The Last Queen of the Blaze

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."