//------------------------------// // Nine: The Root // Story: Rain without Rainbows // by Leoshi //------------------------------// Rain without Rainbows !Disclaimer!: Derpy stole my normal jokes, so I’ll just tell you true. I don’t own the copyrights, so you should not sue. Everything I base this on is owned by other folks. The story is ours, the OCs too, and unfortunately the jokes. (Bad rhyming is bad.) So hello, everyone. Did you enjoy the short break during the last interlude? I sure did. It was nice seeing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle again, and hearing their stories about how they earned their cutie marks. Still, it was saddening to be reminded of dear Scootaloo. I wonder what became of her? But I digress. Everybrony, grab a seat. This is where things begin to turn faster, because our two polar opposite ponies, Applejack and Rarity, find the mare they’re looking for. But are they prepared for what they find along with her? I won’t bore you with minor bickering - jump in! ACT II - The Pariah Chapter 9: The Root Applejack fell to her haunches atop a solid grey rock. Her vision was beginning to narrow, and a fiery sensation was eating at her throat. Her hat rested behind her neck, her mane was a tangled mess, and her breathing was short and raspy. Even for being a farm mare, climbing a cliff this steep was an extreme challenge. The fact that many rocky platforms were loose was not helping - four times already, she was forced to jump from one ledge to another, barely avoiding being dragged down a few yards. She coughed, and a spat of bile landed in front of her. With a groan, she reached back into her saddlebag, grabbing the one thing on her mind: her canteen. The sound of water sloshing within was as heavenly as the Sun Princess to a pilgrim. With a grunt and a twist of her jaw, the canteen was open, and she downed a third of its contents. “Gaaaah!” she exhaled, relishing the taste of spring water. As the fluid coursed through her, her vision sharpened and the fire in her throat was doused to a mild irritant. She rested on the rough rock for a moment, allowing her travelling companion to catch up. Rarity followed her friend’s example, collapsing on a rocking platform just below Applejack’s own. The unicorn was a far sight worse - her right forehoof had struck a gnarled root some time ago, and a tight bandage helped zero-in on the small dot of red that marred her otherwise perfect coat. She had emptied her own canteen long ago, and was suffering for it. Applejack looked down upon the unicorn’s dirtied form. She ignored all of the dust, scuff marks, and tangles that stood amiss from Rarity’s normal visage; instead, she stared directly at her horn, and the activity surrounding it. It was that horn that was giving them strength to climb this hillside. Rarity’s horn was awash with a strong, vibrating hue of purple. Her tracking magic, which was augmented with Luna’s binding, had become far more active since they left the Everfree border. And it seemed that for every yard the pair walked, the stronger the vibration became. They were closing in. Despite their severe fatigue, the fact that the tracking magic was at its most active brought a calm determination to both ponies. They looked at each other through their labored breaths, and saw their resolve angled back at them. For one, the prospect of reuniting with a lost friend; for the other, the chance to set things right with her home. Rarity grunted, rounding her thoughts back to her tracking spell. Her eyes were drawn to a point above them, a small cave nestled among the rocky hillside. The cave was simple, and the mouth standard - there was nothing special about it whatsoever. But to the two searchers, it meant everything. The unicorn and the farmer rose to their hooves once more, redoubling their efforts to scale the cliff. Time seemed to slow as they neared the cave’s mouth, and the anxiety grew heavy on them, making their ascent all the more difficult. As they scaled the stone, Applejack couldn’t help but notice the world around her - the sun-warmed stones beneath her hooves, the dry winds growing harsher, the white-and-grey billows of cloud speeding overhead. She swallowed, her saliva thickened from her still-present thirst. She smelled the last summer rain on the air. It seemed like the fate of the world depended on whether or not she could find her friend. For reasons Applejack didn’t pursue, that thought caused her disquiet. The orange mare jumped upward, hooking her hooves over the cave entrance. She pumped her hind legs on the rock face, pulling herself up and over, before reaching down to help Rarity do the same. The pair took a moment to catch their breath and gaze into the imperfect darkness the cave provided. “In there,” Rarity whispered. “Rainbow Dash is in there, somewhere.” Applejack blinked, using her fatigue to quell her inner excitement. “You sure of