Chapters Lookin' back now, I shoulda known. Funny how that works. Ya go through the day-to-day never suspectin' a thing, but then when you think back on it, the clues were all there in front of ya, ya just never quite put 'em together. If I had, then… well, maybe then it never would have come to this.
Apple Split gasped at the sight of Half Baked Apple running to dunk his head in the nearest tub of apple cider. Half Baked had never really been one for waiting when it came to fresh apple fritters, even if it meant burning his mouth. Apple Split smiled and carried a fresh plate over to join the others on the table, only to discover the plate which had been piled with fritters only a few minutes before was now empty and upside down.
“Hey, where’d all them apple fritters go?” he asked, looking at the few crumbs and small amount of glaze still on the table. He heard a quiet noise under the table and checked to find a very young pony sitting on the ground with apple fritter smeared all over her face. A couple empty plates were on the ground next to her and she had just one fritter left. “And... who are you, little one?”
“I’m Applejack,” the filly said, leaning forward with a smile. She spread her forelegs wide and asked, “Mowe apple fwittew?”
In the face of such adorableness he couldn’t help but smile. “It looks like you’ve still got one there in front of you, Applejack.”
“Oh.” Applejack looked down at the remaining fritter. She blinked, then picked it up and ate it in a single bite. She looked back up at Apple Split. "More now?"
Apple Split laughed and ruffled her mane with a hoof, but didn’t say what she wanted to hear before he went back to work bringing fresh apple fritters to the table. Of course, he also didn’t tell her she couldn’t have more fritters, so every now and then he noticed another fritter—or plateful of fritters—went missing. So long as everypony else had a chance to have some, he wasn’t going to stop her.
After a while, Applejack got done eating fritters. This wasn’t so much because she didn’t want more as it was because she’d eaten so many she couldn’t lift herself up high enough to reach the plates anymore. She yawned and tottered away to find her brother or her parents to clean the fritter off her face.
She walked past a few ponies bobbing for apples and stopped for a second when she heard someone mention her granny.
“She’s not still embarrassed about the time she didn’t knot the thread, is she?”
“She said somethin’ about puttin’ her teeth in first. ‘Course, she was already wearin’ ‘em, but I didn’t tell her that!”
The three older mares erupted into laughter and Applejack moved on. There were ponies everywhere but Applejack had never seen most of them before and, more importantly, none of them were her ma and pa, so she kept looking. She saw what seemed like hundreds of ponies, but still didn’t find her parents, and she was starting to get very discouraged.
“Help!”
Applejack tilted her head. That wasn’t a voice she recognized, but she knew the voice that answered.
“Easy, there, partner!”
Pa! Applejack took off running toward the sound of her father’s voice.
“Just take a breath now. What’s wrong?”
“The Forest! My friends!” the other voice answered roughly. He tried again. “We were walking past the Everfree Forest and we heard a growl, so we ran. I thought—I thought they were right behind me, but when I looked back they were gone!”
Applejack pushed through the forest of legs that had gathered between her and her father. He was standing tall as ever, wearing the hat he always wore. The other pony looked scared, and his blue coat was matted, looking to Applejack a lot like her pa after he’d been working all day.
“I—I called for them and ran back to look but all I found was some blood on the ground and I need help we have to find them! ”
The ponies behind Applejack all started talking to each other, but were cut off by a shrill whistle from her father.
“Listen up, y’all! We’ve got missin’ ponies, and we’re gonna find ‘em! They went missin’ in the Everfree Forest, so that’s where we’re gonna look! Remember, it’s a dangerous place, so stay together! Let’s go, there ain’t no time to lose!” The other Apples started to make their way toward the Everfree, and Applejack’s pa turned toward his own ma, who was standing nearby. “Look after ‘em while we’re gone, won’t ya?”
“Of course,” Granny said. “And you be careful in there. All kinds’a creatures in that forest’d just love to gobble you up.”
Applejack’s father grimaced and nodded, then joined the rest of his extended family to search for the missing ponies. Granny took Applejack and her brother back inside. She cleaned the apple fritter off of Applejack’s face, then read stories to them to keep them distracted. Applejack fell asleep quickly.
For the next few days, Granny continued to take care of them, while various relatives were in and out of the house to rest or get something to eat. Applejack wanted to go back outside, and McIntosh wanted to go help them, but Granny kept them both inside.
One day, Applejack woke up from a nap to find no one in the house. She wandered around until she found Granny standing in the doorway, talking quietly to Pa. Ma and McIntosh stood outside next to him. They all looked sad. Pa shook his head slowly. Granny closed her eyes and nodded slowly. Applejack didn’t really understand what was going on. Another pony walked up to them and told them he was going to go back home. Granny told him to wait a minute and stepped the rest of the way outside.
"Alright now, before everypony leaves, I want y’all to gather 'round for the family photo!" she called out.
"Not this time, Ma. This ain't the time for smilin' faces," Pa said.
"Fiddlesticks! Some smiles are just what we need right now! Everypony needs to remember that we all hit rough times in life, but life goes on! We still have each other, now, don't we? Now, come on!"
