My Key Won't Unlock This Door..
Author's Note
I don't know if I really accomplished exactly what I was going for here. Inspired by Red House by Jimi Hendrix, I wanted to bring a thought into what would happen if Twilight arrived home to the empty town and empty heart the song portrays. I'm not sure I nailed the sad, and if need be, I can change the tags, but I attempted to bring all the emotion in the song to life here.
I hope y'all enjoy!
My Key Won't Unlock This Door..
Twilight picked her saddlebags up off the dusty ground with a weary sigh. She had just finished her nationwide research expedition to research Equestria's innate magical resonance for the Princess, and her saddlebags were heavy with many a sheet of ink-stained parchment. She stood before a small group of ponies, all of whom had either a clipboard in their levitation or a notepad set aside, and smiled, breathing in deep.
"Thank you, everypony! We have finally finished our projected research and have all the data we need to present a viable research paper to the Princess!" her speech was punctuated by the stomping of her associates' hooves. Deep within her mind, however, all she could think about was her marefriend awaiting her arrival at Sweet Apple Acres, fresh pie in the window, its succulent aroma filling the household as she and Applejack embraced each other and leaned in for a kis-
'No! Bad Twilight!' she mentally scolded herself, fighting to keep her mind on track. "I greatly appreciate all the work you've all put into this project. Once again, I thank you all. You'll receive your payment for the study within the next week from the Royal Treasury." shifting her saddlebags up her back, she spun about, facing the long dirt path back to her home-their home, and coughed. "I look forward to working with you all someday soon!" she finished, starting out at a trot down the dusty road with the stomping of her colleagues' hooves behind her, applauding her departure with respect. To herself, she whispered "There's a red barn far and away, that's where Applejack stays."
Twilight's ears soon picked up only the sound of her hoofsteps on silent ground as her journey set in.
~<>~<>~<>~<>~
The sun had begun its majestic descent, dipping below the treeline as Twilight crested another hill, her hooves clip-clopping on the hardened dirt surface. She cared not how much noise she did make, for her mind was focused solely on the warmth radiating through her body as she thought of Applejack, the mare would have just finished her chores by now, with her slick coat from bucking up a sweat and her mane sticking out every which way, walking into the barn and setting up a small dinner setting for two-
Her train of thought sailed off the tracks as her face slammed into the oak tree that currently resided in her path of travel. Picking herself up, Twilight sighed. Her body ached from all the travel and poor sleeping conditions, and all she wished for was one of Applejack's 'special' massages. Her mind ticked off the days she had been "on the road", surpassing ninety. As she approached one hundred, she realized, with slight shock at herself, that she had been far away from Applejack for such a long time, and her mind began to drift toward darker thoughts. 'No, Applejack wouldn't be one to just up and leave, she's more dependable than that!' feeling slightly angry at herself for doubting her marefriend, she sighed, cresting another hill and gasping at the sight before her.
In the reddening horizon, not four or five miles away, she could see the small shape of the Apple family barn surrounded by a sea of dark green foliage. Eyes twinkling with anticipation, she unknowingly picked up her pace, setting course for a guaranteed apple pie and her Apple mare.
~<>~<>~<>~<>~
Soft clops of hooves on loose dirt echoed through the near-silent orchard. Twilight walked with a purpose, beelining for the main stead. She took no notice of the serenity of the farm, absent were the echoes of applebucking and grunts of ponies at work. Gone too were the yips and yelps of the Apple puppy, but Twilight soldiered on, the roof of the red barn peeking over the hill before her.
Her heart caught in her throat, feeling much like she had swallowed a whole cupcake, as her mind processed how close she was to her Applejack. Twilight approached the door of the barn, glancing at the door handle before pressing on it. The handle, curiously, refused to budge. She remembered the Apples' tendency to lock their buildings, and chuckled softly. Twilight reached into her left saddlebag and procured a simple golden key, inserting the instrument into the lock. She pressed lightly on the key, intending to shift the bolt and open the door.
The key remained stationary.
