> Fallen Apple
>  by Soothing Stone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> One Last Sunny Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

On one Friday morning, the hills and trees of Sweet Apple Acres were waiting patiently for something to happen. Some of the leaves had fallen with the arrival of the autumn season, moving around with each breeze. But more than anything, they were waiting for their caretakers to get to work before the winter season would arrive.

When the sun rose to signal it was dawn, it was clear what maintenance needed to be accomplished. Some of the trees had been rotten to the core with age, and looked almost hideous with their decaying bark. They had lost some of their luster, and a few even smelled of death.

The sun rays covered everything in a bright yellow glow, entering within the open windows of the house of the Apple family.

One of the rooms were that of Apple Bloom's. She snored lightly as she slept, before the sun gave its shine. When it hit her eyes, they slowly opened up, only for her entire attitude go from being a drowsy filly to...something else.

"Today's the day!" she shouted in a Southern drawl. She glanced over at the calender on her desk, and surely enough it was the day circled with red pencil several times over. "Today's the day Ah get closer to becoming a mare!  Yee haw!"

She exploded out from her bedroom and looked at herself in the mirror. A little adjustment on the mane, make sure the tail isn't all mangled, the bow looks nice. That takes care of this step.

After her little routine was over, she ran to the bathroom and pushed the door open, only to see Applejack in there brushing her teeth. The older sister jumped back in surprise, only to be a little annoyed.

"Apple Bloom? You need to knock first before you come in here all excited like that! Ah could have been doing something else in here," she warned.

"But today's the day!" Apple Bloom chirped, as she hopped up and down like Pinkie did. "Ah can't wait!"

"What in tarnation are you talking about...oh, that day," she said, her eyes widening with revelation. "Ah almost forgot about that! We're cutting down some of the older trees, that day, right?"

Apple Bloom nodded, still hopping like a bunny. "So when do we start?"

"Big Mac and Ah are going to be working all day, there's a lot of trees to cut down. You'll be helping once you get back from school. You studied like Ah told you last night?"

"Yes ma'am! Ah got everything right in here," she replied, sticking a hoof on her forehead.

Applejack finished up brushing her teeth and turned off the sink. "It's all yours," she said as she left.

It wasn't long until the little filly ran inside the bathroom, shutting the door hard in her wake. After some noises that sounded like brushing, flossing, and Celestia knows what else, she came out with shiny teeth and a clean face. Her bow was a little wet, and she shook the water off with a few brushes.

But she could smell something coming from the floor below. It was sweet and warm, with hints of cinnamon in there. Her stomach was rumbling inside, so it was just what she needed at that moment.

She ran down the stairs without any restraint, and sniffed around to find where it was coming from. Dining room, of course. She followed the scent like a dog to find a bowl of hot oatmeal with a glass of milk next to it on the table.

Granny Smith was by the sink, and turned around to see her youngest granddaughter come inside. "Now, you tell me what you think of that new recipe I cooked up," she commented. "Took five times this morning to get it right. Almost burned the whole house down the third time."

Apple Bloom wasted no time and plopped down in her chair. She took the spoon next to the bowl and dug in immediately. It was even better than she hoped, with the perfect mix of flavors giving a delicious taste. Granny Smith watched as the filly dug in again, with multiple spoonfuls going in.

"I take it the oatmeal's great?" she inquired.

"Yeah! Best oatmeal Ah've ever tasted!" Apple Bloom commented, as half the bowl was gone already.

"Now hold on just a minute," Big Mac said as he entered the room. "You need to slow down right there. There's no rush to finish it first. Try to enjoy it for now."

Apple Bloom frowned, only to see just how fast she had ate. She felt like she was going to be sick, and washed the oatmeal down with some milk. All better now, as she took a few smaller bites and tried to savor them for once. Big Mac smiled on how his point was taken.

"Sorry, Ah'm just so excited," she explained. "Ah've done so many thing to help around here for years, and this is the first time Ah get to help with something bigger."

"Fillies," Granny Smith laughed. "They always want to grow up faster than they should."

Apple Bloom blushed at that comment, and dove in again for the oatmeal. She noticed her brother was smiling at the humor as well, and her bow went down in embarrassment. She was doing great so far in her life, she thought.

She looked up at the clock in the room, seeing she had plenty of time. Big Mac sit down next to her as he had his own bowl to eat from. Much bigger than the filly's, given their size difference.

"So what will Ah be doing out there?" she asked.

"Well, there's a lot to it," he answered. "First, there's cutting it down with a saw, and that's a two pony job. Some of them will be really big, so maybe you can help Applejack or me get one side of it. But you have to be careful. Those trees are mighty heavy, and you can't be in the way of one of them when they fall to the ground. Both of us will make sure you'll be fine, but sometimes you have to know where it's going to fall and where to run."

She nodded, and took a few more bites from her oatmeal. She still couldn't wait, having a sense of danger to the job only caused her to look forward to it more than ever. It even caused her to return to eating the meal faster, until there was no oatmeal or milk left for her to enjoy. She placed the bowl and glass cleanly in the sink and returned to her bedroom.

There wasn't much time left before she had to leave for school, and all her supplies were in her room. She opened the saddlebag to see everything was where it should be. She had already planned to eat in the cafeteria, cheese pizza was one of her favorite meals.

Feeling like she had a few precious minutes to kill time, she looked outside her window and covered the sun with a hoof in her face. From there, she could see all the trees that were past their prime and chosen for cutting. They all had red X's spray painted on them, marking them for reference. There was plenty of X's all over the acres, meaning it might take the whole weekend to cut them all down.

She sighed, wishing she could skip school to do it now. But it wasn't going to happen, especially on test day. Oh well, it was only for a few more hours, right?

Then she heard the door open, as Applejack came in with her trademark hat on her head. "You ready for school?"

"Yeah, let me get this on..." She heaved the saddle bag on her back, the last thing she needed. "Ah'm ready to go when you are."

"Hold up, you're getting a practice quiz first," Applejack interrupted. "What's eleven plus 17?"

"28!"

"What elements make up for water?"

"Hydrogen and oxygen!"

"And who was the previous ruler of Equestria before Celestia and Luna?"

"A man with a goat head that has an addiction to cotton candy clouds, chocolate rain, and giving Granny Smith a good back!"

Applejack sighed with that answer. "What's his name, Apple Bloom?"

"Discord!"

"Exactly! You got some brains there, you've been studying more and more, Ah've noticed. So let's go on and get out of here."

Apple Bloom gleamed again and followed her big sister through the house. They went downstairs as Big Mac was waiting on the front porch with a double sided saw resting next to him on the floor.

"We'll be waiting for you when you get back," he encouraged her. "Have fun out there."

"Sure will!" she responded with a grin.

The two sisters began to trot out of the Acres, as the sun had risen much higher into the sky. It caused the previously blackened sky to turn to light orange, with hints of blue mixed in.

Yet, school was the last thing on Apple Bloom's mind. Every so often, she found herself wishing for a time machine to go into the future by six hours, just so she could cut down trees right now. Wasn't there a doctor in Ponyville everypony kept saying was a Time Lord? Probably wasn't a real tale, most of them never are.

At the same time, Applejack could read the enthusiasm in Apple Bloom's eyes. It reminded her of herself as a filly...back when her parents were still around...

"So how excited are you about all of this?" she said, trying to get that memory out of her head.

"Very! Ah can't wait to do all of this. It will help me get stronger, and maybe Ah'll be half as strong as you when I'm finished!"

Applejack laughed. Always the humble one. "Maybe. We'll have to find out once you start out there. But, Apple Bloom?"

"Yeah, sis?"

"Did Big Mac ever tell you about how dangerous a job like this can be?"

The filly ruffled her mane with her right front hoof. This was getting strange to her now. "Something like that. He said Ah should be mighty careful out there. Ah guess it's because those are really heavy trees, right?"

"Right. None of us want to see anypony get hurt, and that means you too. Ah know Ah haven't talked to you about this, but Ah'm kind of worried about this."

"Ah'll be fine. You'll be there if something goes wrong, right?"

"Ah want to be there. But...Ah'm not sure if you're old enough for all of this. You...you could wait a little while."

Apple Bloom stopped in her tracks, and she wasn't enthusiastic anymore as much as a little annoyed. "What do you mean, 'You're not old enough'? Granny Smith had no trouble that I wanted to do this. So what's the matter?"

Applejack sighed, as she had no choice but to recall those years. "You ever remember our parents?"

"No, Ah was a little foal when they died. But you and Big Mac were old enough to remember. But what do they have to do with me?"

"Well, Ah've never talked to you about this before, and Ah think it's the right time. They didn't just die when you were a foal, they died when Ah was just a filly. Everything about my life changed when they were gone. It wasn't a good time for me. When they went, there were still the Sweet Apple Acres to take care of. So after the funeral, Ah had to take up some of the load they left behind.

"Ah forced myself to grow up faster than Ah should have. Ah didn't have time for friends almost every day of the year, it took so long for my filly body to do any work for a while, even with your brother's help. Save for school, Ah didn't even get to see many fillies my age. While it got better as Ah got older, trading my fillyhood away for a heavier workload is one of the few regrets Ah have in my life."

Apple Bloom kicked at the ground, feeling bad about it when she really thought about the story. "And what does it have to do with me?"

"Ah...Ah've been kind of worried you could be doing the same right now," she admitted. "You really should be hangin' around with your friends, goofing off and not having a care in the world. But you're out here, all excited that you're going to be doing something only full grown stallions and mares should be doing."

The filly frowned, not believing it for a second. "Ah just want to help out more around the house. One day, Ah'll have to be part of the farm, you know?"

"You might not. We don't know yet, we wouldn't be able to tell until you have your cutie mark. None of us will stop you if you decide you want to move out one day."

"But Ah want to stay with the family. Is that OK if that's what Ah want to do with my life?"

The farm pony sighed, and nodded. By now they could see the school coming up within the next mile, and she could tell this was the path her sister wanted, cutie mark to back it up or not. In the end, she wouldn't fight that decision.

At the same time, Apple Bloom did feel bad since she had gone against what Applejack had suggested several times. Although, there were points she couldn't argue with, like the part about trading away her fillyhood. Yet, she just couldn't picture a future without Sweet Apple Acres at all. She enjoyed it too much to even think about it.

They arrived at the school shortly after. It was a little early, but most of the school ponies that were enrolled there were already present. It was bustling with activity as many ponies were at the playground, enjoying their final moments before "prison" resumed.

Over in the distance, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were knocking a ball back and forth with their noses. They continued on with their game, before the pegasus could see her other friend behind Sweetie with her sister.

"Hey, there she is! Hi Apple Bloom!" she greeted.

The ball popped on Sweetie Belle's horn, but she forgot about it as soon as she could see Apple Bloom next to her.

"There you are! We were just talking about you. I asked Rarity if we could sleep over at her house tonight," she went on. "She hated the idea, saying that we might wreck another dress of hers. But once I agreed we would stay in my room the whole night, she might have said yes. I don't know, she mumbled something about it. I'm sure it was 'yes'."

Apple Bloom shook her head. "Sorry girls, but Ah'm going to be plenty busy today. Ah'm helping Applejack out with the farm after school. Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Sweetie responded. "We can wait until tomorrow if you want. I also heard she's finishing some shipment today. Maybe she'll be in a better mood after that."

With that, Applejack didn't feel like she needed to be there anymore. "Well, you all take care of yourselves out there. Apple Bloom, make sure you get as many questions right as you can. Ah'll see you all later."

The Crusaders waved as she walked back to the farm. When she was gone, Sweetie and Scootaloo could see that their friend was a little gloomier than her usual self. She kept looking down at the ground, kicking dirt around for no real reason.

In response, Sweetie turned around to see where she put that ball, only to see its remains popped on the ground. Stupid horn.

Scootaloo saw that the clock at the school building still gave them two minutes to play and talk, so she felt the need to get to the bottom of the issue.

"What's the matter?" she brought up. "I haven't seen you like this since we didn't get our marks after we tried being Cutie Mark Parachuters. And that was painful."

The bowed pony looked back up, hiding her true feelings. "It's nothing. Ah'll be fine, just needed some time with you girls."

"So what are you going to be doing over at the farm?" Sweetie asked.

"Oh, that's the fun part." Her eyes lit up, with more enthusaism than before. "Ah'll be getting to help Applejack and Big Macintosh cut down some of the older trees. It's going to be a lot of fun."

"Sounds dangerous," Scootaloo added. "And that's great! Maybe that's how you'll get your cutie mark, in tree cutting!"

"Yeah, with a falling tree on your flank!" Sweetie continued.

At that moment, the school bell rung with much noise over the playground. Everypony groaned a bit as the doors opened, as Cheerilee waited for them at the front door.

"Come in, my little ponies!" she said with her cheerful demeanor. "It's time to start the school day!"

A crowd of ponies came in the front doors, as they found their way to their classroom. The hallways were full with the noise of hooves clamping on the ground and lockers opening and closing, as the school day was almost here.

It wasn't long until the Cutie Mark Crusaders had taken their seats along with everypony else. Apple Bloom had her hooves on her desk, nervous about what would happen once the class began.

The class bell rang as Cheerilee walked into the room. The chalkboard was already marked with the phrase "All Subject Tests Today" with the corresponding subjects to the right. They were all numbered in the class order, with the first being math.

"As we've discussed many times since Monday, today we're going to have tests for all the subjects. First, you're going to have a math test followed by one on science. I hope you all studied hard, you should have good scores if you studied hard like a good student."

She handed a stack of paper over to one of the students. The little colt, named Rumble, passed the sheets to each student one test at a time, going through row by row.

It wasn't long until Apple Bloom had her own test, full of addition and subtraction questions with division for bonus points. She lifted up her pencil only for a note to land on her desk. She looked around to see Diamond Tiara sticking her tongue at her. She did the same and opened the note.

Can't wait to see you crash and burn when Cheerilee says your low score on Monday. Have fun.

