Chapter 4
Chapter 4
It was well after nightfall when Applejack and her father finally arrived in the small hamlet of Manesville. Manesville, were it not for its entirely equine population, could very well be dubbed a 'one-horse town'. As it stood, the actual population had never risen above two dozen ponies. This gave the town, no more than an outpost, really, a peculiar, and not entirely unbeneficial, distinction. Being populated entirely by only the hardiest and most self-sufficient ponies, and playing host to the meager number of farmers who managed to scrape their living off of the surrounding countryside, the town had become a secluded place where everypony mostly minded their own business. As a result, the village had become a magnet for vagrants and wanderers; life-hardened stallions and mares who had nowhere else to go.
Needless to say, the bar in town did marvelous business. Cider had, out of necessity, kept himself alive through the sale of his namesake home-brew to the bar-owner. It was through this business relationship that he had not only scraped together sufficient funds, but also had incurred a generous bar-tab, which, on many a lonely night, he had gratefully squandered in his many attempts to drown out his sorrows.
The town, if it could even be called that, was not much to be seen even in the daytime. Aside from the bar and a dilapidated store, which carried the basic necessities of food and farm supplies, only a few dreary, run-down houses of questionable vacancy lined the single gravel street. Even the stones that had once paved this lone thoroughfare evidenced a general deteriorated condition. Numerous generations of wandering, roaming, ponies' hooves had crushed and cracked the stones into little more than pebbles and a fine, chalky dust. Whenever the wind picked up, which was often at random due to the area's complete lack of a weather-team, the dust would billow into low-flying clouds that eventually resettled, coating nearly every surface in a layer of powder. A general lack of interest in maintenance allowed this dust to pile up, contributing even further to the pseudo-abandoned look and feel that the eclectic group of structures had acquired.
As unimpressive, and at worst, repulsive, as it looked during day, the night was no better. There was barely a light on for miles when Applejack and her father, weary after an excruciatingly long and undeniably warm journey, finally arrived. In fact, the only illumination provided, save for the moon and stars, which gave the scene a dull and entirely unflattering bluish glow, was from the candlelight that managed to filter through the grimy, stained windows of the tavern as their glow provided the necessary light to allow the popular establishment to cater to stragglers well into the wee hours.
As tired as she was, and as aching as her hooves were, Applejack would have given anything for the chance to stop for a break. She was, for this reason, somewhat grateful when her father led them first to this, the only lit building in town. Despite her misgivings about the establishment, she was more than willing to take the chance for a break in their journey. The bar was dimly lit by only a few candles, and even at this late hour, several rough-and-tumble ponies remained, holding the fort well into the night. The wood paneling on the walls had certainly seen better days, but the low light of the room did much to hide the décor's dilapidated condition.
As Cider strode up towards the bar, Applejack followed closely by his side, her eyes sweeping the sparsely-occupied room nervously as she walked. She barely noticed his conversation with the bartender as she took in the sight around her. Truthfully, the sight of so many tough-looking ponies had set her nerves on edge, and she found herself wishing more and more that they had just continued on to their destination instead of making this detour. With concern plainly evident in her eyes, she glanced back to see that her father, still standing next to her, had unceremoniously had a chipped glass of some cloudy brown liquid deposited in front of him. Applejack, of course, knew exactly what this was, and immediately felt a spike of worry jolt its way through her heart as she saw him grasp the glass and take a heavy sip.
"Dad? Are you… are you sure we should… be here?"
Cider gulped down the first mouthful of his drink and shuddered momentarily before clearing his throat to answer. "We'll leave soon. I just need a quick pick-me-up before we go."
Applejack's gaze once again shifted nervously about the room. She eyed each pony with suspicion. Most were dull shades of brown and grey. The normal, colorful shades of pony colors seemed undeniably, and disturbingly, absent from this place. Applejack felt as if her stomach had been tied into a knot. They were all very big, and they didn't look too friendly either. "Are ya… are ya sure it's safe?"
"About as safe as can be in this town…" Cider glanced up from his drink and caught his daughter's gaze, watching as her eyes swept the room even as she spoke. "Oh, you mean them? They're no bother. If you mind your own business, they'll mind theirs."
While his response had been better than nothing, Applejack didn't feel any better. She kept a wary alertness and stayed on the tips of her hooves. She wished he would hurry up and be done. She still didn't like the look of this place, and still didn't entirely trust the present crowd to mind their own business at all.
