The Last Queen of the Blaze

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11

Chapter 1

Ponyville had always been a quiet town. Every day, the ponies would go about their business, with the usual greetings of "Hello there," or "Hi, how are you?" The shopkeepers would open up shop in the early hours of the morning, and close when the sun had set behind the mountains overlooking the town. The royal castle in Canterlot, just up North of the town, still shone like a diamond no matter the time.

Nothing interesting ever really happened anymore. Ask almost anypony there, and they would say that life had been quiet ever since Twilight Sparkle ascended the throne as Equestria's ruler. With her wisdom, almost any dispute could be solved rather quickly, and every single pony adored her for it. No more dark magic, or evil tyrants trying to take over the world. Life was simple, quiet, and lovely thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her faithful friends.

On the other hand, if you asked Applebloom why and when life got so quiet, she would tell you that it began right after her sister Applejack passed away.

Yes, life was peaceful, and everypony got along, but life still continues and ends. One's life is never full of simply joyous days and fond times, no matter how happy everyone else is with their own. Grief was something that no magic could mend, and Applebloom had been grieving for a long time.

It had happened so suddenly. After Twilight ascended the throne, Applejack kept helping out the townsfolk, maintaining the family farm, and keeping the family of her brother, her sister, and herself happy. Of course, Applebloom's cousin Babs Seed and the rest of her extensive family, and Applebloom's friends and their families kept in touch every so often, and the Apple family felt whole for once ever since the loss of their beloved Granny Smith.

But then the disease came. It happened one day when Applejack passed out on the field, and her older brother Big Macintosh carried her back to the barn on his back. At first, Applebloom was worried for her sister, and was ready to call a doctor, but Applejack insisted she was fine, and the next day, she went right back to working in the orchard.

That's normal, thought Applbloom at the time. AJ is always working so hard for us...

The young filly thought it would be best to not think about it and let the illness run its course. AJ was strong.

No amount of admiration for her sister could prevent what happened a few days later. The disease only got worse. At one point Applejack began to cough, hacking up blood as she was picking the apples from the very orchard she worked so hard on for countless hours. At that point, Big Macintosh finally drove her over to the hospital.

Applejack's friends caught the news, including Twilight Sparkle, and stayed by her side for many days. Applebloom's own friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, held her hand as she wept at her sister's bedside.

"I'll be okay, sugarcube..." said Applejack, tenderly stroking her sister's cheek with her hoof, and wiping away the tears. "Don't you cry for me..."

Applebloom could only sniffle and nodded, and with her energy exhausted, she fell asleep, still clutching her sister's cold hand.

The sound of a young child wailing was heard across town in the morning, when the doctors came and bought the bad news.

Everypony in that small town was gathered outside the hospital, and every one of them wept upon hearing the young apple farm girl was gone. Still, no amount of consolation or sympathy from the vast crowd of people could bring peace to Applebloom. The young filly ran back home, ignoring the pleading cries of her friends and brother, locking herself in her room. For days on end, she wept uncontrollably, bundled up and hidden underneath her blankets. During those days her brother would knock and ask if she wanted food, to no response but the constant wails of her sister. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle tried to get their friend to come out to their treehouse just to talk, but the response was always the same.

"Go away...." followed by sniffles that devolved into incomprehensible crying.

Twilight Sparkle herself halted her duties to walk over to Sweet Apple Acres, in an attempt to mend the young girl's broken spirit. Applejack's closest friends, Rainbow Dash and Rarity, followed her.

By now, Applebloom's eyes couldn't even produce the tears she wanted. Her throat was dry, but she still hiccuped and sobbed, loud enough for the three mares to hear outside her room.

Twilight looked at Big Macintosh, who hung his head in sorrow.

"It's been almost three days," he said, in his low baritone. "She hasn't slept, she hasn't even touched the food I left by her door. I even climbed up to her window to give her some pie."

"And?" asked Rainbow Dash. She somewhat regretted saying that once the word left her mouth,but Big Macintosh paid no mind to the potentially rude tone of voice.

"It's still on her windowsill," he sighed, his heart heavy with guilt.

Twilight laid her hoof on Macintosh's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. None of this is your fault," she said calmly. Her eyes still watered as Macintosh leaned slightly away from her hoof, the regret and sadness still marked on his face.

"The poor thing..." said Rarity, wiping away her own eyes with a handkerchief. "I honestly feel the same way. Applejack meant so much to me, as well..."

Rainbow bit her lip. Despite the tragedy of the situation that befell her, she held onto her tough demeanor, hoping that she could convince herself that things weren't that bad, that the pain would go away soon enough.

She knocked on the door, firmly enough to be heard among the whimpering sounds of the crying filly inside, but gentle enough to not scare her away.

"Hey, sport..." said Rainbow, her voice now starting to break before she cleared her throat. From the other side of the door came a coarse, dry reply of "What ... do you want?"

Rainbow struggled to find her next words, and Rarity stepped forward towards the door.

"Please, darling..." said Rarity, as tenderly as one could say. "We just want to talk to you. We know how you feel, and we know that it hurts, but we're worried for you. Sweetie Belle cried herself to sleep last night, over how worried she was about you. You can't stay miserable like this..."

Now Rarity's voice faltered as a small sound came from the room. Applebloom slowly raised herself from her bed, her hair disheveled and eyes sore. She walked towards the door, and with her throat and her eyes sore.

"I said I don't wanna talk! I want my sister back!" Applebloom cried from the other side of the door. She descended into a weak flurry of whimpers and hiccups, but she had no strength to cry anymore.

Rarity opened her mouth to respond, but at this point her own tears were choking herself. Rainbow interjected, with both frustration and sadness in her voice, banging on the door twice and said, "For crying out loud! You're 14 years old, and a whole life ahead of you! You can't spend the rest of your life shut off from everyone! You can't be miserable forever - you have to live! It's what AJ would have wanted!"

Rarity broke down, and Applebloom's footsteps could be heard once again approaching the door. "I... I said leave!" came the small voice, sounding unsure of herself. "Don't talk about her! Don't tell me what she wanted! I know she loved me, but that love is gone! She's gone!" Applebloom's yells echoed throughout the house, and within the hearts of the four standing outside.

Big Macintosh bit his lower lip, trying to fight back the tears swelling up in his eyes. Rarity continued to weep silently, and Rainbow Dash lowered her eyes and head, trying to think of what to say next without suffocating on how vain her own words were.

Throughout all of this, Twilight was silent, deep in thought. Her heart ached dearly at the sight, as if it were burning her from the inside, begging her to burst in and console the young girl. She finally approached the door, and spoke.

"Applebloom.... Applejack's love was never lost." The other three raised their heads to look at their friend, who laid her hoof on the door. "Her love and her kindness are remembered, carried on through us. Think back, Applebloom," she continued, now laying her head against the door. "All her accomplishments, all her achievements, they couldn't compare to how proud she was of her family. Especially you."

Big Macintosh walked next to Twilight, looking up at her. Twilight glanced back, smiling. "She lived a wonderful life, so full of joy, in no small part thanks to you two." Here, she raised her head to look at the door. "You must do the same, not just for her sake but for your own."

"Live, little one, so that you can bring joy to others in your life, as she did in hers." Twilight finished, smiling gently.

Rainbow and Rarity looked at each other, then back at Twilight, with their hearts at ease. Rarity wiped the tears from her eyes, and Rainbow spoke once more. "Trust me, kid, she meant a lot to us, too. If there was anything we could have done to save her, you know we would have leapt at the chance. She'll still always be with us, though, and if there's anything we can do to help you now, just say the word."

Rarity raised her eyebrow slightly amidst her tears, slightly questioning Rainbow's word choice. Rainbow looked back at her, signifying that she meant well. "It was the only thing I could think to say..." she mumbled.

The door creaked open. The two mares snapped their attention back to the door. Twilight and Big Mac took one step away from the door, as the small figure emerged from the room.

Rarity gasped at the sight. Rainbow Dash backed away from the young filly, deeply disturbed. Twilight and Macintosh's eyes widened as Applebloom approached them.

She was almost unrecognizable. Her bright red hair was now a dark rose, disheveled and let down the sides and back of her neck and head. Her eyes were dry but red, swollen with tears, and full of bitter fire one could only describe as pure hatred.

Her pale yellow tone was dulled, and muted, creating a shade of gray that Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity immediately recognized They, too, had undergone such a transformation, and the chaotic memories that ensued their feelings of sympathy were overwhelmed by the sense of utter fury that was radiating from Applebloom.

The young filly grit her teeth, leaning forward as she stepped towards the queen. "Anything you could have done to save her?" she repeated, growling deeply. "Why didn't you save her? You're the element of MAGIC, for the love of Tartarus! You couldn't have cured her with a magic spell? Or use yer smarts to come up with something? I've seen you do it before, so WHY?" she said the final word with such aggressive emotion that everyone else took two steps back in fear and worry.

Twilight sighed slowly as the young filly breathed heavily. "The disease that resided within AJ was not something we could cure. It lay deep within her physical heart, and could not have been removed without the likely chance of killing her then and there. It was too risky, and her heart had already been heavily worn out from her work."

Twilight lowered her head, closing her eyes in solemn silence. "I'm sorry, but there was no magic that could have saved her."

Applebloom's breaths began to rapidly increase in frequency, until her eyes shot wide open, completely revealing her bloodshot eyes.

"TOO RISKY?" she screamed. "You mean there was a CHANCE you could have SAVED HER, and YOU DID NOTHING?!"

Before Twilight could respond, Applebloom tackled Twilight into the wall, with her hoofs on Twilight's throat. Caught off-guard, Twilight lay in shock at the sudden strength surging through Applebloom.

This is... Applejack's strength? Twilight thought to herself.

"I'll kill you... I'LL KILL YOU!" screamed Applebloom, as she continued her onslaught, gripping Twilight's neck and pounding her face with her hooves. Big Macintosh and Rainbow Dash grabbed the girl by the legs and back, wrestling her away from the mostly unharmed Twilight, much to the frustrated protests of the furious filly, who proceeded to break down into a weeping heap on the ground once more. Rarity watched the scene from a few meters away, her hoofs covered her mouth in shock.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." blubbered the young filly, laying on the ground curled, with her front foreleg over her eyes. "I don't know why this is happening.... I can't think straight... it hurts...."

Twilight delicately approached the crying child, wrapping her hoof around her small body and embracing her.

"You're grieving, dear," Twilight responded simply. "I understand. The feeling is understandable, yet at the same time, it doesn't make sense, and frankly, I don't think it ever will. The best we can do is make sure our feelings do not continue to lead us to bitterness and hatred."

Twilight released the girl from her hug, allowing the others to embrace the young filly, their eyes as misty as her own. "It's okay to cry. It's even okay to be angry, even at me, but in the end, we must let joy prevail."

She stroked Applebloom's wet cheek, and kissed the top of her head. "Live, dear Applebloom, and remember that Applejack will never be truly gone."

Applebloom sniffled, looking up at her brother and her friends. Macintosh looked down and smiled, embracing her sister tightly.

You could have saved her... now she's gone.

The words rang in her mind like fading bells, distinct but getting farther and farther away.

Twilight looked back out the door, looking towards the castle in the distance.

"I must go now," she said, turning her attention back to Applebloom. "I know you will heal, for you are as strong as your sister, and you have her spirit." Twilight's voice was as soothing as milk to the young filly's ears, and Applebloom immediately began to feel the exhaustion that came with her actions over the past three days.

"Know that we will be there to help you at any time." And with that, Twilight bid her farewells to the family, and a shimmering violet portal appeared in the air before her. She passed through it, and she was gone.

You could have helped her...

Applebloom watched as Macintosh stroked her hair, rubbing her head in affection as he tried to straighten her hair. Rainbow Dash bid the others a hearty farewell, wishing them well, and flew off up towards the clouds. Rarity pulled out a handkerchief, taking Applebloom's hoof and leading her down the hall.

"Come now, dearie," she said, as Macintosh led the way through the house, as the light of the morning sun began to shine on the floors and walls. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Applebloom nodded in silence, as Rarity pulled out a hair comb from her dress, and began brushing the ruby red hair, now having regained some of its color. Macintosh fetched a towel hanging front the rack, and soaked it under the running water of the bathroom sink, before Applebloom graciously took it from his hands, and gently rubbed her face with it.

Macintosh headed to the kitchen, offering Rarity breakfast.

"No, I'm afraid not," came her reply. "I have to go back and check on Sweetie Belle, before the boutique opens up."

Macintosh nodded in understanding, looking at his sister, who still looked downcast as Rarity brushed Applebloom's hair back into its original shape.

While not as present as before, her skin still carried a faint shade of gray, and her eyes were still glossed over. And if they could look deep within her heart, they would still see the anger and despair still pulsating like a metronome.

You could have saved her....

Applebloom raised her head as Rarity finished. "Are you feeling better, sweetie?"

There was a long pause. Applebloom turned to look at Rarity, only able to give a small smile. "Yup. Thank ya' kindly.." she answered.

Now she's gone.

Chapter 2

10 Years Later

The sun was once again arising, and the cool autumn air blew across the fields and mountains, signaling the season’s recent arrival. The fresh leaves had begun to flutter across the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, landing gently on the damp fields of wheat and vegetables that lay in wait, ready to be picked. The harvest season had come early that year. The rains produced forth good soil, and the afternoons were bright and warm. The leaves on the plants and vegetables were especially bright and green, in contrast with the red and orange leaves forming on the outside of the trees.

The light peered through the window of the barn surrounded by the orchards and fields, shining down on the wooden floors of a familiar bedroom. The light spread through the room, beaming over the closed eyes of a young mare, lying in bed and snuggled cozyily under her covers. Her eyelids twitched when the sunlight brushed over it, then opened lazily at the sound of a rooster’s crow. She blinked twice to let her eyes adjust, then quietly slid out of bed. She grabbed the small pink ribbon that lay on her bedside and trotted up to the bathroom mirror. Placing the ribbon in her mouth, she tied up her hair with her hooves, untangling the slightly messy mound into a puffed ponytail. The ribbon on the back of her head formed a bow, looking similar to a pair of butterfly wings.

Grabbing the toothbrush, she heard the sound of another pony walking out of his room, yawning.

“Morning, brother,” said Applebloom, as she squeezed the toothpaste onto the toothbrush and began rubbing the bristles across her teeth.

“Morning…” he responded, glancing at his sister as he walked up beside her. He grabbed a bright red toothbrush from the counter next to the sink, and Applebloom handed him the toothpaste without looking up.

“Are you heading off to the market today?” Big Macintosh asked, looking at his little sister as he spit out the toothpaste. By now, Applebloom was still smaller than him, but she was now up to his lower chin, much like how Applejack was.

Unlike her sister, Applebloom was slimmer, and had nowhere near the same amount of muscle fiber. She had the figure of an ordinary, healthy mare, much like her sister had, which was fine, but something was off.

She didn’t look healthy. Macintosh thought no more of this, as he didn’t wish to give away the fact that he was comparing his two sisters.

Applebloom took no notice of her brother’s face as she spat out her toothpaste and turned on the faucet to rinse her mouth.

“Yeah, ah’ am,” she said simply. “Ah’ got the barrels loaded up on the wagon yesterday, and I checked that we got all the stuff we need.”

Her voice, at this point, often would flip between showing her accent and not showing it, but more importantly, she sounded bored, tired even. Macintosh eyed his sister carefully, then laid his hoof on her shoulder.

“Are ya feeling okay?” he asked gently.

Applebloom sighed, now sounding annoyed. “You ask that every morning now…” she retorted. “I’m fine, stop asking.”

The two of them walked side-by-side downstairs to the kitchen in silence, and Applebloom kept her gaze dead ahead. She turned at the bottom of the stairs towards the kitchen countertop, where the coffee machine sat. The device hummed to life as Applebloom pressed the buttons with her hoof, and the black steaming drink dribbled down into her cup. Meanwhile, Macintosh had pulled out a half-eaten loaf of banana bread that produced a fine, almost intoxicating aroma that filled the room. He removed the wrapping on top and began cutting it into squares large enough for them to get through the morning. Carefully, he wrapped up the squares in small checkered cloths and handed one to his sister, who was now calmly sipping her drink.

She muttered a half-hearted “Thank you” as she lowered her cup and put the bread and cloth in her brown knapsack. Macintosh had heated up a pan with a cup of pancake batter in his other hand, and had turned around to take a look at his sister before she left for the morning.

“Hey, do ya want-” She was already gone. The door shut just as the rest of pancake batter had entered the pan and begun to sizzle. He sighed, looking out the door in silence

“I’ll just leave some out here for you when you get back,” he said to the empty space where Applebloom had been sitting.

The barnyard was just as she left it the previous night: the hay had been set to the back corner next to the barrels holding the cider, the large wagon sitting in the center of the building holding wooden crates of green and red apples set next to each other, the cows slept in the aisles along the edge of the barn, and the tools were set and hung on the corkboard on the wall.

Set in the ground next to the wagon was a small pitchfork, with its head driven into the dirt. Applebloom walked over to the tool, eyeing the handle and recalling the night prior. Her coffee hadn’t lasted her as long as she wanted, and she returned home, rubbing her eyes and the bridge of her nose. Driving the wagon back into the barn, she slid the harness off her back and was ready to head out the door as she walked past Applejack shoveling away at the last of the straw.

She raised her head and turned around where AJ was, except she wasn’t there. The pitchfork was, having slid off the back of the wagon and fallen to the ground. The flash of dull orange and the sound of the hay rustling was the handle falling down and hitting the pile of hay Applebloom had moved to make way for the wagon. Applebloom gently raised it in her hand and looked down at the object. She raised her head where she saw her sister, but saw nothing but the barrels of leftover apples from the day of sales. The barrel had tipped over gently, and was slanted where the pitchfork had been on the wagon. A lone apple dropped from the barrel, rolling towards Applebloom’s feet. The mare picked it up, then looked at the dark red skin covered in dirt. She brushed the fruit off with her hoof, and blew on it for good measure.

“Ya can’t be lazy about these things, Applebloom. Ya gotta wash it,” came her sister’s voice.

Applebloom froze in place. She grit her teeth, leaning her forehead against the wagon’s wheel, still holding the apple. She felt dizzy. The barn felt like it was turning on its side. Slowly, the migraine turned into agony, as her sister’s voice permeated the air once more.

“Sugarcube, ya hear me? Are you alright?” The voice became more and more clear, as did the pain in her head. She turned around, throwing the apple back onto the wagon and staring right through the barn doors.

Applejack was there, standing right before her. Except she wasn’t. She was laying her hoof on Applebloom’s trembling face, except she wasn’t. She was smiling, except she wasn’t.

“Everything’s gonna turn up fine, sugarcube,” said a voice that sounded like Applejack’s. Except it wasn’t.

Applebloom screamed in anger and agony, picking up the pitchfork with her eyes shut and streaming tears.

“GO AWAY!” she cried out, slamming the tip of the pitchfork into the ground where her sister was standing. The spinning stopped, and the air rang still. Applebloom was heaving breaths, face hot and cheeks wet, slowly letting go of the handle of the pitchfork.

“She’s not here, she’s not here….” Applebloom mumbled to herself. She trotted slowly away from the wagon and out the barn door.

“Ah wish you were here…” she mumbled to herself in a half-whispering sort of way.

______________________________________________________________________________

Applebloom recalled her reason for coming to the barn that morning. She grabbed the harness she had set aside the previous night, and secured it onto her own body. She checked the barrels behind her, saw that they were refilled, and was just about to leave when her brother approached her.

“Leaving so soon?” he asked inquisitively. Applebloom scoffed and walked past her sibling, tugging the wagon behind her. Her eye gave a stare that seemed to look right through Macintosh, sending a cold sweat behind his back.

