- A Day At The Beach -
Applejack awoke to the sound of rain.
Stretching, she sighed quietly to herself, rubbing at her eyes and shaking out her mane, before rolling out of bed. It was well before sunrise, but that was fairly standard. There were things to be done today. Important things. Applejack trotted over to her mirror in her room and took the time to brush out her mane and tail before securing them with her red hair ties. She inspected herself briefly in the mirror and then, satisfied, she grabbed her stetson off the hat hook by the mirror and put it on. She adjusted the brim carefully, and then walked to her closet and removed a heavy tan duster coat from inside, and pulled it on. “No sense in gettin’ soaked,” she muttered to herself.
Applejack walked out into the hallway, pausing at the junction between the stairs down to the kitchen and the rest of the bedrooms. Big Macintosh’s door was open, and his room was empty, but Applejack could smell the scent of a boiling pot of oats from downstairs. Applebloom’s door, on the other hand, remained shut, and Applejack could hear the telltale sound of deep breathing from inside. She approached and knocked gently on the door.
“Applebloom, it’s time to get up. Stuff to do today.”
There was a grumble from inside, and then silence. Applejack paused for a moment, before knocking a little more insistently. “C’mon, sis. Up an’ at ‘em! Things to do today.”
Applejack heard the mattress shift, and Applebloom called out softly, “I don’t wanna.”
“Y’ gotta, hun,” Applejack replied. “Big Mac’s already up, and I’m gettin’ Granny Smith up too.”
There was a sullen silence, before Applejack heard a heavy sigh. “Is it rainin’?” queried Applebloom.
“Sure is. So don’t forget to grab yer coat and boots.”
Applejack moved down the hallway, certain her sister would get herself ready for the day ahead, and knocked on Granny Smith’s door. “Granny? Are you up?”
“Sure am, dearie. Gimmie a moment,” called Granny Smith from inside.
Applejack waited quietly, before the door opened, and Granny Smith carefully tottered out of her room, smiling at Applejack. She was dressed in a heavy grey raincoat, and looked tired, her usually tight mane bun a bit askew. Applejack returned her grandmother’s smile tentatively. “Howdy granny. How’d you sleep last night?”
“Not well, but that’s t’ be expected. I ain’t young like I once was, and with today bein’ what it is, well, I been up fer a bit already,” replied Granny Smith.
“I just woke Applebloom, and Big Mac is downstairs. I think he’s started breakfast.”
Granny nodded, and continued down the hallway to the stairs. Applejack followed her grandmother, pausing briefly at Applebloom’s door to listen inside. She heard trotting hoofsteps, and smiled to herself before continuing downstairs to the kitchen.
The Apple family gathered around the breakfast table quietly. Big Macintosh brought the piping hot oatmeal off the stove and doled it out into the waiting bowls of his family members. Two bowls, today, stood apart from the others, placed before two empty seats at the head and foot of the table. Applejack stared at them for a moment before turning the gaze away to her own bowl, and began eating slowly.
Applebloom finished her first bowl and looked plaintively at Big Macintosh, who chuckled and served her a second helping. Applejack, on the other hand, only ate about half of her meal before pushing it away, her appetite gone. Granny Smith gave Applejack a sharp glance. “Y’ finish those oats, missy.”
Applejack chuckled. “Yes granny.”
Though her heart wasn’t in it, she managed to finish off her oats. Big Macintosh cleared away the bowls and tucked them in the sink, before moving to the downstairs closet. Applejack watched as he opened the closet and carefully removed a dark black duster coat from inside and put it on. Applejack smiled at her brother. “Y’ ready?”
“Eeyup,” replied her brother, running a hoof along the duster’s collar and straightening it.
“Granny?” asked Applejack.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” said Granny.
“Ah’m ready!” called Applebloom, before Applejack could ask.
Applejack smiled at her family. “All right then, let’s go. Don’t want to be late.”
