//------------------------------//
// Chapter Six-Fall 
// Story: Broken 
// by DiveBomb 
//------------------------------//

Broken: Chapter Six, Fall

Applejack awoke beside the couch in the middle of the library, her bangs in her face and her hat covering her eyes. The orange mare groaned when she removed the stetson to receive the full light from the rising sun. She clamped her eyes shut and climbed back onto the couch, laying back on her stomach. She hadn't fallen asleep until three o' clock in the morning, and she was still exhausted from the relentless crying and worrying. Twilight had finally read the letter from Princess Celestia, only to find that she was requesting Spike's assistance in Canterlot immediately. She, Applejack and Rarity were relieved to hear this, not being able to cope with some sort of emergency. 
"Oh good, you're awake," said a voice. The farmpony lifted her head slowly, her hat falling to the floor. Rarity walked into the room, her mane tied up in a towel and her coat damp with bathwater. She recoiled when she saw Applejack's face. "Oh darling! You look terrible! Come on, get up. Now I don't care what you say, you're coming with me to the spa. You had a terrible night and you need help to relax."
"Is Rainbow Dash okay?" asked Applejack, not wanting to argue right now. Rarity paused.
"Oh! Yes dear, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy came back this morning after you fell asleep," she explained. "They said that they saw Spitfire from the Wonderbolts fly by and land on Rainbow's cloud."
That woke Applejack up immediately. She shot up to her haunches, her jaw agape.
"What? What would she want with Dash?" she asked.
"I don't know," answered Rarity simply. "Fluttershy said that they were too high up for either of them to hear their conversation. But they did say that Spitfire flew off with Rainbow Dash on her back. They said that she didn't look too good from their point of view."
"Huh? Wha...Is she okay? Wha' happened?!"
"Pinkie Pie said that after a while Spitfire flew her back to Rainbow Dash's house in the clouds, and then left," said Rarity. "Once they heard Rainbow Dash snoring they came back here before leaving. They were up all night, so they're both at home sleeping. Personally I didn't even know that Pinkie Pie could sleep."
Applejack smiled ear-to-ear, finally relaxing. She could breathe now, knowing that her friend was at least able to sleep. Maybe Spitfire came to welcome Rainbow Dash into the Wonderbolts finally. If anything would make the pegasus feel better, it would be that. It didn't matter, the farmpony didn't speculate. Her friend was okay, not about to take her own life. Suddenly Applejack was overcome with this happiness, feeling her eyes burn with the threat of tears. 
"Are you alright dear?" asked Rarity with a look of concern. Applejack nodded as a warm tear rolled down her face. The white unicorn hugged her gently.
"She's okay..." Applejack whispered. "Ah'm jus' happy she's okay."
"We all are dear," Rarity replied softly, letting her go. She gave the orange mare a sad look. "Applejack, please don't take this the wrong way but..."
Applejack straightened up, wiping the tears from her eyes. It didn't matter what the unicorn was about to say to her. She was overwhelming relieved to hear that Rainbow Dash was okay, and even had a chance to be with her idol. 
"Go ahead Rarity. Ah couldn't get mad righ' now if Ah tried," she smiled.
"Thank you dear, but I wanted to ask you...are you absolutely sure that you don't have the teeniest tiniest of feelings towards Rainbow Dash?"
Applejack went to reply with the obvious answer, but then found herself stopping. Rarity looked as if she were trying her hardest to be patient, which she ignored. The orange mare fiddled with her hat between her hooves, trying to contemplate her friend's question. She knew why Rarity had asked the question, she wasn't as dumb as she may have been perceived. It was because of her reaction to Rainbow Dash's sorrow, and then her relief when she found out that she was okay. She bet that Twilight nor the rest of their friends had cried like a filly when they found out about Spitfire stopping by and taking care of Dash. So the question was understandable. It made sense. So doesn't Rainbow Dash, she found herself thinking. What was that? No, Ah don't like mares...if she were a stallion then maybe Ah could see feelin's fer her happenin'. Applejack exhaled. 
But if ya'll could see tha' workin' out, then who are ya' ta' say that it would be wrong?
'Cause she isn't a stallion.	
