Apparition Amphitheater Presents: Haunted Town

by Nightmare_0mega

There's No Way Around

Applejack woke up with a start, practically leaping out of her bed and landing on the floor with a soft thud. Groaning in discomfort, she rubbed her head and messy mane, with her gaze turning towards her window. It was early morning, still rather dark out, and foggy on top of it all. She yawned long and hard, feeling rather groggy and bleary on the whole. The farmpony pushed herself slowly off of the floor and stood up straight, shaking her head to disperse some of the haziness.

Once she felt she had a good grip on the waking world, she tried to recall what just happened. Something seemed amiss currently as she could remember waking up early in the morning on a foggy day already. To be fair, she was later than her normal schedule would dictate, but that was just splitting hairs. Was that just a dream, and this odd sense of deja-vu just a result of that, or was she missing something?

A sudden vision of glowing eyes flashed for a moment before she rubbed her face in anxiety and confusion.

“Aw, horseapples,” she cussed, “must’a been just some weird dream. Did ah eat anything weird last night?” She sat there for a moment, thinking about her day before she was startled awake by the ensuing thunderstorm. However, she kept drawing a blank, unable to really recall anything besides her rude awakening by the storm. She made a mental note to be sure to write a formal complaint to the weather department about it later. requesting less intense storm clouds at the very least.

She shook her head again and looked outside her door, leading into the second floor’s hallway. She cantered out of her room, peering out towards the bedrooms of her other family members. Creeping out of her own room, she first approached Big Mac’s, and found it was intact, with a sleeping form fully under the covers. She repeated the process with Apple Bloom’s and Granny Smith’s own rooms, finding they’re still inhabited. She gave a short sigh, before she smiled at the apparent normal, and proceeded to wander back into her room to start her morning routine.

Feeling much better about her day, and slowly forgetting the bizarre and frightening dream she had last night, she quickly tried to finish washing and grooming herself. Once she was done, she proceeded down into the kitchen. Ready to start the day, she decided to surprise everyone and cook breakfast for the family a second time in a row. Furthermore, she felt extra creative and peppy, so she decided to bring out the waffle iron. She swiftly cooked breakfast for four, comprising of waffles, a side of applesauce, and chilled whipped cream topping. She was hoping to save it for a more special occasion. but couldn’t help but let her good feeling run free and wild. Once breakfast was all set up, she called out to her family, shouting “SOUP’S ON!”, just as she had yesterday, and sat at her seat, ready to eat.

Only, something felt very off once her mind was free from working kitchen chores. The first thing was that she didn’t feel hungry. Not in the slightest. If she could describe the sensation, it was as if she ran on an empty stomach, but it didn’t bother her, nor did she desire to fill it. It was peculiar to say the least. The second issue she had was, now that Applejack had waited a good ten minutes at this point, she noticed no one was on their way downstairs. No commotion or morning routines being done. To be fair, it WAS quite early in the morning, but she’d at least hear protesting replies if they had been woken up early enough.

She looked back at the beautiful spread that laid before her, giving it a slightly sheepish and quizzical look, before she rose from her seat. It should have been the most enticing thing in the world to her right now, especially considering her rough night, but she couldn’t help but have this apathy towards her wonderful creation. She gazed back up the stairs, wondering for a moment when they’d come down. She gave a slight smirk. “I suppose,” she remarked, “They’ll be down when they’ll be down.”

She turned herself towards the front door, put on her stetson hat, and wandered outside.

The sun, she assumed, was just now peeking over the horizon, but she couldn’t quite tell how much due to the intense fog. She grumbled a bit, before noticing the paper. Picking it up, she turned to the weather, which described the schedule of the day being foggy up until the night. She rolled her eyes and sighed, inwardly thankful that the next time could continue as normal, before she contemplated what chores she should start with first. She then remembered the stump out in the orchard that needed removing. She had set it up the night prior, and had her rope all tied and ready for a good pull. She smiled a little, and made her way to the offending piece.

However when she got there, just like the dream, the stump was missing, and there was no evidence remaining that someone even pulled it from the ground. Her heart began to race, visions of her nightmare coming back to her, as if it were some sort of warning. She spun around, eyes darting in every direction, trying to find some evidence of odd shadows or glowing eyes. Her ears swiveled, paying attention to the air around her, seeking any hint of an unnatural noise. When nothing came of it, she gave a deep sigh of relief.

“Applejack?” called out an old, welcome, and familiar voice. From the fog came the light green coated and white maned Granny Smith Apple; an absolute sight for sore eyes.

“Granny? Oh, Ah’m so glad to see you. Ah thought you were sleepin’ still,” Applejack remarked with a smile. “What’er ya doin’ out here? The fog can’t be good fer yer ahsight.”