The few Apples still standing around to listen to Granny turned and walked away, shaking their heads.
Applejack watched her father sigh. "I'm sorry, Ma," he said. "Not today." He noticed Applejack watching him. "C'mere, your pa needs a hug."
Applejack was more than happy to give him one. She didn't understand why, but he looked sad, and hugs always helped somepony who was sad.
I realize now those ponies from Ponyville weren’t the first to disappear. Sad to say they weren’t the last.
Equestria isn’t quite as safe or happy a place as folks like to think. There have been wars and terrible villains who’ve done terrible things. Even in Ponyville we have dragons fly above us and Diamond Dogs livin’ underground right outside town. Then there’s the Everfree Forest, with all the dangers it hides. Most of ‘em we can take care of, but some… Some of ‘em we can’t.
Apple Bloom wouldn’t stop crying. It felt like she had been crying for hours. Nothing Applejack tried would make her stop. She had tried giving her a bottle, she tried changing her diaper, rocking her, singing to her, making Big McIntosh carry her around—nothing worked. She wanted to take her to Granny, but Granny was taking a nap and would be too sleepy to be able to help. Granny had started to nap a lot more often lately. Pa said that’s what happens when ponies get older—they get tired and need to sleep more.
Applejack paced in the kitchen, carrying Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom’s cries had just about pushed Applejack to the point of crying herself when she felt a hoof on her back.
“AJ?”
Applejack turned to face her big brother and sniffled.
Big McIntosh held out a hoof. “Give her to me. You can go find Ma and tell her what’s goin’ on.”
“No.” Applejack shook her head and hugged Apple Bloom a little tighter. “Ma asked me ta do this. I can’t just give up when it gets tough.”
“Ya done good, AJ, but it’s time ta get help.”
“I—I—” Applejack slumped. “You’re right.” She gently passed Apple Bloom to Big McIntosh.
Apple Bloom stopped crying long enough to look at Big McIntosh’s face, then she burst into tears again.
Big McIntosh grimaced at Applejack. “Hurry.”
Applejack left them in the house while she went out into the orchard to find their parents. She searched the red delicious trees and found no trace of them. All the apples had been harvested and her parents weren’t there.
The golden delicious trees were next. Many of them had been harvested. Many, but not all. There were baskets filled with apples under empty trees through more than half of the orchard. She was getting close; they hadn’t taken these baskets back yet.
There! An empty basket! An unpicked tree! She must be close. But… Why can’t I hear them bucking the trees? Applejack walked through the orchard calling for her parents. “Ma! Pa!”
She froze. In front of her were half-filled baskets that had been knocked over. The ground was covered with apples. Applejack had never seen her parents spill any apples before. Somethin’s wrong.
Applejack started running, screaming for her parents. She had never run so fast in her life. All around her were empty baskets and full trees. They were ready to pick these apples, so where were they? One kind of apple tree blended smoothly into another as she ran, calling for her parents, unable to shake the feeling that they were in danger. That feeling only got worse when she saw it.
It was in the middle of the Zap Apple orchard. The trees were totally bare. To someone who didn’t know how Zap Apples grew, they looked dead. On the ground next to one of the trees was Pa’s hat. He never took that hat off. Applejack took the hat with her and kept searching. She didn’t notice the specks of blood on it.
She kept looking until it got too dark, then she took the hat inside to show it to Granny.
“You see child,” Granny said to Big Mac when Applejack entered the house, “I told you she was fine. Jus’ takin’ her time out there.”
Applejack bristled at the implication that she wasn’t taking things seriously. Even if they didn’t know she was looking for Ma and Pa for hours, they should know better than to think that she would shirk her responsibility to take care of Apple Bloom. She wanted to tell them as much, but there were more important things to talk about. She interrupted her brother’s reply by showing them the hat.
“I can’t find Ma or Pa anywhere! All I could find was Pa’s hat!”
Granny frowned thoughtfully. “I’m sure they’re okay, Applejack. Probably just had somethin’ come up. Maybe they had to go into town for somethin’ and they’ll be back later.”
“But Pa dropped his hat! He never forgets his hat! He could be hurt somewhere!” She dropped his hat on the floor and stumbled slightly when she turned to head for the door.
Granny stopped her. “Not tonight, child. You’ve been out there for hours and iffin you wanna admit it or not, you’re plum tuckered out. Get some sleep, then tomorrow mornin’, if they aren’t back home, I’ll look after Apple Bloom an’ you an’ your brother can go out lookin’ again.”
Applejack tried to protest, but yawned instead, and she realized it was an argument she couldn’t win. Grudgingly, she went to bed.
The next morning, for the first few minutes after Applejack woke up, she felt like everything was fine. The events of the day before seemed like nothing more than a bad dream. That was, until she came downstairs and saw her father’s hat hanging up above the fireplace. Granny was sitting in her rocking chair near the fire, working on the blanket she was knitting for Apple Bloom. Applejack looked at Granny, hoping the expression on her face would ask the question she couldn’t quite bring herself to vocalize. Granny just shook her head and continued knitting. Applejack felt her mouth tremble, just for a second, before she steeled herself and ran back upstairs.
