Ma?....Pa?....
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That Faint Memory

Ma?....Pa?....

At the border of the Everfree, it was like there was an invisible wall keeping the like out. As soon as the light hit a tree it turned dark and cold. A shiver went down Applejack's spine and she got a weird feeling in her gut. The three fillies just stood there when Applejack looked at Rainbow's face and chuckled. The look on her face was pure terror. She took this opportunity to show up Rainbow. She started to step forward and looked back at Rainbow.

"Ha, who's a chicken now?" teased Applejack as she stuck her tongue out. Rainbow quickly glared at Applejack.

"You are!" She said as she flew closer to the Everfree. Applejack trotted a little farther than Rainbow. Then Rainbow flew farther than Applejack. The two kept on trying to get farther then the other one. Rarity just followed along occasionally smelling the odd flowers. With another step, Applejack went tumbling down a steep hill.

"Wooaaahhh!" Yelled Applejack. Rainbow flew down as fast as she could whilst dodging tree branches and rocks. Applejack continued falling with no sign of slowing down. Rarity started to slowly climb down the hill, trying not to fall, but still trying to get to the bottom. Rainbow flew around a boulder and her wing had hit a branch on the other side causing it to bleed some. Still she kept flying even through the searing pain.

She eventually caught up to Applejack. When Rainbow looked at Applejack and it seemed as if she had passed out. She wasn't showing any effort to try and slow down at all and her eyes were closed as her limp body fell down the hill. Rainbow had to fly faster then ever. She could see the bottom of the hill and started to slow down a bit. When Applejack reached the bottom, her body tumbled into a stream.

Rainbow saw her tumble into the stream and started to panic. That stream must be at least three to four feet deep! Rainbow panicked in her mind. Mean while, The stream was taking Applejack further away while she's drowning. Rarity was about halfway down when she misplaced her hoof and started to slide down the hill. When she got to the bottom she saw rainbow starting to fly towards Applejack.

"Wait for me!": Called Rarity

" No time!" Replied Rainbow as she dashed away. Not wanting to be left alone in the Everfree, Rarity started to run as fast as her legs would go, following the stream. As Rainbow flew she felt her heart pound faster and harder than ever. She felt a sharp pain in her wing and remembered that it was still hurt. She pushed through the pain as tears started to fall down her face with only one thought in her mind. I'm gonna save my friend.

"Has any of ya'll seen Applejack?" asked Golden Jack.

"She said they were gonna go over to Fluttershy's cottage." Replied Big Mac.

"They?" asked Golden Jack.

"Her and her friends. Rainbow Dash and Rarity." Said Big Mac.

"Go to Fluttershy's cottage and see if they are there." Instructed Jack.

"Eeyup." Replied Big Mac as he turned to leave.

Rainbow Dash kept flying as fast as she could even though her wing was on fire and threatened to stop working. She could barely see though all her tears in her eyes but she still pushed forward. She wiped her tears from her eyes so she could see for a moment and saw that the stream went into a shallow pond. As Applejack's body settled on the sand underneath the water, blood started to fill the water. Rainbow took a deep breath and dived right in to push her body out of the water.

It took all her effort to pull Applejack out of the water, especially with her wing, but she managed to bring her top half out of the water. She gasped when she saw a giant gash on her head. Immediately, she put her head on her chest and heard what she was dreading. Nothing. There was no heart beat. She quickly got up and started to do CPR. She had taken a class in middle school so she knew for the most part what she was doing. She quickly went mouth to mouth, then back to CPR. She kept switching from CPR to mouth to mouth. Rarity finally made it to them completely out of breath.

"Is......S-she......al....right?" Wheezed Rarity.

"I-I-I don't k-know." Cried Rainbow."I-I think s-she h-hit her he-head while t-tumbling and p-pa-passed out. H-her heart I-isn't b-b-beating. S-she won't w-wake u-u-up!" Her vision was blurred cause of all the tears. She tried to wipe away the tears and continue CPR and mouth to mouth.

"Grab some leaves or something to help stop the bleeding!" Shouted Rainbow in fear. Rarity quickly grabbed some leaves and put them on the gash. Almost instantly, the leaves turned red. She just grabbed more leaves and switched them with the bloody leaves. That was Rarity's job as Rainbow tried to revive her friend. She put her head to Applejack's chest and herd a faint and very quiet beat. She gave a weak smile and looked up at Rarity with tears in her eyes.

