The Haunting of Carousel Boutique

by mushroompone

Part I

There are many who deny the power of love.

Those who do, however, often possess an incomplete understanding of the concept. If one denies the power of love, it is often because one has never felt romantic love for another, and is understandably bitter with the importance placed on romance in modern society.

But love is more than romance. In fact, one could argue that romance and love are separate concepts that only incidentally overlap, though that is an argument for another time.

Love is friendship. Love is family. Love is passion, devotion, and trust.

Love can be kind.

Love can be cruel.

Love asks for nothing, and yet love consumes like nothing else.

Most of all, though, love notices absences. Sometimes the only way to recognize love is by the hole it leaves behind, and the desperate need to fill that void once more.

And so it came as no surprise to Applejack when her heart began to ache for Rarity.

She first noticed the ache standing over the sink. She was washing dishes from that morning's breakfast, drawing her rag in slow circles over the surface of the plate, and staring blankly out the window which overlooked the farm. Her hoof slowed the longer she gazed out at the sunrise and eventually came to a stop. Soapy water cut canyons through her fur as she tried to catch hold of the colors which rose from the horizon.

A strand of bold violet peeked out over the trees, bringing with it a band of peachy orange-pink that washed the kitchen in a warm glow.

It was then that the thought first occurred to Applejack:

When was the last time I visited Rarity?

"Applejack?"

The dish fell against the edge of the sink with a clatter before slipping into the dingy depths.

Applejack sighed.

Her younger sister--though not quite as young as Applejack would have liked--shrank away, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry. Didn't mean to spook ya."

"Y'didn't spook me," Applejack corrected. She looked down into the water, and saw only her reflection staring back up at her.

The pony in the water wavered as it gazed back at her, tinged blue by the dish soap and sparkling with effervescent suds.

She made another small sound of disgust, and plunged her hoof into the water. "What'sa matter, Bloom?"

"Well, I was gonna have the girls over for lunch today," Applebloom explained.

Applejack grimaced. She forced her hoof in deeper, groping blindly for any sign of the dish. "Don’t see what that has to do with me…” she muttered.

"I figured it was only polite,” Applebloom said. “Seein’ as I don’t exactly live here anymore.”

"Don’t y’all have better places to be than some old farmhouse?" Applejack asked, tossing a suspicious look over her shoulder.

The dirty water splashed up against Applejack's chest as she fished deeper still. She brushed up against a mug, a fork, and what felt like a forgotten dish rag, but still couldn't seem to catch the plate she'd dropped.

"Consarnit…" she muttered, stretching up taller and forcing her hoof in further.

Applebloom chewed her lip. "Well… it’s, uh…” She reached up to scratch at the back of her head.

Applejack stretched up higher. The water lapped at her shoulder. “Spit it out, Bloom.”

"Th-the specifics don’t matter," Applebloom announced, chopping at the air authoritatively. "The point is, we'll be comin' by for lunch today. That's alright with you, right sis?"

"This make me an accessory or somethin’?" Applejack asked, straining as she balanced on one hoof.

Applebloom clucked her tongue. "It's not a--" She grit her teeth and sighed. “Our dorm’s bein’ fumigated, Scootaloo’s parents are in town which is always a mess, and Sweetie’s parents are on vacation up North.”

“Doesn’t Sweetie have a key?”

“O-only to her sister’s place,” Applebloom murmured.

“Well, why don’t y’all go down to Rarity’s?” Applejack suggested. “I can all but guarantee she’s got better food. I could come with, if y’don’t mind me tagging along. Been a while since we chatted.”

Applebloom made a small, uncertain sound. She backed away from Applejack a bit, grimacing at a random spot in the air, trying to form a thought with her mouth hanging open.

Applejack grimaced, as well, and withdrew her hoof from the water. “What’s the face?”

“Uh…” Applebloom cleared her throat. “Rarity’s been a little… I mean, she’s awful busy.”

“Uh-huh.” Applejack cocked her head. “And?”

“She’s gotten sorta… recluse-y?” Applebloom suggested, cringing through the thought. “That sounded bad. I just mean-- well, she’s been keepin’ to herself, lately. Sweetie seemed to think we’d be puttin’ her out by visiting.”

Applejack scoffed. “That’s ridiculous,” she said, reaching back into the sink. “That mare loves to entertain. I bet she’d be thankful for a little bit of--”

Something wrapped around her hoof.

