//------------------------------//
// Calm Before 
// Story: Under The Light of Dusk 
// by applejackofalltrades 
//------------------------------//

It was finally time to eat, and this time, Rainbow actually had the chance to. She had been looking forward to it all morning, especially after Applejack left Fluttershy's place to get back to work on the farm. That just meant there was an extra set of hooves getting the food ready so that everypony could eat. 

There was even more food-related reason to be excited, though. Since the harvest had been going so well so far, there was enough fruit to make plenty of pies and other baked goods to enjoy, and Celestia knew how much Rainbow Dash had been wanting an apple fritter. She was always too skeptical to try it since she was never a fan of pie, but the fritter was actually enjoyable. 

Plus, Pinkie and Applejack were put in charge of baking for the day, so it had to be good. They were the most competent bakers that Rainbow Dash could think of. Whatever they made was going to taste amazing, she was sure of it. 

After Fluttershy felt a bit better, she decided to go help Dr. Fauna after all. She had left Rainbow at her place in case she wanted to stay there, but Rainbow needed something to do. She had taken the first night shift the night before, and while it was usually somewhat boring, she began to hate being stuck with nothing but her thoughts. 

That's why she left Fluttershy's soon after Fluttershy herself did. She roamed around the common area, watching how everypony's moods seemed to lift as Big Mac brought down the cart of food again. It was a normal action, but this time it held so much more weight to it. Literally. 

Apple Bloom turned to face the excited crowd with a smile of her own. It wasn't until then that Rainbow Dash noticed how much Apple Bloom had grown in the past two years, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo as well. The Crusaders seldom hung out all together as far as Rainbow could tell, but when they did, it really hit her how much they seemed to grow. 

They were a bit taller, but that was a given. What really stuck out is that they matured so much. Seeing Apple Bloom work so hard every day to help provide for other ponies made Rainbow feel proud, even though she wasn't her sister. She looked stronger, and she was a lot more patient. 

Sometimes, Rainbow saw Sweetie Belle around, usually accompanied by Scootaloo. They'd both gotten taller as well, although Scootaloo remained the shortest of the group. They both continued to help the blank flanks find their special talent and helped even grown ponies reconnect with theirs. Even though the two of them goofed off a lot, they had a level of maturity that was surprising for fillies their age. 

It was easy to have difficulty doing anything but smile when the three of them found time to be together, though. Occasionally, Apple Bloom would finish up early or have extra time during the eating period to spend with her friends, and the three of them were as inseparable as ever. Even Rainbow Dash was envious of how well they all got along. 

"Hey, aren't you gonna get something to eat?" 

Rainbow Dash looked down to the source of the voice, although she didn't have to look down as far as before. "Oh hey, Scoot. I was just thinking about you actually." 

Scootaloo grinned widely. "Really?" 

Rainbow nodded. "Totally. I was thinking about how big you and your friends are getting." She held a hoof up to Scootaloo's shoulder with a reminiscent smile. "You used to be this big and now you're growing up." She wiped a fake tear off her face. 

"Oh, come on, Dash," Scootaloo groaned. "Don't get all mushy on me!" 

Rainbow laughed. "Yeah, you're right, I won't." She ruffled Scootaloo's mane with her hoof. "How are the Crusaders anyway?" 

Scootaloo's smile returned at the mention of her friends. "We're great! We don't see Apple Bloom as often now that she's putting so much work into the farm, but sometimes we visit her or she comes down here with us, and it's really fun!" She flapped her wings in excitement. "And since there's not much to do down here, there are so many other foals who want to reveal their cutie marks, so we've been really busy too," she boasted. "We've helped five ponies find their cutie marks in the past month!" 

"That's so cool!" Rainbow beamed proudly at the smaller filly. "I'm glad that you're still helping so many ponies. I'm even more glad you still make time to spend with Apple Bloom. Sticking with your friends even when they're busy is an important part of friendship," she pointed out. 

Scootaloo stuck her tongue out. "Don't tell me Twilight got you too," she joked. "You sound just like her." 