Applejack didn’t bother to knock before slamming her brother’s door open. “Wake up, Mac! We gotta find Ma an’ Pa!”
McIntosh rubbed his eyes and blinked. “Eeyup,” he said simply, climbing out of bed.
The two began their search in Ponyville, recruiting anyone who would listen to help. No one in town had seen their parents lately. Once a couple ponies asked where in the orchard they’d last been seen. When Applejack told them where she’d found Pa’s hat, the two adults exchanged a frightened, knowing look and immediately agreed to help. With their help, it didn’t take long before half the town was going out to search.
After being led to the spot where Applejack found the hat, the townspeople began to search. Applejack and Big McIntosh were kept to the orchards with some of the ponies, while others searched the edges of the Everfree Forest. By the time the search was called off for the night, no one had found any trace of the missing ponies. In fact, the only thing out of the ordinary was how wet the ground was around the Zap Apple trees, but that was explained away by the strangeness of the trees themselves. Everyone dispersed to their homes for the night, promising to come back bright and early the next morning to keep looking.
The next day was much the same. They searched from sunrise to sunset with no success. A few ponies from town gave up that evening. Each day that followed, a few more gave up the search.
“It’s just us now,” Applejack said to her brother after the last of the townspeople had given up. “See ya back out here first thing tomorrow.”
McIntosh looked at her sadly. He hadn’t said much of anything since the search began, and it was almost as surprising to hear him speak as it was to hear what he had to say. “Nope.”
“Wha—Whaddya mean, ‘nope’?”
McIntosh sighed and shook his head, then trudged toward the house, leaving Applejack alone in the orchard.
Applejack followed him inside sometime later, wiping her eyes.
“...and Little Red Riding Saddle said, ‘Oh, but Grandmother, what large eyes you have!’ and the Wolf said, ‘All the better to see you with, my dear.’ and Little Red—” A snore interrupted Granny’s voice. Granny chuckled softly. “Sleep well, little ones.”
Applejack looked into the room to see Granny laying Apple Bloom next to Big McIntosh on the couch and covering them with the blanket she’d knitted. She saw Applejack and smiled. Applejack gestured for her to come over to the door.
“What are you doin’ tellin’ her a scary story like that now?” Applejack whispered. “Don’t seem right with Ma an’ Pa missin’.”
“Nonsense,” Granny said. “It’s just what the child needs to hear right now. She needs to know that even in the worst of times, things can still turn out alright in the end.”
Applejack snorted softly. She opened her mouth, then thought better and closed it again with a sharp sigh. “Fine,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m goin’ to bed so I can look again tomorrow.”
“Applejack…”
That night, Granny convinced me to stop lookin’. Told me if I hadn’t found ‘em by then, another few days wouldn’t help, and they wouldn’t want me to throw away my life. I couldn’t very well argue with that, so I stopped. It hurt too much to stay, so I moved to Manehatten with my Aunt and Uncle for a while, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. When Rainbow did her Sonic Rainboom for the first time I realized I needed to be back at home to look after Apple Bloom, even though it hurt that Ma an’ Pa were gone. I put on Pa’s hat so he’d always be with me, and I took care of the farm from that day on.
After that for a while things were—not quiet; really it was the opposite. With Twilight comin’ to town and all the adventures we started havin’ on account of the Elements of Harmony, we were all kept so busy that a few ponies’ disappearance years back weren’t nothin’ to worry about. Least that’s what we thought, anyways.
Apple Bloom scampered toward the kitchen door, looking like an energetic ball of coats. “Bye, Applejack!”
“Hold on a second! Just where are you gettin’ off to in this weather?”
Apple Bloom looked back at her sister and rolled her eyes. “Come on, sis, it’s not that cold out there.”
The door opened to reveal two small pony shaped bundles of fabric covered with snow. Some muffled noise came from one of them, but it was impossible to tell which.
“Get that door closed! You’re lettin’ all the cold in!” Granny snapped, shivering next to the open oven door.
There was another muffled noise which was probably supposed to be speech, and judging from the sound, it was the other pony who had spoken this time, but Applejack still couldn’t tell which was which.
“Why don’t ya come inside and take a little of that off—”
“And close that door!”
“—so we can hear what you’re sayin’. All wrapped up like ya are ya just sound like you’re hummin’ and I can’t understand a word of it.”
The two piles of coats and scarves stepped inside. A blue glow enveloped the door, flickered a couple times, then disappeared. The pony on the right stamped a hoof and said something that Applejack was sure was best left muffled before kicking the door closed. The two unwrapped scarves from their faces to reveal Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, exactly who Applejack expected to see. Sweetie Belle glared at nothing in particular and started tapping her horn with one hoof.
Scootaloo spoke up. “What I said was, ‘Twilight said that cold doesn’t come in, the heat goes out!’”
