Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Long, waving tendrils of golden prairie grasses whispered in the wind as they were blown back and forth, waving across the clear blue sky of the nearly impeccable summer day. The breeze, although light, did have a profound cooling effect on the day, as the dry heat of the sun was dissipated somewhat by the flow of cooling air. The backdrop behind the blowing grasses was pristine, an unbroken swath of sky that held not a cloud. From their position at the bottom of the hill, the four assembled ponies could easily see almost every blade of grass, distinct and easily spotted against the untouched sky at the hill's crest.
It was an image that captivated their senses and lightened their spirits. They had come far, having walked well through the night and into the pristine morning to reach this point. Although they could see nothing but the prairie and sparse trees that surrounded them, they knew they were close. Their path led up the hill, and so they followed it.
The hill was altogether not very steep, but the walk still seemed a long one, dragged out by the anticipation of what they would find at the culmination of their difficult journey. Twilight Sparkle was studying the map as they made the climb. Some time ago, the cyan dot and the golden dot had merged into the same location, and the lavender dot was fast approaching that same place. The golden dot had now disappeared altogether, but Twilight assumed that this meant their friends had found each other and were now too close together for the spell to distinguish them on the map. They were getting close, Twilight could almost feel it. "Come on girls, we're almost right on top of them, it's just to the top of this hill!"
By now, the strain of going without sleep and walking for so long was beginning to wear on them, except Twilight, for whom the discovery of how close they were had seemed to give an unending reserve of perseverance, and Fluttershy, who had slept on Pinkie Pie's back for several hours. This had, conversely, left much of Pinkie's famous stores of energy largely depleted, and she struggled on, panting for breath. Rarity was no better off.
As it so happened, Fluttershy, anxious to see two of her best friends again, flew excitedly to the top of the hill, where she promptly stopped and turned to call back down to her companions. "Girls, there's a cute little house just down the other side! Come on!"
Twilight Sparkle, her face seeming to light up, quickly charged up the remainder of the slope and took a position at the side of her pegasus friend. The trail led from where they stood down in a winding path to its culmination, at which point stood an ancient-looking shed. It had clearly seen better days. The windows were dark, the paint was peeling away and faded, and the majority of the houses outside had exposed raw wood, to which the elements had taken their toll. No matter how worn-down it looked, however, there was no denying the small cabin had charm. In was, after all, located in a strangely idyllic setting, and most of the damages were cosmetic. It appeared as if a recent attempt had even been made to clean it up some. There could be no doubt that, no matter how dark the windows were, this place was lived-in. "That has to be the place!" Twilight Sparkle was nearly giddy with excitement.
"What is it, darling?" Rarity panted as she finally reached the hilltop, before turning an eye to the dwelling before them and jerking backwards in feigned horror. "Oh, my. That place is absolutely hideous. Are you certain they're here, Twilight? I can't possibly imagine anyone wanting to go anywhere near that place!"
"This has to be it Rarity! The map says we're right on top of them, and there isn't another place around anywhere! They can only be here!"
"If you say so, darling." Rarity flipped her mane, which had grown, much to her indignation, rather ungroomed, over her shoulder and set of down the winding trail on the reverse slope. The others quickly followed suit. It was not long before they reached the door. Rarity stood aside, refusing to even touch the aged, battered wood of the door. Twilight snickered at this, before reaching up and tapping several times with her own hoof. They waited several moments. There was no response. "Maybe they really aren't here?"
"But they have to be, there's nowhere else!" Feeling the burning sting of three sets of eyes, all concentrated on her, Twilight Sparkle threw the door open. It groaned in protest as it swung inward, letting the brilliant light of the day to flood through the doorway as well as the windows, filling the dark space before them and illuminating the scene.
It had only happened to her three times before in her life. The first time, she had been unsuccessfully trying to contemplate and understand the phenomena that was Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense, and when she was unable to do so, she had seemingly exploded in a fit of uncomprehending rage. The second time, she had stressed over the possibility of being late turning in a friendship report to Princess Celestia, a fear which had ultimately led to a near complete erosion of her logical mind and the near destruction of Ponyville. The third time, she had very nearly gone into a catatonic state after being told that two of her best friends were in critical condition in the hospital – her desire to see them and make sure they were okay being the only thing that kept her from a complete mental breakdown on the mad dash to the hospital.
Standing in the threshold of the doorway, Twilight Sparkle experienced for the fourth time in her life a near complete relapse in the powers of her logical mind. Before her, a mare who she considered one of the best friends she had ever known, the mare who had first extended a warm, welcoming hoof to her on her first visit to Ponyville, lay unmoving. Applejack was bloodied, beaten, and immobile. From where Twilight Sparkle stood, her injuries looked severe. Crouched over the mottled orange body, her six-colored tail lying limp on the floor behind her, Rainbow Dash knelt, her back to the now-shocked new arrivals.
Slowly, Rainbow Dash stood up from her position. Gingerly, she picked herself up off the broken body of her former lover, and turned around to face the occupants of the open door. Her face looked sullen, her eyes hollow, as if they had retreated back into their sockets in an attempt to avoid the outside world. Her wings hung limply at her side, her mane and tail no better. She walked with a limp, favoring her front right hoof in an attempt to keep weight off of it. She looked worn-out, broken, and defeated. Her magenta eyes, lacking the flame that had once burned in a perfect resemblance of her fiery spirit, now appeared bleak, seemingly devoid of emotion and life as they stared blankly at the four ponies in the doorway.
Rainbow Dash didn't know how, or even why, she was now standing face-to-face with her best friends. She didn't know how they had found her, but her confusion did not show. She was beyond the point of confusion. As if resigning herself to some fate, she accepted their appearance without even seeming surprised that they were there. When she spoke, her voice was surprisingly calm, like that of a prisoner who has been beaten into submission, and finally, defeated. "You guys are too late."
