Danse Macabreby pokeking95ChaptersWherever You Come from...Wherever You're Going to...Welcome to the Dance of DeathWherever You Come from...Still groggy from her slumber, Applejack blearily opened her eyes, letting loose a great yawn and stretching her limbs, satisfying pops resounding from her joints. So fatigued from her sleep she was that she did not immediately realize her surroundings and instead laid back down to resume sleeping. She curled further into a ball, snuggling with the dense layer of dead leaves on the ground. Tossing and turning, Applejack was unable to find a decently comfortable position to rest in, and the cracking and crunching of the leaves eventually woke her up. When the unfamiliar sight of the environment finally became clear, Applejack jumped straight up, her consciousness at long last returning to her in full, and she took a long look around. She was definitely not in her bedroom back at Sweet Apple Acres, under the warm, protective covers of her bed. Feeling anxiety beginning to seize her body, Applejack spun around in place, eyes darting left and right, nervously trying to figure out where exactly she was. A forest. It was a dark, haunting place, whose ancient, gnarled trees of murky green stretched high into the heavens, almost completely concealing the nighttime sky above. Shadows, inky and tenebrous, painted the leafy ground. A thick, otherworldly fog blanketed the area, serving only to obscure and to amplify the feeling of dread and loneliness the mare was already experiencing all too vividly. A dim trickle of moonlight managed to penetrate the thick canopy above, barely illuminating the woods. Closing her eyes, Applejack tried to listen for any sign of life: the chirping of crickets, the rustling of bushes in the undergrowth, the crunching of twigs and leaves, the hooting of an owl, even. Nothing. This was not natural, not natural at all. Something was not right. Applejack gulped and opened her eyes. Was she in the Everfree Forest? She shook her head. No. Not only were these trees totally foreign to her, ominous, she dared to admit, these woods were also completely devoid of life. Dangerous as the Everfree was, it was teeming with all manners of creatures, and one could practically feel the presence of such rich diversity there. This forest, on the other hoof, was lifeless. Completely dead, with nary a soul in sight. Looming from the fog, the trees themselves seemed not so much alive but more like hallowed effigies standing against the slow crawl of time. There was not even the slightest breeze of wind to animate their branches, to bring some life, some movement to this solemnly silent scene. It was as if someone had captured a single snapshot of the forest and left the image as is, frozen for all eternity. Applejack tried and forced herself to calm down in spite of her still-furiously beating heart, her panicked breathing, and the trickling of cold sweat down her brow. After a few moments with varying success, she began to try to think rationally and make sense of her situation. Was she in a dream? It was a cliché assumption but still a valid one. Shutting her eyes once more, Applejack braced herself and slapped herself hard across her face. To her astonishment, however, she felt no pain whatsoever, even though she definitely felt her hoof make contact with her cheek. Upon opening her eyes she found her environment unchanged. She was not dreaming, then. She was completely awake. A little crestfallen, the mare continued with her assessment. Barring the possible self-inflicted mark on her face, as best as Applejack could tell, she was uninjured. Patting her head, the farmer felt a small but immensely welcome reprieve knowing that her trademark Stetson was still there, firmly set upon her crown. She ultimately came to the conclusion that ponynapping—or a prank, Rainbow Dash’s and Pinkie Pie’s faces coming to mind—was unlikely; Applejack would not have let herself be taken away so easily, asleep or no. Looking around, she could find no obvious trail to dictate from which direction she had possibly come from; all around her, the forest floor remained pristine and untouched. It was as if she had simply appeared in this forest out of nowhere. Teleportation? Applejack shook her head furiously. She was an earth pony! There had to be a logical explanation for all of this. Then, how did she get here? There was no way she could have traveled into this unknown expanse of woods of her own volition. The last thing the mare remembered doing was… Applejack paused, a muteness that seemed to stretch into infinity. She could not remember. There was a gap in her recent memory, and she did not know why. She could recall her life, family and friends back in Ponyville, ponies near and dear to her, and the memories she had made over the years with them. Anything more recent, potentially useful, however, drew a blank. Forcing the tide of oncoming alarm back, the earth pony concentrated even harder. Reaching out into the deepest recesses of her mind, Applejack could have sworn she vaguely heard the sound of weeping, for whatever reason, but beyond that there was nothing more. Anything else that could help illuminate how and why she was here, lost and alone, remained elusive. Yet another mystery to her predicament. Deciding to shift her focus to actually finding her way home, Applejack tried calling for help. Her voice echoed through the trees, a ghostly howl that quickly degenerated into nothing more than an unintelligible whisper. In return, Applejack was met with only long moments of continued silence. It was absolutely quiet. There was absolutely nothing. A single bead of sweat dripped down her forehead as her eyes were kept wide open and unblinking. Her breathing was heavy, and she could feel her legs trembling. The farmer could claim that she was not afraid in her situation, but she was the Element of Honesty, and lies were unbefitting of her. It did not even tarnish her pride that Applejack was willing to admit that at that moment, for the first time in her life, she was truly and undoubtedly frightened—anypony else would be if they were in the same situation. The simple farmer mare, who had come from such humble roots, had faced, amongst other fantastical and eldritch beings, an alicorn consumed by darkness, chaos incarnate itself, a twisted queen and her monstrous brood, and an ancient king fueled by fear and hatred. However, she had never felt truly scared during those times, no matter how dangerous it was, for she had never confronted such dangerous foes by herself—she fought against every adversary with her friends, and together they always managed to overcome any challenge. Now, though, Applejack was utterly, completely alone in this eerie forest, with no idea of how she came to be here and no obvious way out. She was alone, and she was terrified, absolutely terrified. Nearly hyperventilating, the mare, with the last vestiges of levelheadedness, only just managed to prevent herself from outright collapsing and tightening into as little of a ball as possible and futilely praying that this was all just a terrible, lucid nightmare. She was a grown mare, not a whimpering little filly. She could get through this. She had gone through much worse before… right? Right, Applejack assured herself, despite how unconvincing it sounded. She had camped out in the wilderness plenty of times before, so surviving in this forest should be a cinch. Pondering how to get home with no map, supplies, or sense of direction, the mare decided to see if she could navigate by the stars. As a young filly, before her days of apple bucking, after a long day of chores Applejack would often enjoy gazing into the night sky, admiring the twinkling points of light and tracing the imaginary lines of memorized constellations. Oh, how always so elated she was to witness astronomical marvels seldom seen, such as meteor showers or even a comet. In spite of