Concerned about what others may think of their relationship, Rainbow Dash and Applejack try to keep their love a secret. But situations may arise where hiding that love is difficult...
Concerned about what others may think of their relationship, Rainbow Dash and Applejack try to keep their love a secret. But situations may arise where hiding that love is difficult...
As the Mane Six are called upon once again to deal with threats to Equestria, bonds will be tested and tension will run high. But will the two mare's avoid having to tell the truth? Only time will tell.
Recommended you read the first story to be aware of specific plot points and characters, but it isn't essential. The story will most likely alternate between slice-of-life and adventure arcs throughout, so hope you enjoy! -- Awesome artwork by Ruhje!
There were few times in Equestrian history when six ponies were brought together by such a powerful bond to become friends. Since Twilight's move to Ponyville, the lives of Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had changed dramatically. Before that fateful day, Fluttershy rarely spoke to anypony on her trips into Ponyville, grabbing what she needed before retreating to the comfort of her remote cottage. Rarity was always busy with her boutique, pleasing everypony who asked for her expertise. Yet, she never really made any true friends. Pinkie was the life of the town. She was the only pony who knew everypony in Ponyville. She was best friends with everyone from the beginning, not singling out the five special ponies she now had as friends.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash, however, had always had something that kept them connected from the beginning. Ever since Rainbow's move from Cloudsdale, they would hang out on the orchards or walk into town together. They had been good friends. And now, Rainbow had made that friendship into something more special and Rainbow's heart fluttered every time that she remembered that fact.
I'm going out with Applejack! Rainbow practically squealed in delight as she had the last time such thoughts ran through her mind. After everything, she finally loves me back! She grinned, casually trotting through town. She took no notice of the goods that surrounded her in the heated atmosphere of the marketplace. She was lost to a sea of dreamy thoughts surrounding the orange mare, that had happily returned since their relationship had began. Even with her wing still healing from the events of the Everfree Forest earlier that month, the pegasus had a skip in her step and the sun was shining. For the first time in a long while, she was happy.
"Hiya Dashie!" A bubbly voice said from behind, making Rainbow jump. Pinkie giggled at seeing the startled expression on the mare's face, prompting a groan from Rainbow.
"Hey Pinkie. What's up?"
"Oh, I don't know, just wondering where my bestest friend in the whole wide world is off to!" The smile never left Pinkie's face as she spoke, showing that she'd still not lost her optimistic charm. "You always seem to be going somewhere exciting these days."
Rainbow smiled. "Well, it's nowhere exciting today." She gestured to her injured wing, still bandaged up tightly. "I'm just heading up to Sweet Apple Acres." She said, starting to walk up the cobblestone street again. "I promised I'd help Applejack with some chores today."
"Ugh, again?!" Pinkie seemed a little disheartened at Rainbow's words, momentarily frowning frustratedly. I really need to come up with some new excuses. Rainbow thought, making a mental note.
Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash had agreed that it would be safer to avoid telling their friends about them. In Equestria, there were mixed feelings towards fillyfoolers and the like, so the two mares preferred the notion that they would talk about it when they felt the time was right. Of course, this did however, make it hard to explain why Rainbow had suddenly began seeing a lot more of Applejack. At first, they simply said they were checking on Cloudjumper, who was still in a serious condition in the hospital. The tale of his heroic deeds, fending off a pack of Timberwolves to allow Applejack to escape, was quite the talk of the town, but it was not something Applejack and Rainbow wanted to celebrate.
Cloudjumper was the one who brought them together, through it all. Rainbow had hated him at first, simply for dating Applejack. But after his sacrifice, Rainbow's view on him had drastically changed. He was a strong and kind pony, but his strength wasn't enough to defeat the Timberwolves. Even now, Rainbow still felt guilty for his situation, blaming herself for it all. Sure, times are rough and problems will come and go. Rainbow thought to herself in an optimistic fashion she wasn't used to. But for once, I know everything will turn out okay.
"Rainbow?" Pinkie asked, concerned at her friend suddenly zoning out.
"Buh- sorry, wha?" Rainbow stuttered, blinking.
"Are you alright, Dashie?" Pinkie frowned, cocking her head slightly.
Rainbow waved a hoof at her. "Pfft! Of course! Why'd there be anything wrong with me? I'm awesome!" Rainbow offered a confident smile, flicking her mane back. "Sorry, Pinkie. I'd love to stay and chat but I'm already running late-" She pointed at a non-existant watch on her foreleg. "-So I gotta run."
Pinkie sagged slightly. "Oh, okay." She said quietly.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I hear that Twilight's been working on a spell to make chocolate muffins appear out of thin air..." A small grin appearing on her face at seeing Pinkie's reaction.
"WHAT?!" Pinkie exclaimed, jumping up and down on the spot excitedly. "Why wasn't I told about this?" And just like that, the pink mare was gone, a dozen or so ponies in her path to the treehouse, left in a daze. Rainbow chuckled as she trotted up to the Apple family farm.
The sun was setting on the orchard when Rainbow finally reached it. She cautiously eyed the farmhouse, double checking that Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom had finished their chores. Sure the coast was clear, she quickly crossed to the orchard, passing the rows and rows of freshly bucked trees. The delicious red fruits lay perfectly within the surrounding buckets, only a few in the tall grass. Rainbow brought a hoof to her forehead, squinting up at the nearest hillside. She could just make out the small figure of an orange mare laid up against an apple tree. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, heat already rushing to her cheeks as she hurried to be with her marefriend.
Sweating slightly from the run up, Rainbow finally reached Applejack, who welcomed her with a sweet kiss on the lips, instantly soothing Rainbow. That'll never get old... Rainbow returned the kiss, pushing a little against Applejack, the mare giggling in response.
"You sure seem feisty tonight, sugarcube." Applejack lay back down on the grass, gazing up at the sky. "I was worried you wouldn't turn up. You're pretty late...well, later than usual."
Rainbow joined Applejack, carefully placing herself on the hillside so that her injured wing wasn't squished against the ground. Satisfied with her position, she returned to gazing at Applejack. "Yeah, I got a little caught up by Pinkie. She's always able to jump me when I'm in town."
"Not much of a surprise, yer too busy dreamin' bout me to pay any attention to what's goin' on around you." The mare replied, laughing to herself.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Oh please! I'm not that sappy!" She blushed slightly, knowing that was exactly what had happened.
"Whatever you say, Rainbow."
They lay there together quietly for a while, Applejack staring at the setting sun and Rainbow staring at Applejack. She sighed contentedly as her gaze fell upon her cute freckles and her deep emerald eyes, glistening in the sunlight. She took in every inch of her body, admiring her strong build mixed with her beautiful blonde mane and tail. Truth be told, Rainbow could never get enough of the sight. Back in her youth, she'd never have expected to be with another mare. Yet, here she was, years later, unable to take her eyes off of Applejack's body.
"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are, AJ?" She said half-mindedly, her cheeks turning a warm red as the Earth pony made eye contact with her.
"Many times Rainbow, many times." Applejack rolled her eyes, returning to the sunset. "In fact, every second of every day you tell me."
"Well, that's because it's true!" Rainbow smiled dreamily at her. "There aren't enough words to explain how perfect you are."
"Honestly, when did you become so cheesy?" Applejack chuckled softly, bringing Rainbow into a close embrace. "It's like your tryin' to turn this into a bad romance novel!"
Rainbow laughed too. "What, like the things Rarity reads?"
"The very same!" Applejack said, nestling deeper into the grassy hill. She smiled warmly as she held Rainbow in her hooves. "Y'know, I always loved this spot on the orchard. It's a good place to think." She sighed, looking down at Rainbow. "And I was thinkin' we'd better tell a certain group of ponies about...us."
"Come on, AJ." Rainbow replied nervously. "I'm sure they can be kept in the dark a little while longer."
Maybe...but I hate hidin' it like this." Applejack confessed with distaste. "It's bad enough with my family askin' me so many questions..." She hung her head in defeat, slightly loosening her grip around Rainbow. "We got to tell somepony at some point, Rainbow. We can't just lie forever."
The pegasus sighed, mulling it over for a few minutes. "Alright AJ, if it makes you happy, we'll talk to Twilight and Fluttershy about it soon. At least with those two, we know that we'll get a calmer response and we can trust them to keep quiet about it."
"Doesn't Fluttershy already know? I mean, she kinda saw you blubbin' all over the place after the thing at Sugarcube Corner." Applejack reminded her, causing Rainbow to cringe a little at the memory of her sudden outburst in front of her friends.
"Yeah, I suppose. She still doesn't know we're actually together though." Rainbow gave Applejack a small kiss on the cheek making the mare blush furiously. Rainbow smiled. "Soon. We'll talk about it soon."
The sun was almost completely hidden behind the mountains, the moon beginning to take it's place. They both continued to sit in each other's embrace long into the night before finally trotting down through the orchard again, heading into the farmhouse. Stepping lightly up the stairs, they crept into Applejack's room and snuggled into bed, allowing the stars to take them away to their dreams.
It was early morning and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, but the heatwave had already struck. Down in the orchards, Applejack was sweltering, diving under a tree for some form of shade. Beads of sweat visibly ran down her coat as she fanned herself with her Stetson casually. She let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes as she lay back against the hard, wooden trunk. She momentarily looked up to see Big Macintosh staring down at her slowly shaking his head. She groaned slightly, closing her eyes.
"Come on, Big Mac!" She protested. "Can't I just rest for a 'lil bit?"
His calm eyes just kept staring at her disapprovingly. "Eenope." He said, turning his back on her to focus on the tree he was bucking.
"But Pa said that we could take a break." Applejack whined, offering up the best puppy eyes she could. "Just a few minutes?"
Big Mac didn't even turn to her this time, ignoring her pleads. He'd already had this problem before and knew that it was the puppy eyes stage of the conversation. He wasn't falling for that one again. "Eenope." He repeated again, striking his powerful hooves against an apple tree, nodding appreciatively as the fruits fell and landed perfectly in the baskets beneath.
Applejack finally gave in, peeking out from her shelter. "Fine. Where'd you want me to start?" She scanned the surroundings. Most of the apple trees had already been bucked the day before. "Have we done the west orchard yet?" She asked hopefully.
"Eeyup."
"How about the east one?" She could see a few splashes of red in the sea of green trees in that direction.
"Eenope."
She smiled and lifted herself to her hooves. She fiddled a bit with her Stetson, making sure it was comfortably atop her head. "I'll start there then. See ya later, big brother!" And with that, she began the short trek to the east orchard, groaning again as the heat of the day started beating down on her. In a glistening sweaty mess, she finally reached the trees, eyeing up all of the apples ripe for bucking. "Well, I better get started." She said to herself, bounding over to the nearest apple tree. She carefully aimed her two hindlegs at the trunk, bucking it with enough force to shake out all of the apples at once. Grinning as she watched the apples fall, she began to move on to the next tree. However, she was stopped abruptly when a rather large apple landed on top of her, knocking her to the ground. She grunted, holding her head in pain.
"Oh gosh! Oh gosh! I'm so sorry!" A small voice quickly squeaked above her. Applejack rubbed her head again. Was it just her or did the apple just talk? She slowly opened her eyes, looking up into the eyes of a cute little pegasus. Applejack glared at her, prompting a nervous laugh from the mare. "Hehe. Y'know...you're trees make great places to sleep."
"What are you doin' on our farm?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who even are you? Don't think I've seen you round these parts before."
The mare seemed momentarily surprised. She flew up high and performed a series of flips and spins in the air before striking a pose. "Haven't heard of me? I'm THE Rainbow Dash!" She winked and gave the apple farmer a big smile. "Just moved from Cloudsdale to work as your friendly, local weather pony. You can thank me for the fine weather we're having right at this moment, in fact."
Applejack was still unimpressed. "Yeah, that's wonderful sugarcube." She dismissed Rainbow with a hoof. "Now if you'll excuse me, I got trees to buck."
Rainbow gasped as she looked at the orchard as a whole for the first time. "You...buck all of these trees?" She asked, amazed.
"Eeyup!" Applejack said with a bit of pride in her voice. "Our family is the main food supplier for Ponyville so we're kept pretty busy." She hung her head, letting out a small sigh. "Which is why I really need to get back to work. I don't wanna miss the runnin' of the leaves again..." Before she could continue, the pegasus was suddenly in front of her hopping around excitedly.
"You're taking part too?" She giggled, flying back up into the air. "Awesome!"
"Fancy yerself a bit of an athlete then, hm?" Applejack smirked, raising an eyebrow.
Rainbow looked over her body with a cocky smile on her face. "Please, with a body this amazing, I make a pretty good sportspony. It's not just any pegasus who can top all of her classes in flight school."
And with an ego to boot... Applejack thought, rolling her eyes. "Well, it'll be nice havin' some competition then." She grinned devilishly at the other mare. "But I'm pretty sure all that fancy flyin' ain't gonna do no good in a runnin' race."