"It's b-beating! I-it's b-beating!" She said with joy. She kept doing mouth to mouth trying to pick up her heart beat. Rarity smiled back as she continued to switch the leaves. The gash was about half an inch deep and wouldn't stop bleeding. Rainbow had been able to pick up her heart beat a little, but not much. She quickly searched the area to put Applejack while she went for help. She saw a tree with giant roots coming out of the ground. It was almost like a small cave made out of tree roots.

"Rarity! Help me move Applejack over there!" She yelled while pointing to the tree. Rarity stopped collecting leaves and help Rainbow drag Applejack under the tree roots.

"You stay here with Applejack." Instructed Rainbow." I"m gonna go find help.

"Don't just leave me here alone." Whined Rarity.

" Look, I need you to stay here with Applejack. I'll be right back. Stay covered. Don't leave the tree." Said Rainbow. With that she took off to the sky and flew straight towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Big Mac was practically galloping as Fluttershy's cottage came into view. He slowed down and started walking as he reached the door. He quietly knocked and waited for an answer. No answer. he knocked again, this time a little louder. He heard the door creak open as Fluttershy peeked her head out.

"H-hello?" She whispered. She blushed when she saw Big Mac. She had had a crush on him for a while now, but was to shy to say anything.

"Howdy Fluttershy." Replied Big Mac.

"Would you like to come in?" She asked with a sheepish grin, now blushing even more.

"Sorry, but ah can't." Fluttershy frowned at the response. "Ah came to see if Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity were here. They said they were coming over to play." Said Mac.

"Umm.... they haven't been by since yesterday. I'm sorry if I didn't help." Apologized Fluttershy shrinking back into her house.

"No need ta apologize. Ah think Ah know where they are. " Replied Big Mac while looking towards the Everfree. Fluttershy gasped as a horrible thought came to her mind.

"You don't think they.......*gulp* went into the E-e-ever-f-f-free.......do you?" asked Fluttershy, her voice quivering.

"Eyup." Replied Mac. He turned around and started to gallop back to the farm. Fluttershy was confused for a little bet then shut the door and continued making herself lunch.

Rainbow Dash and her friends weren't very far into the Everfree so Dash made it out quickly and saw Big Mac galloping towards the farm. She dove down and landed in front of him. He skidded to a stop and almost knocked Dash over.

"Dash! There ya are. Ah've been trying ta find ya'll." Said Mac. "Where is Applejack and Rarity? What happened to your wing?" He asked in a worried tone.

"They are in trouble! In the Everfree! Applejack is hurt badly!" Blurted Dash wincing in pain as Mac reminded him about his wing. "I was on my way to your parents and then I saw you. We need to get to your parents and get help!" Yelled Dash panicking.

"Eeyup." Said Mac as he started to gallop towards the Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow bolted into the sky and followed Mac. They were on the road and it was a weekday so there weren't many ponies out and about.

Rarity was starting to get cold and tired. She had rested Applejack's head an her lap and was half asleep, just wanting to go home.
There was a breeze, but the roots were keeping them a little warm. Rarity kept changing the leaves and rubbing Applejack's body with her hooves to try and warm her up. She was switching the leaves when she herd a howl. She froze in her tracks, eyes wide and alert. After a moment of deathlike stillness and listening, she relaxed and noticed Applejack didn't have leaves on her wound and it was bleeding furiously.

She panicked and quickly grabbed some leaves and pressed them to her head, when she heard another howl this one was a little louder. She froze again and her heart started to beat harder then ever. She looked at Applejack to make sure she was still there and saw her moving a bit. She gasped and gave a small smile knowing her friend was alright. Plus she would have someone to talk to until Dash got back. She just stared at Applejack until her eyes started fluttering open. She groaned and brought a hoof to her head, as that was where the pain was coming from. She tried to open her eyes and failed.

"You're ok, don't worry. I'm right here with you. You're gonna be alright." Cooed Rarity. Since Applejack couldn't see and since she hit her head she couldn't tell who was talking. She mentally freaked out but couldn't find the strength to move. Rarity saw Applejack straining and knew she didn't know where she was and was freaking out.