her dilemma, Applejack let out a wistful sigh at this. It had been years now since that time, but the mare was confident that she could still recognize the patterns of the night sky after so long. She may not know exactly where she was, but finding the North Star, Polari, was a good start, since most of Equestria’s untamed forestland lie to the south. Looking up, Applejack frowned. The canopy here was too thick to allow her to see even a tiny portion of the sky. Applejack grit her teeth in apprehension as she realized that the only option now was to start walking to try and find a better vantage point to see the stars. She was lost, alone, and did not know the way home, and she detested the idea of possibly getting even more lost in these damned woods… but what else could she do? Although the farmer was sure that her friends were looking for her at this very moment, she was uncertain as to how successful they could be. How would they know where she was if she herself had no idea? This forest could stretch on for miles in all directions, not to mention the thick fog; it could take months of non-stop searching for them to find her, if they find her at all, that is. Staying in the same spot, waiting for help that would never arrive was not an option. There was no other choice, then. Shaking any lingering doubt from her head, Applejack steeled herself and slowly took a step forward, then another, and another. Before she knew it, she was already making her way through the thicket, leaves crackling beneath her leaden hooves. Peering through the fog was difficult, for there was no obvious trail through these woods, and the scenery looked the same no matter how much she walked. In the back of her mind, Applejack wondered if she was walking in circles as she passed a rather familiar-looking tree, but immediately declared that to be impossible, that she had been walking in as straight of a line as possible and that her mind was simply playing tricks on her. Above all costs, she had to get home… Wherever You're Going to...The foliage was relentless in shielding the skies above from her prying eyes. Applejack had been stumbling through the dark forest for well over an hour now (or what seemed like it; perhaps unsurprisingly, the passage of time did not seem right in this place), regularly craning her head here and there, and she still could not find a large enough break in the canopy for her to glimpse the stars. Moreover, it felt incredibly unnerving walking amongst the shadowy trees all by her lonesome, the grinding of her hoofsteps against fallen leaves and her steady, nervous breathing being the only audible disturbances in the otherwise perfect silence. Another seemingly hour or two passed, and Applejack still did not have any success. Her patience was wearing thin. Even more time passed. How much, she really did not know for sure, but her frustration and apprehension eventually boiled to a critical point, and Applejack lashed out at the nearest tree with her hoof with all her might. A loud, familiar thwack rang forth, but to her surprise, the tree remained unscathed, as if the mare had never hit it in the first place. She had not managed to scrape off even the tiniest bit of bark, nor had she felt any pain upon slamming her hoof so haphazardly against the knotted trunk of the seemingly invincible tree. Her rage quickly simmering down, Applejack simply stared at the spot she struck, then took a glance at her hoof, expecting to see the keratin chipped or scratched. Her hoof was also completely undamaged. In fact, she had never seen her hoof looking so… flawless, not in a long time. She scrutinized her other hooves and found all of them to be in a similar state. Rarity herself would be envious. Applejack was perplexed, though. While she made sure to take good care of her hooves, not overworking them during a solid day of apple bucking and keeping them in good condition afterwards, she had never seen her hooves looking so perfect before, save for one time, when she agreed to go to the spa with her friends all those years ago. However, she had not gone even once since then! She realized that even her coat was also clean and well-kept after giving her entire body a quick inspection, despite the fact that she had been sleeping for Faust-knows-how-long on the dirty forest floor not too long ago. Furthermore, while she did not have a mirror or any other means of seeing her reflection, at this point Applejack did not doubt that there was not a single blemish on her face, even after hitting herself earlier. What was going on? The more Applejack speculated, the more cryptic everything became. An epiphany suddenly striking like a bolt of lightning, Applejack realized that if she could not see the stars from the ground, then she could try scaling the trees and seeing them from up above. The earth pony felt her stomach sink at this, though; there was a reason earth ponies preferred staying firmly planted on the ground. Still, Applejack gathered that she would not make any progress sighting the stars so long as the canopy remained as thick as it was, so it was at least worth a shot, provided she did not end up breaking a limb in the process. She had some assurance, however small, in the fact that she had climbed trees before, back on the farm, when the occasional apple stubbornly clung on to its branch too much to be harvested by apple bucking alone. These trees were significantly taller than the apple trees back at Sweet Apple Acres, though… Finding a suitable tree, one that could be climbed without too much difficulty, did not take too long. Gathering her nerve, Applejack hugged and shuffled up the trunk of said tree before reaching for the bough and pulling herself up to it. She then stretched a limb out to reach for another branch, one slightly higher up, grabbed it, and pulled herself up, rustling the leaves in the process. The earth pony repeated the process over and over again, slowly but surely making her way up the tree. The branches got thinner, sparser, and less likely to support the pony’s weight the higher Applejack got, and she was all too aware of this. It was an awfully long drop to the forest floor now… Her determination to get back home far outweighed her natural fear of heights, though. Eventually, after much time and effort, Applejack was above the canopy at last, and she let the feeling of triumph wash over her. Sitting on a rather thin branch and holding on for dear life, Applejack allowed herself a moment of rest to catch her breath and allow her pounding heart to relax. Finally, after a moment’s reprieve, Applejack tilted her head skywards, eagerly anticipating what Princess Luna had painted upon her canvas. One could only imagine the devastation and horror on the young mare’s face as she saw no stars amongst the firmaments above, none whatsoever. It was not because there was a thick overcast or some such; there was actually not a single cloud to be seen from horizon to horizon. There were literally no stars at all. The sky was a simple black backdrop—plain, unadorned… empty. Applejack’s mind was racing. Where had they gone? There was no logical reason behind their disappearance. Princess Luna would not venture to even think of forsaking Her beautiful stars; they were as integral to Her night as the Moon itself. Not even Princess Celestia dared to alter the constellations in the slightest during Her sister’s millennium-long banishment. Her breathing quickening and her jaw quivering, Applejack desperately scanned the entire expanse of the blackness above, hoping to find even the dimmest sign of a star, her only hope for a way back home. But she found nothing. There was not a single point of light in the sky, save for the white disc of the Moon. Yes, the Moon remained a constant, even if the stars were not. Shaking, Applejack automatically, reluctantly, locked her welling eyes to the Moon, as if to ask, “Why?” but soon found herself