Chapter 6
A Noble Sacrifice
"No!" Twilight cried with despair as she looked at the dark stain on the wooden floor.
"Wait a minute," Applejack said, cocking an eyebrow as she poked at Rainbow Dash's tail. "Can that even be counted as a Pinkie Sense? Or did it just happen cause I pointed out the twitchy tail?" Scratching her head and taking a moment to contemplate this, Applejack threw her hat on the floor in frustration. "Ah, hayseed! This is startin' to get way too confusin'."
As soon as the hat hit the floor, Rarity scooped it up and placed it on her head. With a self-satisfied smile, she walked proudly to the other side of the room.
Staring at the spot on the floor where her hat had been sitting a second before, Applejack muttered, "I just can't wait for this day to end."
Twilight turned to Zecora hopefully. "You wouldn't have any more of the extract anywhere...would you?"
Zecora shook her head. "That was the last of my Sun Glow sprout. Now that you have dropped it, I am out."
Dismayed, Twilight dropped to the floor and covered her face with her hooves. She couldn't believe that she had lost focus on the spell. How could she have been so careless? Now, their last hope was soaking into the wooden floor.
"Get up, Twilight Sparkle. Your chances have not been blown," Zecora reassured her. "Your friends may still come through on their own."
Standing up, Twilight was unable to take comfort in Zecora's words as she glanced back up at Fluttershy.
While all the others had shown evidence of fighting for their true selves, apart from Rarity, who had only just been hypnotized an hour ago, Fluttershy hadn't shown any sign at all. More troubling still was the fact that she was no longer Rainbow Dash either, but a completely different pony altogether. A dark and brooding pony that was slowly growing more and more distant. Twilight feared that Fluttershy wasn't fighting at all, but was embracing her new self, and without the aid of the Sun Glow, they would never have their friend back.
Seeing the anxiety on Twilight's face, Zecora stated, "There is no need for sorrow, we could have more extract by midday tomorrow."
"Do ya really think that's necessary, Twi?" Applejack asked. "In all honesty, I think our friends will come back to us on their own. I have complete faith in our friendships."
Wordlessly, Twilight pointed at Fluttershy who, at that moment, was glaring at Pinkie Pie with a deep scowl. Upon seeing the seething Pegasus, Applejack's ears drooped sadly. "Oh, right. That."
"If we start now, we will be deep within the forest by nightfall," Zecora warned. "Or we can stay here until morning, it's your call."
The thought of spending the night inside the Everfree Forest terrified Twilight, but she didn't think waiting around was such a good idea. It seemed that, with every hour, Fluttershy drifted further away. They still had several hours of daylight left, she felt that they should try to reach the Sun Glow as quickly as possible. Besides, she didn't think that she would be able to stand sitting around until morning anyway.
"I think we should go now." Twilight decided. "I want to reach the Sun Glow as quickly as possible."
"You want to spend the night in the Everfree Forest?" Applejack asked worriedly.
"No." Twilight admitted. "But I want to be able to help Fluttershy before she is too far gone."
"Well then, in that case, I'm with ya," Applejack agreed.
"You can count me in too," Rarity added.
"I'm not afraid of anything in this forest, day or night. I'm totally in," Fluttershy declared.
Rainbow Dash came hopping toward them excitedly. "It's gonna be like a big slumber party, or like camping, or like a big ole camping slumber party of creepiness! Yay!"
Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie, who was alone on the other side of the room, hunkered down and shaking. "Pink?"
Trotting across the room, Applejack knelt down and held out her hoof. "We'll be right there with ya the whole way, sugar cube, y'all got nothin' to fear."
With a small, frightened smile, Pinkie Pie reached out and took Applejack's hoof. "Okay, I'm in."
"I too feel that it is better to act," Zecora agreed. "We will leave as soon as I'm packed."
Throwing a saddlebag over her back, Zecora quickly gathered a few bottles, a mortar and pestle, a small ball attached to a string, and a book, and then led them outside.
