The Pale Land

by OrphiusOlyandra

Chapter 14

"Wake up!"

Dash's eyes snapped open and she was immediately on her hooves, wing spread and blade poised at the ready. Opposite her, Twilight grinned in amusement, but didn't say anything. Instead she jerked her head towards the cave entrance and began walking away. Dash tossed a quick glance over her shoulder at all the sleeping ponies before shrugging and following. Better an enemy you knew than one you didn’t, or something like that.

With a shrug, Dash followed the horned freak, "I take it, it's our turn on the nightshift?"

Twilight snorted and shook her head. "As if they'd trust you to do a nightshift."

"As if they'd trust you," replied Dash with an eye roll. "I've seen the way some of them look at you, they're not your ponies to command, they don't even like you, they're just here to keep an eye on you."

"I know," whispered Twilight as she stopped by the entrance, her mane billowing in the chill breeze as she raised the fluffy hood of her jacket. "Which is why we're leaving now."

"What?" Dash glanced out into the night at the bleak landscape. She had heard insanity in the past, she had been part of some of the insanity with Lightning Dust before, but this was suicide, pure and simple. "Okay, that's it, I'm going back to sleep."

"You really should trust us you know," said Spike as he hovered in the air, blocking off the route back in.

"You just suggested going out there at night wearing this crap," said Dash, "and that is a death sentence. There is no way anypegasus would be able to survive out there for more than ten minutes, and that's being generous."

"You're right, but we're not pegasi," smirked Twilight.

Dash's eyes immediately went up to her horn. Could she actually do magic? Was this all an act to make them lower their defenses so she could take them by surprise? It was definitely a tactic horned freaks loved, all that deception and trickery in order to gain the upper hoof. She really shouldn't be as surprised as she felt. Sure, Twilight may be different from others, but she was still a horned freak, and some things would never change.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed her nerves down and steeled her resolve. Spitfire gave her orders to figure out what this mare was up to. The pegasus race was counting her to follow this crazy mare into certain death to gather the information necessary for their eventual victory. If she backed out now, would she be able to look Spitfire in the eye? Would she be able to look herself in the eye knowing she let a horned freak of all things be braver than her?

But why was she even being dragged along? It'd be so simple for that horned freak to just leave her behind and walk out into the night. Surely there was a trick here, a ploy, something that would explain why she was being allowed to tag along. Even if it was, though, did that change anything? Even if it was a trap, could she take that risk? Plus, pegasi had raided that unicorn base, which mean there were pegasi close and if that was the case, then she had a chance of survival even if she was stabbed in the back. And there was always the possibility that it wasn't a trap, in which case she'd hate herself for the rest of her life.

Stupid pride always getting in the way. With a sigh, Dash nodded and put up her hood as well and made sure to tie it down before she tucked her wings under the wingflaps. Even before she had finished tying those down, her wings were already itching for her to stretch them out. Everything just itched and was crumpled up uncomfortably and what idiot designed this thing?

"You're gonna have to loosen the front of your jacket," said Twilight as she stepped out into the snow, shudders immediately running through her body. "I've already warmed and now it's your turn."

"What?" Dash frowned and stared at them in confusion.

"Just put your hoof on me," said Spike, and after a brief bit of hesitation, she complied and blinked in surprise at how hot he was. It was like holding her hoof against a fire or dipping it in hot water. "This is how we survive in the night. I need to slip into your jacket and warm you up then swap over to Twilight. If we keep swapping and give you five minutes each, you’ll be fine."

"Let me get this straight, you want me to put a drake down the front of my shirt." Dash groaned and rubbed her temples. "Fine, whatever, give him here."

"What?" Spike glanced at Twilight before turning his attention back to Dash. "You're certain? No complaining no whining, no-"

He suddenly found himself stuffed down the front of Dash's and the heat immediately flowed out. Within seconds Dash felt as though she was submerged in a hot bath with the warmth swirling around her in all directions. Breathing out, she quickly ran after Twilight.

"So where to?" asked Dash.

"Southwest, once we reach Ghastly Gorge, we follow it north," said Twilight through chattering teeth. "We should hurry, Lyra won't stay knocked out forever."

