Autumn was quickly drawing to a close, and the ponies of Ponyville were finally beginning to wrap up and prepare for the winter ahead of them. For many ponies, it included getting out heavy winter clothing, preparing emergency stores of food, and stocking up on wood for their fireplaces.
For ponies like Applejack though, it meant getting the season's harvest ready for the long winter ahead. The entire apple family was dedicating themselves to selling off the excess and storing the rest.
That was Applejack's task for the day. She woke early, had breakfast, and then started work.
It was all she imagined she would be doing for the day, so it came as a surprise when Rarity and Pinkie made their way up to her on the farm.
“Howdy girls,” she said, “What can Ah do for ya?”
“Yes, good morning Applejack,” Rarity replied, “I think we need to talk.”
Not pausing from her work Applejack asked, “About what?”
Rarity started to speak, but before she could get a word out, Pinkie cut in and said, “We need to talk about Rainbow.”
It wasn't her usual excited voice, and it was a nervous awkward tone that made Applejack pause. It was the kind of voice you use when you need to break something bad to somepony.
“Ah don't like the sound of this,” Applejack said. “How's Rainbow doing anyway? It's been a while since I’ve seen her.”
“That's why we're here. I know you've ask to be left out of our... investigation before, but I think you should listen to us this time,” Rarity said. She gave Applejack a look that said she would be furious if she said no.
At the risk of disappointing her friend, Applejack nevertheless asked, “Why? Ah don't see anything new.”
“Because we think Rainbow's changed sides.”
Pinkie's response was swift and shocked Applejack and Rarity both. Something in her wasn't quite as easygoing and nonsensical as before, and she was serious, and obviously concerned. Rarity was going to be more tactful, but Pinkie summed in up in one go and even managed it in a way that got Applejack's full attention.
“She's... changed sides?” Applejack asked. Although she didn't believe their investigation was justified in any way, the way Pinkie said it and combined with her own knowledge, it wasn't hard to discern why they were coming to her.
For now, she wasn't concerned. If Rainbow decided to get in on whatever it was they were doing, it was her choice to make. She still believed that it wasn't her business to be messing with, but she couldn't say she wasn't curious.
Rarity was the first to speak out of the stunned silence. “Well, I suppose that was the point I was trying to make. Ever since she's got back from wherever she was, she's quit her job, and barely anypony's seen her.
“Well where's she been?” asked Applejack, ignoring what she was doing before and approaching her friends.
“Everypony says she's always at the library now, reading. Nopony knows why, but she usually doesn't even go home anymore,” Pinkie said. “Spike says that some nights she doesn't even go home, she just stays their for the night, sleeping on the first floor.”
Rarity gave a fake cough, prompting Pinkie to let her speak. “That's not all, she's joined the others in their mysterious activities. Now she's going around with a cloak and trading secret messages. I don't want to accuse her of anything, but at this point she's almost certainly joined them.”
“Ah see,” Applejack said, “and how does this affect me?”
Rarity gave her a light frown. “Well, I suppose it doesn't, but Rainbow's your friend too, didn't you say that. Don't you at least want to make sure she's alright.”
Applejack sighed. Rarity was using her own words against her again. She did say that Rainbow was her friend, and that if anything happened to her then it became her business.
“Alright Rarity, you win this time. I'll go along with this for now, but this doesn't mean Ah think Rainbow's been doing anything worth worrying about. There's nothing wrong with doing... whatever it is they're doing.”
“Thanks Applejack,” Pinkie said with a sigh. Without waiting for anypony else to say something, she began to lead them away. Rarity gave Applejack a look that said she shared the same worries about Pinkie.
Applejack just sighed and began to follow as Rarity started off as well. This was going to be a long day.
-----
Rainbow Dash, according to what they knew, had returned to Ponyville some time in the past week. After being missing for nearly a month, her return was certainly quiet. Nopony knew exactly when she got back, they just started seeing her again.
Even though she was back, she wasn't the same. She barely flew, she quit her job, and she started spending a lot of time around the library.
Once everything was explained to her, Applejack wasn't doing so well with the knowledge. She told Twilight that Rainbow was her friend, and if she wasn't being hurt, it didn't become her business what they got up to. As reluctant as she was, Rainbow had definitely changed, and if Rarity and Pinkie were to be believed, she was now in with Twilight and Fluttershy.