Rainbow's smile faltered for a moment, but she forced it back on her face. No reason to bring down Scootaloo. "Nah, but Starlight definitely has. All she does is teach foals about friendship, and she practices her speeches on me. Can you believe it?" She folded her hoofs. "I'm already an awesome friend, so I don't know why she's practicing on me." 

Scootaloo snorted in amusement. "That's true, she should go talk to Cranky or something. Now there's a pony who could learn from one of her speeches," she teased. 

Rainbow laughed at her joke. It had been a while since she'd spent proper time with Scootaloo, but they were just as sisterly as ever. Even if they weren't biologically related, Scootaloo had adopted Rainbow Dash as her big sister, and Rainbow happily returned the notion. She nudged Scootaloo toward the food cart, joining the line. There was still plenty of food, which was a more than welcome sight.

“Do you think they’ll have any more apple fritters?” Rainbow looked down at Scootaloo who craned her head around the line. 

“I’m not sure, they’re pretty popular. Don’t get your hopes up Dash,” she joked melodramatically, although the smile on her face gave her away. She patted her sadly on the leg.

Rainbow Dash put on a fake pout. “Aw,” she whined dramatically. “I guess I’ll just never eat again.” 

“Don’t say that!” She winced at her own outburst, then looked up at Rainbow with an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.” She looked distantly at the food cart as they moved closer to it. “It’s just that I know how much you guys always get to eat. Or, I guess, how much you don’t get to eat.”

Suddenly, Rainbow felt guilty. She knew how she would feel if Scootaloo was the one missing meals, and she never stopped to think about how Scootaloo must have felt. Or any of the other Crusaders, really. They were still young fillies, which meant that they were higher up on the food priority list. That was never a problem with Rainbow, of course, she loved knowing that the younger ponies were being taken care of.

But seeing one of the younger ponies be worried about her flipped the script entirely. She was supposed to be worried about Scoot, not the other way around. So instead of making it a big deal, she smirked down at Scootaloo. “You’re worried about me? That’s so adorable,” she teased.

Scootaloo huffed, giving Rainbow a stern look. “I’m not, I’m just...” She trailed off, looking angry at herself for being teased. “Come on, don’t tease me!”

"What are you too old for that now?" Rainbow ruffled her hair again with her hoof. "You're still just a filly, you know." 

They both moved up the line, coming face to face with the cart, and more importantly, Big Mac and Apple Bloom. Whatever annoyance Scootaloo had disappeared at the sight of her friend. "Apple Bloom!" 

"Scootaloo!" An equally excited Apple Bloom ran up to Scootaloo and they hugged each other roughly. "I've missed ya! Things've been so busy on the farm, I haven't got to see you and Sweetie Belle!" 

Scootaloo smiled into Apple Bloom's shoulder for a moment before stepping back. "I know, I'm so happy to see you!" She smiled widely as every second passed. "I wish Sweetie Belle was here, but she said she was with Rarity," she huffed. 

Apple Bloom waved her hoof. "Aw shucks, we should just pay her a visit in that case!" Her smile turned into a frown for a moment as she looked back to Big Mac. 

Seeming to understand what his sister wanted without her needing to even say anything, Big Mac nodded with a grin. Apple Bloom turned back to Scootaloo excitedly and the two ran off, presumably to find Sweetie Belle. 

Rainbow couldn't help but smile. She loved seeing Scootaloo happy, so much so that she forgot what she was in line for until Big Mac cleared his throat. She looked at him as he motioned to the food cart. 

"Uh, you wouldn't happen to have any apple fritters, would you?" Rainbow asked sheepishly, a little bashful for standing in line so long, but upon looking behind her, noticed she was the only pony in line anyway. 

"Eeyup," Big Mac said simply, grabbing a flat utensil of some sort and carefully picking up a fritter. He held it out to Rainbow Dash who held it on her wing. 

"Thanks!" She took in the aroma of the apple fritter, deciding that it was the best thing she'd ever smelled. "So, are all those for everypony on the farm today?" She craned her neck to the copious amount of food still left on the cart. 

"Eeyup." 