"Oh it is on, apple farmer." The pegasus laughed and then spread her wings, but stopped before lifting off. "I never did catch your name." She remembered, turning to the orange mare.
Applejack paused before offering a small smile. "Applejack. The name's Applejack."
Rainbow smiled back. "Well then. I'll catch you later, AJ." And with that, Rainbow disappeared into the sky, a faint rainbow contrail behind her. Applejack continued to stare for a while before finally returning to the trees.
As more apples flew past her vision, she found herself momentarily distracted by the sudden encounter. It'll be nice to see her again at the race. Sure seems alright, if a little obnoxious. She thought, trotting deeper into the orchard. Plus, if she is all she claims to be, could be nice to actually be challenged fer once. Realising how distracted she was, Applejack quickly shook the thoughts out of her head and focused back on the task at hand.
Rainbow woke up with a start from her dream, feeling a hoof nudging her shoulder. She lazily opened one eye and with blurry vision, stared at the orange mare beside her. She yawned loudly, rubbing her eyes. As the picture became clearer, Rainbow became aware of how dark the room was, spotting the dark star-lit sky outside.
"AJ, babe, gimme ten more minutes." She pleaded, struggling to fight off Applejack's hoof as she retreated back under the warm bed covers.
"Rainbow!" She whispered, her eyes constantly checking the bedroom door. "Sorry sugarcube, I can hear someone outside." She stammered slightly, frantically trying to move Rainbow as she heard the hoofsteps outside getting closer. "Y'need to hide."
"Chillax, Applejack." Rainbow had her eyes closed, stifling another yawn. "It's probably just Applebloom or something..." She said absent-mindedly. There was an awkward pause as the pegasus' mind caught up with the situation. "Oh sweet Celestia! Applebloom!" She exclaimed, leaping out of the bed suddenly and slamming head first into the wall as punishment.
Both mares stopped dead at the sound of a small filly's voice on the other side of the door. "Uh sis? You alright in there?"
Rainbow's movements became more panicked as she tried to rise to her feet. Applejack willed her on from the bed, gesturing towards the closet. Rubbing her sore head, she lumbered towards it, still half-asleep. She quickly opened it and dashed inside, sneaking a last peek at Applejack, smiling.
"Being with you is such a hassle sometimes." She remarked playfully, winking at the mare.
"Jus' get in there and keep quiet." Applejack begged in a hushed tone. Rainbow simply sighed in response.
"Yes, mom." She closed the closet, packing herself neatly into the tight space. Thin cracks of light shone through the closet as the bedroom door creaked open and Applebloom stepped in. On seeing Applejack on the bed alone, she looked around the room. Rainbow held her breath, keeping completely still.
"What are you doin' up so early, Applebloom?" Rainbow could faintly make out the exchange, putting an ear up to the closed door. "Shouldn't you really be asleep?"
"I couldn't find my pink bow anywhere." Applebloom gestured to where the bow should have been. "Anyway, I heard voices down the corridor when I went lookin' for it." She continued to trot around the room, confusing Applejack.
"What's with all the pacin'?" She asked.
"I coulda sworn I heard two voices..." Applebloom replied, turning back to Applejack who was blushing a deep red. Rainbow watched the scene with a smile. Wow, she's so damn cute with that blush... She thought, relaxing a little as she continued to gaze at her marefriend.
"Can't think why." Applejack chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "Nopony here but me!" She tried to smile as sincerely as possible. Applebloom frowned at her sister, questioning whether to believe her or not.
"Okay..." Applebloom began to walk across the room, still keeping eye contact with Applejack, who continued to smile at her. "Well, since I'm here, I'll just grab another bow from in here." She gestured to the closet and trotted towards it. Applejack's pupils shrank, gasping.
"Applebloom, no! Wait..." In the sudden rush to stop her, Applejack fell out of the bed, landing clumsily on the floorboards. She looked up as Applebloom raised a hoof to the closet, biting her lip. "Oh, we are so done for." She muttered under her breath, putting her head between her hooves in shame. Before Applebloom could open it however, a certain rainbow-maned pegasus opened it from the inside quite suddenly, catching the small filly off guard. Rainbow took another look at the hinges on the closet door, examining every inch of the wooden closet, before letting out a small sigh.
"I'm sorry Applejack..." She swung the door to and fro and shook her head. "...I'm afraid that the stop on this door is broken." Both of the Apple mares looked at her, stunned. Rainbow merely continued the charade. "Frankly, I think that's why you were having so many problems with it rattling all the time."
What? Applejack mouthed. Rainbow Dash winked, moving up to the farmer who was still in a heap on the floor. "If you want my advice, get a professional." Applejack nodded weakly as the pegasus turned to the filly behind her.
"I- I don't understand..." Applebloom was lost for words, still standing in front of the closet. "What were you doin' in-" Rainbow cut her off, putting a hoof on her shoulder.
"Well, Applebloom. Your sister happened to be having terrible problems sleeping because of that closet." Rainbow smiled re-assuringly. "I just happen to be a master when it comes to closets so decided to give her a helping hoof!"
Applebloom frowned, looking back at Applejack and then turning to Rainbow. "But why were you in the closet?" Applejack turned a delightful shade of red, hiding her face in her hooves again. Rainbow struggled to answer, opening and closing her mouth constantly but no words to follow up. She finally just grinned at the filly.
"A true master never gives away her secrets." She tapped her muzzle with a hoof knowingly and grabbed a pink bow from the closet for Applebloom. "Now scoot off to bed and get some sleep." Coincidentally, Applebloom yawned as Rainbow ushered her into the hallway.
"Whatever. Night y'all." She muttered, weakly trotting off to her bedroom.
As the hoofsteps disappeared down the corridor, Rainbow turned back to Applejack with a wicked grin on her face. "I swear by Celestia's name... how in the hay did you do that?" Applejack sat in a state of shock.
"Oh come on, AJ." Rainbow giggled as she helped the other mare to her feet, planting a kiss on her forehead. "You know I'm awesome!"
As they both crept back into bed, Rainbow felt Applejack's fur brush against her own as the apple farmer cuddled her under the covers. Rainbow slowly closed her eyes, letting the warmth of Applejack's body put her back to sleep.
Waking up was always the hardest part of the morning for Rainbow. As sunlight seeped in to Applejack's room, both mares groggily got out of bed. Applejack trotted towards the window and put all her might into getting it open. A few heaves later, the window gave in and creaked open. She poked her head out the window, shivering at the cold breeze as it ruffled her mane. Rainbow stretched her tired limbs, groaning as her legs clicked at the joints. Applejack returned to her marefriend, giving her a quick kiss.
"You'd better get goin', sugarcube." Applejack pointed out, sadly. "Best you get out of sight."
"Well, Applebloom already knows I'm here." Rainbow replied, determined to stay by her side.
"Yeah, but I don't think everypony will fall for that trick you pulled." Applejack chuckled. "Oh, master of closets." She added, jokingly.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, smiling. "Alright, Alright. I guess it was a little stupid...but it worked, didn't it?" She reminded her.
"Darlin'...it was in the middle of the night. Applebloom was still half-asleep." She sighed, looking back at the open window again, the small red curtains flapping gently in the breeze. "But you need to go. We're keepin' things quiet, remember? All hush-hush." She gave the pegasus a hug, instantly relaxing the pegasus.
"Fine then." Rainbow Dash gave in, putting her forehooves on the window sill. "Wait..." She looked down from the window. "Uh, AJ? I can't fly, remember?" She said, nervously. "I don't think it's very-" She was interrupted by a sharp pain in her flank as Applejack bucked her out the window. "SAAAAAFE!"
Applejack cantered over to the window as Rainbow disappeared from view. She looked down to see a rather angry pegasus glaring back at her. "See? Nothin' to be afraid of!" She remarked, stifling a laugh.
"You're so cruel sometimes, you know that?"
"You wouldn't love me any other way!" Applejack shouted, swiftly disappearing back into her room. I hate it when she's right... Rainbow thought, wincing a little as she walked away from the farm before the other Apples woke up. I'm definitely gonna get her back one day. Rainbow grinned as wicked thoughts began to slip into her mind. She didn't stop grinning all the way back to Ponyville.
Ponyville was like a ghost town at this hour. Streets were barren and shops were shut. The only noise that could be heard was the steady clip-clopping of Rainbow's hooves as she made her way to Twilight's treehouse. The silence was deafening for Rainbow and she began to quicken her pace, self-concious about the sound of her hooves clattering on the cobblestone street. Her magenta eyes darted from left to right and she slipped into the treehouse still watching for any movement; any stirring whatsoever from other ponies. With a sigh of relief, she closed the door behind her.
Inside the treehouse was just as quiet as outside. Rainbow moved as quickly as she dared, aiming to slip into the crumpled sleeping bag on the other side of the room without waking up Twilight or Spike. Her wing made it...difficult to reach her own floating home so Twiilight had graciously offered up a place for Rainbow in the treehouse. While Rainbow would much rather have enjoyed Applejack's company for the duration of her recovery, she would have felt bad turning down the unicorn. Gently shuffling into the sleeping bag, Rainbow did her best to relax. But this proved quite difficult for the mare who constantly twisted and turned as she tried to get comfortable. Wish Applejack was here. Ever since she'd started sneaking off to sleep with Applejack every night, returning to the cold sleeping bag on the hard wooden floor of the library became harder and harder. Finally, she found a somewhat suitable position and began to drift off back to sleep.
Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was already up making breakfast. She hummed to herself joyfully as the rest of the family came down the stairs to join her.
"Mornin' y'all." She said, smiling. "Did y'all sleep alright?"
"I haven't slept alright for fifty years, youngin'!" Granny suddenly exclaimed, taking them all by surprise. "...but thanks for askin' anyway." She added, quietly.
Applejack just laughed. "How about you, Big Mac?" She turned to her brother who was letting out a deep yawn, shaking off the last remnants of sleep.
"Eeyup." He replied simply, taking his place at the kitchen table. Applebloom bounced up onto the seat next to him, beaming.
"You seem to be in a particularly fine mood, Applebloom."
"Why wouldn't I be?" She said, practically jumping around on her seat. "Today is the day I'm gonna get my cutie mark!"
Applejack couldn't help but facehoof. "Applebloom, sweetie..."
"Me and Sweetie Belle are gonna try our hand at Lion tamin'!" Big Mac and Granny both gasped, lost for words. Applebloom just sat there, bemused by their reactions. "What? We're not usin' an actual lion, silly!" Before Applejack could advise against it, Applebloom was out the door and halfway down the orchard. Big Mac just looked at her and she offered a shrug, returning to the breakfast she was cooking.
"So you ready to get buckin' Applejack?" Granny piped up. "I figure we got a good few days work ahead of us!"
"Eeyup!"
Applejack paused for a minute. She'd almost completely forgotten about Applebucking season; what with all the crazy events of the past month or so still fresh in her mind. "Well I have some things I'll need to take care of first." She replied calmly, realising she'd need to talk to Rainbow.
"Oh don't worry, child! We'll give ya plenty of time to check on Cloudjumper before we start." Granny smiled warmly at her and Applejack couldn't help but smile back. Her family had been immensely supportive of her after Cloudjumper was admitted into Ponyville Hospital. It warmed her heart each and every day that she had such wonderful folks behind her. Which just made it worse that she had to hide the truth from them.
"Thanks, Granny." With a sudden loss of appetite, Applejack made for the door, momentarily spinning round to look at the others. "I'll be back later y'all."
"You take care now!" Granny replied, waving her goodbye. Big Mac smiled calmly, joining Granny in waving at her. With a smirk, she slipped out into the fresh air and broke into a steady canter down the dirt path, heading straight for Ponyville.
Applejack was alone as she trotted up to the hospital and her fair blonde mane gently blew in the breeze. She hung her head, keeping her eyes to the dirt road beneath her, contemplating. The one thing she had noticed upon arriving in the town was how peaceful everything was. Travelling to the hospital by herself, she was able to hear the birdsong in the trees as she passed underneath them. She also became fully aware of the changing season as her hooves crumpled the golden leaves that lay scattered across the path. The leaves continued to fall like a gentle snowfall, bare branches being left behind.
Before now, Applejack had barely realised anything going on around her. Her attention had been fully on Rainbow Dash as their relationship had continued to grow and evolve as they recovered from all the chaos and problems of the past. Unlike Rainbow however, Applejack never forgot about Cloudjumper. Her journey's to the hospital were almost like a pilgrimage of sorts, leaving the farm daily in hopes to find him awake and happy. Applejack sighed, closing her eyes. It seems almost too good to be true right now. She ignored the ugly thoughts passing through her mind, quickening her pace slightly.