inexplicably entranced with It, a perfect circle of pure, almost-blinding white, with nary a single pockmark or crater to be seen on Its surface. It was magnificent, alluring… petrifying. It was an orb, high and mighty, unreachable and unfathomable, staring down at the land below. Lording over Its dominion, this strange forest, the celestial eye suddenly seemed to focus on the orange earth pony mare, who had dared to seek audience with It, sitting amongst the treetops, as if she were not even an ant, insignificant and infinitesimal. Under the gaze of this Medusa, Applejack was frozen stiff; she really might as well indeed have been less than nothing. The longer she gaped at It, the tinier she felt. She dimly felt her grip on her branch slackening. She was horrified but spellbound, and no matter how much she tried the mare found it physically impossible to tear her eyes away from the Moon’s horrifically tantalizing visage. Even as she fell backwards into gravity’s cruel but welcome embrace, Applejack remained transfixed with the Moon. She could have sworn that It was howling down at her, sneering at her, as she was cast down from Its court. It was only until she disappeared beneath the canopy and collided with the unfeeling ground far below was she finally safe in merciful darkness. When Applejack came to, she expected to be met with a shrieking, white-hot pain from all over her body, shattered bones wailing in protest from being shifted around, rivers of blood dribbling down her skin from deep, vicious gashes. She felt nothing. In fact, she felt as if she had just awoken from a refreshing nap. Glancing across her body, the mare was, admittedly, no longer surprised to see the absence of even the smallest cuts and bruises. She checked to see if her hat was still there atop her head and was numbly satisfied. Applejack wondered how long she had been out, and automatically looked up at the sky to check for the time of day. It seemed to still be nighttime. Immediately recalling her less-than-pleasant experience with the Moon, the earth pony shuddered and quickly averted her eyes to the ground. That Moon… That was no moon, not Luna’s Moon, at least. Where was she, if even the Moon itself was so different, so brilliantly appalling to her? Could she be…? The mare sucked in a deep breath as comprehension dawned on her. Applejack simply sat there, too bewildered to be shaken out of her reverie. Another world? That was impossible… was it not? It made no sense… yet it did, in a way. How else could she explain the strange phenomena that she had experienced? The soundless forest? The alien sky? Her apparent invulnerability? Just what was going on? If it was not obvious that there was something not right about this place, then it was now. But, if she really was in another world, then… then, how would she go home? Was there any way home? Applejack felt her jaw quiver and her eyes tear up again. No… no. Assuring to herself, babbling to herself. She would go home. She would go home and run into the loving embrace of everypony back home and never be alone again. She would go home, back to the life she loved, on the farm she loved, reunited with the family she loved. She would go home and cherish every precious moment with her best friends for as long as they lived. She would go home to find her special somepony, raise a family of her own and grow old, live to see them grow old and have children of their own. She would go home to a life worth living, not… this. But this was all she would ever have, reality taunted her. Her words were nothing more than hopeless drivel from a pony unwilling to face the facts. Lost and alone in a realm beyond mortal understanding, there was nothing left for her. The unforgiving truth was laid bare to her, and it was futile to deny it any further: there was NO WAY HOME The words roared at her, and just like that, Applejack broke. The sound of her hope fracturing into worthless shards was barely drowned out by her screams of sorrow. She screamed into the silence, bawling, begging for a way home, for that chance to live that life she so desperately wanted. No longer held back by the façade of bravery, rivulets of salty tears cascaded down the mare’s face as she pounded her hooves against the mocking ground, over and over again, willing them to crack and shatter even though she knew they never would. On and on she wailed, heaving sobs wracking her shaking body. For the eternity she laid there as a wretched, blubbering heap, Applejack continued to wail, and no matter how much she cried the forest responded as it always did. Quiet. Welcome to the Dance of DeathWarped in this place as it may be, an eternity was still a long time, but even it will pass eventually. After her eternity of grief, Applejack laid unmoving from her spot, save for her trembling breaths and the occasional hiccup. Sniffling, she still let her tears flow down her cheeks, nowhere near dry, but at least she was no longer crying out to the nothingness. No way home… No way home… The words continued to whisper to her, plaguing her and threatening to rend the remnants of her sanity asunder, and try as she might Applejack could not find the mental capacity to exorcize them from her damaged psyche. No way home… What was she to do now? The mare spent another eternity motionless, and she would have spent countless more had something not caught her eye just then. Through her blurry vision, Applejack thought she could see the barest hint of a dim orange glow through the fog. She weakly raised her head, and hazily confirmed that there was indeed something out there. Sitting straight up at last, joints creaking and muscles aching from disuse, the mare wiped her ancient tears off her face and squinted her bloodshot eyes to make out the anomalous light. As perpetually darkened as the forest was, the light was hardly visible through the fog but it was just bright enough to tell her that this was something… different. She had not noticed anything like this during her previous excursion through the woods, so it was little wonder why the mare decided to finally stand up, briefly stretched her neglected limbs, and begrudgingly proceeded in the direction of the glow. No way home… After all, what else could she do now? Hollowly, the mare stumbled her way towards the light, akin to a lighthouse hailing a lost ship to safe harbor. As she drew closer, the light grew brighter, more distinct. At the same time, her ears twitched and she heard—heard! She actually heard!—something she had not experienced in a very, very long time. It was something so precious, so universal Applejack could immediately connect with it regardless of how foreign it was to her now. Music. Its melody began to fill the void within her being left behind by the ravaging touch of utter despair and hopelessness. It soothed her like a mother would comfort her child, beckoning her to approach it and find it, all the while expelling the cursed whispers (no way home!) from her mind. The sound of it threatened to bring tears—this time, not of grief, but joy—to her eyes, but she managed to hold them back and persevered. How could there be music in this dead place? How could there be something so beautiful, so alive here? So excited she was she quickly banished such questions, and the earth pony could not help but speed up into a gentle trot, then into an outright gallop as she drew nearer to the source. The light grew ever brighter with every step she took, its orange brilliance a welcome change to the darkness she had grown all too accustomed to, and the music could be heard more clearly. Dodging trees left and right, she faintly realized she wore the memory of a smile upon her weary face. She heard one last, almost inaudible whisper in her mind before it was purged altogether. No… Way… H… Finally, the light and music almost too powerful to bear, Applejack gave one last burst of speed and emerged from some dense shrubbery and into a wide clearing at the same time the deafening music unexpectedly slowed and softened, but did not stop. The first thing the mare noticed was the enormous bonfire laying in the middle of it all, hypnotizing, dancing, reaching high towards the heavens and the Moon above, and radiating such intense heat she could feel it all the way from the edge of the glade. The Moon seemed oddly benign here, almost benevolent as it showered a stream of gentle moonlight into the clearing. The second thing she noticed were the throng of ponies all in front of her, gathered in a loose circle around the towering fire. A motley bunch, they were. Mares and stallions, fillies and colts, of all colors and ages, from all tribes. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns—there was no discrimination here. They seemed to come from all walks of life. Paupers and beggars, dressed in threadbare rags that barely concealed their starving frames. Decorated soldiers in dented and well-worn armor. Scholars in robes signifying high rank in prestigious academia. Royalty and nobles garbed in the finest silks and adorned with the most precious jewelry. It was clear that any sense of social hierarchy strangely did not exist here. Right now, though, they were staring intently at the intruder, although their faces were blank and their bodies continued swaying to a gentle melody that was played everywhere but by nopony present. They did nothing else, nothing to indicate they would take any action towards her. Eerie as it was, the scene did beg the question: what were they doing before she arrived? Despite the warmth of the blazing fire, she shuddered as a chill went down her spine. In any case, Applejack did not know whether to feel immense relief at finally seeing other ponies after so long alone, or to feel utterly terrified at what they would do. If anything, it was downright creepy with the way they simply looked at her, not doing anything more. Suddenly, a couple of them stepped forward and started walking—no, lumbering, but still swaying—towards her. Not knowing what else to do, Applejack stood apprehensively, waiting with bated breath and resisting the primal urge to flee, and watched as the couple of ponies took step after unhurried step, bringing themselves agonizingly closer to her. When they stood before her at last, Applejack took a closer look at the pair. A mare and a stallion, both earth ponies, both strongly built. The way they carried themselves together hinted they knew each other. Family? They were clearly laborers of some sort, perhaps farmers? Something flashed across their blank faces… recognition? Odd. They had never met before. So then, why did Applejack feel something stir within her soul at that very moment, as well? One of them, the stallion, reached a hoof out towards her. Confused, Applejack considered raising her own hoof for a hoofbump, but then realized that the stallion before her was not asking for a greeting; he was pointing, not quite at her, but rather at… her hat? Even more confused now, Applejack took off her beloved Stetson and tentatively held it towards him. In response, the stallion merely nodded slowly. Still puzzled, Applejack looked at the stallion, then at her hat, then at the mare beside him, then her hat again, back and forth, as the tugging at her heart intensified, the pangs of recognition growing too strong to ignore. Unbidden memories from times long past began surfacing in her mind. Her brow furrowed in concentration. Where had she seen them before? She felt the strong but gentle (and caring?) hoof of the stallion against her chin, raising her head up. Their eyes met at last, and Applejack noticed the stallion in front of her also had green eyes, the same shade as hers. It was at that moment that Applejack understood. She had known these two ponies before, a long time ago, and had not seen them since she was but a little filly. She mouthed something to the ponies in front of her, to see if they knew as well, and with a single, sullen nod of their heads, the truth rang in her mind, as clear as the tolling of the mourning bells on the day of their funeral. But if she was here in this place with them, then… The music abruptly picked up, faster and livelier now, no longer a continuous hum appropriate for an interlude, but something more befitting of a Dance. And Dance, the ponies did! All around the fire they Danced! No longer swaying, they Danced! Even as the two ponies before her joined the Dance, Applejack remained rooted to the spot, totally numbed by her revelation. The two then extended a helping hoof towards the catatonic mare, and she could only dumbly stare at it for a while before accepting. They slowly led her towards the center of the clearing, towards the fire, gracefully Dancing all the while, hooves stamping to the beat, twirling their bodies this way and that. Everypony was completely engrossed in the music, which only continued to build up. The ponies all around watched on even as they Danced in perfect unison, giddy in anticipation as gleeful, twisted expressions spread across their visages. Applejack finally regained her mental faculties and gasped as she realized where she was being led. She tried to resist, tried and tried she did, yet her hooves kept moving of their own accord. Faster and faster they Danced! Applejack was let go, but instead of turning tail and escaping, to her horror she continued to willfully approach the immense flame, one slow, steady step after another. The remnants of rational and conscious thought screamed at her to just run away and never look back, but the rest of her fractured mind refused, wanting, yearning for her to simply give in and accept her long-overdue fate. Closer and closer to the fire, the music grew louder and faster, almost a cacophony, overwhelming even the thundering of the mare’s panicking heart… And the Dance grew ever more frantic, ever more passionate! Mere hoof-lengths away from the tickling flames, the extreme heat already singing her, Applejack stole a despairing glance back at the two ponies, wondering if they would charge in and pull her back, but they did no such thing—as they Danced, they gave but a small twitching of the lips, reminiscent of a loving smile, as Applejack’s body leapt into the inferno. Applejack burned. Yet it did not hurt. She thought she was screaming. She was not sure, though. Hair and fur turned to ash. Her skin was seared off. Her blood boiled away. Her flesh was stripped away from the bones. Even as their own flesh began to rot away into nothing, leaving behind skeletal grins and rattling bones, the ponies around the fire howled and cackled in celebration, while the Moon overhead laughed heartily in thorough amusement. All the while, they never stopped Dancing. The fire finally relinquished its hold, and the bones of once-Applejack staggered out from the eternally burning coals. She paused for only the briefest of moments, before at long last she, too, Danced. Danced they did, and Dance they would, forevermore. Author's Note Story inspired by "Dance of Death," by Iron Maiden. So after almost half a year of not writing anything (blame college, Fallouts 3 and New Vegas, writer's block, and, of course, laziness), I finally managed to churn this out after two weeks of on-and-off writing, partly because GeminiGemelo coaxed me into doing it, and partly because I truly do want to see the ideas I gathered over the past six months in a written form. This particular story started off as a one-shot, but it became quite a bit longer than I originally planned (about 2,000 words longer, actually), so I decided to divide it into three chapters since I thought leaving it as a single chapter felt too drawn-out. I still feel that I tried too hard writing this, and to me the overall impact got smothered by the verbosity and flowery language I tried to incorporate. All in all, I'm not totally happy with the way this turned out, but at least it's done and I can finally move on to my other ideas.
