Fluttershy, Rarity, and Ah where on our way to where Twilight and the others were supposed to be when Rarity stopped. “What's wrong Rarity?” Fluttershy asked as she bumped into her.
A moment later Ah looked at her a little worried myself. Rarity looked as if she was having some trouble with her face or something. Quite a few times she scrunched her nose, looked worried, she seemed highly surprised at one point, and then she was left with a very somber expression on her face.
Rarity turned ta face Fluttershy and me as soon as nodded for some odd reason. “Girls there appears to be a slight problem from Twilight's side of things.”
First thing ah did was look around ta see if Twilight was anywhere near by. Of course she wasn't which made me turn to look at Rarity in confusion.
Rarity obviously noticed as she flipped her mane to get it out of her eyes. “Those trees that separated us earlier appear to have had runes carved into them. The runes keep magic from physically affecting anything, and thus they couldn't remove the barrier. Thus making it unsafe and impossible to follow. Flying over isn't an option because the runes also seem to be affecting Pegasus flight.”
“Oh my.” Fluttershy said as concern obviously showed on her face. “How was Twilight able to contact you then?”
Fussing with her outfit a little, Rarity put on a slight smile. “She was quite clever like usual. She decide to test some things because we were taking longer than she thought it would. Once she got out of the range of the runes, she tested a few things. She found out that physical mean of getting a message out would be impossible. She tried sending us a scroll, only for it to reappear on the outer edge of where the runes field of affect were effective. So she tried something rather interesting.”
“And what was that?” Ah asked.
Lifting a hoof Rarity pointed at her horn. “She had been working on a spell over the past few weeks that worked off the principles of telepathy. She had taken an older spell and started modifying it. She hadn't gotten a chance to test it yet, but used it as a way to get in contact with me.”
“Tall-lep-a what?” Fluttershy and ah ask at the same time.
With a heavy sigh Rarity looked at us. “Telepathy is a way to communicate using your mind. Twilight was trying to make a spell that allowed ponies to do that. She used it to talk to me just a minute ago. The runes actually didn't affect the spell simply because, at least we think, she was sending out something non-physical and the runes weren't designed to block that.”
“Ahh, okay?” I say as tap a hoof to my chin.
“Either way,” Rarity said as she turned to look in the direction we had been walking. “It appears as though we have been separated indefinitely. We should probably find a road and follow it until we can find a way to meet up with the others.”
Ah bit my lower lip. This had not been what ah wanted to happen.
Suddenly something felt off. My head felt light and the rest of my body started to feel heavy. Falling to the ground ah blacked out.
Ah could feel my body twitching as the ground came close to my face. My ears caught the only sound that over took everything else in the forest. “Applejack!” ah heard both Fluttershy and Rarity yell.
Floutin' in darkness was the only thing happenin'. Ah was just floutin' haunted by images that were slowly dissolvin' all around me. Ponies ah seemed ta know an' things that made my heart ache ta see disappear all dissolved around me.
“Why . . . ?” I calmly asked myself in a low whisper.
“Cause ya made a mistake.”
Trunin' around in a fright, ah looked to see who had just answered me. But no pony was around. At least no pony ah could see anyway.
Ah could feel the darkness shiftin' and the world around me fade into somethin' new. The darkness was slowly replaced by green rollin' fields of grass. Hills in the distance helped to create a warm an' gentle breeze that brushed up against my coat, mane, an' tail. Flowers of all kinds were spreed out far from each other, yet they were always just a couple of hoof steps away.
The whole scene was beautiful, and there was just somethin' so calmin' about the place. “It really is somethin', ain't it?” A voice said behind me.
Movin' quickly ah looked deep into the lush green eyes of the last pony ah had expected ta see, me. She stood regally as he mane and tail swayed in the wind, an old hoof woven straw hat firmly held in place by one of her hooves. She had a small smile, but her eyes betrayed the saddened look she had.
My guard went up instantly. This had ta be some type of trick, Ah couldn't be standin' in two places at once. Taking a defensive position, ah lowered my head a little ta try and look threatenin'.
The mare lifted moved her hooves up in a mock surrender, “Wah, there par'ner, ah ain't lookin' fer no fight. Ah just want ta talk is all.”