“Ah told ya’, I’ll be fine, stop asking!” said Applebloom angrily. Her final word was loud enough to surprise even herself, and make Macintosh take a step back. She shut her eyes tight and lowered and shook her head. Her grit teeth began to loosen, but the tension ringing in her head remained.

“... I’m sorry… I’m going now…” she mumbled, continuing her path towards the town. A strong hoof laid on her shoulder, stopping her. She turned around to see her brother, his face as calm as ever.

“You should take a break today,” he said simply. The young mare stared at her older sibling with her eyes wide in shock. Her mouth was slightly agape, and shook her head as she stuttered.

“N-no, no no no, I need to do this,” she stammered, her head looking back and forth between her brother and her wagon. “I can’t just take a day off today. The market stall won’t run itself!”

Her brother pulled her back as she tried to leave once again, with the same expression on his face. “Let me handle the stall today, Bloom. You go and meet up with yer’ pals,” said Macintosh. “You haven’t seen them in ages.”

Applebloom paused to think about Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, lowering her head in the process. How long had it been since she had really spoken to them? They would occasionally see each other at the marketplace, but their gazes were followed by awkward silence. Scootaloo would invite her over to join them occasionally, but the excuses were always the same.

“I have to help my brother sell these barrels.”

“I can’t, I promised my brother and myself I would get these done today.”

“I don’t feel up for it….”

The last one was possibly the most honest she’s ever been. Just another thing her sister was better at than her. Applebloom’s mind snapped back to the present and brought her eyes back to her brother.

“Ah’ said I’ll be fine,” she said, staring forward through Macintosh. Her brother caught her gaze, and lifted her head up with her hoof.

“I’ll handle it today, alright?” Big Macintosh said calmly. Applebloom shook her head vigorously.

“I can’t do that to you. It wouldn’t be fair,” she said, this time watching her tone. She placed her hoof on her brothers, finally looking up at him and making a smile that Macintosh saw did not meet her eyes. “I promise I’ll take it easy later, after I come home tonight, alright?” She lowered his hoof, turned with the cart, and left for the town.

Macintosh walked back into the house, grabbing his own things sitting on the table next to the untouched pancakes. As he passed through the doors and headed off with his bag, he glimpsed at the picture frame hanging on the wall next to the door frame. Within the red borders of the frame was a photo, depicting Applebloom, Granny Smith, Applejack, and himself, seated on a spread out red-and-white checkered picnic blanket. They sat under the shade of the largest apple tree in the orchard, with the barn in the far background. Applebloom, rosy as ever, had lept upwards with her limbs stretched in euphoric joy, while Applejack stood next to her, smiling at the scene. Macintosh and Granny Smith sat off to the side, with the latter holding her knitting needles and a half-finished sweater in her hoofs.

Macintosh stared at the Applebloom within the picture frame, fondly recalling the familiar smile that seemed to have vanished out of his life. He looked at the Applejack in the picture, and sighed.

“...What do I do, sis?” was all he could say.

Chapter 3

The marketplace was busy at this time of the day. Ponies of all kinds would come in from every direction, moving from stall to stall. Voices clamored all around the area, greeting, bargaining, or sparking bitter rivalries or close friendships. Bits were clinking in ponies’ bags and slid across the countertops of the stalls. The refreshing smell of flowers, fresh fruit, and fried dough wafted through the air.

Of course, today was by no means a special day. There were no crowds gathered at one spot to awe at a newcomer or new fad, nor any quarrels that warranted attention, nor any signs of Pinkie Pie firing off confetti into the crowd in celebration. Ponies were simply going about their business, not giving any mind at the red-haired mare parking a wagon full of apples next to a stall near the center of the market.

Applebloom wiped the sweat off her forehead as she flipped the sign in front of the stall to read “Open”. It had only been a few moments afterwards when her first customer of the day arrived, as she was rolling the barrels off the wagon onto the ground next to the window. Applebloom exhaled while her back was turned to the new arrival, then using all of her strength, mustered up a smile.

“Howdy! What can I get ya’?” she asked cheerfully. The pony on the other end of the stall was a snow-white mare, with head and body wrapped in rather lavish clothing. Her face was largely covered by a large round white hat wrapped with a purple sash that held large feathers that fluttered in the cold autumn air. Around her neck was a purple cotton scarf that wrapped around her neck, and had a golden pin in the shape of a gem attached on the left side of the mare’s neck.

“Oh, I’m just looking for a friend…” said the mare, in a sort of sing-song voice. The mare slowly approached Applebloom, whose smile had faded and began backing away from the countertop.

“Um, can Ah’ have yer name, Miss….?”

The mare laughed, and raised her hat, saying, “What, dearie, you don’t recognize your friends anymore?”

Revealing the mare’s eyes shone light on the identity of the mystery customer, and Applebloom’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Sweetie Belle?” she whispered, still leaning back from the counter. Sweetie Belle laughed joyously, and swung her arms around the yellow mare’s neck. Applebloom was frozen for a moment, then relaxed her shoulders, closed her eyes and returned the gesture. She smiled as she broke off the hug, and said, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Sweetie Belle laughed with a trill in her voice, much like Rarity did, and kissed her friend’s cheeks in excitement. “Oh, indeed it has! My dear, are you well? You haven’t been ill, have you?”

She placed her hoof on Applebloom’s forehead, as Applebloom used her own hoofs to wipe off the lipstick that had smeared onto her cheek. She gently lowered Sweetie’s hoof, who looked at her with concern.

“Ah’m fine, Sweetie, I promise you.” Applebloom lowered her eyes.

“Wonderful!” exclaimed Sweetie, clapping her hoofs together. “How is your brother? Have you two been well?”

“Mm-hmph,” Applebloom nodded, backing away slightly from the unicorn. Sweetie Belle still had not quite picked up on just how close her face was to Applebloom’s, and closed the space once more.

“That’s good, that's good….” Sweetie Belle breathed a sigh of relief, and finally, much to Applebloom’s own relief, released her other hoof off the young earth pony’s cheek. Her overjoyed face changed a little bit, and her smile no longer reached her eyes.

“Scootaloo and I have missed you dearly, you know…” Sweetie Belle said calmly. Once again, Applebloom felt her heart jump into her throat, and a cold chill ran up her back. She tried her best to hide her immediate instinct to run as best she can, but her eye twitched, catching the attention of Sweetie Belle.

“Oh,” Applebloom stammered. “Well, sorry, Ah’ve kinda been going around, trying to figure… some stuff out. Ah…kinda missed you, too…”

Sweetie Bell tilted her head. “Odd,” she said,” Scootaloo told me she saw you at this stand a few weeks ago, but when she tried to talk to you, you ignored her.”

“Ah, well…” Applebloom stammered. Lying was not her family’s forte, even if she was embarrassingly better at it than everyone else in her family. “Ah, I just remembered I had to do some stuff back home.”

Sweetie Belle arched her eyebrow in suspicion, smiling with a knowing look on her face. She reached over to the left, and took a paper bag from the neatly stacked pile set aside the countertop.

“The usual, please,” she said simply.

Applebloom raised her eyebrow in confusion. Sweetie Belle realized the confusion she caused, and added: “Oh, I usually say that to your brother when he runs the stall. It’s just two apples, plain and simple.”

Applebloom nodded in understanding, and took the bag. She turned to her left to the barrels of apples, checking them as she placed two into the bag.

“You…come here a lot then?” she asked, as she went through the apples. Macintosh had usually come home telling her about his many meetings with his customers, and Sweetie Belle came up every so often, but Applebloom had only now realized the frequency of Sweetie’s visits. She looked back cautiously, trying not to scare off Sweetie Belle.

The white mare nodded as she watched her friend intently. “I come here almost every day to pick up some groceries, and more importantly….”

She paused for a second, blushing slightly and lowered her gaze and head, now staring at the ground next to Applebloom.

“....I wanted to see you,” said Sweetie Belle, still smiling.

A small thud echoed out as one of the apples fell to the ground. The market was still clamorously loud at the time, but both mares could hear the sound as clear as day. With a quick motion, Applebloom picked up the apple and placed it in the bag. She slowly made her way back to the countertop, bag in her now trembling hands. A dark shade covered her eyes now, as she tilted her head down further.

“Me?” she asked quietly.

Sweetie Bell set the bag to her right, then took both hands and lifted her friend’s chin to make their eyes meet. Sweetie Belle continued to smile, as Applebloom began to feel her heart tremble, as if some force was grasping it. She fidgeted uncomfortably, and moved her eyes away. Sweetie Belle tilted her head, and her brow furrowed.

“Yes, you…” said Sweetie Belle softly, “I wanted to make sure you were alright. You don’t visit me or Scootaloo anymore, you avoid all my calls, and one time, Macintosh told me you would scream and cry whenever you were alone.”

“He WHAT?” Applebloom grabbed Sweetie Belle’s hooves with lightning speed, causing the young mare to gasp in shock.

Sweetie Belle gathered herself quickly and laughed awkwardly, saying, “No no no, don’t blame him. I was prying about you, and he let that little tidbit slip, but you shouldn’t be angry at him…”

She gently slid her hooves under Applebloom’s, and spoke tenderly.

“It still hurts, doesn’t it?”

Applebloom was silent, aside from the heavy breaths caused by her outburst. Sweetie Belle, holding her friend’s hooves, rubbed them gently.

“If you want, we can talk about it. I’m sure Scootaloo and I can help you in some way.”

Applebloom’s breaths began to slow, and her teeth slowly began to unclench. Sweetie Belle continued on.

“Please? I just want to see my friend feel better agai-”

Applebloom tore away from Sweetie Belle’s grasp, much to the dismay of her friend.For a moment, she felt overwhelmed. Her mind began to spin inside her skull, and she found that she needed to make a mental effort just to breathe. She clutched her head with her hoof, as it throbbed. She could hear Sweetie Belle calling out her name in concern, but the sound was echoed by another voice. A deeper, more familiar voice….

“Applebloom? Dear, are you alrig-”

“SHUT UP,” came the voice.

The words were not shrieking, but firm. It boomed and echoed out into the marketplace, catching the attention of many ponies passing by. The market began to grow quiet.

“You don’t just show up and say you can help. If I wanted you around, I would have gone to you. I don’t want to talk, and I will never feel alright, and there isn’t a DAMN thing you can do, so BACK OFF!”

The entire market now had its eyes turned towards the little apple stand, gasping in shock. One particular orange pegasi, with a purple mane hidden under a blue helmet, stopped her scooter, and squinted towards the noise. She slid her helmet off, hopped off the scooter, slowly walking towards the commotion.

“...Bloom?” she muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, the voice continued. “You really want to know? FINE! YES, it still hurts! There isn’t a single day where I don’t feel like someone drilled a HOLE through my chest, but left my heart there just so I could live with it! NOW YOU KNOW! What can YOU DO ABOUT IT?”

A small crowd had gathered around the stand staring at the outburst. The orange pegasi made her way through the crowd, and had reached the forefront, as the voice said a few final words.

“I just wish all of it would GO AWAY! AND IF YOU KEEP BRINGING IT UP, THAT INCLUDES YOU!”

An empty silence filled the air, followed by a few soft sniffles from Sweetie Belle, who had placed her hooves over her own mouth in shock. It took a moment before Applebloom realized that her throat was dry, her eyes blurry and her barrels knocked over. The voice was her own.

She looked up in desperation, and saw Sweetie Belle trying hard to hide her mouth and sadness, to no avail. The white unicorn choked, then blubbered, as the tears rolled down her cheek. Looking a little to her left, the orange pegasi slowly approached the unicorn from behind, and glared at Applebloom, whose eyes widened at the new arrival.

“Scootaloo….?”

The pegasi, still glaring angrily at Applebloom, wrapped her wing around Sweetie Belle, who turned her face towards Scootaloo’s neck, hiding it as she broke down into sobs. Scootaloo quickly glanced down at the crying mare, and sighed, before turning her attention to Applebloom.

“What the hell, Bloom…?”

Applebloom’s legs began to tremble, and her eyes darted around to the many ponies who had gathered as a crowd. A murmur of whispers arose, and a few of them stepped back when Applebloom nervously glanced in their direction. Her mind fell into chaos as hundreds of thoughts echoed in her mind.

Her eyes darted around the crowd, before her pupils froze in one direction, frozen in one direction. Amid the crowd of ponies was Applejack.

Her face was young, but stern, as if she was disciplining her sister again. She was shaking her head, with her eyes betraying her disappointment. She turned her back to Applebloom, disappearing into the crowd.

“No, wait!” Applebloom called out in fright. The crowd still murmured, and some began to glare angrily. The visage of Applejack froze, and her head turned around.

The world around Applebloom began to grow dark, and her sister’s voice echoed and crackled like static.

“So disappointing….” Applejack’s eye was now fixed directly onto the young yellow mare. The skin of Applejack’s face quivered, then sagged, then began to melt. Her muscle fibers were revealed, and the bone around her eye socket became exposed. There was now a pounding in Applebloom’s head once again, and her vision began to flicker between the sunny day and the nightmare that flashed before her eyes. She screamed in agony, as the pounding in her head continued. The crowd backed away once more, and the clamor of surprised gasps and retreating hoofs was enough for Applebloom’s trance to end. Standing in Applejack’s place was Scootaloo, now gently hushing Sweetie Belle under her wing, surrounded by a sea of ponies that stared at either the sobbing unicorn or the yellow earth pony who now felt her heart sink.

Applebloom darted to her left, tripping over the barrels of apples that tumbled to the ground. Scootaloo watched as her friend ran out of the market entrance, narrowing her eyes. Sweetie Belle raised her red eyes, widening them as Applebloom disappeared over the hill. She began to leave the grasp of her pegasus friend, and was ready to run in the direction of Applebloom. A strong hoof grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. She turned to see Scootaloo, who, after a brief pause, sighed and shook her head. Sweetie Belle looked onwards towards where Applebloom ran, then silently, lowered her head, turned around, and left through the crowd, with Scootaloo in tow.

Applebloom’s legs led her off the beaten road, right into a thicket full of fallen branches and dead leaves. By now she had most certainly left the border of Ponyville, but she could not say for sure how far. Not that it mattered anyway.

She breathed heavily as her legs finally tired out and gave in, collapsing under the weight of her own body. Her vision began to blur as she laid her head on the dim forest floor that was littered with branches and dry, red leaves. She could barely make out the plants right in front of her face, let alone any sign of the edge of the forest.

She felt her heart sink as she tried to recall the amount of time she spent running. Of course, as with most thoughts, her mind spiraled out from one question to the next. Her head was clouded with both exhaustion and the out of control thoughts that beckoned her to scream in pain over and over again.

Why is this happening?

A wave of shame and guilt washed over her once more, as the image of the weeping Sweetie Belle and angry Scootaloo burned into her mind. The enclosing crowd around her became clearer as every other thought faded. Ringing out in the back of her mind was whatever that… thing was that looked like Applejack.

She’s not there, Applebloom, so get a hold of yourself, she scolded herself internally. A different feeling of dread began to creep up on her as she desperately tried to clear her foggy mind. The sun was shining down through the thick canopy above, illuminating bits of the forest floor with a bright, warm light. She could now see the shimmering tear sliding down her face and hitting the forest floor.

She’s not there anymore…

She rolled onto her back, gripping the sides of her head, as her head throbbed with frustration, and screamed towards the sky. The echoing sound startled a flock of birds that fluttered off eastwards, and Applebloom broke down into anguish. Her red mane began to flicker into a greyer tone, as did the rest of her skin. The sound of her own empty heart beating rang out inside her ears as she squeezed her eyes trying not to let any more tears fall out.

“So disappointing…” the nightmarish voice returned. Applebloom rammed her forehead against the ground, in order to shut out the sound that viciously tore into her spirit. The voice came back. She tried to muster the courage to open her eyes, to no avail. Ramming her head into the ground again, she felt her head bruise against something hard and rough. From the feeling, she could tell it was a stone, about the size of her body.

The voice returned, this time calling out her name.

“Applebloom….” it whispered.

“STOP TALKING!” Applebloom grabbed both sides of the rock, with her eyes still closed, and reeled back her head. A hint of yellow magic crackled around her head like a current, and with all her energy, she swung her head downwards. There was a deafening crack that was heard across Ponyville that night, and Applebloom felt her mind fade into blackness.

The voices finally stopped.

________________________________________________________________________

It was the cold chill that finally woke her up. Applebloom’s eyes fluttered open, feeling the wetness on her cheeks. Her forehead felt sore, and her face was scratchy. Slowly, she brought herself from lying on the ground to a kneeling upright on all fours. She reached up, and touched her arching forehead. It was sticky, and smelled like copper. When she looked down on her hoof, there were bits of dried blood stuck to it. She almost wanted to gag, when she looked up in front of her.

The rock in front of her was split in two. What had once been a single solid piece of stone was now in two halves, rolled away from each other, with a giant crack down the middle. On the top of both pieces, a splatter of blood stained the stone, cut off where the crack was. She slowly stood upright, leaning on the rock for balance. The forest swayed for a bit, then was still again. Taking in a heavy breath, she took a look at her surroundings. The forest was dark, illuminated by the moonlight under the starry sky above. A chilly wind blew the leaves across the ground, scattering leaves across the dirt.

Memories from earlier in the day came rushing back to Applebloom. She felt her skin crawl for a moment, as she shivered in the cold air. The echoing sounds from before rang in her head once more, though not as clearly as before. She held the bridge of her nose, bleeding slightly, and sighed.

What now? She pondered. Obviously she couldn’t just go back to the market and walk home as if nothing had happened. At the very best, she would get a scolding from her brother and be forced to tell him what had transpired. At worst, she would walk past the glares of many angry ponies who saw her tantrum. It would be even worse if Scootaloo was still there…

Her throat was aching and dry. She couldn’t think straight. Applebloom trotted off steadily, keeping her ears open. Her prayers were finally answered when she caught the faint sound of rushing water in the distance. About a minute later, she finally saw, through a cluster of dark maple trees, a river, shimmering in the cold moonlight, with pale white and gray stones laying gently at the bottom. Her hooves slid down a small rocky slope towards the narrow riverbank, and Applebloom kept her balance the entire way down. She bent her neck down, staring into the water, looking for any red flags for her to run away. There were no such signs, and without a second thought, dove her face into the water.

A cold refreshing sensation washed over her sore forehead and itchy cheeks, and she dipped her hooves in the water to wash off the mud and leaves stuck to them. She shook her head and mane, sending water in every direction, and began to drink from the river.

Her thirst was just about quenched when she heard a strange cry from the other side of the river. She raised her head, looking around with her eyes wide and her heart beating out of her chest. The forest was quiet as ever, and the night was beginning to enter its darkest stage.

Across the river was a single bush, green and leafy, with small twigs sticking out of them. Emitting from the bush was a dim, but barely visible, orange light. The light waved slowly around the bush, like a jellyfish, and small sounds were heard coming from the middle of the bush. Applebloom looked around once more. There was no change in the surrounding area.

The sound rang out once more. Applebloom’s mind finally clicked as she realized what the sound was. At first, to her, it reminded her of the cooing of pigeons, but it was too distinct and loud. Then it hit her. She recalled seeing infant foals around the market, making grabby motions towards their mother while making a half-whimper, half-cooing sound.

That was the sound of an infant. Applebloom dove into the river, making a mad dash towards the glowing bush. The air grew warm, until the glow died out like a light. She gasped, as she reached the shore and raced to the bush, pushing apart the leaves, until she stopped.

Within the bush was a small basket, wrapped in a black, charred blanket. Wrapped within the blanket was a small foal, almost white mixed with pale yellow in color. A green triangular patch of hair was formed between the eyes, shut tight. The ruddy, light auburn hair fell around the round head. The infant wriggled a bit, as it opened its hazelnut-colored eyes.

