Wind whooshed throughout town. everypony hurried to get inside with their manes blowing in the breeze. Leaves were flying everywhere like confetti. Scared fillies and colts had nothing to do but cry or shiver in panic. Adult mares and stallions tried to comfort their kids, but their own fear was too visible to them. Nopony was calm. A tornado had never hit Ponyville, not once. The weather pegasi team had mixed up thunderstorm clouds with the completely wrong kind. When they tried to fix their horrible mistake, the wind quickly picked up and blew them away, forcing them to give up and hope for the best.
Not even the happiest pony in town could cheer anypony up. Pinkie Pie herself was full of despair. Fluttershy struggled to get her animals where they belonged, but did not think most of them would make it. Hopefully, Angel would, at least. At Sweet Apple Acres, the Apples faired no better. Applejack was hurrying to get the few animals inside while Applebloom was terrified as any child would be when anticipating a nasty storm.
"Consarn i! What in Equestria were the weather pegasi thinkin'?!" Applejack exclaimed as a huge tree limb fell right down next to her hooves.
"Applejack, I-I'm scared," Applebloom whimpered.
Applebloom didn't like to say this, because she was one to frequently remind her older sister that she was a mature and responsible filly. Applejack gave Applebloom a warm smile.
"Ah understand, sis. Ya just never experienced anything like this," Applejack assured her little sister. "When ah was yer age, ah always told my ma and pa that I was mature enough to be on my own, but stuff like huge storms would still scare me to death, which made me feel like a foal when tellin' 'em."
"For Celestia's sake, ya two, get in here! The storm is brewin'!" Granny Smith yelled from inside the barn.
Applejack and Applebloom nodded and rushed inside just as hail began to fall. Applebloom stared outside wide-eyed. The hailstones were as big as tennis balls. Each time one hit the ground, a loud thud could be heard. Consistent clanking was heard as precipitation smacked against the barn's roof.
In the distance, a funnel cloud formed. Rainbow Dash desperately tried to fly back home but the wind refused to let her. She had no choice but to fly down to the ground. She went to Applejack's place because it was closest. Applejack hurriedly let her inside and shut the door, which began to rattle loosely on its hinges as the wind got stronger, humming a haunting tune of death and despair as its main source of doom and gloom spun towards the small town. Far off, distant buildings were shredded and chewed up, then spit out by the starving, angry wind funnel. It was almost like you could hear it laughing as it tore up any construction, both natural and maremade, from the ground, leaving behind tiny fragments and the occasional long tree branch completely stripped of any leaves.
The storm reached Sweet Apple Acres. Applebloom wanted to look away from the window, but her shock, as well as pure amazement, kept her hooves glued to the windowsill and hay stack she was standing on. It was a living nightmare right in front of the shivering filly. The sound of creaking wood and screeching metal could be heard as one of the tool sheds on the farm was lifted right up like a piece of doll house furniture. Applebloom's mouth was agape. Her irises barely visible. Mother nature was mesmerizing her. Drawing all of her attention. Forcing her to...find it beautiful.
"Applebloom, get way from the window! The hail's comin' in stronger!"
The sudden sound of Applejack's voice snapped Applebloom out of her unbelievable trance. The filly shook it off and got down to the floor. Everypony went down to the basement and huddled. Applebloom lost it and started to sob hysterically. The roof of the barn came off. All the Apples felt tears as they heard the painful sound of their home ripped out of the ground.
Rainbow Dash couldn't bear seeing her best earth pony friend so devastated. She zipped up through the rushing air. Everypony on the ground shouted at her to stop, but Dash didn't hear over the wind. She flew up so she was deadly close to the raging funnel cloud consuming everything in its path.
"This will teach you to stop taking ponies' homes and very lives away!" Dash yelled as she headed for the tornado.
