Pride or Joy
Why?
Her wings whistled through the air, propelling her through the heartlessly cold night air.
Why? Tell me…
A quick course correction sent her low over the ground. The knee of one hoof just barely clipped the dirt, and the tip of one wing just kissed the ground, but she was much too focused to pay attention.
Rainbow’s eyes stayed fixated on the mare in front of her. Her target’s armor glinted in the moonlight. Strands of her blonde mane streaked in the pale light as she turned, pivoting expertly on her hind legs. The moon also gleamed off of the razor-sharp halberd head as it came whirling around in Rainbow’s direction, guided by a pair of orange hooves. Steady. Without hesitation.
Tell me why, Applejack!
Rainbow heard the whistle of steel as it passed over her head. It had been doomed to miss from the start; her opponent was swinging at shadows sightlessly, hoping to get lucky, hoping her blade would find what the night hid.
They both knew how this would end. There was only one way, one possible way. So, when Rainbow veered inward, wings aimed at the back of her adversary’s ungaurded neck with lethal intent, eyes unfettered by the creeping black shadows of the surrounding trees, she knew this was it. This was how it ended.
Tell me… how did it come to this?
********
Several hours earlier…
********
“She still at it?”
A boom reverberated through the dark castle’s halls, resulting in a thin trickle of dust cascading from the ceiling. Some of that dust found the helmet of a motionless mare, who stood as still as a statue in the shadow of a doorway.
She looked up, sharp eyes gleaming in the eerie blue torches. “That answer your question?” inquired Rainbow Dash.
At her side, a stallion clad in a similar suit of dark armor let out a barely perceptible sigh. “It’s been three days already…”
“Her Majesty doesn't like being made a fool of,” Rainbow remarked back in her usual short manner.
The stallion stole a glance at her, but for a long time he kept his silence.
Rainbow was glad for the quiet. She took her job as one of the Night Guard very seriously, and as such didn't appreciate idle banter. For a nopony like her to be blessed by Her Highness Nightmare Moon herself… Rainbow’s chest swelled with pride just at the thought. True it took some getting used to, but by now, she barely even recalled the feel of feathers. The feel of the warm, fuzzy, leathery membrane stretched between flexible yet rigid bone had been unnerving against her sides, but now the very same bat-like wings felt like just another part of her. She barely recalled what ‘darkness’ was; the night didn’t hide anything from her eyes.
To go from a rookie in the Royal Guard reserve in Cloudsdale to one of Queen Nightmare Moon’s chosen elite was beyond anything she could have ever dreamed of. For the first time in forever, she felt a real sense of purpose, of ambition to actually amount to something! Even if that meant, at present, she was simply sitting in front of a door that kept trembling ominously from unseen blasts from further inside the castle. Not rounding up bandits or beating the floor with those sore losers, the insurrectionists. Guard duty. Plain old, boring as dirt, guard duty.
But Rainbow took it in stride. There weren’t many who could say they personally guarded the ruler of Equestria, but Rainbow knew she was one of them. And that was something to be proud of.
“Who do you think she was?”
The voice of the stallion immediately soured her mood just a little more.“Nightmare Moon doesn't pay us to think, you know,” Rainbow snapped.
“But you saw her, didn't you?” the guard persisted, undaunted by her cutting tone. “wings and a horn, just like Her Majesty, and...” he stole a glance around, making sure nopony was overhearing them. “Princess Celestia,” he hissed in a tiny, conspiratorial whisper.
Rainbow groaned. This again… the talk of the town. The mystery mare and her pet talking lizard, the one who had tricked Nightmare Moon and escaped her clutches, and currently stood as Equestria’s most wanted and public enemy number one. To hear all that, one would think she were some terrific mastermind, not some nerdy dork like Rainbow had seen.
A nerdy dork that had humiliated Her Majesty and, by extension the entire Night Guard as a whole, mind, but a dork nonetheless. A part of Rainbow couldn’t help but be impressed, but not enough to keep her chagrin in check. What she wouldn't give to be out there, looking for that lavender mare herself. Maybe teach her some manners one hoof at a time. But no. Guard duty.
The castle trembled again, this time followed by a protracted series of booms. Another set of bookcases toppled, no doubt. Rainbow couldn’t help but hope Her Majesty found whatever she was looking for soon, because the longer she didn’t the worse her temper was becoming. They’d be replacing whole wings of the castle at this rate.
“Look,” Rainbow started shortly. “I don't know who she is, and frankly, I don't care. If she has any sense, she’ll be on the other side of the world by now and hiding under the biggest rock she can find.”