Dash cocked an eyebrow at that, but before she could say anything, Twilight just jumped off the edge of the ledge and began sliding down the side. Typical insane horned freak plan. A bark of laughter escaped as Dash leapt right after her, grinning like a maniac the entire time as the wind whipped through her mane.

Hitting the bottom, Dash found herself launched over the edge and she hit the ground with a roll. The grunt of pain from Spike only made her smile wider as she began racing through the snow, following that bit of purple tail before her as they weaved through the frozen trees. She skipped over fallen logs, slid under low hanging branches and raced into the night. This wasn't flying, this wasn't even close, but just that wind whipping through her mane, the breathless pants and straining limbs were so familiar that she could just pretend. This wasn't some aimless trot in the snow and some sneaking mission, this was the full blow explosion of speed that she lived for.

Throw in the night air, the yellow eyes just out of sight and the howls that echoed through the forest, and Dash felt her heart pumping faster than it ever had. When was the last time she felt this thrill? This potential for death around every corner? Not since the sky had been taken from her, that's for certain, but now that she had a taste of it again, she found herself yearning for more. A couple more days and she could stretch her wings once more, and then she was going to show that horned freak just how weak she really was.

Spike wiggled around in her shirt and a second later he popped out and glided over to Twilight, leaving a void where he once was. As the cold flooded in, a shudder ran down her spine as she realized just how cold it truly was. In that one second, it felt like her fur had been frozen solid, and if she shook her mane, she wouldn't be surprised to see icicles drop out. Gritting her teeth, Dash pushed on, focusing on stopping her legs from trembling so she could get a proper footing and not slip.

If that horned freak could do it, then she could.

Grim determination settled over her and Dash began racing forward at an even faster pace, easily catching up to Twilight and maintaining her speed. More than once her hoof slipped, and more than once she recovered without breaking her stride or pace. Every time there was a rustling of leaves or a low growl, her ears would twitch and Dash's eyes would glance off to the side. There was something following them, she was certain of that. A dark shape constantly moved just beyond her vision, slipping in and out of range, almost taunting in its movements.

"Ignore them," Spike said, causing Dash to stumble slightly. "They won't attack, at least not yet, and when they do, I'll deal with them."

Teeth chattering and limbs all too frozen, Dash simply pushed on and ignored his comments as well as him wiggling back under her jacket. Warmth immediately flooded her system and within seconds she could feel her limbs once more. This was important information, vital even, and it required Spitfire’s immediate attention. It explained so much about this mare's movements, how she could move from location to location so easily. But most importantly, if they could find and tame drakes of their own, it could bolster their mobility immensely. Just the mere possibility of night flights sent shivers of delight down her spine.

Back and forth he went, keeping the two ponies warm as they ran head long into the night. With sweat dripping down her brow, she forced her leaden legs to move, to keep pace, to keep up with the others. Each breath came in short pants, and the worst part was, that unicorn wasn't slowing down. Eventually though, she slowed to a stop and Dash found herself smirking despite everything. She knew it. She knew that horned freak could not be as fit her.

And then her jaw dropped at the sight before her.

The ground simply vanished, dropping miles straight down, so far down in fact, that even with her eyes, she couldn't make out what lay at the bottom. Caves littered the entire cliff face and when she tried to see across to the other side, all she could see was the inky darkness. As they stood there, panting, their breaths misting and swirling in the air before them, Dash turned to Twilight found an equally adrenaline fueled grin on her lips.

"Where to now?" panted Dash.

"Down, we find a cave and send Spike scouting," said Twilight as she peered over the edge.

All it took was a gently push. One simple, accidental nudge and then they'd both tumble to their death and the world would be a brighter place. A better place.

"Damn it, looks like I owe Spitz a pie." Dash spun around, wingblade at the ready, only to blink in surprise at the sight of Soarin hovering just behind them. "Come, we have camp set up just down this ledge."

"Should have known the Wonderbolts were involved," sighed Twilight. "How did you know we were here?"

"You didn’t particularly hide your approach. Considering the mare I'm talking to, that is a surprise to say the least," he replied.

"Considering the size of the gorge, I did not believe there was a high probably of us running into each other." Twilight leapt out and was immediately caught by Soarin. "Her wings are still injured so-"

"That's fine." Soarin gave a piercing whistle and a second later, something landed behind and Dash once more spun around, muscles tensed and ready to fight back.

