Writing

Chapter 2: Snow

Snow.  It is everywhere outside.  The snow whips past my muzzle as I journey through the snowstorm outside of my house.  White is everywhere; I can’t even see the hoof in front of my face.  I trot in a random direction hoping that I’ll get to Ponyville somehow in this blizzard.

I would turn back, but after what dad said I don’t think he’d want me anymore.  All he cares about is himself, I think to myself bitterly as I put another hoofstep into the snow.  Why did he even keep me?  He could’ve just given me to an orphanage if he didn’t want me.  Maybe he saw it as an act of ‘kindness’ or something.

I continue to trot through the snow.  I begin to worry once I see no sign of civilization after trotting what feels like hours.  All I see are trees bare of any leaves or fruit.  I don’t know if they’re my dad’s trees or some other farmer, but they’re not what I’m looking for.

The cold starts to get to me.  It went through my coat faster than I thought it would take. Why hadn’t I packed more cold weather gear?  Well I can’t go back now and get any, I think to myself.

It begins to get even colder than it was before.  My body begins to shake.  The coldness is everywhere.  I see something big and red in the distance.  Civilization.  I can get out of this cold now.

I trot towards the building.  My body starts slowing down.  I try to trot towards the building, but my body won’t let me.  I try to gallop towards the building, but find out that my body won’t let me gallop.

“Help!” I shout to nopony.  “Please, somepony help me!”  I doubt that anypony can hear me, but it’s worth the chance.

My legs begin to refuse to move.  “Please, if anypony can hear me, help!” I shout out again into the blizzard.

I begin to see black spots in my vision.  The coldness is too much.  I feel so tired.  Maybe if I just lie down and have a quick nap my body will feel better.  I lie down onto the snow and close my eyes.

><><><><><

“Is he okay?” I hear somepony ask.

“Ah don’ know,” somepony says back.  “He’s been out for awhile.”

My eyes slowly open.  I don’t know where I am.  All I know is that it’s warm now.  Really, really warm.

“Hey, he’s awake,” I hear the first voice say happily.

I look over to where the voice came from and I see Apple Bloom and her older sister, Applejack.

“Are ya okay?” Applejack asks me.

“I… uh, what happened?” I ask as I begin to take in my surroundings.  I was in a bed with a large white and red checkered quilt on me.

“Apple Bloom here-” Applejack pointed one of her hooves at Apple Bloom, “-thought she heard somepony outside an’ wouldn’ stop pesterin’ meh ta go outside and look for somepony.  Even if I didn’ believe her in the beginin’ I’m glad I did after awhile.  Otherwise ya might still be out there and by now you’d be dead,” Applejack explained.

“So why were ya out there in the first place?” Apple Bloom asks me.

“Well, uh, I kind of ran away from home,” I say a bit embarrassed.

“Ya what?!” Applejack and Apple Bloom yell out.

“I ran away from home,” I repeat.  I try to avoid their gaze, but fail to do so.

“Now why in Equestria would ya do that?” Apple Bloom asks me.

“Well you remember how earlier today when I got my cutie mark?” I ask Apple Bloom.

“Yeah, I remember all right,” she says.

“Well, my dad had always wanted me to get a cutie mark in something that would benefit our farm.  And when he saw my cutie mark…” I trail off.

“What happened?” Applejack asks.

“Well he… blamed me for mom’s death and called me worthless,” I say.  I feel fresh tears going down my face.

“He what?!” Applejack and Apple Bloom exclaimed, once again it was at the same time.

“Now, sugar cube, I’m sure he didn’ mean ta say that,” Applejack says reassuringly.

“Then why else would he say it?” I ask quietly as I put my head down onto the bed I lay upon.

“Well, uh,” Applejack says as she brings a hoof up to her chin.

“Exactly,” I say with my voice muffled by the bed.  “You can’t think of a reason to why he’d say that.”

“Well, sugar cube, I’m sure he does.  He just got angry,” Applejack tells me.

“By what?  Me getting my cutie mark?” I ask, my voice still being muffled.

“Well, maybe he did get mad at ya fer gettin’ your cutie mark in somethin’ that doesn’ help the farm.  Ya know how hard it is to work on a farm.”  Applejack brings her hoof up to my shoulder.

“Um, AJ, I’m gonna have ta side with Star Story on this one,” Apple Bloom tells her older sister.  “Even if he’s just thinkin’ about his farm, it doesn’ mean that he should get angry at his son fer gettin’ his cutie mark in somethin’ that doesn’ help the farm out.  It’s jus’ wrong!”  Apple Bloom brings her head lower to the ground as her ears drop.  “I don’ think you’d be mad at meh if I got a cutie mark that didn’ involve the Apple farm, would ya?”

“Of course not!” Applejack exclaims.  “I’d never be mad at ya if you got your cutie mark in somethin’ that doesn’ help the farm out in any way.  I’d be happy fer ya if you got your cutie mark; no matter what ya get it in.”

“Unlike my dad.”  I begin to cry into the furniture.

“It’ll be okay, I’m sure that he’d be really worried once he finds that you’re not home,” Applejack tells me.  She’s trying to reassure me that he actually ‘loves’ me, that’s not going to happen.

I continue to cry into the bed.  Nothing Applejack or Apple Bloom could say can help me right now.  My dad doesn’t love me.  How does somepony deal with that after they find out?

“Sugar cube, everythin’ is gonna be okay,” Applejack says to me, “I’m completely sure that he didn’ mean what he said.  He was jus’ angry.”

I turn away from Applejack and Apple Bloom and close my eyes.Applejack may try to help me, but she’s not doing a good job at it, I think to myself.  I hear the two sisters leave the room.  Maybe she thought I need some time to be alone, I don’t know, I think to myself.