Chapter 7 – The prairie (reprise and return)
The sun was again burning from the sky. The prairie was pale and dry and utterly lacking in any interesting detail. So they dragged themselves along again, Twilight in front and Applejack guarding the rear of the two hundred cattle they were accompanying, while Rainbow Dash flew circles above them to keep an eye on the complete herd. And thus they were all alone with their thoughts.
Twilight and Applejack had decided to take a little detour in order to avoid the house, and so they were deliberately digressing to the south. It wouldn’t overly increase the duration of their journey. Rainbow, who had never been in these parts, hadn’t questioned their decision, and if Daisy, the friendly cattle elder, had noticed, she hadn’t mentioned it.
Twilight was only too conscious of Applejack’s presence a few hundred paces behind her, but she never turned around. She was still too scared of the events that had transpired in the kitchen before their departure. How easy it had been for both of them to slip up despite their agreement to just be friends. And how easily she had been willing to forget about what they were doing to Rainbow Dash.
She never looked up either.
This was the way it was supposed to be. She was Applejack’s and Rainbow’s friend, and for anything beyond that there was no place.
And so they marched on. They skipped their lunch break in an unspoken agreement between Applejack and Twilight to get this trip over with as quickly as possible and just had a few bites to eat on the walk. The cows didn’t seem to mind; Daisy told them that they usually didn’t graze much on such cattle drives anyway because feeding made them rather tired.
Rainbow Dash used the time and the—for her standards—slow speed to practice some of her flying tricks and didn’t miss any opportunity to try and get her friends to watch her and cheer her on, but they were both unenthusiastic, as if something was distracting them.
Twilight found her gaze wandering left, to the north, to where they had travelled on their way to Blue Cheese’s farm. Where the house was. She knew that they would pass the house in at least five kilometers distance, but she could feel it looming up there, could feel it looking out for her, waiting for her. She chastised herself for being ridiculous—a house couldn’t look for anyone, a house was just a house, it didn’t even have eyes, it didn’t wait. It stood there in the prairie, and that was it, decaying, eventually crumbling to dust. And if there were any orange rat-things in there, they just lived their orange rat-lives and would eventually die.
She sighed. If she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that she could not simply leave the house being. Something was definitely wrong with the house, and judging from what happened to her and Applejack, it was potentially dangerous. Being a princess—and a proficient magic user—it was her responsibility to make sure nopony would be endangered by a haunted house. She would have to talk to Princess Celestia about it so that it could be officially investigated and properly secured.
Whether it was that the house had somehow hidden between the bright sunrays, or that it had just moved into sight—Twilight didn’t know. But she was not surprised that when she turned her head again the house stood there on the prairie, right in their path, a few kilometers ahead, as if it belonged. She didn’t so much as startle. The house was there, along with the dead trees surrounding it. She could have known it.
“Whoa, what’s that?” Rainbow exclaimed above her, quelling any unpleasant fears that she might suffer from a hallucination. “Who’d be so crazy to build a house here in the middle of nowhere?”
Despite knowing better, Twilight cast a quick compass spell to check if they had deviated from their set course, if the house was perhaps not directly in her path, but of course it was. She stopped in her tracks, her knees suddenly shaky as she realized that she would have to face the house again, the door, the plains, the mountains. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to.
The cattle herd slowly marched past her. Daisy cast her a concerned look but didn’t say anything. Rainbow was still busy hovering above them and staring at the unexpected house.
“It ain’t makin’ no sense,” she heard Applejack behind her. “I know we’re somewhere different. That house can’t be here. It ain’t makin’ a lick of sense at all.”
“It wants to be here,” Twilight quietly said.
Applejack looked at her and noticed how shaky the alicorn was. “You alright, hon?”
“No.”
Applejack put a hoof around Twilight’s withers. “We just walk past it. We don’t go in. It won’t harm you.”
“Guys, what’s with the holdup?” They hadn’t noticed that Rainbow Dash had flown over to them. The cattle had stopped as well, and Daisy was looking at them questioningly from the front of the trek.
“The house,” Twilight said flatly.
“What about it?” asked Rainbow. “Just a deserted house in the middle of nowhere, right?”