She was relieved, therefore, when her father finally took a last swig of his drink and replaced the glass to the hardwood countertop. He nodded to the bartender, who picked up the empty glass and began wiping it down absent-mindedly with a dishrag, and tapped Applejack on the shoulder. Applejack sighed her gratitude and led him out of the establishment with all possible haste. It was not until she crossed the threshold and took in a deep lungful of the crisp night air, tinged with the scent of the open country and carrying with it numerous unpleasant particles of dust, that she even realized she had been holding her breath at all. Her hooves crunched against the small pebbles and chips of rock that made up the under-maintenanced road as she walked. She kept up a brisk pace, keen to put as much distance between her and the bar as possible. It wasn't as if she didn't think she could handle herself in a fight, but those ponies had unnerved her to the point of unexpected fear. Momentarily glancing over her shoulder, she stopped in her tracks in surprise to see that her father was quite a distance behind, having failed to keep up with her brisk walk. She plopped down in the middle of the dusty street in a huff to wait, only to stand back up and nervously check the darkness behind her. One thing was becoming painfully clear to Applejack: she did not like this place at all.
"Sorry, AJ. I've already done this trip twice recently. I'm not used to going these distances." Applejack was thrown off for a moment. It felt weird to her, to hear him use her nickname like that. It was not something she had expected, and it put her on edge for a moment, even though she was unsure why. Shrugging the feeling off, she chalked it up to the darkness and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally caught up to her.
The rest of their walk was done in silence. Applejack padded along, engrossed in her own thoughts, and allowed her father to lead the way to his own house. She found herself being led a surprising distance out into the countryside, the shining moon and stars her only light. At the crest of a hill, Cider and Applejack found themselves at the head of a trail that led down into a small valley. There were but a few hardy trees growing up out of the long-grassed prairie, leaving the moonlight to shine off the hilly landscape without any interruption. From the hilltop, Applejack could see the dim outlines of what appeared to be a small building in the bottom of the small depression before her. Almost without hesitation, Cider began his descent down the hillside towards the structure. Applejack hastily followed in his footsteps.
The structure steadily became more and more visible in the mediocre light as they drew closer. Applejack felt almost crestfallen as she realized that it seemed very nearly, if not just, as dilapidated as the buildings of the village had been. But it was late, that much was plainly certain, and as far as Applejack was concerned, any place with space enough to just fall down and sleep was more than enough. Upon reaching the house, which could be more accurately described as a glorified shack, Cider opened the door and led his daughter inside.
It was impenetrably dark inside. Startled by the onset of complete blackness, Applejack stumbled on something cold and round and just barely caught herself before she fell forward. Placing her hooves carefully, she inched her way inside, brushing past numerous debris as she went further into the blackness. With practiced precision, Cider lit a series of candles, bringing a soft, glowing light to the room. The soft light gently flickered the interior into being as further tiny flames were called into existence, basking the entire room in a dim glow.
The two visible rooms, or more accurately, the space on one side of the shack that vaguely resembled a living room and the space on the other side that had some elements of a kitchen, were starkly devoid of furniture. One worn couch and a single low table occupied the left side of the space. Only a set-tub sink, a few storage cabinets, and an old wood-fired potbelly stove stood against the right-hoof wall. In the center of the space, a single large table stood out. All the walls were adorned in wood paneling, and on the far one two doors were vaguely visible in the dim murkiness. Numerous empty glass bottles, old, crumpled newspapers, and other various pieces of detritus were scattered over the floor. Old, unclean dishes had been stacked in the sink haphazardly, and several had just been left out of the center table. Applejack could not help but cringe at the sight.
Cider glanced to her face and then about the room, frowning. "Sorry 'bout that. I hadn't… I hadn't actually expected to bring anypony home."
"It's… it's alright dad. Ah'm sure Mac will warm up to ya soon enough. Then we can both go back. In the meantime, Ah'll help ya fix this place up." She smiled up at her father, who allowed a grateful half-grin to cross his face. "Now, where can Ah get some shuteye?"
