//------------------------------// // In These Woods, The Past Lingers // Story: Into Darkness We Ride // by Rated Ponystar //------------------------------// Everypony had been to Neighagra Falls at least once in their life. It was a popular resort destination in the past, and most Equestrians made the pilgrimage to mark the passing from foalhood into adolescence. Rainbow Dash had been twice. The first was during a summer vacation with her parents. That was the year she’d tried to fly around the falls, only to learn it was a no-fly zone. Her parents had given her quite the scolding that day, and she had almost been denied her passing as a result. The second was a less pleasant memory. It had been one of the stops she and thousands of others had made after the Fall of Canterlot. The lifeless forest that held nothing but silence and the stench of decay was anything but a welcoming sight, save for the giant waterfall of clean water. Despite the falls, however, Sombra’s poisoning of the land made it clear that nothing would bring back the once-luscious forests. The towns had been reduced to rubble and held nothing of value after a few quick checks. Rainbow Dash flew over the edge of the falls, careful not to get too close and be dragged down with the freezing water. The feeling of the fresh mist glazing her coat was like diving into a tub of ice cream, cool and fresh, and with all the running and flying through the border into Equestria, she needed the wash. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a bath. Flipping over on her back, Rainbow Dash folded her wings and nose-dived straight towards the deep basin below. Closing her eyes, she shut the world around her and felt her body relax before she shot into the water. Down and down she went like a torpedo, lingering for what felt like forever beneath the surface. She felt almost as if she had been removed from life itself as the feeling of cold nothingness penetrated her dense coat and filtered through her feathers. She couldn’t clearly remember a time when she had been so relaxed -- when she wasn’t waiting in anxiety for the next siege or another rebellion. There was only her and the water and the feeling of oblivion. Then, slowly, she breathed outward as her buoyancy carried her back to the equally-frigid surface. After a few deep breaths, she noticed an orange figure highlighted faintly by a distant aurastone. Applejack was waving her back to the beach. So after a few more splashes and twirls through the water she swam for shore. Arriving at the shoreline, Dash hastily shook herself dry and sat down on the small circle of blankets Applejack had assembled and guzzled from one of the water canteens. Fires were a no-no, especially when you were on the run in a realm of eternal darkness. “You know,” she said, wiping her mouth, “if it wasn’t for all the dead… everything, this place wouldn’t be so bad.” Applejack didn’t respond. She only continued to bury herself under one of the blankets they’d brought. Rainbow frowned and nudged closer. “Hey, I’m sure they’re okay back home. I have a feeling they all made out fine. Call it a fighter’s instinct.” Still no response. Sighing in frustration, Rainbow Dash continued to drink while turning her back to Applejack to gaze at the once-beautiful falls. “Look, if you want play the silent game, that’s fine. Just trying to help out...” She stretched her damp wings a bit before continuing. “Anyway, if we head down the mountain path we should be able to make it to Canterlot in about three days.” She forced a smile. “Gotta say, I hope Sombra at least tidied the place up. Or at least opened a hotel...” Applejack rose to her hooves suddenly. “I’m goin’ for a walk.” The pegasus blinked. “Um, okay?” Her friend filed out of the clearing without so much as a word. “Don’t go too far!” she called after her. Applejack only nodded before disappearing into the nearby forest. Her eyes were as lifeless as their surroundings. It was as though she were looking into the face of a zombie. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and rested her head atop her forelegs like a pillow while keeping her ears perked. She had no illusions of safety in spite of their distance from the front lines. They were in Equestrian territory again. Sombra owned every part of it. An enemy scout could be anywhere. And where there was one, there were often many. Alert one and you could alert a dozen more. And those dozens could alert an army. Rainbow knew better than to think they would be able to get through this without a fight. Hay, she didn’t deny the idea they could just as easily die. But she was just as determined to relax when she had a chance. Some things never changed.  