"Hey, long time no see."

Dash blinked and then her jaw dropped. "Lightning Dust? What are you doing here!?" Removing her goggles, Dash rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things before she whistled in appreciation. "Damn, a Wonderbolt already? Nice job."

They slapped wings before bumping hips. "Told you I'd totally beat your fat flank into the Wonderbolts."

"Ha! You wish." Dash glanced back to make sure Twilight was out of sight before turning her collar out to reveal the badge. "Suck it."

Lightning's eye twitched before she groaned in frustration. "Damn it! When did you get that?"

"A while ago. Spitfire could give you an accurate time frame. Like I said, I'm the fastest and awesomest thing around, and there ain't no party like a Rainbow Dash party!"

"Sure, sure." Lightning rolled her eyes. "But can we get a move on? I'm freezing my flank off here."

"That'd probably help shrink it."

"Still sexier than yours," she shot back.

"As if." Dash hopped onto Lightning's back and she jumped off the edge of the cliff, circling downwards. "Also, that horned freak bears the cold better than you."

"Because she has a drake stuffed down the front of her shirt," muttered Lightning as they glided into the cave. Almost immediately, they raced over to the fire and pressed their hooves up against it, sighing happily. "And damn that feels nice."

"Tell me about it." Dash zipped her jacket up nice and tight before letting her one good wing out to be heated up by the fire. Out the corner of her eye, she could see Spitfire give her the barest hint of a nod in approval before turning back to Fleetfoot. "So what, you're a full-fledged Wonderbolt now? How'd that happen?"

"Well, not yet, I'm like you, get this mission right and I'm in the clear," replied Lightning as she ran a hoof through her mane. "By the way, are you...?" She tilted her head towards Twilight who was busy talking with Soarin and Rapidfire.

"Am I what?"

She glanced around all too obviously before leaning in close and whispering, "You know, is she your assignment?"

Dash simply nodded in reply and Lightning gave a low whistle at that. "Damn, I don't envy you at all. You really got the short end of the stick there."

"What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Dash as she shook out her mane.

"Whoa, calm down, it's just she's kinda infamous for having a stick permanently shoved up her ass," she replied.

"Sounds about right," replied Dash with a shrug. "She's a horned freak, what more needs to b- Captain Spitfire!" She went for salute, only to stop half way and scratch the back of her neck instead. She needed to maintain her cover at all costs.

"Rainbow Dash." Spitfire sat down by the fire. "Recruit Lightning Dust, please report to Fleetfoot."

"Yes ma'am!" Lightning immediately saluted and walked off.

"Anything to report?" said Spitfire in a hushed tone.

"I know the location of The Pink Menace's base."

Spitfire's eyes widened. "You're certain?"

"Not the exact location, but I can direct you to it. It helps that they think I'm an idiot." Dash smirked and brushed some snow off her shoulder. "They let too much slip and I managed to catch a glimpse of the map they were using when travelling over the snow. There was enough there for me to figure out roughly where it is despite them blindfolding me when we went in and out."

"If you manage to pull this off, consider yourself a Wonderbolt."

"Thank you, ma'am." Dash hesitated before asking, "Did you find any weapons in the unicorn base?"

"Unfortunately, we're not in charge of that operation, we're here specifically for the temple."

Dash swallowed nervously, but at the same time, she felt energy flood her system. The mere fact that she was now working with the Wonderbolts meant she probably had the same clearance as the generals. Her dream was finally becoming a reality, it was finally happening, she was finally in a position to do something, to make something happen, to actually be on the front lines contributing and actually have an impact in this forsaken war.

And yet... Dash glanced over at Lightning. Was what they said true? Lightning wasn't the most... level headed of pegasi at the best of times, and more than once her desire to go faster, be greater, do more, had gotten other pegasi injured. No, that was just a trick, a ploy run by Twilight in an attempt to get inside her mind. That couldn't be the case, and right here, right now, she could prove it.

"Actually, Commander, does the name 'Scootaloo' mean anything to you?"

Spitfire frowned. "Sounds familiar, daughter to General Storm and Commander Hail, correct?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Any particular reason why you're so interested?" Spitfire turned her piercing gaze to Dash and she suddenly found herself very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

"Some of the pegasi that defected cited her as the main reason why," lied Dash. "If we can prove them wrong, that would undermine their ability to recruit. "

Spitfire nodded. "I see. Unfortunately, I was in the field when that particular incident took place, but once we meet up with the bulk of our force, I shall personally investigate."