Apple Bloom pushed it off the desk and got to work. She found the test to be rather easy, to the point where she even knew how to do the division work. Agreeing to more math lessons by Big Mac had paid off big time.

She sped through the questions like they were nothing, and it wasn't long until she had the entire thing finished. The bin where they would place their tests after they were done was empty right by Cheerilee's desk, and so she felt a twinge of pride as she put her test in place.

"Already done, Apple Bloom?" Cheerilee said. "Let me look...there's no way anypony's work could be good after just a minu--oh." She looked over the test, surprised at the answers. "They're almost all right. A 97...good work, Apple Bloom!"

Diamond Tiara's jaw was on the floor as the filly went back to her seat, sticking her tongue out again.

However she did not think about the next test in front of her. It was barely worth the thought, she was going to get an A on that one as well. Instead, she looked out the window and thought about her family. She felt like this was almost a rite of passage, to prove she really did belong in the hard working and famous-for-that-reason Apple family.

When she did come home, the reality would be much different.
> Fallen Apple
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many hours had passed by at that point. Fillies and colts alike took six more tests, each seemingly more demanding than the previous one. They all cheered when they got their lunch break and recess for relief, this day was so taxing and they still had to go through three more hoops before the final bell.

Yet Apple Bloom had prepared well enough, so much that she felt confidant after six of the seven quizzes. Yes, they were tougher than she thought. But there was also an occasional test that she breezed through within ten minutes.

She was getting a real good feeling from her success, and when they came to the final test, she felt confidant that this one would be a piece of cake too.

She waited as the teacher's pet handed out the test papers to the class, and she noted everypony was sweating and exhausted, from mental fatigue and sheer nerves. Were the tests that difficult? Didn't feel that way.

Nevertheless, Cheerilee raised a hoof as the last test had been passed. "I just wanted to say, I graded all the previous tests, and nopony failed a single subject. I'm really proud of you as a teacher, and I wish you all luck on the last one."

The atmosphere lifted in the room as almost everypony sighed in relief. Apple Bloom grinned, and took a look at the quiz in front of her.

It was on history, something she was always good at. She took a pencil in her mouth and began.

Question 1: 600 years ago, a prince from the royal family struck out against Celestia's rule, starting the Eclipsed Civil War. Which of these stallions is he? A.Starlight B.Starfire C.Winning Streak D.Whirlwind

It was D, and she marked it on her sheet. She couldn't believe it, the day was almost over. Already she could imagine helping her brother and sister like a true farmer, doing every piece of work that was needed to keep the Acres in their pristine quality.

The clock in the room let her know there were only fifty minutes left before the day was out, and she couldn't resist raising a hoof for a question.

"I'm sorry Apple Bloom, I don't answer questions during a quiz," Cheerilee responded. "I can't help you if you're stuck."

"It's not that," the filly replied. "But this is the last test of the day. Do we get out when we're done with the test, or do we have to wait for the bell to ring like everypony else?"

"Well, I didn't have anything else for you to do for today, or any assigned homework. I guess in that case, you're dismissed early."

That set Apple Bloom into high gear. She picked the pencil back up and read all the questions, blazing through them all like it was nothing. To her, it really wasn't. But to her surprise, there were a bunch more questions here than she anticipated.

Nevertheless, she was undeterred. She went through question after question, pausing when she had to think about the answer a little more.

Question 24: It has been at least 1500 years since Celestia and Luna defeated Discord and established their rule, setting up the current kingdom. True or false: There were other alicorns present when they took over.

False. With that annoying question that sucked away five precious minutes of her life finished, she went for the last sixteen items and had finally finished. She cheerfully took the piece of paper in her mouth, and put it into the bin only to discover there were already fifteen of them there before hers. To make things worse, the bell did ring at that moment, meaning Apple Bloom had barely turned it in on time.

Her mouth dropped in shock at the clock. How could she have wasted so much time on one stupid question?

Working as a cherry on top, Diamond Tiara came to the desk and pulled away the tests, and pointed at her name written on top of the first one turned in.

"I guess you're not the fastest in everything after all," she smirked. "See you later, slowpoke."

Apple Bloom felt a tiny bit ashamed, realizing she didn't study as hard at history as she could have. She turned to the door, and walked out after the rush of ponies went before her.

"Thank you all, students!" Cheerilee said as a farewell. "I'm confidant you all did an amazing job, and I'll see you next week!"

The filly groaned at the attempt at saving face, and soon the other two Crusaders came to her side. They were both looking better and worse than her, more sweaty from their nerves but not feeling like horse apples like Apple Bloom.

"So what if she beat you in time by a wide margin?" Scootaloo comforted. "You probably scored a lot better in history, you always do!"

"By only two points," Sweetie Belle pointed out.

Scootaloo jabbed her by the side, and then they noticed Apple Bloom had already went on before them, since the advice did not help matters one bit.

The hallway was empty by now, with the occasional piece of paper drifting along aimlessly. It was almost completely vacant save for the teachers, as she opened the door to exit the building.

Sweetie and Scootaloo rushed out the door by then, and Apple Bloom did not look up any. The unicorn paused in thought, before an idea came to mind.

"Don't worry about it," she started. "We're going to have the bestest sleepover tomorrow night, and you have that thing with Applejack to do--"

"The tree cutting!" Apple Bloom said out of nowhere. She hugged both of them at the same time, while saying, "Thanks for reminding me! Ah almost forgot about it back there. Don't worry, Ah'm good for the sleepover. Applejack will be fine with it, Ah'm sure! See you all tomorrow!"

She let go and ran away to the Acres, leaving the two of them to try to figure out what just happened.. Sweetie was a little dizzy from the bear hug, while Scootaloo was gasping for air.

"Maybe one talent we could all learn is not hugging everypony so tight," the pegasus gasped.

"Well, at least she's happy," Sweetie Belle stumbled.

With school finally out of the way, Apple Bloom galloped all the way to her house, not stopping for a break to catch her breath. She didn't recognize how weird it was that nopony was there to pick her up, only that she was free to do what she had looked forward to all week.

Ponyville went far away from her view as she kept running, and it wasn't long until she could make out the familiar apple trees of the Sweet Apple Acres. She gleamed in joy as she could make out that a few of the trees were cut down, yet there were still red X's all over.

She entered the gate that led to the farm in high spirits. The filly looked around the fields, going from hill to hill. But there was nopony around that she could see for miles. So she found the highest hill, the one that could give her a good sight of every inch of the Acres.

But she still couldn't see anypony around here. Why was that so? And then she saw that there weren't many trees with red paint cut down. In fact, most of them were still standing. This was so unusual for Applejack and Big Macintosh that she was worried something bad might have happened.

However, as many people do when they imagine worst case scenarios, she tried to rationalize what the reason was behind all of this.

OK, so why would they not be cutting down trees? Maybe the saw they were working on was soft after a while. Big Mac could be sharpening it while Ah'm up here.

Or it could be that they're in town for supplies. That makes sense. Cutting down trees take a lot of work and they were unprepared.

Better yet, they might be taking a break. It takes a lot of strength to do something like this. Ah would be taking breaks every few hours if Ah was working on this. Ah bet, no matter what it is, Granny Smith knows what in the hay is going on. Ah should go ask her, and then we'll start cutting down trees, the three of us.

The rationalization had done its job, calming her down from her panic. She slowly came down from the hill and could see the house a few hundred feet away. It would take some time to get there, but it was worth it.

She peered around while she was heading to the house, when she couldn't help but feel a heavy atmosphere get thicker the closer she got there. It was like having a dumbbell on top of her shoulders, and she hated the feeling it gave. But she didn't know the reason she felt that way. After further rationalization, the sensation left her mind and she arrived at the house.

It wasn't long until she opened the door, but she still couldn't see anypony. But then she heard it. It was so unusual in its nature that she didn't know if she was hearing things, or if it was really happening. So she waited. And waited. And waited. But it wouldn't leave. She pinched herself with the corner of her saddlebag, and realized it was real. The heavy atmosphere was coming back.

It was the sound of Big Macintosh quietly crying.

From how it sounded, she gathered that it was coming from the living room in the side of the house, and made her way there. She kept looking around for Applejack and Granny Smith, but they either weren't on the first floor or were good hiders.

"Hey, Applejack! Granny Smith! Where are you girls!" she asked out loud.

Then the crying stopped. Instead, she could hear the sound of whispering, and then she could see Big Mac at the end of the hallway. His eyes were red from crying, and waved her in.

"No, not yet!" Smith's voice said clearly, out of sight. "She's just a little filly, we need to wait to tell her. Too young to be learnin' about something like this."

"She can hear both of us!" Big Mac shot back. "And we can't lie to her on what happened. If not now, then when? And you know Ah've been no good at lying. She needs to know now."

"Know about what?" said the young filly.

The stallion turned back to her, and said nothing as she came inside. Granny Smith sat with a calm manner on her rocking chair, while a pile of used tissue were on the table closest to Big Mac. It was so surreal, seeing her brother like this. Crying.

It was obvious at first sight that Applejack wasn't here. There was no softened saw, no new supplies, and no Applejack in here. It stuck out like a scar across the face, and Apple Bloom needed to know why it was happening.

"Wait a minute. Where's Applejack?" she asked. "She's still cutting down trees today, right?"

Like it was a trigger, Big Mac's tears came back, and he wiped them away with a thing of new tissue. "That's what we need to talk to you about. Ah...Ah don't know how else to put it."

He went into another room, where Apple Bloom could hear the sound of fabric brushed against something. When he came back, he had Applejack's hat in his mouth. He laid it on the table, and that's when she could see it had a little bit of blood on it.

"Ah was working with her out on the farm, just like we planned," he reflected back, his voice getting choked up and scratchy. "The first few trees went fine, like we wanted. And then we came to this really big tree..."

He had to stop and blew into another thing of tissue. Tears welled up in Apple Bloom's eyes, as she was fearing the worst might have come true.

"It took a while to get through. We took a break when we were on that one. After what felt like an hour, we finally managed to cut it down. But when it started to fall, it fell really fast...and it came down right on top of her."

He could barely find it within himself to say the next line, but he had no choice. "Apple Bloom...your sister is dead."

That moment...that moment would be sketched permanently in the young filly's mind. Her world felt like it had shattered into a million pieces, each reminding her of what her life used to be like.

Her jaw was flat on the ground, and realized it was true. It was all true. Her sister was dead and gone. Forever. Never coming back.

Her eyes watered up, and her heart felt like it was as heavy as the tree that killed Applejack. She didn't want to acknowledge this was real.

The next thing she knew, she ran with all her soul upstairs. She did not look back as she came to her bedroom, and jumped into its covers. All she could do was bury her face within her pillow as she broke down into tears. Nothing would stop her from crying her heart out, trying to hide from the reality a little longer.

No...it can't be true! IT CAN'T BE TRUE! Applejack...please...be here, please be here, Ah need you to be here for me. You can't go like this! You're better than having an old tree kill you like this!

Are you gone? Really gone? There's no way...oh my Celestia...you're dead. You're dead...you're dead...

She couldn't do anything but cry. There was no strength to do anything else. Accepting fate only caused the pain inside to get worse and worse. The way it came out of nowhere, and how happy she was earlier...it was all too much for somepony as young as she was.

Her body ached from a pain that wasn't there. It went limp, as she gave up trying to fight it all. Her feelings sunk into her heart, as she continued to clutch to her pillow for support.

Time felt like it had no real meaning to her anymore, as hours felt like minutes. She looked out the window after a seemingly short fifteen minutes, only to see it was dark outside. Yet, it did not bother her, as she had stopped crying but still felt like the world was crashing around her.

She lifted her head from the pillow to see it was dripping from tears. There was no telling how many of them she had shed, but she only stopped after her eyes felt dry. Once they got better, she would be crying again.

Then, the door opened wide in front of her. Big Mac came in, considerably calmer than before. He looked right at her, as she made no attempts to hide her state of mind. Rather than say anything right then, he sat on the side of her bed, keeping his eyes on her the whole time.

As soon as he did, she climbed out and clung to her brother tightly, holding on for dear life. He took her in his lap as he held her as well, brushing her mane with his hoof.

"It's OK, let it all out," he comforted. "You'll feel better if you do."

And so she did. She found the strength to cry again, as she buried her face in his stomach. All she wanted was Applejack to come in the door, alive and well. But she couldn't have that. But having Big Macintosh be there for her was helping big time.

He continued to say nothing else after that, as he wasn't all there either. But he couldn't imagine what it was like for her, a simple minded filly who had yet to know about life and death like she should have. So he felt like it was his duty to be here for her, almost like a guardian.

After this went on for a while, she did feel a lot better. Not that she was feeling happy, but compared to the sheer sorrow she had hours ago, it was an improvement.

"Why did it happen, Big Mac?" she asked in a whisper. "Why did she have to go?"

"Ah don't know," he said, shaking his head. "Sometimes, things like this just happen, like it did with your parents. It's nopony's fault, and there's nothing we can do about it. We can do something about what we do after it happens, though."

She looked up at him with watery eyes, and nodded with understanding. "Ah don't feel so good," she said silently. "My stomach feels terrible."

"Well, that's something we can change," he smiled. He placed her on his back as he got up from the bed and went out of the room. From there, he went downstairs and into the kitchen, while she remained motionless from there.

He sat her on a chair as he dug through the cabinets, looking for the right medicine to use. He found the stuff he was looking for, and mixed it with a glass of water.

She looked over her shoulder, and took the glass of water he handed her. She took a few gulps only to make funny faces from the taste.

"It tastes like something Winona would eat."

"Probably, but it will help your stomach. Take a few more drinks."

Against her wishes, she took another sip. It tasted like dishwasher water now, but she had to keep drinking. She forced herself to get more, and once she was done, her stomach felt a lot better while her mouth tasted like...well...any flavor that's not good. She cringed as the last part of the sour flavor sunk in, and handed the glass back.

"That's better," he mentioned, as the glass was placed within the sink. "You should be getting some rest now, it's been a rough day."

Apple Bloom nodded, and climbed back upon Big Mac's back. He steadily went out of the kitchen, careful not to lose his balance up the stairs. It didn't take much longer until they were on the second floor.

