ask ya to look like that all ta time, that’ll just be sad.” Apple Bloom scratched the back of her head awkwardly, giving up on solving this precarious situation. They’ll just have to wait and see how things would go from here. At least, there probably won’t be any unwanted visitors to Ponyville in the future. They’ll be too terrified to come and see the so-called monster of this earth pony town.

A monster, what a funny label to put on a filly who has trouble letting her anger out.

“Urgh, Ah dunno ‘bout ya, but this whole situation is makin’ me mad!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Aren’t ya mad too?”

Olive frowned, avoiding her eyes. “I mean, k-kinda. C-Can we hurry up to Sugar Cube Corner? I want to see my friends.”

“O-Oh, right! Sorry to hold ya off like that.”



Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were waiting for them at a table for four. They were shivering despite wearing their winter clothes. Thinking back to the road to Sugar Cube Corner, Olive realised there weren’t many ponies outside. The dreadful winter forced everypony to spend as little time outside as possible, otherwise they’d catch a cold or suffer from hypothermia and that’s bad. Really bad.

Anyhow, the four Cutie Mark Crusaders each ordered a nice cup of hot chocolate to warm themselves after a long and frosty day.

“So, um, were did all that snow come from anyway?” Scootaloo asked first, glancing at the window. “It has to be magic or something.”

Sweetie Belle nearly burned her tongue on her hot chocolate, choosing to let it cool for a moment. “Didn’t you read the news? Something awful happened in Canterlot! It said the Anarchists were all captured but their leader!” She jerked, noticing Olive’s eyes were on her. “Uh... that’s your d-dad.”

Scootaloo grumbled. “I never read the newspaper because I’m too busy doing cool things.”

“Figures, I never read them either. Rarity always spills it out for me.” Sweetie admitted.

Olive climbed on her seat, staring at the setting sun. “So, it’s my daddy who’s on the moon. He’s hiding.”

Apple Bloom gasped. “What? Like... Nightmare Moon?”

“Yeah, he always wanted to go on the moon. I don’t know why; it looks kind of boring and lonely up there.”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Meh, who knows. Criminals always want weird things, especially the crazy ones.”

All four waited a bit longer for their cups to cool off. Now judging it was good to go, the boldest ones went first. Olive decided to go too, not wanting to look like a chicken and Sweetie Belle followed.

The pink unicorn approached her hesitant lips, placing them on the border of the cup. Slowly but surely, she lifted it and let the hot liquid drip down. She flinched lightly once it touched her lips, it burned but not enough to scare her away. So, she sipped.

Scootaloo groaned in pain, her tongue burning under the blazing power of the hot chocolate. She probably shouldn’t have taken a big gulp carelessly.

Apple Bloom hissed in pain, deciding to try her luck again seeing as one of them already bested the beverage.

Sweetie Belle, however, forfeited, choosing to wait just a bit longer. Having nothing to do, she observed her friends boldly attempting to tame the hot beast. So far, only Olive was successful, unbothered by the little pain it caused. Her taste buds had met the drink, and boy were they happy! Her eyes sparkled with pleasure, and she sipped again and again.

The white filly observed her friend drink so passionately, feeling her cheeks growing warm. The pink filly’s hind hooves clopped against one another in glee, satisfied by this delicious drink. She was drinking so much, she forgot to breathe! As such, she exhaled loudly after each sipping.

Her voice was like music to Sweetie Belle’s ears. Each time she exhaled, the filly tilted her head, eyes locked on the pink pony. She looked so gosh darn cute! Sweetie’s face turned red, forgetting entirely about her own drink. She was too absorbed in what Olive was doing.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo watched on rather unimpressed. Eventually, the yellow earth pony leaned to her pegasus friend. “How long as it been goin’?”

“A week, I think.” Scootaloo grumbled. “Shouldn’t we do something about this? It’s getting rather tiring to watch.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Ah know. Ah mean, ta two are clearly made fo’ each other! Olive just doesn’t know what’s goin’ on and Sweetie’s too scared to say anythin’. It’s frustrating to watch.”

“Darn right. I say we should help.”

“Well... what do ya propose?”

Scootaloo smirked. “I think I’ve got an idea. I’ll need your help to make it happen, but it’s guaranteed to bring them closer!”

“Hey, what are you talking about?” Both fillies jerked back. Olive had already finished her drink, her curious, bright eyes now on them.

“N-Nothing! Just a, uh, cool stunt I’ve been thinking about.” Scootaloo blurted out, smiling awkwardly to cover her lie.