As it had everytime she had been there, the hospital felt unnaturally clean. Applejack still disliked the whitewashed walls and perfectly mopped marble floor. In a rustic town such as Ponyville, it seemed alien to her. Upon noticing the orange mare step through the doors, the receptionist smiled softly and gave a small wave. Applejack did the same in return before entering the wards at a steady trot. The receptionist returned to the files she was reviewing, looking back at where Applejack had just disappeared to, sighing slightly with concern etched on her face.
Reaching the small wooden door, Applejack hesitated. Her hoof shook nervously as she gently opened the door. Just like every day she had come here, the same sight greeted Applejack. Cloudjumper's unmoving form lay in the centre of the room, gifts of flowers and cards adorning the tables and shelves surrounding him. With watery eyes, she closed the distance between them, falling to her knees beside the bed. She removed her Stetson, gently placing it on the floor before resting her head on the bed beside him.
Only then did she allow herself to cry.
It was not long after when she head the door creaking behind her. She quickly turned round in surprise, rubbing her eyes as she tried to regain her composure. Through blurry eyes, she just made out the purple unicorn standing in the doorway.
"Oh, hey Twi." Applejack tried to act casual, ignoring the clearly worried look Twilight was giving her. "Surprised to see you here."
"Applejack, we may not have known him that well but it's clear he was special to you." Twilight said, smiling. "So he matters to us as well."
Applejack faced Cloudjumper again, gently rubbing his cheek with a small smile on her lips. "Well, he's doing just as well as always. I just hope he recovers soon, y'know?"
"AJ..." Twilight moved to the side of her friend. "Checking in on him every minute isn't going to speed up the recovery process at all. Frankly, after seeing the state of you when I came in here, I think you need a distraction." She said, hoping to support Applejack as much as she could.
Applejack groaned. "Twi, I'm fine honestly..." As much as it hurt her to lie to her friend, she didn't want others worrying about her. Twilight was determined though.
"Applejack." She said assertively, locking eyes with the mare. "Try as you might, it's clear you're beating yourself up over nothing. Now..." She continued. "The girls and I are planning a sleepover at the treehouse and in my opinion, you need something to take your mind off this whole ordeal."
Applejack rolled her eyes. "I'm fine." She said through gritted teeth. "I'm doing a-okay and anyway, it's applebuckin' season so-"
"I'm not taking no for an answer." Twilight interrupted.
There was an awkward pause, Cloudjumper's heartbeat monitor echoing through the room. "Alright then, Twilight." Applejack finally gave in, making Twilight sigh in relief. "When should I be there."
"We'll be meeting up in the treehouse at sundown today." Twilight turned back to the door, grinning. "Believe me, Applejack, as your friends, we'll make sure that you get through all of this.
Applejack's friendly smile vanished once Twilight left the room, the mare returning to her depressed state at the bedside. Good luck with that... She sighed, stroking the sheets slowly with a hoof. Wish Rainbow was here right now.
Rainbow happened to be on the other side of town at that point, still snoring loudly into a pillow despite the late hour. Twilight returned to the library, shooting the sleeping mare a disapproving look upon arrival. Rainbow continued to dream happily despite Twilight's various nudges and pokes to wake her up.
"Oh Applejack, you're so cute when you blush..." She said sleepily, hugging her pillow tightly with a smile on her face. Twilight momentarily hesitated in confusion before using a bit more force to wake the lazy pegasus up. Surprised, Rainbow tumbled out of the sleeping bag, rubbing her head slowly. "Ah jeez Twilight! Be careful next time." She let out a small yawn, scratching her back. "Unlike you, some ponies like to sleep in every morning."
Twilight stared stoically at Rainbow. "Actually, Rainbow, it's the afternoon." She held back a giggle at seeing the mare's expression quickly become one of shock as she looked outside in panic to see the sun high up in the air.
"Celestia's burning balls of glory!" She exclaimed in shock. "I was meant to meet Applejack at the hospital!" Rainbow began pacing nervously around the room, sweat forming on her brow. "If I'm not there, she'll think I've bailed on her! Or something..." The pegasus struggled to find the right words to grasp the situation. Amidst Rainbow's confusion, Twilight merely raised a hoof calmly into the air for silence.
"Applejack is fine. I went up to the hospital just now and she was alright." Twilight smiled re-assuringly at Rainbow, calming the pegasus down. "Which reminds me, are you free tonight? It's just me and the girls decided it might be good to have a sleepover together; get Applejack's mind off of things."
Rainbow's thoughts were still clouded with guilt so she didn't fully understand what Twilight was saying. "Yeah, sure, whatever." She replied, half-heartedly.
Twilight positively beamed. "Excellent! I'll begin preparations at once!" She gleefully trotted away.
"Spike!" She called out, grinning. "I've got a list to make...and it's a doozy!"
"...and just as the last one thought she was safe, hot breath on her shoulder made her freeze on the spot. There she was, whimpering to herself in those cold, dark woods, all alone. She slowly turned her head, her whole body shaking and there...just inches away was..."
"The Hydra of Horror!" Almost on cue, a bright bolt of lightning struck outside, making all the ponies in the treehouse jump in fright. Rainbow resisted the urge to laugh at the sight of her friends tumbling around clumsily in front of her. Maintaining her cool, she took the opportunity to relax against the wall, breathing out contentedly.
"Wow, Rainbow!" Twilight was the first to respond, grinning like a filly. "That was a great ghost story! Alright, who's next?"
Rainbow smiled from ear to ear, her tired gaze falling upon Applejack. She let herself get lost in the deep, green pools of her eyes, her heart fluttering in her chest. Rainbow's mind began to wonder and she barely realised that Twilight had begun to weave her own ghostly tale. All she cared about was Applejack. She shut her eyes, thinking about their recent talks. We really ought to tell the others about us A voice inside her head told her. It keeps getting tougher to hide the truth. Even that night, Rainbow had almost kissed Applejack in front of everyone. It was only when Applejack quickly moved away that Rainbow had remembered; nopony knew about them. As nervous as she got at the thought of telling them, she couldn't help but groan at the thought of hiding it all forever. She twisted and turned slightly, resting her head comfortably against the wood behind her.
"Rainbow?"
A small voice woke Rainbow up abruptly, a yellow pegasus staring at her nervously. "Sorry, wha?" She scratched her mane with a hoof, slightly ashamed of nodding off as she had.
"I think Rainbow has the right idea, girls." Twilight perked up. "It's getting quite late and I think it's time we all got some shut-eye!" Despite the groans in protest, they all drifted off to their beds.
"Wait a sec, Twi." Applejack said, confused. "There are only FIVE beds..."
Twilight gasped, mentally counting each bed. "What?!" She exclaimed, surprising the other mare's. "I triple-checked the list! Triple-checked!" She stuck out her bottom lip, sulking.
"Honestly, Darling." Rarity's voice could be heard from the bed in the corner of the room. "I'm sure Applejack and Rainbow wouldn't mind sharing a bed for the night...I mean, we're all friends here!" With a yawn, she nestled into the bed, sighing.
"Well uh-" Rainbow stammered.
"Y'know that's uh-" Applejack stuttered.
"That sounds great but-"
"I'm sure that somethin' else could be arranged-"
"I could just sleep on the floor!"
"I could bunk with Rarity!"
Both mares gave fake smiles, trying their best to act normal. And failing. Twilight wasn't amused. "Come on, girls! It's just for the night." Twilight rolled her eyes, trotting over to her own mattress. "What's the problem?"
Applejack and Rainbow froze. "No problem. No problem at all." Applejack said through gritted teeth. She gave Rainbow a sharp nudge in the ribs. "Right, Rainbow?"
Satisfied, Twilight blew out the candle beside her. "Well, goodnight everypony!"
The Earth Pony and the Pegasus shifted uncomfortably into bed, unsure of how to handle the situation. Keeping their distance was getting harder and Rainbow was forcing the issue too much for Applejack's liking. In under five minutes, Applejack groaned a bit at the feeling of fuzzy blue hooves around her. "Rainbow, quit it." Applejack urged in a hushed tone. She put little effort into trying to shrug off the mare.
"C'mon, AJ." Rainbow said, tightening her grip. "You know you're too cuddly to resist!"
Despite her earlier attempts to shake her off, Applejack couldn't help but giggle, turning back to the cyan mare. "Oh really? Well you're just as bad." She returned the embrace and they both giggled as they jostled in the small bed. Disrupted by the noise, Rarity stirred a little causing Rainbow and Applejack to quickly separate. Rainbow instantly shoved her head into her pillow, snoring loudly while Applejack did the same on her side of the bed. Rarity gradually settled again and the room was silent once again, moonlight seeping in through the window.
"You know...you're fake snoring is absolutely adorable." Rainbow whispered in Applejack's ear, making the apple farmer blush a deep crimson.
"Did ya really just plan to spend the whole night teasin' me?"
"...maybe." Rainbow smirked, a devilish twinkle in her eye. They continued to talk quietly together throughout the night.
"Uh, Applejack?"
The orange mare's mane was frazzled, strands of it flying off in all directions. She opened one eye, searching her surroundings. She could just make out the blurry figures of a bubbly, pink pony and an elegant, white one. She struggled to get a better look, shifting uncomfortably underneath the fuzzy, cyan mass on top of her.
Oh no.
Shooting both eyes open and nervously laughing, Applejack pushed Rainbow off the top of her. Rainbow barely shifted as she fell to the floor, still snoring peacefully. The orange mare quickly run a hoof through her mane, smiling stupidly. Pinkie and Rarity stood frowning, waiting expectantly for any sort of reply.
"Well, uh...heh." Applejack's heart was racing, sweat trickling down her forehead. "You see..."
"Wait a second!" Pinkie spoke up, catching Applejack off-guard. "I know what's going on here!" She gave a knowing smile, winking at Applejack. Applejack could have sworn her heart skipped a beat, her mind screaming at her.
"...you and Rainbow have been hoof-wrestling again, haven't you?"
Applejack allowed herself to breathe again. "Eeyup, that's it! Rainbow and I got a little competitive last night. That's it!" She smiled, hoping to convince them.
Pinkie broke into tears. "Why, Applejack?! Why?!" She wailed.
"Uh, Pinkie?"
"You know I love to referee!" She exclaimed, slumping on the floor. "How could you not tell me about this?"
Applejack chuckled softly. "Sorry, Pinkie. Guess I forgot last night." She comforted the pink mare. "Next time though. You can referee next time. Pinkie Promise." Pinkie wiped away her tears, smiling with joy.
"Just tell me when and I'll be there!" She said, her normal, positive personality returning. She stuck a hoof in her mane, bringing out a small whistle. She blew it, the high-pitched noise waking up Twilight, Rainbow and Fluttershy with a start. She zipped down the stairs, her pink form disappearing into the kitchen.
Rarity coughed loudly. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I shall join Pinkie downstairs and make us some breakfast. After all, we all know what happened last time we left Pinkie to make the food."
Applejack laughed. "I still can't look at cupcakes the same today!"
They laughed, Applejack relieved nopony pressed further about her and Rainbow's awkward position. Rainbow on the other hand, was still in a tired daze, rubbing her eyes over and over again. "What did I miss?" She asked quietly, coming up beside Applejack.
"Oh, you know, this and that." Applejack grinned, beginning to trot down the stairs. "Let's just say I saved our flanks from having to make some pretty, awkward confessions." Applejack left Rainbow alone, the pegasus still confused at her words. It took her a few moments to remember last night and she grinned.
Rainbow Dash followed her regular route across the farmyard, waving a goodbye at Applejack's form in the distance. She barely made it two steps before a purple blur smashed into her. Rainbow hit the ground hard, groaning in pain and rubbing her head. She could hear the purple thing groaning as well just across from her. Rainbow rubbed her drowsy eyes and squinted at the purple thing.
"Aw jeez...Twilight!" Rainbow cried out, still wincing. "What in the hay was that all about? I may not be one to say this normally, but you need to slow down, girl!"
Twilight got up shakily. She shook her head, rubbing dust and soil out of her mane with her forehoof. She stood on the path momentarily dazed before remembering what she'd come to say. Twilight rushed up to Rainbow, almost bashing into her again and causing Rainbow to flinch backwards. "Rainbow! We have a problem!" She exclaimed, grabbing Rainbow with her forehooves and shaking her wildly "A big problem! BIG!!"
"Ooookay..." Rainbow calmly pushed the freaking-out Twilight away "You feeling yourself, Twi? Because you're talking crazy." Rainbow eyed her friend curiously, noting the frazzled mane and the eyes darting from side to side. "Well, uh, I'll just be going now..."
"Didn't you hear me, Rainbow?!" Twilight continued. "We might be looking at the end of the world here!"
Rainbow stopped dead in her tracks and turned back around. "Say...what now?"
Twilight nodded her head furiously. "If my studies are correct we could be looking at a serious, SERIOUS problem!"
"Okay, okay. Just take deep breaths Twilight." At Rainbow's command, Twilight calmed a little slowly breathing in and out. After a minute of silence, Rainbow continued. "Now Twilight, what's the problem?"
