Echoes in the Stone

***Five months  Cadence’s death ***

Applejack walked into the local Ponyville bar and saw Twilight drinking like a mad horse, having already gone through ten hard ciders. Along with her was Fluttershy, who had become much more of a recluse in the time following Cadence's and Skyla's death. She'd already gotten shyer after Dash had died, but with them gone, the yellow pegasus had all but fallen mute.

        “Are you sure that you haven't had enough already your highness?” the bartender asked.

        “I’ll tell you when I have enough ...” she drunkenly slurred.

        “Hey Twi,” AJ greeted, ordering a drink.

        “Hey Applejack,” the princess returned, hanging her head down.

        Applejack nodded in response to the greeting, soon taking notice of Fluttershy of all ponies in the bar nearby. “Did you invite Fluttershy?” the orange earth pony asked to Twilight.

        “No, but she must be here for the same reason I am,” she said taking another swig of her drink.

        “Which is, what?” Applejack asked sitting down in the free chair on Twilight's other side.

        The princess looked utterly exhausted, but that wasn't the reason why she was depressed, and it wasn't the time to ask. She didn't answer AJ.

        “Rarity and Pinkie Pie are leaving Ponyville,” Fluttershy finally answered in Twilight's stead, taking another drink.

        “I'm sorry?” Applejack asked, bewildered.

        “You heard her,” Twilight said looking at her.

        “Care to explain?” the orange pony asked as she took a drink.

        “I'm sorry, yes,” Twilight replied, taking one last shot and ordering another, “Rarity is leaving Ponyville permanently to focus more on her business and plus to micromanage her company now.”

        “How did that happen?” Applejack asked.

        “Well, believe it or not, Sliver  managed to find a home for Rarity in Canterlot that is nearby her store,” the alicorn replied

        “And he told her this…” Applejack stated, nearly turning it into a question.

        “Yesterday,” she said, “and before you ask, it's because he wanted the shop ready for her when it was to going to tell her. He wanted to surprise her.”

        “And Pinkie?”

        “She has decided to go on a 'world tour party,' as she calls it,” Twilight explained, “She didn't want Ponyville to be the only town in Equestria to experience the happiness her parties provide and decided to go to every town, city, and so on.”

        “That's very sweet of her,” Applejack replied.

        Twilight managed a smile. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

        “On top of that,”  Fluttershy added quietly, “Pinkie has kind of been mellowing down and getting more and sadder. I think it good for her to get out of Ponyville and go on the tour she's planning.”

        “But that's not what I'm upset about,” Twilight said taking another drink, Applejack following her, “Pinkie Pie is going back to the rock farm after the tour's over.”

        Applejack almost spat out her drink. “What in tarnation?” she almost shouted.

        “I had the same reaction,” Fluttershy cooed.

        “I know,” Twilight said with a sigh, taking another drink along with Fluttershy.

        “Why?” Applejack asked.

        “Well, she said something along the lines of the family being famous and all that,” Twilight said looking down at her drink, “I would ask her about it in her going away party in a couple of weeks.”

        “I see,” Applejack responded.

        Twilight paid for her drinks and started wobble a little bit after she got up from the chair. Paying for her own, Applejack noticed the princess stumbling badly toward the door and helped her toward it by putting a hoof around her and supporting Twilight's weight.

        “Cya Fluttershy,” AJ said quickly.

        “Bye,” Fluttershy replied, paying for another drink.

        Once they left, Applejack felt it was the right time to ask the question she'd wanted to earlier. “Why do you look so tired Twi?”

        “I'm just s-so worried about everything lately,” Twilight hiccuped almost falling asleep, “Shining hasn't replied to any my letters, I've being worried about you guys and…and the meeting with Griffin King. I've barely slept at all lately.”

        In an ironic twist, Twilight fell asleep right after saying that. Applejack carried the alicorn on her back to the crystalline palace in which she lived, opening the door. The interior felt lonely and hollow as the farm pony traversed its many corridors to get her purple friend to her room.