So? What does it matter? Feelin's are feelin's. 
There's feelin's, and then there's lyin' ta' mahself.  
Ya' mean like yer doin' now?      
Applejack visibly flinched. Her mind was working against her, shoving emotions into her face that weren't real. But...if they came from her mind then...then of course they were real. But why would she feel this all of a sudden? Why would she like Rainbow Dash in a romantic way? She had never thought of another mare that way before. Maybe it was just...Rainbow. She was Applejack's best friend for a reason, because Dash was just like her. She was thick-headed, brash, competitive, easily confused at times...the list went on. But that was why they were best friends, not marefriends. If Rainbow Dash's personality and brain could be put into the body of a stallion, then she could see a relationship manifesting. Once this thought went through her mind, Applejack gave herself a mental slap. That mentality was so shallow. What did Rainbow Dash's gender have to do with anything? Ponies loved one another because of who they were. So at this point Applejack's problem was just the fact that Dash was a mare. She allowed her mind to drift to the memories she shared with the cyan pegasus. 
Rainbow Dash was just something else. Her constant athletics had granted her a lean body, but not abandoning a simple look of beauty. Her eyes were such a deep rose, somehow not contrasting against her amazing rainbow mane. In fact they complimented it. As her thoughts roamed free Applejack found her cheeks growing increasingly hot. When she came to her senses, she found Rarity had been sitting on the floor, her forehooves underneath her chest. Apparently she had been waiting for an answer for a few minutes now. The white unicorn saw the blush upon Applejack's face and immediately knew what she was thinking. Rarity jumped to her hooves, beaming and bouncing.
"Oooooh I knew it!" she squeaked, reminiscent of Pinkie Pie. "Something's there!"
"Nothin's..." Applejack went to defend, but then stopped. "Ah mean if...If she was a...Aww confound it! Ah don't know okay?! Ah don't know what mah brain's thinkin'. It's early in the mornin'!"
"That is when the brain is the most honest!" Rarity singsonged, still bouncing on her hooves in excitement. 
"Why d'ya want this ta' happen so much?"
"Well my dear Applejack, regardless of the genders of the two ponies in question, I am positively elated to hear that a new love is blossoming between two of my best friends!"
"It's not love."
"Not yet," Rarity singsonged again. Applejack couldn't argue, she couldn't lie to herself. She was just confused, that was all. She didn't know what she was feeling. The farmpony may have been stubborn at times, but she wasn't stupid. She decided that she would give her thoughts some time, especially after a cup or two of coffee. 
"Did ya'll make any joe?" asked Applejack, desperate to change the conversation. Rarity quelled her excitement.
"Oh yes dear, after last night I figured you would need it. There's a pot in the kitchen."
"Thanks. Oh, and Rarity," Applejack stood up on the floor and placed both forehooves on her friend's shoulders. "Ya'll have ta' promise ta' keep the past ten minutes ta' yerself."
"O-Of course dear."
"Pinkie promise."
Rarity stiffened.       	
"What? Oh no you're going to make me do the whole thing aren't you?"
Applejack nodded. Rarity groaned and performed the routine before Applejack, satisfied, walked into the kitchen to try and wake up and deal with these insane thoughts. Rarity came in with her, lending a helping hoof by floating the pot of coffee over a mug and pouring it. Applejack thanked her, not bothering with milk and sugar but simply tipping it back and enjoying the caffeine. 
"So you know that you owe me for keeping this enormous bit of information a secret right?" the unicorn asked.
"The spa?" asked Applejack, a sense of horror in her voice.
"The spa," Rarity agreed. The orange mare groaned, slumping back into a chair at the table. This wasn't going to be such a great day after all.