Twilight crept up to Rainbow's side, looking from left to right, as if about to tell her a secret. "Well..." She spoke in a hushed tone. Coming up right to Rainbow's fuzzy blue ear. "There's. No. More. Cider"
Rainbow collapsed to the ground. "No...more?" She began to weep, pummelling the ground in defeat. "Why!" She cried out, looking up at Twilight. Twilight simply smiled, stroking Rainbow's mane.
"It's okay, Rainbow." To Rainbow's surprise, cider began spilling out of Twilight's mouth. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her body melted away. "It'll be fine" More and more poured out as cider flooded the path. Rainbow screamed as the bubbling apple cider swept her away. The sheer force pushed her miles across Equestria. The pegasus struggled to stay above the aggressive waves, coughing and spluttering. Soon, Rainbow felt herself growing weaker and disappeared below the waves. She struggled to breath, cider pouring into her lungs-
"GAAAAHHH" Rainbow woke with a start in Applejack's bed. Beads of sweat covered her coat and her breathes were shaky.
"Sugarcube, you alright?" A soothing voice said beside her. Rainbow turned to see Applejack lying next to her, her face etched with concern. She softened a little and she cracked a small smile. "Bad dream?"
Rainbow laughed nervously, lying back against the bed. An orange hoof began to massage her and Rainbow instantly relaxed, melting at Applejack's touch. "Yeah, bad dream. Not nearly as awesome as usual."
"Well, we better get going, Rainbow." Applejack jumped up from the bed. "Twilight wanted to meet with us, remember?"
Rainbow's eyes shot open. "Wait, huh?"
"You've already forgotten?" Applejack couldn't help but laugh. "Twilight's been a little jumpy all week. Apparently, she needs our help or something." She turned to see Rainbow panicking on the bed "Sugarcube?"
The stillness hung in the air of the old library, five ponies, each silent in front of the other. Looks of shock on their faces told enough of the story on their own. The atmosphere was so thick you could cut through it like a knife. Rainbow was the first to speak up.
"So...a virus?" She squeaked quietly, voicing everyone's own thoughts. "Like...really bad, right Twilight?"
The unicorn nodded her head solemnly, sighing deeply. Her mane was all over the place and there were dark bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. "We haven't been able to work out when or why." There was a tone of hopelessness as she spoke. "Princess Celestia seems to have no clue about it either. Throughout her reign over Equestria, she's never seen anything like it." She stepped over to a blackboard. Various chalk markings adorned the board, various diagrams and question marks all over the place. "All we know is this...thing, this virus as you put it, is real nasty." She trotted from side to side, deep in thought. "We need a plan of sorts. We need a way to contain it. Sooo...any ideas?"
Each pony looked at one another, blank faces filling the room. Rarity turned to Twilight with a sincere smile. "Twilight, darling, we know nothing about this sort of thing. How can we fight it like that?"
"How else?" Rainbow soared up to the roof "Let's grab the elements, fly on over there, and zap the heck out of it!"
"But we can't" Fluttershy stepped forward, gazing up at her friend with calm eyes. "For all we know, it could be resistant to the elements. Somepony might get hurt."
"Come on, girls! We gotta think of somethin'. This thing could take all over Equestria, if we ain't careful! I mean...things have taken over Equestria before, right?" Applejack exclaimed, taking centre stage. "We defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord. As long as we work together, we can do this." Murmurs of agreement filled the room, Pinkie eagerly bobbing her head up and down, smiling. Twilight smiled weakly as Applejack put a supportive hoof on her shoulder. "So Twi, what do we do?"
"Well, first it might help finding out what in the hay we're ACTUALLY fighting, here!" Rainbow said, crossing her forehooves. "Because so far, this thing sounds lame."
"Everypony, just slow down." Twilight took a deep breath, turning once again to study the various markings scattered across the black board. "We won't make any progress working out what's happening if we bicker like this." She raised a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "I think it would be best for us to see first hand what's going on here. The outbreak happened right outside of Manehattan, so let's begin there." She managed to offer a weak smile to her small group of friends, who all returned the smile.
"Don't worry, Twi. We can do it." Applejack re-assured her.
"Yeah! That virus'll never know what hit it!" Rainbow leaped into the air, brimming with confidence. She threw a few punches through the air, making small grunting sounds as she performed a roundhouse kick. Rarity looked up at her, sighing.
"Rainbow Dash, you do realise that you can't punch a virus, correct?"
"Aw what?" The pegasus looked down at her friend, slowly descending to the oak floor. "Lame." She crossed her forehooves and pouted in disappointment.
"Just remember girls, pack only what you need to survive" Twilight grinned.
The girls exchanged smiles, before returning home, each gathering supplies for the journey ahead. Rainbow sulked all the way back, weakly pushing open the door to her stylish cloud home and crawling up the stairs. Each room she went through was a mess. Since staying at Applejack's more than often, she'd barely taken any time to make her own place look more homely. She entered her room, lazily turning to the closet and searching the inside for her saddlebag. She picked up the leather, checking it's contents before grabbing some bits from the nearby table. With a deep sigh, she finally brought herself to leave again, aiming for the library.
The passing countryside was all but a blur to Rainbow Dash, trees and bushes zipping by just inches away from the old train. The faint sound of birdsong regularly came within earshot of the mare, who had her head partially stuck out of the window as she let the wind ripple through her mane. The chill on the wind left her features a little flustered and she eventually clambered back into the small, humid carriage her friends resided in. Despite the pleasant weather outside, the train ride to Manehattan was proving to be a lot more fatiguing than they had originally anticipated. The carriage was hot and a faint smell of sweat still filled the air even after the ponies opened every available window, except for one, which refused to budge, its hinges visibly plagued with rust and decay.
It wasn't the most comfortable of journey's but it was the quickest one available out of Ponyville. In only a few short hours, the six ponies had gathered what little supplies they thought necessary and gathered at the train station. Fortune was on their side when the small train pulled up, the wheels making terribly high-pitched squeaking sounds every time the brakes were pulled. Despite Rarity's whining, they all gathered aboard the train, murmuring a little about the carriage's awful state. Rainbow took little notice of anything aside from the heatwave that hit her upon entering the first carriage. For the hour or so they had been travelling, it had been her main concern.
That, and Applejack ignoring her.
Rainbow clambered back down onto her seat, grimacing as she felt the multitude of broken springs dig into her. She fidgeted on her flank a little, making small grunting noise and uttering occasional complaints under her breath. She breathed a sigh of relief as she got somewhat comfortable and her eyes instantly turned to Applejack, who sat across the carriage. The small glimpse she caught of Applejack's brilliant emerald eyes, left her in a daze, her heart melting. However, Applejack almost instantly turned away from her, staring out into the open expanse of Equestria before her. Rainbow sighed, staring longingly at her marefriend. Did I do something wrong? Did I upset her? The questions ran through Rainbow's mind constantly. I-I didn't try to upset her, what did I do? I can't lose her... Rainbow bit down on her lip, shakily getting down from her seat. She took a deep breath and began to trot across to the apple farmer. Wouldn't hurt to ask, right?
"I can't take it anymore!" The cries of a distressed mare stopped Rainbow in her tracks. She swiftly turned to see a shaken, and slightly crazy, Rarity pacing up and down the front of the carriage. She darted between each of her friends, tears full of make-up covering her face. "I want luxury! I want to be waited on hand and foot! I want a spa! I want civilization!" She finally concluded it all by falling flat on her face in the middle of the carriage due to pure exhaustion. Rainbow merely looked on confused.
"Remind me again why we brought Rarity with us?" She asked Twilight, raising an eyebrow. Applejack sniggered a little, trying to contain herself.
Twilight smiled back, rolling her eyes. "I know we're in for a rough ride, but we need to get to Manehattan pronto. By my reckoning, we're almost there anyway."
Fluttershy and Pinkie lifted the frazzled Rarity up and onto one of the seats, grinning. "She'll be fine in a little bit, girls" Fluttershy said warmly "She's just dealing with the fact she forgot eyelash curler's" She giggled softly.
"That pony was able to forget something?" Rainbow turned to the monstrous pile of fancy suitcases that made up Rarity's luggage. "It looks like she brought half of the boutique with her!"
"Yeah, not sure that an 'Industrial Strength' mane dryer is something you need to survive." Even Twilight managed a smile as the train began to slow, the green hills of Equestria being replaced by colossal stone skyscrapers and bustling roads filled with townsponies, going about their daily business. The old train gradually came to a stop inside a stylish, marble white train station. Incredibly modern compared to the train now stationed there. Twilight led the others down the carriages, an air of excitement about them, Pinkie bouncing up and down happily. At the back of the pack, Rainbow gave Applejack a small nudge, speaking in hushed tones as their friends chattered on.
"Hey, AJ? What in the heck was going on back there?" Rainbow looked over with concern in her magenta eyes. Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Y'know...you ignored me for like the whole trip. What's up with that?"
Applejack sighed. "I wasn't ignorin' ya, sugarcube. Just trying to keep everything on the lay-low around our friends."
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well we didnt even look like friends for half of that, let alone marefriends" She slumped her head, staring down at the carpet.
Applejack smiled, nuzzling her cheek. "You're so cute when ya get mad." The contact made Rainbow blush softly and Applejack giggled. "We'll make it work, I promise."
The purple unicorn was the first to set hoof into the station, a bustling network of ponies darting around her as the busy metropolitans of manehattan went about their business. The other ponies followed behind Twilight, gasping at the size of the station alone in comparison to Ponyville. As the last fuzzy hoof left the carriage, the train chugged away, leaving Twilight and her friends at the station. With a determined grin across her face, Twilight took a deep breath and took a few steps further into the station. She paused for a moment, before extending her hooves out in an almost theatrical style.
Even with such a heavy burden on their shoulders, defending Equestria from an otherwise unknown threat, the six ponies couldn't help but admire the spectacle that was Manehattan; one of the biggest cities in the land. Among the sea of ponies pacing up and down the sidewalks, all six of them gasped as they passed huge skyscrapers made almost entirely out of glass that towered above the streets and filled the city skyline. Coloured lights adorned every building, a beautiful spectrum of colours painting the otherwise dull concrete with various shades of red, blue, yellow and green. The whole city was buzzing with life in comparison to the quiet lives they were used to in Ponyville.
Rarity had recovered from her somewhat traumatic experience on the train and stopped various times to stare at the huge displays of vibrant, classy dresses in every fashion shop window. She was practically squealing with delight at each new dress she saw and her eyes sparkled with joy. Fluttershy often joined her in viewing the displays, still maintaining the soft, kind smile she usually did. Although, any time the crowds began to build up again, Fluttershy quickly retreated back into her shell. She was too shy to face the huge amount of ponies and so hid within her circle of friends for a large duration of the journey. Twilight found herself having to restrain Pinkie from flying all over the place. While traversing the Manehattan streets, small stalls selling everything from Hay Fries to jewellery popped up again and again and Twilight had to keep reminding Pinkie that they didn't have the bits to buy it all, Pinkie pouting like a toddler who didn't get what they wanted most times.
"I hate these darn cities"
The small utterance from Applejack matched Rainbow's thoughts exactly. The two of them hung at the back of the group with deadpan expressions and tired eyes. "Mah family is all the way back in Ponyville, in the middle of Applebuckin' season, and where am I? Out in the middle of some fancy city, bored out of muh brains." Applejack rolled her eyes, sighing softly. "Ah hope this trip is worth it an' all. Applebuckin' season is hard enough with all four of us there...and then there's Cloudjumper..." Her train of thought was broken as Rainbow placed a hoof on her shoulder comfortingly, smiling confidently.
"Don't worry about it, AJ" Rainbow grinned. "We'll zip on out of here, buck the monster in the face and head home as heroes!"
"For the second time Rainbow, you can't buck a virus in the face!"
"Dangit Twilight!" Rainbow groaned "Anything can be bucked in the face if you put your mind to it!"
Twilight shook her head disbelievingly. "That's both illogical and incomprehensible."
"-And those are both words I don't know the meaning of!" Rainbow laughed, spreading her wings and starting to hover above the ground slightly. "I'm just gonna guess that it means I'm awesome and be done with it"
Twilight couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes you are, Rainbow. You're certainly awesome" She smiled back at her friend.
"And don't you forget it!" Rainbow replied smugly, in a slightly better mood than before. Even Applejack managed a small grin, laughing a little. "Now let's go and save Equestria!"
"Sugarcube, Ah'm afraid savin' Equestria is gonna have to wait a bit. We ought to find some place to sleep, right Twi?" Applejack turned to Twilight, who was already scanning the surroundings for a nearby hotel.
"Luckily, I already booked us a few rooms at the Mayfair Hotel in preparation for our little visit." Twilight explained, pointing her hoof down one of the smaller streets further down the row of shops. "We're pretty close now anyway. Everypony up for an early night? We'll be heading out early in the morning."