The twister was mad then. Rainbow flew around it, desperately trying to find any way of dissipating it, but got too close. The twister was enraged. Just as it felt that way, chunks of Earth were pulled out of the ground. Rainbow Dash saw a piece of it for only a split second before it rammed into her side. Rainbow Dash wailed and plummeted to the ground below. Accepting her soon-to-come fate, Rainbow Dash smiled and closed her eyes, fresh tears mixing in with the shrieking breeze.
"Goodbye, Applejack. Goodbye, everypony," she farewelled.
A loud, echoing thump rang through the farm as Rainbow Dash collided with the hard ground, her body instantly giving in to the sudden extra pressure and injury. She fell limp.
"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack cried.
Ignoring the shouts of her other members, she charged up to where Rainbow lay. Dash was covered with bruises and scrapes. Applejack tenderly felt around the pegasus' body but found it cold and stiff.
"R-Rainbow...D-Dash?" Applejack stammered.
This moment of Applejack mourning over her friend left her not hearing the wind or rain. She didn't notice when several apple trees were bent and cracked. All she could make out was Dash's squashed body in front of her. Her spectrum bright mane and tail still shown cheerful and brave as ever against her pale periwinkle coat.
"Rainbow...w-why did y-ya do that?" Applejack asked bitterly.
Dash did not respond.
Finally, all the sadness and hurt in Applejack exploded into pure, burning rage. Rainbow didn't think ahead sometimes, but this time was different. Rainbow Dash had only tried to control the tornado. Though the chance of doing so was slim, she was a weather pegasus who could at least try to down the category of the twister. Rainbow had been trying to save lives, and Applejack knew it wasn't because she wanted to show off. Applejack clung her stetson and raced to the top of a pile of fallen branches. She looked up to the black sky.
"THIS IS ALL YER FAULT!! YOU KILL MY FRIENDS, THEN YA HAVE A LOT COMING TO YA!!" she yelled to the clouds.
The tornado was listening and despised Applejack's rant. It got closer to her. Applejack could feel herself lifting off the ground.
"AH'M NOT AFRAID OF YA!! YA TOOK AWAY MY GOOD FRIEND, AND NOW YA MUST PAY!!" Applejack shouted.
Lightning flashed and thunder shook the ground violently. Applejack did not care. She didn't care about anything except the death of her best pegasus friend. Tears were flowing from Applejack's eyes, which joined in with the heavy rain. It took only two mere seconds, then Applejack found herself right in the tornado itself. Everything was spinning. The wind, bits of houses, freshly pulled up grass and soil. Applejack felt like she was in a dream. This could not have been a reality.
Applejack was suddenly thrown to the ground as the tornado began to weaken and shrink. It still groaned like a wounded, angry animal moaning for help, but it was disappearing out of sight. Applejack slammed at full force onto a nearby field. She had never been in so much pain. Every square millimeter of her body ached and throbbed. Both the emotional and physical pain was too much for the orange mare. She began to scream. She screamed louder than ever before. She screamed as if the devil was cornering her.
Applebloom was the first one outside. Her ears twitched as she picked up the faint sound of her big sister howling. Applebloom followed the sound to the field. Applejack lay bent up and battered, tears rushing from her eyes. Her stetson had gone in the tornado, but returned to rest against a nearby tree. Applebloom rushed to Applejack just as the tree cracked from the middle up and began to tip over. Right in front of the Earth filly's eyes, the tree landed perfectly across Applejack, making her lose all of her air. She could no longer scream but only utter a few wheezes before going limp.
Applebloom went up and stroked her sister's mane. She tried with all her might to lift the tree off of her but had no avail. She ran a yellow hoof over the orange mare's coat. To Applebloom's horror, Applejack was cold and there was no pulse or anything.
"N-no, s-sister...ya can't...ya just c-can't," Applebloom choked.
She had to conclude it: Applejack was gone, and she had watched her die.
Granny Smith and Big Macintosh came out seeing that the storm was over. They were worried upon seeing Applebloom clearly crying rivers. Big Mac got the tree off of AJ and Granny stood there and hoped for the best. Big Macintosh stepped up to his younger sister.