-=-
Gilda stood proudly upon the high stone mesa, grinning at the cheering crowd. At least fifty griphons roared their agreement with Swift Wing's speech. The plan went flawlessly. Swift was an absolute wordsmith. He captivated the crowd, with no word of disagreement towards their proposal. Gilda and Swift had told them of a land not filled with hatred, fear or discrimination towards griphonkind. A land that didn't punish or hate them without more reason than their race. A land where they could truly roam free, not the lie that ponykind had thrown at them. There was some speculation from a few griphons in the crowd, which Gilda had taken care of by reassuring them that "if subtle negotiations regarding our demands of law amendments don't work, than we use force. We take over any town that has the gall to disagree with us. Our demands are justified, no more, no less". It had worked, a lot easier than she had thought. This was good, it meant that each griphon on their team was committed, and had a lower chance of defecting or quitting half-way through. Each town and city in Equestria had made one sort of injustice towards their kind or another, sometime in history. With Gilda it was Ponyville. With Swift Wing it was Canterlot. Princess Celestia herself had signed the papers for Swift's banishment not just from the Capital, but also from the mountain range it stood on. All for a crime that would convict a pony to simple community service. A pony would get a week of street cleanup, a griphon however, received shame from his or her kind and a criminal record, not to mention banishment in the first place. 
"This is really working," said Swift Wing after the crowd had dispersed, flying off to their respective home in waiting for their next orders. 
"Of course it is. Our cause is just, and it was a long time coming. If I didn't start this regime, some other griphon would," explained Gilda, a smug look on her face.
"What will you do when we reach Ponyville?" asked Swift curiously. 
"It will be no different than any other town. Just because it holds the ponies responsible for my banishment doesn't mean that it will get any special treatment."
"Wow, you really are a good leader. Nice and responsible."
Gilda nodded at the compliment, turning to the rising sun. It had only been a week since she had first met with Swift Wing, and justice was already on the rise.

-=- One Week Later-=-

Boxes lined the living room wall, all marked with varying categories such as 'kitchen,' 'bedroom' and 'bathroom.' They all were filled past capacity, especially the box marked 'trophies.' This made their owner's pride quiver, although not comparable to what it would have done two weeks ago. Her home was bare, a sight she hadn't seen in over four years. It was something that she had to force herself to not look upon, for the pain it brought hurt her even more. The sight reminded the mare of what she was doing; leaving everything behind, everything that made her...her. All of her experiences, all of her friends, all of her aches and all of her issues. Where there were problems, there were remedies solved by the next step she was taking in her life. It was painful, but also gratifying. This move was for the best, and the mare took a whole week to convince herself. But in the end the idea was the only thing that would take her away from here. 
The front door opened, and three pegasi walked into the living room. Two were moving stallions, gruff and strong looking. The mare pegasus however, wasn't there to do anything but the opposite. The gray pegasus gave her a sad expression unseen before upon her face, her blonde mane hanging lazily over her crossed eyes. She looked up to the resident of the home.
"Are ya' sure ya' wanna do this? Ponies are gonna miss you...an', an'...stuff," said Derpy Hooves, her voice strained. The mare looked up to her with a face reflecting Derpy's sorrowful expression. 
"I have to," said Rainbow Dash. "It's the only way."
-=-
Applejack bucked down the first apples of the day. Normally all of the tree's fruit would fall in one quick buck, but now only a few fell, as if to taunt her. She looked up at the tree to find it still full, bearing nearly all of its apples. The orange mare sighed, knowing what was wrong. It wasn't that it was the first tree after waking up merely twenty minutes ago, it was her brain, and what was occupying every thought. She had done everything she could think of to distract her mind, from bucking apples on the farm as fast as she could, to a spa treatment that Rarity had forced upon her a week ago. Applejack had of course dreaded the idea, but found the treatment to be incredibly invigorating, and even relaxing. It was something her hardworking body truly needed, even if she denied it to her friend. 
Ever since the white unicorn had asked her about her feelings for Rainbow Dash, Applejack found out that she didn't know herself as well as she thought. It was a humbling experience, but it also frightened her. She had been brought up with the idea that mares were meant to be with stallions, and nothing else. In this modern world, the thought was considered "old-fashioned" or even "small-minded." Applejack may not have been a scholar, but she wasn't small-minded. Opening her mind scared her, all of these new thoughts overwhelming. What did she do with these feelings? 
"Somethin' wrong AJ?" asked Big Macintosh, walking over to his sister. Applejack gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Fer the LAST TIME there's nothin' WRONG!" she bellowed, more at the tree than her brother. 