There was general murmurs of approval across the group, although Rarity muttered a little about wanting to see more shops. They left the busy main street, heading directly for the Mayfair Hotel on the other side of another line of shops.
Giving Rarity ample time to look at more dresses.
"We certainly ain't in Ponyville no more." Applejack muttered as she sized up the dauntingly huge building in front of them. Posh, gold tiles above them informed them they were definitely at the Mayfair Hotel. The red carpet, heavily furnished reception and neatly uniformed clerks informing them they were also at the classiest hotel in Manehattan. Everything about the building reeked class; something that was certainly lacking in the Ponyville hotels.
The reception area was almost entirely a deep shade of red. Every surface shared the same distinct colour and featured the gold italics of the Mayfair Hotel's logo. Even the staff wore crimson uniforms, with small gold buttons and trimmings. Unlike her friends, Applejack found it all quite terrifying. "We certainly ain't in Ponyville no more." She repeated to herself, following her friends towards the grand wooden staircase that led to the rooms. Applejack was less than excited to see their room, despite her friends squeals as they opened the door. Even their rooms were fit for a queen, with huge amounts of furnishing, en-suite bedrooms. This was all on top of the huge, windows which occupied an entire half of the room, offering up breathtaking views of Manehattan from high above the city.
"Oh, Twilight." Rarity sighed happily. "I never took you for such a classy pony! This is so wonderful!"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Uh, Rarity? I lived in Canterlot for most of my life."
Rarity smiled awkwardly. "Ahem, well yes of course, but still, you had your head in books all the time."
Twilight blushed. "Well some of the books had stuff about classy ponies." She said defensively, giggling a little.
Rarity just smiled, trotting off to explore more of the room. Applejack hesitated in the doorway, gagging at the sight of the room and shaking her head. Rainbow noticed it, nudging Applejack softly. "Take it this ain't your style, girl?"
"Ah wonder what gave that away." Applejack smiled knowingly at the pegasus. "There's a reason ah ran back to the farm when I was a young 'un. Ah hate all this fancy, frou-frou stuff."
Rainbow snuggled up a little to her marefriend. "Well even so, that bed looks rather comfy for two..."
"-Ah ain't sharin' with ya"
"W-what?" Rainbow's eyes opened wide.
"Layin' low, remember? After that sleepover, ah don't think you can keep ya hooves off me in that situation." A small grin crossed her face, placing a hoof around Rainbow. "So, ah'll be bunkin' with Flutters instead."
Rainbow pouted. "Well who am I meant to share with?!"
"Oh, ah had somepony in mind." Applejack giggled mischievously.
"ohmigosh, Dashie! Guess who's bunking with you tonight!" A hyper pink pony leaped onto the pegasus quite suddenly, a giant grin covering her face.
"-And then I bounced around the room like a giant ping-pong ball-"
"Pinkie."
"-And all I could think for the entire time was how super-duper hard it was to keep-"
"Pinkie!"
"Hm?"
"It's the middle of the night! You've been doing this for three hours straight!" Rainbow aggressively grabbed the bed covers back from the pink mare, twisting on her side and trying to shut her eyes again. "I mean, half of these stories don't even make any sense. Just go to sleep, Pinkie." Rainbow yawned, rubbing her face into the pillow even further. She felt the bed bounce as Pinkie retreated to her side of the bed.
No matter how much Rainbow twisted and turned, she struggled to sleep at all. She grunted, groaned and sighed in despair at her predicament. Either Pinkie's ramblings were having a much stronger effect on her than she thought, or she was just too restless to even get a wink of sleep. She gave up, opening her eyes. She practically rolled out of the bed and clawed her way to the window, looking out upon the city night lights of Manehattan. It felt like the city never slept to her, with ponies still out and about on the streets, obviously in fewer numbers than during the day. While Rainbow was not usually one to comment on such things, the city looked beautiful to her. Her eyes sparkled as they fell upon the stars that were painted perfectly on the canvas of the city skyline.
"How could AJ ever want to leave this place as a filly?" She smiled softly as her gaze went up and down the streets. "It's so...awesome." Rainbow yawned, laying her head down on the open window frame and continuing to watch Manehattan's night life unfold before her eyes.
The mare woke with a start from the sound of a cockerel crowing loudly. Her eyelids batted and she felt every joint in her body ache. Another loud crow made her jump from her sleepy state. She turned frantically with her back up against the window. Her demeanour changed significantly when she saw the source of the noise was in fact Pinkie. In the middle of the room. In a chicken suit.
"Uh, Pinkie?" Rainbow asked, with a perplexed look on her face. "What's with the getup?"
"Good morning, Dashie!" She chirped, turning to her with a wide smile. "It's time to start go, go, going!"
"Huh?" Rainbow was still rubbing her tired eyes, plodding over to Pinkie.
Pinkie rolled her eyes, grabbing Rainbow Dash in her two hooves and dragging her in until they were face to face. "It's time for the adventure, Dashie!" She said, her eyes looking deep into Rainbow's. The cyan mare couldn't help but feel a little intimidated in the pink one's hooves. "I bet we'll have to fight at least three snakes, two mountain lion's, a human and four centaur's!"
"But we're not even going to a mountain-" Before Rainbow could continue, a pink hoof was forcefully inserted into her muzzle.
"Hush! There's no time to lose!" In a pink blur, Pinkie Pie was gone, the hotel room door barely standing on it's hinges after it's sudden opening. As Pinkie entered the hallway, the other ponies slowly entered as well, all yawning. Twilight looked at Pinkie in bewilderment.
"Pinkie, why are you in a chicken suit?" Twilight asked bluntly, echoing the thoughts of the three other ponies staring at Pinkie with their mouths wide open.
"There's no time to explain!" She yelled, turning tail and pointing her hoof directly to the stairwell. "Once more unto the breach, my friends! Charge!" Pinkie was instantly running down the hallway. Make that, bouncing down the hallway, making Twilight and Applejack giggle.
They all gave chase to the pink pony, quickly rushing into their rooms and grabbing their saddlebags before continuing. All except for Rainbow, who slowly exited her room, still shaken from earlier and staring down the hallway, confused.
It didn't take long for the small group of heroes to reach Manehattans borders. Unlike the day before, none were taking in the sights of the city. Instead, they were all focused on the mission at hand with Twilight sporting a determined and strong look at the front of the pack. The ponies were quite surprised at how abruptly the city ended, the pavements and roads suddenly replaced by bushes and trees. The further they pressed on, the less ponies they saw, all of the hum and traffic of the city behind them. Twilight stopped the group when the forest came upon them. It hung dauntingly high above them, the trees and overgrown plants all having an unnatural and creepy look to them. Twilight gulped at the sight and tried to look further into the thick tree-line by craning her neck but to no avail. A deep blanket of fog hung around the forest like a warning of the impending danger within.
Fluttershy was hiding behind Applejack when she spoke up. "Do we really have to g-go in there?" She whispered, retreating further behind Applejack.
"I'm afraid so" Twilight replied. "Look girls, I know it doesn't look great but everything indicates that the source of this virus is coming from somewhere in there." She smiled and tried to look strong for her friends.
"Ah'm not surprised myself, that whole pit just reeks of evil." Applejack stepped back in disgust. "Ah don't understand how somewhere like this hasn't been attended to by the Manehattan folk."
"Perhaps they've already tried." Rarity said as she eyed up the forest entrance. "I wouldn't be surprised if a few unfortunate ponies got themselves all caught up in there."
Rainbow slammed her hoof down in frustration and flew to the front of the group. "Well we aren't a few unfortunate ponies!" She proclaimed, making obvious eye contact with a surprised Applejack and making them both blush. "We've taken on a bunch of stuff worse than this before. Nightmare Moon, Discord...what's some mean looking forest going to do to hurt us? We're too awesome to be taken down!"
The other ponies looked hesitant for a second, but soon took on the same confidence as Rainbow had. They gathered around the forest entrance in a close huddle with mixed feelings of nerves and trepidation. A small nod from Twilight told them to move on and they slowly entered the gaping maw of the forest before them.
The beginning of their journey through the thick undergrowth was harder than they imagined. Everything around them reeked of decay and Rarity retched when the putrid smell hit her full on after knocking into an overgrown flower bed. It was hard to distinguish where they were thanks to the heavy fog that hung like a constant shroud in the air alongside the lines and lines of trees they passed from the entrance.
Applejack's orange hooves were quickly caped in thick mud, which clutched on to every fibre of her fur causing her to groan in annoyance every time a new layer was added to the muck.
Rarity was the first to speak after a long and awkward silence. "Um, Twilight, dear? Do we really have to keep trekking through this dreadful place? We haven't even seen any signs of the virus yet." She whimpered as she tried to avoid another low-hanging vine that suddenly appeared in front of her. "I'm all up for saving Equestria, but is there no, cleaner way to go about it?"
"Ah don't think so, 'Rares" Applejack looked behind her with growing concern. "Ah don't rightly know if we can find our way outta this place again. The fog's blocking my view."
"I agree, we have to stick together everypony." Twilight said from the front of the group.
"Well we won't have a problem keeping Flutters close by, she's been clinging on to me for dear life since, like, ten minutes ago." Rainbow sighed, looking down at the terrified mare who was clinging to her body and shaking. "Fluttershy, it's okay, nothing's going to hurt you."
Twilight stopped again as they came to the smallest of clearings, tiny spots of sunlight cutting through the fog and dimly lighting the ground. She looked up at the small patches of blue sky she could see and begged Celestia for luck on their mission. Each pony in turn collapsed into a miserable heap on the grass. Applejack fussed over her hat, groaning when she had to pick out thorns and brambles which had decided to impale themselves in the Stetson. As soon as Fluttershy released Rainbow from her clutches, Rainbow took the opportunity to crawl over to Applejack and nuzzle her side affectionately. Applejack blushed a bright crimson, but said nothing so as not to draw attention to them.
"I missed you last night." Rainbow whimpered, shuffling closer to her marefriend.
"Ah did too, sugarcube. But like I said, let's try to avoid any awkward confessions." Applejack whispered back, resting her head against Rainbow. "Ah don't think it'd help with the task at hand."
Rainbow cracked a small smile and sighed. "I know, but it sucks when all I want to do is just snuggle you and kiss you and-"
"Well we need more of the awesome Rainbow right now and less of the girly, snuggly Rainbow." Applejack chuckled. "So get your game face on, Rainbow."
"Alright everypony." Twilight's voice echoed through the clearing. "We ought to keep moving if we want to stop this thing before it spreads any further. The sooner we get out of this forest, the better."
"I concur." Rarity stood up, defiantly. "Let's get moving before this forest gets the best of us!"
Applejack got up as well, but her hindlegs kept getting tugged back down. "Rainbow, quit it." She whispered, turning around. Her eyes went wide open in terror as the forest came alive before her eyes. The roots that had been clawing and grabbing her hindlegs retreated backwards as the vines and tree branches lashed out towards the group.
Before they had a chance to react, the trees surrounding the group began moving and shifting unnaturally towards them. Rarity let out a scream, falling back to the centre of the group as they all backed further and further into a tight circle. Ragged breathing and pounding hearts joined the cacaphony of the forest and the first beads of sweat began to form on their brows.
And then, just like that everything stopped. The air was filled with a deathly silence. Making them even less prepared when the attack came, and thousands of vines came hurtling towards them at a terrifying speed.
The next few seconds were all but a blur with mystical roots attacking from every side. No matter how fast they ran, the forest around them clawed at their fur and tried to drag them to an unknown and impending doom. Fluttershy was the first to be snared as a vine twisted it's way around her hindleg. She squeaked in surprise as she was helplessly dragged away from her friends who instantly turned, galloping after her. Twilight desperately cast a spell on the vines, causing them to release Fluttershy and let out a shrill cry. Twilight's face went white with fear when she realised they were now hunting her.
Applejack set about smashing through every branch she saw. She could feel a primal instinct growing inside her as she set about cutting through the waves upon waves of terrors that hurled themselves at the mare. In one swift move, she pushed Rarity and Fluttershy out of the way of yet another enchanted vine, grabbing it in her jaw and tearing it in half.
"Everypony! This way!"
The yell from Rainbow made the mares momentarily look up, searching for their friend...which gave ample time for the forest to fight back. Just as they started to run, more monsters came, growling with a ravenous hunger in their belly. Everypony screamed as they ran for their lives, diving in and out of cover as they frantically reached for their pegasus friend. Purple hue's illuminated even the darkest of shadows as Twilight fired off bolt after bolt of magical energy from her horn until the sweat was quite visible on her brow. Applejack grabbed Fluttershy and Rarity's frozen figures and led them forward. They inched closer and closer to Rainbow, the cyan mare frantically waving her hooves in the air at them. They barely leapt through the small opening in the thicket when a thousand hungry jaws seemingly tried to dig into them simultaneously, narrowly missing them all.