"So, you want to sleep in your room again?"

She nodded. "But could you watch over me while Ah'm going to sleep?"

"Yeah, Ah'll do that for you."

He entered back into the bedroom, and turned on the lamp. The stallion placed her back on the bed, turning over the pillow to the side that was not so wet. She smiled as he tucked her in, making her feel a bit safer.

With her in bed, he found a chair and brought it to the bed's side. He sat there, watching over her as promised.

She cried a bit more, remembering what happened to her big sister. It was...just awful. That was the only way she could describe it. She was crying for those few minutes, until she felt a little more drowsy with every passing tear. It wasn't long until she was sound asleep, snoring.

Now that the filly was resting peacefully, he went back downstairs and into the living room. Without any hesitation, he cried some more as well, clutching tightly to Applejack's hat. He figured it would be how he would remember her in the future, and promised her to protect and maintain it.

Within the next hour, he was asleep as well, with her hat still in his hooves.

Ah won't forget you...Ah promise.
> Sleep Well Tonight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With almost no effort at all, one dress after another hovered off their shared rack and went up into the air, guided by a magical aura covering them. Each dress was filled with diamonds and gems, sparkling with any sign of light that shone on them

A half dozen cardboard boxes were placed underneath them with a few slides on the floor, with their lids opened for anything to fit inside them. The closest to the pony present had a few dresses go inside it, carefully so that none of them would get tangled up. This continued until the whole box was full of dresses, in which the lids would shut.

This continued with each box until they were full of valuable dresses and tuxedos for mares and stallions alike. When all the lids were shut, a roller of clear tape came by, going from one end to another of a seam, until they were all secure with it.

With that part out of the way, the next step was to tape on a piece of paper that was cut into rectangular shapes. They were placed on a corner away from the taped seam, all with the same mailing address on them: Sapphire Shores, 157 Starswirl Street, Canterlot, Equestria.

"Perfect!" Rarity exclaimed. "How dreadful it was to design these beauties, but now she can finally see all the hard work I put into them!"

Satisfied with the result, she levitated all of the units into the air and pushed the door leading outside with her own hoof. A mailpony was waiting for her, with a yoke attaching him to a shipping carriage with hay to cushion the luggage. His hooves were bouncing off the ground, anxious to begin a delivery that was meant to leave yesterday.

He was even more ready to begin when she came outside with the shipment, as she placed them carefully into his cart. As soon as the last box was inside, he reared his body back and ran full speed ahead to the path for Canterlot. The cart kicked up a cloud of dust in its wake, and Rarity covered her mane with her hooves to prevent them from that hideous dirt.

"Please be careful with them!" she shouted. "Those dresses are worth thousands of bits, I can't afford to get any scratches on them!"

Even after a few seconds, he was a speck in the distance from Ponyville. She watched and begged to Celestia they wouldn't get damaged, but it was out of her hooves. Already believing this pony was more clumsy than Derpy ever was, she went back inside, with the commission out of her hair at long last.

The room she called her workstation was a complete mess. Everything was in shambles in terms of organization, with the sewing needle placed where the bows went, the bows mixed in with the yarn. A few ribbons were spread on the floor without any real reason. Considering how the room usually was, this...thing was almost unrecognizable from what it used to be, save for the wallpaper.

It didn't matter to her in the end. This was a very demanding request, she would reason, and she barely made the deadline as it is. Whenever she was in a pickle like this, sometimes a few of her principles had to be cast aside for the sake of creation.

But it had a price. She had to pull an all nighter, and it showed its toll by this point. Her mane was all frazzled and split, and there were bangs forming below her eyes.

She blinked a few times, realizing she was drowsy as hay. There was no way she would get away with a full night's rest with Sweetie around, so she settled for a quick power nap. The designer dragged her red sofa next to her, and fell into its cushions.

Soon after, she felt the need to drag her aching body into the spa for a treatment. But her hooves were so sore, she laid down within the comforting cushions of the sofa anyway, closing her eyes for some beauty sleep.

By Celestia, was I this exhausted? she thought, as she entered a very light form of sleep almost instantly. Oh well, it's all over, nopony will ever think to bother me, and things will be fine...

"Rarity? Where are you? You've been hiding from me all day!" a filly's squeaky voice said, chasing the peace and quiet away.

She opened her eyes, enraged that she WAS being interrupted. "What now?" she groaned. When she rolled around and looked ahead of herself, she saw Sweetie Belle searching all around for her, appearing just as restless as the mailpony had been. But even for a young filly's standards, she looked more hyper than usual.

"Oh, it's just you," she sighed, sinking back into the sofa. "What's the matter?"

Sweetie turned to see her big sister at long last. But as soon as she realized what Rarity was up to, she started to trot out of there. "Sorry, didn't know you were sleeping. I'll come back in a few hours."

Rarity shook her head, stretching her legs out in front of her. "No, might as well get this out of the way since you're here. What is it you want to talk about? Did something go wrong downstairs?"

"No, nothing like that. I know I said that Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and I would keep the sleepover in my room all night, but then I remembered there's a fireplace in the living room. You think we could use it for s'mores? We'll promise we won't try to be Cutie Mark Firefighters, honestly."

"Wait a moment," the designer interrupted, rising off the sofa and standing back into her hooves. "When did I say you could have a sleepover? I thought I told you there would be no sleepover last night. But then again, it sounds like you invited them for one tonight..."

Discovering it wasn't a yes she heard underneath her sister's breath, Sweetie Belle backed away a little more, intending to get out to save face. "Sorry sis, it sounded like you said yes to one on Saturday...I'll just go back to my room now..."

Rarity answered with another head shake. "That's alright. Next time, tell me before you plan ahead for these things so I can better prepare for it. But you did have a few rough times this week, right? I'm sure your friends would say the same, so it's not a bad idea at all. You have my permission to sleep over with your friends tonight."

Her little sister's eyes turned into big saucers, and she hopped around in circles in delight. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! This will be the best night ever! And you're the best sister a pony can have!"

"That's great, darling. But could you go elsewhere for now? I'm going to be taking a nap for a while. It's been a long few days."

"Oh, of course," Sweetie responded. She turned around and opened the door leading to the living room, closing it softly as she caught Rarity try to sleep again. As soon as she was at the staircase leading to her room, she could hear her big sister snoring, talking in her sleep about a huge gem named Jerry.

"Wow, what a quick sleeper," she said to herself. The filly took the stairs into her room, making the adjustments for the festivities going down tonight. And it was going to take some time to do.

After a few hours of hard work and determination, she examined all the work she put into the preparation. She gleamed with pride over the final result, and all she had to do was wait for her two friends to arrive.

Thankfully, that wouldn't take very long at all. Dusk was fast approaching, and the moon was rising over the sky before the sun had set. With cool conditions and clear skies, it was perfect for what they had in mind, considering one part of the sleepover would be having the window open for ghost stories.

Seven in the afternoon. They should be here any minute now.

And soon somepony was. She heard the doorbell ring below, and skirted downstairs within a second. Knowing her sister had a habit of answering the door first, she poked her head inside Rarity's room to say "I'll get it!"

With Rarity sleeping soundly on the sofa, Sweetie Belle opened the door to see who it was. Scootaloo was waiting there, pressing the doorbell button again. But she stopped soon after, her eyes gleaming to see she wasn't the only one wearing her trademark cape.

"Sweetie Belle!" she shouted.

"Scootaloo! I was wondering when you were coming over!" Sweetie Belle greeted.

"I never miss one of our sleepovers! I just had some problems with my scooter, the back wheel was getting jammed. So, where's Apple Bloom?"

"She's not here yet," Sweetie said, shrugging. "I'm sure she'll be here any moment. I'm having the party in my room, so let's get started!"

The two fillies returned back into Sweetie's room, their capes flapping while they were running. Scootaloo shut the door behind them, and even somepony as energetic as she was ended up surprised by what Sweetie put together.

It wasn't as ambitious as a Pinkie Pie party, but it was still something by its own standards. A huge hoofmade poster of the three of them hanged on the wall, and another poster had a bunch of suggestions for Cutie Mark Crusading tonight.

Clearly, Sweetie planned for this to be the only place they needed to be tonight, as there were plenty of snacks in little bowls. A few bottles of soda sat next to them, because everypony knows the best way to have a calm and quiet sleepover is giving children something with caffeine and sugar inside.

"This is great! Could be our best sleepover yet!" the orange pegasus said. "How did you get all of this together?"

"Rarity's been getting more and more requests, so she's been getting more bits lately," Sweetie explained. "And I'm finally getting an allowance from that. Does twenty bits a week seem big to you?"

Before Scootaloo could answer, the doorbell rung again. Their ears perked up at the same time.

"Apple Bloom!" they shouted together.

Again, there was a rush to the front door, racing to say hello to her first. However, when they opened the door, they were more than a little shocked by what they saw.

Big Mac was there at the door, with Apple Bloom on his back. She had her hooves wrapped around his neck. Both of them had gloomy appearances to them, and her cheeks were wet from tears.

Neither Sweetie or Scootaloo knew how to take it. Sweetie opened her mouth to say something, but took her greeting back out of fear she might hit a nerve.

"Um, hi Big Mac, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo finally said. "What's wrong?"

Big Mac looked down at their level, both of them with their capes. He looked back at her sister before saying anything.

"Is your sister here with you?" he asked, looking at the unicorn. "Ah need to talk to her alone for a moment."

"Yeah, she's napping. I'll go wake her up and tell her you're here," she responded. She ran to the workstation and said something inaudible to Rarity, and came back to him.

"She's on her way. What happened?"

"Ah need you two to go to your room. This is an adult conversation between me and her," he answered, with a slight hint of sadness to it.

They nodded and went back, glancing over at their friend. She sniffed a few times, trying to stop crying for one moment.

Once they had left like he wanted, Rarity came to the front door with her mane completely jumbled and nothing like it usually was. If she didn't know better, it even looked...like a normal mare's mane.

She rubbed her forehead, and stopped in her tracks when she saw him standing there.

"Big Macintosh! Are you here to drop off Apple Bloom? I'm sorry for napping at such a moment, but I've had all the sleep I needed. I'll be sure to keep a good eye on them from now on."

"No, it's not that," he responded. "Ah hate to give you bad news like this, but it's about Applejack. She died yesterday while working on the field from a falling tree trunk."

Rarity gasped at the news, jumping back in horror. Her eyes watered from hearing such a development, and nothing about it read like a lie. Big Mac always told the truth about the family no matter what, and that all but confirmed the worst for AJ.

But how could one of her best friends be gone, just like that? It was only the other day when she helped the farm pony with groceries, and the next thing she knew, that same pony was dead...

"I cannot say how sorry I am for your loss," she consoled. "I can't believe this is happening myself. Ponyville won't be the same without her. Is there anything I can do to help you during this time?"

"Eeyup." He pointed at Apple Bloom, who was looking up to see she was at Rarity's place. "Ah thought she needed to get out of the house for a while, see her friends for now. Is that alright with you?"

Rarity levitated a box of tissue to her side, and wiped a few tears away with a few pieces. She nodded slowly as if there was a heavy rock hanging from her neck, and moved out of the way for the filly.

At first, Apple Bloom didn't want to let go of Big Mac. Yes, she wanted as many ponies supporting her as possible, but she felt so safe with him around. There was a tiny fear she would be scared and defenseless if he was gone. But in the end, she hopped off from his back and started to head inside.

She turned around to see him one last time, and he gave a weak smile in return.

"Ah need you to be strong right now," he advised her. "You got two of your friends that care deeply about you. Don't be afraid to ask them for help, like with me. Everypony will want to help you get through this time."

Then, she felt a piece of tissue brush on her wet cheeks. Rarity had taken a piece of tissue and used it to wipe some of Apple Bloom's tears away. It helped a little, and she hugged Big Mac again before he started to go back home.

After the hug, he closed the door behind him, praying that this sleepover would help her recover a little.

Now with him gone, she let go of herself and cried again. Rarity came to her aid with more tissue and a hug of her own. She patted her back and tried to convince her it would be alright, when that was a lie.

What neither one of them knew is Sweetie and Scootaloo were watching from the top of the staircase. They heard everything from beginning to end, and didn't know what to do next.

"We need to help her somehow," said Scootaloo. "What do you think?"

"I think we need to make her feel comfortable. That's all I got."

"Really? That's not even close to being enough. We need to help her feel happy."

"How do we do that?"

The question caused Scootaloo to blank out. She didn't really know, she had never been in a spot like this before and her inexperience was revealing itself here.

"OK. Make her feel as comfortable as possible. Here she comes."

They got up as Apple Bloom did find the strength to walk on her own hooves. Rarity escorted her up the staircase one step at a time, and she looked up to see her friends at the top. Both of them had stone cold faces, and she knew why.

"So you heard," she said, without a single trace of emotion. "Ah guess you know what happened to Applejack."

Before she could get another word out, both of them rushed and hugged her on the spot. Neither one knew what to say, but they knew something they could do about it. They snuggled their heads to her in a loving motion, and she sunk into their arms.

While it all came down around her, she didn't know what else she really wanted. This was the only thing she knew she needed, to know somepony was there for her.

"Can we go to your room?" she asked.

"Oh, of course!" Rarity answered. She pushed the door open for them as they entered inside. "I'll be happy to provide anything you request. It will be nothing for me. Maybe I should come inside with you?"

Apple Bloom shook her head without a word, still appearing lifeless as she did the first second she was here. The designer ignored the sting she felt at that moment at being turned down and went downstairs, secretly waiting for the moment she could help out.

Back in the bedroom, the first thing Apple Bloom did was spot the three sleeping bags on the floor. She went and sat on top of one of them, sighing again. The list of things to Crusade for was in her view, and usually she would love nothing more but to take the first idea down immediately. Now she didn't know what she would do with herself.

