Applejack loudly snored in her bed as she slept, ignoring the sounds of the gentle breeze blowing against the window in her room. Crickets chirped and the room hummed as she slept like a filly.
The sound of the bedroom door opening suddenly resonated throughout the room, waking up the cowpony. She looked towards the doorway, turning on her light to get a better view of what she was looking at, as saw her younger sister standing in the doorway. Her eyes wide, and her mouth showed no single expression. She trotted over to the side of the bed, repeatedly looking behind her.
"Somethin' wrong, sis?" Applejack asked before yawning.
"I had another nightmare..." Applebloom replied, "Somethin' got ya, and it– it killed ya..."
Applebloom began to start crying as her older sister looked at her. Applejack wrapped her arm around her younger sister.
"It's alright now," Applejack cooed as Applebloom silently weeped, "it was just a dream. Nothin' more, nothin' less."
"It was so real," Applebloom replied, "Ah don't wanna go back to sleep."
"It's alright." Applejack replied in a comforting tone, "Ah'll let ya sleep with me tonight, does that sound good?"
"Mm-hm." Applebloom silently replied as she climbed up into the bed with Applejack. She got herself under the covers of the warm bed as Applejack wished her a good night before shutting off the lamp. The room went completely dark.
Applebloom was actually sleeping peacefully, knowing her sister was next to her. She tightly hugged Applejack, thankful that her older sister was still alive.
Suddenly, Applejack gasped. The lamp turned on, illuminating the room in a dim yellow light.
"What is it?" Applebloom asked, trying not to hide under the covers of the bed.
"Ah feel something on mah legs," Applejack replied, "it doesn't feel right..."
As Applebloom trembled in fear, she suddenly felt something warm and slimy wrap around her hoof. She screamed as her sister grabbed her. Applebloom looked up at Applejack's face. An evil smile could be seen spreading on her face.
"Applejack!" Applebloom exclaimed while kicking her leg in an attempt to shake whatever was holding onto her off, "Its got me! Help!"
"Me? Help ya?" Applejack replied in a low tone, "Ironic, since Ah'm going to eat ya."
Applebloom didn't have any time to react before being yanked under the covers. She felt a sensation of burning pain as teeth impaled her flesh, mangling and tearing her to bits before she was swallowed.
Applebloom catapulted awake from her sleep with a scream of terror, startling everyone in the class. She had passed out on her desk while Mrs. Cheerilee was teaching, making it the fifth time she had passed out in class that week.
Applebloom, after calming down, looked around the room at everyone that stared at her.
"Applebloom, can you please grab your things and meet me outside?" Mrs. Cheerilee asked. Applebloom was worried she was in trouble, but her voice wasn't showing any signs of anger. She grabbed her saddlebag and got up from her desk. The snickers and giggles of her classmates made her head hang down in shame as she quickly fled the small room. She opened the doors leading outside at was greeted by a gust of cold wind as she stepped out. Applebloom stood next to the entrance of the school as Mrs. Cheerilee stepped out, walking over to the young filly.
"Ah'm sorry," Applebloom apologized, "it's just that–"
"You don't need to." Cheerilee said, holding up a hoof. "I just think that you should probably stay home next week. Those nightmares are going to give you some problems if you come with us to the Crystal Empire."
"But Ah wanna come too!" Applebloom protested.
"Applebloom, these aren't normal nightmares. This has been happening since Monday. You need to get some help from a therapist."
Applebloom frowned and looked at the wooden porch below her. Mrs. Cheerilee pulled out a white ticket for the Friendship Express and handed it to Applebloom before saying, "In case the nightmares stop, you can come if we already left. Just make sure somepony is accompanying you. The hotel we're going to stay at is called the Emerald Gardens Hotel."
"Thanks Mrs. Cheerilee." Applebloom replied as she took the small train ticket from her teacher.
"Now just head on home. I'll have a meeting with your pa– I mean, sister after school." Mrs. Cheerilee instructed warmly before trotting back into the schoolhouse. Applebloom began to walk home, trying to not cry.
If the nightmares didn't stop, she wouldn't be able to be with her friends for a whole week. She would be stuck at home while they would be seeing fireworks, touring the crystal palace, and seeing the stadium.
After a long, uneventful walk, Applebloom finally arrived home. She told her sister of the occurrence that happened at school during the day. Applejack said she would get a therapist for her the next morning. Applebloom didn't respond as she slowly sulked over to her large home. As she entered, she saw Granny Smith sleeping on her wooden rocking chair. Applebloom felt insulted by how quietly she slept, as if Granny Smith was taunting her misfortune.
She went into her room, shutting the door behind her. Applebloom looked at the ticket she held. She sighed before crumpling it up and throwing it in a nearby garbage can.
"What's the point." Applebloom silently muttered to herself.
She couldn't find anything to do, so she just laid in her bed. The temptation to rest was hard to resist, but she managed. However, after half an hour, sleep grasped onto her and pulled her from reality. She shut her eyes as she fell into a deep sleep.
"Wake up!" Applejack hurriedly whispered to her sister, shaking her awake.
Applebloom slowly opened her eyes as she found herself still in her bed. It was now nighttime, and her room was dark and silent. Applejack held a lantern that dimly lit the bed she laid on.
"What is it?" Applebloom asked, looking up at Applejack.
"It's nothin', just get out of bed." Applejack quietly ushered as she threw the covers off of Applebloom.