The other guard raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, it’s only a matter of time. Nightmare Moon has her best tracking down the fugitive. No matter what kind of magic she was using, they’ll find her.”
Behind Rainbow’s glaring visor, she glowered to herself.
Nightmare Moon’s best… yet here she was. On guard duty.
Finally, the guard fell quiet, leaving Rainbow to her own devices. Or, perhaps sulking was a better word for it. She was starting to get real tired of being looked down on.
~~***~~
Rainbow’s mood hadn’t improved by the time her shift ended. When the next pair of bat-winged guards came to relieve her and her companion, she merely turned and left without a word. She opened her wings and quickly darted into the air, far out of reach of anypony else who might feel like pestering her. She made a beeline for the nearest balcony two corridors down, then swooped out into the open night air.
Her eyes adjusted immediately to the midnight gloom. Under the bright full moon, she could see miles and miles in every direction - further than she ever could before meeting Nightmare Moon. Her dark, umbral wings didn’t make as much as a whisper of sound. Flying was effortless; she could travel for miles and miles and never get winded.
But for the moment, she was content to coast through the sky, letting the faint breeze tug her this way and that. Far below, the Everfree Forest stretched in every direction like a mass of lumpy blankets. Far off on the horizon, she could see the street lights of the closest settlement. Ponyhill, or something. The name escaped her at the moment.
She turned her attention upward, towards the dazzled night sky. The profound clarity of her eyes showed her the immense tapestry of stars overhead, countless in number. Situated in their midst was the moon itself, shining with an odd iridescent hue, the same way it had since Nightmare Moon’s victory.
A lot had changed in just a few years. Rainbow could barely recall what sunlight was like, and frankly, she didn’t miss it. She closed her eyes as she drifted through the sky and inhaled a deep, soothing breath of cool air.
It almost worked, too.
That strange winged unicorn had been right there, right in front of her! If she’d been quicker, she could have caught her right then and there. If she’d paid closer attention… If she’d seen it coming…
Rainbow ground her teeth. She hated failure, but to fail right in front of Her Majesty herself! Oh, when she got her hooves on that stupid nerdy-looking filly, she was going to…
Nightmare Moon has her best tracking the fugitive…
Rainbow let out a frustrated sound. Without thinking, she turned and shot off straight towards the distant lights of Ponymill, or whatever it was called.
~~***~~
Rainbow’s agitation had managed to come down to a low simmer by the time she spotted the towers.
Where once Ponyville had been just some no-name farming community, it now sat on the very doorstep of Nightmare Moon’s seat of power. As such, some… renovations were necessary. The most obvious was the garrison.
Midnight blue stone and dark burnished metal rose from behind the fortified walls of a bristling fortress, overshadowing the puny thatched roof cottages below. The garrison itself sat perched right on top of the only established route through the dreaded Everfree, forcing all ponies to trudge through its oppressive gates.
As Rainbow slowly spiraled down from several hundred feet up, she saw the familiar training grounds situated inside the fort’s towering walls, the barracks, the giant citadel whose windows glowed with an eerie blue light. She, along with the very first of the Night Guard, trained here. Just the sight of her old stomping grounds made her feel better.
As she descended, her eyes immediately fell upon the sparring grounds, and locked on. They were occupied, of course; some by trainee pegasi going through their training regiment, others by bat-winged veterans sharpening their skills.
For a moment, Rainbow considered jumping into the trainee’s bouts and showing them how a real Night Guard took care of business. But no… she wanted an opponent that she could actually vent on for a while, not just a hit or two.
By the time she’d set herself down on the ground, she was aware of several pairs of eyes tracking her. Several large stallions, all muscle and bristling with testosterone, gauged her approach. Rainbow sized them up as well, before going back to looking around. No, she needed somepony more durable…
“Well, well, look who it is,” one of the stallions chuckled.
Rainbow’s scowl immediately got worse. She knew that voice way too well.
She turned towards the speaker, just as he sidled up to her. He was a mountain of flesh, all iron-hard muscle beneath brown fur. His large bat wings stayed unfurled, as if he were showing them off. From behind his visor, Rainbow could see his catseye pupils staring contemptuously down at her. The little tufts of fur on the tips of his ears caught the moonlight behind him. He was a full-fledged bat-pony, the pinnacle of Nightmare Moon’s chosen. And oh how he enjoyed flaunting it.
“Dumbbell,” Rainbow snarled, “I am not in the mood tonight.”
Rainbow could practically see her old tormenter grinning through his solid metal facemask. “Aw what’s wrong, Crash? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed today, too?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Ha ha, boy you sure got me,” she deadpanned. “Sure haven’t heard you say that one before.” She made to step around him, but he barred her way.
