Resurrection

by Silverstreak

Sacrifice

Apple Bloom bit into the apple she bucked off the tree, savoring the flavor and juice of real food. For days she'd eaten flowers that the bunnies would eat, and now Apple Bloom had a nice juicy apple, its flavor exploding making Apple Bloom squeeze her mouth tight, like when you try something sour. Apple Bloom swallowed and devoured the apple, and several others until her belly was full, her mouth drooling, and her mind satisfied at finally not eating plants that rabbits ate. Apple Bloom sat underneath the apple tree remembering all the good times of her life underneath apple trees. Helping Applejack and Big Mac, playing with her friends in their club house, even when she got her cutie mark.
Apple Bloom remembered that day, she was just tinkering with the spare metal that was left after Applejack had the machine built that would speed up zapapple fuel production by a lot. Applejack regretted that decision soon after, because the darn thing would just keep falling apart and nothing seemed to keep it together. The science ponies were just as baffled by it. They said that the plans came from the humans, and after the success of the first few shuttles, they'd believed that they knew how to make human technology work. Well Apple Bloom was just tinkering with those pieces of metal under an apple tree seeing how they would fit together, when dots started to connect in Apple Bloom's mind. Well not really dots, but something clicked which allowed her to build that base ball looking thing, which Apple Bloom had seen before in the blueprints for the machine.
Apple Bloom stood feeling the cool breeze blow through the trees, after that day Applejack made Apple Bloom her top engineer, her only engineer, until Apple Bloom left to be a smuggler with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie, Twist, Snips, and Snails. Looking at the nail and hammer made Apple Bloom miss her friends even more. They had spent a good few years chasing after their cutie marks, running around Ponyville on adventures, and now they were gone.
Whispers blew with the breeze in Apple Bloom's ears. Apple Bloom couldn't make out anything audible due to the low volume and multiple voices. They swirled around Apple Bloom's head as the breeze did. Apple Bloom twisted and turned to find the source of the whispers, when her eyes settled on a white pony in the distance. Apple Bloom couldn't make out if it was a mare or stallion, but it looked familiar. The white pony walked off in between apple trees and out of Apple Bloom's sight.

"Wait!"

Apple Bloom gave chase after the white pony, in hopes of finding a way out of the Everfree Forest, but Apple Bloom lost sight of the pony and stood, twisting her head trying to find...there to Apple Bloom's left was the white pony walking through the trees. For a few minutes Apple Bloom continued this game of chase, lost, then chase again until Apple Bloom came across something familiar. An apple tree with the cutie mark crusader emblem in graved into it. Apple Bloom remembered the day that they carved it in after Scootaloo had gotten her cutie mark of a checkered flag. They had sworn to still be friends forever, and now Apple Bloom knew exactly were she was at.
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Applejack stood over Granny Smith's tomb stone as the sun started to set behind her. Big Mac came up besides Applejack and stood quietly waiting for Applejack to open her eyes. Applejack opened her eyes slowly to let in the scene before her, and to stop the tears from flowing again, to no avail.

"Shining Armor just sent a message saying he'd get us in contact with Twilight in the next few days."

Applejack raised her head to the sky as the tears rolled down her checks, her hat falling to the ground.

"That's good."

Big Mac looked down at the two tomb stones, and released a big sigh.

"You don't have to do this you know."

Applejack looked down at Apple Bloom's tomb stone, the hammer and nail bringing more tears.

"I have to Big Mac...I've been idle for to long."

Big Mac brought Applejack into a hug, which she refused to break. The comfort from her brother was about the last bit of happiness she had left in this world. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom where gone, and Applejack spent so much time getting the Apple business running that she hasn't even gone on a real date, and soon Big Mac would leave to focus on his family. So Applejack had to do something with her life, now that almost all of it was gone.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Cheerliee?"

"The doctors say that Applesauce isn't ready to come out until a few more days. So we both decided that I should come visit."

Applejack broke off from Big Mac's embrace, grabbed her hat and placed it on her head.

"Well ain't that nice of her, after all these years she still cares."

Applejack and Big Mac both looked down at Apple Bloom's tomb stone.

"She's always cared Applejack, and she worries that you might do something rash if you..."

"What? Finally make a stand against Blueblood? Finally do something rather than just sit and wait for the world to end? Apple Bloom said that I was doing nothing, and she was right. Twilight and Rainbow are fighting and trying to find Celestia, Pinkie's fighting with her sister Maud, Rarity's fighting as an informant, and Fluttershy is using her hospitals to move Twilight's forces into the Imperial Military, and all I've done is just supply them with fuel that Cadance orders. I've done nothing to help get Equestria back from Blueblood, or those things." Applejack cried into Big Mac's shoulder, "And all it took was her death!"
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Apple Bloom stood in the shadow of an apple tree, watching as Applejack cried into Big Mac's shoulder. Why was Applejack crying, and why wasn't Apple Bloom moving to help.

