This is a brief warning to the readers. Firstly, this is a sequel. I would not read even the rest of this warning without reading the original here. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, this is a mature fanfiction. Contained within you may find gore, frightening scenes, and even disturbing language. If you hated the fanfic Cupcakes, there's a damn good chance you'll want to avoid The Book and The Stone too. In fact, I honestly don't plan to hold back like I did before. In The Book, I only killed one character, and even that was an offscreen segment. You might just want to turn away now before your dreams become unpleasant and your every waking moment becomes that of worry for the main characters. Why are you still here? Did you not receive my warning?...

...well, I suppose it can't be helped. Fillies and Gentlecolts, I present to you... The Stone.

The rain poured heavy on Sweet Apple Acres. For Applejack, it was only a reminder of what happened on that fateful night. Twilight was probably still out there, flying even in this cold weather. This storm was natural, which is unusual for any settlement in Equestria. After all, there was no need to have a natural storm when you had pegasi that controlled the weather. Key word there being 'had'. When Twilight was defeated, she had already stolen the wings of many Ponyville pegasi. It was only a matter of time before it became impossible for the remainder to control all of the weather. As a result, any capable pegasi focused on the town rather than the countryside. It was only fair that the majority of the townsfolk should be protected at the cost of a couple outlying ponies.

She got inside and shook off the droplets covering her pelt. She had been careless and forgot about the approaching storm cloud until it was already too late. She tracked mud across the dirt floors of the barn, as she dropped off a wet bucket of apples. Applejack was startled as she heard another thunderclap in the distance. She walked into the home, meaning to take a shower, but was interrupted walking up the stairs.

"Applejack? B-big Mac?" a weak voice from behind asked. The voice was wobbly and laced with tears. "W-what's wrong with Granny Smith?"

"Oh no..." whispered Applejack under her breath. She practically galloped into the living room and looked at a lime green pony, sleeping without breath. Applejack teared up and hugged her little sister tight. Big Macintosh stood strong and upright as a single tear streamed down his cheek.

"It's okay now... It's alright little Apple Bloom... Granny's gone to a better place now..." Applejack didn't sound convinced over the sound of her own tears. "Hush... it'll be alright... it'll be alright..."

Big Mac moved over and shakily closed her eyelids. There was no pulse. There was no breath. Celestia had spoken.