Rainbow Dash found Twilight walking through the town square with Spike in tow and a large ball of assorted supplies and research materials hovering through the air behind her. Spike trailed a long checklist which he lightly tapped at with a brightly colored feather quill. "Extra quills. Check! Potion containers. Check! How To Influence Friends and Make Ponies - A spell guide by... Wait... Why did you want this o-AH!" Spike was cut short as a pile of odds and ends clanged down over his head.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight cantered over to her friend and tackled her with a giant hug, pinning her to the ground. "It's been so long! How's living with Fluttershy?"
Dash struggled to speak with Twilight pressing her down. "It's been..."
"Oh, sorry!" Twilight stood up and lifted Rainbow Dash off the ground with her magic.
"She's great! Such a helpful friend to have, and she's so patient. But I wanted to get out of the vale and see all of my other friends."
"I'm so glad, Rainbow! Rarity's come around asking where you've been. She hasn't seen you in over a month!"
"I know, I know! You can tell her I'm really sorry. But hey, I wanted to ask you something."
Twilight beamed. "A favor!? Sure! What'd you need?"
"Are you still head of the seasonal change committee?"
"I sure am! Still got my oversight vest from last year's Winter Wrap Up. But, mind if I ask why you need to know?"
"Applejack's been having a hard time lately. I was wondering if we could push forward the Running of the Leaves this year and route it through Sweet Apple Acres. It might get some of the apples she never picked out of their trees, and maybe the distraction would pick up her mood too."
Twilight gasped. "Yeah! I think so! I mean, it's still a little early in the season to shake the trees out, but if I can get the pegasi to rush their cloud production and drop the temperature by a few more degrees each night, we'll be able to have the annual running by... Let's see..."
Her horn glowed as she pulled a notepad from the pile, making a hole for Spike to pop his head from. "Wha- Oh, hey Rainbow Dash!" Spike waved his hand still grasping the quill, only to have it levitate out of his grasp and hover over to where Twilight was brandishing her notepad.
"Hmmm... Let's see. With all pegasi working 'round the clock, accounting for the shorter days, and... Could have it done by the end of this week!"
Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped. "That soon!?"
"Well, that's pushing it, but yes. Anything to help lift Applejack's spirits! But we should probably go over there and talk to her. In the mean time, why don't you go say hi to Rarity? I know she's worried sick about you."
Smiling, Dash winked and gave her a hearty "but of course!"
The fall was starting to look up after all!
***
Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all traveled to Applejack's house to reveal their plan to cheer her up. Expectedly, Applejack offered some resistance to the idea. "I don't need everypony gallopin' through my farm to make me feel better!"
"But Applejack," Fluttershy countered. "This will be good for your farm."
Twilight spoke next. "Yeah. The apples will come down and the trees will be light and ready for winter."
Rainbow Dash offered up another reason. "Besides, don't you want to go running this year? Remember last year? You almost had me beat. I want a rematch!"
"No! No! And, No!" Applejack tossed. "I don't want it. I'm sorry! I don't wanna run, and I don't want everypony else to rub it in my face."
Then Rarity chimed in. "Applejack, I know you've been having a hard time, but please let us help you. I remember Rainbow Dash from last month, and she was a very different pony. With Fluttershy's help, she's happy and strong again. Let us help you get there too! You deserve it."
"And I know beating me out there on the track will be just what you need to remind yourself that you still go it!" Rainbow Dash encouraged. "Please let us help?"
Applejack looked away for a moment as she pondered. It seemed like she was going to stay stubborn, but finally she looked at her friends and said "Oh, all right. Just don't expect me to win or nothin'. I'm doin' this for the farm."
The entire group errupted with a hearty cheer as all four of Applejack's friends folded her into a great hug. Now the work to fully heal the group could begin in earnest.
Applejack's grumpiness didn't disappear entirely, but her demeanor had at least softened when she took her friends' embrace.
Using her influence to gather the resources of Ponyville, Twilight was able to put a work party together to clear the trail for the annual running. For the most part, the trail would follow last year's route fairly closely, but would divert itself through Sweet Apple Acres as per Rainbow Dash's suggestion. Applejack had gotten used to the constant company around the farmhouse, and said as much when Rainbow Dash had asked her how she was feeling only two days later.
The Apple family remained in absentia, however. "It seems strange that they wouldn't want to be home for the running." Rarity observed. "It's not like word doesn't travel fast around Equestria." Applejack could only shrug.
