//------------------------------// // Must Have Stones // Story: Appledashery Vol. Two // by Just Essay //------------------------------// One last basket of apples. "Nnnghhh-guh!" Applejack heaved and panted. Finished loading the fruit into her wagon, she paused beside the vehicle and swiped her brow. The sun was starting to fall beyond the horizon. All in all... ...it was a good first day back. Applejack drew in a long, satisfied breath. A good first day... She pivoted about. Her eyes lingered along the top window to her house where her bedroom lay. She stood under the cascade of evening, reveling in a cool breeze. The wind blew at her bangs. Tickling. Applejack clenched her jaw. Shaking her mind from the moment, she hitched herself to the wagon... ...and drew it out of the orchards. Creeeeeeeeeeeak! Applejack shut her barn doors, locking the freshly collected apples inside. After fastening the structure shut, she turned and began slowly trotting across the Acres to her farmhouse. Another breeze kicked up, cool and pleasant and crisp. Applejack wasn't smiling... but she wasn't frowning either. With soft, lazy steps through the grass, she approached the front of her house before ultimately lingering to a stop. Once more, her head rose to the second story. Her window rested there, dull and simple. With the fading sunset, she could almost see through the glass... could almost imagine the curved shape of the mirror that stood above her vanity. Something gray glinted off the pane. "... ... ..." Applejack turned completely around. She looked up towards the summit of a humble hill. Trees hung over an assortment of gravestones. The breeze was cool. Inviting. There were no trembles in Applejack's body as she took a bold step... ...and made for the hilltop. Loose leaves and dead grass crunched. The tiny garden surrounding the stones hadn't been looked at in over a week—probably because Applejack had been away at the Gala. She would have to amend that. Already, the young mare was fussing with the soil and grass blades situated right in front of the stones. She stopped herself before she got too involved. The sun had set, and the air was just as gray as the stones resting in front of her. So... with a soft sigh... ...Applejack sat down in front of the graves. "Eeeeeuhhhh..." She took her hat off. Ears twitched, and she summoned a tranquil smile. "Howdy..." The stones stood in place. "I... uh..." Applejack took a breath, cleared her throat, and spoke towards the spaces between the granite. "I've been to the Gala and back. It was... it was somethin' different, alright. I... uhm..." A brisk wind, chilly this time. Applejack's hairs rose on end. Her eyes twitched. The grayness of the stones loomed denser. Permeating. Like the thunder clouds. Empty clouds. "I... uhm..." Applejack avoided the glossy surfaces of the stones. The names enscribed thereupon. "I had some fun and... I..." The air grew cooler. The land fell drowsy with it. Shadows bent and blended with the inevitable onset of twilight. The lights in the Apple Family Farmhouse flickered on, one window at a time. Beckoning. She was already late for preparing dinner. "I... think that I'm..." Applejack squeaked. "That is... reckon I may have found myself a... a... erm..." Applejack trembled. The first of many owls hooted in the distance. The woods became alive with curious song. Soon, the stars would break out, and the light they shone off the stones would pierce Applejack straight through. She could almost feel their impenetrable stare already. "Well! Good t-talk!" Applejack slapped her hat back on, smiled crookedly, and scuffled away from the hilltop. "See ya!" After washing up... After dinner... After tucking Apple Bloom into bed... ...Applejack lay on her covers, limp like a melted pile of orange freckles. She stared lethargically across the star-lit room. To her left, she saw the vanity lying in wait... its drawers silent and unmoving. Towards her right, the mare's peripheral vision made out the distant glint of gray gravestones out on the hill outside her window. Applejack took a long breath... then an even longer one. She was glued to that spot, and it gnawed at her. Until... "Rrrrrrgh..." She threw her pillow over her head, blinding herself completely. "Gul-durn it!" At last, she wriggled her way under the covers and surrendered to the relieving darkness. "My friends. That's it! Just... gotta be with my friends again..."