You Deserve Happiness Too – 1 Year Remaining

Diamond Tiara was looking around in fear, surrounded by flames. Where the flames came from she didn't know, nor did she know where she was.

"No..." Diamond Tiara sobbed, "This won't happen... It won't!" something slowly crept out of the flames and began to approach her. Diamond Tiara stepped back from it, not sure what it was, but knowing that she didn't want it to touch her.

"Help me..." she pleaded, "Don't let it get me... APPLE BLOOM! HELP!"

Apple Bloom woke up immediately. That was the fifth dream like that she had this month. She had been thinking a lot about Diamond Tiara, but something about that dream was odd. It felt almost... real.

"Damn it..." Apple Bloom said to herself wiping the sweat from her forehead. Why was she seeing Diamond Tiara in her dreams?

A knock on her door snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Um, yeah?"

"Good, yer awake," Applejack said from outside, "We were headin out ta visit Granny Smith's grave. Did ya wanna come?"

Apple Bloom thought about that. It was the anniversary of her death, and if all went well, this would be the last time she'd be here for this in a while. She needed to see her friends later, but it wouldn't hurt to spend time with her family right now.

"Yeah, give me minute. I'll get ready," Apple Bloom called out.

"Great, we'll wait fer ya downstairs. Oh, Flim and Flam 're comin too."

Great, Apple Bloom thought rolling her eyes. It was great that Applejack was finally happy, but it was embarrasing sometimes with Flim and Flam now moved in.

After getting a shower and fixing her mane and tail like she wanted it, Apple Bloom trotted downstairs to see Flim and Flam waiting downstairs.

"Just as stunning as her older sister, right Flam?" Flim asked his brother.

"Absolutely, Flim," Flam said, "That Lezard fella's a lucky stallion having you waiting for him."

"Indeed he is."

"Ha ha," Apple Bloom said deadpanned, "Flattery will get ya'll nowhere with me. And think ya'll could keep it down at night? Someponies actually like to sleep."

Flim and Flam looked down sheepishly, "It's not our fault Applejack's loud," Flam said.

"Though last night you did-" Flim was cut off by Apple Bloom raising her hoof.

"Whoa, Ah do NOT need ta know what ya'll do in that room! Speakin of which, where is that sistur of mine?!"

"Up here!" Applejack called out, now running down the stairs, "Sorry. Ah couldn't get mah mane lookin right."

"You look fine no matter what," Flim said.

"You could walk right out of bed and still be stunning," Flam added. Applejack gushed when they said that.

"Aw, ya'll two know jus' what ta say to a filly," she said sweetly. Both brothers walked over to Applejack and kissed her on the cheek, making Apple Bloom roll her eyes.

"Alright love birds, can we get movin? Ah bet Macintosh and Fluttershy 're already waitin fer us."

"Yer jus' jealous," Applejack said arrogantly, making Apple Bloom snort in response.

"Ah get mah stallion in another year, what do Ah have ta be jealous about?"

Applejack stuck her tongue at Apple Bloom, who shook her head and walked over to the door, picking up her hat in the process. As much as she complained about it, a happy Applejack was the best Applejack in her eyes.

It never took them long to walk to the graveyard, as the farm was really close. When they arrived there, they saw Macintosh and Fluttershy in the distance standing over the grave, a now seven year old Daisy standing behind her mother.

At first Apple Bloom thought they were praying, but when she got a good look at her brother's serious expression and how afraid the little pegasus filly looked, she got worried. Apple Bloom decided to run on ahead, immediately wishing she hadn't. The site she saw was horrible.

"Oh Celestia..." Apple Bloom said in horror. Fluttershy turned to Apple Bloom with a similar expression too.

"Apple Bloom..." Fluttershy said softly. Macintosh hadn't taken his eyes off of the grave. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Mommy, I'm scared," Daisy said looking up at Fluttershy.

"Me too, honey," Fluttershy stated, "Me too."

Applejack chose that moment to run up to the grave too.