Nopony could really make much sense of the situation. It was far too much of a shock for them to easily comprehend. Instead, they just stood there, staring blankly and stupidly into the room, not knowing what to do at all. Even Twilight Sparkle, usually so quick-witted and on-top of whatever situation she was faced with, was still reeling. She squinted her eyes closed and ducked her head, as if the whirring of her mental cogs – trying to regain their composure after being thrown for such a whirl – was causing her physical pain.
Rainbow Dash turned away from her heads and once again approached Applejack's lifeless form. She knelt down to the ground gingerly, before letting herself drop onto her side, lying next to the orange mare she had loved so much. Closing her eyes, she rested her head next to Applejack's, breathing in her scent and trying to pretend that the day's proceedings had been nothing but a dream. She had no such luck.
The effects shock can have on the mind are remarkable. It can literally freeze all motor control in the brain, leaving the victim standing stock-still in a dazed confusion. The first reaction to being presented with a shocking situation is normally disbelief; it is the body's natural defense against emotional damage to discount its sensory perception as untrue. This can often lead to further confusion, as the brain, in a defense mechanism, tells itself that what it sees, hears, and feels is false, while the senses say otherwise. This is why it is quite often very hard to think clearly when in shock, for the brain and the senses are literally sending conflicting messages. For this reason, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were left unequivocally speechless, literally unable to comprehend the situation facing them, and certainly unable to accept that Applejack was dead. In this way, they continued to stare in complete and utter confusion, discrediting what their eyes told them and at the same time not knowing what to believe. To them, their friend wasn't dead; she couldn't be. It was impossible.
Twilight Sparkle, however, had always taught herself to think rationally, logically, using reason and clear, concise thought patterns. For her, the sudden derailment of her train of thought had been violent and extremely nerve-wracking, but the repair crew was fast. So despite nearly losing the power of rational thought for the fourth time in her life, Twilight Sparkle was able to recover quickly. Far sooner than her companions had even begun to descend back into reality, her mind was already back on track and building up a full head of steam. Her subconscious, reacting the way she had trained it to for years, was already searching for solutions: memories, ideas, spells, lessons, anything that might help her to better understand the situation. As an academic, it was all she knew to do when faced with a problem: find a solution. Using her own vast body of experience and knowledge to apply to a problem was second-nature to her, and so her mind worked of its own volition.
Slowly, she began to walk forward. She continued to stare at Applejack's face. Her eyes were closed, her fur matted, a tiny stream of red blood ran down from behind her head onto her neck and shoulders. Rainbow Dash lay next to her, her eyes closed as well. Their foreheads were touching, as if Rainbow could still feel the presence of life when they touched, as they had so many nights before. "Rainbow… what… what happened?"
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and cocked her head slightly to fix her hollow gaze upon her lavender unicorn friend. "It was her father. It was always her father. He was just as much a mean drunk as when he left. I should've seen it coming, but I didn't, and now she's dead."
"Her… her father did this?"
"Yeah. He… he… he beat her to death, Twilight." Rainbow Dash shook her head. Twilight cringed. "How… how could he do that? To… to his own daughter? It… it just… it just doesn't make any sense."
"Where is he now?"
"He's over there somewhere." Rainbow Dash gestured vaguely towards the center of the room with her hoof. "He's dead too. I killed him. I don't care. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore."
For a long while, no one said anything. Twilight took this news in stride, she didn't care either, really, his fate was now less important than Applejack's fate. In truth, although she would probably never admit it, she felt slightly glad at the thought that whoever had done this had gotten his in turn. It felt like justice, in a way. It was a well-needed dosage of justice.
It was a good time before Rainbow Dash spoke again. "I… I can't stand it, Twilight. She just… she looks like she's in so much pain. I want to make her feel better, but I can't. She can't feel anything now, and I can't do anything to help her. I just can't stand it."
"Maybe… maybe I can… clean her up… if you'd like." Twilight tried to lay a reassuring hoof over her friend's shoulder. Rainbow Dash just brushed it off as she stood up.
"Do whatever you want. It won't make a difference."
Twilight Sparkle stood over the broken body of one of her best friends. Her horn began to fill with magic, casting a faint aura around itself. The same magical aura wrapped its way around Applejack's still, prone form. Slowly, the bruising disappeared. Methodically, Twilight continued to comb over her friend's body. Her magic healed every bruise, removing the dark, faded hues from her orange coat. Every cut was magically sealed, and even the blood that had flown onto her fur was removed. She worked her way up from the base of Applejack's tail, healing every injury – from the smallest scrape to the largest bruise – as she went. As she reached the earth pony's chest, she discovered several cracked ribs. She winced at the thought of the pain Applejack must have experienced in her final moments.
She had taken a course in Canterlot called Medicinal Magic while she was studying under Princess Celestia. She had learned everything from healing minor cuts to setting and healing broken bones in that class, although she had never put the skills to practice in the real world up until this point. She performed flawlessly, her mind operating on an entirely different level. She was able to recall with perfect clarity almost every moment of that class, her mind playing out each memory of each lesson like a video before her eyes. She fixed the cracked ribs. She scanned inside her friend's body for any more internal injuries. The one to the back of her head was by far the worst, but with a little magical care, even it too had been sealed and repaired. Before long, the young earth pony with the orange pelt looked like she had not a problem in the world, save the fact that she would not breathe.
Twilight Sparkle bowed her head when she was done. Her friend was clean, she no longer looked hurt, and she no longer looked in pain. Somehow, the lavender unicorn felt as if she had done her part to heal the bond that had been lost. She knew, deep down, however, that that bond was broken forever. Six friends had become five; a pony had lost her lover. Those bonds would never heal, no matter how much magic was applied. Twilight Sparkle knew it, but she didn't want to believe it. She closed her eyes; she could no longer look at Applejack anymore, it was too painful. "Th-there… she could… she could be… sleeping."