A tendril.

Thin, cold, and somehow heavy in the water.

Applejack yelped and yanked her hoof out of the water with all the force she could muster.

Her rear hoof slipped in the puddle which had gathered under the sink, and she felt herself tumbling backwards. She cringed in anticipation and felt the air rush out of her lungs as she landed flat on her back.

Applebloom, to her credit, scrambled against the wet tile to come to Applejack's aid. She may have shouted something, but it sounded like gibberish to Applejack's pain-clouded mind.

"Applejack, I-- are you alright?!"

The sink made a long, low sucking sound, like a monster slurping up gelatin through a massive straw.

Applejack managed to gasp in a desperate breath.

Applebloom helplessly shook her from side to side. "Do I need to do CPR? I don't think I remember how!"

She lifted her hoof and rolled her head to the side, a small spike of terror still coursing through her system.

The plug.

A simple rubber stopper, made easy to remove by a simple metal chain.

The sink continued to make its terrible sucking sound, now underscored by the metallic echo of rushing water rattling the pipes beneath the sink. It finished with a quick glug-glug-glug-glug, like a jug turned upside down.

Applejack sighed wearily and dropped her hoof back to her side. "No, I don't need CPR," she wheezed.

Applebloom deflated with relief. "Oh, thank goodness!" she exclaimed. "I really thought-- I mean, you looked like you'd seen a ghost!"

"Nah, I just… I just went and spooked myself," Applejack said, pushing herself into an upright position. "I'm fine. I promise."

Applebloom wasted no time in diving towards her big sister and squeezing her around her midsection in a tight embrace. Applejack wheezed again.

After catching her breath a second time, Applejack wiggled one hoof free to give her sister a sudsy pat on the head. "Alright, now. I'm fine, I'm fine."

Applebloom gave one more enthusiastic squeeze before releasing her sister. "Don't do that again, okay?" she ordered. Then, a little softer, she added, "or at least save it for when Big Mac's around."

"I'll do my best," Applejack said with a roll of her eyes. "You’re welcome to have the girls over-- if you promise to do the dishes after lunch."

"Deal!" Applebloom cried, springing to her hooves. "Thanks, sis!"

Applejack hardly had a chance to breathe before her sister vanished out the front door.

"You're welcome," she mumbled regardless.

The screen door slapped once, twice, three times against its frame before at last clicking shut. Applejack remained on the floor as it did, still staring up at the window over the sink, watching as orange chased violet across the sky.

She frowned.

Rarity was many things, but ‘reclusive’ had never been one of them.

Still, she shrugged the thought off. Rarity’s fashion empire was expanding faster than Applejack could keep up with. And it wasn’t like Applejack was a stranger to being overworked-- it sure could make you hard to be around. Maybe Sweetie Belle just wasn’t in the mood to put up with her sister’s inevitable drama.

Applejack sighed and shook her head.

Today was as good a day as any to catch up with a friend, reclusive though she might be.

Applejack slowly got to her hooves, a few grumbles and joint clicks along the way. She scooped up the rubber stopper by its chain and set it in its place beside the sink.

She peered down to the bottom of the porcelain basin.

No dish.

"Huh," Applejack remarked softly.

She looked to one side of the sink, then the other. She even briefly checked the floor and the table behind her, but to no avail.

Applejack's grimace deepened as she counted the plates already sitting in the drying rack. "Now, how in the hay could…" she muttered, the thought losing itself along the way.

A thought occurred to her.

She shuffled forward, slowly and quietly as she could muster, and leaned over the sink.

With one eye squeezed shut, Applejack could see straight to the u-bend in the pipe.

No sign of the plate.

She let out a sigh as she rocked back onto her rear hooves.

You're losin' your dang mind already, she thought to herself. You ain’t even old.

Then she thought, I oughta go see Rarity.

---

It was the sort of summer heat you could hear. Had been for quite some time now. Though the sun surely did the heavy-lifting, the work of droning cicadas, rapid fire crickets, and windless trees made doubly sure that nopony could forget about the oppressive temperatures and humidity.

Applejack pulled her hat off and wiped at her brow, though the sweat seemed to seep out again only moments later.

Sisyphean, Twilight called it. Though Applejack couldn't recall just what that meant.