"I'm afraid you'll have to take the couch. There's only one bed, and you won't like that room." Applejack saw her father's eyelids fall suddenly, as if he had been contemplating something, before he snapped back to attention. She thought nothing of it. Glancing towards the couch, she could see that it was worn and badly frayed in places. There even appeared to be a spring poking up out of one of the cushions. Nevertheless, she trotted over to it and flopped down onto it, immediately sinking into the unsupportive cushions. It was not comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, but she soon settled in and found her eyelids beginning to droop. Suddenly, she found a blanket unceremoniously tossed onto her body. She looked up only to see her father receding towards a door on the back wall. He blew out the last few candles, plunging the room into complete darkness save for the pitifully little light that streamed in through the small window above Applejack's head. With that, he opened the door and trotted in, shutting it behind him without so much as a 'goodnight.'
It didn't matter to Applejack. Within only a couple minutes, she had sunken into an acceptable position on the couch, careful to keep her body away from the exposed spring, laid the scratchy woolen blanket over herself, and drifted into an exhausted slumber.
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For years, ever since she had attended flight school in Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash's bed material of choice had, naturally, been clouds. As a pegasus, she had always felt a sort of personal connection and loyalty to the material that only she and her fellow pegasi could appreciate without the aid of a temporary spell. It didn't hurt that she considered it considerably more comfortable than other beddings, either. It was for these reasons that she had had a cloud bed brought into Applejack's room when she moved in with her new marefriend. In the following months, she had spent many a night falling asleep in the comforting billows of cloud, gazing across the room into the beautiful green eyes she loved so much until she drifted off.
Of course, there were also times when Rainbow Dash, either going through a particularly challenging emotional state, or just desiring the company of and physical contact with Applejack, would fall asleep with the orange mare in her shared bed. The effect was always the same. Rainbow Dash would wake up with the other mare, her forelegs more often than not wrapped around the earth pony's torso in a sheltered embrace. Sometimes, in the morning, she would awake to the altogether happy surprise of having moved from her bed into Applejack's sometime during the night. Waking up in the comforting embrace of her lover was an experience Rainbow Dash relished. She had spent countless mornings over the last several months waking up with Applejack.
Rainbow Dash never told anypony about the dreams. She had never told Applejack that they were the reason she would wake up in the middle of the night. She had never told Applejack that they were the reason she would crawl, often dripping tears or cold sweat, into the other mare's bed while she was sleeping. She would snuggle into her protector's chest and finally, beside the pony she loved, her mind, at peace, would allow her an undisturbed sleep. Sometimes Applejack, feeling the pegasus join her in the night, would hug the cyan mare until she too fell asleep once more. It hurt Applejack to know the pain the other mare was in, and she was always more than willing to accommodate her at night. As such, whenever she was woken by Rainbow Dash in the night, she never asked questions. Rainbow Dash had never told her about the dreams, but Applejack had a pretty good idea of them.
For Rainbow Dash, it had been her first night alone for months. Ever since the day in the hospital when she had asked Applejack to stay with her for the night, she had not spent a night in a separate room from the other mare. She awoke with a start amongst hoof-stitched pillows and blankets the morning after. She had hoped that sleeping in Applejack's bed would have the same effects as being with the mare itself. She had been wrong. As she sat up in the bed, rubbing her eyes with her hooves, she could feel the cold sweat running down her body. The images from her dreams, however, were the most prominent reminder of her night. For several minutes after she awoke, they remained burned into her mind, despite her best efforts to rid her memory of them.
For the first time, she noticed she was breathing hard. Her mane was a disheveled mess, as were the blankets. She had thrashed about considerably during the night. It didn't surprise her. She curled herself into a ball, desperately trying to drive the visions of her nightmares from her mind. The dreams were always the same. She would watch herself helplessly from above as she plummeted to the ground, only to die on impact. She would see Fluttershy, battered and bruised, as the cold, unforgiving machine next to her hospital bed counted down her last heartbeats. She would listen as Applejack ran away from her, screaming "Ah hate you, Ah never want to see you again, ya stupid fillyfooler," over her shoulder.
Rainbow Dash had seen each nightmare many times. Whenever she did, she had always counted on Applejack to protect her with her embrace. It just wasn't the same. She had woken up several times that night, emerging from the depths of her torturous subconscious, only to find her protector gone. She had inhaled deeply from the pillow, hoping to glean but a hint of Applejack's scent, but to no avail. Now, finally granted the reprieve of the morning, Rainbow Dash sobbed into her hooves.
She wasn't even aware how long she had been awake when she heard the knock at the door. It was a false hope that drove her enthusiastic reaction. "Applejack?"