Slowly ah lift my head, but keep my eyes open for any sign of hostility.
The mare sighs a little and chuckles a little, “Ah guess ah can't blame ya fer not trustin' me. Heck ah probably wouldn't trust me either.”
For a moment my guard drops and ah'm taken in by the hearty laughter of the mare that looked like me.
A smile spread across her face as she looked at me again. Her smile was gentle and welcoming, as was her saddened eyes. “There ya go.” she says as finally notice that my guard had fallen completely.
“W-who are you?” ah ask.
Closin' her eyes the mare sighed lightly. “Ya already know who ah am. Ya just haven't accepted the truth yet.”
Ah could feel my heart beatin' so hard in my cheat that ah thought it would burst out for a second. “you can't be who ah think you are 'cause it's just not possible!” I yell as fear begins ta creep inta me.
Before ah could even react, the mare in front of me jolted forward, right at me. My guard was down and ah had no way of reacting fast enough. In that one moment ah knew there was nothin' ah could do ta stop her.
Then ah felt it the warm embrace of the mare as she wrapped her hooves around my neck. Ah was stunned inta silence as the warmth of her body spread inta me. That's about when ah felt somethin' wet runnin' down my neck and onta my back.
Sobs filled the air as ah realized the mare was cryin'. My hooves moved up to embrace the girl in a hug. “ah'm so, so sorry 'bout puttin' ya through this. . .” she said as a sob brought her to a stop before she could take a breath.
“Ah got ya inta this situation, ah should be the one settin' it right, but ah can't.” She sobbed more as her feelings began ta overwhelm her. “Mah body is yers now, an' ah can't help ya beyond this point. But, ah can at least give ya an option.”
Slowly the mare let me go and stood back. Tears were still streamin' down her face as she looked at me with a determination that could be considered stoic. “Ya can have mah life.”
Ah took a step back, bein' both shocked and appalled.
She stood there as tears continued ta stream down her face. “Tell mah friends it's okay. They should understand that ah wouldn't want ta cause ya any pain, but ah also understand they wouldn't want me gone neither.”
Tears flowed more rapidly as her stoic expression began ta fall. “Take whatever time ya have left in that body oh mine an' enjoy yerself. If ya continue down this path, ya will fade out of existence no matter what ya do. Just, please do yerself a favor and live whatever life ya have ta liv-”
She stopped when ah finally wrapped my hooves around her neck in a tight embrace. We both stood there as still as statues, what felt like hours probably only passed by in a few seconds before ah found the right words. “Thank you for worryin', but ah can't rightly let you do that for me.”
In that one instant the mare began cryin' like a little foal, not 'cause she was in trouble, but cause she knew that somepony was fightin' for her and she knew what the price was going ta be. Ah knew then and there that this was the last refuge that my mind had to keep the me from before the attack had happened. This version of me was the one who rightfully owned this body and it should be hers, but this creature had a way to keep her from it, now it was my job ta get her home.
As soon as ah wake up she will be unreachable and ah will be in control of her body. Ah would remember this and fight like never before. Applejack, the real Applejack needed ta be saved, and ah knew there was only one way ta do so.
Ah pushed Applejack a little just so that we could be face ta face. “This will be goodbye. Ah realize what needs ta happen, now you just stay safe okay!”
The real Applejack's scrunched up as if she was about ta cry again but stopped herself. “Ya bet Ah will par'ner. Just be careful with that body oh mine, okay.”
Ah smiled at her, “Whatever you say, just don't let that beast get ta you before ah can get there on time okay!”
We both nod at each other, and ah couldn't help but notice the determination in them, a determination ta overcome this.
Our hooves lock together in an agreement we both knew the other would keep.
“-ack. . .”
“It's time fer ya get going.” Applejack said as she let go of my hoof and strong breeze came in. Ah watched as she blew away in a storm of leaves, the beautiful leaves of an apple tree.
“Applejack . . .” a voice called out, pulling me back from the rolling fields that were now fading inta shadows.
A single tear fell my eyes as the leaves vanished inta thin air and ah felt consciousness touch me. “Don't worry Applejack. I'll get you back in your body soon.”