that?” “Absolutely.” A hot wetness fell on the farm pony’s cheek - a warm rain had begun to fall, the last summer shower before autumn began. The feeling of it caused a memory to flash in her mind, the memory of the last time she had stood in the rain, looking at where her best friend had gone. Except back then, the rain was fierce and cold. Now, it fell on them light and warm, almost reassuring. Applejack wasn’t a very spiritual mare - she had never found the time for it - but she felt that, were she one, she would have considered this a sign. A sign that she would succeed. The two ponies stepped into the dim cave, Rarity providing light from her spell. She paused, tilting her head and murmuring beneath her breath. “Mmm...that can’t be...” “What’s wrong?” “This spell,” she began. “It’s not perfect, or else I’m just not understanding it. I’ve led us here, but I can’t pinpoint exactly where Rainbow Dash is.” Applejack huffed, more disappointed than she showed. “Well, fine. Guess we’ll just look the ol’ fashioned way.” As the two stepped into the cave proper, Rarity poured a little more power into her spell - which, to say, wasn’t much. After running the spell nearly nonstop for two days, her energy was tapped. She was running on faith and determination alone. The power that she managed to wrest allowed a stronger purple light to shine in front of her, throwing the innards of the cave into an eerie light. The color unnerved her, and she paused. Applejack, however, wouldn’t be held. She moved forward with a purpose, sticking close to the inner wall for guidance. From what little light there was, the earth pony could see that it wasn’t a very deep cave. It was enough for shelter from a storm, perhaps. Which was good - it meant less ground for her to cover. “Oh!” Rarity gasped. “Look there.” Applejack turned to the wall she was guiding by, looking at what had caught Rarity’s attention. On a small stone in the wall rested a rough stick of charcoal. And nearby were drawings. “What in...” the farm mare breathed. She waved the unicorn closer in order to shine more light on the wall. The images on the stone wall were alighted, one by one, waving from the left to the right. Crude though they were, the pictures were clear enough to see what they actually were. What the ponies saw allowed both of them to feel a tug of nostalgia. The first picture was a view of Ponyville, drawn in the black charcoal with no effort for extended detail. The buildings and roads were all sketched in from memory, and the image expanded to encompass everything from Sweet Apple Acres to the edge of the Everfree Forest. Even the clock tower of town hall was drawn in, though judging by the disproportionate scaling, it was an afterthought. Further down, much to the surprise of the two friends, was a thoroughly-darkened emblem of the Wonderbolts. While it wasn’t perfect, it was easy to see the jagged lightning-bolt with the pair of feathered wings. However, the image seemed blurred - somepony had run a hoof over the picture, smearing the grains of coal to and fro. Rarity and Applejack spent another moment in front of the emblem before moving on, seeing a third drawing donning the stone.This third one gave pause to both ponies. Assembled in a half-circle was a group of five equines. They all stood, facing a single point inside their formation (on the wall, they seemed to be facing the floor). The spot where they were all looking was a blacked-out spot, a crude O-shape that had been filled in. Beneath each pony was a symbol - one was a star, another was an apple, the next was a butterfly, then followed a diamond and a balloon. Beneath the blackened circle was a lightning bolt. Applejack couldn’t help but voice her thoughts. “Is this...us?” Her unicorn friend replied in a whisper. “I think it is.” The farm mare continued to gaze at the drawing for a moment, trying to discern a meaning from it. The simple truth was that she had a number of possible meanings flitting about in her mind - the challenge was choosing one that made sense without making her feel bad. The light shifted with Rarity, who had seen a fourth image further away. “Oh!” she gasped for the second time. This final one sent a mild shiver up her spine. It was a direct likeness to the dark magic that had attacked the Wonderbolts at the cloudiseum, drawn in surprising detail. It wasn’t an orb, like what had assaulted Ponyville; rather, it was akin to a wave, wide yet flat. Spurts of the white lines were transcribed as blank areas in the wave, and they seemed to crawl all over the spell. The depiction of the magic was much larger than any of the previous drawings - it was easily four times their size put together. Were it not for the monochromatic color of the charcoal, Rarity would have thought it looked real. However, the feeling of fear it gave her was not imagined. Littered on the ground at her hooves were spent charcoal