"What's happenin', Applejack?" Applebloom worriedly asked as she climbed out of bed.
"Hush now," Applejack instructed, "We can't let them hear us."
The two slowly sneaked out of the room. The entire house was as dark as the caverns beneath Canterlot; The chilly air added a sense of unusual eeriness. Applejack held Applebloom tightly with one arm, and held the lantern with her mouth.
"Yer not going to eat me," Applebloom asked, "right?"
Applejack stopped and looked at her.
"What makes ya think that?" Applejack replied, still being quiet.
"It was a nightmare Ah had at school today. Ah came to sleep with you because Ah was scared and you pulled me under the covers and ate me..."
"Applebloom, Ah would never do such a thing."
"How do Ah know you're not lyin?"
"Would you expect your sister, the element of honesty, to lie?"
"Now that you put it that way, no."
Applejack continued down the stairs, reluctant to continue. Applebloom was expecting something to jump out of the darkness at her, but her sister's presence made her feel protected.
They crossed the living room as Applebloom tried to figure out why Granny Smith and Big Macintosh wasn't with them.
"Where's Big Mac and Granny?" Applebloom whispered.
Applejack looked at her sister and opened her mouth to say something, before closing her mouth and giving her sister a quick hug before they continued to the door.
Applebloom heard the wind howl outside. She was barely able to see the landscape through the window, only being illuminated for short increments of time by the lightning flashing in the sky. She saw a tall vortex of dust and debris, moving around the landscape. Ghostly forms of ponies could be seen flying around in it.
"What is that?" Applebloom worriedly asked, looking up at her sister.
"Applebloom," Applejack suddenly replied, looking at the doorknob, "if that thing gets me, Ah want you to run as far away from here as possible. Don't head to Ponyville, head the other way. Just go anywhere but here. Don't even bother coming back to look for me, Big Mac, or Granny Smith. Do you understand that?"
Applebloom nodded reluctantly in reply. Applejack quickly gave her another hug before moving her hoof to the doorknob.
"Stay close." Applejack instructed as she slowly twisted the doorknob. The wooden door slowly creaked open, revealing the dark landscape outside. The vortex was illuminated from the inside by an unknown source of light. Applejack and Applebloom began to sneak towards the exit of the orchard.
As they almost reached the wooden arch, Applebloom saw the silhouette of Big Macintosh walk towards them.
"Look, its Big Mac!" Applebloom silently exclaimed, pointing at the form. Applejack's calm, collected face went to one of terror.
"Applebloom, look away. Now." Applejack suddenly instructed.
"Why?"
"Do as Ah said!"
Applebloom complied, shutting her eyes and turning away. As Big Mac's hoofsteps got closer, a moan could be heard as the hard-working pony passed the two. Applebloom swore she felt the air around them grow colder as he passed.
After a minute of silence, Applebloom grew concerned. The wind began to grow stronger, and Applebloom felt herself get tackled to the ground. After a minute of silence, she opened her eyes.
The vortex had passed over them. Applejack laid on the top of her sister, still and unmoving.
"Applejack?" Applebloom nervously asked. She noticed how her sister felt extremely light, as if she was hollow.
Suddenly, her sister climbed up to her hooves and looked down at Applebloom. In the dim light of the lantern she had, she saw Applejack's eyes were gone. Her body was pale and skinny, and she looked as feeble as a twig.
From her eye sockets, the quiet, agonizing, echoing screams of her sister resonated before melting into a cold and lifeless moan.
Applebloom swore she saw a figure resembling her sister in the distant, luminous vortex.
Applebloom woke up with a gasp, clutching onto her chest with her hoof. Her rate of breathing calmed down after the filly realized she only had a nightmare.
Suddenly, her stomach growled. Applebloom decided to go downstairs to see if dinner was ready.
As she went into the dining room, she saw her family sitting around the table eating apple fritters and daisy sandwiches. She climbed up into a seat next to Big Mac and Applejack.
"Did ya take a nap?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah," Applebloom replied before eating her sandwich, "I don't really feel like discussing it."
"You sure?" Applejack asked, looking up from her plate.
Applebloom silently nodded as she began to eat. The family spent their time together discussing what they did that day. It was an uneventful dinner until someone knocked on the front door.
"Ah'll get it." Applebloom quickly exclaimed, hopping off of her seat and running over to the front door. She opened it and saw nothing standing there.
"Hello?" Applebloom stuck her head out the door and called out into the darkness. Nothing replied to her. Confused, she shut the door and headed back to the table.
"Is my hearin' goin' bad?" Granny Smith asked herself, shaking her head.
"Eenope." Big Mac replied.
"Applebloom, nopony knocked on the door." Applejack told Applebloom as if she had lost it.
"What?" Applebloom replied, surprised, "Ah swear Ah heard somethin'!"
"Ah personally think she should see a doctor soon." Big Mac said before taking a bite out of his sandwich.
"That's just what Ah was thinkin' about." Applejack replied, "First thing tomorrow, we're gettin' her to a doctor."
"But Ah swear! Ah heard somepony knock on the door!" Applebloom protested, waving her arms in the air.
"Applebloom, Ah'm going to get you to a doctor even if you really heard knocking." Applejack replied, "Yer havin' those nightmares still and Ah'm still getting you sent to the doctor. Now eat your dinner."
Applebloom didn't reply and silently finished her meal before telling everyone goodnight and heading up to her room. She clambered up into her bed and began to reluctantly fall asleep.