One Minute Spent Hiding Behind a Shroud
“Apple Bloom? Applejack? Big Mac, are you in there?”
“I could really use coming in. It’s kind of pouring out here, and I checked the rest of the farm. I know you all almost never entirely abandon this place, especially not during harvest season.”
“Guys, it’s me, Spike. Please… I know what I did three years wrong, but I thought if anyone would open their doors, it would be you. I… I don’t want to continue to be by myself, so please, open up.”
“Look, I know you’ve gotten my letters, and I even got yours. They really helped me deal with my issues. I’m almost certain I’m safe now, so you don’t have to hide. I… I don’t think so at least.”
“I don’t want you to come in Spike, but I promise, it’s not because of what happened then. Okay?”
“Apple Bloom, it’s pouring out here. I could really use at least some hay to dry off in.”
“I understand that, but the place is a mess, and I’d rather not that be what you first see coming back.”
“Your barn has always been a mess. Trust me, I know from experience how tough it can be too clean, but I don’t care. I just want to see all of you.”
“You’ll just be disappointed. It’s only me here right now. Everypony else is in Appleloosa helping with their harvest.”
“Heh. I’m surprised Applejack let you stay on your own.”
“I volunteered. One of us had to.”
“...Apple Bloom, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You hate being alone. All ponies do.”
“I’m an Apple. We do just fine with family, or without. And I especially don’t need some rage filled lunatic coming in my barn while I’m all alone.”
“I already said my rage was under control!”
“Then who is the one raising their voice?”
“It’s cold out here, and you’re being a bitch!”
“...Fine, I’ll open the door.”
“Thank you.”
“You… you grew.”
“Yeah. No longer that little baby anymore, am I?”
“No, you’re not. Damn, I think Rarity would probably rethink her decision if she saw this.”
“I… I am pretty impressive I guess.”
“Just impressive? You’re like three times my length and are rippling with muscle! Most mares would love a stallion like that.”
“Yeah, a stallion like that.”
“Oh, well, I do suppose you got me their. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I came to accept it a while ago. I mean, when I first left, I couldn’t believe it. Not, not after Rarity turned me down like that. But the longer it took me to find a river, the longer my left claw was red. The longer I knew I had hurt her.”
“Hey, no need to relive those times again, right? You’re past all of that, right?”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I should forget. Not when I was so wrong.”
“I… I’m not gonna say you should forget. In fact, it’s kind of nice to hear somepony say they should stay in the past, but that doesn’t...I mean, she was the only one you hurt. It could have been worse, right?”
“Yeah, I guess. If it had been worse, you all wouldn’t have been able to send me letters back, would you?”
“Yeah. If you really were some big ol’ bully, we would have had to really block you. We get that you’re different, and even behind big rough claws like these, you’re our friend.”
“Your letters really helped me keep going you know. Everyone else asked me to come back. Told me that it was fine, and that Rarity was even willing to forgive me. It was nice to have someone who’s letters could just brighten my day, and not guilt me about my home.”
“It’s not like I wanted you to forget about us though! You should never just abandon somepony, or, um, ponies I guess, that you left. Or for that matter, hate the one that did leave. You should all just try to remember each other. Stay together. Stuff… stuff like that.”
“Apple Bloom, is everything alright?”
“Y-yeah, I’m just fine, Why?”
“Well, first off, you seem to be really hammering in this remembrance point, and secondly, you haven’t gushed about the fact that you have a hammer and a plank of wood on your flank.”
“Oh, that? It’s nothing too special. I just got my mark when it was my time. That’s all.”
“Apple Bloom?”
“Ahuh?”
“What’s wrong.”
“Nothing. Nothing you need to know about today. I mean, we should be celebrating, not…”
“Please, stop pointing up.”
“No.”
“Pretty please?”
“I… I wasn’t gonna do it.”
“Do what?”
“No. I… I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Is this why you didn’t want me to come in? So you could go out alone?”
“No! Well, maybe, but...please Spike. Just…”
“Apple Bloom, what did I miss? What’s wrong?”