sticks, consumed beyond use during the act of drawing. A movement next to her made her jump. She was so engrossed with the mural’s final image, she had temporarily forgotten that she wasn’t alone. “What in...” Applejack breathed. “Now that’s jus’ downright scary. Why would she draw somethin’ like that?” ‘Because she’s scared of it,’ Rarity thought. “I cannot imagine why,” she said aloud. The two of them spent another moment gazing at the collection of drawings before stepping further into the cavern. As Applejack had surmised, the cave didn’t reach too deeply into the hills - however, the light of Rarity’s horn didn’t penetrate very far, and the pair had to squint in order to see where they were walking. “Stick to the wall,” Applejack advised. “We can use it as a guide if we have to.” On the pair scoured. Keeping their left sides to the rocky wall, Rarity led the way forward into the darkness. They moved slowly, careful to not overlook anything that might be a flash of blue or an assortment of various colors. Three minutes slowly crawled by, and the friends found themselves at the back end of the cave. Here, the darkness seemed omnipresent, eating away at the intruding light of Rarity’s spell. Just as the unicorn was starting to lose hope, she felt something round and firm beneath her hoof. She looked down (Applejack nearly bumped into her), spotting a roughed and dirtied feather. It was a light blue color. A sense of elation swept through the pair. Near the feather, several more were spotted, each one as damaged as the first. Curious, Applejack bent her head to grab one of the feathers in her mouth. When she moved, Rarity spotted something right next to them. A flash of white in the darkness, very sudden and completely silent. In a split second, the unicorn had a flash of memory, one of the orb that had nearly killed Twilight Sparkle. The orb that had the dancing white lines, always flashing and moving. She screamed, jumping backward on instinct. The shock of the flash had broken her focus on her spell, and the magic around her horn faded instantly. But instead of being plunged into darkness like the two knew should have happened, another light source appeared that gazed upon them. No, not one light source. There were two, a pair of bright circles in the imperfect darkness. They were tilted, angling softly toward the cold floor. And they were flashing on and off...like they were blinking. Conquering her initial shock, Rarity focused her magic once more, this time just to spread light around them. As the darkness retreated, the two circles remained - but there was a dark mass attached to the circles. A larger ball encompassed the two lights, which led down to a curved mass. The central mass had leg-like growths in four places, one of which was extended toward the floor. From the end of that mass and the top of the larger ball, a pile of long strings were pouring out like a stream. The two friends stared at this body for a very long moment. The silence was constantly broken by their breathing, hardened by the adrenaline pumping through them. Finally calming down, Applejack spoke. “Is...is that you?” she asked it. “R-Rainbow Dash?” The two white circles were actually eyes, the growths were indeed legs, and the streaming strings were a mane and tail. All were devoid of color. She was unlike anything they were expecting. Where her sky-blue coat was, now flowed an eerie “suit” of black, blue, and grey. It wasn’t cloth, wool, or any fabric whatsoever - the material was antimatter, magical, unbelievable. Telltale lines of white shot around the suit, and that allowed the two to realize that it wasn’t a suit at all. It was the same magic that was bound to Rainbow Dash, the same that attacked Ponyville, the same that killed the Wonderbolts. They knew that it was the same dark spot that had marked her stomach when she was in the hospital all those years ago; the spot had expanded to cover her entire body, capturing every inch of exposed coat, hoof, and feather. Applejack couldn’t help but stare at her, taking in every horrifying detail - the malicious glow, the dancing lines, the way her body was starved and weak. Even her mane and tail was faded, and they looked sickly in what little light was provided. But the worst, the absolute worst, were the eyes. Rainbow’s eyes were gone, buried beneath the magic. In their place were two blank fields of pure white, radiance against the nightmarish magic. They were like two beams of sunlight caught in a pair of flight goggles. Rainbow Dash could still see through the magic, but the sight of those eyes forced both of the travelers to halt. The farm mare gathered her wits. She forced herself to look past the glowing orbs of white, to see beyond the drooping wings and the thin body. She told herself that this was who she was looking for. Rainbow Dash was here, alive, in front of her. Applejack tried to talk, she tried so