“If only.”
“We done seen this house before,” Applejack explained in a low voice. “On our way here. It ain’t right, that place. Haunted, is what it is.”
“Haunted? What’s up with it?”
“It’s a bad place, ain’t that enough?” Applejack asked, her own fear now clearly audible. Rainbow backed off a pace, surprised that her usually so level-headed marefriend was so scared.
“We saw things in there,” Twilight added. “And they saw us. And I think they still see me.” She shuddered.
“What did you see?” Rainbow sounded curious.
“Don’t, hon,” Applejack pleaded, still sounding on the edge. “The place is bad news, ain’t that enough?”
“So we walk past it, problem solved,” Rainbow decided. “Wusses,” she teased them affectionately.
“Yes,” Twilight agreed in a dreamy voice, staring into the distance where the house was, now blocked by the waiting cattle. “No problem at all.”
They stayed together as they came closer to the house. It looked exactly the same, including the few trees behind it. In the setting sun its shadow was reaching out across the prairie. Twilight found it almost impossible to look away from the house, and she had to consciously force herself to every single step. She didn’t know if she had been able to do so had it not for the physical support of Applejack and Rainbow Dash walking next to her, close enough that they constantly brushed against each other. Applejack was obviously as afraid as Twilight, but stubbornly refused to give in to her fear. Rainbow just didn’t accept that the house was a reason to be afraid at all. Twilight couldn’t have hoped for better friends to help her face the dreadful house.
She forced her gaze away from the house and over to the mountains on their right. She thought she saw a little flash of white light in one of the windows, but it could also have been a reflection. Apparently she could not turn her head from the house, even if she tried. She sighed, but smiled when Applejack playfully bumped into her shoulder to distract her.
And in the meantime, the house just came closer.
They decided to rest early, when they were still almost a kilometer away from the house, because Twilight and Applejack didn’t want to spend the night too close to it. Rainbow’s tease was half-hearted, and Daisy, noticing that the ponies were at unease about something, quietly agreed.
Applejack set up the now-familiar stack of Fell Grass and set it ablaze. In the dim pale light of the flickering fire the three ponies set up their bedrolls, Rainbow and Applejack taking Twilight between them. Her guilty consciousness briefly protested, but was quickly outweighed by the comfort of being surrounded by her friends. She looked into the direction where the house was, now obscured by the darkness of the prairie night. Behind her, the cattle were settling with a few quiet moos. She shuddered, and Rainbow squeezed her with the wing she had draped over her.
Rainbow fell asleep almost instantly. Even though she didn’t speak, Twilight was almost sure that Applejack was still awake as well.
Twilight didn’t want to fall asleep, despite the long walk lying ahead of her the next day. She wanted to avoid the dreams she feared would haunt her sleep, dreams that she usually didn’t remember, but that brought her back to the plateau on top of the mountains. And thus she stared into the night and kept staring, even as Applejack finally started softly snoring—and feared the nightly flashes of light only a little less than the nightmares.
***
They were kissing again, more vigorously than ever, their tongues dancing their intricate dance, fencing each other off, intruding, withdrawing, teasing, exploring. She held Twilight tight and had her eyes closed, but she knew that the slumped old mountains were somewhere ahead, and the door was not too far behind them.
Twilight’s hoof slid down her back and came to rest on her flank. She could feel the heat rise in her. They were lying on the bare dusty ground like some homeless donkeys, and there was no doubt in Applejack’s mind that they would do it right here, right now, under the unblinking stars. She moaned and sought for the sensitive spot between Twilight’s wings.
Suddenly Twilight stood up, turned her back on her and walked away. Applejack didn’t need to open her eyes, didn’t need to ask what was going on. She knew. Twilight was being sensible. Twilight was thinking of Rainbow Dash.
***
She jolted awake, her heart hammering in her chest, her breathing heavy. For a moment she thought she tasted Twilight on her lips, making her wonder how much of a dream it had really been.
It was still the middle of the night. She heard Rainbow’s snores from her right, from across the empty spot where Twilight was supposed to sleep—and somepony cantering away into the dark prairie.