Unbeknownst to Twilight, her other friends had gathered in the room around her. Rainbow Dash knelt down to touch her forehead to Applejack's, glad at least that she looked peaceful, and no longer so pained. Pinkie Pie's mane and tail had fallen, they lay limply across her back and draped to the ground. Her eyes were closed, and she appeared to be whispering something, although none could hear what she was saying. Rarity stood next to Twilight, her eyes fixed on Applejack's still form. Fluttershy huddled beside her, shivering slightly, but looking on all the same. Rarity looked up to see her shaking friend. She lay a hoof across the yellow pegasus's shoulder, but even she knew that there was little comfort she could give. "Are you ok, darling?" She knew what the answer was, but somehow, she felt as if talking would help.
"No."
Rarity looked down again. Locks of golden mane lay loosely across Applejack's face. She looked for all the world like she was just in a deep sleep. Rarity tried to believe that that was the case, that Applejack would wake up soon and this would all be over. It would just be a misunderstanding. There was never anything wrong. She tried to believe it, but she couldn't. Applejack was dead, and it didn't make any sense. "I just… I just don't understand." Rarity looked to her left. Twilight's head was bowed as if with respect. Rarity didn't know where else to turn. She needed answers. She needed some sort of confirmation that her eyes were not betraying her; that what she saw was real, and not some horrible nightmare. "She's… she's really gone, isn't she?" There was no response. "Twilight?" Still nothing. "Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight's mind had already been working at a furious pace. It was switched onto an entirely new track as soon as she heard her name. Sparkle… Sparkle… Sparkle…. At first, Twilight was confused. It was her name; she heard it numerous times each day. She didn't know why, but it seemed important. Somehow, right in this moment, something about her name seemed very important indeed. Her mind latched onto it and would let go. Sparkle… Sparkle… Spark….
Twilight's eyes flashed open in an instant. She understood. She understood everything. Spark. That was it. All she needed was a spark.
"Twilight, Darling?" Rarity looked at her friend, her concern mounting as a smile seemingly grew from nowhere and plastered itself across Twilight Sparkle's face. "Oh… she really is gone, isn't she?"
"Not necessarily." Twilight Sparkle's answer surprised everypony, including herself.
Rainbow Dash stood up, turning to face the others. Rarity flinched. There was something in the pegasus's eyes that she had not seen before, or at least, for a very long time.
Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight Sparkle. This was just too much. "What do you mean, 'not necessarily'?"
Twilight Sparkle stared right back at her, her eyes wide in excitement. "We still have time!"
Rainbow Dash could feel her eyelids narrowing. She tried to fight it. She didn't want to get angry with Twilight, not here, not now. She knew she shouldn't. She knew she should hold it back, but it was too much. "How can we still have time? How can we still have time, Twilight? Huh? She's dead! She's dead! She died in my hooves! I felt her stop breathing! Don't you tell me we still have time! There's nothing we can do!" Rainbow Dash was breathing hard and fast now, even as she fought to remain calm. It was a losing battle.
Rarity and Fluttershy started backing up, fearful of rainbow Dash's increasingly threatening posture. Pinkie Pie remained completely unresponsive. Twilight merely smiled more and stared right back at Dash. "How long, Rainbow. How long ago was it?"
"How should I know? Not more than an hour ago, but didn't you hear me? THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO."
"But what would you do, Rainbow Dash." Twilight drew close, meeting Rainbow Dash's eye. "If you could do anything, what would you do?"
"What are you saying? I loved her. Do you hear me? I LOVED HER! I… I…" Rainbow Dash fell silent, averting her gaze. She couldn't do it. She couldn't yell at Twilight. It wasn't right, and it wasn't worth it. She took a few halting breaths, almost choking on her own air, before she tried to respond in as calm a voice as she could muster. "I… I loved her. I loved her so much, and I'd do anything to get her back, but there's nothing I can do. I… I miss her so much, but there's nothing I can do."
"Kiss her."
"What?"
"Kiss her."
Rainbow Dash was silent for a while. She gazed incredulously at Twilight, who only smiled back. "Are you going crazy again?"
"No."
"Then why are you…"
"Do as I say."
"But… but you…"
"Do it."
Rainbow Dash looked down. Applejack's eyes were closed. She looked truly peaceful. She no longer seemed to be in the pain Rainbow Dash had seen her endure less than an hour previous. She looked rested, comfortable, even. Rainbow Dash was besieged by numerous memories of seeing Applejack asleep before – often waking up in the same bed as her lover and finding the earth pony's head draped over her own chest. Rainbow Dash fought away the visions. She didn't want to think about such times right then. It was too painful. She looked back up at Twilight once more, the lavender unicorn mare doing nothing but cock her head slightly, as if egging Rainbow Dash on. Rainbow Dash looked back down at Applejack. She tried to pretend she was still alive. She tried to pretend they were just sharing one, last, final parting kiss. She closed her eyes and leaned forward.
It had not even been an hour since Rainbow Dash had felt Applejack's life slip away. She didn't know exactly how long it had been, but she knew it wasn't too long. Even so, Applejack's lips felt slightly cold already – clammy, even. Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes shut. She tried to will herself to believe that she was alive, but it was too hard. The touch of her lips felt lifeless in and of itself, and Rainbow Dash could hardly stand it. She didn't even know why Twilight had told her to do such a thing, let alone why she had agreed to despite her misgivings. It was no use. It only reminded Rainbow Dash that Applejack was dead. They would never share another real kiss again. She tried to pull away.