Twilight's thought process gave a sputter of effort, and she turned the key the other direction. She knew it wasn't the proper way to turn the key, but if the key wasn't turning, then that would mean that Applejack's lock had changed. And that would be just plain silly, because Applejack would never change her lock on Twilight, their love for each other so strong. Her efforts fruitless at best, she removed the key from the lock and slumped to the ground. Her vision blurred on her, tear ducts throwing themselves into overdrive as the stricken mare processed her situation. Applejack's locks weren't opening for her key. Her key! A pit formed in Twilight's stomach, her world spinning around her as she experienced sudden vertigo. Laying her head in her hooves, she wailed to the heavens above. "My key! W-why won't my key unlock the b-barn?"
She glanced around her, and her scientist's eyes picked up on the actual state of the farm around her. The floorboards had small cracks, some splintering in half from neglect, the windows covered in a grimy film that reminded Twilight of woodland moss. The paint on the outside of the barn, with its Pinkie/Applejack mural, was peeling away, the faces now shredded replications of what they once were. Her eyes grew wide as she noticed the rust covering the lock and door handle, the brownish-red crust coating every metal surface in front of her. She reached out with a forehoof and scraped some of the rust off, the flakes floating slowly down between her legs before resting among the blades of overgrown grass that encircled her hooves. Twilight could not believe what she was seeing. The farm, her Farm! was reduced to a mere shadow of its previous glory. Affixed to the door, just above the handle, was the shredded top half of what appeared to be a note. Twilight grabbed it in her telekinesis and tried to grasp what the note had once said as tears welled in her eyes again.
Twilight could vaguely make out the words "Granny", "no longer with" and "Manehattan" among the washed-out note's scribblings, her heart skipping a beast as she coughed. She realized with a start and a heavy heart that Granny Smith must have passed away while she was absent. She could understand why the farmhouse was so empty...its occupants no longer were around to maintain it. Twilight felt droplets coursing down her face and dripping from her chin as she sniffled, taking solace in the fact that the elderly mare was finally at peace. Head bowed, the unicorn lit her horn and picked her saddlebags back up slowly, affixing them to her backside once again. The sun had set moments earlier, its warming rays having dissipated as a slight chill ran through Twilight's body in addition to the shakes of sobs coursing through her chest. She had a terrible feeling that Applejack didn't live there anymore.
Applejack was gone.
~<>~<>~<>~<>~
Twilight retraced her hoofprints, solemnly walking through the deserted orchard, her research papers sitting wayward in her right saddlebag, as fresh tears lined her face. The stars were beautiful tonight, shining in full force, pushing forward memories of her and Applejack, stargazing atop the farmpony's secret hill, hoof in hoof as the night sky passed them by... A fresh wave of sobs wracked the poor mare's body as her tears flowed into the wild grass beneath her hooves, her path having crossed the threshold of what was once the Apple's property. She gathered her notes in her aura, took a deep breath, and ignited her horn.
"I'll just go back to Canterlot, up high on the mount."
In a flash of light and the echo of a mare's cry, Twilight disappeared from the path, her hoofprints ending right where she stood. a gust of wind blew through the area, dusting over any trace of her having been there. The prints faded into oblivion as her feelings for the farmpony waned. Twilight raised her head, glancing up at her changed surroundings, walls of immaculate white surrounding her and stained glass windows stretching from floor to roof revealing the interior of Canterlot Castle. She gripped her saddlebags tight, wiping a tear from her eye as she set off down a familiar maze of corridors, the guards stopping and saluting as she passed. Approaching a set of large mahogany doors, Twilight took a deep breath, and realized that she was going back on everything she had worked to achieve thus far, her friendships, her relationship, her family, and yet, she felt at ease. She may have lost not just a friend, but a lover, one who betrayed her trust, and fresh tears coursed her face at the thought.
She reached a hoof out to the door handle and paused, looking up at the moon through the window behind her, its eternal shimmering glow covering the land in a blanket of shadows. Twilight appreciated the beauty before wiping her eyes. "At least I still have my magic and my life." she whispered, pressing forward, creaking the great double-doors open.
Clip-clopping softly into the great chamber, Twilight sniffed, shaking free the last of her tears as a familiar flowing mane and white coat came into view before her.
'At least I still have you...'