“Oh yeah?” Granny asked, scooting so close to the oven that Applejack was afraid she would burn herself. “W-well are ya gonna b-believe what somep-pony tells ya or what you c-can see and f-f-feel for yerself? The cold w-was outside, then you open up that d-door and now it’s c-cold in here!”
Sweetie Belle stopped tapping her horn and looked between Scootaloo and Granny Smith. “But Twilight said—and you said—but I—” She scrunched her eyes and grabbed her head, shaking it. “Ooh! I’m so confused!”
Applejack grabbed a blanket and laid it over Granny’s back. “I’ve never been that good with science-y stuff, but if Twilight said it, then it’s probably true. She’s a smart one...about most things, anyway.” She glanced out the window at the section of the orchard they had given to the vampire fruit bats and gave a quick shiver to match Granny’s.
“Yeah!” Scootaloo said. “She says it’s ‘cause energy is hot and… um… so cold doesn’t have energy… or something…” She trailed off, looking at the floor.
Sweetie Belle brightened up. “Oh, so the air is cold because it’s tired?”
Scootaloo opened her mouth and took a breath. She raised one hoof, then set it back down. “Um…”
“So,” Applejack interrupted, “where ya’ll goin’ in this cold?”
“We’re gonna get our cutie marks in ice skating!” Apple Bloom cheered.
“Ice skating? Didn’t ya’ll already try that? Why don’t—”
“This time we’ve got a grown-up coming along to teach us!” Scootaloo started bouncing in place. She probably would have been hovering had her wings not been cocooned to her sides. ”We’re sure to get our cutie marks this time!”
“Maybe ya should wait ‘til the storm dies down and it gets a mite warmer, ya—”
There was an explosion of pink. “You can’t skate when it’s warm, silly! It has to be cold or the water will be water and it won’t be ice! And if it’s not ice you’ll just sink like this and then you’re swimming, not skating! And swimming when it’s this cold is a really really bad idea because then you’ll get really cold and sick and you’ll have to stay inside and drink soup and you can’t go out and play and that’s no fun at all!” Once all was said and done, Pinkie Pie was laying on her back looking up at Applejack with a sad pleading expression that put Winona’s best efforts to shame.
Applejack’s definition of 'grown-up' was clearly different than that of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “What about roller skates? You can use them when it’s warm.”
Pinkie sighed and shook her head. “Oh, Applejack. Ice skates, roller skates, it doesn’t matter. Trust me, you’ll sink with either one. Now, water skis!” She tapped a hoof against her chin. “Hmm, water skis… No, it’s way too cold for water skis.”
“But—”
In a split second, Pinkie was standing again and patting Applejack on the head. “Don’t you worry your blonde little head, Jackie. I’ll take good care of the girls.” Before Applejack could protest either the head patting or the nickname, Pinkie Pie and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were out the door. Applejack stared at the door with her mouth hanging open while behind her, Granny’s shivers started to subside.
There was a loud crash from outside. “We’re okay!” Pinkie called out.
Applejack sighed and looked back at Granny, who waved her off with a hoof. “Go an’ check on ‘em. I’ll be jus’ fine. I’ll get a bit warmed up and then I’ll go hunker down for a nap.”
“Are ya sure?”
“I’m sure. Go on now.”
Applejack put on a coat and went outside to find out what was going on. She followed their tracks to where they had crashed into a wheelbarrow and knocked it over, spilling its contents, but they had picked everything up and already moved on. She supposed that sometimes Pinkie Pie could be grown-up after all. With that situation taken care of, Applejack proceeded to check on the sheep and the pigs and all the other animals she took care of on the farm, even the vampire fruit bats. By the time she was done and back inside, a few hours had passed. She was warming up with a mug of hot cider when the door opened and Granny Smith walked in.
“Granny! What were you doin’ out there?”
“You’d been outside so long that I stepped out to check on ya. With Mac off spendin’ time with that lovely young Cheerilee I hafta keep a closer eye on ya. Don’t want ya running yourself into the ground like ya did when you tried to buck all the apples by yourself.”
“But without even a coat? It’s cold out there!”
“Oh, fiddlesticks, Applejack. A bit of rest and now I’ve got some energy; a little bit o’ cold won’t do me no harm. These old bones have been through more winters than I care to count, and I reckon they’ll make it through a few more. Even if they do start to rattle a bit from time to time,” she finished with a wink.
Applejack chuckled. “All the same, I think you’d best have some cider to warm up.”
“Well, I suppose I could force myself,” Granny said. “I did have a bite or two before startin’ to look for ya, and I could do with somethin’ to wash it down.”
Applejack poured another mug of cider and the two sat together drinking in comfortable silence for a couple minutes when the door opened again. A snowy ball of coats trudged inside and shut the door before shedding several layers of clothes.
“Welcome home, AB.”
“Thanks, sis,” Apple Bloom replied in monotone.
“Is somethin’ wrong?”
