Applejack and Fluttershy have been together a long time. They have a lot in common, including a mutual love for Everfree. The forest is their home. It had been for centuries, and it would be for as long as they lived.
Or rather, that's what Applejac...
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There was no mistaking it. Although Applejack had never seen the city the way she was seeing it now, there was no doubt about where she was.
Sungrove stood not as Applejack had found it, but in its full glory. The woods had tried to show her glimpses of the city whenever she closed her eyes within its walls, but that could not compare to seeing it with her eyes open. It was a glorious sight to behold, and Applejack knew she was blessed with the chance to walk through it.
She just didn't know why. The last thing she remembered was stopping the Shadow before collapsing into Fluttershy's forelegs. By extension, she knew that this was most likely a dream. But everything just felt too real; the grass under her hooves was soft and crunched slightly as she walked, a gentle breeze ruffled her fur and was refreshingly cool, and she could even smell the lilies and goldenrod that grew along the path.
And yet, there was something about it that didn't feel quite right either. A sort of otherness permeated the city, and Applejack couldn't shake the feeling that it was more complicated than simply being asleep or awake. Along with her senses, she still retained full clarity of mind, allowing her to consider her situation far more carefully than she could have in a normal dream.
So as she walked, she took note of her surroundings. There was birdsong in the air, but no animals in the trees. The houses stood in immaculate condition, but there was no activity inside them. Everywhere she looked, the world around her sent one very clear message. Sungrove stood all around her exactly as it had been, but with one exception. There was no life aside from the forest itself. No deer, no animals. A wondrous city stretched out as far as her eyes could see, and she was the sole inhabitant.
Only one explanation came to mind, and it was not one she was prepared for.
Applejack could not recall when she had first started walking through the city. She had full memory of arriving with Discord at the city's ruins, but when had she found herself in the city's memory? One moment she was falling asleep as Fluttershy held her, and the next moment, as near as she could tell, she was already walking the path along the city's floor.
