Prologue - Scars of the Past.

What would you do, if your world forever changed? What would you do, if your life took on a new meaning? What would you do, if you had to learn to live again? These are the questions I ask myself every night. The events of my past gave me scars. Scars that frequently made themselves known.

I jolt awake, sweating like a waterfall as I cling to my sheets. Panting for breath, I try to calm my pulsing heart. It was futile, for nothing could stop it once it began. Nothing, of course, except time.

I bring a shaking hoof to my throbbing head in an attempt to clear the fog that clouded my brain. "It was only a dream, Apple Bloom," I look out the window that adorned the far wall, the moon shining brightly in the sky above, "It was only a dream."

Apple Bloom awoke to the sound of little, filly hooves scurrying down the hall. "Ma, wake up!" The filly exclaimed as she burst through the door and jumped up on her mother's bed, tail wiggling behind her.

Apple Bloom, now finally opening her eyes, chuckled at her daughter's antics. "You're the only filly Ah know who wakes up at..." she peered to the clock on the far wall, "6:00 in the morning?!" She looked back to her ecstatic daughter and relented on telling her to go back to sleep. "All right, all right. Ah'm up."

The little filly, squealing in delight, bounced off the bed and scurried back down the hall. Apple Bloom, for her part, collapsed back onto her pillows.

"She can wait a few more minutes," Tender Taps said, rolling over to wrap a hoof atop his sleep-drunken wife.

With a groan, she willed herself to her tired hooves, "Ya, but if I don't move now, I never will." She promised little Apple Blossom she would help her with her Nightmare Night costume, and she wasn't known for going back on her word.

Grabbing her hoof, Tender Taps had a look of worry, "Sleep well?"

Sighing, Apple Bloom said, "No."

"Another nightmare?" Asked Tender Taps.

"Ya," Answered Apple Bloom.

"Want to talk about it?" Tender Taps knew Apple Bloom has been having on and off nightmares for years, but they were getting worse as of late. And as her husband, he was bound determined to help her in any way he could.

"No."

Tender Taps looked to his wife with a look she couldn't quite place, "Dear, it's been years. Don't you think you should talk to her?"

Apple Bloom knitted her brows, "If we wanted to talk to each other, we would have done it already. She has her life, and I have mine," seeing the new look Tender was giving her, she added, "end of discussion."

Sighing, Tender sat up in their bed, "Ok, but if you need me, I'm always open to talk. You know that right."

"I know," she said as she walked up and nuzzled him, "and I'm sorry. I just didn't have a good night sleep."

"And pray to Princess Celestia if you don't get your beauty sleep, Miss Apple."

Smiling, she took a hoof and booped him in the noise, "Ya, you just graced yourself with more work for today."

Completely shocked, Tender gasped, "I was joking hun!"

"Ya, but I wasn't," she finished.

Standing back to her hooves, she looked to the window and saw the sun barely starting to rise over the fields. That little filly could put a rooster to shame. She couldn't think of a day when even she would get up that early. The more she thought about it, there was only one pony who could get up as early as her daughter did.

Eyes wide, Apple Bloom shook her head and trotted her way towards the door. "One thought at a time. First and foremost, breakfast," she proclaimed to herself, pushing her way through the early morning haze clouding her mind.

Apple Blossom was a small filly with a pale coat and a red mane and tail. She had a pink bow in her hair, much like her mother did when she was younger. But, unlike her mother, she wore hers off to the side in a pigtail-like fashion.

She skipped along the dirt road as she made her way to the Ponyville Market. She needed to get supplies for her costume, and she didn't have a moment to wait. Nightmare Night was next week, and every filly and colt at school already had their costumes obtained.

Her mother had agreed to help her, as long as she did extra chores around the farm for the week. She didn't like the idea of extra work, but her costume required the utmost attention. She agreed to the terms, and the next morning, she was on her way to the market to pick up supplies for both her costume and the farm.

While she walked, she found time to think about the upcoming Nightmare Night party she would be attending. She was still overjoyed that Miss Cheerilee gave her the honor of decorating the classroom for the party. She was also delighted to know her mother would be accompanying her. It wasn't like her mom to go to events.

That thought made her pause the more she thought about it. Why had her mother decided to attend? It wasn't that big of a party, and it was just for the students. There were plenty of times her mother could have gone to an event, but she always turned them down. "Too much work needs ta be done," she would say.

Apple Blossom stopped when something in the sky caught her eye. She turned her head to see a figure flying high overhead. She would have just disregarded it as a pegasus, had it not been for the oddly shaped wings. It looked almost like a giant bat more than a pegasus. The more she peered at it, though, she confirmed she did see hooves.

She followed the figure with her eyes as it traveled into the distance. She sprang to her hooves in a gallop. Her Nightmare Night costume can wait. Whatever this creature was, it was something else.

She ran through the busy streets of Ponyville with her eyes towards the sky. She jumped, dipped, weaved, and dodged as she past pony after pony. She was surprised she hadn't hit anything yet, "Ouch!"

She fell to the ground as she ran into something. Rubbing her temples, she looked to see who she hit. What surprised her, even more, was that it wasn't a pony. It was a thing. It was a tall, tree-like thing. That in mind, she concluded it was, in fact, a tree.