hard, but she couldn’t - her throat had gone drier than before when she was on the rocks. The figure before them, Rainbow Dash, very slowly sat up. She supported most of her weight on her forelegs, and it was clearly a struggle to stay upright. Her head tilted toward the pair, looking at them through those blank eyes of white. After a long moment where the only sound was the summer rain outside, Rainbow...smiled. It was a sad smile - a tortured smile. “Hey, Applejack,” she spoke. Her voice was a sad sound, weak and hollow and unused. “Hey, Rarity.” The words took the two even further aback. Here they were, finally meeting after four long years, and she had just greeted them as though they had met only a day before. The familiarity in her tone was stunning and completely unexpected. Applejack finally forced a sound. “Uh...h-hey there, Rainbow D-Dash. H...How’re ya doin’?” She chuckled, yet another sound neither pony was expecting. “Oh, good, I guess. I’m tired all the time...this place gets pretty cozy once you get used to it.” She pushed herself a little higher, barely gaining an inch. “What about you? How’s the orchard?” “It’s good, it’s good,” she began, blurting out the words. “We, uh, we’re preparing the big harvest for the winter months comin’, so we’re busy as usual. You should see Apple Bloom - she’s grown.” Rainbow nodded weakly, turning her attention to the unicorn. “And how about you, Rarity? How has your shop been?” Rarity had a harder time forming words than Applejack had. She stuttered, unable to grasp at a statement. “My...my shop? Oh, well...it’s...” After a brief moment of fumbling, she finally broke down and asked. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, what has happened to you?” “Oh, this?” she asked, looking down at her darkened body with the eyes of white. “It just sort of happened over time...I can’t really control it. It’s not that bad - it helps keeps me alive, believe it or not.” Rarity gasped. “N-not that bad? But that’s...th-that’s the magic that...” “That attacked and killed the Wonderbolts, yeah, I know. There’s not much I can do about it, though, is there?” Rainbow began to talk in earnest. She told them about the night she had fled Ponyville, and how she had braved the storm that had hidden her from anyone looking for her. The storm that night had been extremely active, and Rainbow had made the desperate mistake of charging right into it. It didn’t take long for a charge of lightning to knock her off course and send her careening into the hillside. “It was awful,” she explained. “The shock had burned my nerves for a long while, so I wasn’t able to move much after I landed...if you could call it landing. I was forced to lie down and bear the brunt of the rain.” Bearing the brunt was a light way of putting it. The truth she didn’t mention was that she had nearly died from contacting the rock, then once more due to exposure to the rain. Illness was inevitable, and Rainbow had very quickly caught fever after making her way to the cave. She had remained still for days, unable to fight the fever, the magic plaguing her body, or most importantly, her despair. However, miraculously, she recovered. Less than a week after she had fled her home, her fever had broken with no traces that it had ever been there. The magic surrounding her continued to expand, slowly overtaking every inch of exposed pegasus. And with every inch lost, she burned. The magic was not settling into Rainbow’s system - it was assimilating it. No matter what methods she tried to remove the magic, it endured. Being alone with the murderous magic had only deepened the grief she was feeling. Several times, Rainbow had considered (and attempted) what many would call the “coward’s way out” in order to free herself from the magic. The first time, she had tossed herself off one of the many cliffsides that the hilly region provided. Applejack and Rarity backed up, horrified. “You didn’t...” the unicorn breathed, unable to grasp a complete thought. Rainbow nodded slowly, continuing. “I did. The drop should have made a quick suicide for me, but...this magic helps keep me alive.” For a moment, Applejack’s mind raced. ‘That’s the second time she’s said that. ‘Keeps her alive.’ Does she mean that the magic...won’t let her die?’ “I didn’t even hit the rocks,” the exile went on. “My wings opened and I flew back up to the cave. At first I thought I had just chickened out...but after trying it again, I realized it was the magic doing it to me.” “You tried it again?” sounded Rarity’s frightened voice. She couldn’t even comprehend the notion of suicide, least of all on one of her friends. Such an action seemed so unnatural, it would have been impossible. Rainbow Dash laughed again, a half-choked echo of what she once was. “Sad, isn’t it? It was around that time that this magic stopped growing, and I eventually got used to the burning. It’s just a dull feeling now...like a bruise.” Her head jerked, and she lowered her gaze to the ledge she rested on. “Heh, Fluttershy described this as a ‘bruise,’ you know. But I doubt anyone’s seen one quite like this.” It dawned on them both: Rainbow Dash was a prisoner to this magic. She didn’t control it. In fact, it was the other way around. A very uncomfortable silence befell them. Rainbow continued to smile that sad half-smile, while Applejack and Rarity struggled to form their thoughts. The story of the pegasus had left a sour taste in their mouths. Both were having trouble grasping the notion of Rainbow’s suffering since her flight. They had never imagined she would have fallen so far from grace. It was like the Rainbow Dash before them wasn’t even the same pony they had known. “How did you find me?” The orange earth pony jumped. “Wh-what?” “How did you find me?” Rainbow patiently repeated. “I thought I was far enough away to keep you safe.” “Safe? Safe from what?” Rainbow paused, lifting her right foreleg - her left nearly collapsed under her weight, she was so weak. “From this,” she said. “From me.” “From you?” Applejack replied. “Why would we need to be kept safe from you?” To her right, Rarity glanced at her, as though the unicorn had an answer on her lips. However, she remained silent. Rainbow set her leg down, looking into the farm mare’s face. Applejack inched back involuntarily. Those eyes... “Applejack, the last time I saw you, I avoided you and ran off. I shoved Fluttershy away when she wanted to help me. I even hurt Spitfire while she was in the air. Who knows what I might do to you next? I don’t want to hurt you.” The orange pony gathered her wits. “I’m not gonna let somethin’ like that stop me from helping you, Rainbow Dash.” She stepped forward, extending a hoof. A bubbling force crawled up Rainbows throat. “Stay away!” the exile cried. Her body shook; she was on the verge of tears. “Please, just go away! Forget you found me...forget I ever existed! It’s better that way!” Applejack pulled her hoof back, suddenly unsure of how to act. She and Rarity looked at Rainbow with a mix of concern, trepidation, and pity. It occurred to them that, when they left Ponyville, they both simply thought they could find their friend and bring her home without trouble. Neither had expected to find Rainbow in a sorry state, least of all one as sorry as this. The two were at a loss. Rainbow Dash curled herself tighter, quietly pleading. “Please...please just leave...leave me and move on...” “Sweetheart,” Rarity began, taking a step forward. “I’m afraid we need you to come back with us.” The pegasus lifted her blank eyes, gazing at Rarity with what appeared to be abjection. She said nothing. “Listen...something’s happened. This magic that’s bound to you? Some of it is in Ponyville right now, and it’s attacked us. We need you to come back so we can get rid of it.” “There’s...there’s more?” she whispered. “Mmm,” Rarity nodded. “It seems that some part of...whatever is on you, broke off and made its way down to Ponyville. We barely managed to get it held down-” “Part of me?” Rainbow lifted her head by a fraction, gazing straight into Rarity’s eyes. The unicorn was stared into silence. “Part of me?” she repeated. “That’s not possible.” The two ponies in front of her exchanged glances. “It’s the same kind as the that hit you durin’ the tryouts. All the same traits an’ everythin’.” “Trust me, it would be obvious if any of the magic on me had left me to go somewhere else. I would be dead.” Applejack paused, not expecting to hear the word. “What?” “I would be dead, Applejack. This magic helps keep me alive.” “But what does that have to-” “You don’t see any scraps of food around here, do you?” A quick glance around confirmed Rainbow’s point - not a single crumb or peel was anywhere to be found. Neither did they remember seeing any on their walk into the cave, or any area in between the entrance and this spot. Rarity narrowed her eyes, both scared and suspicious. “How long has it been since you’ve last eaten?” Rainbow sighed, tilting her head back - the orbs of white seemed to narrow to thin lines. “Must have been...during my first week here, when I had the fever. There was a mushroom that was just outside...heh, it never grew again.” “My Steed!” the fashionista cried. “That’s four years! You haven’t eaten anything in four years?” In response, Rainbow lifted her wing, which took considerable effort. She revealed her body, which curved inwardly at a sickening angle. Her ribcage was easily exposed against the darkness of the magic. “Goodness...” Rarity whispered. The sight of Rainbow’s starved body was more unnerving than her whited-out eyes. “If any part of this magic in me had changed, then I wouldn’t be talking with you right now,” Rainbow continued. “This magic is the only thing keeping me alive at this point...despite my best efforts.” “Buh-but...” “Sorry, but you’re