Even as she tried to keep the sheen of sweat off her face, Applejack could feel the other side effects beginning to work their way out. The hair under her hat had formed something of a salty helmet, the especially stubborn little wisps ready to explode into a halo of frizz around her head. The heat also caused her face to blotch red and pink quite terribly, though this was hardly noticeable to the observer-- merely another uncomfortable feeling which sent her mind pinging off in another, fuzzier direction.

Applejack secured her hat back on her head. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she hoped that Rarity wouldn't notice.

Rarity fussed about those sorts of things.

But, in all honesty, she never fussed about those things on anypony but herself. She wouldn't dare shame another pony for their looks-- that went against everything Rarity stood for.

As Applejack trotted up the walk to Rarity's Boutique, she silently amended her wish. She hoped instead that Rarity was cool and comfortable enough not to fuss.

The awning over the door offered a bit of a reprieve from the harsh sunlight as Applejack knocked on the door. She thought about announcing herself, but couldn't quite decide on how to do it, and so allowed the knocks to speak for themselves.

There came a light shuffling sound from somewhere deeper in the boutique.

Satisfied, Applejack stepped back from the door to wait.

The cicadas kept on with that ever-changing swell and fade, ebb and flow. A light breeze rolled through and carried with it even warmer air from outside this small patch of shade.

Applejack willed herself not to sweat any harder.

She looked at the door. Rarity had been very proud of this door-- her design, of course. A diamond-shaped window to reflect her own cutie mark and to let in the natural light. A lovely purple to match her own mane (which she knew even then she'd never dye). And, to top it all off, Opal's own special door at the bottom. Opal's own special window.

It took a different kind of love to make something like that for an animal you'd most certainly outlive, Applejack thought.

It was nice. Not Applejack's style, but nice nonetheless.

She noticed, perhaps for the first time, that the glass in the windows was stained a very subtle blue. As she stared into the window, a blue-tinted reflection of herself stared back.

Then she noticed something else: the room beyond the reflection was dark. Not one light on.

Before Applejack could do the math on what time it must be by now, the door hiss-popped open, though not more than a crack.

Applejack perked up immediately and rushed forward, a grin spreading uncontrollably over her face. "Rarity! By Celestia, how long has it been?"

A single dazzling blue eye slid into the crack in the door. It started from the ground, slowly working its way up until--

"Applejack?"

The door pulled open a little further, allowing the unicorn within to poke her head out.

She seemed stunned. Not upset or angry or happy at all-- only muted surprise, perhaps with a dash of confusion.

Despite it all, Applejack beamed brightly. "Eeyup!" she agreed. "I was just thinkin': it's been a while since you and I had some quality time together."

Rarity cocked her head to one side. Her mane lay a little flatter than usual today, not quite cascading down the side of her head as it was… hanging. All the smaller motions lost to the mass which grew from her scalp.

"Y'know…" Applejack continued, her enthusiasm waning. "Just us two?"

Rarity blinked. "Oh," she said, surprise still expertly suppressed. "Of course."

She tried to smile, though the sparkle didn't quite reach her eyes.

Applejack's own sparkle faded entirely. "Yeah. Well, anyway, I…" she trailed off. "I dunno. I thought you might wanna have tea together. This is when you usually have tea, isn't it?"

For whatever reason, that seemed to get her attention. The alarm truly kicked in at last, and Rarity straightened up to try to match Applejack's height. "Oh. Goodness, I, erm…" She paused and looked back over her shoulder, though hardly for a moment. "I'm sorry, Applejack, I don't think now is a very good time."

She laughed as she said it, as if she were trying to laugh it off.

Applejack's brow furrowed in concern. "No offense, Rarity, but if this is about you bein' in your… dressing gown, or what have you, I think I've seen more than my fair share of you un-made-up," she said, forcing her way through the thought as quickly as she could muster. "You don't gotta pretty yourself up. It's just me."

"Oh, I don't know…" Rarity hummed, her gaze once again drifting over her shoulder.

This time, there came a clattering sound, and Rarity visibly stiffened, her eyes fixed on something beyond Applejack's view.

"Uh… that Opal messin' around in there?" Applejack asked, taking a small step forward and peering over Rarity's head.

Rarity practically jumped out of her skin and pushed the door closed slightly. "Erm-- Opal! It certainly did sound like Opal, didn't it?" she blurted. "Would you, um-- I'll be with you in a moment."

