Give Me Back My Parents!

by Maignaciojr

Chapter 2 - The Spell

Chapter 2

The world crushed in on Apple Jack as she continued to wail. This wasn’t like her. She was the strongest one of the group, and yet… how was she supposed to be strong when they were missing? And why would any pony do such a dastardly thing anyway? Not even Tirek messed around with a pony’s remains.

“Apple Jack?” Twilight’s voice came on like a whisper in the wind. “Apple Jack, it’s going to be okay. We’re going to find whoever was buried here.” There was a long, agonizing pause before she spoke in a softer voice. “We’ll find your parents.”

Apple Jack rose up from the ground and glared. She didn’t mean to sound so hateful, but she couldn’t help it. Rage like nothing she had ever experienced before rippled through her skin. “How?! How are we going to find them? We don’t even know who took them! We have no clues!”

A pair of waterfalls cascaded down her cheeks. Her bottom lip quivered violently. Her lungs heaved with every breath.

Rarity embraced Applejack tightly, but she regarded the others as well. Her usually sweet and elegant voice came out in the form of a shrill. “Don’t just stand there! Every pony search! We have to help Apple Jack find her parents.”

The other ponies scrambled around the site. Apple Jack tried to move to help, but the prissy pony held her in place with surprising strength.

Rarity’s voice resumed its usually composed quality. “Oh no! You’re going to stay right here. We’ll take care of everything, darling. You just let it all out.”

“No! I can’t!” Apple Jack placed her nose to Rarity’s. “Don’t you see?! My parents taught me to always be tough. They told me that if there’s work to be doing, that an Apple’s always doing it. That’s our family legacy. I can’t let them down. Not like this.”

Fluttershy called out. “Hey girls! My little friend knowns something.”

Rarity let go of Apple Jack and followed her over to Fluttershy. A tiny grey squirrel with a bushy tale sat before the butter yellow pegasus. It kept shifting its head from side to side as it regarded all of the ponies in turn.

“Well?” Apple Jack asked a little too loudly. “What does the critter know?”

Fluttershy placed her ear by the squirrel and listed to it as it chit-chattered for a good minute. After the squirrel was done, Fluttershy raised back up.

She said “Mr. McNutt says that yesterday afternoon a really creepy pony dressed in black came here with a pair of other…” Fluttershy hesitated and looked back down to the squirrel.

The creature spoke again.

“Um… he says the other ponies looked wrong somehow. He says they smelled really bad and had parts of their coat missing,” Fluttershy said. “They dug up the bones and put them in a sack, and then they went north.”

Apple Jack started to move in that direction, but Pinkie yelled out. “Wait, A.J. You don’t know where you’re going. It could be anywhere north.”

Apple Jack whirled around. “Well what am I supposed to do then? They’re my parents! I have to get them back. They don’t deserve to have their remains messed with. It ain’t natural.”

The other ponies appeared troubled by her words, and each of them gazed at her with longing and mournful expressions.

“We’re coming with you,” Twilight said. “I might be able to cast a location spell that would help us find out where they went. All I would need is something that that belonged to the robbers… or maybe your parents. Do you have anything like that?”

Apple Jack peeked into the hole and saw a single lump of leather. The moisture in her mouth faded like a puddle on a dry day. She reached down and hopped into the hole.

“Did you find somehting?” Rainbow Dash asked.

A moment later, Apple Jack climbed out of the hole with the leather lump in her mouth.

“Ewww….” Rarity shrieked. “I can’t believe you’re putting that dirty thing in your mouth. Thank Celestia that I’m a unicorn.”

Apple Jack just rolled her eyes and set the lump down. It didn’t matter that it had been in the ground for nearly a decade. She didn’t even particularly care that it had rested next to the rotting and decomposing remains of her mother. If it could help her find her parents, she would eat the damned thing.

The other ponies gathered around the lump of leather and studied it with a sense of wonder and unease.

“What is it?” Fluttershy asked as she peered down to sniff it.

Instantly, she backed away and turned her nose upward.

“Yeah, it may not smell the best, but it’ll help me find my parents.” Apple Jack opened the leather pouch and emptied its contents on the ground.

A small gold ear ring, a necklace made from beads, a red handkerchief, and a blue scarf fell on the ground. Apple Jack gazed up at Twilight Sparkle. Lakes had formed on the bottom of each of her eyelids.

“Can you use any of this to find my parents?” Apple Jack asked.

Slowly, Twilight Sparkle leaned down and inspected the items. Her horn began to glow with a powerful radiance. Waves of energy rippled through the air, and suddenly, the items themselves shined. A bright purple beam rose from the items and touched Twilight’s horn.

No one said anything as the beam continued to pulsate between the alicorn and the small collection of burial items.

Apple Jack bit her lip and nervously danced in place. Would this be enough? It had to be! Twilight was the most power magical pony that she had ever known, aside from the Royal Sisters. Surely Twilight could devise a fancy way of finding out who ever took her parents.

A bright purple ball appeared on the end of Twilight’s horn. For a moment, it hovered in the air like some kind of Hearth’s Warming eve bauble. Suddenly, it flew off to the north, leaving a misty trail of magical energy behind it. The end of the misty trail remained connected to Twilight’s horn.

“Only we can see the orb and the trail,” Twilight explained. “That way, whatever villain did this heinous crime can’t see we’re following him… or her. “ Twilight’s expression resumed its pity filled demeanor. “Are you ready, Apple Jack?

Apple Jack wiped her tear stricken face and gazed inwardly. Was this the kind of filly that her parents raised? Absolutely not. To honor their memory, Apple jack had to be a real Apple. She had to be tough. After a reassuring deep breath, she squared her shoulders and stared into Twilight’s eyes.

“Let’s go get my parents back,” She said.

Comments

[JackieFreak]

This is very interesting so far! Great work

[Maignaciojr]

5902279
Thank you. :) I appreciate your feedback. I plan on adding chapters 3 and 4 this weekend. :)

[JackieFreak]

5902285 Awesome, I shall be looking forward to them then ^^