The bedroom door opened slowly, revealing, much to Rainbow Dash's disappointment, not the orange mare she longed so desperately to see, but her large, deep red brother. "Miss Dash? Are ya ok?"
Rainbow Dash sighed. She liked Big Macintosh. In truth, he had become like a surrogate brother to her just as much as a brother to Applejack in the previous months. He had always remained respectful to her, refusing to refer to her by anything except 'Miss Dash' much to her slight chagrin, and he had grown concerned with her well-being as well. At first thinking it odd, she had grown to accept his care, even cherishing it in her weakest moments. The same was true that morning, when he found her crying alone in his sister's bed. "I… I don't know, Mac. I… I miss AJ."
"Ah miss her too." Big Macintosh strode across the room and laid a comforting hoof across her shoulder, looking down at her with his big, concerned green eyes. They reminded her of Applejack. No matter how glad she was for his presence, he could never replace her. "Ah think Ah might know somethin' to cheer ya up, though."
"What is it?" Rainbow Dash looked up at him, wiping her eyes on a hoof. She was grateful for any sort of distraction.
"One o' your friends is here ta see ya." Rainbow Dash contemplated this for a moment. If anything, it would be worth it to try and get her thoughts off of Applejack and her recurring nightmares. Maybe her friends could help with that. Purposefully, she rolled out of the bed, standing on her four hooves next to Big Macintosh. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror over Applejack's vanity on the other side of the room, she had to stifle a laugh.
"Maybe I should take a shower first."
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Applejack stood back and smiled at her hoofiwork. She had always considered herself to be a good cook, and even with only a potbelly stove at her disposal, she decided that this breakfast was still going to be quite good. Of course, now she would probably need to head into town and see what food she could buy, seeing as how she had essentially wiped out the shack's already low stock of ingredients.
Removing the casserole dish from the stove with covered hooves, she licked her lips hungrily at the enticing scent. She had managed to find some eggs and vegetables in an icebox near the sink, and had cooked her meal with those. She set the dish down on a towel she had laid across the table as a perfunctory tablecloth, if only to prevent burning, and thus further damaging, the already scratched surface of the wooden table. She had already set out two plates, having had time already that morning to clean each dirty dishes from both the table and the sink.
It was odd, she thought, that she still hadn't seen her father since the night before. Sure, they hadn't gotten to the small house until late at night, but it was approaching midday and she hadn't seen him. Applejack was normally an early riser, but she had slept in this morning, and had even had time to begin the process of cleaning the house and making it into a proper home. There was still plenty of work to be done, however.
Applejack trotted over to the door to his bedroom. She rapped several times on the wood panel and heard him groan from inside. "Soup's on, Pa!"
They ate in relative silence. Applejack had found it increasingly hard to carry on a conversation with her father the longer she was with him. It was as if he didn't enjoy talking to anyone, and Applejack felt herself growing more and more isolated. Left to herself, she couldn't help but think about home. She missed her friends, Applebloom, and Big Macintosh already, but most of all, she missed Rainbow Dash. Finished with their breakfast, Applejack set about cleaning once again. She decided that she should just keep working. She found that she could distract herself with her work, so long as she found something to do. Even so, she couldn't help but feel homesick.
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The bottom edge of the large, decorative glass clattered against the surface of the countertop as Rainbow Dash shoved it away from her. She didn't feel like having any of her milkshake. From across the table, Twilight Sparkle looked up at her in confusion. She had thought that bringing her friend to Sugarcube Corner would cheer her up. Instead, Rainbow Dash let her head fall into her hooves, staring at the countertop surface of the table in silence while her friend grew increasingly and increasingly nervous. "Rainbow? Are you Ok? You don't seem well."
Rainbow Dash tilted her head up just enough to give Twilight a fleeting glance before returning her gaze to the table again. "I'm just tired."
Twilight shook her head. "Come on, Rainbow. Even I know that's not just it. I know you're missing Applejack, but there's something else wrong, isn't there?
Rainbow Dash didn't respond. Her eyes remained glued to the surface of the table below her. The countertop was white, but the blank space only served as a canvas for Rainbow Dash's mind. She saw a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane perched on a cloud materialize on the surface. The mare beat her wings and leapt off the cloud. Rainbow Dash could see the blue sky spread itself across the white surface. The winged pony climbed into the sky for several seconds before her wings locked up and she began to fall. Faster. Faster. She tumbled ever downward. The ground rushed up to meet her. Rainbow Dash could not remove her eyes as the scene developed before her. With a final head-over-heels tumble, the falling pegasus collided with the ground. Rainbow Dash watched as the impact threw up a cloud of dirt tinged red. When the dust settled, the broken body of a pegasus lay in a small crater, seeping her life force into the soaked ground.