"Don't worry Applejack. It's me, Rarity." She Reassured. Applejack immediately stopped tryign to fight and tried to replay the events in her head of what happened. Let's see. Ah remember playin with Rainbow and Rarity, then we all had lunch. It was at lunch that Rainbow dared me ta go into the Everfree. Ah accepted the dare and we all went to the Everfree. I then slipped and then........? She lost her thought after that. She tried to open her eyes again and got a little farther than last time. She was able to see Rarity for a split second before her eyes forced shut again. Rarity was able to get Applejack to fall back asleep. She had to stay awake and wait for Dash to get back. She slowly got increasingly tired Must....stay....awake. She thought to herself.

Rainbow was flying and Mac was galloping towards the farm. They where both sweating as they galloped as fast as they could. When they made it to the farm Jack saw them and galloped to them. When they got to each other, their dad saw them sweating and when he didn't see Applejack or Rarity, he started to mentally panic.

"Where are the girls." He asked. The sun was setting but it would stay light out for a little while. Big Mac and Rainbow were both sweating vigorously. They didn't waist any time and tried to blurt out what they had to say without passing out.

"Applejack.....and Rarity....are in....the.......Everfree." Rainbow said through gasps for breath.

"Applejack........is hurt.....badly." Wheezed Mac. His fathers face went from curiosity to horror. He quickly turned towards the house to get his wife. He quickly galloped inside and looked for his wife.

"Hon, where are ya? Applejack is hurt badly in the Everfree! We gotta go!" Yelled Jack. His wife came quickly scurrying into the room and zoomed right past him. He turned to follow his wife and grabbed his rope on the way out. When they reached Mac and Dash, they stopped only for a split second.

"Dash, do you remember where they are?" Asked Jack.

"Yeah, follow me." Said Dash before taking off into the sky. They both followed her with Big Mac right behind them. They made it the Everfree in about 20 minuets it being on the other side of town. They didn't hesitate at all going into the Everfree and Rainbow had to gallop with them cause they couldn't see her above the trees. They followed, and they quickly made it to the hill Applejack slipped on.

"She's d-down there." Rainbow started to tear up again in fear of her friend. They descended as fast as they could without stumbling.

While they were on their way, Rarity heard the howls increasing and getting louder. Applejack was able to open her eyes now and was able to move around, but it still hurt to move. Rarity had helped Applejack prop up against the dirt wall. It was practically pitch black outside. She could only see anything cause of the full moon shining through the tree roots. She heard soft growling outside knew it was a timber wolf. There was at least two to three out there. She whispered to Applejack to be quiet, although that wouldn't really be a problem considering she was already half asleep. Rarity just sat next to Applejack who was curled up against the dirt wall, shivering.
The only thing they could do was wait.

As they neared the bottom of the hill they stopped suddenly.

"Hey, why are we stopping?" asked Dash concerned. The only reason they would stop, was if there was danger ahead.

"Shhhhh." Hissed Mac, then pointed to the bottom of the hill. Dashes eyes went wide with terror and used every muscle in her body to keep the scream inside of her.

"They are under those tree roots." Said Dash as she pointed at the tree at the bottom of the hill. The apple's father started to get his rope ready so he could grab the Timberwolves and save his daughter. Just as he was about to throw it at one of the Timberwolves, his wife put a hoof on his shoulder.

"There are three down there. You won't be able to take them all." Said his wife with concern. He thought about this for a moment and looked back and forth and his eyes rested on a tall tree. He pointed at the small tree and whispered," We'll go up there. The Timberwolves won't be able to see us. You guys, come on." They all went up the tree and hid in the leaves.

"Shhhhh." their father warned. Their father silently crept up the tree as far as he could go. He got out his rope and quickly roped up one Timberwolf. As soon as the rope hit the wolf, it yelped loud and alerted the other two as it got pulled into the darkness.

"Ahhh!mmfffppp!" screamed Dash before Mac covered her mouth. The Timberwolves, now alert, searched the area, ears perked, sniffing, and eyes wide. Their father glared at Dash before returning his attention back to the Timberwolves. They were staring at the tree the scream came from, not taking their eyes off of it. One started to cautiously move towards the tree sniffing. They all started to panic, and in their panic, their father roped the Wolf walking towards them. The Timberwolf saw the rope and tried to jump out of the way, but was to late and got pulled into the darkness with a loud yelp, much like the other one. The final Timberwolf started to run towards the tree in order to take it's prey.

Applejack was feeling better and besides her head, didn't hurt that much. She was able to move around a little to keep herself warm. Rarity was talking very quietly as she told Applejack everything that had happened after she had been knocked out. She asked where Dash was and Rarity told her that she went to go get help.