Each of us feels as empty as this place does in some way now,” Applejack thought. She put Twilight in her bed with a sigh, shaking her head. “I wish things were better Twilight than they were right now.  Ever since RD’s death things have slowly been going downhill, but I know things get better, sooner or later. I'll be here for ya Twi until I die.”

        She began to walk out the room until Twilight muttered something in her sleep while cuddling her blanket. “Thank you…”

        Applejack smiled and closed the door. She was beginning to head for the exit to the castle when she noticed that Twilight’s library was locked up tight.

        “Weird,” the mare said, approaching it. When she tried to open it, it shocked her. “Ouch,” Applejack said rubbing her hoof, “That's one way to keep ponies out.” She then left the castle then, but a new thought took form in her mind as her curiosity began to grow regarding the library. I should ask Twilight about that sometimes when she isn't too busy. What’s so important in the library that she would purposely try to keep ponies out when she'd always had an open door policy about it before since the castle had sprung up?

***6 Months, 1 Day After Cadence’s Death***

Applejack woke up and saw it was raining. Well, at least I don't have to buck apples, today, she thought as she got up and got ready for the day. When she was doing her usual routine, she alarmed by the silence of the household and called for her siblings. “Big Mac? Applebloom?” she shouted.

        The mare went looking for them, searching around the house for her brother and sister but finding no trace of them. She then looked outside for them in the pouring rain to see if they might be bucking apples, but neither Apple Bloom nor Big Mac was anywhere to be located. She headed to town and saw all the shops looked abandoned as well. She even checked in several windows but couldn't find a trace of any ponies inside or out.

        “Where the hay is everypony?” Applejack wondered aloud.

        After a little more searching, she eventually turned toward the castle and saw that the entire town there. Something was very wrong, so Applejack went towards the crowd. As she worked her way through the tight cluster, she saw some ponies like Roseluck horrified at the scene ahead, and others like Cheerilee shedding tears. As she approached the front of the crowd, she saw Celestia’s and Luna's guards patrolling the castle’s perimeter and saw Fluttershy was crying, but not blinking. She then turned and saw a high ranking sun guard coming to her, and he looked down as if he were trying to form words. AJ saw a body bag was being carried out by magic by two more Solar Guards.

        “Applejack, I will be blunt,” the officer said with a serious face, “Your friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, died by poison last at midnight.”

        Applejack laughed in response. “You're jokin' right?” she asked while catching her breath, “And what ya really have in that their bag is a griffon.”

        The griffin king, having shown up as well, stepped forward, and they looked at each other, and he mouthed to her over the crowd of ponies. “Sorry.”

        That reality hit hard like a moving cart hitting her at high speed. She ground her teeth and sighed. “Thank you, officer,” Applejack said before walking toward her sister, “I want you to Manehatan and hang out with your cousin Apple Bloom.”

        “Got it,” the filly replied.

        The older pony walked away from the scene as it started to rain harder. When Applejack got home she started bucking trees; she didn't care if it was raining or not, it was her way to deal with this anger. When Big Mac saw that Applejack was bucking trees so hard there were dents in the trunks, he shook his head. He went to her and pulled the mare into a tight a hug where she started to cry.

        “Wh-hh...why am Ah cryin'?” she wondered between the sobs that wracked her body, “Ah should be used to this.”

        “Nopony ever gets use to it, AJ,” Big Mac said petting her mane.

        She buried her face in Mac’s chest and after a while, she looked up at him. “Ah've come to realize that death is starting to become my companion.”

        Big Mac suddenly slapped her in response and asked her a raised voice “That is nonsense Applejack, and y'know that right?”

        The mare felt her cheek after the smack, but she thought and realized that Big Mac was right: she was acting foolish. “You’re right,” she admitted hugging her brother tight.

        “Come on,” Mac said, “Now let's getcha inside before you get cold.”

        ~

        Over the course the next couple of days, Applejack calmed down somewhat, but there was one thought going throughout her mind. How was Twilight killed? Were there any guards on duty? If so, why did the guards lack on their job?