There was no question to whether or not something suspicious was going on, that much was obvious, and they had even admitted to it. The mystery was what they were doing.
Applejack held on to the vague hope that whatever changed Rainbow so much was completely unrelated to Twilight and Fluttershy, but after everything that had happened recently there was little doubt that there was no link between the two.
She put a lot of thought into it on the way into town, but she couldn't think of any rational explanation for the unexpected changes in Rainbow's lifestyle. She hoped that Rainbow could offer a better explanation.
Rainbow was in the library. Pinkie said they didn't check but she was never anywhere else anymore. When they arrived, Rainbow was exactly where they said she would be.
She was immersed in a book when they entered, lying back against a cushion she got from somewhere. She looked up at them for a short second when she heard them enter, but payed no further attention, simply returning to her reading.
Pinkie and Rarity stepped up to her. Applejack stayed slightly further behind, reluctant to involve herself until the others had at least started some kind of dialogue.
The others didn't notice anything however, and Rarity gave Rainbow a stern look that went unnoticed until she said, “Rainbow, we need to talk.”
That was enough to get her attention. Peeking over her book at the three ponies confronting her, she let the book lay open on her chest and unfazed by their expressions, she replied, “Sure, what about?”
“Well,” Pinkie said, “You've been gone for a whole month, and you didn't even tell anypony when you got back, and now you're messing around with Twilight and Fluttershy all the time. So, what have you been doing.”
Rarity gave Pinkie a brief look of irritation at her blunt responses that day, but didn't say anything. Instead she looked at Rainbow and said, “Well, I suppose that's why we're here. Where have you been Rainbow? Everypony's been worried about you, and now you've been going out and getting together with Twilight and Fluttershy.”
“Look, I was out traveling, alright,” Rainbow said. “I needed to get out for a while, so went and explored Equestria a bit.”
Applejack cringed a bit, though it went entirely unnoticed. Rainbow was a terrible liar it turned out, and she was all but certain that not a single word that Rainbow just said was true.
“But even if that's true, why go out and join Twilight and Fluttershy when you got back?” Pinkie asked.
Rainbow fidgeted for a moment, giving Applejack a bad feeling, and then she said, “When I got back, I stopped to check in with Twilight. I saw a letter that I wasn't supposed to, and she caught me, and then she explained everything.”
Applejack wasn't buying it. One does not become the element of honesty without having some ability to tell when others aren't being truthful, and everything Rainbow was saying was either a complete lie or twisted to fit the story.
Feeling that she had to step in, she asked, “And just what is the big secret?”
Rainbow fidgeted again, and started to look very uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Um, well, the thing is... I'm not exactly allowed to tell you.”
Everypony gave some kind of sigh or groan at those words. They had heard the same thing from Twilight and Fluttershy s many times. Still, it was worth trying.
Seeing everypony's reactions, Rainbow quickly added, “It's not as bad as you think. It's a little scary at first, but there's nothing evil going on, and there's a really good reason for keeping it a secret.”
“So what is it Rainbow, if it's not evil then what is it?” Pinkie asked.
“Well,” Rainbow replied, “I can't tell you exactly what it is, but I can tell you that it's not a cult, and there's no plot to take over Equestria.”
“Ah think we've bothered her enough girls, let's go,” Applejack said. The others tried to protest, but Applejack had everything she needed already. She had been willing to stay out of it because she trusted Twilight and Fluttershy, and they never outright lied to anypony even if they occasionally bent the truth a little. Now that Rainbow had been being dishonest about nearly everything she said, Applejack was starting to get concerned about what they were really doing.
She felt somewhat safe because Twilight had said that they would never hurt their friends. Unfortunately, their was very little else they had to go off of, and anything was possible at this point.
Once they had made it outside and out of earshot, Rarity asked, “What did you make us leave, we we're starting to get somewhere?”
“No offense Rarity, but ya weren't getting anywhere. Almost everything she said was a lie, and Ah can tell. Element of honesty and all.”
Applejack's revelation took Rarity by surprise. “So, you mean she...”
“She wasn't traveling, that's for sure.” Applejack shivered a little, and not just from the cold weather.
“So, now do you think that you should get involved?” Pinkie asked, her eyes lighting up in hopeful anticipation.
“Ah never thought I'd say this, but it's about time we got to the bottom of this.”