"Apple Bloom, what in tarnation-" Applejack gasped when she saw the grave herself. Flim and Flam ran up to her and looked horrified, poor Flim looked ready to throw up...

Looking at Granny Smith's now dug up and empty grave...

"Wh-what happened?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Don't know," Macintosh said seriously, "We just got here ourselves."

"Sick..." Flam said in disgust.

"Repulsive..." Flim added, once his stomach settled enough to speak.

"Applejack," Fluttershy said walking over to her traumatized sister-in-law, "Talk to me. Are you okay?"

"Ah... Ah... Ah..." Applejack stuttered... before fainting. Thankfully Fluttershy and Flim caught her.

"Applejack!" Fluttershy cried out. As everypony gathered around Applejack making sure she was okay, all Apple Bloom could do was stare at the grave. What did this mean? Was this connected to her dreams?

"Necromancy," Silver Spoon said to Apple Bloom after examining the grave herself. Apple Bloom asked Silver Spoon to take a look at it, since she knew such weird stuff. Also, her psychokinesis abilities allowed her to scan areas to see if magic was used recently.

"Are ya serious?" Apple Bloom asked.

"These waves correspond with magic closely attuned with the dead. Whoever did this they intended to revive your grandmother."

This was wrong on so many levels. Apple Bloom had to stop herself from throwing up she was so upset, "Can ya tell if it was successful or not?"

Silver Spoon looked closely at the grave, analyzing it, but then shook her head, "Sorry Apple Bloom, but I can't. Whoever did this though was a pro at it. There was a lot of magic used here, I can tell you that."

"So there's a chance Granny Smith is walkin around out there as sum zombie?" Apple Bloom asked, turning away in disgust, "This is so screwed up..."

"If I could examine the grave for a few more days I might be able to learn something," Silver Spoon said, "The waves don't seem to be going anywhere for a while, so I should be able to get some information."

"That's good. Ah at least need ta know," Apple Bloom said trotting off a bit, but then sitting on the ground and looking down, "Damn it all! Why is this happen now?!"

"Apple Bloom?" Silver Spoon asked sitting next to her friend.

"Ah'm supposed ta be movin ta Canterlot in a year, thinkin about mah future with Lezard, but between the dreams, this thing with Diamond Tiara, and now this! How can Ah leave now?!"

"You really feel strongly about him, don't you?" Silver Spoon asked.

"Ah never stopped lovin him," Apple Bloom admitted, tears now in her eyes, "But as Ah got older, mah feelins jus' got stronger. I need him, Silver Spoon. These days if Ah ain't thinkin 'bout Diamond Tiara or the farm, Ah'm thinkin 'bout him. But Ah can't leave now. Not with this."

"Apple Bloom no," Silver Spoon said, "You have to go. You said it yourself that you need him."

"But ya'll need me! Ah can't abandon ya'll because Ah'm in love!"

"Then what happens? Do you hope to find love somewhere else? Apple Bloom, you spent the last eight to nine years thinking about him preparing for the day you move to where he is. This is your dream. You can't turn your back on your dream now, not for anything. And what if something happens? Will you be able to focus on helping anypony, being in turmoil because you passed up the chance at true love and happiness."

"Why should Ah be happy when everyone else is sufferin?"

"Because you deserve it!" Apple Bloom looked at Silver Spoon in shock, "Don't think I forgot. Nine years ago we all almost died, but you saved everypony in Equestria. You're a hero, and you've done your part. Why shouldn't you get what you want?"

"Spoony..." Apple Bloom said softly.

"That was always the part of that day I hated, you know," Silver Spoon turned away, "I remember traveling with you, seeing you fight, suffer, and then learning that you had to possibly die to protect us. I remember it all. I also remember everypony getting what they wanted in the end in one way or another, but you, the one who suffered the most, got nothing. If there's a god or goddess up there in Elysium right now, I would have cursed them for giving you such a horrible fate.

