The Corpse Orchard

   "Applejack!" Big Mac bellowed into the open air, through the cluster of apple trees he wandered through. Already, through the coverage of the lush green leaves that blocked patches of the sky, he still saw the grey clouds rumble and drift in overhead. Thunder rolled in the distance somewhere, their animals were spooked, and the air was dense with low-drifting fog that made it hard to see nearly anything three feet ahead of him. Rain was coming, and Granny Smith sent Mac to go search for his sister who went out to get the last batch of apples that needed bucked for the day. "AJ, come on out now! Granny needs us back at the house!"

   The echo drifted through the air, and with it, no reply. Big Mac grunted in frustration. The South Field was quiet and impregnated with the signs of a vicious storm. Unless Applejack wished to get drenched or struck by a wandering bolt of lightning, she held no signs of being here or even leaving. The pony was as stubborn as an ox when she wanted to be, yet still he couldn't wish this kind of weather on his worst enemy, let alone his young sister.

Where in Tartaurus is that darn girl? he thought as he furrowed his brow in frustration. Wind rushed the leaves above, and he shivered slightly at the cold caress. Sick weather. Bout’ time for autumn.  He shivered again, thoughts straying to the warm meal and bed that awaited him back at the house. He had no wish to get ill so close to Harvest searching for Applejack on a dreary day such as this. He sighed, shifting awkwardly from hoof to hoof.

   Calling louder, he tried to at least convince her to come out of hiding. "This ain't no weather fer' bucking apples! You best come back now 'fore ya catch a cold!" he yelled. Wind carried the voice away and still the wind did not bring back an answer. Big Mac grew agitated and angry, yet ... now he was worried. This wasn't like AJ. She might as well have gone back to the farm, but if he squinted hard enough, he could still see the house's silhouette against the fog. It was certainly within earshot, and somepony would have called him back if she went there. Even Applebloom could wander back here to pick him up if Applejack returned, and surely she wouldn't get lost. AJ knew the fields like her favorite Stetson hat; she was never without it, so the possibility of her getting lost was one in a million.

   A cold sweat was forming on his brow. He ran through a list of reasons why she wouldn't answer his call. She always answered him. She said she was going to the South Field, and here he was. She never lied. As bearer of the Element of Honesty, that was basically her thing. Ponynappers? He thought. Nope. She got the strength of two bulls and a full-grown stallion. No way anypony could get to her without a few ribs broken... and she's a marvel with that rope a' hers... He shivered once more. A light sprinkle of rain was drifting its way through the trees and a full-blown storm would no doubt follow.

Could one of her friends have picked her up? Nope. She would have told us beforehoof. Maybe she thought the storm would get too rough and she would get caught out in the middle of it, with no time to tell one of us... Still, the small sprinkle of rain was a breeze to walk through mindless of the small soak. The barn was nearly 100 yards away, give or take. And yet...

   Then it struck him. Applejack only went out to the field because of the work she missed earlier. Each of the three siblings had been assigned a section of the field to clear, with the exception of Applebloom, who had only half of a batch. Big Mac and her had finished earlier, while AJ lagged behind. She had suffered an ugly wound from some nasty vines that had been growing too close to the farm for comfort. There was a snake in those bushes, she told them earlier, and it took a good bite out of her left hind leg. Luckily, the snake was not poisonous and she managed to spook it back into the woods before it could do any more damage.

   He face-hoofed at the memory. She got cut real bad by the vines, but not even a day of recovery was needed before she was out bucking again. They asked if she was alright, of course, but she claimed that she had weathered worse bruises. How could he have been so stupid? She couldn't finish her portion of the field to clear because her hind legs were lacking some force. Of course she had never really thought it, but she needed more time before the cuts could heal properly. The poor mare's pride and her duty came first, and he should have helped her after he was done.

   Hurriedly, he cupped a hoof around his mouth, unable to help the empathy and chill that entered his voice. "AJ, if this is about the field, then I swear I'll help ya' tomorrow! Ya' ain't well enough and-" But before he finished, a gust of wind blew through the rows of trees and a wash of harder rain with it. It was coming down in thick sheets now and soon he was drenched to the bone. He looked around rapidly for his sister, of which there was no sight. He blinked some water out of his eyes and tried again. "Ya' ain't well enough and I promise I'll help ya' in the morning! Come on out of this storm right now!"