Only one day before the race, Rainbow Dash approached Applejack away from any prying eyes or ears. "Hey, Applejack. I just wanted to see how you were feeling about the race tomorrow."
"I feel fine, I s'pose. Just gonna give it my best. It's 'bout all I can do."
"Well, about that. I figured, you and I should run it together! Forget winning. Let's just hang out at the back and bond. Like last year but-"
"-without the headbutting?" Applejack chuckled.
Rainbow Dash laughed too. "Yeah. We were both silly fillies, huh?"
***
The morning of the race was met with fanfare as contestants of all stripes lined up along the starting line. Spike, of course, was most keen to fill the role of lead announcer. "Fillies and gentlecolts!" he proclaimed into his microphone. His voice amplified across the lineup, prompting cheers from every pony there.
"It is my great pleasure to announce that this year's Running of the Leaves will be taking a new route, straight through our very own Applejack's Sweet Apple Acres!" Everypony knew that, too, but Spike was so enthusiastic that Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile.
Spike started off on a ramble about how the Running of the Leaves was the traditional way to bring in the fall season by clearing the newly colored autumn leaves from their branches, but the lineup of ponies at the starting hash marks began to look impation, scraping their hooves in the dirt and rearing up in anticipation. Spike, realizing this, raised his voice and proudly announced "And! Without further ado! On your marks! Get set!-" and everypony was off cantering down the road before he could say "go."
Rainbow Dash glanced over her shoulder to see Spike whirl around before falling off of his soap box podium and disappearing around the first bend. Applejack was right next to her - the two ahead of the pack, as expected. "Back at it... huff, huff... Again, huh, Applejack? huff, huff... It's been a while... A lot harder than last year!"
Applejack took some deep breaths as she galloped alongside. "Whew. You ain't kiddin'!"
For the first time in a long while, Rainbow Dash felt no different from before. Her wings weren't needed here, but her legs proved just as strong as ever. Every clop, every stomp, every leaping bound sent Rainbow Dash forward by a body-length or more, and even though she was finding it harder to breath than she expected, she never felt more alive. Unfortunately, Applejack was having some trouble keeping up the pace. "Whoa, girl! You gonna try to keep up with me?" she smiled.
"D... Dang it, Rainbow! I ain't been... huff... I ain't been exactly runnin' round the orchard lately... Gimme a break!"
Rainbow Dash slowed slightly to encourage her friend. "Remember when I kept cheating, so you had to tie my wings behind my back?"
"Y-huff-Yeah?"
Rainbow laughed as she galloped forward, leaning through each bend and feeling the rumble of the earth beneath her. "That was one of the most fun races I'd ever been in!"
"You played dirty, Rainbow." Applejack retorted, clearly in jest.
"Heh, yeah...huff... But so did you!"
"Is it still fun though?" Applejack slowed further, with the herd they'd left behind now starting to gain ground on them.
Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder to make sure Applejack was not too far behind. "Of course it is! See? Things can- WATCH OUT!" A low-hanging tree branch whizzed overhead. Rainbow Dash caught it at the last second and ducked to avoid it, but it brushed over the top of Applejack's head very closely, ripping out her hair-tie and causing her mane to burst wildly into a billowing, yellow cloud that trailed behind her as she ran.
Rainbow Dash continued. "Things can... Heh... Applejack!... Your hair!" She threw her head back and cackled. "You look hilarious!"
Applejack's eyes widened. "What!? Why I aughta..." Her pace nearly doubled as she started to close in on Rainbow Dash, who likewise picked up speed. Now too out of breath to speak, the two ponies cantered silently through the brilliant landscape of vibrant colors, squinting as the air whipped around their faces, drying their eyes and tangling their manes into shapes that would make Rarity faint.
"Bet... I bet you can't... Keep up!" Rainbow Dash taunted.
"Why I bet ya... Bet ya I can!"
Sweet Apple Acres came in a flash, and soon their run was accompanied with the soft pop of spoiled apples bursting as they fell from their trees. Rainbow Dash could see that Applejack didn't care - Both of their hearts were in the run.
Rainbow Dash slowed down and gave Applejack a playful nudge. Applejack returned the gesture and laughed as much as her strained lungs would allow. Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder and saw that the rest of the runners were no longer in sight. At first she hoped they were on the right path, but then she realized that she didn't actually care. She was living her life, and enjoying it with one of her favorite ponies in the whole wide world!