That wasn't it.
"Tha's the first time Ah've spoken to ya' all day," replied Big Mac calmly despite her sister's outburst. Applejack exhaled, frightened by her sudden anger. It was there only to yell at her brother, but was gone immediately after. 
"Ah'm sorry Big Macintosh."
"S'alright. Ya'll 'ave got a lot on yer mind," said her brother. Applejack had told him the previous night of everything, of the past two weeks and of her confusion. "An' it's messin' with yer work. Ya'll have been off all week."
"Ah'm tryin' Big Macintosh," said Applejack, delivering a halfhearted buck to the meddlesome tree, although to no avail.
"Ah'm not here ta' berate ya' Sis, I'm tryin' ta' give ya'll the day off," said the red stallion. Applejack froze. The day off? The orange mare had never taken a day off. Applejack could remember a day when she had come down with a severe flu at the end of a season, but the strong-willed mare kept going until she passed out in the middle of the cold orchard. 
"Wha? The day off? Why of all the dumb, cotton-pickin' ideas-"
"Granny's orders."
Applejack stiffened. Why would Granny Smith order her to take the day off? The orchard's trees were completely full, and they were shorthanded as it is. Only her, Big Mac and Caramel were around to buck the trees today. The Apples needed all the help that they could get. The farmpony sat on her haunches in contemplation. 
"Don' over think it or nothin' AJ. Granny needs ya'll ta' be in tip-top shape fer the season, an' if tha' means ya' have ta' take one day off, then dont'ya think that it's fer the best?" asked Big Mac, clearly quoting their grandmother's words. 
"Ah...Ah jus' don't like the idea of leavin' ya'll ta' work by yerselves."
"Granny's orders," he repeated, giving her a small smile. Applejack returned the smile, getting back to her hooves. She thanked her brother and walked towards the edge of the farm, trying to think of where she could go to clear her mind. She couldn't be around her friends right now, she needed solitude. She needed to be somewhere alone. Applejack wandered around Ponyville absentmindedly, her head low in thought. The town square was packed, which was actually a good thing. This way the orange mare could blend into the crowd of shoppers, unseen as if she weren't there. She subconsciously weaved through the many ponies, her destination nonexistent. 
After an unknown amount of time, Applejack found herself outside of the town, ascending a hill that granted an amazing view of the mountains to the North. She sat on her haunches at the top of the knoll, able to view the city of Canterlot, standing valiantly on the edge of the range. Overhead two pegasus stallions flew off toward the mountains, boxes between their hooves. She didn't think much of it. The only thing on her mind right now was Rainbow Dash, and the thoughts that had been occupying her mind for two weeks now. Before she had been completely confused about her feelings, but now...now...she knew what she thought. Applejack knew what her feelings meant, and now it was time to accept them. The orange mare did feel something for her friend, even if she was a mare. Somehow this didn't matter to her anymore. So what if Rainbow Dash wasn't a stallion? Applejack still felt her heart long to hold her, to comfort her, to take away all of the pain that the poor mare had endured. Suddenly the physical barrier wasn't a factor. Nothing was, except her emotions. 
Applejack stood up faster than she thought. She didn't know that she would accept herself so quickly, but it didn't matter, she needed to find Rainbow Dash and...do something. Yeah, something! She turned back towards Ponyville to find Rarity galloping towards her, horror spread on her face. 
"Applejack there you are!" she gasped, stopping to catch her breath. "You have to come to Twilight's library right now dear! She said it was an emergency!"

Applejack and Rarity burst through the library door. The farmpony had wasted no time in asking questions, she had merely nodded and followed her friend, hoping nothing had happened to Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Twilight were already there, pacing back and forth impatiently. The orange mare felt her heart sink when she saw that Rainbow was nowhere to be found. They all looked up as the two ponies entered. 
"Applejack! Thank Celestia Rarity found you!" Twilight gasped. The purple unicorn looked terrible. Her mane had frayed in all directions, lines of worry under her eyes. "Okay everypony, we can start now."
"Twilight what is going on?" asked Rarity. "What's the emergency?"
"Yeah, you're starting to scare poor wittle Fluttershy!" exclaimed Pinkie, gesturing to the quivering pegasus. 