"Thanks," said Dash as she glanced over at Twilight who was watching them. " I think she's starting to get suspicious."

"That's not important right now," said Spitfire as she stood up. "Don’t mention any of this to anypony else, got that? You’re not supposed to know about some of this information; I can tell you that the only other pony who even comes close to being qualified is Soarin, and even then I need to run it past my superiors."

Dash could only stare in shock as Spitfire walked off, settling down next to Soarin so that he could drape a wing over her shoulders. She knew she was on an important mission, that it was critical even, but to have clearance like that? Just who was this unicorn and why were they so interested in her? Sure, the information she was pursuing was important, war changing even, but for her to be such a priority target just did not make sense. There was something more here, there had to be something more at work, but what was it?

"Okay, I'm officially scared, Rainbow Dash is thinking. Actually thinking." Lightning flopped down beside her. "The world is about to end, I just know it is."

"Har, har, go suck yourself," said Dash.

"Geez, a week without me and you're already boring." Dash leaned to the side, easily avoiding Lightning's attempt to ruffle her mane. "See? Booooooooring."

"More like tired and sore," said Dash flatly. "Look, it's great seeing you again, but all I want is to relax and sleep."

"I forgot how grumpy you are when tired," muttered Lightning. "Fine, whatev's."

"Thanks." Dash tossed her backpack on the ground and curled up on the floor next to the fire. "We can talk in the morning, alright?"

Lightning merely rolled her eyes and pulled out a blanket from her bag as she settled down next to Dash. "Yeah, yeah. And seriously, no blanket?"

"Not all of us can afford to travel in luxury."

"What can I say? The benefits of being in the Wonderbolts."

"You wish you were a Wonderbolt."

"Just because I get a totally awesome outfit and you don't."

That got yet another eye roll. "Whatever, I'm going to sleep. Night."

"Night, Dash..."

---

It was meant to be a simple and straightforward thing. Grab a needle, grab some thread, patch up her clothes so that she could actually sleep without shivering half to death. But as soon as she had stepped through that door with that bundle of supplies, she had been mauled by that stupid unicorn, and the next thing she knew, she was standing on the spot while Rarity measured away .

And the constant chatter was back.

A couple days of silence, that was all she had managed to get. Barely a week of minimal talk, and now? Now it was all back, and Applejack was reminded of just how much she hated that mare and her constant talking. Maybe she could get one of those muzzles they had tried to make her wear and shove it on the mare. Although it had only been a couple minutes of bleeding ears and now she was resting nice and quietly on her bed, watching the unicorn work away.

It was freaky how perky Rarity got at the sight of those supplies. She was bouncing, humming, dancing and swaying to some unknown music as she worked away. Despite the complete lack of magic, she was surprisingly quick. There was no fumbling of her hooves, no uncertainty in her actions, instead she worked away just as confidently as she had in the past. Maybe a bit slower now, but she was still working away far too comfortably for a horned freak.

It was a curious little thing, another piece of the puzzle that made up this mare, and Applejack was determined to figure out what made her tick. A horned freak did not act the way she did, they were not kind and they did not treat earth ponies nicely. Nor did they trust so easily, there was always a hint of doubt in their eyes, that life of backstab or be backstabbed. But this one, this one was different. It took the bath three nights ago to realize that, but now that she had, she was convinced there was something wrong about her. Perhaps not wrong exactly, perhaps it would be more accurate to say there was something right about her. In the same way MacIntosh acted in a way unfitting for an earth pony, Rarity acted in a way that was different from how unicorns normally acted.

A sigh escaped and Applejack closed her eyes, just listening to the sound of Rarity's humming and her hooves against the ground. There was something nice about this. Everything was just so simple and straightforward and, not quiet exactly, more like calming. Yeah, it was calming in this little room, her own personal retreat where she could go to get away from everypony and everything.

There was a polite knock on the door and she glanced across at Rarity, who seemed completely oblivious. With a small shrug, she trotted over to the door and opened it just a crack to peek out and there stood a familiar earth pony, but from where?

"I was wondering if we could, um, talk? About that thing we discussed last time," he said.