Again, the other two looked at each other for any suggestions. When Scootaloo glanced at the big soda bottle, her eyes lit up with an idea. She took a plastic cup in her hooves and carefully poured a big amount of the sugary goodness into it. The contents fizzled with the sound of bubbles floating to the surface.

The farm filly turned around to see what was making that racket, when Scootaloo handed her the drink. She said nothing and her expression didn't change a bit, but she took it anyway.

"It's your favorite," Scootaloo pointed out. "Cocoa Colt. It is your favorite drink, right?"

She nodded and drank a little of the stuff. And then some more. It wasn't enough. She needed more. The whole thing was gone in less than a minute, and life did return to her body. There still wasn't a smile, but at least it wasn't like looking at a zombie.

"Anything else you want?" Sweetie Belle asked. "We got everything, from candy corn to cotton candy, chocolate drops to s'mores."

"Ah'll like some s'mores," she answered.

That was the thing Sweetie wanted to hear. She emptied one of the bowls and filled it with all the chocolate bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers needed to create the snack.

Next thing they knew, she was throwing a bushel of sticks into the fireplace inside the living room. It was harder to get a spark from rubbing two twigs together, and she groaned when she discovered it was harder than it looked.

But when she looked at Apple Bloom, with her haunted eyes and hinged frame, she went back to work at it, and within a minute there was a fire igniting and consuming the sticks. She doused a flame that bounced from the fire and ended up on her mane, and now everything was ready to begin.

Apple Bloom looked at her friends while they were creating the first s'more for her. She felt numb since she woke up earlier that day, but at the same time she could see they were doing all this for her sake. They went out of their way to make her happy, because they really liked her. No, because they loved the little filly.

Was she appearing that wretched, that they felt like she needed this just to remain emotionally stable? It was a traumatic time in her life, nopony could deny that. But at the same time, she felt like she had to show she was stronger than this. That she could at the very least survive. Yet, she didn't feel like this was the moment to do that.

Sweetie and Scootaloo finished the s'more when they laid the top cracker on top together. They brought it in front of her, but she only stared at them without taking it.

"Apple Bloom? Don't you want it?" Sweetie asked. "I know it's not much, but it's something we thought you might like."

Instead, Apple Bloom extended her arms and wrapped them around the two, bringing them together for her own group hug.

"Thank you so much," she breathed. "Ah know Ah ain't my usual self, but this means so much to me. I love you girls so much."

She pulled back and took the s'more, taking a slow and small bite. It was possibly the best thing she ever tasted, and gave a big "Mmmm!" sound to show it.

Scootaloo and Sweetie both sighed, happy they did something right. They went and made their own s'mores, the first of many for the night.

The next few hours were just as good. Apple Bloom was still depressed from the event last night, but she warmed up to them as the night went on. No Crusading was done during that sleepover, but it didn't need to happen to make it a good time.

When it was eleven in the evening, Rarity decided she had waited long enough and went to check up on them. She cracked the door open a little into her little sister's room, and peered inside.

All three of them were snuggled up to each other in Sweetie's bed, forgetting about the sleeping bags. However, they all looked at peace while hugging the other, so she felt no need to come in and tell them to get down from there.

Feeling better now that the sleepover not only turned out great for Apple Bloom but the house didn't fall apart, she closed the door and went downstairs.

Going for her own bed, she slipped into the sheets and cried silently. She might not have been the closest friends with Applejack, but that didn't stop her for weeping for the dead. The farm pony's character was always something she admired, and there was no doubt that it was something she would mention during the funeral. How could she not? It was the best trait she had, her unwillingness to stand down and looking out for her own.

Nevertheless, she managed to sleep anyways with the same wet cheeks Apple Bloom had when she came in.

However, she was wrong about Apple Bloom sleeping well. She had the appearance that she was happy in her dreams. The reality was much different than what the surface suggested.
> The Weak Wake Up Screaming
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most of the time, a pony can't remember the beginning of a dream. He or she usually end up in the middle of something with no knowledge of how everything started. It's not long after that the dream ends with a stop just as sudden as the start.

That was not the case when Apple Bloom started to dream. She was sleeping peacefully in Sweetie Belle's room, when all of a sudden she felt wet sands on her cheeks. It didn't strike her as odd for now, she was so tired after yesterday that she didn't mind it one bit.

But things turned for the strangest not long after. The sounds of a tide coming in filled her ears, with a restlessness when it grew closer to her body. Once again she chose to push it away, until she felt her bow coming down on her mane. She moved her hooves to adjust it back in its rightful position. And then it struck her that it was wet with water.

She opened her eyes in a panic, and found herself in a completely different place. Instead of resting in the Carousal Boutique, she was in the middle of a beach she had never seen before. Miles of yellow sand stretched to her left and right as they were wet with moisture. It was probably the tide that was invading the ocean's boundaries, but the skies were dark with grey clouds with the occasional black one in the group. That suggested it might have rained recently.

Her siblings took her to a few beaches in her lifetime, but this wasn't like anything she had seen before. Most of the beach fronts had whiter sands and were adjacent to towns, not grasslands that didn't fit with the rest of the scenery.

Outside of the beach front, the land curved upwards into a grassy plain. There was not a single feature to be found other than the grass on the ground. Not a tree or a house was anywhere nearby. As soon as somepony saw this, it created an atmosphere of loneliness into his or her soul. It took mere seconds for Apple Bloom to feel the same.

She hurriedly got back on her hooves, shocked by such a drastic change of scenery. Her heartbeat shot through the roof as fear and worry entered into her mind. The sight was so realistic that she didn't recognize it as a dream, and tried to remember what happened last night. It only made less sense when she recalled the sleepover.

"Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! Rarity!" she shouted. "Sweetie? Scootaloo? Rarity? Where are you? Where the hay am Ah?"

Her voice echoed in the distance several times, something that shouldn't be happening on a beach as shallow as this. She whimpered as she discovered she was lost.

Nevertheless, she figured somepony would be close by, even if there was a storm around these parts minutes ago. Speaking of which, her body was soaking wet and her back was ruffled with sand. After she looked and smelled her fur, this must have been from the rain. If it was from the beach, it would have the scent of salt to it, something she didn't smell.

The first step of action she took was look around for hoofprints on the wet sands. She decided on her left to begin, looking back her shoulder to make sure she wouldn't see her own prints as a visitor's trail.

She marched forward for a little while, hoping to see the first signs of another visitor. But there was a long field of vision and even then she couldn't see a thing. Not one little press was visible for a few miles. But the filly had no choice but to keep trying. She would find something sooner or later.

As the time went on, she was further dismayed to see not one sign at all. Another glance at her shoulder demonstrated that she had been going for a long stretch. She sighed and laid down on the ground.

The clouds shifted form and turned into a muddled sheet of grey. A breeze swept through the beach as a light rain fell to the earth below. She sniffed as her coat became doused in water, bringing her mane and tail down flat. Her bow even popped out of her hair onto the sand, yet she forgot about it when she saw her first piece of hope.

There was a trail of prints from somepony else here. It was far off and beginning to dissolve in the rain, but she ran after them anyway before they were long gone. Finally, she might get out of here!

She pursued this pony and paid attention to the prints. They were much bigger than her own, suggesting he or she was bigger than Apple Bloom. Yet they were slim for their size, meaning it was a mare she was going after.

That eliminated the idea it might be her friends, while keeping the possibility it was Rarity. Perhaps she overslept and they went to the beach, while making sure they would not wake her up. But why they leave her alone out here?

As the trail continued, it curved steadily into the grass plain. But she didn't notice how the world was changing as she went closer into this pony's way. The beach was getting further and further away from her, more than realistically possible, while the land were featuring more detailed landmarks.

Apple Bloom stopped and realized this for herself. More trees were popping up within her viewpoint, and a few buildings like the ones in Ponyville were beginning to show. Not many were there, but she was relieved to be seeing something familiar as well. But when was Ponyville ever near a beach?

She pushed the question away and kept her pursuit of the hoofprints. They were no longer on a beach anymore, but on a dirt road as it fed into her hometown, or so she thought.

The rain stopped with a halt and the clouds began to clear up. It wasn't long until the sky was sunny and clear, and the breeze had faded away to calmer winds.

"Silly pegasi," she said to herself.

The path led her to a hill, giving her a great sight of the place, and best of all, a great view of the last of the prints. To make things better, she could see where it stopped at. The pony had walked from the beach to arrive at her peaceful looking house. One story, simply designed, smoke coming from the chimney. She hatched a plan to ask the mare for directions to either Rarity's house or Sweet Apple Acres, and then find out what happened with her friends.

She traveled down the hill and made a turn to the right at the end of the trail. She knocked on the wooden door a few times, and stood back for the pony to answer.

There was no answer for half a minute. She knocked again only to get the same response. After five or six series knocks, she didn't know what was going on. Maybe the mare wanted to be alone.

"Hello, miss? Ah was wondering how to get to Sweet Apple Acres from here. If you don't mind, could you give me directions or something? Ah would like that very much."

The door did creak a bit, and she looked up in anticipation. But there was nopony there when it swung open. Instead, she was greeted to the horror of a blinding light that filled her eyes with searing pain. She covered her eyes as a gust swirled around her, sucking her into the house. She screamed as she had nothing to hold onto, falling without resistance into its jaw.

Her screams didn't stop, keeping her eyes shut from whoever was responsible for this. But there was nothing touching her anymore. In fact, she felt solid ground at her feet. What was going on now? She opened them to see what was happening around her, only to be greeted by another change of location.

Instead of the sparse beach and town, this meadow she found herself in was far more richer in detail. It was full of valleys and hills, with flowers dotting the ground everywhere she looked. There were so many trees that they created tons of shade for the ponies playing here, and there was a forest only half a mile from here.

For reasons that couldn't be explained, it felt warm and accepting to its visitors. Apple Bloom's mood felt lighter as she looked around, and while she couldn't see the pony she was looking for, it didn't matter when she would be fine anyways. To tell the truth, she forgot about it when she was distracted by a sight this beautiful

So she enjoyed it a little bit. She trotted through the flowers, and found a delicious dandelion in her way. It made for a great snack as she picked it up and ate it. Her now-dry body rolled down the hill, and she laughed all the way through. Whenever she felt exhausted, she sat down below a tree and rested a bit.

During the third nap today, she rested soundly without a care in the world. But something felt different now. She could sense that somepony was here with her, and she couldn't tell if this was a kind fellow or not. But the mare was already under the shade with her when she got up.

Her jaw dropped with surprise when she finally saw the pony she had been following all this time The mare had a blond mane tied in a ponytail along with her tail, and her coat was a warm shade of orange. A few freckles dotted her cheeks, a few apples were on her flank, and most familiar of all, she had a cowboy hat on her head.

"Applejack!" she shouted. "You're alive!"

The next thing you knew, she drove into Applejack with her hooves extended, giving the biggest embrace of her life. Her big sister returned the move as they fell into the ground. Flowers went in all directions as they landed, hugging each other tightly.

"Ah thought you were dead!" Apple Bloom continued. "They told me you died and..."

"No, Ah'm still here," Applejack replied. "Ah'm sorry Ah've been gone so long, can't be leaving you or your friends like that."

"But how are you here? This doesn't make a lick of sense."

"It doesn't matter. Ah'm here, and Ah won't leave you anymore, Ah promise."

Apple Bloom smiled and rested her head on Applejack's shoulder. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but this time they were of joy. She felt her mane patted with a hoof, but she didn't need to be comforted anymore. Applejack was here. That's all she really wanted.

Applejack smiled as they remained embraced on the grass together. Both of their hearts were as light as a feather then, and she didn't say a word as Apple Bloom snuggled her more than ever before.

"We should tell the family about this," the filly said. "They still think you're dead, and they're getting a funeral together and everything. You shouldn't keep them out of the know any longer."

The farm pony nodded as much as she could. "That's what Ah'm going to do once we leave. How sad was everypony when they thought Ah was gone?"

"You have no idea. Big Mac was crying for the first time in his life, Rarity was devastated, and Ah think all of your friends are the same. They're going to be excited when they know you're still alive. Now that Ah'm thinking about it, why were you gone?"

"Ah had to leave for a business trip that came at the last second. Somepony in Canterlot wanted to carry our cider in the autumn. Sorry Ah didn't tell you before."

In real life, Apple Bloom would have known those words were strange and call bull on it. But then again, here AJ was alive. That's the only part she cared about.

"It's alright. We forgive you. Just don't go off scaring us like that anymore."

Applejack laughed. "Agreed. Anything you want to do here before we get going?"

"Of course! This place is amazin'!"

"You haven't even seen the best part about it just yet. Let me show you."

Applejack carried Apple Bloom on her back as they went into another round of things to do there. They used some of the trees to create a makeshift swing with rope, and Apple Bloom had the time of her life while AJ was pushing her forward.

They held a race against each other down all of the hills, one by one. Applejack would win if it was for real, but she allowed Apple Bloom to win each one. She would brag about how fast she was, and maybe become a Rainbow Dash class athlete when she grew up.

Applejack pointed out there were things in the forest that were hidden out of sight, particularly a stream they could swim in. They explored inside to find a big pool of water there, and had their share of cannonball drops.

It all felt like a dream come true to Apple Bloom. Everything about this was perfect as it could have been. And if it was a dream and not reality, she wanted to sleep forever.

However, every dream can transform into something nasty without warning

Apple Bloom shook off the water on her coat when she finally got out of the natural pool. The water sprayed everywhere for a few feet as her coat got all frizzy. She laughed and pushed the fur back down.

"So what should we do next?" Applejack asked. "It will have to be the last thing we do before we have to leave. They'll be expecting you any moment."

"Ah want to get back on that swing you made," Apple Bloom answered. "That was fun!"

"All right! Rope swing it is!"

They dried off with more coat shaking and went back to the meadow. The wind was picking back up, but still nothing more than 10 miles per hour, which a nice breeze in the end. The swing moved back and forth from the tree holding it in place, waiting for the next pony to ride it.

Apple Bloom ran up the hill, and sat back down on the wooden plank for a seat. She couldn't wait for Applejack to come up with her, but she was taking her time all of a sudden.