        She learned from a guard that there were a good number of night guards, but very few Sun Guards posted that evening, and she finally had somepony to blame. She turned on the radio to listen to some music for her to feel better. At first, it worked then Sand Swirl come on the radio

        “My dearest citizen,” he started, “Twilight Sparkle is dead, and Celestia had just tried to commit suicide. As a result, in the overruling vote, Equestria has declared war on the griffon empire and the Parliament will pour all resources we can into defeating the enemy. We hit the griffons how they hit us, and we will not stop until they are utterly smashed, good day. ”

         ~

*** 1 week later***

  Today was the funeral, and the plan, she learned via a letter from the prime minister, was to take the train up to the to Canterlot where Princess Luna and Sand Swirl would be waiting. On top of that, Applejack never liked going to Canterlot because she always had a feeling her stomach that almost made her sick.

        When she got on the train, she tried to talk to Fluttershy but had no luck. She learned from Nurse Red Heart that Fluttershy had been in a state of shock for about four days. It was thanks to AJ and a few of her friends around Ponyville that she'd gotten out of it, but it was a hollow success. Red Heart had told her that due to the emotional ordeal that Twilight's death had caused, Fluttershy was now completely mute. Many had tried everything to get to the butter yellow pegasus to speak but without success. She'd stayed at Sweet Apple Acres since then, but didn't speak one word to anypony.

        As they were reaching the Canterlot, AJ heard some guards talking about a rumored revolution happening in Fillydelphia and in some parts of Manehattan, which angered the earth pony.

        Then all of Ponyville, AJ, and Fluttershy loaded into the train. After everypony had got loaded into the train, it started to head towards Canterlot. AJ and Fluttershy looked at the entrance and were amazed at how many ponies, and even hoofful of griffins and zebras, were in line for the funeral. All of them wore sad expressions on their faces. AJ and Fluttershy could agree that they'd never seen the town this sad before; even Pinkie would have a hard time cheering them up.

I wonder how well Pinkie Pie is handling this, the orange earth pony thought.

         The train headed up the mountainside and AJ heard some of the ponies talking, but they stuck to the one-sided conversation at best. She also looked at them from time to time; some had faces of sorrow to not caring. Most of them asked one question: “What now?” and the usual answers: “I don't know,”

        Those were AJ thoughts on the matter too: a very uncertain future for her, her family, and all of Equestria.

        The train approached Canterlot. AJ and Fluttershy saw one side of the capital city, as well as citizens and the other Lunar and Solar Guards. Applejack touched her stomach hold back a feeling of nausea. Greeting them at the door was Rarity, who hugged AJ. Here mane was completely faded, and AJ swore she had some new bangs, but that could have been from the tears.

        “It's good t' see ya too Rarity,” Applejack said.

        “I was just worried you did something rash,” Rarity said. The white unicorn then hugged Fluttershy. ”Have have been holding up darling?”

        “Sorry Rarity but Fluttershy took Twilight’s death pretty bad. Y'see, she was in shock for about a week and when she come 'round she was completely silent. Red Heart tried everything she could t' get her t' talk again,” Applejack explained.

        “I'm sorry, Fluttershy,” the unicorn said, hugging the pegasus.

        A solar guard coughed in their direction, and they looked at him. He and another were levitating Twilight’s Coffin, and this was the first time they saw it. It was standard brown, but it had Twilight’s cutie mark on the top of it and along the front side as well.

         “Right...” Rarity said.

        All of Ponyville took the lead as they went through Canterlot. As they walked, Applejack noticed fillies crying and adults looking sad, but she felt as if it were a hollow sadness. She knew the elite cared about no pony except themselves or ponies within their circles.

        They reached Sand Swirl and Luna and noticed Celestia, but she couldn’t blame her. All the stress war and her student dying, well she would be away from society as well

        “Note to self,” Applejack thought, “Try to talk to Celestia later.”