Recognition dawned in Applejack's eye and she nodded. Instead of letting him in though, she slipped out and locked the door behind her. While it wasn't exactly a secret a unicorn was sharing a room with her, that didn't mean the other earth ponies were happy about it. After all, when your entire race was a slave race, slavery was generally frowned on, and Applejack did not want to take any chances.

"My room again?" he asked nervous.

Another nod.

"A-Alright, come on." He trotted off, and not for the first time, Applejack wondered what his name was. Then again, it's not like that actually mattered.

Though they got some curious looks and more than one pony jumped to conclusions if their hushed whispering was any indication, nopony actually stopped them. A small flush may have touched her cheeks, but it was nothing she wasn't used. If they wanted to talk, let them talk. She had endured servitude under Nine Tails, and if she could withstand that, she could withstand anything. Words had no weight, words could not harm, let them talk.

Eventually, they reached his room and they slipped in, locking the door as they did so. They stood there in an awkward silence, staring at each other, neither speaking, as Applejack waited for him to speak first.

"I... um... I think you're right about the whole torture thing and MacIntosh, but..." He licked his lips and looked away. "I can't join without knowing what you want to do."

"Ah want... Ah want a place where monsters like him don't exist." Applejack closed her eyes and she could see Rarity in her mind's eye. "Ah've realized something, something I didn't know until I saw MacIntosh doing that. There are good and bad ponies, and they are not in line with race. MacIntosh? He's a bad pony, but maybe he can change." She let out a long slow breath. "Ah hope he can change."

"So what, just kill him if he can't?" He took a step forward, but Applejack merely chuckled at his attempt to look aggressive.

"Sugarcube, he's my brother." Not that blood relations had stopped her in the past, but he didn't know that. "Even if he ain't gonna change, as long as we can convince him to not take so much pleasure in it or to let somepony else do the dirty work, Ah ain't fussed. As long as he tries to be good, Ah'm content."

"And if he can't?" he pressed.

"Then we ask him to step down." Applejack's eyes hardened and when she took a step forward, he took one back. "And no, Ah will not be the one in charge, Ah don't want to be in charge, but Ah will not allow us to stoop to the level of those horned and feathered freaks. Ah will not let us become monsters in order to defeat monsters."

"I agree, but..." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, fine, there are a couple of ponies I know who are interested as well, if you want, we can meet them now."

Applejack nodded. "Ah'm hungry anyways, might as well talk it over some lunch."

"Is that really the smartest thing to do considering the nature of our conversation?"

"Ah doubt anypony will overhear in that noisy place." She paused at the door and grinned back at him. "And Ah ain't so stupid as to not consider this could be a trap, something ya ought to have thought of yaself."

He just blinked and nodded slowly before following her out.

"So what's ya name, sugarcube?"

"Fertile Soil." Short, sharp, straight to the point and no waffle about what his friends called him. Better than the nervous talk from before.

With a simple nod, they walked into the barracks and Applejack simply inclined her head. For a brief second, he looked at her quizzically before understanding dawned and he began walking off to the side. Already she could feel her stomach rumbling away at those heavenly scents, but she restrained herself. However, she did make a mental note to take some of those apples back to Rarity, she absolutely loved them and just couldn't get enough of them.

Eventually they sat down at a table in the corner opposite two mares and a stallion.

"The two mares are Snowy and Lemon Drops, the stallion is Red River." Applejack snorted at the names. Easy enough to remember since they matched up with their coat colors, but talk about unimaginative. "This is Ap-"

"Golden," Applejack snapped. "My name is Golden."

That got a curious look, but Fertile nodded. "Very well, this is Golden, the mare I was talking about."

"MacIntosh's sister, right?" asked Snowy. "Makes me wonder why you're the one wanting this to begin with."

"Ah just want what's best for my family," replied Applejack.

"And that means killing them?" she pressed.

"Would you rather be dead or a slave ?" replied Applejack.

That got a pause out of her. When she went to say more though, Red simply placed a hoof on her shoulder and shook his head. Almost immediately her mouth snapped shut, though it looked like she wanted to say more.

"So what's the plan?" asked Lemon Drops.

"Wait, you're just jumping on board with this?" hissed Fertile, "We don't even know what her end goal is."