"You need to be with Lezard, Apple Bloom. You need to go to him and claim your prize. In my opinion, you deserve everything. Even now you're trying to sacrifice your own happiness for everyone else. That's amazing, Apple Bloom. You're amazing. That's why you need to be on that train next year. You deserve happiness."

Apple Bloom sighed, "What about Diamond Tiara? Ah can't leave her."

"She has me, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo," Silver Spoon reasoned, "We can watch over her. Besides, that's another reason you need to go. Diamond Tiara said she wants this for you."

That actually did surprise Apple Bloom. Even now, Diamond Tiara still wanted Apple Bloom to go?

"But... why?" Apple Bloom asked.

"The same reason Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and I want you to go. We're your friends, and we want you to be happy. Diamond Tiara is difficult to understand sometimes, but when she cares about somepony, it shows... in its own weird way," Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon laughed, "You're the only pony she's genuine with."

"All the more reason Ah should stay."

"All the more reason you should go. She wants you to be happy. Please Apple Bloom, don't give up on this."

Apple Bloom thought for a long time. She didn't want to turn away from her friends and family, but she couldn't bear the thought of not being with Lezard. The mere thought tore her heart to pieces. After a minute, she sighed and turned to Silver Spoon.

"Ya'll contact me the second somethin happens, alright?"

"We will," Silver Spoon said smiling, "Definitely." The two friends hugged, but Apple Bloom held onto Silver Spoon longer than she usually would. It was starting to hit her now. She was going to be leaving in a year.

After parting, Silver Spoon looked at Apple Bloom seriously, "Concerning Diamond Tiara, you said something about dreams?"

"Yeah," Apple Bloom said, now calming down, "Ah think Ah'm havin Diamond Tiara's dreams. Ah keep seein Diamond Tiara, but she's in danger, and she's callin out ta me. It don't feel like a dream though. Ah always feel like she's really screamin out ta me."

"You know, it's possible that you and Diamond Tiara are connected," Silver Spoon said, noting the confused look on Apple Bloom's face, "I've noticed that using psychokinesis we're able to feel each other's emotions sometimes, like how Sweetie Belle was able to tell when Scootaloo broke up with Speaker Box."

They could all feel it. In fact, recently Apple Bloom noticed that they were able to feel each other to certain degrees. Apple Bloom could feel both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo really well, it seemed like Sweetie Belle was able to feel Scootaloo pretty well, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara were in tuned with each other pretty well, to the point that Diamond Tiara could translate Silver Spoon's emotions as she was sort of drone at times, and Silver Spoon was always able to feel Apple Bloom.

Everyone was able to feel Diamond Tiara, and pretty strongly too.

"Ya think mah ability ta feel Diamond Tiara is stronger than ya'll's?" Apple Bloom asked.

"If we assume that the amount felt is proportional to personal emotion, then it's possible. Like I said, she's only genuine with you. We're all able to get a sense of her feelings, but maybe you're able to actually see what she's feeling."

That scared Apple Bloom a bit. That meant she was terrified of something, but why wouldn't she tell anypony what it was? Whatever it was it had to be huge.

"Ah wish she'd talk ta me," Apple Bloom said, "She calls out ta me in the dream, askin me ta help her, but how can Ah help her if Ah don't know what I'm savin her from?"

"Did you ever think that maybe she doesn't know either?" Silver Spoon asked. Apple Bloom was about to say something, but she stopped after she looked at Silver Spoon's expression. She truly believed that to be the case. Apple Bloom had to think about it. Maybe she wasn't sure of what she was afraid of.

"Think ya'll can look into that? Ah ain't gonna be here long enough, an' Ah need ta focus on helpin Applejack. This whole thing with Granny Smith has her real shook up."

"I understand. You can count on us, Apple Bloom. She's our friend too, after all."

That felt good, knowing that Silver Spoon was on the same page as her. It still felt weird leaving now, but at least she knew that Diamond Tiara was in good hooves.

When Apple Bloom got home, she saw Applejack sitting by herself in the living room. She looked like she had calmed down quite a bit, but she still had this weird expression on her face.