"Come on!" the filly shouted. "You can run just as fast as Ah can! Ah've seen you do it before!"

"Hold your horses!" Applejack shot back. "Ah'm coming. Trying to enjoy this before we're out of here."

She came up the hill just behind Apple Bloom and looked back up at the sun. It didn't move at all, creating the same angle of shade there was before. But she didn't know the reason behind it. She accepted it anyways, thinking it was noontime given the sun's position.

Apple Bloom giggled as Applejack pushed her again. Since it was on a hill, it was a steep drop below her as she went back and forth. The swing picked up speed as Applejack kept pushing time after time. The filly shut her eyes, enjoying the wind in her face as she moved faster and faster.

But then something was wrong. She couldn't feel Applejack's hooves pressing on her back. Her speed was slowing down with nothing to keep it up. Something bad was going on here.

She came to a complete stop, and turned around to see what was stopping AJ now. The farmer was looking straight ahead past her sister, her expression one of complete terror. She pointed her hoof at what she was seeing, without the will to get out one word. Apple Bloom looked forward herself with curiosity, only to share the same look of horror.

Many trees were sprouting out from the ground before the hill. They became fully grown plants within the second they arrived, and they were nothing like the ones in the forest. These were a lot taller to begin with, towering over the entire meadow with a sinister purpose.

That purpose was clear, with their bark more darkly colored and twisted than even the Everfree Forest could offer. Even though they were plants, they gave the sensation that they had eyes, containing hatred contempt in its purest form to whoever was watching.

Apple Bloom quivered in fear at the sight, without the safety night of acknowledging this was a dream. As a result, she felt like her life was in danger somehow. These trees were going to do something...

"Ah don't like the look of this," Applejack commented. "We ought to get out of here now."

"Ah was thinking the same thing," Apple Bloom said.

Those words acted like a trigger, as more of the dark trees spewed up out of the soil with a faster pace than the ones before. They were gaining distance on the sisters fast. Without a command, both turned around and ran as fast as they could.

"Don't look back!" the farmer warned. "Whatever you do, don't look back!"

Apple Bloom got the message loud and clear, scrambling as quickly as her little hooves would allow. Yet the trees kept up their unorthodox chase, as more of them shot up.

Applejack's heart was racing along with her body, and turned around to see how Apple Bloom was doing. She was running at half AJ's pace, and the trees would catch her with this pace. Seeing no other way, she ran back for the filly.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Apple Bloom screamed. "You can't do this! Ah'll make it!"

"No you won't! And Ah won't allow them to touch a hair on you!" AJ shouted.

The trees were so close, their branches were extending for the filly like hands. But Applejack clutched her with her teeth before that could happen. She slung the filly onto her saddle, and ran full speed ahead.

The trees roared with a singular growl as their would be victims were getting further away. Not far from here, Ponyville was off in the distance. There was a force field enveloping it, giving the idea that Twilight knew this was coming. There wasn't a doubt that the sisters would be allowed inside while the trees would be blocked. So the demonic creatures changed tactics before it was too late.

Apple Bloom screamed again as the spouting trees began to fall in their direction. The trunks crashed all around them, intending to flatten them to a pulp.

Yet Applejack wouldn't let that stop her now. She ran undeterred to Ponyville, only a few hundred feet away now. They could see their friends waving for them inside the force field, appearing as freaked out as they did.

But their time was running out. The trees were getting closer, some narrowly avoiding their target by inches. Applejack looked up and saw that the trees were going to get them within seconds.

A hole in the force field opened up, big enough for them to fall into. Their friends were screaming for them to hurry up, and a few couldn't bare to look.

She looked at Apple Bloom directly in the eyes. The poor girl was crying from everything happening around her, and clung so tight to AJ it was beginning to hurt.

"Can you be a good filly for me?" AJ asked in a bittersweet tone. "Can you make it here without having me around?"

Apple Bloom gasped at such a question and shook her head. "No! Ah lost you once, Ah can't let it happen again!"

"Ah'm sorry. If we keep going, we're both goners. You're not going to die here. Not today!"

She stopped in the middle of her run and grabbed hold of her sister. Before Apple Bloom could argue anymore, AJ threw her into the gaping hole in the force field. The child went through the hole perfectly before it closed up behind her.

In a panic, Apple Bloom turned around to see AJ's state. The farmer smiled and waved her goodbye with her hat as the wave of trees came in. One drove in for its victim, going headlong into Applejack. She smiled right before it slammed itself directly into--

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The filly clutched at the blanket while simultaneously shooting up from the bed, screaming her head off. The noise woke Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo up on the spot as they woke up from their own dreams. They almost panicked when they had never seen Apple Bloom as terrified as she was now.

She could have taken comfort in the fact that she was back in Sweetie Belle's room, but she kept screaming anyway. The image of Applejack's smile before the tree got her was branded into her memory, and the trees still wanted her dead. She buried her head underneath the blankets, in hope they would not find her.

Her friends came down under the covers, only to witness her violently shaking from the nightmare. They pulled the blanket away and held her closely in some attempts to make it better.

"It's OK, we're here now," Sweetie Belle said.

"Yeah, you must have had a nightmare or something," Scootaloo chimed in. "And none of it was real."

"But the trees...they're tryin' to get me..." Apple Bloom whispered.

"What trees?" asked Scootaloo.

That was the moment Apple Bloom came back to reality. She could see her friends standing by her side, and back into the comfort of the Carousal Boutique. Her shaking did not stop, but her hysterical speech was gone.

Her breathing slowed down when the traces of the nightmare's hold had faded away. Yet it felt so real that she really did feel the sting of losing her sister again. And this time she saw it with her own eyes, making it even worse if that's possible.

They could hear hoofsteps coming up on the staircase, while the lights in the house were flicked on. A pony came inside their room and turned the lights on. It turned out to be Rarity, sporting her sleeping mask on her forehead while in a sleeping robe.

"What happened? Did one of you get hurt?" she asked.

"Apple Bloom woke up from a terrible nightmare," Sweetie explained. "It's nothing, really."

The designer came to the bed and looked at Apple Bloom herself. She was still shaking with every nerve of her body, not to mention the fact that the fur on her coat was standing upright.

"It is not something to disregard, it's an emergency!" Rarity counterpointed. "Look at her! She couldn't have merely had a bad dream, she had a nightmare of nightmares! None of us should let her go back to bed right away, she'll need something before she does that. Apple Bloom, could you come with me to the kitchen?"

Apple Bloom nodded and pulled herself out of the sheets. She came out of the bed and joined Rarity down the staircase. The two remaining Crusaders watched on with concern as the door was shut behind them.

Rarity guided her to the kitchen, bringing up a chair for the both of them. Apple Bloom's shaking had managed to get even worse when she sat down.

The unicorn levitated two glasses to the counter along with a full carton of milk. Noting how awful and disturbed Apple Bloom looked, she poured both glasses full and gave the first to the filly.

"What was the nightmare about, if you don't mind me asking?" she inquired.

Apple Bloom barely acknowledged the milk prepared for her. She forced herself to stop shaking and racing through thoughts by sheer will, while she put the nearest straw inside the glass.

"Ah watched Applejack die again."

Rarity dropped her glass when she was in the middle of drinking from it. Her glass shattered into a million pieces as it collided with the floor. The milk splashed around before it became a puddle, matching the white tiles it was covering.

"Did I hear you correctly? Applejack died in your dream?"

Apple Bloom nodded, sipping a bit of her milk. "It was awful, Rarity. Worse dream Ah've ever had."

"I can believe that. It must have been traumatizing. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"She even died the same way she did in real life, from a falling tree trunk. Only this time, it was alive and trying to kill her. It had eyes and everything. And it had spouted out of the ground from nowhere, and fell directly on her--"

"That is enough, no more!" Rarity was beginning to shiver just like Apple Bloom with that imagery. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but that could be the most horrid thing I've ever heard of. I dare say that most ponies with such a horrifying dream could use some assistance to get through it. I know somepony who would be happy to help you tomorrow, if you like."

The filly shook her head. "Ah'll be fine. It was just a dream." She drank her milk with a few more sips until it was gone. The shaking had subsided when she grew to accept that it was all but a dream.

It was a terrible dream, everypony would agree to that. And now that she was back in reality, she didn't feel responsible like she had for AJ's death. How she was so slow that she forced Applejack to turn back, in order to save her life...

A few tears welled up in her eyes, and Rarity was there almost immediately to hug her. The mare quietly sang a lullaby, one she heard in her foalhood. Apple Bloom made no attempts to push away this kind of help, in fact, it was almost soothing to her.

She kept the glass in her front limbs as Rarity carried her to the living room. Nothing other than the lullaby was said when they were on the sofa. Apple Bloom even looked at peace for a brief moment, with the melody of the song getting to her.

Do you know how much your friends are looking out for you, Apple Bloom? I think you would be a happier pony if you realized that in your heart. You might not be the happiest pony in the world like you were a few weeks ago, but you would be better than you are now. And without such unspeakable dreams.

She could hear Apple Bloom snoring again before she could sing the song a third time, and she sighed at the result. Finally, she managed to help her out at least once.

The glass was placed over on a table neatly, and she held the filly on her shoulder as she went back up the steps. She could hear two fillies scurrying about as she got closer, but it could be tolerated for now.

Sweetie Belle opened the door for them while Scootaloo waved Apple Bloom and Rarity in. The fashionista smiled as she went inside the room for the last time this night.

Apple Bloom didn't make a noise as she was levitated carefully back into her spot on the bed. She grabbed hold of the blanket subconsciously, showing she was over the nightmare. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo took their places at the sleeping bags placed back on the floor, giving their friend the bed all to herself.

"I know your hearts were in the right place," Rarity whispered, "but I think it would be best if she had her friends with her for these hours."

They understood and slipped out of their sleeping bags, going back into bed as before. After a few seconds, Apple Bloom subconsciously wrapped her hooves around them, making another group embrace even in her dreams. They said nothing to this, only happy that being there DID make things easier.

With her mission accomplished, Rarity trotted out of the room and shut the door. She groaned when she remembered the shattered glass of milk downstairs, and came into the kitchen with a broom and dustpan. As she feared, Opal had beaten her to the punch. Her lips were covered in milk, but at least all the milk was gone. And the worst was over for Apple Bloom at long last.

In reality, it would only be the beginning for her.
> A Helping Hoof
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, everything inside the town of Ponyville had come to a standstill. There was not a single cloud nor a brisk of wind outdoors, the definition of calm itself. As it was a Sunday, everypony would either be at church or resting at their home with their families.

The Apple family was in the later camp. Applejack's coffin was in the basement, where nopony would disturb it for now. The living family members were all seated in the living room, with the entrance to the house a few steps away.

Granny Smith was still in her rocking chair, glancing at nothing in particular. She would occasionally rock back and forth, but she was focusing on more important things in her head. How the funeral should be like. How many of the family would be coming over tomorrow. Things like that.

In comparison, Apple Bloom was much more pitiful. She slumped over in the cushioned chair she rested in. She covered herself in a blanket with checkered apple patterns, and she was shivering again, this time from a cold. Ever since she had returned home, she felt like a icisle in the wintertime, and did whatever she could to stay warm.

The most alert of the family had to be Big Mac, no doubt. Instead of lounging around like the rest, he had his eyes glued to the window outdoors, waiting for something to come here. Even if a tumbleweed rolled by their way, he would jump out of his seat and press his face to the window, assuming it was a visitor that was moving out there.

But there wasn't a pony coming here for a while. The path from Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres was empty and barren, which was a little disappointing. Maybe Applejack's friends would come here later today, once the shock of the news had faded enough.

At the same time, Apple Bloom's mind was on something else entirely. She could see out the window just as fine as her brother, but it was the trees that had her attention. A few of the marked trees were near the edge of the Acres, reminding her of the nightmare...

Just then, Big Mac looked outside again. Something came to his attention that was off in the distance. It looked like a taxi cart to him, with its yellow and black paint on the sides. It was driving straight to the farm, and he would recognize the pony riding inside any day of the week, given it was the only other pony in the family that sported a cowboy hat.

"Apple Bloom, wait here with Granny Smith," he ordered. "Your cousin Braeburn is here, Ah need to talk to him out there."

She nodded and shivered again, covering her head with the blanket.

He left the house and galloped all the way to the entrance of the Acres, just as the taxi arrived at the same place at the same time. Braeburn motioned something to the driver, and handed him a hoofful of bits.

"That should do it," he said, with a darker tone than he usually had. "No, this is good. Thanks again for everything."

With the business out of the way, he piled out of the cart as it drove back to Ponyville. He began to make his way to the farm, when he saw Big Macintosh was already waiting for him at the gate.

Braeburn's expression went from blank to somber, as he took his hat off and placed it on his chest in salute..

"I got your letter in the mail yesterday. Took the first train to Ponyville possible. It's really true, isn't it? Applejack really is gone?"

Big Mac nodded, opening the gate for the visitor. "Ah wish it wasn't so, but it is so. The worst thing that's happened to the family since that fire took Ma and Pa. Did Ah say when the funeral was?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, if I read it right. Where is Applejack right now?"

"In the basement. Do you want to say hi to the family first?"

"Yeah. How has her sister been holding up? Apple Bloom, right?"

"Not very well. You'll see what Ah mean."

Braeburn followed Big Mac as they made the steps up the path, as he looked up at the house he hadn't seen in ages. It was like he remembered it when he was a colt, but something felt different now. Maybe it was the fact that this Sweet Apple Acres was now the location where three of his family members had died.

The red stallion opened the door for him, and Braeburn wasted no time going inside. He was uneasy as he wasn't sure what was waiting for him indoors, but he found Granny Smith on her rocking chair...and somepony with a blanket covering herself.

Not knowing the reason for it just yet, he decided to get playful with Apple Bloom. He sneaked up on her, stepping lightly on his hooves to stop any noise. She didn't know he was standing right next to her, right up to the moment when he pushed the blanket over to expose her little head. Even somepony as experienced as he was a little surprised by what he saw.