“Oh, okay. Can you show me your cool stunt one day?”

The two fillies nodded, relieved. It’s a good thing that Olive can be so naïve at times. Looking to her right, the pink pony gazed at her lovestruck friend, confused. “Your cup is going to be warm. I think you should drink it now before it’s too late.”

Sweetie’s bubble broke, awakening her brutally. “Oh! What, uh?!” She accidentally knocked her cup, finally bringing it back into her view. “Oh right! My cup, it’s getting warm.”

Olive blinked. “That’s what I said.”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged tired glances. The pink unicorn’s cluelessness was baffling to say the least. Then again, she did go through a lot, much more than all three of them combined so... maybe that explained why she’s somewhat oblivious to Sweetie’s feelings.

Just then, Miss Cake came to their table, smiling gently. “Did you enjoy your drink, fillies?”

Olive pushed her cup away and gave her a thankful smile. “It was really good! Thanks for the drink... even if it was really hot.”

The blue mare giggled. “That’s what the ‘hot’ in hot chocolate means!”





The burn of the hot chocolate finally reached her tongue, forcing it out. “Bleh.” Olive sticked her tongue out, letting the cold air cool her mouth. She could barely feel the taste of her drink anymore.

Scootaloo scoffed, taking a sip of her much less hot drink. “I guess there’s a consequence to bravery.”

Olive grumbled, retracting her tongue after a while. “I want a regular chocolate next time.”

“You mean chocolate milk?” Miss Cake asked.

“I thought that was cold chocolate.”

The blue mare giggled at this unorthodox response. “Oh, aren’t you precious! You can place your bits on the table. Remember, it’s two bits each.”



Now that they’ve drank and rested well, the four crusaders left Sugar Cube Corner, looking for adventures. However, something unexpected came in the form of three guards dragging Spoiled Rich to a flying cart. The mare was trashing to break free, but their iron grips were far too strong for her. As expected of the royal guard, they had zero expressions on their faces whilst they carried out their orders. It was chilling to stare at...

Chilling, but that didn’t stop Olive from rushing to them. The deep snow made it hard to reach the guards, constantly making her fall face first on the frosty ground. She noticed Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara staring at the scene in shock. The filly wanted to run after them, to her mother but her father held her back, shaking his head sadly. “Let it go. There’s nothing we can do...”

In her desperation, Diamond cried out to her pink friend. “O-Olive! Do something!”

Confused and worried, Olive tapped one of their guard’s hooves. Her friends gasped, bewildered by the filly’s daring move. One does not simply interrupt a royal guard in the middle of their work. That’s just insanity! The large stallion looked at her briefly, not letting Spoiled loose. “What is it?” he asked, his voice deep and intimidating but friendly, nonetheless.

“Um...” Olive shook her tail nervously, struggling to maintain her eyes on the intimidating figure. “W-Why are you taking her away?”

The two stallions threw the mare in the cart, where she was forcefully tied to her seat, preventing any escape. The driver nodded at the guard Olive just talked to. “We have some time to spare. You can answer her.”

He sat down, trying to make himself appear less intimidating. “We were ordered by Princess Celestia to bring her to jail for her upcoming trial.”

“Jail? Is she going to be here forever?” Olive asked in her soft, worried voice.

The guard managed a comforting smile. “No, we’re not locking her in the dungeons. That place is only reserved for truly evil ponies. A jail is just a smaller dungeon meant to hold ponies who are accused of having committed a crime. She won’t be here forever.”

“Did she really commit a crime?”

“I don’t know for sure, but that’s what a trial is meant to do; to see if the culprit is truly guilty of the suspected crime. Is there anything else you want to know?”

Olive opened her mouth, glancing at Diamond Tiara. Her poor friend was holding back some tears. She knew how her friend felt, this difficult feeling that neither could truly explain. To love somepony that wasn’t entirely fair or kind to you. They have their soft spots, but they can be oh so mean at times. “N-No...”

The guard nodded, getting back on all four. “If so, we will depart immediately. We’re sorry for causing a scene.”

The cart left shortly after. Olive watched as the four guards and Spoiled Rich flew to Canterlot, the city resting on a mountain. Talking to this stallion, she finally understood what separated the royal guards from the stallions following her father. Despite their tough and gruff appearances, these intimidating stallions know what kindness is. It meant a lot to her that they were willing to answer the questions of a nopony.