"We are headed for a valley to the northwest, but when darkness falls we will need somewhere to rest. We will reach the valley by midday for sure, and then I will be able to make your cure."
As the others began to follow Zecora, Twilight caught Fluttershy's eye and waved for her.
Sighing loudly, she trotted over and said rather unpleasantly, "What do you want?"
Immediately discouraged by Fluttershy's response to her, Twilight hesitated, but then remembered what Applejack had said earlier about being her friend and showing her nothing but love and support.
"You seem awfully angry. Is there something bothering you?" Twilight asked.
"What do you care?" Fluttershy snapped.
"Fluttershy, I'm worried about you. Look, I'm sorry about our last conversation. I didn't mean to say what I said, it just came out wrong. I don't think you're pretending to be brave, I know you're brave, you have Rainbow's personality. All I meant was that you don't have to worry about what we think of you, all five of us care very deeply for you."
Waiting a moment for Fluttershy to respond, but getting nothing more than a silent nod, Twilight continued. "I just want to know what's bothering you. I'm scared for you. With the way you've been attacking us all, I'm terrified that you're going to get too angry and just fly away, and we'll never see you again." Eyes unexpectedly brimming with tears, Twilight added, "I don't want to lose you, Fluttershy. Now that I've grown to know you, my life could never be the same without you."
Surprised by her confession, Fluttershy struggled for a moment to find the right words. Finally, she said, "I'm not going anywhere, Twilight. I promise. I'm sorry I made you worry so much, I had no idea you were this upset." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm mad because of Pinkie Pie."
Twilight blinked. "Huh?"
"You and Applejack keep going on about how great Fluttershy is, and how she'll conquer any fear. But ever since we left the library, all I've seen is a scaredy-pony who is only slowing us down. I wanted Pinkie to fail. To get too scared and give up, and prove that I'm the better Fluttershy, but she just won't. It doesn't matter how scared she gets, or even if I'm mean to her, she keeps going. And it's making me so mad."
Twilight smiled warmly. "I told you, she draws her strength from her friends. As long as we are right here with her, she'll never give up." She indicated Pinkie Pie, who was trotting between Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and grinning as they talked. "See, look how well she's doing, despite her fears. Why does that make you angry? Why can't you be proud of her? Of yourself? Can't you see that you were stronger than you thought? Can't you see that that is the better Fluttershy, the Fluttershy you always were, and the Fluttershy you need to be?"
"I-I, um, well," Fluttershy stammered.
Placing a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder, Twilight urged, "Please Fluttershy, try to fight the willow's hypnosis. This isn't the pony you're meant to be. Soon, Pinkie will be Pinkie again, and we will lose the old Fluttershy forever...and you'll be the only pony capable of bringing her back to us."
"But I don't want to be scared anymore. Not when I can be the pony I am now. I can fly high, and fast, and I feel like I can take on the whole world." Shaking her head, Fluttershy asked, "Why would I give that up?"
"I don't have an answer for that, Fluttershy." Lifting her hoof from her shoulder, Twilight placed it on Fluttershy's chest. "That answer can only be found here." Stepping forward, Twilight hugged her fiercely. "I love you, Fluttershy, please remember that. No matter what happens or what choice you make, I love you."
Clearly touched, Fluttershy squeezed her in return. "Thanks, Twilight. And I won't forget, I promise." Fluttershy embraced her for a moment longer, and then said, "C'mon now, you're starting to embarrass me."
Twilight released her. "We'd better catch up with the others before we get left behind."
"Me, fall behind? As if!" Fluttershy announced with a cocky grin. "Keep up if you can, Twilight!"
Leaping into the air, Fluttershy dashed toward their friends, and took her usual spot overhead. Twilight, galloping to quickly cover the lost ground, caught up with the others as Rainbow Dash took flight to join Fluttershy above them.
