Moving on in living Memories
AppleJack lays in her bed. You can never tell if it's day or night anymore. Well, I guess it's always night. She gets out of bed, her hooves connecting with the cold wood floor. As she walks to the window looking outside. At the night sky, and dead trees filling her orchid not even one leaf on a single branch. She sighs a tear running down her face. "It was never suppose to be like this, this wasn't how things were suppose to end. I'm sorry Twilight I really am, you put your faith in us and we let you down. You, and the Princess both, and I let the others down." Her face is now covered in tears, drops of water covering the floor. She wipes the tears off her face with her hoof and begins walking out of the room. Grabbing her hat off the hook in the hall outside her room and putting it on. Might as well see if Fluttershys awake. The girls been kind of messed up ever since the fall. Then again so have I, the difference is I've experienced lost before. I'm not sure if she has, not four ponies at once definitely, she's completely shut down. She walks down the hall stopping at another door knocking. "AppleBloom, SweetieBelle You awake in there!"
"Password?" The voice of young farm filly shouts back from behind the door.
"Lost but never forgotten, not family but loved like so. We will always remember in honor of the ones we've come to know. Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Friendship." AppleJack says, the lock clicks and the door opens. Revealing two fillies laying in bed, a white unicorn, and a yellow earth pony. AppleJack steps into the room. "How are ya doin SweetieBelle?" She Asks looking at the young unicorn filly laying in the bed next to her sister.
SweetieBelle looks up at AppleJack while laying in the comfort, and warmth of the bed. "I'm doing better, a little." She says sadness in her voice, and on her face clearly upset. The orange farm mare looks at her. "look I know you miss your sister, Sweetie we all do, trust me. Also trust me when I say it's going to take time to heal." The filly looks down at the bed
"I know, but I also know she could still be alive." A tear forms in her eyes, as she thinks of the possibilities and memories of her sister. The tears soon hit the bed sheets. AppleJack walks over to the side of the bed. pulling the unicorn off the bed and into a warm hug. "I'm sorry SweetieBelle, but there ain't anything we can do as of right now. When the fall happened they were already chasing down your sister. That's why she was in a hurry to get you over here and it's been a year since then." She picks up a crystal off the shelf next to the bed and gives it to SweetieBelle. "If you think it will make you feel better, go ahead I can't stop ya."
Sweetie smiles as her horn glows with green energy engulfing the crystal. The Crystal glows purple in return and Raritys voice emits from it. She sounds panicked and the sound of what can only be presumed as packing is heard. "SweetieBelle it's Rarity if your hearing this, you're going to be staying with AppleJack. The Elements have fallen, and equestria with them. I don't have time to go over the details but I want you to know." she stops as the sound of her taking a deep breath is heard as she begins to cry. "I love you Sweetie I always have, and I always will. AppleJack take good care of her. If I return home." She pauses. "no if I don't return home and Equestria returns to normal. I want to know she's in trusted hooves with somepony that will raise her well." she pauses again. "and if I'm around then the first pony I want to see is my little sister. Now I'm sorry but I have to go stay safe darlings and never forget. Lost but never forgotten, not family but loved like so. We will always remember in honor of the ones we've come to know." It stops everypony in the rooms silent except for the sound of tears.
AppleBloom who has remained silent the entire time, breaks the silence of the room. "I miss her to Sweetie, like AppleJack said we all do." The unicorn filly hadn't took her gaze off the crystal. Even though she's played the thing a million times, the sound of her sisters voice. It still mesmerized her she loves her sister, and misses her. The sound of her voice it just helped and didn't at the same time.
AppleJack speaks up. "well, I've gotta go check on FlutterShy." She says wiping the tears away. "You two don't open this door unless they know the password." She begins walking out of the room closing the door behind her. This world is so dark now and not just from eternal night. She sighs walking out the front door of the house, and trotting down the path to Ponyville. I feel for that filly she's too young for stuff like this. Being cooped up all day not be'n able to step outside or play. No filly should grow up in this, plus lose their friends and sister at the same time. She continues thinking as she walks. Makes you wonder just how bad it can get now, living in fear. Eternal darkness, in a world broken by chaos, with the power of love being used in the wrong. she makes her way to the edge of SweetApple Acres. Ponyville staring back at her in the distance most of the grass dead. Leaving large patches of dirt all around she takes a deep breath. Then continues down the path.
How could it come to this. She thinks as she walks into Ponyville the windows on the buildings boarded up. Not a single light on, not a pony in sight or a single sign of life. Though she knew inside each and every one of those homes. Held families to afraid to step outside of their own homes. She walked by The Golden Oaks Library she stopped and looked at it. "Sorry Twi." She said and continued walking. She eventually made it through the rest of the small town. Now standing at the edge, where the everfree forest could be seen. Somehow without sunlight it remained fine still growing the only difference it's more terrifying.
