“Hey,” I said.
I waited for a moment, hoping for a reply. When it didn’t come, I continued.
“I know it’s been a while. I wanted to visit sooner, but you know how school is. Busy, busy.” I chuckled uneasily. I felt weird, speaking to somepony who didn’t answer. I didn’t expect her to, though. “Cheerilee is doing better. She smiled a little today. She took the whole thing pretty hard when it happened. She cares a lot about her students.”
I reached into my saddlebag, taking out a fragrant bouquet of mixed flowers. It had cost me a month of my allowance, and I even got a little something extra from my big sister to pay for it. I told her I’d pay her back, but she just smiled at me and told me not to worry about it. She’s like that. She also had tears in her eyes. She’s like that too. I had to look away, because it reminded me all the more of the reason why I was here.
The bouquet was a mixture of all kinds of flowers. Roses, tulips, and even one of which I couldn’t pronounce the name. I had also picked some dandelions, just to make it personal. “I got all your favorite flowers. I know how much you love them. Just don’t eat them all at once, okay?,” I said after I had put them on the ground in front of my friend.
“Scootaloo told me to say hi. She couldn’t come, her parents are taking her to Fillydelphia this weekend. She promised she’d be here next time, though.”
Still no reply. It didn’t stop me, though. I had come here for a while, now, and each time I kept telling her about how my week had been. It had become sort of a ritual, and it made me feel comfortable.
“We did some awesome crusading this week! We were so close to getting our cutiemarks in pearl diving! Scootaloo thinks we should visit a sea that actually has pearls before we try again, though. I don’t think there are any in Ponyville lake. You should have been there, the look on Scootaloo’s face was priceless!”
I noticed that my vision blurred a bit, the image of my friend becoming unclear. As I wiped my eyes to clear them, my hoof became wet. I didn’t mind, though. It always happened.
“We had a fun assignment at school today. I had to work with Silver Spoon. You know, it actually wasn’t so bad!” I noticed that I began to lose my voice. It sounded hoarse and squeakier than usual. “She was kind of helpful, and really tried to work together with me. She even made a joke. It was quite funny! Let’s see, what was it.” I grinded my gears for a while, trying to remember the joke. “Let’s see, a goat and a pickle walk into a hay-, no, no, that wasn’t it. I’m sure I’ll remember some other time.”
I smiled at my friend, despite the fact that my vision had become blurred again. I didn’t bother to wipe my eyes, it wouldn’t be any use.
“Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara have actually become pretty nice. They have been since, since-.” I couldn’t finish my sentence. My voice cracked and I let out a sob, tears flowing freely past my cheeks onto the ground.
“It hurts, you know. Coming here each time. But I can’t stay away.” My voice had been reduced to a hoarse whisper. “I can’t stay away because I would miss you too much. At least like this I can pretend like you’re still here. Scootaloo doesn’t show it as much, she’s way too tough for that, but she misses you too. We wish you’d come back.”
I clenched my eyes shut as I couldn’t utter any more words for a moment. I let out several wails before regaining control of my voice.
“You promised we’d be friends forever. We were going to see the world, go places where nopony has gone before. But now we didn’t even get our cutiemarks together. That was our first goal. We’ll never get to see your talent.”
I had to really force myself to remain in control of my voice. “We’ll come show you ours, though. Scootaloo and me. We’ll finish what we started. I know you’d have liked that.”
I opened my eyes to peer at the gravestone in front of me. There was a pretty picture of an apple engraved on it. There were two more weathered gravestones next to it, each with a different picture. They were also apple related, though, and just as beautiful.
“I miss you. I miss you so, so much.”
I don’t know how long I sat there, just crying. It must have been quite a while, since it had been daylight when I came there and the sun had almost set. I felt a hoof on my shoulder. It was warm and comforting. I didn’t look up to see who it was. I couldn’t open my eyes, and if I could have I wouldn’t have been able to see anything anyway.