Protruding out of the infant's head was a long, brown horn that split off in two directions at the top. Applebloom, too stunned to speak at the moment, gently lifted the foal up into her arms, cradling it close to her body. Upon seeing her face, the foal giggled and raised her hooves towards Applebloom. The mare blinked at this motion, and a wave of warmth flowed through her body as she smiled back at the baby.

“What are you doing here…” she asked out loud.

Chapter 4

The child continued to giggle as it wriggled around, pressed next to Applebloom’s neck and lying down on her arm. It’s soft hair that almost was like fur bristled against her skin, and the pronged horn gently poked her chin. She moved her head to avoid this, and looked across the river.

“Well, I can’t just leave you here…” she said, partly to herself. The infant titled its head, inquisitive and seemingly confused. Applebloom grabbed the basket, and after a bit of struggle, pulled it free from the bush. At this point, her only option was to go back home, and try to explain things to her brother. There would be no doubt that he would have his reservations, but she knew he couldn’t say no to keeping this child safe. On the other hand, he might have a few words for her after the events of today.

The moment the child was laid on in the basket, it reached out for Applebloom again. It began fussing, then sniffling, before crying and whimpering, still reaching out for Applebloom. She hushed the child desperately, leaning close to the child, and touching her forehead gently with the infant’s.

“No, no, no, no, don’t cry, please,” she hushed. “I’m here. I won’t leave you alone. Please stop crying…”

As soon as she leaned in, the child began to giggle again, embracing Applebloom with its stubby arms. Carrying the handle of the basket in her mouth, she trotted across the river, and back into the forest. She looked around the dark woods, hoping to find a way out. The area was only dimly lit by the moon, which was now at its peak in the sky.

“Let’s see, which way is out?” she wondered to herself, looking left and right. The forest looked all the same to her, and she had lost any sense of direction. Applebloom went straight ahead, hoping to herself that she could stumble across a clear path.

A few minutes passed, but to her, it felt like an hour. The infant babbled quietly the entire time, staring up at the yellow mare from the comfort of the basket. Applebloom’s eyes caught a warm, orange glow, dancing in the air a good distance away from her. Her ears perked up as a voice in the same direction called out to her.

“Appleblooooooom?” the voice faintly called out to her. Applebloom froze for a moment. For a moment her mind tried to piece together whose voice that was, until it hit her.

“Sweetie Belle…” she gasped. The infant tilted its head in confusion. The yellow mare hastened her pace, cautiously trying not to let the foal fall out of the basket in her mouth. The glow grew in size, and the voice became clearer.

“Appleblooom?” the voice called again. This time Applebloom responded with a muffled yell, as she exited the forest and stepped onto the dirt path that appeared in front of her. A bit to her left, Sweetie Belle, now dressed only in a silk red scarf and holding a lantern in her hoof, turned to her friend. The white unicorn’s eyes widened, and rushed towards her.

Applebloom set the basket to her side, and began her apology that she had been reciting in her head for some time now.

“Look, I-” her words were cut short when Sweetie Belle wrapped both her arms tightly about Applebloom. The earth pony was stunned as Sweetie continued to embrace her friend tightly. The infant giggled happily at the sight.

“I’m glad you’re alright…” she whispered, with her eyes shut tight. Applebloom was unsure of how to respond, but before she knew it, her own arms moved to embrace Sweetie, and her own eyes began to water.

Sweetie Belle remained silent as Applebloom’s quiet allowed the tears to flow silently. All the words she had planned to say disappeared from her mind. The silence in the air said enough for the two of them. The infant finally broke the silence with a quick babble and giggle, gaining the attention of the two mares.

“Oh my goodness!”squealed Sweetie Belle, approaching the foal and picking it up out of the basket. The infant continued laughing, and waved its arms around as Sweetie Belle tickled its belly.

“Who is this?” Sweetie Belle turned to Applebloom, overwhelmed with excitement. Applebloom scratched the back of her head, and awkwardly looked to the side.

“I dunno…” she said, “I sort of just….stumbled across it…”

“Stumbled acro- what!” Sweetie Bell asked incredulously. “Why would anypony leave such a sweet, innocent child out in the cold? You poor thing…” she cooed at the infant, tickling its nose.

The child’s laughter stopped suddenly, as its eye twitched. It wrinkled its nose and began to take in a few gasps of air, indicating an oncoming sneeze. Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened and proactively turned the child to face away from her, holding her with outstretched arm as if she was a bomb.

Instead of a light noise and perhaps a tiny bit of snot, the sneeze resulted in a loud, thunderous boom that rattled the eardrums of the two mares there. From the infant's snout, a streak of fire bolted through air, singeing the ends of Applebloom’s mane. The earth pony was quick to pat out the flames with her hooves, while the unicorn was too stunned to speak or even move. The fireball trailed off far into the dark sky, before exploding mid-air and lighting up like a firework, splitting the clouds. The flash temporarily illuminated the shocked faces of the mares. Sweetie’s jaw hit the ground, and Applebloom’s eyes were as wide as plates.

“That might be why…” said Applebloom shakily. Sweetie Belle wasted no time in gently placing the child back into the basket.

“W-well, regardless,” continued Sweetie Belle, still shaken from her near-death experience, “we need to find a place where it can stay safe and under somepony’s care. Do you know anyone willing to do so?”

Applebloom was silent. She rocked her head from side to side slowly, trying to find the words that wouldn’t make her friend overreact. Sweetie Belle gave a confused glance as Applebloom fumbled with her words

“Well….” she began, but Applebloom found no courage to finish her sentence. Sweetie Belle finally connected the dots, and her eyes widened for what seemed like the fifth time that day. She couldn’t be serious, right?

“...Are you crazy?!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle. She had leaned in a tad too close, blaring the words into her friend’s eardrums. The giant feathered hat on Sweetie Belle’s head tipped to the side at the sudden energy. Applebloom’s head rattled from the sound, blinking twice as she recovered from the ringing in her ears.

The infant began whimpering in fear. Applebloom briskly trotted over to the basket, and nuzzled the filly with her snout. It once again began laughing upon seeing her and reached out as Applebloom leaned down and picked the basket up with her mouth.

“Like you said, we can’t leave it all alone,” she said, half-muffled by the basket. “I’ll take care of it until her parents show up.”

Sweetie Belle watched as Applebloom began walking down the road towards the sleeping town in the distance and out into the open air, before stopping at the edge of the woods. Applebloom suddenly felt hesitant about taking another step forward. The courage she had gathered to tell her brother about the events of this afternoon had, for some reason, vanished completely. The murmurings of the crowd echoed over in her head, and she felt her spine freeze.

Sweetie Belle slowly trotted up to her friend, tapping her on the shoulder. “Your home is the other way, you know…”

Applebloom blinked out her trance, and turned to look at the unicorn. She sighed as she turned and trotted in the opposite direction, without so much as a backwards glance. She needed to get home as soon as possible, to lay the child to rest, to tell her brother everything, to be alone for a bit.

Alone. The word in her mind reverberated in her heart, as she began to quicken her pace. She could hear Sweetie Belle following close behind her, telling her to slow down. Without thinking, Applebloom spun to glare at Sweetie, the pounding in her head returning and her voice changing again.

“GO AWAY!” she blurted out. Her tone flickered from her typical yellow to a greyer tone for a moment. Sweetie Belle stepped back a bit, taken aback by the outburst. The familiar expression of fear on her Sweetie’s face reminded Applebloom of the afternoon again, and the headache returned with full force. Her knees grew weak, and she collapsed onto the ground, lying on her side with her dusty red hair over her face. The basket fell out of her mouth with a thud, and the infant, entangled in the blanket, rolled out. It squealed happily, almost as if it enjoyed the experience, and turned to look at the two ponies. Sweetie Belle ever so gently walked over to her friend, and pushed the red hair aside with her hoof. Applebloom’s eyes were streaming tears, and her lip quivered.

“I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle…” she choked, her voice was barely strong enough to form the words. “I’m so sorry…”

Sweetie silently moved to her friend’s side. got on her own knees, and with a combination of her magic and Applebloom’s remaining strength, got Applebloom back on her feet, albeit leaning against Sweetie’s own body. She wrapped her arm around Applebloom’s neck, embraced her tightly, gently wiped away the tears from her eyes, and smiled warmly. A new wave of guilt washed over Applebloom, and through teary eyes, she had to ask:

“You should hate me…why are you being so nice to me?”

Sweetie Belle began walking down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres, leading Applebloom with her arm still around her body.

“I could never hate you,” she responded simply.

A few hours ago…

“You want to whaaat?” Scootaloo raised her eyebrows in surprise. Sweetie Belle, having cleaned the running mascara off her face, was currently lying down on a soft, cloudy sofa inside Scootaloo’s residence.

“Look, I can either stay here, lying down and crying until I’m sore, or I can actually do something about it and actually ask her what’s wrong,” Sweetie stared up at the clear, fluffy ceiling of clouds above her, with a new determined resolve in her eyes. “And I know for a fact that the former never accomplishes anything.”

“I mean, your sister got away with it pretty often…” Scootaloo muttered under her breath, warranting a glare from Sweetie Belle.

“And besides,” Scootaloo continued, taking a sip from her coffee, “what makes you think she’ll open up to you anyway? She made it pretty clear that she didn’t want our help.” There was a definite twinge of venom in her voice that didn’t go unnoticed by Sweetie Belle.

“Look, I know things have been rough between the three of us - “

“Actually, I just have a problem with her, not you…”

“But you have to remember, things have been hard for her, too,” retorted Sweetie Belle, as she trotted towards the door, reaching for her coat. An orange hoof beat her to it, but instead of lifting it off the hook, it was pinning it to the wall.

“You’re kidding, right?” Scootaloo said, angrily. “She’s been acting like that for , what, 10 years now? I’ve tried to talk to her for half that long, and every time she acts like I don’t even exist! And the first time you talk to her in a DECADE, she straight up explodes at you, in front of hundreds of ponies, and blitzes off! What part of any of that makes you think she’s worth helping?”

By now, Sweetie had managed to pry her coat off the rack, and had one sleeve over her arm when she froze at Scootaloo’s words. “Scoots…. You don’t really think that, do you?”

Upon seeing her friend’s face, Scootaloo’s anger faded away from her face. She rubbed her arm, trying to think carefully about her next words. After a long pause and a hesitant breath, she grumbled.

“I gave up on her a long time ago. You should do the same.”

A dreadful silence filled the air at that very moment. Sweetie Belle stared at Scootaloo, with her mouth agape in shock, as if she had been suddenly stabbed in the chest by her friend. She shook her head, half in disbelief, finished putting on her coat, and brushed past Scootaloo as she walked out the door.

“Tch…..fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if she hurts you again,” Scootaloo growled. Sweetie Belle ignored her once more, and stepped out into the fluffy landscape of clouds. She heard the door close behind her, and wept bitterly with each step.

…….

Applebloom made no sound as Sweetie Belle recounted her meeting with Scootaloo. As stunned as she was about the things she heard, there was a small sense of relief within Applebloom’s heart, as if a knot tied around her chest had loosened. She proceeded to internally scold herself for feeling such a sick sense of satisfaction from knowing that the pegasus that was once her friend now rightfully hated her. But the weight was lifted, and Applebloom felt both lighter and heavier at the same time.

By now, the child was sound asleep, snoring quietly as the basket rocked gently from side to side in Applebloom’s mouth. Sweetie Belle’s eyes were fixed ahead, as the trio moved silently through Ponyville. Sweetie Belle’s home was one of the few homes that stood out among the rest, with it being a boutique and all, but also because it was one of the few houses that still had the lights turned on inside, casting a yellow glow in its radius.

“That’s odd, Rarity should be asleep by now,” thought Sweetie Belle aloud. She raised her hoof, reaching for the doorknob, when suddenly, it swung open, and with one swift motion, a white hoof reached out and pulled Sweetie Belle inside. Applebloom blinked twice in confusion, and a familiar voice from inside emerged in a half-whispering, half-screaming sort of tone.

“Sweetie Belle, where have you BEEN?” it hissed. “I have been worried SICK about you! I swear on my life, the reason I die will be because of YOU giving me a HEART ATTACK!”

Sweetie Belle was being violently shaken throughout the whole scolding, and once the voice had finished, she regained her senses and cleared her throat.

“Ummm, sis, we have company,” she said, pointing towards the door.

Rarity glanced up, allowing Applebloom to get a better look. She was dressed in a pale violet bathrobe that hung down to her hooves, and her hair was wrapped tightly in a towel, giving it the appearance of a purple beehive that had strings of hair pointing out of it instead of honey. Her expression had faded from anger to surprise upon seeing the earth pony.

“....oh,” said Rarity. She took a moment to collect herself, straightening her posture, and took a deep breath. “Welcome, Applebloom. Please come in…”

Applebloom nervously bowed her head, basket still in mouth. She slowly walked into the shop, feeling the warmth of the building soak through her skin. The store had looked the same as it had for the past ten years. The mannequins set around the stands were wrapped in silk of various colors, almost reflecting the light from the hanging lamps and chandeliers. Rolls of silk and string were strewn about the tables, with a sewing machine set next to the piles. The smell in the air reminded Applebloom of roses, and looking about, she could see a number of red candles burning about the edge of the building, floating in elegant china pots filled with water. A red sofa was set facing away from the eastern window, laden with pillows of the same color and mixture.

Rarity took off the towel wrapped around her head, letting the wet hair fall to her shoulders. A purple aura enveloped her horn, and a white comb on one of the tables became surrounded with the same energy. It floated from its position and began straightening her hair, while Rarity reached for a tea kettle that had been whistling on the stovetop set under the spiral staircase that led to the upper levels.

“You must be exhausted dear. Tea?” offered Rarity. The comb had finished its job in straightening out her hair, leaving it long and curvy as it usually was.

“No…” Applebloom shook her head, quietly setting the basket on the sofa and taking her place next to it. The child rolled in its sleep to its side, causing the blanket to fall off. Applebloom took no notice; her gaze was transfixed on the foal. Sweetie Belle approached her friend, glancing back and forth between the child and the mare. She opened her mouth to ask if she was alright, but one glance at Applebloom’s blank stare was all she needed to see.

She was crying again. Applebloom’s lip and eyes were as still as stone, but a small tear rolled down from her eye. There was a heavy weight on her heart once more, but it was different from the one from before. She only raised her head when Rarity walked over with a floating cup of piping hot tea.

Rarity glanced at the foal and gasped. “Oh my goodness…” she squealed in delight. The high pitch in her voice caused Applebloom to wince, Sweetie Belle to cover her ears, and the child to slowly open its eyes. Surprisingly, it made no crying sound, only yawning and stretching as Rarity picked her up with her hooves.

“Oh, you are simply just precious! What’s her name?” Rarity eyes were sparkling with joy as she said this. Sweetie Belle just rolled her eyes as Applebloom wiped hers.

“You see some random pony’s baby and the first thing you ask is the name?” Sweetie Belle raised her eyebrow. Rarity chuckled nervously as Applebloom spoke up.

“I found her in the forest. Looks like someone just up and abandoned her,” she said, her face still turned away from Rarity. She still avoided the unicorn's gaze, even when Rarity set the child back into the basket as it babbled a bit, and used her magic to turn her head to face her.

The action caught Applebloom off guard, and almost braced herself for impact. Rarity simply gazed at the face, noticing the cold, wet cheeks and red eyes. A few seconds passed, and Applebloom prepared for the worst, when she felt two soft hooves embrace her.

Rarity was hugging her, much to Applebloom’s confusion. The baby continued to fuss, gaining the attention of a somewhat stunned Sweetie Belle. The younger of the white unicorns began patting the head of the baby in an awkward attempt at consolation, while the older continued to hold Applebloom close.

“What's wrong, darling?” asked Rarity.

Applebloom began to choke up, and through her efforts to hold back the last of her tears, she choked out her response.

“Why….why are you being so nice to me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I hurt her,” whispered Applebloom, looking over at Sweetie Belle, who was playing with the infant, teasing it with her hoofs and laughing with it when the foal caught it. “I hurt you, too. You should hate me…..”

“Oh, nonsense,” said Rarity, rather sternly. “Sweetie and I could never hate you. In fact, I regret not making an attempt to see you more often.” She began to break off from the hug.

“If your sister could see you now,” she continued, “she would be so proud of you”

The voice in Applebloom’s ears was suddenly distorted. She looked up, expecting to see Rarity’s face. Instead, for a split second, the visage was split down the middle. The left half was Rarity’s kind, loving expression. The other was the nightmare from earlier: Applejack’s face, caved in and rotten. Applebloom shrieked, and in a wild frenzy, fell onto the floor. She panted heavily, as the headache returned, bashing the insides of her skull. She turned to look back up at the two mares and the infant. Rarity’s and Sweetie Belle’s shocked expression was pretty much plastered on their faces, and the infant, who had crawled out of the basket and onto the couch, gave a confused look.

“Good lord, Applebloom, are you alright?” Rarity asked after a brief pause.

Applebloom shook her head, slapping herself to wake up. “I need a moment,” she stammered, and as she rose to her knees, she felt her legs give way, and she collapsed onto the floor once more. Sweetie caught her this time, and helped her back up.

“Oh dear… you must be exhausted,” said Rarity. “Sweetie, could you bring Applebloom upstairs to the guest bedroom? I’ll call Big Mac and tell him about our situation.”

Applebloom was too tired to object. The infant babbed in confusion, as Rarity snatched up the child and put her back into the basket. “I’ll deal with you later, little missy…” Rarity cooed, as she trotted over to the phone.

Sweetie Belle slowly led the exhausted earth pony to the upper floor, and into one of the dark, purple bedrooms, that was much more neatly organized than the store itself. She laid Applebloom on the giant, soft mattress that sank with the weight of Applebloom, who was already half-asleep and still. Sweetie Belle turned around, and with her own magic, turned off the lamp.

“I’m sorry…”

Sweetie Belle turned around at the sound of the hushed whisper. Applebloom was sound asleep, but her lips moved and her voice cracked with every exhalation.

“I’m sorry, Sweetie….. Don’t leave me here alone….”
Sweetie Belle felt her own heart sink upon hearing those words. She slowly closed the door, and it creaked ever so quietly. It was silent enough for any pony standing in the hall to hear Sweetie’s words: “I’ll always be here for you, Applebloom. Just let me be your friend again…….”

Chapter 5

Applebloom stood in the darkness, silent and still. There was no surface beneath her feet, and no sky above her head. It was cold, but there was no trace of any draft to make the air cold. In fact, there was no air at all.

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't tell if it was whether because of the sense of dread crushing her lungs, or if it was simply the lack of oxygen around her. With what little air she had left in her lungs, she screamed for Sweetie Belle, then for Rarity, then for anyone at all. No sound came out of her throat.

The feeling of standing changed. She was now sinking, down into the abyss, and she felt her hooves flailing about. The cold was now enveloping her, and she felt the sensation of being dragged down, like a sinking hook in an endless sea.

There was a hoof on her shoulder now. She dared not turn around, fearing what might be there. The hoof shifted, moving around the mare and drifted in front of her to see.

It was Applejack. Plain, simple Applejack, her cheeks rosy and her hair flowing, she floated on past Applebloom, upwards into the void. Applebloom continued to sink, and she looked down for a moment to see if there really was no bottom. There was nothing to be seen, except for the same darkness that was all around her. She turned to look up again and saw that Applejack had disappeared.

Instead, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were in her place, facing towards Applebloom. Their expressions were grim, and Scootaloo's eyes contained a fury that Applebloom had never seen before.

"What's wrong with you?" shouted the pegasus. "We were better off without you! Happier without you!"

Applebloom felt her heart plunge into her stomach, and she burst into tears.

