It wasn’t the cave, or the terrible food, or even the shadow king who’d captured her. It was the waiting, the feeling of utter uselessness that consumed her. She knew that Sombra was only keeping her alive to lure Rainbow and the rest of her friends to their deaths.
Applejack lay curled in the corner of a small cave. She had to admit, Sombra had managed to turn a damp, cold cave into a comfortable living space. The rock flooring was covered with thick rugs and lavish furniture was placed along the walls. A chest full of assorted games and puzzles had been a surprise, but welcome to Fogbow, who’d taken a liking to the puzzles. When asked about the sudden hospitality Sombra had shrugged.
“I am a dark lord yes, but even I have manners. You are not here to be tortured, I have already done that, and so it is of no use to me if you expire in one of my...uh, lesser caves. I think you’ll experience enough torment when your friends arrive.” he chuckled then, leaving Applejack seething.
Now, she watched wearily as Fogbow finished another puzzle. Rainbow’s sister had accepted the imprisonment and was trying to make the best of it.
“I did it!” she said happily. Applejack nodded, wondering what her own little sister was doing. It had been a week maybe? She hadn’t expected to be gone this long. A sadness washed over her, followed by burning anger. Sombra had been defeated once, he could be killed once more. Hopefully this time for good. Applejack hoped that Twilight had figured something out. And when the five of them came, she’d be ready to join them.
The castle was nice, and so were the ponies who currently occupied it. The alicorn, Twilight, looked exhausted but she kept a smile to her weary face.
“You shouldn’t worry darling, Twilight is very skilled, she will return you to your former glory.” the white unicorn rambled, having taken a seat in one of the crystallized chairs. Rainbow Dash was surprised to find that she also had a throne. It bore her cutie mark and when she sat on it, she felt a certain rush of confidence. She belonged here, among these ponies, at this table.
“I like it here.” she said slowly, not knowing what to say. Twilight nodded.
“I would hope you would.” she said, her eyes holding an anxious energy to them. She’s nervous, thought Rainbow. But, she countered, I would be too.
“Guys!” a loud, worried voice cut through her thoughts. Rainbow turned to see the boisterous pink pony run into the throne room, her eyes wide with alarm. A timid, yellow pegasus followed her, sniffling. Twilight stood straighter, her tone becoming more authoritative.
“What happened?”
“Applejack is missing.” the statement sent a shockwave through the group.
“Are you...are you certain dear?” Rarity said at last, her face scrunched in a mixture of confusion and worry. Pinkie nodded furiously.
“Big Mac said she left a week ago, to try and find Rainbow.” Immediately guilt wormed it’s way through Rainbow Dash’s chest. Applejack was gone because of her.
“You don’t think…” Rarity started, her eyes widening.
“Sombra.” Twilight confirmed, nodding. Her face was pale, though her eyes shone bright with angry fire. “He took her, I’m sure of it.”
“But why?” Fluttershy squeaked.
Rainbow swallowed, knowing the answer even if she wasn’t all that sure of who Sombra was.
“Bait. He wants us to charge in to rescue her, only to be killed in the process.” Twilight said grimly. “Then he can attack Equestria with one less threat.”
Pinkie managed a smile. “That means he’s scared of us right?” she asked.
Twilight shrugged. “Maybe, though he already beat us once, which probably gave him a big head.”
“We don’t have a choice do we? I mean we cannot just leave Applejack in the clutches of such a monster!” Rarity snapped.
“I had no intention of abandoning our friend, but we need to be smart about this.” Twilight responded, turning to Rainbow Dash. “And I think the first course of action would be to restore her memory.”
The world was spinning wildly. A massive blur of disorienting colors and sounds all colliding inside her brain. She was thrown about, back and forth, scenes playing over and over, voices screaming inside her skull. Then it was over and she was lying on the ground, tears drying on her cheeks. Her friends were crowded around her, all with matching expressions of hope and worry.
“Did it work?” Pinkie questioned, and Rainbow’s lips split into a large grin.
“Yeah Pinkie, I’d say it worked pretty well.”