"Cool, cool." Rainbow popped her lips, remembering how much he didn't talk. "So can I join you?" Big Mac nodded his head, then turned around and began to walk toward the tunnel, Rainbow Dash following in step. "Lots of food today, huh?" 

"Eeyup." 

Rainbow Dash exhaled through her teeth in amusement. "You planning to eat most of it? Applejack tells me you have an appetite." 

"Nope." Big Mac frowned, stealing a glance at the food cart when he thought Rainbow wasn't looking. She held back a chuckle, instead choosing to walk in silence with him. 

She never really spent time with Big Mac, not to mention hung out with him. He was a bit too calm and quiet for her, but sometimes that was nice. His presence proved to be comforting when you needed somepony like him around, and even though he never talked, he was a great listener. 

Rainbow tried to make small talk, knowing exactly what topic to bring up. "Are things still good with Sugar Belle?"

Big Mac didn't even try to suppress his big, love-sick smile. "Eeyup." His voice was softer, even if it was barely noticeable. 

"I never got to say it, but you two make a really good couple, you know."
"Eeyup." Big Mac kept walking, leading them up the ramp and into the sun. As Rainbow Dash shielded her eyes with her free wing, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Right when Rainbow Dash was about to give up hope on the conversation, Big Mac inhaled a little sharper than he usually did. "It really helps when you come up here, y'know." 

Rainbow certainly wasn't expecting that. She was expecting some cheesy statement about Sugar Belle, or even something about the farm. "Really?"

"Eeyup." 

You'd think I'd have learned to avoid yes or no questions by now. "Why?" 

Big Mac wheeled the cart into the empty barn, disconnecting himself from the harness. "Because you make Applejack happy." He turned away and walked over to the entrance, grabbing a rope with his teeth and pulled on it. A bell rung a couple of times. He walked back to Rainbow Dash. 

She knew what he was talking about, and why she would seem happier when either her or Fluttershy would visit was beyond her. Despite her curiosity, she didn't want to risk asking. "I'm glad.” There was a brief moment of silence as they stood. Not wanting it to be awkward, she decided to say something else. "She makes me happy too." 

Big Mac smiled as several ponies came in, each of them either shining with sweat or matte from the dirt encasing their bodies. All of them looked like they had a hard day of work, which some seemed more tired from than others. Most of them were ponies she'd known, but didn't really talk to, although there were two that she definitely knew that were talking to each other, much to her surprise. 

She ran up to both of them. "AJ and Spitfire! Don't you two make an unlikely pair," she announced as a greeting. 

"Howdy." 

"Hey, Crash. Fancy seeing you here," Spitfire greeted her with a friendly shove. "Although it seems like you just came for the food," she joked, observing Rainbow's relatively clean fur, and mostly, the fritter she still had on her wing. 

"Oh shut up," Rainbow scoffed in return. "I come up here enough to help, ask Applejack!" She looked at the orange pony who showed no expression on her face, save for a raised eyebrow. 

"It's true enough," she admitted. "Although I reckon you could stand to put in more work." She shot a look at Spitfire who bit her lip, forcing back a laugh. 

"Okay, okay." She rolled her eyes. "So what are you doing here? I didn't take you to be interested in farming." She observed Spitfire closely, trying to find something wrong, even though she didn't want to. 

Spitfire shuffled on her hooves. "I'm not, but I wanted something to do. Menial work like this does the job well enough." 

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Now, I know you didn't just say that farm work is menial." She looked threateningly at Spitfire. "It's a lot harder than you think." 

Spitfire held up a hoof. "I didn't mean it that way," she insisted. "I just meant what I was doing specifically. You know I respect you and your family, 'Jack." 

'Jack? Since when does Spitfire call her that? Rainbow squinted her eyes, something building up inside her. "Yeah, yeah, you guys are best friends now, we get it," she muttered. Or at least, she thought she did. It came out at a relatively normal volume, though. 

Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but Spitfire took a step forward, silencing her with a glance. "Crash, are you okay? You seem irritated." 

Truth was, Rainbow wasn't even sure. It wasn't Spitfire or Applejack specifically that was getting her riled up, but she did feel upset. At what, she didn't even know herself. So she sighed in resignation. "Yeah, I'm just hungry." 