Completely upside down, Rainbow Dash, nearly nose to nose with her friend, asked, "I saw you were talking to Twilight, are you better now?" As Fluttershy gently pushed her further from her face, she continued. "I've noticed that you've been super duper extra super gloomy, but I thought that you would just get mad if I tried to cheer you up."
Upon hearing this, Fluttershy's face fell as her ears drooped regretfully. "I...I'm sorry that I made you feel that way, Rainbow. I guess I've been pretty mean to everypony today."
"Ah, don't worry about it." Rainbow Dash beamed, waving a hoof dismissively. "It could have happened to any of us. Especially on a day like today." After a couple of moments, she began blinking rapidly. "I'm getting a little dizzy."
Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "That's because you're still upside down, Rainbow."
"Oh, yeah." Rainbow Dash giggled. "I forgot!"
As Rainbow Dash flipped herself right side up, she accidently collided with Fluttershy, causing them both to drop to the ground, narrowly missing a startled Rarity.
Stumbling backward, Rarity fell onto her rump, causing Applejack's hat, which had already been sitting precariously on her head, to tumble off and land at Applejack's hooves.
Quickly picking it up and placing it neatly on her head, Applejack sighed with content. "It sure is nice to have ya back," she said to her hat. But then she glimpsed the look of distress on Rarity's face at having lost the hat and felt a pang of remorse.
Standing before Rarity, Applejack reared up on her hind legs and gently lifted the hat from her head. Holding it with two hooves, Applejack stated, "This hat is very important to me. My Granny Smith gave it to me on the day that I came to realize that I was meant to spend my life workin' the farm. To me it represents, not only my destiny, but who I am, and it's gone everywhere that I have ever since then. Now, I understand that the willow has fuddled your head all up, and right now, this hat is important to you too. So..." Lifting the hat up, she placed it atop Rarity's head. "I want ya to keep it until you're feelin' better, I really do...and I'm awfully sorry that I kept takin' it from ya, it was a mite selfish of me."
"I don't know what to say," Rarity said, quietly. Then, "Oh, darling, this was simply the sweetest thing anypony has ever done for me! Thank you so much!"
Surprised by the sudden appearance of the real Rarity, Applejack said, "Rarity, are ya...you?"
Rarity cocked an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean, sugar cube?"
"Uh, nothin'...forget it." Applejack shook her head in confusion. "Anyway, just promise that y'all take real good care of it, and I promise that I won't mention it again. Deal?"
"Deal." Rarity agreed, spitting on her hoof and holding it out.
Unable to help herself, Twilight chuckled as Applejack spit on her own hoof and grasped Rarity's, remembering the first time the two had tried to strike a deal.
The two of them hadn't been too fond of each other, and they had been forced to take shelter in the library with Twilight to wait out a powerful storm. Realizing that this was the first time she had ever had friends stay for the night, Twilight had become extremely excited. Applejack and Rarity, who had been arguing on and off for most of the day, agreed to try to put their differences aside so that Twilight's first slumber party would be a success. When they had struck their agreement, Applejack had spit on her hoof to seal the deal, but Rarity had recoiled with disgust and called her rude. Despite this, and the fact that they had argued so much that they had nearly brought Twilight to tears, the sleep over had been a success. Both having learned a valuable lesson in friendship, Applejack and Rarity had left the library the next morning as friends.
"Wow, Applejack, that was very noble of you," Twilight praised as Rarity trotted away with a satisfied smile.
"Aw shucks, Twi, it was just the right thing to do," Applejack replied.
"Just because it was the right thing to do, does not mean that it was easier for you," Zecora told her. "If you continue with this kind of virtue, then your friendships will surely pull through."
Applejack flushed with embarrassment. "It ain't nothin' really. Rarity would have done the same for me."
Overjoyed with Applejack's kind offering and thrilled by Rarity's first sign of struggle against the willow's hypnosis, Twilight felt a sudden surge of affection for the two friends, and as her gaze swept over the others, her love extended to them as well.