"P-please..." she blubbered. "I'm sorry.... Sweetie, Scoots .... please forgive me... "

Sweetie Belle could only turn away in silence, and Scootaloo scowled, and spat in her direction. The two other mares vanished, and the yellow earth pony sobbed in silence.

With a thump, she felt her body hit something hard. Applebloom unraveled from her curled up position. Looking about, the pitch blackness was now a darkness with a harsh, red light illuminating from beneath her. She tried to sit up, but her head banged against the same material. She stretched out her arms, and found them to be confined as well. At first she thought she was trapped in some sort of box, but with what she could tell from the shape and size, the horror of her situation sank in.

She was in a coffin. One that wasn't glass, but she could see through. The red glow grew bright, and suddenly, the ground began to rumble. Shooting from the ground were a series of long bony hands that gripped the coffin entrapping her, and began pulling her further down. Applebloom banged and kicked against the box, but to no avail. A crack in the ground opened, and the coffin sank further in.

Applejack stood above her, hovering. Applebloom's eyes widened in fear upon seeing her sister. The pounding in her head returned. The face was flaked and bloody, with the flesh eaten away by decay. A coarse, grating noise that only barely resembled the voice of her sister came from the mouth.

"Seee...." it hissed, "We belong dead, sissster..."

Applebloom looked down at her hoof. A pricking pain shot through it, and to her despair, the yellow skin began to flake away rapidly, revealing the rotten bones beneath it.

"Doon't cry.... shuuuugarcuuuube....."

............................................

She awoke to the sound of crying coming from the lower floor. Drowsily, she looked about the room around her, and recalled that she was in the boutique, with Sweetie Belle and Rarity.

Her cold sweat had dampened the sheets, and her headache, though faint, was still present. The crying continued. Muffled under the noise was the sound of another mare, trying to console the source of crying. Almost instinctively, Applebloom slide out of bed, trotted quietly through the hallway, and down the spiraling stairs.

Only a single light was turned on in the lower floor, dimly lighting up the area underneath. Rarity stood in the center, rocking and hushing the crying infant. Upon sensing Applebloom's arrival, she turned to look at her and sighed.

"Trouble sleeping, darling?" she asked. "I hope it's not because of all this crying."

"No, actually...." responded Applebloom. "I just couldn't fall asleep for some reason."

A nagging sensation in her soul dared her not to say anything about the dream, or Applejack, or Sweetie Belle. Too many thoughts were flying around in her head. Rarity looked at Applebloom with a knowing eye.

"Could that reason possibly explain you screaming Sweetie Belle's name while you were sleeping?" she asked. The soft tone of her voice held no sense of resentment to Applebloom, who rubbed her eyes.

"You heard that, huh?" she mumbled, trotting over to the crying infant. Applebloom trotted over to the child, and took it into her own arms.

"There, there, sugar. I've got you..." Applebloom whispered softly, as Rarity watched her soothe the infant. The infant opened its eyes, and upon seeing Applebloom, ceased crying. It cuddled up close to her body, and squealed happily. It then yawned, almost making a squeaking noise, and closed its eyes before drifting off into a deep sleep.

"How precious," remarked Rarity, as she pressed her hoof to her chest. "Perhaps the child would be better off in your care."

Applebloom thought for a moment. She looked at the sleeping child, and gently brushed it's hair to the side.

"Maybe you're right," she said, after a long pause. "I did find it, after all, so it should be my responsibility."

"While I don't necessarily agree with that logic," Rarity cleared her throat. "I can tell your mind is set. At the very least, we should give it a name."

"Hm," was the reply. The two thought for a moment, as they sat down on the couch set off to the side. The child shivered for a moment. A glimmering orange light began to show beneath the scales on the bridge of its nose. With a sudden burst of energy, small embers shot out from scales, which had changed from mostly pale green to a dull purple, before shifting back into its original color.

Applebloom had leaned back slightly to avoid the heat, and Rarity let out a small yelp of surprise. Applebloom could feel that the child's skin was warmer now.

"What in the world was that?" Rarity half-whispered, half-screamed.

"Oops.... I should've brought that up, huh?" Applebloom chuckled.

"Well, I am all for protecting it, but I can't have a child setting my house ablaze all willy-nilly like that now, can I?"

Applebloom laughed, then paused for a moment. "....Blaze."

"What?"

"Autumn Blaze," said Applebloom, rocking the child. "That'll be her name for now."

Rarity looked at the child, then back at Applebloom, and nodded. "A fine name indeed. I think it suits her very well."

The two mares stared silently at the sleeping child for about a minute longer, before Rarity stood up from her seat. "Well then, with that out of the way, I think I'll be going to bed. I need to take you to see someone early in the morning."

Applebloom looked up in surprise. "What? See who?"

Rarity sighed. "Applebloom, you and your family were like a part of my family too. So, I feel that I need to look out for you if you won't look after yourself."

"But-" "Ah-ah-ah!" Rarity tutted, cutting Applebloom off. "Sweetie Belle and I are worried about your health. Both of the mind and body. So please, just come with me tomorrow so that ponies can help you."

Rarity's tone was calm and soothing, but defiant. Applebloom knew better than to try and object Rarity when her mind was set on something. Still, a feeling of unease rose within her. Would she have to tell others about her dreams? What about Big Macintosh? How would he feel about it? And what if she found out she couldn't be helped?

These thoughts swirled around in her head, but ultimately, she pulled herself together, and sighed.

"Alright. You've made your point. I'll go with you."

Rarity smilled, and hugged Applebloom once more before going up the stairs. "You're being very brave, Applebloom. We'll get through this together, alright?"

Applebloom nodded, and Rarity disappeared into the upper floor. She looked back down at the child still sound asleep.

"Well, I don't want to just leave you here," she thought out loud. Looking about the room, her eyes landed on a multi-colored quilt hanging on a string, tied from one table to the other. She approached it, checking to see any sign of damage or loose threads. After being satisfied with finding nothing of the sort, she carefully pulled it off the string, and brought it back to the couch. She laid the child in the basket, and placed it next to her as she laid down on the couch. She pulled the soft quilt over both of them, and grabbed one of the throw pillows, placing it under her head.

Sleep came easily this time, and there were no dreams to be had.

............................................

This time, it was the bright morning sun that awoke her. The light peered through the boutique window, shining over her eyelids. Applebloom's eyes fluttered open. She pushed herself up and sat upright, stretching out towards the ceiling as she yawned. A small squeaking noise caught her attention. Turning around, she saw the small filly mimicking her motions, right down to the yawn that came out as a squeak. Applebloom giggled and nuzzled the child, much to its delight.

"Good morning, Autumn," she smiled, as the child tried to hug the earth pony. It only able to wrap its stubby limbs around her nose.

"You gave it a name?" said a voice from behind her. She turned to see Sweetie Belle, with her hair disheveled and a tail messed up, all the while cooking with a frying pan over the wood-burning stove set in the middle under the stairs. From the smells and sounds, Appleboom recognized that Sweetie Bell had been cooking oatmeal and French toast.

Applebloom nodded. "I hope you slept well last night," she said, carrying the child over to the table set up. Sure enough, piping hot oatmeal was set in wooden bowls, laden with honey and raisins. A plate with around 5 or 6 pieces of French toast had been set next to it, and Sweetie Belle added two more from the pan.

"That should be enough," the unicorn said to herself. Autumn reached out for one of the pieces of French toast, and began gnawing on it. It was then that Applebloom noticed the incredibly sharp teeth Autumn had and was using to munch on the food. Sweetie Belle watched as the infant finished the meal, and babbled as it reached out towards her.

"Awwww, how cute!" Sweetie Belle remarked as she handed the infant another slice.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" came a shrill reply. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle turned around quick, as Autumn paid no mind to the commotion. Rarity was leaning over the steps, looking at the three of them. She was dressed in her bathrobe, and her face was covered in a green mud mask.

Rarity hurried down the steps, snatching the half-eaten toast from Autumn, much to it's confusion, and grabbed a chair.

"You can't feed a foal solid food like that! It'll choke" she exclaimed. She grabbed a spoon from the table, scooped up some of the oatmeal, blew on I to cool it down, and raised it to the child. "Here, try this," she said in a much calmer and collected tone.

The infant leaned towards the food, then sniffed it twice. It stuck out its tongue in disgust and shook its head. Rarity move the spoon towards its mouth, but it kept turning its head to avoid it. This went on for about two minutes as Rarity struggled to feed the mush to Autumn, Autum squirmed around to dodge the food like it was poison, and Applebloom and Sweetie Belle watched in amusement.

"Well!" huffed Rarity, who was now out of breath. "This is the second most stubborn infant I've ever had to care for!"

Sweetie Belle gave a look, but was ignored by Rarity. "I need to feed you something appropriate..."

A lightbulb went off in Applebloom's head. "I got it!" she declared. "Sweetie, do you still have those apples you bought from me?"

Sweetie stammered, then went over to the cabinet. "Yeah, but I don't think getting my receipt will do anything..."

"No, no, not that," Applebloom laughed. "I'm making my family applesauce. I ate it all the time when I was a filly!"

As she grabbed the apples and pots, she paused for a moment, then turned back to Sweetie Belle.

"Hey, ummm," she said, almost dropping to a whisper. "Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie looked up in anticipation. Applebloom heaved a sigh and continued. "I hope you can forgive me.... for everything."

Sweetie Belle looked surprised at this, as Applebloom rambled on: "I wanted to say this ever since, but so much has happened, and I wanted to say that I'm sorry for all things I said, and for hurting you and Scoots, and -"

She was cut off when Sweetie Belle placed her hoof on her friend's lips. Applebloom immediately stopped talking, as she watched her best friend smile and laugh. "Of course I'm forgiving you, you dolt," she laughed cheerfully. "I understand. You weren't yourself, and I was prying too much. I'm sorry I brought up some bad feelings, dear."
Sweetie Belle pulled the mare in a tight embrace. Applebloom felt a warm sense of relief washing over her, and the tightness in her chest vanish.

"Now, then" said Sweetie, breaking off the hug. "I'm gonna help you make this applesauce. We'll do it together, just like old times, alright?"

Applebloom could want nothing more. The two got to work, mashing the apples and chatting away. They put the mixture of mashed apples, sugar and water into the pot, and let the fire do the rest of the work. Meanwhile Rarity was insistent on getting the oatmeal into the mouth of the child, before finally putting the spoon down in exasperation.

"FINE! I give up!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to wash off my mask before I heat this thing up any more than I already have!"

She stormed up the steps as Applebloom removed the lid. By now, the applesauce was bubbling softly, and a light, fruity aroma wafted through the air. Autumn was beginning to fuss, and Sweetie Belle picked her up. Applebloom tasted the applesauce and decided that it was ready. She grabbed a bowl from the cabinet, and began serving the Applesauce.

"Where's Auntie Sweetie Belle?" Sweetie Belle was covering her face with her hooves, as Autumn watched in earnest. She removed her hooves from her face, revealing it, and calling out, "Peek-a-boo!"

Autumn was clearly delighted, clapping and laughing the way infants do, as Sweetie Belle prepared to repeat the process. Applebloom had brought the applesauce and was blowing on it to cool it down. Rarity had now washed the mask off, and with her hair tied nicely up in a bun, and her formal attire adorned, she trotted down the stairs, just in time to watch Applebloom bring the spoon to Autumn's mouth.

The infant smelt the mixture and seemed to contemplate on whether or not to eat it.

"Say Ahhhhhh..." sang Applebloom. The infant responded by, almost hesitantly, allowing the mush to enter its mouth. There was a brief pause as the girls waited in anticipation. Autumn seemed to swallow it, but Applebloom wasn't sure if she enjoyed it. That worry was cast aside when the child clapped its hands and babbled in delight.

"It worked!" declared Applebloom as she high-fived Sweetie Belle. Rarity came closer and watched as Applebloom fed the happy foal another spoonful of the wonderfully-scented sauce.

"....You're becoming more and more like your sister with each passing day," said Rarity, smiling.

For a second Applebloom stopped. Immediately, both Rarity and Sweetie Belle feared for the worst: that they have said something that triggered her, and braced themselves for the worst. Instead, they were pleasantly surprised when Applebloom smiled in response, with as much spring in her step as she had all those years ago.

"....Thank you."

Chapter 6

For the next half-hour or so, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle took turns feeding the applesauce to Autumn. Ponies were beginning to emerge out of their houses, ready to go about their day. By now, Rarity had dried off her face and donned her multi-feathered hat and coat, swinging her bag around her neck, and looked up at the clear blue sky.

"About a good a time as any..." she sighed to herself. "Apple Bloom?" she called, turning around to see Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom almost mercilessly nuzzling the now satisfied infant. The earth pony's ears perked up, and looked in anticipation.

"We can go whenever you're ready, but we really must be on our way soon."

"Oh. Right, of course," said Apple Bloom. She turned back to the infant and kissed its forehead before picking it up with her hooves. "Should Autumn come as well?"

Rarity looked over her shoulder, glancing at the three. Autumns giggles were now becoming gurgles. The infant closed her eyes and squirmed with discomfort. Rarity noticed this and turned to look at the other two. "Erm, darling? Did you burp her yet?"

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "Oh, shoot!" She hastily held the infant over her shoulder and began patting it's back. "Um... am I doing it right?"

Rarity smiled and nodded. "Yes, just like that," she said calmly, "but you can go easy on the - "

Her words were cut off when a burst of red fire shot from Autumn's snout. The flames rose up and spread out towards the ceiling at the end of the stream, changing to a darker shade of red. The infant coughed some smoke out of its mouth, as did Sweetie Belle, who happened to be caught in the middle of the blast. She chuckled as she wiped the soot off her snout.

"Aw, you got me, you little rascal," she teased, as Rarity handed her sister a towel hanging from the clothesline.

Autumn returned to her happy cheery self. The infant flapped its arms, as if it were trying to take off. Apple Bloom laughed as she raised the foal into her arms and grabbed the basket. She turned when Rarity tapped her shoulder, who offered her a brown and red scarf. The earth pony thanked her graciously and wrapped the soft wool around her neck.

"Alright, now let's-" Apple Bloom began before interrupting herself by wrinkling her nose. "Ugh, did we leave the food out? Something smells rotten in here."

Rarity's nose also twitched, and Sweetie Belle pinched her nose with her hoof as she looked about. "I don't think so," she said nasally.

Autumn babbled and squirmed inRthe basket, gaining the attention of the three mares. The three looked at each other in unison, realizing what was going on. Rarity sighed and Sweetie Belle grabbed a nearby clothespin to pinch her nose with. Apple Bloom looked at Rarity, using her hat to cover her nose. "I don't suppose you have any ... supplies, do you?" she asked. Her hat did a very poor job hiding the awkward embarrassment she felt for not foreseeing this.

Rarity huffed in exasperation and nodded. "I may still have some old foal supplies for when Sweetie Belle was just an infant. I'll go grab them, while you two learn how to change her."

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "Wait, why do I have to be on changing duty?" Sweetie Belle asked, almost begging.

"Because," said Rarity, smiling deviously, "it's a life skill, Sweetie, and if you're ever going to get married one day, you'll need to-"
Sweetie Belle immediately stuck her hoofs in her ears, hollering, "LA-LA-LA-LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Apple Bloom couldn't help but laugh as Rarity made her way up the stairs. She came with a few crumpled-up boxes, covered in dust. She blew across the top, causing small amounts of dust to billow up. Apple Bloom opened them up and looked inside. There was a variety of objects tucked away inside: the dismantled frame of what looked to be a crib, some old blankets, a smaller box containing some unused baby bottles and diapers. They all clattered together as Rarity, using her magic, plopped the box down on the kitchen table.

"I think this is everything," huffed Rarity. Even after all these years, it seemed that any form of exertion was still something Rarity tried to avoid.

"Thanks," said Apple Bloom as she scoured through the contents. She grabbed one of the diapers and picked Autumn in her arms, carrying her up to the upstairs bathroom. She paused for a second and turned to look behind her.

"Hey, Sweetie!" she called out with a slightly mischievous grin. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Sweetie was currently trying to open the door handle quietly and froze upon hearing her name. Rarity raised her eyebrow at her sister, who whined and ascended up the stairs. "Fine...." she groaned, before mumbling, "Stupid Rarity, putting me on changing duty .... why can't I just be the fun aunt who plays with her all the time?"

Sweetie brought the changing mat with her, and both she and Apple Bloom entered the upstairs bathroom, with Autumn giggling the whole time. She laid the changing mat down on the floor, with the clothespin still clamping on her nose, and Apple Bloom placed the squirming infant on top.

Sweetie Belle was about to offer Apple Bloom another clothespin she had snatched up earlier, but much to her surprise (and disgust), Apple Bloom had already begun tearing open the tapes.

The two mares gagged as Sweetie Belle's horn began to illuminate. Using her magic, the unicorn tossed the soiled garment into the trash can nearby, before tying up the garbage bag and throwing it out the window. Apple Bloom looked at her friend, shocked by her action. The white mare simply shrugged in response. "Relax," she said, "there's a dumpster right under the window. I've done this a hundred times."

The disgusted shriek of an older mare came from outside. Sweetie's pupils dilated in fear, looked at the window, then back at Apple Bloom. "......Can we just get this over with?"

Apple Bloom planted her hoof in her face in exasperation. She turned around back to Autumn, who had crumpled up the changing mat by squirming around. Apple Bloom raised her hoofs, but hesitated. "Umm, I'm not sure what to do next..."

"Oh, it's easy!" said Sweetie Belle, who trotted over to the table, standing right next to Apple Bloom. "You just... take the thing and... stick it onto the, uh... other ... thing...." She was rotating the fresh diaper in the air and walked around the changing mat. Autumn's eyes innocently followed the unicorn, giggling and clapping her hooves.

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. Sweetie continued to circle the infant, testing different angles to fit the garment onto Autumn.

Eventually, Apple Bloom snatched the diaper from Sweetie's hooves as she attempted to try to get it on Autumn. "Oh, for crying out loud! Obviously, we need to ... put the thicker end on front and wrap the tapes 'round the waist ... right?"

The earth pony finally managed to tape up the diaper around Autumn's body, despite the constant squirming and confusion on which end was the front. It was slightly lopsided and creased, but Apple Bloom was secretly a tiny bit proud of herself for managing to accomplish such a grueling task. That is until Sweetie Belle kindly reminded her that they forgot to apply baby power and baby lotion.

Apple Bloom then spent the next five seconds banging her head against the wall in frustration, followed by half a minute of nursing her now sore head, and another five minutes tearing the diaper open, gathering and applying the lotions and power onto Autumn, and finally getting the happy foal dressed and bringing her downstairs.

Rarity was tapping her foot as she waited for the others to come down. "Finally," she said, slightly annoyed. "With all the clamor you made up there, I thought a fight had broken out. I pray you are all alright?"

"Yeah, we're good, Rarity," said Apple Bloom as she laid Autumn, now dressed in a yellow onesie with a sunflower sewn onto the front, in the basket.

"Autumn's just a bit of a hassle...." Sweetie Belle said as she grabbed her coat from the hanger.

Apple Bloom shot an unamused glance at Sweetie Belle. "No, she's not. In fact, she's been such a peach this whole time," said Apple Bloom. She began nuzzling Autumn's cheek, much to Autumns audible delight. "Yes, you are! Yes, you are!" sang Apple Bloom.

The infant's laughed were cut off when it coughed, producing tiny embers from its mouth. It began fussing slightly before coughing again. Apple Bloom raised her head to avoid the spit and flames. "Is something wrong, Autumn?" she asked the foal.

Autumn began crying quietly and breathing heavily. Apple Bloom brought her forehead onto Autumn's. The heat from her skin caused the mare to draw back quickly. "Guys, she's burning up!"

"What?" Rarity hurried over to the infant, placing her hoof on Autumn's head, before retracting it just as quickly and yelping. "Oh my!"