She looks to the left, in the distance is FlutterShys cottage. The wide plain of grass that use to run up to it had died out over time. Dirt being left in its place, AppleJack walks along the dirt plains to the cottage. Walking up to the door, and knocking. The door opens revealing a white little bunny rabbit. AppleJack looks at the bunny. "How's she do'n Angel?" The bunny sits there tapping a foot in reply waiting. AppleJack looks at the bunny. "Right, Lost but never forgotten, not family but loved like so. We will always remember in honor of the ones we've come to know Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Friendship." The bunny steps aside allowing AppleJack to step in before closing the door and locking it. AppleJack walks into the kitchen to see FlutterShy who's sitting at the table, Sadness all over her face.
"I see you got outta bed this time." AppleJack says in a joking manner in attempt to get a smile, but only gets silence in return. "Oh come on sugarcube, ya can't keep doing this. You have to let somepony in, anypony I know how it feels, You can't keep pushing everypony away that tries to help." She says walking over to the yellow pegasus placing a hoof on her back. "Now come on have ya ate yet?" Angel hops on a chair and points at the door jumping franticly. AppleJack looks at the bunny, and begins walking to the door. "What is it?" She cracks open the door peeking out, to see a gray pegasus, walking along side two changelings. What, why would they? She closes the door looking back at her friend whose eyes glow green. "oh, no I ain't having this!" Come on she says pulling Fluttershy out of the chair. She new her friend had shut down but never this much. The changelings are using her, feeding off her love for her friends. Whether she volunteered or not didn't matter AppleJack wasn't allowing it. "Come on FlutterShy! I ain't letting this happen, I already lost to many I ain't going to lose you too." She pulls FlutterShy onto the ground "FlutterShy please look at me." The pegasus mare looks at her tears filling her eyes before saying. "Sorry" AppleJack looks her in the eyes. "No I don't wanna hear none of that." Her voice panicked and rushed. "Do you think this is what Twilight wants or Pinkie, Rarity, or what about RainbowDash. We move on, we stay strong I'm memory of them. I don't know how long they've been doing this to ya, but I know it's gotta stop! And we've gotta fix this mess, we've gotta get our friends back."
FlutterShy looks at AppleJack as if she's lost it. "You you can't be serious.."
AppleJack looks at the pegasus with determined eyes. "FlutterShy I've never been more serious in my life. Now come on!" She says as she pulls FlutterShy up and they both take off upstairs. As the front door opens three changelings walking inside. They look around the dark room AppleJack and FlutterShy open a window upstairs. when they hear a loud crash come from down stairs. AppleJack looks at FlutterShy. "Come on we gotta go, they'll be coming up here any minute now." FlutterShy looks at her friend before flying out the window. Then closing it on AppleJack. "What the hay!" She shouts staring at FlutterShy. Whose body glows green, and begins to change into a bug like pony. "No, no!" tears form in the farm mares eyes, as her hind legs give out collapsing into a sitting position. The sound of hoof steps are heard as the changelings and gray pegasus mare. Walk up the stairs
AppleJack turns around to face the pegasus and she wipes the tears away as she gets up. Her look of sadness replaced with rage and determination. "What'd y'all do with my friend!" She shouts. The gray Pegasus speaks up her voice threatening. "We had her transferred, under the queen's orders. That's not the best part though, the best part is. Since you confessed to suggestive retaliation we get to kill an element of harmony." She smiles. "This should be fun."
AppleJack takes a step back, but still holds her ground. "You can't"
The gray pegasus looks her in the eyes. With a blood thirsty smile. "whys that you don't have any friends anymore. You don't have a princess, you lost your precious farm. You don't have your BigMacintosh or GrannySmith either. You've got nothing!" AppleJack sighs the words hurt but she didn't let it show as she looks at them. "I have plenty, you maybe able to take away the things I own, and the ponies I love. Though you can never take away the things that keep me movin. Now I have friends to save." The gray pegasus gags. And looks at the changelings. "Kill her!" The changelings charge at AppleJack who turns around jumping into the window. The glass shattering as she collides with it. She holds a hoof over her face shielding it from the glass. The changelings watch as she hits the ground outside in a combat roll landing on her hooves. Then Taking off at a full gallop.
The Changelings fly off into the distance as AppleJack runs back into Ponyville. Hang on FlutterShy I'm coming for ya. Then me and you we'll get all the girls back. She runs back to the farm bursting open the door. "AppleBloom, SweetieBelle! Lost but never forgotten, not family but loved like so. We will always remember in honor of the ones we've come to know Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness and Friendship! Come on we need to get moving!" The sound of hoof steps is clearly heard as the two fillies run down the stairs.
AppleBloom looks at her older sister "you added kindness in there, what happened to FlutterShy?"