Applejack swallowed her retort and smiled. "Well, luckily for you two, I can get us to the front of the line. Perks of being friends with an Apple." 

Rainbow glanced at her apple fritter. "I already have food, so you two go ahead and I'll find us somewhere to eat in here," she suggested. 

Spitfire and Applejack nodded. "Alright, you better not disappoint us with the spot," Spitfire joked. "Come on, Applejack, I'm craving a pie." 

"Long as we split it, Captain," Applejack responded. 

"Fine." 

Rainbow Dash watched them leave toward the cart, and then she turned around to fulfill her part. She looked around, looking for an empty spot where they could eat and her eyes fell on a table covered in power tools. She could just clear the table and not only would they have their own spot, but somewhere to put their food. 

Content with her decision, Rainbow Dash raced to the table, putting her fritter between her hooves so she could fly the short distance a lot faster than she could run it. As she came to a sudden stop, the wind she created blew her mane around for a moment. She left her mane as it was and set her fritter on the table. 

There was a saw, a hammer, and planks of wood on the table. She thought it'd be better to just move it to the side, there would still be plenty of room for them to eat, after all. She decided to wait on the left side of the table, leaving the other area open for Spitfire and Applejack. Her fritter had long since gotten cold, but she didn't mind as long as she got to eat with her friends. 

The word "friend" seemed to change definition as of late. She still spent as much time as she could with her closest friends, but she had also been forced to spend time with ponies she didn't really talk to before. It's not to say that she and Starlight, for example, were not friends from before. It’s just that they were a lot closer than before, and for all the wrong reasons. Having to work together to simply stay alive and keep other ponies alive was not really the way that Rainbow Dash would prefer to make friends.

It really must have been a perk to be friends with Applejack, because she and Spitfire came back quickly. Applejack held a steaming apple pie. They spotted her as she waved them over and they approached, both looked excited to eat the pie. 

"That looks really good," Rainbow Dash admitted. It was a warm apple pie, and even though Rainbow herself didn't even like pie, she couldn’t deny that it smelled great. 

Spitfire nodded eagerly and licked her lips in anticipation. "It sure does," she responded. "Do you want any, Crash?" 

Before Rainbow could respond, Applejack shook her head. "Might be a bit crazy, but this one don't even like pie.” She spared a glance at Rainbow and shook her head slowly. "Dunno what's wrong with her, but she's surely missing out." 

Rainbow just nodded in agreement and pulled her fritter to her. "AJ's got a point there. Besides, I have my own food anyway." She looked at the food she was about to eat, and she could just taste it in her mouth. 

"Alright, quit slobberin' all over our workbench,'' Applejack spoke. "Let's get eatin’!" 

As a response, Rainbow Dash took a bite of her fritter and Spitfire took a bite of her side of the pie. Applejack rolled her eyes and took a bite. They all moaned in delight. 

"This is… wow," Rainbow moaned in delight, taking another bite. "Did you make this, AJ?" 

Applejack shrugged. "Don't rightly know." She watched as Spitfire devoured another bite with a grin. "I'm not sure who made what, but it was either me, Pinkie or Mrs. Cake." 

"Well, whoever it was has all of my compliments," Rainbow stated. Spitfire muffled an agreement through her full mouth. 

They say that a meal spent in silence isn't a bad thing because that means everyone is enjoying their food. This held doubly true for the three mares who spent the better part of ten minutes in complete silence, apart from the occasional delighted huff. It was a welcome reminder of what the following winter might shape up to be like. 

They talked about meaningless things. Things you talk about with your friends when you want to fill the empty space where voices should be, but despite it just being small talk, Rainbow found herself enjoying the moment a lot. She was close with Spitfire, and it was safe to say that Applejack was one of her closest friends, which speaks for itself considering the nature of her friend group. 

And she was so glad that they were friends, too. She couldn't help but wonder if they would have been friends under normal circumstances. Buck it. These were the normal circumstances now, and there's no use thinking of what-ifs. They were friends, and Rainbow would never change that. 