Her shivering had not stopped one bit, her fur standing even on her head. She brought the blanket even tighter on her coat until it was as tight as possible. Her face was more pale than he remembered, and he knew it wasn't good when her face was much paler than the rest of her body. But when she saw that Braeburn was here, it's like everything was better.

"Hi, Braeburn," she whispered. "He's said you'd be coming today. How's Appleloosa these days?"

"Apple Bloom, have you seen a doctor lately?" he said, ignoring the question. "You look paler than a full moon."

"It's nothing, really. Ah did get checked a couple of hours ago, the doctor said Ah'll be fine once Ah get some rest. He says it's from something called trauma, Ah'm not sick. What's a trauma?"

His heart sank from the words he was hearing. Big Mac was right, Apple Bloom was handling it terribly.

"It's something along the lines that you're shocked from something, and you're not getting past it, it's staying with you. And that's not a good thing."

Even though she still thought there was nothing wrong with her, she understood everything he had to say. Her temperature rose up shortly after, and she wasn't going to need that sheet as much as before.

"So why are you here? Ah know there's going to be a funeral and the rest of the family's coming in tomorrow, but he said you came here early for something."

"That's right. He needed help around the farm, finish up some chores before winter arrives. One of those things is helping him cut down the trees that are still standing. And it sounded like you could use all the support you could."

At the word trees, Apple Bloom froze up. The nightmare came back to her mind, and she buried her head back underneath the blanket. The feeling she let it all happen, let Applejack die...

Braeburn pulled the blanket off to the floor, only to see her curled up in a fetal position.

"Apple Bloom! What's going on?" Big Mac asked, rushing in to see what was going on.

"Ah'm the reason my sister is dead...Ah could have saved her, but Ah was too slow...so sorry for that, don't be angry with me, Ah didn't mean to..."

At that moment, she felt a jolt as Braeburn grabbed her with his arms and looked her directly in the eye with an expression that looked more like desperation than anything else.

"Get a hold of yourself, cousin! It was not your fault that she died, you weren't even in the Acres when it happened! I don't want you or anypony else taking blame for that, it was nopony's fault. Understood?" he barked at her, with an intensity even Applejack didn't have.

Apple Bloom forced herself to nod. "But you don't know what really happened...Ah was just too slow...we could have made it if Ah was faster..."

"What are you talking about?"

He felt a hoof tap his shoulder, and saw Big Mac was looking at him with a firm but caring look.

"Ah know what she means. It was a terrible nightmare she had last night, where she got to see Applejack again. That's what she's talking about."

Braeburn turned back to see Apple Bloom covering herself with the blanket again. Even then she seemed like herself for a brief moment in time, as the color in her face was back.

"Ah'm sorry. Ah know it was a bad dream, but Ah shouldn't be like that any longer. So when are you cutting down the trees?"

"I was thinking after lunchtime. Why do you want to know?"

"Ah was hoping Ah could help with that. It was something Ah had wanted to do before...you know what...happened."

Braeburn and Big Mac were puzzled with that, and the former looked at the red stallion for an answer. He waved a hoof into the other room, and they went over there to discuss the matter.

At least she was improving. She still felt awful, but she didn't need the blanket anymore and tossed it to the ground. Granny Smith said nothing, focusing more on the mental parts rather than the physical.

Apple Bloom waited on the chair, trying to listen as carefully as she could with the discussion. But from here, it was all mumbles and coded whispers. Not one word could be made out, and if she got any closer, Granny Smith would probably stop her from listening to something she wouldn't understand. But she almost went ahead and walked inside anyway. It was one way she figured would help her get by. But at the same time...

It was obvious already they wouldn't let her do the job because of the trauma issue. She took one look at a marked tree and felt a shiver go down her spine at once.

Big Mac and Braeburn came back, and she went over to her chair to await the answer. They glanced at each other, and Big Mac stepped forward.

"Ah don't think it's the right time for that today," he began. "We thought it was a good thing you wanted to help around the farm, but we think it's too soon after the incident that you should get some rest around here. Do you understand where we're coming from?"

She nodded, trying to hide how it was crushing her. "Ah think so. So it's going to just be you and Braeburn for now?"

"That's the idea," Braeburn chipped in. "Why don't you go into your room for a moment? I'll help your brother get something ready for lunch."

"OK. Thanks for coming over."

They watched her carefully while she went upstairs up to her room. She didn't seem too distressed over it, in fact, it appeared like it was a relief as her hooves had an extra bounce to them.

When she had seemingly disappeared into her room, they both sighed and went for their own chair. They slumped into place with a weight off their shoulder. Braeburn waved his face off with his hat, and Big Mac took the yoke off his back.

"Wow, I can't believe she bought it," Braeburn began. "You know neither one of us is any good at lying. So what got you started down that slippery slope?"

"Ah can't be doing that to her," said Big Mac. "It didn't feel right when Applejack said it was OK, and it feels even more wrong today. Is it bad to be doing this?"

"I didn't think so. She's had a rough weekend as it is. With the nightmares, the responsibility that she let Applejack die, it all added up to a filly that could use some help. I'm glad I came when I did. But why did you think it was wrong when Applejack was alive?"

"Honestly, she's just not ready for this right now. Applejack thought the same, you know. We didn't want Apple Bloom to be like us, growing up faster than we should have. She has her whole life ahead of her, she doesn't even have her cutie mark yet."

"What does that have to do with the matter? Even if she doesn't know her special talent yet, you know it's going to involve farming some way, or maybe something that Appleloosa could benefit from. It's in the family blood."

"But that's the thing. Ah don't want her to feel like she has to stay here to make us proud. If she decides to be a painter, that's something we will be behind."

Braeburn sighed again, and straightened up in his chair. "That makes sense, I guess."

Big Mac nodded in agreement, and saw that Granny Smith had been taking a nap all this time.

What they didn't know was that Apple Bloom had been waiting at the top of the stairs, hanging on every word. She watched as they explained their decision right in front of her, without realizing she was hearing everything they had to say.

She pressed her hoof on the ground in anger, furious at the mere thought that she was too young for this kind of work. Even though she was a little filly, she could do a lot of chores already, and she would get better when she grew up.

And then she listened again, when they resumed their talk.

"It's a pity about Applejack, isn't it?" said Braeburn.

"Yes, it is," Big Mac answered, his voice getting choked up.

"She was always a good hand out there. Determined, honest, and I could trust her with my life and feel safe."

"It's going to be hard, moving on from this point. Ah don't know how things will go on without her, but Ah'll try. It's not going to feel the same, anyways. Not like it used to be."

"You'll be fine. But you know she's in a better place now."

"Right."

With a reminder of what happened drilled into her head, Apple Bloom sulked when she went back to her room for real. She had managed to learn how not to cry even at these times, but it was still difficult to do, she wouldn't deny that.

One thing she had managed to bring in here, with permission, was Applejack's hat itself. The blood had managed to wash off with some scrubbing, and it was here, resting on one of the poles bordering her sister's bed.

She clung to it almost immediately after she came inside, as she found herself wishing AJ was back. But it couldn't happen. She had to learn how to accept it.

Instead, she did something that surprised even her. She took the hat when she went to bed, and placed it on top of her head. There was no reason to do that, at least for now.

But when she did have it on, it delivered a strange sensation. She felt stronger, braver, ready to conquer anything coming her way. Or maybe it's just what she wished it would give her. It would be the only keepsake other than pictures of Applejack she had left.

When she looked in the mirror at her reflection, the feeling grew even bigger in her heart. She felt like she made for a good Applejack stand-in, if it was necessary to have one.

Applejack stand-in. That phrase stuck in her head.

Before she could think about it further, she could catch the scent of something sweet downstairs, no doubt acting as her lunch. She placed the hat back on the pole and ran down the stairs.

When she came downstairs to the living room, the scent of a classic hay sandwich came out from the oven inside. She could hear Braeburn pulling out the tray from the kitchen, and flew into the dining room in anticipation.

Right there, she could see four plates with sandwiches on the table. Big Mac handed out the drinks as Braeburn and Granny Smith took their seats on the table. Braeburn's eyes lit up as he saw her come in.

"Big Mac said this was your favorite," he commented. "And one other thing. We're going to be working outside today, but when that's over, what would you say to a trip to Sugar Cube Corner?"

"That sounds great," she replied. "Ah just wonder if Pinkie Pie knows what happened yet."

Big Mac had eaten a little piece of his sandwich, and stopped in the middle of his second bite. "Ah'm pretty sure they all know by now."

-------------

"I really can't believe it," Pinkie Pie started. "I've never had a friend die on me before, and it's like a piece of my heart is missing or something. And I want to have that piece back, but it's impossible. I should know you can't get something like that back. So I keep working at the Corner, doing my job and making muffins and cupcakes. You know how they always cheer everypony up. But then I find myself making apple cupcakes, thinking Applejack will come in. And then I cry just a little when I remember that she won't."

"Ah know how that feels," Apple Bloom replied. "It's a real shame."

"A shame? Why is it a shame? It's a sad moment, because she was a big help at times," Pinkie continued. "I don't get why my friends used me as a weapon when she left after the rodeo. All I was doing was cheering her up, or at least that's what I was trying to do."

When Braeburn thought about taking his cousin to Sugar Cube Corner, he thought that a visit would pick her spirits right up. After all, Pinkie Pie was the famous Element of Laughter. Yes, she had a friend die, but even in the bad times she tried to do something with a sense of energy.

Instead, he seemed to have caught Pinkie the hour after she got the news. They had spent half an hour talking about how sad the situation was, without even considering an order He checked outside to see if the sun had already set. And the last time he looked, it was about to do just that.

But it wasn't bothering him too much. It did seem to him like Apple Bloom was beginning to open up again.

"Excuse me girls, but is there something you want here?" Braeburn interrupted. "I know you want to talk about this, but it has to be getting near closing time, and I don't want her being held up longer than she needs to be."

"Oh, that's fine," the pink pony said. "I usually have the store open later than usual. But is there something you want to eat?"

Apple Bloom looked up at the menu, and it appeared bigger than it actually was. Rows upon rows of different treats presented themselves before her, and it would be hard to pick just one. But yet she did.

"A apple cinnamon cupcake, please."

"Coming right up, one apple cinnamon cupcake, on the house! I figured that would help, a free cupcake...with apple frosting...apple. Applejack..."

She forced herself not to break down and went back into the kitchen to get the cupcake ready. It gave Braeburn a moment alone with Apple Bloom, something he didn't have since he got here.

The filly rested on a high stool, with her face over the counter along with her hooves. It seemed like she was fine, but you never know for sure when it comes to things like these.

"So, Apple Bloom, how was Applejack before she died?" he began.

"Fine," she replied, remembering that secret conversation vividly. "She was kinda worried about me when she went with me to school for the last time. If Ah had it right, she thought Ah might be growing up too fast." She stopped and read Braeburn's expression carefully, knowing that was exactly what Big Mac thought by now.

He shifted a hoof to the side and rubbed the back of his head, sweating a bit from the response. "You know your sister. She knew about a lot of things from experience, and you should listen to what she said. What did you think about it?"

"Ah thought she might be wrong about me. It's my choice if Ah want to work on the farm or not, and she respected that. That's why Ah was so happy when she would have let me help cut down the trees with her." Again, another close examination on Braeburn's reaction.

And he did nothing. His face was blank from emotion, and his pupils shrunk a bit like they were trying to hide from something. In the end, he made another salute with his hat, and pulled out a picture of Applejack he had inside.

"I had nothing but respect for her too," he commented. "And in the end, she was also right about a lot of things. I can remember so well how she was when her parents died. Did she ever told you about that time? Maybe she thought you were too young for it.

"She said something about it during that last walk, actually."

Braeburn looked back up at the fallen farmer's sister, and gave a weak smile. "And what did you think about that?"

"It was really sad, Ah can't deny it."

And I'm very sad about you, because you might be turning into her, he thought. It's the same story twice. I can see it already. Some tragedy happens in a young Apple filly, she grows up too fast, and it costs her a fillyhood. Celestia, please don't do the same mistake she made.

At precisely the moment his thought stopped, Pinkie Pie came back with a freshly baked cupcake, with light green frosting, a golden base, and a slice of a small apple on top. She had a tissue wiping away the tears with her free hoof.

"There you go! That's the Applejack Memorial Cupcake, finished. Please tell me it's good, I need to do something in her name that's not a party. Nopony wants a party when something like this happens."

Apple Bloom took it with her arms. This cupcake was quite different, yet similar to things Pinkie had made in the past. It still looked delicious, she went ahead and took a bite.

"Wow, this is the best thing Ah ever had here!" she shouted.

It was the best comment Pinkie had hoped for. She fell on her back and took deep long breaths. It needed to pay off big time, and it did.

-------------

Another cart rolled into Ponyville from the east, with cans clanging from behind, tied with rope. On the back was a big "Just Married" sign painted in big bold black.

The two pegasi in tuxedo and wedding dress held to the other's hoof tightly, never letting them go. They gasped in delight when they could see Ponyville right before them.

"It's just like you described it, Whirlwind!" the mare cheered. "So much simpler than Cloudsdale, and with all the small town charm to boot. So much better than Canterlot, thank Celestia you talked me into coming here instead."

"I told you that a pony like you would like it, Current Chaser," the stallion added. "The hotel I booked us into is like the rest of Ponyville, simple but elegant, and there will be no rush to do something on the spot. Not bad for our first honeymoon, is it?"

She kissed him on the lips as they arrived into town. They grinned enthusiastically as their carriage arrived at the Simple Oaks Hotel.

But something was weird about it when they looked around. Many, many ponies went through the lobby doors while they came inside.

One thing they noticed immediately was that they were all earth ponies. So what, Ponyville was more the earth pony town anyways. No, what was weird was that they all seemed to have a similar color palette, and almost everypony's cutie mark involved either farming, the west, or apples. Every single one.

"You did book a room in advance, right?" Current Chaser asked. "We might have arrived in the middle of a family reunion, judging from the way it looks out here."