Autumn coughed again, and continued to cry, only a bit louder. Rarity watched as Apple Bloom tried to console Autumn, before the gears finally clicked in her head.

"Of course!" said Rarity. "She must be dehydrated! Quick, grab one of those baby bottles from the box." Her demeanor and tone were back to being calm and soothing, putting Apple Bloom at ease as well. The earth pony did as she was told, and Rarity grabbed the kettle, filling the body with water.

"Alright then, open up Autumn!" said Rarity as her horn began to glow. Sweetie Belle had been standing off to the side as she and Apple Bloom watched the bottle float and be brought up to the infant's lips.

Autumn's crying quieted as she looked at the bottle. She sniffed the tip for a moment, and bit down on it. She sucked on the bottle for a moment as Rarity and the others watched. The water level in the bottle had not gone down at all before Autumn spat out the bottle, much to Rarity's dismay. She began crying louder and was squirming in the basket.

"Oh dear me," said Rarity. She desperately looked around the house, before her eyes settled on a red uncut ruby, roughly the size of a baseball. She raised it into the air with her magic and waved it in front of Autumn's face.

"Look! Look, sweetie! Shiny!" said Rarity. Autumn's crying lowered slightly, and her eyes opened. The infant sniffled as its eyes followed the gem through the air. It reached out and gently grabbed it from the air, and she cooed as she started at the shining stone.

"Good, she's calmed down," said Rarity. Apple Bloom sighed and grabbed the knocked over baby bottle. She rinsed it under the sink and refilled it, while Rarity had Sweetie wipe up the spill.

"Let's try this again," Apple Bloom said to herself. She gently held the bottle to Autumn, who looked up from the gem in her hands.

Once again, Autumn rejected it. She instead curled up slightly and began gnawing on the gem with her tiny sharp teeth. Apple Bloom persisted, and still Autumn tossed and turned like a salad, avoiding the bottle. She seemed content with sucking on the gem, although the heat radiating from her forehead was not disappearing.

"Come on, Autumn, you gotta drink water! It'll make you feel better, I promise!" she said.

"Bloom, can I talk with you for a sec?" Sweetie Bell asked, beckoning her aside.

The two began conversing quietly a few paces away, while Rarity searched her tea cabinet. The unicorn scanned through her cabinet, before muttering, "No, not that...." and moving onto the next cabinet.

"I think Autumn needs something with a bit more ... sustenance," said Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom thought for a moment before her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "Y-You mean, y-you honestly want me t--t-tah ..... do THAT?" she stammered.

Sweetie Belle caught on and shook her head. "NO! OH GOSH, NO! No, I just meant that we should find a drink that she'll enjoy more! Juice, maybe!"

Apple Bloom took several deep breaths until the fear in her heart subsided, but her face was still flustered. "Well, do you have anything good?"

Sweetie looked over at her sister, who was rummaging through their fridge. Rarity popped her head up, having overheard the conversation, and shook her head. "Sorry dear," she said, "I don't have any juice, and infants are very sensitive to lactose, so we can't give her this milk here."

Apple Bloom clicked her tongue, saying, "There must be something we can give her... maybe we could -"

They were interrupted by a loud crunching noise, scaring the three of the mares. They turned to the source of the sound, and their eyes widened at what they saw. Autumn's crying had shifted into giggling. Her sharp teeth had pierced through the ruby, breaking off the chunk in her mouth. She was now munching on the gem, and the three mares saw the gem break down into smaller and smaller bits in her mouth. Rarity gasped in shock as she watched the infant swallow the bits before taking another bite out of the jewel.

".....Oh," was Rarity's response. Apple Bloom walked over to Autumn, staring at her. Autumn took no notice of her, as she was too endorsed in devouring the gem. There was no sign of any discomfort or pain from Autumn; in fact, she seemed to enjoy eating it as much as an ordinary foal would enjoy their favorite dessert.

"Well, that's something," said Sweetie Belle. A lightbulb went off in Apple Bloom's head. She turned to Rarity, who had slumped down in her chair, shaken from what she saw.

"Rarity, you got a blender or something? I need to break up a ton of gems into really tiny pieces."

Rarity raised her eyebrow, and then realized Bloom's plan. She trotted off to the cabinet directly above the stove and opened it with her magic. She retrieved a large black device from the back and assembled the container and base together. Sweetie Belle caught onto the idea, and brought over a box filled with dully shaded gems. The box was labeled "Unusable/Weak" written in elegant cursive. She slid the box over to Apple Bloom, who was filling the blender with water.

"Here, use these ones, Bloom!" she said cheerfully. "These ones dissolve better in water."

"Perfect!" The earth pony took a handful of the gems from the box and slipped them into the blender. Immediately, tiny bubbles began rising out of the surface of the stones. Apple Bloom turned the blender on, and a very loud clamor of sound came out of it. The metal clashed and cut through the rocks like a knife through butter, surprisingly, but clattered upon contact with each other. The whirring of the motor startled Autumn, causing her to drop her gem. Sweetie Belle quickly grabbed the gem and laid it on Autumn's lap and used her hoofs to cover the infant's ears. Autumn didn't seem to mind and continued biting on the gem.

Once the gems had been grinded and dissolved, Apple Bloom poured the drink into the bottle.

"Alright, sweetie. Try drinking this," Apple Bloom said as she gently brought the bottle to Autumn's lips.

Autumn looked up from the ruby and stared at the bottle. At first, she seemed to recognize the bottle and rejected it; however she sniffed the tip, and an intrigued look appeared on her fact. Slowly, she gently began suckling on the bottle. The two unicorns watched in anticipation as the infant took the first taste. Autumn began holding the bottle, and drank half the bottle before Apple Bloom noticed her letting go of the bottle and yawning. She placed her hoof on the infant, checking the temperature.

"Her temperature's going down! It worked!" she said. The other two breathed a sigh of relief. Apple Bloom watched as Autumn arms reached out to touch hers, as she yawned once more.

"Buh....mm... mm..." babbled Autumn. Rarity squeaked with delight at the sound. Sweetie's eyes went wide, and Apple Bloom gently held onto the infant's hand. A gentle warmth filled the earth pony's heart.

"Apple Bloom! I do believe she is trying to talk to you," squealed Rarity. The three watched Autumn struggle to articulate any comprehensible word from her mouth, until her eyes fluttered closed, and a small snoring sound escaped from her mouth. She was asleep once more.

Apple Bloom's eyes grew misty, and she gently kissed the forehead of the slumbering infant. "Sleep well, my little fireball...." she whispered, smiling. She wrapped the blanket around Autumn's body, and after one last nuzzle, picked up the basket in her mouth, rocking it gently back and forth.

"... Alright, that's enough mushy stuff. Can we just move on now?" Sweetie Belle looked at Rarity. The older unicorn's heart was currently melting, before she snapped back to reality thanks to a smack on the shoulder from her sister.

"Oh, yes! We must be going now, if we are to make it on time!" Rarity said, donning her hat.

The three mares made their way from the boutique and through the town, with their jackets and scarves fluttering in the wind. Apple Bloom moved Autumn's basket onto her back, and at several point in their journey, looked back to see check on her. The foal remained quiet for the remainder of the trip.

As they were passing through the town, Apple Bloom felt the need to hide her face deeper into her scarf. With every pony that passed, her mind raced through her memories, wondering if they were present at the market yesterday. At one point, an older colt called out to the trio, causing her heart to leap into her throat. Once she realized he was only talking to Rarity about repairing the cuff on his suit, her heart eased, and she heaved a sigh of relief. Still, throughout the whole duration of the trip, she felt that every passing set of eyes that landed on her were secretly accusing her, judging her, and condemning her.

Maybe this was a bad idea, she thought to herself.

"We're here," said Rarity, stopping at the door of a small house near the edge of Ponyville. Apple Bloom blinked and looked up. Her mind had wandered so far that she barely noticed the distance they had traveled. Just beyond the house was the entrance to the Everfree Forest, but the building they had stopped at was what gained her attention. The hut looked sturdy enough, but the wooden logs forming the walls and the straw roof made it stand out among all the other houses in the area. Nailed above the door was an unassuming wooden sign, with the words "Zecora's Clinic" carved neatly into the sign. Ther was nothing flashy or particularly interesting about it, unlike the other shops they had passed.

"Wait, we're going to see Zecora?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Not quite," said Rarity, smiling. "You and Autumn are going to see Zecora. The two of us will be waiting out in the lounge."

Apple Bloom couldn't find a reason to protest, even though a knot formed in her stomach, so she followed Rarity into the hut. The scent of incense washed over the three of them, though it was not thick enough to cause discomfort. Inside, a straw mat covered the foot of the entrance, and just a few meters directly ahead of it, wooden desk topped with a variety of carved statues and relics made of wood and stone resting on the surface, a surrounded a small stack of paper. The blue writing quill was laying on top of the paper, and the ink written on the parchment was still fresh. To their sides, a small set of wood chairs and tables, held together by vines, stings and sticks, were placed comfortably next to the open windows on both sides of the house. The curtains were drawn up, and the cool fall air wafted through the whole hut.

Past the desk was a set of green, leafy curtains that lead into another room, where a figure emerged. The clattering of bead's around the bearer's neck announced the identity of the figure, if the black and white striped mane and skin did not already give it away.

Apple Bloom and the two unicorns watched as the zebra shook back her mane, and smiled warmly.

"Greetings, Apple Bloom. It has been so long," said Zecora, bowing her head, "and I am glad to see that your spirit is still strong."

Apple Bloom followed Zecora's action and bowed as well. "Howdy, Zecora. You're right, it has been too long."

Zecora smiled as she took the quill on the table and made a mark on the paper. "Rarity called me the night before today, to see if I could help without any delay."

Apple Bloom glanced at Rarity, who gave her a knowing wink. The zebra led Apple Bloom past the curtains and into the back room, with Autumn still on her back. Rarity and Sweetie Belle sat at one of the tables. Rarity entertained herself with a set of sewing needles she had kept hidden under her hat, and began working on her next project. Sweetie Belle, on the other hand, leaned towards the curtains from her seat in the lounge. Her ears twitched at every word hushed by Zecora and Bloom, until the sound of a door closing was heard, and no more sounds could be heard.

.............................

"Hmm," Zecora hummed to herself as she brought the stethoscope to Autumn's chest. Apple Bloom watched the zebra listen intently through the device, before she shifted away towards the desk. She took a large, dusty green book from one of the shelves, and began flipping through the pages. Zecora's eyes scanned the pages one by one, until she sighed and clapped the book shut.

Autumn's eyes flickered open, yawning as she did. She looked over at Apple Bloom, who stood right next to the bedside where she lay, and reached out her tiny hoof, babbling happily. Her face beamed with joy, and the warm feeling began bubbling within Bloom's heart.

"Well, it certainly is strange," said Zecora as she slid her book back into the shelf. "But the good news is your child is strong for her age."

Apple Bloom's ears perked up at the comment. "Oh, I'm not her...." she paused, hesitating. Autumn's grip was soft, although the scales on her hand were hard. The happy squeals of the infant resonated deep within her soul, and she felt a tightness in her chest form and disappear in an instant. She smiled, gently holding Autumn's arm. "Yeah...she's strong, alright."

Liar.

The warm feeling in her soul shattered in an instant. Apple Bloom suddenly let go of Autumn's hoof. She looked about the room to the source of the sound. The chill settled along her back, and she heard a low whispering in her ear. At first, the words were indistinct and hushed. She shut her eyes for a second to clear her mind, but the noise only grew louder.

The words were beginning to become clearer and clearer: "Liar. Liar. LIAR!

The pounding in her head returned. She turned away from Zecora and Autumn, breathing heavily. She gripped her head, hoping for it to pass. The chill caused her to shiver, until her knees buckled beneath her, and she swayed to the side. She managed to maintain her balance, and with a gasp, she raised her head to look forward.

Nothing was there, just the walls of the hut and the shelves lined with books backed against it. She sighed, before the cold suddenly shocked through her body like an arrow, when AJ's voice re-entered her mind.

You're not a mother. You're not even a sister. You're just you. A cold, shriveled hoof gripped Bloom's shoulder. Even through the decay and faded color, she recognized the hoof of her sister, and, daring not to turn around, she yelled out and slammed her head into the ground.

"SHUT UP! SHUT! UP! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" The chill and the headache vanished, replaced by a very sore patch on her skin where she hit her head. Apple Bloom covered her mouth, realizing she was screaming in the presence of Zecora and Autumn. The sudden noise scared Autumn into a quiet crying fit. Apple Bloom turned back to see the crying infant and Zecora, looking more shaken than shocked. She hurried over to Autumn, ignoring the redness and swelling on her forehead. "No, no, no, sweetie, I'm sorry. Mommy didn't mean it..."

Autumn whimpered upon seeing Bloom initially, but after a few moments, the crying had subsided into soft sniffles. It was at this point that Apple Bloom wiped the tears from her own eyes, and Zecora approached her.

"Apple Bloom," the Zebra said calmly. "Is this what Rarity said was much maligned? The one where you dream and see terrors from your mind? "

"....Sorry.... and yeah, that kind of sums it up," Apple Bloom said, finally nursing the bruise now forming on her head. Zecora looked through her cabinets, before pulling out a small plastic pill bottle and a washcloth. She rinsed the cloth under the sink in the corner of the room, and placed it on Apple Bloom's head, much to her surprise.

"Oh! Um..." she began, but Zecora politely cut her off.

"This is for your head, for it will heal with relative speed. And these," she added, raising the pill capsule, "are to be taken in the evening, but one, you must not exceed."

Apple Bloom took the capsule into her hoof, turning it over several times. The pills inside rattled as she did and clattered more when something unexpected happened.

Without warning, Zecora brought Apple Bloom into a tight embrace. The zebra hugged the earth pony tight, who wasn't sure how to react. There was an awkward silence in the air, even after Zecora let go.

"I know the pain that runs through your heart," said Zecora, "but you must not let the past tear your future apart."

"...I know. Thank you, Zecora," said Apple Bloom. She stared at Autumn, who was back to her usual happy self. She gently held her hoof and kissed her forehead. The zebra's words echoed in her mind, and she tucked the pills away in one of the basket's side compartments.

Zecora watched as Apple Bloom gently stroked Autumn's cheek, and wiped a small tear from her own eye. She cleared her throat, gaining the attention of Apple Bloom.

"Ahem. Well then, there is one thing that must be done," she said, approaching her books. She opened one of them, checking through them one more time before closing them again. "We must learn all about the origin of this one."

She poked the tip of Autumn's horn, causing Autumn whimper as embers sparked from the end. "The species of this child is not in any of my books. I believe we need the assistance of someone whose wisdom exceeds mine to take a look."

Apple Bloom thought for a moment. "Someone who knows a lot about animals? Fluttershy might help!"

Zecora shook her head. "I believe we need the assistance of one familiar with the mystic. Twilight Sparkle is the option that is most realistic."

Twilight Sparkle. The mention of that name triggered another headache for Bloom, though not the same kind as before. She sighed shaking her head, catching Zecora's attention.

"Is something the matter? Are you alright? Do you need to stay the night?" Zecora asked. Apple Bloom smiled and shook her head.

"Nah, it's good..." she said. She sighed and, making sure Zecora was out of earshot, muttered in annoyance. "Oy vey...."

Chapter 7

Sweetie Belle's head were cluttered with thoughts of Scootaloo and their conversation from yesterday. She thought visiting her again, before she sighed and began massaging her temples. The incense was beginning to make her feel nauseous. Rarity, on the other hand, busied herself with her sketchpad, humming to herself as her next design was materializing in her head.

A muffled yell caught Sweetie Belle's attention. Her eyes widened as she looked up towards the sound. A sense of worry came over her, glancing in the direction of the noise. She immediately recognized the shout as Apple Bloom's, and she was glanced over at her sister. Rarity seemed to have missed hearing the sound entirely, too absorbed in her thoughts. Sweetie was torn. On one hand, she wanted to rush into that room, bust down the door, and see what had happened. On the other hand, if Apple Bloom was like anything like she was back at the market again...

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. Or at least, tried to. But the crawling sensation on her back caused her to fidget, then shudder, then finally caused her to stand up. She was halfway to the door to the examination room when the door swung open. Apple Bloom and Zecora seemed to be fine, and Autum was being carried on Bloom's back, holding onto the earth pony tightly.

Sweetie Belle stepped back, straightening herself. "O-oh, hey, Apple Bloom. Is everything alright?"

Apple Bloom gave a soft nod, before turning her attention back to Autumn. "Everything's fine. Isn't that right, sweetie?"
Autumn glance up at her guardian, and squeaked softly as she squirmed her way back into the basket awaiting her by Apple Bloom's side. Rarity finally snapped out of her trance, and adjusted her mane as she said, "Oh! Bloom, I see you're all done. That was rather quick."

Apple Bloom only nodded in response. Zecora went to her desk, took the feather quill resting in ink, and scribbled a note on her parchment. "That should do it," she said. "I wish you well on your trip. And be wary of any side effects that my hit."

Rarity raised her eyebrow. "Trip? Side effects? What is she talking about?"

Apple Bloom sighed and held up the capsule of pills. A brief explanation of everything that had happened in the room ensued, to which Rarity nodded in understanding, seemingly at every third word she said.

"I see," mused Rarity. "Well, darling, it seems our day trip just got a bit more interesting."

"Twilight Sparkle?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Is that really necessary? I mean, I know you had an incident with her back when.... when..." She could not bring herself to say it.

Apple Bloom could only sigh in response. "That was a long time ago. Can we just move on with it?"

The others could only nod in response. "Sorry," said Sweetie Belle sheepishly. Apple Bloom was too distracted by Autumn to pay any real attention to the apology.

"Ready for your first ever train ride, sweetie?" she asked the foal tenderly. Autumn tilted her head slightly, curious. Apple Bloom was ready to leave, thanking Zecora as she began trotting out the door.

"Be safe on your journey, and may the heavens bless thee," said Zecora, returning to her desk.

The three mares and foal began making their way to the train station. At many points, Sweetie Belle tried to start up a conversation, to which Apple Bloom often absentmindedly responded with small and short responses. She gave up trying to get any more out of her by the time they stepped onto the station platform. There was an air of discomfort around them, to the point where even Autumn began fussing over the tension.

As the train finally pulled to a stop before them, Sweetie finally got a decent response when she asked Apple Bloom, "Are you sure about this? I mean, really sure?"

"YES," said Apple Bloom, a bit too loudly. A few passing ponies gave them a quick glace without stopping,

"But the less we talk about it, the better," said the Earth pony, carrying the basket with Autumn onto the train car. Rarity and Sweetie shared an unsure glance, and followed her on, tickets in hoof.

___________________________________________________________________

The train ride went smoothy as it click-clacked over the rails, barely rocking the basket where Autumn lay. The foal was clutching the blanket over her with her tiny little hooves, gnawing on the corner. It took Apple Bloom several attempts to get the child to stop, before she simply gave her the bottle filled gem-infused drink. She seemed to take it in stride, and began happily sipping away.

Rarity sighed. "You're going to spoil her at this rate, dear", she said, glancing up from her magazine. Sweetie Belle sat across the others, leaning against the window. By now, she noticed that any anger or frustration from Apple Bloom's expression before were gone whenever the Earth pony was looking at the mysterious child. In fact it was more serene, devoid of any emotion besides a sense of contentment. She had already forgotten the events that had occurred earlier in the week, and to be honest, she preferred it that way.

Apple Bloom chuckled at Rarity's remark, with some spring in her voice, "I can't help it. She's so precious..."

Sweetie raised her eyebrow, curious about her friend's seeming obsession with this child, but decided to say nothing about it. Instead, she smiled as she watched the child continue to drink from the bottle.