She couldn't. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes in surprise and tried to look around Applejack's face, even though it occupied her full vision. She tried to pull away again, harder this time, but to no avail. She became vaguely away that both she and Applejack seemed to be held together by some sort of invisible force. She fought to try and pull away, but found herself immobile. She gradually fell limp, and in doing so, noticed that she wasn't touching the ground anymore. She was floating. She renewed her struggle, desperate to get out of the position she was in, but met no success. Finally, she managed to jerk her head slightly and got a glimpse around Applejack's face. They were surrounded by a purple aura of magic. She wanted to scream, but her mouth remained locked in place.
It was at about this point that Pinkie Pie snapped out of her semi-catatonic state. Startled by the strange purple glow that seemed to be emanating throughout the room, she found herself backing up. She crouched along the back wall with Fluttershy and Rarity, watching in a strange mix of fascination and horror as the scene before them unfolded. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were joined at the mouth. They were floating in a bright purple magical aura above the floor, hovering in the middle of the room. Twilight Sparkle stood stock-still before them, her horn aglow in a brilliant swirling cone of magic that was so intense and so bright that it was very nearly white. The entire room was lit by the light of her horn. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie had to squint and shield their eyes at the sight of it.
Had they not been so focused on the raw display of pure magical energy, they might have noticed the sky outside growing dark. Even as the room was lit by the piercingly brilliant glow from Twilight's horn, the light coming from the window's and still-open door gradually faded before petering out and vanishing altogether. Outside, the sun had become obscured. Clouds, seemingly drawn by the sheer power of the growing conflagration of magical energy, covered the landscape as far as the horizon. Precisely over the cabin, they began to swirl. The growing mass of grey clouds spun faster and faster as the lightshow within the cabin grew greater and greater. The darkness of the outside prairie was now lit by whatever magical glow found its way out through the windows and door.
The wind started as a mere breeze, but it too picked up speed as the air seemingly fizzed and crackled with energy. The clouds continued to spin faster, forming a sort of rotating spiral directly above the shack. Suddenly, the entire scene flashed. A bolt of lightning shot down from the growing maelstrom, illuminating the entire scene, including inside the cabin, with a brilliantly dazzling flash of light. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie cowered together, raising their hooves to defend themselves and squeezing their eyes shut. The clap of thunder that followed was close. Too close. It shook the small structure when it sounded out. Fluttershy screamed. Rarity held her close, gripping her to her chest as Pinkie hugged them both just as tight. With fear in her eyes, Rarity braved the blinding light only momentarily to stare wide-eyed at her friend. Twilight Sparkle had now risen into the air as well, her hovering form mere inches from those of Rainbow Dash and Applejack. "Twilight, what's going on? What are you doing?"
Twilight Sparkle was beyond hearing her. She was forcing herself to concentrate too hard to hear anything. Around her, the weather continued to spin, the clouds and wind whipping the long prairie grasses outside into a frenzy as they circled the tiny cabin. The flashes of lightning grew closer, faster, and brighter. The thunder became louder, enormous booms ringing out in quick succession as the entire scene snapped and crackled under the torture of so much pent-up energy. Twilight Sparkle's body was twitching in the air. It was as if it was fighting, desperate to end the spell. Her horn burned, it felt, and looked, white-hot. The searing pain made Twilight feel as if her would just erupt into flames any second. Still, she held on. It took all of her power, all of her focus, and every ounce of magical energy she had to keep herself from falling and losing the spell. This was her only chance. She had to make it count.
Her body witched wildly. Her mind screamed at her to give it up. Her eyes were screwed shut. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all screamed in the background. The constant booming of thunder and flashing and banging of lightning strikes merged into one horrendous noise, a terrible conflagration of sound and light that seemed to jar the very landscape. The ever-resent roar seemed to mix in with the rapidly swirling clouds and wind, trashing the house with air, light, and sound all at once. The cacophony rose to a crescendo, overtaking every thought and every sense the ponies had, occupying their entire stream of conscious. Their minds were filled with the constant roar; the light blinded them even with their eyes closed.
Twilight Sparkle's eyes shot open. She seemed one with the storm; her eyes were glowing with the same white-hot intensity that seared the very air.
And in that instant, in that one, incredible instant, when the world itself seemed like it was coming to an end, the brightest light of all shone. Nopony saw it. They couldn't even see, for all the brilliance that permeated the entire scene. It was a blue light, nothing but a mere tiny dot, but it was brighter than all else. It shone intensely as it rose from the depths of rainbow Dash's mouth, before passing into Applejack and disappearing from all existence with a tremendous flash.
In that split second, everything stopped. The noise was no more. The blinding light was no more. The swirling clouds, held in their spiral only by centrifugal force, were flung out in all directions as soon as their magical connection was snapped. The wind died down as the sky cleared, the long grasses, many of which had been flattened, waving around limply before coming to a halt as well. For many long moments, the world was completely still.
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Rarity's ears were ringing.
She sat up groggily, having passed out she didn't know how long ago. Beside her, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were just stirring. All three groaned. Rarity tried to open her eyes, but they hurt for some reason. It took her all of her willpower just to blink them open, and then even more just to keep from closing them again. She blinked numerous times, the features of the room swimming before her in a vivid soup of indistinguishable color. She shook her head, and that seemed to help some. She kept shaking, and the ringing in her ears died down. Her vision slowly settled itself into normality.
She tried to settle herself, feeling dizzy as she stood up. Beside her, Pinkie Pie has rubbing her ears and grimacing in pain. Fluttershy held her hooves to her eyes and held her ears flat against her head. Rarity looked to her front.
Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack all lay crumpled on the ground before her. None of them moved.