"Tough isn't it Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom turned to see the white pony walking up to her. It was Rarity, or at least it looked like Rarity. The coat was right, the mane and tail to, but the eyes and voice were wrong. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, and her voice sounded like it was strained just a little bit. Apple Bloom tensed as she approached, memories of their first encounter played in her mind. A small chuckle left her lips, she was pleased with something, something Apple Bloom didn't think was good.

"Well looks like I can't disguise myself anymore."

Her coat turned from light grey to a light pink, her mane turned a cherry blossom color, and the eyes remained a dull lifeless ruby shade. It was her, the nurse that saved and stabbed Apple Bloom. Those lifeless eyes nearly made Apple Bloom run to Applejack and Big Mac for safety, when a thought came to Apple Bloom's mind.

She saved me from Blueblood, then stabbed me or something, but she really didn't do anything bad. Did she?

"What did you do to me?"

"Several things, one was keeping track of you, and the others are to big to explain."

"Now why is that?"

"Simple. I'm a creature of humanity, made by their vision. A vision that is to complex for your kind."

"Ok?" Apple Bloom wasn't really sure how to respond to that, so she went to her next question. ''Why would you want to keep track of me?"

"Because I need your help with something I can't do alone anymore."

The sadness from her voice actually made Apple Bloom a little depressed.

"What can't you do?"

She looked towards the sky.

"My job."
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Applejack stood alone in front of the tomb stones. Big Mac finally leaving to return to the hospital. The wind blew a little as the sun was dipping behind the horizon, turning the sky a blazing orange. Applejack looked towards the sky, hoping with all her heart that Apple Bloom was listening.

"I'm sorry it took me so long Apple Bloom. I only wish I could know that you'd forgiven me, and that I could say one last goodbye."

Applejack didn't try to stop these tears from flowing. These tears were the build up of several years of sadness, stress, and pointless fights she and Apple Bloom had. Applejack took her hat off and removed Apple Bloom's cutie mark crusader cape that Applejack managed to save from Ponyville. The cape had stains in a few places, the yellow had faded, and their emblem was falling off, but it was all that Applejack had left of her little sister. Applejack placed the crusader cape around Apple Bloom's tomb stone and cried for a few more minutes until the sun was gone. Only then did Applejack put her hat back on and left for the barn, the big, empty barn.
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Apple Bloom sat watching Applejack place the cape on her tomb stone, her tomb stone. Apple Bloom still couldn't believe it, even after seeing the news report that, oh she never did give Apple Bloom her name.

"What's your name?"

She hesitated for a few moments before speaking.

"Ilos."

Ilos. The news report that Ilos had saved. Blueblood had declared Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all dead.

"They're not dead Apple Bloom."

"How I'm I suppose to believe you?"

"You don't have to believe, but I'm telling you the truth. I having been tracking all of you, and they're still alive."

"Right because we're suppose to help you with what exactly."

Apple Bloom wasn't asking a question, she just wanted a different answer then the one she knew was coming.

"You already know the answer."

Of course Apple Bloom did. Just because they were the smugglers famous for taking any job, where others would say no they would say yes. Needed something delivered though Diamond Dog territory, call the Crusader. Dragons attacking your supply ships, call the Crusader, its crew can take any challenge. That was their motto, flying about, doing dangerous adventures, but that's all it was, just another adventure like the ones they had in Ponyville trying to get their cutie marks. Only this time it gave Ilos, a human creation, the thought that they could save the world from an army of Ilos's.
Applejack went back to the barn a few minutes after the sun had set. Apple Bloom got up and started walking to the tomb stones, wanting to see it for herself.

"Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom turned towards Ilos.

"What you do is your choice, I won't force you to do anything, but please take the fact that the world thinks you're dead. This is an advantage we can use, Blueblood wants Equestria fixed just like everyone else, and he's given you and your friends the tool to help with that. With you and your friends help we can save this world, but only if you make this one sacrifice to yourself to help everyone else."

Apple Bloom stared at Ilos, watching as the night sky reveled the lights embedded in her skin, just like those things. Apple Bloom turned and walked to her tomb stone. The cutie mark crusader cape was draped on the stone with the emblem facing Apple Bloom, she couldn't read the words engraved on it, but she didn't want to. Apple Bloom didn't want to know the words of kindness and love that Applejack wrote for her, even though they never forgave each other for their last argument over nothing, Apple Bloom couldn't bring herself to see the love that Applejack still had for her. Not right now, not when Apple Bloom hasn't given her love yet. Apple Bloom looked at Ilos as she stood waiting in the tree line, if what she said is true, then what better way for Apple Bloom to so her love then to help protect Applejack, and everyone else on the farm. Apple Bloom took the giant pink bow out of her mane and placed it in front of her tomb stone, the old Apple Bloom was dead, the one that did nothing as their world fell apart around them, but the new Apple Bloom would take a stand against it, working to defeat those that threated her family and friends. All because she made a sacrifice.

"Goodbye Applejack."

Apple Bloom walked back to the tree line with tears rolling down her cheeks, Ilos said nothing as she lead the way through the forest of apple trees. Apple Bloom followed to her new life, as the old one set her head down to sleep.