So why did she feel weird about it? It's not that she thought they shouldn't be friends, in fact, she loved their dynamic. Something inside her hurt whenever they'd laugh at each other's jokes, though. She wasn't jealous, of course, that would be ridiculous, and Rainbow couldn't once again be more ridiculous than Applejack. The thought still lingered, and then it crept up on Rainbow Dash like the sour aftertaste of lemon. What if she's replacing me? 

She immediately scolded herself for even thinking it. Applejack would never do that, and even more so, she had no reason to. She clearly confided in her enough to tell her something not even her own family knew, so why would she ever do that? 

She wouldn't, and Rainbow knew it. But they were acting incredibly close, and it made Rainbow feel left out. It was unfair to expect Applejack to focus solely on Rainbow, and she knew that too, but Big Mac's words rang in her head. You make Applejack happy. And it hit her so hard, it almost hurt. 

She was jealous. She was jealous that somepony else could make Applejack happy like she did. 

It felt worse to acknowledge it. She didn't want to be jealous, especially over something so foalish. Then again, when had she ever been mature? She had to start at some point, and what better time? Rainbow blinked forcefully back into the moment, and it seemed like she hadn't been missed anyway. She pushed down the jealousy and jumped back into the conversation. 

"So then I dug out the mole and used my trusty lasso to drag it back up the hole," Applejack explained with actions to match her words. "Seems that the critter hurt its arm, so I took him straight to Fluttershy. Glad I did, though, she said he promised to leave the corn alone."

"Wow, that definitely tops my cloud story," Spitfire admitted with a grin. "Who would have thought that doing a simple task for Rarity would be less interesting than gopher gathering?" 

"Mole."

"Whatever."

Rainbow found the perfect spot to insert herself back in. "Rarity asked you to do that too?" She chuckled as Spitfire nodded. "Yeah, me too, last month. You'd think she'd find a better way." 

"Tell me about it." Spitfire sat up straighter. "She's so dramatic, and that desire to look nice all the time? I don't get it. Everyone looks like shit. Comparatively, she's always just gorgeous!" 

Well, Rainbow wouldn't say that but Spitfire did have a point. "I know right? It's so weird. Just chillax for a bit." 

"Come on, y'all. Let's not start talkin' behind our friend's back,'' Applejack told them sternly. "If Rarity likes getting all pretty for no reason, then that's up to her. I guess it helps her feel normal." 

Spitfire shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." She scratched her mane. "I wasn't trying to be mean or anything, I do actually like her." 

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, we just like teasing our friends," she explained as she rolled a hoof. "It's a Wonderbolt thing." 

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Reckon y'all have done it to me, as well." Neither of them responded, further confirming Applejack's suspicion. "Sounds about right." 

Spitfire reached over and draped her foreleg around Applejack's shoulder. "Aw, come on, 'Jack. It's all in good fun.” She blinked innocently at the orange mare. 

Applejack pushed her off with an unimpressed look. "I think I'll stick to not talking behind other ponies' backs, thank you very much." 

Spitfire shook her head, stretching her wings for a moment. "Well, thanks for the food and the hard work," she started. "I gotta get going now, I promised Rumble I'd take him flying." 

Applejack looked over at her. "Sorry to see ya go, and thank you for helping out on the farm today." She extended her hoof, which Spitfire bumped. "Be careful, okay?" 

Spitfire nodded. "Sure thing." She turned to Rainbow and saluted. "See ya later, Crash." 

Rainbow saluted in response. "See ya. Oh, and tell Rumble I say hi." Spitfire nodded in response and ran off. Applejack watched until she disappeared, then she turned back in the direction of Rainbow, but kept her eyes fixed on the empty pie tin. Rainbow quirked her lip. "What's wrong, Applejack?" 

Applejack looked back up, her expression showing nothing but the usual passive content that she had. "Nothing. Why'd you think otherwise?" 

She didn't really have an answer. It was more of a feeling. There was no way to bring it up to her without sounding weird, so she decided to drop it. "No reason. Just thought I'd ask.” She searched for something in Applejack's eyes, but all her friend did was blink. 