Apple Bloom opened her mouth to answer, but a quick check for a cutie mark led Applejack to cut her off. “Ya had fun with Pinkie Pie and your friends, didn’t ya?”
Apple Bloom looked slightly confused. “Yes,” she said slowly. “But—”
“Then it sounds like ya had a good day. Now why don’t ya come over here an’ have some cider?”
Apple Bloom’s eyes got a mischievous glint to them. Applejack narrowed her own. “Not the hard cider.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and smiled, accepting a mug of the hot beverage.
Not ten seconds later the door crashed open again. Scootaloo ran inside, slipped on the puddle left from Apple Bloom’s entrance and fell on her face. Applejack choked on her cider and started coughing.
“Scootaloo, what are ya doin’ here?” Apple Bloom asked. “I thought Pinkie Pie was taking ya home.”
Scootaloo stood up and looked at Apple Bloom with wide eyes. “Sh-sh-sh-she d-d-d-d-d—”
“Heavens, child, just look at ya,” Granny said, offering Scootaloo a drink from her cider mug. “Ya look half frozen.”
Applejack got her breathing under control and took a good look. Scootaloo wasn’t wearing any clothing to keep her warm in the snowstorm outside, and it showed. Her hair was matted with snow, and her feathers were frozen together. She finished taking a drink of Granny’s cider and the warmth seemed to help her a little. She noticed a trickle of blood from her nose where she had hit the floor a moment earlier and wiped it with her foreleg. Applejack gasped. There was more blood on Scootaloo’s face after she wiped it than there was before. In fact, the slowly melting snow on all four of her legs was mixed with blood.
Applejack dropped her cider. “What happened, sugarcube? You’re covered with blood!”
Scootaloo turned her frightened gaze toward Applejack, who swallowed. There was no mistaking the look on Scootaloo’s face. Applejack had seen the same kind of expression before, in the mirror, after her parents went missing. She desperately hoped that there was more than one thing that could cause that kind of pain and fear.
Applejack found her voice again, but was only able to whisper, “What happened?”
“M-m-m-my m-m-m-m-mom a-and d-d-dad…”
Applejack closed her eyes and trembled for a second before reminding herself that there was someone who needed her to be strong. She opened her eyes and reached out to grab Scootaloo, pulling her close for a hug. “Go on.” She braced herself for what would follow.
“I-I f-f-f-found them in the Forest...”
Applejack flinched. “I see. Shh…” She stroked Scootaloo’s mane.
Scootaloo hiccuped. “…AND THERE WAS BLOOD EVERYWHERE! ” she screamed before slumping against Applejack, sobbing.
“Are—are ya sure it was them?”
Scootaloo cried louder. Apple Bloom hugged her friend and looked up at Applejack with an expression that silently pleaded for her to fix everything. Applejack took a deep breath. “Granny,” she said, “I need ya to watch over these two while I—”
“Don’t worry about a thing here,” Granny answered. “I’ll take care of ‘em both.”
“Thanks, Granny.” Applejack carefully disentangled herself from the two young ponies, then put on a coat and grabbed her rope.
“Be careful out there, Applejack,” Granny said. “The Everfree’s a dangerous place.”
“I been in that forest plenty of times.” Applejack tried—and failed—to smile. “I’ll be fine.”
Scootaloo’s trail was not hard to follow. The storm had died down, and there was still enough light to clearly see the path she had taken. Applejack didn’t want to think about it, but the red mingled with white also made things easier.
The red-streaked snow crunched under Applejack’s hooves, and for the first time that day she was glad it was so cold. The cold kept her from smelling the blood. She had asked Twilight once why that happened, and the way Twilight explained it there were tiny little pieces of whatever you were smelling getting in your nose, but when it was too cold they stuck together and didn’t get picked up into the air.
crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch
It was peaceful walking through the snow, so long as Applejack avoided looking at the path she was following and the ever-increasing amount of blood on it.
crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch
The orchard held up well through the storm. There weren’t many broken branches, and not a single tree had fallen.
crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch
There wasn’t very much space between the edge of the orchard and the edge of the Forest, but it felt like the farthest Applejack had ever walked.
crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch
The trees of the Everfree forest darkened the ground around her, even without their leaves.
crunch, crunch, crunch, squish
Applejack smelled blood and waste. She trembled slightly. She looked down and her stomach heaved. She had placed her hoof in a small red puddle. It was still warm. She picked her hoof up, and a couple feathers and some hair stuck to her leg. She swallowed and cleaned her leg off on some nearby snow. The trail she’d followed curved around the next tree. She braced herself and followed it.
A grinning face met her on the other side of the tree, and she screamed, scrambling back away from it before she realized it couldn’t follow her. A skeleton can’t move on its own. She moved forward to get a better look and recognized the face of Scootaloo’s father, or what was left of it. His lips and cheeks had been ripped off, baring his teeth in a hideous smile, and one eye had been plucked out. The rest of his body was in even worse condition. There was almost nothing left but bones, some of which had been snapped into pieces, and some of the pieces were missing. All the pieces that were left were covered with tooth marks. Bits of fur and some of his feathers were scattered around the area, glued to the ground and against the sides of the trees by his own blood.