"Of course I did," said Whirlwind. "You never know what might happen in Ponyville. They had a dragon storm in just a year ago, out of all things. I'll ask the manager what is going on here."

He came to the front desk of the hotel inside the lobby. The manager had stacks of bits lined up on the desk, counting them one by one. And by the looks of things, it was a grand day for her business.

"Hello. We ordered room 53 for the next four days. Do you have the key for that?" Whirlwind asked.

"Of course I do. Are you here for the same thing they are?" the manger replied.

"No, we had our wedding in Cloudsdale an hour ago. We're having our honeymoon in this town. What is the reason for all the commotion?"

"So you're not one of them. If you hadn't reserved that room in advance, it would have been snatched up too. They're all here as a family for a funeral for a member named Applejack. Really close friend to most ponies in this town. You'll hear about it soon enough."
> Goodbye, Applejack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Apple Bloom tossed and turned back and forth in her bed. She tried her hardest to stay asleep, even though she was used to having school on a Monday and therefore waking up early in the morning. But she didn't want to have to face anything else for now...

She must have known what she was going to do, as the curtains were closed shut to the window. The room was almost pitch black as a result, and she felt safe in the darkness somehow. But it wouldn't be much longer until her body gave up and forced her to be awake.

And then, a lot of loud noises came from downstairs. A bunch of hooves clamped on the floor, and most of the ponies they belonged to had conversations with each other. Occasionally, one would even be crying, followed by blowing his or her nose into a tissue.

It only seemed to get louder and louder. She covered her ears with the pillow, but she heard enough to understand that more ponies were coming inside.

Then, she remembered. Today was the funeral. And they were expecting the extended family to come over.

The next thing she knew, she was watching herself in the mirror, brushing her teeth and flossing in an attempt to look presentable. There were so many voices she could hear that she estimated that at least twenty of them were here. And she was low balling.

She rushed into the living room, and sure enough she was right. A ton of mares and stallions were walking around in the house, all she recognized as part of the family. They were either talking with one another or breaking down over their fallen loved one.

Most of them weren't wearing any clothes, but those that did were dressed in stark black dresses associated with mourning. The mares in particular had veils over their face, and some of them had gathered together to the mantle above the fireplace.

At that mantle was a picture of Applejack enclosed to a glass frame. She was posed in her trademark move, with her left hooves crossing her right. The Acres were behind her in the picture, and she smiled at the camera for her best side.

Those that were looking at the picture were all the ones with two pieces of tissue. One for blowing their nose, and another for wiping away the tears.

"Applejack, poor Applejack," one cried in public.

"She was a good farmer. I can't let her memory fade from my head, ever. She meant too much for that," another thought out loud.

"I'm happy for her, believe it or not. She's with her parents in heaven. Hasn't seen them for so long. What do you think they're doing up there right now?" a stallion asked.

"Watching us from above. That's what I would want."

Apple Bloom couldn't take the sight any longer, even though it meant she wasn't the only one having a really hard time with this. She looked for anywhere to escape to breathe, looking into the study room. But that was even more packed with mourners than the living space.

So she tried the kitchen next. While there were other ponies here with her, they weren't part of the family at all. Instead, they were Applejack's friends in that room, the surviving Elements of Harmony.

She caught them in a middle of a conversation, but they dropped it when they saw their fallen friend's sister come in here. They all turned to her, each with saddened faces. Fluttershy seemed to be taking it the worst, with her face fur all dampened.

When Apple Bloom saw them all, she didn't know what to say. Nothing came to mind. No apologies, no hoping this funeral wouldn't be too depressing, no words. Her mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out.

"See? I told you she's not taking it well," Rarity whispered to Fluttershy. "Even just thinking about her little nightmare caused me to believe trees kill more ponies than they really do. And that was just a dream."

Fluttershy said no more, and brought Apple Bloom into an embrace. The filly started to whimper, but not from discomfort. It was being around her friends that got to her, and the whole reasoning why they were here.

As her whimpers continued, she felt some strange go around her frame, and looked up to see that Rarity had gotten into the hug as well. And then Pinkie Pie. So did Twilight Sparkle.

Rainbow Dash almost resisted, seeing the act as a little sappy. But all it took was one whimper to come out of Fluttershy's mouth to get her into the hug as well.

They found themselves hugging one another, trying to help not only each other, but specifically Apple Bloom as well. She never had this many ponies doing this around her, but she did not try to do anything about it. Instead, she felt a warm feeling in her chest, as she began to accept that there were in fact friends looking out for her.

And then she looked behind herself, to see that while her eyes were closed, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had arrived, and joined in the hugging as well. They managed to get deep enough to nuzzle Apple Bloom on the cheeks, adding to the feeling of love and support she was getting.

"Thank you all," she said. "Ah know it's been a tough time for all of us, but it meant so much that you came and did this for me anyways. Ah think she would be happy with you all. Ah really do."

Twilight smiled, and began to break up the pile around the filly. Once everypony had managed to get off of her, the unicorn pulled out a bag that had been on the table. She levitated it right into Apple Bloom's hooves, and waited to see what would happen next.

Apple Bloom shook it with her arms, and she could feel something bouncing inside. It didn't feel heavy with its weight, but it didn't feel light as a feather either. Instead...wait, was it some kind of necklace? She glanced at Twilight for understanding about this thing.

"Go ahead and look inside," Twilight encouraged. "I want you to have it."

Sighing, the filly opened the lid onto the bag and peered inside. She gasped when she recognized the necklace for what it was.

The necklace was made from a band of gold that curved perfectly to Applejack's neck, with a design that almost looked like wings. And then, in the center of the piece, was a diamond shaped like an orange apple. It was the necklace Applejack wore when she was part of the Elements of Harmony.

Apple Bloom looked up at Twilight with watery eyes. "Ah...Ah don't understand. This was something special to her."

"I know," Twilight stated. "It's one of the most valuable assets of her lifetime. But when I heard about what happened, I figured you would want it. This way, she'll still be with you in spirit."

It was almost too much for the little filly. How could she accept something this valuable, something that had been a part in saving Equestria twice now? It was an honor she didn't dare think was something she deserved...

...but then again, she always did want to be like Applejack. Maybe this would help her out.

She took the Element out from the bag, and looked over it closely. It might be too big for her, but it probably wouldn't be that loose on her. So she went ahead and put it around her neck, and to her surprise, it wasn't as loose as she had feared. In fact, it felt pretty good on her.

Big Mac was watching from the doorway, as Applejack's friends clapped when they found out that the necklace worked perfectly on Apple Bloom.

"So what do you all think?" she asked around. "Does this help me look like her a little bit?"

"No, you still have a lot of her mannerisms to learn if you ever hope to do that," Rarity commented. "But it's a good start. I dare say, do you think she's old enough to go on adventures with us, in case Celestia needs us to save Equestria again?"

"I'm pretty sure I was around her age when I did my first Sonic Rainboom," Rainbow Dash answered. "So it's not that much of a stretch."

Big Mac shook his head from the idea, confirming his theory about Apple Bloom's development. He shrunk away from the kitchen, and returned to his job of greeting any newcomers into his house.

The door opened again, and Big Mac came forward to greet him. But this man wasn't part of the family at all. He had a priest's black outfit on his chest, and there was a saddlebag stuffed with only one book on his back. His cutie mark was an image of many ponies following one man.

He shook hooves with Big Mac to greet him. "I understand you're the head of the house. Big Macintosh, of the Apple family."

"Eeyup," said Big Mac. "Thanks for coming on such short notice, Ah thought you were busier than our group during a harvest."

"You can say that. Arranging a Hearth's Warming Eve play, no matter how small, is a big deal in Equestria. Before I begin, those are Applejack's graves you're burying her next to, right?"

"That's the plan. Ah think that's how she would like things."

"Then everything is set. The chairs are set, her coffin is in place, all we need to do is listen for a bell to signal they're ready. I came to tell you that it could be any minute."

Not even a breath after he finished, the funeral's bell rang from the top of a hill. Everypony stopped what they were doing when they heard it, and mumbled to each other about what was going on.

"Right on time," said the minister. "I'll let them in the know."

He stepped in the middle of the living room, and took his stand.

"That's the signal that the funeral is ready to begin. If you'll excuse me, I would like you all to exit the house and go the funeral spot at this time."

Apple Bloom's eyes glistened again while the bell continued to ring. All of her friends went with her outdoors, as the funeral was getting started.

Applejack's parents were both buried within one of the many valleys of the Acres. The gravestones stood out from the green, fresh grass, but they remained there nevertheless.

Meanwhile, the place that would be Applejack's grave was placed to the next spot on the right side of her parents. Her coffin was raised over the hole in the ground, suspended with a suspension system. The coffin was simplistic, with a apple emblem on the lid itself.

One hundred folding seats were laid out in front of the place, split into two sections of fifty. Yet that would not be enough, as a little over twenty ponies would end up standing.

A larger portrait of Applejack was placed next to the coffin on a stand, and a little podium was there on a slightly raised platform.

Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, Big Mac, and both her friends and the Elements of Harmony were seated on the first row. The filly looked around and saw that there was not a dry eye within her family, as expected.

The day could not have conflicted any more with the mood than it was here. A completely clear day was in order by the weather team, with a moderate wind sweeping through Ponyville. But with all the hills of the Acres, most of them would be blocked from entering the valley.

All were quiet as the minister walked up to the podium. He placed his book on the cover by its backside, and cleared his throat to begin.

"Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts. Today is a day we come together as one big family under Equestria, not to lament what has occurred in the past, but to cherish the good memories that our dear Applejack has left behind with her life.

"Although her stay in our world may have been shorter than expected, she did not use excuses to waste her life away. Instead, she used it to help her friends and family with each waking moment, leaving a legacy many would love to call their own.

"While we may not have all the answers, like why did this happen, or how we move on just yet, we do know this: Applejack worked well and hard when she was living, and she is resting well in heaven now."

Many more tears were shed during that speech, and a lot of ponies present nodded with its message. They were all looking at her portrait, filled with more "what if" questions than the kind the minister had suggested.

Apple Bloom shuffled a little in her seat, as she took one look at the Elements. All of them had their own tissue box, which was getting worked overtime. She adjusted the necklace a bit as the minister continued.

"Now, I understand that many of her friends and family are here with us today. At this point, you are hereby permitted to share your final thoughts with her. Do not be afraid to share anything that comes to mind."

With an uncharacteristic lack of insecurity, Fluttershy was the first to come up. She flew to the podium, and the stallion moved out of the way to make room for her.

Her tissue box was on the platform with her, and she didn't stop crying even with all eyes on her. She gulped and straightened her posture out, along with the podium.

"I'm really sorry if somepony wanted to come up first, but I needed to say something first. Is that OK?"

They nodded their heads for a "yes".

"Thank you. Applejack was one of my earliest friends in Ponyville, the first I made in the town when I moved here. I was so worried that earth ponies were rowdy and unfriendly to pegasi like me, and I stayed home with my creature friends for a while.

"One day, somepony was knocking on my front door when I was having lunch. It frightened me because it sounded so loud, and I thought it was a really strong pony. So I didn't do anything for a while, but it never left. This went for five whole minutes, so I put on a lot of football armor my dad wore in high school to protect me, and answered the door.

"That's when I first met Applejack. I think she had her cutie mark by then, but it was before she was wearing her hat everywhere too. She went up to me and said, 'Why are you wearing that weird getup? Ah know you're not on the Ponyville High School football team, so what's the deal?'

"So I explained why I was so afraid of earth ponies, and she laughed at me. 'That's the silliest thing Ah ever heard. We're not rowdy like that. We can be real friendly once we get to know you.' Then she handed me one of her apples, and it was one of the most delicious things I ever tasted, even to this day.

"So I would like to thank Applejack, for teaching me that I could learn about friendship from anypony, with wings or not."

She took her tissue box with her back to the seat. The pegasus cowered around in her seat, worried if her former trait would get to her.

"That was a great story, Fluttershy," Twilight whispered over to her.

She sighed in relief and wipe away the sweat on her forehead.

The next to go up on the podium was the fashionista herself, Rarity. She calmly went up the steps to the platform with grace. At the same time, she knew it was not the right moment to show off, so she avoided dressing in anything at all.

Instead of clearing her throat, she adjusted the material on the stand to give her hooves as much room as possible.

"I know the kind of reputation I have in Equestria by now. You're asking yourselves, how could a pony like me be friends with somepony like Applejack?

"It's quite obvious, really. She had a character that spoke to me directly to the soul. Whenever she found out that one of her friends or family were in trouble or needed help, most of the time she would drop what she was doing to go assist them. How could I not respect somepony who would do that time and time again?

"Yes, we had our differences at times, I will not deny there were issues. But in the end, we worked them out, and I can gladly say she was my friend after it was all said and done. And given everything she was able to accomplish, I'm proud to know that she would have called me a friend too."

She turned to the coffin and openly wept. Her perfect demeanor gave way as she had to take out a tissue to use.

"I hope you can still call me a friend. I'll be working the rest of my life to ensure that."

The white unicorn took her seat next to Fluttershy's. Her tissue box was empty within the next minute, and she would still end up crying her heart out after the fact.

Fluttershy wrapped an arm around Rarity's shoulders. Neither one of them were handling it well, but the pegasus would do whatever she could.

Much to everypony's surprise, Pinkie Pie was the next pony to come up for a speech. She did not make one attempt to make this a party or to joke. Instead, she simply took her spot, and went on with business.

"I didn't know Applejack's family was this big," she started. "OK. My name is Pinkie Pie, and I was one of her friends. We didn't talk that much for a while, she found my party canon really annoying. I transformed her entire house into one big Pinkie party with just one press of the button, and we weren't on speaking terms for a few weeks.

"But I kept trying to be friends with her. She was a hard worker almost every day, and I thought she needed something as a reward when she was finished using her hoe or whatever she was doing for that day. So I asked Big Mac and Granny Smith if I could do something for her inside the house while she was working, and they agreed.

