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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Gone
"AJ, I'm tired."
"Ah know, Twi," Applejack tried to comfort her friend. The words came out harsh and impersonal, her voice hoarse from the bone-dryness of the desert. Oh, what she'd give for a spout of clean water. There was nothing out here, nothing but the hot, claylike ground of packed dust and soil.
"We need to go back home. We'll continue searching tomorrow," Twilight offered, sighing. Every day she sounded more and more hopeless, today a mere shell of her initial vigor. Applejack turned around and started following her trail, dragging her hooves along the way. Her muscles ached fiercely; eight or nine hours of walking in the heat will do that to a pony.
"Twilight, look," Applejack said. "We're gonna be out here every darn day 'til we find them," she continued, the words sounding less powerful than she had hoped. "And ah know deep in the bottom of my heart, they're out there somewhere. Waitin' for us."
She said the words as firmly as she could, but her heart was still quivering like a terrified animal. It had been at least a week since Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie disappeared from Appaloosa. Applejack replayed the same memory in her head for the hundredth time. All the smiling faces of her friends, their waving as they headed off on a train wagon to some other Celestia-forsaken ghost town in the middle of nowhere. Applejack used to love Appaloosa, but now even the name was going to haunt her.
"What could have happened, Applejack?" Twilight asked, tears welling in her eyes. Her tone reminded Applejack of all the times Applebloom asked about monsters under the bed or in the closet. "I mean, they were the only ones on the train. Were they attacked? Did the train stop somewhere else?" Twilight paused. She looked straight at the desert ground, now a grayish-brown in the sunset hours. Tiny spots of darkness plinked down into the pressed sand. Tears.
"Or are they dead?"
The question hit the farmer like a sack of stones. It took every ounce of courage and strength in Applejack’s heart to hold back a flood of wailing. She would have denied it, but over these agonizingly long days her own hope had burned out like a candlewick. Rainbow Dash, who soared through the skies daily, returned every night without even a clue. The next towns over had no idea where the missing Elements were. Even Appaloosa's search party came up completely empty-hoofed.
Applejack clenched her eyelids shut, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She wanted to be strong now. Strong for Twilight. But in the honest depths of her heart she had nothing to say. She choked out her own sob.
"C'mon Twilight", she said, draping a foreleg around her near-wailing friend. "It's a long way home. We'd better head back."
Nothing more needed to be said. The flame was extinguished, the light snuffed. Though the walk to this point was grueling, the way home would be torturous. All the lone mares could do was cry out into the silent sky above, lead hooves carrying them home.
"Ah know, Twi," Applejack tried to comfort her friend. The words came out harsh and impersonal, her voice hoarse from the bone-dryness of the desert. Oh, what she'd give for a spout of clean water. There was nothing out here, nothing but the hot, claylike ground of packed dust and soil.
"We need to go back home. We'll continue searching tomorrow," Twilight offered, sighing. Every day she sounded more and more hopeless, today a mere shell of her initial vigor. Applejack turned around and started following her trail, dragging her hooves along the way. Her muscles ached fiercely; eight or nine hours of walking in the heat will do that to a pony.
"Twilight, look," Applejack said. "We're gonna be out here every darn day 'til we find them," she continued, the words sounding less powerful than she had hoped. "And ah know deep in the bottom of my heart, they're out there somewhere. Waitin' for us."
She said the words as firmly as she could, but her heart was still quivering like a terrified animal. It had been at least a week since Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie disappeared from Appaloosa. Applejack replayed the same memory in her head for the hundredth time. All the smiling faces of her friends, their waving as they headed off on a train wagon to some other Celestia-forsaken ghost town in the middle of nowhere. Applejack used to love Appaloosa, but now even the name was going to haunt her.
"What could have happened, Applejack?" Twilight asked, tears welling in her eyes. Her tone reminded Applejack of all the times Applebloom asked about monsters under the bed or in the closet. "I mean, they were the only ones on the train. Were they attacked? Did the train stop somewhere else?" Twilight paused. She looked straight at the desert ground, now a grayish-brown in the sunset hours. Tiny spots of darkness plinked down into the pressed sand. Tears.
"Or are they dead?"
The question hit the farmer like a sack of stones. It took every ounce of courage and strength in Applejack’s heart to hold back a flood of wailing. She would have denied it, but over these agonizingly long days her own hope had burned out like a candlewick. Rainbow Dash, who soared through the skies daily, returned every night without even a clue. The next towns over had no idea where the missing Elements were. Even Appaloosa's search party came up completely empty-hoofed.
Applejack clenched her eyelids shut, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She wanted to be strong now. Strong for Twilight. But in the honest depths of her heart she had nothing to say. She choked out her own sob.
"C'mon Twilight", she said, draping a foreleg around her near-wailing friend. "It's a long way home. We'd better head back."
Nothing more needed to be said. The flame was extinguished, the light snuffed. Though the walk to this point was grueling, the way home would be torturous. All the lone mares could do was cry out into the silent sky above, lead hooves carrying them home.