I gazed at the trinket in my hoof: a small, crystalline apple. Just holding it brought back memories of her, of what happened, of what my life could have been like. I let out a sigh, and closed my eyes.
 
"Come on Crisp, ya gotta stop getting lost in yer memories like that. One o' these days ye might not be able to find yer way back out." My eyes opened, a small smirk crossing my lips before I tucked the crystal apple back underneath my tunic. The string attached to it kept it close, even when I wasn't holding on to it. I wouldn't have it any other way. "Besides," Applebloom continued, "ya really shouldn't let yer guard down like that out here. We're not the only thing out lookin' fer a meal today." She looked around warily, scanning through the dense forest around us, her rough-hewn saddlebags jostling side to side with fruits. Her drawl always came on a little heavy out in the wilds here, only Celestia knows how I didn't pick up a drawl of my own from listening to her all the time.
 
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even if I've got my guard down, this baby right here will make quick work of whatever decided to try and pounce on me!" I said, brandishing my signature machette in one of my forehooves.
 
Applebloom gave me a dead-eyed stare from the tree branch she sat in. "Ya mean the one ya found yesterday?"
 
"Hey! It's grown on me, alright?" I snapped back as a smirk crossed her face.
 
"Ya keep swinging it around and soon enough you'll have to grow a new hoof!"
 
"I won't be the only thing that has to grow back. Take this!" I gripped my machette in my jaw and charged towards her. I leapt and slashed, hearing a satisfying thump behind me.
 
"...Pretty soon they'll have to call you Honeycrisp, Slayer of Foliage"
 
I kicked at the freshly-cut branch on the ground behind me, staring poignantly at the now-shorter branch Applebloom was sitting on. "Hey, that foliage could be hostile! I might have just saved your life!"
 
"Ya know, I don't even know why we called you Honeycrisp when all yall seem to be doing is cutting up all the trees! We shoulda called you Sap Slasher!"
 
I snorted, "That sounds like a-". We both froze as a loud snap echoed throughout the trees. My eyes went wide, and my sister's did the same. I quickly scampered up the tree trunk and sat opposite Applebloom. Remembering what she taught me, I kept my head low and my eyes open. My ears swiveled, trying to catch any noise that came my way.
 
"HC, down and to my left" Applebloom whispered. I slowly turned my head, freezing when I spotted a claw through the brush. Green mist glowed, seeping through the brush. It slowly crept through until it stood alone in the clearing.
 
I let out a small sigh of relief, "it's just a timberwolf." The creature froze, ears perked upwards.
 
Applebloom glared at me, silently letting me know to shut up. My ears folded back, and I complied. The timberwolf stood stock still for a few moments, then silently crept forward once again. It's muzzle reached downwards, stopping just short of the freshly-trimmed branch on the ground. Taking in the scent, it stood still, thinking for a moment. It's nose traced the scent into the air, and it's beady eyes searched the branches of our tree. Applebloom hunkered down even smaller then before, her ears flat against her head and her tail curled up against her back.
 
Slowly, and ever so carefully, Applebloom's tail dug into her saddlebags. It wrapped around a grimy, dirt-covered apple, and arched backwards. With a whip of her tail she sent the apple careening off into the brush, where it landed with a wet scrunch. The timberwolf's head darted to where the apple landed. It let out a small rumble, snatched the branch in it's muzzle, and darted off. We waited for a solid ten minutes before daring to move a muscle. After hearing nothing but the usual spooky ambience, Applebloom leaned over the side of the branch and slowly eased herself to the ground, landing with a quiet thump. She looked around the clearing, watching every shrub for the slightest hint of movement. Only after seeing her give the all clear, I quietly slid down the tree trunk. Applebloom walked over towards where the slashed stick used to sit, and started poking and prodding the area. Knowing her mind was going a million miles a minute, I sat down and waited.
 
The first thing she did when she was finished was conk me upside the head.
 
"Oww, hey, what was that for?!" I rubbed the back of my head where she hit me.
 
"That's fer not staying quiet like yer supposed to. And fer getting us stuck up there in the first place!"
 
"Whaddya mean it's my fault? Do you want me to apologize or something? 'I'm sorry that a timberwolf happened to wander by at the wrong time?'"
 
Applebloom shook her head, "no ya big dummy, things like that don't happen just fer the sake of happenin'. I think when ya cut that branch he somehow sensed it or something..." Applebloom's gaze blanked as she got lost in thought again.
 
"What, like a wood-sense? They can tell when the trees are disturbed?" I offered.
 
Applebloom sat down, one hoof against her chin. "Ah suppose so. Granny always told me that the timberwolves were 'The Guardians of the Everfree' or something like that..." Applebloom shook her head. "Doesn't matter right now, we'll figure it out later. Jus, try to be careful with the branches, ok? Don't break anymore of 'em until we know for sure."
 
I nodded, then AB and I fell into our usual routine. We'd carefully make our way through the brush, always within a hoof's reach of each other, and look for fruits, veggies, anything we could eat. There were a lot of dangerous plants here in the Everfree, so if anything looked too suspicious, we'd leave it alone. Most days we'd spot a few birds and that'd be all, but every few days something big would wander by, like a timberwolf, or an ursa minor. One time we even caught sight of a giant red dragon fighting a tatzlewurm! They tore the entire hillside to shreds, and nearly tore each other to shreds too before one of them fled to where the other couldn't follow.
 
The Everfree forest was a dangerous place, but it was a beautiful place too. The sunlight shimmering through the canopy, our reflections gliding across the water, the mighty trees stretching towards the sky, the treetops blowing in the wind. The Everfree was our home. It was dangerous, but it was also safe from... them... the creatures... the ones that killed Applejack...
 
I shook my head, focusing on the task at hand... Ah, right, sticks, for the fire. I started to gather a few twigs when Applebloom spoke.
 
"No fire tonight, we're too close to Ponyville. Something could spot the flames."
 
I spat the branches out. So much for sticking with our usual routine. Applebloom started to dig through her saddlebag to see what we had for food tonight. I dug my crystalline apple out of my rough-hewn tunic. It shimmered in the fading light of the day, as orange as the sky at sunset. AJ gave her life to protect me and Applebloom. I can only hope that somewhere up there she was still watching over us. Up in Pony Heaven with her friends, standing guard by the side of the royal Princesses.
 
I laid down as I watched the sun set on the horizon, my crystalline apple in hand.