But his weren’t the only remains Applejack found. Sprawled out on the ground a few feet away was Scootaloo’s mother. Her lower jaw was gone, and she was missing even more pieces of bone than the first skeleton Applejack found. Her bones that were still left were covered with the same tooth marks and her fur and feathers were mixed with her husband’s.
The smell of blood was almost overpowering. Applejack remembered what Twilight had told her about what smells really were. She took a few shaky steps away from the remains and lost every bit of cider left in her stomach.
Twilight tried, but she couldn’t figure out what had killed ‘em. Fluttershy took a look—eventually—but she didn’t recognize the teeth marks either. She said they looked kinda like bear, but she’d never heard of a bear eatin’ two ponies like that, an’ pegasi besides.
We had a funeral—closed casket, of course. Nopony should have to see somethin’ like that. Pinkie Pie took charge of plannin’ the funeral. I didn’t think that was a good idea, at first, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
She didn’t leave Scootaloo’s side the whole time. She didn’t try to cheer her up, but more’n once she was there to hold the filly while she cried. She stroked her mane like she was her own child an’ treated her more gently than I knew she was able to.
I told Pinkie that it wasn’t her fault what happened, and she just looked at me with a look I ain’t never seen her have before. I don’t rightly know how to describe it. She almost looked confused, like she didn’t understand why I said it. But I did, an’ she looked at me, an’ she just whispered, “I know.”
It wasn’t just at the funeral. Scootaloo didn’t have any other family, so Pinkie took care of her from then on. The Cakes even had her move into Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie told ‘em that it was either that or she was leavin’. Said she’d go back to the rock farm if she had to, an’ take Scootaloo with her. Even if it meant never throwin’ another party for anypony but her own family.
Somehow, like it always does, life went back to normal. Even Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo went back to smilin’ an’ laughin’ an’ playin’, after a while. Big Mac an’ Cheerilee spent more an’ more time together, eventually gettin’ married an’ movin’ to Canterlot—Cheerilee got a good job teaching at a fancy school there. I’m not sure how she managed to teach an’ have twins, but she did.
Big Mac wasn’t the only one to find somepony. I did too, jus’ took me a mite longer. I guess A.B. an’ her friends weren’t as interested in findin’ me a special somepony as they were in findin’ somepony for their teacher. I met Swift Kicker at the Equestria Games where he was showin’ off his leg strength. We hit it off pretty—heh—swiftly, and it wasn’t long a’fore we got hitched. Gettin’ married wasn’t the only thing we did quickly, though, an’ Granny was beside herself with joy when she found out I was expectin’ a littl’un of my own.
Two of the three of us found somepony, and that just left...
Applejack watched her sister through slightly narrowed eyes. Apple Bloom swallowed and shifted her weight, looking at everything in the kitchen except for her sister or grandmother.
“What’s his name?” Granny asked sharply.
Apple Bloom didn’t answer. A single bead of sweat ran down the side of her face. Her eyes flicked to the door leading outside. Applejack took a step sideways to block both her view and her escape route. She’d managed to catch her little sister trying to sneak off once that day; she wasn’t about to let it happen again.
Granny softened her voice. “Now, child, you’re not in any trouble. We just want to meet the boy.”
Apple Bloom grimaced and looked away from them again. Applejack’s eyes widened and she gasped softly. “Wait—is it a girl?”
Apple Bloom whipped her head back to look at Applejack. Granny tensed. Apple Bloom glared.
Applejack defused the situation as quickly as she could. “That’s fine! Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter! No reason why it should. We just wanna know who it is; you can spend time with whoever makes you happy.” She forced out an awkward laugh. “Just, y’know, not today. ‘Cause Mac’s comin’ for a visit.”
Someone knocked loudly at the front door and Apple Bloom’s expression brightened. “That’s probably them now! I’ll just—” She stretched one leg out, ready to turn. “—go get the door.” She darted out of the room.
“Mac’ll get her to talk,” Applejack whispered to Granny. Granny huffed in reply. The front door opened and quiet voices could be heard, almost clearly enough to make out the words.
Apple Bloom called out from the next room. “Applejack? Can you come here for a minute?”
Applejack followed her little sister’s voice. “What’s the matter, sis? Is—” The two ponies at the door were not who she was expecting. Instead of Big Mac and Cheerilee, she found waiting a pair of royal guards. “Is there somethin’ I can do for y’all?” she asked, joining Apple Bloom at the doorway.
One of the guards cleared his throat authoritatively. “You are Applejack?” Applejack nodded, and he continued. “A teacher from Canterlot has gone missing, along with her husband. When was the last time you heard from your brother or his wife?”
Almost unconsciously, Applejack shifted position to stand between Apple Bloom and the guards. “Well, uh, they’re supposed to be here today. Got a letter a few days back sayin’ they’d be here today for a visit. We thought it was them at the door.”
