An Old Apple Friend

Cookie walked up the creaky, rickety stairs up to First Floor of the barn and towards the hallway, which was littered with pictures, photos and frames on the wall. Some had applejack on them, some had Mac and Bloom, and some had Granny Smith with an old stallion, sitting happy on the porch.

Cookie stopped, and stood in front of the door to Big Macintosh’s room. The door was stood tall and thin, it was a faded shade of blue, much like Cookie’s eyes in dim light. Like two other bedroom doors in the house, it had a symbol on it, an apple, a Macintosh, Big macs cutie mark.

Another bedroom door had three red apples on it, Applejacks room. And another had a golden brown pie on it, Granny Smiths.  The fourth bedroom door was seemingly blank, cookie looked at the door and figured out that was Appleblooms room.

“How long is that going to stay blank?” He said to himself in a chuckle.

The green paint of the apple on Big Mac’s door had faded in time, and the tip of the stem had begun to peel back. Cookie opened the door to the bedroom and stood half in the doorway. The smell in room was neutral, slightly musty, but neutral. The curtain on the window only half stopped the light from entering the room, causing him to clearly see the dust float around the room like hundreds of tiny shooting stars. The room was rather plain for a character such as Big Mac, a bed, a desk and a wardrobe. No posters, papers, clutter or mess, it was like a new tenant’s bedroom.

Cookie walked fully into the room and dropped his duffel bag next to one of the leg of the desk. He then proceeded to walk over and sit on the bed. His weight causing him to slide and sink. He found it surprising how soft the bed was for a hard working farm stallion.

Cookie barely heard the hoofsteps coming from the hallway, and could see dim shadows passing under the door. The door opened, and Applejack's head poked around from behind it. “Mac says it’s ok, you get a good night’s rest ya hear”.

Cookie nodded “Thank you Applejack”.

“no hun, thank you” Applejack said, quick in response”.

Cookie seemed confused by her response, “thank ME? Whatever for?” he asked.

Applejack paused and looked directly at him “for comin’ back” she said with a sincere smile. “Go’ night sugarcube” She

finally said, retreating he head from behind the door and walking away. Her hoofsteps could be heard from Mac’s room.

Cookie sat at the corner of the bed, still staring at where Applejack’s head had been, just thinking to himself silently.

He yawned, and proceeded to get into the neatly made single bed he’d been sitting on. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep. Compared to most of the places he’d slept in the last few years, this had to be the most comfortable. He fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.

Less than a few hours after he’d fallen asleep, he was disturbed by, once again, the sound of hoofsteps in the hallway, although these ones treaded lighter and faster. Cookie gently woke, with his eyes still half closed, he looked over at the bottom of the door. He could see a shadow pass in front of his door. Not long after, his door suddenly swung open, lifting the dust in the room once more, except this time, there was no light to see them.

A filly stood at the door, her eyes teary and red, and her knees shaking. Before either of them could say a word, the filly jumped onto the bottom of the bed and ran up Cookie’s leg.

“Mac!” she cried out “Mac ah had that nightmare again” she said in a snivel. She clutched onto Cookie’s stomach for dear life, burying her face in his chest.

“Ap-Applebloom?” cookie asked, he was still dazed from drowsiness.

“Cookie?” she looked up, wiping her eyes “oh darn. I’m-I’m sorry Cookie. She let go of him, her eyes still red.

“It’s alright Bloom” He wrapped his wing around her side slightly “What’s wrong?” He asked.

“oh nothin’” she again rested her head on his chest, looking out the window “Jus' a stupid dream”.

“you wanna tell me about it?” He said in a soft tone.

“Na, it’s stupid”

“I’ll tell you one of mine” Cookie tried to bargain with her.

“Really? Ok, well…” She moved from on top of his chest to under his front leg in an attempt to get comfortable. Cookie then proceeded to wrap his wing around her, like a whitish grey, feathery pullover. “It’s about me going into the apple orchard and getting lost” she said in slight panicky rush “and the path gets smaller and smaller and I get trapped  and I…” she cuts herself before she almost burst into tears again, instead her face cringed at the memory of the horrible nightmare, she dug deeper into cookie and pulled his wing further over her.

“shh shh sshhh, it’s ok, it’s ok…” Cookie said in comfort. “I got you” For some reason, Applebloom calmed down by his words ‘I got you’.  She felt secure and peaceful, like nothing could get her.

“R-Really?” She asked

“Yeah, nothing’s going to get you while I’m here. And it’s not as if you can’t handle yourself, my lil’ farm filly” He ruffled her mane.

“Thanks Cookie” She wiggles her body, sliding further down in the bed, under the covers, like a pig in a blanket. “So what’s yours?” She asked.

“Mine? He asked. He leaned into her ear “My nightmare is that I wouldn’t get to see you again” He nuzzled the top of her head, causing her head to bob up and down and Applebloom to giggle uncontrollably.

Applebloom yawned and her eyelids closed one after the other. She slowly wiggled her body to sink further into the covers. Cookie wrapped both his hooves around her and pulled his wing in, simultaneously pulling her closer.

“Go’ night Cookie” She said in a slight slur.

“Night Bloom” He responded, he too started to drift off, until he dropped off into a lesser than deep sleep.