"Hey. Rainbow? Rainbow! What's the matter with you? You're acting very… well, this isn't like you." Twilight Sparkle's voice broke through rainbow Dash's transfixed stare. She blinked, and the image before her disappeared, leaving the blank white table surface once again. Twilight hadn't seen the sequence play out on the table. Rainbow Dash knew it was in her mind. She didn't want anypony else to see it. Nopony could know, certainly not Twilight.
"I'm fine."
Neither seated pony saw Pinkie Pie approach them from her position at the checkout counter on the other side of the store. "Well, you don't sound fine, you silly filly! Whassa matter, Dashie? Are you missing Applejack? I miss her too. In fact, I would miss any of my friends if they left, because I just love you guys so super-duper much!"
"Pinkie… please. I'm… I'm not in the mood." Rainbow Dash hung her head again, suddenly feeling like she was being crowded.
"Well, that's just silly! Why, If I was a super saddy waddy Dashie because Applejack was gone, I would want my friends to cheer me up! Come on, Dashie! Let's turn that frown up-"
"Leave me alone."
"Don't be silly, Dashie. I would never leave you! You just need some special Pinkie-Pie-brand cheering up!"
"I said… LEAVE ME ALONE!" Rainbow Dash didn't understand it. Suddenly, she found herself in the air, her wigs flapping furiously at her sides as she hovered over a shocked Pinkie Pie and an equally confused Twilight Sparkle. Pinkie Pie looked like she was about to cry. Rainbow Dash felt as if a spotlight had been turned on her as everypony's eyes shifted to her. 'Oh no. What have I done? What have I done? I just screamed at one of my best friends. I… I must be… I must be going crazy.' Rainbow Dash felt herself blanch as thoughts whirled through her mind.
"Rainbow! This isn't like you. She was just trying to help…" Twilight Sparkle, bewildered, watched as her friend hovered above the table. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash turned tail and bolted out the front doors of Sugarcube Corner, leaving every confused occupant of the confectionary staring in her wake.
She flew as fast as she could. Her face was burning. She didn't want anypony to see her. 'Why?' She screamed at herself in her mind, tears wicking at the bottoms of her eyes. The speeding air carried each drop away into nothingness behind her. 'Why am I such an idiot?' She was vaguely aware of the sun setting, seeing the hues of sky blue change imperceptibly to oranges and reds at the edge of the horizon. She didn't care. All that mattered was getting away from Sugarcube Corner as soon as possible.
She streaked over the long rows of apple trees. The colors of the sunset slowly advanced across the sky. The blue was almost entirely gone from the sky when she finally reached the farmhouse. The window into Applejack's room had been left open. She flew straight in. In an unceremonious move that others might have labeled a crash, Rainbow Dash flopped onto Applejack's bed and buried her head in the pillows. She hoped no one would find her. She didn't want anypony to see her tears except for one. She was the one she knew would make her feel better. She longed for her embrace; to feel her hooves around her and to feel her kiss away her tears.
'Oh, Applejack. Where are you? I need you.'
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The sunset was slowly sinking over the billowing fields of tall prairie grass as Applejack trotted over the hill. It had been a hot day, as most summer days had been recently, and even though she hadn't ventured out until the late afternoon, there was still sweat rolling down Applejack's brow. Of course, much of this perspiration was also due to her own exertion of herself. Applejack had a contented smile on her face. Drops of sweat continued to roll down her face from her nearly-soaked mane, prompting her to lift a hoof every so often to wipe errant moisture away from her eyes, but she was happy nonetheless. Applejack had always been of the opinion that a good workout, especially one that made her sweat, was one of the more rewarding ways she could employ her extra time, and the strenuous run through the fields she had just undertaken was no exception.
Applejack stopped at the crest of the hill. The landscape surrounding the house certainly was rolling, but the hills and dips weren't very steep or tall. For this reason, running through them didn't put too much strain on her body, but had been good exercise nevertheless. Applejack took in a deep breath as she surveyed the surrounding scenery. The long light of the setting sun cast long shadows across the whispering, waving grasses. The orange, red, and fading blue hues of the sky accented the golden brown grasses and the subtle green hints of other plants. The entire landscape seemed to glow as if the sunlight was being soaked up by each individual fiber of nature and emitted as shimmering natural brilliance. Applejack decided she could really learn to like it here.
She cast her gaze into the dip between hills below her, where the cabin that served as her father's house resided. In this light, in this idyllic setting, it somehow didn't seem out of place. Sure, it was shabby and run-down, but Applejack was confident that with a little tender loving care the cabin could be fixed up. Looking upon the desolate structure, she felt with overwhelming conviction that she could make it into a beautiful house. It had rustic charm to spare, and Applejack grew suddenly very excited about the prospects of fixing up not only a new home, but a new life for her father.
With renewed energy, she trotted quickly down the hill to arrive at the front door of the cabin. She swung it open, feeling a surge of pride for the work she had already done that morning. The house was now spotless, cleaned completely from the inside out. She had washed every dish, cleaned the floor, and even endeavored with limited success to fix the broken spring on her couch. The house looked brighter now, more friendly, open, and inviting. Applejack smiled. She was glad that her hard work had paid off.
Applejack trotted into the house. Her father was not in the main room, so she decided to look for him in the back rooms. Before she reached the back wall, however, she tripped over something, coming very close to falling flat on her face. "What in the hay?" She turned around to look at the spot. Strangely, she hadn't noticed the latch before. She tapped it with a hoof. It was rusty, and seemed to be embedded into the floor. Blowing away some dust, she discovered a piece of the wooden flooring appeared to be cut into a large square shape. The latch, which upon closer inspection appeared to be a handle capable of accommodating a hoof, lay in the middle of this isolated square. Applejack's mind immediately came to a rather unexpected conclusion. "A trapdoor?" She tried to pull the latch up, but found it locked. Perplexed, she looked up and called over towards the back wall. "Hey Dad, what is thing here?" She received no answer. "Dad?"
She trotted over to the back wall and opened the first door. She cringed. Her father's bedroom was in even further disarray than the main room had been. She shook that thought from her mind. She could deal with it later. The important thing right now was that her father did not appear to be home and she had no idea where he was. The other door turned out to lead to a disorganized closet. She sighed. There wasn't much she could do now. She could try going into town to find him, but in truth, she didn't want to run the risk of meeting one of the elder, larger stallions on a lonely path. Sighing in defeat, she found a book in the closet and walked over to the couch to settle down and wait.
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It was evening by the time Big Macintosh heard several raps on the front door. He stood up and strode over to the entryway. Putting his hoof to the latch, he swung the door open. He blinked in surprise to find four mares staring up at him. "Good evening, Big Mac." Twilight Sparkle smiled as she looked up at him. "We'd like to speak to Rainbow Dash. Is she home?"
Big Macintosh blinked a couple times before shaking his head. "Sorry, Miss Twilight, but Ah haven't seen her since y'all came for her this mornin'. Are ya sure she's here?"
"Well, she left us this afternoon, and we haven't seen her anywhere else. This is the most likely place she would go…. May we come in?"
"Sure, make yerselves at home." Big Macintosh stepped aside to let Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy into his house. "If she came back without me knowin' she'd be up in AJ's room."
"Thanks, Big Mac."
"No problem, Miss Twilight. Good luck findin' her, you too, Miss Rarity, Miss Pie, Fluttershy."
The three friends trotted quickly up the stairs and soon found themselves at the door to Applejack's room. They knocked, but heard nothing from the other side. Twilight Sparkle tried the latch, but found it locked. She sighed. "Come on, Rainbow. Let us in. We need to talk to you. You kinda hurt Pinkie's feelings earlier and we wanted to make sure you're Ok. Rainbow?"
"Step aside, Twilight dear." Rarity gently nudged her fellow unicorn out of the way, her horn glowing in a pale white aura. "I'm terribly sorry, but talking to her through the door will never work." The door handle was enveloped in Rarity's magic, and soon the four mares heard a click. The door swung open. "Oh, she isn't here."
"What, she has to be here. We've looked everyplace else!" Twilight Sparkle pushed her way into the room after Rarity, followed quickly by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. She looked about the room in frustration for a few seconds before sighing. "I guess she isn't here. Oh well. Come on girls, we'll go look somew-"
"No, wait Twilight. Darling, look at this!" Twilight Sparkle was interrupted as a piece of paper, enveloped in Rarity's pale white glow, flew its way into her vision. "This was on Applejack's bed. I think it's a note."
