The Great Beyond
As the sun set above the village of Ponyville, two sisters made their way up to the top of a hill in Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack and Applebloom visited this spot every now and again to watch the stars, but they hadn't come to their little bonding spot ever since a month ago, when Applejack told her little sister the story of how their parents passed away.
The spot was favored by the sisters because of the lack of trees obstructing the view of Princess Luna's beautiful night sky. The comfortable grass could put anypony to sleep in minutes if they let their guard down.
"Hey, sis. Why are some of the stars shining brighter than the others?" Applebloom asked her older sister.
"Well, y'see, the brightest stars over Sweet Apple Acres, are members of the Apple family, who've left Equestria to live a new life up in the sky."
This made Applebloom jump to attention.
"Does that mean that Ma and Pa are up there?" The young filly asked.
Applejack tried to hold back her tears, after all these years she still missed her parents as if they had died that afternoon. She pointed her hoof to two shooting stars that whizzed by.
"Y'see those shootin' stars, sis?"
"Mmmhmm"
"Well, when a shooting star passes by, it means that one of our ancestors is saying howdy."
"So, what about Ma and Pa?"
"Well, see how bright those shootin' stars were?" Applejack smiled through her obvious tears.
"Yeah"
"Well, they said that the stars that shine brightest over an Apple farm, are the stars of an Apple from that farm, 2 stars are shining real bright tonight, d'ya think they could be Ma and Pa?"
Applebloom didn't have anything to say now. The shooting stars were gone, but 2 new stars had appeared. Applebloom felt a tear in her eye.
"It was all my fault." The filly sobbed.
"Wha'?" Applejack gasped. "Ah'course it's not, sugarcube, why would you think that?"
"I was born too early!" Applebloom sobbed. "If I'd come a little later, then maybe they'd've been able to focus on the fire instead of me!"
"Applebloom, think about it, if you came even a few minutes later than when you did, Ma might not have gotten back to the farm in time to go after Pa, now how do you think she would feel if she survived and Pa didn't? She'd miss him terribly, thanks to you, they can always be together." Applejack hugged her sobbing sister.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
After an hour of stargazing, the sisters returned to the farm house, where Applebloom plopped herself down on the old couch and began looking through some photo albums.
"Applebloom, where did you get those photo albums?" Applejack asked.
"I found 'em in the attic, there's all sorts of pictures of Ma and Pa in them." The filly smiled.
Knock Knock Knock
"Who could that be at this hour?" Applejack asked herself, she opened the front door to see Princess Twilight Sparkle standing outside.
"Twilight? What are you doin' here? It's 11:30, I was just about to bring Applebloom up to bed."
"You asked me to come over, you wanted me to lend you that book on Apple farming, right?" The alicorn reminded Applejack.
"Oh, yeah! Come on in, I think there's some apple pie left over." Applejack pointed her hoof to a second couch in the Apple family living room.
Twilight made her way inside and sat down.
"Alright, Applebloom, off to bed, I suppose you've a long day of trying to get yer cutie mark tomorrow." Applejack said to her sister.
"Alright, Applejack." Applebloom closed her photo album and trotted up to her bedroom.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Mmmm." Twilight smiled. "This apple pie tastes amazing, did Granny Smith make it?"
"She sure did." Applejack replied. "But, if you think that's a good pie, you should've tasted the ones my Ma used to make, one of 'em was shipped off to Princess Celestia herself.
"You must really miss them, Applejack." Twilight sympathized.
"Ah do. It's been almost 10 years, but I still miss 'em like I did the day it all happened."
"10 years tomorrow, isn't it?" Twilight asked.
"Eeyup, Applebloom's 10th birthday, too. I just wish we could celebrate her birthday just once without being so darn upset at the same time. I'd give anything just to see 'em one more time." Applejack sighed.
"Well, I'd better get going, Spike always forgets to wake Owlowiscious for the night shift, Tell Applebloom I said Happy Birthday."
"See ya, you'll be at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow, won't ya?"
"Of course, Pinkie Pie's throwing Applebloom's birthday party, I wouldn't miss it for Equestria." Twilight smiled as she left the house.