“Cute,” Dumbbell sneered. “You finally get tired of being only half-bat, huh?”
Rainbow glared at him. Yes, Nightmare Moon had only given her a portion of the night’s blessing, hence why her appearance was still very equine. It wouldn’t do to give a pony the full range of her enchantments when they were either unproven or worse.
But the only reason Rainbow wasn’t fully fledged yet was because she had yet to prove herself. That was all. Very few threats to Nightmare Moon’s rule made it to the castle these days. Or… existed in Equestria, for that matter. She’d been very thorough in ridding the land of any challenger that could possibly stand up to her.
“Dumby. Not. Tonight,” Rainbow warned.
True to his nickname, the big dumb bat-pony didn’t take the hint. In fact, his laughter only indicated that he found her outrage adorable. “What are you going to do about it, Crash? Hit me—”
WHAM!
Something struck Dumbbell square in the face with enough force to bowl him over backwards. And to Rainbow’s considerable surprise, it hadn’t been her hoof. Whatever it’d been, it’d whizzed within a hair’s breadth of her ear on its way to Dumbbell’s helmet, where it struck with quite the loud bang.
It wasn’t until Dumbbell capsized, one leg twitching in the air, that Rainbow identified the projectile; a small rubber mallet used for tapping out small dents in armor.
“Whoops,” called a voice behind Rainbow. “Real sorry about that. Hoof slipped.”
Rainbow turned, eyes seeking out the speaker instantly. She sat not far away on a bench. Her blonde mane was pulled back in a ponytail to keep it out of her way as she leaned over a disassembled mess of metal and wood; a hefty polearm of some sort.
Her green eyes flashed as she glanced up. A thick steel nail protruded from between her lips, one corner of which was cocked up in a wry grin. The moonlight danced off of a ghastly series of pearly white scars across her muzzle that went all the way down to her top lip.
“I didn’t hit you ponies, did I?” she inquired, her voice echoing with a teasing note.
Her voice rang with a most out of place accent. Given her scarred, muscular appearance, a stately Manehattan drawl was the last thing anypony would expect to emanate from that mouth of hers.
For a moment, Rainbow could only stare at the strange creature seated amidst bits of metal, leather and wood. Seeing that familiar smirk that twisted up the scars on her face sent a familiar twitch running through her, like the sparks created by a flint and tinder, ready to ignite.
“Evening, Rainbow,” Applejack greeted with a kind nod. “How’s the castle life treating you?”
Rainbow huffed in response, much to Applejack’s amusement. She didn’t feel like saying much. Dumbbell’s reawakening would have cut off anything she had to say, anyway.
He shot back upright and fixed the nonchalant mare with a withering glare. “Hey! Watch yourself, earth pony, or else I’ll have to teach you some manners!”
Applejack rolled her eyes. Her smile didn’t diminish. “Oh heaven forbid. Anything but that.”
Dumbbell was really starting to bristle now. “Look, private,” he shot, “watch yourself. I will make life miserable for you.”
Applejack’s smirk only grew. She cocked her head to one side, towards the training yard. “There’s a sparring ring right over there,” she offered. “Care to settle this like ponies?”
Rainbow knew what the answer would be. It still took her some doing to not bristle when Dumbbell looked at Applejack like she’d just suggested he take a dip in a septic tank.
“Me? Spar with some earth pony? As if. Next you’ll suggest I drill with a bunch of schoolyard fillies. Maybe if I didn’t have more important things to do than squash you like a bug.”
Rainbow saw the flicker in Applejack’s smile. For a moment - just a moment - it diminished. Then, it came back just as strong as ever. For some reason, that made her want to beat the floor with Dumbbell even more than ever.
Rainbow knew the score. In Nightmare Moon’s Night Guard, anypony was welcome. But only the pegasi ever received the gift of the night. Perhaps it was personal preference on Nightmare Moon’s part, perhaps it was archaic thinking - Pegasi were known for their warrior tradition, after all. Those blessed with the gift were stronger, faster, deadlier combatants; it was a simple fact. Unicorns at least had a place in divisions thanks to their magic. But earth ponies? Nopony put much stock in their kind. They were simply expendable frontline troops. Expendable. Cannon fodder. The scars on Applejack’s muzzle were testament to that.
None of the Night Guard would ever take a challenge from a mere earth pony seriously. It was as Dumbbell said; there wouldn’t be any sport in it, at least from their point of view.
While Dumbbell’s nearby comrades had a laugh at Applejack’s ridiculous, borderline suicidal challenge, Rainbow felt her blood boiling even higher. They didn’t have clue number one about what she was capable of. None of them did. And they weren’t even going to give her a shot, even after being garrisoned here for so long.