“Hey there, sugar cube,” I heard a voice say. It was a deeper mare’s voice, with a southern twang to it. It was quiet and shaky. I didn’t have to ask who it belonged to.
“Hey,” I said. It came out as little more than a squeak.
“Ah should’ve expected ya’d be ‘ere. Ya’ve come here every week since she went,” the voice of Applejack spoke sympathetically. I was grateful that she didn’t use the D-word. Her hoof left my shoulder, and I shuddered involuntarily. I opened my eyes to see her move forward, placing a small basket of apples on the soil, next to my flowers. She also took a candle from her saddlebag and lit it. I stared at the flame for a moment.
Applejack turned back to me. “Ah think she’d have appreciated yer visits. She always were mighty fond of ya an’ little Scootaloo. Where is she anyway?”
“Family, Fillydelphia,” was all I managed to get out. She nodded and moved to sit next to me.
We just sat like that for a while, in silence. Together we held company to my best friend and her parents, and for a moment I didn’t feel so alone anymore.
“This ‘ere is a real beautiful spot. We picked it ‘specially fer ma an’ pa.” Applejack spoke after a while, her voice sounding even more unsteady than a moment ago.
“There ain’t no better view o’ Sweet Apple Acres in all o’ Ponyville. Ya’d have ta be able ta fly for that.” She let out a weak chuckle. I couldn’t bring myself to even crack a smile.
“She’s in a good place, though,” she continued. “She gets ta see our parents again. Ah sometimes found ‘er in the middle o’ the night, cryin’. Ah’d come layin’ next ta ‘er, and told ‘er stories of ma an’ pa. After that, she’d feel better and smile ‘gain, telling me she missed them.”
Applejack let out a loud sniff, raising her own hoof to her eyes. I felt more tears beginning to form at the corners of my own. I simply let them go.
“One time, AB an’ Ah were apple buckin’ in the east fields when we ‘eard chirping. We went an’ checked it out. Turned out there was a bird with a crippled wing. AB almost fell in love, insistin’ she wanted ta take care o’ the critter ‘erself. Was ‘eartbroken when we had ta take the li’l thing to the vet. She moped fer three days.” I looked up at Applejack, she was smiling despite her tears. “But then, on the fourth, we had a li’l visitor. The bird came by an’ brought mah sis a flower. The li’l darlin’ had remembered. Ahh, the smile on mah sisters face. Ah’ll never forget it.”
I saw what Applejack had been doing there. I had felt a smile form on my face despite my tears. I looked up at her, and she peered in my eyes. She had been crying too, how could she not have. I let out a little noise as I leaped towards her to wrap my hooves around my friend’s big sis, pressing my cheek into her side. I felt her wrap her hooves around me in return.
“I miss her,” I said. Applejack just nodded.
“Yanno, sugar cube,” Applejack began, “even though she’s lyin’ over here, she ain’t gone. She’ll always be with ya, wherever ya go. Ah know Applebloom wouldn’t leave the family to fend fer itself. Nor will she abandon you.”
I pressed my face into her coat some more, my tears creating a wet patch of fur on the side of her body. I felt her put her hoof on my chest, just over my heart.
“She’ll always be with you, here. Just as long as ya r’member.”
I lifted my head from Applejack’s chest for a bit to look at the gravestone. After a moment, my eyes widened, and I pointed with my hoof. Applejack turned her head to look.
There, in the distance I saw two shooting stars lighting the sky. Following just behind was a third, shining brighter than any star I had seen before. I stared at it until it faded. I began to smile. Applejack was right, she wasn’t gone. She would never be gone.
Author's Note
Let the feels commence. This scenario just popped up into my head this evening when I thought about the latest episode, and it nearly drove me to some embarassing tears at dinner. I'm sure a similair thing has been done before, but I just couldn't help but write it down. I was compelled. Also, this little story didn't get in the way of writing the next chapter of Lessons in the Dark which will be out soon.
Now, excuse me as I'll go sit over there and think about what a horrible person I am. Quiet Water out.