“Where to now?”, Applejack asked the prime minister and Luna

“To the Mausoleum of Knights, where all of the great heroes of Equestria for the last 900 years have been laid to rest,” Luna replied

        The group followed Luna and Prime Minster to the mausoleum. She noticed it was across the cemetery and it a massive dome circular building. Inside there were levels of statues, which housed the bodies of soldiers, scientists, mages, philosophers, political leaders, and even a couple of dragon. Twilight was going get buried in a special section, near in the middle with her sister in law, Cadence. There were seats and a podium prepared for them. The Ponyvillains

        “Your speeches will be broadcasted all over Equestria,” Sand Swirl whispered to the girls

 Applejack sat down next to Rarity and Fluttershy to the left of Celestia, and the right of her was Luna and Sand Swirl.

        It was Luna's and Sand Swirl’s turn to speak first. They talked about how little time they'd known Twilight, but knew how much she meant to everypony and thanked her and her friends for saving Equestria numerous times, including from Luna herself. After they had got done with their speech, it was Rarity's turn to speak.

        “Hello everypony,” she said with a long, sad sigh, “Losing Twilight was like losing a best friend, which we were. She helped out with many of my designs in Ponyville and was a major influence on my work. She was a dear friend to me, and I never thought that seeing her at the train station would be the last time I would ever see her.”

        “Well, everypony, what Ah can say about Twi?” Applejack continued after Rarity finished speaking, “She helped mah family and me so many times; Ah lost track after about twenty or so. Ah was there for her and vice versa. To say losin' Twilight Sparkle is a huge blow not just for me, but to mah family – heck all of Equestria – is an understatement. Ah know some ponies in Manehattan who looked up to Twilight and Ah understand how they feel. Ah promised her Ah would be there for her until she died, and Ah wasn't.

        “Maybe Ah'm fulfillin' that right now. Twilight, wherever ya are right now, we'll miss ya, and Ah will use your lessons of friendship, to make new friends. Goodbye.”

        Everypony rose and lowered their heads. Applejack held her hat against her chest as a sign of great respect as the casket got lowered into the dirt. Afterward, everypony left for the reception area for food and drinks and to collect them. Sand Swirl approached AJ as she had some apple fritters.

        “I'm sorry for your loss, Applejack,” he said sorrowfully, putting his hoof around her shoulder, “I think it's going to be a while before Equestria truly heals from these tragedies, if ever.”

        “Thank you, Sand. It means a lot that ya said that and that ya came to the funeral,” Applejack replied, “But Ah do have one question: Why wasn't the Twilight Guard thingy not passed?”

        “Well you Applejack it takes time and resources to do that, and we'd just gotten the supplies part taken care of when Twilight kicked the bucket. So if anything, blame time for not saving the princess,” Sand Swirl explained.

        She went outside the reception and went to walk around Canterlot for few to get a breather.The saw something unbelievable: a solar guard bullying another right in front of the princesses. It was one thing to be rude and funeral, but it another to see a guards bully. After the bull had left, AJ went to him

        “Are you okay Mister?”, she said offering a hoof

        He rejected and replied, “None of your business.”

        Applejack turned away from the guards and mumbled, after left, “Rude.”

Applejack then to notice something else. An earth pony thief dressed in all black was stopped by the ponies, who she assumed were guards on the fact that they were missing their armor; their moves of how they cornered the criminal is what tipped her off. That’s one thing, but happen afterward was horrifying. Once they cornered him, they beat him to death and bag his body. Applejack followed, and they carry him off into the vast and ancient underground sewers, through a sewer lid no less.  These made Applejack feel appalled and went to Fluttershy who is sitting be herself with her head low

        “Fluttershy, I know you can’t talk,” she in almost a whisper, “But I need your help, but I need you to answer some question, but don’t worry I’ll keep them to yay or nay questions.”

        She looked up at Applejack with a faint smile and Applejack started to ask her. She first asked if she saw what the guards were doing. Fluttershy responded by the first lowering head and then nodding. She then asked if she felt something was off in Canterlot, like something not rubbing you right beside the guards; Fluttershy also nodded. Her last question was if she would help her. At first, Fluttershy was uncertain, and Applejack went to get snack and drinks as she waited for an answer. Near the end after they were done eating she nodded. Applejack then asked if she was sure and she nodded again.