Granny entered the room. “Who is it, Applejack?” She stopped and blinked at the guards, taking a step backwards. “What are you doin’ here? What’s goin’ on?”
One of the guards nodded respectfully to Granny Smith. “Ma’am. We’re attempting to ascertain the whereabouts of a Canterlot teacher named Cheerilee and her husband… Big McIntosh.”
Applejack nudged Apple Bloom. “Run an’ get the letter, would ya?” she whispered. Apple Bloom nodded and ran upstairs while Granny walked up to join Applejack.
“Missin’?” Granny asked incredulously. “My grandson’s missin’? Well, he ain’t here! Why ain’t ya out lookin’ for him?”
“We’re following all avenues of investigation, ma’am. We have to check all known associated residences and notify family of the search in progress.” The guard broke formality for just a second by leaning forward slightly. “Don’t you want us to do everything we can to find him?”
Granny stomped one hoof. “Of course I do! But—” Her eyes widened. “What about his children? Where are my great-grandbabies?!”
Returning to his professional stance, the guard replied, “It is my understanding that they are with Cheerilee's relatives in Canterlot. They’re being well cared for.”
“We’ll just see about that,” Granny said in a voice almost angry, and stamped outside past the guards, muttering about apples belonging with apples.
The guards watched her go with practiced calm before turning back to Applejack, just as Apple Bloom came back down with the letter. She gave it to Applejack and asked, “Where’s Granny?”
Applejack passed the letter on to the nearest guard, who began reading it. “I, uh… I guess she’s goin’ to Canterlot to check on your niece an’ nephew.”
“Oh.”
The guard finished reading the letter and gave it to his partner. “May we keep this? It may be useful.”
“Of course!” Applejack answered. “If it’ll help, you take whatever ya need to find my brother.”
“Thank you for your assistance. Send word to us if you hear from them, or if you discover anything—anything at all—that may help us find them.”
“We will.”
The guards nodded in farewell and turned to leave.
Even right then when the guards were walkin’ away, I knew I’d never see Mac or Cheerilee again.
Now I know why.
I figured it out this mornin’. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and I looked a mess. Not just the bags under my eyes from a sleepless night; I noticed wrinkles formin’ and—I know, I know, I sound like Rarity. Really, though. I noticed the wrinkles and thought to myself how everypony gets old, and eventually, we all die. At least, most of us do. That’s when I knew. I couldn’t believe it, but I knew. Why has Celestia never done anything about it? She must have figured it out before me! Unless… no, it can’t be, it just can’t! But...
Applejack grabbed Ambrosia and ran. Every closed door could mean a fatal delay. Every shadow reached out to grab her. Fluttershy lived closest. Applejack desperately hoped her friend could help her.
She got out of the house without seeing anyone.
She made it to the path.
She could see Fluttershy’s cottage.
Her path was blocked.
Applejack barely stopped before crashing into the figure in front of her. She didn’t have time to see who it was. She couldn’t hold on to Ambrosia and managed only to set her down without injury next to whoever had stopped her.
Granny Smith put one hoof protectively over Ambrosia. “Careful there, Applejack! How’d you know I needed your help out here?”
Applejack was too winded to answer. Her eyes flicked back and forth between her daughter and her grandmother.
Granny held out a large, familiar pink bow. A bow that was far more red than usual.
Applejack got her breath back enough to scream. “No! ”
Ambrosia started to cry. Granny stroked her mane and shushed her.
“Now, now, child,” she told Applejack, “I’m sure Apple Bloom is okay, I just need your help to find her. I found her bow down this way.” She gestured into the Everfree Forest.
Applejack started to back away from Granny, then glanced at Ambrosia. “You killed my parents,” she whispered before raising her voice, “and you killed my brother, and you killed my husband, and now you’ve killed my sister!” She hoped Fluttershy—or anypony else—could hear the commotion.
Granny smirked with a chuckle. “I always knew you were a smart one, Applejack. Most ponies; they never figure it out at all. You got me. You’re just too late. I guess I won’t be needin’ these anymore.” She spit out her dentures and followed them with a glob of bloody saliva. She looked back at Applejack and opened her mouth in a wicked smile, revealing a set of extremely sharp teeth.
Applejack gasped.
Granny laughed and looked up at the sky. “Oh, why, Grandma,” she said in falsetto, “what large teeth you have!” She looked back at Applejack and lowered her voice to a growl, baring her teeth again while she said, “All the better to eat you with, my dear!” She snarled and leapt forward, her legs seeming to extend in midair.
Applejack jumped out of the way and whipped around to face Granny, whose legs hadn’t just seemed to extend; they were actually longer than before, and Applejack had to look up to see into Granny’s now cat-like eyes.
Applejack spared a glance at her daughter who was crying several feet away. If she could distract Granny long enough she might be able to get away. She spun in place and kicked hard. Granny was too quick for her; biting down on one leg and flinging her away. Applejack hit the ground hard. She saw Granny charging and knew her best chance was to lead her away from Ambrosia and double back. She rolled to her feet and ran into the Everfree Forest with a glance back to be sure Granny was following. She was.