For a moment, everything was dead silent, aside from the rapid breathing of five terrified and exhausted ponies.
Panic broke loose among the group as they looked around to find their friend was nowhere to be seen. There desperate cries into the thick fog yielded no results as the pink pony was still nowhere to be seen. And just like that, Fluttershy began to cry.
"W-what if those awful things got her?" She whimpered, sobbing in the comfort of Rarity's hooves. "W-we may never see h-her again-"
"No. We'll find her." Twilight couldn't even look her friend in the eye.
"But what if we don't...?"
"We. Will." Twilight's voice was unusually calm in comparison to her feathered friend's and they all exchanged looks of worry about the purple unicorn but none were capable of speaking up after what had just happened.
Applejack crawled weakly over to Rainbow and held her close. "Thanks Rainbow." She whispered in Rainbow Dash's ear. "Without you, we woulda been plant food." She planted a small kiss on her cheek and smiled.
"I know, but we can't stay here long, this whole forest's gonna be on us any second." Rainbow replied, searching for the best path onward.
"You can't be possibly suggesting we keep going, dear?" Rarity was rather taken aback by the idea.
"What other choice do we have?" Rainbow argued. "Pinkie's missing and we're pretty much lost in the middle of Tartarus here!"
Applejack piped up, stepping forward. "What if this all links to this virus thingy Twilight said about? Ah reckon it caused all this mess to begin with."
"No evidence, but it's a perfectly logical explanation." Twilight brought a hoof to her chin, scanning around again until her face suddenly lit up. "A-ha!"
"What's up, Twi?" Rainbow perked up.
"Drag marks, just back here." She pointed the small group towards some clear marks dug into the damp soil just at the edge of the thicket. As they explored deeper, more of the track became clear. "Whatever was dragged through here clearly made a fuss about it. There's plenty of broken twigs and disturbed earth around it. And..." Twilight's horn glowed and she turned around to her friends, holding a single shimmering piece of coloured material in her magic. "Confetti. I know only one pony who'd leave a trail of confetti as she's dragged through a forest like this."
"Come on y'all! We gotta pink, party pony that needs saving!" Applejack reared up and galloped down the tracks. She was swiftly followed by Rainbow, Twilight and a reluctant Rarity who helped Fluttershy to her feet and guided her down the tracks towards the others.
Even without being attacked, the forest still was bearing down upon the five ponies. Hearts raced and paces quickened. Five sets of eyes constantly darted between each tree they passed, carefully watching out for anything that might try to jump on them. Twilight had a new sense of urgency at the front of the group, with a stoic expression and a powerful posture. She didn't once deviate from the tracks that they followed, and more often than not, the rest of the group would have to gallop to catch up to her. In her mind, only one thought constantly reared its ugly head at her; Pinkie could be hurt, she could be seriously injured, we don't know what's happened, she could even be- Twilight desperately shook the thoughts out of her subconscious and returned her gaze onto the tracks ahead of her.
However it wasn't long before the unicorn came to a sudden and sharp halt, causing the ponies following her to each bump into the ponies' in front respective flanks. Each of their stares joined Twilight's. Through the thick layer of muddied leaves, the partially visible tracks seemed to go off in two directions, one direction looking little different from the other; only rows upon rows of trees, bushes and low hanging branches and vines.
"Well which set of tracks do we follow?" Rainbow brought up a very good point and Twilight merely looked back glumly. It didn't matter how many times she looked between the two tracks, there was no way she could tell which way to go. Both tracks were identical in size and markings, and somehow both were also strewn with confetti.
"I don't know, it just doesn't make any sense." Twilight huffed in annoyance. "How can both sets have confetti? There's no way to tell which goes where."
Rainbow sighed. "Well we could always split up-"
"Absolutely not." Twilight snapped, frustration clearly building inside of her. "We stick together. We're already a pink earth pony down and we aren't going to let this forest take any more of our friends." Rainbow Dash had recoiled slightly at Twilight's sharp words. The unicorn took a deep breath. "Sorry Rainbow, I didn't mean to snap like that, I'm just stressed. That's all."
"It's cool. But what are we going to do? I mean, we've got to make a decision somehow."
Subtle rustling coming from the right side of the group made their decision for them. All at once, more vines came hurling down at them like vicious snakes preparing to coil around their victims. With little other choice, Twilight led the group running down the left set of tracks, desperately containing any screams that tried to escape her mouth. The tracks seemed to go on for miles through more and more thick forest. On a multitude of occasions, they found themselves crawling and weaving through puzzling combinations of roots and branches. Applejack even had to use her hindlegs to buck her way through a cascade of branches that tried to block her path. The first attack may have been sudden, but this felt much more planned and much more deadly. Rainbow yelped as her forelock was attacked by a deformed branch, leaving all manner of horrible cuts and scrapes running up and down it.
"I hate this forest!" She screamed in both pain and fury. She beat her wings faster, as if she was trying to escape from a prison cell that refused to let her out.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with you, Miss Dash. This place is horrible!" Rarity replied, also running for her life directly beside a dishevelled Twilight.
The tracks were long gone now, the path ahead merely damp, dark and ice cold. Trees were replaced by rocks as they suddenly came up to a massive rock face that lay directly ahead of them. The ponies had been so focused on just running, they hadn't taken time to notice the change in scenery and those few seconds of delay allowed their hunter to catch up. Everything became a frantic dash up the side of the cliff. They tumbled over one another but kept on persevering. On and on they pushed, powered by only adrenaline and fear. Any optimism for finding Pinkie Pie in all this mess was drained out of them and now there was only one objective; survival.
The steep incline soon began to level out and Twilight hazarded a look back to see the forest retreating from the pursuit. She put out her forehooves to stop everypony's advance and ended up in a collapsed heap of exhaustion with the other four ponies bearing all their weight down upon her as they all crashed into one another after the sudden halt.
"It's fine girls..." Twilight's raspy voice was barely heard above the low hum of ponies spluttering and coughing. Their sudden chase through the forest had taken a larger toll than expected on them. "We're all fine..."
Gradually, each pony got off one another and patted themselves down. Rainbow clung to her forelock, grinding her teeth together as the pain shot through her body. "That stupid thing got a piece of me- AH!" She squealed when she applied pressure to one of the cuts, and curled up even tighter than before. "Maybe more than just a piece, that friggin' hurts!"
"Don't worry Sugarcube, it's nothin' too serious." AJ lowered her head down and investigated each cut. "Nothin' cuts particularly deep. Hopefully it won't get infected." AJ turned to look at each of the other ponies trying to muster the strength to stand on all four hooves. "Anypony else hurt badly? Anything we might need to tend to because I doubt we'll have long before we'll have to start moving again-"
Like a cold assassin, a single vine slithered up the cliffs and wrapped its sticky and slimy form around Applejack. She had no chance.
She was helplessly tossed about like a ragdoll in front of her horrified friends and then pulled downwards into the forest fog below. Almost. In the split second they had to react, two cyan forehooves latched onto Applejack and clung onto her. Her emerald eyes darted upwards to see the four mares all forming a line clinging onto one another over the cliff edge. A pair of magenta eyes stared back at her, full of terror with tears beginning to form.
"Just hold on AJ, we'll get you back up!" Rainbow tried to crane her head back up the line. "Twilight, can't you get us back up there with your magic?"
Twilight was focusing every effort on holding onto a small piece of jagged rock and keeping them all from falling into the damp fog below. "I c-can barely hold on as it is, R-Rainbow..."
More panic swept across the pegasus. "Don't worry, we've got you Applejack." The smile she offered was clearly disingenuous.
"Let go."
"W-what?"
"You ain't goin' nowhere like this. You expect me to believe y'all can pull me back up? You ain't gonna find Pinkie Pie and you certainly ain't gonna stop this gosh darned forest if we hang around like this...let go." Applejack's voice was so shallow yet so demanding, so emotionless and yet so painful. "I love you Rainbow, but you have. To let. Go."
Nothing stopped the tears now. No matter what she tried, tears came flooding out of Rainbow Dash's eyes. Their lips met and Rainbow held the farm pony she loved so much close to her. "I love you too."
A small fire gave life to the still, cold night air. Every now and then, little embers would dance around in the wind and soar up into the sky like small, orange stars that hung low to the ground. On any other night, you could even say the effect was magical; that the symphony of crickets, birds and the gentle breeze combined with the clear sky and full moon made for a beautiful if not perfect night. But the four ponies who sat huddled around the small fire did not share such sentiments. Clouded and disheartened mares stared into the fire, not speaking, not even blinking. Their coats glowed softly in the warm glow of the fire, a big contrast to the harsh, cold landscape that surrounded them. The same landscape that had consumed two of their friends.
Rainbow's eyes were especially focused on the fire at this point and her vision barely wavered. She didn't care about the stares and occasional glances her friends gave her. She didn't care about anything any more. The tears had stopped hours ago, but their descent down her fuzzy cheeks left damp stains which darkened her expression that much more.
"Rainbow."
Her magenta eyes appeared more grey than usual, as if the colour had simply drained away with the tears. Rainbow stared into the flames but all she could see in the orange haze was Applejack being dragged away from her by a thousand green limbs, hallowed screams echoing constantly as she fell further and further into the foggy abyss.
"Rainbow."
The same scene seemed to loop repeatedly inside of her head, like some internal punishment, like she somehow blamed herself for it all.
"Rainbow Dash!"
The pegasus' gaze shifted to the left. Just across from her, she made eye contact with the unicorn yelling her name. Twilight looked back with nothing but concern, her mouth opening and closing as if she had something to say, but couldn't say it. As Rainbow looked around further, everypony looked to have the exact same expression plastered on to their face.
"What?" Rainbow croaked. Her voice seemed less normal, less awesome than usual. She cleared her throat, but it was so dry that she just coughed repeatedly.
There was a deathly pause from Twilight, before she finally spoke up again. "How long have you been with Applejack?"
Rainbow Dash chewed on her words. This was a conversation she didn't want to be having now and definitely not without Applejack, but she had little choice. "A while. I guess."
Another pause. Rainbow grimaced as thoughts of everyone's reactions began spiralling through her head. But for the most part, Twilight just stared at her, but seemingly felt...distant.
"How come you never told us about it? I mean, did you expect to be able to keep it a secret?"
"We were...going to talk to you about it..." Rainbow seemed to shrink with each word she said, curling up into a little protective ball of her own anxiety. "But when the time was right. Not at a time like this. Totally not cool."
"But...why, Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow realised the question had been surprisingly directed at her by Rarity, who suddenly replaced Twilight in the conversation. "What do you mean 'why'?" She asked, cocking her head slightly.
Rarity slowly stood up, her face, however shadowed, still looked contorted with a mix of fear and disgust in the flickering light. Her voice only seemed to increase in volume the more she spoke. "Why would you want to be with Applejack? Another mare? For all that time, she was dating Cloudjumper, leading a simple, normal life-"
"Rarity, please." Twilight whispered to her with a sharp edge to her voice.
"All of which was nothing but...a façade, was it Rainbow Dash? Was Applejack's love for the stallion just a stage act? Some twisted joke? Did he almost get himself killed saving the life of the one pony who he truly thought loved him for nothing? Did Applejack always feel such a way about mares? Or was it your actions that turned our friend into some dirtyfillyfooler?!"
"RARITY!" Twilight forcefully grabbed the white unicorn and dragged her away from the group. But Rarity fixed her gaze directly onto Rainbow Dash and the look she gave cut through Rainbow Dash like a knife through the heart. If she wasn't broken before, the cyan pegasus was now.
Fluttershy quietly came to Rainbow's side and placed a wing around her. She cooed softly to her as Rainbow began to sob openly in front of her, her face completely concealed between two forelegs. Fluttershy's touch was a warm, motherly one. There was a comfort in it that Rainbow Dash had not felt in a long time, so she leant in closer to Fluttershy's warm body and clutched on to her. Her entire world was coming crashing down around her, so she was perfectly content to lie there and cry. It wasn't awesome on any account, but it was all she was physically able to do as Rarity's words continued to burn in the back of her mind. She could almost puke at those two words. Rainbow could make out shouting and yelling in the distance, a heated argument no doubt but Fluttershy covered her ears so all she heard was a muffled rendition of it all. But judging from Fluttershy's open mouth and look of shock, maybe it was best she wasn't hearing what was being said.
She didn't know quite when she had drifted off to sleep, but the jelly-form Rarity that was seeping out of the remains of the fire was a strong indication she was in some kind of twisted dream. Her hooves refused to move and kept her fixed to the ground as the thing approached her. It seemed to pulsate in some horrific, alien manner and it belched out white blobs which seemed to eat away at the ground beneath Rainbow. The thing didn't seem to have a mouth but yet still, it spoke. It's voice boomed out and announced its presence in the forest. The air was filled with it's howling shrieks. Rainbow tried to cover her ears, but it only made its voice louder in her mind and the tears started to form again.
