12/25/2014 07:32am
Merry Christmas! I wish I was with you guys. I miss
you both so much. I love you both.
Message not sent! Tap to try again.
You sit off the edge of your bed in the guest room of the Apple’s house. Just send. You think, taping the text. Sending… Come on. Message not sent! Tap to try again. You tap the message again. Sending… Just this once. Message not sent! Tap to try again. You tap it again. Sending… Please. Message not sent! Tap to try again. Please. Just send. Again you tap the screen. Sending… Message not sent! Tap to try again.
There’s a knock on the door. You don’t answer it. You just tap the message on the screen again. Sending… Message not sent! Tap to try again. There's another knock on the door which you again don’t answer. You didn’t need to, the door creaks open. “You okay, sugarcube? You haven’t come down for some breakfast.” You ignore Applejack and continue tapping your phone. Sending… Message not sent! Tap to try again.
Applejack walks over to you and places a hoof on your phone. “Hey now, this ain’t a day to be cryin’.”
You look up at her. “I’m never going to see them again. I can’t even tell them I’m safe. It’s christmas and I can’t even tell them not to worry. There’s no way they’re enjoying their christmas with their child missing, why should I enjoy mine?”
“Shh, shh.” Applejack sit on the bed next to you and starts rubbing your back. “It’ll be okay. I know it can be hard sometimes. Trust me, I know. Listen, I don’t tell ponies ‘bout this so you better keep your mouth shut, but there are nights that I cry myself to sleep. But I stay strong for my sister. At least you know yours are still alive.”
“I’m sorry, Applejack,” You say while sniffing abit.
“Don’t be, they knew the risks they were talkin’.”
“Do you mind me asking what happened?”
“Equestria had a war with the Gryphon states up north about sixteen years ago. Pa’s enlisted, Ma’s volunteered as a nurse. Pa died in combat. Ma’s convoy got ambushed on their way home. One of the unicorns protecting the convoy got hit while charging a spell. It was friendly fire.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Na,” She waves you off. “It feels good talkin’ about it with somepony in a similar situation. Blooms too young to remember them, Mac never talks about anything, and Grannys starting to forget in her old age. I still have plenty of good memories of them anyway.”
Applejack laid back on the bed. “This one time, I must’ve been like three at the time. We all went up to this fair, ‘bout a day’s ride away. Pa had this huge apple, must’ve been five feet wide. Well he was sure was getting him first place in the contest there. We get there and three ponies had bigger fruits. They put them all on display for the day, judgin’ was going to be the next day. So that night Mac and I sneak out and find a pen of goats. We thought that we’d get the goats to eat the other fruits and Pa’s would win then.”
“I guess it didn’t work,” you ask.
“Na the goats ran off and ate everyponies fruits including ours. Man, Pa was pissed. We never did tell him. Although it would have been mighty suspicious if Pa’s was the only fruit not eaten.” Applejack jumps off the bed, back onto her hoofs. “Well I best be heading back downstairs. You comin’?”
“Yeah, I’ll be down in a minute.”
As Applejack leaves you tap the message one last time.
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