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Discovery9,407 words
Breaks7,431 words
Duties7,039 words
Dashie Visits The Farrier5,024 words

Discovery

It started with a very old book.

Twilight’s eyes glowed with a special delight, just looking at the old book. It wasn’t only its status as a precious artifact, tracked down in the basement of Celestia’s palace library: it was what it represented to Twilight’s studies.

She had become fascinated with the earth ponies during her stay in Ponyville, a fascination that was only inflamed further by her struggles with the Winter Wrap-up. They’d seemed so anchored and confident in their ways, even as she’d caused havoc trying to secretly use her magic—and saw it go terribly wrong. She cringed a bit, remembering that day, yet even then they’d been unshaken by the mess she’d made. They had forgiven her, and still let her be one of them and use her own non-magical strengths alongside them. It felt like… family.

Twilight remembered Canterlot, and it hadn’t felt like family at all. She’d tried so hard to be the best magic-wielder there, driven on by the loneliness as others teased her for being such a solitary, bookish type. It had always seemed that they didn’t want her to belong, that she had to fight to earn their respect before she’d be tolerated—her closeness to Princess Celestia didn’t seem to help, and probably made matters worse.

In Ponyville, they didn’t seem to mind that she was Celestia’s best student. They seemed to be warmed by it, as if it simply made her a better, happier friend, rather than some rival. They hadn’t taken well to another outsider, Trixie, but her they loved unhesitatingly—including the earth ponies, who couldn’t possibly compete with either her or Trixie in magical feats.

Twilight had to understand why, and her studies had led to this ancient history book.

She hadn’t discussed it with others, even Princess Celestia, but she’d been forming a theory that the earth ponies held a special quality due to their heritage. It had to do with a scientific concept called mutation, and a field of study called genetics. Twilight thought it was possible that earth ponies had come first, thousands of years ago, and that unicorns like herself and pegasi like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy arose from mutation. There had been something about how favorable mutations lay dormant until there was enough genetic support for them to plateau into a new form: the genetic possibilities wouldn’t show until the plateau was reachable, and then suddenly it would be everywhere, a new pony form that bred true.

She wasn’t sure if she felt like a mutation—on some days, it was easy to believe her heritage was a bizarre detour that she had to cope with the best she could. But, she did suspect the earth ponies felt like they were the fundamental bedrock of ponykind. Their love was unshakable, their role unquestioned, and it seemed like nobody ever questioned their place in the world: a world where ponies could fly, ponies could do magic, and then other ponies did none of these things and were unashamed.

Twilight’s ear flicked briefly as she considered that, if she didn’t have her magic and her studies, she would be ashamed. Why didn’t she have this basic faith and certainty?

Well… perhaps if it turned out that the earth ponies had come first, she could discover how it happened. And, thought Twilight, if she found a way to demonstrate that their roots were literal and real, perhaps some of that belonging might rub off on her as well.

As Twilight bent over her old book, studying, it never occurred to her that her relentless speculating wouldn’t thrill them at all—but the knowledge that their Twilight Sparkle was being herself just as hard as possible, would.

“Twilight!” called Spike.

“Erh!” huffed Twilight, squeezing her eyes shut in pique. “What is it? I was thinking!”

“Twilight, it’s getting late, and you were going to do laundry…”

“Ponies don’t wear clothes,” replied Twilight, levelly.

Spike appeared, preceded by an almost physical wave of smell, carrying a rumpled mass of cloth. “I know that, but we both sleep in beds, and you usually wash the blankets and stuff sooner than this. Are you thinking really hard for a change?”

Twilight recoiled. “Gah! I see what you mean. I must be, if you’re the one who’s noticed our laundry first! Thanks, Spike!”

“Don’t mention it—just one of my many great qualities—what are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about the earth ponies! I need to figure out why they’re so special.”

“They’re not,” said Spike. “You have much better magic than them! Now that I’ve saved you a whole lot of work, could you…”

“They are! There’s something about them, and I’ve got to work out what. Don’t be that way, Spike. We’re not in Canterlot anymore! I’m glad you reminded me, though, because I need to do a little shopping.”

“For books?” said Spike hopefully.

“I’m not finished with this one y… wait a minute. What do you want with books, all of a sudden?”

“At the bookstore?” added Spike. “The one that’s right next to…”

Twilight gave him a look. “The Carousel Boutique. I’m on to you. It’s not really ‘right next to’, Spike. You just want to stop by, for obvious reasons.”

Spike was undaunted. “Rarity usually lets me have a gemstone or two. You’ve gotta help me out here. You’re so stingy with ‘em! I need sustenance!”

“You’ll get pudgy,” said Twilight.

“I’m growing faint. I won’t be able to carry all the stuff you need me to carry.”

Spike was already carrying a vast heap of malodorous bedsheets. Twilight considered the point. “All right! It’s against my better judgement. Spike, take a note—laundry, timothy hay, look for books on prehistoric earth ponies.”

“Pre-hi-whaaa? Augh!” went Spike, followed by a very soft and fluffy crash, as he fell over beneath the armfuls of blankets.

Once they’d dropped off the laundry, conversation was a lot easier, particularly as the market offered delivery for hay bales over a certain size. Spike would be unencumbered until the bookstore stop, where he gloomily predicted struggling home under another stack of books taller than he was. Twilight ignored his griping, for she’d spotted a friend.

“Rainbow Dash! Hi!”

“Oh, hi, Twilight! Whatcha doin’?”

“I’m just out shopping. What about you?”

“Ditto!” replied the blue pegasus. “I needed another bale of hay delivered.”

Twilight Sparkle blinked. “Now wait a minute. This is an earth pony market. I’m having mine delivered, but I live in a tree house. You live on a cloud, Rainbow Dash. How exactly do you expect me to believe…”

She was interrupted by a truly titanic boinging sound, and Twilight’s jaw dropped as she watched a bale of hay rocket off into the sky, bound south-UP.