Twilight Sparkle grabbed the letter. She unfolded it, revealing the unmistakable scrawl of Rainbow Dash's mouth-writing. "It's from Rainbow… She left us a message."
"Well, what does it say? Let me see, let me see!" Pinkie Pie bounced over, trying to get a better view. Twilight Sparkle bumped her out of the way and cleared her throat.
"Dear Everypony. If you're reading this, it means that I'm already gone. I'm leaving to try and find Applejack. I thought I could go without her, but I was wrong. It hurts too much. I don't know exactly where she is, but I can't live with myself if I don't try and find her. I need her. I know it doesn't make much sense, but without Applejack, I feel alone, and I'm nothing on my own. I'm nothing without her. Thanks for trying to help me, but I need to find her. Tell Pinkie I'm sorry I shouted at her. You guys are all great friends, and I'm sorry you have to find out this way. Rainbow Dash."
The room descended into silence for uncounted minutes after Twilight Sparkle stopped reading. The four friends stood crowded around her, all but frozen in shock as they each read and reread the letter as if the words were somehow lying to them. Rarity was the first to find her voice. "She's gone?"
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Dat ending. Also noticed that Big Mac calls every with Miss first, Miss Sparkle, Miss Rarity, ETC, but he calls Fluttershy just plain ol' Fluttershy, am I spying some foreshadowing of a relationship? Only time will tell.... And don't let anyone tell you Fluttermac is overused. It's used as often as it is because they really do make a nice couple. Also, two things, one, first. Two, another great chapter, you have me intrigued with the trapdoor.
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Fluttermac will not be a prominent part of this story. However, it is a prominent part of my other story: "The Applejoy series", and Fluttermac is a part of my head canon. So the reference you picked up on was indeed a nod to their assumed relationship.
293503 I know that, I've read it twice, and the first part of it. Not going to really go into details, don't want to spoil anything for some fool who hasn't read that awesome piece of Appledash. I think I left a comment in one of the chapters explaining why yours is my favorite of all the Appledash fics out there.... At least, that one. This one is a little on the Dark side of the Force, but I'm curious as to where this is going to go... Don't spoil it for me though, I like surprises!
<--- When I saw this on the top of my Tracking list
Found some errors, bud:
"As such, whenever she was woken by Rainbow Dahs in the night" Dash
"Ah think Ah might know somethin' to cheer ya up, tough." though
"Her cast her gaze into the dip between hills below her" She
"Applejack was confident that will a little tender loving care" with
"The four friends stood crowded around her" Twilight was around herself?
Was also going to comment on the Fluttershy thing and how I saw a Fluttermac reference in it, but I got beaten to the punch.
293550
Ugh.
My editor is slipping up. Buck.
killer, can't wait for moar
DAT ENDING
Just to point out an error. Rarity's magic aura is more like a sky blue rather than pale white. and I also have a question. Why, in all the fan fics that I read, do people say "save" instead of "except?" I've seen it so much. I'm not complaining. in fact I like the use of save a lot more than except but, Why?
this story pertaining to the appledash story arch is gonna end in one of two ways, 1) AJ is fed up with RD's unnatural obsession of her, breaks up with her and RD goes completely insane or kills herself. or 2), AJ falls in love with another mare and leaves RD due to her unnatural obsessive behavior, goes completely insane or kills herself. from what i picked up from "to fix you" and this story is that applejack is
Rainbow Dash's only link to the real world and her psyche. Rainbow Dash feels that Applejack is the only thing she has left in the world and doesn't even have the ambition or drive to partake in anything else. and since applejack has made it pretty clear that RD's obsessive behavior is driving her mad, rainbow dash finding appledash will have disastrous results. all though i hope im wrong but i just dont see a happy ending for appledash
297341
I enjoy it when people try to guess the ending.
Worry not, you're quite far off.
298052
You know youve written a good story when your readers speculate on how its gonna end
this is a great story dude, really looking forward to the next chapter
can't wait for more of this fic and the applejoy fic!
keep up the great work!
Great chapter. I can't wait to finish this up. Keep up with the great writing!
I love how Big Mac refers to all the ponies as 'Ms (x)' apart from fluttershy :D
Also, funniest typo ever 'her wigs flapping furiously'
I love this story so much! I love appledash stories. This one is my favorite. Probably even my favorite story EVER!!!