"She would be upset if she saw me in pony, so I made sure to leave after I was finished, so she would see what I would want to do for her. When she came home one day, she found this big surprise party waiting for her. There were cakes, punch, and plenty of things for games.

"Later, she asked Big Mac what in tarnation this was all about, and he told her that I was doing this all for her as a 'Congratulations on being such a good worker!' party. So she went to Sugar Cube Corner and told me that nopony had never been so nice to her before, and we were good friends since then."

She went back to her chair, trying her best to let the good memory wash away the bad one. It seemed to be working, as everypony was smiling from what happened.

So Pinkie Pie could make everypony smile, without telling a silly joke or throwing a party, after all. It felt good she did something to help around here.

Twilight decided to come up next after her. She didn't seem to be doing well either, even with the pleasant story Pinkie gave. But nevertheless, she went up to speak anyways.

She did clear her throat this time, since it wasn't often she got to speak in front of this many ponies.

"Thank you all for coming here. Out of all her friends, I knew Applejack for the least amount of time. But that didn't stop her from making an impression.

"I can't remember all the times she gave me the advice I needed at that moment, all those occasions when she helped us save Equestria as we know it, and how often she would help in general.

"To be honest, I didn't see her death coming. When I thought of her, she was the kind of pony I'd imagine would be here forever. That's because I knew she wouldn't desert any of us, and it's the reason why it's hard to look forward into the future at times. It's hard to believe she's gone, but she will never be forgotten. That much I know."

Apple Bloom shifted her hooves as Twilight returned to her chair. The filly had thought exactly that at times. It was hard to believe that Element around her neck didn't belong to Applejack anymore.

She found herself dreading what she knew everypony was expecting: Her turn to talk. There was only one Element left to go, and Big Mac and Granny Smith were only two ponies. She had to speak sooner or later.

Thankfully, she was delayed a little longer. As expected, Rainbow Dash came up to speak next. Out of all the Elements to come forward, she was the most calm to date. There was none of her confidence, but she was keeping it together nevertheless.

"Wow. Where do I begin. I agree with Twilight here, it's hard to believe she's gone. But...I don't know what to say. OK, I might not be the best pony at talking in front of an audience, but bear with me.

"Out of all the ponies in this town, she was the only one that ever rivaled me in...well, anything I'm good at. We had an Iron Pony competition a while ago, and it was neck and neck all the way to the end. Pretty sure it was a tie.

"What I'm saying is, she must have been doing something right to keep up with me. World class athletes like us don't come around that often, and that she got it all from farming is amazing. Not that it's a bad thing, but I worked out specifically like it, while she was good from something else.

"Before she's gone and buried, I wanted to say how awesome she was. She was a hundred and twenty-one percent cooler than most, and I value that all the time. Thank you."

Rainbow Dash thanked Celestia nopony was throwing tomatoes at her for that speech. And she didn't even feel all that bad about what she had to say when she took her seat.

With that, all of the Elements had come up to talk. The minister waited patiently for anypony else to come up, secretly thinking that was it. He knew Ponyville enough to know Big Mac was a man of few words, and Granny Smith was a master at cutting through the crap and getting straight to business.

Much to his surprise, Big Mac did come out of his chair and came forward. His trademark yoke had been removed, which was a strange sight even for the family. But everypony hushed when they knew he was getting started.

"Ah...Ah'm no good at long speeches either. But Ah'm going to do my best today, and...Ah think Ah need to, given the occasion.

"There's so many things you can say about her. She was a loving sister, and there's one thing Ah know all about, and that's the day she was born. Ah remember every little detail of that day.

"Ah was waiting with my pa in the waiting room in the hospital. He was so nervous in there, and he was prancing back and forth forever. Ah didn't know how big filly birth was back then, so Ah didn't know why he was so worried. Kept reading any magazine Ah could find, and he kept looking at that clock out there.

"We waited for an hour like that. A nurse came over and told him the good news. You should have seen the look on his face. He ran as fast as he could to the room Ma was in."

He stopped for a moment and wiped the tears away. Twilight levitated her tissue box over on the podium.

"Thank you, Twilight. Anyways, where was Ah. Oh, yes. Ah followed him in there, and there Ma was. She had that golden foal in her arms, wrapped around a little blanket. She was crying tears of joy, and Ah never seen her or Pa happier than they were then.

"That was the first moment Ah meant one of the best ponies Ah've ever had the pleasure to know."

The red stallion couldn't find it in his heart to continue, and pressed the tissue to his face. He walked down to his chair and tried not to lose it any further. His sounds seemed to fill the entire valley with an atmosphere of sheer depression.

There was a silence after that. Nopony really knew if they were going to be the next to go up. It was hard to beat the six ponies that had beaten them to the punch.

Even the minister was unsure what to do next. The feeling that was over the proceedings was so heavy, he felt like he might even offend somepony here if he went on.

The pressure was piling on Apple Bloom's shoulders fast. She was aware the minister was intentionally keeping the door open for others, and it was her turn inside her head. But what could she even say anymore?

Nevertheless, her heart was pacing with the idea begging for her to act on it. And eventually, she caved in to the thought.

Everypony was shocked when they saw her come up out of her chair. They knew by now that she was handling it terribly, and never expected her to speak. And there she was, doing the unthinkable.

The minister raced to grab a stool he brought in case this happened, and brought it right to the podium. He gave her a hoof as she climbed up to the top.

Applejack's family and friends watched her closely as she mentally prepared for this moment. She didn't seem to acknowledge the pressure she was receiving, and focused instead on honoring her dead sister.

"Hello," she said, her voice barely present. "Thank you all for coming. That means so much to all of us...but there's something Ah want to say too.

"Ever since Ah was old enough to know what was goin' on in the world, Applejack has always been one of my closest friends. That sounds weird, being friends with your sister, but it didn't matter.

"Whenever there was something bugging me, she was there to help me out. When Ah was sad when Ma and Pa died, she came and got me through that."

Her hooves were shaking a little, more and more as she continued.

"She meant so much to me. There were moments where she was my whole, wide world. And now she's gone...she's gone...why did she have to go?"

She buried her face in the podium surface. The wood was wet on it immediately, and almost everypony went out of their seat to get her out of there. But Big Mac ran forward and picked her up in his arms.

"Ah still don't understand. Why did she leave us?" she whimpered.

He did not answer, but instead carried her back to the stands. She never left those arms that kept her calm through these nightmarish days, but she didn't get any better either.

Rather, she held tight to that immortal necklace, hoping it would do something to end the bad dream she had been in for the last three days, and return to reality where Applejack was alive and well.

But it never woke her up. She was still here at this funeral, where she didn't belong. Maybe the Element was broken. Could Celestia fix something like that? Probably...

Everypony was looking at her again, while she was giving them one of the most heart breaking images they had since catching Applejack's coffin for the first time.

Now the minister saw it was time to continue. He put the stool back where he found it, and came back to his spot at the stage.

"I thank all of you for sharing your intimate thoughts with us. Those were some of the most heartfelt things I have ever heard in a long time. It's time to continue with the funeral at this time. Will the mechanical hands please take their place at the coffin at this time."

Two muscular ponies came up from behind the stage, and went from two separate parts of the suspended coffin. They stood next to mechanical wheels that would lower the ropes, and the body as a byproduct. They waved to gave the green light to continue.

"Is there something anypony would like to do before we lower her to her final resting place? Do as you like, we won't stop you."

Apple Bloom heard those words crystal clear, and bolted out of Big Mac's arms immediately. She rushed for the coffin and buried her head on the lid, her hooves all around the edges of the box.

It didn't matter what anypony would say, she wanted this final moment to last forever. The world did not exist around her, and the only thing that mattered was that she let Applejack know how much she loved her, before it was impossible to do it again.

How could she describe that moment in time, when no words were invented to do so? Nothing came remotely close, as her tears were poured out like a bowl of water onto the lid. She let the love in her heart pour out into the coffin, anything that could make it inside. And she felt free when she did all for Applejack.

The two ponies by the coffin looked at each other, not sure how to handle her. Most of the crowd were crying along with the filly, but only two other ponies came in to support her up there. They both placed a hoof on her shoulders, and one of them began to hum a song.

She turned back to see that those two ponies were Big Mac and Fluttershy. They weren't upset with her at all. Instead, they were legitimately concerned for her. She had cried so much that all of her tears had created a noticeable wet spot on the lid.

Nopony said a word, there was no need for one. They knew what needed to be done, and took a few steps away from the coffin, still standing but closer to the chairs than the burial site.

This was going down as the hardest funeral the minister ever had to oversee. He waited to see if somepony would also have a mental breakdown, but that was it. Many of them were staring at the group of three, but it seemed like it was the right moment to carry on.

He nodded to the workers on the coffin to begin. They put their hooves on the wheels and turned it slowly and carefully. The ropes lowered the coffin, more and more with every turn of the wheel.

The wooden box disappeared underneath the ground, exposing the tombstone that it was obscuring. It had a big picture of Applejack at the top, and gave her obituary right below it.

There was nothing but silence as the coffin was lowered all the way to the ground. They could all hear the slight bump when it hit the ground. The workers detached the ropes from it, and removed the suspension system away from the site. All that needed to be done was place a bunch of dirt there, and it would turn into another grave.

Apple Bloom's eyes were commanded to look at the tombstone. That picture of Applejack...and their parents right next to her...and then a twisted thought hit her head.

Will Ah be next?

She couldn't bear to think about it, and tried to pretend it never existed. She muffled something underneath her breath, and stumbled on the way back to her chair. She couldn't walk in a straight line, she couldn't think straight. But she was going to try.

Big Mac and Fluttershy carried her the rest of the way, as they awaited the final part of the funeral take place.

The minister took his spot for his final speech, finding himself lost at words at last.

"I...I don't know what else there is to say," he confessed. "This must have been a dear member of the family, and I'm sorry for your loss. But she's in a better place. That's all I can say anymore. May her soul rest in peace."

------------

A few hours later, most of the family were still there inside the house. They went to Ponyville to give Apple Bloom any gift idea they could come up with. Yet, they could not find her. Granny Smith said she wasn't feeling well, but they could drop off any gifts they brought over to the study room.

The sheer number of gifts was so massive, she wondered if some of them could fit inside the closet. Whenever she could, she would stuff them inside that small corner of the house, just so she wouldn't be buried underneath them all.

And she wasn't lying when she said that Apple Bloom wasn't feeling well. She had grown hysterical again, and remained in her room for all that time.

She was resting on the side of the bed, within Fluttershy's lap. The yellow pegasus refused to let her get out of her sights, and patted through the filly's head with a gentleness not unlike her mother.

It was what Apple Bloom needed. She couldn't stop herself from shaking any longer, trying to recover when that was impossible for today. Having Fluttershy here helped a little. A little.

The pegasus had never seen anything like this before. But she thought this was something she had to do. She kept brushing a hoof through the red hair repeatedly, keeping a good eye on her condition.

Big Mac opened the door to find it was just how it was when he last came in here. Fluttershy did not look up at him and kept her routine going. Apple Bloom continued to shiver, even though she was in the warmth of another pony's lap.

"It's almost six in the afternoon," he pointed out. "Do you need to be getting along for something?"

"It can wait," she said quietly. "I want to stay here with her, if that's not a problem."

"No, it's not. Ah was just making sure, you'd been here a while."

He shut the door all the way to block any more visitors from coming in.

The two girls remained wordless between each other, as the sunset wasn't far away now. But the world had run away from them here. Apple Bloom looked Fluttershy right in the eye, and the amount of love she saw from them was enough to tear down walls.

"Fluttershy, can Ah ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything. What is it?"

"Am Ah going to be like this for the rest of my life? Ah mean, shaking and having bad nightmares, always needing somepony to help me?"

Fluttershy gave her a weak smile, and shook her head. "No, you won't. You'll find a way to get out of this soon. Maybe not right now, but you will. I know you can."

She returned to patting through her mane a million times, all the way up until she was asleep at last.
> Author's Notes and Apologies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh man. I hope I'm stable enough mentally and emotionally to get through all of this.

As you can probably tell, this story was cancelled a long time ago by fanfiction standards. And since it had been some time ago and I haven't even attempted to finish it, along with the idea that now is the time to exorcise my demons from these stories once and for all, it was time to address it.

First, let's talk about what was going to happen in the rest of the story.

After the funeral, Apple Bloom would have grown deeply attached to Fluttershy, since her soft personality was what the filly needed at such a dark time in her life. In short, she would have also tried to figure out her future, and Fluttershy would have tried to encourage her to do what her heart desired.

But then Apple Bloom would have seen that production on Sweet Apple Acres had lagged behind, now that Applejack was gone. Big Mac worked as hard as he could, but it wasn't enough. So Apple Bloom would have felt pressure to fill in Applejack's boots, and it would have had her self destruct as a result. She didn't hang out with her friends as much, she was busy doing something the viewer knew shouldn't be her life goal, so on.

The end parts of the story would have her realize how wrong she was, and it would have ended with her getting her cutie mark in the end.

Maybe it would have been another big hit for me. But this time, my emotions got the better of me. Just like with the previous story Within The Seas of The Galaxies, I had a lot of rough patches with it. 

To be honest with you, I came into it thinking this would be my masterpiece, the thing that would elevate me among pony writers. My own version of My Little Dashie to be precise.

And in the end...yeah, to say that I felt awful about the resutls would have been an understatement. I am not angry or blame anyone for this as much as myself. It's clear this fandom does like sad stories, so I can't fault the premise.

Yet....I felt a little mad at myself, because those that did like the story really liked it. And that's part of the reason why I'm typing this. I apologize that I couldn't finish it for you guys and let you down on that front. The fact that I finished WIthin The Seas, another rough to make fanfic, does not excuse something like this.

So that said...yeah, that was not a very good experience. This caused me to quit fanfiction for a while, and part of the reason why I left pony fanfiction later down the road, though that can always change.

It had haunted me for years, but hopefully I can leave it all behind. It would be nice if I stopped crying about it. And I think, when I hit submit on this chapter, I can say that the tears are over.