When a pony dies, their magic doesn’t just dissipate into the nothingness. It takes a new shape. Perhaps into another pony, or one of the other sentient beings that ruled over the planet. It may even take shape in the plants, or the mountains and valleys, or other things that shape the land.
If somepony had told Applejack that years ago, she either would’ve laughed, or told them to buzz off and leave her be. However, she would be finding out what happened beyond the moment Death welcomed her into its embrace. Fate had dealt her a bad hoof of cards, and she would not be lucky enough to survive an attack from Tirek’s hate filled wrath.
It wasn’t like the first time the centaur-like demon had showed face when he had escaped Tartarus. He wasn’t back in their world to steal all the magic from it. He decided, if he could not have it, then no one should be allowed to. So he destroyed. He decimated. He annihilated. He murdered. She had to step in. She had to push her out of the way. It was either herself, or the one she loved more than anypony else in her life. She was an Earth Pony, they were built to be durable, with a high tolerance for pain. She knew she had a more likely chance of surviving the attack than she did.
Too bad the chances of survival from such a powerful beam of magic were still slim to none.
Everything hurt. Her mane had been burned off, her tail had been burned off, her skin had been burned off. Everything had been burned off. The pain was excruciating. The princesses, Prince of the Crystal Empire, and the King of Chaos all banded together, and ended his existence for good…but it was already too late. The damage was done, and lives were lost, and she knew this would be including her own.
The sound of her lover’s voice was music to her ears. The gods up above had blessed her with her lover, her wife of 12 years. She recalled seeing the glint of the red string for the first time in her life, when she was 13 years old. She was excited. Everypony knew that at the end of the red string, their other half awaited them. She immediately ran to tell her grandmother, rambling how she was going to meet the stallion of her dreams, get married, raise a family, and continue the Apple family name. Her grandmother listened intently, smiling at the young mare’s dream filled thinking. Yes, Applejack looked forward to the day she would see the stallion at the end of the string.
Applejack was 17 years old, when she finally saw who was at the end of her red string.
She was mortified. A mare?! Oh, this was not how it was supposed to be. Granted…the ratio of mares to stallions where she lived was 5 to 1, but come on, seriously? Her parents had told her that relations were meant to be with a mare and a stallion, not two mares, and not two stallions. Her grandmother, despite being from an older generation, did not seem to mind the thought of same sex relationship. She told Applejack that love was love, no matter the gender. She was still torn however, about the fact her supposed soul mate was a mare. How could she start a family? How could she carry on the Apple name? Well…it seemed like it would have to be up to Big Mac or Apple Bloom. The other mare was not interested either. She too thought that this was absurd. Not because it was a mare, but just become their lifestyles were simply worlds apart. However…Fate knew what it was doing, and it would take the meeting of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, to make everything fall into place. Little by little, the red string grew more and more noticeable, and it took six years before they finally tied the knot. Applejack still remembered looking into those beautiful eyes, seeing the unconditional love and adoration the smaller mare had for her. She looked forward to spending the rest of her life with that mare.
But life was not meant to be long. Not for her at least. Her life would end at 35 years old.
It was bittersweet, hearing her wife calling out her name. Despite the fact it was being called out in grief stricken horror, she loved the sound, because it let her know that she had done good. She had been successful in saving her other half. However...she knew that deep down, this would be the last time she would ever hear that velvety voice ever again. She focused on it for as long as her body would let her. She remembered seeing the red string between them, badly frayed, holding on by one measly thread. Her last thought saddened her, as she saw that string in her mind’s eye.
It was going to break any moment now.
~MLP~
She doesn’t recall ‘waking up’ per se. She was birthed, brought into a harsh and unforgiving land, where no beings had control over the way things worked. No Earth Ponies to reign in the wildness of nature. No Pegasi to tame the skies above. No Unicorns to help civilize this savage place.
She was a Timberwolf, born into a place called the EverFree Forest.
The forest was huge. It was large enough to where it could be considered it’s own world, simply existing on the surface of another. At first, she did not remember anything. She was a Timberwolf pup, that enjoyed the throes of joy that came from playing with her pack siblings. As she got older, she learned how to hunt, how to fight. Her mother and father were the alpha pair of her pack, and she grew to becoming one of the largest females of the litter, managing to rival the size of some of the large males. Many tested her as she rose through the ranks of her pack over the years. However, during each fight, she could hear whispering words of encouragement, from an elderly mare from a past that was ingrained deep into her soul. Each time she heard them, she felt herself get stronger. She knew she could overpower all those who challenged her. She knew she could even overpower the alpha pair.
So she did.
It was the way of the EverFree. Only the strongest survived. And dammit, she would survive. She became the alpha, the first sole ruling female alpha in several generations. She led her pack with enough kindness to keep her pack happy, but also had enough strength to keep her pack in check. She wouldn't tolerate any challenging her for the right to rule. They could deal with that after she died.
~MLP~
She was 16 years old when she saw the red string.