Smiling broadly, Twilight marveled that she was lucky enough to have such great friends.
It struck her then that it had been a very long time since a thought like that had last occurred to her, and realized that she had become so used to having these wonderful friends that she had begun to take them for granted. If there was one thing that this situation had taught her, it was how important these five ponies were to her, and Twilight silently vowed to never take their friendships for granted again.
Although the Everfree Forest was always dark, the shadows deepened as the final hours of the day slowly rolled by. As the light faded, so too did the warmth of the day, leaving behind a chill in the air that sapped away their remaining energy.
Once it had become too dark for them to see, Twilight cast a light spell that caused her horn to shine just brightly enough for the seven friends to see each other. Gathered in a tight ring around Twilight, the party continued until they came to a small clearing.
"It would be wise to stop here for the night," Zecora announced. "Continuing in this dark would be a losing fight."
Closing her eyes in concentration, Twilight intensified her light spell and turned her horn toward the brush. Using the light, Applejack and Rarity gathered several large stones and a pile of sticks, and brought them to the center of the clearing. Making a ring of stones, Applejack quickly got a fire started, and sat back with a relieved sigh as the others closed in around it, relishing it's warmth.
With a huge yawn, Rarity said, "I'm as tired as a gopher in hard dirt."
"You said it, girl." Applejack agreed with a chuckle.
Standing up and looking at each one of them in turn, Twilight stated, "I know that ordinarily we would all sit around the fire and talk, but I really think it would be better if we tried to get some sleep. We've got a busy day ahead of us, and I want to continue as soon as it is light enough to see."
As the others all voiced their agreement and began to make themselves comfortable around the warm flame, Applejack moved closer to Twilight. "Since this is the Everfree Forest and all, and nopony knows just what all is out there, I think it would be a good idea if one of us stays awake and keeps watch. Now, our friends need their rest so they will have the energy to keep up their fights and come back to us, so we should split the night between the two of us. I'll go first and in a couple of hours, I'll wake ya for your watch."
Twilight nodded. "That sounds like a good plan to me." Turning, she found Zecora directly behind her.
"I wish to have a turn as well," Zecora insisted. "For all of you are exhausted, I can tell."
"That's mighty generous of ya," Applejack commended.
"Your watch can be after mine," Twilight agreed.
Content with the plan, Zecora returned to her spot on the other side of the fire while Twilight found a place beside Pinkie Pie. Lying down and smiling reassuringly at the Earth pony, Twilight watched as Applejack trotted to the edge of the firelight and sat, all but disappearing in the shadows.
Even though she had always been uneasy in this forest, Twilight didn't feel even a little threatened by the night. All that could be heard beyond the comforting crackle of the fire was the relaxing chorus of insects that seemed to be slowly coaxing them all to sleep.
Without warning, an owl perched on a nearby tree hooted, and Twilight heard Pinkie Pie's sharp intake of breath. "You okay, Pinkie?" she asked.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Pinkie Pie answered very unconvincingly.
Lying there and watching as Pinkie Pie tried to be brave, Twilight felt a sudden stab of heartache for the poor Earth pony. Here was her friend that always pranced around town with a smile on her face, who laughed at her fears, curled in a tight little ball, trembling, and trying to convince her that she was fine.
At that moment, Twilight wanted nothing more than to be able to take all of Pinkie Pie's fears away.
Scooting closer and stroking her curly mane with her hoof, Twilight soothed her frightened friend. "I know your fine. You've been very brave today, considering all that's happened, and we're all very proud of you."
"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked self-consciously with wide eyes.
Smiling at Pinkie Pie's surprise, Twilight confirmed. "Really."
Pinkie Pie raised her head with a self-satisfied grin as ears perked up. "Thanks, Twilight. You, all of you, are the best friends anypony could ever have."