And the door slammed shut in Applejack's face.

It took Applejack a moment to process what had happened. When she had, she stepped back from the door and wandered over to her right, searching for a window she might be able to spy through.

More clattering sounds rang out, followed by the muffled shouts of Rarity scolding her cat. Applejack followed the sounds with a curious ear pricked in their direction. Though she managed to track the sounds around one side of the boutique, it seemed that all of the lights inside were switched out, and Applejack could only see the glare from the mid-morning sun bouncing off the enormous windows.

Applejack gave up with a frustrated sigh and trotted back over to the front door. After a moment, it popped open again. This time , the door swung open wide, and an out-of-breath Rarity greeted her friend with a tense smile.

"Sorry about that!" she said. "Why don't you come in?"

"Y'know, I can always…" The offer to come back another time died in Applejack's throat as she held her gaze with Rarity.

"Hm?" Rarity prompted sweetly.

"Uh. Nevermind," Applejack said with a shake of her head.

Rarity gave her friend a dismissive, forgiving little shrug, and turned back into the boutique.

Applejack hesitated at the threshold. The boutique was still dark-- not a single light on that Applejack could see from here. Though the sun was strong, it didn't quite hit the right angle to illuminate the first room just yet.

Instead, beyond that small rectangle of light which fell in from the open door, Rarity's army of ponnequins lurked in the shadows.

Rarity did not seem to notice her friend's apprehension, instead wandering slowly through the dark alone.

Applejack took a deep breath and plunged into the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

It wasn't that she was afraid of ponnequins. Not a real fear, anyway. It was more of a dream-like fear, the sort that haunts the corner of your eye and makes your spine creep with dread. Irrational and directionless. The stillness made her fear motion, the pony likenesses made her fear something utterly inequine lurking beneath the canvas.

Still, Applejack hurried through the room, and did her best not to imagine the eyeless faces of the ponnequins following her every move.

Applejack caught up to Rarity as she crossed into her kitchen, and her fear began to dissipate.

For one thing, the sun lit up the room through the enormous circular window over Rarity's breakfast nook. For another, the kitchen was already alive with motion.

Applejack watched in awestruck silence as the kitchen danced around her. Cupboards opening and closing, tea bags ripped from their envelopes, mugs drawn down from cabinets, kettle filled, stovetop lit-- all as Rarity shuffled over to the table under the window and eased herself down into a chair, eyes closed.

"Wow," Applejack remarked. "You been practicing or somethin'?"

Rarity's expression flickered, but did not change. "Or something."

Applejack almost laughed, but found that she couldn't.

The kettle settled itself onto the burner, blue flames licking at its underside. It started to rumble.

"Sit," Rarity said simply, gesturing to the empty chair across from her.

Applejack nodded slightly, though Rarity had yet to open her eyes, and scuttled over to the open seat. It squeaked against the floor as Applejack flopped down into it.

Rarity deflated a little more.

To say it was odd would have been an understatement. Applejack had known Rarity for many years now, and she liked to think she knew her pretty well.

Rarity was a drama queen, but only because she liked the attention. And that wasn't necessarily a bad thing-- she knew she needed that boost from her friends and family to get through whatever was bugging her. She was the type to rant about her issues, and a good sounding board (even a silent one) was absolutely crucial.

To see a mare so often in search of support so quiet… to watch Rarity endure whatever hardship had landed on her shoulders alone… well, it was enough to render Applejack speechless.

She gave Rarity a good, long look, willing her to start in on what was bothering her, or to say anything at all, or even to open her eyes.

But she only sat, her cheek resting heavily on her hoof, breathing slowly and softly.

Applejack cleared her throat. "So, uh… how long has it been, d'ya think?"

Rarity sighed lightly. "A while, certainly," she said.

"You remember what it was we did?" Applejack asked. "I think it was… well, I think you were tryna teach me to mend my own hat. So I didn't have to keep bringin' it to you."

"Hm." Rarity opened her eyes, but looked only at the floor. "I don't remember that."

Applejack furrowed her brows. "You… don't?" She frowned. "I mean… it wasn't all that long ago. Within the year, for sure."

Rarity leaned back in her chair. Her eyes drifted to a spot of wall over Applejack's shoulder. "It sounds like something we would do," she admitted. "I'm sorry, Applejack, my memory's a little… you know."

