//------------------------------// // Two Red Roses // Story: Never Ending Fears // by Faith Everlasting //------------------------------// "I still don't know what to dress in, Granny! I've never been to a fancy opera before!" Applejack was rummaging through her... various outfits and flinging them to the side in frustration. Her Granny stood by, laughing to herself and rolling her eyes when a plaid shirt was tossed onto her head. "Now, settle down, Applejack." Her Granny said calmly, laying a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "How 'bout I give you a hoof this time 'round?" Applejack beamed and then stepped aside as Granny Smith dug through her closet. "No. No. Good gravy, no!" Granny Smith continued to reject outfits one by one, until the closet was bare. "Hmm..." Granny Smith pondered, rubbing her chin. Then her eyes lit up with excitement! "Hold on there, Sugar Cube! I've got just the thing!" She galloped, er, walked out of the room and into the hallway, her face still containing the same goofy smile. Applejack sat down on her bed and waited. And waited. And waited. Aaaannnnddd waited... "UGH! Granny!" Applejack shouted in frustration. She glanced up at her bedroom clock and gasped. "We're leavin' in five minutes!" She shouted down the hallway. Then she saw Granny Smith holding a dusty old box in her mouth and slowly creaking down the hall. "Sorry, honey. I'd forgotten were I put this ol' thing!" She set the box down and patted it with pleasure. "Now, let's see what it looks like on you!" "Granny, what is it-" Applejack immediately stopped talking and murmured in awe as Granny Smith pulled out a beautiful evening gown. The fabric was mostly dark green, but laced around the edges was a gold trimming and a beautiful ruby brooch attached the two ends of the fancy collar together. Applejack sat down in admiration and continued to stare at the beautiful thing. "This was yer mother's when she was your age, but now I think that you should have it." Applejack beamed and raced to hug her Granny. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" She thanked. "Well, now, it'll look more beautiful when yer in it! Come on, whipper snapper!" Granny Smith walked back into Applejack's room and helped the excited filly into her new gown. "Mama, why didn't Big Macintosh wanna come with us?" Applejack asked as she and her parents slowly walked to the theater house. Her father kept glancing around, as if expecting somepony to catch him and ridicule him for going to see an opera. Her mother noticed this and laughed. "Because, honey, colts don't typically go to things like this. It makes them feel like less of a... stallion." Applejack snickered along with her mother when the stallion in their group ducked behind a bush to avoid being seen by one of his friends. He blushed in embarrassment and sheepishly scratched his ear, then he got back up to join his mares. "Honestly, Gilbert, I would expect for you to behave more maturely." Applejack's mother lectured her husband. "Apologies, Gala." He said in a regal tone, mimicking Prince Blueblood who was a young colt around Applejack's age. Her father's voice made AJ cringe when she remembered the prissy pony. "Almost as bad as Rarity." Applejack muttered, rubbing her ears to try and rid herself of the awful noises that colt made. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was fussiness. "What about Apple Bloom?" Her mother laughed. "Oh, sweetheart, she's too young to come with us! She is only a month old." "Come to think of it," Her father began. "We haven't had a night like this in a long time." He scooted over and nuzzled his wife affectionately. Then he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Maybe we could rent our own house tonight." "Oh, stop it!" She giggled, pushing the charming stallion away from her. Applejack was confused for only a moment until her mother stopped where she was and beamed with joy. "Looks like we're here!" Gala announced, pointing to the bright sign on top of the theater house. PAUS E PEDRAS Applejack read as the title. She titled her head at the strange heading, but shrugged it off and walked inside with her parents. "Are you sure that this opera won't be in any foreign languages like Ger-mane?" Her father inquired. "I'm sure, darling." Gala assured, pulling her husband inside the room and sitting him down in one of the creaky seats. He situated himself until he was comfortable, much to the other audience member's displeasure since his chair was probably the noisiest in the theater. "Sorry." He apologized, finally feeling comfortable in the tiny seat. Applejack was just about to ask him a question, when the lights dimmed. Applejack gasped in pleasure and watched, awe-struck, as two ponies came leaping onto the stage dressed as peasant folk of the olden times. They danced around on stage using only their back legs which Applejack found peculiar, but then another pony (a pegasus) swooped onto the stage and landed right in front of the two other characters. Then Applejack heard them speak. "Como se atreve você acha que pode entrar a minha floresta?" The pegasus shouted. Applejack could hear her father let out a groan and place his head in his hooves. "What did he say, mama?" Applejack asked, shaking her mother's arm. She glanced shamefully over at her husband and sighed in regret. "It sounded like Ponyguese to me." She guessed. "You said this wasn't going to be in a foreign language!" Gilbert whispered harshly. "Well, I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Gala retorted. Applejack drowned out the noises of her parents and continued to watch the amazing display. "Agora você terá de enfrentar a minha ira!" The pegasus declared, flying offstage. Applejack looked at the other two and saw their countenance's drop and become filled with dread. She watched as they screamed and ran towards center stage, but then were stopped dead in their tracks. Applejack leaned forward in her seat to try and see