Flashes. Garbled noises bearing no logic or reason. Nonsensical shapes and colors smattering about. The orbs, locked in an orbit around each other under the glow of a giant white hole. All bound in a void of stars, color, and stardust. Two P-

“CIDER! Git yer flank up girl!”

Sparkling Cider screamed for a good 3 minutes before Applejack came running upstairs to calm her down.

“Shh shh shh, it’s okay! Ah’m sorry, ‘bout that. Must’ve been a good dream huh?” Sparkling shrugged.

“Maybe. I don’t really remember it. What’s fer’ breakfast?”

The two trotted downstairs to the cozy living room where Apple Bloom was scribbling on a piece of paper.

“Oh! Mornin’ Cider!” The young filly said in glee, her face lighting up when she saw her adoptive sister. She trotted up, giving her a nuzzle against her cheek, making the purple pony smile.

“Mornin’ Bloom, whatcha’ drawin’?”

“Family tree. It’s a school assignment!”” The apple filly picked up her drawing of a well-made apple tree. On it were names glued on each branch made, going back pretty far. No doubt that was thanks to Granny Smith’s knowledge. However, Cider noticed something odd.

“Hey, who’s branches are those comin’ in from tha’ edge of the paper?” Cider questioned.

“Yer’ folks! Ah’ve been meanin’ ta’ ask ya about ‘em. Who are they?” The child asked innocently. Cider put a hoof to her chin, considering the question. It was a really good one. One everyone had tried to figure out when she was younger. For the longest time a search was put out for the lavender pony’s parents, yet nothing came of it. From Manehatten to Appleloosa, no pony had ever heard of a bright purple filly, almost as if she had only started to exist the day the storm happened. When she woke up, her diagnosis of amnesia didn’t help find her guardians either, but Granny Smith refused to just leave the child out to dry. Her heart was raw having lost her son and her daughter-in-law, but giving Sparkling Cider a home helped soothe her. Something Cider was grateful for even after…difficulties with herself began to arise.

“I-I’m no- coughcough -I’m not sure Apple Bloom. COUGHCOUGHKAFFCOUGH”

“Awww, okay!” The filly seemed to accept the answer easily as Cider began to start up a coughing fit, she was starting to feel bloated. She beat on her chest, trying to make it settle but it was just getting worse.

“Oof, I recognized that-”

COUGHCOUGHKAFFCOUGHCOUGHCOUGH

The coughing fit wracked her body, forcing her to kneel against the floor. With a particularly rough cough a thick, shimmering cloud of what looked like stars was forced from her body. However it didn't stop there the shimmering fit of coughs. The clouds of stars conglomerated together, even forming images of what looked like planets. Twilight felt like her stomach was about to come up when something was jammed into her mouth and she felt her throat being moisturized. Applejack waved the stardust clouds from her vision as she held the water bottle against Cider’s muzzle, the lavender mare gratefully gulping it down as the roughness in her throat was washed away. A few little wet coughs and Cider was fine.

“Th-Thanks cough, AJ…” Cider sputtered out as Applejack patted her on the back.

“Yeesh, Ah’ reckon that's the worst it's been before.”

“Yeah but it was cool!” Apple Bloom said, hopping in and out of the shimmering clouds.

“Apple Bloom don’t do that, w-we dunno if it could make ya’ sick.” Sparkling Cider said as she halted the filly. The family opened some windows to vent out the stars and moved on to breakfast shortly after, where they gave their morning greetings to Granny Smith.

“Glad to see you two are up! Though Ah’ still wish you could be up earlier without bein’ loopy Cider. But that aint yer’ fault nun.”

“Sorry Granny!” Sparkling said as she shoved some pancakes into her mouth. Sparkling did already have an idea of what they would be doing today, after all, it was delivery day! Mostly on account of an annual event going on in another town. Sparkling would love to engage in it more while they were there, but…being away from the farm too long made her feel…panicky. Thank god for the shortcut!

There was a fallen tree in the shortcut. Applejack sucked her teeth.