"Wait, where's Rainbow?" asked Applejack. "This isn't about her is it?"
"No, but nopony can find her," said Twilight, her voice shaking. "We'll find her eventually, right now we have a crisis on our hooves! Princess Celestia has just sent me an urgent letter!"
The purple unicorn levitated a scroll to her face, unraveling it and reading aloud: 
"Dear Twilight Sparkle, I write this letter to you under extreme circumstances. The town of Appleloosa has been taken over by a regime of griphons after a meeting with their mayor. Several ponies have been taken hostage within the small town, demanding changes in Equestrian Law. Their leader has been found saying that they are fighting for some sort of cause. Not many details have surfaced as of yet, but Appleloosa may not be their only target. My guess is that they wish to repeat this process with every town until they reach whatever goal they have their eyes set on. Take heed my faithful student, griphons are not a race to be taken lightly. They are powerful, ruthless and cunning. I have sent a letter to Mayor Mare with the same details. This is a matter not to be taken to the public, but my wish for you is to prepare. Gather your friends and organize a meeting with the Mayor. Each of the Elements of Harmony will play a specific role in this battle, if it comes to such a dire situation. I will keep you posted with any information that I receive in the meantime. My best regards, Princess Celestia." 
Applejack felt a clamp tighten over her heart. Appleloosa, where her distant family had settled, had been taken hostage. Braeburn, what had happened to him? Had he been taken as well? Worry spread throughout her body and her mind, causing her to visibly shake. What was going on? Why where griphons suddenly coming out of the brush and doing something like this? They had some sort of goal, that much had been said. She couldn't help but wonder what that goal was. Knowing that could help if they came to Ponyville. 
Everypony in the room was speechless, their mouths agape. Fluttershy looked on the edge of tears. Pinkie Pie held a wide-eyed stare on the purple unicorn. Rarity held a hoof to her mouth, looking towards Applejack. It was as if she had been the only pony to remember the event in Appleloosa. She didn't care though, for right now the last thing the orange mare needed was more attention. Applejack didn't know what to do. Her mind was all over the place. Her realization of her feelings for her friend, Appleloosa being in such a terrible situation...It was too much for one hour to hold. 
"We need to find Rainbow Dash," said Applejack suddenly. Twilight looked up to her. "Has anypony seen 'er?"
"Not since we saw her with Spitfire," whispered Fluttershy, rubbing her eyes. "After that I don't think I've seen her at all."
"Where could she have gone?" asked Twilight, her left eye twitching with worry. "She's one of the Elements, we need her to come with us to see the Mayor."
"Ah'll look fer her," said Applejack. "I needed ta' see 'er anyhow."
Rarity shot her a hopeful look. Applejack nodded to her, answering the silent question. The white unicorn cracked a small smile, barely able to contain her happiness regardless of the situation.
"Okay Applejack, go find Rainbow and do whatever you can to get her here," Twilight instructed, gathering her composure and organized demeanor. "Fluttershy, go with AJ to scout the skies for Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie, take the balloon and circle Ponyville. I want you to let us know if you see anything out of the ordinary. Rarity, you're coming with me to the Mayor's office to start our meeting with her. I'm not taking any chances with this news. Everypony got it?"
Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy nodded purposefully, understanding their objectives. Rarity turned to Applejack once more, giving her one more sidelong look. The farmpony nodded again before turning on a hoof and bolting through the door. Fluttershy gasped and followed close behind, running instead of flying. Fluttershy kept trying to ask the orange mare what she thought of Rainbow's whereabouts, but Applejack ignored the banter. She had one thing on her mind right now: finding Rainbow Dash and...doing something before getting her to the Mayor's office. She didn't know how she could express her feelings for the pegasus, a hug? No, that didn't mean anything special. A kiss? No, too forward. But was it? Dash had confessed her love to Applejack. So was a kiss truly too far over the top? Could she bring herself to do it? Maybe a simple confession of feelings would suffice. She had never known what true love had felt like, so declaring such would be considered a lie. No, feelings were good enough. Even if it took Applejack a half an hour to say it, it didn't matter. It wasn't like griphons were attacking Ponyville now. However, she was still worried about Braeburn and her family in Appleloosa. 
