Missing You
By: Compendium of Steve
All was silent in the old homestead as Applejack made for her bedroom. As she moved down the darkened hallway, a scared mumbling reached her ears. Recognizing that sound from anywhere, she took a detour and stepped into one of the side doors of the hall, entering the room of her little sister. Apple Bloom was tossing and turning beneath the covers of her bed, mumbling incoherently with tears in her eyes. Eventually some discernible words did leave her whimpering lips.
"Ma, Pa, where are you? Why aren't you home? Ma..."
Applejack frowned a moment, then leaned down and kissed Apple Bloom gently on her forehead, whispering, "Ma and Pa will be home shortly, sugarcube. No need to worry."
The filly stopped rolling about and slowly settled into a silent rest. A relieved but sad smile filled Applejack's face as she watched her sister sleep for a moment, then turned back out of the room and closed the door behind her. Even after so many years it was still tough on the young one, Applejack thought as she proceeded down the hall to her room. In no time she got to her bedroom door and stepped on through. Breathing a sigh of content, she closed her door and turned to the bed, only to jump back in fright. Before her stood two other earth ponies, a strapping stallion with auburn hair and a darling mare with golden blonde. Though Applejack was flabbergasted by their appearance, they merely looked back at her with kind, loving eyes. Eyes that she hadn't seen in a long, long time.
"...Ma? Pa?" was all she could say.
Seemingly unchanged from how she remembered them, her parents practically glowed with life in the dark confines of her room. There wasn't much time for gawking though, as the couple trotted by Applejack and out into the hall. For a few seconds she stood frozen with that look of confusion and disbelief, but then she violently shook it off and slammed the door open to follow the two ponies. Out in the hall, she looked to the other end to find her parents descending the stairs. Running to the stair landing, she looked down to see them heading out the front door, and just as quickly raced down the stairs in pursuit.
Out on the porch of the house, the entirety of the yard and outlying fields was enveloped in the darkness of the night, except for the radiant pony couple that seemed to glide over the ground. Without question Applejack gave chase, and in little time she managed to shorten the distance to only several yards, but they continued to elude her, looking back with those kind smiles.
Soon the pursuit ended by the fencing near the main gate, where the couple sank into the ground and vanished. Applejack skidded to a stop and fell to her knees on the spot where her parents vanished, distraught and at a complete loss. She then began digging frantically at the ground, choking between breaths as dirt was tossed about.
"Don't go! Why do you have to leave us? Apple Bloom needs you! I NEED YOU!"
Fatigue got the better of her in little time, and Applejack let her legs fall to her sides, succumbing to sobs within her freshly dug hole. After a while, she collected herself and merely sat silent, and then,
"I'm sorry... It just hurts so darn much still..."
Solemnly, Applejack got back on her hooves and headed back home, where her family slumbered peacefully.