"I'm afraid I don't," Applejack said. She did her best to suppress the accusatory tone, though it may have slipped in anyway. "Are you alright, Rarity? You seem…"

Words escaped her.

Rarity blinked a long, slow blink, and rolled her eyes over to meet Applejack's.

What was it?

Tired?

Depressed?

Distant?

Fractured?

"You don't seem a bit like yourself," Applejack said.

Rarity was still for a few seconds, only staring back into Applejack's eyes without a trace of emotion.

Then, as if she hadn't paused at all, she nickered and waved her hoof dismissively in Applejack's direction. "Oh, please. We're cut from the same cloth, darling: overworked and underpaid," she said. "I've just been a bit tired lately. I've never been much of a multitasker, but I'm being pulled in so many directions that I've had to develop some new skills."

Applejack knit her brows. "Oh. I see."

"It's just been rather draining…" Rarity continued. "But I'm alright. I have a good support network."

Even as she said it, her glassy-eyed gaze drifted off of Applejack and onto another distant corner of the room. She didn't appear to be looking at anything in particular, but she still stiffened minutely, as if bracing herself for an expected impact.

Applejack followed Rarity's gaze to the nook on the opposite side of the room. Nothing there but a china cabinet with a pair of glass doors. Rarity's reflected blank stare landed on Applejack's face.

It gave Applejack a chill she could hardly explain. Rarity looked through her as if she were nothing more than a scrap of wax paper.

The kettle sputtered and quickly began to whistle.

Rarity did not react, but Applejack watched as her reflection stood, turned and headed towards the stove to--

She blinked.

No, of course not.

Her reflection remained in the chair.

The kettle continued to whistle.

Applejack closed her eyes and shook her head to clear away the ghostly hallucination. "Rarity, do you need me to--"

The whistling faded.

Applejack spun back around to watch as the kettle hovered over the set of mugs, held aloft by a tendril of blue magic, and quietly filled them with water. "... Get that," she mumbled uselessly.

Rarity made a face adjacent to a smile, but landing firmly as an emotionless grimace.

Applejack let out a tense sigh. "I can appreciate what you're sayin', Rares, but-- well, we're meant to be your support network," Applejack said. She lifted a hoof to rub mindlessly at her forehead. "Especially me. Bein' cut from the same cloth and all. And you haven't reached out to me once."

Rarity's lips tightened into a thin line. "I know," she said. "I meant-- why, you're here, aren't you?"

"But you didn't call for me, Rarity! I came over because I haven't heard from you in--" Applejack cut herself off before she could say anything she might regret. She took a steadying breath, then said, "no. No, you're right. I'm here. I s'pose you… you don't really need to call for me, do you?"

Rarity let out a small sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and tilted her head down towards the floor, though no other trace of feeling crossed her features.

"You know you can, right?" Applejack said softly. "Call for me, that is? I know you and I are a mite busy most of the time, but I'll always be just up the road."

"I know, I know," Rarity said, waving a dismissive hoof. Her eyes wandered from the tabletop over to a nearby potted plant. "I just-- well, you are busy, darling. I'd hate to be a bother."

"Tsk." Applejack leaned back in her chair. "Now, that ain't the Rarity I know. I'm the one who can't stand askin' for help, remember?"

Rarity forced out one breathy chuckle.

Behind her, a swirl of blue magic pulled out each tea bag by the string, tossing them into the sink to be dealt with later.

Which is when Applejack saw it.

The plate.

The one from this morning. The one she'd dropped into the soapy water and somehow lost entirely-- it was there, sitting on Rarity's drying rack in line with all her other dishes.

Applejack screwed her eyes shut and willed the dish to revert, just like her reflection.

But it remained.

She looked across the table at Rarity, who only stared down at her own dull hooves.

Unblinking.

A spoon clinked gently against the insides of the mugs, stirring in lumps of sugar which quickly dissolved in the heat.

The spoon fell to the counter.

Applejack watched as the pair of mugs floated over to the table, rising and falling ever so slightly, as if with breath.

"Uh…" Applejack swallowed hard as the mugs were placed on the table before her. "W-why don't I swing by tomorrow?"

Rarity looked up. "Hm?"

"It's just, I--" Applejack stood up, chair and table squealing away from her. "Well, I didn't know you were so-- or I never woulda shown up like this, y'know?"

Rarity said nothing. Her eyebrows came together, taut on her forehead, a picture of worry without a clear source.