It was at this moment that Rarity noticed the curious gaze of a young colt sitting on the other side of the car, glancing at Autumn. He seemed to be a few years older than Autumn, but had that spark in his eyes that most youngling so do. Every so often, he'd look back at Autumn, sometimes looking at the scales and other times looking at her horn, before distracting himself with something else.

Eventually he did pipe up. "H-hello," he stammered. He struggled to get the words out, until he noticed Rarity's soothing smile. He calmed himself down, and finally said, "Um, your kid is really cool-looking."

"Oh, Autumn isn't actually-" Sweetie's words were cut off when Apple Bloom spoke up.

"Thank you," she said. Autumn seemed to giggle at the attention, and reaches her hooves towards the roof of the train car, as if she were grasping at invisible lights floating in the air. The colt gulped, and went on. "So, how old is she?"

Apple Bloom seems to think about this for a bit, before responding. "Less than a year and a half, give or take".

The colt nodded, and finally mustered up the courage to ask the real question in his mind: "So...why is her horn so weird?"

Sweetie Belle felt a shiver up her spine, and Rarity eyed the colt with a tiny hint of disapproval at his choice of words. Apple Bloom responded almost immediately, but with a sense of serene calmness.

"Autumn is a little different, but she's my daughter, and I wouldn't change a thing about her." She said, smiling. "I don't know why she's different, but I don't really care."

The colt seemed conflicted on whether or not to accept this answer. He opened his mouth to speak, when a strong maternal voice rose from behind him. "Torrey, get your flank over here this instant!"

A pink mare with a fluffy brown mane and dark-rimmed glasses took her hoof and wrapped it around her son's , and began leading him back to his seat. She turned and sighed. "I'm sorry about him, he's a bit of a wanderer. I apologize if he bothered you or your ... child..."

The mare looked at Autumn, and despite her best attempts to hide it, a gaze of shock and distrust glazed over her eyes, and her expression softened with a sort of half-hearted sympathy. She gave a small, "Oh," and glanced at Apple Bloom.

"So sorry, missy. I wish you the best of luck," said the mare as she walked her son back to their original seats.

"Thanks?" Apple Bloom was unsure of how to take it. The mare's gaze was hard to ignore or forget about. Immediately, she glanced about the rest of the car. Her spine tingled when she realized that every pony who had Autumn in her vision were giving odd or sympathetic glances at the child. Somehow, she felt a sense of worry and anger, despite knowing these ponies held no ill intent.

But anyone who has ever reached a certain age will tell you, feeling self-conscious will make you forget the good in most others. There was no sense of security any more, and Apple Bloom instinctively held Autumn close in her hooves, shielding her from the oncoming looks of those seated and passing by. Autumn had no idea what was happening, of course, but seemed content with being in the loving arms of the mare.

Sweetie Belle and Rarity had noticed the gazes, but were much more interested in one other detail.

"You called Autumn your daughter..." Sweetie Belle said, eyeing Apple Bloom with a look of both intrigue and teasing. Apple Bloom froze and blushed at the comment, and brushed it off.

"It just slipped out, okay?"

There was a brief silence before Sweetie Belle chuckled. "You seem like you're getting pretty attached to her, huh?"

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with that?" she said, slightly amused.

Sweetie shook her head, and Rarity jumped in. "We just find it charming how quickly your two have seemingly bonded." Apple Bloom made no comment afterwards, and the rest of the trip was mostly silent.

"Now arriving at Canterlot Central. Please mind the gap as you embark or disembark." The speakers in the train notified the three of their stop, and the gathered their things, placed Autumn back in the basket, and exited. Making their way up the steps from the station, they were greeted by a strong ray of sun, and the sound of bustling ponies just about everywhere they looked. In the fare distance, sitting precariously and elegantly on the edge of the cliffside, was the Canterlot Castle.

Apple Bloom made sure that Autumn was mostly covered up by the blanket as they made their way towards the castle, and avoid the gaze of any of the haughty ponies who lived in the city. The infant was back to nibbling on the corner of the blanket, absorbing herself in tasting the fabric out of sheer curiosity. When she finally stopped, it seemed to be out of exhaustion rather than realization that the blanket was not actually edible.

As the castle drew closer, Apple Bloom's heart rate grew as well. Flashes blitzed through her mind, and screaming echoes resonated within her mind. She felt a chill crawl up her spine, and her heart froze when she felt a cold hoof on her shoulder. A panic began to enter her brain, and she could already her her sister's voice again. She quickened her pace, refusing to look behind her...

"Hey, Bloom?" Sweetie Belle began hurrying after her friend, surprised by the sudden increase in speed. Rarity found herself also hurrying along, and already began running out of breath.

"Hey!" At this sound, Apple Bloom finally turned around, and realizing that the hoof was Sweetie Belle's, she sighed deeply.

"S-sorry. I just got a bit...chilly. I just needed to warm myself up..." she said nervously. Sweetie shook her head at the obvious lie.

"Really, AB? You gotta do better than that," said Sweetie.

Rarity finally caught up, huffing and panting. "Good lord, you two... I can't believe... you have this much energy in you!... I was never... so athletic, when I... was you're age."

Her eyes widened as she realized: "Oh, good lord, I'm old."

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom laughed at her comment.

_______________________________________________________________________________

By the time they finally arrived at the castle garden, the afternoon sun was beginning to cast shadows over the city, and the sky was dimming. A long line of ponies wound though the entrance, going as far back as the castle gates, guarded by two armored Pegasi.

Autumn was sound asleep by now, and Apple Bloom gazed out at the long line of ponies. "If we get in line now, we'll be here until midnight..."

In that moment, she considered using this as an excuse to come back tomorrow, to delay this visit. Rarity crushes these hopes when she pulled out her purse. "Have no fear, darling," she said. "I got a fast-pass that'll get us right to the front." She smiled as she pulled out a laminated card with her cutie mark emblazoned on it.

"A 'fast-pass'? To see Princess Twilight?" said Sweetie Belle, scoffing.

"It's one of the perks of being the princess' best friend."

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. "I thought Pinkie was Twilight's best frie-"

"You want to get to the front or not," said Rarity, huffing angrily.

The three made their way past the lines, gaining the jealous gaze of several ponies still in line. Apple Bloom looked down at the slumbering Autumn in the basket next to her, hoping to ignore more of those infuriating gazes from before on the train. One of the pegasi stopped the trio. "Sorry, ma'am, but you'll need to get in line like everyone else."

Rarity cleared her throat and gave the guard a sly look. "Ahem. Surely you know who I am, yes?" She said holding the card. The guard took the card, glanced down at it, then back at Rarity.

There was a short pause. "...Ah! Miss Rarity, I didn't recognize you out of one of your dresses." He cleared his throat. "Funny, I thought your weekly tea session with the princess was yesterday."

"It was. I come here on different business," she said, motioning at Apple Bloom and the child in her arms.

"Weekly tea?" mouthed Sweetie Belle. "You told me that you were out on business."

"W-well, it was! Sort of!" retorted Rarity. Sweetie shook her head, saying simply, "No. No it is not."

The guard was beginning to get uncomfortable by the conversation, and cleared his throat. "Ahem, well, you may pass through, but use the side door. Knock once, and someone will answer."

Rarity nodded and smiled at the guard. "Nice to see you again, Phil." The three continued past, with Sweetie Belle having many questions that she knew would never be answered. They went up a set of stairs off to the side of the main entrance, that curved up one of the towers, and stopped before a set of tall ivory doors. After following the guard's instructions, they stepped back from the door.

After a brief moment, the door opened, answered by a somewhat odd sight. It was a purple dragon, clearly in their teen years on the cusp of adulthood. He was still skinny and shorter compared to some of the other dragons Apple Bloom had seen, but he was far beyond the size of a child. His wings were strangely large, and his scales glimmered violet under the setting sun. Sweetie Belle tilted her head. This dragon seemed familiar, but she wasn't sure until she heard the dragon speak: "...Rarity? What are you doing here?"

"....Spike?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. Spike scratched the back of his head.

"Long time no see, girls," he said, flashing a toothy grin. "How are you doing?"

"Just fine, Spike, darling," said Rarity. Spike let the three into the castle. Sweetie struggled to get her words out.

"Wha-who-when? What? Why? HOW?" she said frantically. Apple Bloom was equally perplexed, but didn't show it at all. Spike shrugged and gave a simple response.

"I'm on a new diet," he said. There was no words Sweetie knew that could describe her current emotion, besides shock. Spike glanced down at the basket, and upon seeing Autumn, widened his eyes.

"Whoa. Who's this?" he asked, making sure not to wake up Autumn. "Did one of you get married and not tell me?"

Sweetie rolled her eyes. "No, nopony got knocked up, Spike," she said. "This is Autumn. Apple Bloom found her abandoned by the river just outside Ponyville."

Spike furrowed his brow, taking it in. "Abandoned?...Guess it's true what they say, all kids deserve parents, but not all parents deserve kids..."

"We don't know her full story," said Apple Bloom. "We don't even know what species she is."

Spike gently touches the strange horn on Autumn, and eyed the scales on the foal's small body. Autumn fidgeted slightly, and was beginning to wake up. "I've never seen a foal like this before," he said, glancing up at the three. "Is that why you're here?"

Apple Bloom sighed, bracing herself for what was to come. "We need Twilight's knowledge on this. To figure out what Autumn is. Where she came from."

At this, Spike looked up at Apple Bloom with a knowing look in his eye. A sense of slight worry and understanding was in his expression. Apple Bloom looked down, avoiding his gaze, and sighed again. The other two mares remained silent. Spike let his wings droop a bit as he spoke. "Are you sure? I know about how you feel about Twilight."

"I know, I know, I just-" Apple Bloom winced at hearing Twilight's name. "I can handle it. Okay?"

After a long pause, Spike nodded. "I get that. Follow me." He motioned for them to follow him deeper into the castle.

Chapter 8

The shimmering halls of the castle were fairly empty as the group passed through the high open corridors in silence. The sun glinted off the marble floors, and struck the stained glass windows lining the halls. Each of the windows were meticulously crafted, creating images that many residents of Ponyville would recognize. They portrayed triumph over the many evils faced by the Queen and her friends in the past, evils that would have spiraled their universe into chaos had it not been for their bravery.

To Apple Bloom though, it only left her feeling hollow. Walking through the halls, the polygonal visage of her sister kept catching her eye, no matter how much she wished to look away, and no matter how brutally her heart froze every time. The air was tense enough for anypony to quickly realize that something was up, but anypony with a brain knew better than to question Apple Bloom about her feelings at this point.

Sweetie Belle tried to keep herself distracted by glancing out the windows. By now the group had climbed up a fair amount of flights of stairs. The view from that level was definitely pleasant, letting her see the the surrounding city of Canterlot to as far as the downtown district, but it wasn't alleviating any of the awkward emotions she was feeling right now.

Rarity kept her mouth clamped tight as she walked by the stained glass portraits. It was honestly felt strange for her to view her youthful self as merely an afterthought, but it was if Apple Bloom's very presence was causing the gravity of the room itself to collapse down towards her. It was an odd feeling, and though Rarity tried to make sense of it, she only succeeded in convincing herself that silence was currently the best option.

Spike led them into the central audience chamber, where Sweetie Belle could look down from the railing to see a hard-working unicorn with white hair and a teal coat directing the line that grew past the main doors.

Autumn was mostly silent during this walk. One would think she had fallen asleep in Apple Bloom's basket, but lo and behold, she was wide awake, staring with her mouth agape at the ceiling of the castle, partly in awe, partly in confusion.

"Twilight's right through those doors," said Spike, walking right up to the doors to the central chamber. "I guess I needn't mention that whatever it is you need to say, you should make it quick. Life's been pretty hectic around here recently, and-"

"We're not staying any longer than we need to," said Apple Bloom, bluntly. There was a shared glance between Rarity and Sweetie Belle, who kept silent.

Spike gave a small "Ah..." and nod of understanding. "Right then." It seemed like he was on the verge of saying something else, but he thought better of it. Instead, he opened up the doors, revealing the largest room in the castle.

The walls were as high as the surrounding towers, allowing the Sun to pass through the glass dome of a roof and drift all the way down to the floor, illuminating everything on it. Sweetie Belle needed slowed down behind the group to take it all in. Unlike her sister, she had never really been inside the castle much, let alone the main central chamber where the royalty performed their daily duties.

The walls were all carved with the kind visages of Equestria's heroes from past to present. Rarity's was among them. She would later on say that the carving failed to capture all her best, most youthful attributes, but when asked specifically what she meant, she would brush it off as something only she could understand.

Spike was about to round the corner, where Twilight would be sitting on the throne doing her very best not to let Equestria fall apart, when he turned to check on the others. Sweetie and Rarity were already staring behind them.

Apple Bloom was looking on at the smiling visage of her own sister, carved into the wall just above Pinkie's. She gently caressed the cheek with her hoof, staring on at the sculpted wood. Even Autumn seemed to be silent, barely taking notice of the roof now. She was now looking at Apple Bloom, then the bust of Applejack, then back to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom herself was beginning to get a pounding in her head. A chill began to run up her spine as she read the plaque welded into the wall beneath Applejack's smiling face.

"Applejack (2000 - 2034). Cherished by her friends and loved by her family."

The pounding increased tenfold. She grit her teeth and wobbled unsteadily away from the wall. The world around her began to turn dark, and the familiar voice echoed throughout her depths of her psyche. It was felt like it was happening for the first time all over again.

"Apple Bloom...my dear sister....".

Apple Bloom nearly screamed in agony again, and Rarity was just about ready to step in and help, when she did something unexpected. Quickly putting Autumn and the basket down on the ground, she scrummaged through the bag, not looking up out of fear of what she might see, and pulled out the pills Zecora had given her. She broke open the seal and removed the lid with a POP, poured 3 pills into her hoof, and swallowed them without hesitation.

She nearly choked on them, but after they went down, the chaos in her mind subsided. It wasn't instant, but it was fast. The voices stopped, and Apple Bloom was only now realizing how bad her head had felt now that her headache was gone. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, and she barely notices the shocked expressions of the others there.

Glancing over her shoulder, away from the carving of Applejack, she cleared her throat and said simply, "Are we going or what?"

She picked up the basket and entered the chamber ahead of the others, who were still trying to process what in Tartarus just happened. Spike, who had no clue where those pills came from, was the most concerned.

"Long story, don't ask," said Sweetie Belle as she and Rarity trotted past the doors. Spike shook his head. He had already made a mental note years ago to avoid any attempt to question the activities of his companions, lest he get roped up in more trouble than preferable.

______________________________________________________________________________

Twilight's chamber was just as exquisite as the rest of the castle, except the entire upper floor was surrounded by glass windows, letting the sun shine in all it's glory to illuminate the room brightly. From where they had entered the room, the group could finally see where the line lead to. Just a few meters ahead, past the line of ponies that trailed out another large set of doors and all the way out of the castle's entrance, was Twilight herself, slender and majestic as always (though Apple Bloom chalked that up to the sun just shining in the perfect spot). An elderly stallion, enclothed with a tuxedo and monocle, seemed to be very loudly voicing his displeasures, going on and on about "business" and "proposals".

Twilight glanced away from the conversation, seeing Spike and the others. She brightened up slightly upon seeing Rarity, but it fell into a look of slight discomfort as her eyes set upon Apple Bloom. The poor earth pony felt her face grow flush as Twilight laid eyes on her, turning her head ever so slightly away to avoid direct eye contact.

"Hello? Your highness?" said the stallion, in a gruff sort of voice. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Rarity waved at Twilight with an eager face, and Sweetie did the same, much more shyly. Spike made his way up to the princess' side, and whispered into her hear. She had to stoop down a tiny bit to listen, but after doing so, she glanced over at Apple Bloom, then the basket, then nodded in understanding.

Turning her attention back to the stallion, she said, "Your profits will be fine. I doubt Yakyakistan will willingly target just your shares just to spite us. They currently have their own crisis going on, so we must aid them in any way to maintain relations."

"But-" said the stallion, but Twilight held up her hoof.

"Enough," she said. "We must let the situation first settle down before rushing into things. 'Haste makes waste', as they say. Now, there are other matters I must attend to."

The stallion grumbled, then sighed, and sulked away out of the room. The guards at the entrance to the chamber closed the door behind him, and the other ponies were all escorted out gently, until only Twilight, Apple Bloom, Rarity, Sweetie, and Spike remained in the room.

"....so.... I like what you've done with the place," Sweetie Belle chuckled nervously. Rarity rolled her eyes at her sister's attempt to alleviate the tension.

Twilight took no notice of this. She was too focused on Apple Bloom's intense spiteful aura that filled the room. If she was scared, which was unlikely, she showed no sign of it. She cleared her throat.

"Welcome, Apple Bloom. I pray you are well."

"I'm well enough," said Apple Bloom rather sharply. Autumn fussed slightly, making a sound as what could only be described as a baby's yawn. Twilight glanced at the foal, and her eyes remained steady.

"I am to understand that you have something you wish to ask about," said Twilight. Her voice remained steadfast.

Apple Bloom, without breaking eye contact with the princess, nodded silently. She slowly brought the basket to the steps leading up to the throne. Twilight made her way down the steps, carefully, approaching the foal.

Rarity and Sweetie and Spike stood off to the side, waiting with baited breath. Using her magic, Twilight gingerly began to lift the foal up out of the basket. Autumn seemed neither scared nor confused as she began rising, giggling happily and hugging herself. Apple Bloom flinched at Twilight's actions, and suppressed the urge to reach out and grab her child.

"My child...?" thought Apple Bloom. "I really am going bucking crazy."

"Facinating," said Twilight. She was walking around the child in a circular motion, taking note of the crooked horn, the scales, and the strange color of mane. "Where did you encounter such a thing?"

Bloom snapped. "Her name is Autumn, not a 'thing'." She immediately realized how loud she was, and blushed ever so slightly. She turned her head away in embarrassment, but kept her eyes on the floating laughing foal before them.

"I apologize. I didn't mean-...." Twilight hesitated, not knowing exactly what to say. Instead, she continued her question. "Where did you find Autumn?"

So Apple Bloom told Twilight the whole story. Well, not everything. She left out the parts of her outburst in the square, as well as her stay at Rarity's, and the trip to Zecora's. Upon hearing that the child was left abandoned at the edge of a river in the middle of the forest, Twilight narrowed her eyes.

"Poor thing...lost and alone...." she hushed the foal, who had finally stopped spinning thanks to Twilight catching her with her hoof. "Thank goodness you were there at the time."

"Can you just help identify it? The species, I mean," said Apple Bloom.

Twilight lowered the foal back into the basket. "Of course. I must consult my books." She turned to the others. "You are welcome to join me in the library."

Sweetie Belle realized she had been holding her breath in for the entire conversation. She sighed and said, "Sure, yeah, we'll come."

Rarity and Spike nodded as well. Twilight walked to the door over to the east, opened the doors, and stepped inside. The library was not especially huge, but it was very high. Shelves full of books, taller than even the highest trees on the Apple Farm, reached towards the ceiling. Rows of these towering shelves were aligned parallel to each other, with sunlight from the windows shining between the gaps.

Twilight immediately turned to the left, going all the way to the second shelf from the left, and activated her magic. About seven or eight books from the shelves on both sides floated off where they stood, opened up and drifted towards her. Twilight flipped through the pages, glancing back at Autumn on occasion for reference. Rarity and Sweetie Belle glanced among the books. Sweetie took one off the shelf and peeked inside. The images inside immediately made her turn red as a tomato, and pushed it back with such speed Rarity wondered if Rainbow Dash had been hanging out with her too much. Spike chuckled, and took a different book from the shelf above.

"Twilight, try this one," he said, handing the princess the book. Twilight opened it, flipped quickly through the pages, then shook her head.