   Lightning lit the world for a few brief seconds, making the shadows of the apple trees jump as they swayed and danced in the torrent of wind. Thunder rolled in soon after, making the ground beneath him shake ever-so-slightly. Big Mac looked around rapidly for Applejack. Everything was hard to see. The house's shadow soon disappeared behind the dense fog and the rain. All of the trees seemed to blend together as he whipped his head around, his mane dripping and sticking to his head. His weight shifted oddly as a gust of rain made him loose his balance. Another bolt of lightning stuck earth, and the accompanying thunder hit loudly and shook made everything shift at once.

How close did that hit? his thoughts said. Darn it, AJ! If this gets any worse, we'll both be fried and buttered! He cursed internally. No other sound but the rain beating down on the ground and the distant weather graced his ears. Grunting, he pushed his way through the winds towards a clearing nearby. Another jolt of electricity shot through the sky, illuminating the barn in the distance. He trudged through the mud to its outline. Applejack was nowhere in sight, yet even she was smart enough to get to shelter in such a storm. A small part of him despised the thought that he would leave his wounded sister out here, if she was still out, but he gritted his teeth and moved onwards.

   Through the fog and rain, he saw the faintest outline of the house in view. Wind whipped at him from all sides, yet he could still hear the rattle of the house shaking on its hinges as he approached it. Thunder rolled his way, but taking the last few steps he reached the path to the porch. He heard animals whine loudly and the wooden gate clatter loudly and he pushed it open. He sighed in relief. The lantern atop their door swung wildly, yet it still burned brightly in contrast to everything else in the grey landscape. He dimly wondered if there was any food left on the table. Or whether or not Granny had barricaded herself in the tornado cellar like she did last time they had weather this bad. The crazy old mare, bless her heart...

   And then he was at the door. The lights were off inside, and all was quiet for a brief moment, then the wind blew in wildly and even worse than before. He covered his face with a hoof as rain bit and snapped at him. Lightning struck far across the hill and the thunder rolled in soon afterwards. His other hoof pushed against the handle of the door, though it protested, unyielding. Grunting in confusion, he gave another hard yank with both hooves. The door had yet to budge. Locked?

   "Ah' don't need your help." came a voice. Startled, he swung his head around just in time for thunder to crash and rock the earth. Applejack! Thank Celestia! She was drenched in water, along with her infamous hat pushed slightly down on her face due to the moisture weighing it down. Her trusty, frayed rope was slung casually around her neck; her mane was dripping and loose in some places. She was shivering, though somehow her words were cold in an unnatural sort of way, calm and cool and loud despite the harsh weather.

   "AJ! We been lookin' all over for you," Bag Mac smiled, forgetting the storm for a brief second. "Thought ya went on back here, but Ah' guess not." The bandage around her leg was missing, he noticed. The would was covered in dirt and rainwater, though the small trickle of blood running down her calf was clear enough through the foggy atmosphere. "Y'all right?"

   "Ah'm fine" she snapped as a bolt of lightning struck the distance. "Ah' don't need your help clearin' the fields."

He blinked in confusion. Oh, right. Her leg.

   “Don’t fret any 'bout that now. C'mon and help me get the door open. Ah' think Granny locked it and-"

   "Ah' can do it myself." she said, taking a step closer towards him. Wind howled over the peak of the barn, though not enough to disturb the force in her voice.

   "Then get over here and get it open!" Mac huffed, still trying at the door. Applejack stopped, her teeth gritted tightly in a small frown. The door refused to budge even when he put all of his weight on it. Angry, he slammed the frame with a hoof, inaudible against the rain that beat on the tin roof. Looking up for any entrance, he saw that the door was locked in more than one place, all from the inside. Drat.

   "AJ, maybe we should try the cellar door. This one's locked up tight, and Ah' bet that-"

   Then a rope was around his neck.

   He was flung backwards into the soft mud before he felt the numb sting of the cord digging into his flesh. Immediately, he reached for his throat as his eyes flashed with small white dots. Frantically tugging at the tight interference, he kicked his hind legs about him as the coughs he so desperately needed refused to come. Thunder and lightning struck again, but the sight and sound of it swiftly vanished from him. Confused, he jerked around with the energy that was quickly diminishing. Everything went numb at once, and his eyes dashed around for his attacker.

A-Applejack?! Where ... Where are you?! Help me! Yet the words did not come. Instead, ragged exhales whispered through his mouth. His heart hammered away in his chest as he struggled, though slowing down as seconds ticked away. What in the name o-of Celestia is going on?!

   Dimly, he felt the slight tickle of the ground against his back, and knew he was being dragged. AJ? Instinct clouded his thoughts in the rush of the moment, though he seemed to recall his sister and the rope laid over her shoulders. Applejack?! His throat was constricting, white flashes before him, with the lightheadedness that came afterwards. He was going to pass out. Where'd all the air go?

