AppleDash Group Collab

by DbzOrDie

Violence - Derpator

The two mares stood back to back, stiff in place, continuously scanning their fields of vision. One of them held a look that would scare off even the toughest of tough ponies.

Just a good morning exercise to work up the muscles, jogging through the forest—or a gallop. That’s all it was, and that’s all it should have been; some friendly competition blended into the mix, but, by the end, no harm was done.

Instead, now, they were faced with a bigger problem. Where had they come from anyway? Sure, timberwolves thrived within the Everfree Forest, but whenever ponies came by, they turned docile in an instant. They had their limits, of course, and would defend their kin with their lives (which happened quite often), but setting a sudden swarm on two innocent ponies without any quarrel was unexpected.

And foolish, in Rainbow Dash’s eyes.

The pegasus glared intensely at all of the creatures she could see, trying to pinpoint their potential ringleader or figure out weak points. “Come on AJ, we can take ‘em!”

Applejack, while empathetic to Dash’s so-called ‘plan’, quickly pushed it to the back of the pile in the quick-thinking cap. “Listen up,” she said, amplifying her voice, “We don’t want any trouble.”

Rainbow Dash quickly jerked her head around. “What?!”

“Work with me here,” Applejack whispered, Rainbow growling in response.

“Look, Ah don’t know what we’ve done to set y’all off, but we don’t mean harm. If y’all let us leave without any trouble, we’ll go and forget this mix-up ever happened.”

Rainbow Dash snorted.

Applejack ignored her, and waited for a response. The only thing that happened after a few seconds was a step towards them both. She rearranged her stetson gingerly. “H-Hey now, don’t get—“

“Oh, for crying out loud! Applejack, look! They’re not paying attention!” Rainbow Dash furiously stabbed and dragged her hoof across the dirt, and a dark grin formed on her muzzle. “And if they don’t want to, then that’s fine with me!”

Applejack’s irises widened. “Rainbow Dash, surely—“

“What? They’ll listen to reason?” Rainbow Dash said, still leering at the wooden creatures. “Look at them; they’re not responding!” She smashed her forelegs together furiously, sending off a clear and audible message. “That means business!”

Applejack swallowed the load of confidence that had formed in the back of her throat upon eyeing the timberwolves, and backed up into the pegasus. “A-Are ya sure? I don’t want a fight...”

“Oh yeah? Tell that to them!” Rainbow Dash shouted, directing her voice towards the creeping creatures.

Applejack’s heart rate rose with each slow, taunting step the timberwolves on her side took, closing in like darkness. Her emerald orbs locked looks with the green, spectral glows of the timberwolves’, and for a brief moment, she saw nothing but rage instilled inside of the creatures.

She had next to nothing as to what provoked their aggression, or why they were so full of fury. But she recognised that flame the timberwolves had; it wasn’t too dissimilar from how Rainbow Dash got sometimes. Just maybe—

A howl was emitted. Applejack’s ears went limp as a timberwolf leapt from its place, aiming right at her with its maw wide open. Her eyes clamped shut. Her body went cold.

“Applejack!”

The next thing Applejack heard was the clashing of flesh with wood, followed by various clunks. Rainbow Dash’s stone cold stare filled her vision, being offered her hoof. Gingerly, Applejack took it and got off the ground, winding up face to face with Rainbow Dash.

“You know what happens now,” Rainbow said softly, maintaining her icy look, and then turning around.

Applejack nodded in affirmation.

But... that wouldn’t change the regret that would fill her afterwards.

When Applejack heard the beginning of a malicious charge coming from behind her, she hastily dropped that thought and steeled herself.

She had something else more important to deal with. "Why did it come to this?"