She looked to her left. More trees. She peered to her right. Even more trees. It wasn't until a moment later that she finally realized where she was. It was the border of the Everfree Forest.

She ducked low and slinked back. She was told never to go into the forest, but she hadn't known why. She glanced back to the sky, seeing the creature fly overhead. In a flash, it vanished deep into the thick forest.

Then, Apple Blossom had a dilemma. She could either go home or follow the creature into the forest. On one hoof, she didn't want to enter the forest. Too many ponies had told her not to venture into it. On the other, the desire to know what this creature was, was tempting.

"I could check the library," she thought as she looked back towards Ponyville. By then, however, she likely would never get a chance to see the creature again.

With her mind made up, she turned and stood to her hooves, making her way into the forest.

The forest was dark and cold. It looked like the trees were in pain and the wind only added to the creepy atmosphere. The ground seemed to move under her hooves and messed with her balance. She got dazed from gazing at the terrain, but looking at the trees weren't any better. So she chose to study the sky. Watching at the sky, however, also proved problematic due to the leaves in the trees.

She looked back down and became aware of something exceedingly important. She didn't recognize the trees around her. Looking left and right, up and down, slantways and all ways she could think of until she finally gave in. The worst thing had officially happened. She was very lost.

Starting to panic, a look of worry pledged her face. How long had she been in here? How far had she walked? Where was the sun? Where was her mother?

Collapsing to the ground, she began to cry.

As the sounds of her weeping entered her ears, another sound joined in. It was low and menacing. It was much like a deep growl, which then turned to a bark. Jolting her head up, Apple Blossom saw the scariest creature she had ever seen. Standing in front of her, was a Timberwolf. But, not a Timberwolf?

It looked like a Timberwolf, but very pony-like, much like the flying figure. It was a deep orange with bright, green, glowing eyes that seemed to look far into her soul. She was scared, but something felt different and strangely familiar.

Accepting her fate, she covered her face and waited for the lashing to began. But it never came. The wolf walked up to her and sniffed her red hair. It jolted back following a sniff to her pink bow. Whimpering, the wolf crouched down close to the filly. It could feel Apple Blossom shaking beside her. Without pause, it grabbed the small pony and placed her on its back.

Apple Blossom lifted her head in surprise. Did the wolf just put her on its back? Looking down, she saw the wolf walking forwards at a slow pace.

While it walked, she got a close look at the pony-like beast. It had a dark blonde mane and tail with a red ponytail. It also had what looked to be a wooden collar on its neck and bracer-like wooden shielding on its legs. She glanced behind her and saw the creature had a cutie mark of three, slime-green apples. That did it on her suspicions of it being pony-like.

"Who are you?" Apple Blossom asked as the pony-like, wolf-like, creature looked back at her. After a moment, it shook its head and continued forward.

Apple Blossom was only on the creatures back for a few more minutes before she saw light up ahead. It was the edge of the forest. Squinting her eyes, Apple Blossom could see Sweet Apple Acres in the distance. How did this creature know where to go? How did this creature know this was her home? Who was this creature?

Before she could ask any of these questions, however, the wolf-like creature deposited the filly on the ground in front of it. Looking between the orchard and the wolf, Apple Blossom had another choice to make. Go home, or see who this creature was. And again before she could think on the matter further, the creature nudged her forward towards the barn.

The contact was sudden, but again strange. It felt familiar but alien. Looking towards the wolf, it began to walk back to the forest, certainly not wanting to stay any longer. Apple Blossom sprang to her hooves and called out, "thank you."

The being stopped and looked back to the filly. Its facial expression spoke words that Apple Blossom didn't understand. And she thought she could see a tear in its eye. The creature turned and entered the forest, leaving behind a very confused filly.

She looked back towards the barn as an idea came to mind. She might not have the answers she wanted, but she knew where to find them.

"Apple Blossom, where have you been?" Apple Bloom called out as she ran to the filly's side. Apple Blossom stopped as she and her mother embraced. "Ah was so worried about you."

Apple Blossom broke the hug first, looking away. "Ah know, and Ah'm sorry Ma. Ah didn't mean ta worry ya."

Apple Bloom put a hoof under her daughter's chin. "Where were you?"

Apple Blossom tried to look away, but she couldn't under her mothers gaze. "Ah... Ah went into the Everfree Forest."

Apple Bloom's eyes shrank to the size of pine needles at the mention of that accursed forest. "Why?"

Apple Blossom breathed a sigh and started, "Ah was walking ta the market when Ah saw this strange figure flying through the sky. Ah followed it into the Everfree Forest, but then Ah got lost."

She paused, and Apple Bloom noticed. "How did you get back?"

Apple Blossom looked away. "Ah ran into a Timberwolf, and it helped me back." She looked down, confused tears welling in her eyes. "But it wasn't a Timberwolf. It was different and pony-like." Looking back at her mother, she said, "who was it, Momma?"

Apple Blossom didn't say "momma" very often, but when she did, Apple Bloom knew she needed her. Apple Bloom crouched down to be eye level with her daughter, a sad smile on her face. "That was your aunt Applejack."

Author's Note

Merry Christmas everybody. I got an extra chapter out just for you guys. Tally-ho.

Older Apple Bloom

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