"Poor Applejack." Twilight said to herself. "I wish there was something I could do to help her."
Then, Twilight got an idea. She took out a piece of paper and a quill from her saddlebag and began writing.
Dear Princess Celestia.....
^^^^^^^^^^^^
After about an hour, Sweet Apple Acres was completely still. All of the Apples had gone to sleep, and the trees leaves were blowing in the Summer breeze.
But, with the whole farm asleep, nopony noticed a strange, golden mist floating around the orchards. It zipped around the many trees and eventually found the farmhouse. It split into three and floated into the windows of the three apple siblings.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Applejack found herself in some sort of space-like place. It was filled with stars and a bright greenish-blue sky.
"Where am ah?" She asked herself.
"Applejack?" A voice said behind her. Applejack turned around to see Applebloom standing behind her.
"What are you doin' in mah dream?" The filly asked.
"Your dream?" Applejack asked. "I thought this was mah dream."
The sisters turned too see Big Macintosh was now standing beside them.
"Big Mac, I suppose you think this is your dream too." Applejack said to her brother.
"Eeyup."
"Where in the wide wide world of Equestria are we?" Applejack asked herself.
"You're not in Equestria." A voice echoed out of nowhere. Applejack recognized it straight away.
"Princess Celestia??" She asked the sky. A white, tall alicorn appeared in front of the three siblings.
"Hello, Apple siblings." The monarch smiled.
"Princess Celestia, why did you bring us here?" Applejack asked.
"Twilight Sparkle wrote a letter to me about a sensitive subject to the Apple family. I do believe there is an anniversary coming up." Celestia said.
"Our parents, they died 10 years ago tomorrow." Applebloom sighed.
"Well, since your Applejack has played her part on saving Equestria several times, and due to the fact that you make some of the greatest Apples and Apple-related products in Equestria, I do believe the Apple family is in my debt."
"Please, Princess." Applejack raised her hoof to decline anything the princess was to offer. "There's no need to offer us anythin' we have each other and that's all we need."
"Are you sure? Because what I want to offer you is something I'm sure you'd never refuse." Celestia reasoned.
"Yes, ma'am. All we Apples need are each other and nothin' more. We don't want no money or some fancy medals or anythin' like that."
"You do remember that I asked you about your parents a minute ago, right?" The alicorn smiled.
Applejack stared at the princess.
"Our Ma and Pa?"
"Yes." Celestia smiled. "Follow me."
Princess Celestia lead the three Earth Ponies through the starry land. They walked for what felt like forever.
"Um, Princess. How exactly did we get here? Is this just a dream?" Applejack asked.
"I assure you, Applejack. You are asleep, back at Sweet Apple Acres, but this is very real."
"How is that even possible?" Applebloom asked.
"You see, your physical bodies are still asleep in your beds at home, what you are now are simply spirits. Being a goddess, I am still in physical form, but I have taken you here for something special."
After another while of walking, the group reached a large golden gate.
"Where are we?" Applebloom asked.
"This is the entrance to The Great Beyond. It is where ponies go when their time in Equestria, or anywhere else, has ended." Celestia explained.
Applejack gasped.
"So, you mean to say, they might be here?"
"Not might, are. Apple Cider and Ambrosia, your parents, are just beyond this gate. I will escort you to them."
Celestia lit her horn. The distant sound of a horn could be heard as the golden gates opened. The sound of a beautiful choir echoed through. The 4 ponies made their way through the gate as it closed behind them. Instead of a starry enviroment, the ground was now white, puffy clouds, the sky being a beautiful blue.
"This way." The princess lead on.
Celestia lead the siblings along the cloudy path. Every couple of minutes a group of deceased ponies could be seen conversing on different clouds.
Applejack was the first to spot a familiar duo standing on a cloud watching them.
"Ma! Pa!" She sped off at top speed and greeted her parents with a huge, teary, hug.
"I'll wait here." Celestia said. She watched Applebloom and Big Mac chase after their sister.
"I don't believe it." Applejack's face was full of tears. "It's really y'all."
Apple Cider smiled at her daughter. "Applejack, look how much you've grown. And you have your cutie mark too!"
It was then that Big Mac and Applebloom caught up.
