The Last Queen of the Blaze

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.