//------------------------------// // The Anniversary // Story: Finding Them // by FluttershyisMetal //------------------------------// The Anniversary By: FluttershyisMetal and Spike120812 *** ‘Wha-what’s going on? Where am I?’ Applejack thought. She looked around and saw a peaceful beach, with a small palm tree jungle to her right. Something about the beach... it was familiar to her, and it called to her like a siren to look around. She strolled down the beach, taking in the sights, and actually enjoying herself. She loved the way the sand shifted each time she took a step. She loved the soothing sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. She loved the gentle wind blowing through her tied back straw-blonde mane. She felt like she was in heaven. There was nothing more that Applejack wanted at that moment than to lay down on the beach and take a long and peaceful nap. But, she couldn’t, she was pulled into the trance-like motion of walking down the beach. Her hooves were starting to sink deeper and deeper with every step. Her pupils dilated. Before she knew it, the sand was up to her knees. She was struggling to even lift her legs. This was no longer paradise, but a steadily creeping nightmare. She couldn’t move at all. However, the sand kept on pulling her in. Deeper. Deeper. Deeper. All that was left above the sand was her head. She started to hyperventilate. She strained to get out of her sand prison, but it was to no avail. Then, the skies filled with black clouds, more rapidly than any pegasus, even Rainbow Dash, could possibly push them. Great streaks of blinding white light began to crash down from the sky onto the beach. Thunder began to growl within the clouds. It wasn’t natural, it wasn’t a sunny paradise, it was no more than a disaster waiting to happen, and Applejack was in the middle of it all. Applejack heard a deafening crack, and then saw a palm tree tumble down right in front of her, ablaze with raging orange flames. After a few more deafening cracks, Applejack was surrounded by blazing palm trees, trapping her in a circle of flames. Her eyes grew wide with terror, but she couldn’t move at all. She tried to scream, but she couldn’t make any noise. She was forced to just stare at the flames, and what she thought was her doom. She looked past the flames, and saw a monstrous sinkhole form on the beach. Then, through the flames, she saw two ponies ahead, a mare and a stallion. The mare being pale-olive and the stallion being a deep dark-red. Applejack thought these ponies looked familiar, but she couldn’t make out their faces. Upon further inspection, and the squinting of her eyes, she noticed that they didn’t have faces. They were as blank as the sand on the beach was. Applejack’s face contorted with raw fear. She looked away, and down at the sand that was keeping her from moving. Then, the sand started moving, changing in fact. It turned in various ways until it transformed into multiple faces; eyes, mouth, everything that could be found on any normal pony. Yet again, she tried to scream, but no sound came out. Then, the faces started to screech. It was shrill, booming, and tortuous all at the same time. Applejack closed her eyes tight and contorted her mouth in pain, hoping it would ease the pain of the shrieks in her direction. The screeching stopped after a few agonizing seconds, allowing Applejack to release the tension in her face and dare to open her eyes, but just like the torture the sound was, it started again, except this time, actually saying something. “APPLEJACK!” *** “AHHHHH!” Applejack jolted up from her bed with a quick crack of her eyes. Her bed, her forehead, and her hair was soaked with sweat. Her bloodshot eyes darted madly across the room. After a few seconds, she found that she was back at her home at Sweet Apple Acres, and the moonlit night still indicated that she should still be asleep. Applejack turned her head to the clock on her counter next to the bed. “4:00 AM,” she read aloud. She’d be getting up in a few hours anyway, and after what plagued her subconscious, she found herself slumping back down onto her bed, mindlessly staring up at her ceiling. She knew what day it was and why she had that particular dream, and the calendar next to her other side clearly marked out the day. It was that same day several years ago that took away her parents. It was that same day several years ago that broke her family. It was that same day several years ago that turned what was supposed to be a dream vacation into her worst nightmare. She remembered it all too well, and she wasn’t looking forward to remembering it even more. Throughout the years, on the anniversary of that day, Applejack was a different pony to say the least, but who wouldn’t be? Tears started to well in the farm pony’s eyes before she tried to shut them from falling, but to no avail. They fell regardless, making Applejack feel like the helpless filly she saw herself as those years ago. She turned her head towards her window. Luna had painted a beautiful night sky as always, and from her window, she could make out all the glimmering stars that graced the night sky. From a little farther, she saw two flashes of light trail their way quickly through the sky before disappearing from sight. “I miss you,” Applejack whimpered under her breath. More tears started to well, and her lip quivered. What little resistance she had broke, and Applejack let her emotions spill onto her bed. Soaking the bed even more in her tears as she cried herself into an unsteady slumber. The next few hours passed with the drifting of consciousness and unconsciousness. Applejack’s eyes were already open when her alarm went off, bloodshot and stained with the reminiscent of salty tears. She wanted to stay in bed so badly. She didn’t want to face the rest of the family today, but she knew she couldn’t stay in one place all day. Not when the others might need comforting. With hesitance and wobbly legs, Applejack climbed out of her bed, wiping her eyes with a forelimb and coming to her bedroom door. Next to it was a small hook. On the hook was the last thing of her father she had... his stetson hat. Every other day she wore it to remember him by, but today, she had enough to remember as is. She was out the door and made her way downstairs to meet the other members of the Apple household. Each of them was already up, each looking about as bad as Applejack, all except