“Welp, there’s no way about it. These trees are blockin’ this here path and the rest of the woods are too thick for the carts to travel through. Looks like we’re gonna have to go the long way sugar cri- c-cube!” Applejack explained. Sparkling, to her credit, did not freak out despite how much her mind suddenly wanted to. She didn’t even get why she wanted to, it’s not the end of the world, and she’s barely been out of Ponyville for 20 minutes.

Oh god, 20 minutes. 20 minutes that's too long. That’s less stars than what's in the sky and stars are everywhere.

“Sugar.”

But they’re not on the ground, but that’s where Cider was and she wasn’t a star but she made star dust.

“Hey, listen to me sugar.”

Dust is little things like deadcellsandhairhandgodherskinissoitchywhydoesshehaveitwho’sTwilightplanetsareche-

She was being squeezed tightly. Sparkling Cider took in the apple-y scent, held it, and let a deep breath out. Smelled like home.

“Better?”

Cider nodded against Applejack’s chest. She took in one last breath before separating.

“Alright, lets go, we’ll be later than we’ll already be takin’ the long way as it is so lets pick it up a notch.”

“Gotcha’!” Applejack said as she restrapped herself to her cart and began to trot in the direction of the longer route. An hour of walking in and Sparkling could feel herself beginning to feel…off again. She drifted closer to Applejack as everything began to become threatening to her. There was nothing to worry about, she was okay. They were just passing through a…gray rocky plain. Applejack was here! She was fine now stop tormenting her! Sparkling Cider’s mind began to spiral as her breathing began to grow heavier. Were the rocks watching her? Rocks couldn’t watch ponies, ponies watched ponies but where were they- No! Calm down! Applejack is here. Applejack is h-

Sparkling Cider tripped as they began to take the rocky road downhill. She screamed bloody murder as she went rolling down the hill, and out of sheer luck it seemed her cart wasn’t restrapped firmly which left her free from it crushing her.

“CIDER!-“

Applejack's voice cut out as her head hit the ground moderately hard, and sent her unconscious. Her head was always sensitive to a solid knock. Applejack was fast to trot down the hill after Sparkling, concern clear on her face. She was quick to disregard the carts full of apple products in favor of checking over the unconscious pony.

“CIDER! Cider! Oh mah’ goodness-”
She carefully lifted the lavender mare’s head up, only finding a small bump on the side of her forehead. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

“It ain’t nothin’ serious. You’ll be u in a lil’ bit.” Applejack looked around the area and spotted something strange. It seemed to be a little farm all the way out in the Gray Hoof Valley. But who the heck would live all by they’re lonesome out here?

“Welp? We need some place to rest ya’ just hope they’re a friendly kinda folk out here.” Applejack said, slipping the mare over her back. She made a speedy trot over to the fence of the farm, Cider making incoherent babbles in her sleep from the jostling. Upon getting closer, Applejack looked around for any pony that may be out in the fields…though she wouldn’t blame them for not being out. There was nothing there at all! The entire space was full of short, gray, grass and rocks. No plowed fields, no crops, no nothing. What did they even grow out there, and did they really just survive on grass alone?

“Hello? Any pony out there? Ah’ need a lil’ help with mah’ friend ‘ere!” Applejack called out to the farm. Silence. She began to worry that the farm was abandoned. At this rate she was gonna have to turn around.

“Can I help you.”

Applejack screamed, she refrained from jumping so Sparkling Cider wouldn’t get launched off and blessed with more head trauma, but the monotone voice seriously brought her close to jumping anyway.

“Ahem, H-Heh. Sorry ‘bout that, but ah’ do need some help. Y’see, mah’ name’s Applejack, and this here is muh’ mar- mah’ FRIEND Sparklin’ Cider’. She took a tumble and now I just need someplace to put ‘er down until she gets up again.” Applejack explained to who she assumed was the owner of the…farm if you could call it that. The pony standing in front of her was a gray color with a gray-ish purple mane and tail, dressed in a dark blue dress. The gray mare tilted her head, taking in Applejack’s enormous figure and looking her over. Her eyes trailed over Cider’s unconscious form and she gently touched her forehead with a hoof.

“Okay.” She plainly stated, walking toward the farmhouse.

“I- wh- O-Okay then! Thank ya’ kindly miss?”

“Maud Pie.”

Author's Note

Bit short, but make sure to leave a comment!