Winter's Bloom

by Bookworm S.

Applejack stared at the pony standing in front of her, not quite wanting to believe that what she saw could actually be real. There was no doubt in her mind that this was, in fact, her dear sister Apple Bloom - even if the mane and coat color were the same, all it took was a glance at her eyes for her to recognize her - but everything else about her seemed so... impossible.

For one, she was older. Much, much older; perhaps in her early thirties, though rough living had obviously taken its toll on her, making it a guess at best. Gone was the neat mane and jaunty bow that she remembered, to be replaced by a no-nonsense, almost military mane cut topped by an olive cap. She was wearing an olive colored uniform, neatly pressed if a bit frayed around the edges, and was currently sizing Applejack up with a wary glance.

"This is supposed t' be my sister?" The pony - Silver Spoon, Applejack almost had to remind herself - gulped audibly, but answered quickly.

"We found her out in the ravine, almost got run over by one of them. I... never knew her that well, but she looks exactly like I remember."

"That's the problem." Apple Bloom circled Applejack as she watched, mouth open, unable to form words. "She looks exactly like I remember. Same age, same weight," she poked a hoof into Applejack's side, which resulted in a slightly annoyed look from the pony who really didn't see what her weight had to do with it and besides she was perfectly happy with her weight she ate healthy and exercised regularly thank you very much!

"She even smells like she came fresh out of the tub." Now Applejack was starting to really get annoyed. Apple Bloom looked back to Silver Spoon.

"Do we have any reports on the Changelings? Have they taken a side in the conflict?"

Silver Spoon glanced at a pony standing just behind Apple Bloom - whom Applejack recognized as Berry Punch's daughter, though she was aged as well - who shook her head slowly and replied.

"They are still neutral. If she's a Changeling, she's a rogue agent."

"Now wait jus' a cotton-pickin' moment here!" Applejack couldn't contain herself any longer. "What's all this 'bout 'Changelings' this and 'conflict' that? Who are you ponies? Where am I? And why in the name of Celestia's frilly yellow bonnet do you look so much like my applebuckin' sister?!"

This elicited a grim smile from Apple Bloom. "That sure sounds like her all right." She levelled a serious gaze at Applejack.

"When I was five, y'all grounded me for a week. Why?"

Applejack had to think for a moment. "You got into Carrot Top's garden an' forgot t' close the gate, an' all the rabbits got in and ruined her carrots."

"What was my favorite toy when I was growin' up?"

Applejack started to get a little nervous at the interrogation. "Your stuffed penguin. Y'all used t' play wi..."

"What was the last thing Ma said to you?"

Applejack looked down, staggered by the sudden onrush of the memory.

"She told me... she told me..." A tear came to her eye, and her eyes darted around the room. Then she sighed.

"She yelled at me, asked me why I couldn't be more like my brother. I ain't never told that to nopony 'cept..." She looked up. "That really is you, ain't it Apple Bloom?"

She felt the glare from the grey pony on her side. "That's General Bloom to you!" Applejack winced, but Apple Bloom just glared at Silver Spoon, then motioned for Applejack to follow her. She led her through a door in the back of the room into a private office. It was small, a closet really, with barely enough room for a desk and two worn-looking cushions on the ground. Apple Bloom circled to the other side of her desk, idly pushed some papers to the side, and sat down. Applejack followed suit.

"Sis, I don't know how t' tell you this, but... you've been... missin'. For about fifteen years."

"Missin'? What in tarnation do y'all mean 'missin''?!? I ain't gone nowhere! I jus' woke up in this field and..."

"Sis, I ain't gonna lie to you." Apple Bloom's expression was one of resignation. "I don't know where you been hidin' or why you ain't got no older, but things have been bad. Real bad. The report said y'all barely escaped one of them, so y'all know what we're up agin'..."

Applejack ínterrupted, forcing a smile. "First off, sis, how dare ya come back into your private office and not even offer me a hug!" She was at least a little relieved to see Apple Bloom return it, if in a pained manner. Glancing at the closed door, she slowly stood up, and crossed around the desk again to wrap her sister in a warm embrace.

The feel of her against her skin almost startled Applejack. She wasn't sure if she hadn't let herself believe until now that she was real, or whether it was the tautness of the muscles underneath her skin that caught her so off guard, but feeling the warmth of her body, the scent of weeks-old dirt and sweat in her coat, her breath on the nape of her neck, somehow startled Applejack out of the haze she felt she had been walking in since she woke up in that field.

"Better." They released the embrace, and Apple Bloom stood where she was, rather than returning to her side of the desk. They were mere inches apart, and Applejack had time to take in every detail about her younger - well, her formerly younger - sister.