Applejack and Fluttershy arrived at the field underneath Rainbow's cloud home. The yellow pegasus immediately flew up to the cloud and knocked on the front door hastily. Nothing. She flew around the home, calling their friend's name and stopping abruptly once she peered into a window. 
"What is it Sugarcube?" Applejack called up to Fluttershy. She heard the pegasus mutter something under her breath, even from the ground. "Fluttershy!"
"She's...gone."
What.
"Whaddya mean-"
"Her house is empty, there's nothing in there!"
Applejack felt the clamp tighten harder. Gone? Empty? What the hay... Her house was empty, so that meant...Rainbow Dash had left. She had moved away, but to where? Why? Fluttershy descended to the ground, landing clumsily in front of Applejack, whom fell to her haunches. Spitfire could have truly accepted Rainbow into the Wonderbolts, maybe she had to relocate. But why wouldn't she tell anypony? Dash had been feeling better, Applejack had been told that she was. This may have explained why nopony had seen her in the last week, but it didn't explain why she would just get up and leave her home. Didn't Dash think that her best friends would like to know about this? Moving away from her home was a huge step, and she wasn't sharing a word of it with anypony. Applejack could understand why Rainbow wouldn't want to speak to her specifically, but everypony else? None of this made sense. Suddenly her mind was more distraught than before.
"What does this mean?" asked Fluttershy weakly. "Why would she leave?"
"Ah..." the orange earth pony started, her voice little more than a whisper. "Ah dunno. Dash needsta' know what's goin' on. An' Ah...Ah needta' see 'er."
"Well what do we do?" asked Fluttershy again. Applejack was at a loss for words. She remembered the two pegasi flying over her with boxes, Rainbow's boxes. They had been flying towards the mountains, not in any general direction. Where was Rainbow Dash going? Canterlot, or somewhere secluded in the mountains? She didn't know what to do. Applejack could hop a train to Canterlot in search of her friend, but Appleloosa was in trouble. Right now she had to think objectively. The orange mare had to go and meet up with Twilight and Rarity to speak with the Mayor. Applejack could find Rainbow Dash later. 
"Come on, we don' have much time. Let's get to the town hall an' meet the girls. Ah need ta' know what's happenin' in Appleloosa. We'll go and find Rainbow later," she explained. 
"But we need her with us," Fluttershy interjected. "What if we need to use the Elements of Harmony?"
"Those griphons aren't anywhere near Ponyville! They're a two-day train ride away! Let's go!"

Applejack had persuaded Fluttershy to keep her mouth shut for the time being until they reached the clock tower in the center of Ponyville. Twilight nor Rarity were anywhere to be seen, so they must have been inside. Pinkie Pie was visible in the skies to the right, her hoof above her eyes, looking out across the land. Moments later they were walking into Mayor Mare's office to find Twilight and Rarity standing in front of a large, ornate desk. Behind it in a large chair was the mayor, looking calm as always with her hooves together upon the desk's surface.
"Wh-Where's Rainbow Dash?" asked Rarity. 
"Couldn't find 'er," Applejack replied quickly, technically not lying. 
"You've only been gone for-"
"We couldn't find 'er" she repeated heatedly. Rarity looked taken aback. "We'll find 'er later, right now Ah need ta' know if mah family is gonna be alright."
"Well come around girls and we'll get this started," said Mare, gesturing for them to come forward. "I've received the letter from the Princess. She has instructed us to meet, and discuss our defenses in the event of an attack. Now ideally we would have all six of you here, but under the circumstances we will have to make due. You all have proven yourselves quite formidable in the eyes of danger countless times before. You are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony for a reason. Now your assistance may be required again. The demands of the griphons have not currently been met and they haven't reacted very...well."
"What are their demands? What do they want?" asked Twilight.
"Those details haven't yet reached me nor the Princess as of yet," said Mare, shrugging. "But until then, we will not take any chances. For all we know there's a whole flock of griphons outside our borders right now. Now we are not going to go public with this. Ponies are generally fearful of their kind, and not without reason."