But now, there was another problem. A problem in the form of a distraught filly weeping over her father’s shoulder. Diamond Tiara lost her mother just like how Olive lost her closest friend. Being separated from the pony you love, nothing felt worse than that.

“Ah can’t believe ya touched a royal guard! That’s like, super dangerous! Who knew how he would ‘ave reacted!” Apple Bloom’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Yeah, royal guards are super scary. They always have this dead look in their eyes while they’re doing something!” Scootaloo added.

“Well, uh, I just... knew he wouldn’t hit me.”

“Hit you?!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “You were interfering with a royal guard’s duty! Something bad could have happened to you!”

Feeling ashamed, Olive lowered her head, hiding her face behind her mane and tail. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what I did was dangerous...”

Sweetie Belle jumped on the unicorn, hugging her. “You need to be more careful for us, okay? I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack whenever you do something reckless.”

“Aw, don’t have a heart attack, please!” Olive begged. “I don’t want to get another friend killed because I’m stupid!”

Sweetie Belle frowned. “And stop saying you’re stupid! I hate when you beat yourself down like that. I want you to be happy and confident, not sad and insecure!”

“Uh, bu-I-I don’t...” Her friend hushed her, tightening her grip.

“I’m happy when you’re happy. That’s what I want you to understand.”

Olive blushed, not knowing why she felt so... great hearing these words. Sweetie Belle had brought her morale up and now; she was ready to help a friend in need. Nuzzling against her unicorn friend, Olive smiled. “Thank you, I feel much better now.”

Vigor was restored. Now, she trotted towards the weeping earth pony, smiling warmly at the stallion holding her friend. “Hey, Mister Filthy.”

Filthy Rich frowned. “I’d much prefer if you call me Mister Rich.”

“We came to help Diamond Tiara, Mister Rich.”

Mildly surprised, he looked at his daughter. “Are these your friends, sweetie?”

Diamond Tiara wiped her tears, struggling to make out the four fillies standing before her. “Y-Yeah. Especially Olive.”

“The pink one?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, she saved everypony’s lives back at the school.”

The stallion’s entire attitude changed, smiling brightly at the newcomers. “Oh, it’s her! Thanks for saving my wife and my daughter. It really means a lot to me!” He patted Olive on the head. The filly didn’t really mind being touched by a stranger.

“Actually, I only really wanted to beat that mean stallion for what he did to me.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you saved everypony in doing so!” Filthy Rich pressed. “We put so much money in that school because we want nothing more but the best for our little Diamond. Thanks to you, we haven’t lost everything!”

“But the school is destroyed!”

Mister Rich scoffed. “It’s not that bad! I’ve already paid an entire construction team to repair it. It’ll just take a week or two to bring it back to working condition. In the meantime, we don’t really know what to do with our filly’s education. Especially now that... she’s been taken away.”

Olive frowned, lowering her sad head. “Is there something I can do to help your wife?”

“Well...” Filthy Rich’s face lit up. “Hold on. You were there during the storm which means you’re also a witness!”

“A witness?”

“Yes! You saw what happened didn’t you? Is my wife really guilty of attempted foal murder?”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders cringed, looking away.

“I-I don’t think so.” Olive responded much to her friend’s surprise.

Yeah... Says ta filly who almost got killed by ‘er. Ah ‘ope she won’t try to do anythin’ horrible to ya again...

Gee, I’ll never understand why you’ll stick up for that horrible mare... If things get ugly, I’ll pull you out of there!

So you’re willing to forgive even your enemies? Olive... You truly are an admirable pony!

“Then you’ll help the judge see that my wife is innocent, right?” Rich asked, almost getting on his knees in front of a poor farm filly.

“I’ll do my best for my friend, Diamond Tiara!” Olive announced confidently.

Diamond Tiara sniffled, overwhelmed by her friend’s supernatural determination. “T-Thank you, Olive.”

Olive spoke up one last time, her voice filled with sympathy and sadness. "I know what it's like to be separated from a pony you love. Unlike me, you'll get her back."

Author's Note:

Moving forward, more trouble arises. Olive's custody will be put into question should Care be aware of Cheerilee's history. Spoiled Rich is trialed for attempted foal murder and Cheerilee is still in denial!

A lot of things are hapening at once, but what about Looking Glass and Mango? What have they been doing during this week? Not much, sadly, but the royal captain has some sneaking suspicions that Looking is up to something...

And what about Anarchy? Still no sign of him, his cutie mark is still plastered on the moon, ominously overlooking Equestria but the stallion himself has yet to come down. The clock is ticking down, we should expect his company later this month.

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