"She told me to stay wi..." Rarity stopped in mid sentence as they both herd a loud yelp followed by a loud scream that was cut off.

"That was RD." Said Applejack with horror and shakiness in her voice. Tears started to stream down her and Rarity's face. The huddled against each other and started to quietly sob into each others arms.

The final Timberwolf ran towards the tree and jumped into the leaves. There was not a whole lot of distance between them and the Timberwolf. Dash and Mac jumped out of the tree and landed on the ground with a sickening crack. "Ahhhhh!" Screamed Dash. A bolt of pain shot up through her leg and she collapsed. She looked down at her leg and saw a bone sticking out of it. She wimpered quietly and began to fly in order to keep further damage and pain. Big mac landed with ease as his legs where strong from apple bucking. He heard Dash screamed and whipped his head over to Dash. He saw the bone and almost vomited.

Although he was strong in his muscles, he wasn't as strong in his stomach. They began to gallop and fly as fast as they could towards the tree Applejack and Rarity where under. Applejack and Rarity heard hoofsteps and decided to peek out through the roots. All they could see were two shadows galloping and flying towards them. They quickly shuffled to a corner and waited in horror. As the one of the shadows crawled into the roots Applejack used her hind legs and bucked the shadow in the face. It collapsed on the ground and yelled out in pain. The moon shined into the hole and showed Dash's face.

"Oh my gosh! Ah'm so sorry RD! W-we heard t-the T-t-Timberwolf and then h-heard ya scream! Ah thought you were dead! Ah'm sorry!" Cried Applejack. Dash slowly put her hoof up to stop Applejack from apologizing . She then slowly lifted herself up one hoof at a time, groaning softly from her more than likely broken nose. When she made it up, she slowly limped over to Applejack and gave her a deep hug. Applejack returned the hug and they held an embrace for a moment when Dash finally said," I'm so glad you're ok. I was so worried." She then pulled away and limped over to Rarity and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're safe too. Thank you for staying with Applejack." Dash whispered.

"Of course darling." Replied Rarity. Just then Big Mac crawled in.

"We gotta get out of here before the Timberwolves get us." Said Mac with fear in his voice. Applejack was surprised that Mac was scared. He was always the bravest of the family. Well, besides their dad. They all nodded in agreement before one by one crawling out of the hole. The sky was clear, so they could see at least a few feet in front of them.

"Ugh, which way do we go to get out?" Whined Rarity stomping her hoof in the dirt. Mac shot a look at Dash basically telling her to find the way out since she found the way back.

"I'm going!" Replied Dash in an annoyed tone. She slowly rose over the trees to search for the way out. Let's see. I remember flying around a big boulder. So...... Big boulder? Her eyes rested on two big boulder. Really? Now what? She thought with one of her eyebrows up. She flew a little higher to see if she could see Fluttershy's cottage. She flew upwards and noticed a small breeze. Well, a big breeze. It pushed her around a bit but she quickly regained her composer. She kept flying up till she was above tree level. Her eyes searched intently. She couldn't see much since it was dark out, but she managed to spot a small light out in the distance. She quickly scanned her path to get to the light and when she knew which direction to go, she hovered back down to her friends.

"So? Which way do we go?" Said Applejack. She looked scared. But I wouldn't blame her. The Everfree is a dangerous place to be. Especially at night. Applejack was completely unaware that her parents where here in the Everfree with them.

"It's this way." Stated Dash while pointing her hoof towards the tree that they were just in a few minuets ago. The wind had begun to pick up and was stirring dirt everywhere. They all started to trek up the steep hill while managing to stay together despite all the dirt stirring around.

The Timberwolf jumped into the tree and snapped its jaws down trying to grasp something. It missed and pulled it's head out of the leaves. It growled furiously and snapped again. The whole tree had been shaken and knocked everybody over. Their father was looking for his rope, as it had been knocked out of his hoof when the Timberwolf shook the tree, and saw Dash and Mac jump out of the tree. A second later he heard a bloodcurdling scream. The Timberwolf also heard the scream and whipped it's head around and started sniffing. If it was true that Timberwolves could smell blood from miles away, then they were all in trouble.

