The Last Queen of the Blaze

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.