Rarity panicked. She had quite some time ago forgotten any pretext of the regality that was normally such a defining part of her personality. As such, she charged headlong towards the center of the cabin, skidding to a halt before Twilight Sparkle, who had fallen nearest. Frantically, she began shaking her fellow unicorn vigorously, her eyes growing wide in horror when she received no response. "Twilight! Twilight Sparkle? Can you hear me? CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
It was at this moment that a noise caught Rarity's attention. She looked up to see Rainbow Dash, laying on her back and groaning as she struggled to right herself. Rainbow, for some unexplained reason, felt completely sore all over. "What… what in the hay just happened?"
Rarity's breathing was coming in ragged gasps and erratic bursts. She quivered in her place, her dishevel mane long-forgotten. "You… you… and Applejack… and Twilight… floating… and magic… storms… I don't… I don't… know."
"Wait… Twilight? What was Twilight do- TWILIGHT!" Dash yelled as soon as she saw the lavender unicorn, crumpled on the floor, lying not a yard from her. She pushed Rarity, who was beside herself now and mostly useless, out of the way and stood over Twilight Sparkle. She looked down. Twilight's eyes were closed. Bending down, she put her ear to her friend's mouth and listened intently. Her eyes grew wide with terror when she found she could not hear anything. "Come on, Twi. Not you too." She bit back her tears as she placed both front hooves squarely over her unicorn friend's exposed chest. She pushed, counting off in her head just as she had done in Flight School Emergency Training Class, so long ago. She finished pumping and returned her ear to her friend's mouth. Still nothing. "Please… Don't make me do this..."
She had no choice. She planted her mouth around Twilight Sparkle's and exhaled hard. She removed her lips several times, taking a deep breath each time before returning to the unicorn's mouth and delivering each new lungful of air. Twilight Sparkle's chest rose each time, only to fall again when Rainbow Dash finally came up again, gasping for air. Immediately, she returned to her friend's chest and began pumping again with her forehooves, grunting loudly each time she pressed down. "Come… on… you… egg… head…. Loosen…up…"
She jumped backwards as soon as she heard the unicorn gasp. Twilight Sparkle's eyes flew open and she drew in several deep, cleansing breaths of air, her pupils swelling to nearly fill her eyes as she did so. She laid there, her chest heaving with each dearly-needed gasp, until her breathing stabilized. Rainbow Dash wiped a streak of sweat off her forehead with a hoof before falling backwards, groaning in a combination of relief and despair. She tried not to look at Applejack's still form. She didn't want to be reminded of her loss. Even her adrenaline-induced high couldn't last forever. She wanted to cry, she wanted to spill everything she held in out through her tears, but she couldn't. She just couldn't.
Rarity wasn't aware she had been holding her breath. She finally took the chance to breathe herself when she saw Twilight sit up, and had soon bounded over to her friend, grabbing the dazed unicorn in a crushing hug. "Oh, Twilight Sparkle! You had us so worried!"
"Rare… Rare… Rarity?" Twilight coughed as her friend, blushing released her. "Did it… did it work?"
"Did what work?" As if on cue, both their gazes fell upon Applejack at the same time. Both unicorns visibly deflated. Even the emotional high that came with the sudden revival of her friend couldn't shield Rarity from the awful, sobering truth. Applejack still lay dead before them. Nothing had changed. She hung her head, as Twilight let hers fall into her hooves.
Twilight Sparkle held her head, unwilling to look up. "I… I… I failed." She slumped down, staring at the floor, all emotion drained from her voice. "I failed. I couldn't do it."
"Might you want to tell us exactly what it was you were trying to do?" Rainbow Dash was back on her hooves, and had walked up to the two unicorns herself, her eyes a strange combination of grief and anger. "I thought you had died too! Just what in the hay was that? And what did you need me to... to… to do… that… for."
"It was… it was a spell." Twilight Sparkle hung her head again, unwilling to look Rainbow Dash in the eye. "A spell called…" She took a deep breath. "…called The Spark of Life." Twilight reached up to subconsciously touch her horn, wincing and drawing her hoof away immediately as she did so.
"Darling, are you alright?"
"I… I think so… my horn… it just… burns…"
"Wait, wait, wait." Rainbow Dash looked even more confused than ever. "What is this 'Spark of Life" spell? Does this mean Applejack will be ok?" For a short moment, a glimmer of hope shone on Rainbow Dash's downtrodden face.
"N… no. I… I don't think so. … I couldn't hold it. I couldn't hold it in me. I don't think I even finished it. It… it was supposed… supposed to draw in the natural energy of the world around us. That, and the spark of life, which has to come from a living pony, was supposed to bring Applejack back. It was supposed to work… I just… I just couldn't do it."
"That's… that's why you needed me… I… I was supposed to be that spark." Rainbow Dash blinked, staring at her lavender friend.
"I'm… I'm sorry Rainbow Dash. I was just… I was just so relieved when I remembered how Celestia described the spell to me… that… that… I just thought I could do it. I thought it would be perfect. I thought it would bring her back. I just… I just wasn't strong enough. I even… I even healed all her wounds. Her body should have been able to support life… I'm just not strong enough…"
Rarity tried to give her friend a reassuring hug, but failed miserably. She just couldn't put any strength into it. She knew it now; deep down, that Applejack was gone. She knew it to be true. Her energy was drained. She could take little comfort herself anymore, let alone give comfort to a friend. She tried anyway. "Darling… that was… that was still the most impressive display of magic I've ever seen."
Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It still didn't work." She buried her head into Rarity's shoulder, her white unicorn friend doing her best not to flinch away. She patted her friend on the back, unable to even think to do much else. With a deep breath, Twilight continued, her voice somewhat muffled. "I was… I was a fool to even try it. Princess Celestia even said it was too powerful for an ordinary unicorn. She told me only she has even done it before. I'm so… so stupid."