Applejack lead her family into the town square of ponyville. Rain soaked the streets and cobblestones of Ponyville’s central meeting place, but despite the weather a sizeable crowd had gathered there. Applejack smiled and nodded at familiar faces, but mostly kept to her kin. The atmosphere of the town square was subdued, the rain marking the mood and quieting the conversations as the ponies waited.
“Hey Applejack!” called a familiar, scratchy voice.
Applejack turned around, surprised to see Rainbow Dash trotting up to her, Scootaloo in tow. The pair wore matching Wonderbolts rain jackets. She smiled, confusion evident on her face. “Rainbow? I’ll admit, I didn’t expect to see you here. You... never come.”
Rainbow smiled, looking embarassed. “Yeah, I know. It’s not really my kind of thing, but... this year it’s a bit different. I wanted to bring Scootaloo along to meet my mom, seeing as how she’s like my sister now, and all that.”
Applejack smiled as Scootaloo and Applebloom squealed excitedly as they spotted each other, giggling and chatting quietly amongst themselves. “Well, that’s... somethin’. That little filly might be doin’ you some good after all.”
Rainbow smirked. “What’s that supposed to mean, huh?”
“Oh, nothin’. Never you mind, Rainbow. I’m glad you’re comin’, that’s all,” replied Applejack with a soft grin.
“Yeah... it’ll be good.” Rainbow scuffed a hoof in a puddle, and glanced around. “Isn’t the princess supposed to be here already?”
Applejack shrugged. “She’s probably a little busy, considerin’ today.”
There was a sudden flash of lavender light in the middle of the square, and Princess Twilight Sparkle materialized. She quickly cast a spell, creating a little lavender umbrella, which she opened and held above her head with her telekinesis. “Hello everypony. I’m sorry to say, Princess Celestia is a bit tied up, so I’ll be teleporting you all to the beach today.”
Applejack chuckled. “Well, I’ll be. Our Twilight’s doin’ Celstia’s job.”
“Not for the first time!” cracked Rainbow Dash, casting a grin at Applejack.
Applejack rolled her eyes. Twilight gestured with one hoof, beckoning to the crowd. “Come a little closer, everypony. I want to make sure to get all of you!”
Applejack smiled at Rainbow Dash, before stepping closer to Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and Applebloom. Scootaloo returned to Rainbow Dash’s side, and the whole crowd shuffled closer to Twilight. She smiled at the crowd and closed her eyes. Her wings extended as her horn began to glow and build charge as she quietly breathed the words of the mass teleportation spell. Out of force of habit, Applejack closed her eyes right before the spell finished.
She saw lavender light through her eyelids, and felt a strange pulling and falling sensation, which passed in an instant. Her hooves no longer felt the hard and damp cobblestone of the town square beneath her, but wet sand. Applejack opened her eyes as the spell faded, and exhaled a pent-up breath.
Before her was the dark water of the ocean. The waves lapped against the light sand of the beach, and though it was still raining, the water was relatively calm. The rain gathered around the brim of her stetson and dripped in little rivulets in front of her face. The smell of the salt in the air stung her eyes a little, but she smiled, despite herself.
The crowd of ponies from ponyville walked up the beach, away from the water. The beach sloped up, slowly slanting until it met a sharp incline, with cliffs flanking a long flight of steps that had been carved out of the rock. Applejack, however, stayed at the water’s edge, joined by Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Applebloom, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and Twilight. Twilight approached Applejack and smiled. “Hey Applejack! It’s good to see you!”
Applejack embraced her dear friend. “Heya Twi. Good to see you too. That was some fancy stuff you pulled back there.”
Twilight blushed, releasing Applejack from her hug. “Oh, it was nothing. Just trying to help Princess Celestia out.”
Applejack nodded. “Sure thing. Will you be joining her for the ceremonies this year?”
“Yes. Actually, I need to go and meet her, to make sure everything is set. Princess Luna is gathering the last group of ponies from Trottingham, and then everypony should be here.” Twilight smile faltered slightly, and Applejack could see that she was a little stressed.
“What, you’re just gonna go without saying hello to me?” called Rainbow Dash from behind Twilight.
Twilight spun around, startled. “Rainbow Dash! I thought you never came to this!”