She nuzzled Pinkie Pie affectionately. "Now, try to get some sleep. Applejack is staying up to watch for any sign of danger, then after a couple of hours she will wake me, and then I'll wake Zecora after that. All night long, one of us three will be awake to watch over you. So sleep well."
Reassured, Pinkie Pie lay down her head, closed her eyes, and within a minute she was snoring softly.
Sitting up, Twilight scanned their little campsite and found that the others were all asleep. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were both sprawled out on their backs, legs thrust out every which way. On Twilight's other side was Rarity, lying on her side, her legs tucked in closely to her body and Applejack's hat nestled protectively behind her.
Only Zecora was awake, and as if she were reading Twilight's mind, said, "You go have your talk with Applejack. I will stay awake until you come back."
Making her way over to Applejack, Twilight sat beside her friend and together they stared into the shadows in silence.
After several long moments of this, Applejack finally asked, "Why are you still awake, Twilight?"
"I just wanted to check on you," Twilight replied.
Applejack snorted with amusement. "You're worried about me, ain't ya?"
"Yeah, kind of," admitted Twilight.
"Ya worry too much, sugar cube. I'm doin' just fine, considerin'. It's you I'm not so sure about."
"How so?"
"Well, first off, ya won't quit worryin' bout everypony else long enough to worry bout yourself. Secondly," Applejack gave her a stern look, "I know that you are plum tuckered out, and need to get some sleep! And lastly, I can tell ya have a nasty headache."
Twilight smiled despite the pain. "I can't get anything past you, can I?"
With a quick shake of her head that caused her tied back mane to whip around, Applejack replied, "Nope."
"Yeah, the headache started when I cast the light spell, just too much magic in one day, I guess. It's not the first time, and it usually goes away once I've had some sleep."
"So, go. Get. Some. Sleep." Applejack punctuated each word with a gentle jab of her hoof into Twilight's chest. When she still hesitated, Applejack smiled warmly. "Ya got nothin' to worry bout here, Twi. I'm fit as a fiddle. I ain't upset or sad bout nothin'. I know that our friends are in good hooves with Zecora. And I got no inkling to start actin' like somepony else, so just worry bout yourself for this once and get some sleep so you can feel better."
"All right A.J., you win." Twilight gave in. "But, if there was something bothering you, you would tell me...right?"
"Of course," Applejack assured her. "In fact, I wish I could just make up somethin' that's botherin' me so ya could comfort me and feel better, but..." Applejack gave her a sheepish grin. "Well, ya know how bad I am at bein' dishonest."
Remembering Applejack's almost too painful to watch attempt to lie to Pinkie Pie in order to keep her away from her own surprise party, Twilight laughed. "Yeah, you are a horrible liar." Standing up, she added, "Well, see you in a few hours then."
"Eeyup," Applejack said in a near perfect echo of her older brother as she turned back to the shadows.
Frowning, Twilight made her way back to the fire. By the time she had returned to her spot beside the slumbering Pinkie Pie, she had dismissed Applejack's simple, one-worded reply, figuring that she was probably tired and hadn't meant to be short.
Lying down, she noticed Zecora watching her. "You wanted to stop your worries but didn't know how, now that you've spoken with your friend, rest will your mind allow?"
"I think so," Twilight replied, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple. "But I'm not so sure about this headache."
Zecora pointed a hoof at something behind her. "See that flower with the yellow petal, chew it up and the pain will settle."
Locating the flower only a few feet away, Twilight bent over and pulled the plant up with her teeth. Gagging from the bitter taste, she chewed and swallowed as quickly as she could. She grimaced at the aftertaste, but almost immediately, the pain in her head began to lessen.
"Thanks, Zecora, it's already starting to help," Twilight told her.
"Good, my dear, I am glad. Now sleep before your friend gets mad," Zecora replied, indicating Applejack who had turned and was watching them.
Lying on the soft grass as the fire's warmth spread throughout her body, Twilight slipped into an uneasy sleep.
Without warning, the campfire suddenly went out and Twilight found herself in complete darkness.