Applejack jumped over some brambles and found a low-hanging branch she could take advantage of. She grabbed it and pulled it away from the approaching pony, waiting for just the right moment. Just when she saw Granny’s face come into view around the tree, she let go of the branch, smacking Granny’s head with it. Granny stumbled backwards and flared huge wings to regain her balance.
Applejack took advantage of the distraction; she dove into some thorny bushes and waited. If she could only find some way to get Granny to look farther into the forest, she could go back to get Ambrosia and find Fluttershy. Then… She could think of something else if she made it that far.
“I waited for you and Mac,” Granny shouted from somewhere nearby, “but I had no reason to wait for Apple Bloom! She and that filly she was with were never going to have any foals!”
Applejack’s breath caught in her throat.
“If it makes you feel any better, she was delicious! And so was her pegasus girlfriend!”
Applejack got her breathing back, but it shook almost violently as tears started to stream down her face.
“I told you years ago I’d take care of ‘em both! I didn’t say when!”
Applejack bit her tongue to stifle a whimper.
“I splintered their bones, and I used them to pick their shredded flesh from between my teeth! ”
Applejack couldn’t hold back anymore and let out an audible sob.
Silence answered her.
She slid forward to get a better view between the leaves. Granny’s grinning face appeared mere inches away. “There you are!”
Applejack screamed and fled, weaving around trees in an attempt to lose Granny again. She risked a glance back just in time to see the bun of Granny’s mane get caught by a branch. Granny snarled and tore loose. Her mane flowed out behind her as she resumed the chase. The hairband hung uselessly from the tree.
Applejack twisted past more trees, trying to turn back toward her daughter. She slipped between some close-growing trees and heard Granny crash into them, but it didn’t sound like they broke. She took a chance and angled back as close as she could figure to get back to Ambrosia, jumping over a large root in her path. Horror and pain filled her as Granny’s teeth closed down on a foreleg. Granny whipped her head to the side and with a loud snapping noise, Applejack was thrown through the air. Her leg flopped uselessly. She slammed into a tree and slid to the ground. She couldn’t put any weight on her broken leg, and was only barely able to prop herself up so her back was against the tree. Any attempt to take more than a shallow breath was stopped by sharp pain. Granny smirked and slowed to a walk.
“You—” Applejack winced. “You can’t keep this up for—” She coughed. “Forever. P-p-princess… Celestia… stop you.”
“Oh, precious Little Tia?” Granny cackled as she strode closer to Applejack. “No, she won’t.”
Applejack’s gasp stopped halfway and she coughed up blood.
Granny paused her advance. She sighed and tilted her head slightly. A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I do wish it didn’t have to be like this.” Applejack almost dared hope she would live. “It’s going to be so very long before Ambrosia is old enough to harvest. A lifetime is a long time to wait for another bite of Apple.”
Now here I am, starin’ at the creature I called ‘Granny’ for my whole life, and knowin’ that my life’s about to end. But I don’t care about that. I’ve had a good life, all things considered. All I can think about now is my daughter. I know Granny’ll take right good care of her, just like she did me. But in the end, I know this is what’s waitin’ for her.
And there ain’t nothin’ I can do about it.
Cheerilee’s cousin was lookin’ after my niece an’ nephew, an’ Granny worked things out so they’d come to visit sometimes an’ see the other side o’ their family. I said she was jumpin’ the gun a bit, makin’ those kinds of arrangements while ponies were still out lookin’, but she jus’ said there weren’t no harm in thinkin’ practical.
She was right.
The royal guards can only look for somepony for so long before they have to give ‘em up as dead, an’ it wasn’t long after that happened before I gave birth to my daughter, Ambrosia. That joy was enough to put the sadness of the loss of Big Mac and Cheerilee out of our minds… at least for a while, anyway.
“Don’t get me wrong, Granny,” Applejack said softly, shifting her weight awkwardly while looking at her sleeping daughter. “I’m glad she’s finally done nursin’, but… well, I kinda miss it, too, y’know?”
“Of course, young’un. It’ll fade in time.” Granny said reassuringly. “‘Course, that extra sensitivity is also gonna go away, an’ you’re liable to miss that, too,” she added with a wink.
Applejack cleared her throat and steered away from the subject. “Where’s Swift? Thought he’d be back inside by now.”
“Oh, he’s probably just workin’ late. Lots of trees to buck ‘bout now.”
“Yeah, but… I’m gonna go check on him.”
“He’s fine, Applejack. You should get some rest. He’ll come inside when he’s good an’ ready.”
“But—”
“Now, you listen here. Just because Ambrosia’s not nursin’ anymore doesn’t mean that takin’ care of her is any less tirin’ for you. You need your sleep. You get to bed now, and you’ll see your husband tomorrow, I’m sure.”
I took her advice and went to bed, even though I didn’t get much sleep. I mainly just waited for the sun to come back up, and tried not to look at the empty spot on the bed next to me.