By the time that the early sun rose up above the forest, the last wisps of smoke from the base of the fire had retreated. Only the charred remains of firewood was left in the small stone campfire. Rainbow Dash's eyes opened slowly. Her entire body seemed to ache as all of yesterday's escapades seemed to catch up to her, giving her even less reason to get up. She tossed and turned on the cold, hard surface beneath her, finding no spot of comfort anywhere and so, groaning in annoyance, her joints creaked and cracked and she raised herself up onto all four hooves. In such a hazy and sleepy state, she felt somewhat at peace with herself. The wind blew through her mane gently and the sun warmed her coat with its bright, inviting rays.
But as she let out a yawn, memories of the night before came flooding back to her. The loss of Applejack. Rarity's outburst. The nightmares. The pegasus felt her hooves falter beneath her. "Ugh, so much for getting up." She muttered to herself, curling up into a blue, fuzzy ball on the ground. "Luna, please wake me up from this nightmare. Or, you know, give me an answer for my suffering...you know what? Invite Celestia too! We'll make a whole hour long therapy session of it!"
"Um, Rainbow Dash?"
"Well I didn't mean now! I don't need therapy yet!"
"Um, it's just me, Fluttershy." The timid, yellow mare whispered quietly. Despite everything, she had a warm and comforting smile on her face. To Rainbow, her expression just radiated with compassion and calm. "Are you feeling a bit better this morning?"
"Sure, Flutters." Rainbow lied. She curled back up again, enjoying her own body warmth as she tucked herself in. "Doing awesome."
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. She lay down next to Rainbow almost silently and rolled her eyes. "Look, I know t-that Rarity said some very awful things b-but you have to understand-"
"Understand what, Fluttershy? That I'm a dirty fillyfooler?" Fluttershy seemed to openly cringe when Rainbow Dash said it. "Because, you know, I kinda got that part."
"Oh, Rainbow." Fluttershy looked like she was about to cry when she spoke. "Rarity didn't mean it. We're all under a lot of stress and I'm s-sure that such a...surprising revelation just caught her off guard."
"Really?" Rainbow raised her head to scowl at Fluttershy. She growled softly in her throat, anger welling up inside of her. "Oh yes, I'm sure that the entire outburst was just an accident! Just face it! She hates me!" Her head made a loud thud when it landed back on the ground facing away from Fluttershy and the now awake Twilight.
"She doesn't hate you Rainbow." Twilight sighed. "She just...needs some time to herself."
"Gee, thanks for the motivation there." The muffled reply came.
Twilight's expression turned angrier, and a purple aura surrounded Rainbow and lifted her off the ground. The pegasus' eyes burst open and she squirmed around to break free.
"Hey, what gives!" Rainbow growled. She unfurled her wings and tried flying, only to be brought closer to the unicorn.
"You listen to me." Twilight's voice came across as cold and harsh just like the environment that surrounded them. "I know it was hard hearing all those things Rarity said to you and believe me when I say, I'm sorry. But you seem to be forgetting that we are here for a purpose. We have almost died multiple times already! So, starting from right now, we're going to stop with the tears-" A faint purple glow gently washed away the few tears on Rainbow's cheeks. "-and we are going to focus on finding our friends and stopping this forest before it's too late. You got all that?"
Rainbow blinked. And blinked again. She knew Twilight often took the leading role, but this was...different. Everything just clicked in Dash's head. A grin formed on her lips. "Alright Twi, I got it." She was lowered to the ground, and Rainbow set about doing a few more stretches. "We'll kick this damn forest's flank!" She did a loop in the air, laughing triumphantly as her good spirit began to return to her.
From the ground, Twilight and Fluttershy stared up at the pegasus, smiling. "Come on girls." Twilight reared up, before breaking into a gallop back down the mountain side. "We've got some friends to save!"
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were swift in following Twilight back down into the forest and as the preliminary attacks came, they were more than ready. Twilight's horn glowed with raw energy as she fired blast after blast of magic into the vines. Smoke slowly drifted out from within the vines as they fell to the ground, a horrifyingly shrill scream seemingly escaping from them as one after another fell in Twilight's path. Rainbow kept close to Fluttershy, swooping in to deflect any and all attacks that tried to halt their advance. The air was filled with a cacophony of battle sounds as more and more of the forest howled in pain.
Even as the sweat began to form on Rainbow's brow, she licked her lips and just pushed herself harder. The adrenaline that coursed through her body, the cold winds that broke on her muzzle, the sound of her own beating heart ringing in her ears; she hadn't felt so alive in a long time. She channelled everything into each consecutive kick she landed. The forest seemed to blur around her, all of her focus residing on the pegasus she was trying to defend. Like a lightning bolt, she shot from side to side, letting out all manner of war cries and yells which echoed up and down the forest floor. She carved her path of destruction through the tree-line, trying her best to follow Twilight's lead while still maintaining her awesome display.
And almost as quickly as it began, everything just stopped. Vines and tree roots slithered away from the mares, sinking into the dark undergrowths. Trees groaned as they returned to their original resting place. And Fluttershy finally allowed herself to open her eyes, in hopes that it was all over.
Rainbow's hooves touched down on the damp, decaying leaves that covered the ground and the only sound that filled the air was the rustling underneath her hooves as she trotted forward. Her breath's became more regular, as her heart returned to it's normal pace again and she allowed herself a moment to sit down. She grinned up at the forest canopy, where the sun's rays cut through the thick leaves and beamed down onto the ground around her.
The sun's ever changing position in the sky made it clear to the trio that they'd been searching the forest for some hours now. The chaotic fighting had ceased, leaving the area in an eerily peaceful state which did little to calm their nerves while they searched for their lost friends. Rainbow grimaced as they passed by a small bog filled with a nasty, green liquid that bubbled and frothed at the surface. Dead roots and thorns emerged from the bog and latched on to the trunks of nearby trees as if they were desperately trying to drag themselves out of the putrid water.
"Bleh." Rainbow made a gagging nose when the smell rising from the bogs pit reached her. "Smells like something's been dead in there for a long time."
Every now and then, sunlight would crack through the canopy and the group would find themselves in another clearing. However, it did little to aid in their predicament, as every clearing led on to more dark and gloomy undergrowth. Twilight's eyes flicked to every vine or bush she saw. She enjoyed knowing things. Being able to predict what was to come, staying organised and prepared, and understanding the situation. Here though, she couldn't fathom why the attacks had stopped. If anything, they were easily susceptible to attack with only the three of them remaining. But the forest lay still in the murky fog, little more than a stir coming from it.
Twilight's mouth curled upwards when the confetti trail stopped right at the mouth of a huge cave before them. Craggy rocks cascaded down from the cave's roof, mimicking the look of a massive set of teeth; rather befitting for the mouth of a cave, Twilight thought to herself. Darkness seemed to spill out from the cave and create harsh shadows on every surface it touched. It did not seem natural by Equestrian standards. The unicorn twisted her head round and looked at her two friends. Fluttershy and Rainbow both shared a look before offering Twilight an encouraging smile. She smiled back, swallowing whatever fear remained and taking her first tentative hoofstep into the gargantuan jaws of the cave.
If it wasn't for the soft glow of her horn, they would most likely have been trying to manoeuvre in total darkness. The cave walls were dripping with water, creating a shiny metallic effect on its surface. Once every so often, they'd find themselves having to crawl through tiny spaces where the ceiling had collapsed inwards. All that was left was thin passageways just large enough for a pony to squeeze through. Rainbow had to forcefully grab Fluttershy's hooves and squeeze her through, because the shy pegasus refused to go through such tight spaces alone. Eventually, the cave opened up to a much larger system, with tunnels sporadically opening up all over the place, some high and some low.
Twilight found her eyes drawn to one particularly wide tunnel where an ominous green glow seemed to emanate from it, flickering intensely.
"I think that ones are best shot, girls." She squinted in the hopes she could get a better look. "it definitely looks like there's something down there, and with any luck, our friends will be down there too."
Fluttershy hid behind her shaking tail. "D-do we really have to go d-down there...?" She whimpered. "W-what if there's something dark and scary down there..."
"Uh, Flutters, hate to tell ya, but that's kind of what we're hoping for." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Come on, girl, we've been through plenty of adventures together and totally kicked evil butt! We'll do the same again here!" She had an air of confidence about her, spreading her wings defiantly with a smug grin. Which was surprising when she had as little confidence in their chances as Fluttershy did. "Plus, we've got to save everyone still, right?"
Twilight stood next to Rainbow and extended a hoof to Fluttershy. "Rainbow Dash is right. We haven't got much of a choice in this situation. We need to head down there and see if we can find anything." She smiled and led Fluttershy to the tunnel and the three ponies proceeded further down into the rocky labyrinth. The deeper they travelled, the more prevalent the green glow became. It seemed to lick at the walls, seeping into every crevice it could as if it had liquid properties to it. Just watching it made chills run down Twilight's spine.
The thin tunnel soon opened up yet again, this time into a large chamber. The source of the glow lay directly in the centre of the room. Green energy cascaded off of a mysterious black figure stood in the very middle of the chamber. Twilight sneaked into the chamber, twisting to the left to dive behind some small rocks for cover. Her head peeked out over the top of them and she carefully watched the pony from afar. The black pony seemed oddly tall in figure, the green that emanated from its horn seeming unnatural and volatile; poisonous even.
"Well, well. If it isn't the three little ponies, finally coming to save the day!" A feminine voice broke Twilight's concentration as it echoed around the room. The black figure turned, a sharp row of teeth glistening and a pair of beady eyes scanning the chamber entrance. "I was beginning to think that you had decided to abandon your poor, little friends. But then again, you ponies are made of nothing but love and friendship!" Twilight recognised there was something slightly off about her voice. The tiniest bit of distortion that her ears kept picking up, scrambling her brain even more.
"What have you done with our friends?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, lifting off into the air and throwing a few punches at the figure's direction. "Don't make me buck your head off!"
The glistening toothy smile only widened more. The pony wasn't even slightly phased by Rainbow's hollow threats. "Why don't you ask them yourself?"
Into the green hue came another figure. Twilight could clearly see the robust figure of the pony coupled with a stetson hat that resided neatly atop her head: Applejack.
"Uh, howdy sugarcube." Applejack mumbled as she trotted up next to the black pony. Her mane was slightly ruffled and a few scrapes and bruises kept appearing as the green glow flickered more.
"A-applejack?" Rainbow's voice cracked. "You're alive! Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're alive! I got so worried when I saw you get grabbed. My mind's been running in circles ever since! I just couldn't imagine-"
"It's alright, Rainbow Dash. I know." Applejack replied in a monotone voice. "I suppose I'm still fine and all."
"You 'suppose'-?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow, staring blankly at Applejack, who stared blankly back.
A giggle escaped the black pony, who looked between Rainbow and Applejack intently. "Oh I'd say she's more than just fine..." The pony slithered around Applejack like a snake with a creepy smile permanently engraved on her face. "Applejack's done a great service for her hive. Greater than I could have possibly expected." She reached out a hoof and stroked Applejack's chin.
Applejack smiled happily, her eyes following the black pony's every move. "Oh thank you, my queen! It was an honour through and through." She bowed her head. "I even impressed myself being able to feed off two ponies, but honestly, they were easy bait. Rainbow Dash here was practically eating out of my hooves." She flicked a malicious grin at Rainbow before turning her attention back to the queen.
"Aw look at the little pony. All confused and alone." The queen stepped slowly over to the cyan pegasus, who did nothing but continue staring at Applejack in pure horror. "She never loved you." The queen spat out the words with venom. "All that time you blindly followed your heart, not once realising what was really going on. Oh, such a tragic tale!" She giggled again, rearing up in excitement. "And such a delicious one as well!"
The queens horn lit up as more magic channelled through it. Out of the darkness, her magic levitated two small cocoons made out of a weird, glossy material. Twilight, Rainbow and Fluttershy all gasped in equal terror as they saw their friends nestled away inside of the makeshift prisons. They were completely frozen, with looks of shock covering their faces and hooves desperately trying to protect themselves. Twilight could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.
In front of the cocoons, 'Applejack' inspected all of them, licking her lips. An emerald glow swarmed over her and once her whole body was encased in it, the fur began to fall away from her, being torn from her body to reveal a black, scaley surface beneath it. Transparent wings sprang from their hiding place and her two gentle eyes faded away just to be replaced by giant, lifeless blue ones. The transformation was soon complete, and a small insect-like creature turned to Rainbow Dash and smiled.
"B-But...why?" Rainbow's voice croaked in the darkness. Her knees felt weak at the sight of the insect before her and it felt like her heart had been wrenched from her chest and crushed slowly and horribly in front of her eyes. Her mouth opened and closed as soundless sentences escaped her lips.