“Land sakes, child! Ah’ve been lookin’ EVERYWHERE fer you,” she barked with a mix of annoyance and concern.

“What’er you talkin’ about?” Applejack asked, confused.

“Listen, Applejack, we don’t have very much time. We gotta get you out!”

“Out? What’s going on!?”

“NO TIME!” she shouted, as she she turned tail. “Ya’ll better keep up with me, missy!” And with that, she took off with a surprising amount of speed. Something was definitely wrong, but that was most definitely Granny Smith. Wanting answers, she high-tailed it behind her grandmother and kept up the pace. As they ran, Applejack could swear she could hear that haunting moaning in the distance once again.

-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-

It took some time, but Granny Smith lead her dear granddaughter to their destination, which rather surprised Applejack.

“Ponyville General? Why here?”

Granny Smith turned around, and gave her a rather sorrowful expression, before she managed to explain. “Well... a few days ago, you went out to take care of that stubborn stump. And, ya’ll’d be the right mare fer the job normally, but.. You slipped on something, and bumped yer head something mighty fierce.”

“Bumped mah head? What do you mean? Ah don’t understand.”

“Yeah, Discord said you might not remember.”

“Discord?! What’s that varmint got to do with this?”

“Helpin’ Princess Luna an’ me get you out.”

“Wait, Princess Luna too?”

“Sugarcube, are ye’ gonna keep askin’ questions, or are ya gonna let me speak?” she barked, annoyed.

“Sorry, Granny...”

“Anyway, ya hit yer head awfully hard. Worse still, ya were out there fer a little while before Macintosh found ya. It’s a good thing he did, though. Doctor said if we were a few minutes later, you’d be completely gone.”

Applejack took a step back, eyes widening in horror. “You mean, Ah’m...?”

“Not quite. Yer kinda... stuck, if’n that’s the right word for it. They were able to fix ya, and get ya breathin’ but you wouldn’t wake up. And this ain’t no comatose thing, neither.”

“So, where are we? Why are you here?”

“Discord and Luna helped me jump in and git you. They needed someone that knows you better to git you out, and no one knows mah gran’babies better than me!”

Applejack chuckled a little at the tenacity of her stubborn old grandmother. She knew, come Tartarus or high water, she’d do anything and everything it took to take care of her family.

“As for where, well... like ah said. Yer stuck. Not quite alive, not quite dead. This is like some sort of... in-between. An’ we need to get you out as soon as possible.”

“Does it have ta do with those... things?” Applejack asked.

“It’s what happens to a pony when they get stuck for too long. That’s what Discord said, at least.”

“Ah didn’t know he was an expert.”

“A strange feller will always know strange things, child.”

“Ah suppose.”

“Anyway, no more chit-chat. We’ve got to get you out. Come on, before they get to us, and this starts all over again.”

Applejack gulped, as she could hear the tell-tale sound of wails from those horrible things that haunted this place. Granny opened the door and made a swift entrance into the hospital, followed by Applejack not too far behind. They wandered the halls, staying quiet, and trying hard to avoid any of the odd “stuck” pony that haunted the corridors. Eventually, though, Granny Smith lead her to a room that was fitted with a couple of beds, and a large arrangement of flowers. Granny made sure to lock the door behind them, just in case.

“Is this...?”

“Everyone was mighty worried about you, sugarcube. Still are, I suppose, but that’s all about to end.”

“Granny Smith,” called out a familiar, chaotic voice, “Come in, Granny Smith! Can you hear me, you old crone?”

“Yeah, yeah, I can hear ya. And watch yer sass, Discord!”

“Oh, thank the heavens!” another familiar voice ran out, this time with a regal, female flare.

“We don’t have much time, and have very little breathing room. We’re going to open a portal, and the two of you are going to jump through.”

There was a crash at the door, as the sound of moans of despair could be heard on the other side.

“Couldja hurry it up? The stuck are poundin’ at the door!”

“Oh, I wish you wouldn’t call them that,” Discord harrumphed, “I knew it was a bad idea to explain it that simply.”

“Whatever they are,” Applejack interjected, “They’re at our flanks, and I don’t think that door’ll hold ‘em off.”

“Oh, why yes!” Luna responded. “You two only have a few seconds to cross over, as this takes up A LOT of magical energy to do successfully. On the count of three, I want you two to jump through the light. Ready?”

The two Apples nodded at each other, as Applejack answered with “We’re ready.”

“One... two...”

CRASH

“THREE!”

-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-

Applejack’s eyes slowly creaked open to a plain, sterile looking room, with light shining into the window, surrounded by dozens of flowers and get well cards. Further still, she was surrounded by all of her friends, and Discord, whom all had nothing but heartwarming “welcome back”s to give. She smiled at the level of love shown, and how dedicated and steadfast the ponies she cared about were. And there, just off to the side, was Granny Smith Apple, whom just woke up as well, staring at her with a grand, relieved smile.