"Where's Flim an' Flam?" Apple Bloom asked, startling Applejack a bit.

"Oh, Apple Bloom," Applejack said breathing out in relief, "They're with Macintosh talkin to the Ponyville Guard. Fluttershy is here too helpin ta take care of things."

"That's good," Apple Bloom said sighing. What Applejack said next changed everything.

"She's thinkin 'bout movin in next year, since ya 'll be movin ta Canterlot."

Apple Bloom slowly turned to Applejack in shock, "Wait... yer still okay with me leavin?"

"Course," Applejack said as if it were obvious, "Yer a grown mare now," Applejack closed her eyes and smiled, "No, that's wrong. You've been a grown mare for a long time, it's jus' now that Ah'm seein it. For the last nine years, you've actually been the one keepin me stable. Ah used ta try ta mother ya, an' be a guide to ya, but in the end, you were the one guidin me."

Applejack walked over to Apple Bloom and hugged her. She was being so weird right now.

"Applejack...? What's goin...?"

"When Ah was a filly, Ah left home ta find out where Ah belonged. That journey ended up leadin me back here. Ah'll admit, I partially hoped that you'd find yer place here, but that ain't the case, is it? No, yer place is wherever he is," Applejack looked into Apple Blooms eyes with tears in her eyes, despite the smile on her face, "Even right now, yer thinkin of stayin here, but wantin ta be with him. Ah can see in yer eyes. Even with this new issue concerning Granny Smith's body, ya still wanna move ta Canterlot."

"Applejack..." Apple Bloom looked away in sadness. She felt so guilty, seeing how sad and scared Applejack was, and still planning on leaving.

"Ya feel horrible, don't ya?" Applejack asked Apple Bloom, not knowing how badly she pierced her heart, "Of course ya do. That's the kind of pony ya are. Always puttin others before yerself, even if yer in pain because of it. Yer a good pony, Apple Bloom, but if ya keep livin life like that you'll never find true happiness. Happiness comes from chasin yer dreams, especially the selfish ones.

"In all yer years alive, Ah've never seen ya make a truly selfish decision. Yeah, ya made mistakes, but all of 'em were started cause ya wanted ta either know yer special talent, or ya were tryin ta help somepony with a problem. That's good, but yer an adult now, so ya gotta learn how ta be selfish. Ya ain't gotta stay here and watch over me, Ah'm the one who's gotta get stronger. That way ya ain't gotta worry 'bout me over here."

"But yer mah sistur!" Apple Bloom sobbed, "Ah can't leave ya like this!"

"Ya have ta leave me, jus' like this! Ya gotta go, so Ah can become stronger!" Applejack shouted, crying herself. Apple Bloom noticed Fluttershy through her peripheral vision, but she stood at the door as to not bother their talk.

"Ah'm a weak pony, Apple Bloom," Applejack admitted through her tears, "When Twilight wus infected by the persona of Midnight, Ah took the easy way out. Ah overlooked mah place in her descent, and painted her as the villain, that way Ah could run away from mah own weakness. Ah always do that. Even when Granny Smith died. Rather than face mah weakness, Ah took it out on Macintosh, Fluttershy, worst of all, you. Ah need ta become stronger, but Ah can't do that if Ah got ya watchin over me," Applejack's sobs became more intense, "Please Apple Bloom, be selfish this time! Leave me alone so I'll have no choice but to get stronger!"

"Applejack..." Apple Bloom couldn't hold herself back any longer, and she embraced her older sister in a tight embrace.

"Ah love you... so much..." Applejack said in between sobs, "That's why Ah want ya ta be happy... So don't worry about me..."

Apple Bloom couldn't speak. All she could do was cry in her sister's forelegs. This was the closest they had ever been in a long time, and the happiest she had ever been.

Between the words of Applejack, and Silver Spoon, Apple Bloom could go in peace. Next year, she would go to him.

Wait for me Lezard...

I'll be there soon...