"Applejack? Speak to us, please," he pleaded.
"I-it's too late, brother. She's d-dead...ah just checked...she's gone," Bloom sobbed.
Big Mac and Granny both felt chills. Granny Smith felt for any heartbeat but got none.
"She's dead...she's...dead?" Big Macintosh stuttered.
Suddenly, he lost it and dropped to the ground with torrents of tears pouring from his eyes. Applebloom embraced her older brother. Smith, too, began to cry. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Spike, and the rest of the mane six showed up.
"Thank goodness you guys are here! At least somepony else was spared!" Twilight said, relieved.
"That's not true! Applejack is dead!" Applebloom wailed.
No pulse or anything, the others found out.
"But why her of all ponies?" Fluttershy squeaked before crying.
Rainbow Dash lay nearby. Fluttershy hurried to her and tried to get her to speak. A few minutes later she came back to the rest with waterfalls of tears flowing down her face.
"Rainbow Dash is dead, too," Fluttershy said flatly.
"RAINBOW DASH?!! WHYYYY?!!" Scootaloo shrieked.
The tangerine colored filly rushed over to RD and bawled. Applebloom cried loudly as well. Then everypony lost it and cried. Not only was the town destroyed, but two special friends were gone. Pinkie Pie's mane went completely flat and her colored drained of any cheer and brightness. Rarity could do nothing but sob on Twilight's shoulder along with Spike. Twilight herself managed to keep herself collective as her own tears swarmed her face.
The heartbroken ponies and dragon went to town to see the damage. Every home was wiped off the map of Ponyville. Twilight's library lay sideways, the Carousal Boutique was no where to be found, Fluttershy's cottage had everything missing, and every building didn't look like a building anymore. Everypony had thought Ponyville was damaged when Rainbow Dash had pulled off a double rainboom, but this was much worse. The friends went back to the farm. They stored Rainbow Dash and Applejack in the basement. A funeral will be held when things get put back together.
Scootaloo did not release her grasp from her idol. Twilight kept telling her that she really had to come with the rest.
"No! I can't! Please let me stay with Rainbow Dash! I know she's dead now, but I still have something to say to her!" Scoots said.
Twilight let go of Scootaloo. She only had to see her red, puffy eyes and know very well that she was taking this the hardest along with Applebloom. Applebloom stayed with her big sister as well. Sweetie Belle also stayed to comfort her PFF's the best she could.
"Rainbow Dash, I-I know you're n-not here anymore...b-but I just want to say that I still think you're awesome, n-no matter what," Scootaloo choked out between sobs.
"Applejack, even if you were the stubborn type, ah still believe yer the greatest sister any filly could ask for,"Applebloom told her dead sister.
Sweetie Belle couldn't relate to her friends' situations so much, but she called them over for a group hug.
"At least we still have each other, right?" she asked.
Scoots and Bloom grinned and nodded.
"And we are still the Cutie Mark Crusaders, too," Sweetie added.
"A-ah guess so," Applebloom said with a sniff.
"S-sure...but what about our sisters?" Scootaloo wondered.
"I'm sorry, you guys, but it will get better. It will take a while, but it will get better," Belle assured.
The Crusaders hugged.
~~~~~~~~~~
It took months and Ponyville showed improvement. Scootaloo and Applebloom also faced forward and did what their sisters would want them to do: stay strong. Scootaloo taught herself how to fly the best she could. Fluttershy helped her out even though she was just an average flier. Applebloom grew strength in her hind legs and took after Applejack. Pinkie Pie seemed depressed all the time, though. For months her mane lay flat and her color remain gray. However, without the others around for her, she probably would have taken her life.
It took over a year of work until Ponyville was fixed. It can't be said that many ponies feelings were fixed, but things still looked up.
Author's Note
I'm glad I live in West Virginia because it's mountainous. However, I mean not to hurt people who live in states with these kinds of storms. The worst storms in this state are usually blizzards and straight line wind storms.