"No you're not, Twilight." The three ponies standing over Applejack's body looked up in surprise when they heard the soft voice. Before them, Fluttershy had emerged from her hiding place. She gently walked up to her friends and stopped by them, her face held bravely in a small smile that everyone could plainly see was hard for her to maintain. Only her eyes gave her inner turmoil away. "You tried your best."
Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Like Twilight said, it doesn't matter. Applejack's gone. Nothing matters anymore." She stalked off towards the back of the cabin. The other three stared after her for a while. She began rooting around in the closet.
Twilight Sparkle sniffed loudly. "I'm… I'm sorry, Rainbow. I… I had to try." She looked around at her friends, Rainbow Dash had her back towards her, digging through the closet for something Twilight knew not what. Rarity stood next to her, looking lost. Fluttershy seemed on the verge of tears, but was fighting bravely to keep a straight face. Pinkie was in a corner; completely unresponsive and looking strangely grey. Twilight looked back down to Applejack. "I had to try." She whispered.
"What… what are we going to do now?" Fluttershy clearly wasn't going to hold out much longer. Her face was a mask over her grief. It seemed ready to break at any moment.
"I'll tell you what we're going to do now." Everybody looked up at Rainbow Dash, who had returned to the small group, shovel in mouth. She set it down gently on the floor. "We're going to take her back to Ponyville. She deserves that, at least. We're going to let her family say goodbye to her. And then, we're going to bury her. We're going to bury her, and we're going to do it right. No magic. We're doing this right. She… she…" Rainbow Dash choked. Her hard-set gaze fell. She drew in a series of erratic, halting breaths, trying and failing to calm her nerves. She struggled to finish. "She… she deserves that much."
The others nodded in agreement. She picked up the shovel she had found and was about to make for the door when she was stopped in her tracks.
Shock, as an early stage of natural reaction to loss, lasts for a little while, before giving away to pure grief. It had taken time, but the assembled ponies were slowly realizing that their friend was truly gone. Rainbow Dash, having fought to keep a brave face, was close to losing the battle. The others were no better off. Only Pinkie seemed so blindsided that she remained out of it. The others were slowly catching up to the idea that they would never see their friend alive again. They would never go on another adventure with her. They would never laugh at another joke with her. They would never be able to drop in at Sweet Apple Acres and share a refreshing drink with her by their side again. They would never again hear her charming drawl of an accent.
It is this realization that marks the swing from shock and disbelief to acceptance and grief. It is however, the onset of such grief that comes with its own peculiarities. In a last ditch effort to prevent emotional damage, the mind will often try everything it can to convince itself that what has occurred has not actually occurred at all. It will try to trick itself, particularly in the case of a lost loved one. This mental trickery, as part of the first stage of the onset of grief, can have surprising consequences. The host can experience hallucination, in which any one of their senses may deceive them into believing that their fallen loved one is indeed still alive.
This is why the noise startled the four ponies so. At first, they didn't know what to think of it. It was a very real possibility that their ears may be deceiving them, but even so, they all stopped in their places, listening intently. In the room, silence reigned.
The second time, their ears perked even further. The deathly silence was punctuated by a distinct clatter as Rainbow Dash dropped her shovel, her mouth having fallen open in surprise. They each remained absolutely still. They each remained perfectly quiet. The third time they heard it, it was unmistakable.
It was a cough.
Rainbow Dash whipped around, spinning a full 180 degrees. It seemed too good to be true. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. It wasn't possible. It just wasn't possible. Applejack's body remained still. Rainbow Dash watched intently. She heard another succession of quick coughs. The orange pony's chest jerked upward each time.
Time stood still. Rainbow Dash tried to tell herself that it was impossible; that Applejack was gone. But it had to be possible. Somehow, she knew this was no illusion. She just knew. "A… A… A-Applej-jack?"
As if in slow motion, the earth pony's head rolled to the side, facing Rainbow Dash. It felt like a dream to her. She watched, mouth agape, as Applejack's eyes flickered open weakly. Rainbow Dash was stunned motionless. Her entire world dissolved around her. To Rainbow Dash, there was only herself and her Applejack. She blinked. She could scarcely believe it. She had thought she would never see them again, but Applejack's brilliant green eyes flickered up at her, shimmering and dancing in the light of the sun outside and a few scattered candles. Applejack's lip quivered. She was trying to speak. "… you…. Ah… Ah love you… Dash."
"Applejack!" Rainbow Dash bounded over to her marefriend, skidding to a halt before leaping onto her at the last moment, fearful of hurting her. She reached out a hoof, tentatively grasping Applejack's in her own. "How… how are you feeling?"
"Ah… Ah don't hurt anymore. Ah don't hurt anymore, Dash. R… Rainbow? Am… am Ah… dead?"
"No… no. Not anymore. Not anymore, Applejack."
Applejack looked confused. "Wha… what?"
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash threw her hooves around the orange pony. "Oh, Applejack." She kissed her. Applejack was taken aback for just a moment before she kissed back, pressing just as hard as her life-force steadily grew. Rainbow Dash relished the deep kiss. She rejoiced, feeling around every inch of her lover's mouth. There was warmth there. There was breath there. There was life there.
For the first time, Rainbow Dash allowed herself to cry.
===================================================================================
It took a while to get everything explained. Applejack couldn't believe it. The others could barely believe it either. Rainbow Dash whiled away the time cradling Applejack's head in her hooves, glad of nothing more than to have her back. She was perfectly content to remain there forever, silently stroking her love. Rainbow Dash leaned down and kissed Applejack's forehead. Applejack sighed. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash grew concerned. "What's wrong, AJ?"
"Ah… Ah'm so sorry. Ah never should've left. Ah… Ah just… Ah wanted to believe he had changed."