"Do you think this is because of the War of the Skies?" asked Twilight, clearly still desperate for answers. 
"Miss Sparkle please," said Mare urgently. "I understand your curiosity but we simply do not have time for speculation. Now I understand from your work during the past Winter Wrap-Up that you are considerably adept in terms of strategy and organization. Twilight Sparkle, you are now Ponyville's Lead Battle Strategist."
Twilight simply beamed, standing proud. Mare turned to Rarity.
"Miss Rarity, being our town's finest fashionista, you shall fit our soldiers with any armor needs our barracks may have. You will be granted any assistance you may need from our unicorns. Is that something you can do?"
"O-Of course!" said Rarity, although halfhearted. It was obvious she disdained being in such a dirty, rough-and-tumble environment. The Mayor turned to Fluttershy, pausing before saying:
"Fluttershy, I'll need you to migrate the creatures of Ponyville to a safe location until this is all over. Do you understand?"
"Oh! Y-Yes Mayor," she squeaked. Finally, Mayor Mare turned to Applejack, a puzzled look on her face. 
"Now Applejack, I must admit I'm not sure where to put you."
"Ya'll can put me up on the front line," she said, to everpony's surprise. "If Ah'm gonna be anywhere, Ah'm gonna be fighin'."
"Are you sure Applejack, griphons are dangerous beings," she said, reflecting the look of worry upon her friend's faces. 
"If Ah can corral a herd o' buffalo, Ah can pluck them griphons straight outta the air. Jus' give me a rope, Ah can handle it," said Applejack, determination in her eyes. Mayor Mare took a few seconds to chew on this response. She then nodded, moving right along.
"So be it. Now I would like to keep Pinkie Pie exactly where she is. Her keen Sense can help with detecting oncoming foes. As for Rainbow Dash, I will need to speak with her about her position. Now are you two sure that you have no idea where she is?" the Mayor asked Applejack and Fluttershy. The farmpony lowered her head, beaten. She couldn't keep it a secret anymore. There was no point.
"She moved," Applejack said softly. Everything stopped. Every pony in the room shared a look of pure shock.
"What?!" yelled three different voices. Applejack closed her eyes, unable to take the truth. However, she bit her lip and explained what she and Fluttershy had found at Rainbow's home. Nopony could believe it, berating her with questions that she couldn't answer.
"Now quiet!" Mare cried, silencing the room. "Now Applejack, I have no idea what would drive Rainbow Dash to suddenly leave her home, but she absolutely needs to be here! Her intermediate weather abilities are simply unmatched, and may be necessary in protecting Ponyville! Not to mention if the Elements are required, they will not work unless she is present!" 
Applejack didn't answer, she didn't look any of them in the eye. She knew that the Mayor's words were true but...how would she even start to find her?
"I'll go," said Fluttershy suddenly. Now all eyes were on the yellow pegasus. Normally the attention would cause her to flinch or cower in some sort of way. But this time she wore a look of pure determination, as if she were about to take on the world. "I'll take care of the animals immediately, and then fly off to find Rainbow Dash. If anypony has an idea of where she might be, it's me. It may take a day or two to migrate the animals, but I can do it."
"But Fluttershy, what if you run into one of those terrifying griphons?" asked Rarity.
"What if I let that scare me and we never saw Rainbow Dash again?" Fluttershy replied promptly. The response was so brave, so bold, and it was coming from Fluttershy. Her sudden bravery was inspiring, and it brought a sense of pride between the four friends. 
"So be it," announced the Mayor of Ponyville. "You all have your objectives. I expect you to report to your respective stations to prepare. Twilight Sparkle, retire to your home, close the library and start planning. Rarity, tell Pinkie Pie the details of what we have just discussed and report to your Boutique and start your designs for our warriors. You will be brought the steel to start creating for unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies alike. Applejack, report to your farm and ready yourself for battle, whatever that may entail. Fluttershy, herd the creatures of Ponyville to a safe location in the Everfree Forest and start your search for Rainbow Dash. Once you find her, bring her to me. Do you all understand?"
Everypony nodded.
"Good. Now let us prepare. You are all dismissed!"