She's Always Cold Now
"Hey, little'ns. Didja enjoy yer supper?"
"Story time! Story time! Story time!" The energetic chorus of the three fillies was such a reminder of her baby sister and her friends from so long ago.
"Okay okay. Grab some rug and settle down."
The three fillies did exactly what they were told. At least they always did for her. She supposed it had something to do with how much they all seemed to enjoy her stories. She certainly loved to tell them. She ambled over to the old rocker in the corner and sat down. It gave a mighty creak as she did so. Twernt no surprise. It was the oldest thing in all of Ponyville and the surrounding area. She sighed fondly as she recalled nights she would sit on the rug and her granny would sit in this same chair. She didn't always tell a story, but it was nice bein' with her, all the same.
"So, what story do y'all wanna hear tonight?"
The three fillies glanced at each other, almost appearing nervous for just a moment. Finally the youngest, Honey Petal, just blurted out, "Tell us about your scarf, Granny Applejack. You're always wearing it."
Applejack's heart stopped for just a moment. Just long enough for her to remember that night.
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It was the night before Hearts and Hooves day. As if the situation wasn't painful enough.
Rainbow Dash had signed up for the war. No surprise there. What had surprised Applejack was the confession. She was so unprepared, she nearly turned tail and ran.
"It's okay if you don't love me the same way, AJ. I just figured I should tell you. Not that I'm scared that I won't come back, but, you know, I'm gonna be so AWESOME they might want to keep me there as a general." Rainbow Dash's grin was big and very noticeably forced. "Well, I gotta catch the last train to the Crystal Empire. They're setting up a base camp a few miles out."
As she turned to leave, Applejack couldn't help but stare. Her friend had just confessed her love. Why couldn't she respond?
Rainbow Dash had spread her wings to fly off and Applejack knew she had to say something.
"YES!"
It was louder than she intended. She looked around the trees to see if anyone had heard her. Rainbow Dash folded her wings and turned to face Applejack.
"Um, what?"
"Uh...uh," Why couldn't she say anything? Applejack finally decided to do the one thing she could do that would get her message across.
She walked up to Rainbow Dash, looked her right in the eye, and placed her hat on Rainbow Dash's head. Rainbow Dash was now the one lost. Applejack could see it in her eyes. Finally, she could speak.
"You beat me to it, sugarcube. And this time, you did it fair and square. I am totally in love with you, too." She leaned in and gave Rainbow's cheek a small nuzzle.
Rainbow Dash threw her hooves around Applejack's neck, sending them both to the ground. They kissed and giggled like little fillies. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.
"OH NO!" Rainbow Dash bolted upright. "I'm gonna miss the train! BYE AJ!" Rainbow started speeding off, then suddenly stopped. She turned and came back to Applejack with her hat held out in her hoof.
"Keep it. Just remember it's a loaner. Ya gotta come give back, ya hear?"
Rainbow Dash grinned the biggest, goofiest grin Applejack had ever seen. And Applejack knew Pinkie Pie, so that was saying something.
"Well, let me give you something, too." Rainbow reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a vibrant, rainbow scarf. "Rarity made it for me. But with this," Rainbow tugged at the hat, "I won't be needing it. So here." Rainbow reached and, a little clumsily, wrapped it around Applejack's neck. She stayed there just long enough to whisper in Applejack's ear, "I'll miss you, Applejack."
Applejack felt her eyes heat up and a lump start to form in her throat. "I'll miss you too, Rainbow Dash. Come back safe."
"PSH! Like anything could happen to me. Later, AJ! I'll bring you back some souvenirs. Like, enemy weapons or something."
And with that, she Rainboomed off to catch her train.
Applejack had never been so incredibly happy, and so indescribably sad at the same time.
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"That mare was a good one. When she lost her wing in that first battle, nothing was gonna stop her from going back. We actually have her to thank for the great advances in prosthetic devices that we have today. She was given the very first prosthetic wing. She was a fighter. She helped us win so many decisive battles against Sombra."
"What happened to her?" the eldest, Storm Dancer, asked.
Applejack looked over to the eldest sibling. "She never was able to do another Sonic Rainboom after losing her real wing. She lost quite a bit of her speed. When she came home on leave, I begged her to stay with me. But she said she couldn't. She told me that there was one more battle and that she had to be there to make sure we won. She told me it was going to end the war."
Applejack could feel her tears forming. She thought, for the briefest of moments, about fighting the tears back. But these fillies deserved the full truth. Life is painful sometimes and it would be a complete crime to try and teach children otherwise. That familiar lump was forming in her throat again.
"Well," she choked out, "she went to that battle, and she played a decisive role in it's victory. As she always did. But this time, her luck ran out. There was a bomb set in King Sombra's main fortress. This bomb, if successful, would take out the majority of Sombra's army as well as King Sombra, himself."
Applejack's shoulders started to shudder. She choked back her sobs. Well, she tried. A few came out, prompting the three fillies to stand and give a large group hug to their grandmother. This helped her calm down a bit. She had to finish the story.
"She wasn't fast enough. The bomb went off just like it was supposed to. It took out everything it was supposed to take out. But she was too close and she wasn't fast enough."
The three fillies spent the rest of the night caring for their weeping grandmare.