Chapter IV

Sticking out of Fluttershy's navel was a small sprig with a couple of tiny leaves on it. Fluttershy could hardly believe it. Despite the stillness of the sprig, something was radially boring through her stomach, causing her great pain. Taking note of Fluttershy's pain, Applejack walked over to the yellow pegasus and examined her.

"Ye haw! The seed's sprouted! That happened at lot quicker than Ah thought it would...Granny Smith said it took her a month...well, time da plant the sapling," Applejack cried, excited. Walking back to the table, then walking back holding a syringe with a green liquid in it, Applejack quickly plunged the syringe into Fluttershy and rammed the plunger down. Quickly, Fluttershy's body began to feel numb as her body froze.

"Paralysing medicine...don't want ya runnin' off," explained Applejack, noting Fluttershy's confused expression. Applejack left the room only to return with the rest of the Smith family. [For added effect, you can begin listening to the Candle Cove theme song...or any suitable creepy music]. Applejack and Big Mac picked the motionless Fluttershy up while Apple Bloom and Granny Smith followed, going up some steps and exiting the cellar through the cellar door at the side of the barn. It was once again night time, as the full moon brightly hung in the starry sky...though Fluttershy was not for sure how many nights had passed...objectively, it was probably the night after the fateful night of the fire works, but to Fluttershy, one night might as well have been a thousand. The strange procession trotted its way to the middle of the apple fields. There was a deep hole with a pile of dirt and shovel by the hole. Gently, Applejack and Big Mac lowered Fluttershy to the bottom of the hole. A minute later, dirt began to fall onto Fluttershy. She really wanted to scream...but due to the paralysing medicine, could not even sigh.

At the very least they could have slit my throat.

Just before she was entirely covered by dirt, Applejack's face appeared at the top of the hole.

"Ya always wanted da be a tree, Fluttershy. Now ya livin' ya dream...YA LIVIN' YA DREAM!" the manic earth pony cried as a shovel full of dirt obscured Fluttershy's vision. Soon the weight of the dirt pressed on her, and she couldn't even hear the movement of the ponies above her.

It is awfully lonely down here, Fluttershy thought before she suffocated.

….

Everypony in Ponyville was amazed at just how quickly Sweet Apple Acres recovered from the devastating fire that had destroyed three-quarters of the orchard. With some belt tightening, charity from their friends and family, and the crop insurance money, the Smith family was able to make it until next apple season. The sapling that was planted grew at an almost supernatural rate, becoming a full sized tree in only two months. Likewise, the seeds from this tree quickly grew into full sized trees bearing delicious fruit. Some of the apples were as sweet as cupcakes, while others were pleasantly tart and sour. When asked about the improved apples, with theories about genetic modification and artificial flavours, Granny Smith simply laughed and mentioned the power of "new blood" to rejuvenate apple orchards. In any case, the Smith family was soon once again prosperous.

Another mystery that was on everypony's mind was the sudden disappearance of two of Ponyville's most prominent citizens, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. While a letter claiming the two had ran off to Las Pegasus to marry, as that sort of thing was legal there. However, the two's closest friends had reservations, as they expected letters or some proof the two had not disappeared from the face of equestria. A filly named Diamond Tiara was also missing, through since she was a rather rude filly, no pony particularly missed her. Life in Ponyville went on, although bit less happily with the lost of the Element of Laughter...and the animals had a harder time without Fluttershy...but somehow, everypony could still feel the presence of the two ponies in their guts.

THE END