"A place without monsters right?" Lemon removed her thick hood to reveal a half chewed off ear. "Unlike you, some of us have actually been slaves, and we know exactly what Golden's thinking without having to hear it. MacIntosh... he's a good leader, a strong leader, but some of us aren't ready to sell our souls to Discord just yet."

"That's because some of you were slaves and don't know how bad the situation is!" snapped Snowy. "You haven't seen base after base demolished. You haven't fought through blood and tears only for everything to be worthless. You haven't seen our territory shrink until this base, this single base, is the only real place for earth ponies. This is it. Look around you! Count the earth ponies, because there won't be many more free ones other than the ones you see right now."

"Well yo-" Lemon blinked as Applejack stood up. "Where are you going?"

"It's clear ya haven't made up your mind. Fertile knows where my room is, come see me once you've decided." Grabbing a plate of apples, she tossed it onto her back and trotted out, ignoring the looks she was getting from those around her.

Before she had even taken five steps, Lemon was right there beside her, her hood up once more. "I'm with you. As long as you don't start torturing, I'm with you and I'll stick by you. I'll talk to some of the other ex-slaves, but I should warn you, all they care about is revenge."

"We were slaves and now we're not, if we can see the light, they can too," said Applejack. "Just be discrete, ya hear?"

She nodded and peeled off, heading off towards another table as Applejack made her way out of the room. With the plate on her back, it took a couple minutes to get back to her room, but she was just glad the halls were empty. Unlocking her door, she stepped through and closed it behind her, a small smile tugging at her lips as she watched Rarity sewing. Probably didn't even know she had left and so caught up in the fantasy world of hers that she wouldn't eat unless forced.

Typical unicorn behavior.

With a huff, Applejack slipped the plate onto the nearby table and took a bite out of an apple, shivering in delight at the crisp crunch that echoed through the room. Still no reaction. Without a second thought, she began chewing loudly, and almost immediately, Rarity's head snapped across, her eyes narrowed.

"How many times have I told to not chew with your mouth open!" she demanded before the fog cleared from her eyes. "Are those apples?" With something like foalish glee, she trotted over and began chowing into the first one. "Oh these are absolutely divine. I cannot believe how you get such good food so easily, I swear I must have died and gone to Elysium." She paused and glanced around her at the messy room. "Well half way there at least. Really, Golden, you need to clean up your room."

Applejack merely shrugged began chewing normally while looking over her old clothes. She had expected a simple patch up job, just sewing some fabric over the hole, but this was just crazy. That insane horned freak had completely altered the collar and fit of the thing, even going so far as to use a combination of light blue and white to make it more camouflaged as well as some fur around the hood and cuffs. The broken zipper was gone, replaced with a new one, buttons were added to cuffs, and was that extra lining on the inside? There were even extra pockets lining the inside as well. This wasn't a patch up job, this was an entirely new outfit, a high quality one at that.

Slipping a hoof into the jacket, she began pulling it on, zipping it on at the front and blinked in surprise. It fit perfectly. The sleeves were the perfect length, the jacket hugged her snugly, and though it ended a tad higher than she liked, even she had admit the thing fit her perfectly. It was just... perfect. Pulling the hood up, she blinked in surprise at the fabric that dropped out and with a bit of fiddling, she managed to get it around her muzzle and buttoned it up on the other side. Mere seconds into wearing it, she could already feel sweet breaking out across her brow.

"I dare say, it's not very polite to try on your new clothes before they are done."

Applejack cocked an eyebrow at Rarity.

"Oh don't worry, it's nothing serious, it's just the pants are half done. Now out, out I say! I must continue before my muse flees at the sight of such a fashion atrocity. Blue and white jacket with brown dirty pants? I think I may just go blind. Now out!"

Despite the stupid drama, Applejack slipped it off. Just like that, it was snapped away and Rarity went back to her work, occasionally munching away on her apple, but otherwise completely wrapped up in her crazy little world. But Applejack didn't mind, not really. When the real world was as brutal and disgusting as it was, perhaps a bit of insanity was what she needed to get through everything, and considering how happy Rarity seemed in her crazy little world, it surely couldn't be any worse than how things were now.