Wherever You Come from...Still groggy from her slumber, Applejack blearily opened her eyes, letting loose a great yawn and stretching her limbs, satisfying pops resounding from her joints. So fatigued from her sleep she was that she did not immediately realize her surroundings and instead laid back down to resume sleeping. She curled further into a ball, snuggling with the dense layer of dead leaves on the ground. Tossing and turning, Applejack was unable to find a decently comfortable position to rest in, and the cracking and crunching of the leaves eventually woke her up. When the unfamiliar sight of the environment finally became clear, Applejack jumped straight up, her consciousness at long last returning to her in full, and she took a long look around. She was definitely not in her bedroom back at Sweet Apple Acres, under the warm, protective covers of her bed. Feeling anxiety beginning to seize her body, Applejack spun around in place, eyes darting left and right, nervously trying to figure out where exactly she was. A forest. It was a dark, haunting place, whose ancient, gnarled trees of murky green stretched high into the heavens, almost completely concealing the nighttime sky above. Shadows, inky and tenebrous, painted the leafy ground. A thick, otherworldly fog blanketed the area, serving only to obscure and to amplify the feeling of dread and loneliness the mare was already experiencing all too vividly. A dim trickle of moonlight managed to penetrate the thick canopy above, barely illuminating the woods. Closing her eyes, Applejack tried to listen for any sign of life: the chirping of crickets, the rustling of bushes in the undergrowth, the crunching of twigs and leaves, the hooting of an owl, even. Nothing. This was not natural, not natural at all. Something was not right. Applejack gulped and opened her eyes. Was she in the Everfree Forest? She shook her head. No. Not only were these trees totally foreign to her, ominous, she dared to admit, these woods were also completely devoid of life. Dangerous as the Everfree was, it was teeming with all manners of creatures, and one could practically feel the presence of such rich diversity there. This forest, on the other hoof, was lifeless. Completely dead, with nary a soul in sight. Looming from the fog, the trees themselves seemed not so much alive but more like hallowed effigies standing against the slow crawl of time. There was not even the slightest breeze of wind to animate their branches, to bring some life, some movement to this solemnly silent scene. It was as if someone had captured a single snapshot of the forest and left the image as is, frozen for all eternity. Applejack tried and forced herself to calm down in spite of her still-furiously beating heart, her panicked breathing, and the trickling of cold sweat down her brow. After a few moments with varying success, she began to try to think rationally and make sense of her situation. Was she in a dream? It was a cliché assumption but still a valid one. Shutting her eyes once more, Applejack braced herself and slapped herself hard across her face. To her astonishment, however, she felt no pain whatsoever, even though she definitely felt her hoof make contact with her cheek. Upon opening her eyes she found her environment unchanged. She was not dreaming, then. She was completely awake. A little crestfallen, the mare continued with her assessment. Barring the possible self-inflicted mark on her face, as best as Applejack could tell, she was uninjured. Patting her head, the farmer felt a small but immensely welcome reprieve knowing that her trademark Stetson was still there, firmly set upon her crown. She ultimately came to the conclusion that ponynapping—or a prank, Rainbow Dash’s and Pinkie Pie’s faces coming to mind—was unlikely; Applejack would not have let herself be taken away so easily, asleep or no. Looking around, she could find no obvious trail to dictate from which direction she had possibly come from; all around her, the forest floor remained pristine and untouched. It was as if she had simply appeared in this forest out of nowhere. Teleportation? Applejack shook her head furiously. She was an earth pony! There had to be a logical explanation for all of this. Then, how did she get here? There was no way she could have traveled into this unknown expanse of woods of her own volition. The last thing the mare remembered doing was… Applejack paused, a muteness that seemed to stretch into infinity. She could not remember. There was a gap in her recent memory, and she did not know why. She could recall her life, family and friends back in Ponyville, ponies near and dear to her, and the memories she had made over the years with them. Anything more recent, potentially useful, however, drew a blank. Forcing the tide of oncoming alarm back, the earth pony concentrated even harder. Reaching out into the deepest recesses of her mind, Applejack could have sworn she vaguely heard the sound of weeping, for whatever reason, but beyond that there was nothing more. Anything else that could help illuminate how and why she was here, lost and alone, remained elusive. Yet another mystery to her predicament. Deciding to shift her focus to actually finding her way home, Applejack tried calling for help. Her voice echoed through the trees, a ghostly howl that quickly degenerated into nothing more than an unintelligible whisper. In return, Applejack was met with only long moments of continued silence. It was absolutely quiet. There was absolutely nothing. A single bead of sweat dripped down her forehead as her eyes were kept wide open and unblinking. Her breathing was heavy, and she could feel her legs trembling. The farmer could claim that she was not afraid in her situation, but she was the Element of Honesty, and lies were unbefitting of her. It did not even tarnish her pride that Applejack was willing to admit that at that moment, for the first time in her life, she was truly and undoubtedly frightened—anypony else would be if they were in the same situation. The simple farmer mare, who had come from such humble roots, had faced, amongst other fantastical and eldritch beings, an alicorn consumed by darkness, chaos incarnate itself, a twisted queen and her monstrous brood, and an ancient king fueled by fear and hatred. However, she had never felt truly scared during those times, no matter how dangerous it was, for she had never confronted such dangerous foes by herself—she fought against every adversary with her friends, and together they always managed to overcome any challenge. Now, though, Applejack was utterly, completely alone in this eerie forest, with no idea of how she came to be here and no obvious way out. She was alone, and she was terrified, absolutely terrified. Nearly hyperventilating, the mare, with the last vestiges of levelheadedness, only just managed to prevent herself from outright collapsing and tightening into as little of a ball as possible and futilely praying that this was all just a terrible, lucid nightmare. She was a grown mare, not a whimpering little filly. She could get through this. She had gone through much worse before… right? Right, Applejack assured herself, despite how unconvincing it sounded. She had camped out in the wilderness plenty of times before, so surviving in this forest should be a cinch. Pondering how to get home with no map, supplies, or sense of direction, the mare decided to see if she could navigate by the stars. As a young filly, before her days of apple bucking, after a long day of chores Applejack would often enjoy gazing into the night sky, admiring the twinkling points of light and tracing the imaginary lines of memorized constellations. Oh, how always so elated she was to witness astronomical marvels seldom seen, such as meteor showers or even a comet. In spite of her dilemma, Applejack let out a wistful sigh at this. It