The news had been delivered directly to Big Mac and Granny Smith, even though it was inevitable to them. One pony had the task of informing friends and family that are absent, or otherwise unable to get directly informed of AJs passing.

Twilight, Spike, Rarity, RainbowDash and Fluttershy were on the train home from a surprisingly warm autumn trip. With spirits as high as the clouds, they couldn't wait to see everypony again, and tell them about the time they had. Fluttershy, as you would expect, is anxiously sitting in her seat, worrying what she will see when she gets home.

"But what if I was wrong? What if they can't take care of themselves?! They could be starving, or thirsty, or lost, or-"

"Fluttershy, they are fine!" Rarity interrupts. "I don't see why you are so worked up about it!"

"C'mon, this is Fluttershy we are talking about! You knew she was going to be like this!" Rainbow says, without taking her gaze from the scenery whizzing past the window.

"Well, alright I did expect some worrying." Rarity rests her hoof on Fluttershys shoulder. "They are fine, Fluttershy. I'm sure of it."

This hadn't helped much, but Fluttershy kept her doubts to herself.

"Hey Twilight? Could you do that spell you did outside the spa again? It was really funny!" Rainbow asks, winking at Spike.

"No Rainbow, I'm busy." Twilight replies, flicking another page in her book.

"But your not busy. You can read when you get back to your castle!"

"I said no."

"Please?"

"No!"

Rainbows gives out a puppy-like expression.

"Pretty please?"

Twilight looks up at the pleading Pegasus, and without a word, casts a spell onto Spike.

"Aww yeah!" Spike shouts, twisting his new mustache.

"Happy now?" Twilight asks.

"Yup." Rainbow casually answers, sitting back into her chair.

"That was rhetorical..." Twilight grumbles.

Spikes stomach rumbles, and he gives out a belch, making the already on-edge Fluttershy jump out of her fur. A letter emerges from the green smoke.

"Whoops. Sorry Fluttershy." Spike chuckles.

"Oh no, is it Canterlot?" Asks Twilight. "I hope princess Celestia isn't mad about me taking days off..."

"It's...from Ponyville hospital..."

Everyponys attention was upon Spike.

"...do...do you think Pinkie Pie has eaten too much sugar again?" Asks Rarity.

Spike reads the letter as his facial hair fizzled away with Twilights attention.

"Dear Spike/Twilight Sparkle
As you are the closest ponys yet to be informed because of your absence, I write this letter to you."

Spikes voice became concerned.

"Your friend 'Applejack' was recently struck by an illness we have yet to identify. She was hospitalised for a very short space of time, and I am terribly sorry to announce that she peacefully passed away..."

The young dragon stops in shock.

"What?!" Rainbow shouts.

Rarity darted out of her seat and snatched the letter from Spike.

She reads.
"...peacefully passed away in her sleep as of last night. Her family has requested that you return as soon-"

Raritys attempt to read had been reduces to unintelligible sobs. Fluttershy and Twilights eyes met above Raritys head, quickly turning to Rainbow. She was dumbfounded.

"Apple...Applejack is...no, that's impossible!" Rainbow shouts. "She couldn't have died! Not Applejack! This is just another of Pinkies pranks! You know she likes pranks!"

Her breathing becomes deep and irregular, panicking at the news.

"...oh no oh no. Oh no, no no, no no not AJ...please...oh please not AJ..."

Rainbow snatches the letter from Rarity, sits in the corner with it, and silently reads it to herself.

Once read, Rainbow moves the letter from view of her eyes, revealing them broken with tears. A tense silence was shattered by Rainbow erupting into a loud cry.

With her heart breaking Fluttershy walks over to Rainbow, who barges past her and knocks her onto the floor. Rainbow darts down the carriage, wailing as loud as her lungs could handle. She couldn't face her friends with the news, she just wanted to be alone and let the news sink in.

Once the loud cries diminished, another eerie silence takes over the carriage. The cries shared between Rarity and Spike had stopped, they were lost in thought at what had just happened.