Apple Bloom. Everypony in the room could tell she cried the most last night and probably didn’t feel like talking much, but Applejack knew it wasn't healthy. Applejack slowly came over to her little sister who was perched on the couch in the living room next to Big Macintosh and Granny Smith. She tried to say something, but was instantly met with a small hug and numerous whimpers. “I miss ‘em so much,” Apple Bloom cried. Applejack didn’t respond verbally, only stroking the foal’s back as she cried into her fur. “I know, Apple Bloom. We all do.” It was then that Big Macintosh lowered his head and let a small tear slide down his face while the elderly mare next to him looked like she was holding back a large lump in her throat. Applejack let Apple Bloom cry into her for a good few minutes until she finally stopped and raised her head up to look into her sister’s emerald-green eyes. “They loved you, sis. And they still do. All of us.” Apple Bloom's sobs softened up slightly. She was only a foal when she lost her parents, yet she could sense the truth behind her sister's words. She lifted her hoof to her bright red mane, stopping where she felt the large pink bow on her head. She remembered all everything the rest of the Apple family said when she was little and started to wear it. It was always the same thing. "You look so much like your mother." She wanted to keep that bow forever, but today, she just didn't want to remember that the old owner of that bow was gone. "Applejack?" The mare in question lowered her head to Apple Bloom's level. "I'm not hungry. Is it alright if I don't eat breakfast?" Applejack looked to Big Mac and Granny Smith. Just by their looks, she could tell the feeling was mutual. "I don't think anypony here's in much of an eating mood anyway. But I don't want you sittin' around and sulking. Go out and do something. Maybe play with your friends." As if the universe had heard the farm mare's suggestion, a soft knock was heard at the front door. Applejack got up and opened the door. Standing outside were Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The smiles on their faces were small, not really joyful, but there for comfort. "Hi, Applejack," Sweetie Belle greeted. "Is Apple Bloom home?" "Apple Bloom," Applejack called softly. The filly in question made it to the door and brightened up slightly upon seeing her fellow crusaders. "Hey, Apple Bloom." Scootaloo tried to sound enthusiastic, but came up short. She knew what today was for the Apple family. Apple Bloom told her friends all about it the first anniversary after all three of them became friends, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo made it their mission to help lift their friend up today. "Hey, girls," Apple Bloom greeted back meekly. Scootaloo started to kick at the ground awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. Sweetie Belle stepped in to ease the tension. “We were wondering if you’d like to come out and maybe crusade?” Sweetie finished with a weak smile. Apple Bloom looked back towards Applejack, who nodded encouragingly at her younger sister. Apple Bloom turned back to her two friends and gave them a quick smile. “Yeah, sure, I’d love to,” Apple Bloom said weakly. “Awesome, well, what’re we waiting for? Let’s go crusading!” Sweetie Belle said with mock enthusiasm. Apple Bloom headed out the door and treaded out of the farmhouse with her fellow Crusaders, hoping this could get today out of her mind. Applejack watched her sister run out of the farm and into town. She smiled bitterly and turned to her brother. “Well, at least Apple Bloom will be able to keep ‘er mind off of the anniversary. She was a complete wreck last year...” Big Macintosh nodded and watched his youngest sister march off with her friends wistfully. “Eeyup,” he replied. “But I know somepony else who didn’t handle it s’well either. Maybe ya should go out ‘n find something to do as well.” Applejack stared blankly ahead as memories flooded her mind. A small filly crying her heart out into her granny’s arms, wishing she could go back and change everything. She shook her head out of frustration, and looked over to her big brother. “I guess you’re right. I’ll go ‘n see if the girls wanna do... somethin’,” Applejack said, letting out a sigh. “Eeyup,” was all Big Mac said in reply, and then nodded his head toward the door, motioning for Applejack to get out of the house and distract herself. Applejack saw no point in arguing, she knew that her brother was right. She knew that if she tried to isolate herself again, like the years before. She never handled it well, usually crying alone in her room, or crying alone in the apple orchards, or crying just about anywhere alone. She didn’t want that this year. She had friends, good ones, and if there’s anything that Twilight’s friendship reports taught her, it’s that she could count on her friends to pull her spirits up. She walked out of the front door and closed it behind her, but not before saying her quick goodbyes to the remaining Apple’s in the house. “I’ll see you two soon,” she waved off to her brother and Granny Smith. The door closed, leaving Big Mac and Granny Smith alone in silence. “I think, I’m gonna go and... buck some apples,” Big Mac finally announced to the elderly mare with a somberness one could only expect from him. “Okay, Mac. Just don’t stay out too late. Come in whenever you feel,” Granny Smith tried to offer. “Okay, Granny.” Mac quietly made his way out of the farmhouse, closing the door behind him, and leaving Granny Smith alone with her own thoughts, something she wished weren’t there. Granny Smith looked around the living room, coming across picture after picture of her family. One in particular clutched her heart in a death grip. There by on a lightstand, a small orange-framed picture of her, her son and his wife, and their three beautiful kids... her grandchildren. They were all huddled together in the sand, the sun casting a glare at the very corner of the picture. They were all smiling, looking like they were about to have the greatest time of their lives. Granny Smith’s eyes started to water after looking at Sweet Cinnamon and Warm Apple. She wanted them back. She wanted them back just as much as the three kids in the picture. Those three shouldn’t have to live without them. Tears fell on the photo before Granny brought it to her chest, muttering out the same thing over and over. “I’m so sorry.”