“You’re funny, Applejack,” Dumbbell jeered. He was turning away. “One of these days I might just take you up on that offer. Gotta set an example to the recruits somehow.”
“Indeed,” Applejack commented, half-grinning. “Well, next time, then.”
Dumbbell huffed, turned up his nose, and trotted away. His posse fell in line behind him. One made a quiet comment, and the lot burst out into scornful laughter.
Rainbow watched them go, blood pounding in her ears. She put one hoof down to follow.
“Hold on, sugar. Let ‘em go.”
She snapped around towards Applejack, who met her glare with a calm, smile-less look. “It’s not worth it,” she said.
Rainbow felt her expression twist up, rage rising inside her, as Applejack got up and calmly scooped up her mallet. “I’ve been dealing with those guys for a while,” Applejack commented as she turned her eyes down to her project. “Trust me. They’re a lot more trouble than they’re worth.”
Rainbow didn’t like it. She really didn’t like it.
Applejack had been there, with all of them, since the beginning. She’d been in that first batch of trainees, just like herself, just like Dumbbell, just like dozens more. How could they pretend not to know what she was capable of? Why, if Rainbow had a pony half as capable as Applejack when that mare had turned up…
She still remembered those early days. The drilling, the brutal training, the survival exercises… Then the operations… Years spent watching each other’s backs. The binds, the near-disasters, the victories, the losses… Always, they’d faced them together, and come out in one piece, because of each other.
Then, she’d been transferred to the castle. Promoted, some said. Rainbow didn’t agree, not when the other half of her was left behind.
Applejack’s expression was changing. Rainbow realized too late that she’d been staring. Her old partner’s features softened, and a more genuine smile took form on the undamaged side of her face. “I’m glad to see you, sugar,” she said. “It’s been too long. I swear, if I clean my gear any more, I’m going to forget how to actually use it.”
Rainbow huffed. If she wasn’t in such a foul mood, she may have even acknowledge the small curl in the corner of her mouth for what it was. “Get your stuff, rookie,” she ordered. “I’ll whip you back into shape.”
Rookie. Her tongue-in-cheek nickname.
Applejack grinned, broader this time. “Yes ma’am.”
~~***~~
Many were the murmurs that saturated the training yard when Rainbow Dash, a Night Guard pony clad in the intimidating armor of one of the royal guard, stepped into a circle worn into the middle of the yard with, of all things, an earth pony.
The new blood recognized Applejack, if only because they’d seen her sitting around so much, apparently not doing much. To actually see her participating was unusual. But considering who and what her opponent was, few wanted to watch. Some even grimaced and turned away.
“Alright, AJ,” Rainbow barked, her voice tinny through her helmet. “Usual rules?”
Applejack grinned through her half-helmet. “Sounds good,” she said. Her armor wasn’t nearly as spectacular as Rainbows; mostly leather, with some metal plates and sections of ringmail where flexibility was key. It hung low over the sides of her barrel and flanks like a skirt, but not so low that it hindered her movement.
But what everypony in the yard was looking at was her weapon.
Standing as tall as she was long, the halberd in Applejack’s hooves was a heavy, brute-force weapon. The axe head’s edge had been notched and chipped, and the straight shank atop the weapon was so chewed up it resembled a key.
“I thought you were going to get that fixed,” Rainbow pointed out coolly. “Don’t tell me you’ve been sitting on your flank all this time.”
Applejack chortled. “What can I say? They don’t make steel like they used to. It’d be nice to test ol’ Bloomberg here against something more challenging than a timberwolf, for a change.”
All eyes shifted across the ring, towards Rainbow, who was unarmed. She grinned inside her helmet. Her heart was thumping for the first time in what felt like forever. Oh how she’d missed this.
“Well then, let’s see what you got, rookie!”
Applejack grinned. Fire burned in her eyes, her teeth flashing. She reared up and Rainbow coiled like a spring, muscles tensing. “Come on!” she cried happily. She brandished her heavy weapon, the tip hissing through the air until its tip was pointed down towards Rainbow’s hooves.
Rainbow rocked back, and then like a shot, she was tearing straight at her opponent, grinning ear to ear.
Applejack’s first move was predictable. She sprang backwards and brought her bladed weapon up in a flash of moonlit steel. But she was slow.
Rainbow pitched to one side, skirting just out of the way of Applejack’s opening strike. She kept rolling, and at just the right moment, flashed out one of her enchanted wings.
With a bang, it collided hard with the shaft of Applejack’s weapon, which had been flung forward to meet it. The impact would have been more than enough to shatter every bone in a normal pegasus’ wing. But Rainbows wings weren’t ‘normal’.