And then Pinkie showed up.
"Rainbow! STOP!" Applejack called, making Rainbow Dash whip her head sharply to see what was ahead of her. There was Pinkie, standing oddly on her hind legs, waving her hooves in the air.
"It's... Wait... You can see her too!?"
"SURPRISE!" Pinkie shouted. Her voice tinged with malice. "I haven't seen you in a while. Nor you, Applejack. Miss me?"
"YOU!" They shouted at the same time.
"Can't talk about it here. Catch me if you can!" Pinkie bounded off the trail, singing "La, lala, lala," as she went.
Rainbow Dash was overcome with rage, not sure what was going on or even what she was seeing. Her head suddenly pounded with pain and her lungs burned from the run, but she took off after whatever apparition this was pretending to be Pinkie Pie.
"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Applejack extended her hoof out after her friend, but she was gone. "Dag nabbit... RAINBOW!" she screamed, but there was no response. Shaking her head, she decided to take off after them. Their path seemed to be heading straight towards the thick, green wall of trees in the distance that marked the edge of the Everfree Forest.
***
The trees got darker and darker, as Sweet Apple Acres' orchard trees gave way to a dark, forboding tangle of vines, claw-shaped branches, and thorned flowers that ripped at her coat as she passed. She'd lost sight of Pinkie some ways back, but something guided her down the path of least resistance.
"Rainbow Dash, Wait!" Applejack called from behind her.
"No..." Rainbow Dash muttered to herself, knowing that this simply could not be happening. She'd seen Pinkie several times in the last month, but never before during the day... And Applejack had seen her. I'm going to find out what's going on...
Somewhere ahead of her, Pinkie's perky voice sang a sickly lullaby that drew Rainbow Dash forward with even more determination.
La, la, Rainbow Dash.
Finish where we started at.
Come to me.
Set you free.
Back to where we started...
Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust that filled her nostrils and burned at the back of her throat, but her concentration was absolute. It was difficult to see - the sun was all but completely blotted out by the thick canopy high overhead. In the dim light, she could just barely make out the shape of a cave mere yards away - its mouth open wide like a deadly maw, threatening to swallow her whole.
"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack jumped out of the brush nearby, panting deeply. "Why'd ya... huff... Where's Pinkie?" she snarled.
"Ya miss me!?" Pinkie bounced out of the mouth of the cave. "I'm right here, silly fillies. You didn't really think I'd go anywhere, did you?"
Rainbow Dash started "I saw you-"
"-Die? Oh, that's not fair Rainbow Dash... I didn't die! I was murdered... By her!" She jabbed a hoof sharply in Applejack's direction. "Which was really rude, but I guess she couldn't stand me having all the fun, could she!?"
"Fun!?" Applejack growled. "You were about to-"
"-Oh, please." Pinkie interrupted. Her coat darkened to a bloody red and her voice to a low rumble. "I was just doing what I was born to do." A deep-throated chuckle vibrated out of Pinkie's body as it blackened and blew away like ashes on the wind. "I thought I could kill two birds with one stone... Kill Rainbow Dash, and break Applejack... Why else would I have summoned you? To interrupt my good work?"
What had once been Pinkie was now naught but a dark cloud drifting off into the cave. Somewhere inside, the menacing voice rumbled. "Now I can see I will have to be more direct... And your friends will be the ones to pay the price!"
A roar echoed from deep, deep inside the cave. Its deafening volume scattered birds from the treetops overhead, shook the forest to its very foundation, and undoubtedly could be heard for miles around.
Then there was nothing. A long silence, followed by an earth-shaking thud. Then another. Then another after that. Soon, a purple light could be seen glowing at the back of the cave - its otherwise perfectly smooth texture scattered with stars. Its hulking form approached with one boom after another, each massive paw the size of a small house.
The Ursa Major towered overhead, even as it ducked to clear the cave. It stared down at the two ponies with glossy eyes. They were mere ants compared to its truly incomprehensible girth. When it roared again, Rainbow Dash's eyes watered and her mane was ripped back by the onslaught of rotten-smelling air.
Just then, Applejack knocked her out of her terrified trance. "Run!" she shouted, and they bounded off into the brush to escape the goliath that was soon ripping down trees with its razor-sharp claws to find them.