Chapter One - The Restless Ones
Chapter One
The Restless Ones
Applejack was all alone.
It wasn't until after she had finished eating her apple fritter that she realized everypony was gone. She brushed a few stray crumbs from her snout as she looked to her left, then to her right, but there was nopony else to be seen. It was as if everypony who had just been at the Apple family reunion had up and vanished. She licked a few more crumbs off her hoof, then stood up from underneath the table she had been sitting under, curious as to where the others had gotten to.
The sound of her hoofsteps was unnaturally loud in the silence that seemed to press in all around her. Just a few moments ago Granny Smith had been gossiping with some distant relative nearby, but the white picket fence she had been leaning on was now abandoned. A little further on, the horseshoe pit where Applejack's brother, Big Macintosh, had been playing was empty as well, save for a few iron shoes that had been left unceremoniously in the sand. Applejack moved on from the pit and peered around the corner of the farmhouse, but all she saw was an empty tree swing swaying gently in the breeze as if it had just recently held an occupant. Of her family there was no sign.
"Granny?" she called out hesitantly. Her little voice cracked and was lost in a sudden gust of wind, so she cleared her throat and spoke louder. "Are ya out there, Big Mac? Granny? Can ya hear me, Granny?" She nearly jumped out of her skin when the barn door banged loudly behind her. She turned around and watched the door rock back and forth in the wind, which had picked up considerably in the past few minutes. It swung wide open, hovered in place for a moment, then slammed shut a second time, startling Applejack again despite her watching it happen this time.
She had just sat down to compose herself when she felt a gentle impact of rain on the end of her snout, followed by another on her shoulder. A moment later, the sky opened up and poured rain down on her from above, filling the air with its damp smell. She wasn't sure when the sky had grown so menacing, but the clouds that had been white and fluffy just moments before were now dark and angry, black and grey. The sky flashed brightly as lightning branched down to kiss the ground nearby, and the immediate crash of thunder that followed seemed to shake the entire world. Applejack scrambled to her hooves and ran back under the table she had been sitting under before, eyes wide and nostrils flaring.
"Momma!? Papa!?" she cried, her voice cracking again. She rolled aside as the table she was hiding under blew over, splashing her face and mane with mud, then scrambled back onto her hooves and looked toward the horizon. Her heart skipped a beat as sudden realization dawned upon her. There, descending from the clouds like the tentacle of some great dark beast, was a sight she had hoped she would never have to see again. She turned and bolted for the farmhouse, but slipped in the mud and fell hard onto her side. The swirling vortex behind her seemed to roar in triumph as the wind howled ever louder.
The twister was heading straight for Sweet Apple Acres; everypony had to be warned before it was too late. She pressed a hoof into the mud, slipped, then tried again until she found purchase. Behind her, trees were being torn from the ground with deafening cracks as their trunks snapped like twigs. She winced as she was pummelled with small stones, twigs, and other debris as the wind whipped her mane about in a frenzy. She risked one last look behind her, knowing it was too late. There, directly in the path of the tornado, were her parents.
She tried to scream, but no sound would emerge. She could only watch with her mouth open, her eyes wide and wet with tears, as her mama and papa were swept up within the vortex and lost forever.
..o0o..
Applejack sat straight up in bed, gripping her covers close to her chest. Her heart was beating at a mile a minute, her face and mane were damp with sweat, and her front hooves wouldn't stop shaking. She frantically looked around in search of danger, but there was none to be found in her dark, silent bedroom, and she then realized where she was. It wasn’t until her eyes became adjusted to the darkness that she had finally calmed down enough to think clearly. The nightmare was a familiar one, but even so, it never became any easier to deal with.
She sighed, rolled over, and turned on the bedside lamp, squinting in the sudden brightness. She then leaned back against the headboard and stared at the ceiling, remaining in quiet contemplation in that position until the sun's first rays peeked above the horizon. Outside, the sky slowly turn from deep purple to crimson-orange.
She had always loved watching the sunrise. There was a part of her, deep within, that liked to imagine that her parents were watching along with her, wherever they might be. She continued to watch until she spotted Big Macintosh down below in the orchard, preparing for the morning chores. As with every day, his appearance outside meant that Apple Bloom would be knocking at any moment. Sure enough, there came a tapping at the bedroom door.
"Are ya ready for breakfast, sis?" the little filly asked as she poked her head into the room. "Big Mac's already outside!"
Applejack turned from the window and grinned widely. "You bet your apples I am!" She trotted over to her sister and gave her a warm hug. "Now go on downstairs, Apple Bloom. I'll be right down in two shakes of a lamb's tail." She closed the door after Apple Bloom left, and her grin immediately faded. She leaned back against the door and slid down to the ground, staring at the sky out the window once more. As usual, she remained there for several minutes.
Time to be strong, she thought after a while. She stood up and, with one last look out the window, put on a smile and prepared to go face another day.
..o0o..
Princess Luna's hoofsteps echoed through the expansive halls of Canterlot Castle as she made her way toward her bedchamber. Though the castle interior was still somewhat dark at this hour, the sun had already been set to rise by her sister, Princess Celestia, and even now the stained glass windows of the great hall began to spill multicolored light across the white and purple tiled floor.