Rainbow Dash leaned down and rubbed her cheek comfortingly against Applejack's. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known."
"Ah still feel terrible." Applejack let her head fall back further into Rainbow Dash's lap. She stared up at the ceiling. "Ah hate this place."
Rainbow Dash looked up, nodding in agreement. "We should get out of here. Can you stand up?"
"Ah… Ah think so. Let me try." Slowly, Applejack, with help from her marefriend, managed to stand up. She wobbled slightly on her hooves, but soon steadied herself, looking up to receive another kiss for her efforts. "Let's go."
Rainbow Dash led her to the doorway, where they were promptly joined by Twilight Sparkle. Rarity led Fluttershy, who still looked all the worse for wear, up as well, and the five friends stood together. They were just about to go outside when Rainbow Dash noticed something. "Hey, where's Pinkie?" Quickly, she ducked her head back inside. Pinkie Pie was curled up in a dark corner. She didn't seem to have changed. "Pinkie? Are you okay? AJ's back. She's fine, Pinkie. We can go." Rainbow Dash smiled for her friend. Pinkie Pie's bottom lip quivered. "No, don't cry, Pinkie, everything's fine."
The pink mare's quivering grew more intense. Rainbow Dash braced herself for the coming flood. Suddenly, rapturous laughter erupted, filling the entire cabin. Rainbow Dash looked up in surprise. Miraculously, Pinkie's deflated mane and tail had sprung back into their poofy state. Her vibrant colors were back and seemed brighter than ever. Rainbow Dash just stared, dumbfounded, as her cackling friend made her way outside. The laughter faded into the distance.
Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I swear I will never understand her." Sighing, she rejoined Applejack in the doorway. Their friends were already making their way back up the winding path to the top of the hill.
Applejack looked up at her in confusion. "What was that about."
"I have no clue." Rainbow Dash smiled at her marefriend, still ecstatic just to see her standing tall and strong once again. She kissed her cheek. Applejack frowned. "What's the matter?"
"Just gimme a second. Ah fergot somethin'." Before Rainbow Dash could protest, Applejack had darted inside. From the threshold, Rainbow could hear a loud crash, followed by the distinct sound of shattering glass. She grew worried for just a mere second, but Applejack soon popped her head back out through the door again, looking, if anything, happier than before. "Ok, let's go."
Shrugging, Rainbow Dash followed the orange earth pony up the hill.
Behind her, the cabin stood quiet for a long moment. Inside, the large table lay, smashed, on the floor. One of its once-sturdy legs, that had served to hold it up for ages, lay against the wall across the room. It had come to rest there only after flying through the air, propelled by the significant force of a set of hind legs well-toned to bucking after many years. The table's remaining three legs had not served to keep it upright, and its contents had spilled onto the floor.
Shards of glass rested on the wooden surface, surrounding a large puddle. The bottle of alcohol had been smashed there, its contents left to pool, seeping across the floor at a snail's pace. It was not long before the expanding puddle of alcohol reached the candle. It had been knocked onto its side, its wick left burning, as if waiting for something. The tiny flame burned bright, flickering gently in the still air of the shack. The fumes from the expanding puddle of alcohol ignited instantly.
The burning conflagration spread across the entire puddle, quickly engulfing a sizable portion of the floor. The fumes, rising off the spilled liquid, burned quickly but with intense heat. Soon, the alcohol had been burned away, but the flames caught on the wood flooring beneath. The flames spread slower, chewing up the floor board by board, marching outward from their epicenter at a steady, unstoppable pace. They engulfed the broken table within seconds. They reached the walls soon after. It took longer, but the wood paneling of the walls finally caught. As the flames grew steadily upward, spurred to new heights by their increasing intensity and growing fuel supply, they began lapping at the bottom of the window.
It was the loud, unexpected sound of shattering glass, followed closely by an incredible roar, which caught everypony's attention. Now at the top of the hill, all six turned around and stopped, watching in a mix of fascination and horror, just in time to witness the flames burst forth through the opening left by the broken window, soaring even higher thanks to the sudden influx of oxygen. Rainbow Dash sat down in the grass, scarcely able to process what she saw. She felt somepony sit down next to her, and turned to see Applejack staring at the growing inferno. The orange glow grew, casting a strange shadow of the two ponies behind them. Applejack's face was soon bathed in the light given off by the product of her work. "Ah hate this place."
For Fluttershy, everything became too much. The last few hours had already been taxing on the poor pegasus, and faced with this final shock, her willpower gave way. She collapsed onto the ground and wept silently, burying her face in her hooves as the tears began flowing. She couldn't take it. She shook her head as she held it, whispering even as tears streamed down her face. "I… I… I wanna go… home." Rarity sat down next to her, draping a comforting arm around her best friend's shoulders even as she stared forward, mesmerized by some primeval force held within the enchanting flames. She held her best friend as she cried.
Pinkie Pie collapsed onto her back, laughing hysterically. Twilight Sparkle looked over her, concerned for a moment, before shrugging and returning her gaze to the growing inferno a well. The flickering orange danced off of her face, just as it did on Rainbow Dash and Applejack's.
Rainbow Dash was silent for a while. For a long time, she was just content to watch the terrible shack burn. In truth, it made her even happier to see such an awful place go up in smoke and towering flame. The sooty, black column rose high into the sky, dissipating only slightly as it reached towards the clouds. The sun was already going down, and the thick smoke obscured it even more. The land remained lit by the incredible glow. Rainbow Das looked back to Applejack. The flickering orange glow highlighted her feature, playing off her face even more intensely in the fading light. Her green eyes sparkled with the reflection. "Applejack… Applejack, Why? Why?"