"So, what brings you back up?" Applejack was smart to change the subject. There was mostly just awkward blinking happening. 

"Oh, I came up with Big Mac. Just wanted to check in, you know?" Rainbow Dash leaned on the table casually, trying to convey some sense of normality. 

If Applejack saw through it, she didn't show it. "Big Mac, huh?" She teasingly wiggled her eyebrows. "You're not looking to mess around with him, right?" Even though she was joking, it also sounded like a threat. 

"Of course not!" Rainbow's cheeks flushed as she looked away. "He's your brother, I wouldn't do that. Besides, he's with Sugar Belle. I stick to single ponies." She motioned at herself. "Element of loyalty, remember?" 

Applejack ducked her head. "Yeah, that's true." She looked at the ground. "I just don't get how you can fool around with ponies you don't even like." 

Rainbow chuckled awkwardly once. "Well it's not like I don't like them," she stated as she rubbed her hoof on her mane. 

"I meant like them. More than friends." Applejack seemed to blush as she spoke, but Rainbow couldn't really tell since she looked off to the side. 

"Oh. Yeah, I don't think I've ever liked anypony. It's not that I don't want to date, but I guess I just haven't had time." Rainbow shrugged in indifference. "I mean, if I ever did, then that'd be totally cool, but for now I'm not tied down to anyone." And if she ever was, she'd stop. She knew that.

Applejack frowned for a moment, but then shook it off. "Well, you do you, I guess. As long as you're not hurtin' anypony." She smiled weakly. 

Rainbow nodded. The conversation died as soon as Spitfire left, and Rainbow found herself wishing that her former Wonderbolt companion had never left. She cast a side-eyed glance to the barn door, and she wanted to leave. But something had Applejack down, and she felt like she just had to ask. She thought about what she was going to say carefully. 

But Applejack beat her. "Hey, Dash?" 

"Yeah?" 

Applejack was quiet. She shook her head. "Never mind, it was silly." 

Rainbow pressed her lips together. "You sure? I bet it wasn't silly, and you know you can talk to me." 

"I know." There was a pause as Applejack looked back and forth at something on the ceiling. "What do you do when the pony you like doesn't like you back?" 

Well, that was unexpected. Rainbow just gave her a weird look before getting to think about it. "Well, I mean, first you need to be sure that this pony doesn't like you back." She looked at Applejack. "Do you know that for sure? Or are you guessing?"

Applejack looked Rainbow directly in the eye. "Oh, I'm pretty sure." She almost sounded angry, but Rainbow didn't know why. 

The only pony that Applejack could be talking about had to be Spitfire, right? If that was the case, then there was reason to believe that it was mutual. "Why do you say that? I think she likes you back, you know." 

Applejack looked more confused than anything. "What?" 

"Spitfire totally digs you, AJ." Rainbow winked at Applejack, who frowned for a moment before bursting out in laughter. 

"You thought – You… Spitfire?" Applejack managed to get words out between her laughter before taking a few deep breaths to control herself. "Rainbow Dash, I don't like Spitfire." She gave her a warm smile. "Oh hayseed, you're so dense." 

Rainbow crossed her hooves. "Dense? Why would you say I'm dense?" She blew her mane out of her face, feeling thoroughly embarrassed by the ordeal. "You two were totally vibing, what was I supposed to think?" 

Applejack furrowed her eyebrows for a second. "We really only became friends today," she pointed out. Her moment of seemingly random upsetness didn't seem to last long, though. Applejack shook her head with a grin. "Y'know, I think I got my answer. I can just enjoy the good moments." 

Rainbow Dash smiled past her initial annoyance. No matter how embarrassed she felt for guessing incorrectly, there was something about Applejack's laughter that was infectious. "Well, shit. If it isn't Spitfire, then who is it?" She punched Applejack on the shoulder firmly, but still soft enough to just be friendly. 

Applejack shoved her in return. "There ain't no way I'm telling you that, ya hear?" She chuckled at the offended look on Rainbow's face. "Can't have you and your big mouth telling everypony." 

"Would you have told me I was right if it was Spitfire?" 