It was an odd sensation at first. She could feel like a string was gently pulling on her heart. She looked down, and caught it shimmering in the sun’s rays. By this point, she had remembered quite a bit of her past life, save for a few snippets of it here and there. She may have retained some of her sentience when it came to her thoughts, but this seemed impossible. Surely the untamed beasts of this untamed world, did not have the mental capacity to ‘love’ and have soulmates. But then again, she could think rationally. She had coherent thoughts. It was also possible that she was not the only Timberwolf (or animal for that matter) to have some memories of their past life. The muscles in her muzzle were not capable of what she wanted them to do, but she didn’t let it stop her from smiling in her heart and mind. The red string shined brightly, as if it existed in the same physical plane as she did. She barked orders to her alpha mate for him to watch over the pack while she stepped away for a bit, and did what she thought was the only logical decision;
She followed the red string.
~MLP~
She had been walking for four hours. Where was the end? The string was so bold, so bright. She was nearing the end of it, she just knew it! The sun was filtering in through the trees even more. She was nearing one of the edges of the forest. She caught sight of an old cottage, abandoned and being taken back by the land. She saw a couple squirrels and rabbits and licked her chops. She started to walk towards her potential meal, when the tugging sensation became stronger than ever, reminding her of what she should be doing. She continued onward, until she stood at edge of the EverFree. The tugging was stronger than anything she had ever felt before. But…she knew she could not step out of the Forest. Civilization was out there, and she was a beast of the wilderness. But the tug was so strong. She wanted to go out there, to see where the string took her. Animal instincts took over though, and she decided that she would not enter their world. Perhaps she was not meant to see who was at the other end of the string. Perhaps that was the difference between the animals of the Everfree and the civilized masses that lived outside the forest. She started to turn away, when something caught her attention. She could make out voices, one in particular that made her ears perk up. She slunk back a bit and lowered her body to the ground, the bark and leaves that made up her massive body blending with the forestry surrounding her. The voices were getting louder. She could make out the silhouette of three ponies breaking the line across the hilltop. They were trotting, bouncing around happy and carefree. A stallion, his bold sparkling ruby coat signifying that he was of the Crystal Pony race. Beside him was a young mare, her coat a delicate shade of glittering pink, her eyes a bold sapphire hue as they flicked back and forth between the stallion and the older mare. Applejack’s gaze fell over to the older mare, and her eyes went wide. She had to be a little over 50 years old now, but save for the silvery streak that ran through a violet curled mane and tail, she looked the same as she did all those years ago. Something on the older mare caught her eyes, further solidifying the thought that ran through her head.
At the end of her red string…was her lover from a lifetime ago…
She felt her Timberwolf heart do back flips. Her biggest fear was that her other half wouldn’t be able to recover after she had passed. She was happy to see that the mare had found love again, had a family, and continued life once more. She found herself starting to day dream, the memories of her past flooding her mind. She only snapped back, when she realized the older mare was looking in her direction. She exchanged a few words between the stallion and the younger mare, and they left her alone on the side of the hill. As soon as they disappeared out of her sight, she made a beeline for Applejack’s direction. The Timberwolf found herself slinking back from the edge of the forest,
“Wait!” the mare cried out. “Please…don’t go…”
Applejack froze, torn between her instincts to limit animal-pony contact, and to heed the call of her former lover. She trembled with wild anticipation as the mare neared her hiding spot. She stopped at the forest’s edge.
“Could you…could you please come out??” The mare pleaded. Her voice was smooth and rich, like the finest chocolates, and filled with a child like hope that could melt even the iciest of hearts.
Applejack rose up and walked towards her. She hesitated for a few moments, before stepping away from the tree line and into the sun, towering over the mare. If she wanted to, she could’ve mauled her, and made a quick meal out of her. She inwardly cringed and chastised her predatory mind for even daring to turn it's eyes upon the mare in front of her. Her old lover smiled up at her, and beckoned her to lower her head with a hoof. Applejack leaned down, leveling her luminescent green eyes with the mare’s. The mare's orbs stared at her, into her, pieces of ocean-blue sea glass that still sparkled with the same love and adoration as the day they were married.
“My my…I find it quite ironic that you were reincarnated as a Timberwolf. You were never quite fond of those savage beasts..."
Applejack could not voice a response, so she let out a series or quick yips to convey her laughing. The mare giggled, and nuzzled her massive snout, not seeming to mind the rough texture,
“But you are not like the other Timberwolves. No...inside...you are still my Applejack. You are still the one who was at the end of my red string..." She lovingly rubbed Applejack's snout, "The thread may stretch or tangle. It may even fray…but it will never break, my love.” She pulled the giant Timberwolf’s head even lower and gave her a gentle kiss on her wooden cheek. Through the thick bark and leaves, Applejack felt a tingling sensation on her cheek. Her heart smiled as she felt a bit like a pony, even if it was for but a moment.
“I will always love you, Applejack.”
Applejack snorted and let out tiny growls. Their string practically glowed with it’s own light. To hell the animal kingdom. To hell with evolution. They were two different species, and yet Rarity still cared for the soul that lied beneath the timber and teeth. Applejack had to show her that she cared for her too, in her previous one, this one, and where ever the next lifetime took her. She pulled her lips back, used all of her willpower, and love for this mare to defy evolution, and do what her kind was not meant to do;
Speak.
“L-love…too...”