had been years now since that time, but the mare was confident that she could still recognize the patterns of the night sky after so long. She may not know exactly where she was, but finding the North Star, Polari, was a good start, since most of Equestria’s untamed forestland lie to the south. Looking up, Applejack frowned. The canopy here was too thick to allow her to see even a tiny portion of the sky. Applejack grit her teeth in apprehension as she realized that the only option now was to start walking to try and find a better vantage point to see the stars. She was lost, alone, and did not know the way home, and she detested the idea of possibly getting even more lost in these damned woods… but what else could she do? Although the farmer was sure that her friends were looking for her at this very moment, she was uncertain as to how successful they could be. How would they know where she was if she herself had no idea? This forest could stretch on for miles in all directions, not to mention the thick fog; it could take months of non-stop searching for them to find her, if they find her at all, that is. Staying in the same spot, waiting for help that would never arrive was not an option. There was no other choice, then. Shaking any lingering doubt from her head, Applejack steeled herself and slowly took a step forward, then another, and another. Before she knew it, she was already making her way through the thicket, leaves crackling beneath her leaden hooves. Peering through the fog was difficult, for there was no obvious trail through these woods, and the scenery looked the same no matter how much she walked. In the back of her mind, Applejack wondered if she was walking in circles as she passed a rather familiar-looking tree, but immediately declared that to be impossible, that she had been walking in as straight of a line as possible and that her mind was simply playing tricks on her. Above all costs, she had to get home…
Wherever You're Going to...The foliage was relentless in shielding the skies above from her prying eyes. Applejack had been stumbling through the dark forest for well over an hour now (or what seemed like it; perhaps unsurprisingly, the passage of time did not seem right in this place), regularly craning her head here and there, and she still could not find a large enough break in the canopy for her to glimpse the stars. Moreover, it felt incredibly unnerving walking amongst the shadowy trees all by her lonesome, the grinding of her hoofsteps against fallen leaves and her steady, nervous breathing being the only audible disturbances in the otherwise perfect silence. Another seemingly hour or two passed, and Applejack still did not have any success. Her patience was wearing thin. Even more time passed. How much, she really did not know for sure, but her frustration and apprehension eventually boiled to a critical point, and Applejack lashed out at the nearest tree with her hoof with all her might. A loud, familiar thwack rang forth, but to her surprise, the tree remained unscathed, as if the mare had never hit it in the first place. She had not managed to scrape off even the tiniest bit of bark, nor had she felt any pain upon slamming her hoof so haphazardly against the knotted trunk of the seemingly invincible tree. Her rage quickly simmering down, Applejack simply stared at the spot she struck, then took a glance at her hoof, expecting to see the keratin chipped or scratched. Her hoof was also completely undamaged. In fact, she had never seen her hoof looking so… flawless, not in a long time. She scrutinized her other hooves and found all of them to be in a similar state. Rarity herself would be envious. Applejack was perplexed, though. While she made sure to take good care of her hooves, not overworking them during a solid day of apple bucking and keeping them in good condition afterwards, she had never seen her hooves looking so perfect before, save for one time, when she agreed to go to the spa with her friends all those years ago. However, she had not gone even once since then! She realized that even her coat was also clean and well-kept after giving her entire body a quick inspection, despite the fact that she had been sleeping for Faust-knows-how-long on the dirty forest floor not too long ago. Furthermore, while she did not have a mirror or any other means of seeing her reflection, at this point Applejack did not doubt that there was not a single blemish on her face, even after hitting herself earlier. What was going on? The more Applejack speculated, the more cryptic everything became. An epiphany suddenly striking like a bolt of lightning, Applejack realized that if she could not see the stars from the ground, then she could try scaling the trees and seeing them from up above. The earth pony felt her stomach sink at this, though; there was a reason earth ponies preferred staying firmly planted on the ground. Still, Applejack gathered that she would not make any progress sighting the stars so long as the canopy remained as thick as it was, so it was at least worth a shot, provided she did not end up breaking a limb in the process. She had some assurance, however small, in the fact that she had climbed trees before, back on the farm, when the occasional apple stubbornly clung on to its branch too much to be harvested by apple bucking alone. These trees were significantly taller than the apple trees back at Sweet Apple Acres, though… Finding a suitable tree, one that could be climbed without too much difficulty, did not take too long. Gathering her nerve, Applejack hugged and shuffled up the trunk of said tree before reaching for the bough and pulling herself up to it. She then stretched a limb out to reach for another branch, one slightly higher up, grabbed it, and pulled herself up, rustling the leaves in the process. The earth pony repeated the process over and over again, slowly but surely making her way up the tree. The branches got thinner, sparser, and less likely to support the pony’s weight the higher Applejack got, and she was all too aware of this. It was an awfully long drop to the forest floor now… Her determination to get back home far outweighed her natural fear of heights, though. Eventually, after much time and effort, Applejack was above the canopy at last, and she let the feeling of triumph wash over her. Sitting on a rather thin branch and holding on for dear life, Applejack allowed herself a moment of rest to catch her breath and allow her pounding heart to relax. Finally, after a moment’s reprieve, Applejack tilted her head skywards, eagerly anticipating what Princess Luna had painted upon her canvas. One could only imagine the devastation and horror on the young mare’s face as she saw no stars amongst the firmaments above, none whatsoever. It was not because there was a thick overcast or some such; there was actually not a single cloud to be seen from horizon to horizon. There were literally no stars at all. The sky was a simple black backdrop—plain, unadorned… empty. Applejack’s mind was racing. Where had they gone? There was no logical reason behind their disappearance. Princess Luna would not venture to even think of forsaking Her beautiful stars; they were as integral to Her night as the Moon itself. Not even Princess Celestia dared to alter the constellations in the slightest during Her sister’s millennium-long banishment. Her breathing quickening and her jaw quivering, Applejack desperately scanned the entire expanse of the blackness above, hoping to find even the dimmest sign of a star, her only hope for a way back home. But she found nothing. There was not a single point of light in the sky, save for the white disc of the Moon. Yes, the Moon remained a constant, even if the stars were not. Shaking, Applejack automatically, reluctantly, locked her welling eyes to the Moon, as if to ask, “Why?” but soon found herself inexplicably entranced with It, a perfect circle of