"Maybe, but it ain't, and that's all that matters." Applejack took a deep breath before smiling. "Even if the pony I like doesn't like me, she makes me happy, and that's all I need anyhow."

Rainbow scrunched her face. "Ew, don't get all sentimental on me here, AJ." She stuck her tongue out at Applejack who rolled her eyes. "I mean, I know that it must be weird to like a pony instead of being in love with an apple tree, but come on." 

Applejack shot daggers at Rainbow Dash with her eyes, but her mouth was still smiling. "Hey, maybe if you developed actual emotions once in a while, you'd get it." 

"Emotions are for eggheads," Rainbow retorted. "The day you see me catching feelings is the day the world ends." 

Applejack snorted and opened her mouth to shoot something back at her, but there was a loud rumble before anything was said. They both shot to their hooves, looking at the barn doors and outside. The ponies in the area all stood still in eerie silence as they looked out the door as well. 

For a moment, there was silence. Rainbow thought it was far too quiet. She could hear the blood roaring in her ears, she could hear Applejack's breathing. She could hear the wind through the trees. 

She could hear approaching screaming. Wait, screaming? Rainbow narrowed her eyes at two approaching figures, one running and one flying from the path leading out of the entrance of the farm. Trixie was running, scared out of her mind, and Soarin followed closely next to her. He must have been flying slower to make sure Trixie was okay because he could have been going a lot faster. 

Trixie ran right into the barn and threw herself on the floor. Her fur was dirty, her hat had a hole blasted through the top of it and she had scuff marks and burns around her body. Soarin didn't look much better as he landed and gasped for breath while he looked desperately behind him. 

Everypony in the area, including some who were leaving the tunnel, ran over near them. Neither of them seemed to be able to speak. 

Trixie stood up on trembling hooves. "The… The Great and… TERRIFIED Trixie wanted… she saw… I saw…" 

"They're coming!" Soarin interrupted, his voice desperate and shrill. "We tried to stop them but they were too strong! They broke through the barrier!" 

Rainbow Dash looked over to Applejack, who looked at her with a frown. Nopony moved for a moment. There was another stillness in the air, save for Soarin and Trixie who shook where they stood and gasped for breath. 

Then, another rumble, and smoke rose in the distance. Everypony screamed and began to run to the tunnel as Rainbow, Applejack, Soarin, and Trixie stayed. Spitfire came back, alongside her was Starlight, who ran to Trixie's side to make sure she was okay. 

Rarity and Fluttershy followed, looking surprised and worried. Fluttershy still looked sick. Fleetfoot flew in and landed next to Rainbow Dash, and Big Mac stood behind Applejack. Zecora came quickly as well and sported a sash that held different types of potions. Lightning Dust hovered above them, with Bulk Biceps flanking her. 

They all stood in a line in front of the barn and held their ground. Rainbow wanted to believe that they would be ready to face anything that came their way, and so she looked to each side of her for reassurance. Seeing her friends must help. 

Instead, she saw Trixie and Soarin who were already hurt. She saw Fluttershy who was sick, and Applejack who was exhausted. She saw Pinkie Pie, who appeared out of nowhere, with the unhappiest expression she'd ever seen from her. And, she saw herself, who was already tired of living. 

She snapped her head forward, having a hard time believing it would be okay. And what she saw next did not help at all. Twilight appeared first and flew in with a maniacal smile. Behind her was every pony she had reclaimed from them. Their friends. Thunderlane, Cloud Chaser, and Ditzy were among them. Ditzy. 

The most disturbing thing was who flew in next to her. She was flanked by the other princesses. Luna, Celestia, and even Cadance, although neither of them looked right. All of their sclerae were glowing red. As Rainbow processed this, the moon rose in the middle of the day and met the sun at the top of the sky. A solar eclipse. A deep red hue fell over everypony. Because of course they would do that. 

Twilight's horn glowed magenta as she set off another explosion just in front of the barn. The ponies around Rainbow Dash ducked for cover and protected themselves from the rubble. But Rainbow did not move. She let herself be hit by the shrapnel, several cuts appeared along her face, but she still didn't move. She was not afraid.