More magic than flesh, they took the blow without her feeling more than a jolt. She sailed right by Applejack, then her wings flashed open to propel her straight up into the air.
The world blurred. The wind whistled in her ears. Her heart thundered with adrenaline, glorious adrenaline! She’d miss this so much! Action, breakneck speeds, the threat of danger and even death! A peel of laughter escaped her lungs as she shot up, then pulled a pulse-quickening loop through the air, as fast as a diving falcon.
She swooped back at Applejack, who was already waiting for her. She thrust the reverse end of her halberd straight at Rainbow’s face as she approach, advancing a step.
Rainbow saw it coming, and again veered. But not quite fast enough. She felt the sharp and abrupt impact as Applejack corrected her aim, and the butt of her polearm collided with the side of Rainbow’s helmet with a loud clang. It caught on the edge of the eyehole, millimeters from Rainbow’s eye, and wrenched her head around.
When the world stopped spinning, Rainbow found her head in the open air, the world suddenly very full and large without the restricting holes of the helmet to block her sight.
She hit the ground on her shoulder, rolled, and popped up again before her helmet could even hit the ground.
Applejack stood in front of her, hesitant. “What’re you just standing there for, rookie?!” Rainbow shot, and before Applejack could react, she planted both hooves dead into her chest.
All the breath shot from Applejack’s lungs in a woosh and she skidded backwards before tumbling over.
Rainbow soared up into the air, at least twenty feet overhead. She looked down, panting slightly. Her heart thundered joyously. Her body was hot, blood pounding.
On the ground, Applejack was spread out on her back, motionless. Then, after the few moments she needed to collect herself, a chuckle started to color the air.
It rose and rose, until Applejack was letting out great guffaws of laughter, a sound echoed from above by an overjoyed bat-pony.
All of the trainees in the yard looked on with trepidation, some with flat out worry. “Are… are they mad?” one whispered to his neighbor.
“They’re lunatics,” another intoned, watching with wide eyes as Applejack rolled back to her hooves.
“Insane,” another murmured as the two squared off again.
“... They’re kinda hot,” one added as the renewed clang of steel rent the air.
Everypony turned to look at him, much to his embarrassment. “What? They are.”
~~***~~
“You haven’t lost your touch, Dash,” Applejack chuckled.
Rainbow allowed a bit of laughter, herself. “Neither have you. For a bench-warmer.”
Applejack grinned.
Both mares trudged their way into the barracks, away from the wide-eyed stares of the spectators they’d acquired with their little bout. Both of them were sporting throbbing bruises, and even a cut or two, and yet neither really cared. In fact, Rainbow couldn’t get rid of her grin.
The hallway was quiet, deserted. They passed numerous doors without paying them any mind, and proceeded right down to the end of the hall, and the last set of closed entryways.
“So,” Applejack started, giving her partner a sidelong glance. “Heard you had an unexpected visitor a few days back.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes and let out a groan. “Ugh, not you, too…”
Applejack shrugged. “I can barely go a hundred feet without hearing somepony talking about it. It’s not every day that a pony pulls one over on Nightmare Moon and gets away with it.”
Rainbow scowled at nothing in particular. “Yeah, well, we’ll see how long that lasts. I don’t know where that weird pony went or how she escaped, but we’ll find her. Nopony makes a fool of Nightmare Moon and just gets away with it.”
Applejack continued to look at her. The grin slipped slightly on her face. Rainbow didn’t notice; she was too preoccupied with the demons running around in her head.
They were halfway down the hall, nearly to their destination.
“Say,” Applejack spoke up then, her tone nonchalant. “I don’t put much stock in gossip, but word is that pony said some pretty weird stuff.”
Rainbow huffed. “You bet she did. She said she was a time traveler, of all things. Can you believe that?”
Applejack scoffed for Rainbow’s benefit.
“And get this,” Rainbow went on. “She said she came from a time where her friends and her beat Nightmare Moon. How crazy is that?”
Applejack’s eyebrow rose. “She did?”
Rainbow nodded. “It sounded like a load of cow patties. I mean, come on! Nopony can beat Nightmare Moon, not even Princess Celestia! And time travel? Yeah right! Nopony can do that. If you ask me, she’s just some faker.”
Applejack chuckled under her breath. “Sounds like she got right under your skin, sugar.”
Rainbow whipped her head around, outrage bursting on her face. “She did not! I just can’t let some trickster like her get away with insulting Nightmare Moon, that’s all!”
“Uh huh,” Applejack responded, grinning to herself.