"No, no, not this one." She went back to flipping through the other books she already had around her.

Apple Bloom was silent the whole time, trying to distract herself by checking on Autumn every so often. Unfortunately, (or fortunately), Autumn was quiet, and her eyelids were drooping. The laughter from earlier seemed to have tired her out, and the foal turned in it's blanket and fell asleep.

"Doing alright?" Sweetie Belle asked. Apple Bloom glanced up out of her trance. She sighed and looked at the sleeping baby.

"Do you ever think Autumn dreams of her parents?"

Sweetie Belle was taken aback by the sudden uneasy air of the question. The unicorn thought to herself, rubbing her neck nervously.

"Why do you ask?" Sweetie Belle asked after a long pause.

Apple Bloom said nothing in response. She it looked as if she was about to say something that would sound crazy to any pony, and yet she wanted to say it.

Twilight's "Aha!" brought everyone back to the situation. Apple Bloom sighed as she forced herself to rejoin with the princess, who appeared to be lifting one of the thicker books with her magic. The book was open to a page near the end, and had a scratchy drawing of what appeared to be a strange type of pony. The figure was slimmer than most mares Apple Bloom had seen, and yet taller, more elegant, but not nearly as tall as Twilight was now. It's neck was long and curved, wrapped in a white fur coat that gave a soft yet fearsome appearance, almost like a lion. It's tail was thin and long as well, with fur that spread out like the tip of an arrow at the end. The most prominent features was the green scales lining the bridge of the snout, and the crooked horn piercing the sky.

To the right of the drawing was another one. The figure in this one appeared to be the same species as the first, only much more youthful, with eyes filled with naive wonder.

To Apple Bloom, it was practically a grown-up Autumn.

"I think this is it," declared Twilight. "I believe Autumn is what is known as a 'kirin'."

"Kirin..." Apple Bloom repeated the word under her breath. Rarity took the book into her own hooves, reading over the pages. She looked over at Autumn and nodded.

"It checks out, darling. Autumn fits the description here to a T," she said.

Spike and Sweetie looked at each other, then at Apple Bloom to see her reaction. Bloom was mesmerized by the picture, staring at the form. She felt her heart beat faster, as she read the description under the photo.

"The Kirin are an ancient species, born from the earth and infused with the fiery elements that lie beneath the crust. Their origin is unknown, as is how they vanished over time. Some argue genetic defection, or perhaps feudal war. These are merely speculation, and no evidence can confirm any prevailing theory. Regardless, the Kirin were known for their mastery over fire, each one of them capable of generating and manipulating enough of it to burn entire forests to the ground. Very little is confirmed about this species. Must be investigated further."

Twilight looked at the silent earth pony and closed the book. "If Autumn truly is a Kirin, this implies that the species is beginning to repopulate. If I could just-"

"Absolutely NOT!" said Apple Bloom. "I'm not letting you run studies on MY BUCKING AUTUMN!" She nearly screamed the last bit, but remembered that Autumn was still trying to sleep. Thankfully, the foal only rolled the other way in her sleep, snoozing just as peacefully as ever.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle covered their mouths with their hooves, and Spike raised his eyebrow at this seemingly random outburst. Twilight widened her eyes as well, but she closed her eyes and sighed, remaining composed.

"Apple Bloom, please just listen-"

"Oooooh, sure!" said Apple Bloom, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just take her, why don't you? Just like you take everything else! Not on my BUCKING watch! You're not gonna lay another HOOF on her! You hear me? I don't care if you're a princess!"

The headache returned, and the room around them darkened. Apple Bloom's yellow fur began to dull slightly again, her pupils starting to dilate. She couldn't see anything else but Twilight.

"Damn her, that Twilight....I'll tear out her throat if she tries anything...."

The voices returned. Or rather, voice. The whispering, the pounding, everything in her head grew louder. Her sister's image flashed across her eyes, and she swore she could see her sister's youthful form glaring at her... and smiling.

"There it is....that's what I wanted to see..." said the form.

"Bloom!"

Apple Bloom snapped back to reality. The darkness was gone, and the headache was fading again. Sweetie Belle was gently gripping her friend's shoulders, breathing heavily. Her expression was one of pure terror and concern. Rarity had approached the two, but once Apple Bloom had calmed down, she told herself to let them have this moment.

Twilight was still there, disturbed by these events. She waited until Apple Bloom looked up at her. She noticed her eyes were slightly shiny with tears, but her growl signaled she was trying not to let them flow. Twilight took a deep breath, and continued.

"I was going to say that until Autumn's own kind comes to look for her, if they ever do, she should remain under your care," Twilight said.

Apple Bloom's mind blanked. She felt a mixture of embarrassment and relief wash over her, and her face flushed beet red. She could only let out a small, "O-oh..."

Spike stifled a chuckle, but shrunk away at Twilight's unamused glare. Twilight glanced back at Apple Bloom.

"Look, Apple Bloom, I'm..." She began. But she couldn't finish that thought. What could she possibly say that could comfort her? She forced herself to go with what her heart said.

"I understand if you have some reservations about me. I swear, I would never bring harm to you and Autumn. And I promise to aid you in any way you feel necessary. You need only ask."

She placed her hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder, who brushed it away after a short pause.

Apple Bloom glanced up one more time, into Twilight's eyes. She stared hard into those soft, gleaming whites, and swallowed hard.

"...Okay," she said. "I will. Eventually."

Before Twilight could get out another word, Apple Bloom had already turned around to leave. She picked up the basket carrying Autumn, and trotted briskly past Spike, who attempted to say his goodbyes but got no response from Apple Bloom.

She stopped at the door. Rarity and Sweetie Belle were following her, and glanced back at Twilight. The princess, pulled the two over to the side, and leaned down to whisper.

"Look after Apple Bloom, will you? I fear she's hiding more than she's letting on."

Rarity nodded. "Of course, darling," she said.

"You can count on us," Sweetie Belle agreed. "Thanks for all your help, Princess Twilight."

Twilight smiled and nodded. She watched as the three ponies opened the doors and began making their way out of the castle. If she had looked for a bit longer, she might have caught a glimpse of Apple Bloom looking back at her, just as the doors closed.

Chapter 9

The train ride back was mostly silent. Apple Bloom spent most of that time cradling Autumn in her hooves, staring out the window. Sweetie Belle sat by her side, unable to find the right words to say. Rarity attended to her knitting, until she finally decided that the shaking train was perhaps not the best place for needlework and her hooves. She looked over at Apple Bloom, and with hint of worry in her voice, she said, "Dear? Is there something on your mind?"

Apple Bloom didn't respond at first. Sweetie Belle nudged her friend, causing the Earth pony to snap out of her trance. "Huh?"

Rarity smiled softly. "Are you alright? You're spacing out again."

Apple Bloom sighed and turned to look out the window again. "I..." Her hesitance was visible on her face. She bit her lip, cradling Autumn closer.

"I don't know anything about taking care of children," she said bluntly. "I've only gotten this far thanks to mostly your help, Rarity."

She looked down at the slumbering foal in her arms. "I don't wanna screw up, but I don't wanna leave her..."

Rarity, smiling, continued her needlework. "Darling, the fact that you would think you're not ready is a sign that you ARE ready to undertake this responsibility. A parent must know that their child needs them, and must be ready to give up everything for them."

Sweetie Belle raised her eyebrow. "What kind of logic ...". She stopped when she noticed the look Rarity was giving her.

Rarity continued. "That foal needs you to be ready. Autumn, more than anything, needs her mother. I know it may not be what you wish you hear, but it's the truth."

Autumn cooed as Apple Bloom rocked her back and forth. Hearing Rarity's words made her heart feel "light", as she would describe it later on. It was like the feeling one feels at the end of a difficult exam, regardless of how well they performed.

The train click-clacked along the rail, through the hills that rolled by. Apple Bloom sighed, staring out the window, leaning her head against it. Her thoughts began to blur together, but her memories began to become clearer. She saw her younger self playing in those hills when she was a young foal. She saw her sister Applejack, smiling and chasing her through the grass. Her brother, Big Macintosh, eating his dinner with their Granny Smith.

Their smiling faces... their happiness....

She felt Autumn reach up with her hooves, begging her guardian to pick her up. She giggled with glee, snapping Apple Bloom out of her half-trance. A wide grin appeared on Apple Blooms face as she nuzzled the infant.

"Aw, who's a good little kirin? You are, yes YOU are!" A few fellow passenger's gave a curt glance at the scene of a yellow earth pony playing with her odd child. She smiled at Autumn, brushing her mane.

"....It's gonna be okay. No pony's gonna leave you alone ever again."

_________________________________________________________________________________________

By the time Apple Bloom had arrived back at Ponyville, the sun had already gone down, coloring the sky in a dark orange hue. Rarity and Sweetie Belle had taken their leave , and waved their friend good night. The evening fall chill convince Apple Bloom to bundle Autumn up in her wool blanket. The foal was asleep again.

Walking through the woods to her home, she stared on ahead, letting her thoughts flow freely. Her heart felt light. A sense of fulfilment had entered her body, and for the first time in years, a smile was stuck to her face.

That smile, however didn't last very long. Once she arrived home, she paused. How was she going to explain everything to Big Macintosh? He may have already known about her outburst in the market, but Autumn was going to be a complete shock to him. She took a deep breath, and began to recite her apology and explanation to her brother. She had gone through about 6 different drafts before she came to the door of Sweet Apple Acres.

She barely got her words out when she saw the door open wide. Big Mac wrapped his burly hooves around his sister, hugging her tight.

"Hey..." he said. "Are you alright? How are you holding up?"

Apple Bloom pauses, surprised at this sudden display of affection. She wrapped her free hoof around his neck. "I'm okay, big bro." She had completely forgotten about her rehearsed apology.

Big Macintosh opened his eyes. "I'm just glad you're safe. Do you want to talk about it?" His eyes stared directly into Apple Bloom's, making her feel simultaneously uncomfortable and assured at the same time.

Apple Bloom froze up. Of course she wanted to talk about it. There was nothing she desired more. The things that weighed down on her heart would make any pony go mad.

"....Maybe later."

She could feel her inner self screaming at her own stupidity. Her heart felt heavy again.

Big Macintosh nodded in response. "Well, the important thing is that your safe."

He opened the door wider. "Come inside, I made dinner." He was about to say more, when he finally noticed the basket that Apple Bloom was carrying, and the passenger within.

His eyes widened, and he looked rapidly between his sister and Autumn. Apple Bloom watched as her brother's brain seemed to short-circuit, and his jaw dropped to the ground.

"I....when....I-how...?"

Apple Bloom sighed and felt her cheeks turn red slightly. "It's a long story...."

_________________________________________________________

And so, Apple Bloom explained the entire story to Big Macintosh. Her outburst at the market, her discovery of Autumn, how she stayed with Rarity, her trip to Zecora's, and her time at Twilight's castle. Big Mac listened quietly, letting his sister finish her story, before he finally spoke up.

"So....you're gonna take care of Autumn?"

Apple Bloom nodded, holding the foal close to her chest. "I am."

There was another brief moment of silence. Big Macintosh closed his eyes, deep in thought. Autumn babbled happily, as she looked at the new face. She gently reached out and gently grabbed Mac's nose and nuzzled her cheek against him. He opened his eyes, slightly taken aback. His mouth curled up into a small smile, as he gently allowed the foal to embrace him.

"She's very warm..." he said.

"That's probably from all the fire she has."

"The what?"

Almost on cue, Autumn sneezed, blasting a cloud of embers and smoke from her nose. The soot covered Big Macintosh's entire face, turning his whole face dark, save for the whites in his eyes. He shook his head rapidly, shaking most of the ash off, and laughed heartily.

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow in confusion, before she felt her own mouth curl into a smile, and burst out into a similar fit of laughter. The barn was filled with the sound of laughter, with Autumn giggling happily as well. The entire house suddenly became warmer to Apple Bloom.

"You really are becoming more and more like your sister," said Big Macintosh, wiping a tear from his eye.

Apple Bloom wiped the tears from her own eyes. Her heart fluttered again at those words. "....thanks."

Her bother nodded. "Well...I've know a few things about raising little fillies," he said, smiling. "I can give you some tips, if you'd like."

Apple Bloom glanced at her brother at this. It was only at this point she realized how tense her shoulders have been. With a sigh of contentment, she loosened her body, smiled and said, "Please do."

Her brother smiled. "Then the first thing I'm gonna teach you is how to give a foal a bath".

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. "What? Autumn doesn't need a - "

She interrupted herself when she wrinkled her nose, noticing the stench emanating from Autumn. The foal giggled happily, blissfully unaware of her little incident.

"Oh...." Apple Bloom grimaced.

Big Macintosh patted his sister's back. "Lesson number two. Get ready to make sacrifices."

Apple Bloom looked at her brother, with a slightly annoyed look. She sighed as her brother laughed.

"Welcome to parenthood".

_________________________________________________________

Scootaloo stared at the roof of her room, her wings fluttering slightly against her mattress. The moon shone through her window, illuminating half of her floor. The other half was lit under a single lamp that covered the room in a warm yellow light, and yet, Scootaloo still felt that her own room was somehow alienating her.

Her mind kept racing back to the incident on at the market. Her anger kept rising at the memory, and her teeth were slightly grit. It was simply absurd to her.

"What were you thinking, Sweetie Belle...?" she muttered to herself. To her, Sweetie was always the smartest out of the group. She had always managed to pull them out of bad situations, and seemed to be the primary voice of reason.

As for Apple Bloom, there was just something that set Scootaloo off. It wasn't always like this. There was a time in their childhood when all three of them were inseparable. Ponyville knew them as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. In more recent times, unfortunately, it was more like.... nothing at all.

She thought back to when it all changed. After Applejack's death, she didn't see Apple Bloom for over a year. When she returned, however, Scootaloo immediately felt something strange about her. The luster in her eyes, the dreamy expression on her face, and her sunny disposition was gone.

How had she been so blind? Of course Apple Bloom had changed. Her anger suddenly was replaced with regret.

"Apple Bloom..."

She took out her phone resting by her side. Dialing Apple Bloom's number, she prepared herself. Her emotions were suddenly welling up, and she so desperately wanted to apologize. Her heart beat fast, as the tone buzzed in her ear.

"Hi, this is Apple Bloom. I'm not here at the moment, so leave a message. Thanks, y'all." Click

Tears sprung into Scootaloo's eyes, and her heart sank.

"I'm sorry...."

_________________________________________________________

Sweetie Belle stepped out of the tub, doing her best to not slip on the bathroom floor. Her mind felt clearer after her shower, but at the same time, her body felt much more tired. Stepping out of the bathroom, having dried off, her spirit was all drained from the emotionally tumultuous day she just had.

By now, Rarity had gone back to her own room, but Sweetie knew that her sister would be spending the night designing dresses and thinking of new ways to "wow the fashion world", as she would often say.

Her phone buzzed on the counter. She glanced up at the device, reading the message on the screen.

It was from Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle took a deep breath as she opened her messages.

"I need to talk to AB," it read. Sweetie hesitated, at first. She was confused as to why Scootaloo suddenly wished to speak with Apple Bloom, given how she reacted to the outburst in the market. Thinking back, Sweetie thought things had been tense between the two even before that moment.

She weighed her options for what felt like minutes, before sending another message.

"I'll talk with her tomorrow."

She turned her phone over and powered it off before rolling back into her bed, restless. She felt the chill of the night air flow into her room, despite her doors and windows being locked.

It was going to be a long night.

_________________________________________________________
"Come on, Autumn, just get in! It's a tiny bit of water."

The tub had been filled in with a half-inch of water, and yet Autumn somehow had firmly rooted herself into the ground. The young filly whined and whimpered as she pushed against her mother figure. It was like trying to put a jellyfish into a pail, stings and all, as Autumn was kicking wildly.

Big Macintosh watched the scene play out, half in amusement and half in surprise. Apple Bloom shot him a look.

"A little help, please?" she asked.

Big Macintosh shook his head, and instead gave her a wink. "You got this, sis."

Apple Bloom gave an angry pout, and turned her attention back to Autumn, only to get kicked in the face by one of Autumn's hooves. Apple Bloom finally grabbed Autumn's hooves, and glared at her.

"Hey!" She snapped. "NO! None of that!"

Autumn froze, with her eyes wide, and froze in place. Her eyes then started to water, then the silence was broken by whimpering, and then a loud wailing. Autumn was no longer flailing about, but cried wildly.

Apple Bloom's eyes went wide, and covered her mouth. "No, no, no, wait, I'm sorry!"

The crying continued, and Apple Bloom's own eyes watered, as she tried to soothe her child. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, no, wait, don't... sniff....don't cry, I'm sorry, mommy's sorry...."

She broke down in tears, and the room was filled with the sound of two ponies crying, and the sound of a colt sighing at the sight of the utter chaos that was unfolding before him.

Big Macintosh finally stepped in, picking up a rubber duck from the bathroom counter. He squeaked it twice. Autumn's cries died down slightly, as her ears picked up. Apple Bloom also glanced over at her brother, slightly surprised.

"Quack," he said, bringing it to Autumn's nose. "Quack, quack". He smiled, making more duck sounds, bobbing it and putting it into the tub.

Autumn giggled, her tears drying, and she crawled along the ground, following the duck into the water. She splashed into the tub, giggling and grabbing the duck. Every time it squeaked, she laughed and splashed around.

Apple Bloom sighed, and wiped her eyes. "Thanks...."

Big Macintosh nodded. "Lesson number 3. Patience is key."

Apple bloom nodded. She grabbed the soap from the counter, putting some in her hooves, and began the bathing process. Autumn didn't seem to mind the foamy bubbles forming around her, except when one of them popped in front of her, and let out a small smokey sneeze.

Big Macintosh chuckled. "You know, you and Applejack was just like this. Always so stubborn."

Apple Bloom scoffed, smiling slightly and shaking her head. "Oh, come on...."

"No, its true. And it's good," he said, smiling. "It means they've got a strong personality."

"You're just making things up, now."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Macintosh chuckled. A few minutes later, Apple Bloom washed off her hooves once she had finished changing Autumn. Her brother smirked as he watched her pick up the young filly. Big Mac nodded in approval, once she had finished laying Autumn down in the bed. The child squirmed around, held in place with Apple Bloom's strong hooves.

"Nice work," said Big Mac. "After 40 minutes of struggling, crying and teasing, we finally got the kid to take a bath."

Apple Bloom smiled. She looks back at Autumn, who was yawning and stretching. The foal's eyes grew heavy, and almost instantly, the tired kirin fell into a deep slumber. The small filly was completely tuckered out.

Big Macintosh wrapped his hoof around his sister, bringing her close. "You're gonna be just fine."

Apple Bloom nodded, not taking her eyes off the filly. She smiled as she watched Autumn snooze away happily.

"Sweet dreams, my sweet little girl..."said Apple Bloom.

Chapter 10

The next few months was not what Apple Bloom was expecting. One could even say she was woefully underprepared for her new life. The crying, the feeding , the changing... it all felt like she was hit by a set of bricks. So much of her life suddenly felt as if it had been thrust into a blender.

Firstly, there was the feeding. Despite having seen the uniqueness of Autumn's diet firsthand, she wasn't ready for just how hungry the little kirin could be. It seemed as if the infant could stomach the entirety of the Pie family's rock farm if Apple Bloom allowed it. Of course, she didn't.

Rarity had lent Apple Bloom the entire box of unused gemstones to keep the little rascal satiated, which often would last about a month before Apple Bloom had to call again. Thankfully, Rarity was always a busy mare. Working at her boutique, designing dresses and sewing left many scrapped gemstones that Autumn was happy to consume.