“I keep forgetting you’re new around here!” said Rainbow Dash. “What else are ya doing? I’ve been training for flexibility, so I can sprint better on the ground. If your sacral joints aren’t limber you can’t curl your pelvis under in a gallop properly. It’s an equine sit-up, really hard! I’ve learned to do it myself though usually you have to have someone tickling you where your dock line crosses the dimples of your butt muscles…”

Twilight rolled her eyes at the beginning of yet another Dash monologue. “Uh, that’s nice, but I’m not sure I’ve even got those…”

“Sure ya do! You’re actually in great shape for an egghead booky type! Maybe a little more rounded than you need to be…”

“I ordered ALL timothy hay today!” protested Twilight. “No alfalfa this time!”

“And how much is left over from last week? That’s really more of a training diet, Twilight, and forgive me, but I just don’t see you exercising as much as you could be.”

Twilight cast around for a change of subject, because she didn’t have a good answer—she’d eaten an awful lot of the alfalfa, and there was still plenty left, and it wasn’t Dash’s business what she snacked on. “Oh! Speaking of exercise…”

Applejack was approaching. “Hi… girls…” she panted. “Can’t… stay an’… talk…”

The country pony had good reason to be breathless. In her saddlebags were countless baskets, and balanced on top of those and her sturdy back was a high, teetering stack of heavy wooden buckets. She’d apparently bought them in bulk—and, rather than make several trips home, had decided to have the entire order stacked up on top of her for one trip. Mare muscle rippled as Applejack took determined steps toward her home, and it was easy to see how she’d kicked the top off the bell-ringing machine in the Iron Pony competition.

“I’ll say…” breathed Rainbow Dash, whose eyes were curiously wide.

“Y’all will have to say later, then,” panted Applejack, “‘cause I… whooaaa!”

The stack of heavy buckets wobbled, and she tried to sidestep to balance them, but didn’t quite make it. Earth pony and burden toppled, and Twilight and Dash scrambled to catch her, and succeeded, barely.

“Whew! I jes’ may have made it a mite challengin’ for myself… I think I got it, thank y’all… Twilight, you just push that upright a little bit more, y’hear? I should be good…”

Twilight, standing on her rear hooves and shoving at the toppling stack, struggled to comply. She glanced down, wondering why she was doing that single-hoofedly—and blinked, because Rainbow Dash wasn’t helping with the buckets. She was hanging on to Applejack’s butt, which seemed no longer necessary now that the earth pony had regained her balance. Twilight giggled, wrinkling her nose cutely. “Dash, you’re holding the wrong part!”

“No harm in that,” began Applejack hastily, but Dash had already sprung free. “Oh—yeah! What was I thinking! Bleah! Thanks for the warning, Twilight! Ew!”

“What?”

Dash blew a raspberry, and flew off, the dumbfounded Twilight Sparkle staring after her.

“What was THAT about?” she said, turning to Applejack, but suddenly wanted to take the remark back, because the earth pony looked terribly hurt and angry.

“Nothin’ o’ consequence. No concern o’ yours. Some ponies!”

“It looks like those buckets are very heavy. Do you want me to help with them?”

Applejack set her jaw. “You done enough, missy. I will just be on my way.” Her eyes glistened, but she refused to speak another word—just set off, step by step, not letting the buckets waver an inch this time. Twilight could tell she was in one of those Applejack moods, and stood helplessly, knowing there was no point in following.

“Are we going to stand around or are we going to visit Rarity?” said Spike. “You’re going to have me carry even more books than that, and I’d kinda like to get it over with.”

“Uh, sure, Spike,” said Twilight. “I think I’d like to talk to Rarity, too, now.”

At the Carousel Boutique, Rarity did indeed have a few stray gems for Spike—Twilight spotted that she had a small jar just for the purpose. She also spotted the faded label, that Spike possibly hadn’t noticed, that read “Defective—Do Not Use”, and had been crossed out and relabeled “Give To Friends (Conceal blemishes with cunning affixment)”, and crossed out again and labeled “Hungry Cute Little Monster (not Sweetie Belle)”. The fashion unicorn was indeed organized.

“What do you mean, dear? Rainbow Dash is always rude. You don’t mind it? I fear there’s no changing her. You must look past that.”

“No, no… I get that,” said Twilight, “it’s the rest of it that doesn’t make sense. I’ve learned so much about having friends here, Rarity. I don’t like it when they get weird on me.”

“Hardly weird, dear,” sniffed Rarity.

“Okay… strange? Unexpected. Applejack is so predictable, and now this? And what was going on with Rainbow Dash that she had to rush off that way? And why give me a raspberry when I didn’t mean any harm? Applejack even said, no harm in it, but all of a sudden, Rainbow Dash was all huffy! What gives? Do I need to apologize to somebody? Are they going to be jerks for the next week, now? Help me out, please!”

Rarity looked serious. “I’m not sure I should gossip—in fact, surely not. We’ve only speculation and you know it. I suspect they have only speculation, as well… though, after Gummy’s birthday party, and the bobbing for apples, I am sure it’s terrible for them, if so…”

“Not following you,” said Twilight. “I bobbed for apples too. It didn’t make me crazy, or rude.”

Rarity smiled. “Of course not. You are unfailingly charming.”

“No, she’s not,” remarked Spike, around a mouthful of emerald.

Rarity lifted an eyebrow, halting further comment from him. “I was going to add that she also knows her own mind. I can recognize that, dear, because I share that quality. I’ll just say, as my absolutely final word on the subject, that some ponies know their own mind, and some do not! Do try and be charitable. Being cross with them helps nobody.”

“But…” protested Twilight, for the other unicorn had been so vague as to confuse her more. Had she meant that Dash didn’t know she was being rude? But what would anger her so much as to blow raspberries within ten seconds of an insult? And what was so insulting in the first place?

‘Uht! It was my final word! I shan’t gossip, off with you! I’ve got three dresses to finish today, and cannot be idly chatting, honestly!”

Twilight had pondered this, but it remained stubbornly outside her experience, and her mind was too distracted. It seemed to add to the mystery of the earth ponies—she couldn’t forget Applejack trudging away under her heavy burden, seemingly filled with woe, yet undaunted. There was a resoluteness to her that seemed beyond simply carrying heavy buckets home—and a burden that seemed greater than the weight of the buckets.

Twilight was resolute, too—in her own way.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve gathered you here tonight,” she said.

“You had cookies!” replied Pinkie Pie, brightly.

“No, that would be how I gathered you…”

“Cookies are a why and a how, both! Duh!”

“Pinkie! I’m trying to get to a point!” snapped Twilight.

“Oh. Okee dokie! Go ahead!”

Twilight glanced from the pink pony, to the attentive white unicorn and yellow pegasus, to the ones she’d really been thinking about. She didn’t dare say it directly, but she’d hoped involving Applejack and Rainbow Dash in a project would work to mend their friendship, so she’d manufactured a reason around her new studies, to bring them together.

It was most exasperating that no such reason seemed necessary. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were sitting together—at a slightly greater distance than usual. They seemed fine, except that Dash appeared uncomfortable, her wings tightly by her sides, and Applejack looked very tired—or as if she’d been crying.

“My point is,” said Twilight, “I need all your help. My studies suggest that the earth pony may be the fundamental root of ponykind—with unicorns and pegasi alike springing from that one strong root. I want to learn more about this, and my books are no use: we’re talking about history that predates even the pre-classical period here. I need to find or make an archaeological dig, and discover for myself…”

“Archaeo-what-now?” said Applejack. Dash glanced at her quickly, but didn’t speak.

“I need to find really old stuff,” explained Twilight, with slightly slower diction than necessary.

“Got it!” replied Applejack, undaunted. Dash narrowed her eyes at Twilight slightly, still without a response—but Pinkie Pie glanced at her, and blinked.

“What’s the matter, Dashie? It sounds like fun! Maybe we can find some dinosaurs! RAARRRRRR! I’m a tyrannosaurus rox!”

“I think you mean Rex,” said Twilight, who felt control of the meeting slipping away.

“No, I saw pictures of one. It definitely rox!”

“Darling,” said Rarity, chidingly. “Digging? Really? You wish us to be labourers? Surely you’ve more than enough magical ability to handle the digging on your own?”

“No! I mean… sure, maybe I would, but that’s not what I’m asking you to do for me!”

“Then what is?” said Dash, losing what little patience she had.

Twilight had the attention of all, suddenly, and she rushed into her explanation.

“I want to know, from all of you, if you’ve ever heard of any places that would teach me the ancient history of ponies. I’m not from around here, and even in Canterlot I didn’t devote my attention to history, and the history I did learn was tedious stuff about royalty, strange creatures, strange creatures who were also royalty… but nobody ever talked about this, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. I came here and I felt connected for the first time in my life, and I’ve got to find the root of that connection. I… I feel like it’s a part of me, too, now that I’m here…”

The gathered ponies stared at her for a moment of silence. Just a moment.

“We’ll do it!” cried Pinkie Pie, her eyes flashing with conviction.

Twilight’s heart leapt. “Oh, Pinkie! You know? You know where to look?”

Pinkie batted her eyelashes.

“Nope!” she said, and Twilight sagged dejectedly, head in her hooves. Dealing with the full crew of ponies was always difficult, but it was Pinkie who drove her to distraction every time.

“Now hold on there, sugarcube. Don’t give up too quick!” said Applejack. “Pinkie, do ya mean that we will help her? That you will help?”

“Sure!” chirped the pink pony. “Won’t you?”

“Well of course I will! Come on, Twilight, don’t mope, help us out! We don’t rightly know what you’d have us look for. What exactly do you mean?”

“I’m hoping there’s something historical I can look into,” said Twilight. “Even pre-historical. I’d like to find fossil remains, if at all possible.”

“I saw them play in Fillydelphia!” said Pinkie. “They came out and said, hello, Trottingham, and nobody went hooray!” She batted her eyelashes.

Twilight sighed. “Did anybody understand what I meant, or should I start over?”

Fluttershy spoke, for the first time. “I think I understood…”

“I totally understood!” said Rainbow Dash. “And it’s your lucky day, Twilight, because I am just the mare to help you. I can take you to exactly the kind of place you mean.”

Twilight’s heart leapt again. Dash seemed like the old Dash once more—beside her, Applejack perked up, noticing the cerulean pony’s enthusiasm. Rainbow Dash’s wings lifted and unfolded—then brushed Applejack lightly, and clapped to her sides again. Applejack looked stricken, but Rainbow Dash was already into her story,

“Way far off in the Everfree Forest, there’s an old, old castle, one that’s been abandoned for so long that nobody remembers what lurks within its creepy confines…”

Outside, the wind rose, whispering past the cozy windows of Twilight’s home.

In the Everfree Forest, a storm was looming. The trees swayed over six small figures, trotting determinedly along what was barely a path.

“Why do we have to do this?” protested Fluttershy, her eyes wide and flicking this way and that to catch every imagined shadow in the trees.

“Because we’re helping Twilight, and because it’s awesome! And you should get to have awesome too!” said Rainbow Dash, in the lead.

Applejack looked warily at Dash, and fell back, to reassure the timid pegasus yet again.

“Aw, Fluttershy. She promised it was safe. Don’t you worry.”

“The Everfree Forest is not SAFE,” said Fluttershy. “You know that.”

“But it’s exciting!” said Pinkie Pie. “Don’t be frightened! We’re here for you!”

“That’s right!” said Twilight, closely following Rainbow Dash. “Together, we can go anywhere! And Rainbow Dash did say it was historical, which should be fascinating.”

“Nah. I said it was hysterical! All those walls falling over, it’s a riot! Talk about a funky old castle!”

Pinkie giggled in expectant delight. Fluttershy froze in her tracks. “Falling… over?”

“Don’t you fret,” said Applejack, with a glance ahead at Rainbow Dash. “We won’t let nothin’ dangerous happen to you.”

“Certainly not!” sniffed Rarity, picking her way around patches of mud and dirt. “Have you forgotten the presence of not one, but two sources of unicorn magic? Please!”

Twilight didn’t comment further. She’d gone along with the idea, because it seemed to be bringing Rainbow Dash out of her withdrawn state, and because it seemed to cheer Applejack somehow just to be part of the expedition—but she had some concerns, nevertheless. It felt as if she’d overstepped herself on several levels at once, and her thoughts were busy.

The Everfree Forest certainly didn’t feel safe, and, strangely, neither did Dash and Applejack. The cerulean pegasus had blustered even more than usual, but Twilight was sure she’d seen a second occasion where Rainbow Dash’s wing had brushed Applejack’s body—and snapped shut to her side. Dash seemed to be more boastful than ever, but would not look at her earth pony friend, and Applejack looked at nothing with a woeful expression, when she wasn’t rallying around and helping every pony, but Dash. The empty space in their usual behavior hung in the air. Twilight was sure she’d seen Rarity directing meaningful glances her direction, but was completely confused as to their purpose. Was she supposed to do something? The two were behaving so normally—except toward each other—and both acted with such conviction, that Twilight didn’t dare inquire.

Fluttershy didn’t want to move. She’d never been comfortable in the Everfree Forest, although she lived at its very edge. Her eyes were panicky, but with Applejack nudging her, she began to hesitantly walk again, and then trotted forward to stick close to Rarity to the point of pressing flanks with her, an intimacy the elegant unicorn rolled her eyes at, but gracefully tolerated. Applejack took the other side, comforting the shy pegasus with the near presence of two staunch friends, and the six went on.

By the time they reached the old castle, the sky was a foreboding shade of gray, seen all the more clearly as the trees gave way to a blasted peak upon which the castle had been built. Grim weathered rock towered into the sky before them, and wind howled around the creaking parapets. They regarded it with varying degrees of trepidation and admiration.

“Pretty cool, huh?” said Rainbow Dash. “You can’t say I don’t know the most exciting places!”

Rarity walked back and forth, taking in different angles, standing to frame it with forehooves. “My. Primitive, but there IS a frisson to it, isn’t there? I must say, the angles and contours are breathtaking! It’s giving me ideas for designs…”

“It’s bobbledy towers!” laughed Pinkie, bouncing in place. “They’re dancing too!”

Twilight blinked. “I… I think this might be what I was looking for! I don’t see any tool-marks anywhere, and none of the individual stones seem too heavy for an earth pony to lift. This is loose field stone, crafted into a building that has stood for… centuries! It may pre-date unicorns coming to this area!”

“So, is that cool or what?” said Rainbow Dash.

“Cool? It’s cold out here…” said Fluttershy, eyes nervous again.

“Easily fixed!” said Rainbow Dash. “You see one gate, right before your awaiting eyes. Last one in’s a rotten egg!”

There was indeed one gate, a tall arch, leading into the castle, and the excited ponies trotted in—with the exception of Fluttershy, who hesitated, only to be joined by Applejack.

“Y’all stop worryin’, you hear? Catch yer death of cold out here. You come in out of the wind. We’ll keep you safe.”

Fluttershy followed Applejack inside, hesitating only to give a fearful glance at the darkening sky, which had gone so overcast that no individual clouds could be seen, much less the setting sun.

Inside, the ponies were scattered, peering about at all the things the castle held. It was more of a keep, four stout walls that also contained covered rooms, around a central courtyard open to the sky, across which the wind howled with increasing stridency. Fluttershy stepped nervously about, trembling in her nervousness, but the others weren’t as cautious. Rainbow Dash jumped about, from ground to stone ledge to parapet, tossed off by a gust of wind and flitting back to rejoin the others, her eyes sparkling with glee. Twilight turned over a few rocks, and then looked up, startled, at a creaking sound. Rarity had discovered the weathered doors in the outer wall, and her horn flared brightly as she wrested the doors open with her magic. Before Twilight could object, the darkness within revealed unexpected flashes of color, no longer sealed from the elements.

Rarity’s eyes were riveted to her discoveries. “Darlings! TAPESTRIES! Rainbow Dash, how could you? You didn’t tell me there were priceless artworks here!”

Twilight ran to look closer. “You’re right, Rarity! Some of these rooms have caved in, but this is an incredible find!”

They trotted into the darkened space, first Rarity, then Twilight, and then Rainbow Dash, almost shoving past the other two. Applejack joined them, but held back, apparently not wishing to touch the excited pegasus’s outstretched wing, perhaps for fear it would clap shut yet again. Her expression wore a puzzling combination of annoyance and woe, and her jaw was set, as if to say ‘Fine, if that’s the way you want it—I won’t even argue!’ There wasn’t room for anyone else.

In the gloom, they looked upon a visual story that raised as many questions as it answered.

The images spoke out of the unthinkably distant past, directly to Twilight’s thoughts. First, earth ponies—crudely represented in coarse stitching, against the rough canvas backdrop. And then—something new. Wings, horns, and the ponies bearing them were downcast, figures forlorn in spite of other figures comforting them. Twilight’s heart caught in her throat, as the postures spoke to her in such familiar ways, of differentness, and worry that she would not be accepted. It seemed so true.

And then, further down, in the vertical progression that had become central to pony scrolls and artworks ever since—something new. The comforting figures had persisted, but clearly there was more to it than that. A unicorn form struggled, body low, horn manifesting a glimmer in silver thread, and an earth pony stroked the unicorn’s neck with one forehoof, while the other reached out to a small stone… which had been embroidered slightly off the ground, radial lines in silver outlining it. Another earth pony watched, beaming. After that—an embroidered, tapestry hug for the exhausted, proud unicorn.

And beside it, another sequence, this one using two ponies. A smaller pegasus, cowering before the edge of a cliff. An earth pony, caressing the wings of the pegasus, exhorting, reassuring. Odd that you didn’t see this wing-touching in daily life, thought Twilight. And then, the leap—and, flight, birthright and pride of pegasi. But had this ability been inborn, or learned, or some combination of the two?

A noise startled Twilight, and she glanced to her side.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes were wide and alarmed, and she was biting her lip, staring at that wing-touching image. The noise she’d made was hard to interpret, but something was wrong—she’d gone red, and tense, and the next thing Twilight knew, Dash had rushed from the room, her own wings tightly clamped to her sides. Her voice rang out with a strange mix of bravado and terror. “You can go in now, Fluttershy, I’m done!”

In came Fluttershy, who looked up fearfully at the stone ceiling, and then gasped at the tapestries. “Oh, my! It’s beautiful! And, um… daring!”

“What? What’s that about?” said Twilight. “I can see the beautiful part. Do you think this is how unicorns and pegasi happened?”

“Oh, it must be! It explains so much. I’d like to think this was what happened, because it makes me happy to look at it.”

Twilight nodded. “I can’t wait to tell Princess Celestia about this!”

“Tell her?” scoffed Rarity. “SHOW her! You must help me get these loose. We’ll take them home and magically preserve them. They’ll be the prize of my collection!”

The wind rose, ominously, reaching through the opened door and stirring the fabric. The images danced, as if still a little alive.

“Um…” said Fluttershy. “What if… there’s some creature here that doesn’t want you stealing its tapestries?”

“I don’t see any sign of a creature here. That was just the wind,” said Twilight.

“And we are NOT ‘stealing’,” said Rarity. “This is a historic dig, not to say disaster area. We MUST preserve these priceless artifacts lest they be lost to the elements and ravages of Time!”

“They’ve been all right so far,” pointed out Fluttershy, but Rarity wasn’t having any of it. “But how can we be sure of that? We’ve opened the room, and exposed these treasures to the ravages of the elements…”

“You did that,” said Fluttershy.

Rarity bridled. “That is as may be, darling. My point remains. Now that we have broached their sanctum, it is our right—nay, our obligation—to preserve these pieces of history for posterity!”

Fluttershy looked worried. “You’re not going to… make them into d..?” and then backed down without even finishing the word, at a withering glance from the elegant white unicorn.

“I shall pretend you hadn’t said that.”

“Me too…” said Fluttershy, in a very small voice.

They made their way back outside, into the increasingly gusty courtyard, and Twilight called, “Pinkie Pie? Do you want to see the tapestries?”

“What for?” replied the pink pony, hiding behind a stone column and jumping out playfully to startle Dash, who fluttered up out of reach but was tossed to the side by another burst of wind. “I’m playing with Dashie.”

“Because they’re of great historical importance!” said Twilight. “We’re going to come back for them, now that we know where to look. Don’t you want to see them? They’re very pretty.”

“Yeah, but they just sit there. Don’t they? This is more fun.”

“All righty, then!” said Twilight, in some disbelief. “Maybe it’s time we were getting home. It’s a lot darker than it was, and the weather isn’t exactly reassuring.”

“Yeah, the wind is kinda getting lively, isn’t it?” said Rainbow Dash. “I’ll have a look. Be back in a jiffy.” She flew straight up out of the courtyard—and zipped straight off to the side, immediately. The ponies watched, wide-eyed, and a moment later, Rainbow Dash could be seen coming back into sight, but it was as if she was trying to Rainboom while flying in place. She flapped frantically and then dropped down into the relative calm of the courtyard.

“Hey, guys, it’s a good thing we’re in a safe place! There’s an incredible storm coming!”

“There is?” said Twilight Sparkle. “Thank you, Rainbow, for finding that out for us! Do we have time to get back home before it hits? When do you think it will arrive?”

Rainbow Dash looked thoughtful. “Right… about….”

The world exploded in wind and snow, battering the parapets and covering the hapless ponies in cold whiteness.

“Now,” added Rainbow Dash, helpfully.

Fluttershy shrieked—and then Rarity, but her dismay was more for her new discoveries. The white unicorn tried to block the open doorway to the precious tapestries with her body, but it was no use. Snow went everywhere, blanketing the courtyard, and the wind yowled and shook the very castle stones.

Applejack stood over the cowering Fluttershy. She glanced at Twilight, who was dumbfounded and staring up at the snow-choked sky. “Don’t worry, Twi! We got this! Uhh… Dash! You got a plan?”

“You bet I do!” cried Rainbow Dash, looking at Applejack for the first time in hours, her eyes too wide, her voice ringing with the desire to impress. “I can fix this! I’ll just… uhhh…”

“Y’all get this under control! Come on!”

“I… It’s the Everfree Forest. Weather doesn’t answer to pegasi here.” Dash’s bravado had collapsed all at once, and she looked ready to cry, like her one big chance to redeem herself had fallen apart.

Applejack stared in horror at her. “Well, what’ll we do?”

Twilight Sparkle ran up. “We need to take cover, and wait it out! Rainbow Dash, can you and Fluttershy fly to safety?”

Rainbow Dash shook the snow off her wings. “Well, I can barely handle it—I mean, I can totally handle it, but look at Fluttershy! She’s just not as strong a flier. There is no way she can go up in that!”

Fluttershy looked up, trembling, from beneath Applejack, who looked Dash right in the eye and said “You git home then, right now. We’ll handle this, you get to safety!”

Rainbow Dash’s chin rose, and her eyes flashed. “Yeah, not gonna happen. Sorry! I’m not going to abandon you. We’ll ALL get to safety or none of us!”

“Now, you listen to me, Rainbow Dash,” continued Applejack. “You go home! We’ll take care of this. I insist that you protect yourself, missy! You git to a safe place or I will kick your recalcitrant rump to a safe place for you, y’hear?” Her voice was desperate, and she glanced at the sky anxiously, as if it was about to break out in thunderstorms.

“No way. No! Way! I’m going to rescue you whether you like it or not! I’m going to lead you to safety!” Dash blew a raspberry at Applejack, who kicked at the ground in frustration.

“You can’t even see anything!” protested Rarity. “The snow is so bad, we’ll be lost! We won’t know where we’re going!”

“Yes, we will,” said Twilight Sparkle, as her horn glowed. “We have two unicorns. Rarity, you and me will magically find the way!”

“Or we could… hide?” suggested Fluttershy, looking at one of the enclosed rooms within the walls—and then, she shrieked, looking up.

The ponies had gathered near the open entrance arch, and they followed Fluttershy’s gaze to see first one falling rock, then another, and then an avalanche of heavy stone coming at them. Rarity and Twilight leapt out of the way. Fluttershy, screaming in high-pitched terror, couldn’t move, and Applejack braced her hooves and screwed her eyes shut, shielding the gentle pegasus against the danger…

Applejack’s eyes popped open, then Fluttershy’s. A massive pile of rock sat right next to them, plus a scrap-heap of heavy iron bars, and not a pebble had landed on them.

“Yeah…” said Rainbow Dash, “taking cover? NOT so much.”

“We have to get out!” cried Rarity. “We’re trapped!”

“Over here!” called Applejack, who’d galloped over to another wall. “This thing!”

‘This thing’ proved to be a formidable iron portcullis, built into another gate they hadn’t seen. A rope stretched out across the ground to a series of pulleys, a rope that had clearly served to raise the thing once, but had broken long ago.

Twilight Sparkle boggled at it, and began to mutter, “Well, clearly not as prehistoric as I thought then, because of the entirely anachronistic technology, but it would still almost certainly predate unicorn… unless this place served as a sort of library, preserving the earliest…”

“Twilight!” yelled Applejack. “Stop eggheadin’ and come help!”

“I got this!” said Rainbow Dash, and gathered the ponies together. “Okay, here’s what’s gonna happen! We’re gonna go in two teams…”

“One for each unicorn to find the way magically!” said Twilight Sparkle, getting back up to speed and prancing in a circle with her excitement. This adventure had turned more adventurous than she’d ever imagined.

“Exactly! One unicorn, one strong pony, and one… uh, whatever Pinkie is.”

Pinkie Pie jumped up and down. “Go, Rainbow Dash! Wooooo!”

“Applejack!” said Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah!” replied Applejack instantly, perking up in direct connection to Dash’s confidence. She hung on Dash’s words, her eyes shining.

“You take Fluttershy and Rarity. I’ll take Twilight and Pinkie. The snow’s so bad, in a group of six we wouldn’t be able to see each other anyway. We get out of this, and we go home! We’ll have fun here another day!”

“Let’s do this!” said Pinkie Pie.

“Applejack, help me with this rope!” said Rainbow Dash.

“I’m on it!” whooped Applejack, and seized the end of the rope in her teeth, hauling for all she was worth. Rainbow Dash pitched in, first flapping frantically, and then setting her hooves down to haul while braced against solid ground—and slowly, the heavy iron portcullis began to lift. It rose with immense reluctance, and revealed a row of evil-looking spikes along its bottom edge, and it rose higher and higher, the two ponies working together in unison, until the whole gate was opened, wind howling through it and dumping gouts of snow within the forced portal.

“Okay, through there!” said Rainbow Dash. “AJ, can you hold it?”

“I think so…” said Applejack, between her tightly clamped teeth. “Dashie, you go now!” Twilight blinked. Dashie? Where’d that come from? Hadn’t Applejack been angry with Dash—or something?

“Oh, hurry, Fluttershy!” sobbed Rarity, distressed beyond sensibility.

“Weeee!” said Pinkie, “It’s an adventure!”

Twilight boggled at her. “Sheesh! Just get to my house! …I’ll make cocoa?”

“Good thinking, Twilight!” said Rainbow Dash. Rarity and Fluttershy had already fled, the magic of Rarity’s horn soon lost to the white of the snowstorm. “Alright—go go go! Don’t stop until you’re safe at home!”

Rainbow Dash took up the rear, urging Pinkie and Twilight under the portcullis, Twilight taking the lead and her purple magic gleaming through the blinding snowfall. Pinkie followed, still bouncing, visions of cocoa glowing in her head. Rainbow Dash looked around, saw that the two ponies she’d taken responsibility for were beginning to be lost to sight, sprinted for the gate…

…and fell, directly under the heavy, spiked portcullis, and lay there, unmoving.

Applejack’s eyes widened in horror. “Dash!” she yelled, without letting go of the rope.

A Rainbow Dash-shaped little pile of snow formed before her horrified gaze, but she couldn’t go and see—without releasing the heavy iron gate, which would surely drop before she could possibly move her friend. She might have been able to clear it on a straight sprint, or so she thought—it had seemed like an obvious answer, and nobody had taken the time to question how she’d get out—but to stop and move somebody, while the spikes plunged down onto you?

Outside, the wind shrieked and howled, and the little mound of snow revealed a nose-hole—which then revealed Rainbow Dash’s little face. She didn’t look up at the portcullis, for all her attention was on the blizzard, within which she could just barely see the faintest hint of Twilight’s direction-finding magic, and she thought, “I’m… last? They’ve all gone without me! AJ left me here! Oh, no!” Panic and shame filled her.

Finding that she was pinned down by snow, Rainbow Dash tucked her wings close to her, pressed low, and squeezed out through the nose-hole without disturbing the snow pile, rushing after Twilight and Pinkie—who, like Rarity and Fluttershy, had fled into the storm in a desperate attempt to get to safety. She was lost to sight immediately, as she rejoined them.

Inside the castle, Applejack strained to hold the portcullis up, her teeth gritting on the rope, her legs trembling and locked into rigid positions to brace her against the horrible weight. It hurt, and it was getting worse. Her eyes screwed shut with the strain, and then she opened them to look, and the shape still hadn’t moved.

“Dash!” she pleaded.

The silent mound of snow, complete with little wing-crests, didn’t answer.

“Rainbow Dash, move! You’ll be crushed!” begged Applejack.

No answer. No answer. The little body, that she hadn’t so much as touched or dared to gaze at the whole day, lay there helplessly, and the rope she held was the only thing that stood in the way of its horrifying fate, beneath falling iron spikes.

“I CAN’T HOLD THIS FOREVER!” screamed Applejack through her gritted teeth, her legs shaking.

The pitiful little mound of snow didn’t move.

Applejack’s voice cracked. “Dashie!” she sobbed, as she felt her agonized body threaten to give way.

Nothing.

Second after second ticked by, Applejack’s legs trembling with the impossible strain. The cold bit into her, and her horrified eyes couldn’t look away from the little mound of snow, directly under the terrible spikes of the portcullis.

The earth pony’s weeping eyes slowly transformed away from her look of horror and grief, to grim, still tearful lines of determination.

“…th’ HELL I can’t…”

The cold bit deeper.

Darkness, eventually… fell.

The day was bright at Twilight Sparkle’s house as Rarity and Fluttershy arrived, none the worse for wear.

“She got you home!” said Rainbow Dash. “I don’t blame her for sleeping in. That was awesome!” Her tone was determinedly light, though she looked around anxiously. Had Applejack thought so little of her performance that she wouldn’t come around for breakfast and company?

“I agree!” said Rarity. “She held the door wonderfully!”

“She did get you home, right?” said Rainbow Dash. “Like I got Twi and Pinkie home? And got rewarded with cocoa, which of course I totally deserved?”

Fluttershy spoke up. “Me and Rarity escaped together and went to her house. It was so frightening! Um—not Rarity’s house, that is. The storm. Didn’t Applejack go straight home?”

Dash glared at her. “She was with you! It was her job to get you two home safely!”

Rarity bridled at this. “Well! Darling, we got home safely through that hideous storm, with no help from her, I’ll have you know.”

“Except the door, Rarity,” said Fluttershy, “she did hold the door.”

“True,” said Rarity. “I could have used my magic, but I was so flustered! We simply had to get somewhere civilized immediately. Can you blame us? Those poor tapestries!”

Rainbow Dash stared at them. “Soooo… if she wasn’t with you, where is she?”

Rarity sniffed. “Doubtless somewhere untidy, I’d imagine. Not that there’s a thing wrong with it! In its place…”

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes were wide, and so were Pinkie’s, who was unaccountably quiet. The pink pony stared at nothing, as if it was a very scary nothing just waiting to burst out and become something.

Twilight said, “But… did she get out?”

“Oh my gosh!” squeaked Pinkie. “We have to go help her right away!” The something had sprung, and Pinkie’s expression froze the others. This was Pinkie Sense as they’d never seen it—her eyes pleaded with them in abject desperation.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “What? Come on, Pinkie. Who would be dumb enough to stay in a collapsing castle in the freezing cold?”

The five ponies stared at each other.

“Come on!” said Rainbow Dash, genuinely frightened. “Right NOW!”

It was sunny at the old castle, and quiet—too quiet.

They found her where they had left her, clinging to the rope, the portcullis still suspended—tears frozen on her face, torturous strain in her rigid posture.

Rainbow Dash ran up. “AJ! You had us worried! You can let go of the rope now, genius, it’s over! I said… Applejack?” She brushed some snow off Applejack’s body, her heart pounding, waiting for a reaction and seeing none.

Pinkie clung to Twilight Sparkle. “Help her!” she begged. “Make it better! Like, right now, okay?” The difference in her was shocking. All the fun had gone out of her, as if it had never existed.

Rainbow Dash yelled, “Applejack! Wake up!” She hugged the earth pony, and then looked up, face wracked by horror. “She’s cold!”

Rarity’s eyes were wide. “But… why would she do such a thing? What could possibly make her do this?”

Pinkie looked back out the portcullised gate, and pointed with her hoof. “That!”

Twilight looked as well, and saw it—the pitiful little mound of snow. It was just the shape of Rainbow Dash, right down to the wings. “Oh my… Rainbow Dash, was that YOU?”

Dash’s face worked in distress. “I… I fell, and then I got out, and…” She thought back to that moment, when she’d dug out from under the snow mound and thought they’d all left without her. It hadn’t occurred to her exactly where she’d fallen, but now it was plain that she’d fallen directly in harm’s way.

“It looks like you’re still lying there!” said Twilight Sparkle. “She couldn’t go and look more closely without dropping that thing on you!”

“But… Applejack!” cried Rainbow Dash. “Is she…”

Twilight Sparkle set her jaw.

“Not if I have anything to say about it!”

The courtyard was bathed in the purple glow from the studious unicorn’s horn.

It died out, and there was expectant silence. Then… the glow shone out again, even more strongly.

It subsided. Twilight Sparkle panted with effort. The glow shone out a third time, more brightly still—and subsided.

“Do it again!” begged Rainbow Dash, desperately. She felt no change in the cold earth pony body beside her. The world seemed frozen in a moment between the thinkable—and the unthinkable.

“I don’t know!” wailed Twilight. “I can’t find any life in her!”

Rainbow Dash broke. “No! Applejack! Please, no!” Something in Dash’s voice startled Twilight. Too raw, too much pain… what had her failure done?

The other four looked at each other in horror. Twilight began to tear up as well. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I just couldn’t do it! I tried! I could not find a spark of life left in her!” This produced an even more heartbreaking wail of anguish from Rainbow Dash, an unbearable cry of despair that left the other ponies shaken.

Rarity looked on, aghast, her soul wrenched to its core by the tragedy, understanding all too well what had been lost—and her eyes flashed with conviction. “We SHALL. Twilight! Again, with me!” She set her jaw, and strove to match the far more powerful Twilight in a spell she’d never properly learned, straining her psyche heedlessly, every bit of her unmatched drive and determination flung into the task.

The two unicorns drove their magic forth in unison, blind with effort, as Rainbow Dash clung miserably to Applejack’s frozen body and wept, her heart reaching out into the emptiness beside her, as if it didn’t even want to take another beat—alone.

“Wait!” gasped Twilight. “Did you feel that, Rarity?”

“Well, I’m not sure…” stammered the white unicorn. “Don’t give up now, darling!”

“Pinkie! Fluttershy!” said Twilight Sparkle. “Help Rainbow Dash warm her! Rarity, give it to me, this is the one! …NOW!”

The air seemed to vibrate with the force of the magic, all centered around the forlorn little earth-pony body in its tortured position, wrapped tightly by a sobbing blue pegasus, pink earth-pony and yellow pegasus. The two unicorns trembled with their effort—and then, with a deafening report, a circular shockwave of purple shot through with diamond sparkles burst out, centered on that cold body, sending pink and yellow ponies flying. Rarity and Twilight collapsed against each other in a faint.

Rainbow Dash would allow nothing to throw her clear. She clung to Applejack frantically, her face inches from Applejack’s pitiful, strained one, and she stared pleadingly into the tight-squeezed, frozen-teared eyes…

Applejack coughed—without letting go of the rope.

“Applejack!” cried Dash.

Applejack’s eyes opened a bit, but wouldn’t focus, and she didn’t seem relieved at all. It looked like she was trying to pull back harder on the rope, but couldn’t because her muscles were cramped to immobility, and she could be heard whimpering, “…not let go, don’t you let go…”

“APPLEJACK!” yelled Rainbow Dash, right in her face.

Applejack’s eyes tried to blink, and bits of frozen tear cracked and fell off. “…Dashie? Dashie! You got out!” A world of relief was in her halting voice.

Rainbow Dash was weeping more openly. “Of course I did, you silly! You can let go of the rope now!”

“Uhhh…” managed Applejack. “..can’t move my jaw. Or my legs, or nothin’.”

Rainbow Dash reached out and firmly stroked Applejack’s jaw, as the earth pony winced and shuddered, until it grudgingly let go—and the rope whisked out from between her teeth, rocketing towards the gate.

