It All Started With A Fallen Apple
It's a crime you let it happen to me.
Out of mind, I love it, easy to please.
Nevermind, forget it, just memories
On a page inside a spiral notebook.
~ Breaking Benjamin's "Forget It."
Rainbow Dash sighed heavily as the rain droplet's from above pelted her already damp cyan fur, her violet eyes locked on the grass blades at her hooves. To her right was Rarity. The unicorn looked... Terrible, to put it simply. Her mascera had run down and soaked into the fur on her cheeks. Her hair was straight and nearly touching the ground from her slouching. Her eyes were red and tired, staring blankly at the tree ahead of her. She had been like this since the accident. She refused to speak, refused to eat, refused to make dresses, refused to basically live. Her natural beauty had faded away with her desire to let her heart rest. She was a broken pony. But not the only one.
To Rainbow Dash's left sat the usually boisterous party pony, Pinky Pie. Fortunately, she looked a bit better than Rarity. Her blue eyes still carried a glimmer of happiness. She had to be strong. To be happy. She simply had to. For her friends. It was her natural obligation.
Pinkie Pie glanced to her left to see the gloomy pegasus, Fluttershy, slowly step towards the trio. She had spent the last few days crying as well. Out of all the friends, it seemed she had the endless tears. Her bright pink and long hair was matted and messy, but she looked fairly Ok otherwise. The light yellow pegasus glanced up at the others, exchanging greetings by simple eye contact. However, Rarity did not give such a greeting. It bothered Fluttershy, seeing Rarity's emotionless stare locked on nothing. It wasn't like her. The unicorn always had flare to add to any scene, regardless of any situation. Not today.
As Fluttershy sat beside Pinkie Pie, another friend showed up. Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn carried her saddle bag on her back. What it contained was beyond knowledge at the time. Twilight looked very tired but otherwise, determined. She was always bold in these things. It wasn't a surprise that she recovered so quickly. With a few glances, Twilight stood in front of her four friends. The number was off...
" Hello, Girl's. I trust you got a smidge of sleep?" Upon no reply, Twilight continued.
" Granny Smith agreed to give us some of her ashes to bury in town. The rest were spread over Sweet Apple Acre's. "
Twilight then levitated a tea cup sized container out of her saddle bag, the words "Honest Core" spelt out on the side of the container. With a few quick movements of a levitated shovel that Twilight had borrowed, a hole was dug. After whispering something to the container, Twilight lowered the object in the freshly dug hole, covering it in dirt. She added a few rocks to make sure that it would stay.
" It will be Ok, girl's. Applejack was a honest, proud and in her own way, beautiful pony. She will never be forgotten. Now, her spirit can gallop freely between here and her home. She is a free pony. But with these..." Twilight levitated the flap of her saddle bag again, lifting up five necklaces with her violet magic. On each necklace was a small capsul with an apple pendant attached to each lid. " She can go with us wherever we may go. "
With her magic, Twilight placed a necklace on her neck, then the necks of her four friends. Fluttershy lifted the capsule on hers with her hoof, examining it. It felt as of Apple Jack was right there, holding her hoof like she used to when the pegasus was scared. It made her remember her smell, the natural smell of Apple juice, hay and bark of a tree. It made her eyes water. She held the necklace close to her heart as she sniffled, her tiny frame shivering as she used all of her might not to cry again. It was bordering on painful to do so. Rainbow Dash smiled softly. She felt a feeling similar to Fluttershy's, as did Pinkie. They both began to focus on not crying again just like the tan pegasus.
Rarity... Just stood and walked away slowly, head hung low. The remaining ponies watched as the broken unicorn left. They knew what she was feeling. Tjey could practically feel it themselves. Rarity had been closer to Apple Jack than anypony else was. The feeling they shared boardered on romantic, if one were to perceive it that way.
And they knew. They painfully knew. Rarity lost her heart. Who would it beat for now?
" Leave her be, girls... You all should head home aswell. Meet me at Sugar Cube Corner tomorrow at two in the after noon. I'm going back to where it happened to investigate. " With that in the air, Twilight turned and trotted away to Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow Dash stood, gave a reassuring glance at Pinkie and Fluttershy, then flapped her wings, taking off into the sky at blazing speed. She then dove down at even faster speeds and with a crack of sound waves, a Sonic Rainboom was born. I final farewell to a fallen Apple.
" Come on, Flutters. " the pink party pony said as she stood, giving a smile. " I'll take you home. "
Sleep was not easily won by anypony.
No pony could remember how to sleep.
As of that day...
Nopony would forget.
Especially Fluttershy. As she lay in her plush bed, her animal friends snuggling close to her shivering fur, she finally got those troublesome sobs out. She dearly hoped she would never have to feel this pain again. It was to much for her to take.
Unfortunately for her, this was definitely not the end of a dwindling Harmony.
And to think, it all started with a fallen apple.