Rainbow Dash shrugged, rubbing a hoof on the back of her head. “Yeah, well, I decided that I should bring Scootaloo along. She’s never been here, and... well, it’s important.”
Twilight smiled. “Of course.”
Twilight smiled, giving Rainbow Dash a quick hug. “I need to run. I’m sure Celestia’s waiting on me. I don’t want to be late! We’ll be starting the ceremony soon.”
With a small wave, Twilight closed her eyes, and her horn lit up. She disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the small group of ponies alone on the beach.
Applejack’s smile faded slightly, and she turned to Big Macintosh. Her older brother stood, staring stoically down the length of the beach, the rain not phasing him in the slightest. Applebloom pulled the hood of her yellow rain jacket up a little higher and shivered. “Ah wanna head up t’ the plaza. They’ve gotta have a tent set up or somethin’.”
Granny Smith smiled, patting her grandfoal on the head. “I’ll go with ya, dearie.”
Applejack smiled as she watched Applebloom and Granny Smith head up the beach, and turned to Rainbow Dash. She looked uncomfortable, and Scootaloo traced a hoof in the sand. The younger pegasus piped up after a moment. “So, you didn’t really tell me. You said... we were going to meet your mom. So, why are we at the beach in the middle of a rain storm?”
Rainbow chuckled, her usually cocksure grin looking a little weak. “Well, yeah. We’ll meet her soon. But, this beach is a part of meeting her.”
“Why’s Applebloom and her family here?” queried Scootaloo.
Applejack spoke up. “We’re here to see our parents.”
Scootaloo smiled. “Oh, cool. Where are they?”
Applejack glanced at Rainbow Dash, who shrugged helplessly. Sighing, Applejack sat down in front of Scootaloo. “They’re here, just like Rainbow Dash’s mom. Scootaloo, how much d’ you know about the Griffon War?”
“Uh... well,” Scootaloo’s face scrunched up with concentration, “Miss Cheerilee talked a little about it in school, but she said that we’d cover it more when we were a bit older. It was, like, years ago, right?”
“Ten years ago, precisely. Ten years ago today was the last day of the Griffon War,” answered Applejack.
“Oh,” Scootaloo looked around the beach expectantly. “So... why are we at a beach?”
“This beach was the last battleground of the war, Scootaloo.”
“Oh.” Scootaloo’s eyes widened, suddenly, as she looked around the beach again. “Oh! I get it! So, we’re here to celebrate... uh... our victory over the Griffons? And your parents and Rainbow Dash’s mom are coming?”
“They’re already here, Scootaloo.” Applejack swallowed hard. “They’ve been here ever since that day, ten years ago. We’re not here to celebrate our victory. We’re here to celebrate peace, and the price that it came at.”
Scootaloo blinked in confusion, turning to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash stared at the sky, face impassive. After a moment, the older pegasus smiled, looking down at her adopted sister. “C’mon squirt. Let’s head up to the plaza at the top of the cliffs. They’re gonna start the ceremony, and then I’ll take you to meet mom.”
Big Macintosh cleared his throat and spoke softly, his deep voice carrying farther despite his gentle tone. “Look.”
Applejack looked up, and her eyes widened. A hundred gryphons were flying over the beach, dressed in ceremonial armor. Alongside them flew a hundred pegasai of Celestia’s Royal Guard, staggered in a massive ‘v’ formation with the gryphons. Halfway down the length of the beach, ten Royal Guards and ten gryphons peeled away from the middle of the formation, flying high into the clouds and disappearing, leaving a prominent section of the formation missing.
Applejack felt a weight settle beside her, and she leaned against her brother, tilting her stetson back and letting the rain fall into her face, so she could get a better view of the flying gryphons and pegasai. “That’s new.”
“Must be something special. It’s been ten years of peace, after all. Something to celebrate,” said Rainbow Dash quietly.
“Somethin’ to remember,” said Applejack, smiling into the rain.
Written June 6th, 2013.
In remembrance of June 6th, 1944.