mistaken. Whatever is attacking Ponyville, it didn’t come from me. Going back won’t help you...I’m sure that I might end up hurting more innocent ponies if I went near them.” Applejack started forward. “Rainbow!” she cried. “You should leave.” The orange farmer wouldn’t have it. She shook her head violently, knocking her hat off-balance. “I didn’t come all this way jus’ to leave empty-hooved, Rainbow! You need to come back! You’ve got to!” Rainbow did something that Applejack couldn’t argue against. Instead of getting riled up and shouting back like she would have done, Rainbow Dash quietly turned her head to face the nearby wall. She slowly lowered herself to the ledge, resting her frail body on the stone. Such a final movement halted any rebuttal Applejack may have had. She stood there, dumbfounded. A tense moment passed in which the three didn’t speak. Applejack turned away, hurt and angry, unwilling to believe any of what she had just seen. Moving into the darkness, she ran her hoof against a sharp stone - the resulting pain fueled her anger. Rarity moved to her side, casting her light about them both. Glancing to her left, the earth pony showed some of her inner anger. “Go ahead, Rarity. Say it.” The unicorn blinked. “What do you...” “Say it already. You were right. This Rainbow ain’t...she ain’t the same gal I knew, way back then.” Their words, though quieted, echoed back to the bound pony behind them. “Oh, I see,” Rarity murmured. “I’m not going to say it, dear. I...didn’t want to believe it myself.” Applejack paused, then gave a shallow nod. She felt a small relief in knowing that Rarity wasn’t as narrow-minded as she had seemed back in the forest. “So what the hay are we supposed to do now? We were relyin’ on Rainbow to come back with us...our plan is a dud.” With a sigh, Rarity conceded. “I don’t really know. I suppose our only option is to head back to Ponyville and tell Luna what’s happened.” Behind them, Rainbow’s magic-covered ears twitched and perked. ‘Luna?’ she thought. ‘The princess is there?’ An idea began to form in her head, one that she had considered several times before. “Ya think she an’ Twilight might have a different plan?” Applejack asked, starting to walk away. “Perhaps. But they’re our best hope now. I just hope it won’t be too late...” Rainbow Dash raised her head. “Wait,” she called. “You never answered my question.” Slowly, the two travelers turned back toward the exile. “Question?” Rarity echoed. “How did you find me?” Again, Applejack and Rarity exchanged glances. After a few seconds’ hesitation, the unicorn answered. “Princess Luna was able to bind a segment of the magic - the one that’s in Ponyville - to my tracking spell. I’ve been using it for the last two days, and we were led through the Everfree Forest to these hills.” Rainbow gazed at them with a poker face that would make any statue jealous. “Princess Luna? She’s in Ponyville?” “That’s right.” “Why?” Applejack chimed in. “When the magic attacked the town, it went straight for Rarity and Twi. Soon enough, it became too strong for them to handle. Celestia, Luna, an’ their guard came down to help, right in the nick of time. If Luna hadn’t arrived when she did, Twilight would’a been...” She paused, losing a bit of her nerve to say that her friend had nearly been killed, to a friend some ponies thought was dead. She cleared her throat and ended with “...she saved Twilight.” Rainbow was silent for a moment. The only thing that the travelers could see were her two whited-out eyes, blinking slowly as she thought some unknown thought. Finally, she closed her eyes. “I’ll go.” The words echoed around their heads for a while, allowing each of them to ponder their simple meaning. Holding down her rising hope, the farm mare took one step forward. “You will?” Rainbow Dash waited a beat, then nodded. “I’ll go back to Ponyville with you.” Rarity floated a small apple from her saddlebag to her mouth, biting down into the meat of the fruit. The juices, normally sweet and refreshing, were lost to her as she stared over the Everfree Forest. While she chewed on the apple, she also chewed over her thoughts. Something about her encounter with Rainbow Dash - besides the blatantly obvious - didn’t seem right. ‘There may be more to this than I thought at first,’ she mused while she ate. ‘That image of the magic...there’s no way Rainbow drew that with an intent to revere it. And the way she spoke to us makes me think she’s scared of the magic far more than she’s letting on. ‘Even that’s not the most perplexing part. She was so set on staying here, away from Ponyville, but as soon as she heard Luna’s name, she changed her mind. Why?’ The summer rain began to recede, leaving in its wake a perilous climb down the hills. The scent of cooling rock was refreshing after the dank humidity of the cave. Rarity took another bite. ‘There’s something that I don’t know about, that’s obvious. What could Luna have that would sway Rainbow’s decision so quickly? She could be relying on the princess to help her with the magic...no, that was going to happen when she was in the hospital. She still ran away. There’s something else.’ A sharp pain coursed through her teeth - in her distracted state, Rarity had bitten into the core of the apple, bringing one of the dense seeds between her molars. She coughed out the seed on instinct, not at all concerned about appearing ladylike. A quick glance at the apple revealed it had been totally exhausted, leaving only the stem and core. She discarded the apple core, watching it contact the rocky path she would soon take. ‘What am I missing?’ she chided. A development behind her caught her attention. Applejack was slowly emerging from the cave, with a struggling Rainbow Dash hanging on to her for support. Now that she was in the natural light of the sun, Rarity could appreciate the full state of her long-lost friend. Her body was so frail, she could barely stand on her own. Even her wings were grazing the ground - it seemed that she couldn’t focus on keeping her balance and have her wings tucked to her side at the same time. Her gaze was locked on the ground in front of her, and her right foreleg was draped over Applejack’s shoulders. She slowly moved forward on three legs, baring her teeth in fierce concentration. “I’m not sure we should head back to Ponyville so soon,” Applejack announced. “We can wait a day, can’t we?” Before Rarity could speak, Rainbow grunted. “Waiting a day isn’t...isn’t going to make the trip any easier. We might as well get...this over with.” “But Rainbow-” “Besides,” she interrupted, “you said that orb in Ponyville was growing stronger. If we wait...” The pegasus took another step forward, pulling Applejack with her toward the cave mouth. Moving together, the pair easily reached Rarity’s side. “I suppose you have a point,” the unicorn admitted. “But are you...sure you want to do this, Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow locked gazes with Rarity, blank white meeting concerned blue. “Yeah,” she rasped. “I’m sure.” “If I may ask...why?” After a moment’s pause, Rainbow tore her gaze away, looking again at the ground beneath her hooves. “I’m sure that, if anypony can help me with this magic, the princess can. Her or Celestia...they’ve got to know what to do, right?” Rarity narrowed her gaze. ‘She’s lying...or at least avoiding the actual truth. I’m sure of it.’ “Yeah, they’ve got to,” Applejack echoed. “Alright, then...ready to go home?” With a nod, the exile grinned. “Yeah.” Slowly, carefully, the trio began their descent. Though slowed by the moistened rocks and mud of the hilly region, their progress was steady. Rainbow leaned on Applejack for support, with Rarity leading the journey to their home. They made a curious group - two bedraggled travellers accompanied by a pony bound to an unknown spell. Applejack looked up as they entered the edge of Everfree. The clouds were moving on, and the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, setting the sky aflame with vibrant reds and oranges. The light of the sky was broken by the boughs of the trees, and for the second time that day, the farm mare was facing an imperfect darkness. However, unlike before, Applejack felt a calm within her. A certain pressure along her shoulders was proof that she finally had her friend back. That knowledge gave her courage to journey into the darkness of the forest, which would soon be perfectly dark with the approaching night. She couldn’t hold back a small smile. Right now, she didn’t care about whether or not Luna could help. Rainbow was alive, and returning home. That, for now, was enough. End chapter nine Author’s comments: (Happy second season of MLP!) Sheesh, I did not expect this one to be so difficult forthcoming. I don’t envy you talented writers who specialize in dialogue and drama, because this chapter very nearly kicked my ass. I knew the beginnings of stories were hard to write...I guess I never expected the middles to be even harder. I digress. Rainbow Dash is back into the swing of things, everyone. Be prepared for yet more twists, because our journey is far from over! Co-author’s comments: Not much to say for the chapter itself. It seemed to gruel along filling lots of plot holes. I don’t blame any of you fine readers if you didn’t enjoy this chapter as much as the previous ones. However, things start to move along as the next chapters begin to unfold, so stay tuned! As my lovely brony friend up there said: “Our journey is far from over!” Next chapter: Elation abounds as Rainbow Dash is reunited with her long-lost friends. After a successful spell which safely separates Rainbow from the magic, everypony seems confident that their troubles are at an end. However, one certain stallion will make sure that their troubles are just beginning. “Your Harmony lies broken.”