   Soon he faintly recognized the trees surrounding him as his hooves fell limp against the lack of air. Water dripped down his nearly-unconscious form, though the rain was less forceful underneath the canopy of leaves. Deeper into the orchard he went, all air having escaped his lungs. He passed out unconscious once, he thought, and opened his eyes at a dark form in front of him. A mare, with a rain-sodden cowboy hat lay haphazardly atop her head, securing one end of a rope on a nearby tree branch.

A-Applejack... he recognized, though he only uttered a choked sound.

   His eyes were already closed by the time she yanked her end of the rope. With a loud crack, her brother was hauled into the air by his neck, the choke becoming a noose and snapping his neck. His large body swung wildly in the air by the force of such an action, and soon took to dangling in the strong wind that blew through the branches. The rain sprinkled in through the leaves as she stared up at her work with a determined scowl.

   "Ah' can do it all by myself," she whispered to the corpse as she tipped her hat back, her words lost in the storm. "You'll see."

   Applejack closed the cellar door with a grunt, cutting off the sound of the mournful wind and the remaining flickers of lightning that dotted the sky. The latch shut with a small click, and she stepped down from the concrete stairs and into the light of the many candles that lit the basement. Light was strategically placed on various shelves and tables that had been long forgotten. The glow twinkled over canned goods and other various essentials that lined the back walls in case of emergencies. Granny Smith was always prepared.

   The old mare herself sat tucked behind an overturned table, jostled awake by the sound of the door opening. "W-Who's there?!" she cried, clutching desperately to a frying pan in one hoof. There was a metal bowl atop her head which swirled around as she jerked up from her hiding place.

   Applejack laughed. "It's okay, Granny. Just me." she chuckled as she shook water from her Stetson hat. Granny squinted hard in the dim light for a moment, but she smiled and haphazardly threw her 'weapon' away.

   "Applejack! Oh, well color me red, we thought you done went out there an' got yerself lost!" she smiled as she wobbly got out from around the table. "Sent Mac out 'ta find ya. Guess he done did it! Where is that fella anyhow?"

   AJ furrowed her brow. "Big Mac? Ah' haven't seen him. Guess Ah' just missed him." She looked worriedly back to the entrance of the cellar. "Should I go find him?"

   Granny laughed and shook her wrinkled head. "No use now. He's smart enough. He'll be back soon, Ah've no doubt. Well, glad yer back anywho." She glanced at the door with something like a vendetta. "'Sides, there's evil in that storm. Ah feel it in my tired old bones. Unnatural weather, ain't no pegasi work, that black magic. Best ta stay clear of it till it passes."

    “What?” Applejack said, puzzled. “Ah’ don’t think that-“

   “Oh hush up now.” Granny said, waving a hoof in dismissal. “Now,” she began, nodding towards her injured leg, “let’s get that wound cleaned up.”

   AJ laughed grinned sheepishly, rubbing her foreleg and looking down at the floor. “Heh, ‘Bout that…”

   “Applebloom! Get on over here n’ bring mah first-aid kit!” Granny yelled suddenly, motioning for Applejack to sit down. “C’mon! Ah’ ain’t getting any younger!”

   There was a loud thunk behind one of the shelves nearby, accompanied by an immediate ‘ow!’ and a ‘yes ma’am!’ Applebloom appeared moments later with a small pail filled with medical herbs and bandages. Granny Smith took the package kindly and set to work wrapping the nasty cut with gauze.

   "Now, ‘bout this storm…” the old mare began, with Applebloom sitting close behind.

   “C’mon, Granny, it’s just a little rain.” the filly said as she rolled her eyes and pulled out a roll of tape. “Little rain never hurt nopony.”

   Granny accepted the tape and ripped off a bit to hold the bandage in place. “Aye, but Ah’ ain’t seen a storm this bad since Ah’ was a naïve little one like yerself. Mah momma said lightning in the Apple Fields was a bad omen.  Bad time’s a coming.”

   Applebloom laughed. “That’s just an old-mare-tale,” she said, looking at Applejack. “Ain’t it, AJ?”

   AJ nodded with a small chuckle. “Maybe, but mayhap there’s a nugget of truth to that.” She scrunched up her nose. “Sure as heck something’ ain’t right.”

   Granny permitted herself a small smile. “Ah’ wouldn’t worry about it too much, sugarcube. Ah’ am an old mare, and little old mares stick to their old stories. Probably nothin’.”

   Applejack smiled, staring back to the door as a roll of thunder rolled outside. “Yeah,” she said, standing up. “Probably nothing.”