The wind blew, fanning the flames. They had reached the roof at this point. Applejack looked over at her marefriend. She took a deep breath. The breeze blew even more, stirring the grass around them and fluttering a few strands of hair in Applejack's mane. It carried an almost musical quality on its wafting current. Applejack looked back out over the destruction she had wrought.
So I'm gonna take this place, and burn it down. I'm gonna put it six feet underground.
She looked back towards Rainbow Dash, letting the breeze play with her hair even more.
I'm gonna take this place and watch it fall, stand here beside you baby, watch those crumblin' walls.
The crashing sound of a wall giving way was carried over the prairie, forcing their attention back to the destruction at hand.
I'm gonna take this place and start a fire, stand here until I fill all your heart's desires.
With a roar, the flames burst out through the new opening, building the orange glow that played across the six friends.
I'm gonna take this place and see it go, stand here beside me baby, watch that orange glow.
Applejack turned to scan the faces of her friends. Rarity and Twilight could only look on in disbelief. Fluttershy wept softly into the grass. Pinkie rolled around on her back, laughing riotously. She turned back to Rainbow Dash.
Some will laugh, and some just sit and cry. But you just sit down there, and you wonder why.
With a tremendous rush, the fire finally burnt through the last remaining supports. No longer to support the weight, the remaining weakened walls all gave out at once, bringing the foor crashing into the foundation with a shower of sparks and a towering burst of energy.
Because I'm gonna take this place and see it burn, and do back the things I did to you in return.
"Ah had to." Applejack said simply, and then fell silent. For a long while, she and Rainbow Dash just stared at each other. The orange light played off the sides of their faces, casting them into shadow. The flames were reflected on the outside edges of green eyes, as they were on magenta ones.
"I love you, AJ."
"Ah love you too, Dash."
The sun was all but hidden from view. The scene was dark save for the powerful light of the towering fire. It served as a backdrop, glowing a spectacular orange as two silhouetted ponies leaned forward to share a kiss in the firelight. They broke it after a long while, and smiled at each other.
"I'm so glad to have you back."
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Very good chapter. While I was upset like many of the other readers upon Applejack's death, I applaud you for Twilight's mind and how she one DAMN smart unicorn. She's not the element of Magic for nothing.
The risks were huge and stacked against them, but it was that spark of hope that gave Twilight the reason to bring them back together.
Watch it burn, Applejack. Watch it burn and never look back on the past. Lift your eyes and gaze upon the future, for it burns brightly.
You....you magnificent BASTARD!!
I could kiss you and kill you at the same time. This was amazing.
wow, just wow
I must admit I found the - what I assume to be - song lyrics at the end a bit awkward, but other than that it was another great chapter.
... yes
A GREAT chapter! I loved it to bits! the song at the end was awesome as well! everything was!
You are simply a GOD in writing!
I can't wait to read the next chapter!
now, time to go to bed as it is 4.26 here
keep up the god-like work!
Very very brilliant you made me feel anger,
sadness,
happiness,
in a matter of minutes this story is amazing.
At first I was like "Yay new Chapter".
But then I was like "Damn read that on DA already :< "
Still awesome chapter. Sadly now only the Epiloge is to come... Would love to see this Storyline go on and on and on and on and...
Strangly, this is the second fic to recently update with Twilight bringing AJ back. Except you didn't have her use black magic that required her magic as a sacrifice.
493031
What was the first one?
494946 A Taste of an Apple by Feeling-Grand. Found it on Fanfiction, don't know if it's on here.
thank celestia that AJ is ok i hate seeing dash upset and dash has a reason to live again. i hated the very thought of AJ dead it is just a thought i cant stand so you bringing her back is possibly the best choice in writing ever
As much as I love your writing, the Spark of Life is a pretty blatant example of a Deus Ex Machina. Personally, I think the story would have been stronger if AJ had remained dead.
Good story so far! It had some interesting turns and twists, some surprises and yet the mane6 don't feel out of character to me.
A few observations though:
Cider's unexplained change was odd.
First he walks all the way to ponyville and is all apologetic, seemingly sober and even happy to see the farm (and possibly it's inhabitants), then he becomes quite mean and uncaring towards AJ (the way he threw a blanket at her, barely talking to her, not even telling her when he left for town). While AJ recalles Granny Smith saying he's a liar, that wouldn't make much sense either, cause why would he go all that way for a lie that wouldn't bring him anything? If reconciliation was his intention, his relapse was rather abrupt and if not, what where his goals then?
And on chapter 7:
Revival of a character is always a risky thing for an author, since the willing suspension of disbelief of the readers only goes so far. But Equestria is a place filled with magic and talking ponies. The short time passed makes it more believable though.
Speaking of willing suspension of disbelief, I found it impossible to imagine AJ saying/sining those lyrics. Just doesn't fit the character. Throwing them in as seperate lines (maybe in italic) between the description of the scene would fit better.
Going to tackle that last chapter tomorrow.
722988
I just changed the song lyrics to italics, like you suggested. That was a good idea.
Well done, I especially like the placement of Rush of Blood to the Head, one of my all time favorite songs.
Love the sory!!!
Oh my celestia I almost threw up
...I just can't believe this chapter...
Words cant describe my feelings at this moment. all I know is, is that my feelings were just massacred.
2 chapters of pure hate and love.... I no longer know whether to hate you as an author or love you as an author. You are the only author to make my feels non existent and give me one hell of a rollercoaster ride of extreme highs of love and deep depressing lows. And this by far, has been the largest swing of emotions in any story you have written
"Deus Ex Machina," is pretty much the lamest plot device ever devised... I loved the story, but once you said the Applejack had stopped breathing, had no heartbeat, and her body was growing cold, she should have remained dead. Not every story has to have a happy ending.
The roller coaster of feels!
media3.giphy.com/media/Woc5F2s89MnLO/200_s.gif
YES!!! I love this story