Silently, Applejack lay down on her bed, just watching the mare work away. That song she was humming... it sounded so familiar, and when Applejack closed her eyes, she could almost remember something. Something important, something significant, but no matter how hard she reached for it, her hooves would always come back empty.

It was... it was... it was the song her mother sung to her when she couldn't sleep. That song, when was the last time she had heard it? It had been so long, too long, and her heart ached for more. This horned freak, this monster didn't have the right to know that song, to sing that song, and yet Applejack couldn't bring herself to stop her. If she closed her eyes and pretended the voice was a bit lower, she could escape from reality and return to that place of comfort and safety that had been ripped from her. Something that she only found in the sweetest dreams, and even then, there was that constant whisper of doubt in the back of her mind. But here and now, all she had to do was ignore that voice and she could hide. For a couple of seconds, maybe even a minute, she could just relax and feel safe.

And as she lay there, getting lulled away by the sweetest of voices, words began forming in her mind. At first they were fuzzy and hidden, half formed things that made more sense, but as the song repeated for the second time, they solidified in her mind until she could remember some of the words. Not all of them, but it was enough.

My little pony

My little pony

Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh...

Comments

[OrphiusOlyandra]

So here's the next chapter where I get to have some fun. Things start coming together as the various factions start moving towards the same goal and start crossing over more. We also get to see more AJ and stuff. Nothing really exciting happens this chapter, it's more of a bridging chapter.

[Xaldon Ajide]

Oh snap Fluttershy is with Pinki Pie. well thats not too bad.

[BronyPonyMan]

rainbow's so stupid! it hurts me that she can be so blind to the truth. but i guess that's why she loyalty instead of honesty.

[Meowy]

So... did Rainbow Dash just forgot about Fluttershy?!! Dat feather brain!

[Arzoo]

I guess she considers Fluttershy safe where she left her... But I think she should have told Spitfire to pass along that Fluttershy should not be harmed if they attack. It is out of character for her to just forget her.

That was a smooth lie about Scootaloo, too. Really smooth. She's good at the spy stuff, seemingly...

[iRemnants]

I wonder how deep this hole Rainbow keeps digging is gonna get before shit gets real. And I loved the end; making the main theme a lullaby in such a grimdark world is awesome.

[OrphiusOlyandra]

2897392 Well at least Pinkie isn't insane...
2897681 And, she's well, you know, RD which means she's not the brightest bulb ever.
2897918 Or maybe Twilight used her horned freak magic to make her forget!
2898749 Who knows? Who knows indeed...

[OrphiusOlyandra]

2899877 She'll dig to the other side of the world. Maybe.

[Kamata]

oh my... Better song please? Almost nobody likes the MLP Intro.

But.... Anyway, Good story! Can't wait for more!

[OrphiusOlyandra]

2903650 The MLP intro song isn't that bad...

[ForSpite]

You know, it's actually kind of strange Twilight never got any magic lessons from any of the unicorns in with Pinkie Pie's lot.

I doubt they know the advanced stuff but there'd probably be something to help her enough to at least be capable of telekinesis in her daily life. Although, I suppose it's possible that Rainbow's right and she likes pretending she can't use magic to get people by surprise when she blasts them.

[OrphiusOlyandra]

2905412
Yes, yes it is strange isn't it?

[Connor Gorden]

I'm secretly hoping and praying that there's Fluttershy x Rainbow Dash in here. That's my OTP and the only thing I can think of that would make this story even more awesome.

[OrphiusOlyandra]

2926867
Unfortunately my OTP is Doom-y1 TwiDash so........
That's assuming there's shipping at all, which is something I'm still considering myself

[Connor Gorden]

Ever since I heard Rainbow Dash say she wanted to defend Fluttershy's honor ( kinda like prince charming.) I always see them as a pair. Regardless, however, I think you should put in serious thought to at least some romance. Stories , especially those taken as serious as this one are usually bettered by it.

[OrphiusOlyandra]

2927117 Eh, my issue with romance in dark fics is that the romance tends to overshadow everything else. I mean, I prefer friendshipping and I'd probably toss stuff in that could be construed as romance or shipping, but I won't say either way. Romance was originally a part of the fic, but I'm toying with idea more recently, seeing if it adds anything, removes anything, detracts from the sotry in a way, ways for me to kill one pair in the shipping, etc.

[Kamata]

2905256
Yea... I don't like it.