Their father knew exactly what was going on and panicked. He frantically searched for his rope and found it laying next to his wife who was just starting to get up. He got her attention and motioned for her to toss him the rope. She understood what he was trying to say, and silently tossed the rope. He caught it and looked back at the Timberwolf who was now slowly and silently climbing out of the tree. Their father quickly tried to rope the Timberwolf and failed. However, it did get caught on a stick that was sticking out of it's back and caught it's attention.

It slowly turned while growling softly. When their father could see it's face, it's teeth were bared, it's eyes somehow looked even more creepy than usual, and it looked like it was ready to pounce at any moment. They didn't move. They ponies just sat deathly still and the Timberwolf just stared. It's menacing eyes piercing through the leaves and into their hearts. Their father, as fast as possible without alerting the Timberwolf, pulled the rope back up.

The Timberwolf saw the rope inching closer and it pounced. The Timberwolf snapped down as it's body hit the tree and managed to clamp its teeth onto their mothers leg. "Aaaggghhhh!" She screamed in pain. The Timberwolf ripped its head back ripping off one of their mothers legs. Blood spewed out everywhere. She lost her grip and fell from the tree landing with a thud. She landed on a tree root that was sticking out of the ground. It pierced her right arm.

"Ahhhhhh!" Screamed Applejack as a body fell I front of her. She looked down at the face and instantly recognized who it was. Her mother. She was breathing slow shallow breaths and it seamed as if she passed out. Tears started streaming down Applejack's face and she galloped over to her Mother and cuddled beside her, sobbing into her mothers arms. Dash suddenly felt a huge weight drop on her, and she knew what she was feeling.

Guilt. If it wasn't for her, none of this would have happened. Their mother was still conscious and did her best to wrap her arm around her little filly. Applejack looked up feeling the sudden movement under her head and saw her mother staring at her with loving eyes. Even though it was dark and the wind was blowing dirt everywhere, when Applejack looked into her mothers eyes, she saw a light, hope.

"Don't worry mommy. I'll get you out of here." Applejack assured though she wasn't even sure herself. She got up and started to pull her mothers hoof. Big Mac came over and started to help. Then Dash, then Rarity.

"......baby.....I am .....not .....going to .........make it. You.....have to......get ......out....of here." Said their mother through dying breathes. Applejack looked at her mothers leg and almost hurled. It was completely gone, only a small stump remained and it was still poring blood. There was a small pool of blood under her leg and pierced hoof. One by one they stopped there attempts at trying to save their mother. All accept Applejack. Even though her mind told her it isn't possible, her body wouldn't accept that. She kept pushing and pulling at different angels, but didn't manage to move her more then a few inches. Mac slowly walked up to Applejack and rested a hoof on her shoulder. Applejack stopped and looked up at her big brother with tears streaming down her face. Big Mac didn't say any words. Instead he just shook his head slowly. A single tear glided down his cheek.

"Ah'm sorry lil' sis." Mac whispered softly. Applejack just buried her face in her mothers arm and wept. Mac started to worry. They couldn't stay for much longer. He knew they had to leave. Right now. He reached down to pick up Applejack. As soon as his hooves touched her she grabbed hold of her mothers arm, not letting go. Big Mac just grabbed her and carried her in the direction out of the Everfree. They all heard a rustling in the tree above them and looked up just in time to see their father jump out from behind the leaves, closely followed by a Timberwolf. Applejack just watched in horror as her Father was chased by a Timberwolf. Big Mac started to gallop as sweat formed on his forhead and neck.

"No! We can't leave Pappa! We have to save him!"Applejack screamed while pounding her hooves into her brother's back.She wouldn't leave without her father, although she didn't have much choice. She looked back at her father to see the Timberwolf swinging his upper half in the air, than swallowing him whole. Applejack burst into tears. Both of her parents were dead. Both of them. She stopped struggling and wept silently into her brothers coat. Rainbow Dash looked back and saw the timberwolf feeding on its prey. Dash allowed a few tears to fall down her cheeks as she turned back around and led the way out. When they all made it out of the Everfree, Applejack had passed out on top of her brother, with a tear stained face. They didn't even bother to wash up. They just went straight to the hospital, to get Applejack's head checked, and Dash's wing checked. Applejack just lay on the bed, dreaming about her parents wishing that none of this had ever happened.

Author's Note

So, here is my second attempt at a sad fic. I will be posting the next chapter within a week or two. Constructive criticism is welcome, and if you don't like my story please say why in the comments. Thanks! I hope you liked it!