It was dark. The entire Apple house was silent as the darkness cloaked it. The only visible light came from the windows, with Luna’s waning moon offering a meager nightlight to those still awake at the early morning hour. However, the light wasn’t enough for a small yellow filly.
Her mind had woken her up against her wishes. With her eyes open, she saw some of the moonlight enter her room, but it did nothing to help her. She clutched her quilt and stuffed dragon plush tightly in hopes it would offer comfort. Her racing mind refused to let her go back to sleep.
Sitting up in her bed, she looked toward the window. A gentle breeze was blowing by, the faint sound was barely audible over her own breathing. She could faintly smell the morning, which would normally be a calming scent, but not now. The filly turned to look at her bedroom door. It was open and led into the pitch black hallway. Silently, climbed down from her bed onto the floor. The squeaky floorboards echoed as she stepped down, causing her heart to jump. With her hooves, she grabbed both her pillow and her plush and journeyed down through the doorway and into the darkened hall.
Very little was visible in the hall. A few other doors were open, a weak stream of moonlight came out from a few of the doors, providing just enough light for the filly. Nevertheless, she took her time, carefully taking each step towards her predetermined destination. The only sound were each of her hoofsteps against the aging floorboards. Each step rang out like thunder in her mind.
Finally, she reached the door at the end of the hall. It was slightly ajar. Carefully, she pressed her hoof against the door, opening it. Inside, the small amount of moonlight from the window illuminated the room. The filly didn’t need to examine the room, as she knew it well. Her eyes were set on the bed in front of her, and the pony that rested on it.
She quietly trotted up to the bed. A large stallion was lying on the bed, wrapped up in the quilts with a nightcap resting at the top of his head and resting peacefully. The filly felt bad for disturbing him. With the hoof holding the plush, poked at the stallion. It took a few tries, but she managed to wake him.
The stallion opened his eyes to reveal a filly standing at the side of his bed. Her giant pink bow might not have been on her head, but he knew his youngest sister anywhere. Her face was both tired and distressed. “Apple Bloom?” he weakly spoke in his low voice.
“Ah had a bad dream….” she softly said, almost as if she was guilty.
“Oh, ah sorry ta hear that,” he rubbed his eye as he sat up a little in his bed.
“Can ah sleep with ya, Big Mac?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Of course,” Big Mac said as he scooted his body back to make room for her.
His answer seemed to make the filly smile as she climbed up onto his bed. She made herself comfortable on top of the quilt that covered her brother and placed her pillow up against Big Mac’s body.
“It’s been awhile since ya done this,” Big Mac commented in a joking manner
Apple Bloom didn’t find it amusing as she clutched her dragon plush tighter.
The stallion realized his blunder. He then asked, “What was yer nightmare about?”
“Ah don’t wanna talk about it….” Apple Bloom said sourly.
“Ya sure, Apple Bloom?” Big Mac asked, “it might make ya feel better.”
She was quiet. “It was jus’ a dumb nightmare is all….”
“Doesn’t sound that dumb ta me.”
Again, Apple Bloom made a sour expression, however it turned into worry. “Ah was….frightened by my dream. It was about Applejack….”
This got Big Mac’s attention, “Applejack?”
“She’s always away now….doin’ stuff with her friends….dangerous stuff….” Apple Bloom continued, “an' ah’m scared that somethin’ might….might happen to her. Applejack an' all of her friends are always riskin’ themselves fer us an’....an’....”
“Was this in yer dream?”
Apple Bloom nodded. It was enough for Big Mac to feel her body move.
“Ya got nothin’ ta worry about. Yer sister is a strong pony an' her friends got her back, jus’ like she’s got theirs,” Big Mac said calmly.
“But….But what if Queen Chrysalis comes back, or if she joins forces with King Sombra an' attack everypony? Or if those mean ol’ dragons attack Ponyville or if that Tantabus-thing comes back an' haunts everypony’s nightmares again? Oh! Oh! An' what about Discord? He could do Celestia-knows-what to us!” Apple Bloom began frantically listing a number of possible scenarios. “Ah….Ah don’t wanna think what might happen ta Applejack!”
Big Mac was silent after Apple Bloom finished speaking. She turned up to look at her older brother. As she did so, he spoke softly, “Ever since that Nightmare Moon business a while back, ah’ve been scared for Applejack, too. It frightens me of what might happen, it always does. But do ya wanna know what keeps mah spirits up?”