"Sorry," Applejack said. She started to back away from the table, eyes flicking between the dish and Rarity, Rarity and the dish. "Sorry, Rares. Dunno what I was thinkin'."

Rarity's hooves dropped into her lap. "It's alright."

"I need to be home for lunch, anyway," Applejack added. "Since the girls are coming over."

Rarity cocked her head. "Who…?"

Applejack paused at the threshold. "Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo," she said. "They’re in town. Dorm’s being fumigated. I figured you knew."

"Um…" Rarity's face contorted in concentration. "You know, Sweetie hasn't been around lately. I think my parents are away, so she… she probably…"

She didn't bother finishing the thought.

Rarity stared ahead, unmoving, for a moment longer. She then reached out and slowly lifted her mug of tea to her lips.

She did not sip at it. Only held it there.

Applejack remained caught on the threshold.

She mostly wanted to bolt. The heat, the plate, the reflection, the consuming silence, the blankness of Rarity's eyes-- it felt like a belt pulled tight around her chest. Like a weight from all directions.

Part of her wanted to stay. Deep down, she knew Rarity needed someone--anyone--to be by her side.

She could see that Rarity was missing something.

Love notices absences.

But fear does, too.

Applejack forced out a hasty farewell, the exact words unclear even to her, and ducked out of the room. Rarity may have replied, but Applejack certainly didn't hear it as she rushed out of the building.

In a blink, Applejack was back outside. The door hissed shut behind her. She was wrapped back up in the comforting hum of summer insects.

Applejack sucked in a labored breath. The blisteringly hot mid-morning air filled her lungs up like balloons, and for a moment she wished she would float away.

Her blue reflection watched silently from the window.

Comments

[Silent Whisper]

oh my gosh, THIS FIC. It is STUNNING, it is BEAUTIFUL... it made me feel things unexpectedly! Your prose is incredible, you made me consider a ship I'd never really thought about before, and the ending is everything I could possibly want for a fic. Can't wait to get there!

[mushroompone]

10999987
Thank you so much, Silent!! It wouldn't be here without your editing work and cheerleading :) I'm super excited to get to the ending, too!

[Axolotl222]

Oh, I like this. This is both creepy and sad. Can't wait to see more.

[The Voice in the Water]

Well, that's not good. Something's gone awry. Here's hoping AJ can help.

The atmosphere here was very well done. Looking forward to seeing more.

[Silver Mint]

This is incredible. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Consider me hooked.

[Lord Blundergosh]

This is a very interesting read so far. I do feel like that whole monologue about love at the beginning feels tonally out of place for a horror story. A bit on the nose too. But I’ll have to see if opinion on that changes as this goes on.

[iAmSiNnEr]

Hm. Really wondering what's the sense of foreboding everyone is getting in this chapter. Small things that are barely noticeable, and some unexplained observations. The set up is amazing, let's see if the pay off is even better <3

[Bicyclette]

Most of all, though, love notices absences. Sometimes the only way to recognize love is by the hole it leaves behind, and the desperate need to fill that void once more.

oh isn't that the truth, wow

Sisyphean, Twilight called it. Though Applejack couldn't recall just what that meant.

a great line, among so many others

A lovely purple to match her own mane (which she knew even then she'd never dye).

love this canon detail

It took a different kind of love to make something like that for an animal you'd most certainly outlive, Applejack thought.

It was nice. Not Applejack's style, but nice nonetheless.

agh, such a beautiful way to set a contrast, you are too good at this

All the smaller motions lost to the mass which grew from her scalp.

heartbreaking, to describe Rarity's mane like this

Instead, beyond that small rectangle of light which fell in from the open door, Rarity's army of ponnequins lurked in the shadows.

"ponnequin", i love it!

Rarity was a drama queen, but only because she liked the attention.

please leave some amazing lines for the rest of us, geez

Applejack watched as the pair of mugs floated over to the table, rising and falling ever so slightly, as if with breath.

ooh, okay, this and the dish-displacement is making me think of time displacement somehow, fascinating

Applejack sucked in a labored breath. The blisteringly hot mid-morning air filled her lungs up like balloons, and for a moment she wished she would float away.

Her blue reflection watched silently from the window.

idk how many times i have to tell you how good you are at the imagery but wow

[Moosetasm]

Consarn’d dish-thieving’ ghosts!