Rainbow glared at her. “I’m serious!”
“Uh huh.”
Rainbow groaned and turned away. “Okay, so maybe it is a little, teensy bit personal. I’m a part of Nightmare Moon’s personal guard, so of course it’s personal! But she’d never send me to find her, anyway. So it’s not my problem.”
Rainbow didn’t seen the look Applejack gave her out of the corner of her eye.
They proceeded in silence to the last set of doors at the very end of the hall. Inside was a small, rectangular room crammed full of beds. Rainbow had almost forgotten how cramped the barracks living conditions were, to the point that she found herself learning some very intimate details about ponies she never wanted to know. Cots were pretty much rammed up against one another, with zero personal space allocated to individuals. The smell was something Rainbow didn’t miss, either, and this was just the mare’s section. If it didn’t smell like sweat and blood, it wasn’t a Night Guard barracks.
At present, however, the unit was empty. Everypony was either out training or on patrol, which left the room uncharacteristically silent.
Rainbow turned to give Applejack a questioning look. “Don’t tell me they still have you crashing here?” she said, stunned.
Applejack gave her a look and a grin. “Guess nopony expected me to last as long as I have,” she commented wryly.
Something tightened in Rainbow’s chest at Applejack’s heartless comment, partially because she knew it was true. Most earth ponies either wash out or buy the farm, and those that made it were usually shipped off to the most dangerous postings, never to be heard from again. Applejack was one of the extreme lucky ones, but even here, in the shadow of the Midnight Castle, life for an earth pony Night Guard was far from easy.
Applejack trotted all the way down the row and to a cot sitting right beneath one of the few windows in the unit. Rainbow could tell right away it was hers, namely because she’d built up a modest collection of belongings around it. Two crates full of tools, spare parts, and travel gear, a single picture featuring a large crowd of ponies, and a very small locked jewelry box.
Rainbow’s eyes immediately locked on that box, and for a moment she hesitated. “You… still have that?” she inquired.
Applejack turned to grin over her shoulder. “Of course,” she said plainly. “What? Thought I’d get rid of it?”
While Rainbow shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat to save face, Applejack unclipped a series of buckles on her armor and shook herself free of all the leather and metal. It clattered to the stone floor in a heap.
Despite herself, Rainbow found her eyes drawn to the mare. Under the pale moonlight drifting in through the window, she could see Applejack’s uncovered body, and the savage network of scars riddling it.
Some were old, so old they were barely visible through her fur. Others still stood out, white and puckered. Her barrel, her shoulders, and her hind quarters were a tapestry of past battles, each one a brutal lesson in combat. And to Rainbow’s immense discomfort, she spotted at least three new ones; timberwolf claw marks that raked across her shoulder.
“That’s better,” Applejack sighed. “Been on duty all… night. I could use a little R & R.” When Rainbow didn’t respond, she glanced over her shoulder, noticed how she was staring at her, and cocked a grin. “Eyes up here, sugar,” she teased.
Rainbow blinked, then shook her head. “Er, sorry… what?”
Applejack laughed. “Come over here, silly. Let’s get you looked at.”
Rainbow huffed. “Look who’s calling who silly,” she countered, but all the same she started unbuckling her umbral armor. Meanwhile, Applejack dug around in one of her crates of possessions, then extracted a small box - a first aid kit. "If I recall clearly..."
"Here we go..."
"... I'm not the one who stumbled hoof-first into a hydra den, twice. In one patrol."
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, it wasn't that-"
"Twice, Applejack. Twice."
Applejack shook her head. "You ain't ever going to let me live that down, are you."
"No! Never! Cuz guess who had to save your sorry plot?"
"Oh we're comparing who saved who now, huh?" Applejack shot with a wicked grin. "Okay, I got two words for you. Ghastly. Gorge."
"That was one time!"
"One time was more than enough, sugar," Applejack grumbled, shivering under past memories. "Took us all day to get out of that mess, all because somepony wanted to take a shortcut!"
Rainbow stuck her tongue out at her partner, much to Applejack's amusement.
The two took a seat on the edge of Applejack’s cot while fighting back snickers. Rainbow sat as still as she could, but couldn’t quite manage it. When Applejack pulled out a small adhesive strip and started to bring it towards a cut on Rainbow’s forehead, she caught her hoof.
“I got it,” Rainbow said, taking the strip.
“Right,” Applejack responded.
The two sat in silence for the longest time, licking their own hard-earned wounds. Rainbow didn’t feel the need to say anything. That was something she enjoyed the most about Applejack’s presence; there was no urge to fill the silence.
The nagging what-ifs stopped pestering her. Her frustrations eased. For the first time in a small lifetime, she felt… relaxed.