Fluttershy didn't get up, but rolled onto her chest, put her head in her hooves and sobbed. Her heart wrenching squeaks and cries accompanied the silence, piercing through every single pony in the carriage. As she cried, so did Spike and Rarity once again. But Twilight remained silent, staring down the centre carriage where Rainbow had ran. She couldn't comprehend how soon all this had happened. A million thoughts passed through her head, but she could only focus on one:

'Applejack is...dead?'

This thought replayed over, and over, everytime making her evermore depressed. Eventually, her ears dropped, eyes filled with despair, and she slumped back into her seat. She slowly glanced at three of her closest friends emotionally shattered on the floor, then back at the centre of the carriage, then at them again, and so on. This became more rapid, and she couldn't decide whether or not to follow Rainbow, or help the ones who stayed.

She stopped searching for answers, and cried, covering her head with her wings. Fluttershy and Spike walked outside if the carriage. Rarity didn't want the young dragon to hear anymore if the letter, and Fluttershy didn't want to hear it herself.

"...T-Twilight..." Rarity says. "...r-read the le-tter..."

Twilights wings slowly retract to her sides. Unwillingly, she walks over to the letter, and reads it for herself:

"Dear Spike/Twilight Sparkle
As you are the closest ponys yet to be informed because of your absence, I write this letter to you. Your friend 'Applejack' was recently struck by an illness we have yet to identify. She was hospitalised for a very short space of time, and I am terribly sorry to announce that she passed away in her sleep as of last night. Her family has requested that you return as soon as possible to Ponyville. We wish you all the best."

As she finishes, the train chugs to a stop. They had arrived at Ponyville.

With Spike on Twilights back, they all walk onto the platform. Rainbow had gotten off from another carriage further down the station. Where Pinkie Pie was waiting, with her normally bouncy hair unchanged. They all watch as Rainbow throws herself into Pinkies arms, and broke into another fit of crying. Pinkie looked confused, what could have happened on their trip?

"...what's wrong?" Asks Pinkie.

"What...what do you mean? You don't know!?" Asks Rainbow.

"I know Applejack is sick! I just didn't know you knew! Or if that is why you were crying!"

Rainbows jaw was slightly open. Pinkie didn't know about Applejack. The train pulls away from the station with a loud burst of smoke, obscuring the view of Pinkie and Rainbow from the rest.

"You haven't been to the hospital?!" Rainbow shouted over the whistles and chugs of the steam engine.

"No! I wanted to meet you girls! I wanted to tell you about Applejack, but I didn't know you knew!"

The sounds of the train faded.

"Why are you asking?" Says Pinkie, the gray smoke still swivelling around her and Rainbow.

"Because...because..."

She once again throws herself into Pinkies grasp.

"...Applejack...died..."

"...wh...what?!"

"I said Applejack died!" She broke once again.

Pinkies eyes filled with tears, and her mane drooped.

"How...how would you know that?"

Rainbow couldn't answer. The fog that consumed them had diminished, to reveal the saddened mares.

Without a word, Pinkie releases grasp on Rainbow, and runs as fast as she could down to the hospital. The rest of them followed.

At arrival, the front doors were still open from Pinkie. They get escorted to Applejacks room by showing the letter to a nurse who had been knocked over by the frantic Pinkie Pie. They could have guessed where to go, as there was a stream of tears along the floor they followed.

They got to the room. Their friend was lying on a table, with a dark blue blanket covering her. Her appearance underneath the cloth was haunting. They remembered mare who once was a strong, working, loving friend. Now she remained a body on a table, thin, with hardly any muscle to be seen. You couldn't recognise the body to be that of Applejacks, it seemed so wrong to even think it was her.

She didn't want to go on some trip because of a particular Autumn. An Autumn which would be the best for the family in years. An Autumn that would benefit the town of Ponyville greatly, as well as her family. She had to stay, and she wanted to stay, although she would have loved to have a day out with her best friends.

They all respected that. They all respected Applejack. There was only one visual reminder that who they were mourning over was AJ.

It was Applejacks Stetson, placed on her lifeless chest.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading!