5 - Victory, Defeated
”I’m… not sure where Rarity is Twilight. I saw her go runnin’ off after Rainbow Dash. I don’t remember anything after that,” Applejack responds, thinking where she could have gone. ”I’ll go look’n for her. I’ll be right back.”
Applejack separates from the group, walking farther south along the gorge’s edge. ”Rarity! Where are ya?” she would occasionally shout out, hoping to get a response. Never does Applejack receive one. Eventually, the path to go down into the ravine presents itself to Applejack.
”Well, I know for a fact that Rarity ain’t goin’ in these woods. So perhaps she went into the gorge. Not sure why though, it’s worth a try.”
Applejack steps onto the rock path, slopping downward on the walls of the ravine. It acts as a road for traveler ponies who desire to go further south. Applejack has walked this road before to sell apple pies to the marsh folk to the southeast.
A separation in the path presents itself to Applejack. One path keeps going along the ravine, the other descends lower. She takes the route to the bottom of the ravine. Upon arriving, she decides to go north, to return to where the group was, but inside the gorge.
Moments pass as Applejack walks along the shallow stream of the ravine. The ambient sound of echoing water keeps her entertained. That is until a white lump becomes visible to her.
Applejack shouts, ”Rarity? Rarity! There you are. Why did you come all the way done here?” she continues to walk closer.
With no response given, Applejack continues to talk. ”Uhh-Rarity? Are you really takin’ a beauty sleep right this moment? Eh, I suppose you deserve it, we all do after a day like this.”
The theme of getting no response from Rarity is becoming rather concerning. Applejack just puts it off as Rarity being in a deep sleep. Applejack walks at the same casual pace toward Rarity.
Eventually, as Applejack gets closer, red is now visible. At a distance, she squints at the new, out-of-place color. ”What in tarnation?” Applejack says to herself, never before seeing what will now be seen.
Curiosity takes over Applejack, she is unsettled at the sight of the red color and utter lack of responses from Rarity. Her normal walking pace quickens into a trot, then a gallop. Applejack gets close enough to see what has happened. The galloping quickly screeches to a halt, and her heart shatters.
Applejack shouts in horror, ”Rarity...?” now hoping desperately for a response.
”Rarity…” she repeats, but with more reminiscence.
Applejack sits next to Rarity, laying on the ground, wondering what happened. Applejack looks at her, Rarity had died with a smile.
Applejack gets up and leans over Rarity to give her a big hug.
After a moment, Applejack gets back up, not caring that blood is on her now. She takes off her hat and puts it on Rarity’s head and over her shut eyes.
”There ya go sugar cube. Some fashion for ya.”
Applejack fixes how Rarity is positioned, moving a leg, tilting her body some. Instead of the once ghastly sight, Rarity now looks like she is just catching some beauty sleep with Applejack's hat covering the sun from her face.
A sad smile is let out as Applejack must now depart and go back to tell the others.
As she smiles sorrowfully, a tear rolls down her face. ”Goodbye, Rarity... Thank you for everythin’.”
Applejack gallops away, baring the curse of this knowledge, tears streaming down her face. While traveling up the sloped path back to ground level, a blood trail is left behind from her hooves. Applejack dreads the moment when the news must be told.
After what feels like an eternity to Applejack, the group enters her sight. A dysphoric mood takes over her.
The Ursa Major had left, looking for a new cave and waiting for the help Fluttershy promised. Nurse ponies tend to Pinkie Pie, she is mostly fine, only a head injury and some bruises. Most of the medical attention is on Rainbow Dash, applying bandages, putting on temporary casts, and stopping the bleeding. Fluttershy and Twilight sit near the ruined Rainbow Dash, hoping she will be okay. Although, the medics have not said anything about her state of being. Only adding to their dread of assuming the worst, possible, thing.
Applejack faces the ground, but just low enough where she can still look up and see what is ahead. While looking down, she is reminded of discovering Rarity, the blood darkening her hooves. Every step taken, a hoof step closer to Twilight and the others, takes mental effort. Getting closer to what currently gives Applejack the most dread.
Applejack sees Twilight and Fluttershy perk up as they notice her approaching. I bet they’re expecting good news, she states to herself. I know for a fact that they are not expecting what I’ve seen.
The two walk to Applejack and stop in shocking confusion. They both gasp aloud, putting a hoof over their mouth. Blood, something Twilight and Fluttershy have already seen and know all too well from Rainbow Dash’s condition.
Fluttershy asks, despite seeing what is in front of her. ”Where is Rarity?”
Applejack just sits, head down, and hat-less. She shakes her head as tears fall to the ground.
Instead of talking, Twilight sits as well, having pieced it together.
Fluttershy asks again, not because she does not know, but out of ignorance. She does not want to believe what reality is giving. ”Where is Rarity, Applejack?”
Applejack finally musters the strength to say, ”She’s… gone, Fluttershy.”
Twilight now asks, ”Where is she?”
Applejack swings up her head and shouts at Twilight, hurting. ”I’ve done told you!”
Twilight reiterates, ”No… Where is she?”
Applejack slowly raises her hoof to point at the cliff’s edge. Where four streaks of unearthed dirt can be seen.
Twilight gets up and walks to the scene. She walks past the nurses tending to Rainbow Dash and makes it to the edge. Starring at the hoof prints and streak in the dirt, she puts together that Rarity was pushed or tugged. Then it hits her, she knows how it all happened. Twilight hesitantly looks over the edge and jumps back, shutting her eyes. Shortly after, her eyes open and move to stare at the four streaks left behind. Twilight puts her hoof over the prints left in the dirt. She bows her head and closes her eyes.
The medics put Rainbow Dash on a stretcher after making sure everything is secure. They are ready to immediately return to the hospital. Twilight walks to them and mentions Rarity, mournfully pointing to the edge. The medic ponies look down and bow their heads in respect. They look back at Twilight, and nod once.
Twilight talks to the girls, ”Lets go back to Ponyville girls,” she said with defeat taking over the day, even when the battle against the Ursa Major was won.
Derpy flies over the south part of Ponyville, keeping a lookout for the six of them to return. Upon first seeing Twilight, she flies around Ponyville, announcing their arrival.
”They’re here! They’re here! The heroes of the day are back!” Derpy shouts to them all.
Quickly, residents gallop to welcome them back for a wonderful victory over the Ursa Major. Cheering and flower tossing ensues as the four steps onto the street. Ponies crowd around them, patting their shoulder in thanks for saving Ponyville yet again. Nothing but praise and celebration for the returning heroes.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders have been anxiously waiting. Ready to host a special victory party they set up for them. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom rush to the saviors of Ponyville, ready to hug them.
Apple Bloom goes to Applejack, expecting to rejoice with her, but Applejack continues to walk forward, slowly.
Scootaloo, running next to Apple Bloom, was going to see Rainbow Dash and ask how they won. There is no Rainbow Dash to welcome back.
Sweetie Belle, running next to Scootaloo, expects to jump on her sister’s back and celebrate their win. Though, there is no Rarity to celebrate with.
They all three stop and regroup, curious about this entire thing.
Apple Bloom begins the conversation with the question in all their minds. ”What the world was that all about? Why aren’t they happy they won?”
Apple Bloom looks over at Applejack, still just walking down the road with the others, head down.
With envy, Scootaloo says, ”It’s so cool to be the ones to defeat an Ursa Major! The first to ever do so!”
”I’m a little worried guys,” Sweetie Belle says, having not spotted her sister yet. ”Where are Rainbow Dash and Rarity?”
”Maybe they are cleaning up the mess after their battle,” Guesses Scootaloo, daydreaming about defeating an Ursa Major herself.
Sweetie Belle rebuttals Scootaloo. ”Would Rainbow Dash really clean up after herself? Especially after a fight?”
Scootaloo thinks. ”... No.”
Sweetie Belle glances at Apple Bloom. ”Apple Bloom? What is it?”
”Applejack isn’t wearing her hat, and she had crusty dark stuff on her. I saw it when I went to hug her,” Apple Bloom answers.
Scootaloo supplies Apple Bloom with a plausible conclusion. ”It’s just dried mud. No biggie.”
Two clumps of shadows move past them on the ground. They look up to the shadows in the sky. Their eyes follow two groups of two pegasi, both moving something. One group of pegasi crossed paths with the sun, giving them, and what they were carrying, a holy glow.
”Ooo, what’s that?” Scootaloo wonders, looking at the figures.
Apple Bloom gets an idea, ”Let's follow them! Maybe they know where they are.”
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nod and begin to gallop behind Apple Bloom.
Looking upwards, Apple Bloom follows the figures. Running through some construction, a few turns through the streets of Ponyville, and a gallop through the park. Then, the two groups split up, left and right.
Apple Bloom makes a plan, ”You two follow the one that went right, I’ll follow the other.”
Scootaloo agrees, ”Copy that.”
”Alright!” says Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom follows the pegasi carrying a rectangular object. She runs out of the park, through the western part of town, and past a line of trees. The pegasi descended behind these trees. This place seems unfamiliar to Apple Bloom, she has never been here before. Walking through the small forest on a nice stone path, an opening appears. An open area with stones sticking out of the ground. There is one building in the center of this open space. It is painted white with a green roof and appears well kept. While the ponies are still there, Apple Bloom hides behind a stone. She does not look at them closer, thinking they are natural stones.
A few minutes pass until the pegasi exit the establishment. Upon their departure, Apple Bloom leaves the cover of the stone and heads to the building. The door has the same symbol as the hospital. Slowly, Apple Bloom pushes the door open to reveal the main room. Looking around shows nothing of interest, so she continues farther into the premises. She finds another door next to a counter, it is locked. Walking behind the counter, there is a key ring. Apple Bloom grabs it, the keys rattle together. Every key is tested until the right one unlocks the door.
The room is dark, the only illumination coming from the open door. Apple Bloom enters, her eyes adjusting to the new setting. She walks the perimeter of the room, looking at the tops of tables and counters, trying to find the object the pegasus’ had. A hat catches her eye, the light barely making it visible on the table. Squinting, she picks it up and identifies it as Applejack’s hat.
Apple Bloom looks at it closely, curious as ever. ”Why is her hat here?”
Looking next to the counter, the light from behind reveals the mysterious object. Apple Bloom approaches the wooden box and opens it.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo follow the pegasi to Ponyville General Hospital. They open the main doors and enter, and the girls follow. Seeing the object behind the pegasi, left unguarded, they approach it. Time is short while the pegasi are busy talking to the nurse pony over the counter. Sweetie Belle lifts the white blanket, with red polka dots scattered unevenly around the cover. As soon as it was lifted, she dropped the sheet and trotted backward. Scootaloo wants to look, but it is too late, a nurse pony pushes it away around the corner.
Scootaloo turns to Sweetie Belle, ”What was it? Supplies?” Scootaloo asks, desperate to know the secret.
Sweetie Belle looks at Scootaloo with a frown. ”It… was Rainbow Dash.”
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that is so efficient, what they did with Rarity. that's like what happens when you die in Germany, they just airlift your corpse directly to the graveyard
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I am glad you noticed and appreciate it! It was tricky working it in there in a way everyone can understand. At least without needing a physics class.
Wow, this is a golden chapter for sure, so full of emotion. I can't wait to keep reading.
Okay lets look at character conflicts here. The opening scene with AJ finding Rarity dead should be the overwhelming emotional moment in the story but it falls flat for me on delievery heres why.
I can get behind the AJ joke about Rarity needing some beauty rest because it fits her character, but that's where it ends. AJ has grown up on a farm her whole life and one can assume that ponies outlive the animals they husband. Based off that, the read can assume that AJ has seen her fair share of death during her time so she would know the signs. I do agree AJ is the best choice in finding her because she would be more level head than her friends but I need more emotion here. Like have her cry/joke about how she remember spilling red wine on Rarity's coat and how she flipped out or a moment when Rarity was holding AJ in her arms or something that connects these two together. All I know is I'm suppose to be sad because Rarity died but I don't feel sad because I'm told to be. (If that makes sense lol)
Honestly, the rest of the incurs the same problems as mentioned in previous comments and I really don't like the idea of pointing out the same thing over and over again to you here.