“Twi!” she hissed. “Where are you going?” But she didn’t get an answer.
At least not from Twilight. “What the hay, you two,” Rainbow groaned.
“Rainbow!” Applejack yelped. The guilt belatedly rushed through her mind, turning her knees into jelly and making her head dizzy as, at the same time, she still felt the wonderful heat of her dream and the cold leaden guilt over what she was doing to Rainbow Dash.
How could she have done this to the loyal pegasus? How could she have lied to her—granted, only a lie of omission, but a lie nonetheless? If anything, her dream proved that things were not alright with Twilight, that her feelings for the alicorn were way beyond the realm of friendship already, that whatever had happened between her and Twilight had not been accidents but cheating. Rainbow deserved to know of her failure, and she would accept Rainbow’s judgment. The prospect made her physically sick.
“What?”
“Rainbow, I gotta talk to you,” Applejack said, her voice shaky.
“Can’t it wait ‘til tomorrow?”
“It can’t. I’m sorry, hon.” She was sure that this wouldn’t be the last time she apologized to Rainbow this night.
“Alright.” Rainbow turned around and looked at her without sitting up. “What is it?”
Applejack swallowed, fully aware that it was just a feeble attempt at stalling. Her throat was dry. “I… In that house… we…” She cleared her throat and told herself to get it out. “Me and Twi kissed. We…” She hung her head, deflating now that the truth was out. “We kissed,” she lamely repeated.
You—what?”
Finally all the words burst out of her. “In that damned house. I… I found her there. Thought she was dead, but she wasn’t. I was so happy to have her back that we—that I kissed her. I done cheated on you. I’m so sorry.”
“AJ,” Rainbow said, sitting up and slowly shaking her head. “That… it’s no big deal. When you’re excited and all—“
“It wasn’t an accident,” Applejack insisted, still avoiding Rainbow’s eyes. “I… I don’t know what I feel for her, but I know it ain’t been no accident.” She quickly debated not telling her about the second kiss, the one in the ranch kitchen, and immediately scolded herself for being a coward. “And it ain’t been the only time. We kissed again at Blue Cheese’s farm. We talked about it. We agreed that we’re friends and nothin’ but. An’ we still done kissed again.” She felt shameful tears well up in her eyes. She never wanted to look up again.
“You kissed her again,” Rainbow repeated flatly.
“I’m sorry,” Applejack repeated.
“Is this about what you said earlier? That you’re sick of waiting for me?” Rainbow asked hoarsely.
Applejack started, but she still didn’t look up. “I… I don’t rightfully know,” she said after pondering the thought for some time. “I think… maybe… I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
Rainbow remained silent for a moment, clenching her jaw and ruffling her wings. Finally, she asked the one question that really terrified her. “Does it mean you wanna call it quits? I mean you and me?” she almost whipsered. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“Dash, no!” Applejack exclaimed in utter shock. “I love you! I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want us to end, believe me!”
“And you also love Twi.” A statement rather than a question.
“I don’t rightly know,” Applejack had to admit again, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I reckon I got feelings for her. I’m sorry.”
Rainbow remained silent for some time. Applejack felt tears running down her cheeks, but successfully suppressed any sobs. She still didn’t raise her eyes to look at Rainbow as she awaited her sentence. But as the seconds slowly passed, she couldn’t bear the anticipation any longer. “Please say something!” she implored. “If you’re mad we can—“
“I’m not mad,” Rainbow interrupted her, even though she did sound a little heated. A little calmer she continued, “It’s… I mean you didn’t fall for Twi on purpose or something. And… it’s just… that’s quite a bit to take in, y’know. I’m not the happiest pegasus in Equestria right now, but…” She trailed off.
“So… do you wanna… call it quits then?”
“I don’t!” Rainbow said decisively. “I don’t! It’d be all awkward and stuff, and I just want things to be alright, okay? I’m not gonna dump you over this! I’d be an even bigger featherbrain than I am if I ever let you go, don’t you think I know that? I don’t wanna call it quits. We can figure it out.” She swallowed audibly before she added, “And with Twilight too. She’s our best friend. We will figure something out.” She ruffled her wings. “Where’s she off to anyway?”