//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 : The Feeling 
// Story: Give Me Back My Parents! 
// by Maignaciojr 
//------------------------------//

Something was wrong. Every ounce of her soul screamed at her as she slowly opened her eyes. The air pressed down on Apple Jack as she slowly rose from bed. She glanced about the room, hoping to find whatever caused her undue distress. Her bedroom appeared as it did the night before. Everything sat where it was supposed to.  A delicious aroma wafted on the air, and Apple Jack’s stomach announced that it too was awake. 

So why was she trembling?

Slowly, Apple Jack eased herself out of bed and planted her hooves beneath her. Silence. Why did it bore into her this significantly? She trotted to the window and regarded the barnyard. Like her room, everything appeared normal.  Her older brother Big Mac was already pulling the empty cart toward the legion of apple trees in the south orchard. 

A sudden chill crawled up her back. She looked toward the sun. 

She stomped her hoof. “Dang it! How come no one woke me up? There’s work to be done!” In a frenzied panic, she trotted downstairs. 

Granny Smith and Apple Bloom were at the eating table.  Both of them appeared quite delighted and not the least bit upset.

Like every morning, Granny Smith grinned at her warmly. “Mornin’, Apple Jack. Glad you finally decided to wake up. You were out colder than a night in the middle of the winter during an ice storm. I was starting to get a little worried about you, youngun’.”

Apple Jack narrowed her eyes. “You know I hate sleeping in. I’m already running late.”

Apple Bloom frowned as she swallowed the last mouthful of pancake. “We tried, Sis. You were just snoring and snoring. You were up pretty late last night.”

“Well the apples aren’t going to buck themselves,” Apple said a little too sharply.

Her younger sister shrank back a little, and her eyes became wet. Granny Smith’s brow furrowed over her usually weary stare. As soon as Apple Jack saw it, she winced. 

“Aww dang… I’m sorry Apple Bloom,” Apple Jack said. “I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I don’t know… I feel off.”

“Off?” Granny Smith asked. “How can you feel off on a day like today? It’s as beautiful as a brand new litter of piglets.”

Apple Jack just shrugged. “I don’t know… I just get the feeling that something’s missing.”

Suddenly, Apple Jack’s entire body started vibrating. She jumped to attention and gazed all around. 

Apple Blossom screamed “Sis, you’re cutie mark!”

Sure enough, Apple Jack’s cutie mark shook and expanded on her flank. Little apples extended off of the primary three and faded into her coat. That could only mean one thing. 

“Dang! I guess my chores have to wait.” Apple Jack peered at her plate. “So does breakfast. I have to go.”

She ran out of the house and entered the barnyard. The air grew more menacing, despite the beauty of the day. Her veins squirmed within her, trying to get out. Apple Jack had never encountered sensations like this, even with her vibrating cutie mark. Though the map was summoning her and the others, something else was wrong. Acid pooled at the back of Apple Jack’s throat as she ran away from Sweet Apple Acres. Perhaps the other girls would know what was going on. 

The run to the castle took much longer than what Apple Jack would have liked. Her other friends were already in their thrones, and they cast gazes on her as she entered the chamber. 

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms over her chest. “Geez… It’s about time you got here. We’ve been waiting forever.”

Apple Jack rolled her eyes. “Well excuse me for living outside of Ponyville. It takes me a while to get places.”

Twilight Sparkle winced and held up a hoof. “Don’t worry about it. We totally understand, don’t we Rainbow?” Her compassionate expression took on a more stern appearance. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s get this over with. I want to see what awesome adventure we’re going on next.”

The girls rested in their thrones with both unease and excitement. Pinkie Pie bounced in her seat while the others had planted themselves firmly on the cushions that Rarity had insisted upon installing.  The last time the group had went on an adventure, they had encountered the terrible Phantom Pony who had been kidnapping other ponies in hopes to force them into being his friend. Teaching that odd ball how to make friends had been quite troubling, especially since the Phantom Pony almost forced Rarity to marry him.

As soon as Apple Jack planted her flank in the seat, the magical map started to grow from the ground.  Even though she had seen the spectacle occur nearly a half dozen times, Apple Jack still got chills every time it appeared. Just like before, the map appeared, and the circular ring of their cutie marks popped over Ponyville. All eyes fell on the ring as it moved. 

However, rather than glide very far, the ring only traveled about an inch. Every pony waited until Pinke exclaimed in a high pitched voice “That’s it?”

Fluttershy inched closer to the map. “This spot is just outside Ponyville. How can there be a friendship emergency so close to us? It doesn’t make sense.”

Rarity scratched her chin with her hoof. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in that area before. Or rather if I had, I don’t recall any pony actually living out there in the hills.”

“Maybe some pony needs help there,” Rainbow Dash said. 

Apple jack studied the spot. Her heart dropped into her stomach. The awful feeling that she encountered before throbbed with renewed vitality. She knew that spot intimately well. 

“Oh no! In the name of Celestia, no!” Apple Jack whispered. 

Her friends immediately regarded her with heightened tension. 

“What is it?” Asked Twilight Sparkle. “What’s so special about this place?”

Rather than answer her, Apple Jack hopped onto the map and then leapt off of it. She sprinted out of the room. Tears welled in her eyes. Her muscles pumped with raw emotion. The girls called out after her, but their voiced sounded muted. 

In Apple Jack’s mind, she kept on saying the same things over and over. 

Please no! Let nothing be wrong with them. This has to be unrelated.

She ran through the town with increased haste. The girls had caught up with her, and Rainbow flew above her. A wave of relief fell over Apple Jack as none of them tried to stop her or ask her what was wrong. They just ran with her. She couldn’t answer what bothered her until she saw it for herself. 

After a long while, Apple Jack and the others came to a single spot, the very spot the map had showed them. 

Apple Jack screamed and started sobbing. The other girls collected around her and stared at the sight that caused such grief in their friend. 

A pair of holes in the ground lay side by side. Some pony … or perhaps something had dug up something that had been buried. A pile of broken rocks lay beside the holes. 

Rainbow dash flew over to the rocks and inspected them. After a moment, her mouth fell open and the color drained from her face. 

Twilight Sparkle winced as she stepped out in front of every pony else. Pinkie rubbed Apple Jack’s back while Rarity stood beside her and cast a mournful and confused gaze at her. FlutterShy and Spike just stood at the back, perhaps not sure what was going on. 

‘W-what is it, Rainbow?” Twilight asked. Judging from the tone in the princess’s voice, she perhaps already knew. 

Rainbow Dash floated over to Apple Jack and stared down at her. Apple Jack looked up as Rainbow Dash answered. 

“They’re … headstones. “