"Big Macintosh." Cider smiled. "My Faust, yer bigger than yer Pa now." Cider stood beside his son, to find that he was towering over his father, who was at an average stallion size.
"Applebloom." Ambrosia hugged her daughter.
"So, your'e my Ma?" Applebloom asked, she was as teary eyed as her siblings.
"Yes, I am." Ambrosia answered as she hugged her daughter once more, she never wanted to let her go.
Applejack looked at her father, something was missing, but what? She looked up to find, to her surprise, that she was wearing her hat. She took it off and hoofed it to her father.
"Ah think this is yours, Pa."
"No it's not." Cider replied. He had a confused look on his face.
"Ah'course it is." Applejack argued. "You wore it every day! It fell off your head the day of the fire. At your funeral it blew...." Applejack realized what she was about to say "....onto mah head"
"It's your hat now, Applejack." Cider smiled. "Ever since the day you were born, I knew you would inherit that hat."
"But, it's just a hat. Why's it so important?" Applejack asked.
"Ah don't know." Cider shrugged. "Why do you wear it all the time?"
Tears started falling down Applejack's face again. "Because, It's all I have left of you. You used to always wear it. I think about you every time I look at it."
"The hat has been passed down through generations of the Apple family." Cider explained. "Your great grandpa made it when his old one got lost. Then he passed it on to Granny Smith, who passed it on to me, and I passed it on to you from beyond the grave."
"But, why me? Big Mac is the oldest, he's the owner of Sweet Apple Acres, why didn't you give it to him?" Applejack asked.
"Because, he never liked the hat. I asked him if he liked it one day and he said he'd seen better." All the apples looked back at Big Mac.
"Eeyup." The earth pony blushed.
"And besides, all of you got something of ours." Ambrosia chimed in. "Applejack got Cider's hat, Big Macintosh got his collar, and Applebloom, what do you think you got that belonged to me."
Applebloom was confused. She had no idea what she owned that previously belonged to her mother.
"Her bow!" Applejack gasped.
"Mah bow?" Applebloom asked.
"When the new farmhouse was built, you wandered into the room where we kept all Ma and Pa's stuff. When we found you, you were wearing Ma's bow."
"But, how could I have been wearing it?" Applebloom asked. "It's been nearly 10 years since ah got it and ah still can't tie the darn thing."
Ambrosia smiled at her daughters, hinting that she had something to do with the mystery.
"You tied it for her?" Applejack asked.
"Well, like you told her, We're always watching." Ambrosia smiled.
"So, does that mean, our house is haunted!?"
All the Apples chuckled at Applebloom's assumption.
Princess Celestia walked over to the cloud.
"I just want to say that the sun will be coming up in Equestria soon. I'm sure Granny Smith would get quite a shock if she couldn't wake any of you up when she comes looking for you."
"Oh." Applejack sighed. "I guess we gotta go now then, do we?"
"Sadly, yes." Celestia sighed. "But, if you ever feel lost, alone, or just want to see your parents, I'm sure I can take you back here to see them if I can."
"Really?" Applejack gasped.
"I promise." Celestia smiled. "Now let's go."
"Goodbye, Ma and Pa." Applebloom hugged her parents one last time."
"Even if you can't see us, we'll be watching you." Ambrosia smiled at her daughter. She began crying herself at having to say goodbye to her children. At least this time she could say it to them.
"Goodbye." The couple waved.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Applebloom woke up the next morning to see her sister, brother and even Granny Smith in her room, waiting for her.
"Happy Birthday!" They all cried when they noticed she was awake.
Applebloom smiled at her family. It was her 10th birthday! But today was also 10 years since her parents passed away.
"I'm gonna get the cake." Granny Smith announced. She left the three siblings in the room alone.
"You won't believe the dream ah had last night." She said to her brother and sister.
"It wasn't a dream, Applebloom. We really got to see 'em." Applejack smiled.
"Really?" Applebloom could feel tears streaming down her face.
"Really." Applejack hugged her sister. "Happy Birthday."
"Applebloom looked out her window. The sun was still only rising, she could still see some stars faintly in the sky. Two of which were close together and seemed to wink at her.