Though she clearly kept her fur well groomed, Applejack suspected that baths were a luxury the refugee army could ill afford. Her fur was the same color as it had been, and Applejack suspected that her military fatigues hid a cutie mark, which again triggered a memory of her as a filly that she quickly suppressed. Her face looked tired, but a glimmer of hope sparkled in her eyes. Applejack suddenly felt a burst of pride swelling in her chest at the thought of her little sister as a leader, keeping a cool head in a time of crisis. The warmth of that feeling almost drove away the coldness in the pit of her stomach that had formed when she was first attacked by the beast. Almost.

"I reckon y'all have a lot of questions," they both said, nearly perfectly in unison. "You first," they continued, then chuckled, their smiles genuine this time.

"You start" Applejack sat down again, letting her sister take the lead.

"Alrighty then, first off, where you been? How are you still the same age?"

"That's just the thing." Applejack pawed at the ground, flattening her ears. "I don't reckon I know. One minute I'm sippin' cider on the back porch, the next I wake up in a desert with no memory of what happened and with a wicked hangover."

"So y'all didn't abandon us in our time o' need, leaving Ponyville and all of Equestria to fall to them. It was all a big misunderstandin'?" There was an edge to Apple Blooms tone that was reflected in her eyes, and Applejack couldn't help but wince, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Y'all know that's not true, Apple Bloom. I ain't no runner. I'm a fighter through and through, like... well, like y'all are. If I had know Ponyville was in danger I would've been there fightin' with my last breath. Y'all know that!"

Apple Bloom sighed. "You can't imagine what it was like. They came out of nowhere and, jus' when we needed you the most, y'all up'n vanished. And not just you, Twilight, Rainbow Dash... Anypony who might have been able to turn the tide before the attack jus' disappeared."

"Wait." Applejack's mind reeled at the notion. "Twilight and Rainbow Dash went missin' too?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "We thought maybe they had been ponynapped by them before the attack, but now I ain't so sure."

"What about Rarity? Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie?" She chewed on her lip, afraid of the answer but watched Apple Bloom's head nod at the mention of each of her friends' names.

"The Elements of Harmony. That's why we thought y'all had been abducted, to make sure you couldn't be used as a weapon to stop them."

"And what about Big Macintosh? Granny Smith?" The expression that crossed Apple Bloom's face made her instantly wish she could take the questions back. Apple Bloom's face turned expressionless.

"Dead." Her voice was flat, though her eyes betrayed a deep sadness. "Big Macintosh was at the front of the herd defendin' Ponyville. He didn' stand a chance. And Granny..." Her voice trailed off, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Applejack placed a hoof on her shoulder, the unreality of the whole situation the only thing keeping her own tears at bay.

"When we made the decision t' abandon Ponyville, she... She didn't want t' leave. She said she'd jus' slow us down. When we tried to make her, to drag her from our house, she... she..." Applejack put a hoof on Apple Bloom's mouth, shaking her head slowly. Apple Bloom looked relieved, but pressed on.

"They're dead, Applejack. They're all dead. I couldn' save them. I tried but... I jus' couldn't." She glared at Applejack, suddenly angry. "Where were you?! When we needed you the most, my own sister, where were you?" With this she shoved Applejack away, tears flowing freely. Then, she shook her head, sniffled, and slowly stepped back to the other side of the desk.

"That was fifteen years ago. They took over Equestria in less than a year. Canterlot held out for a while longer, but, without the Elements, the Princesses could only put up so much of a fight."

"Who's they, exactly?" Apple Bloom sighed.

"You saw them. the... Windigoes."

Applejack laughed. "You mean them creatures from the Hearth's Warmin' story? Those ain't nothin' but a foal's tale, they ain't real!" Her voice trailed off slightly on an upward note, unsure if she truly believed what she was saying.

Apple Bloom levelled her a gaze. "They're real all right. And they were here in Equestria before we ponies ever were. An' now they want it back. We've been holdin' out in caves and hidey holes all over Equestria, fightin' back best we can. But... so many ponies didn' make it..."

Applejack trotted around the desk and threw her forelimb around her. "Shh, sugarcube. You're still here. You're still fightin'. That's all that matters." She could feel the shaking of Apple Blooms body, though, to her credit, she kept any tears from her face.

"I missed you so much, sis. We needed you. Whenever I was in doubt I used t' ask myself, 'what would AJ do?'" Apple Bloom looked into her eyes. "I hope I done you proud, sis."

Applejack nuzzled her gently. "That, and so much more sugarcube. Y'all have no idea."

Apple Bloom straightened up. "That's 'General Sugarcube' to you!" A defiant gleam entered her eye, and Applejack smiled.

"Yes ma'am!" She threw a quick salute, then giggled as Apple Bloom let out a small laugh.

"C'mon, AJ. Let's get y'all some quarters an' some grub. We got some catchin' up to do."