pure, almost-blinding white, with nary a single pockmark or crater to be seen on Its surface. It was magnificent, alluring… petrifying. It was an orb, high and mighty, unreachable and unfathomable, staring down at the land below. Lording over Its dominion, this strange forest, the celestial eye suddenly seemed to focus on the orange earth pony mare, who had dared to seek audience with It, sitting amongst the treetops, as if she were not even an ant, insignificant and infinitesimal. Under the gaze of this Medusa, Applejack was frozen stiff; she really might as well indeed have been less than nothing. The longer she gaped at It, the tinier she felt. She dimly felt her grip on her branch slackening. She was horrified but spellbound, and no matter how much she tried the mare found it physically impossible to tear her eyes away from the Moon’s horrifically tantalizing visage. Even as she fell backwards into gravity’s cruel but welcome embrace, Applejack remained transfixed with the Moon. She could have sworn that It was howling down at her, sneering at her, as she was cast down from Its court. It was only until she disappeared beneath the canopy and collided with the unfeeling ground far below was she finally safe in merciful darkness. When Applejack came to, she expected to be met with a shrieking, white-hot pain from all over her body, shattered bones wailing in protest from being shifted around, rivers of blood dribbling down her skin from deep, vicious gashes. She felt nothing. In fact, she felt as if she had just awoken from a refreshing nap. Glancing across her body, the mare was, admittedly, no longer surprised to see the absence of even the smallest cuts and bruises. She checked to see if her hat was still there atop her head and was numbly satisfied. Applejack wondered how long she had been out, and automatically looked up at the sky to check for the time of day. It seemed to still be nighttime. Immediately recalling her less-than-pleasant experience with the Moon, the earth pony shuddered and quickly averted her eyes to the ground. That Moon… That was no moon, not Luna’s Moon, at least. Where was she, if even the Moon itself was so different, so brilliantly appalling to her? Could she be…? The mare sucked in a deep breath as comprehension dawned on her. Applejack simply sat there, too bewildered to be shaken out of her reverie. Another world? That was impossible… was it not? It made no sense… yet it did, in a way. How else could she explain the strange phenomena that she had experienced? The soundless forest? The alien sky? Her apparent invulnerability? Just what was going on? If it was not obvious that there was something not right about this place, then it was now. But, if she really was in another world, then… then, how would she go home? Was there any way home? Applejack felt her jaw quiver and her eyes tear up again. No… no. Assuring to herself, babbling to herself. She would go home. She would go home and run into the loving embrace of everypony back home and never be alone again. She would go home, back to the life she loved, on the farm she loved, reunited with the family she loved. She would go home and cherish every precious moment with her best friends for as long as they lived. She would go home to find her special somepony, raise a family of her own and grow old, live to see them grow old and have children of their own. She would go home to a life worth living, not… this. But this was all she would ever have, reality taunted her. Her words were nothing more than hopeless drivel from a pony unwilling to face the facts. Lost and alone in a realm beyond mortal understanding, there was nothing left for her. The unforgiving truth was laid bare to her, and it was futile to deny it any further: there was NO WAY HOME The words roared at her, and just like that, Applejack broke. The sound of her hope fracturing into worthless shards was barely drowned out by her screams of sorrow. She screamed into the silence, bawling, begging for a way home, for that chance to live that life she so desperately wanted. No longer held back by the façade of bravery, rivulets of salty tears cascaded down the mare’s face as she pounded her hooves against the mocking ground, over and over again, willing them to crack and shatter even though she knew they never would. On and on she wailed, heaving sobs wracking her shaking body. For the eternity she laid there as a wretched, blubbering heap, Applejack continued to wail, and no matter how much she cried the forest responded as it always did. Quiet.
Welcome to the Dance of DeathWarped in this place as it may be, an eternity was still a long time, but even it will pass eventually. After her eternity of grief, Applejack laid unmoving from her spot, save for her trembling breaths and the occasional hiccup. Sniffling, she still let her tears flow down her cheeks, nowhere near dry, but at least she was no longer crying out to the nothingness. No way home… No way home… The words continued to whisper to her, plaguing her and threatening to rend the remnants of her sanity asunder, and try as she might Applejack could not find the mental capacity to exorcize them from her damaged psyche. No way home… What was she to do now? The mare spent another eternity motionless, and she would have spent countless more had something not caught her eye just then. Through her blurry vision, Applejack thought she could see the barest hint of a dim orange glow through the fog. She weakly raised her head, and hazily confirmed that there was indeed something out there. Sitting straight up at last, joints creaking and muscles aching from disuse, the mare wiped her ancient tears off her face and squinted her bloodshot eyes to make out the anomalous light. As perpetually darkened as the forest was, the light was hardly visible through the fog but it was just bright enough to tell her that this was something… different. She had not noticed anything like this during her previous excursion through the woods, so it was little wonder why the mare decided to finally stand up, briefly stretched her neglected limbs, and begrudgingly proceeded in the direction of the glow. No way home… After all, what else could she do now? Hollowly, the mare stumbled her way towards the light, akin to a lighthouse hailing a lost ship to safe harbor. As she drew closer, the light grew brighter, more distinct. At the same time, her ears twitched and she heard—heard! She actually heard!—something she had not experienced in a very, very long time. It was something so precious, so universal Applejack could immediately connect with it regardless of how foreign it was to her now. Music. Its melody began to fill the void within her being left behind by the ravaging touch of utter despair and hopelessness. It soothed her like a mother would comfort her child, beckoning her to approach it and find it, all the while expelling the cursed whispers (no way home!) from her mind. The sound of it threatened to bring tears—this time, not of grief, but joy—to her eyes, but she managed to hold them back and persevered. How could there be music in this dead place? How could there be something so beautiful, so alive here? So excited she was she quickly banished such questions, and the earth pony could not help but speed up into a gentle trot, then into an outright gallop as she drew nearer to the source. The light grew ever brighter with every step she took, its orange brilliance a welcome change to the darkness she had grown all too accustomed to, and the music could be heard more clearly. Dodging trees left and right, she faintly realized she wore the memory of a smile upon her weary face. She heard one last, almost inaudible whisper in her mind before it was purged altogether. No… Way… H… Finally, the light and music almost too powerful to bear, Applejack gave one last burst of speed and emerged from some dense shrubbery and into a wide clearing at the same time the deafening music unexpectedly slowed and softened, but did not stop. The first thing the mare noticed was the enormous bonfire laying in the middle of it all, hypnotizing, dancing, reaching high towards the heavens and the Moon above, and radiating such intense heat she could feel it all the way from the edge of the glade. The Moon seemed oddly benign here, almost benevolent as it showered a stream of gentle moonlight into the clearing. The second thing she noticed were the throng of ponies all in front of her, gathered in a loose circle around the towering fire. A motley bunch, they were. Mares and stallions, fillies and colts, of all colors and ages, from all tribes. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns—there was no discrimination here. They seemed to come from all walks of life. Paupers and beggars, dressed in threadbare rags that barely concealed their starving frames. Decorated soldiers in dented and well-worn armor. Scholars in robes signifying high rank in prestigious academia. Royalty and nobles garbed in the finest silks and adorned with the most precious jewelry. It was clear that any sense of social hierarchy strangely did not exist here. Right now, though, they were staring intently at the intruder, although their faces were blank and their bodies continued swaying to a gentle melody that was played everywhere but by nopony present. They did nothing else, nothing to indicate they would take any action towards her. Eerie as it was, the scene did beg the question: what were they doing before she arrived? Despite the warmth of the blazing fire, she shuddered as a chill went down her spine. In any case, Applejack did not know whether to feel immense relief at finally seeing other ponies after so long alone, or to feel utterly terrified at what they would do. If anything, it was downright creepy with the way they simply looked at her, not doing anything more. Suddenly, a couple of them stepped forward and started walking—no, lumbering, but still swaying—towards her. Not knowing what else to do, Applejack stood apprehensively, waiting with bated breath and resisting the primal urge to flee, and watched as the couple of ponies took step after unhurried step, bringing themselves agonizingly closer to her. When they stood before her at last, Applejack took a closer look at the pair. A mare and a stallion, both earth ponies, both strongly built. The way they carried themselves together hinted they knew each other. Family? They were clearly laborers of some sort, perhaps farmers? Something flashed across their blank faces… recognition? Odd. They had never met before. So then, why did Applejack feel something stir within her soul at that very moment, as well? One of them, the stallion, reached a hoof out towards her. Confused, Applejack considered raising her own hoof for a hoofbump, but then realized that the stallion before her was not asking for a greeting; he was pointing, not quite at her, but rather at… her hat? Even more confused now, Applejack took off her beloved Stetson and tentatively held it towards him. In response, the stallion merely nodded slowly. Still puzzled, Applejack looked at the stallion, then at her hat, then at the mare beside him, then her hat again, back and forth, as the tugging at her heart intensified, the pangs of recognition growing too strong to ignore. Unbidden memories from times long past began surfacing in her mind. Her brow furrowed in concentration. Where had she seen them before? She felt the strong but gentle (and caring?) hoof of the stallion against her chin, raising her head up. Their eyes met at last, and Applejack noticed the stallion in front of her also had green eyes, the same shade as hers. It was at that moment that Applejack understood. She had known these two ponies before, a long time ago, and had not seen them since she was but a little filly. She mouthed something to the ponies in front of her, to see if they knew as well, and with a single, sullen nod of their heads, the truth rang in her mind, as clear as the tolling of the mourning bells on the day of their funeral. But if she was here in this place with them, then… The music abruptly picked up, faster and livelier now, no longer a continuous hum appropriate for an interlude, but something more befitting of a Dance. And Dance, the ponies did! All around the fire they Danced! No longer swaying, they Danced! Even as the two ponies before her joined the Dance, Applejack remained rooted to the spot, totally numbed by her revelation. The two then extended a helping hoof towards the catatonic mare, and she could only dumbly stare at it for a while before accepting. They slowly led her towards the center of the clearing, towards the fire, gracefully Dancing all the while, hooves stamping to the beat, twirling their bodies this way and that. Everypony was completely engrossed in the music, which only continued to build up. The ponies all around watched on even as they Danced in perfect unison, giddy in anticipation as gleeful, twisted expressions spread across their visages. Applejack finally regained her mental faculties and gasped as she realized where she was being led. She tried to resist, tried and tried she did, yet her hooves kept moving of their own accord. Faster and faster they Danced! Applejack was let go, but instead of turning tail and escaping, to her horror she continued to willfully approach the immense flame, one slow, steady step after another. The remnants of rational and conscious thought screamed at her to just run away and never look back, but the rest of her fractured mind refused, wanting, yearning for her to simply give in and accept her long-overdue fate. Closer and closer to the fire, the music grew louder and faster, almost a cacophony, overwhelming even the thundering of the mare’s panicking heart… And the Dance grew ever more frantic, ever more passionate! Mere hoof-lengths away from the tickling flames, the extreme heat already singing her, Applejack stole a despairing glance back at the two ponies, wondering if they would charge in and pull her back, but they did no such thing—as they Danced, they gave but a small twitching of the lips, reminiscent of a loving smile, as Applejack’s body leapt into the inferno. Applejack burned. Yet it did not hurt. She thought she was screaming. She was not sure, though. Hair and fur turned to ash. Her skin was seared off. Her blood boiled away. Her flesh was stripped away from the bones. Even as their own flesh began to rot away into nothing, leaving behind skeletal grins and rattling bones, the ponies around the fire howled and cackled in celebration, while the Moon overhead laughed heartily in thorough amusement. All the while, they never stopped Dancing. The fire finally relinquished its hold, and the bones of once-Applejack staggered out from the eternally burning coals. She paused for only the briefest of moments, before at long last she, too, Danced. Danced they did, and Dance they would, forevermore. Author's Note Story inspired by "Dance of Death," by Iron Maiden. So after almost half a year of not writing anything (blame college, Fallouts 3 and New Vegas, writer's block, and, of course, laziness), I finally managed to churn this out after two weeks of on-and-off writing, partly because GeminiGemelo coaxed me into doing it, and partly because I truly do want to see the ideas I gathered over the past six months in a written form. This particular story started off as a one-shot, but it became quite a bit longer than I originally planned (about 2,000 words longer, actually), so I decided to divide it into three chapters since I thought leaving it as a single chapter felt too drawn-out. I still feel that I tried too hard writing this, and to me the overall impact got smothered by the verbosity and flowery language I tried to incorporate. All in all, I'm not totally happy with the way this turned out, but at least it's done and I can finally move on to my other ideas.