The changeling merely smirked at her. Every movement it made was paired with a crunching, disgusting sound as its joints cracked and creaked. But Rainbow just couldn't remove the image of its sickening smile from her brain. "Oh please, it's not that hard." It spoke in a gravelly voice. "It didn't take much to take Applejack's place. You know, for an element of harmony, she really is completely and utterly stupid." It chuckled, never taking its stare off Rainbow.
The pegasus could feel the anger building up inside her. Fire in her soul heating up and overwhelming her thoughts. "Are you bucking kidding me?!" Rainbow yelled. "Applejack is not s-stupid! Don't you dare talk about her like that!" She made a swipe for the insect, launching herself into the air and aiming a hindleg directly for its face. The insect in question merely slid to the side before it connected, leaving Rainbow in a confused heap on the ground a few feet away. A thin layer of dirt was flung into the air as Rainbow crash-landed with a loud grunt escaping her lips. She coughed and spluttered when some of the putrid earth landed on her outstretched tongue. Yuck.
"I can't believe Applejack would even dream of dating a pathetic pony like you." The changeling continued on. It began a slow waltz around the cave space, pausing at each cocoon to stare into the lifeless eyes of the pony trapped inside. "Who would have thought such a strong-willed and determined pony would want to settle for a, uh-" It cocked its head to the side and gave Rainbow the once over. "Such a weak and small pegasus. But I don't make up the rules of love, only bend and break them to please the queen." It added with a smirk.
"I'm not...weak." Rainbow muttered. She sheepishly rubbed her hooves together, staring down at the rocky ground. "I'm just an awesome pegasus...the awesomest."
The changeling laughed heartily. "A pegasus who couldn't even tell the pony she loved how much she loved her for two years? No, you're not awesome Miss Dash. Far from it. Which just made it easier to do my job." Its voice never seemed to change. Cold and monotone.
As the conversation continued, Twilight grabbed Fluttershy and led them around a small crescent of rocks on the outskirts of the room. She cast a spell and in a blink, their hooves were deathly silent against the rock floor. The queen was too focused on the stand-off between Rainbow and the changeling commander to notice the two small shadows creeping against the wall. Fluttershy whimpered the closer they got to the cocoons and shut her eyes, only relying on Twilight to guide her through the darkness. The first they reached was Pinkie Pie's. The earth pony stared out into the void with glossy white eyes, a smile eternally plastered on her muzzle. Twilight encased the entire thing in magic but quickly dissipated it.
No, Pinkie will be too loud. I'll get her last so we can make a run for it straight away, Twilight thought, trying to plan out an escape as she sneaked around. Despite having the spell cast, she still cringed every time she put her hoof down for fear of making a single sound. The second that she reached Applejack's cocoon she desperately wrapped it in her magical aura, tugging and pulling at it as quickly and quietly as possible. One tug. The queen's eyes did not leave Rainbow Dash. Two tugs. Still nothing. Three tugs and a loud snap echoed across the cavern. The queen knew. Twilight just stood there petrified, the cocoon shaking just as much as she was in that situation.
It was fight or flight, and she chose the latter. Channelling every fibre of her being into her magical output, she hoisted the two cocoons and Fluttershy and turned tail towards the exit. Rainbow is a strong mare, She thought to herself, biting her lip. If I can just get the rest of our friends to safety...then...then we can face the queen. But just as the unicorn reached the exit into the outer tunnels, a thick layer of boulders and dust descended upon her and she narrowly missed getting crushed as the exit sealed before her. She twisted her neck around in fear as the queen stared at her with a sickening smile.
"Oh, you're not going anywhere, little ponies." The queen giggled returning her gaze upon Rainbow. "You're going to miss the rest of the show if you leave now!"
Rainbow Dash could barely speak, the fury and rage taking over every fibre of her being. "Well, you know what?" She uttered almost silently. "I don't give a buck if the mare in that cocoon loves me or not, because you know what? I love her! And that's all that really matters! And I don't care what you might say, because all I'm going to do now is buck your teeth in!" The pegasus swiftly soared into the air, spinning around incredibly fast and delivering a heavy blow with her hindleg to the face of the unprepared changeling. It's black body made a horrible crunch sound as it fell to the floor, barely moving. Rainbow was seething, her chest rising up and down in an aggressive manner. Before the creature even had a chance to move again, the lithe pegasus was already charging like a bull towards her target. She spread her wings to life her off the floor, twisting around to deliver a roundhouse kick directly in the side of the changeling. The small creature was like a ragdoll being flung across the enclosed space as if it was nothing; a victim to the fury of Rainbow Dash.
After a consecutive series of bucks and kicks, the insect's breathing was more ragged and it's words remained imprisoned in it's throat. Nevertheless, it slowly twisted its ugly head head to face Rainbow. She growled at the changeling as a sickening smile spread across its black lips. A quiet giggle to her left snapped her attention away from the foe before her. The queen's head reared back as the giggle became a laugh and her crooked horn began to glow an ethereal green that filled the dark space.
"What's so funny?" Rainbow yelled, lowering herself as if ready to pounce on the changeling queen and tear her apart with her own bare hooves.
"Oh, you really don't understand do you?" The queen replied with a malicious grin. "You ponies have such simple minds. You're so fuelled by your desires and interests, that you throw all logic out the window as if you can possibly hope to achieve them. Take you for example." She raised an eyebrow smugly. "Attacking the perpetrator of your misery as if it will take back the fact that Applejack doesn't love you at all." She giggled once again.
Rainbow's breathing slowed and her ears dropped. "I-I..." She bit her tongue, unable to find a comeback in the mess of her thoughts. Instead, her gaze simply fell to the cold stone floor beneath her as the sound of the queen laughing echoed in her mind over and over again.
Without thoughts of cheer, or happiness, or love, the planes of a pony's subconscious can become a dark and foreboding place. A mental prison where motivation and drive are locked away in chains, and the screams for help are subdued by cruel laughter and tears. Rainbow crumbled to the cavern floor with a whimper, ignoring the tears that ran down her fuzzy cyan cheeks as they splashed to the rocky surface beneath her. Chrysalis' horn continued to glow, the green becoming more vivid. The craggy walls were illuminated in the process, and dark shadows spread across the floor like wildfire. Rainbow just shut her eyes and waited for the inevitable, her wings locked to her side and her hooves trembling.
Chrysalis fired a magic bolt at the small pegasus, which darted across the room like a hungry pack of wolves honing in for the kill. As they came within a metre of Dash, a sudden magenta shield seemed to form around her and the bolt dissipated into shards that fell like fading embers to the ground. Rainbow tentatively opened her eyes once more, a gasp escaping her parched lips as she lay witness to the protective layer around her.
"What?" Chrysalis blinked, a low snarl forming in her throat as she tried to charge up another bolt. "You'll pay for that you worm!" She fired bolt after bolt, but the shield refused to yield, and Rainbow got herself to her hooves. Her limbs felt weak and frail, but she hid her pain behind a mask of sly grins and a mischievous gaze. "Why won't you die already?!" The changeling queen screamed, her attacks losing focus in her rage.
"That's enough!"
The voice was small, and Chrysalis held off her attacks for a brief moment as she looked around. Into the glow returned Twilight, with a hesitant Rarity and a number of Unicorn guards. Her horn sparked with a purple fire, and Chrysalis' rage turned for the worst.
"How dare you come and attempt to save this welp!" Chrysalis launched an attack directly at Twilight. Twilight screamed as she dodged out of the way, with three guards taking her position and bringing up an arcane wall to block the threats.
As Twilight lost focus, the shield around Rainbow broke and she launched herself at the changeling beside Chrysalis, using her wings to propel them both forwards. With a grunt, she slammed him against the cavern wall, throwing punches at him like a cornered, crazed cat. Within a few seconds, she was carrying him across the room again in blind fury. Rainbow's eyes seemed to flicker a menacing red. Her brow remained permanently furrowed. She threw the changeling to the ground in a crumpled heap.
Twilight stumbled to her hooves with the help of Rarity, and she stood with the unicorn guards behind the wall. "Just as planned, get the spell ready." She said to them in a calm tone, taking deep breaths as she eyed up Chrysalis. Rows of horns lit up simultaneously, like rainbows in the darkness. "And...now!" Twilight yelled. The arcane defences dropped, and in its wake, the group fired a concentrated beam at Chrysalis. It hit her straight in her thick black shell, and she reeled back in surprise. A silent moment of respite followed the blast, the weak pants of all those involved filling the air. The changeling queen tried to get up again, but her hooves seemed to fall out from beneath her each time she tried. Her black eyes darted back and forth between all of the ponies in her sight.
"You...you will all pay. One day. But not..." Chrysalis scrunched her muzzle in pain as she spoke. "...not today." Her horn had a faded glow that she wrapped herself and her accomplice in, before teleporting out of the cavern. All that was left was dimming green specks of magic hanging in the air, and a small pool of black blood where the changeling had lay after Rainbow's attack. Rainbow herself lay on the floor with her wings spread out, panting. Sweat perpetrated her fur.
"Rainbow? Are you alright?" Twilight spoke up, carefully approaching her friend.
"Mmrf...yeah. I guess." A sigh formed in Rainbow's throat. "Kinda alright. Even though I feel like my heart's been tossed around a blender or something."
"Rainbow..." Twilight sat down next to her, slowly running her hoof along her back like a mother comforting her foal. "I don't really know what to tell you right now, nor do I have any experience in doing so. But you need to keep strong for me right now, okay?" A soft smile spread across her lips. "We can deal with all this mess once we get back to Ponyville. Applejack still needs some serious time to recover."
"Recover?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow, lifting her head up from the floor.
"...She's been stuck in that cocoon for months. Maybe even years. Even she doesn't know." Twilight helped Rainbow up, illuminating the immediate area so they could find their way out. "It's understandably scary for her at the moment."
Rainbow's heart almost froze over. Y-Years? Her thoughts turned to mush. "So that means..."
"I'm sorry, Rainbow."
Rainbow couldn't even keep her head up as they walked out of the cave, conflicted in a myriad of feelings and emotions. Twilight could only pity her winged friend, keeping a hoof wrapped around her as they walked out. Outside in the clearing, the sun's warm light was almost blinding after so long in a lightless hole. Rainbow blinked repeatedly, trying to wash off the effects. In front of her, the unicorn guards muttered amongst one another to the right, while she could make out the huddle of Rarity, Applejack, a confused Pinkie Pie and an even more bewildered Fluttershy. Rarity was the first to spot Rainbow and Twilight emerge, trotting over to them in a hurry.
"Rainbow, I..." Rarity's lip trembled as she tried to speak. "I came to apologise. What- what I said was wrong of me, and very improper, and you're such a wonderful friend, and you've always been so respective of my interests that I...I'm babbling on like an old mare." She let out a nervous giggle, flicking her mane out of her vision. "I'm just so sorry, Rainbow. I must have come across, like...like..."
"A bit of a bitch?" Rainbow chuckled in a weak voice.
"Well uh, in less eloquent terms, yes." Rarity admitted.
"I'm just glad we're all back together. We can go back to Ponyville and just...chill a bit, y'know? I'm all out of awesome right now." Rainbow continued, nudging Rarity with a hoof, prompting a smile from the unicorn. "We cool?"
"Yeah, we cool."
"If it wasn't for Rarity, I don't know if we would have been able to stop that changeling queen." Twilight perked up, shifting up alongside Rainbow. "She went back out the forest and ended up rounding up all the unicorn guards here to try and help clear out the forest. I guess the hooves of fate were in our corner today fortunately. But something tells me that queen is none too happy. I need to study up on my Equestrian creatures clearly..."
"Perhaps, you know, you can leave the studying until after some rest, Twi?" Rainbow spread her wings, ascending into a light hover as she threw a smirk at Twilight. "I, uh...I have a lot to think and talk about anyway." Her eyes gradually shifted over to Applejack, who was in the middle of a very intense conversation with Fluttershy. Fluttershy spotted her gaze and matched it, some embarassment in her calm eyes before she put her attention back on Applejack. "Yeah...definitely a lot to talk about." Rainbow sighed.
The journey back was an arduous one. The guards were quick to dissipate, returning home or simply teleporting away once they were certain it was safe. The six elements kept close together as they trotted back to the Manehattan train station. But there was no conversation, only silence. Words danced on the tip of Rainbow's tongue but she didn't know what to say, or who to. The silence persisted as a train came steaming in, and six pairs of hooves clambered onto it. Rainbow couldn't take her eyes off of Applejack but...it didn't feel the same. This Applejack had no idea of the very same feelings Rainbow had gushed about, those feelings that came out with each touch, each hug...each kiss.
Applejack smiled as she peered out of the train window, fleeting countryside views and vivid landscapes rushing by. A smile that had nothing to do with Rainbow. The pegasus was alone again.
The story will most likely alternate between slice-of-life and adventure arcs throughout, so hope you enjoy!