It was truly a heartwarming experience.

However, there, standing in the shadowed corner, out of everyone’s sight, was one of the “stuck”, as Granny Smith referred to them. Eyes glowing yellow and a mouth dripping with black ichor, it simply stood and stared at her, unnerving Applejack with its ominous presence.

Its existence didn’t keep her from enjoying the company, however, as she visited with her friends and family for hours, until the hours allotted were coming to a close. Everyone but Discord filed out, having announced he wished to speak to her about some pressing matter. Once everyone was finally gone, and Granny had long since fell asleep, Discord turned to the injured pony.

“I suppose you can still see it, can’t you?”

Her eyes instinctively glanced to the phantasm that still stared at her from the corner.

“You’ve been almost gone for quite a while. It’s rare when a pony struggles through such an ordeal and lives to tell about it.”

“What’s gonna happen? Will ah see them stuck everywhere now?”

Discord pinched the bridge of his snout with his claw in irritation over the term, but cleared his throat for a moment and decided it’d be best to just answer. “For a time, you’ll still see the lost, but that’ll stop in due time. It’s just a side effect from being in that... spot for so long, surrounded by them.”

“But... it’s only been a few days.”

“My dear, most don’t last a few hours. Not without protection, or even an extremely strong mental and spiritual will.”

Applejack turned her gaze back to the apparition with a solemn expression.

“Don’t weep for them. They’ve long forgotten what made them what they were.” Discord wandered to the door. “I suggest you get some rest. I’m sure this experience will give you a new perspective on life, but please remember. It’s as precious as it is delicate. You’re a strong one, but you aren’t invincible. Too-daloo.”

With that, he snapped his fingers, summoned a zipper, unzipped it down to the floor, and passed through to what seemed to be outside the hospital, before zipping it back up. Alone now, Applejack laid herself back against the pillow, intent on taking Discord’s suggestion to heart. It had been a long few days, and if she wanted to get back to work as soon as possible, she needed all the rest she can get.

Life would carry on.

-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-

So, it would seem that tenacity won the day in the end, and proved that even a crisis can be overcome by the strong willed. Granted, she had help from forces powerful enough to pull her from the brink, but her fortitude would have likely kept her going without help, even in the most dire of circumstances. Even if, in a hypothetical alternate take, the end would have turned out sour, the family would continue to persevere in spite of the tragedy, and likely continue their efforts in honor of the dearly departed. Death can change an individual, but how much it changes is up to the individual itself. Just remember, my fellow audience. Work hard, and don’t fear the reaper. After all, the dead certainly don’t fear the living.

With a bow, the master of the amphitheater allowed the curtains to fall, shrouding him behind their thick gait, signalling the end of yet another night of haunts and stories. Wolves howled a sorrowful, beauteous cry to the night sky, as the lights fizzled and flickered out, making the structure derelict and abandoned once again. Leaves tumbled in the wind with whispers of secrets from spirits being carried into the darkness around, never to be heard, until the very end.

Comments

[Cinders of War]

Oops, it's been a few hours, so I don't remember, but I think one was missing an apostrophe. I think it was creatures hand or something, haha.

[Nightmare_0mega]

9924090
Jeez, I have NO idea how I managed to miss that one. I wrote that chapter when I was pretty much wide awake. Thanks for the heads up.

Also, thank you very much for being the second person to check out this story. I greatly appreciate it.

[Cinders of War]

9924730
Haha, hey, no sweat. We all miss things in our stories. And haha, cool, I'm the second person. Well, I'll be getting on to the next few chapters when I get the time!

[Nightmare_0mega]

9925293
only one way to find out.

[Cinders of War]

Quite the interesting story. It would be nice if more of this could be expanded on in a future story or something. I think it could be quite the interesting tale. And haha, you had me in the first half, not gonna lie .

[Nightmare_0mega]

9929149
For the most part, Apparition Amphitheater stories are more or less self contained one-offs. However, like Goosebumps, I may consider re-visiting a story if I feel the need to expand on it in any way.

I do highly suggest you give my Apparition Amphitheater stories a try.

[Cinders of War]

9929195
Haha yeah, but it’s got interesting lore with these “stuck”, haha. I suppose it’s not much of a need to expand on this, but it would be cool.

[Nightmare_0mega]

9929214
Like I said, I’ll keep it in mind for future works in this line. Thanks for having such an interest in it, though.

[Flora Blossom]

My Little Reviews & Feedback Review in 2023.

[Moosetasm]

Another fun, spooky tale. I’ll have to check out the rest of the series for sure.

[Nightmare_0mega]

11902748
Well, thank you very much! I'm very glad you've been enjoying them so far!