better. Suddenly, Applejack heard something roar. Her heart started to pound against her chest when a... timber wolf came onto the set! She whimpered and tried to sink into her chair, but another one entered the stage soon after. Then a third. Then a fourth. They all surrounded the two ponies, gnashing their teeth and snarling through their awful breath! "Mama..." She whispered. "How could you not know that this was in Ponyguese?!" "It didn't say so in the brochure!" "Mama..." "I can't believe I was dragged out here to watch an opera that I can't understand!" "You said that you wanted to come!" "Mama!" Her parents stopped arguing and gazed down at their filly. "Ca-Can we go?" Her mother looked towards the stage and saw the reason why Applejack suddenly wanted to leave. She sent a silent message of anger towards Granny Smith and then nodded her head softly. Once outside, her father let out a sigh of relief. "Next time, before we come to an opera, WE MAKE SURE THAT IT'S IN A LANGUAGE WE UNDERSTAND!" Applejack gazed over at her mother, but noticed that she was not angry at her husband's striking words. They all continued to walk in silence after Gilbert's outburst and headed towards home. Applejack continued to hang her head in shame and kept cursing herself for being such a coward. "They were just ponies in costumes." Her mother said, trying to lighten the mood. "They weren't real timber wolves." She placed a reassuring hoof on Applejack's shoulder and smiled. Applejack smiled back, but still felt awful inside. "Uh... honey?" Gilbert asked, suddenly stopping in his tracks. "Where are we?" Gala looked up and became confused. This was not the path towards home! Applejack looked around and saw that they were near a small, vacant cottage with a tiny stream surrounding the house like a moat. Nopony had lived in that house for ages, but then she looked over at her parents. She wished that she hadn't. They were right on the edge of the Everfree forest! "AHH!" Applejack screamed, hiding behind her mother. "Sweetheart, it's OK. We're just a little lost." She shot an accusing glance towards her husband who merely shrugged his shoulders. "We were all a little distracted." "A little?!" Applejack exclaimed. "We're at the edge of the Everfree forest! That's on the opposite side of town from where we live!" "Must've taken a wrong turn somewhere." Her father responded. "Let's get out a here!" Applejack screamed, galloping away from the threatening woods. "Applejack, stop!" Her mother called out. She did stop... and so did her parents when they heard the growling not ten feet away from them. Applejack started to hyperventilate when she saw the two pairs of green eyes watching them from the thicket. Her parents refused to move. "Applejack," Her mother whispered in terror. Applejack watched as her mother continued to glance from her husband and back to her. The growling near the forest intensified and green vapors emanated from the growth. "Run." Her mother commanded. Applejack shook her head defiantly. "Run." Her mother said forcefully. Applejack took a few steps away and waited for them to follow her. Then she saw her mother take in a gulp of fear and then sigh in... in... defeat! Applejack started to walk towards them, tears forming in her eyes. Her mother rapidly shook her head and nodded towards her husband. Then she looked back at one of her fillies and mouthed: "I love you." "NO!" Applejack screamed, racing towards her parents. "RUN!" Gala and Gilbert shouted, racing away from Applejack. The timber wolves roared and pursued them, snapping their jaws and snarling after the couple! Applejack ran after them as fast as she could, but eventually the timber wolves and her parents faded from her view. And the last noise that she heard was an ear-piercing scream! "Mama? Daddy?" Applejack shouted, continuing her search for her parents. She had been looking for hours now and was finally starting to feel fatigued. She froze in her tracks and whined in horror. What if there's nothin' left ta find? She worried. What if the timber wolves... She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "Preposterous!" She declared, giving her a mental pat on the back for using such a posh word. "Mama and Daddy can't be gone! They took down those timber wolves and are lookin' fer me right now! Yeah! That's right!" She puffed out her chest and continued to call out to them, convinced that they were doing the same. She lifted her ear towards the sky and listened for them to call her. "A-Applejack..." somepony wheezed. Applejack looked around frantically, searching for the source of the noise. She began to panic when she didn't hear it again. "Yes? I'm here!" She called out. "H-Here..." it said again. "Don't worry! I'm a comin'!" She galloped towards the noise and parted through a giant thorn bush, disregarding the piercing sharpness. She came into a clearing and... "No..." She choked. "No. No. No. No! NO! NO!" She ran into the clearing and stood over the broken bodies of two ponies... her mother and father. "Mama?" She cried, gently nudging the yellow pony with her hoof. She opened her eyes briefly and sighed in pain. "You gonna be OK?" Her mother shook her head and coughed, making blood splatter across the grass and onto Applejack's legs. Applejack recoiled in horror and looked over her parent's bodies which were caked in blood and mud. Then, she heard a timber wolf howl in the distance and she let out a squeak of terror. "Applejack..." Her mother said weakly, lifting a hoof to touch Applejack's face. "Don't be afraid..." Applejack cried when her mother's hoof went limp and fell back down towards the ground. Then she exhaled deeply and was gone. Applejack sobbed and cuddled closely to her parents, staining her dress with their blood. She cried and cried, tucking her father's limp legs around her waist and her mother's around her neck. She screamed into the evening air and slowly... very slowly... fell asleep in their final touches.