She only wished the same could be said for Applejack. What is it about this place that has her so worked up, anyway? Haven’t seen her act this uptight in years, she thought to herself. She threw a look through the clearing in the treeline that Applejack had vanished into. I mean the last time we were here was when… Rainbow froze mid-thought, and slowly clapped her hoof over her face.  Oh, wow, I am such an idiot. Rainbow Dash shot up and felt the need to give herself a swift, hard kick in the rump for forgetting what all her friend had lost here in these woods. Or rather, who she had lost... *** It had been five years since she had been through these very woods, and Dash’s memory wasn’t exactly the best. She was also sure she had made a few wrong turns.Still, she had to find Applejack and be there for her, though. A part of her wanted to smack the earth pony for not even taking her in the first place. She had just as much right to visit the grave as she did. It was her, after all, that convinced Applejack it was for the best to do what she had to do… or at least, that was what she had thought at the time… even if she hadn’t spoken to her, or Twilight, for nearly a week after. Soon enough she spotted the farmer, looking down at a single, small pile of dirt, untouched by hooves or the elements since it was first made. Applejack said nothing, nor did she acknowledge Dash’s approach, even when she landed right alongside her. Her dark green eyes remained fixed on the ground in front of her. Remaining quiet out of respect, Rainbow focused on the wooden, carved gravestone, and the red ribbon wrapped around it. Apple Bloom Loving Sister and Proud Crusader Rest in Peace Rainbow Dash didn’t need to think about it, and instinctively put a comforting wing around Applejack as the memory of the past flickered on the surface of their minds. *** “You shouldn’t use that wing for at least three days, Rainbow Dash. You’re lucky the arrow only grazed you and didn’t cause any permanent harm. If you had been even slightly less lucky, you might never have flown again,” said Nurse Redheart as she applied the medical tape to the injured patch on her left wing. Dash herself was silent -- all she could do was stare out over the rest of the patients in the medical tent. This one at the very least. They had at least a hundred, but that wasn’t enough for the tens of thousands that had been making the migration together, leaving many open to the empty skies and cruelly cold temperatures. The vast majority of the wounded -- mostly those less-critical -- were forced to be outside, lounging in the forest and dirt rather than in the shelter of the triage tent. Rainbow Dash nodded her thanks to Redheart as the nurse moved to assist a fellow soldier -- Lunar Guard she guessed by the armor -- who’d had his right eye slashed out and a deep sword wound in his belly. Rainbow Dash had seen enough injuries in the past several weeks to know he was a goner. Hay, she had seen more wounded and dead already to last her six lifetimes. Passing by the stretchers of bodies and exhausted medical staff, she made her way out of the tent and saw the sea of thousands more. Nearly eighty percent of their number were civilians from Canterlot, Ponyville, and other nearby cities in the north trying to escape Sombra’s horde. Last they’d heard, the cities to the east had sailed to the lands of griffins, zebras, dragons and more for shelter. The southlands had been trapped between Sombra’s closing grip and the Badlands, where death from either side was a certainty. The west had already fallen. Every city, town, and village had been obliterated or subsumed. Not a single soul from there lived that wasn’t dead or corrupted. In a matter of weeks, all of Equestria had been overrun. The very idea of it being gone forever was still sinking in, not only in her mind but the minds of everypony. No one smiled. Not even children. Even the fact that they were alive felt like nothing worth celebrating. Most were too busy sobbing, holding each other, or praying to their now-dead princesses. But the only thing every one of them did, including Rainbow Dash, was gaze up into the unfamiliar, ominous skies filled with nothing but an unending, featureless void. Rainbow still waited for the nightmare to end, but sleep never came; not easily. All she could see when she closed her eyes were her dead friends. Fluttershy breathing her last as the thorny vines strangled the very life out of her. Rarity laying in a pool of her own blood from multiple stab wounds. Scootaloo’s pleading eyes for help before being dragged underground. Discord, a friend in the end, sacrificing himself so that they could all escape the warzone Ponyville had become. Pinkie with blades plunged into her barrel. Spike in Twilight’s arms as he closed his pale eyes for eternal sleep. Luna’s dying scream as her own sister, corrupted by Sombra’s twisted influence, smote her writhing body upon the crater-ridden Canterlot streets... It had all grown to be too much for her psyche to bear, and that made fighting to keep the corrupted