The heavy portcullis plummeted to smash the little snow-mound into dust, spikes plunging into the ground, shaking the whole castle. Fluttershy let out a little shriek and cowered against Pinkie.

Applejack was trying desperately to get up or look around, but was one big cramp. “Did everypony get out okay? Ow, cain’t move, ow, ow…”

“Everypony but you, you numbskull!” yelled Rainbow Dash, grinning and crying all at the same time.

“Did Rarity and Fluttershy get home okay? Without me to protect ‘em?”

“We’re so sorry!” said Fluttershy. “We got home okay…”

“You were protecting ME,” said Rainbow Dash, and embraced Applejack, who still struggled to look around for her friends, her whole body rigid with cramp.

“An’ oh no!” she said. “Ow, cain’t move my legs… Why are Twilight and Rarity over there in a heap?”

“They brought you back to life!” said Pinkie Pie. “It was hard!”

“They WHUT?”

Rainbow Dash looked her in the eye. “You… died,” she said, tears welling up again, this time without anguish. And, without dropping her gaze, she added, softly—“For me.”

Applejack’s gaze back was suddenly far too vulnerable. It was as if she’d been stripped emotionally naked, all at once, and she couldn’t look away, or conceal her love. Her eyes, wide, glistening with tears, answered for her even before she could say four simple words…

“But… I had to.”

“I know,” said Rainbow Dash.

The silence grew between them—for a brief, near-unbearable moment—and only a moment.

“Group hug!” cried Pinkie Pie, filled with joy and relief.

“Um.. Pinkie?” said Fluttershy, with a glance at Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “Let’s go hug Rarity and Twilight? They were so brave…”

“Well, yeah!” said Pinkie. “Thank goodness they were here, and you’re right! We should celebrate them too, not only heroic heroicy-Jack holding up a big heavy gate all night long!”

She zipped off to where Rarity and Twilight were beginning to stir. Fluttershy went with her, with one more glance back at the two ponies.

“Until she… died,” breathed Rainbow Dash, softly.

“Aw, don’t remind me…” said Applejack, eyes still too vulnerable, body trembling.

“Rather than see me come to harm.” Dash’s voice still spoke of love, even though its scrappy little squeak was the same as ever. She sank into the earth pony’s eyes with such trustingness that Applejack became alarmed, and instinctively sought to cover the moment with the old familiar joshing.

“If I could move,” said Applejack, “I’d give you such a kickin’…”

“But you can’t,” said Dash playfully. “Can you?”

“Nope.”

Rainbow Dash, without dropping her gaze, loomed closer—and kissed Applejack full on the lips, melting into the kiss and letting her mouth warm Applejack’s, lingering second after endless second. She didn’t close her eyes, but watched every moment, every realization, as Applejack tried to resist, tried to fall back on the familiar joking casual ways, tried to keep her behavior suitable for a mare in public—and failed, her resistance burning to ash as she gazed into those adoring, ruby eyes. As the last shred of composure left her, she let out a soft moan against Dash’s lips, and she began to weep.

Nearby, Twilight Sparkle stared, still wobbly from her exertion.

“Oh… so that’s what..”

“Ssh,” said Rarity, warningly.

“Well, they could have…”

“No, they couldn’t. I’ll explain later. Ssh!” commanded the white unicorn, interposing her body between the kissing couple and Twilight’s curious stare.

Rainbow Dash didn’t break their kiss until the earth pony’s eyes had lost their fear—though not the tears. Then she tenderly withdrew and for a moment, the two ponies shared that terrible, wonderful openness. Applejack sighed a long, deep sigh that answered all remaining questions without a word—then, Rainbow Dash’s eyes darted in the direction of their friends, and she pulled herself together.

“Hey, that looks like it really hurts!”

“…wuz worth it…” said Applejack, in a daze.

“…sssh!” hissed Rainbow Dash. “No, I mean, your muscles are cramped up like rocks!”

Applejack blinked. “That appears to be the situation…”

“Well,” said Rainbow Dash, “Pinkie’s got Rarity and Twilight up—what do you say we carry you home, if you can’t walk?”

“Absolutely,” said Twilight Sparkle, looking up from a whispered conversation with Rarity. “You deserve more than we could possibly give you!”

“Yes!” added Rarity, “more than the most glittering diamonds, you wonderful brave thing!”

Applejack blinked. “Buh. Wonderful brave what now?”

“And I’m sorry,” said Twilight, “for anything I’ve done to cause you trouble—Rarity tells me some of my remarks might have given you the wrong impression. I, uh, don’t quite know what to say, but if you can think of anything you’d like me to say to make you feel better…”

“Now, darling,” said Rarity, “we need to give them some space. Particularly our brave Applejack, whom I daresay has much to think about…”

“No, no, no, you sillies!” said Pinkie Pie, in exasperation. “It’s cold and snowy! We need to take Applejack home and put her to bed and help do her work while she recovers from being the most awesome pony, like, ever!”

“Right!” said Fluttershy. “We’re putting you to bed where it’s warm…”

Rainbow Dash finished the thought with a flourish. “And you’re going to rest for hours under the most wonderful, amazing, EPIC cozy blanket EVER, until you feel better, no matter how long it takes!”

Applejack looked from Fluttershy to Rainbow Dash, lip quivering. “I ain’t… Dashie?”

Dash regarded Applejack with narrowed eyes. “You don’t like our plan?”

Applejack looked plainitive. “Dashie… my blanket ain’t but a threadbare thing, it ain’t all that. It’s okay. Unless maybe Rarity is offering to provide…”

Softly, tenderly, Rainbow Dash’s wing enfolded Applejack’s body.

Applejack’s eyes swam with tears again—and closed, gently, as she nestled against Rainbow Dash.

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Applejinx

Applejinx #1 · Dec 17th, 2011 · 1 · ·

Funny thing is, before Heart's Warming Eve, this ability of all three pony races to form a sort of heart-meld to do magical things through a unicorn was NOT canon...
And now what was mere fanon now has canon support, so I'll come out with it- YES the love of Dash, Pinkie and Fluttershy is part of what made Twilight and Rarity able to do that (and Rarity, able to assist in a spell she couldn't actually do).