A slight rustle next to her brought Rainbow’s attention around. When she looked, she noticed Applejack had curled up on the bed like a cat, hooves tucked underneath her. She was looking up at the window, and when Rainbow followed her gaze, she saw the full moon staring back at her. Then she glanced back towards Applejack. Her fur and mane were bleached white under the moon, and her eyes looked like silver disks as they stared up, pensive, lost in thought.
“Something on your mind, rookie?” Rainbow asked.
Applejack blinked, then glanced at her. Rainbow settled down on the cot next to her and gave her an inquisitive look. Applejack was momentarily distracted by her severely short mohawk, the colors of which had been transformed into various shades of grey under the moonlight.
Applejack opened her mouth, then closed it. She turned back to the sky, to the iridescent moon. “Just… thinking.”
“About?” Rainbow prompted.
Applejack let out a faint breath and turned back to her long-time partner. “Just thinking… that interloper… the one who said she’d beaten Nightmare Moon where she came from…”
Rainbow huffed. “Yeah, I’ve been wondering where she got off to. Must be pretty sneaky if we haven’t found her yet.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
Rainbow cocked a brow at her. “Then what about her?”
Applejack didn’t respond immediately. She considered her words, then said, “What if… and this is purely a what-if, mind, but… what if that really happened?”
Rainbow blinked, nonplussed. “What, she beat Nightmare Moon?”
Applejack nodded. “What would happen? What would it be like in Equestria?”
Rainbow’s scoff drew her gaze back to her. “Come on,” Rainbow teased. “Nopony can beat Nightmare Moon. Remember when the Crystal Empire showed up? She leveled it in a day, by herself! The changelings? We hunted them all down! Okay, things got a little hairy after that big black and red guy turned up, but even he couldn’t stop her! Trust me, nopony can beat Nightmare Moon, period. She didn’t know what she was talking about.”
Applejack just gave her a patient look. “Humor me, sugar.”
Rainbow sighed, rolling her eyes. “Ugh, fine,” she said dubiously. She had to think very long and very hard, though. She’d spent so long living under Nightmare Moon’s rule that, frankly, an alternative just didn’t seem possible. If Nightmare Moon was defeated, what would happen to all of them? Who would lead? Who would protect them?
“Well,” she started slowly, “we’d be in pretty bad shape, wouldn’t we? We have security now, but if Nightmare Moon disappeared, that’d be gone, and the first bad guy with a bad attitude would just walk in and own the place.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Just like that? And you wouldn’t have anything to say about it?”
Rainbow snorted. “Well, I’m assuming they have me assassinated due to my overwhelming power, but that might just be me.”
Applejack chuckled. “Now that sounds more like you.”
Rainbow cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
Applejack’s smile softened. “Nothing…”
Rainbow continued to give her a perplexed look, even as Applejack turned away. She looked back up at the moon, and her eyes grew distant.
“You ever miss the sun, Dash?”
Rainbow snorted. “What kind of question is that? What’s with you tonight, AJ?”
Applejack smiled ever so slightly. “Don’t know. Guess I just miss having you around.”
Rainbow paused at that. She eyed Applejack’s moonlit face, but said nothing. From this side, she couldn’t see the horrible scars that marred her muzzle. Just the mare herself, free of superficial blemishes.
She saw Applejack’s eyes drift closed. Her head wandered in her direction.
They never touched. Not quite. There was always a distance between them - an inch, at best. Both weary souls leaned toward one another, never quite meeting. The feel and sound of their breaths… That was all the contact they made. But it was enough.
“You know,” Rainbow mumbled. “It’s been rough without you around, too.”
Applejack chuckled softly. “Glad to hear that.”
For a time, they both sat in silence, merely enjoying the presence of one another. Rainbow found herself relaxing, bit by bit… a bit too much. She straightened up, inhaling sharply as she roused. Applejack opened her eyes at the same time and gave her a questioning look.
“S-say,” Rainbow said quickly. “Feel like a quick patrol? You know, for old time’s sake.”
Applejack paused for a moment, then allowed a half-grin. “You know, that sounds like a—”
In the distance, the boom of the clock tower rang across the quiet land, tolling the hour. Half past noon.
“—idea that’ll have to wait,” Applejack with a disappointed sigh. “I got some chores that need doing first.”
Rainbow watched with her own sense of disappointment as Applejack rolled off the cot and began scooping up her armor. When she noticed Rainbow eying her, Applejack cocked a grin at her. “Get some rest, sugar. I’ll be back before your shift starts, promise.”