“What’s that?” Apple Bloom asked, looking up towards her brother.
“It’s knowin’ that Applejack isn’t alone. She’s out there helpin’ anypony in need because she knows it’s the right thing ta do. An' each time she’s out there riskin’ life an’ limb, she’s got the best back-up she could ask for.”
“She does?”
Big Mac nodded, “That she does. In fact, ya could say Applejack’s friends are a lot like yer friends. Dedicated, loyal, kind, brave, an' all-around good ponies.”
A small smile appeared on Apple Bloom’s face as she thought about the other Cutie Mark Crusaders. However, her thoughts came back to her and her worries got the best of her, “But what if the Diamond Dogs capture her again? An’ before she can get rescued, a dragon comes an' carries her away to a boat to the middle of the ocean, an’....an’ the boat hits an iceberg an' sinks….an’....an’ piranhas show up an’ attack!”
The stallion couldn’t help but smile at the little filly’s overactive imagination, “Worryin’ about the ‘what-ifs’ ain’t gonna help.”
“Ah know….ah jus’....ah jus’ don’t wanna lose her….”
Big Mac’s demeanor dropped as he matched the worry, “Ah know, me neither.”
The silence returned to the air.
“Ya know, ah bet Applejack is jus’ as scared fer us as we are fer her,” Big Mac broke the stillness.
“Huh?”
“Applejack is a tough pony, but she wasn’t always like that. In fact, she used to ask ta sleep in mah bed just like ya when she had a bad dream,” Big Mac explained.
This surprised Apple Bloom, “She did?”
“It’s true. An’ ah can tell ya what ah told her: it’s natural ta be afraid. If ya ain’t at least a lil’ bit afraid, there must be somethin’ wrong. But ta ward off that fear ya got, ya gotta learn to be brave,” Big Mac’s voice was hushed, as if he was whispering a secret to his sister, “It’s not easy, not in the least. But ya gotta have courage, an' gotta have a little faith.”
Apple Bloom repeated what her brother said to herself, “Courage….”
“Granny Smith told me somethin’ once, an' ah’m sure she told it ta Applejack, too. It’s that the night might be long, but the dawn always comes. Ah guess ah never really thought about it all that much until all that scary stuff started happenin’,” the stallion mused as he closed his eyes. “Yer sister is a brave one, that ah know. An' while she might not show it, she’s also afraid. She doesn’t want ta think of what might happen if she or her friends fail when it comes ta the fate of all of Equestria. She goes on despite any an' all fear, even if she’s outclassed. Honestly, if that ain’t courage, ah don’t know what is.”
“Ah….Ah never thought of it like that….” Apple Bloom was dumbfounded.
“A little bravery is all ya need ta not let the fear get the best of ya.” Big Mac concluded, “Ah know ya got a lot of courage in that lil’ body of yers. Yer an Apple, after all.”
Apple Bloom smiled. “Hey, Big Mac?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank ya….ah’m sorry fer wakin’ ya up for this….”
The stallion playfully tussled his sister’s mane with one of his hooves, “What are big brother’s for?”
A soft smile appeared on her face as she made herself more comfortable against his quilt-covered body. She tightened her hold on her plush.
“We both should try ta get off ta sleep. We both got a big day in the mornin’,” Big Mac said softly.
“Okay,” Apple Bloom quietly replied. A few moments later, she spoke again. “Hey, Big Mac? Could ya sing me the lullaby?”
“The lullaby? Ya mean the one that Applejack used to sing to ya?”
Apple Bloom nodded, “Yeah, that one.”
“But ah’m not as good as Applejack for that song.”
“Please?”
Big Mac couldn’t help but oblige. “Alright, but remember, ah’m not great at singin’ it.”
“It’s okay.”
Closing his eyes, the stallion started to softly sing: “Here’s a song fer ya ta sleep to,/Rest yer weary legs an’ fall asleep./Go an’ be so strong in dreams./Go an’ be so strong in dreams.”
With the little light in the room, Big Mac could see that this acapella singing was indeed soothing his little sister.
“Ah have found the notes that heal,/Ah can aim them at yer legs./Go an’ be so strong in dreams./ Here’s a song for ya ta sleep to,/Rest yer weary legs an’ drift away./Go an’ be so strong in dreams./Go an’ be so strong in dreams.”
Apple Bloom had drifted off to sleep, a small, peaceful smile on her face.
“G’night, Apple Bloom. See ya in the mornin’.”
END