off their tails a better choice. Although, she thought as she glared at her wing, I guess I won’t be doing that for awhile. Sighing to herself, Dash made her way to another hospital unit not too far from where she was. The tent was far smaller than the others, with enough space only for its one patient. She spotted Twilight landing nearby in her bloodied battle armor of purple and white. Several royal aids rushed over to undress her while Rainbow walked over. Her brain was trying to process the idea of Twilight, the eggheaded bookworm and nerd to the extreme, fighting in actual battles of life and death. The Element of Magic had always been opposed to killing for as long as she’d known her, even writing several papers on the abolition of the death penalty. Sombra’s blitzkrieg had forced her to change. It’d forced all of them to change. “How’s it looking?” the pegasus asked softly as Twilight, now rid of her armor, drank down a full canteen of water. “Not the best,” she gasped as she lowered the container from her lips, “but far from the worst. We’ve been able to hold them back for several days, but we’re going to have to move soon. We can’t wait for my brother’s reinforcements any longer. We’ll have to fall back on our backup plan and make for the Crystal Empire,” she said, as she wiped the water off her face and handed back the canteen to the aid. “Not all of us are gonna be ready for the cold, Twilight,” pointed out Dash impatiently. “And none of us were ready for this situation in the first place, Rainbow Dash. But we’re running out of options,” snapped Twilight. Rainbow’s eyes widened and she backpedaled. The princess’s gaze quickly softened, and her firm stance relaxed noticeably. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just...” Dash stepped forward and put a hoof on her shoulder, nodding. “I know. Don’t worry about it.” She then turned to the tent. “I was just gonna check on AJ and…” Her voice trailed off as a sore sensation arose in her throat. She forced a confident smile. “You coming?” Twilight nodded and the two stepped forward, hearing quite the sudden commotion before entering the tent. The two of them winced as Apple Bloom struggled against her bonds. A group of nurses and Applejack tried desperately to hold her still as Doctor Stable felt around on the filly’s leg with the aura of his horn. “Ms. Bloom! Please, try to hold still!” “Stop it! Stop the voices! He’s gonna get me! He’s gonna GET ME!” shouted the little filly, her face filled with terror as her bloodshot eyes widened. Her mane and fur had already begun to lose their color, while one eye had become green and slitted, with black, branching veins stretching outward from the whites. “Apple Bloom! It’s okay! You’re safe, sugarcube! I promise!” Applejack lied to her younger sibling. Tears streamed down her freckled cheeks as she struggled to keep her little sister pinned to the cot. “I can hear ‘er… I can hear Princess Celestia... Sweetie Belle... Big Mac... they want me to join ’em...” “Don’t listen to ‘em, darlin’! Fight it, please!” Applejack turned to Doctor Stable. “Hurry it up, already!” Doctor Stable finally managed to locate a vein, and the little filly gasped before her eyes began to flutter drowsily. Her little body slowly went limp, and she turned to her big sister with the last of her strength. “Don’t... let me... be like them...” she said hoarsely. “Don’t let ‘im take me, Applejack…” Applejack nuzzled her sister’s cheek before firmly kissing her on the forehead. “I won’t. I swear on my heart, I won’t.” “Excuse us, Miss, but we have to analyze her,” the doctor said urgently. “But--” Twilight and Rainbow Dash finally made their presence known, each putting a wing around the farmgirl. “Applejack, let Doctor Stable do his job,” the princess insisted. Applejack opened her mouth, seeming ready to argue. Rainbow held her firmly, setting a hoof on her withers, and at last she nodded and walked out of the tent with her friends, and over into the shelter of a low-hanging tree. She took a few deep breaths before she screamed and turned to the tree, bucking so hard against it that she left her hoof imprints in the bark. Rainbow winced and made to stop her, but Twilight held her leg up in front of her and shook her head. Applejack continued to beat her hind legs against the tree trunk, even as it became uprooted and fell to the ground under her enraged assault. She stomped it, causing its already-weakened structure to crack, and ripped it apart branch by branch with her bare teeth, nearly hitting others with flying debris. Several bystanders looked on abject terror, shying away from the rampaging earth pony. After ten long minutes of fury, Applejack finally collapsed in exhaustion, her anger gradually folding in lieu of tears. Twilight removed her hoof and released Rainbow to help their friend up. The pegasus wrapped her in a fierce hug, and