"changelings got her, I have to go get her, I have to get all the girls back this needs to stop, and you two need to get out of here" She says while filling a saddle bag with supplies.
AppleBloom runs over to her sister "but you can't that will count as retaliation they'll-they'll kill ya" she says deeply concerned
AppleJack puts the saddle bag on her sister. "It's to late AppleBloom, I'm sorry I really am, but somepony needs to do something. I can't live like this, no pony can, not you or SweetieBelle sometimes. I think Twilight's lucky being trapped in stone."
The young filly hugs her Sister crying. "Please sis don't do this." AppleJack sighs "I can't go back I already mentioned retaliation. By now they'll be off to inform chrysalis. Now I want you to listen to me, I want you and SweetieBelle. To get as far away as possible. Find family, or anypony and watch out for changelings." She says hugging AppleBloom both of them now in tears.
"sis please." She begs as she cries into AppleJacks fur. "AppleBloom somepony has to stop this."
SweetieBelle walks up to the two "my sister?" AppleJack looks at Sweetie while holding her sister in a hug. "I'll get her back, if I remember correctly her and RainbowDash are being held in containment. With Chrysalis watching over them. Twilight we both know is Trapped in stone with Celestia they've got Discord watching them. Pinkie I believe is trapped in the crystal empire with Sombra."
The filly looks at her. "What if I want to help get my sister back?" AppleJack looks at her sternly. "No! that ain't an option. I promised Rarity I'd keep you safe, and that's what I'm gonna do." She says letting AppleBloom go from the hug.
SweetieBelle looks at AppleBloom for help but doesn't get any. She then turns her attention back at AppleJack "you can't just send us out there on our own. That's not exactly safe either!"
AppleJack begins packing another bag. "You're right you're not safe no matter what you do anymore. That's why I gotta do this, but you're safer on your own then with me. If you follow me you'll be dragged directly into this. I don't want that Rarity wouldn't want that so please SweetieBelle listen."
The filly opens her mouth but gives up. "Fine" she stops the argument Applejack places the saddle bag on the unicorns back, and speaks "good, you girls got everything you need, now get out of here go!" The two fillies run out the door. "Stay safe you two." She says as a tear forms she quickly wipes it away and takes a deep breath. Then begins packing stuff for herself.
SweetieBelle and AppleBloom run away from SweetApple Acres not looking back. As it slowly begins fading in to the distance behind them. AppleBloom has tears streaming down her face as she runs. SweetieBelle looks at her friend as they continue running down the path she speaks. "She's gonna be fine AppleBloom." The farm filly looks at her friend. "You don't know that I may never see her again. Just like my parents or Granny or my big brother!" She says picking up the paste running ahead of SweetieBelle. Her head hung low as tears continue falling SweetieBelle chases after her. "AppleBloom we need to stick together if we don't we may never make it through this!" AppleBloom falls to the ground with a thud. As she trips on a rock from her tears blocking her vision. "Ow!" She yells.
SweetieBelle slows down walking up to her friend. "AppleBloom! Are you okay" She asks "I'm fine!" AppleBloom snaps back at her friend, pain clear in her voice. Sweetie backs up from the sudden snap watching. Her friend forces herself up on her hooves. AppleBloom looks around to grasp her surroundings. Seeing that there standing at the border of Ponyville. "Come on." The farm filly says her voice rather bitter sounding but also filled with pain. "NO!" The unicorn filly shouts. AppleBloom goes wide eyed taking a step back. Sweetiebelle seeing she got the farm filly's attention calms down lowering her voice. "I'm not going till you calm down. You and I both know the changelings patrol Ponyville in disguise. If we go in there, we need to be able to work together. Not yell at each other, I understand that your hurt and angry. I was to when Rarity ran off, but I also understood she wanted to keep me safe. Just like AppleJacks trying to do for you, and I know you understand that."
AppleBloom looks to the ground her ears laying flat from her friend's sudden lecture. "I'm sorry.. I just, I don't want anything bad to happen to her. After a few days, I won't know if she's." SweetieBelle hugs her friend "don't." She says stopping the farm fillies sentence dead in it's tracks. "AppleJacks strong I've never seen anything bring her down before. She's always been able to pull through when nopony else could. I'm sure she can do this, and you of all ponies know that. Plus you'll always have me with you." She says still hugging her friend. Listening to her sobs come to an end.
AppleBloom breaks the hug and wipes the tears away. "Thanks Sweetie." She looks at Ponyville the multiple houses and buildings in front of them. SweetieBelle looks at her Friend. "you ready?" AppleBloom nods and the two begin walking into the town.
Applejack stands inside her house with a saddle bag loaded full of various supplies. A rope attached to the saddle bag on one side canteens on the other. With her favorite hat topping it all off she takes a deep breath. "That's everything." she says walking to the already open door. "Now let's get my friends back." She steps out the door walking into the distance.