“Gr-Granny Smith is gone.”
“Oh…”
“She’s gone, and nopony will remember her.”
“Of course they wi-”
“No! Applejack and Big Mac left to make it easier, everypony just tell me to move on, and it’s not right! My granny is dead, and they act like it’s nothing!”
“Wh-why didn’t you want to tell me then? That is big.”
“Because you would just be like the rest of them. You left us before, so it would be easy for you to just forget about her and say I’m being a child.”
“Are you insane? I would never say that, and I doubt anypony else has either.”
“They may as well have. They just tell me that she’s in a better place, that she is happy, but how can she be? This was her happiest place, this was where she was happy!”
“Apple Bloom…”
“Don’t just Apple Bloom me! I’ve heard that too many- Let go of me!”
“No.”
“Yes you will!”
“No.”
“I-If you don’t let go of me, I’ll start really screaming. I’ll tell you exactly what my sister thought right after you left. How she thought you deserved to die in the ditch you found for hurting Rarity and wrecking her boutique. Even Twilight couldn’t defend you!”
“Apple Bloom.”
“What? Are you getting mad at me? Are you going to hurt me now? I thought you said you were done with that!”
“It’s getting hard to breath.”
“I don’t care. You need to calm down.”
“Shou-shouldn’t I be saying that to you?”
“No.”
“Why won’t anyone else cry like this? Why won’t anyone get mad that she is gone?”
“When… when Twi told me about death, she taught me about grief. How most ponies tried denying the death had happened. They would leave where it had happened at, leave the places that reminded them so much of the other pony, just so they didn’t have to be reminded of it.”
“But she was our granny. She taught us everything.”
“Which is why they can’t stay here right now. I mean, look at you right now.”
“I… I, I don’t know. I don’t even know how you’re still being calm about this.”
“Hey, I have first hand experience, trust me. I mean, what do you think I was doing up in those mountains, learning showtunes? Losing Rarity meant losing my heart, and it took a long time for me to not stop thinking about that. A long time for me to find something to fill that void. A memory, an action, or even, a letter from somepony who didn’t seem to care.”
“You’re a dummy you know. I’m all grief stricken. Now is not normally a good time to hit on a mare.”
“Soaring disagree-Ow!”
“You deserved that.”
“I… I guess I did. Feeling any better?”
“No. It still hurts.”
“Hmm….”
“If you don’t stop humming, I’m gonna hit you. It’s making snuggling like this hard.”
“You’re still crying, and I’m trying to think of how to phrase this the best way.”
“Alright. I’m done now.”
“D-”
“No, I do not feel any better.”
“Do you have Granny’s rocking chair?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I want to burn it.”
“I will murder you if you even try!”
“Apple Bloom, I promise it’s for your own good!”
“How?”
“What do you think of first when you think of Granny?”
“How does that matter?”
“Just answer.”
“I think of her telling me stories on the porch! It’s what we did the most often.”
“And what else was she doing?”
“I don’t know!”
“I think you do.”
“Why would burning it help?”
“Does that void in you get smaller or bigger when you see that?”
“...I don’t know.”
“I said the same thing about the fire ruby Rarity gave me. Eating it… it surprisingly helped, and not just because I hadn’t eaten in a week.”
“You shouldn’t be cracking jokes right now.”
“It got you to smile, didn’t it?”
“Shut up.”
“I don’t know if I wanna do this.”
“We don’t have to. Not tonight. It would help us warm up though.”
“Jerk.”
“You’re point?”
“I’ll miss her.”
“We all will. I didn’t know her too long, but oh boy do I remember her. I actually came to seek advice from her most of all. I thought maybe she could help me figure out what to do.”
“She was really good at that, wasn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“She was also by far the weirdest pony I have ever met, even when put against Pinkie.”
“Seeing as she found every way to make her oddities strengths, I think I would have to agree. Not even Pinkie has managed that.”
“She was amazing, wasn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you light it?”
“It would be my honor.”
“Goodbye, Granny.”