Twilight joined the pair, enfolding the small group in her sheltering wings. Dash turned to Twilight, the etchings of concern knitting into her brow. “Is… is there anything we can do?” Twilight sighed and slowly broke away from the hug. Lowering her head to the point where her bangs covered her eyes, she whispered back, “I’ve tried everything I could think of. Nothing I, or any of the rest of the arcane council know of seems to work on this... this corruption. Once you’re infected, it slowly works itself into your leylines and body, twisting you into one of his slaves...” “Like zombies in a horror movie?” Twilight didn’t answer. She raised her head and looked at Applejack. “It won’t be much longer until she’s completely overcome. I’m amazed that she’s lasted as long as she has but…” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “But it’s inevitable... eventually… eventually Apple Bloom will be just like the Cakes… Rarity’s parents… my mother and father… and all the others...” Applejack gave such a glare that Rainbow Dash was sure she might attack the alicorn right then and there. “Don’t even think about it, Twilight,” she snarled, her eyes still blurred by tears. Twilight Sparkle’s ears folded. “Applejack, if she becomes like them... she’ll be able to link with them... this hive mind they have. Sombra will have complete control over her. He would make her into his puppet and there would be nothing left of her... I can’t risk that happening. We can’t risk that happening.” “She ain’t gonna turn! We can lock her up if it comes to that! Just keep ‘er in chains until we find a cure if that’s what ya gotta do!” shouted Applejack, stomping her hoof. Rainbow Dash gulped. “We’ve already tried imprisonment, Applejack. Whatever spell Sombra has her under... this corruption spell he’s cast allows him to kill any of those who are of no use to him anymore,” said the princess, who stood her ground with an unbreakable frown. “Then let me take her somewhere! Let me get ‘er away from here! Ah’ll take care of her myself and y’all can just go on to the Crystal Empire yourselves!” shouted Applejack, her voice getting higher and more desperate. Rainbow wasn’t sure if she was ready to break down and cry, or kill. It was Twilight’s turn to glare. “Applejack, you are one of the three living Elements of Harmony! It’s your duty to help us! Everypony is counting on us!” “I don’t CARE! I never asked to be this!” she screamed. “I never wanted to be a hero! I’m just a farmer!” she insisted, collapsing to her rump. The tears streamed down her face. The pegasus’s heart wrenched for her friend. “I’m just a farmer… I don’t wanna be a hero…” Applejack rasped, covering her eyes. “I don’t wanna be a hero… I don’t wanna be a hero… I don’t wanna do this…” “Applejack,” Twilight said firmly, “if you go out there with Apple Bloom, she WILL turn into one of Sombra’s minions…” She paused, taking a breath and setting her jaw. “And when she does turn, she’ll kill you too...” “I’d rather be killed by my OWN SISTER than kill ‘er myself!” shouted Applejack, standing and pressing into Twilight’s personal space. Neither pony moved as they stared each other down, eye to eye. “I’ve lost everything! EVERYTHING! My farm! My home! My town! My Granny! My brother! And who knows how many of my other relatives are alive at this point?! My sister is all Ah got left! Ya can’t ask me to kill ‘er!” At last Applejack’s grief-stricken rage smoldered just enough for the princess to gain the upper hoof. The farmpony’s eyes became pleading. “Please don’t make me kill ‘er…” Twilight’s eyes softened, brimming with unspilled tears of her own. “I’d never make you do something like that, Applejack... But we have to end her suffering now… while she’s still the pony we know and love...” A teardrop etched a course down her cheek. “I know what you’re going through… believe me, I do… I never thought I could live with myself after I ended Spike’s life...” Rainbow Dash lowered her head in remembrance of the dragon. Applejack grit her teeth angrily and spat on the ground. “Who gave ya the right?!” she demanded, her voice straining. “I WAS GIVEN THE RIGHT WHEN I BECAME THE LAST PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA, APPLEJACK,” shot back Twilight, spreading her wings authoritatively. “I can’t look out for just one pony anymore… I have responsibilities to all of my citizens, now, and not just my friends and family.” She breathed once more, and fixed Applejack’s eyes with an intense stare. Nonetheless, she softened her voice. “I’m only giving you a chance to do this because… because you are her sister. If you don’t wish to do it, somepony else can.” All was still and quiet for several long moments. “Believe me, my friend, if there was another way to end this I would gladly take it... but there isn’t.” The farmer said nothing. Then, with a quivering lip, she turned away and ran as swiftly as she could towards the woods. Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight who appeared ready to fall down and never get up again. “I’ll talk to her.” “Thank you...” whispered Twilight as she slowly turned and made her way in the opposite direction. Dash nodded before chasing after Applejack. It wasn’t hard to follow her. The sight of so many broken trees was a big enough trail of bedcrumbs to follow. When Rainbow Dash finally caught up, she was sitting on her haunches, staring down at the ground. Her entire coat was covered with scratches and dirt, her hooves chipped and bloody. But Applejack didn’t even seem to give one damn. Rainbow Dash swallowed painfully as she walked over and sat down right behind her, their backs facing each other. For a long time, there was a thick silence between them. Rainbow Dash had never had a sibling -- Scootaloo had been the closest thing she’d had to one. If there was one thing Rainbow Dash was never going to forget for the rest of her life, however long or short it may be, it was Scootaloo’s eyes in her final moments. Her desperate plea for Rainbow to save her, echoing in her mind so many times... to have her idol rescue her from certain death. And then she was gone. Dragged into the earth by the accursed black vines. One final scream of her name... and then nothing. It was a scream that would haunt Rainbow Dash forever. “Ah can’t do it...” whispered Applejack without looking behind her. “Ah can’t let ‘em do it...” “Applejack...” said Rainbow Dash softly. “If I’d had your choice… if it had been Scootaloo lying there…” She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. “I wouldn’t let him have her… I wouldn’t let it be anypony but me…” Silence. Then... “... why?” Dash breathed. “Because it’s a fate worse than death. Would you really let Apple Bloom be forced to go through the trauma of killing? What if she killed you? Or Cheerilee? Or one of her other friends?” She looked up to the empty sky. “Do you have any idea what it might be like to become a monster like that?” Rainbow Dash turned and put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “I know you don’t wanna do this… I get that... but think long and hard about what she would rather have. Don’t you think Apple Bloom would wanna die as Apple Bloom instead of another slave?” Applejack lowered her head even further and sniffled. “It ain’t fair... it just ain’t fair...” “I know it’s not. None of this is...” whispered Rainbow Dash, fully embracing the teary-eyed farmer from behind. “But you don’t have to face this unfair world alone...” She held her tightly, pressing her cheek against the side of Applejack’s head. “I’m here… I’ll always be here…” And Applejack wept. *** Apple Bloom was still asleep by the time they were ready. Applejack had given her consent to the euthanasia, the most painless death they could give the little filly. All Applejack could do was stare at her sister, holding Dash’s hoof as she did her best to breathe. Twilight watched from the corner, silent and alone, fulfilling her duty, she’d said, as a princess and as a friend to be present. Doctor Stable sighed and, with the injection of the life-ending substance in his telekinetic grip, walked over to the sleeping filly. “Do you have any last words you’d like to say to her?” Applejack nodded and walked over towards her sister. She gently pushed back the formerly red mane and kissed her forehead. “One day, sugarcube... we’ll all be a family again. Just ya wait. Ah’ll be there to join ya someday and we’ll all be happy together forever. But for now... just… just sleep tight... and goodnight, little sis.” She paused, biting her lip and mustering all of her courage. Tears fell from her chin like rain. “Goodbye…” she whimpered. Applejack kissed her one more time and held the little filly tightly before she nodded to the doctor. She watched as he injected the needle into her tiny leg, hugging her little sister even tighter. “Ah’ll never forgive ya for this, Twilight... Ah’ll never forgive you...” she breathed painfully. Rainbow Dash didn’t turn around, but she swore she heard Twilight say, “And I wouldn’t ask you to...” The three of them watched as Apple Bloom, the last of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, breathed her last breath and faded from life. She never looked so peaceful. *** “Let’s go...” muttered Applejack, turning away from the grave as Dash snapped out of her memory. “Ah wanna leave here and never come back...” Rainbow Dash nodded and was about to follow when she paused and asked, “Have you ever forgiven her after all this time? For what happened to Apple Bloom?” Applejack stopped and, without turning around, replied. “To my ever-lastin’ shame... no... but Ah’ll never forgive Sombra neither...” Nothing else was said as the two ventured away. All that remained was a lonely little grave, and a cold, dead silence.