Still, it was awkward to see an infant bite on rocks of all things to stay hungry. Thankfully, living on the Apple Family farm meant that Autumn developed an appetite for the juicy fruit that hung from their orchards. Big Macintosh often offered to help pick the apples each morning for Autumn, alongside Apple Bloom.

The two of them were up at the crack of dawn each morning. The dew of the morning fell from the grass as they trotted through the trees. Macintosh would often looked at his sister, noticing the new way she carried herself. Her movements in the past weeks had been more resolute, as if her soul had suddenly been energized. He had a strong hint as to why this was, if her smile was anything to go by now.

A wave of nostalgia washed over Big Macintosh. The magical sensations of comfort and joy that one could only feel in the, perhaps objectively, mundane parts of life, had warmed up the entirety of the Apple family.. As the sun rose over the horizon, warming their backs as they gathered their fruit, Macintosh could feel his face plastered with a gentle smile, watching Apple Bloom go up and about. His mind faded to distant memories -

"Hey."

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He glanced down from the top of his later, to see Apple Bloom holding Autumn in her hooves, and baskets full to the brim with apples being towed behind her.

"I'm going the marketplace," said Apple Bloom. "Do you want anything?"

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "....Bread."

Apple Bloom nodded, smiling. "Got it." She turned and hoisted Autumn onto her back. By now the little foal had developed a strong grip, and would often cling to her mother for hours on end. Apple Bloom found it funny, and a little convenient, since she no longer had to carry around a basket to carry her in.

She winked at her brother as she turned around, with Autumn waving farewell to her uncle as she sat firmly on Apple Bloom's back. Macintosh found his mouth curled up into an uncontrollable smile, as he tried to take in the sight without turning redder than he already was.

They were happy. It took a while, but if finally happened. Macintosh could finally say what he always wanted to say.

They were happy.

____________________________________________________

The market still ran at full speed all the time. Ponies walked around the stalls, bargaining, chatting, or even arguing with the stall owners. The clip-clop sound of hooves on the newly-placed cobblestone path, combined with the often brought about a relaxing sensation of sounds to Apple Bloom and Autumn. The little kirin sat patiently on the counter, happily gnawing on one of the fresh apples from the basket, charming and attracting many of the ponies passing by. Apple Bloom smiled, watching Autumn giggle as other ponies went up and greeted the little filly. Many of them left the stand with a smile and bag of apples in their hooves.

By the time the sun had risen to it's peak, Apple Bloom was down to her last basket of apples. Autumn was happily drinking from her bottle, filled with a blended mixture of apples and milk. Her hooves (if that's what they could be called for a kirin) swayed happily in the air as she drank. Apple Bloom couldn't help but chuckle as she patted her head, ruffling the kirin's mane, and gently stroking her scales.

"Thanks for all your help, Autumn," said Apple Bloom. "I couldn't have sold this many apples without you".

She playfully booped the tip of Autumn's horn. For a moment, she could've sworn that Autumn squeaked in response, causing her ears to perk up. The sound of Autumn's giggles and her bottle tumbling off her lap echoed in the stall. She reached for her mother with her hooves, babbling and giggling. Her eyes shone upon making contact with Apple Bloom's, causing her heart to melt.

"Who's a good little filly? You are! Yes, you are!~" Apple Bloom playfully tickled Autumn's belly, nuzzling her. In the almost empty market, their laughs rang out like bells, signaling the joy that they were experiencing to the whole of Ponyville. Autumn clung to her mother's back, squeaking happily. The shaky movements on Apple Bloom's back, however, had an effect Apple Bloom had nearly forgotten about. Autumn froze, gurgled, before letting out a small burp.

Apple Bloom placed her hoof on her own forehead, frustrated by her own forgetfulness. "Aw, dammit. You still need to be burped, huh?". She gently hoisted Autumn over her shoulder, patting the little kirin's back.

Though Apple Bloom couldn't see it, Autumn's face turned slightly green, before letting out a short belch. A hint of residue splattered onto Apple Bloom's hooves, causing her to wince.

"Shoot. I forgot the towel, too."

She grumbled, glancing around the stall to look for anything to wipe herself off with. Autumn, on the other hand, seemed very satisfied with her actions, smiling innocently.

"Bloom".

A voice suddenly caused Apple Bloom to freeze up. She turned to see a familiar orange pegasus staring back at her.

"Scootaloo...."

A heavy silence fell over the area. Autumn stopped babbling, tilting her head in confusion at the newcomer. Apple Bloom noticed just how empty the marketplace had become, leaving just the three of them almost entirely alone. A few ponies glanced their way, but they were too far away to see the expression on Apple Bloom's face. She swallowed hard before speaking.

"I-"

"Who's kid is that?"

Scootaloo's sudden question caught Apple Bloom off guard. She blinked twice, stammering as her brain tried to piece together an honest answer.

"T-this is Autumn Blaze. Well, that's the name I gave her."

Scootaloo raised her eyebrow. "The name.....you gave her?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yes. I'm her mother."

At this, Scootaloo widened her eyes. The corner of her eye twitched, as the orange pegasus tried to keep a straight face. Apple Bloom adjusted her hat, trying to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation.

"I'm her ADOPTED mother..."

Scootaloo seemed to relax her shoulders. She snickered for a second, then burst out laughing. Apple Bloom tilted her head.

"Hey! What's so funny?" said Apple Bloom. Autumn tilted her head in confusion as well, curious about the situation they had found themselves in.

"I'm sorry!" she said, laughing between words. "I was worried that you had finally gone off the deep end and kidnapped some poor random foal!"

At this point, Scootaloo was clutching her stomach from laughing so heartily. Apple Bloom, on the other hoof, was not at all amused. "Wha- Hey, that's not funny!" said Apple Bloom angrily. Autumn joined in on the laughter, giggling despite having no clue what was happening. The infant's squeaks rang true through the stalls and the empty marketplace, and suddenly Apple Bloom felt a tad bit warmer.

Her mouth couldn't help curl into a smile, before she herself began to crack up. There was a certain strangeness about their current that made them laugh. It was difficult to put into words. Perhaps the sudden shock of the accusation, or the realization of the absurdity of said accusation, was the trigger to this difficult-to-explain laughter. Whatever the case, all of a sudden, Apple Bloom felt as if a massive weight had been heaved off her soul.

After a minute or so, Scootaloo wiped the tears that had formed from her laughter. "Okay, okay, to be fair, you didn't really give me any confidence after last time."

Apple Bloom sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. She could feel her cheeks turn red. "About that..." She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself.

"I'm sorry-" "I'm sorry about-"

The two of them froze up when their voices overlapped each other. Apple Bloom noticed the red blush on Scootaloo's cheeks and her attempts to avert eye contact. Apple Bloom couldn't help but stifle a laugh before continuing.

"I'm sorry about the other day," she said. "I.... I might've overreacted."

"That's the understatement of the century," Scootaloo smirked.

"Hey, I'm -"

"I know, I know," the orange pegasus flapped her wings in sheepish delight. "You're trying to be sincere, and I'm not taking it seriously."

Apple Bloom huffed in indignation. Still, she couldn't help smiling. Scootaloo chuckled softly before she brought her eyes to meet Apple Bloom's.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing."

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Scootaloo sighed. Both Apple Bloom and Autumn watched as she pursed her lips, doing her best to put her feelings into words. Eventually she relented and blurted out.

"I missed you. The old you."

Apple Bloom was taken aback by this. Of course, she knew what her friend meant. A part of her wanted to make excuses for her recent behavior-

No. It wasn't recent. In fact, looking back, Apple Bloom realized just how long it had been since Applejack's passing. And by extension, the day more than just the tone of her coat changed.

A part of her still hated herself for splitting herself away from her friends.

Scootaloo continued. "So, um... Sweetie Belle and I had been talking... after that day. She immediately wanted to help you, y'know... with stuff. But when you yelled at us like that, I felt like I had lost you forever."

Apple Bloom eye's widened. The sight shocked her. Scootaloo's tears were apparent, despite her best attempts to hide it.

"And I hated you for it. Even though I get why you were like that. And I'm sorry."

Autumn tilted her head at her mother's next actions. Apple Bloom's speed almost made her look like a blur to Scootaloo, who felt her friend wrap her hooves around her, embracing her tightly.

The dam broke. Scootaloo felt her tears well up and spill over, falling onto the cobblestone path beneath them. She hugged Apple Bloom right back, never wanting to ever let go.

Apple Bloom herself found herself tearing up, smiling softly. "I missed talking to you, too."

Scootaloo's only response was a quiet sob.

Autumn, as most infants tend to do, had somehow climbed down from the countertop, landing on on her rear with a soft "plop". She crawled over to where her mother was, tugging at her tail.

Apple Bloom wiped her eyes before picking up the little foal. "Autumn, this is your auntie Scootaloo."

Autumn giggled and reached out to the surprised pegasus, who realized what the foal was asking for.

"Oh. Oh-ho-ho, no. No, no. I am not ready to-"

Apple Bloom smiled, guiding her friend's hooves. Before Scootaloo knew it, she was holding the tiny little filly in her arms. Her eyes widened as she looked into the big, doe-like eyes that shone before her. She felt her heart pound in her chest.

"She's....she's beautiful."

Scootaloo couldn't stop the words leaving her mouth. She glanced at the crooked horn and the scales. "Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but....your kid's got....scales."

Apple Bloom giggled. "Wait until you see what she spews out of her snout."

Scootaloo turned and raised her eyebrow. ".....you mean, beside puke and stuff?"

Apple Bloom burst out laughing. "We've got a lot to catch up on."

Chapter 11

Apple Bloom awoke from her bed in a cold sweat. Her heavy breathes echoed in the dark bedroom, illuminated only by the moonlight that shone through the window. Leaning her head back onto her pillow, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes. She had no real intention of going back to sleep, yet her eyelids were drooped heavily.

It had been like this for a while now. Despite her resolution with Scootaloo a few days earlier easing a part of her heart, it didn't stop the nightmares from returning over and over again. Each night was the same dream: Applejack, decaying before her eyes. Chasing her. Berating her. Almost like a broken record. And yet, no matter how much she wanted to, like with many dreams, she couldn't respond.

She turned to look at her clock. The hands had just passed midnight. She turned in her bed, feeling her joints crack as she did. Her eyes fell on the pills Zecora had given her. A part of her wanted to throw them out entirely, seeing how they had failed to do their job. At the same time, a nagging sensation in the back of her mind told her that surely things would get better.

Right?

Autumn's crying broke her train of thought. She rolled off to the side of her bed, looking over at the crib where her child lay.

"Her child". Somehow, it didn't feel wrong to call Autumn that anymore. Slowly, she picked up the fussing infant in her hooves, feeling the warmth emitting from Autumn's scales. The kirin looked up with her big, watery eyes, flailing it's limbs about weakly.

This had become routine as well. She gently lifted Autumn, rocking her back and forth in her arms. Slowly, the fussing and crying subsided, and Autumn quickly went right back to her slumber. Once again, the bedroom was silent, and Apple Bloom felt her heart rate return.

Her head, however continued to spin. Whatever the reason, her throat felt parched and her eyes were dry, despite having cried in her dreams.

One normally knows the feeling of waking from a vivid nightmare and feeling confused by the reality of it all - that it was "just a dream". Most ponies would tell the one that said that to their face to buzz off. She shook her head, trying to refocus. Her hooves clopped down the stairs. The wood creaked slowly, until she reached the bottom. The kitchen was illuminated by the moonlight that barely made it's way past the curtains.

Apple Bloom felt her hoof reach for an empty glass almost instinctively, like it was routine. Likely because it was. She cursed under her breath when her hoof sloppily knocked it over instead. After firmly grabbing the cup, she pressed it under the water dispenser that sat next to the sink.

The water trickling into the cup was the only sound in the room for a bit, so it was the only thing Apple Bloom could concentrate on other than the rampaging thoughts in her head. She was about to take a swig when a voice cause her to freeze.

"What'd I say about stayin' up too late?"

Apple Bloom looked up from the ground, and her eyes widened. She gave a yelp and stumbled back, scrambling until her back touched the refrigerator. Sitting across from her, on top the kitchen island, was Applejack.

Or, rather, what looked like Applejack. It was certainly her visage, and her hat was unmistakable. Her eyes didn't shine. Rather, the moonlight passed right through them. Her skin was doing the same.

The ghastly figure was smirking, but it's eyes were ... kind. Apple Bloom couldn't quite place her hoof on it, but despite her initial surprise, she didn't feel any kind of animosity. She slowly sat up, and gulped.

"U-Um...."

Apple Bloom took a deep breath, letting her heart rate slow down before continuing.

"Who.... who are you?"

The figure scoffed, leaning back as it let it's hooves dangle from the edge of the kitchen island. "C'mon, sugarcube. I know it's been a bit, but really, you haven't forgotten your dear sister, did you?"

"You're not my sister," said Apple Bloom bluntly. "She's dead."

The figure frowned slightly, staring right back at the Apple Bloom. "And you wanna forget me just because of that?"

Apple Bloom's eyes widened, shaking her head again. "Wh- no!"

Applejack went back to smiling, and began to shift. The ghostly form drifted off, allowing the figure to stand firmly on the ground on all four hooves. "Come on. I ain't gonna bite."

Apple Bloom hesitated. She tried blinking and biting her tongue to see if she was still dreaming. The figure remained, looking curious. She quickly shook her head back and forth, trying to wake herself up. Still no change. At long last, she sighed, turning to look at "Applejack".

"Why are you here?"

The specter gave a soft sigh, walking slowly around the empty kitchen. "I remember when you were a small filly, and you used to crawl up onto the kitchen island. Big Mac and I had to pick you down before you hurt yourself."

Applejack turned back to look at her sister. "You'll do the same for that little filly, right?"

Apple Bloom felt her blood freeze at those words. She narrowed her eyes, glaring hard at Applejack. "Don't you dare-"

"Whoa, relax, sugarcube. I'm not here to hurt you," said the ghost. She slowly approached Apple Bloom, passing through the earth pony entirely. "See? Couldn't hurt you if I tried."

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow, unconvinced. She reached over to the table, finally chugging the glass of water that had been sitting on the kitchen island for a bit now. "I still dream about you, you know."

A silence filled the air. Apple Bloom glared at the ghostly mare before her, staring right back at her. "You've hurt me in more ways you know."

"Oh, I know," said Applejack. "And I'm sorry."

Apple Bloom scoffed. "That's it? 'Sorry?'".

Slowly, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, too. It wasn't your fault, I know." Hesitantly, she turned to look back at Applejack. "But why won't you leave me alone?"

Applejack stopped walking for a moment. Her voice echoed like a whisper in the back of Apple Bloom's mind. "I just want my sis to remember the right things."

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

A voice interrupted the conversation. "Bloom?"

She turned to see Big Macintosh standing at the bottom of the stairs, with his nightcap still on. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What's all the commotion?"

Apple Bloom turned to look back at where Applejack had been. Instead, all that remained in the kitchen was an empty glass of water, and a calm, serene silence.

_____________________________________________________________

The second her head hit the pillow, she went right back into the nightmare.

The monster in her dreams remained the same as ever. The blotted skin, the rotted-away muscles, and the sunken eyes. Those accused eyes that never blinked and never moved, taunting her every single waking moment of her life.

The thing Apple Bloom despised the most about the nightmare, however, were the parts when it spoke to her, with it's hollow voice, rotten and malignant as the body itself.

This time, it wasted no time to begin it's torment.

"Who are you trying to fool?" it said.

Apple Bloom turned to look at the disfigured form of her older sister. The surrounding area was pitch black and fuzzy, as it usually is in dreams. The dark overhead sky seemed to be encroaching upon her.

"What do you mean?" she responded. She refused to look straight at it, opting to look down at her hooves instead. The creature took notice of this, and with a cruel smile, trotted up to her, placing the decayed hoof on Apple Bloom's cheek. Tilting Apple Bloom's head, it gave a raspy laugh, and continued it's tirade.

"You know what 'ah mean," it said. "I told you it's a bad idea to lie. Especially to yourself."

Apple Bloom broke away from the creatures grasp. "Tch. What would you know about honesty?"

Silence. The creature frowned at her sudden action. "Really? You're asking me that of all things?"

Apple Bloom crossed her hooves defiantly, glaring at the apparition. "No, you're not. You're not Applejack."

The creature groaned in annoyance, grinding it's teeth together. It slowly began to approach Apple Bloom, with bits of it's hair trembling and falling with each hoofstep.

"Look at me."

Apple Bloom frowned, staring at the ground. "Go away. You're not real."

"How many times are we gonna do this?" asked the creature. With a sudden grab, it turned Apple Bloom's head to face it.

"LOOK AT ME!"

It's shrill voice echoed throughout the void. Apple Bloom's eyes widened, staring into the horrid sunken eyes. She tried to break away once more, but this time, it had it's grip tight on her mane.

"You're dumber than you look if you keep deluding yourself sister," it said. "You're hollow-headed, absent-minded, weak and timid. I'm almost ashamed to call you my sister."

With forceful pull, it pulled Apple Bloom closer, until their noses made contact. "You couldn't help me. What makes you think you can help Autumn?"

A chill ran down Apple Bloom's spine. Her tail suddenly stood up on end. Her breath suddenly picked up speed. Her first instinct was to wake up, run away, anything, to get back to Autumn and hold her close.

With a defiant grunt, she swung her hoof across the creature's face, knocking it back. It staggered and stumbled for a moment, looking at Apple Bloom with a look of shock. (Though it was somewhat difficult to tell with it's eyes).

Silence filled the void once more. Apple Bloom felt her heart throb in her chest, beating violently against her ribcage. The air was still and quiet, as the sounds of the two breathing heavily filled the space instead.

As her heart rate slowed down, Apple Bloom rose to her hooves, staring back at the creature. With a deep breath, she brought her head up look at the creature.

"Autumn is under my care. Whether you like it or not. And...whether I can do it or not, I'm her mother. I won't ever abandon her. I won't ever give up on her."

She began to trot forward towards the creature. "I'll stay by her side, no matter what comes our way. I might not be perfect. Hell, I'm probably the least qualified pony out there to take care of her."

She closed her eyes. Her heart steadied, and her breathing slowed even more. "But that won't stop me from doing everything in my power to protect and raise her. And above all, I'll let her know that I love her. With all my heart."

The creature stared at Apple Bloom hard. It's expression was unreadable, and it's eyes seemed to be drilling right through Apple Bloom. The earth pony stayed firmly in place, staring right back. For a brief moment, her chest felt light.

The creature then scoffed. "We'll see."

The darkness surrounding the two began to tremble. Apple Bloom took a step back in fear, glancing up at the collapsing black sky above her. Her eyes suddenly began to droop.

"Don't get too cocky," said the creature. "You won't last even a week."

Apple Bloom awoke to the sun shining down on her face. She groaned, brushing her ruby red mane out of her face.

She lay in bed for a few more moments, wrapped up in her blanket. Her mind raced back to the nightmare, the image of the creature's unmoving eyes emblazoned in her mind. The conversation she had with the infernal creature echoed in her ears.

"Can I really do this?" she thought to herself. Despite her previous bravado in the dream, rarely does one ever have the same bravery (or sense) in a dream as in reality. She sighed, feeling her body sink further down into the bed.

A soft babbling caught her attention. She turned her head to see Autumn crawling around in her crib. The shaky frame creaked as the infant crawled about.

Apple Bloom smiled, making her way to pick up the fussing child. A smile grew on her face as she kissed the little filly on the forehead. "Mornin', sweetie."

Autumn continued to whine, squirming in the onesie that Rarity had sewn her. Apple Bloom smiled, placing the plastic pacifier into the infants mouth. Autumn slowly began suckling on the binky, snuggling close to Apple Bloom's chest.

".....we can get through anything together," said Apple Bloom, nuzzling the kirin. "I promise you, my sweet daughter."