Rainbow watched as Applejack donned her well worn armor and hefted her battered spear. She turned, gave Rainbow a wink, then trudged from the room without a backward glance.
~~***~~
Applejack trudged alone along moonlit grasslands bordering the dreaded shadow of the Everfree Forest. It was a familiar path to her, one she’d stomped at least twice a day for who knew how many years now. It ran the whole periphery of Ponyville and the garrison, and was little more than a worn down path of dirt as wide as a cart. Yet, it was the first line of defense against the horror of the forest itself.
As Applejack trotted along, she passed another lit torch crackling with orange flames. She eyed it, ensured it hadn’t burned down too low, then continued on. Such torches lined the path every few yards, and each one needed to be checked regularly, every few hours. One hole, one snuffed torch, and so many lives could be put at risk.
In the distance, far in the interior of the forest, a wolf howled at the moon. Applejack paused, her hoof automatically tightening on her weapon.
Timberwolves… every since Nightmare Moon rose to power, their numbers had been exploding. What had once been the occasional scare had quickly turned into a serious epidemic. Pack numbers had gone from five or six individuals on average to double digit numbers in the first year alone. Quelling did nothing, no matter how much Applejack tried.
And that was just one threat these lands faced. Nightmare Moon may protect Equestria from the major threats knocking at her door, but what about the minor ones? It seemed like there'd always been work for a mare like herself, whether she liked it or not.
Applejack huffed to herself. No use crying over spilt milk. She continued on, checking torch after torch, ensuring everything was in working order.
She’d been trotting for nearly a mile when a noise to her right caught her attention.
Applejack turned stiffly, her eye roving around the bush next to her. At first, her only found herself looking at a bush. Until, a split second later, she realized the bush was looking back at her.
The timberwolf snarled, low, menacing. It stood just on the edge of the torchlight, its profile almost completely indistinguishable from its surroundings in the low light. But it was there, and it was nearly as big as Applejack herself.
She stared at the beast, and very calmly, she took a step back.
The beast snapped its jaws, its burning eyes never once leaving her. Then, as quick as a flash, it whipped round and vanished into the forest.
Applejack let out a tense breath, her stance relaxing. In the distance, another wolf howl wafted through the trees.
That one had been the boldest yet. They were starting to grow daring. Very soon, she’d need to venture into that forsaken forest and cut their numbers down again. Just the thought made her feel reluctant; she’d barely healed up from the last time she’d quelled their numbers. But nopony else, especially those haughty Night Guard bat-ponies, were going to do it.
Applejack sighed, then turned to continue on.
The stallion appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and without a sound.
Applejack paused when she saw the burly fellow barring her way. He was completely concealed behind rags and torn cloth, hiding his identity completely from view.
He wasn’t alone. At least four others slipped from the nearby bushes like shadows, each draped in cloaks and hoods.
Applejack raised an eyebrow at them, then leaned against her spear. “Well, well. This is unusual,” she commented. “If you folks were trying not to look like insurrectionists, I have to say, you missed that goal by a country mile.”
She could just see the glint off of a blue eye from the torchlight. The lead stallion stared at her, not budging an inch. “You’re late, Applejack,” he stated.
“Got caught up,” Applejack countered smoothly. “Besides, you’re not normally so strict when it comes to the timetables.”
“Things have changed,” he said back. “You know that. You’ve heard the news.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “This about that mysterious mare again?”
“Who else? You must have heard some of the claims she’s made.”
“And you think there’s some stock in them?” she inquired.
“I do. We need to move up the timeframe.”
“Sounds risky. Too risky.”
“We have a plan. So far our extractions have gone unnoticed, but we’ve reached the point where that isn’t a possibility anymore. We must move the rest tonight, all at once. We must get somepony inside the castle.”
Applejack eyebrow only went higher. “Now hold on. That’s just plain dangerous. We need time to put together an operation of that scale.”
“We already have,” he interjected. “And you will be our inside mare.”
Applejack sighed. “Well, if this is so gosh darn important to you… fine. Guess I don’t have a choice, and if it gets us what we need, I’m all for it.”
“Just remember whose side you’re on, Applejack,” he shot dangerously.
“You don’t need to keep reminding me, go~lly. Now get going, before somepony comes along.”
The four ponies seeped back into the shadows without a sound. Only the first remained. “I’m sorry to just throw this on you, Applejack,” he said, and his voice range sincere. “But this is the only way.”
“I know,” Applejack said patiently. “I wouldn’t have volunteered for this if I didn’t believe you were right, Shining.”
The stallion nodded. “Stay strong, Applejack. You’re our only hope for getting this done. The dawn will come soon.”
Applejack nodded. “The dawn will come.”